A Vacation in Three Movements

Just so you know... I LOVE vacation, especially if it includes some travel. On the other hand, my DH doesn't really get enthused about leaving home. On every vacation in our 36 years of marriage, he has admitted that he's had a good time, but agreeing on a vacation is always a point of contention. So I plan and make reservations and arrangements and he eventually agrees...to a point. For this trip, I packed for ten days; he packed for five. I had gradiose plans of whale watching north of Quebec; he had plans to do no such thing. So, here's our vacation of five days in three segments:

Part I - We went to the Stratford Festival in Stratford, Ontario. It used to be known as a Shakespearian Festival, but has long ago opened its repertoire to other plays. I have been here probably five or six times, usually with students and once with my book club. It is a whole different thing to come here without worrying where and what students are doing and do we have them all? and who isn't in his/ her room? and who ran out of money? and why isn't Horatio at the meeting place on time?

I could tell that the recession has hit this theater town in a very unforgiving way. The streets and the shops, usually bustling with tourists, were virtually empty. I called two days ahead of time for a room and tickets and got a reasonably priced room and great seats. That wouldn't have happened a few years ago.

My goal was to choose something that my DH would really enjoy, so I chose "A Funny Thing Happened on the Way to the Forum," a classic comedy that didn't disappoint. He and I both were laughing out loud throughout.

Stratford is six hours from our home...not a bad drive. Of course, now a passport or "the card" is required to cross into Canada.

Stratford, Ontario town hall

Part II - My plan was to go to Toronto, a great city with so many things to do. I had seen that the Dead Sea Scrolls were at the Royal Ontario Museum and I thought that would be interesting. My DH loves history, so that fit the bill. Anyway, I had a list of possibilities, but then we heard on the news that they were three weeks into a garbage pickup strike. Photos were shown on Canadian tv of mountains of trash on street corners and protests were taking place over all this. So we adjusted the plans to go to Niagara Falls, Canada first and then assess what the situation was later for Toronto.

I have heard often that the Canadian side of the Falls is so much better than the U.S. side. I'd say the view was better, but to get there, we had to walk through what I called "Las Vegas on Steroids." Again, the crowds were there, but not as much as I expected. It was a little too touristy for my taste, but it was beautiful to see. We had ridden on the Maid of the Mist several times, so skipped the soaking on this trip.

Back at the hotel, we saw that now arsonists were setting fire to trash mountains and dumpsters throughout Toronto. That settled it. Trip north no more.

Canadian Niagara Falls

Part III - We decided to drive to Sandusky and take the Jet Express boat over to Kelleys Island. Since I had researched the Ellings and learned that a couple of the immigrant daughters went there to work and one lived her whole life there, I have been curious to go. Lake Erie cooperated and was relatively calm for the 20 minute ride from Sandusky to Kelley's Island. Once there, we rented a golf cart so we could make the most of our time.

Dianne at cemetery on Kelley's Island, at the Pringnitz stone.

 First stop, the cemetery where I did locate the Mary Elling Pringnitz stone. We tried to locate their home. I had seen a photo of it, but didn't know the address (not prepared for this angle of the trip!) Of course, if someone decided to remodel it, I wouldn't have recognized it anyway. So we just relaxed, toodling along in our golf cart all over the island, enjoying the breeze off the lake and imagining what it would have been like to live in this isolated spot - especially in the winter.

Back home on the fifth day...just as someone had planned.

(This post originally appeared on the Elling Family News blog on July 14, 2009.)

Mary Elling Pringnitz's Baby Boy, Herbie

 
Herbert Huldrich , "Herbie", Pringnitz was the youngest child of Henry and Mary Pringnitz. Born on October 29, 1883, he lived on Kelley's Island his whole life and eventually, he ran the jail there. He never married and after his parents' deaths, he lived in the homestead with his sister and her family until his death on February 23, 1952. 

On the Ohio Historic Inventory for the Pringnitz house, it stated that "...he was a popular island resident. Many faceted and good humored, he served as village constable, a pillar of the German Reformed Church, farmer, butcher, and blacksmith, using the Bauman smithy on Division Street. In the 1930's, he operated a silver fox farm with Frank Nowalk adjacent to his farm to the west...Vestiges of the old fox farm are still visible."

A newspaper article from the the early 1950's that appeared in the Toledo Blade included an interview with the infamous jailer/ constable of Kelley's Island. Apparently, his job was not really a challenging one.

"Jail on Kelley's Island Gathering Dust"

Kelley's Island, O. May 20 - if a crime wave ever started on this island its one-man police force would have its hands full.

But Herbert Pringnitz, 66, the only policeman here and his own police chief, is not worried. The jail has not been occupied for the last 20 years. Since its construction in 1861 it has been used on an average of about once every 10 years.

'I keep a mattress on one of the bunks and a couple of blankets there, but that is all the bedding I keep in the jail," Pringnitz said. 'If I put more out it would simply rot, so why waste money?'

The two cells are painted a rusty red and have a capacity of four. But the bunks have been gathering dust and one of Prignitz's duties is to dust the jail about every two weeks.

'If I don't clean it at least that often I have to give myself a dressing down when I go on an inspection tour,' he declared.

Another of his jobs is to keep the keys polished.

'I use them so rarely that if I don't clean them they would get a heavy coating of rust. I also keep the locks oiled so that if I should ever have to lock anyone up, I'd be able to get the doors open.' he said.

Prignitz has often toyed with the idea of having some of the islanders sit in the cells just to see what the cells look like when occupied. None of the islanders seem interested, so Pringnitz will have to wait until he can get a genuine lawbreaker."

