John Scheuerman - G.A.R., Bishop Post

An immigrant from Hesse-Darmstadt, Germany, John Scheuerman took up arms for his new country on May 27, 1861, when he was 24 years old.  He enlisted into Company K, 9th Ohio Volunteer Infantry and eventually made sergeant.  Although he served 3 years, 2 months and 22 days, according to his reporting on the 1890 Veterans Census, part of that time was spent in the hospital recovering from a serious injury.  

The report of Dr. Israel Moses, surgeon in the U.S. Army, concerning injuries sustained in the Chickamauga campaign, mentioned James Scheuerman as one of the cases handled.  (War of the Rebellion, Volume XXX)

Dr. Moses reported, in part:

"Private J. Scheuermann, Co. K, 9th Ohio, aged 28 years, was wounded at Chickamauga, September 19, 1863, and admitted to the field hospital of the 3d division, Fourteenth Corps, where Surgeon J. R. Arter, 31st Ohio, noted, 'Shot fracture of right thigh.'

Several weeks after the reception of the injury, the wounded man was transferred to hospital at Chatanooga, subsequently to Bridgeport, and on December 11th, to Murfreesboro, whence Assistant Surgeon G. V. Woolen, 27th Indiana, reported the case as follows:

'The ball entered the limb anteriorly, about four inches above the knee joint, passing backward and upward, fracturing the femur ...and lodging in the gluteus maximus muscle...  About three months after his admission the patient had an attack of erysipelas (bacterial infection of the skin), which subsided, but left the limb in an edematous (swollen with water) condition.  At this time, his constitutional condition had become very feeble, his appetite was wanting, and he was unable to sleep from pain in the wound, which was discharging considerable quantities of ichorous pus (contains shreds of tissue and has a fetid odor).    

It was then deemed proper to remove the limb, and amputation was performed by Assistant Surgeon J. E. Link, 21st Illinois, on March 18, 1864.  The operation was done...the ligatures were applied and chloroform was used.  The patient rallied well from the operation and immediately began to improve in general health.  In the course of a month, the stump was closed.  The patient was subsequently transferred to Washington Park Hospital, Cincinnati, mustered out of service July 14, 1864, and supplied with an artificial limb of Dr. Bly's pattern one year afterwards.  

 
 He is a pensioner and was paid September 4, 1879.  Scheuerman was living in Defiance, Defiance Co., Ohio, in 1890 and died in 1906."

 John Scheuerman married in Cincinnati Miss Maria Sandkuehler on January 30, 1866, according to a family researcher.  The family appeared in the 1880 census, living on Clinton Street in Defiance.  John, 46, was a cigar manufacturer, while Mary, his wife, 37, kept house and raised their six children, at the time: Louisa and Anna, 13; George, 9; John (Jr.), 8; Amelia, 4; and Andrew, 2.

John died on January 12, 1906 and was buried at Riverside Cemetery.  Several newspapers carried his obituary:

Defiance Daily Crescent, January 12, 1906

 

Defiance Daily Crescent, January 13, 1906

The Stave Factory in Ney

Thought to be employees of the Stave Factory in Ney, circa 1890's

Newspapers reported a stave factory in Ney as early as 1889, run by the Woods Brothers.  It was in operation until at least 1894. 

Defiance Democrat - February 7, 1889

From the Defiance County Republican Express - October 27, 1892:

"Geo. Wood has been a lifelong Democrat and is running a large stave factory at Ney, Washington township, a Democratic stronghold.  During the year, he gives employment to hundreds of men and boys and pays out thousands of dollars for timber and labor."

George Woods spoke in an interview in 1894 that he was thinking about closing the factory and moving on to where he could find cheaper lumber, but the actual closing date of the factory is not known.

On January 11, 1900, the Defiance Weekly Express reported that another factory would be replacing the stave factory.

"New factory.  The Decatur, Ind. Egg Crate company has recently established a crate mill and stave factory on the grounds of the old Woods stave factory at Ney.  The new company has bought the ground on which the mill is located as well as many acres of timber land in the vicinity."

