CHARLIE TRINTER, TONY JANNUS, AND LOUIS ENGLEBRY ON LINWOOD BEACH.
DESKTALK: This week’s desktop pic is one my grandfather (Pearl Roscoe) took of aero-pioneer Tony Jannus with Vermilion’s Charlie Trinter (left) and Louis Englebry (right) on the beach at Linwood Park during the summer of 1914. Both Trinter and Englebry got to ride to Cedar Point and back with Jannus. And it’s been said that at that time Englebry – who apparently weighed over 300 pounds – was the heaviest person ever known to be transported by a plane.
When researching Janus for an article that I wrote seven years ago about the photo for the Vermilion Photojournal I acquired a book (Jannus – an American Flier by Thomas Reilly - 1997) containing this photograph with the following caption:
”Posing in front of a Benoist Flying boat on the Mississippi River, St. Louis, Missouri, 1913. Left to right: Hillery Beachey, tony Jannus, and fed Essen, the 235 pound St. Louis County Republican politician. Courtesy of the Florida Aviation Historical Society. About the only thing they got right was Jannus’s name.
I wrote the Florida Aviation Historical Society and gave them the correct information for their records. It remains to be seen if they believed me, or not. Obviously, the caption in the book can’t be altered. That’s just the way it is. At least I know the true identities of the men in the photo. Anyway, I doubt that most readers of that book care too much.
Janus was killed in Russia on October 12, 1916 while testing a Curtiss H Airboat for their government. He crashed into the Black Sea and his remains were never recovered. Shortly before his death he sent Mr. Englebry a card telling of his adventure in Russia. He was only 27 years old.
NOW – THE REST OF VERMILION’S WAR CASUALTIES:
FROM THE VERMILION NEWS – NOVEMBER 2, 1944
Word came to Vermilion friends Friday that Earle, younger son of Mr. and Mrs. Bruce Lafferty of Lakewood and Vermilion river Park, was killed in action on October 7 in Germany.
Earle belonged to Co. C 743 Tk. Batt. And was driver of one of the first tanks landing on French soil. He wrote his brother Bob several weeks ago that two tanks had been shot from under him and that he was really in the thick of it, but not “to tell Mom.” Bob didn’t tell Mom but mothers have a way of finds out things and Mrs. Lafferty found out.
Earle spend his boyhood in Vermilion and worked at the Okagi Restaurant. Besides his parents and brother bob. He leaves one sister, Mrs. Blackmann of Cleveland.
FROM THE VERMILION NEWS – FEBRUARY 1, 1945
Friday morning the message “Killed in Action” came to the home of Mr. and Mrs. Lloyd Leidheiser where their daughter Mrs. Russell Badertscher is making her home, notifying her that her husband had died in action in Belgium on January 15.
Mrs. Badertscher was at the home of her mother-in-law at Lorain at the time and her parents carried the message to her.
Sgt. Badertscher was an Airborne Engineer. He was inducted into service in March, 1942 and had been overseas since August. He was 30 years of age a native of Lorain where his mother Mrs. Bertha Badertscher lives. A two-year-old daughter comforts the bereaved wife and mother, who was before her marriage Evelyn Leidheiser.
FROM THE VERMILION NEWS – MARCH 29, 1945
Mr. and Mrs. Alfred J. Keller of berlin eights received a message from the war department Friday, march 23rd announcing that their youngest son, Kenneth, 19, was killed in action Tuesday march 13 in Germany. Mr. and Mrs. Keller have four other sons in service.
Word was received this week that Cpl. James H. Slack of the Marines was killed in action Feb. 25 at Iwo Jima. He was graduated from Birmingham School in 1940 and made his home with Mr. and Mrs. L. A. Andrews.
He attended Fenn College, Cleveland, later was graduated from Western Michigan College. He entered service in July 1943 and trained at Parris Island and went overseas in August.
FROM THE VERMILION NEWS – OCTOBER 4, 1945
“Missing in action” was changed to “killed in action” in a message this week to the family of Pfc. George Keating of Cleveland, a brother-in-law of Mr. and Mrs. Anthony Sobiech of Elberta Beach.
He was killed in Luxemburg, Germany on February 7, the day he was reported missing.
Mr. Keating leaves a wife and four children, the eldest, eight and the youngest twenty months. The family spent considerable time at Elberta and Mr. Keating was known to many people in this section.
