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The Graveyard Rabbit Online Journal can be accessed here.

Elnathan Steevens

Near the northern section of Groton Township's Deyo Cemetery is the broken tombstone of Elnathan Steevens (sometimes spelled Stevens.) Two flags decorate the grave marker.

A record from the IGI portion of the FamilySearch database provides this information about Elnathan Steevens/Stevens:

He was born on December 6, 1770 in Killingworth, Connecticut. His father's name was the same name as his. On March 6, 1800, Elnathan married Pauline Parsons. Elnathan Steevens/Stevens died on August 10, 1838.

A lengthy inscription appears on Elnathan's tombstone, but I was unable to decipher it. If anyone knows more about Elnathan Steevens, please leave a message in the comments field. Thank you.

Mrs. Cordelia "Corky" Johnson

Morris and Cordelia Johnson are pictured in 1952, with the daughter of family friends. Cordelia Johnson was the daughter of Mr. and Mrs. George Lerch. During the 1940's and 1950's, Cordelia, known fondly as "Corky," was a supervisor at Periodical Publishers, located on the west side of Sandusky, near Lions Park. Corky mentored the many young women who worked as typists at Periodical, listening to their problems, and offering counsel in a gentle manner. She was active in the Catawba Union Chapel, the Chapel Mother's Club, the VFW auxiliary, and the Rebekah Lodge. Cordelia's husband was Morris Johnson, who worked as a Sohio distributor of fuel oil for many years in the Port Clinton area. Morris also worked for twenty years at the Erie Army Depot in Port Clinton, Ohio.

Cordelia Johnson passed away on August 8, 1970, at the age of 60. She was survived by her husband Morris, a son from a former marriage, two grandchildren, a brother and a sister. Her funeral was held at the Catawba Union Chapel, located near the Miller Boat Dock in Ottawa County. There were so many people at Mrs. Johnson's funeral that some people had to sit in the back room, where they could hear the minister, but could not see him. "Corky" was a beloved person, missed by her family, neighbors, friends, co-workers, and church family.

Morris Johnson later remarried, but he always stayed in touch with Cordelia's brother and sister. Morris Johnson died on May 25, 1982. He was buried with Cordelia Lerch Johnson in the Catawba Island Township Cemetery.

Otto Wagner Family Monument at Oakland Cemetery

A unique monument honoring the family of Otto W. Wagner is found at Sandusky's Oakland Cemetery. Otto W. Wagner was the son of Julius and Louisa Wagner. Otto was engaged in the ice business in Sandusky. On October 2, 1909, Otto W. Wagner died, at the age of 55. His wife Kate had passed away in July of 1891. The Wagner monument is in the shape of a tree, with the branches cut off. A tombstone in the shape of a tree branch that is cut off usually symbolizes a life cut short. Obituaries for Otto W. Wagner are found in the October 3, 4, and 5, 1909 issues of the Sandusky Register. Beside the tree shaped monument are individual stones, shaped like tree stumps, inscribed with the names, birth, and death dates of Otto and Kate Wagner.
















Jay O. Wagner, Otto's son, died on February 12, 1957. He was assistant cashier at the Citizens Bank for 53 years. Jay's tombstone is just north of the tree-shaped Wagner monument.











Chester J. Wagner lived to be 94 years of age; he died on April 18, 1976. Chester's obituary, found in the April 19, 1976 Sandusky Register, stated that Chester was a lifelong Sandusky resident, and he had been a realtor for many years. Chester helped to establish the Firelands Campus, a branch of Bowling Green State University. In the early days of the automobile, Chester J. Wagner was one of the first manufacturers of left-hand-drive vehicles in the United States. Chester's wife, the former Stella Bittner, preceded her husband in death in 1959. Chester and Stella's grave marker is located south of the tree-shaped Wagner monument.

Mr. and Mrs. Christopher Nelson Martin

According to his death certificate, Christopher Nelson Martin was born in 1827 to Richard and Sallie Teller Martin. Records on file at Erie County Probate Court list November 23, 1852 as the marriage date of a Nelson martin and Phebe Reed. The 1900 Erie County Census shows Phoebe martin's birthplace as England and her birth year to be 1834.

Christopher Nelson Martin died on December 30, 1909. His obituary in the January 1, 1910 Sandusky Register reported that Mr. Martin's funeral was to be held at his home in Crystal Rock. On January 9, 1910, Mrs. C. N. Martin placed a "Card of Thanks" in the local newspaper, in which she thanked the Knights of the Maccabees, the clergymen, and the funeral director, Mrs. John J. Marquart. The article ended with this phrase:

"Rest in peace dearest father,
Thou art gone but not forgotten."

Mrs. C. N. Martin passed away on August 4, 1915.

A 50-year History booklet, printed by the Village of Bay View in 2001, tells us that the father of C.N. Martin, Richard Martin, came to the area now known as Bay View in the early 1800's. He owned and farmed the land, which was known in the early days as "Martin's Point." Martin's Point Road is the name of the portion of State Route 269 which runs through the western edge of the Village of Bay View today. (Image below from Google Maps.)



Descendants of Richard Martin lived in the Crystal Rock and Venice areas of Erie County for many years.

The tombstone for Mr. and Mrs. Christopher Nelson Martin is located in the Castalia Cemetery. The shape of the monument is an open book lying atop a tree stump. (Click on images for an enlarged view.)



Though covered with lichen, and quite worn, the initials and last name of the couple appear on the pages of the open book, with their birth and death years listed below their names.

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."

Second Lieutenant Dolsen Vankirk of the Ohio 65th

In the North Ridge section of Sandusky's Oakland Cemetery is a tombstone in memory of Lieutenant Dolsen Vankirk. At the top of the stone is the phrase "My Beloved Son." The inscription continues:

GAVE HIS LIFE
A SACRIFICE
FOR HIS COUNTRY
AT THE BATTLE OF
STONE RIVER
DEC. 31, 1862

Aged 20 Year 10 Mos.

A listing in the Ancestral File of the database FamilySearch states that Dolsen Vankirk was born in 1843 to Robert Vankirk and Helen Headley, in Sparta, New Jersey. By 1860, U.S. Census records show Dolsen living with his widowed mother and brother Edward in Sandusky, Erie County, Ohio, living in the household of a Mr. C. Carr.

On May 10, 1862, Calvin Carr wrote a letter to Ohio's Governor David Tod, requesting that Dolsen Vankirk Orderly Sergeant of Co. B., Ohio 65th Infantry, be promoted. He wrote, in part, "he hoped Tod would promote Vankirk to 2nd Lieutenant which would be very gratifying to his many friends and widowed mother, and that if necessary, he could obtain for Vankirk the endorsement of 100 names of prominent men in Sandusky." This letter is transcribed in a collection of Civil War Documents available at the website of the Ohio Historical Society.

Referring to the Ohio 65th's Capt. J. Christophel and Second Lieutenant Dolsen Vankirk, the author of the military report of the Stone's River Campaign wrote these words in: THE WAR OF THE REBELLION (Additions and Corrections to Series 1: Volume XX.): "I can cannot close this report without paying a tribute of respect to the memory of the soldierly Sweet, the conscientious Christophel, and the intelligent and noble-hearted Van Kirk, who fell while manfully encouraging their men in the trying hour of battle."

Second Lieutenant Dolsen Vankirk died on December 31, 1862 at the Battle of Stone's River in Tennessee. It is clear that he was sadly missed by his family, as evidenced by the lovely monument which still is adorned with a flag at Oakland Cemetery.