Mar 07

Learning About Names

Onomastics: the science of names; the study of origins and forms of proper names.

Names are interesting, particularly when associated with genealogy and family history. Or if you simply wonder how, when, or where a name came from. I occasionally write about names, nicknames, and naming patterns, which may even give a few clues to identify our ancestors.

If you also enjoy learning about names, here are three books you will find interesting and helpful. Each offers different information about names, their origins, and their meanings.   

The Name IS The Game, Bockstruck

The first book is The Name IS the Game, Onomatology and the Genealogist, Lloyd de Witt Bockstruck, alias Niederbockstruck, FNGS, Genealogical Publishing Company, 2013.

Whether your ancestors were from Europe or from the colonies, this book will help you understand names and naming patterns. This 80-page book is interesting and easy to read, while learning about names at the same time. The author, from his family research and the research of others, gives numerous examples of all sorts of naming issues. A couple examples:

The author explains that Becker was the German form of Baker and both are identical when spoken in German.

Another item, about the practice of renaming children with same given name. The author points out that a name was not always reused because a child had died, but that some families used a name again even though the older child was still living. Two living children with the same given name in the same family. That may be something to consider and could be of great help and understanding when doing research in certain instances. 

And, in some instances in Germany, the husband took the wife’s surname.

The author covers a lot of information about names in this book and I enjoyed reading through it and learning, even though I was not looking for anything specific.

American Surnames, Smith

The second book is about surnames: American Surnames, Elsdon C. Smith, Genealogical Publishing Company, Fourth Printing 2003. 

In this 370-page book, the author goes into detail to explain several ways that surnames developed and came to be–from the father’s name, from occupation or office, from a description or action, from a place, or from none of those classifications. A whole chapter is devoted to describing each of those classifications, going back to European name origins.

The book includes a 40-page index of hundreds of surnames, with references to one or more of the above-mentioned chapters, giving the origins of those surnames.

German-American Names, Jones

The third book about names: German-American Names, 3rd Edition, George F. Jones, Genealogical Publishing Company, 2006.

The first 66 pages of this 354-page book, called the Introduction, explains the origins and roots of German given names and surnames. The author explains how names, including Christian names, began and evolved over time, by describing the same basic naming classifications mentioned in the previous book, occupation, location, father’s name, or description. The author also discusses the Americanization of German names. 

After the explanatory Introduction, the bulk of this book is an alphabetical list of numerous German-American names and their spelling variations, with cross-references, meanings, and origins.  

An example from the book, a surname that can also be a given name, with its spelling variations, cross-references, and meaning: Dederick, Dedrich, Dedrick, Dietrich, Diederich, Diedrich, Diedrichs, Dietrich, Dietrich, Dieterich, Diederich, Dietrichs, Diettrich, Dietrick. A reference back to the Introduction explains that Theodoric evolved into the name Dietrich. Diet meaning the folk and rich suggesting mastery or rule (folk + rule). Dietrich: the ruler of the folk.

An example from my family: Breuninger, with alternate spellings of Breun, Braeunig, Breuninger, Brauning, Brauninger, Brauning, Brauninger Braunigger. Braun meaning brown hair. Breuninger: having brown hair.

These books, as well as many other books about genealogy and family history, may be purchased from Genealogical.com.

 

Mar 04

Tombstone Tuesday-Theodore G. & Leona (Stetler) Schumm

Theodore G & Leona (Stetler) Schumm, Willshire Cemetery, Van Wert County, Ohio (2023 photo by Karen)

This is the tombstone of Theodore G. and Leona (Stetler) Schumm, located in Section 3, row 13 of Willshire Cemetery, Willshire, Ohio. The marker is inscribed:

SCHUMM
Theodore G.
1898-1967
Leona
1906-1971

Theodore Gottlieb “Pete” Schumm was born in Van Wert County, Ohio, on 21 May 1898, the third and youngest child born to Henry (1844-1922) and Anna Magdalene “Lena” (Geisler) (1868-1946) Schumm. Henry and Anna Magdalene married in 1891. This was Henry’s second marriage and they had three sons, Louis, Herman, and Theodore. Henry’s first wife, Anna Rosina Schinnerer, died in 1890, leaving widower Henry with nine children.

