Winners of the Crescent-News Diamond Contest - December 29, 1908

It certainly was a race to follow as the women of Defiance County vied for prizes of diamond rings and watches given out by the Crescent-News.  All they had to do was garner votes from family and friends.  Voting ballots appeared in the newspaper every day.  If they wanted extra points, any new subscriptions to the paper gave them that.

Over $500 worth of prizes was offered by the Crescent to the top vote-getters.
The overall winner was Miss Edith Kopp of Defiance with 178,949 votes.  Miss Goldie Rethmel gained 131,000, Miss Tena Wilsberg of Washington Street, Defiance had 127,542 and Miss Della Kyle, Hicksville tallied 169,851. 

Florence Stoll of Second Street, Defiance; Godie Deatrick of Kintner Street; Dessie Lichty of Ney; and Celia Snyder of Evansport completed the winners' list.

Other participants were:

Miss Mabel Daoust, 202 Jackson Street, Defiance
Miss Mabel Elser, Wayne Street, Defiance
Miss Verona Reineke, 828 Wayne Street, Defiance
Miss Lettie Seibel, Perry Street, Defiance

Miss Ora Stripe, RFD 1, Ney
Miss Clara Johns, Sherwood
Miss Madge Reynolds, Ney
Miss Dessie Lichty, Ney

Miss Rose Bequillard, Hicksville
Miss Iva Slough, The Bend
Miss Laverne Hart, Hicksville
Miss Madge Donley, Farmer

Miss Audre Hoover, Sherwood
Miss Charlotte Fronk, RFD 4, Defiance (?)
Miss Mamie Hammond, Jewell
Mrs. Zeigler, Ayersville

Miss Rose McCauley, South Richland
Miss Blanche Cameron, North Richland

Peter Gilts - Bishop Post, G.A.R.

Peter Gilts grew up in a large family with his parents, Lawrence and Martha Gilts.  In 1850, the farming family was settled in Auglaize Township, Paulding County, Ohio.  Peter was 11 at the time (born in August, 1838, according to one census), and he had three older siblings: Jacob, Mariah and Susan.  Five siblings were younger: Abram, Katharine, Daniel, Elizabeth, and Isaac.  His father's real estate holdings were valued at $200, so it was not a wealthy family.








By 1860, Peter, 20, was off on his own, working as a farm laborer on the farm of Philip and Margaret Holtzel.  Peter's brother, Abraham, worked a few farms down for John Sanford in Highland Township, Defiance County.  Peter was 22 when he was moved to enlist into Company B, 68th Ohio Infantry in December, 1861.  He served throughout the entire war in Mississippi (Vicksburg), and on to Georgia and the Kenesaw Mountain and Atlanta campaigns.  At Vicksburg, the unit furnished many sharpshooters and was constantly in the trenches, before they were assigned to reconnaissance.  After Vicksburg, they had a short furlough home before joining General Sherman in Atlanta.  

Before the Atlanta campaign, maybe at Vicksburg, Peter was wounded in the jaw and shoulder, as reported in a 1915 local newspaper.  The Veterans' Census of 1890 reported a disability due to a gunshot wound; however, Peter returned to service until his mustering out on July 10, 1865, after the unit attended the Grand Review in Washington, D. C. 

Jane Scott became the wife of Peter Gilts in Paulding County on February 29, 1868.  By 1870, they were settled on a farm in Highland Township with their first child, Elizabeth, 1.  Peter had real estate worth just $50 at that time.  They went on to have other children, James and Martha and Susan, and they stayed in Highland Township until somewhere between the 1890 and 1900 censuses.

By 1900, the family was enumerated at 851 Ottoway (Ottawa) Avenue where they rented a home.  Peter was 61 and Jane, 56, and with them was their youngest daughter, Susie, 15, born in 1884.  Peter was not employed.  In 1902, the local paper noted that he had been awarded a pension increase to $12 a month.
Sadly, in 1907, their daughter, Martha Logan, wife of Albert, died in childbirth.  She was buried with the infant daughter in her arms.

Number 126, Auglaize Street, became the address of Peter and Jane Gilts sometime before 1910 - their own mortgaged home.  Their youngest daughter, Susie, (Sussie in the census) still lived at home and worked as a seamstress in the glove works.  Peter, at 71, had a job as janitor at the post office.  This was the home they would be in until Peter's death at 80 on January 15, 1920.

