The Mail-Journal, Volume 27, Number 3, Milford, Kosciusko County, 2 March 1988 — Page 6

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THE MAIL-JOURNAL—Wed., March 2,1988

Community corner

Alice Rinker is always there

SBy DEB PATTERSON Staff Writer When something needs to be done in North Webster, Alice Rinker is there. “As long as I’m capable, I’ll be active. I don’t intend to retire,” said the 72-year-old woman. “When you love doing something, it helps your health.” Alice’s community involvement all began when she and her husband, Thurman, moved to North Webster 22 years ago from Anderson. They had spent the previous 14 years at Webster Lake as summer residents. Their move to the “Heart of the Lakes” community came with the purchase of Don Wolfe’s variety store in that town. Profile She became active in the North Webster Lady Lions and served as its president for a couple of years. Alice stayed very active in the group until the early 1980 s. She is still a member but attends their monthly meetings less frequent. From this involvement lead many others. Alice has been involved with the International Palace of Sports since its inception in 1968. She was a part of the celebration committee when the palace was completed. She helped with arranging entertainment when Mark Spitz was King of Sports and worked with Chris and Fran Schenkel. “It’s things like that, that has made life fun and inspiring. There was a lot we had at that time, up until very recently.” North Webster lead all towns in the area, for years, as the place to shop and visit. A theme was established for the town, in which as a merchant she was involved. However after the oil embargo, North Webster lost a lot of it’s merchants and things changed. Other Involvements She was in charge of the Mermaid Festival Cutie Parade for approximately eight years while under the responsibility of the Lady

Relatively speaking —

Help

j By DORIS McMANIS CAMDEN Some very important genealogical sources are often overlooked. Property records can provide the answer to the hardest thing in genealogy: female ancestors’ maiden names. These records include mortgages, deeds, estate sales, and tax lists. In the day of yore, the wife’s signature was required when property was sold but not in a purchase transaction. Many mortgages required three witnesses. Usually two were from the husband’s side of the family and one wife’s family to protect her interests. It is said that nothing in America gives us a better clue to maiden names. Judicial Court records reveal

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in searching for maiden names

lawsuits in the past. There were more divorces than we want to believe. When a father died, guardianships of the minor children reveal much. Some books are indexed; others are not, which makes for timeconsuming searches. FOR THE CHILDREN: John Chapman, or Johnny Appleseed, is written about in “Pioneer Directory & Scrap Book” by Dr. E. Bonar McLaughlin, who came to Mansfield, Ohio in 1816. It was printed by The Mansfield Daily News in 1887. “Chapman was always a welcome visitor with all who knew him, and especially so with the early settlers. He often visited at my uncle Andrew Thompson’s, half a mile south of Mansfield; also at my uncle John Stewart’s, county auditor,

Bl ■ J ■ - & ■L jy ACTIVE IN HER COMMUNITY — Alice Rinker, North Webster, does more than operate a business. Alice becomes involved in the community by assisting in any way she can and has been a part of a number of projects. People in the community know that any time something happens in the community, Alice can be depended upon to be there and help. (Photo by Deb Patterson)

surveyor and justice of the peace. My recollection of Mr. Chapman is that he was about 5 feet, 7 inches tall, straight as an arrow, slim and wiry as a cat.” In this same little book is what is described as “by far the clearest and most convincing picture of Johnny Appleseed, a wood cut * showing Chapman with a knife in one hand and an apple seedling in the other, dressed as his contemporaries describe him: broad brim hat, bare feet, trousers frayed at the bottom, a Bible tucked into the fold of his shirt.” There are large carvings of Johnny Appleseed on the Glenbrook Mall in Ft. Wayne. Perhaps your parents will show them to you sometime. (To be continued) 282. Fred Chapman was a resident of Warsaw in 1927. Pearl s DORIS MCMANIS CAMDEN Chapman lived in Warsaw or Winona Lake in 1927. Married

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name was Runyon. Will correspond and exchange. Mrs. Cynthia Nelson, 316 King Street, Nacogdoches, Texas 75961. 283. Would like to correspond with others working on my Kosciusko Co. lines. Thomas Phebus purchased property there in October, 1855. Jacob Bunger married Nancy Phebus in August, 1852. He died in March, 1866 and is buried in the Syracuse Cemetery. There were four minor children when he died. Did Nancy sell the property? She was in Pike Co., Illinois in 1868. Judy Goodman, 7825 W. Zero Road, Casper, Wyo. 82604. 284. Seeking information on Samuel Kelly and Elizabeth Crouch and their ancestors. They married in January, 1852 in Kosciusko Co. Tneir children were Mary Ann who married a McCleary, Eli, John H., Daniel W., Ira E. and Samuel W. Was Samuel married to Mary Ann McClougham before Elizabeth? Jeannette Kelly Holt, P.O. Box 3178, Chico, Calif. 95927. 285. Would like to correspond with others working on Ivins (Ivens) and Lippincott in Kosciusko County. Mrs. August S. Wozniak, 3936 E. Jackson Blvd., Elkhart, Ind. 46516. 286. My greatgrandfather, Andrew V. Abbott, was born in July, 1843 in Kosciusko Co. and died in January, 1921 in Pennville, Jay Co., Indiana. His death record shows that his parents were unknown. Could he have been an orphan? The 1850 Kosciusko Co. census lists Andrew Abbott, 9, living in the household of Philip Lash in Harrison Township. The

