Frederick Stembel

John Stembel

Joseph V. S. Stembel

JOSEPH VAN SWEARINGEN STEMBEL (1828-1920)

Joseph was born in Middletown, Maryland, on July 28, 1828. He was the youngest of John and Elenor's 12 children (only six of whom survived to adulthood). Joseph was named after his mother's father, General Joseph Van Swearingen⁽¹⁾ (Van was his middle name rather than part of his surname). When Joseph was about 3 years old his family moved to Ohio, eventually settling on a farm south of West Liberty in Champaign County. Growing up, he attended private subscription schools (free public education did not yet exist).⁽²⁾

When Joseph was 22, he married Mary Magdalena Ziegler. Mary was born in Perry County, Ohio, the eldest of eight children. Her parents moved to Champaign County when she was 2 years old.⁽³⁾ The Ziegler farm was located very close to the Stembel's farm. It seems likely the two families were closely acquainted and that Joseph and Mary knew each other since childhood. After their marriage, Joseph bought a piece of land about one mile west of his father's farm.⁽⁴⁾ It was adjacent to the farm of his wife's family. He built a house and farmed the land. They lived there for the rest of their lives.

Joseph and Mary had eight children, all of whom reached adulthood and married. Mary was raised as a Lutheran, but she joined the nearby Wesley Chapel Church, where the Stembels worshiped, in 1855. All eight of her children attended the church as well. Joseph, however, did not join the church until 1911. This was Mary's final wish as she lay on her deathbed.⁽⁵⁾ This illustrates Joseph's great affection for his wife of 60 years.

In 1901, Joseph and Mary celebrated their 50^th wedding anniversary. All eight of their children attended, as well as most, if not all, of their grandchildren. A family portrait taken that day included 53 family members! Joseph, though seated, appears to be a tall, trim man with full dark hair (at the age of 73!) with a white beard 7 or 8 inches long. He has a granddaughter on his lap.

In 1910 Mary and Joseph again celebrated their wedding anniversary with a huge family reunion. This was their 59^th, and last, anniversary together. Joseph and Mary were both 82 years old. Seven of their eight children attended (their oldest, Malissa, had passed away eight years before). A newspaper account of that gathering reported there were 107 guests in attendance. Besides their seven children, there were 38 grandchildren, and 20 great-grandchildren.⁽⁶⁾ Mary died six months later.

Joseph lived nine more years. During this time two more of his children died, George Oren and Albert. Joseph died in February 1920. He was 91 years old. Both Mary and Joseph are buried in the cemetery at Wesley Chapel. At the time of his death, Joseph was the oldest original settler in Champaign County.⁽⁷⁾

Joseph and Mary's eight children:

A. Malissa (1852-1902). Malissa was born June 7, 1852, near West Liberty. Ohio. Much of what I know about Malissa comes from the 1880 and 1900 census. Malissa married John W. Emery on New Years Day, 1874. John was 24, Malissa 22. They had nine children between the years 1875 and 1892. The first eight were girls; the ninth was a boy.

At the time of the 1880 census they lived on a farm in Harrison Township, Champaign County. Also living with them at the time was a 20 year old servant girl (Nancy Dewey), a 26 year old hired hand (John Egnar from New York) and the hired hand's mother.

In 1900 they still lived on a farm in Harrison Township. They hade a hired hand, 20 year old Samuel Jenkins.

John died in 1901 at the age of 50. Malissa died a year later, leaving children aged 9, 11, 13, 16, and 18 still living at home. I don't know who took them in.

John and Malissa's children:

1. Viola A. Viola was known as "Ola". She was born about 1875. She married Chris Yoder sometime around 1893. Five children are shown in the 1910 census: Bertha, Gladys, Wilson, Catherine, and Edgar. The 1910 census presents us with a bit of a mystery. There is only one Chris Yoder in the 1910 census in Logan or Champaign County, and that is a Christionie Yoder (I believe Chris's full name was Christian E.). According to the census, this man's wife's name was Vera, not Viola, and she was 41 years old (Viola would have been 35 in 1910). Given the fact that people almost never overstated their age in the census, I believe Viola died sometime before the 1910 census and Chris remarried. This is reinforced by the ages of Chris's children: 16, 12, 9, 2, and 1. Note the seven year gap between the nine year old and the two year old.
2. Mary C. Mary was born about 1877. I'm told Mary went by the name "Mame." She married John Wass, date and place unknown. They had at least three children: Emery, Donald, and Mary.
3. Josie E. Josie was born in June of 1879. I'm not sure if Josie was her given name or a nickname for Josephine. She married Charles Butcher probably around 1902, for Josie was single and living with her parents in the 1900 census. They had three children listed in the 1910 census: Marion (a boy), Harold, and Paul. I believe they had three more children after 1910: Joseph, Geneva, and Theodore.
4. Carrie. Again, I'm not sure if Carrie was her given name. This is the name that was recorded in the 1900 census. Carrie was born about 1881. She married Earl Kaufman. I know of four children: Donna, Ned, Earl, and Maxine.
5. Grace M. Grace was born in October of 1883. Sometime around 1902 she married Arthur Hanger. They attended Joseph and Mary's 59^th anniversary reunion in 1910. According to the newspaper account, they lived in West Liberty, Ohio, at the time.


