The Press-Dispatch
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C-2 Wednesday, December 30, 2020 The Press-Dispatch HISTORY Submit history photos: Call: 812-354-8500 Email: news@pressdispatch.net or bring in a hard copy: 820 E. Poplar Street, Petersburg Source: www.history.com • Photo source: solarsystem.nasa.gov Wednesday, Dec. 30 • U.S.S.R. established (1922) • Led Zeppelin filmed live for the first time (1968) Thursday, Dec. 31 • Panama Canal turned over to Panama (1999) • Charter granted to the East India Company (1600) Friday, Jan. 1 • Johnny Cash plays San Quen- tin State Prison (1958) • The Emancipation Proclama- tion takes effect (1863) Saturday, Jan. 2 • Georgia enters the Union (1788) • Nixon signs national speed limit into law (1974) Sunday, Jan. 3 • Martin Luther excommuni- cated (1521) • The Mars Exploration Rov- er "Spirit" safely lands on the Red Planet (2004) Monday, Jan. 4 • Utah enters the Union (1896) • President Nixon refuses to hand over tapes (1974) Tuesday, Jan. 5 • First divorce in the colonies (1643) • New York Yankees announce purchase of Babe Ruth (1920) SEVENTY-FIVE YEARS AGO The Petersburg Press Friday and Tuesday, Aug. 24 and Aug. 28, 1945 With powerful air, land and sea forces, General MacArthur will enter Japan next Tuesday and pre- pare for the signing of the surren- der pact, which will take place three days later. The surrender will be signed aboard the battle- ship Missouri, MacArthur said. The supreme Allied command- er of occupation forces also an- nounced details of the precise in- structions sent the Japanese for evacuating key areas, disarming ships and coastal defenses and providing direct assistance to the landing forces. A picked force of 10,000 ma- rines and blue jackets armed to the teeth were moving on Japan, Monday morning to take over the Yokosuka naval base occupation. The Great battleship Missouri was in the lad of the procession. The procession of American and British naval might spread for miles over the Pacific as they neared Sagami Bay, the outer ap- proach to the Tokyo harbor. The sky overhead was flecked with 1,200 carrier planes. The mighty armada passed within three miles of Ehima, once heavily fortified is- land guarding the door into Sag- ami bay. Marriages: Albertine Tate and Mertice Stephens were unit- ed in marriage on Saturday eve- ning, August 18 in Vincennes; Betty Burton and Rosco Nixon were married at 9 p.m. Monday in Washington. Deaths: Lenora Powers, 70, of Otwell, died Tuesday afternoon at the home of her daughter; Eth- el Louise Weedman, of Winslow, died at 10 :54 o'clock Monday morning. SIXTY YEARS AGO The Pike County Dispatch Thursday, Nov. 24, 1960 This is the big weekend in both Petersburg and Oakland City, as far as the opening of the Christ- mas season is concerned. Peters- burg merchants are plannign their Christmas Season Open- ing with two big days of special activities, which will include giv- ing away $50 in one dollar bills on Main St., free candy for the kiddies form Santa Claus and free coffee for adults. Oakland City will highlight their Christ- mas season opening by having their big Christmas parade Fri- day, free treats for the children and a free movie at the Ohio The- atre. Stores in Petersburg will re- main open Friday night until 8 p.m. so that those in the city for the turning on of the Christmas lights may have an opportunity to do Christmas shopping. San- ta will visit Petersburg on No- vember 25 and 26 and will give treats to the children as he goes up and down Main St. He will al- so be in Oakland City on Novem- ber 25 for the annual Christmas season opening. He will arrive on Main St. at 1:30 p.m., riding the Little Toot Railway. He will give treats to all of the children under 12 years of age. Births: To Mr. and Mrs. Del- bert Minnis, of Petersburg, a daughter, Patricia Susan, born Friday, November 18 at Good Samaritan Hospital; To Mr. and Mrs. Richard Meyer, of Ander- son, a daughter, Cynthia Lynn, born