Lt. Alfred H. Rice: 72nd Ohio Volunteer Infantry, Civil War

Lt. Alfred H. Rice

Rutherford B Hayes Library and Museums

 Alfred H. Rice, son of Robert S. Rice and Elisa Caldwell was born in Fremont, Ohio in 1840.  He enlisted in the 72nd Ohio Volunteer Infantry with his older brother Dr. John B. Rice. He rose to the rank of lieutenant. He became ill when with the regiment during the siege of Vicksburg, His illness led to seizures.  His brother, surgeon of the 72nd, requested a medical discharge. After regaining his health, Lt. Rice returned to the regiment. However, only a short time later he once again developed seizures.

Permanently discharged after more than two years of service, Rice returned to Fremont and studied law.  He married Mary James in 1864, daughter of Isaac James. They had one daughter, Edith, born 1872. During the following years, Rice acquired a significant amount of property in and around Sandusky County. 

The couple later moved to Los Angeles. Alfred was admitted to the Los Angeles Soldiers' Home in October 1913 after suffering a cerebral hemorrhage. He died the following month; November 3, 1913 at the age of 74. Alfred was buried in the National Cemetery located on the grounds of the Los Angeles Soldiers' Home. Mary lived with her daughter Edith and her husband Richard Mansfield in Glendale, California.

Alfred H. Rice Grave, Los Angeles National Cemetery 

Courtesy Find a Grave

  

Leezen Tavern, Lower Sandusky (Fremont) Ohio

 In 1818, Calvin* Leezen (born 1800) and his wife Clarinda (born 1796) left Genesee County, New York and set out for Lower Sandusky (now Fremont, Ohio.)  In 1819, the couple sold their remaining 150 acres in Allegany County, New York, deciding to settle permanently in Lower Sandusky and build a tavern.

Taverns often symbolized the village itself  and its stage of development.  They frequently were the "heartbeat" of the community,  sometimes functioning as the post office, schoolhouse, polling place, and militia headquarters.  

Leezen purchased a quarter acre lot for $50 from Cyrus Hulburd, one of the original proprietors of the Two-Mile Square Reserve. The tavern he built lay on Front Street between Garrison and Croghan. Pioneers described "it as a low half story frame building which stood back from the street with a yard in front." The Leezen tavern featured a barn, stable, outbuildings, kitchen, common room, and bedrooms.  Generally these early taverns served as the family home as well. The Leezen children included: Martin**, Susan, Clarissa, and Elizabeth.   

The raw frontier brought a variety of patrons: land speculators, trappers, surveyors, lawyers, and pioneer families, known as "movers," who hoped to acquire the last of Ohio's cheap government land.  

In these early years, local historian Lucy Keeler wrote that 30 log cabins and ten or twelve brick or frame structures were scattered amid the dense forest. Tavern owners were often as rough and wild as the wilderness they inhabited. Gambling, card playing, heavy drinking, cock fights, and brawling were common.

Some tavern owners were particular about their boarders. Frequently they refused "movers," believing they were generally thieves.  Not so with the Leezens. Court records show that Calvin was indicted at the spring term of court for selling whiskey to the Indians.   Almeron Sands was charged with assault and battery on Calvin.. 

Judge Justice recalled several mysterious deaths that occurred at the tavern. A land speculator had come "west" with a large amount of money.  He became  sick while staying with the Leezens and  suddenly died. His money was distributed among  several of the townspeople.  A short time later his wife came searching for him.  She too put up at the Leezen tavern where she took sick and died. She was buried beside her husband in the lot where St. Ann's Catholic Church was later built. Both were  reinterred at the Whittlesey Cemetery. Not long after a stranger named Howard died while playing cards at the tavern. 

All was not well between Clarinda and Calvin. A notice published  by Calvin in the "Sandusky Clarion" on July 31st 1827 that his wife had left him. Without her help, it appears Calvin decided to rent out his tavern to David Day.  On August 22, 1827 the two had a contract drawn up in which Day would run the tavern, but would keep Calvin in "victuals" and board him for $1.00 per week.  On the first of November 1828, Day would pay Calvin $140. 

Unfortunately Calvin Leezen died on June 22, 1828, long before the contract ended.  It appears that Clarinda returned to the tavern as she was indicted by a grand jury for poisoning Calvin.  Prosecutor Rudolphus Dickinson  charged her with murder, claiming she had put white arsenic in his "water gruel" and "chicken soup" on the 10th and 12th of June. Calvin lingered til the 22nd of June when he died.  He was buried in the Whittlesey Cemetery.  

Judge Justice claimed there was a "strong desire" to convict Clarinda, but in her defense she stated she had only treated  Calvin's ulcerated leg with the arsenic. The jury failed to find her guilty.

Clarinda moved to Bradner where she lived with daughter Eliza who had married Samuel Biggerstaff shortly before her father's death. Clarinda died there in 1852.  She is buried in the Chestnut Ridge Cemetery.  In the estate settlement, the tavern was sold to the well respected Loveland family who many early settlers remember with fondness.

*Calvin was sometimes referred to John Calvin

**Martin was sometimes referred as Martin Luther 

Fremont Ohio Community Band

Fremont (Ohio) Band 

Rutherford B. Hayes Library and Museums 

This 5 x 7 inch photograph is an image of the Fremont (Ohio) Band organized in 1859 by George Held and  Fred Fabing with twelve members. From left to right are J. Spicher, H. Nelhi, Fred Fabing, F.  Faller, Phil Zimmerman, Godfried Gephard, Adam Hodes (bass drum), and Ed Schertinger (snare drum). 

