Tombstone of Margaret Bowen and Her Infant Andrew

At St. Joseph's Cemetery in Sandusky, Ohio, in section D, is a tombstone that honors the memory of Margaret Bowen and her infant son Andrew Bowen. Both died in 1872. 

Margaret was a native of Ireland. She married Andrew Bowen in 1871, and they had a son in 1872, who died in infancy.

Andrew Bowen, the father of the infant of the same name, and spouse of Margaret, was born in County Roscommon, Ireland. He and his family emigrated to the U.S. in the 1860s, and they settled in Sandusky, Ohio.

The elder Andrew was a Sandusky police officer. He moved up the ranks to captain and city marshall. After his wife and infant son passed away, he never remarried. A lengthy tribute to Andrew Bowen, who died in the summer of 1897,  appeared in the June 14, 1897 issue of the Sandusky Register. Below is an excerpt from the article.

Rest in peace, Bowen family.

 

Grover and Miona Hart

In section E of St. Mary's Cemetery in Sandusky, Ohio are the tombstones of two young children of William Hart and his wife, the former Amelia Kromer. 

Grover Hart was born in 1893 and died in 1897.

Miona Hart died as an infant in 1899. Though her stone is broken, it is still legible, after all these years.

Sadly, William Hart  and Amelia Hart  both passed away on same day in 1909. May they all rest in peace.

Remembering a Christmas Eve in Bay Bridge

My first cousin Carol Gantz Keller was my next door neighbor in Bay Bridge for over thirty years. We shared stories, laughed and cried together, and very often Carol would bless us with homemade goodies.

One Christmas Eve, after Carol and Gary's big family get together, she called me up, and said "Come on over and get some food."  I told her I was ready for bed, and was in my flannel pajamas, and had curlers in my hair!! She said to come on over anyway!

She had tons of cookies, and meatballs, and shrimp, and the Christmas tree was beautiful. I told her I was embarrased by being in the pjs. She started quoting "Twas the Night Before Christmas." She said well you look like "Mama in her kerchief and I in my cap."

That took away my embarrassment, and soon I filled a plate with delightful goodies! Carol was an original, and we all miss her every day!

Stevenson Mathews Lot at Oakland Cemetery

 

On the North Ridge at Oakland Cemetery is the family lot of the extended Stevenson and Mathews family.

John Wesley Stevenson died in 1910. He was first a dry goods merchant in Sandusky, and later became a produce dealer. His wife, who also passed away in 1910, was Caroline Mathews Stevenson.

The son of John W. and Caroline Stevenson was John Fletcher Stevenson, who died as a child.

Anna Constable Stevenson was the daughter in law of John W. and Caroline Stevenson. She died in 1922. She was married to journalist Frederick Boyd Stevenson, who died in 1938, and was buried in New York.

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The parents of Mary Mathews Stevenson were John Mathews and Mary Converse Mathews, who both died in 1876.

Also buried in the Stevenson Mathews Lot are Mary Mathews Bishop and Willard A. Bishop. Mr. Bishop was well known as a photographer in Sandusky, Ohio for many years. The Stevenson and Mathews families made significant contributions to their church and community. Their names etched in stone are a reminder of lives well lived.

  

Margaret Mary Carty, Native of Ireland

Margaret Mary Carty was born in Ireland, about 1842. In the 1880 U.S. Census, Margaret was working as a servant in the household of  Mr. and Mrs. John Wesley Stevenson, at 921 Washington Street (now 603 West Washington Street.) Mr. Stevenson was listed as a produce dealer. He was a brother in law to well known Sandusky photographer W.A. Bishop. 

Miss Carty died in January of 1888. A lovely monument honoring her memory is found in Section D at St. Joseph's Cemetery. According to church records, Rev. R.A. Sidley officiated at Margaret's funeral. 

The surname Carty is found on a stone near the tombstone of Margaret Mary Carty, though to date, no other close relatives were buried near her final resting place.

