•YAIUE-^MVEKSITinr- • ILKBIRAISy •

Gift of
JOHN HOWARD WEBSTER, Y '68
1930

COMMEMORATIVE

BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD

OF THE COUNTIES OF

Huron and Lorain, Ohio,

CONTAINING

Biographical BkEtchEg ol PFonjinEiit aijd I^EpFESEijtatiYE Citizerjg,
aijd ol EBany ol tl?e Sarly Bsttled Fan^iliE^.
lUUVSTt^RTBt).

CHICAGO:
J. H. BEERS & CO,
1894,

BARLOW-SINCLAIR PRINTING GO,
CHICAGO.

SEEPAGE.

THE importance of placing in book form biographical history of representative
citizens — both for its immediate worth and for its value to coming generations — -
is admitted by all thinking people; and within the past decade there has been a
growing interest in this commendable means of perpetuating biography and
family genealogy.
That the public is entitled to the privileges afforded by a work of this nature needs
no assertion at our hands; for one of our greatest Americans has said that the history
of any country resolves itself into the biographies of its stout, earnest and representative
citizens. This medium, then, serves more than a single purpose: while it perpetuates
biography and family genealogy, it records history, much of which would be preserved
in no other way.
In presenting the Commemorative Biographical Record to its patrons, the pub
lishers have to acknowledge, with gratitude, the encouragement and support their
enterprise lias received, and the willing assistance rendered in enabling them to sur
mount the many unforeseen obstacles to be met with in the production of a work of
this character. In nearly every instance the material composing the sketches was
gathered from those immediately interested, and then submitted in type- written form
for correction and revision. The volume, which is one of generous amplitude, is
placed in the hands of the public with the belief tbat it will be found a valuable addi
tion to the library, as well as an invaluable contribution to the historical literature of
northern Ohio. THE PUBLISHERS,

TT^rn

V^ JU

HURON COUHTY, OHIO.

JOHN. GARDINER,
NORWALK, OHIO.

[OHN GARDINER was
boru September 15,
1816, at Gardiner's
Point (formerly known
as " Millstone Point "),
New London Co., Conn.,
where he spent his boy
hood days. He is a de
scendant of Sir Thomas
Gardiner, Knight, of the
county of Kent, England,
whose, youngest son, Jos
eph Gardiner, came to this
country with the early set
tlers, and took up his resi
dence in the colony of
Rhode Island. Sir Joseph
was born in the county of Kent, England,
A. D. 1601, and died in Kings county,
Rhode Island, in 1679, aged seventy-eight
years, leaving six sons and four daughters.
Beroni Gardiner, the oldest son of Jo
seph, was born in Rhode Island, and died
in 1731, aged one hundred and four years,
leaving five sons, of whom William, the
eldest, was born in 1671 and died at the
homestead at Boston Neck, Rhode Island,
December 14, 1732, aged sixty-one years.
William Gardiner had seven children, of
whom John was the eldest. John was

boru in 1696, and for his first wife married
a Miss Hill, and, for his second, a Miss
Taylor. By his first wife, Mary Hill, he
had two sons and one daughter. He died
July 6, 1770, aged seventy-four years.
His eldest son, Col. Thomas Gardiner, was
born in 1724, and married Martha Gard
ner (different family), who was a daughter
of Henry Gardner, Esq., of Block Island.
He died on Plum Island May 21, 1786,
and was buried there. His wife was born
July 20, 1731, and died at Millstone Point
February 21, 1793, at the home of. her
son, Benajah Gardiner. Col. Thomas
Gardiner had six sons and one daughter,
of whom Benajah, the second son, was
born in Rhode Island March 8, 1754.
Benajah married, April 10, 1783, Miss
Charlotte Raymond, of Montville, Conn.,
born October 14, 1762, a daughter of
Joshua Raymond, and who was a great-
granddaughter of Elias Hyde.
Benajah Gardiner, with his father, Col.
Thomas Gardiner, and his wife, moved
from Rhode Island to Plum Island, in the
eastern part of Long Island Sound, where
he remained a few years, and, after the
death of his father, removed in the year
1787, with his family, to Millstone Point.
Millstone Point, which is situated five

HURON COUNTY, OHIO.

miles west of New London, Conn., is
washed by tbe waters of Long Island Sound
on two sides and front, and steamers and
sailing vessels continually pass each way
to and from New York. The farm pur
chased by Benajah Gardiner consisted of
about three hundred acres of good tillable
land, under a bigh state of cultivation,
and the point extending into the sound
contained very choice granite stone, and at
the time of the purchase was considered
almost worthless except as a sheep pasture,
but about tbe time of his death the quarry
was opened, and has now been worked for
over sixty years, and but little impression
has been made in the quantity of stone,
which may be said to be almost inexhaus
tible; the quarry affords a large annual
income to Henry Gardiner, the present
owner, who is a second cousin to the sub
ject of this sketch, a gentleman of leisure,
an artist by profession, and the only male
descendant from the other branch of five
sons and four daughters of Benajah Gardi
ner, the original purchaser of the Gardiner
homestead in Connecticut. [The name of
" Millstone Point " was derived from the
fact that millstones were quarried there at
an early day from granite blocks, and
transported to other points for grinding
wheat, corn, etc., before the French Burr
stones came into use, the granite being of
superior quality for that purpose.] Ben
ajah Gardiner, Esq., died at Millstone
Point June 16, 1828, aged seventy-four
years, and bis wife died at the same place
April 26, 1854, aged ninety-one years.
They bad five sons and four daughters, of
whom Capt. Lebbeus W. Gardiner was tbe
oldest. Capt. Lebbeus was born on Plum
Island April 30, 1785, and married, March
31, 1813, Eunice Latimer, a daughter of
Pickett Latimer, of New London, and who
died September 21, 1819, aged twenty-
seven years, leaving three children, viz.:
Charlotte E., born February 20, 1814;
John, the subject of this sketch; and Julia
A., born July 28, 1819. Charlotte E.
Gardiner married October 13, 1837, at

Millstone Point, Jairus Kennan, Esq., an
attorney at law of Norwalk, Ohio, making
their residence in that city. Mr. Kennan
died June 16, 1872, aged fifty-nine years;
Charlotte E., his wife, died May 13, 1888,
aged seventy-four years, and was buried in
Woodlawn cemetery beside her husband.
They had seven sons and two daughters.
Julia A. in 1849 married Henry L.
Kellogg, of Hartford, Conn., and died at
Newington Junction, near Hartford, Feb
ruary 10, 1864, leaving one son, Henry L.
Kellogg, who is still living at said place.
On the death of their mother, in 1819,
tbe children of Capt. Lebbeus W. Gardi
ner separated, John and Julia living with
their grandparents at Millstone Point, and
Charlotte E. with her grandparents, the
Latimers, north of New London, tbe
father, Capt. L. W. Gardiner, following
the sea as captain of clipper schooners,
which he owned at different times, sailing
from New London to Baltimore, Wil
mington, New Orleans and South Amer
ica in the coastwise trade. _ He died at
Norwalk, March 9, 1862, aged seventy-six
years and ten months, and was buried in
Woodlawn cemetery.
As soon as Mr. Gardiner was old enough,
he attended a district school at Durfee
Hill, which was about a mile from his
home, across lots, and which was kept
about six months in tbe year, the teacher
boarding around with the families who
furnished the scholars. When not attend
ing school he worked on the farm sum
mers, going fishing occasionally with the
fishermen who lived in the vicinity and
made fishing their business for the sup
port of their families. In 1831 Mr.
Gardiner went to school at Bacon Acad
emy, in Colchester, Conn., where be re
mained a year, making navigation his
principal study, with the intention of fol
lowing the sea, as New London was at
that time prosperously engaged in the
whale fishery and West India trade, send
ing a fleet of ships annually to the Pacific
Ocean for whale oil, and to the North Sea

HURON COUNTY, OHIO.

for whale and seal. At Bacon Academy
Mr. Gardiner formed the acquaintance of
M. R. Waite, afterward chief justice of the
United States; the Hon. John T. Waite,
afterward member of Congress from New
London; Hon. Lyman Trumbull, who was
afterward a United States senator from
Illinois, and Mr. Rogers, afterward com
modore in the United States navy, and who
were then preparing for college.
In the fall of 1832 Mr. Gardiner was
Eersuaded by his uncle, John M. Latimer,
!sq., to visit Ohio, which in the end
changed his whole course of life. About
three thousand acres of land near Bellevue,
in Huron county, had been given by the
State of Connecticut to Pickett Latimer,
the grandfather, for losses sustained by
fire, when New London was burned by the
British during the Revolution, which
grant had already brought Pickett Latimer,
an uncle, to Huron county, where he was
engaged in mercantile pursuits at Nor
walk. Leaving New London by steamer
early in December, 1832, before the days
of railroads, Mr. Gardiner journeyed west
to Albany, where he took stage as far as
Hamilton, N. Y., where he remained dur
ing tbe winter, and attended school at
Hamilton Academy. In the early spring
of 1833 he left Utica by canal boat for the
West. Arriving at Buffalo the last days
of April, lie embarked on tbe steamer
" Uncle Sam," the first boat to leave Buf
falo that spring for Detroit and interme^
diate ports. At that time nearly the whole
south shore of Lake Erie was skirted
with primeval forests, and only occasional
glimpses of light were discernible in the
evening from the Jog cabins of tbe settlers
along the Hue of shore, while the city of
Cleveland contained only some two thou
sand inhabitants, living mostly below the
public square, and was without street im
provements and sidewalks. Scrub oaks
were then growing on the present public
square, and Superior street was a sand
bed. On tbe first of May the steamer
arrived at the port of Huron, which was

then quite a shipping point, and a hack
driven by a man by tbe name of Sweat
carried Mr. Gardiner to the place of his
future home. Norwalk at that, time con
tained about four hundred inhabitants, but
not a person or animal was visible in the
streets on his arrival, and the village was
entirely surrounded by forests, except
where the roads were cut through. Wild
deer frequently crossed the road at each
end of the village, and the county was
dotted over witb tbe log cabins of the
early settlers, while tbe roads were almost
impassable during the winter and early
spring. Mr. Gardiner immediately commenced
clerking in the store of P. & J. M. Lati
mer (who were doing a large business in
general merchandise and produce, wbicb
latter found a ready sale in Detroit to
supply tbe early settlers of Michigan), at
a salary of seventy-five dollars a year and
board, which a young man of seventeen, at
the present day, would think a very small
compensation for his valuable services.
In the spring of 1834 Mr. Gardiner was
solicited to take a clerkship in tbe Bank of
Norwalk, an institution which bad com
menced business in 1833 with a special
charter from the State of Ohio, with the
Hon. Ebenezer Lane, president, who was
one of the supreme judges of tbe State,
and Martin Bentley, cashier. During tbe
summer of 1834 the cashier died very sud
denly, leaving Mr. Gardiner, then hardly
eighteen years of age, in charge of the
bank for nearly two months, when George
Mygatt, Esq., was appointed to the va
cancy. At this early day this was tbe only
bank in northwestern Ohio, and its busi
ness extended south to Mount Vernon.
Mansfield, Marion and Bncyrus, west to
Fremont, Toledo, and Perrysburgh, and
north to Milan, Huron, and Sandusky,
bringing Mr. Gardiner in contact and
acquaintance with all the leading business
men of that region of the State, who then
came to Norwalk for their bank accommo
dations. The bank went through success-

10

HURON COUNTY, OHIO.

fully the panic of 1837, and was one of the
first institutions of the kind in Ohio to re
sume coin payments, after the failure of
the Government deposit banks, and tbe
Bank of the United States, and finally
closed up, paying back nearly all its capi
tal stock to its original shareholders, and
selling its franchise to Burr Higgins and
bis associates.
In 1835 and 1836 emigration was push
ing itself west by every leading road, and
long lines of emigrant wagons were daily
passing westward, the occupants in pur
suit of new homes, and tbe western land
fever had seized upon nearly all classes of
citizens. Mr. Gardiner, not yet of age,
proceeded to tbe western counties of Ohio,
and the eastern counties of Indiana, on
horseback, over muddy roads and trails
through tbe forest, aud purchased some
tracts of Government land. But as tbe
panic came upon the country in 1837,
sweeping all speculation before it, pros
trating banks and business men, it took
over fifteen years for Mr. Gardiner to
close out bis investment in land, and then
without much profit, after paying taxes
and interest. The whole western country
after tbe collapse of 1837 was land-poor.
Mr. Gardiner, baviug finally been ap
pointed cashier of the bank, with John R.
Finn, president, and tbe bank, owing to
adverse legislation, about closing its busi
ness, resigned the office of cashier in Sep
tember, 1840, and commenced the business
of merchandising at No. 1, Brick Block,
keeping a general stock of merchandise,
and dealing very largely in produce; so
much so that bis combined business in
1844 had reached over one hundred thou
sand dollars per annum. In the spring of
1845 Mr. Gardiner took into business with
him Richard D. Joslin, his brother-in-law,
and leaving him in charge of the business
went to New York, with the intention of
engaging in the wholesale dry-goods trade
the following January. But alter spend
ing the summer in the city with a dry-
goods firm, and not being satisfied with

the prospects of the trade, he returned to
Norwalk in November, and continued the
mercantile business with his partner until
the spring of 1847, when he disposed of
his interest to Mr. Joslin, and witb some
friends established the Norwalk Branch of
tbe State Bank of Ohio, with a capital of
one hundred thousand dollars, afterward
increased to one hundred and twenty-five
thousand dollars. This bauk commenced
business in May, 1847, with Mr. Gardiner
as cashier and manager, and for eighteen
years did a prosperous and successful
business, and notwithstanding large losses
consequent upon the panic of 1856, and
failure of the Ohio Life Insurance and
Trust Company, the bank's New York
agent and depository, and tbe general sus
pension of tbe banks in the United States,
tbe bank closed up its business in 1865,
returning its capital to its shareholders,
after having paid in dividends over two
hundred and twenty-eight thousand dollars.
In March, 1865, Mr. Gardiner with some
other friends organized the Norwalk
National Bank, with a capital of one hun
dred thousand dollars, wbicb succeeded to
the business of tbe Norwalk Branch of the
State Bauk, and has np to this period
(1893) done a successful business with
Mr. Gardiner, president, and Charles W.
Millen, cashier, having paid in dividends
two hundred and fifty-one thousand dollars,
and having over forty thousand dollars of
undivided profits on band. Mr. Gardiner,
in 1847, was elected a member of the
board of control of the State Bank of Ohio,
that distinguished body consisting of some
of the most prominent lawyers, bankers
and business men in the State, and contin
ued a member thereof until 1865, when
the State Bank finally closed its business
and was superseded by the national banks.
While banking has been Mr. Gardiner's
principal occupation, and in which be has
been actively engaged for over half a cen
tury, probably longer than any other man
now actively engaged in the business in
the State, he has not omitted other enter-

HURON COUNTY, OHIO.

11

prises connected witb the improvement
and development of tbe country. He
was. one of the first to move in obtaining
the charter of the Toledo, Norwalk &
Cleveland Railroad Company, granted
by the Legislature in 1850, and was one
of the original incorporators of the com
pany. After the road was constructed
and in operation, it was, in 1853, con
solidated with the Junction Railroad
Company, forming the Cleveland &
Toledo Railroad Company, of which
company Mr. Gardiner was elected a
director in 1856, and president in No
vember, 1860. At this latter date the
company was carrying a large floating
debt, and its securities were very inucli
depressed ; so much so that its stock was
selling at twenty cents on the dollar. But
under Mr. Gardiner's supervision, and con
sequent upon the war and the large issue
of paper money by the Government, and
large increase of business, the floating
debt was paid off, dividends resumed, tbe
earnings of the company more than
doubled, and tbe stock advanced in the
market to one hundred and fifty cents on
the dollar. In 1865, the capital stock hav
ing changed hands, Mr. Gardiner was su
perseded in tbe presidency, though he
remained a director until the road was con
solidated in 1869 with the Lake Shore &
Michigan Southern Railway Company.
The Sandusky, Mansfield & Newark Rail
road was one of the first roads of which
construction was commenced in the State,
and was intended for the transfer of pas
sengers and freight to and from the inte
rior towus, in connection with the lake, and
struggled through financial difficulties un
til 1863, when Charles L. Boalt, Esq., was
elected president, and Mr. Gardiner one of
its directors. They proceeded to form a
line for traffic from Sandusky to Balti
more and Washington" by tbe Central Ohio
and the Baltimore & Ohio Railroads,
which arrangement met with such success
that they were enabled, in 1869, to lease
the Sandusky, Mansfield & Newark Rail

road to the Baltimore & Ohio Railroad
Company, since which time it has done a
successful business as a part of the Balti
more & Ohio line to the lake at Sandusky,
and to Chicago, in connection with its
Chicago division. On the death of C. L.
Boalt, Esq., in 1870, Mr. Gardiner was
elected president of the Sandusky, Mans
field & Newark Railroad Company, and
is still its president, having served in
tbat capacity for twenty-three years. Mr.
Gardiner, in 1863, was elected a di
rector of the Columbus & Indianapolis
Railroad Company, which road was in
tended, when completed, to form a line
between Columbus, Ohio, and Indianapo
lis, Ind., and after being completed and
consolidating with various lines, finally
embraced about 600 miles of road under
the name of tbe Columbus, Chicago & In
diana Central Railway Company. In the
winter of 1868 Mr. Gardiner and ex-
Governor William Dennison, witb the
president, B. E. Smith, were appointed a
committee to negotiate a lease of the road
to tbe Pittsburg, Cincinnati & St. Louis
Railroad Company and the Pennsylvania
Railroad Company, which lease, after much
negotiating, was made on the 22d day of
January, 1869, and duly ratified by the
companies; though it was amended one
year after, it was continued until finally a
consolidation of the lines west of Pitts
burgh was effected, and it is now operated
as one line. In Mr. Gardiner's railroad
connections he became acquainted with
most of the leading railroad magnates of
the day — including Commodore Vander
bilt, of the New York Central; J. Edgar
Thompson and Thomas A. Scott, of the
Pennsylvania Central, and John W. Gar
rett, of tbe Baltimore & Ohio Railroad —
for many of whom be still entertains a
high appreciation for their energy and
great ability in managing the large enter
prises committed to their charge.
In 1879 Mr. Gardiner purchased at
Sheriff's sale the XX Furnace property in
Perry county, Ohio, comprising about

12

HURON COUNTY, OHIO.

