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Clifford Marshall King, Engineer

February 12, 2015, 5:00 am
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Clifford Marshall King was born in Sandusky on December 17, 1879 to Judge and Mrs. Edmund B. King. After attending Oberlin College for a time, Clifford M. King graduated from Western Reserve University in 1901. He earned his civil engineering degree from Cornell University in 1904. After college, he worked for the United States Reclamation Service in the west. From 1908 to 1911, he was the engineer for the city of Sandusky, and later became the Erie County Engineer. Mr. King was the engineer in charge of the construction of the Cedar Point Chaussee.



In 1917, Mr. King was commissioned a captain in the U.S. Engineers. During World War I he was an instructor in an officers’ training camp. He served overseas with the 528th Battalion of Engineers. After returning home from military service, Mr. King worked for the city of Cleveland in its engineering department. 

On January 2, 1922, Clifford M. King died at Charity Hospital in Cleveland, after a brief illness. He was only 42 years old. Mr. King was survived by his parents and his wife, the former Edith Davis. Funeral services were held at the Masonic Temple in Sandusky, and burial was in Oakland Cemetery.  Mr. King accomplished much in his brief life, and he was sadly missed by his family and friends and associates.
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Pierced Paper Valentines

February 14, 2015, 6:20 am
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These two Valentines were donated to the Follett House Museum from Mabel Wilcox Orwig. The full story behind the giver and receiver of these valentines is unknown. Each piece of paper was folded four times and cut into scallops. Then holes were punched and pins were pricked through the paper to create a decorative design. 

       

The Valentine made with pink paper had this inscription:
Long for thy coming I’ve wailed and sighed
Breathless the air love and calm is the night
Golden with stars oh the heavens are bright
Long for thy coming I’ve waited and sighed
Joanah my love



The Valentine made with white paper had this inscription:

You are worthy of my esteem
May you always be happy
Call on me in trouble
 Re[me]mber the giver


These lovely handmade cards were donated in the 1960s, but most likely were created many years before that time, in the nineteenth century. Pin pierced designs have been popular for several centuries.
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Double Stone House on West Market Street

February 17, 2015, 6:00 am
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According to the book, At Home in Early Sandusky, by Helen Hansen, this double stone house, which no longer stands, was built at what is now the 400 block of West Market Street by Leonard B. Johnson (of Johnson's Island) in 1846. William A. Simpson bought the property in 1848. In 1866, Rev. J. George Lehrer owned the west half of the house, and Julius Robrahn owned the right side. Until 1960, this property had several different residents. In the 1920 U.S. Census, sisters Mary and Amelia Maul lived in one half of the house, where they both worked as dressmakers. 

In 1960 the double stone house was razed, for use as a parking lot. This linkto Google Maps shows what the space looked like in the fall of 2013. See At Home in Early Sandusky to learn more about houses in Sandusky, some still standing. This book is available at the Sandusky Library in the Reference Services area of the Sandusky Library, or you may buy it for $1.00 at the check-out desk at the library. 
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Overmyer-Zechman-Ball Automobile Company

February 20, 2015, 6:00 am
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Have you ever seen an old sign on a building that doesn't relate to what is in the building today, and wondered about the origin of the sign? There is a building like that on Washington Street with a story to tell. 


The Overmyer-Zechman-Ball Company opened its doors in Sandusky in January of 1926. The January 30, 1926 issue of the Sandusky Star Journal reported that the Overmyer-Zechman-Ball Company, along with Hilt and Auxter, were considered “ultra modern” garages. The large brick garage buildings were located in the 700 block of West Washington Street, between Lawrence and Fulton. The Overmyer-Zechman-Ball Company sold and serviced Dodge Brothers cars and Graham Brothers trucks. Hilt and Auxter were the agents for Buick and Maron motor cars. Both garages had large showrooms that faced Washington Street. The buildings were designed and constructed under the direction of Sandusky architects Millott and Parker, and the general contractor was Steinle and Wolf, from Fremont. M.J. Callan and son did the excavating and cement work, and Klein Structural Irons Works of Bellevue furnished the steel structural iron. Many other local businesses had a part in the new building.


