Bristol man’s love of history started with great-grandfather’s service in Civil War

BRISTOL -- Wendell Lauth's family emigrated from Germany in the 1800s, and his great-grandfather was in the Civil War, which could explain his lifelong love of history.

Lauth was born in Southington on Aug. 11, 1931, and the family moved to Bristolville by the time he was 5. He has one sister, Shirley Downs, three nephews and a niece, Debbie Daugherty.

Lauth graduated from Bristolville with straight A's and was the valedictorian in a class of 19.

"My grandfather was a glassblower in Pittsburgh. He retired and the family moved to Ohio where he began working with photography and glass frames. This is probably what sparked my interest in photography. After I graduated from Bristol, I bought a 35 mm camera and began taking pictures everywhere we went. I worked on both the high school and college paper, 'The Case,'" Lauth said.

Lauth grew up on a farm. His family was very active in the grange, an organization that worked together supporting families in the farming community. At one point, his parents were Ohio State grange deputies. One of the biggest accomplishments of the grange was getting rural mail delivered. His grandmother was a grange chaplain, and the granges are built on degrees much like other lodges.

In June of 1953, Lauth graduated with a Bacehlor of Science in chemistry from Case Western Reserve University.

"I was drafted for the Korean War in September. I went to school in the Army to be a quarter master. I did my basic training at Fort Knox and was stationed at Louisiana Camp Culp. When it closed, we moved all of the equipment to Fort Riley," he said.

When Lauth got out of the service in 1955, he took summer classes at Kent State to prepare for teaching in the fall because he said he thought he needed more training.

When school began that fall, Lauth began teaching math and chemistry.

He continued his own schooling and earned a master's in education administration in 1960. Lauth was the superintendent in Bristolville from 1961 to 1966 and then spent the next four years working in the placement office at Ohio State while working on his doctorate.

"I have an ABD (all but dissertation)," Lauth explained.

Lauth was hired in 1970 as a superintendent for Girard City Schools and retired in 1976.

Since retiring from working in education, Lauth has followed his research and presentation interests.

"One of the reasons I've always been interested is because of Abraham Lincoln and his involvement in ending slavery in America," he said.

One way he began sharing his knowledge of history was with his multimedia presentations in the 1970s, beginning in schools and with women's groups.

Lauth accompanied the Packard Band at the Packard Music Hall Christmas concerts for 25 years with his multimedia / slide presentations. He also accompanied them for the children's programs introducing children to the different musical instruments.

Lauth was president of the Trumbull County Historical Society for at least two years during the time they were changing locations. He was one of the founding trustees of the National Packard Museum and served as president.

During his teaching, Lauth was part of the Northeast Ohio Teaching Association and was involved with organizing workshops and events for the in-service days. He was a trustee for the Ohio Historical Society in Columbus, and wrote articles on President William McKinley for a series in this newspaper.

He is president of the Bristol Historical Society and secretary / treasurer of the Bristol Township Memorial Association Society (one of its acts was putting the flags by all of veterans' graves).

"Bristol has the second oldest GAR (Grand Army of Republic), and oldest civil war monument in the town park," Lauth said.

Lauth has been a significant asset in the teaching and preservation of Trumbull County's history.

"I was consultant to the architect for the restoration of the Trumbull county Courthouse," he said.

In 2001, he gave a slide presentation on the Packard family at the Warren-Trumbull County Public Library.

Lauth researched and selected the informational content for the exhibit "Nurturing Pathways to Freedom" at the Warren-Trumbull County Public Library, which also houses the Sutliff Museum. He submitted a photo of a house used in the Underground Railroad to the Library of Congress digital library.

Lauth spoke at the 150th Civil War anniversary celebration at the Warren-Trumbull County Public Library and last fall, he spoke at a cemetery walk beginning at the McKinley Memorial Library in Niles on the history of past residents who lost their lives in pivotal wars. Lauth co-authored "Fragments of History of Newton Falls and Newton Township" and was a contributor to "Girard History."