John C. Smith's Boat House, Sandusky River, Fremont, Ohio

 

This photograph, a part of the Sandusky County (Ohio) Photograph Collection at the Rutherford B. Hayes Presidential Library and Museums, features a view of John C. Smith's Boat House on the Sandusky River. It is believed to have been taken about 1890. The boat house lay near North Front Street.  Visible is the back of the old Kessler Hotel and the Western and Lake Erie Depot where John Smith had offices on the upper floor. Note the canoes along the bank of the river.

In the upper left hand corner of the photograph is John Pero's coal company. The gas plant existed in the same area in 1887.  By 1904,  Pero's coal company was known as Riverside Coal. The sign on the large building in the center of the photograph reads "Soapine." This appears to have been an advertisement for this well-known cleaning product. 

Recollections of 1883 Flood at Fremont, Ohio

 

1883 Flood  Recollection

Lucy Elliot Keeler, a resident of Fremont, wrote about the 1883 flood:

"Before dawn on the Sunday morning of February 4, 1883, the Fremont fire bell aroused the citizens who found hundreds of their dwellings surrounded or already inundated by water. Heavy rains of two days, falling upon a frozen ground, with ice gorges formed below town, had caused a sudden rise of water in the river four or five feet above any previous high water mark. The water flowed through Front street, the principal business street of the city, with a mighty current which no boats could stem. The whole third ward between the river banks and the foot of the hills was several feet under water; huge ice blocks floated in, packed and froze solid. Two thousand persons were driven from their homes. There were many narrow escapes and several deaths from drowning and exposure. Several bridges along the river were carried away, and that of the L. S. & M. S. Railway collapsed under a freight train, thirty-seven cars being precipitated into the river. The damage to property in Fremont alone amounted to about $100,000. Loss in the upper towns of Tiffin, Bucyrus and Upper Sandusky was also large."

Excerpted from: Keeler, Lucy. "The Sandusky River: Its Geography, History, and Tradition." Columbus, Ohio, 1904.

                                       

Fremont, Ohio

 Rutherford B. Hayes Library and Museums

                   Excerpts from the Diary of Rutherford B. Hayes

February 4 -- The last two days will be long remembered. Yesterday for the destruction of trees, today for the greatest flood ever known at Fremont. The rain Saturday morning began to freeze as it fell.  The telegraph wires became so heavy with ice that the poles were broken or pulled over, and the whole telephone and telegraph system of this neighborhood broke down.  The small twigs were covered with ice until they were an inch in diameter.  All the weak-limbed trees suffered greatly. For two or three hours the crash of falling limbs was almost constant.  Even a small limb falling with its ice and the ice on other limbs which it broke would make a roaring noise. Lucy and the family watched the scene with the greatest interest. Many favorite trees were badly marred.  Old trees of all sorts lost large limbs.  Soft maples, cottonwood, and elms suffered particularly. Young white oaks and evergreens stood up best. The losses that grieved us most are the injury to the large elm northeast of the house; one half of the tall sassafras; the young hickory in the orchard; the damage to three of the large old oaks, [and] to the four street elms. 

Sunday was  given up to the flood and the rescue and relief of the sufferers.  No such flood was ever seen here before.  The water filled the valley from bluff to bluff. It ran two to four feet the whole length of Water Street, and drove from homes  perhaps one to three hundred families.  Men with skiffs were at work all day, rescuing people.  One woman was drowned--others perhaps.  The water reached on the pike (State Street) to the west of Arch Street, on Croghan Street south side to the--. On Birchard Avenue it ran in rear of the Ball House and within two inches of the lower side of the water table of the building. The anecdotes of escapes, losses, and experiences are without number and often very interesting,

Note: The following day Hayes asked for voluntary contributions since it was decided the need was immediate and asking the state legislature for funds would take too long. Hayes organized a committee of five men who would take charge of  finance, supplies, and distribution. Hayes contributed $100 of the $1000 raised. 

 

Finch Studio Fremont, Ohio

Finch Studio

Rutherford B. Hayes Presidential Library and Museums

 This building, located at 420 Croghan Street in Fremont, Ohio, was home to the  Finch Studio from about 1910 until the 1930s. Frank Finch was born in Fulton County, Ohio in 1880, the son of Sherman Finch. A professional photographer and printer, Finch was especially known for the 48-page booklet containing his photographs of the 1913 Fremont flood. Finch also took early aerial photographs of Fremont, Ohio in 1920. This image was taken circa 1915. Later, the building became home to Shetzer Insurance. 

Swartz Funeral Home, Fremont, Ohio

Swartz Funeral Home

Courtesy Rutherford B. Hayes Presidential Library and Museums

The above photograph was taken by Swartz employee Spencer Blue, showing a matched team of white horses and one of the Swartz Funeral Home coaches, waiting outside the funeral home located  at 817 Croghan Street in Fremont, Ohio. The photograph was taken  April 6, 1911.  The funeral, one of the largest in Fremont history, was for the well known Reverend Seraphim Bauer of St. Joseph's Catholic Church. 

This photo also appears on Historypin

Soldiers Memorial Parkway, Fremont, Ohio

Soldiers Memorial Parkway Dedication

May 1919

 The Soldiers Memorial Parkway in Fremont, Ohio, was built to honor the Sandusky County soldiers who died in World War I and earlier wars. The parkway was laid out in the form of a cross, with buckeye trees lining the streets, and plaques bearing each soldier's name. Buckeye trees were chosen as a tribute to Ohio's 37th Division, also known as the Buckeye Division.

