Silverheels Riffle - Recently Updated Pages

Bernie Porter

LeilaN — Wed, 09 Dec 2009 18:59:56 CST

Stockport, OH

LeilaN — Wed, 09 Dec 2009 18:58:03 CST

Check out photos from Stockport under Photos - courtesy of Bernie Porter

Secrets of the Stockport Bridge

The Stockport Dam Adventure

Memories of the Stockport Mill

Memories of the Stockport Mill

LeilaN — Wed, 09 Dec 2009 18:54:34 CST

Isn`t it amazing how some things change, yet stay the same? This summer I spent a night at the Stockport Mill Inn, which brought back a lot of memories, some good some bad.

When I was a child, I lived in Stockport for 5 years and had a lot of fun growing up there. Sitting out on the balcony now, overlooking the dam made me remember the time when I was 8 years old and nearly went over it in a row boat. Listening to the water going over the dam all night was very peaceful and relaxing.

It reminded me of the time when Grandpa brought me with him to buy his flour and I saw the inside of the mill for the first time. My Mother kept a diary for many years, starting when she was a teenager, and there was a notation some time in the 1920s, that said, "Dad took the wheat to the Stockport Mill to have it ground." That was my Grandpa Heskett, and I can’t even imagine traveling from Pennsville to Stockport and back in a horse drawn wagon, although I did do it on my bicycle "way back when."

Walking the streets for the first time in many years really jogged my memory. Across the street was the old hardware where I helped buy bolts, nuts and nails several times -- (it is now The Hardware Inn). I was also surprised to see "Coxy" Williams’ old barber shop perched on the side of the hill on Main St. near the river. That is where I got my first haircut and many more later on. I can still hear the scissors clicking, (he started them clicking 10 feet before he got to you), and the hand clippers that pulled out more hair than they cut.

The biggest surprise was the old jail or "calaboose" still standing -- it was a scary place for all of us when we were children. There was Billy Wootton`s old store, which I remember very well, and the old hotel where my Great-grandma, Amy Beech Newman, was born in 1841 -- also the drug store where I stood in front of the glass candy case, trying to decide where best to spend the penny or two that Grandpa had given me. Grandpa`s house where we lived is long gone, as are some other buildings, but I can still remember the town as it was when I lived there.

Childhood memories are something we keep forever and we should hold on to the good ones. Whether the "good old days" were good or not, it was a much gentler, easier time to grow up than this fast-paced world with all the electronic junk our children and grandchildren grow up with nowdays.

If you have not recently visited the place where you were raised, consider doing so -- before it`s too late!

Bernie Porter ~ 12/2009

Welcome to the Silverheels Riffle!

LeilaN — Fri, 13 Nov 2009 20:32:33 CST

Southeastern Ohio in Words and Pictures

Welcome to the Silverheels Riffle!

This web site is intended to promote an interest and pride in our heritage and give the people of this generation a chance to remember and pass on bits of what we have almost forgotten.

This is not just for Morgan County but for all Southeastern Ohio.

Just think for a minute about some bit of information that you might have almost forgotten about, say, Captain Issac Newton Hook or the last name of one of the builders of the fort at Marietta. Maybe someone in your family was married to one of the early pioneers, or remembers river boating on the Muskingum or Ohio rivers.

Don't forget to check all the pages on this web site for books and other items that might be of interest.

You may want to begin by reading one of the stories in Navigation in the sidebar to the left - and begin with: Silverheels: Our Namesake

Enjoy and come back often!

Morgan County Courthouse

Built in 1858 at a cost of $10,000.

In 1866, a bell, added soon after

the building was constructed,

was replaced by a clock tower

which strikes on the hour.

Its design is Greek Classic and it is considered one of the most
beautiful courthouses in the state.

