Herman Gaier (1870-1936) "52 Ancestors"

Oh my! I think this is 5 weeks in a row for posting in the 52 Ancestors in 52 Weeks Challenge. So how long does it take to make this a habit?

This week I am writing about Herman Gaier (1870-1936), my 2nd great-grand uncle. His sister Magdalena Gaier (1852-1929) and her husband Joseph Reiss (1844-1924) were my great-great-grandparents.

Herman was the tenth child of Ferdinand (1809-1902) and Appolonia Siegel Gaier (1826-1880). Herman's siblings were Charles (1848-1921), Magdalena (1852-1929), Catherine Eva (1855-1932), Margaret Elizabeth (1858-1920), Ferdinand (1859-1944), John (1861-1939), Burkhard (1864-1864), George B (1865-1948), and Joseph (1868-1953). His father had been married previously to Eva Katherine Siegel (1821-1844) and had four children, Gertrude (1838-1911), Jacob (1841-1906), Caroline (1843-1907), and Valentine (1844-1915). That marriage took place on 10 May 1838. Eva and Appolonia Siegel were

Ferdinand (r) and Appolonia Siegel (l) Gaier

sisters, so Ferdinand married her sister Appolonia on 4 June 1846, after Eva died in 1844, shortly after Valentine was born. Herman's father, mother, and six older siblings (Gertrude, Jacob, Caroline, Valentine, Carl, and Magdalena) immigrated from Germany aboard the ship Carolus Magnus and arrived in the Port of New York on 13 January 1854. Their last name was listed as Geiger on the ships records. After arriving in the United States, the family made their way to Ohio and settled near Troy, in Miami County. In 1860 the family moved to Shelby County and are listed as living in McLean Township, Shelby County, Ohio during the 1860 US census. Ferdinand had already started farming and was listed as owning land valued at $1,500 with a personal value of $200 in 1860. Their family was also growing as they had added three children, Catherine, Elizabeth and Ferdinand to their family. By the 1870 census, the farm was valued at $2,000 and Ferdinand's personal value had increased to $685. Their family had also increased by another three children, John, George, and Zibidu (I have no idea who he is but it would have to be Joseph based on birth dates).

Herman was born on the family farm, three miles east of Ft. Loramie in Shelby County, Ohio, on 31 October 1870. Herman is first listed in the US census in 1880. He is 10 years old and is attending school. The family at that time consisted of his father Ferdinand (aged 70), mother Appolonia (aged 54), and the following children: Elizabeth (aged 22) keeping house, Ferdinand (aged 20) working on the farm, Catherine (aged 24) keeping house, John (aged 18) working on the farm, George (aged 14) working on the farm, Joseph (aged 13) attending school, and Philip Carity (aged 9 months) son of Catherine. Catherine is listed as a widow. Her husband, Francois Emil Carity, a French immigrant, had recently died on 18 April 1880, just 8 months after their son Philip was born.

5 cent token for Loramie Bakery
(source: eBay)

Herman lived on the family farm until he was twenty-five years of age, when he moved to the village of Ft. Loramie and began his career as a furniture dealer. On 2 August 1898, he married Mary Louise Jardot (1869-1965). This may have been his second marriage as some say that he was first married to Magdellena Wise who may have died in 1897. I haven't found the records yet to support that marriage. This was the second marriage for his wife, Mary. She was previously married to Joseph Wolf (1869-1896) and had four children from that marriage; Anna Adelle (1889-1978), William J (1890-1907), Leo J (1893-1966), and Mathilda Catherine (1896-1989). Herman left the furniture dealership in 1898 and became the owner and operator of Loramie Bakery and also became a grocer. His children helped out in the bakery and grocery, learning the importance of being responsible business persons early on. The bakery was located at 36 West Main Street, in Ft. Loramie, the same address as Gaier's Chrysler Dealership is located today. Herman and Mary had their first of five children on May 1899 when Susan was born. These children were; Susan (1899-??), August J (1902-1978), Elmer (1906-??), Paul L (1908-1992), and Mary Ellen (1914-2002). Two of his sons, August and Elmer operated an automobile repair business and August Gaier also became the fire chief for Ft. Loramie. As a baker, Herman supplied many retailers in the area of Minster, New Bremen, Osgood, and Willowdell, as well as Ft. Loramie. He closed the bakery in 1929 and spent his time operating the grocery until a few months prior to his death.

Herman was very active in community affairs. He was a member of the village council for eight years and director of the community fire department for an extended period. Herman died on 5 April 1936, at the age of 65, due to carcinoma of the lungs. He is buried in St. Michaels Cemetery.

