Jul 02

The Past 250 Years-America 250!

To commemorate July 4th this year and America’s 250th anniversary, here is my list of some highlights of American’s past 250 years by decade. My timeline includes national, state, local, and personal milestones.

Declaration of Independence

1770s:
The Revolutionary War begins in 1775.
The Declaration of Independence is adopted on 4 July 1776.
Christian Whiteman [Karen’s ancestor] and Samuel Bennett, Jonathan Grant, & Hugh Montgomery [Joe’s ancestors] fight for American independence in the Revolutionary War.

1780s:
The Gnadenhutten, Ohio, Massacre is in 1782.
The Revolutionary War ends in 1783.
The U.S. Constitution is adopted as the law of the land in 1788.
The first settlement in Ohio is established at Marietta in 1788.

1790s:
The first U.S. Census is taken.
St. Clair is defeated by the Indian confederacy at the Battle of Wabash, Fort Recovery, in 1791.
Anthony Wayne defeats the Indian confederacy at the Battle of Fort Recovery in 1794.

1800s:
Ohio becomes the 17th state in 1803.
The Louisiana Purchase is completed in 1803.

1810s:
The War of 1812 is fought 1812-1815.
Nicholas Headington fights in the War of 1812.

1820s:
Mercer County, Ohio, is formed in 1820 and organized in 1824.
Shanesville, now Rockford, is established in 1820 by Anthony Shane, the oldest village in Mercer County and the original county seat.
Willshire is founded in 1821 and platted in 1822 by Captain James Riley.

1830s:
The Indian Removal Act relocation, “Trail of Tears,” is in 1830.
Charles Carroll dies in 1831, the last living signer of the Declaration of Independence.
John George Schumm and 5 of his children arrive in America in 1833.
Oberlin College, in Ohio, opens in 1833, the first coeducational college in the U.S.
Samuel Clemens, aka Mark Twain, is born in 1835.
Samuel Colt patents the revolver in 1836.
The Battle of the Alamo ends with the deaths of Davy Crockett & James Bowie in 1836.
Digging begins for Grand Lake Reservoir in 1837.

1840s:
Samuel F.B. Morse sends the first telegraph message in 1844, “What hath God wrought?”
The Miami and Erie Canal is completed in 1845.
Zion Lutheran Church, Schumm, Ohio, is formed in 1846.
Gold is discovered in California in 1848.

1850s:
Ohio makes it illegal for children under 18 & women to work more than 10 hours a day in 1852.
Zion Lutheran Church, Chattanooga, Ohio, is formed in 1855.
The 1850 U.S. census is the first census to show the names of family members.

1860s:
The Pony Express is established in 1860.
The Civil War is fought, 1861-1865, ending slavery.
Daniel Brewster and is brother James Henry Brewster fight in the Civil War.
Daniel and John Schumm are killed in the Civil War.
The Shanesville name is changed to Shanes Crossing in 1866.
Barbed wire is patented by Lucien Smith of Ohio in 1867.
Decoration Day is established in 1868.

1870s:
Independence Day and Thanksgiving are officially established in 1870.
Jacob Miller arrives in America and settles in Mercer County, Ohio, in 1871.
Mary Arabelle Secaur is murdered near Chattanooga, Ohio, in 1872.
Nineteen students attend the opening class at Ohio State University in 1873.
Alexander Graham Bell telephones Thomas Watson in 1876, saying “Mr. Watson, come here. I want to see you.” [Some accounts report that he said, “Can you hear me now?”]
Thomas Edison demonstrates the first incandescent light bulb in 1879.

1880s:
The Ruecks arrive in America in 1880.
The gunfight at the O.K. Corral occurs in 1881.
Christine Rueck marries Jacob Miller in 1882, while the rest of her family moves to Oregon.
The Statue of Liberty arrives from France and is dedicated in 1886.

1890s:
The Shanes Crossing name is changed to Rockford in 1890.
The first automobile accident occurs in Ohio City in 1891, when John Lambert runs into a hitching post.
Labor Day is established in 1894.
The Spanish American War is fought in 1898.
Milligan, Ohio, records minus 39 degrees in 1899.

1900s:
The Wright brothers make the world’s first flight near Kitty Hawk, North Carolina, in 1903.
The post office closes in Chattanooga, Ohio, in 1905.
The Model T Ford hits the market in 1908.

1910s:
Zion Lutheran Schumm & Zion Lutheran Chatt build and dedicate churches 1915-1916.
The U.S. joins the Allies in WWI in 1917.
The Spanish Flu epidemic is from 1918-1920.
Carl Miller and Gertrude Brewster marry in 1919.
Armistice Day is observed in 1919.
The Cincinnati Reds win the World Series in 1919.

1920s:
Both Joe’s and my parents are born during this decade.
The current Mercer County Courthouse is completed in 1923.
Cornelius Schumm and Hilda Scaer marry in 1927.
Mount Rushmore National Memorial sculpture begins in 1927, is completed in 1941.
The stock market crashes in 1929.

