Wednesday, August 31, 2011

Civil War Heroes Cemetery Walk at Oakland Cemetery









The Sandusky Library just announced that Join Maggie Marconi, Museum Administrator, will be hosting a Cemetery Walk at Oakland Cemetery which spotlights Civil War heroes of the area. The walk will take place at Oakland Cemetery on Wednesday, September 7, at 10:00 a.m., Thursday, September 8, at 10:00 a.m., or Saturday, September 10, at 10:00 a.m. To register, call 419-625-3834 and press 0 to speak with a switchboard operator (10-5, Monday-Friday) or press Option 6 to leave a message.

Click here to see the Smartphone Walking Brochure of the upcoming Civil War Heroes Cemetery Walk.

Tuesday, August 30, 2011

Cemeteries Where Authors Have Been Buried

Click here to read an excellent article from Publisher's Weekly blog, entitled Literature Graveyard: Which Cemetery is the Most Literary? The article is by Gabe Habash. Thanks for the enlightening article, Gabe! And many thanks to the Emerging Technologies Librarian at our library for alerting me to this great article!

Valentine Fries Family Mausoleum






















According to the book MILAN AND MILAN TOWNSHIP, OHIO, published in 1976 by the Milan and Milan Township Bicentennial Committee, Valentine Fries was a prosperous ship builder in Milan. Born in 1826 in Alsace-Lorraine, and having moved to the U.S. at a young age, Valentine Fries died on April 2, 1900. His wife Anna settled his estate, and she saw to it that a lovely family mausoleum was erected in honor of Valentine Fries and his extended family. The Fries family mausoleum, which also features the related family surnames of Roberts and Taylor, is located in St. Anthony's Catholic Cemetery in Milan, Ohio. The mausoleum contains nine catacombs, and has cathedral glass in the ceiling. The tomb was build of sandstone, and has bronze doors. The Smith Monumental Works in Norwalk, Ohio was the builder of this lovely mausoleum.













The Maritime History of the Great Lakes features a page online which contains articles about the schooner the Charles Foster, built by Valentine Fries. An article in the November 29, 1907 issue of the New York Times reported on the marriage of Valentine's widow's marriage to Harry Chapin. Burial records of persons buried at the St. Anthony's Cemetery in Milan, Ohio, are included in the database Milan Cemetery Burial Records.

Sunday, August 28, 2011

Sentimental Sunday: "Send Your Voice"






















Long before cell phones, computers, and Skype, the March 14, 1911 issue of the Sandusky Register featured this advertisement for the Bell Telephone. Housewives of Sandusky were encouraged to telephone their butcher, grocer, druggist, as well as their neighbors, friends, and relatives. Several of my great grandmothers were homemakers in the Sandusky area at the time this newspaper ad appeared in the local newspaper.

Saturday, August 27, 2011

Faith Darla Miller

Miss Faith Darla Miller passed away on August 27, 1934, at the age of 32. She was the daughter of Mr. and Mrs. Theodore Miller of Sandusky. Miss Miller's obituary, which is found in the 1934 OBITUARY NOTEBOOK, at the Sandusky Library, stated that Faith was a graduate of the Sandusky Business College, and had been employed by the Cleveland and Toledo Airway Corporation until the time of her four month long illness.

The funeral for Faith D. Miller was held at her parents home on Cement Avenue, near Lions Park. Burial was in Oakland Cemetery. There were many floral tributes at Faith's funeral, and there was a large group of mourners in attendance.


The monument which honors Faith Darla Miller is in the shape of a book, with a photograph of Faith at the top on the front panel. An inscription reads:

"destiny cannot save our loved ones from the grave,
fame, beauty, riches, and earthly might fade with the peace of eternal nigh
t."

The side of the monument reads "eternal night" in the location where a title is found on a book.

Friday, August 26, 2011

Thinking of you


Thinking of you
Thinking of you
Thinking of you
Thinking of you
Thinking of you


Just a quick note to let all the GeneaBloggers and Graveyard Rabbits on the east coast know that my thoughts are with you as this major storm is developing! Stay safe and heed the warnings in your area!



Thursday, August 25, 2011

University of Notre Dame Archives

















The home page of the University of Notre Dame Archives is:

http://archives.nd.edu/index.htm


While I am not of the Catholic faith, many of my ancestors were. And when you visit the campus of the University of Notre Dame in South Bend, Indiana, every moment is a "Kodak moment." The architecture is beautiful! You can even see the Golden Dome of the Administration Building from the Indiana turnpike.

