Robert W. Traver, Former Chief of Police

Robert W. Traver died at the age of 57, but he lived a long life, filled with service to his country and local community. A lifelong resident of Sandusky, he joined the Sandusky Police Department in 1937, serving with the department for thirty years. He was promoted to sergeant on January 16, 1946 and  captain in 1952. On October 17, 1962 he was appointed Chief of Police, and served in that position until his retirement in 1967. 

In addition to his police career, Mr. Traver had substantial military service. He was in U.S. Army intelligence, taking leave from the Sandusky Police Department during World War II and the Korean War. 

In 1971, Mr. Traver was elected to the Sandusky City Commission. At the time of his death on December 20, 1972, he was Ex-Officio Mayor of Sandusky. Additionally, Mr. Traver had served on the board of directors of Providence Hospital, and was a member of the Amvets and the Fraternal Order of Police. For a time, he also was vice president in charge of personnel at Mr. Wiggs department store. 

Robert W. Traver was survived by his wife, the former Louise McGeachie, four sisters, two brothers, and a niece. Funeral services for Mr. Traver were held at the Frey Funeral Home, and burial was at Oakland Cemetery. A lengthy article in the December 21, 1972 issue of the Sandusky Register highlighted his distinguished career, and included several tributes from his colleagues.

The Army dress uniform once worn by Robert W. Traver is now in the collections of the Follett House Museum.

Erie County African American Soldiers in the First World War

 The book Honor Roll of Ohio: Erie County Edition is a compilation of Erie County residents who served in military or civilian activity during World War I. Soldiers and sailors who served during the war are listed in the book, with photographs, brief personal information, and service summaries included for each man. 

As in the service itself, the African American servicemen were segregated from the rest of the men into two pages of the book. Those pages are shown here.

 Although we do not have additional information for all of the soldiers depicted here, we are able to gather brief biographical data on some of these men. 

Reading the descriptions, you will notice that two of these men died in overseas service. Corporal Clarence Howard was featured in a previous blog post. He was noted as a star pitcher for the Sandusky Crescents baseball team before the war. He was killed by an accidental weapon discharge on October 12, 1918.

Private Robert Adkerson died in service in France on October 22, 1918, at age 25. He was initially buried in France, but in 1921 his remains were returned to his native Tennessee for reburial.

Three sons of William and Mary Alexander performed military service during the war. Sergeant Robert Alexander served overseas with Co. H of the 802nd Pioneer Infantry. Private Charles Alexander was in France with Co. L of the 365th Infantry, 92nd Division. The youngest brother, Private Earl Alexander, served in the Student Army Training Corps at the Ohio State University, beginning September 1918.

The Honor Roll of Ohio is available in the Genealogy book collection at the Sandusky Library.

Judge Elisha M. Colver

In Judge Colver’s obituary in the Sandusky Register of September 25, 1895, the headline read “Death of a Patriot, Soldier, Jurist and Orator.”  Elisha M. Colver was born in Hudson, New York in 1832, but received his early education in Monroeville, Ohio. He graduated from the Cincinnati Law School in 1859, with the highest honors of his class. After leaving college, he moved to Perrysburg, Ohio. While in Perrysburg, he enlisted in the Third Ohio Cavalry, first serving as first lieutenant of Company B; later he was promoted to Captain. 

In 1864, Elisha M. Colver came to Sandusky, Ohio to aid in the recruiting of a cavalry regiment. Having concluded his military service, he opened up a law office in Sandusky. He was elected as Sandusky’s City Solicitor in 1868, and served as Probate Judge of Erie County from 1869 through 1878. Judge Colver's first wife was Clara Prout. After her death, he married Miss Caroline T. Wood. 

Judge Colver was a charter member of the McMeens Post of the Grand Army of the Republic, and was very active in local Masonic organizations as well. He was known to be an excellent speaker, with his speaking services in great demand, and “his energy would put to shame many a younger man. He was in every sense of the word an American citizen and his enthusiasm in the support of American institutions was unbounded.”  Judge Colver had delivered the eulogy for John Brown, Jr. at Put in Bay, just a few months before his own death. Judge Colver was buried in Oakland Cemetery in the family plot. 

