Miss you Cousin Tom!

Pictured above are my cousin, Steen Thomas Parker, Jr., my mom, Joyce Parker Orshoski, and my cousin Shelley, little sister of Steen Thomas Parker, Jr. Known as Tom or "Tommy" to the Ohio cousins, Tom died this week following a motorcycle accident. We had many family gatherings back in the 1950s, and the California Parkers would drive across the country to see their extended family in Ohio. We rarely got to see Tom in the past 20 years, but we will miss him, and we treasure the special memories we share. Rest in peace, Tommy.

Grandpa and Grandma Parker on Their Way to Florida

Pictured above are my great grandparents, Leroy and Ada Parker, with their car and trailer en route to Florida. For most of their adult lives, Grandma and Grandpa Parker worked the family farm in Perkins Township ,in  Erie County, Ohio. During World War Two, the U.S. Government purchased several acres of farmland in Perkins, to make way for a munitions factory for the war effort. During the 1940s, Grandma and Grandpa moved to an apartment in Sandusky, and worked during the summertime as concessionaires with the Concourse Amusement Company. This company operated several rides and attractions at Cedar Point. For many years during the forties, Grandma and Grandpa spent several months of the year in Florida during Cedar Point's off season. My great grandparents adapted to their new situation, and met many wonderful people in the process. They saw so many technological advancements during their lifetimes, including electricity, radio, television, the automobile. I truly admire their strength of character and work ethic, and I'm glad they were able to relax in their later years as "snow birds."

Wordless Wednesday: Rabbits at Oakland Cemetery

J. Voigt

A tombstone for J. Voigt is found at Sandusky's Oakland Cemetery. The surname Voigt is sometimes spelled Vogt.

At Sandusky Library, a book entitled CEMETERIES OF ERIE COUNTY, OHIO, compiled by Marjorie Loomis Cherry, about 1935, records this information about the tombstone of J. Voigt/Vogt:

J. Vogt
Died 1888
Age 23

The inscription on the tombstone records the date of death for J. Voigt as February 22, 1888. The indication of years is illegible, but the tombstone records 7 months and 19 days as part of the age for Mr. Voigt. At the top of the tombstone is an inscription in the German language.

SANDUSKY "EINST UND JETZT" lists several families with the Vogt/Voigt surname, and there are Voigt/Vogt families residing in both Ottawa and Erie Counties in the 1880 U.S. Census, accessible at Family Search. To date, we do not have enough solid information to learn the parents of J. Voigt who died in 1888. He would have been born about 1865, according to the records in the book CEMETERIES OF ERIE COUNTY, OHIO.

I would be glad to learn more about this young man who died so young, if anyone has more details about J. Voigt/Vogt. Thanks!

Tombstone Tuesday: William H. Neill, Pioneer Resident of Erie County

William H. Neill was born in Maryland in 1827. He moved with his family to Erie County, Ohio when he was a child. In 1858, William H. Neill married Catherine Sheldon. According to the book  A STANDARD HISTORY OF ERIE COUNTY, OHIO, William H. Neill was a prosperous farmer in Erie County, Ohio, known for his fine flock of Merino sheep. On December 4, 1909, William H. Neill died at the age of 82. He was survived by his wife, sons William and John, and a daughter, Mrs. A. H. Ransom. A son, Thomas Neill, preceded him in death. William H. Neill was buried in the North Ridge section of Oakland Cemetery in Sandusky, Ohio.

Second Great Genealogy `Just Make Up Some Genealogy Lyrics' Challenge!

At the West in New England blog, we have been given a challenge to set the names of our ancestors to the music of any song. The song that came to my mind was Frere Jacques, and the lyrics I came up with are quite light hearted. While my ancestors had many aspects to their personality, I focused on one just one of their many traits. Here are the lyrics I wrote about just a few of many ancestors.

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Grandma Em, Grandma Em,
We miss you, we miss you,
You could cook so well,
All the kids do tell,
Yes we do, yes we do.

Dear Aunt Betty, Dear Aunt Betty,
You were so fun, you were so fun,
Whenever you spoke,
You seemed to make a joke,
Ha Ha Ha, Ha Ha Ha.

Uncle Wayne, Uncle Wayne,
You were a gem, you were a gem,
When you told us stories,
They were never boring.
Loved your tales, loved your tales.

Grandma Yeager, Grandma Yeager,
You were a dear, you were a dear,
So very, very wise,
We miss your lovely eyes,
You loved us so, we all did know.

