News compiled by Ginny Leap from past issues of
Switzerland County newspapers
10 YEARS AGO
Patricia Ann Bowling earned her masters degree in elementary education from Indiana Wesleyan University in Marion, Indiana, Saturday, December 19th. She is currently a fourth grade teacher at Switzerland County Elementary School.
Employees of the Tanner’s Creek Power Plant in Lawrenceburg delivered more than 7,000 cans of food for the needy of Switzerland County in time for the holidays. The local distributions was handled by the Vevay American Legion. The distribution is made possible through the cooperation of the United Food and Commercial Workers Union Local #1099, who helps transport all of the food around southeastern Indiana and the Kroger Company of Cincinnati who assists in the purchasing of the canned goods at a discount.
15 YEARS AGO
Dwight and Christine McKenzie of Vevay are celebrating their 60th wedding anniversary. A reception will be hosted by their children at Switzerland Baptist Church in Vevay Sunday, January 9th.
Angela (Mishler) Hoagland of Patriot has completed her Doctor of Pharmacy degree from Purdue University. She graduated in May of this year with a grade point average of 5.32 on a 6.0 scale.
A Bald Eagle – the official symbol of America, and, as an endangered species, a symbol of the need for environmental protection – has been shot in Switzerland County. The Eagle died. Efforts are underway to discover who shot the Eagle. Shooting a Bald Eagle is both a federal offense and a state offense. The wounded Eagle was discovered near East Enterprise on Saturday, December 18th, by David Wilson of East Enterprise who was deer hunting with a muzzle loader in an area about a mile west of East Enterprise.
20 YEARS AGO
A reception will be held Saturday, December 31st, at the Brushy Fork Baptist Church, route 1, Canaan, in honor of the marriage of Max Jackson and Neila Hart, both of Madison. The couple will be married earlier that day in a private ceremony.
Miss Donna Denning will join the staff of Vevay Newspapers next week as Editor. She replaces Mary Kathryn Schwanholt who has resigned to accept another position. Mary Schwanholt has been the Editor of the Vevay Reveille and The Switzerland Democrat since November of 1986. Miss Denning is the daughter of James and Linda (nee Bailey) Denning of Madison and is the granddaughter of Cleo Bailey and great-granddaughter of Leora Clements, both of Vevay.
35 YEARS AGO
A team of thieves celebrated Christmas this year by breaking into the new Scudder’s Appliances Store in Vevay and helping themselves to about $2,500 worth of small appliances.
It’s just like the Wild West. Cattle rustlers have come to Switzerland County – at least one band of “rustlers,” and possibly some others. One definite loss of 19 head of cattle has been attributed to the “rustlers,” and there are unconfirmed rumors of some cattle rustling in neighboring counties and in other areas of southern Indiana. The thieves stole 19 head of cattle from the farm of Dr. John C. Schmerge on Tapps Ridge, known as the old Lock farm.
Mr. and Mrs. Elik Adams will observe their 50th wedding anniversary Sunday, December 30th, with an open house from 2 to 4 p.m. in the Historical Society Building on South Walnut Street in Rising Sun.
45 YEARS AGO
Milton S. Cole, 76, farmer of near Mount Sterling, died Monday at Spring Nursing Home in Indianapolis after a long illness.
Albert G. Leep, formerly of Switzerland County and now of Madison, has been named a doctorate teaching fellow in elementary education on a National Defense Education Act grant to Ball State Teachers College.
Edgar Graham, 83, retired farmer and a former resident of the Fairview community, died at 10 a.m. Monday at the Deaconess Hospital, Cincinnati.
Marine Private Randall C. Miller, son of Mrs. Mildred Miller of Vevay, has completed four weeks of individual combat training at the Second Infantry Training Regiment, Marine Corps Base, Camp Pendleton, California.
55 YEARS AGO
Bert Brindley, a native and for most of his life a resident of Switzerland County, passed away at his home here on December 22nd, following a long illness of heart trouble.
Loren Driver, 92, widely known in Switzerland and Ohio counties, passed away at his home just over the Ohio County line on December 20th after a long illness.
Two sets of twins were born to Switzerland County couples during the holidays. On December 22nd twin girls were born in the Madison hospital to Mr. and Mrs. Robert Sigmon of near Markland. On Wednesday morning of this week twin boys were born in a Cincinnati hospital to Mr. and Mrs. Donald Stow of route 2, Vevay.
Robert Scott Francis, for many years a prominent resident of this county, passed away in Anderson on December 18th.
Sergeant Harry Netherland, 22-year-old son of Mr. and Mrs. Allen Netherland of near Lamb, has been awarded the Bronze Star for bravery in the Korean War during the last few days of the front line fighting.