1930s:
The Great Depression encompasses the whole decade, 1930-1939.
John Dillinger escapes from the Allen County Jail in Lima, Ohio, in 1933.
Gallipolis, Ohio, records 113 degrees in 1934.
The first All-American Soap Box Derby is held in Dayton in 1934.
Columbus Day is made a federal holiday in 1937.
Armistice Day is made a federal holiday in 1938.

1940s:
The Cincinnati Reds win the World Series in 1940.
Pearl Harbor is attacked on 7 December 1941 and America joins the Allies in WWII.
Herb Miller joins the Army and fights in the Battle of the Bulge.
WWII ends in 1945.

1950s:
Joe and Karen are born during this decade.
The post office at Schumm, Ohio, closes in 1953.
Armistice Day is renamed Veterans Day in 1954.
Alaska and Hawaii become states in 1959.

1960s:
President John F. Kennedy is assassinated on 22 November 1963.
The U.S. escalates their involvement in the Vietnam War in 1965.
Karen begins playing the organ at Zion Chatt in 1965.
Neil Armstrong and Buzz Aldrin walk on the moon on 20 July 1969.

1970s:
Decoration Day is renamed Memorial Day in 1971, observed the last Monday in May.
Joe and Karen marry in 1973.
The Big Red Machine wins the World Series in 1975 and 1976.
The Vietnam war ends in 1975.
America celebrates its Bicentennial in 1976.
The first home computers are sold in 1977.

1980s:
Son Jeff is born during this decade.
The first commercial cellular telephone service begins in 1983.
The Chicago Bears win the Super Bowl in 1986.

1990s:
The Gulf War begins in 1990 and ends in 1991.
The Reds win the World Series in 1990.

2000s:
Terrorists attack the World Trade Center, the Pentagon, and a 4th plane goes down in Shanksville, Pennsylvania, on 11 September 2001.
The War in Afghanistan begins in 2001 and ends in 2021.
The Iraq War begins in 2003 and ends in 2011.

2010s:
Son Jeff marries and our 2 grandchildren are born during this decade.
Joe and Karen both retire during this decade.
An EF3 tornado hits Celina on 27 May 2019.

2020s:
The Covid-19 pandemic begins in 2020.
Both the USA Men and Women’s Ice Hockey Teams win gold at the 2026 Winter Olympics.
The U.S. hosts FIFA World Cup Soccer in 2026. Go USA!
America celebrates America 250 in 2026!

What a time to be an American!

Have a happy and safe Fourth of July!

You can contact Karen at karen@karenmillerbennett.com



 

Jun 25

Fourth of July 2026–America 250

We are a little over a week away from the official America 250 celebration day, on 4 July 2026, although preparations and commemorations began months ago.

This year’s Fourth of July is a once-in-a-lifetime event, as America celebrates its quarter of a millennium anniversary, also known as a Semiquincentennial.

July Fourth 2026 is the 250th anniversary of the Declaration of Independence, when the Continental Congress officially adopted the Declaration of Independence and declared that the Thirteen Colonies were no longer part of Great Britain, but were independent sovereign states and were part of a new nation.

Here are some interesting facts about the Declaration of Independence and the men who signed the document. I hope you enjoy learning about America’s beginnings.

Declaration of Independence

The 13 original colonies were established by British settlers along the East Coast of North America and consisted of New Hampshire, Massachusetts, Rhode Island, Connecticut, New York, New Jersey, Pennsylvania, Delaware, Maryland, Virginia, North Carolina, South Carolina, and Georgia.

About 2.5 million people were living in the Colonies when they gained independence from England and their ruler King George III.

The colonial Continental Congress declared that the 13 North American British Colonies were independent of British rule on 2 July 1776. The Declaration of Independence was finalized as a written document on 4 July 1776.

Thomas Jefferson was the author of the Declaration of Independence because of his reputation as a writer. Jefferson borrowed ideas and passages from existing documents and works, including George Mason’s Virginia Declaration of Rights. Timothy Matlack, clerk to Continental Congress Secretary Charles Thomson, is believed to have penned the official copy.

There are five parts to the Declaration.

More than one copy of the Declaration of Independence exists.

After the Declaration was adopted, the “Committee of Five” (Thomas Jefferson, John Adams, Benjamin Franklin, Roger Sherman and Robert R. Livingston) directed the reproduction of the approved text, which was completed at Philadelphia printer John Dunlap’s shop. Dunlap’s copies, called Dunlap Broadsides, were dispatched on 5 July to newspapers of the 13 Colonies, local officials, and the commanders of the Continental troops. The Pennsylvania Evening Post was the first colonial newspaper to run the Declaration of Independence in its 6 July 1776, edition. It took some time to reach other colonies. South Carolina did not receive word until 2 August 1776.

Of the estimated 200 Dunlap Broadsides copies printed, only 26 copies survive today. In 1989, a Philadelphia man found an original Dunlap Broadside hidden in the back of a picture frame he bought at a flea market for $4. In 2008, the 26th-known Dunlap Broadside was found at the British National Archives, found in a box of papers sent to the Crown centuries ago by a British official in colonial America.

George Washington read the Declaration of Independence in front of the New York City Hall on 9 July 1776, and a riot broke out during the reading. Rioters toppled a statue of King George III and melted it down to make 42,000 musket balls for the Revolutionary Army.

