Plaque Honoring Sandusky’s Pioneers

 You might have driven past this monument many times and not noticed it, but it deserves recognition. It is a tribute to the founders of Sandusky.

On June 25, 1937 members of the Martha Pitkin Chapter of the Daughters of the Revolution unveiled a plaque honoring several of Sandusky’s pioneer citizens at the triangular park located between Huron Avenue, Wayne, and East Adams Streets. The bronze plaque, created by A. J. Balconi, was placed on a three ton boulder at the park.

Names on the top portion of the plaque include the founders of Sandusky:  Zalmon Wildman, Isaac Mills, and George Hoadley. On the bottom portion are the names of the nine men who directed the incorporation of Sandusky as a city in 1824. They were: Dr. George Anderson, Aaron C. Corbet, Cyrus W. Marsh, Alexander Clemons, Eleutheros Cooke, John Wheeler, William Townsend, William Kelly, and Moors Farwell, who served as Sandusky’s first mayor. Several of these men were Masons; an article in a 1937 issue of the Sandusky Masonic Bulletin recognized them and the construction and dedication of the monument

Visit the Sandusky Library Archives Research Center to learn more about the pioneer residents of Sandusky, Ohio. And be sure to stop and visit the monument in the park sometime.

Harry Lee: A Ballad

In 1855, Sandusky resident George J. Anderson wrote and composed a piece of sheet music called Harry Lee: A Ballad for voice and the piano. The publisher was Millet’s Music Saloon on Broadway.  The sheet music was dedicated to Miss Kate Peck, and was written in memory of Stewart Holland, “who went down by the ill-fated Artic [sic] firing the Minute Gun.” This composition is housed in the Archives Research Center of the Sandusky Library, and is also a part of the Lester S. Levy Sheet Music Collection of the John Hopkins University Library’s Special Collections. While the ballad recounts the bravery of Stewart Holland, it is not clear as to why the title of the piece was “Harry Lee.”

On September 27, 1854, the S.S. Arctic sank off the coast of Newfoundland, after colliding with the S.S. Vesta in the fog. The total loss was nearly 400, including all women and children on board. The public was shocked to hear of the cowardly acts of the crew, which included crew members boarding the life boats before women and children. Bravely facing the sinking ship was Stewart Holland, who stood on the sinking ship's deck firing the distress cannon, until the ship went under water. He did not survive.

The November 1, 1854 issue of the New York Times carried an article in which an officer from the S. S. Arctic gives a firsthand account of the bravery of Stewart Holland. The book, The Sea Shall Embrace Them, by David W. Shaw, (available via CLEVNET) tells the tragic story of the S.S. Arctic. A Currier and Ives print also pays tribute.

George J. Anderson was the son of Sandusky’s first physician, Dr. George Anderson. The son of George J. Anderson, George F. Anderson, had musical interests as well: he formed the Sandusky Philharmonic Orchestra and acted as its conductor. 

"Vote for Jackson!"

While the exact date is not known, the letter above was written from William H. Hunter to Dr. George Anderson during Andrew Jackson’s 1828 campaign for the U.S. Presidency. William H. Hunter was a Democratic member of the 25th U.S. Congress. In his letter to Dr. Anderson, he is hoping to gain support for Jackson in northern Ohio. An article in the American Heritage magazine points out that in 1828, when Jackson ran against John Quincy Adams, Ohio was considered a swing state.

A transcription of Mr. Hunter’s letter appears below:

Dear Sir,

The friends of Genl. Jackson in this place and some of the adjoining townships have thought it advisable to call a meeting of his friends for the purpose of sending delegates to Columbus on the 21st instant. I hope that you will join us and urge the necessity of all attending who are friendly to the cause and can conveniently leave home. The administration is straining every nerve to carry its points. But it must fail. It only requires moderation, union and firmness to carry the old Genl. in. And as it is necessary that Ohio should go along with the other western states let us use some little exertion to carry her along with them. So far as my information extends the friends of the Genl. are rapidly increasing. In this village where at the last election he had not above 6 notes we can calculate upon at least 40 at the next. In other parts of the county I hear almost every day of an accession to our strength.

