THE EARLY BIRD NEWSPAPER
www.bluebagmedia.com
SUNDAY, SEPTEMBER 28, 2014
Assault victim gives health update GREENVILLE – The community has been asking how Glen Frick is getting along since the robbery and assault that occurred, at his home business, Frick’s Sales; 5740 Jaysville St. Johns Road, Greenville, on Aug. 25. Glen and Shirley Frick provided the following update. Glen was in Miami Valley Hospital for three days. He had reconstructive surgery on his lower jaw and three other major bones around his left eye. As of Sept. 25, his jaw is still wired shut and will be for another one to two weeks yet. Glen’s progress has been slow but is continuing on the upward swing of feeling better with much needed rest. He does have his shop open, waiting on customers and doing some light repair. Because he still does have doctor appointments, the shop might be closed off and on to take care of those needs. The customer might want to call before coming to make sure Glen is there. Words can hardly express our deep appreciation for the effectual fervent prayers of the community, being sent heavenward over the past few weeks on Glen’s behalf. We feel blessed that our
Almighty God has spared Glen’s life and that he can be an asset to the Greenville community and surrounding areas to those in need. We appreciate the flooding of cards, notes, letters, “gifts of Love”, offers to help and the encouragement along the way. Through it all we learned the value of patience and also that God only gives us One Day at a Time. We live today and don’t have the promise of tomorrow, so make the best of today! Glen says, “I didn’t know how much support we really had from the community until something like this happened!” We want to say a big thank you again to those who came in and mowed and trimmed our grass; to those who just sat on the porch or at our breakfast table and chatted with Glen to help pass the hours, when he was so tired; to those who gave discounted rates when finding out that our out-of-state visitors needed a place to stay for the night while paying us a weekend visit and also to the company who took up a donation, from their employees, on our behalf. God is good! We feel blessed and may His Name be honored each and every day!
Pictured is Todd Vanatta enjoying a cook-out.
‘Tee Up Fore Todd’ benefits local man’s recovery DARKE COUNTY – Todd Vanatta suffered a traumatic incident leading to a brain injury and stroke on July 24. He has made it through the first tough phase and is now at Drake Hospital, a long term acute care hospital in Cincinnati. You may remember Todd as your plumber from Economy Maintenance Service or as the owner of Smoke Stack BBQ at Tractor Supply. He and his wife, Shannon, need your prayers and support….It will be a long rehabilitation road back, but Todd is tough and his loved ones know he will make it through. Todd’s friends have started a fundraising campaign to help Todd and Shannon with expenses and is currently organizing a golf out-
ing. Tee up FORE Todd will be Oct. 18 at Turtle Creek Golf Course with registration at 9 a.m. and Shot gun start at 10. All proceeds from this outing will be donated to Todd and Shannon. Registrations are currently being accepted for men, women and students, individuals or a team. Registration fees are $45 per player or $ 180 for a four man team. They are also looking for hole and tee sponsors and donations for a silent auction. Lunch will be provided. You can download the registration form from their Facebook page: https://www.facebook. com/teeupforetodd. Donations and gift items donations are greatly appreciated; contact Kathy or Rick Beam at 4597864 or 459-8950.
