Local writers and stories
By: Mark Holtsberry Bessie Cottrell was a World War 1 American Red Cross nurse that was born January 26, 1891 in Carryall Township, Paulding County, Ohio. The daughter of Warren and Anna Cottrell was the fourth child out of eleven. Warren Cottrell was born February 28, 1861 in Ohio. Anna was born December 13, 1862…
Penny For Your Thoughts By: Nancy Whitaker I am always wondering about something. Sometimes I just like to sit and contemplate things. Today I was thinking about mirrors. I have never met a mirror I didn’t have the urge to look into. They say a person is self-conscious and unsure of themselves if they constantly…
By: Mark Holtsberry Sister Helen Elizabeth Cummings is an unknown Red Cross nurse from Paulding County who served overseas in Europe during World War 1. Helen Elizabeth Cummings was born in Antwerp, Ohio, August 7, 1895. The daughter of W. Jesse and Rosa Caroline (Westrick) Cummings. W. Jessie was born in Ohio, May 31, 1874…
Penny For Your Thoughts By: Nancy Whitaker Sometimes, I believe the older we get, the harder it is to accept change. If we stop and think about it, life is full of changes. We come into the world, learn to eat and walk, go to school, attend college, hopefully get a job and…
By: Matt’s Mishaps “Serving overseas as a small-town boy from America is intense, stressful and humorous! Enjoy a light-hearted story with me from our last 20 years overseas!” – Matt I have always thought of the word “handicap” meaning that a person needs a bit of extra help in a certain area. I know we have…
The melting snow and the warm temperatures has caused the Maumee River to dam up by the breaking of the winter ice. Near the Vagabond is where the ice is currently at but extends for miles, causing the water to overflow out of the banks of the river. The ice appears to be stopping much…
“Serving overseas as a small-town boy from America is intense, stressful and humorous! Enjoy a light-hearted story with me from our last 20 years overseas!” – Matt A friend in time of need How do you connect with people and friends? In training people to live and thrive overseas, we have often encouraged them to…
By: Mark Holtsberry SKINNER BROTHERS, A STORY OF TRAGEDY This story is a story of sad tragedy involving one family, two brothers. Frederick Albert Skinner was born January 6, 1896 in Harrison Township, Payne, Ohio. The son of Clarence Sylvester and Effie (Wahl) Skinner. By 1900, the Skinner family, along with five children, two daughters…
By: Mark Holtsberry Iris Mae Gaut was born June 2, 1888 in Ohio, the daughter of Eli and Mary Elizabeth (Outland) Gaut. Eli Gaut was born January 18, 1835 in Ohio. He was a Civil War Veteran serving with Company C. 68th Ohio Volunteer Infantry at the rank of Corporal. He served four years and…
Penny For Your Thoughts by: Nancy Whitaker This year I played it smart and got a pneumonia and a flu shot. (And yes I got my Covids) I thought I was all set for the cold winds of winter, but I found out about a week ago that there are other ailments which are “such…
“Serving overseas as a small-town boy from America is intense, stressful and humorous! Enjoy a light-hearted story with me from our last 20 years overseas!” – Matt Protective, Political … or Practical All over middle America (and the world) people are dealing with issues about wearing a mask during the pandemic. Many feel it is a…
By: Mark Holtsberry Don Carlos Jaquette was born April 7, 1894 in Washington Township, Paulding County, Ohio. The son of Charles H. born August 28, 1861 in Uniontown, Pennsylvania and Mary Jeannette (Hickerson) Jaquette, born April 16, 1862 in McComb, Ohio. It was thought that Don was born in the house on the farm where…
Penny For Your Thougths By: Nancy Whitaker Keys, keys keys. We have keys for everything. There are keys to get in the house, start our cars, mowers, golf carts and keys to get in the garage. I really don’t like carrying keys because I can never find them, especially in my cluttered purse. By the way, has anyone ever…
