Happy New Year! Some blog changes, and a great new resource...

Note: It's a new year, and I will be re-launching this blog with a bit of a change. Change is good! While I've enjoyed an 'On This Day In History' type of format, truthfully, it was limiting what I could share with you, and still tie it to great genealogy resources.  SO - while I will continue to share stories of Northeast Ohio and American history, with that proverbial local genealogy interest, I won't be sticking to a calendar correlation. Hope you enjoy the new posts!  - Cate.

Say what you will about Cleveland and the surrounding rust-belt cities, but we do have some awfully cool architecture.  Old churches, graveyards, warehouses and parks make for a lot of fun exploration!

Monroe St. Cemetery Entry Arch

One of my favorite little gems is Monroe Street Cemetery - found on the near west side of Cleveland on the edge of Ohio City.  

It really is like something straight out of a movie, and its strong, gothic overtones and foreboding structures, surrounded by some very, very old headstones, is something everyone should see in person.  But its history is equally as fascinating.

This plot of land began officially as six acres in 1836, when Brooklyn Township purchased it from Richard Lord and his brother-in-law Josiah Barber, who are widely regarded as the founders of Ohio City. Records show however, that burials took place on this land as early as 1818, and tombstones dated as early as 1824 can still be seen today. Currently, the cemetery encompasses over 16.5 acres, is a Historic Landmark designated by the City of Cleveland Landmarks Commission, and over 31,000 persons are buried there.

What would an old historic cemetery be without some famous residents? 

There are more than 500 persons in the cemetery who served in the armed forces and saw duty during the American Revolution, the War of 1812, the Mexican-American War, the Civil War, the Spanish-American War and both World Wars, in addition to those who served their country during times of peace. 

There are many people here who belonged to the Free & Accepted Masons of Ohio, the Woodmen of the World and the Independent Order of Odd Fellows. 

The cemetery contains several persons who were actively involved in abolitionist activities before and during the Civil War, including Rev. James A. Thome and Alfred Greenbrier. 

Rev. James Thome

Two mayors of Cleveland are buried here, William Castle and Irvine U. Masters.

William Castle

Irvine Masters Marker

John Michael Kick, the first Cleveland police officer to be killed in the line of duty is buried here - in June 2011, Kick was honored with a new marker, and his 2nd great grandson, a police officer in the 5th district, spoke at the event.

John Michael Kick

Notable businessmen from many walks of life are reflected in the multitude of monuments in the cemetery, including Daniel Sanford, Robert Sanderson, and Gustave Schaefer.

One of the early pioneers of the west side and major landowner/developer, Richard Lord, is interred in what appears to be one of the smallest mausoleums around. So small, in fact, that his name above the door had to be abbreviated.  His wife is also buried in the crypt below - but a third casket has not been identified.

Richard Lord's tomb

Walter M. Prentice was a physician and Army Surgeon during the Civil War. Recognized as a surgeon of "rare ability", he died in 1864, while serving as commandant in the Medical Corps, at Pt Burnside Tennessee.

William Prentice Marker

Ships' captains, ships' carpenters, and sailors tell the story of a predominant mode of transportation in 19th century Cleveland.

Farmers, bricklayers, shoemakers, factory workers, saloonkeepers, ministers, soapmakers, livery stable owners, doctors, canal builders and many other trades and skills were the occupations of the common people resting here who made Ohio City and Cleveland great. 

This picture of the gatehouse in 2008 shows its sad and dire need for restoration:

Gatehouse in 2008

However, there is some very good news!  This wonderful structure is under complete renovation - it appears it may be completed this year.  Be sure to follow http://www.mscf1841.org/ to witness the progress.  You can donate there, find great little store items, and become a member of the cemetery's foundation.

Which brings me to my NE Ohio genealogical find of the day!  The wonderful caretakers and volunteers of this incredible historical gem will actually take a picture of your relative's grave if you ask. I recommend making a donation or joining the foundation; but they have generously offered their services - click here for more information.  I've never heard of a cemetery doing this - (three cheers from family researchers everywhere!)

