A Tuscarawas County immigrant couple’s quiet farm life was shattered with arsenic and suicide in 1855. Content warning: This post contains references to suicide. If you or someone you know has a mental illness, is struggling emotionally, or has concerns about their mental health, there are ways to get help. Click here for resources to find helpContinue reading “The Poisoning of Mary Hoffman”
Tag Archives: 19th century
Gunsmith Valentine Shuler: New Philadelphia to Missouri
From New Philadelphia, Ohio, to the rolling hills of Daviess County, Missouri, Valentine Shuler’s journey, both physically and socially, was typical of many tradespeople of the 19th century. The patriarch of the Shuler family was a gunsmith named Johann Valentin Shuler (1759-1833) who, along with his wife Eva (1772-1833) and their children, relocated to LickingContinue reading “Gunsmith Valentine Shuler: New Philadelphia to Missouri”
Summer of 1842: The Circus Comes to Tuscarawas County
Tuscarawas County was visited by one of America’s first traveling circuses, bringing with it exotic animals, daring performances, and a touch of big-city spectacle. The residents of Tuscarawas County, numbering around 26,000 in 1842, were treated that summer to a visit by one of America’s first travelling circuses. The advertisement for the circus, including aContinue reading “Summer of 1842: The Circus Comes to Tuscarawas County”
One House’s Story: The Crossland Family
The story of my home’s construction is said to have started with a 19th century butcher named Samuel Crossland. I thought I would take a deeper dive into his life and discover more about the man who had my home built in the 1850s. The Crossland family immigrated from Germany and originally settled in LancasterContinue reading “One House’s Story: The Crossland Family”
The Hensel Skeletons and A Wife’s Revenge
A discovery in 1875 on land just south of New Philadelphia helped prove the veracity of a one-hundred year legend from the era of the American Revolution and the mission at Schoenbrunn. In the spring of 1875 Josiah Hensel (1825-1919) was busy trying to determine if there was any iron ore to be mined onContinue reading “The Hensel Skeletons and A Wife’s Revenge”
One House’s Story: The Brown Family
I have always said that every house tells a story no matter how modest the house may be or what it’s modern appearance may be. This small, working-class house on the west end of New Philadelphia is an example of just that truth. A note about addresses: House numbers and street names often change overContinue reading “One House’s Story: The Brown Family”
One House’s Story: The Horning Family
This large brick home on East High Avenue in New Philadelphia, one of many large homes on that stretch of road, was home to one New Philadelphia’s most successful businessmen and his wife. The son of an immigrant, the home stands as a testament to the immigrant goal of achieving a better life in AmericaContinue reading “One House’s Story: The Horning Family”
One House’s Story: Dr. Israel J. Williams & Family
I thought I would, once again, take a look at a house that now serves as a place of business as opposed to a residence. You may be one of the many people who have visited this house in its modern role as a community pizza parlor, but it started out life as the homeContinue reading “One House’s Story: Dr. Israel J. Williams & Family”
One House’s Story: The Manley Family
Over the course of the growth and history of New Philadelphia many homes are built, torn down, replaced, or remodeled for their modern occupants. Some homes are never replaced and the lots on which they sat become parking lots or vacant land. Despite that, they still have stories to tell us that deserve telling. ThisContinue reading “One House’s Story: The Manley Family”
One House’s Story: The Eberhardt Family
There was a family of builders who, during the last half of the 19th century, may have accounted for many of the houses and buildings constructed throughout the city of New Philadelphia. It is only fitting that we look at a house that they not only lived in but may have even constructed. A noteContinue reading “One House’s Story: The Eberhardt Family”
Tuscarawas County Stories 