Fail not if you please to have a notice put in the Clarion of contemplated meeting.

Yours respectfully,

W. H. Hunter

An article in the July 19, 1828 issue of the Sandusky Clarion reported about a Jackson meeting which had been held in Tiffin on July 4, 1828. However in the October 11, 1828 issue of the Sandusky Clarion was an editorial penned by a writer who called himself “Common Sense.” The writer stated, “We are called upon to bow down and worship the military idol of the south, under the seductive appellation of the Tennessee farmer, the hero of New Orleans, the compeer of Washington, the spotless patriot, … and we are denounced as knaves, aristocrats, and the enemies of our country, if we do not.”

While Andrew Jackson was not liked by everyone in the Sandusky area, he did win the election of 1828. Read more about Andrew Jackson at Ohio History Central.

Marjorie Anderson: Professor, Librarian, Poet and Author

Dr. Marjorie Anderson was born in 1892 to George F. Anderson and Mary Kingsbury West Anderson. She was the great granddaughter of Dr. George Anderson, an early Sandusky physician who died of cholera in 1834.

Marjorie Anderson graduated from Sandusky High School in 1909.

Marjorie received her Bachelor of Arts degree from Smith College in 1913, and her Master’s degree from Columbia University in 1916. She then studied at Johns Hopkins University, and obtained a Doctor of Philosophy degree from the University of Chicago in 1923. 

Dr. Anderson taught in the Department of English at Hunter College from 1927 until her death in 1954. She was considered an expert in Chaucerian literature, and wrote several magazine articles on Chaucer. Marjorie collaborated with Blanche Colton Williams in writing An Old English Handbook, published in 1935.

In 1920 Marjorie was an Assistant Librarian at the Carnegie Library in Sandusky.

Below is a poem entitled “In a Public Library,” from her book A Web of Thoughts.

In a tribute to her in the New York Times, Lillian Gottesman said that Dr. Anderson was as great a teacher as she was a scholar. She continued “I shall always remember the brilliant mind, gentle voice, smiling face and sweet humility which combined to make the beloved Marjorie Anderson.”

Dr. Anderson’s book is part of the local authors collection of the Archives Research Center of the Sandusky Library.

Mrs. Erastus Cooke

Fannie Anderson, born in New York in 1807, was the sister of pioneer Sandusky physician Dr. George Anderson. On November 1, 1826, she married Erastus Cooke; they had three children, James, George and Emma. 

By 1829 the Erastus Cooke family was residing in Sandusky, Ohio; Mr. Cooke served as Sandusky’s postmaster from 1836-1841. During the cholera epidemic of 1849, Mr. Cooke died of the dreaded disease (the same illness that had earlier killed her brother, Dr. Anderson), leaving Fannie a widow with three children. Shortly after Mr. Cooke died, both of Fannie’s sons became sick with cholera, but they both survived. 

According to an undated newspaper clipping, Mrs. Fannie Anderson moved from Sandusky to Fremont in 1869. Later she moved to Saginaw, Michigan, where she resided with her daughter Mrs. William H. Mills. In 1892, Fannie Anderson Cooke passed away in Saginaw, Michigan at the home of her daughter. Her remains were brought back to Sandusky, where she was buried in Block 61 of Oakland Cemetery. An undated Memorial said about Mrs. Cooke, in part, “She was identified with every good work: well may they say: She stretcheth out her hand to the poor. Yes, she reacheth forth her hand to the needy. Through many trials she came out triumphant.” 

“Midsummer Eve” at Monroe School in 1916

An article in the January 28, 1916 issue of the Sandusky Star Journal reported that every student in Monroe School was assigned to play a part in the musical, Midsummer Eve, to be performed at the auditorium of the Sandusky High School auditorium. In the play, the main character Dorothy, played by Dorothy Wiegel, visits the toy department of a large department store, and then has a dream about an imaginary land of dolls. Dorothy gets lost, and is rescued by elves. In the dream she becomes a fairy, and is involved in the Fairy Court.

