Capt. D. L. Griesser

According to his death certificate, Daniel Lewis Griesser was on March 20, 1858 in Oak Harbor, Ohio, to John and Mary (Polby) Griesser, who were both natives of Germany. His wife was the former Martha Callahan. Capt. D.L. Griesser's occupation, at the time of his death, was listed as retired Coast Guard Captain. An obituary which appeared in the March 13, 1925 issue of the Sandusky Star Journal reported that Capt. Griesser died as a result of cancer. He passed away on March 12, 1925. Burial was in the Clemons Cemetery in Danbury Township, Ottawa County, Ohio. Daniel L. Griesser entered service in the Coast Guard in August of 1897. He retired on April 30, 1916. Capt. Daniel L. Griesser was survived by his widow, and three children, Arthur, George, and Mrs. Fanny Bates.

You can read more about the history of the Marblehead Lifeboat Station at this historical site from the United States Coast Guard.

Albert James Peters

Albert James Peters, one of the founders of the Alvord & Peters Company, died on May 25, 1929, at the age of 57. The Alvord & Peters Co. was the publisher of the Star Journal newspaper in Sandusky. Mr. Peters' hobbies were music and flowers. He was an accomplished musician, and for years he was a soloist in the choir of Grace Episcopal Church.





Funeral services for Albert J. Peters were held at Grace Episcopal church, and burial was at Oakland Cemetery. Active pallbearers were employees of the Alvord & Peters Co. and the Star Journal newspaper. An obituary for Mr. Peters is found in the 1929 OBITUARY NOTEBOOK at the Sandusky Library. The headline read "Death Sounds 'Thirty' for Local Publisher." "Thirty" is a code word for the end of the story, in the newspaper world. Albert J. Peters was survived by his widow, the former Laura Gilcher, and two brothers.

Talented Tuesday: Play Presented by the Perkins Dramatic Club

An article in the April 26, 1929 issue of the Sandusky Register reported that the play "Poor Father" was to be presented soon at the Perkins M.E. Church. They play was put on by the Perkins Dramatic Club. Several relatives of mine were in the play, including my grandparents, Doris (Wheeler) and Steen Parker.




















My great Uncle Glenn and great Aunt Florence Parker were also in the play.



















Also appearing in "Poor Father" was Clifford Lindsley, who was a brother of Aunt Florence, and also a dear family friend. He is seen below talking with my Uncle Paul Parker, in the 1950s. (Paul is on the left; Cliff is on the right.)



















What fun it would be to so an old home movie of "Poor Father" from 1929!

Great Grandpa Joe Orshoski's Draft Card in 1942

After entering the name of my great grandfather, Joseph Orshoski, into the online collections at Family Search , I quickly retrieved this record which provides the information that Grandpa Joe filled out when he completed the paperwork for his World War Two Draft Registration card.

















He listed his birthplace as Vadas, Hungary. Having done some previous research, I knew that Great Grandpa Joe was born in Felsö-Vadasz. He gave his age, current address, employer, and the name of someone who would likely always know his address, my dad's Aunt Stella. (Aunt Stella is a vibrant individual who is enjoying her grandchildren in the sunny South, but her last name is not Orshoski any more.)

On the back of the registration card, he provided some information about his physical appearance.























In 1942, Grandpa Joe stated that he was 5 feet 6 inches tall, and weighed 165 pounds. He had hazel eyes, black hair, and a ruddy complexion. He filled out the registration card at the Feick Building in downtown Sandusky on April 26, 1942. Though several of Great Grandpa Joe Orshoski's grandsons served in the military during World War Two, he did not. However by viewing the registration draft card that Grandpa Joe filled out in 1942, I learned some personal details about my great grandfather. He was a very serious and hard-working individual. How I wish I had asked him more questions about his life back in Hungary, and his experiences as a coal miner and a laborer at a cement factory.

First Easter Without Mom

Today was our first family Easter gathering without our Mom, who passed away last Fall. Little sis Kellie graciously hosted our extended family, and we thought about Mom throughout the afternoon. Four of the six siblings were able to be at this year's Easter celebration.

















Several grandchildren, a great grandchild, and some friends were also at Easter.


















We miss you, Mom!

Happy Easter!

Happy Easter from the Graveyard Rabbit of Sandusky Bay!

