Judge Walter Irvine
Record of the Month! For the month of October we are featuring a Spooky Story from the Stacks, starting with the unfortunate tale of Licking County Probate Judge Walter A. Irvine. Judge Irvine’s story begins innocently enough, though it takes dark and tragic turns. On display are reproductions of various records documenting Judge Irvine’s story. Walter A. Irvine was born in Pennsylvania on October 6, 1867 to Thompson and Elizabeth Irwin. Just before 1880, the Irwin family moved to Newark, Ohio, where Thompson Irwin had secured a job as a round house foreman on the railroad. In 1887, Walter joined Company G of the 17 th Regiment Ohio National Guard as a Private. The following year he was promoted to Corporal, a rank he did not hold long. The units were reorganized late in 1888 and Walter received another promotion. Skipping a few ranks, the freshly minted Captain Walter Irvine was placed in charge of the new Newark Guard’s Regiment, Company G. Walter also pursued a degree