Colonel Webb C. Hayes during World War I

Colonel Webb C. Hayes, second son of President Rutherford B. Hayes, is pictured here(fourth from the left) with Italian aviators at the airport in Italy's Padua province in December 1917. Webb served as a special agent for the State Department until the French government’s withdrawal from Paris. Commissioned a full colonel when the United States entered the war, Hayes was sent to the Italian front where he served as a regional commander of the American Expeditionary Force. 

Mt. Hood: View from St. Helen's Hall in Portland, Oregon

This small painting, titled "View from St. Helen's Hall, Portland, Oregon" is dated October 1880. The artist is unknown. It is believed that during President Rutherford B. Hayes' Western Trip, he acquired the painting as a souvenir. St. Helen's Hall was the oldest Episcopal school  founded west of the Rockies. Built in 1869, the school was initially located at 4th and Madison, the present site of Portland's city hall. 

Christmas Greetings from the Victorian Era

Merry Christmas! Below are just a few Christmas greeting cards and post cards from the late Victorian era and the turn of the 20th Century. They are part of the Hayes Presidential Library and Museums Collection. Most were sent to or received by Sandusky County, Ohio friends and family.

Best wishes for a joyous Holiday Season!

Colonel George Croghan Chapter of the Daughters of the American Revolution

Colonel George Croghan Chapter of the Daughters of the American Revolution

 Fremont, Ohio 

Back row: lt to rt

Sue Jonke, Ann Klafter, Rosemary Titkemeier- former regent, Nancy Whipple, Betty Deitzel

Third row:

Carol Moore, Lynne Russell, Pat Forsthye, Kerry Fenn, ary Robinson

Second row:

Anita Gribble, Rose Booth-Motter, Deb Huffman, LuLu Damschroder, June Chapin

Front row:

Sandy Zenser, Nancy Willis- Chp Regent, Jan Yeckley

On November 17th members of the Colonel George Croghan Chapter of the Daughters of the American Revolution of Fremont, Ohio celebrated the 115th anniversary of the organization's founding. Below is a list of the chapter's charter members. 

Date of Charter:  February 2, 1901    Organized: November 17, 1900 by

Miss Julia M. Haynes

A member of the National Society, who was appointed Organizing Regent for Fremont by the State Regent, Mrs. John A. Murphy

Charter Members

Mrs. Fannny Hayes Smith

Miss Julia M. Haynes

Mrs. Elsie Moe Shaw

Miss Minnie Louise Failing

Mrs. Harriet Amsden Gast

Mrs. Maude Edgerton Garvin

Mrs. Harriet Edgerton Kinney

Mrs. Mary Colby Norton

Mrs. May Harris Dorr

Miss Lucy Elliot Keeler

Mrs. Jeanette Amsden Lang

Miss Estelle Avery Sharpe

Mrs. Mary Miller Brinkerhoff Hayes

Mrs. Anzeletta Willard Hoot
Mrs. Anna Rose Greene Baumann

During its founding year, the following individuals became members, making for a vibrant group of community ladies ready to preserve their country's heritage in Sandusky County, Ohio.

1901 Members 

Bearce, Elizabeth Faulkner

Bowlus, Lora E. Cox

Brown, Athenia Sharpe

Brown, Gertrude Gessner

Cox, Emma Bailey

Dickinson, Mary Katherine Pugh

Elliot, Kate Baird

Gessner, Corolen Elizabeth Lawton

Greene, Emma Elsie Shaw

Little, Alvira Hall

Loveland, Harriet Newell

Mitchell, Blanche Adua Moore

Mitchell, Esther Kent

Moore, Elta B.

Otis, Esther Louise

Phillips, Marguerite Dickinson

Rafferty, Effie Dickenson

Rice, Lizzie Wilson

Sherwood, Susan Lewis

Siegfried, Clara Elizabeth

Smith, Katherine S.

