Feb 16

Tombstone Tuesday-Hand Pointing Up Symbol

A very common tombstone symbol is a hand pointing upward, pointing toward heaven.

Zion Lutheran Cemetery, Schumm, Ohio, 1865 hand pointing up, Johan Hoffmann.

The hand pointing up symbol is carved on tombstones in just about every older cemetery and symbolizes that the soul has gone to heaven. It represents the confirmation of life after death and the reward of the righteous.  

Zion Lutheran Cemetery, Chattanooga, Ohio, 1882 hand pointing up, Margaretha (Strabel) Miller.

Greenbrier Cemetery, Van Wert County, Ohio, 1854 hand pointing up, Nathaniel B Wolfe.

Greenbrier Cemetery, Van Wert County, Ohio, 1870 hand pointing up, John J Wolfe.

Sometimes the hand is holding a book, which symbolizes the embodiment of faith.

Hileman/Smith/Hartzog/Alspaugh Cemetery, Van Wert County, Ohio, 1874 hand pointing up, Christian Hartzog.

It is interesting to note that a right hand is carved on each of these tombstones.

Feb 12

1911 Ditch Notice to Jacob Miller

The other day I ran across this interesting paper, a 1911 Ditch Notice for my great-grandfather Jacob Miller.

1911 Ditch Notice to Jacob Miller, Black Creek Twp, Mercer County, Ohio.

1911 Ditch Notice to Jacob Miller, Black Creek Twp, Mercer County, Ohio.

This Ditch Notice was sent to the property owners on the west part of Black Creek Township, Mercer County, Ohio, for the improvement of the ditch, which was obviously Duck Creek.  

The Ditch Notice involved 31 property owners and crossed 10 western Sections of the township. The ditch runs south-north through the township, all the way from Liberty Township to the Van Wert County Line.  

Duck Creek, 1900 Black Creek map.

The 1911 Ditch Notice reads:

DITCH NOTICE

To the Lot and Land Owners who will be Affected by the Improvement Herein Designated:
Office of Clerk of Black Creek Township, Mercer County, Ohio.
Rockford Ohio, June 17, 1911
In the matter of Ditch Improvement No.___ petitioned for by Jacob Baker and others.

To Jacob Miller
You and each of you are hereby notified that on the 16 day of June A.D. 1911 Jacob Baker and others, filed a petition with the Clerk of Black Creek Township, the prayer of which is for the establishment and immediate construction of a Ditch on the following starting point, route and terminus, to-wit: Commencing at a point about 70 rds West of the S.E. Corner of Sec 31. On the Twp Line between Black Creek & Liberty Twps & flows in a Northerly direction through the lands of J.G. Kuhn, Jno Leistner, Anton Koch, W.C. Baker, C.W. Baker, H.R. Baker, Henry Grauberger, Jacob Miller, J.E. Pifer, Jno Davis, G. Bailey, S. Wick, R.B. Morrison, CL. Vining, O. Stetler, Wm White, G.W. Fisher, Austin Evans, Lizzie Hartzog (Wm Harper Heirs), Otto Brandt, John Baumgartner, Boston Hoblit, John Pifer, Marie Brandt, C. Brandt, J. Dellinger, Wes. Tague, S. Brindle, D.H. Morrison, Fred Morrison. To the Van Wert & Mercer Co Line and there terminates. Also a branch known as Branch No. 1 commencing at a point about 20 rds North of the S.W. Corner of Sec 18 Black Creek Twp, thence East to where it intersects the above Ditch and begins at the Ohio & Ind State Line and running through the land of G.W. Fisher.

Township Clerk’s Office; Blackcreek Township, Mercer County, Ohio
To Jacob Miller….Survey Stations 88.38 and 102.71 in all rods; which work you will perform according to the specifications given below; and complete the same fully by the 5 day of Oct next.

They have also assessed to you $5.18 as your portion of the costs of locating and establishing said Ditch; which you will pay on or before the 5 day of Oct next.

John Andress, Township Clerk

SPECIFICATIONS
Bank Slopes One Base to 1 Vertical.
All Trees and Stumps of which more than one half stand upon the line of the Ditch; to be removed; and all trees and stumps at less than that distance upon the line of the Ditch; to be cut down perpendicularly. When the ditch occupies the line of any road; to excavated earth is to be cast thereon so as to form a good road; and all excavated earth to removed at least 10 feet from the bank slopes. All flood wood and fallen timber to be removed at least 30 feet beyond the center line of the Ditch.