800 acres of coal land and a blast furnace,
and organized tbe Shawnee & Sandusky
Coal and Iron Company, associating with
himself Mr. Francis Palms, of Detroit,
and A. H. and J. O. Moss, of Sandusky.
Mr. Gardiner was president of the com
pany. The Furnace commenced making
pig iron in the spring of 1880, but as iron
ruled low in price, and the business did
not prove as profitable as was anticipated,
in July, 1881, Mr. Gardiner sold tbe prop
erty to a Boston syndicate at a good profit,
and closed up the concern. In 1886 Mr.
Gardiner erected in Norwalk the "Gardi
ner Block," a building one hundred feet
square, with a front of cut stone and
pressed brick, three stories high, with four
stores on the ground floor, offices in the
second story and a large Music Hall in
the third. The Music Hall is equipped
witb a stage and fine scenery, is seated
with opera chairs, and is handsomely fres
coed and fitted up as a place of amuse
ment and recreation, more, as Mr. Gardi
ner intended, for tbe gratification of the
people of Norwalk than for profit to him
self. Mr. Gardiner's business enterprises
have generally been successful, particularly
wben under bis own personal management
and direction. By industry, integrity and
perseverance he has accumulated a hand
some fortune, and is one of the largest
land owners in Huron county, having four
farms under good cultivation and embrac
ing about fourteen hundred acres of land.
Mr. Gardiner was married at Norwalk,
Ohio, on the 31st day of July, 1843, to
Miss Frances Mary Joslin, who was born
at Troy, N. Y., on the 13th day of Au
gust, 1817. She was the daughter of Dr.
Benjamin A. and Frances C. (Davis) Jos
lin, the latter of whom was a daughter of
Richard Davis, Jr. Mary Geer, the
great-grandmother of Francis C. Davis,
was one of the settlers at Wyoming, Penn.,
and escaped from the massacre, July 3,
1776, by secreting herself and children in
tbe woods, while her house was burned
and her husband killed by savages; and

after tbe massacre she made her way
through the woods to Poughkeepsie, N.
Y. Four children were tbe offspring of
Mr. Gardiner's marriage, viz.: Edmund
G. Gardiner, born August 23, 1844; John
Gardiner, Jr., born February 28, 1847;
Lucy Jane Gardiner, born June 4, 1848,
and died April 12, 1854, and William L.
Gardiner, born June 24, 1857. Of these
Edmund G. Gardiner married Miss Susie
J. Barnes, at Norwalk, June 13, 1872, and
has four children: Charles Barnes Gard
iner, born December 26, 1874; Frances
Mary Gardiner, born October 27, 1879;
Annie Helene Gardiner, born May 11,
1885, and Lucy Agnes Gardiner, born
September 17, 1886. John Gardiner, Jr.,
married Miss Louise Woodward, of Belle
vue, Huron Co., Ohio, October 3, 1877,
and has three children: Amos W. Gard
iner, born at Bellevue September 12, 1879,
John Joslin Gardiner, born at Norwalk,
Ohio, September 12, 1881, and Douglas
Latimer Gardiner, born at Norwalk, De
cember 28, 1887. William L. Gardiner
married Miss Sarah Alice Altbouse in
New York, February 4, 1880, and has no
children living. The Gardiner mansion
on West Main street, in Norwalk, was
purchased by Mr. Gardiner in 1848, and
was occupied by his family March 20 of
that year. He has added to the buildings
from time to time, and increased tbe quan
tity of land, until he now owns a farm of
160 acres, almost wholly within the cor
porate limits of the city.
During nearly half a century that Mr.
Gardiner has occupied his home, a gener
ous hospitality has always been extended
to his friends, and all made welcome by
his genial wife, and during this period
many distinguished statesmen bave en
joyed tbeir hospitality, amongst whom he
mentions, with great pleasure, the Hon.
John Sherman," senator of the United
States from Ohio, and Secretary of the
Treasury during Mr. Hayes' administra
tion; Hon. Salmon P. Chase, Governor of
Ohio, Secretary of the Treasury duriug

HURON COUNTY, OHIO.

13

Mr. Lincoln's administration, and Chief
Justice of the United States; Hon. James
G. Blaine, M. C, United States senator,
and Secretary of State under President
Harrison; Hon. Rutherford B. Hayes,
Governor of Ohio, and President of the
United States; Hon. James A. Garfield,
M. C, and President of the United States;
Hon. M. R. Waite, Chief Justice of the
United States; Hon. Charles Foster, Gov
ernor of Ohio, Member of Congress, and
Secretary of the Treasury urider President
Harrison; besides many other public men of
the Republican party, in whose successful
career and devotion to the interests of the
country Mr. Gardiner has always felt a
just pride. Politically, he was an original
Henry Clay Whig, but when the Whig
party merged into the Republican Mr.
Gardiner went witb his party, has always
remained a Republican, and contributed
with his influence and means to its suc
cess, but without ever seeking an office, or
soliciting the votes of his friends or party
for political preferment or position. He
was elected a trustee of the City Water
Works in 1870, and remained a trustee for
three years, during the construction of the
works, and contributed to their success by
advancing the city means until it could
dispose of its bonds on favorable terms.
Mr. Gardiner also served on the board of
education of the city some fourteen years,
during which time the schools reached a
high state of proficiency. For many years
Mr. Gardiner has been a vestryman in St.
Paul's Episcopal Church, of which his
wife has been a lifelong member, though
he has only belonged to the paying side,
and this church seems better adapted to
his liberal views of church matters than
any other denomination.
Self-reliance is one of the strong char
acteristics of Mr. Gardiner, and in his
business enterprises he has always relied
upon his own judgment for results rather
than upon the opinion and advice of
others; and when his opinion has been
once formed, be is never afraid to express

it, without waiting for the views of others.
Mr. Gardiner has lived in Norwalk
sixty years, during which time he has ap
plied himself to business pursuits, without
wavering or faltering in bis onward
course, or ever failing to discharge his pe
cuniary obligations, and without a blemish
on his business character or integrity, and
during which time great changes have
taken place. The early pioneers of the
county, men of sterling integrity, with
nearly all of whom be was acquainted,
have gone to tbeir long homes, having
stamped their principles of industry, in
tegrity and perseverance upon their chil
dren and successors. The business and
leading men of that day are nearly all
dead, but bave left behind pleasant recol
lections of their honesty and fair dealing
in tbeir business transactions. The log
cabins of the early settlers, in whose homes
all received a hearty welcome, have disap
peared from the country, and good farm
bouses have taken their places, occupied
by as thrifty and intelligent a class of peo
ple as are to be found in any other section
of the United States. Mr. Gardiner grate
fully remembers many acts of kindness of
these early settlers and friends, who oc
cupied positions which enabled them to
assist him in his early business career, and
who were ever ready to lend him aid in.
carrying forward his business enterprises,
and to whose geuerous support, friendship
and assistance he attributes much of bis
ultimate success.
TIMOTHY R. STRONG, a leading.
criminal lawyer of Norwalk, pos
sesses a strong individuality which
has proved most effective in hispro
fession. He was born April 7,
1817, in Cayuga county, N. Y., a son of
William and Lura Strong, and received his
education at a seminary in Onondaga
county and at Fredonia Academy, Chau
tauqua county, same State.
After reading law for some time he was
admitted to the bar in 1843, and began a

14

HURON COUNTY, OHIO.

general practice at Norwalk, Ohio. He
has conducted many extensive and difficult
cases of a civil nature, but is especially emi
nent in criminal law. Possessing an in
exhaustible fund of dry bumor and keen
sarcasm, combined with a wonderful power
of moving his audience at will, to laughter
or tears, he is in great request as a pleader.
He is undeniably the shrewdest and most
vivacious lawyer of the Norwalk bar, hav
ing won success by native acumen, inde
fatigable application and characteristic
genius. Mr. Strong was married April 3, 1845,
to Ann Eliza Smith, a native of Tompkins
county, N. Y., whose parents were born
and married in Albany, N. Y., and to this
union four children bave been born as fol
lows: William H., a railroad man; Clara,
wife of Dr. D. I. McGuire, Alice, and
Charlotte. Mr. Strong in his political
predilections is a stanch Republican.

TlUDGE FREDERICK WICKHAM,
k. I Norwalk, one of the editors and pro-
\J) prietors of the Norwalk Reflector,
may be classed as one of tbe oldest
newspaper men in the State in active life,
and is to be found at bis desk and at tbe
case daily. He was born in New York
City, March 11, 1812, a son of William
and Catharine (Christian) Wickham, of
English descent.
In tbe veins of the Wickbam family is
mingled the blood of the Wintbrops,
Wantons and Saltonstalls, some of the
illustrious of the New Englanders of Co
lonial times. William Wickham, above
named, was tbe son of Thomas Wickham,
whose wife was Elizabeth Wanton. Will
iam was born in Newport, R. I., in 1778,
and being of a race of adventurous sea
men he was before the mast in 1796, at
the age of eighteen. In the year 1800 be
sailed from Philadelphia as master of a
ship; at one time he was on board a gov
ernment vessel, and late in life he received
a land warrant for bis services, which he

located on land in Kansas. At one time
be was a prosperous West India merchant,
of the firm of William & Thomas Wick
ham, of New York, engaged in the India
trade, and gathered great wealth for those
days. Wben the embargo was laid, tbey
had ships loaded witb molasses, either in
Havana or on tbe way home, which were
seized, and ships and cargoes confiscated.
His fortune wrecked, he was persuaded to
go West, in tbe hope of retrieving a por
tion of it. Gathering up the remnants,
witb his family he went to western New
York, and stopped at Great Sodus, on Lake
Ontario, now in Wayne county, and which
was then tbe most promising point on the
southern shores of the lake. Soon after
he had settled there, in 1812, the war of
that year having broken out, the Euglish
landed a force and burned his store and
residence, with all outbuildings. Again
everything he had in the world was de
stroyed, and becoming advanced in life be
was left to his fate. To the shame of our
Government, that boasts the largest pen
sion roll the world ever saw, it has persist
ently refused to recompense this old-time
patriot. William Wickham married Catharine,
daughter of Frederick and Elizabeth
(Hodgkinson) Christian. Her ancestors
were from Scotland, the name being orig
inally Erskine, changed to Hodgkinson,
and of this family was the Earl of Mar.
William and Catharine Wickbam bad
seven children: Elizabeth (Mrs. Alden S.
Baker), John, William, Thomas, Samuel
Cbristian, Frederick (subject) and Samuel.
The Wanton family are pretty well
written of in Dean's "History of Scituate,"
published in 1831. Further particulars
are gained from a manuscript book in the
possession of Judge Wickham, which was
examined by tbe writer. Edward Wanton,
gentleman, as the records show, was in
Boston in 1658, having come from
London, where, so tradition informs us,
bis father died of injuries received at the
great London fire. Edward Wanton be-

St

' /tilsl^C—*

HURON COUNTY, OHIO.

17

came an officer in Massachusetts, and had
to witness the execution of tbe Quakers in
1661, and the horrors of the persecutions
made a Quaker of him. Of the sons of
Edward Wanton were William and John.
William Wanton married Ruth Bryant;
became a distinguished soldier, and was
elected governor of Rhode Island in 1732,
re-elected in 1733, and died at tbe end of
his term of office. His successor in the
gubernatorial chair was his brother, John,
elected in 1734, and re-elected six times.
In 1769, Joseph Wanton, son of William,
was elected governor; he was re-elected
seven times. Governor Joseph Wanton
married Mary, daughter of Gov. John
Winthrop. His daughter, Anne, married
Winthrop Saltonstall; his daughter Eliza
beth married Thomas Wickham. Another
daughter married William Browne, gov
ernor of the Bermudas. This is a record
for a family furnishing governors, and
their frequent elections, that is unparalleled
in our history.
Frederick Wickbam, when a boy, pur
sued a variety of occupations, clerking in
stores and working on a farm in Wayne
county, N. Y., wbither bis parents moved
from New York City. At the age of
twenty-one be associated himself with a
brother who had a stock of goods in a store
in New York, and came to Ohio, locating
in Norwalk, Huron county. Here they
opened out a commercial business, and
about a year afterward Frederick went on
the lakes in the capacity of second mate
from which he was soon promoted to mas
ter, tbe brother taking charge of the busi
ness dnriog bis absence. Meanwhile our
subject was married, January 15, 1835, to
Miss Lucy Bancroft Preston, a native of
Nashua, N. H., born March 27, 1814.
Sbe is a daughter of Samuel Preston, one
of the originators and proprietors of the
Huron Reflector, published at Norwalk;
and he concluded, being so prevailed on
by his young wife, to abandon his roving
sort of life on the lakes, and settle down
to one of comparative domesticity. About

the winter of 1840-41 Mr. Wickbam en
tered the office of the Reflector, then
owned by Samuel and Charles A. Preston,
his father-in-law and brother-in-law, re
spectively, and here be has ever since re
mained, rising step by step from "devil"
to editor and proprietor, having on the
death of his father-in-law in 1852 bought
the establishment. The style of the paper
has been changed to Norwalk Reflector,
and in recent years a regular daily issue
has been published from the office, entitled
Norwalk Daily Reflector. The judge
now (as be has for years) sits at bis
case, and, without any previous writing
or preparation, sets up from a column
to a column and a half of editorial
matter for his paper, a feat which but few
men are capable of performing, and a most
remarkable one for a person who has
reached and passed the advanced age of
four score years. His brain is as active
as it ever has been, and his physical con
dition as strong and vigorous as with most
men at sixty. During all these years of
his useful life in Norwalk, Judge Wick
bam bas been universally honored and re
spected. All his life he has been an
indefatigable worker, both in his business
and in the political arena, and in all bis
dealings with bis fellow-men he has main
tained the strictest integrity, and has been
the soul of honor.
As a Whig and Republican the Judge
has been a leader and a worker in his own
party, no one having done more hard and
constant labor for the success of bis party
principles than he. During bis residence
in Norwalk he has held with characteristic
care and ability several public positions of
trust and honor. He was first elected
town constable of Norwalk and village re
corder; served as deputy sheriff of the
county two terms; was appointed associate
judge of the common pleas court, and
served to the entire satisfaction of the peo
ple. In the latter years of the Civil war
he represented bis District in the Ohio
Senate A few years ago, after he was

18

HURON COUNTY, OHIO.

seventy years of age, he was elected mayor
of Norwalk, and made so good an officer
that be had to peremptorily decline a re-
nomination. Judge and Mrs. Wickham have had
thirteen children, forty grandchildren, and
nine great-grandchildren, all living but
six who died in their infancy. Their
twelve living children are as follows:
Charles Preston Wickham, ex -judge of
the common pleas court and ex-Congress
man; Katherine (widow of Thomas Chris
tian); W. S. Wickham; Frederick C. and
John T., twins (the latter deceased); Mary
E. (wife of Lieut.-Col. E. R. Kellogg, of
U. S. A.); Sarah L.; Lucy P. (Mrs. A. J.
Minard); Albert W.; Carrie (Mrs. James
G. Gibbs); Emma W. Peters; Jessie (Mrs.
C. L. Merry), and Frank D. Wickham.
The family is tbe largest and one of the
oldest in the city. Mrs. Frederick Wick
ham, beloved, honored and respected, has
lived in Norwalk seventy-two years; and,
from a wilderness inhabited and trodden
by savages and but a few white men, has
seen the place grow into a handsome and
thriving city of nearly ten thousand souls.

It LONZO L. SIMMONS, one of the
l\ wealthiest as well as one of the
T__\ most highly respected citizens of
Fairfield township, is a great-grand
son of Edward Simmons, who was
a miller in Reboboth, Bristol Co., Mass.
He was a soldier iu the Revolutionary
war, serving as captain in the Continental
line of Massachusetts until the final vic
tory at Yorktown insured both peace and
liberty to the Colonists. Returning with
the honors of a veteran, he found that the
enemy had destroyed his mill and home;
but unmindful of the financial loss, he
again went bravely to work, and reared his
family in comfort. Of his children, Ed
ward settled in New Hampshire and be
came a Judge; Noble was a blacksmith
and settled in New York State, where he

died; Eliphalet B. is referred to below;
William died in Massachusetts:
Eliphalet B. Simmons was born in 1773
in Bristol county, Mass., and passed his
youth and early manhood there. In 1804
be moved to Delaware county, N. Y.,
where for thirteen years he carried on the
lumber business with quite a degree of
success. During his residence here he
married Esther, daughter of Capt. Charles
Brown, of New London, Conn. In 1817
be started for the "Firelands" of Ohio,
making the journey to Huron county by
wagon, and arriving July 12. He pur
chased land in the second section of Green
field township, and took up his residence
on Lot No. 22, where his grandson, John
N. Simmons, now resides, and became a
pioneer in the wilderness. He was a man
of great industry, coupled with honesty of
purpose, and good practical judgment, and
eventually acquired a large property. His
selections of real estate made in that early
day in Greenfield and Fairfield townships
have stood the tests of time, and stand ap
proved as the best individual farms to this
day. He was twice married, and had a
family of four children, viz.: Harlon E.,
Charles B., Albert and Washington L.
Eliphalet B. Simmons died at his home in
Greenfield January 26, 1836, in the sixty-
third year of his age. In politics he was
a Democrat, and took an active interest in
party matters. In religion he was a Bap
tist. Of his children two are still living,
viz.: Charles B., at North Fairfield, Ohio,
and Washington L., a resident of Kansas.
Harlon E., son of Eliphalet B. Simmons,
was born December 14, 1798, in Reho-
both, Bristol Co., Mass. His youth was
passed there, and like most boys of that
period his time was divided between school
and farm; for youths then were treated
mostly to one-third school and two-thirds
farm. At the age of twenty-one years he
determined to make a home for himself in
the then far-away West, and as bis father
and the balance of the family had migrated
to the " Firelands " in Obio some two

HURON COUNTY, OHIO.

