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Family Tree
A MONTHLY PUBLICATION OF THE MONTGOMERY COUNTY CHAPTER OF THE OGS
Volume 32, Issue 05
MAY 2012
ISDN 1047-0956
Montgomery County Chapter
Ohio Genealogical Society
P.O. Box 1584
Dayton, OH 45401-1584
http://www.rootsweb.com/~ohmontgs
President
M. Earl Chadwick
937 609-9047
Vice President
Lori Rotterman
299-0498
Recording Secretary
Terry Anne Nicholson
836-2514
Corresponding Secretary
Rosemary Herron
298-1478
Treasurer
Bob Johnson
299-4364
Editor
Rosemary Herron
[email protected]
CONTENTS
May Meeting
…………51
From the Board
…………51
Announcements
…………52
Gen-Tips
…………53
MailBag
…………54
Humor Central
…………55
Genealogy Exchange…………56
Library
…………56
Memorial Day
…………57
Obituaries
…………60
NO MEETING IN MAY
There will be NO MEETING of the Montgomery County Chapter OGS
in May. In lieu of our monthly meeting, we are promoting two
genealogical events in our area during the month of May:
THE NATIONAL GENEALOGICAL SOCIETY
ANNUAL CONFERENCE
May 9-12
See page 53 for details.
CALVARY CEMETERY GENEALOGY WORKSHOP
Saturday May 19
See page 53 for details.
NO MEETING IN JUNE
FIELD TRIP
FROM THE BOARD
FIELD TRIP
COLUMBUS METROPOLITAN LIBRARY
Plan to join us on our June 9th field trip to the Columbus
Metropolitan Library (CML). There is a wealth of information
available there, including something for just about everyone.
Their collections cover most states east of the Mississippi River,
with emphasis on Ohio, New England, Mid-Atlantic and South
Eastern states. Many of their resources include things you would
expect to find in any large city genealogy library: census; local
and county histories; atlases and maps; city directories; military
records; birth, marriage and death records; court records, wills,
immigration and naturalization records, and deed and land
records; records from businesses, churches, schools and funeral
homes; genealogy society newsletters; and personal records
such as ancestor charts, bible records, and family records and
biographies.
(Continued on page 52)
MCC-OGS
Page 51
Family Tree Volume 32, Issue 05
FROM THE BOARD
(Cont. from page 51)
•
The databases to which they subscribe include
Ancestry, Heritage Quest, Sanborn Fire
Insurance maps, Columbus News Index,
and NewsBank obituaries and death notices.
Additionally, and in my opinion even more
exciting, are the special collections which
are part of the offerings at CML. These
represent collections which had been held
by other organizations or individuals that
have been donated to the library, and in
many cases contain things not to be found
elsewhere.
•
•
•
•
•
The complete genealogy holdings
from the State Library of Ohio were
moved to CML in 2007, which include
the Ohio chapter of the Daughters of
the American Revolution library.
The Ohio Huguenot Society collection
contains records back to the 16th
century and is one of the largest in
the country, including church and
naturalization records and family
histories from French Protestants
exiled to England and then America.
The Joy Wade Moulton British
collection includes English county
and tax records, as well as
information Irish land records.
A 50 volume index of Delaware and
Union Counties in Ohio covers county
histories and public records from
these counties.
The complete collection of the
National Palatines to America was
moved to CML in 2009. It includes
mostly material from Germany,
Austria, Poland, Russia, Alsace, and
the US. In addition to emigration and
church records and farm histories,
there are many family books and
place books for specific towns.
MCC-OGS
Page 52
The Franklin County Genealogical
and Historical Society also gave its
collection to CML in 2009, which
include many unpublished family
histories, research notebooks, and
surname files.
Check
out
the
library’s
web-site
www.columbuslibrary.org/genealogy to help
plan your research once we get there. We
will be given a tour of the facility, and then
you will have the rest of the day on your own
to research. This will be an all-day trip, so
that we can maximize our available time
there. There is a coffee bar available on-site
with sandwiches, soups, wraps, etc. We will
be carpooling, meeting at the Greene
around 7:15am and probably returning about
8pm. Please contact Lori Rotterman to
register at [email protected] or
299-0498 so that we can plan appropriately
for the number of drivers needed. Hope to
see you all there.
ANNOUNCEMENTS
BEGINNING GENEALOGY CLASS
Lori Rotterman will be conducting a free
beginner’s class in genealogy this spring and is
inviting all beginners, in addition to those who
may want to brush up their skills. The class will
probably be two or three class sessions. If you
know of others who might be interested, please
pass this info on to them. So far, there has only
been interest from one individual, so we hope
more will decide to participate. The location,
days and times of the sessions will be based on
the preferences of those who express an
interest. If you would like to attend, please
contact Lori at [email protected] or
299-0498.
