Civil War Encampment This Weekend in Sandusky, Ohio

A Civil War Encampment will be held on the grounds of the Ohio Veterans Home on August 22 and August 23, 2015.  This free event is a terrific way for people of all ages to learn about American history. If you can't make it to this event, the Museum on the grounds of the Ohio Veterans Home is open year round.

Sentimental Sunday: Circus Poster from 1962

On Sunday, August 19, 1962, the Clyde Beatty and Cole Brothers Circus performed at 2 p.m. in Sandusky on East Perkins Avenue, near the A and P Store. The Jaycees sponsored the circus. The following ad appeared in the Sandusky Register of August 15, 1962. The poster pictured above is now on display on the second floor of the Follett House Museum.

Tombstone Tuesday: Dr. Carl Heiter, 1828-1904

In the 1867 Sandusky City Directory, Dr. Carl Heiter's name was listed as Charles Heiter. His occupation was physician, and he boarded at the National House. In April of 1867, Charles/Carl Heiter married Bertha Rosa. The wedding was solemnized by Sandusky Mayor Ferdinand Geiersdorf.

In the 1880 U.S. Census for Sandusky, Dr. Carl Heiter was a physician residing on Fulton Street. He and his wife Bertha listed their birthplaces as Poland. Their four daughters, ranging in ages from 2 to 12, were all born in Ohio. On August 14, 1904. Dr. Carl Heiter died at the age of 76. Dr. Heiter came to the United Stated from Poland as a young man, and became a well respected physician in Sandusky. I am sure that other immigrant residents of Sandusky appreciated going to a doctor, who like themselves, were not natives of America.. Dr. Carl Heiter was laid to rest at Sandusky's Oakland Cemetery.

Campbell Monument at St. Joseph Cemetery

Between 1874 and 1895, five children of Timothy and Catherine Campbell all passed away.

John Campbell died in August, 1874,
Thaddeas Campbell died in May 1881,
William Campbell died in March, 1895.
Fanny Campbell died in February 1888.
Catherine Campbell died in May, 1882.

Though their lives were short, the memory of these young members of the Campbell family members lives on at St. Joseph Cemetery in Sandusky.

A notebook containing the names and death dates from hundreds of interments at St. Joseph Cemetery is in the genealogy section of books at the Sandusky Library.

Mr. and Mrs. Thomas C. Simmons

This beautiful monument at Clyde's McPherson Cemetery honors the memory of Thomas A. and Elva A. Keefer Simmons. Thomas C. Simmons served in the Ohio 22nd and the Maryland 52nd Infantries during the Civil War, according to the 1890 Veterans Schedules, accessed at Ancestry Library Edition. He died at the Ohio Soldiers' and Sailors' Home on May 23, 1929. Mrs. Keefer had died in Michigan on April 17, 1928, while their son Harry Simmons, passed away in Cleveland just a few weeks before the death of his father in 1929.

The tombstone is in the shape of a couch or bench, with pillows for Mother and Father on either side.




































A G.A.R. marker and an American flag are found on the right side of the Simmons monument. An obituary for Thomas C. Simmons appeared in the May 25, 1929 issue of the Sandusky Register. At the time of his death, Mr. Simmons was survived by two daughters, a daughter in law, and a grandson.

Museum Day Live! Sponsored by Smithsonian Magazine

Click here to learn how you can obtain free tickets to a museum near you. This annual event is sponsored by the Smithsonian magazine. Several museums on the list are just a short drive for my family!

Sentimental Sunday: Sandusky Cement Company Sponsored a Radio Program from Cleveland, Ohio in the 1920s

According to the website of the Cleveland Orchestra, in the 1920s, the Sandusky Cement Company, which had at one time been known as the Medusa Portland Cement Company, sponsored radio programs which featured the Cleveland Orchestra playing from the Masonic Auditorium in Cleveland. The broadcasts were named the "Medusa Period," in honor of the Medusa cement products made by the Sandusky Cement Company. These radio programs brought quality music into the homes of people who may not have ever been able to travel to Cleveland to hear the orchestra in concert. Check out this interesting post at the website of the Cleveland Orchestra. Maybe your grandparents tuned in on their radio!