Graveyard Rabbit of Sandusky Bay

Wordless Wednesday: Amandus Smith Monument at Oakland Cemetery

2012-02-01T01:31:00.007-05:00

Massillon Memory

2012-01-30T01:06:00.001-05:00

Massillon Memory is a group of resources from the Local History Collection of the Massillon Public Library. The Obituary Index is very straightforward.

Just enter a name in the search box, and click Search. Citations for the name entered will be retrieved. If you find an obituary that you would like to obtain, you can contact the library. (Note: There are several libraries contributing to this project. Contact information will vary, according to the source of the obituary.)

The Massillon Business Database is an outstanding resource! Business and industries can be searched by Organization Name, Category, or Individual Name.

By clicking on the category of: Photography Stores And Portrait Studios, an entire listing of photography related businesses is displayed, along with the years the business was active. So far I have only looked at the resources at Massillon Memory briefly, but I look forward to spending more time at this excellent website!

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

2012-01-28T01:24:00.000-05:00

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!!

2012-01-27T18:50:00.000-05:00

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

2012-01-26T01:06:00.009-05:00

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

2012-01-24T05:33:00.010-05:00

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

2012-01-23T20:46:00.000-05:00

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

2012-01-22T01:16:00.000-05:00

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

2012-01-21T01:11:00.015-05:00

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.

Lena Grasgreen

2012-01-19T01:39:00.000-05:00

Lena Grasgreen (sometimes spelled Grassgreen) died in the latter part of January, 1888, at the age of five years and ten months. She is buried in the Oheb Shalom Cemetery, in Perkins Township of Erie County, Ohio. Lena's tombstone contains a lengthy inscription, written in the Hebrew language. Lena's obituary, which appeared in the January 26, 1888 issue of the Sandusky Register stated that she was the daughter of Joseph Grasgreen.

In the 1880 U.S. Census, Joseph Grasgreen and his wife Lotta lived in Sandusky, where Joseph worked as a stocking manufacturer. Mr. and Mrs. Grasgreen had a family of six children, ranging in age from infancy to ten years old. (Lena had not been born yet.) The 1880 Sandusky City Directory lists Joseph Grasgreen's place of business as 833 Market Street. Isaac Grasgreen was a dealer in boots and shoes at the same location. By 1900, Census records show that the Grasgreen family had moved to Cleveland, Ohio, where Joseph was a merchant in dry goods. Joseph and Lotta/Lottie's birthplace was given as Hungary, and the children were born in Ohio. The gates of Sandusky's Oheb Shalom Cemetery are pictured below.

Theodore Ruh

2012-01-18T01:10:00.000-05:00

Theodore John Otto Ruh, son of Otto and Nora Ruh, died at the age of three years, six months, and four days, at Providence Hospital on January 18, 1914. He was buried in Sandusky's Oakland Cemetery. An angelic face is found at the top of the tombstone of little Theodore Ruh, which was made by Conrad Keim.

Inscribed along the top of Theodore's stone are the words Our Darling.

Obituaries for Theodore Ruh appeared in the January 19 and January 20, 1914 issues of the Sandusky Register.

Whirlwind Tour of Cemeteries in Irwin and Coffee Counties Georgia

2012-01-17T09:31:00.000-05:00

A couple days before the memorial for my husband's aunt, Ann (Paul) Donaldson, we had the privilege of spending the afternoon with his cousin, Mary Clyde. Mary Clyde and her hubby are seen with us in the picture above at the Cafe in Ocilla, Georgia, where Mary Clyde works part time. After getting off work a little early, Mary Clyde escorted us around Coffee and Irwin Counties in Georgia.

First, we visited the Lax Cemetery, where Mary Clyde's paternal grandparents, Claudie Alfonso "C.L." Paul and Annie Bell (Smith) Paul are buried. C.L. was the grandfather of both my husband and Mary Clyde. C.L. worked as a blacksmith.

Next we went to the grave site of Tom's grandmother, Leattie (Taylor) Paul at the Arnie Baptist Church Cemetery. "Mama Paul" became the wife of Claudie Alfonso "C.L." Paul after his first wife Annie died. Mama Paul was an outstanding cook and caregiver, and she traveled all over to visit her children and grandchildren. Before she even knew that I was going to become a part of the Paul family, she made me a quilt! Her green beans, fried chicken and sweet tea were fabulous! She had so much love in her heart, and she was generous with her hugs!

The youngest daughter of C.L. and Leattie Paul was Catherine Lee Paul (Kitty) Holland. Aunt Kitty was such a gracious lady. She used to have a cabin in Cumberland Gap, which was between her home in Georgia, and her relatives up North, so she opened up her place in Cumberland Gap for many a gathering. She loved showing us the Cumberland Mountains and took us to a lovely little restaurant that had live music on Friday nights. Aunt Kitty and her husband Colonel Thomas J. Holland, Jr. are both buried in a small cemetery in Ambrose, Georgia, not far from where Kitty and Tommy grew up.

Mary Clyde's parents, Clyde R. Paul and his beloved wife, Mary (Luke) Paul, are both buried at the Satilla Baptist Church Cemetery in Irwin County, Georgia. We have such special memories of Uncle Clyde and Aunt Mary. We stayed with them during several trips to Georgia. They used to have family reunions at their home, which featured the finest southern food ever! Uncle Clyde was a barber for fifty years, and his hobbies were wood carving and giving nicknames to almost everyone he ever met! Of course, Aunt Mary was the wonderful "woman behind the man." Uncle Clyde and Aunt Mary welcomed me into the family with open arms, even though I was from the North. We miss them so very much.

Thanks so much, Mary Clyde, for taking us to all these cemeteries, and for all the fond memories and family stories! The song "Georgia on My Mind" sung by Ray Charles, has become our favorite song, and Georgia is on our mind right now.You can see many more pictures of tombstones of our extended family on FindaGrave, to which Mary Clyde is a generous contributor.

Rev. John H. Hull

2012-01-17T04:46:00.002-05:00

A military funeral was held for Rev. John Henry Hull, who passed away in McAllen, Texas on January 18, 1929. An obituary for Rev. John H. Hull is found in the 1929 OBITUARY NOTEBOOK at the Sandusky Library. The article stated that Rev. Warren Tuttle, of Kent, Ohio, officiated at Rev. Hull's funeral, held at the Old First Presbyterian Church in Sandusky, Ohio. A firing squad from the Cleveland Grays gave a salute at the grave of Rev. Hull in Oakland Cemetery. Rev. Hull had served as the chaplain of the Cleveland Grays for thirty five years.

Parishes where Rev. John H. Hull served as pastor included churches in Marblehead, Ohio; Frankfort, Michigan; Kent, Ohio; Cleveland, Ohio; as well as churches in South Dakota. Rev. Hull was survived by his widow, two sons, and four grandchildren. Rev. John H. Hull was the son of John L. Hull, who was well known in Perkins Township of Erie County, Ohio. Rev. John H. Hull was also the brother of Judge Linn W. Hull.

Remembering Aunt Ann

2012-01-15T09:14:00.000-05:00

The past several days we have spent with the extended family, following the passing of my husband's Aunt Ann. Aunt Ann was full of life, and she was always welcoming to the family, especially the children. Aunt Ann's father and mother had both been married before. When Granddaddy and Mama Paul married, they had seven children of their own. Ann was the oldest girl of this "bunch."

The Paul children grew up in Irwin County, Georgia, and their father was a sharecropper. As time went by Granddaddy Paul was in poor health due to severe arthritis, and the children had to work on the farm at a very young age. Aunt Ann went on to marry, have four children, and she got to travel, and visit her many siblings throughout the country. Aunt Ann's youngest brother became a minister of the gospel, and he spoke at the family gathering, and he led us in singing "Bind Us Together, Lord." Family ties truly are bound together with cords that cannot be broken.

This Ohioan was blessed with a whirlwind tour of cemeteries in Irwin and Coffee County, Georgia this week. I got to touch base with my brother, and I got to see more Paul family members than I have seen in a very long time. We played "Georgia on My Mind" over and over again the whole trip, and we loved the weather in Ocilla that was 72 degrees on January 12! Georgia is truly still on my mind, and we will dearly miss our Auntie Ann! Thank you to our extended family for all the wonderful memories and your generous southern hospitality!

J. P. Pinder, Civil War Veteran

2012-01-15T04:01:00.000-05:00

J. P. Pinder's tombstone is located in the North Monroeville Cemetery in Huron County, Ohio. Mr. Pinder's grave marker is decorated with a flag and a marker from the Grand Army of the Republic, an organization for Veterans of the Civil War.

A search of the database Headstones Provided for Deceased Union Civil War Veterans, 1879-1903 , available at Ancestry Library Edition, provides us with the unit in which J. P. Pinder served. John P. Pinder served in Company D, of the 76th New York Volunteer Infantry during the Civil War. Mr. Pinder's tombstone was supplied by the W. H. Gross Company of Lee, Massachusetts in 1896.

G. Friedrich Kubach

2012-01-14T01:06:00.000-05:00

This monument for G. Friedrich Kubach, located in the North Ridge section of Sandusky's Oakland Cemetery has fallen down, but Mr. Kubach's name is clearly legible. In the 1860 U.S. Census for Erie County, Ohio, the Kubach family (spelled Kuback by the census enumerator) is listed as:

Frederick, age 38, born in Baden
Magdaline, age 20, born in Baden

and the children, all born in Ohio:

Christina, age 10
August, age 7
Charles, age 5
William, age 2
Another person, John Shepley, age 10, also lived with the Kubach family.

The book SANDUSKY THEN AND NOW, has this listing in the section on German Settlers in Sandusky:

Kubach, Friedr., b. May 1, 1822, in Liedolsheim, Baden, d. Jan. 8, 1865; m. July 7, 1850 to Magdal. Schopfle, b. Aug. 31, 1833, in Kretzingen, Baden

SANDUSKY THEN AND NOW, which was written by Ernst Von Schulenburg in the German language, and translated into English by Norbert A. and Marion Cleaveland Lange, is an excellent resource on the people of German heritage who settled in Sandusky.

L.S. Hubbard Monument at Oakland Cemetery

2012-01-13T01:24:00.000-05:00

Lester Samuel Hubbard was born in Connecticut on December 16, 1807. After living for a time in New York City, he moved to Sandusky in 1835, where he was a well known merchant and banker. He married Jane Paterson Livingston on June 25, 1850. Jane was the daughter of Dr. Charles Paterson Livingston and Eliza Clement (Brewer) Livingston. The side of the Hubbard monument at Sandusky's Oakland Cemetery which faces west reads:

LESTER SAMUEL HUBBARD
WAS BORN IN BLOOMFIELD, CONN.
DEC. 16, 1807
AND BECAME A RESIDENT OF SANDUSKY,O.
IN OCT. 1835
WHERE HIS WELL SPENT LIFE WAS CLOSED
JULY 11, 1875

HIS WIFE
JANE PATERSON LIVINGSTON
PAINESVILLE, O.
DEC. 13, 1829 - MARCH 22, 1909

Names inscribed on the side of the Hubbard monument that faces south are:

LESTER SAMUEL HUBBARD
DIED JAN. 21, 1889
AGED 34 yrs., 4 mos.

GEORGE WATSON HUBBARD
JULY 4, 1874 - SEPT. 7, 1898

CHARLES LIVINGSTON HUBBARD
APR. 29, 1851 - MAY 20, 1904

KATHARINE FOLLETT HUBBARD
DEC. 31, 1875 - JAN. 3, 1905

The side of the Hubbard monument that faces to the east includes these names:

ELIZA C. BREWER
WIFE OF
DR. C. P. LIVINGSTON
BORN JULY 13, 1798
DIED APRIL 2, 1878

CHARLES HENRY LIVINGSTON
BORN DEC. 28, 1832
DIED SEPT. 4, 1874

EDWARD LIVINGSTON
BORN DEC. 29, 1838
DIED AUG. 28, 1881

(These individuals are related to Jane Paterson Livingston Hubbard.)

The side of the Hubbard which faces to the north includes the names of several of the children of L.S. and Jane Paterson Livingston Hubbard.

OUR CHILDREN

MABEL BARNARD
DIED OCT. 3, 1854
AGED 1 YR., 9 MOS., 20 D.

MARY ELIZA
DIED SEPT. 1, 1864
AGED 3 MOS., 1 D.

JOHN EDWARD
DIED MAR. 11, 1865
AGED 9 MMOS., 11 D.

WALTON BARNARD
DIED MAR. 13, 1865
AGED 5 YR., 1 M.

