Jul 27

More Photos From the Barn

The new Miller horse trough. Howard Caffee, Ruth, Helen, Em, Carl Miller. (c1925)

Here are a few more photos from the group that I found in the Miller barn a few weeks ago. My Aunt Ruth was able to identify individuals in a few of the photos last weekend.

We had quite a discussion about last week’s photo that was labeled Gertrude Brewster Miller. A couple of us thought the girl in the photo looked like Gertrude’s mother Pearl but Aunt Ruth believes the girl in the photograph is indeed Gertrude. Brian pointed out that the chair Gertrude was sitting in is identical to the chair Augusta Brewster was photographed sitting in. Augusta was born in 1897 and Gertrude was born in 1896. They were close in age and both photographs may have been taken by the same photographer.

The above photo was taken after pouring a horse trough at the Miller farm. The Millers and Caffees were neighbors and Howard’s wife Caroline was my Grandpa Miller’s sister.

Vernon Caffee, son of Howard:

Vernon Caffee (1915-1977)

Ralph and Alpha (Brewster) Derrickson and daughter Pauline. Alpha was Grandma (Gertrude Brewster) Miller’s sister. Aunt Ruth said that Ralph was a very good baseball player:

Ralph and Alpha (Brewster) Derrickson with daughter Pauline. (c1917)

Dorothy (Brewster) Weaver, Grandma (Gertrude Brewster) Miller’s sister:

Dorothy (Brewster) Weaver (1916-2009)

Wesley and Ardella Kallenberger:

Wesley and Ardella Kallenberger. (c1910)

Mike and Maggie (Rueck-Miller) Kallenberger with children Ardella, Wesley and John. Maggie was Grandpa Miller’s half sister. Aunt Ruth remembers that she enjoyed eating pop corn at Aunt Maggie’s. She also said that the Kallenbergers had a Delco system for generating electricity:

Mike and Maggie (Rueck-Miller) Kallenberger with children Ardella, Wesley and John.

Wesley and Minnie (Johnson) Kallenberger with children:

Wesley and Minnie (Johnson) Kallenberger with children Max, Jean LaVonne, baby Donald.

Please let me know if any of you readers have additions or corrections to any of these photos.

 

Jul 24

Tombstone Tuesday–Abraham Beberstein

Abraham Beberstein, Kessler Cemetery, Mercer County, Ohio.

This is the tombstone of Abraham Beberstein, located in row 14 of Kessler Cemetery, Liberty Township, Mercer County, Ohio. The marker is inscribed: BEBERSTEIN, Abraham Beberstein Died Sept 4, 1885, Aged 87 Y, 6 M, 26 d.

The broken column is now on the ground, facing west and leaning against the base. The base faces east and is inscribed BEBERSTEIN.

Although Abraham Beberstein and his family attended Zion Lutheran Church in Chattanooga, they were buried in Kessler Cemetery. Kessler Cemetery, also known as Liberty Cemetery, is located on Oregon Road, about 2 miles from Chattanooga and one half mile from the Indiana State Line.

According to Zion Lutheran’s records Abraham Beberstein was born 17 February 1798 in Betringen, Canton Bern, Switzerland, and died 3 September 1884, He was aged 87 years, 6 months and 16 days. Note that the tombstone and church records disagree slightly.

An 1876 map of Mercer County shows that Abraham “Bevestine” owned land in the southeast quarter of Section 18 of Liberty Township. This land would have been about 2 miles south of Chattanooga and about 1/2 mile from Kessler Cemetery, on what is now State Route 49.

Abraham’s tombstone is between those of his children and his wife Friedricka.

This surname was spelled several different ways in the church records and on their tombstones: Baberstein, Beberstein, Beiberstein and Biberstein.

 

Jul 20

Found! A Stash of Photos

Photo labeled Gertrude Brewster Miller.

I spent this past week working with photos–rearranging family photos that my dad had on his computer and scanning a group of photos I found while helping clean out the Miller barn.

We spent several Saturdays this summer cleaning out the barn. I had hoped to find a few treasures there but until that last Saturday I had only found a few horse shoes, some granite containers, some old blue Ball jars, an old school desk and a crude handcrafted wooden cupboard that Joe and my mom could not believe that I insisted we drag home.

