MOOD CHANGES
FROM MY DESTOP TO YOURS: This is the 10th anniversary issue of “VV”. (Time has passed so quickly since this began as an email a decade back.) And another whirlwind week has passed. I am unused to concentrating so intensely on things. I know it’s a good idea for retired folk to keep busy – but this kind of thing’ll kill me out before I hit 70.
The upside is that I’m learning things (technical things). I should’ve been doing all of this when I was twenty. But back then I knew everything. So I had no reason to learn anything.
Very strange – eh?
BRIDGE REPAIRS: The bridge over the river on Liberty Avenue is being repaired. Traffic’s down to 2-lanes, but that ‘s not really a big problem. I guess when the repairs are completed the bridge will be painted blue.
Seems like an old Ghoulardi joke.
THE FIRST WATER TOWER: My mention of painting the Vermilion River bridge blue brings to mind a controversy surrounding the placement of Vermilion’s first water tower in Hanover Square.
In brief, the folks whose homes faced the little park along Ferry and Grand streets did not celebrate that site as a place for the tower. I can’t say that I blame them. Acquiring water for their homes was one thing, but at the price of spoiling the ambiance of their nice neighborhood was quite another.
Well, folks did object. And they did so vehemently. But a lot of good it did. Because, like it or not, the tower went up, and stayed there until the late 1940’s when the landmark tower near the river was constructed.
As rock singer Mick Jagger put it: “You don’t always get what you want…”
ONE LAST THING (THIS WEEK): I received an interesting email from a retired friend that (I think) was God’s way of reminding me what really matters in life. (God does speak through people.) It wasn’t a “preachy” thing – nothing like that. It was just an unembellished narrative of a few minutes of his life this week: a visit to Oberlin, and a walk around the block with his wife. As I said it wasn’t a homily by any stretch of the imagination. It was just something nice:
“It's a beautiful morning in North Ohio - south shore of Lake Erie. The sunshine on the screen is something to squint about. It passes rather quickly. I guess I was up before the sun this morning and had a casual time reading the Plain Dealer. I read the comics and the editorial page and sort of skim the rest. There is not much I can do about it anyway. I was surprised to real about the Amish Bernie Madoff. He 'made off' with only about 33 million Amish dollars. All his friends!! The lawn is drying off and will soon be ready for raking. I sort of wish for a roller to get rid of some of the humps. They say it is not good on our basically clay soil. It grown moss very well right now. The mower is ready to go, but I have to get some of that expensive fuel for it, too. I find the car wash has raised its prices and maybe I will have to get out the hose. The last time I went through with the LeSabre it was rather damaging to the mud flaps. We had super last evening at The Oberlin Inn. A favorite place, with always-good food. One of their guests last evening was the author Toni Morrison. The waitress said she was 81. She has lived in Lorain and was in the area for a writers' conference at Oberlin College. There was an article and picture about her in the Plain Dealer. M’s brother Edward is still in the re-hab place. She spoke with him last evening and he seems to be getting better each day with the therapy and can put some weight on his leg. He has had both knees replaced in the past. Her brother Warren's wife is slated for a hip replacement also the end of this month. Her brother Warren is having diabetes and hearing problems. There seems to be something for everyone. We appreciate your emails and the forwards. Some of those things are beyond amazing. The one makes me wish I has learned to use a mouth organ!! I hope you are enjoying the season with the new growth and blossoms. We get to see new things on each trip around the block. M. does concentrate a lot on her walker and I try to point out the new bloomers. She has some hopes of a new rose garden one resident talks about putting in this year. Wishing you a pleasant weekend and lots of good health."
I guess I was up before the sun this morning and had a casual time reading the Plain Dealer. I read the comics and the editorial page and sort of skim the rest. There is not much I can do about it anyway. I was surprised to real about the Amish Bernie Madoff. He 'made off' with only about 33 million Amish dollars. All his friends!!
The lawn is drying off and will soon be ready for raking. I sort of wish for a roller to get rid of some of the humps. They say it is not good on our basically clay soil. It grown moss very well right now. The mower is ready to go, but I have to get some of that expensive fuel for it, too.
I find the car wash has raised its prices and maybe I will have to get out the hose. The last time I went through with the LeSabre it was rather damaging to the mud flaps.
We had super last evening at The Oberlin Inn. A favorite place, with always-good food. One of their guests last evening was the author Toni Morrison. The waitress said she was 81. She has lived in Lorain and was in the area for a writers' conference at Oberlin College. There was an article and picture about her in the Plain Dealer.
