Tag Archives: Wilson

Obituary – Wilson (Bill) O. Kennedy

Posted on by February 9, 2012
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WILSON (BILL) O. KENNEDY, 67, of Goshen died on August 20, 1998 in his residence. He was the son of the late John O. and Mary E. Wilson Kennedy, of Goshen. He was retired from his work of many years in the retail paint business. Bill was an Army veteran of the Korean Conflict and graduated from Midvale High School. He and his wife BETTY I. VITT KENNEDY, had two children; Michael O. (Brenda) Kennedy, of Florida and Sue Ann (Steve) Burgess, of Dover. The Kennedy’s were married on January 3, 1953 and were members of Sacred Heart Church, in New Philadelphia. Betty passed away at the age of 69, on February 20, 2003, in Park Village Health Care Center, in Dover following an extended illness. She was a homemaker and also worked at Daniel’s Dress Shop for several years. The couple are buried in Calvary Cemetery, at New Philadelphia.

Stories from Keith Schaar

Posted on by December 12, 2011
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Thanks everyone for all the posts on the Goshen Website. Some of my earliest memories are going to visit Mom and Dad Schaar (Lawrence and Kate) as my mother called them. She was Catherine Hansen, who around 1929, became a foster child of Lawrence and Kate. My mother attended Goshen School in the 1930’s. She eventually ended up marrying Sidney Schaar, a nephew to Lawrence.

My great, great Grandfather Joseph Schlafley settled in Goshen, in the 1840’s. He married Barbara Schweitzer who grew up just down from Goshen going towards the York area. They raised many children in the Goshen area. One of them, Roseanna ended up marrying my Great Grandfather Rudolph Schaar.

Joseph Schlafley’s older brother Moritz, followed him to Goshen many years later but didn’t have the good fortune that Joseph had. Moritz is buried in the Goshen Cemetery near the far fence.

Rudolph came to this country from Switzerland, in 1857. He settled in the New Philadlephia area and at the outbreak of the Civil War, joined the 107th OVI, a German speaking regimen for the most part. There is evidence that he was jilted during the war. The Seargent in his company was a Schlafley from the Goshen area. He came back from the war and met Roseanna. They raised four sons, Joseph, John, Lawrence and Walter Schaar and a stepson Henry Romig III from an earlier relationship Roseanna had. They spent part of their later years in Goshen and part in New Philadelphia. Rosey’s house stood for many years at the end of Schaar Lane near the entrance to the Lawrence Schaar place.

Rudy, as he went by, helped run the Schaar and Schlafley Coal and Ice Company, of Goshen and was later known as Schaar Coal. There are many entries in early Goshen noted in the county papers of Rudy having plenty of coal to sell.

Another Great Grandfather, Edward Wilson came to Goshen from England, in the 1880’s. He was also a coal miner. His daughter Elizabeth married my grandfather Walter and lived in the Goshen area for awhile. Their first child was stillborn and a boy. He is buried near the entrance to the Goshen Hill Cemetery with a simple painted stone that reads Schaar boy. Walter left the area soon after and went to work for the railroad and later settled in Dover. For many years a large reunion was held on Goshen Hill called the Schlafely, Moore, Schweitzer Reunion. I have several photos of those gatherings and hope to post a few soon.

