Ferdinand J. Bindeman

Ferd Bindeman was born in Adams Township, Defiance County, Ohio, in 1878. He was the son of George and Christine (Schwiebert) Bindeman and had two brothers, Ernest and George. In later years after Ferd's father died, his mother married Henry Meyer of Gerald, Ohio.

In 1906, Ferd married Emilie Meyer, daughter of Fred and Marie (Scheele) Meyer, and they were the parents of five children - Edwin, who married Lorna Meyer, daughter of August Meyer, Hamler; Caroline, who married Paul Meyer, son of Herman H. Meyer, Hamler; Eldor, who married Loretta Meyer, a sister of Lorna; Christine, who married Henry Wiemken, son of Henry Wiemken, Defiance County; and Regina (now deceased), who married Arthur Rohrs, son of Carl Rohrs, Liberty Township.

Ferd began his hardware store and saloon in the early 1900's. The store was located in Gerald, Ohio, on the south side of the road opposite the blacksmith shop. A few years later, Ferd enlarged the hardware store. Many political meetings and dances were held in the upstairs meeting room. Early meetings of the Gerald Elevator were conducted there, all in German.

When Prohibition came along, Ferd closed the saloon and expanded the hardware and farm machinery business, also opening a grocery store and going into the produce and poultry business. He would buy apples and peaches by the truckload in the Port Clinton, Ohio area and would have potatoes shipped by rail from Michigan. After Ferd would purchase an entire carload of bulk potatoes, people from the Gerald and Napoleon area would come to buy their winter supply. He bought poultry and eggs from the area farmers. He would dress the poultry and then take it to Toledo, selling it to wholesale distributors and retail merchants. This business was conducted in Gerald from a building on the north side of the road.

In 1920, a tornado touched down, tearing the front end off this frame building on the north side of the road.

Patrons of Bindeman's Store

The building was then demolished and a new concrete block building was constructed on this site. All the blocks for this building were made in a hand press by Edwin Bindeman. The new building housed the farm machinery business, operated by Ferd with the help of his sons, Edwin and Eldor. In 1927, Edwin took over the farm machinery business which he then operated for many years. Ed also served in World War II. Eldor was in partnership with Ed during 1934-35, after which he sold his interest back to Ed and went to Napoleon for employment.

Ferd also promoted the Schutzenfest, a gala affair attended by young and old, by setting up a tent outdoors for dancing and eating. For one Schutzenfest, Ferd purchased $1200.00 worth of beer from the Tietjens Brewery in Napoleon. Draft (at 5 cents a glass) and bottled beer were sold, and whiskey was dispensed from 50 gallon barrels.

Fred Bindeman is on the right and his brother George as they tended the bar.

Ferd put much effort in forming the Gerald Light and Power Company for the purpose of bringing electricity to the Gerald area. On January 27, 1923, the Gerald Light and Power Company, with Herman Gebers as president and Ferd Bindeman as secretary-treasurer, started the construction of power lines. In later years Ferd and his sons, Edwin and Eldor, constructed additional power lines and also wired most of the homes and farm buildings in the Gerald area. The Gerald Light and Power Company purchased their power from the Toledo Edison Company, Defiance, Ohio.

Ferd Bindeman was an avid baseball fan and fisherman. For many years he sponsored the Gerald Baseball Team, on which his sons Ed and Eldor played. When the baseball field was converted to other use, he bought four acres of land and constructed a ball diamond which he then let the Gerald Baseball Team use free of charge. Ferd also served as Justice of the Peace for many years. The Bindeman Store, which served as a gathering place in the evenings, where area farmers could visit and have a friendly game of cards, was closed in June of 1957. Ferd Bindeman died in November of 1957 and his wife Emilie passed away in 1962.

Submitted by Ed and Eldor Bindeman and Marlene Patterson