Wednesday, July 23, 2025

Did Dad Really Feed the Bears in Bay Bridge in the 1940s?

Pictured to the left are: my dad, Paul Orshoski, in his Navy uniform, with his brother Cliff Orshoski on the left, and new nephew Luther Gantz, Jr. in the middle, during the World War Two years.

My dad rarely told me stories of his growing up years, but once he told me that Minerva Gray, who ran the general store and Post Office in Bay Bridge, used to pay him a quarter to feed the bears she had in Bay Bridge. Well, I thought he must have been teasing me, as I just couldn't imagine a young man feeding bears in Bay Bridge!






Today I ran into this excerpt of a news article from the Sandusky Star Journal of January of January 27, 1940. It turns out that there were two black bears of the former service station in Bay Bridge! Dad was telling me the truth! Oh, how I wish he had told me more stories!




 

Monday, July 14, 2025

Frank Schmitt, Civil War Veteran

















The monument honoring the memory of Frank Schmitt is found in Block 27 at Sandusky's Oakland Cemetery. Frank Schmitt was born in Germany in 1831, and he died in Sandusky in 1883.



 








Military records at Fold3 indicate that Frank Schmitt served in Company F in the 28th Ohio Volunteer Infantry during the Civil War. He achieved the rank of First Lieutenant in the U.S. Army. Thank you for your service! 









The same monument on which the name of Frank Schmitt appears has the names of members of the Strohmeier and Brown families. To date, the exact relationships have not been determined, but it is likely that Frank Schmitt is related to the Stohmeriers and Browns in Sandusky, Ohio.

Wednesday, July 9, 2025

Learning about the Hertlein Campsite on the Appalachian Trail

Image courtesy Pinterest

 










Close family friends of mine are descended from the Hertlein family, whose ancestors were longtime farmers in Erie County, Ohio, with deep German roots. One of the sisters heard of a Hertlein Campsite on the Appalachian Trail. She wondered how that campsite came to be named Hertlein.

It turns out that a brewer in Reading, Pennsylvania, named John Michael Hertlein, appreciated nature and hiking. After John Michael Hertlein died in 1927, his wife, Anna K. Hertlein, donated several acres of land near Schubert's Gap  in Berks County to the state of Pennsylvania, now a part of the Appalachian Trail. In about 1930 a cabin called the Hertlein cabin was built. Eventually the cabin was demolished due to repeated vandalism. The area is now known as the Hertlein Campsite.

Mr.and Mrs. John Michael Hertlein are buried in the Charles Evans Cemetery in Berks County, Pennsylvania. 

Image courtesy Find a Grave















This picture of Mr. and Mrs. John Michael Hertlein, along with their grandson, appeared on a Passport application in 1921, accessed at Ancestry.com, before they embarked on a trip to Europe.



















Thank you Mr. and Mrs. John Michael Hertlein for your generosity to nature lovers who hike the Appalachian Trail.

To read more about the Appalachian Trail, visit the travel section of your local library. Articles about the Hertlein donation of land are found in the Reading Times of October 27, 1930, and July 25, 1934.

Sunday, July 6, 2025

Miss Mary E. Comstock, Educator

 




Mary Eliza Comstock was born in Sandusky, Ohio in 1839 to Thomas Comstock and his wife, the former Martha Carr. After graduating from Sandusky High School, Mary taught school at Kelleys Island and at Sandusky City Schools, In the early 1870s, Mary E. Comstock moved to Cleveland. She was eventually promoted to the principalship of the Walton School. She retired from that position in 1907.

Miss Comstock passed away on May 5, 1924. She was laid to rest in the family lot at Sandusky's Oakland Cemetery.

 












Top image courtesy: Educational History of Ohio, by James Jesse Burns (Columbus, Ohio, 1905)

Thursday, July 3, 2025

Terrific Tool: Online Searchable Death Indexes and Records


 






A very helpful tool for genealogy reseach is Joe Beine's Online Seachable Death Indexes and Records

To us this site, just select the state for which you are looking for death records. From the state, then select the county. For Erie County, Ohio, the choices that are retrieved include:

Oakland Cemetery Burials

and

Milan Cemetery Burials

No matter where your ancestors live in the United States, you can see what death indexes and records are available for that location, by searching this site.


