From NORTH BALTIMORE OHIO AREA HISTORICAL SOCIETY
The North Baltimore Ohio Area Historical Society will welcome author, local historian, and North Baltimore native Tom Boltz on Saturday, Oct. 18, at 2:30 p.m.
Boltz will discuss his maternal grandmother’s memoir of her life as a farm wife in Wood County during the first half of the 20th century. Ruth Perry Chase originally titled her manuscript “Revolution on the Rural Route.” In it, she records the drastic changes in farming methods, animal husbandry, food preparation, and rural social life, primarily due to a surge in mechanization, over that 50-year period.
By the 1960s, these changes had encouraged farmers to switch from diversified, mostly self-sufficient “family farms” to cultivating vast fields of grain and soybeans for commercial sale. They also significantly reduced labor-intensive work traditionally done by farm wives and increased their personal freedom, allowing many to seek paid work outside the home.
However, the advent of industrial-scale farming also brought a deterioration in the sense of neighborhood community. There was a radical decline in the number of farmers and a drastic increase in the number of absentee landlords.
Ruth Chase’s memoir describes the evolution of rural women’s lives during this “revolutionary” period. She appreciated the significant benefits brought about by farm mechanization, but she also recognized the downside.
Following the presentation, books will be for sale by the historical society. Refreshments will be served. The North Baltimore Historical Society will be open on Saturday, Oct. 18, from 2 – 5 p.m., for the public to look around before and after the talk.
About the Author
Tom Boltz’s roots in Northwest Ohio go back to the 1830s, when his ancestors first settled in Wood County. He grew up in North Baltimore, but left the area upon entering active military service in 1966.
Boltz is a graduate of Bowling Green State University, with a master’s degree in history. Over the years, he has been active in the Wood County Historical Society, the Wood County Genealogical Society, and the North Baltimore Area Historical Society. Boltz has written articles, booklets, and books on North Baltimore and Wood County history, including “North Baltimore and Its Neighbors,” published in 2009. He and his wife currently live in Springfield, Virginia.
