Feb 19

Tombstone Tuesday–Abraham Pflueger

Abraham Pflueger, Zion Lutheran Cemetery, Schumm, Van Wert County, Ohio. (2012 photo by Karen)

Abraham Pflueger, Zion Lutheran Cemetery, Schumm, Van Wert County, Ohio. (2012 photo by Karen)

This is the tombstone of Abraham Pflueger, located in row 11 of Zion Lutheran Cemetery, Schumm, Van Wert County, Ohio. The marker is inscribed:

Abraham
Pflueger
1853-1936


According to Abraham Pflüger’s death and burial record at Zion Lutheran Schumm, Abraham was born 5 March 1852 in Willshire Township, Van Wert County.  He died 5 June 1936 in Fort Wayne, Indiana, at the age of 84 years and 3 months and was buried in Zion’s cemetery on 8 June.

Abraham was most likely the son of Michael and Catherine (Brandt) Pflüger. He was enumerated with the Michael Pflüger family in 1860 [1] and 1870 [2], but neither of those census enumerations give the relationships of family members. And unfortunately there were not many Pflüger entries in Zion’s church records.

Abraham Pflueger & Elizabeth Hoffman marriage, 1875, Fan Wert County, Ohio.

Abraham Pflueger & Elizabeth Hoffman marriage, 1875, Van Wert County, Ohio, Vol. 4:339.

Abraham married Elizabeth Hofmann on 23 May 1875 in Van Wert County, Ohio. [3] They were living near Monroe, Allen County, Indiana, in 1880. Their household in 1880: Abraham (27, born in Ohio, works on farm), Elizabeth (23, Oh, keeping house), Emma (4, Oh, daughter), Mary (1, Ind). [4]

Abraham was a carpenter by trade and built and repaired many barns in the Schumm/Willshire area. In fact he built a two-story granary for my great-grandfather Lewis Schumm’s farm. We know this because he carved Granary built in 1901 by Abraham Pflueger on one of its walls. The granary was converted into a cottage several years ago by my mom and dad and was moved near the farm pond, north of its former location.

Granary build by Abraham Pflueger in 1901, now a cabin.

Granary build by Abraham Pflueger in 1901, now a cabin.

 

[1] 1860 U.S. census, Van Wert County, Ohio, p. 425, dwelling 1066, family 1060, Michael Pfluger; digital image by subscription, Ancestry.com (http://www.ancestry.comn : accessed 18 February 2013); FHL film 805045 from NARA microfilm M653, roll 1045.

[2] 1870 U.S. census, Van Wert County, Ohio, p.445A, dwelling 216, family 217, Michael Pfluger; digital image by subscription, Ancestry.com (http://www.ancestry.comn : accessed 18 February 2013); FHL film 552774 from NARA microfilm M593, roll 1275.

[3] “Ohio, County Marriages, 1789-1994,” index and images, FamilySearch (https://familysearch.org/pal:/MM9.1.1/XD24-TL3 : accessed 18 Feb 2013), Abraham Pflueger and Elizabeth Hoffman, 1875; Vol. 4: 339, FHL microfilm 1015860.

[4] 1880 U.S. census, Allen County, Indiana, ED 112, p. 379B, dwelling 161, family 161, Abraham Pluegar; digital image by subscription, Ancestry.com (http://www.ancestry.comn : accessed 18 February 2013); FHL film 1254264 from NARA microfilm T9, roll 264.

Feb 17

Breaker, Breaker One-nine

Breaker, breaker one-nine. How ‘bout ya, Good Buddy? Got your ears on? What’s your handle? Where’s your 20? Over.

Those were phrases heard around our house back in the early 60s. They were slang terms used by people that owned a Citizens’ Band radio, or CB radio for short. Yes, my dad had had a CB base unit in our kitchen as well as a mobile unit in his car. Yup! We had cutting-edge technology in our remote rural area near Chatt.

