Tombstone Tuesday–John H. & Rosa C. (Bollenbacher) Becher

John H & Rosa C Becher, Zion Lutheran Cemetery, Chattanooga, Mercer County, Ohio. (2011 photo by Karen)

John H & Rosa C Becher, Zion Lutheran Cemetery, Chattanooga, Mercer County, Ohio. (2011 photo by Karen)

This is the tombstone of John H. and Rosa C. (Bollenbacher) Becher, located in row 10 of Zion Lutheran Cemetery, Chattanooga, Mercer County, Ohio. The marker is inscribed:

BECHER
Rosa C.
1886-1962
John H.
1883-1950

John Henry Becher was born in Blackcreek Township, Mercer County, Ohio, on 7 October 1883, the first child born to Jacob and Mary (Kettering) Becher. Both of his parents were also born in Mercer County. John was baptized at Zion Chatt on 4 November 1883 with Johann Becher and Friederika Mamber as his sponsors. He was confirmed at Zion Chatt 6 June 1897 by Rev. August Affeld.

The first census John Becher was enumerated in was the 1900 census. The Bechers lived in Blackcreek Township and his father Jacob was a farmer.  The Jacob Becher household, as shown in 1900: Jacob, 41; Mary, 40; John H, 16; Minnie C, 14; Jacob E, 12; Ida M, 10; Ida C, 10; Sarah E, 7; James W, 4; Raymond C, 1. [1]

John Becher was still living with his parents in 1910. They resided in Blackcreek Township and John worked as a carpenter. [2]

A year later, in October or November of 1911, John Becher married Rosa Bollenbacher. [3] [4]

Rosa Bollenbacher was born in Adams County, Indiana, the daughter of Jacob and Maggie (Hoffman) Bollenbacher. Her father was born in Germany and her mother was born in Mercer County, Ohio. John and Rosa’s marriage license indicates Rosa was born 11 October 1886, [3] while their son’s death certificate indicates she was born 12 October 1887. [5]

In September 1918, when John registered for the draft, he and Rosa lived in Geneva, where John farmed. He was 35 years old and was described as being tall and slender with brown eyes and black hair. [6]

In 1920 John and Rosa lived in Jefferson Township, Adams County, Indiana: John H, 36, farmer; Rosa C, 33; Lavan E, 6; Vernon C, 11 months. Some of their closest neighbors were Harley and Ella Reef and Ray Duff. [7]

By 1930 the John Becher family had moved to Laotto, Noble County, Indiana, where they lived in a rented farm home. John farmed and they owned a radio. [8]

John Becher applied for the draft again in 1942, this time the World War II draft. At that time John and Rosa lived at RR1, Rockford, where John, age 58, was a self-employed farmer. [9]

Henry and Rosa moved a couple times again by 1940. The 1940 census enumeration indicates that all three family members had lived in rural Van Wert County in 1935. In 1940 they rented a home in Root Township, Adams County, Indiana, where John still farmed. Their oldest son LaVon had died in 1932 but their younger son Vernon was unmarried and living with them in 1940. Vernon had completed two years of college and his occupation is indexed as instructor in an “underwear college.”  [10] Hmmm. That would be an unusual college. I think it was probably read and indexed incorrectly and was likely some sort of industrial college.

John H. Becher died 21 February 1950 of paralysis, at the age of 66 years, 4 months, and 14 days. Zion Chatt’s records indicate that he was “a patient sufferer for four years.” He was buried on the 23rd with Rev. Waldo Byers in charge of the service. John was survived by his wife Rosa, their son Vernon, grandsons, John, Henry, Charles David; brothers Edward, James, Raymond, and sisters Mrs. Minnie B. Wilson and Mrs. Ella Reef. John’s death certificate indicates he died in rural Blackcreek Twp, 5 miles west of Rockford. It gives his cause of death as terminal hypostatic pneumonia, which he had for 36 hours. That was due to a cerebral hemorrhage he had a year ago, which was due to hypertension and arteriosclerosis. His occupation was a farmer. Yager Funeral Home in Berne was in charge of arrangements. [11]

Rosa died 3 June 1962 in Augusta, Richmond County, Georgia, likely living with her son Vernon there at the time of her death. [12] According to Zion Chatt’s records she died of heart failure and arthritis at the age of 75 years. She was survived by her son Vernon Becher. Rosa was buried on the 6th.

