LOOKING BACK
–by Gayleen Gindy
PUBLICATION DATE: Aug 18, 2020

This is the last home on Sylvania-Metamora Road that is 100 years or older. Although Lucas County records show that the home was constructed in 1927, the date is not correct as the house was even indicated on the map dated 1900. I believe that Henry Ruedi built this home while he owned the property between 1890 and 1902. The list of property owners is lengthy:

• 1890 Henry Ruedi
• 1902 James F. McKinney
• 1908 Homer N. and Phoebe J. Pember
• 1916 Bird M. and Ida Carlton
• 1921 William A. and Henrietta Hemmig
• 1924 Constance Golner
• 1926 William A. Hemmig
• 1931 Charles B. Hemmig
• 1931 Mary Martens and Mildred Seabloom
• 1934 Philip J. Moser
• 1935 Dorcie L. and Mary E. Marsrow
• 1941 Eugene H. and Zoe Rollins
• 1957 Eugene H. Rollins
• 1972 Glen R. and Marvel L. Holmes
• 2016 Marvel L. Holmes

In the 1900 census, even though the residents were not listed by address, Henry Ruedi and his family were listed as living here. Henry was 56 years old, married seven years, and working as a farmer. He is shown owning his home, with a mortgage. He was born in Switzerland and came to the United States in 1862. His wife Alice was 38 years old. Henry Ruedi, Jr., from a previous marriage, was living at home at the age of 22 years, and working as a farm laborer. Also living in the home were Alta M. Ruedi – daughter – 6 years old; Hazel L. Ruedi – daughter – 1 year old; and Effie Peterson – granddaughter – 14 years old.
By the 1910 census Homer and Phebe Pember owned the home and the census shows them living in it. Homer was listed as 66 years old, married one time for 39 years, working as a farmer, owned the home and farm free of mortgage. Phebe was listed as his wife, 58 years old, married one time for 39 years, two children born and two children still living. Records show that Homer Pember was hired in 1916 by the Sylvania Township Trustees as the township’s first full-time road superintendent at a salary of $2 per day. That was the same year that Homer and Phebe sold this home to the Carltons.
The next available census was the 1920 census. Bird and Ida Carlton were listed living in the home. He was 51 years old, owned the home free of mortgage, and employed as a farmer, working on his own account. His wife Ida was listed as 48 years old. Also living in the home was their daughter, who was listed as married, but her husband was not living here. She was listed as Reba Gillen, 25 years old and employed as an inspector at a glove factory. Two of her children were also living here: Geraldine Gillen – 3 years old and James Gillen – 1 year old.
By 1921 the Carltons had sold the home to the Hemmig family and it transferred back and forth among them for 10 years. The 1930 census showed that the home was being rented; however, because they were not listed by address yet, I was unable to determine who was renting the home.
In 1931 sisters Mary Martens and Mildred Seabloom purchased the home. Mildred may have lived here from 1931 until 1934 while they owned it. Philip Moser owned it in 1934 for one year. These were the Great Depression years and this may account for the number of sales on record during this time.
In 1935 Dorcie and Mary Marsrow purchased and owned the home for six years. They lived on Homewood Avenue in Toledo at this time and must have rented the house to tenants. In the 1940 census Eugene and Netta Rollins were living in the home. He was 48 years old and employed as a machinist at a machine factory. His wife was listed as Netta and she was listed as 50 years old. It may have been a land contract agreement because the 1940 census shows that they owned the home, when in fact, records show that it did not officially transfer to them until 1941.
The Rollins’ owned the home from 1941 until 1972, and appear to have lived here during this time. Eugene Rollins and Nettie Zoe Ingle-Hager were married in 1934 in Wood County, Ohio, and both had been married before. Then sometime before the 1940 census was taken they moved into this home. In 1942, when Rollins completed his World War II registration card, he was listed living in this home and it was listed as Route No. 1, Box 921 on Berkey Road, east of Mitchaw Road. He was employed by Kent Owens Machine Company in Toledo.
Zoe Rollins of 9037  Rd., passed away in January of 1957 at the age of 67. Her obituary notice said she had been a native of Bowling Green and Toledo before moving to Sylvania 22 years before then. Eugene Rollins passed away in 1972, and his obituary notice listed him living at 9037 Sylvania-Metamora Rd., and said that he retired in 1959 after 32 years with the Kent-Owens Machine Company. Surviving were his daughter, Mrs. Mary Kirby; son, Bernard; sisters Agnes Gould and Mrs. Leone Conway.
Glen and Marvel Holmes purchased this home in 1972. They were married in 1948 in Toledo, and she was the former Marvel Moore. They had three children and in 2016, when Glen passed away, his obituary said that he was a self-employed carpenter working out of Local 1138 for over 50 years. He served in the U.S. Navy from 1942 to 1944 during WW II. When he passed away he and his wife had been married for 68 years. Marvel was involved with the original Sylvania History Buffs when they existed in the late 1970s through the 1980s.
County records show that the detached garage behind the house was built in 1945 and the “barn” was built in 1975. As Glen Holmes was a carpenter, most likely he built the barn, and probably is responsible for the beautiful gingerbread woodwork that graces the front porch.