Oakland Cemetery, Erie County, Ohio


Friday, June 6, 2025

Naturalization of James Till

On January 8, 1852, James P. Till declared his intention to be a naturalized citizen of the United States. His brother William A. Till stated that James had resided in the U.S. for three years. Judge E.M. Colver signed the document.  James P. Till renounced his allegiance to Victoria Queen of Great Britain and Ireland. Prior to moving to the United States, James had lived in Canada, which was under the umbrella of the United Kingdom.

Queen Victoria mage courtesy Wikipedia











Sadly, James P. Till died in an industrial accident in Cleveland in 1903 when he was on the job as an engineer for the Cleveland Grain Drying Company. James P. Till was laid to rest in Oakland Cemetery.











Rest in peace, Mr. Till.

When the series Victoria was on PBS a few years ago, I never missed an episode. History comes to life when seeing the name of a local resident mentioning Queen Victoria on a naturalization document!


Tuesday, June 3, 2025

Following the life of Julia Anna Townsend Jacobs

Photo credit: J. Mazza

 






Mrs. Julia Anna Townsend Jacobs was born in 1837, in Sandusky, Ohio, to William and Maria (Lamson) Townsend. Sadly, Mr. and Mrs. Townsend, and one of their daughters, and Mrs. Townsend's sister. all died in the 1849 Cholera epidemic. By 1850, Julia was residing with her sister, Mary Townsend Cooke, and her brother in law Pitt Cooke.

In 1859, Julia Townsend married Angelo Jacobs, sometimes known as Thomas Angelo Jacobs. Julia and Angelo Jacobs had two sons in the early 1860s, Townsend Jacobs and Thomas Pitt Jacobs.

Angelo Jacobs seems to disappear from Julia's life in later census records. In 1872, Julia A. Jacobs applied for a Passport (accessed at Ancestry.com) with the intention of traveling with two minor sons.


















By 1885, a Minnesota Territorial Census lists a J.A. Jacobs with two sons, T.H. and T.P. (most likely T.A.) Jacobs.

An article in the June 11, 1914 issue of the Sandusky Register reported that Tacoma praised former Sandusky resident Julia Jacobs.


The article stated that Mrs. Julia Jacobs died in Chicago on May 23, 1914. She had resided in Tacoma, Washington from 1887 to 1897. While in Tacoma, Julia was very active in St. Luke's Church, where she served as president of the Girls Guild. An excerpt from the article reads "She endeared herself to many friends in the years she lived here." 

The remains of Julia Anna Townsend Jacobs were taken to Sandusky, for burial at Oakland Cemetery. Julia Jacobs was survived by two sons, Townsend Jacobs and Thomas Pitt Jacobs. She was laid to rest in the family lot, near her parents and sisters.







Sunday, June 1, 2025

Ayres Lot at Oakland Cemetery

Ebenezer Raymond Ayres was born in 1842 in the state of New York, to Frederick Seymour Ayres and his wife, the former Nancy Raymond. During the Civil War, Ebenezer served as a Lieutenant in Company I of the 23rd Michigan Volunteer Infantry.

In 1871, Ebenezer R. Ayres took Caroline Mills as his wife. By 1880, Mr. and Mrs. Ebenezer R. Ayres resided in Sandusky, Ohio. They had two children at this time, Fred and Sophia. Ebenezer listed his occupation as merchant. Eventually Ebenezer R. Ayres moved to Saginaw, Michigan, where he was a prominent businessman dealing in lumber.

Caroline "Lena" Mills Ayres died in 1886, and she was buried at Sandusky's Oakland Cemetery. Another young son, Charles Mills Ayres died in 1882. Charles was also buried in the family lot at Oakland.Caroline Mills Ayres' paternal grandfather, Isaac Mills, was one of the founding fathers of Sandusky, Ohio. Mills Creek, Mills School, and  Mills Street were all named after the Mills family.