Grace and Arthur had two children listed in the 1910 census: Henry and Bernice. I believe they had one more child, William, born after the census.

6. Ida. My records show Ida was born on October 11, 1885. Sometime before 1908 she married J. Oliver Smucker. They lived in Bellfontaine, Ohio, in 1910. They also attended Joseph and Mary's 59^th anniversary reunion.


The 1910 census shows two children, Emery and Kirby. More children may have been born in the years following the census. Ida died about 1825.

7. Eva. Eva was born in August of 1888. I'm told she married a Coral Funderburg (or Thornburg). I could find no Coral and Eva Funderburg living in Champaign or Logan Counties in the 1910 census. I did find a Coral and Rosa Funderburg, however, living in Yellow Springs (Greene County), Ohio, about 45 miles south of West Liberty. Both are 22 (Eva would have been 21 at the time of the census). I'm told Eva and Coral had a daughter (but the Coral and Rosa in the census had a son). This needs to be resolved. It's possible Coral was originally married to a Rosa who died and Coral then married Eva sometime later.
8. Harriet. Harriet was born in June of 1890. I believe she went by the name of "Hattie". I don't know if she married. In the 1910 census she was living with her sister, Grace.
9. Harry. Harry was born in July of 1892. In the 1910 census he was living with his sister Ida. Later he married Mary Detrick. I know of only one child born to them: a son, Jack.

B. George Oren (1853-1914). George is the subject of a later chapter.

C. John Virgil (1855-1937). Joseph and Mary's third child, John, was born on July 23, 1855, near West Liberty. He was educated in the public schools of Champaign County.⁽⁸⁾ On June 29, 1879, he married Emma Barger. John was almost 24, Emma was 20. They had six children, one of whom died at the age of 17.

I have not been able to find John and Emma in the 1880 census records (the year after they married). In the 1900 census, I found them in Union Township, Champaign County, where John was a Farm Laborer. Three of their children were living with them. In the 1910 census, John, Emma, and their youngest son Willie, were living with Joseph and Mary. Joseph was 81 and had turned the farm over to John.

John was a member of the Wesley Chapel Episcopal Methodist Church and the Masonic Lodge.⁽⁹⁾ John died at the age of 76 on March 12, 1937; Emma died 5 months later.

John and Emma's six children:

1. Addie B. I don't know much about Addie. She was born about 1881. She married Frank Bishop, who was about 13 years older than she (it may have been Frank's second marriage). I don't believe they had any children. According to the newspaper account, Addie and Frank attended Mary and Joseph's 59^th wedding anniversary in 1910.
2. Maudie. Maudie was born about 1883, and married Gottlieb Siegenthalor (or Ziegenthalor) sometime around 1904. Gottlieb was born in Switzerland. He was 12 years older than Maudie. They had at least six children: Wilber, Gilbert, Marguerette, Minnie, Ruth, and Leona. I know at least five of them married.


Maudie and Gottlieb lived in Spring Hill, Ohio. They, too, also attended Mary and Joseph's wedding anniversary in 1910.

3. Mattie. Mattie was born in January of 1886. On October 1, 1903, she married Clarence Roberts in the Grace Methodist Church, Urbana, Ohio.⁽¹⁰⁾ Mattie was 17. Clarence was 21. They had at least two children, Dorothy and Helen. Both daughters married and lived in Springfield, Ohio.
4. James H. James was born August 1888. In the 1910 census, James was working as a farm laborer. Soon after that he married Ethel Journell. They had one child, Donald, who was born in 1913. Evidently James died soon after.⁽¹¹⁾ In 1929, Ethel married William Hagenbaugh. Ethel died in 1966. Donald died in 1993.
5. Ebbie. I'm not sure if her name was Ebbie or Effie. I don't even know for sure when she was born. It could have been as early as 1889 or as late as 1899. I believe she was born about 1891. She died before the 1900 census was taken.
6. William Edward. William was born in March of 1896. In 1916 he married Jessie Leota Mason . The wedding took place in the First Methodist Church in Urbana. They had one known child, a son, Edwin.

D. Mary Louize (1857-1951). Mary was born March 2, 1857, near West Liberty. In September of 1881 she married Robert Kirkwood, son of David and Mary Kirkwood. Robert was 31 years old, seven years older than Mary. He was a school teacher.

At the time of the 1900 census, Mary and Robert were living on West Beard Street in West Liberty, Ohio. In 1910 they attended Mary and Joseph's 59^th anniversary. According to the newspaper account, they were now living in Urbana, Ohio.

Robert died in 1924, at the age of 74. Mary lived 27 more years. She died in 1951. She was 94 years old.