Each land owner to clean his portion of said Ditch once a year.

Jacob Miller was assessed $5.18

Below is a closer look of the landowners’ farms, from the 1910 Black Creek Township Decennial Appraisement Maps, starting at the south end of the township.

Section 31:
J.G. Kuhn
Jno Leistner
Anton Koch
W.C. Baker

Section 31 Blackcreek Twp 1910

Section 30:
C.W. Baker
H.R. Baker
Henry Grauberger
Jacob Miller
J.E. Pifer

Section 30, Blackcreek Township, 1910.

Section 29:
Jno Davis

Section 29 Blackcreek Twp 1910

Section 20:
G. Bailey

Section 20, Blackcreek Township, 1910.

Section 19:
S. Wick
R.B. Morrison
C.L. Vining

Section 19, Blackcreek Township, 1910.

Section 18:
O. Stetler
Wm White
G.W. Fisher
Austin Evans

Section 18, Blackcreek Township, 1910.

Section 7:
Lizzie Hartzog (Wm Harper Heirs)
Otto Brandt
John Pifer
Marie Brandt

Section 7, Blackcreek Township, 1910.

Section 8:
John Baumgartner
Boston Hoblit

Section 8, Blackcreek Township, 1910.

Section 6:
C. Brandt

Section 6, Blackcreek Township, 1910.

Section 5:
J. Dellinger
Wes. Tague
S. Brindle
D.H. Morrison
Fred Morrison

Section 5, Blackcreek Township, 1910.

Feb 09

Tombstone Tuesday-Christoph Kreiselmeyer

Christoph Kreiselmeyer, Zion Lutheran Cemetery, Van Wert County, Ohio. (2012 photo by Karen)

This is the tombstone of Christoph Kreiselmeyer, located in row 7 of Zion Lutheran Cemetery, Schumm, Van Wert County, Ohio. The marker is inscribed:

Christoph
Kreiselmeyer
Gest. den 28 Dec
1900
Alter 79Y
3M 7T

Christoph Kreiselmeyer died 28 December 1900, age 79 years, 3 months, 7 days.

Christoph Kreiselmeyer was born 21 October 1821 in Rothenburg, Mittelfranken, Bayern, according to Zion Schumm’s records. 

Christoph Kreiselmeyer immigrated to America by 1847 and married Susanna Schwab in Crawford County, Ohio, on 7 October 1847. [1]

Christoph and Susanna set up housekeeping in Crawford County and were enumerated there in 1850, residing in Cranberry Township with their one-year-old daughter Margaret. The Christoph Kreiselmeyer family in 1850: Christoph, 27, Germany; Susanna, 19, Ohio; and Margaret, 1, Ohio. Christoph was a farmer. [2]

Christoph and Susanna Kreiselmeyer moved to Willshire Township about 1854, when Zion Schumm’s records indicate their son John was born. Christoph and Susanna appear to be the first and founding Kreiselmeyer family in the Schumm area. They lived in Section 21, Willshire Township, on the 80 acre farm immediately north and east of the farm my great-grandfather Louis Schumm owned.   

The Christoph Kreiselmeyer family in 1860: Christoph, 38; Susan, 28, Mary C, 11; David, 9; John, 6; and Hannah, 1. [3]

The Christoph Kreiselmeyer family in 1870: Christoph, 48; Susanna, 39, John, 15; Hannah, 11; Friedrich, 7; Anna, 4; and William, 11 months. [4]

The Christoph Kreiselmeyer family in 1880: Christoph, 58; Susanna, 49; Hannah M, 21; Friedrich G, 17; and Anna RC, 14. [5]

Christoph’s wife Susanna (Schwab) Kreiselmeyer died 13 June 1894 and is buried in row 5 of Zion’s cemetery.

In 1900 Anna (Kreiselmeyer) Gunsett and her family lived with her widowed father Christoph Kreiselmeyer: Christoph Kreiselmeyer, 78, head; Anna R Gunsett, 34, daughter; Henry G Gunsett, 34, son-in-law; and Ida H Gunsett, 1, granddaughter. This enumeration indicates Christoph was a farmer who was born in Germany October 1821. It does not show the year he immigrated. [6]  

1900 Christoph lived with his daughter Anna Gunsett and her family. Or perhaps Anna and her family lived with Christoph, since he is listed as head of household: Christoph, 78, head; Anna R Gunsett, 34, daughter; Henry G Gunsett, 34, son-in-law; and Ida H Gunsett, 1, granddaughter. This enumeration indicates Christoph was born in Germany October 1821, that he was widowed, and that he was a farmer. It does not show the year he immigrated. [6]  

Christoph Kreiselmeyer died of typhus on 28 December 1900 at the age of 79 years, 2 months, and 7 days. He was buried on the 30th.

