A Family Lost: The Swartzwelder Tragedy of 1923

A young family’s hopeful life in Tuscarawas County ended tragically at a rural railroad crossing near Strasburg, Ohio.

Charles and Florence Corbett Swartzwelder, a young couple from Armstrong County, Pennsylvania, arrived in Tuscarawas County, Ohio in 1921. Charles was born on September 2, 1897, in Pine Township, Armstrong County, Pennsylvania, the son of William James Swartzwelder (1859-1919) and Isabelle Childs Johnston (1861-1952). His father labored first as a farmer and later as a coal miner. He married Florence E. Corbett in Wellsburg, West Virginia in April 1917. The couple initially settled in Pennsylvania, where Charles worked as a laborer for the Harbison Walker Company in Templeton, Pennsylvania. Charles was described in his World War I draft registration as tall and slender with gray eyes and black hair.

Florence Corbett was born in September 1896 also in Armstrong County, Pennsylvania, the daughter of Walanthar Corbett (1855-bef. 1946) and Mary Jane Cochran (1861-1903). She was raised in a large family where her father worked as a house carpenter. After their marriage in 1917, the couple moved a couple of times as Charles pursued work. Around 1921, the couple relocated to Tuscarawas County, Ohio, where Charles found employment first at a refractory plant and later at the Columbia Brick Works near Strasburg, Ohio. Within a year of their arrival, Florence gave birth to a son, Paul, in June 1922. The family lived for a year in the home of a local widow before moving to a rented farm property north of Strasburg in February 1923.

On the evening of March 13, 1923, tragedy struck the Swartzwelder family. Just north of Strasburg, Ohio, when a northbound Northern Ohio Traction & Light interurban streetcar collided with the Swartzwelder’s Ford truck at the Upper Schneider’s crossing. Charles was driving and his wife, and their nine-month-old son Paul were passengers. The family was on their way to visit a neighbor when their vehicle was struck with devastating force. The impact hurled Charles and Paul from the wreckage and inflicted fatal injuries on all three members of the family. Charles and his son died at the scene, while Florence succumbed to her injuries later that evening at Union Hospital in Dover, after never regaining consciousness.

The collision occurred just a short distance from the family’s home on a farm owned by Mrs. Maggie Goudy (1854-1936). The violent impact mangled the vehicle and inflicted horrific injuries on all occupants, with fractured skulls ultimately causing their deaths. An investigation to what may have caused the accident began immediately with Coroner John W. Nixon (1861-1925) taking the lead. Nixon interviewed any witnesses to the accident, including the interurban’s conductor, George Shively (1868-1930), and motorman Heber Patton (1883-1964). The doctor who initially treated the Swartzwelders at the scene was also interviewed, as were passengers and nearby neighbors.

According to motorman Heber Patton, the Ford truck appeared on the tracks too suddenly for him to stop the northbound streetcar in time. Testimony described that Charles, who had just pulled out of his barnyard, may not have seen the approaching interurban due to a homemade top he installed on the truck that may have obstructed his view. Investigators noted that the crossing was located less than 100 feet from the family’s residence on the Goudy farm. The investigation ultimately pointed to poor visibility and possible driver inattention as key factors in the fatal crash.

The deaths of Charles, Florence, and Paul Swartzwelder were a shock to the Strasburg community and deeply grieved their extended families across Pennsylvania, Ohio, and Kentucky. The couple, both in their twenties, had come to Tuscarawas County in search of a new, modest life full of promise. Their sudden and violent deaths not only ended a young family’s future but served as a tragic reminder of the dangers posed by rapidly expanding transportation infrastructure in rural communities. After the accident, the bodies of the Swartzwelders were prepared at a local Strasburg mortuary and transported by rail to Templeton, Pennsylvania, where they were laid to rest.

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© Noel B. Poirier, 2025.