Margaret Jane Moore Waltenberger, George I. Grover, and Francis A. C. Parker

 From  Early Pioneers of Northwest Ohio, a collection of obituaries from the early 1900s, found in all the Defiance Public Library collections.

"Margaret Jane Moore Waltenberger

Margaret Jane Moore was born near Dublin, Ireland, June 6, 1840.  When about 9 years old, she came to America, the family settling first in Medina county, Ohio, but not long after coming to Defiance county, and locating a couple miles south of Hicksville.

On June 1, 1862, she was married to J. J. Waltenberger, who died in May, 1902.  To them were born three sons, Frank, Cyrus and John, and one daughter, Mrs. Clara Gorrell.

About 14 years ago, Mr. and Mrs. Waltenberger came to Hicksville to live.  They both united with the Presbyterian church shortly after.  When the husband died, Mrs. Waltenberger went to reside with her daughter, Mrs. Gorrell, six miles southwest of Hicksville, where after several years of patient suffering, she fell asleep April 5, 1909, aged 68 years, 9 months and 29 days.

A few years before she had transferred her church membership to North Scipio M. E. church.  She lived a consistent Christian life, and longed for the time to come when she might go to be with her Lord.  She leaves her four children, eight grandchildren, five brothers and three sisters. The brothers and sisters are Elliott, Henry, Thomas, John and Frank Moore, Mrs. Mary Lybarger, Mrs. Kate Hoffmeister and Miss Sarah Moore.  Mrs. Waltenberger was loved by allwho knew her and will be greatly missed by her many loved ones.

The funeral was held at the M.E. church, Hicksville, Thursday, April 8, conducted by Rev. D. F. Helms.  Burial at Forest Home."

George Isaac Gruver   (Grover)

"George Isaac, son of John L., Sr. and Harriet L. Gruver, was born in Greenfield township, Huron county, Ohio, May 3, 1882, and the same year moved with his parents to Hicksville township, Defiance county, Ohio, where he has since made his home.  After attending the local school he began work on he farm.  As a young man, he was industrious and enterprising and early showed considerable business ability.  Up until the time of his sickness, he was a strong, ambitious boy and one of his great desires was to be a soldier.

When the militia was organized in Hicksville, he was one of the first to enlist and was always a steady, conscientious member until his health failed him and he was honorably discharged on December 3, 1908.  At this time a very severe trouble manifested itself in the form of a tubercular disease of the back and right thigh bone. Since then he was a great sufferer and underwent a number of severe operations.  The disease is rarely curable but his condition had so far improved during the winter that here was some hope of a favorable result.  But these hopes were not to be realized.

He died at his home on March 16, 1911, after a long and lingering illness, at the age of 28years, 10 months, and 13 days.  He leaves to mourn their loss, a father, mother, two sisters, five brothers and a host of friends. One sister preceded him to the better world.  He was always very patient in his four years of suffering, a kind and obedient son, a loving brothers, and kind to his fellow men.  Only those who constantly attended him can appreciate how patient and hopeful George has been.  Funeral services were conducted at his home Monday at one o'clock p.m. by Rev. Dunnigan of Cecil.  Interment at Forest Home."

Francis A. C. Parker

"Francis A. C. Parker, was born in Preble county, December 22, 1831. When only a few years old, he, with his parents moved to Allen county, Ind.

He was twice married, first to Jane Arney  to whom two children were born.  His second marriage was to Elvina Madden in 1864, to which union eight children were born, three of these preceded him in death.

 

He, with his family, came to Hicksville twenty-one years ago where he continued to reside until last Saturday evening when death took him at the age of 74 years, 11 months and 25 days.

He enlisted as a soldier in the civil war in company H 91st Indiana infantry in 1863 and served until the close of the war.  He became a member of the Hicksville United Brethern church in 1889 under the pastoral labors of Rev. A. E. Goff, which relationships continued until death.  There remain as near relatives of the deceased, his wife, seven children, one brother, one sister, sixteen grandchildren and one great grandchild.  The names of the surviving children are: Mrs. Sam Comparette, Mrs. Bruce Crowl, Bert Parker, Mrs. Merton Greenwalt, Miss Harriet Parker, John Parker, and Mrs. Scott Filberry.

His funeral service was conducted in the U.B. church by the pastor, Rev. J. F. Miller, Monday afternoon at 2 o'clock."

                                                          

Franklin Lloyd - Civil War Soldier in Farmer Cemetery

 

Franklin Lloyd was a Vermont native, born on January 17, 1844, to David Lloyd and Emily Phillips.  He was in Ohio with his family by the 1860 census of Centre Township, Williams County.  David, a farmer, with real estate worth $1000, was enumerated with his wife, Emily, and children Mary, 19; Frank, 15; Alice 3; and Emma, 1.  The youngest two children were born in Ohio.  Martin Lloyd, the grandfather, born Massachusetts, 79, also resided there.

A very young Frank Lloyd enlisted in the 86th Ohio Volunteer Infantry, Company E when it reorganized at Camp Cleveland on July 17, 1863, for six months service.  The company traveled to Zanesville, Ohio and then on to Eagle Point to intercept John Hunt Morgan.  There they skirmished for four days, capturing his command.  Morgan was on a mission to raid Indiana and Ohio and had taken thousands of prisoners along the way.  At the interception, he lost much of his regiment, but he escaped.

