Another Philip and Elizabeth Witzgall Delph Family Photo

 This family photo, presumably taken on the Delph farm, included spouses and grandchildren.  Jim Delph and I put our heads together to label as accurately as possible.  Even then, we could not identify the grandchildren who seem to make up the first row, sitting on the ground, except for the oldest girl which I am fairly sure is Marie Ordway (Baker).

The photo was estimated to have been taken between 1913-1917

From Left to right, naming the men and the women behind them:

Morris Babcock, Jacob Babcock with Cora Delph Babcock behind him

Clarence "Cooney" Delph with wife, Margaret behind him.

Cecil Delph, unknown woman

Elizabeth Witzgall Delph and behind her Henrietta "Sue" Delph and unknown man

Philip Delph

Ottis "Pat" Delph with wife, Elsie standing behind him

Lemuel "Lem" Ordway with wife, Elizabeth "Bess" Delph Ordway behind him

Mandus "Jerry" Spangler with wife, Julia Delph Spangler behind him.

George Delph with wife, Emma Delph behind him

***If you can help with identification, please chime in in the comments.  Your comments are monitored and probably won't show up for a day or two when approved.

Bringing Back the Memories - Great Grandpa Lem Ordway

Henry Lemuel Ordway - "Lem" - in the kitchen of his house in Malinta, Ohio

This photo brings back so many childhood memories of times spent with my great- grandparents.  This photo shows a corner of his kitchen and the old wood stove on which all the cooking was done and the baking, too - winter or summer.  A pail of kindling sits on the floor to the left of the stove, ready to keep the fire going.  On the left side of Grandpa, on the floor, it looks like the ash pan, as of course, the stove had to be cleaned out quite regularly. 

The ancient cabinet always held the Hi-Ho crackers that he would dole out a couple at a time to the grandchildren. On the wall to the left hung the matchstick holder, the matches handy to light the stove fire.  And tucked behind the holder, is a Farmer's Almanac, the bible of every farmer in those days.

My guess is that Grandma Bess (Lizzie, Elizabeth) made those curtains and probably the curtains in the cabinet, too.  On the stand beside the window sits the stool with the porcelain bucket filled with water pumped from the outside well.  A stainless steel dipper is in it, used by all for a cool drink.  I'm sure the pail is covered so that no unwanted debris, ashes or critters would enter the water.  The house never did have indoor plumbing.  The outhouse was a fair walk down a path behind the house.

Then there is grandpa with his cigar, looking mighty fine and content within his kingdom.  His blue eyes twinkling and the hint of a smile.  He wears the wool sweater which probably has a few small holes caused by the falling ashes of the cigar.

One of my favorite photos...thanks for sharing cousin Jim. 

(This post originally appeared on my former blog, A Face to the Sun, on May 11, 2015.)

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.

Henry Lemuel Ordway, My Great-Grandfather



Lem Ordway and his horse

Always known as “Lem,” my maternal great-grandfather was born on 4 March 1877 to Richard and Sarah Hill Ordway.   In the 1880 census, Henry Ordiway, age 3,  lived with his parents, Richard, 41, and Sarah, 40, in Monroe Township, Henry County, Ohio.  His siblings were listed as Almeda, 20; Lizzie, 18; Mary, 15; Abba, 9; Bertie, 6. With the family lived Edward Murphy, a servant, whose work was listed as Laborer.  With no older sons, the best guess is that Edward helped out on the farm.

Lemuel married Elizabeth Delph on 2 January 1898 in Milton Center, Ohio, just over the Henry-Wood County Line in Wood County.  Milton Center was discussed in the book, Ohio Ghost Towns, No. 12, Wood County, published in 1990.  The town was described then as a semi-ghost town; however, in the 1890’s, there were many shops there, a hotel and even an opera house.  The young couple may have started housekeeping on a farm west of Malinta, maybe with his parents. 

By the 1900 census, Lemuel, age 22, and his wife of two years, Elizabeth, 21, had two children: Fay, born in March 1898, age 2,  and Richard F., born November 1899, age 6 months.  (I wonder what was going on in those days when Lem and Lizzie married in January 1898 and had a child in March 1898.  I would love to know the whole story.)  Lemuel was renting and farming at that time.

In the 1910 census, the family had moved into Malinta Village.  Lemuel, age 38, and Lizzie, 32, had been married twelve years and she had borne four children, all of whom survived: Fae, 12; Filuck, 10; Fredrich, 8; and Maree, 5.  Our enumerator had a bit of trouble with spelling, but the spelling of Philip’s name provides questions later on, too, as you shall see.

The Ordway and Delph families were mentioned frequently in the little town news columns that appeared in the Northwest News, Napoleon.  For example, these excerpts are from the March 13, 1913 paper under Malinta News:

“Jacob Babcock, Lem Ordway, and Cecil Delph drove to Swanton Thursday and returned Friday.”

“Mrs. Lem Ordway entertained the ladies of the Helping Hand Thursday afternoon with 5 members and five guests present.  The work was laid aside and the hostess assisted by Mrs. Geo. Delph, served luncheon, consisting of coffee, sandwiches, pickles, whipped cream and cake, which were enjoyed by all.”