The Henry Schumm family in 1900, when son Theodore was just 2 years old: Henry, 55; Lena, 32; John, 26; Mina, 23; Hannah, 22; Gustav, 18; William, 16; Tillie, 14; Joseph, 12; Louis, 8; Herman, 6; and Theodore, 2. That enumeration indicates that the father Henry was a farmer, that Henry and Magdalene were married nine years, and that three of their three children were living.  [1]  

By 1910 most of the Schumm children had left home and only the three youngest sons lived with their parents: Louis F, 18; Harmon [sic], 16; and Taylor [sic], 11. Son Herman was enumerated as Harmon, and Theodore was enumerated as Taylor. This enumeration also indicates that Henry and Lena had been married 19 years, that this was Henry’s second marriage and Magdalene’s first, and that three of their four children were living. [2] Was there a fourth child born to Henry and Magdalene, a child born and died between 1900-1910? A child who is unaccounted for? A fourth child is not included in Zion Schumm’s records or county birth and death searches.

Theodore Schumm registered for the WWI draft on 12 September 1918. He was 20 years old, born 21 May 1898, and described as slender, medium height, with brown eyes and hair. His occupation farming and Henry Schumm was given as his nearest relative. [3] 

Theodore Schumm WWI Draft Registrarion

By 1920, Theodore, 21, was the only one of Henry Schumm’s children who still lived at home and helped on the farm. [4]

Theodore Schumm married Leona Stetler on 25 December 1922, married by Zion Schumm’s Rev. Bienert. Leona was 17 years of age and her father Frank Stetler gave his consent for her to marry. [5]

Frank Stetler gives his permission for daughter Leona to marry Theodore Schumm, 1922

 

Marriage record of Theodore Schumm & Leona Stetler, 1922, Van Wert County, Ohio

Leona Stetler was born in Black Creek Township, Mercer County, Ohio, on 17 June 1906, the daughter of Frank (1867-1937) and Sarah E. (Rumple) (1867-1938) Stetler. Leona was the eighth of ten children.

The Frank Stetler family in 1910: Frank, 52; Sarah E, 42; Walter G, 16; Earl L, 14; Ralph, 12; Nellie V, 10; Savada, 8; Virgia M, 7; Mary J, 5; Leona, 3; Gertrude A, 1; and Conrad Rumple, uncle. The father Frank was a farmer. [6]  

In 1920, Leona, age 13, lived with her parents and four of her siblings on Walcott Street in Willshire. Her father Frank worked in the trucking business. [7] 

Theodore Schumm married Leona Stetler in 1922 and by 1930 they had three sons. In 1930 the family lived on Riley Street in Willshire, parents and sons Henry, 5, Frederick, 3, and William, 8 months. The father Theodore worked as a farm laborer. [8]

In 1940 the Theodore Schumm family of five lived in Willshire and Theodore worked as a mill man at a grain elevator. [9]

The Theodore Schumm family in 1950, living in the village of Willshire: Theodore G, 52, head; Leona, 43, wife; William L, 20, son, single; Frederick L, 23, son, married; Rose Mary J Schuman [sic], 17, daughter-in-law, married; Thomas A Schuman [sic], less than a year, born in July, grandson. Theodore worked as a machine operator in the electric motor manufacturing industry. [10]

Theodore Schumm died in Van Wert on 20 September 1967, aged 69 years.

THEODORE G. SCHUMM
WILLSHIRE — Theodore G. (Pete) Schumm, 69, of Willshire, died at 8:45 a.m. today in Van Wert County Hospital. He had been ill several years and had been a hospital patient nine days.

Born May 21, 1898, in Willshire Township, he was the son of Henry and Magdelena (Giessler) Schumm. He was married Dec. 25, 1922, to Leona Stetler.

Survivors include three sons, Henry L., Frederick L. and William L., all of Willshire; two brothers, Louis F. of Willshire, and Herman A. of Port Gibson, N. Y.; a half-sister, Mrs. Ernest (Matilda) Merkle of Ohio City; 17 grandchildren and one great-grandchild. [11]

Widow Leona (Stetler) Schumm died 19 June 1971 in Van Wert, at the age of 65.