The stave factory was located on the west side of the railroad tracks to the south.  (1890 plat map)

 

George L. Brown - Civil War Soldier Buried in Farmer Cemetery

George L. Brown, a wagon maker, lived in Farmer Township with his wife, Mary, and children, Lovina and Marietta, according to the 1860 census.  Three years later, he enlisted on November 2, 1863 into Company F, 111th Ohio Infantry as a Private.

On the 16th of November, 1863, he was captured at Lenoir, Tennessee, and sent to the notorious prison in Andersonville, Georgia.  There he survived about nine months, until his death on August 19, 1864 at 44 years old.  The official record from Andersonville noted that he died of scorbutus, which is similar to scurvy.  It is caused by a lack of Vitamin C and results in the loss of teeth, anemia, edema and other medical issues.  

 

The Andersonville records also stated that George was buried in Grave 6152 in the National Cemetery there. That cemetery was for those who died as Prisoners of War, over 12,000 men.  

 

The engraving on the George L. Brown stone in Farmer Cemetery begins with "In Memory Of...," a tribute but perhaps not the actual burial place.

W. P. A. Cemetery Survery - Forest Home Cemetery, Hicksville Village

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

Forest Home Cemetery

 1. Name of cemetery:
Forest Home Cemetery, the city graveyard of Hicksville, Ohio

2. Located at the most northwest corner of Hicksville, Ohio, on state route #193, called the Auburn Road.  This route runs into the main business district of Hicksville.  The graveyard is about one mile northwest of the business district and High Street, the main thoroughfare of the town.
3. Name and address of caretaker: (unanswered)

Photo from www.findagrave.com

4. (Description):
Forest Home Cemetery of Hicksville, Ohio, is the second largest cemetery in Defiance County, Riverside at Defiance, Ohio, being the only one larger than it.  It is divided into two parts, the older part lies on the west side of the state route and the new part across the road.

Both cemeteries are enclosed and surrounded by a six foot high evergreen hedge which is kept trimmed in box style.  There are two gates to each cemetery and winding drives through each.

The old part contains 26 acres and is well kept and shaded by all kinds of trees, oak, elm, pine, cedar, maple and others.  Much evergreen shrubbery is also planted around the drives and in between the lanes. 

The new part contains twelve acres and is not quite so shaded although green shrubbery is in perfusion.  Both the old and new are laid out in plots and owned personally by the relatives of persons buried here.  

The graveyard is municipal, is controlled by the Hicksville Village Cemetery Board and is kept up by them.  There are two stone vaults in the old part and in the center is the Soldiers' memorial, a twenty foot high stone statue erected in memory of the Civil War dead.

Photo from www.findagrave.com

There are all sorts and kinds of markers, ranging from small, white, Mosiac slabs to magnificent granite and marble tombstones.  In the new part of the cemetery, the stones are all new and all very large and costly.  I would say that many of the stones are more costly than any in the graveyard at Defiance, Ohio.  The people, especially the old timers of Hicksville, are wealthy.  Some of the lots are fixed up at probably thousand dollars cost.

5. Name and date of first burial records:
The oldest marker to be found was that of Burton Rakestraw who died in 1850; however the graveyard was not officially started until during the Civil War.  The new part was bought and added just fifteen years ago.

6. Names of important persons buried there, for what noted:
John Swilley, 1830-1882, the founder of the first Hicksville Hotel, and father of the late Amelia Bingham, noted actress is the most noted man buried there.       
The Ainsworth are the richest; their tombstone is ten foot high, four foot thick, solid marble, marker gray in color, in the new modernistic, sweeping curve styled, faced with vines in relief.

Photo from www.findagrave.com

Photo from www.findagrave.com

 Carl Hart, 1869 - 1927, world famous Girls' Band leader, whose band traveled all over Europe and played before the crowned heads of Europe in 1925, is also buried there.

Then there is W. A. Maxwell, 1847 - 1896, one time recorder of Defiance County and grandfather of Grover C. Maxwell, Defiance County's representative to Columbus, Ohio.

Enoch Farmer, 1828 - 1902, pioneer settler and co-founder of Farmer Township, Defiance County.

