Christmas Greetings from Mildred Pietschman

Several Christmas cards sent by Miss Mildred Piestschman to the Knisely family are now in the collections of the Sandusky Library Archives Research Center. In 1951, Miss Pietschman created the holiday card pictured above, which depicted singers arranged on a mobile. The next year, she sent a card that featured ornaments on a tree.

The cards were created on one piece of paper, which was folded in fourths, to create its own envelope. So Mildred was not only artistic, but she was thrifty! In 1956, she sent a full page greeting that contained the first verse of the Christmas carol The First Noel. Angels and decorative flourishes adorned the piece of sheet music.

Mildred Pietschman was an elementary music teacher in the Sandusky City Schools for 45 years. Eventually she served as music supervisor. In 1959, she married attorney John F. McCrystal. Mrs. Mildred Pietschman McCrystal died in a tragic automobile accident while she was on vacation in Mexico on October 19, 1990. The Mildred Pietschman McCrystal Scholarship is awarded annually to Erie County students, with preference given to music majors.

Eighth Grade Graduates of Saints Peter and Paul School, 1922

According to an article in the June 13, 1922 issue of the Sandusky Register, a large crowd attended the graduation exercises of Saints Peter and Paul School, which was held in Sidley Hall on June 12, 1922. Father William F. Murphy gave an eloquent address at the graduation ceremony. John McCrystal gave the valedictory address, and Lenore McGory gave the salutatory address. The graduates stood on the stage in front of a trellised arch which was decorated with roses. The evening’s entertainment included skits, songs, and drills performed by elementary school students. 

The names of the graduates were: John E. Gosser, Richard Hiltz, Norbert Keeley, Richard Ludwig, Louis Lindsley, John F. McCrystal, Russell Payne, Gilbert Steinen, Joseph Shaw, John P. Ryan, John Walsh, Mildred Conley, Lucille Casaver, Thelma Falk, Lucille Grathwol, Agnes H. Miller, Lenore McGory, Dorothy McNulty, and Thelma Wonder. Though there were eleven young men and eight young ladies in the class, at the time this picture was taken, only ten of the boys were present. 

Father William F. Murphy served the parish of Saints Peter and Paul for thirty-eight years, having begun his long career in Sandusky in September of 1905. He saw the congregation through two world wars and the Great Depression, and was well respected as a community leader by local residents from all walks of life and religious denominations. 

New Finding Aids for Old Collections

I know this is coming a little late (the work was finished in August), but I would like to recognize and publicize some new resources produced by our summer intern this year. He created several new finding aids for materials that had been "buried" in the archives, because they had not been fully described as distinct collections. We're hopeful that these new information sources will bring increased attention to some interesting historical items, and provide more information of value to researchers. Although none of these collections is very big, there will certainly be some bits of information useful to genealogists, local historians, and others with an interest in history and culture.

Many of these new finding aids describe collections of papers and artifacts produced and gathered by local families and individuals. The Stubig Family Collection (1852-1926) contains materials relating to the life and times of Christian Stubig, a German immigrant to Sandusky, and his son Carl Stubig, a newspaper reporter and local political figure. Among the items in this collection are letters written in German between family members and Stubig's Weekly, a political newspaper published by Carl Stubig, 1915-1918.

The Wilbor & Wilcox Family Collections (bulk 1848-1873) provide insight into business and personal activities in 19th-century Sandusky. The collection contains records of dry goods business transactions and personal correspondence among family members.

The Cable Family Collection (bulk 1895-1916) offers a description of the business activities of Laurence Cable and his sons Edward and Frank, including legal documents and correspondence, some relating to the Cable Park residential development in Sandusky.

The John F. McCrystal, Sr. Papers (bulk 1893-1925) include approximately 175 items relating to Mr. McCrystal's participation in legal and civic issues, particularly during his time as chairman of Sandusky's Legal Advisory Board in the World War I period.

The Frohman Family Collection (1891-1990) is a small collection of memorabilia relating to the Sandusky family, beginning with brothers David and Henry, who arrived in the 1850s, to Charles Frohman, the businessman and local historian who died in 1976.

The Chapman and Pendleton Family Correspondence consists of 120 letters sent between family members between 1843 and 1870. They offer a rich description of life of that time, including reports of travel and migration, diseases, death and other hardships, as well as other personal matters that help to describe the era.

Also, the library holds several small collections relating to local businesses. Although none of these collections represent the complete records of a company (or even a significant portion), they offer perpectives of various local industries. Included are: the Hinde and Dauch Company Collection (1894-1995), consisting primarily of advertisements and other business ephemera; the American Crayon - Prang Collection (1878-1980), containing advertising, some correspondence, catalogs, and secondary articles relating to the company's activities; and the M. Hommel Winery Collection (bulk 1897-1915), including records of the company relating to competitions at international expositions and fairs, some business records, and advertising materials.

For more information about these collections, or any other collections in the Archives Research Center, please contact the Sandusky Library, via phone (419-625-3834) or email, or come in and visit the library.