CARL DREWES

The Drewes name has been well known in Henry County for over 100 years. Carl's greatparents, William and Elizabeth (Badenhop) Drewes, came to America from Hanover, Germany. They left Bremen on a sailing vessel in October of 1847 and arrived in New York harbor nine weeks later. They joined the Hanover settlement in Napoleon Twp. His first land was purchased for $1.00 an acre. After clearing a spot he built a log cabin. He became a successful farmer and acquired more land. Since he had been a tailor in Germany, he used this skill to help his neighbors and supplement the family's income. Their children were: Henry, Anna, Mary, Dietrich, Fred, and John. William, born 1808, died in 1886. His wife passed away in 1858 at the age of 42.

Their son Henry was born Oct. 15, 1844. He married Wilhelmine Freytag. He also was a farmer and purchased eighty acres in Defiance County besides the eighty acres from the homestead. They were the parents of George, William, Charles, Mary, and Sophia. Wilhelmine died Oct. 6, 1879, at the age of 32. Charles, Mary, and Sophia also died in 1879 of diptheria. They are all buried on the cemetery at St. Paul's Lutheran Church, Napoleon, Ohio.

For his second wife Henry married Mrs. Sophia (Imbrock) Rohrs. Their children are Herman, Minnie, Erna, Arthur, and twins Laura and Clara. When Henry retired, he bought a ten room house in Ridgeville Corners. Henry died in 1932, Sophia in 1943.

Henry's son William was born Nov. 24, 1871. He married Anna Bockelman. They are the parents of Minnie, widow of Anthony Panning, now living in Napoleon, Alvin, a retired pastor of the American Lutheran Church, living in Columbus, and Carl, living in Ridgeville Corners. In 1909 the family moved to an eighty acre farm on County Road R in Napoleon Twp. When William retired from farming, he and his wife moved on a twenty acre farm along Rt. 6, now owned by Wm. Gessner. Henry died of a heart attack on Dec. 29, 1953. Anna, born Oct. 17, 1875, died July 29, 1955.

Carl was born Aug. 8, 1904. He was four years old when the family moved on the farm. He attended a one room school house, known as the Veigel School, and he became a farmer. Their home was heated by wood and coal burners, coal lamps furnished the lighting, and running water was pumped into the house by a windmill. Their means of transportation was horse and buggy. Besides raising corn, wheat, and oats, they also had purebred Holstein cows. Later they also raised sugar beets. Carl raised beets on four acres of land and with the profits he bought his first car, a Model T Ford, for $475.00.

On April 4, 1926, he married Alvina Hurst (B. June 9, 1903). They are the parents of Lillian and Norman. They continued farming on the homestead. They experienced a lot of changes in their years of farming as more modern equipment was being used. In 1958 they built a large chicken coop, raising approximately 20,000 chickens a year. In 1961 he suffered a heart attack, which forced him to retire from farming. They were able to continue to raise chickens until 1969. They then retired and bought a home in Ridgeville Corners, where they are living at the present time. They are members of St. Paul's Lutheran Church in Napoleon Twp.

Lillian was born March 9, 1927. She attended Veigel School for eight years and graduated from Napoleon High School. After graduation she was a bookkeeper at The Charles Co. In 1946 she married Walter Von Deylen. They first lived with his father Otto Von Deylen, and later moved to Ridgeville Corners. Walter drove milk truck for Pet Milk Co. He is presently custodian at Ridgeville School where he was recently honored for 25 years of service. Lillian is also employed as part time custodian at the school and is bookkeeper for the Ridgeville Telephone Co. They are members of Zion Lutheran Church and are active in the community. They have five children. Ellen Kay (B April 13, 1947) is employed in the office at Koncor in Wauseon, Ohio. Anna Mae (B Oct. 13, 1948) married Barry Woodyard and they are living in Sylvania, Ohio. Betty (B May 22, 1950) is bookkeeper at Shepard Tobacco Co. in Ridgeville. Robert (B Nov. 25, 1952) is a tax draftsman and deputy auditor in Henry County. He married Lynda Schuette. Roy (B Jan. 25, 1954) is employed by Home Oil Company in the maintenance department.

Norman was born Nov. 28, 1929. He attended Veigel School until it was closed and then Napoleon Public School. After graduation he was employed as a bookkeeper for Pyrofax Gas Co. then owned by George Dennis. In 1950 he married Deloris Schweinhagen. They lived with his parents until they built a house on the corner of County Roads R and 16, which was the site of the Veigel School that the family had attended. In 1956 they moved to Pemberville, Ohio, where he was manager of The Neuhauser Hatchery for 12 years. After Neuhausers sold out to International Milling, he was transferred to Napoleon. In 1969, when his parents retired, he and his family moved on the farm where he had been born and raised.

They have five daughters. Barbara (B. June 14, 1951) married Roger Bostdorff and they are living in Luckey, Ohio. Connie (B. Dec. 2, 1952) is bookkeeper at Koncor in Wauseon, Ohio. Debra Ann (B. April 25, 1956) is employed at the Auditor's office. Rebecca (B. Jan. 22, 1958) graduated from high school in June. She is organist at Christ United Methodist Church. Lynette (B. May 3, 1963) will be in the seventh grade.

Most of their married life they lived on farms where they raised chickens besides his regular job. Deloris and the children helped with many of the chores, making it a family project. She also enjoyed sewing, and made almost all of the clothes for herself as well as their daughters. They are members of St. Paul's Lutheran Church, Glenwood Ave., Napoleon, Ohio.

Submitted by: Delrois Drewes