This fallen hero was the descendant of an American Revolutionary War patriot and early settler of Tuscarawas County. He would make his sacrifice in a war to preserve the nation his ancestor helped create. The Blickensderfer family arrived in Tuscarawas County, Ohio with the arrival of Christian Blickenderfer, Jr. (1753-1820) and his family who purchasedContinue reading “Fallen Heroes: Private Francis Blickensderfer”
Tag Archives: history
One House’s Story: John Giovanni Crescio
This is actually the story of two houses that were once occupied by the family of an Italian immigrant who was a respected and successful New Philadelphia fruit merchant. A note about addresses: House numbers and street names can change over time. The expansion of railroads into Ohio, and the industries that took advantage ofContinue reading “One House’s Story: John Giovanni Crescio”
One House’s Story: How I Do It
One of the questions I often see after I post a house story asks how I go about researching these individual houses and their occupants. I thought I would write this post to provide that information. Firstly, these posts are not intended as full house-histories. If I were conducting house history research for a payingContinue reading “One House’s Story: How I Do It”
Fallen Heroes: Private Walter A. Smith
The Smith family had travelled thousands of miles to raise a family far from the wars and poverty of eastern Europe, only to have one of their sons give the ultimate sacrifice on a far-off battlefield in France. After John Smith (1869-1953) and his fiancé Mary (1869-1925) married in 1886 in Poland, they wasted noContinue reading “Fallen Heroes: Private Walter A. Smith”
One House’s Story: Joseph J. Williams
This week I decided to write about a house that no longer exists. While taking a Google StreetView “stroll” through Dennison, I came across this unique house on Grant Street and wanted to learn more about its history. A note about addresses: House numbers and street names often change over time. The extended Williams familyContinue reading “One House’s Story: Joseph J. Williams”
Fallen Heroes: Specialist 4 Donald Eugene Allan, Jr.
Typically when I look at the short life of a fallen hero, I trace his roots in the community along his paternal line. In the case of this Vietnam War fallen hero from Midvale, I chose to follow his mother’s family instead. The Chaney family arrived in Ohio in the early 1800s with the migrationContinue reading “Fallen Heroes: Specialist 4 Donald Eugene Allan, Jr.”
One House’s Story: Captain Oliver C. Powleson
I frequently pass this well-maintained home on my walks around New Philadelphia and wondered about its history. I had no idea that it had been the home of one of New Philadelphia’s heroes of the American Civil War and a later Mayor of the City of New Philadelphia. A note about addresses: House numbers andContinue reading “One House’s Story: Captain Oliver C. Powleson”
Fallen Heroes: Private First Class John W. Rector
It was the nature of the conflict in Korea that the front lines shifted dramatically, often making it difficult to recover the the bodies of fallen heroes. This Newcomerstown fallen hero, and paratrooper, did not return home for almost five years following his death. The Rector family appeared in Ohio with the arrival of WashingtonContinue reading “Fallen Heroes: Private First Class John W. Rector”
One House’s Story: The Hartman Family
There is a row of homes along Ray Avenue that, without a doubt, have seen better days. Built in the latest fashion of their day, hosts to many parties and gatherings on their well manicured grounds, they expressed their owners’ pride and success. Today they pale in comparison to their glory days, but they haveContinue reading “One House’s Story: The Hartman Family”
Fallen Heroes: Private Thomas J. Forbes
This family had two older sons, both of whom volunteered to serve in the United States military during World War Two. Each would be sent to the Philippines to combat the Japanese, and each would die while a prisoner-of-war. This is one of those sons’ stories. Determining when this branch of the Forbes family treeContinue reading “Fallen Heroes: Private Thomas J. Forbes”
Tuscarawas County Stories 