To learn more about Judge Elisha M. Colver, see Elected to Serve, by Patty Pascoe at the Archives Research Center of the Sandusky Library. Also, a lengthy tribute to Judge Colver appeared in the September 27, 1895 issue of the Sandusky Register.

The Sandusky Library Archives Research Center has in its collections a scrapbook containing letters and telegrams of condolence sent to the family of Judge Colver following his death. The telegram below was sent by Judge Malcolm Kelley.

With the 308th Engineers from Ohio to the Rhine and Back

In the military section of the Genealogical and Local History books at the Sandusky Library is a book entitled With the 308^th Engineers from Ohio to the Rhine and Back. The book was published in 1923 by the 308^th Engineers Veterans Association. Pictured below are insignia and symbols associated with the 308^th Engineers.

The major operations of the 308^th Engineers in World War I were in France in 1918, and included the Aisne-Marne Offensive, the Oise-Aisne Offensive, and the Meuse-Argonne Offensive. The main tasks of the 308^th Engineers were to repair and maintain roads and build bridges. The 308^th Engineers were the first American troops to bridge the Rhine. The 308^th also furnished Guards of Honor for General Pershing, the Prince of Wales, and Marshall Ferdinand Foch. Several men from Sandusky, Ohio served with the 308^th Engineers during this war: Edwin Uhl, Reinhold Ahlers, Henry Baker, Ralph Carney, Vergil Grant, Fred Kranz, Victor J. Moore, John Riesterer, Emil Grahl, Paul Knupke, Robert Mees, Henry Cycoly, Walter J. Kleinfelder, Edward Klueg, Carl Mainzer, Lee Staffler, Guy Norton, Henry Bates, Norman Martin, Charles Hasbrook, Peter Scavio, Charles Voight, and Herbert Textor.

The third annual reunion of the 308^th Engineers Veteran Association was held at Cedar Point on August 5 through August 7, 1923. The headquarters for the group during their stay at Cedar Point was at the Hotel Breakers. During the reunion, business meetings were held, along with a banquet, athletic events, and several speeches. A dance was held at the Coliseum on August 5, 1923. Sandusky resident Herbert Textor served as Treasurer of the organization for that year.

Visit the Sandusky Library to see the book With the 308^th Engineers from Ohio to the Rhine and Back. Another outstanding resource at the library is Erie County Edition, Honor Roll of Ohio, 1917-1918, which provides brief biographical sketches and photographs of Erie County World War I veterans. Inquire at the Reference Services desk for more information.

Local Recruiting for the Civil War

The poster above was placed in various public places around the Sandusky area in June of 1863. The recruiting office for the Cavalry was on the upper level of Reber’s Block on Water Street. A “competent officer” staffed the office to inform potential soldiers about pay and rations. The poster stated that service in the Civil War was “glorious - - full of dashing adventure.” 

Thomas Reber’s name appeared at the bottom of the recruiting poster. The son of Sandusky lawyer George Reber, Thomas Reber enlisted in Company K, 88^th Ohio Volunteer Infantry in 1862. Later he transferred to the Ohio 196^th Ohio Volunteer Infantry. At the time of his discharge in 1865, he had achieved the rank of First Lieutenant and Quartermaster. He moved to Louisiana after the close of the Civil War, where he was a Parish Judge, then, in 1872, he took up residence in Natchez, Mississippi. He became interested in the history of that city, and wrote the book Proud Old Natchez.  The Thomas Reber Collection is housed at the University of Mississippi, and contains several letters sent to individuals in Sandusky, Ohio. 

