Sep 16

More Local News from 1910

I am still looking through old newspapers, specifically the Celina Democrat in 1910. This newspaper is online, is easy to view from home, and has some interesting information for our part of the county as well as all of Mercer County. Perhaps you will recognize some of the names mentioned here.

Farm Residence Goes Up in Smoke
The residence of Adam Kaylor in Blackcreek Township was totally destroyed by fire last Sunday, only a portion of the household goods being saved. The fire is supposed to have originated from a defective flue, but was not discovered until it had gained such headway that hardly anything could be saved. The loss is partially covered by insurance. (Celina Democrat, 6 May 1910)

Celina Democrat, 6 May 1910, p.1.

BLACKCREEK
Samuel Wick, an old resident of Blackcreek township, died on the 5th inst. and was buried Sunday at Duck Creek cemetery. The Berne (Ind.) band and the Willshire quartet furnished the musical part of the service, which was very impressive.

J.F. Harb had the bone removed from a finger that has caused him much trouble for some time last Saturday.

Frank Egger and Gusta Leininger were the guests of Clyde Harb Sunday. (Celina Democrat, 13 May 1910)

Celina Democrat, 13 May 1910, p.1.

THE GRIM REAPER
Mrs. Catherine Linn, aged 35 years, widow of the late George Linn, died at the home of her parents, Mr. and Mrs. John Hiller, in Liberty township, last Saturday afternoon, after a lingering illness, of tuberculosis. She is survived by two children. Funeral services were held at the Lutheran church at Chattanooga last Tuesday morning. (Celina Democrat, 13 May 1910)

Linn obituary, Celina Democrat, 27 May 1910, p.1.

TOWN TOPICS
Our old friend John C. Brehm, of Liberty township, always prompt, was in with his renewal Wednesday.

John Sipe, of Blackcreek township, was in town Wednesday on his way to St. Marys to attend to some business matters. (Celina Democrat, 24 Jun 1910)

Adam Alt, of Liberty township, was in town Wednesday and took home with him some fine Holstein cattle he purchased at New Bremen. Adam surely captured some prizes. (Celina Democrat, 17 Jun 1910)

There were some interesting clubs in Celina in 1910:

There was a Thimble Club. I am not sure if this was a sewing club or if they collected thimbles.

Celina Democrat, 6 May 1910, p.1.

The B.E.S. Embroidery Club was probably a sewing club.

There was a Shakespeare Club, likely a reading/book club and not all that unusual.

And there was the Jolly Dozen Club, which included a couple I mentioned several months ago, John Eli Headington and his wife Ruth. They lived in Celina before moving to Portland, Indiana, in 1910. Their son Ken Headington’s widow Elma eventually ran Celina’s Headington House Hotel in the 1930s, until her death in 1970.

The following article is not from Blackcreek or Liberty Townships, but from Celina and is rather interesting:

Celina Democrat, 13 May 1910, p.1.

ISAAC WILLING TO TRY IT AGAIN
Hoping This Time, No Doubt, to Have a Less Strenous Wife for Partner
Isaac J. Gallihugh and Anna M. Gallihugh divorced Saturday morning at 10 o’clock. Isaac J. Gallihugh and Mrs. Luesia Kennard married Saturday afternoon at 2 o’clock.

Such is part of the unwritten diary of last Saturday’s adventures of Ike Gallihugh, a part time resident of the County Infirmary. Despite the fact that Ike found it necessary as well as difficult to hobble into court on a pair of crutches last Saturday morning to secure a decree of divorce from his wife Anna, whom he told Judge Layton had thrown various kitchen utensils at him, beat him over the head at various times and lastly broken his leg when she threw a stick of stove wood at him, he couldn’t be without a wife and about four hours after he had been untied by the Judge he was again tied to a life partner by Justice Raudabaugh. Gallihugh is 47 and his new bride is 25. (Celina Democrat, 13 May 1910)

Note: Isaac and Luesia both had been married before. Isaac Jackson Gallihugh (1863-1942) married Anna Abigail (Lyman) in 1886 and Luesia/Louise (Kittle) (1885-1933) married Charles Kennard in 1903.

