Guy W. House

Guy W. House was born on January 28, 1887 to Mr. and Mrs. Lewis W. House of Perkins Township, Erie County, Ohio. He attended Oberlin College, and he earned a law degree from the University of Michigan in 1912. Guy House served as a Colonel with the 112th Ammunition Train in France during World War One. After the war, Col. House established a law office in Cleveland, Ohio. Later he was associated with the Glidden Paint and Varnish Co., and the DeSoto Paint and Varnish Co. At the time of his death, on March 20, 1938, Guy House and his wife, the former Isabell Hartley, were residing in Memphis, Tennessee.

An obituary for Guy W. House, found in the 1938 OBITUARY NOTEBOOK at the Sandusky Library, stated that the Charles J. Andrews Sons Funeral Home in Sandusky was crowded to capacity with callers for the funeral of Guy House. Rev. Donald Wonders conducted the funeral service, and burial for Mr. House was at the Perkins Cemetery. Pallbearers were Harry Smith, A.F. Mills, Leroy Parker, Harry Storrs, Elon House, and Stanton Minor. Guy W. House was survived by his parents, six sisters, a brother, and a host of other relatives and friends.

Sadly, this was the second child of Mr. and Mrs. Lewis W. House to pass away within a three month time span. Lois House Parker, Guy's sister, had died just the previous November. We can only imagine the sadness in the hearts of the large House family, who lost loved ones at such a young age.

Sandusky History Blog Named to 2011 "Family Tree 40"

A blog which is dear to my heart is the Sandusky History blog. Many of my ancestors lived and/or worked in Sandusky, and I enjoy reading the historical articles and seeing the vintages images at this site. Visit Sandusky History at:

http://sanduskyhistory.blogspot.com/




















Sandusky History has been named to the 2011 Family Tree Forty blogs. Check out the entire list of forty top blogs from Family Tree Magazine here.

Harris H. Gregg

Harris Hibbard Gregg was born in Ohio in 1831. Philander Gregg was an early Mayor of Sandusky, but at this time, we do not know how Harris and Philander Gregg may be connected.

Marriage records from FamilySearch indicate that Harris H. Gregg married Amelia Hemenway on November 16, 1859 at the Grace Episcopal Church in Buffalo, New York. By 1870, the Harris H. Gregg family was living in Cheboygan County, Michigan, where Harris worked at a sawmill. Harris and Amelia had three young children at this time, Helen, Harris Jr., and Cecil. Helen and Harris had been born in New York State, and Cecil, an infant, was born in Michigan. By 1880, Harris and Amelia and their family were living in Chicago, Illinois, where Harris Sr. was the manager of a hotel.

Harris H. Gregg died in St. Louis, Missouri in March of 1899. His obituary appeared in the March 9, 1889 issue of the Sandusky Register. The remains of Mr. Gregg were sent by the Big Four train from St. Louis to Sandusky, Ohio. The funeral for Harris H. Gregg was held at the home of Samuel J. Catherman on Fulton Street. The newspaper article reported that Mr. Gregg's body was dressed in a fine linen robe, with a cluster of palm leaves and white roses laid over his feet, "as one treading in victory the Jordan River of death."

A seminary classmate of Rev. Harris H. Gregg, Jr., the Rev. Clement Martin, led in prayer at the funeral, while Rev. Gregg read a scripture passage at his father's gravesite in Oakland Cemetery. Harris H. Gregg was survived by his son, Rev. Harris H. Gregg, Jr.,daughter Helen Gregg, and son Cecil Dudley Gregg. Rev. Gregg was a well respected minister, and Cecil D. Gregg was a prosperous merchant in St. Louis. The St. Louis Street Index lists a Gregg Avenue as being named for Cecil D. Gregg. Daughter Helen was as student at the Moody Bible Institute at the time of her father's death.

Though we do not know a lot of details about Harris H. Gregg, Sr., it is clear that he was adventurous, indicated by his living in several different states throughout his life. His children had successful lives, and that is most likely due in part to the family values and work ethic they experienced while growing up in the household of Harris and Amelia Hemenway Gregg.

The Paul Family's 1968 Chevrolet Impala

On September 14, 1968,the very day that Denny McClain won his 30th game during the 1968 baseball season, for the Detroit Tigers, my father in law (father of my future husband at that time)bought a brand new 1968 Chevrolet Impala. The color was "Grecian green," and Tom's parents were so excited about the purchase of this new car. Mr. Paul had worked had selling Stroh's beer all summer long, and Mrs. Paul worked as a waitress at the Log Cabin Inn. Both were working hard in order to save up for this major purchase.

The year 1968 was magical in my world as a teenager. The Detroit Tigers won the World Series, Denny McClain was an amazing pitcher, and it was my very first summer of being in love. Since I didn't drive yet, and neither did my husband to be, we spent many night being driven around in that Chevy Impala! Our parents would shuttle us back and forth to baseball games, dates, and evenings just relaxing and watching baseball on TV.

About a year later, after my boyfriend had his license, he was on his way to pick me up for a date. Close to the U.S. Route 2, near the Edison Bridge, someone pulled out in front of Tom and the 1968 Chevrolet Impala was totaled. The car was repaired, but the entire Paul family was devastated by this accident. I always felt so terrible that Tom was on his way to see me when the accident happened! Thankfully no one was injured, though both cars were damaged severely. The 1968 Chevrolet Impala will always be dear to my heart. It was the vehicle in which I traveled often, when I thought that love could conquer any problem in the world.

