Henry Alvin Cornish - Civil War Soldier Buried in Farmer Cemetery

Henry Alvin Cornish never married, living with his parents until their deaths.  In 1880, he was listed as the head of household for the home in Farmer Township at 43 years old.  His parents, Alvin, 76, and Matilda, 72, completed the household.  Both Henry and Alvin were listed as farmers.




Henry appeared in the 1890 Veterans Census for Farmer Township, as well.  On that he reported three enlistments, all for the same company and regiment.  He first enlisted on April 24, 1861 and served a three month term until August 19, 1861.  Subsequent enlistments were from August 19, 1861 - December 11, 1863 and from December 12, 1863 - September, 1865. (*His obituary omitted the last enlistment.)  All were in Company K of the 9th Indiana Infantry.

On the official roster of Civil War soldiers, Henry's residence at the time of enlistment was in Elkhart, Indiana.  In the first enlistment, his unit was sent by May 25 directly to Virginia where they engaged in a number of skirmishes; the most well known was at Phillipi.  They mustered out in August in Indianapolis and almost immediately reorganized in LaPorte and were sent back to Virginia.  They made it to the second day's battle of Shiloh, and then Corinth, and off they went to chase Bragg's army through Kentucky.  In 1863, they were at Chickamauga, Lookout Mountain and Missionary Ridge.  In December, 1863, they reorganized once again, this time as a veterans' unit.  They were rewarded with a furlough home in January, 1864, but by late February, they were back at it, this time going into Tennessee and eventually into the Atlanta campaign.  At the very end of their service, they were sent to Louisiana and Texas as part of Sheridan's occupation troops.  Henry Cornish saw most of the important battles of the war, marched across the U.S., and somehow managed to stay alive.  He did not report any disability on the 1890 Veterans Census.

Henry A. Cornish died on April 2, 1898.  The newspaper source of Henry Cornish's obituary is unknown and this transcription is from a very poor copy, hence some missing words:

"The people of Williams Center and vicinity were painfully startled Sunday morning, April 3, when the report became current that Henry A. Cornish had died suddenly the evening before.  He had gone down into Farmer Township, Defiance County, Saturday afternoon to visit ...    to be in his usual good spirits; but he soon began to suffer from an attack of his old trouble, heart disease, and died at 9:30 o'clock that evening.

His father and mother were Alvin Cornish and Matilda Barnes, who were born and raised in Hartford, Connecticut.  They were married and moved to Windsor, Ashtabula county in 1830, which was then 'the far West.'  Four children came to bless this home: Julia, who is married to Eli Lannin, and lives if Farmer township, Defiance county, Ohio; Henry Alvin, the subject of this memoir; Roswell Barnes, who enlisted September 16, 1861 in Company G, 41st Ohio Volunteer Infantry, and was killed in the battle of Chickamauga, September 19, 1863.

The family moved to Geauga county, where their fourth child, Laura, was born, who married Samuel DeGran and moved to Burdette, Bates county, Missouri.  The family next moved to Huron county and then to Williams county, settling somewhere east of Bryan.  The old folks finished their early course in Williams county and were buried in Farmer cemetery.

Henry Alvin Cornish was born in Windsor, Ashtabula county, Ohio, July 14, 1834.  In his young manhood, he enlisted in Company K, 9th Indiana Volunteer Infantry and served three months.  At the end of this term, he re-enlisted in the same company and regiment August 19, 1861, under Captain Dyer D. McConnell to serve three years.  He fought in many battles and was honorably discharged at Whiteside, Tennessee, December 11, 1863.

He was a member of Lew Bowker Post, No. 725, G.A.R., Farmer, Ohio.  A score of his old comrades were present at the funeral, six of whom bore his body to his last resting place.  The funeral services were conducted in the U. B. church at Williams Center, the pastor, Rev. B. F. Thomas, officiating, assisted by Rev. R. F. Beausay, pastor of the M. E. church.  A large congregation of sympathizing friends and relatives were present to perform this last rite to his memory.

The floral offerings were beautiful; among them being a bouquet of roses from Mrs. Arvilla Hover and another bouquet of carnations from little Hugh Mills, which bore a ribbon with the words, 'From Hugh to his friend.'