M’s brother Edward is still in the re-hab place. She spoke with him last evening and he seems to be getting better each day with the therapy and can put some weight on his leg. He has had both knees replaced in the past. Her brother Warren's wife is slated for a hip replacement also the end of this month. Her brother Warren is having diabetes and hearing problems. There seems to be something for everyone.
We appreciate your emails and the forwards. Some of those things are beyond amazing. The one makes me wish I has learned to use a mouth organ!!
I hope you are enjoying the season with the new growth and blossoms. We get to see new things on each trip around the block. M. does concentrate a lot on her walker and I try to point out the new bloomers. She has some hopes of a new rose garden one resident talks about putting in this year.
Wishing you a pleasant weekend and lots of good health."
So who cares about blue bridges, water towers, and whatever else is out there annoying us? Maybe we just need be reminded that there is a God – and it ain’t us.
Historically,
ON A CLEAR DAY YOU CAN SEE...
GEORGE HOWELL'S KIDS: Vermilionite Larry Howell loaned me this beautiful photograph to scan. It is Jesse, Alice, Vera, Irvin (Larry's father), and Kitty-Cat Howell.
I really can't say too much about this photo except that it was very clearly a wonderful day for these children. Maybe it was Sunday. And though I am guessing this photograph was probably taken near their home in what some folks still call the "stoveplant allotment" - along Jackson and Adams streets. It appears that the railroad may have been in the background. The poles may have been those from the Lake Shore Electric that ran parallel to the steam road so many years ago.
What a nice - a pleasant - pic.
O-K-L-A-H-O-M-A...
VHS OKLAHOMA PRODUCTION: Vermilionite Dave Schwensen sent me the following communique Friday:
"The hit Broadway musical "Oklahoma" will be presented by the Vermilion High School Music Department on March 22, 23 and 24. Performances in the high school auditorium begin at 7 pm.
Tickets are now on sale Tuesdays and Wednesdays from 3 - 5 pm, and Thursdays from 6 - 9 pm inside the main entrance to the high school at 1250 Sanford Street, Vermilion, OH 44089.
Advance purchase ticket prices are $9 for adults and $7 for students and senior citizens. At the door day of show prices are $10 for adults and $8 for students and seniors. For more information about tickets and group sales call 440-396-7149.
The Vermilion track team will be hosting a Meatless Spaghetti Dinner prior to the show on Friday, March 23 from 5:30 - 7 pm. Dinner is $7 per person or $6 when purchasing a ticket to "Oklahoma."
"Oklahoma" was the first musical written by Richard Rogers and Oscar Hammerstein II. It tells the story of the romance between cowboy Curly McLain and farm girl Laurey Williams as the Oklahoma Territory is about to become a U.S. State in 1906."
Songs include: "Oh What a Beautiful Mornin'" / "People Will Say We're In Love" / "The Surrey With the Fringe On Top" / "Oklahoma"
Have Questions? Contact Contact: Dave @ 440-967-0293.
"...the conflagration appears in local historian Betty Trinter’s book "The Way It Was"."
THE GREATE FIRE OF 1875: I had not really paid a great deal of attention to the event - “The Great Fire of 1875" - in our local history until a reader of the Photojournal emailed me about it last Saturday (01/01/11). The reader explained that while she has been a resident of Vermilion for only a short time she has developed an interest in the history of the community. She went on to say that she had run across an article in a Cincinnati newspaper about a fire in October 1875 that destroyed downtown Vermilion, adding that the article said that “11 blocks of the business district were burned by 2 arsonists”.
A passage about the conflagration appears in local historian Betty Trinter’s book "The Way It Was". However; I was puzzled about two aspects of the Cincinnati report; the size of the fire, and the claim that it was arson.
Because the reader was kind enough to forward me a copy of the “Queen City” report I determined that some of the problem might be a matter of interpretation - semantics. The actual account reads, “Eleven business blocks in the heart of town are in ashes.” I understand the phrase “business block” in the report to mean each place / lot where a business was located. I don’t know if the expression (i.e. business blocks) was commonly used at the time or if it was simply a casualty of “grapevine” reporting wherein a story is embellished as it is passed along. But whatever the case, eleven blocks - business or otherwise - (as most folks currently understand city blocks to mean) certainly did not burn. And, sure enough when one takes a close look at the report it lists eleven buildings / businesses as having been totally destroyed by the fire.
