Little Egypt Heritage Articles eduda tsunogisdi © Bill Oliver 11 February 2007 Vol 6 Issue: #06 ISBN: Pending O’siyo, Good Evening Ladies and Gentlemen of Little Egypt, “Where I Come From ...” Where I come from “doesn’t look like much. And looks do not deceive.” This according to author P. J. O’Rourke as quoted in Good Roots, Writers Reflect on Growing Up in Ohio, edited by Lisa Watts. My favorite columnist, Roberta DeBoer, quoted him as saying, “I may be making Toledo [Ohio] sound dull, and it is.” P.J. O’Rourke is a [‘famed’] political humorist and just one of many Ohio born writers reflecting on their hometowns and youth in the book, Good Roots. Mr. O’Rourke lampoons, so such statements are par for the course. In fact, Mr. O’Rourke has appeared in that lampoon of lampoons, National Lampoon. Ms DeBoer sites a passage about a classmate of Mr. O’Rourke, who it just so happens graduated from the same high school my wife did, only fifteen years later. That though is another story. This classmate’s surname was Eggenschwiler, which like Klausterhaus, is German in origin. In the National Lampoon Yearbook, Mr. O’Rourke apparently used the name Eggenschwiler as the name of a ‘hall guard’ and quipped: “There are so many Germans that a boy I knew, Don Eggenschwiler, went all the way through grade school and junior high without being teased about his name.” The neighborhood of my youth was primarily German and Irish. I well remember the local meat markets and small grocery stores owned and operated by German folk. Also, the best bakery in town was in my neighborhood, as was a fine German restaurant. The local pub was owned by an Irishman though. Grandpa Oliver may have been Irish, but Grandma Oliver was solid German descent. They raised five children; three wonderful cooks and two hearty hardy [eating] men. I was too young to remember but I’ll bet a strudel that Grandpa, standing taller than Abe Lincoln, could put away a sizable amount of Grandma’s cookin’. And, him as thin as a rail. Well, supposedly Mr. O’Rourke goes on to explain that though we in Toledo live in a “beige and tideless lake” [Lake Erie] we have an exciting mix of cultures. To attest to this I’ll mention Jameel Joseph Farah [Jamie “Corporal Klinger” Farr] and Tony Packo’s Hungarian [Hot Dogs] Eatery]. Toledo also has The Basset Nut Company, The Toledo Mud Hens, and is the home of the World War II ‘Jeep’. Other names which have put Toledo on the lips of everyone are Samuel “Golden Rule” Jones, John Denver, and three term mayor, Carlton “Carty” Finkbeiner. North Wales England gave us a mayor known as “Golden Rule Jones”. Samuel Jones was an innovator in deep-oil well drilling. He was elected Mayor of Toledo, Ohio four times (1897-1904). He died in his eighth year in office. More than one hundred years later, experts have ranked him the fifth best mayor in United States history. He was, to say the least, an eccentric. His employment policies, which included an eight-hour day, paid vacations, and a strict adherence to the “Golden Rule,” earned him the nickname of “Golden Rule” Jones. He parlayed his popularity with workers into political success, winning election as mayor of Toledo for four straight terms (1897–1904) despite opposition from business leaders. He instigated paid vacations and eight-hour work days for municipal employees, also. Out in Nebraska another personality influenced the lives of Americans. J. Sterling Morton (1832-1903) was influential in the fields of politics, agriculture, commerce, and journalism. Besides being a Nebraska territorial legislator and acting Governor, he served as Secretary of Agriculture in the Cleveland Administration (1893-96). Julius Sterling Morton, noted politician was born in New York state and educated in Michigan before coming to Nebraska. It was in the fall of 1854 when he and his wife, Carolyn Joy, set out for Nebraska and settled in Nebraska City. Here he was the editor of the Nebraska News. He had a life-long interest in writing and publishing which began in his grandfather’s newspaper office in Michigan. Together with Robert Furnas, J Sterling Morton founded Arbor Day, yet, I suspect his name is better recognized as the owner of Morton’s Iodized Salt. In southern Illinois, the home territory of my Dad’s family, lived a brother to my 3rd Great Grandfather Frederick Crenshaw who also manufactured salt. Before the outbreak of the American Civil War, John Hart Crenshaw produced salt in Gallatin county. With the fortune that he made from salt, John Hart built a mansion on top of a hill which had a unique feature. One could drive a carriage through the middle and let folks out directly into the house without stepping on the ground. That feature is no longer there according to the pictures I have seen of it. Getting back to my “home town” and why it sometimes is literary fodder for lyricists and authors, I think of John Denver who wrote songs and lyrics about Toledo that made headlines in many newspapers. The lyrics went like this: “Saturday night in Toledo, Ohio, is like being nowhere at all All through the day how the hours rush by You sit in the park and you watch the grass die Ah, but after the sunset, the dusk and the twilight When shadows of night start to fall They roll back the sidewalks precisely at ten And people who live there are not seen again ...” The rest of the lyrics are at: [ http://www.lyricsdepot.com/john-denver/toledo.html ] Well, I’ve really only a one liner for how Mayor Carty Finkbiner gave my town fame. While Mayor he suggested that [paraphrased]: “We should move the deaf people out by the airport.” Good things do happen in Toledo. In addition to folks like Golden Rule Jones, Harry S. Truman on the 13th of February 1952 made some remarks at a dinner honoring Michael Vincent DiSalle. Mr. DiSalle served as Director of Price Stabilization from December 12, 1950, through February 15, 1952. It was a thankless job done well according to President Truman. Born on January 6, 1908, he was two years older than my Dad. They went to the same high school. Dad credited Mr. DiSalle with leadership in the group of young men Dad associated with. In 1946, Mr. DiSalle ran for a seat in the United States House of Representatives but lost to incumbent Republican Homer A. Ramey. Mr. DiSalle served as mayor of Toledo, Ohio from 1948 - 1950. In 1958, Mr. DiSalle was elected to serve as the 60th Governor of Ohio. He served as Governor of Ohio from 1959 - 1963. He was an unsuccessful candidate for the Democratic nomination for the presidency in 1960. He also lost reelection as Governor in 1962. Governor DiSalle passed over on September 14, 1981. The three geographical areas which supply my family heritage do have ups and downs and I’m pleased to have each of them. e-la-Di-e-das-Di ha-WI NV-WA-do-hi-ya NV-WA-to-hi-ya-da. (May you walk in peace and harmony) Wado, Bill -=- 1128 PostScript: "Myths are universal and timeless stories that reflect and shape our lives ..." Alexander McCall Smith, Dream Angus Archived articles: http://archiver.rootsweb.com/th/index?list=ilmassac