Valentines Given to Ralph Spahn

Ralph Spahn was born in Sandusky, Ohio in 1891. He was the son of Fred Spahn and his wife, the former Philipine Hinkey. In the historical collections of the Sandusky Library and the Follett House Museum are two valentines given to Ralph by his cousin Ida Bunsey and another person named Carrie.

Ralph’s father Fred Spahn, a popular Sandusky barber who also had a shop on Johnson's Island, died in 1906 at the age of 38, from an accidental drowning. Sadly, Ralph Spahn passed away less than two years later on February 16, 1908, from typhoid fever. He was buried at Oakland Cemetery in Sandusky, Ohio.

Ralph’s mother, Philipine “Bena” Hinkey Spahn lived a long life. She died in 1956 at age 90, and was laid to rest in the family lot at Oakland Cemetery.

Happy Valentine's Day

This four-piece Valentine’s Day card was donated to the Follett House Museum by the family of George Gilbert. The Valentine features a poem which reads:

Dreams of Love

I think we love the chief

            of all love’s joys,

Only in knowing that we

            love each other.

 

Three cherubs are attached to the main portion of the Valentine card with ribbons. Cherubs are a symbol of love and innocence.

 If you would like to learn about the symbolism of cherubs, request the title Cherubs: Angels of Love (Bulfinch, 1994) by Alexander Nagel through the Clevnet system.

A Victorian-Era Valentine

This ornate card is housed in the historical collections of the Sandusky Library Archives Research Center. It is decorated with flowers and lace, which is typical of the Victorian era. Inside the card is a verse that reads:

Return My Love

Love is dangerous, they say;

But what am I to do-

When you and I met the other day,

I fell in love with you.

But if you will return my love,

I don’t mind what they say;

Our vows will be registered above-

So name the happy day.

The card was sent to Miss Capitola E. Rockwell of Prout’s Station, Erie County, Ohio. The small envelope is embossed with a floral design. The one-cent Benjamin Franklin stamp was first issued in 1870.

By searching the name of Capitola Rockwell in the FamilySearch database, we learn that she married Charles O. Merry in Erie County, Ohio, on April 3, 1879.  Their marriage license was filed at Probate Court of the Erie County Courthouse.

            

Charles and Capitola Merry were married for sixty-five years. They had four children, and several grandchildren and great grandchildren. You can read much more about both Charles and Capitola Merry on pages 1051-1053 of Hewson Peeke’s book A Standard History of Erie County, Ohio (Lewis Publishing Company, 1916.)  The lovely card which was sent to Capitola before she wed was not signed, so we do not know if it was sent by her future husband or by another suitor.

Valentine from 1856

This charming Valentine with scalloped edges is dated February 14, 1856. It was donated to the former historical room of the Sandusky Library by George Anderson, and now is in the historical collections of the Follett House Museum. Inside the oval decorated with flowers is this inscription:

A bouquet of flowers

already press'd

Fresh from the bowers
with this single request.

That reading each one

by the language expressed.

The secret you'll have

that lives in my breast. 

The above is original,

Jane, so get your language

of flowers and translate them. 

Secret.

While we do not know who wrote the verse on the Valentine, it was given to a female named Jane. In looking at the 1920 U.S. Census, we see that Jane Coan was residing in the household of her nephew, George F. Anderson. Most likely, George F. Anderson donated the Valentine to the Sandusky Library’s historical room after his Aunt Jane died in 1920. Jane Coan’s great grandmother was Abigail Kelley, who was a part of the Kelley family for whom Kelleys Island is named. 

Valentines

Several Valentines created by the Buzza-Cardozo Company of Hollywood, California, are now in the historical collections of the Follett House Museum. The Valentine above is from the “Heart to Heart” line of Buzza-Cardozo greeting cards, which were popular in the 1940s and 1950s. The Valentine pictured below is a Valentine's Day birthday card.

 

Another combination birthday card and Valentine is shaped like a book.

 

This Valentine features a three dimensional rose when opened. It was a Valentine from a husband to his wife.

              

The inside greeting reads: “Because you're such a darling so dear in every way.  Because I love you always, and especially today." 

The ordinary items in our daily lives can provide family history clues. We know that the recipient of these lovely cards was a female whose birthday coincided with Valentine’s Day, and that she valued the cards enough to keep them for several years.  To learn more about ephemeral items of our daily lives see the book Encyclopedia of Ephemera: A Guide to the Fragmentary Documents of Everyday life for the Collector, Curator, and Historian, by Maurice Rickards (Routledge, 2000), available for loan at the Sandusky Library.

