Private John E. Rowan #66
Corporal Frederick G. Root #67
Corporal Frederick G. Root
Harriet A. (Wilsdorf) and Eugene E. Root, of Ridgeville Township, Lorain County, Ohio, were the parents of Fred. He was born there on September 17, 1871, but at the time of his military enrollment, he was listed as a resident of Defiance.
He mustered into Company M, 6th Regiment O.V.I. at the age of 27, but he was discharged early on February 24, 1899.
In March of 1892, he had married Minnie Fauver, and before he left for duty, they had a daughter, Frances M. in 1895. After he returned home, a son was added to the family in 1900, Eugene Frankfort Root. By 1900, the family had returned to their original stomping grounds in Ridgeville Township.
In the Federal Census of 1900, they were in Lorain County (Ridgeville Twp) living with his parents, Harriet, 48, and Eugene, 53. His father was a boots and shoes merchant and Frederick, 28, had a job as a salesman there. Minnie, who was 24, was busy with her five-year-old daughter and her 1-month-old baby son.
By 1910, the Root family had moved into their own home in Ridgeville Township; they had been married eighteen years. Minnie had had four children, but only two survived - Frances M., now 14 and Eugene, 9. Fred worked at a telephone factory using a milling machine. They owned their home free and clear.
In 1915, Fred may have been hoping for a little extra cash, as he ventured into gambling. The Chronicle-Telegram of Elyria reported on January 15th on page 6:
"FRIENDLY GAME OF POKER WAS PLAYED AT RIDGEVILLE
Fred Root Indicted by the Grand Jury for Keeping Gambling House.
Fred Root, of Ridgeville, was indicted by the grand jury, Wednesday, on a charge of maintaining a gambling room in that village.
It is claimed that there are quite a few Elyrians who have been 'sitting in' the game at different times and a number of the players are praying that the case will not come to trial.
A large number of young men from Ridgeville were summoned to appear before the grand jury when the case was investigated."
From another article in the same newspaper:
RIDGEVILLE MAN SEVERELY FINED FOR GAMBLING
The arrest of Fred Root, hotel keeper, charged with keeping a gambling house, has caused a decided sensation in that staid little village. For some time, Prosecuting Attorney Adams has received complaints that Root was learning young boys to play poker for money, and finally he got the evidence which was presented to the grand jury. An indictment and arrest followed.
This afternoon Root came into court and plead guilty. He had nothing to say except that he did not induce boys to play and generally rented the room to someone else. Judge Redington was exceptionally severe and gave Root a lecture, winding up sentencing him to 30 days in jail and to pay the fine of $100 and costs.
A number of men in this city and Ridgeville who have been in the habit of playing in the hotel, swe(a)t several kinds of blood since the news got out that an indictment had been found. They are thanking their lucky stars that they were not indicted also."
Frederick G. Root died at the age of 46 in 1918. HIs death certificate noted that he died of cardiac dilation and general vascular collapse as the result of **acetanilid poisoning which was taken for a headache. He must have taken too much.
**Introduced in 1886, acetanilid was used for pain relief and fever reduction.
Now we have safer medications.
The Chronicle - Telegram reported on March 11, 1918, on page 1:
"MILITARY BURIAL WAS ACCORDED THE DECEDENT.
SONS OF VETERANS HONOR MEMORY OF THAT ASSOCIATION.
A military burial was accorded the remains of Fred G. Root, Ridgeville hotel proprietor, by the members of the Spanish-American war veterans' association of this city, Sunday, in that village.
The decedent was a member of that order and therefore, arrangements were made to conduct a military burial."
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Fred's wife, Minnie, did not pass on until 1943 when she died in Cleveland of heart and circulation issues. Minnie was the daughter of William and Katherine (Killpatrick) Fauver.
Her obituary appeared in the Cleveland Plain-Dealer on May 23, 1943:
"MRS. MINNIE ROOT
Mrs. Minnie Root, 68, widow of Fred G. Root, member of an early North Ridgeville family for whom Root Road was named, died yesterday at St. John's Hospital. She lived at 7532 Detroit Avenue N.W.
Two children, Mrs. Frances Morgan and Eugene Root, survive her.
Services will be held at 2 p.m. Tuesday at the Heinrich Funeral home, 7311 Detroit Ave."
She was buried with Fred in the Ridgeville Cemetery, North Ridgeville.
Dianne Kline, Researcher
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