Leo Andrew and Emma Cecelia (Stine) Werling

Leo Andrew Werling was born in Seneca County, Ohio, on January 31, 1879. Born and raised in Seneca County, he is the third youngest of Martin Nicholas Werling and Sarah Ann Lonsway's twelve children.

Emma Cecelia Stine was born in the Rising Sun, Wood County, Ohio, on November 4, 1868. She was the seventh of John and Elizabeth (Krauft) Stine's ten children.

While working as a farmhand for Emma's brother, William, Leo got to know Emma. On Tuesday, February 17, 1903, Leo and Emma tied the knot at St. Joseph's Church in Tiffin, Ohio. Together, they reared three boys and one daughter — Vincent Ignatious, James Louis, Cletice Leona, and Martin Leo. Leo cultivated his own acreage near Hopewell. 

Leo was employed during the Great Depression as a night watchman at the Great Western Pottery Company. Leo died on October 22, 1959, in Tiffin, Ohio, at the age of 80, and interned at St. Joseph’s Cemetery. Emma died of a cerebral hemorrhage on November 28, 1944 and buried alongside Leo.

Louis Broussard dit Langevin (Lonsway)

Louis Lonsway was the youngest son of Jean Baptiste Broussard dit Langevin and Marie Thérèse Durand dit Chartier.

In 1844, Louis followed his older brothers, Joseph and Peter, in leaving his childhood home in Trois Rivieres, Quebec, Canada and settling in Ohio, becoming a pioneer of Seneca County. The three brothers worked together in obtaining a timber contract in building and maintaining the railroad for the Mad River and Lake Erie Railroad. In 1846, the first train traveled from Sandusky to Kenton. After their eight-year contract ended, Louis moved to Wyandot County for a while then settled on a homestead in Hopewell Township where he lived his remaining days farming. The 1874 land owners map for Hopewell Township lists Louis as a farmer and school director.

Louis married Victoria Cecelia Julien on 2 Feb 1847 at the St. Mary’s Catholic Church (Tiffin, Seneca, Ohio). Victoria is the daughter of John and Eva [Miller] Julien. Together Louis and Victoria raised nine children (5 boys, 4 girls) - Elenora, Frances, Sarah, Sylvester Bertram, Lewis Vincent, Mary Sophronia, Adolph, John Roman, and Albert.

At the age of 70 years old, Louis died of a stroke on March 8, 1893. Victoria died of heart disease on December 14, 1896 at the age of 67. Victoria’s obituary states that she was the first white baby born in Seneca County.

Interesting family fact: Louis' older brother, Joseph Narcisse, married Sarah Ann Julien, who was the older sister of Victoria. The Lonsway brothers had married Julien sisters.

Ida Barbara Haefling

On October 6, 1875, Ida Barbara Haefling was born into the family of Adam and Agnes Barbara [Kuhn] Haefling. Out of her eight siblings, she was the youngest. Ida was born and raised in Tiffin, Seneca County, Ohio. Agnes, Ida's mother, was born in the Bas-Rhin region of France in 1830. Adam, her father, was born in January 10, 1823, in Bavaria. Before relocating to Tiffin in 1839, they initially made their home in Pennsylvania. Adam was a prosperous miner during the California gold rush, according to her father's obituary. He possessed 160 acres in the township of Hopewell.

As an adult, Ida lived with her brothers, Francis "Frank" and Jacob Alphorus, and handled domestic chores. In addition to farming, Frank worked as a machinist for Hanson Clutch & Machine Co., a company that manufactured excavators, and Jacob was a butcher. Despite never getting married, the three siblings played a crucial role in raising their nieces and nephews.

After their oldest sister Clara [Haefling] Lonsway passed away, Ida and her brothers took in Everett and Louis Lonsway, their nephews, into their home. Sylvester Bertram Lonsway, their brother-in-law, remarried and relocated to Colorado in the interim.

Ruth and Marian Lonsway, their adolescent grand-nieces, were welcomed into their house following the passing of their parents, Louis Lonsway and his wife Lowessa.

Martin Nicholas Werling

Nicholas and Susan [Mendels] Werling welcomed their baby boy Martin Nicholas Werling into the world on September 28, 1832. When he was five years old, the family relocated to Seneca County from Bethel, Stark County, Ohio, where he was born. In 1831, Martin’s parents and two older brothers emigrated from Belgium.  He was the first American-born sibling. 

Martin and an older brother decided to join their neighbors, the Reinhard brothers, and try their luck at seeking gold after learning about the California Gold Rush. "Seneca County, Ohio History and Families" states that the four men first went to New York, then circumnavigated the tip of South America by sailboat, and finally set up camp at Hangtown (Placerville), California. They stated that chickens were selling for $50 and eggs for $5 a dozen. Only bartenders with a lot of skill were hired since the cost of a drink at a bar was a pinch of gold dust from the prospector's poke. After four years, they walked over the Panamanian isthmus to the Atlantic side, where they boarded a ferry to New York and then Ohio, and returned home in January 1856. "Martin possessed 173 acres at the time of the book and had the resources to start a life in the California mines," according to the "History of Seneca County, Ohio" (1886). 

