The Schoepfles Left Their Mark on Erie County, Ohio

The final resting place of several generations of members of the Schoepfle family is at Oakland Cemetery in Sandusky, Ohio. The lovely monument pictured above honors the memory of banker C.F. Schoepfle and his wife, the former Sarah Knoepfle. Christian F. Schoepfle was born in Groetzingen, Baden, Germany. With his parents Henry and Barbara, he emigrated to the United States in 1846. 

C.F. Schoepfle was in the lumber business in Sandusky for over fifty years, and at one time he was the president of the Third National Bank. He was very active in the Masons, having been the master of the Science Lodge No. 50 in 1887.

One of C.F. Schoepfle’s sons was Dr. H.C. Schoepfle.

During the time just prior to World War I, Dr. H. C. Schoepfle provided free medical services to Company B as they were on guard in Sandusky. A biographical sketch about Dr. Schoepfle in the Honor Roll of Erie County, stated that he was “one of the City’s most patriotic citizens.” He served as Erie County Coroner from 1901 to 1903. His brother, Dr. Fred Schoepfle, held this position from 1914 to 1918.

Another Schoepfle family also made their way to Erie County from Groetzingen, Germany. Christopher Schoepfle, a cousin to C.F. Schoepfle, was a son of John and Mary (Walther) Schoepfle. After his father died, Christopher left Germany to settle in Erie County, Ohio. In 1853, his widowed mother and several of his siblings also emigrated to Ohio. A biographical sketch about Christopher Schoepfle is found in History of Erie County, Ohio, ed. by Lewis Cass Aldrich,(Mason and Co., 1889).  Christopher was a farmer, and for a time was a stone dealer. One of Christopher’s sons was Henry Schoepfle (1867-1927).

This Henry Schoepfle was a longtime attorney in Sandusky. He graduated from the Cincinnati Law School in 1892. He served as solicitor of the city of Sandusky in the 1890s, and had his office in the Kingsbury Block. When Henry Schoepfle died in July of 1927, a resolution was composed by members of the Erie County Bar, paying tribue to his many achievements to the local bar association. The Erie County Common Pleas Court recessed during the funeral, so that Sandusky attorney and officials could attend the services.

Rev. C.H. Schoepfle, the brother of Christopher Schoepfle, gave an account in the December 23, 1922 issue of the Sandusky Star Journal of how he helped bring the first Christmas tree to Sandusky. Rev. Schoepfle, when just a youth in 1854, cut down the top of a cedar tree at Cedar Point, and took it the First Reformed Church for a special Christmas entertainment. He and his friends were returning to Sandusky with the tree, when some other young men tried to take the tree away from Rev. Schoepfle and his friends. Luckily the cedar tree made it to the church in time for the special service. A descendant of Rev. Schoepfle was Otto Schoepfle, who became the chief executive officer of the Elyria Chronicle newspaper. Otto Schoepfle donated property to Lorain Metro Parks, which is now a popular site known as Schoepfle Garden.

As often is the case in families of German descent, the spelling of the surname Schoepfle varies widely. It is sometimes listed as Shepley, Shipley, or Schoepflin, depending on the source. Visit the Sandusky Library Archives Research Center to learn about the Schoepfle family, or perhaps your own ancestors. A wide variety of print and digital resources are available for genealogical and historical research.