Family Tree Volume 32, Issue 05
Doors open at 8:30 AM, sessions run 9:00 AM to
4:15 PM. Work shop and tour to be held rain or
shine in Calvary’s historic St. Henry’s Chapel.
NGS 2012
FAMILY HISTORY CONFERENCE
Theme: The Ohio River: Gateway
to the Western Frontier
The NGS 2012 Family History Conference will
be held at the Duke Energy Convention Center
in Cincinnati, Ohio. Mark your calendars for
9–12 May 2012.
The convention center is located in the heart of
downtown Cincinnati, just blocks from I-71 and I75 and 10 minutes from the Cincinnati/Northern
Kentucky International Airport. The downtown
area offers shopping, dining, theatre, a lively arts
and music scene, and is just a short walk from
the Ohio River.
Attendee registration is now open. To register:
http://www.ngsgenealogy.org/cs/attendee_regist
ration or call 800-473-0060.
http://www.calvarycemeterydayton.org/answerin
g-the-question-who-do-you-think-you-are/
$28 for MCCOGS members
$40 advance registration by May14th
$50 at the door
Boxed lunch available for $12
GEN-TIPS
HOW TO FIND SOMEONE WHO HAS THE
BOOK YOU SEEK
CALVARY CEMETERY WORKSHOP
Saturday, May 19, 2012
Professional genealogist and author Sharon
DeBartolo Carmack of Salt Lake City, Utah, will
share tips and research resources for family
historians in an all day workshop on Saturday,
May 19. Carmack is known for her educational
and entertaining style, presenting her material in
a way that is useful for both beginners and
seasoned genealogists.
There will be two sessions in the morning, a
lunch break with a tour of the cemetery and two
sessions in the afternoon. The titles of her
lessons include: “Cryptic Clues in the Boneyard”,
“Flesh on Bones, Putting Your Ancestors into
Historical Perspective”, “From Yawner to Page
Turner; Writing a Compelling Family History”,
and “Love Letters, Diaries and Autobiographies:
Let’s Leave Them Something to Talk About” . As
a bonus, Carmack will do a "Primetime 20/20
interview” the world’s oldest living genealogist,
“Ole Smirnoff Bernatelli”.
MCC-OGS
Pre-registration for the event is strongly
suggested as seating is limited. Call 293-1221
for more information and call-in reservations or
visit their website to sign up:
Page 53
Perhaps the full title of this article should be How
to Find Someone Who Has the Book You Seek
and Also Let Everyone Else Know About the
Books You Own and Also Catalog Your Own
Personal Library with Minimal Effort.
You can find dozens of programs that will help
you catalog your personal book collection. Some
of these will create a list that you can print or
store on your own computer or store on your
smartphone or even upload to the World Wide
Web. Some products also keep track of the
books you want to read (sometimes called a
wish list) and will also keep track of books you
have loaned out to others, including the date
loaned. Some cataloging products will also track
other media, such as CD and DVD disks, video
games, and more. However, one online service
does all that and lots more. You can access your
information from a web browser on a desktop
computer, a laptop computer, or even from an
iPhone. The last feature is very useful when you
are at a bookstore or flea market or genealogy
conference and are wondering, "Do I already
have that book?" Best of all, you can share your
catalog with others and also see what others
Family Tree Volume 32, Issue 05
have in their collections. The service is available
either free of charge or for very low fees,
depending upon the options you select.
The product I use is primarily a service
for cataloging books, but it can also be
used to catalog and track other media,
including music and videos. You can sort,
share, explore, import, and export data
pertaining to your personal or even
institutional library. You can track who has
borrowed which book. You can see other
users who have similar libraries to yours and
browse books they have that you might be
interested in. Perhaps best of all, you can
find reviews of books on the system.
Of course, you can search your inventory at
any time, whether seated at your desktop
computer at home or by using your
handheld iPhone or other "smartphone"
when at a book fair or even at a garage sale.
With most library card catalog software,
entering information about all the books you
own can be tedious if you need to enter
everything on the keyboard. Luckily, in
today's “online, all the time” environment,
manual data entry is no longer necessary.
The owners of this online service will even
sell you a $15 barcode scanner that plugs
into your computer's USB port. All newer
books have a unique barcode printed in
each although you probably won't find this in
a genealogy book printed in the 1890s.
