Friday, March 30, 2012

Sharing Genealogy Tips with a Group of Boy Scouts

Recently I had the pleasure of sharing beginning genealogy tips with a lively group of Boy Scouts, ages 11-16. I was amazed at how savvy they were with searching online databases. They were totally at ease with having multiple windows open, and digging right in to see what treasures they could find on Ancestry Library Edition and Family Search. Several of the Scouts used their cell phone to text their parents for ancestors' names and birth and death dates, as they filled out their pedigree charts. I told the Leader that if the Scouts choose to become genealogists, they will definitely be good ones! One of the disadvantages with doing genealogy with a group so young is that we had to go back several generations in order to find a deceased ancestor! (And hopefully, an informative obituary as well.) Not surprising was the fact that several of the young men had blended families and/or had a line about which they had little or no information. When that was the case, I encouraged the youngster to focus on the lines that they were able to learn more about, and perhaps interview family members in depth, to learn more about those ancestors' lives. It was refreshing to see the enthusiasm with which these Scouts dove into doing research for their genealogy merit badge. They have the advantage of having been born into the Information Age, and they already possess a working knowledge of modern technology and tools which are so helpful in doing family history research. One Scout found a picture of his grandfather on an online genealogy website, and another Scout traced his paternal line back to an east coast Pirate!

Wednesday, March 28, 2012

Seth and Louisa Bardwell

A biographical sketch of Seth E. Bardwell found in HISTORY OF THE WESTERN RESERVE states that his parents Seth and Louisa White Bardwell were both born in Hatfield, Hampshire County, Massachusetts. They came to Ohio in 1833, first to Margaretta Township, but later settled in Groton Township. Mr. Bardwell found his land to be almost covered completely with timber. He cleared the land until it became a "well-improved tract." Seth Bardwell was Democratic in his politics, and was a member of the Universalist Church. He died on March 31, 1863, and he is buried in Graves Cemetery. Mrs. Louisa White Bardwell survived her husband. She died in 1898 at the age of 90.

According to the publication Bardwell/Bordwell Descendants,published by the Robert Bardwell Descendants' American Ancestry (available on Heritage Quest), the parents of Seth Bardwell were Remembrance and Sophia Allis Bardwell. The paternal grandfather of Seth Bardwell was also named Seth Bardwell. The grandfather was born in Hatfield, Massachusetts in 1752, and he died by a "divine stroke of lightning" on June 16, 1795.

Sunday, March 25, 2012

52 Weeks of Abundant Genealogy: Local Societies

The prompt for Week 13 of 52 Weeks of Abundant Genealogy, from Amy Coffin at We Tree, and hosted by Geneabloggers, is: Local Societies

Local genealogical and historical societies are the lifeblood of genealogy. Members and volunteers give their time and money to preserve local history and promote family history. Tell us about a local society for which you are thankful.

















My local genealogical society is the Erie County Chapter of the Ohio Genealogical Society. Meetings are held on the third Monday of the month in March, April, May, September, October, and November, and an annual cemetery picnic is held each June. Members of the chapter answer questions from researchers near and far. In February of 2012, several members of the Erie County Chapter of the Ohio Genealogical Society (pictured above) assisted in a Genealogy Lock-In at the Sandusky Library. The event, held on a Friday evening, was a terrific success, with folks looking for obituaries, death records, marriage records, military records, census listings, and an array of assorted other genealogical data. Thanks Erie County Chapter, O.G.S., for being such a vital genealogical society here in Northern Ohio!

Saturday, March 24, 2012

Saturday Night Genealogy Fun, March 24, 2012

Randy at GeneaMusings has a fun challenge tonight. It is:

Hey geneaphiles - it's Saturday Night, time for more Genealogy Fun!!!

Tonight, we're going to go down memory lane a bit.

1) What was the #1 song on the day you were born? Or on your birthday when you were 18? Or when you married? Or some other important date in your life.

2) Go to http://www.thisdayinmusic.com/birthdayno1 and enter the date and select from UK, US or Australia record lists. Note: the first date available is 1 January 1946.

