William F. Schoenemann was born in Westphalia, Germany in 1851. He came to the United States in 1870, and soon settled in Sandusky, Ohio. As a young man, William worked for Klotz and Kromer’s machine works. After briefly working in the grocery business with Frank Herberlein, William F. Schoenemann operated his own grocery store on Market Street from the late 1870s to the 1890s. In 1896, he was also associated with Hans Paysen in the fish business. By 1900, William F. Schoenemann was an agent for Fleischmann & Company’s Pressed Yeast. Records at Erie County Probate Court indicate that William F. Schoenemann married Louisa Biglin on September 21, 1877.

Mr. and Mrs. Schoenemann had a large family of seven children.  William F. Schoenemann died at the age of 51 on December 21, 1902, after suffering a stroke. An obituary for Mr. Schoenemann, which appeared in the December 22, 1902 issue of the Sandusky Register, stated that the news of his death brought much regret. He was “well known, beloved, and highly respected by all who knew him.”  Besides his many business ventures, Mr. Schoenemann had been a director of the Wagner Lake Ice and Coal Company, the Erie County Investment Company, and the Citizens Banking and Trust Company, and was a member of the Ogontz Lodge of the I.O.O.F. He was survived by two sons and five daughters.  Mrs. Louise Biglin Schoenemann (sometimes spelled Schoeneman) died on April 4, 1953 at the age of 95. At the time of her death, Mrs. Schoenemann had been the oldest living member of Zion Lutheran Church. Her obituary appeared in the April 6, 1953 issue of the Sandusky Register Star News.

James Woolworth, Manufacturer

James Woolworth was born on May 4, 1824 in Westfield, Massachusetts to Chester and Chloe (Lewis) Woolworth. He came to Sandusky in 1852, and in 1854 he founded the Woolworth Handle Works, manufacturing handles for axes and other tools. An article from volume 11 of Wood Craft said about James Woolworth: “His business was well managed and he was very successful. In a few years the name of James Woolworth was known in all the handle markets of the world. He managed his business with great ability and he undoubtedly was the most active and progressive and largest manufacturer during his active connection with the business.”  For several years, James Woolworth’s brother Chester Woolworth was also associated with the Woolworth handle factory.

During the Civil War, the demand for handles increased and prices increased as well. James and Chester Woolworth paid careful attention to business, and the profits for the company were great. After the war, however, on October 18, 1872, the Woolworth Handle Works was destroyed by fire. A lengthy article in the June 26, 1873 issue of the Sandusky Register described the new factory, which had been rebuilt.  The article reported that the new Woolworth Handle Works factory was “an imposing substantial three story stone structure, with a slate roof and iron cornice and as far as possible proof against the fiery element.” The main part of the factory was 175 by 41 feet, and 35 feet in height. The machine shop was in a separate building. Twenty-five saws were constantly in use, manufacturing wooden implements. A three foot gauge railway connected the machine shop to the south side of the building, and to  the dock fronts on the north. Wood scraps from the factory were deposited in a wood yard, and delivered to various locations in Sandusky for use as fuel. Between the local Woolworth factory and the branch operation in Mound City, Illinois, the company employed 110 men in 1873. The Register article concluded by saying that, “the enterprise manifested by Mr. Woolworth under the recent difficulties is commendable and establishes the reputation he has always sustained as thorough business man and worthy citizen.”

In 1884 the Woolworth Handle Works was consolidated with the Turner & Day Company of Louisville, Kentucky, but James Woolworth continued to operate the plant at Sandusky as a branch.By 1886, however, the Woolworth Handle Works was no longer in operation in Sandusky. This Sanborn Fire Insurance Map shows the location of the former  factory along Sandusky’s waterfront.

There is a connection with the James Woolworth family and the Sandusky Library. In 1898, Mr. and Mrs. James Woolworth sold their home on Adams Street to the Library Association of Sandusky, as the future site of the Carnegie Library. Mrs. Woolworth presented a large bookcase to the library, and it is still in use in the Quiet Reading Room of the Sandusky Library. Mrs. Woolworth’s donation of the ornately carved bookcase represents the beginning of the Sandusky Library’s local history collection. Mrs. Woolworth was a member of the early board of the Library Association of Sandusky.

Stop by the quiet reading room at the Sandusky Library to see the ornately carved bookcase donated by Mrs. Woolworth.