In 1896, Ebenezer took as his second wife, Martha Hawkins. Martha Hawkins Ayers died in Missouri in 1928

Ebenezer R. Ayres died in Saginaw, Michigan in 1914. His remains were returned to Sandusky, Ohio, where he was laid to rest beside his first wife and infant son. An excerpt of an article about the death of Ebenezer Ayres from the Saginaw Daily News of January 28, 1914 appears below.












Frederick Seymour Mills Ayres lived until 1930. He too was buried in the family lot at Oakland. Sophia Ayres James was living in Athens, Greece at the time of her death in 1909.

Though the Ayres family had strong ties to Saginaw, Michigan, the monument at Oakland Cemetery is a reminder of the times  the Ayres family had in Sandusky, Ohio, when their children were young.

Sunday, May 18, 2025

How a Facebook Group Helped me Learn about My Grandfather


 








My paternal grandfather, Steve Orshoski (second man from the right) was baptized as an adult on May 17, 1931 at Trinity Lutheran Church in Sandusky, Ohio. A genealogist who follows an Erie County Genealogy Facebook Page shared this picture with me. Grandpa Steve was raised Catholic, and then converted to the Lutheran Church.  I suspect my great grandma Lena Yeager,or perhaps his wife, Emma Yeager Orshoski, persuaded Grandpa Steve to change faiths, so that the family would all be of same religion.

In 1944, three of Steve and Emma Orshoski's sons, as well as cousin Rolland Orshoski were confirmed at Trinity Lutheran. Someone in their class once told me that the Bay Bridge residents attended classes at the Bay Bridge town hall as mission from Trinity Lutheran.

 Seated in front: Elmer Wahl, Wayne Orshoski, Joyce Galloway, Betty Martin, Rev. John Braun, Joyce Gardner, Nancy Klafter, Donald Orshoski, and Rolland Orshoski. In the back row: Norm Oeder, Richard Quinn, Marilyn Martin, Albert Oeder, Paul R. Orshoski, Stan Perry and Curtis Miller













Many of our Orshoski ancestors have strong ties to Trinity Lutheran Church!




Saturday, May 3, 2025

Sleep on Sweet Hattie


 










Infant Hattie Frohman was borrn to David and Rachel Frohman in Febuary of 1865. Sadly, she died on December 28, 1866. An inscription on her tombstone begins:

Sleep on sweet Hattie

And take thy rest

Hattie Frohman is buried at Oheb Shalom Cemetery in Erie County, Ohio, along with several members of her extended family. The Frohman family is well known in Sandusky and beyond, in the fields of drama, business, and history. Rest in peace Hattie.

Tuesday, April 29, 2025

Erastus Sheldon, Pioneer Resident of Sandusky, Ohio


Erastus Sheldon and his wife, the former  Angeline Adams, were pioneer residents of Sandusky, Ohio. According to the April 18, 1933 issue of the Sandusky Register, the Sheldon homestead was a stone structure that stood north of the Old First (Presbyterian) Church on Jackson St. in Sandusky, Ohio. (The former Sheldon home no longer stands.) Below is brief genealogical information about Mr. and Mrs. Erastus Sheldon from a book entitled The Descendants of Thomas Olcott.

















Erastus and Angeline Sheldon both died in 1852 and were buried in the North Ridge section of Oakland Cemetery.


Sunday, April 27, 2025

Townsend, Montana was Named for a Sandusky Native

Image of Townsend, Montana courtesy Wikipedia













In 1834 (sources vary as to exact year of birth) a baby girl was born to Mr. and Mrs. William Townsend, named Susan Townsend. When Susan was a young woman  her parents and sister all died during the 1849 Cholera Epidemic. Susan went on to marry Charles Barstow Wright, an executive in the Northern Pacific Railway. The town of Townsend, Montana was named after Mr. Wright's wife's maiden name, Townsend. Charles Barstow Wright (1859-1832) and Susan Townsend Wright (1834-1882)  are both buried at the Woodlands Cemetery in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania.

