Dr. Thomas M. Cook, Civil War Surgeon

Dr. Thomas M. Cook is pictured in STORY OF THE ONE HUNDRED AND FIRST OHIO INFANTRY: A MEMORIAL VOLUME, by Lewis W. Day, available at Google Books. The photograph was taken by W. A. Bishop, a Sandusky photographer, in 1894. Dr. Thomas M. Cook was the regimental and brigade surgeon of the 101st Ohio Volunteer Infantry during the Civil War. Dr. Cook enrolled at Monroeville, Ohio on August 12, 1861. He was appointed Brigade Surgeon in September of 1862,and he was mustered out with his unit on June 12, 1865 at Camp Harker, Tennessee.


A biography of Dr. T. M. Cook's twin brother, James Hervey Cook, which appeared in the CENTENNIAL BIOGRAPHICAL HISTORY OF RICHLAND COUNTY, ed. by A.J. Baughman, states that the Cook family traces its roots back to the Mayflower. Thomas and James Cook were born to Jabez and Hannah Cook, in Richland County, Ohio on September 3, 1816. Dr. Thomas McCurdy Cook died in Sandusky on March 13, 1896. He is buried near his wife and son, Dr. Alta Cook, in Sandusky's Oakland Cemetery. Dr. Cook was highly respected by his family, friends, and the community.

Tombstone Tuesday: Miss Daisy Kugel

Daisy Kugel was born in Sandusky on March 10, 1878 to Benjamin and Bertha Crane Kugel. She was highly educated, having earned her A.B. degree at the University of Michigan, as well as a Master's Degree in Home Economics at Columbia University. Miss Kugel also took graduate classes at the University of Chicago. For fifteen years, Miss Daisy Kugel was head of the Home Economics Department at the Stout Institute in Menomonie, Wisconsin. A brief article published in the August 1922 issue of the Journal of Home Economics reported that Miss Daisy Alice Kugel was to spend the summer in Europe, visiting schools in England, France and Belgium. Daisy authored a book of recipes for a series of textbooks at Spelman College.

After being associated with home economics education for many years, Miss Kugel moved back to Sandusky as a result of poor health. Miss Daisy A. Kugel passed away on December 18, 1940, after she received injuries when she was accidentally struck by an automobile not far from her Wayne Street home. An obituary for Daisy Kugel, found in the 1940 OBITUARY NOTEBOOK at the Sandusky Library, stated in part, "Miss Kugel had been a leader in the cultural life of Sandusky for a number of years and her death will come as a great shock by her wide circle of friends and acquaintances. She took an active part in the work of many organizations here." A separate newspaper tribute reported that Miss Kugel kept in contact with many of her former students, as they frequently sought out her counsel. Daisy A. Kugel is buried in Sandusky's Oakland Cemetery.

Cemeteries Described in the 1874 Register Sandusky Directory

While Erie County, Ohio now has many cemeteries, in the 1874 Sandusky City Directory, published by I. F. Mack, a brief section of page 31 contained a description of three cemeteries in the Sandusky area.

Oakland Cemetery, operated by the City Council of Sandusky was opened in May of 1850, located two miles south of the city of Sandusky, in Perkins Township. To secure a lot, applications were to be made to City Clerk Charles Cross.

The English Catholic Cemetery, now called St. Joseph Cemetery, was opened in 1839 or 1840 by Rev. Father Machebeuf. It was located in the Western Liberties section of Sandusky. In 1874, to purchase a lot here, applications were to be made to Rev. Father Sidley.

The German Catholic Cemetery, known now as St. Mary's Cemetery, was located across the road from the English Catholic Cemetery. In 1874, the sexton of the German Catholic Cemetery was Mr. B. Merk, who lived close to the German Catholic Church. Applications for lots at the German Catholic Cemetery were to made to Rev. N. Moos.

To view the 1874 Register Sandusky Directory, visit the Sandusky Library. The library features several shelves of historical Sandusky City Directories.

William Dell Lindsley

William Dell Lindsley served as a Representative from Ohio in the Thirty-third Congress of the United States, from 1853 through 1855. He was a Captain in the Ohio Militia from 1840 to 1843 and as Brigadier General in 1843. Helen Hansen wrote in AT HOME IN EARLY SANDUSKY, that "the General" would often hold military drills in the public square of Sandusky. During a cholera epidemic in Sandusky, his house on South Columbus Avenue was a refuge for people from the city who wanted to escape the epidemic.

William Dell Lindsley was married to Minerva Bell. W. D. Lindsley died on March 11, 1890. Mrs. Lindsley had died in 1888. They are buried in Sandusky's Oakland Cemetery. A photograph of W. D. Lindsley is featured on the Sandusky History website.

See the Construction of the Ohio Genealogical Society's new building!

Follow this link to see recently posted photos of the construction being done on the Ohio Genealogical Society's new library.

Groundbreaking for the project took place on May 29, 2009. You can read about the capital campaign here. Graveyard Rabbits throughout Ohio look forward to this new facility!

Tombstone Tuesday: Frank Gunha

Frank Gunha
Died March 1, 1872
Aged 37 years & 7 days
Oakland Cemetery

Unknown Sailor Buried at Oak Bluff Cemetery

The inscription on the tombstone of an unknown person buried along the shore of Lake Erie reads:

Unknown
U.S. Sailor
1813

In 1935, the U.S. Government provided a granite marker for this unknown sailor, buried at the Oak Bluff Cemetery, located between Huron and Vermilion, in Erie County, Ohio. In the mid 1930's, members of the Martha Pitkin Chapter of the Daughters of the American Revolution researched several Veterans of the Revolutionary War and the War of 1812, and were successful in obtaining grave markers for several Erie County veterans.

An article in the February 3, 1935 issue of the Sandusky Register reported that members of the Martha Pitkin Chapter of the Daughters of the American Revolution, Mrs. Ross Cherry and Mrs. George Doerzbach, met with Charles Ruggles, the son of Almon Ruggles, who was an early surveyor of the Firelands. Charles Ruggles said that on a fall day in 1813 his father was walking along the beach, when he came across the body of a man dressed in a United States naval uniform. Almon Ruggles was sure that the body was that of a man who had served with Commodore Perry in the recent Battle of Lake Erie. The elder Mr. Ruggles purchased a coffin for the sailor, and saw that a Christian burial service was held for the unknown man. The sailor was given a tombstone in 1813, but by 1935, only one letter was legible on the badly worn marker.

Later in the summer of 1935, the unknown sailor received the U.S. Government issued granite tombstone. This took place due to the efforts of the D.A.R. ladies, who according to the newspaper article worked with "indefatigable patriotic zeal."