You may not have an ancestor here, nor may you ever do work for someone who does - but I cannot recommend enough the support of this local treasure. 

Happy hunting!

Cate.

Note: many thanks to the following for much of the information contained here:

1. Alan Fodor, “Monroe Street Cemetery,” Cleveland Historical, accessed January 16, 2014, http://clevelandhistorical.org/items/show/476.

2. http://www.mscf1841.org/

3. http://www.findagrave.com

1 July 1925 - This Day in History - Cleveland Airport Begins Operations

We live in a time of email and overnight packages. However, back in 1918, the US government had only begun experimenting with airmail service. Cleveland was a city they were eyeing closely, because if its geographical location, and its two privately held airfields - but there was a hitch. The airfields here were not designed for night landings or takeoffs.

William Hopkins with Amelia Earhart (center) – credit airrace.com

The city manager at the time, William Hopkins, was not about to let this opportunity for his city get away. Through his tireless efforts, City Council approved a $1.25 million bond issue to buy land and build a proper city airport in January 1925. Operations for the first city-owned airport in the nation began on July 1st of the same year. It was the nation's first with airfield lighting systems.

 
By 1929, the famed National Air Races were held at Cleveland Municipal Airport. The very next year, it became the first airport in the world with a radio-equipped air-traffic control tower. Celebrities of all kinds graced Cleveland Municipal Airport in these golden years, and for the Air Races, including Amelia Earhart and Charles Lindbergh.

New Terminal at Cleveland Airport in 1929 – credit airrace.com

Since most Northeast Ohioans know this airport well, the airport represents different things to each of us. We've used it for business trips, to visit family, to leave for school, to take vacations, and the list goes on and on. Today, however, I'm thinking about all of the incredible family history trips it could lead me to. I dream of Northumberland in the UK, where some of my ancestors fought in historic battles and lived in castles that remain to this day. I dream of Erlach, Switzerland - where my great-grandfather fell through the ice one cold, cold day (and lived to tell the tale!). I dream of Alsace-Lorraine, where my Klein/Cline ancestor originally lived - only to come to a new country and serve next to General Washington in our Revolutionary War. I dream of going to China, to Sweden, to Ireland and so many other locales that hold special genealogical meaning to me.

Cleveland-Hopkins Airport today

Sometimes I dream of going someplace much closer, and while I could drive there, a quick plane trip sounds nicer: the 2014 NGS Conference, where you can learn a bunch and be surrounded by family history geeks just like you and I. Tickets are available, and rooms are ready to be booked! You can read about it here: NGS 2014 Conference Brochure.

Thank you, Cleveland-Hopkins Airport....and all the other airfields around the world that lead to some of the best of life's discoveries.

15 May 1942 - This Day in History - Womens' Army Corps

Women In the Military: 70 Years of Full Status

In, May 1941, as Stalin was named Soviet premier and London was being hit with its most intense Luftwaffe bombing of the war, the first congresswoman ever from New England, Edith Nourse Rogers from Massachusetts, introduced legislation that would enable women to serve in the Army in non-combat positions but with full military status.

Over the course of the months following, as the bill was debated, the Japanese bombed Pearl Harbor in December. On the 15th of May 1942, the bill was made law, and the Womens' Army Corps was born.  WACs performed jobs from North Africa to Asia and everywhere in between as clerks, radio operators, electricians and air-traffic controllers, among other positions to "release a man for combat", as the Army put it.  The Navy WAVES soon followed (Women Accepted for Volunteer Emergency Service) in July 1942, thanks to Eleanor Roosevelt convincing Congress to quickly authorize the women's component of the Navy. On November 23, 1942, President Roosevelt signed Public Law 773, which launched the U.S. Coast Guard Women's Reserve, SPARS, short for the Coast Guard Motto, Semper Paratus - or "always ready".