To read more about Townsend, Montana, see these links.

Townsend, Montana

Information on Townsend, Montana from "Helena As She Was"

Tuesday, April 22, 2025

Leopold Monat, Sandusky Businessman

Photo credit: J Mazza

This lovely monument at the Oheb Shalom Cemetery in Erie County, Ohio, honors the memory of Leopold Monat, who was born in Germany in 1832, and died in Sandusky, Ohio on November 24, 1895. During his time in Sandusky, Ohio, Leopold Monat operated a men's clothing store in downtown Sandusky in West's Block on Columbus Avenue, often in partnership with his brother in law Moses Lebensberger. The following obituary appeard  in the Firelands Pioneer in 1896:

Mr. L. Monat died at the residence of M. Lebensburger, at 10 o'clock on Sunday morning, Nov. 24, 1895.  Mr. Monat was one of Sandusky's oldest business men, but during the past fifteen years had not been actively engaged in business..  He came to Sandusky from Dayton in 1852 and has ever since been a resident of this city.  Immediately after his arrival here he engaged in the clothing and gent's furnishing business with Mr. M. Lebensburger.  It was from this was formed the now well known house of M. & A. Lebensburger on Columbus Avenue.  He never married and always made his home with Mr. M. Lebensburger.  He was a member of the board of trustees of the Masonic temple building association.

Masonic emblems are found at the top and side of the monument for Mr. Monat.



According to the will of Leopold Monat, on file at Erie County Probate Court, as well as at Ancestry.com, he left bequests to: The Ladies Library Building Fund of Sandusky, Jewish Orphan Asylum of Cleveland, Ohio, the Sir Moses Montifore Kesher Home for the Aged, Hebrew Union College, the Masonic Home at Springfield, Ohio, and he left money for his sister, sister in law, and  several nieces and nephews. Several relatives of Leopold Monat are buried at the Oheb Shalom Cemetery in Sandusky, Ohio, including his brother in law Moses Lebensberger and Joseph Joseph, and their families.

Leopold Monat was active in his new homeland, and was very generous, even in his death. Rest in peace!

Note: The surname Lebersberger is sometimes spelled Lebensburger.
 

Saturday, April 12, 2025

Florence Veterans Park

 

My brother recently drove a tour bus to Florence, South Carolina. One of the stops was the Florence Veterans Park. Many statues and plaques honor the memory of United States Veterans from wars and conflicts of the 20th century. To the right is a statue entitled "Aviator."










The ship's bell was from the USS South Carolina.













This plaque describes Florence, South Carolina during World War Two.








Below is a picture which features of piece of the USS Arizona.













This scultpure honors survivors of World War Two Concentration Camps, Fannie and Marcus Palkovich. It is entitled "Alone with Memories."














There are  many more points of interest at the Veterans Park. Thank you all Veterans for your service!



Thursday, April 10, 2025

Be Aware of Spelling Variations in Your Family History Research

My great grandparents had an infant daughter who died at birth on October 24, 1917. While I know Great Grandpa Joseph Orshoski as having the surname Orshoski, his infant daughter's name was listed as Infant Daughter of Mr. and Mrs. Joe Orsike. The little one was buried at Venice Cemetery.












The youngster whose tombstone reads Simione Minosio, had the name of Sam Meno on his death record.









The well known Sandusky electrician Joseph Fresch (1897-1986) listed his name as Giuseppe Piscitelli on his World War One registration form!




Be aware that as you search through vital records and Find a Grave listings, you may find many spelling variations! Happy searching!


Friday, April 4, 2025

Ireland Catholic Parish Records Found at FamilySearch


 











Today as I was browsing around my family tree in FamilySearch.org, I found a listing for my ancestor Daniel Larkins. He was born in Killenaule, County Tipperary, in Ireland. His parents were Gregorio Larkin and Maria Meehan. Though there is no image, it is helpful to learn of this database. Daniel Larkins emigrated to the United States, and is buried at St. Joseph's Cemetery. Though his tombstone reads that he was aged 107, following vital records, he was aged 95 at the time of his death.

