April 2019 newsletter

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VOLUME 21, ISSUE 2 APRIL–JUNE 2019

Officers
President: Doris West
Vice–Pres: Doug Allen
Recording Sec’y: Kay Dawson
Corres. Sec’y: Wilma Schroeder
Treasurer: Robin Perkins

Directors
Cleva Collar (2018 & 2019)
Glynn Marsh (2018 & 2019)
Ivan Clark (2019)
Shirley Whiting (2018 & 2019)
Barb Eller (2019 & 2020)
Bill Gothard (2019 & 2020)
Monty Mercer (2019 & 2020)
Ron Papp (2019 & 2020)

THE PRESIDENT’S CORNER by Doris West

Whenever warmer weather arrives, we shall have more spring in
our step. The sunshine has a great effect on our attitudes and brings back
our enthusiasm.
We want to spruce up outside our entrance. This will not only
make the area more attractive but also eliminate those pesky weeds. To
do this, two of our fundraiser projects this spring are a book sale in April
and a garage sale in May, both held at our Center. Please donate used
books, VHS or DVD movies, VHS and DVD players (in working order),
sheet, music, vinyl records, and cassettes or DVDs of music. Items can
be dropped off Wednesday or Saturday afternoons or phone us for pick
up.
Please hold onto garage sale donations until the first part of May.
About any clean item is acceptable, but no large, heavy items, big furni-
ture, or clothing (except vintage ladies’ hats). All types of linens are
needed. Children’s toys usually sell, and jewelry is desirable.
Here's hoping you will catch that spring fever soon and be box-
ing some donations for our fundraiser sales!
2018 Corporate Members
Carra Builders Comm. Const.
Inc.
City of Clayton
City of Englewood
City of Union
Kindred Funeral Home
Landes Fresh Meats, Inc.
Mill Ridge Village Retirement
Community
Thank you!
We list our valued sponsors
on our website.
UPCOMING MEETINGS & EVENTS
All functions are at the History Center unless otherwise noted.
Meetings on 2nd Wednesdays
April 10, 7 P.M. business meeting/miniprogram: TBA
May 8, 7 P.M. business meeting/miniprogram: TBA
June 12, 7 P.M. /business meeting/miniprogram: TBA
Special Events
Book Sale, April 26 (10 A.M. to 6 P.M.) & 27 (10 A.M. to 2 P.M.)
at the History Center
Garage Sale, May 30 & 31 (8 A.M. to 4 P.M.) & June 1
(8 A.M. to 2 P.M.), at the History Center
Visitors Hours
April 7 & 14, May 5 & 19, and June 9 & 23, 2 to 4 P.M., at the
History Center

