Memorial Day: Memorials to Local Soldiers

 

The archival collections at the Sandusky Library contain a number of items that memorialize soldiers of the United States. The poster above is dedicated to Company I of the Third Regiment Ohio Volunteer Cavalry, which was organized in Monroeville.

The paper above gives the order of a ceremony (possibly in 1932) in honor of Spanish American War veterans. George Schiller, who contributed to the program, was the last surviving local veteran of that war by the 1950s. 

In 1945, a temporary memorial to those from Erie County who died in World War II was erected in Washington Park:

These First World War era Boy Scouts have assembled to honor the dead on Memorial Day:

Group Photograph at the Ohio Soldiers’ and Sailors’ Home

Ernst Niebergall took this group picture at the Ohio Soldiers’ and Sailors’ Home in the late 1910s, possibly at a “Decoration Day” celebration.   Close up views of the photograph show details of the individuals in attendance. The tone was somber.

Some of the older people were seated during the event.

There were men and women of all ages in attendance.

The cemetery at the Ohio Soldiers’ and Sailors’ Home is visible in the background. Several American flags were flown at the cemetery behind the large gathering of people.

Now known as the Ohio Veterans Home, this facility was established in 1888 to care for Ohio soldiers and sailors who served in United States wars. The earliest residents of the home were Civil War veterans. Over 50,000 veterans have been served by the Ohio Veterans Home. 

Memorial Day Celebrations in Sandusky in 1923

There were three Memorial Day celebrations in Sandusky in the year 1923. The first one took place at the Ohio Soldiers’ and Sailors’ Home at 8:30 on Wednesday, May 30. At 10 a.m. a service was held on the deck of the steamer Chippewa. A third event began with members of patriotic organizations marching from the G.A.R. Hall to Oakland Cemetery. Commandant Perry Null of the Ohio Soldiers’ and Sailors’ Home led the parade. Other parade participants included the Camp Fire Girls, a drum and bugle corps, members of the American Legion, and a group of Civil War Veterans, who rode in automobiles.

    

The Sandusky High School Band also took part in the parade.  The band played the song “Our Heroes” as the parade grew closer to Oakland Cemetery, where  members of the G.A.R. and the Women’s Relief Corps had gathered.                                  

     

Commodore R.G. Denig spoke about a renewal of honor for the nation’s flag. Rev. Charles Huffer gave the benediction. Adjutant of the G.A.R. W.P. Thompson, read General John Logan’s Memorial Day proclamation. Mrs. Nina Goodwin Braby read the Gettysburg Address, just prior to the address given by Elyria Mayor A.E. Jones. Mayor Jones in his address, called for greater devotion to the laws of the country, a more universal observance of Memorial Day, and greater appreciation for those who made sacrifices in military service. A firing squad salute was given by members of the American Legion and the Ohio National Guard, and taps were played by bugler Harold Mertz to conclude the services. Below, a group is seen gathering to talk at the cemetery on Memorial Day. A large crowd is visible in the background.

You can read more about how Sandusky celebrated Memorial Day in 1923 in the Sandusky Register of May 31, 1923, now on microfilm at the Sandusky Library Archives Research Center.          

Memorial Day Has Been Celebrated in Sandusky Since 1870

Since 1870, when it was known as Decoration Day, Sandusky area residents have been celebrating Memorial Day, a holiday which honors those who died in war. In Sandusky’s first Decoration Day celebration, there was a parade from the newly built Sandusky High School (later Adams Junior High) to Oakland Cemetery, where several city leaders gave addresses, and the Great Western Band played patriotic music, as the crowd reflected on those lost in war. Attorney Walter F. Stone served as “President of the Day.”

Below is a portion of the listing of the Civil War veterans buried in Sandusky, which appeared in the January 20, 1880 issue of the Sandusky Register.

The last name on the excerpt above is the name of Dr. R. R. McMeens, who lost his life while serving as a physician during the Civil War. The local post of the G.A.R. was named for Dr. McMeens.

 Sandusky’s Veterans Memorial Park, just west of the Erie County Courthouse, honors all local veterans from the Civil War forward. Visit the Sandusky Library Archives Research Center, to learn more about your own ancestors who served in the military. There are a wide variety of print and online resources to aid you in your research.

Memorial Day 1911 with the Boy Scouts

This postcard from the 1911 Memorial Day parade in Sandusky was sent from Lea Marsh to R. Edward Goodwin shortly after the Memorial Day holiday. Sandusky area Boy Scouts are marching in a group near railway tracks.

