Jun 24

Tombstone Tuesday-John A. Grabner

John A. Grabner, St. Paul Lutheran Cemetery, Liberty Twp, Mercer County, Ohio. (2023 photo by Karen)

This is the tombstone of John A. Grabner, located in row 4 of St. Paul Lutheran Cemetery, Liberty Township, Mercer County, Ohio. The marker is broken at the base, at the point where the age is inscribed. The readable inscription:

John A
Son of
John & M
Grabner
Died
Aug 20 1868
[broken stone, age unreadable]

John Anton Grabner was born in Liberty Township on 30 April 1866, the son of John and Magdalene “Lena” (Maurer) Grabner, according to the church records of St. Paul Lutheran, Liberty Township. John was baptized at St. Paul Lutheran in June 1866, the exact day is unreadable. According to St. Paul’s records, John Anton Grabner died 9 August 1868, aged 2 years, 3 months, and 23 days.

As is often the case, the dates and calculations on the tombstone inscription and church records disagree a by a few days. We know John was born in April 1852 and was a little over 2 years old when he died. 

John’s parents were both born in Germany and his father immigrated to America in 1847. His parents, John Grabner and Magdalene Maurer, married in Mercer County, on 17 January 1852. [1]

Their surname is spelled several ways in the various records: Grabner, Graebner, and Grapner. The oldest spelling of the name in the church records is Graebner and is probably more of the German spelling.

The John Grabner (Sr) family lived in Section 11 of Liberty Township, about 1½ miles east of St. Paul Lutheran Church. The family attended church at St. Paul and the following family information is recorded in their church records: [2]

Johann Michael Graebner, son of Johann Michael and Maria Elisabetha Graebner, was born on 17 August 1822 in Schellert, County Court an der Eisch, District Mittelfranken, Kingdom of Bavaria, where he was also baptized and confirmed. He immigrated to America in 1847 and lived in Butler County, Ohio, for a few years. He married Magdalena Maurer in Mercer County in 1852. Magdalena was the daughter of Nickolaus and Margaretha Maurer, and was born on 28 February 1832 in Guedingen, District Saarbruecken, Prussia. She was baptized and confirmed in Bischnissheim. John and Magdalena (Maurer) Grabner lived in Mercer County since their marriage, where their following children were born and baptized:

George, born 9 January 1853
Paulina, born 18 December 1854
Luisa, born 8 December 1856
Maria, born 9 November 1858
Friedrich Wilhelm, born 1 March 1861, died 28 September 1864
John Anton, born 30 April 1866

That record ended at 1866, but the couple had at least one more child:
Henry Jacob, born 11 December 1870, died 19 April 1950. He never married and is also buried at St. Paul Liberty. 

[1] Ohio, U.S., County Marriage Records, 1774-1993, Mercer County Marriage Book C, p.161, John Grabner & Magdalena Moner [sic], 17 Jan 1852; Ancestry.com.

[2] Familienbuch, St. Paul Liberty Lutheran Church, Liberty Township, Mercer County, Ohio, p.33, previously translated from original records.

Jun 20

Fred A. Smith Lumber Co., Schumm, Ohio

This is an old matchbook from the Fred A. Smith Lumber Co, Schumm, Ohio. This matchbook dates back sometime between 1952-1958.

Fred A Smith Lumber Co., Schumm, Ohio

Printed on the front:
Fred A. Smith
Lumber Co,
The Business That Service
Built since 1922
Saw Mill, Planing Mill
And Lumber Yards
Schumm, Ohio
P.O. Willshire, Ohio, RFD 1

Fred A Smith Lumber Co, Schumm, Ohio. Back of matchbook.

The back reads:
We are always in the market and pay cash for Choice Indiana and Ohio Timber Tracts and Logs within 100 mile radius.
See us before you sell
Keep Ohio Green
Member Ohio Forestry Assn.
Catering to our good Van Wert County and adjoining Ohio and Indiana counties farm and industrial retail trade.
PREVENT FIRES

W.P. Robinson and Fred A. Smith became business partners at the Schumm sawmill in 1923. The sawmill was named the W.P. Robinson Sawmill until 1953.