But, there was a group left out of full status with the military, and it truly brings tears to my eyes as I write this.  In September 1942, the Women's Flying Training Detachment (WFTD) and the Women's Auxiliary Ferrying Squadron (WAFS) organized themselves. They were civilian female pilots, employed to fly military aircraft under the direction of US Army Air Forces during WWII.  On the 5th of August 1943, they merged to form the paramilitary WASPs  or Women Airforce Service Pilots.

Elizabeth Gardner

Twenty-five thousand women applied to join the WASP, but only 1,074 were accepted, took the oath and passed their training. After training, they were stationed at 120 air bases across the US, assuming all sorts of flight-related missions and relieving their male counterparts for combat duty.  More than just an aircraft ferrying service, they towed targets for live anti-aircraft artillery practice, simulated strafing missions, transported cargo and some were even allowed to test rocket-propelled planes, pilot jet-propelled planes, and work with radar-controlled targets.  In all, they flew 60 MILLION miles on nearly every U.S. military plane known at the time.

Sadly, 38 women lost their lives in this service, but because they were not considered military under the existing guidelines, a fallen WASP was sent home at the family's expense. There were no military honors, no notes of heroism, and not even a US Flag on their coffin, as the Army wouldn't allow it.

WASPs & their plane Pistol Packin' Mamas

Finally, in 1977 the WASPs were granted full military status for their service.  In 1984, each WASP was awarded the WWII Victory Medal. On the 1st of July 2009, President Barack Obama and Congress awarded the WASP the Congressional Gold Medal. Three WASPs, Elaine Danforth Harmon, Bernice Falk Haydu and Lorraine H. Rodgers were present with President Obama as he signed the bill awarding the honor. On the 10th of March 2010, the surviving 200 WASPs arrived at the US Capitol to accept the Congressional Gold Medal from House Speaker Nancy Pelosi and other Congressional leaders.

July 2009 - Oval Office

Being in the Oval Office while the president signed the bill awarding the Congressional Gold Medal to the WASP was exciting and "an honor," Ms. Harmon said. "It's really nice that all these women will be honored for their service. We didn't join the WASP looking for recognition, but were just doing what was needed during the war," she remarked. "Most everyone else in the country worked very hard too and did their part to contribute to the war effort."

On December 17th, 2003 at the Centennial of Flight Celebration in Kitty Hawk, North Carolina where the Wright Brothers first flew, I had the distinct honor to meet one of these amazing women.  She was in a flight jacket with a WASP scarf around her neck, and sported bright red lipstick.  She walked tall in long strides as she passed by me.  My husband said quietly, "she was a WASP...wow", and I ran after her - just to shake her hand. As I stood with her and the ocean winds blew our hair about, I asked for a photo and her autograph.  She gave me a large smile, and seemed a bit perplexed, but I explained through watery eyes that my grandfather was a Lt. Col. in the US Army and served in the China/Burma/India front of the war.  I told her I was grateful for her service.  After handshakes and hugs for my husband, son and myself, she walked off toward the parking lot as the sun set.  I watched some planes take off from First Flight airstrip immediately to my west, and smiled at what pilots, and female service members in particular have accomplished over those 100 years.  I was proud to be an American and a woman.  I gave a short prayer of thanks as some tears fell, before we turned and left the Memorial.

With WASP Florence Watson - First Flight Centennial  Dec 2003

Websites like fold3.com, myheritage.com, archives.com and ancestry.com all have wonderful databases where you can look up your family members' military records, which give incredible insight into your genealogical searches.  And, when you have a bit of time, you can honor these brave women I spoke about, right here in Cleveland.  Their stories and more can be found at the International Women's Air & Space Museum at Burke Lakefront Airport.  Find out more here.  Keep 'em flying, ladies.