Defiance Crescent-News, January 16, 1920

 
Mt. Zion Cemetery is in Putnam County, Ohio.


 




 www.findagrave.com - Mt. Zion Cemetery, Continental, Putnam, Ohio


(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!)

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

John Butler was known as the blind veteran in Defiance.  He did not work, but was active in the G.A.R. and was well known throughout the city of Defiance.


 Born in 1840 or 1841 in Coshocton, Ohio, to John Washington Butler and Sarah DeVault,  the family was in Richland Township, Defiance County, at least by 1860.  John lived with his parents at the age of 18, in 1860, along with his brother George, 27.  His father was a farmer; his real estate holdings were worth $200.







John enlisted into the 48th Ohio Volunteer Infantry, Company F, in December, 1861.  The Official Roster of the Soldiers of the State of Ohio noted that he 
"transferred from Company E, 83d O. V. I. to Company D, 48th Battalion July 24, 1865.  Mustered out August 31, 1865, at Houston, Texas on Surgeon's certificate of disability."  In the 1890 Veterans Census, John noted that his disability was a loss of eyesight.  No record has been found as to the cause of his blindness.

As he really could not support himself, John lived with his parents in Richland Township for many years. He was enumerated with them on the census in both 1870 and 1880.  In 1880, a granddaughter, Georgianna Harris, lived with them to help with housekeeping.

In 1886, when John was in his forties, he married a younger Adella Bennett.
The Defiance County Express ran the announcement on October 14, 1886.

"MARRIED.  Butler - Bennett.  On October 5th, 1886 at the residence of the bride's sister, Mrs. S. M. Cameron, by Rev. J. L. Phillips, Mr. John Butler and Miss Adell Bennett, all of Defiance.  

Unfortunately, she died about nine months later on July 21, 1887.

 John's father died the next year, in 1888, and his mother in 1891.  These notes appeared in the newspapers of Defiance.

"John Butler, Sr. died Tuesday, May 8, 1888 at 4:00 in the morning at the advanced age of 82 years, 8 months, 2 days.  Deceased resided with his son, John, in 3rd ward.  Funeral on Thursday.  Services were conducted by the M. E. Church and by J. C. Phillips at 1 o'clock p.m."

"BUTLER - On Sunday evening, February 22, at the residence of her son, John Butler, Mrs. Sarah Butler, aged 81 years, of pneumonia.  The funeral occurred Tuesday afternoon at Independence, Rev. A. L. Jordan conducting the services.  The deceased was an old resident of the county and the mother of George and John Butler and Anna Harris of North Defiance."
Defiance County Express, 1891

Again alone, John married Tryphena Hughes on April 29, 1891 at the home of the bride.  They settled in at 130 East High Street.  In 1900, the census enumerator found John, 59, and Trypena, 41, with Nora Fosler, a servant.  John gave his occupation as landlord, so perhaps he was renting out his parents' place or some other property he had acquired.  

John lived until January 5, 1905, when he died and was buried in the Independence Cemetery.  His obituary appeared in the Defiance Express. 

Defiance Express - January 13, 1905

Independence Cemetery

Tryphena Hughes Butler died in 1911, and she was buried in an unmarked grave next to her husband, John.  This short obituary appeared in the Defiance Democrat on June 24, 1911.

"Mrs. Triphena Butler, who died at the Toledo State Hospital, will be brought to this city this evening and taken to the residence of B. Brickman.  Funeral services will be held Friday morning at 10 o'clock at the residence.  Burial in Independence."
 

(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!)

Scouting the Library Local History Room - County Histories

I always consider it lucky if one of the surnames I am researching is in a county history book. Some tidbit of information...or maybe more...may be just waiting to be found. Some books are online for a fee, but why not stop in at the library and see if what you need is here for free?

Defiance County has several history books available - 1883 and 1976 and an historical atlas of 1876 which has personal information on some landowners.

It's always a good idea to check the histories of adjoining counties. 

 Along with the history book, one may find other related books for that county.

Sometimes, folks from our county moved to the big city to work and ended up living there.  It just takes a minute to check the book's index.


