Sandusky High Schools Girls Basketball Team of 1922

These young ladies were on the Sandusky High School girls basketball team during the academic year 1921-1922. In the back are: Hyacinth Brownworth, Ruth Thom, and Coach, Mrs. Carl Mackey. In the front are; Elsie Hofer, Betty Grulich, Ruth Laux, Vesta Dwelle, and Alyne Wiedenhaefer. All the members of the team earned a letter at an assembly held at Sandusky High School in March of 1922.

Hyacinth Brownworth, later Mrs. John Rheinegger, served as the Clerk of the Board of
Education of the Sandusky City Schools for several years. In 1957 Hyacinth Rheinegger was honored at a dinner party for “the meticulous and efficient way” she ran her office. Several school officials, past and present, attended the dinner at the Rockwell Springs Trout Club in her honor.

 

Corydon Whitten Bell, Author and Artist

On July 16, 1894, Corydon Whitten Bell was born in Tiffin, Ohio to Mr. and Mrs. Alvin J. Bell. The Bell family moved to Sandusky around 1910.  Corydon graduated from Sandusky High School in 1913, where he had been active in the high school orchestra under Eugene Ackley.  In the picture below, a copy of the Fram can be seen on the table beside his desk.

Corydon Bell attended the University of Michigan and Western Reserve University before entering Army Medical School. During World War I he served as a bacteriologist and instructor. In 1921 he married Thelma Harrington. They both worked in advertising in Cleveland, but later both husband and wife became writers. Often Thelma wrote the text of the book and Corydon did the illustrations. In 1944 the Bells moved to North Carolina where they lived on an old farm in the mountains, and enjoyed being away from the pressures of the business world. Bell says “Immersed in undiluted nature on our remote mountain, I evolved the idea of writing about some of the fundamental aspects of natural science.”  A few titles that he authored are: The Wonder of Snow; Thunderstorm; and The Riddle of Time. Corydon Bell’s works are featured in libraries throughout the U.S., the Smithsonian American Art Museum, and the Ohioana Collection of Ohio Authors.

On page 22 of the June 1913 issue of the Fram is a piece entitled “The Class Motto.”  The names of several members of the graduating class are listed, with specific letters in bold that spell out Ready For All Things. Corydon Bell’s name is the fifth in the list.

Sandusky’s Former Post Office

Seen here in the 1930s or 1940s, this building was opened as Sandusky’s Federal Building in March of 1927.  In 1923, Congressman James T. Begg introduced a bill in the U.S. House which requested an increase in the appropriation for the proposed Federal Building at Sandusky, making a total of $215,00 in funds to be used for the project. Congressman Begg pointed out that the current Post Office and Customs House had been built before the Civil War, and was very congested.  Ground was broken for the new Post Office on November 1, 1925.  T.M. Samford was the superintendent of the project, under the leadership of contractor Algernon Blair. M.J. Callan and Sons, of Sandusky, did the excavation work at the building site, beginning November 6, 1925. The building site was located at the intersection of Central Avenue, Jackson Street, and Washington Street. Formerly Bernard Lodick’s carriage shop and Trinity Methodist Church were at this location.

You can see the layout of the Post Office in 1939 in the portion of the Sanborn Map below.

The new Federal Building was built in the Neo-Classical style. It features a very large portico with fluted columns. Besides housing the Post Office in 1927, this building held offices for U.S. Customs, the Internal Revenue Service, and the U.S. Weather Bureau. During war years, the U.S. Armed Forces had recruiting offices here as well. The men in this picture are the first draftees from Erie County in January of 1941, standing on the steps of the Post Office:

           

Of course the former Sandusky Post Office and Federal Building is now home to the Merry-Go-Round Museum. When you walk into the lobby of the Museum, you can still see one of the windows where stamps were sold.

Sandusky Furniture Company

The Sandusky Furniture Company opened in 1894, with three partners: Carl G. Nielsen, August Muehlhauser, and F.W. Molitor. The office and factory was on South Depot Street in Sandusky, Ohio. In the picture above, you can see engine number 441 from the old Lake Shore and Michigan Southern Railroad. An advertisement in the October 9, 1894 issue of the Sandusky Register stated that the Sandusky Furniture Company manufactured bar, bank and office fixtures. The company also did stair and grille work, and made folding doors and bay windows.

The interior of Henry Dehnel’s jewelry store in Sandusky was furnished by the Sandusky Furniture Company, as seen in this picture which appeared in the 1895 publication Men of Sandusky.

In the 1890s, the Sandusky Furniture Company began making household window screens, so that local residents could keep the flies out of their homes. In 1895, the company built a new desk and office furniture for the Sandusky Post Office. The Third National Bank purchased new office furniture from the company around the same time.

