Lawrence H. Hertlein

Lawrence H. Hertlein was the son of Oscar and Amelia (Ernst) Hertlein, born in Ohio in 1892. According to records at Erie County, Ohio Probate Court, in April 1917, Lawrence Hertlein married Aletha Dauch, the daughter of J.J. Dauch and Mary (Wendt) Dauch.

For several years, L. H. Hertlein was associated with the Dauch Manufacturing Company. He wrote an article in Tractor World in October, 1918, entitled The Marketing of a Tractor.






















Mrs. Aletha Dauch Hertlein died at the age of 43 on November 29, 1935, after a brief illness. Mr. Lawrence H. Hertlein passed away on February 26, 1965, while on a trip to California. Mr. Hertlein was survived by two sisters, and several nieces and nephews. Funeral services for Lawrence H. Hertlein were held at the Frey Funeral Home, and burial was in Sandusky's Oakland Cemetery. The mausoleum of Lawrence H. Hertlein is maintained throughout the year. Pictured below is the Hertlein Mausoleum during the winter months.

Franklin W. Hubbard

Franklin W. Hubbard was the son of Watson and Georgina A. (Holcombe) Hubbard. He died when he was only two years of age, on February 23, 1856. He was buried in the family lot at Sandusky's Oakland Cemetery. In a biographical sketch in THE HISTORY OF THE WESTERN RESERVE, we learn that Watson Hubbard had extensive interests in the lumber business in both Michigan and Sandusky. Along the top of the tombstone of Franklin W. Hubbard is written Frank, and a lovely dove adorns the front of his tomebstone. I am sure that Franklin's parents had hopes of young Franklin growing up and having a successful life, but those dreams were cut short by his death in 1856.

Taylor Williams, Veteran of the 123rd U.S.C.T. and the 9th U.S. Cavalry

According to his death certificate, Taylor Williams was born on November 26, 1852 in Georgetown, Kentucky. By the year 1890, Taylor Williams was residing in Sandusky, Erie County, Ohio. The 1890 Veterans Schedules, available at Ancestry Library Edition, list Taylor Williams as having served in Company D of the 123rd U.S.C.T. during the Civil War. Notes indicate that Mr. Williams had developed lung problems from wounds he received in battle during the Civil War. According to a pension file for Taylor Williams, also accessed at Ancestry Library Edition, Taylor Williams served in the 9th United States Cavalry after the Civil War ended. The men who served in the 9th Cavalry were known as Buffalo Soldiers. Taylor Williams passed away at his residence on Adams Street in Sandusky on February 21, 1909. Funeral services for Taylor Williams were conducted at the Williams residence by Rev. J. Oakey. Burial was at Sandusky's Oakland Cemetery, but no stone remains today for Taylor Williams. Mr. Williams was survived by his wife Julia, three sisters, and three brothers. All of the siblings of Taylor Williams resided in Lexington, Kentucky. An obituary for Mr. Taylor Williams appeared in the February 22, 1909 issue of the Sandusky Register.

Below are the top and bottom halves of a photocopy of the death certificate of Taylor Williams, from the Ohio Deaths collection at Family Search.

Joseph Andrews

Joseph Andrews died on February 20, 1905. His obituary, which appeared in the March 2, 1905 issue of the Sandusky Register stated that Mr. Andrews was "another of the best known and most highly respected residents of Groton township...He was a man of strict intergrity, a good citizen, a model husband, kind father, and the afflicted family have the symapthy of all in their bereavement."

Joseph Andrews was born in Somerset, England on August 19, 1848. He married his wife Emma in 1864, and they had twelve children. Joseph Andrews came to the United States briefly in 1870, and returned about 1874 with his family. During the last eighteen years of his life, Mr. Andrews lived on the farm formerly owned by G. A. Wright.

Surviving Joseph Andrews was his wife Emma, and children: Mrs. William Fitch, Miss Nellie Andrews, Mrs. Frank Fitch, Mrs. G. Miller, Mrs. F. J. Mitchell, Edith Andrews, Joseph Andrews, Harry Andrews and James Andrews. Joseph Andrews and his wife Emma are buried in the Strong's Ridge Cemetery in Huron County, Ohio. The monument is in the shape of a tree stump, with a scroll that bears the names of Joseph and Emma Andrews.