If you have ancestors of Irish origin, check out the Ireland Catholic Parish Records at FamilySearch.org.

Note: There are spelling variations of the name of Daniel Larkins, aka Danniel Larkin.


Saturday, March 29, 2025

Fun with FamilySearch Collage Feature


 









Above is an example of a collage anyone with a free account can create at FamilySearch. The link is:

https://www.familysearch.org/en/campaign/photocollage

My great great grandfather, Thomas Francis Larkins, lived in Sandusky, and he worked for the Big Four railroad, later the New York Central. After he retired from the railroad, he ran a bicycle shop on Market Street in downtown Sandusky. My mom had precious memories of Grandpa Tom Larkins!

Tuesday, March 25, 2025

Mrs. Alice DeWitt Akins, 1856-1951


 







Alice Frank Bush was born in Illinois in 1856 to William Millard Bush and his wife, the former Mary Amanda Hubbard. By 1860, the Bush family was living in Erie County, Ohio, where William Bush worked as a farmer in Perkins Township. According to pedigree charts on FamilySearch, Alice's Bush lineage goes back to John Bush (1593-1662), who is also an ancestor of President George Herbert Walker Bush.

In 1873, when Alice was only age 17, she married James Lloyd DeWitt, an attorney who would become Mayor of Sandusky from 1883 to 1886, and later served as Common Pleas Judge for Erie County. Judge J.L. DeWitt died in 1890, when he was struck by a train as he was walking along the railroad tracks. The whole community mourned his loss. Alice was left a widow, with two children. Alice’s son Rufus DeWitt moved to Idaho, where he was a farmer. Her daughter Maud DeWitt married well known biologist Raymond Pearl.

 Alice became the wife of F.A. Akins in 1903. Mr. Akins was a widower who also resided in Perkins Township. Mr. Akins passed away in 1920.

 In May of 1951, Mrs. Alice Akins died at the age of 94. She was survived by three grandchildren. One of Alice’s granddaughters became a psychotherapist and author. Penelope Russianoff wrote the books Why Do I think I am Nothing Without a Man? and When Will I Be Happy?

Alice DeWitt Akins outlived her two children and both husbands.  She was buried at Lot 106 in Oakland Cemetery in Sandusky, Ohio. Both Judge J.L. DeWitt and F.A. Akins are buried nearby. Alice lived through the Civil War, and two world wars. She saw a multitude of inventions during her lifetime, including electricity, the airplane, the automobile, the telephone, and radio and television. She was truly a pioneer woman.


Friday, March 21, 2025

Mrs. Ellen Conners, nee Printy

 An obituary for Mrs. Ellen Conners (sometimes spelled Connors) appeared in the December 5, 1904 issue of the Sandusky Daily Register.












Patrick Conners (aka Connors) followed his wife to the grave between 1904 and 1910. Several children of Patrick and Ellen were also laid to rest in St. Joseph's Cemetery in Sandusky, Ohio, in Section A, Lots 26 and 27.

  • Bernard Connors died December 20, 1933
  • Catherine Connors died November 30, 1938
  • Margaret Connors died March 17, 1947
  • Ella Mary Connors died April 11, 1948
  • Rose Ann Connors died May 6, 1956

May they all rest in peace.










Thursday, March 20, 2025

New Exhibit at the Hayes Presidential Library and Museums

President R.B. Hayes image courtesy Wikipedia










From March 28 to June 30, 2025, an exhibit which focuses on President Rutherford B. Hayes' love of reading. President Hayes collected  thousands of books throughout his wife, many of which are in the library at his former home at the Hayes Presidential Library and Museums.








President Rutherford B. Hayes and his wife Lucy Webb Hayes are both buried on the grounds of the Hayes Presidential Library and Museums.



Wednesday, March 5, 2025

Cannon Townsend, died 1855




Photo by J. Mazza



















Cannon Townsend, aka Charles C. Cannon, was the young son of Absolom Townsend and his wife, the former Eleanor  Bowe. Cannon Townsend was born in 1849, and died in 1855. He is buried in Section 12, Lot 8 of Oakland Cemetery in Erie County, Ohio.