Simply load the appropriate software in your
Macintosh or Windows computer, open the
book to view the appropriate page, and hold
the barcode scanner a few inches away
from the barcode. The complete information
about the book, including title, author,
publisher, date published, and more will
automatically be entered into your personal
list of books in inventory.
MAILBAG
2012 OGS ANNUAL CONFERENCE
Every spring genealogists from across the state
and from other states gather for the annual Ohio
Genealogical Society’s conference. This year it
was held in Cleveland and the theme was
History and Genealogy: Finding Clues To
Ancestral Lives. Being along side Lake Erie, it
was fitting this year’s conference included many
classes and activities about the War of 1812 and
the bicentennial celebration. I learned a lot
about Ohio’s role in the war and found some
new resources to help me research my War of
1812 ancestor.
One of my favorite classes was presented
by Becky Baker Hill.
She demonstrated
Blurp.com, an on-line publishing program that
can be used to create picture and story books
about family, ancestors and vacations. I can’t
wait to try it. Another favorite was Paul Milner’s
Effective Use of ScotlandsPeople Website.
http://www.scotlandspeople.gov.uk/
The Exhibit Hall is always a favorite of
conference attendees. Two of our members
won door prizes. Carolyn Burns
made a display about our
chapter for the exhibit. It was
interesting to see the various
activities in which the chapters
are involved. There were book
and software vendors and many
offered special prizes for the
conference. They had a computer bank where
you could learn about the 1940 Census Indexing
project and even do some indexing while at the
conference.
The conference also included the inductions into
the various Ohio Lineage Societies:
First
Families of Ohio, Settlers and Builders of Ohio,
Society of Civil War Families of Ohio and
Century Families of Ohio. For information about
these lineage societies, visit the OGS website.
http://www.ogs.org/about/lineage.php
From Dick Eastman http://blog.eogn.com/
MCC-OGS
Page 54
Family Tree Volume 32, Issue 05
One my favorite sessions was Ask the Experts.
The panel of experts included many of the
speakers at the conference. It was an open
forum and the audience was able to ask
questions. The relaxed atmosphere and the
friendly bantering between the experts made for
a very entertaining evening.
So much to do – So little time to do it all. The
conference always seems to end too quickly.
I hope to see you at next year’s OGS
Conference in Cincinnati, April 25-27, 2013.
The theme will be Get Ready, Get Tech, Go!
“Expanding Your Ancestry through Technology”
The wife of #22 could not be found. Somebody
suggested that she might have been stillborn what do you think?
I am mailing you my aunt and uncle and three of
their children.
Enclosed please find my Grandmother. I have
worked on her for 30 years without success.
Now see what you can do!
I have a hard time finding myself in London. If I
were there I was very small and cannot be
found.
This family had 7 nephews that I am unable to
find. If you know who they are, please add them
to the list.
Submitted by Terry Anne Nicholson
We lost our Grandmother, will you please send
us a copy?
HUMOR CENTRAL
These are copies of actual correspondence
received by the Family History Department.
Our 2nd great grandfather was found dead
crossing the plains in the library. He was married
3 times in the endowment house and has 21
children.
He and his daughter are listed as not being
born.
I would like to find out if I have any living
relatives or dead relatives or ancestors in my
family.
Will you send me a list of all the Dripps in your
library?
My Grandfather died at the age of 3.
Will you please send me the name of my first
wife? I have forgotten her name.
A 14-year-old boy wrote: "I do not want you to
do my research for me. Will you please send me
all of the material on the Welch line, in the US,
England and Scotland countries? I will do the
research."
WHAT CAUSES ARTHRITIS????
A drunk man who smelled like beer sat
down on a subway next to a priest. The
man's tie was stained, his face was
plastered with red lipstick, and a half-empty
bottle of gin was sticking out of his torn coat
pocket. He opened his newspaper and
began reading.
We are sending you 5 children in a separate
envelope.
After a few minutes the man turned to the
priest and asked, "Say Father, what causes
arthritis?"
Documentation: Family Bible in possession of
Aunt Merle until the tornado hit Topeka, Kansas.
Now only the Good Lord knows where it is.
The priest replies, "My Son, it's caused by
loose living, being with cheap, wicked
women, too much alcohol, contempt for your
MCC-OGS
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Family Tree Volume 32, Issue 05
fellow man, sleeping around with prostitutes
and lack of a bath."
The drunk muttered in response, "Well, I'll
be damned", then returned to his paper.
nudged the man and apologized. "I'm very
sorry. I didn't mean to come on so strong.
How long have you had arthritis?"
The drunk answered, "I don't have it, Father.