Historically,
VHS CLASS OF 1955 - PART 1.
VHS 1955: Last week I made mention of Vermilionite Marlene Calvert Feldkamp's desire to aquire a Vermilion High School annual "Log" book. In response a fellow named Leslie Smith (VHS 1958 - I think that's right) not only emailed to tell me that he had that volume (among others), but he actually sent me scans of the entire VHS Senior Class and Faculty from 1955. The above pix are from the beginning of that book.
I remember all the faces from those years. And a few of these people still live - or at least visit - Vermilion frequently. I see Ray Beursken (who became a Vermilion Postmaster) most often. These are the people I looked up to when I was a kid (I guess I still do.)
I intend to use all the pix Leslie sent. I'm also thinking about putting all VHS graduate pix on-line in a new webpage - or series of webpages - dedicated for just that purpose. I don't have all the books of course. But I've got enough to begin - starting with the old "Hi-Times" annuals. I do have a number of them. Most were printed at The Vermilion News Print Shop. I don't believe any of the Log books were printed there.
THE SQUIRE: The title, of course, was “legit”. He was genuinely (pun intended) entitled to it. In the U.S. the title of Squire was that given to a Justice of the Peace. And that he was for 50 years - among many other things. But be that as it was, most folks about the Village just called him “Harry”.
His full name (which few persons outside his immediate family really ever knew) was Henry Robert Williams. He was born on August 17, 1869 in Brookefield Township in Trumbell County, Ohio. He was one of seven children born to hardworking Welsh emigrants. After completing his studies at Ohio Northern University in 1893 he was admitted to the Ohio Bar and straight away came to Vermilion to set-up his law practice.
On April 12, 1895 then Ohio Governor, and soon to be U.S. President, William McKinley (1843-1901) signed a certificate which officially allowed “H.R. Williams” of Vermilion, O. the title of Squire. And on July 16th of the same year the newly appointed Squire participated in a ceremony, which officially allowed Miss Hattie Belle Rathbun of Vermilion O. the title of Mrs. (Williams). Coincidentally, Hattie’s brother George (PJ 10/16/08), a popular Vermilion fisherman and grocer, also married a local gal named Hattie (PJ 8/27/09).
Over the next decade or so Harry and Hattie, had five children; three girls, and two boys: Inez, Anna, Rhoda, William “Billy”, and Thomas “Tom”. This undoubtedly made their home on Washington Street a very lively place. And while Hattie busied herself tending to the needs of their youngsters the good Squire busied himself with court business - among other things.
In 1900 he was first elected Village Mayor. He served in that capacity for what may likely be an all-time record for Ohio mayors - nearly 30 years. He was, in fact, once recognized by many as the “Dean of Ohio Mayors”. Only the current Mayor of Akron, Ohio, Don Plusquellic, now in his 24th year of service, is in a position to surpass the Squire’s record. Over the years the Squire also served as Village Solicitor, Clerk of the Board of Education, and Coroner - among other things. Some were positive experiences. Some were not.
On a sultry Saturday afternoon in August of 1906, while working alone in his office on Liberty Avenue in downtown Vermilion, the Squire heard a loud noise echo through the village. Rushing toward its source he discovered that two Lake Shore Electric Cars had crashed head-on just west of town (near the current site of Bluebird Beach). The motorman and one passenger had been killed on impact and forty-one additional passengers were injured. The Squire administered first-aid to some of the survivors and directed that the injured be moved to the lawn and veranda of the Maud-Elton Hotel to be treated; and where the more seriously injured persons could be transported to St. Joseph’s Hospital in nearby Lorain.
In 1907 the “Squire” and his family were among those who kept a summer home in Linwood Park. Among his sundry interests was the game of baseball. And as fate would have it he saw a 17 year-old girl “setting fire” to the gloves of a group of boys in the game of catch.
Immediately recognizing her talent the Squire suggested to Charles Heidloff, then the manager of Vermilion’s semipro “Vermilion Independents” baseball team, that he sign her to play for the team. He initially scoffed at the idea. But after watching her play in a game that the Squire had arranged to be played between two local teams, with Alta pitching, he scoffed no more. Alta Weiss (PJ 1/11/07), with her father’s permission, took the mound at Vermilion’s Crystal Beach ball park on September 2, 1907 and pitched her way into the Baseball Hall of Fame.
