Jul 30

Our Sensational Schumm Family

The biennial Schumm reunion is this weekend, 102 years of Schumm reunions, the 46th reunion. In commemoration of the John George Schumm family, I am sharing the talk I presented at the 2024 reunion, Our Sensational Schumm Family.

For that 2024 reunion, the 100th year anniversary of the Schumm reunion, we published an updated Schumm genealogy. During the research for that book, I came across many interesting stories and facts about Schumm family members. Much of that information came from obituaries and newspaper articles, on which I based my talk.

John George Schumm’s descendants number in the thousands and live all over the U.S., so I could only mention a few in my talk. I do not give the surnames of living family members in some cases.

2024 Schumm Reunion group photo

The Schumm history in America began in 1833, when John George Schumm and five of his children immigrated to America from Ruppertshofen, Wuerttemberg. In 1838 they settled in Van Wert County, at what would become Schumm, Ohio.

The John George Schumm family has a strong Lutheran heritage that has continued through ten generations of Schumms in America, creating generations of life-long Lutherans across America.

Marjorie L. (Gunsett) Loveless’ 2018 obituary said it very well: “Marge and her two siblings were raised with a strong Lutheran influence…”

Descendants of John George Schumm travel long distances to see and visit the Schumm settlement area and the Schumm church and cemetery. A few years ago a couple from across the country made a special trip to visit Schumm and he wore a shirt with the Luther Rose symbol on it. I was not surprised.  

Because of this Lutheran heritage, there have been over 65 ministers in the family. Most of them are descendants of John George Schumm, while a few married into the family. Most of them were Lutheran Church Missouri Synod pastors.  

Each of the five Schumm immigrant children have ministers in their family lines. Some of the family’s earliest ministers:

Grandsons of John George Schumm, first generation Schumms who were born in America:

  • Georg M. Schumm (1841-1917), son of George Martin Schumm. His son, Rev. Paul Theodore Schumm (1887-1953) was also a minister.
  • George Conrad Ferdinand Schumm (1864-1926), son of Johann Friedrich Schumm.

Great-grandsons of John George Schumm. They did not have the Schumm surname, but their mothers were Schumms:

  • Dr. John Jacob Friedrich Schinnerer (1865-1950), son of Mary Schumm & Martin Schinnerer, and a grandson of George Ludwig Schumm. Two of Rev. Dr. Schinnerer’s sons became Lutheran ministers, Rev. Carl August Schinnerer (1889-1952), and Rev. Dr. Otto Paul Schinnerer (1890-1942) (WWI veteran).
  • Francis Lankenau (1868-1939), son of Katherina Schumm and Henry J. Lankenau), and grandson of Johann Jacob Schumm. Rev. Lankenau was the editor of The Lutheran Pioneer, President of LCMS, Ohio & other states, Pastor at Napoleon, Ohio, who died just as he was about to speak at a Walther League Conference in Kansas City in 1939.
  • Johann Ludwig Roehm (1881-1975), son of Anna Rosina Schumm & John Roehm, and grandson of George Martin Schumm.

Great-great-grandsons of John George Schumm:

  • Twin brothers, Rev. Oscar Linnemeyer (1891-1984) and Rev. Otto Linnemeier (1891-1967), sons of Henry Dietrich Linnemeier and Catherine Bienz, grandsons of Magdalene Schueler and John Bienz, and great-grandsons of Maria Katherine (Schumm) Schueler.

These are just few. There were many more ministers in the family throughout the years.

I am sure that John George Schumm would be very pleased to know that his faith and values have been passed on for over 190 years.

Dedication of Zion Lutheran Church, Schumm, 1915. H.G. Schumm, Rev. Geroge M. Schumm, Louis M. Schumm, J.F. Schumm.

There have been many veterans in the John George Schumm family.

Some who made the ultimate sacrifice while serving their country:

Civil War:

  • Daniel Schumm (1840-1863), 52nd OVI, son of Johann “Jacob” & Hannah (Billman) Schumm.
  • John Schumm (1843-1864), 60th OVI, son of George Martin & Maria (Pflueger) Schumm.