West, Mary Wilder

Zimmerman, Angelina Truesdall

Croghan Street, Fremont, Ohio - But What and When?

This black and white print was recently donated to the Hayes Presidential Center. The undated image was taken on Fremont, Ohio's Croghan Street by Grob Studio. Uniformed men on horseback appear prominently in the photograph, but there is no indication of what the event is. If anyone knows what event is taking place and/or the date, please contact Nan Card (ncard@rbhayes.org) or reply to this post. Thank you in advance!

Who Are These WWI Soldiers??

During the 1980s, Hayes Presidential Center staff made a concerted effort to interview WWI soldiers and record their  wartime experiences. These included not only Sandusky Countians, but also others who served from Northwest Ohio. Among the files were several unidentified photographs of WWI soldiers in uniform. It seems likely they were from Sandusky County or Northwest Ohio. Can anyone identify these two young soldiers? If so, please contact Nan Card, Curator of Manuscripts, Hayes Presidential Center, Spiegel Grove, Fremont, Ohio 43420 or ncard@rbhayes.org (1/800-998-7737 x 239) 

2015 History Roundtable with Mike Gilbert Begins Saturday September 19th! Join Us!

 Register today and join the conversation this fall during the Hayes Presidential Center's
2015 History Roundtable with Mike Gilbert!

  

Everyone's favorite local educator, Mike Gilbert, returns once again with a series of six topics that touch on both our local and our national history. We begin Saturday, September 19th in the Hayes Center's auditorium at 10:00 with some great stories of the hidden history of the people and places of early Fremont! You won't want to miss it.

Call 1/800-998-7737 x 239 or 1-419-332-2081 x 239 and leave your name and phone number with Nan Card. Or send her an email at ncard@rbhayes.org. Each session is $5.00. A reservation for all six is $25.

SESSION DATES AND TOPICS  Saturday, September 19 - A Snapshot in Time: Lucy Keeler’s Main Street Saturday, September 26 - With Malice Toward None: Lincoln’s Legacy (2015 is the 150th anniversary of Lincoln’s assassination) Saturday, October 10 - The 49er’s: Boom or Bust Saturday, October 17 - Famous or Infamous: NW Ohio Events & People Saturday, October 24 - American Dynasty: The Kennedys Saturday, October 31 - Tales from the Great Black Swamp

SESSION DATES AND TOPICS 

Saturday, September 19 - A Snapshot in Time: Lucy Keeler’s Main Street

Saturday, September 26 - With Malice Toward None: Lincoln’s Legacy
(2015 is the 150th anniversary of Lincoln’s assassination)

Saturday, October 10 - The 49er’s: Boom or Bust

Saturday, October 17 - Famous or Infamous: NW Ohio Events & People

Saturday, October 24 - American Dynasty: The Kennedys

Saturday, October 31 - Tales from the Great Black Swamp

23rd Ohio Infantry's Regimental Band ca. 1862

The photograph above is from President Rutherford B. Hayes' personal collection. This albumen photograph is of his regiment's band, the 23rd Ohio Infantry. Although undated, it is thought to have been taken in 1862. The War Department authorized the formation of regimental bands in May 1861, but many were disbanded by July of 1862 under U.S. General Orders No. 91.  Some musicians formed brigade bands which were still allowed. Others joined their regiments as regular infantry combatants. 

Although President Hayes' personal photograph of the band is not dated and none of the band members are identified, recent research shows that the image was taken in Charleston, West Virginia, in 1863

Left to right, Front row: William Arthur, Edwin Arthur, John Cramer, George Smith, Theodore Belding, Alfred Arthur, William Brown, Jim Huffman
Left to right, Top row: Thad Coffin, Jim String, John Oswald, Ed Spring, Eugene Coffin,  Chris Miller, Arnold Issler

Museum and Chapter HouseTour and Wreath Laying Ceremony, Colonel George Croghan Chapter of the Daughters of the American Revolution, August 2, 2015

1946 Celebration

Mrs. Willah White Linder sings the "Battle Hymn of the Republic" on  August 2, 1946, during the Colonel George Croghan Chapter of the Daughters of the American Revolution celebration at the Minnie Louise Failing  Home, at 209 Justice Street, Fremont, Ohio.