Office Phone: 937-832-8538
Email: rths@frontier.com
www. rths.org

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QUARTERLY SUMMARY
JANUARY 2019: The Society ended 2018 with 182 memberships, the same as in 2017. The memberships
brought in approximately $2,625.00, and $990.00 came in extra donations with renewals. Dayton Power &
Light trimmed the trees members had been worried about. In an attempt to attract more families when public
hours resume, the RTHS is planning a display of antique toys. The water problem in the basement has been
almost solved. The front doorknob now has a plastic grip to make it easier to open, and there is an LED light
on the inside of the door that turns on when tapped so people coming in at night can see to locate the foyer
and meeting room light switch. Work on the outside lighting will have to wait until spring.
FEBRUARY 2019: After all the expenses last year, it was nice to hear from Treasurer Robin Perkins that
the cash assets had increased in the past month. Kate Evans brought County Auditor Karl Keith and two co-
workers in the auditor’s office to hear her father, David Evans, speak to the meeting. The acquisition of the
new lot means the RTHS had to prove tax-exempt status again, and Ivan Clark is working on the paperwork.
Glynn Marsh told the Society that it would be unnecessary to have the lot surveyed before beginning land-
scaping, as the City of Englewood would have done so before turning the lot over to the RTHS. He promised
to help with updating the maintenance manual. The Northmont Class of 1964 will tour the Center as part of its
reunion in July, and the scoutmaster of Troop 325 is trying to arrange to hold a troop meeting at the Center.
Doris West said the RTHS will hold a book sale and, later, a garage sale in conjunction with the city’s garage
sale. Ivan reported the heavy rains in the past week had only left less than five gallons of water in the base-
ment. After the business meeting, Dave Evans, former Police/Fire Chief of Clayton and long-time Randolph
Twp. firefighter/paramedic, spoke on his experiences
MARCH 2019: Assets were down again, but this was due to expenses involving the PastPerfect and Web
site. Memberships, on the other hand, are slightly above this time last year. A local Boy Scout troop planned
to have a meeting and tour of the Center, and it was possible some Scouts might help with the flower beds as
a merit badge project. Various members are obtaining quotes of fertilizer and seed and investigating what
permits, if any, are needed for shrubbery, fencing, or possibly a gazebo in the new lot. (Suggestions for im-
proving the look of the areas to each side of the front door are welcome.) The operations manual is being up-
dated. The Society has filed the paperwork to prove tax-exempt status to the state auditor and started prepar-
ing the end-of-year reports. There are two new displays. “Local Businesses” in the northeast corner of the
meeting room shows photos of long-departed businesses, and “Toys from the Past” on the lower level dis-
plays playthings that amused children of past years. The RTHS will hold a book sale on April 26 and 27 and
a garage sale on May 30 and 31 and June 1. After the business meeting, Ruth Ann Peck, a former Northmont
Middle School teacher, presented a miniprogram on her great-grandfather, a Civil War soldier.

AREA NEWS AND NOTES

In Memoriam
The January newsletter carried an announcement of Glen Wagoner’s death but there was no time for
more information. Wagoner grew up on the farm on Union Road, currently the site of J. D. Custard and the
car wash. Learning the nursery business at Deeter’s Nurseries, he started Wagoner Landscaping and Garden
Center on W. National Road in 1965. Now Wagoner Power Equipment, Inc., it is still operated by Wagoner
Family members and will celebrate its 54th anniversary this year. He became a lifetime member of the RTHS
in 1999.
Robyn Oldham Jepsen died in January. She had been a life member since 2004.
Jane Woolery Schumacher died in January. A 1968 Northmont High School graduate, she had been
a member of the RTHS since 2012.
Ed Boshinski died in February. He had not been a member as long as the others, but will be missed.
Joanne Gambee, who died last fall, was not a member of the RTHS, but many will remember her
book, The Dam Battle, and the talk she gave in 1993 on the opposition in the northern Miami River Valley
to the building of the Conservancy Dams.