LEONA SCHUMM
WILLSHIRE – Leona Schumm, 65, of Willshire, died at 5:06 p.m. Saturday in Van Wert County Hospital where she had been admitted a few hours earlier. Death was unexpected.

Born June 17, 1906, in Mercer County, she was the daughter of Frank and Sarah (Rumple) Stetler. She was an employee of The Dinner Bell Restaurant in Willshire for several years and was a member of the Zion Lutheran Church, Schumm, and its Ladies Aid Society. Mrs. Schumm was also a member of the Willshire American Legion Auxiliary.She was married to Theodore (Pete) Schumm on Dec. 25, 1922. He died Sept 20, 1967.

Survivors include three sons, Henry L. of Syracuse, Ind., and Frederick L. and William L., both of Willshire; four sisters, Mrs. Fred (Vada) Marbaugh of Rt. 1, Willshire, Mrs. Virgie Harman of Decatur, Mrs. Roy (Mary) Case of Willshire and Mrs. Gertrude Coil of Venedocia; 17 grandchildren and two great-grandchildren. A sister and four brothers preceded her in death.

Funeral services will be at 1:30 p.m. Wednesday at the Zion Lutheran church, Schumm, with the Rev. Robert Schuler officiating. Burial will be in Willshire Cemetery. Friends may call at the Zwick Funeral Home, Decatur, after 7 p.m. today and until 11:30 a.m. Wednesday and at the church one hour prior to the services.

Theodore and Leona (Stetler) Schumm) had the following children:
Henry Leo Schumm (1924-2005), married Norma Jean Carr
Frederick Louis “Fritz” Schumm, married Rosemary Ilo Fisher
William Laverne “Bill” Schumm (1929-2013), married Dorothy Ellen Ketrow

[1] 1900 U.S. Census, Willshire, Van Wert, Ohio, ED 97, p.8, dwelling 170, family 183, Henry Schumm; Ancestry.com.  

[2] 1910 U.S. Census, Willshire, Van Wert, Ohio, ED 114, p.3A, dwelling & family 50, Henry Schumm; Ancestry.com.

[3] Ohio, Van Wert County, WWI Draft Registration, Theodre [sic] G Schumm; Ancestry.com.

[4] 1920 U.S. Census, Willshire, Van Wert, Ohio, ED 146, p.6A, dwelling 117, family 118, Henry Schumm; Ancestry.com.  

[5] Ohio, U.S., County Marriage Records, 1774-1993, Van Wert Marriages 1921-1935, p. 138, Theodore G Schumm & Leona G Stettler [sic], 25 Dec 1922; Ancestry.com.

[6] 1910 U.S. Census, Black Creek, Mercer, Ohio, ED 107, p.5B, dwelling & family 106, Frank Stetler; Ancestry.com.

[7] 1920 U.S. Census, Willshire, Van Wert, Ohio, ED 146, p.8A, dwelling 43, family 44, Frank Stettler [sic]; Ancestry.com.  

[8] 1930 U.S. Census, Willshire, Van Wert, Ohio, ED 22, p.1A, dwelling & family 5, Theadora Schummer [sic]; Ancestry.com. 

[9] 1940 U.S. Census, Willshire, Van Wert, Ohio, ED 81-26, p.2B, household 45, Theodore Schman [sic]; Ancestry.

[10] 1950 U.S. Census, Willshire, Van Wert, Ohio, ED 81-38, dwelling 154, Theodore G Schuman [sic]; Ancestry.com.

[11] Theodore G Schumm Find a Grave.com, memorial no. 58943177, Willshire Cemetery, citing the Times Bulletin, Van Wert, Ohio, 20 Sep 1967.

[12] Leona (Stetler) Schumm, Find a Grave.com, memorial no. 58942981, Willshire Cemetery, citing the Times Bulletin, Van Wert, Ohio, 21 June 1971.

