Aug 1, 2023

Looking for Ida, Using Library Resources - Susan Dress

I asked someone what I should write about this month and one of their suggestions was the story of Ida Rupp. So I decided to see what I could learn about Ida using just library resources.

This is what I found:

Ida was born in Sharon, PA on 6 Jan. 1880, the daughter of Rev. and Mrs. Augustus Strange. Her family moved to Ottawa County when she was 5 years old, where her father became pastor of Trinity Evangelical Church in Elliston. Ida taught school in Benton Township for 8 years. She married Lawrence C. Rupp there on 26 Dec. 1906 [or 1905]. They made their home in Elliston, until Lawrence’s election as Probate Judge. They then moved to a home on East Market Space in Port Clinton, where Ida acted as deputy clerk during Lawrence’s tenure as judge. Her compensation in 1917 for that work was $471.40 per year. She was also an Associate Matron of the Eastern Stars, a member of the ‘88 Circle and of the Literary & Social Club, and a member of the Port Clinton Library Board.

She was taken ill on a Thursday and died the following Tuesday, 1 Feb. 1927. After a funeral at the Methodist Episcopal Church, Ida was laid to rest in the family burial plot in Elliston.

Judge Rupp survived his wife by 37 years, dying on 21 Oct. 1964, in Flower Hospital, Toledo. In his will, Judge Rupp left $42,000 and a lot on Short Street to the city of Port Clinton for construction of a new library named after Ida. The library board had just recently acquired a lot across the street from the courthouse, with plans to begin a drive for funds to build there. It took the City and library board almost 2 years to work out an agreement with the Judge’s heirs to allow the new library to be built at its current location on Madison Street: two years and passage of a municipal bond for $175,000 to fund construction.

What makes genealogy research so much fun:

Ida is listed as Ida M in the 1880 census, Ida C in the 1890 census, and then Ida K in 1910. Lawrence is listed as Lawrence B Rupp in the 1910 Census, no middle initial in 1920, Lawrence C in 1930 census.

The application for Marriage License was issued to Lawrence C Rupp and Edith K Stange. The marriage record has been corrected, with Edith crossed out and Ida written above. It. The marriage record is dated 26 Dec. 1905 and was filed and recorded 1 Jan 1906. But obits for Ida give her marriage date as 26 Dec. 1906.

Judge Rupp’s initial obit in the Daily News on 21 Oct. 1964 says that he was never married.

The Rupp address was given as E Market Space, Port Clinton. E Market Space didn’t sound familiar, so I went to Sanborn Fire Insurance maps to see if I could find it. Their Nov. 1910 sheet #3 shows Market Space, E. and Market Space W., between 2nd and 3rd Streets at what is now parts of Monroe Street and Adams Street. The boulevards were missing back then, giving East Market a width of 166 feet. I’m guessing, from the name, that these areas were set aside for market days, or for farmers coming in to market their produce. By 1927, these areas were shown as Monroe Street and Adams Street, with the old designation in brackets. The Illustrated Historical Atlas of Ottawa County OH, of 1874, in our G&LH section, shows Upper Market Place [west] and Lower Market Place [east].

Resources used:

Ancestry, library edition [IdaRupp.org, online resources]

Used to determine Ida’s birthdate, parents name, residences, marriage license, and date of death

Digitized newspaper collection

Used to find obituaries; use the search engine on newspapers.com landing page to narrow search to “name” [in parentheses to find both full name], year of death and town

Sanborn Fire Maps [IdaRupp.org, online resources]