LOOKING BACK
–by Gayleen Gindy
PUBLICATION DATE: Aug 04, 2020

This next house was built in 1901 and the list of owners of this home are recorded as follows:

• 1900 – Floyd E. and Henry Sharp – 40 acres
• 1919 – Spencer and Larissa O. Dings
• 1936 – Spencer Dings
• 1939 – Lorenzo Earl Dings ½ and Wilson L. Dings ½
• 1939 – Lorenzo Earl Dings
• 1945 – George and Marjorie E. (Dings) Cox, with life estate
• 1979 – Larry L. Cox
• 1997 – Larry L. and Selma K. Cox
• 2017 – Gary T. Keeler

On Christmas Day in 1901, Floyd Sharp, the son of Henry and Ella (Metcalf) Sharp, who we addressed in the last article, married Louise Bartholomew in Riga, Lenawee County, Mich. Before Floyd was married, in 1900 he and his father purchased a 40-acre parcel from Lyman Strong, just to the east of where Henry lived and where Floyd grew up. Lucas Country records show that the home on the property, today known as 9565 Sylvania-Metamora Road, was constructed in 1901. So we can pretty much assume that this home was built by the Sharp family for Floyd Sharp and his new wife.
In the 1910 census Floyd and Louise were listed living on Sylvania-Metamora, in this home. They were listed as follows: Floyd Sharp – 33 years old – farmer – own farm – owned farm – free of mortgage; Louise Sharp – wife – 29 years old – married eight years – three children born and still living; Darwin Sharp – son – 5 years old; Jay Sharp – son – 4 years old; and Madge Sharp – daughter – 20 months old.
In 1919 Floyd and Louise Sharp moved to Loraine County, Ohio when he took a job as the manager of a grain elevator there. They sold the home and 40-acres to Spencer and Larissa Dings.

Spencer and Larissa were married in 1873 in Riga, Lenawee County, Mich. Although they owned this home and property from 1919 until she died in 1936 and he died in 1938, they appear to have not lived in the home during that time. In the 1920 census, they were living on Monroe Street in the Village Sylvania, and in the 1930 census, they were living in Richfield Township.
The 1920 census shows Lorenzo E. Dings – 41 years old; and his wife Dora M. – 37 years old, and their daughter Marjorie E. – 11 years old, were listed renting this home, and he was listed as a farmer. He was the son of Spencer and Larissa.
By the 1930 census, Lorenzo and Dora Dings were still renting the home and living with them was their daughter, Marjory Cox – 21 years old, and her husband George A. Cox – 23 years old, and their child Donald Cox – 4 months old. Cox was employed as a laborer at an auto factory.
In 1939, a year after Spencer Dings died, ownership of this home was transferred into the two son’s names and then Lorenzo (Earl) Dings took over full ownership that same year. In the 1940 census, Lorenzo “Earl” and Dora Dings were still living there, listed as owning this home valued at $1,500. Earl was 62 years old, employed as a farmer, and Dora was listed as 56 years old.
In 1942 Lorenzo Earl Dings completed his World War II registration card and reported that he lived on Sylvania-Metamora Road, a half-mile west of Mitchaw Road.
In 1945 the Dings transferred this property and home into their son-in-law and daughter’s names, with a life estate, until their death.
Lorenzo Dings died in 1954 and his obituary notice said he was a farmer on Sylvania-Metamora Road for the last 36 years. He was survived by his wife Dora, daughter, Mrs. George Cox of Berkey, and his brother Wilson L. Dings of Toledo. Dora continued to live here until about 1979 and died in 1982.
Larry Cox acquired the home in 1979. He was the grandson of Lorenzo “Earl” and Dora Dings. Larry and his wife Selma lived at 12190 Sylvania-Metamora Road and apparently rented this home out while they owned it.
In 1998 Mr. and Mrs. Cox split off 2.62-acres from the original 40-acre parcel with this house on it. Then in 2004, they split another .972 acres off the 2.62-acre parcel to the Mallard Pointe subdivision, leaving a 1.33-acre parcel today for the home.
In 2001, Larry Cox obtained a permit to construct a new garage on the property, and starting in 2002 he started selling off what was left of the 40 acres of farmland to the Maple Creek and the Mallard Pointe subdivisions.