News compiled by Ginny Leap from past
issues of
Switzerland County newspapers
10 YEARS AGO
Born in Guatemala on July 6th, 2002, Ethan Michael Curlin finally got to come home with his parents, Greg and Becky Curlin, after going through a 10-month adoption process. The adoption was authenticated and the family came home on January 29th.
Katie Riley and Lance Collier have announced their engagement and approaching marriage Katie is the daughter of Kenny and Margaret Ann Riley of near Moorefield. Lance is the son of Pat an Phyllis Collier of Vevay. A May wedding is being planned.
Emily Jo Hehe, daughter of Esther Cook of Vevay and Danny Hehe of Vevay, has been chosen as a State Finalist in the Miss Indiana American Teen pageant. The pageant will be held in June in Indianapolis.
Private Brady Lee Lewis has completed basic training with the U.S. Marine Corps at Parris Island, South Carolina. He is the son of Claudell Lewis III of Patriot and Norma Montgomery of Rising Sun. He is the grandson of Bud and Phyllis Lewis and Ethel Claypoole, all of Patriot. He will soon report to Camp Lejeune, North Carolina, for further training.
20 YEARS AGO
In a time when so many marriages don’t last, Speedjack and Gertrude Moreillon are nearly unique. They’ve been married – happily married – for 68 years. Sixty-eight years! That’s more than 800 months, 1,500 weeks, 24,000 days together. “It really doesn’t seem so long,” says Gertrude. “It doesn’t seem like a long time at all.”
Rita Turner was awarded first place in the first annual Switzerland County Chili Challenge, sponsored by Historic Vevay, Inc. The Ogle Haus entered Rita Turner’s chili in the contest. Rita is the night kitchen supervisor for the Ogle Haus.
30 YEARS AGO
An influenza outbreak in Switzerland County this week has caused the school system to shut down operations for the remainder of the week, according to School Superintendent Chester Meisberger. Meisberger officially closed the three schools in the county, the Switzerland County Junior and Senior High School, and both the new elementary school at East Enterprise and Jefferson-Craig at Vevay, after reviewing the absentee rate at all the educational facilities Tuesday. The recommendation to close the schools from Wednesday through Friday of this week was made by the county health officer, Dr. Diego C. Valenzuela.
Marine Privates Scott M. and Kent A. Suter, sons of Charles A. and Wilma W. Suter of route 3, Vevay, have completed the infantry combat training course at the Infantry Training School, Camp Pendleton, California.
40 YEARS AGO
Switzerland County’s first apartment complex is on its way up, and its eight apartments should be ready to rent in just about two months from now. To be called The Swiss Arms, the apartment complex is being built on Vevay’s eastern edge, just south of the River Road and almost directly across the river from the Kentucky Utilities plant. The apartment owners and builders are Harold and Harlan Schroeder and Charles Wentworth, all of Louisville.
The tobacco season’s over for another year, with the final season’s average a somewhat disappointing $79.62 at Carrollton. Not only is this season’s figure below last year’s average of $82.81, the $79.62 mark is far below what most Switzerland County tobacco men were hoping for. For the season, the Carrollton market figures were 29,756,667 pounds sold for $23.7 million.
Miss Ruth Orem of Vevay received word Tuesday of the death of Mrs. Cullie Scott Myers Culbertson, 85, who died February 1st in a Houston, Texas hospital. She was the widow of Clyde L. Culbertson of Vevay, who passed away in 1964.
50 YEARS AGO
Mr. and Mrs. Harry W. Thompson will celebrate their golden wedding anniversary Sunday with an open house from 2 until 5 o’clock at their home on West Perry Street, Versailles. The Thompsons moved to Versailles in 1917, where Mr. Thompson has been editor of The Versailles Republican since that time.
Funeral services were held Saturday afternoon from Haskell and Morrison Funeral Home for Bryant Hatton, 79, of near Mount Sterling.
Elmer Scudder of Florence recently observed his 88th birthday. Mr. Scudder is quite remarkable for his age and boasts of several physical attributes. He has never visited a dentist and still possesses most of his teeth. What few he has lost, he has pulled himself. He reads without glasses and his general health is excellent.
Mrs. Lettie Martin of near Florence, 74, died Monday morning in King’s Daughters’ Hospital in Madison which she had entered the day before for medical care.
60 YEARS AGO
Funeral services were conducted Wednesday afternoon in the Brooksburg Baptist Church for Mrs. Ella Fagg Coleman, 81, a resident of that community. Mrs. Coleman died in Madison Monday morning at the home of her daughter, Mrs. Eugene Calloway, where she had been ill since December. Mrs. Coleman was the widow of John Coleman and for many years was postmaster at Brooksburg.
Switzerland County friends of James W. Kline regretted to learn of his sudden death which occurred in Grace Hospital, Cleveland on February 4th from a blood clot in the heart.
A fine 10 pound son was born to Mr. and Mrs. Robert Gullion (nee Betty Jo Rook) of Indianapolis, on Wednesday morning, February 4th. The boy has been named Mark Alan.
