Aaron Van Blarcum

Aaron A. Van Blarcum died on Christmas Eve, according to his obituary in the Sandusky Register on December 26, 1882. (His tombstone, however, shows the death date given as Christmas, December 25.) His age was 57 years, and 5 months. In the 1874 Sandusky City Directory, he was listed as the sexton for Oakland Cemetery, which is the cemetery where he was buried.

The 1870 U.S. Census for Perkins Township of Erie County lists 44 year old Aaron Van Blorkum as the head of the household, with other family members given as:


Laura age 44
Almeda age 19
Minnie age 13
George age 8
Fredy age 2
Frank infant

Aaron was born in New York, and Laura was born in Vermont. All the children were born in Ohio. What a sad holiday for the family who lost their husband and father at Christmastime.

Martin and Louisa Eldis

According to THE HISTORY OF ERIE COUNTY, edited by Lewis Cass Aldrich, Martin Eldis settled in Portland Township, Sandusky, and opened a bakery and provision store on Water Street in the Spring of 1828. He was born at Munster, St. Gregorienthal, Elsass, January 4, 1798, and emigrated to America in 1817. He was married in 1827 to Louise Guckenberger, at Cincinnati, 0hio. Mr. Eldis died on November 28, 1852, "leaving to his wife and children an abundant share of earthly goods."

Aldrich's History continues, in reference to Mrs. Eldis: "We were not welcomed. On our arrival sixty years ago, we were advised to better move on ; if it had not have been for the steamboat trade," she continued, " we never could have made a living in the first year or two. By and by though, the inborn element became more friendly to us, and learned to respect our ways. For nearly four years we were the only German family in this hamlet, and in all probability in the county."

As time went on, many persons of German descent did live happily in Sandusky and Erie County. They became a vital part of the churches, businesses, and culture of Erie County. Martin Eldis and Louise Guckenberger Eldis are buried in Oakland Cemetery.

Happy Holidays!

Happy Holidays from the Graveyard Rabbit of Sandusky Bay, and I look forward to a New Year of reading the many posts from my fellow Graveyard Rabbits in the months to come!

View the Directory of Graveyard Rabbits at this link.

P.A. Rice Mausoleum in December

The P.A. Rice Mausoleum is decorated for the holidays, at Sandusky's Oakland Cemetery.

Stroud Family Monument

The Stroud family was well known in Sandusky, Ohio. Dr. Charles Taylor Stroud came to Sandusky about 1865, according to his son's obituary in 1929. Dr. Charles Taylor Stroud was a dentist. He was married to Lucy Fidelia Allen Stroud. The 1870 U.S. Census for Erie County lists Dr. C. T. Stroud, a dentist, age 49; his wife L. F. Stroud, age 44; son, C.E., also a dentist, age 28; and another son, Chas. E., age 11. Next door to the Stroud family in 1870 is Dr. Edwin Gillard, a physician who was married to Dr. C. T. Stroud's eighteen year old daughter, Ida Stroud Gillard.

The Stroud monument is located in Oakland Cemetery. The names of several Stroud family members appear on the four separate sides of the monument. Facing north, are the names of Dr. C.T. Stroud, who died on October 14, 1891, and Lucy F. Stroud, who died on January 18, 1888. At the base of the monument is the Knights Templar symbol, which features the words "In Hoc Signo Vinces." The phrase means "In this sign you shall conquer." A much clearer version of the Knights Templar symbol is found at the Cemeteries and Cemetery Symbols website.

Names found on the side of the Stroud monument which faces east are: Charles E. Stroud, D.D.S., 1859-1929 and Jennie D. Stroud, 1860-1946. Dr. Charles E. Stroud was a dentist in Sandusky for many years, and he was very active in civic affairs, served in the Spanish American War, and started the first Boy Scout troop in Sandusky. An obituary for Dr. Charles E. Stroud is found in the 1929 Obituary Notebook in the genealogical collections of the Sandusky Library.

















Inscribed on the panel which faces south on the Stroud monument are the names: Lamont Jarrett, 1877-1931, and his wife's name, Marcia Stroud Jarrett, 1883-1972. Marcia Stroud Jarrett was the granddaughter of Dr. C. T. Stroud, and she was the daughter of yet another area dentist, Dr. Clarence Eugene Stroud, who died in 1908.
















On the panel of the Stroud monument which faces west is the name of C. Eugene Stroud, M.D., who died on January 2, 1908. The Knight Templar symbol is also found on the side of the monument which honors Dr. C. Eugene Stroud. Dr. Stroud, whose obituary is found in the January 3, 1908 issue of the Sandusky Register, was trained as both a medical doctor as well as a dentist. He was born on January 14, 1847 in New York State, and died on January 2, 1908, following an accident at his office in which a vulcanizer exploded. Dr. Stroud was seriously injured on December 13, 1907, but he survived until January 2, 1908. He was survived by his wife, the former Zenobia Boyce, a son, Allen Stroud, and a daughter, Marcia. The newspaper obituary stated that Dr. Stroud was "successful and was highly respected."















Many of the persons whose names appear on the Stroud monument also have individual grave markers at Oakland Cemetery. Pictured below are stones for Dr. Clarence Eugene Stroud, and a separate stone which honors Dr. Clarence Eugene Stroud's wife Zenobia and his daughter Marcia Stroud Jarrett.

James Cross, Civil War Veteran

James Cornelius Cross was born March 14, 1843 to Charles Cross and Patience Manning Cross. His father was born in England, while Patience was a native of Kentucky. James Cross was a carpenter by trade, and was very active in the Catholic Church. He married Elizabeth Marshall, a German immigrant, who converted to Catholicism when she married James.

During the Civil War, James Cross served in Company G of the 123rd Ohio Volunteer Infantry. He was a member of the McMeens Post of the G.A.R. in Sandusky. James Cross died on December 14, 1913, and is buried in St. Joseph’s Catholic Cemetery in Sandusky, Ohio.

The son of James and Elizabeth, Nicholas Charles Cross, became a brother in the Catholic Church. He taught school in Bardstown, Kentucky, and Peabody, Massachusetts.

Stories of Belsnickel told to the Parker Children

Pictured to the left are: Thomas Larkins, his daughter, Irene Larkins Risko, granddaughter Doris Wheeler Parker, and great granddaughter Joyce Parker. (Click on the blue links above to read previous blog entries about members of the Larkins family.)

Joyce recalls that her Great Grandpa Tom, Grandma Irene, and her mother Doris used to tell her and her sister Sally and brother Tom about the Belsnickel.

According to Wikipedia, "Belsnickel is the fur-clad Santa of the Palatinate (Pfalz) in northwestern Germany along the Rhine, the Saarland, and the Odenwald region of Baden-Württemberg." By the time Joyce was a child, the name used at their house was "Bellsnickers." The story told to Joyce was that the bellsnickers came around at Christmas time and they were supposed to look in windows, to see if children were in bed on time and if they were being good. Joyce said she was terrified of the bellsnickers, and her big brother Tom would scare her with stories about them.

While Thomas Larkins was Irish on both his mother and his father's side, he married into families with German roots. His first wife was Mary Louise Cross, whose mother Elizabeth Marshall Cross was born in Germany. After the death of Mary Louise, Thomas married Emma Lieke, who was born in Germany in 1875. So while the Larkins family was Irish, the tales they told about Belsnickel/Bellsnickers was most likely from the German traditions of the family of either the first or second wife (perhaps both)of Mr. Larkins.

A visual image of Belsnickel, spelled Pelznickel in this case, is found at the website: http://www.oldeworldsantas.com/pelznickel.htm.