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Member Instructions

Charles E Dial, 2011, Copy Editor for The MWD Essays.

  Documented Features This website is a membership site where any authorized group member can access and read the stories. Initially, every authorized user will be a member of the same group. The site is best viewed on a tablet, laptop, or desktop device. Everything will work on a phone, but the smaller screen forces…… Continue reading Member Instructions

000115 MHW to Dear Folks at Home (Chile) g

Dilla Himmelright Wertenberger c.1953.

Sender’s name and mailing address: [Charlie Wertenberger;] Colegio Americano, Colegio Inglés para Hombres, 22 Calle del Comercio, Casilla 89, Concepción, Chile Postmarks: Concepción, December 12, 1899; Valparaíso, December 13, 1899; Ashland, Ohio, January 11, 1900; Redhaw, Ohio, January 11, 1900 Recipient’s name and mailing address: Miss Alice Himmelright, Redhaw, Ashland Co., Ohio, U. S. A.…… Continue reading 000115 MHW to Dear Folks at Home (Chile) g

000115 MHW to Dear Folks at Home (Chile)

Dilla Himmelright Wertenberger c.1953.

[No Envelope] Concepción, Chile [Monday,] Jan. 15th 1900 Eight A.M. Dear Folks at Home: After waiting nearly five weeks, finally on the third steamer that came from the north I received a letter from home last Wednesday dated Nov. 26th, [1899]. I was glad that everything was alright at home and that Ada’s school was…… Continue reading 000115 MHW to Dear Folks at Home (Chile)

000109 CHW to Dear Friends (Chile) g

CH Wertenberger, probably precedes 1917.

Sender’s name and mailing address: [Charlie Wertenberger;] Colegio Americano, Colegio Inglés para Hombres, 22 Calle del Comercio, Casilla 89, Concepción, Chile Postmarks: Concepción, December 12,Continue reading 000109 CHW to Dear Friends (Chile) g

000212 MHW to My Dear Folks at Home (Chile) g

Dilla Himmelright Wertenberger c.1953.

Sender’s name and mailing address: [Charlie Wertenberger;] Colegio Americano, Colegio Inglés para Hombres, 22 Calle del Comercio, Casilla 89, Concepción, Chile Postmarks: Concepción, December 12,Continue reading 000212 MHW to My Dear Folks at Home (Chile) g

Content Notes — MWD Essays

Family dog Buttons. c. 1950.

Content Notes and Revisions — MWD Essays Editorial History Revision history and technical notes WordPress and Grammarly interaction nightmare. WordPress design flaws. Revision History 1993-1998 Hand-written essay drafts transcribed into Microsoft Word 2.0. 2000 Original Word 2.0 document partially converted to Microsoft FrontPage 98. 2008-2009 Converted to W3C XHTML compliant Microsoft ASP.NET website. 2009 Several…… Continue reading Content Notes — MWD Essays

991211 CHW to Dear People (Chile)

CH Wertenberger, probably precedes 1917.

Sender’s name and mailing address: [Charlie Wertenberger;] Colegio Americano, Colegio Inglés para Hombres, 22 Calle del Comercio, Casilla 89, Concepción, Chile Postmarks: Concepción, December 12, 1899; Valparaíso, December 13, 1899; Ashland, Ohio, January 11, 1900; Redhaw, Ohio, January 11, 1900 Recipient’s name and mailing address: Miss Alice Himmelright, Redhaw, Ashland Co., Ohio, U. S. A.…… Continue reading 991211 CHW to Dear People (Chile)

991210 MHW to Dear Folks at Home (Chile)

Dilla Himmelright Wertenberger c.1953.

[No individual envelope for this letter; it shared an envelope with Charlie’s letter, #991211. Nor does the flannel sample she mentions remain in the envelope] Concepcion [sic; should be “Concepción”] Dec. 10, 1899 8:30 P.M. Dear Folks at Home: The beautiful “June” [the seasons are reversed south of the equator] Sabbath day has been pleasantly…… Continue reading 991210 MHW to Dear Folks at Home (Chile)

991127 CHW to Dear Folks upon the Hill (Chile)

CH Wertenberger, probably precedes 1917.

