Think I Need A Dayton Contact (Columbus, Cincinnati: apartment, houses, taxi)

[CarpathianPeasant]

Anyone want to befriend an 80-some-year-old refugee from Dayton sitting on the south bank of the Ohio river across from Cincinnati?

I haven't been out of the apartment building, except to occupy a hospital bed, for about four years -- can't walk anymore. The best I can do is ride around on a mobility scooter which doesn't go very far. It's not impossible to go somewhere. Both taxi and public transportation can get me somewhere (even Dayton), it's just that it's so complicated and such a big production that even if I won the lottery I'd look for an agent.

I've got three friends (no reliable kinfolk) that are _now_ more or less as bad off as me. One's in Louisville. One's on oxygen about 70 miles east in the foothills of the mountains. One''s in Celina, and while that's only about 60 some miles from Dayton, it's 135 or so miles from me.

Among the concerns:

Seventeen years ago (2001, while still able-bodied) I started a website with the idea of it being a reference to/for Aviation Trail. The Wright Brothers didn't live in a vacuum. People lived in the houses around them. The names of many of those people are listed in the City Directories of the time. The state historical society has them. Big libraries (both Dayton and Cincinnati) have them. They're just not listed online with maybe some personal family notes. (Based on suggestions from someone, I also took apart the eleven sort of generalized historical pages that were done, notes for which have been sitting in Newport for about five years.)

That's _one_ concern.

If anyone even knows anyone....

[bigdipper80]

This is actually up my alley seeing as I've been trying to figure out who used to live in my house a couple blocks away from #7 Hawthorne, but my searches at the library have been mostly fruitless. I think my house got re-numbered at one point and the Dayton library is missing some earlier directories. Maybe the rangers at the National Park have access to some additional resources?

[CarpathianPeasant]

If you have any kind of a name, the state historical society (in Columbus) can look up the name. Or at least they did one I turned in.

I didn't get to get a good look at the microfiche (?-sp) copies in Cincinnati before I had to leave, but I understand something like the 1900 City Directory is not listed by street. Later ones are. The early ones just had a name and address and someone has to go down the list looking for streets.

You could find a later book with street listings and try whatever name is there in an earlier book. While that may not give you what you want, it's worth a try.

Now, getting back to me.... If you want to help with my "masterpiece" (or anything else) let me know.

[bigdipper80]

I don't know if I have much time right now to get really in depth and down in the weeds, but if you ever need someone to check something out for you in Dayton or are looking for any contacts, let me know and I'll see if I can unearth anything.

[CarpathianPeasant]

Originally Posted by bigdipper80

I don't know if I have much time right now to get really in depth and down in the weeds, but if you ever need someone to check something out for you in Dayton or are looking for any contacts, let me know and I'll see if I can unearth anything.

Dozens of times I have pulled out an ATI travel brochure and handed it to someone. They immediately pop up with "Oh, I've been to the Air Force Museum." Well, God love the Air Force Museum, but that ain't it. Locally I have found two pilots and a kid supposedly interested in aviation, and none of them want to do anything on it. I've even offered money for an hour a week. It's not a part of "this" world.

And, more here, later.