All of these books and many more may be found in the Local History Room of our Defiance Public Library.

The Fragers Are Fighting

Peter and Sophia (nee Spangler) Frager, husband and wife, apparently got along splendidly at one time, but then came the matter of land and the relationship seemed to fall apart.  Just whose side would you take in this argument? 

From the Defiance Daily Express, October 14, 1899: 

"THE COURTS

A VERY INTERESTING SUIT HAS BEEN FILED.

Peter Frager, plaintiff, against Sophia Frager, defendant, is the title of a suit just begun in the common pleas court.

Plaintiff, in his petition, alleges that he was married to the defendant in Stark county, about the year 1842; that himself and his wife came to Defiance county in 1855, and that in the year 1857, his wife purchased forty acres of land in Milford township, and paid for the same out of the money which she received from the estate of her father.  He says that these lands were at that time unimproved, but that he proceeded to improve the same, by the erection of a house and barn, and by clearing said lands for farming purposes.

He says that in 1873, he received $425 from the estate of his father and that about that time he received this money, he purchased at Sheriff's sale forty acres of land adjoining that belonging to his wife.  He avers (states or alleges) that at the time he came to Defiance to purchase this land, he brought his son with him who did the bidding at the sale; that when the sheriff came to make out the deed, he made the deed to his son, although he, the plaintiff, paid the entire amount of the purchase money.  He claims that some time after this, the son, at the request of his mother, made a deed conveying the land to her, but he says she never paid either himself or his son or any other person anything for the land, and that while the legal title is in his wife's name, she, in fact, holds the title in trust for the plaintiff.

Plaintiff says that in January, 1898, he went to Williams county to visit his grandson where he remained until April of that year; that upon his return home,his wife refused to perform any work for him or on his behalf.  He says that for many years, he has been afflicted with rheumatism, that he is badly crippled and unable to perform manual labor; and that on account of the refusal of his wife to prepare meals for him, he was obliged to live for some time with neighbors and relatives who provided for him.  He says that not being contented with depending upon the charity of his friends and neighbors, he applied for admission to the county infirmary where he remained for some time; that not desiring to remain at the county infirmary, he again went to his old home, but that the defendant locked the doors on him, and refused to permit him to enter.

He says that he has several times tried to see his wife, the defendant, with a view of bringing about a reconciliation, but that his wife refuses to allow him to see her.  He avers that he is now about 75 years old, that he is entire penniless and depended upon the charity of his neighbors and friends for his support.  He therefore prays that the said forty acres of land purchased and paid for by him, to be decreed to be his absolutely, but that if the court for any reason is unable to make such an order, then the court will grant him such alimony as may be proper in the premises.  Winn & Hay, attorneys for the plaintiff."

The Fragers first appeared on the 1860 census of Milford Township, Defiance County with children: William, 16; Angeline, 14; and Theodore, 9.  Peter was 35 at the time and Sophia, 36.  Peter registered for the Civil War draft in 1863, but there was no evidence that he served in the war.

They continued to live in Milford Township through the 1870 and 1880 censuses. By the 1900 census, Peter, 74, was a boarder with S. Wickerham in Milford Township.  Finally on July 3, 1901, Judge Hubbard held a hearing on the alimony case where Peter sued Sophia for alimony. Really, Peter wanted 40 acres set aside for him.

The case lingered in court until January 20, 1905, when a sheriff's sale for the 40 acres of real estate was ordered  The land then was appraised at $800.  By this time, Sophia's mental health had declined so that by January 22, 1906, C. E. Stone was appointed as the guardian of Sophia Frager, imbecile.  She died in December of that year, but it took until December 7, 1908 for Samuel Fritz, her son-in-law to be appointed administrator of her estate.  Peter did not last much longer either, passing away on February 25, 1907.

It would be interesting to know more about each personality.  The news article is definitely a telling of Peter's side.  I wonder what Sophia would have to say.

And what happened to the land? On the 1870 plat map, it seems that Frager was Fraker with S. Fraker and her 40 acres next to T. Fraker - Theodore? A good search of the land records would give the Frager researcher the answer. 