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THE FAMILY TREE
by Kay Dawson
Looking It Up
This a wonderful time for historical or genea-
logical research.
Originally, historians had to travel to do re-
search. Records might be in various museums and
archives according to where the event took place.
Researchers wanting records might have to go to the
National Archives in Washington, D.C., get permis-
sion to research, sign in, leave all belongings but a
pencil (no pen) and paper in storage, and then spend
the day carefully leafing through papers, some so
delicate researchers had to wear cotton gloves to
avoid damaging them with oil from the skin.
Other records on the same topic might be in state
libraries or museums on the other side of the coun-
try. Some were in other countries with their own
regulations. Newspapers might be in storage in
public libraries or even in the newspaper buildings
themselves, and some did not survive.
In the 1960s and 1970s, microfilm and micro-
fiche improved matters. Now microfilmed records
could be borrowed from the National Archives or
other libraries. But the researcher still had to use
them in a library.
These sources still exist, of course. The recently
renovated Dayton Metro Library now makes its
archives available for casual browsing, without the
need to decide which dates of a paper you need and
requesting only that microfilm. (But PLEASE
rewind the microfilm afterward!)
The archives of the RTHS are available, with
family histories, cemetery records, the Englewood
Independent from 1975 through 2008 and some
copies of earlier papers such as the Argus-Sentinel
from the 1960s.
But the Internet has opened up the world to re-
searchers. More and more archives are being digit-
ized and can be accessed from any computer.
Anyone in the area with a Dayton Metro Library
Card can obtain a PIN number with a librarian’s
help, enter http://www.daytonmetrolibrary.org/,
click on the “RESEARCH TOOLS” link, and find
links to various databases containing scholarly jour-
nals, old newspapers, and items from the library’s
Dayton Archives. A few databases, such as Ances-
try.com, must be used on the library computers, but
most are available from any computer with an Inter-
net connection. And if you are not very proficient
with the Internet, you can ask for a tutorial from a
librarian.
One of the most interesting databases is the
Oxford English Dictionary, not only defining the
word but tracing its first appearance and its changes
over time. It will tell us, for example, that history,
in the sense of a chronical record over time, first
appeared in a recognizable form in the late 1400s.
The Dayton Metro Library has also added Herit-
age Quest Online, ProQuest African American Her-
itage, and Fold3 Library Edition, which has military
records.
There are other databases giving access to old
newspapers. The Lewisburg Leader, from 1898 to
1982, with news of Preble County, is available
online at from http://lewisburg.advantage-
preservation.com.
And https://chroniclingamerica.loc.gov/, through
the Library of Congress, offers a directory of U. S.
newspapers from 1690 to the present and digitized
copies of papers from 1789 through 1963.
Besides research, these are interesting reading.
But be careful. In college, I used to spend lunchtime
in the college library reading old newspapers and
magazines. Unfortunately, one winter my next class
was clear across campus, was not my favorite sub-
ject, and was taught by a professor with an impene-
trable accent. I sometimes spent that class period in
the library reading old newspapers, too!
Membership Report by Wilma Schroeder
The Society is fortunate to maintain a very high
membership renewal rate. We continue to add new
members each year, but lose some of our valued old-
er members to death and relocation. We value each
and every member and work hard to make the Socie-
ty a valuable resource for history in the community.
Memberships Processed January–March
Family: David & Belinda Bleam (r); Carolyn &
John Bruns (r); Gordon & Bonnie Harris (r); James
& Donna Hendrickson (r); Chris & Jaime Klein (n);
Karen & Don Sodders (r); Jim, Carolyn, & Carla
Van Dyne (r); Ron & Mary-Ann White (r); Susanne
Wertz (r); Ray & Judy Wollenhaupt (r).
Individual: Cathy Allison (r); Anita Bannerman (r);
David Bowman (r); Thomas Eastridge (n); Marilyn
Ekberg (r); Barbara Eller (r); Sarah Grantz (r); Carol
Hoke (r); Myron Mann (r); Inge Pierce (r); John
Ruel (r); Jerry Sherman (r); Gloria Warner (r);
Lenette Newel Wilde (r).

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ACQUISTIONS
The Randolph Township Historical Society has reached a milestone: it now has a contracted part-
time person, Jennifer Woods, to record our acquisitions backlog. She puts in a couple of hours now and
then to help us get caught up.
There are several ways to think of this development. Members can be very proud of ourselves that
we managed to do this task ourselves for 20 years. For more than 10 years, this was done by hand and on
Sue Cummings’ computer at her home. Then, thanks to Sue’s research and creativeness, after moving into
the History Center the RTHS was gifted with computers for the Center and purchased PastPerfect software,
a program designed for museum acquisitions. Volunteers installed the computers, and Jennifer Woods and
Doris West worked very hard along with Sue to enter all the previous acquisitions while keeping up with
new ones. Many local historical societies never have members with the expertise to do this or the willing-
ness to devote the necessary time.
The Society can also be proud that it is on a firm enough financial footing at present to be able to
hire someone to do this.
In either case, we can all be grateful to the Board of Directors for arranging this and to Jennifer for
being available.

