Submitted by Carolyn Lacey
HEART DISEASE PROVES FATAL TO PIONEER IN BARBER CIRCLES; FUNERAL SERVICES WEDNESDAY
Late Restaurant Proprietor Also Active in Several Lodges
John C. Sebald, 62, well known business man of Middletown for more
than 40 years, died Monday at 3:40 A.M. at the family residence, 100
South Broad Street.
Suffering three attacks of heart disease in less than a week,
Sebald's death was not unexpected to his family and friends. A sufferer
from heart disease several years, he had been in serious condition the
past year but courageously resisted illness, despite the fact that he
was greatly weakened in recent months.
Only last Wednesday, when he was stricken with the first of three
rapid attacks, he had spent part of the day at his restaurant on Broad
Street and at other favorite haunts in the business section. That night
he was taken ill and the family was summoned to his bedside,
anticipating the end. His rally the next day was followed by another
relapse. The third came in quick succession Sunday night.
In Sebald's death Middletown loses an upright citizen and his family
a generous husband and father. His kindness lavished on his family,
also found its way into many odd channels but usually reached the man in
the street who asked for alms and always found a friend in John Sebald.
It was said that no deserving man ever left the door of his restaurant
hungry.
Sebald was born in Middletown, July 8, 1873, the son of Christian
and Maria Sebald, who settled this section of Ohio upon coming to this
country from Germany. They were substantial citizens and contributed to
the early growth of Middletown. Among the monuments to them is the St.
Paul's Evangelical and Reformed Church, of which they were charter
members. He too was reared in that church and in his younger days was a
member of the choir.
Their son, John Christian, began his varied business career in the
barbering business in the middle 90's. At the last location of his
barber shop near Central Avenue and Wall Street, the business was
considered the largest in Middletown at that time. During his career,
he conducted three different shops.
About 1916 he opened his present place of business on Broad street,
meanwhile engaging actively in real estate in California where he and
Mrs. Sebald had gone annually for the last 12 years. They returned to
the city last October, Sebald saddened and broken in spirit over the
death of his sister, Mrs. Charles Dell, in California.
He was an influential member in Middletown Elks' Lodge many years
and had held membership in the Knights of Phythias, Eagles and Moose.
A firm Democrat, Sebald's values to the party was enhanced when he
was named a member of the Democratic Central Committee, an office he
held many years. In that capacity, he vigorously aided the party's
interests and proved himself an immeasurable influence in Democratic
circles.
In 1896, Sebald was married to Anna Marie Kurtz, who survives him
with three children, Mrs. E. D. Rathman, Mrs. R. O. Brosius and J. Thomas
Sebald, eight grandchildren, and two brothers, Fred C. and George Oliver
Sebald, all of Middletown.
Funeral services will be held Wednesday at 2:45 P.M. at the late
residence and at 3 P.M. at St. Paul's Evangelical and Reformed Church.
The Rev. H.H.Jung will conduct the service. Burial will take place in
Woodside cemetery.
Death came suddenly Thursday afternoon to Mrs. Nancy Belle Day, wife
of Joseph M. Day, Sr., of 109 N. Leibee St., who was chosen Middletown's
most typical mother last Mother's Day.
Middletown Journal, January 16, 1914
The funeral of Mrs. Caroline Colvin will take place tomorrow
afternoon at 2 o'clock from the home. The services will be private.
Rev. D. F. Rittenhouse, pastor of the First Baptist church will
officiate. Interment in charge of A. T. Wilson & Son will be made in
Woodside cemetery.
The Middletown News-Signal, January 15, 1914
Mrs. Caroline M. Colvin,77, widow of the late Silas Colvin, died
this morning at 8:10 o'clock at her home, 125 North Broadway from old age
and general debility. She has been ailing since the March flood. She
was born February 25, 1837, and has been a resident for the past
fifty-one years. She is a prominent member of the W.C.T.U. in which
work she has been closely allied for several years past. She is also a
faithful member of the First Baptist church. She is well known here and
at all times has proved a good neighbor and a kindly friend. Two sons,
Homer and George both of this city and two daughters, residing at a
distance are left to mourne the loss of a kind and devoted mother. The
funeral arrangements will be made later. A. T. Wilson are the
undertakers in charge.