Welcome to the Silverheels Riffle!
This web site is intended to promote an interest and pride in our heritage and give the people of this generation a chance to remember and pass on bits of what we have almost forgotten. This is not just for Morgan County but for all Southeastern Ohio. Just think for a minute about some bit of information that you might have almost forgotten about, say, Captain Issac Newton Hook or the last name of one of the builders of the fort at Marietta. Maybe someone in your family was married to one of the early pioneers, or remembers river boating on the Muskingum or Ohio rivers. Don't forget to check all the pages on this web site for books and other items that might be of interest. You may want to begin by reading one of the stories in Navigation in the sidebar to the left - and begin with: Silverheels: Our Namesake Enjoy and come back often!
	Morgan County Courthouse
	Built in 1858 at a cost of $10,000. In 1866, a bell, added soon after the building was constructed, was replaced by a clock tower which strikes on the hour. Its design is Greek Classic and it is considered one of the most beautiful courthouses in the state.

Twin City Opera House
History of the Opera House Theater Explore the many links on the Opera House web site

Click on the banner to the right to visit the official Morgan County, Ohio, web site.

To visit the Morgan County Public Library web site, click on this banner.

Leila Norris

LeilaN — Fri, 13 Nov 2009 11:52:32 CST

BUR-R-R-R-R-R-NT Toast!

M&M Marching Band

Thank You, Mr. Newsom!

Alan Wagoner

LeilaN — Fri, 13 Nov 2009 11:48:20 CST

Karen Wortman Stories

LeilaN — Fri, 13 Nov 2009 11:47:53 CST

Fun Before Graduation

The Liar's Bench

Franz Schneider

LeilaN — Fri, 13 Nov 2009 11:46:25 CST

Game of Marbles

Star Route Carrier

History of the Malta Furniture Manufactory

Forty-Niners

Forty-Niners

LeilaN — Fri, 13 Nov 2009 11:45:13 CST

Many southeast Ohio residents participated in the Gold Rush of 1849. George Washington Thissell was one. Here is his biography:

G. W. Thissell born April 25, 1829, in Morgan county, Ohio, where he was educated, and learned the trade of carriage-making, which he followed until he left his native State, March, 1849, when he started for California. He stopped in Mashaska county, Iowa, with his brother Ezra, until March, 1850, when he set out on his long trip across the plains with an ox-team, and landed at a town known at that time as Hangtown, and is now known as Placerville, October 16, 1850, where he followed mining until May, 1851, when he established a hotel, and in July was one of the parties who formed a company and commenced the second tunnel that was ever run in the State, after which he found very rich diggings, taking out as high as $125 to the pan. Followed mining, in connection with the hotel, until 6th of January, 1852, when he returned to native State, and from there to Iowa, when he married Miss Asberrene Chambers, May 8, 1851, who was born February 5, 1831, in Bartholomew county, Indiana. In March, 1853, again emigrated to this State, re-crossing the plains with ox-teams, and again settled in Hangtown, and followed same business as in 1850-1 until July, 1855, when he came to this county and settled in Suisun valley, and followed farming. In July, 1857, took up his abode in Pleasants’ valley, settling upon the present tract of land upon which he now resides, comprising 165 acres, adapted to fruit-growing. Has 6,000 fruit trees, most of which are apricots; also 10,000 grape vines, all foreign varieties. Has a family of six children, as follows: Mary E., born June 6, 1852, on the loop fork of the Platte river; John N., born November 29, 1856; George W., born April 25, 1858; W. E., born July 4, 1861; Sarah E., born July 15, 1865; Minnie L., born May 23, 1870. Source: History of Solano County…. – San Francisco, California - Wood, Alley & Co., East Oakland, published 1879, pages 464-465. Transcribed by Kathy Sedler. http://www.calarchives4u.com/biographies/solano/sol-stah.htm.

Thissell not only made two trips to California and remained there, he wrote a book about his experiences, Crossing the Plains in ’49, Oakland, California, 1903. On page 9 of that book he tells how he began his journey:

March 16, 1849, in company with Jerry Sheppard, Henry Seamon, William and Ambrose Palmer, I went on board the steamer Zanesville, at McConnelsville, Ohio, bound for California. The steamer’s destination was St. Louis, Missouri. The hand-shaking, the parting words, “Write often,” God bless you,” and we were off for California. The steamer was crowded with men wild with excitement. The gold fever ran high.

