George and Rosella Mavros

 

George and Rosella "Rosie" Mavros were longtime residents of Bay Bridge, Ohio. George was an employee of the Medusa Cement company in Bay Bridge. They were married in 1927. George Mavros was born in Greece, and Rosie was the child of Louis Lakner, a Hungarian immigrant and his wife, the former Mary Szabo.

At Medusa, there were two men of Greek descent, both with the first name George. So everyone could tell them apart, George Mavros was known as "Big George" and George Fourtounis was known as "Little George," because of their obvious differences in height. Both Georges are in the picture below, which features Medusa's "25 year men," from the early 1950s.

A brief article in December 13, 1929 issue of the Sandusky Register reported on the meeting of brothers George and Tony Mavros, after they had not seen each other in several years.

One of my uncles told me that Rosie Mavros was an outstanding cook. He said that when she made a dish with sauce, he would sop up the sauce with bread. Rosie can be seen in the picture below, in the center, at the far right. An article in the Sandusky Register Star News of Feb. 4, 1947 featured a story about the students and parents of Venice School.

George Mavros retired from Medusa Cement in 1958, and he died in 1959. He was survived by his wife Rosella, and three children, four grandchildren, two sisters in Greece and a brother in Mexico City. Rosella Mavros died in 1989, having been a widow for thirty years. Mr. and Mrs. Mavros were buried in Section T of Oakland Cemetery in Erie County, Ohio.

Mary Luciel Mcgorkey Mulligan, Advocate for Nurses

 

Photo credit: Find a Grave

Mary Luciel McGookey was born on April 11, 1903, in Venice, Ohio, in Erie County, Ohio to Barney and Mary Olive McGookey. Her McGookey ancestors were from Northern Ireland. An early spelling of her surname was MacGuckin. Mary Luciel had an identical twin sister named Laurene McGookey. The twins attended nursing school at Dixmont State Hospital in Pennsylvania.

From 1937 to 1942 Mary Luciel McGookey, aka Mary Luciel McGorkey, was active in labor organizations to help improve workings conditions for nurses and other hospital employees. Her first husband was Harry Liss, and her second husband was attorney William G. Mulligan. They had an adopted son and a daughter named Luciel "Sita" Mulligan, born in 1948. Mary Luciel McGookey/McGorkey Mulligan died in 1990. She was buried in the Venice Cemetery in Erie County, Ohio. 

To learn much more about Mary Luciel McGookey/McGorkey Mulligan, see volume 3 of American Nursing: A Biographical Dictionary, edited by Vern L. Bullough, RN, PhD, FAAN (Springer Publishing, 2004.) This resource is found at several university libraries in the U.S., often as an online resource.

Francisco-Young Monument at Oakland Cemetery

David Francisco was born in New York in the 1790s, and settled in Groton Township. It appears that David died some time between 1840 and 1850. His wife Semanda lived until 1872. The Franciscos had three children, Frances, George J., and Maria. Frances Francisco (1829-1891) was a harness maker in Sandusky. George J. Francisco (1821-1893) moved to Cincinnati, Ohio, where he was the superintendent of the stables for the Express Company for many years. Maria Francisco married John Losey Young, who died in his forties in 1869.

 

The son of John Losey Young and Maria Francisco Young was Merritt Francisco Young, who was born in 1849. Merritt worked as a clerk in the United States Express Office in Sandusky in his teenage years. Later he moved to Cincinnati, Ohio, where he was a bookkeeper at the Gibson Hotel. While at the hotel, he became acquainted with James A. Bailey, the well known circus manager. Mr. Bailey saw Merritt Young’s aptitude for business, and hired him to handle the business affairs of the Cooper and Bailey Circus in the 1860s. When James Bailey and P.T. Barnum merged to become the Barnum and Bailey Circus in 1881, Merritt Young became treasurer of the well known circus.

Photo source: Wikipedia

After becoming very ill in Chicago, Illinois, Merritt Young passed away on June 16, 1897, at the age of 48. His remains were returned to Sandusky, Ohio for burial at Oakland Cemetery.