Although Congress officially adopted the Declaration of Independence on 4 July, most of the delegates signed the document in Philadelphia on 2 August 1776.

North Carolina was the first colony to grant their Congressional delegation permission to vote for independence.

Declaration of Independence signatures

Fifty-six people signed the Declaration of Independence. It is believed that 49 delegates signed at the 2 August 1776 meeting, another six signed at some point over the next four months, and Thomas McKean of Delaware signed by 1781. General George Washington was busy with other activities (being Commander-in-Chief of the Continental Army) and did not sign the Declaration. Committee of Five member Robert Livingston of New York refused to sign, possibly hoping for reconciliation with Great Britain.

The oldest signer of the Declaration of Independence was Benjamin Franklin, age 70, and the youngest signer was Edward Rutledge, 26.

Eight of the 56 signers were born in the U.K. Button Gwinnett and Robert Morris were born in England, Francis Lewis in Wales, James Wilson and John Witherspoon in Scotland, George Taylor and Matthew Thorntonin Ireland, and James Smith in Northern Ireland.

Richard Stockton, a New Jersey lawyer, was the only signer of the Declaration of Independence to recant his support of the revolution and repudiate his signature after he was captured by the British and forced to swear his allegiance to King George. After he escaped British captivity, he took a new oath of loyalty to the state of New Jersey in December 1777.

The Continental Congress formally declared the name of the new nation to be the United States of America, which replaced the name United Colonies.

There is a message on the back of the Declaration, “Original Declaration of Independence dated 4th July 1776.” Experts believe it was a label added at some point when the Declaration was in storage.

The Declaration has been protected over the years. Stephen Pleasonton saved the Declaration of Independence, the Constitution, and the Bill of Rights from destruction by British forces in 1814. Both the Declaration and Constitution were packed up about two weeks after the Pearl Harbor attack and were given a military escort to Fort Knox for safekeeping. They were returned to Washington, D.C., in 1944.

Declaration of Independence

Founding Fathers:

Warren G. Harding (1865-1923) is credited with creating the term “Founding Fathers.”
Harding, the 29th U.S. President from 1921-1923, was from Blooming Grove, Ohio.

George Washington, John Adams, Thomas Jefferson, Benjamin Franklin, James Madison and Alexander Hamilton are considered the Founding Fathers of America.

Benjamin Franklin was one of six people who signed both the Declaration and the Constitution. The others were George Read, Roger Sherman, Robert Morris, George Clymer, and James Wilson.

Founding Father Alexander Hamilton served as the first Secretary of Treasury.

James Monroe was the last of the Founding Fathers to be President.

Founding Father John Jay was the first chief justice of the United States.

George Washington’s birthday changed from 11 February to 22 February when Britain and its Colonies shifted from the Julian calendar to the Gregorian calendar in 1752.

Benjamin Franklin opted for “air baths” instead of regular baths.

John Adams had a dog named Satan when he was President.

Thomas Jefferson and John Adams died on the same day on the 50th Anniversary of the Declaration.

July 4th Trivia:

Philadelphia hosted the first official Independence Day celebration on 4 July 1777.

The first 4th of July celebration to be held at the White House was in 1801, when Thomas Jefferson was president.

The Fourth of July was not widely celebrated until after 1812.

John Adams firmly believed that 2 July was the correct day on which to celebrate American independence and refused to appear at 4th of July events.

The Liberty Bell rings 13 times on each Independence Day.

The 4th of July was first declared a national holiday in 1870.

Three U.S. presidents died on the 4th of July: John Adams and Thomas Jefferson, both on 4 July 1826, and James Monroe, on 4 July 1831.

Calvin Coolidge was born 4 July 1872.

Today, about 150 million hot dogs are eaten on the 4th of July, making it one of the most popular food items for the holiday.

Revolutionary War:

Samuel Adams founded the Sons of Liberty, the group responsible for the Boston Tea Party.

The first day of the American Revolutionary War was 19 April 1775 and the war lasted 8 years.

“No taxation without representation” was a main political slogan during the American Revolution.

Paul Revere is credited with shouting “The British are coming!” on his midnight ride to Lexington, Massachusetts, to warn residents of coming soldiers. However, at the time everyone in the Colonies was British and shouting that would not make sense. Instead, he may have shouted, “the Regulars are coming.”

Colonists who supported the Monarchy called were called Tories.

Of the European countries, France gave the Colonies the most support during the Revolutionary War.

We Americans love celebrating the Fourth of July and America 250 is one we won’t forget, with special anniversary events all over the country.

So, for this monumental anniversary, proudly fly our country’s flag, watch the parades and fireworks and the special 250 celebrations, thank a veteran, have family gatherings and cookouts, and wear the Red, White, and Blue.

This is a great time to show our patriotism and reflect on the principles of freedom and liberty upon which our country was founded as we strive to preserve the type of government our forefathers envisioned, as set forth in the historic documents they created.

We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty, and the pursuit of Happiness. –Thomas Jefferson, The Declaration of Independence.

Right now FIFA soccer fans from around the world are in the U.S. and it is interesting to hear how impressed they are with our country and with Americans. Something we knew all along, but it is good to hear their positive impressions and remarks. 

