Saturday, February 28, 2009

Burt I. Lamb, Sandusky Tailor

Burt I. Lamb was featured in the 1895 booklet entitled Men of Sandusky, a small publication which was printed by I. F. Mack and Bro., Printers. The booklet includes several photographs, a history of Sandusky, an article about the Soldiers and Sailors Home, and a page of interesting facts and statistics.
Mr. Lamb’s advertisement on page 65 of “Men of Sandusky” states that he “gives the highest grade of goods for the lowest grade prices in Sandusky. He does his work scientifically, studies the art of tailoring, is always up to date in style, and does honest work at honest figures, and guarantees absolute satisfaction in every case.” His tailor shop was in the Mahala Block, on E. Washington Row.

Horace Rand Lamb, the son of Burt I. Lamb and Hattie Davis, served as a First Lieutenant in World War One.
Hattie Davis Lamb’s father, Ira T. Davis, had a grocery store on Columbus Avenue and later was involved in the real estate and limestone business.

A genealogical web site indicates that Horace Rand Lamb was the grandfather of actor Christopher Reeve. Therefore, Burt I. Lamb and Ira T. Davis were Christopher Reeve’s great-grandfathers.

You can read more about the family of Ira T. Davis in Article 30 of Helen Hansen’s At Home in Early Sandusky and in Hewson Peeke’s Standard History of Erie County. Christopher Reeve mentioned Sandusky in his biography Still Me: A Life. He wrote about his grandfather Horace Lamb’s roots from a working class family in Sandusky.

Visit the Sandusky Library’s Archives Research Center to learn more about Christopher Reeve’s Sandusky ancestors, and perhaps your own ancestors as well.

2 comments:

pat said...

I've got one of those "men of sandusky" books. know of anyone who would be interested in it?

Molly said...

Correction on statement re: Burt I Lamb and Ira T Davis both being great-grandfathers to the same person. They are in different generations. Ira's daughter Hattie married Burt. So Ira would be great-great-grandfather, Burt & Hattie the great-grandfather & great-grandmother, Horace the grandfather.