Mrs. Anne Drake

Mrs. Anne Drake is buried at the North Monroeville Cemetery in Huron County, Ohio. The inscription at the base of Mrs. Drake's tombstone reads:
"Erected by her daughters Anne and Florence."

Records at FamilySearch indicate that Frederick Dean Drake married Ann Conry on February 17, 1853 in Erie County. The 1870 U.S. Census for Erie County shows the Drake family living in Oxford Township.

The parents were:

Frederick, age 68, born in New York
Anna, age 38, born in Ireland

The children were:

Anna, age 16
Julia, age 15
May, age 14
Fanny, age 11
John , age 10
Florence, age 7
Sally, age 6

Mrs. Anne Drake passed away on July 20, 1916, in Kimball, Ohio. Her obituary, which was carried in the July 22, 1916 issue of the Sandusky Register reported that Mrs. Drake was the mother of former Ohio State Senator John C. Drake and five grown daughters.

Capt. John White

Hewson L. Peeke wrote in his 1916 edition of A STANDARD HISTORY OF ERIE COUNTY, OHIO, that Captain John White was one of the pioneer settlers of Erie County's Groton Township. His title of Captain was in reference to his service in the state militia. From the book MEMORIALS OF JOHN WHITE, we learn that John White (a descendant of the John White in the book title) was born in Hatfield, Massachusetts on August 22, 1792. He married Sophia White in 1820, who passed away in 1853 in Erie County, Ohio. He married Elizabeth Drake in 1854.

The children of John and Sophia White were: Ebenezer, Elijah, Mary, George, and John. John White and Elizabeth Drake White had a daughter named Ida. John White died on September 24, 1863 and is buried in Graves Cemetery just south of Castalia, Ohio.

Pitt Drake

The IGI section of Family Search lists Pitt Drake as being born about 1841 to Charles Ferris Drake and Maria Van Vechten Livingston Drake. The Civil War Soldiers and Sailors network indicates that Pitt Drake served in Co. I of the 102nd New York Infantry during the Civil War.

An exciting tale of danger involving the Drake family is found in the chapter "An Eventful Night" in Theresa Thorndale's book SKETCHES AND STORIES OF THE LAKE ERIE ISLANDS, available through Heritage Quest. Pitt Drake's father Charles was the keeper of the light on Green Island. On New Year's Eve, 1863, the lighthouse on Green Island caught on fire. Pitt was at a neighboring island, Put in Bay, to celebrate New Year's Eve, and a terrible winter storm prevented him from making his way to Green Island. The weather let up on New Year's Day, and Pitt Drake found his family, cold and shaken, but alive. You can read more about the Green Island Lighthouse at the Touring Ohio website.

Pitt Drake died in Chicago in 1897. His obituary is found in the Grace Luebke Digital Collection hosted by the Harris-Elmore Public Library. The obituary stated that Pitt died on August 2, 1897. His remains were taken to the home of his sister, Mrs. Abram Gregoire, by his wife. The funeral was held at the Episcopal Church, and he was buried in Sandusky's Oakland Cemetery. Mr. Pitt Drake was survived by two brothers, Rush and Benjamin Drake, and a sister Mrs. Gregoire. Pitt Drake had been born in Sandusky in 1840 and learned the printer's trade at the Register office under the direction of Henry Cooke. He also worked on the Chicago Tribune. Mr. Drake suffered from heart trouble, and it is felt that the severe heat of the summer contributed to his sudden death.

A headline from the Chicago Tribune (subscription required), stated that Pitt Drake was "One of the Best and Most Widely Known Men in His Trade."