2012: A Challenging Year

 

The year 2012 was definitely one of the most challenging years of my lifetime. My husband was in the Intensive Care Unit last June with bilateral pulmonary embolisms. The  staff at our local hospital literally saved his life. When we thought things were getting somewhat back to normal, our son took his own life after a long battle with depression. Our family faced other serious issues as well.

Thank you so very much to my family, friends, co-workers, and my genealogy family for all your prayers, words of encouragement, and so many other acts of kindness. You all helped me to get through a very difficult year!

Fred H. Smith, Monument Dealer

 

According to the book History of Huron County, Ohio,  (S. J. Clarke Pub. Co., 1909), Fred H. Smith was born in Sandusky, Ohio on February 27, 1860. When Fred was only fifteen years old, he began learning the marble cutter's trade. As a young man, Fred H. Smith worked for A.T. Davis, R.R. King, the Lake Shore Railroad, and the Flint and Pere Marquette Railroad Company. In 1883 Mr. Smith formed a partnership with W.V. McKnight. Mr. McKnight and Mr. Smith operated a successful marble business for several years. After the death of W.V. McKnight, Fred H. Smith operated the business as the Smith Monumental Works. One of the most well known monuments created by the Smith Monumental Works was the Fries Mausoleum, at the Milan Cemetery.

In 1895, Fred H. Smith married Katherine Burger McKnight, who was the widow of Mr. Smith's business partner. On August 9, 1950, Fred H. Smith passed away at the age of 90. He was survived by his two stepsons, and a brother, Adam J. Smith of Sandusky. Mr. Smith was buried next to his wife in the McKnight Smith family lot at Norwalk's Woodlawn Cemetery. An obituary for Fred H. Smith appeared in the August 10, 1950 issue of the Sandusky Register Star News.

Mary L. Mcneil

Mary L. McNeil died in 1852, and she was buried in Block 25 of Sandusky's Oakland Cemetery. Though her tombstone is now partially underground, I was able to learn a bit about her from her Oakland Cemetery Interment Card. The card states that Mary L. McNeil died on November 19, 1852; however, the C on her tombstone may read as Dec. 19, 1852. Mary was aged 24 years, 9 months, and 28 days at the time of her death. The inscription at the bottom of her grave marker has the inscription:

Sleeps in Jesus

The 1850 U.S. Census lists Mary L. McNeil as age 22, born in New York, and residing in the household of Albertus McNeil in Portland Township, Erie County, Ohio. Rest in peace, Mary.

Gram Irene on a Snowy Sandusky Day

 

It is a snowy day here in Northern Ohio. Pictured above is my great grandmother, Irene Larkins Risko, near the Erie County Courthouse in Sandusky, Ohio in the winter of 1952.  The Erie County Courthouse was the place where many of my ancestors applied for marriage licenses. Gram Irene often walked from her home in Sandusky to the downtown area, so she was very familiar with the many seasons that Ohio has to offer!

 

I'm thinking of Gram Irene today as the snow continues to fall!

Merry Christmas!

Merry Christmas from the Graveyard Rabbit of Sandusky Bay!!

Mrs. Amanda Reber

Amanda Reber, who was born Amanda Boalt, was the first wife of Sandusky attorney George Reber. She died on December 19,1847,at the age of 31. Amanda Boalt Reber is buried in Sandusky's Oakland Cemetery.


















Below is genealogical information about George Reber from the book GENEALOGY OF THE REBER FAMILY DESCENDED FROM JOHAN BERNHARD REBER, 1738, available fulltext at the Internet Archive.


















Sallie Reber, a daughter of George Reber from his second marriage, was a well known popular light opera singer.

Military Monday: First Sergeant Alfred W. House

Alfred W. House was the son of Selah and Mary House, born in Perkins Township on April 18, 1839. He served as First Sergeant in Company B of the 176th Ohio Infantry during the Civil War. On December 18, 1864, Sergeant Alfred W. House died in the hospital at Nashville, Tennessee. His name appeared with the names of several other officers in his unit in HISTORY OF THE FIRE LANDS, by W. W. Williams (Leader Printing Co., 1879).

The remains of Sergeant House were returned to Ohio. He was laid to rest in the old Perkins Cemetery. An inscription on the tombstone of Alfred W. House reads:

 "Soldier rest thy warfare o'er 
Sleep the sleep that knows no breaking 
Dream of battle fields no more 
Morn or toil, or night of waking."

Wreaths Across America

Click here to see the Sandusky Register's gallery of images showing area volunteers placing wreaths on the graves of Veterans buried at the Ohio Veterans Home Cemetery in Sandusky, Ohio. Wreaths Across America, an event which pays tribute to our deceased Veterans of military service,  takes place all over the United States.

Dr. John P. Siegfried

According to Dr. John P. Siegfried's death certificate,available at Family Search Labs, he was born on June 3, 1855 to John Siegfried and Anna Margaret Wolf Siegfried. His obituary, which appeared in the December 14, 1915 issue of the Sandusky Register, stated that Dr. Siegfried died on December 16, 1915, in the same house in which he was born, at 220 East Monroe Street in Sandusky, Ohio.

Dr. Siegfried moved from Sandusky to White Pigeon, Michigan in 1889, and then he was called to be a physician in Ashtabula, Ohio,in 1893. Dr. Siegfried was survived by his wife,the former Theresa Fuchs; a daughter Irene Elizabeth, and a son Rudolph Siegfried. He was also survived by four sisters, who all lived in Sandusky, and a brother, Henry Siegfried, of Lemore, California. Dr. John P. Siegfried was buried in the North Ridge section of Sandusky's Oakland Cemetery.