O 

Three Affordable Christmas Gifts for the Historian

The Defiance County Genealogical Society has three great local history books to offer this year!  All are priced well for wonderful Christmas gifts.

1
Two Civil War diaries kept by soldier, 
Darius Baird, were discovered by the late
David Bennett.  After reading them, the society
thought them well worth printing to give
a common, Ohio soldier's look at daily life during the war.

Some of the 1863 diary was missing, but otherwise 1861 - 1864 was covered well. 

ONLY $10.00  (includes shipping and tax)






2  

 This book was published for the Bicentennial of the War of 1812.  It tells the story of the men who volunteered in our militias and armies in Kentucky and Ohio.  Maps are included so one can drive the routes the soldiers once walked.
Also marked are the three historical markers for 1812 already placed in Defiance County.

"The Campaigns of the Army of the Northwest" was dedicated to the memory of the men who served their country during the War of 1812 - those who died during service, many placed in unmarked graves scattered along the campaign routes and battle sites.

ONLY $10.00 (includes shipping and tax)




 3

Our newest book celebrates Fort Defiance on its
225th anniversary in 2019.  It consists of a 
collection of short stories concerning the 
construction and use of the fort.  Anthony Wayne ordered a fort to be built at the confluence of the Maumee and Auglaize rivers on August 8, 1794.

Many of the stories come from previously
overlooked sources - journals of the period and
Indian war related materials from the 1820s 
to the early 1900s.

A few subjects covered - 
Anthony Wayne's weapons, the Grand 
Emporium, What's in the name Defiance, and
the abandonment of the fort

ONLY $8.00 (includes shipping and tax)

 **To purchase any or all of these books, send your order with a check of the appropriate amount and your name and address to:

Defiance County Genealogical Society
PO Box 7006
Defiance, OH 43512

If you wish the book/s to be send elsewhere as a gift, please specify.


 

Turnbull Wagon Catalog - BOOK SALE

Are you stumped on what to get that local historian in your family?  

The Defiance County Genealogical Society may have the perfect gift!

 
On sale now is a reprint of a salesman's catalog for Turnbull Wagons which were built in Defiance, Ohio..  


 The catalog is full of color plates of different wagon types and tables for dimensions of the various products.

This book would have been in the salesman's kit as he traveled to sell the wagons.

These books are unique and limited in number.

One of the color plates

The price has been reduced to $15.00
 
To order, send check and order (including your address) to:

Defiance County Genealogical Society
PO Box 7006
Defiance, OH 43512

(Postage and tax already included.) 

(Original price $21.50)

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

Born in Harrisburg, Pennsylvania on September 9, 1845, to his parents, John and Barbara (Stricker) Zook, John (Jr.) and his sister, Mary, appeared on the 1860 census of Defiance - without their parents.  They were instead living with J. Wisemantel, 40, and his wife Rosella, 31, and their family.  The reason the children were here has not been established, nor has it been discovered if there was a relationship between them and the Wisemantels.  John Zook was 14 at this time and Mary was 7.  Wisemantel was a merchant/ tailor, born in Bavaria, with three children. Also living with the Wisemantels were John Hengsteter, 23, merchant/tailor; Joseph Haller, 23, carpenter, and Louisa Jantry, 17, servant.




On January 13, 1864, John Zook enlisted into the 68th Ohio Infantry, Company G, as a private.  He served for five months and 26 days, as he reported on the veterans census in 1890, and was discharged on July 10, 1865, with no disabilities.

Elizabeth Luckas (Lucas) became his wife on April 22, 1867, in Defiance.  Defiance Township was their home in 1870; John, 23, worked as a day laborer, and Elizabeth, 22, kept house.

Marriage record for John and Elizabeth Zook

John worked in a saloon, as reported in the 1880 census.  His age was given as 31, while Elizabeth was 28, which does not quite fit with the previous census.  (Perhaps they were not the reporters to the census enumerators.)  Frank S. Gerber lived with the Zooks as a boarder and he worked as a clerk in the saloon.  They all lived at 308 Warren Road, Defiance. 

By 1900, the Zooks had moved into Defiance to 204 Auglaize St.  John was a weaver, working six months of the year, he reported, and they owned their home, free and clear.  In just a short while, Elizabeth Zook passed away on April 28, 1905.
The couple never had any children.