The message on the post card reads:

Sandusky Boy Scouts, Memorial Day. About 85 boys in line. First time we have had them together for tramp. About 75% of them turned out. Lea

The Boy Scouts in Sandusky were busy that season. On June 17, 1911, the Boy Scouts, newspaper carriers, and Children of the Republic were in a Flag Day parade in Sandusky. Though the day of the parade took place during a downpour of rain, the public praised the participants of the parade.

Decoration Day, May 30, 1870

Decoration Day was established by the Grand Army of the Republic on May 5, 1868, as a day set aside for decorating the graves of the war dead. For many years May 30 was the day on which Decoration Day was observed, later becoming known as Memorial Day, and celebrated on the last Monday in May. The May 31, 1870 issue of the Sandusky Register reported that May 30, 1870 was the first celebration of a national Memorial Day in Sandusky. At 2 p.m. the procession began, including the Great Western Band, the widows of soldiers riding in carriages, speakers of the day, and elected officials and committee members. Dozens of wagons, carriages, and citizens on foot also participated in the procession. Forming at Wayne Street, the procession went past Sandusky High School (now Adams Junior High) and traveled south on Columbus Avenue to Oakland Cemetery. Several Civil War veterans who had been injured in the war marched the entire distance.

On the platform with the speakers of the day were the Honorable Walter F. Stone, Mayor Philander Gregg, Ferdinand Geiersdorf, Dr. A. H. Agard, C.J. Parsons and the Honorable Oran Follett. Chaplain L. Allinger and Rev. George B. Sturgess said prayers. Speakers for the day included F. W. Cogswell, J.M. Root, Rev. Babcock, Rev. W.W. Farr, General John G. Mitchell and Judge A.W. Hendry. The Glee Club sang hymns and “America,” accompanied by the Great Western Band. The closing benediction was given by Rev. H. N. Burton. While the addresses were being given, several ladies marked the graves of over eighty soldiers with small flags. The Sandusky Register articled concluded by stating that the Decoration Day “was in all its features a worthy demonstration, impressive, and patriotic.”

Oran Follett was one of the men on the platform along with the Decoration Day speakers in 1870. You can tour his former home in Sandusky, now the Follett House Museum, and see a variety of photographs and artifacts from Sandusky and Erie County.

Sanduskians Honor Deceased Veterans in 1911

During the last week of May in 1911, Sanduskians honored their deceased soldiers and sailors with several services. On Sunday evening, May 28, the Rev. C. Argyle Keller of the First Presbyterian gave a Memorial address at the Presbyterian Church. The seats in the front pews of the church were reserved for Veterans.

The May 31, 1911, Sandusky Register reported that as many of the seventeen hundred members of the Ohio Soldiers and Sailors Home as were able “fell in line behind Ackley’s band and proceeded to the little cemetery outlying the institution grounds, where they decorated the graves of fallen comrades.” The Civil War veterans were in advanced years by this time, and Josh B. Davis, chairman of the general committee for Memorial Day arrangements, said that the members of the McMeens Post of the G.A.R. would be riding in street cars instead of marching in the Memorial Day parade, as they had in the past.
Memorial Day services were also held at Oakland Cemetery. Over four hundred wreaths had been obtained for placing on the graves of soldiers who had lost their lives. Sandusky Boy Scouts, under the leadership of Charles E. Stroud, performed the actual decorating of the graves. Oakland Cemetery’s Superintendent, Christ Schlenk, had given the Scouts the names and locations of each grave to be decorated. Charles E. Stroud led a group of Sandusky Boy Scouts for many years.
Benjamin Deeley, pictured below, was the chairman of the decorating committee. Mr. Deeley had served in both the Ohio 123rd Infantry and Ohio 8th Infantry, and he was an active member of the McMeens Post of the G.A.R.
Veterans arrived in street cars at Oakland Cemetery, and were met by comrades from the Soldiers Home. They marched forward together at the start of the ceremony. Ackley’s Band played patriotic selections, and Rev. Ross W. Sanderson gave the invocation. The main address was given by I. F. Mack, Past Commander of the Department of Ohio G.A.R. The Woman’s Relief Corps also conducted services. Mr. Mack later stated that “I never saw so many flowers there,” after his return from Oakland Cemetery.

To honor the sailors who had lost their lives, the steamer Arrow traveled out into Sandusky Bay, midway between Sandusky and Johnson’s Island. There, hymns were sung, and flowers were strewn upon the water. The Woman’s Relief Corps were in charge of the services on the Arrow, with Rev. Ross W. Sanderson saying the prayer.

The Sandusky Register carried several articles about Sandusky’s Memorial Day celebrations in 1911, including front page articles on Tuesday, May 30, 1911, and Wednesday, May 17, 1911. These articles can be accessed on microfilm at the Archives Research Center of the Sandusky Library.