Officially known as the Soldiers Memorial Parkway and the McKinley Memorial Parkway, the living tribute was constructed in 1919 and 1920 on land donated by Colonel Webb C. Hayes. Soldiers Memorial Parkway begins at Hayes Avenue and proceeds south to Buckland Avenue. McKinley Memorial Parkway extends from McKinley Circle at the intersection of the two parkways, east to the Cleveland gateway of Spiegel Grove. A plaque and large artillery shell are placed at its entrance.

The one hundred-foot-wide strip of land, with parallel north and south brick drives and sandstone curbs, is separated by a series of fifty-foot-wide grass islands where buckeye trees honor the war dead. Spearheaded by local veterans and veterans' organizations and funded by a grant from the state of Ohio, a restoration project was carried out by the city of Fremont, Ohio in 1999. Throughout the years, veterans have replaced weathered or lost markers.

Various early lists were published. They contained from 78 to 83 names of soldiers to be honored with plaques on Memorial Parkway. The original list held 78, but not all of the names were available from the government at the time the parkway was constructed.  Some were added later. Today the parkway trees bear 82 plaques.

 

Col. Webb C. Hayes replying to Captain Kent H. Dillon, Memorial Tablet Committee Chairman

Dear Sir:

            Referring to the resolution adopted by your Committee April 2^nd, 1919, it will give me great pleasure to provide memorial trees, preferably buckeye trees, with suitably inscribed tree tablets, for the proposed Soldiers’ Memorial Parkway of Sandusky County, under the terms prescribed, and with the approval and assistance of the County Commissioners, the Trustees of the Memorial Hospital Association and the Chamber of Commerce of Fremont, for dedication on Memorial Day, May 30, 1919, and later also to provide a Bronze Memorial Tablet when the necessary data is available.

 

                                                            Very respectfully,

                                                                                    Webb C. Hayes

Bronze Memorial Tablet

Memorial Parkway History:

Upon the signing of the Armistice ending World War I in 1918, Colonel Webb C. Hayes sent a cablegram to John M. Sherman in Fremont:

Will erect bronze memorial tablet containing names of killed, wounded or died, born, living or who lived in Sandusky County, in World War, for dedication next Memorial Day if accurate list furnished in time.

[Signed]         Webb C. Hayes

 A Memorial Tablet Committee was quickly formed, with Captain Kent H. Dillon as chairman. Knowing it would be unable to obtain a complete list of soldiers' names by May 30, 1919, but wishing to honor Sandusky County's heroic dead with an appropriate memorial, the committee adopted a resolution on April 2, 1919. The committee asked Colonel Hayes to consider an alternate plan - that of establishing a County Soldiers' Memorial Parkway where a tree would be planted for each soldier, with an inscribed plaque honoring that individual. The committee also suggested that McKinley Parkway between Buckland Avenue and Hayes Avenue would be an excellent location for the memorial parkway. Further, the committee asked the Sandusky County Commissioners to adopt the parkway as a county park and agree to maintain and care for it.

Resolution of the Memorial Tablet Committee

WHEREAS, the Memorial Tablet Committee has been informed by the Adjutant General of the United States Army and the Adjutant General of Ohio that it will be impossible to furnish an official list of casualties of Sandusky County soldiers, sailors and marines by Memorial Day, May 30, 1919, and perhaps for many months thereafter, so that the bronze memorial tablet generously offered by Colonel Webb C. Hayes may be ready for dedication by May 30, 1919;

AND WHEREAS, the Memorial Tablet Committee is desirous of having some form of memorial for dedication with suitable exercises on May 30, 1919 for her soldiers, sailors and marines, who shall have died during the World’s War of 1917, so that Sandusky County may not be laggard in paying a tribute of respect to her heroic dead;

NOW, THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED, by said Memorial Tablet Committee THAT; Colonel Webb C. Hayes be requested to consider the plan of establishing a County Soldiers’ Memorial Park or Parkway in which shall be planted a memorial tree, preferably a buckeye tree, with a suitably inscribed tree tablet, containing the name, organization and place and date of death of each soldier, sailor and marine from Sandusky County, who shall have given up his life for his country during the World’s War of 1917; and further beg to suggest that the McKinley Parkway, extending from Buckland Avenue to Hayes between the grounds of the Memorial Hospital of Sandusky County and the Spiegel Grove State Park, is in every way suitable for such a Soldiers' Memorial Parkway; PROVIDED THAT the Board of County Commissioners of Sandusky County accept and adopt as a County Park, the proposed Soldiers’ Memorial Parkway of Sandusky County in honor of her heroic dead of the World’s War of 1917, and agree to improve and perpetually care for said Soldiers’ Memorial Parkway; AND FURTHER PROVIDED THAT this suggested plan of procedure meets with the approval of Colonel Hayes, the President of the Memorial Hospital Association of Sandusky County and the Chamber of Commerce of Fremont, Ohio; it being understood that the above suggested memorial is to be in addition to the bronze memorial tablet so generously heretofore offered by Colonel Hayes.