Some may also note that in Mrs. Trinter’s account - taken from the Amherst Free Press - 19 shops were destroyed by the fire. Though I’ve not seen that particular report I have a copy of a report which appeared in the Elyria Independent Democrat which says that 14 buildings were turned to ash. The discrepancy in numbers between reports is likely due to the fact that some of the shops may have contained more than one business, and / or that some not totally destroyed, but significantly damaged, were counted in the Amherst assessment.
The story about the fire being arson only appears in the Cincinnati version. That article also claimed that two men had been caught and charged with the crime. No mention of anything like that appears in any other account of the fire. So - whether there was any substance to the claim is not currently known. However; given the fact that most of the buildings were made of seasoned wood and heated and lighted by fire burning fuels it probably didn’t take very much to get a good blaze started during the winter months. And noting that the same business block burned in 1891 and again in 1903 a claim of arson may be immaterial.
What’s particularly significant (at least to myself) about the 1875 fire is that it was not confined to the business block on the southwest side of Liberty and Division / Main streets. So fierce were the flames that they leaped across the street and torched Wm. Irish’s Lake View Hotel on the southeast corner (currently the site of the Fischer building) of the same streets.
The last paragraph of the account that appeared in the Elyria Independent Democrat reads, “We have no doubt the enterprising citizens of Vermillion will build up the burned district in modern style, and that in the end the fire will be a benefit to the thriving village.” The Lake View Hotel (pictured) was rebuilt the year after the disastrous conflagration of 1875 and occupied that corner until 1903 when it was moved down the hill to its current location. All the shops that once occupied the opposite block have come, flourished and then have disappeared again in the flames of another time, in another yesteryear. But from their ashes new shops would rise. And they always will.
IN THE WINDOW
SHOPTALK: SHOPTALK: Spring is coming faster than I certainly anticipated. I didn’t think we’d get to any outside work until the latter part of April. But I guess I am mistaken.
Come heck or high water the PRINT SHOP will be painted soon. It’s an expensive proposition. I was hoping that some grant funds from the city might help with that expense – and perhaps that will happen – but that place has to be painted (somehow).
THE SIGN: Geo (my wife) finished up with the sign (see top pic) for the PRINT SHOP this week. She took one of the old signs that once hung on the outside of the building, sanded it, painted it, and place specially made decals on it to replicate the original. We added the small “Museum” sign beneath the original.
Board member Frank Adkins hung it in one of the front windows. And we hung it in the window because hanging it on the outside of the building would have required more “red-tape” than I currently have a stomach for. Perhaps at a later time the sign(s) will be on the outside of the building.
Anyway Geo. did a good job with it. And Frank – the “hanger” – did too.
MEMBERSHIPS: Wednesday the MUSEUM board decided to offer memberships to the VERMILION NEWS PRINT SHOP MUSEUM. Funds generated will go toward the aforementioned renovations and maintenance of the shop.
A single membership for an adult is $15 a year. A couple membership is $25 a year. A student membership is $5. And a lifetime membership is $100.
If you would like to become a member the VNPSM you can send a check or money order to:
Vermilion Print Shop Museum P.O. Box 792 Vermilion, Ohio 44089
LIKE US ON FACEBOOK:Take the time to visit us on Facebook. Click on the badge below and stop in. We'll keep adding pix as we go along. If you're in the area come on in. I try to be there in the a.m. If you see a Chevy Silverado out front with the plate "MRCOOKR" stop by and see what's cooking.
AGAIN - ANOTHER NEW (NOW OLD) THING: Initially I said that "This will not take the place of the "Macabre" stuff all the time - but will supplement whilst I search for more macabre stories to tell." But methinks that it's carved out a niche for itself and the "Macabre stuff" with have to find another.
So stay tuned...
Vol. VII. No. 40. – March 10, 1904.
The Village Council held a regular session Monday evening, which lasted until nearly midnight. Several matters of interest were taken up.
Dr. Derry was present and asked the council for permission on behalf of the Board of Public Affairs for Hanover Square on which to place the water works tower. A storm of objections was raised by the residents on the street facing the square.
It was ascertained that all or nearly all the residents of that district objected. That project was dropped. It was deemed unwise to purchase land for that purpose and the council was asked to assist in securing a location.
Mr. E.L. Coen was present and offered a resolution granting the L.S. E. ry. Co. permission to construct a Y from their track to connect with a track on their property east of the power station. The resolution was adopted.
