Ney High School - Class of 1941

NEY HIGH SCHOOL

CLASS OF 1941

Top Row, L to R: Gloria G. Kunesh, Rudolph Temmerman, Maribel Garver, Mary L. Stotler, Gerald G. Singer, Donna June Smith, Frances M. Mack, Doralee Shamp, Clara Billow

Second Row from Top: Wilbur J. Mack, Phyllis Jean Weller, Ralph Rader -President, Edwin L. Jesse - Vice-President, Vivian M. Pendleton - Secretary-Treasurer, Velma L. Stantz, June Garber

Third Row from Top: Dorothy L. Keller, Betty Moon, Irene Lantz, Eileen Beattie, Mariana Notestine, Freda Hammersmith

Bottom Row: Richard Gisler - Vocational Agriculture
 Ross Cox - History, English
 Dudley Ebersole - Coach, Social Science, Bookkeeping
 Dale O. Sander - Principal, _?_, Public Speaking
 Mary Schooley (?) - Music, Typing, _?_
 Vivian Twining - _?_, Home Economics, Typing

Nelson D. Grogg - Bishop Post, G.A.R.

Born about 1832 in Ohio, Nelson Grogg grew up in Defiance County.  In 1850, he and his parents, John and Eve, lived in Delaware Township, along with Nelson's siblings: Margaret, Soloman, and Nathaniel, all born in Ohio.  With them were Rachel, Sarah, and Elverta Maconeca - no relationship was recorded.

Nelson married Sarah Cornelia Pearce on July 2,1859, in Indiana.  He and Sarah settled in Richland Township, Dekalb County, Indiana, where the 1860 census enumerator found them.  Nelson, 23, was farming and had a personal estate of just $20 and no real estate.


Perhaps that is one reason why Nelson decided to enlist at the age of 24, on December 6, 1861.  He joined the 48th Ohio Infantry, Company F for a three year enlistment.  The 48th lost about one-third of its members at Shiloh, Tennessee.  Later, at Sabine in Louisiana in April 1864, the membership was again hit hard, as almost all the remaining 48th were captured.

From the History of the 48th O.V.V.I., Chapter XV:
"From the battlefield, we were taken to Mansfield and put in the courthouse yard.  After taking our names, they marched us about two miles out of town and guarded us in a field.  The night was cold, and as we had no blankets, we set fire to some old logs and crowded around as closely as possible in order to keep warm.  About eleven o'clock that night, we received a few crackers and some bacon.
The next day, April 9, the prisoners numbering 182 officers and 1000 men, in the charge of a battalion of Louisiana cavalry, started for Camp Ford, Texas.  After marching 15 or 20 miles, we were corraled for the night.  Here we received our first regular rations form the Confederacy which consisted of a pint of musty corn meal, coarsely ground, and a slice of salt beef.  As we had no cooking utensils, some procured boards, upon which they baked their bread, while others baked it on the ashes...  
The following day we proceeded on our way to Texas.  In places we found the road lined with slaves, in charge of their masters, who were hurrying them to Texas to prevent them from falling into the hands of the Yankess.  The contracted brow of the masters indicated their hatred, while the happy countenances of the slaves showed that they considered us best friends...

They walked seven days to reach Camp Ford, an old prison camp with some brush huts here and there.  The officers built log cabins and the rest of the men built shanties or hovels by burrowing in the ground.  Soon the camp was very overcrowded.  Eventually, the men were released and the 48th reorganized, so that Nelson was transferred into Company D in January, 1865, and at some point the 83rd.  He was mustered out at Galveston, Texas on May 6, 1866.  On the 1890 veterans' census, Nelson, the POW, reported that he suffered from rheumatism and chronic diarrhea from his time in service.

When Nelson returned home from the war, he continued his life with Sarah in Dekalb County, Indiana.  In 1870, they lived in Jackson Township, Dekalb County.  Nelson, 32, and Sarah, 28, had children Sylvester, 9, (born in Ohio,1861) and Ida, 3, (born in Indiana).  Nelson farmed, but still held no real estate, and his personal worth had grown to $430.

The family continued to grow, adding John in 1871, Orville in 1874, and Addie in 1878.  John was born in Indiana, but the other two children were born in Ohio.  In the 1880 census, the family lived in Noble Township, Defiance County, where Nelson farmed.  Here they remained until Nelson's death on February 21, 1911.

Crescent News, March 8, 1911

Nelson D. Grogg was buried in Brunersburg Cemetery.

Sarah Pearce Grogg lived on until the spring of 1927, an invalid after a fall a few years before.  Her obituary appeared in the Defiance Crescent News on March 31, 1927.

Sarah was buried beside her husband in Brunersburg Cemetery.


   (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!)

The Roth - Ross - Ivywald School and the Wiler School, Highland Township

The Roth School was District #2 in Highland Township. It is thought that this school sat at the intersection of Blanchard and Kinner Roads.

The Farmland News was another newspaper that often ran vintage photos from the old schools.  Donated by its readers, these photos are especially valuable to those researchers who have no photo of their ancestor as a youth.  

**********

This school souvenir booklet was dated 1936 and included both the Ross and Wiler Schools.  Apparently, district numbers changed, as well, depending on school closures, perhaps.  It is thought that the Wiler School was located on Dohoney Road just south of Bowman Road.

