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PIX #1 - STERLING FOSTER

PIX #2 - This photo shows the living members of Abraham Foster's family when they held a reunion in 1928 at the Charles Fister farm on McDougal Road. Reading from left are Nathaniel Foster, Esther (Foster) Girton, Hahala (Fos- ter) Kessler, William Foster and Marion Foster, father of Sterling K. Foster.

PIX #3 - ABRAHAM FOSTER

PIX #4 - LYDIA FOSTER

(AUTHOR'S NOTE: Today's article is a "flashback" to "Potluck" articles pub- lished earlier. One (Oct. 22, 1981) pertained to Zion Lutheran Cemetery, east of Fostoria on CR 592, where it was found that many members of the Christian Foster family were buried. The other article "The Other Foster Family" (Dec. 31, 1981), grew out of the first article and established that there was no relationship between the Christian Foster family and the Charles W. Foster family after whom Fostoria was named. Today's article closes some of the gaps in the Christian Foster family, and introduces other living mem- bers of that family).

HOW IT ALL CAME ABOUT

It is strange, but interesting, how a Fostoria Area Historical Society bulle- tin would find its way to Florida...get into the possession of a "Foster," who then became interested in the Fostoria museum, and came to town to learn more about "Fosters" and his ancestors.

Here's the story, which centers around Sterling K. Foster, great-great-grand- son of Christian Foster.

Sterling Foster, 80, shown in one accompanying photo, resides in Michigan in the summer and Florida in the winter. It is he who received the historical society bulletin about the museum, featuring the Foster Room, containing much memorabilia about the Charles W. Foster family.

The booklet aroused his interest, and he wondered if his family and the Charles W. Foster family were related; also he wanted to know more about his ancestors. So, he wrote to the local historical society, George Gray, presi- dent, turned the letter over to member Willis Wyant, who also belongs to the Fostoria Lineage Society.

Wyant put together data for Foster about his ancestors, and then Sterling came to Fostoria to see the gravesites and markers for them at Zion Lutheran Cemetery and West Millgrove on a tour conducted by Wyant.

Wyant's lineage data about the Christian Foster family allows me to list des- cendents of the Christian and Mary (Grove) Foster family, not included in the earlier article.

THE VIRGINIA FOSTER FAMILY

To complete the genealogy of this Foster family, a few paragraphs from the earlier article are repeated to provide continuity.

Christian Foster was born in the Shenandoah Valley, Va., in 1796. Christ- ian's father, William fought in the Revolutionary War under General George Washington.

At age 16, Christian enlisted with the Virginia troops to fight the English and Indians in the Northwest Territory (War of 1812). He was stationed at Fort Ball, near Tiffin, and was so impressed with the area that he later moved with his young family, consisting of wife Mary and four children to the area which later became Jackson Township.

Christian Foster was married to Mary Grove, also born in Virginia. To them were born 13 children, eight girls and five boys, as follows: (note in the list (B) stands for born; (M) for married; (D) for death.)

Rebecca - (B) Sept. 28, 1821; (M) Wm. Stahl; (D) Jan. 31, 1879.

Mary Ann - (B) 1822; killed by lightning at age 20.

Solomon - no data available.

Jonas - (B) Nov. 4, 1826; (M) Elizabeth Stahl; (D) Oct. 23, 1895.

Abraham - (B) 1828; (M) Lydia Swope; (D) Feb. 25, 1878. Both buried in West Millgrove cemetery.

Susan - (D) March 27, 1832.

Rachael - (B) 1830; (M) Isaac Good; (D) March 4, 1892.

Nancy - (B) Feb. 8, 1833; (M) George Hampshire; (D) Dec. 4, 1851.

Samson - (B) 1834; (M) Margaret Stahl; (D) 1919.

Lucinda - (B) 1837; (M) Levi Wirt; (D) Aug. 11, 1887.

Andrew Jackson - (B) Feb. 3, 1839; (M) Tena Stahl; (D) May 2, 1925.

Mary Magdalena - (B) Feb. 2, 1841; (M) Franklin Griffin; (D) unknown.

Mahala - (B) 1843; (M) Noah Good; (D) July 20, 1874.

A FOSTER CAME TO OHIO IN 1828

Abraham Foster, grandfather of Sterling Foster, was born in Thorn Township, Perry County, Ohio, in 1828, and came with his parents to Jackson Township, in 1849. Later he moved to West Millgrove, where he was buried, but the grave site does not have a marker for his wife Lydia.

Sterling Foster's father, Marion, was one of 10 children born to Abraham and Lydia Foster and included Richard D. Gideon W., Nathaniel, Sarah (Henry), Mahala (Kessler), William, Esther (Girton), Christian W., and Ora J. (Hat- field), the latter being the family of Dr. Nathan Hatfield.

The accompanying photos of Abraham and Lydia Foster were taken from enlarge- ments, combined with memorial baskets, which adorned tables at a Foster re- union in 1928.

After this article was nearly completed, it was learned from correspondence with A.K. Foster, that many years ago this Foster family held reunions on the Charles Foster farm on the McDougal Road. Evidently the two families were friends, though not related, which accounts for Earl Ash, a relative of the "other Foster" family, referring to them as "cousins."