Jul 08

Tombstone Tuesday-Fredrick Wilhelm Grabner

Fredrick W Grabner, St. Paul Lutheran, Liberty Twp, Mercer County, Ohio. (2025 photo by Karen)

This is the tombstone of Fredrick Wilhelm Grabner, located in row 4 of St. Paul Lutheran Cemetery, Liberty Township, Mercer County, Ohio. The marker is broken at the base and partially sunken into the ground. Most of the inscription is unreadable, but The Mercer County Chapter OGS read and recorded the inscription in 1990. Their 1990 reading:

Fredrick W.
Son of
John & M
Grabner
Died
Sep 22, 1846
Aged
3Y, 6M, 21D

The major problem with this tombstone inscription is that the tombstone carver transposed the last two numbers of the year Fredrick W. Grabner died. Fredrick W. died in 1864, not 1846.

Several records support this.

The records of St. Paul Liberty show that Fredrick Wilhelm Grabner died 28 September 1864, at the age of 3 years, 6 months, and 28 days. That church record and the one below refers to him as William.   

St. Paul’s records also indicate that Fredrick Wilhelm was born in Liberty Township on 1 March 1861, the son of John and Magdalene “Lena” (Maurer) Grabner.

Fredrick’s parents were both born in Germany and his father immigrated to America in 1847. Fredrick’s parents married at St. Paul Liberty, Mercer County, on 17 January 1852, married by Rev. J.G. Gackenheimer. [1]

Yes, there are some minor date discrepancies between the tombstone inscription and the church records, I feel the church records are more accurate than the tombstone.  

Fredrick Wilhelm Grabner’s tombstone is next to grave marker of his brother John Anton Grabner (1866-1868), which is also broken and lying on the ground.

Brothers John A & Fredrick W Grabner, St. Paul Liberty Cemetery, Mercer County, Ohio. (2025 photo by Karen)

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 Lutheran Church and the following information about the family is recorded in their church records.

From St. Paul Lutheran, Liberty Township’s Familienbuch:
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
[Fredrick] William, born 1 March 1861, died 28 September 1864
John Anton, born 30 April 1866 [2] 

That family record stopped at 1866, but the couple had at least two additional children: Carolina Margaretha Grabner, born 29 November 1863, baptized 31 January 1864, and confirmed in 1877. Her confirmation is recorded at both St. Paul Liberty and Zion Lutheran, Chatt. Another child, Henry Jacob Grabner, was born 11 December 1870, confirmed at St. Paul in 1885, and died 19 April 1950. He never married and is also buried at St. Paul Liberty Cemetery.   

This surname is spelled several ways in the various records: Graebner, Grabner, and Grapner. The oldest spelling of the name in the church records is Graebner and Grapner is today’s spelling.

Find a Grave.com has a better photo of Fredrick’s tombstone that I was able to get. 

[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. And marriage records of St. Paul Liberty Lutheran Church, Mercer County, Ohio.

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

  

Jul 04

Independence Day and America 250!

Starting today, and continuing through July 4th  2026, we celebrate America’s 250th anniversary, a monumental milestone for our country.

As of today, we are officially celebrating America 250, but we have technically been in America 250 for a couple months now.  

America 250 flag

The first day of the Revolutionary War was 19 April 1775, 250 years + two-and one-half months ago. On that date, the Massachusetts colonists defied British authority on Concord’s Old North Bridge. Known as the Battles of Lexington and Concord, and fought in the Massachusetts towns of Lexington, Concord, Lincoln, Menotomy, and Cambridge, these battles were the first major military actions between Great Britain and the patriot militias from the Thirteen American Colonies.  

The colonists’ victory resulted in an outpouring of support for the anti-British cause.

Tensions had been building between the colonists and the British authorities for over ten years. Great Britain had enacted a series of acts to raise revenue from the Colonies and the colonists protested the “taxation without representation.”

In 1774, after the Boston Massacre and the Boston Tea Party, King George III shut down Boston Harbor until the colonists paid for tea they dumped overboard the previous year. Soon after, the British Parliament declared that Massachusetts was in open rebellion.

On the night of 18 April 1775, British troops marched from Boston to Concord to seize an arms cache. Paul Revere, William Dawes Jr, and other riders sounded the alarm that mobilized the colonial militiamen. Fighting began at Lexington and the British retreated under intense fire.

The Revolutionary War had begun.

On this day, 249 years ago, July 4th 1776, the Declaration of Independence was adopted by delegates to the Second Continental Congress in Philadelphia. Next year marks the 250th anniversary of that event.

America 250!  

We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty, and the pursuit of Happiness. –Thomas Jefferson, The Declaration of Independence.

After many battles, in 1783 the colonists formally won their independence.

And, as if that isn’t enough history, our country recently celebrated another 250th anniversary. On 14 June 2025, which happened to be Flag Day, the U.S. Army celebrated their 250th Birthday. The Continental Army was formed in 1775 in the fight for American independence.

“Before there was a United States, there was an Army.”

What a rich history our country has and such an exciting, historic time for America.

What a great time to celebrate our country and show our patriotism.

Have a fun, safe, and patriotic Fourth of July holiday.

Happy Independence Day!

Happy 249th Birthday, America! 

Jun 27

More About the Sawmill at Schumm, Ohio

Last week I wrote about the Fred. A. Smith Lumber Company at Schumm, more commonly known as the Schumm Sawmill by locals.

