Monday, June 15, 2009

Wesley B. Jennings

Wesley B. Jennings, a well known railroad employee of the Big Four, died on June 17, 1904. His obituary, which appeared in the June 18, 1904 Sandusky Register, gave many details concerning the circumstances on the evening of his passing.

Friday afternoon, Wesley Jennings went to Cedar Point, and had a hearty supper. While reading the newspaper after supper, Mr. Jennings asked his daughter to play a selection on the piano. Before the song was finished, Mr. Jennings threw his hands in the air. His family called Dr. Lehmann and Dr. Blakeslee, but Mr. Jennings had already died before the physicians arrived.

Surviving Wesley Jennings were his wife, two sons, a daughter, three brothers, and 2 sisters. The Sandusky Register article stated: "Mr. Jennings was one of the most prominent railroad men in this section of the country, being for twenty-three years a passenger conductor on the Big Four between this city and Springfield. Few, if any, of the employees of the company were so favorably known along the line as Mr. Jennings."

The burial service for Mr. Jennings was held at Oakland Cemetery by members of the Elks Lodge. Many floral tributes were sent, including a large floral column from the employees of the Big Four, which represented a broken shaft. Wesley B. Jennings was age 64 at the time of his death. He had served as a Sergeant in Company G of the 123rd Ohio Volunteer Infantry during the Civil War.

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