Frank X Haitz

Frank X Haitz
Maplewood Cemetery, Ripley, Ohio

Frank was the son of Frank and Elizabeth (Germann) Haitz. A requiem high mass was intoned at St. Michael's Catholic Church in Ripley, Ohio on August 26, 1950. The Reverend Father Gregory Sturm officiated. 

Frank's wife, the former Lottie Sullivan, preceded him in death five years earlier. She is buried next to him. He was survived by two brothers, George and Joseph, both of Ripley and by two sisters, Anna Serwna of Ripley and Barbara Spiller of Cincinnati, Ohio.

Frank Haitz Rites Held Saturday
The Ripley Bee, 31 August 1950
Page 1, Column 7

Obituary of George Haitz, brother of Joseph

It's been a while since my last post and a lot of things have happened since.  I am happy to announce that my youngest son and daughter-in-law are expecting a little girl in early March. This will be a very special birth as their daughter, Caroline Grace, was born prematurely in the summer of 2013 and lived only a day.  While we still grieve for Caroline, our family has prayed for this baby for a long time and continue to pray for a healthy pregnancy and successful birth.  This little girl will be my eighth grandchild!

Also since my last post, this state experienced a record rainfall resulting in flooding that devastated parts of Columbia and the surrounding area. It was so nice to see people pulling together, providing clothes, food, water, and other supplies to those who needed them.  After eleven days of being under a boil advisory, all of Columbia now has clean water to drink.  It will be a long while until all the roads are fixed and a full recovery is made for those who lost belongings, houses, and businesses. 

Maplewood Cemetery
Ripley, Ohio

Today's obituary is for George Haitz, Sr. who was born in 1867.  He was the brother of Anna Serwna, who lived to be one hundred, and my great grandfather, Joseph Haitz. 

George was 85 years old when he died March 3, 1953 at the home of his son, Leon, who lived on Bradyville Pike near Ripley.  He was a widower and a retired farmer.  Two other sons survived him, George Russell and Nick both of whom lived in Ripley.

A requiem high mass was intoned by Father Gregory Sturm in St. Michael Catholic Church on Friday, March 6 with burial in Maplewood Cemetery.

Find A Grave Memorial 

"Requiem High Mass for George Haitz, Sr.," obituary, The Ripley (Ohio) Bee, 12 March 1953, page 6, column 5, George Haitz, death, 3 March 1953, Ripley, Ohio. 

Anna Haitz Serwna, a Haitz Family Centenarian

I saw on the Geneablogger's Facebook page that today is National Centenarian's Day, and it just so happens that the obituary information I recently entered into my Roots Magic software is that of Anna Haitz Serwna who lived to be just a month over 100 years old so this post is in her honor.  

Maplewood Cemetery
Ripley, Ohio

Anna was the sister of my great grandfather, Joseph Haitz.  She was the second of ten children of her parents, Francizkus Xavier (Frank) and Elizabeth (Germann) Haitz and the first to be born in Ohio.  Her older sister, Elizabeth, had been born several years earlier, 1859, in Boston, Massachusetts.   

Anna lived all but two years of her life in and near Ripley, Ohio.  Her marriage to Joseph Serwna was performed at St. Michael Catholic Church on October 24, 1891 by Father John B Dickham.  She and Joseph, a Huntington Township farmer, would eventually have a family with five children.  Joseph preceded her in death in 1959.

For her 100th birthday, September 9, 1963, just about one month shy of her death, she attended a party in her honor complete with family, festivities, and a birthday dinner.   

Her death occurred at 5:00 AM on October 13, 1963 in Norwood, Ohio at the home of her daughter, Anna Roebel with whom she lived.  In addition to Anna, she was survived by another daughter, Mrs. John Helbling (Mary) of Aberdeen and three sons, Joseph and Frank of Ripley, and Martin of Norwood.  She also left a number of grandchildren and great-grandchildren.