WWI:

  • Karl Schumm (1894-) KIA in France, son of Rev. Ferdinand & Wilhelmina (Brockmeyer) Schumm.

WWII:

  • Edgar Schumm (1914-1944) KIA in France, son of William & Amanda (Reidenbach) Schumm.
  • PFC Victor Schueler (1924-1945) died in Italy, 10th Mountaineer Division, son of Adolph & Marie (Limbach) Schueler.

Korean War:

  • PFC Emanuel George Roehm (1931-1951), KIA in Korea, 1st Marine Division, Purple Heart + 5 other service medals, son of Emanuel George & Esther (Ohnesorge) Roehm.


During WWII, there were about 14 men from Zion Lutheran Church at Schumm who served in the military.

  • Milton Schumm (1921-2009), was reported missing in action for a week after being isolated from his group while guarding a bridge.
  • Donald W. Schumm (1922-2009), a veteran who owned D & R Hardware in Willshire, was a member of Willshire’s American Legion for 65 years, presented 52 American flags at burials, and played taps.
  • Louis Allmandinger (1925-2013) Army Paratrooper, 11the Airborne, WWII Occupation, Japan.
  • Walter Louis Schumm (1923-2012), Purple Heart recipient. He sang in barber shop quartet.

Adolph M. Scare (1932-2004), Chief Medical Aidman, wounded in action by a missile in 1953, was hospitalized and returned to service. He was the recipient of 8 service medals and the Purple Heart.

Walter A. Scare (1929-2022) [brother of above], Korean War veteran, took part in the 2015 Honor Flight, was a Meals on Wheels volunteer.

Emanuel Schumm (1892-1973) and his brother Emil Schumm (1893-1960), both served in WWI.  

Allan Michael Loveless (1940-2008) served 23 years in U.S. Air Force.

Bradley Spahr & Lt. Douglas Schueler were appointed to U.S. Naval Academy at Annapolis.

Five Lankenau brothers, sons of Rev. Francis J. Lankenau & Helen Beeke, served in the military:  

  • Wilfred E Lankenau (1901-1989), Naval Captain from 1924-1954
  • Norman Herbert Lankenau (1910-1979), 1932 West Point graduate, career Army officer.
  • Alfred Henry Lankenau (1893-1958)
  • Harold George Lankenau (1899-1953)
  • Otto Lankenau (1906-1987)

 
The Schumm women also played their part in the military:

Rosina (Germann) Schaadt (1874-1955) of Lima, received a medal for Red Cross work during WWI.

Katharine Skiba (1948-2008), U.S. Army Veteran, serving from 1967-1970.

Erna Clara (Lankenau) Bemont (1912-1958), was in the Army Nurse Corps and was Supervisor of nursing at Northwestern University. Her husband Lt. Col. Richard Bemont (1911-1968) was career military (WWII & Korea). Both are buried at Arlington National Cemetery.

A number of other Schumm veterans and their wives are buried in National Cemeteries across the country.

Members of the John George Schumm family who were veterans and who are buried in Zion Schumm’s cemetery:
William Otto Baker (1933-2009) U.S. Army, Korea
Edgar Jacob Dietrich (1915-1996) U.S. Army, WWII
Henry Walter Dietrich (1922-2005) U.S. Army Air Corps, WWII
Marvin J. Grote (1936-2022) U.S. Army Reserves
Edward Theodore Gunsett (1891-1973) U.S. Army, WWI
Paul Lawrence Hofmann (1913-1977) U.S. Army, WWII 
Paul A. Roehm Jr (1929-1968) U.S. Army, Korea
Donald T. Salway (1927-1993) U.S. Army, WWII
Harold F. Salway (1925-1996) U.S. Navy, WWII
Pvt. Edgar F. Schumm (1914-1944), WWII, died in France
Emanuel H. Schumm (1892-1973) Ohio Prov Guard Co, WWI
Frederick J. Schumm (1933-2015) U.S. Army, Korea
Harold P. Schumm (1921-1988) U.S. Army Air Corps, WWII
Oswald H. Schumm (1902-1987) U.S. Army, WWII
Richard E. Schumm (1922-1990) U.S. Marines, WWII
Roman C. Schumm (1924-1988) U.S. Army, WWII
Palmer L. Schwartz (1928-2010) U.S. Army

Emanuel Schumm WWI

Many members of the John George Schumm family seem to have a music gene, if there is such a gene. This talent has produced a number of musicians in the family.