The CB radio was invented in 1945 for short distance communication between people. Owners were initially required to have a license but that law was eventually dropped. By the late 1960s CB radios were popular with motorists and particularly popular with truckers. I don’t know if many truckers still use CB radios. I imagine cell phones have pretty much taken their place.

The mobile CB unit could be considered the bulky equivalent of today’s cell phone, with a few other differences. A cord was attached to the mike so you were physically connected to the mobile unit while talking. There was a talking range of a few miles. An antenna had to be affixed to the car. My dad had a long whip antenna that gave his car a look that was not appealing to me. CB transmissions were noisy and difficult for me to understand. What could be deciphered was not private and everyone within range on that particular channel could hear and join in on the conversation. But that could be part of the fun. Despite all of this, it was a way to talk to others while driving. And that was pretty cool back then.

Herb Miller "The Railsplitter" postcard from the 1960s.

Herb Miller “The Railsplitter”  CB postcard from the 1960s.

When you got your CB license back in the 60s you received your own call letters. Our call letters were KNM-2696. My dad even had postcards that gave our CB information. You get an idea of his wacky sense of humor from the little cartoon on the postcard. My mom’s name is on the postcard but I don’t think she ever talked on the CB radio. I think my dad also had a bumper sticker with his call letters. He had an hour-long commute to work every day and I’m sure he used his CB a lot while going to and from.

The “handle” was the CB user’s nickname. After all, you wouldn’t want to use your given name. My dad’s handle was The Railsplitter, chosen because of his WWII service in the 84th Infantry Division, aka The Railsplitters.

Joe put a CB radio in my car not long after we were married. My CB radio was mainly to call for help in case I ever had car trouble, and I rarely used it. My handle was Tooth Fairy, a good nickname considering my profession.

Truck & Car

CBers have their own long list of slang terms. Many of the terms were used to warn of upcoming traffic conditions or problems but they were mainly used to warn of police cars up ahead. A few slang terms that I remember:

Back door—area behind a vehicle

I got your back door—I’m watching your back

Bear/Smokey Bear—police officer or highway patrol

Bear in the air—police in aircraft

Bear in the grass—speed trap

Bear taking pictures—police with radar

Bear with ears—police officer listening to others on CB

Blinders—high beam headlights

Breaker—letting others know you would like to start talking

Breaker One-nine—you would like to start talking on channel 19, a widely used channel

Clean & Green—no police ahead

Convoy—group of 3 or more truckers in a line

Double nickel—55 mph speed limit

Eighteen-wheeler—semi truck

Four-wheeler—car or truck with only 4 wheels

Good Buddy—friend or acquaintance on CB radio

Got your ears on?—asking someone if they are on the air and listening

I’m gone/We gone—end of transmission

Picture-taker—police with radar gun

Pony Express–mail carrier

Put the hammer down—flooring the accelerator

Ratchetjaw—person talking non-stop

Ten-four—affirmative, agreement

Ten-twenty, or Twenty—a location

If you enjoy reading these slang CB terms, Wikipedia has a long list of others. You can also read about The History and Use of CB Radios.

Well, I’m done ratchetjawing. We gone, Good Buddy. Ten-four. Over and out.

 

 

 

Feb 12

Tombstone Tuesday–Elizabeth Pflueger

Elizabeth Pflueger, Zion Lutheran Cemetery, Van Wert County, Ohio. (Photo by Karen, April 2012)

Elizabeth Pflueger, Zion Lutheran Cemetery, Van Wert County, Ohio. (Photo by Karen, April 2012)

This is the tombstone of Elizabeth Pflueger, located in row 10 of Zion Lutheran Cemetery, Schumm, Van Wert County, Ohio. The marker is inscribed:

Elizabeth
Ehefrau Von
A. Pflueger
1857-1913
PFLUEGER

Translation: Elizabeth, wife of A. Pflueger, 1857-1913.