Many old friends here of Mrs. Ruth J. Coddington will be interested
and grieved to learn that her son, Rev. Geo. D. C. Coddington, of West
Middletown, received a wire informing him of the passing of his mother,
Wednesday evening in Los Angelos, Calif., where she lived since 1913.
Again, was the news spreads of the death of William Bascum
Lefferson,88, at his home 2300 Christel Avenue, following an illness of
three weeks, Middletown pauses to mourn the passing of another of these
staunch citizens who helped record the pioneer history of this section
of Butler County.
Miss Kate B. Wrenn, daughter of the late Allen S. Wren, one of the
founders of the Wrenn Paper Company, died Friday morning at 11 o'clock
at the home of Mrs. George B. Shafor, of 517 South Main Street. She was
75 years old.
Memory of the Wrenn family always takes older Middletonians to the
happy times when Mr. and Mrs. Wrenn and five children occupied the old
brick home which still stands on the south west corner of Main and
Manchester Avenue. This was the Wrenn homestead and about it always
cling memories of the years when they occupied it and important
happenings for Middletown radiated from it.
With the passing of A.S.Wrenn, his stock in the company fell to his
children and other relatives and eventually became the property of the
late Austin Smith and John Gibson, Jr. They organized the corporation
which is today known as the Wrenn Paper Company.
Mrs. Mary E. Doty, 87, of 1000 Yankee Road, widow of Joseph C. Doty,
member of the pioneer family that settled Middletown and around whom its
early life centered, died at 2:40 P.M. Friday at her home.
David F. Coyle,74, 1334 Manchester Ave., died Friday at 5 A.M. at the
Middletown Hospital after an illness of three weeks.
Jerry Dale Malott, 30, Middletown Route One, died at the Middletown
Hospital at 6:50 A.M. Saturday. He had been ill for one week.
Funeral services for Mrs. Emma E. Stoops, 65, of 404 Park Street, who
died at 6:35 A.M. Friday at her residence after an illness of less than
24 hours, induced by a stroke, will be conducted at 2:30 P.M. Monday at
the residence. Burial will be in Woodside Cemetery.
Mrs. Emma A. Bonnell, of 115 North Main Street, who was a lifelong
resident of the city and a direct descendant of the early settlers in
this territory, expired of heart disease Thursday night.
Grief is felt in a large circle of friends over the death of Mrs.
Louise Galeese, of 16 Clark Street, wife of John F. Galeese, grocer and
vice-president of the Citizens Building and Loan Company.
Mrs. Elizabeth Pressler, 68, of 4007 Coles Rd., active in Catholic
Church circles for many years, died at 3:15 P.M. Thursday at Middletown
Hospital.
© 1998, 1999, 2000 by David J. Endres
This site was updated 15 May 2000.
Submitted by Carolyn Lacey
Stricken with a cerebral hemorrhage while at work at the P.
Lorillard factory, where she was employed 16 years. Mrs. Day last
spring proved to hundreds of competing women that a typical mother can
be one who works, rears a large family and keeps her own house, besides
having time for gracious gestures that mark a good neighbor and a
congenial co-worker.
She was voted the most representative mother in the contest
sponsored by the John Ross Store, at which time she passed on advice to
modern young mothers to do their own babysitting, as she did, if they
want a normal family life. She was the mother of 11 children, 10 of
whom are living.
These are Mrs. Emma Lambert, Mrs. Florence Bianchi, Mrs. Ruth Moon,
Mrs. Ella Mae Yenser, Mrs. Bertha Hillman, this city, Mrs. Carrie
Siler, Germantown Route 1, William Allen, Homer Lee, Joseph M., Jr., and
Jesse. May 8, Mr. and Mrs. Day celebrated their 51st wedding
anniversary.
Also surviving her are a sister, Mrs. Ruth Fitzgerald, Valparaiso,
Ind., and a brother William Stanfield, of Wellington, Ohio.
