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Pix #1 - A historical document from Civil War days changed hands recently when Wilbur J. Shultz, far right, its owner, turned it over to Mayor Ken Beier, far left, who in turn presented it to Thomas A. Smith, center, curator, manuscripts, Rutherford B. Hayes Presidential Center, Fremont.

An offical (original) document, dating back to 1863, written by Col. Rutherford B. Hayes, when he was Commander of Camp White, Charleston, W.VA., has been in the possession of Wilbur J. Shultz, 218 Bannister St., for approximately 30 years but was turned over to the Rutherford B. Hayes Presidential Center recently.

It was on Dec. 5, 1863, that Commander Hayes sent a formal inquiry to... Officer Commanding General of Prisoners, Washington, D.C., inquiring about C.R. Hausford, a soldier in Co. H. 1st Cs., Rebel Regiment, Kemper's Brigade, Pickett's Division, Lee's Army. Hausford has been wounded and fell into the hands of soldiers of the North at Gettysburg. Relatives of the Southern Soldier wished to know what had become of him...if he were dead or alive.

A reply, dated Dec. 17, 1863, from the Officer Commanding General of Prisoners, Washington, D.C., read "C.R. Hausford, Co. H. Va., Rebel Regiment, does not appear on the record of this office as prisoner of war. Respectfully returned to Co. R.B. Hayes, Camp White, W. Va., (Signed) William Coffman, Commanding General of Prisoners."

Whether C.R. Hausford ever reached home and relatives is unknown. He was probably one of many on both sides of that conflict who was never accounted for.

How Shultz came into possession of the old document is another story.

Thirty or more years ago, Shultz, on various occasions visited an elderly man in Crile Hospital, Cleveland, who at age 11 was a flag bearer in the Union Army. The man at that time was 90 years old and near death. He gave Shultz the old letter which Col. Hayes had originally written, in his attempt to locate C.R. Hausford, with the reply penned at the bottom from Washington. How the old gentleman became possessor of the document is unknown.

According to Shultz, various sums of money, as much as $5,000 had been offered him for the document, but he declined to part with it for sentimental reasons, and geeling it was not something that should be sold for profit.

About three years ago, Shultz had the document encased in plastic to preserve it from deterioration.

Shultz, a veteran of World War II, and not getting any younger, decided recently that the valuable old document should be turned over to an organization where it would be cataloged and preserved forever.

Since Rutherford B. Hayes, originator of the document, and who later became president of the United States, lived in Fremont, and since the Rutherford B. Hayes Presidential Center there contains all kinds of historical materials, Shultz decided that is where the document should be lodged.

On May 7 the document was turned over to its new owners and accepted by Thomas A. Smith, curator of manuscripts. At that time Shultz said: "the old document was really a political document, and that is why I wanted Mayor Ken Beier to present it to its new owners.

READER FEEDBACK: PATSY FOOTE ARTICLES HELPFUL TO READERS

Apparently Potluck is productive in addition to providing pastime reading.

Royetta Kirian, Westhaven Drive, saw the name of Dick Lapidos in one of the articles. He was a member of Kirian's graduating class and they had been searching for his address to let him know about their class reunions. No one knew where he was located, but Patsy knew that he was at one time with RCA in New Jersey.

In a letter to me from Patsy, telling how to locate Lapidos, when she heard the name Kirian she recalled Frankie, husband of Royetta. Patsy remembered that Frankie was a very popular FHS student back during school days.

MRS. JIM GUERNSEY GETS HELP ON GENEALOGY

Mrs. Guernsey has been working on her family genealogy, but unable to discover some needed information. One of Mrs. Guernsey's ancestors was Harriet Beecher Stowe.

When Mrs. Guernsey read one of the Potluck articles about Patsy (Walsh) Foote, she discovered that Stowe was also an ancestor of the Footes. Putting the two families together by correspondence has resulted in Patsy sending Mrs. Guernsey a bound book of the Foote genealogy which may help Guernsey to fill in the missing gaps on hers.

HISTORICAL PHOTOS FOR FOSTORIA MUSEUM

Two photos, provided by Don Kinnaman, and used in Potluck will soon find a spot on the wall at the Fostoria Historical Society Museum. One photo is of the TF&F interurban on the bridge at Pemberville. The other is the old LE&W steam engine number 92...a real "oldie". Both photographs are being enlarged by Gray Printing Company, to let the younger generation know about the past.

FEEDBACK: MORE ABOUT OBITUARY MARIAN R. EMERINE

The obituary about Emerine, was published in The Review Times April 17. I was out of town and did not learn of her death, or see the obituary until later.

After my return, Mr. and Mrs. W. DeWolfe, Toledo, and Robert Emerine, a brother of Marian stopped at my home to visit briefly.

Prior to Marian Emerine's death, she was one of three of the Emerine family still living. Now there are two...her brother, Robert, Chicago, and W. DeWolfe, Toledo, the latter mentioned in an article in The Review Times 125th anniversary edition.

At my home, DeWole and Emerine recalled the time they had spent at the Emerine homestead at 935 N. Main Street, when they were children. "There's only two of us left now", they remarked.

The home at 935 N. Main St. was built by Alonzo Emerine Sr. in 1895 and is now known as Green Manor. It provides apartment suites. See Potluck article Aug. 26, 1982, about the family and the house.

During our visit, the out-of-towners recalled the glass manufacturing days in Fostoria; also Bill Ellis, the tailor, a highly rated basketball player and coach, having one or more national championships. He is still remembered by many Fostorians, and his skill in that sport woreoff on younger players in this town and resulted in excellent scholastic teams.

Buried on the Emerine plot at Fountain Cemetery are 11 members of that family. They are Alonzo Sr., Alonzo Jr., Eva C. Lyle, Evelyn, Edna, Bess, Frank, Catherine (Emerine) Rice and husband Frank, and Marian the latest to be interred there.

The Emerine plot is located in the circle in the original past at the extreme west portion. Other Emerines are buried elsewhere, including Andrew (Andy) who was president of the First National Bank in Fostoria for many years.

Many fine houses still exist in Fostoria which were built by the Emerines for their own residences.

I hope to put together a complete story about the Emerine family sometime in the future.