Elmer Sleeps

According to records in the book ERIE COUNTY, OHIO CEMETERY CENSUS BEFORE 1909, Elmer E. Center died on January 26, 1865. He was the son of Mr. and Mrs. Clark Center, and he was aged 3 years, 5 months, and 6 days at the time of his death. A beautiful dove is found on the tombstone of Elmer E. Center, under which are the words:

Elmer
Sleeps

A four line inscription is found at the base of the tombstone for young Elmer. I could only read a few words in the second, third, and fourth row of words. The words I could decipher are:

.....pass at the pearly gates
....with weary aching heart
....where our darling waits

This beautiful monument which honors the memory of a beloved little boy is such a fitting tribute. Elmer E. Center is buried in Block 58 of Sandusky's Oakland Cemetery, near several other members of the Center family.

Clark Center, Pioneer Citizen of Sandusky

Clark Center was one of Sandusky's leading citizens. A biography of Clark Center from Harriet Taylor Upton's HISTORY OF THE WESTERN RESERVE states that he was "among the honored pioneers of Sandusky." He was born in Wayne County, New York in 1833, the youngest child and Mr. and Mrs. James H. Center. Clark's mother died when he was just three years old. In 1836 James Center moved his family to Huron County, Ohio, where he settled on a farm located on the Huron River.

After moving to Ohio, Clark worked for various farmers, and eventually learned the machinists' trade. He began working as a machinist in Sandusky in 1854. When the Civil War broke out, Clark Center had a vital role in raising Company I of the Third Ohio Cavalry. He recruited men from Erie, Huron, and Ottawa Counties. He had to stop his wartime service temporarily, when he was afflicted with typhoid fever. At the end of the Civil War, Clark Center resumed his work as a machinist in Sandusky. In 1872, he was appointed a revenue collector for the U.S. Government. Clark Center had also served as Sandusky councilman for twelve years. During his time on council, Mr. Center secured an investigation of the financial affairs of the city, which concluded in the arrest of a city clerk on embezzlement charges.

Mr. Center's obituary, which appeared in the October 10, 1914 Sandusky Register, reported that Clark Center was a "unique character." He often was seen on the streets of Sandusky wearing tall silk hat and a boutonniere. Clark Center died on October 9, 1914. He was survived by his wife, the former Caroline Bauer, and a son, E. B. Center. Clark Center is buried in Oakland Cemetery.

Mrs. Hannah Cowan

Mrs. Hannah Cowan was born in Chester County, Pennsylvania on March 4, 1803. She moved to Bellefontaine, Ohio in 1839. By 1844, her husband had died, leaving her to care for two young children on her own.

According to the November 28, 1882 issue of the Sandusky Register, Mrs. Cowan "was a woman of superior education and strong mind,and taking on her own shoulders the burden of life, she became a school teacher, a profession she followed for twelve years. Among her pupils were boys who have since become famous soldiers and public men, and often in the past twenty years she has been the recipient of personal attention from men who regarded her as their wise instructor in their boyhood."

Mrs. Hannah Cowan passed away on November 24, 1882. She was the mother of Mrs. Clark Center. For many years Mrs. Cowan had made her home with Mr. and Mrs. Clark. Hannah Cowan was buried in Sandusky's Oakland Cemetery. Shortly after her death, General Robert P. Kennedy wrote a letter to Rev. D. J. Meese, pastor of the Presbyterian Church in Sandusky, which was reprinted in the Sandusky Register. General Kennedy stated about Mrs. Cowan, "...her patience, her piety and Christian character are still imprinted upon my memory..." He continued, pointing out that Mrs. Cown had laid the foundation for the superstructure of an education.