Rest in peace, Miss Margaret Mary Carty.

 

When Tom Helped Grandma Julia with Her Grocery List

My great grandparents, Joseph and Julia (Szomolya) Orshoski celebrated 50 years of marriage in 1971. Technically, Julia was my step great grandmother, as Grandpa Joe's first wife named Julia died in 1919, but the second Julia is the only Orshoski great grandma that I ever knew! Grandpa Joe and both his first and second wives were all born in Hungary.

One time Grandma Julia needed to go to the grocery store to get groceries. She often shopped at Marks Pick-n-Pay on Perkins Avenue in Sandusky, Ohio.

Grandma would go down her list, and purchase everthing in the order it was written on the list. My then husband Tom said to her, " Grandma, that takes too long, let me help you." As he took the list from Grandma Julia he saw words he did not understand, with lots of accent marks. He handed it back to her, and said he was sorry he just did not know what the words meant! Eventually she got her shopping done, and we took her back home to Bay Bridge where she would soon be cooking dinner!

While this is not the exact list, it looked something like this:

English translation is:

eggs

bread

chicken

salt

milk

butter

chicken soup

She gave us a very fond memory to recall so many years later!

 

Two August Koegles in Sandusky, Ohio

 Recently I encountered a tombstone for Mr. and Mrs. August M. Koegle at Sandusky’s Oakland Cemetery.

When I was researching the Koegle family, I learned that there were two men named August Koegle, both born about 1850 in Germany, and both buried at Oakland Cemetery! One Mr. August Koegle has a tombstone, and the other has no stone marking his grave site.

In the 1880 United States Census, August M. Koegle was listed as “Gus.” He and his wife Louisa and several children resided on Jackson Street. The other August Koegle  lived on Camp Street in the 1880 Census, with his wife and three children.

Obituaries for each of these individuals helped to learn more about them. August M. Koegle, who was connected with a dry goods business for many years, died in 1909. His obituary appeared in the Sandusky Register on December 10, 1909.

The other August Koegle died in a hospital in Toledo, Ohio in 1926. His obituary was in the Sandusky Register of October 20, 1926.

While there is no tombstone for the August Koegle who passed away in 1926, there is a tombstone in the North Ridge section of Oakland Cemetery for his young daughter who died in 1899.

Records in FamilySearch indicate that the two August Koegles are mostly likely first cousins. 

Bernard McCormick was related to the Irish Tenor John McCormack

Bernard McCormick was born in Ireland in the 1830s. He and his wife, the former Catharine McGory emigrated to the United States in the 1850s. By 1880, the McCormick family was residing in Kelleys Island, Erie County, Ohio, where Bernard was employed as a quarry man. The family included seven children. Mrs. Catharine McGoryMcCormick died in 1897, and she was buried at St. Joseph's Cemetery in Sandusky, Ohio. By 1900, Bernard was residing in Sandusky, Ohio with two of his children.

According to U.S. Census records, Bernard McCormick moved to Cleveland, Ohio, where he lived with his daughter Sarah Burke. After Mr. Burke passed away, Sarah married Henry Mount. On October 26, 1925, Bernard McCormick died in Cleveland, Ohio. His remains were brought to Sandusky, Ohio, for burial at St. Joseph's Cemetery. An article from the Sandusky Star Journal of October 28, 1925 reported that Bernard  McCormick was the cousin of the father of well known Irish tenor John McCormack.

Many of your ancestors probably listened to John McCormack on the radio or saw him in movies. YouTube features many songs by John McCormack. Below are just a few.

When Irish Eyes are Smiling

The Kerry Dance

Believe Me if All Those Endearing Young Charms

It's a Long Way to Tipperary

To learn more about John McCormack see:

Article about John McCormack from Brittanica.Com

 Grave of John McCormack

John McCormack on Bing Crosby Radio Program

Monument Honoring Five Children of Timothy and Catherine Campbell

In St. Joseph's Cemetery in Sandusky, in Section D, is a monument which honors the memory of several children of Timothy and Catherine Campbell, who were both natives of Ireland. 