The funeral will be conducted at First Church of God on Crawford
St., her parish, at 2:30 p.m., Monday. The Rev. Herschel Caudill, of
Germantown, will officiate. Burial will be in Woodside Cemetery.
Friends may call at the residence after 9 a.m. Saturday.
Submitted by Carolyn Lacey
The four children to survive are two sons, Homer and George of this
city and two daughters, Mrs. C.E. Mulford, of Portland, Ore., and Mrs.
C. H. Barkelew, of Eldon, Mo. One brother also survives, Fletcher
Byrkett, of Troy, O. The daughters will be unable to attend the funeral
as one lives so far away she could not get here in time and the other
daughter is ill. The brother arrived today for the service.
Middletown Woman Passes Into Great Beyond at Age of Seventy Seven
Submitted by Carolyn Lacey
She has surviving her one brother, Gilbert Doty, now living at
Jamestown, N.Y., who is almost three years older than she. Also two
children, Rev. Geo. D. C.Coddington of West Middletown, and Mrs. Pearl
Risskopf, of Los Angelos, three children having died in childhood.
There are nine grandchildren living and twelve great grandchildren.
Mrs. Coddington was a grandaughter of Daniel Doty, who was the first
white settler in Butler county, and the daughter of Joseph Doty, and was
born on a farm on the Lebanon Canal road, which is now part of the Armco
property and part of Mayfield Subdivision.
She was one of the early members of the Baptist church of this city,
having joined it when a young girl.
Mr. and Mrs. Coddington bought the property at Central and Clinton
where The Union Gas and Electric shop now is, shortly after the close of
the Civil War and where they lived and conducted a photograph gallery
for many years, before they moved to West Middletown, where they
manufactured a new patent fruit can sealing wax.
Mr. Coddington died in 1922, and Mrs. Coddington went to Los
Angelos, Calif., in 1913, and liked it so well that she never cared to
return to Ohio.
Mrs. Coddington was a very talented woman, being a splendid
draftsman and having made drawings for the Patent Office for many
years. Besides this she was a noted oil portrait artist. Many of her
portrait paintings are still to be found among the art treasures of
some of the older families of Middletown and vicinity. Her records show
that in one year when she worked most with her brush, that she painted
one hundred portraits besides retouching negatives for the photograph
gallery of Mr. Coddington.
Her mind was remarkably clear all her life. Up until only a few
weeks of her death she kept all her own accounts and attended to all her
business.
She has lived to a ripe old age and her pathway is strewn with many
good and kind deeds, helping many others over the rough places, who were
less fortunate than she. Always kind and comforting to those in trouble
and need. And while most of her old friends have gone on before, she
will be remembered kindly by many who still count her among their
esteemed friends.
Mrs. Coddington will be buried next Monday in Los Angelos in
accordance with her request.
Submitted by Carolyn Lacey
Illness of Three Weeks Fatal to William Lefferson
Born at Poastown on October 4, 1842, the son of Garret and Rachel S.
Lefferson, the decedant has been a lifelong resident of this vicinity,
making his home in Middletown since 1916.
When a boy, his parents moved from Poastown to a farm on the Bebanon
Pike. In May, 1866 when Mr. Lefferson married Martha Ann Piper, the
young couple went to housekeeping at West Middletown, known in those
days as Heno. Residing there for eighteen months Mr. Lefferson then
purchased land on the Blue Ball Pike and soon went into the dairy
business.
As his business prospered and as time passed he acquired other farms
included in part of what is now Highland Farms addition, and for the
next forty-five years he remained in that location, his business
activities taking him to all parts of the city and township and proving
instrumental in the acquirement of a large circle of friends all of whom
unite today in expressions of deepest regret in his death.
In the year 1916, Mr. Lefferson decided to retire from active
business, sold his land to a Middletown real estate company and moved
into residence on Christel Avenue where he and Mrs. Lefferson have since
resided and where he was stricken with a severe cold, three weeks ago.
