A Sylvania Family's Tragedy

About the Book

Everything in this book is true! This is an event that happened on June 1st, of 1935, and everyone that was involved is gone today. For almost 90 years now the family has asked the question, how could this happen to such a sweet and innocent woman, living in what has always been known as a very safe place to live? Her life on earth was short, and even her family never really knew her full story. She was adopted at birth. She found out she was adopted as a young teenager after her adopted mother took her to see a woman at the Toledo State Hospital. She was first described as her aunt, and then she was told the truth, that it was her real mother. She marries at 16 years old, with her adopted mother giving the consent. She and her husband live an ordinary life, in the rural community known as Sylvania Township in Lucas County, Ohio, with all the struggles that the Depression years brought. They had ten children, and after her husband passed away she had to take a night job to eek out a living. That job required her to walk approximately four and a half miles to and from work. One night she didn’t make it home. The county sheriff, coroner and prosecutor all agreed it wasn’t an accident, and that’s when the investigation began. Who did this to this sweet woman who was needed so badly at home? Will we ever find out the truth?

About the Author

GAYLEEN E. GINDY is a free-lance writer and author from Sylvania, Ohio, and for many years has also been known as Gaye E. Gindy. She has been researching the history of the Sylvania community for over 40 years. She was employed for 33 years with the public entities of Sylvania Township and the City of Sylvania, working in the services of the Sylvania Township Fire Department, Administration offices of Sylvania Township and then the City of Sylvania Police Division. She wrote a weekly history column for the local newspaper, the Sylvania Herald, for five years titled “Sylvania As It Was,” and has had history articles appear in: The Bend of the River, Lee Raizk, Publisher, The magazine of the historic Maumee Valley; Fort Industry Reflections, published by the Lucas County Chapter OGS; Sylvania AdVantage, publisher Sharon Lange and Suzanna Crawford; Sylvania Herald published by Herald Newspapers; Vintage Sylvania, Vintage Aerial, LLC and Toledo-Lucas County Public Library; Toledo History Museum – Quarterly – Toledo History Museum, Inc. March/June 2011 Hook & Letter – Toledo Firefighters Museum, Inc. newsletter. Mrs. Gindy has been a member of the Sylvania Area Historical Society, Sylvania Historical Village Commission and Heritage Sylvania since it was formed in 1991, and has been very active in the archives division for many years. She has been offering her services as a genealogist, specializing in Sylvania, Ohio, records during all this time. Gayleen and husband, Sam, have been married 46 years. They have a son, Allan Gindy, who is married to Audrey Blaisdell Gindy, and they have two daughters, Sophia and Ella. Sam and Gayleen also have a daughter, Samantha Gindy Ayres, who is married to Collin Ayres, who has two daughters Ayla and Mia. This is Gayleen’s fourteenth published book. Other books include: Next Stop Sylvania, Ohio: A History of the First Train Line West of the Allegheny Mountains, and its Journey Through Sylvania – Published by Sylvania Historical Village Commission - 1998; Bridging Time: A History Of Sylvania – Published by Herald Newspapers - 1999; Sylvania, Ohio – Images of America, Published by Arcadia Publishing, co-authored by Gaye E. Gindy and Trini L. Wenninger – 2006; Murder In Sylvania, Ohio – As Told In 1857 – Published by Gaye E. Gindy - AuthorHouse – 2007. The Underground Railroad and Sylvania’s Historic Lathrop House – Published by Gaye E. Gindy – AuthorHouse – 2008. Sylvania, Lucas County, Ohio; From Footpaths to Expressways and Beyond – Volume One – Published by Gayleen Gindy – AuthorHouse – 2012. Sylvania, Lucas County, Ohio; From Footpaths to Expressways and Beyond – Volume Two – Published by Gayleen Gindy – AuthorHouse – 2012. Sylvania, Lucas County, Ohio; From Footpaths to Expressways and Beyond – Volume Three – Published by Gayleen Gindy – AuthorHouse – 2013. Sylvania, Lucas County, Ohio; From Footpaths to Expressways and Beyond – Volume Four – Published by Gayleen Gindy – AuthorHouse – 2014. Sylvania, Lucas County, Ohio; From Footpaths to Expressways and Beyond – Volume Five – Published by Gayleen Gindy – AuthorHouse – 2015. Sylvania, Lucas County, Ohio; From Footpaths to Expressways and Beyond – Volume Six – Published by Gayleen Gindy – AuthorHouse – 2017. Sylvania, Lucas County, Ohio; From Footpaths to Expressways and Beyond – Volume Seven – Published by Gayleen Gindy – AuthorHouse – 2019. Sylvania, Lucas County, Ohio; From Footpaths to Expressways and Beyond – Volume Eight – Published by Gayleen Gindy – AuthorHouse – 2020.