Two Schumm Soldiers in WWI

Last week I posted a photo of 139 young men from Van Wert County, in front of the Van Wert County Courthouse, just before they departed for Camp Sherman on 22 July 1918, where they would receive basic training before entering WWI.

At that same time my grandfather Cornelius Schumm (1896-1986) was of draft age, age 21. He was born 15 September 1896 and turned 21 in September 1917. That put him in the Second Registration, which was for those who attained age 21 after 5 June 1917. The men in last week’s photo would have been from the First Registration, on 5 June 1917, for all men between the ages of 21 and 31 on that day. My grandfather Schumm was too young for the First Registration by about 3 months.

This was Cornelius Schumm’s WWI Draft Registration Card, dated 5 June 1918:

Cornelius Schumm Draft Registration, 5 June 1918

About five weeks later my grandfather was classified as One A:

CONSCRIPTION CALL
Final Listing Classes of Registrants of the Year 1918
The County Conscription Board has concluded the work of classifying the members of the Class of 1918. The final addition to the main list follows:

Class One A, Cornelius Schumm, Clyde Schaffer, Otto Dolt, Beryl Ashbaugh, Millard Graham, Earl Chambers, Edwin Geissler, Francis Jenkins, Elmer Croghan, Leland Couts, Walter Schaffner, Roy Clem, Webster Stewart, Harold DeLong, Thomas Brown, Harry Shoop, Frederick Smith, Ralph Clouse, Otto Hertz, William Rauch, Paul Vincent, Ellis Duprey, Frederick Grill.

Class Two 1: Clement Counsellor.
Class Four 1: Clifford Summersett, Ada Pritchard, Frederick Rathert, Estell Sperry.
[1]

My grandfather, classified as One A, turned draft age during the last stages of the war and did not serve in the military. He likely would have been drafted had the war continued. The war ended 11 November 1918, before he was sent to serve.

However, two of my grandfather Cornelius Schumm’s older second cousins, brothers Emanuel Schumm (1892-1973) and Emil Schumm (1893-1960), both served in WWI.  

Emanuel Schumm was conscripted on 14 February 1918. Men accepted for service from the Willshire area:
Willshire Township: Carl G. Roehm, Theodore A. Reidenbach, Emanuel H. Schumm, Oliver Reese.
Liberty Township: Arthur W. Merkle, Henry Hoffman.
Certified to the District Board: Henry Reichard, Willshire. [2]

Emanuel Schumm enlisted 24 May 1918, and left for Camp Taylor 25 May 1918:

…a special train of ten coaches and a baggage car for 561 soldiers, squads from Van Wert, Williams, Defiance, Henry, Paulding, Mercer, and Darke Counties. …to arrive at Louisville at 7:45 p.m. and then escort them to Camp Taylor…

Members of the squad from the Willshire area:
Homer Hudson, Wren
Fred F. Roop, Willshire
Harry E. Roll, Willshire
George W. Price, Willshire
Carl Roehm, Willshire Twp
Emanuel Schumm, Willshire Twp
Oliver Reese, Willshire
Carl Weinman, Willshire Twp
Don Watkins, Willshire
Alfred Stettler, Willshire
Charles R. Reichard, Willshire
[3]

During WWI Emanuel Schumm served as a Private and a Corporal and was among the American Expeditionary Forces. He was honorably discharged 27 August 1919. [4]

I believe Emanuel Schumm is the soldier in the two photos below, photos which came from his daughter. It looks like Emanuel, but I don’t know what his brother Emil looked like, so it could be Emil.

Emanuel Schumm WWI

Emanuel (or Emil) may have been visiting his family, who lived in Colorado at the time:

Emanuel Schumm WWI

In 1929 Emanuel Schumm became Cornelius’ brother-in-law when he married Edna Scaer (1899-1985), the sister of Cornelius’ wife Hilda Scaer (1895-1997). Emanuel Schumm managed the grain elevator in Schumm for many years. On 16 April 1940 Emanuel replaced George Weinman as Schumm’s postmaster and Schumm served as postmaster there until 6 January 1953. He was the last postmaster at Schumm before the office was abandoned.

