Perished in the Lake

On March 1, 1904, Horace Chamberlain and Edward Finn went out onto Sandusky Bay in a skiff to set some fish nets. The bay was filled with  large cakes of ice. When the small vessel ran into a large ice cake, the two young men were thrown into the cold water, Edward Finn was able to find safety atop an ice cake, but Horace Chamberlain was not able to get to safety. An article in the March 2, 1904 issue of the Sandusky Star reported that Mr. Chamberlain was seen "throwing up his hands" and he "cried Good Bye all and disappeared." Local men were able to rescue Edward Finn, but they could not save Horace Chamberlain. Horace Chamberlain was an employee of Cedar Point, working as a grounds keeper. He and his wife and child lived in a cottage at the resort. Funeral services for Horace Chamberlain were conducted by Rev. A.N. Slayton, at Marquart's mortuary. Mr. Chamberlain was laid to rest at Sandusky's Oakland Cemetery.

Lawrence H. Hertlein

Lawrence H. Hertlein was the son of Oscar and Amelia (Ernst) Hertlein, born in Ohio in 1892. According to records at Erie County, Ohio Probate Court, in April 1917, Lawrence Hertlein married Aletha Dauch, the daughter of J.J. Dauch and Mary (Wendt) Dauch.

For several years, L. H. Hertlein was associated with the Dauch Manufacturing Company. He wrote an article in Tractor World in October, 1918, entitled The Marketing of a Tractor.






















Mrs. Aletha Dauch Hertlein died at the age of 43 on November 29, 1935, after a brief illness. Mr. Lawrence H. Hertlein passed away on February 26, 1965, while on a trip to California. Mr. Hertlein was survived by two sisters, and several nieces and nephews. Funeral services for Lawrence H. Hertlein were held at the Frey Funeral Home, and burial was in Sandusky's Oakland Cemetery. The mausoleum of Lawrence H. Hertlein is maintained throughout the year. Pictured below is the Hertlein Mausoleum during the winter months.

Franklin W. Hubbard

Franklin W. Hubbard was the son of Watson and Georgina A. (Holcombe) Hubbard. He died when he was only two years of age, on February 23, 1856. He was buried in the family lot at Sandusky's Oakland Cemetery. In a biographical sketch in THE HISTORY OF THE WESTERN RESERVE, we learn that Watson Hubbard had extensive interests in the lumber business in both Michigan and Sandusky. Along the top of the tombstone of Franklin W. Hubbard is written Frank, and a lovely dove adorns the front of his tomebstone. I am sure that Franklin's parents had hopes of young Franklin growing up and having a successful life, but those dreams were cut short by his death in 1856.

Taylor Williams, Veteran of the 123rd U.S.C.T. and the 9th U.S. Cavalry

According to his death certificate, Taylor Williams was born on November 26, 1852 in Georgetown, Kentucky. By the year 1890, Taylor Williams was residing in Sandusky, Erie County, Ohio. The 1890 Veterans Schedules, available at Ancestry Library Edition, list Taylor Williams as having served in Company D of the 123rd U.S.C.T. during the Civil War. Notes indicate that Mr. Williams had developed lung problems from wounds he received in battle during the Civil War. According to a pension file for Taylor Williams, also accessed at Ancestry Library Edition, Taylor Williams served in the 9th United States Cavalry after the Civil War ended. The men who served in the 9th Cavalry were known as Buffalo Soldiers. Taylor Williams passed away at his residence on Adams Street in Sandusky on February 21, 1909. Funeral services for Taylor Williams were conducted at the Williams residence by Rev. J. Oakey. Burial was at Sandusky's Oakland Cemetery, but no stone remains today for Taylor Williams. Mr. Williams was survived by his wife Julia, three sisters, and three brothers. All of the siblings of Taylor Williams resided in Lexington, Kentucky. An obituary for Mr. Taylor Williams appeared in the February 22, 1909 issue of the Sandusky Register.

Below are the top and bottom halves of a photocopy of the death certificate of Taylor Williams, from the Ohio Deaths collection at Family Search.

Joseph Andrews

Joseph Andrews died on February 20, 1905. His obituary, which appeared in the March 2, 1905 issue of the Sandusky Register stated that Mr. Andrews was "another of the best known and most highly respected residents of Groton township...He was a man of strict intergrity, a good citizen, a model husband, kind father, and the afflicted family have the symapthy of all in their bereavement."

Joseph Andrews was born in Somerset, England on August 19, 1848. He married his wife Emma in 1864, and they had twelve children. Joseph Andrews came to the United States briefly in 1870, and returned about 1874 with his family. During the last eighteen years of his life, Mr. Andrews lived on the farm formerly owned by G. A. Wright.

Surviving Joseph Andrews was his wife Emma, and children: Mrs. William Fitch, Miss Nellie Andrews, Mrs. Frank Fitch, Mrs. G. Miller, Mrs. F. J. Mitchell, Edith Andrews, Joseph Andrews, Harry Andrews and James Andrews. Joseph Andrews and his wife Emma are buried in the Strong's Ridge Cemetery in Huron County, Ohio. The monument is in the shape of a tree stump, with a scroll that bears the names of Joseph and Emma Andrews.

Sentimental Sunday: Sandusky Library Postcard

The Carnegie Library in Sandusky, Ohio is featured on this vintage postcard, a recent gift from my nephew. The postcard is from the Hugh C. Leighton Co. of Portland, Maine, and was printed in Frankfort, Germany. It was mailed to a man in LaSalle, Michigan in June of 1910, with a stamp that cost one cent. Now called the Sandusky Library, the building is located at 114 West Adams Street in Sandusky, Ohio, across from the Erie County Courthouse. In 1899, Andrew Carnegie donated $50,000 for a public library in our Sandusky. You can read more about the history of Sandusky Library here. Sandusky Library is so very dear to my heart. It has been providing books and information to several generations of my family for many years.

The Sandusky Library is hosting another Genealogy Lock-In. On Friday, February 22, 2013, from 5:30 to 8:30 p.m., library staff and volunteers from the Erie County Chapter, Ohio Genealogical Society will be on hand to assist with your family history questions. The computer lab will be open, along with access to hundreds of local history books, historical newspapers on microfilm, and a finding aids which highlight historical photographs and primary sources held by the Sandusky Library Archives Research Center. Hope to see you there!

John and Fredericka Fisher

Born in Germany in 1818, John Fisher was a railroad employee who also was the original owner of Fisher's Hall, at the corner of Wayne and Washington Streets in downtown Sandusky. John and his wife Fredericka were the parents of ten children. The book SANDUSKY THEN AND NOW tells us that Fredericka Fisher was the daughter of Mr. and Mrs. Adam Hemberle, who were natives of Blackenloch, Baden.

John Fisher died on April 23, 1880 at the age of 62 years, 3 months, and 7 days. He is buried at Oakland Cemetery, next to his wife Fredericka who died on April 1, 1895. An obituary for John Fisher appeared in the April 24, 1880 issue of the Sandusky Register. Mr. Fisher's funeral was held at his home at 623 Hancock Street. The tombstone which honors John and Fredericka Fisher features a lot of geometric shapes, with two vertical columns, topped with an urn above the triangular shaped stone over the columns.