February 3, 1983
Picture #1 – This is the Aylesworth house which once was located on South Main Street, where the fenced in lot is now, owned by Society National Bank.
Picture #2 – This is the 1925 St. Wendelin basketball team that reached state finals, mentioned in last week’s article. It was provided by Joseph Gehring, 612 Cherry St. Reading top row, left to right: Father Burger, John McMeen, John Lee, Phil Degan, Gilbert Rinehart, Cy Scharf, coach. Bottom row, left to right: John (Gykoski) Gardner, Bernard Vance, Carl Turner, John Degan, Al Atlweis.
Reader cooperation brings results! In one of the articles about South Main Street in which I mentioned the Aylesworth family and their residence, a plea was made to readers to contact me if they had a photo of the house. I had never seen one.
Who should call but Ray Dell who has furnished so many photos for Potluck articles. Actually, Ray had a negative he had taken before the house was demolished.
The RT made a print from the negative. So, with the earlier article and today’s photo, we can close the file on that bit of history with many thanks to Ray.
READER FEEDBACK
The length of Potluck articles in the last several months has precluded the publishing of Feedback. I am always fearful that with such long delays, some notes of telephone calls and conversations, with readers may have been mislaid. Readers, please call me if I did not publish Feedback you have provided.
SOUTH MAIN ARTICLES
Clifford Myers, 324 Elm St., asked if I remembered when Hal Lovens had a restaurant next to Kieffer’s Racket Store. I had to say no! Cliff said Lovens put out good food and catered special parties. I do remember when Lovens was the chef at the Elks. Cliff also remembers a barber by the name of Kizer had a shop on the second floor there.
Royal Shoemaker, 915 Leonard St., telephoned after the first series about South Main Street. I said I didn’t know who operated the first gasoline station at Main and South. He told me it was Alex Wenick in 1920-21. The name of the station was Vulcan.
Clarence Vanderhoff, 905 Williston, telephoned almost before the ink on his RT was dry to say he wished he had known I was going to mention John Danner in one of the South Main articles. He said that he worked for Danner as a bread wrapper and truck driver, delivering to all the small town in the area. He also thought that was when Chalmer Wade also worked for Danner.
At about the time the baking ovens at Danner’s were deteriorating, he got Vanderhoff a job at The Review through Art Winkler, who was mechanical superintendent and a good friend of Danner, both being of Swiss origin. That’s how Vanderhoff came to be associated with The Review as chief stereotyper.
Mrs. John (Fay) Naugle, 1006 S. Main St., telephoned me about the names of residents on West Crocker Street. She wanted to know why the name of Floyd Kelley, 120 W. Crocker St. wasn’t included in the article. Evidently he didn’t come to mind when Esther Shaffer was making the list. Many readers will remember “Hotdog” Kelley and his place of business on East Tiffin Street.
WEST CENTER ARTICLES
Mrs. Lloyd (Helen) Agnew, 220 N. Union St., said I made an error in the West Center Street story about Mann Bros. Funeral Home. I had said the Mann brothers, Jay and Asa, had purchased their second business place from Nicholas Burtscher. Mrs. agnew said they never owned that property, but rented first from her grandfather J.M. Myers, and later from her father, Charles Myers and Mrs. Hazel Myers, the latter residing with her daughter, Mrs. George Cranch, North Main Street.
HORATIO ALGER STORY
That Potluck article was published Nov. 18 and this is the first chance I have to provide Feedback from Ralph D. Gardner, a New York advertising executive who helped me present it.
Gardner’s letter expressed enjoyment in the article and went on to provide information how the Horatio Alger U.S. postal stamp came to be.
“It’s issuance had been advocated for years by the Horatio Alger Society. Well after the second rejection, Bob Williamson, Bovie, MD., chairman of the Alger society’s commemorative stamp committee. (of which I also am a member), personally lobbied every member of the panel. He gave each of them a copy of my “Horatio Alger, or the American Hero Era” – as well as every member of commerce”.
Included in the material he gave was a reprint of the Alger article I had in Saturday Evening Post last year. In the article was a photo of President Reagan accepting a Horatio Alger award in 1969 when he was governor of California.