A nine piece orchestra provided music for the play, under the direction of Harold Foster. George F. Anderson did the orchestration for Act Two. Many children of local Sandusky residents took part in Midsummer Eve, including the two children of James Begg, James T. Begg, Jr. and Eleanor Begg.  James T. Begg was the superintendent of Sandusky City Schools from 1913 – 1917, and served as a Representative in the United States Congress from 1919 to 1929. Elmer Frank, who played an elf in the school play, later studied music in Europe and founded the Sandusky Choral Society. The son of prominent Sandusky businessman, J.J. Dauch, Wade Dauch, also played an elf in “Midsummer Eve.”

According to Ellie Damm’s book, Treasure by the Bay, Monroe School, also known as the Ninth Ward School, was built in 1894 by George Feick, and served students in the north central section of Sandusky. Until Jackson Junior High was built, grades one through eight attended Monroe School.

Midsummer Eve was so popular at its first performance on February 29, 1916, that another performance was given on March 6. Later in the month, Monroe School students performed scenes from the play at the assembly hall of the Soldiers’ and Sailors’ Home in Sandusky, along with several patriotic musical numbers.

Tuesday Afternoon Club

Before radio and television, locally produced musical entertainment was a popular diversion for thousands of Americans. In Sandusky, Ohio a group of people formed a club known as the “Tuesday Afternoon Club.” Their first meeting was held on April 7, 1891. The purpose of the club was “the promotion of an interest in music, and to afford musical improvement and enjoyment to its members.” Initially the club members met in private homes, but later they gathered at various meeting rooms in Sandusky. On February 15, 1900, the Tuesday Afternoon Club met at Lea’s Hall on Market Street.

The Club performed a cantata by A. Goring Thomas, entitled The Swan and the Skylark on April 23, 1902, at Carnegie Hall of the Sandusky Library. Mr. George F. Anderson directed the production.

  

The names of the performers appear on the back of the program, listed by voice types.

Several programs from the Tuesday Afternoon Club are found in the Sandusky Library Archives Research Center. They take us back to a simpler time, when people often relied on local talent for entertainment.

Valentine from 1856

This charming Valentine with scalloped edges is dated February 14, 1856. It was donated to the former historical room of the Sandusky Library by George Anderson, and now is in the historical collections of the Follett House Museum. Inside the oval decorated with flowers is this inscription:

A bouquet of flowers

already press'd

Fresh from the bowers
with this single request.

That reading each one

by the language expressed.

The secret you'll have

that lives in my breast. 

The above is original,

Jane, so get your language

of flowers and translate them. 

Secret.

While we do not know who wrote the verse on the Valentine, it was given to a female named Jane. In looking at the 1920 U.S. Census, we see that Jane Coan was residing in the household of her nephew, George F. Anderson. Most likely, George F. Anderson donated the Valentine to the Sandusky Library’s historical room after his Aunt Jane died in 1920. Jane Coan’s great grandmother was Abigail Kelley, who was a part of the Kelley family for whom Kelleys Island is named. 

Miss Harriet C. West

Harriet C. West was born in Sandusky, Ohio in 1861 to Abel Kingsbury West and his wife, the former Caroline E. Wood. Abel K. West was an early dry goods  merchant in Sandusky and operator of the West House hotel with his brother William T. West in the 1850s. After the death of her parents, Harriet  (also known as Hattie) resided with the family of her sister, Mary West Anderson. 

In the  1890s, Harriet C. West served as the secretary of the Library Building Fund Association. At the time of the Sandusky Library’s grand opening in July of 1901, Miss West was the treasurer of the Board of Trustees of the Library Association, and was on the local reception committee when the Ohio Library Association held its seventh annual meeting at the Sandusky Library from October 1 to October 4, 1901.

On April 13, 1916, Miss Harriet C. West passed away at her sister's home on Wayne Street.  She had been ill with pneumonia. Funeral services were held at the Anderson residence on April 15, 1916, with the Rev. C. Argylle Keller officiating. Miss West had been a member of the First Presbyterian Church and the Martha Pitkin Chapter of the Daughters of the American Revolution. An obituary which appeared in the April 13, 1916 issue of the Sandusky Star Journal stated about Miss West, “For years she had been an active member of the library board and a great worker for that institution.” Harriet C. West was buried in the West family lot in the North Ridge section of Oakland Cemetery.

