Patrick Larkins

Patrick Larkins (sometimes spelled Larkin) was born about 1827 in Ireland. He and his father came to America about 1830. After living first in Connecticut, they finally settled in Erie County, Ohio sometime before 1850. In the 1850 U.S. Census, Patrick is living in Perkins Township of Erie County. Daniel, the father of the family, listed his occupation as farmer. Johanna is Daniel's wife at this time, but Patrick may have been born in a previous marriage of Daniel. Patrick's age is given as 20 in this census. Also in the family are children named: Margaret, James, Daniel, Johanna, and Gregory.

In December of 1856, Patrick Larkins married Bridget Ryan. This marriage is recorded in the church records of the Toledo, Ohio Diocese, available at Family Search Labs. The minister was Rev. A. Caron. Here Patrick's surname is spelled yet another way, Largons.









Patrick and Bridget had several children: Daniel, Ellen, John, Thomas, Mary (known as Mollie), William, and Katherine, whose nickname was "Kit." Patrick worked as an engineer on the Mad River Railroad, and later was a foreman at Hubbard's lumber yard in Sandusky. During the Civil War, Patrick Larkins served in Company K of the 19th Ohio Volunteer Infantry. On July 21, 1892, Patrick Larkins died in Sandusky. A descendant of the Larkins family transcribed his obituary which appeared in the July 23, 1892 issue of the Sandusky Register. Patrick Larkins is buried in the St. Joseph Catholic Cemetery in Sandusky, Ohio.
















While no visible tombstone remains, Bridget Larkins, the wife of Patrick, had died on July 2, 1890. Her obituary appeared in the July 4, 1890 issue of the Sandusky Register.



A host of Larkins descendants are still living in the U.S. today, many of whom have a wonderful sense of Irish wit and humor.

Carol Ann Parker

Carol Ann Parker was the second child of Glenn and Florence Lindsley Parker, born on July 28, 1934. Little Carol Ann died of pneumonia when she was only nine months and one day old, on April 29, 1935. She was buried in the Parker family lot at Perkins Cemetery. Carol's parents and big brother were so saddened by her death. Her picture had just recently appeared in the Sandusky Daily News for a baby contest. Besides her immediate family, Carol Ann Parker was survived by her grandparents, Mr. and Mrs. Leroy Parker and Mr. and Mrs. Frank Lindsley. Two of her great grandmothers were still living at the time of her death, Mrs. Marian Parker and Mrs. Sarah Steen.

This touching poem, saved by Mrs. Leroy Parker in a scrapbook of family momentos, was read at Carol's funeral at Trinity United Methodist Church. (Click for a larger view.)











Carol is pictured below with her parents and her brother Richard. A few years later, Glenn and Florence were blessed with another baby girl, Lois. Lois was the delight of her family, and she brought them much joy in the years to come.

Wordless Wednesday: Springtime at Oakland Cemetery

Tombstone Tuesday: Adam and Eleanor Davis Montgomery

Adam Montgomery and his wife Eleanor Davis Montgomery are buried in Oakland Cemetery. A lovely monument honors their memory. The listing for Adam Montgomery in McKelvey's Sandusky City Directory, states that Adam Montgomery was a marble cutter who resided on Second Street, in Camptown,an area of Sandusky located on the eastern side of the city. Adam Montgomery died on September 15, 1899, and Eleanor Davis Montgomery died on March 23, 1896. A verse at the base of the stone reads:

Blessed are the dead which die in the Lord. Rev. 14:13

Oak leaves are found above the inscription. Oak leaves can symbolize faith or maturity.

On the side of the Montgomery tombstone which faces toward the west is an epitaph that appears to be in Latin, but I cannot read it clearly. I think it may be the Latin phrase for Rest in Peace.
















While census records indicate that Adam Montgomery was born in Scotland, his tombstone states that he was born in Money More, County Derry, Ireland in 1824.



















It is difficult to read Mrs. Montgomery's inscription, but it states that Eleanor Davis was the wife of Adam Montgomery.


















