16-3-3 by Vicki Tieche

Reviewed by Jon Peterson

William Faulkner once wrote, "The past is never dead. It's not even past." 16-3-3, by Vicki Tieche, recognizes that events from the past are still very present in many people's minds and the book is an acknowledgement that there is much to be gained from a reading of our individual and collective histories. These stories inform our daily lives even today. What a joy that she has shared with us her thoughtful recollections of the early years of Delaware County through the eyes of some of its earliest settlers, and this during Delaware County's bicentennial celebration!

16-3-3 is an animated, original and spirited account of Benajah Cook, his family and fellow settlers during the early settlement days of Harlem Township in Delaware County, Ohio. The purpose of this book is to tell the stories and to follow the people who left secure lives behind to establish a new life in the unknown Ohio wilderness in the first years of the 19th century. It will be impossible for the reader not to be connected to these stories even though two hundred years have passed since they occurred.

We are separated by many years from these early homesteaders who first settled in Delaware County yet their stories of daily life are hauntingly familiar. The reader will note that upon arrival, after clearing the land and building homes, the first orders of business were to build a church and to build a school. Today, the "faith of our fathers" and our belief that the promise of a good life comes from education are still enduring values of communities across this nation.

Even though the rituals and routines of their early life have changed their form in today's world, we share their sense of community and commitment to one another. I was particularly pleased that 16-3-3 features cameo roles of two of Delaware County's earliest state representatives, my predecessors in that position. Reuben Lamb and David Gregory were among the first in a long line of men and women that believed public service was an important part of their responsibility to their neighbors as they respected a call to serve in Ohio's first General Assemblies.

Today Delaware County is one of the fastest growing counties in the nation, a far cry from the sparsely settled Delaware County of the day remembered in 16-3-3. In today's hectic and frenetic world, this book reminds us that we can and should honor our history by taking time to reflect upon those who came before us. It is difficult to know where we are headed if we don't know where we have been. This book is historically informed, well written and readers will not be disappointed. It certainly was time well spent for me!

Jon Peterson

State Representative Delaware County, Ohio

August 13, 2008