Events in Ohio History Remembered in the Past Week

There were remembrances of several  historical events in the northern Ohio area during the past week. Click on the links below to read more about:

• The Lorain Tornado of 1924  (which also struck Sandusky)
• A major flood in Sandusky in 1937
• Knute Rockne and Gus Dorias perfecting the forward pass at the Cedar Point Beach in 1913
• The old Sandusky Bay Bridge was a key component of the Lake Shore Route in the 1930s

(Note: Tornado image from iconbug.com )

Tombstone Tuesday: Karl and Augusta Grahl

This beautiful monument in memory of Karl and Augusta (Kohl/Kuhl) Grahl is found at Venice Cemetery in Margaretta Township, Erie County, Ohio. Karl Grahl (sometimes listed as Carl or Charles) was born in 1856 in Germany. He and his wife, the former Augusta H. Kohl (sometimes listed as Kuhl), had ten children. William, Otto, and Frank were all born in Germany, between 1880 and 1884. In 1885 Karl and Augusta and their three oldest sons all immigrated to the United States. Records on file at FamilySearch indicate that they traveled on the ship Moravia. The family traveled in steerage, and they arrived at New York City on June 23, 1885. By the time of the 1900 U.S. Census, Karl/Carl Grahl listed his occupation as farmer. The family resided in the village of Venice, Ohio. By 1900, seven more children had been added to the family: Carl, age 11; Max, age 10; Eric, age 7; Anna, age 5; Cora, age 4; Clara, age 2; and a baby girl, whose first name was not listed in the census. In 1911, Mrs. Augusta Grahl died at the age of 55, of chronic heart disease. Karl Grahl died On April 3, 1934, also from heart disease. Mr. Grahl was survived by four sons, two daughters, and seventeen grandchildren. His wife, two sons, and two daughters had preceded him in death. Mr. and Mrs. Karl Grahl were buried at Venice Cemetery. Many members of the Grahl extended family are also buried at Venice Cemetery.

Boeckling Monument: "The Lord is Loving Unto Every Man"

Though I have seen the Boeckling monument at Sandusky's Oakland Cemetery so very many times, recently I noticed a lovely inscription at the top of the monument above the columns, visible when you view the monument while facing north.

The inscription reads: "THE LORD IS LOVING UNTO EVERY MAN"

George A. Boeckling,who greatly improved the Cedar Point Amusement Park in the early part of the twentieth century, was buried in the Front Hill section of Oakland Cemetery after he died on July 24, 1931. After his sister Elizabeth A. Boeckling died, on October 15, 1948, she too was laid to rest in the Front Hill section of Oakland.

If you ever visit Sandusky, Ohio, stop by Oakland Cemetery to view this majestic monument.

E.F. and Rachel F. Osborn

According to the 1850 U.S. Census for Erie County, Ohio, E.F. Osborn (sometimes spelled Osborne) was born in the very early 1800s in Massachusetts. Details about Ebenezer Francis Osborn are found in the Finding Aid to the Camp Family Papers at the Cornell University Library. As a young man, E.F. Osborn worked as a clerk for the firm of Osborn and Young in New York City. From 1825 to 1828, Mr. Osborn embarked on a voyage to South America. In 1850, he was residing in Sandusky, Ohio. He listed his occupation as Railroad Superintendent in the 1850 U.S. Census.  His wife Rachel was age 45. The children residing in the Osborn household included: Fanny, age 7; Mary, age 4; and Ellen, age 1. Three individuals who were natives of Ireland also lived at the Osborn residence. In the 1855 Sandusky City Directory, E.F. Osborn was listed as president of the Mad River and Lake Erie Railroad, and he also was director of the Union Bank. In the book AT HOME IN EARLY SANDUSKY, Helen Hansen wrote that Ebenezer Francis Osborn was the owner of a prosperous flour mill in Missouri before he came to Ohio.  E.F. Osborn  moved to Sandusky in 1845 to become the superintendent of the Mad River and Lake Erie Railroad, when Ebenezer Lane was the president of the railroad. Eventually E.F. Osborn  became the fifth president of the Mad River and Lake Erie Railroad.

Mrs. Rachel Osborn died on June 17, 1851, at the age of 46 years, 1 month, and 23 days. She was buried in the North Ridge section of Sandusky's Oakland Cemetery.

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E.F. Osborn died on May 17, 1857. He was buried beside his wife Rachel in Oakland Cemetery. Mr. and Mrs. Osborn were survived by several children. One daughter, Elizabeth Francis Osborn,  became the wife of Jacob Andrus Camp.  According to the HISTORY OF GREENE COUNTY, OHIO, the town of Osborn, Ohio was named for E.F. Osborn. (The town of Osborn no longer exists.)