I am curious to know if Adam created his own monument, since he was a marble cutter, or if his son, Robert Davis Montgomery, also in the marble business, created it. It truly is an artistic monument which makes a clear statement of the couples' faith.

Charles Steen Wanted to Move West!

In the March 5, 1875 issue of the Sandusky Register, is a small article which tells of the wedding of Sarah, daughter of Mr. and Mrs. Henry Milner, and Charles Steen (his last name is spelled incorrectly as Stein in the article.)























The wedding took place on March 3, 1875, at the Milner residence, with the Rev. Mr. Wager officiating. The guests had an elegant supper after the wedding ceremony. The article reported that Mr. Charles Steen had been residing in Lone Tree, Nebraska. The article continues, referring to the bridegroom, "He has shown his good sense in returning to the home of his boyhood to find his wife, and the people of Perkins will bear us out in saying he has chosen well. The kind wishes of many friends will go with Mr. and Mrs. Stein (sic) to their future home in the Far West."

It may have been the intention of Charles Steen to move back to Nebraska, but he and his bride Sarah lived in Erie County, Ohio for the rest of their lives. They were very active in the Methodist Episcopal Church, the Perkins Grange, and farmed land in Perkins Township for many years. They had a family of four children, Harry, who died young, twins Ada and Alpha, and another son named Rollin Steen.

Sentimental Sunday: Nitey Nite Pajamas from Spector's

This advertisement from Spector's Juvenile Department Store appeared in the October 6, 1954 issue of the Sandusky Register Star News. Spector's was located at 138 East Market Street during the "baby boom" years of the 1950's and 1960's.(Spector's continued to do business in Sandusky until 1981.)

The children featured in the ad are wearing "Nitey Nite" pajamas, made of cotton that was Perryized to resist shrinkage. Toddler sizes came in either a Cinderella or tugboat print. Girls pajamas had a spinning wheel print and ruffle trim, and an extra long shirt for growing. Boys' pajamas came blue, green and yellow prints from sizes 2 through 8.

Many parents and grandparents in the Sandusky area shopped at Spector's for their young family members. (Sadly, many of those shoppers are now buried in cemeteries of the Sandusky area.) Another advertisment for the "Nitey Nite" line of children's sleepwear appeared in the September 12, 1955 issue of Life Magazine, accessible at Google Books.

Miss Carrie Ella Barney

Miss Carrie Ella Barney, daughter of George and Caroline Barney, died on March 17, 1873, at the age of 18. An obituary for Carrie, which appeared in the March 21, 1873 issue of the Sandusky Register, does not state her specific illness, but shares these words about Carrie:

"Always of slender frame and poor health, the mind of Miss Carrie was unusually developed, particularly in the direction of literature. Many of her poetical productions have been published in this paper and universally admired for the genius they displayed."

Several poems written by Carrie Ella Barney were published in the Sandusky Register between 1870 and 1872. One entitled "Grey Hairs" is especially poignant.

While we cannot be absolutely positive, I believe that the three graves which Carrie mentions in the second stanza of her poem refer to the graves of her younger sister and brother, and niece, all who died in infancy. I think that the person whose hair turned grey is Carrie's own dear mother, Caroline Stebbins Barney, who would outlive all but one of her five children.













Carrie's tombstone is in the shape of a tree stump, which is symbolic of a life cut short. Her stone also is adorned with a cross entwined with ivy.


Miss Carrie Ella Barney is buried with many of her extended family members in the Barney lot at Sandusky's Oakland Cemetery.

Weier Mausoleum at Oakland Cemetery

At Oakland Cemetery is a mausoleum which honors the memory of the Weier family. Brothers John and Henry Weier operated a scrapyard on Hancock Street in Sandusky for many years. After both brothers died in 1925, John's son J. Leroy Weier, who was known as Leroy, took over operation of the scrapyard. Leroy was also associated with the Lake Shore Tire Company, along with Fred Brost. Leroy Weier was a prosperous businessman, and an avid outdoorsman. After Mr. and Mrs. Leroy Weier's death,their estate, which totalled over a half million dollars, was divided among the three Sandusky hospitals, as well as the Firelands Council of Boy Scouts, Firelands Council of Camp Fire Girls, and the Sandusky Y.M.C.A.

