Fifth Grade Gingerbread House Project

One of my "Graveyard Rabbit in training" grandsons made this gingerbread house in his
Grade Five Class today. Merry Christmas from our family to yours!

Doris Wheeler's Letter to Santa

On Saturday, December 21, 1912, the letter below appeared in the Sandusky Star Journal. Since my maternal grandmother, Doris Wheeler, was only two years old, her letter must have been written by either her mother or her grandparents.







An advertisement from the popular Sandusky department store, the Herb & Myers Company, also appeared in the December 21st issue of the Star Journal.






















In time, Doris married Steen Parker, and they had three children. Sadly, she died when she was only 32 years of age. She was the joy of her Grandpa Tom Larkins' heart! Doris is standing in the four generation photo below. Also pictured in the photo are her mother, Irene Larkins Risko, her grandfather, Thomas Larkins, and her ten year old daughter, Joyce Parker.


















Though her life was short, it is good to recall that Grandma Doris had hopes and dreams and loved the holidays!

A Dickens Christmas: Christmases Past, Present, and Future

The theme of the 113th Edition of the Carnival of Genealogy is:

A Charles Dickens Christmas. We're going to borrow Charles Dickens' idea and have some visits from the ghosts of Christmas past, present, and future.

My parents didn't always have a lot of money, but they both loved Christmas, and they made sure that we had a very happy holiday each and every Christmas! We had programs at church and at school. On Christmas Eve we gathered with the extended family. We opened our gifts from Santa on Christmas morning. When I was 8 years old, my sister and I got dolls, and my brother Paul was thrilled with his Huckleberry Hound dog! Baby brother Todd wondered what all the fuss was about!

Mom loved sending out picture Christmas cards.In 1960, Mom went with the Mickey Mouse Club theme, and we all wore sweatshirts with our names on them, just like the Mouseketeers!

By 1972, two more little ones were added to our branch of the Orshoski family tree.

Now, Mom and Dad are both in Heaven, but we still gather together on Christmas Day. We have several more families to fit into the festivities, and some of us have to leave early to go to family events on our spouse's side of the family, or to our childrens' homes, but as many as possible come to my baby sister's house to celebrate a lovely Christmas luncheon. Some other ways we celebrate include my sisters participating in a race in Chicago, and my husband and I taking our grandsons to the train exhibit at the R. B. Hayes Presidential Center.

As for future Christmases in our family, I am hoping that we continue to gather together at lunch time on Christmas Day. It would be a joy to see some of our siblings, and nieces and nephews from Mississippi and Georgia be able to make the trip to Northern Ohio, so they can "enjoy" our brisk winter weather with loved ones all around!

Best Christmas Wishes from the Graveyard Rabbit of Sandusky Bay!

Aaron A. Van Blarcum

Aaron A. Van Blarcum died on Christmas Eve, according to his obituary in the Sandusky Register on December 26, 1882. (His tombstone, however, shows the death date given as Christmas, December 25.) His age was 57 years, and 5 months. In the 1874 Sandusky City Directory, he was listed as the sexton for Oakland Cemetery, which is the cemetery where he was buried.

The 1870 U.S. Census for Perkins Township of Erie County lists 44 year old Aaron Van Blorkum as the head of the household, with other family members given as:


Laura age 44
Almeda age 19
Minnie age 13
George age 8
Fredy age 2
Frank infant

Aaron was born in New York, and Laura was born in Vermont. All the children were born in Ohio. What a sad holiday for the family who lost their husband and father at Christmastime.

Gift from My Family: Memories of Christmas Past

Paul R. Orshoski,Sr., was born on July 1, 1927. His mother was 100% German, and his father was 100% Hungarian. Paul married his sweetheart, who had roots to Connecticut settlers of the Firelands, and she also had English and Irish immigrant ancestors. Their six children truly represented the American "melting pot." Paul and his wife enjoyed watching the children participate in school, church, and sporting activities. The family loved Christmas...letters to Santa, cousins to visit, "pieces" to learn for the church Christmas play, and little ones who could barely get to sleep on Christmas Eve. Here are some pictures from Christmases past. A holiday tradition was to send a family photo along with Christmas cards to family and friends. Though Paul is in heaven now, his family cherishes the time we had with him.

The family started with a baby girl. This little one never grew tired of hearing stories about "the olden days."



Soon a little boy came along, named after his dad. He would grow up to coach youth athletics like his dad, too.


Then there were three. This baby girl would became a caring nurse in the years to come.


Christmas Eve usually involved Paul spending long hours assembling the toys that "Santa" brought, sometimes until the wee hours of Christmas morning.Oh how the children loved their presents!


There were a lot of smiles when another little boy was added to the family. This young man still keeps the family laughing today!


The family looks so calm, but there were hectic times more often than not.


Baby "Number Five" was a special gift. He would sing "I saw Mommy Kissing Santa Claus" in Kindergarten, and later would also sing to his bride.


The baby girl of the family was the delight of her parents' hearts. "She keeps us young," they would say so often.



Stories of Orshoski Christmases past are now being passed down to the grandchildren and great grandchildren. Thanks for the memories, and Merry Christmas!