An article in the July 18, 1979 issue of the Sandusky Register reported that the Follett House Museum had taken cabinets made by the Sandusky Furniture Company to the attic level, where they were to display military items from the Spanish-American War and World War I.

In 1901, the Sandusky Furniture Company suffered a devastating fire, and by 1902 the company had gone into receivership. Though this local company was only in existence for a few short years, it provided excellent quality materials for many area businesses and homes while it was in operation.

Jeffrey's Pool Parlor

In the 1930s, Tuty S. Jeffrey operated a pool parlor at 931 West Washington Street. He also sold soft drinks and had a lunch counter at his establishment. Jeffrey’s Pool Parlor was in the same block as Link’s Hall, and across the street from the Mertz Hardware store. 

This lovely image of a young lady was given away as apromotion for the business. This item also features a sentiment from James Whitcomb Riley that reads:

It’s the song ye sing

And the smile ye wear,

That’s amaking the sun shine,

Every where.

Tutti Salvatore Jeffrey, also known as Thomas, died on June 16, 1961. In his later years, he was well known as the steward at the Knights of Columbus. Funeral services for Mr. Jeffrey were held at the Charles J. Andres Sons’ Funeral Home and at Saints Peter and Paul Church, with Father Marlborough officiating. Burial was at Calvary Cemetery.

Foster M. Follett, Cartoonist

From the September 30, 1899 issue of Collier’s Weekly magazine

Foster M. Follett was born in Sandusky in the 1870s, to Foster Valentine and Portia Follett. Both Foster M. Follett’s father and grandfather served in the 128^th Ohio Volunteer Infantry during the Civil War. The grandfather, also named Foster Morse Follett, was an early Health Commissioner of Sandusky, who worked tirelessly during the 1849 Cholera Epidemic; he died in 1862. Foster Valentine Follett died when his son was only ten years of age.

For more than forty years, the younger Foster Morse Follett was an artist and cartoonist. His work appeared in The New York World, The Saturday Evening Post, Life Magazine, and Collier’s Weekly. Several Follett cartoons about the character “Tidy Teddy” are featured on the website of Barnacle Press. He also created some animated short subjects in 1916 and 1917. Two characters from Mr. Follett’s early animated films were “Quacky Doodle” and “Mr. Fuller Pep.” 

These cartoons appeared on pages 178 and 179 of the August, 1903 issue of Life Magazine. The cartoons follow a hunter who caught a lion. After trying to get a photograph taken, both the hunter and photographer can be seen running away in the distance.

In 1937, a short while after he was involved in an automobile accident, Foster M. Follett died in Richmond, Virginia. He was survived by his wife the former Nettie Bell, and three children. His obituary appeared in the February 21, 1937 issue of the New York Times.

Hugo Engels' Scrapbook of Performances

From 1882 through the 1890s, Hugo Engels kept a scrapbook containing programs and newspaper articles from local concerts, recitals, and plays. Many of the newspaper articles are in German. 

Hugo Engels was born in Germany on February 9, 1863. He came to the United States with his family in 1876, when his father Herman came to Sandusky to take over the wine business of his uncle Jacob Engels, who had died in 1875. Herman and Louisa Engels had five children, Hermine, Otto, Hugo, and Paul. Hugo and his brothers worked with their father in the winery, which became the Engels and Krudwig Wine Company when R. P. Krudwig joined the company in 1878. Hugo’s brother Carl L. Engels was also associated with the “Big Store,” a Sandusky department store.  

On June 4 1885, Hugo Engels performed Das Bild der Rose in Harmony Hall. Gesang Vereins is the German phrase for Singing Association.

On May 28, 1890, Mrs. A. P. Lange and Hugo Engels played a duet entitled Kucken in a Musicale.

Hugo Engels died on November 7, 1912. His wife Charlotte Engels donated the scrapbook to the historical collections of the Sandusky Library after his death. By looking through the scrapbook, one can learn more about the musical entertainment of Sandusky area residents in the late nineteenth century. It is interesting to note that many of the pioneer residents of Sandusky shared the love of music with residents of German descent who came to Sandusky as immigrants. 

The obituary of Hugo Engels, in the November 9, 1912 Sandusky Register stated that he participated in all of the Elks entertainments, particularly the musical performances.

At the funeral, Mayor John J. Molter delivered an address in German. Music was performed by a string quartet, under the organization of George F. Anderson. Hugo Engels was buried at Oakland Cemetery, with the Elks Lodge conducting the graveyard services.

Captain Alva Bradley

Alva Bradley was born in Connecticut in 1814, and moved with his family to Brownhelm Township, Lorain County, Ohio in 1823. At age 19, he began working on ships of the Great Lakes, and by 1839 he was in command of the schooner Commodore Lawrence. 

