The Carter Sisters, Sandusky Schoolteachers

In the picture above, taken in July of 1945,  are three Carter sisters, along with three identified individuals. The three older ladies are (left to right): Minnie Carter, Lucy Carter, and Frances Carter. The Carter sisters were the daughters of Robert and Mary Ann Carter, who were natives of England. Robert N. Carter was born in Yorkshire, England in 1855. He came to the United States with his wife Mary Ann and young daughter Emily in 1865. The next three Carter children were born in the United States, including William, born in New York in 1865; Lucy, born in New York in 1868; and Frances, born in New Jersey, in 1871. 

By 1873, the large Carter family was residing in Sandusky, Ohio, where Robert was employed as a plane maker. Mr. and Mrs. Carter had two more children, Minnie, born in 1874, and Amelia, born in 1879. Mrs. Mary Ann Carter died shortly after birth of her youngest child Amelia, known fondly as Millie. When Amelia was only 10, Robert N. Carter died, on March 13, 1899. It is no surprise that after the death of their parents, several of the Carter siblings were residing with their older sister Emily in 1900. By that time, Emily had married George Siggens. Lucy, Frances and Millie Carter all became teachers. In 1955, an article in the May 28, 1955 issue of the Sandusky Register stated that Lucy Carter was believed to be the oldest living teacher in Sandusky, though by then she had been retired for several years. She had taught at Sycamore School and Campbell School, as well as at the Junior High and High School in Sandusky.

Lucy said she was very proud of her former students,who included Attorney Russell Ramsey and Sandusky City Manager Karl Kugel. All of the Carter siblings are buried at Sandusky’s Oakland Cemetery. I am sure that Lucy and all her siblings were also very proud of their nephew, Ernie Siggens, the son of Emily Carter Siggens. Ernest “Ernie” Siggens was a standout athlete at Sandusky High School, and later served as Sandusky’s Mayor. He died at the age of 37.

Sandusky High School Graduates in the Military, Spring 1918

The April 1918 issue of the Fram featured the names of seventy-six individuals who had either attended or graduated from Sandusky High School, and were serving in military service during World War I. The names were arranged alphabetically by surname, with the year of graduation listed after the name.

Opposite the “Honor Roll” listing of names was a page with pictures of several military men from Sandusky. Sergeant-Major William Murray was serving with the Aviation Corps of the U.S. Army.  Paul J. Appell was an instructor at Cape May, New Jersey with the U.S. Navy. Sergeant Wesley Moos was with the U.S. Army’s Quartermaster’s Corps. Ray Siggens, Harold Weis, and Surgeon Henry LaFavre were all serving in the United States Navy. La Favre, whose picture is in the center of the page, served as a U.S. Navy surgeon in both World War I and World War II. Eventually he retired to Virginia Beach. After his death on February 15, 1953, Captain La Favre was buried at Arlington National Cemetery.

Ernest Siggens: Star Athlete, Mayor of Sandusky

Ernest V. Siggens, who was known as Ernie, was born in Sandusky on May 7, 1897 to George and Emily Siggens. He was a star of the Sandusky High School football teams of 1914, 1915, and 1916. From 1923 to 1925, Ernie played in the backfield for the Sandusky Maroons. (He is seen at the far right of the front row in the photo below, which was taken in 1923.)

Other teams which Ernie Siggens played for included the Parks Junior Basketball Team, who were the area champions in the 1913-1914 season, and the Sandusky Elks baseball team.

During World War One Ernie Siggens served in the United States Army from May to December, 1918. For several years, Ernie was the proprietor of the Siggens Electric Service store on Wayne Street in Sandusky. On January 1, 1932, Mr. Siggens was elected Mayor of Sandusky. He remained in that office January of 1934. On April 12, 1935, Ernest V. Siggens died at Good Samaritan Hospital following a brief illness. He was only age 37 at the time of his death. Mr. Siggens was survived by his wife, the former Mildred Atwood, a daughter, Mary Jane Siggens, and his mother, Mrs. Emily Siggens. Burial was in Oakland Cemetery. A touching tribute to Ernie Siggens appeared in the April 12, 1935 issue of the Sandusky Star Journal.