Sentimental Sunday: Sandusky Library Postcard

The Carnegie Library in Sandusky, Ohio is featured on this vintage postcard, a recent gift from my nephew. The postcard is from the Hugh C. Leighton Co. of Portland, Maine, and was printed in Frankfort, Germany. It was mailed to a man in LaSalle, Michigan in June of 1910, with a stamp that cost one cent. Now called the Sandusky Library, the building is located at 114 West Adams Street in Sandusky, Ohio, across from the Erie County Courthouse. In 1899, Andrew Carnegie donated $50,000 for a public library in our Sandusky. You can read more about the history of Sandusky Library here. Sandusky Library is so very dear to my heart. It has been providing books and information to several generations of my family for many years.

The Sandusky Library is hosting another Genealogy Lock-In. On Friday, February 22, 2013, from 5:30 to 8:30 p.m., library staff and volunteers from the Erie County Chapter, Ohio Genealogical Society will be on hand to assist with your family history questions. The computer lab will be open, along with access to hundreds of local history books, historical newspapers on microfilm, and a finding aids which highlight historical photographs and primary sources held by the Sandusky Library Archives Research Center. Hope to see you there!

John and Fredericka Fisher

Born in Germany in 1818, John Fisher was a railroad employee who also was the original owner of Fisher's Hall, at the corner of Wayne and Washington Streets in downtown Sandusky. John and his wife Fredericka were the parents of ten children. The book SANDUSKY THEN AND NOW tells us that Fredericka Fisher was the daughter of Mr. and Mrs. Adam Hemberle, who were natives of Blackenloch, Baden.

John Fisher died on April 23, 1880 at the age of 62 years, 3 months, and 7 days. He is buried at Oakland Cemetery, next to his wife Fredericka who died on April 1, 1895. An obituary for John Fisher appeared in the April 24, 1880 issue of the Sandusky Register. Mr. Fisher's funeral was held at his home at 623 Hancock Street. The tombstone which honors John and Fredericka Fisher features a lot of geometric shapes, with two vertical columns, topped with an urn above the triangular shaped stone over the columns.

Ornamental Heart Center Bricks of Ice Cream from Esmond Dairy in 1920

Esmond Dairy was in operation in Sandusky, Ohio from about 1907 until the 1970s. In the advertisement above, which appeared in the February 10, 1920 issue of the Sandusky Star Journal, area residents were told of the many varieties of frozen delights available at Esmond's. Valentine's treats available at Esmond's included cupid heart molds, ice cream, mousses, puddings, and bricks of ice cream with a heart shape in the center. Click here to see some historic photos of Esmond Dairy Day at Cedar Point, from the Sandusky Collection of Cleveland Memory.

Ulysses Grant Toomire

Ulysses Grant Toomire was born in Indiana on March 4, 1871. He was most likely named after President Ulysses S. Grant, who served as U.S. President from March 4, 1869 to March 4, 1877. In the 1910 U.S. Census, U.G. Toomire stated that he was employed at a cement mill. He and his wife and two daughters were living in Margaretta Township, Erie County, Ohio at that time. On February 11, 1929, Ulysses G. Toomire died following an illness of several weeks. He was buried in Sandusky's Oakland Cemetery. Mr. Toomire was survived by two daughters, Mrs. Norman J. Bitter and Mrs. Harry J. Andres; two grandchildren; one brother, George Toomire, and many relatives and friends. An obituary for Ulysses Grant Toomire appeared in the February 12, 1929 issue of the Sandusky Register.

William and Eliza McCartney

William McCartney and his wife, the former Eliza Cooper, are both buried in the Castalia Cemetery in Margaretta Township, Erie County, Ohio. The January 21, 1921 issue of the Firelands Pioneer stated that the William McCartney was born in Kentucky in 1792. He served as a Scout in the War of 1812, under General William Henry Harrison, and he fought at Fort Stephenson in 1813. An article in the Sandusky Weekly Register of March 13, 1878, reported that William McCartney first settled in Sandusky, Ohio, and then moved to the Venice, Ohio area about 1812 or 1813. He became a prominent citizen, was a large land owner, a banker, and a justice of the peace. Mrs. Eliza McCartney, a native of New Jersey, died on February 20, 1871. Mr. William McCartney died on February 19, 1878, after a wagon accident.

Read more about William McCartney, and many other pioneer settlers of Erie and Huron Counties in the Firelands Pioneer. This multi-volume periodical is available in many libraries in Northern Ohio.

Missing Joel on his 30th Birthday

We lost our son  Joel last fall. On February 8, 2013, he would have turned 30 years old. My heart still aches for him. In the picture above, taken at his memorial service on November 5, 2012, it almost looks like Joel is looking down on me and my five siblings. Rest in peace, dear son.