ELIZA BREWER
DIED DEC. 28, 1885
AGED 18 YRS., 10 M., 16 D.

The L.S. Hubbard family was well respected in Sandusky, Ohio. Mr. and Mrs. Hubbard lost several children at quite an early age. To see some pictures of the L.S. Hubbard home, visit the Sandusky History blog. More details about Lester Samuel Hubbard and his family can be found in the book DESCENDANTS OF GEORGE HUBBARD OF MIDDLETOWN, CONNECTICUT, by Frank Allison Hubbard (Sandusky, Ohio: 1918), available fulltext at Heritage Quest Online.

Howard Grant Riggs

2012-01-12T01:48:00.000-05:00

The 1900 U.S. Census tells us that Howard Grant Riggs was born in Ohio in February, 1864. He was residing on Washington Street in Sandusky in 1900 with his parents, Thomas and Emma Riggs, along with two of his brothers. His occupation was listed as machinist. After a brief illness, Thomas Grant Riggs died at his home on January 12, 1905. Mr. Riggs had been a member of the mechanics' union, the Knights of Pythias, and the Woodmen of the World. An article in the January 14, 1905 issue of the Sandusky Register asked the local members of the Woodmen of the World to attend the funeral of Thomas G. Riggs as a group.

An early benefit of membership in the Woodmen of the World was a tombstone in the shape of a tree stump. This program ended in the 1920's, but the life of Thomas Grant Riggs was honored with a distinctive tombstone in the shape of a tree stump from the Woodmen of the World. Thomas Grant Riggs was buried in Oakland Cemetery. He was survived by his parents, two sisters, and four brothers. The tree stump shaped tombstone reminds us that the life of Thomas Grant Riggs was cut short.

Charles Cramer, Final Survivor of the American Eagle Disaster

2012-01-11T02:59:00.000-05:00

Charles Cramer, of 525 North Depot Street, died on January 11, 1914, from pneumonia at Sandusky's Providence Hospital. He was believed to have been the last survivor of the American Eagle disaster which took place in Sandusky Bay on May 20, 1882. According to the Maritime History of the Great Lakes, the boiler of the American Eagle exploded while on route to Put in Bay. The explosion took place near Kelleys Island. Six lives were lost in this disaster. Mr. Cramer was horribly burned about his face, chest, and arms.

An obituary for Charles Cramer appeared in the January 12, 1914 issue of the Sandusky Register. Mr. Cramer was survived by his widow, the former Mary Goosman, two daughters, and a son, Jay Cramer of Cleveland. Father Joseph S. Widmann conducted services for Charles Cramer, and burial was at Oakland Cemetery. Charles Cramer had been a member of the Modern Woodmen of America.

Sandusky References at the Fulton History Website

2012-01-10T01:24:00.002-05:00

Thousands of historical New York State newspapers can be searched at the Fulton History website. Click on the FAQ at the top right portion of the website to read more about this amazing website, including the ground rules and searching tips. I found many, many hits when I entered in the search term Sandusky, along with other key words. Some of the "hits" I got related to Sandusky are:

An article from the New York Herald from the fall of 1852 which discusses the fugitive slave case in Sandusky, Ohio in which Rush R. Sloane represented seven runaway slaves.

An article from the April 19, 1904 issue of the Binghamton Press which reported on President Theodore Roosevelt's appointment of Charles A. Judson to the post of Collector of Customs at the Port of Sandusky and James A. Melville appointment to the position of Postmaster.

A brief front page article from the Ithaca Daily News of June 4, 1913, carried a front page article about the fear that Harry Atwood, an early aviator, may have been lost in Lake Erie.(It turns out he was not.)

An article which reported that welterweight champion Jack Britton defeated Ray Bronson in a ten round bout at Cedar Point appeared in the September 7, 1920 issue of the Poughkeepsie Eagle-News.

Check out this valuable local history resource to see if there is information pertaining to your family!

The 5th Annual iGene Awards for the 114th Edition of Carnival of Genealogy

2012-01-09T01:38:00.000-05:00

The topic for the 114th Carnival of Genealogy, as posted by Creative Gene, is the Annual iGene Awards. Bloggers are to choose their best blog posts in five different categories. Here are the entries from the Graveyard Rabbit of Sandusky Bay from 2011.

Best Picture - For the Best Picture category, I chose the Harding Memorial image from the post Harding Memorial Re-Visited. Though reviews of President Harding as a leader are mixed, the monument which honors the memory of President and Mrs. Warren G. Harding is quite majestic.

Best Screenplay - The Wedding of Leona Schoenegge and Clifford Lindsley could be adapted into a screenplay. Clifford and Leona had their hopes and dreams shattered when their farmland was taken by the U.S. Government by eminent domain for the war effort during World War Two. They rebuilt their lives and moved to a new farm in an adjacent county. They worked hard, never stopped loving each other, and always kept a wonderful sense of humor.

Best Documentary - Documents from the Pension File of Civil War Veteran Ernest Marshall/Samuel Wilson . In 1862, Ohio resident Ernest/Ernst Marshall enlisted in Company A of the 158th New York Infantry under the name of Samuel Wilson. He remains somewhat of a mystery man, but his Civil War pension file helps us learn more about his life and his family.

Best Biography - Brother Sulpicius, C.F.X. Nicholas Charles Cross, went from a youth leader at Holy Angels Church in Sandusky, Ohio to become a teacher at Catholic schools in Kentucky, West Virginia, Virginia, and Massachusetts. He was very well respected and he never lost his passion for knowledge and serving the church.

Best Comedy - When the Reverend Ate the Whole Pie. I laugh every time I recall the story of Rev. Thompson eating a whole pie from my Great Grandma Ada's pantry!

52 Weeks of Abundant Genealogy: Paid Genealogy Tools

2012-01-08T12:28:00.005-05:00

The prompt for Week 2 of 52 Weeks of Abundant Genealogy, from Amy Coffin at We Tree, and hosted by Geneabloggers, is: Paid Genealogy Tools.

Which paid genealogy tool do you appreciate the most? What special features put it at the top of your list? How can it help others with their genealogy research?

As part of a membership to the R.B. Hayes Presidential Center, access is provided to the online database Heritage Quest Online. Heritage Quest features six different components that are helpful to family history researchers:

United States Census images from 1790 through 1930 are available at Heritage Quest. When I looked up my great grandparents, Leroy and Ada Parker, in Perkins Township, Erie County, Ohio in Heritage Quest, I found them listed on page 16, of roll 1377, in the T625 series. Grandpa Roy and Grandma Ada had four children, between the ages of 5 and 14. Also listed in their household was a servant, Edith Lorcher, and a hired man, Earnest Stierhoff. (My great grandparents were not extremely wealthy; in 1920, it was not uncommon to for farm families to have hired help.) I learned that my great grandparents were neighbors to the House, Hill, and Meyer families. Almost everyone who lives in the United States will find many ancestors listed in the U.S. Census, which makes this portion of Heritage Quest an extremely valuable tool!

Over twenty thousands books relating to family history and local history are available at Heritage Quest. When I looked at page 85 of the book OUR YOUNG FAMILY IN AMERICA, by Edward Hudson Young (Durham, N.C., 1947), I found a listing for my great great grandmother, Marian House Parker, who was a descendant of Morgan Young. Data on that page lists her husband, George B. Parker, her children, parents, siblings, and many preceding generations in the Young family. Hours can be spent at the book portion of Heritage Quest, browsing for resources in hundreds of different family lines!

PERSI, the Periodical Source Index, which provides citations for articles contained in genealogical and local history magazines. If you find an article you would like to read, you can obtain a copy of it by contacting the Allen County Public Library in Fort Wayne, Indiana. Below is the citation from the PERSI section of Heritage Quest for a letter written by my ancestor, Julius House. He had moved to Erie County, Ohio, and had written a letter back to his loved ones in Glastonbury, Connecticut, and told them of his experiences as a settler.

In the Revolutionary War files available at Heritage Quest, I was able to view the full file of my grandson's Revolutionary War ancestor, Timothy Tuttle of New Jersey. Timothy Tuttle served in several different military units from New Jersey during the Revolutionary War. On page 9 of his file, I learned that while Timothy was on an expedition to Canada with Colonel William Winds' New Jersey regiment, he led his comrades in singing sacred songs. I think that shows excellent coping skills - he was in a difficult situation, and singing helped him and his fellow soldiers get through it! It was a thrill to learn such a personal detail about my grandson's ancestor on his paternal grandmother's side of the family.

In the Serial Set portion of Heritage Quest, which contains actions taken by the U.S. Congress, I learned that well known Sandusky lawyer Hewson L. Peeke was given compensation for an accident that took place when he was hit by a piece of glass transom while he was at the United States Customs House in Sandusky, Ohio on February 27, 1899. Mr. Peeke was awarded $5,000 for treatment of his injuries.

These are just a few examples of the type of information that one can access at Heritage Quest Online. This resource is a gold mine of information! Happy hunting!

Views of the Schoepfle Monument at Oakland Cemetery

2012-01-07T12:12:00.000-05:00

Every time I visit Sandusky's Oakland Cemetery, I see this beautiful monument in memory of Christian F. Schoepfle, a prominent banker in Sandusky and his wife, the former Sarah Knoepfle. Mr. Schoepfle died on December 16, 1919, and Mrs. Schoepfle died on April 30, 1910. Because I am very much an amateur photographer, it seems like the light and shadows never allow me to get the "perfect shot." Though my photography skills are lacking, I never fail to be inspired by this lovely sculpture, which features a female deep in thought, holding a wreath of flowers.

Here is a view of the monument in black and white.

One of the software editing tools from Kodak EasyShare is called the coloring book effect, which creates the look of an engraving.

If you are ever in Sandusky, Ohio, see this lovely monument at Oakland Cemetery for yourself!

Maria Louisa Cooke

2012-01-07T01:29:00.002-05:00

Maria Louisa Cooke is buried in Sandusky's Oakland Cemetery. She died on June 21, 1856 at the age of 33 years, 5 months, and 21 days. She was the spouse of William W. Cooke, whose occupation was listed as "street superintendent" in the 1860 U.S. Census for Erie County. Not much is known about this young woman who died at just over 33 years old, but her tombstone is still sturdy, upright, and the engraving very readable even though it has been over 150 years since she was buried.

Mrs. Thresa Schellhorn

2012-01-05T05:46:00.001-05:00

Thresa Schellhorn was born in Germany on April 4, 1848. She died in Erie County, Ohio on January 5, 1931. Mrs. Schellhorn's death certificate states that her father's name was John Hurst. However, a listing at the Ohio Obituary Index states that in October 1870, a Theresa Dorst married Mr. Andrew Schallhorn. (The Ohio Obituary Index also contains some references to newspaper articles which reported marriages.)

The Mortality Schedules available at Ancestry Library Edition provide the information that Andrew Schollhorn died by drowning in April, 1880, in Erie County, Ohio. Andrew was born in Württemberg, Germany about 1840. Thresa Schellhorn never remarried.

An obituary for Thresa Schellhorn is found in the 1931 Obituary Notebook at the Sandusky Library. Mrs. Schellhorn died on January 5, 1931 at her home on Second Street. She was survived by sons Fred and Otto Schellhorn; six grandchildren; seven great grandchildren; and one sister. Mrs. Schellhorn was buried in Sandusky's Oakland Cemetery.

As is so often the case with persons of German descent, many variations in spelling are found in Mrs. Schellhorn's first, last, and maiden name.

Sandusky Collection of the Cleveland Memory Project

2012-01-04T20:44:00.001-05:00

The Sandusky Collection of the Cleveland Memory Project can be accessed at this url:

http://www.clevelandmemory.org/sandusky/

A brief overview of the city of Sandusky is provided at this page. Any keyword can be entered into the search box. A search for the term cemetery brings up two postcards of the Johnson's Island Confederate Cemetery, and a picture of the historic Cholera Cemetery. Over 50 items are retrieved with the search term Cedar Point. A search of Theodore Roosevelt brings up two pictures of that dynamic "Bull Moose" when he was giving a speech in Sandusky in 1912. If you have ancestors from the Sandusky area, check and see if you can find any items related to your family in the Sandusky Collection of the Cleveland Memory Project!

Jennie and Charlie McKelvey

2012-01-03T08:08:00.000-05:00

Harriet Taylor Upton, wrote in her book HISTORY OF THE WESTERN RESERVE,that Jennie Adams McKelvey was born on January 22, 1873, and died on April 8, 1876. Her brother Charles Sumner McKelvey was born January 3, 1875, and died on August 17, 1875. These siblings who died young were children of John McKelvey,a prominent Sandusky business man, and his wife Jane Rowland Huntington McKelvey. The tombstone in the shape of the tree stump often symbolizes a life that ended prematurely.

