_{"Hard work, in both pleas­ant and bitter elements, be blessed or damned.
It was their choice."}

WHEN THE NETS BOILED WITH THEIR CATCH: I've always taken a certain amount of pride in telling folks that I was born in Vermilion. That's not merely to say Vermilion is my hometown. It is to literally point out that the moment my eyes opened unto life it was right here at 510 (later 728) Perry Street, in Vermilion, Ohio. But for all that bilge I have discovered that I know very little of the place where I've spent a majority of my years.

One of the many things I know very little about - but should - is Vermilion's fishing industry. What I knew of it was that it was there for a long time, and that one day it disappeared. My interest in the industry actually began when I started to hear stories about a sailor I've written about more than any other, named "Big Ed" Lampe.

And there do I make him out to be a character that seems to be larger than life. Whether he actually deserves the rubric or not, "Big Ed" is a Lake Erie folk hero. In brief, he seems to epitomize all the men who ever farmed Erie's waters.

I suppose we all can ponder the reason(s) anyone would choose commercial fishing as a vocation. I've been told that because Vermilion was primarily a boat-building and fishing town the choices for young men around the village were limited. That's a reasonable conclusion. But after looking at the lives of several of these men and the work they did, I believe that it isn't quite that simple.

When I consider men like Don and Rich Parsons, Chester Jackson, Alva Snell, Don LaCourse, and Ollie Schulusselman (sp?), I'm looking at men who were both physically and intellectually strong. Commercial fishing was never the only alternative before them. Hard work, in both pleas­ant and bitter elements, be blessed or damned. It was their choice.

In the accompanying picture the Kishman tug fleet rests along the banks of the Vermilion River. Hart’s Drugstore and the roofs of both the Wagner and Maud-Elton hotels are visible on the skyline. The fishing industry was probably at its peak.

One can easily imagine that inside the fish house most, if not all, the men who would sail these boats into the open waters of the lake would spend their winters inside - fingers rapidly mending old nets and/or making new ones - and spinning a few yarns of their own.

And then, when the day came and a lilac scented breeze drifted into the village from the south, hoarse motors roared to life, and the various tugs headed out of the harbor across the watery fields of Lake Erie to set their nets.

Later in the day as the crews began to haul in their harvest - when the nets boiled with their catch - it is unlikely that any of them ever asked why they were commercial fishermen.

_{Story amended 08/24/13; Published in the Vermilion Photojournal 01/13/2005.}

Vol. IX - NO.14 – Sept 14, 1905.

COURT NOTES

Judge Reed has ordered Receiver C.L. Nielson to file an appraisement of the property of the Sandusky Fish Co. The order is based on a motion filed in the case of A.J. Stoll against the Sandusky Fish co., a few days ago.

Suit has been entered in the court of common pleas by Edward Brengartner against Louis Frank for damages in the sum of $5,000. Brengartner claims that as a result of a malicious assault perpetrated by Frank on August 27, he has sustained permanent injuries.

Council Meeting.

A meeting of the council was held Monday night to transact business of the regular meeting, which should have been held Tuesday evening.

The various committees reported and several new sidewalks ordered. Considerable discussion concerning certain walks ensued.

The tearing up of streets for laying pipe was talked of and an ordinance passed regulating laying pipe and placing the street where such work is done under the care of the marshal.

The bills were then read and passed.

SCHOOL OPENS.

Never have the village schools opened with brighter prospects than they did Monday morning. The attendance so far this week is over 250 with prospects for a still larger number later.

In the High School there are forty-eight pupils, four of who are post-graduates. Eight of the senior class have decided to take the four year course, thus it will seen that there are those who will take advantage of the new course at once.

About 100 took advantage of the excursions to Sandusky Wednesday and spent a most enjoyable day. Two special cars on the L.S.E. carried the crowd.

[VV Ed. Note: This is interesting. It would appear that prior to September of 1905 a High School education in Vermilion was only, perhaps, about 2 years. I suspected this some time back – but I had nothing to base it on.]

A WHITE ROBIN

Capt. L.E. Merry of Bellevue has discovered among the robins that frequent his yard a white one.

The back, tail and breast are pure white, the wings having a few dark feathers. The bird is the same size and walks like the other robins. Such birds are extremely rare and are known as albinos.