65 YEARS AGO
Mrs. Emma Carolyn Powell of Posey Township observed her 200th birthday at the home of her daughter, Mrs. W. H. Bodey, near Patriot on December 29th.
Died near Patriot, December 19th, Christine, five-year-old daughter of Mr. and Mrs. Norman Sigmon
Died in Washington, Mrs. Lydia Griffith, 77, widow of the late Dr. Tom Griffith. Burial was made in Vevay.
Died in Madison December 18th, Mrs. India Shaffer, 81, formerly of this county.
85 YEARS AGO
Leland Courtney purchased a half interest in the Irma Grocery on Ferry Street from Clarence Roberts.
Charles Holler, janitor of the public schools here, sustained a broken wrist when he fell from a ladder.
Married in Vevay December 15th, Miss Ethel F. Sullivan and Leland Dunning.
Dr. F. C. Bakes, M.D. has opened an office in Vevay.
Dr. Opp Sieglitz, O.D. has opened an office in the Deposit Bank Building.
95 YEARS AGO
Failure and refusal of contractors to respond to the government’s call for bids for building Ohio River Dam No. 39, brings results not looked for by the firms and companies controlling those profitable undertakings up to this time, for it is now settled the government will waste no further attention on the contractors, but will manage and conduct the job itself from beginning to end.
Two thousand Christmas shoppers swooped down on Vevay merchants last Saturday. They came by buggy, wagon, auto, steamboat, and afoot. The crowd packed the sidewalks on Ferry and Main streets. It was a good natural crowd filled to overflowing with Christmas spirit.
Genola Curry Orem died at the home of her parents, Herschel Orem and wife near Fairview last Thursday after but a three-day illness. She was nine years of age.
A deal was consummated Tuesday by which Harry C. Sullivan became the owner of the undertaking business of Thomas R. Humphrey.
Four marriage licenses were issued to Switzerland County couples Tuesday: McKinley Farrell to Dora Cotton of Pleasant Township; Roy Works of near Allensville to Ethel Hastings of Tapps Ridge; Dilver Clark to Pearl Pavy of near Fairview; Clyde McKay to Anna Fagg of Craig Township. All four couples were married last night at the home of the bride.
Born, to Mr. and Mrs. Willard Whitham of East Enterprise, a son.
Miss Mary Miller of Patriot and Harry Hart of Richmond, Indiana, were married at Glencoe, Kentucky Monday.
105 YEARS AGO
Died in Kansas December 2nd, Stephen Mead, former resident of Posey Township.
Died in Vevay December 20th, Mrs. John L. Teats. Interment was made in the Vevay Cemetery.
The Express office here has dogs, cats, ferrets, geese and coyotes, and delivery has been hindered by the ice and snow.
Married in Vevay December 23rd, Miss Blanche Snyder and William E. Kirkpatrick, both of York Township.
Louis Sauvain and wife have removed from Indian Creek to Vevay.
115 YEARS AGO
Died near Sugar Branch December 4th: Lorenza Hinman, aged 73 years, 9 months, and 25 days.
“Uncle Billy Newbold,” the oldest man in the county, is dead. He was in his 96th year. A native of Delaware, he resided near Patriot.
Miss Clara Stoops and Thomas N. Ford were married at the home of the bride’s parents, Mr. and Mrs. William Stoops, near Markland, Tuesday, December 19th, by Reverend W.E. Morris.
Died in Missouri December 29th: Charles T. Leatherbury, 58, native of this county.
Married at the residence of the bride’s father, Samuel Lockwood, at East Enterprise Sunday, December 24th, by Reverend W. B. Seymour. Mr. George Cole of Michigan and Miss Nola Lockwood.
Died December 11th, Mason G. Wood, at his home in Charlotte, Michigan. He was a former resident of this county.
Licensed to marry: Edward Vernon and Emma Adams; Ernest C. Willis and Lucy Wood; Erasmus Brent Wood and Henrietta Todd Hower; Thomas N. Ford and Clara M. Stoops; Elmer Rogers and Annie E. Dow; Amasa J. Hyde and Ella E. March; George E. Cole and Nola J. Lockwood; Clarence S. Clements and Lillian B. Rous; Eugene Stoops and Maude E. Hastings; Robert Peters and Mary F. Green; Val P. Howe and Bessie Langston.
125 YEARS AGO
George and Betty Moredock of Posey Township observed their 15th wedding anniversary on December 8th.
Will M. Shaw is employed at the office of Studebaker Brothers in South Bend.
Died December 22nd, near Center Square, Mrs. Virginia M. Hall, wife of R. E. Hall. Interment at Jacksonville.
135 YEARS AGO
Died near Pleasant, December 17th, John VanNuys, aged 71 years.
Mrs. Elizabeth Jackman and William M. Brown were married here December 11th.
Nancy Ann Hankins and Alexander Washer of Jefferson County were married December 11th.