John and Jane's son John Jay McKelvey, born May 24, 1863 in Sandusky, became the first editor-in-chief of the Harvard Law Review. Another of John and Jane's children was Ralph McKelvey a museum director, painter, teacher and art critic. One can only wonder what little Jennie and Charlie could have achieved, had they survived to adulthood. Charles and Jennie McKelvey are buried with their parents in Sandusky's Oakland Cemetery. A biographical sketch of their father John McKelvey is found on page 529 of HISTORY OF ERIE COUNTY, OHIO, edited by Lewis Cass Aldrich.

Carey W. Hord

2012-01-02T01:41:00.002-05:00

Carey Wyoming Hord was born in 1885 in Cheyenne, Wyoming to Amaziah Hutchinson Hord and Martha Hill Hord. In the 1880 U.S. Census, Mr. and Mrs. A.H. Hord and their son Payton were residing in Marion County, Ohio, where A. H. Hord listed his occupation as Clerk of Courts. An article in the Sandusky Star Journal of March 3, 1928, stated that A.H. and Martha Hord had resided in Cheyenne, Wyoming for eight years, where they managed a cattle ranch. It was during their time in Wyoming that Carey W. Hord was born. His middle name was Wyoming, in honor of the state of his birth.

On March 25, 1909, Carey W. Hord married Nelle Elizabeth Taylor, the daughter of Erie County banker Truman B. Taylor and Martha Eddy Taylor. Truman B. Taylor traced his roots back some of the earliest settlers of Perkins Township in Erie County, Ohio. For many years Carey W. Hord was associated with the American Crayon Company. He started with the company shortly after moving to Sandusky in 1906. In 1911 he was named Sales Manager for American Crayon, and he became a director of the company in 1913. He was elected Second Vice President in 1918, and later he became First Vice President in charge of sales. Around 1936 Carey W. Hord moved to New York City to go into business for himself, but he always kept a home in Sandusky, Ohio.

On January 1, 1941, Carey W. Hord passed away at his Sandusky residence after a brief illness. A lengthy obituary for Mr. Hord appeared in the January 2, 1940 issue of the Sandusky Star Journal. Funeral services for Carey W. Hord were held at the family residence at 525 Wayne Street in Sandusky, on January 4, 1941. Chaplain A. J. Funnell officiated, and burial was at Oakland Cemetery. Mr. Hord was survived by his wife, a sister, a brother, his son Burton Hord and two grandsons.

52 Weeks of Abundant Genealogy: Blogs

2012-01-01T12:13:00.008-05:00

Geneabloggers has announced that Amy Coffin of We Tree will start another 52 Weeks series, entitled 52 Weeks of Abundant Genealogy. The topic for the first week of this series is Blogs.

Blogs: Blogging is a great way for genealogists to share information with family members, potential cousins and each other. For which blog are you most thankful? Is it one of the earliest blogs you read, or a current one? What is special about the blog and why should others read it?

Oh my...I am thankful for SO many blogs! The first two blogs I ever started reading were both by individuals named Terry. Neither are active now, as one Terry passed away, and the other Terry is not actively blogging, but both of these individuals gave me great encouragement in my early days of blogging!! The first Terry, who passed away on August 10, 2010, blogged about the Hill Country of Monroe County, Mississippi. How I miss his quick wit, and encouraging words! The other Terry wrote a blog for a newspaper, and then the posts were archived in Desktop Genealogist Unplugged. Though Terry is not actively blogging at this time, I visit her blog several times a day, because her blog list is so excellent!

I am a member of Graveyard Rabbit, which hosts several blogs devoted to cemeteries, tombstones, and family history. It is fun to read about cemeteries in other states, and other countries! The blogs Geneabloggers, Genea-Musings, Creative Gene and The We Tree Genealogy Blog provide me with a great deal of information and inspiration! The Educated Genealogist keeps me laughing all the time! Carol blogs about genealogy and her travels, and I learn a lot following her around the country through her blog Reflections From the Fence.

These blogs are interesting to me because they cover cemeteries, genealogy, or local history in Ohio:

My Ancestors and Me

Brady's Bunch of Lorain County Nostalgia

Gravestoned

Ohio's Yesterdays

Almost Forgotten Gravesites in Ohio

I also enjoy following these blogs:

Footnote Maven

West in New England

Dr. Bill Tells Ancestor Stories

In Deeds

Apple's Tree

Greta's Genealogy Bog

These are just some of the genealogy blogs that are special to me. I run into new ones every week, and it is exciting to see how the love of genealogy is spreading!
Stop by some of these blogs and check them out!

Happy New Year!

2011-12-31T12:43:00.000-05:00

Happy New Year! Wylie Walleye, seen above at the Lake Erie Shores & Islands Welcome Center in Ottawa County, will be the center of attention tonight at midnight! Wylie Walleye will be dropped at the stroke of midnight in downtown Port Clinton. Click here to read more about the Walleye Drop!

Ira P. Scofield

2011-12-31T01:24:00.002-05:00

Ira P. Scofield served as a Corporal in Company I of the 145th Ohio Volunteer Infantry during the Civil War. At the time of his death in 1908, he was a resident of the Ohio Soldiers and Sailors Home, now known as the Ohio Veterans Home. Ira P. Scofield is buried in Venice Cemetery.

Jay C. Butler, 1885-1980

2011-12-30T01:29:00.002-05:00

According to the book GENEALOGY OF THE BARNEY FAMILY IN AMERICA, by Eugene Dimon Preston, (Barney Family Historical Association, 1990), Jay Caldwell Butler was born on October 22, 1885 to George Reber Butler and his wife, the former Susan Caldwell Barney. He was named after his father's brother of the same name, Jay Caldwell Butler. The elder Jay Caldwell Butler was a veteran of the Civil War who had died in July of 1885. In the 1930 U.S. Census, Jay C. Butler, the son of George and Susan Butler, was living with his wife Helen in Cleveland, Ohio, and was working in the real estate business. Jay Caldwell Butler died on December 30, 1885. He was buried in Sandusky's Oakland Cemetery. Mrs. Helen Butler died in 1981, and she too was buried at Oakland Cemetery.

Wordless Wednesday: Oakland Cemetery

2011-12-28T01:24:00.002-05:00

Ohio Civil War Websites

2011-12-27T16:40:00.014-05:00

Pictured above is the monument at Castalia Cemetery which honors those who served in the Civil War from Margaretta Township, Erie County, Ohio. Here a few more websites related to the Civil War in Ohio.

Downtown Oberlin Tour of Civil War Sites

Soldiers' and Sailors' Monument in Public Square, Cleveland, Ohio

Civil War Monuments in Ohio, from Cincinnati History Library and Archives

Johnson's Island Confederate Cemetery

Ohio in the Civil War

Soldiers and Sailors Civil War Monument in Milan, Ohio

Civil War Heroes at Sandusky's Oakland Cemetery

Click here for information on how you can obtain a free brochure about Civil War destinations in and around Erie County, Ohio.

Pietro Zurma

2011-12-27T02:57:00.001-05:00

Pietro Zurma died on December 27, 1929 in Sandusky, Ohio. According to his death certificate, he had been born in Forli, Italy in 1854, to Mr. and Mrs. Florian Zurma. Records at the Ellis Island website show that Pietro Zurma, along with his wife Antonia and daughter Maria, came from Italy to the United States on August 30, 1906. The Zurma's were on there way to see Pietro's son Florian Zurma who resided in Sandusky, Ohio. Pietro and his wife and daughter also settled in Ohio. They traveled on the ship the Napolitan Prince, and departed from Naples. See lines 5,6,and 7 on the image of the passenger list below. (Click for a larger view.)

An obituary for Pietro Zurma appeared in the December 27, 1929 issue of Sandusky Star Journal.

A picture of Pietro is found on his tombstone.

Sadly, Pietro Zurma is buried not far from his three grandchildren, all children of his daughter Maria Zurma Macrelli. Alfredo, Rosa, and William Macrelli died in Sandusky the 1920's at a very young age.

Mary "Mollie" Larkins Weis

2011-12-26T01:52:00.006-05:00

Mary "Mollie" Larkins was my great great grandaunt, the sister of my great great grandfather Thomas F. Larkins. Aunt Mollie was born on March 8, 1872 to Patrick Larkins and Bridget Ryan Larkins. (Her tombstone, however, reads 1873 as the year of her birth.) She was the fifth of the seven Larkins children, all baptized into the Catholic faith. In September of 1899, Mollie Larkins married Solomon Schlenk. Solomon Schlenk died on January 14, 1909, when he was only 41 years of age, leaving Mollie a young widow.

Between 1920 and 1930, Mollie Larkins Schlenk married John J. Weis. They lived on McDonough Street in Sandusky, Ohio. Mollie Weis passed away on December 26, 1938. Sadly, her husband John J. Weis, and her brother, John Larkins, had both died previously in the same year that Mollie died. Mollie and John J. Weis are buried at St. Joseph's Catholic Cemetery in Sandusky, Ohio. What a sad Christmas for the Larkins family, to lose Mollie the day after Christmas.

Below is a family picture (of poor quality, I'm afraid) of several Larkins family members. Aunt Mollie is the short lady standing beside her brother Tom.

Mollie's sister in law, Mary Louise Cross Larkins, and her niece Irene Larkins, are pictured in the front row of the family picture.

Merry Christmas!

2011-12-25T01:54:00.002-05:00

Merry Christmas and Happy New Year
from the Graveyard Rabbit of Sandusky Bay!

52 Weeks of Personal Genealogy and History: Advice for Future Generations

2011-12-23T19:19:00.001-05:00

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

Do you have any advice for future generations who may be researching your family? For example, was there a name change or a significant relocation in your past? This is intended to be a very flexible question. Answer it any way you wish.

The advice I would like to give for future generations is to ask your older family members lots of questions! Record them on paper, or video, or on your computer! When I was very young, I had seven of my eight great grandparents all living. Of course, I was too young to know that I wanted to ask them questions!! Luckily, my mom, aunts, uncles, and other relatives and neighbors of my ancestors did answer lots of questions for me when I was "bitten" by the genealogy bug! Having just lost my mom a little more than a year ago, you cannot imagine how many things I have realized that I should have asked her! Like about her experiences in the workplace, and holidays when she was a girl....

Ask lots of questions, and record them in whatever way works for you! Your descendants will be so glad you did! Pictured below are just a few of my mom's grandchildren and great grandchildren, who were lucky enough to hear some stories from their beloved Gram/Nana.

I Want a Hippopotamus for Christmas

2011-12-23T18:11:00.000-05:00

Our grandsons are enjoying the blue hippopotamus in Sandusky's Washington Park. The large building behind them is the Erie County Courthouse, where many of the boys' ancestors had marriages, births, and deaths recorded at Probate Court. The large brightly colored animals once were located in the Kiddie Land section of Cedar Point.

Ohio Supreme Court Did Not Take Action to Stop Demolition of Seneca County Courthouse

2011-12-23T13:19:00.000-05:00

Click here to read the latest news about the possible demolition of the Seneca County Courthouse in Tiffin, Ohio.

Infant Thomas L. Charity

2011-12-23T01:33:00.003-05:00

Thomas L. Charity was the infant son of Raymond and Virginia (Linz) Charity. He died at University Hospitals in Cleveland when he was three months and 21 days old, on December 23, 1946. His death certificate, available at Family Search Labs, stated that the cause of death was meningitis and pneumonia. An obituary for Thomas L. Charity appeared in the Christmas Eve issue of the Sandusky Register Star News. Little Thomas was buried at the St. Mary's Cemetery in Sandusky. He was survived by his parents, two brothers, and his grandparents, Mr. and Mrs. Lynn Tucker of Milan, Ohio, and Mr. and Mrs. Bill Linz of Sandusky, Ohio. It is heart breaking to think of losing a child so young at Christmas time.

Thomas Arthur Larkins, 1894 - 1937

2011-12-21T01:20:00.003-05:00

My great granduncle, Thomas Arthur Larkins, was the youngest child of Thomas F. Larkins and Mary Louise Cross Larkins, born in Sandusky on September 19, 1894. He was usually called Art, so people did not confuse father and son. When he was a teenager, Uncle Art worked at the bathhouse at the beach at Cedar Point. Mom often told us the story that once when my Great Grandma Irene wore a bathing suit that her brother didn't think was appropriate to the Cedar Point beach, Uncle Art made her go change clothes. He thought she had too much flesh showing for a proper young lady of her times! Thomas Arthur Larkins can be seen in the back row of his graduation class photo that appeared in Sandusky High School's yearbook, The Fram. Art is the third individual from the left, in the back row. He was rather short, and he had thick, wavy hair.