The Defiance Express reported on April 28, 1905:

DEATH CAME SUDDENLY

MRS. JOHN ZOOK DIED IN THIS CITY THURSDAY.

Mrs. Elizabeth Zook, wife of John Zook, the carpet weaver, died at her home on Auglaize Avenue in this city Thursday evening, shortly after 8 o'clock.

Death came suddenly and without warning while she sat in her home in the presence of several neighbors who had called upon her.  At attack of heart trouble seized her and she fell over.  A physician was summoned, but she expired a few minutes after his arrival. 

Mrs. Zook was born in this city 56 years ago on the first of January.  Her name previous to marriage was Lucas.  In April, 1867, she was united in marriage to John Zook.  No children were born to them.  The deceased was a devoted member of St. Mary's Catholic church, and there, Monday morning at 9 o'clock, the funeral will be held, Rev. Doherty officiating.

Mrs. Zook was a member of the WVRU and the Ladies Altar Society of her church.  One sister survives her, Mrs. John Bremen of Lima."

Strangely, her husband, John, was not mentioned in Elizabeth's obituary, although the census indicated they were living together.

Five months later, on September 9, 1905, John married Susie Compo, a former neighbor, now divorced from Camili Compo (Compeau).  In 1900, prior to the divorce, the Compos had been married 28 years and lived on Main Street in Defiance. 

  

 One Sandusky paper noted that John was given a 30 day leave to Defiance from Cottage A of the Soldiers' Home on October 19, 1905, just a few weeks after his second marriage.  Perhaps he needed to settle his first wife's estate and sell their home because he and his second wife then moved to Sandusky. According to the Home's records, John Zook was admitted on July 17, 1905, with chronic diarrhea.  The records also noted that he received $12 a month pension, was a weaver, and had no family living.  He named Catherine A. Gorman, (his sister), 507 Jackson Street, Defiance, as the person to contact regarding his welfare.  

By the time the 1910 census enumerator rolled around in 1910, John, 64, and Susie, 53, lived on Foose Avenue, Perkins Township, Erie County, Ohio.  One source mentioned Homeville as the residence.  The Zooks had Blanch Campion (Compo), John's step-granddaugher , 17, living with them.  She worked as a laundress for a private family - perhaps the Zooks, themselves.  Susie reported that she had eight children and all were living.

Susie lived alone in 1920 and reported herself as married.  The guess is that John was admitted and back into the Home where he died on November 14, 1923, of a cerebral hemorhage.

Sandusky Star Journal, November 14, 1923

 

Sandusky Daily Register, November, 15, 1923

 The Defiance Crescent News reported that John, a former resident of the city and a brother to Mrs. M. B. Gorman, would be brought back to Defiance for burial.

Susie Zook placed a notice in the newspaper thanking the local G.A.R. "for their kind assistance in the burial of Mr. Zook."

It could be assumed that John Zook was buried next to his first wife, Elizabeth, in Riverside Cemetery.  A stone was erected for Elizabeth Zook and was recorded by our genealogy society back in the 1970s, but none existed for John.

Riverside Cemtery, Defiance, Ohio

(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!)

Defiance Eagles Drill Team

For many years, Lloyd V. Tuttle contributed historic photos and information to the Defiance Crescent-News for his column, "A Backward Glance."

In this undated clipping, the 372 Eagles First Drill Team of Defiance, started in 1940, was shown.
The photo was submitted by Jim Miller of Defiance.

"Shown here are, front row, from left - Capt. Julian Feeney (deceased), Lewis Frysinger, President Tony Mosier (deceased) Howard Schultz and Jim Miller.

Second row, Carl Moore, Raymond Miller, John Williamson Jr., George Gibler, Emory Miller, Walter Wismantle, Cliff Christy, Warren Parks (deceased) and Bernard Sigg"

James M. Bacon - Bishop Post, G.A.R.

Although James M. Bacon probably spent fewer than ten years in Defiance, he was active in business and the G.A.R. during that time.
Born in Ohio around 1846 (one source gave the date as May 10), he and his family were first found in the census of 1850 in Vermillion, Erie County, Ohio.  Father, James, and mother, Angeline, had little Myron, 4 (James Myron), and Harris, 1. 

