Ohio History Journal

HISTORICAL NEWS

 

Historical Societies

AMERICAN JEWISH ARCHIVES, Cincinnati

Jacob R. Marcus, Director

Two important manuscript collections, the Jacob H. Schiff Papers and

the Felix M. Warburg Papers, have been acquired recently by the archives.

In addition to numerous other documents and manuscript collections, the

minute and record books of thirty-one Jewish congregations were added

during 1951 to bring the total to over five hundred volumes, the largest

collection of this type extant. Both photostat and microfilm service are

available to all students of American Jewry.

The Jewish Publication Society of Philadelphia has recently published

Early American Jewry, Volume I, by Dr. Jacob R. Marcus.

 

ASHTABULA COUNTY HISTORICAL SOCIETY, Ashtabula

Walter Beckwith, President

The annual dinner of the society was held Wednesday, January 30, at

Hotel Ashtabula. John Talcott of Jefferson, Ohio, gave an address on

"Historical Points of Ashtabula County."

Officers for the current year are Walter Beckwith, president; Ethel

MacDowell, vice president; and Henrietta McKinsey, secretary-treasurer.

The vice president, Miss MacDowell, maintains an Ohio and local

history room in the Ashtabula Public Library, of which she is the librarian.

The secretary, Miss McKinsey, is compiling the genealogies of her parents'

families, who were early settlers in Ashtabula County.

 

BROWN COUNTY HISTORICAL SOCIETY, Ripley

Lawrence Downing, President

Officers elected at a recent meeting of the society are as follows: Lawrence

Downing, president; Mrs. Hugh Gooding, first vice president; Miss Florence

Baird, second vice president; Mrs. Leslie Baird, recording secretary; Mrs.

Harold Paeltz, corresponding secretary; and J. N. Stivers, treasurer. The

directors are H. H. Eveslage, E. L. Campbell, T. W. Drake, Isabelle

McCorry, and Lance Mann.

196

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Historical News                         197

 

BUTLER COUNTY HISTORICAL SOCIETY, Hamilton

Paul Benninghofen, President

The society is furnishing its museum and acquiring additional pictures,

books, and papers pertaining to the history of Butler County.

The board of trustees recently bestowed upon Mrs. Karl (Alta Harvey)

Heiser an honorary membership. New trustees are Russell Roll, Charles

Brennan, and Mrs. Esther R. Benzing.

Present officers are: president, Paul Benninghofen; vice president, Edward

McDaniel; treasurer, Fred Hammerle; and secretary, Otto Kersteiner.

 

COSHOCTON COUNTY HISTORICAL SOCIETY, Coshocton

Harry A. Canton, President

Plans to restore the Old Stone Fort on the farm of Manches Atkinson

near Orange are under consideration by the society. The proposal was made

at a meeting on January 2 to make the restoration of the fort the major

project of the society during 1952. Henry Hackenbracht discussed the

various theories as to the origin of the fort and the possibilities of its

restoration.

Harry A. Canton is president of the society; Russell Geese, secretary;

and Anna McCabe, treasurer.

 

CRESTLINE HISTORICAL SOCIETY, Crestline

Ernest G. Hesser, President

Robert C. Wheeler, administrative assistant of the Ohio Sesquicentennial

Commission, was the guest speaker at the meeting of the society on January

15. He spoke on "Historic Ohio and Plans for the Ohio Sesquicentennial."

On February 19, J. B. McCarter, treasurer of the society, spoke on "Historic

Spots That I Have Visited." The guest speaker for the March meeting

was Paul H. Hughes, Shawnee High School, Lima, Ohio, whose subject

was "The Removal of the Shawnee Indians from Ohio."

The society is active in the planning and organizing of Crawford County

for the Ohio Sesquicentennial observance in 1953.

Mrs. Dick Cook of Shelby, Ohio, has presented the Crestline Museum

a memorial gift of sixty items in memory of her husband, the late Dick

Cook. One item of especial interest is a Revolutionary War drum which

was used at the Battle of Bunker Hill.

Ernest G. Hesser spoke before the Galion, Ohio, Chapter, Daughters

of the American Revolution on "The Life and Times of Colonel William

Crawford."

