L.S. Hubbard Monument at Oakland Cemetery

Lester Samuel Hubbard was born in Connecticut on December 16, 1807. After living for a time in New York City, he moved to Sandusky in 1835, where he was a well known merchant and banker. He married Jane Paterson Livingston on June 25, 1850. Jane was the daughter of Dr. Charles Paterson Livingston and Eliza Clement (Brewer) Livingston. The side of the Hubbard monument at Sandusky's Oakland Cemetery which faces west reads:

LESTER SAMUEL HUBBARD
WAS BORN IN BLOOMFIELD, CONN.
DEC. 16, 1807
AND BECAME A RESIDENT OF SANDUSKY,O.
IN OCT. 1835
WHERE HIS WELL SPENT LIFE WAS CLOSED
JULY 11, 1875

HIS WIFE
JANE PATERSON LIVINGSTON
PAINESVILLE, O.
DEC. 13, 1829 - MARCH 22, 1909

Names inscribed on the side of the Hubbard monument that faces south are:

LESTER SAMUEL HUBBARD
DIED JAN. 21, 1889
AGED 34 yrs., 4 mos.

GEORGE WATSON HUBBARD
JULY 4, 1874 - SEPT. 7, 1898

CHARLES LIVINGSTON HUBBARD
APR. 29, 1851 - MAY 20, 1904

KATHARINE FOLLETT HUBBARD
DEC. 31, 1875 - JAN. 3, 1905

The side of the Hubbard monument that faces to the east includes these names:

ELIZA C. BREWER
WIFE OF
DR. C. P. LIVINGSTON
BORN JULY 13, 1798
DIED APRIL 2, 1878

CHARLES HENRY LIVINGSTON
BORN DEC. 28, 1832
DIED SEPT. 4, 1874

EDWARD LIVINGSTON
BORN DEC. 29, 1838
DIED AUG. 28, 1881

(These individuals are related to Jane Paterson Livingston Hubbard.)

The side of the Hubbard which faces to the north includes the names of several of the children of L.S. and Jane Paterson Livingston Hubbard.

OUR CHILDREN

MABEL BARNARD
DIED OCT. 3, 1854
AGED 1 YR., 9 MOS., 20 D.

MARY ELIZA
DIED SEPT. 1, 1864
AGED 3 MOS., 1 D.

JOHN EDWARD
DIED MAR. 11, 1865
AGED 9 MMOS., 11 D.

WALTON BARNARD
DIED MAR. 13, 1865
AGED 5 YR., 1 M.

ELIZA BREWER
DIED DEC. 28, 1885
AGED 18 YRS., 10 M., 16 D.

The L.S. Hubbard family was well respected in Sandusky, Ohio. Mr. and Mrs. Hubbard lost several children at quite an early age. To see some pictures of the L.S. Hubbard home, visit the Sandusky History blog. More details about Lester Samuel Hubbard and his family can be found in the book DESCENDANTS OF GEORGE HUBBARD OF MIDDLETOWN, CONNECTICUT, by Frank Allison Hubbard (Sandusky, Ohio: 1918), available fulltext at Heritage Quest Online.

Howard Grant Riggs

The 1900 U.S. Census tells us that Howard Grant Riggs was born in Ohio in February, 1864. He was residing on Washington Street in Sandusky in 1900 with his parents, Thomas and Emma Riggs, along with two of his brothers. His occupation was listed as machinist. After a brief illness, Thomas Grant Riggs died at his home on January 12, 1905. Mr. Riggs had been a member of the mechanics' union, the Knights of Pythias, and the Woodmen of the World. An article in the January 14, 1905 issue of the Sandusky Register asked the local members of the Woodmen of the World to attend the funeral of Thomas G. Riggs as a group.

An early benefit of membership in the Woodmen of the World was a tombstone in the shape of a tree stump. This program ended in the 1920's, but the life of Thomas Grant Riggs was honored with a distinctive tombstone in the shape of a tree stump from the Woodmen of the World. Thomas Grant Riggs was buried in Oakland Cemetery. He was survived by his parents, two sisters, and four brothers. The tree stump shaped tombstone reminds us that the life of Thomas Grant Riggs was cut short.

