Dec 18

The Christmas Story, in Latin

During my first two years of high school at Parkway I took Latin as my foreign language. Parkway offered only Latin and Spanish as their foreign language choices and I thought Latin would be more beneficial for my field of study at college later. All in all, I was a pretty good student but I admit that Latin was not my best (or favorite) subject.

Mrs. Martha Rhoades taught Latin and English at Parkway back then and she was a top-notch instructor. She really knew her stuff and could speak Latin quite fluently. I am certain she could have communicated very well with any ancient Roman citizen she might have encountered. That, despite the claim that the Latin we learned was not a spoken language.

First year Latin went a lot better for me than the second year. I still got As and Bs but my grasp of the Latin language did not seem to expand as we progressed through that second year. I felt as though I really did not deserve the As and Bs I received during that second year. Thank goodness Parkway only offered two years of Latin because I don’t think I could have made it through even one more year.

I mention all this because the other day I ran across an old scrapbook that I made for Mrs. Rhoades’ Latin class. It was a Christmas assignment for one of my two years of Latin, but I can’t remember which year.

Cover, The Christmas Story, in Latin, by Karen Miller, c1967.

Our assignment was to write the Christmas story in Latin. This was to be my version, complete with translation. As you read my story you may notice that it sounds rather simplistic, written in short sentences. There was a reason for that. I had to compose the story while making sure I could create correct sentences in Latin to match my English sentences. Plus I had to choose the correct Latin words with the correct gender and verb tense. Long, detailed sentences would have been impossible for me to rewrite into Latin. Trust me, the project was a lot more difficult than it looks. 

I was graded on this assignment and although Mrs. Rhoades made a few Latin spelling corrections with her dreaded red pen, I did get an A. What a boost to my overall class grade!

Mrs. Rhoades made one comment on the whole assignment: Beautiful cover.

English translation of my Christmas Story in Latin. Note the “A” grade.

I showed the scrapbook to Joe the other day and he, too, was most impressed by the Christmas cards I used to go along with the story. Thanks, Joe. That’s a very nice compliment but finding the suitable Christmas cards was probably the easiest part of the whole assignment. For sure it was the most fun part of the assignment. Both comments made by Mrs. Rhoades and Joe seem to indicate that perhaps I should have focused my energy on art instead of an ancient foreign language.

So here it is, my version of the Christmas Story in Latin, handwritten by me in about 1967:

The Christmas Story

Once Caesar Augustus was ruler of the Roman Empire. He put a tax upon the world.

Everyone’s name was recorded. Mary and Joseph went to Bethlehem, the town of their ancestors.

They stayed in a stable because there were no rooms at the inn.

Christ was born there. Mary wrapped Him in swaddling clothes and laid Him in a manger.

Meanwhile, shepherds were guarding their sheep.

An angel appeared in the sky. The angel told them about the birth of Christ in Bethlehem. Suddenly many angels appeared and sang praises to God. Then the shepherds went to Bethlehem and found Christ.

Secretly Herod, an evil king, sent three wise men to Bethlehem to find Christ. The wise men, on camels, followed a bright star in the East.

The star led them to the stable. Here they found Christ and worshiped Him.

They gave Him gifts, gold and frankincense and myrrh. Then the wise men returned home another way and did not tell Herod about Christ.

The End

I never grow tired of hearing the Christmas Story, no matter how simply it is written or what language it is written in.

I don’t remember much Latin, mainly just a few verb conjugations. What an odd thing to remember. I also recognize many of today’s words that are derived from Latin words. That’s about all I recall from my two years of intensive Latin study. 

Merry Christmas!

 

Dec 15

Tombstone Tuesday-Barbara Schumm

Barbara Schumm, Zion Lutheran Cemetery, Van Wert County, Ohio. (2012 photo by Karen)

This is the tombstone of Barbara Schumm, located in row 4 of Zion Lutheran Cemetery, Schumm, Van Wert County, Ohio. The marker is inscribed:

Barbara Schumm
Aug. 22, 1858
June 28, 1951

Maria “Barbara” Margaretha Schumm was born 22 August 1858, the tenth child born to Friedrich and Magdalena (Meyer) Schumm.  Barbara was baptized at home on 26 August 1858 with Mrs. Barbara Schumm, Mrs. Buchner, and Mrs. Schinnerer as her sponsors. Both of her parents were German immigrants.