William Lefferson was one of those few sturdy pioneers left as a
reminder of the earlier days of this section. He was possessed of those
characteristics which builded a reputation for honesty and business
integrity, placing his name in lasting memory of all of those he came in
contact. In his circle of more intimate friendships, too, he won much
admiration, while he was always known as a man of most sincere religious
inclinations. This was shown in his life-long and faithfull membership in the
Presbyterian church of Blue Ball.
He was a member of the Lemon township school board for many years
and in that capacity gave of his best business ability.
Mrs. Lefferson, now 82 years of age, still lives and even in this
sad hour of bereavement, possesses a feeling in satisfaction that she
and the loved one with whom she shared happiness and sorrow for so many
years, were one of the few couples who lived to celebrate their golden
wedding anniversary and then travel still further along the highway of
life.
Besides the widow, the following children survive, Mrs. William
Bailey, Mrs. Louis Whiteman, Earl and Homer Lefferson in addition to
eleven grandchildren, also a brother John at Liberty, Indiana and Mrs.
Alice Bailey, of this city. To all of these the heartfelt sympathy of
an exceptionally wide circle of friends is being extended today.
Funeral services will be held at two o'clock Tuesday at the
residence.
Submitted by Carolyn Lacey
Miss Kate B. Wrenn, Daughter Of One Of Founders Of Paper Mill Firm
In ill health about a year, Miss Wrenn suffered a stroke of
paralysis three years ago and for the past week had lain in a coma
without recognizing the close attention of a wide circle of friends, who
mourn her death and regret the passing of a former substantial and
influential woman of Middletown.
Miss Wren was the last survivor of the five children of Allen S. and
Parthenia Wrenn, whose names are written indeliby into the early history
of Middletown.
A short distance away, in the old brick house now occupied by the
"Kopper Kettle," a brother of Mr. Wrenn (George L.) lived. Both homes
were considered among the finer in Middletown at the time and were
pointed out for their beauty of architecture and the prominence of the
families they protected.
Mr. Wrenn came to Middletown early in life from Fairfax County,
Virginia, where he was born in 1815. He was married to Parthenia
Taylor, daughter of David Taylor and Joanna Enyart, of Middletown in
1845. To them five children were born, Thomas A., Edward, Mary,
Charles, and Kate B.
Since the death of her parents, many years ago, Miss Wrenn had made
her home among her friends. Early in the summer she took up residence
with Mrs. Shafor, after having spent several years with Miss Bessie
Harding, of Excello.
With Joseph Sutphin as his partner, A.S. Wrenn founded the Wrenn
Paper Company which played a prominent part in the publishing of
newspapers during the Civil War. Newsprint was then a scarcity and it
was the local mill which furnished the Cincinnati Enquirer all of the
material on which were printed its editions carrying news from the
Confederate and Northern lines.
Miss Wrenn was a member of the First Baptist Church all of her life
and recognized as one of its most earnest promoters.
Miss Wrenn's only survivors are nieces and nephews in the east who
are now enroute for the funeral service. Arrangements for the funeral
will be made later.
Submitted by Carolyn Lacey
Mrs. Mary E. Doty, 87, Succumbs At Home On Yankee Road
Mrs. Doty, who had been in failing health the last six months,
suffered several stokes of paralysis during that time, the last one a
week ago.
Outliving her husband many years, Mrs. Doty viewed Middletown's
progress as it passed her door at the old Doty homestead, where Yankee
Road, Woodside Avenue and Verity Parkway join. Some years ago she saw the
erection of a stone monument opposite her home on the banks of the old
Miami and Erie Canal and later witnessed the transformation of the old
waterway into a wide boulevard over which motor vehicles whisk at a pace
which was beyond any dream of old canal travelers.
Her husband was one of Middletown's leading ice and coal dealers,
who conducted a thriving business by methods now considered crude.
Blocks of ice weere hewed each winter from Doty's pond, the center of
winter attractions to young skaters in years gone by.
She came here as a bride in 1873 from St. Mary's, Ohio, and while she
was not familiar with Middletown as her husband and Daniel Doty knew it,
she came to know the story of their early experiences by heart.
Four children were born to that union. Two still survive, Arthur F.
