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!)