H.S. Morse presented a petition for further opening of Hahn street. The matter was laid on the table for further consideration and investigation.
The resignation of Frank Thompson as lamplighter for the Village was read and accepted and the matter referred to the lighting committee who are now in quest of another man. The resignation takes effect April 1.
After ordering payment of bills the council adjourned.
Geo. Parsons, Otto Full and Albert Hahn undertook a dangerous venture during the past week. The tug Brooks which was carried out of Huron Harbor by the ice drifted past Vermilion and the above name young men boarded the craft and attempted to bring it into the harbor. The boys were on the tug two days or more and with the assistance of tugs sent out from Lorain the boat was finally removed from the ice jam and taken into that port. Later the tug was brought to Vermilion and will be repaired here. The boys were rewarded for their work by the owners of the craft.
New Brunswick, N.J. – Noah Raby died recently in the Piscataway poorhouse, of which he had been an inmate for the last 40 years.
If he had lived until April 1, next according to his own statement, Raby would have been 132 years old. He retained his memory and would recall many incidents of his long career until very recently.
Raby is said to have been born in Eatontown, N.C., on April 1, 1772. He enlisted in the navy in 1805 and served on the ship Constitution and the frigate Brandywine, on the latter of which Farragut was a lieutenant.
The Lorain steel mills commenced work Monday morning with a full force of about 2,500 men. This is not only good news for the people of Lorain, but for the surrounding communities.
The Lorain Chamber of commerce banqueted Pres. W.B. Schiller of the National Tube Company at the Hollenden hotel in Cleveland Tuesday night. In an address Mr. Schiller made statements, which fill the Lorainites with enthusiasm. It is believed that Lorain is to be made one of the centers of steel industry in the world.
Expert estimates of the probable manufacture of automobiles in several states of the Union in 1904, gives the principal place to Michigan, with Ohio second. Even Massachusetts and Wisconsin surpass New York in the list, while Illinois makes an extremely poor showing. Detroit and Cleveland are the two cities, which surpass all others in this requblic [sic] as centers of the production of the self-motors.
The Stmr. Lakeside made its first trip between Sandusky and the Islands, Sunday.
Mrs. Anna Stentz of Monroeville is said to be the only woman national bank president it [sic] the United States. She has succeeded her deceased husband as president of the First National Bank of that place.
Sandusky will have a noiseless Fourth of July this year. The ordinance passed Monday evening prohibits the sale or use of certain firearms, crackers, & fireworks within the city limits.
All the evidence in the Milan Canal company’s case given before M.A. C. Close, who is the referee has been recorded and Mr. Close filed his report with the clerk of the courts at the end of the week.
It will consist of between forty and fifty pages of foolscap. The proceedings taken are for the purpose of winding up the affairs of the company.
Being very much in need of money I offer the few pieces of furniture I have for sale, which consists of one couch, three dinning room chairs, one rocker, one center table also one carpet. If any one is in need of any of the same it would favor me greatly, and will sell reasonable. The goods are for inspection at Mrs. Lucy Krapp’s. – Mrs. Mae Brown.
Jacob Romeis, who represented the 10th Ohio district in Congress from 1884 to 1888, died at his home in Toledo Tuesday as the result of an accident.
The Cleveland officials have ordered that second notices be served on villages, cities and counties boarding prisoners at the workhouse that after April 1 rates for boarding prisoners would be 40c a day. Unless new contracts are entered into, Cleveland will refuse to receive prisoners unless they are accompanied by fees of 40c per day for the entire time of commitment.
Melvin J. Squire was born in Florence township, Erie Co., O., May 22, 1863, and died at his home in Bays, Wood Co., O., Mar. 6, 1904, of Bright’s disease, leaving a wife and two sons to mourn his loss. His aged father and mother five brothers and fours sisters survive him.
He was married to Miss Mary Baatz Feb. 19, 1885. They resided in Erie co. until eight years since when they removed to Bays, Wood Co., which as since been their home.
While residing in Erie county Mr. Squire followed the occupation of a farmer, since coming to Wood county being engaged in the oil fields as foreman of the oil lease of W.I. Squire.
Mr. Squire united with the M.E. church at Florence, O. in 1882 and united with the South Liberty M.E. Church at Bays by letter in 1900. He died full of faith, trusting in the promises of God.
He was a kind husband and father, always ready to help the weak or unfortunate. He left many friends and few enemies.
Funeral services were held in the M.E. Church in Vermilion on Wednesday afternoon conducted by rev. A.G. Rupert.
