William Ellis Schumaker Papers

Collection

Identifier: MS-1050

Staff Only

Collection Overview

Abstract

The papers of William Ellis Schumaker consist of of albums containing original documents, photographs, clippings, and artifacts associated with the Schumaker and related Fastnacht families.

Dates

Creation: 1846-1994

Extent

.33 Cubic Feet (1 letter manuscript box)

Creator

Schumaker, William Ellis (Person)

Scope and Contents

This collection of family material was assembled by William Ellis Schumaker into separate scrapbooks captioned in the first-person about each individual or family group as if they were narrating the events of their life.

The album related to his father Albert John Schumaker details a typical family from the point of immigration from Germany through the life of a firefighter from Toledo, Ohio. Elements of the narrative cover school years, having to start work as a delivery wagon driver at an early age due to the death of his father, John Schumaker, his job as a streetcar driver, and later his career with the Toledo Fire Department. Descriptions also include the economics of the depression, family life, and leisure activities.

The album devoted to his mother Adeline Anna Murray Schumaker follows a similar pattern, tracing her family from Sandy Creek, New York, through her relocation to Toledo, Ohio where she eventually married Albert John Schumaker. Contents of her narrative center more on raising her family, with interesting information on how she faced the challenges of wartime rationing with a large "Victory Garden" and raising chickens for eggs.

The related Fastnacht Family of Wood County, Ohio, associated with William E. Schumaker through his maternal grandparents, is followed through their original settlement in Erie, Sandusky, and finally Wood County, Ohio. The scrapbook, as all of them in the collection, contains original documents, photographs, clippings, and artifacts related to each person.

Biographical Sketch

William Ellis Schumaker, compiler of this family collection, was born in Toledo, Ohio on Sept. 18, 1934, the son of Adeline Anna Murray and Albert John Schumaker. His father, Albert, was also from Toledo, having been born on Nov. 7, 1898 to John Shoemaker, a local barber, and Emma Fastnacht. His mother, Adeline, was born on May 14, 1902 in Sandy Creek, NY, the daughter of Nellie McGrath and Ellis Murray.

Conditions Governing Access

No known access restrictions.

Conditions Governing Use

Researchers using this collection assume full responsibility for conforming to the laws of libel, privacy, and copyright, and are responsible for securing permissions necessary for publication or reproduction.

Language of Materials

Materials in English.

Additional Description

Immediate Source of Acquisition

The donation and transfer of these records to the Center for Archival Collections was completed on September 28, 2006, through the cooperation of donor William Schumaker.