The Friedrich Schumm family in 1860, when Barbara was 2 years old: Friedrich Schumm, 46; Magdalena, 41; Catherine, 14; William, 20; John, 18; Friedrich, 16; Jacob, 13; Hannah, 11; Mary, 9; Lewis, 7; George, 4; and Barbara, 2. The father Friedrich was a farmer and all the children were born in Ohio. [1]

The Friedrich Schumm family in 1870: Friedrich, 56; Magdalena, 50; William, 30; Friedrich, 25; Mary, 19; Lewis, 16; George, 14; Barbara, 12; Henry, 9; and Ferdinand, 6. [2]

The Friedrich Schumm family in 1880: Friedrich, 66; Magdalena, 59; Barbara, 21; Henry, 18; and Ferdinand, 16. [3]

Barbara Schumm’s mother Magdalena died in 1897 and Barbara lived with her widowed father in 1900: Friedrich, 86; Barbara, 41; and Mary, 19, granddaughter.  No occupation is given for Barbara or Mary and her father Friedrich is shown as landlord. [4] I am not sure who Mary was.

Barbara’s father Friedrich died in 1902 and by 1910 Barbara had moved to Fort Wayne, Indiana.

In 1910 Barbara lived in her own home at 1326 Wall Street in Fort Wayne. She was single and worked as a dressmaker. [5]

In 1920 Barbara lived in a home she owned on Sweeney Avenue in Fort Wayne: Barbara, 61; and Paula Koch, niece, 19, single. Paula was actually Barbara’s grand-niece, the daughter of William and Emelia (Schumm) Koch. Barbara worked as a seamstress and Paula worked for an electric manufacturing factory. Barbara rented a room to a married couple, Carl Seemeyer, 39, Ohio, and Flora Seemeyer, 33, Indiana. Carl was a commercial traveler and worked for a biscuit company. [6]

Ten years later, in 1930, Barbara, age 72 resided at the same address on Sweeney Avenue. She rented rooms to Edwin H Hasek, 27, Michigan; and Denver C Clark, 20, Indiana, both bookkeepers at a bank. Barbara was not employed and was likely retired by this time. [7]

In 1940 Barbara, 81, remained in her home at 1328 Sweeney. Living with her was her niece Anna Roehm, 33, single, born in Ohio. Anna was a footer in a hosiery factory and Barbara was not employed. [8] Anna was actually Barbara’s grand-niece and first cousin twice removed, the daughter of Friedrich & Henrietta Amalia Schumm.

Sometime within the next eleven years Barbara Schumm moved back to Schumm, where she died of pneumonia and old age on 28 June 1951. She was 92 years, 10 months, and 6 days old and was buried on 2 July. Her death certificate indicates that she was retired and that she never married.

[1] 1860 U.S. Census, Willshire, Van Wert, Ohio, p.425, dwelling 1065, family 1059, Frederic Schanen; digital image by subscription, Ancestry.com (https://www.ancestry.com/search/collections/7667/ : viewed 13 Dec 2020).

[2] 1870 U.S. Census, Willshire, Van Wert, Ohio, p.438B, dwelling 130, family 131, Fred Schumm; digital image by subscription, Ancestry.com  (https://www.ancestry.com/search/collections/7163/ : viewed 13 Dec 2020).

[3] 1880 U.S. Census, Willshire, Van Wert, Ohio, ED 154, p. 450C, family 129, Frede Schumm; digital image by subscription, Ancestry.com (https://www.ancestry.com/search/collections/6742/ : viewed 13 Dec 2020).

[4] 1900 U.S. Census, Willshire, Van Wert, Ohio, ED 97, p.9, dwelling 181, family 195, Frederick Schumm; digital image by subscription, Ancestry.com (https://www.ancestry.com/search/collections/7602/ : viewed 13 Dec 2020).

[5] 1910 U.S. Census, Fort Wayne Ward 6, Allen, Indiana, ED 47, p.21A, dwelling 452, family 467, Barbara Schuma; digital image by subscription, Ancestry.com (https://www.ancestry.com/search/collections/7884/ : viewed 13 Dec 2020).

[6] 1920 U.S. Census, Fort Wayne Ward 6, Allen, Indiana, ED 56, p.3B, dwelling 67, family 70, Barbara Schumm; digital image by subscription, Ancestry.com (https://www.ancestry.com/search/collections/6061/ : viewed 13 Dec 2020).

[7] 1930 U.W. Census, Fort Wayne, Allen, Indiana, ED 24, p.22A, dwelling 472, family 485, Barbara M Schumm; digital image by subscription, Ancestry.com (https://www.ancestry.com/search/collections/6224/ : viewed 13 Dec 2020).

[8] 1940 U.S. Census, Fort Wayne, Allen, Indiana, ED 94-37, p.12B, house visited 278, Barbara Schumm; digital image by subscription, Ancestry.com (https://www.ancestry.com/search/collections/2442/ : viewed 13 Dec 2020).