I was just reading here that the Pope does."
The priest, thinking about what he had said,
************************************************************************
GENEALOGY EXCHANGE
DO YOU HAVE GENEALOGY BOOKS, CDS, MAGAZINES, ETC.
THAT YOU NO LONGER USE AND WOULD LIKE TO SELL OR TRADE?
Send in a description of your item(s) including condition and edition along with price or what you want in
trade. If there is something you have been looking for, send that in and perhaps another member has it
and would sell or trade with you. Send to the Family Tree Editor at [email protected] or
Montgomery County Chapter Ohio Genealogical Society, P.O. Box 1584, Dayton, OH 45401-1584
Limit of 5 items per issue per person.
Here are some extra genealogy books that the library would be interested in trading:
1. Chalkley, Lyman, Records of Augusta County, Virginia 1745-1800 (3 volume set), hardback, 1965
reprint of an 1912 work
2. Polk, Polk's Greenville City Directory, hardback, 1987
3. 1850 Federal Census Cape Girardeau County Missouri, paperback, 19??
In return the library is interesting in acquiring books that the library does not already own about states
east of the Mississippi.
Please contact: Shawna Woodard, [email protected] .
***************************************************************************
FROM THE LIBRARY
NEW BOOKS AT DAYTON METRO LIBRARY MARCH - APRIL 2012
Closson, Bob. Index to Butler Co., Pa. Wills 1796-1900. Gen R 974.891 C645B 1985.
Davidson, Grace. Early Records of Georgia . 2 vols. Gen R 975.8 D252E 1932.
Index to Beaver County, PA Wills 1800-1900. Gen R 974.892 I385 1988.
Kistler, John. Baptismal Records of Jerusalem Lutheran and Reformed Church Berks Count ,
Pennsylvania. Gen R 974.816 K619B 1959.
Kraynek, Sharon. Allegheny County Pennsylvania Cemeteries. Volumes 1, 2, 5, 7, 9, 11, 12, 13. Gen R
974.855K919AL*
Landis, Mark. Wind/Wint Family. Gen R B92 W784 LAN 2011.
MCC-OGS
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Family Tree Volume 32, Issue 05
Myers, Paul. Lawrence County, PA Soldiers Revolutionary War War of 1812 Civil War. Gen R 974.893
M996L 1988.
Rose, Christine. Complete Idiot’s Guide to Genealogy. 3rd ed. Gen B91072073 R795C 2012.
(Circulates).
Smolenyak, Megan. Hey, America, Your Roots Are Showing. Gen B91 S666HAM 2012. (Circulates)
(Megan Smolenyak is the Chief Genealogical Consultant to Ancestry.com and has also written Who Do
You Think You Are: The Essential Guide to Tracing your Family History, and Who Do You Think You
Are? a companion book to the TV show, which reveals her approach to the hobby, and the TV show.)
* Paid for with a gift of money from Montgomery County Chapter, OGS. Thank you!
MEMORIAL DAY REMEMBRANCES
THERE IS NO PLACE FOR HEROES IN FLYING
The Story of Rudolph William (“Shorty”) Schroeder (1886-1952)
By Patricia Patterson Allen
In 1924, the National Geographic Magazine stated:
“Perhaps the most heroic test of an aviator’s grit and stamina is an altitude climb.”
Following World War I, the Army Air Service began testing the practicality of high altitude flight
at McCook Field near Dayton, Ohio where dozens of famous military aviators began their
career. McCook, operated as an airfield, training field and test station from 1917-1927, was
named in honor of a local family, the “Fighting McCooks,” who sent 17 men to fight for the North
in the Civil War. It had been constructed as a temporary experimental engineering field where
all Army aircraft engineering and procurement functions could be consolidated in one area. This
field became the home of the Signal Corps (later, Air Service) Airplane Engineering Department.
McCook pilots set numerous air records.
In 1916, Rudolph William Schroeder enlisted in the Aviation Section of the U.S. Army Signal
Corps and was rapidly promoted, becoming a Major in September 1918. The 6’4” officer known
as “Shorty” was assigned as chief test pilot at McCook Field. He focused on safety features for
aviators and insisted on the development of a free-type parachute pack invented by Floyd
Smith. In 1919, Shorty was the first air service aviator to wear one. He was also credited with
being the first to fly with a super-charged engine and the first to open a night-flying school.
On September 18, 1918, Major Schroeder set a world record of 28,900 feet in a Bristol airplane.