Christoph Kreiselmeyer, Zion Lutheran Cemetery. (2012 photo by Karen)

Christoph and Susanna (Schwab) Kreiselmeyer had the following children:
Katharina Margaretha Maria “Mary” (1848-1918), married Johann Gottfried Brenner; m. Peter Schmidt
David (1851-1865)
John (1854-1887), married Emma Seeman
Hannah Magdalena (1859-1939), married Jacob Gunsett
George Friedrich “Fred” (1863-1923), married Margaretha Buechner
“Anna” Rosine Caroline (1866-1929), married Henry Gunsett 
“WIlliam“ Henry (1869-1959), married Laura Langenberger; m. Jessie Juanita Hall
Gottfried Daniel (1875-1875)

[1] “Ohio, County Marriages, 1789-2013,” Crawford County Marriages, Vol. 3, p.46, George Christopher Kreisenmeyer & Susanna Schwab, 7 Oct 1847; FamilySearch.org (https://www.familysearch.org/ark:/61903/3:1:939K-BJ3K-HQ?i=46&cc=1614804 : viewed 17 Sep 2018).

[2] 1850 U.S. Census, Cranberry, Crawford, Ohio, p.451B, dwelling 1699, family 1705, Christopher Kriselmire; Ancestry.com (https://www.ancestry.com/search/collections/8054/ : viewed 1 Feb 2021).

[3] 1860 U.S. Census, Willshire, Van Wert, Ohio, p.150 [penned], dwelling 1072, family 1066, Christopher Railselmeyers; Ancestry.com (https://www.ancestry.com/search/collections/7667/ : viewed 17 Sep 2018).

[4] 1870 U.S. Census, Willshire, Van Wert, Ohio, p.436A, dwelling 95, family 96, Christ Kreisshnier; Ancestry.com (https://www.ancestry.com/search/collections/7163/ : viewed 1 Feb 2021). 

[5] 1880 U.S. Census, Willshire, Van Wert, Ohio, ED 154, p.449A, family 109, C. Krieselmyer; Ancestry.com (https://www.ancestry.com/search/collections/6742/ : viewed 1 Feb 2021).

[6] 1900 U.S. Census, Willshire, Van Wert, Ohio, Ed 98, p.10, dwelling 196, family 201, Christ Kreiselmeyer; Ancestry.com (https://www.ancestry.com/search/collections/7602/ : viewed 8 Feb 2021).  

Feb 05

Grove School No.8, Black Creek Township

Today, a nice old photo of students standing outside Grove School, Black Creek Township, Mercer County, Ohio. The photo was taken about 1933 and was sent to me by a reader, Linda.

Grove School, Black Creek Twp, Mercer County, Ohio, c1933. Melville Gehm, front row, 2nd from left.

Linda can identify one person in the photo, the late Melville Gehm. Melville is the second boy on the left in the front row. She also believes there are several Gause children in the photo, one being the fourth boy from the left in the front row.

Grove School No. 8 was located in Section 33, on what is now State Route 707, a little west of the Wabash Road intersection. This school is shown on the 1876, 1888, and 1900 Mercer County maps.

On the 1888 map below the red arrow points to Grove School No. 8. The green arrow points to Wildcat School No. 9, at the corner of 49 and 707. The turquoise arrow points to what used to be the location of East Bethel Church. East Bethel Church is no longer there but the cemetery remains.

Grove School, Section 33, 1888 Black Creek Twp map.

Has anyone else seen the Grove School photo before? I would like to hear from anyone who knows about Grove School or who can identify some other students in the photo.