The 1916 Henry County Farmers Directory lists

“Ordway, Lemuel (Elizabeth), 4 ch, farmer, O, 13 ½ ac, 2 H & L & store bldg, Malinta, Ind tel.” 

Now that entry leads to lots of questions.  Does H stand for Houses and L for Land and what store building?  A search of land records is in order, I think, and will be put on the to-do list.  My mother told me that my grandparents owned the land where their home was and farmed some land behind the ball diamond and school in Malinta, so that would account for the acreage mentioned.  That wasn’t much land to support a family of six.  What other house did they own?  Was it the house I lived in as a young child which was right around the corner from them?   My mother also told me that Grandpa Lem built the house they lived in and it was moved from a farm west of Malinta into the village.  The house has since been demolished.

On September 12, 1919, Henry Lemuel Ordway registered at the third and last draft registration for World War I for men between 18 and 45.  His registration states that he is 41 and self-employed as a farmer.  Much of it is unreadable, but he does report that he has black hair and black eyes!

By 1920, the census indicated that Fay had moved away from home and was staying with her Grandmother Delph on Henry Street.  My great-great grandmother, Elizabeth C. Delph, at 70 and widowed, owned her home and with her lived her grand-daughter, Fay E., who at 21, was single and not working, and a boarder, D. Bernice Lyons, 21, single and a school teacher at the grade school.

Nearby, Lemuel, 42, and Lizzie, 41, lived with sons Philrich, 19 and Frederick, 17, and daughter, Marie, 15, on Delph Street.  I am guessing this street has been renamed a few times as in the 1930 census, it has a name beginning with G, but it’s unreadable.  Currently, I think it is Frease Street…only a guess not yet checked out.  Note Phil’s name…is it a combo of Philip and Richard? 

The last census that we have access to at this point is in 1930 where Lemual, 53, and Lizzie, 51, lived with their youngest daughter, Marie J., an assistant cashier at the bank.

In 1959, I believe that Lemuel had a stroke.  He was placed in the Ward Nursing Home in Weston, Wood County, and after a few weeks,  he died there at the age of 82 on 11 December 1959.   I was in junior high and I have no memory of going to the funeral, but I’m sure my mom would have been there.  She often said that she spent more time at her grandparents’ home than she did at home. 

I have not been able to find an obituary for Lemuel as yet.  He is buried at Hoy Cemetery, Henry County, Ohio.



Marie Julia Ordway




My grandmother, Dorothy Doty Ordway
and Marie Ordway Baker

 
Marie Julia Ordway was the youngest daughter and last child of Lemuel and Elizabeth Ordway.  Her middle name was the same as one of her mother's older sisters, Julia Delph Spangler.  Marie was born on 24 June 1904 in Monroe Township, Henry County, Ohio.

The 1930 census found Marie at age 25, still living at home with her parents in Malinta and employed as an assistant cashier at a bank.  I can remember Aunt Marie once telling me that she was working at a bank when it was robbed!  I am still searching for the clipping I once found of that incident and will post when it is located.



The census taker in 1930 visited in April, and by August 28th of that year, Marie married Charles J. Baker.  She was a homemaker and mother of two children, living much of her life in Liberty Center, Ohio.  She was, at one time, the clerk for the Village of Liberty Center, and a member of the Order of Eastern Star.


"Mr. and Mrs. Charles J. Baker, Liberty Center, recently celebrated their 50th wedding anniversary with their children at a dinner party held at the Holiday Inn, Napoleon.  An open house for the immediate family followed at the home of Mr. and Mrs. Robert C. Baker.  The couple was married August 23, 1930, by the Reverend Stockmier, St. John's Reformed Church, Holgate.  They are the parents of Robert, Napoleon, and Sue, Nashville, Tenneseee.  There are six grandchildren."
(Another clipping from my mother, probably from the Northwest-Signal, undated)

Marie Ordway Baker died on 20 Dec 1997 at the age of 93, the last surviving child of Lem and Lizzie Ordway.  At the time of her death, she was at Country View Haven in Napoleon.  She is buried at Young's Cemetery, Liberty Center.







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. 

Philip Richard Ordway

Named after his two grandfathers, Philip Delph and Richard Ordway, Philip Richard Ordway was the oldest son of Lemuel and Elizabeth Ordway.  He was born in Monroe Township, Henry County on 28 November, 1899.

On September 13, 1918, Philip completed his World War I draft registration.  At the time, he was farming for or with his father.  He described himself as of average height and build, with hazel eyes and brown hair. He was not called to serve in the military.
At the age of 24, Philip married Bonnie Glick, age 23.
The 1930 Federal Census shows Philip living on Henry Street in Malinta with his wife, Bonnie and daughter, Lois, 2 1/2.  (Later, in 1937, another daughter, Phyllis, was born.)  Phil's occupation is listed as Silo Manufacturing.
Sadly, in 1947, when the girls were young, their mother, Bonnie, died of influenza.
Later, Phil remarried to Freda M. Symons Mohler who died in 1989.  Phil died in 1990.  He celebrated his 90th birthday BIG with a hot air balloon ride.