By 1916, Uncle Art had moved to Franklin County, Ohio, where he worked on the railroad. Art's father and grandfather both had worked on the railroad in Sandusky, Ohio, Grandpa Patrick Larkins on the old Mad River Railroad, and Grandpa Thomas F. Larkins on the New York Central Railroad. Art married Audrey Burrell, and they had a son named James A. Larkins in 1919. After Art and Audrey divorced, Art married a lady named Opal. Uncle Art died on December 21, 1937, at the age of 43. It seems so sad to me that he died before his older sister and his father, and at Christmas time! Thomas Arthur Larkins was buried at Greenlawn Cemetery in Columbus, Ohio. A few years ago, my brother took Mom and I to find Uncle Art's tombstone, but no stone remains. The office said that it is possible that at the time of his death, perhaps there was no stone erected, or that over the years it could have sunken beneath the ground. Mom left a bouquet of silk flowers at the spot that where we think Uncle Art was laid to rest. Rest in peace, Uncle Art!

Fifth Grade Gingerbread House Project

2011-12-20T16:25:00.000-05:00

One of my "Graveyard Rabbit in training" grandsons made this gingerbread house in his
Grade Five Class today. Merry Christmas from our family to yours!

News Story about a Lawsuit Filed to Stop Demolition of Seneca County Courthouse

2011-12-20T13:11:00.007-05:00

Click here to read an article from the Sandusky Register about efforts to stop the demolition of the Seneca County Courthouse in Tiffin, Ohio. To access the website of the Seneca County Chapter of the Ohio Genealogical Society, visit the url:

http://www.senecasearchers.org

Military Monday: Walter M. Wright

2011-12-19T01:18:00.003-05:00

Walter M. Wright, born December 5, 1929, served as a Sergeant in the United States Army during the Korean War. He passed away on September 11, 2008. Walter M. Wright was buried at the Cemetery of the Ohio Veterans Home, following a military funeral held at the Giffin Chapel at the Ohio Veterans Home. A lovely wreath adorns the tombstone of Walter M. Wright in December, 2011. Thank you for your years of service to our country!

Advent Calendar: My Childhood Christmas Stocking

2011-12-18T01:12:00.005-05:00

In the early 1950s my great grandmother, Irene Larkins Risko, made a Christmas stocking for me. My stocking was made of green corduroy. On the stocking was a Santa, train, church, drum, toy soldier, teddy bear, and a Christmas tree, made from different colors of felt. A small section of colored plastic created the look of stained glass windows for the church. Sequins adorned the drum and Christmas tree. The wheels of the train were created with two different sizes of buttons. The teddy bear has appliqued paws, and Santa had furry material for his beard and his hat. It looks like the stocking may have been made from a store bought kit. Grandma Irene, who lived at 146 East Market Street, was within walking distance of three dime stores in downtown Sandusky. Neisner Brothers was just across the street on East Market Street, and around the corner on Columbus Avenue there was an S.S. Kresge and an F.W. Woolworth store.

Though Gram Irene made a stocking for me and my brother, by the time my baby sister came along, she had suffered a stroke, and she could not do any more sewing, crocheting, or other craft projects very easily. Mom hung the two handmade stockings up year after year at our house, and the next four children in our family had stockings from the store. "Santa" filled all the stockings, whether they were homemade or store-bought! Now my baby sister has custody of the stockings of all the six Orshoski children, and she often graciously hosts the family gatherings at the holiday time. Great Grandma Irene passed away on September 17, 1961. I think she would be pleased that the stockings she made still make an appearance every Christmas season!

*This blog post was written for the Advent Calendar of Christmas Memories hosted by Geneabloggers.

Doris Wheeler's Letter to Santa

2011-12-17T01:33:00.003-05:00

On Saturday, December 21, 1912, the letter below appeared in the Sandusky Star Journal. Since my maternal grandmother, Doris Wheeler, was only two years old, her letter must have been written by either her mother or her grandparents.

An advertisement from the popular Sandusky department store, the Herb & Myers Company, also appeared in the December 21st issue of the Star Journal.

In time, Doris married Steen Parker, and they had three children. Sadly, she died when she was only 32 years of age. She was the joy of her Grandpa Tom Larkins' heart! Doris is standing in the four generation photo below. Also pictured in the photo are her mother, Irene Larkins Risko, her grandfather, Thomas Larkins, and her ten year old daughter, Joyce Parker.

Though her life was short, it is good to recall that Grandma Doris had hopes and dreams and loved the holidays!

To Teach the Future Mother...

2011-12-16T01:49:00.008-05:00

This advertisement from the Butterick Publishing Company appeared in the December 16, 1907 issue of the Sandusky Register. The patterns for the Butterick rag doll and clothing were designed "to teach the future mother to dress the future child." In 1907, for twenty five cents, Butterick would mail customers a pattern for the Butterick rag doll as well as patterns for a kimono, dress, guimpe and coat.

Halsey J. Brooks, 1894-1932

2011-12-14T01:32:00.007-05:00

Halsey J. Brooks was born on June 4, 1894 to Charles L. and Harriet Elizabeth (Ferber) Brooks. According to U.S. Census records, Halsey grew up in Williamsfield, Ashtabula County, Ohio. By 1925, Halsey J. Brooks was the vice-president of the Harten-Brooks Motor Company, which operated an automobile dealership in Sandusky at the corner of Hancock Street and Huron Avenue. Fred Harten was the president of Harten-Brooks. In the September 2, 1925 issue of the Sandusky Star Journal, the Harten-Brooks Company advertised Ford, Chevrolet, Overland and REO automobiles. A small ad for a Ford read:

FORD TOURING
1924 Model
This car is in dandy shape, has excellent tires, top, and locking steering wheel. The first $350.00 takes it. See it at Harten-Brooks, Cor. Hancock St. and Huron Av.

The Sandusky Register of October 7, 1928 reported that Halsey J. Brooks and Meta Steffen at the home of the bride's parents, Mr. and Mrs. E. Steffen, who resided on Meigs Street. Rev. C.J. Hollister officiated at the wedding. The bride's gown was made of peach georgette over satin crepe. Meta carried a bouquet of roses, gypsophilia, and ferns. After the wedding ceremony, a wedding dinner was served at Martin's Tea Room, for sixteen guests, and a reception at the Steffen home followed.

On December 14, 1932, Halsey J. Brooks, after having contracted pneumonia. He was only 38 years old at the time of his death. Funeral services for Halsey J. Brooks were held at his home at 1227 Waverly Road in Sandusky, Ohio, with Rev. W.H. Munk, pastor of Salem Evangelical church, officiating. Burial was at Oakland Cemetery. Honorary pallbearers were: Gordon Millott, George J. Doerzbach, Dr. L.F. Meyer, Robert Butts, Fred Harten, and J. J. Reamer. Active pallbearers were: Lyle Brooks, Manson Brooks, Ralph Brooks, Rollin Steen, Ralph Nickerson and John Wohler. An obituary for Mr. Brooks, which appeared in the Sandusky Star Journal on December 17, 1932, stated that "the services at both the house and grave were largely attended. Many beautiful flowers testified to the high esteem in which the deceased was held by a host of friends." Mrs. Meta Brooks never remarried. She passed away on June 6, 1976, and she was buried next to her husband.

Though I never met Halsey Brooks, his sister Mildred Brooks was married to my Great Uncle Rollin Steen. Halsey Brooks was in attendance at the Steen family Thanksgiving celebration in 1927. (The newspaper spelled his name Halso Brooks in the brief article about the Thanksgiving dinner.)

Tombstone Tuesday: Grizzle Gray and Hezekiah Meeker

2011-12-13T01:57:00.001-05:00

Mrs. Grizzle Gray, wife of J. Gray died on Dec. 17, 1837. Hezekiah Meeker, who is remembered on the same tombstone, at Oak Bluff Cemetery in Berlin Township, Erie County, Ohio, died on May 13, 1827. Mrs. Gray and Mr. Meeker are most likely related, but to date the exact connection has not been found. The book HISTORY OF ERIE COUNTY, OHIO, edited by Lewis Cass Aldrich, tells us that Hezekiah's parents, Stephen and Polly (Platt) Meeker, were early settlers of the Firelands.

Sheri's Christmas Video Series

2011-12-12T16:55:00.000-05:00

For a good holiday laugh, hop on over to Sheri's blog at The Educated Genealogist. Her holiday video series is sure to bring a smile!

Moses A. Doyle, Civil War Soldier and Sandusky Mail Carrier

2011-12-12T01:40:00.003-05:00

At Sandusky's Oakland Cemetery is this partially visible tombstone which honors the memory of Moses A. Doyle, a Civil War veteran and a former mail carrier for the Sandusky Post Office. According to one of his marriage records, Moses A. Doyle was born in Westchester, New York in 1848 to Andrew and Susan (Ryan) Doyle. While still a resident of the state of New York, Moses A. Doyle served in Company B of the Seventh United States Infantry. The Civil War Soldiers and Sailors System lists his last rank as that of Sergeant. By 1870, according to the U.S. Census, Moses Doyle was age 23, and residing with his wife Candace and his infant daughter Amelia, in Sandusky Ohio. His occupation was listed as house carpenter. In the 1880 Census, Moses and Candace Doyle were the parents of four children, and Moses was still employed as a carpenter. By 1900, Moses A. Doyle was a mail carrier in Sandusky, Ohio. Moses stated that his parents had both been born in Ireland.

The Ohio Deaths, 1908-1953 Collection, at Family Search, holds a death record for Candace R. Doyle, who died on February 15, 1910. The record informs us that the parents of Candance Doyle were Simeon Galloway and Amelia (Fox) Galloway. Moses A. Doyle married secondly, Mrs. Eleanor Duncan. Eleanor passed away on March 1, 1924. After Eleanor's death, Moses A. Doyle married for a third time. His third wife was named Nettie Hughes. Sadly, Nettie died on May 11, 1935.

Moses A. Doyle died on December 13, 1936. A brief article which appeared in the Steubenville Herald Star of December 14, 1936, stated that Moses had been appointed as a letter carrier 52 years prior to 1936, and he was one of the first three letter carriers in Sandusky, Ohio. Moses A. Doyle survived the Civil War, outlived three wives, and he delivered mail to Sandusky residents in all types of weather. He lived a full life, and served his country and his community very well. Having been born to Irish immigrants, he probably endured prejudice against his Irish family ties at various times in his life. It was people like Moses A. Doyle who helped to help create the diverse population of Erie County, Ohio, which has long been considered to be typical of the "melting pot" characteristics of these United States.

Ohio Veterans Home Museum

2011-12-11T18:18:00.000-05:00

A Museum and Library is housed in the Mack Building on the grounds of the Ohio Veterans Home, formerly known as the Ohio Soldiers' and Sailors' Home. Separate rooms are devoted to Americans who served in wars from the Civil War to the present. Elias Laughlin is just one of the many thousands of Veterans who once resided at the Ohio Soldiers' and Sailors' Home. Elias Laughlin is buried in the Cemetery on the grounds of the Ohio Veterans Home.

During the month of December, the Ohio Veterans Home Museum has Christmas trees decorated from a variety of different historical time frames.

Hundreds of historical photographs, documents, and military weapons and other memorabilia can be seen throughout the Ohio Veterans Home Museum. Admittance to the museum is free, and hours are 10 a.m. to 4 p.m., Saturday through Wednesday.

Click here to view a brochure about the Ohio Veterans Home Museum.

Anna Linn Ramm, 1876-1895

2011-12-11T01:47:00.000-05:00

Miss Anna Linn Ramm was born on May 18, 1876 to Mr. and Mrs. William Oswald Ramm, who were residents of Sandusky, Ohio in the 1890's. Anna worked as a servant for the family of Dr. C.H. Mills of Toledo, Ohio. On the evening of December 11, 1895, Anna Linn Ramm cried out in pain. Dr. Mills' mother in law, as well as a druggist, were at the Mills home when Anna became ill. The druggist rushed to the pharmacist for some medication, but by the time he arrived back at the Dr. Mills' residence, Anna had died. The coroner stated that the cause of death of Anna Linn Ramm was heart failure. Anna's parents took the Lake Shore Railroad to Toledo, so they could accompany the remains of their daughter home to Sandusky. Anna Linn Ramm was buried in Sandusky's Oakland Cemetery. She was aged 19 years, 6 months, and 24 days at the time of her untimely death.