[Excerpted from the 1919 Yearbook of the Sandusky County Pioneer and Historical Association]

Hayes responded to Kent Dillon:

Dear Sir:
Referring to the resolution adopted by your Committee April 2nd, 1919, it will give me great pleasure to provide memorial trees, preferably buckeye trees, with suitably inscribed tree tablets, for the proposed Soldiers' Memorial Parkway of Sandusky County, under the terms prescribed, and with the approval and assistance of the County Commissioners, the Trustees of the Memorial Hospital Association and the Chamber of Commerce of Fremont, for dedication on Memorial Day, May 30, 1919, and later also to provide a Bronze Memorial Tablet when the necessary data is available.

Very respectfully,
[Signed]         Webb C. Hayes

The Sandusky County Commissioners agreed to see that the necessary grading of the parkway was done. Although the work was delayed by a long siege of wet weather and only part of the trees could be planted, the Memorial Day exercises were held at the parkway. Members of the Colonel George Croghan Chapter, D.A.R., prepared wreaths and flags in memory of the dead soldiers.

The parkway was re-designated Soldier Memorial Parkway, and the intersecting street nearest Buckland became McKinley Parkway. The two form a cross. Trees on Memorial Parkway are dedicated to World War I soldiers, and those on McKinley Parkway represent soldiers who died in wars before World War I. Before 1920, buckeye trees were planted and marked with tablets honoring 78 Sandusky County soldiers. A few more were added later.

In 1991, the Parkway was named to the National Register of Historic Places.

[Colonel Webb C. Hayes’ messages were excerpted from the 1919 Yearbook of the Sandusky County Pioneer and Historical Association]

Bronze Memorial Tablet

The idea of a bronze memorial tablet inscribed with the names of the war dead did not die. Colonel Webb C. Hayes proceeded with the creation of the tablet. In a ceremony held October 4, 1920, the Bronze Memorial Tablet affixed to the north wall of the Rutherford B. Hayes Presidential Center was unveiled. The tablet honors Sandusky County soldiers "who died in service during the World War, Mexican Border, China, Philippine Insurrection, War with Spain."

Memorial Tablet Committee

Capt. Kent H. Dillon, Fremont, chairman
Mrs. Lester J. Connors, Fremont, secretary
Capt. A. Otto Baumann, Fremont
M. H. Wrigley, Fremont
Ben. Dewey, Clyde
J. L. Hart, Gibsonburg
B. J. Burket, Lindsey
C. F. Soldan, Woodville

Soldiers’ Memorial Parkway Committee

Sgt. A. E. Slessman, 1st Ohio Cavalry, War with Spain, chairman
Capt. Stanley Wolfe, Fremont
Capt. Frank Buehler, Fremont
Capt. Kent H. Dillon, Fremont, secretary
Sgt. Carl Heid
Sgt. Carl H. Stroup, Fremont
Maj. Edward Welsh, Clyde
Capt. A. W. Wicks, Clyde
Capt. A. G. Eyestone, Gibsonburg
Sgt. Chester Kopp, Woodville
Sgt. Francis M. Dalton, Vickery
Sgt. Edgar A. Smith, Helena
Sgt. Paul Yeagle, Lindsey

 

                                                 

Parkway Map  

Courtesy of Hayes Presidential Library and Museums

*******************************************************

Various early lists were published of soldiers to be honored with plaques on Memorial Parkway, containing from 78 to 83 names. The original list held 78, but not all of the names were available from the government at the time the Parkway was begun, so some were added later. Today the Parkway trees bear 82 plaques. The following alphabetical list includes names from all of the early lists. We are indebted to Michael Gilbert's honors history class of spring 2002, at Fremont Ross High School, for compiling part of the information in this list.
 

Names of Soldiers Memorialized on the Parkway

William E. Allen, 19 years old
Died November 8, 1918 of wounds, in France
Co. K, 166th Infantry, Rainbow Division

Phillip M. Anderson,
Was also in the Co. H, 6th Regiment in the Spanish American War
Killed in action on August 24, 1900 during the Boxer Rebellion, at the battle of Tien Tsin, China
Co. K, 14th Regiment, United States Army

Harold Balsizer, 24 years old
Enlisted in October, 1917 and sent to Camp Sherman, Chillicothe, Ohio
Killed in action on September 28, 1918 in the Argonne Forest, France
Co. B, 147th Regiment, United States Army

Wayne Bauman, 27 years old
Died February 7, 1919, of disease, Coblenz, Germany
Co. M, 126th Infantry, 32nd Division

Robert R. Benner, 25 years old
Enlisted on September 15, 1917
Killed in action on September 30, 1918 in the Argonne Forest, France
Co. K, 109th Infantry, United States Army

Irvan Bennett
Killed in action September 26, 1918 in France
Co. I, 47th Infantry

Arthur N. Berry
Died September 13, 1918 of disease, in LeMans, France
Co. G, 329th Infantry, 83rd Division

Harry Bolton, 21 years old
Killed in action September 27, 1918, Battle of Argonne Forest
Enlisted with Co. K, later transferred to:
Co. D, Machine Gun Battalion, 37th Division

Phillip Bowe
Killed October 28, 1917, accident at Camp Perry, Ohio
329th Infantry, 83rd Division

David Cherry, Jr.
Died at sea October 9, 1918 en route to France, of pneumonia
Co. B, 605th Engineer

Lorenz Chochard
Killed in action October 15, 1918 in France
166th Infantry, 42nd Division

Roman Chudzinski, 25 years old
Enlisted April 1, 1918
Died April 21 1918, at Camp Sherman, of pneumonia
Co. 15, 158th Depot Brigade

Henry H. Clayton, 25 years old
Died February 8, 1919 in France, of pneumonia
Co. C, 111th Machine Gun Battalion, 29th Division