Civil War Pension Files of Harrison Washington and William H. Johnson, African American Recruits from Sandusky

An article in the June 6, 1863 issue of the Sandusky Register reported on several African American recruits from Sandusky who were traveling by train to Readville, Massachusetts to enlist in the Massachusetts 55^th Infantry. The group included a large majority of the able bodied men of color in the city of Sandusky ranging from 18 to 40 years of age. The Massachusetts 55^th Infantry was a sister regiment to the Massachusetts 54^th, the military unit featured in the film Glory. Fourteen men from Sandusky served in Company I of the 55^th Massachusetts Infantry. They were led by Captain George T. Garrison, the son of well-known abolitionist William Lloyd Garrison. A previous blog post about these soldiers included pictures of the tombstones of two Civil War Veterans of the Massachusetts 55^th who were buried in Sandusky at Oakland Cemetery.

In the pension file for Harrison Washington from the National Archives, we learn that he enlisted in the Massachusetts 55^th in June of 1863. At that time, he was 5 feet 6 inches tall and he had been born on May 15, 1833 in Fleming County, Kentucky. Harrison Washington was honorably discharged in Massachusetts in October of 1865. He returned to Ohio for about thirty years, and then moved back to Fleming County, Kentucky.

Another page from Mr. Washington’s pension file provides the name of his wife, Frances Washington, whom Harrison married in 1890, his third wife. One of his previous wives had been the former Cordelia Winfield from Sandusky, Ohio, who died in 1866. The file also includes the names and birth dates of Harrison Washington’s children, who were named Matilda, Charlie, Cordelia, and Mary. In 1898, Harrison Washington was still living in Kentucky.

A note in the pension file of Harrison Washington stated that he was dropped from the pension roll due to his death in September of 1917.

William H. Johnson was another Sandusky resident who served with Co. I of the Massachusetts 55^th Infantry. He enlisted when he was 22 years old, and his occupation was listed as carpenter. He died from wounds he received in battle on July 2, 1864 at James Island, South Carolina. On September 3, 1883, Mrs. William H. Johnson, the former Anna McGuire, applied for a widow’s military pension. She stated that she had married Mr. Johnson on December 25, 1861, in Augusta County, Virginia. A Sandusky attorney, John E. Moore, presented the widow’s claim, though at the time she had moved to Cleveland, Ohio.

A recent article in the Charleston Post and Courier reports on the unveiling of a historic marker at Folly River Park which honors the service of the Massachusetts 55^th Infantry during the Civil War. In the 129^th Ohio General Assembly, the Ohio House of Representatives passed H.R. No. 297, to honor the 511 African American Ohioans who enlisted in the 54th and 55th Regiments of the Massachusetts Volunteer Infantry during the Civil War.

A Sanduskian at World War I Flag Raising at Angouleme, France

Capt. Ira C. Krupp is one of the individuals pictured in this photograph of a flag raising at Angouleme, France on October 4, 1918 during World War I. Capt. Krupp, who was with the 4^th Corps Artillery, reported that it was a great ceremony, with a parade in which local residents and U.S. Soldiers participated. The United States entered the Great War on April 6, 1917.  By May of 1918, over one million U.S. troops were stationed in France. You can see a picture of Capt. Krupp, along with many other soldiers, officials, and local community leaders in the commemorative book, Honor Roll of Ohio, Erie County Edition.

During the 1900 U.S. Census, Ira C. Krupp was 18 years old and resided with his family on Wayne Street, at what is now the Follett House Museum. Ira’s father and grandfather, John and Charles J. Krupp, were in the furniture and undertaking business in Sandusky for many years. 

Veterans Day November 11 -- Errol "Zip" Zistel, Military Aviator

Errol Henry Zistel was born in Sandusky, Ohio on July 16, 1895, to Ottomar and Amelia Zistel. He earned the nickname “Zip” from his days of “zipping” in an iceboat on Sandusky Bay when he was a teenager. He once went from Sandusky to Kelleys Island in eight and a half minutes in his iceboat, at a speed of ninety miles per hour. 

Errol Zistel began his military career as fighter pilot in Britain’s Royal Flying Corps and later transferred to General Pershing’s American Air Service during World War I.  During the war, he was seriously injured, but after his recovery he remained active in the Reserves. In 1927 he was one of the organizers of Ohio’s first Air National Guard Unit, the 112^th Observation Squadron. During World War II, he commanded the fourth Air Support Command at Hamilton Field, California, achieving the rank of Major General. General Zistel actively flew aircraft until his retirement from active service in 1957. 