By 1860, the family moved to Liberty Township, Marshall County, Iowa, where his father farmed.  James was still called  "Myron," aged 13, followed by Harriet (Harris?), 11; Clara, 8; Cyntha, 7; and Estelle, 5.  All of the children were born in Ohio, suggesting that the move to Iowa happened in the previous five years.
James Myron worked on his father's farm.

 
James M. Bacon enlisted in the 9th Iowa Cavalry on August 13, 1863.  The Official Roster of Soldiers noted that he was 18 at enlistment, resided in Webster City, Iowa, and was born in Ohio. Surprisingly, it also revealed that James had deserted on July 17, 1865, in Codron Ferry, Arkansas.  How and why would this happen?  In the later days of the war, the mountainous region of Arkansas was known as one of the most lawless areas and so Federal troops were stationed there to keep order.  Many volunteer soldiers resented this duty, feeling that their duty was fulfilled in winning the war, and that the government now needed to send in new regular army men, so that the volunteers could go home.

According to iagenweb.org, "...While they were given the assurance that this would be done as soon as possible, the men were impatient, and a spirit of insubordination was manifested on the part of some of them.  Quite a number of desertions had occurred.  The necessity for the strictest enforcement of discipline became apparent, and the officers and better element among the enlisted men asserted themselves so effectually good discipline was restored."

This feeling of discontent was not more prominent in the Ninth Iowa Cavalry than in any of the other regiments from Iowa...The men soon came to appreciate the necessity of the situation, and settled into a feeling of patient waiting for the time when their services would no longer be required and they would be honorably discharged.

John M. Bacon was in Defiance in 1890, and enumerated on the Veterans Census there.  He reported that he was discharged on July 18, 1865, almost the same date as the supposed desertion.  However, his pension card did not mention any desertion and noted that he and his widow, eventually, did receive a pension.

 After the war, James M. returned to his parents' farm in Liberty Township, Marshall County, Iowa, where they were enumerated for the census in 1870. His father was 50 and farming, and his mother, Angeline, had seven children at home.  James - 24, Harris - 21, and Clark - 19 worked on the home farm.  They were joined by Cynthea - 17, Fanny - 15, Charles - 9, and Merta (Marta?) - 4.  All of the children were born in Ohio except for Charles and Merta, suggesting a move about 1861 from Ohio back to Iowa.

In 1880, James was off on his own at age 34, living in Salem Township, Ottawa County, Ohio.  He was a boarder with Charles and Mary Wheeler, working as a farm laborer there. He married Sophia Hendman, age 32, a teacher, on September 10, 1883, in Sturgis, St. Joseph, Michigan.   A Justice of the Peace married the 37 year old James and Sophia.

The Defiance Democrat of March 13, 1884, reported that "J. M. Bacon, of Ligoneer, Ind., has moved to Defiance and will engage in the carpet weaving, dying and coloring business.  He is at present located on Holgate Avenue." 
 How was business?  It was hard to know.  

The Defiance Democrat of April 7, 1887, stated:
"J. M. Bacon has reopened his carpet weaving establishment on Warren Road near the B & O depot, and is better prepared than ever to do good work.  Give him a call."

He was here for the 1890 Veterans' Census, reporting the same dates of enlistment and discharge as other sources.  In the Defiance County Republican Express of November 19, 1891, this news was given:
"Mr. J. M. Bacon, who had been residing in Sandusky County the past summer, has returned to Defiance to spend the winter."

By 1900, James and Sophia were settled in Hyde Park Township, Ward 33, Chicago, Illinois.  Married 18 years, James, 54, and Sophia, 49, rented a home there, and James worked as a paper hanger.  This census revealed that James and Sophia had had two children, and neither survived.  

 A move to Ward 5, Chicago was presented in the 1910 census.  James worked as a self-employed painter and Sophia, 59, worked as a postmistress.  On December 25, 1911, James passed away and he was buried at the Oak Hill Cemetery, Hammond, Lake County, Indiana.

www.findagrave.com

(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!)