Alternatively, go to http://www.joshhosler.biz/ and enter the month and date and see a list of songs for each year since 1940.

3) Tell us what your results are (If you are sensitive about your age, don't list the date or year... ) on a blog post of your own, a comment to this post, in a Facebook status line, or in a Google Plus Stream note.


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Since I was born in 1951, I chose that year in at This Day in Music. The song listed as being Number 1 in 1951 was Because of You by Tony Bennett.



Lyrics for this lovely song are found online.

When I see this photo of my family from 1952, I like to think that because my parents loved each other so much, they kept on adding to the family tree.


















Even though my folks are now in Heaven, their are now six of their children, twenty grandchildren, and several great grandchildren, all who can trace their beginnings on the "O" side back to Paul & Joyce Orshoski. I am sure they listened to "Because of You" by Tony Bennett many a time during 1951!

Thanks for this fun Saturday Night Genealogy Fun challenge, Randy!

Simplex Radio for 1929-1930


















The article above appeared in the March 24, 1929 issue of the Sandusky Register. The 1929-1930 model Simplex radio had a single dial. It was housed in a Louis XVI console, which had Oriental overlays and disappearing doors of burl walnut. I had five 227 tubes and two 245 power tubes. The chassis was constructed from steel and aluminum. Simplex was the predecessor to the Philco Radio Company. The Simplex Radio Company was located at the northeast corner of King and West Monroe in Sandusky, Ohio. Simplex began operations in Sandusky in 1924. In 1944, Philco bought out Simplex. Simplex and Philco provided jobs for hundreds of Sandusky men and women from 1924 through the early 1960s. To read more about Simplex and Philco, see the finding aid for the Philco Radio Company collection from the Sandusky Library Archives Research Center, and this excellent online history of Simplex and Philco.

Thursday, March 22, 2012

Abner Lyman, Pioneer Resident of Erie County






















Lying flat on the ground at Oakland Cemetery is this tombstone for Abner Lyman, who was an early settler of Erie County, Ohio. Abner Lyman's inscription reads:

Abner Lyman
Died Mar. 22, 1853
Aged 66 y's. 8 mo.
28 d's


At the very base of the tombstone for Abner Lyman is the phrase:

Erected by H.A. Lyman, 1858















An entry in the genealogical book entitled LYLE ANCESTRY gives us some biographical information about Abner Wheeler. He married Eunice Wheeler, of Herkimer County, New York. Abner Lyman settled in Sandusky, Ohio in 1818. He served as a Captain and Major in the Ohio Militia and he was a private at Sackett's Harbor in the War of 1812. The sketch states that Abner Lyman was "one of the earliest settlers of Sandusky; a worthy, estimable man, who enjoyed the respect and confidence of all who knew him." He worked as a millwright and carpenter.

The children of Abner and Eunice (Wheeler) Lyman were: John Lyman, Sophia Lyman, William Henry Lyman, and Hiram Abner Lyman. The H.A. Lyman who erected the tombstone in honor of Abner Lyman was most likely his son, Hiram Abner Lyman. Hiram would go on to live the rest of his life in the Sandusky area, working as the keeper of the lighthouse at Cedar Point until his death in 1901.

Tuesday, March 20, 2012

CAMP, FIELD AND PRISON LIFE by Capt. W.A. Wash

Today while researching another topic, I ran into an amazing book at Google Books. The book is entitled CAMP, FIELD AND PRISON LIFE: CONTAINING SKETCHES OF SERVICE IN THE SOUTH, AND THE EXPERIENCE, INCIDENTS AND OBSERVATIONS CONNECTED WITH ALMOST TWO YEARS' IMPRISONMENT AT JOHNSON'S ISLAND, OHIO, WHERE 3,000 CONFEDERATE OFFICERS WERE CONFINED. This title is available full-text at Google Books. The author is W. A. Wash, who was a Captain in the 60th Tennessee Mounted Cavalry. An introduction to the book was provided by General L.M. Lewis, and a thorough medical history of the United States Military Prison at Johnson's Island, Lake Erie, by Col. I.G. Steedman, M.D. is included in the appendix of the book. The Southwestern Book and Publishing Company published CAMP, FIELD AND PRISON LIFE in St. Louis, Missouri in 1870.






