Masonic funeral services were held for Mr. Young, with Rev. Clement Martin of the Presbyterian Church officiating. At the grave site, were his grieving mother, along with officials from the Barnum and Bailey Circus, members of the Masonic Lodge, and several friends of the Young family.  The casket of Merritt Young was adorned with many floral tributes. The ticket agent of the Buffalo Bill Wild West Show and James A. Bailey were among those sending flowers. It was said that whenever the Barnum and Bailey Circus visited Sandusky for a show, flowers were placed at the grave of Merritt Young at Oakland Cemetery. Merritt’s mother, Mrs. John Losey Young died on October 28, 1901. She was laid to rest at Oakland Cemetery in the family lot, which she had visited often.

 

C. Elizabeth Poppenborg

 

Not much is known about C. Elizabeth Poppenborg, except that she was most likely of the Catholic faith. Records from St. Joseph's Cemetery indicate that she died in 1847, and was the daughter of Conrad Poppenborg and Lucy Burnan.

By doing a search on FamilySearch.org, I located a Maria Lucia "Lucy" Burmann. Maria's first husband was Casper Anton Ruenbusch Windau, who died in Germany in 1831. At some point Maria emigrated with her many children to the United States. She then married Conrad Poppenborg/Poppenburg, who worked on the Mad River Railroad.

Though C. Elizabeth Poppenborg is not listed in the family group on FamilySearch, I do believe she is a daughter of Conrad Poppenborg and Lucy, and she must have died quite young. 

Thank you to my friend Joel M., for finding this treasured tombstone at St. Joseph's Cemetery in Sandusky, Ohio!

McGoldric Lot at St. Joseph's Cemetery

During the summer of 1849, several Sandusky residents died of cholera. In the McGoldric lot at St. Joseph's Cemetery are several members of the same family who lost their lives to the deadly disease.

Looking from left to right are tombstones in the McGoldric lot:

John McGoldric, died July 23, 1849

Ann McGoldric, died 1894 (Ann lost her spouse and several children in 1849.)

Patrick Gordon, died in 1849 (Most likely member of the McGoldric family allowed him to be buried in the McGoldric lot, as they were all members of Holy Angels Church.)

Jennie McGoldric, died February 28, 1864 (Jennie lost her father and several siblings in 1849.)

The final stone, at the far right, is illegible today, but St. Joseph's Cemetery records indicate that this stone marks the final resting place of children of John and Ann McGoldric: Ann, John Jr., William and another child whose name is unknown in the cemetery records.)

It is remarkable that these tombstones have remained at St. Joseph's Cemetery for so many, many years, though it does appear that the tombstone of Patrick Gordon may have been placed there some time after the other stones in the McGoldric lot. Rest in peace McGoldrics and Mr. Gordon.

Note: The surname McGoldric is sometimes listed as McGoldrick.

Photo Credit: J. Mazza

Mrs. Catherine Robina Souter

According to her death record, Catherine Robina Souter was born in Toronto, Canada, in 1819, to Thomas and Bell (Winchester) Hickley.  By 1850, Catherine was married to David Souter, and they lived in Sandusky, Ohio with their three young children.

After 1850, the name of David Souter disappears from census records and city directories. To date, no death record for David has been found. The 1855 Sandusky City Directory lists Mrs. C.R. Souter as a dressmaker, residing on Market Street. Mrs. Souter’s son James W. Souter moved west, and he worked for the American Express Company. Her daughter Frances married Thomas Morris, and moved to Toledo, Ohio. Daughter Mary Souter died at the age of 21, in 1864.

Mrs. Catherine Robina Souter died at the age of 91 on November 3, 1910. She was buried at St. Joseph’s Cemetery with her daughter Mary. Mrs. Souter’s father had been born in Scotland, and her mother was born in England. She lived a long life in Sandusky, Ohio, far from the place of her birth. Rev. William F. Murphy officiated at Mrs. Souter’s funeral and burial. In a few years, Rev. Murphy would officiate at the marriage Knute Rockne and Bonnie Skiles in Sandusky, Ohio.

Wordless Wednesday: Carl E. Stonerook Jr. at St. Joseph's Cemetery in Sandusky, Ohio