Today the home is known as the Minnie Louise Failing Museum and Chapter House of the Colonel George Croghan  Chapter of the Daughters of the American Revolution.
Members invite the public to tour the museum and chapter house on August 2nd at 209 Justice Street, Fremont, Ohio from 1 to 3 p.m. Cookies and beverages will be served. RSVP Marie: 419-307-4100 or DARCROGHAN@aol.com

Another view of the celebration of the Colonel George Croghan Chapter of the Daughters of the American Revolution on August 2, 1946. Members look on during the dedication of the property as the official  home of the Colonel George Croghan Chapter. 

Wreath Laying Ceremony 1946

August 2, 2015 the Colonel George Croghan Chapter of the Daughters of the American Revolution will again honor Colonel George Croghan and his men who courageously defended Fort Stephenson during the War of 1812. The wreath laying ceremony will take place at Fort Stephenson Park/Birchard Public Library at 4 p.m.. 

   

Anniversary of the Death of Civil War General James B. McPherson

On this day in 1864, Clyde, Ohio native General James Birdseye McPherson was killed in the opening rounds of the Battle of Atlanta. The Society of the Army of the Tennessee dedicated this equestrian statue of their former commander at what became known as McPherson Square in Washington, D. C. located some six blocks from the White House.


The veterans unveiled the monument on October 18, 1876, the date of the society's 11th reunion.  The sculpture features McPherson on horseback, surveying a battlefield with field glasses in his right hand. In the casting of the statue, created Louis Rebisso, Confederate cannon captured at the Battle of Atlanta were used.


To learn more about the statue located over General McPherson's grave in Clyde, Ohio, go to the earlier post http://ohiosyesterdays.blogspot.com/search?q=mcpherson.

Tinker's Creek Trestle of the Lake Erie and Pittsburg Railway

 This undated photograph appears to be the crew who constructed the Tinker's Creek Trestle of the Lake Erie and Pittsburg Railway. According to an article by Railroad Historian John A. Thompson, Jr., the Lake Erie and Pittsburg was a bridge or connecting route between two major rail carriers, the New York Central and the Pennsylvania.

After the unsuccessful construction of the first route due to swampy ground near Berea, Ohio, a new route was laid out.  The line was open for service in 1911. From a point near Cuyahoga Heights, Ohio, then known as Marcy, it headed southeast and crossed three trestles the first over Mill Creek, then Brandywine Creek, and Tinker's Creek.
According to Cuyahoga Valley, published by the Cuyahoga Valley Historical Museum and the Cuyahoga Valley National Park Association, the railroad became obsolete in the late 1960s. The trestle was demolished in 1973.
 

Railroad Bridge Crew, Fremont, Ohio, 1907

The photograph above was taken by professional Fremont, Ohio photographer Elmer Whitney. He dated the photograph February 7, 1907. A search of the Fremont newspapers around this date did not reveal any articles on the subject of this railroad bridge. Was this a construction crew? or a repair crew? None of the individuals is identified.

Fraktur of Johann Gahn and wife Catherina Schmidt Gahn of Washington Twp. Sandusky County, Ohio

Above are scans of a hand painted fraktur, belonging to Beverly Wheatley of Tiffin, Ohio. The document was created as a family register in 1877, representing Johann Gahn who was born April 14, 1848. He married Catherina Schmidt November 19, 1874. Catherina was born September 25, 1858. In the second image, it reads "CONRAD GAHN! Glory to God in the highest and on earth peach to all mankind."Fraktur is both a style of lettering and a highly artistic and elaborate illuminated folk art created by Pennsylvania Germans..Most were created between 1740 and 1860.
Fraktur drawings were done entirely by hand in both ink and/or watercolors. Later, actual printed text became increasingly common. 