Historical Pageant of Sandusky

The Historical Pageant of Sandusky was presented in Central Park, From July 26 to 29 in 1916. The production was staged by the John B. Rogers Producing Company, and was presented locally under the auspices of the City Federation of Women’s Clubs. George F. Anderson was the musical director, and Gladys Pusch and Ruth Lerman performed on piano. An advertisement in the July 24, 1916 issue of the Sandusky Star Journal stated that the Pageant of Sandusky would be the “greatest spectacle ever seen here.”

Tickets sold for twenty-five cents and fifty cents. There were six different committees that worked on the organization of the pageant.

Besides the cast of principal characters, over one thousand young people took part in the pageant. Several scenes portrayed various times throughout history, beginning with creation. “Father Time” was the first character to appear in the pageant. The first scenes included Native Americans, the War of 1812, and the laying out of the plat of Sandusky. Next were scenes that portrayed the Underground Railroad and the visit of General Harrison to Sandusky. Two ballets were performed with the themes of Civil War and Industries. The various industries represented were paper, quarries, fisheries, farming, wine and the crayon industry.

Throughout the Pageant of Sandusky,  James Ryan (pictured below at Cedar Point) played the role of the Pioneer Man, while the Pioneer Woman was played by Mrs. W.C. Scott.

The grand finale of the pageant included hundreds of youngsters dressed in red, white and blue, as the “Goddess of Liberty,” portrayed by Miss Lillian Wahnke made an entrance on a chariot, while holding the United States flag. An article in the July 27, 1916 issue of the Sandusky Star Journal reported that the grand finale was beautiful and dramatic. 

In August, several reels of film of the Pageant of Sandusky were shown at the Schade Theatre in downtown Sandusky. To our knowledge, these films were not preserved locally. How interesting it would be to see the filmed version of the Pageant of Sandusky from over one hundred years ago.

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!

Independence Day Celebrations in the 1820s

Dr. George Anderson, pictured above, read the Declaration of Independence at the July 4^th celebration held in Sandusky in 1822. The event began with a national salute, and a procession of ladies and gentlemen led by William Hull. Volunteer members of the local militia, led by Ensign Callenway, also took part in the procession. When the group got to a grove, a short distance from Sandusky, Eleutheros Cooke delivered an oration.

Cyrus W. Marsh prepared a dinner at which Lyman and Moors Farwell presided.  Twenty four toasts were given, including this one: “Sandusky Bay – Though slandered and aspersed, truth will prevail. Flow on, thou fair water!”

The Fourth of July 1822 was celebrated in Venice, Ohio, at the home of James Webber. Charles L. Boalt read the Declaration of Independence and an oration was given by Frederick Falley. Dr. Anderson presided at the dinner, assisted by Abram B. Youngs. You can read a brief account of these patriotic celebrations in the January 1886 issue of the Firelands Pioneer, available in the Reference Services area of the Sandusky Library.

           

 A tinted wood engraving of an early view of Sandusky from Sandusky Bay, originally created by the author Henry Howe.

A Look Back at Sandusky Library Staff Members in the Twentieth Century

In the historic photograph collections of the Sandusky Library Archives Research Center are several vintage pictures of staff members of the Sandusky Library throughout the years. Pictured above are several employees of the library standing on the steps in front of the Adams Street entrance in 1914. In the undated picture below, staff members are enjoying a picnic outside the library.

In the picture below, three young women are reading books on the back of a truck on Adams Street, in front of the Sandusky Library, around 1926. They may be promoting reading for a community event.

This  picture of Sandusky Library employees in the 1940s included notes that listed their names.

In the front row are: Marjorie Owings, Esther Moreland (Rowland), Barbara Pitcher, Mary Zeitzheim (Tone.)  In the back are: Susan Stoffler, Eleanor Millott, Mary McCann, Ruth Schaefer, and Jane Murschel Andersen.

