The Paul and Orshoski Families as Listed in the 1956 Rural Directory

Recently I glanced through a small collection of Erie County, Ohio directories at our local library. My family, as well as my husband's family, were both in the 1956 Erie County Farm and Business Directory from 1956. Both of our families resided on State Route 269.

Below are approximate locations of our families in 1956. The Paul Orshoski family lived in the small village of Bay View, on Sandusky Bay. The John B. Paul family lived south of Castalia.

The street listing portion of the directory indicates who resided near our families.

In 1956, my father, Paul Orshoski, was working as a plumber, and my father-in-law, John Paul was working as a driver for Sandusky Butter and Egg. If you have ancestors who resided in rural areas, see if your library or historical society have any rural directories. They provide interesting details that can confirm the exact location of a family in a given time frame.

Several members of the Paul and Orshoski families can be seen in a picture from our wedding, on June 10, 1973.

Linda Recommended a Terrific YouTube Video!!

Tonight I was browsing through my Dashboard, and I came upon a fascinating video, posted by Linda at Exploring Almost Forgotten Gravesites in Ohio. This link will take you directly to the Grave Adventures of the HCLL video on You Tube. This particular video provides an interesting history of the Berlin Cemetery in Holmes County, Ohio. The two "Library Ladies" and the videographer have done an amazing job of putting together the history of the Berlin Cemetery and the Pomerene family, along with lovely images of tombstones. The sections are connected by the artful turning of a virtual page, and the music is just right for the topic. Have fun watching the Grave Adventures of the Holmes County Library Ladies!!

Of course, Berlin is in the heart of Ohio's Amish Country, so consider going to Holmes County, Ohio in person. A delightful library system, historic cemeteries, and lots of wonderful shopping, cultural, and culinary delights await you! Thank you so much, Linda for always being so informative about cemeteries in Ohio!

Thankful Thursday: Katharyn Wunderley's Mentoring

Katharyn L. (Huss) Wunderley was a pint-sized bundle of energy! Katharyn was a fixture in the genealogy section of the library where I have worked for many years. Just by the nature of her being there so often, it turned out that Katharyn answered hundreds of genealogy questions for library patrons, because she was right there in the heart of all the genealogy books and microfilmed copies of local newspapers. She also answered questions by telephone and mail, and almost never received any payment for  her efforts. She would go to the courthouse, library, or cemetery in any weather conditions. More than once I ran into her at the Erie County Probate Court, and we would both be wearing our raincoats. Katharyn was the author, co-author, editor or compiler of several genealogy books and publications:

In my early years of learning how to do genealogy research, Katharyn Wunderley helped me learn many things about doing genealogy. She taught me to write down the reel number of any microfilm reel I consulted for an obituary or news article, in case I had to go back and re-trace my steps. She taught me that when an obituary stated that someone had been "one of the community's best known citizens," it could have been the case that the newspaper headline had been somewhat exaggerated. Katharyn told me about the books of Banns at the courthouse, which held announcements of upcoming marriages of couples who belonged to the Catholic church, that may not have been recorded in the ledgers of the Probate Court. When a close relative of mine had a baby out of wedlock, Katharyn told me to encourage that young mother, and to just love both the mother and the baby with all my heart! (It turned out to be very wise advice!)

Katharyn L. (Huss) Wunderley died on September 14, 2003. Her obituary, which appeared in the September 17, 2003 issue of the Sandusky Register, stated that Katharyn had been a member of the Toledo Colony of the Descendants of the Original Signers of the Mayflower Compact, the Robert Scothern Chapter of Colonial Dames of the XVII Century of Seneca County, Ohio. She was also an active member of the Erie County Chapter of the Ohio Genealogical Society for several years, and she volunteered many hours at the library of the R.B. Hayes Presidential Center in entering names in the early years of the Obituary Index, now the Ohio Obituary Index. I will never forget Katharyn's positive attitude, her willingness to teach beginners about genealogy, and her generosity in sharing her time, talent, and energy with others. On one or two rare occasions, I was actually able to assist Katharyn in finding some out of town addresses and phone numbers. Overall, Katharyn helped me incredibly more than I ever was able to help her! Katharyn Wunderley was laid to rest next to her husband, Richard Carl Wunderley, at the Toledo Memorial Park.

Thank you for your many years of mentoring, Katharyn! You are incredibly missed!

Erastus S. Gregg

Erastus S. Gregg was a pioneer resident of Sandusky. His name is found in the 1830, 1840 and 1850 Census for Sandusky.(In 1830, Sandusky was still a part of Huron County. Erie County was formed in 1838.) Mr. Gregg's name appears in a list of early "city fathers" in THE HISTORY OF ERIE COUNTY, edited by Lewis Cass Aldrich. He also was a fire warden in the 1830's. Erastus S. Gregg died on January 23, 1859. He is buried in Oakland Cemetery. His wife, Clara went on to marry Charles Harrison, following the death of her first husband, but she was buried next to her first husband when she passed away in 1864.

"Frederick Douglass - In the Shadow of Slavery" to be Presented Free in Sandusky

A one-man play will be presented free of charge on Sunday, January 29, at the Sandusky State Theatre at 3 p.m. The play is entitled "Frederick Douglass - In the Shadow of Slavery." Mr. Douglass spoke in Sandusky in March of 1864. Throughout history, many residents of Sandusky and Erie County shared the antislavery views of Frederick Douglass. Click here to read more about the upcoming free play about Frederick Douglass.

