Apr 15

Tombstone Tuesday-Jacob J. & Caroline (Bollenbacher) Baker

Jacob J & Caroline (Bollenbacher) Baker, St. Paul UCC Cemetery, Liberty Township, Mercer County, Ohio (2018 photo by Karen)

This is the tombstone of Jacob J. and Caroline (Bollenbacher) Baker, located in row 1 of St. Paul UCC Cemetery, Liberty Township, Mercer County, Ohio. The marker is inscribed:

BAKER
Caroline
1842-1914
Jacob J.
1840-1889

“Jacob” John Baker was born in Shelby County, Ohio, on 17 April 1840, the third child born to Johann Becker (1808-1888) and Barbara Catharina (Wiedmann) (1812-1894). Jacob’s parents were both born in Germany. The names Baker and Becker were often used interchangeably in older records and some branches of the family changed the spelling from Becker to Baker.

Jacob’s father Johann Becker immigrated to America in 1833 and married Barbara Catharina Wiedmann in Bethlehem, Northampton County, Pennsylvania, in 1836, according to church records. Their two oldest children were born in Pennsylvania before the family moved to near Piqua in Shelby County, where their other children were born. They had at least seven children, six living to adulthood. The family moved to Mercer County, Ohio, in October 1853.

In 1860 Johann and Barbara Becker resided in Black Creek Township with their six children, including their son Jacob: John, 50; Barbara, 48; John P, 21; Jacob, 19; Louisa, 16; Catharine, 15; William, 11; and Henry, 9. [1]

Their son, today’s subject, Jacob Baker married Caroline Bullenbaugh in Mercer County, Ohio, on 18 June 1863. [2] That was the spelling of both their surnames on their marriage license. Bullenbaugh is another name that changed over the years and morphed into Bollenbacher.

Caroline was the daughter of John George Bollenbacher (1800-1889) and Maria Elisabeth “Henrietta” (Alt) (1805-1900), both German immigrants.

Caroline Bollenbacher was born in Bavaria on 1 June 1842 and came to America with her parents, arriving in New York on 7 May 1852. The family, as listed on the passenger list: George 48; Henrietta, 47; Catharine, 19; Jacob, 14; Adam, 9; Caroline, 7; and Carl, 5. [3]

By 1860 the George Bollenbacher family was settled in Liberty Township, Mercer County, Ohio, and had a Skeels Post Office: George Bollenbacher, 60; Henrietta, 55; Jacob, 22; Adam, 20; Caroline, 18; and Charles, 14. [4]

Their daughter Caroline married Jacob Baker three years later, in 1863. They resided with their children in Liberty Township in 1870: Jacob Baker, 29; Caroline, 28; Charles, 6; Anna, 4; Lewis, 3; and Caroline, 10 months. Jacob’s occupation was farmer. [5]

By 1880, Jacob, 39, and Caroline Baker had eight children, ranging from age 2 to 16 years: Charles, Anna, Louis, Caroline, Mary, Lydia, Jacob, and Henry. Jacob’s occupation was farming. [6]

Jacob Baker had a large farm about a mile east of Chatt on Tama Road. By 1876, Jacob was also the proprietor of a sawmill in Chatt, [7] in partnership with Adam Bollenbacher and William Gehm. Jacob accidentally lost his life at the sawmill on 6 June 1889, when he stopped the big circular saw to make a repair or to change a part. Someone inadvertently threw the belt, starting up the saw again, and Baker’s body was cut in two by the saw. He was only 49 years old. [8]

Baker’s body was reportedly the first in the community to be embalmed by Chattanooga’s undertaker John Allmandinger, and he was reportedly the first to be taken to the church and cemetery in the new black, horse-drawn hearse. [9]

Jacob J Baker, St. Paul UCC Cemetery, Liberty Township, Mercer County, Ohio (2018 photo by Karen)

The accuracy of the accident’s location varied in some newspaper accounts:

Jacob Baker, a wealthy farmer from Chattanooga, Mercer County, fell on a sbear [sic] [saber?] and was instantly killed. —Xenia Democrat News, Xenia, Greene, Ohio, 15 Jun 1889; MyHeritage.com.

Jacob Baker, of Mercer County, while standing near a large circular saw watching a man run the trucks toward him, on Thursday of last week, fell against the saw and was killed. –The Sidney Journal, Sidney, Shelby, Ohio, 14 Jun 1889; MyHeritage.com.