Errol H. Zistel died on January 25, 1968, and was buried with full military honors at Lake View Cemetery in Cleveland, Ohio. Members of the Air Force served as Honor Guards. General Zistel had been a member of the Early Birds, the American Fighter Aces Association, the Order of Daedalus, the Quiet Birdmen, and the Air Force Association. He was a past president of the Cleveland Aviation Club. A lengthy obituary for Errol “Zip” Zistel appeared in the February 3, 1968 issue of the Sandusky Register.

George Helmich Served at Gettysburg

The most devastating conflict of the Civil War, the battle of Gettysburg, was being fought 150 years ago on this date. Of the more than 7000 who died in this battle, one was a German immigrant who made his home in Sandusky.

In the 1860 U.S. Census for Erie County, Ohio, George Helmich was 32 years of age, a native of Baden. He and his wife Fredericka had a family of six children, ranging in age from infancy to ten years of age. As often is the case with individuals of German descent, George's surname appears in census, vital, and military records with several different spellings, including Helmich, Helmick, Helmig, and Hellmich. On August 20, 1862 he enlisted in Co. F of the Ohio 107th Infantry. The 107th Infantry was initially led by Sanduskian Louis Traub, who had formerly been in charge of the local military unit known as the Jaeger Company. On July 2, 1863 George Helmich was killed at the Battle of Gettysburg. His remains were brought back to Sandusky, and he was buried in Block 31 of the North Ridge of Sandusky's Oakland Cemetery; in 1884, his body was re-interred to Block 65 of the North Ridge section.

An article in the April 11, 1920 issue of the Sandusky Register featured an article in which three Sandusky men recalled the re-interment of George Helmich. The cemetery employees found that the coffin of Mr. Helmich was still in excellent condition in 1884. While moving the coffin, the lid became opened accidentally. The grave diggers were amazed to find the remains of George Helmich to be in a perfect state of preservation, though twenty two years had passed since he had been killed in the Civil War. His military uniform was so perfect, that it was still bright blue, and its buttons looked as though they had just been polished. The Register articled concluded by stating that the case of the preservation of the remains of Mr. Helmich was "without parallel."

To read more about Ohioans who served in the Battle of Gettysburg, read the book Buckeye Blood: Ohioans at Gettysburg, by Richard A. Baumgartner (Blue Acorn Press, 2003), available for loan through the ClevNet Consortium.

Sandusky High School Graduates in the Military, Spring 1918

The April 1918 issue of the Fram featured the names of seventy-six individuals who had either attended or graduated from Sandusky High School, and were serving in military service during World War I. The names were arranged alphabetically by surname, with the year of graduation listed after the name.

Opposite the “Honor Roll” listing of names was a page with pictures of several military men from Sandusky. Sergeant-Major William Murray was serving with the Aviation Corps of the U.S. Army.  Paul J. Appell was an instructor at Cape May, New Jersey with the U.S. Navy. Sergeant Wesley Moos was with the U.S. Army’s Quartermaster’s Corps. Ray Siggens, Harold Weis, and Surgeon Henry LaFavre were all serving in the United States Navy. La Favre, whose picture is in the center of the page, served as a U.S. Navy surgeon in both World War I and World War II. Eventually he retired to Virginia Beach. After his death on February 15, 1953, Captain La Favre was buried at Arlington National Cemetery.

