The Buckeye Tree, a Poem by Karl Laurent

This poem by Karl Laurent, entitled "The Buckeye Tree" appeared in volume 2 of the Ohio Magazine. A transcription of the poem reads:

THE BUCKEYE TREE

There's a lilting song in the air today,

Blithe and bonny and sweet and gay.

Afloat on the fragrant June-tide breeze.

From the deep, cool depths of the Buckeye Trees.

From the shadowy green come the amorous notes, 

Like the rippling, tender music of flutes 

Kissed by the wind. 'Neath the nodding plumes 

Is the whirring of wings 'mid the Buckeye blooms. 

There are merry sounds from over the way, 

The lightsome laughter of children at play — 

Small gods of gladness tossing in glee 

The soft, creamy blooms of the Buckeye Tree. 

There's a melody low which the soft wind weaves. 

And I list to the lure of murmuring leaves, 

Crooning and singing, 'till memories flow, 

Back to the childhood of long ago; 

Where life was laughter and drift of song,

Where love shone pure and faith held strong,

To the State called "Beautiful" christened for thee —

Hail thee, guild-brother, O Buckeye Tree!

The buckeye tree (Aesculus glabra) was named the state tree of Ohio in 1953. My parents, my grandparents, my siblings, my children and grandchildren, were all born in Ohio. My niece is a proud graduate of The Ohio State University! Chocolate Buckeye treats are among my family's favorite holiday goodies, and can I just say that I am proud to be a Buckeye! 

Image from:

Annual Report of the Commissioners of the Ohio State Library

Another Look at the Tombstone of E.H. Wetherell

Recently on a pleasant evening I noticed the tombstone of E. W. Wetherell in Block 9 of Sandusky's Oakland Cemetery. Masonic emblems adorn the top of his tombstone. It is so sad that Edward H. Wetherell died at age 35 on September 25, 1857.

When I looked at the back of the tombstone of E.H. Wetherell I noticed an inscription that I had not seen before. It read:

Erected by
The Employees
of Sandusky, Dayton
& Cincinnati RR




















Low's Railroad Directory lists a relative of E.H. Wetherell, named W.W. Wetherell, as the wood agent of the Sandusky, Dayton and Cincinnati Railroad.

Perhaps both men were employed by this railroad, or it is possible that the employees wanted to honor W.W. Wetherell by having this tombstone erected in honor of E. H. Wetherell.

Bernard Mulheran

Bernard Mulheran died on September 19, 1862, at the age of 19 years. He was was buried at St. Joseph's Cemetery in Sandusky, Ohio. Over twenty other Mulheran family members are buried at the same cemetery. Bernard is buried in Section E, Row 14 at St. Joseph's Cemetery.

Martin Schwab Was a Stone Cutter

Martin Schwab's name is listed among the early German settlers of Sandusky in the book SANDUSKY THEN AND NOW. According to the 1855 Sandusky City Directory, Martin Schwab was a stone cutter, who lived on Market Street. In the 1860 U.S. Census, Martin Schwab was age 46, residing in Sandusky, Erie County , Ohio, and he stated his birthplace was Bavaria, Germany. Martin's wife was named Elizabeth, age 56, also a native of Bavaria.  Three children resided with Martin and Elizabeth in 1860: John, age 20; Margaret, age 17; and Joseph, age 14. During the Civil War, both Martin Schwab, and his son, John Schwab, enlisted in Company I of the Third Ohio Cavalry. Sadly, Martin Schwab died shortly after the close of the Civil War, on August 15, 1865. He was buried at St. Mary's Cemetery in Sandusky, Ohio

Sentimental Sunday: Ohio Village in Columbus, Ohio

If you would like to know what everyday life may have been like for your Ohio ancestors in the 1890s, visit the Ohio Village  in Columbus, Ohio on the grounds of the Ohio History Center. The village is a replica of a village in Ohio in the 1890s. Homes were smaller and simpler at that time.

Products inside stores in the 1890s were quite different from merchandise in today's large stores.















This is what a funeral parlor may have looked like in the late nineteenth century.

In the 1890s, women's study clubs began to become popular.

Women even began contemplating getting the right to vote, as they met and discussed books.

Everyday chores were more labor intensive in the 1890s.

Consider visiting Ohio Village to learn more about how our Ohio ancestors used to live!

Leigh W. Storey, Attorney in the Spitzer Building

Leigh W. Storey was born in Castalia, Ohio in 1875. From 1903 until his death on September 10, 1956, Leigh W. Storey had been an attorney, who worked in Toledo's Spitzer Building. Mr. Storey died of a cerebral hemorrhage. He was buried at Oakland Cemetery in Sandusky, Ohio. Mr. Story was a graduate of Oberlin College and the Law School of the University of Michigan, He had been a member of the Elks Lodge as well as the Masons. An obituary for Leigh W. Storey appeared in the Toledo Blade of September 11, 1956.

Wordless Wednesday: Castalia Cemetery

The Brief Life of Marian J. Isaac Who Became Mrs. George W. Shaddock

Miss Marian Isaac was the daughter of Henry Isaac, and his wife the former Susan Aust. She was born in England about 1859. By searching the name of Henry Isaac in Ancestry Library Edition we find his family listed in the 1871 England Census in Ancestry's UK Census Collection. In 1871, Marian’s name was listed as Mary, and she lived in Marshfield, Gloucestershire, England. In the Immigration Records portion of Ancestry Library Edition, a passenger record is found for the Henry Isaac family. In April of 1873, Henry Isaac and his family emigrated to the United States aboard the ship the City of Washington. By 1880, the Henry Isaac family was residing in Perkins Township, Erie County, Ohio, but Marian was not listed with the family. She may have been employed outside her home. According to the 1898 Sandusky City Directory, in 1898 Marian Isaac was working as a domestic employee at 318 Washington Street. The person for whom she worked was Moses True Brown, a former professor of oratory. In December of 1889, Marian J. Isaac married George W. Shaddock, in Erie County, Ohio.

After being married only a few short years, Marian J. Issac Shaddock died following a lengthy  illness on April 3, 1902. She was buried at Maple Grove Cemetery in Vermilion, Ohio. Recently I was fortunate enough to see the signature of Marian J. Isaac in her personal copy of the book SANDUSKY HOUSE-KEEPER,  published in Sandusky in 1888.

My Ancestor Daniel Larkin/Larkins in the Irish Tithe Applotment Books

My Irish American ancestor, Daniel Larkin (sometimes spelled Larkins) is listed in the Townland of Lismortagh in the Irish Tithe Applotment Books, now housed at the National Archives of Ireland. (Daniel's name is listed in the 9th line from the bottom.) To the best of my understanding, in 1828 Daniel Larkins occupied about 6 plantation (Irish measure) acres, which was about 10 statute (English measure) acres, of 4th class land. His tithe due was about 10 pounds and 7 1/2 shillings. It seems like Daniel's land was not so great, and maybe that is why he and his wife and young son left for the U.S.A. by 1830.  The final resting place of Daniel and Johannah Larkins is at the St. Joseph Cemetery in Sandusky, Ohio, not far from  where I work and reside. What a joy to find another tiny piece of the puzzle of my Irish heritage!

Try a search of your own Irish ancestors in listings of the Tithe Applotment books!