Military History in Paulding County
Otha Olaf Rumbaugh was born May 24, 1894, in Carryall Township. He was the son of Civil War veteran James Tallman Rumbaugh Jr., born June 6, 1842, in Ohio, who served with Company A, 132nd Ohio Volunteer Infantry, and Nancy D. (Foster) Rumbaugh, born May 20, 1851, in Paulding County, Ohio. James and Nancy were married in 1869. James was a young farmer in Carryall Township.
On May 6, 1870, the couple welcomed their first child, Lona Delia Rumbaugh. By 1880, the family had grown with the addition of son Avery A. Rumbaugh, born September 9, 1872 (died August 28, 1892, buried in Diehl Cemetery, Woodburn, Indiana), daughter Lula Mina (1874), and daughter Cora Burchard (born January 11, 1877). James continued farming in Carryall Township.
By 1890, more children had joined the family: John Henry (born July 9, 1881), Ora Maywood (1883), Harry Gillman (born December 28, 1885), and Wilbur Ray (born June 30, 1886; died August 12, 1898, buried in Diehl Cemetery, Woodburn, Indiana).
In the 1890s the family grew further with Edna Mae (born March 9, 1891), Otha Olaf (born May 24, 1894), and Ressie P. (born August 1897). James and the children who remained at home worked together on the farm.
By 1910, only four children were still living at home. Otha had quit school to help his father on the farm. On June 20, 1916, he enlisted in Company E, 2nd Ohio National Guard out of Hicksville. He was promoted to Corporal on October 19, 1916.
Tragedy struck on November 14, 1916, when Otha’s brother Harry was severely injured at the Grant Motor Car Corporation when an emery wheel exploded and struck him in the head. He suffered a concussion and died November 16, 1916, leaving behind a wife and infant son. He was buried in Maumee Cemetery.
Otha was promoted to Sergeant on October 8, 1917, and served in the Mexican Border War. On November 20, 1917, his unit was consolidated into Company K, 145th U.S. Infantry, 37th Division. At that time, his rank was reduced to Private.
On December 29, 1917, Otha married Mildred Hanson in Allen County, Indiana. She was born September 26, 1898, in Fort Wayne. Otha was promoted to Private First Class on June 10, 1918. On June 28, 1918, he departed Brooklyn, New York, aboard the ship Mentor bound for France.
Otha was promoted to Corporal on December 11, 1918. He saw action in the Ypres-Lys and Meuse-Argonne defensive sectors. He served overseas until March 27, 1919, and was honorably discharged April 17, 1919.
By 1920, Otha and Mildred were living in Fort Wayne on Cass Street with Mildred’s sister Loretta and brother-in-law Carl W. Rippie. Mildred later became a minister, while Otha worked for the Insurance Wire Works.
By 1923, they lived at 1911 Spy Run Avenue in Fort Wayne, where Otha was employed as a carpenter for Gill Martin Brothers. In 1925, he was working for the Dulle Company when he fell ill and was taken to the Fort Wayne Hospital, where he passed away on April 10, 1925. He was buried in Diehl Cemetery, Woodburn, Indiana.
In September 1963, Otha was finally awarded his military tombstone. The stone was delivered to his sister, Ressie Smith, in Antwerp. Her husband was also a World War I veteran. Otha and Mildred never had children.
… Until Next Time!