This is the time to celebrate our great nation and to be thankful that we live in the greatest country on earth.

“And I’m proud to an American, where at least I know I’m free…” –Lee Greenwood

 

You can contact Karen at karen@karenmillerbennett.com

Jun 11

Dr. P.T. Waters, Chattanooga, Ohio, 1900

Here is a postcard sent from the Chattanooga, Ohio, Post Office in December 1900.

Postmarked Chattanooga, Ohio, 10 Dec 1900

The postmaster in Chattanooga’s post office in 1900 was Andrew Leistner. He was appointed postmaster in 10 April 1899 and served as their postmaster until 14 September 1904. Chattanooga’s post office was discontinued on 3 May 1905 and the mail was sent to Rockford.

This postcard was sent by Dr. Price Taylor Waters, a physician in Chattanooga. It appears that Dr. Waters was also interested in farm matters, specifically a local wheat insect infestation in 1900. He was writing to obtain information about the pests from Ohio’s Experimental Station in Wooster.  

Postcard sent by Dr. P.T. Waters, Chattanooga, Ohio, 10 Dec 1900

12-10-1900/12-12-00 
State Experimental Station, Woster [sic] O

I send you this date a vile with a few specimens of some kind of animal life that is infesting the farms universily [sic] here and destroying the wheat. They are found in corn fields as well but they don’t seam [sic] to attach that. Will you please inform me what they are and any means of destroying them. Address. P.T. Waters M.D., Chattanooga Ohio.  

Who was this Chattanooga physician, enumerated in Liberty Township in the 1900 census as Dr. P. T. Whaters? [1]  

Price Taylor Waters was born in Ohio on 27 June 1853, the son of Eber D. Waters (c1820-1879) & Sarah Jane (Taylor) Waters (c1825-1904). Dr. Waters was named after his maternal grandfather Price Taylor. [2] [3]

In 1850, before Price’s birth, his parents lived in Delaware County, Ohio. [4] Price may have been born in Delaware County, but by 1860 the Eber Waters family had moved to Jefferson Township, Mercer County, Ohio. The Waters family in 1860: Eber, 39, head, farmer; Sarah, 34, wife; Harriet, 15; Mary, 13; Clara, 10; Price, 7; Charles, 4; Sherman, 2; and Malissa Younger, 1. [5]

The Waters family remained in Jefferson Township and was enumerated there in 1870. [6]

Price’s father Eber died in 1879 and is buried in Oldtown Cemetery, Mercer County.

Sometime between 1870 and 1880, Price Waters married Alma E. Jameson (1849-1884). They had a daughter Kate, born in Mercer County on 6 June 1879.

In 1880, Price Waters, 27, wife Alma, 30, and daughter Kate,1, lived in Celina and Price worked as a day laborer. [7]

Price and Alma Waters had a son Thomas, born in Mercer County on 23 September 1882. He died the next day and is buried in North Grove Cemetery, Celina. A daughter was born to them on 10 February 1884 and died the next day. Price’s wife Alma died the following day, 12 February 1884, and is buried in North Grove Cemetery.

Price Waters married Florence (Broadwell) Feldheiser (1856-1934) in Mercer County on 22 April 1885. [8] Florence was the widow of Henry Feldheiser (1843-1881). Florence and Henry Feldheiser had a daughter who died in infancy and another who lived to adulthood, Cora B. Feldheiser, born in Mercer County in 1881. [9]  

Sometime after 1880 Price Waters attended Medical College in Columbus, Ohio, and graduated from there in 1886. [10]

Price and Florence had a daughter, Iva Waters, born in 1887 and died in 1892. She is buried in North Grove Cemetery, Celina. [11]

By 1900, the Price Waters family had moved to Chattanooga, Ohio. Their family in 1900: Price T Whaters [sic], 46, born in Ohio June 1854, physician; Florence, wife, 45, born in Ohio February 1855; C [Cora] Feldheiser, 20, born in Ohio April 1880, single. Price and Florence had been married 15 years, and reportedly 2 children were born to Florence, one still living. Some of their Liberty Township neighbors were Fr. Heffner, George Hagerman, Joseph Markle, Philip Deitsch, John Strabel, and Andrew Koch. [1]

Dr. Water’s mother Sara Jane (Taylor) Waters died in 1904 and is buried in Oldtown Cemetery.

The Waters’ family remained in Chattanooga for over a decade and was enumerated there in the 1910 census. Dr. Waters was 56 by this time, occupation doctor, enumerated with Florence Waters, 54, wife, and Erma Morningstar, 60, sister-in-law, divorced. This enumeration indicates Price and Florence had been married for 22 years and that Florence had given birth to two children, one of whom was living. [12]

Dr. Waters and wife Florence moved to Michigan between 1910 and 1916. They had moved from Mercer County before 1916 since they were not listed in Mercer County’s 1916 Farm Journal Directory.

