Once again I have come across the story of a fallen hero whose family had only recently arrived from abroad. This soldier served a country that his parents had decided offered them, and their children, a better life. Like so many before and after him, this immigrant’s son would be called on to make theContinue reading “Fallen Heroes: Private Joseph (Joe) Aspinall”
Tag Archives: WW1
Fallen Heroes: Private Fred Heintz
The stress of combat can affect soldiers differently. World War One was notorious for a perceived new ailment called “shell shock”, an ailment we now refer to as post-traumatic stress disorder. Private Fred Heintz (1888-1923) was a different man when he returned from the fields of France, and like many veterans his life would beContinue reading “Fallen Heroes: Private Fred Heintz”
Fallen Heroes: Private Ralph James Fivecoat
When Private Ralph James Fivecoat (1896-1919) died in France, the war had officially been over for nearly three months. Nonetheless, the Tuscarawas County coal miner, who had been fatally wounded, never returned home. John Fivecoat (1872-1963) and his wife Nora Shaffer (1875-1965) lived in the community of Tuscarawas when they welcomed their first child, andContinue reading “Fallen Heroes: Private Ralph James Fivecoat”
Fallen Heroes: Private Daniel F. Freed
If you have read any of my previous Fallen Heroes posts you know that many of the heroes profiled do not die on the battlefield. Accidents and disease occur that take the lives of those prepared to sacrifice it in the service of their country. Sometimes the most heart wrenching losses occur shortly after aContinue reading “Fallen Heroes: Private Daniel F. Freed”
Fallen Heroes: Private Joseph Lawver
Any death by soldiers serving their country are tragic losses, sometimes those deaths occur in battle, sometimes from accidents, and oftentimes due to illness. The tragedy of the death of Joseph Lawver (1893-1918) in World War One was tragic for other reasons as well. Joseph was the only son of Sugarcreek Township, Tuscarawas County farmerContinue reading “Fallen Heroes: Private Joseph Lawver”
Fallen Heroes: Private Thomas J. Ayers
I have always found myself attracted to telling the stories of people whose lives were not as widely known and who, nonetheless, are deserving of remembrance. The short lives of those who made the ultimate sacrifice for their country are of particular interest to me. This series of blogs, Fallen Heroes, will examine those lives.Continue reading “Fallen Heroes: Private Thomas J. Ayers”
Russell Lowell Shively: Clean Living and a Cheerful Disposition
One of my mantras is that every person, historical or living, has a story to tell us. Occasionally, just to remind myself of that, I look for a random person in a historical record and dive into their life to discover their story. The other day I found myself virtually leafing through the 1913 NewContinue reading “Russell Lowell Shively: Clean Living and a Cheerful Disposition”
A Document Unlocks a Life: Francis McManus
When conducting family history research sometimes a single document holds the key that unlocks an ancestor’s story that otherwise has been forgotten. Just such a document revealed itself while I was conducting research into the history of my great-grandmother Elnor Josephine McManus’s (1890-1975) family. This document, concerning her brother Francis (Frank) McManus’s (1886-1935) admittance toContinue reading “A Document Unlocks a Life: Francis McManus”
Tuscarawas County Stories 