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Keep the Sidewalks Clear of Snow! (That is, if we ever get any this year)

February 1, 2016, 7:00 am
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On February 1, 1881, the following proclamation was made by Sandusky Mayor Rush R. Sloane.
Mayor’s Proclamation
To whom it may concern
Mayor’s Office
Sandusky, O. February 1st, 1881

Whereas, it is by ordinance of said city ordained
“That it shall be unlawful for the owner or occupant of any premises in the city of Sandusky, or the owner or agent of any occupied premises in said city, to allow any snow or ice to remain upon any stone, brick or plank sidewalk abutting on his or her premises, for more than twenty four hours after the same shall have fallen or accumulated on said sidewalk.”
And any person violating said ordinance is liable to prosecution before the Mayor upon complaint of the City Commissioner of Streets and upon conviction shall be fined from one to twenty five dollars and shall be imprisoned until the fine and costs are paid.
It is also made the duty of the Commissioner to clean all sidewalks not cleaned by the owner or occupant and to report the names of the occupants on the premises thus cleaned that they may be proceeded against as required by said ordinance.
I hereby give notice that said ordinance will be duly enforced.
Witness my hand and seal this 1st day of February A.D. 1881
RUSH R. SLOANE, Mayor


The Mayor’s proclamation appeared in the Sandusky Register of February 5, 1881. It appears that someone in the city of Sandusky was not clearing off  their sidewalks in a timely manner. Mayor Sloane wanted to inform all the citizens of Sandusky that this ordinance was to be diligently enforced. Anyone who has spent the winter in Sandusky knows that the snowfall can be quite heavy and frequent. Below is just one example of how snowy the city can become. In 1913, the snow was piled high along West Water Street, in front of George Rinkleff’s hardware store.


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James T. Begg, U.S. Congressman

February 4, 2016, 6:42 am
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James T. Begg was born near Lima, Ohio in 1877. After graduating from Wooster University in 1903, he became a school teacher. Mr. Begg served as superintendent of schools at Columbus Grove from 1905-1910, and at Ironton, Ohio from 1910-1913. On January 14, 1913, James T. Begg accepted the position of superintendent of Sandusky Schools, where he stayed until 1917. After working for two years for the American City Bureau, James T. Begg was elected to 66th United States Congress. He served as Representative from the 13th District of Ohio from 1919 to 1929. In the 1919-1920 Sandusky City Directory, Mr. Begg and his family are listed as residing on Columbus Avenue. James and Grace Begg were the parents of a daughter Eleanor, and a son named James Begg, Jr.  Sadly, James T. Begg, Jr. was killed in an automobile accident on April 26, 1929. Young Mr. Begg was only 19 at the time of his death, a student at Kenyon College.


The front page of the February 25, 1928 issue of the Sandusky Star Journal reported that Congressman Begg was the principal speaker of the dedication of the new Junior High School in Sandusky, which had an auditorium and gymnasium, and also served as a civic building for the community.


He also spoke at the dedication of the Sandusky Bay Bridge, after having been influential in supporting the bridge project. 

Mr. Begg was unsuccessful in his attempt to become Governor of Ohio in 1942.  After his political career, he was associated with Cyrus Eaton Industries, of Cleveland. In 1956, he moved to Oklahoma City, where he died on March 26, 1933. He body was returned to Ohio and was buried in Cleveland’s Lake View Cemetery. 
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Carl J. Ruff, Mathematics Educator

February 7, 2016, 7:21 am
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Carl J. Ruff was an educator for forty eight years. During most of his career, he served as the head of the Mathematics department at SanduskyHigh School. A graduate of BaldwinWallaceCollege, Mr. Ruff began teaching at SanduskyHigh School in 1914, first as a Commercial teacher.  (When the Commercial Department of the Ohio State Teachers Association convened at Cedar Point in June of 1917, Mr. Ruff chaired the event.) During the 1918-1919 academic year, Mr. Ruff served as acting principal of SanduskyHigh School.  

An article in the March 31, 1950 issue of TheSandusky Hi-Lites, a student newspaper from SanduskyHigh School, indicated that Carl J. Ruff had the longest service record of any SanduskyHigh School faculty member up to that time.


Carl J. Ruff retired from SanduskyHigh Schoolin 1957. He passed away in Sanduskyon December 29, 1968. He touched many students’ lives during his long career at Sandusky High School. 
In this undated photo, circa 1918, Carl Ruff is seated at the center of the image, with fellow teachers.

