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OHIO GENEALOGY EXPRESS
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Genealogy Express
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Welcome to
PUTNAM COUNTY,
OHIO
History & Genealogy
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BIOGRAPHIES
Source:
History of Putnam County, Ohio,
by George D. Kinder,
Publ. B. F. Bowen & Co., Inc.,
Indianapolis, Indiana
1915
< CLICK HERE TO RETURN TO
BIOGRAPHICAL INDEX PAGE >
Mr. & Mrs. Llewellyn Geiger |
LLEWELLYN
GEIGER. One of the enterprising young
men are native born to Putnam county, Ohio, and who
are making names and reputations for themselves in
the marts of trade in Llewellyn Geiger, whose father
was also born in this county. Marked aptitude
and diligence characterize the activities of this
young man, who is highly esteemed for her many
excellent qualities and for his quiet, gentlemanly
methods of transacting his business affairs in the
community when he is carving at a career for
himself.
Llewellyn Geiger was born in Riley township
Putnam county Ohio May 29, 1883 a son of David G.
and Mary (Hilty) Geiger. David Geiger was
born on Nov. 7 1852 in Riley township a son of
John G. and Mary (Lugibihl) Geiger John
G. Geiger was born in 1819, in Berne
Switzerland, a son of Mr. and Mrs. Christian
Geiger.
John G. Geiger came to America, with his parents,
in 1838, when he was nineteen years of age and
settled in Riley township Putnam county Ohio where
he entered government land. He experienced the
usual pioneer hardships, but cleared his land and
built a log house of two rooms and a log stable.
It was in that house that David G. Geiger was
born, one of a family of three sons and five
daughters.
David G. Geiger attended the public school and,
during the periods when he was not in school, helped
his father to clear the land on the farm and to
operate and threshing machine which, in those days,
was operated by horse-power. At the age of
twenty-three, in 1875, he married Mary Hilty,
a daughter of Peter and Catherine (Neunschwander)
Hilty, both of whom were of pioneer stock.
After his marriage, he settled on a part of his
father's farm, where he still lives. His wife
died on Apr. 22, 1885, when Llewellyn Geiger,
the subject, was not quite two years of age.
Six children were born to Mr. and Mrs. Geiger.
They are Matilda, the wife of David Bucher,
who lives in Riley township; Helena, the wife
of Amos Hilty, who lives in Allen county;
Gideon, who married Elizabeth Steiner and
lives in Lima, Ohio; Elizabeth, the wife of
Ezra Steiner; Llewellyn, the principal
of this sketch, and Tillman who married
Rosa Suter and lives in Riley township.
David Geiger was married a second time, in 1886
or 1887, his second wife being Rosine Gilliam
a daughter of Mr. and Mrs. John Gilliam.
Six children were born to this union, also, who are,
Mary, unmarried, who lives at home; Hulda,
the wife of Oswin Gerger, of Pandora, Ohio;
Hiram, who married Cecil Starkey, and
lives at Pandora, Ohio; John, Melvina and
William, who live at home.
David Geiger has always done general farming and
has been eminently successful. He is a loyal
member of the Swiss Mennonite church and is active
in its work.
He is a stanch member of the Democratic party and has
always taken an active interest in political
matters. For three years he has been a school
director, an office which he has filled to the
complete satisfaction of the citizens.
Llewellyn Geiger
was born in Riley township, Putnam county, Ohio, May
29, 1883. He grew to manhood on the old
homestead and attended district school, No. 7, until
he was seventeen years of age. He continued to
help his father in the operation of the farm until
he reached the age of twenty-one, when he began to
work as a carpenter, a trade which he followed for
three years, spending a large portion of that time
working in a saw-mill.
When he was twenty-four
years of age, Sept. 15, 1907, Llewellyn Geiger
married Pauline Suter, who was born in Nov.
30, 1882, a daughter of David D. and Elizabeth
(Neunschwander) Suter, of Riley
township. David D. Suter was
born in Riley township on Apr. 14, 1852, the son of
Christian Suter, Sr., Elizabeth Neunschwander
was the daughter of Isaac and Mary (Steiner)
Neunschwander, both of pioneer stock and Swiss
descent.
After their marriage, Mr. and Mrs. Llewellyn Geinger
spent seventeen months in making a tour to
the Pacific coast, spending several months in
California and Oregon. On their return, Mr.
Geiger engaged in the planing mill business,
buying an interest in the firm of D. C. Shank &
Company, of which concern he is now
vice-president, assistant manager and a director.
Mr. and Mrs. Geiger are both members of the
Grace Mennonite church and are active in the church
work. He is a member of the Democratic party,
has taken an active interest in the political
affairs of his community, and in his party
affiliations has served as a precinct committeeman.
Llewellyn Geiger is a clean-cut and progressive
young business man, of good character and
unquestioned integrity. He is well known and
universally respected.
Source: History of Putnam County, Ohio,
by George D. Kinder, Publ. 1915 by B. F. Bowen & Co., Inc.,
Indianapolis, Indiana - Page 336 |
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ANDREW
GERDEMAN. Among the many
German families in Putnam county there are few which
have a wider connection or acquaintance or whose
members have exerted a more active influence upon
the best life of the respective communities in which
they reside, than the family of Gerdeman,
which has been honorably represented in this county
since the year 1837, in which year John D.