Feb 02

Tombstone Tuesday-Susanna (Schwab) Kreiselmeyer

Susanna (Schwab) Kreiselmeyer, Zion Lutheran Cemetery, Van Wert County, Ohio. (2012 photo by Karen)

This is the tombstone of Susanna (Schwab) Kreiselmeyer, located in row 5 of Zion Lutheran Cemetery, Schumm, Van Wert County, Ohio. The marker is inscribed:

Susanna
Ehefrau
Christoph
Kreiselmeyer
Geboren
16 Jan 1831
Gestorben
13 Juni 1894
Alter 63y 4m 28t

Susanna, wife of Christoph Kreiselmeyer, born 16 January 1831, died 13 June 1894, age 63 years, 4 months, 28 days.

Susanna Schwab was born 16 January 1831 in Auburn Township, Crawford County, Ohio, according to her death and burial record at Zion Lutheran Church, Schumm. Her father’s name was David Schwab.  

Susanna Schwab married Christoph Kreiselmeyer, a German immigrant, in Crawford County, Ohio, on 7 October 1847. Since Susanna was under 18 years of age her father David Schwab had to give his permission for her to marry. Nice, because that gives us the name of Susanna’s father. [1]

Christoph and Susanna set up housekeeping in Crawford County and were enumerated there in 1850, residing in Cranberry Township with their one-year-old daughter Margaret. Cranberry Township is adjacent to Auburn Township, where Susanna’s family and her father David lived. The Christoph Kreiselmeyer family in 1850: Christoph, 27, Germany; Susanna, 19, Ohio; and Margaret, 1, Ohio. Christoph was a farmer. [2]

Christoph and Susanna Kreiselmeyer moved to Willshire Township about 1854, when Zion Schumm’s records indicate their son John was born. Christoph and Susanna appear to be the first and founding Kreiselmeyers in the Schumm area.

The Christoph Kreiselmeyer family in 1860: Christoph, 38; Susanna, 28, Mary C, 11; David, 9; John, 6; and Hannah, 1. [3]

The Christoph Kreiselmeyer family in 1870: Christoph, 48; Susanna, 39, John, 15; Hannah, 11; Friedrich, 7; Anna, 4; and William, 11 months. [4]

The Christoph Kreiselmeyer family in 1880: Christoph, 58; Susanna, 49; Hannah M, 21; Friedrich G, 17; and Anna RC, 14. [5]

Susanna (Schwab) Kreiselmeyer died of breast cancer on 13 June 1894, at the age of 63 years, 4 months, and 28 days. She was buried on the 15th.  

Children of Christoph and Susanna (Schwab) Kreiselmeyer:
Katharina Margaretha Maria “Mary” (1848-1918), married Johann Gottfried Brenner; m. Peter Schmidt
David (1851-1865)
John (1854-1887), married Emma Seeman
“Hannah” Magdalena (1859-1939), married Jacob Gunsett
George Friedrich “Fred” (1863-1923), married Margaretha Buechner
“Anna” Rosine Caroline (1866-1929), married Henry Gunsett 
“WIlliam“ Henry (1869-1959), married Laura Langenberger; m. Jessie Juanita Hall
Gottfried Daniel (1875-1875)

Susanna (Schwab) Kreiselmeyer, Zion Lutheran Cemetery, Van Wert County, Ohio. (2012 photo by Karen)

[1] “Ohio, County Marriages, 1789-2013,” Crawford County Marriages, Vol. 3, p.46, George Christopher Kreisenmeyer & Susanna Schwab, 7 Oct 1847; FamilySearch.org (https://www.familysearch.org/ark:/61903/3:1:939K-BJ3K-HQ?i=46&cc=1614804 : viewed 17 Sep 2018).

[2] 1850 U.S. Census, Cranberry, Crawford, Ohio, p.451B, dwelling 1699, family 1705, Christopher Kriselmire; Ancestry.com (https://www.ancestry.com/search/collections/8054/ : viewed 1 Feb 2021).

[3] 1860 U.S. Census, Willshire, Van Wert, Ohio, p.150 [penned], dwelling 1072, family 1066, Christopher Railselmeyers; Ancestry.com (https://www.ancestry.com/search/collections/7667/ : viewed 17 Sep 2018).

[4] 1870 U.S. Census, Willshire, Van Wert, Ohio, p.436A, dwelling 95, family 96, Christ Kreisshnier; Ancestry.com (https://www.ancestry.com/search/collections/7163/ : viewed 1 Feb 2021).  

[5] 1880 U.S. Census, Willshire, Van Wert, Ohio, ED 154, p.449A, family 109, C. Krieselmyer; Ancestry.com (https://www.ancestry.com/search/collections/6742/ : viewed 1 Feb 2021).