Mr. and Mrs. William E. Chapman

William Edward Chapman was born in Sandusky in 1844. He was an 1862 graduate of Sandusky High School. His father, William P. Chapman, was an early settler of Sandusky, involved in several business ventures in the city.

In 1872 William E. Chapman married Julia Mills. Julia was the daughter of Judge William Mills, who was a driving force behind Antioch College in Yellow Springs, Ohio. (A very interesting article about a cemetery tour featuring William Mills is found online at the web site of the Yellow Springs Historical Society.) William Mills was the grandnephew of Isaac L. Mills, one of Sandusky's original proprietors.

Mr. and Mrs. Chapman eventually moved to Cleveland with their family, where William was associated with a shipping business. They had three children, Winifred, Margaret, and Mills Chapman. William E. Chapman died in 1925, and Julia Mills Chapman died in 1917. They are buried in Oakland Cemetery in Erie County, Ohio. See Helen Hansen's AT HOME IN EARLY SANDUSKY to read more about the Mills and Chapman families of Sandusky.

Conrad Voigt, 1830-1909

According to the 1880 U.S. Census, Conrad Voigt was born in Hanover, Germany in 1830. In 1880 he was residing in Sandusky, Ohio, with his wife Regina, a native of Prussia. The Voigts had a large family of five sons and three daughters. They resided on Clinton Street, and Conrad stated his occupation simply as "laborer." On December 10, 1909, Conrad Voigt died of "acute indigestion." The death certificate of Conrad Voigt was signed by Dr. H. C. Schoepfle.

Conrad Voigt was laid to rest at Sandusky's Oakland Cemetery. His tombstone bears the mark of Conrad Keim, a well known monument maker in Sandusky, Ohio.

Stephen H. and Maria Rogers

In THE HISTORY OF ERIE COUNTY, edited by Lewis Cass Rogers, we read that Stephen H. Rogers was born in 1838 in Margaretta Township, Erie County, a son of Stephen and Eliza Hartwell Roger. The younger Stephen helped his father run the family farm. In October of 1861, Stephen H. Rogers enlisted in Company A of the 72nd Ohio Volunteer Infantry, in which he served as a Corporal. After the Civil War ended, he married Maria Bardwell, a daughter of Salmon and Lucy White Bardwell. They had four children: Addie A.Rogers, Carrie Rogers, Henry S. Rogers and James G. Rogers.

Stephen H. Rogers died on February 17, 1933 at the Ohio Soldiers and Sailors Home at the age of 95. His obituary, found in the 1933 OBITUARY NOTEBOOK at the Sandusky Library gave details of his military career. In July of 1863 Rogers was detached for special duty as a carrier of dispatches. He served in that capacity under General Ralph P. Buckland, General Asboth, General James M. Tuttle, Gen. Joseph A. Mower, and General McArthur. The funeral for Stephen H. Rogers were held on February 20, 1933, under the auspices of the McMeens Post of the G.A.R. and W.R.C. He was buried in Graves Cemetery, south of Castalia, with his wife Mrs. Maria Rogers, who had passed away in 1926.

While the military record of Stephen H. Rogers, as listed in the Civil War Soldiers and Sailors System as a Corporal, the tombstone and obituary of Stephen H. Rogers refer to him as "Major Rogers."

Arthur Peebles

In the 1860 U.S. Census, Arthur Peebles (listed in the census as Arthur Peables) was age 49, a native of Ireland, and was employed as a Quarryman. Also residing in the household were: Eliza, age 16, John age 10, Annette, age 7, and Sarah, age 5.













The 1867 McKelvey's Sandusky City Directory listed Arthur Peebles as a stone cutter. His home was located at the northwest corner of Scott and Warren Streets.

An Arthur Pebbles was age 60 in the 1870 U.S. Census. He was still living in Sandusky. In the Peebles household at this time were: Ann, age 35, John, age 20, Nettie, age 18, and Sarah, age 16. By 1880, Mr. Peebles' first name was listed as Atha in the U.S. Census, and the only other person in the household was a female named Mary. Arthur Peebles died on December 5, 1893. He was buried in Block 60 at Sandusky's Oakland Cemetery. The inscription at the base of the tombstone of Arthur Peebles reads:

May he rest in peace

Sentimental Sunday: 1966 Christmas Picture of the Six O's

 

My mom, Joyce Parker Orshoski, really liked taking pictures of her family. Pictured above are the six children of Paul and Joyce Orshoski in December, 1966. As a sophomore in High School, I loved the idea of being "big sister" again. Pictured are Dorene, holding Kellie; Robin in the red, white and blue dress; Paul, Jr. in the beige sweater; Todd in the red sweater; and youngest brother Matt, with the bow tie.  Now that Mom is gone, we really enjoy looking at the hundreds of old photos she left us!

Stillman Eastman

Stillman Eastman was born in 1812 in New Jersey. His occupation was listed as carpenter in the 1870 U.S. Census for Milan, Erie County, Ohio. Ohio marriage records accessible at Family Search show two marriages for Stillman Eastman. On May 14, 1831, Stillman Eastman married Hannah Webber in Huron County, Ohio. I am guessing that the first Mrs. Eastman must have died young, as on February 1, 1847, Stillman Eastman married secondly Hannah Cherry. In 1870, Stillman and Hannah Eastman were living in Milan with their two sons Henry and George. Stillman Eastman passed away on December 1, 1876. He was buried at Sandusky's Oakland Cemetery. Mrs. Hannah (Cherry) Eastman died on August 9, 1901, according to a brief biography in the Firelands Pioneer.