19

years previous, that locality at once became
his objective point. Thus in October,
1819, with the accumulations of eight
years work by the month, one horse aud an
open wagon, he started from Massachusetts
alone to make the journey, arriving at his
father's residence in Greenfield township
in December following, thus making tbe
trip in about six weeks. He purchased
land adjacent to his father's home, and
located on Lot No. 21, and in time added
Lots Nos. 17 and 20, and parts of Lots
Nos. 16 and 28 to the home farm. In
1827 he returned to Massachusetts, and on
July 17 was united in marriage with Ann
lde, daughter of Joseph lde, of Attleboro,
Bristol county, and she accompanied him
to their new home in Ohio. To this union
six children were born, viz.: Rufus A.,
Abby N., L. Curtis, Alonzo L., Emily and
Ann, of whom Rufus A., Emily and Ann
are deceased; Abby N., now wife of G. T.
Stewart, resides at Norwalk, Ohio; L. Cur
tis, at Hastings, Minn.; Alonzo L., at
North Fairfield, Ohio. Mr. Simmons
came to the " Firelands " as a pioneer, and
brought, as did many of those early
settlers, sterling qualities, and with the
helpfulness of wife and family a beautiful
home was developed on what was in 1819
a wilderness, in which he lived about fifty-
five years, and where he died March 21,
1875, aged seventy-seven years. Had his
life been spared a few months he would
have reached the forty-eighth mile post in
wedded life. He was universally esteemed
for his integrity of character, and virtues,
in all the relations of life. In business he
was successful, and as his children settled
in life be was able to present each with a
purse of four thousand five hundred dollars
without encumbering the home. We are
told that the first singing school, as well
as choir, in the township, was organized
under his leadership, and in after years the
home life was full of music, containing as
it did a quartet of both instrumental and
vocal (members of the family), and led by
him. From the discourse of Doctor H.

L. Canfield at his funeral we quote the fol
lowing appropriate tribute to his memory:
" For more than fifty-five years he lived
in this township, and you who have known
bim best know how much his strong arm
and tireless industry have done toward the
removal of the primitive forests, and the
development of the material prosperity of
this region. But never in his devotion to
material things did he forget the higher
interests of life. Whatever tended to pro
mote moral or intellectual culture, or
social reform, found in him a warm friend
and ready helper. He was always to be
found on the side of whatsoever things
were true and honest; whatsoever things
were just and pure; whatsoever things
were lovely and of good report. Well may
the thread of such a life run evenly, and
hope be its constant inspiration." In poli
tics Mr. Simmons was in early life a Jack-
sonian Democrat, but in 1856 swung into
the Republican ranks, and kept pace with
its progressive movements.
The companion that had left her New
England home and friends some fifty years
before, and added her efforts to his in
building this earthly home, survived him
a little over two years, and on May 30,
1877, she, as we trust, again joined him
and the multitudes that have gone before,
to again add her efforts to theirs in the
work beyond. As regards religious views
we may as well speak in the plural, as their
hopes were practically the same. They
cherished the broader views, ever believ
ing that to be a Christian was to become
Christ-like. That a true religion is always
a practical religion, and shows itself in all
that its possessor does.
Alonzo L. Simmons, youngest son of
Harlon E. and Ann I. Simmons, was born
in Greenfield township, December 6, 1835,
and like most boys of his time, whose
lives as men have been helpful in the
community in which they have lived;
helpful in creating higher public senti
ment; helpful that they have made tbe
community in which they have lived the

20

HURON COU&TY, OHIO.

better for their having lived, his youth
like theirs was passed on the farm, guided
by good parental care, with plenty of work
to teach the important lessons of care tak
ing in early life, relieved in winter by a
term at the district school. Thus the
routine went on, varied by one term in
graded school at North Fairfield, and one
at the high school at Norwalk. In 1854
he changed from attendant to teacher, and
the new order continued some seven
winters, first in the district and later in
the graded schools. In the spring of 1855
his father placed bim in charge of an out
lying farm of 160 acres, which position he
filled until the spring of 1859, when, by
request of his parents, he returned to the
home farm, and bought 200 acres of the
same, receiving a receipt for four thousand
five hundred dollars in part payment. The
house on the home farm was destroyed by
fire in March, 1858, and no permanent
one rebuilt until the summer of 1861,
when a large double brick residence was
constructed by the joint efforts of his par
ents and himself.
On April 24, 1862, Mr. Simmons was
united in marriage with Elizabeth M.,
daughter of John E. and Lydia F. Menges,
then residents of Greenfield, and in due
time the double residence had double occu
pants; and thus the two families dwelt
peacefully side by side until the Reaper
came in 1875 and called the father home.
In 1871 Mr. Simmons bought an inter
est in the Phoenix mill, became interested
in that business, and still retains his inter
est in it. After the father's death he
bought his mother's and two brothers'
interests in the old home, and at that
time, without doubt, expected to pass the
balance of his life there, amidst its familiar
scenes. But in the spring of 1883, begin
ning to realize that so large a farm home
must in time become burdensome to him
self as well as Mrs. Simmons (they two
comprising his family), and having an
available opportunity to sell the home,
wisely as it would seem, did so, and re

purchased another equally pleasant, though
smaller, near the village of North Fair
field, where they now reside. Mr. Sim
mons was one of the incorporators of the
Norwalk Savings Bank, and is a stock-
holder and member of its board of direct
ors. His life work, however, has been
that of a practical farmer, one who has
found pleasure in the performance of his
labor, and in leading a wholesome, inde
pendent life. Ever holding to the theory
that whatsoever is worth doing at all is
worth doing well, he has aimed to put its
principle into practical effect, and in a
broad sense has carried out this principle;
and as a result, success, not only in ma
terial things but in the higher walks of
life as well, has crowned his efforts. Suc
cess comes to no one by the mere revolu
tion of the wheel of fortune; to be obtained
it must be coveted, striven for, and won.
None may wear her laurels save those who
have a strong earnest desire. But desire
alone will never win; an aim that is high
and honorable, a will and purpose that are
unbending, an uncompromising integrity
with untiring industry and economy —
these with other characteristics must unite
with desire to win the trophies of success.
Mr. Simmons is regarded as one of the
substantially worthy men of his section,
kind to all, generous to those in need, and
honorable in all things; a man of strong
convictions of right and wrong, and fear
less to speak or act his convictions when
duty requires. In politics he is a Re
publican, coming upon the stage of action
as he did when bleeding Kansas was the
bone of contention between the then two
leading parties, he cast his lot in the ranks
of that party, and has ever been loyal to
its principles.
Any account of Mr. Simmons' life to
those who have known him so long and
heard him so oft, would be incomplete, if
its musical features were omitted. Like
the father, his home life has always found
relief from its routine of duties in litera
ture and music, and for upwards of forty

HURON COUNTY, OHIO.

21

years his voice has been heard in song at
the majority of the social, festival,
church and funeral gatherings in bis
locality.

'HARLES B. STICKNEY was born
at Moira, Franklin Co., N. Y., Jan
uary 20, 1810, the eldest of twelve
children — six sons and six daughters
— of Charles and Betsey Stickney.
Capt. Charles Stickney, father of sub
ject, was boru at Cornwall, Addison Co.,
Yt., May 17, 1785, and bis mother, whose
maiden name was Pierce, at New Salem,
Franklin Co., Mass., April 11, 1790.
They were married in the town of Dickin
son, Franklin Co., N. Y., April 11, 1809.
Both are now dead. They were of English
descent. His father's earliest ancestor in
America was William Stickney, who
came to this country in 1637 from Hull,
Yorkshire, England, and settled with his
family at Rowley, Mass. From him it is
believed that all bearing the name of
Stickney in America are descended.
Mr. Stickney's early years were required
by his father on his farm, where he re
mained until his twenty-first year, en
gaged in hard work, and receiving only a
district-school education, when he was
given his time, five dollars and fifty cents
in money, and the blessing of his kind
parents with which he started forth to
seek his fortune. He entered the academy
at Potsdam, St. Lawrence Co., N. Y., then
in charge of Rev. Asa Brainard, and here
he remained nearly four years, supporting
himself in the meantime by teaching
school winters.
His health having become impaired from
close application, he reluctantly left the
academy and came to Ohio. He reached
Ashtabula county, where he was taken
sick at the house of his maternal uncle,
Jesse Pierce, in the town of Saybrook, his
sickness continuing for nearly six months.
Recovering his health somewhat, he
adopted the teaching of penmanship as a

means of livelihood, and taught in differ
ent places in western Pennsylvania, Vir
ginia, and southern Ohio. On his arriving
at Wheeling, W. Va., in 1835, Judge
Stickney was by its directors elected
principal of an academy there, conducted
on the Pestolozian system of education,
which he managed with credit to himself,
and to the approval of its patrons for
about two years.
In 1841 he visited his brother, Hon. E.
T. Stickney, at Scipio, Seneca Co., Ohio,
and meeting with a former fellow- student
of Potsdam Academy, the late Jairus
Kennan, Esq., who was then practicing
law at Norwalk, he was induced to enter
his office, and commence the study of law.
He arrived at Norwalk November 13,
1841, and pursued his studies with Mr.
Kennan ; was admitted to the bar August
1, 1844, and subsequently to practice in
the Federal courts, at Cleveland, April 12,
1860. During his term of study he was
associated with the late Ezra M. Stone in
the preparation of a large number of
cases in bankruptcy, under the then exist
ing bankrupt law of the United States.
After he commenced practice he was sev
eral times a candidate for prosecuting
attorney, always running ahead of his
ticket, but not being able to overcome thev
party odds against him. The new consti
tution of Ohio created the Court of Pro
bate, and upon its going into operation,
in 1851, Mr. Stickney was nominated on
the Democratic ticket for the new office of
judge of said court, and was elected over
his competitor, Hon. F. Wickbam, by
thirty-one majority, having run ahead of
his ticket about five hundred votes. He
performed the duties of his office faith
fully and satisfactorily to all for the term
of three years, and was again nominated
in 1854. The newly-formed Republican
and Know-Nothing parties swept the field,
the general majority of the party in
Huron county being about sixteen hun
dred, but the majority for his competitor,
Hon. F. Sears, was cut down to about

22

HURON COUNTY, OHIO.

eight hundred. Mr. Stickney has served
several terms as a member of the common
council, and in April, 1874, was elected
mayor of Norwalk, in which office be
served two years, being an acceptable and
popular officer. He was for several years
school examiner for Huron county, and a
member of the board of education of the
Union school for four years, during which
time he was clerk of the board. He has
at all times taken a deep interest in edu
cational matters. He is also a member of
the Whittlesey Academy of Arts and
Sciences, of which he has been president.
On April 30. 1845, be became a mem
ber, by initiation, of Huron Lodge No.
37, I. O. 0. F., and has been a prominent
and respected member of the Order, hold
ing many of its important offices. On
February 20, 1856, he was elected most
worthy grand master of the Grand Lodge
of Ohio, serving one term with distin
guished ability. For his faithful and
efficient services in this office he received
from the Grand Lodge its beautiful and
costly medal.
In 1858 Judge Stickney was appointed
assistant adjutant-general, with the rank of
Lieutenant-colonel, on the staff of Maj.-
Gen. James A. Jones, Seventeenth Divi
sion Ohio Volunteer Militia, and was com
missioned by Gov. Chase. He also acted
as Inspector-general of Division. On
coming to Norwalk he became a boarder
at the "Mansion House," then kept by
Obadiah Jenney, Esq., and, to the surprise
of all, has remained unmarried, and a
constant boarder at public hotels there
now over fifty-two years. Though not a
communicant, the Judge has long been an
attendant at St. Paul's Episcopal Church,
Norwalk, and has served several years as
vestryman and clerk of the vestry, yet
charitable and liberal in his religious
views toward all church organizations.
Judge Stickney has always had an ex
tensive law practice, and been especially
successful as a collection lawyer, aud, in
the settlement of estates and matters of

guardianship, he has been, through his
professional life, regarded as an upright
man. He is a gentleman of taste and
culture, kind and benevolent, esteemed by
all who know him, and is an eminently
popular member of society. He is now
one of the oldest residents of Norwalk.
His name is a household oracle here. He
is perhaps the only living man in northern
Ohio who has shaken hands with Daniel
Webster, Henry Clay and Andrew Jack
son. He is as already stated still a bache
lor, and in spite of his age feels young.
Of him the Norwalk Reflector of March
2, 1892, said: " What an interesting tale
could be written of Judge Stickney's social
life in this city. His name and face are
indelibly and pleasantly connected with all
our homes where sociability and good
cheer abound. The genial Judge is a
necessary part of all the social gatherings
iu our city, and he is as young and frisky
as ever. Long live the Judge!"

OLIVER RANSOM was born at
Lyme, Conn., November 3, 1800,
or near the close of the eighteenth
century. He grew to manhood in
his native place, and at the age of nineteen
wedded Rachel Hollister, who was fifteen
years of age at the time. They commenced
housekeeping at Bolton, Conn., the bride's
home, and here two of their children were
born. In 1822 the still youthful couple pio
neered westward, and fixed their wilderness
home at Warrensville, Ohio, a little east
of Cleveland. They made the trip in a
lumber-wagon with oxen, and were forty
days on the lonesome way; bivouacking
after their arrival until he could build
their little pole cabin. Here the last seven
of their children were born. When their
labors had opened a fine farm of 400 acres,
the American spirit that ever has carried
the star of empire westward induced them
to sell, and go to Elkhart, Ind., where they

HURON COUNTY, OHIO.

23

made investments that would have soon
made them wealthy. Mr. Ransom's health,
however, became so seriously impaired,
that they felt it imperative to sell at a
sacrifice and return; and they purchased a
farm near Berlin Heights, in Erie county.
Except the three years in Indiana, Mr.
and Mrs. Ransom lived on their farm at
Warrensville thirty-two years, and at Ber
lin Heights twenty-one years. In the year
1877, both feeling that their business af
fairs were such they could well afford to
retire from the peaceful pursuits of agri
cultural life, they came to Norwalk and
purchased their pleasant residence on
Whittlesey avenue, which has since been
the family home. They parted with the
title of their fine farm of 400 acres in Ber
lin Heights, one of the best improved in
the county. Mr. Ransom had then reached
the age of seventy-seven, while Mrs. Ran
som was seventy-three; neither one in the
"sere and yellow leaf," but rather in the
serene afternoon of tbeir days, when was
numbered fifty-eight years of their mar
ried life, both blessing and being blessed.
This family brought to Norwalk the frank
and sincere friendship of a host of friends;
and not only found in their new place of
residence a comfortable home, but drew
new friends, new circles of pleasant asso
ciations, and new ties of life such as only
reward the broad and generous natures of
those who make this world both good and
wholesome. Mr. Ransom departed this
life March 3, 1891, at the unusual age of
nearly ninety-one years; which year was
the seventy-second mile post of their mar
ried life. Suppose the youthful couple,
when they plighted their lives on the mar
riage altar, had been permitted a perspec
tive view of the seventy-two years that at
that moment was opening before them! A
span of life so rich in the world's history,
so infinitely richer in the unwritten joys
of "two souls with but a single thought,
two hearts that beat as one!" The vener
able husband and father was followed to
the grave by the love of family and friends,

as well as the highest respect from all in
the community. A man of long life and
strong character; whose death at the ripe
age of nearly a century came to all in the
community much as a personal loss.
The brave little girl who at fifteen had
stood at the boy-husband's side and
plighted her love and her life, never fal
tered, never in the hour of severest pioneer
life knew a twinge of doubt or despair, but
was the real heroine, comforting, encour
aging, sustaining, with a faith and work
sublime, both husband and children. The
accounts of pioneer life, of the days that
tried men's souls, are brightened and hal
lowed by tbe far more tragic and sublime
stories of the true, brave and loyal wives
and mothers, whose unfaltering courage
were the shield and anchor of the physi
cally stronger men.
Rachel (Hollister) Ransom was born in
Bolton, Conn., November 14, 1804; mar
ried September 13, 1819; died December
9, 1893; in faith a Methodist, and all her
life an exemplary professor thereof. Up
to about the ,time of her death ber mind
was unimpaired, her memory as clear and
quick as if yet below the half-century mark
of life. She had a family of ten children,
of whom nine grew to maturity, as follows:
Lucina (Mrs. Asa Dunham) bad two chil
dren, Ludd and Lloyd; Lovisa (Mrs. Hervy
N. Addison), of Michigan, bad six children,
Rachel, William, Isola, Nina, Bertha and
Mary; Cornelia (Mrs. John Perkins) has
three sons, Floyd, George and Earl;
Weltha first married Andrew Taylor, and
by him had one child, Marion, and after
ward married Erastus Ives, by whom she
had one child, Maud; Philura (Mrs. Will
iam Gleason) had five children, William,
Mary, Nora, Anna and Eddie; Mary (Mrs.
Charles Lane) had two sons, Gerdon and
Morrill; Gerdon married Anna Jenkins,
and had six children, Sarah, Emma, Elgie,
Ella, Lucy and Myrtie; Sylvester (deceased)
married Clarissa Allen, and left no chil
dren; Miss Eunice A. is unmarried.
Miss Eunice A. Ransom, the youngest

24

HURON COUNTY, OHIO.

child, was compelled to take much of the
burdens of financial affairs from her father's
shoulders for ten years preceding his death,
and in this respect she became the head of
the house. She was the companion and
aid to ber father from her early girlhood
times, and through thus, growing into
strong healthy business ideas she was soon
able to relieve him of all cares. Her
father must have detected the bent of the
girl's talents, and he gave her the com
panionship and fatherly training which he
hoped would some day fit her to take up
his work; and be lived to see bis fondest
hopes in this respect fully realized.

ff JfON. GIDEON TABOR STEW-
f^H ART. Tbe law gives us one of
I JJ the learned professions, and in
¦f) many respects it is calculated to
best equip the young man for dis
tinction in social, business and public life.
Lawyer Stewart may be named as "tbe
father" of the Huron county bar. He
takes this place by virtue of' his age and
his long and successful practice here, as
well as by his intimate knowledge of the
subtleties of the law. These are not the
mere idle words of a panegyrist, but tbey
are verified by the general judgment of
his cotemporaries; a man holding an en
viable place among the distinguished
members of the bar of northern Ohio.
During tbe last twenty five years he has
been employed in more cases from the
"Firelands," in the District, Circuit and
Supreme courts, than any other lawyer.
Some who studied law in his office have
become eminent in the profession. Hon.
S. W. Owen, who was judge of the Su
preme court, studied law with Mr. Stew
art. To excel, even in the ordinary vo
cations of life, is a proud distinction, but
in the abstruse mazes of the law it marks
a mental equipment of rarest excellence.
Thorouohly grounded in the fundamentals
of the law, he tries every case before he
enters the court-room, and this careful

preparation is backed by a tenacity of pur
pose that will brook no hint of ultimate
defeat. In many positions of life rare
genius may carry all before it, but pre
eminence at the bar must add to even un
usual gifts, those patient tasks of "the
slave of the lamp," which bring the " pale
cast of thought" to the devotee.
The paternal ancestors of Mr. Stewart
came from the North of Ireland, origin
ally from Scotland. On both sides his
people were of the cultured classes. His
paternal grandmother was a noted educator
and scholar of her day, having taught the
first school in Schenectady, N. Y., and
founded tbe first academy of that place, a
famed school, that was in time succeeded
by Union College. His mother was a
daughter of the eminent divine, Rev.
Nicholas Hill, Sr., who was father of the
distinguished lawyer, Nicholas Hill, Jr.,
of Albany, bead of the eminent law firm
of Hill, Cagger & Porter, and who at his
death, which occurred just before the
Civil war, was pronounced by the New
York World "the greatest lawyer of
America." Another of his mother's
brothers, John L. Hill, is a leading law
yer of New York, and was a prominent
counsel in the famed Beecher-Tilton trial.
His brother James F. Stewart, one of tbe
oldest and most esteemed members of the
San Francisco, Cal., bar, died on Novem
ber 17, 1893. His eldest brother, Merwin
Hill Stewart, graduated at Union College
with the highest honors, but died when he
was about entering on the legal profession.
Mr. Stewart was born in Johnstown,
now in Fulton county, N. Y., August 7,
1824, and was named from Gideon Tabor,
a judge of the courts there. When about
eleven years old, in the fall of 1835, he
removed with his parents to Oberlin, Ohio,
where he was a student in that college ex
cept a year in the Elyria Institute. He
began the study of law at Norwalk, Ohio,
in the spring of 1842, but the next year
he went to live with his brother, Alex
ander A. Stewart, a merchant at Columbus,

HURON COUNTY, OHIO.