In 1920 Dr. Waters, 66, and wife Florence, 64, resided in Wilcox, Michigan, [13] and in 1930 they resided in  Wayland, Michigan. [14]

Dr. Price Taylor Waters died from a cerebral hemorrhage at his home in Kalamazoo, Michigan, on 8 July 1930, at 77 years of age. He was buried in North Grove Cemetery, Celina. [2]

Price’s widow Florence (Broadwell) Waters died in Chicago, Illinois, on 26 January 1934. She is buried in Oldtown Cemetery, Celina. [15]

Price T. Waters and his first wife Alma Jameson had the following children:
Kate W. Waters (1879-1907), married Loah Justus Hamilton
Thomas Waters (1882-1882)
Infant daughter (1884-1884)

Price T. Waters and his second wife Florence (Broadwell) had a child:
Iva Waters (1887-1892)

Price T. Waters had a step-daughter:
Cora B. Feldheiser (1881-1957), married Victor V. Dull

I wonder if they ever figured out what insect was causing the wheat infestation and if they were able to control it.

[1] 1900 U.S. Census, Ohio, Mercer, Liberty, ED 85, p.10, dwelling 185, family 190, Price T Whaters [sic]; Ancestry.com.

[2] Source: Michigan Department of Community Health, Division for Vital Records and Health statistics, Death Records, Dr. P.T. Waters, 8 Jul 1930; Ancestry.com.

[3] Find a Grave.com, memorial no. 38536923, Dr. Price Taylor Waters (1853-1930), North Grove Cemetery, Celina, Mercer County, Ohio.

[4] 1850 U.S. Census, Ohio, Delaware, Orange, p.226a, family 1773, Eber D Waters; Ancestry.com.

[5] 1860 U.S. Census, Ohio, Mercer, Jefferson, p.424, dwelling 839, family 842, Abner Waters [sic]; Ancestry.com.

[6] 1870 U.S. Census, Ohio, Mercer, Jefferson, p.133B, dwelling 175, family 173, Edward Waters; Ancestry.com.

[7] 1880 U.S. Census, Ohio, Mercer, Celina, ED 187, p.457, dwelling 224, family 272, Price Watters [sic]; Ancestry.com.

[8] Ohio, County Marriage Records, 1774-1993, Mercer, Vol 1861-1887, p.309,  P.T. Waters & Florence Feldheiser, 22 Apr 1885; Ancestry.com.

[9] Florence (Broadwell) and Henry Feldheiser had at least 2 children, a daughter Bertha M. Feldheiser, born in Mercer County 21 December 1877, died 6 May 1879, and Cora B. Feldheiser, born 2 April 1881, married Victor V. Dull in Mercer County on 12 June 1900, died 3 Jul 1957, and is buried in Muskegon County, Michigan.

[10] Ohio Physician and Dentist Directory, 1905, Cincinnati, Ohio, Galen Gonsier & Co, 1905, Amy Armstrong, ed; Ancestry.com.  

[11] Find a Grave, memorial no. 38536929, Iva Waters, 1887-1892, North Grove Cemetery, Celina, Mercer County, Ohio.

[12] 1910 U.S. Census, Ohio, Mercer, Liberty, ED 119, p.17b, dwelling 382, family 333, Prist [sic] T Waters; Ancestry.com.

[13] 1920 U.S. Census, Michigan, Newaygo, Wilcox, ED 184, p.6B, dwelling 146, family 148, Price T Waters; Ancestry.com.

[14] 1930 U.S. Census, Michigan, Allegan, Wayland, ED 38, p.4A, dwelling 115, family 116, Price Waters; Ancestry.com.  

[15] U.S., Deaths and Stillbirths Index, 1916-1947, Illinois, Florence Waters, 26 January 1934; Ancestry.com.

You can contact Karen at karen@karenmillerbennett.com

May 07

Geisler Shot Twice and Survived

George Geisler was lucky to survive being shot twice, and he even lived a few more years after the incident.

The following are newspaper accounts of the December 1938 shooting of the Willshire Township native.

GEORGE GEISLER, NEAR SCHUMM, SAID IMPROVED
One of Two Small Caliber Bullets at Base of Skull

No new developments have been uncovered in the mysterious shooting of George Geisler, 73, wealthy Willshire Township farmer, who was shot twice in the head, from ambush, while reclining in a chair in the summer kitchen at his farm west of Schumm.

Geisler, who was shot last Thursday at about 7:30 p.m. and not found until Saturday noon, was reported in an improved condition today in Adams County Memorial Hospital at Decatur, Indiana, by the attending physician, Dr. L. M. Githens of Wren.

Dr. Githens reported that both bullets, apparently fired from a small caliber weapon, had been located, however no effort would be made to remove them at present. One of the bullets was located at the base of the skull. The other shattered as it entered his head. Neither missile caused locomotive paralysis, and at no time did the wounded man become unconscious. Geisler has been given a good chance to recover.

Geisler was found about noon Saturday by Laurel Bowen, a neighbor, who made an investigation after Elton Vining, rural letter carrier, reported that Geisler’s mail had not been removed for two days. Geisler was found on the floor of the summer kitchen and had been without food or water since Thursday night. He was weakened considerably by loss of blood.

Geisler was questioned at the hospital by Sheriff R. B. Stevens. Geisler stated that while sitting in the summer kitchen, he felt a sting just below the right ear that caused him to reel from the chair onto the floor. Shortly afterwards, he said he managed to crawl back to the chair when he was struck on the opposite side of the head. He said that at no time did he hear or see anyone.