The Lake Shore will be run on different plan hereafter as regards the rolling stock. A different system of operating signals, etc. has been adopted. In Vermilion a telegraph office will be located at the switches west of town and a night and day operator placed there. The office at the station will also be maintained. Heretofore freight trains have been laid up on sidings for several hours for trains to pass. The new system will do away with this waste of time.
Capt. E. Lamp baought [sic] his tug Ping Pong here from Erie today and will fish from this port.
For Sale – Two good horses. Enquire of Wm. Lohr
It is reported that the lighthouse will be placed on a concrete foundation this summer. It is hoped that other repairs will be made.
The street lighting committee is again in search of someone to care for the street lamps. Applications should be made in writing and given to Geo. Krapp, Sr. chairman of the committee, as soon as possible as the resignation of Mr. Thompson takes effect April 1st.
Fred Backus’s house which was lately damaged by fire is being rebuilt.
There is a rumor, which considering the parties involved, cannot be verified, that the L.S. & M.S. is soon to become a four tracked road. Several surveys have been made in Vermilion of late.
The South bids fair to lose the name of being a place of negro lynchings. Ohio, to the shame of her fair minded citizens is again the scene of brutal outrages. At Springfield, this week, occurred a murder by a negro, the lynching of the negro and the burning of the negro district.
The Electric Railway Company will soon place a Y east of the substation. It is believed this will be of great benefit to the public in general. During the winter it was only by the greatest effort that the company was induced to continue the early morning service to Lorain enabling those who are employed there to get to work on time. To do this a car had to be laid up at Ceylon Junction. With this improvement cars can be turned here and better service given.
James Brooks has brought suit against the board of health and Village of Vermilion for clothing and bedding. He filed a petition with County clerk Hertlein Saturday asking the court to give him judgment against said board and village for $00 which he alleges the property destroyed was worth, and that the parties above mentioned refused to make restitution for same. Geo. E. Liber and Grayson Mills are his attorneys.
Those who took the civil service examination for rural Delivery, Route No. 1, received the result Wednesday. The percentage was in the following order: George Naegele, Chas. M. Trinter, John Risden, Corry Parsons, S.J. Nieding and Gottlieb Knott. In all probability Mr. Naegele will be the carrier. There is some talk of dividing the route as soon as it is established, making two routes, which will necessitate another carrier who may be selected from among those who took this examination. Each carrier will be obliged to have a substitute to take the route if he is at any time sick or otherwise incapacitated.
It is reported that Chas. Horton will be captain of the tug Favorite this season. John Morrison will sail Ranney Bros’. tug Daisy and has already gone to work.
It has developed that nearly every boat in the river was damaged by the floods.
The Favorite lost rudder and wheel. The Deveney lost its wheel. The Stricker lost wheel and shaft. The new wheel has arrived by the shaft requires welding and will not be ready for several days. The Brooks’ shoe was bent and rudder unshipped. All the tugs are being repaired as rapidly as possible.
The Mary & Norman has been greatly improved by having a new house built.
Crosier Bros. are busily engaged in rebuilding the tug Rob Goodell.
The old Wyandotte came out of the flood in good shape. The Kimball is resting on the bottom of the river.
Ranney & Co.’s dock was nearly all carried away. The other docks are very much in need of repairs.
The fishermen are overhauling their nets and placing them in readiness for the spring fishing.
N.A. Foster’s boat house [sic] is a scene of activity. Mr. Foster is fitting out his numerous fleets of row boats [sic], painting them, etd. He also has several launches. To all appearances he will be better fitted than ever to accommodate his customers.
A certain little girl of this place was out May-flowering one day last week. Rather early for May-flowers isnt’ it?
Hmmmmmm....
"...he preferred life away from the farm."
THE UNFORGETTABLE PRESDEE B. MORGAN: Presdee B. Morgan: an unforgettable guy with an equally unforgettable first name. The name Presdee - genealogically speaking - is normally found as a surname / last name. British in origin it has various spelling forms: Presdee, Pressdee, Prestie, Predsidey and, of course, Presdee. The name, however spelled. is essentially locational. Some historians suggest that it is a dialectal variant of the lost medieval village Priestley which, by the bye, eventually morphed into the English surname Presley. Locational names were those given to people after they left their original homes and moved elsewhere. The name “Priestley” is from the old English (pre-7th century) word “preost”, meaning priest and leah - meadow. And this suggests that the aforementioned village from which Presdee Morgan acquired his first name might have been home to a 7th century English monastery. However; in this case it is more likely that somewhere in his family tree the last name Presdee - in some form - was pre-eminent; the roots of the name long forgotten.