He made three more world altitude records in the fall of 1919 in a LePere two-seater biplane
which used a Liberty engine. The Lusac-11 built by Captain Georges LePere, a French
aeronautical engineer working for the U.S. Air Service in 1917 and 1918 was designed to be the
primary American-made fighter of World War I. LePere had drawn the plans at McCook Field
MCC-OGS
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Family Tree Volume 32, Issue 05
and production began at the Packard Motor Car Company in Detroit. It was a combination
fighter and reconnaissance aircraft and carried a pilot and an observer. The aircraft was chosen
as the test bed for a turbo-supercharged Liberty 12-B engine to explore the possibilities of high
altitude flight.
According to Slipstream, McCook Field’s house journal, Schroeder’s fifth altitude recordbreaking flight on February 27, 1920 was “the most sensational flight in the history of aviation.”
However, Schroeder’s record-breaking flight nearly ended in his death. The day was beautifully
clear and ideally suited to altitude flying. His plane, an open cockpit Packard-LePere LUSAC-11
two seat biplane fitted with a General Electric turbo-supercharger, was loaded with a three
hours’ supply of fuel and four hours supply of oxygen. Major Schroeder was dressed like an
Eskimo—fur-lined suit, gloves, moccasins, a helmet that covered the entire head and an oxygen
snoot that gave him the appearance of “being from another planet.” He took off at 11:40 A.M.
and his climb was steady and uneventful until, at about 25,000 feet, his oxygen supply stopped.
On investigation, it was discovered that the automatic regulating valve had frozen. He made a
quick change to the emergency tank and resumed climbing. After climbing for an hour and 47
minutes, Major Schroeder reached a solo world altitude record of 33,114 feet with an air
temperature of -6 degrees below zero Fahrenheit.
Using his last supply of oxygen, he was aware his safety depended upon his being able to
anticipate the exhaustion of this supply in sufficient time to get back to an altitude of around
20,000 feet where he could breathe with some degree of regularity. Oxygen starvation comes
on slowly and a pilot will go on to a point of unconsciousness, deluded with the idea that he is
perfectly normal although the sun grows dark, the horizon jumps about changing places, and his
engine seems to become noiseless. Major Schroeder, sensing the need of oxygen, raised his
goggles for a moment to remove the frost that was obscuring his vision when the film of
moisture between his eyelids and his eyeballs froze.
He attempted to put the plane into a gentle descent, but instead fell into a vertical dive and
passed out. The LePere plummeted nearly six miles in two minutes from 28,000 feet to 2,000
feet. It is thought his head was lying over the side of the cockpit during the wild fall out of
control, exposing his eyes to the terrible blasts of frigid air. At about 2,000 feet above the
ground, he was jarred back to consciousness by what he described as a “terrible explosion in
the head.” which was probably caused by a rapid change of atmospheric pressure. This theory
is supported by the fact that two gas tanks were crushed like paper bags due to the sudden
change of pressure.
With a sudden return to life-giving air and partial consciousness, Schroeder realized his perilous
position. His eyes were frozen, his lungs poisoned with carbon monoxide gas from the exhaust
and his body chilled to the bone. The following is his account of the landing:
My next sensation after losing consciousness was a terrible explosion in my head and, on
looking about, discovered I was within a few thousand feet of the earth and over strange
country. My eyes pained exceedingly and my hearing seemed to be gone. With a great effort, I
leveled the machine and headed west by locating the sun, trusting that I had been blown to the
east by the strong upper current. After about 15 minutes flying, I found myself over Wilbur
MCC-OGS
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Family Tree Volume 32, Issue 05
Wright Field, but by this time, my eyes were practically shut and I was sure to attempt a landing
would be disastrous and concluded that by going on to McCook Field, my eyesight would
recover. In a few minutes, I was directly over McCook Field, but my eyes were worse than ever
so I decided the best thing to do was to gain a little altitude and jump to safety with my
parachute and allow the machine to crash. While these thoughts were passing through my
mind, I recognized the Post Hospital and the only explanation I can give for making a turn,
shutting off my motor and landing at this time is that it was a favorite spot to glide into the Field
over the Hospital in every-day flying, and my location was purely a mechanical one. The wheels
hit the ground and I found myself unable to move a muscle, and with both eyes tightly closed.
Schroeder’s flight was officially observed by Captain George Beatty Patterson, Assistant Chief
of the Flight Test Branch, who assisted him out of the “machine.” Patterson had charge of
performance, tests, computations and reports for the U.S. Army Air Service. He reported
temperature calibrations for the flight to the Bureau of Standards. (Patterson’s Report on
Practical Airplane Performance Testing dated June 1919 states: “Fountain pens should not be
used as the ink will freeze at high altitudes.”) The true pressure at the ceiling, determined by the
Bureau of Standards, was 7.48 inches of mercury, corresponding to an altitude of 37,850 feet.
