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

A Baptism at Emmanuel Church

 

Albert Joseph Scheid was born on February 8, 1881, to Karl (later Charles) Scheid and Christine Rupprecht Scheid, and was baptized in the Emmanuel German Evangelical Church on November 20, 1881. His baptismal sponsors were Joseph Fiedler and Josephine Scheid. Albert’s ornate baptismal certificate was published by Schaefer & Koradi of Philadelphia, a company which specialized in German-American publications. Albert Scheid worked as a machinist in Sandusky. He passed away in 1939, and he was buried in Calvary Cemetery.

Rev. J.G. Ensslin (sometimes spelled Enzslin) officiated at the baptismal service.

The Emmanuel Church, at the northeast corner of Columbus Avenue and Adams Street, was founded in 1844, and was the first German church in Sandusky.

Microfilmed copies of records from Emmanuel Church, now known as Emmanuel United Church of Christ are available at the Sandusky Library Archives Research Center. Records range from 1844 through 1954, and include baptisms, marriages, deaths, and minutes from church meetings. Thew original records copied on the microfilm are in German, but an English translation is also included.

Baptismal Certificate of George Schade

A baptismal record for George Julius Schade is in the collections of the Sandusky Library Archives Research Center. George J. Schade was born on February 15, 1869, in Sandusky. His parents were Wilhelm (later known as William) Schade and Susanna Heck Schade. Rev. J.G. Lehrer, pastor of Zion Lutheran Church officiated at the baptism, which took place on April 11, 1869. The baptismal sponsors were George and Maria Maul. All the words on this baptismal record are in German. Bible verses from Galatians and I Corinthians are found on either side of the document, which is decorated with intricate engravings.  

The life of George J. Schade is well documented at the Sandusky Library. This carte de visite shows him as a young man.

   

From the early 1900s to 1921, George J. Schade was the manager of the Schade Coal Company, located at 810 West Water Street, across from the Big Four Depot. At the time of his death in 1937 he had served longer on the Sandusky City Commission than any other person. Mr. Schade had been a pharmacist, and owned the Schade Theater.  Page 40 of the 1937 Obituary Notebook features a lengthy obituary which had been clipped from a local newspaper.

            

George J. Schade was married to Anna Schade, the daughter of pioneer brewer Jacob Kuebeler. He was the grandfather of George L. Mylander, who went on to serve his community as a well-respected educator, philanthropist and civic leader. They are buried in the family mausoleum at Sandusky’s Oakland Cemetery.

When you look closely at the door to the Schade-Mylander Mausoleum, you can learn a bit of family history of several members of the Schade and Mylander families.

Unpuzzling a Baptismal Record

Recently we came across this baptismal record from 1885 in an archival box in the Sandusky Library Archives Research Center. It looks like Josezf Karl [?] Wilhelm is the name of the child, the son of Johann Wilhelm, born in Sandusky, Ohio in 1885. The day of the month was 12, but the name of the month was not easily interpreted. After determining that Sohn is the German word for son, we could match the old German lettering of the first letter of the month, which appeared to be an “S.”  Since the only month that begins with the letter “S” is September, it seemed very possible that Josezf Wilhelm was born on September 12, 1885.  A search at FamilySearch.org for the surname Wilhelm, with a birth date of 1885, and father’s first name as Johann or John, retrieved this birth record.

This record has the same date as the baptismal record, and the same parents, so most likely the infant who was christened Josezf Karl [?] Wilhelm is the same infant which was listed as John Charles Wilhelm in Erie County, Ohio birth records. In looking at Erie County marriage records, for a groom with the surname of Wilhelm, and a birthdate of 1885, this record for the marriage of Charles F.Wilhelm and Marguerite Zimmerman was retrieved.

The parents of Charles F. Wilhelm were listed as John Wilhelm and Anna Hein, the same parents that were on the birth record of John Charles Wilhelm.  Military records at Ancestry Library Edition showed that Charles F. Wilhelm, with a birth date of September 12, 1885, filled out draft registration cards for World War I and World War II. The employer of Charles F. Wilhelm on both cards was listed as the U.S. Post Office in Sandusky, Ohio. In Mr. Wilhelm’s early years, the Post Office was located at Columbus Avenue and Market Street. 

By the mid-1920s, the Post Office had been relocated to the corner of Jackson and Washington Streets in downtown Sandusky.

The Social Security Death Index lists the death of a Charles Wilhelm, born on September 12, 1885, as August of 1972. An obituary for Charles F. Wilhelm appeared in the August 21, 1972 issue of the Sandusky Register. The article stated that Mr. Wilhelm had enjoyed a long career at the Post Office, where he rose to the position of Superintendent of Mails in 1943. He died at the Classic Care South Nursing Home, after a lengthy illness. He was survived by his spouse, the former Emma Marguerite Zimmerman, a brother, and several nieces and nephews. He was buried at Oakland Cemetery in Sandusky, Ohio.

Though there were many discrepancies in the first name and middle name of Mr. Wilhelm, all the records consistently showed the birth date of September 12, 1885, and the parents’ names as John and Anna Wilhelm. Don’t get discouraged when you find that records for the same individual have conflicting information. Search for as many vital and military and church records as you can, and compare the details, focusing on the facts that remain the same in each.  Unpuzzling this baptismal record turned into a genealogical adventure. Mr. Wilhelm’s baptismal record is housed in the Sandusky Library Archives Research Center, which can be seen from the former U.S. Post Office where he spent so many hours during his long career.