Newspaper Index at Mansfield/Richland County Public Library

A very helpful resource from the Mansfield/Richland County Public Library is the Newspaper Index. To access this free resource, go to this url:

http://search.mrcpl.org:84/


After I entered the keywords Sandusky and Deaths, these results were retrieved.












The index provides the citations for the newspaper articles. A photocopy of the newspaper article can by obtained by contacting the Sherman Room at the Mansfield/Richland County Public Library by telephone, (419) 521-3115, or by email at: genealogy@mrcpl.org.

Thanks, Mansfield/Richland County Public Library for this outstanding genealogy resource from Ohio's Heartland!

Elvira Dibble Bell

Elvira Dibble Bell died on October 5, 1887. She is buried in Oakland Cemetery in Erie County. Elvira was born in Connecticut, and moved to Sandusky in 1832, She married Stewart E. Bell on May 8, 1834. A 1900 "Firelands Pioneer" article had this to say about Elvira Bell: "Elvira Dibble, was an active member of the Underground Railway and assisted many runaway slaves on their way to Canada."

See the whole article in the "Firelands Pioneer" to read more about Elvira's husband Stewart Bell, and the account of how his parents left Connecticut with several other families, traveling by wagons and oxen to settle the Firelands of Ohio.

A pedigree chart on Ancestry World Tree shows that Elvira Dibble was the daughter of Jonas Dibble and Naomi Dee. Another child of Jonas Dibble and Naomi Dee was Daniel Dibble, who was known for building ships

Mrs. Anna Webster

According to Mrs. Anna Webster's death certificate, available at Family Search Labs, Anna was born in Ontario, Canada on July 19, 1858. (However Anna's tombstone reads 1857.) Her parents were Thomas Meredith and Jane Knight Meredith. Mr. and Mrs. Meredith were both born in England. Erie County Probate Court records indicate that Anna Meredith married James Webster on February 26, 1882.

The September 30, 1922 issue of the Sandusky Register reported that Mrs. Anna Webster passed away suddenly at the residence of her sister, Mrs. E. Baker, of Marion, Ohio. Anna Webster was survived by two sisters, Mrs. Simeon C. Prout of Delaware, Ohio; Mrs. E. Baker of Marion, Ohio; and a brother, R. L. Meredith of Zanesville, Ohio. The Superintendent of Sandusky City Schools, Frank J. Prout, was a nephew of Mrs. Anna Webster. Funeral services for Mrs. Anna Webster were held at Webster residence at 604 Perry Street in Sandusky, and burial was at Oakland Cemetery.

Capt. John White

Hewson L. Peeke wrote in his 1916 edition of A STANDARD HISTORY OF ERIE COUNTY, OHIO, that Captain John White was one of the pioneer settlers of Erie County's Groton Township. His title of Captain was in reference to his service in the state militia. From the book MEMORIALS OF JOHN WHITE, we learn that John White (a descendant of the John White in the book title) was born in Hatfield, Massachusetts on August 22, 1792. He married Sophia White in 1820, who passed away in 1853 in Erie County, Ohio. He married Elizabeth Drake in 1854.

The children of John and Sophia White were: Ebenezer, Elijah, Mary, George, and John. John White and Elizabeth Drake White had a daughter named Ida. John White died on September 24, 1863 and is buried in Graves Cemetery just south of Castalia, Ohio.

Dad's Navy Service and His Unidentified Buddies

My father, Paul R. Orshoski, Sr., was a Fireman in the United States Navy during World War II. He enlisted on April 3, 1945, and he separated from the Navy on October 27, 1947.



















According to his discharge certificate, it appears that Dad enlisted in the U.S. Navy Reserve on January 17,1948, but to my knowledge he was never called up to serve again.
















Dad did not talk much about his years in the Navy, but he spoke fondly of his fellow sailors. In papers found after our parents' deaths, are several snapshots of Navy men which are unidentified. If anyone recognize any of these servicemen, please let me know. Thank you!

Fall at Perkins Cemetery in Erie County, Ohio

Many of my ancestors from my mother's Parker, House, and Taylor lines are buried here at Perkins Cemetery, along with their neighbors and friends. The leaves are just starting to change colors here in North Central Ohio.

Red berries are vibrant on the tree adjacent to the House monument, where lie the remains of Julius House, his first wife Percy, his second wife Mehitable, and his daughter Harriet.



















An angel is found at the entrance to the Perkins Cemetery, as well as a marker which provides historical information about the cemetery.

Russel Alspaugh, the Man who named the Margaretta Polar Bears

Russel Alspaugh, seen in the blue jacket next to his brother Leslie, was born in 1916 to Edward and Della Alspaugh. Sadly, Russ and Les's mother died when they were very young, in 1918. In the 1920 U.S. Census for Erie County, Edward Alspaugh is listed as a widow, with three children: Leslie, age 10; Leona, age 8; and Russel, age 3.

In the 1930's, both Russ and Les Alspaugh were amateur boxers. Russ fought in the featherweight division. In an undated clipping from the local student newspaper from Margaretta High School, an article tells how Russ Alspaugh was responsible for the naming of the "Polar Bears" as the mascot for the local school system in Castalia, Ohio. Denise Paul wrote the article for the Polar Press in the mid 1990's, after her grandmother, Joyce Orshoski, told her of an earlier article about Russ. It seems that since Russ was the president of the athletic association, he was not eligible to submit a nickname for the school mascot. So, he told his friend, Steve Uhas, to submit the name "Polar Bears" to the contest, which was run by the student council. The name of "Polar Bears" was chosen as the name of the Margaretta High School mascot, and Steve Uhas won a dollar for being chosen the winner. He split the dollar with Russ Alspaugh, so they each received fifty cents. Margaretta's mascot has been the Polar Bears ever since the contest which took place in the fall of 1935.

Russ Alspaugh was active in the local community, and remained a fan of the Margaretta Polar Bears for many years. Russ died on February 23, 2006. He was buried in the Castalia Cemetery next to his beloved wife Edie.