The final resting place of several generations of
members of the Schoepfle family is at Oakland Cemetery in Sandusky, Ohio. The
lovely monument pictured above honors the memory of banker C.F. Schoepfle and
his wife, the former Sarah Knoepfle. Christian F. Schoepfle was born in
Groetzingen, Baden, Germany. With his parents Henry and Barbara, he emigrated
to the United States in 1846.
C.F. Schoepfle was in the lumber business in
Sandusky for over fifty years, and at one time he was the president of the
Third National Bank. He was very active in the Masons, having
been the master of the Science Lodge No. 50 in 1887.
One of C.F. Schoepfle’s sons was
Dr. H.C. Schoepfle.
During the time just prior to World
War I, Dr. H. C. Schoepfle provided free medical services to Company B as
they were on guard in Sandusky. A biographical sketch about Dr. Schoepfle in
the Honor Roll of Erie County, stated
that he was “one of the City’s most patriotic citizens.” He
served as Erie County Coroner from 1901 to 1903. His brother, Dr. Fred Schoepfle, held this
position from 1914 to 1918.
Another Schoepfle family also made their
way to Erie County from Groetzingen, Germany. Christopher Schoepfle, a cousin
to C.F. Schoepfle, was a son of John and Mary (Walther) Schoepfle. After his father died, Christopher left Germany to settle in Erie County, Ohio. In 1853,
his widowed mother and several of his siblings also emigrated to
Ohio. A biographical sketch about Christopher Schoepfle is found in History of Erie County, Ohio, ed. by
Lewis Cass Aldrich,(Mason and Co., 1889). Christopher was a farmer, and for a time was a
stone dealer. One of Christopher’s sons was Henry Schoepfle (1867-1927).
This Henry Schoepfle was a longtime
attorney in Sandusky. He graduated from the Cincinnati Law School in 1892.
He served as solicitor of the city of Sandusky in the 1890s, and had his
office in the Kingsbury Block. When Henry Schoepfle died in July of 1927, a
resolution was composed by members of the Erie County Bar, paying tribue to
his many achievements to the local bar association. The Erie County Common Pleas
Court recessed during the funeral, so that Sandusky attorney
and officials could attend the services.
Rev. C.H. Schoepfle, the
brother of Christopher Schoepfle, gave an account in the December 23, 1922 issue of the Sandusky Star Journal of how he helped bring the first Christmas tree to Sandusky. Rev. Schoepfle,
when just a youth in 1854, cut down the top of a cedar tree at Cedar Point, and
took it the First Reformed Church for a special Christmas entertainment. He and
his friends were returning to Sandusky with the tree, when some other young men
tried to take the tree away from Rev. Schoepfle and his friends. Luckily the
cedar tree made it to the church in time for the special service. A descendant
of Rev. Schoepfle was Otto Schoepfle, who
became the chief executive officer of the Elyria Chronicle newspaper. Otto Schoepfle
donated property to Lorain Metro Parks, which is now a popular site known as Schoepfle Garden.
As often is the case in families of
German descent, the spelling of the surname Schoepfle varies widely. It is
sometimes listed as Shepley, Shipley, or Schoepflin, depending on the source.
Visit the Sandusky Library Archives Research Center to learn about the
Schoepfle family, or perhaps your own ancestors. A wide variety of print and
digital resources are available for genealogical and historical research.
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