Tiffin Township High School Grade Cards Available - 1930s, 1940s, and a Few Early 1950s

These grade cards from Tiffin Township High School from the 1930s and 1940s mostly, are currently in storage and looking for family or interested party adopters.

The list is somewhat in alphabetical order. 

They are currently in the care of Addison and Tanya Brunner. They would need your full name and mailing address to get the card to you. Feel free to share the list. Contact at 419.980.6089 or atbrunner75@gmail.com.

 

     High School Dance 1935

High School students in the 1940s

Two Soldiers, Two Very Different Lives - Privates Wirock and Bowers

William Henry Bowers and John Thomas Wirock/Wyrock

Spanish American War Volunteers

Company M-Defiance Ohio

Defiance Soldiers in the Spanish-American War

John Thomas Wirock/Wyrock and William Henry Bowers

This article tells the separate stories of two Defiance men whose lives crossed through Company M of the 6th Ohio Volunteer Infantry during the Spanish-American War. John Thomas Wirock remained closely tied to Defiance throughout his life, while William Henry Bowers eventually followed work far beyond northwest Ohio.

Part One: John Thomas Wirock/Wyrock - A Life of Strife

John Thomas Wirock was born 22 August 1878 in Defiance, Defiance County, Ohio, to Peter Wirock and Celesta/Margaret/Martha (Palmer) Wirock, whose surname is also found as Wireock. Defiance would remain the place John returned to throughout his life. In 1900 he was living with his parents and working as a day laborer. Later censuses place the family's long-time home at 264 Gray Street.

Off to War

At 19, John left Defiance for military service during the Spanish-American War. He enlisted on 13 June 1898 as a private in Company M, 6th Ohio Volunteer Infantry. A Defiance newspaper captured the excitement surrounding the company's departure, announcing that the local soldiers had received marching orders for Columbus and would then join the 6th Ohio Volunteer Infantry at Chickamauga.

A Defiance newspaper announces the departure of Company M for Columbus and, ultimately, Camp Thomas at Chickamauga.

John's service was interrupted by illness that September, when he spent several days in the Division Hospital and then received a sick furlough that was eventually extended through 26 November 1898. He remained with the regiment until he was mustered out at Augusta, Georgia, on 24 May 1899.

Marriage and a Return to Military Life

Back in civilian life, John married Perle M. Hubbard on 31 May 1901. He was 23 and Perle, who was living in Hicksville, was 20. The marriage eventually ended in divorce. Many years later, on 24 August 1933, John married Luella Marks of Napoleon. That marriage also ended in divorce after about a year.

Military life called John again in 1908. On 30 April he enlisted in the U.S. Marine Corps at Toledo, Ohio, beginning nearly four more years of service before his discharge on 14 May 1912. His Marine Corps years were not without difficulty. Muster rolls from the Marine Barracks at the Navy Yard in Portsmouth, New Hampshire, for March 1912 record disciplinary proceedings for using profane, abusive and threatening language and striking another service member. He received three months' confinement at hard labor and forfeited $20 in pay.

Back Home in Defiance

By the time of the First World War, John was again in Defiance. When he registered for the draft on 12 September 1918, he was living at 264 Gray Street and working as a laborer for his brother William. The 1920 census likewise found him living with his parents and earning his living as a common laborer.

The Soldiers' Home in Dayton

John's health appeared to have become a greater concern as he grew older. On 15 March 1929 he entered the National Home for Disabled Volunteer Soldiers in Dayton, Ohio. His record described him as an Ohio-born laborer, named his father, Peter Wirock, of Defiance as his nearest relative, and noted medical problems including mild varicocele and what appears to be chronic arthritis. His stay was brief. John discharged himself on 3 April 1929, less than a month after arriving, and appears to have returned to his family's home on Gray Street in Defiance.

National Home for Disabled Volunteer Soldiers record for John Wirock, Dayton, Ohio.

His Final Years

John's life ended in Defiance on 4 October 1935. His death certificate gives his residence as 264 Gray Street, records him as divorced and a common laborer, and lists his parents as Peter Wirock and Martha Palmer. The coroner recorded his death as suicide by strychnine poisoning.

