Woman’s Relief Corps No. 48

Following the Civil War, the Woman’s Relief Corps was formed as an auxiliary to the Grand Army of the Republic, an organization whose members were Union Veterans of the Civil War. The purpose of the Woman’s Relief Corps was to aid and assist Union veterans, as well as the widows and orphans of Union veterans.

In Sandusky, the McMeens Corps, Woman’s Relief Corps, No. 48, served as an auxiliary to the McMeens Post of the G.A.R. The women of the W.R.C. helped provide food, entertainment, and a listening ear to the residents of the Ohio Soldiers and Sailors Home in Sandusky, now known as the Ohio Veterans Home. In 1913, a monument which honored the Civil War dead was unveiled at the Ohio Soldiers and Sailors Home. Members of the W.R.C. throughout the state spent two years raising money for the monument. A photograph found on Lake Erie’s Yesterdays shows several members of the Woman’s Relief Corps at a Memorial Day ceremony held at the Ohio Soldiers and Sailors Home in 1914.

Emogene Niver Marshall was a member and past president of the Woman’s Relief Corps, No. 48. She also was a past president of the Ohio W.R.C. Following her brother’s death in a Civil War prison camp, she devoted her life to patriotic work. The residents of the Soldiers and Sailors Home called her the “Angel of the Home.”

On February 11 and 12, 1896, a charity opera under the auspices of the Woman’s Relief Corps in Sandusky was held at the Nielsen Opera House. The opera, entitled “Egypta,” was based on the life of Moses. It featured a huge cast of local adults and children as well as many musical numbers. The program is several pages long, and can be viewed at the Sandusky Library Archives Research Center.

Reunions

Reunions, whether informal or carefully planned, allow people to reconnect with family and friends from their past. Families, schools, colleges, military units, clubs and many other organizations hold reunions, some on an annual basis, and others not so frequently. In the first half of the twentieth century Sandusky’s local newspapers featured articles about family reunions, often in the neighborhood columns. Below is a photograph of a gathering of the Sprau family in 1916.

An article appearing in the June 18, 1921 issue of the Sandusky Star Journal reported on the sixth annual reunion of the Moyer family, held at York Center in Sandusky County. During the business meeting W. H. Moyer was elected president and Elmer Moyer was elected treasurer. The day’s events opened with the hymn “Blest be the tie that binds.” Rye Beach was chosen as the location for the seventh annual Moyer reunion. Cedar Point continues to be a popular site for family reunions, as it has been for several decades.

When the G.A.R. held annual meetings, they were called encampments. War stories and songs were shared at these well attended events. Individual military units held reunions of the surviving members of their group. The 30th Annual Reunion of the 101st Ohio Volunteer Infantry was held in Sandusky on August 27 and 18, 1896.

The August 7, 1912 issue of the Sandusky Register announced that veterans from the 128th Ohio Volunteer Infantry would meet at the West House for their thirty seventh annual reunion. Henry C. Strong was the president of the group of veterans of the 128th Infantry.

Descendants of pioneer preacher Rev. William Gurley were guests of honor at a Methodist centennial celebration held in Milan in April of 1912.

A Centennial Reunion of graduates of Sandusky High School was held in 1955.

Pictured below are Sandusky High School alumni and former faculty at a reunion held at the Rockwell Springs Trout Club in Castalia, 1950.

If you have vintage reunion photographs, consider donating them to the Sandusky Archives Research Center for future generations to enjoy.

Semiannual Encampment of the Ohio G.A.R., 1869

Several Sandusky residents, along with two hundred fifty delegates to the Semi-Annual Encampment of the Ohio Grand Army of the Republic (G.A.R.) took a trip to Put-In-Bay on July 22, 1869. The steamers “Evening Star” and “Reindeer” transported the excursionists, commanded by Captains Kirby and Orr. The Sandusky Register of July 23, 1869 reported: “It was noticeable that the entire party, fully one-third of which was ladies, were in the best of spirits. The occasion was a joyous one, and the weather was as perfect as could be desired. The citizens present vied with each other to make the occasion a memorable one in the annals of the Grand Army of Ohio…”

During the Ohio Encampment, several speakers were heard. Gen. J. Warren Keifer made an address in Sandusky on July 21st, which was published in the July 22, 1869 Sandusky Register.
When Gov. R. B. Hayes spoke, “he assured the audience that the speakers present had been warned not to occupy more than five minutes.” An important topic of the encampment was the necessity of establishing a children’s home for the orphans of veterans.