Schumm Sawmill, c1924.

Here are a few Van Wert newspaper articles about the old sawmill at Schumm. 

Walter Merkle hauled wood from the Schumm sawmill Tuesday. (Van Wert Times Bulletin, 9 Oct 1937) It must have been a slow news week.

The sawmill was a popular place to visit:

Students Inspect Schumm Sawmill (Van Wert Times Bulletin, 12 May 1939; NewspaperArchive.com)
About 26 boys of manual training classes of Van Wert High School and the Marsh Foundation visited the W.P. Robinson Company sawmill at Schumm Wednesday. They saw the operations in the manufacture of long oak timbers and went through the Henry Dietrich woods northeast of the mill.

And:

About 23 Boy Scouts and their dads from Troop 31 of the First Methodist Church visited the Fred A. Smith Lumber Company’s sawmill at Schumm Monday night, the guests of Fred and Max Smith. (Van Wert Times Bulletin, 20 May 1953; NewspaperArchive.com)

27 Oct 1953, Van Wert Times Bulletin; NewspaperArchive.com

Logging could be a dangerous occupation:

Sawmill Employee Seriously Injured (Van Wert Times Bulletin, 10 Apr 1945; NewspaperArchive.com):
Ben H. Handwerk, 49, of Schumm, employee of the W.P. Robinson Sawmill Company of Schumm, is in Van Wert County Hospital suffering from injuries sustained Monday in a tree-cutting accident near New Knoxville, Auglaize County.

According to the attending physician, Handwerk has fractures of the hip, shoulder and one rib, all on his left side. Handwerk and several other men were reported to have been using a power saw when the tree fell opposite to what was expected and he was pinned to the ground. He was brought to the hospital in a car.

A sawmill could be a dangerous place as well:

Van Wert Man Injured At Schumm Sawmill (Van Wert Times Bulletin, 29 Oct 1951; NewspaperArchive.com)
H.B. Youtsey, South Washington Street, Van Wert, was taken to the Van Wert County Hospital after suffering of a head injury at the Schumm Sawmill. Youtsey, his son Myron, and son-in-law, James Bowersock, were loading wood onto a truck when Youtsey was struck by a chunk of wood that fell from the wood conveyor. Youtsey was partially conscious, in fair condition, and lost his hearing in one ear.

Youtsey’s injuries ended up being rather severe and he sought a judgment for them:

Asks $26,247 For Injuries At Sawmill (Van Wert Times Bulletin, 4 Dec 1952; NewspaperArchive.com)
Judgment for $26,247 for injuries allegedly sustained in an accident October 26, 1951, is asked in a petition filed in the Court of Common Pleas by Hanklin Henry Youtsey of Van Wert against the W.P. Robinson Company, Schumm, Willshire Township.

The petition states that Youtsey, in company with two other men, appeared at a sawmill owned by the defendant company for the purpose of purchasing wood. It is claimed that Fred A. Smith, a partner in the defendant firm, directed the plaintiff to a pile of scrap wood.

The petition charges that while the plaintiff was on a pile of wood, six feet high, without warning, he was struck in the head by a large chunk of wood which flew over the south side of the conveyor.

…he was rendered unconscious and was hospitalized from October 26 to November 4. It is claimed that he has lost his hearing, taste and smell and that he has difficulty in walking.

At the time, he declares that he was a carpenter earning $80 weekly, and he claims that the accident was due to negligence on the part of the defendants. Youtsey is represented by Attorney C.B. Thornton.

At one time, the Fred A. Smith Lumber Co. had a company house at Schumm:

Fred Smiths Sell Elson Ave. Home (Van Wert Times Bulletin, 6 Jan 1956; NewspaperArchive.com)
In 1956, Fred A. Smith sold his home at 729 Elson Avenue, Van Wert, to Miss Mary Sawyer. Fred, wife, and son Max temporarily moved into a Fred A. Smith Lumber Company house at their sawmill operations in Schumm. The Smiths built their new home at South Race Street and Ervin Road. 

