Erie County Children’s Poultry Show

 

Not a picture of the actual event

The Erie County Children’s Poultry Show was held December 30, 1921 to January 1, 1922, in the garage of the E. Lea Marsh residence, at 609 Wayne Street in Sandusky, Ohio. The event was sponsored by the Erie County Poultry Association. Edward Lea Marsh, Jr. was the president of the club and Edward Riedmaier was secretary-treasurer. 

An article in the January 11, 1987 issue of the New York Times (subscription required) stated that 150 chickens were brought to the Marsh garage for the show. Edward Lea Marsh, Jr. was born in Sandusky, Ohio in 1911, to Edward Lea Marsh, Sr. and his wife, Elizabeth D.B. (Moss) Marsh. Edward Lea Marsh, Jr. moved to Connecticut to attend school, and later served as a representative to the Connecticut State Legislature for many years. Mr. Marsh was very interested in agriculture and the breeding of livestock. His pioneer farm in Old Lyme, Connecticut was home to several generations of Jersey cattle. Mr. Marsh, Jr. was the grandson of prominent Sandusky businessman Edward H. Marsh (below) and his wife, the former Caroline Lea.

Whitworth and Quinn Grocery Store

After having been associated with the Whitworth and Free grocery store for a number of years, in about 1878 John Whitworth began a partnership with Patrick H. Quinn in a store in the 200 block of Columbus Avenue that sold groceries and provisions.

John Whitworth was born in New Jersey in 1852, to Jonathan and Nancy Whitworth. The family moved to Erie County, Ohio when John was quite young. He began working in a grocery store when he just a teenager. He worked hard and became a partner in Whitworth and Free, and later he and Patrick Quinn ran the grocery business. By the early 1900s, he had given up the grocery business, and he became the treasurer of the American Crayon Company. He was also well known in banking and finance circles. John Whitworth died at his home in Sandusky on September 13, 1907. Hewson Peeke wrote in his book A Standard History of Erie County (Lewis Publishing Co., 1916) about Mr. Whitworth, that “throughout his career was a conservative but public spirited citizen, and everything that he touched was the better for his influence.” 

From about 1900 to 1905, Patrick H. Quinn continued to operate a grocery store at 213 Columbus Avenue in Sandusky. In 1905, he sold his business to Otto Kaufmann and William O. Huth. Eventually he moved to New York City, where he passed away in 1918.

Kaufmann and Huth carried fine groceries and delicacies. Their location at 213 Columbus Avenue was later occupied by the J.C. Penney store and Caryl Crane. You can read a brief history of grocery stores in Sandusky in article 9 of From the Widow’s Walk by Helen Hansen and Virginia Steinemann, available at the Sandusky Library.

Christmas Greetings, from Past and Present

 We hope you have a joyful holiday season.

And we hope that you get more than . . . 

. . . under your . . . 

Emma Matern Weaver, Artist

 

On January 1, 1897, Emma Matern, daughter of Henry and Lena Matern, was baptized at Grace Church in Sandusky, Ohio. Most baptisms in the Episcopal Church at that time were for infants, but she was in her thirties at the time of her baptism. Her baptismal sponsors were her sister Augusta Harrison  and Elizabeth Hudson, an artist and art teacher in Sandusky, and an early mentor to Emma Matern. Emma later studied at Adelphi College, the Art Students League, the Cincinnati Art Academy, and in Europe. She was known for painting flowers and portraits in oils and watercolor. In 1895, Emma Matern began teaching Art at DePauw University in Indiana, and in 1897, she married James Riley Weaver, a political science professor and a retired colonel in the U.S. Army.

In 1920, Colonel Weaver, who fought in the Battle of Gettysburg and was a prisoner of war during the Civil War, died in Indiana. He was a frequent visitor to Sandusky, Ohio, especially during the summer months, and he was buried at Sandusky’s Oakland Cemetery. Mrs. Emma Matern Weaver died at her sister Augusta’s home in Detroit, Michigan on March 29, 1932. She was buried beside her husband, Col. James Riley at Oakland Cemetery.

