John Jack in 1904

According to the census of 1910, John and Lavina Clementine Jack, the parents of Hattie Maude (Jack) Smith--my great grandmother, were living on Ohio St. In Wapakoneta, OH. Our family has a photograph of John, Lavina, and daughter, Daisy sitting on the front steps of a house. The picture was dated 1904. This past weekend, I searched for that house up and down Ohio St. And finally located it. Many times there is great disappointment upon finding the "old home place" as it seldom kept up. In this case, the current owners have completely exceeded my expectations. I hope you enjoy seeing the house as it was over one hundred years ago and what it looks like today.

Frederick H. Kantner (b. 5/27/1867, d. after 1923)

Frederick Kantner is my 2nd cousin 4 times removed, being my 4g grandfather's brother's grandson [lost you already, I'm sure]. The book from which I have gleaned much of what I know of this man and his family was published while he was still living, thus I have no death date. The book is, The History of Auglaize County, Vol. 2, edited by William McMurray, and published in 1923. I will quote freely from that book in this post, specifically pages 354-355.

"Frederick Kantner, a well known bachelor farmer of Pusheta township, living on the old Kantner place west of Quaker Run, about midway between Wapakoneta and Freyburg, was born on that place and has lived there all his life, a period of fifty-five years and more. Mr. Kantner was born on May 27, 1867, and is a son of William and Parmelia (Schuler) Kantner."

Frederick's grandparents were George and Le Ann (Oswalt) Kantner who purchased the property described above in 1832, the year the Shawnees signed the treaty and moved to lands to the west. (Le Ann's name has been alternately spelled "Leah" and "Leana" and elsewhere in this same book as "Lena (Oswold)"). "It is narrated that when George Kantner, the pioneer and his family settled there in section 3 of Pusheta township, on lands that had been occupied by followers of the Indian chief, Pusheta, there still were several of the old Indian cabins standing on the place, and that in these were several barrels of maple sugar that had been made by the aboriginals and which was in a good state of preservation."

Frederick's father, William, lived all his days on and farmed that same piece of ground, except for the time he spent as a Union soldier in the Civil war, Company I of the 33rd regiment, Ohio Volunteer Infantry.

Frederick "received his schooling in the old Kelly school house (district No. 5), in the southwest corner of section 3." My mother says that her father went to that school when he was a child but that he referred to it as the "Keller" school.

"From the days of his boyhood he was attentive to the affairs of the farm, and as he grew to manhood he remained on the home place, farming with his father, and since the latter's death has been in charge, carrying on in his mother's behalf until her death, and now representing also his sister's interest in the place, both co-operating in the management of the farm, which is well improved and profitably cultivated, the family having a very pleasant home on rural mail route No. 5 out of Wapakoneta." The sister referred to here is Libbie, who married Joseph Goedde from St. Louis, MO on 7/12/1921.

"Mr. Kantner and his sister are members of the English Lutheran church at Wapakoneta and are Republicans."

As always, your comments are welcome, and any additional information would be appreciated.

The Family Bible

On February 12, 1887, the congregation in Rixford PA presented a family Bible to John Jack. John was an unordained minister in the Methodist Church. Inside the Bible the names of the people who presented it to him can be found on two lists. Below is a copy of one of the lists with a transcription following:

"Following are the names that presented this Holy Bible to John Jack Feb 12-1887"

Mr. and Mrs. Miller

Mr. and Mrs. J. W. Martin

Mr. and Mrs. J. B. Martin

Mr. and Mrs. D. W. Nutting

Mr. and Mrs. Lawry

Mr. and Mrs. Knox

Mr. and Mrs. Smith

Mr. and Mrs. Hindman

Mrs. Lincoln

Mrs. N. C. Clark

Mr. and Mrs. Delmage

Mr. and Mrs. Park

Mrs. F. J. Newton

Miss Ida Lincoln

Rev. Wm. Luck

Mr. and Mrs. Campbell

Mr. and Mrs. Flyte

"John Jack presented it to his daughter Hattie M. Smith Sept. 9-1912"

Hattie later passed this Bible on to one of her three daughters (my grandmother) who passed it on to my mother and she passed it on to me.

It is interesting to me that there is a Park family listed. One of John Jack's daughters, Lola May, married George Almond Park Feb 9, 1886, almost exactly one year before the presentation of this Bible.

In case you want to quickly switch to the Roediger side

skeeterbyte-roediger.blogspot.com

What this is all about

Thought I'd try sharing some of the genealogical research that I have done on my family. This first post is a trial run. I will not post info on family members nearer than my grandparents and probably not even them. So rest assured that you will not appear here.

This blog covers my maternal side--the Kantner side. There are Smiths, Jacks, Sammetingers, Rimmels and many others. I will try to be clear about how the focal person of a blog fits in.

If you wish to become a contributor to this blog, your contributions are welcome. Just let me know that you are interested.