From the Marckel Scrapbook - Thomas Elliott and Calvin A. VanWagner

 

From the scrapbook of Doris E. Marckel Bates of Defiance, Ohio.

Date on the cover - March the 11th, 1906

A collection of newspaper articles about the folks of Defiance County, Ohio, all undated and with no source named.

"THOMAS ELLIOTT. 

Thomas Elliott, better known as 'Grandpa Tom Elliott,' a well known resident and pioneer of Defiance county, died Tuesday morning about 11 o'clock at his home one mile and a half east of the city on the river road, after a lingering illness of some months with old age.

The deceased was born May 1, 1822, in Coshocton county.  His school days were spent in that locality.  In 1840, he came to Richland township and settled there.  He married Miss May Williams of Holmes county, February 20, 1842.  His family consists of James, Matthew and Sarah (twins, Lany, Fanny, Hester, George, Thomas C., Hannah and May.  Of these, Hester, George, Hannah and May are dead.  Matthew and James live in Richland township.  They were in the late Rebellion.  Sarah married John W. Robinson and lives in Hardin county.

When the deceased settled in North Richland township in 1840, there were but a few settlers.  At the time, there was no one living between his place and Bean Creek, his neighbors all living down the Maumee River.  He cleared up his many acres by hard toil, having at one time 1,140 acres, which he gave to his children, reserving nothing for himself, but the homestead in which he died, the place being surrounded by 160 acres.  His wife died about six years ago.

The funeral occurred Friday afternoon at 1:30 from the M.E. church at Independence.  The remains were interred there."

A different obituary appeared in the Defiance Express on Saturday, February 7, 1903 which provided some additional information. This was not in the Markle scrapbook

"Thomas Elliott was born of Irish parentage in Coshocton county, Ohio, May 1st, 1821, and died in Defiance county, O. Feb. 3, 1903, aged 81 years, 9 months and 2 days.

He was married to Mary Williams, daughter of Matthew Williams of Holmes county, O.  Feb. 20, 1842, who preceded her to the future world April 16, 1896.

To this union were born ten children, namely, James, Matthew, Sarah, Hannah, Hester, George, Magdalena, Frances, Mame and Thomas, of whom Matthew, Frances and Thomas survive.

There were twenty-four grandchildren and thirteen great-grandchildren.

Mr. Elliott was one of the early pioneers of northwestern Ohio, having moved to Richland township, Defiance county in 1843, where by hard work and frugal habits, he acquired a competence to sustain him in his declining years and was widely known and highly respected by all who made his acquaintance.

He joined the Methodist Episcopal church about 1859, under the ministry of Rev. Lindsay and remained a faithful christian to the end and will be remembered by all as an honest and upright man."

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CALVIN A. VAN WAGNER

 In 1900, Calvin Van Wagner was a resident of Springfield Township, Williams County, at the age of 32.  He rented a farmer and also worked as a carpenter.  He lived with his wife Phoebe isabelle (nee' Christy) and seven children: Eunice, Robert, Bertha, Melvin, Glen, Mary and an adopted child, Andrew Stork.  Apparently, by the time of his death, he had moved to Defiance County, close to the Children's Home.  He evidently fell on hard times which led him to drink and die tragically in 1907.  His obituary was found in the Markle scrapbook:

"CALVIN A. VAN WAGNER.  

BLEW OUT HIS BRAINS.  CALVIN VAN WAGNER, A FARMER, ENDS LIFE WITH A PISTOL.  IN THE PRESENCE OF HIS FAMILY, THE RASH ACT WAS COMMITTED - DESPONDENCY, THE CAUSE.

In the presence of his family and one of the owners of the farm on which he resided and in his own home, Calvin A. VanWagner, who resided on mile west of the Children's Home, intoxicated from the abuse of liquor while in the city during the day, took his own life Thursday evening at 6:30 by pressing the barrel of a revolver to his temple and blowing out his brains.  Despondency is thought to have been the cause of the rash act.

Entering the house on his return from spending the day in Defiance, the drink crazed man said to Mr. Davidson of Henry county, who is interested in the farm and who was at the house on business, 'Tonight I'm going to kill myself."  Mr. Davidson, thinking it simply a threat caused by the man's condition, paid little attention to the threat.  As he insisted on it, however, the visitor argued with him to the effect that he was talking in a foolish manner.  In a moment, the demented man had leaped to the center of the room, pulled a revolver and, before anyone could interfere, fired the bullet into his brain.

VanWagner had driven to Defiance with a daughter, early in the morning.  About the middle of the morning the daughter, having an opportunity to ride home with a neighbor, had availed herself of it.  The man remained in town until late in the afternoon, drinking to excess throughout the entire day.

It is said that lately he has been very despondent because of crops and financial matters and the suicide is attributed to this.

Calvin A. VanWagner was aged 41 years and 3 months.  He is survived by a widow, three sons and three daughters, the eldest of the children being sixteen and the youngest four.  The funeral will occur Sunday at 12:30 o'clock from the house. Interment at Evansport cemetery."

Phoebe went on to marry twice more, last to Charles Elliott.  She died in 1949.