If anyone has information on these schools, please comment.

The Kugle Colts From Ney

For many years, Lloyd V. Tuttle contributed historic photos and information to the Defiance Crescent-News for his column, "A Backward Glance."  This undated clipping discussed a "capable" baseball team from Ney.

Lloyd Tuttle said:

"KUGLE COLTS was a capable baseball team that carried the name, NEY, across shirt fronts during the seasons of 1905, 1906 and 1907.

The club played its home game on the property which is presently the residence in Ney of Ned Garver,the former major league pitcher.

Players in the picture are: from left, front row - Elmer Lantz, Guy Yeagley, Erve Hatfield, John Pollock, Emerson Reynolds and Ket Hanna,
and back row, Charles Stailey, John Doud, James Goller, Merle Goller and Ora Marsh.

Those who are still living are: John Doud, now in Orlando, Fla.; James Goller, Defiance, and Ora Marsh and Emerson Reynolds, Ney."

Cora Kinner's Sunday School

For many years, Lloyd V. Tuttle contributed historic photos and information to the Defiance Crescent-News for his column, "A Backward Glance."  This undated clipping featured a class of young men led by Cora Kinner in Sunday School.  No church was mentioned.

"THE LESSONS haven't changed much, but appearance of the students certainly has.  These young men were members of Cora Kinner's Sunday School class.

They are: Ray Varner, Robert Stork, William Lang, Norris Rickner, Ben Morris, Floyd Morris, Louis Ryan, and Kelly Rickner.  Mrs. Kinner is seated in the foreground.

The photograph was taken in front of the home of Jackson Kinner.  It was submitted by Mr. and Mrs. Mills Deatrick who own the home now."

W. P. A. Cemetery Survey - Defiance County Farm Cemetery, Tiffin Twp.

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

Defiance County Farm Cemetery

(now known as the Defiance County Home Cemetery)

1. Name:

The Defiance County Farm Cemetery (County Infirmary Graveyard)

2. Location:

Located in Tiffin Township, across the road from the buildings on the Defiance County farm, in section 32 and on the county infirmary road.  Reached by going out route 15 from Defiance to the North-west through Brunersburg, past the Alva Laverne Farm, and at the corner above this farm instead of following #15 around the curve, go straight on for one mile.  The grave yard can be easily seen from the road; it sets back about 220 feet.

3.  Caretaker: 

Glen Leaders is superintendent of the Defiance County Home. Inmates generally take care of the graveyard, but special work is done by county men.

4. This graveyard has recently been fixed over.  A new fence put up.  A driveway made clear around it and the whole place mounded up and several evergreen shrubs planted here.  Also many new stone markers put up and all reset.  It lies on a flat piece of ground with not a tree in sight.  The markers, all but one, are alike and all set in rows.  There is two acres in the field, not nearly all used.

5. First burial - exact date unknown.

This graveyard was started in 1875, but many of the graves were moved here from farther up the road.   And in the start, all was marked by number - no names were written on the stones.  Mr. Glen Leaders, the Superintendent, would have looked the names to these numbers if we had requested him to and also found out exactly the first burial date by going back over the old records.

6. Important persons:

Unknown.  One marker only, that of John Taft, a Civil War veteran is larger than the rest.  He is, of course, the only veteran buried here. How he came to be here, I cannot find out. He no doubt has a history. 

Original stone of John Taft

 

New stone donated by Homier Monuments

 7. All stones except the one to John Taft are alike.  Small grey stone slabs about a foot above the ground. John Taft's is larger and pure white and stands out amoung the rest.

8. Epitaphs:

Of course, there are no readings on the stones.  A few have their last names, but most are just numbers.  All except the one mentioned of John Taft.

9. This is still yet the County Cemetery for inmates of the County Farm Home.

Cecil Cadwallader, Reporter

Consultant: Glen Leaders, Superintendent of the Home

William Shanklin - Civil War Soldier Buried in Farmer Cemetery

William Shanklin spent most of his life in Hicksville and Milford Townships, but he was born in Crawford County about 1837.  As early as 1860, he lived in Hicksville Township with the John Ryan family and their three children.  William was 23 and a laborer.  


But soon after the war began in 1861, William enlisted in Company D of the 120th Ohio Infantry.  He spent several years with that unit until being transferred to Company E, 48th Ohio Infantry on November 27, 1864.  One more transfer at the end of the war placed him in Company E, 114th Ohio on July 24, 1865 from which he mustered out.  All of the units appeared on his pension card.

 A complete study of the 120th Ohio Infantry and of William Shanklin himself has been completed.  Read about the 120th, Company D HERE.

A different researcher studied the life of William Shanklin and posted it on a related website.   Read about William Shanklin HERE.

An obituary of William Shanklin, who died on March 28, 1916 in Defiance County, at the age of 78 years, 11 months and 7 days, appeared in the Hicksville Tribune on March 30, 1916.  The newspaper article could not be accessed at the time of this writing, but the microfilm could be searched at the Johnson Memorial Library in Hicksville, Ohio.

Farmer Cemetery

William was married twice - first to Mary Lawson on May 2, 1868, and second to Mary Jane Chapman on January 11, 1887, after his first wife's death.  An obituary could be found for Mary Jane in the Crescent-News on January 26, 1922: