This is the final installment of “Lide’s papers.” The continuity of these posts was broken because I had two items of more immediacy to blog about. For other aspects concerning the delay of this fourth post, see my notes at the end of this blog.
March 22, 1938.
Our Great Grandfather Schaeffer was a Hessian soldier, hired by the English King George the third to help the English Army put down the Revolution in the United States or rather the New America. (Cousin Claron Shafer says he was not a Hessian soldier.C.E.S.) In this way he did cross the ocean three times. (I had it from my father that his grandfather Shafer crossed the ocean three times. It is to this that she refers. C.E.S.) These soldiers were brought over and then the survivors were returned to their native land and it is supposed he returned to the U.S. of his own accord. Grandma Shafer, my mother’s stepmother told me that this grandfather Shaeffer performed a feat during the Revolutionary war equal to Putnam’s famous ride down the stone stairway and told me to try to remember it. She lived in the same neighborhood as our grandfather Henry Shafer.
Aunt Sarah’s maiden name is Rummel. When we lived for a year or two in Auburn Indiana and went from there to Montana Aunt Sarah told me to go out to visit her brother living out of that town. He was then County Commissioner of that County. So you see he was our mother’s and your father’s cousin and too Uncle Christ is a cousin to Aunt Sarah. Aunt Sarah was married before she married Uncle Christ. Aunt Sarah’s married name first time was Fornay. One daughter to this marriage who died in early womanhood. AMary Laautzenhiser’s mother was a Rummel And yes I meant to tell you one time in the early sixties Aunt Catherine and Hannah and I went with Grandpa Shafer to visit his brother Jake Shafer in Fulton County. (This brother died in 1854 but his descendants still lives there and in Marshall county and hold a reunion annually at or near Argos. C.E.S.) He had several boys, one I remember was named Philetus. We staid several days. This was in the early sixties. I may have been eleven years old, maybe twelve. Please excuse my repeating. I am also very forgetful too.
One thing in your writing and publishing your book the name Shafer is not correct. Scheaffer.
I told Emma Kate there was one brother of yours named Shirley, an infant maybe a year or more old. (His name was Grant and called Bubby. C.E.S) I lived with your parents and washed his didies and loved him, the baby, very much. I was not there at his birth nor when he died. At that time your mother looked so much like you did in 1920. And was Lulu your sister or Emma Kate’s child? She certainly was a lovely child. I had a picture of her but that and many others burned in the house in 1926. During the life of little (Shirley) Uncle John lived in Laketon. My brother Joseph no doubt lived there at the same time. I went to school to Uncle John there too. One winter he taught at a country school called Center school. Five miles from Laketon west. That year I went to your Uncle Darius Lautzenhiser in Laketon. My sister Bi lived with Darius’ and went to school. It was Ida (Lautzenhiser) who called her Bi instead of Abi so she kept the nickname. One year 1861 or 1862 Uncle John taught at “Sherman’s College” in the Butterbaugh neighborhood cross roads one mile from grandpa’s house were Bi and I lived. Uncle John taught singing too. Those days they were called singing masters and school masters. He always corrected us in our English and did much for our welfare as well as your washing and ironing and cooking for us. We helped with the children and dishes and errands. When Uncle John was away Bie carried water a quarter of a mile at their farm that Emma later owned. And I was there the day that your father and mother and Emma and Elva moved on this place. Your Grandfather Lautzenhiser was along and as they were out of matches he, Grandfather Lautzenhiser, took off his spectacles, gathered up a small bit of paper and a little shavings and made a fire in the yard to cook the coffee for our lunch. Grandfather held his spectacles in the sun and started the fire. Old folks knew a few things young folks learned from them. That was a long time ago. My room was up in the attic of that one or two room log house. Yes I must tell you too that your mother had twins. I do not remember what sex. They died almost immediately. (Edna and Edgar. C.E.S)
The Shafers are or were all great riders and dared many things: for instance our grandfather volunteered to carry a rope across a stream no younger man would do. It was to carry a rope across the stream walking a pole laid across the stream. Then larger timber could be taken across to build a bridge. This was in the neighborhood of his farm between North Manchester and Laketon. His farm was one mile off the Laketon and Manchester road and one mile from Laketon. We could hear the church bells from both places. I love the bells. Now here in Okanagan they have gongs and how we miss the school bell. We live on Rose Street two blocks long and a High School and a Jr.High School building face down this street. So we have a drove of students coming and going in front of our house. Our daughter Katherine is building the house as we live in it. Just now we have a new permanent floor and kitchen cupboard and sink all built in. Will soon send the data you wish.
Lide Wantz
Correction to the above record.
Since Lide went in the early sixties with our grandfather to Fulton County it could not have been to visit his brother Jake for Jake died in 1854 when Lide was only four years old. She speaks of his having several boys; one of them Phyletus. Now Phyletus was a grandson of Jakes, a son of Jake’s oldest son John. So it is evident that she with our grandfather at that time visited with John instead of his father Jake.
C.E.S.
A LETTER WRITTEN TO HER COUSIN CHAS. E. SHAFER BUT NOT MAILED.
Mary Lautzenhizer told me the German Bible she had was her mother’s and of course it is then the sister of our Grandmother Susan Rummel, and Sarah (we called her Sally) Harmon’s mother was a sister too. Her name was Catherine, my mother’s Aunt Catherine. Mary Eli told me my mother took Hannah and visited their Aunt Catherine Seitner, and Hannah cried and my mother cried. I visited them too at about the age of seventeen with Elis’ on their visits to Miami county visiting Mary’s sisters and brothers. Laura may have this bible. I am going to tell you how I came to live at Eli’s. I had been at George Stevensons of Wabash a second time and told Mrs.Stevenson I would like to go over to Manchester and try to teach school some time, so when I came to Aunt Mary’s, your mother, (some of the time we said Uncle John) but as I told your sister when we visited in 1920 she long mothered and advised us. As we grew on older we went to her with our troubles and especially on questions of etiquette. She would get out her book on such articles and soon settled all questions. My, she often got tired of taking care of us, wetting the bed and making her use her pretty quilts,and, well everything, but I was so disappointed not to see her at her big living room. Of course I knew they were both gone. I guess the girls thought it strange I thought only of Aunt Mary but your father did much for us; saw to our going to school, all he as able to do for us. He even let Joseph stay with them and go to summer school six weeks when he was about 16 or 17 years old, and Emma, sister Emma, was there often too. Joe had been to live at Ridgley’s at the age of 12 years to about 16 or 17. Well I would write more but want to tell you of Aunt Mary and when I came from Wabash always coming directly to Uncle John’s. Aunt Mary told me she just could not take me. I had not arrived at womanhood so of course there was a question and might be lots of trouble and I not knowing the why of all this question until later. Mary Eli said she would take me. I was going on seventeen and I staid there and went to school until I was nineteen and what they then called “Quituated” school.
No one was ever treated better than I was there and made welcome always. Uncle John and Aunt Mary fixed up their house, the old one, and papered and calcimined so as to have that house nice as I had asked to be married there, but they and Eli’s were not on good terms on account of his brother Joe Lautzenhiser and I wanted Eli to be there and then after all he went to Miami and was not there.
NOTES from Frustrated Sue
Although the family relationships that are continued in this final blog are a treasure trove of research leads for a family genealogist, I fear they will not be very meaningful to the casual reader. It took me a bit of thought before I decided to go ahead and post this final part.
Two factors brought me to the decision to do so. The first is the integrity of the papers. Lide’s character shows in these passages as well as in the narratives that have been previously posted. Lide deserves to have her complete work shared.
[A reminder that I did some slight editing for the purpose of these blogs. I rearranged some of the materials so that the narrative would flow more smoothly. Also, I “corrected spelling” as far a possible in connection with the smudged typewritten words. All other spelling and grammar is as Lide and Charley wrote these papers.]
The second reason for posting these last entries is that ALL the genealogy clues have now been placed into the blog. A total of 72 individuals of possible genealogical interest to me have been named in these papers. (I am excluding names such as Frank Stockton and Gene Stratton Porter and her brother; they are of historical interest, but they do not enter into my genealogy researches even as connections of in-laws.) 5 of these 72 people are listed with the “surname” UNKNOWN; the remaining 67 people have 14 surnames between them; and one of these “Schaeffer” is a spelling variation of another “Shafer.” So I have from 13 to 18 surnames to be looked into as I work to chart my family and my family’s relations and to write their stories in the context of history.
I can foresee many blogs about these people sometime in the future. As for today, Lide’s papers have been placed “in the cloud” where other researchers may find her if they are interested. And I need to return to my 21st century genealogy concerns — which may be the subject of one or more future blogs.
Here’s to facing the frustrations and celebrating the joys of genealogy,
Frustrated Sue