William Hall (1840-1922) "52 Ancestors"

We are now in the fourth week of the 52 Ancestors in 52 Weeks Challenge which Amy Johnson Crow threw out to all of us at the beginning of the year. So, now I am 4 for 4. Only 48 more posts to go before the end of the year. With over 42,000 people in my database I should be able to complete this. But if you have been following my blog since it started, you know that I am easily distracted and am not very consistent in my writing.

William Hall, c. 1910

This week I decided to write about my wife's 3rd great-grand uncle, William Hall. Why did I choose him? Well I was looking through my photo folder and thought he looked interesting. William was born on 19 May 1840 in Aberdeen, Brown County, Ohio along the Ohio River. His parents were William Hall ( ~1810-1878) and Jane Ann Lee (~1813-~1856). He had the following siblings: Alexander William (1836-1911), Mary (~1838-??), Luther Leach (1842-1918), Francis (~1843-??), George (~1845-??), Lucy J (~1847-??), Anna E (~1850-1918), Rachel (~1852-??), and Martha (~1856-??). After his mother's death, his father remarried Rose Ellen Love Degman (~1822-1897) on 21 February 1857 in Maysville, Mason County, Kentucky, a town directly across the Ohio River from Aberdeen. This was Rose's second marriage also. She brought the following children to the family: Laura, James H, John P, and Sylvester Degman. From this second marriage they added a son Thomas Johnston Hall (1860-1917).

The Hall family is of Scotish origin, his grandfather being the family immigrant. His father was a boat builder, building flat and produce boats, which navigated the Ohio and Mississippi Rivers. Several members of the Hall family, including William, took part in the ship building business.

William Hall, Civil War

William served during the Civil War, along with his father and six brothers. William enlisted as a Private in Company H, Ohio 12th Infantry Regiment on 16 January 1862, at the age of 22. On 1 July 1864 he transferred into Company K, Ohio 23rd Infantry Regiment and was mustered out on 26 July 1865 in Cumberland, Maryland. Company K is known for several of its officers who later went on the become President of the United States, Rutherford B. Hayes and William McKinley. As a member of the 12th Infantry he would have been in the following locations: in 1862 - Princeton (22 April - 1 May), Narrows of New River (4 May), Flat Top Mountain (20 May - 14 August), Wayne County (24-26 July), Washington (14-24 August), Pope's Campaign in Northern Virginia (24 August - 2 September), and Bull Run Bridge (27 August). They took part in the Maryland Campaign (6-22 September), which included the Battle of South Mountain Maryland (14 September), and Battle of Antietam (16-17 September), and then continued on the march to Clear Springs (8 October), Kanawha Valley, WV (14 October - 17 November), and to Fayette Court House where he was stationed for an extended time (4 December 1862 - 19 May 1863). While at Fayette Court House they took part in a minor skirmish at Blake's Farm (9 May) and repulsed McCausland's attack at Fayetteville (17-20 May). Company H then went on to pursue Morgan's forces on the Ohio River (17-26 July), the expedition from Charlestown to Lewisburg (3-13 November), action at Meadow Bluff (4 December) and back to Kanawha Valley (8-25 December) where they had several battles including Big Sewell Mountain and Meadow Bluff (11 December), Lewsiburg and Greenbriar River (12 December), and Meadow Bluff (14 December). In 1864 they took part in Crook's Raid on the Virginia and Tenessee Railroad (2-19 May), which included the Battle of Cloyd's Mountain (9 May) and New River Bridge (10 May). From 26 May until 1 July they participated in Hunter's Raid to Lynchburg, which included Diamond Hill (17 June), Lynchburg (17-18 June), and the retreat to Charleston (19 June - 1 July). They were then ordered back to Columbus, Ohio where the unit was transferred to 23rd Ohio Infantry. The losses experienced by the 12th Regiment included 3 officers and 93 enlisted killed in action and 2 officers and 77 enlisted lost to disease.

As part of the 23d Regiment, they moved to the Shenandoah Valley where they took part in the Battle of Winchester (24 July), Martinsburg (25 July), and Sheridan's Shenandoah Campaign (7 August - 28 November). That campaign consisted of Strasburg and Fisher's Hill (15 August), Summit Point (24 August), Halltown (26 August), Berryville (3 September), Battle of Opequan (19 September), Fisher's Hill (22 September), and Battle of Cedar Creek (19 October). They then were stationed at Kernstown until 20 December when they moved to Stephenson's Depot and then to Martinsburg, West Virginia on 29 December. On 1 January 1865 they relocated to Cumberland, Maryland where they stayed until they were mustered out on 26 July 1865.

William was commended by Col. Hayes for his meritorious action at the Battle of Cedar Creek where, under direct heavy artillery fire, twenty volunteers crossed an open road and recovered a battery of guns which were deserted and placed them in action resulting in a rout of the Confederate troops. This action was one of the factors in turning the tide of the battle.