A requiem high mass took place in St. Michael Catholic Church on Tuesday, October 15 with the Reverend Father Paul Cornwell officiating.  Burial was in Maplewood Cemetery.

Death Takes Albert J "Jerry" Steele

From The Ripley Bee      

25 July 1996

Page 3, Column 1

Albert J. "Jerry" Steele was the only child of Albert Francis and Elizabeth (Haitz) Steele.  He was born in Ripley, Ohio on October 23, 1936.  He died July 20, 1996 at his home in Mansfield, Ohio where he lived with his wife, Wanda Sue (Reeves) Steele who survived him.

Jerry was an application engineer at Barnes Pumps in Mansfield.  He belonged to the Resurrection Parish in the same city and was a long time member of the Knights of Columbus.  He served in the Army Reserve.

Maplewood Cemetery
Ripley, Ohio

Mass of Christian Burial was held on Wednesday, July 24, 1996 at St. Michael Catholic Church in his hometown of Ripley, Ohio with Father William Kennedy officiating.  Burial was in Maplewood Cemetery, Ripley.  

Link to Find A Grave Memorial

The Death of Frank A Haitz

The death of Frank A Haitz was the first of the sixteen children of Joseph and Henrietta (Koewler) Haitz.  His father had died two years earlier on Valentine's Day, 1960.  

Frank, a 51 year old farmer, had been last seen late on the night of April 15, 1962.  His younger brother, Albert, found his body the next morning in a ravine between his house and the house of Henrietta with whom Frank had been living.  The coroner ruled the death as a result of a heart attack which occurred, it was believed, while Frank was walking through a field on his way home.  

A requiem high mass was intoned at St. Michael Catholic Church in Ripley, Ohio on Wednesday, April 18, 1962 by the Reverend Father Paul Cornwell.  Burial was in Maplewood Cemetery in Ripley.

The original obituary can be found in The Ripley Bee, 19 April 1962, page 1, column 2.

Find a Grave Memorial Page

Just where was Elizabeth Haitz, the file clerk, before her marriage?

When I found the marriage record for Albert Steele and Elizabeth Haitz, I was immediately intrigued by the fact that this is the first of my grandfather's sisters that had a job outside of the home.  At the time of her marriage in 1933, Elizabeth was a file clerk, although where she worked was not included on the record.  

The Union Township, Brown County, Ohio 1930 census showed that Elizabeth was not living in her parents' house.  When I found the census record I thought that she must have been married and was living elsewhere before that census was taken.  However, along with the discovery of the marriage record with the date of her marriage and her employment came the question of just where was Elizabeth in 1930?

My first thought was to look in the same census, but broaden the search to all of Brown County; not just Ripley and Union Township just in case she was living with another family.  No one by the name of Elizabeth Haitz or any variation of Elizabeth could I find so I broadened the search even more to the whole state of Ohio.  I only did that because I felt the name Haitz was uncommon enough that I wouldn't end up with a huge number of names.  Had the last name been a fairly common one, I would have started with a more narrow search, perhaps just a county. Though as luck would have it, lo and behold, I found an Elizabeth Haitz in Cincinnati!

1930 United States Federal Census, Hamilton County, Ohio, population schedule, Ward 12, Block 12, Cincinnati, ED 31-126, sheet 26B, 31-126, Haitz Robert J.  

Transcription of the 1930 United States Federal Census
Cincinnati, Ohio
Robert J, and Elizabeth Haitz
Arthur and Hattie Bauman

This census entry showed an Elizabeth Haitz living at 3234 Bishop Avenue along with a brother, Robert J Haitz, and an Arthur Bauman and his wife, Hattie living at the same address.  I was fairly certain this was my Elizabeth since she did have a brother named Robert J and her oldest sister did marry an Arthur Bauman.  Also, this Elizabeth was a clerk in a dry goods store which could have been a file clerk.  She and her parents had been born in Ohio which also matched what I was looking for.  The entry, though, did have problems.  The ages for Elizabeth and Robert were no where near the ages that my Elizabeth and Robert would have been in 1930.  Robert should have been 25 and Elizabeth 23, yet these two were 40 and 36, respectively.  The other problem was that I had never heard Elizabeth's sister, Margaret Haitz Bauman, being called Hattie.  I needed more evidence so I went to Ancestry.com's database of City Directories which includes directories of Cincinnati.

While I couldn't locate Robert J Haitz in the Cincinnati City Directories until 1940, I did find some evidence of Elizabeth, Margaret, and Arthur Bauman working and living in Cincinnati during the early 1930's.  Clicking on the directory pages will enlarge them so they can be read.

Elizabeth, a stenographer, and Margaret, a seamstress, Haitz living at 2479 Paris
1929-1930 Cincinnati City Directory
Ancestry.com

Betty H Haitz, clerk, working at 1934 Dana Avenue and living at 3234 Bishop
1930-31 Cincinnati City Directory
Ancestry.com

Betty Haitz, bookkeeper, home was 2921 Glendora Avenue
1931-32 Cincinnati City Directory
Ancestry.com

Arthur Bauman, insurance agent, home was 2921 Glendora Avenue
1931-32 Cincinnati City Directory
Ancestry.com

I cannot say with 100% accuracy that Betty is my Elizabeth, but I am pretty sure she is.  I wish I could have found Robert in the 1930-31 directory living on Bishop Avenue, but I didn't.  I couldn't find Arthur or Margaret living on Bishop either.  However, Arthur and, I assume, Margaret were living at the same address as Betty in the 1931-32 directory.  Margaret is probably no longer working as a seamstress since she is married and therefore would not be listed in the directory.  As for the wrong ages in the census, those could be explained by the fact that the enumerator had visited the house once already before he made this entry.  That is why there is a notation in the margin to see sheet 24A Line 30 which is where the rest of Bishop Avenue is enumerated and the "2nd" written next to Elizabeth's name indicates that it was a second visit.  It is possible that when he tried the second time to get the information, no one was home once again and so a neighbor gave the information.  It is clear that I will need to try and find more evidence of Elizabeth in Cincinnati.  I think my next stop will be to locate a marriage announcement for her and Albert Steele in the Ripley Bee, if there is one.  It just might have something about her employment and place of residence before her marriage.  

The Marriage Record for Elizabeth Haitz and Albert Steele

This is the Brown County, Ohio marriage record for Elizabeth H Haitz and Albert F Steele.  Their marriage took place on April 15, 1933.  It was four years into the Great Depression, but each of them were employed.  Albert as a shoe worker and Elizabeth was a file clerk.  

Elizabeth was the fourth child of Joseph Haitz and Henrietta Koewler.  Frank Steele and Anna Flaugher were the parents of Albert.  He was their oldest child.

The marriage most likely took place at St. Michael Catholic Church in Ripley since Father P Ambrose Reger was the person who performed the ceremony.  However, since the exact place is not indicated on this document, I am forced to only acknowledge the location as Brown County.  I wish record keepers of the day had named, at least, the town that the marriages took place! 

Mary Louise Haitz's Birth Record

It's rather difficult to locate the birth records online for the children of Joe and Henrietta Haitz.  In fact, the birth record for my grandfather, George Henry, can't even be found in Georgetown, Ohio at the court house.  When I found a record for Mary Louise's birth on Family Search, I counted myself very lucky!

Mary Louise was the third born for Joe and Henrietta and her birth date was 29 August 1906.  Like her siblings, she was born at home in Ripley, Ohio.

Ohio. County Births, 1841 - 2003. Online digital images. Family Search. https://www.familysearch.org : 2015.
Click on the photograph to enlarge it.
 

If you look carefully, you can see another entry for a Haitz baby on the second line.  This Albert L Haitz was the son of Joseph's brother, George, and his wife, Josephine.

