The Old Scrapbook

When my cousin told me that she would let me have a look at an old photo album of Great Grandma Ordway's she had rescued from a pile that was going to be burned, I was so excited.  I really didn't have that many old photos from the Ordways or Delphs, so what good fortune it was to have these pictures.  Some faces were easily recognizeable, but some will never be identified.   Even when we couldn't name the faces, the photographs, themselves, give all of us a peek into what life what like in the early 1900's.   


Great-Great Grandmother's (Elizabeth Delph Ordway) Scrapbook

 

Unfortunately, many unidentified photos



My grandfather, Fritz Ordway, feeding the chickens with his mother, Elizabeth Delph Ordway

My great-grandmother, Lizzie Ordway, doing the laundry.
Do we have it easy or what?

Pete Bensing and my great-grandfather,
Lemuel Ordway.  No wedding ring on Lem's finger and he married in 1897.

Great-Great Grandparents, Philip and Elizabeth Witzgall Delph

"The Brick Block"  - the main drag of Malinta.  I think the Delph
store was under the awnings somewhere.

Great Grandpa and Grandma Ordway's house - after the porch and kitchen addition.  Eventually,
I remember that the porch was screened in and it had a wonderful porch swing where we spent hours. 

From Left to Right - Elizabeth Delph Ordway, unknown, Marie Ordway, Lemuel Ordway
Do you suppose this was their new car?  Anyone know the make and model?



Great-Grandpa, Lem Ordway, pumping his water.  Maybe he's pumping bath
water into that tub. They never did have running water in their home. 

Many, many thanks to Mary Seibert for letting me scan some of the photos
in this scrapbook!  I'll post more later.



Great-Great Grandfather, Philip Delph

Philip Delph, father to Elizabeth “Lizzie” Delph Ordway and my great-great grandfather, was born about 1845-46 in Ohio.  His parents, Johann George Delp and Christiana Lautenslager, were immigrants to America from Hesse-Darmstadt, Germany, who settled in Crawford County, Ohio.  Philip was the fourth of five children. 

In the 1850 census, Philip, aged 4, was living with his father, George Delp,  45; his mother, Christiana, 43; and older sisters, Elizabeth, 13; Margaret, 11; and Caroline, 5; and his younger brother, George, 2.  Living with them was Charles Frank, age 15, probably a farm hand.  They lived in Jackson Township, Crawford County.  (The name Delph is sometimes spelled Delp or Delf in the old records.)

Sadly, both of Philip’s parents died at a rather young age, leaving the five children under the guardianship of Peter Ludwig, as appointed by the court.  Guardianship records in Crawford County noted that Margaret Delp, about 14 years, Philip Delph, aged about 8 years, Caroline Delp, about 10 years, and George Delp, aged about 5 years had Mr. Ludwig watching out for their well-being.  Elizabeth, the oldest sister, at about 16, must have been considered independent.  To find out what happened to these children, we can look at the 1860 census.

The 1860 census revealed that the two sisters, Margaret, 20, and Caroline, 18, were living with their older sister, Elizabeth, now married to John Weaver, in Crestline, Jackson Township, Crawford County.  Elizabeth had two small children at that time, George and Andrew.  Philip was sent to live with the Philip Heckler family.  At 15, he was with Philip Heckler and his wife, Catherine, also in Crestline.  Catherine (Lautenslager) was the sister of Philip’s mother, Christiana, making the Hecklers an aunt and uncle to Philip.

Where was little George sent?  That is still a mystery in 1860, but by 1870 George was found living with his appointed guardian, Peter Ludwig (spelled Ludwick in the 1870 census) and his family in Mansfield in neighboring Richland County.

The Hecklers, Philip's new family, were a prosperous family, both in Crawford County and later on, in Henry County.  The History of Northwest Ohio (Nevin O. Winter, ed., Lewis Publishing, 1917, pp. 1751-2):

“Philip Heckler Sr. was born in Germany about 1800.  He married there Catherine Lautenslager and it was not longer after their marriage that they set sail for the New World.  About a year after the family arrived in Vernon Township of Crawford County, a son was born to Philip Heckler and wife.  This birth occurred November 11, 1834, and thus was ushered into the world of activity and experience Philip Heckler Jr., who for many years has been one of the prominent farmers of Monroe Township in Henry County…In 1861 (Philip Jr) came with his father to Henry County.  Here Philip Heckler Sr. bought 120 acres of wild land in Sections 10 and 15 Monroe Township.  On this farm about 1880 Philip Heckler Sr. passed away, having lived a strong and resourceful life in America…

The story goes on to say that the junior Philip built a splendid home and acquired 560 more acres of “high class land” and became among the very well-to-do people of the county.