Thus passed from life a man loved and respected and esteemed by all who knew him.  He was not a member of the church, but he was fearless for the right and boldly outspoken against the wrong.  He was a great friend to children and every child whom he knew was his friend.  The whole community is in mourning and in sympathy, and he will be missed by many.

He was never married.  He died Saturday, April 2, 1896, having lived in time 63 years, 8 months, and 18 days, and then passed on to an eternity that we hope will be peaceful to a man who always cast his voice and influence on the side of right; that will be joyful to a heart that was always friendly, and that will be glorious to a soldier who was faithful to his country.  Peace to his ashes.  Interment in Farmer cemetery.  R.F.B."

George W. Waterman - Bishop Post, G.A.R.

The Ohio Soldiers Grave Registration for George W. Waterman listed his birthdate as 1826 in Ohio.  By 1850, George was married to Catherine Lowery and they had settled in Flatrock Township, Henry County, Ohio.  George was 23 and Catherine was 19, and they had real estate worth $1000, quite a sum for the time.  Their first child, Mary Ellen (often called "Ellie") was just 6 months old.


A marriage record in Henry County noted the marriage of George and Catherine on January 4, 1849.  In 1850, George was a farmer and with the couple lived Shepherd Eskridge, 19, a farmer.

Napoleon Township, Henry County, was the home of the Watermans in the 1860 census.  George named himself, at the age of 33, as a retired hotel keeper, with a personal worth of $1000.  He and Catharine, 30, had two children at that time: Mary E., 10, and Sarah J., 8.  William Lowry, 23, a clerk and perhaps Catharine's brother, lived with them.  Later he would sue his brother-in-law, George, over a land dispute.

At the age of 36, George W. Waterman, husband and father, enlisted into the 100th Infantry, Company B.  In fact, he was instrumental in forming this company, as described in the Ohio State Archives:

"July 10, 1862.
J. H. Tyler, Chairman, Military Committee of Henry County, Napoleo, Henry County, Ohio.  A Letter to ?.  Letter stating that in pursuance of the patriotic call of the Governor of Ohio, dated July 3, 1862, Henry D. Taylor, George W. Waterman, and George D. Forsyth (all highly respected citizens of Henry County) had decided to cooperate together for the purpose of recruiting a company to serve during the war, that to facilitate said object, they desired commissions from the proper authority (Taylor as Captain, Waterman as 1st Lieutenant, and Forsyth as 2nd Lieutenant) and that the Military Committee of Henry County recommended each of the above named as eminently well qualified for the representative positions indicated.  Attested to by S. M. Hague."
1 pg. (Series 147-38:94)

On July 11, 1862, George officially enlisted, along with enough Henry County men to create one full company, and some more who went to another company.  So Company B was all Henry County men who were mustered into service in Toledo on July 15, 1862.  From there, they traveled to Cincinnati to defend the city, and then on to Lexington in October where they trained.  

The unit moved as the enemy threatened, until in August, 1863, some were sent from Knoxville to Virginia to guard the railroad.  Two hundred and forty men were captured by the enemy on September 4 and sent to prison in Richmond, Virginia.  No evidence was found to prove that Lt. Waterman was one of those men.  

In the spring of 1864, the regiment joined General Sherman in the march to take Atlanta.  They were highly involved in many battles of this campaign, and the losses were heavy.  After Atlanta, the group marched into North Carolina after General Hood's army.  George, however, had resigned on January 8, 1863; the reason  - unknown.

 
The location of the Waterman family in 1870 could not be found, but in 1880, they lived at 184 1st Street in Toledo, Lucas County, Ohio.  George and Catherine had Nellie, 26, at home, and the youngest daughter, Myrtle, 17, along with George's sister, R. R. Scott, 48.  George was in the wholesale dry goods business, he reported  Indeed, the Defiance papers mentioned during the next few years, the Heller and Waterman Dry Goods Store. According to his obituary, George lived and was involved in the store in Defiance between 1880 and 1883, a time when he also participated in the G.A.R.  Daughter Sarah J. married William Kettenring of this city.

George Waterman was found on the 1890 Veterans Census in Toledo, Lucas County, Ohio.  He served from 1862- 1863, five months and twenty-eight days.  It seemed likely that George resigned due to a physical problem as his disability was listed as not only the commonly mentioned chronic diarrhea, but also "prolapsus ani," a prolapse of the rectal wall.  An injury such as this may have required surgical correction, if that were available at the time.

