Peter A. Rice

Peter A. Rice was born in New Boston, Illinois. Before locating in Sandusky in 1901, Mr. Rice was involved in the hotel business in Conneaut, Ohio. On May 15, 1901, P. A. Rice took charge of the Sloane House Hotel. By 1910, Rice was the senior member of the firm Rice and Bonn, which operated the Sloane House and West House hotels in Sandusky.

Mr. Rice died on March 16, 1901, following a sudden illness. He left behind a widow and an elderly mother. Peter A. Rice was very involved in community organizations, including the Sandusky Business Men's Association, Elks Lodge, Science Lodge No. 50, and the Knights Templar. He was one of the original promoters of the "Greater Sandusky" movement. The Sandusky Register of March 17, 1910 stated, "He gave freely of his time and means with no thought of personal reward. As a public spirited citizen P.A. Rice will long be remembered." P. A. Rice is buried in the family vault at Oakland Cemetery.

Orin Aden Rice, Civil War Veteran

Orin Aden Rice was the son of Charles and Laura Rice. He served in Co. B of the 101st Ohio Volunteer Infantry during the Civil War. After the war, Orin worked as a conductor on the Sandusky, Mansfield and Newark Railroad. He married Harriet Olivia Allen in January of 1868, according to Erie County Probate Court records.

On September 2, 1868 Orin was involved in a railroad accident in Licking County, Ohio. He died as a result of a skull fracture, which occurred when the train went under a trestle, Orin was caught between the top of the railroad car and the trestle. Orin Aden Rice was buried at Oakland Cemetery on September 3, 1868. He was survived by his wife and elderly mother. Mr. Rice's obituary is found in the Sandusky Register of September 2, 1868. Orin's widow later remarried, and she filed for Orin's Civil War pension in 1916, when she was living in Chicago, Illinois.

At the very top of the tombstone for Orin Aden Rice are the words: My Beloved Husband.