June news from "3" years

1873 and 1883 news from the Highland Weekly News, published in Hillsboro, Ohio 1853-1886; 1893 and 1913 news from the Hillsboro News-Herald; 1943 news from Hillsboro's Press Gazette. Other sources as listed below.

1913 June 5 – Death of prominent Penn Township farmer, Ellis Good, is reported.  He was an old soldier and had been for many years president of the New Vienna Bank.  His will [which can be seen at this link] was published in the June 12 issue of the Hillsboro News Herald and his beneficiaries included:  Bertha H. Blackburn; his sister, Lydia C. Good; Edgar Hallowell, Joseph Charles G Jr., and Mary Blackburn. His brother, Evan Good including $4000 in trust for his son, Charles. Elva W. Good. The remained of his estate is to be divided equally between nineteen nephews and nieces whose names follow: Annie B. Anderson, Charles G. Blackburn, Ella Blackburn, Howard L. Blackburn, Irene Blackburn, Frank Blackburn, Wilbur E. Blackburn, Mary J. Wilde, Charles W. Johnson, Mabel J. Burke, Harvey E. Conard, Helen Conard, Robert Conard, Gertrude L. Hull, Edna M. Good, H. Doyle Wright, Edith L. Zehring, Lawrence G. Wright and Alice Wright.

1913 June 19 – James Wright, 60, a farmer from New Vienna, was fatally injured in a carriage accident caused by a squirrel spooking the horses.  [He was a brother-in-law of Ellis Good, father of Doyle Wright, mentioned above.  See also article at right.]

1913 June 26 – Senator Pomerene has recommended Charles Stroup for appointment as postmaster at Lynchburg and Roy Hale for the New Vienna postmastership.  There was a warm contest for both places.  The jobs each pay about $1200.

1913 June 28 – Roy C. Hale, recommended by Senator Pomerene to be Postmaster at New Vienna, to succeed DeWitt C. Pemberton. [The Cincinnati Enquirer, Cincinnati, Ohio, Saturday, June 28, 1913]

1933 June 23 – George F. Neffner, of New Vienna, was installed as Grand Warden of the Ohio Grand Lodge of I.O.O.F. [The Cincinnati Enquirer, Cincinnati, Ohio, Saturday, June 23, 1923]

1943 June 25 – To Present Pupils - Tuesday evening, June 29, Helen Isobel Pope will present her New Vienna piano class in a recital at the Church of Christ, New Vienna.  Those appearing are Dickie Carey, Jacquelyn Carey [McKenzie, NVHS'47], Tom Carey [NVHS'49], Carey ["Bo,"] Streber [NVHS'49], Gary Simmons, Miriam Snell and Calvin Smith [NVHS'44].

1953 June 30 – The sixth annual Ohio Sheep Day will be held in Wooster on July 17.  One of the programs, "A Farmer's Sheep Philosphy" will be presented by Clayton Terrell, of New Vienna. [Marysville Journal-Tribune, Marysville, Ohio, Tuesday, June 30, 1953]

1993 Gene Williams, Scoutmaster

In 1993 Gene Williams was honored for his service to the Boy Scouts of New Vienna.   Transcription of the Friday, March 19, 1993 clipping from the Wilmington News-Journal follows.

1993 Gene Williams, Scoutmaster - Clipping from WNJ March 19, 1993

Retired Scoutmaster Williams honored

Eugene P. Williams, New Vienna, was honored recently with a retirement program and reception conducted at the New Vienna United Methodist Church and hosted by Boy Scout Troop 97 chartered to Dalton Lodge F&AM No 57, New Vienna.  Williams served as Scoutmaster of Troop 97 for 30 years and plans to continue service as assistant scoutmaster.

Service by Williams to the Boys Scouts includes guiding 17 Scouts to the Eagle rank:  leading six troop expeditions to the Philmont Scout Ranch, Cimarron, New Mexico; taking the Scouts each summer to Camp Birch, Clifton; and participating on numerous committees of the former Anthony Wayne District and now Robert E. Hadley District (serving Clinton County) and the Tecumseh Council (serving Logan, Champaign, Clark, Green[e] and Clinton counties.  

Scouting awards received during those years include Brotherhood membership in the Order of the Arrow (the Boy Scout honor camping society), the Cross & Flame Award from the New Vienna United Methodist Church (a Methodist award for service to youth), the Robert E. Hadley District Award of Merit (the highest award conferred by a Boy Scout district for outstanding service to youth of the local civic community), and the Silver Beaver Award (the highest award bestowed by a Boy Scout council for exceptional service to youth).

Tributes to Williams were delivered from Eagle Scout Mark A. Bland, Eagle Class of '88; Arnold H. Hill, current Scoutmaster of Troop 97; and David T. Sipe, Scoutmaster of Troop 149 chartered to the Martinsville Lions Club.  Troop 97 Assistant Scoutmaster Margaret F. Hill had prepared personally and presented to Williams in appreciation from all the parents for his years of serving as Scoutmaster to their sons an oval framed Boy Scout emblem on counted cross-stitch.  And Scouting para-professional, Troop 97 committee member Ronald L. Pirman, presented from the friends of Williams a 1910 original edition of the Boy Scout handbook set in a cherry display case and a Boy Scout scholarship fund in Williams' name.  The fund is designated for Troop 97 Boy Scout leadership training.

