Editor’s note: This is another column in Bill Boyd’s new series, “The Way It Was,” about growing up in Marysville. Bill continues to work with the Union County Historical Society to obtain information for his stories. With Marysville and Union County celebrating Bicentennial anniversaries in 2019 and 2020, respectively, these articles help depict what life was like in those early years. ––– It was some time in the mid-1940s (I’m not sure what year), when a Marysville man named Ed Radabaugh did something really nice for all Marysville’s newspaper carriers. He put on a Christmas dinner party in the dining…
Author: Bill Boyd
Editor’s note: This is another column in Bill Boyd’s new series, “The Way It Was,” about growing up in Marysville. Bill continues to work with the Union County Historical Society to obtain information for his stories. With Marysville and Union County celebrating Bicentennial anniversaries in 2019 and 2020, respectively, these articles help depict what life was like in those early years. ––– In the summer of 1949, I had a job working at Otte’s clothing store. It was a family-owned haberdashery that had served Marysville customers for years. Their selection of men’s clothing was pretty broad – everything from suits…
Editor’s note: This is another column in Bill Boyd’s new series, “The Way It Was,” about growing up in Marysville. Bill continues to work with the Union County Historical Society to obtain information for his stories. With Marysville and Union County celebrating Bicentennial anniversaries in 2019 and 2020, respectively, these articles help depict what life was like in those early years. ––– My long-term memory is pretty good. It’s not as good as my sister’s, but it is still rather accurate. Occasionally, however, I may remember something one way, and then I later find out that things didn’t happen exactly…
Editor’s note: This is another column in Bill Boyd’s new series, “The Way It Was,” about growing up in Marysville. Bill continues to work with the Union County Historical Society to obtain information for his stories. With Marysville and Union County celebrating Bicentennial anniversaries in 2019 and 2020, respectively, these articles help depict what life was like in those early years. ––– In 1861, America’s first transcontinental telegraph line was completed. The line made it possible for someone in Washington D.C. to communicate with someone in San Francisco. It was an amazing communications breakthrough. Eighty years or so later, I…
Editor’s note: This is another column in Bill Boyd’s new series, “The Way It Was,” about growing up in Marysville. Bill continues to work with the Union County Historical Society to obtain information for his stories. With Marysville and Union County celebrating Bicentennial anniversaries in 2019 and 2020, respectively, these articles help depict what life was like in those early years. ––– It was sometime in the late summer of 1947 when I walked home from Elwood Sawyer’s tennis court and found all of my family huddled around something in the living room. I had no idea what they were…
Editor’s note: This is another column in Bill Boyd’s new series, “The Way It Was,” about growing up in Marysville. Bill continues to work with the Union County Historical Society to obtain information for his stories. With Marysville and Union County celebrating Bicentennial anniversaries in 2019 and 2020, respectively, these articles help depict what life was like in those early years. ––– When I was growing up in Marysville during the 1940s, there were three barbershops in town – Max Miller’s shop on North Main Street, plus the DeGood and Davis shops on West Fifth. Over the years, I got…
Editor’s note: This is another column in Bill Boyd’s new series, “The Way It Was,” about growing up in Marysville. Bill continues to work with the Union County Historical Society to obtain information for his stories. With Marysville and Union County celebrating Bicentennial anniversaries in 2019 and 2020, respectively, these articles help depict what life was like in those early years. ––– It was the summer of 1944 or 1945, when I saw an ad in the Marysville Tribune looking for boys to detassel corn. The ad said the work would last two or three weeks. I guess I was…
Editor’s note: This is another column in Bill Boyd’s new series, “The Way It Was,” about growing up in Marysville. Bill continues to work with the Union County Historical Society to obtain information for his stories. With Marysville and Union County celebrating Bicentennial anniversaries in 2019 and 2020, respectively, these articles help depict what life was like in those early years. ––– School consolidation in Ohio took a leap forward in the 1950s. Before that, Union County had 10 small county schools, each with its own high school. Some of the communities served by the schools were little more than…
Editor’s note: This is another column in Bill Boyd’s new series, “The Way It Was,” about growing up in Marysville. Bill continues to work with the Union County Historical Society to obtain information for his stories. With Marysville and Union County celebrating Bicentennial anniversaries in 2019 and 2020, respectively, these articles help depict what life was like in those early years. ––– Bed sheets and sandals My dad was a member of the Masonic Lodge. He joined some time during the twenties, years before I was born. He lived in Mount Vernon, so that is the lodge he joined. He…
Editor’s note: This is another column in Bill Boyd’s new series, “The Way It Was,” about growing up in Marysville. Bill continues to work with the Union County Historical Society to obtain information for his stories. With Marysville and Union County celebrating Bicentennial anniversaries in 2019 and 2020, respectively, these articles help depict what life was like in those early years. ––– Victory Gardens I think just about everyone has some vegetable they don’t like. Maybe it’s cucumbers, parsnips, or broccoli. There are even some people who don’t like asparagus, although I can’t imagine why anyone wouldn’t like it. I…
Editor’s note: This is another column in Bill Boyd’s new series, “The Way It Was,” about growing up in Marysville. Bill continues to work with the Union County Historical Society to obtain information for his stories. With Marysville and Union County celebrating Bicentennial anniversaries in 2019 and 2020, respectively, these articles help depict what life was like in those early years. ––– Armistice Day It was in early November of 1938, when our first grade teacher, Miss Westlake, told us that we would be observing a very special day the following week. She said it was called “Armistice Day,” and…
Editor’s note: This is another column in Bill Boyd’s new series, “The Way It Was,” about growing up in Marysville. Bill continues to work with the Union County Historical Society to obtain information for his stories. With Marysville and Union County celebrating Bicentennial anniversaries in 2019 and 2020, respectively, these articles help depict what life was like in those early years. ––– Randall’s Bakery It was sometime in the summer of 1940 or 1941, when we moved from West Fifth Street to a house on South Court Street. That was pretty exciting for me, because I had spent my whole…
Editor’s note: This is another column in Bill Boyd’s new series, “The Way It Was,” about growing up in Marysville. Bill continues to work with the Union County Historical Society to obtain information for his stories. With Marysville and Union County celebrating Bicentennial anniversaries in 2019 and 2020, respectively, these articles help depict what life was like in those early years. –––– Lights out During the mid 1940s, when I was about 12 years old, I spent a lot of time at Elwood Sawyer’s house at the corner of Fourth and Cedar Streets. His son, Bert, was several years older…
Editor’s note: This is another column in Bill Boyd’s new series, “The Way It Was,” about growing up in Marysville. Bill continues to work with the Union County Historical Society to obtain information for his stories. With Marysville and Union County celebrating Bicentennial anniversaries in 2019 and 2020, respectively, these articles help depict what life was like in those early years. ––– Circus Day I’m always glad when I have a photograph to run with one of these columns. It often seems to add something extra to the story. The photo in today’s column, however, is different. It doesn’t add…
Editor’s note: This is another column in Bill Boyd’s new series, “The Way It Was,” about growing up in Marysville. Bill continues to work with the Union County Historical Society to obtain information for his stories. With Marysville and Union County celebrating Bicentennial anniversaries in 2019 and 2020, respectively, these articles help depict what life was like in those early years. –––– The Hikers When I was about 11 years old, I had a friend named Bill Porter, who was a year younger than me. I have written about Bill previously, about his unique relationship with animals, especially young animals.…