David M. Arndt, Sandusky Businessman, Local Telephone Pioneer

Mr. David M. Arndt was known as one of Sandusky’s foremost citizens. He moved to Sandusky in the 1860s from Seneca County, Ohio. Mr. Arndt worked in several different lines of work in Sandusky, including grain shipping, a dry goods business, and a stave factory. Additionally, he had been superintendent of the Sandusky Water Works. 

According to an article in the April 9, 1921 issue of the Sandusky Star Journal, the first telephones in Sandusky were brought here as a result of D.M. Arndt’s efforts. It turns out that he was personally acquainted with Alexander Graham Bell. The two gentlemen met in New York in 1878, where Arndt saw a demonstration on an early telephone. Soon Mr. Arndt purchased six telephones and brought them to Sandusky. Several other Sandusky residents also wanted a telephone, so wires were strung across trees and housetops. All six phones were on the same line, and every time a call was made, all the individuals on the crude network could hear the conversation. 

On May 18, 1914, David M. Arndt died at the home of his son, the Rev. Charles Henry Arndt, in Germantown, Pennsylvania. An article in the May 27, 1914 issue of the Sandusky Register stated that on his way home from his daughter’s funeral in Chicago in the fall of 1913, Mr. Arndt stopped by Sandusky on his way back to Germantown. While in Sandusky, He visited with Major C.B. Wilcox, Dr. Charles E. Stroud, and John J. Marquart, and made plans with the group for his own funeral arrangements. Two funerals were held for Mr. Arndt, one in Germantown, and one in Sandusky. In Sandusky, Mr. Arndt’s remains lay in state at the Masonic Temple. James A. Ryan delivered the sermon at the Knights Templar services. He was buried in Sandusky’s Oakland Cemetery, next to his wife, Anna Arndt, who had predeceased him in 1909.

The Wedding of Cora H. Arndt and George F. Hagenman

 On Thursday afternoon, December 29, 1881, Rev. L.S. Osborne officiated at the marriage of Cora H. Arndt and George F. Hagenman at the bride’s home on 410 Adams Street in Sandusky, Ohio. A listing of the gifts that were presented to the bride was printed for the friends and family of the newlyweds.

 Cora H. Arndt was the only daughter of David M. Arndt, superintendent of the Sandusky Water Works, and her groom, George F. Hagenman, was a young lawyer from Reading, Pennsylvania. An article which appeared in the December 30, 1881 issue of the Sandusky Register gave a lengthy description of the wedding.  Cora wore a brocade cream dress with satin shirrings, and a magnificent set of diamond earrings, which had been a gift of her bridegroom. William Dilger, proprietor of the Hayes Avenue Conservatories, decorated the Arndt home with flowers and vines. A floral archway took the place of the traditional wedding bell. Music was provided by the Great Western Orchestra, who played an arrangement of Lohengrin’s Wedding March that had been rendered by Eugene Baetz especially for the wedding. Wedding gifts included several items of silver and crystal.

Sadly, the marriage did not last. Erie County Probate Court records indicate that on February 17, 1885, Cora married lawyer George Henry White. The couple moved to Chicago, and had two children. Cora Arndt White died on January 26, 1914, following a lengthy illness. Her obituary, which was in the January 29, 1914 issue of the Sandusky Register, stated that Cora had been one of “Sandusky’s charming young ladies.” She had been an active member of the community, especially in the parish work of Grace Church. Cora Arndt White was buried in the White family lot in a cemetery in Harvard, Illinois. George F. Hagenman died in 1907 when he was in a tragic railway accident during a Shriner’s trip to California.

Genealogical Research with High School Alumni Publications

High School alumni directories can be very helpful in genealogical research. The page below shows both the maiden names and married names of female graduates. Since the directory was current to 1909, by searching the 1910 United States Census, more details about the graduates can be gleaned, such as place of birth, occupation, and the names of children and spouse. (U.S. Census records are available at the Archives Research Center on microfilm, as well as through the databases Ancestry Library Edition and Heritage Quest. See the Reference Staff for assistance.)
Laura Beattie married the Rev. Charles Dinsmore, and moved to Waterbury, Connecticut. Evelina Ball had become Mrs. George W. Perkins. Charles Henry Arndt had become a minister serving a church in Germantown, Pennsylvania. A. J. Weis was employed by the Keystone Fish Company in Erie, Pennsylvania.

The listings in the directory will provide the names of the classmates of your ancestors. By then searching through the appropriate Sandusky High School “Fram,” you can view photographs of various clubs, teams, and organizations, which give further details about the students of Sandusky High School throughout several decades. Yearbooks from St. Mary’s Central High School and Perkins High School can also be found at the Archives Research Center.

In 1994, the Sandusky High School Alumni Association published an Alumni Directory, which is shelved immediately after the collection of high school yearbooks from Sandusky High School. The Alumni Directory serves as an index to the yearbooks, giving the year of graduation, and providing the maiden name of females. An address that was current in 1994 is also listed. At yearly class reunions, current addresses of living graduates are usually proved in a pamphlet given to attendees.
Alice Reber Johnson is just one of the many persons whose names are listed in the “Complete List of Living Graduates of Sandusky High School from 1855 to 1909.”