Paying Tribute to Our Veterans by Julie Mayle, Associate Curator of Manuscripts

PAYING TRIBUTE TO OUR VETERANS

by

 Julie Mayle, Associate Curator of Manuscripts
Rutherford B. Hayes Presidential Library & Museums

My interest in military veterans was sparked in 2008 while interning in the Manuscripts 

Department at the Rutherford B. Hayes Presidential Library and Museums.  I was given the opportunity to create a collection comprised of my father’s letters, photographs and other memorabilia that he had kept from his service in Vietnam with the Marine Corps.  While processing the material, I discovered a cassette tape that he recorded while stationed in the village of An Diem Hai, South Vietnam.  The recording took place almost one month after his platoon was overrun with an estimated 150 Viet Cong soldiers.  During the fight, a fellow Marine, LCpl. Miguel Keith, was mortally wounded while defending the compound.  

LCpl. Miguel Keith became the 53rd Marine to be awarded theCongressional Medal of Honor in Vietnam due to his heroic action on May 8,1970. Hearing my dad’s voice at the age of 19 and while fighting for his country, served as my inspiration to do something more.  With the help of Nan Card, Curator of Manuscripts, the Northwest Ohio Veterans’ Oral History Project was created in 2013 at the Rutherford B. Hayes Presidential Library and Museums. The purpose of the project is to collect, preserve, and make accessible the personal recollections of American war veterans through personal narratives, correspondence and visual materials. Currently, we have interviewed nearly 40 veterans for the project. 

On a more personal note, I recently had the honor of participating in the Vietnam Veterans Memorial Funds Reading of the Names at the Vietnam Wall in Washington, D.C. The Reading of the Names took place at The Wall for 65 hours over a four-day period beginning with an opening ceremony on Tuesday, November 7, 2017.  My reading time slot was scheduled for November 10^th at 4:14 p.m.  Each participant is given a group of 30 names to read and among my list was the name of Miguel Keith.  My dad rarely spoke of his war experiences during my childhood, but I know that Miguel’s name and memory are never far from his thoughts. 

To see the video go to this link:

http://www.rbhayes.org/news/2017/11/21/general/watch-hayes-staff-member-reads-service-members-names-on-vietnam-wall-in-washington-d.c./

I arrived early to deliver a personal memento from my father to Miguel’s spot on The Wall.  Somehow, knowing that in a few hours I was going to read his name aloud, gave that quiet moment special meaning.  As dusk began to fall, I took my place among the readers.  I tend to get a little nervous when speaking in public, but for some reason I was very calm.  I just had this overwhelming feeling that this was something I had to do…because it was the right thing to do.  

LCpl Miguel Keith
Medal of Honor Recipient

It was an experience that I will never forget and one that I struggle to find the right words to describe.  I’m also grateful to my husband and several family members who made the trip to Washington, D.C. in support of this experience.  Although there is no tribute that can truly match the magnitude of military service and sacrifice to this nation, it’s important for every veteran’s experience to be told. This was my small contribution to keep these names and stories alive.

  

Colonel Webb and Mary Miller Hayes with Nephews on 1916 Alaskan Journey

On July 7, 1916, Colonel Webb Hayes, accompanied by his wife Mary Miller Hayes and 18-year-old nephews Dalton Hayes and William Platt Hayes, began a 53-day journey that would extend west to Yellowstone Park, Seattle, Washington, north to the Arctic Circle, and as far south as the Mexican border. 

Most importantly, it was an opportunity for the colonel to explore Alaska and the Yukon, one of the few places he had never visited. Below are some of the photographs they took. Today they are part of the Colonel Webb C. Hayes Photograph Collection at the Hayes Presidential Library and Museums.

Colonel Webb and Mary Miller Hayes looking down on Juneau.