CAMP, FIELD AND PRISON LIFE is also accessible at the Ebook and Texts Archive of the Library of Congress.

On page 84 Capt. Wash tells of taking a steamer from Sandusky to the prison camp at Johnson's Island. He was placed in a block with about other prisoners, and their meals consisted mostly of bread, beef or bacon, coffee, sugar, rice, and hominy. Sundays were rather a lonesome day, since there no specific military duties on that day. The men imprisoned at Johnson's Island had to wash their own clothes. Capt. Wash, along with several other prisoners, made jewelry out of gutta percha buttons. One summer afternoon the "Island Queen" took an excursion to Johnson's Island, and the ladies waved to the prisoners.













On July 10, 1863, Capt. Wash received a package from home. His treasures included some items of clothing, along with pictures of his mother, sister, and grandmother. When new prisoners arrived at Johnson's Island, they brought the latest news to the prisoners. Men died at the prison, and many suffered with illness. Sometimes the men played cards, or games of checker and chess. Several evenings a week during the summer months, prisoners were able to bathe out in the lake. Of course they were closely guarded. In the winter months, the mail was brought to the prison over the ice. Prisoners could see young people ice skating out on the frozen lake.

An evening of entertainment took place on July 22, 1864, at Johnson's Island. It was put on by "The Rebellonians."






















Eventually Capt. Wash got transferred to a Southern prison, and he did indeed survive to see the end of the Civil War. In the 1880s, W. A. Wash moved to Goldendale, Oregon, where he was first associated with the Goldendale public schools, and later went into the newspaper business. In 1888, W.A. Wash became editor of the Polk County Itemizer. William A. Wash died in December of 1915, and he was buried in the Lincoln Memorial Park Cemetery in Multnomah County, Oregon.

















Photo Credit: Walter Myers, Beaverton, Oregon


If you have time to read through the text of CAMP, FIELD AND PRISON LIFE, you will gain a great deal of insight into the daily life of a soldier in prison during the Civil War. Capt. William A. Wash went to live a very full life. He married and had a daughter. His writings about his war experiences laid the foundation for his future in education and publishing.I am grateful to Capt. Wash for his detailed recollections of a very challenging time in American history.

Sunday, March 18, 2012

Miss Sarah E. McEwen, Librarian














Sarah Elizabeth McEwen served Sandusky as a librarian for almost fifty years.






















She was born in Peru, Ohio to Thomas C. and Hulda McEwen. Sarah's grandfather, Jared Ward, was one of the first settlers of the Firelands. Sarah moved with her family to Sandusky in 1849, and she survived the cholera epidemic which took many lives in Sandusky at that time.

An obituary for Miss Sarah McEwen is found in the 1933 OBITUARY NOTEBOOK, housed in the genealogy section of the Sandusky Library. The obituary stated that library patrons would remember Miss McEwen "as a gentle, precise woman with white hair, a lady of the old school distinguished by her velvet neck band and amethyst beads and tiny earrings." Miss Sarah E. McEwen was a lifelong member of Grace Episcopal Church. She passed away on March 18, 1933, at the age of 91. Burial was in Oakland Cemetery.

Friday, March 16, 2012

Otto Ilg














Otto Ilg was born in Cincinnati, Ohio in 1859 to Mr. and Mrs. Anthony Ilg. Henry Howe wrote in his book HISTORICAL COLLECTIONS OF OHIO that Anthony Ilg ran a brewery in Sandusky in the 1880's. We read in HISTORY OF ERIE COUNTY, edited by Lewis Cass Aldrich, that Otto Ilg used to keep the books for his father's business, and he was also the manager of the Sandusky Opera House. The Sandusky Opera House was opened in Sandusky in 1877 as the Biemiller Opera House.

Erie County Probate Court recorded the marriage of Otto Ilg and Barbara Biemiller on April 24, 1884. Sadly, before he reached the age of 40, Otto H. Ilg passed away in March of 1898, after having contracted typhoid fever. The following obituary appeared in the March 16, 1898 issue of the Sandusky Morning Star.



















