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    Stepping Back in Time (Pgs. 4-6)

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    John L. Lewis was a prominent labor leader who founded the Congress of Industrial Organizations and led the United Mine Workers of America for 40 years. Though famous nationally, he had a personal connection to the small village of Stafford, Ohio - his wife Myrta Bell was born and spent her childhood in Stafford. While Myrta no longer had family there by the time she married Lewis, they occasionally visited Stafford together. Though residents were generally unaware of or indifferent to Lewis' high-profile labor activities, Myrta maintained ties to her roots in the village.

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    Stepping Back in Time (Pgs. 4-6)

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    John L. Lewis was a prominent labor leader who founded the Congress of Industrial Organizations and led the United Mine Workers of America for 40 years. Though famous nationally, he had a personal connection to the small village of Stafford, Ohio - his wife Myrta Bell was born and spent her childhood in Stafford. While Myrta no longer had family there by the time she married Lewis, they occasionally visited Stafford together. Though residents were generally unaware of or indifferent to Lewis' high-profile labor activities, Myrta maintained ties to her roots in the village.

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    John L. Lewis was a prominent labor leader who founded the Congress of Industrial Organizations and led the United Mine Workers of America for 40 years. Though famous nationally, he had a personal connection to the small village of Stafford, Ohio - his wife Myrta Bell was born and spent her childhood in Stafford. While Myrta no longer had family there by the time she married Lewis, they occasionally visited Stafford together. Though residents were generally unaware of or indifferent to Lewis' high-profile labor activities, Myrta maintained ties to her roots in the village.

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    24 views3 pages

    Stepping Back in Time (Pgs. 4-6)

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    monroecountybeacon
    John L. Lewis was a prominent labor leader who founded the Congress of Industrial Organizations and led the United Mine Workers of America for 40 years. Though famous nationally, he had a personal connection to the small village of Stafford, Ohio - his wife Myrta Bell was born and spent her childhood in Stafford. While Myrta no longer had family there by the time she married Lewis, they occasionally visited Stafford together. Though residents were generally unaware of or indifferent to Lewis' high-profile labor activities, Myrta maintained ties to her roots in the village.

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    of 3

    Prominent Labor Leader John L.

    Lewis Connected to Stafford


    Page 4 Monroe County: Stepping Back in Time, Monroe County Beacon, Woodsfield, Ohio John L. Lewis had, perhaps, more influence on the structure of present labor unions than few other men throughout American history. Lewis, who was featured on the cover of Time magazine on at least four separate occasions (1933, 1936, 1938, 1946) and knew several U.S. presidents personally, was the founding president of the Congress of Industrial Organizations (CIO). He acted as president of the United Mine Workers of America (UMWA) from 1920 to 1960. It is said of Lewis in his biography on the AFL-CIO website, John Llewellyn Lewis was the dominant voice shaping the labor movement in the 1930s. The CIO owed its existence in large measure to Lewis, who was a tireless and effective advocate of industrial unionism and of government assistance in organizing basic industry. (1) Lewis, who was known on a national (and even a global) scale, actually had ties to the small Monroe County village of Stafford. In 1907, Lewis married Myrta Bell, a young woman who had been born at and spent her childhood in Stafford. At the time they met, Myrta had lived in Iowa with her family for several years. (1) However, she still had ties to Stafford and the surrounding area that brought her, and her famous husband, to the village on more than one occassion. In an undated article from the Columbus Citizen (likely written somewhere between 1930-1938) by Pauline Smith, an elderly Stafford citizen by the name of Mrs. Flowers spoke of Mr. and Mrs. Lewis visiting Stafford. She said, Yes, I met that Mr. Lewis once, about two years ago, when he was here with Myrtie. While, at the time, Myrta no longer had family in Stafford, it was suggested to the journalist that Myrta Lewis and her husband visited Stafford occassionally because both her paternal and maternal grandparents were buried there. Mrs. Lewis also had relatives living in areas surrounding Stafford such as Caldwell, Barnesville, and Dexter City. (2) Perhaps, in an example of Monroe Countys indifference to world affairs, the residents of Stafford held a general apathy in regards to John L. Lewis national notoriety. Mr. Lewis CIO and the many problems involving labor apparently are of little concern to the people of Stafford, Smith wrote. She continued, The fact that a native of their community is closely allied with strikes and industrial conflicts in general because her husband is one John L. Lewis is nothing to them. (2) Myrta held some of the laid-back characteristics of the area. Smith described her: Chances are she is one of the few calm factors in the life of her famous laborleader husband in these turbulent days. Smith continued later in the article, She is described as quiet, cultured, refined and self-effacing; more interested in John L. himself than in his affairs. (2) Smith also noted the difference between the Lewis impressive home in Alexandria, Va., which had been built 150 years earlier by George Washingtons personal physician, and her childhood home in Stafford. She wrote, The Stafford house in which Mrs. Lewis was born is in marked contrast to the charm of her present home. It lacks paint, geraniums grow in tin cans on the porch, the second story is vacant, and three negroes seemed to be batching it on the first floor. They didnt know whether that was the birth place of Mrs. John L. Lewis or not.(2) It was evident that, even just a few years after Myrta Bell had left Stafford, many residents were unaware of the towns connection to John L. Lewis. However, no matter where her life took her, it was also evident that Myrta remembered her roots in the small Monroe County village.
    References: (1) John L. Lewis (1880-1969). AFL/CIO website, www.aflcio.org/aboutus/history/history/lewis.cfm (2) Smith, Pauline. Folks of Stafford, O., Call Her Myrtie Bell, But to the World Shes Mrs. John L. Lewis. Columbus Citizen. Date unknown.