Tracks in the snow, just outside the summer kitchen window, indicate that Geisler’s unknown assailant stood there some time before shooting. The bullets passed through a screen and window at different angles, Stevens said.

Stevens said that while there were no indications of robbery, he expressed the belief that the assailant visited the Geisler farm with that intent, and that after shooting the elderly man, he apparently “got cold feet.”

Geisler linked his assailant with a masked bandit who endeavored to rob him several months ago as he walked through the woods to his mailbox. Geisler said that the masked man, flashing a revolver, searched him for money and then ordered him to return home. He described the masked man as tall and slender. [1]

The Daily Times-Bulletin,  27 Dec 1938

In another news article the following day, the physician reported that George appeared stronger and was able to move his head without pain.

However, it took some time for George Geisler to recover and return home:

MAN SHOT SIX MONTHS AGO TAKEN HOME FROM HOSPITAL AT DECATUR
George Geisler, 69-year-old Willshire Township recluse, who has been a patient at Adams County Memorial Hospital in Decatur for the past six months suffering from two bullet wounds at the base of the brain, has been removed to his home near Willshire.

Geisler, while sitting in a chair in the summer kitchen at his home, was twice shot by an unknown assailant who fired through a window. The shooting occurred the night of December 22, and his plight was not discovered until two days later…

Geisler was shot through both the left and right sides of his head, the bullets producing partial paralysis. No effort was made to remove the bullets, which were said to have been fired from a .22 caliber weapon. Authorities have been unable to secure any clues as to the identity of his assailant. [2]

Van Wert Times Bulletin, 21 June 1939

It is amazing that George lived another 5 years after being shot in the head twice. His obituary:

GEORGE GEISLER STRICKEN AT 79
Willshire Township Resident Died in Hospital        
George Geisler, 79, bachelor of Willshire Township, died at 7:30 a.m. today at Van Wert County Hospital where he had been a patient a week. He had been ill for three weeks.

The deceased was a native and lifetime resident of Willshire Township. A brother and sister preceded him in death. His only survivors are two cousins, Mrs. T.B. DeWitt of North Walnut Street and Mrs. Lena Schumm of Willshire Township.

The funeral will be Friday at Zion Lutheran Church, Schumm, Rev. Alfred Moeller, officiating, interment in the church cemetery. [3]

I wrote a Tombstone Tuesday about George Geisler a few years ago, Tombstone Tuesday-George Geisler. George was born in Willshire Township on 6 June 1864, the son of Johann “Nicholas” and Elisabeth (Stemling) Geisler. His parents were both German immigrants. He was a farmer and lived all his life on the family farm a couple miles east of Willshire. He never married.

George Geisler, Zion Lutheran Cemetery, Van Wert County, Ohio. (2012 photo by Karen)

George Geisler died at the Van Wert County Hospital on 3 November 1943, his death caused by heart problems. There was no mention about the two bullets in his skull on his death certificate.

Of course there is a Schumm connection here. Not only was George a member of Zion Lutheran Church at Schumm, but, as mentioned in his obituary, his cousin was Magdalena “Lena” (Geisler) Schumm (1868-1946), the second wife of River Henry Schumm (1844-1922). George’s father Nicholas Geisler and Lena’s father George Geisler were brothers. 

Also interesting is that one article mentioned that George was found by Laurel Bowen (1909-2003). Laurel’s wife Edith (Dudgeon) (1911-1997) was my 5th grade teacher at Parkway, in Willshire.

Plus, Edith was a sister to Robert Dudgeon (1903-1992), who married Bernice Brewster (1907-1994). Bernice was a sister of my paternal grandmother Gertrude (Brewster) Miller (1896-1973).

Small world.

And what an amazing story.

[1] George Geisler, Near Schumm, Said Improved, The Daily Times-Bulletin, Van Wert, Ohio, Tuesday, 27 Dec 1938; Newspaperarchive.com.

[2] Man Shot Six Months Ago Taken Home from Hospital at Decatur, Van Wert Times Bulletin, Van Wert, Ohio, 21 Jun 1939; Newspaperarchive.com.

[3] George Geisler Stricken at 79, Van Wert Times Bulletin, Van Wert, Ohio, 3 Nov 1943; Newspaperarchive.com.

You can contact Karen at karen@karenmillerbennett.com

Apr 23

The Kables, Kesslers, Linns, & Muellers Come to Liberty Township, 1846-1874

Over seven million Germans immigrated to America during the past three centuries, the largest non-English-speaking group that came to America. German immigration to the United States occurred in three main waves: from 1820-1850, driven by economic hardship and political unrest; from 1850-1870, influenced by the failed revolutions of 1848; and from 1880-1900, because of industrialization and agricultural changes in Germany.

Today, a look at the immigration of four families from Germany to the Chattanooga, Ohio, area, spanning nearly 30 years. These families lived near each other in the Old Country, were close friends, with marriages between the families.  

The members of these families did not emigrate at the same time. It was costly for families to sail to America, which may have been a factor. Perhaps the first to settle in America tested the waters and additional family members decided to come later. This study shows that people really did travel to where family and friends had already settled. Basically, they recreated their German community here in America.