Below, Miss Mary McCann, longtime director of the Sandusky Library, is checking out books in the library’s Bookmobile in the 1940s or 1950s.

Today Sandusky Library patrons are able to download ebooks, music, and access movies on a computer or mobile device, and the Sandusky Library’s Facebook team  posts pictures from library events on the Library’s Facebook page. Visit the home page of the Sandusky Library to learn more about our many services.

1874 Sandusky City Directory

The 1874 Sandusky City Directory was published by I. F. Mack & Brother. The introductory remarks state that Sandusky “has become about as much a point of interest to summer travelers in search of health and recreation as Niagara Falls, the Mountains of New England, or the Adirondacks of New York.”

Included in this directory are twenty pages of historical sketches. City founders Zalmon Wildman and Isaac Mills are discussed in a paragraph about “Ogontz Place,” which was an early name for Sandusky. Several “firsts” are mentioned, including the first frame building, the first frame dwelling, the first stone dwelling, first jewelers, first tavern keepers, first bakers, and first butcher. The first doctor was Dr. George Anderson and the first lawyer was Eleutheros Cooke.

On page 14 of the 1874 Directory is a listing of the householders in 1829. This information is helpful for persons researching early area residents. Erie County was not formed until 1838, so these residents were living in what was then a part of Huron County.

An article about the first Sandusky newspapers appears on page 17. David Campbell, who settled in Sandusky about 1821, was associated with several early newspapers with varying names. The tombstone of David Campbell, at Oakland Cemetery, is pictured below.

On page 18 is an interesting article about homicides in Sandusky. Lester Cone was murdered in 1835. A tailor named Evans shot Mr. Ritter, a saloon keeper, in 1840. Azo Philo was killed in 1848, by a man named Gilchrist. Mr. Gilchrist committed suicide shortly after being sentenced to the penitentiary.

Many interesting items can be found in early city directories. The following acrostic poem also appears in this directory:

S andusky City- in Ohio State -


A history claimeth but of modern date:


N obler by far – she ever strove to rise


D ependent on her peoples’ enterprise-


U ntil she now stands forth a city made,


S econd to few, so young in build and trade


K eenly alive her interests to defend,


Y ears yet to dawn shall see her high ascend.

Sandusky High School’s Mid-Year Commencement, 1909

Sandusky High School’s second mid-year commencement ceremony was held at Sidley Memorial Hall on February 12, 1909, on the hundredth anniversary of the birth of Abraham Lincoln. The class presented anecdotes of Lincoln. Edna Holzaepfel gave a talk on “The Private Life of Lincoln.” Marjorie Anderson, who later became a college professor, spoke about “Lincoln in Literature.” Mary Daly spoke on “America’s Debt to Lincoln.” Charles Feick’s presentation was on “Other Great Men of 1809.”

Graduates of the February 1909 class were: Marjorie Anderson, Elizabeth E. Butler, Mary R. Daly, J. Charles Feick, Edna A. Holzaepfel, Norman R. Holzaepfel, Leona E. Ohlemacher, Chester S. Schoepfle, and Anna M. Soutar. Among the faculty members were E. L. Moseley and E. B. Ackley, who directed the SHS Orchestra. George C. Dietrich was the principal of Sandusky High School in 1909, and H. B. Williams was the superintendent.

Visit the Sandusky Library Archives Research Center to see this and several other historical commencement programs, yearbooks, and photographs which cover a span of several decades of students and faculty of Sandusky High School.

The Historical Pageant of Sandusky and Erie County

On June 28 and 29, 1933, the Camp Fire Girls presented “The Historical Pageant of Sandusky and Erie County” at Esmond Field near the corner of Columbus and Perkins Avenues. The pageant was a John B. Rogers Production, and was directed by Hazel Anderson. Music was provided by Ackley’s Band, with Bruce Clarks at the piano. The general chairman of the event was Earl Krueger. The cast was made up of hundreds of area adults and children.