Philip Delph “was born in Crawford County and his wife in Summit County, Ohio and both are now about seventy years of age.  The paternal grandparents came from Wurtemberg, Germany and the maternal grandparents were also German people.  The Delphs on coming to America located in Crawford County, Ohio, while the Witzteells (Witzgalls) were settlers in Summit County.

Philip Delph was still a child when his parents died.  He was then taken into the home of Philip Heckler, and for a number of years bore the Heckler name.  Philip Heckler died a number of years ago when quite an old man.  When sixteen years of age, Philip Delph was brought to Monroe Township, in Henry County by the Heckler family, and from that time on has steered his own independent course in the world.  He began working by the day, afterwards by the month, and when between twenty-four and twenty-five years of age was able to make his first purchase of land.  This was a tract of forty acres of completely wild land, and after his marriage he started out to make a living there.  He had a small house, and for a number of years most of his time was consumed in clearing up the land and in erecting buildings and other equipment required for his business.  He still lives on the old homestead.  He was married to Miss Witzcell at her home in Monroe Township.  Both Philip and Mrs. Delph are active members of the Lutheran Church and in politics he is a democrat.  Philip Delph as two widowed sisters, Mrs. Margaret Weaver of Crestline, Ohio, and Mrs. Callie Porter of Portland, Oregon.

The children of Philip Delph and wife are:

Cora, who married Jacob Babcock ofMonroe Township and they have two foster children, Martin and Chester.

Julia married M.M. Spangler of Malinta.

Otto (Ottis) W. is the next in age.

Elizabeth married Lem Ordway and lives in Malinta, their children being Fay,

Philip, Frederick K. and Marie.

Henrietta is the wife of Bruce Robinson, a farmer in Rudolph, in Wood County, Ohio.

George R. is partner in the store with his brother Otis, married Emma Schultz, and they have two children, Carl and James.

Clarence P. is a farmer in Henry County and married Ella Bailey, who by a former marriage has a son, Morris Bailey.

Cecil B. lives at home and clerks in the store of his brothers during the summer and is a member of the class of 1918 in Wittenberg College."

To be continued…

Elizabeth Delph Ordway - My Great-Grandmother

Lemuel and Lizzie Ordway

Known most often as “Lizzie” or “Bess,” my great-grandmother, Elizabeth Margaret Caroline Delph was born 18 November 1878.  Lizzie was the fourth child of Phillip and Elizabeth (Witzgall) Delph.  My mother told me that her grandma always said that her father Phillip had named her after all his sisters, and he did, indeed, have three sisters named Elizabeth, Margaret and Caroline.

In the 1880 Federal Census, Monroe Township, Henry County, Ohio, Lizzie, age 1, was living with her parents, Phillip, 34, and Elizabeth, 31.  Her siblings listed at that time were Cora, 8; Julia, 6; Ottas, 4 and with them lived George Delp, 30, Phillip’s younger brother.

My great-grandma Ordway is not seen much in any record books.  Occasionally, her name appeared in the newspaper as she was active in some women’s church groups and I did find a large group photo taken in 1913 showing her at a Sunday School picnic.  After her marriage to Lemuel in 1898, she became a homemaker and mother to four children and that was her life. 

Up until her death in the 1960’s, she lived in a home with no running water, no indoor bathroom, no phone, and I don't think they ever did get electricity.  She kept a garden in her back yard and grapevines.  She cooked and baked using a large green and silver cast iron stove fueled by coal, as I remember.  She pumped her water from a well in the back yard.  When you wanted a drink at her house, you got it using a tin dipper from a pail of water that sat in the kitchen. 

Behind the house at a distance sat a little outhouse.  Grandma had its walls decorated with pictures from old calendars and catalogs. It was a very, very cold place in the winter time!  And dark.  And…fragrant.

Her kitchen had no kitchen cupboards along the walls, but just one sideboard cupboard to hold foods.  The big stove and a wooden table and chairs finished off the kitchen furnishings.  I can remember that Grandpa Lem loved Ritz crackers and would have them in the cupboard as a treat for the kids.

My great-grandparents’ living room was a room of mysteries for children.  I was always fascinated by the sofa covered in real horse hair.  In one corner stood an upright player piano with many rolls of old-fashioned songs that could be played.  Oh, how we would annoy our parents when we pumped those piano pedals and got the music going loud and fast!  The last treasure I especially remember in that room was a stereoptic viewer or stereoscope and a pile of double imaged photos.  One would place a photo in the metal holder on the viewer and then look through the lenses and the photo would blend into one, 3-D picture. 