According to the records of Zion Lutheran Church, Schumm, Rosina Elisabetha Hofmann was born 23 February 1857 in Willshire Township to Johann Georg and Catharina Hofmann. She was baptized at home on 25 February 1857 with Jakob Bienz and wife and Pankratius Schinnerer as sponsors. She married Abraham Pflüger on 23 May 1875 at Zion. Both were members of the Schumm parish. Elizabeth died 4 October 1913 at Schumm, ten weeks after suffering a stroke. She was 56 years, 7 months and 11 days old. She was buried 6 October in the parish cemetery, with 1 John 3:14 as her funeral text.  Survivors included her husband, 7 children, 2 brothers, 1 sister, 2 half-sisters and 10 grandchildren.

According to her death certificate her mother’s name was Catherine Minsimer and both of her parents were born in Germany. Her death certificate shows her cause of death as apoplexy. [1]  Apoplexy is defined as a sudden and often fatal event resulting from a cerebral hemorrhage.

Elizabeth Pflueger death certificate, 1913.

Elizabeth Pflueger death certificate, 4 October 1913.

In 1900 Abraham and Elizabeth Pflüger were living in Willshire Township, Van Wert County. Their household in 1900: Abraham, 48; Elizabeth, 43; Ferdinand, 15; Henry, 13; Justinia, 11; Martha, 7; Willie, 4; and Louise 1. This census tells us that the couple had been married 25 years, that Elizabeth had given birth to 10 children and that 7 children were still living. [2]

Obituary:

A Pioneer Dead After a Life of Usefulness
The last issue of the Herald reported the critical sickness of Mrs. Abraham Pflueger. She is now relieved and has gone to her rest. On Saturday morning she peacefully passed away.

Elizabeth (Hoffman) Pflueger was born near Schumm, Ohio, February 23, 1857, and was baptized into the Lutheran Church at an early age. Here she also attended the parochial school and received a thorough training in the Christian faith. At the age of 14 years she was received into communicant membership of the congregation by the rite of confirmation.

In 1875 she was married to Abraham Pflueger, who survives to mourn her departure. This union was blessed with ten children, four sons and six daughters.

With the exception of about four years spent in Indiana, her entire life was spent in this vicinity.

Ten weeks ago she suffered a stroke of paralysis. She leaves a husband, seven children, two brothers, one sister, ten grandchildren, and many other relatives. The children are: Fred Pflueger, Kingfisher, Oklahoma; Mrs. William Myers, Willshire; Mrs. Henry Sauer, Schumm; Henry Pflueger, Decatur, Indiana; and Martha, Wilson and Louis, who are still at home.

The funeral services were held in the German Lutheran church, and were conducted by Rev. Meyer, and the throng that filled the church was ample tribute to the esteem in which she was held.

A devoted wife and mother, a kind neighbor and friend, a patient cross bearer and an earnest Christian was laid to rest here on Monday afternoon. [3]

The artwork on this tombstone reminds me of the chorus from the old hymn, The Old Rugged Cross: “I will cling to the old rugged cross…”

 

[1] “Ohio, Deaths, 1908-1953,” index and images, FamilySearch (https://familysearch.org/pal:/MM9.1.1/X8XD-1LY : accessed 10 Feb 2013), Elizabeth Pflueger, 04 Oct 1913; citing Willshire Township, Van Wert, Ohio, reference fn 61029; FHL microfilm 1953761.

[2] 1900 U.S. Census, Van Wert County, Ohio, Willshire Township, Enumeration District 97, p. 9B, line 65, dwelling no. 183, family no. 197, Abraham Pflueger; digital image, FamilySearch.com (https://familysearch.org/pal:/MM9.1.1/MMXJ-8ML : accessed 10 Feb 2013); FHL microfilm 1241329, from NARA microfilm publication T623.

[3] The Willshire Herald, Willshire, Ohio, 9 October 1913, p.1.

 

Feb 08

Karen’s Chatt Begins Its Third Year

BalloonsJanuary 27th 2013 was the second anniversary of Karen’s Chatt, or as the Geneabloggers say, Blogiversary. I want to thank everyone for the Blogiversary wishes and for reading and supporting Karen’s Chatt the past two years.