Great Post about Lorain's Easter Basket

Hop on over to Brady's Bunch of Lorain County Nostalgia to read about the Easter Basket at Lorain's Lakeview Park.

52 Weeks of Personal Genealogy and History: Pets

The prompt for Week 17 of 52 Weeks of Personal History & Genealogy, by Amy Coffin of We Tree, and hosted by Geneabloggers, is: Pets.

Did you have any pets as a child? If so, what types and what were their names. Do you have pets now? Describe them as well. If you did not have pets, you can discuss those of neighbors or other family members.

The pet that I grew up with was Rusty, the cocker spaniel. You can see Rusty in the picture below. My Great Grandmother Ada Steen Parker is holding me.

























My mom is seen below, with me and Rusty, in 1951.


























Rusty was a gift to my parents from my Great Grandmother Irene Larkins Risko. Grandma Irene is pictured below holding my brother Paul in 1954. (Note my mom's notes regarding the pictures in the picture.)


























Gram Irene found Rusty in a newspaper ad, but since she didn't have a car, she asked my dad to go pick her up. Rusty was my faithful companion until I was nine years old, when she had to be put to sleep after a lengthy illness. Rusty saw the addition of three more siblings in our family, and she was there as Dad and Mom worked on our new house in Bay View. I used to tell Rusty "secrets," and then she would put her snout up to my ear, and I told everyone that she told me "secrets" too. We were all very sad when Rusty left us!

Later, we had a toy poodle named Sam, and a cat named Patches. Sam and Patches were very close to Matt and Kellie, the youngest children in our family. In the Sam and Patches era, several of us older kids were busy with school, band, sports, and jobs....but we loved our family pets all the same!

Thrifty Thursday: Search the Brooklyn Daily Eagle Online

Produced by the Brooklyn Public Library, and funded by the Library and the Institute of Museum and Library Services, the Brooklyn Daily Eagle Online is an outstanding resource for historical and genealogical information! The years covered are 1841 to 1902. The pages of several years of this historical newspaper have been digitized, and are searchable via computer. In the Advanced Search feature, you can limit by date, as well as by these categories: articles, pictures, or ads. The website for the Brooklyn Daily Eagle Online is:

http://www.brooklynpubliclibrary.org/eagle


Even though I reside in Ohio, there are several references to Ohio residents in the Brooklyn Daily Eagle Online. Three articles about former Sandusky Register editor Isaac F. Mack were retrieved after I entered in these three keywords:

Isaac Mack Sandusky

On August 30, 1849, an article about a Sandusky woman appeared in the Brooklyn Daily Eagle. Everyone thought the Sandusky woman was dead from cholera, but the next day she was found at her home eating cucumber pickles. The keywords which retrieved this “hit” were:

Sandusky cholera epitaph

An article about the daughter of Sallie Reber was found in the August 15, 1885 issue of the Brooklyn Daily Eagle Online after I entered the keywords:

Sandusky Oakland Cemetery

Any variety of keywords can be entered into the search box. Even if your ancestors were not from Brooklyn, you may find articles of interest in the Brooklyn Daily Eagle Online.

Note: Be sure to read the Terms & Conditions of Use associated with the Brooklyn Daily Eagle Online.

Norman A. Miller

Norman Amos Miller was born on April 26, 1905, and lived in Illinois all his life. His father, Amos C. Miller, was a Chicago lawyer. Norman Miller earned bachelor’s and master’s degrees in electrical engineering from Cornell University. He was a a longtime employee of Sargent & Lundy Consulting Engineers.

Mr. Miller died on June 23, 2000, at the age of 95. He was an avid sailor and skier; he had sailed until age 89, and continued to ski until age 87. Norman A. Miller was buried at the Castalia Cemetery in Erie County, Ohio, where his father’s family had been involved in agricultural pursuits for many years.

Obituaries for Norman A. Miller were carried in the Chicago Tribune and the Evanston Review.

Children Say the Funniest Things!

Kids say the funniest things....

During high school, our concert band did an exchange with a high school band from Rossford, Ohio. As part of the experience, our family hosted two young men from Rossford for supper. One student was African-American, and one was Caucasian, and they were both named Bill. Little brother Matt said,"You guys have the same name. Are you brothers?" It was a great ice-breaker for getting to know the out of town band members!

At Sunday School, a youngster forgot his offering and younger brother Todd said, “That's okay, they let you in for free.”

