What's in a Name?
What's In A Name?
by Janet Hoffman Metzger, Local History Librarian
In a small community like ours, families often can trace their beginnings back many generations and certain family names thread their way through the years. Anyone who has lived in Louisville or Nimishillen Township for even a short amount of time has heard the names Lautzenheiser, Haidet, Pontius and Zwick. Who hasn't been on Gorgas Street* or driven by the Juilliard Senior Center?** All of these families have been prominent and productive members of our community.
You can discover some of the history behind these names while paging through local history tomes such as John Danner's Old Landmarks of Canton and Stark County, Ohio (1904) or William Henry Perrin's History of Stark County (1881). You can read Ken Smith's book Louisville, the Way it Was, 1834-1990 or peruse through the publications done for Louisville's centennial (1934), centi-silverama (1959) or sesqui-centennial (1984).
But... you can also explore their lives by reading what their obituaries have to say about them. Sometimes, the listings are short and to-the-point with only minimal information provided. However, many provide tantalizing tidbits into the exciting exploits and adventures these people lived through. For example:
Dr. Louis S. Vinez was a true Renaissance man. He practiced dentistry for 44 years and also operated an insurance agency. He served two terms as mayor of Louisville. He was also an accomplished pianist and served as organist at St. Louis Catholic Church for 20 years. Dr. Vinez became dear to my heart when I read that he was president of the Louisville Library Association until his health failed. He was “known for his keen mind and ready wit” and “was popular as an after dinner speaker at banquets and gatherings in Louisville and nearby towns.” (obit. 18 JAN 1945)
Augustus Vignos (obit. 29 JUL 1926) became an industrial leader in Canton as a manufacturer of pocket knives and with his involvement in the American Mine Door Company. He was a close friend of William McKinley, who helped him receive his appointment as Canton Postmaster. Both had served in the Civil War and I imagine “Major” McKinley and “Major” Vignos surely swapped war stories. Augustus had quite a story to tell about how he had his right arm shot and crushed by a cannon ball on the first day's battle at Gettysburg. The arm had to be amputated and Vignos was not expected to survive his wound. (Lehman-A Standard History of Stark County, Ohio Vol. II, p. 664)
Want to track down a Herald obituary? Check out our website at http://www.louisvillelibrary.org/localhistory. The Herald began in 1887 and all obits within its pages are indexed on our website. Imagine what other interesting stories you'll discover!
*Gorgas St. was named for Solomon Gorgas (1814-1898), 1st Louisville Postmaster in 1837. Solomon's nephew, sanitation expert William Crawford Gorgas (1854-1920), helped make the Panama Canal possible by destroying mosquitoes that carried yellow fever and malaria.
**The Juilliard Senior Center was once the home of Charles Juilliard, whose brother, Augustus, was responsible for the establishment of the Juilliard School of Music in New York City. Charles made his money in the California gold fields. Although Augustus did not live in Louisville, he grew up in nearby Washington Township.
