Sylvania–Then and Now–5262 S. Main Street

The next house that is 100 years old or older on South Main Street is located on the southeast corner of Main Street and Ravine Drive. It was built in1920, and the recorded owners are: 

  • 1920 – Andrew J. and  Elizabeth A. Cherry
  • 1940 – Elizabeth A. Cherry
  • 1941 – Mary E. Schmidt, John H. Cherry, Claude W. Cherry, Earl A. Cherry, Florence A. Garner, Blanch E. Fallis, Ida M. Lang and Berniece L. Taylor (children of Andrew Cherry).
  • 1944 – Howard C. and Martha M. Reber
  • 1950 – Harry O. Huffman
  • 1951 – Harry O. and Lily L. Huffman
  • 1965 – Robert D. and Kay L. Morse
  • 1972 – Robert D. Morse ¾ and Brenda Morse ¼ 
  • 1972 – Jack A. and Marcia L. Briggs
  • 1980 – John W. Yark
  • 1985 – Kelly J. Basch
  • 1987 – Thomas R. and Kathleen M. Hooker
  • 2015 to current – Kathleen M. Hooker

Andrew and Elizabeth Cherry were married in 1877 and lived in rented homes in Sylvania until 1907 when they constructed a home across the street from our subject home at 5301 Main St. Mr. Cherry had eight children and most of them eventually built homes on lots surrounding his home. Our subject home was built while the property was owned by Cherry, and he continued to own it until he died in 1925, and then Elizabeth owned it until she died in 1940. In 1941 the home transferred into Andrew Cherry’s adult children’s names. From 1940 to 1943 water meter records indicate that the Gallup family rented the home and then the Wilson family. 

In 1944 Howard and Martha Reber purchased the home and owned it for six years. Martha was Howard’s second wife. They were married in 1933. She was the daughter of Charles and Florence Garner who built the home across the street, at 5303 Main St. Martha was the granddaughter of Andrew and Elizabeth Cherry. According to the 1940 World War II registration card completed by Howard Reber, he first listed his address as 5982 Monroe St., then as of July 7, 1941, he changed it to 5262 S. Main St. in Sylvania. The couple must have been renting the home first and then purchased it from Martha’s aunts and uncles in 1944. They sold it in 1950. 

Harry and Lily Huffman purchased the home in 1950 and owned it for 15 years. They lived in the home for two years while he worked as a steam engineer at the Toledo Scale Company. A 1952 Fort Wayne, Indiana Directory shows Rev. Harry O. Huffman and his wife Lily Huffman living at 813 Gruber St. He was listed as a pastor. The transfer card shows that the tax bill was sent to an address in Bourbon, Indiana in 1959, and in 1961 to Gary, Indiana. They sold this home in Sylvania in 1965. The names of those renting the home while the Huffmans owned the home included: 1957 to 1958 – Robert E. Nuzum; 1959 – William H. Stiles; 1960 – James Tyson; 1961 to 1962 – Ernest Bingham; 1963 to 1964 – Andrew L. Moerch. 

In 1965 Robert and Kay Morse purchased the home and the directories list Robert Morse living in the home. A building permit was issued to Robert Morse to remove the old garage and build a new detached garage in 1965. Kay Morse died in 1969 at the age of 27 years. Her obituary shows her husband Robert and daughter Brenda K. surviving her. The property transfer card then shows that Robert Morse owned ¾ and Brenda Morse owned ¼. They continued to own the home through 1972. 

Jack and Marcia Briggs owned it for eight years from 1972 to 1980. Records show that they divorced in 1976 after seven years of marriage. There were no children. Mr. Briggs married again in 1978 to Kathleen Giebel. The directories show Briggs living in our subject home through the 1978 directory and then the 1979 directory shows the home was vacant. In 1980 Briggs sold the home to John W. Yark. Briggs was killed in an auto accident in 1983 in Petoskey, Mich. 

Yark purchased this home in 1980. He is shown graduating from St. Francis DiSalle High School in 1975. Directories from 1980 to 1984 show the house vacant, or no return. As of the 1985 directory John Yark is listed as living in the home. He sold the home in 1985 and then is shown owning a home at 4412 Merriweather Dr. in Sylvania Township.  

Kelly Basch owned the home from 1985 through 1987. Only the 1986 directory listed her living here, and in 1987 Thomas and Kathleen Hooker purchased the home. Directories indicate that they were living here from 1987 to 1992. In 1992 they purchased property at 2805 Centennial Rd. and built a home there, owning that home until Thomas passed away in 2008, and renting our subject home out to various tenants. According to the directories Kathleen Hooker was again living in our subject home as of 2009 through the current time. In March of 2010, Kathleen Hooker was issued a building permit to add a deck on the outside of the home on the south side. 

Ancestry.com shows that Thomas Hooker served in the Army from 1971 to 1980, leaving with the rank of Chief Warrant Officer. He was first married in 1974 and divorced in 1981, having daughter Melissa in 1970 and son Michael Thomas in 1976. After leaving the military he worked for his brother John Hooker at his construction company, Herman Brothers, in Sylvania, as a project estimator. He married his second wife Kathleen in 1985 and was married to her when he died. After Herman Brothers closed he worked at Impact Products, and then opened his own business, Centennial Construction, from 1996 to 2007. Just before he passed away he had retired from Willson Builders in Toledo as a project estimator. He was buried with full military honors at Great Lakes National Cemetery. Kathleen lives in the home currently. 

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