Mary and Robert Kirkwood's children:

1. Ralph S. Ralph was born in June of 1882. He married Laura Botcher sometime around 1905. They had at least one child, Dorothy. In the 1900 census, Ralph was living at home with his parents. His occupation was house painter.
2. Laura B. Laura was born in October of 1883. She married Irvie (or Ernie) Bishop sometime before 1910. In 1910 they were reported living in Mansfield, Ohio. They had at least one child, Lucille who married John Sitterley. Lucille and John had two children.

E. Catherine Eleanor (1861-1940). Catherine was born March 9, 1861, near West Liberty. She was also known as "Ella." Catherine married John K. Duff on December 20, 1885. She was 24. I believe John was three years older than she. Catherine and John attended Joseph and Mary's 59^th wedding anniversary. The newspaper article indicated they were living in Rushylvania (Logan County), Ohio.

John died April 22, 1936; Catherine lived four more years. She passed away on October 9, 1940, at the age of 79.

Catherine and John Duff's three known children:

1. Joseph. Joseph was born in November of 1886. In 1910 he attended his grandparent's 59^th wedding anniversary. He was living at Belle Center, Ohio (Logan County) at the time. According to my records, Joseph married Edna Flickenger and had 5 children, the first born about 1912.
2. Forest. Forest was born in May of 1889. He also attended his grandparent's wedding anniversary. The newspaper reports he was living in Springfield, Ohio, at the time. He later married Ella (surname unknown), and had several children.
3. Leona. Leona was born in April of 1894. She was just 16 at the time of her grandparents wedding anniversary, where according to the newspaper, she gave a recitation. She later married R. E. Miller. According to my information, they had no children.

F. Albert Frederick (1864-1916). Albert is the subject of a later chapter.

G. William Henry (1867-1946). William was born February 27, 1867, near West Liberty. He was Joseph and Mary's seventh child. William grew up on his father's farm. Little is known about his childhood.

William married Helen Baldwin sometime around 1885. They had two daughters, Florence and Ruth. Just two months shy of her 31st birthday, Helen died, leaving William with two young children (Ruth was just a year-and-a-half old). Two years later, William married Rhoda Fultz. They had a child: a son named David. David was born in Washington Court House, Ohio (I assume David and Rhoda were living there at the time).

At the time of the 1900 federal census--less than two years after David was born--William and Rhoda were living in Newport, Kentucky. In 1910, they attended Joseph and Mary's 95^th Anniversary. According to the newspaper account, they were still living in Newport.

William died September 26, 1946, in Pittsburgh. I don't know whether Rhoda was still living at the time of Williams death.

William Stembel's three children:

1. Florence Bliss. Florence was born in May of 1887. Her mother died when she was eight years old. Her father remarried about a year later.


Florence married Louis Woeste. They had two children, Helen and Bonnie.

2. Ruth Bliss. Ruth was born in December of 1893. Her mother died when she was just a year and a half old. Her father soon remarried, and they moved to Newport, Kentucky.

Ruth married Earl Crumrine. They had eight children: Earl, Jr., William, Jane, Mary, George, Sally, Charles, and Bliss.

3. David Maynard. David was born September 28, 1898, at Washington Court House, Ohio--the first child born to William's new wife Rhoda. His parents soon moved to Newport, Kentucky, where he was raised. On January 20, 1926, he married Dorothy Edwards. They had two children, but the youngest died as an infant. Their oldest child was David, Jr.


I believe David and Dorothy lived in Pittsburgh most of their life. Dorothy died December 17, 1970. David died 3½ years later, on May 21, 1974.

David and Dorothy's child:

a. David, Jr. David was born in Pittsburgh on June 9, 1933. He attended the U.S. Naval Academy in Annapolis, Maryland, where he earned a degree in Naval Architecture. At the Academy, David wrote a biography of cousin Admiral Roger Nelson Stembel as one of his assignments. After graduation he married Judy Stahr on August 3, 1956, at Larchmont, New York.


David made the Navy his career. He advanced through the ranks, and toward the end of his career was given responsibility for the Navy's Guided Missile Frigate program. David retired from the Navy in 1985.

David and Judy lived in Silver Spring, just a few miles from this writer. David was an avid gardener; he also served as the local high school's swimming team announcer. In 1995 he died of complications of Crohn's Disease. Judy still lives in their Silver Spring home and works as a docent at the Hillwood Museum in nearby Washington, D.C.

David and Judy's three children:

1. David III. David was born November 12, 1959. He attended Temple University. In 1986 he married Karol Williams. They have a son, Calder. They live near Philadelphia where David is an architect.
2. John. John was born on December 16, 1962. He attended Georgia Tech University where he earned a degree in Computer Science. He lives near Atlanta with his wife, Susan, and their two daughters, Stahr and Natalie. John is a noted spelunker.
3. Wendy. Wendy was born on February 28, 1965. She married David Spencer in 1989. They had two children, Meagan and John. This marriage ended in divorce. Wendy remarried in 1998 to Paul Bozzi. Wendy is a special education teacher.

H. Addie Elizabeth (1871-1954). Addie is the subject of a later chapter.