William Hall with daughter Edith

Louisa Taylor

After the war William took up his occupation as a stationary engineer (steam engine/boiler operator) on the Ohio River. He stayed a bachelor for some time. Finally at the age of 55, on 16 December 1895, he married Louisa Taylor, aged 37, in Greensburg, Decatur County, Indiana. Louisa was born in Mt. Sterling, Bath County, Kentucky on 10 April 1858 and she died in Cincinnati, Hamilton County, Ohio on 29 April 1946. They had four children, Edgar Mansfield (1896-1964), Edith Lee (1898-2000), Willard Arthur (1900-1965), and Ruth Elizabeth (1901-1904). His sons, Edgar and Willard, served in World War I with Company E, 147th Infantry and both were injured in the Argonne Offensive.

William died at 8:35 p.m. on 12 December 1922, at the age of 82 years and 6 months. The cause of death was listed as general arteriosclerosis.

Glenn Reeder (1890-1965) "52 Ancestors"

Well, this is my third post in the 52 Ancestors in 52 Weeks Challenge from Amy Johnson Crow. Can you believe that I made it three weeks in a row?

This week's post is on my wife's great grand uncle Glenn Reeder. Glenn is the grandson of Corydon Reeder (~1823-??), and son of Sylvester Perry Reeder (1855-1933) and Ella Millicent Faul (1860-1901). Ella was the daughter of Edward Faul who I wrote about previously. Glenn was the middle of five children. His siblings were Chester C (1887-1904), Leslie Edward (1888-1949), Mabel Eleanor (1893-1979), and Ethel S (1896-1926). Glenn was born on 20 March 1890 in Greenville, Washington County, Oregon. Glenn's family was living on a farm in Greenville during the 1900 census. The family owned the farm free of a mortgage. His mother Ella died on 1 February 1901 leaving Sylvester to care for the five children. Tragedy struck the family again on 12 February 1904 when his brother Chester died at the age of 17. Ella and Chester are both buried at Hillside Cemetery in Forest Grove, Washington County, Florida.

In 1910 Glenn's father, and sisters Mabel and Ethel were living in West Bertha, Multnomah County, Oregon. His father was retired and Mabel was working in an overall factory. Glenn and his brother Leslie were on the road as circular distributors and were listed as lodgers in the home of John F Turnpin in Portland, Multnomah County, Oregon. Mr. Turnpin was the proprietor of a shooting gallery.

Glenn enlisted in the military on 28 April 1911. He was a member of the US Marine Corps, Company A, 37th Company, Marine Detachment, American Legation Guard. Between April and June of 1911 he was stationed at the Marine barracks on Mare Island, California. In July he was transferred to the 1st Brigade Marines and was transported to Manila, Philippines Islands via USAT Sherman arriving there in August. He was then sent to the detention camp at Canesse, Philippine Islands and later to Olongapo, Philippine Islands. By October he had been stationed in Peking, China where he was located for about 5 months. In March of 1914 he made several trips between China and the Philippines aboard USNA Abarenda and by the end of March he was back in the Marine barracks at the Naval Station in Cavite, Philippines. All members of this detachment were transferred to the Naval Yard, Mare Island, California aboard the USAT Thomas in April and arrived back in the states in May. Once Glenn arrived back in the US he was transferred to the Marine barracks at the Naval Yard in Puget Sound, Washington where he was assigned to the Western Recruiting Division until August 1914. In August he was reassigned to Puget Sound where he remained until he was discharged on 27 April 1915. He had an "Excellent" rating and was awarded the Good Conduct Medal. Glenn's veterans gravesite records lists him as a veteran of World War I, having served as a Sargent in the US Army. I don't have any Army records for Glenn, so I am wondering if he reenlisted in the Army after he was discharged from the Marines.

I haven't been able to find Glenn in the 1920 census but in 1930 Glenn is living on Pleasant View Avenue in Sycamore Precinct, Multnomah County, Oregon. His occupation is listed as a timber feller for a logging company. In 1935 he was living in Milwaukee, Clackamas County, Oregon and in 1940 he was living at Headquarters Camp Road #2, Elocham Election Precinct, Wahkiakum County, Washington. He was working as a timber feller for C. H. P. Company and had an annual income of $1500 a year. In 1942, when Glenn Registered for the WW II draft, he was back in Milwaukie, Clackamas County, Oregon with his brother Leslie. He was working for Jeff Woodward from West Kelso, Washington. Glenn was listed as being 5' 11" tall, weighing 175 pounds, with gray eyes, brown hair and a light complexion.

Glenn never married. He died on 13 May 1965, at the age of 75, near where he was born in Washington County, Oregon. He is buried in the Willamette National Cemetery, Section F, Site 3679, in Portland, Oregon.