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The Coolee Engineering Company

February 10, 2016, 8:32 am
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According to the Sandusky Star Journal of May 29, 1924, the Coolee Engineering Company became the latest industrial enterprise to open in Sandusky at the southwest corner of Shelby and Water Streets. Machinery from Cleveland was put into place, and the new manufacturing facility was expected to employ about fifty local individuals. Claude H. Cook was president of the company, with C. E. Lewis serving as secretary; H.J. Lewis, first vice president; Charles E. Kingsboro, second vice president; and Marcus Bonar, Auditor and Credit Manager. 

The Herb & Myers Company sold a variety of appliances made by the Coolee Engineering Company in November of 1924. Their brand, O-Kay electrical products were said to be safe, simple, economical, practical serviceable, and lightweight, and just right for a holiday gift. A Herb and Myers ad, which appeared in the November 24, 1924 issue of the Sandusky Star Journal stated,  “Wherever there is electricity in the home, there also is located a very definite O-Kay market.” O-Kay products sold at Herb and Myers included portable heaters, hot plates, grills, and curling irons. All O-Kay products could run on direct or alternating current.


In 1926 the company was re-organized and became known as the Coolee Manufacturing Company. Sadly, an advertisement in the classified section of the December 15, 1928 issue of the Sandusky Star Journal indicated that the Coolee Manufacturing Company had gone into bankruptcy proceedings. 


This electric mixer, made by the Coolee Manufacturing Company, was donated to the Follett House Museum by William McGowan several years ago.
  
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George Tolman's Valentine

February 14, 2016, 5:00 am
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George C. Tolman served as a passenger agent for the Big Four Railway for thirty six years. After retiring from the Big Four, he worked as a passenger agent for the Ashley and Dustin steamer line. Mr. Tolman was born in Medina, Ohioto Dr. and Mrs. Lewis Tolman. He worked for the Cleveland and Toledo Railroad and the United States Express Company before he started his long career as a passenger agent. The June 5, 1925 issue of the Sandusky Register said about Mr. Tolman, “Though well up in years, when most men find comfort in a well earned rest, he showed remarkable activity and interest in serving the boat line and its patrons.” Even after his retirement from the Big Four, Mr. Tolman was often consulted for his advice on matters that formerly had been his concern.

In June of 1861, George C. Tolman married the former Sarah A. Thomas, in Medina County, Ohio. After the death of Mr. Tolman, Mrs. Tolman donated several greeting cards to the FollettHouseMuseum. The Valentine card below was given to Sarah from George Tolman about 1860. The top of the card reads “Ever Thine.”  On the back of the card are handwritten the words: "To the one in all the world I love best. To Miss Sarah Ann Thomas."


 On June 4, 1925, George C. Tolman died at the age of 89; funeral services were held at the Congregational Church, and burial was in OaklandCemetery. After his death, Mrs. Tolman moved to Oberlin, where she resided with her niece. Mrs. Tolman passed away in 1928, and she was laid to rest next to her husband at OaklandCemetery. Obituaries for both Mr. and Mrs. George C. Tolman are found in the Obituary Notebooks, housed at the Sandusky Library.
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Sales Representatives of the Kroma Color Company

February 17, 2016, 6:00 am
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Pictured above are sales representatives of the Kroma Color Company, along with officials from its parent company, the American Crayon Company in about 1941. Carey W. Hord, who had been associated with both companies throughout his long career, is the first man on the left in the front row. The Kroma Color Company had been organized as an independent watercolor company in 1912, and Mr. Hord was appointed its first president. In 1941, the Kroma Color Company became a subsidiary of the American Crayon Company. 

The first Kroma Color plant was on East Market Street. By 1921 the company had outgrown this building and moved to the six-story building (later known as the Keller Building) at the northeast corner of West Water and Decatur Streets, which had formerly been occupied by Hinde and Dauch Company.  

Here is how a portion of the building looked, with several Hinde and Dauch employees, when that company was still on West Water Street.
 
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Lange's Handbook of Chemistry, Published by Handbook Publishers

February 20, 2016, 6:30 am
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For over twenty years, Norbert Lange's Handbook of Chemistry was published by the Handbook Publishers in Sandusky, Ohio. The officers of the Handbook Publishers, which was founded in 1934, included: Norbert A. Lange, Orwell Schoepfle, J.M. Costello, and Richard and Randolph Dorn. In the 1937 Sandusky City Directory, Orwell F. Schoepfle was listed as the president and Norbert A. Lange served as vice president. The publishing company was located at 116 Columbus Avenue at that time, though the Handbook of Chemistry was actually printed in Tennessee, using high-grade paper. In 1945 the company moved to 309 West Water Street. In 1958 Handbook Publishers was acquired by McGraw-Hill, with Dr. Lange and Mr. Schoepfle being named as editorial consultants. 