[Sender’s name and mailing address: C. H. Wertenberge,] on the envelope, Colegio Americano, Colegio Ingles para Hombres, 22 Calle del Comercio 22, Casilla 89, Concepcion, [sic] Chile,br> Postmarks: Concepcion, [sic] November 27, 1899; Santiago, November 29, 1899; Ashland, Ohio, December 28, 1899; Redhaw, Ohio, December 29, 1899Recipient’s name and mailing address: Mr. Lewis Himmelright, Redhaw,…… Continue reading 991127 CHW to Dear Folks upon the Hill (Chile)

991031 CHW (&MHW) to Dear Folks at Home (Chile)

CH Wertenberger, probably precedes 1917.

[No envelope. Although Santiago was the ultimate destination, this stop in Santiago was made on the trip to their initial destination—Concepcion.] Santiago, Chile [Tuesday,] Oct. 31st 1899 Dear Folks at Home: Tonight finds us happy and contented in the capital city of Chile. We are happy because we are nearly to our journey’s end, contented…… Continue reading 991031 CHW (&MHW) to Dear Folks at Home (Chile)

991113 MHW to Dear Girls and Boys… (Chile)

Dilla Himmelright Wertenberger c.1953.

[Sender’s name and mailing address: Mandilla Himmelright Wertenberger, Colegio Americano, Colegio Inglés para Hombres, 22 Calle del Comercio, Casilla 89, Concepción, Chile Postmarks: Concepción, November 13, 1899; Valparaíso, November 19, 1899; New York, December 20, 1899; Ashland, Ohio, December 21; Redhaw, Ohio, December 22, 1899.Recipient’s name and mailing address: Mrs. Elizabeth Fuhrman, Redhaw, Ashland Co.,…… Continue reading 991113 MHW to Dear Girls and Boys… (Chile)

991015 CHW & MHW to Today is Sunday (Chile)

CH Wertenberger, probably precedes 1917.

[No envelope] “This has no date. It was started sometimeand closed near that time.”In a hurry[.] Ha. Ha. [No salutation] Today is Sunday, October 15. We have been on the steamer Columbia since noon of Sunday, Oct. 1. We cannot give you an account of all that has taken place, yet to sum it up…… Continue reading 991015 CHW & MHW to Today is Sunday (Chile)

991007 MHW to Dear Sisters, Parents, and Grandma (Chile)

Dilla Himmelright Wertenberger c.1953.

[No envelope. Transcription of the family letters was complicated by the widespread tendency to fill every inch of notepaper with writing. We can’t resist attaching a scan of one of the more “scrunched” sheets as page 3 of this transcription.] Gulf of Guayaquil, Ecuador “Gossip” [??!!] [Saturday,] Oct. 7, 1899 8:30 P. M. Dear Sisters,…… Continue reading 991007 MHW to Dear Sisters, Parents, and Grandma (Chile)

990929 MHW to Dearest Folks (Chile)

Dilla Himmelright Wertenberger c.1953.

[The contents of this letter and of Charlie’s (#990928) indicate that the two were mailed together in it.] Panama, Columbia S.A. [sic]Sept. 29, ’993:30 P.M. Dearest Folks: While my hair is drying (just being washed) I’ll add a few words to what Charlie has already said. How glad I would be if I could show…… Continue reading 990929 MHW to Dearest Folks (Chile)

990928 CHW to My Friends and to all concerned (Chile)

CH Wertenberger, probably precedes 1917.

[Although the envelope is missing, the contents of this letter and of Dillie’s (MHW’s) (#990929) indicate that the two were mailed together.] Panama,Sept. 28 ’99 Dear Friends and to all concerned: Well, of all things, this beats all! This morning at about seven o’clock we landed at Colon. [sic] We are now foreigners in a…… Continue reading 990928 CHW to My Friends and to all concerned (Chile)

990927 CHW to My Dear Folks on the Hill (Chile)

CH Wertenberger, probably precedes 1917.