Emanuel Schumm’s brother Emil Schumm was conscripted on 10 June 1918 with several others from Willshire Township: Lee Ross, Orley Walters, Walter Harman, Henry Roll, Emil Schumm, Reed Knight, Theodore Reidenbach, and Arthur Merkle. Alternatives from the area included Isaac Case, Willshire Township, and John Lotter, Willshire. 96 registrants made up the squad going to Camp Sherman and were ordered to report the week of the 24th. [5]

Emil Schumm enlisted 24 June 1918. On 25 June 1918 those 96 soldiers departed from Van Wert and Emil Schumm was among them. [6]

By the end of September 1918 Emil Schumm was overseas:

Mr. and Mrs. Louis Nofer, of Willshire township are in receipt of a card from Emil Schumm, a neighbor, announcing his safe arrival overseas. [7]

Emil and Emanuel’s father Henry M. Schumm, who had homesteaded in Colorado some years before, was living with his family in Colorado at the time. Emil and Emanuel had remained in Ohio and that is probably why Emil wrote home to his neighbor in the Schumm area.

Emil Schumm served as private and was honorably discharged 29 October 1919. [4]

I find it interesting to read these newspaper accounts and to see the timeline and how quickly things progressed.

[1] Conscription Call, Van Wert Daily Bulletin, Van Wert, Ohio, 13 Jul 1918; NewspaperArchive.com, viewed 28 Mar 2023.

[2] Conscription Call, Van Wert Daily Bulletin, Van Wert, Ohio, 14 Feb 1918; NewspaperArchive.com, viewed 28 Mar 2023.

[3] Soldiers Leave, Van Wert Daily Bulletin, Van Wert, Ohio, 25 May 1918; NewspaperArchive.com, viewed 28 Mar 2023.

[4] Ohio Soldiers in WWI, 1917-1918, database on-line by subscription; Ancestry.com, accessed 20 April 2014.

[5] Conscription Call, Van Wert Daily Bulletin, Van Wert, Ohio, 10 Jun 1918; NewspaperArchive.com, viewed 28 Mar 2023.

[6] Soldiers Depart, Van Wert Daily Bulletin, Van Wert, Ohio, 25 Jun 1918; NewspaperArchive.com, viewed 28 Mar 2023.

[7] Soldier Letters, Van Wert Daily Bulletin, Van Wert, Ohio, 30 Sep 1918; NewspaperArchive.com, viewed 28 Mar 2023.

Tombstone Tuesday-Occupation Symbols

A variety of symbols and images can be carved or etched on tombstones. The photos below show examples of carvings and etchings and show the difference between the two techniques.  

Religious symbols are the most popular tombstone inscriptions but other symbols tell us a little about the life of the deceased. Today, some local tombstones that indicate a person’s occupation.

Modern etching techniques create realistic-looking images on grave markers. Among my favorites are the photo-like farm images. It is obvious these are the grave markers of farmers.

St. Paul Lutheran Cemetery, Preble County, Indiana

Swamp College Cemetery, Mercer County, Ohio

West Lawn Cemetery, Baltic, Ohio

Below are some carved images and you can see how they differ from etchings.

This person was a medical doctor.

North Grove Cemetery, Celina, Ohio

This person was an Ohio State Highway Patrolman.

Catholic Cemetery, Celina, Ohio

A barber pole indicates the person was a barber.

West Lawn Cemetery, Baltic, Ohio

This person was a truck driver.

Decatur Cemetery, Adams County, Indiana

This person evidently had several trades.

Woodlawn Cemetery, Van Wert County, Ohio

An emblem is sometimes attached to the monument. These emblems indicate a fireman and a volunteer fireman.

North Grove Cemetery, Celina, Ohio

St. Paul Lutheran Cemetery, Preble County, Indiana

Soldiers Depart Van Wert, 22 July 1918

This photo belonged to my grandfather Cornelius Schumm. The photo was taken by D.E. Agler on the west side of the Van Wert Courthouse on 22 July 1918. In the photo are 139 young Van Wert County men before leaving for basic training at Camp Sherman, to ultimately serve with the Allied Forces in Europe during WWI.