Charles Joseph Meyer (1867-1914) "52 Ancestors"

Hey again! This is post number 2 of the 52 Ancestors in 52 Weeks Challenge. See, I can be consistent.

This post is on my great grandfather Charles Joseph Meyer. Charles went by his middle name Joseph because his father was also Charles Joseph Meyer. His father went by Charles. Hopefully this will not be too confusing.

Joseph Meyer was born on 28 September 1867 in Minster, Auglaize County, Ohio. His parents were Charles (1840-1904) and Mary Katherine Wehrman Meyer (1847-1916). Charles and Mary were married on 16 October 1866 in Auglaize County and had 9 children with Joseph being the oldest. Their children were Joseph, Herman (1869-1869), Henry (1870-1904), Mary Catherine (1872-1879), Augustine (1875-1879), Bernard (1877-1957), Anton (1880-1942), Mary Bernadine (1882-1911), and an infant (born & died 24 February 1884). As you can see, several of Joseph's siblings died early on. Herman was about 3 months old when he died. Mary Catherine was almost 7 years old and died just 2 weeks before her brother Augustine who was 4 years old.

In 1870, Joseph is living with his parents between Ft. Loramie and Egypt. He is 2 years old, his father is a farmer and his mother is keeping house. There is another person living in this house that I haven't been able to figure out so far. She is listed as Little Magdaleen, age 15, and is a servant girl. There is no last name listed for her in the census which makes it even more difficult to figure out who she is.

In the 1880 census Joseph is listed with his siblings Henry (age 9), Bernard (age 3) and Anton (age 5 months). Joseph and Henry are attending school near Egypt, Ohio, and their father is still farming. Joseph worked on the family farm until he was 19 years old at which time he began learning the carpentry trade. At about 21 he decided to go to Cincinnati to find work but returned home about a year later and continued his training in carpentry.

On 1 May 1894, Joseph married Rosa Bruns in Auglaize County. The couple settled on South Ohio Street in Minster where he set up his profession and became a well respected carpenter in the village. In 1900 the family consisted of Joseph, his wife Rosa, and their sons Herman and Charles (twins) and daughter Emma. By 1910, Joseph and Rosa had had 8 children, 7 of whom were still living. They were Herman (1896-1966), Charles (1896-1914), Emma Katherine (1898-1953), Elisabeth Estella Elinore "Stella" (1900-1984), Loretta Bernadina (1903-1991), Hilda Ann (1905-1905), Alfred Clarence (1906-1973), and Raymond Anthony (1909-1988). Two more children were born over the next four years. They were Joseph (1912-1914) and Edward Bernard (1914-1977), making a total of 10 children.

The year 1914 was not a good year for the family. First, in January, their son Charles died at age 17 years 5 months. Next, their son Joseph passed in April at the age of 2 years. Then Joseph, the subject of this story, died in September, less than 2 months before his last son, Edward was born in November of 1914.

On Thursday, 17 September 1914, Joseph returned home from his carpentry work and complained of not feeling well. He went to his room and forced himself to lay down. He was not able to leave that room alive again. At 7:15 pm on Tuesday, 22 September, Joseph died of acute polymyosistis (muscle infection) with chronic nephritis (kidney disease) as a contributor to his death. Joseph's funeral was held at 8:30 am, Friday, 25 September, at  St. Augustines Church in Minster. His burial followed in the church cemetery.

After his death, his wife Rosa continued living in the home at 164 South Ohio Street in Minster until her death. Their son Herman lived at home and helped care for the children and his mother until his marriage in 1931. Rosa died in 1951 at the age of 74. She was seated in a chair on the front porch of her home and died of a sudden heart attack. She is also buried in St. Augustines Cemetery, in Minster.

Raymond Bernard Westerheide (1894-1981) "52 Ancestors"

As we start the new year everyone is making (and breaking) their New Year's resolutions. With all of the social media (Facebook, G+, and others) there are plenty of ideas for resolutions. There are a couple that I have seen that I hope to be able to follow through with during the year - we all know how that will work, don't we. The first is a blessing jar where I will keep track of at least one good thing that happened to me or that I am thankful for each day. So far I have been good at that one - two days in a row. The second one is the 52 Ancestors in 52 Weeks Challenge from Amy Johnson Crow. Basically, the goal is to post a story to my blog at least once per week during the year. Remember back in February when I tried to post once per day and I managed to get 10 posts in that month. Let's see how long this one lasts.