Mildred Westcott

A lamb adorns the tombstone of Mildred Westcott. Little Mildred Westcott died on June 16, 1919, at age 9. She was the daughter of Carl and Helen Westcott. Mildred Westcott is buried in Sandusky's Oakland Cemetery. Her death certificate can be viewed online at Family Search Labs.

The Complicated Parentage of Sarah Nodine Milner Steen

My great great grandmother, Sarah Nodine Milner Steen, seen on the far left of the Steen family picture above, has a complicated situation concerning her parents. Her date of birth, as listed on her death certificate, was on November 13, 1850 in Michigan. The death certificate listed Sarah's parents as Henry Milner and Huldah Westfall Milner. However, an obituary from volume 14 of the Firelands Pioneer states that the daughter of Henry and Huldah Westfall Milner was adopted.























In 1990, my mother and I were curious about Great Great Grandma Sarah. We contacted Erie County Probate Court, to see if we could find out more information. The staff from Probate Court stated that in Erie County Court records, Sarah's twin daughters Ada Parker and Alpha Steen, give their mother's name as Sarah Milner, and Sarah had been born in Hastings, Michigan. Yet another birth record of an infant born to Sarah and Charles F. Steen, who died young, stated that the Sarah's maiden name was Nodine.

So...next we contacted Probate Court in Barry County, Michigan, which was in Hastings, Michigan. The Probate Register of Barry County Probate Court did not have on file a birth certificate for Sarah Nodine, because their records did not begin until 1863. However, she looked through some microfilm records, and found that Wheeler Nodine died in February, 1872, and one of his heirs was named Sarah, and was residing in Ohio at that time. Records also hinted that Eliza Jane was the mother of some of the children of Wheeler Nodine, but it did not definitively state that Sarah's mother was Eliza Jane Westfall.

When I was first becoming familiar with computers and email correspondence, another researcher from the West coast (who sadly has since passed away) told me that her ancestor Julia Nodine was also the daughter of Wheeler Nodine and his wife Eliza Jane Westfall. We made a conjecture that for reasons unknown, Wheeler and Eliza Jane Westfall Nodine gave their infant daughter, Sarah Nodine, to Eliza Jane's sister Huldah Westfall Milner, living in Erie County, Ohio.

Though the total story is not told, our hypothesis seems to be correct. A third cousin who lives nearby, allowed me to photocopy this page of birth records from the Milner family Bible. She said that the Bible originally belonged to Huldah Milner, then was passed down to Sarah Nodine Milner Steen, and then was kept up to date by my great grandmother Ada Steen Parker. Whoever filled out the births included both the biological parents of Sarah, who were Wheeler Nodine and Eliza Jane Westfall, as well as the adoptive parents of Sarah, Henry Milner and Hulday Westfall. The sisters were only about two years apart in age. We may never know why Sarah was adopted by the Milner's, and that was their only child. Wheeler Nodine and Eliza Jane Westfall Nodine had several other children, and Eliza appears to have been married three times.




















The birth records state that Sarah Nodine Milner was born in Ohio, but all other records indicate that she was born in Hastings, Michigan. At the very bottom of the page of birth listings are the names of several of Sarah's biological brothers and sisters.

Sarah married Charles F. Steen in March, 1875, and she died on March 6, 1939. She had four children, including Harry, who died young, twins Ada and Alpha, and another son Rollin. She was a lifelong member of the Perkins Grange, having been a charter member of that organization in 1874. Reading between the lines, I think that Sarah cherished her family. She had a lot of photographs taken of her children, and according to Great Grandma Ada's scrapbooks of clippings, she attended countless family dinners, parties, and family reunions. Though her past is somewhat mysterious and we do not know the reasons why she was adopted, she had a rich life, and I am thankful that she kept a record of so many of her family connections.

I Survived the Ohio Floods of 1969

On the Friday evening of July 4,1969, just a month after I graduated from High School, severe thunderstorms hit a wide area of Ohio. There were high winds and flooding as a result of these storms. Forty one persons lost their lives, and hundreds were injured. Four recreational boaters were among those who died in the 1969 storms and floods. Power outages were widespread. Homes and roads remained covered by water for several days. Ohio Counties affected included Erie, Sandusky, Ottawa, Huron, Wayne, Ashland and Holmes.

My friend Linda and I were working at the Wagon Wheel Restaurant in Sandusky, Ohio. We closed early due to the terrible weather conditions. I spent the night with Linda's family, as her home was much closer to our job than mine was. Her mom managed to make us supper, without any electricity.
The next day I was able to get back to my own house. Luckily my family home did not suffer any serious water damage, and I can recall my five younger brothers and sisters being bored with no electricity and no television for a few days. The family of my husband-to-be lost several family photograph albums, which was heartbreaking, especially for my future mother in law.

To read more about the July 4, 1969 Floods in Ohio, see the Severe Weather article at the website of the Ohio Historical Society.

This blog post was written for Week 10 of 52 Weeks of Personal Genealogy & History by Amy Coffin, and hosted by Geneabloggers. This week's prompt was: Disasters.


*Note: For another account of the July 4, 1969 storm and flood, see pages 213 - 216 in the book THUNDER IN THE HEARTLAND: A CHRONICLE OF OUTSTANDING WEATHER EVENTS IN OHIO, by Thomas W. and Jeanne Appelhans Schmidlin, published in 1996 by the Kent State University Press. Figure 66, which appears on page 214, shows the Ohio counties which were affected.