Charles Cramer, Final Survivor of the American Eagle Disaster

Charles Cramer, of 525 North Depot Street, died on January 11, 1914, from pneumonia at Sandusky's Providence Hospital. He was believed to have been the last survivor of the American Eagle disaster which took place in Sandusky Bay on May 20, 1882. According to the Maritime History of the Great Lakes, the boiler of the American Eagle exploded while on route to Put in Bay. The explosion took place near Kelleys Island. Six lives were lost in this disaster. Mr. Cramer was horribly burned about his face, chest, and arms.

An obituary for Charles Cramer appeared in the January 12, 1914 issue of the Sandusky Register. Mr. Cramer was survived by his widow, the former Mary Goosman, two daughters, and a son, Jay Cramer of Cleveland. Father Joseph S. Widmann conducted services for Charles Cramer, and burial was at Oakland Cemetery. Charles Cramer had been a member of the Modern Woodmen of America.

Sandusky References at the Fulton History Website

Thousands of historical New York State newspapers can be searched at the Fulton History website. Click on the FAQ at the top right portion of the website to read more about this amazing website, including the ground rules and searching tips. I found many, many hits when I entered in the search term Sandusky, along with other key words. Some of the "hits" I got related to Sandusky are:

• An article from the New York Herald from the fall of 1852 which discusses the fugitive slave case in Sandusky, Ohio in which Rush R. Sloane represented seven runaway slaves.

• An article from the April 19, 1904 issue of the Binghamton Press which reported on President Theodore Roosevelt's appointment of Charles A. Judson to the post of Collector of Customs at the Port of Sandusky and James A. Melville appointment to the position of Postmaster.

• A brief front page article from the Ithaca Daily News of June 4, 1913, carried a front page article about the fear that Harry Atwood, an early aviator, may have been lost in Lake Erie.(It turns out he was not.)

• An article which reported that welterweight champion Jack Britton defeated Ray Bronson in a ten round bout at Cedar Point appeared in the September 7, 1920 issue of the Poughkeepsie Eagle-News.

Check out this valuable local history resource to see if there is information pertaining to your family!

The 5th Annual iGene Awards for the 114th Edition of Carnival of Genealogy

The topic for the 114th Carnival of Genealogy, as posted by Creative Gene, is the Annual iGene Awards. Bloggers are to choose their best blog posts in five different categories. Here are the entries from the Graveyard Rabbit of Sandusky Bay from 2011.







Best Picture - For the Best Picture category, I chose the Harding Memorial image from the post Harding Memorial Re-Visited. Though reviews of President Harding as a leader are mixed, the monument which honors the memory of President and Mrs. Warren G. Harding is quite majestic.

Best Screenplay - The Wedding of Leona Schoenegge and Clifford Lindsley could be adapted into a screenplay. Clifford and Leona had their hopes and dreams shattered when their farmland was taken by the U.S. Government by eminent domain for the war effort during World War Two. They rebuilt their lives and moved to a new farm in an adjacent county. They worked hard, never stopped loving each other, and always kept a wonderful sense of humor.

Best Documentary - Documents from the Pension File of Civil War Veteran Ernest Marshall/Samuel Wilson . In 1862, Ohio resident Ernest/Ernst Marshall enlisted in Company A of the 158th New York Infantry under the name of Samuel Wilson. He remains somewhat of a mystery man, but his Civil War pension file helps us learn more about his life and his family.

Best Biography - Brother Sulpicius, C.F.X. Nicholas Charles Cross, went from a youth leader at Holy Angels Church in Sandusky, Ohio to become a teacher at Catholic schools in Kentucky, West Virginia, Virginia, and Massachusetts. He was very well respected and he never lost his passion for knowledge and serving the church.

Best Comedy - When the Reverend Ate the Whole Pie. I laugh every time I recall the story of Rev. Thompson eating a whole pie from my Great Grandma Ada's pantry!

