O. P. Chapman’s 1883 carriage house. Originally built as part of the property for 318 South Main Street, it is now included in the parcel for 326 South Main Street. Photo by author.
Twenty-four months. That is how long it has been since I began writing this blog. And by pure coincidence, this is my one-hundred-and-twenty-fourth post. A great deal has changed since I began–my child has grown from a toddler to a preschooler–but other things are comfortingly familiar. The second post I ever produced was about the 168th Lorain County Fair; the 170th fair kicks off this weekend.
I wrote recently that I was considering how best to proceed moving forward with this work. When I began writing two years ago, I had a backlog of research from which to draw. Consequently, I could produce multiple posts each month. That is no longer the case. I have written up all the research I had completed, and every new post requires starting from scratch. That means more time between entries. It is hard for me to believe, but I began the blog with a string of sixteen posts in the span of eighteen days. Now I am producing about one per month.
For a few weeks, I have debated whether this ought to be my farewell essay. It seemed poetic to end on an anniversary. But I realized as the date drew nearer that I was reluctant to do that. I enjoy writing these stories and I especially enjoy interacting with all the readers. So instead, I am going to put the following questions to all of you: what were your favorite posts that you read here and why? Are there people or topics that you are particularly interested to learn more about? Do you have engaging stories from your own family history that you have always wanted to verify or disprove? Do you have local documents from the nineteenth century that you would be willing to share?
As always, I welcome your questions and comments. Just click, “Leave a reply,” under any post title.
19th-Century Wellington 
I thought one of your most memorable posts was about the Chinese laundry man, “Wah Sing”.
Thank you! Can I ask, what was it that you liked about that one in particular? That it was a biography, perhaps a person you were surprised to learn lived in Wellington? Or some totally different reason? (I’m trying to figure out what sort of stories people are most interested to read.)
I enjoyed reading Wah Sing’s story too, including the follow-up posts when you discovered new information. Mostly because of the delicacy with which you addressed the topic of his mistreatment, I suppose, but I also had no idea that people would come from so far away to live and operate a business here – and that there was such turnover in the laundry business!
Many of your other posts are fascinating for the same reason: I learn all sorts of details about the ordinary people who lived and worked here so long ago, and it makes the time and place come alive for me. The Irish immigrants post, the ones about Sawtell, and those dealing with otherwise-forgotten women were just a few of the others I have found especially interesting.
Thank you, Lynne. That is very generous, and gives me a lot to think about when selecting future topics.
I just love hearing about Wellington. Please do when you can.