Another favorite place to be at my great-grandmother’s was on her front porch where there was a wonderful, wooden porch swing.  It was a screened-in porch, a cool place in the summer.  I remember the giant size Christmas cactus on a stand and the bookcase with Betty Boop, Mutt and Jeff, Felix the Cat, and the old style Mickey Mouse big little books.

It was a simple life for Lemuel and Lizzie Ordway in their little house in Malinta, Ohio.  After Lem died in 1959, Grandma Ordway continued to live in the house until dementia threatened her safety.  She was in the nursing home for awhile and died on 7 July 1965.  She is buried beside her husband in Hoy Cemetery.

Frederick D. Ordway

Frederick D. Ordway was the third child and second son of Lemuel and Elizabeth (Delph) Ordway.  To me, he was my "Grandpa Butch," but others knew him as "Fritz."  I have never been able to find what the D. middle initial stands for, but my guess is Delph.

Fritz was born on 16 March 1902 in Malinta, Ohio.  On 10 June 1922, he married Dorothy Elizabeth Doty of Monroe, Michigan.  One of my mother's cousins told me that Fritz was working with his brother, Phil, as a salesman for the silo company and they were in Monroe on business when Fritz met Dorothy. 


The undated newspaper clipping announcing their marriage license reads
"Those who took out marriage licenses here Friday were: ...Frederick D. Ordway, 21, salesman, Malenta, Ohio, and Dorothy Doty, 22, Azalia, Michigan."
and their marriage news account reads
"Doty-Ordway
A quiet wedding took place at the Evangelical Parsonage, Saturday, June 10, at 1:30, when Miss Dorothy Doty, daughter of Mrs. Alice Doty, of Raisinville, was united in marriage to Frederick Ordway, of Malinta, Ohio.
Rev. G. H. Kellerman performed the ceremony.
The bride wore a tan canton crepe dress with hat to match, and corsage of bridal roses.  The attendants were Mr. and Mrs. Henry Lohr, of Azalia.  The young couple left Detroit, by boat, for Buffalo, Niagra, and other eastern points.
Mr. and Mrs. Ordway have the best wishes of their many friends for a long and happy married life."

I have their marriage remembrance book which lists their wedding gifts - interesting, compared to today's choices ...
~silver knives, forks, teaspoons and dessert spoons from Uncle Lew & Aunt Ada Newcomer
~silver pickle fork - Alta Besier
~silver spoon - Mr. and Mrs. S. L. Wright
~china sugar & creamer - The Opferman family
~check for $25 - Guy and Elsie
~check for $20 - Mother
~check for $10 - Father and Mother Ordway
~linen tablecloth - Aunt Mary Smothers
~linen scarf - Mrs. Delong
~6 china plates - Blanche and Nettie
~2 pictures - George and Constance
~candlesticks - Belle & Clarence R.

Photos in a locket owned by my grandmother - Fritz and Dorothy

In the 1930 census taken on April 2nd, Fritz and wife Dorothy and their only child, Donna, were living in Malinta.  Fritz was 28, Dorothy, 30, and Donna, 4 1/2.  Donna was born in Michigan, as Dorothy had gone home to her mother's house to have her baby.  Fritz's occupation is Retail Merchant.

I don't know the partnership arrangement, but I know that the Delph brothers (Fritz's uncles) had a general store in Malinta at one point.  Eventually, Fritz took it over or at least a partnership in it.

In this undated clipping found in Donna Ordway's Bible, from the Northwest Signal, I assume, a burglary attempt at the grocery was mentioned:

"Backward Glance - 50 Years Ago - D.E. Rusling, a 26 year old Toledo man, was captured by Ernest Tobias, Malinta blacksmith, and Fritz Ordway after Tobias heard breaking glass at 3 a.m. and saw a prowler at the door of Ordway's grocery across the street.  Tobias summoned Ordway by phone and the two Malinta businessmen caught Rusling without a fight when he attempted to dodge between two buildings."

Grandpa Butch in his younger days - note the boater hat and the vehicle behind him.

Fritz's wife, Dorothy, died of a heart attack at the age of 47 on 3 May 1946.

I don't yet have a specific date, but after 1947, he married again to Nina Lawson Hensley and moved to Toledo where he worked as a meat cutter.



Grandpa Butch and Grandma Nina

Fritz died on November 12, 1972 and is buried in Woodlawn Cemetery in Toledo, whereas his first wife and my grandmother, Dorothy, is buried in Monroe, Michigan and his second wife, Nina, is buried near her first husband in Virginia. 

Five Generations

Another clipping from my mom, showing five generations of the family.  It is not the best photo, coming from an old newspaper, but what a joy to see my great-grandmother and great-great grandmother in the same photo.

An error in the paper named my great-grandmother as Lena Ordway.  It should have been Elizabeth,
Lizzie or Bess.  I never heard of her being called Lena.