Tombstone Tuesday–Margaret Callens

Margaret Callens, Zion Lutheran Cemetery, Mercer County, Ohio. (2015 photo by Karen)

This is the tombstone of Margaret Callens, located in row 5 of Zion Lutheran Cemetery, Chattanooga, Mercer County, Ohio. Her broken tombstone is nearly illegible, but it appears the inscription is:

[Top is broken off]
….et
…. of
Tobias Callens
Died
Sept. 22, 1878
Aged
77 y, 10 m, 2 [?] d

I looked at the tombstone in person, but the date is just about the only thing that is readable anymore.

I looked at how the Mercer County Chapter OGS read it in 1990. The marker may have been more legible in 1990 but it was broken even back then. The Mercer County readers were unable to determine the surname and Mercer County Cemetery Inscriptions, Vol. VI only shows the last two letters of what they determined could be the surname—ET. Their inscription from 1990: …ET, Tobias, Sept. 22, 1878, age 77 years, 10 months, 0 days.

I looked at the tombstone’s entry on Find a Grave.com. Find a Grave.com shows the surname as Lotter and the tombstone was read as: wife of Tobias Lotter, died Sept. 22, 1878, aged 77y, 10m, 22d.

However, I believe Zion Chatt’s death and burial records tell who is buried beneath this tombstone. Their records indicate that the surname is not Lotter at all, but is Callens.

Margaret Callens, Zion Lutheran Cemetery, Mercer County, Ohio. (2017 photo by Karen)

Zion Chatt’s records indicate that Margarethe Callens died 22 September 1878, at the age of 77 years, 10 months, and 4 days.

The letters ET at the upper right could be the last two letters of the name Margaret since the rest of the name has broken off on the upper left

The dates on the tombstone match the dates in the church records, except for the 4 days entry. The days on the grave marker are basically too worn to read but it looks like 2 or 22 days.

Margaret Callens, negative image to better see the inscription. (2017 photo by Karen)

That surname is not familiar to me and it was only entered in the church records that one time.

Did Margaret live in the area?

Did she die while visiting relatives or friends?

Or did she die while passing through the area?

Who was Tobias? Was he her husband or her father?

Yet another mystery in Zion’s cemetery.

We may never know the answers to these questions but it appears the church records have helped identify another grave marker.

 

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