Hank Nuwer

Thurman Livingston, 12, and his sister Florence, 8, were typical kids enjoying life on a farm northeast of Union City. On Aug. 30, 1936, around 10 a.m., they decided to build a fire in the woods near their home.

Experiencing an adventure in Nome, Alaska, across from mainland Russia, was on a bucket list for my wife Gosia and me.

This column is about an ordinary Jay County farmer who became a hero to many American farmers with marginal operations prior to World War II.

They were two of 11 children born to Forrest (1879-1957) and Nettie (1884-1964) Yoder. This is their story.

Four bandits sped into Farmland from the northwest at 1 p.m. on April 28, 1937, passing the plows and tractors of farmers who worked for their daily bread.

One of the most vicious murderers convicted of killing a victim in Randolph County invoked his constitutional right to an appeal in 2002.

Samuel Deeter was a character, one and all agreed. He once made his living as a carpenter in Darke County and Randolph County. When his wife Mary died, he lost all self-sufficiency.

The year 1949 saw the postponement of Union City’s celebration of its founding by Jeremiah Smith, and the cancellation of the Great Darke County Fair.

By HANK NUWER The year 1889 brought prosperous times to Winchester and Randolph County. It seemed as if the good times never would end.

Blackford County Sheriff Ira Barton was 49 when a photo of him with wide, hooded eyes appeared in a Muncie newspaper on Dec. 29, 1931. A headline read “Jailed!”