Soldiers and Sailors of Genoa Township

Quilt Made by Students of Genoa Railroad School in 1919
What Do You Know About
the People on this Quilt,
the People Who Made the Quilt,
Or the People Who Bought It?
 
Westerville Public Opinion, May 1, 1919. Article found in William Fritsche's Scrapbook in Westerville Library History Center
Research by Carolyn Maruggi, Quilt Genealogist of New York

Carolyn wrote: 
"I am a quilt maker and “quilt genealogist” and I am currently working on an embroidered signature quilt in an old studio portrait with the title: “Soldiers and Sailors of Genoa Twp., Delaware Co., Ohio, USA. R.R.S. 1919”  The quilt contains the names of 58 local soldiers and sailors who served in WWI along with their company &/or service location, plus 13 school children and one teacher.

My goal in researching any signature quilt is to try to give these quilts back their voice, bringing them out of anonymity and eventually return them to the areas where they originated along with my documentation about them.  I am very pleased with the information that I’ve found so far about the Genoa Township quilt, but there are still unanswered questions.  On Ancestry.com I was able to locate lots information about almost all the men and children with the help of the 1910 & 1920 census records, plus Ohio military records and obituaries.  I traveled to Columbus two weeks ago on other business and was able to do some additional on-site research which was also very successful. I found 3 very helpful articles at the Westerville & Delaware Public Libraries, two from the Westerville Public Opinion and one from the Delaware Journal Herald.  I tried the Sunbury News but learned, sadly, that the year 1919 is missing. With the help of these articles I now know that “teacher” Leona Donaldson and her 13 students at Rail Road School #9 made the quilt. I know that it was to be auctioned off on May 21, 1919 at the school at 8pm. Proceeds would be given to the Red Cross.  I was not able to find out the “rest of the story” - who was the high bidder and how much did it raise for the Red Cross."

Carolyn bought the photo of the quilt at an antique auction around 1994.  She did some research on the photograph then put it away.  Now she wants to know all about it - including where the quilt is today.

Other Newspaper Articles from very dark microfilm

Public Opinion
All the News of Northern Franklin County
A Newspaper for the Home
Westerville, Ohio
Thursday, May 15, 19

School to Sell Quilt

 

The Journal Herald
Delaware, Ohio
Saturday Evening
May 17, 1919

Will Auction
Off Beautiful
 Service Quilt

   The quilt designed and made by the teacher and pupils of the Railroad school containing the names of the fifty-eight soldiers and sailors of Genoa Township, Delaware, Country with a record of their service will be auctioned off at the school by Col. V. J. O’Roark, May 21 at 8 p.m., the proceeds to be given to the Red Cross.

   The same evening the pupils will give a patriotic comedy under the direction of the teacher, Miss Leona Donaldson.

   The quilt is all hand-made of beautiful design, of good material and the best of workmanship. It will be shown in Westerville at the Glen Lee Place May 17 and 18.

 

A beautiful "service quilt" containing the names of the 58 men from Genoa township, this county, who participated in the great war, will be auctioned off at the Railroad school in that township on the evening of May 21.  Proceeds will go to the Red Cross.

Colonel J.O. O'Roark, Delaware, will be the auctioneer.  The quilt is the work of pupils of the school

Maruggi's Identification of Names on the Quilt

Sailor or Soldier          Military Service

                   Key

     Key to the Quilt Names

        

Locating Names on Quilt
The Key to Locating the Names on the Quilt is in the far right column in line with the Soldiers' or Sailors' Names
Floyd Blair is in Bottom Right Corner of Block B at the Top of the Quilt in the Middle Patch. 
TEACHER:  

Donaldson, Leona2

STUDENTS:  

       Haines, Hazel
       Hill Dannie11
        
Hill Harry11
       Lust Gerald12
       Lust Herbert12
         
Lust Raymond12
         
Mason,Chauncey13
         
Mason, Edna13
         
Mason, Helen13
         
Moore, Caroline14
         
Moore Leona14
         
Sickles, Lesta
        Snyder, Vienna

Footnotes

         1.     I have not been able to find a relationship between
                    James & Oswald Burton

            2.     Richard Donaldson & Leona Donaldson are father &
                   daughter.  Leona is the teacher who designed quilt.
                    She and her students made it as a service project.

