John B. Cramer Family

The father of John B. Cramer was William Cramer. John's parents, and his brothers, had settled on farms about one and a half miles north of Napoleon on the Wauseon road.

Shortly after John had cut the trees and built the log cabin on his farm in Freedom Township, he had to go to serve in the Civil War, leaving his young wife and four small children on the farm in an area that still abounded with wolves and bear. His wife, Almira Bowen Cramer, had been raised on the farm just south of his. Her parents died when she was young, so Almira had raised her three younger brothers. When grown, they moved to Indiana.

John was never well after returning from the Civil War. When he was middle-aged, he arranged for a tenant on his farm. He had a new home built for his family on Dodd Street in Napoleon. He kept on supervising his farm, and was among the first farmers who raised sugar beets in this locality. He took three horses and buggies with him to Napoleon so that he could visit his farm nearly every day. He fell while trimming an apple tree and was badly injured. He was returned to Napoleon lying on straw on a hay rack. He died from injuries of that fall.

The Cramer children were Wesley, Alice married Henry Croninger, Julia married Irving Switzer, Mahalia married John Fraas, Sophia, Howard, Curtis and Daniel.

The children of Irving and Julia Cramer Switzer were Ethel married Wave Agler, Gale, Irene married William Roessing.

Irving Switzer was the son of Martin Switzer, who was, at one time, head of Brush College in Liberty Center, Ohio. Irving Switzer became an apprentice in the harness business of Fred Shoner, an established harness shop merchant on Perry Street who had four daughters, but no son to apprentice for his business. They would open the harness shop at six a.m. so the farmers could get their harness repaired and get an early start in the fields, and they would be open until nine p.m. so farmers could get broken harness repaired that same day. Irving Switzer' became known for making fancy studded harness for fire department and racing horses. Irving drowned when thirty-two years old. His wife, Julia, moved the family to Toledo, Ohio, where she opened a grocery and bakery store on Maumee Street.

Mahalia "Hadie" Cramer had married John W. Fraas, and after Irving died, they moved to Napoleon from

Delta so that John could take over Irving Switzer's work at the harness shop.

Ethel Switzer (Mrs. Wave Agler) was born on March 25, 1891, in Napoleon, Ohio. This is what she related in 1978:

"When I started school, at six years of age, the Napoleon school, basement and two upper floors, was divided in the center. Professor Lauterbach taught in the German language on the west side of the school. English was taught on the east side of the school. The pupils even played in their respective halves of the basement. I went through the eighth grade, graduating in 1905. Our class included Cyril and Gerald Donnelly, Jimmie Donovan, Harold Loose, Ralph Orwig, and Lawrence Vocke. Our teacher, Miss Fanny Knupp, was a wonderful person. At the end of the term she married Colly Meekison.

I well remember Fred Shoner and his harness shop. He had an artesian well behind his store, and at four o'clock a cool pail of water would be filled and his business associates would drop in for a cool drink from a long handled dipper. Mr. Fiske, the grocer, Mr. Westhoven, from the shoe store, and his good friend, Mr. Shall, the wagon master. Coming home from scnool, I would like to drop around for a cool drink from the bucket — an incomprehensible idea today!"

Submitted by: Mrs. Ethel Agler