School Children 100+ Years Ago

 

Pictured above is a group of children from classes 3-A and 4-B at Sycamore School in 1919. Most of the young people look very serious. While the students have not been identified, we know that Polly Smith is among the children in the picture. Sycamore School was built in 1876, and hosted students for more than 100 years, until the building was repurposed into apartments in 1984.

The four young men above were on the second team of the Eagles basketball team in 1920. (We don't have information about the team, but it may have been in a recreational/intramural league.) The surnames of the boys were listed on the back of the original picture. From left to right are: Meinzer, Schemenaur, Stephens, and Pusateri.

The students above were in class 3-B from Campbell School in 1919. There are 45 children in the group, but only one person has been identified. Thomas Rotsinger, the donor of the photograph, is the fourth person from the left, second row from bottom.

The Eighth Ward School, later known as Campbell School, was built in 1885 by Adam Feick and brothers and designed by J.C. Johnson. The building is now home to Nehemiah Partners of Sandusky, a nonprofit group that serves area youth.

The students above were in the first grade class at Monroe School (Ninth Ward) in 1911. The Monroe School was built in 1894 to serve the students of what was then the Ninth Ward of Sandusky.

Jay Hoehlein, Great War Veteran and Photographer

 

Jay Lawrence Hoehlein, who served as a Sergeant during World War I, was born in Sandusky, Ohio on April 16, 1889 to Lawrence and Jessie Hoehlein. (The Social Security Death Index reported his birth year as 1888.)  During his military service, he worked in the photo laboratory for the Signal Corps in Washington D.C.

Here is a picture of Jay’s fourth grade class of the Ninth Ward School (later known as Monroe School) in 1897:

He is seated directly behind the young ladies who are labeled numbers 6 and 7:

After living in Kentucky for several years, Jay and his wife Katherine moved back to Sandusky, Ohio. From 1935 until his retirement in 1979, he operated a photographic studio in Sandusky, starting out at 234 West Market Street, and later moving to Central Avenue. In the 1960’s and 1970’s, his photography studio was at 502 West Monroe Street.

On June 11, 1935, he took this picture for the Third National Exchange Bank on West Market Street in downtown Sandusky.

In the summer of 1935, he took pictures of Miss Helen Koppenhafer and Paul Mayberry, both of Norwalk, as they got married aboard the steamer Chippewa. The beautiful bride pictured below, Lucille Holtz Moosbrugger, was photographed in 1938.

An article in the July 8, 1935 issue of the Sandusky Star Journal stated that Mr. Hoehlein had the largest and most modern studio in Sandusky, and was equipped to handle all kinds of photography. The article ended with: “Hoehlein’s ideal is to render the greatest possible service at a price which will be entirely satisfactory.”   

On September 18, 1984, Jay L. Hoehlein passed away at the age of 96. He had been a member of Grace Episcopal Church and the American Legion Post 83. He was buried next to his wife, the former Katherine Horne, at Sandusky’s Oakland Cemetery.

“Midsummer Eve” at Monroe School in 1916

An article in the January 28, 1916 issue of the Sandusky Star Journal reported that every student in Monroe School was assigned to play a part in the musical, Midsummer Eve, to be performed at the auditorium of the Sandusky High School auditorium. In the play, the main character Dorothy, played by Dorothy Wiegel, visits the toy department of a large department store, and then has a dream about an imaginary land of dolls. Dorothy gets lost, and is rescued by elves. In the dream she becomes a fairy, and is involved in the Fairy Court.

A nine piece orchestra provided music for the play, under the direction of Harold Foster. George F. Anderson did the orchestration for Act Two. Many children of local Sandusky residents took part in Midsummer Eve, including the two children of James Begg, James T. Begg, Jr. and Eleanor Begg.  James T. Begg was the superintendent of Sandusky City Schools from 1913 – 1917, and served as a Representative in the United States Congress from 1919 to 1929. Elmer Frank, who played an elf in the school play, later studied music in Europe and founded the Sandusky Choral Society. The son of prominent Sandusky businessman, J.J. Dauch, Wade Dauch, also played an elf in “Midsummer Eve.”

According to Ellie Damm’s book, Treasure by the Bay, Monroe School, also known as the Ninth Ward School, was built in 1894 by George Feick, and served students in the north central section of Sandusky. Until Jackson Junior High was built, grades one through eight attended Monroe School.

Midsummer Eve was so popular at its first performance on February 29, 1916, that another performance was given on March 6. Later in the month, Monroe School students performed scenes from the play at the assembly hall of the Soldiers’ and Sailors’ Home in Sandusky, along with several patriotic musical numbers.

Fourth Grade Class at Monroe School in 1897

Mrs. Norman Scherer donated this classroom picture of the fourth grade class of Monroe School in 1897. Though not pictured, Miss Beilstein was the teacher for this class. Several of the students have been identified.

Originally known as the Ninth Ward School, Monroe School was built in 1894.

Back to School. . .

As students in our area head back to school, here is a look back at students in Sandusky and Erie County from the historical collections of the Sandusky Library Archives Research Center. In the picture below, the Sandusky High School football team can be seen on the practice field in the 1920s.

J.W. Dietz took this picture of the 1903 Sandusky High School orchestra on the steps of the old Sandusky High School.

Dr. Norbert Lange donated this class photo of the third grade class at Monroe School from about 1900. Clarence E. Thompson, who is number 38 in the picture, went on to become a doctor. He practiced medicine in Chicago for over forty years.

The students and teacher of the District 3 School in Oxford Township were photographed by commercial photographer E. H. Schlessman  in the 1910s.

Dr. Clarence E. Thompson

Pictured above is the Monroe School’s third grade class in 1900. Clarence E. Thompson is number 38, and to his right is his brother Moses Thompson. Clarence and Moses were the sons of Moses and Frances Thompson. The whole family was very active in the St. Stephen A.M.E. Church, which was close to the family home on Neil Street.
Clarence Thompson was the Athletic Editor of The Fram in 1910. He was a member of the graduating class of 1910 ½, which actually had its graduation exercises in February of 1911. During the graduating class exercises, he gave a speech entitled “The True Mission of Nations.” Graduation was held at Sidley Memorial Hall, and the central theme of the ceremony was “Peace.”
Following graduation, Clarence E. Thompson attended the University of Michigan, along with another Sandusky High School graduate, Norbert Lange. After one year of college in Michigan, he transferred to Ohio State University, where he also attended medical school. In an article in the Sandusky Register, June 12, 1919, it was said that Clarence Thompson “made strenuous efforts to accomplish his purposes in life.”

Dr. Thompson began his internship at Provident Hospital in Chicago in September of 1919. He practiced medicine in Chicago for forty seven years. After a brief illness, he passed away in Provident Hospital on April 23, 1967.