Jacob Baker of New Haven, O. [sic], was cut in two by a circular saw. –The Miamisburg Bulletin, Montgomery, Ohio, 21 Jun 1889; MyHeritage.com.

Jacob Baker, near New Bremen, O., fell against a circular saw and was cut in two.—The Evening Bulletin, Maysville, Mason, Kentucky, 15 Jun 1889; MyHeritage.com.

Jacob’s tragic death left his widow Caroline with nine children under the age of 20, the youngest under 3 years of age, and three older children, a total of twelve children.

In 1900, widow Caroline Baker resided with six of her children: Caroline Baker, 38; Jacob, 24, son; Henry, 22, son; Dewalt, 20, son; Hulda, 17, daughter; Fredona, 16, daughter; and Amelia, 13, daughter. She reported that all twelve of her children were living. [10]

In 1910 widow Caroline Baker lived with her daughter Lydia (Baker) Rothhaar and her family: George Rothhaar, 43; Lydia Rothhaar, 37; Raymond Rothhaar, 15; Clifford Rothhaar, 11; Ralph Rothhaar, 7; and Caroline Baker, 67, mother-in-law. Caroline reported that all twelve of her children were living. [11]

Caroline (Bollenbacher) Baker died at the home of her daughter Mary Stuckey, near Chatt, on 21 January 1914.

Mrs. Caroline Baker, a pioneer woman of the county, aged 71, died suddenly Wednesday evening at the home of her daughter, Mrs. Fred Stuckey, near Chattanooga. Death resulted from heart trouble, though she had been in ill health since early fall.

The deceased is survived by seven daughters—Mesdames Wm. Rothaar, of Dayton; Geo. Rothaar, near Chattanooga; Wm. Garmen, of Van Wert; Albert Garmen, of Chattanooga; Caroline Stuckey, of Berne, Ind.; Mike Linn and Fred Stuckey, near Chattanooga-and four sons, Jacob, Lewis, Henry, and DeWalt.

Funeral services will be held tomorrow (Saturday) morning at 10 o’clock at St. Paul’s Evangelical Church, with Rev. Samuel Egger in charge. [12]

Caroline (Bollenbacher) Baker, St. Paul UCC Cemetery, Liberty Township, Mercer County, Ohio (2018 photo by Karen)

Jacob and Caroline (Bollenbacher) Baker had the following children:
Charles William Baker (1864-1950), married Catharine Bauer
Anna H. Baker (1865-1940), married William H. Rothhaar
Lewis G. Baker (1867-1957), married Mary Koch
Caroline Christine Baker (1869-1953), married Christian E. Stucky
Mary Baker (1871-1963), married Fred Stuckey
Lydia P. Baker (1873-1941), married George F. Rothhaar
Jacob Adam Baker (1875-1960), married Kathryn Linn
Henry Christian Baker (1877-1956), married Margaret Koch
Theobald A. Baker [aka Dewalt] (1880-1961), married Clara M. Anselman  Dewalt????
Hulda L. Baker (1882-1976), married Albert Oscar Germann
Fredona Dorthea Baker (1884-1964), married William Frederick Germann
Amelia Magdalena Baker (1886-1976), married Michael Linn

[1] 1860 U.S. Census, Black Creek, Mercer, Ohio, p.88, dwelling 623, family 628, John Bachar [sic]; Ancestry.com.

[2] Ohio, U.S., County Marriage Records, 1774-1993, Mercer Marriages 1861-1887, p.45, John Jacob Baker & Caroline Bullenbaugh, 18 Jun 1863; Ancestry.com.

[3] New York, U.S., Arriving Passenger and Crew Lists, 1820-1957, George Bollenbacher, 7 May 1852; Ancestry.com.

[4] 1860 U.S. Census, Liberty, Mercer, Ohio, p. 359, dwelling 1015, family 1020, Geo Bulenbaught [sic]; Ancestry.com.

[5] 1870 U.S. Census, Liberty, Mercer, Ohio, p.150A, dwelling 128, family 115, Jacob Baker; Ancestry.com.

[6] 1880 U.S. Census, Liberty, Mercer, Ohio, ED 188, p.472D, dwelling 30, family 31, Jacob Baker; Ancestry.com.