Robin, when she was about 4, and I was 8, asked me what Purgatory was (probably because our next door neighbor cousins were of the Catholic faith.) I tried to explain to her that Purgatory was a place where Catholic people went after they died. As if a light bulb went off in her head she said, “Okay, so Catholics go to Purgatory when they die, and Lutherans go to a cemetery!”

My sister Robin and our cousin Susan are pictured below.



















My father often did plumbing work over at Kelleys Island. Whenever he mentioned the island, baby sister Kellie seriously thought it was HER island! She would tell everyone that "Daddy's going to work at my island."

I still find that children are honest, curious, and often they say the funniest things. Having a big family, there seems to be a steady flow of funny events and interesting happenings. We miss having Mom and Dad around to retell their favorite stories about the things their children and grandchildren said through the years!

Tombstone Tuesday: Nicholas Roeder

Nicholas Roeder, son of John and Ann Roeder, drowned on April 17, 1849, at the age of 18. He was buried at Maple Grove Cemetery in Vermilion, Ohio.

A newspaper clipping about the drowning of Nicholas Roeder, off the schooner Linden, is found online at the Maritime History of the Great Lakes.

Guest Book from Grandpa Yeager's Funeral

My Great Grandfather Andrew Yeager died on April 14, 1958. Recently I came across the guest book from his funeral.



















Grandpa Yeager's funeral was held in Huron, Ohio on April 17, 1958, at Zion Lutheran Church, with Rev. R.G. Trygstad and Rev. W.R. Lucht officiating. The Dutt Funeral Home handled the arrangements.



















The pallbearers were: Richard Camp, Paul Orshoski, Richard Grams, Andrew Yeager, William Orshoski, and Dennis Kurtz. Paul Orshoski, Andrew Yeager, and William Orshoski were all grandsons of Andrew Yeager, and Richard Camp, Richard Grams, and Dennis Kurtz were married to Grandpa Yeager's granddaughters.



















The guest book contained several pages of the names of the individuals who called at the funeral home. My parents' names appear on the page pictured below.



















Many relatives from both Grandpa and Grandma Yeager's sides of the family paid their respects. The surnames Yeager and Schweighart were from Grandpa's side of the family, and the surnames Hemminger, Wargowsky, and Genzman were from Grandma's extended family. Both of my great grandparents were of German descent. Two of Grandpa and Grandma Yeager's daughters married brothers with the last name Orshoski, so the Hungarian surname Orshoski (originally Orczaczky) is found several times in the guest book.



















Even Grandma Yeager signed the guest book.



















A funeral guest book serves as a "snapshot" of the people who were most important to a person. Names found include family, friends, church members, and others from the community who knew the person who recently died. If you run across a guest book from any of your ancestors, look through it carefully, and you may glean new details about that person by reading the names of those who called at the funeral home.

Note: A cousin alerted me that the Lena Yeager who signed the guest book may have been Grandpa Yeager's sister in law. Grandpa Yeager and his brother Frank both married someone named Lena.

Albert W. Van Hoorn

Albert W. Van Hoorn died in the Washington D.C. area on April 7, 1942. The Sandusky Register Star News of April 14, 1942 reported that Mr. Van Hoorn's remains were brought back to Sandusky, Ohio for burial in Oakland Cemetery. Albert W. Van Hoorn was survived by his wife, the former Helen Renner and a daughter, Mary Ann. Mrs. Helen Van Hoorn was a former resident of Sandusky, Ohio.

According to Passenger List records at Family Search Labs, Mr. Van Hoorn's full name was Albert Willem Westpalm Van Hoorn. In 1941, Mr. A.W.W. Van Hoorn was issued a patent for a boat hull. (Click on the image for a larger view.)



















Mr. Van Hoorn's listing in the 1930 U.S. Census states that he was born in Java, and that his father was born in Holland. It would be interesting to learn how Albert met a young lady from Sandusky, Ohio.

52 Weeks of Personal Genealogy and History: Log Cabin Inn

(Above advertisement is from the 1964 Sandusky City Directory)

The prompt for Week 16 of 52 Weeks of Personal History & Genealogy, by Amy Coffin of We Tree, and hosted by Geneabloggers, is: Restaurants.

What was your favorite local restaurant as a child? Where was it located, and what was your favorite meal? Did you know the staff personally? What is your favorite restaurant now?