Charles L. Alexander, World War I Veteran

Charles Lester Alexander was born in Sandusky, Ohio on April 20, 1894 to Mr. and Mrs. William H. Alexander. On October 29, 1917, Mr. Alexander enlisted in the United States Army. During World War One, Charles L. Alexander served with the American Expeditionary Forces in the Meuse-Argonne, a major operation of the U.S. Army during the Great War. He was honorably discharged on March 17, 1919. After his military service, Mr. Alexander worked for the United States Post Office in Sandusky, Ohio for forty years, retiring in 1959. Charles L. Alexander passed away at the Hill Haven Convalescent home in Columbus, Ohio on February 16, 1975. He had been an active member of the Progress Lodge 85 and Second Baptist Church. Funeral services for Charles L. Alexander were held at both the Charles J. Andres Sons Funeral Home and at Second Baptist Church. Burial was at Sandusky’s Oakland Cemetery.

Veterans Day : Major Thomas S. Amato

Thomas S. Amato was born in Sicily, Italy in 1880. When he was fourteen years old, he came to the United States, and he settled in Sandusky, Ohio. In 1901 he enlisted in Company B, Sixth Infantry of the Ohio National Guard, and was promoted from private to the rank of Sergeant. While with this unit, he did guard duty at the funeral of President William McKinley in Canton in 1901. In 1914 Amato was named captain of the unit. From 1916 through 1917, he served as a guard on the Mexican border and in other parts of the United States.  During World War I, Captain Amato was transferred to the 148^th Infantry at Camp Sheridan. Later he was assigned to Camp Gordon, Georgia. He was commissioned Major on September 14, 1918. Amato was assigned to the 5^th Training Battalion in Camp Meade, Maryland, and was in charge of commanding the discharge division of the demobilization group. Major Thomas S. Amato was honorably discharged on May 23, 1919. After completing his military service, Major Amato was influential in seeing that the Erie County edition of the Honor Roll, 1917-1918 was published. This book features pictures and biographical sketches of those who served during World War I, along with information about the individuals who contributed to the war effort on the home front. (The image above is from this publication.)

On October 23, 1921, Thomas S. Amato died at the Marine Hospital in Cleveland, Ohio, following a surgical procedure. He was survived by his wife, three daughters, a son, two brothers, and a sister. He was buried with full military honors at Sandusky’s Oakland Cemetery.

A Military Family: Commodore Robert Gracey Denig and Jean Livingston Hubbard Denig

Robert Gracey Denig was born in Columbus, Ohio on May 22, 1851. After high school, he attended and graduated from the United States Naval Academy at Annapolis, Maryland. Robert Gracey Denig had a long and distinguished naval career which spanned thirty five years. During the Panama Revolution, Denig served on three different vessels, the Saranac, Tuscarora, and Benicia. Before that, when the U.S.S. Huron was wrecked off the coast of North Carolina on November 24, 1877, Denig was one of the few survivors.

Robert Gracey Denig's wife was the former Jane Livingston Hubbard, whom he married in 1878. Jane was the daughter of Lester Hubbard and Jane Livingston, prominent pioneer residents of Sandusky.

Mr. and Mrs. Denig had two children, a daughter Garcia, and a son named Robert L. Denig. Commodore Robert Gracey Denig retired from the Navy on June 30, 1908. He died on April 9, 1924, and he was buried with full military honors in the Arlington National Cemetery, Washington. D. C. Mrs. Denig died in 1945 in the same home in which she was born, at 134 East Adams Street in Sandusky.

Commodore Denig’s son, Robert L. Denig, who was born in 1884, became a Brigadier General with the United States Marine Corps. He served with the Fifth Marines, 3rd and 2nd Divisions in the American Expeditionary Forces in World War One and in Nicaragua in 1930-1931.

Brigadier General Robert L. Denig was the first Director of Public Relations for the U.S. Marines in 1941. The September 2007 issue of the Leatherneck magazine features an article about “Denig’s Demons.” Robert L. Denig recruited hundreds of reporters, photographers, artists, and radio men to inform the American public about the role of the Marines during World War II. Brigadier General Robert L. Denig passed away in 1979.

Several members of the Denig family are buried at Arlington National Cemetery, including Commodore Robert Gracey Denig and his wife Jean; their son Brigadier General Robert L. Denig, his wife Maud, and their sons Charles Alfred Ely Denig and Robert L. Denig, Jr.

