More Post Offices in Willshire Township

Last week I featured a list of postmasters in the village of Willshire from 1822-1971.

During the time period from 1858 through 1971 there were five other post offices in Willshire Township–Abanaka, Glenmore, Greenwood/Wren, Leslie, and Schumm.

1886 map of Willshire Township, Van Wert County, Ohio.

Leslie was the second post office established in Willshire Township, the first being the post office in the town of Willshire, established around 1822. Leslie had a post office by 1858.

1886 map of Willshire Township, showing post offices of Leslie, Glenmore, Abanaka, and Schumm.

It is interesting, but not surprising, that most of these post offices were located by a railroad track.

The list of postmasters in the Willshire Township villages through 1971:

Abanaka, hamlet in the east central part of the township, established on the railroad in 1879:
Samuel Beldon, 8 May 1880
Philip H. Krick, 23 Mar 1882
Jeremiah Agler, 7 Mar 1887
Frances M. German, 29 Mar 1902
Ora C. Shaffer, 14 Feb 1905
Post office discontinued 14 Jul 1906; mail sent to Dull

Glenmore/Glenmoore, railroad hamlet at the east edge of the township, in the north half:
James B. Dull, 1 Apr 1886
Christopher W. Walters, 7 Mar 1891
John W. Chilcote, 29 May 1891
Jacob W. Stilgenbauer, 18 Oct 1892
Harry R. Medaugh, 27 May 1902
Miles J. Tindall, 1 Mar 1903
William McKee Miller, 10 Apr 1905
Mail sent to Ohio City June 1905; order rescinded 8 Jul 1905
Walter A. Hileman, 12 Jul 1905
Mail sent to Ohio City, 29 Nov 1905; order rescinded 1 Dec 1905
Jacob W. Stilgenbauer, 26 Dec 1906
Post office discontinued 31 Oct 1907; mail sent to Ohio City
James C. Frank, 12 Mar 1908, 6 Oct 1913
Reid R. Kohn, 12 Oct 1915
Samuel C. Hunter, 18 Nov 1918
Miles Ross, 2 Feb 1931, retired 28 Feb 1953
Ottis C. Agler, 30 Apr 1954
Post office discontinued 19 Oct 1957; mail sent to Ohio City

Greenwood, 1886 map of Willshire Township

Greenwood, hamlet near the northwest corner of the township, on the railroad; with Wren post office in 1886. See Wren.

Leslie, post office in the northeast part of the township in 1886:
George Leslie, 16 Jul 1858
Silas B Brown, 2 Dec 1863
Post office discontinued 31 Aug 1865
Post office re-established 27 Nov 1866
David S. Wolfe, 27 Nov 1866
Jacob W. Abell, 20 Apr 1867
Wilson S. Rhodes, 10 Sep 1867
Nicodemus C. Chilcote, 3 Mar 1873
John Fry, 13 Nov 1876
William H. Bechtol, 20 Sep 1880
Philip J. German, 8 Jul 1889
Wilson S. Rhodes, 4 Feb 1890
Post office discontinued 3 Sep 1891; mail sent to Glenmore

Schumm, hamlet in the south-central part of the township, with post office set up by 1886:
Martin J. Schumm, 31 Dec 1881
Henry Schumm, 29 Apr 1885
George F. Schumm, 30 Jun 1885
Henry M. Schumm, 4 Aug 1886
William A. Colter, 23 Sep 1903
Herbert I. Hileman, 18 Jun 1904
William O. Tickle, 27 Feb 1905
Elias F. Sheets, 21 Dec 1905
Logan Wolfe, 29 Mar 1906
Gustave J. Schumm, 13 Nov 1912
George Weinman, 14 Sep 1916, 22 Nov 1916
Mrs. Pearl A. Debolt, 26 Nov 1928, 26 Feb 1929
Matie M. Stevens, 19 Nov 1929
Mrs. Cleta A. Johns, 1 Dec 1930
George Weinman, 23 Nov 1931
Post office discontinued 15 Jan 1940; mail sent to Willshire
Post office reinstated 16 Apr 1940
Emanuel H. Schumm, 16 Apr 1940
Post office discontinued 6 Jun 1953
Mail sent to Willshire

Wren, post office at the village of Greenwood:
Adam C. Sheets, 6 Jun 1883
Jason L. Moser, 30 Jun 1884
John C. Horine, 1 Jun 1885
Jason L. Moser, 16 Aug 1889
W. B. Frisinger, 14 Aug 1893
John Merica [?], 18 Jul 1898
George W. Dull, 5 Aug 1912
Russell D. Stewart, (acting PM 1 Jan 1944), 18 Aug 1944, 28 Jul 1962
Marlin F. Gehres, 17 Jun 1963

Sources:

Julie Minot Overton, The Ohio Genealogical Society, Ohio Towns and Townships to 1900: A Location Guide, (Mansfield, Ohio : Penobscot Press, 2000).

Record of Appointment of Postmasters, 1832-1971, National Archives, Van Wert County, Roll #101, Target 16, Vol. 25A (1857-73) p.428 and Vol. 38 (1873-1891), p.476-77, and Vol. 79 (1891-1930) p.577-8, and Vol. 55 (1930-30 Sep 1971); digital image, Ancestry.com, viewed 21 Jan 2021.

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