James N. and Frances Aust, Natives of Wiltshire, England

According to records at FamilySearch, James Norris Aust was born in 1834 to Richard and Emma Aust. From a collection of English Marriage records at FamilySearch, we learn that James N. Aust married Frances Aust on October 12, 1864 in Wiltshire, England. In an 1871 Census for England and Wales, James Norris Aust is age 36, residing in Wiltshire, England. Also in the household are:

Frances Aust, age 36
Mary Jones Aust, age 4
Daniel James Aust, age 2
Ellen Allen, age 12, (servant)
and
John Henry Aust, infant

Moving forward to the 1900 U.S. Census for Erie County, Ohio, we find James Aust, a farmer, age 65, residing in Perkins Township, Erie County, Ohio. His wife Frances is also aged 65. Their son George is 25 years of age. The year of immigration for James, Frances and George Aust is listed as 1890. James Aust died at the home of his son George on December 8, 1906. He was survived by four sons, and a daughter, Mrs. Joseph Shepherd, of Wiltshire, England. Rev. Romig officiated at the funeral of James N. Aust, and burial was at Perkins Cemetery. Mrs. Frances Aust had predeceased her husband in 1904.

Mr. and Mrs. Aust left their homeland in 1890, and resided in Ohio for less than 20 years. I am sure they often had fond memories of the many years they spent in Wiltshire, England.

Ella Warden Gawne, 1850-1887

Ella Warden was born on February 12, 1850 to H.P. and Elizabeth Warden. In 1860 census, Ella was age 8, and resided with her parents and siblings in Mount Vernon, Knox County, Ohio. The family later moved to Sandusky, Erie County, Ohio. On June 28, 1877, Miss Ella Warden married Dr. Augustus J. Gawne in Erie County, Ohio.

Sadly, Ella Warden Gawne died on December 5, 1887, when she was just a young woman. Though Dr. A.J. Gawne married again, after his death in 1910, he was buried at Oakland Cemetery in Sandusky, Ohio, next to his first wife Ella. Dr. and Ella Gawne's flat stone is in the North Ridge section of Oakland Cemetery.

Mrs. Hulda Schemenauer

According to marriage records accessed at Family Search Labs, Hulda Goschnick was born in Germany to August and Konradine (Felsky) Goschnick. One record stated that Hulda was born in 1869, but her tombstone and census records indicate that Hulda Goschnick was born in 1862. Hulda's first husband was Henry Frey. Henry Frey and Hulda Goschnick were married in Erie County, Ohio on September 15, 1885. Henry and Hulda Frey had several children, including Johanna, Cora, Hulda, and Henry. In 1902 Henry Frey took his own life, by laying down under a freight train.

In 1904, Hulda Frey, now a widow, married Robert Henry Witt. They were married in Erie County, Ohio. In 1912, Hulda found herself widowed again, as Robert Witt died at the age of 43 at St. Anthony's Hospital in Chicago, Illinois. An article in the March 12, 1947 issue of the Sandusky Register Star News featured an article which reported on the celebration of the 85th birthday of Mrs. William Schemenauer. At this time, Hulda was the wife of William Schemenauer, and they lived at 1522 Columbus Avenue. Hulda was given many lovely birthday cards and gifts, and was honored with a cake and flowers. Mrs. Hulda Schemenauer died on December 2, 1949, at the home of her daughter, Mrs. Maurice Marsden, in Oak Park, Illinois. Mrs. Schemenauer had been a lifelong member of the Emmanuel Evangelical Church, and the Ladies Aid Society. She was survived by her daughters, Mrs. Maurice Marsden, Mrs. Willard Earl, and Mrs. Harry Hummel, and a son, Henry Frey of Genoa, Ohio. The Quick Funeral Home handled funeral arrangements, and burial was at Sandusky's Oakland Cemetery.

OUR YOUNG FAMILY IN AMERICA at the Internet Archive

A book which I have read many times, in search of information on my Young ancestors, is available full-text at the Internet Archive! OUR YOUNG FAMILY IN AMERICA was written by Professor Edward Hudson Young. It was published in Durham, North Carolina in 1947.My 4th great grandparents were Noah and Anna Young. Information about Noah Young is found on pages 44-45 of OUR YOUNG FAMILY IN AMERICA.

Information about Anna Young is found on page 53.

Noah and Anna Young were first cousins once removed.

