The William S. Rudolph Family

William Sylvester Rudolph was the son of George Rudolph III and Catherine Ann Littler Rudolph, grandson of George Rudolph II and Christina Hotsenpiller Rudolph, great grandson of George Rudolph I of Wurtemburg, Germany. No records of George I's wife, who may have died in Germany, only that he came to America with 5 children prior to 1780.

On May 10, 1855, William Sylvester Rudolph was born in Hampshire County, West Virginia, and was baptized at Hebron Lutheran Church in June, 1857. As a young man he attended the Shenandoah Valley Academy in Virginia and later taught school and was a storekeeper. In 1879, when he was 24 years old, he came to Henry County, Ohio, and purchased 80 acres 31/2 miles southeast of McClure in Richfield Township where he built his home.

In August of 1883 he married Mary Elizabeth Kistner, and they had 11 children, 9 of whom survived. Libby, as she was known, was born on May 12, 1866, the daughter of Joseph E. Kistner and Elizabeth Kritzer. Following her formal education she attended the Select School in Henry County.

Although Will was raised a Lutheran and was of German descent, he could not speak the German language. Since the Lutheran churches in the McClure area were conducted in German, he got little meaning from attending. Realizing the value of a good Christian church life, he and several neighbors established and built the Bethany Christian Union Church located 1/2 mile from his home. Much of the lumber used to build this church came from his own woods. He and his wife became members and attended this church the remainder of their lives. (In recent years, the church merged with another congregation and the building was sold to a local farmer.)

Will worked hard over the years improving his land into a valuable farm. He enjoyed hunting and fishing and was a devoted family man. He also served as Justice of the Peace, and was a member of the Odd Fellows Lodge.

Will Rudolph was interested in good music and as his children grew, he instructed them well and they gathered together on Sunday afternoons to play instruments and sing. He also taught a community singing school in the school house. (His children attended the Ballmer and Westhope Schools.) That good music was a part of their lives as was later attested to when two of the sons, Cliff on harmonica and Verne on guitar and two neighbors, Leo and George Shepherd on banjo and violin formed a neighborhood band and were a featured part of the Community Institutes and social gatherings in the 1930's and 1940's.

William S. Rudolph died on July 31, 1931, and his wife, Mary Elizabeth Kistner Rudolph, died on August 3, 1932. Both are buried in Hockman Cemetery in McClure.

Their children who survived them are: Elijah Grover, Grace Catherine, Virginia Maudine, Harry Clifton, Joseph Elger, Elsie Elizabeth, Walter Verne, John Carlton and Bruce Dempster. Two children George William and Flossie Mae died in infancy and are buried in Beaver Creek Cemetery, also known as Pottertown Cemetery.

E. Grover Rudolph, born 1884, homesteaded 160 acres in Saskatchewan, Canada, near Gull Lake, acquiring additional quarter sections through the years. He married Ella Mae Mitchell of West Carrollton, Ohio, and they had two children, Mitchell and Robert and have nine grandchildren. Both Grover and E. Mae are dead, he in 1968, and she in 1960.

Grace C. Rudolph, 1888, still lives in the McClure area where she was born. She taught music for 15 years, then attended and graduated from the American College of Music in Toledo, Ohio. Along with her music, she has been active in the nursing field for many years. At 84, she still is serving as nurse-companion to people in the area. She is also active in the Christian Union Church in McClure as she has been all her life.

V. Maudine (Maud) Rudolph, 1889,) attended Defiance College and Bowling Green State University, taught school in Henry County for several years, then married Earl F. Bercot of Fort Wayne, Indiana, and they moved to Gull Lake, Saskatchewan, Canada, where they owned and operated a grain farm. They had 7 children: John, Bruce, Donald, (deceased) Paul, Ruth, Elizabeth (Betty) and Dean, and had 21 grandchildren. She died in 1960. She was a member of Knox United Church, Gull Lake.

H. Clifton Rudolph, 1893, homesteaded 160 acres in Saskatchewan, Canada, for 12 years, and returned to Toledo, Ohio, where he married Agnes Miller (McClure). They moved to the family farm and farmed it for 14 years, moving into McClure in 1950, where he served on the town council and was mayor for 10 years. He worked as a shears operator in Waterville until his retirement in 1963. He was a member of St. Paul's Lutheran Church, McClure where he was very active in all phases of church work including 30 years as a Sunday School teacher. They had 5 children: Beverly, Richard, Audrey, John, and Mary, two stepchildren, Shirley and Robert McClure, and 27 grandchildren. He died in 1966 and is buried at Hockman Cemetery.

Joseph E. Rudolph, 1897, married Mildred Overy of Richfield Township and they had 3 children, Glenda, William and Dean, and 7 grandchildren. They lived near Weston for several years, farmed for a time in lower Michigan and now live in Traverse City, Michgan. Mildred Rudolph died in 1957. In April, 1961, he married Helen Booth Moore who died Jan., 1966. He married Lenore Brown O'Hara in February, 1973. He works in a bicycle repair shop in Traverse City.

Elsie E. Rudolph, born in 1899, married Emerson Davis of Wood County and they had 3 children, Keith, deceased in infancy, Raymond, deceased 1965, and Patricia and 5 grandchildren. They farmed in Henry and Fulton Counties and now reside in rural Fulton County northeast of Liberty Center. They are members of Bethany Christian Union Church where they taught Sunday School and served in many capacities.