[The purser of the steamer Athos carried an envelope containing Dillie’s letter (#990925) and this letter of Charlie’s from Colón, Panama, to New York City, where he mailed it on October 13. According to the postmarks, the letter reached Redhaw on October 16.] The Athos, Sept. 27th 1899 My Dear Folks on the Hill: if…… Continue reading 990927 CHW to My Dear Folks on the Hill (Chile)

990925 MHW to My Dear People at Home (Chile) [AJD]

Dilla Himmelright Wertenberger c.1953.

[The purser of the steamer Athos carried the envelope containing Charlie’s letter (#990927) and this letter of Dillie’s from Colón, Panama, to New York City, where he mailed it on October 13. According to the postmarks, the letter reached Redhaw on October 16.] [Sept. 25, 1899] On Board the deck of the Steamer Athos, Atlantic…… Continue reading 990925 MHW to My Dear People at Home (Chile) [AJD]

990919 MHW to Dear Folks at Home (Chile)

Dilla Himmelright Wertenberger c.1953.

[Note: MHW and CHW were married in Redhaw, Ohio, on August 17, 1899.] [Tuesday,] Sept. 19, 1899New York Dear Folks at home: While I am waiting for Charlie this morning I thought I would write you a few lines more before we leave our native shores. We passed the health examination yesterday, met many of…… Continue reading 990919 MHW to Dear Folks at Home (Chile)

Affirmation

Charles E Dial, 2011, Copy Editor for The MWD Essays.

Affirmation to the Grandchildren.  It is perhaps odd that I feel a certain rapport with the eulogy Earl Spencer delivered for his sister. Unlike Diana, my mother died a peaceful and private death. Yet both my mother and Diana possessed a regalness that reached out and inspired the lives of many. And, as Mom grew…… Continue reading Affirmation

Rainbows

Sunrise Bitmap by LAD, c.1996.

Written April 14, 1987.  The following is the text from Lacy’s Grandmother Dial’s Easter letter to Lacy. Lacy’s bedroom had just been papered in the rainbow pattern that Lacy and her mother had purchased earlier. Dear Lacy Anne, Enclosed is a check for your father to pay for your “Easter Basket” of rainbows – your…… Continue reading Rainbows

MWD Obituary

MWD, Christmas 1998.

Mary W. Dial (nee Wertenberger) Beloved wife of the late Robert J. Dial M.D., loving mother of Robert J., Jr. (Donna), Dorothy Schwartz (Abba), and Charles, dear grandmother of eight and great-grandmother of 10, sister of the late Carl Wertenberger. Passed away Sept. 1, 2000. Memorial contributions may be forwarded to Judson Park Retirement Community,…… Continue reading MWD Obituary

Santiago

1998 Christmas Photo of Mary W. Dial at Judson Retirement Center, Cleveland, OH

Events circa 1901-1906. Written 1985-1995. It was the 22nd of September, the first day of Spring of the first year of the twentieth century when I was born under the Southern Cross. This happened south of the equator in Santiago, Chile, where the seasons are reversed. My Methodist missionary parents had been sent to my first…… Continue reading Santiago

My Grandma

Himmelright House c. 2003 seen from across the road. It is located on SR 302 a few hundred feet west of where I-71 crosses SR 302. Its present (2003) owners are Amish. Almost all the identifying architectural features of this house have been destroyed by "improvements" such as vinyl siding. The front doorway had simple but stylish Early Republican features that recent "remuddlers", who fancied themselves to be remodelers, have destroyed. Photo credit: cedial.