In 1931, Overmyer-Zechman-Ball Company displayed automobiles at the Sandusky Auto Dealers eleventh annual automobile show, held at 1014 Hancock Street on February 6 to 8.


According to Sandusky city directories, by 1932, the Overmyer-Zechman-Ball Company had become the Overmyer Ball Company, and Smith Motor Sales was in the building formerly occupied by Hilt and Auxter. In the first half of the twentieth century, the automotive industry changed rapidly. In the early 1950s, Overmyer-McCullough, Inc. was selling Dodge and Plymouth vehicles at 709 W. Washington Street, and by 1960, there was no longer a business in operation in Sandusky that included the Overmyer name. A variety of different companies have been in business at 709 W. Washington Street through the years. 


Visit the Sandusky Library to learn about historic businesses in Sandusky by browsing through several decades of Sandusky city directories.
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Interior Views of the Perry and Bretz Clothing Store

February 23, 2015, 12:16 pm
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From 1918 until its closing in 1963, the Perry and Bretz Store sold men’s clothing and accessories at 136 East Market Street in downtown Sandusky.


The 1919 Sandusky city directory lists Jay J. Perry and Robert B. Bretz as the proprietors of Perry and Bretz. By 1927 the store was run by Robert B. Bretz, Donald D. Perry, and Eugene J. Perry.



When Bretz died in 1947, his obituary stated that he had been one of Sandusky’s oldest business men, having been in the clothing business in Sandusky for sixty-five years. The Perrys continued to operate the store until 1963. An article in the July 8, 1963 issue of the Sandusky Register featured a going out of business sale for the Perry and Bretz store.


The Follett House Museum has two hangers in its collections, one from the former Robert B. Bretz store at 117 Columbus Avenue, and one from the former Kronthal and Bretz store.
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Letter of Appreciation to Lt. Foster V. Follett

February 27, 2015, 5:00 am
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On February 27, 1865, over one hundred Confederate States officers, who were being held as prisoners of war at the Johnson’s Island military prison, signed this letter of appreciation to Lieutenant Foster V. Follett, who was serving in the 128th Ohio Volunteer Infantry.

  
The letter read:

United States Military Prison
Johnson’s Island, Ohio
Block 12. Company 25.
February 27th, 1865

Lieutenant:

            We the undersigned Confederate States officers,
prisoners of war, Block 12, Company 25, Johnson’s Island, Ohio, take
pleasure in expressing our high appreciation of the efficiency, gentlemanly
bearing and kindness of your self, in all your official and social relations
towards us.
            We desire to express the hope that should the fortunes of war
place you in a similar situation you may receive the same
kindness and generosity at the hands of your captors.

The Confederate officers signed their name under the “Calling Roll.”  Signing the first page of the letter of appreciation were:

L. A. Courtade, 1st Liet., 4th La. Regt.
John O, Daliet, 2nd Lieu., 9th La. Cav.
B. W. Lanier, Miles La. Legion
John W. See, 2nd N.C. Battalion
A. Dapremont, 1st Lieut., Co. E La. Vols.
C. C. Cunningham, Capt. ___ Mo. Cav. Regt.
Chancellor A. Nelson, Capt. 49thVa. Regt.
L. Daigle, 2nd L., 4th La. Regt.


On February 10, 1958, Lieut. Foster V. Follett’s granddaughter, Helen Follett Brooks,
sent a letter to "the Historical Society in Sandusky," accompanying a photocopy of the Confederate prisoners’ letter to her grandfather.  (Copies of both letters are now housed in the ArchivesResearchCenterof the Sandusky Library.) She explained that someone in her family had told her that Lieutenant Follett was so distressed over the poor conditions affecting the Southern officers, that he would eat nothing that the prisoners did not have. He wrote to his wife and asked her to solicit food from friends and residents of Sanduskyto help relieve the poor conditions at the prison. The family has always maintained that Lieutenant Follett’s early death was due to illness suffered from his poor diet during his years in the Civil War. Foster V. Follett died on October 12, 1882, and he is buried in OaklandCemetery. Foster V. Follett’s acts of kindness during a time of war indicate his deeply rooted core values.