Gerdeman came to America and located in Putnam
county. He was the father of eight children,
of whom five were sons, and the name, consequently,
has become one of the best known in that portion of
the county in which its influence has been most
largely exerted. This family has done well its
part in maintaining in this section the best
traditions of the Fatherland, which John D.
Gerdeman and others of his kind so firmly
inculcated in the minds of those who followed them
in natural descent hereabout; industry, thrift and
perseverance being traits which have operated
largely in the establishment of the numerous
prosperous Germanic families in this county.
Among these families, few are better known than that
of Andrew Gerdeman, of Ottawa township, and
the reader's attention is invited to the following
grief biography, which has to do with one of the
sons of John D. Gerdeman above referred to.
Andrew Gerdeman was born on the farm,
three miles southeast of Ottawa, in Ottawa township,
Putnam county, Ohio, on Aug. 11, 1864, the son of
John D. and Mary Ann (Redecker) Gerdeman, both
natives of Hanover,.
Germany. John D. Gerdeman was born in
1817, and came to America in the year 1837,
proceeding to the town of Delphos, Ohio, where he
spent about a year working in a saw-mill, at the end
of which time he came to Putnam county and bought a
farm south of that village, joining the large German
colony that had settled in the Glandorf
neighborhood, on which farm the immediate subject of
this sketch now makes his home. On this farm,
which he wrested from the wilderness and brought to
a high state of cultivation, John D. Gerdeman
spent the rest of his life and made for himself a
distinctive place in the community, long being
regarded as one of the most influential men in that
community.
John D. Gerdeman married Mary Ann Redecker,
who was born in Hanover, Germany, in 1829, and who,
at the tender age of four years, came to America
with her parents and grew to womanhood on a farm
about one mile south of the town of Ottawa. To
this union were born eight children, of whom six are
still living: Anna died at the age of four
years; Frank died in 1911, leaving a widow
and six children; Joseph, an Ottawa township
farmer, married Mary Schleuter, to
which union there was issue of seven children;
Mary Ann married Herman Gosling,
and Elizabeth married Henry Hermiller.
The other sons, besides Andrew, the subject
of this sketch, are Henry and Theodore.
The father of these children died on Jan. 5, 1890,
in his seventy-third year, his widow surviving him
until Mar. 31, 1909.
Andrew Gerdeman was reared on the
paternal farm and received his education in the
local schools of his neighborhood, his training
being that of a farmer. On May 24, 1887, Mr.
Gerdeman was united in marriage to Kate
Nierman, who was born at Glandorf, this county,
the daughter of August and Mary (Krieger) Nierman,
the former of whom was a native of Germany and the
latter of whom was born in Glandorf, in Putnam
county. August and Mary (Krieger) Nierman
were married in Glandorf, Putnam county, and settled
on a farm in Ottawa township, and lived there for
many years. He died on this farm on Feb. 22, 1881,
after which she removed to Glandorf, where she still
lives. Their children were Annie,
Katherine, Mary, John, August
and Magdalene, all of whom are still living.
Following his marriage, Andrew Gerdeman
remained on. the home farm, where he since has
continued to reside. He has a well equipped
establishment for successful farming on his place of
one hundred and twenty acres, and is known as one of
the most progressive agriculturists in his
neighborhood, as well as a wide-awake and
public-spirited citizen, who is alert to all move
merits designed to promote the best interests of the
community in which all his life thus far has been
spent.
To Andrew and Kate (Nierman) Gerdeman have been
born seven children, as follow: Albert, who
married Veronica Meyer, by whom he has one
son, Leonard, lives at Toledo, Ohio, where
he. is in the employ of the Gendron Wheel Work ;
Hubert, who married Rosa Ruhe,
lives in Ottawa township; Hugo, Alexander,
Edmund, Otto and Felix, all of
whom are at home. The members of this family
are all devoted adherents to the Catholic church at
Glandorf and are deeply interested in the affairs of
the parish, in the various activities of which they
take a prominent part.
Source: History of Putnam County, Ohio,
by George D. Kinder, Publ. 1915 by B. F. Bowen & Co., Inc.,
Indianapolis, Indiana - Page 1275 |
Mr. & Mrs. Barney Gerdeman
Gerdeman Residence
Gerdeman barn |
BARNEY GERDEMAN.
A member of one of the oldest and best-known
families in Putnam county, Barney Gerdeman, a
prosperous and progressive farmer of Union township,
this county, enjoys the esteem of all who know him
and very properly is accorded a place as among the
leading citizens of the part of the county in which
he was born and where his whole life has been spent.
His wife, also, is a member of one of the old
families of the county, and the two are very popular
in their large circle of acquaintances.
Barney Gerdeman was
born in Union township, Putnam county, Ohio.
May 11, 1873, the son of Henry and Bernadina (Eickholt)
Gerdeman both natives of Putnam county, the
former of whom was born on Feb. 19, 1842, the son of
Caspar and Anna Gerdeman, natives of Germany,
the latter of whom was born May 15, 1846, the
daughter of Barney and Elizabeth (Nieman)
Eickholt, also natives of Germany.