A Headstone for Frank A Haitz

Honorably discharged veterans of the United States military are entitled to a government gravestone marker with no charge to the family.  An application must be completed and approved for each veteran and the family must pay the cost to have it placed if burial is in a private cemetery.  

Frank Haitz

Frank A Haitz served in the United States Navy during World War II.  Upon his death in 1962, his sister, Elizabeth Haitz Steele, requested a headstone for Frank's final resting place in Maplewood Cemetery, Ripley, Ohio.  

I do not have a personal photograph of Frank's headstone, however, there is a picture of it on his Find A Grave memorial page.  Click here to visit his memorial.  

I bet you can guess what is going to be added to my To-Do list for our next visit to Ripley!

"U.S., Headstone Applications for Military Veterans, 1925-1963." Database. Ancestry.com. http://www.ancestry.com : 2015.  

Virginia Ann Haitz and Harry F Skaggs

This is an abstracted certificate of marriage for my great-aunt Virginia Ann Haitz and Harry F Skaggs.  

Ohio. County Marriages, 1789 - 2013. Digital images. Family Search. Ohio, County Marriages, 1789 - 2013. https://www.familysearch.org : 2015.  

Ann was the fifteenth child of Joseph and Henrietta (Koehler) Haitz.  

Fred had an older sister and brother and two younger sisters.  His father, William, was also a shoe repairman.    

Frank B Clark's Death

Frank Bernard Clark died September 24, 1960 in the Veteran's Hospital in Cincinnati, Ohio where he had been a patient for almost a week.  He is buried in Locust Grove Cemetery in Dover, Kentucky.

The Ripley Bee, 22 September 1960

The obituary contains several mistakes.  Frank did not die in the Brown County Hospital, although he may have been there before going to the Veteran's Hospital in Cincinnati.  His father's name was John, not Jacob.  I have seen a couple of documents where his father was named as Jack so it might be that Myrtle thought Jacob was his name. Her mother -in-law was Belle.  The final mistake is in the spelling of Frank's daughter's name.  The youngest daughter was Irma, not Erma.  Small mistake, but pretty important if one is researching.

Locust Grove Cemetery, Dover, Kentucky

The Many Moves of Frank Clark and His Family

Frank Bernard and Ella Myrtle (Nower) Clark

Frank  Bernard and Ella Myrtle (Nower) Clark were my great grandparents.  Their daughter, Juanita Ruth, was my father's mother.  

As I recently looked back at the census data for Frank and Myrtle, the thing that stands out most is the fact that they moved a lot!  Each census in which they are found as a family indicates a different location for them.  

Frank and his wife, Ella Myrtle were married in Georgetown, Ohio by a Presbyterian minister, Reverend W. W. Montgomery October 2, 1907.  A marriage announcement found in the Maysville, Kentucky newspaper, Daily Public Ledger, dated October 3, 1907 states that Frank's residence was Hebron, Illinois, but that he had been visiting Dover, Kentucky for some months.  Dover was where Ella Myrtle lived. (page 1, column 2)

The 1910 United States Federal Census is the first census that the Frank Clark family is found listed.  Frank B and Ella M, as they are recorded, were living at 1115 East 8th Street in Kansas City, Missouri.  Frank's occupation was reported as a painter / contractor.  Their first child, Richard C was 2 years old at the time.  His birth place is recorded as Illinois.  From that, it can be assumed that the family left Kentucky and Ohio shortly after the marriage and lived in Illinois, possibly Hebron, for a period of time. The Kansas City dwelling in which they lived was also occupied by two other families so it is possible that it was an apartment building.  Looking on Google Maps, there is an East 8th Street, but it is impossible to know whether that is the same street where Frank, Ella, and Richard lived because street names and numbers often change due to construction or other reasons.

