The Children of George R. and Mary Hand

The names of several children of Mr. and Mrs. George R. Hand are listed on the Hand monument at Oakland Cemetery in Erie County, Ohio. George R. Hand was a Captain on the Great Lakes, and prior to his death he had been connected with a tug business in Buffalo, New York. Mrs. Mary Hand was the former Mary “Polly” Stanbery. Mary and George were married in Erie County, Ohio in 1839.

George Hand,  Helen Hand and John Hand all died as young children. According to the June18, 1875 issue of the Catskill Recorder,  James Hand was killed when the tug R.R. Hefford exploded in Buffalo, New York on June 10, 1975.

Another child of George and Mary Hand, Bella Hand Wilson, died of typhoid in her early 30s. She was the wife of Frank A. Wilson, from New York State. Her name is on another side of the Hand monument.

An article whish appeared in the Sandusky Register of October 29, 1884, describes the Hand monument:

“A Fine Monument”

A magnificent monument has been erected in Oakland Cemetery over the remains of Captain George R. Hand, who died January 1st, 1884 at Buffalo, the body having been brought here and buried the following Saturday.

The monument, which is one of the finest in the cemetery, is of blue Quincy granite, of the cottage style, and stands a little over twenty feet high. It was made by a Boston, Mass., firm and shipped here through the agent, Mr. Eddy.

The remains were transferred yesterday from the place where they were originally buried to a spot in the same lot, by the request of his widow. The monument adds another ornament to the cemetery, and evinces the recollection of a loving wife.

Though many members of the Hand family passed away at very young ages, their names have been etched in stone and the memories of their lives live on.