John H. and Rosa C. (Bollenbacher) Becher had two sons:
LaVon Eugene (1913-1932)
Vernon Chester (1919-2000), married ?

 

[1] 1900 U.S. Census, Black Creek, Mercer, Ohio, ED 74, p.7B, dwelling & family 153, Jacob Becher; digital image by subscription, Ancestry.com (www.ancestry.com : accessed 10 Jul 2016); from FHL microfilm 1241303, from NARA microfilm T623, roll 1303.

[2] 1910 U.S. Census, Black Creek, Mercer, Ohio, ED 107, p.1A, visited & family 6, Jacat Becker; digital image by subscription, Ancestry.com (www.ancestry.com : accessed 10 Jul 2016); from FHL microfilm 1375227, from NARA microfilm T624, roll 1214.

[3] “Indiana Marriages, 1811-2007,” database with images, FamilySearch (https://familysearch.org : accessed 16 Jul 2016), John H Becher and Rosa Bollenbacher; from Adams, Indiana county clerk office; from FHL microfilm 2321467.

[4] Only the marriage license is on FamilySearch.org, and without a return no marriage date is available.

[5] Indiana, Death Certificates, 1899-2011, Von E Becher; digital image by subscription, Ancestry.com (www.ancestry.com : accessed 16 Jul 2016); from Indiana State Board of Health, Indiana Archives and Records Administration, Indianapolis, Indiana.

[6] U.S. World War I Draft Registration Cards, 1917-1918, Adams, Indiana, John Henry Becher; Ancestry.com (www.ancestry.com : accessed 17 Jul 2016); from U.S. Selective Service System Draft Registration Cards, 1917-1918, NARA microfilm M1509, roll 1439777.

[7] 1920 U.S. Census, Jefferson, Adams, Indiana, ED 4, p.9A, dwelling 180, family 194, John H Beches; digital image by subscription, Ancestry.com (www.ancestry.com : accessed 16 Jul 2016); from NARA microfilm T625, roll 420.

[8] 1930 U.S. Census, Swan, Noble, Indiana, ED 20, p.3A, dwelling & family 63, John H Becher; digital image by subscription, Ancestry.com (www.ancestry.com : accessed 16 Jul 2016); FHL microfilm 2340355, from NARA microfilm T626, roll 620.

[9] Draft Registration Cards for Fourth Registration for Ohio, 4/27/1942, NAI #623234, Records of the Selective Service System, Record Group 147; John Henry Becher, Mercer, Ohio, serial no. 137; Ancestry.com (www.ancestry.com : accessed 17 Jul 2016).

[10] 1940 U.S. Census, Root, Adams, Indiana, ED 1-16, p.9B, line 66, John H Becher; digital image by subscription, Ancestry.com (www.ancestry.com : accessed 16 Jul 2016); from NARA microfilm T627, roll 1024.

[11] “Ohio Deaths, 1908-1953,” database with images, FamilySearch (https://familysearch.org : accessed 16 Jul 20165), John Henry Becher, 21 Feb 1850; State File no. 10959; from FHL microfilm 2372554.

[12] Georgia Death Index, 1919-1998, Georgia Department of Health, Division of Vital Records 1998, Rosa B Becher, 3 Jun 1962; Ancestry.com (www.ancestry.com : accessed 17 Jul 2016).

 

2 comments

    • Kathy Becher on February 11, 2022 at 6:29 pm
    • Reply

    Hi Karen,

    I happened upon your above entry on my grandparents John H and Rosa C (Bollenbacher) Becher. I don’t know a whole lot about my father’s family which is why I was googling names on the internet but I can clear up a couple of things in your entry. My father was Vernon Chester Becher and he was not an instructor in an under wear college :)). He actually went to Ohio State University and got a degree in chemical engineering. He was working for DuPont when WWII broke out and he went into the Army. He married my mother Katherine Gedeon of Cleveland Ohio sometime during the war.

    Thanks for doing all this research. It helps me put together some of the pieces of the puzzle.

    1. Thank you for the additional information about your family. I doubted that his occupation was an instructor in “underwear college,” as it is indexed on Ancestry.com. I’m not sure how they came up with that word for the index. The word doesn’t really look like the “underwear” but I can’t make out the writing. (Never heard of a college like that!) However, it is interesting that in 1940 he was a college instructor, probably in engineering, from what you said. Thanks for writing!

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