Events circa 1906-1916. Written June 1995. Mary Fuhrman Himmelright was born around 18381 on a farm in Ashland County, Ohio, near the village of Redhaw. The county seat, Ashland, was eight miles away. Mary’s grandparents homesteaded the farm but were killed in the wilderness on their way to Pittsburgh to buy supplies. Her story of their…… Continue reading My Grandma

My Hometown

Berea College Chapel Tower

Events circa 1914-1926. Written January 1995. One morning in late August of 1914, I woke up in a new place, a new house, a new town, and a new state. Here I was, destined to spend most of the next two decades of my life. As I walked outside and looked around, I was delighted. So…… Continue reading My Hometown

McCoy Franklin

Berea College Chapel Tower

Events circa 1898-1980. Written November 1994. Meet McCoy Franklin, a Berea College senior, class of 1926, from Crossnore, NC. He was a tall, gangly, six-footer of the Lincoln type, handsome in a rugged way. A serious student, capable all-around athlete, orator, and casually outgoing with a tremendous sense of humor. He was always ready to tell…… Continue reading McCoy Franklin

Blue Roads

Charles E Dial, 2011, Copy Editor for The MWD Essays.

Events between 1818 and 1994. Written September 1994. Monday, July 18, 1994, was a most memorable day! My daughter and her husband took my fourteen-year-old granddaughter, Lacy, and me on a trip where I would revisit times gone by. Lacy would learn about some of her Ohio ancestors. We first visited Redhaw, Ohio, a small settlement…… Continue reading Blue Roads

The Porch

Wertenberger - Himmelright wedding, 1899. Himmelright family just before MWD’s mother and father were married. The women in the front row are Ada, Mellie, and their grandmother. The women in the back row are Dillie [the bride], her mother, and Alice. [Grandpa Fuhrman’s rocking chair, on the left side of the porch, is in my bedroom today (2023). CED ed.] Photo credit: Lloyd Sechrist, Sechrist family archives.

Events circa 1905-1914.  Written June 1994. During the late 1800s, architects in this part of the country designed front porches for homes that were ostentatious luxuries. The porches they built had ornately turned spindles in the banisters and fancily shaped pillars supporting the roof. There was always a narrow panel of gingerbread lacework in the…… Continue reading The Porch

Mississippi

Dilla Himmelright Wertenberger c.1953.

Events circa 1905-1913. Written May 1993 – January 1994. During the 1907-1911 period, the Methodist Home Mission Society employed my father and mother as “Home Missionaries” in the backwoods of Mississippi. Those woods were predominantly primeval pines — huge, tall trees with most of the growth up high. The forest floor was a thick carpet of…… Continue reading Mississippi

The Storm

Sunrise Bitmap by LAD, c.1996.

Event on July 4, 1969. Written April 1994 at Judson for The Scribblers. Clevelanders will always remember July 4, 1969. The day dawned hot, sultry, and foreboding. The air was so still it made the heat unbearable. Patriotic programs, parades, and fireworks were scheduled for every municipal park in the Greater Cleveland area, and the greatest… Continue reading The Storm

The Garden

Family dog Buttons. c. 1950.

Events circa 1937-1972. Written April 1994. In 1937, the Robert Dials moved, with Robert and Dolly, their two children, from the City of Cleveland to the Village of Fairview. Fairview lay just beyond Rocky River’s Lorain Avenue Bridge, offering an escape from the city to the country. It was quite a change for all of us.…… Continue reading The Garden

Springcrest Farm

Judy, Gladys, and John Sechrist at Sechrist farm c. 1948. Judy and Gladys are holding two leghorn hens. The hens were not very happy. Photo by Charles E Dial. Farm life in 1948 required long hours of hard work. When the workday was over the Sechrists found time to be a cohesive and happy family.

Events circa 1905-1979. Written February 1994. Springcrest Farm had been in the Sechrist family for generations, having John Quincy Adams’ signature on its deed. Its big, white 14-room farmhouse dominated the quadrangle of small buildings surrounding it, expanding from a pioneer colonial to meet the needs of later generations by adding an apartment on either side.…… Continue reading Springcrest Farm

The Wedding

Lorain Ave. Clinic Photo c. 1929

Event in 1935. Written April 1993. The excitement was at fever pitch in the Dial clan the day after we came home from our river trip. It was David’s wedding day! David was the family’s baby, a very special gentleman, and much loved by all. He was unspoiled, mild-mannered, gentle, and generous to a fault with…… Continue reading The Wedding

Emory Dial Family Early History

Emory Dial's photo, from Lorain Ave. Clinic waiting room.