The Children of the Immigrants - First, Mary

The birth and baptismal record of Fred Elling's oldest sister is posted above. Roughly translated, it reads:

Title (top left) - Name and Place - Elling, Tietlingen

Title (center) - Born 1843 - #7 Marie Dorothee Engel Elling, born 23 February in the morning,

baptized 6 March. Father: the landlord, Johann Friedrich Elling Mother: Anne Marie Fuhrhop

Godparents: Anna Dorothee Fuhrhop, Catherine Marie --? , and Engel --?

Of course, we've already heard the story of the child of Johann Friedrich and Anne Marie Engel Elling who was my gg grandfather and our direct ancestor, Fritz (Fred) Elling. But what of his brothers and sisters? Fritz had the farm, but what happened to his sisters?

The immigration records stated that she was 14 years old when the family immigrated in 1859. That record did not match her birth record which would make her 16 at the time. In the 1860 census, she was listed as 18 years old, living at home and working as a domestic.

Mary met and married Henry Pringnitz, the son of Elizabeth Pringnitz, a widow with seven children who also came to America in 1859. Both families were members of the New Hanover Church in Henry County in the early years. In 1860, Henry went to Kelley's Island to ply his trade as a blacksmith with a fellow smith, Mr. Becker. Four years later, Henry purchased 13 acres of land adjacent to Mr. Becker for $3000.

I haven't yet found the marriage records, but a history stated the couple married in 1865 and in 1866 built their home. That home is currently on the Ohio Historic Inventory and is still occupied. Kelley's island lore says that the house is haunted and that good things will happen to those who see that ghost. Apparently, the ghost only appears in the front bedroom and is none other than a child of Henry and Mary..."Herbie" Pringnitz.

By the 1870 census for Kelley's Island, Erie County, Ohio, the Pringnitz family was listed with Henry, aged 32, engaged in farming with real estate valued at $5000 and personal property at $300. His wife M.E. was 27 and keeping house with children, Emma, aged 4, and Elizabeth, aged 1. Henry's mother, Elizabeth, lived with them, too, at age 70.

In the 1880 Kelley's Island census, Henry, aged 43, and D. Mary, aged 37, have five children: N. Emma, 13; Elizabeth, 10; Sarah, 6; Albert, 3; and Harry 5/12. Three children attended school and Henry was still farming.

Now we have to skip ahead 20 years to the 1900 census - a census with much more information. Still on Kelley's Island, Henry was  listed as 63, with a birthdate of Jan. 1837, and Mary D. as 57, with a birthdate of Feb. 1843. That matched her German birth record! They have been married for 34 years and strangely, it stated that she had five children with four living. I have a photo with her six children in it as adults (see above), so I'm not sure about that statistic. Living with the couple in 1900 were their three sons - Albert H., born July 1876, aged 23; Harry F., born Dec. 1879, aged 20; and Herbert H., born Sept. 1883, aged 16. Henry was still farming with the two older sons helping him, while the youngest was at school. The document stated that Marycould not read or write, but could speak English. They owned their farm, which was mortgaged.

By 1910, father Henry had died and Albert was listed as the Head of the Household at age 33. He and his youngest brother Herbert, at age 26, were single and living with their mother Mary who was now widowed at age 67. Albert was a locomotive engineer for the quarry on Kelley's Island and brother Herbie was farming. It stated that Mary was living on her own income. On this census, it noted that Mary COULD read and write. The farm was owned free and clear!

Mary Elling Pringnitz died on 15 Feb 1916. By the 1920 census, Albert at age 43 was married to wife Mary, 46 and living in Portland Twp, Erie County (near Sandusky). He was a machinist for a tractor works.

From the Sandusky Star Journal, February 16, 1916:

"MRS. PRINGNITZ DEAD AT KELLEY'S ISLAND

Special to the Star-Journal,

KELLEY'S ISLAND, O., Feb. 16 - 

Mrs. Mary Pringnitz, aged and well known island resident and widow of the late Henry Pringnitz, died at her home at 5:30 Tuesday evening.  She had been ill for more than a month.  Funeral arrangments have not yet been completed.

Mrs. Pringnitz was aged 73 years and is survived by three sons, Albert of Sandusky, Harry of Toledo, and Herbert who lives here; three daughters, Mrs. Elizabeth Ohlemacher of Sandusky, Mrs Sarah Trieschmann and Mrs Emma Titus, living here; seven grandchildren, two sisters, Mrs. Dorothy Miller of Napoleon and Mrs. Anna Hafette of Michigan, and one brother, Fred Allen* of Napoleon, O."

*(It should read Fred Elling, not Allen.  In one census, Elling was written as Alling, so it must be how it was pronounced by some.  Also, Anna's last name was Hastedt, not Hafette.)

 

As for the other children...Emma Naomi married William Titus, grandson of an early quarry owner, who worked as a lime kiln operator for the North Quarry and later as a teamster for the Dock company. They eventually lived in the Pringnitz homestead with the youngest brother, Herbie.

Elizabeth Dorothy died in 1964 in Mansfield, Richland County, OH.

A son, John, was born 21 Jan 1871 and died the same day.

Sarah Matilda was married to Henry Trieschman Jr. and lived her whole life on Kelley's Island. Her husband ran a meat market on the island.

Harry Fred lived in Toledo and worked for the Toledo Scale Company.

And the youngest, Herbert Huldrich, "Herbie", Pringnitz...well, he deserves his own page!

They were buried in the cemetery on Kelley's Island.