Otto Henry Schumm (1883-1981) was a parochial schoolteacher and church organist.

Martin A. Schumm (1926-1997) sang in a barbershop quartet.

Jane Ann (Schumm) Buchanan (1921-2023) graduated from the St. Louis Institute of Music and taught piano.

Vanessa Ruth (Schumm) W. was a Capital University graduate and performed with the Columbus, Ohio, Symphony Opera Company.

Rev. Herbert Ivan Schumm (1928-2018) became the pianist and organist for the Willshire Church of God at age 12 and sang baritone in the choir. His wife was also a minister.

 Rev. Herbert Ivan Schumm’s sister Mary Schumm (1920-2016) played the harp, organ, and other instruments. She was my first organ teacher.

I started playing church organ at Zion Chatt in 1965, when I was 13, and I still play for the worship service every Sunday. I like to say that a church organist’s pay isn’t all that great, but the job security and heavenly rewards are great.

Velma Louise Schumm (1914-2016) was the organist at Zion Schumm for many years and was the organist for my parents’ wedding in 1950.

Ferdinand Schinnerer (1876-1949) started a church camp in California and his daughter Edna Sophie (Schinnerer) Ohlendorf (1904-1995) later established a summer music camp there.

Jason S. was an Elvis impersonator.

Schumm family members love to sing and always sing at the Schumm reunion.

The Schumm Singers, with Velma, 100, conclude the reunion with song. (2014 photo by Karen)

There have been a number of Schumm postal employees over the years. There was a Post Office at Schumm from 1881-1953 and the first four postmasters and the last postmaster were Schumms.

Martin J. Schumm was appointed the first Schumm postmaster on 31 December 1881. Henry Schumm was appointed in 1885, George F. Schumm, was appointed in 1885, Henry M. Schumm was postmaster from 1886-1903, and Emanuel Schumm (1892-1973), was the last postmaster at Schumm, for 13 years, from 1940-1953.

Other Schumm family postmasters were Walter Herbert Schueler Jr. was a mail carrier in Fort Wayne in 1950, Otto L. Acker (1912-1963), a letter carrier in Whitley County, Indiana, and Otto E. Lankenau (1906-1987), a postmaster at Napoleon, Ohio, in 1957.

Schumm Post Office, c1930.

A number of family members went into the medical profession, and I found this story from Los Angeles interesting. The wife of Schumm descendant Dr. David S., DDS, was a model and actress who helped put David through dental school. She starred in TV shows such as Emergency!, Adam-12, Laugh-In, Bob Hope Special, Tonight Show, and the Dean Martin Show. Her biggest role may have been when she played a chair, one of the Furniture Girls, in the 1972 sci-fi movie Soylent Green, which starred Charlton Heston.

Other interesting Schumm occupations and activities:

Schumm family hero, Vance F., pulled his nephew from the jaws of a shark in Florida, by grabbing the shark’s tail. The boy’s arm was bitten off, recovered from the shark, reattached, and he survived.

Dr. Robert F. Stamm (1915-2001) was a research physicist, atomic bomb researcher and principal flutist with the Connecticut Symphony Orchestra.

Richard Moellering Sr. (1940-2018) was a civil engineer who medaled in the Senior Olympics at age 77, a year before his death.

Dr. Harold Moellering (brother of above) was a professor of geography at The Ohio State University.

Herbert C. Roehm (1912-1997) worked for NASA.

Dr. Otto Paul Schinnerer (1890-1942) was an associate professor of German, the editor of Germanic Review at Columbia University, and wrote 2 standard college texts.