In the About Our Collections, are links to:


Click here to search the collections of the Archives. A search for my hometown of Sandusky retrieves over thirty hits, including GATH 25/10, which is a reference to a newspaper clipping about Notre Dame Students working at Sandusky's Cedar Point over the summer months of 1909. Individuals mentioned are: John McLaughlin, Elmer Brengartner, Edmund Savord, James J. Hinde, George Philbrook, and William Schmitt. The item GATH 4/08 features an image of Knute Rockne with the Miller Brothers at Cedar Point. The World War One draft registration card of Sandusky resident John Lawrence McCann is found in the Archives Miscellaneous University Records with the identifer UNDR 5/ Document. Numerous photographs and documents from Catholic churches in Sandusky, Ohio are also found in the Archives.

If you have Midwestern ancestors who were Catholic, enter a name or place in the search feature of the University of Notre Dame Archives! Happy hunting!

Tuesday, August 23, 2011

Tombstone Tuesday: Wilhelm Dress






















Wilhelm Dress is buried at the Castalia Cemetery. His birth and death gates, as listed in the ERIE COUNTY CEMETERY CENSUS PRIOR TO 1909, are:

Born July 24, 1821

Died August 24, 1894

Age 73 yrs., 1 m


The clasped hands at the top of the tombstone of Wilhelm Dress symbolize his being welcomed into the heavenly realm.

Monday, August 22, 2011

Marion Cemetery






















The Soldiers and Sailors Memorial Chapel was dedicated on August 22, 1888 at the Marion Cemetery in Marion, Ohio. Former Civil War General William H. Gibson gave the dedication. You can read more about the Soldiers and Sailors Memorial Chapel at the historical sites section of the Marion Cemetery's website. (Click on the image above for a larger view.)















This beautiful stone, which features a sculpture of a mourning female, honors the memory of Edward D. Leach, who passed away in 1916.

















The receiving vault at the Marion Cemetery was the temporary resting place for President Warren G. Harding. President Harding died in 1923, and his remains were placed in the vault while the Harding Memorial was being built. The Harding Memorial is the final resting place of President Harding and his wife Florence Kling Harding, who died in 1924.























The receiving vault was restored in 1993 as part of an Eagle Scout project, with help from the Scout's family, the community, and the Marion Cemetery Association.






















There are hundreds of historic tombstones in Marion, Ohio. The Harding Memorial, Marion Cemetery, St. Mary's Cemetery, and Veterans Memorial Park are all within close proximity to each other, at the intersection of Vernon Heights Boulevard and Route 423.



















Image Courtesy Google Maps


Visit the gallery of the Marion Cemetery Association's online site, to view historic images of the Marion Cemetery, and a 1905 booklet about the Marion Cemetery. The Ohio Historical Society features an informational page with history of both the Harding Home and Memorial.

Sunday, August 21, 2011

Charles Krebs






















Charles Krebs was born on February 8, 1847, and died on October 21, 1876. He is buried in Oakland Cemetery. An inscription forming an arch at the top of Mr. Krebs' tombstone reads "In Memory of My Husband." Though the dates do not match up perfectly, this is most likely the same person who is listed as Charles Creps in the 1870 Erie County Census. Charles was a brewer who was born in Germany, and he had a wife named Christina, and a small infant in the household. Records at the Probate Court of Erie County indicate that a Christina Krebs married Jacob Crecelius on January 30, 1879. Jacob was listed in the 1870 Census as Jacob Chisalious. He had a wife and seven children, all living in Oxford Township.

By the 1880 U.S. Census, it appears that Jacob;s first wife had died. Jacob and Christina Crecelius were married, and in their household were:

Paulina
Hermon
Katherine
August
William
Matilda
Jacob
and Albert Crecelius
(children of Jacob Crecelius and his first wife)

as well as

Arnie Krebs
and Charles Krebs
(stepsons of Jacob Crecelius; Christina's children with first husband Charles Krebs)

and

an infant named Lewis Crecelius, the son of Jacob and Christina Krebs Crecelius. It must have been a very busy household!

In the nineteenth century, when a person lost their spouse, it was not unusual for them to remarry relatively quickly. A man would need help with raising his children and running the household, while a widow would find financial and emotional security by marrying again. Blended families have always been quite common, and were of course made part of popular culture by the long running television program, "The Brady Bunch" and the movie "Yours, Mine, and Ours."