Otto H. Ilg was buried in Sandusky's Oakland Cemetery. His widow, the former Barbara Biemiller, married August H. Klotz on February 6, 1908.

Wednesday, March 14, 2012

Thaddeus B. Hurd Digital Archive













The Thaddeus B. Hurd Digital Archive is a digital of collection of photographs and documents relating to the history of Clyde, Ohio. The Thaddeus B. Hurd Digital Archive is a part of the Ohio Historical Society’s Ohio Memory Project. To access the collection,
visit the Clyde Public Library at this url:

http://clydelibrary.org/

Scroll down the page, and click on the phrase Thaddeus B. Hurd Digital Archive. Once you are there, you can do a search in the search box.








A search for McPherson Cemetery results in several “hits” which include postcards, photographs, and several historical documents all which feature information about McPherson Cemetery.

A search for circuit riders retrieves the full text of the Directory of the Vickery Charge from 1902. Included in the directory is a brief history of the Methodist Circuit in the Clyde and Vickery area.

When you search for Thaddeus Hurd, you will find several objects that were donated by the local historian for whom the project has been named.

Have fun exploring the Thaddeus B. Hurd Digital Archive!

Tuesday, March 13, 2012

March 13th Prompt for Fearless Females

Lisa Alzo from The Accidental Genealogist has once again launched a series of prompts to honor the "Fearless Females" in our Family Trees. The prompt for March 13 is:

Moment of Strength: share a story where a female ancestor showed courage or strength in a difficult situation.


















My Great Grandma Ada Steen Parker, seen above with my Great Grandpa Leroy Parker, was a pillar of strength. My maternal grandmother, Doris Wheeler Parker, died on May 6, 1943, when she was only 32 years old. Doris and Steen and their oldest child, Tommy can be seen below in a picture taken about 1928.


















Mom told me that Grandma Ada came to their house on Shelby Street on the very day that Grandma Doris passed away. She washed all the bedding in every bedroom, cleaned the house, and made supper for a large gathering of extended family members. Grandma Ada loved her daughter in law Doris, even though Doris and my grandfather had divorced. Doris was a lovely person, and she left three children, ranging in age from 5 to 15.






















Grandma Ada's heart was breaking, as she did not want to see her grandchildren left motherless, but she just dove right in, and did what she thought would be most helpful to that hurting family in their time of need. God bless Grandma Ada! She was a wonderful example of love in action, and she passed that trait down to many generations that followed her!

Monday, March 12, 2012

Forrest and Irene (Sexton) Parker


















Irene Sexton Parker was my half first cousin three times removed, according to the Kinship Report of my Family TreeMaker database. Irene's parents were Merritt Sexton and Sarah J. Milner Sexton. Irene and I can both trace our roots back to Lorinda Stevens. Irene was the granddaughter of Lorinda/Lorenda Stevens Sexton and her first husband Martin Sexton. After Martin died of milk sickness in 1841, Lorinda married my ancestor, Charles Steen. Erie County Probate Records record the date of the marriage of Forrest Franklin Parker and Irene Rosella Sexton as June 22, 1898. By the time of the 1900 U.S. Census, Forrest and Irene Parker were residing in Boston, where Forrest was working as a teamster. In 1900, they had a young son, Forrest Sexton Parker. Irene Sexton Parker passed away in Toledo, Ohio on March 12, 1924. Forrest F. Parker died on April 6, 1935. Mr. and Mrs. Forrest F. Parker were buried in Sandusky's Oakland Cemetery.

Sunday, March 11, 2012

Joseph and Lois (Bell) Taylor

Joseph Taylor was born in Connecticut about 1762. He died on June 15, 1840 at the age of 73 years. Lois Bell Taylor was born in Connecticut on February 14, 1773, and she died on December 30, 1869, at the age of 96. Joseph and Lois (Bell) Taylor were buried in the old Perkins Cemetery, but were re-interred at the current Perkins Cemetery in the 1940s. A War of 1812 marker is found next to the tombstone of Joseph Taylor.