The pageant began with Janet Munce, queen of the pageant, appearing with “Miss Columbia” and several attendants who represented the Camp Fire Laws: Beauty Trust, Work, Knowledge, Health, Service, Happiness and the Spirit of Camp Fire. Beginning with the dawn of civilization, the pageant proceeded to re-enactments of several key events in the history of Sandusky and Erie County. Included were: early Native American camp life, settlers of Sandusky, circuit riders, the cholera epidemic of 1849, early education in Sandusky, the Underground Railway, the Civil War, and a wedding celebration and ball. At the end of the pageant was a mammoth spectacle which symbolized the Spirit of Camp Fire, in which the cast members were dressed in the costumes of several different nationalities.

An article in the June 29, 1933 issue of the Sandusky Register reported that the early history of the area was well portrayed in the Camp Fire Girls pageant. A wagon which had actually been used to transport the dead bodies during the 1849 cholera epidemic was used in the scene which portrayed that event. The wagon was owned by Lee B. Keller, who played the role of Father Time. The article pointed out that many items of clothing used in the pageant were heirloom garments from ancestors of current area residents. A cow was seen in the wagon train scene, and dog who sat by his master in the wagon scene, added to the authenticity of the pageant. The pageant committee thanked these individuals who provided historical background information for the production: Mrs. Marjorie Loomis Cherry, Mrs. George Doerzbach, Miss Jessie Wilcox, Hewson L. Peeke, and James Ryan. The book History of Erie County, Ohio, edited by Lewis Cass Aldrich, was also consulted when the committee was researching the history of Sandusky and Erie County.

Visit the Sandusky Library Archives Research Center to view the program from the Historical Pageant of Sandusky and Erie County put on by the Camp Fire Girls in 1933. If anyone has photographs from this event, please contact us so that we may possibly scan the items to include in our historical collections.

Letter from Zalmon Wildman to Dr. George Anderson in 1826

Born in Danbury, Connecticut, Zalmon Wildman was one of the original founders of Sandusky. He owned a lot of property in the Sandusky area, and worked with others to promote business ventures and transportation in the area now known as Erie County, Ohio. Below is a portion of a letter that Zalmon Wildman wrote to Dr. George Anderson on May 6, 1826. Mr. Wildman discusses how he spoke in Washington D.C. before the Committee on Commerce to recommend a survey of Sandusky Bay. He suggested that two hundred dollars be set aside for to cover the expenses of the survey.

According to U.S. Government reports, in July of 1826 the Corps of Engineers was given four hundred dollars in order to carry out a survey of Sandusky Bay, to “ascertain the expediency and expense of constructing piers to improve the navigation thereof…” The Sandusky Library Archives Research Center has in its map collection a Chart of the Entrance of Sandusky Bay, published by the Bureau of U.S. Topographical Engineers in 1838, which was based on the original survey of the Sandusky Bay, completed by Lieut. Campbell Graham in 1826.

Zalmon Wildman was elected as a Representative to the 24th United States Congress. He served in Congress from March 4, 1835 until his death on December 14, 1835. Zalmon Wildman’s grandson, Horatio Wildman, was a lawyer in Sandusky, and was elected Mayor of Sandusky in 1851. Horatio Wildman died in 1909, and he is buried in Sandusky’s Oakland Cemetery.

Invitation to the Inauguration Reception of President Ulysses S. Grant

Mrs. George J. Anderson received an invitation to the Inauguration Reception of President Ulysses S. Grant, which was held at the United States Treasury Building on March 4, 1869. (Presidents were not inaugurated in january until 1937.) Listed on the General Committee for the Inauguration Reception is H. D. Cooke, who was the son of Sandusky’s first lawyer Eleutheros Cooke.

Mrs. George J. Anderson’s maiden name was Emily Coan. She was the daughter of Peter and Abigail (Camp) Coan. Mr. and Mrs. George J. Anderson were the parents of George F. Anderson, who was active in the Sandusky Philharmonic Orchestra. The granddaughter of Mr. and Mrs. George J. Anderson was college professor Dr. Marjorie Anderson, who was considered an expert in Chaucerian literature.