There is an image of Noah and Anna Young in the special section of pictures in book, following page 30.



See pictures of the tombstone of Noah and Anna Young in a previous blog post at the Graveyard Rabbit of Sandusky Bay. They were buried in New Haven, Ohio in Huron County. Explore the Internet Archive to see if there are books about your family that have already been digitized in this valuable collection.

Tuesday's Tip: Westchester County Archives Digital Collections

Online access to hundreds of historic maps, atlases and photographs from Westchester County, New York,  are found in the collections of the Westchester County Archives Digital Collections. The main categories are:

• 1929-1931 Atlas of Westchester County 
• County Clerk Historical Maps
• Veterans WPA Cemetery Records
• Bronx Parkway Commission Photograph Albums
• Park Commission Photograph Collection

A suggested link under "Suggested Topics" on the right side of the webpage leads us to Cemetery Maps. Below is an image of just one of the many cemetery maps from the Westchester County Archives Digital Collections.

While I personally do not have ancestors from Westchester County, New York, what a wealth of information awaits family researchers who do have ties to this county. Happy hunting!

Mrs. Lucy Allen, My Second Cousin Six Times Removed

Recently I came across this very old tombstone for Lucy Allen, wife of Jesse Allen, at the Perkins Cemetery in Erie County, Ohio. After doing some digging, I discovered that Lucy is my second cousin, six times removed! From the book The Hollister Family of America, available at the Internet Archive, I learned that Lucy was born Lucy Hollister, to Israel and Sarah (Skinner) Hollister, on May 17, 1791, in Glastonbury, Connecticut. (Lucy and I both descend from Lieut. Thomas Hollister.) Lucy first married Benoni Buck, Sr., a man who was originally from Connecticut, but who died in Perkins Township, Erie County, Ohio, on March 6, 1823. In 1828, the widowed Lucy and her five children all went west and settled in Perkins Township, Erie County, Ohio. On May 17, 1829, Lucy Hollister Buck married Jesse Allen. They had one son, Justice Israel Allen. Justice died in a fire in February 1851, at the age of 21. Lucy Allen died on November 24, 1849. She was buried in the old Perkins Cemetery. Jesse Allen, the second husband of Lucy, died of cholera on August 8, 1852. He too was buried at the Perkins Cemetery.

An open book, or possible Bible, adorn the tombstones of Jesse and Lucy Allen. I was delighted to learn that I am connected to this couple who lived so long ago in the same area as my House, Parker, and Hollister ancestors.

Morgan Monument at Oakland Cemetery

This large monument at Oakland Cemetery in Sandusky, Ohio honors the memory of several members of the Thomas Morgan family. In the book HISTORY OF ERIE COUNTY, OHIO, eduted by Lewis Cass Aldrich, we read that Thomas Morgan and his wife Mary came to the U.S. from Ipswich, England. By 1860, Mrs. Morgan had passed away, and Thomas was living on a farm in Perkins Township, Erie County, Ohio.

 George H. Morgan was born George Hamilton. Because his parents died when he was very young, George was adopted by Thomas and Mary Morgan. George H. Morgan was raised on his family's farm, and eventually he purchased property adjacent to his adoptive father's land. An engraving of the George H. Morgan residence is found on page 32 of the Stewart & Page 1874 Erie County Atlas.

In 1854, George H. Morgan married Mary Jane Monfort. They had two children, Thomas Theron Morgan and Mary Julia Morgan. On November 22, 1902, George Hamilton Morgan died suddenly at his home in Perkins Township. An obituary in the November 25, 1902 issue of the Sandusky Register stated about George H. Morgan, "He was one of the staunchest farmers of Erie County and was well liked by all who knew him. He was a man of integrity, of character, a good neighbor and a devoted head of his household."  Funeral services for George H. Morgan were held at the family home, with Rev. Gray and Rev. Oswalt officiating. The Morgan monument lists the years of death of several others members of the family:

Thomas Morgan died in 1889
Mary Morgan died in 1859
Mary Jane (Monfort) Morgan died in 1909
Mary Julia Morgan died in 1927

Miss Mary Julia Morgan had this monument erected and placed at Oakland Cemetery. To read more about the Morgan family, and many other early residents of Erie County, Ohio, see HISTORY OF ERIE COUNTY, OHIO, eduted by Lewis Cass Aldrich, found in many northern Ohio libraries, and also available full-text online.