The Weier Mausoleum holds the remains of eight family members:

J. Leroy Weier, 1888-1971
his wife Laura Weier, 1889-1972

his parents, John Weier, 1858-1925
and Augusta Weier, 1860-1951

his uncle, Henry Weier, 1867-1925
and aunt, Elizabeth Weier, 1874-1954

his sister Ernestine Weier Waldock,1900-1962
and his brother-in-law William L. Waldock, 1902-1980

The back wall of the mausoleum features a lovely stained glass window.
See this blog posting at the Sandusky History website for photographs of J. Leroy Weier and the Weier scrapyard.

Mrs. Mary West Anderson

Mary West was born in Sandusky in 1863, to Mr. and Mrs. Abel Kingsbury West. Mary's father and uncle owned the West House hotel in Sandusky. About 1891, Mary West married George F. Anderson, grandson of Sandusky's first physician.

George F. Anderson, who was prominent in business as well as musical circles in Sandusky, died in 1937. Widowed, Mary West Anderson eventually moved to New York City, to be near her daugher Marjorie Anderson, who was a college professor at Hunter College in the English department. Before moving to New York, Mary West Anderson had served on the Board of Trustees of the Sandusky Library Association, and she had been a charter member of the Martha Pitkin Chapter of the Daughters of the American Revolution.

Mary West Anderson outlived both her husband and daughter. Marjorie Anderson passed away on November 29, 1954. Mrs. Anderson died on April 8, 1955 in New York, at the age of 91. Her obituary which appeared in the April 9, 1955 issue of the Sandusky Register stated that "Mrs. Anderson was the sole survivor of a pioneer family of this city, all of whom had contributed to local history." Her remains were brought back to Sandusky, and she was buried in the West family lot at Sandusky's Oakland Cemetery.

52 Weeks to Better Genealogy: Checking Out an Online College Library Catalog

A prompt from We Tree, "52 Weeks to Better Genealogy," hosted by Geneabloggers, has challenged bloggers to: Check out the online library catalog of a university. I have chosen to visit the website of the libraries at my alma mater, Bowling Green State University. The homepage of the University Libraries of Bowling Green State University is found at http://www.bgsu.edu/colleges/library.


The library catalog is found on the left sidebar of the homepage, or at http://maurice.bgsu.edu.

When I did a search for the key words Erie County Ohio Cemeteries, ten titles were retrieved. The title below provides information about the individuals who died in the 1849 Cholera Epidemic at Sandusky. The BGSU Libraries Card Catalog features holdings at the R.B. Hayes Presidential Center’s library, along with several other facilities. I can make a note of the call number, and the next time I visit the Hayes Center, I can view this item about Sandusky. A guide to all the locations cited in the BGSU card catalog gives more details about the various locations.


On the right sidebar of the homepage of the University Libraries of Bowling Green State University are links to Specialized Libraries and Collections. The tan bar is a link to the Center for Archival Collections.













The CAC is a repository for many historical local government records. There is a listing of holdings for historical local government records from Erie County,Ohio.

If anyone would like to see the Erie County Coroner’s records, here is a precise listing of the holdings at the BGSU’s Center for Archival Collections.
















Another informative collection housed at the CAC is the Historical Collections of the Great Lakes.


















You can search for information about Great Lakes vessels at the
Great Lakes Vessels Online Index.

By searching under “Place Built” I retrieved two separate listings for a vessel named the G.A. Boeckling. The G.A. Boeckling and G.A. Boeckling II transported passengers to Cedar Point for many years.


The B.G.S.U. Center for Archival Collections includes a link to the Archival Chronicle. Previous editions of the Archival Chronicle have covered such topics as Holiday Memories, Politics in Northwest Ohio, and Commerce on Lake Erie. Look around the website of the University Libraries of B.G.S.U. as well as the Center for Archival Collections. There are many treasures to be found there. I have only just begun to uncover them!