Commendations and special recognitions received came from Gov. George V. Voinovich, the Ohio State Senate, U.S. Congressman Ted Strickland, and B.S.A. Chief Scout Executive Jere B. Ratcliffe.  Ohio State Sen. Cooper Snyder personally presented the Senate resolution.

Organist Wilman Croghand [Wilma Croghan] and vocalist Jim Butler provided music selections for the program.  Tecumseh Council Scout Executive William V. Deany delivered the invocation, and Troop 97 Senior Patrol Leader Adam Hill led the participants in the "Pledge of Allegiance."

Williams, in remarks concluding the program, noted that "A scoutmaster's minute is supposed to be a short inspirational talk . . . but this is my inspiration (pointing to the assembled Boy Scouts from his troop) . . . If you live up to all of those (the twelve points of the Boy Scout Law), can you help but love one another and your fellow man around you?"

A reception honoring Williams and his wife Hilda followed in the church social hall.

Blackburn House – Mapleshade

Seventh and last in a series of articles from the Wilmington News-Journal about the New Vienna Pilgrimage of Old Houses in the spring of 1953. For list of other articles see links at the end of this article. Transcription follows. [Notes added in bracketed italics.]

Clinton county's observance of Ohio's sesquicentennial gets underway Saturday and Sunday, June 6 and 7 with the Pilgrimage of old residences in and near New Vienna.

New Vienna plans for opening the celebration have been carefully laid and the pilgrimage, under the supervision of Mrs. Homer K. Williams, has taken in not only representative houses but old places full of charm, peculiar for the type of architecture and rich in fine old pieces of furniture, collections of china and glass and other articles.

Hostesses have been selected to receive guests the two days of the pilgrimage and the garden clubs are making lavish arrangements of flowers to grace the rooms of the houses.  Tickets are sold for the pilgrimage and the proceeds will go to the Clinton County Historical Society.

So that  visitors may know something of the history of each of the houses the owners have written descriptive articles about them.  Today is presented the story, in picture and words, of the Charles G. Blackburn [1900-1975] residence.

The Charles Blackburn home known as Mapleshade, was built in 1837 and 1838.  Many interesting stories of its building have been handed down by persons connected with its beginning.

Francis Woodmansee, great-grandfather of Mrs. Minnie Hadley, former resident of New Vienna, purchased several hundred acres of land between New Vienna and Highland.  He had lived in New Jersey and had the business of selling cord wood in New York City.  During the war of 1812 he was licenses as a privateer.  Having decided to move to Ohio, he obtained $30,000 in gold and silver, bought kegs of nails, and placed the precious load between layers of nails in the kegs.  These were transported by ox cart across the mountains to Ohio.  The driver of this wagon was William Chamberlain, a great-great uncle of Miss Martha Johnson, Mrs. Will Levo, and Dr. James Johnson of Wilmington, and of Charles Johnson, Miss Addie and Ethel Johnson, Mrs. Will Holmes, Mrs. Harley Phillips, and William Johnson of New Vienna.

[William Chamberlain, 1795-1873, was the father of one son (who died unmarried) and five daughters.  Oldest daughter Anna, 1820-1898, married Michael Mount Johnson, 1818-1912, and lived most of her adult life in the New Vienna area.  She and Michael had ten children.]

After buying his land, Woodmansee decided to build a house modeled after his New Jersey home, and so it is that the house is colonial in style with a wide center hall but differing from the southern colonial style in that the ceilings are lower.  It was originally heated by seven fireplaces, three of which were equipped with cranes.  Five of these fireplaces are still opened and usable.

* * *

The bricks were burned on the place and the timbers are walnut and oak.  Of particular interest is the woodwork, all of which is fluted and was made by hand.  Each mantel downstairs has a different pattern.  The curved walnut stair rail is supported by slender turned spindles.  The knobs on all the doors of the house are small brass ones imported from England. The brick on the house front is laid in a Flemish design with every other brick laid end ways.  Nothing is known of the man whose hands and skill did the actual work of building, but there must have been a "touch of the artist in that artisan" or these extra beauties of workmanship would not have been added.

Very little change has been made in the house in its life time of 116 years [as of 1953] except to add modern conveniences.  At some time a porch with iron work was added.  The kitchen fireplace ceased to be used for cooking, first replaced by a wood burning stove and in modern times by electricity.  Electric lights replaced candles.  But the wide oak boards of the floors, the time darkened bricks of the fireplaces, and the huge stone steps at the front door remain, as does most of the house, as it was when Francis Woodmansee saw it completed in 1838.

Of added interest is a painting made of the house in 1882 and given the present owners by Mrs. Hadley.  On display June 6 and 7, will also be a [paper torn] collection of old china [paper torn] Mr and Mrs. Harry [paper torn].

Pilgrimages host [paper torn] residence will be [paper torn] Hamilton, Mrs. Homer Bohl, Mrs. Beryl Nobel, Mrs. J. Gurney Terrell and the Blackburns' daughter, Mrs. Hugh Young, Jr.

* * * * * * * * * *
Houses in the 1953 New Vienna Pilgrimage of Old Houses include:

• Elmer Page-Wilbur Huffman-Hause House on Bernard Rd – built 1874
• Hillyard Farm - Paul Terrell Family Home on Bernard Rd
• Swingley House on SR-73 - Built 1853 (or 1836?)
• Carl West Colonial House built 1850
• Brown Home, possibly built by Isaac Woodmansee c1840
• Christy Home, Panhandle Road, c1850

• Charles Blackburn House built 1838