Cedar Point, a Poem by Harry Lorenzo Chapin, M.D.

Dr. Harry Lorenzo Chapin wrote the poem "Cedar Point," which was included in his privately published book entitled: THE ADOPTION AND OTHER SKETCHES, POEMS, AND PLAYS. The book was printed in August, 1909, and is available online at the Internet Archive. The poem "Cedar Point" appears on page 133 and 134 of Dr. Chapin's book.

Dr. Harry Lorenzo Chapin tells of the pleasures of Cedar Point, a local amusement park, which has always been known for its lovely beach. He says that "dancing reigns serenely" and the ladies look lovely in the bathing suits. Harry Lorenzo Chapin was born in Berlin Heights, Erie County, Ohio on November 13, 1872, to Lorenzo S. and Nancy (Knight) Chapin. He was educated at the medical department of Western Reserve University. On Thanksgiving Day, 1907, Dr. Chapin married Anna M. Fries, the wealthy widow of Valentine Fries of Milan, Ohio. Sadly, Dr. Chapin became blind. The Sandusky Star Journal of November 9, 1917 reported that Dr. Chapin was murdered in Cleveland, Ohio at the Colonial Hotel, where it is believed that  he planned to make a purchase of drugs. (The death certificate of Harry L. Chapin is found at FamilySearch in the Ohio Deaths database.)

Dr. Harry L. Chapin was buried in the Fries Mausoleum in Milan, Ohio.

Cedar Point has been a popular destination for several generations of my family!

Mr. and Mrs. Gottlieb Epple, Jr.

 According to Helen Hansen's book AT HOME IN EARLY SANDUSKY, Gottlieb Epple, Jr. was born in Germany in 1831. He came to the U.S. in 1851, and eventually settled in Sandusky, Ohio. In 1856, Gottlieb Epple married Louisa Wise/Weis, and they adopted a son whom they named Frederick Epple. Gottlieb Epple was deeded a corner of land at the northwest corner of Columbus Avenue and West Monroe Street, from Lucas S. Beecher. Mr. Epple had a saloon at this corner, and later a restaurant. In 1882, Gottlieb Epple became a dealer in hard and soft wood. Mr. Epple was best known for his "street sprinkling" business. The dirt roads would often become dusty, and sprinkling the streets with water helped the dust to settle, making for better traveling conditions in the horse and buggy era.  On August 28, 1910, Gottlieb Epple, listed on his death record as John Gottlieb Epple, died at the age of 79,  after suffering from bronchitis and pneumonia. He was buried at Sandusky's Oakland Cemetery. Mrs. Louise Epple had died in 1900.

Frederick Epple died from typhoid in 1914. After Frederick's son died in 1961, the property formerly owned by Gottlieb Epple was willed to the city of Sandusky, Ohio. The three buildings which stood on the property at the northwest corner of Columbus Avenue and West Monroe Street were torn down, and now the area is known as Epple Corner, a part of the city of Sandusky's Parks and Recreation Department.

Museum Day Live!

Sponsored by the Smithsonian Magazine, Museum Day Live! will take place on September 28, 2013. Click here for more information. Several museums in Ohio are participating in this event, which allows free admission for one person, and one guest, by requesting tickets from a participating institution. Venues are searchable by location at the website of the Smithsonian Magazine. Pictured above is Historic Lyme Village, which is one of the museums participating in Museum Day Live!  This is a great chance for you and a friend or family member to learn about local history, with no admission fee.

Sandusky Ohio Civil War Encampment

Above are just a few pictures taken today at the Ohio Civil War Encampment at the Ohio Veterans Home at Columbus Avenue & Strub Road in Sandusky, Ohio. The Encampment is taking place on August 24 and August 25, 2013, so there is still time to take in some of the events. Featured are artillery and infantry demonstrations,  re-enactors, speakers, and live Civil War music by several performers. Sunday's events include a church service on the north lawn of the Veterans Home grounds. Today my grandsons and I got to see President and Mrs. Lincoln, Ambrose Burnside, several soldiers and musicians, and a Civil War era reporter. What a fun way to learn about American History! Volunteers at the camp will provide you with a full list of ongoing activities.

*Click here to see a few more pictures from this event at Pinterest.

*Click here to see a larger view of the top collage.

Hawthorn Hill: Home to Orville Wright

For almost 35 years, Hawthorn Hill was the home of Orville Wright, the well known aviator. The mansion is in Oakwood, near Dayton, Ohio. Tours are available of this lovely home, through a partnership between Dayton History and the Wright Family Foundation. According to a brochure published in 2008, both Orville and Wilbur Wright were involved in the planning of Hawthorn Hill, but Wilbur died before the home was constructed. In 1914, Orville Wright moved to Hawthorn Hill, along with his sister Katherine and their father Bishop Milton Wright. When members of the Wright family lived here, well known visitors to their home included Charles Lindbergh, Thomas Edison, Henry Ford, and Alexander Graham Bell. After Orville Wright's death in 1948, Hawthorn Hill became a corporate guest house for NCR, the National Cash Register Corporation. Here is a view of the dining room at Hawthorn Hill.