In June of 1945 “Squire” Williams was laid to rest in the shade of the great trees at Maple Grove Cemetery. His girls had married well, and both boys had followed his footsteps into the practice of law. To the very end he had maintained his law practice as well as an his extreme interest in the maintenance and development of the town he had so lovingly served for more than half his life - among other things.
SHOPTALK: No mystery about the desktop pic at the Print Shop this week. It’s just a map showing the museum’s location. This week I’ve begun clearing out the bindery room. There’s a great deal of junk in it. I also happed upon some historical jewels that I’ll share with all in the future. Though this is a task in need of doing. It’s also interesting work.
YESTERYEAR – THE BOOK: I’m beginning to work on a reprint of my first book “Yesteryear – An Anthology of Historical Narratives of Vermilion, Ohio and It’s People”. It was published in 2005. And while it is a much smaller book that the “Now & Then” thing there’s more information in it.
I am correcting some of the text and re-working all of the photographs. The pix in the original book were not as precise as they might have been. Because they’re relatively small they should be of better quality. (I’ve improved my knowledge and understanding of the digital and ink printing processes since that time.)
VISITING HOURS: Starting Monday June 25th the museum will be open on Mondays, Wednesdays, and Sundays from 1 to 4 PM. On Saturday the museum will be open from 11 AM to 2 PM. A small admission donation of $3 (for adults) is requested. Children under the age of 11 will be admitted for free.
POST OFFICE BOX: Please note that the MUSEUM has a post office box now. Now we won’t have to use our home address, nor the one at the shop for mail.
MEMBERSHIPS: Memberships to the VERMILION NEWS PRINT SHOP MUSEUM are now available. Funds generated will go toward the aforementioned renovations and maintenance of the shop.
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. most everyday. 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. VIII,NO.19. – OCTOBER 13, 1904.
Mr. Edwin D. Todd, a prominent farmer of Wakeman, and Rose r. Carter, of Birmingham wee united in marriage on Thursday, Oct. 6, at high noon, at the home of the bride, Rev. Martin Weaver officiating.
The ceremony was performed in the presence of a few near friends and relatives. Those present were: Mr. and Mrs. Egbert Todd and Frank Todd, of Wakeman; Mr. and Mrs. Marvin Carter, Mr. and Mrs. D.E. Jefferson, Mr. and Mrs. C. E. Meyers, Mr. and Mrs. Carl Boehm, of Toledo; Mrs. C.D. Arnet and son, of New London; Mr. and Mrs. A.D. Ennes, Rev. and Mrs. M. Weaver, of Berlin Heights; Miss Manley and Miss Ries, of Oberlin; Mr. and Mrs. Conrad Latteman, of Birmingham; and Mr. and Mrs. Irving, of West Virginia.
Mr. and Mrs. Todd will be at home to their many friends after November 1, at Wakeman, O.- Berlin Budget.
Andrew McGregor was considerably shaken up and burned by an explosion of Bi-Sulphide [sic] of Carbon at the Milling plant of the Vermilion Milling Co. yesterday. He was carrying a can of the chemical in the basement when from some unknown cause it exploded throwing him down and scattering the fluid all about.
The stuff took fire and required considerable time to extinguish the fire.
Dr. Hill was called to attend Mr. McGregor who is now getting along nicely. The chemical is used to exterminate weevils. It forms a heavy gas, which penetrates the bins of wheat thus killing the little pests.
The deaths of women directly arising from intemperance have increase, said the bishop of Croydon, England, by 150 per cent since 1875, as shown by the registrar-general’s returns.
It is stated that the Nickel Plate Ry, will become a competitor of the L.S.E. Ry between Cleveland and Lorain. A two-hour schedule will be maintained.
The change of schedule on the L.S.E. Ry. is making late hours for the return of workman who live here and are employed in Lorain.
The Sandusky Automobile Co.is in considerable trouble. Several foreclosure suits have been filed against the company.
Get a pair of the celebrated “Built for Wear” one piece shoe, for our boy to wear to school, at C.C. Baumhart’s.
Clever swindlers have been working saloonkeepers in small towns in this vicinity claiming to be government detectives. They would pretend to test their liquor and pronounce them as not coming up to the test required. They would then offer to settle with the liquor dealers for $50. Some of the them paid the amount but others defied the bogus men.