George Tolman's Valentine

George C. Tolman served as a passenger agent for the Big Four Railway for thirty six years. After retiring from the Big Four, he worked as a passenger agent for the Ashley and Dustin steamer line. Mr. Tolman was born in Medina, Ohio to Dr. and Mrs. Lewis Tolman. He worked for the Cleveland and Toledo Railroad and the United States Express Company before he started his long career as a passenger agent. The June 5, 1925 issue of the Sandusky Register said about Mr. Tolman, “Though well up in years, when most men find comfort in a well earned rest, he showed remarkable activity and interest in serving the boat line and its patrons.” Even after his retirement from the Big Four, Mr. Tolman was often consulted for his advice on matters that formerly had been his concern.

In June of 1861, George C. Tolman married the former Sarah A. Thomas, in Medina County, Ohio. After the death of Mr. Tolman, Mrs. Tolman donated several greeting cards to the Follett House Museum. The Valentine card below was given to Sarah from George Tolman about 1860. The top of the card reads “Ever Thine.”  On the back of the card are handwritten the words: "To the one in all the world I love best. To Miss Sarah Ann Thomas."

 On June 4, 1925, George C. Tolman died at the age of 89; funeral services were held at the Congregational Church, and burial was in Oakland Cemetery. After his death, Mrs. Tolman moved to Oberlin, where she resided with her niece. Mrs. Tolman passed away in 1928, and she was laid to rest next to her husband at Oakland Cemetery. Obituaries for both Mr. and Mrs. George C. Tolman are found in the Obituary Notebooks, housed at the Sandusky Library.

Pierced Paper Valentines

These two Valentines were donated to the Follett House Museum from Mabel Wilcox Orwig. The full story behind the giver and receiver of these valentines is unknown. Each piece of paper was folded four times and cut into scallops. Then holes were punched and pins were pricked through the paper to create a decorative design. 

       

The Valentine made with pink paper had this inscription:

Long for thy coming I’ve wailed and sighed

Breathless the air love and calm is the night

Golden with stars oh the heavens are bright

Long for thy coming I’ve waited and sighed

Joanah my love

The Valentine made with white paper had this inscription:

You are worthy of my esteem

May you always be happy

Call on me in trouble

 Re[me]mber the giver

These lovely handmade cards were donated in the 1960s, but most likely were created many years before that time, in the nineteenth century. Pin pierced designs have been popular for several centuries.

Nineteenth Century Valentines

These paper lace Valentine cards were donated to The Follett House Museum from the Jane Eldis Estate in 1922. They date back to the 1860s.

To read more about the history of Valentines in America, see the Valentine Exhibit from the American Antiquarian Society.

Laura Schaub's Valentines

The Valentine below was given to Laura Schaub by Esther Sutts, sometime between 1908 and 1919. Laura Schaub was the daughter of William and August Schaub, who were both born in Germany, and came to the United States around 1891. Laura had four older sisters, Alma, Minnie, Elsie and Florence. Esther Sutts was the youngest child of William and Mary Sutts. The Sutts family resided in Sandusky in 1910, but William and Mary had both been born in Pennsylvania.
Another Valentine which was given to Laura Schaub was signed simply: "To Lora Schaub from Lillian."

In July of 1919, eleven-year-old Laura Schaub died, the victim of heat stroke. She had been overcome by heat while playing outside at her home on Sandusky Street on Monday, July 28, 1919. Dr. H. C. Schoepfle was called. Little Laura seemed to rally for a time, but later had a relapse. She died Wednesday afternoon, July 30, 1919. Laura was survived by her parents and her four sisters. She was buried in Oakland Cemetery, after Rev. Theodore Stellhorn held her funeral services at the Schaub residence.

Several Valentines which had been given to Laura Schaub were donated to The Follett House Museum by Laura’s sister, Mrs. William Redding.

Valentines

Valentine's Day has been celebrated for centuries in the West. Derived from a Pagan festival, Valentine's Day became a Christian feast day around the fifth century A.D. Today, February 14 is observed as a day for romance (and commerce, in chocolate, flowers, and greeting cards).

Of course, Valentine's Day was celebrated in Sandusky from its earliest days. Items from the collections of the Sandusky Library Archives Research Center and Follett House Museum provide evidence of Valentine's Day observances in Sandusky. The Valentine train above is one of many Victorian-era Valentines from the Follett House collections. Below is an excerpt of a letter written by "Lizzie" to her "Dear Friend Jennie," where she talks about (not) receiving Valentines, and attending a Valentine party that year: "I hope you received a number of good valentines . . . "
The note below is a love letter to Lucian Wilcox to his "Valentine" in 1852: "Brief was our meeting and my heart knew not / How deep the impress of thy image lay / Long silent years since then have lapsed away / And I have toild to reach a fairer lot / In the stern struggle tender hope forgot / But now the dawn of a diviner day / Has waked the patient [?] with its ray / And clothed with bloom the once abandoned spot / Love from its fetters breaking looks for thee."
Below are two of the earliest Valentines from the Follett House collections (from the 1850s):