Foster V. Follett was the son of Foster M. Follett, who also had served in the Civil War. Foster M. Follett was known for his heroic efforts to aid the sick during the Cholera Epidemic of 1849. The son of Foster V. and Portia Follett, whose name also was Foster Morse Follett, became a well known comic artist.
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Advertising Signs on Barns

March 2, 2015, 8:00 am
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Throughout the Midwest and South, advertising signs were often painted on barns and other buildings in the early to mid-1900s. Building owners were paid to have the advertisements on their property, and many farmers appreciated the fresh coat of paint on the barn. Citizen’s Banking Company offered loans for real estate, and an interest rate of 4 percent on the sign pictured below.



The Herb and Myers Company “Big Store” gave Union Stamps to customers at their Sandusky store in the 1920s.



The Dilgert and Bittner (sometimes spelled Dilgart) store suggested that local residents could furnish their homes completely with the products sold at their store in Sandusky.


And restaurants advertised their menus, as well.


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Program Announcement: The Lincoln Funeral Train

March 3, 2015, 6:19 am
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Saturday, March 7 / 10:30 a.m., at the Sandusky Library
Scott Trostel, presenter

This year marks the 150th anniversary of the Lincoln assassination, the first president to be killed while in office. Scott Trostel, author of 50 books and appearing on the History Channel’s documentary Stealing Lincoln’s Body, will present this program about the Lincoln funeral train and the sad journey from Washington, D.C. to Springfield, IL between April 21 and May 2, 1865. The train made State funeral stops at Cleveland and Columbus en route to Springfield. This program is co-sponsored by the Erie County Historical Society.  More information about the Lincoln funeral train can be found at http://www.the2015lincolnfuneraltrain.com/. 


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Aerial View of the New Departure Plant

March 5, 2015, 7:06 am
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In 1990, Thomas Root took this aerial view of Delco Moraine, New Departure Hyatt (Division of General Motors) located at the southwest corner of Perkins and Hayes Avenue in Perkins Township, Erie County. Dozens of automobiles dot the parking lot of the plant, while a semi and other cars travel southbound along Hayes Avenue. On the left side of the picture is Foster Chevrolet. Across the street from Delco Moraine, New Departure Hyatt, you can see Mr. Hero, Berardi’s Family Kitchen, the AFL CIO Union Hall, and other businesses. At the very right of the picture you can see a portion of Strobel Field, now Strobel Field at Cedar Point Stadium.

General Motors established the New Departure plant in Perkins Township in 1946. In 1965 New Departure was merged with another GM Division, Hyatt Bearings, to form the New Departure Hyatt Bearings Division and Sandusky was selected as the divisional headquarters site.  In 1989 New Departure Hyatt merged with another GM division, Delco Moraine, to become Delco Moraine NDH.  In 1991 Delco Moraine NDH merged with Delco Products to become Delco Chassis Division.  Delco Chassis Division became Delphi Chassis Systems in 1995.  Delphi Automotive Systems spun off from parent company GM in 1999, and then changed its name to Delphi Corporation in 2002. KBI (Kyklos Bearing International) now occupies the site of the former New Departure/Delco Moraine/Delphi facility.
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Theatrical Performance at Sidley Memorial Hall

March 8, 2015, 12:25 pm
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In this image we see the cast from a play performed by members of the parish Dramatic Club in Sidley Memorial Hall, the auditorium of Saints Peter and Paul School, in the 1910s. From left to right are: Walter McGory, Cecelia Canning, Norm Gagen, Bernard McGory, Mrs. Leo Butler, Barney Gagen, Mr. Printy, Helen Esch, William Willmouth, Ralph J. Conley and Alica Hering. 

