March 17, 1983
Picture #1 – The only two who can be identified in this picture is Emma Fuhrs who is in the back row on the left, and Elizabeth Miller, who is in the back row on the right.
Picture #2 – Picture titled Who is this?
Another contributor to “Feedback” on the telephone series was “Am” Sendelbach, 534 N. Main St. He remembered his mother had worked for the early telephone company in Fostoria before she was married, when her name was Emma Saddora Fuhrs.
She is in today’s feature photo showing 10 pretty “hello girls” from the latter part of the last century.
The only two faces Sendelbach can identify are described in the caption. On the left is Miss Fuhr and the other is Elizabeth Miller. She married E. Andres and after his death married John Reber.
PHONE CALL FROM TIFFIN
Elnora (Kibler) Needles, of Tiffin, said her name was not included with the list of telephone operators.
She also gave me the name of Ethel (Hill) Goebel, another operator whose name was omitted. Later, Mrs. Goebel also called I had warned that some names would be missed since I did not have a roster.
OTHER NAMES FOR PHOTO
In the first telephone article, there appeared a photo of operators at Bell at 117 E. North St. None of the operators seated at the switchboard were identified. Virginia (Hicks) Krupp telephoned to provide the following list.
They are, reading from right: Margaret Jones, Esther Slosser, Irma Reeves, Pauline Norris, Bea Graschel, Peg Massie, Helen Romig, Mabel Smith, Cecelia Youngston or Dolores Dunn and Mary Renner.
FORMER FOSTORIAN WRITES ABOUT PHONE ARTICLES
“Last week, Hazel Hindmon mailed me your articles about the phone company. Wanted to tell you I remember my grandparents, Peter and Sarah Dennis had a phone when I was small. I remember that they could only phone people who subscribed to the company that had the same system.
“The following was told to me by my parents, John and Ida May Dennis. On Christmas Eve they went to church early that evening with my two older sisters and a brother. They had to leave early and go home. On West North Street (south side) lived a Miss Jones who worked for the telephone company. My parents lived on Vine Street between North and Center.
“Sometime that night my father walked through the back yard to Miss Jones’ home to phone a doctor. Also sometime between midnight and morning, a baby girl was born on Dec. 25, 1905. The baby was named Ruth Ellen Dennis. I don’t know what Miss Jones thought about being awakened that night to phone a doctor! This story was very clear since I later attended school with her twin nieces, Elizabeth and Pearl Ropp.
“Also want to tell you, Paul, how much I enjoy your ‘Potluck.’ From the time I could read, I hunted the McClean Public Library (Kaubisch Memorial) and have very fond memories of Ella Robbins and Harriet Musser.”
Ruth Ellen Dennis Barnes
OLD PHONE GIRL WRITES FROM FLORIDA
Wilma Jarvis, a former phone girl from Fostoria, wintering in Ft. Myers, Fla., with her aunt Mary Jane Griffin, wrote about the phone articles.
The article she read contained a list of names of telephone operators. She detected her name missing, as well as others. So in addition to Wilma Jarvis, we must add Eileen Martin Waltermire, Thelma McClung Kovac, Charlotte Broyles, Esther Schlosser Moore, Ellen McCullough, Helen DiAngelo and Violet Stone. Several of the latter names were provided by Vera Earl Stoneberger.
WEST CENTER STREET STORY
Helen M. Agnew, a Fostorian, sent the following letter from Sarasota, Fla.:
“I have a correction to make on the article about Mann’s Funeral Home, as stated in the paper dated Feb. 3, 1983. After renting from the Myers family for several years, Mann’s purchased the home (building) and continued the funeral business in the same location. The casket factory at the rear was never owned by Myers, but by Mann’s as stated in the original article. Thank you. We enjoy ‘Potluck’ very much.
WHO IS IT?
Some weeks ago, Mayor Ken Beier turned over to “Potluck” a letter and photo which he had received addressed to “city manager.”
“Dear anyone: Just going through a quantity of old letters and such at my stamp shop today and ran across this grand old photo. On the off chance that someone might know who she was, I am sending it in your direction. No need to return.”
Sincerely,
Michael Heinn
Santa Ana, Calif. The
The photo was taken by Charles Gribble Studio in Fostoria about the turn of the century. I believe I have seen the picture somewhere previously, but I do not know who the lady was. Perhaps one of Fostoria’s senior citizens may have one like it tucked away in an old album with the name attached. Let me know if you do.