November 17. Marriages: Jeannine Etta Barr and Steve A. Potter were married Saturday night in the Winslow Methodist Church. Deaths: Harry Reed, 80, of Pe- tersburg, died at the Colvin Nurs- ing Home in Washington at 2 p.m. Sunday. FIFTY YEARS AGO The Press-Dispatch Thursday, Dec. 10, 1970 Mrs. Mike Voyles, of Peters- burg, suffered a broken nose, lacerations on her forehead and badly bruised face when her head went through the windshield of her car in a car-truck accident. The accident occurred at 10 a.m. near Doty's orchard in Highway 57 as she was returning to Peters- burg from Washington. She was following a grain truck and start- ed to pass the truck when the driv- er of the truck turned left in front of her. Mrs. Voyles' pet cat, riding in the backseat, was killed in the accident. It is thought a toolbox, which came through the backseat from the trunk of the car, killed the cat. Mrs. Voyles was treat- ed at the Daviess County Hospi- tal in Washington then released. The car was a total loss. A new bridge is now under con- struction on Highway 57 across the White River. The old bridge had been blamed for many acci- dents and deaths in recent years. The new bridge is being built about 10 feet east of he present structure. It will be of welded plate girder construction with hand rails. The roadway will be 44 feet wide and about 900 feet long. Tousley and Bixler of Indi- anapolis were awarded the con- tract for $1,815,000. Along with construction of the bridge, about one mile of new approach will be built. Completion date is set for 1972. However, Stanley Krupic- ka, superintendent of the state highway garage, said that date is subject to weather conditions and river stages. He pointed out that plans are to work through the win- ter as long as conditions permit. George Robling, of Winslow, was injured Saturday afternoon at 2:45 p.m. in a one-car accident south of Winslow, near Ashby Church. Mr. Robling lost control of his pickup and turned over af- ter hitting and cutting off a tele- phone pole. He had a severe cut on his forehead and was taken to St. Joseph's Hospital, Hunting- burg, where he was treated. He was later moved to St. Mary's Hospital in Evansville because of a concussion. He was scheduled to be released from the hospital on Wednesday. Births: To Mr. and Mrs. Jer- ry Bush at Daviess County hospi- tal Saturday, December 5, a son, Richard Eugene; To Mr. and Mrs. William Trees, of Oakland City, a daughter, Jodi Lynn, Monday, November 30 at Gibson General Hospital; To Mr. and Mrs. Rob- ert Mottern, a son, Jason Allen, Saturday, December 5 in Daviess County Hospital. Deaths: Amy Harradon, 83, of Winslow, passed away at her home on Monday, December 7; Fred E. Willis, 82, of Algiers, died at 8 a.m. Sunday, Decem- ber 6 in the Daviess County Hos- pital; Raymond Koerner, 56, of Oakland City, died Friday in Oak- land City; John C. Miley, 47, of Pe- tersburg, died at 2 a.m. Wednes- day in Good Samaritan Hospital; Fannie West, 83, passed away in the Wirth Memorial Hospital Sun- day, December 6 at 3 p.m.; Ralph E. Whitman, 73, died at 8:15 a.m. Sunday at Gibson General Hospi- tal; Thelda Skelton, 84, of Union, died Monday, December 7 at 9:30 a.m. in Gibson General Hospital; Charles Elder, 96, of Monroe City, died at 5 p.m. Wednesday at Bev- erly Manor Nursing Home in Vin- cennes. TWENTY- FIVE YEARS The Press-Dispatch Thursday, Nov. 23, 1995 A barefooted man carrying a golf club, Pike County Sheriff's deputies, Petersburg City Po- lice and neighbors were all in- strumental in the apprehension of a stalking suspect Sunday af- ternoon. Bill Wathen, 33, of Loo- gootee, was arrested Sunday af- ternoon on a charge of stalking, according to police reports. For Cathy Weeks, of Petersburg, it is like a breath of fresh air after complaining to law enforcement officials for more than five years that she and her family had been receiving phone calls and being followed by Wathen, who is a for- mer boyfriend. Cathy's 16 -year- old daughter, Karel, said Sun- day's chase began outside of Weeks' home on 12th Street, when she spotted Wathen stand- ing next to her car. She said she yelled to her mother's boyfriend, Troy Cates, that Wathen was out- side. Cates said he told Karel to get the keys to her car as he grabbed for a golf club and ran out of the house. The two jumped in the car and the chase was on. Cates said he jumped out of the car near the old Clements' Gro- cery building after he spotted Wathen running along the rail- road tracks. He said everything happened so fast he didn't have time to put on his shoes so he had to chase Wathen barefooted. Oth- er people also helped in Wathen's apprehension. As the chase pro- gressed, concerned Petersburg residents began calling the police to let them know which direction Wathen and Cates were heading. Wathen was finally apprehended at 14th and Main streets. This is the first time stalking charged have been brought against some- one in Pike County. Deaths: Doris M. Veal, 82, of Petersburg, died at 6:45 p.m. Sat- urday, Nov. 18 at Memorial Hospi- tal; Norma Jean Harker, 69, of Ot- well, died at 10 :50 a.m. Tuesday, Nov. 14 at Memorial Hospital; Lu- la Scales, 85, of Petersburg, died at 3:45 p.m. Thursday, Nov. 16 at Memorial Hospital; Geraldine E. Keith, 71, of Oakland City, died Wednesday, Nov. 15 at 7;10 a.m. at Memorial Hospital. Randall Katter, of Washing- ton, provided background in- formation for the Herman Kat- ter family photo that was pub- lished in the Dec. 16 edition. The photo was taken in 1885. The family lived on a farm located midway between Stendal and Zoar. Seated is Herman Heinrich Katter, husband and father, 54, and Wilhelmina (Schwetter) Katter, wife and mother, 45. Standing (l to r): Edward Katter, son, 15; Caroline (Schweitzer) Katter, daugh- ter, 14; Charles Katter, son, 21; William Katter, son, 23; Louis Katter, son, 26; Sophia (Brockriede) Katter, daugh- ter, 11; Emma (Kammen) Kat- ter, daughter, 19; Rosa (Kat- terjohn) Katter, daughter, 9; and Matilda Sophia (Kam- men) Katter, daughter, 17. One son, Franklin, died in infancy. The names given in parentheses with the daugh- ters names are their married names after they were mar- ried. Many descendants of these sons and daughters lived in the Stendal, Holland and Huntingburg areas. The following is a list of the sons and daughters and who they married: Louis Katter married Car- rie Tellejohn in 1888. William Katter did not marry. Charles Katter married Martha Soll- man in 1898. Emma Katter married George Kamman in 1887. Mathilda Katter married Henry Kamman in 1890. Ed- ward Katter married Caroli- na Siebe in 1902. Caroline Kat- ter married Rev. Charles Sch- weitzer in 1898. Sophia Katter married Henry Brockriede in 1899. Rosa Katter married Frank Katterjohn in 1902. Herman Katter was born in 1831 near Ladbergen, Prussia (Germany), came to America in 1847 and lived in Cincinna- ti for a short time. In 1859, he married Wilhelmina Schwet- ter, who was also from Lad- bergen, Prussia. They knew each other in Ladbergen be- fore coming to America. In about 1865, they moved to a farm located between Sten- dal and Zoar. In Prussia, his name was Herman Heinrich Wilheim Jacobelshove. He was one of 10 brothers and sis- ters, five of whom immigrated to America, to the Cincinnati area, in the 1840s, prior to the Civil War. In America, they be- came naturalized citizens and took the family name of Katter (a centuries old family name); not Jacob Elshoff (the family name in Prussia). Wilhelmina Katter died in 1897 and Herman died in 1905. Both are buried in the Zoar Cemetery. Iva school house The Iva schoolhouse in Jefferson township burned in 1937. There is no identification of the man standing on the upper floor porch or date on when the photo was taken, but it apparently was in the early 1900s. The photo was courtesy of Sandy McBeth through the Pike County Museum. Historical information found for Herman Katter family photo