George, 71, and Catharine, 69, lived at 22239 Fulton Street in Toledo for the 1900 Federal Census.  Mary Ellen (Nellie), 50, was also at home.  One of their daughters, Sarah J., had died, leaving just Nellie and Lillian Myrtle, called Myrtle.  They owned their home free and clear and George listed himself as a retired merchant.

In 1903, George and Catharine spent the winter in Florida, but  he didn't make it home again. In June, 1904, George died at the age of 75, passing away in Florida.  Catharine followed him the next year, dying in 1905.  Both are buried at Riverside Cemetery, Defiance.

www.findagrave.com  No photo was available for George's stone.

(This is part of a series on Civil War veterans of Defiance County who were part of the G.A.R., Bishop Post, that headquartered in the city.  Formed in 1879, the post was named after a local man, Captain William Bishop, Company D, 100th Regiment, Ohio Volunteer Army who died as a result of wounds received in battle.  The veterans' photos are part of a composite photo of members that has survived.  If you have other information or corrections to add to the soldiers' stories, please add to the comments!)

W. P. A. Cemetery Survey - Emanuel Lutheran Cemetery, Washington Township

The Works Progress Administration was formed by Franklin Delano Roosevelt in reaction to the Great Depression as a means of employing Americans and stimulating the economy.  Established in 1935, one of the projects of the W.P.A. was to conduct Historical Records Surveys, one of which included finding information on cemeteries and the graves of veterans.  The W.P.A. was disbanded in 1943, but the historical information provided on these surveys continue to be of interest and are, thankfully, preserved.

In this series, some of the general surveys of Defiance County cemeteries will be shared, transcribed as written with a few punctuation and/or spelling changes for readability.  The surveys were probably done around 1936.
For more up to date information on the cemeteries, check out this chart on our website:
 http://defiancecountygenealogy.org/cemeteries.html

Emanuel Lutheran Church Cemetery

(Trinity Lutheran)

1. Name:

The Emanuel Lutheran Church Cemetery, Washington Township, sometimes called the Ginther Graveyard.

2. Location:

Located one and one half miles north of Ney, Ohio, on state route #15, on the west side of the road and on the bank of Lick Creek, back of Emanuel Lutheran Church.  Reached over route #15 going north from Ney, Ohio.

3. Caretaker:

Kept up jointly by the Washington Twp. Trustees and the Emanuel Lutheran church.  Mr. Geo. Garver , Ney, Ohio, is the caretaker.

4. Description:

Situated on a small rise of ground just back of the church building and on the bank of a creek.  It is well wooded with oak and pine trees.  It is fenced on three sides with an ornamental wire fence.  The front side next to the church is open. It is one of the modern graveyards and is very well kept. Its denomination is Lutheran.  It contains around two acres and is laid out in lots.  Much open space is still left.

5. First burial:

Sarah Goller, 1876, a six year old child of the Gollers.

6. Important people:

Geo. Ginther, 1830 - 1915, a well to do and county known farmer

John Webber, 1853 - 1916, widely known farmer

Geo. Goller, a German settler from Wittenberg who came to this county in 1855 and became one of the first citizens.  He died in 1888.

 7. Markers:

There are very few old style markers in this grave yard, almost all of them are the new type heavy granite ones.  None of them are so different and none stands out above the rest.

8. Epitaphs:

The only difference here is that a lot of the reading is in German.  On the Goller stone is written his history about coming to America and by frugal effort became a foremost citizen of the county.

9. This cemetery is still used today and is one of the most noted in Ney, Ohio, and surrounding vicinity.

Cecil Cadwallader and Chas. Gish

Authority: Arlo Fidder, Ney, Ohio, Route #1

 

Where is the Old Ayersville School Bell?

 

 Miss Jessie M. Blanchard, oldest daughter of Frank and B. Alma Blanchard of Highland Township, spent many of her years as a missionary in Africa.  In February, 1941, she was home with her family and friends for a furlough after a five and a half year stint in the Belgian Congo.