Contralto Marian Anderson Sang at Lakeside

On Saturday evening, August 4, 1956, Marian Anderson presented a concert at Lakeside in Hoover Auditorium, with Franz Rupp at the piano. During the first half of the program Miss Anderson sang classical selections by George Frideric Handel, Franz Schubert, and Camille Saint-Saens. Featured during the second half of Marian Anderson’s concert were “None But the Lonely Heart,” by Tschaikovsky, “The Ploughboy” arranged by Britten, and “Blow, Blow the Winter Wind,” arranged by Quilter, as well as four traditional spirituals. Mrs. Earl Abele donated the autographed program to the historical collections of the Sandusky Library.

Marian Anderson was the first African American to perform with the Metropolitan Opera in New York. She sang for both President Dwight D. Eisenhower’s and President John F. Kennedy’s inaugurations. In January of 1939, when Miss Anderson was not allowed to perform at Constitution Hall, which was owned by the Daughters of the American Revolution, Eleanor Roosevelt resigned from the D.A.R. On Easter Day, April 9, 1939, Marian Anderson gave a concert at the base of the Lincoln Memorial. More than 75,000 people attended this historic event. Miss Anderson was commemorated on a United States postage stamp on January 27, 2005.

The concert given by Marian Anderson took place when the Lakeside Association was under the leadership of Dr. Herbert J. Thompson. James Allen Kestle wrote in his book This is Lakeside, that Dr. Thompson was known as “the Englishman who never lost his Scottish accent.” Three books about the history of the Lakeside Association can be found in the genealogy and local history section of the Sandusky Library.

Letters to George Anderson

Dr. George Anderson was Sandusky’s first physician and its second mayor, serving in the years 1829 and 1830. Dr. Anderson was active in the medical field as well as in local politics. He was active in the development of the Columbus and Sandusky Turnpike Company, as well as in the creation of the Mad River and Lake Erie Railroad. Dr. Marjorie Anderson, the great-granddaughter of Dr. George Anderson, donated several of Dr. Anderson’s letters, legal and educational documents to the Sandusky Library in 1937.

Senator Benjamin Ruggles wrote the following letter to Dr. George Anderson on February 9, 1827.
Transcription:

Washington Feb. 9, 1827

Dear Sir

Your letter dated January the 21st enclosing a petition praying that congress would grant a portion of the public lands to aid in making a turnpike road from Columbus to the city of Sandusky, has been read. The petition will be presented and laid before the Senate.

Some weeks since a bill was reported in the Senate agreeable to the prayer of a petition, which was forewarded last winter and signed by all the members of the Legislature. Gen. Harrison and myself will make use of every exertion to have the object of your wishes accomplished.

Very respectfully
Your obt. Sevt.
Benj. Ruggles


Benjamin Ruggles was elected to the U.S. Senate in 1815; was re-elected in 1821, and again in 1827. He was known as the “Wheel Horse of the Senate,” due to his deep work ethic.

Dr. Anderson received the following letter from Eleutheros Cooke, while Cooke was a member of Congress, on March 15, 1832. Eleutheros Cooke, father of Jay Cooke, was Sandusky’s first lawyer. House Rep. March 15, 1832

Dear Sir

I shall apply as soon as I can get an audience with our excellent friend Gov. Cass for a detachment of the U.S. Engineer corp. to make a survey and estimate on our Railroad. The increased hostility prevailing at head quarters on the subject of internal improvement is rather discouraging. Yet I not abandon the hope that Cass will act independently of this spirit and treat our road as a measure of national importance in a commercial military a& mail transportation point of view – I will give you the earliest information of the result of my application.

In great haste
very respectfully
your friend
E. Cooke

Both of Dr. Anderson’s transportation goals for Sandusky did become successful. A brief history of the Sandusky and Columbus Turnpike is found in an earlier blog post. Ground was broken for the Mad River and Lake Erie Railroad on September 17, 1835. Through Dr. Anderson’s letters, we can get a glimpse into Sandusky’s past. Dr. Anderson died in 1834, after treating patients in a cholera epidemic. He is buried at Sandusky’s Oakland Cemetery