The questions, “Can the authorities force a child to [be] vaccinated,’ will be broght [sic] into the courts at Norwalk and will probably be carried up to the Supreme Court. The case in question is the daughter of John Parker, who was sent home from school recently for not having a certificate of vaccination. In connection comes the order of Judge Kohler granting an alternative writ of mandames [sic] commanding the Barberton board of education to a limit the four children of Chas. Kiser of that place notwithstanding the order of the board issued a year ago. This matter or vaccination bids fair to be fought to a finish this year, and the cases will be watched with much interest.
School district No. 4 are preparing to have a box social for the purpose of having a library.
John Lee has purchased a new cow.
Joppa is expecting a new bridge bridge [sic].
Geo.Smith has purchased a parrot which can talk some.
Miss Helen Gould stopped at Lorain the other day while en route to California in her private car. She was greatly shocked at the Nickel Plate depot and made the remark, “25,000 people and a depot like that.” She is not the only person that has made a similar remark. As she has considerable influence with her brother the railroad magnate, the citizens of Lorain are looking for an improvement by way of a new station. [VV Ed. Note: According to Wikipedia: Helen Miller Gould Shepard was the oldest daughter of Jason "Jay" Gould (May 27, 1836 – December 2, 1892) was a leading American railroad developer and speculator. He has long been vilified as an archetypal robber baron whose successes made him the ninth richest American in history. Helen was born in Manhattan, N.Y. in 1868. She attended the University of New York Law School and married a man named Finley Johnson Shepard in 1913. She was primarily known a a philanthropist. She died in 1938.]
STOVE FOR SALE – Base Burner in good condition. Rev. E.W. Bockstahler, German M.E. Parsonage.
Rev. Rupert wife and son returned home today from their visit to Polk, O.
Mrs. Henry Hull of Huron was the guest of Mrs. Bertha Englebry Saturday.
Mrs. Burrows aged ninty-seven [sic], of Florence Tp., was buried in Maple Grove Cemetery Monday.
The remains of Mrs. Margaret Myers, an aged lady of Huron was brought to Maple Grove Cemetry [sic] for burial Monday.
S.J. Washburn is building a new house on his farm south of town. It will be remembered that his house was destroyed by fire some months ago.
Dave Miller’s new house is ging up rapidly and will soon be enclosed.
The funeral of W.B. Bedortha occurred at his late home in Oberlin Tuesday. His death was very sudden. Mr. Bedortha was well known here where he owned a cottage at which he and his family enjoyed their summer outing.
We are having fine weather to ripen late corn. Now the farmers are picking apples and finishing their fall plowing and cutting corn.
Mr. I.G. Ferris has moved into Mrs. Sadie Mill’s house.
Mrs. D. Whitehead has old her property here to a man from Cleveland who is coming here to reside.
Mr. Andy Arnold is moving to Oak Harbor to set up a racket store. Mr. Jessie Henry is going with him as assistant.
Dr. Beman [sic] of Cleveland was circulating among old acquaintances last Sunday.
[VV Ed. Note: this was probably Dr. Edwin E. BEEMAN, (Mar. 1839-6 Nov. 1906), a physician, who became known as "the Chewing Gum King" after introducing "Beeman's Pepsin Gum." Born in LaGrange, Ohio, son of Julius and Margaret Beeman, he grew up in Lorain and Erie counties. After 2 years at Oberlin College, at 18 he started reading medicine under his father and joined him in the drug business in Cleveland in 1863-64. Beeman then practiced medicine in Birmingham, Ohio, for 12 years, and in Wakeman, Ohio, for 6 years. A specialist in digestive disorders, Beeman discovered that pepsin, an extract from hogs' stomachs, provided relief from indigestion. By 1883, Beeman returned to Cleveland to manufacture pepsin. Beeman produced pepsin on a small scale until 1888, when he organized the Beeman Chemical Co. with Albert C. Johnson, Chris Grover, and Wm. Cain. In Jan. 1890, the company's bookkeeper, Nellie M. Horton, suggested that Beeman add pepsin to chewing gum. The following month, "Beeman's Pepsin Gum" appeared. Its success led to a company reorganization in 1891; Beeman's earlier partners sold their interests to Geo. H. Worthington, Jas. M. Worthington, and Jas. Nicholl, with Nellie Horton becoming a stockholder and assistant secretary and treasurer. By 1898, the company's gum sales totaled $408,685; pepsin sales were $1,449; and profits totaled $131,487. In June 1899, the directors authorized the sale of the company to the American Chicle Co. Besides his business and medical interests, Beeman served 4 terms on CLEVELAND CITY COUNCIL and was a Royal Arch Mason. Beeman married Mary Cobb in 1862. They had 2 children: Harrie L. and Lester A. Beeman who died in Cleveland and was buried in Harvard Grove Cemetery. – From The Encyclopedia of Cleveland History:]
Hmmmmmm....
