Charles A. Judson, Civil Engineer

Charles Albert Judson was born in Florence Township of Erie County on August 11, 1856, to Mr. and Mrs. Albert W. Judson. He graduated from Oberlin College in 1882 and married Roxie Lowry in 1883. After their marriage, Charles and Roxie Judson settled in Sandusky, Ohio. Charles A. Judson became a civil engineer, following in the footsteps of his father and grandfather. Charles A. Judson served his community in many different capacities. He was Corporal in Co. B of the 16th Regiment of the Ohio National Guard from 1882-1887. He served as city engineer of Sandusky from 1894 to 1891, and was superintendent of the Water Works from 1884 to 1907. In 1902, Charles A. Judson was elected to the Ohio State Senate, and he was appointed to be the Collector of U.S. Customs in Sandusky during the Theodore Roosevelt administration, and he was re-appointed under President Taft. After retiring from the Customs Office, Charles A. Judson returned to surveying. He was elected as a city commissioner in the early 1920’s. Ancestors of both Mr. and Mrs. Charles A. Judson were early settlers of Erie County, Ohio.

On the evening of September 30, 1926, Charles A. and Roxie Judson were killed in a tragic accident in which the Judson vehicle collided with a freight train in Friendship, New York. The couple was en route to visit two of their married daughters in Pennsylvania. At first it was feared that some of their grandchildren had also been killed, as at the scene of the accident, several items of children’s clothing were found in the wreckage. (The Judsons had planned to take gifts of clothing to their grandchildren in Pennsylvania.) The Associated Press carried news of the deaths of Mr. and Mrs. Charles A. Judson, which caused great sorrow in the Sandusky area. Mr. and Mrs. Judson were very active in their church and community organizations, and both were held in high esteem. Mr. and Mrs. Judson were survived by two sons and three daughters. Joint funeral services were conducted at the First Congregational Church, and the couple was buried at Oakland Cemetery. A lengthy obituary for Mr. and Mrs. Charles A. Judson is found in the 1926 Obituary Notebook at the Sandusky Library. A tribute to Mr. and Mrs. Judson also appears in the April 1930 issue of the Firelands Pioneer.

James C. Judson, son of Charles A. and Roxie Judson, wrote the book Agony and Attainment, a history of the First Congregational Church of Sandusky, covering the years 1819 to 1869. This book, while it focused on the history of the church, also contains a lot of anecdotal history about early residents of Sandusky.