27

and there entered the law office of Swayne
& Bates, of which firm Hon. Noah H.
Swayne afterward became a justice of the
United States Supreme court. While
there, when nineteen years of age, he wrote
a poem on the occasion of the visit of ex-
President Jolm Qnincy Adams to Ohio, in
November, 1843, to lay the corner-stone
of the Cincinnati Observatory, which poem
was published in the Ohio State Journal,
entitled " Ohio's Welcome to John Quincy
Adams," and with some other poems from
his pen was favorably received by the
public- The next year he entered actively
into politics, was chairman of the " Young
Men's Henry Clay Club," and published a
campaign paper at Columbus in aid of the
Whig party. In the fall of 1844, being
in ill health, be went to Quincy, Fla., and
spent about eighteen months with his
brother Nicholas Hill Stewart, who was a
lawyer and an eminent teacher %t the head
of the Quincy Academy, the leading edu
cational institution in the territory. In
the following year, 1845,, Florida was
admitted into the Union, a,nd, having
become of age, he cast his first vote
at the first election held in that State.
He had strong inducements to remain with
his brother and go in,to business there,
but he could not consent to become a
slaveholder; and, returning to Ohio in
the summer of 1846, he was admitted to.
the bar of Ohio, on the 18th day of Aug
ust, 1846, and began the practice of law
at Norwalk. He was also editor of the
Reflector, the Whig organ, for about three
years, and in 185.0 be was elected,, by
the Whigs, county auditor, to which of
fice he was re-elected in 1852 and 1854,
the last time on the same ticket with
Hon. John Sherman, who then for the
first tin^e was elected to Congress. He
purchased half of the Toledo Blade in
1856, but remained in the law practice
at Njorwalk, and in about three years
sold his interest in the Blade. He went
to Dubuque, Iowa, in 1861, where he
bought the Daily Times, the onlyUnion

Republican paper then in the north half
of tbat State, and published it until near
the close of the war. He spent a winter
at Washington in law business, and then
became one of the proprietors of the
Toledo Daily Commercial, of which he
took the business management for the
greater part of the year; then selling at a
profit, returned to Norwalk and resumed
his law practice at that place. On Janu
ary 26, 1866, he was, on motion of Hon.
Caleb dishing, admitted as an attorney
and counsellor of the Supreme Court of
the United States.
Aside from twelve years spent in the
auditor's office and on the press, Mr. Stew
art has been in law practice over thirty-
five years. A long time to devote to ac
tive professional work, a prolonged period
of trials and triumphs, vicissitudes and,
victories; labors ranging from the sacred
claims of home, or tbe exactions of a pro-
• fession, to the occult problems upon whose
just solution hangs the permanent weal or
woe of the human race. So methodical in
his mental movements was he that he
found rest and recreation from the exact
ing duties of his profession in the editorial
chair, and in discussing from the hustings
tbe absorbing questions of civil govern
ment. In 1855 Mr. Stewart was a dele
gate to the State convention which organ
ized, the Republican party in Ohio, and
there took an active part. While he was
from early life well grounded in the prin
ciples of anti-slavery reform, yet he was
broad enough in his views to see there
were other evils in society appalling to
contemplate, one of them the grim and
hideous Gorgon of intemperance. In 1851
and 1853 he took a prominent part in the
anti-license and Maine-law campaigns of
those years. In 1857 a State convention
met at the capital of Ohio to organize a
Prohibition party, and Mr. Stewart was
made president of the convention. The
machinery of a new party was framed;
every step was taken and work set afoot,
when the Kansas anti-slavery troubles

28

HURON COUNTY, OHIO.

came and Civil war became the supreme
question of the hour. Salmon P. Chase
was up for election as governor, and he in
terviewed tbe Prohibition State committee,
before whom be urged the perilous condi
tion of the country, pledging himself that
if elected, he would in his message recom
mend to the Legislature a Prohibitory law
against the liquor drink traffic. His prom
ises were accepted (which he afterward
fulfilled), the new party movement was
postponed, and thus he was elected by a
small plurality. The Kansas-Nebraska
troubles were soon followed by the dread
throes of war, convulsing our nation and
unhinging the order of society from cen
ter to circumference; when men, like
storm-tossed mariners, advantaged the first
calm to take their bearings anew. The
temperance cause, for the time suspended,
was renewed in politics. Mr. Stewart was
three times the standard bearer of the
Prohibition party for governor in Ohio;
eight times its candidate for supreme
judge; was its representative on the Na
tional ticket for vice-president in 1876;
many times its nominee for Congress and
also for circuit and common pleas judge,
and often in local, county, State and Na
tional conventions he has been a repre
sentative delegate of that party.
He was present and a delegate to the
convention in 1869, which organized the
National Prohibition party, and was made
a member of the National committee, of
which he was chairman four years and a
leading member fifteen years, serving un
til 1884, when he retired, feeling it neces
sary to give his unrestricted time to bis
profession. In 1876, 1880 and 1884 the
Prohibition State convention of Ohio unan
imously instructed the Ohio delegates to
present him in the National conventions
of those years as their choice for Presiden
tial candidate, but each time he refused to
have his name offered. At the National
convention of 1892 it was presented by
the Ohio delegates in his absence, at which
time he received next to the highest vote

on the first ballot, and he would have been
nominated if there had been a second bal
lot. Each time that he was a candidate
for governor he campaigned the State, vis
iting, in one season, forty counties, and
addressing meetings in all of them. His
voice was heard in the hustings, and his
vigorous pen found a prominent place in
the literature of the day. He was grand
worthy chief-templar of the Order of
Good Templars three terms. As long
ago as 1847 he was one of the charter
members of Norwalk Division, No. 227, of
the Sons of Temperance, which still exists,
there being now but one older division in
the State. His numerous nominations by
the Prohibition party were uusought, and
were accepted by him only as symbols of
sacrifice, not of selfish aspiration. He re
gards public office as a public trust, and
that the man who solicits it is unworthy
of it. Hence he was never an applicant
to Government for office, and never asked
the personal support of a delegate or a
voter. He has been identified with other
reforms, moral, social and political. He
was several years president of the Ohio
Woman Suffrage Association, and drafted
its first platform of resolutions, adopted
at its first State convention, held at Co
lumbus in 1870.
He has long been a public advocate of
civil service, industrial and educational
reform, of prison reform, and the
abolition of capital punishment. Many
of his speeches and writings on re
form topics have been published and
widely disseminated. He was in 1856 one
of the founders of the " Firelands Histori
cal Society," one of the oldest historical
local Societies in the Northwest; he wasone
of its officers at its founding, a life mem
ber, and is now its president. He was
also one of the founders and first offi
cers of "The Whittlesey Academy of
Arts and Sciences," wliich gave Nor
walk the well-known " Whittlesey Hall,"
for many years the common meeting-
place and foster-mother of the city's '

HURON COUNTY, OHIO.

29

growth in schools, the arts, scieuce and
general literature, and from this came
many courses of public lectures and the
present public library, with its 6,000 se
lected volumes. Of these enterprises Mr.
Stewart has been one of the active authors
and promoters, and he has been busily
interested in various other public move
ments. He spent much of his time and
over three thousand dollars of bis means,
without compensation, through ten years
of doubtful struggle, to secure tbe con
struction of the W heeling & Lake Erie
Railroad, and was one of its early stock
holders and directors. He aud his wife
are life members of the American Bible
Society. He is a pioneer member of the
Scotch-Irish Society of America, a trus
tee of the Western Reserve Society of the
Sons of the American Revolution, and
president of the Huron County Law Li
brary Association.
Mr. Stewart is of a race of men and
women of prominence and of intellectual
and moral progress, and has so outlined
his own life and reared a family that has
added thereto, rather than, as we so often
find, detracted therefrom. Physically he
is a little below the medium in stature and
weight, with a personal toilet clean and
careful as has ever been the garniture of
his mental operations. He looks the man of
books, the student of man who communes
much with his own thoughts. Just such
a man whom you would readily know had
sacrificed for half a century his time and
toil in behalf of his fellows, and for all his
services in public reform has never ac
cepted the least financial compensation.
Such, briefly, are the outlines of a life
that may well be honored of men, respected
abroad and beloved at home — a blessing
to the one, a benefaction to all.
On March 30, 1857, Gideon T. Stewart
was united in marriage with Miss Abby
Newell Simmons, of Greenfield township,
Huron county, daughter of Harlon L.
Simmons and niece of Hon. Charles B.
Simmons (former State Representative),

of that place, both prominent pioneers of
the " Firelands," and extensive farmers.
Of this happy union there were born three
sons and one daughter, viz. : Charles Hill ;
Harlon Lincoln, at present the youngest
member of the Ohio State Senate; George
Swayne, of the Norwalk bar; and Mary
Stewart. In the literary and temperance
work of the father, the daughter with her
graceful pen has been his valuable assist
ant. In the polite and benevolent circles
of the city she has a wide and appreciative
circle of friends.
The mother was born and reared on her
father's farm, one of the largest and most
beautiful in the county; and, notwith
standing the fact that for twelve years
she has been afflicted with paralysis, de
priving her Of the power to walk, she has
continued to own and operate her valuable
farm near the city of Norwalk, though
living in the city, an4 has educated her
three sons to practical agriculture. She is
very fond of reading, and well informed iri
history, current literature and public af
fairs. She is social, sympathetic, kind
and charitable, anc| is warmly esteemed by
all who have known her from childhood to
old age. She was active in the famous
Woman's Temperance Crusade, and has
been so in its outgrowth, the Woman's
Christian Temperance Union, which now
extends its grand organization around the
world. Througb many years the Nor
walk Union has held its regular meetings
in her parlors.

QEORGE SWAYNE STEWART
, was born March 25, 1866, in Du
buque, Iowa, the youngest in the
, i family of four children of Gideon
T. and Abby N. (Simmons) Stewart.
Our subject was reared to manhood in
Norwalk, Ohio, whither, when he was but
an infant, his parents had removed. He
was educated in the graded schools of the
city, and graduated from the high school

30

HURON COUNTY, OHIO.

in 1884. Leaving the high school, he
pursued a special course of studies at
Oberlin College, Ohio, after which he
took up the study of law in his father's of
fice, and was admitted to the bar March 8,
1888, being then but twenty-one years of
age. He then entered upon the practice
of law with bis father, continuing in the
same for about two years, when he gave
up his profession for the more active field
of business life to which he seemed
naturally inclined. He inherited a taste
for agriculture from his mother, and on
her farm near Norwalk bis vacations were
spent in early school life, and here his first
business instincts were cultivated. From
working a small area on shares, he grew
to be manager of the farm, establishing a
dairy and maintaining his interest in farm
ing matters to the time of this sketch.
In 1890 he became interested in the
C. W. Smith Co., manufacturers of hard
wood and furniture specialties, and as
secretary and treasurer of this company
helped to build it up into one of the suc
cessful and substantial business enterprises
of the city, affording employment to nearly
one hundred people. In addition to his
manufacturing business, Mr. Stewart is
also associated with W. H. Price, presi
dent of the Norwalk Savings Bank, in the
manufacture of building brick, under the
style of The Norwalk Brick Co., and, as
sociated with other young men, is a dealer
and contractor in stone and fire-brick, and
has constructed extensive street-paving irn-
Srovements in Sandusky, Elyria, Bellevue.
Torwalk and other cities. Mr. Stewart is
also director and stockholder in the Nor
walk Savings Bank, and stockholder in the
Arcade Savings Bank of Cleveland.
Politically Mr. Stewart has never been
identified with any party, but is indepen
dent, and, aside from being interested
with his friends regardless of party, he
takes no active part in politics. He has
abandoned the practice of law, his atten
tion being given to the many enterprises
with which he is identified.

On January 10, 1893, Mr. Stewart was
married to Cora Isabel Taber, of Norwalk,
Ohio, daughter of B. C. Taber, of that
city. They had enjoyed an extended wed
ding tour in Europe, and were comfortably
settled in their pleasant home in Norwalk,
with all the prospects of a happy married
life before them, when the Angel of Death
spread his somber wings over their happy
home and took from it its chiefest bless
ing. Mrs. Stewart died September 28, in
the year of her marriage, from the recur
rence of a previous severe attack of peri
tonitis. She was of the purest type of
Christian character, and a member of St.
Paul's Episcopal Church of Norwalk, to
which Mr. Stewart was also admitted to
membership shortly after her death.

L

EANDER L. DOUD, secretary of
the A. B. Chase Co., of Norwalk, is
a native of Huron county, Ohio, born
May 20, 1838. He is the eldest in
the family of seven children born to
Samuel and Philura (Niles) Doud, only
two of whom are now surviving: Maria
(Mrs. Stoner, of New Loudon, Ohio) and
Leander L.
The elementary educational advantages
enjoyed by the subject of this sketch were
such as were common to farmer boys in
tbe early days of this section of the country.
At the age of five years he might have
been seen, daily, walking a mile and a half
through tbe woods to reach the school-
house which was situated in the midst of a
dense forest, with no other evidence of civi
lization insight; but so faithfully did heim-
proye these opportunities, that for the first
two years he lost only altogether eight days,
and at the age of seven was the champion
speller of that section of the country. As
the forests were cleared up, the log school -
house gave place to something more pre
tentious; as the children grew up, the
spelling school was superseded by the
literary society, and the Nineveh school-

HURON COUNTY, OHIO.

31

house became the center of moral and in
tellectual culture for miles around. Many
who received their first lessons in forensic
and literary work there have occupied
prominent positions in Church and State.
Amist such influences did young Lean
der grow to manhood. At the age of
seventeen he commenced teaching district
school, winters, " boarding round " among
the scholars, as was then the almost uni
versal custom. His summers were spent
at some institution of learning — either at
Savannah Academy, Ohio Wesleyan Uni
versity, Delaware, or at Baldwin Uni
versity, Berea — frequently boardingbimself
to save expense. This " hit or miss "
kind of school life, while not specially
conducive to intellectual strength in any
one direction, was more of the practical
order, developing in our subject an apti
tude for making the best of opportunities
offered, and aiding him in making life a
success. A commercial course of study,
completed during this time in Baldwin
University, served him to good purpose,
later, as secretary and treasurer of the A.
B. Chase Company.
Dropping educational matters for a
time, Mr. Doud, in 1860, commenced his
more active business life. For three years
he was engaged extensively and success
fully in sheep husbandry. Three years he
spent in general farming in Greenwich
township, and eight years in various mer
cantile pursuits in New London. Iu 1875
he moved to Norwalk, and took an active
part in the organization of the A. B. Chase
Co., for the manufacture of musical in
struments. He was elected secretary and
treasurer, which dual position he held for
over sixteen years, and is still (1893)
secretary of the concern, having relin
quished the treasurership January 1, this
year. Mr. Doud has seen the institution
grow from its inception until it has become
one of the leading factories of the kind of
America. He always attended to the office
work, was a potent factor in the develop
ment of the industry, and not a little of its

success has been due to his intelligent and
unceasing efforts.
In 1863 Leander L. Doud was united
in marriage with Miss Harriet B. Eberly,
and to them were born four children, two
of whom — Louie N. and Harry L. — are
still living, the others having died in in
fancy. At the age of fourteen Mr. Doud
united with the Methodist Episcopal
Church, and has always taken an active
interest in everything pertaining to the
Church and Society. At the present time
he is Sunday-school superintendent, dis
trict steward, and secretary of the official
board of the M. E. Church ; president of
the Huron County Bible Society; secretary
of the Huron County Sunday-school As
sociation, and a trustee of Baldwin Uni
versity. Samuel Doud, father of subject, was one
of the "Fireland" pioneers, and of him
the Fireland Pioneer of June, 1892, says:
Samuel Doud was bora at Sempronius, N. Y.,
May 29, 1813, and died near New London, Ohio,
December 11, 1880. In the summer of 1823, his
father, Solomon Doud, came to Ohio, cleared off
a small piece of ground, and built the first house
ever erected at the center of Greenwich township,
and returned during the winter to the State of
New York, on foot, it is said, walking the entire
distance, three hundred miles, in six days. The
following spring he brought his family to Ohio,
and they settled in their new home in the wilder
ness. Samuel was at this time ten years of age, and
with the exception of a single year spent in Berea,
Ohio, he never lost a residence in Huron county
from that time until the day of his death. The in
cidents of the journey to Ohio; the nine days
voyage from Buffalo to Sandusky City ; the journey
from there to Greenwich with an ox-team and a
wagon, across the unbroken prairie and unbroken
forest; their trials, privations, hardships and dan
gers from hunger, fierce animals and wild Indians
were the common lot of all new-comers in this
county, and furnished a fund of incidents that all
pioneers have to relate and enjoy listening to.
The educational advantages of those early years
in this new country were very meager indeed, and
the subject of this memoir enjoyed but a few
months of school life; but he learned to read, write
a little and cipher to some extent, This, supple
mented with close observation, and quiet reading
through life, enabled him to pass as a man of fair
education. In habits of economy, industry and
expedients to make a living, he was decidedly
well-educated. His schooling in this direction was
not neglected nor unimproved. He could wield
the axe, or scythe, could graft fruit-trees, buy and

32

HURON COUNTY, OHIO.

sell cattle, hogs, sheep, or turn his hand to any
thing else with satisfaction to others and profit to
hims-elf. With his axe he bought him a farm of
over one hundred acres in the southeast corner of
Greenwich township; cutaway the timber, built a
house, and in 1836 married Philura Niles, and set
tled in his own house. Here he lived twenty-
eight years, raising a family of six children. In
1864 he sold his home to move to Berea, to edu
cate his children. But his active nature could not
endure the dull life of a college town, and after a
year's trial he moved back to Huron county and
purchased the James Washburn farm, just south
of New London, in 1866. Here he lived until
death called him away. Always active in anything
that pertained to the public good, he never sought
official promotion, nor accepted political prefer
ment. Emineutly social in his tendencies, a good
judge of human nature, a judgment clear, prompt
and decided on all maiters coming before it, an ex
tended acquaintance in this section of the country,
he was often importuned to accept positions of po
litical power, but steadily refused. His word was
as sacred as his bond ; he never promised a man
his money but he received it the day it was due.
He carried out the apostolic injunction. "Diligent
in business, fervent in spirit, serving the Lord."
Soon after he was first married, recognizing
the claims of the Christian religion upon his
life, he gave his heart to Christ, and joined
the M. E. Church with his wife, who had for
years been a devoted Christian lady. Their
home then became the home of the early
itinerant preachers, and their house or barn fre
quent preaching places. He subsequently received
a license as a local preacher, and continued to
preach as occasion offered, with great acceptability
where he was best known up to the time of his
death. A great lover of children, he was always
active in Sabbath-school work, and took a special
interest in looking after the neglected and desti
tute children of the neighborhood. His religion,
while partaking of the true spirit and devotional
type, was eminently practical. Very few ever
found a home in his family for any length of time
who were not led to Christ. His obligations to his
Church were as sacred to him as his duties to his
family, yet they were never allowed to conflict. If
money or time was needed for either it was given
freely and without question. One of the hardest
years of labor in his life was given toward the
building of the M. E. Church at New London, and
the success of the enterprise was very largely de
pendent upon his energy, ability and personal de
votion to the work. In fact, he felt it to be the
closing work of his life; he had frequently ex
pressed a desire to live to see it completed and paid
for, and beyond that had no care how soon the
Master called him. He saw the Church completed
and dedicated, out of debt, within one year from the
time the first subscription was taken; and within
three months from the time the last subscription
was taken he was stricken down with heart disease.
He rallied for a few days, but frequently said it was
only temporary ; that his work was done, and he
would soon enter into rest ; all was peace — sweet
peace. * * * He entered into rest the evening

of December 11, 1880. He was buried, at his re
quest, in the East Greenwich burying-ground, in
the midst of his family whohadgonebetore, in sight
of the church he had helped to build years ago,
and among his friends and neighbors he had lived
and labored with in early life.