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198     Ohio State Archaeological and Historical Quarterly

 

DELAWARE COUNTY HISTORICAL SOCIETY, Delaware

Thomas D. Graham, President

A paper, "The Story of Adam Poe," was presented by Thomas D. Graham

at the January meeting of the society. Poe was a pioneer Methodist preacher

who was instrumental in the founding of Ohio Wesleyan University. At

a meeting on February 25, Mrs. Carl Johnson read a paper on Mary

Monnett, an early Ohio Wesleyan University student and the donor of

funds for Monnett Hall.

The outstanding project of the society for 1952 is identifying, locating,

and taking a census of the burials in some seventy-five cemeteries in

Delaware County.

Officers for the current year are: president, Thomas D. Graham; vice

president, Robert B. Powers; recording secretary, Mrs. W. F. Hahnert;

corresponding secretary, Dr. M. S. Cherrington; treasurer, Bernard Hatten;

trustees, Mrs. W. S. Cole, Howard Cowgill, Wyford Jones, and George

Pugh.

FEDERATION OF OHIO HISTORICAL SOCIETIES, Columbus

Charles A. Jones, Temporary Chairman

Permanent members of the association are to be elected at a meeting

in connection with the meeting of county historical societies at the annual

meeting of the Ohio State Archaeological and Historical Society on April 4.

The time of the meeting will be announced in the program of the state

society.

It is urged that anyone having suggestions for the agenda of the meeting

send them to the temporary secretary, Daniel F. Prugh, Columbus Public

Library, Columbus, Ohio.

FRANKLIN COUNTY HISTORICAL SOCIETY, Columbus

Frank A. Livingston, President

The society's first seminar of the season was held at the Ohio State Museum,

January 11, when David E. Morgan of Columbus presented a talk on "The

Origin of the Columbus Welsh." At the regular monthly meeting of the

society on January 25, a talk on "Early Earthworks and Artifacts of

Franklin County" was given by Gilbert Dodds.

Major projects for the society which have been considered at recent

meetings of the board of trustees are a permanent home for the society,

participation in the Ohio Sesquicentennial, and a membership campaign.

It was decided to publish two instead of four bulletins during the summer

months, beginning in 1952.

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Historical News                         199

 

GATES MILLS HISTORICAL SOCIETY, Gates Mills

Tinkham Veale II, President

Articles dealing with the history of Gates Mills and vicinity are published

weekly in the Chagrin Falls Exponent. The articles are written by Alfred

Mewett, secretary of the society.

 

HANCOCK COUNTY HISTORICAL SOCIETY, Findlay

W. Albert Hogle, President

Plans with regard to the newly organized Hancock County Historical

Society are developing steadily and the indications point to an active and

alert organization which will fill a long-felt need in the community. Initial

steps were taken last fall when the society was incorporated as a nonprofit

association. Officers have now been elected as follows: president, W. Albert

Hogle; vice president, Dr. Tennyson Guyer; secretary, William D.

Humphrey; treasurer, Judge Chester Pendelton.

A constitution and suitable bylaws have been adopted. The objective

of the society is defined as follows: "The purpose or purposes of said

society shall be to increase and diffuse knowledge and the appreciation

of said county's history, art, and science, to encourage research into its

past history, to provide suitable markers for its historic locations and to

collect and preserve all suitable material having to do with the early

development of the community." Under the terms of the constitution, pro-

vision is made for charter, life, active, and honorary members. The con-

stitution provides for the election of a board of twelve trustees to manage

the business and property of the society. The officers constitute an executive

committee. An annual meeting of all members will be held on the third

Wednesday of each September. Members of the board of trustees will be

elected at this meeting.

Committees are now being appointed by President Hogle to handle

various phases of the society's program. These deal with membership,

publicity and promotion, and the like.

The society expects to collect all pertinent data with regard to the

historical background of the county for preservation. A start already has

been made in this direction under the leadership of President Hogle, who

has been in Washington looking up matters dealing with the passage of

General Hull's army through the county in 1812. He has obtained much

valuable material in this connection.

Opportunity will be afforded all citizens to become members of the

society. The membership rolls will be opened a little later on as plans develop.