Saturday, August 20, 2011

Visiting with the Margaretta Class of 1949 at Their 62nd Reunion

















On August 20, 2011, several members of the Margaretta Class of 1949 met for their 62nd class reunion. This would have been the first class reunion that Mom missed. She was the unofficial historian of Margaretta Local Schools, but of course she had a particular interest in the Class of 1949! Deceased members of the Class of '49 were remembered with a picture and a green votive candle. Our mom, Joyce Parker Orshoski, is pictured on the left side of the image below.














Here is a group photo of the Class of '49.

















Everyone had fun looking at the old photo albums.

















We shared a lot of tears, but also had a lot of happy remembrances today.

















Thanks, MHS Class of '49, for letting Joyce's daughters visit with you and share in the celebration today! She would have SO enjoyed being there!


















52 Weeks of Personal Genealogy and History: Smells

The prompt for Week 34 of 52 Weeks of Personal History & Genealogy, by Amy Coffin of We Tree, and hosted by Geneabloggers, is: Smells

Describe any smells that take you back to childhood. These could be from meals, fragrant gardens, musty basements, or something entirely different.















(Image Courtesy Wikipedia)

I must say that the distinct smell of Vicks VapoRub takes me back to my childhood. When any of us six children had the sniffles, Mom would put Vicks on our upper lip, so we could inhale the vapors. If we had a bad cough, she would put it on our chest, and cover it with flannel, to help us feel better. When the baby of the house was congested, Mom would put Vicks in the vaporizer, and place it close to the baby's crib all through the night. I still use Vicks sometimes, and it never fails to take me back to the "good old days"!













To read about the history of products made by Vicks, see the interactive timeline online.



Julius Wagner

Julius Wagner was born in Saxony, Germany on August 19, 1823, and he died in Sandusky, Ohio on August 20, 1876. Hewson Peeke wrote in his STANDARD HISTORY OF ERIE COUNTY, OHIO that Julius Wagner came to Ohio in 1849 and worked as a car builder for the Baltimore and Oriole Railroad. Julius Wagner married Elizabeth Raymond, and they were the parents of six children.

The August 22, 1876 issue of the Sandusky Register reported that Julius Wagner was "universally respected and esteemed." He was buried in Sandusky's Oakland Cemetery.

Friday, August 19, 2011

Ludwig and Johanna Troike, Pioneer Residents of Sandusky






















According to the book ERIE COUNTY, OHIO, CEMETERY CENSUS BEFORE 1909, Ludwig A. Troike was born in Lauenburg, Pommern, Prussia, on March 17, 1834. He died on August 26, 1876, and was buried in Sandusky's Oakland Cemetery. Ludwig's wife, Johanna Troike, was born on January 12,1838, and she died on March 13, 1879.






















The tombstones of Ludwig and Johanna Troike are beautiful, featuring inscriptions written in German, and a sculpted cord adorning the top and sides of their stones. An obituary for the daughter of Ludwig and Johanna Troike, Mrs. Louisa Knauer Allison, stated that her parents were pioneer residents of Sandusky, Ohio. According to Mrs. Allison's obituary, Mr. and Mrs. Troike had a total of eight children. The newspaper obituary for Mrs. Louisa Knauer Allison appeared in the December 27, 1943 issue of the Sandusky Star Register Star News.

Thursday, August 18, 2011

Family History Resources at OhioLINK Finding Aid Repository













Many items of interest to genealogists and historians are available at the OhioLINK Finding Aid Repository. This valuable resource describes the archival collections of several libraries, archives, and other Ohio facilities. You can browse the finding aids by:

or


Keyword searches can also be performed. The Advanced Search feature allows for fine tuning a search.

In the Finding Aid for the Ellsworth, Forbush, and Boyd Families Papers, documents, diaries, photographs and writings of several generations of this family are found. This collection is housed at the Hudson Library and Historical Society.

The Finding Aid for the Wilbor and Wilcox Families Collection, owned by the Sandusky Library Archives Research Center includes business transactions and correspondence from the Wilbor and Wilcox families.

The Finding Aid for the Ohio Gravestone Art Collection, is a listing of over seventy rubbings of nineteenth century Ohio gravestones and brass reliefs, housed at the University of Cincinnati's Blegen Library. While the rubbings have not been digitized, a listing of each rubbing provides the name of the individual tombstone or relief which has been completed.

In the biographical sketch of Moses Jacob Ezekiel from the Inventory to the Moses Jacob Ezekiel Papers, I learned a lot about the man who created the Confederate Monument which can be seen at the Confederate Cemetery at Johnson's Island, just a short drive from our home.

