S.S. Hosmer, Early Sandusky Merchant

Sidney Smith Hosmer was born in LeRoy, New York in 1808. As a young boy he moved to Buffalo, and was active there in business until 1838, when he moved to Sandusky. He was listed as a wholesale grocer on Water Street in the 1855 Sandusky City Directory. In the May 17, 1851 issue of the Daily Sanduskian newspaper,  he advertised new arrivals of several varieties of whiskey, cognac, gin, and rum. By 1880, his stated profession was as a miller. 

Mr. Hosmer's first wife was Elizabeth Camp, the daughter of Major John G. Camp. Elizabeth Camp Hosmer died in 1857. Mr. Hosmer then married Ann Brokaw, who was from Indiana. Alex C. Hosmer, a son from his first marriage, died in the Civil War. Another son, Theodore Hosmer, was the first mayor of Tacoma, Washington. 

S.S. Hosmer died on August 3, 1888. He was buried in the North Ridge section of Oakland Cemetery. An obituary for S.S. Hosmer appeared in the August 7, 1888 issue of the Sandusky Register. The article reported that “this city lost one of its oldest citizens.” 

Cotillion Soiree Held in 1850

At the top of the invitation to the Cotillion Soiree held on December 11, 1850 at the Townsend House in Sandusky is a portion of a poem by Milton.  It reads:

Come, and trip it as you go,

On the light fantastic toe.

(From this poem, to “trip the light fantastic” became a way of describing dancing.)  

The Townsend House, which opened in the 1840s, was at the northwest corner of Market and Decatur Streets.

A young Rush R. Sloane was one of the floor managers of the Cotillion Soiree. He would later go on to build the Sloane House hotel, and serve as Mayor of Sandusky. He was also known for his bold abolitionist views and actions during the time of the Underground Railroad.

image from the Internet Archive

Other floor managers of the Soiree were: John W. Wetherell and G.J. Francisco. Honorary managers were Ebenezer B. Sadler, E.S. Flint, Pitt Cooke, J.G. Camp, Jr., J.E. Follett, and Theodore Hosmer. These were some of the earliest and best known pioneer residents of Sandusky. Visit the Sandusky Library Archives Research to learn more about the history of Sandusky and Erie County, Ohio.

The Graduating Class of Sandusky High School, 1872

Pictured above are several members of Sandusky High School’s graduating class of 1872. In the front row are: Lula Hayes; Sarah Lawler; Charles McLouth and Antonia Springer. In the middle row are: Hattie Miller; Frank Barker; Emma Hages; Robert Walsh and Eunice Williams. In the back row are: Ella Rayl ; Alex Camp; Emma Alder; Hattie Keech; Henry Moore; Laura Wetherell; Alice Kinney and Ella Kelham. 

By 1876, Ella Kelham was an elementary school teacher for Sandusky City Schools. Frank Barker became the city clerk of Sandusky, and he married Laura Cooke, the niece of Civil War financier Jay Cooke. (Barker Street in Sandusky was named for Frank Barker’s ancestors.) Hattie Keech was the daughter of Sandusky businessman and philanthropist, C.C. Keech. She would go on to marry Edmund H. Zurhorst, who was very active in politics in Sandusky. Alice Kinney was the daughter of newspaper publisher J.C. Kinney, and Alex Camp’s ancestors were instrumental in the founding of the city of Sandusky. These students were all born before the Civil War, and most lived well into the twentieth century.  They saw many changes in technology in their lifetimes. 

To see more historical photographs from Sandusky and Erie County, visit the Sandusky Library Archives Research Center, on the lower level of the Sandusky Library.

Camptown

A neighborhood on the eastern part of Sandusky was once known as Camptown. It is located east of Sycamore Line and south of Scott Street, including First, Second, Third, Fourth and Fifth Street. Camptown was named after John G. Camp, John G. Camp, Jr. and Jacob A. Camp, who added this section of the city to the original plat of Sandusky in 1852.  In the 1800s, St. Ann’s Chapel was built in Camptown as an outreach of Grace Episcopal Church. This chapel later became Calvary Episcopal Church, which is now in use as a wedding venue. Around the turn of the twentieth century, Philip Schmidt ran the Camp Town grocery store at the corner of Monroe and Meigs Streets, on the edge of the neighborhood. In the 1870s, artist Samuel Tebbutt lived on Second Street. The neighborhood has always been primarily residential. Though no signs of the name Camptown remain today, thousands of tourists drive through the section of Sandusky formerly known as Camptown, on their way to Cedar Point each summer.

The Young Men’s Debating Association of Sandusky

The secretary’s book containing the minutes of the Young Men’s Debating Association is housed in the Archives Research Center of the Sandusky Library. The group was organized in 1840 and was later called the Philomathesian Society (a precursor of the Sandusky Library). The back of the book contains a listing of the questions which were debated as well as the bylaws, constitution, treasurers’ accounts, and a record of fines that were collected. The book was donated by Thomas B. Hoxsey. According to notes found with the secretary’s book, the group’s motto was “Knowledge is power.”

In the beginning, only the surnames of the members were given. Early members were: Mr. Lockwood, Mr. Campbell, Mr. Camp, Mr. Vrooman, Mr. McGee, Mr. Cooke, Mr. Mills, and Mr. Davidson. H. D. Cooke, brother of Jay Cooke, served as the Secretary-Treasurer in August 1840. A different member served as president of each meeting.

On October 7, 1840, the Young Men’s Debating Association met in Sandusky. Mr. J. Vrooman served as president, as the person who was designated to serve as president was absent. Attending the meeting were: Jacob A. Camp, William S. Mills, J. H .Lockwood, J. Steiner, E. B. Goodrich, J. S. Vrooman, and James McGee. The members debated the question: “Which is more desirable knowledge or fame?” The minutes read that “after a long and extremely animating debate” the president awarded the honor to both parties. The question for the next meeting was “Should fiction ever be considered as a vehicle for truth?”

Other questions debated were:

“Which affords the greatest field for eloquence, the pulpit or the bar?”
“Which has been the most benefit to mankind, invention or discovery?”
“Was Columbus the first discoverer of America?”
“Is conscience an innate principle?”

The final entry in the minutes book of the Young Men’s Debating Society is dated April 13, 1841. Jacob A. Camp was serving as the Secretary-Treasurer at this time, and Mr. Vrooman chaired the meeting.

Long before radio, television, cell phones, and the Internet, debating served as an enjoyable pastime for Sandusky’s young men. Visit the Sandusky Library’s Archives Research Center to view the minutes of the Young Men’s Debating Association.