#18 Charles E. Switzer
#40 Clyde Davis
#41 Irvin Hatfield
Private Charles E. Switzer
The research on Private Charles Switzer took many turns, beginning with the 1880 Federal Census where the family was found on East High Street in Defiance. Enumerated were Fillmore Charles, father and head of the family (later referred to as Phil or Fill), 25, tinner, and his wife, Charlotte (often referred to as Lottie, nee Taggart), 24, with their two children, Charles, 5, and Fanny, 5 months. Charles was born on February 17, 1875.
Charles' father ran a hardware store in Defiance, last located in the Wilhelm block at the corner of Clinton and Fourth Streets. In October, 1897, it was announced that Phil Switzer would move his tin and hardware store to Sherwood, as well as his family. This article appeared in the Defiance Express in February, 1897, when they were still living in Defiance, but now on East Second Street:
"Wednesday evening about 7:30 o'clock, Mr. Phil Switzer was out in the woodshed at his residence, sawing wood, while his wife and son Charles were seated in the sitting room of the house. Suddenly, the outside door was opened and a tall, thin man poorly attired, walked into the room without knocking. The occupants were, of course, greatly surprised, as the man was a perfect stranger to them.
Upon being asked what he wanted, he said he was looking for his sister and thought he would stay all night. Upon this, Charles Switzer, picking up the stove poker, and assuming a dramatic attitude, told the stranger to 'walk out that door as fast as he came in.'
To this the intruder responded, 'guess I will,' turned around and quietly walked out of the house and up East Second Street. Mr. and Mrs. Switzer scarcely know what to make of their unceremonious visitor, but have decided on this opinion, that he was insane or that he came with a view of seeing how the house was arranged, that he might break into the house some night.
They intend to keep a close watch, however, and hereafter, Mrs. Switzer will keep the door locked when her husband is away after dark."
Charles was 22 years old, when he frightened the strange man at the door. The next year, he enlisted into Company M, Sixth Regiment for the Spanish-American War. He was in the Division Hospital at Camp Poland from October 12 - November 8, 1898, and then had more time on a sick furlough from November 9 - December 8, 1898. But he finally rejoined his group and was mustered out with the others in 1899.
After that, the family was lost for a while - were they in MO, NY, MD - Charles Switzers were everywhere. But one line in the Defiance Democrat got the research ball rolling again.
August 21, 1906, Defiance Democrat-
"Mrs. Phil Switzer of Los Angeles is the guest at the home of relations in this city." California!
In the 1910 census, Charles' parents lived in the city of Los Angeles, Fillmore, 59, worked as a tinner in a hardware store. Charlotte, 56, was with him in a rented house, but where was Charles? Several Charles E Switzers were married and living in Ohio and were of about the same age, but it could not be ascertained if they were the correct Charles. No marriage record was found, but it is known that in a later census, he declared himself divorced.
Charles was enumerated in a house with his parents in the 1920 census st in Los Angeles. Fillmore, now 71, was still working with sheet metal in a hardware. Lottie did not work, and neither did Charles, now 37. Charlotte died on September 6, 1924, and Fillmore followed her on September 3, 1925. Charles was alone.
In 1930, he was a lodger in an apartment building at 8th Street Place in LA. At 55, he was divorced and not working anywhere. He does name himself as a veteran of the Spanish - American War.
In 1940, he was still in the same apartment complex at West 8th Street Place downtown LA. This time he called himself the head of the household and his roommate, George Luchman, his partner. Charles was 65 and not working, while George, 32, worked as a waiter at a lunch counter 56 hours a week..
By the time 1950 rolled around, or maybe even before that, Charles was admitted to the Brentwood Neuropsychiatric Hospital in LA, run by the Veterans Administration. For the census, enumerators were not allowed in the rooms of these patients with mental illness, so they based their census records on the records of the hospital. Charles was 77 at the time.
At first, it was thought he was buried in the National Cemetery in Los Angeles, but the dates did not quite match up with this Charles Switzer.
So, at this point, his burial place is unknown. No obituary was located, nor tombstone.
If you have more or different information on this soldier, please comment or email us at defiancegenealogy2002@yahoo.com
Private Clyde Davis
In Clyde's early years, he grew up in Defiance at 605 Clinton Street. In the 1900 Federal Census he lived with his father, Baxter Davis, 58, and his step-mother, Mary (Braker), age 47. This was Baxter's second marriage; his first was to Elizabeth Zellers who was the mother of Clyde. She died in 1900.