The Handbook of Chemistry was a popular chemistry resource, and was intended for use by students, educators, chemists, and manufacturers. It was widely used in universities all across the United States, and was considered a standard reference book for chemists and scientists. A copy of the Handbook was microfilmed, and included in the contents of the Crypt of Civilization time capsule at Oglethorpe University in Georgia.  

Norbert A. Lange and Orwell Schoepfle had been classmates at Monroe Elementary School, and both were 1910 graduates of Sandusky High School.


In 1918, Norbert A. Lange earned his PhD from the University of Michigan.


Dr. Lange became an instructor of chemistry at the University of Michigan, the Case School of Applied Science, and the Western Reserve University. He was the primary compiler and editor of the Handbook of Chemistry. Eventually the book became known as Lange’s Handbook, even after his death in 1970.

In 2005 Lange’s Handbook of Chemistry was in its 16th edition, a 70th anniversary edition. Copies of the Handbook of Chemistry are housed in the bookcase in the Quiet Reading Room at the Sandusky Library, as well as at the Follett House Museum. Copies of this valuable guide to chemistry are also available for loan through the CLEVNET system. Inquire at the Reference Services Desk of the Sandusky Library if you would like to borrow a copy of the Handbook of Chemistry.
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Father William F. Murphy

February 24, 2016, 6:32 am
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Father William F. Murphy was appointed Pastor of Sts. Peter and Paul Church on September 5, 1905, the second priest to serve this parish. He succeeded Father R.A. Sidley. Father Murphy oversaw the building of a school for the parish, partially funded by a bequest from Father Sidley. The new school and Sidley Memorial Hall was dedicated in 1907. Following two fires which damaged Sts. Peter and Paul Church, Father Murphy led the parish in seeing that the church was repaired and restored. With the help of a generous gift from Sandusky native Sister Mary Aloysius, the church installed a communion railing made from Italian marble, and two new side altars.


During his thirty-eight years at Sts. Peter and Paul, Father Murphy officiated at hundreds of weddings, baptisms, funerals, and sacred holiday masses. On July 14, 1915, Father Murphy officiated at the wedding of Notre Dame legendary coach Knute Rockne to Bonnie Skiles. The pair had met while they were employed at Cedar Point.


On the occasion of Rev. William F. Murphy’s Golden Jubilee, in which he celebrated fifty years in the priesthood, the whole community gathered to honor him. A mass was held at Sts. Peter and Paul Church on July 4, 1934, with the Most Reverend Kal J. Alter, D.D. presiding.


Catholic leaders all across Ohio attended the Golden Jubilee celebration. On July 5, 1934, a civic reception for Father Murphy was held at Jackson Junior High, and was open to the public. Speakers included Judge Edmond Savord, Mr. J. J. Carroll, president of the G & C Foundry, Congressman W. L. Fiesinger, Attorney John F. McCrystal, Sr., Mr. F. J. Prout, Superintendent of Sandusky Schools, Major C.B. Wilcox, President of the Sandusky Chamber of Commerce, as well as Rev. William Zierolf from St. Mary’s Church and Rev. Thomas Hughes from Trinity Methodist Church. Father Murphy was respected as a community leader by residents of all walks of life and religious denominations. 

On February 24, 1942, Father William F. Murphy died at the age of 84. Sandusky City Manager A.J. Lauber  stated  in an article in the February 24, 1942 issue of the Sandusky Register Star News that, “The death of Monsignor William F. Murphy is a severe loss to our community. He was always eager to give his time and energy to those things which make for a better city in which to live and work. His kindly spirit, his wise counsel and his marvelous personality has endeared him to every person in Sandusky.” Father Murphy’s funeral was widely attended, and he was buried at St. John’s Cemetery in Cleveland, Ohio. 

Father William F. Murphy saw his congregation through the Great Depression, World War I, and the early years of World War II. His leadership, integrity and compassion were appreciated by  his church members and the entire community.
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Our Old Town – As She Used t’ Be by William T. Martin

February 27, 2016, 7:00 am
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The book, Our Old Town – As She Used t’ Be, by William T. Martin is in the Local Authors collection of the Sandusky Library Archives Research Center. The author was born in Sandusky on November 20, 1889 to John J. and Catherine (Laughlin) Martin. William recalls his hometown in the days before television and automobiles, when corporal punishment was the norm, and children under eighteen were allowed to work at a labor-intensive job. 