The Defiance Crescent-News reported on February 21, 1941, that she was preparing to go back to her work in Africa after a short stay in Pennsylvania and Washington D.C.  She was taking back with her a portable organ that fit into a suitcase, food, and the old Ayersville school building bell.

The school bell was to be shipped from Defiance and eventually placed at the Kasengu chapel, a chapel that stood at the top of a mountain.  It would be the first time the villagers had even seen or heard a bell!  The paper reported that "it will be the only bell for 200 miles and is expected to be heard for 20 miles because of the chapel's location.  The bell was to be placed on a special sled to take it up the mountain after its trip across the ocean with Miss Blanchard.

The Defiance Crescent-News reported on June 4, 1941:

"First word from Miss Jessie Blanchard, Highland Township missionary who was aboard the ill-fated Egyptian steamer ZAM ZAM, when the vessel was sunk by a Nazi raider in the South Atlantic, was received here today in a cablegram to her parents...

The cable came from Portugal where Miss Blanchard was safely in a hotel awaiting transportation home.  She had left Defiance in March, sailing with a group of missionaries.  


"When the ZAM ZAM was sunk, a part of the cargo was the old bell from Ayersville school which Miss Blanchard was taking with her to the mission at Kasengu, Belgian Congo."

Later news reports indicated that the ZAM ZAM was not hit by a submarine, but rather by a German warship.  The Germans confiscated all the cargo and moved it to their ship along with the passengers before the ZAM ZAM sunk.  Jessie and all her fellow missionaries were eventually sent to Portugal, while the ambulance drivers and other men with war jobs were held for about three months by the Nazis before an agreement was made to release them.  Apparently, the Nazis attacked this ship because it contained war supplies for the British.


Was the bell saved and returned for use in Africa, or perhaps kept for Nazi munitions, or does it rest at the bottom of the Atlantic?
 
Please take a moment to watch this short film about the ZAM ZAM incident.
https://vimeo.com/265170826

Christian Speiser - Bishop Post, G.A.R.

Christian (Christ, Chris, Christopher) Speiser had no record in America until the 1860 census because he did not emigrate to the U.S. until 1857.  His birth record in Germany appeared in Deutschland Geburten und Taufen 1558 - 1898, as such:

Christian Friedrich Speiser born 15 May 1835 and christened 17 May 1835 at the Evangelisch (Lutheran) Church at Horrheim, Neckarkreis, Wuerttenburg to father, Carl Friedrich Speiser and mother, Margaretha Schek.







The Wuerttemberg Emigration Index indicated that he applied to leave Germany in April, 1857.  The passenger list of the ship, Wellfleet, listed him as a passenger, arriving in New York City on 4 June 1857, at the age of 22.  He had departed from the LeHavre (France) port.  No other family of the same name was listed with him. 

In 1860, the census enumerator found Chris Speiser living in Tiffin Township with the F. and Caroline Vanbehren family and their ten children.  Caroline was also born in Wurtemberg.  Perhaps she was a relative to Christ; that is not known at this time.  Christ worked as a farmer there and had $100 in personal wealth.

At 25 years old, the new citizen joined Company K, 107th Ohio on August 15, 1862, where he served two years, nine months and twenty-five days.  At one point, he was also in Company E.  Christian was wounded at Chancellorsville with a gunshot wound to the left foot.  He also reported on the 1890 census of veterans that he suffered sunstroke and rheumatism as a result of his war experience.   He was discharged on July 10, 1865, and by December 8th of that year, had applied for his pension.

On May 31, 1866, he married Friederika Grossman in Defiance County, and they settled into a farm in Noble Township.  By 1870, they were the parents of two little daughters - Louisa, 3, and Malissa, 8 months.  They owned real estate worth $600 and had a personal wealth of $300.  Here they stayed through 1880, adding children - Ellen, Frank A., and Anna, as well as Minnie and Glen G. by 1900.  In the 1880 census, he was located as Christian Speicer, and in the 1900 census, he was found as Christopher Spicer.

Christian was 65 by the 1900 census and had no occupation listed.  Their address was given as 1028 Sixth Street, so perhaps they had moved into town by this point.  Mrs. Friederika (Reka, Rika) Speiser died on December 15, 1903.  Her obituary appeared in the Defiance Express on  Christmas Eve, 1903
 

Christ followed her in death on May 20, 1918.  According to his death certificate, he lived on Jefferson Street in Defiance, and his doctor treated him for about six months for valvatory heart disease.  He was 83 years and 5 days old.  The informant, his son, Walter, did not know the names of his grandparents, Christ's parents.  