Events circa 1890-1940. Written January 1993. In the early 1890’s Clara Partridge, age 18, left her comfortable home and family in South Bend, Indiana, to travel to far away Ohio to teach school. Her three sisters, Eloise, Charlotte, Frances, and brother Will hated to have her leave home. Clara’s father, whose medical training is somewhat of…… Continue reading Emory Dial Family Early History

Grandma’s Family Christmas Party

1998 Christmas Photo of Mary W. Dial at Judson Retirement Center, Cleveland, OH

Event in December 1991. Written January 19921. Christmas begins for me in July here at Judson. For seven years, I’ve gone to Debbie Malakar’s office and reserved the Rendezvous Room for the last Saturday evening before Christmas. In the first year, I provided dinner by the establishment for all, only to be told afterward that they…… Continue reading Grandma’s Family Christmas Party

Charley’s Pets

Family dog Buttons. c. 1950.

1 Events circa 1943-1963. Written January 1992. Two-year-old Charley and Skippy the dog sat in a corner of the kitchen swapping biscuits. Charles was eating the dog bone and Skippy the aseptic Arrowroot biscuit meant for the sterile diet of a baby. At that moment, I gave up sterilizing the bottles and utensils Charley used. Skippy,…… Continue reading Charley’s Pets

World War I

CH Wertenberger, probably precedes 1917.

Events circa 1917-1919. Unfinished draft written [date unknown]. The events that happened during the last two years of World War I affected my family ???, so they were burned in my memory. We were living in Berea, Ky., dominated by Berea College. All four of us were engaged in some college-managed activity — my father was…… Continue reading World War I

The River Trip

Mississippi River Cruise Trip Brochure-1935.

Event in 1935. Written September 1989. It was the Mark Twain Centennial Year when Robert and I took a memorable vacation. We started out in our fancy new blue Buick, armed with “Tom Sawyer” and “Huckleberry Finn,” which Robert read aloud as I drove toward the Mississippi River and Mark Twain country. We went through Nauvoo,…… Continue reading The River Trip

My Trip To My Class Reunion – Ex ’23

1998 Christmas Photo of Mary W. Dial at Judson Retirement Center, Cleveland, OH

Event circa 19331. Written September 1989. There was a brilliant full moon when I set off for my alma mater, Berea College in Berea, Kentucky. I had acquired Robert’s agreement that I deserved a brief vacation. My obligations as a wife, mother, and homemaker caused much toil preceding this departure. Bob, aged four and one half,…… Continue reading My Trip To My Class Reunion – Ex ’23

When A Distinguished Visitor Was Unwelcome!

Lorain Ave. Clinic Photo c. 1929

Event circa 1931. Written September 1989. Dr. Emory Dial’s Lorain Ave. Clinic’s second floor housed the clinic surgery, recovery room, X-ray, and doctors’ offices around one huge waiting room. It also held his own spacious two-bedroom apartment. The first floor was mostly commercial, with one optometrist occupying the space by the main Lorain Avenue entrance. The…… Continue reading When A Distinguished Visitor Was Unwelcome!

The Dial Family Apartment

Emory Dial's photo, from Lorain Ave. Clinic waiting room.

Event circa 1921. Written ????. It wasn’t the way it was supposed to be. My Prince Charming had invited me to see his home — meet his family. I had met his mother and father previously. They seemed friendly and warm. I approved of them. It was their home that surprised me and even shocked me.…… Continue reading The Dial Family Apartment

The Passport

Wertenberger - Himmelright wedding, 1899. Himmelright family just before MWD’s mother and father were married. The women in the front row are Ada, Mellie, and their grandmother. The women in the back row are Dillie [the bride], her mother, and Alice. [Grandpa Fuhrman’s rocking chair, on the left side of the porch, is in my bedroom today (2020). CED ed.] Photo credit: Lloyd Sechrist, Sechrist family archives.

September 1965 trip to Wayne and Ashland counties (Ohio) to locate birth and citizenship documents.