Frank was working for the steam railroad as a carpenter in 1920.  In this census, the family was living in a rented house at 1326 Sixth Street in Dayton, Kentucky which is located in Campbell County across the river from Cincinnati, Ohio.  Frank was forty-three years old and Myrtle, as she is listed, was thirty-five. The family had grown and eleven year old Richard now had three sisters and a brother.  Juanita was nine years old and Ernest was six.  They, along with Richard, attended school.  The two little girls, Evelyn and Francis, were four years, eight months old and two years, two months old, respectively.  Juanita had been born in Indiana while the three youngest were born in Kentucky.  It is not known if the family actually lived in Indiana when my grandmother was born or if they were just visiting, although that doesn't seem likely.  However, there were brothers of Frank who, at that time, lived in Indiana.  

Sometime between 1920 and 1930, the family moved a distance of, according to Google Maps, 3.3 miles from Dayton to Covington, Kentucky.  They were renting a house for $40.00 a month at 108 West 4th Street, and they owned a radio.  Another daughter, Irma E, had joined the family and was nine years old.  She, Evelyn, and Francis attended school.  At seventeen, Ernest did not have an occupation recorded, but did not attend school either.  Juanita was nineteen and out of school by this census date.  Richard is not listed with the family and would have been old enough to be on his own at about twenty-one years old.  In the column for Occupation, the word NONE is written for Frank.  Apparently, there was a listing for those who were unemployed at the beginning of the Depression, although I have no knowledge of what it might contain, but it is noted on the census that Frank is on Line Number 11 for the unemployed.  I will have to look into this listing to see what information is on it.  It is in the 1930 census that the question was asked whether a person was a veteran.  Frank is recorded as being a veteran of the Spanish War.  It is very possible that he was receiving a large enough pension from that war which allowed him to support the family during his unemployment.  In 1920, he did apply for such a pension, but I have not obtained those papers as of yet.

Even though there was no census taken in 1935, it is possible to determine where the Clark family lived during at least part of that year.  A question on the 1940 census asks where each person was living on April 1, 1935.  A unique feature of this particular census is that it also indicates the person who gave the information to the enumerator and in this case, it was Myrtle.  Myrtle reported that on April 1, 1935, she and Frank lived in Dover, Kentucky.  I know that the family was in Dover by 1932 as that was the year my grandmother, Juanita, married my grandfather, William Wayson and, according to their marriage record, both of them resided in Dover, however, I do not know how many years Frank, Myrtle, and the  younger children stayed there.

Five years later, in 1940, Frank and Myrtle are empty nesters. They are living by themselves back in Dayton, Kentucky at 816 Second Street.  They are still renters and they paid their landlord $19.00 a month  to live in the house.  Frank was sixty-four and Myrtle was fifty-five.  She told the enumerator that she had completed three years of high school, but she must not have known the highest grade completed for Frank as the space allocated for him is blank.  He was a painter once again and owned his own business.  In 1939, he worked a total of twenty weeks and earned $240.  It is noted that he also had additional income other than a salary which I assume is a military pension, but that has not been proven yet.

The 1940 census is the latest census that has been made public so my census research for Frank and Myrtle ends there, but I know that Dayton, Kentucky was not their last residence.  In 1957, the year of my birth, they lived in the small town of Ripley, Ohio.  Frank was in his early eighties and Myrtle was about seventy-two.  This would be the last place they would reside together.  In 1960, Frank died and the next year, Ella Myrtle made her final move to the Grant Rest Home in Georgetown, Ohio where, in December 1962, she followed Frank in death. 

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Census Links and Citations (actual Images for 1910 - 1930 require an Ancestry.com subscription)

1910 United States Federal Census  - "United States Census, 1910," database with images, FamilySearch (https://familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:M2YD-KWT : accessed 20 July 2015), Frank B Clark, Kansas City Ward 8, Jackson, Missouri, United States; citing enumeration district (ED) 93, sheet 5A, family 144, NARA microfilm publication T624 (Washington, D.C.: National Archives and Records Administration, n.d.); FHL microfilm 1,374,799.