If you ever have the opportunity to visit the Dayton, Ohio area, consider taking a tour of Hawthorn Hill. The tour guide shows vintage pictures of this lovely home, and provides interesting facts about Orville and Wilbur Wright and their extended family. Advance reservations are usually necessary, and can be made by contacting Carillon Historical Park, by phone at 937-293-2841, or by email at: info@daytonhistory.org.

Carillon Historical Park is located on 65 acre site close to the Great Miami River, and adjacent to the University of Dayton.  Exhibits include historical buildings and exhibits related to the rich history of Dayton. At the park, you will learn in a very interesting manner, about Orville and Wilbur Wright's contributions to aviation, Dayton's role in the transportation industry, and the history of the National Cash Register Corporation, and so much more!


 

Civil War Encampment To Be Held This Weekend at Ohio Veterans Home

Click here to read more about the Civil War Encampment to be held at the Ohio Veterans Home, at 3416 Columbus Ave, Sandusky, Ohio, on Saturday and Sunday, August 24 and August 25, 2013. Included in the weekend activities will be:

• Artillery demonstrations
• Lectures related to the Civil War and the War of 1812
• Re-enactors in uniform
• Live Civil War music

and much more!  For more information Call 419-625-2454 x1447 or e-mail jipres@johnsonsisland.org.

Note: The re-enactors pictured above were photographed during the Civil War Encampment held at the Ohio Veterans Home in 2012.

Wordless Wednesday: Brost Monument at Oakland Cemetery

Tombstone Tuesday: John J. Harper

John J. Harper was laid to rest at the Lax Baptist Church Cemetery in Coffee County, Georgia. His tombstone inscription reads:

John J. Harper
Born
Sept. 23, 1863
Died 
Aug. 23, 1891

May his spirit rest in peace

Erected by his Brothers & Sisters

Several tombstone inscriptions from the Lax Baptist Church Cemetery can be read online. Mr. Harper's tombstone is well over one hundred years old, and is still remarkably legible.

Delight Julia Eddy, 1840-1017

According to her death record, Delight Julia Eddy, sometimes known as Julia Delight Eddy, was born in the state of New York on July 17, 1840. In the 1860 U.S. Census, D. Jarvis is shown living in the household of William Jarvis, in Milan, Erie County, Ohio. Several other adult members of the Jarvis family were in this household in 1860. On January 20, 1864, Julia Del. Jarvis married William H. Eddy in Milan, Ohio, with the Rev. J.H. Walter of the Milan Presbyterian Church officiating.

In the 1880 U.S. Census, Julia Delight Eddy's name is listed as Delina Eddy. The William H. Eddy family is living on Melville Street in Sandusky, Ohio, where William works as a painter. The children in the family include:

Sophia, age 13
Charles, age 12
Carrie, age 10
and
Sarah, age 8

By the time of the 1900 U.S. Census, Delight Eddy is a widow. She was residing with her daughter, Carrie Gibbs, in Sandusky, Ohio. On August 17, 1917, Mrs. Julia Delight Eddy died at the age of 77 years of age. She was buried in Sandusky's Oakland Cemetery.

Wordless Wednesday: Oakland Cemetery

Sentimental Sunday: Milan, Ohio Baseball Team in 1909

This digital picture was taken of an enlargement of a 1909 post card of the Milan baseball team on display at Daniel J. Frederick Architect, on the square in Milan, Ohio. An employee allowed me to snap a shot of both the front and back of the picture. Here is a listing of the men in the picture:

Elmer Smith, the player on the far right of the front row, went on to play for the Cleveland Indians, Washington Senators, Boston Red Sox, New York Yankees, and the Cincinnati Reds. He was named to the Baseball Hall of Fame, and is known for being the first player to hit a grand slam home run in a World Series Game. Elmer Smith died on August 3, 1984. If you are ever in the square in Milan, Ohio, stop in at Daniel J. Frederick Architect, to view this and several other interesting historic postcards!

Darling Monument at Oakland Cemetery

This lovely obelisk in the North Ridge section of Sandusky's Oakland Cemetery honors the memory of Joseph Mills Darling, his wife Abbie, and their daughter Rosella. According to Grant Gregory's  book ANCESTORS AND DESCENDANTS OF HENRY GREGORY (Gregory, 1938), Joseph Mills Darling was born in New Haven, Ohio to Joseph Darling and Zaphira (Dana) Darling, on September 2, 1822. He was a carpenter, and later became a prosperous contractor in Sandusky, Ohio. In 1845, Joseph Mills Darling married Abbie/Abby Lurana Gregory, the daughter of George and Polly (Waring) Gregory. Joseph Mills Darling died on August 11, 1874, at the age of 51 years, 11 months, and 9 days. Abbie Darling, who had been born in 1824, died on March 31, 1902, at the age of 78.

The daughter of Joseph M. and Abbie Darling, Rosella Z. Darling, died on August 15, 1846, at the age of 5 months and 10 days of age.

To read more about the families of Joseph M. and Abbie (Gregory) Darling, see the book ANCESTORS AND DESCENDANTS OF HENRY GREGORY, available full-text at Heritage Quest.

