Kelleys Island School - Emerald Isle Yearbook (Kelleys Island, OH)

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ii Mr. Karl Miller Ann Pohorence has lived on Kelleys Island since she was four years old. She is now 82. Her parents, Joesph and Ann Chervany, moved to the Island from Czechoslovakia. They and their seven children lived in a house by the stone crusher on the North side. Ann attended public school until the fourth grade. There was also a Catholic school on the Island. At the age of 15, she went to work. One of the railroad engines stopped in front of her house, so she always had a ride to and from work. There were at least a couple thousand year-round residents. The Island had quite a mixture of ltalians, Hungarians, Irish, Germans, and Czechoslovakians. It was very easy to find a job. There were quarries, stone crushers, machine shops, wine cellars, fruit orchards, a cooper shop where barrels were made, and lime kilns. Barges carried the stones away from the quarry. Ann admits she was a tomboy, and always watched the boats and railroad engines. There were around a dozen wine cellars on the Island when wine making was one of the main industries. ln the fall, the school children picked grapes. They made fifty cents a day. In the winter there was a lot of snow. People couIdn't always travel, and many children didn't make it to school. In the summer the Island was overflowing with people. Many kids went to Camp Darby during the summer. lt was a club on the west side. There was even a dance floor. Kelleys was never a dull place. Families could dance to accordian music every night. There was always weddings to goto, with receptions that lasted two or three days. Close to three masquerades were held a year. People even decorated their horses and rode them around the Island before they went to the Town Hall. There, a panel ot judges selected the person with the best costume. Ann married Joesph Pohorence when she was 17 years old. Joe Poherence had been born and reared in Marblehead. Mrs. Poherence has lived in the house where she now lives for 32 years. Her daughter, Florence, lives with her. Marie Feyedelem Mr. Karl Miller was born on December 13, 1891. He was reared on the Island. Karl is 86 years of age, and is still going strong. Karl's grandfather came from Germany to look for property. He brought 13 acres. Karl's father came from South Asherst, Ohio. His mother's maiden name was Schelb. She came from Middle Bass, Ohio. His mother came to the Island when she was twelve years of age. It was a strict rule to go to school everyday. After school they would pick grapes, and also on Saturdays. The whole valley was filled with grapes. Karl lived on the East side of the Island. The family had 23 acres that they farmed. Ten acres of it was used to grow grapes. After Karl graduated he worked in a winery. They made all kinds ot wines. The main occupation on the Island was the quarries. There were over 1,700 people on the Island when the old quarry worked. Block stone taken from the quarry was used to make many of the buildings and homes. Some homes still stand today. There were Lime Kilns on the north side of the Island. People began to raise Long Horn cattle, and had a slaughter house to do it. Alter a long days work, they had dances, masquerades, suppers and orchestras. When Karl Miller's mother was small she lived in Ted Blatt's house. It was the only one on Division street. Sherry Willis Mrs. Ann Pohorence

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Mrs. Frank Hamilton Lloyd was born in Bay Bridge, Sandusky County on August 11, 1903. Lloyd, his brother Jim, and sisters, Helen and Mary, came to the Island to visit during the summer. They stayed at Dawn KekeIik's house. They moved to the Island in 1924. Lloyd and his brother Jim, grew grapes and fruit for a living. One year they had 10,00 bushels of aof school for a day or two to help pick fruit. Sometimes it was as long as a couple of weeks. Lloyd can remember when more than 1,000 people lived on the Island. Lloyd said The difference on the Island now is that little land is cultivated and that there are no more grape vineyards. The main occupations were general farming, quarrying, fishing, and raising cattle. He said, Almost everyone had a cow. Many people raised cattle. Lloyd used to give sleigh rides. Sometimes he have as many as 25 a year. He drove the last horse across the ice in 1929. He has also crossed the ice in a Model T Ford. For entertainment, they had masquerade parties. LIoyd's father was the leader of them. Every Sunday afternoon people would gather in front of Matso's Bar - the Lodge - and talk. Downtown was only for men. Women and children were rarely seen downtown. Sherry Willis Mrs. Frank Hamilton came to Kelleys Island in the year 1922, or 1923, lshe can't rememberj. She had gone to business school. After graduating she came to the Island because she heard that the quarry was looking for a girl to work in the office. Mrs. Hamilton can remember that there were many people living on the Island then. The quarry was the main industry. There were also fisheries and wineries. She recalls that her husband, Frank worked in one of the wineries before they were married. Mrs. Hamilton said that there was always some sort of work to be done. Whenever people had some spare time, they went to parties, dances, and other events. One such sport was the baseball games. Many of the people on the Island got together and played. She liked it when she first came to the Island because she got to go dancing quite often. The Island had their hometown orchestra. There were also plays to watch. The Island had their own theatrical company. There were more businesses then on the Island. There was a library, a Red Cross Society, which was formed in 1919, an ice cream parlor, a liquor store, and a boot and shoe repair shop. At one time, she and her husband owned EIfer's Grocery Store and also ran the Casino. lThe store the Hamiltons owned is now Frank Pohorence's warehouse.J Sherry Willis .g -Q . . : I Mr. Lloyd Marchky 29

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Mr. Roy Erne has lived on Kelleys Island all his life. He was born in January, 1910. Roy's father, Alphonse Erne, was born on the Island. But, lda Erne, Roy's mother was born in Sandusky. There were seven children in the Erne family. Alphonse Erne was a butcher, but then became a commercial fisherman. After that he bought a truck, and hauled freight for people. He hauled such items as coal, water, and other freight. Floy started out as a young farmer working for Hank Beatty. He made five cents an hour. Roy turned to commercial fishing and after that he became a carpenter. He also helped his father haul freight with the truck. Finally, Floy was ianltor at Kelleys island School for 11 years before his retirement in 1975. The Island was heavily populated. There were around 1,500 people when Floy was young. There was employment for everyone. The school was full with an average of 20 children in each grade. Floy's wife, lva Fliedy Erne, was also born and raised on the Island. She attended school here. island life was exciting. There were dances, pinochle games every Saturday night, ice skating parties, and toboggan sled races. There were also masquerades, school parties, and at least three big balls every winter. People could also enjoy riding ice boats. Roy can remember going for sleigh rides with Lloyd Marchky. Roy said that he has never seen any winter as cold as last year's, although he has seen more snow. When he was young, there were no snow plows and people had to shove the roads by hand. Marie Feyedelem Mrs. George Yoscovitz .4' A695 Mr. and Mrs. Roy Erne Mrs. George Yoscvitz was born on Kelleys Island in 1907. Her father Mr. Charles Erne, was also born on the Island. Her mother Const ance Erne, was born in Poland, and came to the Island with the Frank Kelley family when she was sixteen. Once on the Island, she married Charles Erne and reared 12 children. They lived in the same house that the family lives in now. Molly 's father was a commercial fisherman and a farmer. At one time, he was a mailman and carried the mail across the ice to the mainland. On the Island, Molly worked at the Ward Hotel and the Kelley House. There were a lot of orchards, grape vineyards, and wine cellars on the Island. Many children were in school. All the rooms were full. For entertainment, there were dances, masquerades, and even a grape pickers' ball. The kids had ice skating parties at the big pond, which is now the Marina. They also skated on the lake to the mainland. Their winter transportation was by horse and sleigh. Also, they could walk on top of the frozen snow. Molly and George Yoscovitz celebrated their 50th anniversary in 1976. Marie Feyedelem 31