The Bluffton news. [volume] (Bluffton, Ohio) 1875-current, 1945-02-15
Gdriingers Observe
Golden Wedding

Golden wedding observance of Mr..
and Mrs. John Garlinger Wednesday
of this week recalled to the couple
that the weather for their nuptials
on Feb. Ia, 1895, was much the same
as that which has gripped the Bluff
ton district this year.
The ceremony was held at the
home of Mrs. Garlinger's mother, the
late Mrs. Elizabeth Lands Parrish,
who then lived on West Elm street
where the Gid Luginbuhl family now
resides.
There were several feet of snow
and all roads were drifted badly,
with the result that Rev. w. A.
Brundage, pastor of the Church of
Christ, who lived in the country, was
unable to get into town to officiate
at the service.
At the last minute, the bridegroom
and Joe Clymer had to hitch up a
bobsled and drive into Bluffton to
pick up Justice of the Peace (Squire)
M. V. Eaton, who returned with
them to the Parrish residence and
performed the wedding ceremony.
Mr.. and Mrs. Joe Clymer, brother
in-law and sister of the bride, who
lived near the Clymer church had to
come to town in a bobsled for the
wedding, and when they found roads
blocked they drove across fields by
laying down the rail fenses. Mrs.
Clymer is now Mrs. Josephine Car
nahan.
Garlinger, II, was born in Ada on
Feb. IL, 1874. He first came to
Bluffton 53 years ago in the spring
of 1892 to drill water wells for Jacob
Bowman. Previously he had been a
barber, starting in that business in
1888, at Ada.
In the fall of 1892 he opened a
barber shop in Bluffton in an up
stairs room in the building where
the Bluffton News now is located.
This was the same year d. c. Bixel
started jewelry shop in one corner
of the Jonas Amstutz dry goods
store, where the Peter Gratz store
now operates. Bixel is the only man
in business then who still operates
a business here.
With the start of the oil boom
here in the "nineties", Garlinger
went into the oil field as a tool
dresser. After the workings in the
Bluffton field had died down, he
worked for a year in the oil field
near Chatham, Ontario, in Canada,
then returned to Bluffton to operate
a locomotive for the Bluffton Stone
company.
From there he went to the muni-
cipal light plant as an engineer, and
later worked as an engineer for the
Page Dairy Co. and the Bluffton
Milling Co.
He next re-opened his barber shop
and continued in that business until
eight years ago, with the exception
of running a restaurant in 1911 and
again in 1916. He now is in his
fourth year as military guard at
The Triplett Electrical Instrument
Co. where he has not lost any time
from his work.
For many years he was member
of the Odd Fellow and Woodmen
lodges here, and he served for 18
years on the Bluffton fire depart
ment. He played bass drum with
George Tipton's band 40 years ago,
and later played in the Sidney Hau-
enstein band.
Mrs. Garlinger is the former Anna
Lands and was born in Troy, Ohio,
on Aug. 20, 1876. She came to Bluff
ton with her widowed mother, Mrs.
Elizabeth Landis Parrish, when she
was about five years old. Mrs. Par
rish died last year at the age of 95.
The couple celebrated their Golden
Wedding quietly, with Garlinger
working his customary trick as
Triplett guard from $50 a. m. until
2:30 p. m. For so years they have
been members of the Church of
Christ here.
They have one daughter, Mrs.
Gladys Koltenbach, of Inglewood,
Calf; granddaughter, Mrs. Ber-
nadine Van Vlack, of Downey, Calf,
and one great-grandchild, Karol
Lynn Van Vlack, also of Downey,
Calf.
Mr.. Garlinger has two brothers,
Ed Garlinger, of Bakersfield, Calf;
and S. S. Garlinger, of Spencerville.
Mrs. Garlinger has brother, Alfred
Landis, of st. Marys, and two sis
ters, Mrs. Ella Long and Mrs. Jose
phine Carnahan, of Bluffton.