Jennie E. Daly, Hair Dresser

From about 1898 to 1902, Miss Jennie E. Daly was a hair dresser in Sandusky, Ohio. An advertisement in the April 25, 1899 issue of the Sandusky Star stated that Miss Jennie E. Daly operated a hair dressing parlor on Washington Row. She also offered manicures and massages at her business. The ad below appeared in a copy of the sheet music to the Cedar Point March, by T.J. Martin.

In the late nineteenth century, Miss J.E. Daly ran the Human Hair Works. She manufactured wigs, toupees, switches, bangs, and other hair accessories. She also prepared a formula called Cocoa Cream, which was recommended for keeping the complexion healthy. A listing in the 1904 Sandusky City Directory indicated that Jennie E. and Catherine C. Daly sold hair goods at a business known as the Daly Sisters, at 723 Washington Row. By 1910, Jennie E. Daly and her sister had moved to Cleveland, where they lived with their widowed mother.

Interior Views of the John C. Kinney Home

Around 1884, prominent Sandusky photographer C.W. Platt took two photographs of a bay window at the home of John C. and Amelia (Clara) Kinney’s home at 710 Wayne Street in Sandusky. The Kinney home represented the decorating style of the Victorian era, which was noted for a great deal of ornamentation in the interior rooms of homes. An article in the January-February 2005 issue of the Old House Journal entitled “Bringing the Outdoors In,” stated that Victorians felt that bringing elements of nature indoors was important for health and emotional well-being. Indoor potted plants and climbing vines were very popular in the nineteenth century. Another view of the Kinney home shows a birdcage and family portraits. Even the pattern of the floor is ornate.

From 1866 until 1879, John C. Kinney was associated with the publishing of the Sandusky Journal newspaper. After his health began to fail, he took a position as a court stenographer. On February 1, 1888, John C. Kinney died at the age of 58. His funeral took place at his home at 710 Wayne Street. Burial was at Sandusky’s Oakland Cemetery.

John H. Williams, Hardware Merchant

In 1855 John H. Williams was the proprietor of a hardware store on Columbus Avenue in downtown Sandusky. He sold foreign and domestic hardware, and a variety of hardware, tools, safes, and bank vaults. In the 1860 U.S. Census, he, his wife Elizabeth, and their five children were residing on 109 Wayne Street in Sandusky, Ohio. Patent number 59,700 was issued to John H. Williams in 1866 for improvements to a cider and wine mill.

During the Civil War, John H. Williams, along with several other individuals, was arrested after a failed attempt by Southern sympathizers to release prisoners from the Johnson’s Island Prison Camp. After an investigation, Williams and the others were released.

An article in the September 25, 1864 issue of the New York Times discussed the conspiracy.

John H. Williams and his family left Sandusky in 1871, moving to New York City. Mr. Williams died on April 8, 1896. His remains were brought back to Sandusky by railroad, and burial was at Oakland Cemetery in the family lot. An obituary which appeared in the April 17, 1896 issue of the Sandusky Register stated that John H. Williams had many friends in Sandusky, and he had been an active leader in the Democratic Party. The article continued, “He was generous to a fault and always ready to aid those he could."

The C.F. Denzer Company

An article in volume 85 of the American Stationer magazine reported that in 1919 Carl F. Denzer bought out the business of the George F. Windisch & Co. in Sandusky, Ohio. Mr. Denzer had been connected with Mr. Windisch for twenty-three years, and he had been a business partner since 1909. The C.F. Denzer Co. was located at 210-212 Columbus Avenue in the Stone Block. In the picture above, signs in the windows advertised safes, cabinets, filing supplies, and office furniture. Mr. Denzer also sold books, stationery, and sporting goods. Signs in the windows on the uppermost level of the building still featured the name of the previous owner George F. Windisch. A shoe store operated by George Ueberle and H. George Brengartner was just north of the C.F. Denzer Company. Right above the shoe store was the Christian Science Reading Room.

In a special “Ladies Night” sponsored by the Rotary Club in January, 1920, Carl F. Denzer was presented with a big barrel labeled Port Wine. Mr. Denzer pretended to open the wine and share with it with his friends, as the audience sang “How Dry I Am.” Since this event took place during Prohibition, there was most likely not any wine in the barrel.

