James O. Hoyt and William W. Hoyt, Brothers Who Died During the Civil War

Though the words on the tombstone are barely legible at this time, an article by Wilber A. Phillips, which appeared in the May 27, 1934 issue of the Sandusky Register, tells us the inscription that was engraved on the Hoyt brothers' tombstone back in 1863. The inscription reads:

Erected by the members of Company G, 123rd O.V.I.
to the memory of

James O. Hoyt
died
At Romney, Va., March 5th, 1863
Age: 22 yrs., 10 mos., & 2 days
and
William W. Hoyt
died
At Winchester, Va., May 18th, 1863
Aged 21 yrs., 10 mos., & 18 days

"How sleep the brave
Who sink to rest
By all their countries
Wishes blest.

By unseen hands their
Knell is rung
By unseen forms their
Dirge is sung."


After seeing this tombstone at the old Perkins Cemetery in Erie County,Ohio, Mr. Phillips wrote an article for the Sandusky Register entitled "Modest Shaft Over Twin Graves in Perkins Cemetery Has Story."

The author spoke with relatives of James and William Hoyt. He learned that James and William Hoyt were the sons of pioneer residents George Hoyt and his wife, the former Almira House. Almira House settled in Perkins Township with her family in 1815, coming from Connecticut by oxen train. George Hoyt was born in Vermont, and in 1833, he made his way to Ohio by river and lake boat, stage coach, on horseback, and partly on foot. Almira and George were married in 1835 in Perkins Township, and they had a total of ten children. When their sons enlisted in the 123rd Infantry, their father told them to "be just in their dealings with their fellow men." Many tears were shed as they went off to war. Both James and William Hoyt died in camp after contracting typhoid fever. The article continues, "Later their loving comrades of Co. G., 123rd O.V.I. placed the memorial which now like a silent sentinel, guards their final resting place, thus marking a hallowed spot of Ohio soil."

The Hoyt brothers were originally buried in the old Perkins Cemetery. The cemetery was relocated during another war, World War Two, when the U.S. government bought a large portion of land in Perkins Township for a munitions factory. You can still see the tall tombstone which honors the Hoyt brothers at the Perkins Cemetery. Though it is hard to read, it is located between the Morrow and the Eddy family lots. If you look closely, you can read the name Hoyt on the side of the stone that faces east.

A beautiful angel welcomes visitors to Perkins Cemetery today, where so many pioneer residents now rest in peace.

Jacob Sutter, a Native of Switzerland

Jacob Sutter's tombstone is located in Block 67 of Sandusky's Oakland Cemetery. He was born in Switzerland, and he passed away on September 20, 1878. Though his tombstone inscription states that he died in Sandusky, Ohio, notes on the Oakland Cemetery interment card indicate that Jacob Sutter's remains were brought to Sandusky from Memphis, Tennessee. Jacob Sutter was aged 44 years and one month when he died, and his cause of death was listed as bilious fever. A lovely vase filled with flowers adorns the top of Mr. Sutter's tombstone, and the Odd Fellows symbol is found directly below the sculpted vase.

Lane and Mary Gill Lockwood

Lane Lockwood was born on April 22, 1838, in Ottawa County, Ohio, to William B. and Sarah (Hyde) Lockwood. He grew up in Ottawa County, but moved to Sandusky, Ohio about 1850. During the Civil War, he served in two different units, the 145th Ohio Volunteer Infantry and the 8th Ohio Infantry. He was involved in the shipping business, and operated a line of boats on the Great Lakes. He served as the Ottawa County Auditor, and later was assistant Postmaster in Sandusky, and a member of the Sandusky Board of Education. In 1867 Lane Lockwood began his career as a banker, which he continued for forty years. Hewson Peeke’s book A STANDARD HISTORY OF ERIE COUNTY contains biographical sketches of Lane Lockwood and Charles B. Lockwood.




Lane Lockwood married Mary P. Gill in 1864. Their children were: Louise, Anne, and Mary. Anne G. Lockwood was a talented pianist and taught at the Institute of Musical Art in New York City, later known as The Juilliard School. Anne married Joseph Fyffe, and she was known as Mrs. Fyffe in her later years at the school.

Lane Lockwood died on September 26, 1917. Mrs. Lockwood passed away in 1914. They are buried in Sandusky’s Oakland Cemetery. Many details about the family of Lane Lockwood and Mary Payne Gill are found in the Gill Family Bible, transcribed online.

