Mr. and Mrs. Conrad Frank, Bakery Owners

Caroline Beck Frank was born on May 18, 1850 in Baden, Germany to Johann Georg Beck and his wife, the former Margaretha Schlessman. Caroline Beck married Conrad Frank, the son of Mr. and Mrs. Heinrich Frank,  in Mosbach, Baden, Germany on January 9, 1872. Mr. and Mrs. Frank had three children,  born between 1873 and 1876. By 1880, the Frank family had emigrated to the United States, where they settled in Sandusky, Ohio. In 1882, Conrad Frank established a bakery at 140 Tiffin Avenue, where he also resided with his family. Mr. Frank is pictured below, in a page from the English translation of Sandusky “Einst und Jetzt.”

Conrad Frank died on April 8, 1894. Following his death, Mrs. Frank ran the family business. Below is a picture of a delivery wagon and three employees from Mrs. Frank’s bakery.

By 1888, the Frank bakery had moved to the northeast corner of Columbus Avenue and Neil Street.

When Mrs. Caroline Frank passed away on June 6, 1926, an article which appeared in the June 8, 1926 issue of the Sandusky Register reported that Mrs. Frank had been the oldest business woman in the city of Sandusky, and that she “met with unusual success” in her business. Mr. and Mrs. Conrad Frank were both laid to rest in Block 100 of Sandusky’s Oakland Cemetery. The family bakery was run by Julius Frank and his wife, after his mother’s death.

Kiwanis Christmas Party, 1926

On Tuesday, December 21, 1926, the Sandusky Kiwanis Club hosted a party for forty-five children from the Erie County Children’s Home. The festivities took place at the chapel of the First Presbyterian Church. Each club member was responsible for one of the youngsters’ gifts. J. F. Starkey, dressed as Santa Claus, gave each child a gift of candy, nuts, and oranges. Christmas carols were sung by all. Heenan Elliott entertained the children by doing impersonations. At the end of the luncheon, the children sang a song of thanks to the Kiwanians.

In 1926, Mr. and Mrs. John Ritter were in charge of the Children’s Home. The committee responsible for the Kiwanis Christmas program was made up of: W. P. Bittner, Dr. A. J. Funnell, and Dr. H. L. Brown. Mrs. Clara “Ma” Bock, the club’s caterer (pictured below), was given a pin by the Kiwanis Club members at the Christmas party.
At the time of the Kiwanis Christmas Party, the children whom they hosted resided at the facility pictured below. The Erie County Children’s Home opened at its Sycamore Line location in May, 1901. The home closed in 1960 because of increasing operating expenses to maintain a facility not filled to capacity. The photo below was taken by Robert E. Frank, when the building housed offices for Erie County’s Sanitary Engineering division. The former Children's Home building is now privately owned.