The Clarence E. Rice Family

Clarence E. Rice was a son of John and Caroline (Miller) Rice, born in a log cabin in 1882. The John Rice farm is located in Section 14, Ridgeville Township, and is still owned by Gertrude Rice Babcock, and Martha Rice Kramer. Clarence had a common school education. He was the oldest son and thus many of the farm chores and care of younger brothers and sisters were his responsibility. He helped his father with farming, threshing, cutting timber, draining or ditching the land to make it more tillable. He helped build many barns and houses in the Ridgeville-Archbold area. He also hauled gravel to improve the mud roads. He told of driving the first school bus in his school district, known as the Tubbs School. Using a team of horses hitched to a wagon or surrey and along with his brothers and sisters, he picked up all the children along the road to the school.

Clarence Rice's parents, John Rice and Caroline Miller, were married in 1880 and were the parents of nine children:

Ida Rice Burkholder, Clarence Rice, Charles Rice, Oliver Rice, John Rice Jr., Alma Rice Bender, Gertrude Rice Babcock, Melvin Rice, and Augusta Rice Evers.

The late John Rice was a farmer in Ridgeville Township where he secured 106 acres of land on which he made many improvements. In 1909 he was elected Henry County Commissioner and moved to Napoleon, Ohio. His fine home on Washington Street is now owned by his daughter Augusta Rice Evers. John Rice was always active in politics, a Democrat, and also served as Ridgeville Township Trustee before moving to Napoleon.

The late Mrs. John (Caroline) Rice was the daughter of John and Catherine (Knapp) Miller. Her father, John Miller, was a native of Switzerland where he was born October 29, 1829, and was eighteen years old when he came with his parents to the United States, the family locating and living in a log cabin near Archbold, Ohio. Her mother, Catherine, was born in 1829 in Bavaria, Germany, and came to America at the age of 15 with her parents, who also located near Archbold, Ohio.

Clarence Rice's grandparents were Henry and Eva (Weimer) Rice. Henry Rice was born in Bavaria, Germany, and Eva in Alsace. About 1869 Henry and Eva Rice came with their five sons and two daughters to Henry County where they improved a good farm and lived until his death at the age of 74. Eva passed away at the age of 82. They were active members of the German Reformed Church, Archbold.

Henry and Eva Rice's children were: Jacob, Daniel, Henry Jr., John, and Phillip; daughters were Mary and Elizabeth.

John Rice was born December, 1857, in Wayne County, Ohio, and came to Henry County when 12 years old and grew up on a farm.

Henry Rice was employed with the construction of the canal through Defiance and Henry County. Later he became a fireman on one of the early railroads, being promoted to the position of locomotive engineer. He was one of the pioneer railroad men of Ohio.

Clarence Rice was wed to Clara E. Leininger in 1904. Clara was the daughter of William and Catherine (Brodbeck) Leininger.

In 1908 Clarence and Clara Rice moved to Section 24, Ridgeville Township. This farm was known as the Strubble farm along the Ridge Road. Many Indian relics were found on this farm.

Many years later Clarence purchased this farm from his parents, and from time to time acquired adjoining land.

Their family consisted of 4 children: Grover, Frieda, Gladys, and Mabel. Mabel died at the age of 4 months.

Grover now resides on the home farm. He and his wife Dora (Helberg) Rice provided a home for many years for a niece, now Mrs. Orval (Evelyn Arps) Miller. Orval and Evelyn's children are Thomas E. Miller and Sharon Miller Bischoff. Thomas E. Miller's wife is Connie (Linthicum) Miller and they have one son Roger Miller. Sharon Miller Bischoff and husband Stephen have a daughter Amy Sue.

Grover Rice farmed with his father. In 1939 he took part time employment with the Ridgeville Mutual Telephone Company. In 1964 Grover took full time employment with the Ridgeville Telephone Company when the old type battery operated phone system was converted to automatic dial system.

Frieda Rice, after graduating from Ridgeville High School and International Business College, returned to Henry County and was employed in Napoleon, Ohio. In 1944 she was wed to Herold Bruns and they now reside on the Bruns' farm in Adams Township. Herold Bruns served in the U.S. Army from September, 1942, to March, 1946.