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200      Ohio State Archaeological and Historical Quarterly

 

HAYES MEMORIAL LIBRARY AND MUSEUM, Fremont

Watt P. Marchman, Director of Research

The director of research spoke before the Joshua Giddings Chapter of

the Daughters of 1812 in Fremont on Saturday, January 12, 1952, on the

subject, "Some Rewards of Research." He also addressed the Bellevue

Business and Professional Women's Club at a dinner on February 14, on

"Education and American History-An Incident from the Past."

 

HISTORICAL AND PHILOSOPHICAL SOCIETY OF OHIO, Cincinnati

Virginius C. Hall, Director

The present officers of the society are Chalmers Hadley, president; John

J. Rowe, Lucien Wulsin, and Lee Shepard, vice presidents; Joseph C. Dins-

more, recording secretary; Cornelius J. Hauck, corresponding secretary;

Lawrence C. Bucher, treasurer; and Virginius C. Hall, director. Curators

are Mrs. William T. Buckner, William T. Earls, Herbert F. Koch, Mrs.

John H. Skavlem, and Mrs. Russell Wilson; curators emeritus, Harry F.

Woods, Beverley W. Bond, Jr., Robert L. Black, and Joseph S. Graydon.

"Doctors and Drugs in Historic Cincinnati" is the title of the spring

exhibit of the society to be opened for members the evening of April 18

at the Taft Museum. This will be the first of the celebrations to be given

in honor of Dr. Daniel Drake, who died one hundred years ago. The exhibit

will continue through May 30. Dr. David A. Tucker, Jr., will be the speaker

at the opening of the exhibit. He represents the Academy of Medicine of

Cincinnati and the College of Medicine of the University of Cincinnati.

 

HISTORICAL SOCIETY OF NORTHWESTERN OHIO, Toledo

Randolph C. Downes, Executive Director

Judge Lehr Fess was reelected president of the society at its thirty-fourth

annual meeting on January 18. Other officers reelected were Paul Block,

Jr., vice president; Carl B. Spitzer, secretary-treasurer; Harvey S. Ford,

assistant secretary-treasurer; Mrs. Max Shepherst, librarian; and Dr. Randolph

C. Downes, executive director. Trustees elected were Edmund T. Collins,

Mark N. Mennel, H. W. Nelles, Mr. Spitzer, and Rev. John J. Vogel, all

of Toledo, and Ralph W. Peters, Defiance.

Dr. Downes was the author of the narrative for a moving picture, "The

Historic Maumee Valley," which was presented at a meeting of the Asso-

ciation of Historical and Ancestral Societies on January 17.

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Historical News                       201

 

KNOX COUNTY HISTORICAL SOCIETY, Mt. Vernon

Carl L. VanVoorhis, President

The society is considering plans for a commemorative plate for Daniel

Decatur Emmett and for special displays in connection with the Ohio

Sesquicentennial celebration.

 

LISBON HISTORICAL SOCIETY, Lisbon

George L. Lafferty, President

A committee composed of G. C. Rauch, L. S. Firestone, and Seward

Harris is planning the sesquicentennial of the village of Lisbon, which

coincides with that of the state of Ohio.

 

LORAIN COUNTY HISTORICAL SOCIETY, Elyria

Mrs. James B. Thomas, President

James B. Thomas spoke at the January meeting of the society on "Early

Lorain County Newspapers," and in February Jay Weller gave a talk on

"Abe Lincoln and His Contemporaries." The March meeting on the 17th

was a celebration of the 135th anniversary of the founding of Elyria.

 

MEIGS COUNTY PIONEER SOCIETY, Pomeroy

A. V. Howell, President

At the annual meeting in August 1951, A. V. Howell was elected

president to succeed J. H. Grate. Mr. Howell is doing research work on

the settlement and development of Meigs County.

 

OTTAWA COUNTY HISTORICAL MUSEUM, Port Clinton

May Hesselbart, Curator

The twentieth annual report of the curator, presented to the city council

of Port Clinton on February 12, showed a total of 1,224 visitors at the

museum during the past year. Seventeen states including Ohio were repre-

sented. Special groups visiting by appointment included the Cub Scouts

from Lakeside and Danbury Township and the fourth grade pupils from

the Port Clinton school. The total number of contributions of all types

for the year was 141.