A Couple More "Golden Gems" from Google Books

I came across this lovely 1940 description of Sandusky while I was on a search for something else! The view in the engraving pictured above is from the Marblehead Lighthouse, facing south towards the city of Sandusky. The article about Sandusky from the book entitled Ohio: The Ohio Guide, by the Federal Writers' Project,(available at Google Books) continues with this paragraph:








Another item that I accessed via Google Books is this partial listing of Revolutionary War soldiers who are buried in Erie County. This listing comes from A STANDARD HISTORY OF ERIE COUNTY, by Hewson L. Peeke.





















Go to Google Books to read the article in its entirety. Check Google Books for full text articles about the history of the counties in the states where your ancestors resided.

Paul and Maribel Parker

Paul Parker was the youngest son of Leroy and Ada Steen Parker. He enjoyed helping his father on the family farm. In 1937, Paul Parker married Maribel Storrs. Paul and Maribel are pictured below at a family picnic in the 1950's at the home of Paul's niece, Joyce Orshoski.

Paul and Maribel were both descended from pioneer settlers of Perkins Township. They had only one child, a baby girl named Shirley, who died in infancy, in 1941. Paul's niece recalls that his nickname was "Day" or "Scribby," and that everyone loved Paul. He had a terrific sense of humor.

In 1951, Paul was involved in a serious accident that left him paralyzed for several months. He recovered, but he never went back to work after that. He enjoyced riding a bicycle, and doing woodwork projects. Paul Parker died on April 17, 1967 at Good Samaritan Hospital in Sandusky, Ohio, following an illness of several months. He was buried in Perkins Cemetery. Maribel Storrs Parker died in 1979.











Paul is pictured below, visiting with Cliff Lindsley at a family picnic. Cliff's sister Florence married Paul's brother Glenn Parker.

Tombstone Tuesday: Grace Barney

In the IGI portion of FamilySearch we read that Grace Barney was born in Erie County, Ohio, in 1870, to George Lawrence and Katharine Norton Barney. Little Grace died at the age of one year and three months, on September 6, 1871. She was buried at Sandusky's Oakland Cemetery.

The front of Grace's tombstone is adorned with a lamb, and the inscription:

Of such is the kingdom of heaven

Along the top of this little one's tombstone are the words Our Darling Gracie.



At the bottom of Grace's tombstone the names of the men who carved her tombstone can be read: P. and J. Hornig.



By reading the back of Grace Barney's tombstone, it appears that her middle name was her mother's maiden name.


Losing little Grace Barney at such a young age must have brought much sorrow to her parents. She passed away over one hundred years ago, but the loving words that her parents chose to have inscribed on her tombstone are still visible, and we can get a sense of their deep loss by viewing her lovely monument.

Unidentified Cemetery in Aruba

When a librarian friend of mine, Madeline, recently took a Caribbean cruise, she snapped this photo of an unknown cemetery in Aruba. I love how the colorful tombstones resemble miniature churches or houses! (Click on the image for an enlarged view.)

Mrs. Julia Miksztay

Mrs. Julia Miksztay died on April 11, 1935. Her death certificate, on which her surname was spelled Mikstay, indicates that she was the widow of Martin Mikstay. She was the daughter of Andrew Vargo. Julia was born in Hungary on December 30, 1854.

The inscription at on Julia Miksztay's tombstone reads:

Nyugodjon Bekeben

This phrase is the Hungarian translation for "Rest in peace."

Mrs. Julia Miksztay is buried in Castalia Cemetery.

52 Weeks to Better Genealogy: Writing a Letter of Genealogical Inquiry

A prompt from We Tree, "52 Weeks to Better Genealogy," hosted by Geneabloggers, has challenged bloggers to share the results of sending a letter in the mail requesting genealogical information. The information I received came from a letter of inquiry that I sent off in August of 2003.



In my letter to the Lenawee County Historical Society, in Adrian, Michigan, I was requesting the date of the death of Amy Parker Fox Brock, my first cousin four times removed. Amy was the daughter of Jesse Parker, my third great granduncle.