I conjecture that the Palmers mentioned here were Ambrose (born 1820) and William (born 1823), sons of William and Hannah Conklin Palmer of Malta. George Washington Thissell was the son of Ezra and Hanna Sargent Thissell.

Many forty-niners came from Zanesville as well. Following is a portion of their story:

In the spring of 1849 the great Gold Rush started and Zanesville seethed with excitement. Coach makers worked on covered wagons. Merchants sold large orders of sugar, flour, coffee, and other foods. Men practiced shooting with rifles and pistols at imaginary Indians. They made and polished sturdy mule harness. Life-insurance salesmen were busy. The forty-niners were getting ready to start for California “where people dig gold by the shovelful.”

“The new and staunch steamer Enterprise,” lay at the Fifth Street landing. She advertised April 4 as the date for starting to Independence, Missouri, the point of departure by land for the gold fields. Cabin passage was $20 and deck passage only $10. William McCaddon was president of the Zanesville party of thirteen men. Their equipment consisted of four wagons, twenty mules, and two horses. They carried weapons for defense against Indians and wild animals. The 150 passengers on the boat included parties from Newark and Cambridge. Crowds along the canal bank cheered as the Enterprise puffed down the river.

Another group went to Cincinnati and took a steamboat for Panama. There two thousand people waited for passage to San Francisco. Willard Warner of Zanesville wrote to friends that there was nothing to do but wait for three months and nurse a sick friend who seemed to be dying of typhus. Ten men from West Main Street organized the South Zanesville Company and drove their wagons to Cincinnati to board a steamboat for Independence.

The first letter that reached Zanesville from the Enterprise party contained sad news. Captain McCaddon returned to camp from a hunting trip at five o’clock one afternoon and by two o’clock next morning he was dead of cholera. An epidemic of that disease swept the nation.

The returning forty-niners did not always tell how much gold they found. All were believed to be rich. James Baldwin came home and divided his gold with the man who furnished money for his trip. With his own share of the gold he bought a farm in Perry Township on the site of Zanesville Airport. Many people tried to borrow money from Baldwin, thinking he had plenty and would not miss it. Baldwin was honest and did not want to lie to people. So he carried two pocketbooks. One was named “World.” When some one asked him for money, Baldwin opened that pocket book and truthfully said, “You see, I haven’t got a cent in the World.”

Source: Schneider, Norris Franz (1898-1993). Y Bridge City: The Story of Zanesville and Muskingum County, Ohio. The World Publishing Company, Cleveland and New York, 1950, pages 126-7.

Does anyone know more details of the individuals mentioned, or any others who departed southeastern Ohio for the gold fields of California?

Franz W. Schneider

Game of Marbles

LeilaN — Fri, 13 Nov 2009 11:43:09 CST

Marble Time
By Eva B. Dunsmoor

Marble time, has jes’begun.

Gee! I’m glad, ‘taint almost done,

Ain’t no time like Spring and Fall,

When you hear the fellar’s call.

Hi! there, Bob, come out an’play,

Don’t I hike out? I should say

Chase aroun’ upstairs and down,

Huntin’ up my commie’s brown.

Fifty marbles, all bran’new,

Won’t I show ‘em what I’ll do?

Most the fellers in the town,

Plays upon my marble ground.

‘Bet the neighbors wish there’s snow,

Or somethin’ else to make us go,

When we’er hollerin’ on the spot,

E-v-e-r-s, Hey there! Watch the pot!

Strange, how marbles slip away,
Lost ‘em every one, today.

Dad says, “busted, lost them all?”

Makes a feller feel so small.

But I go to bed at night,

Dreamin’ how I’ll make it right,

Marble time has jes’ begun.