22 Jul 1918, Van Wert men to depart for Camp Sherman.

Several thousand people were assembled in Van Wert that day to honor these soldiers and in recognition of the soldiers who had gone before. According to newspaper accounts, the Van Wert County Service Flag was dedicated during this ceremony. The young service men were given comfort kits prepared by the Daughters of the American Revolution, white ribbon badges and carnations from the Womens’ Christian Temperance Union, and small flags and shoe laces from the James Clark Shoe Co.

If you look closely you can see the men are wearing the white ribbons.

22 Jul 1918, Van Wert men to depart for Camp Sherman.

The squad of young men was under the charge of Guy Simpson, assisted by Donald H. Smith, Lewis Walborn, W. McBride, and George Huffine. Rev. George Arthur Frantz, of the Presbyterian Church, gave the address.

22 Jul 1918, Van Wert men to depart for Camp Sherman.

Afterward the Van Wert squad was escorted to the Cincinnati Northern depot, the procession lead by the Scott Band, under the leadership of Prof. L.E. Needler. Public officials, Boy Scouts, and a long line of citizens accompanied the procession. The young men occupied three coaches that were attached to a special train that transported other squads from area counties. The train stopped at Greenville and the men were served a noon meal. The train was scheduled to reach Camp Sherman early in the evening.

22 Jul 1918, Van Wert men to depart for Camp Sherman.

There were eleven changes in the original list of registrants called to report for duty. Lewis Euler, Harold German, Jesse Johnson, Donald Holland, Nathan Lifshitz, Hoer Smith, Leon Talboon, Noble Thomas, Pryse Tumbers, Julius Verbauch and Carl Kreischer were removed from the original list and the vacancies were filled by Geo A. Adams, Noble Noell, James Johnson, Humbert Da Prato, Wm. R. Evans, Carl Reidenbach, Wm. Dunlap, Wm. Kidney, John Hey, Harry Roberts, Delbert Runnion.

Van Wert Daily Bulletin, 22 Jul 1918.

The newspaper has an alphabetical list of the young men in the photo who left for service that day. I transcribed the list of men the best I could, but the newspaper copy is difficult to read and I probably misspelled some names. Plus, the end of the list is illegible. Having said all that, the squad was made up as follows.

William Agler, John Adam, William August.

Ora Bair, Herman Becker, Titus Bell, Paul Becker, Logan Baer, Glenn Brubaker, Joseph Beekman, Oscar Bauer, George Bollenbaugh, Edson Beckwith, John Butcher, Harold Burnett, Edwin Bauer, Perry Bruckhart, Henry Bell, Virgil Baker.

John Clay, Glenn Crawford, Lawrence, Custer, John Coil, Wm. Campbell, Zeda Coombs, Chauncey Crogan, Hiram Cooper, Albert Case, Arnold Carmean, Frank Carder.

William Douglas, Wm. Dunlap, Humbert DaPrato.

Ernest Etzler, Wm. R. Evans, James Eady.

Arthur Frericks, Martin Feldner, Homer Ferris, Robert Fugate, Benjamin Feasby.

Howard Goodwin, Emil Germann, Fred Gerdeman, Walter Gehres, Lawrence Gehres.

Russel Hudman, Adolph Hotman, Floyd Hoaglin, Harry Hansell, Henry Hofman, Roland Hensel, Herbert Hagerman, Gale Hullinger, Evan Hughes, Oscar Harmon, Geo. Hofman, James Heath, John Hey.

Evan Jones, Bryse Johnson, Edward Jones, James Johnson.

Benjamin Kundert, Charles Knoll, Richard Klein, Elmer Kreischer, Lawrence Kreischer, Wm. Konkle, John Klausing, John Klein, Carey Kruch, Wm. Kidney.

Karl Leathers, Perry Levick, Edward Lybarger, John Letter.

Homer McClure, Harry McCarty, Woodie McBride, Lawrence McCarty, Price McClure.

Dall Miller, Russel Miller, Robert Morris, Hobart Mark, Lewis Merkle, Allen Mohler, Frank Mohr.

