1940s – Page 2 – Tuscarawas County Stories

In the Shadow of Zoar: The 1947 Murder of John Myers, Part One

AI generated image of a scene outside a rural, roadside tavern based on details from the Myers murder case, 2024.

From a life of hard labor to a mysterious death outside a quiet tavern, the story of John Myers unravels a forgotten Tuscarawas County tragedy. John Russell Lee Myers (1892-1947), who occasionally went by the name Russell or Lee, was born in Pine Grove, West Virginia in 1892. His father, William H. Myers (1861-?), wasContinue reading “In the Shadow of Zoar: The 1947 Murder of John Myers, Part One”

A Bullet and a Bet: The “William Tell” Killing of Dale Zeigler

AI generated image from prompt "An image from and evening in November 1947 of three off-duty coal miners sitting in a room, drinking whiskey. There is a revolver visible on a table in the scantily furnished room. A coal fired heat stove sits along one wall. " (Source: Google ImageFX)

A night of drinking, a reckless wager, and a single gunshot in the fall of 1947 turned a quiet Tuscarawas County farmhouse into the scene of a tragic death. Dale Zeigler (1923-1947) came from a large family that farmed in the Ruslin Hills area of Dover Township, a few miles north east of Dover itself.Continue reading “A Bullet and a Bet: The “William Tell” Killing of Dale Zeigler”

10,000 Miles: Jesse William Learish & the USS Asheville

One of the most enjoyable exercises in family history is when one is given a photograph of someone whose name or life has been lost to history. They stare out at you from the image, longing to be identified and to have their story told. My wife’s family had in their collection an image ofContinue reading “10,000 Miles: Jesse William Learish & the USS Asheville”