Lions. The parade was then taken over by the Palace of Sports and even though her daughter, Dixie Pryor, and granddaughter Debbie Evans, have taken over chairing the event, Alice remains involved through the Palace of Sports. It was through the Palace of Sports, she helped raise funds for the North Webster Public Beach area, now becoming a reality. “I knew it could be done,” she noted, mentioning one of the by-laws of the Palace of Sports is doing things for the community. Alice has been a member of the North Webster/Tippecanoe Township Chamber of Commerce since it’s inception. She was instrumental in getting the North Webster Day Care established, a longtime needed service. Her activeness doesn’t stop at North Webster. When the Kosciusko County planning board was started, she served one year. She has been on the Kosciusko Leadership Academy board for five years and has served on Kosciusko Development Incorporated. In conjunction with her involvement with KDI was being a member of North Webster’s Industrial Development Board. She also is on the Kosciusko County Tourism Board. With most of the projects she has worked on completed, Alice has started on two new projects. These include the projected building of a new North Webster United Methodist Church, and working with Wawasee Community School Corporation in the Business/Education Partnership program. Among all her activity, Alice still spends a lot of time at Rinker’s Family Store, in fact she is there seven days a week. But when does she find time for all this, “I’ve been blessed with not needing much sleep, not until the last year. I would go to bed after 11 p.m. and get up at 2 a.m. and come to the store and work.” There’s a philosophy behind why Alice does all she can for her community. “I firmly believe if you’re a member of a community, you owe something to it. You don’t just take from it. I really love the people in the community. There are so many interesting people.” Alice, a widow since the early 1980 s, is the mother of four children, Dixie Pryor, North Webster; Phillip Rinker, Tippecanoe Lake; Dan Rinker, Anderson; and Cindy Brechbiel, Elwood. She has nine grandchildren and two great-grandchildren. Last month Alice was shown the community’s appreciation for all she has done. The North Webster/Tippecanoe Township Chamber of Commerce named her their first “Person of the Year.”

same census has four other Abbott children, ages 2,5, 10 and 12 living in different households. My information of his birth date and place were from his Civil War Union Army records. He married Catherine McDaniel (1853-1925) in Wells Co., Indiana in October, 1872, and lived and died in Jay Co. Wanda Hoad Payne, r 3, box 247, Victoria, Texas 77901. Your queries are welcomed. Please keep them brief, 50 words or less if possible. Print or type names and addresses. Ladies should use maiden and married names. Must pertain to Kosciusko Co. Mail to: Doris McManis Camden, P.O. Box 214, Warsaw, Ind. 46580. Observed One of the hardest secrets for a man to keep is his opinion of himself. Couple plans summer wedding Mr. and Mrs. Jim (Eleanor) Bogart, r 1, North Judson, announce the engagement of their daughter, Jill, to Clark Schieler, son of Mr. and Mrs. Will (Sue) Schieler, r 1, Milford. The bride-elect is a 1986 graduate of West Central High School and is a student at Ball State University. The prospective groom, a 1985 graduate of Wawasee High School, is a grain and hog farmer. The couple is planning a summer wedding. The ceremony will take place in the Apostolic Christian Church in Francesville. Miles of highways There are 91,468 miles of roads in Indiana. State highways total 10,174 miles and interstate highways, 1,118 miles.

HAPPY BIRTHDAY v. w w % ■ I"■ * * ® 1 ; 1 . FROM YOUR AUNT AND SISTERS

■Mr/ ANNOUNCE ENGAGEMENT — Mr. and Mrs. Larry LaGuardia of Nappanee are proud to announce the engagement of their daughter, Paula, to Kurt Hand, son of Mr. and Mrs. Alan Hand of Nappanee. The bride-elect is a graduate of North Wood High School and International Business College in Fort Wayne. She is employed by Creative Dimensions. Her fiance graduated from North Wood High School and Vincennes University. He is employed by Bremen Gias. The couple is planning a July 29 wedding in the Nappanee Missionary Church. Auxiliary hears report on R. A. T. Members of the Wawasee Unit 223 Legion Auxiliary met February 23 with President Elaine Darr presiding. Children and Youth Chairman Lorree Mench reported on R.A.T. (Regional Action Team.) Members voted to send them SSO. Linda Broekers, finance chairman, reported on the pancake and sausage breakfast, it was a success. The next fish fry will be Friday, March 11,6-8 p.m. Girls’ State participants were voted on last month. The Girls’ Stater is Kathy Barker and the alternate is Kris Hickey. Margaret Nichols stated that there are 188 paid up members for 1988. The meeting was opened with one stanza of the “Star Spangled Banner” was sung, followed by the prayer led by Chaplain Ann Schrock. Hostess for this meeting was Linda Broekers. The next meeting will be March 22 at 7:30 in the Legion Hall. Farmland acreage Studies show 70.4 percent of Hoosier land is farmed (16.2 million acres). Life Life is just an everlasting struggle to keep money coming in and teeth and hair and vital origans from coming out. — Bay Breeze, Ala.

