Rev. Joseph A. Fisher

Rev. Joseph A. Fischer is buried at Sandusky's Oakland Cemetery.  The 1867 Sandusky City Directory lists a Rev. Dr. J.A. Fisher was the pastor of Emmanuel Church. In 1870, Rev. J.A. Fisher was age 50, and resided with his wife and five children in Ward 2 of Sandusky. This mention of the death of Rev. Fisher appeared in the February 21, 1885 issue of the Sandusky Register.

Though Rev. Fisher moved to Illinois, his remains were returned to Sandusky, Ohio for burial at Oakland Cemetery.

Miss Matilda Victor

Matilda Victor, also known as Caroline Matilda Victor, was born in 1825 to Henry Clay Victor and his wife, the former Gertrude Nash. Henry C. Victor was an early tavern keeper in Sandusky, Ohio. By 1850, U.S. Census records show Matilda Victor residing in Little Rock, Arkansas.  In the fall of 1870, Matilda Victor spoke in Lindsey, Ohio about women’s rights. She spoke  in 1874 at New York State about the principles of temperance and women’s suffrage. Below is a transcription of a news article which appeared in the Southern Tier Leader on November 6, 1875.

Miss Matilda Victor of Brooklyn, lectured before the Woman's Temperance Union of Corning, at the Methodist Church last Sunday evening, Miss Victor was one of the original Ohio Crusaders and has the reputation of being a fine speaker and of discussing the Temperance question in a convincing manner. 

Matilda Victor died in Baltimore, Maryland on December 16, 1891. Her remains were brought to Sandusky, Ohio, where she was buried in Block 5 of  Oakland Cemetery.

Mrs. Fanny B. Stone Tillson, Sandusky Teacher

Miss Fanny B. Stone was an early teacher in the local schools of Sandusky, Ohio, according to Hewson Peeke's book A STANDARD HISTORY OF ERIE COUNTY, OHIO (Lewis Publishing Co., 1916). In 1852, Fanny Stone married Stephen Tillson. Sadly, Mrs. Fanny B. Stone Tillson died on December 13, 1854. She was buried at Sandusky's Oakland Cemetery in the Stone family lot.

Huron County Directory at the The Public Library of Cincinnati and Hamilton County

City and county directories are one of the many helpful items housed at the Digital Library of The Public Library of Cincinnati and Hamilton County. One that I found very useful was the 1908 Directory of Huron County.

On page 75 of the Huron County Directory are the listings for the surname Parker. Frank Parker, in North Fairfield, and Reuben Parker of Monroeville, are both brothers of my ancestor Joshua Parker.

If you have any ancestors in Huron County, Ohio, check out this 1908 Directory which is available for browsing online!

Ohio Veterans Home Deaths and Burials, 1889-1930 Available at FamilySearch.Org

 FamilySearch.Org now has available the records of the Ohio Veterans Home Deaths and Burials from 1889-1930. Formerly known as the Ohio Soldiers' and Sailors' Home, this facility is still in operation, and serves as a home and hospital for United States Veterans. 

To use the database of Ohio Veterans Home Deaths and Burials, go to the url:

https://www.familysearch.org/search/collection/2205726

Put it the name of the veteran for home you are searching. 

For example, the listing for the death of Royal W. Lane comes up with this result:

Royal W. Lane served in Company B of the 103rd Ohio Volunteer Infantry during the Civil War. He died on June 13, 1902, and was buried on the grounds of the Ohio Soldiers' and Sailors' Home in Sandusky, Ohio.

Rest in peace Royal W. Lane, and  thank you for your service!

If you have ancestors buried at the Ohio Veterans Home Cemetery, be sure to check out this database at FamilySearch!

Ohio Death Certificate Index at the Ohio History Connection

A useful index when searching for Ohio death records is the Ohio Death Records Index Search, at the Ohio History Connection. Sometimes there are glitches in spelling or dates or optical scanning errors, and it never hurts to check another source.

Included in this index are:

• Ohio Department of Health Death Certificates, 1913-1944, 1954-1963
• Ohio Department of Health Stillborn Death Certificates, 1913-1935, 1942-1953
• Columbus Board of Health Death Certificates, 1904-1908

The years I find most helpful are from 1954 to 1963 in Ohio, since FamilySearch.org covers mostly death records from 1908 through 1953.

Happy hunting!!

A Tale of Two Sisters

 Pictured at the left is my great grandmother, Lena Piehl Yeager (standing) and her younger sister Bertha. This cropped portion of the picture was from a larger family photo. Grandma Yeager grew up in Ottawa County, but after marrying Andrew Yeager, she resided in the Huron area of Erie County, Ohio. Lena and Andy had seven children. Two children died young, and one child took his own life as an adult. Grandma was very active in the Lutheran Church, sometimes the one in Huron, Ohio, and sometimes at Union Corner's congregation, out in the country. What I remember most about Grandma Yeager is her delicious sugar cookies, and her sweet, quiet demeanor. She was the oldest child of a large family, and she knew well the meaning of hard work, and "making do" when times were tough. At the time of her death in 1978, at the age of 97, Grandma Yeager was survived by two daughters, twelve grandchildren, 31 great grandchildren, and 16 great great grandchildren. She was beloved by her entire family!

Lena's younger sister Bertha was born in 1891, and died in 1933. She used to help her parents get ready for the big family reunions held at the farm in Ottawa County. In 1929, Bertha Piehl married Fritz Lassen. They welcomed baby Marcus Lassen in 1930. Sadly, in 1933, Bertha Piehl Lassen died of uremic poisoning. At the time of her death, she was expecting a baby, who died as well. Bertha was survived by her husband and young son. Marcus had developmental delays, and as an adult, he lived at the Lutheran Home of Mercy in Williston, Ohio.

Though these dear women had the same parents, and grew up on the same family farm, they had such very different lives. I am fortunate to call them both my ancestors.