Gee! I’m glad, t’aint almost done.

The writer, Eva Belle Wheeler, graduated from Malta High School in 1889 and four years later married the son of the proprietor of the A. M. Dunsmoor Furniture Factory there. She had a lifelong love of literature and published many poems and short stories in local newsletters. Unfortunately she died young (age 48), but her five children held dear the memory of her reading to them.

Does anyone else remember this game? I attended Wilson Elementary School in Zanesville from 1939 to 1945. There were many marble games taking place during recess and lunch in good weather. You could play for “funsies” (score points) or “keepsies” (keep the marbles shot out of the ring). I remember one day taking my marbles to school in a small cloth drawstring bag. A really old classmate (he must have been 11 or 12 at least!) challenged me to a game of keepsies. When I hesitated, he offered to play in a tiny circle (he pointed to the shadow of a basketball hoop in the sand) and to let me shoot first. But I declined. After all, I didn’t want to risk being like the boy in the poem and losing all my marbles! Franz W. Schneider

Poetry

LeilaN — Fri, 13 Nov 2009 11:41:54 CST

The 1913 Flood on the Lower Muskingum River

LeilaN — Fri, 13 Nov 2009 11:24:51 CST

An Eyewitness Account

My grandfather, Lawrence Budd, born in 1887, was 26 at the time of the 1913 flood. Married to Myrtle Snow Budd, they had two daughters, Madge 3, and Mildred, 1. They lived five miles northwest of Waterford on the original Jared Budd Farm, which was a little over one mile from the small stop of Beckett on the B & O Railroad line between Waterford and Malta along the Muskingum River.

Lawrence and Myrtle’s farm, near the Maple Grove Church and School, was on Coryhill Road, whi ch runs north off of Milner Road and continues down to Sparling Road along the Muskingum River from Waterford past Relief, the location of the former Ohio Power generating plant. Sparling Road becomes Swift Road between Beckett and Swift where it finally is named Luke Chute Road, ending at the locks by that same name. In those early years the road used to continue on up a very steep hill on its way into Morgan County. However, that section of the road was closed after the automobile replaced the horse and buggy in the early twentieth century as the grade was too steep for cars of that era. Google Earth Image of Beckett & the Budd farm location

My grandfather told of this catastrophic flood, which began one day in late March, 1913. Granddad said he had made a trip to the store at Beckett, located just across the railroad tracks from the river road near the intersection of Coryhill Road and Sparling Road. It was a rainy day and there was concern about the possibility of another spring flood, which in those days seemed to be almost a yearly occurrence, especially when heavy rains accompanied the spring thaw.

Floods were nothing new for the residents of the area, especially the store owners, whose businesses were located along the banks of the Muskingum. There had been several floods in the early years of the new century and the 1910 flood had set a new record. Granddad had tied his horse and buggy in front of the Beckett Store and was waiting to purchase a few items to take home that afternoon when the phone rang. The storekeeper spoke with someone on the line for a few minutes and then hung up, alarmed by what he had been told.

He related to Lawrence and several others who were there that the call had come from a U. S. government official who tried to keep track of severe weather conditions and any potential danger. The official had said people should prepare for a flood which would be 8 feet higher than the highest level ever reached.

The storekeeper then went to a mark on the wall which was the highest level recorded at that location and said that if this report was true, the water would extend onto the second floor of the building, well above the 10 foot ceiling of the first floor. He then said that since he had always moved his merchandise onto the second floor during flooding, he would have to move it all to another location well out of the expected flood area. My grandfather purchased the items he needed and said that if the flood seemed to be rising faster than expected, the store owner should give him a call and he would come back with his wagon and help with the removal of the store's contents.

As Granddad arrived home, my Grandmother met him, saying she had just received a call that the water was rising very fast and that Lawrence should return to the Beckett Store with the wagon as soon as possible to help move the merchandise to high ground. So Granddad hitched his horse to the farm wagon and went back to help with the move. He had parked the wagon above the railroad tracks and by the time they removed the last items, they were wading in water up to their knees and the river was lapping just a few inches from the tracks.