The McMeens Post of the G.A.R. was the topic of a previous blog entry. Post 19 was named in honor of Dr. Robert McMeens, a Civil War Physician. Larry Stevens, in his Ohio in the Civil War web page, lists these Erie County posts of the G.A.R.:

McMeens Post 19 --- Sandusky
Arthur Cranston Post 73 --- Milan
Gen. M.F. Force Post 142 --- Ohio Soldiers' & Sailors' Home
Geo. E. Fowler Post 153 --- Berlin Heights
Thomas Neill Post 423 --- Castalia
H.G. Delker Post 428 --- Vermillion
Sam Edwards Post (611) --- Sand Hill
Moses Martin Post 649 --- Huron
J.T. Toland Post (695) --- Sandusky - Ohio Soldiers Home

While not all details are known about these Erie County Posts of the G.A.R., some details have been gleaned from historical newspaper articles. The General Manning Force Post 142, at the Ohio Soldiers and Sailors Home was named for General Manning F. Force, an officer in the Civil War, who was Commandant of the Ohio Soldiers Home from 1888 until his death in 1899.
The J. T. Toland Post 695, also located at the Ohio Soldiers Home, was named for Colonel John T. Toland, of the 34th Ohio Volunteer Infantry, who was killed at Wytheville, Virginia on July 18, 1863. The George Fowler Post 153 was most likely named for a corporal in Company G of the Ohio Volunteer Infantry. Arthur Cranston, namesake of Milan Post 73, began service as a private during the Civil War, later appointed a cadet at West Point. and was a lieutenant when he was killed in the Modoc War in 1872. The H. G. Delker Post 428 was named for prominent Vermilion business man Henry G. Delker. The Sam Edwards Post 611 at Sand Hill, Moses Martin Post 649 at Huron, and the Thomas Neill Post 423 the Thomas Neill Post were all named for Civil War Veterans who lost their lives during wartime service. Thomas Neill, Jr. and his brother Foster Neill, both in Co. G of the Ohio 123rd Infantry, were imprisoned at Andersonville, Georgia, during the Civil War. Foster Neill was part of a prisoner exchange, and he was returned North during the war, but his brother, Thomas Neill Jr., died while he was being held prisoner at Andersonville.

While these Erie County Posts of the G.A.R. are no longer active, the Thomas Neill Woman’s Relief Corps, No. 275 is still active in Castalia, Ohio. The members of the group provide an annual scholarship to a graduating senior at Margaretta High School, and members place flags on the graves of area veterans prior to Memorial Day.

Sanduskians Honor Deceased Veterans in 1911

During the last week of May in 1911, Sanduskians honored their deceased soldiers and sailors with several services. On Sunday evening, May 28, the Rev. C. Argyle Keller of the First Presbyterian gave a Memorial address at the Presbyterian Church. The seats in the front pews of the church were reserved for Veterans.

The May 31, 1911, Sandusky Register reported that as many of the seventeen hundred members of the Ohio Soldiers and Sailors Home as were able “fell in line behind Ackley’s band and proceeded to the little cemetery outlying the institution grounds, where they decorated the graves of fallen comrades.” The Civil War veterans were in advanced years by this time, and Josh B. Davis, chairman of the general committee for Memorial Day arrangements, said that the members of the McMeens Post of the G.A.R. would be riding in street cars instead of marching in the Memorial Day parade, as they had in the past.
Memorial Day services were also held at Oakland Cemetery. Over four hundred wreaths had been obtained for placing on the graves of soldiers who had lost their lives. Sandusky Boy Scouts, under the leadership of Charles E. Stroud, performed the actual decorating of the graves. Oakland Cemetery’s Superintendent, Christ Schlenk, had given the Scouts the names and locations of each grave to be decorated. Charles E. Stroud led a group of Sandusky Boy Scouts for many years.
Benjamin Deeley, pictured below, was the chairman of the decorating committee. Mr. Deeley had served in both the Ohio 123rd Infantry and Ohio 8th Infantry, and he was an active member of the McMeens Post of the G.A.R.
Veterans arrived in street cars at Oakland Cemetery, and were met by comrades from the Soldiers Home. They marched forward together at the start of the ceremony. Ackley’s Band played patriotic selections, and Rev. Ross W. Sanderson gave the invocation. The main address was given by I. F. Mack, Past Commander of the Department of Ohio G.A.R. The Woman’s Relief Corps also conducted services. Mr. Mack later stated that “I never saw so many flowers there,” after his return from Oakland Cemetery.

To honor the sailors who had lost their lives, the steamer Arrow traveled out into Sandusky Bay, midway between Sandusky and Johnson’s Island. There, hymns were sung, and flowers were strewn upon the water. The Woman’s Relief Corps were in charge of the services on the Arrow, with Rev. Ross W. Sanderson saying the prayer.

The Sandusky Register carried several articles about Sandusky’s Memorial Day celebrations in 1911, including front page articles on Tuesday, May 30, 1911, and Wednesday, May 17, 1911. These articles can be accessed on microfilm at the Archives Research Center of the Sandusky Library.