While I did not find any references to my direct lines of ancestors at the OhioLINK Finding Aid, it is an excellent Ohio resource. If you have ancestors who lived or worked in Ohio, stop by and do a quick keyword search for the families you are researching.

Wednesday, August 17, 2011

Sandusky Library to Host a Free Program on Ethnic Sandusky






















The Sandusky Library will host a program entitled From Around the World: Ethnic Sandusky on Wednesday, August 24, 2011 at Noon. To register for this free program, call the Sandusky Library at 419-625-3834. The Archives Librarian, Ron Davidson, will discuss where our ancestors came from, why they came here, what they brought with them, and what they did when they got here, using items from the Library’s historical collections.

Booklet from St. Mary Parish, 1855-1955

Recently, I had the opportunity to view a booklet put out by St. Mary's Catholic Church in Sandusky, Ohio on the occasion of the 100th Anniversary of the parish in 1955. It is not in my personal possession but the owner allowed me to take digital pictures of the contents of the booklet. (Keep in mind that I am an amateur photographer!) To my knowledge, none of my own ancestors are in this publication, but my family and I have many friends with deep ties to St. Mary's Catholic Church, and it was very interesting to learn more of this church's history.























Click on the phrase Kizoa slideshow: St Mary Parish, One Hundred Years: 1855-1955 to view a slideshow of the booklet.



Tuesday, August 16, 2011

Glenn David Everett, Author and Journalist













A native of Sandusky, Ohio, Glenn David Everett was an author and an award winning journalist. He graduated from Heidelberg College in Tiffin, Ohio, in 1942 with a degree in political science and history. He earned a master's degree in political science from the University of Iowa. Mr. Everett had a long career in journalism, having been associated with the St. Louis Globe Democrat and the Des Moines Register, before moving to Washington D.C. to train and then work as an overseas correspondent. He continued to write articles for newspapers, the Religious News Service, and had stories published in the Saturday Evening Post, Life, Look, and U.S. News. For thirty five years, Glenn D. Everett also operated the Potomac Color Printer business. In 1988, Glenn Everett wrote the book entitled THE STREETCARS AND INTERURBANS OF OLD SANDUSKY, OHIO, published by Academy Books. The next year, he authored FUN AT THE OLD CEDAR POINT.

On August 16, 1996, Glenn David Everett passed away as a result of complications which developed after knee surgery. He was survived by his wife, two sons, a daughter, and a granddaugheter. Burial was at Sandusky's Oakland Cemetery. The grave marker which honors Glenn D. Everett features a candle and an open bible, and the inscription:

WASHINGTON CORRESPONDENT

GLENN D. EVERETT
1921-1996

A WRITER OF COURAGE

Obituaries for Glenn D. Everett appeared in the August 21, 1996 issue of The Washington Times, and the August 19, 1996 issue of The Washington Post.

Monday, August 15, 2011

Isaac Augustus Mills






















Isaac Augustus Mills was the son of Isaac L. Mills, one of the proprietors of Sandusky, Ohio, which was first called Portland. Helen Hansen wrote in AT HOME IN EARLY SANDUSKY, that Isaac A. Mills married Sophia Lyman in 1829, when the bride was only sixteen years of age. Both Mills Creek and Mills Street are named for the Mills family, pioneers of the city. Sophia Lyman's father, Abner Lyman, was also a pioneer settler of Sandusky, Ohio. On August 10, 1852, Isaac A. Mills died of cholera. He left his widow, Sophia, and eight children. Mrs. Sophia Mills lived until June 25, 1881. Isaac A. Mills and Sophia Lyman Mills are buried in Sandusky’s Oakland Cemetery.

Sunday, August 14, 2011

Sentimental Sunday: The Old Gates to Medusa in Bay Bridge















These gates (click on image above for a larger view) used to be the place where vehicles from Russell Trucking carried out loads and loads of Medusa Portland Cement. Tired men, covered in dust, would walk through these gates at the end of the work day to go home for supper, or down to the local bar for a cold beer. On occasion these gates to the old Medusa Cement Company, in the unincorporated area of Erie County known as Bay Bridge, are still open. The gates provide access for railroad employees to reach the tracks for repair, and they are also used by law enforcement officials on occasion.

You can still read the address on the mailbox:

Medusa Cement Co.
109 Sandusky Ave.
Sandusky, O.


















The gates are not exactly welcoming to vistors!

















A marker down the road from the gates of the former Medusa Cement Company recalls the history of the beginning of this operation, which was the first factory for Medusa. Click here to see a picture of some of the "twenty-five year men" from Medusa in the 1950's.