From Cleva Collar: WWII radio used by her
husband Jay in New Zealand and New Caledonia;
Army boots (on loan);
Mustache cup (on loan);
Little Boy Blue bluing package.
From Larry Crowell: One white enamel cham-
ber pot with handle (missing its lid).
From estate of Kevin Kern: Book of Engle-
wood Fire Department 1999;
City of Union Police arm patch;
City of Union Police Officer hat of Kevin Kern;
Englewood Fire Department helmet of Kevin
Kern;
Newspaper clipping (two copies) of Randolph
Township Volunteer fire workers;
Newspaper clippings of VFW Post 5434 seat belt
education program;
Northmont Band hat of Kevin Kern;
Picture of City of Union Police officers with
Kevin Kern second from right;
Picture of Northmont Band on parade;
Picture of Northmont Band;
Randolph High School Commencement program,
May 27, 1949;
Shadowbox of award to Union Police Officer
Kevin Kern upon retirement (served Oct. 1990–
Oct. 2011);
Two Northmont marching band epaulets, 1977;
Two pictures of police officers in D.A.R.E.
program;
Union police large coffee mug, black with gold
trim.
From Monty Mercer: Old cake carrier.
.
Correction
At the January meeting, members questioned the 1725 date on the plate donated by David Hoke
containing the picture of the Hoke meeting house. A closer check found the plate said the 1700s.
According to the Hoke (Hock) Family History in the RTHS archives, David Hock ran a grocery
on the site. One winter evening, a person bought a gallon of liquor from him, drank most of it on the way
home, passed out, and died from exposure. In his guilt, Hock quit selling liquor and built a church on the
site of the grocery.
In an addition to the story, Jesse W. Hoover, author of the family history, adds that the story cannot
be true as it mentions a date of 1758, and David Hock was not born until 1789. (It couldn’t have been his
father George, either, as that person was born in 1750.) The oldest readable tombstone near the church has
a date of 1780.
Hoover refers to a letter from an ancestor which mentions a church service there when the ancestor
was 20. Doing the various math calculations, Hoover says the church had to be built earlier than 1850.
So the dates remain uncertain, but 1729 is almost certainly too early for the church.
In any case, the RTHS is very grateful to have both the plate and the family history.

5
RECENT HAPPENINGS AT THE RTHS HISTORY CENTER
Recently, some changes have been made to the Center, some to the building and some to the contents.
Building Improvements
Perhaps the most welcome news about the building is that the after 10 years of mopping, wet vac-
uuming, installing new spouting, and sealing walls, we seem to have won the battle of the basement. After a
recent record-breaking rain, the water amounted to only a few gallons and was quickly removed with the wet
vac.
The doorknob on the outside of the entrance door has always been highly polished smooth metal. This
has been very attractive. It has also been very frustrating, especially for people who have any arthritis in their
hands or wrists or for people carrying things. There is now a plastic grip on the doorknob that makes it easier
to grasp.
There is also a light on the inside of the left-hand door at the entrance. Members entering the foyer at
night, or entering from bright daylight and finding it difficult to adjust to the dimness, no longer have to grope
past the fire extinguisher to turn on the lights. Merely reach to your left, locate the light on the left-hand door,
and press it. It will give you enough light to navigate to the light switch you want. Press it again to turn it off.
Finally, the thick carpet has been removed from the back steps, making the treads noticeably longer
with no danger of shoes catching in the pile of the carpet. There are also rubber strips on the treads for better
traction. This staircase is still steep, so the front stairs are more widely used, but the back staircase is no
longer heart-stopping.
New Exhibits
Last year the RTHS decided to make the exhibit in the southeast corner of the meeting room a rotat-
ing exhibit. Some of you will remember that a display of old tools succeeded “Grandma’s Kitchen.”
The tools have now been moved to the lower level, and in the corner, Doug Allen has assembled a
group of photographs and memorabilia of old Englewood businesses. Do you remember the Burger Chef?
Or the PDQ Market in the Englewood Plaza? And how many of us picky eaters were told by parents, “If you
don’t like what I serve, take your allowance and go to Shaw’s”? (Maybe you were on the Northmont Amateur
Baseball Team that Shaw’s Inn sponsored and got a free meal when the team won the championship.)
And in the lower level is an exhibit of “Toys from the Past.” These include games and toys enjoyed
by youngsters from the 1940s on. In addition to the toy Army truck with a cannon mounted on it, produced by
the Noma Company during World War II to keep the company’s name before the public, the exhibit included
a game of Tiddlywinks, doll beds, other trucks, and a model railroad once belonging to Ron Papp. In the cen-
ter of the oval of the railroad track is a turnpike service plaza.
Now that public hours are resuming on April 7, come in and see the improvements.
Needed for Fundraisers
The RTHS will hold two fundraising events this quarter. There will be a used book sale on April 26
and 27, featuring not only books but CDs, cassettes, DVDs, and records. (There may be another such book
sale near Christmas.)
And on May 30 and 31 and June 1, the RTHS will again hold a garage sale in conjunction with the
Englewood area garage sale.
While we do have some things left from last year’s two sales, one of which was hampered by horribly
hot weather and the other which threatened to be rained out, we can always use more, especially for the book
sale. Bring items to the Center on work days or the public days. We can also use volunteers. Last August,
Jack West was very helpful, even though he had to run back and forth as Doris was confined to her home with
a broken ankle. She has promised to try to stay on her feet this year, but Jack did more than his duty last year
and is entitled to take the day off.