    Thursday, February 16, 2012

    Myrta Edith (Bell) Lewis

    THE MONROE COUNTY HISTORICAL SOCIETY


    Preserving Yesterday for Tomorrow
    Office and Monroe County Records Room: Senior Center, 100 Home Ave., Woodsfield, OH 43793 Mailing Address: P.O. Box 538
    Hrs. Monday & Tuesday: 9 a.m.-4 p.m.; Friday: 10 a.m.-2 p.m. website: www.rootsweb.ancestry.com/~ohmchs/

    Partial Calendar of Events for 2012 Parry Museums 217 Eastern Ave., Woodsfield, OH 43793
    February or March: 19th Century Sewing Workshop If you are interested, call 740-472-1933 or e-mail: woodsfieldcivilwarevent150 @gmail.com April & May: Stirrings in the Community Garden If you are interested in a plot, call 740-472-1933 as there may be a couple of plots available this year. Keep in mind the Master Gardeners Plant Swap in early June. Date to be announced. June 9-10: On To Richmond A Civil War Living History Weekend portraying a northern Ohio town and its soldiers encampment in Western Virginia. At Parry Park, 217 Eastern Ave., Woodsfield. www.monroecountycivilwar150.org. Send photos of Monroe County Civil War Soldiers and Civilians to [email protected] to post. June 9-July 4: Ohio & the Civil War: 150 Years Later an exhibit from The Ohio Historical Society, enhanced by local Monroe County Civil War artifacts, at The HollisterParry House, 217 Eastern Ave., Woodsfield, OH 43793. 740-472-1933 Hrs. Open: Mon.-Fri. 10 a.m.-2 p.m., Sat. & Sun. Noon-4 p.m. Call for an evening appointment. E-mail address: [email protected] July 4: Picnic on the Lawn at Noon. Enjoy the last look at the Civil War 150 exhibit. Bring a covered dish to share. Hot dogs, buns, table service and beverage will be provided. July 9, 16 & 23: American Girl Sessions This year girls will be learning about the Civil War through the eyes of Marie Grace& Cecile from New Orleans. Call 740-472-1933 or e-mail [email protected] for registration packet. July 11, 18 & 25: American Boy Sessions This year boys will be learning about the Civil War through the book Uncle Toms Cabin. Call 740-472-1933 or e-mail [email protected] for registration packet. Sept. 1: Annual Meeting We will begin with a luncheon during which we will hold a brief business meeting. Following lunch and the meeting there will be a guest speaker to be announced at a later date. Public is welcome. Oct. 13: Antique Consignment Auction held at Noon at the Black Walnut Festival. Call 740-472-1933 for a consignment form.