Adam Kolb

2011-12-10T01:21:00.003-05:00

According to the U.S. Census for Erie County, Ohio, Adam Kolb, a widower, was residing in Sandusky at this time. He stated that his age was 37, his occupation was machinist, and his birthplace was Baden. Also residing at the Kolb residence were Adam's sons Albert, age 11, John, age 10, George, age 8, and his mother Elizabeth, age 68.

An article in the December 16, 1907 issue of the Sandusky Register reported that Adam Kolb has died on December 15, at the Odd Fellows' Home in Springfield, Ohio, where he had resided for two years. Before moving to Springfield, Adam Kolb was a machinist at the Big Four shops for many years. Funeral services for Adam Kolb were held at the home of George Dressel on December 17, 1907. Mr. Kolb was survived by two sons, Albert and George. Burial was at Oakland Cemetery. Adam Kolb's tombstone features the Odd Fellows emblem of three links, which represents friendship, love, and truth.

Early Sandusky Methodists Had Strong Convictions

2011-12-09T01:30:00.002-05:00

Recently I checked out the book entitled History of Ohio Methodism: A Study in Social Science, written by John Marshall Barker in 1898. This book is also available fulltext at Google Books. The portion of the book that was intriguing to me was the section on "Methodism in Sandusky," found on pages 415 through 418. The author discussed the various buildings which housed Methodist churches in the city of Sandusky up to 1898.

Two individuals who were well known leaders in Sandusky, both started churches based on their differences of opinion with the leaders in their home Methodist churches in Sandusky. John Beatty, who served as Mayor of Sandusky from 1833 to 1836, broke away from the mainline Methodist church in 1835 over the issue of anti-slavery sentiment. John Beatty and several others built a separate Methodist church in the public square of Sandusky, which did not last too long, after the main benefactor, John Beatty, passed away. Philander Gregg, who was also a Mayor of Sandusky, along with others, led a group of individuals away from the home church over the issue of instrumental music in the worship service in 1853. This group also erected a church building on Decatur Street. This society disbanded in 1855, and the church building was later home to the Second Baptist Church. Below is the section of the book History of Ohio Methodism: A Study in Social Science which discusses the two men who helped form their own Methodist churches in Sandusky.

Eventually, Philander Gregg moved west, where he died in 1899. Philander Gregg is buried in Union Cemetery in Kansas City, Missouri. John Beatty is buried in Sandusky's Oakland Cemetery, where a large granite monument honors John Beatty, his wife, the former Mary Cooke, and several of their descendants.

John Beatty and Philander Gregg were strong civic leaders, who also had strong moral and religious convictions! My ancestors, Julius and Percy (Taylor) House, moved to Perkins Township, Erie County, Ohio, from Connecticut in 1815. The group of "Connecticut Yankees" who traveled together were led by John Beatty.

Joel Cheek Farrell

2011-12-08T01:28:00.002-05:00

Joel Cheek Farrell was the youngest son of Herbert Farrell and Ritchey Cheek Farrell. Herbert Farrell was the founder of the Farrell Cheek Company in Sandusky, a plant which manufactured steel castings. Farrell's maternal grandfather, for whom he was named, was Joel O. Cheek, who was best-known for founding the Maxwell House Coffee Company.

In the early 1950's, Joel C. Farrell was the Vice-President of Farrell Cheek Company in Sandusky. He was married to the former Nancy Sprow, and athe couple had two children, a son and a daughter. About 1963, Joel C. Farrell moved to Florida. He died in Florida, early in November of 1968, at the age of 46. According to Mr. Farrell's obituary in the Sandusky Register, he died in Daytona Beach, following a brief illness. A private family funeral service was held for Joel C. Farrell, and he was buried in Sandusky's Oakland Cemetery.

Blog Caroling 2011

2011-12-07T18:28:00.001-05:00

Footnote Maven, the creator of the lovely image above, has invited us to go Blog Caroling again! One of my favorite carols is "Away in a Manger," which is sometimes called simply, "Cradle Hymn." The lyrics to "Away in a Manger" are:

Away in a manger,
No crib for His bed
The little Lord Jesus
Laid down His sweet head

The stars in the bright sky
Looked down where He lay
The little Lord Jesus
Asleep on the hay

The cattle are lowing
The poor Baby wakes
But little Lord Jesus
No crying He makes

I love Thee, Lord Jesus
Look down from the sky
And stay by my side,
'Til morning is nigh.

Be near me, Lord Jesus,
I ask Thee to stay
Close by me forever
And love me I pray

Bless all the dear children
In Thy tender care
And take us to heaven
To live with Thee there

This song was often sung by my parents, myself and all my siblings at Grace Lutheran Church in Castalia, Ohio, on Christmas Eve.

Nativity image courtesy of Wikipedia.

Mrs. Almona Gill Severance

2011-12-07T01:22:00.000-05:00

According to the IGI portion of FamilySearch, Almona Gill was born in Erie County, Ohio on November 20, 1856 to Edward and Esther Young Gill. She married Rev. Claude M. Severance in Japan on July 12, 1892.

In an article about Rev. Severance from MEN OF VERMONT, we learn that Almona Gill was a graduate of Oberlin College, and she was in the mission field in Japan when she met Rev. Severance, who also was in Japan as a missionary. The following passage was written about Mrs. Severance in The Missionary Herald , following her death on December 7, 1898:

Mrs. Severance's health had been infirm for some time, the result, it is believed, of her faithful and self-sacrificing labors. She faced death with calmness and trust, and from her home in Cleveland, Ohio she entered into rest on the 7th of November last.

Mrs. Almona Gill Severance is buried in the Sand Hill Cemetery in Erie County, Ohio.

Henry and Clara Till

2011-12-05T01:08:00.002-05:00

Henry Till enlisted in the 65th New York Volunteer Infantry on August 20, 1861. He began as a private in Company H, but later transferred to Company K. Private Till was wounded in action on May 10, 1864, and he was hospitalized in Stanton Hospital, Washington D.C. for a time. The Ohio Marriages database, available at Family Search, indicate that Henry Till married Clara A. Moore in Erie County, Ohio on December 28, 1865. By the time of the 1880 U.S. Census, Henry and Clara Till were living in Lookout, Kansas. At this time, Henry Till was 42, and Clara was 41. At this time Henry and Clara had a twelve year old son, also named Henry Till. The elder Henry Till was working as a carpenter in 1880. Henry stated that he had been born in England, and Clara had been born in the state of New York. An article in the December 7, 1891 issue of the Sandusky Register reported that Henry Till, cousin of Sandusky architect Levi Till, had died in Denver, Colorado on December 5, 1891. Funeral services were held at Henry Till's former residence in Sandusky, at 116 Madison Street. Burial was in Oakland Cemetery.

Mrs. Clara Till lived to be ninety nine years old. She died at the Britton Convalescent Home on Fulton Street in Sandusky on October 20, 1934. An obituary for Mrs. Till is found in the 1934 OBITUARY NOTEBOOK at the Sandusky Library. Mrs. Till was survived by a son from her first marriage, Newton Moore, eight grandchildren, eight great grandchildren, and three great great grandchildren. Mrs. Till was buried next to Henry Till at Oakland Cemetery.

Sadly, Henry and Clara's son Henry Till had died in 1905. He too was buried in the family lot at Oakland Cemetery.

A Dickens Christmas: Christmases Past, Present, and Future

2011-12-04T11:41:00.002-05:00

The theme of the 113th Edition of the Carnival of Genealogy is:

A Charles Dickens Christmas. We're going to borrow Charles Dickens' idea and have some visits from the ghosts of Christmas past, present, and future.

My parents didn't always have a lot of money, but they both loved Christmas, and they made sure that we had a very happy holiday each and every Christmas! We had programs at church and at school. On Christmas Eve we gathered with the extended family. We opened our gifts from Santa on Christmas morning. When I was 8 years old, my sister and I got dolls, and my brother Paul was thrilled with his Huckleberry Hound dog! Baby brother Todd wondered what all the fuss was about!

Mom loved sending out picture Christmas cards.In 1960, Mom went with the Mickey Mouse Club theme, and we all wore sweatshirts with our names on them, just like the Mouseketeers!

By 1972, two more little ones were added to our branch of the Orshoski family tree.

Now, Mom and Dad are both in Heaven, but we still gather together on Christmas Day. We have several more families to fit into the festivities, and some of us have to leave early to go to family events on our spouse's side of the family, or to our childrens' homes, but as many as possible come to my baby sister's house to celebrate a lovely Christmas luncheon. Some other ways we celebrate include my sisters participating in a race in Chicago, and my husband and I taking our grandsons to the train exhibit at the R. B. Hayes Presidential Center.

As for future Christmases in our family, I am hoping that we continue to gather together at lunch time on Christmas Day. It would be a joy to see some of our siblings, and nieces and nephews from Mississippi and Georgia be able to make the trip to Northern Ohio, so they can "enjoy" our brisk winter weather with loved ones all around!

Thelma Tight Yeager

2011-12-04T01:27:00.004-05:00

Thelma Tight was the oldest daughter, and the fourth of five children born to Fred and Louise Yeager Tight. She was born on June 19, 1910. The Fred Tight family lived in Perkins Township, Erie County, Ohio. Thelma was my first cousin twice removed, and she was a first cousin to my paternal grandmother Emma Yeager Orshoski.

Thelma's mother, Louise Yeager Tight, emigrated from Germany to the United States with her family in 1881. In 1928, when Thelma was 18 years old, her parents had another baby girl, named Mary Louise Yeager. Sadly, on September 7, 1928, when Mary Louise was just an infant, Louise Yeager Tight took her own life, after becoming despondent over ill health. With Mrs. Tight having died at a young age, Thelma must have played a vital role in helping to raise her baby sister Mary Louise Yeager. An article in the July 12, 1933 issue of the Sandusky Star Journal reported that Thelma Tight hosted a birthday party for Mary Louise's fifth birthday.

By 1944, Thelma had become Mrs. Kenneth J. Pelton. Her husband, formerly a Sandusky mail carrier, was stationed in England, serving as a Corporal in the U.S. Army during World War Two. In 1946, Thelma and Kenneth had their only child, a daughter named Majorie Pelton. When Thelma's baby sister Mary Louise Tight married Eugene A. Wasserman, in 1948, the news article about the Wasserman marriage reported that Mary Louise had made her home with her sister Thelma and brother in law Kenneth prior to her marriage. (The article appeared in the November 24, 1948 issue of the Sandusky Register Star News.) In the late 1970's, I had the pleasure of working with Thelma's daughter Marjorie, at Margaretta Junior High School. Later, Marge was my son's elementary Art teacher. Marge was a "no-nonsense" kind of teacher, and she was a pleasure to work with.

Mrs. Thelma Tight Pelton passed away on December 3, 1987. I never got a chance to get to know her, as I didn't realize we were connected until after her death. Thelma was buried at Sandusky's Calvary Cemetery, beside her beloved husband Kenneth J. Pelton.

52 Weeks of Personal Genealogy and History: Historical Events

2011-12-03T12:32:00.031-05:00

The prompt for Week 49 of 52 Weeks of Personal History & Genealogy, by Amy Coffin of We Tree, and hosted by Geneabloggers, is: Historical Events.

Describe a memorable national historical event from your childhood. How old were you and how did you process this event? How did it affect your family?

A national event that touched my family was the death of President and Mrs. John F. Kennedy's youngest son, Patrick Bouvier Kennedy. Patrick Bouvier Kennedy was born on August 7, 1963 at the hospital at the Otis Air Force Base in Bourne, Massachusetts. He was born prematurely, and soon he was transferred to Boston Children's Hospital. On August 9, 1963, Patrick Bouvier Kennedy died as a result of respiratory distress syndrome. He was buried at Holyhood Cemetery in Brookline, Massachusetts, but later was re-interred, along with another infant who was stillborn, at Arlington National Cemetery. Sadly, President Kennedy would be killed on November 22, 1963 in Dallas, Texas.

The reason the loss of Patrick Bouvier Kennedy affected my family was that my parents had five children under the age of 12 in August of 1963. I was just about to enter the sixth grade at that time. Even though our family was large, my parents loved each of us, and appreciated our individual personalities.

I knew how much I cherished my younger brothers and sisters, and I thought about how sad it must be for the entire Kennedy family to lose Patrick in infancy. Mom and I sent Mrs. Kennedy a sympathy card, and remembered her in our prayers. All families suffer losses, but the Kennedy family sorrows were so public, and were covered by the media across the nation and the world. My family, along with the rest of the nation, were deeply saddened by the deaths of Patrick Bouvier Kennedy and President John F. Kennedy in 1963.

