Haller Post, G.A.R., Mark Center, Ohio

When the Haller Post met in Mark Center on January 13, 1904, to make plans for their next year, they elected the following officers, according to one Defiance newspaper of the time:

Post Commander: A. N. Dunmier
S. V. - G. W. Spealman
J. V. - W. L. Brown
Q. M. (Quarter Master) - Paul Hagan
O. D. - C. S. Elder
O. G. - A. J. Byers
Adjutant - H. L. Wallace
Surgeon - O. W. Hnoch (Enoch?)
Chaplain - A. L. Hughes

One other member known was William H. Grow. 

Who were the other members of this group?  Do the post records still exist?  Although the newspaper reported this as Post #436, that number is given to a different post in the official list of GAR posts and the Mark Center Post is not recognized at all.  Was it not chartered?

So many questions - can anyone answer?
 

Milton Prater - United States Colored Troops, Company A, 27th Regiment

Sources vary on whether Milton J. Prater (Prator) was born in Virginia or Ohio.  The earliest record of his life found was the 1850 census where he lived in Urbana, Champaign County, Ohio.  He was a black male, 14 years old, living with Martha Mass, 50, a mulatto.  Since no relationships were given in that census, one cannot be sure if Martha was Milton's mother or not.

Ohio Penitentiary, Columbus, O.

 He did run into some trouble with the law when he was about 19 or 20.  According to the official records of the State General Assembly, Volume 54, Milton Prator (alias Roberts) was sentenced for forgery at the March term, 1855, by the Court of Common Pleas of Champaign County.  He pleaded guilty to the first of ten counts and a no contest on the other nine counts.  
The judge gave him three years in the Ohio Penitentiary, the shortest term allowed, but suggested to the prosecutors that he be paroled after one year due to his youth, previous good character, and the "trifling nature of the forgery."  That suggestion was overlooked for awhile, but parole was finally granted to him on July 4, 1857.

He could not be located in the 1860 census, but he was named on the Civil War Draft Registrations in June, 1863 for Champaign County.

His name is #19 near the bottom.

He reported that he was 27, colored, a laborer, single and born in Ohio.  Just a few months later, on December 24, 1863, he joined Company A of the 27th Regiment of the United States Colored Troops.  This group was immediately sent, after a brief training, to Camp Casey in Washington, D.C. for garrison duty.  Eventually, they were sent into battle and experienced skirmishes at City Point and Petersburg, Virginia, where the regiment "distinguished itself for unsurpassed gallantry and good conduct upon the battlefield." (Official Report)  They also were in North Carolina part of the time and that is where Milton was mustered out on September 21, 1865.

USC (United States Colored) Infantry

The records (Ohio Marriages) show that Milton Prator married Louisa Jane Woodley on September 17, 1865, in Logan, Ohio.  And she did appear in the 1870 census in Champaign, County, but without Milton!  The enumerator wrote: "Prater, Louisa, 32, black, with children, Bruner, 2 and Robert 4/12.  Where was Milton?  He could not be found in the 1870 census either.

In 1880, he and Louisa were enumerated together in Defiance County.  Milton Prator, 45, black, and Louisa, 42, mulatto, had children Bruner F., 13; Robert P., 10; Milton E. 8; Cora M. 6; Walter, 3; and William F, 1. Milton worked as a laborer.

However, we know that Milton and Louisa were in Defiance by 1875 because the Defiance Democrat reported on April 29th of that year that a sale of their home was ordered to repay a judgement against them by Martin Knoll.  In the years from 1880 - 1883, the Prater name was in the newspapers quite a bit for delinquent taxes, judgements against them for money owed, and a grand jury indictment against Milton for larceny and threatening in a menacing manner.  Two sheriff's sales were held to disperse of their property in payment for debts owed.  It was a sad time for them, but the marriage stayed together, and they continued to live in Defiance.

Good deeds should not go unnoticed.  The Defiance County Republican Express reported on March 10, 1888:
"The eighteen months old son of Mr. and Mrs. M. F. Heller accidentally walked into the cistern at their home on Jefferson street Thursday, through a trap door that had been left open.  The women folks gave the alarm and James Blair and Milt. Prator, colored, who were sawing wood near by, ran to the relief of the child.  A ladder was placed into the cistern and Mr. Prator descended and took the child from the water and handed him up to Mr. Blair.  He was nearly drowned when rescued.  A physician was called and after working with him a few minutes, he was resuscitated."