The Lake Shore will run a a gasoline electric car from Cleveland to Collinwood in a few days for the accommodation of its employees. The mechanism of the cr is that of a large automobile. It has one additional device. The jump spark is used for exploding the gasoline but instead of having this power transmitted directly to the axles., it is utilized to generate electricity, which is controlled in the cab and given to the axles by wire, as is done in the ordinary street car. It is the intention of the Lake Shore to establish, as oon as possible, suburban service on its various branches, competing with the electric roads in some instances and forestalling them in others.

THE FAIR.

A large number of Vermilion people attended the fair Wednesday. The crowd on the grounds was the largest that has been in attendance on Wednesdays in years. It being school day many school children were present and from appearances were having a good time.

The races and wild west show were the chief attractions although there were a number of fine exhibits.

NORTH ROAD

Belle Patchett and Nora Aston are again attending school at Vermilion.

Mrs. Theodore Penning of Vermilion spent a few days last week with her sister Mrs. John Hull.

Mrs. H. Tisdale is spending a few days with her parents Mr. and Mrs. c. Kneisel.

Miss Edna Kneisel and Raphael Tisdale are attending school at Vermilion. –Sally and Matilda Jane

BROWNHELM

Mr. Neuton Holstein is suffering from an attack of typhoid fever.

Miss Elenor Buckley is slowly recovering from an attack of typhoid fever.

A very sad death occurred at the home of Mr. and Mrs. H.B. Kishman early Sunday morning, then their niece, Miss Lucile Rocky of Wooster, O., passed away. Miss Rocky came here on a visit about a week ago and was taken ill with typhoid fever shortly after her arrival, and in a few days the dreaded disease proved fatal. A short service was held Sunday afternoon at the home of Mr. Kishman, after which the remains were taken to her late home in Wooster.

[VV Ed. Note: Miss Rocky was apparently both a beautiful and talented young woman. She worked for her father in Wooster as a bookkeeper and collector. She had graduated high school in 1900, and in the words of her many friends was “bright and vivacious”. Her death, by all accounts, was a great shock to all who knew her.]

ASHMONT

Miss Grace Slocum who has been in Berlin Hts. for the past few weeks returned to her home in this place Sunday.

Miss Tessie Lee went to Castalia last week to take up her duties as teacher in a school there.

Coon Nuhn is repairing his house in this place and preparing to move here in the near future.

Mrs. Wm. Mason who has been quite ill for osme time is better at this writing.

Miss Myrtle Jump who is teaching school in Ogontz spent Sunday at home.

M. Scribner is reported quite ill with typhoid fever.

Miss Peal Pelton went to the hospital at Toledo last week for treatment.

Abram Greenoe has purchased a place at Ogontz and will move there in the near future.

Miss Ida Welz of Florence will board with Mrs. Gene Pelton during the school year.

O.K. Todd returned Saturday evening from a very pleasant trip through the west.

Mrs. E.A. Hill spent the first of the week with her husband at Fairport.

Otto Full, who has been suffering from typhoid fever, is convalescing.

The Fair has discontinued the fresh meat business for lack of room.

Geo. Rathbun visited home this week while the boat was at Fairport.

Mrs. Sophia Curtis Hoffman founder of the Sorosis, died at her home in New York yesterday at the age of 84.

The steamer Staunton will be launched at the Lorain shipyard next Saturday. The boat is 524 feet in length and will carry 9,000 tons of ore.

Drowned at Erie.

Will Hahn of this place was drowned off the tug Cornelius Desmond, at Erie, Pa. Tuesday. We are unable to learn how the accident occurred. His remains will be brought home on the early train over the Nickel Plate tomorrow and funeral will be held in the German M.E. church at 1:30 p.m. Mr. Hahn was a member of the Vermilion K. & L. of S. having joined that lodge about ten years ago and is the first member the lodge has lost in the eleven years of its existence.

The young man who was taken to the infirmary from Vermilion last week Tuesday, made his escape from that institution Wednesday. On Thursday afternoon he was captured at West Huron after frightening several people by his strange behavior.

BREVITIES

Ex-auditor Wm. J. Bonn died at his home in Sandusky Sunday morning.

Alfred K. Jarecki president and founder of the Jarecki Chemical Co. died very suddenly at his home in Sandusky Sunday afternoon.

Lawrence Cook, of Bellevue a veteran of the Civil war, has just been notified that he was one of the lucky ones in the drawing for lands in the Uintah reservation.