[7] Mercer County, Ohio, Combined 1888 and 1900 Atlases and 1876 Map of Mercer County, Ohio, 1999, Mercer County Chapter OGS, p. 11 & 17.

[8] History of Mercer County, Ohio and Representative Citizens, Scranton, 1907, p. 407.

[9] “Ohio’s Chattanooga: An Oil Town Of Yesterday,” The Daily Standard, Celina, Ohio, 28 Apr 1977.

[10] 1900 U.S. Census, Liberty, Mercer, Ohio, ED 85, p. 12, dwelling 220, family 226, Caroline Baker; Ancestry.com.  

[11] 1910 U.S. Census, Liberty, Mercer, Ohio, ED 119; dwelling 338, family 298, George Rothharr [sic]; Ancestry.com.  

[12] Caroline Bollenbacher Baker obituary, Find a Grave,com, Memorial no. 22502740, St. Paul UCC Cemetery.

Apr 11

Say Cheeeese

When you look at old photos, do you ever wonder why no one smiled. Everyone looked so serious. Yes, times were hard back then, but having a photo taken by a professional photographer was probably a big event to most people. People would dress in their Sunday best, but no one smiled. Not even the children.

I always thought it was probably because people had bad teeth and didn’t want to smile. There is likely some truth to that and that could be part of the reason.  

But after doing some reading, that is probably not the main reason people did not smile for the camera years ago.

 

Decades before photography, portraits and pictures were hand painted and the individuals in those paintings rarely smiled either. Having a portrait painted was a serious event that required a serious expression.

People with broad smiles were often portrayed by artists as fools, drunkards, buffoons, imps, or even as mad or lewd. Smiling could look silly, or worse, so it became the custom not to smile. The Mona Lisa barely had a grin.

That idea was carried over when photography was developed.  Mark Twain said, “A photograph is a most important document, and there is nothing more damning to go down to posterity than a silly, foolish smile caught and fixed forever.”

No one would want that.

Since people were used to seeing a serious face in painted portraits, not smiling for photographs was normal, too. Plus, they did not want to be considered as having any of those undesirable traits.

It wasn’t until the 1920s-1930s that people started to smile when having their photograph taken. Eventually smiling became the norm.

Here are some non-smiling, serious-looking individuals from my family photo collection.

Front: William Reid, Gertrude (Brewster) Miller, Mary Ann (Cotterell) Headington. Back: Pearl (Reid) Brewster, Elvira (Headington) Reid. c1898

Maggie (Rueck) Kallenberger (1875-1962) & Maria Regina Miller (1884-1905)

Front: Clara (1866-1942, m. Joe Gunsett) , Mollie (1883-1955, m. Theodore Hofmann), Henry (1867-1952, m. Louise Maria Schumm); Back:Hanna (1868-1958, m. Peter Scare), Lizzie (1870-1951, m. John Scaer), Sophie (1871-1927, m. Herman Gunsett), Emma (1874-1963, m. Burton Balyeat)

Jonas Huey (1836-?), B/o Hannah (Huey) Bryan, s/o Isaac & Mary (Whiteman) Huey. Photo courtesy of E James.

Schinnerer/Scaer Unknown

William “Riley” Bryan (1854-1893). S/o John & Hannah (Huey) Bryan. Photo courtesy of E James.

John & Hannah (Huey) Bryan, Emily, Peter, Mary, Hallet, Alta, William, Byantha.

Is it just me, or do the women look more stern than the men?

Emily (Bryan) Reid (1856-1940)

Sarah (Breuninger) Schumm, (1861-1921) w/o Louis J Schumm, d/o Louis Breuninger

Maria Barbara (Pflueger) Schumm (1820-1908)

My great-grandparents did not even smile for their wedding photo. A handshake instead of a kiss.

John Scaer & Elizabeth Schinnerer (15 April 1894)

Even children looked serious.

Byantha (Bryan) Saxman children. Photo courtesy of E James.

Willie Scaer (1897-1906) & Hilda M Scaer (1895-1997) c/o John & Lizzie (Schinnerer) Scaer

Even without a smile, this is one of my best-looking ancestors:

Louis Breuninger (1819-1890). Phillips Photography, LaFayette, Indiana.