Learning How to Pan for Gold

Dredging Operation on Bonanza Creek

Fish Wheel Used by the Tlingit to Catch Salmon on the Yukon River

Jim Haly's Roadhouse in Fort Yukon was a Popular Gathering Place for Residents and Anyone Traveling Through the Fort Yukon Area. Haly, a French Canadian, Operated the Roadhouse from 1901 - 1918

  "White Horse"Steamship that Plied the Waters of the Yukon and Tanana Rivers from 1901 to 1930

Passengers on Board the "White Horse" with the Hayeses as They Head up the Tanana River

Colonel Webb  and Mary Miller Hayes pose at the White Pass and Yukon Route, where the Railroad was Built in 1898 During the Klondike Gold Rush. 

Tlingit Family Preparing to Bring in Salmon Nets

Ken and Vicki Juul Donate General Manning Force's Carriage Clock and Music Box

Vicki and Retired Naval Commander Ken Juul

In early October, retired Naval Commander Ken Juul and his wife Vicki visited the Hayes Library and Museums to make a special donation of items that had been carried by Ken's great grandfather General Manning Force during the Civil War.  Below are images of the French carriage clock with its leather case and the small music box. Both belonged to General Force.  We are deeply grateful to Ken and Vicki for their thoughtfulness and generosity.

In 2012, Ken and Vicki donated General Force's Civil War escutcheon. Because of the lifelong friendship that existed between General Force and President Rutherford B. Hayes, Juul felt that the Hayes Presidential Library and Museums was an appropriate repository for the escutcheon, the carriage clock, and music box. President Hayes and Lucy named their eighth child  and the only one born at Spiegel Grove for General Manning Force. 

French Carriage Clock and its Leather Case

Music Box owned by General Manning Force

General Manning Ferguson Force

Manning Force was born Dec. 17, 1824 in Washington, D.C. to Peter and Hannah Force, the fourth of ten children. He attended Harvard University and Harvard Law School. Upon graduation in 1848, he moved to Cincinnati, Ohio, and entered the practice of law. Force joined the Literary Club of Cincinnati where he met fellow lawyer Rutherford B. Hayes with whom he would form a lifelong friendship

Prior to the Civil War, Manning Force served as a member of the Burnett Rifles.
On August 26, 1861, he was appointed major of the 20th Ohio Volunteer Infantry. The following month, he was promoted to lieutenant colonel. The first battle for the 20th O.V.I. was at Fort Donelson in February 1862. Shortly after the battle of Shiloh, Force was promoted to colonel and placed in command of the regiment. During the 1863 siege of Vicksburg, he served as acting commander of the 2nd Brigade of Mortimer Leggett’s Division,17th Corps, and was then promoted to brigadier general. 

In the summer of 1864, Leggett’s Division joined William T. Sherman’s drive on Atlanta. While leading his brigade in the defense of Bald Hill, Force was struck by a Minie ball. The ball struck him on the left side of his face and exited the upper right side of his skull. Believing the wound fatal, Force was sent home to die. Instead, he recovered and rejoined Sherman’s Army, taking part in the March to the Sea. For his actions at Atlanta, Force was promoted to major general and, in 1892, awarded the Congressional Medal of Honor. Following the Civil War, he was appointed military commander of the District of Mississippi, a position he held until January 1866 when he was mustered out.

Manning Force returned to his law practice in Cincinnati, Ohio. From 1866 to 1875 he served as judge of the Hamilton County Common Pleas Court. He married Frances Dabney Horton of Pomeroy, Ohio, on May 13, 1874. They had one son, Horton Caumont Force

In 1876, Manning Force was defeated in his bid for the U.S. House of Representatives. He later joined the faculty of the Cincinnati Law School and was also elected judge of the Superior Court of Cincinnati. Suffering from overwork, Force resigned his seat on the bench. He spent time with his good friend Rutherford B. Hayes at Spiegel Grove in Fremont, Ohio. After his stay in Fremont and a month long vacation in Europe, Force returned to Cincinnati. In 1888, he was appointed Commandant of the Ohio Soldiers’ and Sailors’ Home in Sandusky, Ohio, a position he held until his death May 8, 1899.