So why the history trivia lesson? Well, if “P.B.” Morgan wasn’t such an unforgettable character all of that wouldn’t really matter. But because he was who he was it kind’a does. That’s because the roots of his name - either ironically or prophetically - fit both his character and his life.
Like many of Vermilion’s earliest settlers P.B.’s grandparents, Frederick W. and Emma Chapman Morgan, came to Vermilion from Connecticut sometime in the early years of the 19th century. Together they had two children: a boy they named Frederick Chapman (PJ 11-20-003); and a girl they named Lucy. The family settled on a farm along Risdon road. And, though it should go without saying that the lives of the early farmers / settlers in the area was extremely demanding, the family always found time for their church.
That church, in this particular instance, was Vermilion’s first church; a Presbyterian church that was initially located in a clearing in the woods near their farm. And though by 1843 the congregation had moved to a new building in the thriving village of Vermillion the family remained extremely active in it providing music for services with a melodeon that sat on Mrs. Morgan’s lap; while her husband, at her side, pumped air into it; and whilst baby Frederick softly slept upon her knee. It was, then, hardly surprising that by the time the boy was twelve he was the one providing music for the services; albeit on a much larger pipe organ. And, in due time he also took over the farm, and married a gal named Mary. But ever as faithful as his parents, he continued to play for church services for the next 60 years.
In September of 1887 Presdee was born. Like his father and grandfather he came of age with a good knowledge of farming. But unlike them he preferred life away from the farm. He did well in school and actively participated in plays both in school and in church. In many respects he was more like his Aunt Lucy who was a public school teacher and a gifted writer. Thusly, Presdee worked briefly as a teacher. But by the time he was 30 he was working as an agent for the railroad and had married a Birmingham gal named Helen Blair. Helen worked as a clerk for the rail company. [Note: Helen’s sister Grace was married to a gentleman named John Feiszli. Two of the Feiszli children - Grace Roberts and Amos - and their respective families became, and remain, very well known and respected Vermilion citizens.] In February of 1922, after an illness of several months, Helen died at Lakeside hospital in Cleveland with her husband at her side.
Several years passed and Presdee became reacquainted with, and eventually married, an old school friend named Nellie Klarr Wood. Like Morgan she, too, had tragically lost her spouse. But unlike him she had three children; a boy named Paul, and two girls; Mary and Dorothy. [Another Note: Later Mary would marry a Vermilion boy named Howard Bogart, and Dorothy would marry another Vermilion fellow named Albert “Jim” Hart.] During all these years Morgan, as did his parents and grandparents before them, faithfully served his church which by then had become Vermilion’s First Congregational. He taught Sunday school; counted the proverbial beans / money; rang the bell calling folks to worship; advised the pastor; and, in essence, became what one might consider to be a GENUINE church deacon. He did everything but preach.
Outside the church he was extremely active in the Royal Arch Masons of Ohio. His dedication as a member of this organization eventually led to the application of his name to the local Masonic Chapter still known as the 233 P.B. Morgan Chapter. It was, and remains, a significant achievement and honor. So, in essence, Presdee in many respects earned his name after it was given him. Both he and his name are as unforgettable today as they were in the yesteryear.
LOUIS BRAILLE
When Louis Braille was 15 years old, he developed an ingenious system of reading and writing by means of raised dots. Today, in virtually every language throughout the world, Braille is the standard form of writing and reading used by blind people.
THE FIRE-LANDS: I found the following information re: the early inhabitants of our area to be extremely informative. Methinks you will also.
I am getting better at transcribing these passages so there are fewer mistakes. But I like to read as I go - and sometimes I fill in the blanks. So tread carefully this trail through yesteryear.
The following series will take thee to the townships south of Vermilion. Methinks you'll find this history quite fascinating.