Another son of Brigadier General Robert L. Denig, a Marine tank officer named James L. Denig, lost his life during World War II.

To learn more details about the military careers of Commodore Robert Gracey Denig and Brigadier General Robert L. Denig, see volume IV of History of Ohio, by Charles B. Galbreath, available in the section of genealogical books at the Sandusky Library. (Page 301-303 are devoted to the Denigs.) See Article 2 in Helen Hanson’s book At Home in Early Sandusky, for more information about the Hubbard and Denig families and their Sandusky home at the corner of Adams and Wayne Streets.

Civil War Letter from Samuel Clock

On July 23, 1861, Samuel Clock from Monroeville, Ohio wrote a letter to his cousin David Clock. Samuel, who was born James Samuel Clock, was serving as a First Lieutenant in Company G of the Ohio 24th Infantry. He was at Camp Chase at the time he wrote the letter.

Sam discussed how the troops had been reviewed by Colonel John C. Fremont and Governor Dennison. They were soon to be receiving arms and overcoats, and he was to be ready to receive orders at any time. Most of Sam’s letter dealt with matters of the heart. He was not sure if he loved Linda or not, but he had hoped to spend time with her that summer, had he not enlisted in Army. A transcription of Sam’s letter is below.

Military records from the American Civil War Soldiers database at Ancestry Library Edition indicate that that a J. Clock resigned from the 24th Ohio Infantry on October 25, 1861. However, on March 20, 1863, he enlisted as a First Lieutenant in Company L of the Third Ohio Cavalry. Near the end of the Civil War, James Samuel Clock wat wounded at Macon, Georgia. He died on July 2, 1865, after the war ended. The book, History of the Firelands, by W. W. Williams, tells us that J. Samuel Clock was the son of Samuel and Maria (Vroman) Clock of Ridgefield Township, Huron County, Ohio.

Major George P. Barker

George Putnam Barker was the son of Jacob A. and Mary (Paterson) Barker, and grandson of former Mayor of Sandusky, Zenas W. Barker. He was born in Sandusky in May of 1852, and was associated with the United States Express Company in Sandusky for over forty years. From 1915 to 1929 Mr. Barker was storekeeper at the Ohio Soldiers’ and Sailors’ Home.

During the Spanish American War, George P. Barker rose to the rank of Major. He began with Company B of the Sixteenth Infantry, and mustered out with the Sixth Infantry. For four months Major Barker held the position of military governor of the district of Santa Clara in Cuba.

On January 24, 1930 George P. Barker died as a result of heart disease. His wife, the former Alice Lyman, had predeceased him in 1925. Funeral services for Major Barker were held on January 27 at Grace Episcopal Church, and burial was at Oakland Cemetery. A military salute was fired at the grave, and taps were played. The honorary pallbearers for Major Barker were Gen. Perry Null, Dr. J.T. Haynes, Edward McCune, A.V. Brown, Roy T. Rogers, and Alva S. Humiston. Active pallbearers were members of the Spanish American War Veterans, including John Bamberl, George Schiller, A.C. Schultz, John Wunder, Thomas Schwank, and Ralph Stockdale. Obituaries for George P. Barker are found in the 1930 Obituary Notebook at Sandusky Library.

Services Held in Honor of President William Henry Harrison

Grace Episcopal Church held a special service in honor of recently-deceased President William Henry Harrison on Friday, April 23, 1841. The Order of Exercises included two Odes by the choir, as well as a choral anthem. Prayers were led by the Rev. I.A. Hart and Rev. A.W. Curtis, and the eulogy for President Harrison was give by the Rev. B.H. Hickox. William Henry Harrison was the ninth United States President, serving from March 4, 1841 to April 4, 1841, the shortest term of any American president. He died after he caught a cold that developed into pneumonia.

Before he became President, William Henry Harrison was a frontier leader who fought in several battles during the early Indian wars. He was known his victory over Shawnee chief Tecumseh at the Battle of Tippecanoe on November 7, 1811. During the War of 1812, he commanded the Army of the Northwest as Brigadier General. He became a national hero after the defeat of the combined British and Indian forces at the Battle of the Thames.

