Postcard to Charlie J. Grahl in 1918

This postcard, sent from Venice, Ohio, on May 31, 1918, was sent to a newly enlisted U.S. soldier named Charlie J. Grahl.

The message from Frank read: "Hello Charlie - Received your card today. Glad you got there safe. We are all well here. Anna & Lill went to the circus today. Rummy feels pretty lonesome no one to play pool with him. Best regards from all, Frank." 

Local World War I records show two soldiers named Charles Grahl, both former residents of Venice, Ohio. These service records are included in the database, Ohio Soldiers in World War I, available at Ancestry Library Edition.

Charlie returned to Venice, Ohio after military service, and according to the 1940 U.S. Census, he was a “tipple man” at the cement mill. Undoubtedly, this meant that he was employed at the Medusa Cement Company in Bay Bridge, Ohio, which employed hundreds of Erie County residents from 1893 until it closed in the early 1960s.

Charles J. Grahl died in 1957, and he was buried at the Venice Cemetery. This copy of an application for a headstone, from Ancestry Library Edition, provides us with more details about his life and military service.

Visit the Sandusky Library to access Ancestry Library Edition to learn more about the military ancestors in your own family tree.