This post is about my great-grandfather Raymond Bernard Westerheide. I am not exactly sure what day Ray was born on. His birth record states 12 December 1894 in Minster, Auglaize County, Ohio. However, many of his other records, including WW I and WW II draft registration, death certificate, Social Security Death Index, and obituary, state that he was born 4 December 1894 or 1895 and may have been born in Egypt, Auglaize County, Ohio. Both communities are in Jackson Township and are only a few miles apart and, based on his mother's obituary, the family farm was located two miles west of Minster near Egypt. His birth record lists his name as B. R. Westerheide. His parents were John Henry ("Henry") (1863-1948) and Catherine Bornhorst Westerheide (1858-1931). His mother had been married previously to William Severin (1852-1886). Catherine Bornhorst lived most of her life in the Egypt community except for a brief time when she lived in Belloit, Kansas with her first husband and four children; Emma Catherine (1877-1935), Anne (1878-died young), Franz Joseph (1880-1931), and Bernard. They moved to Kansas in October 1885 and in January 1886 William Severin died, leaving her to care for the young children. Once the family was able to dispose of their affairs in Kansas they moved back to Ohio to be near their relatives. It is believed that Henry Westerheide had also been with the family in Kansas, possibly employed as a farm hand. Henry and Catherine married on 16 February 1887 and had nine children during their marriage. Their children were Dr. Edward Frances (1887-1955), Julius Henry (1889-1963), Mary (1891-1949), George (1893-1926), Raymond Bernard (1894-1981), Pauline C (1896-1977), Joseph Ignatius (1897-1976), Anthony Frederick (1899-1963), and Henry A (1902-1985).

Ray's father, Henry, was a well known farmer and was active in local politics. He had served three terms as a township trustee and 24 years as a member of the local board of education. Ray's mother, Catherine, was a devoted member of St. Joseph's Catholic church and was well liked in the community. Henry and Catherine were both born to German immigrants who settled in Auglaize County in the mid part of the 1800s.

Ray left the farm early on in his life. By the time he registered for the WW I draft in 1917, he was living at 44 1/2 Pulaski in Dayton, Ohio. He had married Laura Ann Stueve (1897-1988) on 17 April 1917 at Holy Trinity Church in Dayton. He was employed at Domestic Engineering Co., as an inspector. Domestic Engineering Company was started just a year earlier in February 1916 by Charles Kettering. This was one of the companies that became Delco-Light which was eventually bought out by General Motors in 1920 and was moved to Detroit in 1925. The Domestic Engineering Company specialized in bringing electricity to the farm and rural communities.

In 1920, Ray, his wife Laura, daughter Norma, son Vernon, and brother-in-law August Stueve were living at 317 Nassau Street, in Dayton, Ohio. They were renting the home. Ray was working for Delco-Light as an assembler. By early 1921 the family had returned to the Minster area. The family was living at 122 South Frankfort Street in 1930. This house was a newer home, built in 1924, and they were renting it for $15/month. Ray was employed as a grocery store manager for the Kroger store in Minster. The store was located on the corner of Fourth Street and Frankfort and later became Farno's Market. It was one of the earliest Kroger stores. The family was growing and they had six children; Norma (1917-2011), Vernon (1918-2004), Emerita (1921-2010), Rosabel (1921-1996), Lucille (1924-1994), and Leroy. One child, Ohmer Francis, born on 14 November 1922 had died on 15 November 1923, at the age of 1. Their last child, Mary Jeanette was born in 1933 and died in 2007.

During the period after Prohibition, Ray was using his store as a front for illegal alcohol manufacturing and distribution. He would drive his grocery truck to the C. D. Kenny Co., wholesale grocery firm in Dayton to pick up large loads of sugar which were used in the making of alcohol. John W. Dye, the branch manager of C. D. Kenny, Co., would hide the sales to make it appear to be small sales to grocers. Whenever a truck would show up at the loading docks a company truck would pull up along side it to hide it from view while the sugar was loaded. Ray would then transport the sugar to a large illicit still. The still was moved through Darke, Shelby and Mercer counties to avoid detection and the alcohol was then transported to Columbus, Dayton and Cincinnati for sale. The still was operated by Ray Westerheide of Minster; Carl Knoebel and William Yenney of Covington; Alfred and Ralph Jutte of Ft. Recovery; and Clarence Green of Muncie, Indiana. Federal liquor agents began cracking down on the group in early 1936. Initially the charges were related to defrauding the government of $175,000 in taxes through the operation of the still. The agents had been watching the operation at the C. D. Kenny Company from a house across the street and had captured Harold Stover, a young man who had been mixing the alcohol, who plead guilty and testified against Carl Knoebel and Ray Westerheide.

Ray was arrested by liquor agents at the end of September 1936. Agents blocked Route 54 two miles southeast of Urbana and stopped Ray when he tried to go around them in the ditch. He had 50 gallons of alcohol in the vehicle at the time and police confiscated his automobile. Newspapers listed him as the leader and last of a ring that had been distributing alcohol from Chicago throughout Ohio for at least the last two or three years. Several other persons were also captured and held awaiting the grand jury in the Preble County jail.