Caspar Gerdeman and his wife, Anna, came
to America from Germany and located in Putnam
county, Ohio, at an early day in the settlement of
the county. Here they cleared a farm, and on
this farm reared their family and spent the
remainder of their lives. They were the
parents of seven children, Caspar, Joseph, Henry,
Mathias, Theodore, Mary and Elizabeth.
Of these, Theodore served in the Civil War as
a member of an Ohio regiment, was captured by the
enemy and died in a military prison. Caspar
and Anna Gerdeman were prominent and
influential members of the community in which they
lived and were active in all the good works of that
neighborhood. Their bodies are lying at rest
in the Grandview cemetery.
Barney Eickholt and his wife, Elizabeth,
who was a Nieman, also immigrated from
Germany, coming to Putnam county at an early date
and settled on a farm near the town of Glandorf,
where they made a prominent place for themselves in
the estimation of their neighbors and where they
spent the rest of their lives, their bodies lying at
rest in the Glandorf cemetery. They were the
parents of six children, Joseph, Martha, Henry,
William, Charles and Bernardina, the
latter of whom was the mother of Bernard Gerdeman.
Henry Gerdeman grew to manhood on the paternal farm
near Glandorf, receiving his education in the
village school. He was united in marriage to
Bernardina Eickholf on May 5, 1868, and made
his home on a farm of one hundred and ten acres,
which he bought in Union township. He cleared
his farm and improved it in excellent shape,
erecting thereon a good class of buildings and
bringing it to a high state of cultivation, becoming
known as one of the most prosperous farmers in that
neighborhood. During late years, Henry
Gerdeman has been retired from the active work
of the farm, though still living on the old home
place, which is now the home of his son, Henry.
His wife died in March, 1915.
To Henry and Bernardina (Eickholdt) Gerdeman
were born twelve children, as follows:
Charles married Anna Busch and lives
in Union township; Andrew, who married Ida
Daling and is now deceased; Katherine,
who married Henry Hamberg and lives in
Jackson township, this county; Barney, the
subject of this sketch; John who married
Mary Lang and lives al Delphos, Ohio; William,
who married Mary Schroeder and lives in
Greensburg township, this county; Elizabeth,
who married Henry Verhoff, and lives near
Columbus Grove; Amelia, who married
William Morman and lives near Leipsic, this
county; Josephine, who is unmarried;
Bernadina,
who married Joseph Morman and lives in
Greensburg township; Henry, who married
Emma Merschman and lives on the old home
farm, and Mathias, who married Emily
Schumacher and lives in Union township.
Barney Gerdeman was reared on the old
home farm in Union township and attended the
neighborhood school in his youth, making a good
account of the time spent in the school room.
He assisted his father on the farm, remaining there
until his marriage in 1898, when he moved upon a
farm of ninety acres in Union township, that had
previously been purchased by him, where he has lived
ever since. This farm he has improved in fine
shape, his buildings being substantial and of a
modern type, the place presenting a general air of
prosperity which marks its owner as a progressive
and up-to-date farmer.
On Oct. 19, 1898, Barney Gerdeman was
united in marriage to Anna Brinkman,
daughter of Barney and Bernardina (Wehrie)
Brinkman, both of whom were born in the Glandorf
neighborhood, in this county, their parents having
been among the numerous German immigrants who
colonized in that part of the county at an early
day. For some years after their marriage
Mr. and Mrs. Brinkman lived in Greensburg
township, and later moved to a farm in Jackson
township, where Mrs. Brinkman is still
living, Mr. Brinkman's death having
occurred on Mar. 28, 1914. Barney
Brinkman
was one of the best known men in the county.
He had served the public faithfully and well in the
capacity of county commissioner, and was deeply
interested in local public affairs. He also
had served his township as a public officer in
various capacities and had always been attentive to
the needs of the community. His chief
activities were confined to the farm, however, and
he had prospered in his labors. To Barney
and Bernardina (Wehrie) Brinkman were born
thirteen children — Joseph, Anna,
Bernadina, Mary,
Amelia, Andrew, Frank, Elizabeth, Josephine,
Matilda, Elnora, Caroline and Loretta, of
whom all are living save Bernadina,
Elizabeth and Josephine. The
Brinkman family were members of the St.
Michael's Catholic church at Kalida, and took an
active part in the affairs of that parish.
Mr. and Mrs. Gerdeman belong to St. Michael's
Catholic church at Kalida, and are active
participants in the various beneficences of that
parish. They are popular and well liked in the
community in which they live, and are regarded as
among the leaders in the social and civic life of
that section of the county. They have no
children. Mr. Gerdeman is not only a
good farmer, but is recognized generally as an
excellent business man and a man of fine executive
ability. He is a director of the Peoples Bank
at Kalida, a director in the fire insurance company
at the same place, and has served as a member of the
county fair association, in all of which service he
has exhibited executive qualities which have gained
him the highest confidence of his business
associates. Mr. Gerdeman is a
Democrat, and takes a good deal of interest in the
county's political affairs. He has served as
supervisor of public roads in his home township; he
has held various other township offices during the
past fifteen years, and in other ways has shown his
high interest in public affairs.
Source: History of Putnam County, Ohio, by
George D. Kinder, Publ. 1915 by B. F. Bowen & Co.,
Inc., Indianapolis, Indiana - Page 720 |
J. FRED GERDEMAN |
J. FRED GERDEMAN.
J. Fred Gerdeman is a well-known and popular
citizen of Ottawa township, Putnam county, Ohio, and
a successful dairyman of this township. Mr.