Clyde Eding Davis was born in 1879 and was 21 in this census. His siblings, Edna, 15, and Ethel, 11, were both in school. At the age of 19, Clyde enlisted in the army, Company M, 6th Regiment on May 12, 1898. He was discharged on May 24, 1899.
In the 1900 Federal Census, Clyde lived with his step-mother, Mary Davis, now 57 and a widow in Toledo. He worked as a fireman at the bottle works.
On August 22, 1916, he married Leona A. Regenold in Lucas County. It was the first marriage for both; she was 30 and he was 37. Leona, the daughter of William A. and Margaret (Lehr) Regenold, lived on Dorr Street. Clyde was then living on Georgia Street in Toledo. At some point, they must have decided that there was money to be made in the oil fields of Oklahoma.
On the 1918 Draft Registration, Clyde noted his address on Dorr Street in Toledo, but he must have been often away from home. His occupation was listed as an "oil rumper* for a Texas Pipe Line, working in Tulsa, Oklahoma. He named Leona Davis, his wife, as his nearest relative who lived in Payne, OK.
*A rumper worked on an oil rig, shorting pipe string to fit when they were removing damaged or worn sections of drill pipe or casing.
Eventually, they moved back to Toledo by 1920 where Clyde was a metal worker in an auto plant. Did they move home because Leona was ill? She died on February 12, 1920 and was buried in the Swan Creek Cemetery, Monclova, Lucas, Ohio.
On December 14, 1923, Clyde married Helen I. Ball. He gave his age as 41 and Helen was 34, the daughter of Fred Hoffman and Mary Schneider Hoffman. It was a second marriage for both Clyde and Helen. Helen was a Toledo resident, living at 1706 Chestnut Street; she was previously married and divorced from Edward Ball.
Clyde reported that he was previously married but was now a widow. They lived in Toledo on Dorr Street, and he worked in an auto plant, polishing metal.
Clyde became interested again in being a fireman and by 1930 had a job within Toledo as a stationery fireman in a paper fabrication mill. It was rather short-lived, however, as Clyde passed away on January 11, 1936 of mycarditis. He was buried in Toledo Memorial Park Cemetery, Sylvania, Ohio. His wife ordered a tombstone for him through the military.
Private Irvin Albert Hatfield
In the 1900 Federal Census, Irvin was just a fifteen year old boy, living in Farmer Township and helping his father on the farm. Born on January 23, 1885, in Bryan, Williams County, Irvin was the son of James Columbus Hatfield and his wife, Martha Elizabeth (Strusaker) Hatfield.
After he signed up in Company M, 6th Regiment O.V.I., he became ill by November, 1898, and spent until December 26, 1898, in the Division Hospital.
In his youth, Irvin was a well known southpaw pitcher on Defiance City teams. Those he played with on the Defiance Baseball Club included Marry (Harry?) Myers, Ed Franzdorf, Gus Buchholz, and Grover Huth.
Bertha Ball, daughter of Ulrich and Marie (Haubert) Ball, became Irvin's wife on April 28, 1909. Irvin resided in Ney and worked as an engineer, while Bertha was a domestic, also living in Washington Township at that time.
Most of their married life was spent in Hillsdale County, Michigan, near the towns of Cambria and Reading. The couple had two children: Marie Martha, born in 1911, and Donald Leroy, born in 1917. Irvin was listed as a farmer on all the Federal Census records from 1920 until 1940.
On October 29, 1940, Irvin died of a heart attack in Cambria Township, Michigan, where he had lived for twenty-six years. His obituary appeared in the Defiance Crescent-News on the same day:
"IRVIN HATFIELD DIES NEAR HILLSDALE, MICH.
Irvin Hatfield, 57, farmer near Hillsdale, Mich., who formerly was well known in Defiance, died today of a heart attack. He recently visited here in the home of his brother-in-law, Fred B. Steffel.
Mr. Hatfield at various times was employed at the Defiance Machine Works, the Defiance Milling Company, and as a glove cutter at the Boss Mfg. Co.
He was a left hand pitcher for several of the old city baseball teams. He left here about 24 years ago.