15 April 1912 - This Day in History - The Sinking of the Titanic

I, like most of you, first heard about the RMS Titanic in history classes or on television. I knew what happened, the whys and wherefores, and even indulged the movie by the same name starring Kate Winslet and Leonardo DiCaprio.  I learned interesting things along the way, like the fact that it wasn't full - another 1100 people could have been aboard that night, and that it was the largest moving object ever built at the time.  But, it was only as I got older and began delving into not just the dates and places of my personal family history, but the STORIES behind the people, did I really give much more thought to this epic disaster.

Great Lakes Titanic Society

We are in Ohio after all, so who would've thought that there'd be connections here?  Well, Mary Ann Whitley and Janet A. White - that's who.  They are the co-authors of the new book, Ohio Tales of the Titanic: The Buckeye State's Fascinating Connections to the World's Most Famous Shipwreck, and I had the distinct pleasure of interviewing Mary Ann Whitley today on this very subject.  Mary Ann is an award-winning journalist and communications professional with experience in the newspaper industry, magazines and public relations. Since 1994, she has been a copy editor at The Plain Dealer in Cleveland, one of the nation’s largest daily newspapers. She has formerly been an editor with Cleveland Magazine, The Penn Stater, The Indianapolis Star, The Herald-Times in Bloomington, Indiana, The Corydon Democrat and a feature writer with the Gainesville Sun. Ms. Whitley has handled media relations since 2003 for the Titanic International Society, and was instrumental in creating the Ohio Titanic Memorial found behind the Great Lakes Science Center downtown.

Ohio Titanic Memorial

 
Unfortunately, my equipment failed, and I did not get to record her interview - but I will share with you a few things she shared with me:

 Me: Congratulations on your newest book, with Janet A. White! Tell me, what was your biggest challenge in pulling this piece together?
 
Mary Ann: Oh, finding the time to write it!  Janet and I worked on this for nearly 10 years.  She has been researching Ohio's part in the Titanic for about 30 years - and for me, about 15.
 
Me: Oh wow! In researching everything for the book, what do you feel was your greatest or most fascinating discovery?
 
Mary Ann: Well one of them was meeting Chuck Otter.  His great-grandfather, Richard Otter, died that day, and he had documents from White Star Lines. Those were just so amazing to see. Another discovery was from the niece of Mary Davison.  Mary was headed with her husband back from England to their home in Bedford, Ohio. Her niece had letters that Mary and her sisters wrote each other - they are heartbreaking.  Written before the sinking, she was telling her family that she was packing up and getting ready to go on the ship. After the disaster, she wrote them from the Junior League house, comforting her mother after the disaster, telling them she was fine, and was staying there with 12 other Titanic survivors. There is also a letter from Mary's sister, Alice, expressing her thankfulness that Mary is safe.
 
Me: Incredible. Was there a story that tugged at your heartstrings more than any other? Any stories of triumph that really struck you?
 
Mary Ann: Well, Richard Otter's wife was back in Ohio with a 12-year old son.  He died, and she had no real means of support.  It really devastated their family because she had to send her son to live with relatives. She had to clean homes to survive and finally saved enough to have a house built in Cleveland.  She lived in the top floor and rented out the bottom two floors of the home.
 
Me: Besides reading your fantastic book, what would you and Janet like the people of Northeast Ohio (and all over, really) to know most about the Titanic disaster and Ohio's connection to it?

Ohio Tales of the Titanic

 
Mary Ann:  The stories of these people are still very compelling, 100 years later. And its really the stories of the people that resonate with others. Any type of disaster like this - those first person accounts - are the same kind of thing - they give us that first person account of history. I hope people take that away. A lot of them - these families - were changed forever.
 
I cannot thank Mary Ann enough for giving us an author's insight into her new book on this, the 100th anniversary of the sinking of the Titanic! Order it here. 