This past year Karen’s Chatt had nearly 8,000 visits and over 16,000 page views. Visitors were from all around the word but most were from Ohio and Indiana. Here is what 2012 looked like:

The five most popular blog posts or pages were:

  1. Changes in Technology over the years (3 June 2011)
  2. Gallery/photos
  3. Tombstone Tuesday—Jacob Miller (29 March 2011)
  4. Five Tips for Safely Reading and Photographing Tombstones (14 September 2012)
  5. Dropping Pennies (18 March 2011)

The five most popular pages that people landed on when coming to Karen’s Chatt:

  1. Changes in Technology over the Years
  2. Five Tips for Safely Reading and Photographing Tombstones
  3. Tombstone Tuesday–Jacob Miller
  4. Dropping Pennies
  5. Our Ohio Century Farms (26 October 2012)

Some popular and unusual search terms that brought people to Karen’s Chatt:

  • Nicholas Headington War of 1812 [There are still a lot of people researching Nicholas Headington, my U.S. Daughters of 1812 ancestor. This is still by far the most popular search term.]
  • Changes in technology [Also still a very popular search.]
  • Dropping Pennies/Hear the Pennies Dropping [Eighty people searched for information about this little Sunday School song last year. I am amazed. One person was looking for the chords to the song.]

Other less popular things people were searching:

  • Rev. Kreiselmeyer
  • Todd Frazier [Fifteen people were looking for information about our favorite Reds player. I hope they enjoyed the photo of Todd and me!]
  • Is Karen an unusual name? [Not around here! Two of my best friends were named Karen, so there were three Karens in our wedding. Our pastor is a Karen, too.]
  • Lutheran Confirmation Records [They can be a very good source of information.]
  • Autograph book verses
  • What’s the wavil lack today? [Huh?]
  • Scary Santa [Six people probably looked at a photo of my Uncle Kenny’s homemade Santa face. It sure scared me when I was little.]
  • Andrews Sawmill, Wendel Brothers Motor Sales, Fisher Implement [All past Chattanooga businesses, each a separate search.]
  • The Chatt Bar and deep-fried pizza Ohio [I can vouch for both. Try the breaded tenderloin sometime,too.]
  • Why is there a town in Ohio called Chattanooga? [Not sure. This might be a good future blog.]
  • Genealogy of my great grandparents [I might be able to help you, but I’ll need a little more information.]
  • Photos of Schumms [Yup! I have quite a few of those.]
  • First Lutheran, Chattanooga [We are the first and only Lutheran in Chatt.]
  • Old Chattanooga
  • Phone numbers for Pete Brewster [I am not privy to that information.]
  • Karen Miller quilter [Definitely not me. I do not have the time or the patience to quilt.]
  • Stocking feet church [I play our church organ in my stocking feet but the rest of the congregation keeps their shoes on.]
  • #43 [I’m not sure what you were looking for but evidently I have a 43 in one of my blogs.]
  • Adult Chatt [Hmmm. I don’t think I’m interested, thank you.]
  • Cemetery corner of Wabash and Oregon Road, Mercer County, Ohio [I know that cemetery! You should have asked me about it.]

Thanks for reading and I hope you will keep visiting Karen’s Chatt.

 

Feb 05

Tombstone Tuesday–Anna R. Pflueger

Anna R. Pflueger, Zion Lutheran Cemetery, Schumm, Van Wert County, Ohio.

Anna R. Pflueger, Zion Lutheran Cemetery, Schumm, Van Wert County, Ohio.

This is the tombstone of Anna R. Pflueger, located in row 10 of Zion Lutheran Cemetery, Schumm, Van Wert County, Ohio. The marker is inscribed:

Anna R. Ehefrau Von
A. J. Pflueger
Geb. 27. Feb. 1871
Gest. 20. Mai 1911
Alter 40 J. 2 M. u. 23 T.
PFLUEGER

Translation: Anna. R. Wife of A.J. Pflueger, born 27 Feb. 1871, Died 20 May 1911, aged 40 years, 2 months and 23 days.