On September 10, 1861, Martin wed Mary Ann Lonsway in Seneca County, Ohio. Joseph and Sarah Ann [Julien] Lonsway welcomed Mary into the world on May 14, 1843, in Seneca County. Amelia, Joseph Anthony, Sarah Ann, Emma Elizabeth, Rose Ann, Susan K., Lewis Sylvester, Leander Martin, George Edward, Leo Andrew, and Mary M. were the eleven children raised by Martin and Mary Ann. The 1874 land owners map lists Martin as a farmer as well as a grain and stock raiser.

His father, Nicholas, moved in with his son, Martin, after his mother passed away in the 1873. Nicholas lived there until his death in 1881. Martin and Mary Ann Werling are interred at the cemetery of St. Joseph Catholic Church in Tiffin, Ohio, where the Werling's were members. 

Marian Elizabeth (Lonsway) Werling

Marian Elizabeth Lonsway was the youngest of two daughters born to Louis Earl Lonsway and Sarah Lowessa Myler. When Marian was 5 years old, her mother, Lowessa, died at the young age of 26 due to neuralgia of the heart. Shortly after her mother’s death, her father, Louis, died from tuberculosis at 32 years old. Orphaned at nine years old, Marian and her older sister, Ruth Lillian, were raised in Evansville, Vanderburgh County, Indiana, by their maternal grandparents. In 1920, Ruth moved to Tiffin, Seneca County, Ohio, and stayed with her paternal Grand Aunt Ida Haefling, where she finished her senior year at Columbian High School. Her sister, Marian, soon followed her sister.
 
Leo and Emma [Stine] Werling lived next to Aunt Ida. Their oldest son, Vincent Ignatious Werling, soon began dating the girl next door. Vincent and Marian were married on January 21, 1924 by the circuit court in Monroe, Monroe County, Michigan. The couple made their first home in Kokomo, Howard County, Indiana. Their son, Richard Victor, was born on August 10, 1924, and  their son, Vincent Leo, was born on December 5, 1925.  The family stayed in Kokomo until 1934, when the family moved back to Tiffin to raise their sons near their family.

Vincent Leo Werling

On December 5, 1925, Vincent Leo "Vince" Werling was born in Kokomo, Howard County, Indiana. His mother, Marian, was 20 years old, and his father, Vincent, was 22. His parents returned to Tiffin, Seneca County, Ohio, when he was nine.

Following in the footsteps of his older brother Richard, Vince played football for Calvert High School. He wore his brother's number, #15, on his jersey.  Vince enlisted in the military after high school and served as a Corporal in the US Marines. During World War II, he was stationed in Guam and was honorably discharged. Vince learned the linoleum trade through the GI Bill and became a skilled craftsman at his work. Those that worked with Vince said his ability to do inlaid work was exceptional.

At a Bellevue football game, Vince and Marie first met. During the war, they became pen friends, and after Vince returned to the United States, they were soon engaged. On May 8, 1948, in Sandusky, Erie County, Ohio, he wed Marie Therese Freitas [1927-2023]. Marie was born on July 16, 1927, in Sandusky, Erie County, Ohio. Vince and Marie relocated to Columbus, Franklin County, Ohio, where they raised their four children (Kathleen, Michael, MaryBeth and David) in Columbus, Franklin, Ohio. 

At church he became known as the ‘Mr. Lifesaver Man’ because he always passed out lifesavers to the children at his church. He would always remind them of how Jesus is our lifesaver. Vince was a laid-back individual who always kept his word. Vince (known as “Vinnie” to Marie) was well known for his “Vinnie Burgers” – many a late night snack to family and friends.

Vince passed away at the age of 66 on March 19, 1992, in Columbus, Franklin County, Ohio. He was buried in Sunset Cemetery (Galloway, Ohio). On April 10, 2023, Marie passed away and was laid to rest in Sunset Cemetery with her spouse. 

Richard Victor Werling

When Richard Victor Werling was born on August 10, 1924, in Kokomo, Howard County, Indiana, his father, Vincent, was 20 and his mother, Marian, was 18. He was the oldest of two boys raised in this family. In the mid 1930s, his family moved to his parent’s hometown of Tiffin, Seneca County, Ohio. In 1942, Richard received his diploma from Calvert High School. He was a great athlete who played guard for the #32 basketball team. In addition to being the football team's quarterback (#15), he served as co-captain in his last season.

