Person:August Stienecker (1)

When his father, Heinrich Adolph, died in 1884, the family separated. August H., 14, went to a neighbor's home, August Stork. Anna L., 12, and George Adolph, 4, went under the guardianship of William Holtkamp. After Anna married John Wolf in 1895, she lived on S.R. 274. Her mother, Lizette, lived with her some time after Heinrich Adolph's death.

August H. Stienecker was a charter member of the Pilger Ruhe Cemetery Association; he taught school for 6 years; in 1896 bought a grocery and meat market, located on Main Street, which he ran for 15 1/2 years. He was a founder in the N.K. Electric Company to run the first line from Moulton for commercial use and was a founder of the N.K. Telephone Co., serving as Sec./Treas. of the company for 34 yrs. (Shares in the Tel. Co. were $35 ea.) He was a notary; active in organizing the Home Benefit Association in N.K.; built the first cement sidewalk; drilled the first artesian well; and purchased one of the first autos in the vicinity in 1910 (an Overland Model 38). He was active in church, secretary, trustee, choir leader, helped establish the Victoria Fire Co.

August stated his philosophy of life: "Keep on learning. There's always something to learn. When we stop learning we begin going backward. Life is too short to learn everything by experience. Some experience is too costly to learn first hand, like an automobile accident for instance. Therefore, we must use our heads and learn by observation and from the experiences of others. Anybody who knows it all, really knows nothing thoroughly."

August was an arbiter of estates with unbounded success. He had a record of settling more than 54 estates from 1911 - 1936. In Sep 1912, council granted permission for an electric light plant.

Obituary - The Lima News, Wednesday, January 30, 1952

Businessman Dies At New Knoxville

NEW KNOXVILLE - August H. Steinecker, 81, retired businessman whose name was identified with numerous civic enterprises during his active career, died Tuesday afternoon at the St. Marys Nursing home.

Mr. Steinecker served as secretary-treasurer and manager of the New Knoxville Telephone Co. for 35 years before retiring in 1940. He was the company's first president and co-founder with William Haberkamp with whom he had directed citizens meetings to get the enterprise started.

Other ventures he helped organize were the volunteer fire department and the Home Benefit-assn. He drove the first automobile in the community, purchased in 1910, and drilled the first local artesian well for home use.

He served as treasurer, secretary and president for the Farmer's Home Mutual Fire Insurance Co. and at various times had held offices of justice of the peace, board of education member and mayor. As a notary public, he obtained his first commission from William McKinley, Ohio governor who later became President.

His wife, Anna Marie, whom he married in 1892, died in 1936. He is survived by four daughters, Mrs. M. P. Katterheinrich, Mrs. A. A. Henschen and Mrs. G. A. Hoge of New Knoxville, and Mrs. P. J. Wright of Columbus; three sons, Clement R. and Rueben E. of New Knoxville, and Edwin H. of Sabina; 21 grandchildren; 13 great-grandchildren, and a brother, George Steinecker of Lima.

The body will remain at the residence of Mrs. Katterheinrich from 2 p.m. Thursday until Friday when services will be held there at 1:45 p.m. Final rites will be at 2 p.m. Friday at the First Evangelical and Reformed church. Burial will be at Pilger Ruhe cemetery in charge of Gilberg and Hegemier funeral home.