Follow Friday: Vintage Memorial Day Post Cards from the Family Curator

For a holiday delight, visit this post at the Family Curator's blog:

Treasure Chest Thursday: Vintage Postcards Picture the History of Decoration Day

Denise discusses the history of Decoration Day and Memorial Day, and illustrates her post with delightful vintage postcards! Thanks for the terrific post!

 

 Note: Above vintage image is from:

http://scrapsoftime.typepad.com/scraps_of_time/2009/05/free-vintage-memorial-day-images-.html  

 

Wordless Wednesday: Riedel Monument at Oakland Cemetery

Arthur Phinney, Sandusky Lawyer

According to the HISTORY OF THE CLASS OF 1864: YALE COLLEGE, Arthur Phinney was the son of James and Cynthia (Mosher) Phinney, having been born on March 28, 1837 in Gorham, Maine. He graduated from Yale in 1864. After graduation, Arthur Phinney worked with the Scientific Department of the Sanitary Commission. In 1865, he became the principal of the Chester Academy at Chester, New York. From 1867 to 1870, Arthur Phinney was the principal of the high school for Sandusky City Schools in Sandusky, Ohio. After studying law in Sandusky and the Michigan Law School, Arthur Phinney was admitted to the bar of Ohio in 1872. Mr. Phinney practiced law for many years in Sandusky, Ohio. He and his wife, the former Sara E. Bell, had three daughters. An article in the Sandusky Star of May 23, 1899 stated that "As a lawyer his tastes were quiet and studious; in legal research he was painstaking and accurate, and his conclusions when formed were relied on with tenacity and sincerity." He was considered by the community, as well as his peers, to be an honest lawyer.

After being deeply grieved following the death of his wife Sara in 1898, his health began to fail. On May 21, 1899, Arthur Phinney died at his home in Sandusky. Funeral services for Arthur Phinney were held on May 23, 1899. Erie County attorneys and court officials all attended the funeral services as a group. Many beautiful floral tributes were displayed at the funeral in memory of the deceased, including the "Gates Ajar" arrangement from the Bar Association. Arthur Phinney was laid to rest at Sandusky's Oakland Cemetery, next to his beloved wife Sara.

Anna E. Scheufler

Anna E. Scheufler, daughter of L. & E. Scheufler died on May 16, 1896. She was age 23 years and 10 months.The translation of the inscripton on Anna's tombstone is:

In German:

Die Hand der Liebe
Deckt Dich zu,
Nun schlummre sanft
in Ewiger Ruh.
In English:

The hand of love
tucks you in,
Now slumber softly
in eternal peace.

The 1900 U.S. Census for Erie County indicates that Louis Scheufler was a dry goods dealer, who was born in Germany. He and his wife Elizabeth stated that they had been married for 39 years in 1900.

Many thanks to the librarians from the Local History & Genealogy Department from the Washington County Public Library for their kind assistance in translation!

Oak Bluff Cemetery in Berlin Township

Oak Bluff Cemetery is located in the northern portion of Berlin Township of Erie County, Ohio. Other names for this cemetery include "Ruggles Beach Cemetery" and "Cranberry Creek Cemetery." Just east of Oak Bluff Cemetery is Ruggles Beach, which used to be a summer resort area. Ruggles Beach was named for Almon Ruggles, an early resident of this region, and a surveyor of the Firelands.







An early burial at Oak Bluff Cemetery was an unknown soldier. According to Erie County Cemetery Records, compiled by Marjorie Loomis Cherry, when the sailor's body washed ashore in 1813, shortly after the Battle of Lake Erie, the sailor's remains were buried by Almon Ruggles. The original stone was replaced by the Martha Pitkin Chapter of the Daughters of the American Revolution in the mid 1930's.





















To drive to Oak Bluff Cemetery, take U.S. Route 2 east. Exit at Route 61 and travel north. Turn right at Cleveland Road East. The Oak Bluff Cemetery is located on the left side of the road, just before the Cranberry Creek Marina. Lake Erie will be visible to the north of the cemetery.

Image from Google Maps.