Some of the local attractions that William enjoyed as a youngster in Sandusky were the County Fair, the Fourth of July celebration, the Labor Day Parade, and the resorts at Cedar Point and Johnson’s Island. He visited Nielsen’s Opera House often. He recalled the women there wearing their finest clothing and jewelry. Youngsters usually sat in the balcony, known as “Peanut Heaven.” He remembered the orchestra fondly, with E.B. Ackleyas the leader, and Billy Hauser on viola. The audience praised the orchestra and the dramatic productions with loud applause, whistling, and pounding their feet on the floor.


William’s mother bought his clothing from Kronthal and Bretz, his shoes from Giedeman and Homegardner or Farrell & Rosino shoe store, and hats from Biehl’s hat store. He went to elementary school at Holy Angels at a time when each of the two large classrooms held four grades. On Saturdays he and his friends would walk the seven miles to Castalia, where they would often visit the Blue Hole, which at the time was just a hole in the ground from which water gushed continually - not yet a tourist attraction. He recalled seeing the horse drawn wagons from the Kuebeler & Stang brewerygo down Tiffin Avenue with a load of empty bottles. On a snowy day, William and some of his friends hung on to the back of the beer wagon and swing from side to side in the slippery snow. The brewery reported the incident to Father Lamb, and the boys were paddled as punishment. The youngsters who lived in Sandusky enjoyed skating on Sandusky Bay. One winter day, William grabbed on to the back of an ice boat, built by Mr. Bing. He had ice skates on, and found himself traveling all across the bay from Bay Bridge to Johnson’s Island. He remembers the commercial ice businesses and large fisheries along the waterfront. William’s father was a grocery salesman for the old Hoover and Woodward Wholesale Grocery store on Water Street.


This was at a time when there were numerous neighborhood grocery stores in Sandusky, and deliveries were made by horse and buggy. Some grocery stores in Sandusky also had saloons. Male customers could go to the grocery store and order their groceries, then step into the barroom and have a five cent beer, while their groceries were delivered to their homes.

The chapter entitled “Gram” was very poignant. William’s grandmother, Ann Laughlin, had been born in Ireland. She told young William about the voyage to America, and how crossing the Atlantic was very turbulent. Shortly after Gram had arrived in Sandusky, the cholera epidemic broke out. She was available to her neighbors, showing charity to the sick, and comfort to those who were in mourning. During the time of the Underground Railroad, Gram was known to take soup and bread to the fugitive slaves who were hiding in a large barn near the B & O Railroad yards as they awaited their passage to Canada. During the Civil War, though her own son was fighting for the Union, Gram often took food to the Confederate soldiers who were awaiting the trip to Johnson’s Island where they would be imprisoned. Gram doted on William, and he enjoyed her stories about days gone by. 

As new homes were being built all over Sandusky in the early 1900s, William worked as a carpenter’s apprentice for a wage of five cents an hour. As he got older, he worked for the railroad, and later he became a foreman at Union Chain.

William T. Martin retired from Union Chain in 1954, and he lived in Norwalk from about 1958 to 1964. He died at a nursing home in Norwalk in November of 1964. Mr. Martin was not famous, but he left a wealth of information about growing up in Sandusky in his book.  His remembrances seem to make the many historical photographs housed at the Sandusky Library Archives Research Center come to life. Though this book is not available for loan, it can be viewed at the Sandusky Library. Inquire at the Reference Services desk for more information. 
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Roosevelt Days in Sandusky

March 3, 2016, 9:00 am
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On March 4, 1933, President Franklin D. Roosevelt gave his first inaugural address to the nation. The U.S. was in the midst of the Great Depression, and referring to the country’s condition at that time he famously stated, “The only thing we have to fear is fear itself.”The merchants of Sandusky, Ohio celebrated the inauguration of FDR by sponsoring “Roosevelt Days” on March 3 and 4, 1933. An article in the February 27, 1933 issue of the Sandusky Star Journal reported that “the greatest merchandise value-giving event in the city’s history will be afforded.” Every merchant was to offer one super special item at a reduced cost. All the streets in the downtown district were decorated in the national colors of red, white and blue. A full page in the March 2, 1933 issue of the Sandusky Register was devoted to the “red hot bargains” to be offered during Roosevelt Days.