Battle of Lake Erie Bicentennial

September 2013 will mark the 200th Anniversary of the Battle of Lake Erie, in which the U.S. Navy, led by Commodore Oliver Hazard Perry, defeated the British fleet. Recently I was able to visit the Perry's Victory and International Peace Monument. At the site, my grandsons and I viewed a DVD about the Battle of Lake Erie. We saw several images of the ships and the commanders at the Visitors Center, and of course we all enjoyed traveling up the elevator to see the panoramic view of Lake Erie from the top of the monument.

If you get a chance to go to South Bass Island this summer, visit the Perry's Victory and International Peace Monument to learn more about the history of the War of 1812 in Ohio. Online, you can view this full PBS documentary about the War of 1812. 

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Here are the steps to find full text articles about the War of 1812 from the website of the Ohio Historical Society. (Click on images below for a larger view.)

1. Go to the Publications section of the Ohio Historical Society. Choose Ohio History Online Archive.

2.  At the Index Search page, select Full Search.      

3.  Enter  War of 1812 as a subject.

4. This selection will retrieve several full text articles about the War of 1812, from the Ohio History Online Archive.

The Battle of Lake Erie Bicentennial site will lead to more information about this historic event in our nation's history, and to find about the activities that are planned to commemorate the Battle of Lake Erie.

Saturday Night Genealogy Fun: June 15, 2013

Randy at Genea-Musings has given us this challenge this Father's Day weekend:

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

1)  Sunday, 16 June, is Father's Day.  Let's celebrate by writing a blog post about our Father, or another significant male ancestor (e.g., a grandfather).

2)  What are three things about your father (or significant male ancestor) that you vividly remember about him?

3)  Tell us all about it in your own blog post, in a comment to this post, or in a Facebook Status or Google+ Stream post.

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Above is a picture of my husband and I, as I share a moment with my dad, Paul R. Orshoski, Sr., on our wedding day.  Mom is behind me, and the little ones are my baby sister Kellie and Tom's cousin Jerry. Dad left us in 1983, when he was only 55 years old. He packed a lot of life into those 55 years!

The three things that I remember most about my dad are:

• his unconditional love 

• his terrific sense of humor

          and

• his willingness to help others.

Dad lived the Golden Rule throughout his life in a practical way, and he really showed us a wonderful example of how to face the challenges of life head-on. Dad and Mom raised a family of six children. We did not have a lot of expensive material things, though Dad was a very good provider. Just the every day things like going out for ice cream, going to Sunday School, to the ball game (oh so many ball games!) and celebrating the holidays with loved ones are memories that I will always cherish! We miss you Dad on this Father's Day weekend! Thanks for the memories!


 

Edgar J. Waye, Dentist

Dr. Edgar J. Waye was a dentist in Sandusky from the late 1860's through the early 1900's. A citation from the Lorain County News tells us that Dr. Waye married Leila H. Smith in Sandusky, Ohio on August 21, 1861.






Dr. Waye advertised "artificial teeth" in an advertisement from the April 1, 1891 Sandusky Register.










An article from the July 11, 1900 issue of the Sandusky Star reports that Dr. Waye was the president of the Sandusky Dental Society in 1900. The local Dental Society traveled to Johnson's Island, where Dr. Waye gave a short address about the former Civil War prison.

Dr. E. J. Waye died in April of 1905. He was buried at Sandusky's Oakland Cemetery. Dr. Waye's daughter Winifred Waye was an artist and a journalist. You can read about her at the Sandusky History blog.

John and Christina Kerber

John Kerber, the president of the Consumers' Ice Company, was killed instantly when he fell beneath the wheels of a train in Battle Creek, Michigan on June 13, 1926.  He had spent several weeks in a sanitarium at Battle Creek just prior to the tragedy. Mr. Kerber was the son of Mr. and Mrs. Vincent Kerber, born in Sandusky on February 8, 1865. He had worked for several other local ice companies before organizing the Consumers' Ice Company in 1901. Vincent Kerber had also been active in the ice industry. Funeral services for John Kerber were held at the Kerber family residence, with the Rev. T.J.C. Kerber officiating. Burial was in Oakland Cemetery.

Mr. Kerber was survived by his wife, the former Christina Knauer, two daughters, two sons, three brothers, and a sister, Mrs. Paulina Heiberger. Mrs. Christian Knauer survived until 1946. She passed away in Good Samaritan Hospital in Sandusky on November 29, 1946, after a lengthy illness. She was buried next to her husband at Oakland Cemetery.

