Theodore and Hermine Goessling

In the 1880 U.S. Census, Theodore Goessling was listed as single and aged 30, with his birthplace as Germany. He lived in Sandusky, where he worked as a retail grocer. His store was located at 727 Market Street (now in the west 100 block) in downtown Sandusky.

Notes on the original photograph state that Theodore Goessling is most likely the man holding a hat in the doorway of the store.

On October 18, 1880, Theodore Goessling married Hermine Engels, the daughter of Herman Engels, a well known local vintner. Hermine is pictured below in a photograph taken at the Platt studio in 1889.

The Goesslings had a son born on December 4, 1881, named Theodore Herman Goessling. Theodore, the son, died at age 30 from heart disease. Theodore Goessling, the father, had died in 1891, at the age of 41. Hermine Goessling lived to be 78 years of age, passing away on August 26, 1933. Because Hermine did have any direct descendants at the time of her death, she left twenty thousand dollars in her estate. She gave one thousand dollars each to Good Samaritan Hospital and the United Ladies’ Sewing Circle, and the rest to relatives.

Groceries in Sandusky

Before the advent of supermarkets and megastores, the neighborhood grocery store was the primary source for provisions among city residents. Since, of course, in the nineteenth century there was no refrigeration and no private automobiles, people most likely walked to the local grocery to purchase food for the daily meal. Therefore, there were many grocery stores in the community, scattered throughout the neighborhoods. In the 1855 city directory, for example, there were listings for 26 grocers, serving a population of about 8000 in the city.

The Sandusky Library Archives Research Center has images of some early groceries. Here are a few:
The M.J. Bender Co. grocery store was at the southwest corner of Hancock and Monroe Streets; the image above shows that corner in 1904.

Theodore Goessling briefly operated a grocery at the corner of Market and Hancock Streets, seen here around 1882.

Here is an interior view of the Edward Marquart grocery store, on Scott Street, in 1909. In the picture are Edward and Dora Marquart, with their son Harry.

The Schweinfurth Bros. grocery operated at the corner of Hayes Avenue and West Park Street from about 1898 to 1923. The people in this image are unidentified, but probably are members of the Schweinfurth family.

For more images of grocery stores of Sandusky, visit the Sandusky Library Archives Research Center.