Saturday, August 13, 2011

SNGF: True Confessions about Genea-Assets

Randy at Genea-Musings has given us a interesting challenge this time. It is:

Hello there, genea-collectors - it's SATURDAY NIGHT, time for more GENEALOGY FUN.

Your mission, should you decide to accept it, is to:

1) Think about this: Is all of your genealogical material, which you've gathered over the years, well organized? Do you have papers, certificates, photographs and other ephemera squirreled away somewhere in your genealogy cave center? Do you have forgotten digital files, including documents, photographs and notes hiding in your computer file folders? It's Saturday night, do you know where ALL of your family history information is?

2) Give yourself a grade (from A to F) on how well you've done with your filing of tangible and digital genealogical assets (two grades, one for each). Brag about your organizational prowess if you deserve it - you can be a good example to the rest of us. Bemoan your situation if your files are like mine.

3) Look through your tangible or digital genea-assets and find something you've "lost," forgotten or overlooked that might add to your knowledge about one or more families. Tell us what you found, how will it help you, and will you commit to analyze it, source it, and use it?

4) Write a blog post of your own, make a comment on this blog post, or enter a Facebook Status or Google Plus Stream item concerning your "find" and what you're going to do about it.


************************************************************************
Here is my situation:

In 1990 I began filing ancestors charts, family group sheets, and assorted obituaries, photographs, and other documents in 3-ring binders, arranged by surname. In theory, I am supposed to be keeping up with births, deaths, and marriages...but since I have a busy life filled with loads of work and family commitments, they are not so very up-to-date! I would say my notebooks would earn a C+.












Regarding digital assets, I have a "vintage" version of Family TreeMaker. My goal is to get whatever information is in my physical notebooks transferred onto Family TreeMaker. I must say that I would give myself a C- in this task! Below is just a fraction of what is in my Family TreeMaker files.
















Other digital aspects of my life are even worse! For the Graveyard Rabbit of Sandusky Bay blog, I often go to area cemeteries, take digital pictures, and then do up blog posts about them. To date, I am WAY behind in organizing these picture files! I usually can find what I need, but it is getting to be a real challenge.











In spite of all this disorganization...and I didn't even mention paper copies of articles, theories, photos, and documents that are stored in drawers and storage boxes...this past week my sister dropped off a family clipping book/journal, and I do plan to scan selected documents from it for future blog posts. So, my life is state of constant chaos, but I usually find time to research, take photos, and blog about them, so "it's all good!"

William Tilden, Cincinnati Attorney and Judge



















William Tilden was the son of Dr. Daniel Tilden and his wife Nancy Drake Tilden. William was born in Norwalk, Ohio on November 12, 1833, and he died in Sandusky on August 13, 1873. William Tilden is buried in the Tilden family lot in Block 20 of Sandusky's Oakland Cemetery. An obituary for William Tilden appeared in the September 17, 1873 issue of the New York Times. The article stated: "The State of Ohio has recently lost one of the most eminent of her youngest jurists in the death of Hon. William Tilden, of Cincinnati." William Tilden had a successful career as a lawyer, and had just recently been elected Probate Judge of Hamilton County, Ohio. At the time of his death, Judge William Tilden was only 39 years of age.

The inscription at the base of Judge Tilden's tombstone reads:

Pause, oh proud intellect, labor no longer:
Fold yourselves, faithful hands, o'er thy broad breast.
Tarry, oh weary feet till ye are stronger,
Noble, true tender heart, God bids thee rest.










The Ohio Marriages databases, accessible at Family Search Labs, indicates that William Tilden married Louisa Woodruff in Hamilton County, Ohio on September 1, 1862. Judge Tilden left behind his widow and several young children. The youngest daughter of William and Louise Tilden, Isabelle, married Professor James S. Riggs, a professor at the Auburn Seminary in Cayuga County, New York.

Friday, August 12, 2011

Thinking about Hill Country this Week













It has been over a year since Terry Thornton passed away. Terry was the writer of the Hill Country H.O.G.S. Webpress blog, and he was a friend, encourager, and mentor to many genealogy bloggers. We still miss you Terry!

James H. Payne and his wives Ann and Eliza

In the 1860 U.S. Census, James and Ann Payne, both aged 26, are living in Sandusky in Erie County, Ohio. Both Mr. and Mrs. Payne stated that their birthplace as Ireland, and Mr. Payne was employed as a carpenter. The Ohio Marriages collection at Family Search contains a marriage record for James Payne and Ann Highland, who were married in Erie County, Ohio on January 2, 1856. While not yet age 30, Ann Payne died on November 7, 1865. She was buried in Sandusky's Oakland Cemetery.






