‘  4 Nov 1953, Van Wert Times Bulletin; NewspaperArchive.com

Robinson sold his share of the sawmill to Smith in 1953 and the name changed from Robinson to Smith.

Next week, more about Schumm’s sawmill.

Jun 13

Finding Mercer County Probate Estate Case Files on FamilySearch.org

After writing about Eli Plants’ Mercer County Probate Estate Case File, several people asked if this information is on-line. And if it is, how to find it.

So, this is a how-to blog post, explaining how to search and find the old Mercer County Probate Case Files on FamilySearch.org.  

The Genealogy Society of Utah (LDS Church) filmed Mercer County’s old probate estate packets in 2003, the filming arranged by the Mercer County Chapter OGS. The probate packets filmed are for the years 1852-1900. Those digitized images can be found at least three places, on FamilySearch.org, on Ancestry.com, and on microfilm in the genealogy room at the Mercer County Public Library in Celina. I like to view the records at home online because it is so convenient.

Ancestry.com is a paid subscription, but the images are free to view on FamilySearch.org. So today I will focus on finding the records on FamilySearch.org.  Even though FamilySearch.org is a free website, you need to register and create an account to view their records. There is no cost, just create an account by creating a username and password.

Both FamilySearch.org and  Ancestry.com are searchable by name, place, and date, but sometimes you cannot find what you are looking for when doing a name search. The spelling may be off or there may be other reasons. The following steps will help you find the probate images when a name search does not yield results, to find what you are looking for by browsing.

The best and easiest way to locate a probate estate file is to find the person’s name in the alphabetical name index, which will also give you the case file number.

There are two Mercer County Case File indexes, an alphabetical index and an index arranged by Case File number. I find the alphabetical list the best one to use. It is on the first roll of microfilm at the Mercer County Library and it can be found on FamilySearch.org. To my knowledge, Ancestry.com has the index by Case File number only, but maybe someone has found the alphabetical list on Ancestry.com.

Below are the steps to find Mercer’s alphabetical index and their Probate Case Files (1852-1900). First, finding the index:

Log into FamilySearch.org

Under “Search” select “Images”

FamilySearch.org (1)

On the Images page, click on “More Options.” On the right, scroll down and in the “Image Group Number” box, put 005885904. Click SEARCH.

FamilySearch.org (2)

On that next page click on 005885904 (Item 1 of 2), Mercer, Ohio. This is the first roll of Mercer County’s filmed Probate Case File images, which contains the alphabetical index.

FamilySearch.org (No.3)

There are nearly 139 images/pages of the alphabetical index. Having this index is important, unless you enjoy looking through thousands of probate images. Names are in alphabetical order and the probate packet number is given in the NUMBER column. Plus, there is a brief description of the file, e.g. guardianship, will, administration, etc, as well as some other information.

FamilySearch.org, Mercer County Probate Estate alphabetical name index. (4)

Once you find the case number you can locate the case file images.

On that same page, on the right side, under REFERENCES > Collections, under “Historical Record Collection,” click on “Ohio, Probate Records, 1789-1996.” This is the second option under References.

FamilySearch.org (5)

On the next page, “Ohio, Probate Records, 1789-1996,” click on “Browse all 6,997,827 Images.”

FamilySearch.org (6)

The next page will be a list of all Ohio counties. Click on “Mercer.”

FamilySearch.org (7)

The next page will have links to all of Mercer County’s probate images that are available to view. Select the Probate Case File that corresponds to the file number you are looking for. For example, to view estate file no. 1811, click on “Probate Case Files 1876 no. 1791-1822.’ Note that the year is included before the range of case numbers.

FamilySearch.org (8), Mercer County Probate Estate Files

Click on that and you will have access to those file images in that file group range, usually about 2000 images per roll.

FamilySearch.org (10)

You will have to do a little searching to locate your chosen probate file. Toggling back and forth between the “grid” thumbnail images and the larger, single image, will help you go through the images quicker.

FamilySearch.org (11) Eli D Plants Probate File no. 1811

Once you locate the file, can view all the papers in the chosen probate packet. Eli’s packet contains nearly 140 images.

