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.