52 Weeks of Abundant Genealogy: Paid Genealogy Tools

The prompt for Week 2 of 52 Weeks of Abundant Genealogy, from Amy Coffin at We Tree, and hosted by Geneabloggers, is: Paid Genealogy Tools.

Which paid genealogy tool do you appreciate the most? What special features put it at the top of your list? How can it help others with their genealogy research?





As part of a membership to the R.B. Hayes Presidential Center, access is provided to the online database Heritage Quest Online. Heritage Quest features six different components that are helpful to family history researchers:

United States Census images from 1790 through 1930 are available at Heritage Quest. When I looked up my great grandparents, Leroy and Ada Parker, in Perkins Township, Erie County, Ohio in Heritage Quest, I found them listed on page 16, of roll 1377, in the T625 series. Grandpa Roy and Grandma Ada had four children, between the ages of 5 and 14. Also listed in their household was a servant, Edith Lorcher, and a hired man, Earnest Stierhoff. (My great grandparents were not extremely wealthy; in 1920, it was not uncommon to for farm families to have hired help.) I learned that my great grandparents were neighbors to the House, Hill, and Meyer families. Almost everyone who lives in the United States will find many ancestors listed in the U.S. Census, which makes this portion of Heritage Quest an extremely valuable tool!

Over twenty thousands books relating to family history and local history are available at Heritage Quest. When I looked at page 85 of the book OUR YOUNG FAMILY IN AMERICA, by Edward Hudson Young (Durham, N.C., 1947), I found a listing for my great great grandmother, Marian House Parker, who was a descendant of Morgan Young. Data on that page lists her husband, George B. Parker, her children, parents, siblings, and many preceding generations in the Young family. Hours can be spent at the book portion of Heritage Quest, browsing for resources in hundreds of different family lines!

PERSI, the Periodical Source Index, which provides citations for articles contained in genealogical and local history magazines. If you find an article you would like to read, you can obtain a copy of it by contacting the Allen County Public Library in Fort Wayne, Indiana. Below is the citation from the PERSI section of Heritage Quest for a letter written by my ancestor, Julius House. He had moved to Erie County, Ohio, and had written a letter back to his loved ones in Glastonbury, Connecticut, and told them of his experiences as a settler.

In the Revolutionary War files available at Heritage Quest, I was able to view the full file of my grandson's Revolutionary War ancestor, Timothy Tuttle of New Jersey. Timothy Tuttle served in several different military units from New Jersey during the Revolutionary War. On page 9 of his file, I learned that while Timothy was on an expedition to Canada with Colonel William Winds' New Jersey regiment, he led his comrades in singing sacred songs. I think that shows excellent coping skills - he was in a difficult situation, and singing helped him and his fellow soldiers get through it! It was a thrill to learn such a personal detail about my grandson's ancestor on his paternal grandmother's side of the family.

In the Serial Set portion of Heritage Quest, which contains actions taken by the U.S. Congress, I learned that well known Sandusky lawyer Hewson L. Peeke was given compensation for an accident that took place when he was hit by a piece of glass transom while he was at the United States Customs House in Sandusky, Ohio on February 27, 1899. Mr. Peeke was awarded $5,000 for treatment of his injuries.

These are just a few examples of the type of information that one can access at Heritage Quest Online. This resource is a gold mine of information! Happy hunting!

Views of the Schoepfle Monument at Oakland Cemetery

Every time I visit Sandusky's Oakland Cemetery, I see this beautiful monument in memory of Christian F. Schoepfle, a prominent banker in Sandusky and his wife, the former Sarah Knoepfle. Mr. Schoepfle died on December 16, 1919, and Mrs. Schoepfle died on April 30, 1910. Because I am very much an amateur photographer, it seems like the light and shadows never allow me to get the "perfect shot." Though my photography skills are lacking, I never fail to be inspired by this lovely sculpture, which features a female deep in thought, holding a wreath of flowers.

Here is a view of the monument in black and white.

One of the software editing tools from Kodak EasyShare is called the coloring book effect, which creates the look of an engraving.

If you are ever in Sandusky, Ohio, see this lovely monument at Oakland Cemetery for yourself!