Sep 13

Tombstone Tuesday-Daughters of Rebekah Symbol

The Daughters of Rebekah, a branch of the Independent Order of Odd Fellows, was established in 1851. Their name is derived from Rebekah in the Bible and they are sometimes called the Rebekahs. Their society is an international service organization.

Daughters of Rebekah symbol, Woodlawn Cemetery, Van Wert County, Ohio.

Initially, membership was open to only women but they now allow male members. Women do not have to be related to an Odd Fellow to be a Rebekah member as long as they meet the moral, ethical, and age requirement of 16-18 years and older for admission.   

Members are to live peaceably, do good to all, and to obey the Golden Rule.

Daughters of Rebekah symbol on flag holder, Greenlawn Cemetery, Wapakoneta, Ohio.

The items on their symbol include a moon, seven stars, a dove, and a lily. They represent the following:

The moon and seven stars represent the never-failing order which pervades God’s universe and all of nature and the value of regularity and precision in all worthy undertakings.

The dove symbolizes peace. Rebekahs are to promote peace on earth and good will to men and strive to bring happiness to others.

The lily symbolizes purity and represents the purity of character, thought, word, and action.

Sep 09

Mystery Solved! 1910 Liberty Township Boxwell Commencement

Sometimes it takes a while to solve a mystery. Sometimes it takes 9 years.

Such is the case concerning a Liberty Township photo sent to me 9 years ago.  

On 22 November 2013 I wrote a blog, A Chatt-Area Graduation? , about a photo of a group of young Liberty Township individuals. They were from all over Liberty Township, not just from the Chatt area. It appears the photo was taken at a graduation of some sort. The young adults were dressed in their Sunday best and all held rolled papers that look like certificates. The names of the young adults are written on the bottom of the photo and by calculating from their birth dates, the photo was taken about 1910.  

Chattanooga Graduation photo, c1910.

Those in the photo: Mina Baumgartner, Flossie Stoll, Carl Berron, Alvina Keck, James Gibbons, Rosa Betzel, Isa Martz, Dolan Loree, Rosa Turckes, Herald Roettger, Irma Wilson, Chester Kincaid, Eda Kable, Ed Bauer, and Hugo Fahncke.

Donna from Indiana sent me the photo nearly a decade ago. Her mother Mina Baumgartner is standing in the photo and Donna wondered if it was her mother’s eighth grade graduation picture, possibly taken at Wildcat School in 1910. Mina Baumgartner (1897-1983) married William Andress (1889-1972) in 1915. Both of their families lived in or near Chatt years ago. But the photo would not have been taken at Wildcat School because Wildcat was in Blackcreek Township and those in the photo were from all over Liberty Township.   

Nine years ago we did not know what the event was or when or where it occurred. The photo has remained a mystery until this past week.

As I was reading through old issues of the Celina Democrat, on-line at the Library of Congress website, I believe I have found the answer to the photo mystery.

The following article is from the 3 June 1910 issue of the Celina Democrat:

Liberty Township Commencement
The annual Liberty township Boxwell commencement will be held at the German Reform Church on Tuesday evening, June 7, beginning at 8 o’clock. Prof. Wilkin will deliver the address, and the Liberty Union band will furnish the music. Joseph Hinton is the teacher in charge. The public is cordially invited to attend.  

Liberty Township Boxwell Commencement, 3 Jun 1910, Celina Democrat.

Just what was the Boxwell commencement mentioned in the above article?

After further research I learned it was the graduation ceremony for those who passed the Boxwell Proficiency Exam. The Boxwell Proficiency Exam was a test for 8th grade students who were going on to high school, to indicate that a student was competent to enter high school. It was similar to today’s proficiency tests and a student had to pass the Boxwell Exams to get into high school. The Boxwell Exams were considered to be fairly difficult and I read that some who passed it were hired to teach at one-room schools.  

So this commencement was a big deal and an important event.

Prior to 1902 the county examiners prepared the questions used to examine 8th grade pupils from the rural and village schools, to make sure they were ready to enter high school. The act of 28 March 1902 required that the State Commissioner of Common Schools prepare the questions for the two examinations, send the questions to the clerk of each county board, who would then prepare the questions and send them to the examiners. The examiners used the questions to test the students in two sessions, held in April and May.   