John Campbell died in 1874, at the age of 22. Thaddeas, who was also known as Timothy, died in 1881, in an accident involving a train car at the Lake Shore Railway Depot in Sandusky. William Campbell died in 1895 in Fort Worth, Texas. Fanny Campbell died in 1888, at the age of 28. Catherine, who went by Kitty, died in 1882 at the age of 20.

Timothy Campbell, the father of the Campbell family died in 1896. He and his wife Catherine, who died in 1906, are honored on a separate monument at St. Joseph's.

There were several other children in the Campbell family. James Campbell moved to Spokane, Washington, Robert and Joseph Campbell moved to Michigan. Daughter Mary Campbell first married John Cullen. Mr. and Mrs. Cullen ran a boarding house on Washington Street in Sandusky. After the death of John Cullen, Mary married businessman Patrick J. Milan. Mary was living in Cleveland, Ohio, with her daughter, at the time of her death in 1920. At that time, Patrick J. Milan was living in Hot Springs, Arkansas, due to ill health. Mr. Milan died in 1926. He is buried at St. Joseph's Cemetery next to his first wife and several children.

Anyone with loved ones who are buried in St. Joseph's Cemetery on Mills Street in Sandusky can learn more about their family members by consulting the St. Joseph's Cemetery book of interments at the Sandusky Library. Ask to see this resource at the Reference Services Desk. Details provide dates of birth and death, if known, and location within the cemetery.

George and Rosella Mavros

 

George and Rosella "Rosie" Mavros were longtime residents of Bay Bridge, Ohio. George was an employee of the Medusa Cement company in Bay Bridge. They were married in 1927. George Mavros was born in Greece, and Rosie was the child of Louis Lakner, a Hungarian immigrant and his wife, the former Mary Szabo.

At Medusa, there were two men of Greek descent, both with the first name George. So everyone could tell them apart, George Mavros was known as "Big George" and George Fourtounis was known as "Little George," because of their obvious differences in height. Both Georges are in the picture below, which features Medusa's "25 year men," from the early 1950s.

A brief article in December 13, 1929 issue of the Sandusky Register reported on the meeting of brothers George and Tony Mavros, after they had not seen each other in several years.

One of my uncles told me that Rosie Mavros was an outstanding cook. He said that when she made a dish with sauce, he would sop up the sauce with bread. Rosie can be seen in the picture below, in the center, at the far right. An article in the Sandusky Register Star News of Feb. 4, 1947 featured a story about the students and parents of Venice School.

George Mavros retired from Medusa Cement in 1958, and he died in 1959. He was survived by his wife Rosella, and three children, four grandchildren, two sisters in Greece and a brother in Mexico City. Rosella Mavros died in 1989, having been a widow for thirty years. Mr. and Mrs. Mavros were buried in Section T of Oakland Cemetery in Erie County, Ohio.

Mary Luciel Mcgorkey Mulligan, Advocate for Nurses

 

Photo credit: Find a Grave

Mary Luciel McGookey was born on April 11, 1903, in Venice, Ohio, in Erie County, Ohio to Barney and Mary Olive McGookey. Her McGookey ancestors were from Northern Ireland. An early spelling of her surname was MacGuckin. Mary Luciel had an identical twin sister named Laurene McGookey. The twins attended nursing school at Dixmont State Hospital in Pennsylvania.

From 1937 to 1942 Mary Luciel McGookey, aka Mary Luciel McGorkey, was active in labor organizations to help improve workings conditions for nurses and other hospital employees. Her first husband was Harry Liss, and her second husband was attorney William G. Mulligan. They had an adopted son and a daughter named Luciel "Sita" Mulligan, born in 1948. Mary Luciel McGookey/McGorkey Mulligan died in 1990. She was buried in the Venice Cemetery in Erie County, Ohio. 

