A Week of Headstones

 Philip Orth

      Philip Orth was born in Kirweiler, Alsace, Europe, on June 12, 1824.  Being of Lutheran parentage he was baptized in infancy, and, according to the custom of his church, he was confirmed when he was about 14 years old.  In 1857 he was joined in holy wedlock with Miss Eva Gangloff.  This union the Lord blessed with five children, three sons and two daughters.  One daughter died in infancy, Philip Orth, Jr., of near Medina, William Orth, Liverpool, Mrs. Louise Whitten, Akron, and Albert Orth of Cleveland, together with their widowed mother  and 12 grandchildren survive to mourn their loss.

   In 1857, shortly after his marriage, Mr. Orth and his young wife left their native country and emigrated to the United States.  First they came to Cleveland where they resided for six years.  In 1862 or 63  they removed to Liverpool township, Medina County and here the deceased resided until his death, which occurred Monday morning April 15.  Thus he reached the good old age of 87 years, 10 months and 3 days.  About 50 years of this long life was spent in Medina County.  Mr. Orth was a respected citizen and a good Christian.  Soon after he came here he connected with Zion's Lutheran congrgation of which church he was an active member up to his death.

   When younger he was a member of the vestry, and for six years he was also the congregation's treasurer.  He lived thru and was helpful in making up the history of his congregation for upwards of half a century.

  The funeral was held from the house and church on Wednesday afternoon, Apr. 17, and burial was made on the congregation's cemetery where Mr. Orth has a plot.  The funeral text was II Timothy4:6-9.

**Medina County Gazette, Friday, 19 APR 1912, Pg. 8 (Medina County, Ohio
(Compilers note:  A marriage record was found for this couple in Cleveland and the date does not match what the writer of this obituary has shown.)

Tombstone Tuesday - Jacob Frank (1823)

J. Jacob Frank who died 12 MAR 1823...

Buried Zion Cemetery, Medina County, Ohio

Do you know how he fits into the Frank line that lived in Medina County?

If so, I'd love to hear from you.

(Yes, I've seen the stuff posted on Ancestry - problem is no has enough documentation to really prove their relationships for me!)

**Headstone photo by Mark Krugman 2006

Military Monday - Plane Crash!

Capt. Calvin Franklin Kemp, born 30 Oct 1931, died 19 Apr 1964, Wilmington, Clinton County, Ohio.  There were several different versions of the military plane crashed that killed Calvin & his fellow servicemen.  Calvin was a third cousin once removed from my husband Mark.

I had found his death certificate (#024679 Wilmington Co., Ohio) which indicated that Calvin died in the crash of a military aircraft in a field about 6 miles NE of Wilmington, Ohio.  Usually a plane crash means there is a news story somewhere.  So I went on the hunt and promptly found the one above. 

According to his death certificate, his injuries were multiple and apparently extreme.  He lived about 4 hours from the time of the crash until his death.   The informant on his death certificate was the Air Force Base Mortuary officer, D. L. Barse.  Despite the fact that Calvin is shown as missing in the listing of deceased above, in the article below it does state that he survived but died during the night.

Below is a transcription of the above article.

                       AF Probes Fatal Collision in Ohio; Landing Suspect
 Wilmington, O. (AP) - Air Force officers were still trying to determine yesterday why two C119 "flying boxcars" crashed Saturday night, killing 17 men.
  A spokesman at the Clinton County Air Force Base said it appeared that the two planes might have collided while on their approach to the air field.
  A commission from the Tactical Air Command headquarters at Langley Air Force Base in Virginia flew in yesterday to begin an immediate investigation. 
   The crash occurred shortly before 9 pm on flat farmland about five miles north of here.  Both planes were based at the Clinton County field here.
   Two survivors from among the 19 men on board the planes were reported in "fairly satisfactory" condition. 
   Originally, three survived the fiery crash, but one of those died during the night at Clinton Memorial Hospital here.
   The planes had been on a regular weekend paratroop training mission.  Nine of the men, all paratroopers, were members of the Second Special Service Group of First Special Forces, 20th Army Corps, From Ft. Hayes, Columbus.
   Others on the plane were crew members attached to the 907th Troop Carrier Group, 302nd Troop Carrier Wing, at Clinton.  Nine were Air Force Reservists and one was in the regular Air Force, assigned to the Ninth Air Force and based at Shaw Air Force base in South Carolina.
   Each plane carried a five man crew.  Four paratroopers were in one C119 and five in the other. 
   One survivor reportedly was a paratrooper who was able to get his parachute open in time.
   One plane crashed only a few hundred yards from the home of Mr. and Mrs. John Hook, who were playing cards with Mr. and Mrs. Paul Bennett of Springfield.
    Hook said they heard an explosion.  He and Bennett raced to the scene in an effort to lend aid.
    "They were lying all over with their parachutes partly open," Bennette said of the victims.
   Some of the service men were burned inside the wreckage of one plane.  The other did not catch fire.

 **Cleveland Plain Dealer, 20 APR 1964, Pg. 6