I found a book on-line that contains the Boxwell Exam questions from 1902-1913. The questions covered the subjects of United States History & Civil Government, Arithmetic, Geography, Grammar, Physiology, Orthography, Writing, and Reading. All subjects were covered in both examinations, although it appears that students did not have to answer every question. They could choose to answer a certain number of questions from each major category. E.g. answer 5 or the 8 questions.

Some questions from the 16 April 1910 exam. See how well you would do.

U.S. History & Civil Government category:
1. Describe the early settlement of Ohio.
2. Who were the inhabitants of Ohio before the whites? Write about their manner of living.
3. Who is our Governor? What are his duties? What are the duties of any of our county officials?
4. Name the important wars in America before the Revolution. Give causes and results of one of them. What were the terms of the treaty that closed this war?  
5. What is the Declaration of Independence? What is the Constitution? When was each adopted? Where? By whom?
6. Give an event in the life of each of the following men: W. T. Sherman, James Russell Lowell, Rutherford B. Hayes, Capt. John Smith, Jacques Marquette, Robert Fulton, Marquis De Lafayette, and Admiral George Dewey.
7. Define history, rebellion, war, statesman, civil government, congress, treasurer.
8. Outline the administration of any president since the Civil war. What were the chief events of his term of office?

Arithmetic:
1. What is a fraction? A note? Interest? A decimal fraction? A circle?
2. Smith and Oaks load 37 cars with 1,056,600 lb. of soap; allowing 64 lbs. to the box, how many boxes did it take?
3. If 4/5 of a number is 20,256, what is the whole number?
4. Find the L. D. M. of 2, 6, 8, 12, 18, 40, 63, and 128.
5. How many square feet of zinc will be needed to line the five sides of an open cubical tank containing 1728 cubic feet?
6. Find the interest on a note of $675 given July 1, 1906, drawing 6% interest and due the day you are taking this examination.
7. Add 2358, 3165, 16395, 406, 2749, 428690, 3174, 4528, 53185, 4749 and divide the sum by 128.

Orthography:
1. What is a vowel? A syllable? Pronunciation?
2. Show the different sounds of C and G in words properly marked.
3. Define silent letter, consonant, accent, polysyllable, and primitive word.
4. Mark these words with the proper diacritical markings: Nasal, cartilage, Brazil, merciful, Tecumseh, watch, humid, Cuyahoga, valise, verify…

Writing:
Write a stanza of poetry not to exceed four lines in length as a sample of your penmanship.

Reading:
Examiners will conduct the examination on this subject orally. [1]

Enough of that. You get the idea and I don’t like thinking that hard anymore.

I really disliked math story problems. And is Arithmetic question no. 2 a trick question? Do they want just the number of boxes of soap? So the 37 cars were added to trick you? I was always on the lookout for trick questions. The answer is, a whole lot of boxes of soap. The Arithmetic questions would be so much easier today because we have calculators. I can’t imagine adding all those numbers by hand anymore. Although we used to.

The news article answers a couple other questions about the mystery photo. The Liberty Township Boxwell Commencement was held on 7 June 1910 at the German Reform Church. It was probably held at one of their two churches, which were located just a couple miles apart. Their North Church, a frame structure built in 1880, was about a half mile east of Chatt on Tama Road. I remember it as the Grange Hall or the Parish Hall. The old North Church was torn down several years ago. They also had a South Church, on the corner of Oregon and Wabash Roads, and they alternated services between the two churches. In 1928 the South Church became the main place of worship and the North Church became the Parish Hall. The South Church became St. Paul UCC and is now St. Paul Country Church. I guess the commencement could have been held at either church.

Another mystery solved!

I love it when the pieces all come together to solve a mystery, even if it takes nearly a decade. I was just lucky that I remembered the photo in question when I read the news article.

[1] Eighth Grade Examinations: Boxwell-Patterson Examinations, Columbus, Ohio, Published by The Ohio Teacher, 1922; The Ohio Collection, Ohio State University Library, Archive.org.

Sep 06

Tombstone Tuesday-Odd Fellows Symbol

The symbol of the fraternal society known as the Independent Order of Odd Fellows, aka Odd Fellows, is three links of a chain. The society is sometimes known as the Triple Link Fraternity.