Sidley Memorial Hall was named in honor of Father R.A. Sidley, who was the pastor of Saints Peter and Paul Church in Sandusky from 1871 until just before his death in 1904. Father Sidley oversaw the building of the church which still stands today at the southeast corner of Columbus Avenue and Jefferson Street. Father Sidley left a bequest of over $13,000 for the building of a new school, which was completed in 1907. Major alterations were made to the school building in 1950, and in 1955 a large addition was made to the school. Though Father Sidley did not live to see the school completed, he had dreamed of a large school and auditorium to serve the families of his parish.



In 1916 two members of the dramatic club were married. Alicia Hering became Mrs. Ralph J. Conley. In the 1910s, the Dramatic Club of Saints Peter and Paul Church put on many plays at Sidley Memorial Hall. In the early 1930s, the Catholic Players met bi-monthly at the auditorium of Saints Peter and Paul Church, and put on plays throughout the year. The Catholic Players were just one of several amateur theatrical groups in the area. The group was part of a larger organization known as the Northwestern Ohio Little Theater Association. To read more about the rich history of Saints Peter and Paul Church, visit the Sandusky Library. The title Saints Peter and Paul Church: A Church and Its People chronicles the 125 years of the church’s history, from 1866 to 1991. Several other church histories are also available at Sandusky Library.
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The New York Central Railroad in Sandusky

March 11, 2015, 9:00 am
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The history of railroads that operated in Sandusky is a long story involving many mergers and acquisitions. On September 17, 1835, ground was broken in Sandusky for the Mad River and Lake Erie Railroad. This line was a predecessor of the “Big Four”Railroad, which was active in Sandusky in the late nineteenth and early twentieth centuries.


In 1906the New York Central and Hudson River Railroad acquired the Big Four (Cleveland, Cincinnati, Chicago and St. Louis Railway Company), and in 1914, the company changed its name to the New York Central System. That same year, the New York Central merged with the Lake Shore and Michigan Southern Railway to form the New York Central Railroad. Below is an undated postcard of the New York Central crossing Sandusky Bay, just north of Medusa Cement in Bay Bridge.

  
You will recall that in an earlier blog post, we learned that the Amtrak Station was originally built for the Lake Shore and Michigan Southern Railway, and was used by the New York Central for many years.


In 1968 the New York Central merged with the Pennsylvania Railroad to form the Penn Central, which went bankrupt by 1970.


From the 1920s through the 1960s, members of the Lake Shore Pioneer Chapter, New York Central Veterans, had reunions at Cedar Point. Below is a picture of a souvenir plate from the 1934 Reunion of the Lake Shore Pioneer Chapter of New York Central Veterans, now in the collections of the Follett House Museum.


                
In the Twin Anniversary Edition of the Sandusky Register Star News, dated November 24, 1947, Paul Laning provides a history of Steam Railroads in Erie County, up to that point in time. For more information about railroads in Ohio, there area number of books available for loan through the ClevNet system at the Sandusky Library.

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Camptown

March 14, 2015, 6:20 am
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A neighborhood on the eastern part of Sandusky was once known as Camptown. It is located east of Sycamore Line and south of Scott Street, including First, Second, Third, Fourth and Fifth Street. Camptown was named after John G. Camp, John G. Camp, Jr. and Jacob A. Camp, who added this section of the city to the original plat of Sandusky in 1852.  In the 1800s, St. Ann’s Chapel was built in Camptown as an outreach of Grace Episcopal Church. This chapel later became Calvary Episcopal Church, which is now in use as a wedding venue. Around the turn of the twentieth century, Philip Schmidt ran the Camp Town grocery store at the corner of Monroe and Meigs Streets, on the edge of the neighborhood. In the 1870s, artist Samuel Tebbutt lived on Second Street. The neighborhood has always been primarily residential. Though no signs of the name Camptown remain today, thousands of tourists drive through the section of Sandusky formerly known as Camptown, on their way to Cedar Point each summer.
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Dr. and Mrs. Edgar J. Waye

March 17, 2015, 7:19 am
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According to U.S. Census records, Dr. Edgar J. Waye was born in the state of New York about 1826 or 1827. Dr. Waye is pictured above in a reproduction of a daguerreotype, created when he was a young man. His bride can be seen below  in a digital image of a daguerreotype taken when she was about 21 years old. Sometimes her name is listed as Leonice Smith; later records list her first name as Lelia.

