Tombstone Tuesday–Peter and Dora (Herbolzheimer) Strabel

Peter & Dora Strabel, Zion Lutheran Cemetery, Mercer County, Ohio. (2011 photo by Karen)

Peter & Dora Strabel, Zion Lutheran Cemetery, Mercer County, Ohio. (2011 photo by Karen)

This is the tombstone of Peter and Dora (Herbolzheimer) Strabel, located in row 5 of Zion Lutheran Cemetery, Chattanooga, Mercer County, Ohio. The marker is inscribed:

STRABEL
Peter
Strabel
Born
Oct. 21, 1818
Died
Sept. 12, 1889

Dora
Strabel
Born
Aug. 25, 1826
Died
Feb. 18, 1913

 

There are several spelling variations in the church records for this name but Strabel is the most common. It is also spelled Strobel, Strable, and Stroebel, with Stroebel being the German spelling.

Zion Chatt’s church records give conflicting information about Johann “Peter” Strabel’s date and place of birth. According to Zion’s Familienbuch he was born 10 February 1818 in Dottenheim, County Court Windsheim, District Mittelfranken, Kingdom of Bavaria, but according to his church death and burial record he was born 21 Oct 1819 Billberg, District Mittelfranken, Kingdom of Bavaria. His tombstone is a mixture of both dates.

Peter was the son of Gottfried & Catharina Strabel and he immigrated to the U.S. in 1849. He married Margaretha Dorothea Herbolzheimer in Cincinnati that same year, according to Zion’s records.

Margaretha Dorothea “Dora” Herbolzheimer was born 25 August 1826 in Markipsheim, County Court Windsheim, District Mittelfranken, Kingdom of Bavaria. She was the daughter of Thomas and Dorothea Herbolzheimer.

Peter and Dora Strabel resided in Cincinnati for several years before moving to Mercer County, Ohio. Several of their children were born in Cincinnati and two of their sons died there. Sometime between March 1861 and May 1863 they moved to the Chatt area.

At one time Peter and Dora Strabel owned 80 acres in Section 4 of Liberty Township and 80 acres in Section 33 of Blackcreek Township. Both farms were along what is now called Strable Road.

Peter and Dora lived in Liberty Township in 1870 and in the household were: Peter, 49; Dora, 45; John, 20; Barbary, 13; Margaret, 11; George, 9; Mark, 7; Susanna, 4; and Peter, 5/12. [1]

In 1880 Peter and Dora lived in Liberty Township with children George, 19; Michael, 16; Aver, 13; and Peter, 10. Peter Sr lived next door to their married son John, his wife Caroline, and their son Phillip. [2]

Peter Strabel died of dropsy on 12 September 1889, at the age of 70 years. He was buried on the 14th, with Rev. Chr. Reichert in charge of the service. He had been a farmer all of his life.

In 1900 Dora, a widow, lived in Liberty Township with her son Peter and his family. In the household: Peter, 30, head; Louise, 30, wife; Rudolph, 2, son; Leona D, 4/12, daughter; Strabel [Dora], mother, 74. Dora indicated that she had given birth of 9 children but only 5 were living. [3]

In 1910 Dora Strabel lived with her daughter “Affie” [Eva Barbara] and her husband John J Bollenbacher in Liberty Township. This enumeration indicates that Dora immigrated in 1848 and that she had given birth to 9 children but only 4 were living. [4]

Dora died in Liberty Township on 18 February 1913 at the age of 86 years, 6 months, and 23 days. She was buried on the 21st. According to her death certificate she died of dropsy and Bright’s Disease.

Peter and Dora Strabel had the following children:
Johann “John” Leonhard (1850-1906), married Caroline Deitsch
Johann Georg (1852-c1859)
Johann Georg (1854-c1856)
Susann “Barbara” (1857-1941), married John Williams
Margaretha (1859-1882), married Jacob Miller
Johann “Georg” (1861-1883)
Johann “Michael” (1863-1930), married Elizabeth Grauberger
Eva Barbara (1866-1943), married John Jacob Bollenbacher
Johann “Peter” (1869-1957), married Louise Fischer

As is so often the case, I have a connection to the Strabel family. Margaretha Strabel was the second wife of my great-grandfather, Jacob Miller. Jacob’s first wife, Sophia Goelzer, died in Bavaria before he immigrated to America in 1871. Jacob married Margaretha Strobel at Zion Chatt on 15 March 1877.

Jacob and Margaretha (Strabel) Miller had two sons, Johann “Peter” (1878-1957), who married Della Kuehm, and Christian Miller (1880-1911), who died of typhoid fever out west and never married. After Margaretha’s death Jacob married Christine Rueck on 9 November 1882 at Zion Lutheran Church, Schumm. I descend from Jacob and Christine Rueck. [5]

[1] 1870 U.S. Census, Liberty, Mercer, Ohio, p.150A, dwelling 131, family 117, Peter Strabel; digital image by subscription, Ancestry.com (www.ancestry.com : accessed 24 Apr 2016); from FHL microfiom 552742, from NARA microfilm M593, roll 1243.

[2] 1880 U.S. Census, Liberty, Mercer, Ohio, ED 188, p.472C, dwelling 20, family 21, Peter Strable; digital image by subscription, Ancestry.com (www.ancestry.com : accessed 24 Apr 2016); from FHL microfilm 1255048, from NARA microfilm T9, roll 1048.

[3] 1900 U.S. Census, Liberty, Mercer, Ohio, ED 85, p.12A, dwelling 223, family 229, Peter Strabel; digital image by subscription, Ancestry.com (www.ancestry.com : accessed 24 Apr 2016); from FHL microfilm 1241304, from NARA microfilm T623, roll 1304.

[4] 1910 U.S. Census, Liberty, Mercer, Ohio, ED 119, p.13B, dwelling, family, John J Bollenbacher; digital image by subscription, Ancestry.com (www.ancestry.com : accessed 24 Apr 2016); from FHL microfilm 1375227, from NARA microfilm T624, roll 1214.

[5] Tombstone Tuesday–Margaretha (Strobel) Miller blog post, 12 April 2011, Karen’s Chatt.

2 comments

    • Jane Suzuki on April 26, 2016 at 10:16 pm
    • Reply

    Thanks for this posting! There are a few things here that I didn’t know. I found out we are related! My grandmother was JJ. Bollenbachers daughter. I always enjoy your posts! Jane Suzuki

    1. Thanks, Jane. It is a small world, especially in the Chatt area.

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