175th Anniversary of Zion Lutheran Church, Schumm

Last Sunday was the 44th Schumm reunion but 2021 also marks a noteworthy anniversary for Schumm’s congregation, the 175th anniversary of the founding of Zion Evangelical Lutheran Church at Schumm, Ohio.

175th Anniversary of Zion Lutheran Church, Schumm, Ohio.

John Georg Schumm and five of his children immigrated to America in 1833, lived in Holmes County, Ohio, for a few years, and then moved to the Schumm area in 1838. By 1839 traveling missionary Friedrich Wyneken was ministering in the area. In 1846 John Georg Schumm, his four sons, George Martin, John Jacob, Louis, Frederick, his son-in-law Michael Schueler, and two other members founded Zion Lutheran Church at Schumm. Unfortunately, John Georg Schumm died three days before the adoption of Zion’s first constitution in 1846. A year later the Lutheran Church Missouri Synod was organized and Zion Schumm became a charter member. 

Zion Schumm’s first church was a small log structure located where their parsonage is today. Their second church was a frame structure, located across the road from the present church, surrounded by the cemetery and tombstones. It is said that the pulpit, alter, pews, and other fixtures in the church were all made of black walnut.

Zion Lutheran Schumm’s old frame church by the cemetery.

Frame church, Zion Schumm.

The current brick Gothic-style church was dedicated in 1915 and features a beautiful interior with lovely stained-glass windows.  

Zion Lutheran Schumm’s current church.

Through the years the pastors at Zion Schumm kept good records and those records are invaluable for genealogy research. The oldest entry is the death of Michael Billman, 10 June 1846, followed by the baptism of John Edward Roedel and Phoebe Elisabeth Haeberle on 28 June 1846, by Rev. J.G. Burger, Zion Schumm’s first resident pastor.

Zion Lutheran Schumm.

175th Anniversary of Zion Lutheran Church, Schumm, Ohio.

At last Sunday’s reunion there was a nice selection of mementos commemorating Zion’s 175th Anniversary and I came home with a few goodies–a tote bag, travel mug, coaster set, and a cookbook.

Zion Lutheran, Schumm, some 175th Anniversary items.

Happy Anniversary to Zion Lutheran, Schumm, and many more to come!

8 comments

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    • Mary Ann Olding on August 6, 2021 at 8:10 am
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    Karen,
    You have written an excellent history of this church and congregation. Thanks for your fine research and interesting text.
    Mary Ann Olding, originally from Fort Recovery, Mercer County.

    1. Thank you!

    • Deb Reichard on August 6, 2021 at 8:35 am
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    Hope you don’t mind but I shared this blog on Facebook this morning. It is such a landmark in the Schumm and Willshire communities that I thought many of my FB friends might appreciate the story.

      • Geri Ainsworth on August 6, 2021 at 12:12 pm
      • Reply

      Deb, my name is Geri Tindall Ainsworth and I am related to Susanna Reichard Presho (1831-1834) buried in the Willshire Cemetery, Willshire, Van Wert Ohio. Her father is Henry Reichard (1797-1866) who married Susanna’s mother Nancy Floyd 23 February 1823 in Prebble, Ohio. I located Susanna and her father’s headstones in Willshire Cemetery 3 years ago while field researching the Reichard family. Henry A. Tindall married Susanna Reichard’s daughter, Sarah Ann and the Tindall properties property lies above the Cemetery where St. Mary’s River divided the lower end of Henry Tindall’s property. I did not know if your family has pictures of Henry Reichard or Susanna Reichard or her husband Alden Presho who is buried at Pleasant Mills Cemetery in Pleasant Mills , Adams, Indiana along with his sister, Clarissa Presho Roebuck and her mother Deliverance (Delia) Briggs Presho. I am a genealogy enthusiast who is following Karen’s Chatt. I enjoy her amazing devotion to her genealogy work and her willingness to share her work with me because of my family history (Tindall/Reichard) in Willshire, County as on of its earliest pioneers. I would feel so grateful if you can share a story, pictures on my Reichard family line.

      1. I will forward this to Deb in case she doesn’t see it here. Good luck with your research!

    1. Thank you!

    • Frank McCollister on August 7, 2021 at 6:10 am
    • Reply

    It’s a lovely church building. Are they offering tours as part of the celebration?

    Thanks for sharing about this gem in our area.

    1. I do not know. They often place notices in the Photo Star and I would check that regularly if you get that paper. Thanks for writing.

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