W. Verne Rudolph, born 1902, married Claribel M. Ballmer of Richfield Township and had one child, Eunice. They lived their entire married life on their farm, V4 mile from his father's farm. He was a director of a young peoples' band, member of the McClure School Board, and a very active member of the Bethany C. U. Church where he was an Elder, Sunday School superintendent, teacher, chorister and trustee. He was active in sports being on a baseball team called the Bethany Sodbusters. Claribel Rudolph died in 1951 and he married Mabel Pittman (Adams) in 1954. She died in 1967 and Verne died in 1969. He and his first wife are buried in Hockman Cemetery at McClure.

John C. Rudolph, born 1903, married Mabel Thurston of Henry County and they had 3 children, Jean, Nelda, and Merritt. John C. Rudolph graduated from Bowling Green State University with a B.S. in education, then received his M.A. from Ohio State. He taught for many years, served as superintendent at Westhope School, Holgate High School, has been supervisor at Monclova in Lucas County and Anthony Wayne and has served as Superintendent of Schools in Henry County for several years. He was always active in sports, having served as a pitcher for several years on the Sodbuster's baseball team. They now live at Greeley, Colorado, and have 9 grandchildren. They are members of the United Methodist Church.

Bruce D. Rudolph, born 1905, attended college at Bowling Green State University where he graduated with a Master's degree in education. He married Florence Reams of Wood County and they had one child, Florine and 2 grandchildren. He taught school for 34 years in Henry, Lucas, and Wood counties, becoming principal at Otsego High School. He was an active member of the Calvary E.U.B. Church in Tontogany. He was also very active in sports and played baseball with his brothers John and Verne on the Sod- buster's team. He died in 1974 at Ton togany, Ohio, where they made their home.

The 80 acres which was bought by William S. Rudolph in 1879, was sold in the 1940's to Burl Dull of Richfield Township.

Descendents of William S. and Mary E. Rudolph presently living in Henry County are a daughter, Grace Rudolph, and a daughter-in-law, Mrs. Clifton (Agnes) Rudolph, both of McClure.

Grandchildren of William S. Rudolph: Eunice Rudolph, born 1926, daughter of Verne Rudolph, graduated from McClure High School, and the Moody Bible Institute in Chicago. She lives on her family farm near McClure and is a faithful member of McClure Christian Union Church; Beverly Ann (Rudolph) Overmier, born 1930, daughter of Clifton Rudolph, graduated from Liberty Center High School in 1948, married Milton L. Overmier of Liberty Center in 1950 and had 4 children. They farm 500 acres in Liberty Township, Henry County and are members of St. Paul Lutheran Church, Liberty Center; Richard Neil Rudolph, born 1932, son of Clifton Rudolph, graduated from Liberty Center High School in 1950, served in the U.S. Air Force, married Carole Glass of Napoleon in 1953 and have one daughter. He has been in police work 21 years. The past 5 years he has served as Chief of Police at Napoleon, Ohio. They are members of St. Paul Lutheran Church, McClure; John Clifton Rudolph, born 1936, son of Clifton Rudolph, graduated from McClure High School in

1954, was a paratrooper in the U.S. Army, married Agnete Frederiksen of Copenhagen, Denmark in 1960 and have 4 children. He is manager of the Hoffman Produce in McClure. They are members of St. Paul Lutheran Church, McClure.

Great grandchildren of William S. Rudolph: Mary Lou (Rudolph) Bowers, born 1944, daughter of William Rudolph, granddaughter of Joseph Rudolph, graduated from Bowling Green High School in 1962, married Terry Bowers of Liberty Center, Ohio, and had 2 children. Her hobbies include gardening, house plants and collecting antiques. They are members of the United Methodist Church of Liberty Center; Thomas Milton Overmier, born 1951, son of Beverly (Rudolph) Overmier, grandson of Clifton Rudolph, graduated from Liberty Center High School in 1969, from Ohio State University in 1973 with a degree in landscape horticulture. He is a second lieutenant in the U.S. Army Reserves, and he is presently employed with Delventhal Landscaping near Waterville. He married Cindy L. Kessler of Liberty Center in 1971 and they have 2 daughters. He is a member of St. Paul Lutheran Church in Liberty Center; Christine Ann Overmier, born 1955, daughter of Beverly (Rudolph) Overmier, granddaughter of Clifton Rudolph, graduated from Liberty Center High School in 1973 and is a legal secretary with the law firm of Hoeffel, Funkhouser and Short in Napoleon, Ohio. She is a Sunday School teacher and pianist at St. Paul Lutheran Church in Liberty Center where she is a member; John Brent Overmier, born 1962, and Dawn Lynette Overmier, born 1966, children of Beverly (Rudolph) Overmier, grandchildren of Clifton Rudolph, are students in the Liberty Center School; Tonny Carl Rudolph, 1959, Lucia Lynn Rudolph, 1962, Katrina Marie Rudolph, 1963, and Asta Louise Rudolph, 1968, children of John C. Rudolph, grandchildren of Clifton Rudolph, are students in the Napoleon and McClure Schools.

Lisa Carole Rudolph, 1965, daughter of Richard N. Rudolph, granddaughter of Clifton Rudolph, is a student in Napoleon School.

Great great grandchildren of William S. Rudolph: LuAnn Bowers, 1963, and Tim Bowers, 1966, children of Mary Lou (Rudolph) Bowers are students in Liberty Center School.

Jennifer Lynn Overmier, 1971, and Carrie Ann Overmier, 1974, daughters of Thomas Overmier.

Submitted by Beverly Overmier