The Milton Sigg Family

Milton Sigg and Arvada M. Leininger were married on June 20, 1923.

I was the oldest of seven children, and we were six brothers and one sister. Two brothers, Ray and Wilmer, died in 1973.

My parents William H. Sigg and Lydia Burkholder were married in

December, 1894, and started housekeeping in a humble log cabin in Ridgeville Township, Henry County. They lived there until 1889, when they moved two miles north and one half miles west of Ridgeville Corners, Ohio.

I was born in this above mentioned log cabin on December 9, 1898. My wife was an only child, and was born in Delta, Ohio in 1901.

My grandparents on both sides were from German-Swiss parentage. My great-grandparents came from Switzerland years ago.

My wife's grandparents came from Alsace-Lorraine, in Europe.

My wife and I grew up on our folk's farms. We went to country schools where they used pot bellied stoves and had all outside plumbing.

I graduated from country school and was in the Class of 1910, Ridgeville Township, and my wife in the class of 1916 in German Township, Fulton County.

My wife and I grew up in the good old days when we used a horse and buggy, instead of a Mustang or a Chevrolet Corvette.

We were married on June 20, 1923. Then we used a borrowed Model T Ford and went on our honeymoon to Niagara Falls, New York, without a spare tire.

We rented the F. A. Geesey farm one half mile west of Ridgeville Corners and two miles north and lived there from March, 1924, to March, 1944.

We raised two sons, Wilbur L. and Donald E. We have four grown up grandsons and 1 granddaughter.

Mr. and Mrs. Milton Sigg

When my brothers and I were young boys at home, my parents kept us busy with chores and hoeing weeds to keep us out of mischief.

My father had the three oldest of us boys plant a patch of white popcorn, and we had ten pounds of shelled pop corn. We sold the corn to Mr. and Mrs. Albert Ruffer who lived one mile west of us.

We got 40 cents, or 4 cents a pound, in all. My dad got 10 cents and my brothers, Emery, Owen and I each had 10 cents for our summer's work. We felt real good about it.

In 1943 we bought a 73 acre farm at the south side of Napoleon fairgrounds, across from the city limits. We moved there on March 3, 1944. Ralph Zimmerman and his men built a processing plant and ear corn storage for us.

We have been raising wheat, soybeans and popcorn. Farmers also raise popcorn for us on contract.

We have shelling and cleaning equipment and have a steady demand for popcorn and supplies.

We sell to schools, fruit markets, concession people, and distributors all over the country.

On June 20, 1975, we had our 52nd wedding anniversary. We have met so many nice people all over the country, in dealing with farmers, customers and suppliers.

Submitted by Milton Sigg