In 1900, Joseph A. Biedenbach lived with his parents and worked on the farm.
On 12 Sep 1918, 40 year old self-employed farmer Joseph Anthony Biedenbach of No. 3 Mount Vernon, Linn County, Iowa filled out a US military draft registration card. He stated that he was born on March 19th, 1878. His nearest relative was his wife, Mrs. Harriet F. Biedenbach of the same address. Joseph was described as being tall and of medium build with blue eyes and black hair.
The family has not been found in the 1920 census, despite an extensive search.
At the time of the 1930 census, Joseph Biedenbach (52) and his wife Harriet (44) owned a farm in Malta, Morgan County, Ohio where they lived with their children, Joseph (11), Virginia (10) and John (1 yr 2 mos). There was also a farm laborer living in the home, 19 year old Herbert Wickham. Everyone in the household was a native of Ohio except Joseph Jr., who was born in Iowa. Joseph Sr.'s father and mother were from Germany and Ohio, respectively. Harriet's were from Ohio. The family did not own a radio set. According to the census, Joseph and Harriet were married around 1913.
The family appears to have fallen on hard times during the Depression, as noted in this brief mention in the Zanesville Times Recorder on 30 Jul 1932:
FARM IS SOLD
The Joseph A. Biedenbach farm, in Malta township, which
was offered at sheriff's sale was bid in for $6,400. The farm
contains 500 acres.In 1942, a US military draft registration card was filled out for 64 year old Joseph Anthony Biedenbach of Malta, Ohio. (The handwriting on the card is markedly different from the shaky signature.) Joseph was employed by the WPA in Malta. He was described as being 6' tall and 185 lbs, with blue eyes, gray hair and a ruddy complexion. His date and place of birth was March 18, 1878 in Monroe Co., Ohio.
The following note appeared in the Zanesville Times Recorder on Monday 23 Apr 1945. It is not known if the man referred to in the article is the father (age 67) or the son (age 27).
INJURES LEG
McCONNELSVILLE - Joseph Biedenbach sustained a painful
injury and possibly a fractured leg Saturday afternoon when he
slipped and fell from a truck while unloading furniture from the
truck at Stockport. He is at his home in McConnelsville. An X ray
will be taken of the injury today.The next day, this note was published in the Zanesville Signal about the accident:
TAKEN TO HOSPITAL
Joseph Biedenbach, who fell from a truck Saturday and fractured
his right hip was taken to Good Samaritan hospital, Zanesville, Mon-
day for treatment. Mr. Biedenbach was unloading furniture from the
truck in Stockport when he slipped and fell to the street.
An article on page 10-B of the Zanesville Times Recorder pm 30 Apr 1959 described an accident in which a car struck the Biedenbach’s house in Malta. The article stated:
Mrs. Smith’s car was thrown against the house on the corner of
Kennebec and Bell avenues which is occupied by Mr. and Mrs.
Joseph Biedenbach, causing considerable damage to the house
and Mrs. Smith’s car was badly damaged.
Joseph Biedenbach’s obituary appeared in the Zanesville Times Recorder on 27 Oct 1961:
McCONNELSVILLE - Joseph A. Biedenbach, 83, died unexpectedly
at 1:30 p.m. Friday at his home here. He was born March 19, 1878 in
Monroe County, the son of Albert and Anna Baker Biedenbach. He
was a retired farmer. He was a member of St. James Catholic Church
here and Holy Name Society.
Surviving are his widow, the former Harriet McElfresh; one daughter,
Mrs. Virginia Roach of McConnelsville; two sons, John of Racine, Wisc.
and Joseph of Portland, Ohio; four sisters, Miss Bertha and Miss Ella
Biedenbach, both of McConnelsville; Mrs. Margaret Miller of Waterford,
and Mrs. Amelia Burkhart of Springdale, Pa.; one brother, John, of Mechan-
icsville, Iowa; 11 grandchildren and two great-grandchildren.