Life

CALENDAR Week Os March 2 To March 9 WEDNESDAY Syracuse-Wawasee Chamber of Commerce 7:45 a.m., in State Bank of Syracuse MLg Syracuse Lions Club 6:30 p.m., in the Beacon Restaurant Teen A A Under 20 Group 7 p.m., in St. Andrew’s United Methodist Church Syracuse Jaycees 7:30p.m., in Lakeland Eagles Order of the Eastern Star 7:30 p.m., in the Milford Masonic Lodge Alcoholics Anonymous Wawasee Group 7:30 p.m., in Episcopal Retreat House, South Shore Drive, Lake Wawasee, Syracuse Alanon 7:30 p.m., in Saint Andrew’s United Methodist Church, Syracuse —, THURSDAY Wawasee Community Toughlove Xr 7 p.m., in Lakeland Youth Center, Syracuse. Parent Support group for parents troubled by their teenagers behavior Milford Volunteer Firemen 7 p.m., in Milford Fire Station Milford First Brethren Women’s Missionary Society 7:30 p.m. North Webster American Legion Auxiliary 8 p.m., in the Legion Hall FRIDAY Milford Kiwanis 6:45 a.m., Milford Community Building Syracuse-Wawasee Retail Merchants Division 8 a.m., in State Bank of Syracuse Alcoholics Anonymous Carl Sheperd Memorial Group 7:30 p.m., in Episcopal Retreat House, South Shore Dr., Lake Wawasee, Syracuse, open meeting SATURDAY Wawasee Kiwanis 7 a.m., in Gropp’s, Syracuse Blood Pressure Check 9 a.m. to noon, Milford Community Building SUNDAY * Adult Singles 9:30-10:30 a.m., in Mike’s Soda Shop, North Webster Alcoholics Anonymous Fireball Group 10 a.m., in North Webster Fire Station, open meeting Alateen 8 p.m., in North Webser United Methodist Church Alcoholics Anonymous Sunday Night Recovery Group 8 p.m., in North Webster United Methodist Church, closed meeting Alanon Sunday Night Group 8 p.m., in North Webster United Methodist Church, closed meeting MONDAY Lakeland Kiwanis 6:45 a.m., in North Webster Church of God meeting room Syracuse Library Board 5:15 p.m., in Syracuse Public Library Milford Lions 7 p.m., in Milford Community Building Syracuse Primary Mother’s Club 7 p.m. Milford Emergency Medical Service 7 p.m., in the EMS building Kosciusko County Fair Board 7:30 p.m., in the Shrine Building, Kosciusko County Fairgrounds, Warsaw Wawasee High School Music Boosters 7:30 p.m., in the high school choir room Alanon, Milford Family Group 7:30 p.m., in Milford United Methodist Church Alcoholics Anonymous Milford Group 7:30 p.m., in Milford United Methodist Church, closed meeting Alcoholics Anonymous North Webster Group 7:30 p.m., in North Webster United Methodist Church TUESDAY ' i Alanon Just For Today 9:30 a.m., in St. Andrew’s United Methodist Church, Syracuse Syracuse-Wawasee Rotary 12 noon, in the Beacon Restaurant Home Arts Club 1:30 p.m. Syracuse Business and Professional Women’s Club 6:30 p.m. Wawasee School Board 7 p.m., in the administration building Sugar N’ Spice ’Bl Club 7:30 p.m. Lakeland Art Association 7:30 p.m., in Cardinal Center, Warsaw Syracuse Civil Defense 7:30 p.m., in Civil Defense Building, Dolan Drive Milford Masons 7:30 p.m., in the Masonic Lodge Warsaw Chapter of the Compassionate Friends 7:30 p.m., in the Justice Building Community Room, Warsaw. A support group for bereaved parents. Anyone who has experienced the death of a child is encouraged to come. Syracuse Coin Club 7:30 p.m., in Lakeland Youth Center WEDNESDAY Goodwill Club 1:30 p.m., in House of Friendship Syracuse Fire Department, Fire Drill 7 p.m., at the fire station Eagles Auxiliary Meeting Aerie 3760 7 p.m., Lakeland Eagles, 404 Sycamore Street, Syracuse North Webster Town Board 7 p.m., in the town hall Teen AA Under 20 Group 7 p.m., in St. Andrew’s United Methodist Church Alcoholics Anonymous Wawasee Group 7:30 p.m., in Episcopal Retreat House, South Shore Drive, Lake Wawasee, Syracuse Alanon 7:30 p.m., in Saint Andrew’s United Methodist Church, Syracuse