Dear Mr. Helriggle

I promised you I would send you...the information I had on your farm home that was once in my family. I decided the easiest thing for me to do is to send you the first rough copy, first four pages of the family history I've written. It has been copied from two old Logan County histories I have but I'm certain the Bellefontaine library has stories - probably won't circulate them. My comments are in parenthesis.

I. History of Logan County and Ohio
Written and Published October 1880 by 0. L. Baskin & Co.
Historical Publishers, Chicago, IL

II. The History of Champaign and Logan Counties
By Joshua Antrim (an early settler and grandfather of an elderly lady in Middleburg Mrs. Elmer Heath (Irma Antrim Heath)
Printed, Bellefontaine, Ohio 1872.

Moses Euans was my first forefather to come to Logan County and his grandson married my grandmother, who was a Cochran. OK, now I'll add the following:

Lucius Cochran was the brother of my grandmother, Helen Lavilla Cochran Euans. He also was the brother of Emma Cochran Raley (Mrs. James) who built the house you live in 1903. Another sister, Mary Cochran Heath lived in two different houses in town.

Lucius' two brothers were George Cochran and a bachelor brother Cyrus lived with my grandmother. They were the children of Robert and Nancy Cochran who moved to Middleburg in 1845.

Lucius Cochran became a multimillionaire in the steel industry & other businesses in Youngstown, Ohio. He was president of several steel companies, and a friend of President McKinley. I'm told that a bust of Lucius Cochran is in the McKinley Memorial in Niles, Ohio.

According to the Logan County History, Lucious owned the farm; when he bought it, I don't know-your abstract would give the date.

I suppose he bought the farm and moved his parents to the Log House. I know his 2 brothers and 1 brother-in-law farmed it. My grandmother was a widow as was her sister Mary Heath, but I'm positive my grandmother's home and the pasture west of her house was in her name when she died in 1924 (the house burned down in the 30's, I think).
 

I'm also sending you a Xerox copy of Emma & James Raley's 50th anniversary celebration, which was held in the house you live in. A reprint of the 50th & 60th Anniversaries of her parents was printed in the Bellefontaine Examiner Fri. Sept 20, 1918, along with hers. I made a collage of old pictures and am sending you the 2 of log house & your home sorry, I wanted the picture that covered the barn! I had to have my pictures Xeroxed because it was going to cost me over 150 dollars for negatives and prints.

My other grandparents by name of Marquis (my maiden name) lived in Middleburg & my grandfather remodeled their home from a 2 story schoolhouse in the early 20's. I think where my parents went to school. I don't how much of this you are interested in, but I'm certain it gives you some story of your home's history.

After Aunt Emma Raley died in 1922- James in 1921, I really am not positive who lived there when-or who legally owned it. I think George Heath lived there for a while (as I remember my mother saying the Raley's raised him) but I do know the Elmer and Irma Heath Family (Ronnie Heath's family) lived there for a number of years. George and Elmer Heath were brothers.

My sister was sorry to have missed you, but appreciated the opportunity to look around-she is 6 years older than I and recalls playing there in the old log house. She said they played "settlers and Indians" and used the openings made for the muskets in their play. she drew the town map from her memory-that was 65 years ago. She said when she saw the milk house, it was so much smaller than she remembered it. Her son reminded her that the building was the same size, she just got larger!

I was born in 1915 and played and visited the house before 1924, the year my grandmother died, and a few times in later years at family reunions. Good luck in restoring the home.

Sincerely,
Mrs. Thomas (Majorie) L. Gould