Anthony Missig, 1871-1926

According to his death record, Anthony V. Missig was born in Sandusky, Ohio on October 2, 1871, to Jacob Missig and his wife, the former Catherina Koch. Jacob was a native of Hesse, Germany and Catherina had been born in Bismark, Ohio. By occupation Anthony Missig was a painter. He died from a cerebral hemorrhage on October 31, 1926.  Anthony Missig was buried at St. Mary’s Cemetery. A rolled scroll with the word Brother adorns his tombstone.

The sides and the back of the stone looks similar to bricks that were set in place one by one.

Wordless Wednesday: Fall at Oakland Cemetery

Poem Written by My Maternal Grandmother Doris

A short time ago, I accidentally stumbled upon a little poem written by my mother's mother, Doris Wheeler, about 1919.

It was in a vintage scrapbook now housed at the Sandusky Library Archives Research Center, on page that was entitled "Stunts and Jokes."

It read:

Doris sat upon the sand
Eating candy kisses
A young man came along and said
Why how are you there misses.

Doris Wheeler

My grandmother died in 1943, when my mother Joyce was only eleven years old. What a treasure to come across this poem that she wrote so long ago. My mother, Uncle Tom, and my brother are all known to have written poetry. Perhaps it just runs in the family!

Henry Py, 1868-1918

According to his death record, available at FamilySearch, Henry Py was the son of Jacob and Barbara (Didelius) Py, born on April 8, 1868. His occupation was stone mason. An image of his death certificate reveals that he died from apoplexy, and that over work also contributed to his death.

An article in the October 22, 1918 issue of the Sandusky Register reported that Henry Py died on October 21, 1918 at the Schlenk House. Marquart undertakers took charge of funeral arrangements, and burial was at Oakland Cemetery. Henry Py was survived by a brother, Frank Py, of Chicago, and a sister, Mrs. Jay Balduff of Sandusky. The word brother appears at the top of the tombstone of Henry Py.

Sentimental Sunday: The Kromer Barn at Lyme Village

Recently I took my grandsons to Lyme Village, where we saw the Kromer Barn, which once stood in Perkins Township, and was dismantled and rebuilt at Lyme Village. My Steen, Milner, Parker, and House ancestors all resided on farms in Perkins Township, Erie County Ohio, before the land was sold to the U.S. Government for a munitions factory for the war effort in the early 1940s. Seeing this barn and its contents helped me know what my ancestors' barns may have contained. Outside the barn was an old wheel.

Inside the barn there was an old sleigh


and a vintage tricycle.

Andreas Kromer's remains were removed from his original resting place at the old Perkins Cemetery to the St. Mary's Cemetery in Sandusky, Ohio.

It is a blessing to me to see that so many pieces of Erie County history remain for us to see today.

Family History Pinterest Board at Sandusky Library's Pinterest Page

Click here to view the Family History Board at Sandusky Library's Pinterest page. By clicking on each image, you can learn more details about that particular pin. Libraries and genealogy are a "match made in Heaven"! Another nice feature about the Sandusky Library is that the Erie County Courthouse is right across the street, so if you need a vital record held in that facility, it is within walking distance.

Wordless Wednesday: St. Joseph's Cemetery

SNGF: Ancestors Who Migrated a Long Way

Randy, at Genea-Musings, has given us this challenge:

1) Many of our ancestors migrated to a distant place.  Which one of your ancestors migrated the furthest?  Or the furthest in North America?  It could be in one big move, or in several smaller moves over their lifetime.  How far did they travel?  Do you know the route they took?

2)  Tell us in your own blog post, in a comment to this blog post, or in a Facebook or Google+ post.

==============================

My great grandfather, Joseph Orshoski, migrated from Hungary to the United States in 1901. According to their passenger list on the Ellis Island website, on April 1, 1901, father and son, whose name appeared as Josef Orsoczky, arrived in New York City on the ship Bulgaria. Josef/Joseph the father was 42, and his son was 16 years old. The father would go back to Hungary soon after he came to America, but the son stayed here in the U.S. for the rest of his life. My great grandpa worked as a coal miner in Westmoreland County, Pennsylvania, in the very early 1900s. In 1911 and 1912, Grandpa Joe and his first wife lived in Dorcester, Virginia, where Grandpa again worked as a coal miner. By 1918, the Orshoski family was living in Bay Bridge, an unincorporated village on Sandusky Bay in Erie County. Joe worked there at the Medusa Portland Cement Company. After having six sons, Grandpa Joe's first wife, named Julia, died in 1919, leaving him a widower with six sons. He married again, a lady from Hungary, named Julia, and they would go to have two lovely daughters. I think Great Grandpa Joe Orshoski is my ancestor who migrated the furthest, though I also have ancestors who emigrated here from Ireland, England, and Germany. Here is a picture of my Great Grandpa Joseph Orshoski with his second wife. Grandpa Joe died on November 16, 1976. He and both his first and second wife are buried at the Castalia Cemetery in Erie County, Ohio.

Lincoln P. Kilbourne, 1843-1880

According to the book HISTORY OF THE ECLECTIC MEDICAL INSTITUTE, CINCINNATI, OHIO, 1845-1902, Lincoln Percy Kilbourne was the son of Dr. James Kilbourne and his second wife,  Anna Walker Stiles, born on January 7, 1843.  After Dr. James Kilbourne died at a very young age, Anna Stiles married again, to George Reber. She moved to Sandusky,Ohio with her new husband and young son. In 1870, Lincoln P. Kilbourne married Mary W. Radcliffe in Erie County, Ohio. Sadly, Lincoln P. Kilbourne died from consumption on October 10, 1880. He died in Gambier, Knox County, Ohio, and his occupation was listed as landlord. His name is number 8  on the listing below, of deaths in College Township, Knox County, Ohio.

 Lincoln P. Kilbourne was buried in Sandusky's Oakland Cemetery. Lincoln P. Kilbourne was the grandson of James Kilbourne (1770-1850) who was instrumental in the development of the state of Ohio. Lincoln's uncle was Hector Kilbourne, who platted the city of Sandusky.

Wordless Wednesday: White Zinc Monument at Strong's Ridge Cemetery in Lyme Township

Historical Marker Honoring the History of the Sandusky Library and Former Erie County Jail in Sandusky, Ohio

Many of my ancestors have been up the steps of the old Adams Street entrance of the Sandusky Library, and some of my more recent employees have been employees of the Erie County jail. Here are pictures of a  marker which honors the history of both the Sandusky Library and the former Erie County Jail.

Sentimental Sunday: Old Toll Gate from the Sandusky-Columbus Turnpike

This long slender pike on top of a post once served as the toll gate for the Strong's Ridge gate along what is now Route 4, at the corner of Route 113 and Route 4. Now it is on the grounds of Historic Lyme Village. The sign below lists some of the fees charged at the old toll gate.

Learn more about this historic road at the Sandusky History blog, and visit Lyme Village to see what life was like for many of our Ohio ancestors in the 1800s.

Helen M. Norris Weston, 1840-1868

Helen Maria Norris was born on March 31, 1840 in Sandwich, New Hampshire, to Nicholas G. Norris, and his wife, the former Elizabeth Blanchard. In November of 1858, Helen Norris married G.M. Weston in Erie County, Ohio. The marriage was officiated by W.S. Kennedy, the first minister at the Presbyterian Church in Sandusky. Sadly, Helen M. Norris Weston died on October 1, 1868, at the age of 28 years. She was buried in the North Ridge portion of Sandusky's Oakland Cemetery.

The surname of the maker of Helen's monument is inscribed at the base of the marker. The surname is Montgomery.