Louise Lockwood Crawford is buried near her parents at Oakland Cemetery. Her sisters moved to New York City, and are most likely buried in New York.

Jerome and Lydia Bixby

A lengthy biographical sketch of Jerome Bixby is found in the 1916 edition of Hewson L. Peeke's A STANDARD HISTORY OF ERIE COUNTY, OHIO.

"The ability to create success regardless of circumstances and difficulties has apparently been the chief factor in the career of Jerome Bixby, now president of the Castalia Banking Company. Mr. Bixby has lived in Castalia since 1875. For several years he sold general merchandise and operated a wagon for the country trade. In 1882 he established a general store at Castalia and kept this up for about ten years, during part of which time he was postmaster of the village. In 1894 he restricted his mercantile operations to hardware and farm implements, and almost continuously for the past twenty years has been identified with that business, being now senior member of the firm of Bixby & Meikle, who have the largest stock of general hardware and farm implements in Margaretta Township. On the reorganization of the Castalia Banking Company a few years ago Mr. Bixby was elected president, and has since had the executive management of that substantial institution, and is also a member of its board of directors.

On July 15, 1840, Nathan and Mary (Klock) Bixby, whose home was in Savannah, Wayne County, New York, became the parents of a son whom they christened Jerome. These parents were both natives of New York State. The Bixby family is of English origin, while the Klocks belonged to the old Dutch stock of the Mohawk Valley. Grandfather Joseph Klock served in the Revolutionary war.

When he was about seventeen years of age Jerome Bixby, who had previously profited by attendance at the common schools, entered Red Creek Union Academy in Wayne County, remained a student there about four years, and later for a time was in the Michigan State Normal at Ypsilanti. He also taught school for a short while in Columbia, Michigan. His student days in Ypsilanti were interrupted when he enlisted in Company F of the First Regiment of Michigan Cavalry. With this noted regiment he joined the Army of the Potomac, and served successively under such noted leaders as Buford, Hatch, Kilpatrick and Sheridan, and for the latter part of his service Was in the famous Custer's Brigade. His active participation in battle included Winchester; ; he was in Pope's army during its operations along the Rappahannock ; was in the second battle of Bull Run, and a short time prior to the battle of Gettysburg was detailed for clerical work at the military headquarters at Washington. He was given his honorable discharge from the army August 20, 1864. Mr. Bixby gained an appointment as sutler and in that capacity accompanied the Twenty-fifth Army Carps, Army of Observation, to Texas and continued as sutler to that 'organization until the fall of 1867. He then returned to Savannah, New York, lived there and at Saratoga Springs and at Lapeer, Michigan, until he came to Erie County, as above noted. Mr. Bixby owns two substantial farms in Margaretta Township, aggregating about 150 acres, devoted to general agriculture.

Mr. Bixby married Lydia L. Higley, who was born in Townsend Township of Sandusky County, Ohio, a daughter of Orson Higley, who in his time was one of the most prominent citizens of that locality. Mr. and Mrs. Bixby have one daughter, Pearl B., now the wife of Andrew J. Meikle of Castalia. Mr. Bixby has been a republican Once his days as a soldier of the Union, and is now and for several years has been commander of Post No. 423 of the Grand Army of the Republic at Castalia. He is also affiliated with the Masonic Lodge at Lapeer, Michigan, and has long been active in the Congregational Church at Castalia, which he has served as trustee."

The lovely marker in the Castalia Cemetery honoring Mr. and Mrs. Bixby indicates that the couple was held in high esteem by their family. The microfilmed copies of the Castalia Cemetery interment cards, on file at the Archives Research Center of the Sandusky Library, provides these birth and death years for Mr. and Mrs. Bixby:

Jerome Bixby, 1840-1920
Lydia L. Bixby, 1859-1941

Who Was Susan Stephens Goucher-Riblet?

This simple stone honoring the memory of Susan Stephens Goucher-Riblet is found at the Perkins Cemetery in Erie County, just off Route 250. I wondered to myself, " Who was this person with so many names?" By searching Family Search for death records, I found a death certificate for Susan Riblet, who died in Cuyahoga County on January 2, 1931. She was age 95 years, 8 months, and 27 days. Her parents were William H. Stephens, a native of Pennsylvania, and Mary Havelick, who was born in Staten Island, New York.