"The photo was among several donated by local resident Rita Mayer to the Vermilion Area Archival Society"
A PHOTO FOR THE SCRAPBOOKS: Now here’s a photo for local scrapbooks. My-Oh-My-Oh-My. The quality of this group portrait is so delicate that the who, whats, whys, and wherefores of it are practically irrelevant. No matter that some of the faces in it may be familiar to various Vermilion residents. The quality of the photograph is so stunningly beautiful that individual portraits of each subject could be made and placed in an art gallery, sans any explication, and no one would question them beyond their intrinsic value as “objets d’art” - as the inset photo well demonstrates.
The photo was among several donated by local resident Rita Mayer to the Vermilion Area Archival Society where (incidentally) it will be catalogued, stored, and preserved for the benefit of future generations. Historically, the portrait, alone, is of significant value. But that which makes it exceptionally valuable (at least to amateur historians such as myself) is the fact that when Mrs. Mayer removed the wooden backing from the framed photo she discovered a sheet of paper with the neatly typed names of all the persons pictured on it. The find was (at least from my perspective) just short of miraculous.
There are fifty-one names on the paper that go with the fifty-one faces in the portrait. Finally, the names one comes across in an old book or newspaper have faces. And again, for someone such as myself who continually wanders / stumbles through local histories and sundry other memorabilia this is exceptionally advantageous. For a name can only tell ye so much.
So without further windbaggery here are the names to place with the faces of the “Employees of the F.W. Wakefield Brass Company” as they appeared on a lovely June day in 1925:
FRONT ROW L-R: Adam Walper, Winifred Emerick, Gladys Hoffman, Minnie (Beursken) Mayer, Mrs. Hitzman, Helen Schatz, Eva Krapp, Katherine Driscoll, Mildred (Sanders) Friday, Madelene Seberson, Mrs. Havis, Mrs. Grisel.
SECOND ROW L-R: A.F. Wakefield, Jack Fitzgerald, F.W. Wakefield, Marie Avery, Flora (Pelton) Hollister, Arlene Eaton Albright, Ethel Whitmore, Belle Smith (Inset Photo), Mrs. Showalter, Emma Kishman, Mildred Lumley.
THIRD ROW L-R: Geo. Smith, Ed McVeen, Erwin Shaw, Rae Crosier, Geo. Beursken, Fred Schifler, Clarence Kishman, George Stumpf, Sam Lingelbach, Dan Krapp, A.J. Copeland.
FOURTH ROW: Charles Neiding, Charles Jay, Herman Kobs, Fred Burger, Andrew Schisler, Erwin Fitzgerald, Alfred Werner, Albert Lingelbach, Mr. Beursken.
BACK ROW L-R: Hinie Buiting, Dick Havis, T.D. Penning, Fred Fredricks, Walter Shirk, C.A. Schroeder, F.W. Wilson, R.G. Kane.
And that’s the way they “was” in a yesteryear - 75 (almost to the day) years ago. Poised on the edge of a great economic disaster, sandwiched between two world wars, and, perhaps, thirsting for a glass of cold beer, they momentarily paused and posed for their portrait; and then returned to work. It was only Thursday. The next day was payday.
Inventor Grace Murray Hopper was a curious child. At the age of seven, she dismantled her alarm clock to figure out how it worked, but was unable to reassemble it. By the time her mother figured out what she had been up to, the young Grace Hopper had gone through seven clocks in the house. This intellectual curiosity would later play an integral part in earning Hopper a place among the ranks of the most famous women inventors.
As she grew up, Grace's parents encouraged her to pursue her educational ambitions. At Vassar College, she obtained a B.A. in mathematics and physics. She continued her education at Yale University by completing a masters and Ph.D. in mathematics. She then returned to Vassar to teach.