Doty and Mrs. Fern Countryman. Ten grandchildren, 19 great
grandchildren, and two sisters, Mrs. Loretta Wollam and Mrs. Flora
Mallernee, this city, also are left.
The funeral will be conducted Monday at 3 P.M. at the residence by
Dr. Carroll Lewis, pastor of First Methodist Church. Burial will be in
Woodside Cemetery.
Submitted by Carolyn Lacey
A veteran tobacco worker, Mr. Coyle was employed only by the P.
Lorrilard Company from the time he was able to work. A member of Holy
Trinity Church, he was a member of the Holy Name Society.
He is survived by his widow, Mrs. Mary Heckman Coyle; seven
daughters, Mrs. Thomas Skinner, Mrs. William Sullivan, Mrs. Leeman
Dunlap, Mrs. Joseph DuLak, Mrs. Knight Goodman, Margaret Coyle, Frances,
all of Middletown; Mrs. Arthur Burkhardt, of Indianapolis; three sons,
Robert, Bernard, Richard, all of Middletown; 29 grandchildren.
Friends may call at the residence after 2 P.M. Saturday. Requiem
Mass will be said at 9 A.M. at Holy Trinity Church. Burial will be in
Woodside Cemetery. Members of the Holy Name Society will meet at the residence at 7
P.M. Sunday for services.
Submitted by Carolyn Lacey
Jerry Dale Malott, 30. Ill Only Week
Funeral services will be conducted Monday at 2 P.M. at the Monroe
United Presbyterian Church. The Rev. S. A. Livingston will officiate.
Burial will be in North Cemetery, Monroe. Friends may call at the
McCoy-Leffler Funeral Home after 7 P.M Saturday until 1:P.M. Monday.
A farmer all his life, Mr. Malott was an active member of the Monroe
Grange and a member of the Monroe United Presbyterian Church.
Surviving him are his wife, Louise and two daughters, Jerry Elain,
four and Helen Louise, two; his parents, Mr. and Mrs. Archie Malott, of
Lebanon Route Four; one brother, Elmer, Middletown Route one; three
sisters, Mrs. Mildred Moon, of Monroe, Miss Esther Malott and Miss Grace
Malott, of Lebanon.
Submitted by Carolyn Lacey
Rites Will Be Held Monday Afternoon
Survivors are her husband, Oscar; two sons, Raymond and Robert, both
of Middletown; four daughters, Mrs. William Morgan, Mrs. Carol
Humphries, and Miss Gertrude Stoop, all of Middletown, and Mrs. Ed
Wells, of Urbana; a brother, Edward Monjar, of Miamisburg, and a sister,
Mrs. Frank Ruble, of Middletown, 13 grandchildren and one
great-grandchild.
She was a member of Calvary Methodist Church and the Rev. I. M. McVey
of that church will officiate at the services. Friends will be received
at the residence after 7 p.m. Friday.
Submitted by Carolyn Lacey
With Late Husband, Assisted in Operating Former U.S. Hotel
Until three weeks ago, when Mrs. Bonnell removed to Middletown
Hospital, she continued to direct the activities of her home. This
direction came from her bed where she was confined by a weakened heart,
but her mind refused to be bound and her natural love for her home
remained at the center of her interest to the end. Her condition drew
steadily worse and death came at 7 P.M. at the hospital.
Mrs. Bonnell was born 79 years ago on a farm, now a part of the
city, a daughter of Isaac Wolverton and Jane Colvin Wolverton. She
resided in or near Middletown during her entire useful life, having
attended the public schools of Amanda and Middletown.
She was a grandaughter of David Wolverton, the first mayor of
Middletown, elected in 1829.
In early life she was married to James Vail Bonnell, former city
clerk in the old City Council, who through his mother was a direct
descendant of Stephen Vail, founder of Middletown in 1802. On his
paternal side he was a descendant of Samuel Bonnell one of the earliest
settlers of Middletown.
There was thus united the blood of ancestors, whose life and work
are inseparable in the history of Middletown, and through them was
retained the legacy of public service. More than 60 years ago, Mr. and
Mrs. James V. Bonnell purchased the home on North Main Street.