The curator also reported an increased number of requests for historical

data relating to Ottawa County.

 

PORTAGE COUNTY HISTORICAL SOCIETY, Ravenna

M. Herbert Heighton, President

At the January 25 meeting of the society the following officers were

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202      Ohio State Archaeological and Historical Quarterly

 

selected for the year 1952: M. Herbert Heighton, president; Mrs. J. R.

Turner, executive secretary; Mrs. Iva B. Seymour, recording secretary;

Margaret Getz, treasurer; J. B. Holm, historian; and Cyrus T. Plough,

curator. Judge Albert L. Caris and Dr. A. Sellew Roberts were reelected

trustees for three year terms; Mr. Frank Barber was elected trustee to

replace Hugo Bietz.

Dudley Weaver, chairman of research, is making maps of the old canal

system in Ohio, and Miss Orral Frank is working on old cemetery records

and historical homes.

The society is starting some repair work on the property given as a

museum by Mr. and Mrs. John Lowrie of Ravenna. It is located on the

corner of Main and Clinton streets, Ravenna.

Under the chairmanship of Miss Merrible Myers the membership list

has grown to 785; the goal is 1,000 members before our first anniversary.

 

SHAKER HISTORICAL SOCIETY, Cleveland

Mrs. Harry D. Piercy, Secretary

The members of the society were entertained at the Shaker Public Library

on February 24. Mrs. Hazel S. Phillips, curator of the Glendower State

Memorial, Lebanon, spoke on the "Shakers of Ohio."

The society recently published a fourteen-page mimeographed booklet,

God's Gentlemen, by Taylor Hampton. It recounts the work of O. P. and

M. J. Van Sweringen in developing Shaker Heights.

Mrs. Harry D. Piercy has recently given nine reviews of her book, The

Valley of God's Pleasure, published last year.

 

SHELBY COUNTY HISTORICAL SOCIETY, Sidney

George O. Harshbarger, Secretary

A committee consisting of Mrs. Maude Carey, L. U. Hill, and A. F.

Moon has been appointed to write a series of articles on the early history

of Shelby County for publication in the local newspapers.

 

STARK COUNTY HISTORICAL SOCIETY, Canton

Donald K. Merwin, President

The annual dinner meeting of the society was held January 24 at the

American Legion Hall, with an attendance of 150. The speaker was Prof.

H. L. Ridenour, professor of English at Baldwin-Wallace College, who

spoke on "Traditional Songs and Ballads of Ohio," accompanying the

lecture by singing the songs and ballads described. Prof. Ridenour is

president of the Ohio Folklore Society.

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Historical News                        203

 

The board of trustees and the Stark County commissioners have approved

the publication in 1952 of the third volume of The Stark County Story,

which will cover the period 1901 to 1917, between the death of President

McKinley and the beginning of World War I. This was a period of

phenomenal industrial growth in Stark County, and the title of this volume

will probably be "Industry Comes of Age." E. T. Heald will edit this

as he has the two previous volumes. The book will consist of approxi-

mately eighty broadcasts over WHBC, with bibliography, index, and

editorial notes.

At the meeting of the directors of the society on February 15 all officers

of the society were reelected. They are: Donald K. Merwin, president;

Mrs. Melvin VanWinkle, vice president; E. T. Heald, secretary-treasurer;

and Mrs. Helen Pratt, assistant secretary-treasurer.

 

STOW HISTORICAL SOCIETY, Stow

Arthur G. Moore, President

At the last election the following officers were named for the current

year: Arthur G. Moore, president; Frank Bienz, vice president; and Mrs.

Walter E. Sanders, secretary-treasurer.

 

SUMMIT COUNTY HISTORICAL SOCIETY, Akron

Carl H. Pockrandt, President

"A Kodachrome Tour of Europe," a program of beautiful color pictures

was presented by Walter Keith at the annual meeting of the society, Thursday

evening, January 17. Charles A. Pfahl showed color pictures made on a

recent trip through the West at the February meeting.

The society announces that it now has 150 life members. A list of their

names is being published in current issues of the Bulletin.