[9] “Ohio, County Death Records, 1840-2001,” Van Wert, Ohio, Barbara Margareta Schumm, 28 Jun 1951; database with images, FamilySearch.org  (https://www.familysearch.org/ark:/61903/3:1:3QS7-99ZY-YCWB?i=1157&cc=2128172&personaUrl=%2Fark%3A%2F61903%2F1%3A1%3AF6CT-YV8 : viewed 13 Dec 2020).

 

Dec 11

Liberty Township Post Offices

Unlike Black Creek Township, which had only one post office around 1900, Liberty Township, organized in 1841, had six post offices before the turn of the century. These rural Mercer County, Ohio, post offices were often in a small general store that was located in a small village or hamlet.

The six Liberty Township post offices were located in Brehm, Chattanooga, Durbin, Hinton, Skeel’s Cross Roads, and Scudder, some places that are basically unknown today.

The Skeel’s Cross Roads Post office was the earliest post office in the township and was in operation by mid-1850, with Postmaster Sylvester Skeels.

Liberty Township, Mercer County, Ohio, 1900 map.

The Liberty Township post offices with their appointed postmasters:

Brehm, a hamlet with a post office, established by 1900. I could not find this on a map, so I am not sure where this was located. It may have been on Wabash Road, south of St. Paul Lutheran Church:
Philip Kable, 24 Jul 1890-Oct 1895
Mail sent to Hinton Dec 1897

Chattanooga, an unincorporated village, probably started around 1870:
Philip Hill, 18 Sep 1882
John Schlenker, 31 Aug 1885
William Fender, 8 Sep 1888
Jacob Deitsch, 24 Dec 1889
Henry J Cordier, 9 Jul 1891
Frederick Heffner, 15 Jan 1894
Philip Deitsch, 16 Jul 1895
Andrew Leistner, 10 Apr 1899
George R Hagerman, 30 Nov 1891
Mail sent to Rockford 3 May 1900
Charles F Wagner, 14 Sep 1904

Durbin, a crossroad village with post office, located at Erastus Durbin Road and Mud Pike:
George P. Durbin, 23 May 1892-16 Jul 1898
Albert E. Kanorr, 4 Apr 1899
Mark McDonald, 7 Jun 1901
Albert E Kanorr, 8 Feb 1902
Mail sent to Celina 23 Nov 1904, effective 14 Dec

Durbin, Liberty Township, Mercer County, Ohio, 1900 map.

Hinton, a hamlet with post office, located at Oregon and Erastus Durbin Roads:
John H. Shambaugh, 25 Apr 1890
Wm F. Hinkle, 26 May 1893
Fred Weitz, 20 Nov 1895
John H. Laudahn, 1 Dec 1896
Wm L. Hinton, 22 Mar 1900
John H. Laudahn, 7 Jun 1901
Mail sent to Celina 28 Nov 1904, effective 31 Dec

Hinton, Liberty Township, Mercer County, Ohio, 1900 map.

Scudder, a hamlet with a post office, located at Wabash and Skeels Roads:
Thomas McKee, 19 Oct 1889
Elonzo M Thomas, 11 Nov 1890-2 Oct 1895
Lemul A Thomas, 25 Jan 1896

Skeel’s Cross Roads, a hamlet with a post office by 1888 located at Route 49 and Skeels Road:
Sylvester Skeels, 11 May 1850
Amos Lee, 8 Aug 1853
William H. Skeels, 3 Dec 1868 [?]
John Meyer, 19 Sep 1870
Nicholas Feissel/Feipel, 7 Apr 1884
John Knox, 13 May 1887
John Haller, 25 Jan 1890
Mathias Schritz, 20 Feb 1892-23 Jul 1898-2 Oct 1902
Mail sent to Celina 2 My 1905, effective 31 May

Skeel’s Cross Roads & Scudder, Liberty Township, Mercer County, Ohio, 1900 map.

I don’t believe Burrville ever had a post office but it is listed in Overton’s book as a crossroads on Schaadt Road.

Sources:

Mercer County Chapter OGS, Mercer County, Ohio Combined 1888, 1900 Atlases and 1876 Map of Mercer County, Ohio, (Mt. Vernon, IN : Windmill Publication, Inc., 1999).

Julie Minot Overton, The Ohio Genealogical Society, Ohio Towns and Townships to 1900: A Location Guide, (Mansfield, Ohio : Penobscot Press, 2000).

Record of Appointment of Postmasters, 1832-1971, National Archives, Roll #100, Target 12, Vol. 15 (1843-57) p.320-21, Vol. 25A (1857-73) p.294, Vol. 38 (1873-1891), p.316, & Vol. 79 (1891-1930) p.367-368; digital image, Ancestry.com, viewed 12 Nov 2020.