Gayle Forbes (1931-2023) was a rapture rescuer and had great horned owl for years that lived on a roost on top of her refrigerator. She worked for Lockheed.

Lorenz G. Schumm (1891-1959) was a historian and wrote books on the Civil War and northern Indiana history. He was the founder and president of the Chicago Civil War Round Table.

Paul R. Lankenau (1904-1982) was the director of athletics at Valparaiso University, the mayor of Napoleon, Ohio, and Napoleon Man of Year in 1968.

Fredrick Emil Schumm (1925-2012) was a WWII Veteran, Fullbright Scholar, and master sculptor.

John W. Gunsett (1931-2009) attended the Indy 500 over 50 times.

Robert Oscar Lankenau (1919-2000) was a chemist, attended Indiana School for the Deaf, and was was Co-founder and president of several state and national deaf associations. His wife Betty (Martens) was a member of some of the same deaf organizations.

Herman Andrew Schumm (1893-1984) was a painter and steeplejack who painted steeples in the Syracuse, New York area for over 30 years.

Lorenz Herold “Dick” Germann (1925-2015) was a member of the Old-Fashioned Farmer’s Association and past president of Van Wert Community Concert series.

Lillian Marie (Koenemann) Huener (1926-2009) ran an in-home typing service and was the first in her family to have an email address.

Arthur J. Bienz (1905-1989) was an assistant brewmaster in Pennsylvania and his 2nd cousin George Louis Schumm (1884-1950) was on the Pennsylvania Liquor Control Board.

Herbert A. Schumm (1922-2013) worked for NBC in New York City.

Verna E. (Meyer) Zink (1925-2014), of Fort Wayne, received the WANE TV award for work at the FWPD Victims Assistance Program. In the 1940s she was a softball catcher on the state and city championship teams and played on the City Lights championship basketball team.

John Martin Schumm (1873-1954) was a marshal and constable for 20 years.

Don A. Germann was an electrical engineer, a computer systems analyst with California Institute of Technology jet propulsion lab in Pasadena.

Ludwig W. Christman (1895-1988) was a stockbroker in Connecticut.

This is just a fraction of our Sensational Schumm family. A family of farmers, ministers, educators, health care professionals, veterans, musicians, quilters, postal workers, factory workers, scientists, technicians, athletes, engineers, artists, writers, carpenters, gardeners, and good cooks. All good hard-working people. 

It matters to most of us that we are not entirely forgotten when we die, but that our names are still spoken and that we are remembered.

You can contact Karen at karen@karenmillerbennett.com

Jul 23

Postmarked Schumm, 1912, from Anna (Seemeyer) Liebmann

This postcard is postmarked Schumm, Ohio, 19 August 1912, and provides some interesting Schumm connections for both the Schumm family and for Zion Lutheran Church at Schumm. 

1912 postcard, postmarked Schumm, Ohio, 1912, from Anna (Seemeyer) Liebmann

The message is handwritten in German script (Kurrentschrift) and was translated by Scribe AI on MyHeritage.com. Interesting that in 1912 this family was speaking and writing German. 

The postcard is addressed to:
Mrs. Augusta Liebmann
104 Pigeon Str
Jackson, Mich

Dear Mamma, We are still here in Schumm, but want to go back to Ft Wayne on Wednesday or Thursday, it is very warm will probably rain again soon, some things look different since I was here 7 1/2 years ago and all alright here arrived. Otherwise all well and cheerful. With greetings to all.
Annie [1]

Annie, the writer of the letter, is Anna Caroline (Seemeyer) Liebmann, a daughter of Rev. Gottlieb Seemeyer, a minister at Zion Schumm for over 20 years. Anna Seemeyer was born in Schumm in 1879 and lived there for over 20 years. She was married and had moved to Jackson, Michigan, and was visiting Schumm in August 1912 when she sent this postcard to her mother-in-law, who also lived in Jackson.

