Rev. George H. Peeke

George Hewson Peeke was born on March 18, 1833 in Rotterdam, New York. He graduated from Rutgers College in 1857, and from the Reformed Dutch Theologial Seminary in 1860. Rev. Peeke’s active years of ministry spanned fifty-five years. He served as the minister of churches in New York, New Jersey, Illinois, Iowa, and Ohio. From 1883 until 1890, he was the pastor of the First Congregational Church in Sandusky, Ohio. Rev. Peeke was the first clergyman in Sandusky to advocate prohibition of liquor. 

In 1884, Rev. Peeke was selected to be the speaker at Sandusky’s Memorial Day ceremony at Oakland Cemetery. The Sandusky Library Archives Research Center has a small collection of documents from Rev. Peeke's life's work, including life memberships in the American Bible Society, American Tract Society, and the American Home Missionary Society. When Rev. Peeke left the Sandusky Congregational Church, he went on to serve as the minister of the Congregational Church in Brooklyn, Ohio. He often came back to Sandusky to officiate at funerals, and speak at local churches.

Rev. Peeke and his wife Margaret Bloodgood Peeke had six children; their eldest son, Hewson L. Peeke, was a well known attorney and local historian in Sandusky.  

On December 28, 1915, Rev. George H. Peeke died after suffering a stroke.  Funeral services were held at the home of his son, attorney Hewson L. Peeke. The three pastors who officiated at the funeral services were: Rev. Keller of the Presbyterian Church, Rev. Ross Sanderson of the First Congregational Church, and Rev. Hilberry of Trinity Methodist Church. Burial was in Sandusky’s Oakland Cemetery. A lengthy obituary appeared in the December 29, 1915 issue of the Sandusky Register.

The Three Sons of Mr. and Mrs. John Rieger

Pictured above are the three sons of John L. and Mary (Biehl) Rieger, in a photograph taken by C.W. Platt. Standing is Edward F. Rieger, born in 1882. Seated on the left is Walter Rieger, born in 1883. Youngest son Pierre Rieger, who was born in 1886, is seated in the chair. John Rieger was a pioneer resident of Sandusky. He had a shoe business on Hancock Street in the 1870s and he founded the Hotel Rieger in 1912. 

Another picture of the boys was taken at a later date. 

You can see that same portrait of the young Rieger boys in the family’s parlor in the picture below.

Edward F. Rieger died in an accidental fall from the fourth floor of the Hotel Rieger in 1921, when he was only 39 years old. Pierre Rieger died after a brief illness on January 30, 1951. Both Edward and Pierre Rieger were involved in the management of the Hotel Rieger. Dr. Walter H. Rieger graduated from the University of Michigan as a medical doctor in 1906. Dr. Rieger was the house surgeon at the Manhattan Eye and Ear Infirmary in New York, and he was the visiting otolaryngologist at Fairview Park Hospital and St. Vincent’s Charity Hospital in Cleveland, Ohio; he was the last surviving member of his family at the time of his death on June 27, 1951. Mr. and Mrs. John Rieger and all their sons are buried in Block 94 of Oakland Cemetery. The Hotel Rieger, which played an important role in the lives of so many members of the Rieger family, is pictured below in 1927.

Victor S. Malinovsky, Coach and Educator

Victor S. Malinovsky was born in 1917 to Mr. and Mrs. Simon Malinovsky, who were both natives of Czechoslovakia. He grew up in Lorain County, Ohio. Victor, known often as “Vic,” was a graduate of Ohio Wesleyan University, where he played on the football team. He earned his Master’s Degree from Western Reserve University. During World War II, he earned the Purple Heart as a result of his service with the U.S. Marines in the Solomon Islands. 

During the academic year of 1945-1946, Vic Malinovsky was the head basketball coach of Sandusky High School. In his first year of coaching the basketball team, their record was 17 wins and 5 losses. Below is a picture of Coach Malinovsky and the varsity basketball team from the 1945-46 school year.

An article in the Toledo Blade of April 14, 1947 reported that Victor Malinovsky became the head coach of both Sandusky High School’s football and basketball teams, but in March of 1948, he resigned as head football coach to devote his time to coaching the basketball team. He coached basketball through the 1951-1952 school year. In 1952, Mr. Malinovsky taught Social Studies and was Sandusky High’s Athletic Director. By his last year with Sandusky, he was Assistant Principal and Athletic Director. 

At the age of 42, Vic Malinovsky died on July 1, 1959, following a lengthy battle with cancer. Sandusky High School’s Victor Malinovsky Award is presented annually to a senior boy who has demonstrated academic excellence, athletic prowess, citizenship sensitivity, leadership, and character. The 1960 Sandusky High School, the Fram, was dedicated to the memory of Victor S. Malinovsky.

Women’s Gym Class in the 1930s

 

In the 1930s, Gladys A. Hoffman taught a Women’s Gym Class at the Sandusky High School gymnasium (now Adams Junior High School.) Sponsored by the Sandusky Business Women’s Club, the classes included instruction in exercises, folk dances, games elementary clogging, apparatus work and rhythm.

Happy Halloween!

Several Sandusky residents attended a costume party in the first quarter of the twentieth century. Clowns, waiters, and chefs are among the costumed guests and a variety of festive hats and balloons can be seen in the picture postcard.