1920 United States Federal Census - "United States Census, 1920," database with images, FamilySearch (https://familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:MH2T-T2Z : accessed 20 July 2015), Frank B Clark, Dayton Ward 1, Campbell, Kentucky, United States; citing sheet 12B, family 265, NARA microfilm publication T625 (Washington D.C.: National Archives and Records Administration, n.d.); FHL microfilm 1,820,564.

1930 United States Federal Census - "United States Census, 1930," database with images, FamilySearch (https://familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:XMXK-1ZK : accessed 20 July 2015), Frank B Clark, Covington, Kenton, Kentucky, United States; citing enumeration district (ED) 0006, sheet 7B, family 146, line 65, NARA microfilm publication T626 (Washington D.C.: National Archives and Records Administration, 2002), roll 761; FHL microfilm 2,340,496.

1940 United States Federal Census - "United States Census, 1940," database with images, FamilySearch (https://familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:K7RH-6NW : accessed 20 July 2015), F B Clark, Ward 2, Dayton, Magisterial District 3, Campbell, Kentucky, United States; citing enumeration district (ED) 19-49, sheet 5B, family 90, NARA digital publication T627 (Washington, D.C.: National Archives and Records Administration, 2012), roll 1290.


© 2015, copyright Lynn Ann Wayson Koehler. All rights reserved 

From the Pages...Baseball in Ripley, Ohio

With tonight's All Star baseball game being played in Cincinnati, I am reminded of my grandfather, George Haitz, who loved baseball.  He was a loyal Cincinnati Reds fan, and he would often have both the radio and television tuned to the Cincinnati Reds game during the season.  

My grandfather spent his entire life in Ripley, Ohio and it's no wonder he was a baseball fan.  The small town has a rich baseball history that certainly fed his love of the sport.  He contributed to the history as during the 1940's, he played and was a coach for the small town team.

In the late 1800's, the small towns, on both sides of the Ohio River, near Ripley had amateur baseball teams. They competed with each other and the newspapers contained stories of the rivalries, games, and players.  This From the Pages... post centers on the Ripley teams.  Since I do not have access to the archived Ripley Bee here in South Carolina, the articles are from the Maysville newspapers, The Daily Public Ledger and The Public Ledger, which can be found on the website, Chronicling America.

In 1910, Herbert Whitley, his wife Sarah, and their infant twin daughters lived on Second Street in Ripley. Herbert was a clothing merchant and the manager of the Ripley baseball team.  At that time, playing baseball on a Sunday was illegal in Ohio.  Evidently, Herbert didn't agree with the law!  An earlier fine did not deter him from trying again which then resulted in his arrest.

Daily Public Ledger, 5 May 1910 , Maysville, Kentucky

Daily Public Ledger, 25 June 1910, Maysville, Kentucky

By the next year, the law prohibiting Sunday ball games was off the books and the national pastime was once again enjoyed on Sunday by the citizens of the area.

Daily Public Ledger, 11 May 1911, Maysville, Kentucky

Talk of forming a league began in 1912.  There was the Blue Grass League in Kentucky, however, the President of the Cincinnati Reds and the National Baseball Commission, August Garry Herrmann,  was ruling against new teams joining.

Daily Public Ledger, 23 February 1912, Maysville, Kentucky

There were some spectators who did not want to pay admission to the ball game.  Just how big was that tree and did their names get published?  I might have to put to look that up the next time I am in Ripley on my To-Do list !

The Public Ledger,  3 August 1916,  Maysville, Kentucky

The 1920 baseball season season started out with an opening game against Maysville.  The Ripley uniforms were "dandy"!

The Public Ledger,  25 March 1920,  Maysville, Kentucky

Unfortunately for Ripley, Maysville won that opening game.  This article lists some of the players for both teams.

The Public Ledger,  12 April 1920,  Maysville, Kentucky

The rivalry with Maysville that year was evident. 

The Public Ledger,  23 July 1920,  Maysville, Kentucky

Louis Frebis, a Ripley boy, left his home team to play for Zanesville in 1921.