Ei THAN ALLEN PRAY, Esquire.
This gentleman is entitled to high
 l rank among the many intelligent
and public-spirited citizens of Nor
walk, for his energy and enterprise have
been of the kind that tend to enrich any
eection of country in which such as he is
to be found.
He is a native of Connecticnt, born
January 15, 1813, in the town of Kil
lingly, county of Windham, a son of Jacob
and Jemima (Bowen) Pray, both natives
of near Providence, R. I., the former of
whom was, in boyhood, a cotton -factory
operative, but in later life was a farmer.
They died, the mother in 1874, the father
in 1881, the parents of eight children, of
whom Ethan A. is the eldest, and thought
to be the only one yet living. . His paternal
grandfather, a native of Rhode Island, who
was a miller and horse breaker and trainer
by occupation, was over eighty years of
age when he died; he married a Miss
Carpenter, and they were the parents of
fourteen children. Lowe Carpenter, father
of grandmother Pray, was a sea captain
and slave dealer. Our subject's great
grandfather was Jonathan Pray (or Preigh,
the original spelling of the name in Eng
land). On the mother's side, Squire Pray
comes of Welsh ancestry.
When the subject of this memoir was
four years old, his father moved with his
family into Cayuga county, N. Y., mak
ing a permanent settlement there, Ethan A.
remaining until he was in bis twenty-sixth
year. He received a liberal education at
common and normal schools, also at
Skaneateles Academy, in Onondaga
county, and on completion of his studies
commenced teaching school, gradually
raising by merit, until, when he was but

HURON COUNTY, OHIO.

33

twenty-one years old, he was appointed in
spector of the common schools of Scott
township, Cortland county. While teach
ing there he was visited by Gov. Seward
of New York, with whom he was well ac
quainted, and accompanying Mr. Seward
was Joshua Sanders, author of the spelling
book bearing his name.
In 1839, Mr. Pray came to Huron
county, Ohio, locating first at Fairfield,
where he tarried some six months, at the
end of which time he moved to Fitchville,
in the same county, remaining there till
the spring of 1855, when he was appointed
superintendent of the Huron County In
firmary, an incumbency he filled six years,
or till the spring of 1861. He was then
elected justice of the peace for Norwalk
township, in which capacity he served
with characteristic ability twelve years, or
up to April 1, 1873. During the war of
the Rebellion be was captain of a company
of National Guards from the time of its
organization, and in the spring of 1864
.they were sent to Cleveland, where they
spent one month in camp. While the
fratricidal struggle was going on between
the North and South, Squire Pray acted
as mayor of the city of Norwalk, and as
justice of the peace for the township, serv
ing in the first mentioned capacity six
consecutive years, besides two years subse
quently. During his mayorship, he
materially assisted in laying out many of
the streets in Norwalk. He studied law,
and was admitted to tbe bar in 1873 —
somewhat late in life — witb no special in
tention of practicing law, but rather to
prove his ability to his opponents. For
two years he held the office of city solicitor,
and he then practiced law, chiefly in the
way of making collections, etc., and he
built up considerable business for himself
in the probate court, to which he was not
restricted, for he practiced in all the courts.
In 1837 Squire Pray was married to
Miss Amanda C. Cheney, a native of Ovid,
Seneca Co., N. Y., who was at one time
his assistant teacher in Cayuga county.

Five children were born to this union,
viz.: Frank E., M. D., practicing medicine
at Dayton, Ohio; Cecilia A., married to
James L. VanDusen, superintendent of
Huron County Infirmary; Adelia E., wife
of George W. Cole, machinist in the
Wheeling & Lake Erie Railroad shops at
Norwalk; Sarah, wife of Frank L. Bates,
of Sacramento, Cal., and Lydia M., wife of
Joseph Gasper. Politically Squire Pray
was originally a Whig, favoring the Free-
soil party, and on the organization of tbe
Republican party he enrolled himself under
its banner, becoming what was known as
an " Anti-saloon Republican." In 1836
and 1840 he cast his first Presidential
votes for William H. Harrison, whom he
remembers seeing, and also Henry Clay
and Gen. La Fayette. At this present
writing (November 30, 1893) he is a jus
tice of the peace and township trustee of
Norwalk township, Huron county, Ohio.
He is actively engaged in the Masonic
Orders in Norwalk, holding at present
the following offices, to wit: Chaplain of
Mount Vernon Lodge, No. 64, F. & A. M.;
Secretary of Huron Royal Arch Chapter,
No. 7, R. A. M.; Recorder of Norwalk
Council, No. 24, R. &S. M.; Treasurer of
Norwalk Commandery, No. 18, K. T.

M. CLEVELAND. Among all the
eminent and deservedly popular
business men of Huron county,
there is and has been none whose
name ranks above that of this gen
tleman, because none is more thoroughly
identified and honorably connected with
the business interests of the county.
Mr. Cleveland was born in the State of
New York January 11, 1816, a son of
Benjamin and Lucretia (Bonney) Cleve
land, the former of whom was a native
of Litchfield, Conn., born in 1769, the
latter of Danbury, Conn. They were the
parents of eight children, of whom G. M.
is the youngest, and the only survivor;

34

HURON COUNTY, OHIO.

two died when over eighty years of age;
one when seventy-nine and the fourth
when sixty-eight, and all the deceased sons
died iu the order of their birth. The first
ancestor in this country came from Eng
land in 1635 and settled in Woburn,
Mass., where some of his descendants are
yet living. The paternal grandfather of
the subject of this sketch lived, married
and died in Litchfield, Conn., and the lat
ter has in his possession a copy of his
grandfather's will dated 1777. He was a
merchant and farmer, his pioneer life be
ing a busy one. Benjamin Cleveland, the
father, practiced medicine for some years,
and had the reputation of being a physi
cian of considerable ability, but he ulti
mately retired from medicine to embark in
tbe lumber business. He died August 10,
1840, in Seneca county, Ohio, whither he
had moved in 1829. He was a Whig dur
ing the greater part of bis life, and in
Church connection he was a Presbyterian.
G. M. Cleveland received a liberal ele
mentary education in the public schools of
his native place, and when thirteen years
of age moved with his father to Seneca
county, Ohio, where he grew to maturity.
The first business we find him engaged in
was the manufacturing of fanning mills,
which he carried on some years in Savan
nah, Ohio, prior to coming to Huron
county in 1844. Here he embarked in
the milling business at Norwalk, buying,
in 1866, the Maple City Mills, which he
remodeled and improved, changing it into a
a roller mill in 1881. He does a large
amount of custom work, and the mill now
manufactures from thirty to forty thousand
bushels of wheat per annum into the very
best flour to be found in any market.
On April 14, 1842, Mr. Cleveland was
united in marriage in what is now Ashland
county, Ohio, with Miss Sarah Mefford,
and three children were born to them, viz.:
Helen (wife of George W. Knapp), D.
Pitt and Dwight. Mr. Cleveland in poli
tics was originally a Whig, and, on tbe
organization of the Republican party,

enrolled himself nnder its banner. His
first presidential vote was cast for W. H.
Harrison. In November, 1857, our sub
ject was elected to the office of county
sheriff and re-elected in 1859, being the
full time allowed under the Constitution.
D. Pitt Cleveland was born, in 1844, in
Clarksfield, Ohio, and received his educa
tion at the public schools. In 1874 he
was married to Celia Wright, of Des-
Moines, Iowa, daughter of one of the
most prominent men of tbat State, and
two children have been born to them,
Edna and George Wright. On January
13, 1887, D. Pitt Cleveland was called
from earth. His widow is a woman of
rare executive ability, and transacts much
of the business connected with the Maple
City Mills. Before his death her husband
was partner with his father, and she re
tains an interest in the business, attending
to it in a masterly manner."

THEODORE WILLIAMS. In after
years, a history of the growth and
spread of the financial interests of
Norwalk could not well be written
without containing -considerable ac
count of the enterprises, as well as the
public improvements, with which the name
of this gentleman has for so many years
been identified.
Mr. Williams is a native of Norwalk,
Ohio, born on the third day of January,
1820. He is a son of James and Sarah
Matilda (Hunt) Williams, natives of New
Jersey, where they were married, and
whence in 1816 they came west, making
their new home in Huron county, Ohio.
His father was a lawyer of prominence,
ranking in his professional standing with
the ablest members of the bar at a time
when many able jurists from all parts of
the State were pitted against each other in
our local courts in legal combat, and was
for several years the Prosecuting Attorney
of the county. Ill health compelled him

^rawt-fy&xM/

HURON COUNTY, OHIO.

37

to retire from the practice in the later
years of bis life, and he devoted much of
bis time and attention to agricultural pur
suits. He died October 4, 1869, in the
home he had so long occupied. Politically
he was a Henry Clay Whig, and was a
delegate to the National Convention held
at Baltimore in 1832, that nominated Clay
for President, performing the long journey
to that city at that early day on horseback.
Mr. Williams' maternal grandfather,
Major David Hunt, was an officer in the
Revolutionary war.
The subject of this sketch, who is one
of a family of seven children, four of
whom are still living, was born in the
early years of the existence of his native
town, which then consisted of a few scat
tered dwellings surrounded by a dense for
est. His elementary education was ob
tained at the district and private schools
of that early day, and was completed by
a thorough course of instruction in the
"Norwalk Seminary," under the superin
tendence of Prof. Jonathan E. Chaplin,
than whom few abler instructors have ever
occupied a like position.
In 1834 Mr. Williams commenced clerk
ing in the store of P. & J. M. Latimer, in
Norwalk, where he remained over a year,
when he again resumed his school; in
1837 he again entered upon a clerkship, in
the store of Milton W. Goodnow, suc
ceeded in a short time by the firm of
Goodnow & Edwards, in Norwalk, where
be remained until the firm dissolved in
1842, when Mr. Edwards removed to
northern New York, and Mr. Goodnow
continued the business here. At this time
Mr. Goodnow offered Mr. Williams an
equal partnership in the business, though
Mr. Williams was without capital; but
knowing that the responsibilities of the
business must devolve largely upon him,
owing to Mr. Goodnow's declining health,
he preferred remaining another year as
clerk. The following year, however, upon
a renewal of the proposition from Mr.
Goodnow, he accepted the partnership, and

in September, 1843, became an equal part
ner, and made his first visit to New York
to purchase goods. This partnership con
tinued until January, 1851, wben by the
death of Mr. Goodnow it terminated, and
Mr. Williams purchased Mr. Goodnow's
entire interest in tbe business, taking it at
the full appraisal, and agreeing to pay for
it in four years with interest; on the clay
the four years expired he paid the entire
sum, as the result of his business industry
and energy.
Mr. Williams continued in the business
of merchandising until 1885, a period of
forty- two years, diligently at his counter
and desk, and with constantly increasing
financial success. His business relations
over a wide range of country had made
him acquainted not only with the people
of his own county, but with many in the
adjoining counties; and wherever he was
known bis high character for integrity,
and business honor and responsibility,
were clearly recognized; and his ability
and clear-sighted judgment in all his many
business transactions have given him a
prominence amongst his fellowmeu of the
county, at once flattering to his manhood
and marking him as one of her representa
tive men.
Upon Mr. Williams retiring from mer
chandising, be found himself the owner of
two merchant flouring mills — one located
in Norwalk, the other near Toledo — and
these, together with the management of
bis several farms, and of his other financial
interests, occupied his entire time and at
tention. In 1882 he was elected President
of the First National Bank of Norwalk,
remaining in that position to the satisfac
tion of the stockholders for eight years,
and was again unanimously elected to that
position, but declined serving, as the de
mands upon his time in the management
of his own business made it impracticable
to serve longer.
In September of 1861 Mr. Williams was
united in marriage with Miss Mary Isa
bella Goodnow, a native of Vermont, but

HURON COUNTY, OHIO.

residing at the time in Henry ville, Canada
East, by which union six children — one
daughter and five sons — were born, of
whom the following is a brief record:
Louesa died at the age of eight years; Ed
ward T., the eldest son, was educated at
the public schools in Norwalk and at
Kenyon College, Gambier, Ohio, and is
now engaged with bis father in business;
James H., tbe second son, after attending
the public schools of Norwalk for many
years, entered "Riverview Military Acad
emy" at Poughkeepsie, N. Y., froni which
school, on graduating, he entered Harvard
University, where he now is; Charles G.,
the third son, also went from the public
schools of Norwalk to " Riverview Military
Academy," from which he graduated in
1891, and then entered the Massachusetts
School of Technology in Boston, where he
is still a student; Theodore Williams, Jr.,
the fourth son, after leaving the public
schools of Norwalk, also entered the
" Riverview Military Academy," but has
not yet completed his course; Walter R.,
the fifth son, is still attending the public
schools of Norwalk.
Mrs. Williams, the mother oi this family,
departed this life on November 21, 1877
(at which time the youngest son, Walter
R., was an infant), leaving the entire
charge of rearing this family upon Mr.
Williams; and how well and faithfully he
has acquitted himself of this great re
sponsibility, his neighbors and f riends'bear
ample testimony.
Mr. Williams in his political predilec
tions is a stanch Republican, and has taken
considerable interest in all public matters,
but has declined political office, excepting
perhaps in a few exceptional instances. In
1870 he was elected to represent his Sen
atorial District in the State Board of
Equalization', and has for several years
held tbe position of "Chief Deputy" of
the State Board of Elections for Huron
county. For seventeen years he was a
member of the Board of Education of the
Public Schools of Norwalk, during a large

part of which time he occupied tbe posi
tion of President of the Board, and it was
during his occupancy of this position that
the beautiful High School building, in
which the citizens of Norwalk take so
much pride, was erected, and for the erec
tion of which they award him a full share
of the merit.
For thirteen years past — from 1881 to
1894 — he has been President, Secretary,
Treasurer and Superintendent of the beau
tiful "Woodlawn Cemetery," embracing
129 acres of land admirably adapted to the
purpose, and has so managed its finances
as to accumulate a fund in perpetuity —
guaranteeing its continuous care and atten
tion when the present and succeeding gen
erations shall have passed away.
In church connection Mr. Williams'
affiliations are with the Episcopal Church;
he is a liberal contributor to its support,
and has for many years been a member of
its vestry.
Mr. Williams stands prominently among
the able financiers of Huron county, and
the several institutions and departments
of business that have been under his
management attest his eminent qualities
in this respect, in their uubroken line of
successes.

JOSEPH SMITH, one of the most en-
v 1 1 terprising and prosperous of Huron
^Jj couuty's native-born citizens, is sen
ior member of the widely-known
extensive lumber firm in Norwalk, Smith
& Himberger.
John Smith, father of our subject, was
one of the oldest German pioneers of
Huron county. He was born November
19, 1803, in Berns, a little village in the
Rhine Province of the Kingdom of Prus
sia, then known as the Department of the
Rhine, of Napoleon I French Empire.
He received a common education in the
public schools of the village, and at the
age of thirteen commenced his apprentice-

HURON COUNTY, OHIO.