Postcard from Anna (Seemeyer) Liebmann, postmarked Schumm, 1912

Anna’s father, Rev. Gottlieb Seemeyer, was born in New York in 1853, the son of Gottleib and Caroline (Mueller) Seemeyer. Gottleib senior was a German immigrant and tailor. The younger Gottlieb Seemeyer married Wilhelmine Franke on 27 September 1876 in Fort Wayne. [2] Rev. Seemeyer died in Fort Wayne in 1905. Rev. Seemeyer, his wife Wilhelmine (1855-1939), all six of their children, and his parents are buried in Fort Wayne. All are buried in Concordia Lutheran Cemetery, except two of Rev. Seemeyer’s sons, Martin and Theodore Seemeyer, who are buried in Lindenwood Cemetery there.

Anna Seemeyer, the writer of this postcard, was born in Schumm on 7 November 1879 and was baptized at Zion Schumm on 16 November 1879.

In 1880 the Seemeyers resided in Schumm, and the Rev. Gottlieb Seemeyer was the pastor at Zion Lutheran Schumm. Their household consisted of Rev. Seemeyer, wife Wilhelmine, daughters Alwine, 2, and Anna C, 7 months, and the pastor’s sister Corda Seemeyer, 14. [3]

In 1900 Rev. Seemeyer was still Schumm’s minister and their household consisted of the Reverend, his wife, and children Alwine, 22; Bertha, 15; and Theodore, 13. [4]

In 1900 daughter Anna Seemeyer, age 20, single, resided in Jackson, Michigan, and was servant in household of physician Nathan Williams. [5] Another servant in the Williams household, Bertha Liebmann, 21, single, was the sister of Carl Liebmann, Anna’s future husband.

Carl Liebmann (1880-1951) married Anna Seemeyer on 29 October 1908 in Indiana. In addition, Bertha Liebmann married Rudolph Schumm, the son of William Schumm and Anna Maria Heffner.

Anna and Carl Liebmann had two daughters, Meta (1910-1993) (married Herman Krueckeberg)  and Hildegard (married Earl Moss), and a son, Arthur Carl Liebmann (1912-1969) (married Valette Doehrmann).

Rev. Gottlieb Seemeyer died in Fort Wayne on 17 May 1905, at age 51.

In 1910 Carl and Anna (Seemeyer) Liebmann resided in Jackson, Michigan. Living with them was Carl’s mother Augusta Liebmann, 53, Carl’s sister Erna, 7, and brother Julius, 27. Carl was a blacksmith. [6] Augusta Liebmann, Anna’s mother-in-law, was the recipient of this 1912 postcard.

Anna and Carl resided in Jackson, Michigan, into the 1920s, but by 1930 they had moved to Fort Wayne, where Carl worked as a machinist at an electric factory. Their household in 1930: Carl Liebmann, 49, head; Anna Liebmann, 50, wife; Meta W Liebmann, 19, daughter, Arthur C Liebmann, 17, son; Hildegard A Liebmann, 14, daughter; Wilhelmine W Seemeyer, 74, widow, mother-in-law; Alwine Seemeyer, 52, single sister-in-law; Bertha W Seemeyer, 44, single, sister-in-law; Martin G. Franke, 60, widowed, uncle. [7]   

Anna and Carl remained in Fort Wayne the rest of their lives. In 1950 they resided with Anna’s two unmarried sisters, Alwine and Bertha Seemeyer. [8]

Carl died the next year, on 6 March 1951, in Fort Wayne.

Anna died in Fort Wayne on 13 September 1974.

Anna’s obituary, from the Decatur Daily Democrat:
Mother of City Resident Dies
Mrs. Anna Liebmann, 94, mother of Mrs. Herman (Meta) Krueckeberg of 328 Limberlost Trail, [Decatur] died at 7:45 pm. Friday at the Lutheran Home in Fort Wayne where she had been a resident for the past five years. She was ill only a short time and death came unexpectedly. Mrs. Liebmann was a member of Emmanuel Lutheran Church in Fort Wayne.

She was born in Schumm, O., on November 7, 1879 to Rev. and Mrs. Gottlieb Seemeyer. Her father was a pastor of the Lutheran Church in Schumm. She was married October 29, 1908 to Carl Liebmann who preceded her in death in 1951.