In September of 1835, Harrison was in Sandusky to officiate at the groundbreaking of the Mad River and Lake Erie Railroad.

During his presidential campaign in 1840, William Henry Harrison visited Sandusky. The ladies of Sandusky presented him with this embroidered banner in honor of the campaign.

The banner is still on display at the Follett House Museum. The story behind this banner is related on page 13 of the October 1896 issue of the Firelands Pioneer, available in the Genealogy section of the Sandusky Library.

Today few would agree with William Henry Harrison’s views on slavery and Native Americans, but in his day he was heralded as a military hero by the residents of Sandusky, Ohio.

Dr. Charles E. Stroud

Charles Edwin Stroud was born in Palmyra, New York in 1859 to Charles Taylor Stroud and Lucy Fidelia Allen Stroud. The family settled in Sandusky about 1865. Both father and son were dentists. Charles E. Stroud graduated from Sandusky High School in 1877 and from the University of Michigan in 1880. Dr. Charles E. Stroud practiced dentistry in Sandusky for almost fifty years, before he became Inspector at the Ohio Soldiers’ and Sailors’ Home.

During the Spanish American War, Charles E. Stroud served as Captain of Company B of the 6th Ohio Regiment. Dr. Stroud is seen seated in the center of the group of soldiers pictured below.

Dr. Stroud was a pioneer in the Boy Scout movement in Sandusky. He organized the fist Scout troop in the city, and serve as president of the Firelands Council from 1924 until his death in 1929.

Through the years, Dr. Charles E. Stroud was very active in community affairs of Sandusky. He served as Vice Mayor of Sandusky and was on the board of the Erie County Visitors Bureau and the Erie County Children’s Home. He frequently attended military reunions and he was held in high esteem within the Masonic fraternity. Dr. Charles E. Stroud died on October 7, 1929 at the age of 70. He was survived by his widow, the former Jennie Davis, and two sons, Ira T. Stroud of Michigan and Edgar J. Stroud of Indiana. Burial was in Oakland Cemetery.

Dr Charles E. Stroud was considered an authority on Native American relics. He bequeathed many historical artifacts and photographs to the historical room of the Sandusky Library. Now the Stroud Collection is shared between the Sandusky Library Archives Research Center and The Follett House Museum. The silk hat pictured below was worn by Dr. Stroud in the 1890’s. It was purchased from Harry E. Nason, who ran a clothing store for gentlemen on Columbus Avenue.

Charles M. Keyes, Military Historian

Charles M. Keyes was born in Peoria, Illinois on Oct. 28, 1840. His family moved to Ohio when Charles was a boy, and his father served as the keeper of the Marblehead Lighthouse from 1853 to 1858. By 1860, the family was living in Sandusky, Ohio.

During the Civil War, Charles M. Keyes was a private in the Eighth Ohio Volunteer Infantry from April through August of 1861. On September 8, 1862, Charles enlisted in Company G of the 123rd Ohio Volunteer Infantry. He was promoted to Second Lieutenant on December 8, 1863, and to First Lieutenant on February 23, 1865. He mustered out on June 12, 1865 at Camp Chase, Ohio.

In 1874, C. M. Keyes authored a book entitled The Military History of the 123rd Regiment Ohio Volunteer Army, published by the Register Steam Press in Sandusky, Ohio. (This title is available full text at the Internet Archive.)

In the preface, Mr. Keyes stated, “It is not expected that this book will be of interest to the general reader; to those only who participated in, or followed with loving eyes, its fortunes, will the dry details, which must necessarily often enter into its composition, be interesting, and without apology to the officers and men of the 123d Ohio Volunteer Infantry, this book is offered as a true record of their soldier life.”