Rev. John G. Ensslin

According to his death certificate, John George Ensslin was born in Bopfingen, Germany on September 9, 1840 to Casper and Mary Ensslin. Rev. Ensslin’s surname was spelled many different ways through the years, including Enszlin, Enslin, and Ennslin. After studying for six years at the Mission Institute at Basil, Switzerland, John G. Ensslin was ordained in 1868. In that same year Rev. Ensslin emigrated to the United States. After serving as a minister at two different churches in Michigan, Rev. Ensslin began his ministry at Sandusky’s Emmanuel Church on May 1, 1876.

Rev. Ensslin served as the pastor at Emmanuel Church for over thirty five years, officiating at many baptisms, funerals, weddings, and confirmations. Due to declining health, he resigned from active ministry in January of 1912. At that time he was the oldest active member of the clergy in Sandusky, Ohio. For eleven years, Rev. Ensslin also had charge of St. John’s Evangelical Church in Oxford Township. On January 6, 1914, Rev. John G. Ensslin died at his Jackson Street home in Sandusky. He was survived by three daughters and three sons. Mrs. Ensslin had predeceased him in 1910. Funeral services for Rev. Ensslin were held on Friday, January 9, 1914, at Emmanuel Church, under the direction of Rev. Theo. Eisen. Several clergymen from other cities were also in attendance. Burial was at Sandusky’s Oakland Cemetery. 

Murschel Family Home on Columbus Avenue

According to listings in Sandusky City Directories, this lovely Queen Anne home at 615 Columbus Avenue was the home of the William Y. Murschel family. Members of the Murschel family lived at this residence from 1900 through the 1980s. This photograph was taken by L.C. Sartorius, a photographer in Sandusky in the late 1890s. Mr. Sartorius lived not far from the Murschel family on East Park Street. William Y. Murschel is most likely the gentleman seated in the chair on the porch.  William Y. Murschel, along with his father Jacob, built the Murschel House, a popular hotel opposite the New York Central depot for many decades. William Y. Murschel died on March 21, 1926. Mrs. Elizabeth Murschel passed away in 1946. Children of Mr. and Mrs. Murschel continued to reside at this home for several years.

Family Portrait of the Ramsdell and Linn Families

In about 1910, a photograph of the Ramsdell and Linn families was taken by Sandusky photographer Edward H. Schlessman in Bloomingville, Ohio. The elderly man in the center of the picture is Horace Valentine Ramsdell. Horace V. Ramsdell was born in Bloomingville in 1842, one of twelve children born to Horace and Sarah Ramsdell. During the Civil War, Horace V. Ramsdell enlisted in Company G of the 101^st Ohio Volunteer Infantry when he was only nineteen years old. He was severely injured at the Battle of Stones River. He was shot twice on December 31, 1861. When the ambulance picked him up, the army surgeons thought he would never survive his wounds. After two months of nursing care, Horace did recover from his war injuries, though it took him a full year to completely recover. 

After the war, Horace V. Ramsdell took charge of the family farm in Oxford Township. For a brief time he worked in the fishing business, and went mining in the Black Hills district in the 1870s, but soon he returned home. Horace V. Ramsdell and his wife, the former Alma Louise Bardwell, were the parents of four children, one who died young. A biographical sketch about him is found in Hewson L. Peeke’s A Standard History of Erie County, Ohio. Mr. Peeke wrote: “A life that was significant of sturdy character, upright manhood, long-continued industry, patriotic service during the period which insured the integrity of the Union, and lasting esteem from family, friends and neighbors, was lived by the late Horace Valentine Ramsdell in Oxford Township.” On January 17, 1914, Horace V. Ramsdell died from heart failure. He was buried in the Bloomingville Cemetery. Mr. Ramsdell was survived by his wife, two daughters, one son, a brother and sister, and seven grandchildren.

Several family photographs from the Ramsdell and Linn families were bequeathed to the Sandusky Library by descendants of Horatio V. Ramsdell.

Testimonial Dinner in Honor of Jesse P. White in 1939

A testimonial dinner in honor of Jesse P. White was held at Jackson Junior High School in Sandusky on December 28, 1939. The photograph pictured above was taken by Mound Photographers of Sandusky. Mr. White retired from the Metropolitan Life Insurance Company in 1939, after having served for 25 years as the area’s district manager. Nearly 200 individuals attended the dinner, including guests from the home office of Metropolitan Life Insurance.  Walter Shepherd served as toastmaster of the dinner. He paid high tribute to Jesse P. White, and presented him with a diamond medal of honor. Company officials considered Mr. White to be one the outstanding managers in the company. After his retirement, Jesse P. White devoted his interests to civic activities. During World War II, Mr. White served as co-chairman of five wartime savings bond drives. He passed away on March 29, 1950. He was survived by his wife of fifty years, the former Chloe Herron, two sons, and two daughters. Funeral services for Mr. White were held at the Lutz Funeral Home with the Rev. C.L. Alspach officiating, and burial was at Oakland Cemetery.