Most fraktur, like that created for Johann Gahn, are personal records, such as birth and baptismal certificates. They can provide genealogists with a resource for tracing family histories. 

According to the Free Library of Philadelphia,  which holds a large collection, fraktur were also used to express religious beliefs or to help schoolchildren with their studies. Fraktur artists often decorated these documents with drawings of flowers, birds, stars, and other figures. You can explore online the large variations in fraktur drawings and lettering by examining the Free Library of Philadelphia's digital collection. 

Fremont Ohio Native Louis C. Kaiser Lost His Life While Serving Aboard the WWII Submarine U.S.S. Tang

Fremont native Louis C. Kaiser who served as a motor machinist mate aboard the celebrated submarine Tang, lost his life while on the submarine's 5th patrol in the Formosa Straits. The Tang was sunk by her own defective torpedo. Thirteen men escaped from the forward torpedo room, and by the time the last made his exit, the heat from the fire was so intense that the paint on the bulkhead was scorching, melting, and running down. Only eight reached the surface, and of these but five were able to swim until rescued.

In all nine survivors were picked up by a Japanese destroyer escort. On board were victims of Tang's previous sinkings. They inflicted tortures on the men from the Tang. Captain Richard O'Kane received the worst of the clubbings and kickings. The nine suffered as prisoners of war until the end of WWII.  

USS TANG

In her five patrols, the Tang is credited with sinking 31 ships, totaling 227,800 tons and damaging two for 4,100 tons. This record is unequaled among American submarines. The loss of the Tang by her own torpedo, the last one fired on the most successful patrol ever made by a  U. S. submarine, was a stroke of singular misfortune. She is credited with having sunk 13 vessels for 107,324 tons of enemy shipping on this patrol, and her Commanding Officer Richard O'Kane was awarded the Congressional Medal of Honor.
                                             

Commander Richard O'Kane receiving the Medal of Honor from President Harry S. Truman

Colonel George Croghan Chapter Members of the Daughters of the American Revolution Researching at the Hayes Center

Members of the Colonel George Croghan Chapter of the Daughters of the American Revolution researching their ancestors in the Hayes Presidential Center Reading Room.
The chapter home, also known as The Minnie Louise Failing Museum, is the childhood home of Miss Julia M. Haynes. She was the organizing regent of the chapter. Through a bequest of Miss Minnie Louise Failing the chapter home was purchased in 1946.
.
The Colonel George Croghan Chapter Home/Minnie Louise Failing Museum is located in Fremont, Ohio. Meetings are held on the 4th Mondays of September -November and March -May.

Admiral Chester Nimitz Honored at Spiegel Grove

Before and after his presidency, Rutherford B. Hayes took great pride in the trees at his Spiegel Grove estate. Hayes began naming trees for distinguished visitors. The custom continued long after his death.
The photograph above features Admiral Chester and Mrs. Nimitz; Admiral Webb C. and Martha Baker Hayes; and then director of the Hayes Presidential Center Watt Marchman. 
Admiral and Mrs. Nimitz were the guests of Admiral and Mrs. Hayes at Spiegel Grove on September 21, 1950.

The occasion was Admiral Nimitz's dedicatory address at the celebration of the opening of the Toledo, Ohio Union Depot. Also included were Mr. Gus Metzman, President of the New York Central Railroad, and his wife. Behind Admiral Nimitz is the large oak tree named in his honor. It still stands 65 years later. You can see it just across the pathway from President Hayes' tomb.

Admiral Nimitz served as a fleet admiral of the United States Navy. He played a major role during WWII in the Pacific theater where he served as Commander in Chief U. S. Pacific Fleet (CinCPac) for U. S. Naval forces and as Commander in Chief, Pacific Ocean Areas (CinCPOA) for Allied air, land, and sea forces. He was the last surviving officer who served in the rank of fleet admiral. He died in 1966.

