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Did you know that Annamoriah was named after a Indian woman named
Pocahontas Anna Mariah Dye? Susan Snider writes that the woman's descendant
told her
she was of Native American descent, once living in Marietta, Ohio.
Susan also says "Since I am a Shimer descendant, I
know that Freed community was once called Shimerstown, after an influential
citizen, George Washington Shimer."
The name was changed when the post office was put into effect in the early 1900's,
when a Mr. Freed was appointed to operate the post office.
Susan says "My Dad, Martin
Snider, son of Rev. Jacob Snider, was 10 years old when the "town" burned to the
ground in 1933."
She reports a faulty gas stove being lit by Elzy
Shimer caused the fire. "The blast blew him out the back door of his widowed
mother's house, Rebecca Polan-Shimer,
wife of G.W. Shimer."
"Dad still talks of how that fire
ravaged Freed, which was a considerable village at the time.
Several houses and
businesses burned and the citizens saved one dwelling near the creek. They
used buckets and watered down the house."
The village once had a post office, blacksmith shop, coal mine, physician's office,
law office, telegraph agency, hotel, general stores, wheelwright, flour mill, grain
and livestock dealer.
"The community was never to be the same again," she said.
Susan Snider submitted "A WOMAN'S CIVIL WAR STORY - Rebecca Christina Poland-Shimer
(03/08/2003)" under People, Humor and History.
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