The name Cannon was the surname of Cannon Townsend's paternal grandmother, Esther Mary Cannon. Many members of the extended Townsend family settled in Erie County, Ohio, after moving here from New England states.

To learn more about your own ancestors, check the free database www.FamilySearch.org, where many vital records and family trees may be located. In Erie County, Ohio, the Sandusky Library houses a vast variety of genealogical resources, both in print and online, to help you in your family tree research.



Tuesday, February 18, 2025

Dr. Benjamin Lord Hill

Image courtesy History of the Eclectic Medical Institute


 










Dr. Benjamin Lord Hill was born in 1813 in Pennsylvania to Noah Hill and his wife, the former Sukie Butler. When Benjamin was a youngster, the family moved to Berlin Heights, Erie County, Ohio. Benjamin Lord Hill studied law, and for a  time he practiced law in Norwalk, Ohio. Later, he studied medicine and graduated from the Reformed Medical College at Worthington, Ohio. Dr. Hill was Professor of Anatomy at the Eclectic Medical Institute. In 1850, Dr. Hill published a book entitled The Eclectic Practice of Surgery. In 1851, Dr. Hill took part in the founding of the Western College of Homeopathy. Around the same time, he was associated with a large water cure establishment in Berlin Heights. 

Image courtesty Water Cure Journal









In 1863, Dr. Benjamin Lord Hill was appointed by President Lincoln to consul to Nicaragua. Later, he was connected with the lumber industry in Michigan. In the late 1860s and early 1860s, Dr. Hill represented Erie County in the state of Ohio Legislature. Dr. Hill died in 1871 in Marysville, California. He was survived by his wife, the former Joanna Greer, and five children.

A lengthy obituary for Dr. Benjamin Lord Hill appeared in the May 24, 1871 issue of the Sandusky Register. Books written by Dr. Hill are housed in the Cleveland Health Sciences Library.  The final resting place of Dr. Hill is in the family lot of the West End Cemetery at Berlin Heights, Ohio. You can read more about Dr. Benjamin Lord  Hill in the History of the Western Reserve  and the History of the Eclectic Medical Institute


Thursday, February 13, 2025

Birthplaces of our Yeager and Piehl Ancestors

 

Andrew Yeager and Lena (Piehl) Yeager were my great grandparents. Andrew Yeager was born in Muenchhof, Germany, to Lawrence Yeager (Lorenz Jaeger) and his wife, the former Maria Schweighardt. His birth year was either 1874 or 1876. (Sources in vital records and census records vary.) The Yeager family settled in Sandusky, Erie County, Ohio.

Lena Piehl was born in Oak Harbor, Ottawa County, Ohio in 1881, to Gotthold Ferdinand Piehl and  his wife, the former Augusta Jaensch. Both Gotthold Ferdinand Piehl and Augusta Jaensch were born in Bnin, Posen, Germany which is now Bnin, Poznań, Poland. They eventually settled on a farm near Oak Harbor, Ohio.

A relative told me that Grandma Lena Yeager and her sisters used to take the interurban railway from Oak Harbor to Sandusky, where they worked as domestics for rich people of German descent in Sandusky. Somewhere along the way, Lena met Andrew Yeager, and they were married in 1903, and lived most of their adult lives in Erie County, Ohio.

Below is map courtesy Google Maps, which shows the route from Bnin, Posen, Germany, the birthplace of Gotthold Ferdinand Piehl and Augusta Jaensch, to Muenchhof, Germany, the birthplace of Grandpa Andrew Yeager.










All my great great grandparents, as well as their children, traveled many miles. Had they not traveled, then all the descendants of Andrew and Lena Yeager would not be here! It is interesting to determine where some of  my roots originated!

While the area where Grandma Lena Yeager's parents were born is now a part of Poland, I have only heard of that branch of the family as being German in culture. Maybe today I still  have cousins in Poland and Germany.