70 YEARS AGO
Galin Armstrong of Parks Ridge, C. P. Buschman of Vevay and Reverend Arthur Jean of Patriot have accepted appointments as members of the Switzerland County Selective Service Board.
Mr. and Mrs. John H. Schroeder will observe their golden wedding anniversary at their farm home below Patriot Sunday February 21st.
Uly G. Trafelet, a native of this county and former employee of the U.S. Treasury Department in Washington, D.C., passed away at the home of his brother, Sam Trafelet, near Vevay Saturday afternoon.
Private John L. “Jack” Cundy, son of Mr. and Mrs. John L. Cundy of near Lamb, has been reported missing in action since February 2nd.
The residence occupied by Verle Gullion and family near Aberdeen, together with the household furnishings, was totally destroyed by fire late Sunday afternoon.
80 YEARS AGO
The barn of Volie Stark, located on the Allensville-Fairview Road, burned Tuesday morning. In the barn were all of Mr. Stark’s farming implements, a tractor, about 12 ton of hay and straw, nine head of cattle and two horses, all of which were burned.
Born, a son to Mr. and Mrs. Ernest Leep of Dry Fork.
Irvin Armstrong of Florence died February 8th after an illness of two years, being 47 years of age.
Born February 7th, a daughter, Norma Jean, to Mr. and Mrs. Dilver Schwade of Quercus Grove.
Born February 7th, a son to Mr. and Mrs. Paul Patterson of Quercus Grove.
90 YEARS AGO
Forrest C. Brown of Parks Ridge last week purchased one-half interest in the Gray garage in Vevay and the new firm will be known as the Gray and Brown Garage.
Ernest Griffith, former postmaster of Vevay, has rented a room on Main Street and will open a shoe store about the first of April.
Edward, son of Mr. and Mrs. Edward Bliss, had a bone broken in his right arm last week while cranking a car at the Bakes and Iddings garage.
Fire at the motion picture theatre in Patriot operated by Martin and Stephenson resulted in damage to the extent of $1,000 Saturday night. About 200 people were in the theatre at the time and when Mr. Martin assured them there was no immediate danger, but asked them to leave immediately they did so and no panic resulted.
The huckster wagon of E. H. Lamkin of Patriot driven by W. F. Foster, slipped over a bank at the home of James Chase Saturday and turned turtle, breaking 60 dozen eggs. There was no other damage.
100 YEARS AGO
Negotiations are complete for the sale of the remaining stock of merchandise of the Lewis Dry Goods Company to Mr. W. H. Rogers of Rising Sun. The stock will be removed to Rising Sun.
Frank Fish of Bennington is new carrier on Rural Route 4 out of Vevay. He will replace F. F. Sullivan who resigned.
Miss Grace Marshall of Florence and Leo Weldon of Warsaw, Kentucky, were married in Warsaw Tuesday evening by Father Kroger.
Following a two-week illness of pneumonia. Mrs. Worden Bliss died at her home on Tapps Ridge Sunday, February 8th, at the age of 64 years.
120 YEARS AGO
John H. Hengehold, merchant tailor of Covington, Kentucky, will be in Vevay on or about February 23rd or 25th with a full line of spring samples.
Addison Works has passed the requisite examination and has been admitted to practice law in the Supreme Court of Michigan. Mr. Works has opened an office in Grand Rapids.
There is a bill pending in Congress making the pansy our national flower.
140 YEARS AGO
Mrs. Mary Isgrigg died Sunday evening at her home in Vevay. She was in the 25th year of her age.
Willie, year old son of M. W. and Emily Tague, died February 10th at their home in Vevay.
Aaron Wintizer, aged 28 years, died in Vevay on February 12th.
150 YEARS AGO
Civil War: A letter from F. L. Courvoisier of Company D, 93rd Indiana Regiment, written from Corinth, Mississippi contains news of the following Switzerland County soldiers:
“On November 26th, we left sick at Memphis, Tennessee, Isaiah Ball, William Walker, William H. Tucker, Thomas J. Pearsoll, Jacob J. Goodner, Robert B. Gray, and George W. Covert.
“At Holly Springs, Mississippi we left in the hospital on December 23rd Francis Walters, Daniel Bray, Ansyl Reed, Samuel H. Cole, Sidney Tinker, John Markland, William Banta, Isaac Little, John Gray, Francis M. Wells, David A. Gibson, Thomas Gow, James Gow, Benjamin R. Smith, William T. Cole, John Hays, William Hall, Richard Pitman, Elias Reed.
“On December 25th, William Little and Henry Boyd were left sick at Grand Junction, Tennessee. Left sick at LaGrange, Tennessee on January 8th were Thomas G. Markland, William Thatcher, and Allen W. Smith. Four of these died, William T. Cole on January 4th at Holly Springs, also Elias Reed at same place on January 8th, both were buried there.
“At Corinth where the regiment is camped, there are three sick men, John Rommerill, Wilson Franklin, and Elijah Joyce in the hospital. Also sick are Thomas J. Banks, Joseph Mix, Newton J. Johnson, Jacob Manuel. Thomas G. Markland died at LaGrange January 14th and was buried there.