Re: MADER in Shelby County, Ohio
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In reply to:
MADER in Shelby County
Sandy Holladay 3/09/00
I am the grand-daughter of one of the Mader families in Shelby County, Ohio.I live in Quincy, Massachusetts but I will tell you what I know.
My grandfather was Harrison (called Harry)
Nathaniel Mader.He was born in 1882 and died in 1980 at age 98.He is buried in the Catholic parish cemetery of Russia, St. Remy's. He was the school teacher for the one room, multi-grade school house for Russia, Versailles, Minster, Greenville and Sidney at one point.After high school, he went to the Normal School for Teachers somewhere in Ohio. History and geography were his special interests. I remember when I was a kid writng to him at an address in Houston Ohio.
I had interviewed him once asking him about his parents, etc. and had just gotten it on
tape, when I had a burglary at my house and the tape recorder was stolen before I had a chance to learn or investigate the informa-
tion.What a shame!I never saw him again to repeat the interview.
He told me that his father, whose first name I do not remember, was a veterinarian, who had come to the Russia/Versailles area from Germany.I do remember that he said his mother's name was Clara Brehm, also from Germany. My grandfather used to accompany his father around to local farms and help him set horses' legs, treat other farm animals etc.
My grandfather ran that one room school for 30-40 years and had a great number of alumni that he kept in touch with over the years and across the U.S.
He also had a farm on Russia/Versailles line.
He married Clara Eshman, whose family had come to Shelby County from France.
I don't know the names of all of my grand- father's brothers and sisters, there may have been about six, but I do know: his brother Frank married one of his wife, Clara Eshman's sisters, I think it might have been Annie.Harry also had a sister, Emmie, and I think another brother, Henry.All of them had substantial longevity in the gene pool as I seem to remember that most of his siblings lived until late 80s or 90s. I was a very small child at the time then and I just remember going to visit some elderly relatives whenever we came to Ohio, which was every year.
Harry and Clara had 4 children, two of whom,
Henrietta and Rita died of childhood diseases, scarlet fever and a heart problem.
The other two were Raphael Mader, my father, and Margaret Mader, my aunt.
Margaret married John Gepfrey.Their farm was located on RR1 in Russia.John rose to
become Shelby County Commissioner in the 1970s and 1980s.Margaret is still living but in very poor health and memory in a nursing home.
Margaret and John had two girls, Rita and Joan.Rita married Robert Ehlers.They live in North Star.She is the post mistress there and he is just retired from Owens-Corning.They had four girls.
Joan married David Miller of Sidney. She runs a beauty shop there and he used work at the Sidney newspaper.They also had four children.
My father, Raphael, was stationed in Mass. during part of WWII.That is how he met my mother.They wed toward the end of the war and I was born.As a railroad engineer, my father moved up to Boston, and worked on the railroads up here.
My father had two close Mader, cousins.Francis Mader, who married, Irene.THey had no children.Francis farmed and Irene was a
cook in a nursing home.
The other cousin was Clarence Mader, who had about 10 kids.I remember going there to play with them.
One of the Maders also married into the Leroy and Ruth Voissard family in Russia/Versailles
area.
Over the years, I know that there was a Mader family reunion that used to be held around Labor Day in the Russia/Versailles area.I don't know if it is still on-going but I always wondered as I never got to go to it.
I don't know if any of this is helpful to you
but if you have any more information on my grandfather's parents or further back, I would love to know about it.
Bernice