Odd Fellows symbol, Union Cemetery, Darke County, Ohio.

The three links may contain the letters FLT, which stand for Friendship, Love, and Truth.

Odd Fellows Symbol, Woodlawn Cemetery, Van Wert County, Ohio.

Odd Fellows symbol, Tomlinson Cemetery, Mercer County, Ohio.

The Odd Fellows has been called the “poor man’s Freemasons” and was (and may still be) the second largest fraternal organization, second to the Freemasons.

Odd Fellows & GAR symbols, Union Cemetery, Dark County, Ohio

The Odd Fellows was established in England in the 1700s as a working-class social and benevolent association to help widows and orphans. The Odd Fellows was established in the United States in Baltimore in 1819 and separated from the English Order in 1843, when they took the name Independent Order of Odd Fellows. The society had over 3 million members in 1915 but membership declined during the Great Depression. They reportedly had nearly 500,000 members in 2000.

Odd Fellows & Masonic symbols, Green Park Cemetery, Portland, Jay County, Indiana.

Odd Fellows & Masonic symbols, Green Lawn Cemetery, Wapakoneta, Ohio.

Death care, including funerals, is one of their major member benefits. Lodges usually purchase plots in an existing cemetery or establish a cemetery of their own where plots are sold to members at a modest fee.

Their female auxiliary, the Daughters of Rebekah, was established in 1851.

Sep 02

Labor Day and the Durbin Bean Bake

I know what everyone is wondering right now–where did the summer go?

As usual, this summer has gone quickly and here it is, Labor Day weekend, which traditionally marks the end of summer. Technically we still have about 3 weeks of summer left although it looks and feels a little like fall already. The days are noticeably shorter, some leaves are coming down, the flowers are waning, the fall warblers are passing through, and the Monarch season is winding down. Yes, this year we again nurtured Monarch caterpillars and have released 50 Monarchs butterflies thus far, with another 24 in various stages of development. This has certainly been our best Monarch year yet!

The other day I was looking through some old online local newspapers, looking at the Mercer County news and happenings in early September 1910.

I saw that this part of the county was preparing for the Durbin Bean Bake! The same Labor Day Durbin Bake we are familiar with, although in 1910 they called it the Bean Supper and it was not held on Labor Day. Back then it was not held on a set date or day but occurred some time in early September. In 1910 it was held on the second Thursday in September and was their 13th gathering.

Bean Supper and Rennion [sic]
Trustee J.F. Smith, of the west end of the township, secretary of the Durbin bean supper and soldiers’ reunion association, was in town Monday arranging for the programs for their thirteenth annual meeting on the 8th inst. He expects it to be a cracker-jack as usual. The addresses will be made by Veteran J.C. Snyder, of Erastus; the irrepressible Pioneer A.H. Roebuck, of Mercer, and Mayor P.E. Kenney, of this city. [1]

Celina Democrat, 2 Sep 1910.

Below is their schedule of events for the 1910 Bean Bake:

Celina Democrat, 2 Sep 1910.

However, their Bean Supper did not happen on the 8th, due to rain. The next issue of the newspaper reports:

Durbin Bean Bake Postponed
The heavy rains of Wednesday night and yesterday morning cause the unceremonious postponement of the Durbin bean bake and soldiers’ reunion scheduled for yesterday.

It is announced, however, that the program arranged for the occasion will be rendered next Thursday, the 15th, just as if nothing had happened.

Uncle Jack Snavely will attend to the other little side issues.

Yesterday’s program won’t spoil and the beans are insured against cyclones, forked lightning and earthquakes.

The date was just seven days too early, anyhow. [2]

Celina Democrat, 9 Sep 1910.

The Durbin Bean Bake began in 1898 as a reunion of Civil War veterans. It continues to this day to honor all veterans and is a popular Mercer County Labor Day event. It free and open to the public and has games, attractions for children, food, and the beans are cooked all day and served about 4:00 p.m. It is held in Durbin Park, on Erastus-Durbin Road, just south of Mud Pike, in the southeast part of Liberty Township.

