Lewis
Mortimer Culp
(1866-1953)
Lewis
Mortimer Culp was born on March 26, 1866 in Tarlton, Pickaway County, OH, the son of Charles
W. and Matilda (Miner) Culp. He
was one of the first men in eastern Ohio to operate electric coal cutting
technology.
Lewis is seen here holding great-grandson David Culp, and with his son Vere on the porch swing.
On March 22, 1890, Lewis married Altoona Gracie Jennie Dunn (1865-1938). Her nickname was 'Tune.' They had three children -- Vere Dunn Culp, Charles William 'Dutch' Culp and Mignon Louise Fisher.
In
1900, Lewis and Tune lived in the village of Roseville, Perry County, OH. The
town is seen here in a rare old postcard photograph from around the turn
of the century. According to a memoir by grandson Robert L. Culp, Lewis:
…was a coal miner, railroad switch man, tinsmith, plumber and roofer. His house on Main Street in Roseville was one of the first to have an inside bathroom. It was seldom used, as both he and Tune preferred the "outhouse." He was the first man in eastern Ohio to be trained to use the electric coal mine digging equipment. He worked in several of the mines around Roseville. He later quit mining because he felt that the electric equipment was unfair and took work from miners. He also became fearful when striking miners set fire to a number of mines. At one time he was a partner of Ernest Duval in the plumbing and roofing business. He sold out to Duval about 1920, but continued to work for him.
|
| Lewis with Tune, admiring her flowers |
The Perry County Tribune said that Lewis resided in Roseville for 70 years and was a member of the Tarlton Presbyterian Church. He retired from plumbing in 1943, a decade before his death. Lewis died at age 86 on Feb. 12, 1953, and is buried in the old cemetery at Roseville.
Son
Charles Culp ( ? -1939) married Daisy Charlotte Lowry, whose parents owned the C.W. Lowry
Pottery in Roseville, the last pottery in eastern Ohio to make old-style
cookware. Charles and Daisy took over the pottery after her father
died, in the early 1930s, and the brand name of their products was "Star"
(in the center) and "Fire Clay - Acid Proof"
(around the edge). Charles'
son in law Odie Kildow made molds for the pottery.
There was another Star pottery in Crooksville but there was no family
connection. Charles is seen here with his grandmother, Matilda
(Miner) Culp.
Tragedy
struck in late December 1939 when Charles, age 46, died after "his car was
hit by a truck on Main Street in Roseville." The pottery burned in the 1940s, effectively putting it out of business.
Several examples of the Lowry stoneware later were donated to the Ohio
Ceramic Center in Crooksville, OH.
Son Vere was a veteran of World War I, and worked for the Columbus Transit System for more than four decades, retiring in 1959.
Grandson Robert L. Culp was a retired educator who taught for 30 years in Wapakoneta, OH and Monrovia, CA. While in Monrovia, he worked with a distant cousin in the school district -- Orlan Lloyd Miner. In 2000, Bob attended the national Minerd-Miner-Minor Reunion, and received the award for the furthest-traveled cousin. His research has helped us understand this branch tremendously, and we seek to honor his memory with this webpage.
Grandson David Culp served as a career Navy man, and his wife Tenny was a county clerk in Albuquerque, NM.
Copyright © 2000, 2002, 2008 Mark A. Miner