Knox County - There a "Turkey in the Straw"! For Grandpa Disney

William Fidler

I’ve added Knox County to the list, not because our ancestors pioneered there, but because Grandpa Disney’s ancestors were farming there. I planned this blog post as a nice birthday present for him, but I’ve missed it by one day. Yes, he is my step-father. He has been in my life since I was four – a very long time – long enough to add nurturing influence on the flip side of nature. There are similarities in our families.  Some of his family was Quaker like ours. Some of them lived in Maryland, Ohio, and Iowa like ours. He may be more closely related, in a genetic sense, to Walt Disney, but going back to England and before that to the Normans he shares direct line ancestors on our massive family tree – and in great numbers, which in a twisted way makes us related to old Walt, as well (without the Disney money, of course). J

Jane Anne Murphy

I’m past the halfway point in the county journey. Inevitably they are all Ohio counties and therefore have a similar history. Some of them have similar geography. You can count on snow in the winter in all of them. There is farming almost everywhere. As similar as the counties are they all have a unique character and something special and of value to offer.  

What about famous people? Well, Johnny Appleseed (YouTube video) lived in Knox before moving on to plant trees in Indiana. Here’s one you might know. Luke Perry graduated from high school in Knox County. The county is mostly rural with a few very nice middle-American villages and towns. The history was pretty familiar – a few ancient mounds – Indians on the warpath – when looking for early settlers the faint of heart need not apply. There was the same kind of growth – the mill, the bank, the school, the church. I was beginning to despair in finding anything unique to write about. And then. .

Knox County captured my heart.
[Note: the website I originally had in this place disappeared.] Here is one from the Knox County Chamber of Commerce. http://www.knoxchamber.com/
And then. . . I found this website: http://www.visitknoxohio.org/   The site is chock full of information but the best things are the series of videos you’ll find in the center of the page. 

Now, about the videos: A rails to trails project is on-going in Ohio to take the old railroad bed trail from the Ohio River near Cincinnati diagonally across the state to Lake Erie. Knox County has been proactive in completing their several sections of the trail and you may want to check out a video or two on the trails. Don’t miss the video on the Tree Frog Canopy Tours – the zip-lining looks like great fun. Another is the one on Knox County’s most famous son. You may never have heard of him but you certainly should know his songs!  Don’t miss the video “The Life and Times of Dan Emmett.” We had a great grandfather who played the violin and fiddled at barn dances and he no doubt played some of Emmett’s songs. The next video on the list made me smile – it is dorky and cute and a lot of fun – a flash mob at the street fair at Mt. Vernon to “We Built This City on Rock and Roll.”  There is also a video on the Mohican Pow Wow.

Knox is another of Ohio’s counties I’d love to visit. The list is getting long – I’d better start planning a road trip!      

Johnny Appleseed
Wikipedia

Happy Birthday, Dad! [Note: Dad Disney passed May 10, 2016. I hope he's out there planting seedlings with Johnny Appleseed. He would love that!]