                
On August 11, 1861, Erie County Probate Judge F.D. Parish signed the application for the marriage license of Edgar J. Waye and Lelia H. Smith.


Dr. Edgar Waye had a dental practice in Sandusky from the 1860s through the early 1900s.  An advertisement which appeared in the Sandusky Register of February 4, 1863 stated that Dr. Waye could make artificial teeth for his patients which would improve their physical appearance and also help them to chew their food more easily. Dr. Waye’s office was on Columbus Avenue across from the old Post Office. Dr. Waye often contributed articles to dental journals.  In an issue of the Southern Dental Journal, Dr. Waye discussed “Amalgam and Its Manipulation.”



Dr. Waye wrote about “Textile Foil” in volume 6 of the Ohio State Journal of Dental Science. On March 7, 1877, he delivered the address at the thirty-first annual commencement of the Ohio College of Dental Surgery in Cincinnati, Ohio. 

On April 2, 1905, Dr. Edgar J. Waye died at the age of 78. Dr. Waye was buried in Sandusky’s Oakland Cemetery.  Mrs. Leonice/Lelia Waye passed away on April 17, 1919. She was buried next to Dr. Waye at Oakland.  Dr. and Mrs. Waye were survived by three daughters.  One of the daughters, Winifred Lee Waye, was well known in Sandusky as a painter, musician and newspaper columnist. Winifred wrote her newspaper columns under the name “Molly Lee.”
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The Combined Corrugator and Double Facer at Hinde and Dauch

March 20, 2015, 11:14 am
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The invention of the Combined Corrugator and Double Facer used by the Hinde and Dauch Paper Company was attributed to Solomon Sylvester Knisely, who was a mechanical engineer at the company. He began working at H&D in 1905, and retired in 1949 after 44 years of continuous service. Mr. Knisely is the man on the right in the picture below.

      
Two female employees of the Hinde and Dauch Paper Company are pictured at the Combined Corrugator and Double Facer in the 1920s or 1930s.

      

For most of the twentieth century, the Hinde and Dauch Paper Company was a leader in the manufacturing of corrugated paper boxes. Hinde & Dauch Paper Co. was incorporated April, 1900. At the helm of the company in the early years were James J. Hinde and Jacob J. Dauch.  In 1953, Hinde and Dauch was acquired by Westvaco. For most of the 1980s, the company operated as Displayco Midwest, which was bought out by Chesapeake in 1989. The factory closed in 1997. The former Hinde and Dauch building at 401 West Shoreline Drive is now home to Chesapeake Lofts. An article which provides the history of the development of Hinde and Dauch can be found online. Additionally, Tom Jackson wrote an excellent article for the Sandusky Register in May 2010about Sandusky's Paper District.
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Pythian Sisters

March 23, 2015, 10:30 am
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While we do not have details about the place or people associated with the Pythian Sisters riding in the float in the picture above, it is estimated that the picture was taken between 1910 and 1925. The streets are made of brick, and a horse drawn vehicle can be seen on the left side of the picture. It could have been for a patriotic parade during the First World War. 

The Pythian Sisters are an auxiliary group connected with the fraternal organization known as the Knights of Pythias. The mission of the Pythian Sisters is:

To bring together women of diverse backgrounds and to provide opportunities for them to help themselves and others grow through the principles of Purity, Love, Equality, and Fidelity.