Feb 28

Photos of Grove School No.8, Black Creek Township

Grove School No. 8, Black Creek Township, Mercer County, Ohio, was located in Section 33, on the south side of what is now State Route 707, just a little west of Wabash Road. The school was taken down years ago.

On the 1888 Black Creek Township map below, the red arrow points to Grove School No. 8. The turquoise arrow points to what was the location of East Bethel Church. East Bethel Church is gone but their cemetery remains. The green arrow points to Wildcat School No. 9, at the corner of 49 and 707. 

Grove School, Section 33, 1888 Black Creek Twp map.

Grove School is also shown on the 1876 and 1900 Mercer County maps.

Below is a photo of the students standing in front of Grove School in about 1933. I have shown this photo before, and once again I ask if anyone can identify any of the children in the photo.

Grove School, Black Creek Twp, Mercer County, Ohio, c1933. Melville Gehm, front row, 2nd from left.

A couple of the students have been identified.

Front row: Melville Gehm is the second boy from the left and a Gause boy is the fourth boy from the left.  There are several other Gause children in the photo.

Thank you to Linda (Gehm) Duff for sending me this 1933 photo, which includes her dad Melville Gehm.

I have previously posted three other photos of Grove School students, two of those photos (1930 & pre-1930) were submitted by Doug Roebuck, who identified a number of the students.    

Grove School No.8, Black Creek Township, 1930.

Grove School, 1930, left to right, starting in the front:

In front: Bonnie Roebuck

Second Row: Richard Tangeman, Norma Roebuck, Anna Bollenbacher, Eulah Gause, Doil Springer, Jack Springer, Junior Branstetter, Roma Miller, Billy E. Roebuck, and ? Kaylor.

Middle Row: Garni Branstetter, Betty Kettering, Chester Gause, Edwin Counterman, Melvin Gehm, Edgar Schaadt, Lloyd Gause, LeRoy Counterman, and James F. Roebuck.

Top Row: Iris (Roebuck) Putman, Delores Branstetter, Freda Bransteter, Pauline Detro, Irma Branstetter, Clara Kaylor, Guy Montgomery (Teacher), Lloyd Lenninger, and Chester Tangeman.

Not many students are identified in this pre-1930 photo of Grove School students:

Grove School No.8, Black Creek Township, before 1930.

Row 2: far right, (LeRoy?) Counterman; second from right end, Gause [?], third from right end, (Jim?) Roebuck.

One final photo Grove School photo, believed to have been taken about 1920:

Grove School, c1920.

Front Row: Gale Gause, Viola Topp, Creava Kettering, Wilma Branstetter, Ray Kettering, Delilah Schaadt.

Middle Row: Anna Gause, Hazel Branstetter, Thelma Branstetter, Lewis Gause, Dick Branstetter, Margaret Carr, Bill Topp.

Back Row: Glen Leininger, Louella Felver, teacher, Marie Topp, Arthur Leininger, Hulda Carr, Thelma Gause.

Any help to identify Grove School students, particularly in the 1933 photo, is appreciated.

 

 

 

 

Feb 25

Tombstone Tuesday-Vacant Chair Gravestone Book

I recently read a new book about a unique tombstone style, the Vacant Chair gravestone.

I have only seen a couple Vacant Chair gravestones around here, usually a small monument to mark a child’s grave. Some have a pair of child’s boots added to the seat.

Greenbriar Cemetery, Van Wert County, Ohio, 1922 Vacant Chair, Rex Eugene Medaugh. (2018 photo by Karen)

Another nearby variation is the impressive Herbst chair monument in Greenlawn Cemetery, Wapakoneta, Ohio. That monument looks like a Victorian living room chair, complete with tufted cushions and tassels, situated well above the ground on an elaborate base.  

Herbst monument, Greenlawn Cemetery, Wapakoneta, Ohio

Although there are not many Vacant Chair gravestones around here, I learned that there are many variations of that gravestone in another part of the Midwest.

A Field Guide to the Vacant Chair Gravestone in Central Illinois, 2024, by Jackie Oakley, is a 208-page book that details her observation, study, and documentation of these Vacant Chair monuments found in that area.