Schroeder’s test confirmed that the turbocharger could allow aircraft to reach great heights by
compressing the thin air at high altitudes to preserve the engine power. The flight was also a
major demonstration of deficiencies, as well as capabilities, in pursuing high-altitude flights. The
problems encountered on Schroeder’s record flight led the engineers at McCook to design
protective clothing and other improvements, such as closed cockpits, heated and pressurized
cabins and oxygen systems.
Although Schroeder’s vision was permanently impaired, the accident did not diminish his
passion or his ability to fly. In the summer of 1920, he flew the Air Service Corp’s VervillePackard aeroplane in the Gordon Bennett race at Paris. Forced down by an overheated engine,
his team did not finish.
Born in Chicago on August 14, 1886, Rudolph William “Shorty” Schroeder was a gifted student
who attended Crane Technical School. From 1908-1910, he experimented with his own glider
designs before becoming an airplane “mechanician” to Otto Brodie, one of the earliest exhibition
(circus) fliers. Shorty’s mechanical skills kept Brodie flying from 1910 to 1913. It was under
Brodie he learned to fly. During a routine test flight in 1913, Brodie lost control of his Farman
and was crushed to death by the Gnome engine which broke loose from the impact of the crash.
He was 25. Schroeder then worked for aviator Mickey McGuire, who flew a Curtiss Pusher.
McGuire was also killed in 1914 flying with the Mexican Army. The next year,1915, found
Schroeder finishing the season making exhibition flights of his own and working for other fliers
as a ”mechanician.”
After discarding his U.S. Army uniform, Schroeder’s contribution to aviation was on the ground,
developing airports, flying schools and supporting the design of safer aircraft and equipment for
pilots. In 1940, he became Vice President of Safety for United Airlines. He had also developed
operational safety standards for Underwriters’ Laboratories and served as chief of air line
inspection for the Bureau of Air Commerce, a subdivision of the Department of Commerce.
When the first director, Eugene Luther Vidal, resigned under a cloud, Major Rudolph William
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Family Tree Volume 32, Issue 05
(“Shorty”) Schroeder “one of the few Bureau men whom everybody admires,” according to Time
Magazine, dated March 8, 1937, was made Assistant Director. An August 22, 1938 LIFE
Magazine, stated: “The old-time aviator towers over his associates. Lean and tenacious as
Vice President, one of his aphorisms is now an airline motto: ‘There is no place for heroes in
flying.’”
Just one year into the job, he had a stroke although he continued to work on aviation projects
from his sick bed. In 1945, he was awarded the Distinguished Flying Cross for experiments in
high altitude flying. On his 67th birthday in August of 1952, he was honored at Chicago’s airport
by fellow aviators. He died four months later. The Chicago Tribune dated December 31, 1952
called Schroeder “’The Peace Time Ace’ whose adult life spanned the whole period of
commercial and military aviation, to which he made great contributions at great personal cost.”
It was not until World War II that the full benefits of these high-altitude test flights were realized.
The turbo-supercharger tests led to advancement in design and performance of aircraft later
used by our bombers and fighters when they were successful in carrying the war to the enemy
at high altitude. They all used General Electric turbo-superchargers based upon the primitive
models tested and constantly improved in the 1920’s and into the 1930’s.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
OBITUARIES EXTRACTED FROM DAYTON, OHIO NEWSPAPERS
Submitted by Shawna Woodard
Dayton Daily News 2 October 1918
Another Local Soldier Gives Life in France. Private Harry Hartzell Killed in Action, According to the
Message Received by Relatives in City.
Still another young Daytonian has been added to the already long honor roll of Americans who have
sacrificed all for the nation’s ideals. Private Harry Hartzell, 27, of 103 Greencastle Street , having been
killed in action in France , according to a letter received by his father, P. C. Hartzell, Tuesday night from
the war department. Death came to the young man on August 2, the message said. Private Hartzell
was a Dayton boy, born and raised. He was a member of the famous 166th regiment of infantry of the
Rainbow division, although he had enlisted in the former Third Ohio regiment, G company, a few weeks
before it left for camp after the return from the Mexican border. He was transferred to the 166th on the
organization of the Rainbow division with others from the Third.
Private Hartzell was a young man with many friends, his disposition being of cheerful character and he
had the faculty of making and retaining friends with all with whom he came in contact. Before entering
the service he was employed at the Big Four freight depot. Surviving him beside (sic) his father are a
brother and sister, Herbert B. of Montana and Mrs. Stella Barr, who makes her home with her father.