Tenth Avenue North had most of those watching singing along with some of their big hits. (Clinton Randall photo)
Plumb struck a chord with many of those attending the Illumination Festival. (Clinton Randall photo)
Nearly 2000 attend Illumination Festival
GREENVILLE – From the opening of the Illumination RYAN BERRY Festival on Managing Editor Sept. 20 bluebagmedia.com with the Day One event, visitors to the eighth annual event could sense this year was going to be special. In addition to a worship service, youth were treated new activities, including a zip line and a high ropes course. The committee was pleased to offer more activities on the midway this year. Persons getting to the fairgrounds early could hear the bands doing their sound checks while they enjoyed laser tag, inflatables, rock climbing wall and the Bully Bus. Some visitors
spent the afternoon taking in music from local and regional bands in the Illumination Coffee House. Shortly after 4 p.m., the gates opened and nearly 2,000 contemporary Christian music fans began filing into the Grandstand to hear music from David Dunn, Rhett Walker Band, Plumb, Britt Nicole and Tenth Avenue North. Organizers were thrilled with the turnout and have heard many positive comments, including: “It was the best there ever was! Plumb is my role model.” “They just keep getting better. Great talent with humble hearts; God was certainly honored tonight!” “First Timer....and
Britt Nicole brought her high energy show, complete with dancers, to the Darke County Fairgrounds. (Clinton Randall photo)
already can’t wait until next year! What a wonderful and uplifting evening! Thanks to all!” The committee also received some testimonies of how people’s lives
were changed. The Illumination Festival Committee has already begun working on the ninth annual event expected to take place in September 2015.
Longtown founder descendent proud of his ancestry GREENVILLE – The story begins as C o n n o r Keiser, a BOB ROBINSON child, reAssociate Editor members bluebagmedia.com his grandmother watching for stories about Longtown. “She was a Clemens. She would clip them out and give them to me… she never said anything,” he said, “but I put two and two together and now I’ve proven it.” He’s proven he’s the fifth generation grandson of James Clemens, the free “Person of Color” who, along with his wife Sophia, founded Longtown, Ohio. “My grandfather (fifth generation) was the first free black man to buy land in this county… 1821. That was James Clemens.” He came to Ohio with Adam Sellers, Rockingham County, Va., who was believed to be a slave owner. Sellers settled in Warren County but stopped first in Darke County to free his slaves. “We don’t know for sure if he (grandfather) was a slave, or a free-male slave… I’m not sure I understand the
Police Beat .................pg. 3
Obituaries ...................pg. 8
On Your Mind .............pg. 5
Church/Social ............pg. 9
Ryan’s World ..............pg. 5
Sports .................. pg. 23-24
difference.” Keiser has been in contact with Sellers’ fifth generation grandson, Michael Sellers. “I’ve been looking for him for a long time. He put a post online, wanting to know about my grandfather. We’ve been sending emails back and forth ever since.” Keiser, a 2011 Versailles High School graduate and Edison Community College student, said he’s been on his search for two or three years. “It consumes me anymore,” he added. Proving the lineage with Clemens was only the beginning. “I’m satisfied I’ve proved it,” Keiser said, “but I know there’s more.” There was a Burden in Longtown… “The father of all Burdens, he had 13 children. I believe he’s a great grandfather also.” There was also a Reuben Bass from North Carolina, who may also be a great grandfather. Keiser said he took a DNA test recently. “Ten percent of my DNA is African,” he said. “I’m proud of my ancestry… in fact I share that with everyone, whether they want to hear it or not.”
“This search has become a passion. It consumes me.”
Connor Keiser has traced his roots to James Clemens, the Founding Father of Longtown. Clemens was the first free black man to purchase land in Darke County. (Bob Robinson photo)
Keiser said as late as the 1940’s over 500 persons lived in Longtown, most of them descendants of the early 19th century settlers. He showed several Land Patents (“He had a lot of properties.”), but noted the first one, signed by President James Monroe on March 23, 1821. This and the other patents were made to James Clemens, a Person of Color. The Patents noted Longtown was in German Twp. Following WWI it was renamed Liberty Twp. “There are no records I’m aware of where any free black man before my great grandfather owned
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land in Darke County. If anyone knows of anyone else, they can prove it.” He said it was “neat” because all of our families are related from Longtown. “I constantly run into people… they say their father is Clemens, or Burden or Bass…” Keiser said his family is nominated into the Pioneer Families of Darke County. He goes to Longtown once a month to attend meetings of the Union Literary Institute Preservation Society where he’s a member. He added their goal is to save “what is left” of Longtown and its history.