The Celebration of the Fifth Wedding Anniversary of Charles and Sarah Steen in 1880

Twin lambs were just many of the gifts that were presented to Charles and Sarah Steen on the occasion of their fifth wedding anniversary in Perkins Township, Erie County, Ohio in April of 1880.

The Charles Steen family circa 1895

A lengthy article in the Sandusky Register of April 5, 1880 details the festive occasion. An excerpt from the article is below:

The theme for the anniversary party was wooden ware. Some of the many gifts included: fans, toothpicks, a looking glass, hose darner, vases, hamper, sketch of Harry Steen, easy chair, marble top table, rolling pin, horse cart, horseradish grater, pails, clothespins, and of course twin lambs, to celebrate the recent birth of the Steen's twin daughters, Ada and Alpha. 

It was such a delight to read a detailed account of an event which happened so long ago!!

The Henry Milner Household in the 1880 U.S. Census

While the picture above was taken much later than 1880, four of the five individuals pictured were listed in the 1880 U.S. Census in Perkins Township, Erie County, Ohio. The twins in the back are my great grandmother Ada Steen and her sister Alpha Steen. Their parents were Sarah Steen and Charles F. Steen, and their little brother Rollin is in front of the twins. In the 1880 U.S. Census, the family lived in a big farmhouse on South Columbus Avenue, which was pictured in the 1874 Erie County Atlas.

Below is the listing from the U.S. Census in 1880.

A transcription of the Census is available at FamilySearch.org :

Household	Role	Sex	Age	Birthplace
Henry Milner	Self	M	60	England
Huldah Milner	Wife	F	50	Ohio, United States
Chas F Steen	Son-in-law	M	29	Ohio, United States
Sarah L Steen	Daughter	F	29	Ohio, United States
Harry M Steen	Grandson	M	4	Ohio, United States
Ada L Steen	Granddaughter	F	0	Ohio, United States
Alpha H Steen	Granddaughter	F	0	Ohio, United States
Louise Shorts	Other	F	22	England
Jno Hand	Other	M	19	Ohio, United States
Frank Griffin	Other	M	32	Louisiana, United States
Fannie Isaac	Other	F	15	England

So many people in one household! There were the owners of the farm, Henry and Huldah Milner. Then came their daughter and son-in-law, Charles and Sarah Steen. Children of the the Steens in 1880 included son Harry, age 4, and baby girl twins, Ada and Alpha. Besides three generations of family members, there were also four servants! Louise Shorto and Fannie Isaac worked as "house girls." John Hand was a hired man, and Frank Griffin was a farm laborer. You may think that Mr. and Mrs. Milner were wealthy. I think they were probably comfortable... In the late 1800s, many farmers had live-in help. The farmers benefited by having help around the house and farm, and the hired folks got room and board, and maybe a salary too! It was a different era...and how I would have loved to been a fly on the wall!!!

Jane Scott Dennis

According to her death certificate (on file at FamilySearch) Jane Scott, also known as Jennie, was born in Cleveland, Ohio in 1858 to Lucas Scott and Jane Lawrence Scott. Jane was the spouse of Charles Barney Dennis, a Civil War veteran, and the former postmaster of Sandusky, Ohio. Charles Barney Dennis passed away in 1928. After her husband's death, Jane/Jennie Dennis moved to Pennsylvania. Jane/Jennie Scott Dennis died on July 20, 1939 in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, after a lengthy illness. She was survived by a son and daughter. Mrs. Jane/Jennie Scott Dennis was buried in the family plot at Sandusky's Oakland Cemetery. An obituary for Mrs. Scott appeared in the July 20, 1939 issue of the Sandusky Star Journal. She was mourned by many of her friends in Sandusky.

Miss Wanda Greenfelder

Wanda Greenfelder was born in Ohio in 1884 to Jacob G. Greenfelder and his wife, the former Henrietta Lange. Her maternal grandfather was a long time druggist in Sandusky, Dr. F.R. Lange. In the late 1890s, the Greenfelder family moved to Cincinnati, Ohio. Sadly, Wanda died from spinal meningitis when she was only 17 years of age. Her remains were returned to Sandusky, Ohio, and she was buried at Oakland Cemetery. An obituary for Miss Wanda Greenfelder appeared in the Sandusky Star of July 14, 1900.

