William A. Freytag

William, son of Frederick and Sophia Arps Freytag, was thirteen when the family arrived in America in 1851. In Germany it was the custom to hire out as an apprentice if you wanted to learn a trade. Steeped in that tradition, William hired out and worked for awhile as a cabinet maker in Sandusky, Ohio. He then went to Kelleys Island where he continued his apprenticeship. There he stayed with the Henry Gerken family.

Soon the Civil War was in full swing. His younger brother, Henry, had enlisted with the Ohio Volunteer Infantry. When William reported for service, he was rejected. He was told they could not use him because he had developed a large felon on his right thumb. After being rejected, he took a far more personal interest in the family homestead. He bought twenty acres of timber from the Boestling family. This tract of land abutted the family farm so that now there were exactly one hundred acres. To pay for it, he did extra odd jobs as they were available. One was driving mules on the towpath along the Miami and Erie Canal. Undoubtedly he also drew on his skills as a carpenter.

In 1848 Henry Helberg had arrived with his family. One of his children was Sophia Dorothea. She was born at Ettenbostle, Osterholz, Hanover, Germany, July 6, 1845. Her folks stayed with Pannings for awhile when they first arrived in America. When, later, the Frederick Freytag family settled near the Panning homestead. Sophia as a young girl met William. After years of friendship they were married on November 27, 1865. They set up housekeeping in the old log house of his father, Frederick, who lived with them for twenty-one years.

He had always had a. great love for learning. He had even expressed a desire to teach. When the Board ol Education needed a site to build a shcool for the growing number of children in their small community, William donated an acre of land on the corner of Bales Road and Haase Road with the proviso that when it was no longer used for school purposes, it should revert to the Freytag farm. This school was known as the Freytag School.

His opportunity to teach came in a way that he could not have foreseen. In 1882, three Lutheran churches in the area merged. One was Zion Lutheran Church, the first Lutheran Church in Henry County. (See Volume II, page 293, History of Henry County.) These merged congregations organized as St. Paul Lutheran Church, rural, in Napoleon Township, and called Rev. Louis Dammann as pastor. When this church needed a teacher, Pastor Dammann persuaded William to take over this responsibility. It must have been a difficult decision. However, William accepted this challenge and for twenty-five years taught in the school with great success.

The Lord blessed their home in many ways. Ten children were born to them. Minnie died as a young girl of eleven. Anna and Herman died in infancy. The other children were: George, Mary, Emma, William, Albert, Emilie, and Arthur. All the while he was rearing and supporting these children, while he was improving the farm by clearing the land, while he was occupied with his skills in carpentry and cabinet-making, he was not fully satisfied.

He was fifty-two years old when the church called him to be the teacher. He was catapulted suddenly into an entirely different life style. The ordinary routine of his life, his manner of dress and his work habits suddenly changed. Most men at that age would find it very difficult to adjust, to live with the many demands on patience and the vexing annoyances of teaching small children, but he not only overcame whatever problems arose, he loved teaching and was loved by the children he taught.

Teacher Freytag did not live near the school; his home was two and a half miles away. Every day he walked to and from school. As he got older, he found walking more and more burdensome. It was then that his son, William, who was a parochial school *teacher in Illinois, decided that his father should ride. To make it possible, he drove a horse and buggy all the way from Golden, Illinois, to Napoleon. From then on, Grandfather rode in style.

The high point in his teaching activity was the Christmas program. This was always given on Christmas Eve by the school children. They marched into the church and just about filled all the pews on the right side of the church. The scene that greeted them was festive, indeed. There was a large Christmas tree ablaze with many cnadles, and always an overflowing church with expectant faces everywhere. The teacher planned and directed the program. It was beautifully interspersed with Scripture. The theme was prophecy and fulfillment. It consisted of recitations, little skits by groups of children, songs by individuals, and songs by the entire school. To sound the tone and to accompany the singing in practice, he used the violin. This instrument he had made himself and he handled it with great skill.

His efforts did not go unnoticed nor unrewarded. He was highly regarded by his pupils and respected in the community. The anniversary booklet of St. Paul Lutheran Church puts it this way: "The twenty-five years of instruction imparted by this faithful teacher are still bearing rich fruits in the congregation and in the hearts and lives of others whom he instructed.

William lived an active and service- packed life. He died December 17, 1921. His wife, Sophia, outlived him by fifteen years. She died March 16, 1936.

Their children had by this time either chosen their own profession or simply moved and started their own families. The two oldest girls became housewives. Mary married Henry Arps and Emma married Fred Schwiebert. The Schwiebert family lived near Deshler, Ohio. Henry Arps also settled in that general area. Mary, his wife, died at the age of thirty-seven.

William attended Woodville Normal and Academy at Woodville, Ohio, and became a parochial school teacher. He married Sara Mahlman. After her death, he married Dorothy Becker. Albert married Doris Schultze. They moved to a farm near Malinta. Later they bought a farm near Liberty Center.

Emilie was good at „sewing. She worked for awhile at the Wernle Children's Home at Richmond, Indiana, sewing for the children. Then she married Rev. Herman Imbrock. Their first parish was in South Dakota.

Arthur, too, attended Woodville Normal and Academy and became a parochial school teacher. He married Ida Rohrs. George was the oldest. He stayed at home and took over the running of the family farm. By assuming this responsibility, he relieved his father of that worry and gave him more time for teaching.

Submitted by: William H. Freytag