    Schedules and detailed information will be forthcoming on the 2012 events of the Monroe County Historical Society

    Thursday, February 16, 2012

    Monroe County: Stepping Back in Time, Monroe County Beacon, Woodsfield, Ohio Page 5

    Stafford

    from page 4

    Stafford Grade School and High School Student Body, Mid 1920s
    The student body of the Stafford Grade School and High School, mid 1920s, are shown, from left, front: Earl Curtis, John Mallett, James Curtis, Ellis Markey, John Hagerman, Monroe Franks, Forest Carpenter, Floyd Blair, Edward Hawkins, William Hawkins, John Markey, Jesse Miracle, Bernard Robinson, Nelson Hagerman, George Mallett, John McCauley; second row: Georgia McVay Hanson, Wilda Hawkins, Pauline Blair Robinson, John A. Robinson, Edgar Morton, Ethel Robinson Ball, Irene Robinson Keevert, Helen Mason, Irene Ullman Hogue, Beulah Holschuh Kelby, Wilda Holschuh, Audrey Morton, Katheryn Mallett Townley, Ruth Hawkins Hartshorn, Bessie Luburgh Love, Esther Miracle Thompson, Lillian Luburgh Hawkins, Frances Hanson Scott, James Robinson, Gladys Hines Dilly, Eleanor Mason, Kathryn Marsh Poulton, Wilbert Franks; third row: Lynette Blair Wilson, Blanche Curtis, Madge Burke, Audrey Markey, Eunice Ullman Mallett, Marie Starr, William Mallett, Charles Holschuh, Mary Louise Carpenter, Hazel Franks, Mildred Mallett Young, Katheryn Hawkins Ayers, Riley Mallett, Gladys Ullman Mallett, Blanche Morton Ullman, Miss Haney - High School Teacher and Miss Wood - High School Teacher; fourth row: Roy Miracle - Teacher, Margaret Miracle Watson - Teacher, Roy Hickman - Principal, Clyde Hawkins, Chriswell Forshey, Alice Mason, Dick Mallett, Freda Mallett Sutton, Marcus Forshey and Wayne Mallett. Photos Courtesy of Stanley and Theresa Maienknecht, from their book Monroe County, Ohio: A History, Page 247

    Stafford School, 1926


    Reprinted from an article which appeared in the Monroe County Beacon

    1878: Stafford Celebrates the Fourth


    the streets helping to set the tone for the day. At 7 a.m. the Woodsfield Cornet Band arrived in town and began providing music which was to continue off and on throughout the day. The parade began to form at 8:30 a.m. and the procession marched to the grove ...a short distance north of town. The grove was and is a favorite gathering place for the residents of Stafford. It was also known as Robinsons Grove and is no known as Stafford Park. The water well at the location was drilled that same year, 1878, and was used continuously for over 100 years until it was filled in by the State Highway Department in the spring of 1984. Seats had been prepared well in advance and a speakers stand stood in readiness decorated in evergreen. The early morning gathering enjoyed a program of choral and instrumental music and several speakers who addressed a vari-

    By Theresa A. and Stanley B. Maienknecht Nearly every small community in Monroe County during the latter half of the nineteenth century planned a parade, picnic and provided a guest speaker. The planning and preparation gave the residents, especially young boys, an opportunity to work off some of their excess energy. Comparing todays participation in these local celebrations with those of a century ago is quite interesting. While the attendance at carnivals and parades today is quite good it cannot compare with the 1878 Fourth of July celebration held at Stafford where the crowd was estimated at 4,000 to 5,000. On a bright, warm July Fourth morning, shortly after sunrise, people converged upon Stafford from all directions and ...in all manner of conveyance. The town was awash in red, white and blue as the flag was displayed everywhere, a large welcome banner was stretched across one of

    ety of patriotic themes. Reverend W.F. Smith of Carlisle gave the salutory address and G.W. Hamilton followed with a speech entitled Our Country. John Greenback spoke on the topic of Our Countrys Defenders, and a young lad by the name of Will Ullman presented Ladies of Our Country. The speeches were interspersed with readings of patriotic poetry and musical selections by the band and the choir with Miss Nettie Ullman playing the organ. The mornings activities were concluded following the valedictory address presented by W.B. Neiswanger and the crowd was dismissed for lunch. Another parade formed following lunch. It consisted of the Odd Fellows, several other lodges and was led by the Woodsfield Cornet Band. This group marched to the school where it joined several other lodges. Following the band the procession marched back to the grove where the Honorable J.M. Dalzell, who