But on that last Saturday, after we had almost filled a second dumpster, I found a box of old books, papers and photos. That was it! That was what I was hoping to find. My work gloves came off and my barn cleaning work came to a halt so I could rummage through the photos.

Among the items in the box were loose photos and an old black photo album. I do not know who originally owned the album but there were some Miller, Caffee, Brewster, and Kallenberger and photos in it. Perhaps the album belonged to my grandma, Gertrude (Brewster) Miller. There were photos that I had not seen before and others I had seen but only had copies of.

So this past week I sorted through the photos, arranged them and set out to digitize them. I scanned over three hundred photos in just a couple hours with my Flip Pal portable scanner. After I scanned them I put them on my PC and cropped and edited them. Here are a few of photos from the album.

The above photo has Gertrude Brewster Miller written on the back. However, the girl in the photo looks a lot like her mother Pearl. I also wonder about the clothing style in the photo. The photo may have been taken about 1910 if that is Gertrude in the chair. Gertrude was born in 1896 and Pearl was born in 1880.

This is a photo of Gene, Fern and Vernon Caffee, cousins to the Millers:

Gene, Fern and Vernon Caffee

Mice had chewed the corners of many of the loose photos in the box. It is a good thing the picture portion wasn’t very tasty to them. Below is an old Sunday School photo with Elsie Byers as the Sunday School teacher. It was taken in what is now the kitchen at Zion Lutheran, Chattanooga. You can see where mice chewed the corners of the photo.

Sunday School Class, Zion Lutheran, Chattanooga. (c1950)

Here is a photo of Johnny & Clara (Miller) Reef and her mother Christina (Rueck) Miller:

Johnny & Clara (Miller) Reef, Christine (Rueck) Miller.

I also found a WWII photo of my dad in one of the worst picture frames I have ever seen. I have seen this type of glass frame before and even have one at home. It is not a photo friendly frame because it leaves 4 screw holes in the corners of the photo.

Glass picture frame with 4 screws.

And of course, no Miller photo album would be complete without a porch swing photo:

Early porch swing photo.

Jul 17

Tombstone Tuesday–Frederick W. Brandt

Frederick W. Brandt, Zion Lutheran Cemetery, Chattanooga, Mercer County, Ohio.

This is the tombstone of Frederick W. Brandt, located in row 7 of Zion Lutheran Cemetery, Chattanooga, Mercer County, Ohio. The marker is inscribed: Frederick W, Son of JL & M Brandt, Died Aug 25, 1872, Aged 26 days.

According Zion’s church records, Friedrich Wilhelm Brandt was born 30 July 1872 in Blackcreek Township, Mercer County, the son of Ludwig Brandt and his wife Margaretha, born Haffner. The records state that Frederick’s father was born in Dietzhausen, Kingdom of Prussia, and that his mother was born in Mercer County, Ohio. The records also state that he was baptized 31 August, with his parents as sponsors, and that he died 25 August 1872, aged 26 days. He was buried on the 26th and his funeral text was Mark 10:14.

Frederick’s baptism date was likely entered incorrectly in the church records because Lutherans do not baptize after death. I would guess that he was baptized on either the 31 July or 3 August.

This portion of row 7 appears to be the children’s section of the cemetery.

 

Jul 13

It’s Family Reunion Time

Miller Reunion, c1956.

It is the middle of summer and time for family reunions. Both sides of my family have family gatherings that we regularly attend. Although both reunions focus on relatives gathering together (and good food), there are differences between the Miller and Schumm reunions.

The Miller reunion is held every year on the fourth Sunday in July, which this year is the 22nd. This gathering is for the descendants of Carl and Gertrude (Brewster) Miller, my grandparents. At the reunion are my aunts and uncles and cousins.

I am not sure when the first Miller reunion was held but I think we started getting together when I was small and my grandparents were still living. One of the earliest reunions that I remember was held at my Aunt Kate and Uncle Paul’s. We gathered for a photo in front of their house. Usually about 50 Miller relatives attend the reunion on Sunday afternoon but many of us celebrate all weekend long.