Sue Rolli Kirtley Family

Posted on by November 26, 2011
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  Sue Rolli Kirtley resided in Goshen from 1959 to 1976.  She lived with her parents Marge and Neil and brothers Kevin and Allan.  Neil passed away in January of 1987 and Kevin in December of 2004.  They had all resided along old Rt. 4 which is currently State Route 416 across from Rolli’s Tavern which was owned and operated by her parents.  They also owned a gas station at one time.
    Kirtley now lives in Dover and has two daughters Stacy Michelle and Blair Elizabeth, sons-in-law Dwyane and Sean and one granddaughter, Johanna Jane. Sue is currently working at Lauren Manufacturing, in New Philadelphia.  Kirtley says she always felt there was something fun to do in the Goshen community.
    “I played on the girls softball team for 5-6 years,” she noted. “I can remember Jim Scott, from Strasburg, was a coach at one point as well as Ed McPherson, of Tuscarawas. Jo Ann Davis (Guy), Bubbles (Catherine) McWilliams, Arleen and Leann (Liedke) McWilliams, Susie Kennedy (Burgess), Cheryl McPherson, Candy and Vicki Casebeer, Cindy (Krocker Davis) and Teri (Krocker Stein) were teammates as best I can remember. I think also Peggy Hobart, Debbie Shroyer and Susie Goss (Sherer) may have played at one time as well.”
    Kirtley also loved sled riding and ice skating and enjoyed watching the baseball teams during the summer.  The softball team played on the field once owned by Huck and Ellen Wilson and where the little league games were held.
    In her spare time these days, Kirtley likes to spend time with her brother.
    “Allan and I are very close,” she said.  “We enjoy riding his Harley Davidson motorcycle, attending drag racing events together, or just going for a ride.”
    Kirtley remembers a lot of her family’s history as well as that of the community and is anxious to share it. Here is that history in her words:
    “Mom and Dad moved to Goshen in 1954 and built what is now Gary Mangon’s house. There, they operated a Sinclair gas station.”, she explained.  “My Grandma Helen Rolli, operated a general store next door in the house that Jimmy Carlisle did live in. I don’t know if he still lives there or not.  Also, my Grandma Helen operated a rootbeer stand on the property where Gary Garabrandt’s mobile home is located. The root beer stand had the first “drive in” movie in the area. The movies would be shown on the side of the store and later she got a big movie screen. My Grandma Rolli purchased the tavern from a lady named Mary Johnson and operated it for many years until she had a stroke and died in 1967. The tavern was left to my dad, Neil Rolli and it was operated by him and my mom, Marge and George “Pappy” Szita. Pappy was my Grandma Rolli’s companion for many years. He had a sister, Agnes and a brother Louis. They lived in a house beside Kennedy’s.
    I think the rebuilding of Route 4 into S.R. 416 happened in 1974-75. (In a later e-mail, Kirtley notes that on the back of a photo of the newly built tavern it says the plumbing was completed in 1973!) The new road caused several people to have to relocate their homes/businesses. Mom and Dad couldn’t have the tavern moved because it was such a large building, so they built a new tavern that is currently some type of “gaming” place. The old tavern was torn down because the new roads’ center line would basically go straight down through the middle of the building. I can remember the road crew hauled fill dirt off of mom and dad’s hill, behind our house, to make the base for the new road.
     I can remember that Ralph Simmers moved (Bill and Betty) Kennedy’s house down over the hill to its current location. Mr. and Mrs. Anderson’s house was bought by Mom and Dad and also moved by Ralph Simmers and was eventually located right across the road from the new tavern.  After some remodeling of the Anderson house, mom and dad sold the cement block house to Gary Mangon and we moved into the Anderson house. Agnes and Louis Szita’s house was also moved down the lane by the Welshenbaugh and Reynolds families. Also the gas station and store operated by Huck and Ellen Wilson was moved down the road.  Actually, their house was moved and a new gas station and store were built and is now where Fox’s Horse Farm is located.
    My dad raced stock cars for several years, say from 1954 until somewhere around 1959 or 1960. We always had a crowd of men in our garage. I can remember John Lieser, Jerry Coletti and Bob Condo. Ironically, Bob Condo is my neighbor now.  I have several pictures of my dad and his stock car and these guys.”
    Kirtley added that she has many photos of the community as well as some Goshen School “class photos” and would like to add those to the website in the near future.  Marge Rolli is now living at the Schoenbrunn Healthcare Center, in New Philadelphia.

Goshen Little League

Posted on by November 5, 2011
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Approximately 40 years ago, the Goshen Little League thrived and was an exciting part of the Goshen Community. Ron Ebert coached the team for a few years and then Daniel D. Carlisle took the reigns. During this time the Midvale Lions sponsored the teams of Goshen, Roswell, Barnhill and Midvale which made up the league. After a few years, Goshen became part of the county league and New Philadelphia donated uniforms to Goshen’s team. Games were played on a ballfied owned by Huck and Ellen Wilson. The property is currently Fox’s Horse Farm. The Wilson’s bought wire fencing and Warner and Swasey made poles to create the backstop.

The community enjoyed taking part of the baseball team. Elsie Starcher was treasurer and ran the concession stand with the held of volunteers. The team had many players during this time and won several tournaments. A Pony League Team (ages 13-17) in Goshen was also dominate the sport for many years.

After Dan Carlisle moved on to coach several other area teams, others stepped in to fill the role of coach. Some them were Louie Krocker, Ed Leggett and Ed Krocker. Following each season, a banquet was held at the Chicken Manor, at Strasburg.

Wilson Family

Posted on by October 23, 2011
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John R. “Huck” and Ellen Wilson opened Wilson’s Service at Goshen, in 1946. They not only pumped gasoline but sold groceries and snack items. Ellen took care of the store while Huck worked at the Goshen Sewer Pipe. In 1970, St. Rt. 416 was re-routed and the house was moved down the road and a new store built. There are apartments and Fox’s Horse Farm in that location currently. Huck died in 1972 but Ellen kept the house and store. In 1976, she decided to sell the property. The couple were known for rewarding the local kids who received three A’s on their report cards. The kids would get a candy bar for their efforts. Huck’s sister was Mary Wilson Kennedy who also lived in Goshen on what is now David Rd. She was married to John Kennedy. The house is no longer standing. Huck was also one of Goshen’s honary mayors.

Before Little League was organized in Goshen, Huck coached a team in Goshen called the “Goshen Mighty Mites.” Some of the players on the team include Junior and Frank Davis, Ronnie Harmon, Bill Anderson and Eddie Krocker. Krocker remembered that time very well. “Huck formed and coached the team, provided the ballfield, drove us to games in his pickup truck and bought us all pop after the game,” Krocker noted. ” Mostly we played teams in Wainwright and on the Southside. The farthest we ever went was to Stillwater.”

Kennedy Family

Posted on by October 15, 2011
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Wilson “Bill” and Betty Kennedy moved into their house along State Route 416 in 1955. The house was moved around 1970 from the current Goshen Valley Rd. when the new 416 was built. Bill and Betty had two children, Mike and Sue. Mike currently resides in Clearwater, Florida and Sue, in Dover. Bill’s parents were Jack and Mary Kennedy who lived in Goshen since 1939, next to the Goshen Community Church of the Nazarene. The house has since been razed. Their children besides Mary, were John R. “Huck” Wilson, Woodrow “Woody” Wilson and Margaret Jackson. Bill passed away on August 20, 1998 and Betty on February 20, 2003.