During the Christmas season of 1921, the C.F. Denzer Co. advertised a wide variety of books, cards, games, and holiday decorations for Sandusky area residents. A title at the top of the list of books was A Web of Thought, by Marjorie Anderson, a native of Sandusky.

In September of 1926, Carl F. Denzer married Miss Corrinne Curtis, the sister of Worth Curtis. On August 23, 1940, members of the Ohio Stationers Club met at the new location of the C.F. Denzer Company on East Market Street. Mr. Denzer had sold the old C.F. Denzer building to the S.S. Kresge Company in March of 1940.

Carl F. Denzer passed away in California at the age of 59 on February 6, 1943. Though he had been in failing health, his death was unexpected. Carl F. Denzer was survived by his widow, two sisters and two brothers. Burial was at Oakland Cemetery.

Here is a postcard with a view of the Stone Block on Columbus Avenue, from the first quarter of the twentieth century:

William Hauser, Musician

William Hauser was born in 1858 to John and Margaret (Schmidt) Hauser. When he was age 15, he became a member of the Great Western Band in Sandusky. When the Great Western Band disbanded, he became associated with Ackley’s Band. William Hauser can be seen on the far right in the back row, in the picture of Ackley’s Band below.

Mr. Hauser was among the musicians who took part in the dedication of the first Water Works in Sandusky in 1876.

When the 1924 tornado struck in Sandusky, William Hauser was inside his residence at 622 East Market Street in Sandusky. Though the house was destroyed, he survived the tornado with just a few minor injuries.

William Hauser continued as a musician throughout his life. When the Sandusky Musical Union put on a performance of Max Bruch’s oratorio Odysseus, he played the viola in the orchestra.

On November 13, 1928 William Hauser died after suffering a heart attack, at the home of his sister Mrs. Emma Wirth. He was survived by two sisters and a brother. He was laid to rest in the family lot at Sandusky’s Oakland Cemetery. A nephew who survived him was Dr. Norbert A. Lange, a chemistry professor at Western Reserve University, who is known for writing the classic text Handbook of Chemistry. Dr. Lange and his wife were the benefactors for The Norbert A. and Marion Cleaveland Lange Trust of Sandusky Library, which has provided cultural and educational programs for Erie County residents for over twenty five years. Dr. Norbert Lange and Marion Cleaveland Lange translated into English the book Sandusky "Einst und Jetzt" which was originally written in the German language by Rev. Ernst Von Schulenburg. Members of both the Hauser and Lange families contributed greatly to the rich cultural heritage of Sandusky and Erie County.

Program Announcement: Brown Bag Lunch Series - Prison Ship "Success"

Wednesday, March 21 - 12:00-1:00 p.m.

Maritime historian Richard Norgard will explore the history of the sailing ship Success. The Success sailed around the world for more than 100 years, and in 1942 came to dock in Sandusky. Registration is not required.

Ella McCormick, Elementary Teacher

In the 1880 U.S. Census, Ella McCormick resided with her siblings John and Jennie and her parents, Pat and Bridget McCormick on Miami Avenue, now known as Central Avenue, in Sandusky, Ohio. Both Pat and Bridget McCormick listed their birthplace as Ireland. Jennie McCormick was a music teacher at this time, and Ella McCormick was a school teacher. In December of 1902, the Sandusky Star newspaper ran a contest to choose the most popular teacher in the Sandusky City Schools. Miss Ella McCormick won the contest, with 267 votes. Ella, along with Miss Elizabeth Koegle and Miss Jennie Long, received tickets to see a performance of “The Merchant of Venice” which played at the Nielsen Opera House on December 5, 1902.

On Friday, June 2, 1911, Ella McCormick was among the large group of teachers and students of the Seventh Ward School who enjoyed a lawn social. An orchestra made of students of the Seventh Ward School provided musical entertainment during the evening hours of the lawn social.

Miss Ella McCormick passed away in Tiffin, Ohio on December 30, 1914. Funeral services for Ella McCormick were held at the home of her sister, Mrs. F. H. Zerbe. Miss McCormick was buried in St. Joseph’s Cemetery in Sandusky, Ohio.