Isaac Newton Courtney
Died on October 10, 1918 at Camp Jackson, South Carolina of Spanish influenza
Batt. D, 6th Regt. Field Art., United States Army

Frank W. Craig
Died October 5, 1898, in Clyde, Ohio
Co. I, 6th Ohio Volunteer Infantry

Dale Cunningham, 25 years old
Died September 22, 1918 of disease, Great Lakes Naval Training Station, Chicago
Co. D2, Hospital School of GLNTS

Scott Damschroder, 24 years old
Killed September 28, 1918, Argonne, France
Co. M, 147th Infantry, 37th Division

Emory Deitemyer, 23 years old
Enlisted and left for Camp Taylor on August 28, 1918
Died on December 26, 1918 at Camp Taylor in Kentucky of the flu and a mastoid abscess
Battery F, 70 FA, United States Army

Earl Dempsey, 20 years old
Killed in action November 6, 1918, Argonne, France
Co. K, 166th Infantry Rainbow Division

Carl H. Drenning, 18 years old
Enlisted in Fremont on Feb. 5, 1917 and sent to Texas
Died on April 5, 1919 at Camp Sherman, Chillicothe, Ohio of pneumonia
Co. B, 16th Infantry, United States Army

Karl H. Eisenhart
Died February 9, 1917 at Fort Bliss, Texas
Mexican Border War

Frank W. Emerson, 22 years old
Died March 27, 1899 in Cuba, of malaria
Co. K, 6th Regt.

Walter Endle, 23 years old
Enrolled at the first Officers Reserve training camp, Fort Benjamin Harrison, Indiana
Died on December 8, 1917 in Bellevue, Ohio of complications from tonsilitis
Distinction of being the third enlisted man in the 83rd Division, United States Army

Charles Englehart, 20 years old
Killed October 9, 1918 in France
Co. E, 328th Infantry, 82nd Division

John Fader, 26 years old
Enlisted in June of 1917
Killed in action by a sniper on October 15, 1918 in the Argonne Forest
Private in the Rainbow Division, United States Army

James J. Feeney
Died on October 18, 1918 in Petersburg, Virginia.
155th Depot Brig., United States Army

Charles A. Fought, 28 years old
Left Fremont April 1, 1918 and arrived at Camp Sherman, Chillicothe, Ohio
Died on April 16, 1918 of pneumonia
United States Army

Orrin G. Franks, 26 years old
Enlisted on July 29, 1917
Died on March 27, 1918 in Texas of burns received from a plane fire
Signal C, 41st Aero Squadron

Berthart Gabel, 21 years old
Died on October 6, 1918 at Camp Sherman, Chillicothe, Ohio of pneumonia
50th Co., 158 Depot Brigade, United States Army

Clement J. Gabel, 26 years old
Died October 7, 1918 at Camp Taylor, Kentucky of broncho pneumonia
United States Army

Charles V. Garber, 29 years old
Arrived at Camp Custer, Michigan, in September of 1917
Died on April 30, 1919 at the hospital in Newport News of pneumonia
Co. A, 42nd Division, United States Army

Marshall S. Greene, 45 years old
Died August 20, 1900 at Manila, Philippine Islands, of dysentery
Co. E, U.S. Signal Corps

Bert J. Hale, 33 years old
Enlisted and arrived at Camp Lewis, Washington on May 1, 1918
Killed in action on September 29, 1918 in France
Co. B, 262nd Regt, 91st Division, United States Army

Edward H. Hartman, 29 years old
Enlisted September 21, 1917
Died on January 6, 1918 at Camp Sherman Hospital of pneumonia
Co.G, 329th Infantry, 83rd Division, United States Army

Clyde Hawk, 35 years old
Enlisted with Co. B, Ohio Engineers at Cleveland June of 1917
Died on August 27, 1917 at Fort Sheridan, near Chicago of accidental gun shot wound
Co. B, 1st Regt. Ohio National Guard

Charles R. Heffner, 21 years old
Enlisted with Co. D, First Illinois Volunteer Infantry
Died on September 13, 1898 in Montauk, New York en route from Cuba of malarial fever and rheumatism
United States Army

John P. Henry, 26 years old
Enlisted September of 1917 Camp Wadsworth, Spartanburg, South Carolina
Killed on October 21, 1918 in France
Co. K, 107th Infantry, 17th Division, United States Army

Samuel C. Jackman, 28 years old
Died on July 2, 1900 on the Philippine Islands (Manila) of tuberculosis
Served with the 6th Regt., Co. K, O.V.I and with Co. L, 47th Regt. United States Volunteer Infantry

Raymond R. Jones, 32 years old
Died November 21, 1918, of disease, Camp Sherman, Ohio
Co. B, Q.M.C.

Charles L. Keller
Died on April 2, 1917 at Fort Bliss, Texas, military hospital
Co. K, 6th Regt., Ohio Volunteer Infantry

Henry G. Knauer, 22 years old
Enlisted in the United States Navy in 1912
Died on September 8, 1918 in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania of pneumonia
Serving aboard the U.S. Destroyer Maury, United States Navy

Melvin J. Knepper
Died October 3, 1918 of disease, Camp Sherman, Ohio
Pvt., Cooks and Bakers School, Camp Sherman

John P. Knudson,
Enlisted on September 20, 1917
Killed in action on November 29, 1918 in France
329th Infantry, 83rd Division, United States Army

Charles Ervin Koons
Died October 27, 1918 of disease, Camp Jackson, South Carolina
12th Regt., Hdqtrs Motor School F.A.R.D.