Services will be held at 9 a.m. Monday at St. James Church with the
Rev. Fr. Edwin Yocke officiating. Burial will be in McConnelsville
Cemetery.
Friends may call after 7 p.m. today at Fisher funeral home where the
Rosary will be recited at 2 p.m. Sunday.
The following article appeared in The Zanesville (OH) Signal on December 3, 1936 FAREWELL PARTY FOR MISS SCHAAD Stockport Girl to Enter Novitiate at Wheeling Stockport, O., Dec. 3. -- The Altar society of St. James parish,
McConnelsville came with well baskets and gave a farewell
surprise party Tuesday evening in honor of Miss Helen Schaad
at her home in Stockport. Miss Schaad is leaving December 7
to enter the Novitiate of the Order of St. Joseph at Wheeling, W.
Va. This is an order of nuns following the nursing profession with
hospitals in Wheeling, Parkersburg, Clarksburg and Charleston,
W. Va.
The following guests were present: Rev. Father L. B. Preston,
who was Miss Schaad's former pastor, Mrs. Mary Singer, Misses
Ella and Bertha Biedenbach, Mrs. Ceila Bacon, Mrs. T. J. McHugh,
Mr. and Mrs. Sylvester Morris and daughter, Genevieve, Mrs. William
Huck and daughter, Jean; Mrs. Mary Walder, Mr. and Mrs. Paul
Smith, Miss Frances Schott, Mrs. George Kenney, Mrs. Joseph
Biedenbach and daughter, Virginia; Mrs. Tavenner, Mrs. James
Flanagan and Earl Moore.
The evening was spent in card playing, music and social
conversation.-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=
Harriet McElfresh Biedenbagh’s obituary was published in the Zanesville Times Recorder on 19 Nov 1977. Note that the spelling of her married name was Biedenbaugh in the obituary, not Biedenbach.
Mrs. Harriet F. Biedenbaugh, 91, of McConnelsville died at
10:50 a.m. Friday at Good Samaritan Medical Center following
a short illness.
Mrs. Biedenbaugh was born March 18, 1886 at Stafford, the
daughter of Evan and Elizabeth Miller McElfresh. Her husband,
Joseph, died in 1961. Mrs. Biedenbaugh was a member of St.
James Catholic Church at McConnelsville.
Surviving are a daughter, Mrs. Bernard (Virginia) Roach of
McConnelsville Route 3; two sons, Joseph of Cortland and John
of Trenton, Mich; 13 grandchildren and 15 great-grandchildren;
and one sister, Mrs. Anna Leasure of Akron.
Friends may call from 2-4 and 7-9 p.m. Sunday at Fisher
funeral home in McConnelsville where the Rosary will be
recited at 8 p.m. Sunday.
Services will be 10 a.m. at St. St. James Catholic Church
with Fr. Anthony Pandolfo officiating. Burial will be in McCon-
nelsville Cemetery.
Joseph P. Biedenbach was divorced at the time of his death.
John Biedenbach lived in Racine, WI in 1961.
On June 5, 1917, Leander Crock, 21, registered for the military draft. According to his draft registration card, he was born in Harrietsville, Ohio and lived in Mechanicsville, Iowa. He was single. His date of birth was given as October 8, 1895 and his occupation was farming. He lists his employer as J.H. Crock of Mechanicsville. His physical description is given as short and stout with brown hair and eyes.
In 1930, 34 year old Leander Crock owned a farm in Fremont Twp., Cedar County, Iowa, where he lived with his wife Inez (34) and children Lawrence (8), Luella (7), Hurburt (4), and Loretta (1), and a 21 year old hired man named Leo LeVassen. The Crock family did not own a radio set.
According to the 1930 census, Inez and her mother were born in Iowa. Her father's birthplace is illegible. It might be "Canada" with the word "English" scrawled over it.
Existence of this child in the family is questionable.