On May 11, 1868, at age 27, Sebastian Walby married Maria Regina “Mary Jane” Meyer in Riley Township, Sandusky County in Ohio. Mary Jane was Sebastian’s contemporary – being just nine years younger. She birthed children from age 19 to age 46. Sixteen children were born to this marriage, two of which died as unnamed infants. The remaining fourteen reached adulthood and eventually, split off into three groups – becoming the Ohio, Michigan and Canadian Walbys.
Their very first child, Josephine Mary Walby (b 1869) arrived when Sebastian and his wife were just newlyweds living on his mother’s farm in Riley Township. As the eldest daughter, Josephine took her responsibility for her siblings very seriously. It wasn’t until age 26 that she married a local farmer, Hubert Miller and began her own family. She raised her six children in Jackson Township within sight of her childhood home. Josephine died at age 78 in 1948 in her home near Helena, Ohio.
The first-born son, Frank Anthony Walby (b 1871), became “one of Millersville’s most prominent citizens.” He was a well known farmer, employed during the Ohio oil boom in the vicinity’s fields. Frank married Rose Ann Nieset – the daughter of a landowner adjoining Sebastian’s property. Prior to his marriage, Frank assisted his father on the farm, later moving to town where he did mason and carpentry work. The couple had 10 offspring, and they lived in Jackson Township surrounded by Nieset and Walby properties their entire lives. Frank died of a stroke and cerebral hemorrhage at age 65 in 1936.
Sebastian’s third child, Elizabeth Anna Walby (b 1872), was born crippled and suffered from seizures – most likely caused by cerebral palsy. She never married and was supported by multiple family members. At the age of 47, Elizabeth was admitted to the Ohio Hospital for Epileptics along the Ohio / West Virginia border in the town of Gallipolis, Ohio. She was in the facility for 11 years before dying during one of her epileptic attacks at age 59 in 1931.
As a young man, Andrew Jacob Walby (b 1874) tried his hand as an oil well pumper along with his cousins Lawrence and Joseph Nieset. At age 27, Andrew married another Nieset daughter, Catherine Barbara. He, too, eventually became a notable farmer in Jackson Township and went on to father seven. Andrew died in age 67 in 1941 of a brief illness following a paralytic stroke.
Rosa Cecilia Walby (b 1876) had a unique birthday – she was born on Independence Day, July 4th on the country’s centennial. Rosie met George Peter Miller, a fifth-generation American farmer. Rosa bore him four children on their farm in Washington Township. Three grew to adulthood and stayed near their mother in Sandusky County, Ohio. Rosa died at age 67 in 1944 at her home near Helena, Ohio.
Edward Ambrose Walby (b 1883) married Clara Rose Nieset – a niece of the two Nieset sisters married to his older brothers. An enterprising young man, Edward was the sole proprietor of the “E.A. Walby Cream and Egg Station” – a wholesaler of “produce, groceries and tobaccos” to communities neighboring Millersville, Ohio. The couple had three children. Edward was the organist in St Mary’s Catholic Church in Millersville, a member of the St Mary’s Holy Name Society and of the Gibsonburg Knights of Columbus. Edward died in his home at age 61 in 1944.
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