Photo credits:
Image of Kennedy Family from Life Magazine, April 26, 1963, page 26, via Google Books

Image of graves of Patrick Bouvier Kennedy and President John F. Kennedy, Arlington National Cemetery, from Wikipedia Commons

Mark Townsend, Civil War Veteran

2011-12-02T01:29:00.000-05:00

According to the American Civil War Soldiers database, a part of the military databases of Ancestry Library Edition, Mark Townsend enlisted as a Private in the U.S. Army on October 8, 1863, at the age of 18. He entered Company I of the 12th Ohio Cavalry on November 24, 1863. Just a short time later, Mark Townsend died of disease in Sandusky, Ohio, on December 2, 1863. The Oakland Cemetery interment card states that Mark Townsend died of diphtheria. He was first buried in Block 31 at Oakland Cemetery, but later his remains were removed to the G.A.R. lot at Oakland, where he rests in peace along with many other Sandusky area Civil War veterans.

Another Ancestry Library Edition database is Headstones Provided for Deceased Union Civil War Veterans, 1879-1903. This database has a record of the tombstone being provided for Mark Townsend. It was created by W.H. & F.S. Gross of Lee, Massachusetts. Click here to read more about Headstones Provided for Deceased Union Civil War Veterans. The National Archives has in its holdings 22 rolls of microfilm with more than 160,000 card records about these tombstones.

Johannes Leidorf

2011-12-01T04:00:00.000-05:00

In Block 57 of Oakland Cemetery is a tombstone which honors the memory of Johannes and Catharine Leidorf. Johannese Leidorf was born May 12, 1804 in Germany, and died in Erie County, Ohio on December 11, 1879. Catharine Leidorf was born February 11, 1816 in Germany and died in Erie County on December 8, 1894.

THE HISTORY OF ERIE COUNTY, ed. by Lewis Cass Aldrich, states that John and Elizabeth Catharine (Wagoner) Leidorf came to the United States in 1845, and settled in Margaretta Township. Their children were Conrad Leidorf, and Elizabeth Leidorf, who married Henry Schoewe.

the 1860 U.S. Census for Erie County lists John/Johannes' surname as Ladorf, and his birthplace as Hesse-Kassel. It is not unusual to find spelling variations in both the first name and surnames of individuals in genealogical records, especially in families of German origin.

Austin and Harriet Ferry

2011-11-30T01:16:00.002-05:00

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.

George W. Werner, 1892-1922

2011-11-29T01:17:00.000-05:00

Ohio Birth Records, available at Family Search Labs, tell us that George W. Werner was born on March 11, 1892, to Charles and Mary (Guckert) Werner. Sadly, he died when he was a young man, on November 29, 1922. George W. Werner was buried in Sandusky's Oakland Cemetery. Below is a transcription of an obituary for George W. Werner, which appeared in the November 29, 1922 issue of the Sandusky Star Journal.

George William Werner, son of Mr. and Mrs. Charles Werner, died Wednesday morning at Toledo, following a short illness. He was aged 30 years, 7 months and 18 days. He is survived by his bereaved parents. one brother, Carl Werner ; three sisters, Mrs. John Alton, Mrs. Jerome Faulkner and Miss Margaret Werner, all of this city. Funeral services will be held Saturday afternoon at 2 o'clock at the residence of his parents, 717 John St., the Rev. Theo. Stellhorn officiating. Interment will be made in the family lot in Oakland cemetery.

Mom's Margaretta Alumni Collection is Listed in NUCMC!

2011-11-26T01:33:00.000-05:00

After my mother's death in 2010, my siblings and I agreed that we should donate her collection of Margaretta High School Alumni materials to the R.B. Hayes Presidential Center. I found Mom's collection listed at NUCMC, the National Union Catalog of Manuscript Collections. I had seen the finding aid at the R.B. Hayes Presidential Center, but I had not previously seen the entry at NUCMC. The mission of the NUCMC is in part to "provide and promote bibliographic access to the nation's documentary heritage." The free cooperative cataloging program is operated by the Library of Congress.

To find family history materials on NUCMC, click on:

Searching on OCLC WorldCat

in the center column of NUCMC's home page.

I put Mom's name in the Easy Search Form. Her name is Joyce Orshoski. It brought me to this result.

For more details, click on:

More on this record

Mom's collection of Margaretta High School Alumni materials includes news clippings, photographs, obituaries, and bound copies of The Margaretta News covering the dates 1943 to 1948. Though Mom did not start attending Margaretta High School until her sophomore year in high school, she made lifelong friends with both students and teachers, and she was active in writing for the school newspaper. All six of her children, and several grandchildren also graduated from Margaretta. Anyone can view the Joyce Parker Orshoski collection at the library of the R.B. Hayes Presidential Center. The Hayes library also features valuable genealogical and historical information, and an outstanding and ever-growing Obituary Index. It is definitely worth a visit if you have Ohio ancestors!

Pictured below is a photo of Joyce Parker Orshoski, and just a few of her descendants, in front of her beloved alma mater, Margaretta High School, in the summer of 2007.

J. H. Williams

2011-11-25T04:17:00.001-05:00

Not much is known about J. H. Williams, except that he died on November 25, 1838, at the age of 26 years and seven months. The tombstone of J. H. Williams is found in Block 17 of Sandusky's Oakland Cemetery.

If anyone has more details about J. H. Williams who died in Sandusky in 1838, please leave a comment at the end of this post.

Happy Thanksgiving!

2011-11-24T01:09:00.002-05:00

Happy Thanksgiving from the Graveyard Rabbit of Sandusky Bay!

I snapped a picture of these wild turkeys close to our home in Bay Bridge, Ohio. They seem to be visiting the historical marker that pays tribute to the old Medusa Cement Company, where my dad, his father, and his grandfather all worked, many years ago.

Layne Louise Bruens

2011-11-23T01:58:00.005-05:00

Miss Layne Louise Bruens was a favorite teacher of my three children, now all grown up. Miss Bruens was funny, intelligent, and she was very well educated. Layne was born on March 19, 1950, to Charles and Evelyn (Payne) Bruens. Nicknames were popular in Layne's family. Her mother Evelyn was known as "Babe," and Layne's nickname was "Binky."

Layne was a graduate of Margaretta High School. She earned a bachelor's degree in Education from Bowling Green State University in 1972, and her Master's degree in 1982. Besides teaching for many years, Layne was employed in the administrative offices of Cedar Point for several years as well. After having dealt with a variety of health problems, Layne L. Bruens died on November 23, 2006, at the age of 56. She was buried next to her beloved parents at Sandusky's Oakland Cemetery. To date, there is no marker at her gravesite, but Layne will not soon be forgotten by all those who knew her well. The article at the top of this post appeared in the October 25, 1996 issue of the Polar Press, the student newspaper of Margaretta High School in Castalia, Ohio. Both the article and photograph of Miss Bruens were by Andra Whyde.

Sarah Ramsdell and Horace Allen Lockwood

2011-11-22T01:41:00.002-05:00

The tombstone of Sarah (Ramsdelll) Lockwood and Horace Allen Lockwood is located in Lot 13 of Block 2 of Sandusky's Oakland Cemetery. Both the Ramsdell and Lockwood families were pioneer residents of the Firelands. Hewson Peeke wrote in his book A STANDARD HISTORY OF ERIE COUNTY, OHIO, that Horace's father, Samuel Mills Lockwood, traveled to the Firelands in the early 1800's, and he was in charge of surveying and selling much of the land in Danbury and Portage Townships of Ottawa County, Ohio.

According to the database of Ohio Marriages, accessed at Family Search Labs, Horace A. Lockwood married Sarah Ramsdell on February 22, 1843 in Ottawa County, Ohio. In the 1850 U.S. Census, Horace and Sarah Lockwood were residing in Portage Township, Ottawa County, Ohio with their three children: Alfred, age 5; Frederic, age 4; and Samuel M., age 2. Horace listed his occupation as sailor. Sadly, Horace A. Lockwood died in 1857, leaving Sarah a young widow, to raise several children on her own. In 1880, Sarah Lockwood was living with her son Samuel and his family in Portage Township, Ottawa County, Ohio. Sarah Ramsdell Lockwood died in November, 1886 of heart disease. Oakland Cemetery interment records show that Sarah Lockwood was buried on November 25, 1886. Notes on the Oakland Cemetery card for Horace A. Lockwood state that he was originally buried in Gypsum, Ottawa County, Ohio, but on November 4, 1887, his remains were re-interred at Sandusky's Oakland Cemetery.

An inscription at the base of the tombstone which honors Horace A. and Sarah (Ramsdell) Lockwood reads:

A Rest the Weary Pilgrims Found

Ira Burdette "Red" and Bertha Foster

2011-11-21T03:41:00.000-05:00

According to the database Ohio Births and Christenings, 1821-1962, accessed at Family Search Labs, Ira Burdette Foster was born on July 25, 1902 in Henry County, Ohio to Frank and Eva Foster. Red Foster's name appeared in the 1930 Census as Burdette I. Foster. He was living in Toledo, Ohio, with his wife Betty, and young son Warren. By the early 1930's, Ira Burdette Foster, known as "Red," had opened a barber shop in Sandusky in the Cable Block. Red Foster continued as a barber in various locations in Sandusky throughout the 1970's.

In the 1950's and 1960's, Red and his family lived on Route 99 in rural Erie County, Ohio. They had a successful goat farm which they called Blueledge. The Sandusky Register Star News carried an article September 19, 1950, reporting that Mr. and Mrs. Burdette Foster had a senior champion goat, four firsts, two seconds, and two thirds in the Toggenburg goat division of the Huron County Fair. The Foster's award winning goats were named: Beatrice, Bessie, Binaca, Bluebelle, Brenda, Barbara, Blythe, and Blodwin. When my brother Todd was an infant, he had severe allergies, and our family doctor recommended putting him on goat's milk. We used to drive over to Mr. Foster's farm, and purchase fresh goat's milk from him. The goats' mild agreed with baby brother Todd very well! Todd is the baby in the family picture below.

Mrs. Betty Foster passed away in Fremont on March 12, 1969. Ira Burdette "Red" Foster died in a nursing home on November 21, 1981. He was buried at Restlawn Cemetery (now Meadow Green Memorial Park) beside his wife Betty. Mr. Foster was sometimes known as Ira, sometimes as Burdette, often as "Red," but there is no doubt that he met hundreds of area residents during his many years as a barber and farmer in Erie County, Ohio.

Sentimental Sunday: Advertisement for Schlitz Beer in Sandusky Star Journal

2011-11-20T03:00:00.005-05:00

In November of 1911, residents of Sandusky were able to purchase Schlitz Beer from C.H. Struebe on Columbus Avenue. The advertisement above appeared in the November 16, 1911 issue of the Sandusky Star Journal. Readers were informed that "the beer that made Milwaukee famous" started with barley, and the hops came from Bohemia. The brown bottle was said to protect the purity of the beer from brewery to the customer's glass! The ad also stated that Schlitz beer would not cause biliousness. Beer sales were adversely affected in the United States when Prohibition was enacted in the U.S. from 1920 to 1933.

I do not know what brand of beer my Great Grandfather Leroy Parker drank, but Mom always said that Grandpa Roy, and several other members of the Parker family really did enjoy drinking beer.

Saturday Night Genealogy Fun, November 19, 2011

2011-11-19T15:52:00.000-05:00

Randy at Genea-Musings has posted a Thanksgiving edition of Saturday Night Genealogy Fun. The mission is to:

Your mission, should you decide to accept it, is to:

1) Think about the answers to these questions:

a. Which ancestor are you most thankful for, and why?

b. Which author (book, periodical, website, etc.) are you most thankful for, and why?

c. Which historical record set (paper or website) are you most thankful for, and why?

2) Tell us about it in a blog post of your own; in a comment to this blog post; in a Facebook status line or a Google Plus stream post.

Here are my answers:

a. I am especially thankful for my Great Grandma Ada Steen Parker, who instilled in my mother the love of family heritage, which was then passed down to me.

b. The website for which I am most thankful is Family Search. I so appreciate the ability to access so many vital, census, and military records from any computer at Family Search!

c. The historical record set for which I am most thankful is Heritage Quest. Again, it provides, from any computer, quick and easy access to census records and genealogical and historical books. It makes genealogy so easy and so much fun!

Thanks Randy for this fun edition of Saturday Night Genealogy Fun, and Happy Thanksgiving to all!

Note: Thanksgiving graphic is courtesy theholidayspot.