[VV Ed. Note: The Uintah and Ouray Indian Reservation is located in northeastern Utah, USA. It is the homeland of the Northern Ute Tribe, and is the largest of three Indian reservations inhabited by members of the Ute Tribe of Native Americans. What follow is a transcript from an article which appeared in the Los Angeles Herald on August 18, 1905: Entering of the Territory 'Will Begin ■ August 28, When One Hundred and Eleven Claims Will ... '*' ' Bo' Recorded Associated Press - PROVO, Utah, Aug. 17, 1905. Ray Daniels of Provo, Utah, was the first name drawn from the box at the drawing for homesteads in the Uintah reservation which began, here today. The second name drawn was Noah M. Balbock of Angora, Colo. Daniels and Balbock will be entitled to the first and second selections respectively of the Uintah Indian reservation lands to be thrown open to entry August 28. The values of these homesteads of 160 acres each have been variously estimated, but conservative persons who have been over the land place the value of any one of the best fifty claims at $5000 to $10,000, and state that $10,000 is probably a liberal valuation of the best claim open to entry as a homestead. Fully 3000 persons were present today when the drawing began under the personal direction of W. A. Richards, commissioner of the general land office. The 37,650 envelopes containing the names of the persons who registered earlier in the month at Grand Junction, Colo., and Vernal, Price and Provo, Utah, were placed in a great revolving box and given a thorough shaking up. The envelopes were drawn from the box by three boys and the name of the winners were announced to the expectant crowd. About two thousand names were drawn today, and the drawing will continue Friday and Saturday. The entering of the land will begin August 28, when 111 entries will be received, and on each of the two days following an equal number of entries will be recorded. Of the first two hundred persons whose names were drawn today, 110 are residents of Utah, eighty are residents of Colorado, and nine are residents of other states. Apparently, Mr. Cook was one of them. ]

E.H. Linville, a Lorain real estate man was arrested Saturday evening on a warrant signed by A.H. Babcock charging him with embezzling $970.

Because Miss Katherine Gollmar forgot to take an examination in literature she was forced to resign from the Lorain schools. Miss Helen Smith was appointed to fill the vacancy.

The bank at Oberlin which was wrecked by Mrs. Chadwick, opened its doors for business Tuesday morning under a new name and new management. Everything is changed; even to the color of the woodwork.

The four-year-old son of Milo Pease living a short distance east of Wellington was instantly killed last week by a wagon passing over his body. Mr. Pease was drawing baled hay and had told the children not to catch rides. The little fellow hid behind a bale and attempted to jump onto the wagon and fell under the wheels.

The dairymen of Marysville, O. have decided to quit delivering milk owing to the orders of the Board of health requiring all dairymen to have their cows examined by a tuberculin test, which would cost them about $5 per cow. Mayor Hamilton hopes to get eh Board and dairymen together and settle the matter.

Wright – Parsons Wedding.

One of the notable weddings of the summer occurred at the home of Capt. A.B. Parsons at No 50 Walnut street on Wednesday evening, September 6 at 6;-- o’clock. His daughter, Miss Nell K. Parsons, was united in marriage to Mr. Clarence J. Wright of this place, Rev. H.M. Tenney officiating.

HURON.

Wm. Ward, Sr., who was so badly injured last week while working on the docks as to necessitate the amputation of his leg, is improving.

A number of little folks were entertained at the home of Ellen Paxton Saturday afternoon in honor of her sixth birthday.

Mrs. LaVoo is spending the week in Norwalk.

J. Gunzerhauser expects to soon open a meat market in the Harris block.

There is talk of the Lake Shore Electric moving their track here so as to avoid some of the curves.

[ VV Ed. Note: This ends the No. 2 Roll of Vermilion News (November 13, 1902 – September 14,1905. Next week we’ll start with Microfilm Roll #3.

_{"To many persons this hand-stenciled autograph would probably be meaningless."}

THE GOETZ BROS: Leave it to someone such as myself to get excited about something as mundane as an old oak board. But it happened. After temporarily removing some of the woodwork in the apartment above the old Vermilion News Print Shop on Grand Street during some renovations recently I noticed the stenciled printing on the back of one of the boards. It reads: “JACOB H. GOETZ. VERMILION, OHIO.”

