Gayleen Gindy
Briggs Place subdivision was laid out in 1905 by Henry Briggs. This house was built in 1902 on the north 42 feet of Lot No. 3, so the house was already on the property when the subdivision was laid out. Briggs sold the home to Ray and Ella Hollister, but the exact year is not recorded. It was probably after 1913, because Ray Hollister married Ella B. Clark on Sept. 11, 1913 in Adrian, Mich. Both were from Sylvania. When Ray completed his World War I registration card in 1917 he was living here and was employed as a mail carrier, delivering mail in rural federal district No. 2 in Sylvania.
The 1920 census listed Ray and Ella Hollister living in this home. He was 29 years old and employed as a laborer at an auto garage. He owned the home, with a mortgage. Ella was 30 years old, and they had sons Robert – 4 years old, and Richard – 2 years old. They had a boarder, Robert Dennis – 20 years old – single – employed as a salesman of retail automobiles.
In 1922, the Hollisters moved to Glasgow Road in Sylvania and this home was sold to Fidelia “Delia” Waffle. She had been married to Goodwin Waffle who passed away in 1910. From 1916 to 1919 she owned a home at 6532 Erie St., but by the 1920 census she was living with her daughter and son-in-law, Frank and Helen Reger. In 1922, Delia purchased this home, but only owned it for three years. The 1925 Toledo Directory shows her living at 4010 Asbury Dr. in Toledo.
In January of 1925 Casper and Minnie (Knisely) Ries purchased the home. Minnie died in April 1925, and in July 1925 the home transferred into Casper’s name, and then to their two daughters Florence Ries-Somes and Irva Ries. When the 1930 census was taken Irva Ries was living in the home. She was 28 years old, single and employed as a basket and artificial flowers maker. The co-owner, her sister Florence Somes was living in Riga, Mich. at the time. They continued to own the home until 1938, and it appears that Irva Ries lived in the home until 1932, when she married Fred Dubendorfer. At that time they rented the home to Rose Fox who purchased the home in 1938.
Rose Fox was single and was taking care of her mother. The 1940 census shows the mother owning this home, but real estate records show that the house was in Rose’s name. They are listed as follows:
• Elizabeth Fox – 72 years old – widow – owned home valued at $4,000;
• Lucille Fox – daughter – 38 years old – single – employed as a maid at home;
• Rose Fox – daughter – 34 years old – single – assistant cashier at a bank.
In 1934, when Rose Fox was working as the assistant cashier at the Sylvania Savings Bank, robbers entered the bank with machine guns drawn and demanded money. They were able to get $1,000 from her cash drawer, but she informed them that the vault was locked with a time lock, and the bandits took her word for it and didn’t try the handle. This saved the bank thousands of dollars, and she was Sylvania’s hero at that time.
It was 1941 when Rose married Charlie Hague in this home. He was a Sylvania rural postal carrier who later became the assistant postmaster of Sylvania. The July 10, 1941 issue of the Sylvania Sentinel newspaper gave the full details. It said that they would make their home on Summit Street.
In 1949, a building permit was issued to Charles Hague to build a new garage.
By the 1950 census they were still living here and Charlie Hague was listed as 47 years old and employed with the U.S. Post Office as a rural clerk. Rose was 44 years old and not employed. Their son John Hague was 3 years old, and also living with them was Rose’s sister, M. Lucille Fox, 48 years old, employed as a sales clerk at a bakery. In 1952, Rose’s mother, Elizabeth Fox, passed away. Also in 1952 Charlie and Rose purchased a home at 6736 Maplewood. They continued to own this home as a rental until 1957.
In 1957, Richard and Frances Vaughn purchased the home and owned it for seven years. The first Suburban Directory to list this address was in 1959 showing Charles A. Block renting the home through 1964.
In 1964, Charles and Zelma Block purchased the home, and in 1965 they obtained a building permit to enclose the front porch and move a window. Charles Block and Zelma Dodds had been married in 1935. He served in the Army during World War II, from December 1943 through October 1945. He returned and worked as a barber, according to his obituary notice, which said that in 1970 he retired as the manager and barber at the Miracle Mile Barber Shop. Block died in 1990 and the home transferred to his wife. Zelma passed away in 1995. Her obituary notice said that she was a retail clerk for the J.C. Penney Company for 10 years, retiring in 1970. She was survived by her daughters Margaret Cox, Mary Richardson, and Martha Taylor and son Charles Block.
This home sold in 1995 to Roger Valerio and Kelly Debruyn. Directories show them living here through 2003. In 1995, a building permit was issued to them to add two dormers on the second floor.
In 2003, this home was sold to its current owners Kenneth and Trini Wenninger. In 2004 a building permit was issued to demolish the cinder block garage, to be replaced by a 22 x 26 foot garage. In 2006, another permit was issued allowing a new patio door.
Trini and I co-authored a book titled: “Images In America – Sylvania” a Sylvania pictorial history book. Ken is an attorney in Sylvania.