Archibald Gracie IV

For those of you who would like to hear more stories about those who survived the disaster, we have a remarkable event right here in our backyard.  On April 23rd at 7pm in the Westlake Library's Dover Meeting Room, re-enactor and historian Mel Mauer will bring to life the incredible story of survivor Archibald Gracie IV. Reserve your spot here.

17th March 461 - This Day in History - The death of St. Patrick

(thank you clevelandmemory.org for the bulk of this post)

1935 Cleveland St. Patrick's Day Parade

Living just west of downtown Cleveland, the significance of this day is never lost on me.  I am surrounded by churches named St. Colman and St. Patricks, as well as literally dozens of pubs with names like Sullivan's, McCarthy's, McGinty's Achill Isle Pub, Shamrock Tavern and McKenna's. The first year I lived here, I watched in amazement as the streets in this suburb were filled with people - dressed in green, and celebrating.  It looked like New Year's Eve!  So much of this area was settled and built by our Irish ancestors, and to see it feted so intently is always a fantastic sight.

1935 Cleveland St. Patrick's Day Parade

Today, Cuyahoga county is home to 1.2 million people, but back in 1825 - there were only 1,000 persons living in the Cleveland area.  That year, about 200 Irish had settled in the village. The Erie Canal had been completed, and the Ohio was about to get under way.  They were not welcomed by locals, who didn't much like the rag-tag men, who spoke English but with a brogue and were short on manners.  The Yankees felt these men were interested in obtaining the bare necessities of life and drinking the saloons along the riverfront dry. Quickly, the locals ceded the marshlands at the river's mouth to the Irish, in a hope to keep them at bay a bit.

You see, when Moses Cleveland first came upon that area, he had to come three-quarters of a mile into the main channel before finding solid ground to stand on. The land around the river's mouth and for a half mile south was pure swamp. In 1827, federal funding and engineering expertise allowed local citizens to dig a channel, and created the river's mouth as we know it today.  Naturally, the Irish did the digging.  The first piece of solid land amid the swamps was fittingly named Whiskey Island.  This peninsula is still known by that name, and is home to the Cleveland Bulk Terminal, Whiskey Island Marina and Wendy Park.  But back in it's heyday, it had 13 pubs - quite the achievement considering the whole area was only a mile long and a third of a mile at its widest point.  For many, many years it was the wildest, bawdiest part of Cleveland.

Street Map for Whiskey Island

Their lives were hard, and they were often swindled by their employers.  And since jail terms for debtors were still the law of the land, they had little choice but to make their mark on the contractor's ledger and hope they could work hard and "settle up" with the next month's work.  Soon, however, the boats actually coming up and down the canal from Cleveland to Akron provided better work for them as deck hands, cooks and even some helmsmen. The great spread of Irish and their socioeconomic climb throughout Cleveland began here; and was immensely helped along by the influx of fortunate immigrants who landed safely after the horrible potato famine back in their homeland.

Cleveland and its close suburbs are deeply ethnic in nature to this day - this we know. But this weekend, I'm most proud of those hardworking canal diggers who in a very real way dug the way for the Irish who came after them, and helped to build this great area. 

Today, The West-Side Irish American Club is one of several groups locally who have a long history of keeping the Irish traditions alive.  Next time you have a Friday Date Night, or just want to celebrate the end of a hard work week, their McNeeley Library is open Friday evenings from 6:30-8:30.  Now, which public house you choose for a meal and a pint is completely up to you.

(p.s. another great genealogy link for Irish family history is found here.)

March 3, 1837 - This Day In History... A Tale of Two Cities, Cleveland-style

I married a west-sider. After meeting at The Ohio State University, my then-boyfriend always said, “Yep, I’m from Cleveland. Where the west side is the best side, and the east is the least”. He always said it with a wry grin, and being a Columbus-ite myself, I didn’t really understand the significance of his words. Fast forward to just over 15 years later, when we were looking for a place to live in the Northeast Ohio area. I found some lovely homes in Shaker Heights, Solon, University Heights, etc. and was quite excited. When shown these, he responded with a furrowed brow and remarked, “I’m not even sure they would allow me to live on the east side. We better stay west of the river.” I thought he was kidding. The east suburbs are lovely, full of beautiful historic homes, sweeping lawns, brick and stone and some gorgeous family neighborhoods.