John E. Krauss, 24 years old
Enlisted and arrived at Fort Thomas, Kentucky on May 10, 1918
Died on November 15, 1918 in France of a gun shot wound
Company L, 54th Infantry , United States Army

John Lowe, 23 years old
Died November 12, 1918 in France, of influenza
309th Headquarters Co., 84th Division

Leroy V. Mackey
Killed in action on October 7, 1918 in France.
Co. C, Machine Gun Battalion, 1st Brigade, 1st Division,
United States Army

Anthony F. Maier, 23 years old
Died November 5, 1918
Co. L, 360th Infantry, 84th Division

Lynn H. Martin, 25 years old
Arrived at Camp Sherman, Chillicothe, Ohio, in May of 1918; transferred to Camp Merritt, New Jersey
Died on January 9, 1919 in Europe of pneumonia and meningitis
Co. C, 308th Field Signal Battalion, 83rd Division,
United States Army

George B. Meek, 26 years old
Killed in action May 11, 1898, Cardenas, Cuba
Seaman, USS Torpedo Boat Winslow

August B. Mischke
Died October 4, 1918 at Camp Meade, Maryland
Co. E, 63rd Infantry

Fred C. Mitchell, 24 years old
Enlisted and arrived at Camp Sherman, Chillicothe, Ohio April 27, 1918
Died on October 8, 1918 at Camp Sherman of Spanish influenza
United States Army

Alfred Myers
Killed in action October 2, 1918 in France
Co. D, 9th Infantry

Clifton Niebling, 18 years old
Co. D, 10th Infantry
Died April 18, 1918 at Rock Island, Illinois, of disease

Clarence L. Nieman, 26 years old
Enlisted in early 1918 and went to Camp Sherman, Chillicothe, Ohio
Killed in action on October 16, 1918, in France
Co. I, 331st Regiment Infantry, N.A.A.

Clifford L. O’Brien, 24 years old
Enlisted on June 21, 1916 and served a year on the Mexican border
Died on October 7, 1918 at a base hospital in France after being gassed at the Argonne Battle
Co. I, 147th Infantry, 37th Division, United States Army

Louis Pressler, 23 years old
Died October 17, 1918, at Camp Jefferson, of pneumonia
16th RCT Co.

William H. Pump, 28 years old
Killed in action on October 4, 1918 at Argonne Forest
Co. F, 26th Infantry, 1st Div.

Frank L. Reiber, 28 years old
Enlisted in October of 1917
Accidentally killed in January of 1919 at the Aberdeen Proving Grounds, Maryland
United States Army

Glenn Richards, 20 years old
Enlisted in the summer of 1916 and sent to Fort Bliss, El Paso, Texas
Died on April 4, 1917 at the base hospital of pneumonia
Co. K, 6th Regiment, Machine Gun Division, United States Army

Wesley Saam, 25 years old
Enlisted and arrived on April 27, 1918 at Camp Sherman, Chillicothe, Ohio
Wounded in France and sent to Mobile Hospital No.2, France, and died October 17, 1918
Co. E, 327th Infantry, 82nd Division, United States Army

Harry A. Schall, 19 years old
Died on November 8, 1918 in Tiffin, Ohio of pneumonia and Spanish influenza
Member of the Army Training Corps at Heidelberg University, Tiffin, Ohio

Perry R. Schneider, 26 years old
Enlisted on April 27, 1918 and sent to Camp Sherman, Chillicothe, Ohio
Died on December 12, 1918 in France while serving with the American Expeditionary Forces
Co. B, 307th Supply Train, 82nd Division, United States Army

Albert Charles Seiler
Killed in action July 19, 1918, in France
Machine Gun Co., 58th Infantry, 4th Div.

Charles Robert Shade
Died September 26, 1918 at Great Lakes Naval Training Station, Illinois, of Spanish influenza

James A. Smith
Enlisted in the Navy
Died June 24, 1918 at Buffalo, New York of pneumonia while on furlough
Served on the U.S.S. Mongolia, United States Navy

Edward J. Snyder
Died October 27, 1918 at sea, from influenza
12th Veterinary Base Hospital Corps

Floyd Starkey, 26 years old
Died July 24, 1918 of wounds received at Battle of the Marne

Frank S. Stevenson, 21 years old
Enlisted and then called for Service on September 4, 1918 and was sent to Camp Sherman, Chillicothe, Ohio
Died October 1, 1918 of pneumonia at Camp Sherman, Chillicothe, Ohio
5th Co., 2nd Training Battalion, 158th Depot Brigade, United States Army

John Stine, 23 years old
Died October 10, 1918 of disease, Camp Jackson, South Carolina
Battery E, 2nd Battalion Motor School F.A.R.D.