An example of Emma Matern's work from AskArt.com

Judge John Phelps and Sandusky Descendants

 

According to volume 3 of the book, New England Families, Genealogical and Memorial: A Record of the Achievements of Her People in the Making of Commonwealths and the Founding of a Nation, Judge John Phelps (born in Suffolk, Connecticut in 1736, died circa 1808) served as a Justice of the Peace and was a Representative to the Connecticut Legislature for several terms. Judge Phelps was associated with the manufacturing of iron, including the production of cannon balls and other war implements purchased by the United States Government. 

John Phelps married Mary Richardson, daughter of William and Lady Abigail Richardson, of Edinburgh, Scotland. One of their daughters was Abigail Phelps, who married Judge Isaac L. Mills, one of the co-founders of the city of Sandusky. William H. Mills, a well known Sandusky wine maker, was the grandson of the judge. 

Another descendant was Allen Phelps Mills, pictured with his mother in the daguerreotype below. Sadly, he died of diphtheria on November 7, 1869 at the age of nine. He was buried in the family lot at Oakland Cemetery.

Though Judge John Phelps lived and died in Connecticut, his descendants left a lasting impression on Sandusky. Mills School, Mills Street, and Mills Golf Course were all named after members of his daughter's family.

Our Wild Animals by Edwin Lincoln Moseley

Edwin Lincoln Moseley, a former teacher at Sandusky High School, was a prolific scholar and writer on science and nature. One of his books, Our Wild Animals, was published in 1927. A copy of this title is in the Local Authors collection of the Sandusky Library Archives Research Center.

The text was aimed at upper elementary students, and was promoted by the Boys’ Life magazine. A theme of the book was that Professor Moseley felt that all people show an interest in animals simply because they too are living beings.  

Many other photographs and drawings were used to illustrate the book, which was over three hundred pages long. Professor Moseley pointed out in chapter two that squirrels were good at hiding, yet were strong enough to make long leaps. He wrote about the tail of a squirrel serving as parachute, to prevent a fall, but also as a rudder, to guide its course. 

Sandusky photographer Ernst Niebergall took the photograph of the squirrel found in the introduction. 

He detailed the anatomy, habitat, diet, and habits of many different wild animals common in the United States, including several types of rats and mice. He stated that “Wherever man has settled these animals have followed.”  Moseley wrote that house mice are less intelligent than rats, but that “they often match their wits successfully against the devices of the housewife who would get rid of them.”  

In chapter fourteen, he wrote about the rabbit, whose life depends on its coat blending in with its surroundings, and the ability to run fast when necessary.  He commented that rabbits were even seen on the courthouse lawn and high school grounds in Sandusky, Ohio. 

Professor Moseley’s book has a total of thirty chapters, each focusing on a different animal or group of animals that people were likely to run into on a walk through the woods. He relied on his own experiences as an observer of nature and his knowledge of books already written on animals and nature. In the chapter on skunks, Moseley told about an orphaned skunk found in a haymow near Toledo which was adopted and raised by a cat. 

A biographical sketch about Edwin Lincoln Moseley in, The Biographical Dictionary of American and Canadian Naturalists and Environmentalists, (Greenwood Press, 1997), read in part, “A truly devoted teacher who received overwhelming loyalty from his students, he pioneered in the teaching of natural science by the experimental method in the field.” Our Wild Animals is still found in libraries and colleges all across the United States. Visit the Sandusky Library Archives Research Center if you would like to view this classic text by a former Sandusky educator. You can see photographs of Professor Moseley and his museum at Sandusky High School at a previous blog post on this site.

Miss Lelia Bittikofer, Sandusky High School Teacher

Miss Lelia Bittikofer was born in Crawford County, Ohio in 1899, to J.W. and Sarah Bittikofer. She was a 1916 graduate of Bucyrus High School, and a 1920 graduate of Heidelberg College. After teaching school in Valley City and Shelby, Ohio, she moved to Sandusky, Ohio about 1923. For over thirty years Miss Bittikofer taught general science and biology at Sandusky High School. She served as head of the Science Department for several years, and was chairman of the Scholarship Fund Committee from 1950 until her retirement in 1960. 