On his eighteenth birthday, Richard enlisted in the US Marines. During World War II, he served in the  Marine Division as a Platoon Sergeant with Company B, 25th Regiment.  Richard received two Purple Heart awards. He saw action in the Battle of Kwajalein (where he was  struck by shrapnel in his thigh), Saipan-Tinian, and Iwo-Jima (where he led troops under intense fire and sustained an abdominal wound while carrying a wounded soldier). Richard received a Letter of Commendation from his commanding general along with a telegram from Vice President Harry Truman for his actions in Iwo-Jima. After World War II, Richard remained in the Marine Corp Reserves and was called back during the Korean War and stationed in Quantico, Virginia. The war ended before he saw action. Richard resigned from the US Marines in 1952 with a rank of First Lieutenant.

After the war, Richard married Helen Louise Gregg on Thanksgiving Day, November 28, 1946. Helen was born on May 26, 1925, in Tiffin to Maxwell and Gladys [Osterwalter] Gregg. Maxwell, Helen's father, passed away when she was twelve. When Helen was seventeen, her mother wed James Werba. Helen attended Columbian High School (Tiffin) and graduated in 1943. Richard and Helen raised three children (Gregg, Christopher and Richard II). In the 1960s, he contributed to the construction of more than 500 Burger Chef restaurants across the US. In the middle of the 1970s, he was a general contractor in Carmel, Indiana and then moved to Florida in 1977 and worked for Clarence Crobaugh & Associates. Richard owned his own construction business, House Masters, Inc., in Florida while working as a general contractor. Richard was an avid sports fan and often played golf. He and Helen were prolific bridge players and known to stay up all night playing cards with Richard's Aunt Ruth and her husband, Lou. 

Richard died on July 18, 1983, in Treasure Island, Pinellas, Florida, at the age of 58. Helen died on July 30, 2014, in Seminole, Pinellas, Florida at the age of 89.

Ruth Lillian (Lonsway) Bowser

When Ruth Lillian Lonsway was born on January 2, 1904, in Tiffin, Seneca County, Ohio, her father, Louis, was 21, and her mother, Sarah, was 19.  Ruth was the oldest of two daughters.

Ruth was raised by her maternal grandparents in Evansville, Indiana, after becoming an orphan at the age of eleven. She later returned to Tiffin and stayed with her great-grand aunt, Ida Haefling. She completed high school graduating from Columbian High School in 1921.

Ruth was a teacher at the Junior Order United American Mechanics National Home (Tiffin).  “Jr. O.U.A.M.” is a fraternal order that originally began as a youth affiliation of the Order of United American Mechanics. Originally, an anti-Catholic, nativist group, the home was an orphanage for children of deceased members.

She married her high school sweetheart, Myron Egbert "Mike" Mann on May 29, 1926, in Seneca, Ohio. Mike graduated from Heidelberg College (Tiffin) and worked as a clerk for Ohio Bell. He died of influenza on February 1, 1928 at 24. Shortly after her husband’s death, Ruth moved to Cleveland and worked as a teacher at the Rosedale and Broadway Schools. Ruth's teaching abilities carried over outside of the classroom, as she frequently corrected the grammar on her little nieces and nephews thank-you notes then returned them. 

Ruth met and married Louis Frederick Bowser on April 18, 1936, in Chicago, Illinois and then settled in Glen Ellyn, DuPage County, Illinois. He was a member of one of Lafayette Indiana's best known families. Louis graduated from Purdue University (Alpha Tau Omega fraternity). He was a Director and co-founder of Wallfill Company of Chicago, Illinois. Nieces and nephews remember being forced to listen to Uncle Lou’s recordings of bird sounds and rolling their eyes at every vinyl record that was taken from the shelf. 

Louis died on December 12, 1976 at the age of 85. Ruth died on February 19, 1992, in Glen Ellyn, Illinois, at the age of 88.

Vincent Ignatious Werling

Vincent Ignatius Werling was the oldest of four siblings to Leo and Emma [Stine] Werling. Leo met Emma while working as a farmhand to Emma’s brother, William. Leo and Emma married February 17, 1903, in St. Joseph’s Church in Tiffin, Ohio.

Vincent and his siblings, James Louis (1905-1921), Cletice Lenora (1907-1980), and Martin Leo (1914-1955), all grew up in Tiffin.  His brother, James, died from typhoid fever at the age of 16 years old.

While living in Kokomo, Vincent worked as a foreman at the Kokomo branch of the Standard Sanitary Mfg., a company that manufactured porcelain bathtubs, toilets, and sinks. In 1934, Vincent, Marian, and their two sons moved back to  Tiffin, where he transitioned to the Standard Sanitary Manufacturing Co., as a caster.

In October 1938, Vincent and Marian tried their hand as restaurant owners and took possession of the Hubach's restaurant business in Fremont, Sandusky County, Ohio. They sold the business in June 1939 and returned to Tiffin, where Vincent returned to work at the American Radiator and Standard Sanitary Manufacturing Co. 

Vincent worked at the Railway Express Company which was the UPS or FedEx of its day until his death on August 16, 1948. He died from pneumonia at the age of 44 years old.