Scouting the Library Local History Room - Find #2

#2  RECORDS OF THE

MORRIS BROTHERS FUNERAL LHOME

830 SOUTH CLINTON STREET

DEFIANCE, OHIO 

1929 - 1951

(Copied by Steven Moore, 1987)

Funeral home records often provide good information for genealogists, and, of course, some are much more detailed than others. The Defiance Public Library has the records of the Morris Funeral Home for a period of 22 years.  Clarence (Bob)and H. K. Morris began their funeral home in Defiance in 1929, originally on Jefferson Street and later on Clinton, and ran it until it was sold in 1951.

Bob Morris had a heart attack in 1951, and a portion of the business was sold to Fred Stick who also took over its management. Bob worked there until 1954 when he sold out to Mr. Stick and Bob became a Northwest Ohio sales rep for the Drake Casket Company.  Poor health required him to completely retire in 1959; he died the next year.

Samples from these records (without description of casket purchased):

-Rosina W. Schatz - born June 27, 1855, died Aug.25, 1929, Rev. Albert Fisher, Reformed Church 

- Andrew Hoffman, born Oct 24. 1857, died Oct. 9, 1929, Rev. Albert Fisher, Reformed Church

- John F. Kussen, born Dec. 27, 1840, died Sept. 30, 1930, Florida M.E. Ch., Rev. Cordrey, Florida Cem.

-John H. Fenter, born April 13, 1838, died June 5, 1930, Reform Ch., Rev. Stockmeir, Reform Cem.

- Albert Dusenberg, born Nov. 2, 1866, died Feb. 26, 1930, funeral home, Rev. Strauss, Riverside Cem.

- Merrick Skiver, born June 25, 1849, died May 22, 1930, Mount Zion Ch, Rev. Hancy, Mount Zion Cem.

Scouting the DPL Local History Room, #1

Sometimes we forget that not every genealogical record is on the internet.  Libraries still hold items that have not been digitized and information that may appear only in one place.  

A stop at the Defiance Public Library Local History Room yielded a few sources that may or may not be appropriate for your research. 

#1 Unofficial Records Listed by Township Clerks: 1857 Births, Deaths and Marriages.   

A perusal of the book determined that at least 1855 and 1856 records were also included.
Examples from each section of the book:

Births -Date of birth, name of child, sex, color, born alive or dead, parents, their residence.

These were from Adams Twp, found on page 1. 1857
-Sept 7, Edwin F., boy, white, alive, David Metz and Sarah Archwartzel
- Feb. 22, Peter, male, white, alive, Peter Clemmons and Philipena Denier
-Oct. 25, unnamed, male, white, dead, Ephraim Markle and Barbary Schwan
-Feb. 5 - Walter B., male, white, alive, Waler Williams and Martha A. Williams
-Feb. 14 - George, male, white, alive, James M. Tittle and Sarah M. Dodd

 1856
-March 1 - John F. H. S., male, white, alive, John F. Schultz and Mary C. Didttmer, 

-Nov. 3 -Thomas Orin, male, white, alive, Chas. C. Perry and Ricky Spegel
-Nov. 23 - Julian, female, white, alive, Jacob T. Conkle and Elizabeth Lindsly
-Nov. 17 - Henry, male, white, alive, Christian Brandt and Martha Dorthy Thietha
-Feb. - Alexander, male, white, alive, John Berrier and Eliza Jane Mattocks

 Deaths - Date of death, age, place of death, disease/cause, sex, color, single or married, occupation, residence, place of birth, name of parents.

-May 14,1857 - Henry Hockman, 57, Tiffin Twp, Erisipelas, male, white, married, farmer, Tiffin Twp, born Germany
-Dec. 11, 1856 - Annie Rettig, 69, Tiffin Twp, consumption, female, white, married, born Germany, George and Margaret Th...
-July 11, 1856 - B. H. Kellermier, 65, Tiffin Twp, consumption, male, white, married, tailor, Tiffin, born Germany

-June 30, 1856, A. H. Kellermier, 35, Tiffin, dropsey, male, white, single,farmer, born Germany, B. H. and Jane Kellermier
-March 16, 1857 - Sarah L. Brown, 7 days ol, Tiffin, female, white, single, born Tiffin Twp, Henry and Hester Brown
-Sept. 25, 1856 - William T. Churchman, 15 months, Tiffin, flux, male, white, single, born Tiffin tp, William and Sarah