Eli D. PLants, Dec 1876, Mercer County, Ohio, Probate Estate No. 1811

There is at least one other way to access the case files, but this way works the best for me.  

A couple other things:

On the page with all the links to Mercer’s various probate records, you will see a link to an index. This is the case file number index, not the alphabetical name index.

Note that there are links to the probate records of all Ohio counties where you selected Mercer. You may have connections in some of those other Ohio counties and want to look further.

I have talked about probate records today, but other records have been digitized and are on FamilySearch.org as well, such as land deeds. It just takes a little searching to find them.  

One final note, FamilySearch has recently added an experimental website, FamilySearch Labs, at https://www.familysearch.org/en/labs/ . Your FamilySearch.org login will work for both websites. If you research on  FamilySearch Labs, be sure to choose the “Full Text” option. Their Labs website is turning out to be a great way to research with some very good results.

Tomorrow is Flag Day. Be sure to proudly fly America’s flag.

Jun 10

Tombstone Tuesday-DUV Symbol

This looks like a gravestone monument, but it is not. It is a memorial monument inscribed with the symbol of the Daughters of Union Veterans of the Civil War, 1861-1865 (DUV). It is a lovely symbol that may be inscribed on a tombstone somewhere. 

Daughters of Union Veterans of the Civil War (DUV) memorial, Lima, Ohio. (2025 photo by Karen)

This monument, now in two pieces, once sat on the steps of Lima Ohio’s old Carnegie Library, built in 1908 at 414 West Market Street. Lima’s DUV group gifted the monument to the library in 1941. The monument was eventually moved to the area between Lima’s current library, built about 1960 at 650 West Market, and the Allen County Museum next door. It was most likely moved after the old library was demolished. A news article, citing a photo of the old library, calls the monument a sundial. A sundial may have been placed on top, but I could not tell, because the monuments is currently up-side-down. [1]

DUV memorial monument, base and top. (2025 photo by Karen)

The Daughters of Union Veterans of the Civil War, 1861-1865 is a national patriotic organization, organized in Massillon, Ohio, on Memorial Day, 30 May 1885. Its original name, National Alliance, Daughters of Union Veterans, was changed to its present name in 1925. All members are required to be direct lineal descendants of honorably discharged soldiers, sailors, or marines who served in the Union forces during the Civil War, from 1861-1865.

DUV inscription, Lima. (2025 photo by Karen)

The DUV organization was founded to honor Civil War veterans, preserve the memory of the Union cause, and to aid and speak on behalf of Union veterans their survivors. Several other patriotic organizations were established before the DUV, including the Grand Army of the Republic (GAR) in 1866, the Sons of Union Veterans of the Civil War (1881), the Women’s Relief Corps (1883), and the Ladies Aid Society (1883).

The DUV is a three-tier organization, having a national level, departments at the state level, and tents at the local level. Tents are named for Army Nurses or any loyal woman who served in the Civil War, whose patriotic deeds were recorded between 1861-1865. Today the organization has 20 departments and over 40 tents. It is reportedly “the only Civil War lineal descent women’s organization genealogically based on lineal descent.” [2]

Base of DUV memorial monument, Lima: Lizabeth Turner, Tent No. 23, Dedicated May 30. 1941. (2025 photo by Karen)

Lima’s DUV organization is named Lizabeth A. Turner Tent #23, established 24 March 1908. Lizabeth Ann (Thompson) Turner was born in 1829 in East Windsor, Connecticut, the daughter of Charles and Betsey Thompson. She married Francis Finley Luther Turner in 1849. Lizabeth Turner was known for her work with the Women’s Relief Corps and helping turn Andersonville Prison into a memorial. Under her leadership, 2,000 remains were identified and relocated and the site was beautified. She was the 13th President of the National Woman’s Relief Corps and Life Chairman of the Andersonville Pension Board. She died on 27 April 1907 in Andersonville, Georgia, and is buried in the Fairview Cemetery, New Britain, Hartford County, Connecticut. [3]

[1] “A Glimpse of the Market of Old,” The Lima News, Lima, Ohio, 13 Oct 2010, p.D2,; Newspaperarchive.com.