Tour of Fremont, Ohio's Oakwood Cemetery, September 23rd

Tour of Oakwood Cemetery, Fremont, Ohio
(Note the Hayes Family Monument in the distance)

Mike Gilbert Leading the Cemetery Tour of Fremont, Ohio's Oakwood Cemetery,
sponsored by Attorney George Schrader

On Saturday, September 23rd, historian and educator Mike Gilbert of Fremont, Ohio led tours for  some 40 participants of the 2017 History Roundtable. Sponsored by Attorney George Schrader, the tour took individuals to Fremont's Oakwood Cemetery. Mr. Schrader's sponsorship made it possible for the Hayes Presidential Library and Museums to rent a trolley to navigate the cemetery. Associate Curator of Manuscripts Julie Mayle and Annual Giving and Membership Coordinator Meghan Wonderly facilitated the event

Gilbert spent many months at the cemetery and at the Hayes Presidential Library and Museums researching the lives of some of Sandusky County's prominent citizens and pioneers. Established in 1858, the cemetery originally comprised 26 acres of the James Vallette property in Ballville Twp. Gilbert found that Benjamin Munson was the first burial. He was interred October 6, 1860. Today more than 20,000 burials have been recorded by the Oakwood Cemetery Association. Each of the participants received a copy of Mr. Gilbert's research, The Final Farewell. His work was also made available to Roundtable attendees on September 30th.

The Hayes Presidential Library & Museums is grateful to Dr. Mary Wonderly for her continued sponsorship of History Roundtable with Mike Gilbert.

African American Students in Sandusky Erie County, 1854 - 1858

Above are scans of the cover and a record of students' attendance for the quarter beginning April 20th 1858 for the "Colored School" located in Erie County, Ohio. The ledger provides a record of students' attendance for the years from 1854 to 1858. Transcribed below are the names and ages of students listed on the above scan (April 20th 1858). Some names (not all) listed on this page appear as students for all all four years. Only a single teacher's name is given - E. Hastings. From the Sandusky Directory, the teacher of the "Colored School" was given as Eliza Hastings.

The ledger identifies the number of days attended by each student. Rather than quarters, classes seem to have begun each year in late April and continued through June. Classes then resumed once more in late August or September and continued through December.

According to A History of Sandusky and Erie County, written by the late Charles E. Frohman, "small schools for Negro children had been maintained at irregular intervals by Negro directors, but in 1853, at the request of the Negro people, these schools were transferred to the city Board of Education. In 1861 they were discontinued by the Superintendent of Schools, and the Negro students attended classes in the regular school system." Considering the dates of the attendance ledger, it appears this record was kept after the school was transferred to the Board of Education.

No information is given in the ledger as to the location of the school, but with much assistance from Dorene Paul, Reference Librarian at the Sandusky Library and her Sandusky History blog, it seems logical that the school was located near Neil Street in Sandusky, not far from the St. Stephen AME Church at 312 Neil Street. From 1873 to 1876. Reverend Thomas Holland Boston, born in Maryland in 1809, served as minister of the St. Stephen A.M.E. Church and lived on Hancock Street. Reverend Boston's three daughters by his second marriage appear on the attendance register. 



April 20th, 1858
Teacher, Miss E. Hastings



Susan Boston, 14
Sarah Boston, 10
Georgianna Boston, 7
Adaline Veecher, 12
Hannah Veecher, 7
Margaret Veecher, 10
Arminda Moss, 9
Sarah J. Johnson, 9
Lucinda Smith, 9
Antonette Smith, 11
Josephine Holley, 10
Cynthia Payne, 9
Rhoda Payne, 7
Fidelia Anderson, 15

Elijah Brown, 13
Arthur Harris, 9
Elijah Moss, 7
Thomas Holley, 12
Mark Holley, 7
Van Vector Harris (?), 11
Edward Veecher, 5
Edward Smith, 6
William Holley, 5
George Payne, 10
George Harris, 5
James Williams, 12
Gus Wingfield (?), 7
Edward Gleason, 10
James Smith, 8
John Anderson, 7
Robert Smith, 6

Neil and Hancock streets appear in the lower left hand corner a block north of the Fair Grounds. 
1874 Erie County, Ohio Atlas

Probable Location of First Settlement of African Americans in Erie County, Ohio
1874 Erie County, Ohio Atlas

According to an article by A. W. Hendry titled "History of a Vanished Settlement" appearing in the July 1878 issue of the Firelands Pioneer, African Americans had arrived in the area  before 1838. Known locally as "Africa" because of the African American settlement, Hendry described its location as "then about two miles from the city, in a southeasterly direction, and across Pipe Creek." Hendry believed that by 1843, more than 100 individuals resided at the settlement. This settlement no longer existed by the 1850s. 

