An Auctioned Image, A Local Life: Edwin P. Parr

You never know what local gems, and stories, you’ll discover on online auction sites.

While recently searching for Tuscarawas County material on eBay, I stumbled across a photograph of a young New Philadelphian and thought I would explore his life if possible. The photograph was of Edwin P. Parr, a lifelong resident of New Philadelphia, Ohio, whose presence in the city spanned nearly eight decades. Born in the 1874, Edwin was the son of John Parr (1835–1898), a saloon keeper, and Lydia Huether Parr (1842–1898). His father’s livelihood placed the family within the bustling, working-class heart of town and when the census was taken in June 1880, Edwin lived with his parents and three siblings on Fair Street.

By the time Edwin reached adulthood, his occupation was tied to that of his older brother John Parr (1858-1944) and would define the remainder of his life. That business was shoes and, in June 1900, Edwin lived on North Seventh Street with another brother’s family and was listed in the census as a shoe salesman in John’s shoe store. Two years later, in August 1902, Edwin married Gertrude Cunningham (1875–1958) in Tuscarawas County. Their childless marriage would endure for more than half a century.

Edwin was firmly established in the family enterprise by 1903 and worked in his brother’s shoe shop on West High Avenue. The store became both livelihood and landmark. The brothers, in early 1906, formalized their collaboration and operated as partners in the shoe business that became known as Parr Brothers. Edwin’s occupation was recorded in the 1910 census as “Merchant in Shoe Retail” and reflected a step beyond clerkship into ownership. He was no longer merely selling shoes; he was shaping a business identity in a town that valued reliability and reputation.

The First World War period found Edwin and Gertrude settled on West Fair Avenue, a residence they would call home for decades. When he registered for the draft in September 1918, he was recorded as a shoe merchant with Parr Brothers, and by January 1920 his occupation was listed as proprietor of a shoe store. Through prosperity and depression alike, the Parr Brothers shop endured. City directories and census records of 1930 and 1940 continued to describe Edwin as a merchant in a retail shoe store, suggesting not only economic survival but business success. For forty years and more, residents of New Philadelphia purchased their everyday boots and Sunday best from the Parr counters.

The Parr Brothers decided in 1941 to retire from the shoe business and sold their store to the neighboring Siff Shoe Company. After decades behind the counter, Edwin retired to his home on the corner of West Fair Street and North 4th Street where he and Gertrude were fixtures. After his retirement the home on West Fair hosted numerous social gatherings and clubs. Gertude was recorded regularly in the newspaper as being the hostess of these events. Edwin meanwhile remained active in the local Masonic Lodge and with the Odd Fellows.

Edwin’s long and steady life ended suddenly in May 1957 after both he and Gertrude fell in their home while coming down the steps. In his 80s when he died, Edwin witnessed the transformation of New Philadelphia’s horse-drawn streets into automobile thoroughfares and small storefronts into modern businesses. Gertrude survived him by just over a year, passing in December 1958 after a long illness. Together, they left no direct descendants, but Edwin P. Parr’s legacy endured in the memory of a family business that shod generations. A photograph offered for sale may be a simple object, yet behind it stands the story of a man whose life was measured not in grand adventures, but in steadfast service to his community.

© Noel B. Poirier, 2026.