Sergeant Josh B. Davis, Chaplain of the G.A.R.

Josh B. Davis was born in New York in 1842. By 1860, he was a resident of Sandusky, along with his brothers Ira T. Davis and John R. Davis. Josh B. Davis was an insurance agent in the city of Sandusky for many years. During the Civil War, he was a Corporal in Company B of the 101st Ohio Volunteer Infantry. Later he was a Sergeant in the First United States Veterans Infantry. Mr. Davis was discharged from the military service on June 30, 1865. He served as a Chaplain in the McMeens Post of the G.A.R.

By 1920, Josh B. Davis and his wife Sarah moved to Medford, Oregon, where they resided with their daughter’s family. He died in Medford, Oregon on February 15, 1921. His remains were brought back to Ohio for burial. An obituary for Josh B. Davis appears in the February 25, 1921 Sandusky Register. Rev. C. H. Small of the Congregational Church held the funeral services, which were largely attended. Active pallbearers were members of the Perry Post of the American Legion. Taps were sounded by Harold Mertz. Josh B. Davis is buried in Oakland Cemetery with his wife Sarah, who died in 1925.

General Henry A. Axline, “Father of the National Guard of Ohio”

Henry A. Axline was the youngest soldier to serve in the Civil War from Muskingum County. He served in Company G of the 159th Ohio Volunteer Infantry.

After the Civil War, Henry A. Axline held the positions of Captain, Major, Lieutenant Colonel, and Colonel of the Ohio National Guard. During the Spanish American War, Henry Axline was Colonel of the Tenth Ohio Volunteer Infantry, taking command at Camp Bushnell. During the Johnstown flood, Henry A. Axline took the first relief train of Ohio troops to that city.

General Axline was the Adjutant General of Ohio from 1886 to 1890, and again from1896-1898. William Taylor Alexander, author of The Centennial History of Columbus, called Henry A. Axline “the father of the National Guard of Ohio.”

Active in Veterans’ organizations, General Axline was often a speaker at Campfires, military reunions, and Memorial Day exercises. The Sandusky Daily Register of May 18, 1914, reported that “as a public speaker General Axline had but few equals.” At the time of his death he was chief of staff of the national encampment of the G.A.R. Henry A. Axline died May 18, 1914 in Zanesville, Ohio. He is buried in Oakland Cemetery in Sandusky, Ohio. (He was buried in Sandusky because his daughter and son-in-law were residing in Sandusky at the time of his death.) Henry A. Axline married Helen Westlake in 1874. They were both graduates of Ohio Wesleyan University. Their daughter Tella Axline was married to Claude B. Dewitt, pictured below. (They later divorced.)

McMeens Post of the G.A.R.

The McMeens Post, No. 19, of the Department of Ohio’s Grand Army of the Republic was named for Dr. Robert R. McMeens, who served in both the Mexican War and the Civil War. The G.A.R. was founded by Benjamin F. Stephenson on April 6, 1866 in Decatur, Illinois. The main object of this organization of Civil War veterans was to continue the friendships of the soldiers, to assist needy comrades, to care for war orphans and widows, and to promote patriotism. The three principles of the G.A.R. were fraternity, charity, and loyalty. The G.A.R. was divided into “Departments” at the state level, and by “Posts” at the community level. Membership peaked in 1890 when over 400,000 members were reported.

In 1892 I.F. Mack, a Sandusky newspaper editor and founder of the Ohio Veterans Home, was elected Commander of the Ohio Department of the Grand Army of the Republic. (You can read more about the colorful I.F. Mack in SANDUSKY’S EDITOR, by Charles E. Frohman, located in the Reference Services section of Sandusky Library.) Henry Dehnel was the Commander of the McMeens Post of the G.A.R. in 1892. You can view the 1892 roster of the local G.A.R. Post in the Archives Research Center of the Sandusky Library. Names are listed alphabetically, and the soldier’s Company and Civil War regiment are also noted.

The annual meetings of the G.A.R. were called “encampments.” Here veterans would have campfires, tell stories, and sing war songs that they recalled from their days as a soldier. In June, 1895, the 29th annual encampment of the Department of Ohio, G.A.R. was held at Cedar Point. You can read about the many parades, dinners, tributes and other activities of the encampment in the June 11, June 12, and June 13 issues of the 1895 “Sandusky Register,” available on microfilm in the Archives Research Center.

You can still find evidence of the G.A.R. all across the United States. Thousands of Civil War Veterans’ graves are marked with a G.A.R. star. U.S. Highway 6, which runs through Erie County, is known as the “Grand Army of the Republic Highway” its entire length.