Apr 01

1916 Mercer County Directory

A few years ago I purchased a 1916 Farm Journal Illustrated Directory of Mercer County, Ohio, on Ebay. It was published by the Wilmer Atkinson Company, publishers of the Farm Journal, from Washington Square, Philadelphia. It contains 208 pages, an alphabetical list of the people living in Mercer County with some information about them, advertisements, and a classified business directory. The following is some information about my ancestors from this directory.

Jacob Muller [umlaut over the u] is listed on page 117: Muller, Jacob, wife Christina, 1 child, a farmer who owned 80 acres at Route 1 Willshire, Blackcreek Township. He owned 8 horses and 3 cows and had an Indiana telephone. I would imagine a telephone would have been quite a luxury in 1916.

Jacob’s son, John, was living next to Jacob, and is listed on page 115: Miller, John, wife Sophronia, 2 children, a farmer who owned 62 acres at Route 1, Willshire, in Blackcreek Township. John owned 4 horses and 3 cows and also had an Indiana telephone.

A map of Mercer County was included with the directory. Numbers on the map correspond with numbers given with the names of the people in the directory. Jacob and John Miller were both listed as #17 in Blackcreek Township. I was not aware that John owned land in this section. I need to look through the deed books at the Mercer County Recorder’s Office and check this out.

1916 Mercer Directory Map

Chattanooga was the nearest town to the farm, about 2 miles away. Several Chattanooga businesses advertised in the 1916 directory. It appears that Chattanooga was a thriving little village. The following are the Chattanooga businesses listed in the directory:

Chattanooga Hardware Co. [see photo]
Regedanz Brothers, blacksmiths
Heffner Brothers, garage
Merkle & Egger, general store
Baumgartner & Andrews, lumber
John H. Andres, meats
Perry Gibbons & Fred Heffner, saloon
A. Germann, shoes
Smith Brothers, tinners

The other day I was talking with my dad about the Miller farm in Blackcreek Township.  The 1853 Mercer County plat book showed that the 80 acres was divided into two tracts of land at that time, owned by two individuals, each having a cabin on their 40 acre plot. The cabin at the back end of the property would have been about ½ mile from the current road. My dad said that his grandfather, Jacob, talked about a cabin that had one time been toward the back of his farm. This would correspond with information from the 1853 plat book. Supposedly, the road from Berne, Indiana, now route 218, was to go by the cabin that was in the back 40 acres. Perhaps there was a dirt road back there in the 1850s. If the Indiana road from Berne came straight into Ohio it would have probably gone right by the cabin. However, route 218, instead of coming straight into Ohio, curves south at the state line and becomes Ohio route 707.

There were some Schumms living in Mercer County in 1916, but they lived closer to Rockford. The following Schumms are listed in the directory, all on page 135:

Schumm, Amos C, tenant, farmer, 6 horses, 5 cows, route 6 Rockford, Blackcreek Township, Indiana telephone.

Schumm, C.J., wife Jeanette, 2 children, farmer, owns 145 acre farm, 10 horses, 3 cows, route 2 Rockford, Dublin Township, Indiana phone.

Schumm, F.M., wife Amber, farmer, owns 62 acres, 5 horses, 19 cows, route 2 Rockford, Dublin Township.

Schumm, J.F., Sr., Rockford.

Schumm, Mary, Rockford.

Schumm, P.F., wife Leona, 3 children, farmer, owns 100 acres, 5 horses, 14 cows, route 2 Rockford, Blackcreek Township, Indiana telephone.

Schumm, Wm. L., wife Amanda, 2 children, farmer, owns 95 acres, 4 horses 1 cow, route 6 Rockford, Blackcreek Township, Indiana, telephone.

I will be happy to do any lookups from this 1916 directory. Just e-mail me with your request.

1916 Mercer County Directory

Mar 29

Tombstone Tuesday—Jacob Miller

Jacob Miller (1843-1918), Chattanooga Mausoleum

This is the mausoleum marker of Jacob Miller, located in the Chattanooga Mausoleum, at the west side of Zion Lutheran Cemetery. The marker is inscribed:

JACOB MILLER
1843-1918

I have not been able to locate Jacob’s Ohio death certificate. The only records of his death that I have are the church records, the mausoleum marker, and his obituary. Jacob’s wife Christine is buried beside him in the mausoleum.

Obituary: Our departed brother, Jacob Miller, was born March 7, 1843 in Bierbach, Kingdom of Bavaria, Germany.  He received the sacrament of baptism in early youth and was later confirmed in the Evangelical Protestant Church of his native village.