52 Weeks of Abundant Genealogy: Free Offline Genealogy Tools

The prompt for Week 4 of 52 Weeks of Abundant Genealogy, from Amy Coffin at We Tree, and hosted by Geneabloggers, is:
Free Offline Genealogy Tools

For which free offline genealogy tool are you most grateful? How did you find this tool and how has it benefited your genealogy? Describe to others how to access this tool and spread the genealogy love.


The offline genealogy tool for which I am most grateful is the ERIE COUNTY, OHIO CEMETERY CENSUS BEFORE 1909. This book was published in August of 1989 by the Erie County Cemetery Project volunteers, friends, and benefactors. Co-chairmen of the project were Katharyn Huss Wunderly and Patty Dahm Pascoe. The book was printed by the Erie County Board of Education Graphic Arts Department, and was bound by the Crawford Bindery of Akron, Ohio. (Printing and binding of the book were by contract.) Several libraries in the ClevNet Consortium own the book ERIE COUNTY, OHIO CEMETERY CENSUS BEFORE 1909. The title is also available at the Library of the R.B. Hayes Presidential Center.

Cemetery inscriptions are included for all the tombstones that were able to be viewed by the volunteers. Information on each tombstone was recorded onto index cards, which were then microfilmed. A copy of the microfilmed index cards is available for viewing at the Sandusky Library Archives Research Center as well as at the Center for Archival Collections, Bowling Green State University. Whenever possible, records were checked against cemetery records, plat maps, Probate Court records and on occasion newspaper accounts of a person's death. Only tombstones of individuals who died before 1909 were included in this project.

The reason I find this title so helpful, is that many of my ancestors lived and died in the same county in which I currently reside. All I need to do is go to page of a particular township, and I can view the names, and cemetery inscriptions, of all those who are buried in that cemetery before 1909. My Irish ancestors are listed in the St. Joseph's Cemetery. Some of my Steen ancestors are buried at Oakland Cemetery, the largest cemetery included in the ERIE COUNTY, OHIO CEMETERY CENSUS BEFORE 1909. Many, many of my Parker and House ancestors are buried in the Perkins Cemetery. My Hungarian great grandparents are buried in the Castalia Cemetery. This resource is a valuable tool for anyone researching family history in Erie County, Ohio. A companion volume for this title is: Erie County Ohio Cemeteries Census: An Every Name Index. This volume gives the exact page number listed for every name included in the Cemetery Census.

The reason I consider this a free offline genealogy tool,is because one can freely view this resource, as long as you visit a library that has this title in its collection. I can't think of a week that has gone by in the last five years, in which I did not consult this book! Of course, the fact that I work at a library probably has helped me find my way to this title so often.

Check out your own public library, and you too may find some valuable resources that are not accessible online. Happy hunting!

Tragic Death of Conrad and C.G. Scheufler in 1870

In the 1867 McKelvey's Sandusky City Directory Conrad Scheufler and his brother C.G. Scheufler were both listed as employees of the Cincinnati, Dayton & Eastern Railroad, a railroad that was formerly known as the Mad River and Lake Erie Railroad. An article in the October 21, 1870 issue of the Sandusky Register covered the details of the deadly railroad accident which took place on October 19, 1870. Conrad and C.G. Scheufler (sometimes spelled Scheifler) were working as engineer and fireman on the Cincinnati, Dayton & Eastern Railroad. (The newspaper article stated it was the Mad River Railroad, as that was the name many Sandusky area residents still called the Cincinnati, Dayton & Eastern Railroad.) The weather was stormy, and the night was very dark. The train was traveling along at its usual speed, twenty two miles an hour. Someone had purposely placed a large oak tie in the open culvert of the railroad track, about five miles south of Carey, Ohio. Because of the inclement weather conditions, the engineer did not see the obstruction, and the train hit the oak tie at full force. The engine fell down onto an embankment, and the Scheufler brothers were both killed in the accident. Because there were two baggage cars and three loaded express cars ahead of the passenger cars on the train, none of the passengers who were traveling on the train that night were injured. Efforts were made to free the Scheufler brothers from the wreckage, but they were pinned under the engine.

The Register article stated that Conrad and C.G. Scheufler were "well known by many citizens and were highly respected by their acquaintances as peaceful and industrious men, and by the railroad officers as faithful employees." Conrad Scheufler left behind a widow and several children. The article said in conclusion, in reference to the individual who sabotaged the train, "Suffice it to say that no human punishment known among men would seem too severe a penalty for the crime." On the 24th of October, another Register article reported that the funeral of the Scheufler brothers was one of the largest ever held in Sandusky. Services were held at the Scheufler home, and also at the Lutheran Church with Rev. Lehrer of the Lutheran church officiating, and assisted by Rev. Farr of the St. Paul's Episcopal Church. The city band led the funeral cortege, followed by several railroad employees. Thousands were in attendance at the cemetery, which was "of a most solemn and impressive character." Conrad and C.G. Scheufler were buried at Sandusky's Oakland Cemetery. The monument dedicated to their memory was made by J.L. Smith.

C.G. Scheufler was only 21 years of age at the time of his death.

Conrad Scheufler was age 39 at the time of his death.