Another Durbin Bean Bake article in the Celina Democrat a couple years later, 27 August 1915:

BEAN BAKE       
At Durbin Is Coming, Though the Date Has Not Yet Been Announced

“Uncle Jack” Snavely gave the Democrat his annual call last Friday while in town making the rounds to secure a lift for the annual Durbin bean bake and reunion which is the big fall event of Mercer county. The pioneers of the county always look for the date of the big Durbin gathering, which is scheduled for the forepart of every September, at least as long as Uncle Jack can make the rounds.

“I am past the four-score milestone,” said the veteran caterer, “and have cooked the beans for twenty-one annual reunions at Durbin, besides helping at many other. Uncle Jack’s fame as a bean bake dates back to the time of the Civil War, and he is quite proud of the fame the many years’ baking has placed upon him. Here’s trusting Durbin will have the usual big day at the 1915 reunion. [3]

Celina Democrat, 27 Aug 1915.

Two of those articles mentioned Civil War veteran, Uncle Jack Snavely, who lived in Liberty Township. It appears he had attended all the Durbin Bean Bakes and always cooked the beans. Maybe he was one of the event’s founders.

Well that peaked my interest and I couldn’t help myself. I had to find additional information about Snavely, the man who attended every Durbin Bean Bake and who always cooked the beans there.

His name was actually John Snavely, but apparently everyone called him Uncle Jack. He was born in Ohio 1826 and served in the Civil War as a Private in Co. K, 88th OVI, enlisting and serving from July 1863-July 1865. [4]

According to the 1914 Appraiser’s Plat of Liberty Township, John Snavely lived in Section 24, on the north side of Schleucher Road, about a half mile from Erastus-Durbin Road. If this is the same person, he lived just a mile or two from the woods where the Durbin Bean Bake is held. And that makes sense.

“Uncle Jack” Snavely passed away on 27 July 1917, at the age of 91, and is buried in Buck Cemetery.

Part of his obituary:

…Uncle Jack was a member of D.J. Roop Post, G.A.R., but he will be best remembered for his interest in the annual soldiers’ reunion and bean bake at Durbin, which attracted thousands each year, and of which it may well be said, to use a popular expression, he was the “whole push.” [5]

Celina Democrat, 3 Aug 1917.

The Democrat’s editor wrote a tribute to Uncle Jack Snavely with his obituary. Part of that tribute:

…But this thing that added more than all things else to Uncle Jack’s fame and popularity were the annual bean bakes at Durbin, Mercer county. He always had charge of the baking and he could do the work to a queens [sic] taste, too. No one ever presumed to challenge his ability in that respect and now that he has gone to join his comrades on the peaceful fields of paradise, the old soldiers are wondering who will take his place… [6]

Celina Democrat, 3 Aug 1917.

We occasionally go to the Durbin Bean Bake. Here are some of my photos from the 2018 Bean Bake:

Durbin Bean Bake, 2018

Cooking the beans takes all day. Durbin Bean Bake, 2018

It began to honor Civil War veterans, so what better than a Civil War encampment. Durbin Bean Bake, 2018

Durbin Bean Bake, 2018

Durbin Bean Bake, 2018

Durbin Bean Bake, 2018

Have a safe and enjoyable Labor Day weekend!

[1] Bean Supper and Reunion, The Celina Democrat, Celina, Ohio, 2 Sep 1910; Library of Congress.gov. (Note: inst. is an abbreviation for instant, meaning in the current month.)

[2] Durbin Bean Bake Postponed, The Celina Democrat, Celina, Ohio, 9 Sep 1910; Library of Congress.gov.  

[3] Bean Bake, The Celina Democrat, Celina, Ohio, 27 Aug 1915; Library of Congress.gov.  

[4] 1890 Veterans Schedules of the U.S. Federal Census, Mercer, Liberty, Ohio, ED 189, SD 2, p.3, no.37, John Snavely; Ancestry.com, viewed 1 Sep 2022.

[5] Uncle Jack Snavely Dead, The Celina Democrat, Celina, Ohio, 3 Aug 1917; Library of Congress.gov.

[6] Editor Sullivan’s Tribute to “Uncle Jack,” The Celina Democrat, Celina, Ohio, 3 Aug 1917; Library of Congress.gov.