J. P. Moore Wagon Shop, Bidwell Avenue, Fremont, Ohio

J. P  Moore Wagon Shop, Bidwell Avenue, Fremont, Ohio

J. P. Moore (seated left holding hat) ; Charles Wensinger (with hammer on shoulder, 5th from left); George Millious (4th from right sitting); 1. Henry Hingst 2. _____ 3. Uncle Dora Moore 4. John McRauffins, woodworker 5. Charles Wensinger, blacksmith 6.Joe Hollinger, blacksmith 7. Chas. Massman (sp?) 8. Al Alford 9. Jim Rogers, blacksmith 10. Chas. Holcomb, painter 11. Jennie's Dad, Bert Moore

(The identification of the Moore employees is given as the names and information appear on the reverse of this photograph.)

According to the 1882 History of Sandusky County, Ohio, J. P. Moore was one of the most successful carriage and wagon manufacturers in Sandusky County. He began working as a blacksmith west of Fremont on the Maumee and Western Reserve Pike (U. S. Route 20). In 1851, he moved into Fremont where he set up operations that included a workshop, paint shop, and salesroom.

Marine Aviation Unit in Assault Echelon at Okinawa During WWII

The seven men pictured above were from the Northwest Ohio area and were among the first Marine Aviation men participating in the initial phases of the battle for the possession of Okinawa. Attached to a Marine Air unit, they were in the assault echelon which landed on the western coast of Okinawa, close on the heels of the infantry.  They moved inland where they set up operations on the site of the former Japanese bomber strip at Yontan Airport.

Front row (l to r): TSgt. Claude E. Snyder, 22; Pvt. Dunbar A Tietz, 25; Cpl. Arthur B. Hayes, 20

Back row (l to r): Second Lt. Edwin F. Ayers, 24; Ack. Peter Minich, 20; Donald E. Pflegharr, 21; TSgt. Carl E. Pruitt, 21

Arthur B. Hayes was the son of Admiral Webb C. Hayes II and Martha Baker Hayes and the great grandson of President Rutherford B. Hayes

This official Marine Corps photo was provided by the son of Peter Minich

Fremont, Ohio St. John's Lutheran Church Confirmation Classes: 1902 and 1904

St. John's Lutheran Church, Fremont, Ohio confirmation class photographs  (May 18,1902 above and May 22, 1904 below were shared with us by Joan Jahns, Fremont, Ohio. The tall boy in the center of the photograph is Will Jahns. Others are unknown.

Second Row, seated from the left, Nettie Jahns, sister of Will Jahns. Others are unknown.  

Hayes Presidential Center Hosts Former White House Chef John Moeller at the Catawba Island Club May 1 and 2

You don’t have to be elected President of the United States to enjoy a meal worthy of a Commander In Chief. Simply make reservations to attend one of two fundraisers benefiting Fremont’s Rutherford B. Hayes Presidential Center. In partnership with the Catawba Island Club in Port Clinton, the Hayes Presidential Center hosts former White House Chef John Moeller on Friday, May 1 and Saturday, May 2. Moeller was chef to Presidents George H.W. Bush, William J. Clinton, and George W. Bush. He not only will prepare meals that include food favorites of those presidents, but also will share details of his fascinating career with attendees of both events. Seating is limited to 125 for the Dine Like a First Lady Luncheon beginning at 11:30 a.m. May 1. The three-course luncheon costs $50 per person. Advance reservations are required. Only 100 seats are available for the Dine Like a President Dinner starting at 6:30 p.m. May 2. This five-course feast features wine pairings from Rodney Strong Vineyards, selected 2013 American Winery of the Year by “Wine Enthusiast.” After dinner, Chef Moeller speaks on the topic Cooking for the President. Cost for the dinner is $125 per person. Seating is limited to 100; advance reservations required. Both events take place in the elegant lakeside dining room of the Catawba Island Club. For reservations call Hayes Presidential Center Development Director Kathy Boukissen at 419-332-2081, ext. 226.  The Rutherford B. Hayes Presidential Center - site of the nation’s FIRST presidential library – celebrates its 100th anniversary in 2016!