He said that it was a good thing those who were projecting the extent of the flooding had called with this alert since by the next morning the store, which had been at that location for many years and weathered several previous floods, had been washed down the river. That same fate was shared by many other structures along the mighty Muskingum.

Not only was the store at Beckett lost to the flood but so were several homes in Beverly and Waterford, some five miles down river. In addition, half of the wooden covered bridge connecting Beverly and Waterford was washed away. In Marietta, the river rose to nearly 60 feet – more than 25 feet above flood stage - and in Beverly, the water was lapping at the base of the bank building on the corner of 5th and Ferry Streets - just one-half block from my boyhood home.

My grandfather’s sister, Sadie Budd, who for many years had been the telephone switchboard operator for the communities, often remarked that she hoped those who were farming the area of Beverly between 4th Street and the river would be careful with their horses and tractors since many homes that had "dug" cisterns were swept away in the flood, leaving these hazards behind.

Throughout my childhood and teen years there were many floods along the Muskingum River. I remember being about 4 years old and riding my tricycle into the 1939 flood waters across the street from the Presbyterian Church at the corner of 4th and Ferry Streets in Beverly. Then in the 1940's, when I was about 9 or 10 years old, I helped our pastor move out of his home on Ferry Street between 3rd & 4th Street, across from the old Beverly Hotel. (My grandfather, C.L. (Roy) Sprague built the first modern supermarket in this location in the early '50s and runoff from winter snows and spring rains occasionally threatened his business as well - but the series of fourteen flood control dams, built in the 1930s on the tributaries of the Muskingum, have kept floods from reaching such high levels.)

However, these less damaging floods which seemed to come on a regular basis during my childhood could not begin to compare with the 1913 flood - which still holds the record for high water as well as lives and property lost throughout the state of Ohio.

Budd L. Sprague

View More Photos in the 1913 Flood Album

Budd L. Sprague

LeilaN — Fri, 13 Nov 2009 11:22:23 CST

There is no abstract available for this page revision.

Historical Postings

LeilaN — Fri, 13 Nov 2009 11:21:52 CST

Coleen Armstrong

LeilaN — Fri, 13 Nov 2009 11:00:10 CST

Youngest Twin City Opera House Employee Ever!

Postings by Author

LeilaN — Fri, 13 Nov 2009 10:50:42 CST

These pages offer personal and family stories as well as a variety of memories for all to share.

Alan Wagoner

Bernie Porter

Karen Wortman

Franz Schneider

History of the Malta Furniture Manufactory

LeilaN — Fri, 13 Nov 2009 10:49:36 CST

The first settlers in Morgan County, Ohio, lived in log cabins without floors. They used their trunks as tables and blocks sawed off the ends of logs as chairs. They slept on the ground on straw mattresses. As they began to build frame houses they needed furniture for their living rooms, dining rooms, bedrooms and kitchens. Skilled and enterprising residents soon established businesses to meet these needs. This is the story of some of these individuals and their families.

William “Graytail” Palmer

William Palmer (1787 ─ 1865) was born in New York of English Quaker stock and served as a ship’s carpenter during the War of 1812. In the fall 1818 William came west with his wife, Hannah Conklin Palmer (1787 ─ 1858), and children to Malta as one of the first six pioneer families. With another family they wintered in a log cabin. As the first carpenter of the village, he immediately began working at his trade, cabinet making, and for many years supplied the demand for various articles of furniture. He also built frame houses and enlarged the town of Malta by an addition in 1829.

William Palmer was an innkeeper and grocer as well. During the administration of President James Buchanan he served as Postmaster of Malta. He also sold whiskey to local residents. Though he had no religious connections and never went to church, he always wore a long tail gray coat similar to the dress of Quakers, thus acquiring the nickname of “Graytail.” A member of his family remembered William as the contrariest creature on the face of the earth. Few people could cook food to his satisfaction. He could turn the most innocent and well-meaning remark completely around. Once a concerned friend asked if he had hurt himself falling downstairs while going for whiskey. William snapped back: “How the devil can I tell till tomorrow?”

