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.

Postcards from Laura Bing Retzke

On July 23, 1909, Sandusky resident Emelia Bing sent a postcard to her sister in law, Lora Bing Retzke in Toledo. Pictured on the front of the postcard is Emelia’s husband, George J. Bing, an early aviator and carriage maker.

 In the message on the post card, Emelia asked Lora if would be possible for her  to spend the night with Lora’s family, as Emelia and her daughter Myrtle were planning a trip to Toledo and Delta in the next few days.

On September 18, 1914, Emelia sent a postcard to her mother in law, Pauline Bing, in Toledo, Ohio. She discussed the future of a grocery store in Sandusky which was run by the Bing family.

Most likely the children in the Bing vehicle pictured above are the three oldest children of Emelia and George J. Bing, named Myrtle, Arthur, and Ruth. Sadly, George J. Bing was killed in an automobile accident on September 23, 1914. Emelia’s youngest child Josephine Bing was not born until after the death of her father.

 Emelia remarried, to Mr. William H. Bradley, in 1920. After her marriage to Mr. Bradley, the children included both the surname of their father and stepfather in their names. Myrtle Bing Bradley went on to become known as “the girl evangelist from Ohio.”

If you have vintage postcards from the Sandusky or Erie County area, please consider donating them to the Sandusky Library Archives Research Center. Postcards can provide interesting details about the daily lives of individuals, giving life to the names and dates found on vital records and census listings.