In 1870 he was joined in marriage with Sophie Gelzer.  This companion was taken from him through death together with her still-born child.  Not long after this, namely in 1871, brother Miller emigrated to America.  After living in Liberty Township for a short time, he purchased the home place in Blackcreek Township, Mercer County, Ohio, on which he lived until his death.

In 1877 he was again married, namely to Margaret Strabel.  To this union there were born two sons, Peter and Christian, of whom the latter 6 years ago, through unexpected death, caused by typhoid fever, preceded his father into eternity.  In 1882 also his second wife was called from his side through death.

In 1885 our deceased brother was joined in marriage with Christina Rueck.  This union was blessed with seven children, three sons and four daughters.  Of these children, three also preceded their father into eternity, namely Jacob, Mary and Katherine.  Jacob, like Christian, died while far from home, his death being caused by an accident. In a little more than a year, both of their sons, while in the bloom of youth were stricken down and brought home in their coffins.  The grief caused by this sore affliction contributed much to the gradual break-down of the otherwise so robust health of the father.

Soon after our brother’s arrival in this country he became a member of the Evangelical Lutheran Zion’s Congregation in Chattanooga, Ohio.  He was one of our faithful members and loved the habits of God’s house and the place where His honor dwelleth.  And through many tribulations his heart was drawn ever nearer to God and the Savior.

Several years ago he became afflicted with Bright’s disease, which in the course of time grew worse and against which no medical treatment would afford permanent relief.  About a year ago the vision of his eyes also began to vanish and before his death he became totally blind.

The sickness required constant and painstaking care, and this care was bestowed upon him in a self-sacrificing way by his faithful wife and children. He departed this life on June 15, 1918 at 1:30 p.m., having reached 75 years, 3 months and 8 days.

Our brother belonged to those foreign born pioneers of this community who through rigid toil and many hardships stood in the front rank in transforming a swampy unhealthy region into a veritable garden of God.

He was a sinner as we all are and he recognized and acknowledged that fact.  But he also learned to know the Savior of sinners and through tribulation learned more and more to seek and to find that peace and pardon which can be obtained only under the cross of Christ.

How grateful he always was when the comfort of God’s Word was brought to him and when Christian hymns were read and sung in his presence.  Thus he laid hold of the one thing needful and the Lord Jesus has now, as we confidently believe, delivered him from every evil and permitted him to enter into the eternal rest and bliss of that home which he prepared for us.

His departure is mourned by his widow, 5 children, 1 step-child, 11 grandchildren, 1 sister, Mrs. Margaret Linn, 2 daughters-in-law, 1 son-in-law, 2 brothers-in-law and many other relatives and friends.

“Thou on my head in early youth didst smile
And though rebellious and perverse meanwhile
Thou hast not left me as I oft left Thee
On to the close, O Lord, abide with me.

Hold Thou Thy Cross before my closing eyes
Shine through the gloom and point me to the skies
Heaven’s morning breaks and earth’s vain shadows flee
In life, in death, O Lord! Abide with me.”

The funeral was held on Thursday from Zion’s Evangelical Lutheran Church.  Words of comfort and admonition were spoken by the pastor on basis of John 10:9 and Timothy 11 1:9-10.  The mortal remains were laid to rest in the mausoleum, close to Zion’s Cemetery. (Source: unknown newspaper clipping)

Front: Carl, Jacob, John, Christina (Rueck), Clara, Caroline. Back: Mary, Peter, Jacob Jr, Christian, Maggie.

Here are the vital dates of those in the above photo. Front: Carl (1896-1973), Jacob (1843-1918), John (1889-1964), Christina (1858-1845), Clara (1899-1997), Caroline (1893-1988). Back row: Mary (1884-1905), Peter (1878-1957), Jacob Jr (1885-1913), Christian (1880-1911), Maggie (1875-1962).

Mausoleum, Zion Lutheran Cemetery, Chattanooga, Ohio

Mar 25

Working the Land

Carl Miller, Jacob’s son, planting corn

Most of my ancestors were farmers. They were among those who cleared and worked the land, a difficult but rewarding job that played an important part in the growth of our country.

Johann “Jacob” Miller, my great grandfather, emigrated from Bavaria in 1871. On the ship’s passenger list Jacob stated that he was a farmer and that his destination was Indiana. After arriving in America he immediately settled in Mercer County, Ohio, near Chattanooga. Some of his Kessler relatives were already living in the area and I believe he settled here because of them. Immigrants most often moved to an area where family or neighbors from the old country had already settled. He purchased 80 acres of land in Section 30, Blackcreek Township, in 1873, just half a mile from the Indiana state line.

