Maria Stein, Ohio

Richard Pohlmann and the last work horses

A cousin branch preserves a memory of the change from horse-powered farming in Maria Stein.

The 1978 Mercer County history identifies Richard Pohlmann as a son of John Pohlmann and Philomena Homan, a grandson of Herman, and a great-grandson of John Henry Pohlmann. This makes his household a cousin branch of Henry Pohlman’s descendants.

Richard married Celie Wendeln at St. John Church in 1928. Their household remained on the Wendeln farm, which Richard purchased in 1941. The account also records his eight years on the local school board and his participation in the school’s early athletic association.

The family contributor, Dorothy Pohlmann, recalls that Richard owned the last team of work horses in the Maria Stein area. That is a published family recollection, rather than a surveyed claim about every farm. It offers a memorable glimpse of the transition from horse-powered work to mechanized agriculture.

Sources and further reading

• Mercer County, Ohio History (1978), printed page 816; complete book preserved on the linked cards