            3.     William & Geroge Fritsche are brothers.

            4.     I do not believe that there is any relation between
                    Leslie & Wayne Fuller.
        
           5.     Ben & Lewis Girberd are brothers.

         6.     Alfred & James Holmes are brothers.

            7.     Fred Johnston and Wayne Wolfe are step brothers.

            8.     Clay & Harry Rammelsberg are cousins.  Their
                    fathers, August & William are  brothers.

            9.     George & Roy Sebring are brothers.

           10.   Daniel N. & Lester Shaw are great uncle and nephew.

           11.   Dannie & Harry Hill are brothers.

           12.   The Lust boys are brothers.

            13.   The Mason children are siblings.

             14.   Caroline & Leona Moore are sisters.

         
More of Carolyn's Research Led Her to the Census Records

1920 Census
Delaware County
Delaware
City; Genoa Township
District 71

Neighbors

    1.   Kiefer, Earl O. living at home with his family.
    2.   Plumb, Grant M. Jr. living at home with his family.
  15.  Girberd, John & Caroline, Ben. O.’s parents.  Ben is boarding in Columbus,  married to Sarah A and working as a fireman on
          a locomotive.
  17.   Dowler, Edgar Fenton living with his family.
  20.   Miller, Harry L. living with his family.
  21.   Shaw, Daniel N. living with his wife Lovina. Age 71, born 1849.
  22.   Shaw, Arthur C., Daniel N.’s son. Born 1888. (Not on the quilt.)
  25.   Budd, Lewis & Mary &  family. (Not on quilt. Unknown connection at this time.)
  28.   Moore, Burt & Aura & family. Burt is paternal Caroline & Leona’s uncle. (Not on quilt.)
  29.   Shaw, Frank B. & family. Franks father, Howard, is Daniel’s brother. (This is Daniel’s nephew. Not on quilt.)
  30.   Johnston, Fred R. living with his family.
          Wolfe, Wayne E. is a step son living with the Johnston family.
  33.   Darst, George & Belle, Rollie Perfect’s parents. Rollie is living in Akron Ward 5, Summit, Ohio with his wife Mary.
  34.   Moore, Fred & Eva. Fred is Caroline & Leona’s paternal uncle.
          In 1910 families lived in this county and township. Caroline & Leona are now living in Franklin Co.
  39.   The Delong family live here. Chester Delong will marry Eugene Davis’s sister Opal in  c1923. (Not on quilt.)
  41.   Franklin, Reno living with his parents.  42.     Rammelsberg, Ray & Ada. Ray is Clay’s brother. (Not on quilt.)
  54.   Conklin, Lawrence H. & wife Myrtle. Howard’s brother. (Not on quilt.)
  56.   McFarland, Guy E. living with his family.
  65.   Conklin, Howard H. and wife Fannie and 3 children.
  68.   Holmes, Nancy, is Alfred & James’ mother. James lives with her. Alfred and his wife Laurel are living in Blendon, Franklin
          County on Westerville Pike. 
  69.   Nothstine, Abraham J. and his wife Sarah, with their grown children, in-laws and grandchildren.
  72.   Sharp, Clinton E. living with a house keeper, Samantha A. Weyant?
  73.   O’Roark, Vassilour (Vail) & Vergie & a grown daughter. Vail is Donald Dean’s father. He is a widow with 2 children Donald
          & Florence, in 1900. In 1920 Donald Dean is still in Brest, France, aboard the USS Chandler.
  74.   Watts, Ella M., widowed.  Charles L. Boston was adopted by Ella and James Watts. Haven’t found where Charles is living in
          1920. (Not on quilt.)
  75.   Unkle, Wm. R. is living with his family.
  79.   Harris, John H. is living with his family.
  81.   Merrill, Byron & Grace; Charlie A.’s parents.
  84.   Davis, Morgan & Elizabeth. Can’t find a relationship. (Not on quilt.)
  86.   Ingalls, Emma C., a 64 year old widow.  Pearl’s wife, living alone. There’s a death certificate for a Pearl Ingles, Delaware Cty.
          died 8 April 1919.
  88.   Donaldson, Richard and his daughter Leona (the teacher).
  90.   Fisher, George P. living with his family.
  94    Sickles, Lesta L. living with the Howald family as a servant. 18 years old.
103.   Mason, Edna, Helen, Chauncy. Living at home with family.
108.   Haines, Hazel, at home with her family.
110.   Rammelsberg, Clay, with wife  Delma and father Augustus. Clay is Harry’s  cousin. Harry’s father William & Augustus are
          brothers.
111.   Fritsche, Garfield H, wife and children. William & George’s brother.      (Not on quilt.)
112.   Fritsche, William and George W., living with their father, Ernest.
113.   Rammelsberg, Harry H. living with his family. Harry is Clay’s cousin.
116.   Lust, Herbert, Gerald & Raymond living at home with their family.
117.   Fuller, Wayne V. living at home with his parents.
118.   Shaw, Lester living at home with his parents Lell A. & Charlotte.
134.   Curtiss, Benjamin Wilbur living with his sister Leta.
137.   Curtiss, Howard, age 77 and his wife, Lucinda. Not Ben’s father. His name is Gaius or Gaivs. (Unknown connection at this
          time. Not on quilt.)
139.   Platt, Charles and Leora or Leona, are Edward C.’s parents. Edward & his wife Mona are living in Galena, Delaware Cty.   
140.   Mann, Joseph T. living alone. Age 76, still a farmer.
159.   Joseph Hutchfield owned a farm where Harry Budd worked when he filled out his WWI Draft Registration card in 1917. Joe
          is single. (Not on quilt.)
162.   Brehm, Frank Delno, living at home with his family.
171.   Benton, William living with his wife, Ida, and grandson George.
173.   Smith, Lovett D., living with parents, Peter J. & Gusta.  
176.   Farman, Fred P. and Aelpha (Zelpha) with their children. Kelly D’s parents.
          Since Kelly deserted the army in 1918, I’m not sure where he might be.
184.   Mann, Mathew V. 78 years. Joseph’s brother. (Not on quilt.)
189.   Holmes, Wilbur and Mabel, Alfred E. and James’ brother, living on the original farm.  (Not on quilt.)
200.   Montgomery, Joel & Flora B., with their children. (Can’t find a connection at this time. Not on quilt.)
210.   Sebring, Roy G. living with his parents and maternal grandmother.
212.   Sofia Laken, the farm where David Linenkugel is working in 1917.
220.   Montgomery, Edward W. living with his wife Laura and their daughter, plus Laura’s son, last name Parkinson and two other
          Parkinson family members.

         
Location of the Railroad School in Genoa Township in 1875
from New Historical Atlas of Delaware County, Ohio, Illustrated
L.H.Everts & Co., 1875
 
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the people who made it or the person who bought it,
or it's present location
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(11/01/2008)