Local writers and stories
By: Mark Holtsberry Chancey Boroff was born March 2, 1887 in Grover Hill, Ohio. The son of William Harrison, born December 19, 1852 in Mercer County, Ohio, and Mary Ellen (Lautzenheiser) Boroff, born March 21, 1857 in Wells County, Indiana. By 1900, the Boroff family was living in Grover Hill. William was working as a…
Penny For Your Thoughts By: Nancy Whitaker Loving food and the kitchen came to me at a very young age. I tried to imitate my grandma’s cooking, but she really did not write very many recipes down. What a time I had when I first got married. My husband was used to his mom’s cooking…
“Serving overseas as a small-town boy in America has been intense, stressful and humorous! Enjoy a light-hearted story with me from our last 20 years overseas!” —Matt Gladly woken by a crane truck I know the trains passing through my small town in the dead of night could be a bother to some people, but…
By: Ron Burt Fremont Speedway (The Track That Action Built) just released their 2023 season schedule and it’s a good one for the drivers and race fans. This is the 72nd anniversary of this historic racetrack. Weekly Saturday night shows are normally 410 Winged Sprints, 305 Winged Sprints and Dirt Trucks. The season kicks off…
Lucy was a beauty. One of the most beautiful girls in Washington DC. She had many suitors. She had dated the president’s son, the sons of many senators and a lineup of important people. She was somewhat of a heartbreaker, and difficult to please. When Lucy was 12 she was getting letters from a Harvard…
By: Mark Holtsberry Alva Johnson Abbott, was born August 4, 1892 in Latty, Ohio. The son of Charles and Mary (Gaines) Abbott. Charles was born January 1842 in Kentucky and Mary was born in 1851. The couple was married June 1, 1872 in Paulding. Charles served in the 117th United States Colored Troops between the…
Penny For Your Thoughts By: Nancy Whitaker One of my New Years resolutions is to listen to others and acquire more common sense. I am not saying I’m dumb, but sometimes I tend to follow my own thoughts and lots of times it is because I haven’t absorbed or paid attention to what I was…
“Serving overseas as a small-town boy from America has been intense, stressful and humorous! Enjoy a light-hearted story with me from our last 20 years overseas!” – Matt Take a bridge I know bridges are expensive infrastructure projects to get travelers across an obstacle like water or ravines. However, bridges over time become a landmark,…
By: Ron Burt Logan Seavey wins the 55-lap 2023 Chili Bowl Nationals for Midgets. Last week racing fans were focused on Tulsa, January 9-14, for the 37th annual Lucas Oil Chili Bowl Nationals. I received emails from readers and messages on my Facebook, Ohio Sports Blitz page excited about this year’s qualifying mains and the…
By: Mark Holtsberry Continued from last week… Joshua C. Barrick was with Company M. 2nd Ohio Volunteer Infantry at Columbus, Ohio on May 16, 1898, before the Company was sent to Camp George H. Thomas, Chickamauga, Georgia. The Company was stationed there until November 15, 1898, when they were ordered to report to Macon, Georgia…
Penny For Your Thoughts By: Nancy Whitaker It is funny that as we reach certain ages, how our idea of “fun” changes. Babies, for example, will start noticing rattles, stuffed animals and toys at an early age. That is fun for them and for parents as well. Then we reach Kindergarten and grade school. Our ideas of…
“Serving overseas as a small-town boy from America has been intense, stressful and humorous! Enjoy a light-hearted story with me from our last 20 years overseas!” — Matt Handle hurts worse than the head I, like many, grew up with those classic toys like trikes, wagons and bikes. We had a garage and basement filled…
By: Mark Holtsberry Joshua C. Barrick was born in Michigan, January 5, 1860. The son of Jonathan, born 1828, in Ohio and Rachel Jane (Hawkins) Barrick, born April 20, 1849 in Indiana. Now let’s go down the ground hog hole. Rachel’s father, Robert, was a Civil War Veteran from Antwerp, Ohio. He served with Company…