Ohio death certificate for John Thomas Wyrock, 4 October 1935.

A newspaper account published after his death reported that John had recently been divorced and was in ill health. According to the article, he took three strychnine capsules that Friday afternoon. A neighbor later heard his cries and went for help, but a physician was not able to reach him for at least half an hour.

Newspaper account of John T. Wyrock's death, shown in two columns.

Remembered by Fellow Veterans

John's funeral was held the following Monday at the Hoffman-Turner funeral home, with Rev. Theodore Strauss of St. Paul's Lutheran Church officiating. He was buried at Riverside Cemetery in Defiance. The funeral notice adds a fitting final detail to his military story: members of the United Spanish War Veterans served as pallbearers and flower carriers.

Funeral notice for John T. Wyrock. Members of the United Spanish War Veterans took part in the services.

From his youth in Defiance through two periods of military service and his later years, John repeatedly found his way back to his hometown and the family home on Gray Street. The surviving records offer only pieces of his story, but together they trace a life marked by military service, hard physical work, periods of illness and difficulty, and enduring ties to Defiance.

 

John T. Wirock and William H. Bowers, fellow Defiance soldiers of Company M. (Identification supplied with the photograph. AI edited Picture)

 

Part Two: William Henry Bowers - A Soldier Who Wandered Far From Defiance

William Henry Bowers was born in Ohio in May 1874. According to the 1900 federal census, his family was living in Defiance Twp. on Francis St. Strangely, William and his brother Charles were not living with the family. It is proved by other sources, including birth and death records, that his parents were Martin M. and Mary (nee Bush) Bowers. His father worked as a carpenter, while his mother was an Ohio native who later died in Lima. The surviving records suggest that William found his way to Defiance sometime after 1900.

By his twenties, William had made his way to Defiance, where his life briefly crossed paths with another young man, John T. Wirock. In 1898, both men became members of Company M of the 6th Ohio Volunteer Infantry during the Spanish-American War.

For William, military service began with some distinction—he entered the company as a corporal. His service record also reveals that military life did not always go smoothly. During his time in uniform, he was reduced from corporal to the ranks for violations of the Articles of War. Whatever lay behind that episode, William remained with the regiment and completed his service.

After his Spanish-American War service, William was mustered out with the regiment on 24 May 1899.

Little is known with certainty about the next several years of William's life. He appears to have spent some time around Lima, Ohio, and his records associate him with Almeda F. Winegardner. The 1900 census apparently places William and Almeda, as husband/wife in the household of John C. Wright, although a marriage record for the couple has not yet been located. They apparently divorced or became estranged a short time later.

Following Work West

Eventually, William's travels took him much farther from northwest Ohio. His World War I registration card finds him in Pontotoc County, Oklahoma, at about age 45. By then, the former soldier was working as an oil-well driller, an occupation that offers a glimpse of the very different life he was leading nearly two decades after leaving the Army.

William Henry Bowers' World War I registration card, recording his residence in Pontotoc County, Oklahoma, and his work as an oil-well driller.

His Final Years in Texas

William continued west and south in the years that followed. By the end of his life, he was in Texas and married to Mildred Hale Lambert Bowers. His Texas death certificate records his death at Devine, Medina County, Texas, on 17 February 1935, at approximately 60 years of age. The certificate indicates that his death was accidental and records an injury at his home shortly before his death.

Texas death certificate for William Henry Bowers, 17 February 1935.

Bowers grave marker for William and Mildred. Devine Evergreen Cemetery, Devine, Medina County, Texas

From Ohio to Cuba, Oklahoma and finally Texas, William Henry Bowers seems to have spent much of his life on the move. The surviving records leave considerable gaps in his story, but they also preserve an intriguing trail: a young corporal leaving Defiance for war, a laboring man following work westward, and finally a veteran whose life ended hundreds of miles from the Ohio communities where it began.

