Thriller Thursday - Hootch!

My great-grandfather Charles Creeden was county sheriff of Mercer County, Ohio from 1923-1927. One of the issues he dealt with was illegal liquor production during the prohibition era in the US. This article was published in the Lima News on November 28, 1924.

The article goes on to name the farmers and what each of them were caught with. Most of them had stills hidden on their farms and several gallons of whiskey. The lowest fine was $300 for having 1 1/2 gallons of whiskey in the house. The highest was $600 for having a 32 gallon barrel full of liquor, plus 12 gallons of "hootch" in jugs.

According to my father, resentment from the farmers remained a long time after my great-grandfather's term as sheriff. Sometime in the 1940s, Charles took my father to see the farmhouse he grew up in. The farmhouse was on a farm north of town and was no longer in use. The current land owner yelled at them to get off of his land and the farmhouse was burned down a short time after their visit. Charles told my father that the bad blood was due to the arrests he made during prohibition, so it was interesting to see a story about the raids.

Wordless Wednesday - Creedens

This group shot of the Creeden family was taken in 1934 in Celina, Ohio. From left to right, the adults are Lena Gleagall Creeden and her husband Daniel Creeden, Ida Belle Creeden Stout, Julia Creeden Balleweg and possibly her husband Lorenz Balleweg?, Anna Niehaus Creeden and her husband Charles Creeden. The two little girls in the front are Julia's daughters. I'm not sure who the boy and the other girl are, but they are probably either Julia's or Ida Belle's children. The Creeden adults are siblings.

Tombstone Tuesday - Anna Marie Schaefer

Mother
A Maria Pulskamp
Born Nov 17, 1833
Died Jul 1, 1886

Anna Marie (or Maria) Schaefer was my 2x great-grandmother. She was married to Herman Henry Pulskamp in 1854 in Cincinnati, Ohio and they made their home in Celina, Ohio. She was the mother of my great-grandfather, George F. Pulskamp. She is buried in the Northeast Section, Row 17 of St. Mary's Catholic Cemetery in Celina, Ohio. Thanks to tut of FindAGrave for taking the photo.

Military Monday - Memorial Day

Arlington National Cemetery

Memorial Day is a day to remember the men and women who gave their lives while serving in the US Armed Forces. My great-uncle Julius Councill was killed in action on August 12, 1918 in a battle in Fismette, France during WWI. He is buried in Arlington National Cemetery.

Top photo is from Wikipedia. Thanks to Laura for posting the photo of Julius' grave on FindAGrave.

Sunday's Obituary - Herman Pulskamp III

This short notice was published in the Van Wert Daily Bulletin in Ohio on February 20, 1912. Herman Pulskamp, one of Celina's foremost business men, died quite suddenly, the result of pneumonia. He was fifty-two years of age.

Herman was the son of Herman H. Pulskamp and Anna Marie Schaefer and the grandson of Herman H. Pulskamp and Katharine Maria Staenke. Herman was a senior member in the H&J Pulskamp firm which was one of the largest furniture dealers in Celina, Ohio. He was married to Katie Heim and they had four children: Frederick, Clara, Elnora, and Ada. He is buried in St. Mary's Cemetery in Celina, Ohio.