Thankful Thursday: Remembering My Visits with Mary

2011-11-17T01:52:00.006-05:00

Many an afternoon or evening, between the years of 1979 and 2005, I spent time with my neighbor Mary. Usually we talked on her porch in the warm weather, but as time went on, we would visit together in her house, no matter what kind of weather! Mary lived in Bay Bridge from about 1937 until she had to go into a nursing home in her last year of life. She knew several generations of my family, beginning with my great grandfather, Joe Orshoski, a Hungarian immigrant, down to my two little grandsons. During our visits, Mary would reflect back on her many years of living in Bay Bridge. She told of her time working at the neighborhood store, which was also a post office and a bar. She knew virtually everyone in Bay Bridge. There were two major employers in the little village when Mary was a young woman: the Medusa Cement Company and Russell Trucking. Mary had friends and family who had worked at both of them. Mary often made dishes for her neighbors' parties, bridal, and baby showers. When someone in Bay Bridge passed away, Mary contributed towards the flowers. Mary knew that my Grandpa Joe loved to dance at the Hungarian dances that were held above the store on weekend nights. She knew who was a kind person, and also who was a "son of a gun."

After Mary had a stroke, she was paralyzed on one side of her body. She had to give up her favorite pastime, which was crocheting. To try to cheer her up, I would just ask her a question, and she would take me back in time to the "good old days." She told me about the Depression, how almost everyone had a garden, and went fishing, and took government help. She told me about her vacations to Michigan. She told me about how she lost her brother when he was just a child. She told me words of wisdom, like this phrase about husbands who drink too much: "Where there's drinks, there's women!" When she got blue about having had a stroke, she'd say, "There's always someone worse off than me." As life became more difficult for Mary, my neighbor/cousin and I would go over and help clean her house, and take her lunch and goodies as often as we could. Mary was so gracious and always thankful. If Mary only knew that she helped us, as much as we helped her! Visits with Mary took my mind off my own troubles, and I so loved traveling back in time with her many, many stories! I will always be thankful for my visits with Mary, and I miss them so very much.

Tombstone Tuesday: John Wigand of Put in Bay

2011-11-16T04:08:00.000-05:00

According to the November 23, 1905 issue of the Sandusky Register, John Wigand, of Put in Bay, passed away on November 19, 1905. John Wigand had operated a restaurant near Doller's dock on South Bass Island for over twenty five years. He was survived by his widow Elizabeth, and two daughters, Minnie and Mrs. LaRue. John Wigand was buried at Oakland Cemetery in Sandusky. While a G.A.R. marker is located near Mr. Wigand's tombstone, there is no listing for a John Wigand in the 1890 Veterans Schedules for Ottawa County, Ohio.

A photograph of the interior of Wigand's restaurant appears on the Lake Erie's Yesterdays website. In the description of the photograph, Reverend Henry Cooke stated: "The one great peculiarity of Wigand's is that they insist upon putting the dessert on the table before, long before, you are through with the rest of your dinner and you have to hold on to it with your left hand while you eat with your right, for fear an excusionist [a visitor on a day's outing] empty ... and hungry might get hold of it."

Visit Lake Erie's Yesterdays to view hundreds of photographs of the northwestern Ohio area.

Civil War Monument at Castalia Cemetery

2011-11-15T01:57:00.006-05:00

A statue of a Civil War soldier at the Castalia Cemetery in Margaretta Township of Erie County, Ohio, honors those who served our country.

Aunt Alpha hosted the Steen Family Thanksgiving in 1927

2011-11-14T01:23:00.013-05:00

The extended Steen family Thanksgiving celebration in 1927 was held at the home of my Great Grandaunt, Alpha Steen Martin and her husband Fred Martin, Sr.at their home on Columbus Avenue in Sandusky, Ohio. Pictured below are the Steen family in the early 1900s. Pictured are twins Alpha and Ada Steen (Ada was my great grandmother), along with their parents Charles and Sarah Steen, and their younger brother Rollin Steen.

By 1927, both twins were married: Alpha to Fred Martin, Sr., and Ada to Leroy Parker. Ada and Alpha stayed close throughout their entire life, though Ada was primarily a county girl, and Alpha preferred city life. The following news article in the Perkins Township column of the Sandusky Register of November 30, 1927 reported on the Steen family Thanksgiving in 1927:

Mr. and Mrs. Fred Martin entertained the following guests for Thanksgiving: Mr. and Mrs. Charles Stein (should read Steen, Mrs. Marian L. Parker, Mr. and Mrs. Roy Parker, Mr. and Mrs. Rollin Steen, two children, Robert and Elaine, Halso Brooks, Mr. and Mrs. Glenn Parker, Mr. and Mrs. Steen Parker and son Tommy, Miss Janet Parker, Harry Martin, student at Ohio Wesleyan University, and Junior Martin.

Aunt Alpha opened her home to her immediate family along with her sister's mother-in-law, and a Brooks family member related to Mrs. Rollin Steen. By 1927, Alpha had a son in college, and two of Ada's sons were married. Rollin was all grown up and had a wife and two children. Since Roy and Ada Parker lived on a farm, they probably contributed a variety of fruits and vegetables and home canned goods to the Thanksgiving dinner. Mr. Fred Martin, Sr. was the proprietor of Martin's Confectionery, which was a wholesale and retail confectionery business. I am sure that delectable goodies from Martin's Confectionery were served at Thanksgiving dinner. Advertisements from the November 22, 1927 issue of the Sandusky Star Journal indicate that coffee sold for 29 cents a pound, and eggs were 36 cents a dozen. The Erie Market was running a special sale of home dressed chickens, ducks, and geese for 30 cents a pound.

All those who attended that lovely Steen family Thanksgiving from 1927 are now gone, but I can imagine that there was plenty of wonderful food, lots of laughter, and lively card games being played. Mom always said that Grandpa Roy Parker was lots of fun, and he truly enjoyed spending time with the family. It must have been very special for Ada's first grandchild, Tommy, to join the family celebration! Tommy, whose full name was Steen Thomas Parker, is pictured below, with his parents Steen and Doris Parker.

Below is a small portion of the Steen family tree. In each of four generations, the name Steen is found as either a surname, maiden name, or first name. Today, I have a brother living in Ohio and a cousin living in California who still have the name Steen in their full name. The Steens were oh so proud of their name and their heritage.

Cora Mary Kubach

2011-11-13T01:48:00.002-05:00

Birth records accessed at Family Search Labs tell us that Cora Mary Kubach was born on August 29, 1879 to Charles and Lena (Hassenpflug) Kubach in Sandusky, Ohio. She died on November 13, 1879, at the age of three months. Little Cora was buried at Sandusky's Oakland Cemtetery, where the front of her tombstone is in the shape of a scroll.

The sides and back of Cora Mary Kubach's tombstone were sculpted in the shape of bricks. What a lovely memorial to a precious little one whose years were so few on this earth.

Dad's Service in the U.S. Navy

2011-11-12T18:35:00.001-05:00

My dad, Paul R. Orshoski, Sr., served in the United States Navy from April 3, 1945 until his discharge on October 27, 1947.

Dad was a Fireman First Class, which helped him learn skills he would use later as a plumber and pipe fitter. He was a part of Operation Crossroads, a nuclear testing series that took place in the summer of 1946 in the Marshall Islands. The ships that Dad served on were:

U.S.S. Hughes
U.S.S. Niagara
U.S.S. Oakland

Dad was glad to serve his country, and he enjoyed getting to know the men on his ships who came from all over the United States. He liked the fact that he got to see a lot of the world, as he grew up in a family where money was scarce, and I think the furthest he had traveled before enlisting in the Navy, was to Cleveland, to see the Indians play. He did not speak much about his years in the service, but he had always hoped to go back to Hawaii, where he was stationed.

On March 26, 1983, Paul R. Orshoski, Sr. lost his battle with lung cancer. He was buried at Perkins Cemetery. Mom joined him in Heaven on September 8, 2010. Paul and Joyce's children and grandchildren still miss them dearly, and cherish the wonderful memories they gave to us!

This post was written for Saturday Night Genealogy Fun at Genea-Musings. If you have ancestors who served in the military, stop by Genea-Musings, and read how you can join in tonight's fun!

(Note: Most of the images and content in this post have appeared in previous blog posts at the Graveyard Rabbit of Sandusky Bay.)

Michael J. Orshoski, 1960-1993

2011-11-12T01:14:00.004-05:00

Pictured above is Michael "Mike" Orshoski at the Bay View Park in 1966. Mike was the oldest son of Cliff and Barbara (Lindsley) Orshoski. Like so many youngsters who lived in Bay View in the 1960's, Mike loved to play Little League baseball. The picture was taken by his Aunt Joyce.

Mike loved life, as did his father. He worked as a sales representative for Resort Exchange Systems, of Moline, Illinois. Sadly, Michael J. Orshoski was killed in an automobile accident in Ashtabula County, Ohio on November 21, 1993. He was buried at Restlawn Memorial Park in Huron, Ohio, near his mother Barb, who had died in November of 1983. (Restlawn Memorial Park is now known as Meadow Green Memorial Park.) Mike was survived by his father, two sisters, a brother, and four children.

Lest We Forget: World War One Statue at Veterans Memorial Park in Marion, Ohio

2011-11-11T01:11:00.002-05:00

(Note: Click on image for a larger view.)

D. E. and Sarah Livermore

2011-11-10T04:53:00.002-05:00

Darius Elias Livermore was born in New York State in 1833, and died in Rhea, Oklahoma on June 24, 1925. D. E. Livermore served as Lieut. Colonel in the Ohio Third Cavalry during the Civil War. Just prior to serving in the Civil War, D.E. Livermore is found in the 1860 Census living in Oxford Township with his wife Sarah. Several listings on Rootsweb indicate that Sarah Livermore's maiden name was Carpender, the surname of an early Erie County family.

Following the Civil War, the Livermore family moved to Chicago, and eventually homesteaded in Oklahoma. One of Col. Livermore's daughters, Jessie May, won the contract for the stained glass windows found in the Adams Street entrance to the Sandusky Library.

Because Mrs. Livermore always kept ties with her family in Erie County, Ohio, D. E. Livermore, his wife, and two daughters are all buried in the family plot in Sandusky's Oakland Cemetery.

Wordless Wednesday: Lyme Congregational U.C.C. in Huron County, Ohio

2011-11-09T01:35:00.000-05:00

Tombstone Tuesday: William Cox

2011-11-08T01:45:00.002-05:00

The inscription for William Cox's tombstone, at Sandusky's Oakland Cemetery, reads:

In Memory Of

William Cox

A Member of

Company E, 29 O.V.

Born in

Eng., Dec. 3, 1821

Died Nov. 10, 1888

Military Monday: Frederica Altstaetter

2011-11-07T01:14:00.000-05:00

According to her online obituary, Frederica Altstaetter was the daughter of Frederick Laurence and Virginia Mary Parker Altstaetter. Frederica graduated from Sandusky High School in 1955. After obtaining a degree in nursing from The Ohio State University she served in the Navy Nurse Corps from 1958 to 1962. Frederica Altstaetter achieved the rank of LTJG in the United States Navy. After a lengthy illness, Frederica Altstaetter passed away on November 2, 2008 in Hilton Head, South Carolina. The Island Funeral Home and Crematory was in charge of funeral arrangements, and burial was in Sandusky's Oakland Cemetery.

Myron Osborn

2011-11-06T01:49:00.000-04:00

Myron D. Osborn was a well known farmer in Huron Township of Erie County, Ohio. He died on November 6, 1932, after a lengthy illness. Mr. Osborn's obituary, found in the 1932 OBITUARY NOTEBOOK at the Sandusky Library, stated that Myron Osborn was born in Huron Township and he lived his entire life on the family farm. The funeral for Myron Osborn was held at the Osborn residence and he was buried at Oakland Cemetery.

The Ohio Department of Corrections operated a prison farm on the former Osborn property for many years. The land formerly owned by the Osborn family is now part of the Erie MetroParks system, called "Osborn Park" in honor of the Osborn Family. Below is a trail guide for Osborn Park from an Erie MetroParks brochure.

Corporal Charles M. Edwards

2011-11-05T04:05:00.004-04:00

Corporal Charles M. Edwards is buried in Sand Hill Cemetery in Erie County. According to the database American Civil War Soldiers, available at Ancestry Library Edition, Charles Edwards enlisted as a Corporal on May 12, 1864, at the age of 24, in Co. G of the 145th Ohio Volunteer Infantry. He mustered out on August 24, 1864 at Camp Chase, Ohio.