Gladys Rice, after graduating from Ridgeville High School, trained to be a public school teacher at Bowling Green State College. She taught school in the Ridgeville Corners area until her marriage to Henry Schult in 1936, also a resident of Ridgeville Corners. They made their home in Toledo a number of years then moved to Perrysburg, Ohio. Henry and Gladys have 4 sons: John Schult, Thomas Schult, David Schult, and Robert Schult.

Clarence Rice was a general farmer and raised livestock. He liked horses and trained colts for farming. The cows were milked by hand until 1925 when he purchased his first used milking machine run by a gasoline engine. (Did you ever try to start a gasoline engine on a very cold winter morning, and end up milking by hand and getting to school on time after a 2 mile walk and running part of the time.) Oh yes, we were normal children, complaining at times. Clarence also raised hogs, and Clara raised chickens. The eggs she had left at the end of the week were exchanged for groceries at Otte's Grocery on Saturday of each week.

Clarence Rice was progressive in that as new machinery and farming techniques became available he adjusted to these new operating procedures. His first tractor was a steel wheel Fordson, purchased in 1922 from S. C. Nofzinger, Archbold, for $495.00. In 1924 he purchased a grain binder from Vernier, McLaughlin Probeck & Co. for $250.00. In 1920 he purchased a gasoline engine and feed grinder for $90.50.

The left portion of the Strubble house is still part of Grover Rices' home.

Clarence Rice explaining to his grandsons, John and Tom Schult how a thrashing rig worked.

Clarence Rice explaining to his grandsons, John and Tom Schult how a thrashing rig worked.

His first auto was a Model T. Ford. The first winter he removed the battery from the car and placed it back of the living room door. He decided it best to use the horse and buggy during the winter months. When he picked up the battery in the spring to ready the Ford for trips to town, he noticed the battery had eaten a hole through Mother's rug. Clarence witnessed many changes during his life time. From clearing the land, hauling logs, building roads, from horses to autos, tractors, trucks, rail transportation, planes, and the greatest was watching T.V. during his later years, especially the moon space ships and rescues.

1st row: Dora Rice and Frieda Bruns; 2nd row: Clara and Clarence Rice; 3rd row: Herold Bruns, Gladys Schult, Harry Schult and Grover Rice.

The Rice family are Lutherans. Clara Rice died in 1969 and Clarence Rice died in 1975. They are buried in the St. Peter Lutheran Church Cemetery, Ridgeville Corners.

An interesting portion of the early Rice history, is that the family name was REISZ and changed to Rice when they settled in United States. One of the early ancestors was born in Paris, France, of Huguenots parentage. During the Saint Bartholomew Massacre August 2, 1572, they had to flee from France, leaving their wealth behind them. One member of the family had a Catholic sweetheart who gave away the secret to them. In order to have her lover, she disguised him and his brothers in ladies attire and thus they left France and went to Germany.

Another portion of our early history is as follows: In April, 1833, the Rice (Reisz) family left Germany and arrived in America, June, 1833. They came directly to Ohio by the way of New York, Albany, Buffalo, Cleveland, Massillion by water. Then to Tiffin, Ohio, by stage coach. Their party consisted of the Reisz's, Copplers, Red- foxes, and Staurns. They halted on the old College Hill. The men selected land in Seneca Township which was all a dense wilderness. The deed for the Rice (Reisz) farm was obtained from Andrew Jackson, then president of the United States.

The 80 acres cost $20.00. This was all the money left after reaching their destination. The first night was spent in the open air keeping a camp fire burning to keep the wolves away. The next day they commenced to build a hut with brush and bark. Later they built a log house with one room and a ground floor and a huge fireplace. For weeks they lived on wild game. Indian trails passed through their farm but they were never molested by any. Wolves were plentiful, so many, that on a certain occasion when children were playing with burning brush after dark a large pack of wolves attacked them. The boys started to run for home. A 5 year old boy carried a burning brush with him in running and it tended to keep the wolves at hay. The Henry Rice that I wrote about earlier was the 5 year old boy carrying the burning brush.

Submitted by Frieda Rice Bruns