    had been private in the Union Army and who was at the time an Ohio legislator from Noble County, addressed the crowd with a message, ...calculated in its nature to make the patriotic blood leap and bound through the veins. At 5 p.m. the Odd Fellows Bright Eyes Lodge was dedicated. The program included a variety of entertainment and the crowd was so great that many could not be seated., The activities of the day concluded after the dedication and the celebration was declared a huge success with ... no disturbance at any moment, no arrests and as few drunken persons as we ever seen in so large an assembly. All in all a marvelous day of activities was enjoyed by the thousands in attendance.

    Reference sources: Mr. and Mrs. Kenneth Singer and Mrs. Roy Miracle, Stafford; and The Monroe Gazette.

    Page 6 Monroe County: Stepping Back in Time, Monroe County Beacon, Woodsfield, Ohio

    Thursday, February 16, 2012

    Miltonsburg: Laid Out in 1833


    Although virgin forests covered most of Monroe County in 1815 and road surveyors could have followed trails established by Indian and white hunters, probably their major challenge was designing roads that connected an increasing number of privately owned farms and mills. In the early nineteenth century, Monroe County was attracting both land speculators, whose goals were to clear land and resell at a profit, and settlers, whose goals were to establish a home. These early farmers selected land based on availability of fertile soil and a spring or other water supply. Closely following the farmers were the grist and saw mill operators, who needed a good supply of running water for power. These selection criteria were not the same as those used by the Indians and hunters whose trails were already available. Soon it became clear that a road would have to be built on virtually every ridge and valley with a connector every mile or so. As a result, there were far more miles of roads in Monroe County in the nineteenth century than there are in the early twenty-first century. More often than not, the Commissioners were actually petitioned by private land owners to authorize roads that served their interests, as suggested in the minutes of an 1834 meeting. A petition requesting a road be built was addressed at the Monday, June 2, 1834 meeting of Monroe County Commissioners John Gray, William Johnston and William Smith. The petition was signed by: Daniel Keylor, Joseph Addis, Elijah Drum, Vance Johnston, Henry Baight, Samuel Yoho, Christpher Thomas, John Steel, John B Addis, Hiram Powell, Andrew Shell, Jonah Garard, Jabez Osborn, Christopher Steel, Henry J. Steel, John Canarie, John Holister, Philip Burkham, Thomas Smith, Samuel Martin. (1) Who Lived in Miltonsburg? While memories of older residents provided antidotal information about people who lied in Miltonsburg as early as the beginning of the 1900s, the best and most consistent sources are the tax and census records. By 1835, Lot 3 had a tax value of $200 and Lot. 9 a value of $76 while the value of the rest of the lots varied from $6 to $15. The Yunkes Big Store. In the late 1890s and early 1900s Miltonsburg had one general store respective owners, David Pearson and owned and operated by B.A. Yunkes. Photos Courtesy of Stanley and Theresa Andreas Shell, may have been the first res- Maienknecht, used in their book Monroe County, Ohio: A History pg. 292 & 294 idents of Miltonsburg although other documents suggest that Pierson may have built

    More Miltonsburg on Page 7

    Monroe County Care Center


    A 24-Hour Skilled Nursing Medicare/Medicaid Certified Facility and Private Medicare Suites 47045 Moore Ridge Rd. Woodsfield, OH 43793

    740-472-0144

    BrandyWoods Assisted Living


    a Division of Monroe County Care Center

    This man-made cave, located behind the Paul Young property, SR145, Miltonsburg, is said to have been used to hide homemade whiskey during prohibition days.

    Assisted Living with Country Kitchen, Dining Room, Beauty Salon 47079 Moore Ridge Rd. Woodsfield, OH 43793

    740-472-5610
    BrandyWoods Assisted Living Accepting New Residents
    Call 740-472-5610 or 740-472-0144 for more information

    131 South Main St. Woodsfield, OH 43793 740-472-2300 1-800-918-7200 Owners: Randy & Lisa Gallagher Woodsfield Office: Julie Jones, Manager

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