Siblings Carrie and Adam Bishop

When George Bishop passed away in 1917, his obituary listed Adam and Carrie Bishop as his siblings. A brief article in the July 11, 1923 issue of the Sandusky Star Journal reported that Adam Bishop had died in Indianapolis, and burial was in Sandusky's Oakland Cemetery. He was forty nine years of age.

Miss Carrie Bishop was born in Germany in 1874, and she came to the United States when she was quite young. The 1900 U.S. Census lists 24 year old Carrie Bishop as the adopted daughter of Robert Banks, residing in Milan, Ohio. Carrie Banks lived until the age of 87. She passed away on July 17, 1961. She had been a very active member of the Edison Memorial Church in Milan, Ohio. Rev. Hubert Cobb conducted funeral services for Miss Carrie Bishop, and burial was in Sandusky's Oakland Cemetery. An obituary for Carrie Bishop appeared in the July 18, 1961 issue of the Sandusky Register.

The tombstones for Adam and Carrie Bishop are identical stones. Carrie Bishop's stone is inscribed with the maker's name, C. Keim. Monument maker Conrad Keim died in 1927, so most likely Carrie's tombstone was purchased long before her death, and was inscribed with her death date in 1961.

Dr. Stanley V. Forge and Mrs. Dorothy J. Forgue

Though Stanley V. Forgue did not his adult life in Sandusky, Ohio, he was born in Sandusky in 1916, to Napoleon Forgue and Mary Smith Forgue. Stanley was the grandson of Adam J. Smith, who was one of the owners of the Smith Hardware store in Sandusky. Stanley lost his mother when he was young, but he frequently visited his grandparents in Sandusky. According to a news article which appeared in the Ocala Star-Banner,  Stanley V. Forgue earned his bachelor's degree and master's degree from Ohio State University. His majors were electrical engineering and physics. Dr. Forgue spent many years as a research and project engineer for R.C.A. Dr. Forgue was one of the inventors of the Vidicon tube, which was a major advancement in the history and technology of television.  After working for in the R.C.A.  Laboratories for thirty years, Dr. Forgue taught physics at Central Florida Community College. In 1942, Stanley V. Forgue married Dorothy Jeanne Huber, an educator. Mrs. Dorothy Jeanne Forgue died in Florida in 1992. Some time after the death of his wife, Professor Forgue moved to Indiana, where he died in 2001. The final resting place of Stanley V. Forgue and his wife Dorothy Jeanne Forgue is at Sandusky's Oakland Cemetery.

William Brown Lockwood, 1811-1892

William Brown Lockwood, the son of Mr. and Mrs. Samuel Mills Lockwood, born in the state of New York in 1811.  A biographical sketch about William Brown Lockwood from A Standard History of Erie County, Ohio, by Hewson L. Peeke appears below:

William Brown Lockwood, who was born in Albany, New York, in 1811, was five years of age when the family came to Ohio. He attended some of the primitive schools of Ottawa County, and in early life followed farming, leaving that occupation to become a partner with George B. Smith, under the name Lockwood & Smith, engaged in the operation of plaster beds for a number of years in Ottawa County. In 1850 he came to Sandusky and bought the Bay City Flour Mills, which at that time had a capacity of 125 barrels of flour per day. This mill was under his management a few years, after which he became associated with L. S. Hubbard in the grain business, later was with Thornton & Fitzhugh, and still later for a number of years was in the grain trade by himself. He continued to live at Sandusky until his death in 1892 at the age of eighty-two. William Brown Lockwood married Sarah A. Hyde, who died December 25, Christmas Day, 1865. She reared five children, whose names were Mary, Lane, Sarah, Charles B. and Kate. The daughter Sarah married a Mr. Deyo, while Kate married Lawrence Hastings.

William Brown Lockwood died on March 26, 1892, and he was buried at Sandusky's Oakland Cemetery.