Ray was again arrested in 1938 after a major raid where nearly 500 gallons of illicit liquor was seized. The raid was made at a cottage in St. Marys Township near Villa Nova at 10:30 pm during the week. Agents confiscated a car along with 345 gallons of alcohol and 114 gallons of liquor. The liquor was produced by cutting the alcohol with water and then preparing it in small quantities for distribution. The car that was confiscated contained 35 five-gallon cans of alcohol and belonged to Wilfred Moorman who was a driver for Ray. Federal tax labels were fastened on the cans. Moorman escaped during the raid by running out the back door of the cottage and walked nine miles to Celina. He surrendered to agents a two days later. Stiff penalties were given to each man. Ray was fined $750 plus costs and sentenced to three months in jail. Wilfred Moorman was fined $100 and also sentenced to three months. The jail sentences were suspended when Ray immediately paid the fines, a total of $863.13 in cash. This ended a two and one half year investigation where agents had tried unsuccessfully several times to trap Ray but on each previous occasion he had been able to elude the agents by moving the still to a new location.

By 1935 the family were renting a home at 104 South Frankfort Street in Minster. In 1940 the family consisted of Ray, his wife Laura, daughters Lucille and Mary Jean and their son Leroy. Ray was now employed as a dry cleaner running Home Service Cleaning in a garage at the back of the property. Later he moved the business into a building on Fourth Street in Minster next to Wagner's original grocery store. In 1942, when Ray signed up for the WW II draft, he was working at Monarch Machine Tool in Sidney, Ohio. He continued to run the dry cleaning business on the weekends and evenings with hired help until it became busy enough for him to work full time.

In the late 1930s, Ray managed the Minster City Baseball Team for a time. One of his claims to fame was that his hands and wrists were so big that he could hit fly balls in practice to the outfield using a fungo bat and swinging it with only one hand.

Another interesting story associated with the family took place in May of 1938. The story was reported as follows:

"And when she got there the clothes line was bare ..." Recalling the old rhyme of Mother Hubbard and her cupboard was an incident that occurred here. Because it rained after she placed them on the line, Mrs. Ray Westerheide permitted her clothes to hang out all night. When she prepared to take them down shortly after daylight, however, she found that her entire week's family washing had been stolen.

Ray and Laura moved to a home that he built on Lake Loramie in the early 1950s and lived there until his death. Ray died on 14 May 1981 at the age of 86. He had 43 grandchildren and 84 great grandchildren at the time of his death. His wife survived him and eventually died on 14 July 1988. Ray and Laura are both buried in St. Augustine Cemetery in Minster, Ohio.

Dr. Edward F. Westerheide (1887-1955)

I'm baaaack! It has only been ten months since my last post but I decided to write a new story anyway. We are getting ready for Christmas here in sunny Florida where it was 85 degrees today and I was out washing my car. The northern states are getting their fourth winter storm of the year. This one is named Dion. Hope everyone in Ohio is staying warm and safe. Now on to my story.

Edward Francis Westerheide, my great-grand uncle, was born on a farm near Egypt, Auglaize County, Ohio on November 18, 1887. He was the first child of Henry Westerheide and his wife Catherine Bornhorst (I wrote about Catherine previously here). Edward's siblings were Julius Henry (1889-1963), Mary (1891-1949), George (1893-1926), Raymond Bernard - my great grandfather (1894-1981), Pauline (1896-1977), Joseph Ignatius (1897-1976), Anthony Frederick (1899-1963), and Henry A (1902-1985). He also had several step brothers and sisters from his mother's first marriage. They were Emma Catherine Severin (1877-1935), Anne Severin (1878-??), Franz Joseph Severin (1880-1931), and Bernard Severin (??-??).

Edward attended St. Joseph College at Rensselaer, Indiana from 1905 until 1907, studied veterinary medicine at Grand Rapids Veterinary College until 1910 and then entered Ohio State University where he graduated in 1911.  According to the Proceedings of the American Veterinary Medical Association, he was voted in as a member of the American Veterinary Association in 1912. From that point on he was referred to as Dr. E. F. Westerheide. On January 7, 1913, he married Ida Elizabeth Laufersweiler (1886-1959) in Minster, Auglaize County, Ohio.