Edward W. Crook, 1847 - 1932, rich manufacturer of Hicksville and owner of the Crook Factory.

Isaac Boon, 1842 - 1913, well known merchant of the firm of Boon and Bevington.


 7. Markers of unusual appearance:
The Ainsworth marker mentioned before is the outstanding one in this graveyard - a huge, gray, marble marker, ten foot high and four foot thick and wide.  It is made in the new modernistic, sweeping style effect.

Also the high pedestal marker of John Swilley stands out above all the rest.  It is old and one of the first fine monuments placed in the cemetery.  There are numerous fine ones in the new part of the cemetery, all costly, and all modern, but none outstanding.

8. Unusual epitaphs:
Again, no epitaphs of oddity or note, the people of Defiance County seems not to have believed in inscriptions on their tombstones.

9. Is cemetery used for new burials?
The older part of the cemetery is sold out as far as new lots go.  Anyone owning a lot can bury on it.  In the new part across the road, there is still much room and lots still to be sold.

C. Cadwallader and C. Gish, Reporters
Consultants:
Mrs. Mort Hartzler, High Street, Hicksville, Ohio
Elizabeth Johnson, Owner of Palm Hotel, Hicksville, Ohio       


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.
   

Garman School, Defiance Township, District #3

This photo from the Garman School (intersection of Walnut Grove and Watson Roads, Section 10) is undated and not labeled with names...sadly.
If any reader could help, please leave a comment!

Wilson S. Headley - Civil War Soldier Buried in Farmer Cemetery

Wilson was a member of the Farmer post.

 Born in Trumbull County, Ohio, in 1843, most of Wilson S. Headley's early life was actually spent in Newville Township, Dekalb County, Indiana.  His family was found there beginning with the 1850 census through the 1880 census.  

Before the war, in 1860, Wilson Headley was there with his parents, James and Zinzah, and brother, Allen, 15. Wilson was 17 at the time of the enumeration.  On January 11, 1864, Wilson enlisted in the 129th Indiana Volunteer Infantry, Company F.  This was probably a reenlistment.  The 129th was often in battle, beginning with Resaca and Decatur, Georgia and moving on to Utoy Creek and Alabama.  His unit suffered heavy losses in many places.  Wilson mustered out on August 29, 1865 at Charlotte, North Carolina.

Soon after arriving home, Wilson married Sarah E. Bradley of Newville, Indiana, and that's where they were enumerated by the census taker in 1870.  The couple, with their first child, Vernon,  lived with Wilson's parents.

It was 1900 before the family was found in Farmer Township, Defiance County, Ohio.  Considering the children's ages and birthplaces, it was between 1885 and 1900 that the family moved to a farm there.  Wilson, at 56, gave his occupation as gardener.  The children at home included: Vernon, 31, a house carpenter; Leo O., 20, a farm laborer; Dot M. (Mildred), 18; and Earl S., 15, a day laborer.

In 1910, Wilson was 67 and identified himself as a house carpenter, while Sarah, at 63, was a laundress for a private family.  Dot M. was still at home and she worked as a telephone operator on the switchboard. In 1915, Dot, who was single, died at the age of 33; she was buried in the Farmer Cemetery.

 Wilson was enumerated on the 1920 census at the age of 76, with Sarah, 72, and their grandson, Donald, 13.  They lived in Section 22 of Farmer Township.  Just a few months later, Wilson died on August 5, 1920.  At some point, he was admitted to the National Veterans' Home in Dayton, Ohio, and that was where he passed away.  His name appeared on their Burial Register with the notation that his "body was sent to Bryan."  From there, it went on to Farmer, Ohio, where he was buried in that cemetery.

His obituary appeared in the Bryan Democrat on August 13, 1920: 

"WILSON S. HEADLEY

William S. Headley, son of James and Emeline M. Headley, was born in Trumble county, Ohio, June 29, 1843, and departed this life at Dayton, Ohio, August 5, 1920, aged 77 years, 1 month and 9 days.