To learn much more about Mary Luciel McGookey/McGorkey Mulligan, see volume 3 of American Nursing: A Biographical Dictionary, edited by Vern L. Bullough, RN, PhD, FAAN (Springer Publishing, 2004.) This resource is found at several university libraries in the U.S., often as an online resource.

Francisco-Young Monument at Oakland Cemetery

David Francisco was born in New York in the 1790s, and settled in Groton Township. It appears that David died some time between 1840 and 1850. His wife Semanda lived until 1872. The Franciscos had three children, Frances, George J., and Maria. Frances Francisco (1829-1891) was a harness maker in Sandusky. George J. Francisco (1821-1893) moved to Cincinnati, Ohio, where he was the superintendent of the stables for the Express Company for many years. Maria Francisco married John Losey Young, who died in his forties in 1869.

 

The son of John Losey Young and Maria Francisco Young was Merritt Francisco Young, who was born in 1849. Merritt worked as a clerk in the United States Express Office in Sandusky in his teenage years. Later he moved to Cincinnati, Ohio, where he was a bookkeeper at the Gibson Hotel. While at the hotel, he became acquainted with James A. Bailey, the well known circus manager. Mr. Bailey saw Merritt Young’s aptitude for business, and hired him to handle the business affairs of the Cooper and Bailey Circus in the 1860s. When James Bailey and P.T. Barnum merged to become the Barnum and Bailey Circus in 1881, Merritt Young became treasurer of the well known circus.

Photo source: Wikipedia

After becoming very ill in Chicago, Illinois, Merritt Young passed away on June 16, 1897, at the age of 48. His remains were returned to Sandusky, Ohio for burial at Oakland Cemetery.

Masonic funeral services were held for Mr. Young, with Rev. Clement Martin of the Presbyterian Church officiating. At the grave site, were his grieving mother, along with officials from the Barnum and Bailey Circus, members of the Masonic Lodge, and several friends of the Young family.  The casket of Merritt Young was adorned with many floral tributes. The ticket agent of the Buffalo Bill Wild West Show and James A. Bailey were among those sending flowers. It was said that whenever the Barnum and Bailey Circus visited Sandusky for a show, flowers were placed at the grave of Merritt Young at Oakland Cemetery. Merritt’s mother, Mrs. John Losey Young died on October 28, 1901. She was laid to rest at Oakland Cemetery in the family lot, which she had visited often.

 

C. Elizabeth Poppenborg

 

Not much is known about C. Elizabeth Poppenborg, except that she was most likely of the Catholic faith. Records from St. Joseph's Cemetery indicate that she died in 1847, and was the daughter of Conrad Poppenborg and Lucy Burnan.

By doing a search on FamilySearch.org, I located a Maria Lucia "Lucy" Burmann. Maria's first husband was Casper Anton Ruenbusch Windau, who died in Germany in 1831. At some point Maria emigrated with her many children to the United States. She then married Conrad Poppenborg/Poppenburg, who worked on the Mad River Railroad.

Though C. Elizabeth Poppenborg is not listed in the family group on FamilySearch, I do believe she is a daughter of Conrad Poppenborg and Lucy, and she must have died quite young. 

Thank you to my friend Joel M., for finding this treasured tombstone at St. Joseph's Cemetery in Sandusky, Ohio!

McGoldric Lot at St. Joseph's Cemetery

During the summer of 1849, several Sandusky residents died of cholera. In the McGoldric lot at St. Joseph's Cemetery are several members of the same family who lost their lives to the deadly disease.

Looking from left to right are tombstones in the McGoldric lot:

John McGoldric, died July 23, 1849

Ann McGoldric, died 1894 (Ann lost her spouse and several children in 1849.)

Patrick Gordon, died in 1849 (Most likely member of the McGoldric family allowed him to be buried in the McGoldric lot, as they were all members of Holy Angels Church.)

Jennie McGoldric, died February 28, 1864 (Jennie lost her father and several siblings in 1849.)