For a number of years they owned and operated the old U.S. Hotel
when much of the color of that once famous hostelery flowed through the
walls of the old, unused buildings where the famous and near famous once
gathered for the day's comforts and for the festive life of the city.
By joint efforts of Mr. and Mrs Bonnell the hotel became a landmark of
rest and entertainment, noted for its quality of food and service. It
became known as a favorite stopping place between Cincinnati and Dayton
and during their ownership its parlors and lobby ranking as a much
sought place for gatherings of citizens of Middletown and vicinity.
Within its walls, too, during the regime of the Bonnells, many plans for
betterment of Middletown were evolved.
Three children now survive the union of James V. and Emma A.
Bonnell. They are Mrs. Edna V. Lucas, now an invalid of Waltham, Mass.,
Mrs. B. F. Harwitz and Fred V. Bonnell, of Middletown, three
grandchildren, one of whom, Louise Lucas, has been librarian of Fogg
Library of Art at Harvard, and is recognized as one of the foremost in
that line in the country. Two great grandchildren also are left.
Deeply religious and charitable, Mrs. Bonnell's death was as quiet
and peaceful as her life.
Last rites for the highly respected woman will be held in the home
she loved, sacred with memories of early days when her family was about
her.
The funeral will be held at 2:30 P.M. Saturday with the Rev. A. L.
Kenyon, rector of the Church of the Ascension, as officiant. Burial
will take place in Woodside beside the body of her husband.
Submitted by Carolyn Lacey
Operation Fails To Aid And Death Follows Sunday Afternoon
Death at 2:15 P.M. Sunday followed an operation last Wednesday at
Middletown Hospital. Mrs. Galeese had been in failing health for a
year, her condition becoming serious early last week. She had
experienced lapses into unconsciousness since the operation keeping her
family and friends in anxiety.
Mrs. Galeese known principally for her devotion to her family and
church was a native of Middletown. She was the daughter of the late
Mr. and Mrs. James J. Slack, who were earlier residents of high respect.
Mrs. Galeese was reared in Holy Trinity Church and remained one of
its most faithful and lovable members. She never affiliated with any
of the church groups but was always ready to assist wherever her
services were needed.
Known for a decided personal charm, Mrs. Galeese's friendship was
sought and held dear to acquaintances who admired her as an ideal
mother, wife and neighbor.
Her loss is mourned by the husband, three sons, John, Tom and Ralph;
two daughters, Mary Katherine and Elizabeth, and one brother Ray Slack,
of this city.
The funeral will be held at 9 a.m. Wednesday at Holy Trinity
Church. Burial will be in the family plot in Calvary Cemetery.
The body was removed to Joseph R. Baker Funeral Home and will be
taken to the residence Tuesday.
Submitted by Carolyn Lacey
Mrs. Pressler had been ill for two months, and had been in critical
condition most of that time.
In addition to her church work, Mrs. Pressler was an accomplished
gardner and her house on Coles Rd. was one of the show spots of the
city.
For many years, Mrs. Pressler, was a member of Holy Trinity Church,
but changed her affiliation to St. Mary's Church when it was established
in the east end. She was a member of St. Mary's Altar and Rosary
Society, and its members will honor her memory Sunday at 8 p.m. at the
Schramm Funeral Home.
The widow of Neal Pressler, who died in 1943, Mrs. Pressler had been
a resident of Middletown 36 years. She was a native of Hamilton.
Surviving here are two sons, Clarence F. Smith, sales manager for
the Inland Container Corporation here and Bernard A. Smith of Middletown
one sister, Mrs. Herman Ludwig of Hamilton, 10 grandchildren, and two
great grandchildren.
Requiem High Mass will be sung at St. Mary's Church Monday at 9:30
a.m. Burial will be in St. Stephen's church at Hamilton.
Those who wish to contribute an obituary, death card, or newspaper article
to this page are encouraged to e-mail it to David J. Endres.*Go Back to the Southwest Butler County Genealogical Society Main Page*
This site was created by David J. Endres. Those with questions, comments, or additional information are encouraged to contact the compiler.
This site was created on August 12, 1998.