The Public Ledger,  2 March 1921,  Maysville, Kentucky

We will end our look at Ripley baseball with an article from the end of the 1921 season with the team looking forward to 1922 with a new field leased from Fred Hauke and $10 shares in the association being sold.  Baseball was an important part of Ripley history!

The Public Ledger,  28 September 1921,  Maysville, Kentucky

   

Marriage Banns for Albert Haitz and Mary Louise White

While I have had good luck in finding marriage license and certificate records online for my Haitz family members, my luck ran out with Albert and his bride, Mary Louise White.  If I want to have a copy of their record, it looks like I will need to go to the Brown County Probate Court to get one so that task has been added to my To-Do list.

My search for some record of their 1940 marriage, however, was not entirely in vain.  I found a notice of the third reading of the marriage banns in a Portsmouth newspaper on the website, Newspapers.com.  

The Third Reading of the Marriage Banns for
Albert Haitz and Mary Louise White.

Marriage banns are published three times before a marriage in a Catholic Church, and some other Christian churches, not only to announce the forthcoming wedding ceremony, but to allow time for  anyone to come forward with objections to the marriage.  The banns for Albert and Mary Louise's marriage were read for the third and final time in Saint Michael Catholic Church in Ripley, Ohio on Sunday, February 4.  The wedding took place the next day, February 5.

"Couple To Wed," Portsmouth (Ohio) Daily Times, 4 February 1940, marriages banns were read for the third time at St. Michael Church for Albert Louis Haitz and Mary Louise White; digital images, Newspapers.com (http://www.newspapers.com : accessed 20 June 2015); citing the original.

Marriage of Joe William Haitz and Hestel Faye Swearingen

This is another of my grandfather's siblings who was married by Father Anthony Hoch who the subject of my previous post.  

1936 Marriage License and Certificate for
Joe William Haitz and Hestel Faye Swearingen

Joe William, or Joe Bill as everyone called him, married Hestel Faye Swearingen on Saturday, August 29, 1936.  He was 27 years old and a farmer.  She was 25 and her occupation is listed as housekeeper.  She most likely helped her mother at home.  

Her parents were Homer Swearingen and Bertha Sheeler was her mother.  They lived in Decatur, Ohio where they were farmers.  

Ohio, County Marriages, 1789 - 2013, page 169, Brown County, Joe William Haitz and Hestel Faye Swearingen, 29 August 1936; digital images, Family Search, Ohio, County Marriages, 1789 - 2013 (https://www.familysearch.org : accessed 23 June 2015); records found in county courthouses. 

Father Anthony Hoch, Catholic Priest

The last two posts contained the marriage licenses and certificates for two of my grandfather, George Henry Haitz's siblings.  Both Robert and Emma were married by Father Anthony Hoch who was the Catholic priest assigned to Saint Michael Church in Ripley, Ohio at that time.  This prompted me to see what I could find about Father Anthony.

Portsmouth Daily Times
16 January 1942

Father Anthony was born in Germany in 1881.  By 1900, he had immigrated to this country and was enrolled as a student at St. Bernard Abbey in Cullman, Alabama. (1900 census)  St. Bernard Abbey is still operating today as a monastery for Catholic Benedictine monks.  

Shortly after he was enumerated in the 1900 census, Father Anthony was sent by the Benedictine Order to Hungary to learn the Magyar language and to study the customs and character of the Hungarian people in preparation for a mission in Virginia.  Upon his return in 1902, he, along with another priest, Father Vincent, was sent to Pocahontas, Virginia where there was a large congregation of Hungarian people.  CATHOLICISM AND COMMUNITY: MOUNTAIN MISSIONS AND "NEW" IMMIGRANTS IN APPALACHIA

I wasn't able to locate Father Anthony in the 1910 census, but he was still living in Pocahontas in 1920.  By 1930, he was back in Cullman, Alabama at the Abbey.  He is listed on that census as a Catholic clergyman.