Jefferson Riggs

Jefferson Riggs was born in 1846 in Belmont County, Ohio. He served with Company H of the Third West Virginia Cavalry during the Civil War. In 1919, he was residing at the U.S. National Home for Disabled Volunteer Soldiers in Grant County, Indiana.














By 1924, Jefferson Riggs was residing at the Ohio Soldiers' and Sailors' Home in Sandusky, Ohio. He died in Sandusky on June 2, 1924, and is buried in the cemetery at what is now known as the Ohio Veterans Home.

James Dewitt, pioneer settler of Perkins Township

According to a newspaper article in the February 4, 1886 issue of the Sandusky Register, James Dewitt, a pioneer settler Perkins Township, was born at Harmony, New Jersey on March 4, 1812 (although his tombstone reads he was born March 11, 1813.) Erie County Probate Court lists the marriage date of James Dewitt and Sidney Ann Macky as February 16, 1843.













Sadly, the first Mrs. James Dewitt died on August 27, 1849. Her tombstone at Perkins Cemetery reads Cidnea A., Wife of James Dewitt.























On April 28, 1850, James Dewitt married Elizabeth Wolverton, who was sometimes known as Ann Elizabeth. Mrs. Ann Elizabeth Dewitt died on December 18, 1868. She was buried next to Mrs. Cidnea Dewitt at Perkins Cemetery.






















Mr. James Dewitt passed away on February 2, 1886, having outlived both his wives. His funeral was held at the Perkins Methodist Church, and he was buried in Perkins Cemetery. James Dewitt and his first wife were the parents of well known Erie County Common Pleas Judge, James Lloyd Dewitt.

Friendship and Gratitude at a Civil War Prison

While I was browsing through PERSI, the Periodical Source Index, I came across a citation for an article which mentioned Masonic friendship at Johnson's Island during the Civil War. The title of the article is:

"A Token of Friendship and Gratitude from Masonic Confederate Prisoners of War at Johnson Island, Ohio to Union Colonel W.F. Osborne during the War Between the States." The article was submitted by Martis D. Ramage, Jr. to the Northeast Mississippi Historical & Genealogical Society Quarterly, Tupelo, Mississippi, in its June 1995 issue  (Volume 15, issue 4.)

In the brief article, Mr. Ramage explains that Mary Bowles Merletto had ancestors who fought for both the Union and the Confederacy. Mary Merletto's great great grandfather, Colonel W.F. Osborne, was a Union officer stationed at the Johnson's Island Prison Camp during the Civil War. Colonel Osborne was a member of the Masonic Lodge. Colonel Osborne learned that several of the prisoners of war at the Johnson's Island Prison Camp were also members of the Masons. Osborne took it upon himself to contact the families of the Confederate prisoners who were also Masons, and let the families know of the well being of their imprisoned loved ones. In appreciation for his kindness, several Confederate prisoners of war at Johnson's Island signed their names in a small booklet. The cover of the booklet read:

W.F. Osborne
from
Brother Masons
on
Johnson's Island
as
A Token of Friendship 
and
Gratitude

Martis D. Ramage, Jr. looked through the booklet and copied the remembrances from fifteen Confederate prisoners who were from the northeast Mississippi area. One remembrance read:

Jas. W. Porter 1sts Lieut
Co. J, 1st Miss. Infantry
(mm) Palmetto Lodge No. 52
Shannon,
Miss

Each prisoner included his Lodge number. Some wrote down details of when and where they were captured. Several of the men included the phrase "Fraternally yours" in their message.

I did not transcribe the complete article, or scan any portion of it, so as not to infringe on copyright. Reading this article and learning that their indeed were acts of human kindness at the Johnson's Island Prison Camp during the Civil War was fascinating to me. If you find an article in PERSI, you can contact the Allen County Public Library to obtain a copy for a small fee. Because I have family members associated with Mississippi State University, I contacted the Special Collections Department of Mississippi State University Libraries to request a copy of this article. Thanks to Allen County Public Library for creating PERSI, and to Mississippi State University Libraries for helping me learn more of the relationships between members of the Union and Confederacy in such a difficult time in U.S. history.

Over two hundred graves of former Confederate soldiers are located at the Confederate Cemetery at Johnson's Island. In June of 2010, there was a re-dedication of the bronze monument to the Confederate soldiers at Johnson's Island.