39

ship as a tailor. At the age of twenty
he was drafted to served his time in the
Prussian army. On March 6, 1832, he
was united in marriage with Maria Glas-
ner, of the same village, born October 20,
1808. In the spring of 1833 tbey emi
grated to tbe United States, their destina
tion being Schenectady, N. Y., where they
remained two years. In 1835 they moved
farther west, and located in Bronson town
ship, Huron Co., Ohio. Mr. Smith made
the acquaintance of some of th« early
settlers. Being a man without much
means, he experienced some very severe
struggles, and was forced to seek employ
ment of bis neighbors. In two years he
was enabled to buy ten acres of woodland.
His time now was devoted to working for
neighboring farmers, clearing his land and
building a log hut for himself and family;
later on he bought fourteen acres more of
land, and replaced the log hut with a larger
and better one, which was replaced in about
1846 with a frame building which stands
now, and in which he died, December 9,
1893, at the remarkable age of ninety
years, after enjoying a long, healthful life,
which was only darkened the last five years
by total blindness. His wife preceded
him to the grave by a little over eleven
years, her death occurring February 13,
,1882; if she had lived two weeks longer,
they could have celebrated their golden
wedding. Their married life was blessed
with ten children — five girls and five boys,
viz.: Margurite (I), John, Joseph, Margurite
(II), Maria, Louise Minnie, Katharine,
Alphonse, Peter and Nick.
Of this family of children the following
is a brief record: Margurite (I) was born
in Berns, Prussia, February 1, 1833, and
died August 15, 1835, in Schenectady, N.
Y. John, born in Schenectady, N. Y.,
March 22, 1835, learned blacksmithing;
he served through the entire Civil war as
a volunteer in the Twenty-Fourth O. V. L,
receiving an honorable discharge; he
made Memphis, Tenn., his home; Nov
ember 6,1865, he married Katharine Greh,

in Memphis, and one child was born to
them; John died July 10, 1877, after two
day's illness. Joseph is the subject proper
of this sketch, and special mention of him
will presently be made. Margurite (II)
was born December 30, 1838, in Norwalk
township, Huron Co., Ohio, and died Au
gust 18, 1844. Maria, born July 10, 1840,
in Norwalk township, Huron Co., Ohio, is
the wife of George Whitmill, in Michigan.
Louise Minnie, born January 16, 1842, in
Norwalk township, Huron Co., Ohio, is
the wife of Robert Wetzstine, residing in
Norwalk, Ohio. Katharine, born Decem
ber 18, 1844, is the widow of Henry
Brown, and is living in Peru township,
Huron Co., Ohio. Alphonse, born Au
gust 15, 1846, in Norwalk township, Ohio,
is a carpenter by trade; he served through
the entire Civil war in the Fifty-Fifth O.
V. I. under Capt. Wickham; married
Sarah Bechler, of Sandusky, Ohio, June
18, 1871, and is living in Norwalk, Ohio.
Peter, born July 13, 1848, in Norwalk
township, Huron Co., Ohio, is a farmer in
Norwalk township; on November 7, 1871,
be married Katharine Zippfel. Nick, born
March 17, 1851, in Norwalk township,
Huron Co., Ohio, is a carpenter by trade;
he served in the regular army five years,
and shortly after his discharge he married,
August 10, 1879, Dora Nauer, of Cincin
nati, Ohio; he is now residing in Norwalk.
Joseph Smith, whose name introduces
this sketch, was born December 4, 1837,
in Bronson township, Huron Co., Ohio.
He received a liberal education in the com
mon schools of the home neighborhood,
and in early life learned the trade of house
carpenter, later on also tbat of cabinet
making. On May 5, 1863, he was united
in marriage with Katharine Rimal, who
was born in Hildenhausen, in the then
French Province of Lorraine, and had im
migrated to this country with her parents
at the age of five years. *3ix sons and one
daughter were born to this union, viz.:
Frank J., born March 11, 1864; Louise
K., born October 19, 1865; William P.,

40

HURON COUNTY, OHIO.

born October 2, 1867; Otto J., born March
25,1872; Charles T., born February 10,
1877; Edward, born February 14, 1880;
Albert R., born September 6, 1884. Of
these, Louise and Otto died, the former
from sickness, the latter from an injury
he received through a wagon running over
him.' In 1873 Mr. Smith started in business
witb P. D. Willoughby, the firm name
being Willoughby & Smith, manufac
turers of sash, doors, blinds and mouldings,
the style being later changed to Smith &
Co. In 1880 Mr. W. Himberger entered
as partner, the firm name becoming Smith,
Himberger & Co. In 1886 Mr. Wil
loughby retired, since wben the style of
the firm has been Smith & Himberger.
In connection with the manufacturing of
sash, doors, blinds and mouldings, the firm
have a convenient lumber yard.

*/

HON. JOHN A. WILLIAMSON,
son of the late James Williamson
and Phebe Williamson, and, on the
maternal side, grandson of Abizah
Griffin, one of tbe early settlers of
Greenwich township, was born September
25, 1842, in the township of New London,
Huron Co., Ohio. His parents were na
tives of the Empire State, having been
born and reared in Hunter, Greene Co.,
N. Y., and, removing to Ohio at a com
paratively early day, were here married in
the year 1839. His father was a farmer
by occupation, and the subject of this
sketch was reared at the family homestead,
upon which the Williamsons originally
settled, and which lies in the townships of
New London and Fitchville.
Mr. Williamson's youth was passed in a
manner of life similar to that of many
farmer boys, but, possessing a more than
usually vigorous constitution, together
with bright and acute intellectual qualities,
he began early in life to manifest those
traits of mind and character which, in

their mature development, have rendered
him eminent, professionally and politically.
His was naturally an ambitious nature,
and so it happened that he conld not be
satisfied with the education gained in the
common schools, but, when he had passed
through their course of study, chose to
avail himself of further opportunities and
fit himself for the occupation of higher
positions in life than be could attain to
without so doing.
At tbe age of sixteen years he entered
upon a course in the preparatory depart
ment of Oberlin College, and two years
later he became a member of the Fresh
man class of that institution of learning.
He remained until tbe completion of the
Sophomore year (1862), when that one of
many exciting war alarms, the news that
the Confederate Gen. Kirby Smith was
about to make a raid on Cincinnati, was
flashed through the loyal North, and a call
was made for the Minute-men of the State
to rally to the protection of its chief city.
Mr. Williamson, being a strong supporter
of the Union sentiment, and feeling that
he should do anything that lay within his
means to assist the overthrow of the power
which menaced our free soil, notwithstand
ing the reluctance of parental solicitude for
the safety of an only child, went out as
oneof that hastily-summoned and quickly-
prepared body of men, as did also many of
his class.
After returning from the service of that
brief campaign (which by no means, how
ever, promised to be short), he asked for
and received an honorable dismissal from
Oberlin, and became a member of the
Junior class at Yale, from which college
he graduated with honors in the year 1864.
Immediately after finishing his academic
course he entered upon the study of law
in the Law School of the University of
New York, at Albany, from which he
graduated in 1865. The time intervening
between this date and 1867 was spent in a
law office in Cincinnati, and in traveling
and general reading.

HURON COUNTY, OHIO.

41

On February 9, 1867, he became deputy
clerk of courts in Huron county, under A.
B. Griffin, Esq., clerk, which position he
held until his resignation, in 1868, for the
purpose of entering into a partnership for
the practice of law with Hon. S. W. Ten
nant, at East Saginaw, Mich. In 1869 he
removed from East Saginaw to Toledo,
where he resided until the spring of 1871,
wben he removed to Norwalk, in his na
tive county. He engaged in the practice
of his profession, and followed it assidu
ously and uninterruptedly until 1877, when
he was elected to the Legislature as a
member of the House of Representatives
from Huron county. Politically Mr. Will
iamson is a Republican — an earnest sup
porter of the men and measures of that
party. He has been a worker for the suc
cess of principles and of tbe best men in
the narty, rather than a seeker of political
preferment for himself. He has not
sought place, and in accepting it has only
done so in response to the clearly ex
pressed will of his friends, and the suffrage
of the people.
In 1879 he was re-elected to a second
term in the Legislature; was chosen
speaker pro tem. of the House of Repre
sentatives upon its organization in 1880,
and served in that capacity during the Sixty-
fourth General Assembly. He has since
been engaged in the practice of his pro
fession, and became interested in the busi
ness, particularly banking, in Huron and
adjoining counties. He is vice-president
of the Huron County Banking Company
of Norwalk, and is now, by appointment
of Gov. McKinley, member of the board of
trustees of the Ohio Institution for the
education of feeble-minded youth. In
1888 he made a European tour, spending
the entire summer abroad.
On January 19, 1869, Mr. Williamson
was married to Miss CelestiaM. Tennant,
of Camden, Lorain Co., Ohio, who died in
1880. In 1882 he wedded Mrs. Sallie R.
Manahan, daughter of the late Jeremiah
Rundell, a prominent citizen of Bronson

township, Huron county. Tbey have one
child, Nellie V., now (1893) seven years
of age.
Mr. Williamson is a man of fine as well
as forcible intellectual qualities, an exten
sive reader and close thinker, of a remark
ably practical cast of mind, and yet, withal,
alive to whatever there is of beauty in the
many refinements of surroundings and of
being. He is cautious but firm in his
judgment, and reliable. In manner he is
social and friendly, and possesses qual
ities that readily win admiration and
respect, whether from his political com
peers, or his private companions and
acquaintances. He is now one of the
active moneyed men of Norwalk, and
is interested chiefly in handling his capital.
[In part taken from Williams' "History
of Huron and Erie Counties."

LMON B. COE. In 1634 there
immigrated to America from Eng-
^ land one Robert Coo (as the name
was then spelled), whose grand
father suffered martyrdom during
the reign of Queen Mary. A piece of
furniture (a sideboard) which once belonged
to him is now owned by Julius Coe, who
for nine years was postmaster at Norwalk,
Ohio, and now resides in New York City.
Robert Coe, Jr., came to America,
bringing with him bis family, consisting
of wife and three sons — Robert, John and
Benjamin — and from these are descended
the numerous family of Coe in America.
Israel Coe, grandfather of the subject of
this sketch, was born July 22, 1756, at
Granville, Mass., and was reared to farm
ing, a vocation he followed through life.
He prospered, owned a large tract of land
and a sawmill, and several years before his
death gave to each of his children a good
farm. In 1809 he came to Ohio, locating
in Portage county, on land located in
Rootstown. He married Miss Artemesia
Wright, who bore him six children as

42

HURON COUNTY, OHIO.

follows: Samuel; Harvey, who became a
prominent minister of the Congregational
Church; Betsey, Mrs. Hall; Fanny, Mrs.
Chancy Newberry; Bela, father of sub
ject; and Israel D., all now deceased.
The father of these died in 18 21, the
the mother in 1813. He was a very large
man, standing six feet, two inches in
height, and well proportioned, but at the
age of sixty was unfortunate enough to
lose one of his limbs in a sawmill. When
he came over the mountains from Massa
chusetts to Ohio, he brought with him
four oxen and four horses, with wagons.
Bela Coe, father of Almon B., was born
April 24, 1795, in Granville, Mass.,
where he was reared and educated. When
the family crossed the Alleghanies into
Ohio, be drove one of the ox-teams, young
as he was. He was reared a farmer, and
having received a very fair education for
those early times, taught school. At
Rootstown, Portage Co., Ohio, he married
April 24, 1819, Miss Maria Hill, born
March 30, 1795, in Middlebury, Conn., a
daughter of Isaac Hill. She came to Ohio
with her parents in 1818, and they located
in Portage county, where her father, who
was a blacksmith, followed bis trade; the
later years of his life were passed in Wake
man, Huron county, he dying there in
September, 1860, at the age of eighty-
eight years; his father reached the pa
triarchal age of ninety-nine years, six
months. Bela Coe and his wife came to
Wakeman, Huron county, in February,
1827, and he here bought a tract of land
covered with a dense forest and thicket,
which after years of labor he succeeded in
clearing. Mr. and Mrs. Bela Coe had but
one child, Almon B. The father died
October 5, 1850, at the age of fifty-five
years, the mother on October 25, 1866,
aged seventy-two years, and both are
buried in Wakeman cemetery. They were
members of the Congregational Church,
the father from the age of eighteen years.
He was of Puritan stock, a man of sterling
honesty and the loftiest integrity. In

his political leanings he was a Whig, no
office holder, however, although a very
popular man, one of sound judgment; but
itis said of him that a certain justice of
tbe peace always consulted with him in
difficult and complex cases that came be
fore him.
Almon B. Coe, the subject proper of
these lines, was born November 6, 1820,
in Portage county, Ohio, and was six years
of age when his parents brought him to
Wakeman township, Huron county, where
he has ever since had his home, with the
exception of one year he lived in Illinois.
His education was as thorough as the
earlier schools of Huron county would
permit, but owing to failing health his
studies were prematurely brought to a
close; being a great reader, however, and
possessed of a remarkable memory, he
amply made amends for any shortcomings
in school lore. In his youth he learned
the trade of a cooper, at which he has
worked; has also taught school a number
of terms. At the breaking out of the
Civil war he enlisted in the Union army,
but was rejected on account of physical
disability, which was a great disappoint
ment to him, as he was most anxious to
serve his country.
On June 1, 1843, in Edinburgh, Portage
Co., Ohio, Mr. Coe married Miss Mariette
M. Bostwick, born in that county Au
gust 7, 1820, a daughter of Edmund Bost
wick. Children, as follows, were born to
Mr. and Mrs. Coe: William H, born
July 3, 1844, died July 26, 1850; Edwin
W., born January 31, 1849, now cashier
of the Los Angeles (Cal.) National Bank;
Justin B., born August 26, 1851, now a
merchant of Florence, Erie Co., Ohio;
Arthur B., born July 14, 1854, died
February 9, 1873; Aurilla M., born Sep
tember 1, 1857, now Mrs. A. R. Rice, of
Wakeman; and Alice M., born July 14,
1862, died September 15, 1866. The
mother of these departed this life De
cember 15, 1865, and is buried at Wake
man; her death occurred in Illinois,

HURON COUNTY, OHIO.

43

whither Mr. Coe had moved his family in
that year. She was a most estimable lady,
one of whom it can truly be said: "To
know her was to love her." On August
13, 1868, our subject married Miss Nancy
A. Russell, daughter of Isaac Russell, a
native of Bristol county, Mass., who
moved to Ripley township, Huron county,
in 1834, and in 1847 came to Wakeman,
where he died May 1, 1890, at the age of
eighty-three years. The children of this
union were five in number, as follows:
Mary A., born August 13, 1869, now Mrs.
Charles M. Kenyen, residing at Florence,
Erie Co., Ohio; Frances 0., born June 3,
1871, living at home; George A., born De
cember 15, 1874, operator on the Lake
Shore & Michigan Southern Railroad;
Harriet E., born October 24, 1875, died
May 15, 1886; and Alida, born March 18.
1878, residing at home. Mr. and Mrs.
Coe are members of the Congregational
Church, and in his political preferences he
is a stanch Republican.

JOHN WILSON, importer and grower
of fruit, while a citizen of Norwalk is
yet one whose enterprise and busi
ness intelligence is hardly circum
scribed by a continent.
His place of nativity is Derbyshire.
England, where he was born August 27,
1832, and when aged eighteen he came to
America, in the search of broader fields
for his strong and active nature. He is a
son of James and Lydia (Jackson) Wilson,
a family of that sturdy English stock who
make a splendid graft on the restless
American civilization. The young man
stopped about one year in New York State.
Working along, but taking in a very broad
view of the situation, he went to Central
America, where during the next twenty-
three years he was engaged on the Panama
Railroad as commissary of supplies, and
then was a contractor in Costa Rica, build
ing a portion of the railroad from Limon

to San Jose, as a member of the firm of
Wilson & Keith. During the progress of
his railroad work, he commenced merchan
dising at Limon, and this branch of his
business suddenly grew to great success,
so much so that he soon saw that his whole
attention should be given to his new line of
trade, and he withdrew from the contract
ing concern. He then opened a branch
house, dealing in fruits at Bocas Del Toro,
Republic of Colombia, and the new mer
cantile firm became the "John Wilson
Company," which is in prosperous exist
ence at the present time; there is another
branch house at Bluefield, Nicaragua. The
other houses are mostly in the line of
fruits, shipments being made to all points,
but largely to New Orleans, where is
another house of the firm ; and this is now
the headquarters of Mr. Wilson, who con
stantly travels between that city and Cen
tral America, besides often attending to
the firm's affairs in New York. Of its
kind, this is one of the largest concerns in
the United States. The firm in their busi
ness charter several fast steamboats, and
recently one of their steamers, named the
"John Wilson," landed at New Orleans
22,000 bunches of bananas.
John Wilson and Miss Virginia Law
rence were intermarried at Zanesville,
Ohio, January 22, 1876; she is the eldest
of ten children born to Rufus and Mary
Ann (Sharpe) Lawrence, the former of
whom died in 1881. The mother, who is
yet living, for a time passed her widow
hood in Milan, Erie Co., Ohio, where Mr.
Wilson purchased an extensive and ele
gant stock farm, which he still operates;
although in the seeking for a more congen
ial family home, good schools, society and
all the advantages for his children, he se
lected Norwalk for his place of residence.
Here he purchased an elegant home on
West Main street, where are domiciled his
happy household.
Mr. Wilson has been twice married, the
children by his first wife being Nellie E.
and James. The family of children by his

44

HURON COUNTY, OHIO.

present wife are as follows: Minor Keith,
Russell Hoadley, Frederick Wesson, Lydia
J., Marion, Marguerita and Don Rufus
Lawrence. There is little of the humdrum
of ordinary life in the record of John Wil
son. His is a mind to conceive and expand
with two continents, backed by a strong
physical nature that could defy the. rapid
changes from the temperate north to the
torrid tropics. He is the architect of his
own fortune, as well as the avant courier
of that intercommunion and knowledge of
foreign nations that is tbe pledge and glory
of every civilization.

I( LBERT N. READ, M. D., the old-
jV est and one of the most prominent
^ physicians of Huron county, was
born in Berkshire county, Mass.,
September 16, 1815. His parents,
Ira and Mary (Smith) Read, were also
born in Berkshire county.
The father, Ira Read, was a typical pio
neer of his day, removing from his home
in Massachusetts when the subject of this
sketch was a year old, with a colony of his
neighbors and relatives, to Asthabula
county, Ohio. Their first point of desti
nation was Williamsfield, their route the
old military road made by Gen. Harrison,
and such was its condition that at one
period of the long journey they were three
days making the distance of nine miles.
On the third night, the year-old baby
being threatened with croup, it was with
its mother taken forward to an old de
serted log hut, for better protection than
the wagons afforded. Ira Read, then a
vigorous, powerfully-built young man, six
feet tall, was accompanied by his parents,
Nathaniel Read and wife, the former of
whom was also a native of Berkshire
county, Mass., by trade a blacksmith, and
widely known as an honorable and upright
citizen; his wife was of the- well-known
Sedgwick family of New England.
After more than four weeks wearisome

journey, they reached Williamsfield, tbeir
destination. In this new home, amid
rough pioneer surroundings, Albert spent
his early years, learning practical lessons
in farming in out-door association with his
thoroughly practical father; and within
the home from his gentle mother, those
lessons which a woman of a deeply relig
ions nature, a cultivated mind and heart,
will teach consciously and unconsciously
to those in the intimate associations of
home life. From her the boy learned not
only to be thorough in acquiring a knowl
edge of the studies within his reach, but
to love the work of acquiring for its own
sake; to form those habits of thought, of
studying into the relations of things, both
in nature and in daily life, which tended
to make him the student he continued to
be in mature life; and led his professional
brethren to rely upon him for thorough
knowledge of his profession, and good
judgment in the practice of it. That,
meanwhile, his mother did not neglect the
cultivation of his spiritual nature, may be
inferred, if we can receive one of the tra
ditions of his childhood, which runs, that
when he was five years old he recited, in
the Sabbath-school, the entire Shorter
Catechism. His early education was, of course, lim
ited to such instruction as could be
obtained by attendance during the brief
term of log-house school; but his habits of
thoroughness enabled him to master the
foundation studies while learning to plow
and plant, and harvest; he raised and
handled stock at a much younger age than
most boys even of that period. Among
his earliest recollections of that primitive
life is an incident that he refers to as the
first " bear movement in pork." A huge
bear visited in the night his father's pig
pen, and carried off its one inmate, the
household's anticipated pork for the com
ing winter. The dismay may be partly
appreciated as we learn that pork that year
was held at thirty dollars per barrel, and
that other necessary of life, wheat, was

•titi ^ti

^ti " ' '

mmm

lit

ir

HURON COUNTY, OHIO.

