Tuscarawas County Stories – Page 12 – Tuscarawas County Stories

Dreams of Disaster: Laura Martin and the Sinking of RMS Lusitania

Last photo taken of the RMS Lusitania as she departed New York, 1 May 1915. (Source: wikipedia.com)

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

The pediment above the Sharp Building on Fair Avenue NE in New Philadelphia, Ohio, 2024.

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

Circa 1860s image of Jonas Warner. Image taken by author. (Source: The Ohio Genealogical Society Lyle H. West Archives)

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

AI generated image of a 1920s era band standing on the steps of a building, 2024. (Source: Microsoft Copilot)

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

Postcard of new World War One recruits at Camp Sherman in Chillicothe, Ohio in 1918. (Source: ebay.com)

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

Image of the Alexander-Beyer wedding party taken in front of the Alexander residence on North Broadway, New Philadelphia, Ohio in 1913. (Source: ebay.com)

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”

Runaway to Hero: The Life of Henry T. Danforth

Advertisement placed by William Shear for his runaway apprentice, Henry T. Danforth, March 1842. (Source: newspaperarchive.com)

I stumbled across a runaway apprentice advertisement from 1842 and my curiosity got the better of me. I wanted to find out what happened to the apprentice whose master only offered one cent for his return. I was surprised by what I found. If we are to believe the 1842 advertisement for runaway saddler apprenticeContinue reading “Runaway to Hero: The Life of Henry T. Danforth”

The “One Dollar Ghost”

Ms. Sills encountering the ghost of Abraham Koons, circa 1819. (Source: Dall-E)

I stumbled across a letter written in 1819 from a Tuscarawas County resident in a Canton, Ohio newspaper that told a fantastical ghost story that I simply had to investigate further. A letter from New Philadelphia, Ohio appeared on the front page of a July 1819 edition of the Canton Ohio Repository newspaper describing aContinue reading “The “One Dollar Ghost””

Triumph to Tragedy: The Short Life of Dover Cyclist Henry Greb

When renowned Dover bicyclist and businessman Henry Greb died in November 1904 at the age of 34 his death was reported in newspapers as far away as Cincinnati. This is the story of his short life and tragic death. Content warning: This post contains references to suicide. If you or someone you know has aContinue reading “Triumph to Tragedy: The Short Life of Dover Cyclist Henry Greb”