The story of an Italian immigrant who spent years laboring in Ohio to reunite his family in America, only for a tragic accident to strike just weeks before his dream could come true. Antonio Lemoni (c. 1875-1910), an Italian laborer born in Milan, began his journey to Tuscarawas County years before the tragedy that wouldContinue reading “A Dream Crushed: The Story of Antonio Lemoni”
Tag Archives: history
The 1914 Killing of Joseph Reed on Beaver Avenue
A New Philadelphia teen desperately defended his family from his abusive stepfather. Content warning: The following story contains references to domestic violence. If you are experiencing domestic abuse or violence and need help, please visit the National Domestic Violence Hotline. The story begins with Catherine Swan Nelson (1867-1957), a Swedish immigrant who, after being widowed fromContinue reading “The 1914 Killing of Joseph Reed on Beaver Avenue”
The Fatal Pursuit of Charles Canter
A drunken shooting spree leads to a fatal police pursuit, a murder indictment, and a hopelessly divided jury. On a Monday night in February 1888, Charles “Dock” Canter (1863-1888), a railroad brakeman from Buchtel Furnace, Ohio, arrived in Dennison. Though his fellow employees typically considered him a peaceable man when sober, he frequently became cantankerousContinue reading “The Fatal Pursuit of Charles Canter”
Death Ends a Family Quarrel: The Ware Case of 1928
After years of abuse, a Newcomerstown woman took the law into her own hands. Content warning: The following story contains references to domestic violence. If you are experiencing domestic abuse or violence and need help, please visit the National Domestic Violence Hotline. Willa May Kennedy (1909-?), born in Nashville, Tennessee moved to Ohio with her parents.Continue reading “Death Ends a Family Quarrel: The Ware Case of 1928”
Twenty-Two Years a Chief: Abraham L. Espich
I often write about the various criminal activity of Tuscarawas County and thought it was only right to share the history of one of the men who fought that crime. Elijah Abraham Lincoln Espich (1861-1945), often referred to as A. L. or by his popular nickname “Lige,” was born in Ragersville, Ohio, to Charles FredericContinue reading “Twenty-Two Years a Chief: Abraham L. Espich”
Glasgow Tragedy: The Conley Killing of 1875
A deadly confrontation, a mob, and a Civil War veteran’s fight for survival ignite a two-year legal battle that divided the village of Glasgow. In the village of Glasgow during the spring of 1875, tensions simmered among the men working at the Glasgow-Port Washington Furnaces. Gilbert Linsey (1839-aft. 1890), an Ohio native born to parentsContinue reading “Glasgow Tragedy: The Conley Killing of 1875”
American Dream Ended: The Murder of Arnold Abbuhl
A Swiss immigrant’s American Dream ended with a blast of buckshot in 1885. Arnold Abbhul (1848-1885) and his family arrived in the village of Barnhill shortly after their immigration from Switzerland in April 1885. Arnold sought a new life for his family in Ohio, only to find a labor conflict brewing when he arrived. TwoContinue reading “American Dream Ended: The Murder of Arnold Abbuhl”
From Argument to Amputation: The Mishler Case of 1945
An inheritance dispute led to a shotgun blast that shattered an Ohio family. Content warning: The following story contains references to domestic violence. If you are experiencing domestic abuse or violence and need help, please visit the National Domestic Violence Hotline. Howard (1909-1987) and Olive Viola Horn Mishler (1910-1964) lived a seemingly ordinary life near Gilmore,Continue reading “From Argument to Amputation: The Mishler Case of 1945”
Theodore Umstead’s Secret
Theodore Umstead’s death in 1910 revealed a twenty-five year old secret. Theodore Umstead (1846-1910) was a well-known resident of New Philadelphia’s West End, a cabinet maker who served as a private in the 12th Ohio Volunteer Cavalry during the Civil War. He lived a seemingly quiet life until his death on February 27, 1910, atContinue reading “Theodore Umstead’s Secret”
Fallen Heroes: Corporal Russell D. May
A soldier from Tuscarawas County vanished in a frozen Korean gauntlet, leaving his family waiting years for answers. Russell D. May (1928-1950) was the son of Eugene Curtis May (1896-1957) and Mary Adeline Shonk (1906-1981). He grew up in the rural communities of Sugar Creek and Wayne Townships alongside his siblings, including a brother andContinue reading “Fallen Heroes: Corporal Russell D. May”
Tuscarawas County Stories 