A free database from the Cleveland Public Library, the Cleveland Necrology File, had this brief death notice for Susan:

Name: Riblet, Susan J.
Date: Jan 4 1931
Source: Source unknown; Cleveland Necrology File, Reel #068.
Notes: Riblet: Susan J., widow of the late Henry K., beloved mother of Mrs. Horace Fisher, Mrs. B. S. Grosscup and Mrs. Ida A. Green, at the residence of her daughter, Mrs. Horace Fisher, 2596 Colchester Road. Friday evening, Jan. 2, 1930. Funeral services and burial at Perkins, O., Monday, Jan. 5, at 1 p. m.

Looking for Susan on the 1880 U.S. Census, I found her listed as Susan J. Riblet, age 42, living in Vermilion, Erie County, Ohio with her husband Henry Riblet, with children Jessie and Joey Riblet. May Goucher, age 13, is also living in the Riblet household.

When I entered the name Susan Stephens, combined with a spouse's surname of Goucher, I found an application for a marriage license for Susan Stephens and William Goucher in Erie County, Ohio on December 22, 1856.

By taking the information from a tombstone, and searching a variety of online resources, I learned a lot about Susan Stephens Goucher-Riblet, who now rests in peace at Perkins Cemetery in Erie County, Ohio.

Note: Susan's sister, Mary Marilla Stephens Greene, once overheard a plot to free prisoners from the Johnson's Island Prison during the Civil War. Read about it here.

Richard Joab Kelly, 1905-1922

Richard Joab Kelly, the son of Thomas L. Kelly and Elizabeth Hansen Kelly, was only age seventeen, when he died from Bright's Disease, on May 28, 1922. He was laid to rest in Sandusky's Oakland Cemetery. His death certificate is on file at the Ohio, Deaths, 1908-1953 database at Family Search.

By tracing the ancestors of Richard Joab Kelly at Ancestry and Rootsweb, I learned that among the ancestors of Richard Joab Kelley were Thomas Hogg, the first engineer of the Mad River and Lake Erie Railroad; Benajah Wolcott, the first keeper of the Marblehead Lighthouse; and William Kelly, the builder of the Marblehead Lighthouse. It is very sad that Richard Joab Kelly's life ended so soon. He came from a long line of pioneers who were such a significant part of our rich heritage here in the Firelands area.

Walburgis "Val" Schmidt

Walburgis "Val" Schmidt was born in 1939 in Germany to Walter and Ilse (Habig) Schmidt. She immigrated to the United States in 1961, and became a U.S. citizen in 1966. For 37 years Val Schmidt owned and operated a licensed public accounting business in Bellevue, Ohio. She was a member of the Ohio Society of Certified Public Accountants. Val played many roles in the Public Accountants Society of Ohio, including serving as president of the organization. She was the first chairman of the Board of the Bellevue Cherry Festival in Bellevue, Ohio. Walburgis "Val" Schmidt passed away on September 17, 2003 in Bellevue, Ohio. She was survived by her husband, three daughters, a stepson, and four stepdaughters and many other friends and relatives. Burial was at the St.Peter's Lutheran Church Cemetery in Huron County, Ohio, outside of Monroeville. An obituary for Val Schmidt appeared in the September 18, 2003 issue of the Sandusky Register.

In 1992,Representative Paul E. Gillmor paid tribute to Val Schmidt on her many accomplishments. Below is a a transcript of Congressman Gillmor's tribute to Val Schmidt:

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HON. PAUL E. GILLMOR

in the House of Representatives

TUESDAY, SEPTEMBER 15, 1992

* Mr. GILLMOR. Mr. Speaker, I want to take this opportunity to pay tribute to W. `Val' Schmidt, an outstanding citizen and leader from my congressional district.

* I am pleased to announce to my colleagues that Val Schmidt has been elected president of the Public Accountants Society of Ohio. On September 19, she will begin serving in this important position, and I can predict confidently that she will serve effectively and with distinction.

* Val Schmidt is a remarkable American success story. A German immigrant, Val Schmidt has seized on the opportunities America brings and has bravely overcome the challenges it poses. She came to the United States in 1961, became an American citizen in 1966, and has enjoyed a solid, successful career as a public accountant for many years.

* Val Schmidt has also earned enormous respect for her civic achievements. Whether it is her work with the Public Accountants Society, or her previous service as president of the Ohio Federation of Business and Professional Women, Val Schmidt has never missed a chance to demonstrate what a commitment to excellence and service is all about.

* Once again, I congratulate her on being elected president of the Public Accountants Society of Ohio, and I wish her the best of luck.

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During the 1970s I got to know Val through a mutual friend. Val was a dynamic individual, and she put her whole heart and soul into every endeavor she undertook! She is truly missed.