Three of these four families are part of my family, Mueller, Kessler, and Linn. The fourth family, the Kable family, is connected by a Kessler/Kable marriage in Germany.

The Familienbuchs of Zion Lutheran Chatt and St. Paul Lutheran Liberty provide little biographies of the early church members and includes dates of their immigration. Some church members arrived in the early 1830s, but this group of four families began arriving over a decade later.  

They came from the Saarland/Bavaria area of Germany: Mueller and Linn from Bierbach, Kessler from Walzheim, and Kable from Fechingen.

The information below is from the ship passenger lists. Sometimes married women or widows were listed on the passenger list by their maiden name. The age of each person was included on the passenger list and I include that below. Additional information added by me is in [ ].

The first family of this group to come to America was Christian Kable Jr (1814-1885), his wife Dorothea (Maurer) (1815-1904), and their four children. They departed from Antwerp on the ship Edwina and arrived in New York on 3 December 1846:

Christian Kable, 32 [(1814-1885) listed as C Kable; son of Christian Kable Sr]
Dorothea (Maurer) Kable, 31 [(1815-1904) listed as Da Maurer; wife of Christian Kable]
Jacob Kable, 6 [(1840-1868) son of Christian & Dorothea]
Christian Kable, 4 [(1841-1866) son of Christian & Dorothea]
Louise Kable, 4 [(1841-1892) daughter of Christian & Dorothea]
Johann Kable, 3 [(1843-1881) son of Christian & Dorothea]  [1]

Ship Edwina, 1846

The rest of the Kable family immigrated three years later, with the Kesslers. They sailed to America on the ship Henrietta and arrived in New York on 8 May 1849. On the list, Kessler was spelled Kesler and Holderbaum was spelled Holderbach:

Christian Kable Sr, 68 [(1781-bef 1850) father of the 4 Kable children also on the ship]
Catharine [Mueller] Kable, 57 [(c1790-1864) wife of Christian Kable Sr; possibly daughter of John Daniel Mueller]
Frederick Kable, 30 [(1817-1886) son of Christian Sr & Catharine]
Ferdinand Kable, 23 [(1827-1912) son of Christian Sr & Catharine]
Daniel Kable, 27 [(1821-1896) son of Christian Sr & Catharine; married to Louisa Holderbaum]
Louisa (Holderbaum) Kable, 28 [(1821-1849?) wife of Daniel Kable; listed as Holderbach]
Louisa Kable, 3 [(1846-1933) daughter of Daniel Kable & Louisa (Holderbaum)]  
Christian Kessler Sr, 32 [(1814-1892) brother of Maria (Kessler) Mueller, who would immigrate in 1871]
Margaretha (Kable) Kessler, 32 [(1816-1862) wife of Christian Kessler Sr; daughter of Christian Kable Sr; listed as Margaretha Kable]
Margaretha Kessler, 4 [(1842-1868) daughter of Christian Kessler Sr & Margaretha]
Christian Kessler Jr, 3 [(1845-1904) son of Christian Kesler Sr & Margaretha]
Christian Holderbaum, 18 [possibly brother of Louisa (Holderbaum) Kable; listed as Christian Holderbach] [2]

Ship Henrietta, 1849

The Kessler and Kable families were intertwined and had intermarried in Germany. Christian Kessler’s wife Katharine “Margaretha” (Kable) was the daughter of Christian Kable Sr and was a sister to Christian Kable Jr, who married Dorothea Maurer.  

German records indicate that Daniel Kable, son of Christian Kable Sr & Catharine Elizabeth Mueller, married Louisa Catharina Holderbaum on 24 December 1845 in Saarbrucken, Saarland. [3] Their daughter Louisa (Kable) Slofman’s death certificate names Louisa Holderbaum as her mother. [4] The Christian Holderbaum traveling with them may have been Louisa’s  brother. He was born about 1830 and may have resided in Cincinnati and died there in 1888, although this is a theory at this point. [5]

Christian Kable Sr, born in 1781, likely died here before the 1850 census.

Christian Kessler Sr (1814-1892) was the brother of my great-great-grandmother Maria (Kessler) Mueller (1811-1886). Maria and her husband Johann Mueller (1816-1870) were the parents of Jacob Mueller/Miller (1843-1918), my great-grandfather, who immigrated in 1872.

The other Mueller in the Kable family, Catharine Elizabeth (Mueller) Kable, was probably not connected to my Mueller family.

The next person to immigrate was my great-grandfather Jacob Mueller, age 28, a widower, who immigrated in 1871. His wife, child, and father had recently died and starting over in a new country probably sounded like a good idea. He had family in America by that time, his uncle Christian Kessler Sr and some cousins. In fact, traveling to America with Jacob Mueller was one Christian Kessler, age 25, likely Jacob Mueller’s first cousin Christian Kessler Jr (1845-1904), who had immigrated with his family in 1849. Did Christian Kessler Jr travel back to Germany to accompany his cousin Jacob Mueller to America? It looks like he may have.

Jacob Mueller and Christian Kesser Jr arrived in New York on 15 June 1871 on the ship Bremen. [6]

Ship Bremen, 1871

But Jacob Mueller still had family back in Germany, his mother and his two married sisters. His sister Catharine was married to Jacob Linn and his sister Margaret was married to his brother, Philip Linn.