Dayton Daily News 3 October 1918
RECEIVE NOTICE OF SON'S DEATH
Official notice of the death of Corporal Puckett, in France, came to his mother, Mrs. B.F. Puckett, 45
Parnell avenue Thursday morning. The dispatch gives the cause of the death as accidental during
machine gun practice. Report of the lad’s death was carried in the press dispatches a week ago.
MCC-OGS
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Family Tree Volume 32, Issue 05
Dayton Daily News 5 October 1918
FORMER FIREMAN KILLED IN ACTION
Lawrence Burgmeier. That his son, Lawrence Burgmeier, 25, former city fireman, was killed in action in
France September 12, read a telegram received Saturday morning by Philip J. Burgmeier, 58 Wyoming
street. Further details of the soldier's death were not given. Private Burgmeier was a member of the fire
department from Jan. 11, 1916 to Sept. 23, 1917, when he enlisted in the field artillery branch of the
army and was sent to Camp Sherman . He was later transferred to Camp McArthur, Waco, Texas. He
had been in France several months before meeting his death. While on the fire department Burgmeier
was a member of No. 3 engine company and was stationed at the fire house at Fifth and Wilkinson
streets.
Dayton Daily News 5 October 1918
MEMORIAL SERVICE FOR HARRY HARTZELL
Memorial service in honor of Harry Hartzell, who was killed in action with the famous Rainbow division,
will be held at the Trinity Lutheran church Sunday afternoon at 3 o’clock. The pastor, Rev. I. O. Moser,
will preach a special sermon and there will be special music by the chorus.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Dayton Daily News March 27, 1949
Corp. E. T. Powers
Funeral services for Corp. Edward T. Powers, 23, son of Mrs. Clara Powers, of 2402
E. Fifth st., who was killed in action at Les Monts, France, Aug. 9, 1944, will be held
at 8:30 a. m. Wednesday at the Harris Funeral Home, 49 Linden av.
A native of Dayton, Corp. Powers was employed by the National Cash Register Co.,
when he entered the service Dec. 18, 1942. He died while leading a squad at Les
Monts.
He was a son of the late William H. Powers, a Dayton plumber for 30 years. He was
graduated from Stivers high school in 1939, and was a member of the Holy Family
church.
Surviving: besides his mother, are two sisters, Mrs. Joseph Bokoske and Mrs. Earl Irvin, and three
brothers, William, Robert and Richard, all of Dayton.
Tony Stein Post 619, American Legion, will conduct services at 8 P.m. Tuesday at the funeral home.
After the 8:30 a.m. services Wednesday at the funeral home, further services will be held at 9 a.m. at
Holy Family church. Burial will be in Calvary cemetery. Friends may call at the funeral home after 4 p.m.
Tuesday.
MCC-OGS
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Family Tree Volume 32, Issue 05
CPL EDWARD T. POWERS
Edward T. Powers, April 5, 1922 – August 9, 1944, was an uncle I never met and neither did his
grandnephew, Greg Powers, who has spent several years researching Eddie’s experiences in WWII.
This information was collected by Greg Powers and edited by Rosemary Powers Herron.
Eddie was a replacement soldier who had only been with his unit in France for a short period of time.
Prior to that he was an infantry instructor in at a camp in Texas and was considering applying for Aviation
Cadet training. He was killed in action August 9, 1944 in the vicinity of Vire, France. The official "report of
burial" form states he was killed on August 11th and goes on to use both dates multiple times. He was
buried at the cemetery at Marigny, France on August 13th with a temporary marker used to identify the
gravesite. Marigny was initially an American cemetery during the “War of The Hedgerows" (the battle
fought after the D day landings in a maze of small fields, sunken lanes and almost impenetrable
hedgerows.) As his obituary shows, Eddie was reburied almost 5 years after his death.
Following World War I and World War II, the interment of the remains of war dead was carried out by the
American Graves Registration Service, quartermaster general of the War Department. At that time the
next of kin, authorized to make the decision regarding their loved one’s interment, was given the option
of having the remains returned to the United States for permanent interment at a national or private
cemetery, or permanently interred at the overseas American military cemetery in the region where the
death occurred. (From the American Battle Monuments Commission website)
For Eddie Powers’ family there was a long delay with this official letter being delivered, as it was
addressed to his father, William H. Powers, who had passed away in 1941. Apparently they had trouble
locating his mother, Clara Yenger Powers, which is puzzling as they had lived at the same address since
1910. In October of 1947 she finally received a follow-up letter and submitted the official request on June
25, 1948 to have her son’s remains returned to the US.
