Two Young Men from Romania who Died in a Quarry Accident in 1915

At the St. Joseph's Cemetery in Sandusky, Ohio are two tombstones honoring the memory of Jon G. Morariu and John Alecsa Galario. The men died in a mining accident in a quarry in Margaretta Township in Erie County, Ohio on September 16, 1915. They were both natives of Romania. 

Dr. Fred Schoepfle, Coroner, signed the death records of these men. John G. Morariu was about age 45 at the time of his death. His cause of death was a fractured skull, after a dynamite explosion.

John Alecsa Galario was age 22 when he was also killed in the explosion. He died when he suffered internal injuries, concussion, and shock when the explosion occurred.

The spellings of the names of these two men vary widely in records,  which is not uncommon for individuals of foreign birth who died in the United States in the early twentieth century. The death records of these two men are in chronological order in the Bureau of Vital Statistics for the State of Ohio, and their tombstones are side by side at St. Joseph's Cemetery. They probably came to America for a better life than they had in Romania, but tragically their lives were cut short. Rest in Peace!

Getting to Know Myers, Uhl & Company

 From about 1846 to 1881, the steam marble works company of Myers, Uhl & Company was in business in Cleveland, Ohio. The company made monuments, mantles, and cabinet slabs. According to a Guidebook from the Cleveland Museum of Natural History, the company was located along the old Ohio & Erie Canal in Cleveland, where the Flats are now located. (See page 13 in the guidebook entitled "Geology along the Towpath.") 

The two partners were George A. Myers and Charles F. Uhl. When I was walking through Oakland Cemetery several years ago, I ran into a monument made by Myers, Uhl & Co. It was a grave marker for Lydia Pero.

Along the bottom of the stone are the words Myers, Uhl and Co., though they are very weathered.

A Civil War monument at the Woodland Cemetery in Cleveland, which honors the 23rd Ohio Volunteer Infantry

was designed by sculptor C.H. Brown, and was manufactured by Myers, Uhl & Co.

Image courtesy Wikipedia

Myers, Uhl & Co. made hundreds of monuments and household items in their over 30 year history. An article in an 1881 issue of Bradstreet's reported that the company had gone into receivership.

Senior partner George A. Myers died in 1887. He was buried in the family lot at Lake View Cemetery. Charles F. Uhl passed away in 1891. He was buried far from Cleveland in the Uhl Family Cemetery in Holmes County, Ohio. Thank you to Myers, Uhl & C. for their many contributions to honoring the memory of former Ohioans!

Note: I apologize for inconsistent font formatting. After many tries, it was not able to be corrected.

Mr. and Mrs. Frank Muenchow

 

The final resting place of Mr. and Mrs. Frank Muenchow is Oakland Cemetery, in Section K. On the Fourth of July holiday weekend, Frank Muenchow suffered a fatal heart attack, as he was driving the city bus. The bus crashed at the corner of West Monroe Street and Clinton Street in Sandusky, Ohio. Mrs. Muenchow, the former Annettie/Nettie Galloway lived until 1963.

A lovely picture of the couple is featured on the Muenchow stone at Oakland.

Rest in peace.

Ellen May

 

Ellen May was born in Ireland in 1866. She passed away in 1920 in Erie County, Ohio. An article in the December 1, 1900 issue of the Sandusky Star Journal reported that Ellen May was the first female to become a naturalized citizen in Erie County, Ohio. The final resting place of Ellen May is Saint Joseph's Cemetery in Sandusky, Ohio.

Wordless Wednesday: Maryalice Otto at Oakland Cemetery

 

Katherine Peck

Katherine Peck was the only daughter of Sandusky dentist Dr. Clarence Peck and his wife, the former Jennie Farwell. Young Katherine died from typhoid fever when she was only 8 years old. She was laid to rest at Sandusky's Oakland Cemetery.

Mrs. Mira King Wagner, Cat Enthusiast

Mira King was born in 1852 in Kentucky to David A. and Martha (Vallandingham) King. In 1873 she married Sandusky businessman Charles L. Wagner, who worked in the natural ice industry. Mrs. King was known for her love of cats.

She operated Wagner Kennels at her home on Columbus Avenue. An article that appeared in the December 18, 1947 issue of the Sandusky Register Star News stated that Mrs. Wagner owned many pedigreed cats. Her kennel resembled a Veterinarian's housing unit, with many windows, porches, and rockers for the cats. The cats of Mira King Wagner, as well as her mother, Mrs. D.A. King, were often featured in the "Cat Journal." Mrs. Wagner cared deeply about the welfare of cats, and she raised funds for the Chicago Cat Refuge in the early 1900s. When someone would say to her, "Cats and women...they're all alike," Mrs. Wagner would respond, "Oh no they're not. A woman can't run up a telegraph pole, and a cat can't run up a millinery bill."

Mrs. Mira King Wagner died on July 30, 1904, after a lengthy illness. After a private funeral, she was buried at Oakland Cemetery in Sandusky, Ohio.