One House’s Story: The Kreiter Family

There are many large and decorative homes lining North Wooster Avenue in Dover, Ohio. Nestled among them is a somewhat more modest house that was once home to a Dover grocer and his family. A note about addresses: House numbers and street names often change over time. While it has been difficult to establish detailsContinue reading “One House’s Story: The Kreiter Family”

One House’s Story: The Bombing of the Bowers’ House

I stumbled across one of this house’s stories while researching one of the home’s inhabitants for another project. I could not resist sharing this very surprising, and violent, piece of New Philadelphia history. A note about addresses: House numbers and street names often change over time. Well known attorney Henry Bowers (1858-1934) and his familyContinue reading “One House’s Story: The Bombing of the Bowers’ House”

A Local Tragedy on the Cleveland & Pittsburgh Railroad

Five local railroad workers boarded their train in New Philadelphia early on a Saturday morning in October 1910 for a routine trip to Cleveland and back. Only two of the men would return home alive. The Cleveland & Pittsburgh train crew gathered in the early morning hours of Saturday, October 8, 1910 for a freightContinue reading “A Local Tragedy on the Cleveland & Pittsburgh Railroad”

One House’s Story: The Hammond Family of Dover

I recently travelled through Dover, taking a route I don’t usually take, and came upon this home sitting on the corner of what was once a busy Dover neighborhood. I hoped that the house had a story to tell me, and I was not disappointed. A note about addresses: House numbers and street names oftenContinue reading “One House’s Story: The Hammond Family of Dover”

Fallen Heroes: Private Russell Andreas

Some fallen heroes served their country for years before being asked to make the ultimate sacrifice. Others make that sacrifice in the first several weeks or months of their service. Some, like this fallen hero, never survive their first taste of combat. The ancestors of Russell Andreas (1894-1918) settled in Tuscarawas County in the firstContinue reading “Fallen Heroes: Private Russell Andreas”

Fallen Heroes: 2nd Lieutenant Clara A. Young

Not surprisingly, given the nature of warfare in the past, the majority of fallen heroes are young men. There are, however, examples where servicewomen find themselves on or near the front lines, or in roles that put their lives in danger. In the case of this fallen hero, though she prepared and trained for serviceContinue reading “Fallen Heroes: 2nd Lieutenant Clara A. Young”

Fallen Heroes: Corporal Hubert Jentes

During World War One there were numerous young men from Tuscarawas County who found themselves fighting in Europe. The battlefields of Europe, however, were not the only place where American soldiers served and lost their lives. The Jentes family began in Tuscarawas County with the arrival of German immigrant Adam Jentes (1822-1903) and his pregnantContinue reading “Fallen Heroes: Corporal Hubert Jentes”

Fallen Heroes: Sergeant Robert J. Wherley

Patriotism and the desire for service are often driving forces when one makes the decision to serve their country. That service often begins at a time of peace, but is punctuated by the ultimate sacrifice in a subsequent conflict. This fallen hero, determined to serve his country as the Second World War ended, is oneContinue reading “Fallen Heroes: Sergeant Robert J. Wherley”

“Everyone Thinks I Am Crazy”: A UFO Sighting in Tuscarawas County

Sometimes when you are doing research on a subject, you accidently stumble upon the unexpected. This is one of those cases. While researching a fallen hero, and unrelated to his story, I came across a document on a UFO sighting that occurred in New Philadelphia, Ohio in 1968. There was no way I was notContinue reading ““Everyone Thinks I Am Crazy”: A UFO Sighting in Tuscarawas County”

Fallen Heroes: Corporal Melvin Lauver

While many of Ohio’s fallen heroes rest in cemeteries in their home state, many others never returned home. When Uhrichsville’s Melvin Lauver (1915-1943) entered the United States Army in 1942, he and his family never anticipated that he would be memorialized 4000 miles from his hometown. When Melvin Lauver was born in Uhrichsville in 1915,Continue reading “Fallen Heroes: Corporal Melvin Lauver”