Sandusky Gas and Electric Company Truck

Pictured above is a truck that was used by the Sandusky Gas and Electric Company about 1920. The vehicle was a Clydesdale, made in Clyde, Ohio. Between the years of 1917 and 1938 the Clydesville Motor Truck Company in Clyde, Ohio, built trucks and truck bodies. The Sandusky Gas and Electric Company was acquired by the Ohio Public Service Company in 1924, and taken over by the Ohio Edison Company in 1950. In a want ad that appeared in the March 23, 1920 issue of the Sandusky Register, the construction division of the Sandusky Gas and Electric Company were looking to hire employees at a rate of fifty cents hour. The ad promised steady work to those who applied for the job. To learn more about the Clydesdale Motor Truck Company, see the Ohio Memory Project. A search for the term Clydesdale results in several images of Clydesdale vehicles.

Mandolin Clubs in Sandusky

An article in the December 2, 1920 issue of the Sandusky Star Journal reported that Mr. H.L. McCullough, a math instructor at Sandusky High School, had recently established two Mandolin Clubs. Club members varied through the years, and included both adults and high school aged students. Pictured in the musical group above are: Carroll Post, mandolin; Verna Murphy, mandolin; Ella Aust, mandolin; Edwin Aust, guitar; and Mr. H.L. McCullough, guitar. In the early 1920s, members of the Mandolin Clubs provided musical entertainment for school events, church services, and for meetings of several area civic organizations. On February of 1921 a quartet from the Mandolin Club performed at a W.C.T.U. meeting in honor of the memory of Francis Willard, a well known temperance leader who had died on February 17, 1898. Live musical entertainment was an important part of the social life of Americans in the nineteenth century and early twentieth century.

Anti -Slavery Meeting at the Courthouse in Sandusky on March 6, 1844

On March 6, 1844, at 6:30 p.m., ladies and gentlemen of Sandusky were invited to an anti- slavery meeting to be held at the Erie County Courthouse, which at that time was located on the east side of Columbus Avenue, just west of what is now Adams Junior High School. The names of fifty seven individuals appeared in the Sandusky Clarion, below a statement that read:

“The undersigned unite in advising a call for an anti-slavery meeting, to be holden at such time and place as may be found most convenient and proper; and they invite all who are opposed to the American system of slavery, and are willing to lend their personal, moral, and religious influence for its suppression, to be present, and participate in the deliberations of the meeting. If deemed advisable, an anti-slavery society will be organized and other measures adopted, to promote the object in view.”

Hundreds of residents of Sandusky and Erie County held anti-slavery sentiment for several years, and many of them participated in the Underground Railroad. The fact that many of those who held anti-slavery views were well respected in the community helped to spread that sentiment to members of the general public. F.D. Parish was Sandusky’s second lawyer, and Moors Farwell was Sandusky’s first Mayor. H.F. Merry and Thomas Hogg were early members of the Board of Education for Sandusky City Schools. Many of the men whose names appeared on the list in the newspaper in 1844 were business men in Sandusky. W.T. and A.K. West were merchants who went on to build the West House hotel in Sandusky. Long before the Civil Rights movement of the 1960s, Sanduskians of the mid 1800s were also committed to civil rights.

Addendum: Here is a wider view of the area around the courthouse, circa 1870.

1884 Congressional Map of Ohio

Erie County, along with Sandusky, Ottawa, and Lucas Counties, was a part of Congressional District 10 in 1884. A breakdown of the popular vote in the United States, as well as in Ohio, for the Presidential election of 1884 was provided on the map. The 1884 Congressional Map of Ohio was distributed in the fall of 1888 when President Grover Cleveland was running for reelection against Benjamin Harrison. Cleveland lost reelection in the Electoral College, even though he won the popular vote by a narrow margin.

The map was a promotional item distributed by the Aultman, Miller & Company from Akron, Ohio, the manufacturer of several Buckeye mowers, binders, and other agricultural implements.

You can read about the history of Ohio Congressional redistricting during the nineteenth century in an online article.