During Roosevelt Days, the Perry and Bretz men’s store were selling Gold Medal hats for $3.50 and Fifth Avenue hats for $5.00.



The J.H. Herman store’s ad stated that they were offering a “March of Miracle Values at their furniture store.


Many of our ancestors lived through the Great Depression, and Sandusky merchants were making an effort to offer affordable products for Sandusky area residents in 1933, to ease the financial woes so many were facing at that time.
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The Cassidy Home: Site of Early Catholic Church Services in Sandusky

March 8, 2016, 10:58 am
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A room in the home of the Cassidy family at 221 Hancock Street (no longer standing) was used for Catholic Mass in Sandusky, Ohio, before Catholic churches were built in the city. 

Edward and Robert Cassidy were immigrants to the United States, having been born in Ireland. The Ohio Historic Places Dictionary states that Robert Cassidy built Holy Angels Church in Sandusky between 1841 and 1845. In the1855 Sandusky City Directory, both Cassidy men listed their occupation as mason. Edward Cassidy and his wife Bridget had a total of twelve children. An early plat map from the Erie County Auditorshows the exact location of the Edward Cassidy home, though by the time of this map’s publication, it may have been Edward Cassidy, the son of Edward and Bridget Cassidy who resided here. The house sat on the west side on Hancock Street between Market Street and Washington Street, in Sandusky’s Second Ward.


It is believed that this is the room in which the early Catholic church services were held when they met at the Cassidy home.
                                        

Ernst Niebergall this picture of a dresser in the Cassidy home in the 1920s, though its use as an altar for church services took place in the 1840s.


When Edward Cassidy died in 1893, a front page article of the Sandusky Register stated that he had been a “city father.” Edward and Robert Cassidy built many of the stone buildings in early Sandusky, including the first jail, the U.S. Customs House, and the shops of the Mad River Railroad and the Sandusky, Mansfield & Newark Railroad. Over fifty individuals with the surname Cassidy are buried in the St. Joseph Cemetery in Sandusky. 
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Flatiron Building at the Corner of Elm, Hancock and Monroe Streets

March 11, 2016, 7:00 am
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Known as a flatiron building, because of its unique shape that is similar to a flat clothes iron, this limestone building was constructed by the Kuebeler and Stang families in 1909. It sits on a triangular lot at the intersection of Elm, Hancock and Monroe Streets. You can see the shape of the lot in an early twentieth century Sanborn Fire Insurance Map.


The side of the building that faces Monroe Street features a rising sun on the pediment of the building.


Decorative stone is found along the top of the side of the building that faces Hancock Street. If you look closely at the second floor windows, you can still see signs from the dance studio which once occupied the top floor.


Commonly known as the Kuebeler Block, this building was built for businesses to occupy the street level, and a social hall on the upper level. Several business on Hancock Street comprised a small business district that served Sandusky’s residents on the near east side. In 1916,  the Spiegel Brothers had a barber shop on the lower level, next to Robert Fingerhut’s merchant tailor shop. The “Social Seven Hall” occupied the upper floor of the Kuebeler block at this time. Gilcher and Wallen once ran a hat shop at this location.


In 1948, Kay Lutes opened a dance studio in the Kuebeler Block’s upper level. In the 1980s and 1990s,  Barb’s Dance was also at this location. In 2016, this property has a consignment shop on the street level.  “If those walls could talk,” they could tell many stories about this historic Sandusky building.
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Caroline Cady, Christian Worker

March 15, 2016, 6:25 am
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This obituary of Mrs. Caroline Cady appeared in the Sandusky Register on April 25, 1905. A transcription of her obituary reads:

Mrs. Caroline Cady
Mrs. Caroline Cady entered into rest at her home, 115 Bell Street Monday morning, April 24th at 5 o’clock, aged 77 years and 8 months, after an illness of several weeks. Only for one week was she thought to be critically ill, pneumonia having developed.
In the death of Mrs. Cady Sandusky has lost one of its pioneer Christian workers. For 25 years past she has proclaimed the gospel of Christ to the prisoners at the jail, police station and hospital at the Soldiers’ home, distributing hundreds of Bibles in which she had marked God’s loving promises to those that see Him, and has seen many give up their ways of sin for a holy and happy life. She has rendered assistance to many, given wise counsel and encouragement. Homes have been made happy in times of sorrow and need. Always remembering the words of our Lord: “Inasmuch as ye have done it unto one of the least of these, ye have done it unto me.” About two years ago she lost her sight but still worked the Master, sending out God’s word in leaflets, well knowing it would not return unto Him void but accomplish that whereunto it was sent. The end of her life was like an ideal setting of the sun to rise again in a perfect day. She realized and said underneath her were the everlasting arms. “On Christ the solid rock I stand. All other ground is sinking sand.”
She leaves three daughters, Mrs. Lewis Lea, Mrs. W.G. Myers and Mrs. Minnie Kelley; one sister, Mrs. Josephine J. Couch, and three brothers, J.W. Jennings of New York, J.T. Jennings of Seattle, Wash., and H.C. Jennings of Fostoria.
The funeral services will be held at her home, 115 Bell Street, Wednesday at 2 p.m. Burial private.
Dearest mother, thou has left us.
Here they loss we deeply feel.
But ‘tis God that has bereft us,
He can all our sorrows heal.

Caroline Cady was the daughter of Mr. and Mrs. Hector Jennings, and the widow of William Cady, a Civil War Veteran. In her younger days she operated a millinery shop in downtown Sandusky. 

Obituaries in newspapers in the late nineteenth century and the early twentieth century were filled with descriptive language, and pointed out the character of the deceased. They were generally written by someone who had known the deceased well, and often included Bible verses and poems. Below is a postcard of the old hospital on the grounds of the Ohio Soldiers’ and Sailors’ Home (now the Ohio Veterans Home) where Mrs. Cady frequently paid visits to provide counsel and encouragement to the patients.


      
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Lucile Dehnel Burch

March 17, 2016, 6:00 am
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Lucile Dehnel was born on July 14, 1895, to William Dehnel and Annette Kuebeler Dehnel. William Dehnel was a jeweler in Sandusky, and Annette was the only daughter of Mr. and Mrs. August Kuebeler. Mr. Kuebeler was active in the brewery business in Sandusky with his brother Jacob.  In 1900, Lucile was listed in U.S. Census records as residing in the Kuebeler mansion on Tiffin Avenue, with her parents and maternal grandparents.


On June 26, 1909, Lucile was chosen to christen the G.A. Boeckling with a bottle of Hommel Champagne. She is seen below, beside George A. Boeckling, the namesake of the ship.

  
In early September of 1922, Lucile Dehnel married Albert C. Burch. The wedding took place at the Dehnel home on the Cedar Point Chaussee, officiated by Rev. E.G. Mapes of Cleveland. Lucile’s attendants were her close friends, Mrs. C.W. Hord and Mrs. Albert H. Uhl. A lengthy article about the wedding appeared in the society pages of the Sandusky Star Journal of September 2, 1922.


Below is a picture in which Lucile is surrounded by family and friends on her wedding day. Several other pictures from the Dehnel-Burch wedding are housed in the biographical collection of the Sandusky Library Archives Research Center.



Lucile’s husband, Albert C. Burch, died in 1948. Lucile did not remarry after her husband’s death.  She passed away on June 4, 1979, at the age of 83. She had lived a full life, having helped in the management of the Dehnel Jewelry Store, and she had been an active member of Grace Episcopal Church and several community organizations. 
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St. Mary’s 1939 Basketball Team

March 19, 2016, 10:58 am
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Former newspaper reporter C. Weston Dash donated this picture of the 1938-1939 Sandusky St. Mary’s basketball team. Notes on the original picture indicate that the photograph was taken on March 19, 1939. This team was runner-up for the Class A High School state championship in 1939. Coach Lee Zierolf is on the right, in the back row. Team members were: Leroy Riedy, Howard Thompson, Art Link (team captain), Ken Smith, Wayne Stamm, Joe Riccardi, Charles Stanley and John Thompson. You can read more about this team in the March 19, 1939 issue of the Sandusky Register. Coach Lee Zierolf was a teacher and coach at St. Mary’s from 1932 to 1953. Under his leadership, the St. Mary’s basketball team won the state championship in 1936, and were state runners-up from 1937 to 1940. Visit the Sandusky Library Archives Research Center to read more about your favorite local sports teams in issues of the old Sandusky newspapers, now on microfilm.
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Adam J. Rice, Early Sandusky Mail Carrier

March 22, 2016, 6:00 am
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Adam J. Rice was born in 1856 in Sandusky, Ohio, to Mr. and Mrs. Peter Rice. On December 1, 1882, Adam Rice was appointed as one of the earliest mail carriers in Sandusky.  During his almost thirty year career with the postal service, Mr. Rice served under seven different postmasters, retiring in October 1915. On his last day of work, Mr. Rice was called to the Post Office Annex where he was presented with a mahogany chair upholstered in leather. The chair was a gift from the Postmaster Charles Schippel, along with the mail carriers and postal clerks from Sandusky’s Post Office, which was then still in downtown Sandusky at the corner of Columbus Avenue and Market Street.


