During the last half of the 19th century, the spiritualism movement garnered a great deal of attention and followers. Oftentimes those interested in spiritualism attempted to contact those who had passed away through seances and people known as mediums. Tuscarawas County was not immune to the attraction of spiritualism. Content warning: This post contains aContinue reading “Seances and Slates: W.A Mansfield Visits New Philadelphia”
Category Archives: Tuscarawas County Stories
Shine On: Philip Barnhard and the Birth of New Philadelphia’s Iconic Sign
Cover photo by Brenda Gottsabend In the winter of 1910, amidst the warmth of Eagle Hall, a newcomer to New Philadelphia ignited the imagination of the community with a visionary proposal for an electrified welcome sign and set in motion a tale of civic pride that would span decades. There were nearly 150 members ofContinue reading “Shine On: Philip Barnhard and the Birth of New Philadelphia’s Iconic Sign”
“Glowing with a White Light”: The Navarre UFO of 1954
While on leave from the United States Navy’s Air Forces in the summer of 1954 a Navarre, Ohio native saw something in the night sky even his knowledge of modern aircraft could not explain. William Sago (1870-?) and his wife Emma (1875-?) immigrated to Pennsylvania from Poland in 1900 and settled in Western Pennsylvania. TheContinue reading ““Glowing with a White Light”: The Navarre UFO of 1954”
Dreams of Disaster: Laura Martin and the Sinking of RMS Lusitania
A couple travelled to New Philadelphia, Ohio from England in 1914 to visit family members and possibly create a new home in America. The husband’s death resulted in the wife returning home on an ill-fated, soon to be infamous, ocean liner. Elizabeth (1854-1921) and Laura (1860-1941) Truman (sometimes spelled Trueman) were the daughters of aContinue reading “Dreams of Disaster: Laura Martin and the Sinking of RMS Lusitania”
Emmet D. Sharp and the Sharp Building of New Philadelphia
A building down the street from my home is lovingly being given a new life and purpose as a community gathering place. I thought I would take a look at the man responsible for its original construction over 100 years ago. John Sharp (?-1853) immigrated from England to the United States before the 1830s andContinue reading “Emmet D. Sharp and the Sharp Building of New Philadelphia”
The “Venerable Jonas Warner” of Tuscarawas County
My employer, the Ohio Genealogical Society, recently acquired a collection of materials that included items and documents relating to a Tuscarawas County family. I thought I would explore the story of one of those family members. Jonas Warner (1821-1905) was born in February 1821 at the home of his parents on Fry’s Creek in TuscarawasContinue reading “The “Venerable Jonas Warner” of Tuscarawas County”
A Business Card Tells a Story: Robert Bruce Tomlinson
During my usual perusing of eBay searching for Tuscarawas County material, I came across a simple business card from the early 20th century for a New Philadelphia piano tuner. What I discovered was that the individual was far more than what his business card claimed. The card reads simply “Bruce Tomlinson, Fine Piano Tuning andContinue reading “A Business Card Tells a Story: Robert Bruce Tomlinson”
Threads of Heritage: Lord Family’s Story
The early 20th century Lord family of Mineral City, Ohio had a secret; a secret that had passed down through at least two generations by 1910. When that secret came to light in 1917 it cost the family a son, but the secret persisted after his death whether intentionally or with a community’s acceptance. ContentContinue reading “Threads of Heritage: Lord Family’s Story”
The Mystery of a 1913 Wedding Photo
I am always searching various auctions for Tuscarawas County related material and recently I discovered this photo-postcard for sale on eBay. It piqued my interest and I thought I would share what I learned about the story behind this photograph. Frederick Alexander (1850-1911) immigrated to the United States from Germany in 1865 and made hisContinue reading “The Mystery of a 1913 Wedding Photo”
William C. Mills and the Newcomerstown Mounds
Amateur archaeologist and druggist William C. Mills excavated two indigenous burial mounds and other locations around Newcomerstown in the late 1880s. What he discovered during these excavations altered how historians and archaeologists viewed native culture in the region forever. Archaeology as we know it today did not exist when William C. Mills (1860-1928) became interestedContinue reading “William C. Mills and the Newcomerstown Mounds”
Tuscarawas County Stories 