January 5, 1867, he was united in marriage to Sarah E. Bradley of Newville, Ind.  To this union were born six children, Vernon D., and James R., of Bryan, Leo D. of Metamora and Earl S. of Honolulu, H. I., Lela Maud and Dot Mildred having preceded him in death.

Besides his wife and Children, he is survived by seven grand children and many friends.

He enlisted and served nearly three years n the Civil war. At an early age,he united with the U. B. church at Newville, Ind., later transferring to the Christian church at Farmer, Ohio, where he remained a faithful member until death called him to his reward."

 

The Old Mark Center School, Mark Township, 1910

Many people do not realize that the little town of Mark Center that we know today was not always in that place.  The "old" Mark Center was located at the intersection of State Route 18 and Farmer-Mark Road in Sections 15,16,21 and 22 of Mark Township.  That was considered to be the geographic center of the township.  
The school house was a two story frame building that sat where now a propane gas station is.  The bottom floor was used for the elementary and the second floor for the high school.  The school did not stand alone - around it were a blacksmith shop, a grocery, a saloon, and other shops and houses.  This school was in use until 1922, when it was replaced by the brick building which was once known as the Mark Center School until it was sold.  The old school building then became a home/grocery store/ gas station until it burned around 1970.  It was the last building standing in OLD Mark Center.

Names on the back of the photo were numbered, but do not seem to label the faces in the photo.

Harold Walker, Teacher, 1910

1. Pauline Routsong

2. Marguerite Wagner

3. Lois Perry

4. Cleo Gessinger

5. Doris Courtnay

6. Maxine Routsong

7. Mildred Swaysgood

8. Opal Rohn

9. Blanche Slough

10. Carmine (?) Wheeler

11. Emma Perry

12. Asa Ensign

13. Laota Haver

14. Wanda Ensign

15. Anna Margaret Hertie

16. Audra Gilliam

17. Naoma Lovejoy

18. Gladys Perry

19. Jennie Geissinger

20. Gladys Cumming (?)

21. Blanchie Smith

22. John Arend

23. Norla (?) Arend

Numbers 23 - 28 Names on the corner were torn off/ missing

29. Harry Slough

30. Harry Haver

31. Philip Hertel

32. Clearance McCavit

33. Raymond Breininger

34. Harold Slough

35. Guy (?) Harador

36. Ford Locy

37. Charlie Arend

38. Francis Heckman

39. Bernard Arend

40. John Gillian

41. Ruth Lovejoy

W. P. A. Cemetery Survey - Hale (Wellman) Cemetery, Highland 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

Hale Cemetery

1. Name of Cemetery:

The old Hale Cemetery in Highland Township on the W. H. Hale Farm in section #17, Defiance County

2. Location, how reached:

Located four miles south and one and one half miles east of the City of Defiance in section #17, Highland Township.  Reached by going south from Defiance City Limits four miles, turning east and going one mile, then south for one half mile.  The graveyard lies on the west side of the road here about twenty five rods back on a high hill.

3. Name and address of caretaker:

The Hales keep the cemetery up, however the township built a new fence around it a year ago.  W. H. Hale's address is R. R. #8, Defiance, Ohio

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

A pleasant grove of trees, of about an acre, situated on a hill, a ravine on two sides well shaded and well drained, fenced and locked gates, however there is no driveway.  It has several new modern stone and granite markers erected in recent years and is not so badly kept up for a graveyard not in use.  It is not, however, well known, and is now a private cemetery as all the lots and plots are taken and no new ground left for others.  At one time it was a Baptist Church cemetery.  Several colored persons are buried in it.

5. Name and date of first burial recorded:

The oldest grave is that of Fannie Wellman who died in 1856.

6. Names of important persons buried there:

All old Highland Township settlers, Wellmans, Jacksons and Coopers.

7. Markers of unusual appearance:

Most of the markers are of granite of the heavy type, none of any note.

8. Unusual epitaphs: None

9. Is cemetery used for new burials?

This cemetery has not been used since 1900 when William Cooper was buried; however, there are some stones recently erected without the date of death yet recorded.  I am told these are relatives of some now resting here who wish to be buried here; otherwise the cemetery is closed.