Kim Bercaw, Researcher

First WCTU Women in Sherwood

 

SHERWOOD'S FIRST WCTU

Women's Christian Temperance Union

First Row, L to R:

Mrs. Hartshorn, Mrs. Koons, Mrs. V. Openlander, Ella Palmer, Mrs. Palmer, Mrs. Fields and Miss Prunie Palmer  (Lady on far right unknown)

Standing: L to R: 

Alma Miller, Pearl Potter, Mrs. Byers, Mrs. Potter, Mrs. Pitts, Mrs. McCaskey, and Mrs. Knisely

Sherwood Chronicle, January 2, 1947, pg. 1

"The Women's Christian Temperance Union has exerted significant influence in the community for years, and the above is a picture of the first group ever formed in Sherwood, with the photograph being snapped before the turn of the century, the exact date being unknown, by August Koons, who loaned the picture to the Chronicle.

In late years, the national policy of the WCTU has been of a somewhat restrained nature, but in the years immediately before and after the taking of this picture, it was a militant organization, fighting Demon Rum with every available weapon and striking mighty blows on behalf of women's suffrage.  No other organization played so large a part in promoting national prohibition, and none other is doing more today in advocating temperance.."

An Old Settler - Michael Frease

 

Not Michael Frease

Michael Frease - An Old Settler in Hicksville

Michael Frease, born in Pennsylvania, came to Hicksville in about 1849.  Born on October 27, 1821, he had migrated west to Wayne County, Ohio by June 14, 1845, where he married his wife, Jane Aten. His parents, George Frease, Sr. and Sally (Shaff) Frease were also living there at the time.

Michael and Jane were located in the 1870 Federal Census of Hicksville Township.  Of their three children, only Edward, 14, was still living at home and going to school. 

Michael was a farmer, and a very successful one, having real estate worth $4,000 and a personal estate of $1,544 in 1870.

By 1880, the farm had increased in worth and Frease had livestock, including dairy cows and calves, and he also raised chickens. Seventy-seven acres of his ground was tilled, according to the Agricultural Census, twenty acres were pasture or orchards and twenty were woods.  In 1880 he and Jane were caring for three grandchildren: Cris(?) 4, Anna 2, and Ella Jane 7. It is uncertain whose children these were.  Anna was destined to give her grandfather some trouble. She ran away from home after her grandmother's death.

In January of 1895, the Defiance Daily Crescent ran this report:

"ANNIE FREASE LOCATED.

It is said that Miss Annie Frease who so mysteriously disappeared from the home of her grandparents, Mr. and Mrs. Michael Frease, in the morning before Christmas, has been located at Bloomville, Ohio, twelve miles south of Tiffin, where it is said she is staying with one, Sarah Jane Rhodegast.  Mrs. Rhodegast had been employed at the Frease home for two months during the illness of the girl, Annie Freese.

On the Saturday before Christmas, the said Sarah Jane left the house in the night, bag and baggage, and it is said that the same young fellow, living in this town, who took her to the depot, also a few evenings later, took Annie Frease to the train. The baggage of both Mrs. Rhodegast and Miss Frease was traced to Tiffin and thence to Bloomville, where it is rumored, the two are staying for no good purposes.

Mrs. Rhodegast was formerly Miss Sarah Jane Detter of Tight Street. She was married to Rhodegast, but parted from him about eighteen months ago."

Anna's grandmother died in 1894, and her grandfather, Michael, in 1899.  His obituary was found in the Marckel Scrapbook which contains undated and unsourced obituaries.

"OBITUARY.

Michael Frease departed this life on the morning of March 11 at 4 o'clock. Mr. Frease was one of the earliest settlers in Defiance County, having come here in 1849.

He was a native of Penn. and was born in Somerset county, that state, Oct. 27, 1821.

His parents were natives of Virginia and Penn.

In the year 1845 and on June 14, Mr. Frease was united in marriage to Jane A. Aten in Wayne county, Ohio. His wife wss the daughter or Robert Aten of Penn. and was born in Northampton county, of that state, on the 16th of October 1824. To them were born five children, but three of the five with the mother have passed over and only two children survive."

Forest Home Cemetery, Michael and Jane Frease, Section 1, with three young children who preceded them in death, Elisha, Alfred and Cornelius

"Mr. Frease had lived a long time. He lived to pass man's allotted three score and ten, and when more than eight years beyond that period, he was overtaken with that disease which has removed so many of the aged ones from us, lagrippe*, and on last Saturday morning, he passed away at the ripe age of 78 years, 5 months and twelve days.