Gerdeman is a man who is much admired by his
neighbors and patrons and is known for his keen
perceptive faculties, unusual soundness of judgment
and upright dealings with all his patrons.
Today his name stands high on the roll of the
honored citizens of Putnam county. He is a
member of one of the old pioneer families of this
county and there is particular interest in his
career in the fact that, like his many worthy
forbears, he has forged his way to the front and won
a rather unusual measure of success.
J. Fred Gerdeman was born on July 4, 1879, just
north of Ottawa. He is the son of Mathias
and Elizabeth (Ellerbrock) Gerdeman. Mathias
Gerdeman was born in Osnabruck, Hanover,
Germany, on Nov. 13, 1833, who was the son of
Caspar and Mary (Kruse) Gerdeman.
Caspar and Mary (Kruse) Gerdeman came to America
when Mathias was five or six years old, and
settled west of Glandorf, four or five miles in
pioneer times. Caspar and Mary (Kruse) Gerdeman
were married in Germany. In 1836 they settled
in Putnam county, Greensburg township, on a farm of
eighty acres of government land. This farm was
cleared and drained and the home established in the
wilderness. The children of Caspar and Mary
(Kruse) Gerdeman are as follow: Mathias,
deceased; Bernadina, deceased; Theodore,
deceased; Mary; Henry; Joseph;
Caspar: Elizabeth, and Anna,
deceased. Of these, Theodore served in
Company I, Thirty-seventh Regiment Ohio Volunteer
Infantry, during the Civil War. He was
captured during the war, but released on account of
illness and was confined in the marine hospital at
St. Louis; Mathias was educated in Greensburg
township and married Elizabeth Ellerbrock,
daughter of William Ellerbrock and wife who
was a Dickman, the latter of whose parents
came from Glandorf, Germany, and settled in Ottawa
township where they were farmers. The children
of Mathias Gerdeman and wife were
Fred; Joseph; Frank; Mary; Anna, deceased, and
Theresa. Caspar Gerdeman
died on June 14, 1891, and his wife died on Apr. 24,
1889.
Mathias Gerdeman was a carpenter and
architect for thirty-five years. He began
about 1850, and, in 1882, purchased a farm about two
miles north of Ottawa and there spent the rest of
his life. He died in 1908. His wife died
in 1903. They had six children, Anna
became the wife of Andrew Ringleim. She
died on Aug. 11, 1914. The five children
living are Frank, of Findlay; Mrs. Mary
Utrup, of Ottawa; Mrs. Theresa
Herringhaus, of Lima; Joseph, who lives
south of Kalida, and Fred, the subject of
this review.
Fred Gerdeman grew up where he now lives.
Early in life he took a course in dairying at Ohio
State University. This was eleven years ago.
He farmed the home place where he lives, two miles
north of Ottawa, for many years and now has one
hundred and sixty acres of good land. In 1912 Mr.
Gerdeman engaged in dairying and has a herd
of thirty-eight good cattle. He has modern
equipment, including a steam turbine for cleaning
the bottles. He also has all the other
machinery needed for the modern, dairy.
On Oct. 12, 1904, J. Fred Gerdeman was married
to Mary Kreinhrink, who was born at
Avilla, Indiana, and who is the daughter of
Theodore and Frances (Teders) Kreinbrink.
Theodore Kreinbrink was born in
Covington, Kentucky on Mar. 17, 1854, and is the son
of Frederick and Mary
Elizabeth (Barringhaus) Kreinbrink.
Frederick Kreinbrink was born in
Hagen, Hanover, Germany, and was a son of Herman
Kreinbrink and wife, who, with his family,
came to America during the thirties and lived first
at Cincinnati. A few years later they settled
at Glandorf, Putnam county, during the time
Professor Horstman and his party were
opening the country around Glandorf. Herman
Kreinbrink helped dig the old canal and lived
near Glandorf the remainder of his life. He
died in that neighborhood at the age of eighty-four
years.
Mrs. Gerdeman's maternal grandmother,
Mrs. Mary Elizabeth Barringhaus,
came from Germany at the age of twelve years with
her parents who settled at Covington, Kentucky.
After she and Frederick Kreinbrink
were married, they moved to Avilla, Indiana, where
Theodore grew up on a farm. In October, 1879,
he married Frances Teders, who was
born at Cincinnati and is the daughter of Henry
and Elizabeth (Kruse) Teders, both natives of
Germany who were married in Cincinnati. They
moved to a farm near Avilla and there Mrs.
Kreinbrink grew up. After she and Mr.
Kreinbrink were married, they lived on a farm
for twenty years. He had a farm of his own and
lived there until 1899, when they moved to Putnam
county and engaged in farming, about three miles
north of Ottawa. Five years later, they moved
south of Ottawa and lived there for two years, where
they moved back to Ottawa, where they still reside.
They have seven children, Fred; Mary,
who married Fred Gerdeman; John;
Julius; Frances who married Fred
Drerup; Estelle, now Mrs.
Oscar Dimkey, and Agnes. The
family all belong to the Catholic church.
J. Fred and Mary (Kreinbrink) Gerdeman have had
five children, Mildred, Maria,
Genevieve, James and Wilfred.