Ida's parents were John Laufersweiler and Anna Schmuecker. The Laufersweiler family was well known in the area. John Laufersweiler began his career as a canal boat driver on the Miami & Erie Canal. At age 16 he drove the mail stage between New Bremen and Piqua and later learned the tinner's trade, purchased an interest in a local business and eventually became the sole proprietor of that business. He served as clerk of the village of Minster for eight years and as treasurer for four years. He was a stockholder of the Minster Bank and Jackson Gas & Oil Company and he served as secretary of the Minster Loan & Savings Company for many years as well as owning his own hardware store. Both John and Anna died the same year that Edward and Ida were married, in 1913. She died on May 10th while he died on October 14th. One of John's nieces, Mary Genevieve Laufersweiler, married Agustus Halvorsen Hilton, and their great-great granddaughter is well known around the world as Paris Whitney Hilton.

As a veterinarian, Edward worked predominantly with farm animals and witnessed many interesting and peculiar cases. One case, which he found interesting enough to submit to the Journal of Veterinary Medicine in 1914 went as follows:

I had a peculiar case of impaction in a cow. I was called January 14th, 1914, to see a cow at a farm eight miles from the office. The owner informed me that she had given birth to a nice calf about two weeks previous, and had continued in good health until the morning of the same day.

I was called at 9:30 p.m. She had a milk flow of seven gallons per day up till the morning of January 13th, when it had dropped to two gallons. After an examination of the cow, I concluded to give one and one-half pounds magnesium sulphate with one dram of fluidextract of nux vomica four times a day. On the morning of the 15th the owner telephoned that he thought she hadn't cleaned herself, and that a piece of the fetal membrane was protruding.

Upon my arrival at the farm I noticed that the supposed membrane was a loop of small intestine protruding from the rectum. I took hold of it and commenced cleaning the parts, when it gradually started to move with a passage from the cow and nearly ten feet were in the bosin. I told the owner to hold the first loop in. I then discovered it was the intestine from a hog, and upon so informing the farmer, he told me that his cows had had access to a pasture field nearly two months before where he had burned (partially) 22 hogs which had died of hog cholera, but declared that none of the cows in the herd of 25 had had access to the pasture for two months, so undoubtedly the cow carried twenty-five feet of hog intestine in her bowels for two months. She fully recovered in three days' time to her normal flow of milk and the owner was well satisfied to save his best cow.

Edward and Ida had six children; John R (1913-1913), Ruth Alice (1915-1996), Elizabeth Jane (1916-1979), Dr. Francis Xavier (1920--), John Thomas (1922-1994), and Allen E (1924-1984). Dr. Westerheide was a practicing veterinarian for almost 40 years and retired from his veterinary business in 1950 due to heart problems. In 1914 Dr. Westerheide was one of the first people to open a Ford automobile dealership. He was selling the Ford Model T at that time and held onto the Ford franchise dealership until his death in 1955. One interesting fact about the Westerheide Ford dealership was that they sold the 20 millionth Ford and there is a picture of Henry Ford and Edward Westerheide celebrating that milestone in Ford history.

He was very active in civic matters including being associated with the Auglaize County Fair for 25 years, served as director of the Auglaize County Agricultural Society, served 12 years as a member of the Auglaize County Democratic Central and Executives committees, vice president of the Roosevelt-Davey Club in 1936, and was an active member of the Auglaize County Auto Club. He was the assessor for Jackson Township from 1912 to 1914 and was active on the Lake Loramie Improvement Association and worked for the betterment of Lake Loramie through securing roads and other improvements of the lake area. He also held membership in the Knights of Columbus, Fraternal of Eagles, the Elks Lodge of Wapakoneta, and the Minster Commercial Club. In addition, Dr. Westerheide made frequent trips to the Ford Motor Company in Detroit, Michigan and also frequented Columbus, Ohio where he lobbied for road construction and transportation related programs.

The Westerheide family established their home on North Frankfort Street in 1917 when they purchased the former residence of Mrs. Minnie Goeke. In 1920, Edward and Ida, along with their daughters Ruth Alice and Elizabeth Jane were living on Frankfort Street. Also living in their home were two of Ida's brothers, William Henry and John William Laufersweiler, aged 16 and 19 respectively. These two brothers may have moved in with the family soon after their parents died in 1913. The Westerheide family were still living at 124 N. Frankfort Street in 1930 along with their children; Ruth Alice, Betty Jane, James, John and Allen. August of 1937 was a busy month for Dr. Westerheide and his family. Early in the month their daughter Ruth was visiting them from Tulsa, Oklahoma. The next week Dr. Westerheide met as a representative for the Fourth District leaders to discuss the election of Governor Davey. Then a week later John became ill and the family spent several days in Detroit consulting with specialists at the Ford Hospital. From what I can see in the social news of the day, this is probably a typical schedule for this family. In 1940 the family was still living on Frankfort Street and consisted of Edward, his wife Ida and their two sons, John and Allen, both of which are attending school.