Dressed for Life: First Ladies' and Red Dress Collection Exhibit Opens April 1 at the Hayes Presidential Center

One of the causes championed by former First Lady Laura Bush while in the White House was women’s heart health. She provided voice and star power to the National Institute of Health The Heart Truth ^® campaign's The Red Dress ^®fashion show in New York.

The Hayes Presidential Center picks up on that White House initiative with its newest exhibit Dressed for Life: First Ladies’ & Red Dress Collection.^® The exhibit opens April 1, 2015 and continues through January 4, 2016 and is made possible through title sponsorship from The Fremont Company . 

Nine red dresses worn by First Ladies are featured, as well as 10 dresses modeled by celebrities in past Red Dress Collection^® fashion shows. Included are dresses worn by First Ladies Nancy Reagan, Pat Nixon, Betty Ford, Caroline Harrison, Rosalynn Carter, Laura and Barbara Bush, Hillary Clinton, and Lucy Hayes. Celebrity dresses, made by top international designers, include those worn by Venus Williams, Heidi Klum, and Emmylou Harris.

In conjunction with the exhibit, the Hayes Presidential also is actively promoting heart-health awareness for all ages and sexes through a series of special programming:

• Let’s Move is a monthly children’s exercise program that begins in April and continues through December. It is sponsored by Richard Binau Insurance & Financial Services and Ohio Mutual Insurance Group .

• Walkers’ & Wagging Tails' Club kicks-off in April and is sponsored by ProMedica Memorial Hospital . Membership is free and walkers (and their pets) are challenged to walk their way to health by logging 300 miles. Those achieving the goal receive free T-shirts.

• Former White House Chef John Moeller headlines a pair of fundraising events. On May 1 & 2, he prepares a lunch and dinner at the Catawba Island Club in Port Clinton. The limited seating events are fundraisers for the Hayes Presidential Center. click here to view an event flier. (For reservations, call 419-332-2081, ext. 226.)

• Heart Disease Doesn’t Care What You Wear features speakers discussing women’s health, as well as free blood pressure checks. Dates and topics will be announced later.

• The Kids Lunch Box Series also sponsored by ProMedica Memorial Hospital aims at getting the youngest Americans started on the road to health early in life. Children learn to make healthful lunches, while sampling foods that taste good and are good for their bodies.

• First Ladies' Man an evening with Andy Och, producer of C-SPAN's "First Ladies: Influence & Image" series. Andy shares his experiences traveling across the country visiting sites important to First Ladies past and present, and numerous facts and stories that did not make it into the series. Cost $10 per person.

Mouse Island and the Hayes Family

View of Mouse Island by Platt Studios
Charles E. Frohman Collection

Cabins ca. 1912

“There is something romantic in that idea of having an island all to one’s self. Ex-President Hayes felt it years ago when his children were young, for he bought a mile or so off the [Catawba] Peninsula, a small island ” …. so wrote Henry Howe in his history of Ohio. Howe further described the island as "a very small affair, so small one might someday take a fancy to pick it up, slip it in his vest pocket as he would his watch and walk off with it.”

In 1874, then Governor Hayes purchased Lake Erie’s Mouse Island jointly with Fremont attorney Ralph Buckland and Dr. L. Q. Rawson. The private island, sometimes called Hat Island in early records, was acquired from Ira Dutcher of Catawba.