In an article which appeared in the January 24, 1923 issue of the Sandusky Register, Adam Rice told of a time when a change of party in the Presidency sometimes meant that employees at the Post Office could lose their job, due to the spoils system. He said after the United States Civil Service was established, postal workers could only lose their job if there were a valid reason.


An obituary for Adam J. Rice is found on page 223 of the 1946 Obituary Notebook at the Sandusky Library. Mr. Rice  died on November 21, 1946. He was survived by his sister,Mrs. August Weier, a nephew, J.Leroy Weier, and a niece, Mrs. Fred Bloker. Funeral services were held at the Charles J. Andres Sons’ Funeral Home, and burial was at Sandusky Library. 
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Mrs. Charles Livingston Hubbard, Nee Jennie Matilda West

March 25, 2016, 6:00 am
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Mrs. Charles Livingston Hubbard was born Jennie Matilda West in 1855, to Sandusky businessman WilliamT. West and his wife, the former Lydia Mahala Todd. When Jennie married Charles Livingston Hubbard in 1877, it was reported as “grandest wedding of the season” in the October 20, 1877 issue of the Sandusky Register.


C.L. Hubbard’s were Mr. and Mrs. Lester S. Hubbard. L.S. Hubbard was a prominent Sandusky banker. Rev. A.B. Nicholas officiated at the Hubbard-West wedding, which took place at the home of Mr. and Mrs. W.T. West at the southwest corner of East Washington and Warren Streets on October 18, 1877. The Register article stated that relatives and friends of the couple came from various parts of the United States. The bride wore a dress which was made of taille and satin, ornamented with rushes of silk illusion and scarves of satin. The dress was adorned with garlands of lilies of the valley and orange blossoms, and featured a long duchess train that was “a marvel of grace and elegance.” Jennie West’s bridal costume and trousseau had been purchased from Lord & Taylor of New York City. The West House was trimmed with evergreens, ferns, and beautiful flowers and lace, along with an arch and wedding bell. The refreshments “surpassed in elegance anything ever before given in this city.”  Two large bride’s and groom’s cakes were accompanied by all the delicacies of the season.  A long list of wedding gifts appeared in the Sandusky Register, including items of cut glass and silver, golden candlesticks, a marble mantle clock, several vases, and lovely art pieces.

Charles Livingston Hubbard worked as an attorney in Sandusky for many years. He and Jennie had four daughters, one of whom died in childhood. C.L. Hubbard died in May of 1904 when he was age 53. He was buried in the Hubbard family lot at Oakland Cemetery.  In 1935 Mrs. Jennie West Hubbard moved to Carmel, New York, where she lived until the age of 103. Mrs. Hubbard died there on December 31, 1958 and she was buried in the West family lot at Oakland Cemetery. Her obituary, which appeared in the January 1, 1959 issue of the Putnam County Courier stated that on her father’s side, Mrs. Jennie West Hubbard was descended from Sir Thomas West, Baron de Lawarr, who was once the Governor of the Virginia colonies, and for whom the state of Delaware derived its name. 

Mrs. Jennie West Hubbard is the third individual from the left, in the row of ladies seated in the front row in the picture below.



To read more about the Hubbard and West families in Sandusky, see the book At Home in Early Sandusky, available at the Sandusky Library.
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Local Heroes: The Carnegie Medal Awarded to Sandusky Residents

March 28, 2016, 7:06 am
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Between 1904 and 1969, nine Sandusky area residents were awarded the Carnegie Medal for acts of extraordinary civilian heroism. The medal pictured above was awarded to Earl Thomas, who saved Rolland Smith, age 16, from drowning, after Rolland fell into deep water off the railroad bridge at Mills Creek. Though Thomas was not a good swimmer, he swam over thirty feet to bring Smith to safety, where both men were pulled out of the water by another young man. Though young Smith was unconscious, and Thomas suffered from exposure, both recovered. 