 

UPPER OHIO VALLEY HISTORICAL SOCIETY, Wheeling, W. Va.

Virginia Ebeling, President

W. M. Westwood, 2217 Vance Avenue, Wheeling, was appointed

secretary-treasurer on January 16, 1952, to fill the unexpired term of

John A. Moore, who died December 25, 1951.

 

WARREN COUNTY HISTORICAL SOCIETY, Lebanon

Mrs. Edward Herrick, President

The annual meeting of the society was held the last week of December

1951. Mrs. Edward F. Herrick was elected president to succeed Harry C.

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204      Ohio State Archaeological and Historical Quarterly

 

Schwartz, who has held the office for the past two years. Other officers

elected include William Mason Phillips, vice president; Lena lorns,

treasurer; and Mary Lincoln, secretary.

The society is carrying out a program of microfilming The Western Star

and other early Warren County newspapers, dating from 1807.

 

WESTERN RESERVE HISTORICAL SOCIETY, Cleveland

Russell H. Anderson, Director

The subjects of some recent exhibits were: sandwich glass, lustre ware, the

centennial of Moby Dick, souvenir china, and photography. The latter

exhibit included cameras from the Eastman collection, viewing devices, early

advertisements, examples of color prints, and a selection of black and

white prints featuring Ohio from local camera clubs. Three programs of

selected color slides with technical comment and a talk by a leading news

photographer were given.

At the annual meeting, January 25, 1952, the following officers were

reelected for the coming year: president, Laurence H. Norton; vice presi-

dent, Herman L. Vail; secretary, Russell H. Anderson; treasurer, Henry S.

Sherman; and assistant treasurer, James F. Cotesworth.

The society has received a portable microfilm camera, the gift of G.

Garretson Wade. Tentative plans include microfilming some of the manu-

scripts in the library and certain collections outside. Also added was a

legal size "Contoura" photocopying unit.

Among recent accessions were four boxes of additional materials from

the family of Myron T. Herrick.

 

About Historians

Robert W. Tyman, assistant professor of history at Bowling Green

State University, is the author of a 125,000 word manuscript, The History

of Marshall Field & Co., 1865-1906, which will be published by the

American Historical Association. His work was awarded the only honorable

mention given in the sixth annual competition for the Albert J. Beveridge

Memorial Fellowship of the association.

 

Herbert W. Dowd has resigned his position in the department of

history at Case Institute of Technology to accept employment in the

department of state. His courses at Case are being taught during the second

semester by Robert Shackleton and Themistocles Rodis.

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Historical News                        205

 

Stanton Ling Davis, associate professor of history at Case, is the technical

director of a study tour to western Europe offered during July and August

this year by the department of political science of Syracuse University.

Marguerite J. Fisher, associate professor of political science at the univer-

sity, is the academic director of the study tour. Two courses are being

offered, Recent Political Theory and Contemporary Problems of Political

Thought. Both are three-hour courses, making it possible for qualified

students to earn six credit hours toward a degree at Syracuse or for transfer

to another university. The study tour has been approved for in-service

credit for teachers and is open also to auditors not wishing academic

credit. The arrangements for the tour are being made by Study Abroad,

Inc., New York City.

 

O. J. Fredriksen has resigned from the department of history at Miami

University. Dr. Fredriksen is now with the American Forces of Occupation

in Germany, where he is chief of the division of historical intelligence.

He has been replaced at Miami by Andre de Saint Rat.

 

 

Henry H. Simms of the department of history at Ohio State University

will teach during the summer session at the University of Southern California.

Harold J. Grimm has been elected a fellow of the Royal History Society

of Great Britain.

 

Harold Fortney has been added to the staff of the history department at

Otterbein College, and Harrold Hancock has been granted a part time

leave to study at Ohio State University.

 

Howard D. Kramer, assistant professor of history at Western Reserve

University, has been notified by the state department of his selection for a

Fulbright teaching grant in India for 1952-53.

The American History Book Club has just announced that it has selected

as its Book of the Month for June 1952 Society and Thought in Modern

America (Longmans, Green, 1952) by Harvey Wish. Volume One (Society

and Thought in Early America) was the Book of the Month selection of

the History Book Club for October 1950.

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