New Background for Graveyard Rabbit of Sandusky Bay

After reading Bill West's post about his New Background , as well as his helpful comments, I tried to create a new background using the Picture Window Template. I had some problems with re-sizing the image. First the image was too large, and Blogger could not load it. Then, after I re-sized it to be a smaller image, the Picture Window Template put it in as wallpaper, and it was way to "busy" for my liking. So....I went with a preformatted template. It was a fun adventure, and at least I changed it up a little bit! Below are two views of Sandusky Bay that I had hoped would work out in the Picture Window Template. The Edison Bridge can be seen in the background. These shots were taken from Bay Bridge, overlooking Sandusky Bay, towards Ottawa County, Ohio. Thanks Bill for the inspiration to try out features that were new to me on Blogger!

52 Weeks of Personal History & Genealogy: Books

The prompt for Week 23 of 52 Weeks of Personal History & Genealogy, by Amy Coffin of We Tree, and hosted by Geneabloggers, is: Books

What was your favorite book, or who was your favorite author from your childhood? What do you like to read now? Books or other formats?

My favorite book as a child was ANGUS AND THE CAT, by Marjorie Flack.
















(Image courtesy Ebay)

I received it as a gift from my beloved first grade teacher Mrs. Pack, as a reward for turning in the most book reports in her class at Venice Elementary School. Mrs. Pack is the teacher in the picture below, and I am in the row immediately beneath her picture. (Billy F. is next to Mrs. Pack, and Tim S. is beside me.)























When I was young I read as often as I could. During the summer months I used to sit outside in the front yard, waiting for my summer issues of the Weekly Reader to arrive at our mailbox. Now, my favorite type of book is biography. When I read THE SEVEN WORLDS OF THEODORE ROOSEVELT, by Edward Wagenknecht, I was amazed at TR’s many interest and talents. He was more than willing to go off to war, but when he was home, he read poetry to the children. He was one of America’s greatest conservationists, but he loved to hunt wild game. What a remarkable bundle of energy our 26th President was! I usually read biographies in a traditional book format, but often I find biographical information online at Google Books as well. Seeking information is what I do at our local public library during work hours, and then I continue to seek genealogical and cemetery information in my spare time as well. I find that books can take me to far away places, and they often hold the key to unlocking mysteries.

Max Greenfield, Proprietor of the National House

Max Greenfield was born in Bavaria. By 1870, he was married to Mary Noonan Greenfield, a native of Ireland, and was in the cigar business in Sandusky. The 1880 U.S. Census for Erie County lists Max Greenfield as a hotel keeper. The June 5, 1895 issue of the Sandusky Register reported that Max Greenfield was the proprietor of the National House.

On June 4, 1885, Max Greenfield died following a sickness of two weeks. His obituary stated that he had lived in Sandusky for "upwards of thirty years." It continued, "It may truthfully said of him that he died without an enemy...Quiet and inoffensive, he made friends of every one who knew him, and those who knew him longest liked him best. He was between fifty and fifty-one years of age, and leaves a wife and adopted daughter." Max Greenfield was buried in Section 8, Lot 8, of Oakland Cemetery in Erie County, Ohio.

Below is an page from the 1886 Sanborn Fire Insurance Map, available from the Ohio Web Library, which shows the National House at the northwest corner of Market and Wayne Streets in Sandusky.

Harry Martin and Steen Parker: 1927 Graduates of Sandusky High School

Cousins Harry Martin and Steen Parker, my grandfather, both graduated from Sandusky High School in 1927. The young men were sons of identical twins Alpha Steen Martin and Ada Steen Parker. Harry and Steen’s pictures appeared in the Fram, the yearbook of Sandusky High School. Harry was named after his mother's older brother Harry Steen, who died in 1884, and Steen's first name was his mother's maiden name.



















Under Harry’s picture was written: Happy Harry Martin Merrymaker. “Why worry?” is his motto, and he follows it.



















Under Steen’s picture were the words: Steen Seldom Pessimistic Parker. Steen surely enjoyed his high school days and we enjoyed having him here too. Harry and Steen often chummed around together, and got into more than their share of mischief, according to stories my mother told. Eventually Harry moved to Gadsden, Alabama where he married Louise, and owned and operated Martin’s Food Products for many years. Steen Parker died all too young, in 1949. He had worked at Esmond Dairy, Apex, and served in the Seabees during World War Two.

Pictured below is the east side of what used to be Sandusky High School. This building now houses the 7th and 8th graders of Adams Junior High School. Several of my aunts, uncles, and other relatives also attended Sandusky High School. According to the history of Adams Junior High School, found at the website of Sandusky City Schools, Adams Junior High School was constructed in 1867 and is the second oldest school building still in active use in Ohio. (Click on the image for a larger view.)















Mom kept in touch with Harry and Louise Martin throughout the years, but her father, Steen Parker, died a short time before her graduation from Margaretta High School in 1949.

Wordless Wednesday: Priests' Circle, St. Mary's Cemetery

Dr. James Summers Hanson

Dr. James Summers Hanson was born in London, Ontario on June 15, 1867. (Dr. Hanson's death certificate lists 1867 as his birth year, but his tombstone reads 1868.) Dr. Hanson's father was also a physician. Dr. James S. Hanson attended Wayne State University School of Medicine, and graduated from the Detroit College of Medicine and Surgery in 1891, according to the Directory of Deceased American Physicians, 1804-1929, which is available at Ancestry Library Edition.

An article in the June 1, 1916 issue of the Sandusky Register reported that Dr. James S. Hanson moved to Sandusky, Ohio about 1898. He was called to Sandusky on business, and he liked it so well in Sandusky that he decided to move to Sandusky. Besides serving as a physician in Sandusky, he also was one of the directors of the Columbus Mutual Life Insurance Company.

Dr. James S. Hanson passed away at his Jefferson Street home in Sandusky on May 31, 1916. He had been sick for several weeks. At the time of his death, he was only 48 years of age. Dr. Hanson was survived by his wife, a son, one brother, and two stepbrothers as well as a stepsister. He was buried in Oakland Cemetery. A lovely bench is located adjacent to his tombstone.

James A. Garfield Monument, Lake View Cemetery

James A. Garfield served as the twentieth President of the United States from March 4, 1881 through September 19, 1881. After being in office for only a short time, President Garfield was shot by Charles Julius Guiteau on July 2, 1881, at the train depot in Washington D.C. President Garfield survived throughout the summer, but he died on September 19, 1881.

The James A. Garfield Monument at Lake View Cemetery in Cleveland, Ohio, was dedicated on Memorial Day in 1890. The Garfield Monument is listed on the National Register of Historic Places. The caskets of President and Mrs. James A. Garfield are on display in the lower level of the monument. The remains of their daughter Mary and her husband Joseph Stanley Brown are in urns adjacent to the caskets of President and Mrs. Garfield.

In nearby Mentor, Ohio, is the former home of President James A. Garfield, now known as the James A. Garfield National Historic Site.


















At the Visitor's Center, you can see exhibits and view a video which chronicle the life of President Garfield. Originally, there was a farm and orchards on the Garfield property.











Tours of the Garfield home are available for a small fee, and the grounds are lovely.


















If you ever find yourself in northeastern Ohio, consider visiting the Lake View Cemetery and the James A. Garfield National Historic Site.