Emil Strickler, 23 years old
Died November 11, 1918 in France, of battle wounds

Raymond Swint, 22 years old
Died on December 9, 1918 in Italy of pneumonia
Co. D, 332nd Infantry, 83rd Division, United States Army

Edgar Thurston
Enlisted May 1917
Killed September 28, 1918, Battle of the Argonne
Co. K, 147th Infantry
American Legion Post named in his honor

Louis Triphon, 30 years old
Enlisted May 1918
Killed in action November 9, 1918 in France

John W. Ward, 17 years old
Died November 12, 1898 at Knoxville, Tennessee, of pneumonia
Co. I, 6th Ohio Volunteer Infantry

William Welker
Died on May 17, 1919 at sea on his way home of pneumonia
325th Infantry, 82nd Division, United States Army

Luther W. Westerhause, 23 years old
Enlisted August of 1918
Died September 23, 1918 in an American hospital in France of disease
Instructor of aerial gunnery, United States Army

Dennis Whelan
Enlisted August 1, 1916
Died on August 15, 1918 at a hospital in Washington D.C. from injuries sustained in France
147th Infantry, 37th Division, United States Army

Thomas Williams, 24 years old
Died April 10, 1918 of disease, Fort Leavenworth, Kansas
Co. K, 6th Ohio Volunteer Infantry

William J. Wott, 25 years old
Enlisted in September of 1917 and sent to Camp Sherman, Chillicothe, Ohio and later sent to Camp Forest, Georgia
Seriously wounded in the Argonne Battle, France and died on September 14, 1918 at a base hospital in France
Co.C, 11th Infantry, United States Army

Ralph W. Wright, 24 years old
Enlisted in Michigan where he had been living
Killed in action on July 19, 1918 in France
Co. K, 37th Infantry, 4th Division, United States Army

Alphonse Wyss, 20 years old
Enlisted on February 5, 1918 with the United States Marine Corps
Killed in action on November 4, 1918 in the Argonne Forest, France
Co. B, 49th Infantry, 5th Division of the United States Marine Corps

John Yetter, 33 years old
Enlisted in the Navy and went with the expedition to China in 1913, from San Francisco
Died on October 30, 1918 at sea from disease
Medical Dept., United States Army

*************************************************************

Read More About the Soldiers Memorial Parkway 

   "Fitting Tribute Is Paid to Hero Dead of All Wars, Memorial Parkway," Fremont Daily News, May           31, 1919

"Large Crowds Heard Tributes at the Parkway," Fremont Daily News, Mary 31, 1921

"McKinley Parkway Earns Spot on National Historic List," News-Messenger, March 20, 1991

"Plaques Rededicated at Memorial Parkway," News Messenger, May 20, 2000

Keeler, Lucy Elliot. Unveiling of Soldiers Memorial Tablet on the Hayes Memorial Building at Spiegel Grove. Columbus, OH: The F. J. Heer Printing Co., 1920.

A version of the post once appeared on Sandusky County Scrapbook

1 Sandusky County Scrapbook (Ohio). All rights reserved.

 Designed 
Updated 30-Apr-2004

 

 

 

John H. Martin: Buffalo Soldier

In July 1866, the United States Congress authorized the formation of the first peacetime all-black regiments in the U.S. Army. The regiments, composed of the 9^th and 10^th Cavalry and the 24^th Infantry (reorganized from the 39^th and 40^th) and the 25^th  Infantry (reorganized from the 38^th and 41^st).

According to the Buffalo Soldiers National Museum in Houston, Texas, the nickname derived from the Cheyenne warriors during the winter of 1877, who thought the soldiers fought like “wild buffalo.” However, Colonel Benjamin Grierson, who commanded the 10^th Cavalry, recalled the name much earlier, during the 1871 campaign against the Comanches. They thought the soldiers’ curly hair like that of the bison. Another source comes from the Plains tribes. They gave them the name because of the bison coats worn by the troops in winter. Eventually, all four regiments proudly became known as the Buffalo Soldiers.       

                                                       

Buffalo Soldier Statue at Leavenworth, Kansas

John H. Martin was born in 1848 in Cleveland, Ohio, to Robert and Emily (Hall) Martin. He had served with the United States Colored Troops during the Civil War. His regiment, the 25^th Infantry, had disbanded along with other USCT in the fall of 1865. But Martin, like many USCT veterans chose to re-enlist with the newly formed black  regiments. According to his obituary, John Martin served as a musician in the 25^th Infantry for fifteen years.                     

The regiments were stationed at Army posts in the Southwest and on the Great Plains They fought during the Indian Wars, built wagon roads, constructed telegraph lines, protected settlements, served as scouts, and escorted the U.S. mail. Portions of the Buffalo Soldier regiments fought the Apache in New Mexico and pursued Victorio in Mexico. Despite their courageous service, many experienced racial prejudice from settlers as well as members of the U.S. Army. The first black commissioned officer to lead the Buffalo Soldiers was Henry O. Flipper, the first African American graduate of West Point in 1877. At least 18 Buffalo Soldiers received the Medal of Honor during the Indian Wars.   

                 

Lt. Henry O. Flipper
Courtesy of West Point

                                  

Following his service, Martin returned to Ohio. On November 4, 1885, he married Mary Ann Davison at Oberlin, Ohio, the daughter of James and Lucy Bell (Roberson) Davison, originally from West Virginia. The couple settled in Fremont, Ohio on Sandusky Avenue and then Whittlesey Street. Martin was employed for many years as a silver polisher at Claus Shear Works. They were the parents of five children. Mary Ann passed away in 1922. John Martin spent his final days at the Soldiers’ and Sailors’ Home in Sandusky, Ohio. He died there March 26, 1926 at the age of seventy-seven. Both he and Mary Ann are buried in Fremont’s Oakwood Cemetery. The image below is courtesy of Find A Grave.

 .

The Inspiration for Mickey!