A Field Guide To The Vacant Chair Gravestone In Central Illinois, Jackie Oakley, 2024

Her interest in cemeteries began as a child and eventually evolved into her study of Vacant Chair gravestones. Jackie visited cemeteries in 44 Central Illinois counties, looking for variations of the Vacant Chair gravestone. She found 213 examples of this marker in those counties. Some counties had none and one county had 37.  

What a clever idea. A project focused on one particular gravestone style, to study and document it in a specific area. A great project, especially if you enjoy visiting cemeteries.  

Jackie created a mission statement for the project, To catalog and to share information regarding the gravestone commonly known as the Vacant Chair.

The author sought to answer the question, why a chair? She describes what constitutes a chair and gives seven basic Vacant Chair gravestone styles. Some styles are rustic, appearing to be constructed of branches, vines, and log stumps, while others look like Victorian house chairs with carved cushions and tassels. Some have arms. Others look like a bench. But all have a backrest.

Jackie explains that the popularity of the Vacant Chair in Central Illinois began about the time of the Civil War and lasted for about sixty years. A number of the Illinois chairs can be linked to Civil War veterans and she discusses if there could be a link to the Vacant Chair and the Civil War. She also explores some myths and legends associated with the Vacant Chair.

The author created several descriptive categories, with graph tables, of the Vacant Chair gravestone. Function of the chair, for example. Whether the chair’s primary function is the grave marker or if the chair is located near the main marker, but is not the primary marker. Chairs located near the marker may appear to be a place for a family member to sit, but these chairs are usually too small to sit on. Other categories detail the marker’s style, size, and condition.

The book includes many photos, showing many chair variations and the numerous adornments that may be added to the chairs. Some iconography seen on Vacant Chair gravestones include shawls, cushions, fringe, tassels, scrolls, ferns, flowers, potted plants, leaves, tree trunks and branches.

A Field Guide To The Vacant Chair Gravestone In Central Illinois, Jackie Oakley, 2024.

The author identifies her Vacant Chair gravestone photos by county, cemetery, inscriptions (if any), dealer’s mark (if any), and categorized by function, style, size, condition.

In addition, this book is a good model guide for projects such as this. It is a good example of how to methodically gather, record, organize, evaluate, and document data for similar cemetery projects. 

I enjoyed reading this detailed study of Vacant Chair gravestones and seeing their many variations. There does not appear to be many Vacant Chair gravestones in this area of Ohio and Indiana, and I wonder why. Was that monument style particular to that region of Illinois? Were they a tombstone fad in that area at that time? Were they a specialty of a particular sculpture or dealer in that area?

The book sells for $25.95, tax & postage extra. You can order a copy of the book directly from Jackie Oakley by email: vacant.chair2020@gmail.com

I think you will enjoy this interesting and informative book.

Feb 21

Centenarians in the Family

I confess. I watch a lot of news. And there is a lot of news to watch these days.

I have been following the investigations of The Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) and their recent findings from the Social Security Administration are shocking. From their research, it appears that there are millions of individuals in the United States that are very, very old. Record-breaking old. Over 20 million people who are over 100 years old.  

DOGE found that 4.7 million individuals are listed between the ages of 100-109, although data from other sources indicates that there were approximately 101,000 individuals 100 years or older in the US in 2024.

But the numbers get even crazier than that, showing that there are over 15.6 million people listed between the ages of 110-229 years, and one person listed between 360-369 years of age.

An individual 365 years old would have been born in 1660 and could have come over on the Mayflower. The US wasn’t even the US then.

What history these people would know! The stories they could tell.  

Perhaps there is an explanation for all this. I know what I think and time will tell.

Maybe some alerts on the government computer programs would help. My Roots Magic genealogy program alerts me when the data looks unusual or unreasonable.

My grandmother Hilda (Scaer) Schumm lived to be 101 and Roots Magic sees that as an unusually old age. So, it puts an alert by her name.

Hilda (Scaer) Schumm, Roots Magic alert.