Local Sandusky newspapers, available on microfilm at the SanduskyLibraryArchivesResearchCenter, covered the activities of the Pythian Sisters on the Society Page. The ladies had dances and card parties, and raised money for charitable organizations. An article in the November 23, 1922 issue of the Sandusky Register reported that the “Sandusky Pythian Sisters’ degree team is one of the best in the state.” The degree team of the Pythian Sisters participated in ritualistic ceremonies associated with the Pythian Sisters.  In 1923, the Pythian Sisters held a fund raising activity with the proceeds going to the Sophie Huntington Home for Aged Pythian Sisters in Medina, Ohio. On October 27, 1931, the tenth annual convention of District No. 15, Pythian Sisters, was held in Sandusky. Over 300 people attended the convention. During the evening hours, the Sandusky Lodge, Knights of Pythias met with the Pythian Sisters. A play entitled “A Lesson in Friendship” was presented, along with musical selections.


Visit the SanduskyLibraryArchivesResearchCenterto learn more about the past activities of the Club and Organizations of Sandusky and ErieCounty.
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Seven Mile House

March 26, 2015, 11:05 am
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The Seven Mile House was situated in the extreme northeast corner of GrotonTownship, Erie County, Ohio, along the old Columbus-Sandusky Pike, close to the intersection of Mason Road and Route 4. John Powell built the Seven Mile House about 1831. This early hotel got its name from its location, which was seven miles south of the city of Sandusky. An early stage coach route passed by the building. During the time of the Underground Railroad, fugitive slaves were transported from the old Omar Tavern in SenecaCounty to the Seven Mile House, on their way to Lake Erie, where they could cross over the lake to freedom in Canada. In his memoirs, detective John Wilson Murray wrote that Charles H. Cole met with fellow conspirators at the Seven Mile House, to make plans for an attempt to free Confederate prisoners from the prison camp at Johnson's Island. In 1870 the house hosted a United States Post Office.

According to an article in the issue of the March 4, 1899 issue of the Sandusky Star, Charles Linder operated a butcher shop and saloon in the building. Three of the Linder children came down with smallpox in March of 1899.



 This advertisement for dancing at the Seven Mile House appeared in the Sandusky Star Journal on December 3, 1920. The Seven Mile House served as a tavern in the same location for a number of years.



 A bookstore has recently occupied the intersection near the site of the old Seven Mile House. When you travel by automobile from Sanduskyto Columbus, you will drive by the spot where weary travelers once found rest and food in years gone by.
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Emily Blakeslee, M.D.

March 29, 2015, 1:32 pm
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For over fifty years, Emily Blakeslee was a physician in Sandusky. During most of her career, Dr. Blakeslee practiced medicine at 258 Wayne Street, where she also resided. (The building was razed in 1960.)


Emily Blakeslee was born in Medina County, Ohio in 1871 to Edwin Charles Blakeslee and Alice (Warner) Blakeslee. In 1897 she graduated from Cleveland University of Medicine and Surgery. 

Charles Burleigh Galbreath wrote in volume five of his book History of Ohio:
“Emily Blakeslee M. D., has been established in the practice of her profession in the City of Sandusky since the year 1897, and has won precedence and popularity as one of the able and representative woman physicians and surgeons of her native state, a state in which her paternal great-grandfather made settlement fully a century ago.”

Dr. Blakeslee was on staff at Sandusky’s Good Samaritan and Providence Hospitals. During World War I, she worked with the Home Service Department of the American Red Cross in Sandusky.


In May of 1950, Dr. Blakeslee was honored during a joint meeting of the Erie County Medical Society and its Auxiliary. She received a 50-year certificate and gold medal. 

On April 26, 1955, Dr. Emily Blakeslee passed away at the Cleveland Clinic, after an illness of several weeks. The headline on the front page of the Sandusky Register Star News read Sandusky’s Only Practicing Woman Doctor is Dead.  Dr. Blakeslee had been a member of Grace Episcopal Church and the Erie County Medical Society. She was survived by a sister, brother, and two nephews. She is buried in Medina, Ohio.