My favorite local restaurant as a child was the Log Cabin Inn, also known as the Log Cabin Restaurant. This restaurant, no longer in business, was located in Bay View, seven miles west of Sandusky. From the dining room and banquet room, you could see Sandusky Bay, which made the restaurant popular with local boaters. My favorite meal was steak and home fries, and I also loved the shrimp cocktails. One of the desserts at the Log Cabin was vanilla ice cream, topped with creme de menthe. The whole cup was frozen solid in the freezer, and it was delectable! A unique appetizer was green gelatin topped with shredded vegetables, served on a leaf of lettuce with a dollop of salad dressing on top.

The owners of the Log Cabin Inn were closely connected to my family for over 20 years. In the early 1950's, the Log Cabin Inn was owned by the mother of my mom's best friend. Audria Deme ran the restaurant, and Mom's friend Betty, who also became her sister-in-law, often would help out, taking along with her whatever baby was the youngest at the time. The baby would sit in the high chair in the kitchen, attracting lots of attention from all the waitresses.













The Log Cabin Inn was a popular spot for families and businessmen. Many banquets, bridal and baby showers, and retirement dinners were held there as well. Tillie was one of my favorite waitresses. She was under 5 feet tall, and was one of the best waitresses I ever knew! My future mother-in-law, Linda, was also a waitress at the Log Cabin. By the time I was a teenager, my Aunt Bertie and her husband John owned the Log Cabin Inn. I worked there as a dishwasher, bus girl, and salad girl. On occasion I even tended bar and washed glasses! (That was on Sunday afternoons, when the only choice was beer. Quite a unique job for someone who does not drink!) My Grandpa Steve worked part time in the kitchen, and Uncle Cliff often cooked, especially on weekends. Later, my youngest sister and mother also worked at the Log Cabin Inn. When the Orshoski family had a death, very often Aunt Bertie would close the restaurant, and prepare a family dinner following the funeral. She also hosted many family anniversary parties and Christmas parties at the Log Cabin. Pictured below is a baseball team sponsored by the Log Cabin about 1960. (I apologize that I do not have a better quality image.)
















While the restaurant is no longer in operation, the Log Cabin Inn, later known as the Angry Trout, served customers in Northern Ohio for many years. Just hearing the name of the Log Cabin Inn musters up many, many happy memories.














As for my favorite restaurant now, I must say it is Panera Bread!

Isaac and Annette Tilden Mills

Isaac Mills, died at his home on Hancock Street on April 15, 1907. Mr. Mills had been born in Sandusky on July 12, 1830, his grandfather, also named Isaac Mills, having been one of the co-founders of the city of Sandusky. Mills Creek, Mills School, and Mills Street were all named in honor of the Mills family. Isaac Mills lost his wife in December of 1906. Mr. Mills was survived by a sister, Mrs. J. T. Sanford, and two brothers, Elisha Mills of Croswell, Michigan, and Charles L. Mills of Sandusky. An obituary for Isaac Mills was carried in the April 17, 1907 issue of the Sandusky Register.

Annette Tilden Mills was the daughter of early Sandusky physician Dr. Daniel Tilden. At the time of her death on December 21, 1906, she was one of the city's oldest residents. In an obituary for Annette Tilden Mills, which appeared in the December 22, 1906 issue of the Sandusky Register, it was reported that though she was an invalid for many years, "never for one moment" was her devotion to others forgotten.






















Sadly, Mr. and Mrs. Isaac Mills had four children who died young. They were named: Daniel Tilden Mills, Isaac Augustus Mills, Allan Phelps Mills, and Annette Tilden Mills.

Genealogical Searches at Cleveland's Lake View Cemetery

Pictured below is a post card of the Garfield Monument at Cleveland's Lake View Cemetery:























By reading a recent blog post at Linda Jean Limes Ellis's EXPLORING ALMOST FORGOTTEN GRAVESITES IN OHIO, I learned of this fabulous link to the search feature at Lake View Cemetery's database of burial records. It is easy to use, and once you retrieve the name, there is also a link to a map within the cemetery's grounds. Thanks so much for this great tip Linda!

Mrs. Norma Gruhlke

Norma Yeager was the daughter of Andrew Yeager and Helena "Lena" Piehl Yeager, born on March 30, 1910. Norma married Clifford Ernst, and they had one daughter. Before she was twenty years old, Norma became a widow. Clifford Ernst died on March 28, 1929 of peritonitis.