Besides Mrs. Krueckeberg, Mrs. Liebmann is survived by a daughter, Mrs. Earl (Hildegard) Moss of Tucson, Ariz., and a sister, Miss Bertha Seemeyer who resides in the Lutheran Home in Fort Wayne, three grandchildren and four great-grandchildren. Three of her brothers, one sister and one son preceded her in death…Burial will be in the Concordia cemetery. [9]

Rev. Seemeyer and wife Wilhelmine had six children: Alwine (1877-1957), Anna C. Seemeyer Liebmann (1879-1974), Karl G. Seemeyer (1880-1947), Martin Seemeyer (1882-1960), Bertha W. Seemeyer (1885-1975), and Theodore Fredrick Seemeyer (1887-1964).

Per Zion Schumm records, all the children of Rev. & Mrs. Seemeyer, except for the firstborn, Alwine, were born in Schumm and baptized at Zion Schumm. Anna Seemeyer was the baptismal sponsor of Clara Anna Marie Schumm, daughter of H.M. Schumm and Wilhelmine (Hoppe), in 1898 and of Anna Maria Roehm, daughter of Friedrick Roehm and Henrietta (Schumm), in 1907.

It is interesting that Rev. Seemeyer died in Fort Wayne, but his death certificate indicates that he was buried in Zion Schumm’s cemetery. [10]

Rev. Gottlieb Seemeyer 1905 death certificate; Ancestry.com

Zion Schumm’s records also record his death and indicate that he was buried in their cemetery. It appears he was originally buried at Zion Schumm and that his remains were later interred in Concordia Cemetery.

You can contact Karen at karen@karenmillerbennett.com.

[1] Translated and transcribed by Scribe AI, MyHeritage.com. The transcription: Liebe Mamma Sind noch immer hier in Schumm, wollen aber am Mittwoch oder Donners- tag wieder zurück nach Ft Wayne, es ist sehr warm wird wohl bald wieder regnen, manches sieht an- ders aus seit ich hier war 7 1/2 Jahre und alle alright hier gekommen. Sonst alles wohl und munter. Mit Grüße an alle Annie

[2] Indiana, U.S. Select Marriages Index, 1748-1993, Gottlieb F Seemeyer & Wilhelmine Franke, 27 Sep 1876, Fort Wayne, Allen, Indiana; Ancestry.com.

[3] 1880 U.S. Census, Ohio, Van Wert, Willshire, ED 154, p.450c, family 131, G.F.C. Seemeyer; Ancestry.com.

[4] 1900 U.S. Census, Ohio, Van Wert, Willshire, ED97, p. 9, dwelling 180, family 193, Gottleb Sumeyer [sic]; Ancestry.com.

[5] 1900 U.S. Census, Michigan, Jackson, Ward 4, ED 11, p.17, dwelling 383, family 434, Nathan H. Williams; Ancestry.com.

[6] 1910 U.S. Census, Michigan, Jackson, Ward 5, ED 19, p.12a, dwelling 276, family 286, Carl Leibmann [sic]; Ancestry.com.

[7] 1930 U.S. Census, Indiana, Allen, Fort Wayne, ED 24, p.22A, dwelling 470, family 483, Carl W Liebmann; Ancestry.com.

[8] 1950 U.S. Census, Indiana, Allen, Fort Wayne, ED 95-201, p.10, dwelling 132, Alwine Seemeyer; Ancestry.com.

[9] Anna (Seemeyer) Liebmann obituary, Decatur Daily Democrat, Adams County, Indiana, 14 Sep 1974, Find a Grave memorial no. 43017471, Concordia Lutheran Cemetery, Fort Wayne, Indiana.

[10] Indiana, U.S., Death Certificates, 1899-2011, Year 1905, roll 1, Gottlieb Seemayer [sic], 12 May 1905, Fort Wayne, Indiana; Ancestry.com.

Jul 02

The Past 250 Years-America 250!

To commemorate Independence Day 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