A year later, the fourth group immigrated. This group included Jacob Muellers’s widowed mother Maria (Kessler) Mueller, her two daughters and their families, and some other Linn family members. Maria Mueller and the Linns arrived in New York on 28 May 1872 on the ship Hannover:

Maria (Kessler) Mueller, 64 [(1811-1886) Johann Mueller’s widow; mother of Jacob Mueller, Margaret & Catharine (Mueller) Linn; listed as Maria Kesler]
Philip Linn Sr, 31 [(1841-1920) married to Margaret Mueller; son of Philip “Daniel” Linn & Gertrude Fuchs]
Margaret (Mueller) Linn, 24 [(1847-1924) wife of Philip Linn Sr; daughter of Marie (Kessler) Mueller]
Philip Linn Jr, 9 months [(1870-1877) son of Philip Linn Sr & Margaret Mueller]
Jacob Linn Sr, 34 [(1838-1919) married to Catharine Mueller; son of Philip “Daniel” Linn & Gertrude Fuchs]
Catharine (Mueller) Linn, 32 [(1839-1913) wife of Jacob Linn Sr; daughter of Marie (Kessler) Mueller]
Jacob Linn Jr, 7 [(1866-1927) son of Jacob Linn Sr & Catharine Mueller]
Philip Linn, 4 [(1868-1935) son of Jacob Linn Sr & Catharine Mueller]
Heinrich Linn, 9 months [(1871-1934) son of Jacob Linn Sr & Catharine Mueller]
Christian Linn, 14 [(1856-1936); aka Godfrey Linn, christened as Christian Linn; son of Philip “Daniel” Linn & Gertrude Fuchs]
Johann/John Jacob Linn, 19, [(1853-1935) son of Philip “Daniel” Linn & Gertrude Fuchs; occupation shoemaker] [7]

Ship Hannover, 1872

Widow Maria (Kessler) Mueller had several relatives living in the Chatt-area when she arrived: her son Jacob Mueller, her brother Christian Kessler, and several nieces and nephews. 

The final group of Linns from that same family came to America in 1874. The father Philip “Daniel” Linn, widowed in 1871, came to America with three of his younger children. They sailed together on the ship Westphalia and arrived in New York in June 1874:

Daniel Linn, 62 [(1812-1886) the father, Philip “Daniel” Linn; returned to Germany]
Michael Linn, 24 [(1849-1926) son of Philip “Daniel” Linn & Gertrude Fuchs]
Peter Linn, 15 [(1859-1925) son of Philip “Daniel” Linn & Gertrude Fuchs]
Maria/Mary Linn,15, [(1859-1892) daughter of Philip “Daniel” Linn & Gertrude Fuchs]  [8]

Ship Westphalia, 1874

The father Philip “Daniel” Linn (b. 1812) did not stay in America. He went back to Germany and lived out the rest of his life there. One wonders if he did not like it in America or if he even intended to stay here in the first place, because some of his children had remained in Germany.

The final result was a community in the New World that mirrored their community in the Old Word. They probably felt right at home.

[1] Passenger Lists of Vessels Arriving at New York, New York, 1820-1897, New York, Record Group 36, Microfilm M237, Christian & Dorothea (Maurer) Kable, Ship Edwina, 2 Dec 1846; Ancestry.com.

[2] Passenger Lists of Vessels Arriving at New York, New York, 1820-1897, microfilm M237, Records of the U.S. Customs Service, RG 36, Christian Kable & Christian Kesler families, Ship Henrietta, 8 May 1849; Ancestry.com.

[3] Landesarchiv des Saarlandes, Saarbrucken-Scheidt, Deutschland, Personenstandsregister, Signatur DezTab 67, Saarland, Germany, Births, Marriages, Deaths, 1776-1875, Johann Daniel Kahle [sic] & Luise Catharina Holderbaum, 24 Dec 1845; Ancestry.com.

[4] Louise Laura (Kable) Slofman, Death Certificate, 3 Jan 1933, Dayton, Montgomery County, Ohio; Find a Grave.com.

[5] Christ Holderbaum (1828-1888), Potters Field, Cincinnati, Hamilton County, Ohio, Find a Grave memorial no.155728186; Find a Grave.com. [This record indicates he was 60 years old, born in Germany.

[6] Ship Bremen manifest, 15 June 1871, roll M237_344, Allen County Public Library, Fort Wayne, Indiana.

[7] Passenger Lists of Vessels Arriving at New York, New York 1820-1897, Microfilm M237, Records of the US Customs Service, RG 36, Linn & Kessler, Ship Hannover, 28 May 1872; Ancestry.com.

[8] Staatsarchiv Hamburg, Hamburg, Deutschland, Hamburger Passagierlisten, Vol. 373-7 I, VIII A 1 Band 030 C, p367,  Microfilm No. K_1720, Hamburg Passenger Lists, 1850-1934 [database on-line].  p.374, Daniel Linn & children, Ship Westphalia, Jun 1874; Ancestry.com.

You can contact Karen at karen@karenmillerbennett.com