On April 3, 1976, G.D. Wallace paid a salute to Dr. Blakeslee in the Sandusky Register. Wallace stated that Dr. Blakeslee took additional medical courses so she could stay in tune with medical advances and improvements in surgical techniques. The article continued, “Dr. Blakeslee’s appearance as a Sandusky citizen gave added enchantment to the Erie County area. Besides a great interest in religion, she was fond of drama and music, and was a popular factor in the social, cultural and art circles of the county and city…Especially among women, Emily merits the heavy applause for her triumphant struggle to reach the heights of her chosen profession, an interest that carried through since childhood days.”
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Women's History Month Wrap-Up: Finding Information about Your Female Ancestors in Erie County

March 31, 2015, 7:29 am
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March is Women’s History Month, and in honor of the women of our area, here are some tips on how you can locate information about your female ancestors in Sandusky and Erie County. 

For the earliest settlers in Erie County, you can check the index of the Firelands Pioneer. There is a general index arranged by surname, and a separate index for obituaries. In the June 1865 issue of the Firelands Pioneer, Truman Taylor recounts his grandmother’s account of  how several families moved from Glastonbury, Connecticut to Perkins Township in Erie County, Ohio in 1815, by oxen train.


The women had to wash clothes along the way, sometimes hanging the wet laundry on a brush pile to dry. The families camped at night, stopping in a location with pastures for the cattle and horse. They took provisions along with them, consisting of bacon, bread, butter and cheese. Once they settled in Erie County, the pioneers had to clear the land, build cabins, and till the tough prairie sod.

Two sources that provide information are Mothers of Erie County, by Marjorie Cherry Loomis, and Memorial to the Pioneer Women of the Western Reserve, edited by Mrs. Gertrude Van Ressselaer Wickham. These books are anecdotal in nature, and provide biographical information about the earliest female residents of Erie County. The Memorial to the Pioneer Women of the Western Reserve was originally written in five parts, and is housed in a bound two volume set, shelved in the genealogical section of books in the lower level of the Sandusky Library.  The pages devoted to women from Sandusky are found in Part 1, pages 158 to 164. Mrs. Jane Hartshorn, daughter of William Kelly, recalled that when her family settled in Sandusky in 1818, there were only five frame houses in Sandusky at that time. All the rest were built of logs. The family stayed in a small log house that had been used as a cabin for fishermen. It had no fireplace, just a stone hearth, and very little furniture or dishes. Though times were difficult, she remembered those early days with fondness. Jay Cooke remembered his mother, Martha Simpson Carswell Cooke, working at her spinning wheel, to prepare material for the children’s clothing and stockings. When Martha’s husband, Eleutheros, brought back cans of oysters from the east, she shared liberally with her neighbors. Jay Cooke recalled that his mother had wise counsel and unfailing Christian love. There are indexes in the back of volume two of Memorial to the Pioneer Women of the Western Reserve arrangedby the surname of the pioneer women, as well as an index to towns and counties.

For genealogical information about your female ancestors, the Sandusky Library has access to Ancestry Library Edition and Heritage Quest. An outstanding online resource, available to anyone with computer access, is FamilySearch.org. This database is particularly strong in Ohio information, such as birth, marriage, and death records and some census data.  Sources available inside the Sandusky Library include school yearbooks, Sandusky city directories, Erie County directories and histories, obituaries in the microfilmed copies of the Sandusky Register, and church records, also on microfilm. Hundreds of historical photographs are housed at the Sandusky Library Archives Research Center. Inquire at the Sandusky Library for more information.

A fun way to learn a bit more about women from Sandusky and Erie County, search for  women ​in the Labels list to the left. In these links, you can read, for example, about women working for the wareffort in World War II.



Sarah Howard was the first African-American female to graduate from Sandusky High School.