They all belong to the Catholic church at Ottawa.
Fraternally, Mr. Gerdeman belongs to
the Knights of Columbus and also to the Catholic
Knights of Ohio.
The Gerdeman family is well known in this
section and all are highly respected and honored
citizens, having performed every duty in life and
having led respectful, industrious and useful
careers.
Source: History of Putnam County, Ohio, by
George D. Kinder, Publ. 1915 by B. F. Bowen & Co.,
Inc., Indianapolis, Indiana - Page 1280 |
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JOSEPH GERDEMAN.
One of the young farmers of Union township, Putnam
county, Ohio, who, for several years, has taken an
active part in farmers' institute work, is Joseph
J. Gerdeman, the owner of a splendid farm of
eighty-six acres in Union township. Since
moving to his present farm, Mr. Gerdeman has
erected substantial buildings.
Joseph J. Gerdeman was born in Ottawa township,
Putnam county, Ohio, Dec. 25, 1875, and is a son of
Mathias and Elizabeth (Ellerbrock) Gerdeman.
Joseph J. Gerdeman's paternal grandparents were
Mathias Gerdeman and his wife, pioneers of
Glandorf, Putnam county, Ohio, who were natives of
the province of Hanover, Germany. Mathias
Gerdeman and wife were the parents of the
following children: Mathias, who was born in
Germany; Henry, Joseph, Jasper, John and two
daughters, whose names were Elizabeth and
Catherine. Mathias Gerdeman and wife lived
in Putnam county the rest of their lives. They
were devout members of the Catholic church at
Glandorf.
The maternal grandparents of Joseph J. Gerdeman
also came from Germany, and were early settlers in
Ottawa township, Putnam county, Ohio.
Mathias Gerdeman came from Germany with his
parents when he was three years of age, and settled
near Glandorf, Putnam county, on a farm in
Greensburg township. He attended the school at
Glandorf, and was here married to Elizabeth
Ellerbrock. After his marriage, he settled
on a farm in Ottawa township. He learned the
carpenter trade and devoted his attention to this
and to agriculture for thirty years. He lived on his
farm in Ottawa township until his death, which
occurred in 1908, while his wife died in 1906.
Mathias Gerdeman, Jr., and wife were the parents
of the following children: Frank H., Fred, Joseph
J., Mary Anna and Theresa, all of whom
are living with the exception of Mary Anna.
Frank H. married Margaret Leise, and
lives in Findlay, Ohio; Fred married Mary
Kreinbrink, and lives in Ottawa; Theresa
became the wife of Joseph Herringhaus,
and lives in Lima, Ohio; Anna married
Andrew Ringlein, of Lima, Ohio. She
died in August, 1914; Mary married Bernard
Utrup, of Ottawa, where they still reside.
Joseph J. Gerdeman was educated in the district
schools of Ottawa township, and lived on his
father's farm until he was twenty-five years of age.
He had been married three years previously, on May
31, 1898, to Katherine Steffen, a daughter of
John and Mary (Kink) Stefifen, who lived on a
farm near Glandorf. John Steffen was a
soldier, during the Civil War, serving with
distinction throughout that struggle. He and
his wife were parents of the following children:
Elizabeth, Anna, Katherine, Amelia,
Gertrude, Martha, Frank, George and Lawrence.
Elizabeth became the wife of Barney Niese,
and lives at Liberty township; Anna is the
wife of Joseph Klass, a farmer of Liberty
township; Amelia is unmarried; Gertrude
is the wife of Mathias Winsinger, and
they live in Henry county, Ohio; Martha
became the wife of David Shaw, and
they live in Hancock county, Ohio; Frank is
unmarried. George married Catherine Meyers,
and they live on the home place; Lawrence is
unmarried.
After his marriage, Mr. Gerdeman lived for three
years on his father's farm, when he moved to a farm
in Union township, which consisted of eighty-six
acres, and which he purchased. Here he erected
substantial buildings, remodeled the house and made
many other improvements and developed the land into
a splendid farm.
Joseph J. Gerdeman and wife are the parents of
the following children: Cornelius, born on
Mar. 25, 1899; Martha E., born on July 3,
1900; Edwin, born on Feb. 8, 1903;
Lawrence, born on June 28, 1904; Mary,
born on Apr. 6, 1908; Catherine L., born on
July 21, 1910; Lucille, born on Oct. 10,
1911; Paul, born on Sept. 6, 1912, and
Richard, born on Jan. 12, 1914.
Mr. Gerdeman, in addition to farming,
specializes in live stock on an extensive scale.
He takes an active part in all stock shows.
Mr. Gerdeman is a Democrat, while fraternally,
he is a member of the Catholic Knights of Ohio.
The Gerdeman family are all devout
members of St. Michael's Catholic church at Kalida.
Mr. Gerdeman is president of the
Mutual Telephone Company, and served Union township
as trustee for six years.
Source: History of Putnam County, Ohio,
by George D. Kinder, Publ. 1915 by B. F. Bowen & Co., Inc.,
Indianapolis, Indiana - Page 566 |
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MATHIAS GERDEMAN.