“I believe it is important for any community to collect and preserve its history for future generations.”
Alex Heckman, vice president of Dayton History

6

Ruth Ann Peck shows photos of the visit she
made to Smith's grave in Memphis.

Dave Evans shows his Randolph shield and
the white leather helmet he bought as
Phillipsburg fire chief.
MINIPROGRAMS
Occasionally, daily home tasks (or Miami Valley winters) overwhelm us and we can’t arrange a mini-
program or can’t arrange it in time to publicize it. The difference was noticeable between the February talk by
Dave Evans, which we were able to get into the media and which attracted some nonmembers, and the March
talk by Ruth Ann Peck, no less interesting but arranged too hastily to get a notice in the paper. Doug Allen
tries to announce these on our Facebook page, so some of you local people might check there to see what’s
happening. And if you do see a notice of a talk, please notify any of your friends and neighbors who might be
interested.
Dave Evans
After the February meeting, Dave Evans, former Police/
Fire Chief of Clayton and long-time Randolph Twp. firefighter/
paramedic, presented a miniprogram on his experiences. He dis-
cussed the early EMT and paramedic programs and the changes
in care provided at the scene. As the area’s first EMT, he remem-
bered how the approved first aid for poisoning was burnt toast
and tea, neither of which was obtainable when the local funeral
director doubled as an ambulance service.
He also reminisced about his experiences during the
Xenia tornado of 1974, the Blizzard of 1978, and several notable
fires. Like other local firefighters, he remembered the tragedy of
the fire that killed Northmont teacher Eloise Rosser’s husband.
The night was so cold that firefighters got frostbite and equipment
froze to the ground and had to be replaced.
“This was January,” he recalled. “I think it was March
before we got the hoses frozen to the ground out of there. Some of the equipment wasn’t back in service
totally for two or three weeks, because we had to find parts for them.”
Ruth Ann Peck
In March, Ruth Ann Peck, a former teacher at Northmont Middle School and a local author, talked
about her Civil War ancestor. After her father’s death, Peck and her family found a box in his closet. Inside
were letters from her great-grandfather, David Smith, written to his family during the Civil War. Peck read
excerpts from the letters and some poems she had written inspired by his Civil War actions.
Smith enlisted in the 95th Ohio Volunteer Infantry in 1862 and participated in the siege Vicksburg
in 1963. On June 4, 1864, he was captured at Brice’s Crossroads and spent the rest of the war in the notorious
Confederate prison camp at Andersonville.
After the war, the freed prisoners boarded two steamboats, the Sultana and the Baltic, and started
north on the Mississippi River. Near Memphis, the overloaded Sultana exploded with many deaths. Smith
was on the Baltic and arrived in Memphis safely.
Here his luck ran out. Sympathetic Union soldiers fed
the freed prisoners too generously, and like many others, Smith
died of digestive problems.
For years, Peck said, the family thought he had been
buried elsewhere, but when she finally located his grave in
Memphis, she visited it, and she showed the RTHS the photos
she took of it.
The author of Rowing through the Night, a book of
poetry, Peck was inspired by her ancestor’s story to write several
poems about the Civil War.