47

three' dollars per bushel. But while food
for the body, from its scarcity, commanded
fabulous prices, not so food for the intel
lectual powers; as we learn from another
of the Doctor's reminiscences. He was
sent on a horse, riding a side-saddle, to
fetch to the district the teacher, a sister of
the well-known Judge Caldwell, of Cleve
land, which lady taught a very good school,
for the princely salary of seventy-five cents
a week, one half of which was to be paid
in flax, a kind of silver certificate of that
day. The prevalence of high prices for wheat
led the father to hire a man at twelve
dollars a month and board, to help clear
off ten acres of land and sow it with wheat.
A fair crop was raised, but could not be
sold for cash. He said in after years that
the payment of the wages of that hired
man was the hardest job of his life. There
was plenty of work to be found in the
country, but no money. in circulation. To
receive a letter, and pay the twenty-five
cents postage, was a serious family affair.
But all these unpromising circumstances
did not dishearten the boy, Albert — -his
aim was an education and a profession;
and at length, after instruction in the best
academy and select schools, supplemented
by private tuition in a clergyman's family,
he began to read medicine in the office of
Dr. Peter Allen, at Kinsman, Trumbull
Co., Ohio. After four years of study he
began tbe practice of his profession, and
continued four years with more than the
usual success; theu feeling dissatisfied
with his qualifications, heattended a course
of lectures at Willoughby College, where
he graduated in 1841. Taking up his abode
in Andover, he there practiced other four
years, ^fter which he attended another
course in Jefferson Medical College, Phila
delphia, where he graduated, and then re
turned once more to Andover. In 1851
he looked, abqut for a wider field — con
sidered the plan of joining a colony to St.
Paul, then only the beginning of a town —
but the plan was abandoned, and by the
advice of President Pierce of the Western
3

Reserve College, he went Norwalk, where
he formed a partnership with Dr. Moses
C. Sanders, at that time a leading physi
cian of the State. This co-partnership
continued during the life of Dr. Sanders,
and afterward with his son, Dr. John C.
Sanders, until tbe latter removed to Cleve
land, and the present firm of Drs. Read &
Ford was formed.
Dr. Read has been twice married, first
time to Jauet Beman, of Trumbull county,
Ohio, who died in Norwalk, leaving two
children — a son and daughter. The Doctor
afterward married Elizabeth Cook, of New
York State.
During tbe summer of 1861, the Civil
war having broken out, Dr. Read, in' com
mon with all loyal citizens, desiring to
serve his country in her need, considered
the question of joining the army as sur
geon; but while still undecided, he was
called to attend his father, in what proved
his last illness, and the day after his return
to his home, he was called to the service
in the United States Sanitary Commission,
under the management of Dr. Newberry,
of Cleveland. He spent that winter mainly
in Kentucky, witb headquarters at Louis
ville, following with his assistance our
army under Gen. Buell, ministering tothe
sick and wounded after the terrible battles
that interrupted its march to take posses
sion of Nashville. To indicate somewhat
the work he and his helpers were doing,
during those dreary months of suffering
to so many of the dear boys of our land,
he recalls an incident tbat occurred at
Elizabethtown. The army had moved on,
leaving many sick, greatly needing care,
with neither beds nor suitable food. From
the stores hurried on from Louisville, they
were speedily placed in comfortable beds,
and fed with the delicacies sent by the
home friends. One boy, delirious from
fever, taken from the floor and placed upon
the clean cot, soon fell into quiet sleep,
from which he awakened rational, and
looking about him said: "Where am I?
It seems as if mother had been here." The

48

HURON COUNTY, OHIO.

Doctor says that incident was an inspira
tion in much of his after work. After the
occupation of Nashville, in the spring of
1862, Dr. Read was made inspector-in-
chief of the Department of Cumberland,
with a corps of assistants, and headquar
ters in Nashville, which position he filled
until the close of tbe war. He regards his
work for the soldiers during those four
years as the greatest work of his life: es
tablishing soldiers homes, beginning in
Louisville, afterward at Nashville, then all
along our army lines, fitting up hospital
cars, wherein the sick and wounded might
be conveyed with tbe least possible dis
comfort; giving out, through his numer
ous assistants, the abundant stores so freely
provided by the home people of the North
for their suffering dear ones. Soon after
the close of the war Dr. Read returned to
his professional duties.
Early in bis professional life tbe Doctor
was made a member of the American
Medical Association, and also of the State
Medical Society of Ohio. In 1858 he was
prominent in originating the Delamater
Medical Association of Norwalk and
vicinity, which Society had an active ex
istence of thirty years. He has been a
member of the Congregational or Presby
terian Church since his student days.

L

E ROY HOYT, a descendant of one
of the pioneer families of Connecti
cut, is a great-grandson of Eliphalet
Hoyt, who was born in Connecticut
in 1773. He was the son of one of twro
brothers— Walter and Simeon — who came
from Germany early in the seventeenth
century and found a home in the " Nut
meg State." In his youth he learned the
carpenter's trade. He was married to
Miss Lois Starr, of Danbury, Conn., and
some time later moved to Saratoga county,
N. Y., where he worked at his trade for a
number of years. Subsequently the family
moved to Owasco township, Cayuga Co.,

N. Y., where a farm was purchased and
improved by the father. This property
be lost through signing a two-years' limit
bond for a merchant. The merchant fled,
and the bond becoming forfeit the young
farmer had to surrender bis property to
satisfy it. In 1826 tbe family moved to
Ohio and located on rented land in Fair
field township, Huron county, where the
father died in 1831. His five children
were Sally, Almira, Lois, Silas (who died
in youth) and Walter. In politics Eli
phalet Hoyt was a Democrat.
Walter Hoyt was born in 1802, in Cay
uga county, N. Y. Reared like other pio
neer boys of that time and place, he grew
to manhood there and accompanied his
parents to Ohio in 1826. He was nomi
nally the head of the family, all the prop
erty being in his name. The same year
be married Caroline M. Benson, a daughter
of Abijah Benson, a tanner of Skaneateles,
N. Y., who was a soldier in the war of
1812 and captain of a company in the
United States service.
After coming to Ohio Walter Hoyt en
gaged in agriculture and became the
owner of 593 acres. His wife died here
in 1838, and in 1841 he married Betsy,
daughter of Dominick Cole, a millwright.
To the first marriage were born three
children, of whom Ichabod, Elmon and
Mercy grew to maturity. To the second
marriage were born three children: Brad
ley, Alma and Charles. To each of his
sons he gave a farm, and when he died, in
1862. he left personal property valued at
ten thousand dollars to be divided among
the heirs. In political opinion he was a
stanch Democrat. He was a most indus
trious citizen, and a man who would earn
and hold property in any place and under
any circumstance.
Elmon Hoyt, the second son of Walter
and Caroline Hoyt, was born August 29,
1829, in Fairfield township, Huron Co.,
Ohio. His father being a lifelong agri
culturist, taught his sons by actual exper
ience in that avocation. The lessons

HURON COUNTY, OHIO.

4.9

taught him in boyhood and early man
hood of strict obedience to duty and labor
have followed him througb bis successful
life. When about to embark in life for
himself he cleared a space in the then
dense forest for a place to build a home;
then realizing the need of a helpmate he
married October 24, 1854, Miss Elizabeth,
daughter of Phineas and Rachel (Terry)
Guthrie. As a result of this marriage
five children were born: Wilber, Harry
H., Le Roy, Ralph and Clayton, all of
whom are still living.
While Mr. Hoyt has always given per
sonal attention to his business at home, he
has always been ready to promote any en
terprise for the good of his town or com
munity. Mr. and Mrs. Hoyt having toiled
together for nearly forty years now realize
together tbat toil and energy " have their
rewards. Feeling that something ought
to be done to relieve the monotony and
isolation of the farmer, and being rea,dy
to do anything they could to promote a
social and intellectual advancement among
the agricultural class, they signed an ap
plication for a charter for the organization
of The Grange in 1874, and became char
ter members of that organization. To this
Society they have always been active mem
bers, going up with the different degrees
of the Order, and often being delegated to
represent their Grange at the State meet
ings. In March, 1878, The Huron County
Mutual Insurance Company was organized,
Mr. Hoyt. becoming one of its early mem
bers, and he was elected treasurer of the
Company, to which office he has been re
elected every year since, and still performs
the duties of that office.
To his sons he has been a great help in
starting' them successfully in business.
For the eldest one (Wilber, who chose
agriculture), he had a farm for him, upon
which Wilber has succeeded well. Witb
his second son Harry (who chose mer
cantile business), Mr. Hoyt became in
terested in business in North Fairfield, there
building the large brick store room, where

an extensive business was very success
fully conducted. In a few years, Mr.
Harry Hoyt, wishing to engage more ex
tensively in business, he proposed to start
a store in Norwalk. Mr. Elmon Hoyt
saw in this two favorable features, viz.:
That it would give Harry an opportunity
to extend his business qualifications and
also place LeRoy, his third son, in charge
of the North Fairfield store, and Mr.
Hoyt became interested in both stores.
The two younger sons remain on the home
farm. Thus Mr. and Mrs. Hoyt have
lived a useful and successful life.
LeRoy Hoyt, the subject of this sketch,
is the third son of Elmon and Elizabeth
Hoyt, and was born October 6, 1862. His
youth was passed on the farm with his
parents, and his time divided between
duties at home and attendance at the union
school in the village of North Fairfield.
He then devoted two years of study in
Oberlin College, and during this time ac
quired a liberal education, after which he
entered his father's store as clerk, remain
ing there two years. Then he was given
full management of a branch store at Peru,
Ohio, which he conducted successfully for
two years, when the branch was sold, as
his attention was required at the North
Fairfield store, which he again entered,
becoming its personal manager, and, later,
equal partner with his father in the mer
cantile business.
On January 6, 1886, he was united in
marriage with Anna F., daughter of Maj.
William B. Sturges, of Fairfield, a sketch
of whom immediately follows this, and in
this union one child, Nelka, has been
born. As a business man Mr. Hoyt has
been most successful, and to-day carries
one of the finest general stores in this sec
tion. Tbat be merits this success, his
social, moral and business standing in his
native county are the best evidences.
Politically he is an earnest, active Re
publican. In 1891 he was member of the
County Executive Committee, and person
ally secured and presided over one of the

50

HURON COUNTY, OHIO.

largest meetings ever held in the county.
He made the welcoming speech, and in
troduced the present governor of the State,
William McKinley, to the people. So
perfect was the success of this meeting
that Mr. Hoyt wished to repeat it. Ac
cordingly, the next year he visited Senator
John Sherman at his home in Mansfield,
and secured him to come to North Fair
field and deliver a speech to a very large
audience. Mr. Hoyt was recognized as
the principal promoter of his political
faith, and was chosen chairman of this
meeting. He has served his township as
postmaster for four years well and faith
fully, and secured at its close a reward of
the highest grade by the United States
inspector. He wields a strong political, social and
commercial influence not only in Fairfield
township, but throughout the county as
well; and while he is yet young to furnish
a history for publication, he lacks only
time and opportunity to convince all that
he is one of the most progressive men of
bis time. He is one to whom the hand of
deserving charity was never presented
without receiving, the recipient going
away with a lighter heart and a fuller
hand. In whatever tends to build up, to
elevate humanity, be it in the material,
social, moral or educational, in him is
found a ready helper. In religions faith
be is a member of the Disciple Church,
and lives, in harmony witb his profession,
a helpful life.

IM

*j

AJOR WILLIAM B. STURGES
was born October 12, 1828, in
New York City, grandson of
Josiah Sturges, who was born in
Connecticut, of English descent.
Tbe latter married Rebecca Cooper, and to
their union were born the following named
children: Jonathan, Josiah J., Ann
Eliza, Mary, Julia, Arabella, Deborah,
Joseph and Henry A- C. Mr. Sturges first

conducted a packet line running between
Savannah (Ga.) and New York, and for
some time resided in Savannah, subse
quently removing to New York, where he
passed the remainder of bis life. He was
there engaged in the mercantile business
with Thomas C. Butler and a Mr. Harris,
and' for some years was inspector of cus
toms at the port of New York. In reli
gious faith he was a member of the
Moravian Church, and his children were
all educated at Bethlehem (Penn.) and
Nazareth (the latter being the school for
boys). Henry A. C. Sturges passed the days of
bis boyhood in New York, and was edu
cated to business life, afterward working
in his father's store. He was united in
marriage with Jane, daughter of David
and S. Cargill, of New York (who were of
Scotch ancestry), and to this union were
born children as follows: William B. ;
Anna F., Mrs. Lyman Spencer; David G.,
who was for nearly thirty years an ap
praiser of customs at New York; Caroline;
Harry C; John G., and Thomas. In
1835 Mr. Sturges and his family came
westward to Ohio, going by river to
Albany, thence by way of the Erie Canal
to Buffalo, and from the latter place by
lake to Sandusky, Ohio. He came first to
Norwalk, shortly afterward settling in
Greenfield township, Huron county, where
he became a leading farmer, and passed the
remainder of his days. In political
opinion he was a Whig.
William B. Sturges passed his youth
on the home farm, and received his
education at the Seminary at Nor
walk. On June 5, 1851, he was mar
ried to Josephine, daughter of Elias
Thomas, and they became the parents of
children as follows: Wilson N., now a
resident of St. Louis, Mo.; Flora O, Mrs.
K. B. Kellogg; Jay, a ranchman of Gunni
son county, Colo.; Napier, of Fairfield
township, Huron county; Jessie M.; Guy
S., in Colorado with bis brother Jay, and
Anna F., Mrs. Le Roy Hoyt. Mr. Sturges

HURON COUNTY, OHIO.

51

enlisted in the Civil war at the outbreak
of the conflict, and on April 23, 1861, was
commissioned second lieutenant of Com
pany A, Twenty-Fourth O. V. I. With
tbe exception of a three weeks' leave of
absence he was in continuous service
throughout the war, fighting with the
army of the Cumberland. He participated
in the battles at Shiloh, Stone River.
Chickamauga, Missionary Ridge, and also
in many minor engagements, and during
all this time was wounded but once, in
1861, when his horse fell, severely injur
ing his right knee. He was on the staff
of various generals, among whom may be
mentioned Gen. Palmer and Gen. Stanley,
and during his service was promoted to
first lieutenant, then to captain (in which
capacity he had command of his company
for the last six months of the war), finally
rising to the rank of major.
In 1865 he engaged as a traveling sales
man, carrying a line of tobacco, etc., in
which he continued for twenty-six years.
In 1883 he removed to his present resi
dence, where he is now living a retired
life. Politically he has been a lifelong
Republican.

Tl EDUARD ERF. The Erf family
v I are of Dutch origin, and many years
^yj ago settled in Germany, whence the
grandfather of tbe subject of this
sketch, with his family, emigrated to
America aud settled in Huron county.
There be took up a tract of land and lived
up to tbe time of his death in 1889. Of
his children only two sons survive, and
they are now living in the western part of
the county.
J. Eduard Erf is the eldest son of An
thony Erf, aud was born in Lyme town
ship, Huron county, in December, 1861.
His early life was spent like that of all
farmers' sons, namely in going to school
and working on tbe farm, only with this
difference that while the sons of too many

spent most of their time in working on
the farm, and a short time only in going to
school, it was his fortune to spend most of
his years in school, and only in vacations
doing farm work. It is fortunate, too,
that his father took a great deal of interest
in educational matters, and through his
efforts was not a little due the fact that the
school where he attended was of a higher
grade than that of many other country
schools. He can well remember that,
while in some districts school was taught
only three or four months in the year, at
the place where he attended not less than
nine months was the usual limit of the
school year, and the best of country teachers
were employed. At an early age he en
tered the high school of the neighboring
town of Monroeville, aud a number of
years later prepared himself for college,
afterward attending tbe University of
Minnesota, a western college that has re
ceived great prominence among the State
institutions of higher learning. Both at
the academy and at the university he won
several prizes in oratory, and in the Fresh
man year won the first prize at the ora
torical contest, also taking second rank at
the State contest.
As with many other young men, it was
a question with him whether he should
study for the ministry or for the bar.
Finally 'deciding for the latter, he began
the study of law with Russell & Rice, of
Cleveland, and later in the office of Judge
Blandan, of tbe same place. He was ad
mitted tothe bar in 1891. Where to locate
he bad not decided upon, although for the
time being he remained in Cleveland, and
launched out for himself. Finding after
the first month's experience that his outlay
was largely disproportioned to his income,
he decided to change his location, and
finally concluded to settle in Norwalk, Ohio,
the seat of the county of his birth. While
making preparations to locate, in a con
versation with Senator Harlon Stewart the
idea was suggested to him that he should
assume the editorship of the Germania,

52

HURON COUNTY, OHIO.

the only German paper printed in Huron
county. Having had some experience as
a newspaper writer and manager, and also
having a practical knowledge of the German,
as he had made tbat language one of his
specialties at college, he looked favorably
upon the proposition. At second thought it
was suggested to him that if he was to be
come an editor of a paper for some one else,
why not become the editor of his own paper?
Immediately negotiations were entered into
for the sale of the weekly, which, in part
nership with his brother, he purchased in
May, 1891. Working with energy and
enthusiasm, the circulation of the paper
was doubled within four months. In ad
dition, also, the advertising was largely in
creased, bringing the paper a very good
income, and placing it upon a sure financial
footing. In the winter of 1892, the
brothers, having resolved to take up the
job printing business, purchased a con
siderable amount of plant, including a
large cylinder press for the publication of
their paper, which heretofore had been
printed by the Experiment- News.
When the Norwalk Press was launched,
Mr. Erf was asked to assume the position
of editor of that paper, and also to take
an interest in the enterprise. This he did,
and with Mr. James Mullin began the
publication of the Norwalk Press in
March, 1893. Later on a corporation was
formed under the name of The Erf Bros.
Publishing Co., with J. E. Erf, Gustavus
Erf, James Mullin and others as stock
holders, which company now publishes the
Norwalk Press and the Germania, besides
doing a general job and publishing business.
From a small beginning, occupying in
May, 1891, a small room 10 x 15, aud em
ploying one man, their business has in
creased sov tbat to-day they occupy three
floors of the Stewart block, employing
from sixteen to eighteen persons. Mr.
Erf's duties as editor are of such a nature
and so laborious that he has had very lit
tle time while in Norwalk to practice his
profession. In fact the journalistic work

seems to hold so much in store for him,
that both circumstances and his own in
clination for literary work incline him in
that direction rather than toward the bar.
In politics be is an ardent Democrat,
and has always defended, both by speech
and writing, the Democratic faith. He is
a Democrat from principle, believing
thoroughly in the fundamental principles
of that party. A short time after locating
in Norwalk he was placed on the Demo
cratic ticket for the office of prosecuting
attorney of Huron county. He made an
active canvass of the county, speaking in
almost every township, and although de
feated ran ahead of his ticket by three
hundred votes. Practically in active busi
ness and the professions only a few years,
he is well liked, has made many friends,
and is making for himself a place in the
community as an honorable and public-
spirited man.