What was Jacob’s land like 20 years before he purchased it?  The 1853 Mercer County Plat book shows that the 80 acres was divided and owned by two individuals, Hiram Spry and Wallen Carter. Hiram owned the 40 acres that bordered the road. In 1853 that piece of land was described as excellent land with good timber, rather flat, 17 acres plowed, and 3 acres of meadow. There was an old hewn log house and a young orchard with apple and peach trees. All this was valued at $328. The back 40 acres was described as excellent land with good timber, 5 acres partially cleared, no fence, a new cabin, but no flowers. This land was valued at $265. It appears the lack of flowers made a big difference in the property’s value.

Let’s fast forward 17 years and see what Jacob Miller’s farm was like in 1880. To get that information I looked at the 1880 agricultural census of Mercer County. We are all familiar with the U.S. Federal Census schedules, sometimes called population schedules, but other special census schedules were produced over the years. These are referred to as non-population census schedules.  Among them are four agricultural schedules, taken during the years 1850-1880. They are separate schedules that list the production for all the farms in America, organized by state, county, and township. Although there is not really any genealogical information in the agricultural census schedules, they do contain interesting information about the farms at that time.

Mercer County, Ohio, 1880

Since Jacob Miller was living in Blackcreek Township, Mercer County, in 1880, I went to the Mercer County Public Library in Celina to look at a copy of the 1880 agricultural census on microfilm. The following is information about the Jacob Miller farm that I learned from that census:

Jacob owed his land and it was divided as follows: 46 acres tilled, including fallow & grass in rotation, pasture, meadow; 10 acres of permanent meadows, pastures, orchards, vineyards; 24 acres of woodland and forest.
The value of his farm, including land, fences, and buildings: $1600; value of farming implements and machinery: $25; value of livestock: $300; cost of building and repairing fences in 1879: $15; cost of fertilizers purchased in 1879: $0.
Jacob paid $12 for wages for farm labor during 1879, including value of board.
Value of all farm productions, sold, consumed, or on hand in 1879: $400.
Grass lands mown: 6 acres; not mown: 3 acres.
Products harvested in 1879: 15 acres of hay; 5 acres of clover seed; no grass seed.
There were 2 horses on hand 1 June 1880, but no mules or asses.
He owned 2 Milch [dairy] cows; 4 others; 1 calf was dropped 1879; he owned no working oxen.
Cattle purchased, sold living, slaughtered, died, strayed, stolen & not recovered: 0.
Milk sold or sent to butter/cheese factories in 1879: 100 gal; Butter made on the farm in 1879: 50 pounds; Cheese made: none.
Jacob had no sheep, but he owned 37 swine and had 18 barnyard poultry and 10 others; Eggs produced in 1879: 50 doz.
Cereals grown on the farm in 1879: No barley, buckwheat, or rye; 13 acres of Indian corn produced 500 bushels; 7 acres of oats produced 180 bushels; 15 acres of wheat produced 180 bushels.
Not grown in 1879: Canada peas, beans, flax, hemp, sorghum, maple, broom corn, hops, sweet potatoes, or tobacco.
Irish potatoes grown in 1879: ½ acre, which produced 20 bushels.
Jacob had a 1 acre apple orchard in 1879 that contained 15 bearing trees from which they picked 40 bushels. He did not grow any peaches, nor did he have any nurseries, vineyards, market gardens or bees.
Forest products in 1879: 25 cords of wood cut, valued at $25.

I thought the information in this census was interesting. For one thing, it appears that the family kept busy making butter and gathering eggs. They had quite a few hogs, too. I also noticed that he didn’t have to buy fertilizer back then.

This agricultural census gives us a good indication of what Jacob Miller’s farm was like in 1880. Look for more information about the farm and the Miller family in weeks to come.

Mar 22

Tombstone Tuesday—J. J. Schumm

Although the inscription “JJ Schumm” is all that is legible on this tombstone, I believe that this is the grave marker of Johann Jacob Schumm, one of the Schumms who immigrated to America in 1833 from Wuerttemberg. I will show how I arrived at this conclusion by using the church records of Zion Lutheran Church, Schumm, Ohio, and Van Wert County, Ohio, Cemetery Inscriptions, Vol. V, published by The Van Wert County Chapter of The Ohio Genealogical Society. Several years ago I translated Zion’s church records. They were written in the old German script and their burial records date back to 1846. The Van Wert Chapter OGS read and compiled Volume V in 1992, the last book of their cemetery inscriptions series.