In 1841 William Palmer founded the Malta Furniture Manufactory with his son James Jackson Palmer (1815 ─ 1884). At first all of the work was done by hand, but in 1851 a steam engine was added. This engine, the first built in the county, was a product of the foundry of Dunsmoor & Dickerson.

Another of William’s sons, Ambrose Webb Palmer (1820 ─ 1874), was a forty-niner in the California gold rush. He eventually became the Sherriff of Calaveras County, home of Mark Twain’s jumping frog, and had many exciting adventures in the wild period following the discovery of gold. A daughter, Rachel Palmer (1806 ─ 1896), married William Sherwood (1801 ─ 1891), another of Malta’s pioneer settlers.
Hiel Dunsmoor

Hiel Dunsmoor (1807 ─ 1883) was born in Charlestown, New Hampshire, one of eight children (seven survived) of Phineas (1773 ─ 1823) and Polly Gage Dunsmoor (1782 ─ 1857). In 1816 Phineas moved to nearby Goshen where he was a hotel keeper and farmer. But Phineas had a great desire to acquire enough land so that each of his children could have a farm and live near him. So in the spring of 1822 the family left New Hampshire in two covered wagons drawn by horses and came to Washington County, Ohio, to a tract of 905 acres for which Phineas had traded his Goshen properties. No sooner had they raised a house than Phineas died of the tuberculosis from which he had long suffered. It was then left to his wife Polly to raise the family.

In 1827 Hiel married Susannah Mellor (1808 ─ 1853) and began his business career as a farmer on the eighty acres left to him by his father during the summer; in winter he taught school. Soon he bought a general store in Brown’s Mills which he enlarged and operated for a time with his brother Abner Gage Dunsmoor (1804 ─ 1874) as partner. The two brothers engaged in flat boating, that is, buying or building a suitable boat and loading it with country produce such as pork, flour, salt from the wells near Malta, mutton, and potatoes. Then one of the brothers, with several helpers, embarked for New Orleans, stopping and selling the produce to people at towns on the way down. The boats were made with pins so they could be taken apart at the end of the trip and the lumber sold. After seeing the sights of the Crescent City, they would return by steamer or some times even on foot.

Hiel came to Malta in 1837 after his military service in the Ohio Militia ended and engaged in various enterprises including the mercantile business, merchandising, clock sales, and, in 1844, a foundry with David Dickerson. It was Dunsmoor & Dickerson who supplied William Palmer with a steam engine. After many changes in ownership and name, this firm eventually became the basis of the Brown-Manly Plow Works.

In 1858 Hiel, with Sam McCaslin, bought the furniture establishment of Jackson Palmer which in 1861 became Dunsmoor & Son. Hiel energetically carried on this business until his death. The company made furniture for both homes and businesses using mostly walnut, many times trading furniture for lumber. From a small beginning the works grew in size and importance until it ranked among the chief industries of the area, employing eight or ten workers. In 1875 the first parlor organ made in Morgan County was manufactured in this establishment. Records show chairs made for the Morgan County Court House cost 50 cents each. In 1885, H. Dunsmoor & Son was still one of the leading business firms of Malta.

Hiel was elected and served for many years as a Justice of the Peace. He was a Master Mason of the McConnelsville Lodge which he joined in 1846 when it was organized and was a charter member of the Malta Masonic Lodge. He was also a member of the Universalist Church for fifty years and an organizer and one of the first trustees of the McConnelsville Universalist Church.