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The ancestors in this light hearted creation all revolve around my dad's brother Wayne Orshoski. His wife was my Aunt Betty; his mother was my  maternal grandmother  Emma Yeager Orshoski , and his grandmother was my great grandmother Lena Piehl Yeager. The quality of the pictures seems to have gotten lost in the enlarging process, but each of these individuals are pictured in the college below, made at PicMonkey.

Rev. Solon Lindsley, 1810-1884

Rev. Solon Lindsley was born in Connecticut in 1810. He became a minister of the gospel in the Baptist Church. In the 1840s, he was the minister of the Second Baptist Church in Selma, Alabama. In the 1860 Census, Rev. Solon Lindsley was a minister in Refugio County, Texas. By 1880, his health had begun to fail, and Rev. Lindsley was residing with his brother W.D. Lindsley in Ohio. Rev. Solon Lindsley died at the residence of his brother, W.D. Lindsley, on February 16, 1884. His funeral took place at the Lindsley home at 1203 Columbus Avenue, and burial was at Oakland Cemetery. An obituary which appeared in the February 18 of the Sandusky Register stated about Rev. Solon Lindsley: "Deceased was a man of fine abilities and was much esteemed in his circle of acquaintance."

Happy Valentine's Day!

Happy Valentine's Day from the Graveyard
Rabbit of Sandusky Bay!

Wednesday's Child: Willie Laurence

Willie Laurence, son of J.W. and M.A. Laurence died on February 13, 1876, at the age of 2 years, 2 months, and 17 days. He was buried in Sandusky's Oakland Cemetery. Records on file at FamilySearch.org show a John William Laurence, who died in 1913, and was a native of Portugal. Most likely, this is Willie's father. His mother, Mary Laurence, died in 1901. Rest in peace young Willie Laurence.

Minnie Appel Schimdt, 1865-1956

Minnie Appell Schmidt was born in 1865 to Louis Zistel and Anna Rosenkranz Zistel. Minnie's father Louis Zistel was an entrepreneur, who took visitors to Cedar Point in 1870, long before it was the well known amusement park that it is today. In 1877, when Minnie was only 12 years old, her mother died. Her father re-married in 1879. Erie County Probate Court records show that Minnie Zistel marred Albert Appell on November 26, 1884. Albert Appell died in 1890, leaving Minnie a widow with two young daughters, named Ada and Ruby.  In September of 1894, Minnie Appell married Charles Schmidt. Soon Charles and Minnie Schmidt had a daughter of their own, named Madeline. Charles Schmidt died in December, 1950, at age 87. He had been the oldest living member of the Sandusky Yacht Club at the time of his death. On February 9, 1956, Mrs. Minnie Appell Schmidt died at the age of 90.  Mrs. Schmidt was survived by her three daughters, six grandchildren, four great grandchildren, and a brother and sister. Minnie Appell Schmidt was laid to rest at Oakland Cemetery, next to both her first and her second husbands.  Reading between the lines, I think the tombstone represents Minnie's love and respect to her first husband, who died so young, as well to her second husband, with whom she shared over fifty years of married life. An obituary for Minnie Appell Schmidt appeared in the February 9, 1956 issue of the Sandusky Register Star News.

Mrs. Martha E. Metzgar Rice

Mrs. Martha E. Metzgar Rice, wife of Peter Rice, is buried at Sandusky's Oakland Cemetery. The inscription on Mrs. Rice's stone reads:

In Memory Of
Martha E. Metzgar
Wife Of
Peter Rice
Born Mar. 13, 1832
Died Feb. 7, 1885
Aged 52 Y. 10 M. 25 D.

At the base of the stone are these two lines:

Rest, mother rest, in quiet sleep
While friends in sorrow o'er thee weep

Sunday's Obituary: Cynthia Strong Sloane

The following obituary for Cynthia Strong Sloane appeared in the July, 1888 issue of the Firelands Pioneer, on pages 107-108. Mrs. Sloane died on February 2, 1873 in Waterloo, Indiana, and she was buried in the Sloane family lot at Sandusky's Oakland Cemetery.

Both the Strong and the Sloane families were pioneers of the Firelands area. Rest in peace Cynthia!

Tribute to Two Fallen Firefighters in Toledo, Ohio

Sadly, two firefighters, James Dickman and Stephen Machcinski, died in the line of duty while fighting a fire in Toledo, Ohio on Sunday, January 26, 2014. Click here to view a tribute to the firefighters from the website of Toledo's ABC station, Channel 13. Rest in peace, James and Stephen.