Among the farmers of Putnam county who have to their
credit several
years spent industriously and intelligently tilling
the soil, is Mathias Gerdeman, of Union
township. He comes from a good family, one
that has always been strong for right living and
industrious habits and all that contributes to the
welfare of the commonwealth. Moreover, the
Gerdeman family is one of the oldest in Putnam
county. Such people are welcome in any
community, for they are nation-builders, and as such
push the frontier of civilization ever westward and
onward, leaving the green, wide-reaching wilderness
and the far-stretching plains populous with
contented people and beautiful with green fields.
Mathias Gerdeman was born on Mar. 12,
1887. He is the son of Henry and Bernadina
(Eickholt) Gerdeman, both natives of Putnam
county, the former of whom was born on Feb.
19, 1842, and who was the son of Caspar and Anna
Gerdeman, natives of Germany. Bernadina
Eickholt was born on May 15, 1846, and was the
daughter of Barney and Elizabeth (Nieman)
Eickholt. Henry Gerdeman was
married to Bernadina Eickholt on May 5, 1868.
Throughout his life he was a farmer, but during his
latter years he has lived retired with his son,
Henry, Jr. His wife died on Mar. 27, 1915.
They had twelve children, as follow: Charles,
Andrew, Katherine, Barney, John, William, Elizabeth,
Amelia, Josephine, Bernadina, Henry and
Mathias.
Mathias Gerdeman attended the Barney
Fortman school in Union township and worked
on his father's farm until his marriage. Mr.
Gerdeman was married on May 1, 1912, to
Elizabeth Schumacher, the daughter of
Joseph J. and Mary Elizabeth (Rechtine) Schumacher,
of Pleasant township. He still lives on a farm
of one hundred and twenty acres in that township.
In fact, he has lived there for many years.
Joseph J. Schumacher, father of subject's wife,
was married twice. His first wife was Mary
Wellman, and by this marriage there were
twelve children, four of whom are deceased, as
follows: Anna, Mary, Katherine, Amelia, Andrew,
Frank, Benjamin, John; Elizabeth, Amelia, Anthony
and John, deceased. Mr. Schumacher's
second wife was Mary Elizabeth
Rechtine (mother of subject's wife), and by this
marriage there were three children, as follow:
Elizabeth, subject's wife, Eleanor and
Anthony, deceased. Mr. Schumacher's
second marriage took place several years after the
death of his first wife.
Of these children, Anna married Theodore
Hasselman and lives in Leipsic, Ohio; Mary
married John Bellman, who is now
deceased; Katherine married Henry
Bellman, and they live at Leipsic; Amelia
married George Wuebken, who is
deceased; Andrew married Amelia
Maag and lives in Jackson township; Frank
married Mary Meyer and lives in
Toledo; Benjamin married Mary Niese
and lives in Leipsic; John married Anna
Maas and lives in Pleasant township on the farm
with his father. The mother of these children
died on Aug. 20, 1907.
After his marriage, Mathias Gerdeman
moved to a farm of eighty-three acres in Union
township. He bought this farm on Mar. 1, 1912.
He has erected an addition to the house and made
many other improvements. To Mr. and Mrs.
Mathias Gerdeman one child, Mary Louise,
has been born. She was born Mar. 26, 1914.
Mathias Gerdeman has a splendid house and
an attractive and well-kept farm. He is an
able young farmer, popular with his neighbors on
account of his genial good humor. Moreover, he
is well informed on all of the topics of the day and
possessed of exceptional intelligence. He
makes a specialty of raising thoroughbred Duroc
Jersey hogs.
Mathias Gerdeman and his family belong to
the St. Michael's Catholic church at Kalida.
Fraternally, he is a member of St. Joseph's
Benevolent Society.
Source: History of Putnam County, Ohio,
by George D. Kinder, Publ. 1915 by B. F. Bowen & Co., Inc.,
Indianapolis, Indiana - Page 677 |
|
|
CARL MATHIAS GERDEMANN.
The twentieth century farmer knows very little of
the disadvantages which surrounded the pioneer
farmers of this state No longer is the farmer
compelled to rise early in the morning and continue
his labors far into the night. The farmer of
today do as much work in half a day as his fathers,
fifty years ago, could do in a whole day. The
free mail delivery leaves the daily paper at his
door each morning, his telephone puts him in
communication with his neighbors, while the
interurban car and automobile enable him to
participate in all the features of city life.
The present generation of farmers have no forest to
clear, few swamps to drain, while hundreds of
inventions designed to lighten the labors of the
farmers have been put into their hands. One of
the farmers of Putnam county who has taken advantage
of the modern inventions and improvements is Carl
Mathias Gerdemann, of Union township.
Carl Mathias Gerdemann was born near Glandorf,
in Putnam county, Ohio on May 9, 1869. He is
the son of Henry and Bernadina (Eickholt)
Gerdemann, both natives of Putnam county, the
former of whom was born on Feb. 19, 1842, and who
himself was the son of Casper and Anna Gerdemann,
natives of Germany, and the latter of whom was born
on May 15, 1846, the daughter of Barney and
Elizabeth (Nieman) Eickholt, also natives of
Germany.
Casper Gerdemann and his wife, Anna came
to America from Germany and located in Putnam
county. They were the parents of seven
children, Casper, Joseph, Henry, Mathias,
Theodore, Mary and Eliabeth.
Theodore was a soldier in the Civil War, having
served in an Ohio regiment. He was captured by
the enemy and died in a military prison.
