Tombstone Tuesday: Rev. Ray A. Evans

Rev. Ray A. Evans passed away on August 20, 1964, at the age of 68.  He had served as the pastor of Calvary Episcopal Church from 1939 until 1964. A native of Cambridge, Massachusetts, Rev. Evans was a graduate of Kenyon College and Bexley Hall Seminary. Several members of the clergy took part in the funeral services of Rev. Ray A. Evans, including Rev. Nelson Burroughs, Rev. Beverley D. Tucker, and Rev. Robert George. Burial was at Sandusky's Oakland Cemetery. The monument which honors the memory of Rev. Evans features an open Bible, atop a pedestal, not unlike the pulpit in the church.

Bell Frances West

According to records in the Daughters of the American Revolution Lineage Books (Vol. 39, page 85), Miss Bell Frances West (Miss West's middle name is sometimes spelled Francis)  was descended from Robert Francis West, who served in the Revolutionary War. Bell F. West was born in the early 1870s to Robert Francis West and Julia Bell West. She lost her father when was just a toddler. Bell's ancestors on both her mother's and father's sides were among the earliest settlers of Erie County, Ohio. Her great great grandfather Eleazur Bell came west to Perkins Township in 1815, with a group of several families from Connecticut, led by another of Bell F. West's ancestors, John Beatty. Bell F. West's grandfather, T.D. West was a pioneer merchant in Sandusky. Sadly, Bell F. West's great grandparents, Horace Bell and Sarah Rickie Beatty Bell both died in the cholera epidemic in Sandusky. When Bell F. West married Dr. Charles E. Perkins, the local newspaper printed a feature article, including a drawing of the happy couple. The article appeared in the February 4, 1891 of the Sandusky Daily Register. A portion of the article is pictured below.

According to census records, by 1900 the couple had divorced.

On August 14, 1922, Bell F. West passed away at Good Samaritan Hospital after a lengthy illness. She had been a longtime employee of the Bender-Woodward Company. Obituaries for Miss West are found in the 1922 OBITUARY NOTEBOOK at Sandusky Library. The articles stated that Miss West had been held in high esteem. Funeral services were held at Miss West's home at 428 East Washington Street in Sandusky, with Rev. E. G. Mapes officiating. Burial was at Sandusky's Oakland Cemetery in the West family lot.

SNGF: Share Some Elementary School Memories

Randy, at Genea-Musings, has challenged us to share some elementary school memories in this week's edition of Saturday Night Genealogy Fun.

From grades one to three, I attended Venice Elementary School in Venice, Ohio, now within the city limits of Sandusky, Ohio's west side. Above I am seated on the merry go round with my friend Lydia Torres. I can remember being so excited to go to the first day of school! My cousin Carol, who was a bit older than me, watched out for me. I can recall Mrs. Pack, my first grade teacher. She was so lovely, and she seemed so smart!

In Mrs. Wheaton's 2nd grade, we said the Lord's Prayer every day, as well as the Pledge of Allegiance. I really enjoyed doing book reports in elementary school. In the third grade, my teacher was Mrs. Hall. She had a way about her that really made us all sit down, shut up, and behave ourselves! Below is classroom picture from my year in third grade.

 I can recall my dad being very active in the PTA, and he helped to raise funds to get a projector for our school. Another time, he helped organize a carnival, with the proceeds going to the PTA. I can recall that the school lunches were delicious, prepared by Mrs. Sessler and Mrs. Bluhm. It was at Venice School where I met my lifelong friend Linda.   After Grade 3, we all moved to the "big school" in Castalia, where we got to know children from the Castalia Elementary School. My mother, children, and grandchildren all attended Margaretta Local Schools, so writing  this post brings back many wonderful memories that cover a long, long time.

Thanks for the walk down "Memory Lane," Randy!

Michael Von Hausen

Michael Von Hausen's tombstone at Oakland Cemetery has fallen down, and is split in two locations. (Click on the image for a larger view.) A wreath adorns the top of his stone, and a banner with an inscription is found at the bottom of the stone, though the inscription is not legible after so many years of weathering. Michael Von Hausen was born in Germany on November 10, 1818, and he died in Sandusky, Ohio on August 4, 1852.

In the 1850 Census Records for Erie County, available at Family Search Labs, Michael's last name is listed as Fonhausen. His family unit is made up of:



Michael, a grocer, age 40 or 46
Sophia, age 40 (other sources list her name is Sabina or Sabrina)
George, age 17
Elizabeth, age 13
Rachel, age 5
and
Jacob, infant

All the family members were born in Germany, except for Rachel and Jacob, who were born in Ohio. In 1860, a Sabina Von Hausen appears in the Erie County Census. She gives her occupation as running a Boarding House. George, Rachel and Jacob are still living with her.

Michael Von Hausen's family must have been sad to have the head of their household leave this earth at such a young age. The shape of his tombstone gives the appearance of a doorway decorated with a wreath, reminiscent of a doorway to a home welcoming loved ones in to visit.

Tombstone Tuesday: Frederick Keep Monument at Rock Creek Cemetery

Photo by T. Renwand

The Frederick Keep Monument, at Rock Creek Cemetery, Washington, D.C., was created by James Earle Fraser, in memory of Frederick and Florence Keep, and their infant, who died in 1902. Frederick Keep passed away on June 2, 1911, and Florence Keep died on January 26, 1954. Read more about the Frederick Keep monument at the Art Inventories Catalog of the Smithsonian American Art Museum.

Photo credit: Thank you to my nephew Tony for taking this photograph.

Military Monday: Application for a Military Headstone for my Grandfather

Recently while browsing for my grandfather's name on Ancestry Library Edition, I ran into the application for a headstone for Steen Leroy Parker at the database: U.S. Headstone Applications for Military Veterans, 1925-1963. These records have been compiled by the National Archives and Records Administration. From this record, I learned that Grandpa Steen L. Parker enlisted in the U.S. Navy on October 21, 1943, and he was discharged on December 1, 1945. He was a Machinists Mate 2/C, and he served with the Construction Battalion, also known as the CBs or Seabees. Grandpa's tombstone was to be a flat granite marker. His brother, my uncle Glenn Parker, was to see that the tombstone was transported from the freight station to Bogart Cemetery (now known as Perkins Cemetery.) My mom's stepmother, Ruth Mary Parker, signed the application for the tombstone. Grandpa Parker's birth and death dates were also listed on the application for the headstone. Here is a picture of the tombstone at Perkins Cemetery.

Rest in peace, Grandpa Steen L. Parker. Though I never met him, I have surely heard a multitude of stories about him!

When Dad Was a Deputy Policeman

For a very short time, about 1957, my dad, Paul R. Orshoski, Sr.,  served as deputy policeman for the Village of Bay View. I can remember saying to him, "Daddy, daddy can I hold your gun?"  I was only age 6, and after he handed me the gun, my hand fell straight to the floor. He did not serve on the police department for very long, because soon he was busy coaching Little League baseball during the summer. Dad wore lots of different hats through the years, and we all were proud of him when he wore this one.