Tombstone Tuesday-Harold Sauer

Harold Sauer, Zion Lutheran Cemetery, Van Wert County, Ohio. (2012 photo by Karen)

This is the tombstone of Harold Sauer, located in row 8 of Zion Lutheran Cemetery, Schumm, Van Wert County, Ohio. The marker is inscribed:

Harold Son of
J & Bertha Sauer
Born July 31, 1911
Died Aug 10, 1911

Harold Friedrich Sauer was born near Schumm on 31 July 1911, the son of Johann and Anna “Bertha” (Roehm) Sauer. He was baptized at the home of Henry Roehm on 7 August 1911 and his parents served as his sponsors.

Herold Friedrich Sauer died of convulsions on 10 August 1911, at the age of 10 days. He was buried on 12 August and was survived by his parents and 4 brothers.

The 4 brothers were, Theodore Heinrich, Elmer Walter, LeRoy Rudolph, and Ernst Roland.

Harold Sauer’s father, Johann Sauer Jr, was born in Germany in 1881, the son of Johannes & Anna Katharina (Meisinger) Sauer. His mother Anna “Bertha” (Roehm) Sauer was born in Van Wert County in 1882 and was the daughter of Henry and Catharine (Geier/Gaier) Roehm. John Jr and Bertha married at Zion Schumm 22 February 1903.

The Johann Sauer Jr family moved out of the Schumm area and resided in Fort Wayne, Indiana, by 1920. They had another child, a daughter Elsie, born in 1915. The parents died in Fort Wayne in the 1960s.

2 comments

    • ken schaefer on July 6, 2021 at 9:12 pm
    • Reply

    Was that typical to be Baptized in someone’s home ?

    1. It was not uncommon, especially if the child was sickly or not expected to live. Couples were often married at home, too, usually at the home of the bride’s parents.

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published.