Hull Monument at Oakland Cemetery

Found in Block 24 of Sandusky's Oakland Cemetery, this beautiful monument honors the memory of John Linn Hull, his first wife Eliza, and his second wife, the former Angeline Walker. A lengthy tribute to John L. Hull appeared in the December 17, 1894 issue of the Sandusky Register. In the article, we learn that John Linn Hull was born in Washington County, Pennsylvania, on October 24, 1822, to Joseph and Elizabeth Hull. In 1822, John L. Hull came to Ohio with his parents. The family settled in Perkins Township in 1828. John helped his father clear the land and work the family farm. On August 29, 1845, John Linn Hull married Eliza Wilson Harsh of Warren, Ohio. The young couple lived in a log house in Perkins Township. Sadly, when she was only 31 years of age, Eliza Hull died on Christmas Day in 1852. She left behind a young son, John Henry Hull, who would go on to become a well respected minister. In 1854, John L. Hull took as his wife Angeline Walker, the daughter of Samuel and Betsey Walker, pioneers of Erie County.

Mr. and Mrs. John L. Hull had extensive property in Perkins Township, as seen in this photocopy of a portion of a map of Perkins Township from the 1874 Erie County Atlas. The Hull parcels were located in Section 2.

They had two children, Judge Linn Walker Hull and Mrs. Ida Barber.  In December of 1894, John Linn Hull was injured in an railway accident in Cleveland. He died of his injuries on December 12, 1894. Funeral services for John L. Hull were held at the family homestead. Mr. Hull's remains lay in an oak casket from Krupp's. Many beautiful floral tributes were sent to honor Mr. Hull. A favorite hymn, "Sweet Bye and Bye" was sung. Rev.C.A Vincent offered prayer, and Rev. George Peeke delivered the eulogy, which was said to have been elegant. Rev. Peeke said, in part, " My friends, let me say to you, as we admire the character of this man, I do not think we want preachers so much, I do not think we want lawyers so much, I do not think we want doctors so much, as we want good stalwart farmers. That is what the country wants more than it wants anything else, farmers of good character. They are the backbone of the country. ..The middle class of farmers with character are the backbone of any nation, and woe be to the day when such men as Brother Hull drop out..." Rev. Peeke said that the Hull home was a home of peace and prosperity, and that John L. Hull was a man of truth, who was always true to his word.  John Linn Hull was laid to rest in Oakland Cemetery. A long procession of carriages followed the hearst to the cemetery. Mrs. Angeline Walker Hull followed her husband in death in 1898. Mrs. Hull's Civil War diary now is found in the historical collections of the Ohio Historical Society.  John Linn Hull, his first wife Eliza, and his second wife Angeline represent the true pioneer spirit. They helped to lay the groundwork for the future generations of Erie County, Ohio, through love, character, and a deep work ethic.

Saturday Night Genealogy Fun: May 11, 2013

Randy, at GeneaMusings, has given us this Saturday Night Genealogy Fun challenge:

Here is your assignment if you choose to play along (cue the Mission Impossible music, please!):

1) What genealogy fun have you had this week?  What is your genealogy highlight of the week?  It could be attending the NGS conference, it could be finding a new ancestor, or it could be reading a new genealogy book, or anything else that you have enjoyed.

2)  Tell us about it in a blog post on your own blog, in a comment to this post, or in a Google Plus or Facebook post.

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I had two delightful experiences in my genealogical pursuits this week. 

1. The first one happened at my daytime job, at our local public library. I was able to assist a couple from out of state in learning more about their ancestor, who was once an elected official. We found the person's burial record in a nearby Erie County Cemetery, and we found a biographical sketch of their ancestor  in a local history book that covers Erie County elected officials, entitled  ELECTED TO SERVE ERIE COUNTY ,1838-2003. It was fun to help new patrons get to know our Erie County resources here at the library.

2. The second highlight of the week was the weather! I was able to take several photographs at Oakland Cemetery in Sandusky, Ohio. Being an absolute amateur photographer, I was very happy that the somewhat cloudy, but warm, weather in northern Ohio allowed for digital pictures to be taken without those pesky shadows.

Thanks, Randy, for another round of Saturday Night Genealogy Fun!