The Sandusky High School Orchestra in 1904

 

Mr. George Johnston donated this photograph of the 1904 Sandusky High School Orchestra to the Sandusky Library Archives Research Center.  Pictured are: Bottom row: Verna Murphy and Edna Becker; Middle row: George Lehrer, Bess Lawrence, Theresa Winkler, and Mr. Cornelius Schnaitter, director; Top row: Maude Claus, Ralph Scherz, and Marguerite Andrews.

Edna Becker and Bess Lawrence went on to become longtime teachers with the Sandusky Public School system. Dr. Ralph Scherz was a leading physician on Cleveland’s west side for over fifty years. George J. Lehrer, who was son of a Mayor of Sandusky with the same name, was a charter member of the Actors Equity Association, and was nationally known as an actor and director.  Locally, Mr. Lehrer was associated with the Lloyd-George Studios for the production of stage scenery and costumes. A biographical sketch of Cornelius Schnaitter is found in volume two of Hewson L. Peeke’s A Standard History of Erie County; Mr. Schnaitter was a prosperous merchant tailor in Sandusky for many years, in addition to being a noted musician. Theresa Winkler, who later became Mrs. Norman Jessen, donated several historical items from the Winkler family to the Follett House Museum and the Sandusky Library Archives Research Center.

Mothers and Grandmothers

In honor of Mother’s Day, here are some images taken from the historical photograph collection of the Sandusky Library Archives Research Center. Mrs. Mary F. Eschenberg is holding her baby grandson Robert Merrill in this picture from 1890.

Mrs. Anna Hauser Lange, mother of professor Dr. Norbert A. Lange,  is tidying up the yard around her home in this postcard.

Mrs. Mary Ellen Johnston and her children are pictured below in a picture taken about 1898. Mary Ellen’s daughter, Mary Elizabeth Johnston, became a librarian and bequeathed several thousand dollars to Oberlin College after her death.

Mrs. Helen Wagner Frohman, the mother of local historian and business man Charles E. Frohman, seems to have an expression on her face that shows the wisdom of her years.

Pictures of Mothers from the Archives

As we think about our mothers this weekend, here is a selection of images of mothers from the historical photograph collection of the Sandusky Library Archives Research Center. Below is a picture of Helen Wagner Frohman, the mother of local historian Charles E. Frohman, taken in the late nineteenth century.

        

Anna Hauser Lange was the mother of Dr. Norbert Lange, long time chemistry professor and one of the benefactors of the Lange Trust. The photograph was taken by the Lloyd Studio in Sandusky.

     

Pictured below is a portrait of Mary Ellen Johnston and her three children, about 1898. She was a librarian and educator, a graduate of Oberlin College and Kent State University.

          

 This charming vintage photo of a mother and toddler seated on a porch is a photographic print made from a glass negative. Unfortunately, the individuals have not been identified.    

       

Below is a photograph of Mrs. Louise Kuemmel at a work table in the former film department of the Sandusky Library. At one time the library had a collection of 16mm films. When patrons returned the films, Mrs. Kuemmel cleaned the film, so it would be ready for the next patron. The 16mm circulating film collection was popular with local teachers.

Mrs. Kuemmel’s daughter and granddaughter both had long careers in the Library field, following in her footsteps. The former film department was located in what now is the Sandusky Library Archives Research Center.

Mary Elizabeth Johnston, Librarian and Educator

Mary Elizabeth Johnston is pictured with her brother about 1892. Mary was born in Sandusky on August 22, 1890 to David H. and Mary Phillips Johnston. After David died in 1890, Mrs. Johnston and her three small children moved to Oberlin. The widowed Mrs. Johnston worked as a domestic to support her family.

Mary Elizabeth Johnston attended Oberlin College for two and a half years, but she had to drop out due to financial problems. Mary taught English at St. Augustine’s College in Raleigh, North Carolina, for 26 years. She then served as a teacher and the Dean of Women at a Manual Training School in Bordentown, New Jersey, and later worked as a librarian at the Thomas Edison High School in Elizabeth, New Jersey.

After studying at Oberlin College and Kent State University during summer sessions for many years, Miss Johnston obtained her bachelor’s degree from Oberlin in 1937 and she received an M.A. in Library Science in 1952 from Kent State University. In 1955 after taking a trip to the British Isles, and Mary retired in Cleveland, Ohio.

An article in the February 25, 1983 issue of the Elyria Chronicle Telegram reported that Mary Elizabeth Johnston lived in poverty, but left an estate of $60,000 to Oberlin College when she died. Mary Elizabeth Johnston passed away on January 30, 1982, and is buried in the family lot at Sandusky’s Oakland Cemetery in Section 66.

Ellen NicKenzie Lawson, while working on The Women’s History Project, wrote a biography of Mary Elizabeth Johnston. Entitled “Across a Stage: The Extra Clap,” the 24 page biography of Mary Elizabeth Johnston was distributed to 30,000 alumni of Oberlin College.

Visit the Archives Research Center of the Sandusky Library to read Dr. Lawson’s biography of Mary Elizabeth Johnston. Miss Johnston’s papers are held at the Archives of Oberlin College.

Mary Elizabeth Johnston is the first person on the left in this 1898 Johnston family picture.