Luther Transfer, Inc.

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History

Our History

George Luther, founder of Luther Transfer, Inc., immigrated from Germany when he was a young man. He settled north of Minford, Ohio, in what was then called Muletown, later called Horsetown. He acquired a farm on what is now Luther Road, off Route 139.

George married Laura Monroe, and they had six children. George farmed during the summer and worked for the railroad on boilers during the winter.

Around 1890, George brought his family to Portsmouth and began digging cellars for new homes and buildings. After several years, his son, John, began to help him with his work. During the slow times of the contracting business, George and John moved people's furniture. They used mules at first because these animals were strong for their size and were easy to care for. They did not eat as much as horses required to do the same work. Later, as work became better, the Luthers acquired horses to pull their wagons. The horses they owned were as fine as any in the community. Some of them could run with the horses that pulled the fire and ladder wagons.

In the nineties, both George and John liked the moving business better than contracting and devoted full time to it.

John Luther met Eula Katherine Clark, who came from Virginia to visit her brother, Claude Clark. John and Eula were married and had four children -- one girl and three boys. After he was married, John wanted to go into the moving business alone, but he did not want to infringe on his father's business. He purchased The Blue Ribbon Transfer, which was an active business in Portsmouth, still using horses.

In 1925, John purchased the first long-wheel-base, pneumatic-tire International chassis that was made. The body was built by a wagon maker on Third and Madison Streets in Portsmouth. He purchased another truck, Biederman, that was built in Cincinnati. The business then became mechanized and no longer used horses.

George Luther continued in business with horse and wagon until around 1930, when he quit business and gave John permission to use the Luther name. John used both names, The Blue Ribbon Transfer and Luther, on the trucks.

In 1957, Luther Transfer, Inc., was formed and the permits and trucks were changed to the corporation by the oldest son, George Clark Luther, who was the president of the corporation until he died in 1962. In 1985 the officers were John V. Luther, Jr., president; Leta Irene Luther Childrey, vice president; and Robert Fulton Luther, secretary-treasurer.

There have been many changes in the moving business and there will, no doubt, be many more. John Jr. had three sons, and William Scott Luther, the youngest, began working in the business in the 1980s. In 1985, the business had ten employees and consisted of one covered pickup truck and five tractors and trailers. Four of those were built so that they could haul a car inside the trailer with the furniture.