Recruiting for Company G of the 123rd Infantry was done in Sandusky, and the majority of the soldiers in that unit were from Sandusky. Mr. Keyes tells of camp life, the sorrow of losing men in battle, and how ill soldiers were nursed back to health by kind volunteers, one of which was the sister of Stonewall Jackson. One night when the men of Company G were short of blankets, two soldiers huddled in a wagon and covered up with a bundle of hay. A stray mule soon took their makeshift coverings for himself. Letters from home were “devoured” by the soldiers. Keyes points out that many of the boys were away from home for the very first time, and with the thought of possibly never seeing home again, the letters meant a great deal to the soldiers. C. M. Keyes was imprisoned for a time at the Libby Confederate Prison. He tells of performances put on by the “Libby Burlesque Troop,” which consisted of songs, dances, and readings. While in prison, a Mr. Johnson, a fellow prisoner who was a man of color, would wash the prisoners’ clothes and provide shaves and haircuts for a small fee.

After the Civil War, Charles M. Keyes returned to Erie County. He married Emma Quimby in 1873. From 1880 through 1887, C. M. Keyes was the Postmaster of Sandusky. During the years 1896-1897, Keyes was the Erie County Auditor. He stepped into that office after the death of Thomas McFall. The last public office held by Charles M. Keyes was at the Hospital for Epileptics in Gallipolis, where he was the steward of the facility.

In 1902, Mr. and Mrs. Keyes moved from Gallipolis back to Sandusky, Ohio, where Charles was in partnership with his nephew W. L. Lewis in a grocery business. On the evening of March 3, 1902, C. M. Keyes was stricken with a heart attack, and died while taking his evening walk. A lengthy obituary for Charles M. Keyes is found in the March 5, 1902 issue of the Sandusky Register. His obituary reads in part, “Charles Mortimer Keyes has been a prominent figure in the public, political and social life of Sandusky and Erie County. He was widely known throughout the state… Colonel Keyes possessed those qualities that make abiding friendships. He was whole-souled, warm-hearted, genial, hopeful, always loved life as he found it, took a deep interest in all public matters.” The funeral for C. M. Keyes was held on March 6, 1902 at the Masonic Temple, and burial was in Oakland Cemetery.

Colonel Arthur T. Wilcox

Arthur Tappan Wilcox was born in Lorain County, Ohio on December 28, 1834. By 1860, he had moved to Sandusky, Ohio, where he was listed as a law student in the 1860 Sandusky City Directory. In 1861, Arthur T. Wilcox graduated from law school at the University of Michigan. He married Julia Morehouse in June of 1861, in Huron County, Ohio. That same year, he enlisted into military service. Arthur T. Wilcox was elected Second Lieutenant of the Seventh Ohio Volunteer Infantry, Company E. He was promoted to Captain for brave and meritorious service. Captain Wilcox participated in these battles: Cross Lanes, Virginia, where he was captured by the enemy and confined to various prisons; Dumfries, Virginia; Chancellorsville, Virginia; Gettysburg, Pennsylvania; Lookout Mountain and Missionary Ridge, Tennessee; and several battles in the state of Georgia. Wilcox mustered out of the 7th Infantry on July 6, 1864. Soon, he reenlisted and became Colonel of the 177th Ohio Volunteer Infantry. On June 24, 1865, Colonel Wilcox was mustered out with regiment at Greensboro, North Carolina.

After the war was over, Wilcox resumed his work as a civil engineer. He worked on the construction of railroads, including the Union Pacific and the Canada Southern. A publication of the University of Michigan Alumni Association reports that Arthur Tappan Wilcox contracted yellow fever while working on bridges in Central America. He died of the disease at Port Limon, Costa Rica, on October 24, 1902. A biographical sketch of Arthur T. Wilcox which appeared in the book Itinerary of the Seventh Ohio Volunteer Infantry, 1861-1864 closed with this statement about Colonel Wilcox: “He was a zealous officer and a brave man.”

In the Archives Research Center of the Sandusky Library are glass plate negatives which bear the image of Arthur T. Wilcox. These negatives were originally owned by a dentist, Dr. D. D. Smith. When Dr. Richard Widdoes bought out Dr. Smith’s practice, he gave the negatives to the historical collections of the Sandusky Library.

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.