Mrs. Kerber was survived by two daughters, two sons, two grandchildren, and a sister.

(Note: Top image appeared in the 1926 OBITUARY NOTEBOOK at the Sandusky Library.)

Tombstone Tuesday: Mrs. Louisa Rinkleff

Mrs. George M. Rinkleff, the former Louisa Taubert, died on June 3, 1877, after a lengthy illness. According to the Sandusky Weekly Register of June 8, 1887, Louisa was the daughter of Mr. and Mrs. Lewis F. Taubert. Louisa was only 25 years of age, and she left an infant daughter. The Register article stated, "In her untimely death the husband and parents sustained a bereavement which even the universal sympathy of the community cannot lighten." Louisa Taubert Rinkleff was buried in the North Ridge section of Oakland Cemetery. Vines were inscribed on her tombstone. The top of Louisa's stone features her maiden name, Louisa Taubert.

Sentimental Sunday: 1966 Vacationland Sports Sampler

 

For the Summer of 1966, several advertisers from Erie and Ottawa County, Ohio placed ads in this small booklet, entitled the Vacationland Sports Sampler, which included many coupons (now expired.)  The booklet originally sold for $3.50. The Lagoon Deer Park offered coupons that gave a free admission to the park with a paid adult admission.

 

The Sandusky Putt Putt Miniature Golf course was located next to the Sandusky Speedway in 1966.

 

The Sandusky Speedway offered tickets for one free admission with one paid admission.

 

Cedar Point offered "ride all day" tickets for $3.50 on Monday, Wednesday, and Friday during the summer of 1966.

 

Cheesehaven sold 88 kinds of cheese, along with several other meats, beverages, and baked goods in 1966. Mail order service was offered for all fifty states in the U.S.

 

These are just a few highlights from the Vacationland Sports Sampler from 1966. Thanks to my friend the collector for allowing me to view this nostalgic look at Vacationland from a few years ago!

Charles Baetz

Charles Baetz was born in Germany in 1836. According to the 1900 U.S. Census, he came to the United States about 1854. According to the U.S. Civil War Soldiers database, Charles Baetz was the principal musician for Company A of the 128th Ohio Volunteer Infantry during the Civil War. The 128th Infantry served as guards at the Confederate Prison located at Johnson's Island during the Civil War.

In 1862, Charles married Mary Graul.After Mary's death in 1894, Mr. Baetz married Dorothy Matern. We learn from information available at Lake Erie's Yesterdays that Charles Baetz was an early manager of the Cedar Point Pleasure Resort Company, and that he formed the Great Western Band in 1867. The book THE HISTORY OF ERIE COUNTY, edited by Lewis Cass Aldrich, states that Charles Baetz was also involved in the bottling business in Sandusky for many years.

Charles Baetz passed away on September 26, 1907 in Michigan. He was buried next to his first wife Mary at Sandusky's Oakland Cemetery.

Sentimental Sunday: Log Cabin Restaurant Post Card and Glass

This post card of the Log Cabin Restaurant dates back to the 1970s. The restaurant, no longer in operation, was seven miles west of Sandusky, and overlooked Sandusky Bay. Before the closing of the old Sandusky Bay Bridge, the restaurant was a popular stop for boaters, families on vacation, as well as local residents. For twenty years, this restaurant was owned and operated by my Aunt Bertie and her husband John. Often when there was a death in the family, Aunt Bertie would close the restaurant, and have the funeral luncheon at the Log Cabin. Many stories were told, especially by my uncles. Though the building is now slated for demolition, the Log Cabin Restaurant was a very special place for my extended family for many years. My cousin recently gave me the post card and a glass from the Log Cabin Restaurant.

Saturday Night Genealogy Fun: Name Acrostic

Randy, at Genea-Musings, has given us this challenge for this edition of Saturday Night Genealogy Fun:

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

1)  Visit Beverly's Reeves, Reaves and More Rives blog post titled John A. and Nancy Reves Remembered.  Note the acrostic poem made from the letters of their names.  Isn't that cool?

2)  Select one of your ancestors, and make a Name Acrostic for them. If you can write poems like these, please do it.  If you're non-creative like me, then just list the letters of their name and write one word for each letter in the name that describes your selected person.

3)  Show us your Name Acrostic on your own blog post, on a comment to this post, in a Facebook Status or a Google+ Stream post. 

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Here is a name acrostic I created about my father, Paul R. Orshoski, Sr., with the help of a free online acrostic generator:

Dad, we still miss you so very much!

Thanks for another fun Saturday Night Genealogy Fun, Randy!