George W. Dewitt

George W. DeWitt was born in 1825 in Pennsylvania. Eventually he moved to Erie County, Ohio, where he and his wife lived on a farm in Perkins Township. The DeWitt's had a son named William C. DeWitt.

George W. DeWitt died on January 19, 1896. He was buried in the North Ridge section of Oakland Cemetery. Mr. DeWitt's obituary in the January 21, 1896 Sandusky Register read: "The death of Mr. George DeWitt occurred at the home residence shortly before 6 o'clock on Saturday morning at the age of 72 years. Mr DeWitt has been ailing for some time past. The funeral services took place at the residence and the remains were interred in Oakland cemetery, Rev. L. K. Warner officiating."

Claude B. DeWitt, the grandson of George W. DeWitt, was married to the daughter of General Henry A. Axline, who was considered the "father of the Ohio National Guard." (Claude B. DeWitt and Tella Axline DeWitt later divorced.) General Henry A. Axline is also buried in Oakland Cemetery.

Mrs. Adelaide Lessenthien

Adelaide Schmid was born in 1879 to Mrs. and Mrs. Jacob Schmid. Mr. and Mrs. Schmid were both natives of Germany, and Mr. Schmid was an engineer who worked for many years in a local brewery. In the 1900 U.S. Census for Erie County, Adelaide stated that her occupation was dressmaker. According to records at Erie County Probate Court, Adelaide Schmid married Ferdinand F. Lessenthien on September 27, 1900. Between 1902 and 1914, Ferdinand (sometimes called Fred) had a large family of five children: daughters Wilma and Ruth, and sons Lionel, Russell and Bretell. Ferdinand Lessenthien reported on his draft registration card for World War One that he worked as a marine fireman.

Listings in the 1928 Sandusky City Directory indicate that Ferdinand and Adelaide were living at separate addresses. In the 1930 U.S. Census, Adelaide Lessenthien was living in Sandusky with her daughter Wilma, sons Russell and Bretell, as well as her married daughter Ruth Spinello. Ruth's young children Evelyn and Harold Spinello also lived in the household.

Mrs. Adelaide Lessenthien passed away at the Fisher-Titus Hospital in Norwalk on January 9, 1969, at the age of 90, following a brief illness. She had been a lifelong member of St. Stephen's United Church of Christ. She was survived by a daughter, Mrs. Lloyd Beck, three sons, Lionel, Russell, and Bretell, five grandchildren, and seven great grandchildren. She had been preceded in death by her parents, her daughter Ruth, three sisters and a brother. Frey Funeral Home was in charge of funeral arrangements, and burial was in Oakland Cemetery. Adelaide was a strong woman who kept her faith strong, even when she faced life as a single parent and enduring the economic challenges presented by the Great Depression.

52 Weeks of Personal Genealogy & History: Winter

An announcement appeared at Geneabloggers for Week 2 of 52 Weeks of Personal Genealogy & History, a series of weekly blogging prompts from Amy Coffin at We Tree.















Week 2 asks us to tell about Winter:

What was winter like where and when you grew up? Describe not only the climate, but how the season influenced your activities, food choices, etc.

I grew up in Bay View, a small village located on Sandusky Bay, to the west of Sandusky, Ohio. Winter time meant wearing lots of warm gear before going outside: hats, gloves, coats, boots, and scarves. My brothers and sisters and I enjoyed making snowmen, snow angels, and forts outside. Sometimes Dad would take us down to the frozen bay and pull us on a sled. Pictured below is Paul Orshoski, Sr., with sons Paul, Jr. and Todd in the winter of 1960.






















You can see the railroad tracks in the distance, as well as the silos for the Medusa Portland Cement Company in Bay Bridge, Ohio.

Though the picture below is blurry, you can see that my Dad even had Mom join into the fun. Joyce Orshoski can be seen with the four oldest Orshoski children. In the picture, Paul, Todd, and Robin are sitting on the sled, and Dorene is standing behind her mother Joyce. (Matt and Kellie had not arrived yet.)






















After playing outside, we would run indoors to get warm, and Mom would give us a cup of hot chocolate. When were a little older, we used to go ice skating on the bay with our friends, though I spent more time falling down than skating.

During the blizzard of 1978, several people were stranded in their vehicles on the Edison Bridge across Sandusky Bay. My dad, along with several other Bay View residents, drove snowmobiles across the ice to rescue the stranded motorists. Once they got back to the village, residents opened their homes to give provide shelter and meals for those stuck in the storm. My parents hosted the next door neighbors, as well as two truck drivers. I was married and living out of town at this time, but my parents told me many stories about the fun they had meeting new folks and making meals with whatever they had on hand. The truck drivers sent Christmas cards to my parents for several years, and they were always grateful for the hospitality they received during that wintry storm. You can read more about the blizzard of '78 here.

Medusa Cement Used in "Cemetery Work"

Adjacent to Sandusky Bay, in the small unincorporated area of Erie County known as Bay Bridge, are the old silos from the Medusa Portland Cement Company. (Click on above image for an enlarged view.) Spencer B. Newberry, along with his brothers Arthur St. John and William Newberry, organized the Sandusky Portland Cement Company at Bay Bridge, Ohio in 1892 due to the rich deposits of marl and clay in this area. The discovery of these raw ingredients necessary for the manufacturing portland cement were discovered by John Strong Newberry during his geological survey of Ohio. Later, the Sandusky Portland Cement Company became known as the Medusa Portland Cement Company.