To many persons this hand-stenciled autograph would probably be meaningless. But to me it was like finding the footprint of a dinosaur in my backyard. Actually, Jacob’s name is very likely on the backs of numerous oak boards in century homes throughout the town. Moreover, some may also be found in several of the tidy cottages in Vermilion’s Linwood Park as well. That’s because Jacob and his younger brother Henry were both Vermilion carpenters whose family ties are as deeply rooted in Linwood as the trees that line its streets. Their older brother, George (inset picture), was a minister in the German-Evangelical Church – ergo, the Linwood Park connection.

Rev. George’s maternal grandson Bob Shanks, who currently makes his home in Bay Village, Ohio, told me that his grandfather “was a minister in the German-Evangelical Church, the local Conference of which established Linwood Park in 1883 as site for summer revival meetings”, and was “very active” in the early days of the Park.

Bob told me that Reverend George Goetz was re-assigned by the Conference in 1879 and, for a short time, he and his family lived in Vermilion in a house owned by a Great Lakes freighter cook named Henry Hall. While living here Bob said that he frequently preached two or three times on Sunday at churches in Huron, Norwalk, Oxford, Ceylon, and Birmingham. In Vermilion he occasionally conducted services in the historic German Reformed (i.e. the E&R) Church on the corner of Grand and Ohio streets as well. He also served on the Board of Directors of The Linwood Park Company from 1896 until his death in 1930.

Unlike their older brother both Jacob and Henry lived and worked in Vermilion full-time. Jacob married a local girl named Emma Linglebach. Emma’s brother [Henry Linglebach] married the Goetz brother’s sister Sara. And Henry married a West Virginia girl named Laura. Both Henry and Laura were deaf / hearing impaired. The brothers kept a carpentry shop on the river just south of the waterworks building. According to late Vermilion historian Don Englebry the shop was some years later moved from that site to the entrance to the Olympic Outing Club. [That building, incidentally, is still at that site.]

One of the houses that Jacob and Henry built sits on the south side of South Street [try saying that out loud five times] just west of the odd intersection of State, Grand and Ohio streets. For a number of years Jacob and Emma made it their home. It is truly a nice – well-built – house. Henry and Laura lived in a 2-story home on the west side of Perry Street between Ohio and South streets. Whether it was also one of the houses the brothers built is unknown.

The Goetz brothers also built a few small boats. Probably the best known of them was the “Mary N.” It was owned and operated by a colorful Canadian-American named Louis “Cloudy” Noel. Though it was named for Cloudy’s wife Mary it was known “far and wee” as “Cloudy’s Ferry”. Prior to the development of the Vermilion Lagoons from swamp to a high-end housing development Cloudy ferried (mostly) folks to and from Linwood to town to do their shopping, etc.

All three brothers died well before I was born; George in 1930 at 80; and Jacob in 1931 when he was 77. Henry was bit by a dog in 1937 and died of Rabies at the age of 82. Their sister Sara died in 1936 after a lingering illness. A younger brother, Samuel, was a minister in churches at Toledo and later Lakewood, Ohio. And a sister, Libby, made her home in Pennsylvania. Henry’s wife Laura died in 1960 at the tender age of 92 years. [I did know her.]

I realize that it may be difficult for persons to understand the reason finding a solitary board with the name Jacob H. Goetz stenciled on it from a yesteryear as something exciting. But I do. In many respects the history of Linwood Park is the history of Vermilion. Many of the folks who came to the park fell in love with the town, and like the Goetz brothers – helped build it; nail by nail, board by board and, when necessary, prayer by prayer.

_{Ref: The Sandusky Star-Journal 10/13/1936; Sandusky Register 10/29/1930 and 09/28/1937; U.S. Census data, 1910-20-30; Published in the Vermilion Photojournal 06-09/13; Very Special Thanks to Bob Shanks and Janet Waggoner.}

PENNY POSTCARDS: Today they’re all over the place – postcards with my grandfather’s pix on them. It was a cottage industry for my grandfather (and others) back in the early years of the 20th century, and it remains so for many folks who do trade with the online store EBay today.

This advertisement appeared in The Vermilion News in 1905. (The pic is that of the boardwalk leading out the Vermilion Lighthouse at the end of the west breakwall at the mouth of the Vermilion River.

After the photographs were taken they were sent to an engraver where they were etched onto a metal plate that was, in turn, used for printing.

This photo and the plate used to print the pictured used in this ad – as well as a postcard – still exist along with thousands more at the Print Shop Museum.

Someday – in the future – we will be able to put them on public display. But, as indicated, they are numerous. So it will take “a month of Sundays” to organize, and display them properly. But the prospect of showing them is exciting.