According to Hewson Peeke's book A STANDARD HISTORY OF ERIE COUNTY, OHIO (Lewis Pub. Co., 1916), Joseph Taylor was one of several families who settled in Perkins Township in 1815. The group left Glastonbury, Connecticut and traveled by oxen train to Ohio, led by John Beatty. The settlers bought land from Mr. Beatty, and cleared the land and built log cabins. The settlement was called the "Yankee settlement." In the book MEMORIAL TO THE PIONEER WOMEN OF THE WESTERN RESERVE, we read that Mrs. Lois Bell walked most of the way from Glastonbury, Connecticut to Ohio. When the settlers reached Perkins, Mrs. Lois Bell was the only woman owning an iron kettle, and she loaned it out to her neighbors. She often assisted in putting out prairie fires in those early years of Perkins Township. In her old age, Lois Bell Taylor was blind, but she could still knit, and she was able to repeat the Gospel of John, never missing a word of its first seventeen chapters. It is said that when she died at the age of ninety-six, she had spent her life serving others.

Records in the Pedigree File portion of Family Search indicate that Lois Bell was the second wife of Joseph Taylor, and that his first wife had been Hannah Bell, most likely a relative of Lois Bell. Joseph Taylor married Lois Bell about 1805, prior to their move to Ohio. Joseph and Lois Taylor truly were Firelands Pioneers.

Friday, March 9, 2012

Jabez Wright, 1848-1912

THE HISTORY OF THE WESTERN RESERVE tells us that Jabez Wright was a son of Douglas Wright and Miranda Smith Wright, born in 1848 in Huron, Ohio. The grandfather of Jabez Wright, whose name also was Jabez Wright, came to Ohio from Connecticut in the early 1800's. He became a judge for Huron County. Judge Wright's home served as a station for the Underground Railroad of the Firelands. Douglas Wright and father were both very anti-slavery in their views.

In 1868, the younger Jabez Wright married Isabelle Kirby, a daughter of Captain and Mrs. A. A. Kirby. Jabez Wright died on March 12, 1912. His obituary in the March 14, 1912 Sandusky Register reported that Jabez Wright was "one of the oldest and most esteemed citizens of Huron." He was prominent in Masonic circles. Mr. Wright was survived by his wife and two sons. Jabez and Isabelle Wright are buried in Scott Cemetery.

Wednesday, March 7, 2012

Charles W. Zollinger, Undertaker

This advertisement for Charles W. Zollinger, Undertaker, appeared in the March 14, 1867 issue of the Sandusky Daily Register. Mr. Zollinger stated that he had coffins and caskets of several different sizes, and made from many different materials, for the rich and poor alike. He also sold cabinets and furniture. In 1860 he moved his business one block north of his original place of business, to the corner of Wayne and Market Streets.

Hewson L. Peeke wrote in his 1916 edition of the book A STANDARD HISTORY OF ERIE COUNTY, that Charles W. Zollinger was born in Weisbaden, Germany on July 23, 1813. He emigrated to the United States, and settled in Sandusky, Ohio. He opened a shop on the east side of Wayne street, north of Washington Street, and he conducted business there as an undertaker and furniture maker. He married Christine Schmidt (sometimes spelled Smith.) They had a family of ten children. Charles W. Zollinger died on May 6, 1867. He and his wife are buried at Sandusky's Oakland Cemetery. Mrs. Zollinger passed away in September of 1889.

Tuesday, March 6, 2012

Tombstone Tuesday: Theadocia Reid






















Theadocia Reid's tombstone is found at Sandusky's Oakland Cemetery. The inscription reads:

Theadocia Ried
Died March 6. 1865
Aged 61 years 5 months


A descending dove is found at the top of the tombstone of Theadocia Reid. The dove is a symbol of peace.

