The Raymond Shiarla Family

The Raymond Shiarla Farm, located in Monroe Township, Henry County, Ohio, now containing 60 acres, was originally 80 acres and described on the old deeds as follows: "The East Half of the Southwest quarter of Section Seventeen (17), Township Four (4) North Range Seven (7) East, containing 80 acres of land. The oldest deed in the family possession from "The Governor of the State of Ohio," dated December 29, 1852, begins as follows: "In consideration of $50.00 paid by Michael Hill to H. Davison, Receiver of the Ohio Lands at Defiance for the purchase of the Tract of Land herein described, lying and being in the County of Henry, Ohio, and granted to Congress to said State to aid in the construction of the canals authorized by law, which said Tract of Land has been fully paid for, agreeably to the returns of the Register and Receiver of said District, made to this office." It was signed by the Governor, R. Wood.

A later deed, dated April 5, 1862, transfers the same 80 acres from Charles Grabill of Mansfield, Richland County, Ohio, to George Schnider of Henry County, Ohio, in consideration of $1200.00. On April 12, 1965, the land was deeded from George Sniderto Lewis Schierla, in consideration of $1500.00. It is interesting to note how the spellings of the names change as time goes on. On March 21, 1908, Ludwig Scheuerle (above Lewis Schierla) deeded the land to his wife, Elisabetha Scheuerle, consideration $1.00. On July 15, 1914, Elisabetha Scheuerle sold George David Shiarla (her son) 30 acres, being the south section of the now remaining 60 acres, and also sold Jacob Shiarla (her son) 30 acres, being the north section of said 60 acres. After the deaths of George David Shiarla and Jacob Shiarla, the land was deeded to Gertrude Shiarla (wife of George David Shiarla). After her death the same 60-acre tract of land was deeded to Raymond Shiarla, who now resides on the farm, it having now been in the Shiarla family for 109 years.

Raymond Shiarla is the grandson of Ludwig Scheuerle and Elisabetha Rettig Scheuerle. They were the parents of seven children as follows: Jacob, who remained unmarried; Peter, who married Ella Garhart; their children were Walter, Carl, Emma and Allen; John, who married Mary Genuit; their children were Lewis and David; Marin (known as Mary) who married Lewis Hoffman; their children were Nora, Harvey, James and John; Neti, who married Reuben Rettig; their children were Della and twins, Nora and Callie; Adam, who married Amelia Miller; their children were Elsie, Marie and Edward; and George David, who married Gertrude Huber; their children were David, deceased at birth, and Raymond.

Raymond, above-mentioned son of George David and Gertrude Shiarla, still resides on the Shiarla homestead. He married Helen Baughman, and they are parents of two sons, Tim and Hal. Tim married Bertha Rettig; they have two sons, Matthew and Mark. Hal married Janey Miller and they have two daughters, Jennifer and Laura. Raymond Shiarla is employed at C. F. Rausch & Sons, Inc., Napoleon, Ohio, and is a roofer. He is a member of St. John's United Church of Christ, rural Holgate, and is a past elder of this church. He is a member of the Wm. F. Helmke American Legion Post 340, Holgate, Ohio. He served nearly five years in the U.S. Army during World War II and spent most of this time as an instructor at Camp Wolters, Texas.

Submitted by Mrs. Raymond Shiarla