But life was not always smooth for Hiel. Some of his many business ventures were successful but many were not. Nevertheless, Hiel always prided himself on paying off his business debts in full. His greatest setbacks, however, came on a more personal level. His wife and daughters all died of the tuberculosis that had claimed his father. Hiel once lamented, "thus in a few years' time, with that fell disease consumption, have I been deprived of a dear wife and four children, leaving me none except my son Ephraim of all my family. Could the fact have been made known to me that in so short a time death was to deprive me so nearly of all my family, it seems to me that it would have dethroned my reason; still the back is prepared for the burden and man submits to the Divine will; these oft dispensations of Providence convince us that this is not our abiding place. I feel that I have treasures in heaven and will shortly be there with them."

Augustus Miller Dunsmoor

When the brothers Abner and Hiel Dunsmoor dissolved their partnership, Abner moved to Quincy, Illinois, where he went into business and became very prosperous until, as the story goes, one of his partners swindled him. Abner and his wife Sally Ann Miller (1821 ─ 1845) of Quincy had two children, Augustus Miller Dunsmoor (1843 ─ 1935) and a daughter. Abner’s wife, daughter and son Augustus all had typhoid fever at the same time. Sally and the daughter died, but Augustus survived. Abner sent word to his brother Hiel to come and take the two year old Augustus home with him to Malta. Hiel did so and Augustus never saw his father again as Abner was too busy tending his grocery store ever to return to Ohio.

Hiel raised Augustus as his own son and when he was grown took him in as a partner in the furniture business. At first, Augustus had 1/4 or 1/3 ownership and eventually acquired the whole business which was renamed the A.M Dunsmoor Furniture Factory.

An announcement in a commercial directory of the time descrives the enterprise in glowing terms:

“A.M. Dunsmoor, Furniture Factory.

“As one of the leading and most extensive establishments of its kind in the three counties, of Morgan, Noble and Monroe, the above named firm merits more than passing notice in this Business Review. For many years it has occupied an important place among the manufacturing establishments of Malta. It has been under the present management for the past eight years; prior to that time it was know by the firm name of H. Dunsmoor & Son. The plant consists of three substantial frame buildings, used for various purposes. The main building which is 50 X 60 feet in dimensions, and two stories high is equipped with all the facilities for conducting the work in the most efficient manner, such as saws, planers, mortising machines, turning lathes, etc., all of which are propelled by a twenty-horse power engine. The products of this firm embrace all kinds of furniture, including parlor, library, drawing room, bedroom, dining room and kitchen sets in all varieties of styles and designs to suit the tastes and financial ability of the patrons. His elegant line of fine upholstered parlor sets needs only to be seen to be admired, and can be had in full sets or single pieces. He also carries the latest improved bed-springs, mattresses and all notions pertaining to this line of trade. All articles sold are guaranteed to render entire satisfaction in every particular and are sold at prices consistent with the lines. Mr. Dunsmoor is a native of Quincy, Ill., born in 1844. During his business career in Malta he has established a reputation for honorable and liberal business methods and fully merits the large patronage that he receives from the public. Persons desiring furniture or anything in his line will do well to call and examine his stock and procure prices before dealing elsewhere.”

Augustus lived to a ripe old age. Here is his newspaper obituary in the local newspaper:

“Oldest Resident of Malta Dies.
“A. M. Dunsmoor Rites on Tuesday.

“McConnelsville, O., August 26, 1935. ─ Augustus M. Dunsmoor, 92, died Sunday evening about 8 o'clock at the home of his daughter Mrs. Marian McLane, Malta, following a several months' illness from infirmities. His wife, who was formerly Miss Annie Lutton, passed away many years ago.

“The deceased, who was the oldest resident of Malta, was a cabinet maker by trade and had his shop in the building where the Ohio Fuel Gas office now is located. Later Mr. Dunsmoor was employed with the Malta Manufacturing Company.

“He was a member of the Masonic Lodge and is survived by three children, Frank, Pittsburgh; William, Zanesville and Mrs. McClane, Malta. Funeral services will be held at 10 o'clock Tuesday morning at the McLane home and burial will be made in McConnelsville Cemetery.”