Roots Magic gives me alerts for other things, too, if the data shows a child is born before the mother’s birth or after the mother’s death, a child born to a woman past the child-bearing age, a child born before the parents were married, etc. The alerts are helpful because they draw my attention to data that may be unusual or incorrect, data that I may have entered in error. Or, the data may be correct and the person lived over 100 years or other instances.

There are a number of individuals in my family tree and in Joe’s family tree that lived to be 100 years of age or older. I knew several of them. Here is a list of them:

Schumm family:

  • Paula Henrietta Buechner (1901-2004), d/o William A. & Katherine Magdalena (Schumm) Buechner, married Walter Leonard Allmandinger.
  • Edna M. Germann (1896-1997), d/o Stephen E. & Anna E. “Rosina” (Schumm) Germann.
  • Pauline C. Germann (1903-2005), d/o Frederick & Clara C.M. (Pflueger), married Otto A Wimmers.
  • Viola E. Germann (1900-2001), d/o Stephen E. & Anna E. “Rosina” (Schumm) Germann.
  • Edith Hausling (1888-1990), d/o Ferdinand & Katherine (Rheinfrank) Hausling, married Rev. Otto Paul Schinnerer.
  • Estella Rosine Elizabeth Merkle (1909-2010), d/o Ernest Theodore & Sarah Mathilda “Tillie” (Schumm) Merkle, married Martin D. Habegger.
  • Paula Katherine Merkle (1911-2011), d/o Ernest Theodore & Sarah Mathilda “Tillie” (Schumm) Merkle, married Kurt R. Henkel.  
  • Dorothy Grace Ott (1914-2018), d/o Charles J. & Maude O. (Yountz), married Col. Norman H. Lankenau.  
  • Anna Elizabeth Peters (1879-1979), d/o Claus & Anna A. (Kleye) Peters, married Rev. John Louis Roehm.
  • Hilda Magdalena Scaer (1895-1997), d/o John & Elizabeth (Schinnerer) Scaer, married Cornelius Schumm. My grandmother.
  • Bertha Henrietta Schinnerer (1896-1997), d/o Rev. Johann Jacob Friedrich & Anna Margaret (Evers) Schinnerer, married Walter Adolph Wier.
  • Anna Augusta Schmidt (1885-1985), d/o _ (Sclezner) Schmidt, married August William Lankenau.
  • Bessie Schumm (1887-1988), d/o Ludwig George & Catherine (Bonnewitz) Schumm.
  • Emma Sophie Barbara Schumm (1911-2017), d/o Philip Frederick Martin & Leona Barbara (Schumm) Schumm, married Otto L. Boerger.
  • Karl George Schumm (1913-2019), s/o Gustavus Jacob & Dorathea Elizabeth (Bienz) Schumm, married Margaret “Isabelle” Wermer.
  • Velma Louise Schumm (1914-2016), d/o Philip Frederick Martin & Leona Barbara (Schumm) Schumm.
  • Lena Strobel (1869-1969), d/o John Michael & Margaret (Endres) Strobel, married August “George” Bienz.
  • Harold Ervin Thieme (1917-2017), s/o Walter Henry & Paula Marie (Bienz) Thieme, married Alma Margaretha Roehm, married Ellen L. Fuelling.
  • Margaret “Isabelle” Wermer (1916-2016), d/o, William & Grace (Hawkins) Wermer, married Karl George Schumm.

Miller family:

  • Ruth Headington (1840-1940), d/o William & Mary Ann (Cottrell) Headington, married John Huey
  • Ruth E. Miller (1919-2020), d/o Carl F. & Gertrude E. (Brewster) Miller, married Robert Werner.
  • Jane Newton (1840-1940), married James Henry Brewster.
  • Hazel Virginia Nussbaum (1907-2008), d/o Sam & Mary (Liechty) Nussbaum, married Theodore “Dore” Brewster.

Bennett family:

  • Sarah Elizabeth Cain (1860-1960), d/o Rev. David B. & Narcissa (Manning) Cain, married James Francis Monroe.

That is a nice-sized list of centenarians. I apologize if I missed some centenarians in our families.

In the meantime, I hope DOGE can figure out and resolve the problem of all these extra, exceptionally old people.