Besides being a well respected teacher at Sandusky High School, Lelia Bittikofer was active in her community as well. She was a member of the Garden Club, the College Women’s Club, and she led the choir at the First Reformed Church in Sandusky. Miss Bittikofer is on the right in the front row of the picture of the Sandusky High School faculty, taken about 1940.

The faculty section of the 1960 Fram was dedicated to Miss Bittikofer.

 

After her retirement from Sandusky High School, Miss Lelia Bittikofer moved to Crawford County, Ohio. She passed away on March 4, 1992, at the Heartland of Bucyrus. She was buried at Union Cemetery in Sulphur Springs, Crawford County, Ohio

Erie County Engineer’s Staff Circa 1939

This picture is a copy of a photograph that was taken by Sandusky photographer Ernst Niebergall around 1939. Closer views of the photo can be seen below.

You can see some of the department's road equipment behind the group.

Though the names of many of the individuals in the picture are unknown, this document, on file with the original item, lists the names of many of the men in the picture.

In 1939, Clair Jenkins, the first man standing on the left of the first image, was the general superintendent of all county wide W.P.A. projects for Erie County. (Originally called the Works Progress Administration, the federal agency was renamed the Work Projects Administration in 1939.) He worked closely with men who were connected with the W.P.A. as well as with the staff of the Erie County Engineer’s office. Two former Erie County Engineers can be seen in this picture, in the row of seated men. Harold F. Gerold was the Erie County Engineer 1928 to 1940, and Mike Bechberger served as the Erie County Engineer from 1940 to 1968. Visit the Sandusky Library Archives Research Center if you would like to take a look at this picture.

Charles E. Frohman Family

Charles E. Frohman (1901-1976) was a prominent attorney, author, and civic leader in Sandusky. Related to the famous theatrical managers Charles, Daniel, and Gustave Frohman, he wrote several books of local history about Sandusky and the Lake Erie Islands region. The Sandusky Library Archives Research Center is fortunate to have several family photos from the Frohman family in the historical photograph collection. 

Below is a portrait of a young Charles E. Frohman, taken at the Platt Studio in Sandusky. Charles was the only child of Daniel and Helen (Wagner) Frohman.

This picture of Helen Wagner was taken at the Bishop studio when Helen was a young woman. Helen Wagner and Daniel Frohman were married in Sandusky on October 24, 1900.

Below are undated pictures of the parents of Charles E. Frohman, Mr. Daniel Frohman and Mrs. Helen (Wagner) Frohman. Daniel Frohman passed away in 1934, and Mrs. Helen Frohman died in 1936. Both were buried at Oakland Cemetery.

Charles E. Frohman died on September 10, 1976.His wife, the former Ruth E. Dinsmore died in September of 1996. The final resting place of Mr. and Mrs. Charles E. Frohman is Sandusky’s Oakland Cemetery. 

Visit the Sandusky Library to read several local history books written by Charles E. Frohman. Also available on microfilm is an index to the Sandusky Register and Star Journal, created by Mr. Frohman. It covers topics of special interest to Charles E. Frohman dating from the nineteenth century through the mid-1970s.

Do You Remember Wholf Hardware?

 

From 1950 until 1995, the Wholf Hardware store was in business in the 600 block of Hancock Street. Alton “Bud” Wholf began the business. William Poeschl, Sr., a German immigrant, took over the business from Mr. Wholf in 1963. In an article in the Sandusky Register of March 25, 1984, Mr. Poeschl said that he did not change the name of the store because people would have a hard time pronouncing Poeschl, which sounded like “Po-Shell.” The major part of the store’s sales was basic hardware, like bolts, nuts, fasteners, hinges, and hand tools. Plumbing supplies were also popular with local customers. 

In 1984 about 300 customers visited the business each day. If you needed to, you could purchase just one nail or bolt at the store. If you had a problem at your house, you could go to Wholf Hardware, and the staff would help you determine just what you needed to make the necessary repair. Eventually Mr. Poeschl’s son and grandson helped run the business. Business began to decline at Wholf Hardware as larger retail stores began to carry more hardware products. At the end of April, 1995, members of the Poeschl family thanked local customers for their many years of patronage, as they announced the closing of the Wholf Hardware store in a letter to the editor of the Sandusky Register.  