Before 1923 the sawmill was owned by W.P. Robinson of Decatur, Indiana, and was the W.P. Robinson Company of Schumm. Robinson entered into partnership with Fred A. Smith in 1923, but the sawmill retained the Robinson name. In 1953 Robinson sold his interest in the sawmill to Smith and Smith changed the name to the Fred A. Smith Lumber Company. Smith ran the sawmill for five more years and closed it in 1958.

Schumm Sawmill, c1924.

Van Wert newspaper articles provides some information about Fred A. Smith and the sawmill at Schumm.

Robinson Sells Share in Mill
Van Wert Man to Operate Schumm Firm (Van Wert Times Bulletin, 9 Jan 1953; NewspaperArchive.com.)
W.P. Robinson of Decatur, Ind., and Fred A. Smith of 729 Elson Avenue, who for the past 30 years have operated the W.P. Robinson Company of Schumm, a sawmill and lumber firm, today announced dissolution of the partnership.

Robinson, who has been in the sawmill and lumber business in Indiana and Ohio for 55 years, is retiring, and Smith has purchased his partner’s interest to operate it under the firm name of “Fred A. Smith Lumber Company.”

The company, located on the Nickel Plate Railroad siding, formerly the Cloverleaf Railroad, at Schumm, buys timber and truck logs within a radius of 150 miles in Ohio and Indiana.

The logs are cut for a wide variety of uses such as long ship-building timbers, farm buildings, fences, and cribs and kiln-dried oak flooring and finish.

The firm operated a planing mill and caters to a large firm and industrial retail trade within 40 miles of Van Wert, conserving the lumber from chair-let size to 50-inch oak timbers, using the sawdust as fuel for the big steam-powered engine and boiler.

In the past, lumber has been shipped to all sections of the country. In 1927 the firm shipped three carloads to choice oak timbers to the Navy yard at Boston for the rebuilding of the ship, “Old Ironsides.”

During World War Two, many cars of oak were shipped for use in building Navy landing boats and last year timber was shipped for building mine-sweepers.

W.P. Robinson Co. with largest bur oak sawed in Ohio, 1934.

Written a few years later about Fred A Smith. (Van Wert Times Bulletin, 27 Nov 1962; NewspaperArchive.com.):
…Fred A. Smith, 835 S. Race St, lifetime wood dealer and buyer and timber scout for Pike Lumber Co., once operated a sawmill at Schumm in partnership with the late W.P. Robinson of Decatur.

Smith started out as a young man in the lumber business in Wabash, Indiana, with Durward Pike, of Pike Lumber Co, Wabash.

Smith entered into partnership with the sawmill operation at Schumm in 1923 and they installed an entirely new mill for cutting the logs into boards and dimension lumber.

“Our work force ranged from 12-15 men and we hauled the first logs into Schumm with teams of horses and wagons. Our first truck was purchased in 1929.”

During WWII, the sawmill, known as the Robinson Sawmill, cut many lumber contracts for the U.S. Navy. They shipped lumber to every shipyard in the U.S. and some of the civilian customers included the Marion Shovel Co, Marion, Ohio, and Chriscraft, builder of pleasure boats.

One lumber order filled for the U.S. Navy and shipped in 1927, was for three large carloads of Indiana and Ohio white oak timbers and planking ranging in length from 36-44 feet, for refurbishing the U.S.S. Constitution, aka Old Ironsides. The ship’s renovation was made possible by the contributions of pennies from school children all over the United States.

Smith became the sole owner of the sawmill at Schumm in 1952 and operated it for six years, when the sawmill was dismantled and the lumber stocks on hand sold.

Smith became employed by the Pike Lumber firm again.

Fred A. Smith, Fort Wayne News Sentinel, 3 Dec 1964, NewspaperArchive.com.

A regular Van Wert Times Bulletin column entitled Between Us featured items of interest about local people and often wished Happy Birthday to locals, especially those over 90.

This particular piece congratulated George Weinman, of Schumm, who turned 98 that day and who was the fifth oldest resident of the county. Weinman had at one time been employed at the sawmill at Schumm.

The informant for the article was lumberjack Fred A. Smith, owner/operator of the Fred A. Smith Lumber Company in Schumm. (Van Wert Times Bulletin, 18 Sep 1957; NewspaperArchive.com.)

In the article, Smith talked about George Weinman, “I visit with him at his home on the way back to my sawmill quite frequently. You will recall that he operates a small store and filling station at the corner in Schumm.

“I find him reading and always ready to talk about the history of this area. Believe me, he has experienced a great deal. He was born in Alsace-Lorraine, coming to Loudonville, Ohio, in 1872. He then moved with his parents to a farm near Chattanooga in Mercer County, where he lived until coming to Schumm in 1916. Here he served as postmaster from 1916 to 1928. In 1931 he returned as postmaster, serving until 1940.

“Mr. Weinman recalls very vividly the Franco-German war in 1870. He lived about 22 miles from Strasburg and I have heard him tell of going to a very high hill and watching the lights from the gunfire of that battle. I would say that George is 98 years young.”

John “George” Weinman died nine months later, on 22 June 1958.

His son Carl Weinman (1888-1971)  also worked at the Schumm sawmill.

Carl Weinman, son of George Weinman, Schumm sawmill. Photo courtesy of Tom Reichard, Carl’s grandson.

John “George” Weinman died nine months later, on 22 June 1958. His son Carl Weinman (1888-1971)  also worked at the Schumm sawmill.

The Schumm sawmill ceased operation in 1958.

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.