Edwin C. Sinks

Edwin C. Sinks
Written by Sue Cummings
Leland Sinks, Edwin’s great-nephew, and Bura Elizabeth Sinks Whitt, Edwin’s niece,
were both descended from Edwin’s brother, Walter Herr Sinks. These two individuals shared the
personal collections that contain original family photos, family correspondence, and genealogy
records.
The information below came from letters and papers that were generously shared with
the Historical Society.
Edwin’s job as music instructor at the High School (1914-1916) did not pay much. It
may have been part-time since several letters mention a winter contract. His job entailed travel
throughout the township schools. He put on cantatas, and other musical programs. He himself
played the piano and slide trombone and was especially excited when he obtained his own
piano. He took some summer courses at Northwestern University in Chicago in 1915 and 1916.
Edwin’s photography career was more far-reaching than at first, we supposed. Mention
is made of his traveling to Springfield and New Lebanon, Ohio to take different family reunion
photos. He also wrote to Walter telling him that he signed up again (first time in 1911) to be
the photographer at Chautauqua (1914). He said he had rented a tent that worked out very
well as his developing studio.
Note: the Society has copies of several of the photo postcards he took of local residents
attending Chautauqua, including the Rasor girls and Berry boys. He also took photos of
unidentified young men playing tennis at the camp and overall views of the tests along the
river. He said he did very well selling his photos, but that it was hard work. Edwin also took
photo postcards of a large Brethren in Christ revival meeting held near Englewood.
Edwin was caught in Dayton during the 1913 Flood. He told Walter about Jacob
Hoover’s and Jesse West’s attempt to rescue residents of Little York, Ohio after the flood. Our
collection of nine flood postcards, showing the devastation at Little York, Ohio, is almost
certainly the work of Sinks.
In one letter from 1916, Walter asks Edwin how the two Rasor sisters are, and says, he
understands, that Edwin has a certain Rasor on his mind! This confirms our suspicions that
Edwin was smitten with one of the two unmarried Rasor girls, probably either Anna or Lily.
Edwin endured poor health all his adult life, and by September 1916, was taking serum
treatments for his lung problems. In the months before his death in November 1917 at age
forty, Edwin was an invalid. Walter and Elizabeth were on their way back to Ohio from China
when Edwin died.