One of the more interesting traits of Leo Glen Heinzman was his local fame for finding water. When the family moved from Hamilton to Owen County, they discovered the new farmstead was without a well. Most of the families in the area collected rain water with a cistern but Glen located a well with the help of a forked stick. Impressing the neighbors he soon became sought after in the area by those wishing to drill wells and was known for always being right. Leo’s daughter Vera Margaret say’s the stick had to be from a peach tree. Once he had a ‘working’ stick he tried to hold on to it for a while.
Witching is more commonly called dowsing but Leo Glen Heinzman called it Witching and was locally called the Witching man. Today dowsing is considered by many to be occult but Leo was a very religious man coming from a Lutheran background and actively participated with a local Methodist congregation. In fact Glenda Kay recalls that he never missed a day of church.
There are a few tales about dowsing in the book Hoosier Folk Legends by Ronald L. Baker so I presume Glen’s skill wasn’t unheard of in Indiana. The book German Appalachian Folklore by Gerald C. Milnes claims dowsing developed in Germany during the fifteenth century.
Do any other Heinzmans have stories related to this peculiarity? Let us know.
Posted by Kevin Goodman 
