Austin and Harriet Ferry

The 1855 Sandusky City Directory lists Austin Ferry as a merchant of hats and caps, and a trustee of the First Congregational Church. Erie County Probate Court recorded the marriage of Austin Ferry and Eliza C. Muenscher on June 23, 1853. Eliza was the daughter of Rev. and Mrs. Joseph Muenscher of Mount Vernon, Ohio. Austin and Eliza Ferry had two little girls who died in infancy in the 1860's. Eliza Muschscher Ferry died on March of 1866, in Mount Vernon, Ohio. She is buried at the Kenyon College Cemetery. By the time of the 1870 Census, Austin Ferry had remarried, to a woman named Harriet. They had two children, William, born about 1869, and Annie, born about 1871. An article which appeared in the July 19, 1876 issue of the Sandusky Weekly Register reported that Austin Ferry had died while traveling out west with his family, in search of the healthier climate of the western states. He passed away in Wallace, Kansas on July 10, 1876. His wife and two young children returned to Sandusky immediately, and Austin Ferry was buried in Sandusky's Oakland Cemetery.

Harriet Ferry lived to be ninety years of age. Harriet lived at 420 Jackson Street in Sandusky. She passed away on November 30, 1933. Mrs. Harriet Ferry was survived by her son, veterinarian Dr. William A. Ferry, and a daughter, Mrs. Anna Ennis. Harriet was buried in the family lot at Oakland Cemetery. Harriet was also survived by a sister, granddaughter, and two great grandchildren.













Harriet and Austin Ferry both lived through the Civil War, and Harriet had such a long life that she saw several advancements in technology, including electricity, the automobile, motion pictures, and radio. I am sure she had many stories to tell her grandchildren.