The final stone, at the far right, is illegible today, but St. Joseph's Cemetery records indicate that this stone marks the final resting place of children of John and Ann McGoldric: Ann, John Jr., William and another child whose name is unknown in the cemetery records.)

It is remarkable that these tombstones have remained at St. Joseph's Cemetery for so many, many years, though it does appear that the tombstone of Patrick Gordon may have been placed there some time after the other stones in the McGoldric lot. Rest in peace McGoldrics and Mr. Gordon.

Note: The surname McGoldric is sometimes listed as McGoldrick.

Photo Credit: J. Mazza

Mrs. Catherine Robina Souter

According to her death record, Catherine Robina Souter was born in Toronto, Canada, in 1819, to Thomas and Bell (Winchester) Hickley.  By 1850, Catherine was married to David Souter, and they lived in Sandusky, Ohio with their three young children.

After 1850, the name of David Souter disappears from census records and city directories. To date, no death record for David has been found. The 1855 Sandusky City Directory lists Mrs. C.R. Souter as a dressmaker, residing on Market Street. Mrs. Souter’s son James W. Souter moved west, and he worked for the American Express Company. Her daughter Frances married Thomas Morris, and moved to Toledo, Ohio. Daughter Mary Souter died at the age of 21, in 1864.

Mrs. Catherine Robina Souter died at the age of 91 on November 3, 1910. She was buried at St. Joseph’s Cemetery with her daughter Mary. Mrs. Souter’s father had been born in Scotland, and her mother was born in England. She lived a long life in Sandusky, Ohio, far from the place of her birth. Rev. William F. Murphy officiated at Mrs. Souter’s funeral and burial. In a few years, Rev. Murphy would officiate at the marriage Knute Rockne and Bonnie Skiles in Sandusky, Ohio.

Wordless Wednesday: Carl E. Stonerook Jr. at St. Joseph's Cemetery in Sandusky, Ohio

 

John Gordon, Irish Immigrant to Sandusky

John Gordon was born in Ireland. His wife was the former Catherine Grinley. In 1855, the Sandusky City Directory listed John Gordon as a watchman for the Mad River and Lake Erie Railroad. Later he held the same position for the Cincinnati, Sandusky and Cleveland Railroad (a predecessor of the New York Central Railroad.) 

John and Catherine were members of Holy Angels Church. Their many children were christened there, according to Diocese records. Two of the sons, John J. Gordon, and George H. Gordon became well known reporters for New York newspapers. Their youngest daughter, Mary Louise Gordon, was a suffragist and she served as the Women's Page editor of the New York Herald Tribune in the 1930s and 1940s.

Sadly, in August of 1883, John Gordon's body was found at the foot of Columbus Avenue. He had suffered a serious head injury. At first it was thought they he may have been murdered, but Erie County Coroner. Dr. Elwood Stanley, determined that he died from an accidental drowning.

John Gordon was laid to rest in the family lot at St. Joseph's Cemetery. His wife moved to the east to reside with her daughter. She died in 1916, and her remains were brought back to Sandusky for burial at St. Joseph's Cemetery. 

The Gordon family hoped for a better life in America, and sadly John Gordon's life was cut short. The names of the Gordon family are carved in stone at St. Joseph's, and their obituaries appeared in Sandusky newspapers. The Gordon family was indeed a part of the "melting pot" of America.

Remembering Ajaish and Mary Alice Rather

Ajaish and Mary Alice Rather are buried in Section S in Sandusky's Oakland Cemetery. They raised seven children together and were both active in community and church activities.

In 1967, the baseball diamond at Jaycee Park was renamed "Rather Field" in honor of Ajaish "Butch" Rather. An article in the August 14, 1967 issue of the Sandusky Register reported that Mr. Rather had been a member of the Board of Recreation for several years, and he helped hundreds of area youngsters in youth baseball programs. Ajaish Rather passed away in 1967, before his son David Elmer "Bo" Rather began to play college football at the University of Michigan. Later Bo played in the NFL for the Miami Dolphins and Chicago Bears.

