Sharing Genealogy Tips with a Group of Boy Scouts

Recently I had the pleasure of sharing beginning genealogy tips with a lively group of Boy Scouts, ages 11-16. I was amazed at how savvy they were with searching online databases. They were totally at ease with having multiple windows open, and digging right in to see what treasures they could find on Ancestry Library Edition and Family Search. Several of the Scouts used their cell phone to text their parents for ancestors' names and birth and death dates, as they filled out their pedigree charts. I told the Leader that if the Scouts choose to become genealogists, they will definitely be good ones! One of the disadvantages with doing genealogy with a group so young is that we had to go back several generations in order to find a deceased ancestor! (And hopefully, an informative obituary as well.) Not surprising was the fact that several of the young men had blended families and/or had a line about which they had little or no information. When that was the case, I encouraged the youngster to focus on the lines that they were able to learn more about, and perhaps interview family members in depth, to learn more about those ancestors' lives. It was refreshing to see the enthusiasm with which these Scouts dove into doing research for their genealogy merit badge. They have the advantage of having been born into the Information Age, and they already possess a working knowledge of modern technology and tools which are so helpful in doing family history research. One Scout found a picture of his grandfather on an online genealogy website, and another Scout traced his paternal line back to an east coast Pirate!

Dr. Charles E. Stroud, Dentist

According to his obituary in the 1929 OBITUARY NOTEBOOK, in the genealogical collection of the Sandusky Library, Dr. Charles Edwin Stroud was born on March 11, 1859 in Palmyra, New York, to Dr. Charles Taylor Stroud and Lucy Fidelia Allen Stroud. The elder Dr. Stroud was also a dentist. Dr. Stroud came with his parents to Sandusky when he was a boy of six. Dr. Charles Edwin Stroud had practiced dentistry in Sandusky for almost fifty years, before retiring in May of 1929, to accept a position at the Ohio Soldiers and Sailors Home.

Dr. Stroud was one of the area's best known citizens. He was in command of Company B during the Spanish American War, and was acting major of the Second Battalion for five months. He served on the School Board, Erie County Board of Visitors, was a past master of Perseverance Lodge No. 328, and he served on the Board of the Erie County Children's Home and was chairman of the Erie County Chapter of the American Red Cross in 1917. The first Boy Scout troop in Sandusky was organized by Dr. Stroud. Dr. Stroud was considered an authority on Indian relics, and sang with the Sandusky Male Quartet for many years.

On October 7, 1929, Dr. Charles E. Stroud died at as home on Dewitt Avenue, Perkins Township, after a lengthy illness. He was survived by his wife, the former Jennie Davis, and two sons, Ira Stroud and Edgar Stroud. Funeral services for Dr. Stroud were held at Grace Episcopal Church on October 9. Members of the Boy Scouts served as guards of honor. Dr. Charles E. Stroud was buried in the family lot at Oakland Cemetery. The symbol of the cross and crown on his tombstone symbolizes the sovereignty of the Lord. The writer of Dr. Stroud's obituary stated that he was "a familiar figure on the streets of Sandusky. He was of a happy, optimistic disposition and he made and retained hundreds of friendships during his long, active, and useful life."

A photograph of Dr. Charles E. Stroud and a Sandusky Boy Scout troop can be seen at the Sandusky History web site. In 1911, area Boy Scouts helped to place wreaths on the graves of Veterans for a Memorial Day celebration, under the leadership of Dr. Stroud.