Surviving are his wife, the former Bertha Ball of Tiffin township; a daughter, Marie, living in Hillsdale; and a son, Donald, at home. Funeral will be at 2 p.m. Thursday in Hillsdale."
LAn additional obituary which appeared in the Bryan Press noted that he was the second son of his parents. Irvin was born in Pulaski township, and "when
a lad, the family moved to Washington township where he was a student of The Old Man's School* in school No. 2, winter of 1894-95."
*At one time School #2, corner of Scott and Bend Roads, was known at the Rider/ Ryder School. The name Old Man's School was unknown.
Bertha remained in Hillsdale County, never remarried and lived until the advanced age of 89. Her obituary appeared in the Hillsdale Daily News on February 10, 1975:
"MRS. HATFIELD DIES AT 89
Mrs. Bertha L. Hatfield, 89, of 125 Barr St., Hillsdale, died at her home Sunday evening. She was born in Ney, Ohio, Sept. 29,1885, the daughter of Ulrich and Mary Haurbert Ball. She was a member of the Cambria Thursday Club and the Bridge Club.
Her husband, Irvin, died in 1940. Survivors include one daughter, Mrs. Marie Caulkins of Hillsdale; one son, Don L. of Rte. 3, Hillsdale; three sisters, Mrs. Jo Surtman of Toledo, Mrs. Ann Steffel of Defiance, and Mrs. Al Miller of Toledo; one grandchild and six great-grandchildren.
The funeral will be Wednesday afternoon at 1 in the Ned M. Towns Funeral Home. Hillsdale. The Rev. James Burns will officiate, and burial will be in the Lakeview Cemetery, Hillsdale..."
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| Lakeview Cemetery, Hillsdale, Michigan |
Dianne Kline, Researcher
Related Obituaries:
Bertha's mother, Mrs. Mary Ball. The Crescent-News, April 1, 1929, page 1.
"MOTHER OF 14, CHILDREN DIES
Rites for Mrs. Ball, 82, mother of 14 children and widow of Ulrich Ball, a former Defiance county commissioner, died at 2 a.m. today at her home, 766 Harrison Avenue, one half hour after she was stricken with a heart attack. She had attended Easter services at St. John Catholic church iwth Father George H. Lang officiating. Burial will be in Riverside Cemetery.
The funeral will be held Thursday at 9 a.m. at St. John Catholic church with Rev. Father George H. Lang officiating. Burial will be made in Riverside Cemetery. Mrs. Ball died on March 25, 1923.
Mrs. Ball was born in Brooklyn, N.Y. on June 4, 1846, and came to Defiance shortly after her marriage to Mr. Ball about 60 years ago. The 14 children are:
Frank Ball, Superior, Wis.; Mrs. Adrian Friend, Denver, Colo.;
Mrs. Frank Leithauser, Amarilla, Texas; Mrs. Christ Diehl, Pigeon, Mich.'
Mrs. Winfield Sewell, Detroit; Mrs. Irvin Hatfield, Reading, Mich.;
Mrs. Fred Esaias, Mrs. Albert Surtman, Mrs. A. V. Miller, Neil Ball, and Louis Ball, all of Toledo;
Mrs. Fred Steffel and Miss Ida Ball, both of Defiance; and
Mrs. William Baker, Fort Wayne, Ind.
A brother, Jacob Haubert, Tiffin, and a sister, Mrs. Joseph Moeder, St. Henry, also survive besides 22 grandchildren and 8 great-grandchildren."
An obituary for Irvin's mother, Mrs. Martha Hatfield. The Crescent-News, January 15, 1924:
"Mrs. Martha Hatfield.
Mrs. Martha Hatfield who has been ill for some time, passed way Thursday morning at the home of her daughter, Mrs. John Rubel with whom she has resided for several years.
Mrs. Hatfield, who was 71 yrs. 5 mo. and 21 days old, had spent the greater part of her life in this section of the country where she had many dear friends and relatives.
Her children: Irvin Hatfield, Mrs. Harry Bayes, and Mrs. Art Biglow of Cambria, Mich.; Mrs. Harry O'Brian of Defiance; Mrs. John Ruebel and Wilbur Hatfield of Ney, with their families were in attendance at the funeral which was held at the Church of God in Ney Saturday afternoon, conducted by Rev. Kruse, the U.B. pastor of Moats. Interment was in the Ney Cemetery. The Michigan families returned home Saturday evening."
