Photos shed light on Poland's past

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By DENISE DICK

VINDICATOR STAFF WRITER

POLAND — A box of old photographs from a North Carolina woman is helping the Poland Township Historical Society piece together even more history.

About 18 months ago, Connie Coloutes, society president, was contacted by Dayle Midcalf, a Southern California resident, who was trying to trace her roots to Poland.

With help from others, both living in the area and outside it, Coloutes located Mary Jane Stewart McClurg.

"They're both Stewarts," Coloutes said of the two women.

McClurg is elderly, but her daughter, Mary Beth Collins, and Midcalf have begun corresponding with each other.

The Stewart family tree, also spelled Steuart for some, has deep roots in Poland.

Its branches stretch to other familiar names like Kirtland, the family credited with founding the town; Bishop; and Walker.

"It's a large family in Poland," Coloutes said.

Collins was cleaning her mother's home, found boxes of the old photographs and donated them to the historical society, Coloutes said.

Among them are photos of Stewarts, Walkers, Kirtlands and Bishops.

"We didn't have a picture of Dr. Della Walker before, and this is her," Coloutes said, holding up one of the finds.

Dr. Walker, of the family for whom Walker Mill Road is named because of a mill the family operated there, was a physician in Salem.

She worked as a doctor in the 1890s, and Coloutes acknowledges that as a female physician, Walker had to be a rarity at that time.

Founding family

She also points to a photo of Isabella Kirtland Bishop and her two sons, George and Fitch Bishop.

"We really prize anything about the Kirtlands because that's who founded Poland," Coloutes said.

Thomas Stewart, the earliest Stewart known to the historical society, was born in Scotland but left for Ireland because of religious persecution.

His son, Robert, came to America in 1765, settling in Tennessee. His wife and four children later moved to Huntington County, Pa.

Two of their sons, Alexander and William, settled in Trumbull County. Family members moved to Poland, Coitsville and æææ.

"They're really answering a lot of questions for us," Coloutes said of the photos and accompanying information.

She plans to arrange the newest additions to the society's collection in notebooks to be housed at the Little Red Schoolhouse on U.S. Route 224.

"We keep them here so that people can come and review them when they want to research their family history," she said.

Friday, July 20, 2007