Eddie’s remains were dis-interred and re-identified from the dog tags that were buried with his body and
then shipped back to the U.S. aboard the USAT Barney Kirschbaum, a "Victory ship” which was a type of
cargo ship produced in large numbers by North American shipyards during World War II to replace
shipping losses caused by German submarines. After arriving at the New York Port on February 22,
1949 Eddie’s remains traveled by train from New York City to Columbus and then on to Dayton arriving
at Joseph Harris Funeral Home (49 Linden Ave.) March 29, 1949. He was buried next to his father at
Calvary Cemetery March 30, 1949.
Every soldier killed in action had a "Report of Death" form completed. In the report for CPL Powers, the
cause of death is listed as “Killed in Action” with no details provided. A WWII researcher I worked with
told me (Greg Powers) the following about this: “I was disappointed that the circumstances of CPL
Powers' death weren't shown. Normally, they'd be on the Report of Burial form. My experience is that
when no cause of death is shown, the number of deaths was so high, or the battlefield circumstances
were so unstable, that no cause was determined as they couldn't take the time to write up details on
everyone.” A soldier who served with the same regiment as Eddie told me that during that time in
France, the Germans would literally rain down mortars on their positions for hours at a time. He said all
you could do was take cover and hope your position didn't get hit. Eddie was in Company F, and the
commander of that company was also killed the same day. There were so many American infantry killed
in that area on a daily basis that they couldn't take the time to write up details on everyone. Interestingly,
shortly after the time Eddie was killed, the Army began a new policy of more detailed reports of those
killed in action. This was due to the soldiers' families back home complaining about the lack of
information.
MCC-OGS
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Family Tree Volume 32, Issue 05
Note from G. Powers: I believe I have every letter the Army ever sent to his mother regarding Eddie. I
also have the contents of his Army "IDPF" (Individual Deceased Personnel File). Les Monts is never
mentioned in any of these documents. The obituary also mentions he was killed while leading a squad.
Again...I don't know where this information would have come from as it was never mentioned anywhere
in the Army documents and letters...but he was a Corporal so it's certainly possible that he was a squad
leader. I seem to recall my Dad telling us that his uncle was killed when his jeep hit a land mine but I
don't know where that story actually came from. Most of his service record was destroyed in the 1973
National Archive fire.
Letter to his brother and sister-in-law written 2 days before his death.
To: Mr. & Mrs. Wm M. Powers C/o 2402 E. Fifth st. Dayton 3, Ohio
From: Cpl E.T. Powers 35618254 Co. K. Inf. A.P.O. 15372 C/o Postmaster New York, N.Y.
August 7, 1944 Somewhere in France (stamped with Censor’s stamp)
Hello Folks,
How is everything with you? I am doing fine. I guess you wondered when you would hear from me. I
haven’t done much writing the past week. It’s been quite a while since I have had any mail but it should
reach me in a day or so. I hope. How is that young lady doing by now? Okay I hope. Well, I’ll tell you
England is very picturesque and France is okay but believe me there is nothing like the good old U.S.A. I
hope it won’t be too long until we get to come home. Is Al still at Blanding? Say, how is garden coming
on? Are the bugs giving you trouble yet? We have been eating pretty good and we get all the smokes
we need. Tell Bill & Lydia I said hi and say hello to the rest of the folks for me. What do you think of Dick
and his new job? I wasn’t sure of your address. So long Best-o-luck. Write soon.
As Ever, Eddie
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
WAR OF 1812
The 200th anniversary of the War of 1812 will occur in 2012, and the June issue of
Family Tree will be a commemorative issue. This war is known as "Mr. Madison's
War" or "The Second American Revolution."
Send in your ancestors’ stories for the Family Tree. They don’t have to have fought
in the war. Just the fact that they witnessed this era is significant.
Remember the song The Battle of New Orleans? Did you know it was from the War of 1812 and that it
was actually fought after the war had officially ended? If you know any other 1812 trivia or anecdotes
send them in by May 21, 2012.
Send to [email protected] or
Montgomery County Chapter OGS, P.O. Box 1584, Dayton, OH 45401-1584
MCC-OGS
Page 63
Family Tree Volume 32, Issue 05
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Family Tree is a publication of the Montgomery
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Family Tree.
DEADLINE FOR ARTICLES:
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MCC-OGS
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June 14-16, 2012
NGS 2012 Family
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Family Tree Volume 32, Issue 05