Marriages - date of marriage, names, residence of each, age of each, places of birth, which marriage, parents

-April 13, 1856 - Jeremiah Simerly, res. Decalb Co., In, age 28, born Tucarawas Co, single and Harriet Shaw, res. Defiance Co, age 18, born Harison Co., Ohio, single, parents John Shaw and Wm. and Mary Simerly.
-Dec. 4, 1856 - Nehemiah Ames, res. Defiance Co, 22, born Washington Co., Pa., single son Nehemiah and Frances and Eliza Dutterer, res. Def. Co, 17, born Trumble Co, Ohio, single, dtr. of George and Catharine Dutterer.
- Dec. 27, 1856 - John Peper, res. Def. Co, 28, born Belmont Co., Ohio, widowed/2nd marriage, son of Wm. and Marg. and Mary E. Henry, res. Def. co, 23, born Crafford Co., Ohio, single, dtr. of John and Rosan  

These records should also be in the birth, death and marriage records in the Records Center which is currently not open to the public.  One must request records from the Probate Court.  This book is a good substitute if you are interested in the specific years mentioned.  A few names were checked and the records were not online.

Jonathan Lewis - Bishop Post, G.A.R.

Jonathan Lewis spent his entire life in the Defiance County area.  Born in May, 1839, he first appeared on the 1850 census of Defiance Township with his parents, William and Elizabeth.  Elizabeth was twenty years younger than William, and it is possible this was a second marriage for William.  At that time, they had children at home: Rebecca, 16; Eliza Jane, 13; Jonathan, 11; and Eleanor E., 8.  

By 1860, Jonathan, 21, worked for a neighboring farmer, Elijah Karns, as a laborer, along with two other young men, Oliver Craft and William Lewis, Jr.  






 In 1861, he enlisted for three months into Company E, 21st Ohio Infantry, where he served from April 20, 1861 - August 12, 1861. He was discharged at Columbus, Ohio.  He then went into Company B, 68th Regiment, Ohio, for a three year term. Led by Sidney Sprague, this unit served mostly in Mississippi and Georgia, seeing the Battle of Vicksburg and the Atlanta Campaign.  In 1864, Jonathan was discharged on a surgeon's note.  More details could be discovered by ordering his pension record. 

After his first discharge, when he was probably on a leave home, he married Anna Long on November 21, 1861, in Defiance.

By 1870, the couple were settled into a home in Defiance Township where Jonathan worked as a day laborer.  He and Anna had two little girls, Mary, who was 4, and Ellen who was two.  There they lived for another ten years at least, adding John, Henry, and William to the clan.

A May, 1894 newspaper account noted that the Lewis home had suffered from fire for the third time.  How discouraging!

A home at 108 Auglaize Street had called to them by 1900 and into town they went where Jonathan continued to work at the age of 61, according to the 1900 census.  Anna reported that she had had eleven children, but only seven were living, four of those still at home.  In 1900, Henry, 26, single, lived there and worked as a day laborer, along with his younger brother, Benny, 16, a day laborer.  Two sisters were also at home - Hattie, 19, worked as a typesetter at the printing office, and the youngest, Mabel, 12, was still in school

By 1910, Jonathan, 70 years old, and Anna, 64,  had been married for 48 years.  Hattie, 27, still a typesetter and Mabel, 23, now a stenographer in a lawyer's office, and Benny F, 25, a gas fitter for a plumbing shop, were home to help them.  

But it was not long before Jonathan J. Lewis would die on April 24, 1916.  He was not quite 76 years old.

Defiance Crescent-News, April 24, 1916

 Tragedy struck the family just before Christmas in 1927 when son, Jonathan J. Lewis, Jr. died in Tennessee while working for the railroad.  This incident was mentioned a few years later in his mother's obituary as a turning point in her health.  It appeared that Anna was not well enough to attend the funeral in Illinois.

Defiance Crescent-News, December 23 and December 24, 1927

Just a few years later, Anna Long Lewis, passed away.  Her obituary appeared in the Defiance Crescent-News on April 5, 1929.

Defiance Crescent-News, April 5, 1929

 Their burial place could not be located at this time, but it could be at Riverside.

(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!)