My great-uncle Phil died on 25 June 1990. 
His obituary:
"Philip Ordway
Napoleon - Philip R. Ordway, 90, died at 3:30 p.m. Monday in Henry County Hospital.
He was born Nov. 28, 1899, in Malinta, the son of Lemuel and Elizabeth (Delph) Ordway.  He married Bonnie Glick, who preceded him in death.  In 1947, he married Freda Symons, who also preceded him in death.  A retired employee of the Malinta Silo Co., he was a member of Sharon United Methodist Church and a 37 year member of Oddfellows Lodge 260.  He was a Harrison Township trustee for 12 years and was a former trustee of Malinta United Methodist Church.
Surviving are two daughters, Mrs. Duane (Lois) Saul of Liberty Center, and Mrs. Thomas (Phyllis) Spieth, Napoleon; a sister, Mrs. Charles (Marie) Baker, Liberty Center; seven grandchildren, 14 great-grandchildren and three step-grandchildren.
Services will be held Thursday at 2 p.m. in Sharon United Methodist Church with Rev. Roger Reese officiating.  Burial will follow in Hoy Cemetery.  Visitation will be from 2-4 and 7-9 p.m. Wednesday at Walker Mortuary.  Oddfellows Lodge will hold a memorial service Wednesday at 8 p.m.  Memorials may be made to Sharon United Methodist Church."

Ordways in Malinta, Ohio - Fay and Am

I love this photo of my great-grandparents as young folks with four children in what I remember as a pretty small house with no running water. Yes, that means an outhouse and drinking water in a bucket with a metal dipper from which everyone drank.  But more on that in a later post.  I'm guessing this photo was taken around 1910 - 1912.

First, the oldest child and daughter - Fay Eunice Ordway.
The first and only census, released so far, that we have after Fay and Am married on 4 May 1921 is the 1930 census.  The census shows Am, aged 34, and Fay, aged 33, living with their two daughters, Alta Mae, aged 7, and Marcella, aged 6, on Henry Street in Malinta.  Down the street from them lived her two brothers and their wives in separate residences.  Around the corner were her mom and dad and sister Marie. 
The census also states that Am was 25 when married and Fay, 24, and they and their parents were all born in Ohio.  The value of their home was $3500, they owned it, AND they had a radio...one of those strange questions asked in 1930.  Am's occupation was proprietor of a restaurant.  That was a new piece of information to me. 

They are both buried in Hoy (Shunk) Cemetery and I wanted to include their obituaries in this post, once again thanks to my mom who was a good "clipper" of family news from the daily paper.

Fay Eunice Ordway died on May 7, 1986.

"Fay Gunter
Fay Gunter, 88, formerly of Malinta, died Wednesday at Henry County Hospital. 
Born in Monroe Township, Henry County on March 2, 1898, she was the daughter of Lemuel and Elizabeth (Delph) Ordway.  She married Ammasa Gunter on May 14, 1921, and he preceded her in death on Jan. 4, 1978.
She was a member of Memorial United Methodist Church, Malinta.
Surviving are one daughter, Alta Mae Ritz, Fairborn, Oh.; one brother, Phillip Ordway, Napoleon; one sister, Marie Baker, Liberty Center; six grand-children and thirteen great-grandchildren.  She was preceded in death by one daughter, Marcella Rice.
Services will be at 2 p.m. Friday at Walker Mortuary, Inc. with Rev. Edgar Shady, former pastor of Memorial United Methodis Church, officiating.  Interment will be in Hoy Cemetery, Harrison Township.
Preferred memorials are to the Henry County Home Memorial Fund."

"Ammasa Gunter
Ammasa Daniel Gunter, 81, Malinta, died Wednesday evening at Defiance Hospital. 
He was born June 20, 1896, in Monroe Township, Henry County, the son of David and Jennie (Cary) Gunter.  The deceased was a retired employee of Campbell Soup Company, Napoleon.  He was a former groundskeeper at Bowling Green State University.  He was a member of Malinta United Methodist Church, The Liberty Center V.F.W. Post, the American Legion Post #400, Malinta, and the 42nd Rainbow Association of Cincinnati.  He was a life member of the Disabled American Veterans, Napoleon.  He was a United States Army Veteran of World War I.
Surviving are his wife, Fay; two daughters, Mrs. Charles (Marcella) Rice, Defiance, and Mrs. Dorvin (Alta Mae) Ritz, Fairborn; one brother, Walter, Malinta; six grandchildren and seven great-grandchildren.
Funeral services will be held Saturday at 2 p.m. at Walker Mortuary, Napoleon.  Reverend Edgar Shady, pastor of Malinta United Methodist Church, will officiate.
Interment will be made in Hoy Cemetery, Harrison Township, where Military Graveside Rites will be conducted by the Malinta American Legion Post #400.
Friends may call at Walker Mortuary, Napoleon, after 2 p.m. on Friday.  A Disabled American Veterans memorial service will be held Friday at 8 p.m. at the funeral home."