Jacob Neal, Noble Noell, Orley Neely.

Thomas Owens.

Unfortunately, the rest of the list is illegible.

A little about the WWI draft registration: During World War I there were three registrations. The first, on 5 June 1917, was for all men between the ages of 21 and 31. The second, on 5 June 1918, registered those who attained age 21 after 5 June 1917. (A supplemental registration, included in the second registration, was held 24 August 1918, for those becoming 21 after 5 June 1918.) The third registration was held 12 September 1918, for men age 18 through 45. So this group of men was probably from the second registration.

I am not sure why my grandfather Cornelius Schumm had this photo. Did he know some men in the photo? Was he a relative or close friend of someone in the photo? Since the surnames after the Os are not legible, I can’t know for sure.

However, while looking through newspapers for information about this photo, I read some information about my grandfather Cornelius Schumm, information that I did not know about. More about that next week.

Source: Soldiers Depart, Van Wert Daily Bulletin, Van Wert, Ohio, Newspaperarchive.com.

Tombstone Tuesday-Exedra Monument

Exedra is a rather unusual cemetery monument, usually seen in larger cemeteries.

The word exedra is a Greek word meaning “out of a seat.” Exedra were curved stone benches used by the Ancient Greeks for seating at public events and for entertaining in private homes. The Greeks carried this tradition into their cemeteries, where they positioned curved benches around the grave. This made a suitable place for family and friends of the deceased to gather and converse while still focusing on the deceased.

Here are two local examples of exedra:

Woodlawn Cemetery, Lima, Allen Co Ohio

Greenlawn Cemetery, Auglaize County, Ohio

This is a good example of the circular seating area with graves in the center:

Woodlawn Cemetery, Lima, Allen Co Ohio

Woodlawn Cemetery, Lima, Allen Co Ohio

The exedra in modern cemeteries is often a straight bench and the family name is often inscribed on it.

In Ancient Greece the grave was sometimes topped with a table-tomb monument, where food and wine was placed and served.

Sometimes Greek-style columns are located near the exedra.

Greenlawn Cemetery, Auglaize County, Ohio

March 1911 Blackcreek & Liberty News

Today, back to some of news from Blackcreek and Liberty Townships in 1911, articles taken from The Celina Democrat online images.

The Celina Democrat sometimes printed news from Blackcreek Township, their “Blackcre’k Center” section. This from the 3 March 1911 issue:

The Celina Democrat, 3 Mar 1911

From 19 March 1911:

The Celina Democrat, 17 Mar 1911

I do not know where Forest Hill was but some of the individuals mentioned below also lived in Blackcreek Township. So, Forest Hill may have been in Blackcreek Township. I am not sure who Andy Crawberger mentioned in item no. 4 was. I am thinking it may have been Andrew Kallenberger or a Grauberger. Both families lived in Blackcreek Township. The W.M. Hoehamer mentioned lived in Dublin Township in 1910 and lived in Blackcreek Township in 1920. From the 3 March 1911 issue:

The Celina Democrat, 3 Mar 1911

Some real estate sales, also in the 3 March 1911 issue. It is interesting to see the transactions, some from Blackcreek, Liberty, and Dublin Townships.

The Celina Democrat, 3 Mar 1911

You know what they say about death and taxes. Below is an article about each.

There was quite an increase in the land valuation in Blackcreek and Liberty Townships in 1911. That should be of no surprise. We all know how good the farmland is here. This from the 17 March 1911 issue of The Celina Democrat:

Celina Democrat, 17 Mar 1911

Celina Democrat, 17 Mar 1911

And lastly, a rather interesting piece from the 10 March 1911 issue of The Celina Democrat. From the article’s description the brace was apparently for a casket that was not made to have its lid propped open.

The Celina Democrat, 10 Mar 1911

This may have been the same Henry J. Schmitt, age 32, a mortician who lived in St. Henry, Ohio, in 1910.

FYI, a little about caskets: A half-couch casket has a split lid and the top or the bottom of the casket can be open. A full-couch casket has a lid that is one solid piece and when open you see the entire body.