Cleveland in 1835

Now, those of you reading this who have lived here for some time are smiling right now. But newbies like myself thought he might be a bit crazy. When pressed further, I learned that there was an old joke that you needed a special “pass” to cross back and forth over the Cuyahoga River. Once you lived east or west, you tended to stay that way, and do your business (including your career) pretty much on that “side”. To a girl who grew up in circular Columbus, this mentality was pretty foreign.

Imagine my surprise when I found out that there had actually been a Cleveland ‘civil war’ of sorts! It appears that these east v. west roots ran inordinately deep: way back to 1836, in fact.

You see, the Columbus Street Bridge was the first permanent bridge over the Cuyahoga River. It was built in the spring of 1836 to the tune of $15,000 and was, in part, financed by the Mayor of Cleveland at the time, John W. Willey. It promoted the commercial development of Cleveland but at the expense of Ohio City. 
 

Columbus Street Bridge - 1837

The bridge was 200 feet long, 33 feet wide and 24 feet high, with a draw at the center allowing ships to pass. Travelers could now bypass Ohio City entirely, including the old floating bridge there that was owned jointly by Cleveland and Ohio City. When they saw their trade diverted to Cleveland, Ohio City residents boycotted the new bridge.

The westsiders obviously objected on the grounds that the people from Brooklyn, Elyria, and the countryside, would go over to Cleveland by the new route, instead of passing down into Ohio City, for their trading. This meant a direct loss, as each year brought hundreds of teams in, from the south and west, loaded with wheat, flour, corn, pork, etc. – not to mention the loads of goods that were carried away in return.

To make matters worse, at the direction of a cunning Mayor Willey and his financial partner Mr. Clark, the Cleveland City Council ordered that their half of the Ohio City-Cleveland floating bridge be destroyed. It was done in the dark of night, and when the westsiders awoke to a rising sun, they saw their direct communication and commerce to Cleveland utterly destroyed. They realized that to reach any point of Cleveland at all, they would be forced to travel south and use the hated Columbus Street Bridge.

To say they retaliated is a bit of an understatement. They tried (in vain) to powder explode one end of the new bridge. A group of 1,000 Ohio City volunteers began digging deep ditches at both ends of the bridge, making it impossible for horses and wagons to reach the structure. But the westsiders were still unsatisfied with this and took to using guns, crowbars, axes, and other weapons to finish off the bridge. In the midst of all this, their rallying cry could be heard: “Two bridges, or none!”

Mayor John. W. Willey

Well, the Cleveland eastsiders quickly caught wind of this, and a militia armed with rifles as well as the old cannon used during July 4^th celebrations were brought to defend the new bridge. When Mayor Willey stepped up to try to calm the situation, he was blasted with stones thrown by the westsiders. The Ohio City residents began tearing up the bridge planks and threw them in the river. Meanwhile, Old Deacon House slipped over to the east side and disabled the antique cannon. But gunfire was exchanged and approximately eight men were injured.

Eventually, some may say amends were made and Ohio City was annexed by the City of Cleveland in 1854. So, there you have it. A deep-seated, longstanding rift between the people who flank either side of the Cuyahoga.

Which brings me to two wonderful Northeast Ohio associations which I’d like to highlight: The Cuyahoga West and Cuyahoga East chapters of the Ohio Genealogical Society. These two fine groups of genealogists do not merely serve just their sides of the Cuyahoga. It's clear that they cheerfully exchange the information that benefits all of us who are interested in family history. Please visit their websites for a treasure trove of material, or attend one of their monthly meetings. Use whichever bridge you like.