Miller Reunion Weekend begins on Friday evening when about 20 of us get together for dinner, often in Decatur, Indiana. After that we usually go to Uncle Vernie’s to visit, reminisce, look at old photos and enjoy one of Aunt Martha’s delicious desserts. On Saturday several of us go to Celina to browse the sidewalk sales and crafts at Celina Lake Festival. This year that won’t happen because Lake Festival is the following weekend. Saturday evening usually finds us at the Chatt Family Restaurant, aka the Chatt Bar. The big decision there is whether to order breaded tenderloin, deep fried pizza or regular pizza. For me that decision is easy. I always order the breaded tenderloin and deep fried dill pickles.

The actual Miller reunion is on Sunday afternoon at the park in Willshire, Ohio. There is always plenty of good food, catching up on the latest news and looking at more photos. For many years we had the reunion at the park in Berne, Indiana, but changed the location to Willshire a couple years ago. They have a nice shelter house at Willshire and there is usually a nice breeze from the west. Except for last year when it was very humid with no breeze. I refer to that reunion as “The Hot One.” The Miller reunion is all about visiting, looking at family photos, seeing how much the little ones have grown and eating.

The Schumm reunion is held every two years on the first Sunday in August. This year the reunion will be held on 5 August. The first Schumm reunion was held in 1924 at the Schumm homestead, northwest of the church. I remember for several years it was held on the Ned Alspaugh property. Recently it has been held at the pavilion just south of the church.

The Schumm reunion is for the descendants of John George Schumm and his five children that immigrated to America with him in 1833. It is a much larger reunion than the Miller reunion and is a little more structured. In fact, they elect officers. There are many, many Schumm relatives and we wear name tags at this reunion. Name tags also indicate from which of John George’s children we descend. Years ago the average attendance at this reunion was 450. Today about 150 attend.

The above photo was taken at that first Schumm reunion in 1924. Everyone was dressed up in their Sunday best, wearing their hats and ties. The photo was taken in front of the Schumm homestead barn, which is no longer standing. [note by kmb: The above photo is 17 1/2 inches long and I scanned it with my Magic Wand scanner.]

Schumm reunion day begins with the 10:00 church service at Zion Lutheran, Schumm. This year they will dedicate John George Schumm’s Bible during the church service. The Bible was donated by the W.J. Schumm family. A carry-in meal commences after church in the pavilion just south of the church. There is a lot of very good food at this reunion, too. I am fortunate to descend from a line of very good cooks on both sides of my family. I’m afraid the line broke when it got to me. I just don’t have that love of cooking.

The afternoon portions of the Schumm reunion is more structured than the Miller reunion. They conduct a business meeting that begins the afternoon program at 2:00. There is an agenda and the meeting includes reports from the secretary and treasurer as well as the discussion of new and old business. Entertainment follows the business meeting. The past few years a singer/comedian from Fort Wayne has performed. The program concludes with the Schumm chorus singing “The Lord Bless You and Keep You.” The Schumms enjoy music and many are talented singers and musicians. Of course people stay and visit after the program is over.

I helped compile and update the Schumm history and genealogy that was made available in 2010. This year I have asked that people bring old Schumm photos. I will take my Flip Pal and Magic Wand scanner and scan photos all afternoon. I plan to make the photos available as a slide show on CD or a thumb drive for the 2014 Schumm reunion. Hopefully most individuals will be identified in the photos but I will have an unidentified section for the unknowns. Maybe sometime someone will be able to identify them.

My grandfather, Cornelius L Schumm (1896-1986), 1924 Schumm reunion. Back row, far left of above photo..

There is another reunion that I could [and should] attend. The Brewster reunion is held yearly, usually on the Sunday after the Miller reunion. I hate to admit it, but I rarely attend this reunion. There is just not time to do everything, but I think I will go this year. I have an ulterior motive. I want to take my DNA kit over and get a DNA sample to see if we descend from the Mayflower Brewsters. I’ll see if I can get someone to volunteer to donate a few cheek cells for the test. And, Brian, if you are reading this, I will bring some new “old” Brewster photos for you. Hopefully you plan to attend.

Now I need to sit down and look through my recipe books and decide what to make for the upcoming reunions.