Later Norma married Leonard Gruhlke. They lived on West Parish Street in Sandusky, and their nieces and nephews enjoyed the cuckoo clock in their living room. Norma's daughter is pictured to the right with her stepfather Leonard Gruhlke. (Norma was probably the person who took the photo!)






While visiting her sister Dorothy and brother in law Nick, Norma Gruhlke died suddenly on March 13, 1967. She was buried in Restlawn Cemetery in Huron, Ohio, now known as Meadow Green Memorial Park. Norma Gruhlke was survived by her husband, daughter, three grandchildren, her mother, and two sisters.

Tombstone Tuesday: Harriet Scott

Harriet Scott, daughter of L. and C. Scott died on April 11, 1841 at the age of 2 years. She is buried in Deyo Cemetery in Erie County.

Monument of C. L. Danner

C.L. Danner's life is honored by this monument at the Union Cemetery in Oak Harbor, Ohio. The inscription reads:

C.L. Danner
Born
Aug. 24, 1838
Died
Nov. 1, 1914

The book PIONEER RECOLLECTIONS OF THE EARLY 30's and 40's IN SANDUSKY COUNTY, OHIO tells us that in the 1880's C. L. Danner had a hardware store in Oak Harbor, Ohio, in partnership with a young man named John Vogel. The death record of Louise Rose Catherine Danner, accessed at Family Search Labs, indicates that the full name of C.L. Danner was Charles Louis Danner. Louise Danner, wife of C.L. Danner, passed away on January 13, 1923, and she also is buried at Oak Harbor's Union Cemetery.

At the base of the monument is the name of the person who created Mr. Danner's tombstone, C. Schlenk, Sandusky, O.











Christian Schlenk was once the superintendent of Oakland Cemetery in Sandusky,Ohio, and he also sold tombstones for the Sandusky Monumental Works. Though this tombstone is almost 100 years old, the name of C. Schlenk is clearly legible. It appeared to be almost sparkling in the bright Ohio sunshine when I snapped the digital photo of the base of the Danner monument.

52 Weeks of Personal Genealogy and History: Sports

The prompt for Week 15 of 52 Weeks of Personal History & Genealogy, by Amy Coffin of We Tree, and hosted by Geneabloggers, is: Sports.

Sports. Did you have a favorite sports team as a child? If so, which one and why. Did your parents follow the same teams? Do you still support the same teams?

My father was always a Cleveland Indians fan, but I married a Detroit Tigers fan. Personally, I think everyone should be pursuing their family history, or visiting cemeteries, and I've never been much of a sports fan! However, if I had to pick a team that was the favorite at my house when I was a child, it would have to be the youth leagues of the Margaretta-Bay View-Townsend Baseball Program. My dad, Paul R. Orshoski, Sr., helped promote youth baseball in Bay View. He helped to round up managers, players, umpires, and folks to line the field for the big games. We ate supper early, so that Dad and Mom and all the boys old enough at our house to be on a team could be at the ball park on time. Usually Dad coached, and Mom kept score. Mom always did the write up for the local newspaper as well. The players loved seeing their names in the paper!


















Dad and several other members of the community would find local sponsors, and encourage every youngster they encountered to play Atom League, Little League, or Babe Ruth League baseball. Some of the sponsors in the 1960's were: the Log Cabin Inn, Lagoon Deer Park, Knauer Feed & Grain, Four Winds, and G.B. Plumbing & Heating. Later several businesses went together and sponsored teams that were known as Bay View Merchants. As my brothers got older, they umpired behind the plate. Someone once told me that he thought my dad was the "Pied Piper" of baseball in Bay View. Dad thought if a young man was playing baseball, then maybe he wouldn't get into mischief. Later, he even coached a girls' team, which my little sister Kellie played on.
















Some years Dad's teams were fantastic, and some years they had LOT of losses. He felt that teaching the kids the basics were what it was all about. There were plenty of fund raisers, and always an end of the year picnic for the players and their families. Our family made lifelong friends with several of the fellow coaches and baseball players that we met through the years. Dad also participated in Slo-Pitch Softball Church League teams as well. A sports enthusiast named Tom Stauffer once wrote a tribute to my dad which appeared in the Sandusky Register. (Click on the image below for a larger view.)



















Now both Tom and Dad are gone, but their love for baseball will not soon be forgotten.