A Sibling of Pauline Mershon

A president of Saginaw’s YWCA, dedicated to St. Paul’s Episcopal Church, Pauline Mershon was a community leader. A few years ago, we featured a small piece about her life and her recipe for Crab Meat Salad. This link will take you to this earlier post.

Pauline Mershon lived in her family’s homestead at 431 North Franklin. She shared the residence with three of her siblings – John D., Evelyn, and Jane. Each member of the Mershon family was accomplished and dedicated to public service.

Pauline’s brother, John D. Mershon is well represented in the Castle Museum’s collection. He was postmaster during the 1937 expansion of Saginaw’s eastside post office, the Castle Building, and our collection includes his correspondence relating to the project.

Born in East Saginaw in 1872, John volunteered in 1898 for Naval duty and served as the Boatswain’s Mate on the USS Yosemite. A group of photographs in the museum’s collection documents his service in the Naval Reserves during the Spanish-American War. Images in this collection capture the sailors’ final gathering before leaving Saginaw. One particularly engaging photograph records the intersection of East Genesee and Washington on April 27, 1898. The day after this photograph was taken, the headlines in the Saginaw paper proclaimed – “Sailors’ Farewell – Grand Demonstration of Citizens on the Departure of Saginaw Naval Reserves Yesterday - Mid Tears and Blessings.” The article continues “Early in the morning people began to gather in front of the Armory and in little groups on the street corners, and by noon Genesee and Washington avenues for blocks were crowded.”

After the Spanish-American War, he continued in the Michigan Naval Brigade until 1904. Although engaged in the lumbering business, his career included serving as Saginaw’s postmaster from 1933 until 1948. As postmaster during the expansion of the building, he had to negotiate a line between the Federal Government who preferred the construction of a new building and the preservation of the 1898 building. (He was related to many of the people who wanted to preserve the original building.)

Castle Building Expansion - while John D. Mershon was postmaster.

When he passed away, The Saginaw News featured an editorial, noting his involvement in the Democratic Party and continuing with his accomplishments:

“But his political faith was not the only distinguishing mark of John Mershon. A veteran of the Spanish-American War, in which he served as an officer on the USS Yosemite, he maintained an abiding interest in war veterans and their problems. A lumberman son of a lumbering family, he followed that business throughout his life. A devout churchman, he was to the day of his death one of the members of St. Paul’s Episcopal parish. His home life in recent years was marked by a self-sacrificing devotion to the care of his three sisters, only one of whom still survives.

His career as Saginaw’s postmaster, extending from 1933 to 1948, was one of meticulous attention to maintenance of highest standards of the postal service.” (The Saginaw News, July 6, 1955.)

Although we have no documentation of how the four siblings balanced their civic activities with home chores, members of the family– with the exception of John – frequently contributed recipes to cookbooks published by Saginaw churches and organizations.

Hint - we will soon return to 431 South Frankling to explore the career of another of the Mershon siblings.

The Recipe: Pauline Mershon’s Tomato Toast

“Cook a little onion and green pepper in butter until tender, then add 2 cups of canned or fresh tomatoes; let cook down until thick; pour over rounds of toast and place a slice of crisp bacon on each. Pauline Mershon," from the Saginaw Cookbook published by the First Congregational Church.