Ornamental Heart Center Bricks of Ice Cream from Esmond Dairy in 1920

Esmond Dairy was in operation in Sandusky, Ohio from about 1907 until the 1970s. In the advertisement above, which appeared in the February 10, 1920 issue of the Sandusky Star Journal, area residents were told of the many varieties of frozen delights available at Esmond's. Valentine's treats available at Esmond's included cupid heart molds, ice cream, mousses, puddings, and bricks of ice cream with a heart shape in the center. Click here to see some historic photos of Esmond Dairy Day at Cedar Point, from the Sandusky Collection of Cleveland Memory.

Ulysses Grant Toomire

Ulysses Grant Toomire was born in Indiana on March 4, 1871. He was most likely named after President Ulysses S. Grant, who served as U.S. President from March 4, 1869 to March 4, 1877. In the 1910 U.S. Census, U.G. Toomire stated that he was employed at a cement mill. He and his wife and two daughters were living in Margaretta Township, Erie County, Ohio at that time. On February 11, 1929, Ulysses G. Toomire died following an illness of several weeks. He was buried in Sandusky's Oakland Cemetery. Mr. Toomire was survived by two daughters, Mrs. Norman J. Bitter and Mrs. Harry J. Andres; two grandchildren; one brother, George Toomire, and many relatives and friends. An obituary for Ulysses Grant Toomire appeared in the February 12, 1929 issue of the Sandusky Register.

William and Eliza McCartney

William McCartney and his wife, the former Eliza Cooper, are both buried in the Castalia Cemetery in Margaretta Township, Erie County, Ohio. The January 21, 1921 issue of the Firelands Pioneer stated that the William McCartney was born in Kentucky in 1792. He served as a Scout in the War of 1812, under General William Henry Harrison, and he fought at Fort Stephenson in 1813. An article in the Sandusky Weekly Register of March 13, 1878, reported that William McCartney first settled in Sandusky, Ohio, and then moved to the Venice, Ohio area about 1812 or 1813. He became a prominent citizen, was a large land owner, a banker, and a justice of the peace. Mrs. Eliza McCartney, a native of New Jersey, died on February 20, 1871. Mr. William McCartney died on February 19, 1878, after a wagon accident.

Read more about William McCartney, and many other pioneer settlers of Erie and Huron Counties in the Firelands Pioneer. This multi-volume periodical is available in many libraries in Northern Ohio.

Missing Joel on his 30th Birthday

We lost our son  Joel last fall. On February 8, 2013, he would have turned 30 years old. My heart still aches for him. In the picture above, taken at his memorial service on November 5, 2012, it almost looks like Joel is looking down on me and my five siblings. Rest in peace, dear son.

Jefferson Riggs

Jefferson Riggs was born in 1846 in Belmont County, Ohio. He served with Company H of the Third West Virginia Cavalry during the Civil War. In 1919, he was residing at the U.S. National Home for Disabled Volunteer Soldiers in Grant County, Indiana.














By 1924, Jefferson Riggs was residing at the Ohio Soldiers' and Sailors' Home in Sandusky, Ohio. He died in Sandusky on June 2, 1924, and is buried in the cemetery at what is now known as the Ohio Veterans Home.

James Dewitt, pioneer settler of Perkins Township

According to a newspaper article in the February 4, 1886 issue of the Sandusky Register, James Dewitt, a pioneer settler Perkins Township, was born at Harmony, New Jersey on March 4, 1812 (although his tombstone reads he was born March 11, 1813.) Erie County Probate Court lists the marriage date of James Dewitt and Sidney Ann Macky as February 16, 1843.













Sadly, the first Mrs. James Dewitt died on August 27, 1849. Her tombstone at Perkins Cemetery reads Cidnea A., Wife of James Dewitt.























On April 28, 1850, James Dewitt married Elizabeth Wolverton, who was sometimes known as Ann Elizabeth. Mrs. Ann Elizabeth Dewitt died on December 18, 1868. She was buried next to Mrs. Cidnea Dewitt at Perkins Cemetery.






















Mr. James Dewitt passed away on February 2, 1886, having outlived both his wives. His funeral was held at the Perkins Methodist Church, and he was buried in Perkins Cemetery. James Dewitt and his first wife were the parents of well known Erie County Common Pleas Judge, James Lloyd Dewitt.

Friendship and Gratitude at a Civil War Prison

While I was browsing through PERSI, the Periodical Source Index, I came across a citation for an article which mentioned Masonic friendship at Johnson's Island during the Civil War. The title of the article is:

"A Token of Friendship and Gratitude from Masonic Confederate Prisoners of War at Johnson Island, Ohio to Union Colonel W.F. Osborne during the War Between the States." The article was submitted by Martis D. Ramage, Jr. to the Northeast Mississippi Historical & Genealogical Society Quarterly, Tupelo, Mississippi, in its June 1995 issue  (Volume 15, issue 4.)

In the brief article, Mr. Ramage explains that Mary Bowles Merletto had ancestors who fought for both the Union and the Confederacy. Mary Merletto's great great grandfather, Colonel W.F. Osborne, was a Union officer stationed at the Johnson's Island Prison Camp during the Civil War. Colonel Osborne was a member of the Masonic Lodge. Colonel Osborne learned that several of the prisoners of war at the Johnson's Island Prison Camp were also members of the Masons. Osborne took it upon himself to contact the families of the Confederate prisoners who were also Masons, and let the families know of the well being of their imprisoned loved ones. In appreciation for his kindness, several Confederate prisoners of war at Johnson's Island signed their names in a small booklet. The cover of the booklet read:

W.F. Osborne
from
Brother Masons
on
Johnson's Island
as
A Token of Friendship 
and
Gratitude

Martis D. Ramage, Jr. looked through the booklet and copied the remembrances from fifteen Confederate prisoners who were from the northeast Mississippi area. One remembrance read:

Jas. W. Porter 1sts Lieut
Co. J, 1st Miss. Infantry
(mm) Palmetto Lodge No. 52
Shannon,
Miss

Each prisoner included his Lodge number. Some wrote down details of when and where they were captured. Several of the men included the phrase "Fraternally yours" in their message.

I did not transcribe the complete article, or scan any portion of it, so as not to infringe on copyright. Reading this article and learning that their indeed were acts of human kindness at the Johnson's Island Prison Camp during the Civil War was fascinating to me. If you find an article in PERSI, you can contact the Allen County Public Library to obtain a copy for a small fee. Because I have family members associated with Mississippi State University, I contacted the Special Collections Department of Mississippi State University Libraries to request a copy of this article. Thanks to Allen County Public Library for creating PERSI, and to Mississippi State University Libraries for helping me learn more of the relationships between members of the Union and Confederacy in such a difficult time in U.S. history.

Over two hundred graves of former Confederate soldiers are located at the Confederate Cemetery at Johnson's Island. In June of 2010, there was a re-dedication of the bronze monument to the Confederate soldiers at Johnson's Island.