Wednesday, January 6, 2016

Blog #13: Family Research

Roger Aschenbach on August 13th, 1934 on a small farm in Shelby, Ohio. He and his four siblings David, Eleanor, Charlotte and Pauline spent most of their days working on the farm while their father, Reuben, went to work in his own woodworking shop. At the age of i'm sure he had no idea what he wanted to do with his future but his dad did. He was going to follow in his father's footsteps and become a woodworker.

Sure enough, when he got older, he started working at his father's shop which would soon become his. Growing up his hobbies included going to the local fair and working with his father in the shop. Sidney, Ohio is a small town near the middle of ohio but also where Roger called home. Everything revolved around the little town of Sidney.

Eventually Roger started a family of his own when he married Janet in October, 1947. Soon after they had their first child John and not too long after that another son, Doug. The family kept growing when they had their third son, Eric. They finally had a daughter Beth, my mother, which would be the last of the Aschenbach family

His hard work and dedication to his work allowed his son Doug and daughter Beth to go to college and explore their interests outside of Sidney. Doug attending Ohio State and Beth attending Miami University.

Roger kept running the family business long after his father died but eventually sold it when he decided to retire and stay home with his wife Janet, my grandma. Even though he didn't have the shop anymore didn't mean he could continue one of his most famous hobbies, pen making. His numerous years of wood work taught him how to create beautiful pens out of nothing except a block of wood and a few pieces of metal. Everyone who knew Roger eventually received a pen and one of his world famous caramels. If you couldn't find him, all you had to do was walk downstairs and he more than likely was sitting in his small workshop making more pens.


Sources

1. Wilson, Beth. "Family Research." Personal interview. 6 Jan. 2016.
2. Roger Aschenbach in the 1940 Census | Ancestry." Roger Aschenbach in the 1940 Census | Ancestry. Ancestry.com, n.d. Web. 07 Jan. 2016.
3. Aschenbach, Doug. "Family Research." Personal interview. 6 Jan. 2016.