First row, August Kuebeler, Mrs. Russell Ramsey, Mrs. John Mack, Mrs. R.M. Taylor, Mrs. Clifford King, Mrs. Ira Krupp, Clifford King, Mrs. Merritt Wilcox

Second row: Mrs. Phil Beery, Phil Beery, Mrs. August Kuebeler, Mrs. Watson Butler, George Beis, Watson Butler, Curtis Brewer, William Kerber, Mrs. Thomas Sloane, Herbert Textor, Fred Harten, Harry Dunn, Carey Hord, Mrs. Curtis Brewer, Merritt Wilcox, Ira Krupp

Top row: Mrs. Brown, Mrs. George Feick, George Feick, Doris Marquart, Mrs. Percy Staples, Natalie Marquart, Gladys Rife, Homer Neill, Mrs. John Britton, Mrs. Harry Dunn and Mary Vietmeier

 

The Sandusky Store Fixture Company

From about 1898 to 1903, the Sandusky Store Fixture Company did business in Sandusky, Ohio. It was the successor to the Sandusky Handle Company, and was located opposite the Lake Shore Railway Depot. 

An article in the August 8, 1898 issue of the Sandusky Star stated that the Sandusky Store Fixture Company had “the best wood, and the biggest load, for the best money.” In October of 1899 the company installed two new bowling alleys for Finley & Greisheimer, a Sandusky saloon on West Market Street. The alleys were regulation size, and made from the best quality maple wood. The company manufactured fixtures for banks, offices, drugstores, bowling alleys, and other businesses. 

For five years, C.A. Muelhauser, an expert in cabinet making, was a superintendent with the company. A.G. Baumeister was manager, and Nicholas Heinz and Otto Baumeister were listed as employees. The front page of the Sandusky Register of March 30, 1963 featured an article which reported that Bellevue veterinarian had recently had two saloon tables refinished, one of which had a label that was clearly inscribed with the words Sandusky Store Fixture Company. 

Marriage of of Tella Axline and Claude B. DeWitt

In the spring of 1901, Mr. and Mrs. Henry Augustus Axline sent out a wedding invitation for their daughter Tella Maude Axline, who was to marry Claude Bennett DeWitt, a lawyer from Sandusky. The wedding took place on Thursday evening, April 25, 1901, at the Axline residence in Columbus, Ohio. Henry A. Axline was known as the “Father of the National Guard in Ohio.”

From about 1902 to 1922, Mr. and Mrs. Claude B. DeWitt lived in Sandusky, Ohio, where he served for several years as a bankruptcy referee. He was also associated with the local law firm of Dewitt & Savord for a time. During World War I, he served as an induction officer. The image below appeared in the Honor Roll of Ohio, a reference book which features biographies and photographs of Erie County Veterans of the First World War.

Unfortunately, the marriage did not last. By the 1930’s Claude DeWitt had moved to Howard County, Iowa, where he remarried. Mrs. Tella DeWitt passed away in Columbus, Ohio on October 31, 1959. The only child of Claude and Tella DeWitt, whose name was Axline Claude DeWitt, moved to Wheeling, West Virginia, where he became president of the Dunning Coal Company

Research Resource: Record of Discharge of Civil War Soldiers

The Sandusky Library Archives Research Center has microfilmed copies of the discharge records of Erie County Civil War soldiers. These records were originally filed at the Erie County Recorder’s Office. An index which lists the soldiers’ names alphabetically by surname aids in locating each soldier’s information.

Thomas McFall, a private with Company B in the 145th Regiment of the Ohio National Guard was discharged on August 24, 1864 at Camp Chase, Ohio.

Alexander Hornig served as a private under Captain Harvey E. Proctor in Company D of the 41^st Ohio Volunteer Infantry. He was discharged at Pulaski, Tennessee on December 2, 1864. Pvt. Hornig’s discharge record listed his place of birth as Germany. A physical description is also provided, stating that he was 20 years old and 5 feet 5 inches tall. He had a light complexion, blue eyes, and brown hair, and his occupation was marble cutter.

Christian Stubig was discharged at Johnson’s Island on February 28, 1865. He had served with the 128^th Ohio Volunteer Infantry.  He was a native of Germany, and his occupation was shoemaker.

Elijah Brown was with Company I of the Massachusetts 55^th Infantry, comprised of African Americans. (At that time, Ohio did not allow African American men into military service, although the policy changed shortly after, but only for the remainder of the war. It was not until 1870 that black men were allowed to serve in Ohio state militias.) He was discharged at Charleston, South Carolina on August 29, 1865. Mr. Brown was eighteen years old, having been born in Sandusky, Ohio. His occupation was farmer. Elijah Brown’s military unit was led by Captain George T. Garrison, brother of well known abolitionist William Lloyd Garrison.

By browsing through these government records, a great deal of personal information can be learned about the men who served in the Civil War. Visit the Sandusky Library Archives Research to view these military discharge records. Several book sources and online databases available at Sandusky Library can also aid in the research of Civil War soldiers.

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.

"All Aboard For Peters’ Restaurant"

 

From about 1873 to 1890, George Peters operated a restaurant and billiard parlor in the 600 block of Water Street in downtown Sandusky, Ohio (probably where the empty lot on the 100 block of East Water Street is today). He stated in an advertisement in the 1888 Sandusky City Directory that “meals were served to order at all hours of the day or night.”  Wine and beer were served in the saloon, and there was a private parlor for ladies. Women were allowed to patronize the business, but they weren't allowed to work there! 

The Sandusky city ordinances of the time prohibited women from working in a business that served alcohol unless they were the wife or daughter of the owner.

And if a woman did happen to work in a saloon, young men (under 21) were not allowed to engage in conversation with her, to help preserve "order" in the community. Rules were different in those days.

George Peters was a native of Germany. During the Civil War he served as a private in Company B of the 145^th Ohio Volunteer Infantry. In the early part of the twentieth century, he moved to Norwalk, Ohio. After his death in 1909, he was laid to rest in Sandusky’s Oakland Cemetery.