Charles Edwards appears in the 1850 and 1860 U.S. Census for Groton Township with Alden and Mary Edwards. Erie County Probate Records list a marriage between Charles Edwards and Susan Fowle (possibly Fowler) on September 29, 1867. By the 1880 Census, Charles M. Edwards is listed as a carpenter in Groton Township, with three children: Estelle, age 11; Madge K. Edwards, age 9; and Asa M. Edwards, age 7. No wife is listed in 1880, and to date no death record or obituary has been found for Mrs. Susan Edwards.

On November 11. 1910, Charles M. Edwards passed away. His obituary appeared in the November 16, 1910 issue of the Sandusky Register. Mr. Overmyer officiated at the funeral, and the Castalia Congregational church choir provided the music.

Alpha and Ada Panzer: Pretty Sandusky Twins

2011-11-04T01:43:00.004-04:00

Ada and Alpha Panzer were the two years old twin daughters of Mr. and Mrs. Edward H. Panzer of Sandusky, Ohio. Their picture appeared in the November 4, 1923 issue of the Sandusky Register. Though I have no idea of any connection, I wonder if these young ladies were named after my great grandmother Ada Steen Parker, and her identical twin sister, Alpha Steen Martin!

Documents from the Pension File of Civil War Veteran Ernest Marshall/Samuel Wilson

2011-11-03T01:20:00.007-04:00

A great deal of genealogical information was contained in the pension file of my third great granduncle Ernest/Ernst Marshall and his widow Josephine. Ernest Marshall seved in Company A of the 158th New York Infantry under the name of Samuel Wilson. According to the New York State Division of Military and Naval Affairs, he enlisted as a private on August 8, 1862. He reached the rank of Sergeant before he was mustered out with his company on June 30, 1865 at Richmond, Virginia.

Though it is difficult to read, in the claim filed in 1893 by Ernest Marshall aka Samuel Wilson, his health problems included rheumatism, heart problems, catarrh, and hearing loss.

On December 4, 1897 a document was filed which contains information related to the marriage of Ernest Marshall to Josephine Long in 1868, and a listing of the names and birth dates of their seven children.

In 1889, Ernest Marshall filed a Declaration for Invalid Pension.

After Ernest Marshall's death on February 24, 1905, his widow Josephine applied for an accrued pension.

It appears that in May of 1905, Josephine Marshall received notice that she would receive an accrued pension.

Though we may never know why a young man from Sandusky, Ohio enlisted with a regiment from the state of New York, it is very interesting to read the items from his pension file. Mrs. Josephine Marshall passed away on November 2, 1910, and she was buried at Oakland Cemetery next to her husband Ernst/Ernest Marshall.

Lena Marshall Stippey

2011-11-02T01:07:00.002-04:00

Lena Marshall was the youngest child of Nicholas Marshall and his wife, the former Catherine Elisabeth Erckmann, on September 30, 1850. Lena's parents emigrated to Ohio from Hesse in 1848, according to SANDUSKY THEN AND NOW. Lena Marshall married Henry Stippey on December 28, 1876, according to Erie County Probate Court records. Lena Marshall Stippey passed away on November 2, 1885 in Perkins Township. She left behind her husband and their young son. She was buried in Oakland Cemetery. A brief obituary for Lena Marshall Stippey appeared in the November 18, 1885 issue of the Sandusky Register. Lena was also survived by a brother, Ernst Marshall, and a sister, Elizabeth Marshall Cross. The word Sister can very faintly be seen along the top of the tombstone of Lena Marshall Stippey. (Stippey was sometimes listed as Stippie or Stippig.)

Louis and Sabina Leyh

2011-11-01T01:46:00.002-04:00

In the 1900 U.S. Census, Louis and Sapina Ley are listed as residing on Hancock Street in Sandusky, Ohio, both having been born in Germany. In various vital records and news articles, Louis's first name is given as Ludwig, Lewis, or Louis. Sabina's name is seen as Sabina, Sabine, or Sapina. Their last name in some records is spelled Ley, and in other records, such as on their tombstone, it is spelled Leyh. Louis stated that he arrived in the U.S. in 1881, and Sabina arrived in the U.S. in 1872. Two daughters of Louis are in the household in 1900: Margaretta, age 20, and Luella, age 8. Sabina stated that she was the mother of one child, who was living, so that suggests that Margaretta may have been from a prior marriage of Louis Leyh. Louis Ley/Leyh stated that his occupation was stone mason.

An article in the October 6, 1926 issue of the Sandusky Register reported that Mrs. Sabina Leyh had died that morning. Her survivors included her husband Ludwig, and two daughters, Mrs. John Gessner and Mrs. George Hein of Pennsylvania. Rev. Theo. Stellhorn conducted funeral services for Mrs. Sabina Ley/Leyh, and burial was in Sandusky's Oakland Cemetery. Mr. Louis Leyh died on November 1, 1940, in Baltimore, Maryland, and he was buried at Oakland Cemetery on November 4, 1940, according to the Oakland Cemetery interment card.

Dead-a-Base at Adams Memorial Library in Latrobe, Pennsylvania

2011-10-31T01:22:00.000-04:00

While I was unsuccessful in obtaining a birth record for my grandfather, Steve Orshoski, who was born on December 15, 1905 in Westmoreland County, Pennsylvania, I found an outstanding obituary service from the Adams Memorial Library in Latrobe, Pennsylvania!

Dead-a-Base is the clever name of the obituary database. Obituaries and death notices from the Latrobe Bulletin have been indexed from December 18, 1902 to the present. The fee schedule is:

One name $4.00
Two names $5.00
Three names $6.00
Four names $7.00
Five names $8.00

Requests and payments can be made by contacting the address below:

Adams Memorial Library
ATTN. Kathy Tobolewski
1112 Ligonier St.
Latrobe, PA 15650

I did find any of my ancestors in the Dead-a-Base, but I am sure that some of my Orshoski ancestors' neighbors and co-workers have been listed in the database. If you have ancestors from Westmoreland County, Pennsylvania, check out this great genealogical resource!

Wendelin Lieb

2011-10-30T04:57:00.002-04:00

According to records found at Ancestry, Wendelin Lieb was born at Momlingen, Germany on October 19, 1841, and he died in Sandusky, Erie County, Ohio on October 30, 1898. His wife is listed as Anna Marie Wernig. Wendelin Lieb's tombstone in Oakland Cemetery is in the shape of a tree stump, which represents a life cut short, or a life interrupted. It is very likely that the monument honoring Wendelin Lieb was made by his brother Ambrose Lieb, who had a marble works in Sandusky for many years.

Obituaries for Wendelin Lieb appeared in the Sandusky Register on October 30 and October 31, 1898.
Mr. Lieb had died in a dreadful accident, in which he fell from his buggy, was knocked unconscious, and the flames from his cigar engulfed his body. His obituary stated, "The accident was a particularly sad one and the family has the sympathy of the community." Mr. Lieb was considered a well known resident, and was known for being a hard worker. Wendelin's faithful horse was found standing beside his lifeless body. The funeral was held at the family home at the corner of Jefferson and Putnam Streets.

52 Weeks of Personal Genealogy and History: Elementary School

2011-10-29T12:08:00.004-04:00

The prompt for Week 44 of 52 Weeks of Personal History & Genealogy, by Amy Coffin of We Tree, and hosted by Geneabloggers, is: Elementary School

Describe your grammar/elementary school (or schools). Were they big or small? Are any of these schools still in existence today? If so, how have they changed since you went there?

In the snapshot above, my friend Lydia and I are sitting on the Merry Go Round behind the old Venice Elementary School, where I attended school from Grade One to Grade Three. At the time I attended school at Venice, it was a part of the Margaretta Local Schools system. In the mid 1960s Venice was annexed into the Sandusky City Schools system, and the old Venice School was torn down. A new school was built nearby, in Venice Heights. My youngest grandson now attends school there.

My father, Paul, and all of his siblings also attended Venice School.

Dad was not too fond of school, but when he became a parent, he served as President of the Venice PTA! Mom was a "room mother" for several years at Venice Elementary. An article in the February 21, 1961 issue of the Sandusky Register reported that the Venice PTA helped in raising funds to purchase radios, record players, films, records, a clock, a movie projector and screen, and new flags for Venice School. The PTA was also instrumental in remodeling the school's basement to make way for a new cafeteria which served hot lunches.

My favorite memories of Venice School include our Christmas programs, the smell of sloppy joes and homemade gingerbread, and the wonderful teachers who gave us the start to our school days in those early grades. Today, a picnic shelter and playground are located at the site of the old Venice School.

Pictured below is my Third Grade Class at Venice Elementary. Our teacher was Mrs. Hall.

"The Islands of Erie" by Dr. Robert R. McMeens

2011-10-28T01:39:00.002-04:00

Image courtesy WikiPedia

According to notes made by C. L. Martzloff, who collected and annotated POEMS ON OHIO, Sandusky physician Dr. Robert R. McMeens wrote the poem entitled "The Islands of Erie." It was read on the occasion of the anniversary of the Battle of Lake Erie in 1858. The poem appears on page 33 of POEMS ON OHIO. POEMS ON OHIO was published by the Ohio State Archaeological and Historical Society, and was printed by the F.J. Heer Printing Company in Columbus, Ohio in 1911.

***************************************************************************

THE ISLANDS OF ERIE
By Robert R. McMEENS, M. D. (1820-1862)

The Islands of Erie arrayed in full dress,
Enrobe the lake scene with strange loveliness,
As gorgeously decked in bright verdure they lie,
In the soft mellow haze of the still autumn sky.
No more brilliant gems though lauded they be
Ever gleamed 'mid the groups of the old Grecian sea.
They circle the storm-brewing gates of the west
To soothe the "mad spirit" of Erie to rest
And lend their slight forms to the rage of the sea
To shelter the storm-tossed in succoring lee;
Or, like sentinels, seem to be pointing the way
To the harboring arms of bold "Put-in-bay."

When the winds breathless sleep in their caverns of peace,
How sylph-like they sit on the lake's lucent face,
Or mirrored in beauty on crimson dyed wave
When the sun silent sinks in her gold-tinted grave,
And the purple horizon depends as a shroud,
Of a tapestried mantle, in folds of rich cloud,
Then deep'ning so gently upon the pale glow,
So somber and sad, scarcely seeming to know
When the last flitting ray of fading twilight
Merges in darkness and death gloom of night.

Oh! Islands of Erie, how many a scene
Of shipwreck and battle around you have been!
How many a gallant young hero went clown
When Perry and sailors won glorious renown!
You stand as proud monuments over the dead,
Who sleep at your feet in their coffinless bed.
While the winds shriek or whisper a requiem sigh,

And the waves join in murmuring a fond lullaby,
And the mariner gliding along by your side
Recounts all their deeds with emotions of pride.
Oh, Islands of beauty, on Erie's broad breast
That smile in the sunshine like havens of rest;
Or when the storm-god in his wrath wildly raves,
Like "sisters" of mercy hang o'er the waves,
E'er bloom in your freshness as lovely as now,
To enrapture the eye and make the heart glow.

******************************************************************

The Battle of Lake Erie was fought on September 10, 1813 during the War of 1812. Oliver Hazard Perry, who led the Americans, became a national hero after his victory. Click here to read more about the Battle of Lake Erie and Perry's Victory and International Peace Memorial. Dr. McMeens went on to become a surgeon with the Third Ohio Infantry. He died during his service in the Civil War on October 30, 1862.

George L. Barney

2011-10-27T01:14:00.008-04:00

George Lawrence Barney was born about 1843 to George and Caroline (Lawrence) Barney. He was a hardware merchant in Sandusky, Ohio. Sadly, George L. Barney died on October 26, 1873 at the age of 30. His sister, Carrie Ella Barney, had died in March of the same year. George's mother, Caroline, would outlive all but five of her children. George L. Barney was buried in the Barney family lot at Oakland Cemetery. He left behind a wife, the former Kate Norton, and a two young sons, George Lawrence Barney and Charles Norton Barney. The tombstone of George L. Barney features beautifully sculpted floral adornments and a folded drape.

Wordless Wednesday: Fall at Oakland Cemetery

2011-10-26T01:23:00.010-04:00

Rev. Leverett Hull

2011-10-25T04:13:00.002-04:00

Rev. Leverett Hull was born in Bethlehem, Connecticut on December 3, 1796. He graduated from Hamilton College in 1824. He attended New York's Auburn Theological Seminary from 1824 to 1827. He was ordained as a minister in Oneida, New York in 1829. He served in several congregations before moving to Sandusky, Ohio in 1846. Sadly, Rev. Leverett Hull died of cholera on September 3, 1852. Rev. Hull is buried in Sandusky's Oakland Cemetery.