A lot of newspapers wrote about this – they called Williamson’s effort “a typical Horatio Alger success story”.
From Gardner’s letter I learned that the Horatio Alger Society will be having it s 1983 convention in Columbus in May. Anyone interested in knowing more about the Horatio Alger Society may write to Carl Hartman, 4907 Allison Dr., Lansing, MI 48910
In the article I printed about Horatio, I quoted a figure of #20 as the value of the first edition copies of the book Brave and Bold. Gardner informed me that figure was correct for 1964, when his book was published, but the current value is about #75, with some Alger books worth $1,000 – $2,500
EARLY RESIDENTS OF EAST CROCKER
Esther Shaffer continues reminiscing about residents of that early street in town. Today she starts at Poplar and goes east.
SOUTH SIDE OF THE STREET
No. 201 – The Ohls family lived there. He was a carpenter. They had two children, Lester who was a Fostoria carpenter for many years, now residing in Florida, and a daughter Kathryn, whereabouts unknown.
No. 205 – One of the families residing there was Mr. and mrs. Charles Hart and sons Blake and Carl, both serving in World War I. Carl worked for Parker Pen Co., and Blake at the time of his death, was advertising manager for Pathfinders magazine in Washington, D.C.
No. 209 – The James family lived there with two daughters and son Leland, who studied law at the University of Michigan and was later professor of law there and then head of the law school.
Another family living there was the John McNallys. He was born in Ireland and was an orphan and never did know how he got to Cleveland. There, he became a coachman for the Harkness and Rockefeller families. After marriage to Mary Shaffer, they came to Fostoria where he worked at the carbon factory where his brother-in-law was superintendent. Their daughter Ella worked at the Fostoria Review in the bindery and then society and city editor. Ella married Harry Aldrich who had a bowling alley. They had a daughter Maytie.
No. 213 – Three families lived there: the Lonsways with son Edmund and daughter Armena, Mrs. Sadie Brooks Kincaide and son Robert, and Mr. and Mrs. Albert Welly and daughters Luella and Lorena.
No. 215 – Cleora Mason, a teacher in the public schools, lived there. She was the first grade teacher at Whittier. Others residing there were Mrs. Catchpole, owner of the factory where Fostoria Auto & Truck is now; Mr. and Mrs. Mullen, and Mr. and Mrs. Davis and daughter, Mrs. England.
No. 219 – Mr. and Mrs. Comer and daughter Esther lived there. He was a motorman for TF&F interurban streetcar line, Esther, a musician, married Walter Wendt, now deceased. Other families living there were: Mary Blose and Rolo and Gay Ford with sons Robert, Dale and Charles, all World War II vets, Mr. Ford was a streetcar conductor and later assistant to the Seneca County engineer.
No. 223 – Phillip and Letty Turner lived there with children Gladys, a teacher in Fostoria schools; Lois, employed in National Carbon office; and Donald a draftsman employed at Sun Oil and Jeep Corp., Toledo.
No. 225 – Mary Hammer owned the house, living in it and her rural home. Mr. and Mrs. J.E. Atha and daughters Mildred and Josephine also lived there. Atha was a printer. Mildred became Mrs. Harold Link and was a school teacher in the local schools. Others living in that house were the Spires family and daughter Mrs. Fox.
No. 229 – Originally this was a small house bought by Charles Eckels who made additions to it later. Those who lived there were: Ruth Bixler, Heckman Chet Klinepeter family, Mr. and Mrs. Wesley Keiser, Guy Keiser and James Fleming.
No. 233 – Mr. and Mrs. Charles L. Eckels and daughters Jenny and Wilma lived there. Both daughters dried in their late teens. At one time, Eckels was a clerk in one of the local railroad offices, later being deputy sealer of wrights and measures for Seneca County. He was an active Methodist and politician. Esther believes an adopted daughter, Helen is still living in Forest. Others living in that house were the Sorg family who had a furniture store and mattress factory, the Harold Hammer family and the Bovee family who had a bakery there.