Sunday, March 4, 2012

Augusta Florentine Jaensch Piehl, 1858-1906

















Augusta is the adult female in the first row in the Piehl family photo above, wearing a dark dress with a white bow. (Picture taken about 1906.) According to the book DESCENDANTS OF GRANDFATHER J. SAMUEL JAENSCH OF OHIO, compiled by Frederick A. Wargowsky (Williston, 1995), Augusta Florentine Jaensch was born in Posen, Germany to J. Samuel and Anna (Piehl) Jaensch on January 15, 1858. The 1900 U.S. Census indicates that Augusta emigrated from Germany to the United States in 1880. Ottawa County Marriage Records, available at the Ohio, County Marriages, 1790-1950 Collection at Family Search list the marriage date of Augusta Piehl to Gotthold Ferdinand Piehl as December 12, 1880. The marriage was performed by Rev. J. Bauch, pastor of St. John Lutheran Church in Oak Harbor, Ottawa County, Ohio.















Augusta and Ferdinand had a large family of eight daughters and nine sons. Further details about Ferdinand Piehl are found in DESCENDANTS OF GRANDFATHER J. SAMUEL JAENSCH OF OHIO. Ferdinand, who also came to the U.S. in 1880, cleared land in Ottawa County, Ohio, north of Oak Harbor. He built a log house on the land, and worked as a farmer. Ferdinand spoke only German. Little is known about his wife Augusta, who is my great great grandmother. Knowing that she came from Germany, and lived in a log cabin, I can guess that she worked very hard, helping on the farm, cooking meals, canning food, and raising her nine children. She probably faced many challenges in adapting to her new home, with an unfamiliar culture and language.























On May 22, 1906, Augusta and Ferdinand lost their teenage daughter Amanda to diphtheria. Later that same year, on December 13, 1906, Augusta Florentine Jaensch Piehl passed away. Her cause of death was listed as "dropsy of chest." Augusta was only 48 years of age. Dying so young, she did not live to see several of her grandchildren and great grandchildren. I truly believe that the fruits of Augusta's labors resulted in her daughters' excellent homemaking skills, and their ability to also run a household in an efficient manner. Augusta was buried in the Piehl family lot in the Union Cemetery in Salem Township,Ottawa County, Ohio. She was a true pioneer woman. I only wish I had asked my Great Grandma, Lena Piehl Yeager, more about her beloved mother.

















Note: This blog post was written for the 116th edition of the Carnival of Genealogy. Many of the facts and images which appear in this posting have appeared in previous articles at the Graveyard Rabbit of Sandusky Bay.

George W. Fleming

A brief biographical sketch about George W. Fleming appears in HISTORY OF ERIE COUNTY, OHIO, edited by Lewis Cass Aldrich. The article tells us that Mr. Fleming was born in Groton Township, Erie County, Ohio, in 1838, to pioneer residents, John and Nancy Paxton Fleming. Nancy Paxton Fleming lived to the age of 103 years.

George W. Fleming served as a Sergeant in Co. G of the 101st Ohio Volunteer Infantry.He enlisted on August 12, 1862, under Colonel Stem, and was discharged in 1863 due to disability. George W. Fleming married Mereb Kershner in 1875. They had a large family, with five children living at the time of the writing of the Erie County History in 1889.  On February 29, 1904, Mr. George W. Fleming died at the age of 67. He was buried in Deyo Cemetery.

Saturday, March 3, 2012

March 3rd Prompt for Fearless Females

Lisa Alzo from The Accidental Genealogist has once again launched a series of prompts to honor the "Fearless Females" in our Family Trees. The prompt for March 3rd is:

Do you share a first name with one of your female ancestors? Perhaps you were named for your great-grandmother, or your name follows a particular naming pattern. If not, then list the most unique or unusual female first name you’ve come across in your family tree.












My first name is Dorene. Mom told me that she selected that name because the first three letters were from the first part of my maternal grandmother's first name, Doris. The last three letters were from the last portion of the Great Grandma Irene's name.

Thus, Dor + ene = Dorene!

Even though there was a Mouseketeer named Doreen, whose name had a variation of the spelling of my first name, there were surely never pencils, stickers, or hair barrettes with the name Dorene! I used to long for a name like Linda or Debbie, so that I could find items at the dime store that had my name on them! As time has gone by, I have grown to love my name, because it really is unique.

Pictured below are my mom Joyce, the youngest person in the picture; her mother Doris Wheeler Parker, her grandmother, Irene Larkins Risko, and her great grandfather Tom Larkins.