In a two-page article in the July 5, 1992 issue of the Sandusky Register, Virginia Steinemann and Helen Hansen wrote about the history of the section of Sandusky around Hancock and Monroe Streets, which had been the location of several homes and businesses owned by people of German descent.

The paint stirrer pictured below is now in the collections of the Sandusky Library Archives Research Center.

 

M. Schields Godfrey, Milliner

Mary Schields was born in Sandusky in September, 1862, to Edmund and Salome Schields, both natives of Germany. She married George Godfrey about 1893. Mr. Godfrey was born in England and was a musician with the Great Western Band. From about 1896 through 1915, Mrs. Mary Schields Godfrey operated a hat shop at 222 Columbus Avenue. During some years, she also sold hats at the C. L. Engels Co. store on Market Street.

Mary and George would often travel to Europe to purchase hats. An article in the March 25, 1905 issue of the Sandusky Star Journal was entitled “The Sun Smiled for the Millinery Openings.” Mrs. Godfrey advertised genuine Paris and London hats, as well as New York Pattern hats for the spring season of 1905.

 

Mrs. Godfrey published a small catalog of Parisian hats in 1899, which featured models wearing stylish hats, along with a description of the hats.

Helen Hansen and Virginia Steinemann wrote about hat shops in Sandusky in Article 53 of From the Widow's Walk, describing how hats were a very important fashion necessity for women in the nineteenth century and early twentieth century. Fourteen separate businesses in Sandusky were listed under millinery in the 1912-1913 Sandusky City Directory. Miss Yvonne Fievet was an apprentice to Mary Schields Godfrey in the millinery business. Mrs. Hansen and Mrs. Steinemann spoke with Miss Fievet, and learned that as an apprentice Yvonne worked three months in the spring and three months in the fall learning the millinery trade; she received no wages, but was given a free hat for her six months labor. Miss Fievet went on to have her own hat shop, from 1929 to 1965. (She had a niece, also named Yvonne Fievet, who was a longtime librarian at the Sandusky Library.)

 

Two separate volumes of From the Widow's Walk feature photographs and historical articles about the residents and businesses of Sandusky and Erie County. You may check out either volume from the Sandusky Library.

Giving Thanks

 

This is the menu that Sgt. Wilford T. Schleicher was served at Camp Sherman, Chillicothe, Ohio, on Thanksgiving day, November 29, 1917. 

He was to leave for Europe in June 1918 as part of the American Expeditionary Forces. 

In February 1919, he and his family were able to be thankful for his safe return to the United States and a long life, happily married, and a successful career at the American Crayon Company.

There is always something to be thankful for. Happy Thanksgiving.

Sanborn Maps, An Invaluable Historical Resource

 

The Sanborn Map Company published maps between 1867 and 1970 to help fire insurance companies determine potential risks for buildings in American cities. While their value for insurance policies has long ended, these maps serve a new purpose for historians and family history researchers. Precise locations of buildings and streets are included on the maps, as well as the types of construction materials used, water sources available, and how buildings were heated, among other information. While individual property owners are not usually given, researchers can find out the location of the homes and places of employment of their ancestors. 

At the Sandusky Library Archives Research Center, Sanborn Maps can be accessed in a variety of formats. There are physical copies of the 1886 and 1905 atlases stored in the Archives, another atlas, with revisions into the 1950s, is also available for viewing. Microfilm roll 6885 contains copies of the 1886, 1893, and 1905 Sanborn Maps for Sandusky. And a digital collection of 40,000 Sanborn Maps of Ohio cities is accessible to Ohio library users through OPLIN Databases. This digital collection can be accessed twenty-four hours a day, seven days a week, to holders of Ohio library cards. Some examples from this collection are below.

The J. Kuebeler and Company Brewery was located on the west side of Sandusky in 1886, on Tiffin Avenue.

This 1886 Sanborn Map shows locations of the Kuebeler brewery’s malt storage, fermenting unit and ice houses, along with many other details about the facility.