By performing a search for Sandusky, Ohio at the website of the Carnegie Hero Fund Commission, you can read a brief summary of all the awardees who were from Sandusky. In 1904, William C. Brune saved George P. Pfanner from drowning. Another water rescue took place in 1905 when baker Henry Schiller saved Wendell B. Tussing from drowning while at Lakeside, Ohio. When the Mahala Block burned on November 18, 1909, George B. Knopf made his way to the top of the fourth floor building to rescue Emma Keyes from the fire.

  
On October 29, 1920, Harry May saved Martin Maier from being killed by a train. The locomotive was only two feet from the men when Harry pushed Martin to safety. Hilda Hertlein was only twelve years old when she lifted four year old Viola Poock off the track as a streetcar was approaching. In addition to the Carnegie Medal,  Hilda received $1,600.00, which she used towards her studies at Ohio State University. Henry Sherman Potter, Jr., was also quite young when he earned a Carnegie Medal. Henry was age thirteen, when he saved  ten year old Omar E. Meyer, Jr. from drowning, after Omar fell through the ice while skating on Sandusky Bay. Henry broke through the ice, and finally threw his sweater to Omar to help pull him to safety. An article about the heroic act of Henry Sherman Potter, Jr. appeared in the July, 1929 issue of Boys’ Life magazine. Omar E. Meyer, Jr. eventually became the owner and president of the local company O.E. Meyer & Sons. 

While in Lorain in 1932, William G. Lang saved twenty-two month old Leila Smith from being struck by a streetcar. While at the helm of the streetcar, Lang quickly applied the brakes and drastically reduced the speed, after which he grasped the toddler to safety. During a severe rainstorm on July 5, 1969, Larry E. Smith rescued LoRene Limbard from drowning, after she was trapped in a fruit cellar in her home after a basement wall collapsed. Two men outside the home helped Mrs. Limbard out a small basement window, after Smith helped her find her way to the window. As Larry Smith himself exited through the window, the water had risen to the ceiling light of the basement. Sandusky can be proud of the many heroic actions undertaken by these nine ordinary citizens who helped save others’ lives while risking their own life.
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Anna White Ferris, Mrs. B.F. Ferris

March 31, 2016, 7:00 am
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According to the Firelands Pioneer, Anna Damarius White was born on August 11, 1838 to Samuel M. White and his wife, the former Damarius Pendleton. Samuel M. White was a building contractor. He and his wife were pioneer settlers of Sandusky, Ohio. In 1861, Anna D. White married Benjamin F. Ferris, a hardware merchant. The steamer B.F. Ferris was named for Anna’s husband.
           
Mrs. Ferris was an early member of the board of the Library Association of Sandusky, serving on the board in 1878 and 1879. For many years, she took an active part in parish activities of Grace Episcopal Church. On October 9, 1901, Mrs. B.F. Ferris passed away in the very room in which she was born, at her home on Adams Street in Sandusky. An article in the Sandusky Daily Star of  October 9, 1901 read in part, “By her death, Sandusky loses a woman of sterling worth and character, who had many warm friends and who will be sincerely missed from among her associates.” Mrs. Ferris was survived by her husband, a brother, and three sons. She was buried in Sandusky’s Oakland Cemetery. Her husband, Benjamin Franklin Ferris, died in October of 1912. A beautiful monument honoring the memory of Mr. and Mrs. Benjamin F. Ferris, as well as several members of the White family, is located in Block at Oakland Cemetery.


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A Child's Clothing in the 1850s

April 3, 2016, 7:24 am
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This long sleeved little boy’s dress was worn by King West, the son of William T. and Lydia Mahala Todd West in the 1850s. These short pants completed the outfit, which would have allowed young King to toddle around easily.


King David West was born on June 7, 1853. The son of William T. West, he was named after his uncle, Abel Kingsbury West. (Some sources list King’s name as Abel Kingsbury West.)


W.T. West and A.K. West were pioneer Sandusky residents who operated a dry goods store and built the West House hotel.  The 1869 Sandusky City Directory lists the residence of King D. West as West House, and his occupation was clerk at the dry goods store of W.T. and K.D. West.



Sadly, on September 9, 1872, nineteen year old King D. West drowned in Lake Erie after a sudden storm overtook the yacht Oriole, as King was with a group who wanted to view the regatta at Put in Bay. He was buried in the West family lot in the North Ridge section of Oakland Cemetery. His parents were heartbroken at the loss of their son. He most likely would have played an integral role in the business ventures of the West family, had he lived longer. King’s sister, Mrs. C.L. Hubbard (nee Jennie West) donated King’s childhood clothing to the historical museum of the Sandusky Library. The garments are now part of the historical collections of the Follett House Museum.
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