Ancestry Saturday: He Hewed The Timber Into Central Ohio History

Columbus, Ohio at a time when the Broad Street Bridge (at middle right) is made of wood.

Charles Harper's 1911 obituary reads, "He hewed the timber for the first Broad street bridge in Columbus, and a part of the timber is still in use. He hewed the timber and was a contractor for a large part of the material in the old state penitentiary."

These two sentences give my kids' fourth great grandfather on their mom's side a lasting place in Central Ohio's history. There are ironic tie-ins to family history too.

The Broad Street Bridge is not made of wood today, but it's a landmark and a vital artery in Columbus' economic past, present, and future.  Ironically, in the 1990's, their grandfather on their dad's side, John Platt, had his offices in Columbus overlooking that same bridge.

Today, the site of the "old state penitentiary" is a high-end retail and housing district.  The district's place in Ohio's history, though, is more owed to a horrific fire April 21, 1930 in which 322 prisoners perished. 

Ironically, a 1930 Census record taken two days before the fire, showed Richard Harper was there.  Richard Harper, convicted for petty theft, died in that 1930 fire in the building built by his great grandfather.  He was brother to my kids' great grandfather, Orville Harper.

Charles Harper's memorial stands an hour northwest of Columbus near Richwood, but his lasting impact is still right there in the heart of the Capitol City.

Ancestry Saturday: Generational Overlap

This obituary would have been helpful if I had found it two years earlier than I did, but it's a great confirming piece nonetheless.

Charles Harper's family is recited for three generations in here.  My kids' fourth great grandfather on their mom's side had quite a 91-year life and this obit covers it well.  It's as extensive as any I've seen.

It's the stories that make it even more interesting.  Charles Harper's life not only tied into Ohio history but also our family history.

The obit says Harper "hewed the timber for the first Broad Street bridge in Columbus." 

It's not real clear when that was, but it is quite an interesting historical tidbit nonetheless.  It's made all the more interesting since my kid's grandfather worked in an office building in the early 1990's that overlooked that same bridge.  He could watch the bridge be rebuilt in the 1990's from his corner office.

The obit also said, "He hewed the timber and was a contractor for a large part of the material in the old state penitentiary."  That same penitentiary had a brutal fire in 1930, a major historical event in Ohio as 322 inmates perished. 

Sadly, Charles Harper's great grandson, Richard Harper, was incarcerated in the old penitentiary and would die in that same fire.  Richard would have been uncle to my mother-in-law, though he died before she was born.

Today, Nationwide Arena and the Arena District of Columbus sits where the old pen sat.

His fourth great grandkids have visited his grave.  Now, they have some landmarks to remember him by too.