Both talks are being transcribed for the oral history file
at the Center

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COMMUNITY REWARDS
PROGRAM
One way to donate to the
Historical Society without
hurting your budget is to link
your KrogerPlus card to the
Kroger Community Rewards
program.
Each quarter, Kroger allots
a certain amount of money for
the Rewards budget and divides it among partici-
pating organizations according to each organization’s
percentage of the total spending by members of all
the organizations. Reports sent to RTHS only show
the customer’s KrogerPlus Card Number, name, and
the donation amount.
To register your KrogerPlus Card, go to
www.krogercommunityrewards.com and follow the
instructions. Link the card to RTHS (NPO #81403).
Those without computers or email can set up
accounts at the public library or through another
member. You can also register at 1‐800‐837‐4483,
with your KrogerPlus card and the RTHS number
shown above. The bottom of each receipt should
show your donation. Last year the Society earned
about $500 through this program.

(
******************
RTHS A PRESENCE ON SOCIAL MEDIA
Many of us dinosaurs who don’t use social media don’t realize the following the Randolph Township
Historical Society has on various sites.
Currently, our Web site is sadly out of date, but Doug Allen has been very active in getting the RTHS
exposure over many sites.
The RTHS has a Facebook page with 134 members (https://www.facebook.com/RandolphTwp/).
Doug often posts on this page when he intends to be working at the History Center, and several people who
have seen this have visited at those times.
In addition, Doug has made sure we are linked to several other sites.
“I Grew Up in Englewood, Ohio” (https://www.facebook.com/groups/206968599429766/) has about
6,000 members who share their memories of Englewood over the years. More than 1,000 members of “I
Grew Up in Union, Ohio” (https://www.facebook.com/groups/460352897342337/) do the same.
It may not seem like the 77 members of “Village of Old Clayton, Ohio” are a lot, but it is for people
who grew up in the old Village of Clayton, which at its largest had only a few hundred residents! (It was the
sort of place where people not only knew each other, but they also knew each other’s dogs.)
Nearly 4,000 people share memories of deceased Northmont students, teachers, and administrators on
“Northmont Thunderbolt students gone but not forgotten,”
(https://www.facebook.com/groups/120448461303699/).
Another site, “Northmont Local Information and Discussion,”
(https://www.facebook.com/groups/864755356917583/), with about 1,300 members, offers news and
discussions concerning Englewood, Union, and Clayton.
Membership Information
Yes! I want to become a Member of the Randolph
Township Historical Society.
Date _________________________________________
Name(s) ________________________________________
Address_________________________________________
City/State/Zip ____________________________________
Phone__________________________________________
Email___________________________________________
New ________ Renewal ___________Gift______________
Membership Level (Check One)
_____Individual @$15.00/year
_____Family @ $25.00/year
_____Sustaining @ $35.00/year
_____Sponsoring @$75.00/year
_____Individual Lifetime @ $250.00 (one-time)
_____Corporate @ $150/year
Extra Cash Donation: $________________
Enclosed is my check for ___________________
Total______________
Please send completed form with check to:

Randolph Township Historical Society
RTHS History Center
114 Valleyview Drive
Englewood, OH 45322-1324

8

SOME DATES TO REMEMBER REMAINING IN 2019
All events are held at the RTHS History Center, 114 Valleyview Dr., Englewood, Ohio, unless otherwise noted.

Monthly Meetings:
2nd Wednesdays

April 10, 7:00 P.M.
(note time change)
May 8, 7:00 P.M.
June 12, 7:00 P.M.
July 10, 7:00 P.M.
Aug. 14, 7:00 P.M.
Sept. 11, 7:00 P.M.
Oct. 9, 7:00 P.M.
Nov. 13, 1:00 P.M.
(note time change)
Dec. 11, 1:00 P.M.

Work Sessions:
Wed. & Sat. afternoons
1–4 P.M.

Visitors’ Hours at the
History Center
Usually first & third Sundays,
2–4 P.M., April–October
Apr 7 & 14
May 5 & 19
June 9 & 23

Open other times by
appointment
Call 836-6751
Special Events:

Book Sale:
April 26 (10 A.M.–6 P.M.)
April 27 (10 A.M.–2 P.M.)
at the History Center.

Garage Sale:
May 30 & 31 (8 A.M.–4 P.M.)
June 1 (8 A.M.–2 P.M.)
at the History Center

New Exhibits:
Englewood Businesses

Toys of the Past