Portsmouth Daily Times
14 January 1942

St. Ann's Mission is located in Nile Township, Scioto County, Ohio.  It was a mission church of St. Michael Catholic Church in Ripley, Ohio.  In August 1933, St. Bernard Abbey sent Father Anthony Hoch to replace Father Ambrose Reger to care for St. Ann's. Brasilia de la Santa Maria 1990  I assume that this was when Father Anthony arrived in Ripley as the priest for St. Michael's.  In the 1940 census, he is listed as the priest for the church and Anna Germann is listed as his housekeeper.  

Father Anthony did not live a long life.  At the age of 61, he was found slumped over in his car after a visit to the Saint Vincent de Paul Society in Cincinnati.  His death was ruled as a coronary occlusion.  The newspaper articles I found of his death claim he was very much loved by his congregation.  His funeral was held at St. Michael, but his burial took place at St. Bernard Abbey in Cullman, Alabama.  

Emma J Haitz Marries Elwood Griffith

1938 Marriage License and Certificate
Leonard E Griffith and Emma J Haitz

The 1938 marriage document for my great-aunt Emma J Haitz and Leonard E Griffith can be found in the Ohio, County Marriages, 1789-2013 database on Family Search.  From it, I was able to learn several new pieces of information while it also raised a couple of questions.  

I was not aware that Emma's husband was named Leonard.  All I have ever seen or heard was Elwood.  For this marriage license application, he stated his birthdate as February 7 and since he was 20 years old that previous February.  He still resided in the town and was a truck driver there.  His parents were Marion Griffith and Selma Shelton.  It was his first marriage.

Emma J Haitz was about 5 years older than her husband according to this document.  Her date of birth was December 7 and her 26th birthday was just around the corner from the time she and Elwood were granted the marriage license.  I do not know what Emma's middle name was and finding out has been added to my To-Do list.  Her parents were Joseph and Henrietta (Koehler) Haitz and she was a housekeeper, most likely helping her mother at their house in Ripley, Ohio.  She had not been previously married.

Due to Leonard's age, the consent of his father was required and Marion's signature is below that of the couple's.

The Rev. Father Anthony Hoch of St. Michael Catholic Church in Ripley married the couple.  His signature can be found on the bottom of the marriage certificate that was filed and recorded in probate court on December 22, 1938.  Therein lies the big question I have about this marriage.  The date that Father Anthony wrote on the marriage certificate is December 26, 1938, but how can a certificate be filed before the marriage was performed?  Did Father Anthony make a mistake in writing the date?  Was the marriage performed on November 26 instead of December?  Writing the wrong month would be an easy mistake to make, especially if the calendar had already turned by the time Father Anthony had completed this form.  It can be easily seen that he had already written Leonard's name where the date is indicated.  

My plan is to try to find a wedding announcement in The Ripley Bee that will clear up the mystery when I can get a chance to take a road trip to Ohio.  Until then, the question remains!

Robert Haitz and Virginia West - Marriage

Ohio, County Marriages, 1789 - 1994, page 267, Robert Haitz and Virginia West, 21 May 1934; digital images, Family Search, Ohio, County Marriages, 1789 - 1994 (https://www.familysearch.org : accessed 24 June 2015); original records found in county courthouses.  

Robert Haitz married Virginia West on his 29th birthday, Monday,  May 16, 1934. The marriage most likely took place at St. Michael Catholic Church in Ripley, Ohio, although this document only states that Father Anthony was the priest at the church.  

Robert was the second child and first son of his parents, Joe and Henrietta (Koehler) Haitz.  He was the proprietor of a restaurant in Ripley.  His bride, Virginia, was the daughter of Thorton and Ivy (Eagle) West with whom she made her home in West Union.  She was stenographer.  

This document has at least one mistake in it.  Henrietta's last name is spelled incorrectly. It should be Koewler.   I also am wondering if Virginia's father was Thornton instead of Thorton.