...-gan about 1830. Christopher Irwin came from Virginia, and settled upon lot thirty, section three. He married a sister of Elijah Price. Elijah Price and his brother, William, came soon after. They were from Cayuga county. New York. Elijah settled upon lot thirteen, section two, and his brother soon removed to Clyde. Chauncey Tuttle, of Onondaga county, New York, settled upon lot sixteen, section four. Timothy West, of Cayuga county, and his sons, George E., William and Sexton P., came into the county early in 1831, and took up their residence upon lot twenty-one, section four. Ebenezer Foote, the father of Samuel Foote, came and brought his family in 1832. His wife's name was Lydia Gage, and his children were: Betsey, Daniel, Ramus, Abigail, Rhoda, Sylvia, Marcus and Luke, twins. Alma, Electa (afterward Mrs. S. Adams), Verona (Mrs. D. Johnson) and Ebenezer, Sherwood Wakeman, of Tompkins county, settled upon lot seventeen, section one. His father, John, and three other sons, Wm. H., Bradley and Eli, came with him at the same time. Benjamin Hildreth from the same county, settled upon lot fourteen also, in section one. H. L. Moulton, a native of Connecticut, but for some time a resident of New York, took up lot three, section four. David Johnson came at the same time as the Foote family, and settled upon lot twenty-two, section four. His wife, at that time, was Sylvia Foote. He afterward married Verona. Johnson was from Cayuga county, Joseph K. Owen and his wife, Elizabeth, of Orange county, New York, took up lot thirteen, section one, in lS3i. Walter Holmes settled upon lots eighteen and nineteen, in section four, James Hopkins and his wife, Sarah Jane Owen, of Tompkins county, New York, took up lots seventeen and twenty, section four. Elisha Savage came in at the same time. The Rev, Wm. C, Huestis and his wife, Hannah Owen, of Perry, Wyoming county, New York, came during the same year. Their land was in lots twenty-one and eight, section one. J, W, is now in Fairfield, and another son, William, in Indiana. Reuben Burras and his father-in-law, Peleg Standish, came at this time. Wm. Bowen, of Cayuga county, brought in a large family, and took up his residence upon lots twenty-two and twenty-three, section four, Isaac Godfrey, of Onondaga county, bought some property of Colonel Greenfield, at Steam Corners. Solomon and Margaret Davis and a son, James, settled at the center. They were from Onondaga county L. D. Allen, Esq., of Ulysses, Tompkins county. New York, came during this year. He married Margaret, daughter of John DeBow. He has been justice of the peace for twenty-seven years: has held the office of township clerk, and was sheriff of Huron county in 1864. Thomas Place came from the same county as Squire Allen. He located upon lot thirty-nine, section four. His son, T, W., now lives in the township. John Barnes settled during this year. Israel P. Weeks, also of Tompkins county, settled in 1835, upon lot thirty-seven, section two. E, D, Tanner took lot nine, section one, A. C. Taylor, of the same county in New York, came during the same year as the above, to North Fairfield. George Silliman, of Connecticut, came in 1836. A. E. Smith, came in the same year from New York State, and bought the Jones farm. John DeBow, of Seneca county, came in the spring of 1836, but soon after moved to Indiana, where he died, Hawley S. Belden came in the same year from Ontario county, New York. Abijah Benson, of Onondaga county. New York, came in 1833. He was a soldier in the war of 1812, and held a captain's commission.
Among those who came in at a later period, we mention William and Hannah Parrott and their son. Frederick Parrott, natives of England, who took up the farm in lots twenty-four and twenty-five, section three. Lyman Peck, of Herkimer county, who took up lots forty-two and forty-three, section two, and Davis Miller, who came in the same year from Washington county. New York. Peck married Merilda Mead, a daughter of David Mead. Clinton McKellogg came in 1844.
When the settlement was new, bears, deer, wolves and other animals were found in great abundance. The bears made hunting something more than a dilletanti amusement; the deer afforded food for the table and clothing for the hunters; the wolves were simply an annoyance, and the minor animals lent variety to the sport of hunting and to the larders of the pioneers' houses. Several bears were killed in the township. We narrate one instance, as it is somewhat novel one, and although seemingly outside of the realm of probability, if not of possibility, is vouched for by those whose word is above suspicion of unreliability. George Eldridge, while passing through the woods, one day, in the northern part of the township, where the Jenning's farm now is, saw, at a little distance, a full grown bear standing upon the trunk of a large fallen tree. He raised his rifle, took ma steady aim and fired. The bear "fell down behind the tree, and Eldridge, not knowing whether he had killed him or not, reloaded his gun. He had no balls and so put in a beech slug. He had no sooner got his gun in readiness for use, then he saw the head of bruin raised above the tree trunk. He fired, and the animal dropped from sight. The hunter prudently loaded a second time and as quickly as possible, for in those days no man felt safe when in the woods unless provided for any emergency. After ramming the second beech slug home, he waited a few seconds, and was rewarded with a third shot, which, like the former ones, apparently took effect. Again the bear fell from the log. Reloading the rifle, Eldridge went cautiously forward to see whether the three shots fired had quite ended the animal's life, and on reaching the tree trunk and looking over it, was surprised to find three dead bears instead of one. He had supposed, all of the time, that there was but one bear in…
Excerpts from: The Fire Lands, Comprising Huron and Erie Counties, Ohio; W.W. Williams - 1879 - Press of Leader Printing Company, Cleveland, Ohio
CLEAN SHAVES:I realize that razors are really "a dime-a-dozen" artifacts. Nonetheless, I found this one interesting. It's a pretty hefty device. Manufactured in the U.S.A it was popular around 1910. You can find a few on eBay these days. This one's not for sale.