Anna was the daughter of John C. Pifer and Fredrika Kniesel. Anna was born in Ohio and both her parents were born in Germany. [1] Anna married Adam J. Pflueger about 1893. [2] Adam was featured in last week’s Tombstone Tuesday.

According to the records of Zion Schumm, Anna Regina Pflueger, born Pfeiffer, was born 27 February 1871 in Auglaize County, Ohio. She died on 20 May 1911 at the age of 40 years, 2 months and 23 days. She was buried 23 May 1911 in the parish cemetery. Survivors included her husband Adam Pflueger; 5 children, Otto, Frida, Georg, Della and Viola; 5 full brothers, 2 half brothers, a stepfather, 3 stepsisters and 2 aunts.

I was unable to locate Anna’s obituary but below is a copy of her death certificate:

Death Certificate of Ann R. Pflueger, Van Wert Co., Ohio, 1911.

Death Certificate of Ann R. “Pfluegar”, Van Wert Co., Ohio, 20 May 1911.

Anna died on 20 May 1911 at 10:30 p.m. The writing on her death certificate is difficult to read but it appears that her cause of death was splenomegaly [enlargement of spleen], of indefinite duration, with accidental trauma from a detached placenta contributing to her death.

I was not expecting to learn of a detached placenta and a pregnancy. If I had not looked at her death certificate I would not have discovered the cause of her death and would not have learned the rest of this sad story. I then found the death certificate of their son, who was stillborn on the same day:

Stillborn infant male Pflueger, Van Wert Co., Ohio, 20 May 1911.

Stillborn infant male “Pfluegar”, Van Wert Co., Ohio, 20 May 1911.

The above death certificate is for a male “Pfluegar”, the stillborn child of Adam and Anna (Pifer) Pfluegar, who died on 20 May 1911 at 10:30 p.m., the same day and same time that his mother Anna died. The cause of his death was given as accidental hemorrhage of mother. His birth date is recorded as 21 May 1911 and his death date recorded as 20 May 1911. [3] That seems a little strange. The birth date may have been recorded incorrectly or perhaps they had to remove the baby the next day. I do not know very much about a detached placenta condition and will probably never know the whole story.

The death certificates also state that mother and infant were buried in Schumm Cemetery on 23 May 1911. The church records do not mention the infant’s death or burial nor can his tombstone be found. Perhaps he is buried with his mother.

I was not expecting to learn of this sad story and would not have if I had not searched for the death certificates of family members. Family Search.org  has Ohio Deaths, 1908-1953, which consists of images of Ohio death records from the Ohio Department of Health.

It can be worthwhile to check those additional sources.

 

[1] “Ohio, Deaths, 1908-1953,” index and images, FamilySearch (https://familysearch.org/pal:/MM9.1.1/X8DH-7MK : accessed 03 Feb 2013), Anna R. Pfluegar, 20 May 1911; citing Willshire Twp., Van Wert, Ohio, reference fn 30208; FHL microfilm 1952987.

 [2] “United States Census, 1900,” index and images, FamilySearch (https://familysearch.org/pal:/MM9.1.1/MMXJ-8ML : accessed 27 Jan 2013), Adam Pflueger, ED 97 Willshire Township Willshire village, Van Wert, Ohio, United States; citing sheet 9B, family 199, dwelling 185, NARA microfilm publication T623, FHL microfilm 1241329.

[3] “Ohio, Deaths, 1908-1953,” index and images, FamilySearch (https://familysearch.org/pal:/MM9.1.1/X8DH-7MP : accessed 03 Feb 2013), Pfluegar, 20 May 1911; citing Willshire Twp., Van Wert, Ohio, reference fn 30209; FHL microfilm 1952987.