The historical marker pictured below was placed near the site of the former Medusa Cement Company in 2005 by the Erie County Historical Society. The Bay Bridge plant closed about 1960.

















In a 1912 issue of Water and Sewer Works, available at Google Books, the Sandusky Portland Cement Company advertised that Medusa cement was used in the construction of a mausoleum in Tiffin. Librarians from the Tiffin Seneca Public Library helped me find the location of this mausoleum, which is found at the Greenlawn Cemetery in Tiffin, Ohio, on Coe Road.



















An advertisement in volume 52 of Architectural Record, also available at Google Books, tells us that the Arlington Memorial Amphitheater at Arlington Cemetery was executed in marble that was set in mortar made from Medusa stainless white cement.



















The former Medusa Cement Company in Bay Bridge provided jobs for hundreds of residents of Erie County, and was used in many the construction of many area roads, including the Ohio Turnpike. A brief entry from volume 6 of Concrete-Cement Age, edited by Allen Brett and Harvey Whipple, describes some of the uses for Medusa Cement in this description of an informational booklet available from the Sandusky Portland Cement Company in 1915.

Medusa White Portland Cement—Sandusky Portland Cement Co., Sandusky, Ohio, paper, 9" x 7", 32 pp., illust. This booklet describes in minute detail the use of Medusa White Portland cement for building ornamentation, concrete building block, interior decoration, cemetery work, parks and grounds, tile, mosaic, statuary, etc. The method of using this cement for stucco work is also thoroughly described, and illustrations given of typical buildings wherein this cement has been used. Testimonial letters are also given from many users of Medusa cement.

Franz Tschill

According to an article in the January 4, 1924 issue of the Sandusky Register, Franz Tschill was found stricken on the sidewalk of Decatur Street outside the Ogontz Garage, as he was walking to his home on January 3, 1924. Albert Krohn found Mr. Tschill, and contacted George Muehlhauser, who was the owner of the Ogontz Garage. They notified police, but Franz Tschill was already deceased by the time the authorities arrived. The news article stated that the cause of death was a stroke. Franz Tschill was buried at the St. Mary's Catholic Cemetery in Sandusky, Ohio.

In the interment records of St. Mary's Catholic Church, available at Family Search Labs, the surname of Franz Tschill was spelled Schöll. (Click image for a larger view.)







While Mr. Tschill's tombstone lists his death date as January 4, 1924, his death certificate lists the date of death as January 3, 1924.





















Keep an open mind when viewing genealogical records. You will often find variations in dates and spelling, especially when researching ancestors of German or Eastern European ancestry.

Gustav Jarecki

Gustav Jarecki, the founder of Jarecki Chemical Company, died on January 12, 1915. Mr. Jarecki’s obituary, which appeared in the Sandusky Register of January 13, 1915 stated that he had a “long and honored career.” Gustav Jarecki had been born in Prussia in 1829. (Some sources state 1826.)

He was captain of a cavalry unit in his native land, while during the United States Civil War, he organized an artillery unit based in Erie, Pennsylvania. During President Grant’s administration Mr. Jarecki was appointed the U.S. consul to Augsburg, Germany. Mr. Jarecki organized the Jarecki Chemical Company at Erie, Pennsylvania in 1878. In 1893 the Jarecki Chemical Works opened a plant at Sandusky, Ohio.

Mrs. Dorothea Jarecki had died before her husband, in February of 1914. Gustav Jarecki was survived by two daughters, two sons, and several grandchildren. He was buried at Oakland Cemetery, following funeral services held at the Jarecki residence.

How Great Grandma and Grandpa Parker Spent the First Week of 1931

On January 1, 1931,my great grandparents Ada and Leroy Parker had all their children, grandchildren, and family friends the Lindsleys over. They had duck for dinner, which son Glenn Parker had picked out earlier in the week, along with his parents.

On January 2, Grandma Ada worked at the church, and her son Steen Parker had to be hospitalized due to problems with his eye. (My great grandparents are pictured to the left, in the early 1950's.)










On January 3, Grandma Ada went to town in the afternoon, and in the evening Thomas and Emma Larkins and the Louie and Adeline Moosbrugger came out to the family farm for a visit. From the listing in Grandma Ada's diary, it sounds like the two couples stayed overnight, and left the next day. Son Steen was feeling a little better. Mr and Mrs. Steen Parker (couple in back) and Louie and Adeline (couple in front) are pictured in the picture below.















Grandma Ada washed and ironed on January 5th, and she visited Steen in the hospital, and on January 6, she and Grandpa Roy hauled a piano and desks for the school. On January 7, Grandma Ada cleaned and washed windows and visited Steen in the hospital again. On January 8, some young men hauled coal, and Doris Wheeler Larkins and her baby Tommy came out to the Parker farm for a visit.


















Grandma Ada left two scrapbooks to my mother, and they were then passed down to me. I am so thankful that I can get an idea of what daily life was like for my Great Grandma and Grandpa Parker by reading her diary and scrapbooks. My great grandparents worked hard, but they also had a lot of fun with family and friends by hosting frequent dinner and card parties at their big farmhouse in Perkins Township. Though my great grandparents are gone, they will never be forgotten!