The Sandusky Library appeared on page 25 of the 1905 Sanborn Fire Insurance Map.

In the original library building, the reading room in the east wing of the Carnegie building had a skylight, and a music hall was in the west wing, complete with an area for storing scenery. Notes indicate that the library was heated with steam heat.

The street names and house numbers found on the Sanborn Fire Insurance Maps seem to come alive when one can locate photographs taken of a specific location. Below is a section of the 1893 Sanborn Fire Insurance Map which shows the corner of Monroe and Hancock Streets.

William Brehm had a dry goods store at 631 Hancock Street in 1893. The front window of Mr. Brehm’s store is visible in the picture below which also shows car number 9 of the Sandusky, Milan and Norwalk Electric Railway in 1893.

Visit the Sandusky Library Archives Research Center to learn more about the Sanborn Fire Insurance Maps for Sandusky.

C.F. Denzer Office Supply Business

 

C.F. Denzer sold office supplies at his store at 210 Columbus Avenue, near East Market Street, for many years. By 1940, the business had relocated to East Market Street, and later onto Water Street. Above is the cover of a promotional item from Barker’s Greeting Cards, given away at Denzer’s. It is a clever item used to store four different types of stamps. Here is the inside:

(This item is probably from between July 1932 and December 1951, when first class postage was three cents and postcards were a penny.)

 Besides office supplies, Denzer’s also sold greeting cards and wrapping paper for gifts.

This advertising card indicates that C.F. Denzer sold “a penholder for every taste.”

Eventually C.F. Denzer changed its name to Denzer’s, Inc. The company’s final location in Sandusky was at 2111 Cleveland Road, ending around the mid-1980s.

The Bully Roarer Songster

In 1848, the publisher D. Campbell & Sons of Sandusky, Ohio produced a comic songbook, the third in a series of publications. David Campbell established the Sandusky Clarion in 1822, which was a predecessor of the Sandusky Register.

On pages 76 through 78 is a song called Umbrella Courtship, about a man named Simon who steals kisses from the belle he is courting, but only when it is raining. They got married on a rainy day, and had eight children, all who were marked with umbrellas.

A version of the Umbrella Courtship is also found at the Lester S. Levy Collection of Sheet Music from the Johns Hopkins University’s Sheridan Library. 

The comical song found on pages 82 and 83 of the Bully Roarer was about two Irish men who were fighting over the same young lady.

This publication is in the collections of the Sandusky Library Archives Research Center.

Confederate P.O.W.’s: Soldiers & Sailors Who Died in Federal Prisons and Military Hospitals in the North

In 1984 Frances Ingmire and Carolyn Ericson compiled into a book the names, rank, regiment, death dates, and burial location of Confederate soldiers and sailors who died in federal prisons and military hospitals in the North, during the Civil War. The records were compiled from the Office of the Commissioner for Marker Graves of Confederate Dead. The main text is compiled by the names of each prison, but an index of servicemen is found in the back of this volume, listing the former Confederate sailors and soldiers alphabetically by surname.

Soldiers and sailors who died at Camp Chase, near Columbus, Ohio are listed on pages 50 through 93. The names of four soldiers who died while prisoners of war in Gallipolis, Ohio are found on page 175. Of particular interest is the section of the book with the names of several soldiers and Confederate officers who died during the Civil War at Johnson’s Island. Their names are provided on pages 178 through 182. You can view this book at the Sandusky Library, where it is shelved with the genealogical and local history books in the library’s lower level.

Many items relating to the Civil War can be found at the Sandusky Library Archives Research Center and the Follett House Museum. The original wooden tombstone of D.L. Scott, 2nd Lieutenant, Co. I, of the Third Missouri Cavalry, is on display at the Follett House. In the late 1880s, a group of Georgia businessmen raised funds to provide marble tombstones for those soldiers and officers interred at Johnson’s Island.

Over one thousand people witnessed the unveiling of the Confederate Cemetery Monument at Johnson’s Island on June 8, 1910, an event sponsored by the United Daughters of the Confederacy.