The famous inventor Thomas Alva Edison received his middle name in honor of Captain Bradley, as his parents Samuel and Nancy Edison were close friends. 

 In 1841 Captain Bradley, along with Ahira Cobb, built the ship the South America. He began building more ships, and by 1852 he gave up sailing in order to devote himself solely to constructing ships. The Bradley fleet of ships became the largest on the Great Lakes. W. Scott Robison wrote in his book History of the City of Cleveland, that Captain Bradley “owed his success entirely to his own efforts, to his Yankee grit and shrewd business sense.” Eventually Captain Bradley became a millionaire through his success as one of the Great Lakes’ best known ship owners. 

Alva Bradley married Helen Burgess, of Milan, in 1851. They had three daughters and one son. A grandson, also named Alva Bradley, was president of the group that owned the Cleveland Indians from 1927 until 1946.The younger Alva Bradley was successful in real estate, and served on the board of several businesses. 

  

Captain Alva Bradley and his family used to visit Lakeside during the summer months. After his death in 1885, his wife had the Bradley Temple built in Lakeside as a memorial to her husband, with the stipulation that it was to be used solely for children’s programs and Sunday School sessions.

Women in the Western Reserve Before 1850

Often overlooked, the microfilmed copy of  Women in the Western Reserve Before 1840-1850 is an invaluable resource to consult if you have female ancestors who settled in the Western Reserve before 1850.  Mrs. Emily (Coan) Anderson (pictured above) was one of these women. Emily L. Coan, later Mrs. George J. Anderson, came to Sandusky in 1849. She moved to Sandusky from North Ridgeville, Ohio. You can see the name of Mrs. George J. Anderson at the top of the list of the page below, providing information about early women who resided in Erie County, Ohio before 1850.

This resource is housed in the microfilm cabinets of the Sandusky Library Archives Research Center. Arranged alphabetically by county, the microfilm roll contains genealogical data about early women residents of the Western Reserve.  Within each county, the names are not in alphabetical order, so a thorough search must be made of several pages in order to locate a particular name. The columns provide: Married Name, Maiden Name, Year Came to Township, Where From or Where Born, and Last Residence. The Sandusky Library Archives Research Center is fortunate enough to have some photographs of some of these pioneer female residents. A sister-in-law of Emily (Coan) Anderson was Pallas Lane, whose name was also listed in the Women in the Western Reserve Before 1840-1850. Pallas Lane was born Pallas Anderson. She was the daughter of the first physician in Sandusky, and she became of the wife of Dr. Ebenezer Shaw Lane, also an early physician in the Firelands.

Pallas (Anderson) Lane was born in Sandusky in 1825, but later moved to Chicago, Illinois.

  

 Visit the Sandusky Library Archives Research Center to view the microfilmed copy of Women in the Western Reserve Before 1840-1850. See a previous blog post from Sandusky History for even more resources helpful in locating that elusive female ancestor!

Dr. Dewey Duane Smith, DDS

Dewey Duane Smith was born in Gratiot County, Michigan in 1878. He was educated at Albion College, the University of Michigan, and Ohio State University’s College of Dentistry. He is pictured above with his wife Alma Smith and daughters Elizabeth and Marjorie. Sadly, Alma died shortly after the birth of her third child, Dewey Duane Smith, Jr.,  in 1925. He later married Etta Detleftsen.

In 1904 Dr. D.D. Smith moved to Sandusky, where he opened a dental office in the Kingsbury Block.

Dr. Smith took advantage of the fact that his initials were the same as the acronym for Doctor of Dental Surgery, as seen in the advertisement below from the August 31, 1905 issue of the Sandusky Star Journal.

Dr. Smith specialized in orthodontia. In the 1920s, he moved his dental practice to 130 East Market Street. 

Besides having a very busy dental practice in Sandusky for over fifty years, Dr. D. D. Smith, Sr. was also very involved in the community. He was a member of Grace Episcopal Church and the Masons. He served on the Council of the Boy Scouts of America for the local district, and he was instrumental in organizing Sandusky’s “Flicker Club,” a group of individuals interested in the promotion of amateur home movies.  Dr. Smith once served as secretary of the Northern Ohio Dental Association and was a member of the Erie County Medical Advisory Board. For eight years he served on the Ad Interim Committee, House of Delegates of the Ohio State Dental Society. 

Dr. D.D. Smith, Sr. died on May 1, 1959. He was survived by his wife Etta; daughter, Mrs. Walter Kerber; and son Dr. Dewey Duane Smith, Jr, who was also a dentist. Dr. Smith’s daughter Marjorie Kahn had died in 1956. Dr. Smith, Sr. was buried in Sandusky’s Oakland Cemetery.