My mom's name when she was born was Joyce Emada Parker. The name "Emada" was created by my Grandma Doris, by joining the names Emma and Ada. Emma was mom's step great grandmother's name, the second wife of my Great Great Grandpa Tom Larkins. Ada was the first name of my Great Grandmother, Ada Steen Parker. Grandma Doris loved these two older members of the family, and she wanted to honor them in my mom's middle name. Through the years, Mom was called "Joyce Tomato" or "Choice Tomato," always in a loving, yet light hearted tone.




My great grandmother Ada Steen Parker, who provided the "Ada" in Mom's middle name, Emada, is holding me in the snapshot below.

Nicholas Marshall, 1815-1903


















Nicholas Marshall was born on February 15, 1815, in Licherode, Hesse, Germany. He first married Anna Elisabeth Schmidt, and he married secondly, Catherine Elisabeth Erckmann. According to SANDUSKY THEN AND NOW, Nicholas Marshall settled in Sandusky, Ohio in 1848. In the 1850 U.S. Census, Nicholas was living in Portland Township (an early name for a portion of the City of Sandusky) with his wife Catherine, 10 year old son Ernst, and 6 year old daughter Elizabeth. (Ernst is incorrectly identified as Antz in the census.) Lena/Magdalena Marshall would be born later in 1850.






In the 1855 Sandusky City Directory, Nicholas Marshall was listed as a laborer, and he was residing on Second Street in Sandusky. By the time of the 1880 Census, Mr. and Mrs. Nicholas Marshall had moved to Perkins Township, where Nicholas was a farmer. In the photocopy below, from the 1896 Erie County Atlas, Nicholas Marshall's property is just a few block west of Oakland Cemetery.


















In the year 1900, Census records show that Nicholas Marshall, now widowed a second time, was living again in Portland Township, with his daughter Elizabeth Marshall Cross, her husband James. Elizabeth and James had two children still residing at home at this time, along with the brother of James Cross, photographer Charles A. Cross. It must have been a busy household, with several generations living in one home! On March 3, 1903, Nicholas Marshall passed away. He was buried on March 3, 1903 at Sandusky's Oakland Cemetery.



Friday, March 2, 2012

Charles Barney, 1812-1849















According to the Pedigree Resource File at FamilySearch, Charles Barney was the son of Throop Barney and Sally Richmond Danforth Barney, born in 1812 in Kingsbury, New York. In the ENCYCLOPEDIA OF PHILADELPHIA HISTORY, available full text at the Internet Archive, we read that Charles Barney was originally from New York, and later became a grain merchant in Sandusky, Ohio. Mr. Barney was known for "his charity and philanthropy." Sadly, Charles Barney died at age 37 years of age, during Sandusky's cholera epidemic in 1849. The widow of Charles Barney was Elizabeth Caldwell Dennis Barney. Charles Barney is buried in the North Ridge section of Sandusky's Oakland Cemetery.

The son of Charles and Elizabeth Barney was Charles Dennis Barney, who married the daughter of Jay Cooke, Laura E. Cooke. Charles Dennis Barney worked with his father in law in the banking business, and later was co-founder of Smith, Barney & Co. While the elder Charles Barney died as a young man, his son Charles Dennis Barney lived until the age of 101.

Thursday, March 1, 2012

Stamford History and Genealogy Page at the Website of the Ferguson Library













While looking for information on a distant cousin who once resided in Stamford, Connecticut, I ran into this amazing Local History and Genealogy page from the Ferguson Library in Stamford, Connecticut. Of particular interest are the Obituary Index and the Ferguson Library Digital Archives and Historic Photos. If you find a name of interest in the Obituary Index, jot down the citation, and contact the library staff for further information:

Information Services Department
The Ferguson Library
One Public Library Plaza
Stamford, CT 06904



The Ferguson Library Digital Archives feature historical pamphlets and photographs related to Stamford, Connecticut. A quick search for the word Cemetery yielded five historic photographs of tombstones and cemeteries.

Happy Hunting at the Ferguson Library in Stamford, Connecticut!