This post was contributed to the Crawford County Chapter of OGS by Kristina Stearley as part of the Florence Siefert Scrapbook in 2010.
The scrapbook is compiled from undated, unidentified newspaper clippings involving events in the lives of Crawford County citizens living in or having connections to New Washington, Tiro, Shelby, Sulphur Springs, Chatfield, Bucyrus, Ashland, Mansfield, and other areas. Only minimal spelling or punctuation corrections were made. Unreadable areas are shown by underlines, dots &/or question marks. This collection has been scanned, “optical character recognized” (OCR’d), proofed, then coded for HTML by volunteers of the Crawford County Chapter of the Ohio Genealogical Society. Since the copies are not of the best quality errors may have been made. Please contact us if you find corrections needing to be made or can verify any missing dates which could be added.
New Washington Woman, 85, Still Working As Bookkeeper; Plans Retirement Soon
NEW WASHINGTON, Mar. 5–Fifty-seven years of steady work with one company are soon to draw to a close for Miss Louise M. Kibler, a pleasant and efficient New Washington lady who is 85 years young and who will be 86 come July 20.
Although she officially announced, her resignation from the office of the S. J. Kibler & Brothers company, New Washington dealers in tallow, hides and pelts, at the firm’s recent annual meeting, Miss Kibler is still working away at her job, and plans to do so for a short time yet before she really retires for a little well-earned leisure.
It was on March 11, 1892 that Miss Kibler, then 28, began work as a bookkeeper for the firm. Just out of business school–she graduated from a business course at Michigan Normal school in Ypsilanti, Mich. in 1891–she joined her brothers, S. J. and J. W. Kibler, in the operation of the business.
Is Treasurer
Although Miss Kibler became treasurer of the firm 24 years ago, in 1925, and has served in that capacity ever since, she still continues her earlier work of keeping the company’s books. Although well along in years, she is still spry and wears glasses only while at work: however, failing eyesight occasioned her resignation. She is believed to be one of the oldest women still at work in this area.
While many memories of early New Washington are in her mind, and she has seen many changes as her years of work rolled by, Miss Kibler remembers perhaps most vividly the early days of her work, when she had to take telegraph messages to a nearby railroad tower for dispatching, as the new invention, the telephone, was still a rare instrument in those days.
Former Teacher
Miss Kibler has the distinction of being one of the eight graduates of the first class of New Washington High school to receive diplomas. She also is a former New Washington school teacher; after taking a summer course of instruction at Ohio Northern university she taught the third and fourth grades here for seven years.
She has also been a church school teacher in her time, and is a member of St. John’s Lutheran church and its Ladies’ Society. She resides on East Main street with a housekeeper who also drives her automobile for her, and is well known among village residents.
Since the death of her brothers, Miss Kibler has worked for two of her nephews, A. G. and M. M. Kibler, who now operate the firm. A. G. Kibler is the company president.