Mr. Frease was a very good man. He was a religious man, and when the pastor of the Church of Christ called on him a few days before his death, he said, 'Well, since you are here, we might as well have a little prayer meeting.' (They) did and Mr. Frease enjoyed the reading of God's word which he had been accustomed to hear for more than three score years.

He was an industrious farmer and good citizen and was very quiet and unassuming, strictly honest and just in his dealings. He was not a great conversationalist, but a man of thought and great deliberation. 

His body was laid away in Forest Home to await the day when our dear Lord will come and 'They who are in their graves shall hear His voice and come forth.'"

**LaGrippe - the vintage name for flu or influenza

In looking for the Frease children, Edward J. Frease, was located in St. Joe, Indiana. He was not named on the FindAGrave entry, but his death certificate named Michael Frease and Jane A. Aten as his parents. He died in Newville Township, St. Joe, Indiana on November 19, 1919, of nephritis and heart disease at 84. He, too, was buried in Forest Home Cemetery.

Dianne Kline, Researcher

Side Note:

Further research showed that my husband's grandmother purchased the Ed. Frease farm in 1935. She used it for a rental, as the St. Joe News reported that Mr. and Mrs. Pat Hook moved on the former Ed Frease farm recently purchased by Emily Kline.

Spanish - American Soldiers - Privates Charles E. Switzer, Clyde Davis, and Irvin Hatfield

 #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."

L

Lakeview Cemetery, Hillsdale, Michigan

An 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..."

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."

The Aftermath for Joshua Botkins and Ida Bullock

 

L to R: Jesse Bullock, Arthur Bullock on the lap of his mother, Ida May, and Earl Bullock, who testified in court at age 7

The Aftermath for Joshua Botkins

and Ida, Earl and Jesse Bullocks

In the Defiance Crescent of September 11, 1920, a Second Degree Murder Charge was announced against Botkins. That very day, motions to appeal were filed by his defense team, T. Hamilton and H. Mullholand.

Even before that, the attorneys were trying to get a manslaughter charge (on July 4) based largely on Peter Kintner's conversation with Botkins as they were going on their errand:

Botkins said, "Peter, I gave him a hell of a whipping. May said she thought I killed him, but I said the latter will be up for supper when we get back...I'm getting the boys broke of some dirty habits." Kintner noticed his sweating and nervous disposition, along with a very restless nature. 

The Judge overruled the motion to appeal at that time.  However, the case eventually went to the Court of Appeals anyway, who ruled on January 10, 1921, that the charge of Second Degree Murder would stay, Joshua Botkins was sentenced to a life of hard labor at the Ohio Penitentiary.

Unknown to the Defiance citizenry, Botkins made many threats of suicide that law enforcement did not share publicly. Finally, on February 4, 1921, the day he was to leave for imprisonment in Columbus, he carried out his threat.

The Crescent-News, February 4, 1921, p. 1:

"BOTKINS ATTEMPTS SUICIDE IN CELL OF COUNTY JAIL

After Bragging That He Would Never Go to the Pen Alive, 

Tries to Electrocute Himself, Using Electric Light Cord."

The day he was to go to the pen, he made his attempt and not one person witnessed it, although he was on a close watch. He stood in a pail of water beneath the light then, unscrewing the light bulb, reached up with his hands to touch the wires. He was stopped but needed meds for the electric shock. 

That afternoon, he was taken to the train station by Sheriff Charles Zeschke and his deputy, F. Lester Hays, with the estimation of arriving in Columbus about 9 that evening.

After ten years, Botkins sought parole and it was declined. He tried again in 1933 but was doomed again to serve out his life term.

After the Botkins conviction, Mrs. Bullock returned home to her grandfather's farm near Buckland, Ohio. Her other sons had been housed in the Children's Home, and it was unclear whether she was allowed to take them with her.

Joshua Botkins was buried as a prisoner in the State Old Insane and Penal Cemetery in Columbus. 

Dianne Kline, Researcher