Milton Prater reported his war service of two years on the 1890 Veterans Census.  He was in the 5th Ward, Defiance at the time.

Line 4.  The small note indicated that he was promoted to Corporal, but the official Civil War records said it was rescinded.

 In 1900, the Prater family lived at 602 Nicholas Street.  Milton was not employed, but Louisa worked as a washerwoman.  Their children Cora, 24, worked as a teacher, and Walter still lived at home.  William Mumford, a hay baler, lived with them.  In 1902, the family suffered through a house fire; it was surely a devastating event.

On July 30, 1903, the Defiance Weekly Express reported on page 1 an event involving Cora, Milton's daughter.  

 The next summer, on August 15, 1904, Milton Prater died at the age of 69.  He was buried in Old Riverside, Block 14, Section B, Lot 68.  A G.A.R. Post 22 marker once marked the graveside, according to the tombstone index prepared in 1976 by the Defiance County Genealogical Society.

His obituary was brief and appeared in the Defiance Democrat:

"Milton Prator, colored, a well known resident of North Defiance, died last night after an illness of two weeks.  He was aged 69 years, 10 months and 1 day, and was born in Champaign County, this state.  He had resided her for 31 years.  The deceased leaves a wife and several children."

"The funeral of Milton Prator occurred at 1:30 this afternoon.  Rev. Smucker conducting the service.  Interment made in Riverside Cemetery."

No mention was made of the Bishop Post participating. Buried with him were his wife, Louisa, and son, Walter.

Walter, sadly, was shot and killed the next summer.  The Defiance Express reported on August 7, 1905 that Walter, 35, was shot dead by Theodore Broady of Bellefontaine.  It was alleged that Walter was a cocaine "fiend" and he had become infatuated with a woman, Mrs. Elizabeth Randolph, who did not return his affections.  Walter burst into her home, chased her up the stairs and then dragged her down by her hair.  He was about to strike her with a hatchet when Broady shot him.

   


 

W. P. A. Cemetery Survey - Frazee Cemetery, Defiance 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

The Frazee Private Burial Plot

1. Name of Cemetery:   The Frazee Private Burial Plot

2. Location, how reached:

Located on the H. Block farm, along the Auglaize River, in section #35, Defiance Township and opposite, across the river from Wayne Street in the city of Defiance.  To get to this graveyard, take 66 south from the Court House to the Francis Street River Bridge across the Auglaize River and turn to the right at the first road, across the river, travel a half mile on this road to its end, which brings you into H. Block's barnyard. Then walk back across their meadow, a quarter of a mile, to the first hill, on top of this hill is located the graveyard.

3. Name and address of caretaker:

None, once in the last five years and since Blocks owned the farm, some relatives of the Frazees buried here have visited it and fixed it up some.

Photo from www.findagrave.com

 4. General description, size, appearance, denomination, fencing, etc.:

This graveyard sets on a hill in a woods, surrounded by large trees.  It is exactly square, contains one fourth of an acre of land, and is completely fenced with an old fashioned iron grill fence in very good repair.  In the plot are planted six cedar trees, one in each corner and one in the center of the front and back.  At one time, and up until 1900, it was quite a showplace; however, since the Frazees have all left this territory, it has been forgotten and grown up with weeks and brush, still yet it can be seen to have been a very nice burial plot.

It was used only by the Frazee family; all who are buried in it are of that name or relatives of them.  There are twelve tombstones in the graveyard, all of good sandstone that was prominently used from 1870 to the first part of the twentieth century.  It is one of the old, abandoned graveyards still in fairly good condition.

6. Names of important persons buried there, for what known:

The Frazees were, at one time, wealthy land owners and wood stave owners of Defiance, Ohio, back during the Civil War.

Photo from www.findagrave.com   Only one stone remains.

7. Markers of unusual appearance:

The largest marker in the center is of the pedestal type with an obelisk shaft about ten feet high and made of sand stone.  The others are smaller, but of the same type.  There are twelve still standing. 

8. Unusual epitaphs:

The large marker in the center gives a brief history of the Frazee family, most of the small readings (are) indiscernable.

9. Is cemetery used for new burials?

This graveyard has not been used since 1903, and was a private one for the Frazee family.

C. Cadwallader and C. Gish, Reporters

Consultants:

Abram Smith, Defiance, Ohio

Mrs. H. Block,Defiance, Ohio 

Christmas at the Children's Home, 1894

From the Defiance Democrat - December 27, 1894

This type of newspaper article can verify exactly who was at the Defiance County Children' Home in 1894, as there is no census available for that time.

"CHILDREN'S HOME

Miss Flo Elliott spent Christmas at home.

Miss Jennie Moninger has returned from Fort Wayne where she has been visiting.

Miss Grace Hill is visiting her brother at Bryan.

We have thirty children on roll, all enjoying good health.

We take pleasure in endeavoring to give you a brief description of Christmas at the Home. As our children were not expecting any Christmas at all this year, they thought they would have one of their own, so the little girls gathered pieces of cloth from the waste basket and bits of tissue paper from shoe boxes and made presents for one another until they had presents for all.  

The boys then went out to the woods and got a limb of a tree and took it to the school house; the girls then arranged their gifts on it in a pretty way which made it look real nice.  While they were eating supper, the ladies slipped over and pinned on the stockings of candies which were so kindly sent to them.  The girls had a nice program prepared which we give as follows:

Song - Glory in the Highest. In David's City - Ella Brown

Santa Claus- Jennie Romanus

Christmas Day - Vernie Miser

Under the Christmas Tree - Pearl Sawyer

Song - In a Manger - By School

Rec. 'Christmas' - Della Rex

The Little Star - Geo. Klinch

Our Baby - Charlie Ricketts

The Little Robin - John Daily

To Kris - Celia Daniels

The Christmas Gift - Ray Long

We all ought to do good - Flo Ricketts

The Old Man - Clide Miser

Christmas Card - Vine Pardee

The Rhyme of the Magical Painter - Sarah Sinamon

Song - School

Practicing - Albert Klinck, Peter and Roy Brown

Christmas Secret - Homer Ricketts

Christmas Song - Ella Brown

Dialogue - The Dead Bird - Ola Dunlap and Flo Ricketts

Christmas Bell- By the three babies

Song - We are Little Reapers

Christmas in the Forest - Olie Sawyer

Under the Star - Earl Yeoger

Parson Brown - Zehm Letter

Telling the Story - Ola Dunlap

Merry Christmas - Frank Swinehart

Closing Song - Meeting and Parting

As the ladies of the home had nothing to do with this, we call it the little girls' entertainment.

We now wish to thank those whose kind hearts went out for our little ones and helped to make this a merry Christmas for them. We thank the W.C.T.U. for oranges, apples, pop corn, thirty boxes of candy, literature, cards, books and dolls.  North side school for thirty stockings of candy, nuts and pop corn.  The W.R.C. for the beautiful doll they presented our little Jennie with; Dr. E. K. Chapman for candy; J. P. Buffington for twelve nice testaments."

  

Ney High School - Seniors, 1935 and 1936

CLASS OF 1935 - NEY HIGH SCHOOL

Top -Jewel Shong, Donelda Batt, Tod Kintner, Dean Donze, Dalton Goller, Rachel Hanna, Richard Motter

Middle - Mike Donley, Anne Hasselschwardt, Esther Deepe, Mildred Elser

Bottom - Bertha Stephens, Faculty

H. F. Tennant, Superintendent

O. C. Stroup, Faculty

Helen Hutchins, Faculty 

CLASS OF 1936 - NEY HIGH SCHOOL

Top - Willard Sanders, Jack Garber - Vice-President, John Pendleton - Assistant Secretary-Treasurer, Paul Moog, Dorothy Fieldner- Secretary-Treasurer, Orville Dreher - President, Harold Stratton

Middle - Don Garver, Renny Beyst

Bottom - Mr. Dudley Ebersole, History

Mr. Dale O. Sander, Science

Mr. Manford Yoh, Agriculture

Miss Helen Hutchins, Principal

Mr. O. C. Stroup, Music

Mr. H. F. Tennant, Faculty

West Point School, Mark Township - 1908

District #2

Mark Township

P. S. Engle, Teacher

The slate told us it was the West Point School, District 2,  Mr. Engle, Teacher.
No identification was available for students.  Can you help?

John M. Preisendorfer - Boot and Shoe Merchant in Defiance

John M. Preisendorfer was a noted Defiance businessman for many years, owning a boot and shoe business, as well as selling insurance.  Born in Bavaria, Germany in 1838, he came to American in 1960.  He stayed in New York for awhile, and then proceeded to Defiance where he found work in the store of A. Dolke.

 In January, 1863, he opened his own boot and shoe shop in a frame building at the corner of Clinton and First Streets. Five years later, in 1867, he built a new store on Clinton Street, just south of Second Street.  In that same year, according to the Defiance Express of June 17, 1897, he bought the stock of John Weisengerber who also had a boot and shoe store.  His sons helped him in the store and two eventually took it over after their father's retirement.





In 1889, Preisendorfer built a business block at the corner of Clinton and Fifth Street which brought to four the number of business buildings he owned in Defiance, along with some rental homes.

In 1900, he and Christ Diehl, Sr. took a trip back to Germany.  His passport application gave great detail about his appearance and immigration.

John eventually retired and his sons, Alphonso and Tony (Anthony), took over the business.  That very summer he died, and his obituary appeared in the Crescent-News on August 17, 1903.

 "J. M. PREISENDORFER PASSES AWAY.

Pioneer Merchant and Citizen Goes to his Last Reward.  End Came on the Sabbath Morn.

John Michael Preisendorfer has passed to his reward.  Dissolution came at his home on Jefferson street on Sabbath morning at the hour of 10:30 o'clock.  With his death, Defiance county lost one of its best known citizens and the business world of Defiance is minus one of its most successful members.





Mr. Preisendorfer was one of the few early settlers of this vicinity who remained to be known in active life by the present generation.  Possessing a hardy and vigorous constitution, he withstood the ravages of disease until Saturday, August 8th, when he was seized with an attack of apoplexy (stroke, cerebral hemorrhage) from which he could not recover.  The death blow came while he was following out his ideals of a Christian gentleman, being stricken while getting in his buggy after attending mass at St. John's Catholic church.  In just eight days, his soul was called from its earthly house of clay.

Not only in business but in public life, the deceased took an active interest.  He was a Democrat of the straight laced type, and his labors for the party will be missed.  He has honorably served his fellowmen in various offices.  Elected corporation treasurer in 1870, he served his party for eight years.  Since that time, he represented his ward in the council, was a trustee of Riverside cemetery and formerly was a member and an active worker in the fire department.  

J. Michael Preisendorfer was born Obersinn, Bayernn, Germany, October 22, 1838, and died Sunday, August 16, 1903, being nearly 65 years of age.  He was a son of Adam and Agnes Preisendorfer who had a family of five sons and one daughter, only one son now living, he being John Preisendorfer, living in Germany.  His father died in 1846, the mother in 1881.

Michael came to this country in 1860, remaining in New York until February 1861, when he came to Defiance, working eleven months for A. Dolke, at the boot and shoe trade.  In January 1862, he went into business with his brother, Joseph, but after five years, bought out the latter.

In 1867, he built at a cost of $4,200, the present place of business now occupied by his sons, 304 Clinton Street.  In connection with his shoe store, he represented a large number of European and American Life and Fire insurance companies.  This branch of the business was turned over to his son, A. R., several years ago who still conducts the same over the shoe store.  He retained his interest in the shoe business until last January, when two other sons, A. F. and Francis, took control of it and Mr. Preisendorfer prepared to live a retired life.

On November 24, 1865, the deceased was married in Henry county to Elizabeth Wilhelm, by whom he had twelve children.  The living are Mary A. Rauh, of Ottawa; Mrs. Agnes E. Sheibley, of Ottawa; Alphonse R., Anthony F., Frank S., Adam, Louis, and Frances of this city.  Those who have preceded their father are John J., Adam, Frederick, and Huburt.  The three last named died in infancy.  The aged widow survives.

The deceased was an ardent member of the Catholic Knights of America, Catholic Knights of Ohio, St. Boniface Society and the German Aid Society.  these orders will attend the funeral in a body.  He was a devoted and consistent Catholic and for 25 years served as trustee of St. John's Catholic church.  He was also vice president of the Security Building and Loan Association.  In the Catholic societies and Insurance companies, he represented he held policies to the amount of $8000 on his life.

His family has lost an indulgent  and devoted husband and father. All were present when the final summons came which symbolical to the recognized for a peaceful transition of the soul from earth to its last and long home with its Maker.

The funeral services will be held Wednesday morning at 9 o'clock at St. John's Catholic church when requiem high mass will be read.  Rev. Father Gloden will officiate and the remains will be laid to rest in Riverside cemetery.  All the shoe stores will close during the funeral services out of respect to the deceased."

 

Defiance Crescent-News, May 31, 1922