Johann “Jacob” Schumm was born on 26 September 1815 in Ruppertshofen, Wuerttemberg, the son of Johann Georg and Anna Maria Schumm, nee Fisher. Jacob Schumm came to America with his father, sister, and three brothers in 1833. He resided in Holmes County, Ohio, about 5 years before settling in Van Wert County on 7 June 1838. According to the Family Register in Zion’s church records, Jacob married Hannah Herzog on 15 February 1839. There is some conflicting information concerning Hannah’s maiden name here. In a later entry, concerning the baptism of their son George, the church records give Hannah’s maiden name as Billman. I have not been able to locate Jacob and Hannah’s probate marriage record to confirm either maiden name, although Billman has been the accepted surname for years. Hannah was born on 5 October 1822 in Schuylkill County, Pennsylvania.  Jacob and Hannah had five children, Daniel (1840-1863; died in the Civil War), Katherina (1846-1929), George Christian (1848-1848), Ludwig (1849-1849), and Isabella (1851-1903). Jacob Schumm died on 31 August 1853 near Schumm and was buried on 1 September. He died from consequences of consumption at the young age of 37 years. Burial was in Zion’s cemetery. After Jacob’s death Hannah married Georg Steger, a widower, on 25 July 1854. Hannah died  21 March 1878. It is not known where she is buried. [Source: Records of Zion Lutheran Church, Schumm]

The tombstone of JJ Schumm is in Row 5 of Zion Lutheran Cemetery, Schumm, Ohio. According to the Van Wert Chapter’s inscriptions book, the marker for J.J. Schumm was read in 1992 and is described on page 79: “Schumm, J.J., illegible.” Why do I believe that this is the tombstone of Jacob Schumm? First, this tombstone is made of marble. Marble was used for grave markers from 1830-1880. Granite started being used for markers in the 1880s. The material of this marker fits the time period of Jacob’s death.

Next I compared information from my two sources, Zion’s church records and the Van Wert Chapter’s cemetery inscriptions, searching for a Jacob, JJ, or J Schumm who was buried in Schumm Cemetery. If I could account for all the Jacob or JJ Schumms recorded in the church death records and who are buried in Schumm Cemetery, this illegible stone would most likely be that of Jacob Schumm. To do this I searched all of Zion’s death and burial records through 1920 for Schumms named Jacob or with the initials JJ or J. According to the cemetery inscriptions book there are only three Jacob Schumms buried in Zion’s cemetery, as well as a J.A. Schumm. [Note: I want to mention that there are a couple minor discrepancies between the church records and the cemetery inscriptions shown below. Some of the tombstones are weathered and very difficult to read. Errors could have occurred in several ways– errors when the tombstones were carved, errors in the church records, or errors during the reading/inscription process.] My findings and conclusions:

Jakob, son of Friedrich Schumm and his wife Magdalena, born 4 January 1848, died 5 August 1862. [Source: Zion Lutheran Church, Schumm, Book I, page 86] This agrees with the cemetery inscriptions: Jacob Schumm, row 2. According to his tombstone he died 5 August 1862, aged 14 years, _mo, 1 day. He was the son of Friederich & Magdalena Schumm.  [Source: Van Wert Cemetery Inscriptions, Vol. V, page 78] His tombstone is accounted for and this Jacob can be eliminated as a candidate.

Johann Jakob, son of the deceased Ludwig Schumm and his wife Barbara, died 28 Oct 1855, age 9 years, 27 days. He was buried 29 October. Cause of death was a fever, but he was a sickly child. Church records show he was born 30 September 1846. [Source: Zion Lutheran Church, Schumm, Book I, page 84] This agrees with the cemetery inscriptions: Jacob Schumm , row 4. According to his tombstone he died 27 Oct 1854/7, aged 9 years, 27 days. He was the son of Louis & Anna. [Source: Van Wert Cemetery Inscriptions, Vol. V, page 79] His tombstone is accounted for and this Jacob can also be eliminated as a candidate.

Jakob Wilhelm Schumm, son of Georg Schumm and his wife Maria, died 6 August 1858 at 7:00 in the morning, age 1 year, 5 months, 10 days. He was buried on 7 August. [Source: Zion Lutheran Church, Schumm, Book I, page 85] This agrees with the cemetery inscriptions:  J.A. Schumm, row 3, according to his tombstone he died 6 August 1858, aged 1 year, 5 months, the son of George and Maria. [Source: Van Wert Cemetery Inscriptions, Vol. V, page 79] His tombstone is accounted for and this Jacob can also be eliminated as a candidate. His middle name also took him out of the running.