It would be many years after these photos were taken that photographers would encourage their subjects to “Say Cheeeese.”

 

Apr 04

Squad Leader Killed, 16 January 1945

I have been working to create two pages here on Karen’s Chatt for my dad’s WWII letters. I posted his letters in a series of about 30 blog posts a couple years ago, but information can be hard to find looking through 30+ posts. Putting the letters and photos in chronological order on their own permanent pages will make the information easier to find.

The two pages are under Military on the Home Page of this website. The Basic Training page of letters is pretty much finished but the page with letters sent during the war in Europe and during the Occupation is not quite complete. It is still a work in progress.

My dad arrived in England in December 1944 and was assigned to Company L, 333rd Regiment, 84th Infantry Division. The 84th was known as the Railsplitters. He entered the Battle of the Bulge in Belgium in late December 1944.

While working on this project, I again noticed a specific incident my dad noted in one of his books. A hand-written note he made on a photo.

In the book, The 84th Infantry Division in the Battle of Germany, by Lt. Theodore Draper, Viking Press, 1946, there is a photo of a snow-plowed crossroad near the town of Laroche. The photo has the caption: “The capture of this innocent-looking crossroads was probably the turning point of the entire action. It deprived the enemy of the only two first-rate roads to the east, the Laroche Road and the Houffalize Road.”

84th in Battle of Germany, Draper, 1946

On that photo my dad wrote: “Sgt. David Uherka, Lakewood, Ohio, my squad leader was killed about ¼ mile from this crossroad.” 

When I came across his notation a couple years ago, the writing was difficult to read and I was unsure of the soldier’s last name. This time I did some research and learned who my dad’s squad leader was.

His squad leader was Sgt. David Uherka, of Lakewood, Ohio. According to his military grave marker, Uherka was in the 84th Division, not in the 82nd as his newspaper obituary reported.

Sgt. David Uherka was killed 16 Jan 1945 (age 35) at Arrondissement de Verviers, Liège, Belgium. Sgt. David Uherka, Find a Grave Memorial no. 55273528.

Sgt. David F Uherka (1910-1945), Find a Grave photo.

His obituary:

Body Of Soldier To Arrive In Elyria Tomorrow
The body of Sgt. David F. Uherka will arrive in Elyria Saturday afternoon for burial in Ridge Hill Memorial Park, it was announced today.

Sgt. Uherka, a resident of Lakewood, served with the 333rd Infantry, 82nd [sic] Division, and was killed in Belgium on January 16, 1945. He was born at Prince George, Virginia, on January 10, 1910, and was 25 [sic] years old at the time of his death. He was a member of the Slovak Calvinist church of Lakewood, and was church organist there for 17 years. His father, the Rev. Frank Uherka, retired, was pastor of the church.

Sgt. Uherka’s body is scheduled to arrive in Elyria at 1:15 p.m. Saturday and to be taken to the Sudrn-Curtis Funeral home. It will be taken then to the Ridge Hill Memorial Park, where private services will be held at the grave at 4 p.m. Saturday, with the Rev. D. W. Dodris, pastor of the Lakewood United Presbyterian church, officiating.

Sgt. Uherka is survived by his father; a daughter, Donna Uherka; and three sisters, Mrs. Robert Hunter, of North Olmsted; Mrs. Lester Price, of Detroit, and Mrs. Clarence Foss, of Elyria. [1] His parents were both immigrants from Czechia.

A squad consisted of about 12 men, so my dad probably knew Sgt. Uherka very well. My dad had been in Belgium a little over 2 weeks when his Sergeant was killed. I am not sure when Sgt. Uherka entered the war, but he enlisted in Cleveland on 29 October 1943. [2]

The Battle of the Bulge, aka the Ardennes Offensive, lasted for over a month, from 16 December 1944 to 28 January 1945. By 25 January 1945, the Allies had restored their line to its previous position. The Bulge was the largest land battle ever fought by the U.S. Army and was the last major German offensive campaign in the West before the end of the war.

Losses of both Allied and German soldiers were high. Nearly 20,000 American service members were killed during the battle, accounting for about 10 percent of all American combat casualties during WWII.

In addition, January 1945 was one of the worst winters ever in Belgium. Temperatures were below zero, the snow was knee deep and the winds were blizzard-like. The winter clothing the soldiers had been issued was not adequate for the bitter cold they experienced.