Dec 08

Tombstone Tuesday-Willow Tree Symbol

I am going to change things up a bit for my Tombstone Tuesday posts and feature some tombstone art posts in between my regular Tombstone Tuesday blog posts.

I find the artwork on tombstones very interesting, especially on the older tombstones. What do those intricate carvings mean? Decades ago not everyone could read or write and people conveyed a message, belief, or sentiment on their loved one’s tombstone with beautiful carvings.

Today’s tombstone symbol is the Willow Tree.

Zion Lutheran Cemetery, Schumm, 1843 Willow Tree, tombstone of Katherine Hard.

The Willow Tree was a popular tombstone symbol used in the 1830s-1860s. In the colonial states it was one of the first symbols used after the skull and crossbones and the winged death head icons were no longer used. Here in the Midwest, where those early Colonial tombstone motifs were not used, the Willow Tree was one of the very first tombstone symbols used, usually carved on a sandstone or marble marker.

Obviously, the Weeping Willow Tree can symbolize sadness, weeping, and mourning.

But the Willow Trees may also symbolize longevity, immortality, the resurrection of the soul, and life after death. Willows grow rather quickly and are quite hardy. They can sustain damage from storms and can withstand pruning. Cuttings will take root rather easily, even after being on the ground for some time. It is sometimes difficult to rid an area of willow trees and their sprouts.

Willow Tree symbols in Zion Lutheran Cemetery, Schumm:

Zion Lutheran Cemetery, Schumm, 1851 Willow Tree, Margaretha Schumm tombstone.

Zion Lutheran Cemetery, Schumm, 1846 Willow Tree, Sarah Hartzog tombstone.

This tombstone from Fountain Chapel Cemetery, Mercer County:

Fountain Chapel Cemetery, Mercer County, Ohio, 1844 Willow Tree, Solomon Hough tombstone.

A Willow Tree from St. Jacob Cemetery, Botkins, Ohio:

St. Jacob Cemetery, Botkins, Ohio, c1862 Willow Tree, George [?] tombstone.

Willow Tree from Evangelical Protestant Cemetery, Van Wert County:

Evangelical Protestant Cemetery, Van Wert County, c1859 Willow Tree, Phillip Jacob Wendel tombstone.

I hope you enjoy viewing this tombstone art. As you can see, there are many variations of the willow tree symbol.

Dec 04

Black Creek Township’s Lone Post Office

A few weeks ago I wrote about the Chattanooga, Ohio, Post Office and included a list of the postmasters appointed to serve there around the turn of the century.  

There were several other post offices in the area and not all were located in a town or village. Some were located out in the country, in a general store. There may have been a couple other buildings or a house or two near the general store. These little general stores were more prevalent years ago and those with post offices had names that have been long forgotten. Some of these old store structures still stand at country intersections.

It is interesting to learn where these area post offices were and who their postmasters were. The next few weeks I will mention some of them.

I will begin with my home township, Black Creek Township. Black Creek Township is interesting because there are no towns or villages in the township.

But Black Creek Township did have a post office around the turn of the century, Pond Post Office.

Pond Post Office, Black Creek Township, Mercer County, Ohio, 1900 Atlas. [1]

Pond Office was located in the center of the township. It is shown on the 1900 Black Creek plat map. The post office was located at the intersection of Wabash and Manley Roads.

A store was on the southwest corner, a township school was on the northeast corner, and the township house was on the southeast corner. In my younger days, when I lived at home, before I was married, I voted at that township house.  

Pond is described as a “post office and crossroads hamlet at the center of the township.” [2] So Pond was a crossroads hamlet. What an interesting description.

Pond Post Office had two postmasters from 1896-1900. Jefferson Pond was appointed postmaster 1 April 1896. John H. Wiley was appointed postmaster 18 May 1898.

Wiley served until mid-1900, when the mail was sent to Rockford 31 May 1900, effective 15 June 1900. [3]

Finding a Pond postmark would really be something!

Black Creek Township, Mercer County, Ohio, 1900 Atlas. [1]

[1] Mercer County Chapter OGS, Mercer County, Ohio Combined 1888, 1900 Atlases and 1876 Map of Mercer County, Ohio, (Mt. Vernon, IN : Windmill Publication, Inc., 1999), p.7, 1900 Atlas.

[2] Julie Minot Overton, The Ohio Genealogical Society, Ohio Towns and Townships to 1900: A Location Guide, (Mansfield, OH : Penobscot Press, 2000) p.322.

[3] Record of Appointment of Postmasters, 1832-1971, National Archives, Roll #100, Mercer County, Ohio, Vol. 79 (1891-1930), p.369-370; digital image, Ancestry.com, viewed 3 Dec 2020.