During World War II, Hopper joined the Navy and was sworn into the U.S. Naval Reserve in 1943. After training, she was commissioned as a lieutenant and assigned to the Bureau of Ordinance Computation Project at Harvard University. She became the third person to program the Harvard Mark I computer. Much like her clocks, disassembling it and figuring out its operating processes was a challenge that she really enjoyed.
Hopper's naval duties ended a year after the war, and she became a senior programmer with Remington Rand, where she worked on the first large-scale commercial computer – UNIVAC. She became Director of Automatic programming in 1952 and subsequently oversaw the company's endeavor to produce specifications for a common business language. From 1959 to 1961, Hopper lead the team that invented COBOL (Common Business-Oriented Language), the first user-friendly business computer software program.
Later, Hopper invested a great deal of time advocating validation procedures to bring about the international standardization of computer languages. She won numerous awards for her career as a famous woman inventor, including the National Medal of Technology, which was presented to her in 1991 by President George Bush. By the time she passed away on January 1, 1992, Dr. Hopper had received honorary degrees from thirty universities.
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.
The history of the settlement of the west is of constantly recurring interest. The enterprise, intrepidity and self-denial of the pioneers who left the comforts and privileges of their eastern homes and came to the Fire-lands, then a far-off region, associated in the minds of civilized people with savage wild beasts and Indians, must always command our highest respect and admiration. They endured hardships and privations without number, not for their own advantages merely—for they well knew that old age would steal upon them long before they should enjoy the fruits of their toil—but for their children and their children's children, that to them they might leave a goodly heritage. The most of those truly, but unconsciously, heroic men and women, have long rested from their labors, but the good they accomplished remains, the blessings they secured and transmitted endure, and are now the precious legacy of a happy, prosperous and intelligent posterity.
Scattering settlements had been made in all the townships along the lake shore prior to the war of 1812; but the surrender of Detroit by General Hull, exposed that portion of country to the ravages of the enemy, that a general exodus of the settlers, southward, followed, and it remained almost entirely denuded of inhabitants until the signal victories, on both land and water, of the forces of the United States, rendered it safe for the former residents to return to their abandoned and, in many cases, ruined homes.
The early settlement of Lyme, like that of most of her sister townships, was never very rapid. Much of the land was owned by minor heirs, and entangled with unsettled estates; more had been bought up by speculators and held by them at either so high a figure as to greatly retard immigration, or not offered for sale at all; and besides all this, government land adjoining, so soon as it came into market, could be had for less than half the price generally at which the Fire-lands' tracts were held.
The first settler was Conrad Hawks, who penetrated the thick woods of Lyme in the year 1808. His location was in the northeast corner of the township on the farm afterwards so long occupied by John F. Adams. He remained in the township about ten years, when he removed to Green Springs, Seneca county.
In 1809, Michael Widner and John Stull moved in and settled near the location of ^the Episcopal church, the land they occupied being now owned by the heirs of the late Richard L. McCurdy. Although these families appear to have had but a brief residence in the township, they may nevertheless properly be called settlers, since they made a settlement in fact, and with the evident intention of remaining.
In the spring of 1811, Asa Sherwood came (presumably) from Homer, Courtland county. New York, and settled in that portion of the township since called the Sherwood prairie, near the northwest corner. Two or three years afterwards he moved to lot number four, in the second section, the place now owned by Calvin Barnard. The change of location was made because of the overflow of his land in his former location in wet seasons, the water rising from the ground and submerging it to a considerable depth. Sherwood resided on the Barnard place until 1832, when he removed to La Grange, Indiana.
The first family that settled on the ridge was that of George Ferguson, who arrived in December, 1811. He located on the north line, and resided there until 1833, when he removed to Michigan.
