midvale – Tuscarawas County Stories

One House’s Story: The Herbert Family Tragedy

The Herbert House in New Philadelphia, Ohio, 2023. (Source: google.com)

The Herbert family’s story, rooted in Tuscarawas County, Ohio, is one of immigration, hard labor, wartime service, and unexpected tragedy. 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 forContinue reading “One House’s Story: The Herbert Family Tragedy”

Bullet in the Night: The 1928 Murder of Charles Eggan

AI depiction of Charles Orland Eggan lying on the floor of the Midvale Mine #4's stable as his killer looks in the window.

On a September night in 1928, a stable boss at Midvale Mine #4, was found dead with a bullet wound to the head—setting off a decades-long mystery. Charles Orland Eggan (1898-1928) was the son of James Early Eggan (1872-1939) and Olive Matbell Ryan (1870-1940), a farming couple rooted in Tuscarawas County, Ohio. Raised on theContinue reading “Bullet in the Night: The 1928 Murder of Charles Eggan”

Fallen Heroes: Specialist 4 Donald Eugene Allan, Jr.

Sheridan Tanks from H Troop, 17th Cavalry, 198th Infantry Brigade of the Americal Division, cross the Song Diem River during Operation Nantucket Beach, about 10 miles northeast of Quang Ngai, Vietnam.

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.”