Peter & Louisa (Fisher) Strabel, Zion Lutheran Cemetery, Chattanooga, Mercer County, Ohio. (2011 photo by Karen)
This is the tombstone of Peter and Louisa W. (Fisher) Strabel, located in row 10 of Zion Lutheran Cemetery, Chattanooga, Mercer County, Ohio. The marker is inscribed:
STRABEL
Peter 1869-1957
Louisa W. 1870-1953
Johann “Peter” Strabel was born in Liberty Township, Mercer County, Ohio, on 31 December 1869, according to his baptismal record, and on 28 December 1869, according to his conformation record, both records at Zion Chatt. He was the son of John Peter (1818-1889) and Dorthea “Dora” (Herbolzheimer) (1826-1913) Strabel, both German immigrants. Peter was baptized 28 January 1870, with Ferdinand Hoffmann and his wife serving as his sponsors. He was confirmed at Zion Chatt on 6 April 1884 by Rev. C. Adam.
Early on, Zion Chatt’s records spell the name Stroebel, Strobel, and Strebel, and by 1907 the name was spelled Strabel.
Peter Strabel, the younger, was enumerated with his parents and siblings in Liberty Township in 1870 and 1880. Peter’s siblings in those enumerations included John, Barbara, Mary, George, Michael, Susanna, and Peter. The senior Peter Strabel was a farmer. [1] [2]
Peter Strabel married Louisa W. Fisher in Mercer County on 5 November 1896. They were married by Rev. Samuel Egger. [3]
Louisa Wilhelmina Fisher was born in Liberty Township, Mercer County on 3 February 1870, the daughter of John Christian (1839-1909) and Mary (Bollenbacher) (1848-1920) Fisher. Louisa’s father was born in Germany and her mother was born in Ohio. Louisa was baptized in infancy and was confirmed at St. Paul E & R Church by Rev. S. Egger on 6 April 1884.
Louisa was enumerated with her family in the 1870 census when she was just a few months old and in the 1880 census as well. Her siblings included Magdaline, Emma Margaret, John, twins William and Mary and two siblings who died between census enumerations. Her father was a farmer. [4] [5]
In 1900, four years after their 1896 marriage, Peter and Louisa (Fisher) Strabel had two children and resided in Liberty Township: Peter, 30; Louisa, 30; Rudolph, 2; and Leona D, 4 months. Peter’s widowed mother Dora, 74, also resided with them. Peter was a farmer. [6]
Four more children were born to Peter and Louisa during the next ten years. Victor Christian Strabel, born 3 January 1903, died 27 February 1903. The other three children lived to maturity: George Albert, born in 1904, Marcella Magdalene, born in 1907, and Opal Victoria, born in 1909. The 1910 census indicates that Peter and Louisa had 5 living children and two who had passed away. [7] They attended Zion Chatt and their children were all baptized there, but Zion Chatt’s records do not show the birth or death of another child during that time period.
Another son, Carl William “Charles” Strabel, was born to the couple in 1916.
The Peter Strabel family in 1920: Peter, 50; Louisa, 49, Rudolph, 22; Albert, 15; Marcella, 13; Opal, 10; and Charles, 3. [8]
In 1940 and 1950 son Charles Strabel lived with his aging parents in Liberty Township.
Louisa (Fisher) Strabel died from complications of a stroke at her home on 26 June 1953, aged 83. She was buried on the 28th.
Mrs. Peter Strabel
Celina-Mrs. Louisa Strabel, 83, wife of Peter Strabel, died at 2:30 a.m. Friday at her home in Liberty-tp following a long illness. She was a native of Liberty-tp.
Surviving, besides her husband, Peter, are three sons, Rudolph and Charles, both of Route 1, Celina, and Albert, Akron; three daughters, Mrs. Victor Schaadt, Akron; Mrs. Hugo Bollenbacher, Ft. Recovery, and Mrs. Forst Farlo [sic], Route 5, Celina; two sisters, Mrs. John Koch, Chattanooga, and Mrs. William Weitz, Celina; a brother, William Fisher, of Chattanooga; 10 grandchildren and nine great-grandchildren.
The body will remain in the Vale funeral home until 2 p.m. Saturday after which friends may call at the residence. Services will be at 2:30 p.m. Sunday in the Zion Lutheran church. The Rev. Waldo Byers will officiate and burial will be in the church cemetery. [9]
Peter Strabel died from a cerebral hemorrhage at home on 5 May 1957, aged 81 years. He was buried on the 8th. He was survived by his children JR, Albert, Charles, Mrs. Hugo Bollenbacher, Mrs. Forest Forlow, and Mrs. Victor Schaadt; 10 grandchildren and 10 great-grandchildren. He was preceded in death by grandson Joseph Bollenbacher.
Peter and Louisa (Fisher) Strabel had the following children:
John Rudolph (1897-1984), married Henrietta Warrick
Leona Dorothea Strabel (1900-1994), married Hugo Charles Bollenbacher
Victor Christian Strabel (1903-1903)
Albert George Strabel (1905-1975), married Minnie Frances Kafka
Marcella Magdalene Strabel (1907-1962), married Forest Owen Forlow
Opal Victoria Strabel (1909-2007), married Victor “Joe” Wilhelm Schaadt
Carl “Charles” William Strabel (1916-2005), married Enid (Caffee) Westerberg
[1] 1870 U.S. Census, Ohio, Mercer, Liberty Township, p.150A, dwelling 131, family 117, Peter Strabel; Ancestry.com.
[2] 1880 U.S. Census, Ohio, Mercer, Liberty, ED 188, p.472C, dwelling, 20, family 21, Peter Strable [sic]; Ancestry.com.
[3] U.S. County Marriage Records, 1774-1993, Ohio, Mercer, Vol. 1887-1904, p.210, Peter Strabel & Louisa Fisher, 5 Nov 1896; Ancestry.com.
[4] 1870 U.S. Census, Ohio, Mercer, Liberty, p.148B, dwelling 103, family 95, John C Fisher; Ancestry.com.
[5] 1880 U.S. Census, Ohio, Mercer, Liberty, ED 188, p.474C, dwelling 153, family 156, John C. Fisher; Ancestry.com.
[6] 1900 U.S. Census, Ohio, Mercer, Liberty, ED 85, p.12, dwelling 194, family 229, p., Peter Strabel; Ancestry.com.
[7] 1910 U.S. Census, Ohio, Mercer, Liberty, ED 119, p.11A, dwelling 195, family 200, Peter Strabery [sic]; Ancestry.com.
[8] 1920 U.S. Census, Ohio, Mercer, Liberty, ED 140, p.9B, dwelling 178, family 192, Peter Strabel; Ancestry.com.
[9] Louisa Wilhelmina Fisher Strabel memorial, no. 39883997, FindaGrave.com.
