By: Mark Holtsberry
Carl Luther Olson was a Paulding County soldier whose grave was unmarked for 90 years. Carl Luther Olson was born April 10, 1895 in Ohio. The son of Jacob, born July 8, 1861 in Sweden and Emma Jeanette (Murphy) Olson, born October 20, 1868 in Ohio. Jacob and Emma were married December 4, 1883 in Paulding, Ohio.
In 1884, a daughter, Addie, was born. Followed by a son, Jesse, born 1886, he passed away in 1887. Followed by daughters, Leora 1888, Neltha 1890, Ruby Pearl 1891, who passed away in 1896. Flora 1894, Carl 1895, Philip 1898, and Emma J. 1900.
By 1900, the Olson family was living in Paulding. Jacob was a farm laborer. The last child, a girl, Ellen Lulu, was born June 20, 1902. Carl’s mother, Emma passed away, October 12, 1904. She was buried in Live Oak Cemetery, Paulding, with her two children. By 1910, the Olson family was living in Jackson Township. All the children were living at home.
Addie had married a fella named Emmett J, Allsbaugh and had a son Edward E. who was born in 1908, they too, were living within the Olson household.
With war looming in Europe, on June 4, 1917, in Crane Township, Carl came home and registered for the draft. Carl was working in Detroit, Michigan as a farmer for the Straus Land Company. He was listed as 6’1″, slender build, brown hair, and blue eyes. Carl signed up with the National Army out of Paulding, March 19, 1918. Given the rank of Private, Carl was sent to Kelly Field, Texas to serve with the Air Service. He stayed there until August 7, 1918 then was sent to Camp Wise, Texas. Carl served until February 10, 1919, where he was Honorably Discharged.
My bet is that Carl was a good machine repair man. To send him to be of service at an air base tells me something.
Carl’s brother in law, Emmett J. Allsbaugh also registered for the draft, but was not taken to serve. After Carl came home to Paulding, by 1920, Carl was a mechanic, working for himself. Carl started seeing a girl, Ruby Klinger. Born April 21, 1901 in Grover Hill. The daughter of Bertzell and Ethel Veda (Rolla) Klinger. Ruby was a school teacher in Blue Creek Township. Could she have been teaching in Haviland School system?
Carl and Ruby was married, June 10, 1924 in Mansfield, Richland County, Ohio. Carl’s father, Jacob, passed away, November 23,1924 in the Lutheran Hospital, Ft. Wayne due to stomach cancer. He was buried along side his wife and two children. Moving back to the Van Wert County area within the same year, the Olson’s, Carl and Ruby, arriving at the Van Wert Hospital, welcomed a daughter, Patricia Joan Olson December 3, 1924. Carl and his brother Philip, had started a Taxi business together. Philip ended up moving to Ft. Wayne and starting up his own business. Carl started Olson Taxi Company, East Main Street, Van Wert.
In January of 1928, at the Van Wert Hospital, Carl had an operation for appendicitis, a week later he caught pneumonia. He lingered for about a week, where on February 5, 1928, Carl passed away. His body was removed from the hospital to Paulding to the Crowell Funeral Home where services were held Tuesday February 9, 1928 at 2:00. Carl was buried in Live Oak Cemetery.
In my World War I research for my book, I discovered Carl had no stone marking his grave. Well, forms filled, phone calls to Veterans Administration made, stone came in, footer dug, concrete poured, (in the drizzle rain), Carl’s grave marked with an upright military stone!
Carl’s wife, Ruby, remarried November 28, 1942, she passed away, December 27, 1985. Carl’s daughter Patricia married in August 29, 1949 and passed away, July 2, 2002.
…Until Next Time!
