Good Evening from the Black Swamp of NWoHIo,

Dedicated to
Charles Virgil Oliver
18 January 1913 — 19 January 2003
and his Great Grandson,
Ayden Charles Oliver.
13 January 2003, 6lbs. 14oz & 19 ½ in

A small diversion. My Uncle Virge was the last of his family. His three older sisters and one brother preceded him. My favorite story of the brothers happened when they were serving in the Marine Corps Reserves Unit together before WWII. Their Unit was activated and Dad had much less than six months left of his enlistment and two children dependants and Uncle Virg also had two children dependants and six months left on his enlistment. Dad was told that due to his remaining short enlistment period and having two dependant children he would not have to be activated. However, being the good older brother that he was, he decided to "ship" over so that his brother wouldn't have to go "alone". The Unit mustered at the train depot and were boarding the troop train to ship out when word came "down" that those with dependant children and less than six months to serve could "fall out" and stay home. Uncle Virge stepped out and waved good-bye to my Dad with the rest of the family.

Brothers
Top Left and Bottom Right

We live in a "fast-lane" world. Electronics rule us. A person in a grocery store dials a cell-phone and asks if "...are we out of .....". This person is shopping on the fly, without any forward planning. All of us are caught up in something like this and use some form of modern technology. As a history and genealogy researcher, I have and do spend hours in front of a microfilm/fiche machine or a CRT. Like the Captain of the Enterprise in Star Trek: The Next Generation I really enjoy reading "hard copies". I so enjoy the magnificent graphics.

I hope the fad of the "paperless" office [and libraries] never materializes. Libraries are flirting too much with that idea. Old books, bound newspapers, document/manuscript collections, etc are being microfilmed and digitized to "preserve" them. It isn't that I disapprove so much of digitized preservation as such. It is the idea that too often the originals are being shredded.

What a shame!! Yes, a shame, because with these blurry, incomplete monochromatic shadows of the gorgeously printed graphics originals are being lost. We have become a nation of "throwaways" in more things than disposable diapers.

We seem to prefer these inferior copies than to take care of what we have. The middle sized bedroom I use for my computer/study contains two four drawer file cabinets, one two drawer vertical file, two six and a half feet tall book cases and 3 sets of three wall shelves, plus piles everywhere with books, manuscripts and notes. Gene Roddenberry is my mentor. [grin]

Having worked for a Clerk of Common Pleas Courts, and thus involved with record preservation and accessibility, I have come to agree with what Nicholson Baker, says in his book "Double Fold: Libraries and the Assault on Paper". He says that it is cheaper to construct new storage space than it is to use microfilm or digitalization.

While on the subject of electronic gadgetry, the recreational activities of children today are centered around electronic gadgets and television. These are largely passive activities. The 20thcentury changed forever the way children use leisure time.

In the 19th and earlier centuries activity was participatory. Children created many of their own activities. Through play they learned to live and get along with others. Also, how to entertain themselves. Cooperative activities were enjoyed. Toys were homemade. Manufactured toys didn't appear in stores until the 1880s. Until then individual abilities were reflected in them.

Granddads and Grandmoms were very instrumental in toy making. Grandma made rag dolls for their granddaughters and Grandpas whittled horse heads for stick horses and other wooden toys. Of course, boys were made bows and arrows, and sling shots. Grandpas also made tops and "pop" guns or noise makers. Great Grandma also made corn stalk dolls and Great Grandpa used to talk about making other things from the stalks ... like musical instruments ... or paddle boats to float in the ditches or streams. I remember making thread spool tops when I was younger. I guess I should teach my grandkids that one.

Last week I wrote a little about George Croghan. So, I thought that this week I would talk a little about George Croghan. This second George Croghan is a younger George Croghan that the George Croghan of last week. This George Croghan was born in Louisville, Kentucky in 1791. He was the son of Major William Croghan and Lucy Clark, sister of the Clark brothers, General George Rogers Clark and William Clark.

[Do you ever get the feeling that there was just a tad bit of nepotism in the early development of our county? :)]

This George Croghan was aide to Colonel Boyd at the Battle of Tippecanoe and was aide-de- camp under General Harrison at Fort Meigs. In August 1813 he conducted the extraordinaire defense of Fort Stephenson. He again served with distinction at the Battle of Monterey in the Mexican War under General Taylor.

There was a third George Croghan, George St.John Croghan, who invented a pack saddle for mules to convey wounded men over mountains passes. This George was fatally wounded at McCoy's Mills in western Virginia during the WBTS.

One of my daughters mentioned this morning that I must be in "hor heaven" with all the centennial history appearing. There are three great centennial events being celebrated this year. First, my birth state, Ohio, is celebrating its bicentennial. The bicentennial of the Lewis and Clark expedition began yesterday at Monticello in Virginia. The third centennial celebration is the 100 years of flight. The Croghans and the Clarks played large parts in forming the old Northwest Territory and the Louisiana Purchase Territory. The Wrights with aviation history. Yes, I am in reading "hog heaven". The exciting thing is that I am learning so many new things. There were two pretty great women involved with each of these events we're celebrating. They were Lucy CLARK Croghan and Susan Catharine KOENER Wright. And, if I don't get sidetracked by the bombardment of so much information, I will center next week's articles around these two women.

   Wado,

Bill

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