MIKE GILBERT'S POPULAR HISTORY ROUNDTABLE BEGINS SEPT. 16TH !!

Educator and Local Historian Mike Gilbert’s popular series, History Roundtable, returns this fall! We are grateful to Dr. Mary Wonderly for once again making the sessions possible. Gilbert will offer six sessions on Saturdays Sept. 16 through Oct. 28 with the exception of Oct. 7. Pre-register with Nan Card or Julie Mayle by calling 419-332-2081

x 239.

All sessions except for the Sept. 23^rd Oakwood Trolley tours will take place in the Museum auditorium from 10. A.M. to 11:30 A.M. The cost is $5.00 for each session or $25 for all five sessions. THE OAKWOOD TROLLEY TOURS SPONSORED BY GEORGE SCHRADER ARE SOLD OUT.

Sept. 16 Facts, Myths and Legends: Learn about the known and unknown history of Sandusky County as Gilbert explores facts, urban legends and myths of the area. Help unravel stories from the past that have generated local and national interest.

Sept. 23 Oakwood Cemetery Trolley Tours: SOLD OUT!

Sept. 30 Hangouts: Mike will discuss the hot spots of local youth from the founding of the county to participants’ own high school days.

Oct. 7 NO SESSION SCHEDULED!

Oct. 14 72^nd Ohio Volunteer Infantry: The beginning of the Civil War was a tumultuous time for the men and women of Sandusky County. Discover how the soldiers of the 72^nd brought a sense of pride to their hometown as they fought their way through Shiloh and Vicksburg. Relive their agony at Brice’s Crossroads and Andersonville Prison as they made the long march back home.

Oct. 21 Native Americans: Sandusky County has a rich tradition concerning Native Americans in the area. Learn about the history of the tribes and the shaping of the community. Hear the stories of Chief Tarhe, Peggy Fleming, James Whittaker and others.

Oct.28 Ghost Stories: Mike brings back one of his most popular presentations. Just in time for Halloween, he will share local, state and national hauntings. 

S/Sgt. Charles Holcomb, Jr. B-24 Nose Gunner During WWII

Crew of the WWII B-24 Bomber

L to R standing) Lt. W.J. Toczko, co-pilot; Lt. E.H. Patterson, pilot; Lt. K.W. Verhagne, navigator; Lt. Doug Reid, bombardier

(Kneeling) T/Sgt. H. Dodd, engineer; Sgt. Web Brown, gunner; S/Sgt. Serradell, w/gunner; S/Sgt. Higgs, tail gunner; S/Sgt. Edgar, radio; S/Sgt. Holcomb, nose gunner 

S/Sgt. Charles Holcomb, Jr. of Helena, Ohio enlisted in the Army Air Corps in 1942. After completing his training, Holcomb was assigned to the 389^th Bomb Group as the nose gunner aboard a B-24 bomber.  He completed 17 successful missions before being shot down near Berlin, Germany on June 21, 1944.  Charles was captured that day and became a prisoner of war until April 29, 1945.  

Pictured below is the hat that he knitted prior to a forced march in the winter of 1945 from the Stalag Luft IV prison camp located in Pomerania, near the hamlet of Gross tychow.  Mr. Holcomb recalled watching a fellow POW knit the hat after they had only received coats from the Red Cross. His comrade eventually taught him how to knit his own cap.

Cap knitted by Sgt. Charles Holcomb, Jr. while a prisoner of war during the winter of 1945 at Stalag Luft IV.

The B-24 was produced in greater numbers than any other bomber in aviation history. In all, five plants built 19, 256 Liberators between May 1941 and the end of WWII in 1945. The Ford Motor Company built 6,792 at its Willow Run plant in Michigan. 

By the end of the war in Europe, 3,800 B-24s had become part of the Eighth Air Force. A third of these were lost in action over enemy territory.