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 24^th. [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.