In 1811, Major Joseph Strong came from Manlius, Onondaga county, New York, and, with other gentlemen, purchased eighteen hundred acres of land in what now are Lyme and Groton townships. He returned to the east and the next year came out with two sons, Nathan and Leicester. They took up their abode in a block house, on the bank of the creek where the stone mill and distillery were afterwards built, and remained there for about two years, when Major Strong returned for the rest of his family, with whom he arrived in 1815. He located on three hundred and thirty five acres of land, in tract number one, in the first section of Groton, where Samuel Nims now lives. He died in the year 1835. His wife died a few years after their settlement. Their son, Colonel Nathan Strong, married Harriet Underhill, daughter of Major David Underhill, of Ridgefield, and settled in the northeast corner of the first section of Groton, where, with his brother, Leicester, he carried on a large farm. He finally removed to Illinois, where he afterwards died. His widow, now over eighty years of age, lives with her brother, Isaac Underhill, near Norwalk. Leicester Strong died unmarried. One son of Major Strong, L. E. Strong, was formerly a resident of Plymouth, Ohio, and two others and a daughter lived in the west. Joseph, Jr., died in the early years of the family's settlement.
Charles Rash came in soon after Major Strong, and lived with the family for a while, and then made his home with John Baker and family for two years, and subsequently with others. He first purchased land on lot number sixteen in the third section of Lyme, where Titus F. Beebe lived at a later date, and a part of the land is still owned by the family. He afterwards exchanged this farm with Major Strong for one hundred acres on the ridge. In 1820, his brother, Livy, came out, and the next year the brothers erected a house on the place, into which Hiram Baker and his mother moved, and kept house for them for some time.
In the winter of 1814 Captain Zadoc Strong moved in, and fixed his residence on lot number two, west of his brother, Major Strong. Stephen Russell, a son of Captain Strong's wife, came at the same time, and settled just west of the present bury in ground on the ridge. Captain Strong died without issue, his wife surviving him a number of years. Mr.…
Excerpts from: The Fire Lands, Comprising Huron and Erie Counties, Ohio; W.W. Williams - 1879 - Press of Leader Printing Company, Cleveland, Ohio
A PLEASANT SURPRISE: The following article appeared in the October 21, 1915 edition of The Vermilion News:
“An interesting relic of by-gone days was presented to the News Office this week by Ex-postmaster E.M. Kane. It is the old Post Office sorting case - the first ever used in Vermilion. It is made of black walnut and consists of twenty-six pigeonholes – one for each letter of the alphabet and stamp and card compartment and a place for miscellaneous papers. As is well remembered by the older generation, letters used to be sorted according to initial letters and when one called for his mail all letters beginning with A or B or whatever it might be was taken from the compartment by the Postmaster and sorted over. A box or basket served as a receptacle for papers and magazines of which there were few.
The case will remain in the News Office and be used for various clippings, etc.
How long the “office” has been in existence could not be ascertained. Mr. Kane served the people of Vermilion as Postmaster for a quarter of a century and he found it in use when he first entered the office. These days of individual boxes parcel post and rural routes were not dreamed of then, yet the office seemed well equipped at that time to handles all mail that came.”
The box, with some minor alteration [NOTE: The middle boxes circled were added via Photoshop to show how it originally appeared) still exists. Though worn, battered, and ink-stained it hangs on the wall behind the big Stonemetz newspaper press in the Vermilion News Print Shop Museum. For years it’s been used as a receptacle for sundry nuts, bolts, etc – but it still exists.
Ain’t that something?
- He teaches like Speedy Gonzalez on a caffeine high.
- Help! I've fallen asleep and I can't wake up!
- His blackboard technique puts Rembrandt to shame.
- Textbook is confusing ... someone with a knowledge of English should proofread it.
- This class was a religious experience for me ... I had to take it all on faith.
- The recitation instructor would make a good parking lot attendant. Tries to tell you where to go, but you can never understand him.
- Problem sets are a decoy to lure you away from potential exam material.
- Recitation was great. It was so confusing that I forgot who I was, where I was, and what I was doing - it's a great stress reliever.
- Information was presented like a ruptured fire hose - spraying in all directions - no way to stop it.
- I never bought the text. My $60 was better spent on the Led Zeppelin that I used while doing the problem sets.
NADA AGAIN THIS WEEK: This week no podcast again. God is still talking and I continue to think 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.
Another great book with Vermilion Roots is, "Grandmas’ Favorites: A Compilation of Recipes from Margaret Sanders Buell" by Amy O’Neal, Elizabeth Thompson and Meg Walter (May 2, 2012). This book very literally will provide one with the flavor of old Vermilion. And ye can also find it at Amazon.com. Take a look.
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 27 - September 15, 2012
© 2012 Rich Tarrant