Casper and Anna Gerdemann were prominent and
influential members of the community in which they
lived and active in all the good works of the
neighborhood. They were buried in Grandview
cemetery. Barney Eickholt and his wife,
Elizabeth, who was a Nieman, also came
from Germany to Putnam county, at an early date, and
settled near Glandorf. They were the parents
of six children, Joseph, Martha, Henry, William,
William, Charles and Bernadina, the last
of whom was the mother of the immediate subject of
this sketch.
Henry Gerdemann, Sr., grew to manhood on the
paternal farm near Glandorf. He was married,
on May 5, 1868, to Bernadina Eickholt,
and immediately moved to a farm of one hundred and
ten acres in Union township. Henry
Gerdemann has lived retired during recent years,
with his son, Henry, JR. His wife died
in March, 1915. Henry, Sr., and
Bernadina (Eickholt) Gerdemann had thirteen
children, Charles, married Anna Sandeer;
Andrew married Ida Darling; Katherine
married Henry Hamburg; Barney married Anna
Brinkman; John married Mary Long; William
married Mary Schroder; Elizabeth married
Henry Verhoff; Amelia married William Marman;
Josephine is unmarried; Bernadina
married Joseph Marmon; Henry married Emma
Merschman; Carl Mathias is the subject of this
sketch, and Mathias married Elizabeth
Schumacher.
Carl Mathias Gerdemann attended school in Union
township at the Barney Fortman school and
lived on his father's farm until his marriage.
He worked out for two years on other farms in
Greensburg township. He helped to clear and
develop his father's farm.
Carl Mathias Gerdemann was married, on May 1,
1901, to Anna Sander, daughter of Henry
and Elizabeth (Vorst) Sander, both of whom were
natives of Hanover, Germany. Mrs. Gerdemann's
maternal grandparents were Theodore and Elizabeth
Vorst, who were farmers in Germany. Their
children were Henry, Herman, Theodore, Mathias,
Frank, Philomena, Elizabeth, Catherine, Christina
and Carolina. Of these,
Elizabeth, Catherine, Christina, Carolina and
Bernard came to this country. Mrs.
Gerdemann's paternal grandparents were also
natives of Hanover, Germany, and lived and died in
that country. Mrs. Gerdemann's parents
were married in Germany, where father died.
Her mother married Joseph Busch a number of
years after her first husband's death and came to
America with her family, settling on a farm near
Kalida. The children of the first marriage
were Anna, Josephine and Henry. Anna
is the wife of Carl Mathias Gerdemann.
Henry married Emma Grover, and lives in
Kalida. Josephine married Andrew
Wehrie and lives near Kalida. The mother
of these children died in 1913. She is
survived by her husband and children. The
husband lives on the old farm.
After his marriage, Carl Mathias Gerdemann and
wife moved to a farm of sixty acres in section 18,
in Union township. Mr. Gerdemann had
bought this farm five years before his marriage.
He has erected all the buildings on the place and
has a splendid farm. His barn is covered with
a tile roof.
To Carl Mathias and Anna (Sanders) Gerdemann
five children have been born, Aloysius, on
May 31, 1903; Lawrence, Oct. 2, 1906;
Otto, July 18, 1911; Ludwina, Feb. 24,
1913; Mary, Oct. 17, 1914, died on Jan. 17,
1915. Carl Mathias Gerdemann
is engaged in general farming. He raises a
great many cattle of all kinds, and hogs.
Carl Mathias Gerdemann, wife and family and
members of St. Michael's Catholic church at Kalida.
Mr. Gerdemann belongs to St. Joseph's
Benevolent Society. He is a Democrat. A
step brother of Mrs. Gerdemann's,
Henry Busch, is studying for the
priesthood at the present time at Spokane,
Washington. The Gerdemann family
is among the oldest in this section of the county
and among the most highly respected in Putnam
county. Carl Mathias
Gerdemann is a splendid farmer and a
representative citizen of this vicinity.
Source: History of Putnam County, Ohio,
by George D. Kinder, Publ. 1915 by B. F. Bowen & Co., Inc.,
Indianapolis, Indiana - Page 811 |
|
|
RUFUS E. GILBERT.
Ohio has been especially honored in the character and
career of her farmers. In ever section have
been found men born to leadership in agriculture,
men who have dominated their communities because of
their superior intelligence, natural endowment and
force of character. Rufus E. Gilbert is
a man well known throughout Putnam county.
Mr. Gilbert traces his ancestry back to
substantial Irish stock, which has been prominently
identified with the history of his country, since
its earliest days.
Rufus E. Gilbert was born Feb. 21, 1844, in
Summit county, near Cuyahoga Falls, Ohio. He
is the son of Jacob C. and Martha A. Butler
Gilbert. Jacob C. Gilbert was born in
October, 1807, North Hero Island, New York, and was
reared a farmer. He received a good practical
education, and was married when twenty-five years
old, or in 1832, to Mandana Strougton
She died on July 3, 1832. Upwards of five
years later, on Jan. 1, 1838, Jacob C. Gilbert
married Martha A. Butler, in Atwater, Portage
county, Ohio. She was born on Nov. 16, 1820,
in New Haven county, Connecticut, and was the
daughter of David and Betsey (Foot) Butler,
the former of whom was born in New Haven county,
Connecticut, on Oct. 2, 1772, and the latter of whom
was born in the same county, on Aug. 9, 1781.