The Woman’s Endeavor was a newspaper published by Sandusky women in 1908. In 1920, there was an all-women jury in a courtroom at the Erie County Courthouse. Dr. Carrie Chase Davis was one of the first female physicians in Sandusky, and was also known for her active involvement in women’s rights.


Two other notable Sandusky women we cannot forget are Marie Brehm, the first legally qualified female candidate to run for the vice-presidency of the U.S., and Jackie Mayer, Miss America of 1963, now a motivational speaker. Jackie Mayer speaks about her recovery from a near-fatal stroke when she was 28.
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When the Cooke House was on Washington Row

April 3, 2015, 9:00 am
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A local resident, Leroy Hinkey donated several historical photographs to the Sandusky Library Archives Research Center. Because of his generosity, we can get an idea of what Sandusky looked like in days gone by. This stereographic image, created by Sandusky photographer A.C. Platt, was made in the 1870s as part of the Isles of Lake Erieseries. In an enlarged view, you can see several buildings that were important to the daily lives of Sandusky residents for many years. The Cooke Block, at the northeast corner of Columbus Avenue and Market Street, was constructed in the 1850s. It was built by Wildman Mills, who sold it to Charles E. and George A. Cooke in 1866, and still stands today. Many local residents will recall when Holzaepfel’s was in business in the Cooke building.


The West House hotel was owned by brothers W.T. and A.K. West. It opened in 1858, in time for the Ohio State Fair, which was held in Sandusky that year. It was five stories high, and was located at the northwest corner of Columbus Avenue and Water Street. Now the State Theatre occupies the site. The old Post Office and Customs House was at the southwest corner of Columbus Avenue and West Market Street from 1857 until 1927. This location is now a parking garage. Gray Drugs was in this spot for many years.  The home of Eleutheros Cooke was built in 1843-1844, at the southwest corner of Washington Row and Columbus Avenue. (Note: Eleutheros Cooke and Geoge and Charles Cooke were not related, to the best of our knowledge.) After Eleutheros Cooke died, Sandusky attorney  Rush Sloane purchased the home. In 1878, he had the house dismantled, brick by brick, and was reassembled at what is now 1415 Columbus Avenue. Mr. Sloane gave the home to his newlywed son Thomas and his wife Sarah, who was a granddaughter of Eleutheros Cooke. Below is a picture of the Cooke home about 1890.



The original site of the Cooke house later became the location of the Sloane House hotel in 1881, followed by the Lasalle’s store in 1949; it is now occupied by Erie County governmental offices. 
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Early Days of the Kiwanis Club of Sandusky

April 6, 2015, 8:48 am
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Pictured above are the members of the Kiwanis Club of Sandusky in 1936. At that time, Elliott Bender was the president of the organization. In 1936 the Kiwanis Club of Sandusky took part in Sandusky’s Safe Motor Vehicle Campaign, in conjunction with the Sandusky Register and the Star Journal. Sandusky residents were asked to sign this pledge:


Once the pledge card was filled out, automobile drivers could stop at one of several Sandusky businesses to pick up a sticker for their car that read:

REGISTER
STAR-JOURNAL
PLEDGED
SAFE
DRIVER
SANDUSKY
KIWANIS
CLUB

After the March 17, 1936 meeting, members of the Kiwanis Club of Sandusky went to the William Mound studio to get a group photograph taken. By 1951, the membership of the club had increased.


There were 65 members of the Kiwanis Club of Sandusky in October, 1951. Roger Doerzbach was president at that time. In 1951, the club sponsored a film series put out by the National Audubon Society, and hosted a Christmas dinner for the Erie County Children’s Home. When the Kiwanis Club of Sandusky met with the Lorain Kiwanis Club in October, 1951, there was 100% attendance at that meeting. 

The Kiwanis Club of Sandusky, Ohio is a service club that was chartered on November 8, 1919. The group donated a collection of historic items to the Sandusky Library Archives Research Center which includes photographs, minutes, monthly reports, and membership rosters. Visit the Archives Research Center to view the archives of the Kiwanis Club of Sandusky.
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