Mrs. Mary Alice Rather was active in Ebenezer Baptist Church. She was past president of the Sandusky Chapter of the N.A.A.C.P. She was a member of the the Board of the Erie Metro Housing Agency, Ohio Association of Community Action Agencies, and the Human Relations Commission of Sandusky. For several years she was the executive director of the CAC in Sandusky. She worked tirelessly for the civil rights of the residents of Sandusky and Erie County. Mrs. Rather died on June 6, 2006. An obituary for Mrs. Mary Alice Rather appeared in the June , 2006 issue of the Sandusky Register.

Thank you Mr. and Mrs. Rather for your many years of service to your community!

 

Two Young Men from Romania who Died in a Quarry Accident in 1915

At the St. Joseph's Cemetery in Sandusky, Ohio are two tombstones honoring the memory of Jon G. Morariu and John Alecsa Galario. The men died in a mining accident in a quarry in Margaretta Township in Erie County, Ohio on September 16, 1915. They were both natives of Romania. 

Dr. Fred Schoepfle, Coroner, signed the death records of these men. John G. Morariu was about age 45 at the time of his death. His cause of death was a fractured skull, after a dynamite explosion.

John Alecsa Galario was age 22 when he was also killed in the explosion. He died when he suffered internal injuries, concussion, and shock when the explosion occurred.

The spellings of the names of these two men vary widely in records,  which is not uncommon for individuals of foreign birth who died in the United States in the early twentieth century. The death records of these two men are in chronological order in the Bureau of Vital Statistics for the State of Ohio, and their tombstones are side by side at St. Joseph's Cemetery. They probably came to America for a better life than they had in Romania, but tragically their lives were cut short. Rest in Peace!

Getting to Know Myers, Uhl & Company

 From about 1846 to 1881, the steam marble works company of Myers, Uhl & Company was in business in Cleveland, Ohio. The company made monuments, mantles, and cabinet slabs. According to a Guidebook from the Cleveland Museum of Natural History, the company was located along the old Ohio & Erie Canal in Cleveland, where the Flats are now located. (See page 13 in the guidebook entitled "Geology along the Towpath.") 

The two partners were George A. Myers and Charles F. Uhl. When I was walking through Oakland Cemetery several years ago, I ran into a monument made by Myers, Uhl & Co. It was a grave marker for Lydia Pero.

Along the bottom of the stone are the words Myers, Uhl and Co., though they are very weathered.

A Civil War monument at the Woodland Cemetery in Cleveland, which honors the 23rd Ohio Volunteer Infantry

was designed by sculptor C.H. Brown, and was manufactured by Myers, Uhl & Co.

Image courtesy Wikipedia

Myers, Uhl & Co. made hundreds of monuments and household items in their over 30 year history. An article in an 1881 issue of Bradstreet's reported that the company had gone into receivership.

Senior partner George A. Myers died in 1887. He was buried in the family lot at Lake View Cemetery. Charles F. Uhl passed away in 1891. He was buried far from Cleveland in the Uhl Family Cemetery in Holmes County, Ohio. Thank you to Myers, Uhl & C. for their many contributions to honoring the memory of former Ohioans!

Note: I apologize for inconsistent font formatting. After many tries, it was not able to be corrected.

Mr. and Mrs. Frank Muenchow

 

The final resting place of Mr. and Mrs. Frank Muenchow is Oakland Cemetery, in Section K. On the Fourth of July holiday weekend, Frank Muenchow suffered a fatal heart attack, as he was driving the city bus. The bus crashed at the corner of West Monroe Street and Clinton Street in Sandusky, Ohio. Mrs. Muenchow, the former Annettie/Nettie Galloway lived until 1963.

A lovely picture of the couple is featured on the Muenchow stone at Oakland.

Rest in peace.