They remained in Connecticut until 1829, when they
emigrated to Portage county, Ohio, and stayed here
until their death. David Butler
on Mar. 29, 1856, and his wife on Aug. 3, 1854.
They were members of the Congregational church, and
he was an old-line Whig. Mrs. Jacob C.
Gilbert's grandfather was Matthew
Butler, a native of England, who came to New
Haven county, Connecticut, in colonial times.
He served in the Continental army during the
Revolutionary War, for seven years. He married
Ruth Lindley. They had a son,
David, who also served in the Revolutionary War,
especially as a minute man, at the battle of Long
Island. Jacob C. and Martha
A. Gilbert had several children: Lucian,
Lucius, Rufus E., the subject of this sketch;
Martha, Mary E., who married Henry Wing;
Adelaid, deceased; Ida M., who married
David Owens, and Prosper L.
Jacob C. and Martha A. (Butler) Gilbert settled
first in Summit county, Ohio, where both he and his
wife taught school. In fact, they met while
both were public school teachers. He then came
to Cleveland, Ohio, where he spent three years and
removed to Putnam county, Ohio, in December, 1858,
settling in Monroe township, on a farm of forty
acres. He taught school in Putnam county, and
in Defiance county, but most of the time in the
former, until his death. On account of poor
health he was not able to do farm work.
Jacob C. Gilbert died on Dec. 16, 1864, at the
age of fifty-seven years and ten months. There
were only forty voters in Monroe township when he
settled here, and during his life he saw the
population of the township grow exceedingly.
His wife, Martha A. (Butler) Gilbert, died on
the old home farm in June, 1903, at the age of
eighty-two years and five months. Of the eight
children, heretofore mentioned, who were born to
Jacob C. and Martha A. (Butler) Gilbert, only
four are now living. Lucius B., who was
born on Nov. 2, 1838, and died on Aug. 5, 1839;
Lucian De Loss, who was born on Sept. 22, 1840,
and died on July 2, 1847; Martha, who was
born on Aug. 20, 1847, and died on Apr. 7, 1857;
Mrs. Mary E. Wing, who was born on Aug. 9, 1849,
and now living on a farm in Monroe township;
Sarah Adelaide was born on July 30, 1854,
and died on Oct. 3, 1862; Ida M., who was
born on Sept. 15, 1859, and who married David
Owens,
lives at Continental, Ohio; Prosper L., who
was born on July 6, 1863, lives near the Columbia
river, in the state of Washington.
Rufus E. Gilbert remained in Cleveland, Ohio,
with his parents for three years, after they removed
to that city. He attended the public schools
of the forest city. He came with his parents
to Putnam county, Ohio, and assisted his father with
the work of the farm.
On Aug. 22, 1862, Mr. Gilbert enlisted in
Company H., One Hundred and Eighteenth Regiment,
Ohio Volunteer Infantry, serving in Kentucky,
Tennessee, Georgia Alabama North and south Carolina
and Virginia, had participating in all the
engagements of the Atlanta campaign. He was
honorably discharged on May 25, 1865 and returned
home to resume the peaceful pursuits, which his
courage and the courage of his fellows had secured
to this country.
Mr. Gilbert was married on July 19, 1866,
to Mary A. Pope, a native of Putnam county,
and a daughter of George and Fanny (Weaver) Pope.
Mr. Gilbert settled on the farm where
they now live. They cleared most of the farm
and have added to it, till they now own a hundred
and seventy-one acres. Although Mr. and
Mrs. Gilbert live on the farm, they are retired
and the farm is rented out. They have no
children.
Politically, Mr. Gilbert is a Democrat. He
was decennial appraiser of Continental and Monroe
township in 1890, and was infirmary director for six
years. He and his wife are members of the
Mount Zion Chapel Christian church, of Monroe
township. Mr. Gilbert is a pleasant
man, intelligent and an interesting
conversationalist. He is a man well liked and
favorably known in this section of Putnam county,
and bears a high reputation in the community for
honesty.
Source: History of Putnam County, Ohio,
by George D. Kinder, Publ. 1915 by B. F. Bowen & Co., Inc.,
Indianapolis, Indiana - Page 618 |
|
[ PORTRAIT ] |
GEORGE GORES
Source: History of Putnam County, Ohio, by
George D. Kinder, Publ. 1915 by B. F. Bowen & Co.,
Inc., Indianapolis, Indiana - Page 1152 |
Henry Grismore |
HENRY GRISMORE
Source: History of Putnam County, Ohio, by
George D. Kinder, Publ. 1915 by B. F. Bowen & Co.,
Inc., Indianapolis, Indiana - Page 384 |
David Homer Groff
David H. Groff Residence. |
DAVID HOMER
GROFF
Source: History of Putnam County, Ohio, by
George D. Kinder, Publ. 1915 by B. F. Bowen & Co.,
Inc., Indianapolis, Indiana - Page 616 |
| [ PORTRAIT
] |
ORREN
BRYANT GURNEY
Source: History of Putnam County, Ohio, by
George D. Kinder, Publ. 1915 by B. F. Bowen & Co.,
Inc., Indianapolis, Indiana - Page 800 |
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