Saturday, May 14, 2011

52 Weeks of Personal Genealogy and History: Fame

The prompt for Week 20 of 52 Weeks of Personal History & Genealogy, by Amy Coffin of We Tree, and hosted by Geneabloggers, is: Fame.

Tell us about any local brushes with fame. Were you ever in the newspaper? Why? You may also describe any press mentions of your family members.

Instead of focusing on the few times my name appeared in the local newspaper, I thought I would share some of the times that my Great Grandpa Roy Parker's name appeared in local Sandusky newspapers. My great grandparents, Leroy and Ada Parker are pictured below.



















In an earlier blog post, I told about how Grandpa Roy survived an automobile accident in 1914, in which his father and friends died.
















From 1920 to 1924, Leroy Parker served as Erie County Commissioner. This brief articled appeared in the November 2, 1922 issue of the Sandusky Star Journal. It tells about Grandpa Roy going to Columbus to discuss road improvements with state officials.

















The names of both my Great Grandpa and Great Grandma Parker were in the local newspapers several times, often in conjunction with the Perkins Grange, the Perkins Methodist Church, the Farm Bureau, family reunions, and all too often in connection with deaths and obituaries. My great grandparents lived a rich, full life, and they were very involved in their church and community activities. After their family farm was sold to the U.S. Government, they worked for several summers at Cedar Point as concessionaires. Great Grandpa Roy was lost without his beloved Ada after she passed away in the fall of 1956. A family party was held in honor of Great Grandpa Roy's 79th birthday in June of 1959. It was held at my parents' home in Bay View, and even Uncle Tom's family from California was able to be there for the big day. The article about Grandpa Roy's birthday celebration appeared in the June 3, 1959 issue of the Sandusky Register.























Sadly, Grandpa Roy passed away on June 4, 1959. He was greatly missed by all his family and friends, and everyone was so happy that Uncle Tom, Aunt Ev, and their three children were here to see him at his birthday party.

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