Hayes believed it would be a great spot for his family to camp, boat, swim, and especially fish (Lucy’s favorite past time). When Hayes returned to Ohio during his presidency, the family spent time on the island. In 1879, Hayes purchased Dr. Rawson’s portion of the island. And at the turn of the century, the Bucklands exchanged their portion of Mouse for land Hayes and the Bucklands owned jointly in Omaha, Nebraska.

Through the years, Hayes had numerous opportunities to sell the island, but his children and their friends continued to enjoy time spent each summer on the heavily wooded island. President Hayes’ son Birchard and his children Webb, Scott, and Walter, built two cabins, a boat house, dock, ice house, tennis court, and a hand ferry to shore. They also supplied the island with water.

The brothers worked each summer to repair damage brought on by the previous winter’s storms. But time and weather continued to take a toll on the island’s structures. With Scott’s move to Los Angeles and Admiral Webb Hayes away much of the time, there were fewer opportunities for the Hayes grandchildren to visit the island. Even though time spent at Mouse became rare, it was not until 1966 that they finally decided it was time to part with the “emerald isle” the family had enjoyed for more than 90 years!  

Native Stone Chimney 1912

Fireplace 1912

Titled "Hayes Construction Company"
Birchard Hayes and Sons Scott and Walter

on their Newly Built Dock

Dalton Hayes and Elizabeth Boarding Their Boat the "Owl"

Mr and Mrs. Birchard Hayes at the Cabin

The Dock 

Louis Rau, Company H 72nd Ohio Volunteer Infantry

Private Louis Rau, Co. H, 72nd Ohio Volunteer Infantry

Wedding  photograph of Louis Rau & bride Mary E. Seitz Rau

April 21, 1879

Home of Louis and Mary E. Seitz Rau
626 Mills Street, Sandusky, Ohio

 Spring/Summer 1880

Some weeks back I received information about a Civil War soldier who served in the 72nd Ohio Volunteer Infantry raised by Fremont, Ohio attorney Ralph Buckland. The regiment was made up largely of residents of Sandusky and neighboring counties. 

Jack Smith of South Bend, Indiana shared these photographs of his great grandfather Louis Rau, who was born in Prussia February 25, 1843. He was a farmer and the son of John Rau. At the age of 21, Louis Rau was recruited at Sandusky, Ohio, December 1, 1861 by Captain Anthony Young and served in Company H under Captain Michael Wegstein. Rau fought at the Battle of Shiloh, the Siege of Corinth, and the Siege of Vicksburg. 

At Vicksburg, Rau became so ill with intermittent fever and diarrhea, he was determined unfit for field service. He was given a 30-day furlough and discharged on a surgeon's certificate of disability on December 1, 1864. He then served in the Veterans Reserve Corps. February 25 1865, he re-enlisted in Captain William Fisher's Company F of the 107th  Ohio Volunteer Infantry for one year. He fought at Sumtersville, South Carolina and at Swift Creek. On July 13, 1865, Rau was transferred to Company C. of the 25th Ohio Volunteer Infantry. He was honorably discharged at Charleston, South Carolina at the end of his term of service on February 24, 1866.

Rau returned to Sandusky, Ohio and married Rosa Bader, whom he divorced in 1875. Four years later, on April 21, 1879, he married Mary E. Seitz. They were the parents of three children: Louis, born Feb. 17, 1880 died August 7, 1880; Anna M. born May 7, 1881; and Laura M. born January 20, 1883.

The family lived at 626 Mills Street in Sandusky. Louis Rau worked in Sandusky's fisheries. Louis Rau died of a heart attack at the age of 72 on March 27, 1916. He is buried in Sandusky's Oakland Cemetery.

                                         Oakland Cemetery
                                       Courtesy of Find a Grave

Louis Rau sparked a strong interest in the Civil War for his great grandson Jack Smith, Smith began collecting original images of Abraham Lincoln in 1959. His collection of more than 750 images was one of the largest known collections. It was acquired by the Indiana Historical Society in 2003. The collection is cataloged and appears online. 

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