Augustus’s son William learned the cabinet maker’s trade when he was a boy and worked with his father in the factory. But in the 1880’s the furniture business was not good, so William quit the factory and had several odd jobs before joining the Mosaic Tile Company in Zanesville.. William worked there as a mold maker and maintenance foreman for fifth years (1898 to 1948).

The author is the grandson of William Dunsmoor and the fourth great grandson of William Palmer, but unfortunately did not inherit their skills in carpentry ─ he cannot even drive a nail straight!. While composing this sketch on a computer, he sat on a chair made in the A.M. Dunsmoor Furniture Factory. Are there perhaps others reading this who still possess articles of furniture made in one of these venerable Malta establishments? If so, I would very much like to hear from you.

Any suggestions for corrections, additions or improvements in this history are welcomed.

Many sources were used for this sketch without attribution. They include:

Gard, Nellie Ataline. Ancestors and Descendants of Phineas and Polly (Gage) Dunsmoor, Marietta, Ohio, 1971.

Robertson, Charles. History of Morgan County, Ohio, Chicago, 1886.

Franz W. Schneider

Cyberspace

LeilaN — Fri, 13 Nov 2009 10:45:10 CST

cyberspace
Where are we? Man, Time, Space, Gravity.
The age old question of what and where is mans place in this small section of the vast sceam of the universe.
What does history have to do with Cyberspace? History is Cyberspace and man has used cyberspace for hundreds of years with the use of smoke signals, mirrors.
Man then discovered that he could send electrical impulses over a wire and so telegraph was born and a message could be sent around the world.
It was discovered that electrical impulses could be picked up from the air and messages could be sent around the world with out the use of wires so here was the start of what we now refer to as cyberspace.
There is so much out there that we might tune in to and or find and retrieve if we only knew how and I invite any one and every one to enter their ideas of how this might be done.

Much the same way that Thomas Edison discovered how to capture and record the sounds of his generation for entertainment and a permeate record of the world around us I feel that we will soon be able to find a way to go back in time by going to the stars and looking back on earth to hear such people as George Washington and other men..
There will come a time when voice and video wile travel on a light beam and we will discover even faster means of travel.
The glue that holds every thing together which is gravity will soon reveal its secrets to man.

Travels

LeilaN — Fri, 13 Nov 2009 10:44:44 CST

Travel and Wandering in Ohio - Sept. 2008

Date	Who	Event	Links
September 21-25	Alan Wagoner, Cindy Webb, David Wagoner	Travel to McConnelsville	Slide show
September 21-25	Alan Wagoner, Cindy Webb, David Wagoner	More Ohio Photos	http://silverheelsriffle.wetpaint.com/album/53316/Alan+Wagoner Ration Board Office 1942-1945

A Little Trivia

LeilaN — Fri, 13 Nov 2009 10:44:10 CST

What do Charles Gates Dawes, 30th Vice-President of the United States and Tommy Edwards, 1950's rhythm and blues singer, have in common?

The Dawes family, famous in Ohio history, has its beginnings in Morgan County. Rufus Dawes, the father of Charles Gates Dawes, was born in Malta. The Dawes family also had a Muskingum River warehouse in Malta. Charles Gates Dawes, the oldest son of Rufus and his wife, Mary Gates Dawes, was the vice-president of the United States under Calvin Coolidge. He also was a co-recipient of the Nobel Peace Prize. Most people now would recognize the name Dawes because of the Dawes Arboretum near Newark, Ohio.

Charles Gates Dawes also composed music. In 1912 he composed the piece he called "Melody in A Major," which was relatively popular in its day. In 1951 lyricist Carl Sigmun put words to the tune and "It's All in the Game" was "born." Tommy Edwards went on to record the song, and in 1958 it became No. 1 on the billboard chart. and he sang this hit song on the Ed Sullivan show on September 14, 1958. Van Morrison and Elton John also later recorded the song.

Charles Gates Dawes thus became the only United States vice-president to have co-written a number one pop single.