His obituary appeared in the Defiance Crescent News on May 20, 1918: 

www.findagrave.com

 Children of Christian and Friedrika Speiser as listed on Find a Grave; dates of birth and death may be found there:

Fredrika 

Louisa C

Melissa

Ella

Frank B

Nettie Alice

Walter Albert

Glen Christopher

(This is part of a series on Civil War veterans of Defiance County who were part of the G.A.R., Bishop Post, that headquartered in the city.  Formed in 1879, the post was named after a local man, Captain William Bishop, Company D, 100th Regiment, Ohio Volunteer Army who died as a result of wounds received in battle.  The veterans' photos are part of a composite photo of members that has survived.  If you have other information or corrections to add to the soldiers' stories, please add to the comments!)

Ney High School - 1915

For many years, Lloyd V. Tuttle contributed historic photos and information to the Defiance Crescent-News for his column: "A Backward Glance."  This article was undated, but the text suggested it was 1965.  The photo was taken in 1915 to show the pupils of Ney High School.

"FIFTY years ago, the pupils of Ney High School looked like the above picture.  This photo of students at Ney High School in 1915 was furnished by Dr. Willis A. Goller, Defiance.

Shown are from left:
First row - Beatty, G. Ruder, W. Goller, R. Brown, Hammersmith, Nicely, Donze and May

Second row - Mulligan, Partee, H. Brown, L. Haase, unknown, Hammersmith, Garber, G. Haase, V. Haase

Third row - Mack, Sutton, Snyder, unknown, Ehlinger, and Kintner

Fourth row - M. Gipe, Brown, C. Ginther, Z. Maisch, C. Warner, Yarlott, Hanna, F. Walker, E. Brown, Struble

Back row - L. Ruder, W. A. Miller - superintendent, C. Bergman, G. Pollock, N. Ginther and H. Haase"

Defiance County Pioneers - Daniel Hilbert Jr.

Obituary for DANIEL HILBERT, JR.

1819 - 1909

Daniel Hilbert, son of Daniel and Catherine Hilbert,

was born in Harrison county, Ohio, Oct. 18, 1819.  He was one of ten children, five sons and five daughters.  Of the ten, only one remains, Samuel Hilbert, of Lansing, Michigan, who, though aged and feeble, attended the funeral of his brother.

On March 11, 1841, Mr. Hilbert was united in marriage to Mary Stahl, who departed this life Oct. 31, 1902.  To this union were born twelve children, five of whom died in infancy.  Three sons and four daughters survive the deceased: Andrew, Madison, and Mrs. Louisa Arbaugh, of Defiance county.  Mrs. Mary E. Mumaugh and Mrs. Belle Osmun of Lima, Ohio.  Daniel B. Hilbert of Lewiston, Idaho, and Mrs. Dora Fadely of Delto, Colorado.  All of whom were present at the death and burial of their father, except Daniel B. and Mrs. Fadely.

Besides the children, there are six grandchildren and ten great grandchildren.

In early life, he united with the Evangelical Lutheran church at Zion, Ohio, to which faith, he ever afterward adhered.  In 1854, he, with his family, removed from Harrison to Defiance county, Ohio, where he resided until he departed this life, June 11, 1909, at the age of 89 years, 7 months and 23 days.  In the death of this aged pioneer, his children lose a kind and generous father.  The worthy, needy, or distressed, a liberal benefactor.  The community, a noble citizen of unquestioned integrity.

A large concourse of people assembled at the funeral which occurred on Sunday, June 13, at 1:30 p.m. at the old homestead.  Rev. F. C. Lake of the Christian church, officiating.  Interment in the Lost Creek Cemetery."

Lost Creek Cemetery, Defiance County, Ohio

Source: Obituaries: Pioneers of Northwest Ohio, Volume 1.  Carma Rowe Estate (Johnson Memorial Library).  No date. p. 224.  

 Copies available at Defiance Public Library and Hicksville and Sherwood branch libraries.