Recently we came across this baptismal record from
1885 in an archival box in the Sandusky Library Archives Research Center. It
looks like Josezf Karl [?] Wilhelm is the name of the child, the son of Johann
Wilhelm, born in Sandusky, Ohio in 1885. The day of the month was 12, but the
name of the month was not easily interpreted. After determining that Sohn is the German word for son, we
could match the old German lettering of the first letter of the month, which
appeared to be an “S.” Since the only
month that begins with the letter “S” is September, it seemed very possible that
Josezf Wilhelm was born on September 12, 1885. A search at FamilySearch.org for the surname
Wilhelm, with a birth date of 1885, and father’s first name as Johann or John,
retrieved this birth record.
This record has the same date as the baptismal
record, and the same parents, so most likely the infant who was christened
Josezf Karl [?] Wilhelm is the same infant which was listed as John Charles
Wilhelm in Erie County, Ohio birth records. In looking at Erie County marriage
records, for a groom with the surname of Wilhelm, and a birthdate of 1885, this
record for the marriage of Charles F.Wilhelm and Marguerite Zimmerman was retrieved.
The parents of Charles F. Wilhelm
were listed as John Wilhelm and Anna Hein, the same parents that were on the
birth record of John Charles Wilhelm. Military records at Ancestry Library Edition showed that Charles F. Wilhelm, with a
birth date of September 12, 1885, filled out draft registration cards for
World War I and World War II. The employer of Charles F. Wilhelm on both
cards was listed as the U.S. Post Office in Sandusky, Ohio. In Mr. Wilhelm’s early
years, the Post Office was located at Columbus Avenue and Market Street.
By the
mid-1920s, the Post Office had been relocated to the corner of Jackson and
Washington Streets in downtown Sandusky.
The Social Security Death Index lists the
death of a Charles Wilhelm, born on September 12, 1885, as August of 1972. An
obituary for Charles F. Wilhelm appeared in the August 21, 1972 issue of the Sandusky Register. The article stated
that Mr. Wilhelm had enjoyed a long career at the Post Office, where he rose to
the position of Superintendent of Mails in 1943. He died at the Classic Care
South Nursing Home, after a lengthy illness. He was survived by his spouse, the
former Emma Marguerite Zimmerman, a brother, and several nieces and nephews. He
was buried at Oakland Cemetery in Sandusky, Ohio.
Though
there were many discrepancies in the first name and middle name of Mr. Wilhelm,
all the records consistently showed the birth date of September 12, 1885, and
the parents’ names as John and Anna Wilhelm. Don’t get discouraged when you
find that records for the same individual have conflicting information. Search
for as many vital and military and church records as you can, and compare the
details, focusing on the facts that remain the same in each. Unpuzzling this baptismal record turned into a
genealogical adventure. Mr. Wilhelm’s baptismal record is housed in the
Sandusky Library Archives Research Center, which can be seen from the former
U.S. Post Office where he spent so many hours during his long career.
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