Mary Steen Hill was Postmistress at Berlin Heights, Ohio

 

Mary Steen Hill (1849 - 1936) was my 2nd Great Grand Aunt on my Mom's Steen line. I was browsing through online records of the U.S. Post Office at the  National Archives online, and came across a document that had her name listed as the Postmaster at Berlin Heights, Ohio. The document was issued by the Post Office Department, and was dated December 18, 1902.

Mary Steen Hill died long before I came along, but she probably got to know several members of the Berlin Heights community during her time at the Post Office. 

More historical records from the U.S Post Office can be found online at the National Archives.

Cora Akins Casselman

 

Cora Belle Akins was born in Perkins Township, Erie County, Ohio in 1877 to Frank A. Akins and his wife, the former Martha Eddy. She married Edward S. Casselman in 1917. Edward worked for the U.S. Government. Some sources list him as a fish culturist, while others list him as a construction engineer. In 1920, the Casselmans resided in Vermont. By 1930, they moved back to Erie County, Ohio. Edward S. Casselman died in 1933, after a lengthy illness. Cora continued to live in Sandusky, residing with her stepmother, Alice Akins. Cora Akins Casselman died in 1944, and was buried in the Akins family lot at Oakland Cemetery in Sandusky, Ohio.

Children of John M. and Anna M. Zimmerman

In Section A at St. Joseph Cemetery in Sandusky, Ohio, is a tombstone that honors the memory of two children of John M. and Anna M. Zimmerman.

Anna Catharine Zimmerman died on August 13, 1859, at the age of 19. Her brother, Charles F. Zimmerman died on March 25, 1870, at the age of 32.

The Zimmerman tombstone has been cleaned recently. It is amazing how legible the lettering is on the monument, considering that the individuals passed away well over 100 years ago.

Rest in peace, Anna and Charles.

 

Harrison P. Idlor

 

Harrison P. Idler (sometimes spelled Idlor) died on August 4, 1889, and he was buried in Oakland Cemetery in Sandusky, Ohio. An entry in the 1876 Hellrigle City Directory for Sandusky lists an H.P. Idlor as a storekeeper for the B and O Railroad shops. Harrison's death record lists his occupation as bookeeper. In the 1880 U.S. Census, he was listed as the grandson of James and Mary Paul. His great grandfather was William Kelly, builder of the  Marblehead Lighthouse.

Thomas Coners

Thomas Coners, age 61, died on October 8, 1886. An article in the Clyde Enterprise of October 14, 1886, reported that Mr. Coners (spelled in the  news article as Corner) had died following a threshing accident in Castalia, Ohio. Thomas was assisting J. Atwater in theshing, when he fell fifteen feet off a straw stack. 

The article stated that "He was a most worthy and industrious man, of excellent disposition, and without an enemy in the community."

Thomas Coners was survived by a wife and three children. His final resting place is at Saint Joseph's Cemetey in Sandusky, Ohio.

 

Horace Jay Bell, 1846-1864

 

Photo credit: J Mazza

Horace Jay Bell was born in 1846, the son of John Beatty Bell and his wife the former Eliza A. Coggeshall. His great grandfathers, Eleazur Bell and John Beatty were pioneer settlers of Erie County, Ohio. John Beatty was also an abolitionist and one time Mayor of Sandusky, Ohio.In 1864 Horace Jay Bell enlisted in Co. B, 145th Ohio Volunteer Infantry. According to the book The Coggeshalls in America, in the summer of 1864, Horace died from typhoid fever, which he contracted while serving in the Army during the Civil War. He was only 18 years of age. He was buried in Lot 32 of Oakland Cemetery in Sandusky, Ohio.

Rest in Peace Horace Jay Bell.

Twin Children of Mr. and Mrs. C.C. Keech

In the records of Grace Episcopal Church, in Sandusky, Ohio twin children born to Mr. and Mrs. C.C. Keech were baptized on November 8, 1864. The sponsors at the baptism were Mr. and Mrs. Keech along with Mrs. McMeens.

The twins were christened:

Robert McMeens Keech and Ann McMeens Keech

Dr. Robert McMeens had been a physician in Sandusky, Ohio, and he died while serving in the Third Regiment of the  Ohio Volunteer Infantry during the Civil War. Mrs. Anna McMeens, once a Civil War nurse, went on to serve as a housekeeper for Jay Cooke for many years.

The names of the twins born to Mr. and Mrs. Keech in 1863, were a nod to the beloved Sandusky physician and his wife. Sadly, Robert McMeens Keech died at the age of 22 in May, 1885. Ann/Anna McMeens Keech married William P. Gosser. Anna died at the age of 35 in 1898. Robert McMeens Keech and Anna McMeens Keech Gosser were both buried at Oakland Cemetery in Sandusky, Ohio.

 C.C. Keech is remembered as a business man in Sandusky, as well as a philanthropist. 

His first wife, and the mother of the twins, Louisa Carr Keech, died in 1868, when the twin children were only five years of age.