Philip Hornig

In the excerpt above from the McKelvey's Sandusky City Directory, we read that Philip Hornig was in business with Alexander Hornig at a marble works at the corner of Market and Jackson Streets in Sandusky, Ohio. Philip was residing at 89 Monroe Street in Sandusky in 1867. The tombstone below, for Lieut. Dolsen VanKirk, found at Oakland Cemetery, was created at the Hornig Marble Works.

The inscription of the monument maker reads:
P. and J. Hornig

Vital records on file at FamilySearch indicate that Philipp Hornig and Mary Shatzer applied for a marriage license in Cuyahoga County, Ohio on May 4, 1868. By the time of the 1880 U.S. Census, the Hornig family was residing in Sandusky, Erie County, Ohio. The family unit at that time consisted of:

Philip Hornig, age 41, born in Germany, occupation marble cutter
Mary Hornig, age 32, born in Ohio
Albert Hornig, age 10, born in Ohio
Willie Hornig, age 9, born in Ohio
Robert Hornig, age 7,born in Ohio
Herbert Hornig, age 4, born in Ohio
and
Roland Hornig, age 2

By 1900, the Hornig family had re-located to the city of Cleveland, Ohio, where Philip Hornig was still employed as a marble cutter. On October 21, 1906, Philip Hornig passed away in Cleveland, Ohio. His remains were brought back to Sandusky's Oakland Cemetery. Several members of the Hornig family are buried in the family lot at Oakland.

Alexander Hornig

Alexander Hornig was born in 1841 in Germany, but he came to the United States as a young man. In the 1880 U.S. Census for Erie County, Alexander stated that his occupation was marble cutter. The 1902 Sandusky City Directory listed the "marble works" of Alexander Hornig as being located on the south side of Milan Road, opposite Oakland Cemetery.

During the Civil War, Alexander Hornig served in Company D of the 41st Ohio Volunteer Infantry. In 1887, Alexander was issued a patent for a millstone pick. The patent number was Number 366, 959.The millstone pick was the type that was used by stone cutters and masons.

Alexander Hornig died on September 12, 1913. He was survived by his wife Nettie, two daughters, and two sons. He was buried in Oakland Cemetery, across the road from the marble works, where he worked for many years. Obituaries for Alexander Hornig appeared in the Sandusky Register on September 13, September 15, September 16, and September 19 of 1913.

Tombstone Tuesday: Grace Barney

In the IGI portion of FamilySearch we read that Grace Barney was born in Erie County, Ohio, in 1870, to George Lawrence and Katharine Norton Barney. Little Grace died at the age of one year and three months, on September 6, 1871. She was buried at Sandusky's Oakland Cemetery.

The front of Grace's tombstone is adorned with a lamb, and the inscription:

Of such is the kingdom of heaven

Along the top of this little one's tombstone are the words Our Darling Gracie.



At the bottom of Grace's tombstone the names of the men who carved her tombstone can be read: P. and J. Hornig.



By reading the back of Grace Barney's tombstone, it appears that her middle name was her mother's maiden name.


Losing little Grace Barney at such a young age must have brought much sorrow to her parents. She passed away over one hundred years ago, but the loving words that her parents chose to have inscribed on her tombstone are still visible, and we can get a sense of their deep loss by viewing her lovely monument.