Discovering Just a Bit about Wheeler Nodine

You may recall that the lineage of my great great grandmother, Sarah Steen, was very complicated. Her biological parents were Wheeler Nodine and Eliza Jane Westfall Nodine. Sometime after her birth in 1850 in Michigan, Wheeler  and Eliza Jane Nodine gave baby Sarah to the sister of Eliza Jane, Huldah. Huldah was married to Henry Milner, and they had a lovely farm in Perkins Township. Sarah went on to marry Charles F. Steen, and they too were engaged in agricultural pursuits. Sarah is the lady on the left in the picture below.

Today as I was looking over my DNA relatives on 23andMe, I discovered a cousin that most likely is connected to me through Wheeler and Eliza Jane Nodine. I realized that I did not know much about my biological three times great grandfather Wheeler Nodine. Looking back through my Flickr photos, I discovered the death date of Wheeler Nodine was listed as Feb. 10, 1872, in Michigan. (This family Bible is now in the collections of the R.B. Hayes Presidential Library and Museums.)

Then I found property that was owned by the Estate of W. Nodine in the Barry County Atlas of Michigan, housed at Michigan County Histories. It looks like at one time Wheeler Nodine owned property in Carlton, a community in Barry County, Michigan.

To date, I have not yet found a death record from a courthouse for Wheeler Nodine, and I would surely love to know the story of how Sarah went from her biological parents' home in Michigan to the Henry Milner residence in Perkins Township, Erie County, Ohio.

Jacob and Anna Ruth

According to History of Erie County, edited by Lewis Cass Aldrich (Mason and Co., 1889), Jacob Ruth was born in Germany in 1831, and he emigrated to the United States in 1859. He worked as a dealer in and packer of pork, and curer of hams and bacon. On June 2, 1860, Jacob Ruth married Anna Hoerner. A listing in the 1876 Sandusky City Directory shows a J.Ruth as a partner in the Bear and Ruth firm.

The 1880 U.S. Census shows Jacob and Anna Ruth resided on Franklin Street in Sandusky with their three sons. Mrs. Anna Ruth died on January 19, 1901, at the age of 63. She was buried at Sandusky's Oakland Cemetery. Afer the death of Anna Ruth, Jacob married Anna Katherine Schlessman. Jacob Ruth died on August 8, 1912. He too was laid to rest at Oakland Cemetery. Sadly, the second Mrs. Anna Ruth died only a few months later, on October 29, 1912.

Ansel H. Gale, 1817-1869

According to the book The Gale Family Records in England and the United States, Ansel Hays Gale was born on February 16, 1817 to Deacon Solomon Gale of Bennington, Vermont, and his second wife, the former Phebe Hayes. Ansel Hays Gale married Amanda E. Spencer in 1850. They had the following children: Maria Wager Gale, born in 1851; Spencer Hays Gale, born in 1853; and Laura Johnson Gale, born in 1855. In Sandusky, Ansel H. Gale was associated with the Spencer & Gale stove store. At the age of 52, Ancel H. Gale died of paralysis, on June 23, 1869. He was buried in Sandusky’s Oakland Cemetery. Mr. Gale’s daughter Maria became the wife of Rev. Eleutheros Cooke.

Mrs. Emily Warren, 1827-1886

Mrs. Emily Warren was born in the state of New York on September 3, 1827, and she died on July 25, 1886, according to the ERIE COUNTY, OHIO CEMETERY CENSUS BEFORE 1909. In 1860, Emily was residing in Townsend Township, Sandusky County, Ohio, with her husband John H. Warren, and their three sons and two daughters. John H. Warren died in 1872 at the age of 48. The final resting place of Mrs. Emily Warren was at Oakland Cemetery in Sandusky, Ohio. According to the Letters of Administration, on file with Erie County Probate Court, Mrs. Warren was survived by these children: Josephine Shaw of New London, Ohio, and Isabel Warren, Perry Warren, and William Warren, all of Sandusky.

Chauncey G. Bush, 1832-1860

Few details are known about Chauncey G. Bush. He was born February 2, 1832, and died on July 5, 1860. In the 1850 U.S. Census, his occupation was listed as printer. He resided in the same house as James W. Taylor, the one time editor of the Sandusky Democrat. Chauncey G. Bush's final resting place is at Sandusky's Oakland Cemetery.

Mrs. Amelia Boston, Wife of Rev. Thomas Holland Boston

According to the 1850 U.S. Census, Amelia Boston was born about 1813 in the state of New Jersey. In May of 1839, Amelia Butler married Thomas Holland Boston in Albany, New York, and shortly after, they settled in Sandusky, Ohio. Rev. Boston was a minister in Sandusky, Ohio, and he was a friend of fugitive slaves, helping many to get to freedom in Canada, departing across the lake from Sandusky, Ohio. Mrs. Amelia Butler Boston died on May 31, 1865. She was buried in Sandusky's Oakland Cemetery.

Janet Ritter

According to her death record, Janet Ritter was the daughter of Dr. Roland Ritter and his wife, the former Belva Dilley. Janet died as an infant, on August 7, 1938, and she was buried at Sandusky's Oakland Cemetery. Janet Ritter was the descendant of longtime Sandusky cigar store owner, Henry Ritter.