That was eighty years ago. January 1945. The war in Europe would end in less than four months, on 8 May 1945.

This year marks the 80th anniversary of the end of WWII.

Thank you to these young men who bravely fought in WWII and to all U.S. Veterans.

[1] Sgt. David Francis Uherka, Obituary, Find a Grave Memorial no.55273528, Ridge Hill Memorial Park, Amherst, Lorain County, Ohio; Find a Grave.com.

[2] Electronic Army Serial Number Merged File, 1938-1946, Record Group 64, Box 10125, Reel 74, NARA; Ancestry.com.

Apr 01

Tombstone Tuesday-April Fools’ Day

April Fools! Bet you thought there wasn’t going to be a blog post today.

Often, in older cemeteries, you notice empty spaces, where a tombstone once was or was supposed to have been placed. Most often a tombstone was once there but has since broken off or deteriorated.

What a disappointment that is, almost like a bad April Fools’ joke.

There are unmarked grave plots in two of my favorite cemeteries, Zion Lutheran Schumm and Zion Lutheran Chatt. Most likely individuals are buried in these spaces, but their tombstones did not survive.

Unmarked grave sites, Zion Lutheran, Schumm.

Unmarked grave sites, Zion Lutheran, Chatt.

Although we may never know who is buried in most of these plots, there are a couple things to check that may give clues.

Look at old cemetery readings, often contained in books compiled years ago by genealogical societies or other organizations, such as the WPA or DAR. The tombstone may have been there when their cemetery reading was made years ago.

The cemetery may have a plat map, where all the grave sites are labeled.

What is the location of the unmarked plot? Is it in the children’s section? If so, the individual was probably a child.

Look at neighboring tombstones to see who is buried nearby. Family members are often buried close to each other.     

Happy April Fools’ Day!

Mar 28

The Dark Side of Chattanooga, Ohio

Even though Chattanooga, Ohio, is a little village, it has a dark side, with a few tragedies and misfortunes over the years. Some were accidents, others more nefarious.

1912 picture postcard of Chattanooga, Ohio.

Probably the most infamous incident is the murder of thirteen-year-old Mary Arabelle Secaur in 1872. Mary was raped and murdered on her way home from church on 23 June 1872. Her body was found the next day in a wooded area on Tama Road, a couple miles east of Chatt in Liberty Township. Three men, Alexander McCloud and brothers Absalom and Jacob Kimmel, were taken into custody and were held in the Mercer County Jail in Celina. On 8 July a mob broke into the jail, took the three men to a place near the location of the murder, and lynched Alexander McCloud and Absalom Kimmel. Jacob Kimmel was taken back to jail but was not indicted due to lack of evidence. To this day, there are still unanswered questions about Mary’s murder and the lynching.  

Mary Arabelle Secaur (1859-1872) is buried in Liberty Chapel Cemetery, Liberty Township.

Chattanooga, Ohio, c1890

In 1889, Chattanooga sawmill operator Jacob J. Baker suffered a tragic, untimely death. Jacob, age 49, had moved from Shelby County to the Chatt area with his family in about 1853. Jacob married Caroline Bollenbacher in 1863 and he farmed and eventually ran a sawmill in the village of Chatt. While working in the sawmill on 6 June 1889, he stopped the big saw to make a repair or to change a part. Someone inadvertently threw the belt, starting up the saw again, and Baker’s body was cut in two by the circular saw.

It was said that Baker’s body was the first in the community to be embalmed, embalmed by Chattanooga’s undertaker John Allmandinger, and reportedly the first to be taken to the church and cemetery in the new black, horse-drawn hearse. [1]

Jacob J. Baker (1840-1889) is buried in St. Paul UCC Cemetery, Liberty Township.

Chatt Bar, before 1918. Photo courtesy of Doug Roebuck.

Mrs. Margaret Emrich was found dead in a well at her home at the corner of Schaadt Road and State Route 49 on 5 March 1906. She was found by George Koch, Otto Fickert, John Becher, Adam Kuhn, and Fred Schaadt.

Chatt’s physician, Dr. Price T. Waters, did a postmortem exam that day and an inquest followed. Dr. Waters testified that Mrs. Emrich’s lungs and stomach were void of water and that she had the appearance of having died out of water. He found no signs of a struggle, cuts, or bruises. The finding was that “the deceased came to her death by lack of evidence, the cause of death I (Price T. Waters) cannot determine.”