Jacob F. Schumm, row 10, 12 June 1839-24 Aug 1927. This person can be eliminated because of the middle initial F, his vital dates, and because he was married to Maria (1847-1915). [Source: Van Wert Cemetery Inscriptions, Vol. V, page 83]

In conclusion, all of the Jacob Schumms and the JJ Schumms that were mentioned in the Schumm church burial records have existing tombstones–all except Johann “Jacob” Schumm, the immigrant who died in 1853. His tombstone may be gone from the cemetery, but if so, who is buried beneath the marker that reads JJ Schumm? There were no other Jacob Schumms in the church death and burial records

Therefore, I believe that this is the tombstone of one of the Schumm immigrants, my 2nd great granduncle, Johann “Jacob” Schumm. Now the tombstones of the six Schumms who immigrated in 1833 are accounted for, all of them in close proximity to each other in Zion Lutheran Cemetery, at Schumm.

Mar 18

Dropping Pennies

Years ago, when I was a child in Sunday School, we used to sing a song when the offering was taken up. The song was Dropping Pennies, and it went like this:

Hear the pennies dropping
Listen while they fall.
Every one for Jesus
He shall have them all.

Chorus:

Dropping, dropping, dropping, dropping
Hear the pennies fall.
Every one for Jesus
He shall have them all.

This is a catchy little song and it was the perfect offering song as we dropped our pennies to a little metal bank that was shaped like a church. We enjoyed hearing the coins as they hit the bottom of the bank. Kids often like to make noise during the church service. Adults, not so much.

Recently I was reminded of an incident that took place at a Lenten service several years ago. We have two churches in our parish, Zion and St. Paul, and each takes their turn hosting joint services. I attend Zion and this event occurred at St. Paul.

I was sitting by Mary Anne that evening awhile back and our husbands were seated on either side of us. We happened to be sitting toward the front of the church, not in the back rows where Lutherans usually sit. Somehow, as Mary Anne passed the heavy metal offering plate to me, the plate got away from us and fell to the floor. It made a very loud clang and I think the fall may have even dented the plate. It was sort of like watching an accident happen–we knew what was happening and it seemed to be happening in slow motion, but there was nothing we could do to stop it at that point. Of course the change that was in the plate went rolling in all directions.

Once we had everyone’s attention, the scattered offering needed to be picked up so the offering plate could start moving down the pew again. Our husbands seemed very eager to help. It was amazing how quickly they bent down to help pick up the offering. However, Joe seemed to be down there a little longer than was probably necessary. Perhaps he was trying to hide. Mary Anne’s husband mumbled that in all his years he had never seen anyone drop an offering plate.

I have heard other items dropped during church services, primarily hymnals. They tend to make a loud thud, a sound which does not even come close to the sound of a metal offering plate hitting the floor. Sound will also depend on the type of flooring in the church. Did I mention that St. Paul has hardwood floors? Sound carries and resonates on hardwood. We have carpet under the pews at Zion and had the offering plate fell there it probably would have just made a thump. Yes, carpet in a church can be a good thing.

I believe that successful plate passing can be compared to passing the baton while running a relay race. Practice and skill are required. In my defense, I do not get much practice passing an offering plate. This is a skill I have not learned because I am the organist at Zion and I am busy playing an offertory while the offering plates are passed around. I guess my skills are elsewhere.

Our husbands do not let Mary Anne and I sit side by side anymore. At a recent service at St. Paul, Mary Anne was sitting in the pew in front of me. She turned and gave me a little grin as the ushers came down the aisle with the offering plates. I knew that she was remembering our little incident. Mary Anne slowly and efficiently passed the plate to her husband but I refrained from even trying to take hold of it. I let Joe reach over the back of the pew for it. The plate made it safely and quietly to our pew and then Joe passed it on down.

But, a few moments later there was a crash from behind us. Had someone behind us dropped the offering plate yet again? Another plate drop would make Mary Anne and I look less inept. After all, this could happen to anyone. But the sound was not the same. It was not the same loud metallic sound we had produced. I looked to the back of the church and I saw that one of the ushers had knocked over a ceramic mug full of pencils. Yes, it attracted some attention, but not as much as we once did.

Hear the pennies dropping, listen as they fall… Mary Anne and I hope not any time soon.