William J. Rasey, 1885-1962

William J. Rasey was a longtime legislative representative for the Brotherhood of Railroad Trainmen. Mr. Rasey was born on February 25, 1885 in Ashtabula, Ohio. In 1903 he became a brakeman for the Lake Shore and Michigan Southern Railroad, which later became part of the New York Central Railroad. In 1904, Mr. Rasey was transferred to Toledo, Ohio, and in 1905 he moved to Sandusky, Ohio. In 1905, William J. Rasey joined the Brotherhood of Railroad Trainmen. By 1922, Mr. Rasey served as chairman and state representative of the state legislative committee of the Brotherhood of Railroad Trainmen. At his retirement in 1956, William J. Rasey was the oldest man in service to the Brotherhood of Railroad Trainmen in his capacity in the U.S. or Canada. He attended every session of the Ohio legislature in Columbus from 1918 to 1956. He had 52 years with the railroad, and he was one of the oldest railroad passenger conductors at the time of his retirement. On August 8, 1962, William J. Rasey died following a lengthy illness. He was buried next to his first wife, Bernice, at Sandusky's Oakland Cemetery. An obituary for William J. Rasey appeared in the August 9, 1962 issue of the Sandusky Register.

B. F. Hough of the U.S. Signal Service

Benjamin F. Hough's Civil War Pension file indicates that he served in Companies I and H of the 98th Ohio Volunteer Infantry, as well as in the United States Signal Corps. Benjamin F. Hough served as the first Observer Sergeant of the Oswego, New York Weather Bureau, having been appointed to that position by the U.S. Army's Signal Corps. By the 1890's, Mr. Hough was the official observer at the weather station in Sandusky, Ohio.

On August 5, 1895, Benjamin F. Hough died as a result of heart disease. Obituaries for Mr. Hough were carried in the August 6, 7, and 8, 1895 issues of the Sandusky Register. One obituary for B. F. Hough stated, "The services were simple and impressive and the burial following was private. A Christian gentleman, a devoted husband and father and an officer to whom duty was law, such was Sergeant Hough." Pallbearers for Sergeant Hough were John J. Molter, William H. Herbert, Josh Davis, Capt. A. M. Anderson, Judge L. H. Goodwin and J. D. Warner. Charles J. Krupp was in charge of the funeral, which was held at the Hough residence on Columbus Avenue. Burial was in Oakland Cemetery.

Fort Stephenson Bicentennial Celebration

The Bicentennial of the Battle of Fort Stephenson in the War of 1812 is being celebrated August 2-4, 2013 in Fremont, Ohio. Under the leadership of George Croghan, the Americans were successful in holding off the British troops. The Battle took place at Fort Stephenson, now Fremont, Ohio, on August 2, 1813. A Battle re-enactment will take place on Saturday and Sunday of the Bicentennial Celebration weekend. To read more about the Battle of Fort Stephenson, and the War of 1812 in Ohio, see this online War of 1812: Commemorative Edition, which is a joint project of the Fremont News Messenger and the Port Clinton News Herald. Event which are taking place this weekend include: live music,church services, and many re-enactors on the celebration grounds, adjacent to the Sandusky County Courthouse.

Daniel Larkins, 1859-1880

Daniel Larkins was the oldest child of Patrick and Bridget (Ryan) Larkins. He was born in Sandusky, Ohio, and was baptized at Holy Angels Church by Rev. Alexis Caron. Daniel's baptismal sponsors were Patrick Ryan and Johanna Larkins. The baptismal record below is a part of the collection of Catholic parish records from the Diocese of Toledo, Ohio, accessible online at Family Search.

In the 1880 U.S. Census, Daniel was age 21, and still resided at home with his parents Patrick and Bridget Larkins, and his six younger siblings. His occupation was stated as laborer. On Sunday evening, August 1, 1880, Daniel Larkins and an acquaintance, John Leitch, went to the Germania House. Daniel Larkins started to drink, and as he was not accustomed to drinking, the liquor affected him adversely. About four o'clock in the morning on Monday, the body of Daniel Larkins was found on the sidewalk in front of the Germania House. Young Mr. Larkins had a severe wound to the back of his head. John Leitch was sound alseep at the time of the fall of Mr. Larkins, and it is supposed that Larkins probably fell out of the window while leaning out to vomit. An article in the August 3, 1880 issue of the Sandusky Register stated, in part: "Larkins is spoken of by all who knew him as a quiet, sober and industrious young man. Sunday night was the first night that he ever stayed away from home with letting his parents know where he was. It is clearly evident that he got into bad company."

An inquest was held following the death of Daniel Larkins. It was determined that there was no foul play, and that Daniel Larkins fell to his death accidentally. Daniel Larkins was buried in the Larkins family lot at St. Joseph's Catholic Cemetery in Sandusky, Ohio. His four youngest sibilings ranged in age from 3 to 11. It must have been a difficult task indeed for Patrick and Bridget Larkins to explain to the little ones that big brother Daniel would never be coming home again. Daniel's grave marker is between that of his mother Bridget, and his nephew Edwin Larkins.