[2]  Daughters of Union Veterans of the Civil War, 1861-1865  

[3] Find a Grave.com, Memorial No. 46709397, Lizabeth Ann Thompson Turner, 1829-1907, Fairview Cemetery, New Britain, Connecticut.

Jun 06

Do You Remember When…

While driving down Tama Road recently, headed toward Chatt, I thought about how the road once had a slight jog about a mile and a half east of 49. It was an annoying little back-and-forth jog that the county removed in 2019. Now the road is now perfectly straight there.

That got me thinking about some other things that have changed in the area over the years.

Of course, there have been way too many changes around here just during my lifetime and it is impossible to remember all of them. But I made a small list of my recollections of some things and places that have moved or are no longer in the Chatt, Willshire, and Schumm areas.

See if you also remember…

When there was a jog in Tama Road about a mile and a half east of Chatt.

When the Parish/Grange Hall stood on Tama Road, about a mile east of Chatt. I remember going there for Chatt Grange meetings and the Grange Strawberry Festival in the spring. It was taken down some time between 2017-2019.

Parish/Grange Hall, Tama Road, 2013 photo by Karen

When the Chatt Fire Department was on the west side of Route 49, across from today’s Fire Department. The Chatt Chums 4-H met on the second floor of that old building.

When Wendel’s Garage and car dealership was where the Chatt Fire Department is today.

When Barney and Dean owned the Chatt Bar.

Before that, when Ray Hemmelgarn ran the Chatt Bar.

When Fisher Hardware & Implement was a booming business in Chatt.

Fisher Hardware & Implement Store, likely taken at their 10th anniversary, 1947.

When Chatt had two grocery stores, Bollenbacher’s and Midlam’s.

Bollenbacher’s Grocery, Chattanooga, Ohio. Submitted photo.

When Chatt had a grain elevator.

When there was housing for the migrant tomato workers south of Chatt, on the corner of 49 and Schaadt Road.

When the doors on Zion Lutheran Chatt church were wood with stained glass panels at the top.

Quartet at Zion Lutheran, Chatt

When the rear area of Zion Chatt had pews on the first floor and in the horse-shoe balcony on the second floor, where the classrooms are today. There was also a very large wood divider/door that could be cranked down, dividing the main part of the church from that rear part and two front pews that extended across the front aisle. That all changed when the church was remodeled in 1968. 

When Zion Chatt’s old frame church stood on the north end of Chatt, where it had been moved and was used as a garage. I barely remember the old building being there, but I recall that it seemed small and did not look like a church. It was torn down in 1980.

The old frame church, used as a garage, 1980.

When Liberty Chapel Church stood on Tama Road, between Erastus-Durbin and Township Line Roads, located by Liberty Chapel Cemetery. We drove by the old church often and I regret that I didn’t take a photo of it before it was torn down, sometime after 1981.

When Lefeld’s had an implement branch on the corner of 49 and Sipe Road.

When Duck Creek School stood on 49 north of Chatt. It burned in 2005.

When Zion UB Church stood on the corner of Winkler and Wabash Roads, southeast of Willshire.

When Zion Schumm’s brick parochial school stood across the road from the church. I remember attending ice cream socials in the lot by the school. The school was taken down sometime after 1967.

Zion Lutheran Parochial School, Schumm, Ohio (built in 1899)

When the old Straubinger hotel was still standing in Willshire. I remember that Mary Stetler had an ice cream store in the front, with several shelves of library books. The old hotel was demolished in 1964.

Straubinger Hotel.1963 photo

Numerous houses, barns and other buildings have been razed over the years and are too numerous to mention. Some that I remember, most with a family connection, include the house and barn on the Miller farm, the CL Schumm barn, the Schumm homestead barn that stood near Zion Schumm Church, and the old Willshire and Rockford school buildings. All now gone.

And most recently, when the intersection of 49 and 707 was just a 2-way stop. It recently became a 4-way stop.

Time marches on and things constantly change. It is fun to remember, but sometimes difficult to keep up with all the changes.