On October 1, 1955, at the age of 67, Dr. E. F. Westerheide died of a heart attack. He had been in failing health for a long period and became ill two weeks before his death. His condition became critical about 9:00 p.m. and he died a little after midnight. His wife, Ida Laufersweiler, died four years later, on November 13, 1959, age 73. They are buried side-by-side in St. Augustines Cemetery in Minster, Ohio.

Joseph Matthias Meyer (1895-1988)

I missed my post yesterday. There are just too many things going on right now so I wasn't able to concentrate on writing a post. Luckily I did one post at the end of January just in case I missed a day of writing. This post will be on my 2nd cousin 3 times removed, Joseph Matthias Meyer. The interesting thing here is that he is not related to me on the Meyer line, like most people would assume (or at least I have not found a link there yet). He is actually related on my Westerheide line. We share the same ancestors, my 4th great grandparents, Johann Heinrich Poppelman and Maria Adelheid Arkenberg, back in Germany. I chose to write about him because of the great tragedies that he had to endure during his life.

Joseph Matthias Meyer was born on 5 November 1895 to John Herman (1857-1935) and Catherine Baumer Meyer (1862-1934) near McCartyville, Van Buren Township, Shelby County, Ohio. His father owned a farm where Joseph grew up along with his 15 siblings. Joseph's siblings were Anthony J (b. 1881), Elizabeth Catherine (1883-1917), Louis D (b. 1884), Cecelia Josephine (1886-1978), George H (b. 1887),  John R (b. 1888), Rosa M (b. 1890), Kittie E (b. 1892), Rosa (b. 1892), Frank Christopher (1893-1966), Dorothy C (1898-1986), Charles G (1899-2001), Adolph V (1901-1988), Anna (1903-1985), and Veronica (1906-1973). Joseph finished 8th grade, which was customary for the children of farmers during this period. Joseph was still living on the family farm and working as a farm hand at the time he registered for the World War I draft.

On 11 February 1919, Joseph married Henrietta E Altermatt (1896-1986). He continued the family practice of farming on his own land in Turtle Creek Township, Shelby County, Ohio. In the 1920 US Census, he is listed as owning a farm with a mortgage and having a 1 month old son, Vernon.

The 1930 US Census lists Joseph (age 34), his wife Henrietta (age 34), and seven children; Vernon (age 10), Cleona (age 9), Kenneth (age 7), Wilma (age 5), Lawrence (age 3), Irene (age 2), and Viola (age 5 months). Additionally, his mother-in-law, Mary Carroll (age 69) is living with the family.

Children of Joseph Meyer

The family suffered a streak of tragedy in 1935. In January, five of the younger children contracted the whooping cough and a short time later, ten of the eleven children contracted the measles. The children appeared to be recovering from these illnesses when those that had whooping cough developed pneumonia. Mary Louise, their youngest daughter, born 25 September 1934, was the first to die. She had been ill with pneumonia for a week and died on 24 January 1935. She was buried in St. Patricks Cemetery on 26 January. I can't imagine having a 4 month old child suffering with pneumonia. That must have been hard on the family. The second death occurred ten days later on 3 February when Alberta Jean succumbed to pneumonia. Alberta was 2 1/2 years old. Of the nine surviving children in the family, two more were ill with pneumonia. Alberta's funeral was held on 5 February. The next to succumb was Carl. Carl died on 6 February 1935 at the age of 1 year and 4 months. The fourth child, Margaret, age 4 years 2 months, died on 7 February. The funerals for Carl and Margaret were held on 9 February. To add to the loss, Joseph's father, John Herman Meyer, died from pneumonia a little over a month later, on 31 March 1935, at the age of 77. Joseph's mother had died a year earlier, on 26 July 1934, at the age of 71.

In 1940, the family farm is valued at $2,500. Joseph (age 44), his wife Henrietta (age 44) and nine remaining children Vernon (age 20), Cleona (age 19), Kenneth (age 18), Wilma (age 15), Lawrence (age 14), Irene (age 12), Viola (age 10), John (age 4) and Joseph (age 1) are living in the home. Kenneth is working on the farm. His brother Vernon is employed as a machinist with an income of $1350/year. Joseph registered for the draft for World War II at the age of 46. He lists his employer as Monarch Machine Tool Company, in Sidney, Ohio. One thing I like about the 1940s time frame is the phone numbers. His phone number was Circle 224 (just in case you wanted to call).

At least two of his sons were veterans of World War II. Vernon was an Army veteran and Kenneth was a Navy veteran. Kenneth died on 7 February 1962 at the age of 39 from injuries caused by an automobile accident on Interstate 70. Joseph's wife Henrietta died on 10 February 1986 at a long term care facility in Minster, Ohio. She was 89 years old at the time. Two years later, on 5 December 1988, Joseph died at Joint Township Hospital in St. Marys, Ohio at the age of 93.