Rev. Solon Lindsley, 1810-1884

Rev. Solon Lindsley was born in Connecticut in 1810. He became a minister of the gospel in the Baptist Church. In the 1840s, he was the minister of the Second Baptist Church in Selma, Alabama. In the 1860 Census, Rev. Solon Lindsley was a minister in Refugio County, Texas. By 1880, his health had begun to fail, and Rev. Lindsley was residing with his brother W.D. Lindsley in Ohio. Rev. Solon Lindsley died at the residence of his brother, W.D. Lindsley, on February 16, 1884. His funeral took place at the Lindsley home at 1203 Columbus Avenue, and burial was at Oakland Cemetery. An obituary which appeared in the February 18 of the Sandusky Register stated about Rev. Solon Lindsley: "Deceased was a man of fine abilities and was much esteemed in his circle of acquaintance."

Happy Valentine's Day!

Happy Valentine's Day from the Graveyard
Rabbit of Sandusky Bay!

Wednesday's Child: Willie Laurence

Willie Laurence, son of J.W. and M.A. Laurence died on February 13, 1876, at the age of 2 years, 2 months, and 17 days. He was buried in Sandusky's Oakland Cemetery. Records on file at FamilySearch.org show a John William Laurence, who died in 1913, and was a native of Portugal. Most likely, this is Willie's father. His mother, Mary Laurence, died in 1901. Rest in peace young Willie Laurence.

Minnie Appel Schimdt, 1865-1956

Minnie Appell Schmidt was born in 1865 to Louis Zistel and Anna Rosenkranz Zistel. Minnie's father Louis Zistel was an entrepreneur, who took visitors to Cedar Point in 1870, long before it was the well known amusement park that it is today. In 1877, when Minnie was only 12 years old, her mother died. Her father re-married in 1879. Erie County Probate Court records show that Minnie Zistel marred Albert Appell on November 26, 1884. Albert Appell died in 1890, leaving Minnie a widow with two young daughters, named Ada and Ruby.  In September of 1894, Minnie Appell married Charles Schmidt. Soon Charles and Minnie Schmidt had a daughter of their own, named Madeline. Charles Schmidt died in December, 1950, at age 87. He had been the oldest living member of the Sandusky Yacht Club at the time of his death. On February 9, 1956, Mrs. Minnie Appell Schmidt died at the age of 90.  Mrs. Schmidt was survived by her three daughters, six grandchildren, four great grandchildren, and a brother and sister. Minnie Appell Schmidt was laid to rest at Oakland Cemetery, next to both her first and her second husbands.  Reading between the lines, I think the tombstone represents Minnie's love and respect to her first husband, who died so young, as well to her second husband, with whom she shared over fifty years of married life. An obituary for Minnie Appell Schmidt appeared in the February 9, 1956 issue of the Sandusky Register Star News.

Mrs. Martha E. Metzgar Rice

Mrs. Martha E. Metzgar Rice, wife of Peter Rice, is buried at Sandusky's Oakland Cemetery. The inscription on Mrs. Rice's stone reads:

In Memory Of
Martha E. Metzgar
Wife Of
Peter Rice
Born Mar. 13, 1832
Died Feb. 7, 1885
Aged 52 Y. 10 M. 25 D.

At the base of the stone are these two lines:

Rest, mother rest, in quiet sleep
While friends in sorrow o'er thee weep

Sunday's Obituary: Cynthia Strong Sloane

The following obituary for Cynthia Strong Sloane appeared in the July, 1888 issue of the Firelands Pioneer, on pages 107-108. Mrs. Sloane died on February 2, 1873 in Waterloo, Indiana, and she was buried in the Sloane family lot at Sandusky's Oakland Cemetery.

Both the Strong and the Sloane families were pioneers of the Firelands area. Rest in peace Cynthia!

Tribute to Two Fallen Firefighters in Toledo, Ohio

Sadly, two firefighters, James Dickman and Stephen Machcinski, died in the line of duty while fighting a fire in Toledo, Ohio on Sunday, January 26, 2014. Click here to view a tribute to the firefighters from the website of Toledo's ABC station, Channel 13. Rest in peace, James and Stephen.