I found it on a shelf in the bindary room of the print shop. Given it's age it belonged to either my grandfather, Pearl Roscoe, or my dad - W.B. I assume there were times when a guy needed to shave before going to a meeting, and going home was impossible. So it was necessary to clean-up at the shop.
Here's an old advertisement for the razor I found on-line:
All of the clocks in the movie Pulp Fiction are stuck on 4:20.
Canada is an Indian word meaning "Big Village".
All 50 states are listed across the top of the Lincoln Memorial on the back of the $5 bill.
Almonds are members of the peach family.
The symbol on the "pound" key (#) is called an octothorpe.
The maximum weight for a golf ball is 1.62 oz.
Charlie Brown's father was a barber.
Nutmeg is extremely poisonous if injected intravenously
Of the six men who made up the Three Stooges, three of them were real brothers (Moe, Curly and Shemp.)
Ingrown toenails are hereditary.
In Mel Brooks' 'Silent Movie,' mime Marcel Marceau is the only person who has a speaking role.
Pulp Fiction cost $8 million to make - $5 million going to actor's salaries.
A full seven percent of the entire Irish barley crop goes to the production of Guinness beer.
Los Angeles's full name is "El Pueblo de Nuestra Senora la Reina de los Angeles de Porciuncula" and can be abbreviated to 3.63% of its size, "L.A."
A cat has 32 muscles in each ear
An ostrich's eye is bigger than it's brain.
Tigers have striped skin, not just striped fur.
Deborah Winger did the voice of E.T.
In most advertisements, including newspapers, the time displayed on watch is 10:10.
Alfred Hitchcock didn't have a belly button. It was eliminated when he was sewn up after surgery.
ZIP THIS WEEK: This week. no podcast again. I'm still thinking about this section of Views - looking for a better way to present these videos.
Persons interested in the history of the Lake Shore Electric Railway (which was the subject of a recent past podcast series) - "the greatest electaric railway system on the planet" may want to go to Amazon.com and purchase a book called "Images of Rail - Lake Shore Electric Railway". It was put together by Thomas J. Patton with the help of my friends Dennis Lamont and Albert Doane. It'd make a nice gift.
Also, please note that all the video (MP4 and MOV) podcasts (when used) are done in the "Quicktime MP4 / MOV" formats. If you don't have a "Quicktime" it's easy to find and free to download.
LOCAL ANNOUNCEMENTS: After giving it much thought this link has been "put-down". During the last year most of the folks who used to use this page as a bulletin board have acquired their own and, consequently, no longer need this forum from "Views". I have, however, kept links (in the links section) to Larry Hohler's "Hope Homes" in Kenya - and to Bette Lou Higgins' Eden Valley Enterprises sites. They are historically and socially relevant projects. I suggest that you visit these sites on a regular basis to see "what's shakin'".
THE BEAT GOES ON: This page is generated by a dreaded Macintosh Computer and is written and designed by (me) Rich Tarrant. It will change weekly ~ usually on Saturday. Bookmark the URL (Universal Resource Locater) and come back at your own leisure. Send the page to your friends (and enemies if you wish). If you have something to share with those who visit this page, pass it on. And if you see something that is in need of correction do the same. My sister, Nancy, is a great help in that respect. It only takes me a week to get things right. And follow the links. You might find something you like. If you experience a problem with them let me know. Also, if you want to see past editions of this eZine check the new archives links below.
If you're looking for my old links section (pictured) I've replaced it with a pull-down menu (visible in the small box next to the word "Go"). If you're looking for links to more Vermilion history check that menu.
How the old links menu looked
or you can use PayPal: (NOTE: IT WORKS NOW)
Vol.10, Issue 01 - March 17, 2012
© 2012 Rich Tarrant