George Felver, the JP and Coroner, conducted a hearing at the George Koch residence. A.J. Fisher, John Becher, and Adam Bollenbacher were sworn in to examine the residence of Mrs. Emrich and to search all the rooms in the house and the cellar. Their report was submitted to the Court of Inquest and indicated that they found no money, notes, jewelry, or valuables, except for ordinary household goods.

Her death was recorded as an accident, and no one was ever tried or convicted for the incident.

However, some in the community felt that her death was not an accident. It was rumored that a man owed her money and that he and his brother may have wanted her gone, so that the note would be canceled. To back up the murder theory, no money, notes, jewelry, or other forms of securities were found in Mrs. Emrich’s home. [1]

An accident or a robbery and a murder? We will probably never know.

From her obituary: Mrs. Margaret [Ulrich] Emrich [1828-1906] was found in the well at her home one mile south of Chattanooga. The deceased was the widow of Philip Emrich and had two children [Maggie & Philip], also deceased. She is survived by two grandchildren, Mrs. William Thompson, and Mrs. Fred Schott, of Chattanooga, and a sister, Mrs. Wendell, near Chatt. A daughter-in-law is in the state hospital at Toledo. The funeral was held at the home of the deceased on Tuesday and interment was in Kessler cemetery. The deceased was born December 1826 [in Germany] and was nearly 80 years of age. [2]

2008 Google Earth street view of former Wendel’s Motor Sales.

Lastly, there was a fatal shooting in Chatt in 1958, when a migrant worker, staying in migrant housing in Chatt, was shot and killed by another migrant worker. The migrant housing was located in the rear of what was the St. Mary’s Packing Company, today the gravel parking next to the fire station.

Gregoiro Prado Valdez, 34, a Mexican field worker, was accused and indicted of second degree murder and found guilty of killing Jesse Gomez, 33, in Chatt on the evening of 26 August 1958. Gomez, also a migrant tomato picker, was a native of Puerto Rico and made his home in Saginaw, Michigan.

Valdez shot Gomez twice, after quarreling over wages, killing him almost immediately. Valdez told the jury that he shot Gomez when Gomez came at him with a knife. However, witnesses did not find a knife at the murder scene.

Guadlupe Callejos, 22, Saginaw, supplied the gun and drove Valdez out of the area after the shooting. Callejos was also indicted on second degree murder charges and appeared as a witness during the Valdez trial.

About a month after the shooting, Valdez, still a fugitive with a 26-state alert, wandered drunk into a Salvation Army mission in Aurora, Illinois. He was taken into custody by the Aurora Police to sleep it off. There he told another prisoner that he was wanted for murder in Ohio. Mercer County was notified and Mercer County Sheriff Bruce Barber left for Aurora immediately to return Valdez to Celina.

Valdez said he had intended to give himself up, as he had done after knife fights in Chicago and Oklahoma City, where he served two years for manslaughter.

Valdez appeared before Common Pleas Judge Paul Dull the day after Callejos’ arraignment. The two murder arraignments were the first in Mercer County in ten years. Dean James was the Mercer County prosecutor. An interpreter was needed for the trial and nearly 40 migrant field workers were tentatively scheduled to testify.

After a four-day trial, the jury of seven men and five women brought in a guilty verdict against Valdez. Sentencing was delayed by Common Pleas Judge Paul P. Dull, pending a possible motion for a new trial. [3]

That is some of the darker side of Chatt’s history.

[1] “Ohio’s Chattanooga: An Oil Town Of Yesterday,” The Daily Standard, Celina, Ohio, 28 Apr 1977.

[2] Margaret (Ulrich) Emrich, Kessler/Liberty Cemetery, Mercer County, Ohio, Find a Grave.com, Memorial no. 29280210.

[3] “Murder Suspect Held for Mercer Officials,” The Lima News, Lima, Ohio, 3 Oct 1958. And “Conference Room Need Cited at Mercer Jail,” The Lima News, Lima, Ohio, 6 Nov 1958. And “Valdez Convicted in August Slaying in Chattanooga Camp,” Van Wert Times-Bulletin, Van Wert, Ohio, 19 Dec 1958; NewspaperArchive.com.