During the 1920s through the 1940s, Jackson Junior High School served as a community center in Sandusky. Though the tables were decorated nicely, plants were placed around the gymnasium, the lines used for playing basketball are clearly visible on the floor.

Christmas Dinner for Company G, Twelfth Ammunition Train, during the Great War

During World War I, Company G of the Twelfth Ammunition Train had a lovely Christmas dinner at Camp McClellan in Alabama. Most likely, this event took place during the holiday season of 1918.

Listed in the Roster of Company G, Twelfth Ammunition Train are two young men from Erie County. Elson W. Kent was a Sergeant, and Jay R. Platte was Private, First Class.

 

Visit the Sandusky Library to view the Erie County Honor Roll, which provides photographs, military assignments, and the many activities with took place on the home front in Sandusky and Erie County during World War One.

Sandusky Themed Christmas Cards Created by Eileen Detlefsen

In time for the holiday season of 1966, Eileen Detlefsen created several original Christmas cards using the linoleum block print technique. “Old Sandusky” was the theme of these cards. Notes inside the card which depicted the Follett House on the cover stated that the residence of pioneer Sandusky resident Oran Follett was once the scene of many social festivities in early Sandusky.

Inside the Christmas card which featured the Sandusky harbor, Mrs. Detlefsen pointed out that in 1848 Sandusky was larger than Cleveland. In those days many sailing ships visited the Sandusky harbor.

For many years the West House, pictured above in another of “Eileen’s Originals,” was known as one of the best hotels between New York and Chicago. The popular hotel, in operation in Sandusky from the 1850s until the 1910s, was host to many notable visitors through the years.

On the inside of each Christmas card is provided an account of Christmas in Sandusky from 1824, as was described by historian Hewson L. Peeke. (Some of the account might be more legendary than historical.)

 Visit the Sandusky Archives Research Center to view these unique Christmas cards created by Eileen Detlefsen, as well as an article about the cards from the December 12, 1966 issue of the RFD News.  Eileen, along with her husband Harold Detlefsen, were the founders of the RFD News in 1958.

Christmas in Sandusky in 1950

A series of pictures featuring holiday decorations in Sandusky’s Washington Park in 1950 is found in the historical collections of the Sandusky Library Archives Research Center. The Industrial Nut Corporation sponsored this Santa Claus decoration.      

A large group of singing carolers is seen here in front of faux stained glass windows.

Hinde and Dauch sponsored this candy cane display.

Rudolph and a sleigh full of gifts were sponsored by the Lyman Boat Company.

You can see the Ohio Edison office in the Odd Fellows building behind this large candle display in Washington Park.

The New Departure Division of General Motors sponsored this display of singers.

 Looking through microfilmed issues of the Sandusky Register Star News from 1950, we learn that at the Sears store in downtown Sandusky, shoppers could purchase a recording of their child’s conversation with the store’s Santa Claus. An ad from Cooper Chevrolet on Cleveland Avenue stated that the new 1951 Chevrolet was “America’s largest and finest low-priced car.” The Jaycees encouraged everyone to put a light in every window for the holiday season. Bing’s Furniture sold a wide variety of small and large appliances for the holiday season. The Frankel’s store offered a lay-away service, offering to “keep secrets safe” until the week of Christmas, and the J.C. Penney store in downtown Sandusky was selling men’s bomber jackets for $8.90. Herman’s Furniture advertised Lane hope chests for “a gift that starts the home.”  

Living Santa Claus at the Bazar

An advertisement from the December 14, 1900 issue of the Sandusky Register invites area residents to “Come and Visit with the Living Santa Claus” at the Bazar. Santa assisted shoppers make their selections at this popular dry goods store located at 615 and 617 Market Street at the turn of the twentieth century. Prices for dolls ranged from five cents to ten dollars. Circular railways sold for $1.25 to $5.00. Other items for sale for Christmas at the Bazar included books, Bibles, games, blocks, magic lanterns, desks, blackboards, and magic lanterns.