On October 11, 1866, James Payne married again, to Eliza Corell. The 1870 Census lists James, age 35, and Eliza, age 23, and the occupation listed for James Payne is: Speculation in Sundries. By 1880, James and Eliza Payne had moved to Wyandot County, Ohio, where James states that he is a florist. By now, they have a daughter named Lizzie. In 1900, James and Eliza moved back to Sandusky, Ohio, and James stated that he was a nursery agent. James H. Payne died on January 29, 1909. He was buried in Oakland Cemetery.






















Eliza Payne survived until September 2, 1923. She too was buried in Oakland Cemetery. A scroll is found at the top of Eliza Payne's tombstone, and a maple leaf is featured below the inscription of her name.

Thursday, August 11, 2011

Infant Daughters of Austin and Eliza Ferry


















This double gravestone in Block 9 of Sandusky's Oakland Cemetery honors the memory of the infant daughters of Austin and Eliza Ferry. Alla Bell Ferry died at age nine months, and she was buried at Oakland Cemetery on August 7, 1856. Lizzie Ferry died at age three months, and she was buried at Oakland on August 1, 1861. The babies' mother, Eliza Muenscher Ferry died not many years later, in 1866, but she was interred at the Kenyon College Cemetery in Knox County, Ohio. The grandparents of the two little baby girls of Austin and Eliza Ferry were the Rev. Joseph Muenscher, an Episcopalian minister, and his wife, the former Ruth Washburn. The base of the tombstones of Lizzie and Alla Bell Ferry is incribed with a verse from the Bible, a portion of Luke 18:16:

Suffer the little children to come unto me.

(Note: The tombstone inscription states that the babies were the children of A. and L. Ferry. Though court records listed Austin Ferry's wife name as Eliza, it is possible that she also was known as Liza or Lizzie.)

Wednesday, August 10, 2011

J. J. Dauch, Sandusky Entrepreneur


















Jacob Julius Dauch was born in 1857 to Philip and Mary (Klotz) Dauch. As a young man, Jacob Dauch worked on his father's farm. Later he operated a threshing and hay baling business. In 1888 Jacob Dauch began manufacturing straw paper. The company changed names many times, but in 1900 the business became known as the Hinde and Dauch Paper Company. Another business enterprise of Jacob Dauch was the Dauch Manufacturing Co., which manufactured tractors.

In 1880, Jacob Dauch married Mary Wendt. They had five children. J. J. Dauch was generous in his support of the business and other community activities of Sandusky. Citizens of Sandusky were saddened when J. J. Dauch was killed in a car accident on August 15, 1918. Mrs. Dauch died in 1927. They are buried in Oakland Cemetery.

You can read more about the family of J. J. Dauch in Article 5 of Helen Hansen's AT HOME IN EARLY SANDUSKY and in Hewson Peeke's A STANDARD HISTORY OF ERIE COUNTY, OHIO.


The Sandusky city park which is located at the intersection of Huron Avenue and Wayne and Adams Streets was given in memory of Wade Dauch, son of Mr. and Mrs. J. J. Dauch, by his family.

Tuesday, August 9, 2011

Great Great Grandpa Charlie had a Masonic Funeral






















My great great grandfather, Charles F. Steen, died in Sandusky, Ohio on August 9, 1933. After taking another look at his obituary, which appeared in the August 10, 1933 issue of the Sandusky Register, I realized that he had strong Masonic affiliations. His obituary stated that he had been a member of Science Lodge, No. 50, F. and A.M., Sandusky City Chapter, No. 26 R. and S.M., Erie Commandery, No. 23, Knights Templar, and the Toledo Consistory. He was also a past president of the Erie County Agricultural Association.

Friends and family were invited to call on the family of Charles F. Steen at the family residence at 517 Wayne Street, on Saturday, August 12, and at 2 p.m. funeral services were held at the Masonic Temple in Sandusky where funeral services were held under the auspices of the Erie Commandery, Knights Templar, with Rev. C.L. Alspach officiating.















My great great grandfather Charles F. Steen was buried in the North Ridge section of Sandusky's Oakland Cemetery. Grandpa Steen looks so wise. I think he worked very hard in his youth, and then was loved very much by his wife Sarah's extended family. How I wish I could have met him!