Naturalization of James Till

On January 8, 1852, James P. Till declared his intention to be a naturalized citizen of the United States. His brother William A. Till stated that James had resided in the U.S. for three years. Judge E.M. Colver signed the document.  James P. Till renounced his allegiance to Victoria Queen of Great Britain and Ireland. Prior to moving to the United States, James had lived in Canada, which was under the umbrella of the United Kingdom.

Queen Victoria mage courtesy Wikipedia

Sadly, James P. Till died in an industrial accident in Cleveland in 1903 when he was on the job as an engineer for the Cleveland Grain Drying Company. James P. Till was laid to rest in Oakland Cemetery.

Rest in peace, Mr. Till.

When the series Victoria was on PBS a few years ago, I never missed an episode. History comes to life when seeing the name of a local resident mentioning Queen Victoria on a naturalization document!

Following the life of Julia Anna Townsend Jacobs

Photo credit: J. Mazza

 

Mrs. Julia Anna Townsend Jacobs was born in 1837, in Sandusky, Ohio, to William and Maria (Lamson) Townsend. Sadly, Mr. and Mrs. Townsend, and one of their daughters, and Mrs. Townsend's sister. all died in the 1849 Cholera epidemic. By 1850, Julia was residing with her sister, Mary Townsend Cooke, and her brother in law Pitt Cooke.

In 1859, Julia Townsend married Angelo Jacobs, sometimes known as Thomas Angelo Jacobs. Julia and Angelo Jacobs had two sons in the early 1860s, Townsend Jacobs and Thomas Pitt Jacobs.

Angelo Jacobs seems to disappear from Julia's life in later census records. In 1872, Julia A. Jacobs applied for a Passport (accessed at Ancestry.com) with the intention of traveling with two minor sons.

By 1885, a Minnesota Territorial Census lists a J.A. Jacobs with two sons, T.H. and T.P. (most likely T.A.) Jacobs.

An article in the June 11, 1914 issue of the Sandusky Register reported that Tacoma praised former Sandusky resident Julia Jacobs.

The article stated that Mrs. Julia Jacobs died in Chicago on May 23, 1914. She had resided in Tacoma, Washington from 1887 to 1897. While in Tacoma, Julia was very active in St. Luke's Church, where she served as president of the Girls Guild. An excerpt from the article reads "She endeared herself to many friends in the years she lived here." 

The remains of Julia Anna Townsend Jacobs were taken to Sandusky, for burial at Oakland Cemetery. Julia Jacobs was survived by two sons, Townsend Jacobs and Thomas Pitt Jacobs. She was laid to rest in the family lot, near her parents and sisters.

Ayres Lot at Oakland Cemetery

Ebenezer Raymond Ayres was born in 1842 in the state of New York, to Frederick Seymour Ayres and his wife, the former Nancy Raymond. During the Civil War, Ebenezer served as a Lieutenant in Company I of the 23rd Michigan Volunteer Infantry.

In 1871, Ebenezer R. Ayres took Caroline Mills as his wife. By 1880, Mr. and Mrs. Ebenezer R. Ayres resided in Sandusky, Ohio. They had two children at this time, Fred and Sophia. Ebenezer listed his occupation as merchant. Eventually Ebenezer R. Ayres moved to Saginaw, Michigan, where he was a prominent businessman dealing in lumber.

Caroline "Lena" Mills Ayres died in 1886, and she was buried at Sandusky's Oakland Cemetery. Another young son, Charles Mills Ayres died in 1882. Charles was also buried in the family lot at Oakland.Caroline Mills Ayres' paternal grandfather, Isaac Mills, was one of the founding fathers of Sandusky, Ohio. Mills Creek, Mills School, and  Mills Street were all named after the Mills family.

In 1896, Ebenezer took as his second wife, Martha Hawkins. Martha Hawkins Ayers died in Missouri in 1928

Ebenezer R. Ayres died in Saginaw, Michigan in 1914. His remains were returned to Sandusky, Ohio, where he was laid to rest beside his first wife and infant son. An excerpt of an article about the death of Ebenezer Ayres from the Saginaw Daily News of January 28, 1914 appears below.

Frederick Seymour Mills Ayres lived until 1930. He too was buried in the family lot at Oakland. Sophia Ayres James was living in Athens, Greece at the time of her death in 1909.

Though the Ayres family had strong ties to Saginaw, Michigan, the monument at Oakland Cemetery is a reminder of the times  the Ayres family had in Sandusky, Ohio, when their children were young.

How a Facebook Group Helped me Learn about My Grandfather

 

My paternal grandfather, Steve Orshoski (second man from the right) was baptized as an adult on May 17, 1931 at Trinity Lutheran Church in Sandusky, Ohio. A genealogist who follows an Erie County Genealogy Facebook Page shared this picture with me. Grandpa Steve was raised Catholic, and then converted to the Lutheran Church.  I suspect my great grandma Lena Yeager,or perhaps his wife, Emma Yeager Orshoski, persuaded Grandpa Steve to change faiths, so that the family would all be of same religion.

In 1944, three of Steve and Emma Orshoski's sons, as well as cousin Rolland Orshoski were confirmed at Trinity Lutheran. Someone in their class once told me that the Bay Bridge residents attended classes at the Bay Bridge town hall as mission from Trinity Lutheran.

 Seated in front: Elmer Wahl, Wayne Orshoski, Joyce Galloway, Betty Martin, Rev. John Braun, Joyce Gardner, Nancy Klafter, Donald Orshoski, and Rolland Orshoski. In the back row: Norm Oeder, Richard Quinn, Marilyn Martin, Albert Oeder, Paul R. Orshoski, Stan Perry and Curtis Miller. 

Many of our Orshoski ancestors have strong ties to Trinity Lutheran Church!

Sleep on Sweet Hattie

 

Infant Hattie Frohman was borrn to David and Rachel Frohman in Febuary of 1865. Sadly, she died on December 28, 1866. An inscription on her tombstone begins:

Sleep on sweet Hattie

And take thy rest

Hattie Frohman is buried at Oheb Shalom Cemetery in Erie County, Ohio, along with several members of her extended family. The Frohman family is well known in Sandusky and beyond, in the fields of drama, business, and history. Rest in peace Hattie.

Erastus Sheldon, Pioneer Resident of Sandusky, Ohio

Erastus Sheldon and his wife, the former  Angeline Adams, were pioneer residents of Sandusky, Ohio. According to the April 18, 1933 issue of the Sandusky Register, the Sheldon homestead was a stone structure that stood north of the Old First (Presbyterian) Church on Jackson St. in Sandusky, Ohio. (The former Sheldon home no longer stands.) Below is brief genealogical information about Mr. and Mrs. Erastus Sheldon from a book entitled The Descendants of Thomas Olcott.

Erastus and Angeline Sheldon both died in 1852 and were buried in the North Ridge section of Oakland Cemetery.

Townsend, Montana was Named for a Sandusky Native

Image of Townsend, Montana courtesy Wikipedia

In 1834 (sources vary as to exact year of birth) a baby girl was born to Mr. and Mrs. William Townsend, named Susan Townsend. When Susan was a young woman  her parents and sister all died during the 1849 Cholera Epidemic. Susan went on to marry Charles Barstow Wright, an executive in the Northern Pacific Railway. The town of Townsend, Montana was named after Mr. Wright's wife's maiden name, Townsend. Charles Barstow Wright (1859-1832) and Susan Townsend Wright (1834-1882)  are both buried at the Woodlands Cemetery in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania.

To read more about Townsend, Montana, see these links.

Townsend, Montana

Information on Townsend, Montana from "Helena As She Was"