Mr. Lindquist, the Curator of the Lenawee Historical Society Museum in 2003, answered me, and told me of the steps a volunteer had taken to help me learn about my distant cousin Amy Parker Fox Brock. He located the date of death for Amy to be March 7, 1965, and told me what office in Lenawee County to contact in order to obtain the death certificate. Then, the volunteer found the date of Amy's marriage to Emerson Fox, which was August 10, 1898. He also found the date of Amy's second marriage, to Arthur Brock, on August 10, 1920. It was wonderful to find out three separate pieces of genealogical data from one letter of inquiry!

Pictured below is a photo of the tombstone of Amy Parker Fox Brock's parents, Jesse Parker and Rachel Tryon Parker. Jesse was born in Lincolnshire, England, and he emigrated to Ohio before 1867. During the Civil War, Jesse Parker served in Company H of the Fifth Ohio Volunteer Infantry. After Jesse married Rachel, they moved to Lenawee County, Michigan, and they had a large family including six sons and two daughters. Jesse Parker died in August of 1908. Rachel Parker died on March 17, 1937.Jesse and Rachel Parker are buried in the Weston Village Cemetery in Fairfield Township of Lenawee County, Michigan.

93rd Carnival of Genealogy: How To Series

Announced by Footnote Maven and Creative Gene, the 93rd Carnival of Genealogy is to feature a "How To" series on a genealogical topic.

For this Carnival, I presented three blog posts related to Ohio Genealogy. They are on the topics of:


Databases from the Ohio Genealogical Society

The Ohio Online Death Certificate Index

and

Obituaries from the Firelands Pioneer

If you have ancestors with roots in Ohio, check out the links above. Happy hunting!

Ohio Genealogy: Obituaries from the Firelands Pioneer

According to the Huron County Chapter of the Ohio Genealogical Society, the Firelands Historical Society, Norwalk, Ohio, published the Firelands Pioneer from 1858 - 1937. The early issues hold a valuable source of early history about the Firelands area and its early inhabitants. The index for the obituaries which were listed in the 1857 -1909 issues of the Firelands Pioneer is available for $5.00. If you are interested in purchasing the Firelands Pioneer Obituary Index, contact information is given below:


Firelands Historical Society
P.O. Box 572
Norwalk, OH 44857
Telephone (419) 668-6038

(Located at 4 Case Ave. Norwalk, Ohio)

The Firelands Pioneer contains articles about the early settlers of the Firelands, what is now known as Huron and Erie County. (Portions of Ottawa County were also included in the Firelands.)




















Issues of the Firelands Pioneer, along with its index and separate Obituary Index, can be seen at most public libraries in Northern Ohio, as well as at the library of the R. B. Hayes Presidential Center.

Some, but not all, issues of the Firelands Pioneer, can be found at the Internet Archive as well as at Google Books. The obituary of Datus Kelley is found in the June 1866 issue of the Firelands Pioneer.

















Visit this Ohio Tourism site to view the tombstone of Datus and Irad Kelley.

Cemetery at Ohio Veterans Home to Obtain Improvements

Click here to read a news article from the Sandusky Register, which discusses upcoming improvements to be made at the Cemetery at the Ohio Veterans Home.

Over four thousand United States Veterans are buried at the Ohio Veterans Home, which used to be known as the Ohio Soldiers' and Sailors' Home. Read about the history of the Ohio Veterans Home at Ohio History Central, an online encyclopedia of Ohio History.

Ohio Genealogy: Ohio Online Death Certificate Index

The website of the Ohio Historical Society hosts the Ohio Online Death Certificate Index. The years covered are: 1913 through 1944. The database is free, and no registration is required. In the Basic Search, a surname and last name can be searched. Two different date spans are offered:

1913-1935
and
1936-1944

The Advanced Search allows more variations, including searching by just a first name,and an individual year, month, and date may be entered. Below are the search results when I entered the surname Cross and limited the search to Erie County, Ohio for the years 1913-1935.





















While the collection entitled Ohio Deaths 1908-1953 is a vital component of Family Search Labs, the Ohio Online Death Certificate Index is a user friendly database that provides an alternative search tool for locating information about Ohio Deaths.