Company E then moved into Kentucky, around the Cumberland Gap, where they garrisoned until January, 1864, before moving back to Cleveland. Thirty-one men of the company were lost to disease. Frank was discharged on February 10, 1864.

According to Defiance County Marriage Records, Frank married Mary Bell Wolford on January 27, 1872. The couple settled in Centre Township, Williams County.  The 1880 census named Frank Lloyd, 35, a farmer, with a checkmark on maimed, crippled or bedridden.  Perhaps this indicated a war injury, but not enough to keep him from his farm work.  Mary was 24 in this census, and the couple had two children: Clara B., 7, and William H.,3.  Later, in 1883, son Martin M., was born.

Frank lost his discharge papers as reported in the 1890 veterans' census, so no information other than his name, was included on the census.  By 1900, Frank and Mary Bell, now married 28 years, were located in Farmer, Defiance County. Frank, 55, now described himself as a landlord, and he owned his farm free of mortgage.  Mary was 43. Son, Martin, the youngest, lived with Thomas and Henrietta Richardson, as a servant/farm laborer, while the other son, William H. worked as a farm laborer for George S. and Cora Richardson in the Farmer, Ohio area. Daughter, Clara, had married Irvin Graham; they would divorce in 1906, having two children.  

Defiance Weekly Express, January 26, 1906, p. 9 - "A divorce has been granted Irvin H. Graham from Clara B. Graham and the care and custody of their children, although defendant may visit them on certain specified occasions.The grounds forgranting the separation are gross neglect of duty."

Frank died on January 17, 1900.  His wife, Mary Bell, lived until August, 1949.

By that time, she had settled in Edgerton, Ohio.  In the 1930 census, Mary, then 72, lived in Edgerton with sons, William,52, a carpenter, and Martin M., 47, an independent well driller, both single.  In 1933, William died, followed by Martin in 1940. 

 Clara lived until 1951, having remarried to Jacob Bangard.  

Defiance Crescent-News, July 21, 1951, p. 3 - "Clara B. Bangard.  Edgerton, July 21 - Mrs. Clara B. Bangard, 77, widow of Jacob Bangard, died Friday evening at the Meagley sanitarium in Hicksville, where she had been a patient for seven weeks. She had been in failing health fifteen months.

Surviving are a son, Walter Graham, rt. 2, Hicksville, and a daughter, Mrs. Viola Cosper, Butler, Ind.  There are two grandchildren and five great grandchildren.

Mrs. Bangard was born in Defiance county Oct.13,1873. With her first husband, Irvin Graham, she lived in Farmer Tp.

The body, now at Krill funeral home in Edgerton, will be taken to the residence in Edgerton this afternoon.  Monday, the body will be returned to the funeral home for services at 2:30 p.m. in charge of Rev. Ralph C. Tucker, Methodist pastor.  Burial will take place at Maple Grove cemetery."

The Frank Lloyd family, except Clara, are all buried in Farmer Cemetery.

Who Remembers the Funnel Inn in Mark Center, Ohio? Part 2

 

The Defiance Crescent

November 4, 1968, p. 13

On the right, Deputy Sheriff 

Tom Mick points to a hole in the

wall caused by a shot fired by

Kelly Hayes, owner of the 

Funnel Inn.

It was in the wee hours of a Sunday morning when Robert A. Heffley and another patron, William Temple, argued over the ownership of a quarter which had fallen on the floor as they attempted to pay for some beer.  Eventually Heffley allegedly knocked the other patron down and owner, Kelly Hayes attempted to stop the fight.  In the struggle, Hayes was stabbed.

"He (Hayes) then went from the rear dance floor to the kitchen area in the front of the building and picked up a gun. Returning to the scene of the fight, Hayes ordered Heffley to put down the knife and allegedly shot when the Indiana youth refused to drop it," the Crescent reported.

Hayes and Heffley, 19, were both taken to Parkview Hospital, Heffley having received a bullet wound in the upper right arm. 

And then, in September, 1969, James Gamble, 31, had his

throat cut, allegedly by an unknown assailant about midnight

at the Paradise Palms (aka Funnel Inn).  Gamble was attacked

by a man wielding what appeared to be a straight razor.  After

being cut, Gamble allegedly assaulted Trebor Vaughn,

 Paulding, with a beer bottle. Both men ended up in the 

hospital.

By this time, the Funnel Inn was under the ownership of the Northwest Tavern Company and Ralph Harvey was managing the tavern.  The name change to Paradise Palms came with the new ownership.

And then an era closed at the end of January, 1970, when the tavern building and all its contents were decimated by a fire; the loss was estimated at $15,000.

An employee had closed the tavern at midnight on a Monday night and the fire was discovered at 2:10 a.m. by a neighbor, Mrs. Wonderly, who thought she saw flames through the bar's windows.  She called her son, Forrest, who called the Hicksville fire department.  The thought was that the fire started in the kitchen.