 One of America’s most iconic images is that of Mickey Mouse, the beloved cartoon character that became the Disney mascot. For generations, Mickey and his adventures have symbolized fun, childhood, laughter, happiness, and joy. The inspiration for Mickey began with Clifton Meek born in Fremont in 1888. Clifton was the son of George and Harriet (Mourer) Meek. At the age of 17, Clifton was working for the Wheeling and Lake Erie Railroad as a telegrapher. Hoping for a better career, Meek attended Cleveland School of Art. He soon found work as a cartoonist for the Scripps-McRae Syndicate in San Francisco.

                                                               

Johnny Mouse by Clifton Meek

Johnny Gruelle, Meek’s friend and creator of “Raggedy Ann"  books, convinced Meek to join him in Norwalk, Connecticut. Meek and his family headed east, settling in nearby Silvermine. It was here that Meek created the 4-panel strip titled “The Adventures of Johnny Mouse” as a pantomime comic. Johnny Mouse eventually  wore pants, shoes, sported large ears, and took part in all sorts of antics. Meek’s “Johnny Mouse” was syndicated from 1913 to 1915. He also created “George Grindstone” and “Nobody” for the “New York Evening Journal” and the “New York World.” By the 1920s, Meek had become a freelance artist producing “funny animal” comics that appeared in “Puck,” “Judge,” and “Life” magazines.

                                                               

Raggedy Ann by Johnny Gruelle

Meek grew tired of cartoons and knew it was time for a change. He wrote, “I felt like I was in a factory. I began to see George Grindstone in my dreams.” Clifton bought a forge and began a successful career creating ironwork that he sold throughout the region, becoming part of the Silvermine Artists Guild.

 

Walt Disney's Mickey Mouse

                                                  

In 1944, Meek got the surprise of his life when he read a Walt Disney interview. Walt told that between the ages of five and ten, he had lived on a Missouri farm where he learned what farm animals looked like…  “It was those early childhood days that the first faint glimmering of mouse fascination dawned on Disney.” Then Walt Disney is quoted as saying “there was a man named Clifton Meek who used to draw cute little mice and I grew up with those drawings…. They were different from ours, but they had cute ears.”

 

Clifton was delighted to learn that he had ignited the spark of inspiration for Mickey. After writing Disney a note of thanks, Meek received an autograph picture signed in appreciation. In a 1950s interview, Ub Iwerks, a partner of Disney in the early days, also confirmed that Meek’s mouse cartoons were their inspiration. The animated short film “Steamboat Willie,” drawn exclusively by Iwerks, debuted in 1928. Mickey Mouse became an instant hit. And, as they say, “the rest is history!”

Ironically, Clifton Meek’s granddaughter came to Ohio to attend Heidelberg University and made Tiffin her home where she lives today.

 

 

A Reflection of Family Love: The Diary of Belinda Elliot McLellan

Belinda Elliot McLellan

           Rutherford B. Hayes Library & Museums

Far from home, Mary McLellan Fitch, once again, opened her mother's diary, given to her some years before her mother's death in 1873.  Mary and her husband the Reverend George Fitch had left Fremont, Ohio, to travel to Shanghai, China, as missionaries only a year after their marriage.  Mary's mother, Belinda Elliot McLellan, a first cousin of President Hayes, had nearly destroyed the diary she had kept for 20 years, believing it to be of little value. Instead, she gave the diary to Mary, who found, again and again, comfort in her mother's poems, prose, and prayers.  

Belinda Eliot had married Robert Bolton McLellan in Vermont. She recorded in her diary how the couple had come to Fremont, Ohio. Belinda and her husband, then suffering from depression and physically unwell, had accepted the invitation of her half brother, John R. Pease, to begin a new life in Ohio.  She recorded in 1852 on that "first Thanksgiving in Ohio, we have now been here nearly five months,  all the time living with brother John's family, who has made us very welcome and happy here. Still we have had the feeling of strangers in a strange land! But Fremont now begins to seem like home in many respects."

John R. Pease

Rutherford B. Hayes Library & Museums

Deeply religious and continuously concerned for the Christian upbringing of her daughters, Belinda depended on  Fremont's Presbyterian Church and its minister Reverend Bushnell to deepen her faith.  But is was John Pease, who helped his much-loved younger half-sister adapt to life in Ohio.  

First Presbyterian Church, Fremont, Ohio

Courtesy of First Presbyterian Church

He advised her husband in business prospects, gave Belinda a piano, money, presents, a lot and two others for her daughters. His daily visits to the McLellan home on his way downtown to his hardware store brought much good cheer and laughter to the household. 

John R. Pease, Oakwood Cemetery, Fremont, Ohio
Courtesy Find a Grave

On January 3rd, 1860, Belinda was at John's bedside when he died after severe suffering from tuberculosis.  She described in detail how much she loved him.  His help had even made it possible for her daughters to attend the Lake Erie Female Seminary in Painesville, Ohio.  And, they did not disappoint. Mary and her sister Jennie graduated at the head of their class.  They went on to serve as teachers.  Later Mary and Jennie married the Fitch brothers.  

Mary McLellan Fitch

Died in Shanghai, China 1918

Courtesy of Find a Grave

When Belinda died, President Hayes wrote in his diary that his cousin "was possessed of talents of a high order, excellent education, and a temper and disposition almost perfect.  In the small circle of her intimate friends she was dearly loved.  A poet of some excellence and a superior prose writer - she was religious - her piety a reality"  Mary, in a notation in Belinda's diary, paid to her mother the highest of tributes, "May Christ make me like her insomuch as she was like Him."  Today, Belinda's diary is part of the Hayes Manuscript Collection.