USTAVUS ERF. The subject of
. this sketch, one of the junior mem
bers of The Erf Bros. Publishing
Co., and a brother of J. Eduard
Erf, was born in Lyme township,
Huron county, in 1865, the third son of
Anthony Erf. Like bis brother, he spent
bis early life in going to school and work
ing on the farm. After having completed
his studies in the district school, he at
tended the Monroeville high school, and
later on went to Cleveland, where he did
some work on a mechanical journal as
solicitor. Coming to Norwalk, he, in
company with bis brother, bought the
Norwalk Germania, which they continued
to publish. Later on a job office was
opened. When the firm of Erf Bros, was
lately consolidated and merged into The
Erf Bros. Publishing Co. he became a
prominent stockholder. Mr. Erf is es
pecially connected with the business man
agement of tbe concern, in which he takes
an active interest.

HURON COUNTY, OHIO.

53

In 1892 our subject was married to
Miss Rosa Frenz, who presides over his
pleasant home on Olive street. Though
young he is active and energetic, well
liked by his business associates, and he
has before bim a prosperous and bright
career.

Il F. BEELMAN, editor and proprietor
k. I of tbe Plymouth Advertiser, was
%J) born July 31, 1847, in Richland'
county, Ohio. His ancestors in
America, both paternal and maternal, may
be traced back to the early Colonial days of
Pennsylvania. Andrew Beelman, father of subject, was
a native of Franklin county, Penn., where
he grew into manhood and married
Christiana Cain, a native of the same
county. He learned the cabinet maker's
trade in Pennsylvania, and in 183-, when
be removed to Plymouth, Richland Co.,
Ohio, he found sufficient work in this
trade to occupy his attention until bis
death in 1867. He was a Whig until the
organization of tbe Republicans, when
he joined the new party and gave it his
unqualified support. Thongh his convic
tions were firmly fixed, he was not active
in public affairs, his disposition being to
attend to his own trade and let others
attend to their business.
J. F. Beelman is the fourth in a family
of four sons and one daughter born to An-.
drew and Christiana Beelman. He was
educated in the public schools at Ply
mouth, and at the age of fourteen years
entered a more practical school, as ap
prentice in the office of the Plymouth Ad
vertiser, where he served three and a half
years. After this long term in learning
the "art preservative," he entered tbe dry-
goods establishment of S. M. Robinson,
where for four years he was employed as
salesman. In 1869, in partnership with
M. Webber, he purchased a book and no
tion store at Plymouth. In 1872 he dis

posed of his interest in that store, and as
sociated himself with his brother J. M.
Beelman, in the office of the Plymouth
Advertiser. In December, 1876, he be
came sole owner of the office, to which he
has since given close, personal attention.
The Plymouth Advertiser was founded
in 1852 by a Mr. Sanford; later D. R.
Locke, better known as "Petroleum V.
Nasby," became proprietor, and in its
pages began to build up his reputation as
a humorous political writer. This journal
has always been and is now devoted to the
interests of Plymouth and vicinity with
out regard to politics. It is well edited
and printed, and enjoys a heavy advertis
ing patronage as well as a large circula
tion. The office is equipped with job and
cylinder presses, steam power is used, and
altogether, the paper reflects the progress
ive spirit of the town.
Mr. Beelman was married, on October
8, 1874, to Miss Frank Gipson, a daugh
ter of H. B. Gipson, of Plymouth, Ohio,
and they are Che parents of one child,
Grace W. Our subject ranks among the
leading and influential men of this division
of the State, and, in his relations to the
people as a newspaper man and citizen, is
recognized as one who has contributed
largely to tbe material and social advance
ment of Plymouth and tributary district.
For eighteen years he served as secretary
of the Plymouth Agricultural Society, and
has filled various local offices. In Church
connection he is a Lutheran, and he is a
gentleman of strong moral convictions.

H. GOVE, of the C. H. Gove & Co.
foundry, Norwalk, is a native of
Washington county, N. Y., born
August 24, 1828. He was reared
and educated iu Onondaga county, same
State, after two years of age attending the
public schools there, subsequently taking
a course in the academy. His parents,
David and Mary (Burbank) Gove, were

54

HURON COUNTY, OHIO.

<$

descendants of colonists who came to
America from London in 1640, locating in
Deerfield, Connecticut.
David Gove was born in 1794, in Wil
mot, Merrimack Co., N. H., became a
farmer, and died in Onondaga county, N.
Y., at the age of forty-five years. He was
a man of strong character, and in politics
was a Jackson Democrat. His wife, Mary
Burbank), was born in 1797 in Salisbury,
~. H. ; she became the mother of eleven
children, eight of whom were by her last
husband, David Gove; two of her sons and
two daughters are yet living. David Gove's
father, Nathan Gove, was born on the old
farm in New Hampshire, and Nathan's
father was born in Concord, Connecticut.
C. H. Gove, the subject proper of this
memoir, commenced taking his lessons in
tbe foundry business in 1846 at Syracuse,
N. Y. After learning the trade he came,
in 1850, to Huron county, where he en
gaged in the molding business, and was
for fifteen years in managing charge of a
foundry. He had charge of the Bay City
Foundries at Sandusky two years, and of
the Lake Shore Foundry at Elkhart, Ind.,
for some time. He then returned to Nor
walk, and took charge of the foundry here.
In 1887, in company with his son, Ernest
D. Gove, be established his preseut
foundry, and now carries on a prosperous
business, doing the exclusive casting for
the Wheeling & Lake Erie Railroad. In
1876-77 he was a member of the Norwalk
city council.
On July 14, 1851, C. H. Gove was
united in marriage with Sarah L. McGor-
gan, who was born May 11, 1833, in Sen
eca county, Ohio. Their children were as
follows: Charles E., at present superin
tendent of the Vermillion (Ohio) schools;
Emmett P., a machinist; Ernest D., with
his father iu the foundry; Otis G., a
moulder by trade; Frederick W. ; Frank;
Mary B. (deceased); Ida B. ; Nellie, and
Sadie. The Gove family is widely respected
inthecityand county. [Since tbe above was
written C. H. Gove & Co. sold tbeir

foundry business April 1, 1893, to Otis
G. Gove and David Higgins, and Mr. Gove
settled upon a farm at Kipton, Lorain Co.,
Ohio, where he expects to pass the remain
der of his days.] Mr. C. H. Gove desireB
to have here recorded the following:
MY LAST REQUEST.
When in the grave my fiiends have laid me,
And loving lips have breathed adieu,
Let no one dare to upbraid me,
Or draw my frailties forth to view.
But lay my faults in the grave beside me,
Then let the clods upon me fall ;
And as they from the cold world hide me,
Let them hide my faults and all.
Let there be joy instead of weeping,
That rest is found for heart and head ;
Then leave me to my Savior's keeping,
For if He lives I can't be dead.
Only dead to sin and strife
And soon shall wake to endless life.
C. H. Govb.

*/

HON. CHARLES PRESTON
WICKHAM, attorney at law, was
born in Norwalk, Huron county,
Ohio, September 15, 1836, the
eldest of thirteen sons and daugh
ters born to Judge Frederick and Lucy
(Preston) Wickham, both descendants of
New England Puritan stock, and of his
paternal ancestors can be enumerated Gov.
Winthrop, of Massachusetts. The family
even remotely come of a strong and sturdy
race, men and women of that rugged na
ture that was fitted to tbe often cruel exi
gencies in the transplanting of civilization
from the Old World to the New.
The pioneer into the wilderness from the
New England coast was William Wickham,
a native of Rhode Island, grandfather of
Charles Preston Wickham. He naturally
made his way to the regions of the lakes,
impelled by that strong instinct for the
sea that ran through generations, and he
settled on tbe shores of Lake Ontario, at
Sodus Point. His three sons, John, Fred
erick and Samuel, nurtured within sight
and hearing of the blue, dashing waters of

HURON COUNTY, OHIO.

57

the great lake, in their westward journey-
ings could not leave the sea forever behind
them, and so took up their dwelling place
at Huron, one of Lake Erie's natural
harbors. Tbe youngest brother, Samuel,
sailed the lakes, and died while still en
gaged in pursuing bis chosen vocation.
John, the eldest, engaged in lake com
merce, and at one time owned one of the
largest fish-packing establishments on
Lake Erie; while Frederick, though never
forgetting his lakeside birthplace, located
at Norwalk, his present home, and became
the proprietor of the Norwalk Reflector,
established as the Huron Reflector by
Samuel Preston, whose daughter, Lucy,
became his wife. In the great old-
fashioned house in the center of the town,
whose upper floor served as a printing
office in the olden days, were born their
thirteen children — six sons and seven
daughters — twelve of whom grew to ma
ture life. Sons and daughters alike were
taught the printer's art, serving a good
apprenticeship. Charles, inheriting from both father
and mother a taste for books and love of
learning, took advantage of all that the
then meager public schools and the excel
lent Norwalk Academy could afford. He
longed for a college education, but the
many younger brothers and sisters made
the fulfillment of the desire impossible.
He was permitted, however, to attend the
Cincinnati law school, from which he was
graduated in April, 185.8, and was ad
mitted to the bar by the district court of
Hamilton county in the same month.
Full of hope and enthusiasm in his chosen
profession, he located in Norwalk and
opened his law office. In August, 1860,
he was united in the sacred bonds of wed
lock with Emma J. Wildman, daughter of
Frederick A. and Mariett (Patch) Wild-
man, both natives of Danbury, Conn., who
had removed to Ohio, locating at Clarks-
field, but afterward coming to Norwalk.
In April following this happy marriage
came the tocsin of war, thrilling the civil

ized world, and blasting many youthful
prospects, and bringing a long and sad in
terruption to thousands of others. Full
of patriotic courage, and upheld in his
purpose by his young wife, Charles P.
Wickham enlisted, in September, 1861, in
the Fifty-fifth Regiment O. V. I., and a
short time after bade farewell to home
and the few months-old babe he was
never to see again, and with his command
marched to the front. During the suc
ceeding four years the young soldier en
dured all the hardships and dangers of piti
less war, ever at the.post of duty, and with
eager intelligence heeding the commands
of his superiors. As brave as he was dis
creet, his devotion to his couutry's cause
could not but attract the attention of those
in authority, and the dashing young pri
vate soon received the well-merited pro
motion to first lieutenant, then successively
to captain, major, and lieutenant-colonel of
his regiment; the further promotion
while be was major coming direct from the
hands of the President, as lieutenant-col
onel of volunteers by brevet, for " gallant
and meritorious service in the Carolinas."
The unbroken severity of his service is to
some little extent manifest in the skeleton
record of the marches, battles and sieges
that follow the name of Charles Preston
Wickham on the country's war records.
Among others in which he participated
were the battles of Second Bull Run, Chan-
cellorsville, Gettysburg, Mission Ridge, the
battles from Chattanooga to Atlanta, in
cluding Resaca, Peach Tree Creek, Siege
of Atlanta, March to the Sea, Averysboro
and Bentonville. These are briefly the
main battles, and only to the veteran does
the enumeration convey any true idea of
the four years of hardships, exposures,
trials and sufferings of an active soldier's
life. Of the millions who in the heyday
of young life entered their country's serv
ice, but few equaled and none surpassed
this one in the tented field, where are made
such heavy drafts upon tbe moral and phy
sical courage of those who do their duty.

Missing Page

Missing Page

58

HURON COUNTY, OHIO.

In all his long service in the army he es
caped the demoralization, so common to all
large aggregations of men, by the upright
tenor of his bearing and the rectitude of
his conduct.
Four years, and grim-visaged war had
smoothed his wrinkled front; and when
the angel of mercy and peace had spread
her white wings across the land, and the
army, having saved the Union, was being
mustered out to return home, Col. Wick-
ham's command was ordered to Cleveland,
and July 19, 1865, tbe ragged, sun-burned
veterans, but fire-tried heroes all, were
honorably discharged from the service.
And now came the crucial test of the Ameri
can character, namely, that of suddenly
turning a great army into free inhabitants,
from destroyers to builders up; from sub
jects of the law as thundered from tbe can
non's mouth, to the upholders of peace and
the civil law. The storm of blood was
spent, and the birds built their nests in
the cannon's cold lips. And here the vet
eran's record is one of ever added new
laurel wreaths to tbe trophies of war.
At the close of the service Col. Wick
ham returned to his home in Norwalk, and
resumed the practice of his profession. He
was elected prosecuting attorney for Huron
county in 1866; re-elected in 1868, and
after the end of his term was called by the
suffrage of his people to the office of judge
of the common pleas court, of the Fourth
Judicial District, in 1880; served a term
and was re elected in 1885; resigned in
October, 1886, to become the standard-
bearer of his party as a candidate for Con
gress from the Fourteenth District; was
triumphantly elected and served with dis
tinguished eminence; re-elected in 1888.
This is something of the record of a citi
zen of Huron county, distinguished in
peace as in war. A bright paragraph in
history, a more precious legacy to poster
ity than the wealth of the whole world.
Col. Wickham is in height about five
feet nine inches; of fair complexion, erect
carriage and fine presence. In manner,

though ever dignified, reserved and un
demonstrative, he is courteous, gentle and
sympathetic, and possesses the most perfect
control over a naturally quick and high
temper. The prime impulse of his life
has ever been devotion to duty and the
furtherance of the kingdom of God. A
member of the Presbyterian Church from
early manhood, he has been an elder
since about the year 1866, and no press of
business or public duties, nor the impaired
health which is his as a reminder of the
war, have ever deterred him from regular
attendance upon divine service, or checked
his activity in and devotion to all branches
of Christian work. The dearest wish of
his life is that the six living children of
the nine born to him may become well-
equipped Christian men and women.
Upon the integrity of his private life, his
warmest political enemies have never even
held a question. A devoted son and
brother, he is the pride and stay of his
parents and the friend and adviser of
brothers and sisters — a loving and tender
husband, a father whose love knows no
limit in self-sacrifice. His children have
never heard from his lips a harsh or un
kind word, and hold him in their hearts as
their ideal of a noble manhood. His ten
der heart can never hear unheeded a cry
from the needy or unfortunate, and,
though one of that profession supposed by
some to be nearly pitiless, his conscience
has never allowed him to exact more than
his just dues in lawyer's fees.
The unsatisfied longing of his boyhood
days for a college education has made him
unwearying in the pursuit of knowledge,
and while devoting himself with untiring
industry to the study and practice of the
law, he has found time for wide general
reading and for travel, that best of all edu
cations, in all parts of bis country. He and
his wife — his helpmeet, adviser and aid in
every project — were the ones to suggest
and plan for the public library of his na
tive town. He is an enthusiast on the
subject of education, and is the guide and

HURON COUNTY, OHIO.

59

inspiration to his children in their studies.
In all walks of life he has won the admi
ration of his fellows for his ability, indus
try and the conscientiousness which never
allows him to neglect the least of his du
ties. Noted in the army for chivalrous
bravery that was only equaled by his
ever-tender regard for the welfare of those
in his charge. His walk in the mazes of
the law has been along the higher paths
of the profession, where there is always
room and to spare for the inspiration of
genius. A large and lucrative practive
has been- his from the first. An ardent
advocate of temperance, he has ever had
the courage of his convictions on this
question, and in his private walks and in
his official life has never spared the de
stroyers of tbe home. Upon the bench he
was the wise and just judge, eminent for
his impartiality, dignity and courteous-
ness, carrying with him the respect of
the bar and confidence of the people.
This is evidenced by tbe fact that in his
second election to the bench, though op
posed by his able predecessor, and tbat,
too, in a strongly Democratic district, yet
he was easily elected. Nothing can add
to the strength of this statement as to the
man's standing with his people. His po
litical affiliations have been with the Re
publican party, to wliich, while never
offensive to the opposition, he has been
ever stanch and true. He has investi
gated deeply the economic questions of
government, and the public weal has been
tbe loadstar of his political life. As a
speaker he is clear, earnest and logical,
possessing that rare trait of holding the
attention of an audience by the importance
of what is being said and the forcible
manner of its expression. Powerful and
convincing in argument, be has made him
self felt at the bar and won respect in the
halls of Congress. And tbough for years
accustomed to public speaking, he has
never been able to conquer a natural diffi
dence and modesty, whieh makes him
dread anew each public appearance.

While pre-eminently successful in the
political field, yet he has none of
the equipments of the successful poli
tician. Rather than having been hon
ored by the offices he has filled, he has
shed luster upon them, controlled by the
high purpose of bequeathing to his chil
dren and posterity that richest of all lega
cies, a name honored and unstained. [The
foregoing is, with a few immaterial addi
tions, from the graceful pen of an affec
tionate daughter, Mrs. Grace W. W. Cur-
ran. — Editor.

[If ON. F. R. LOOMIS, editor and
1^ proprietor of the Norwalk Chroni-
j! __[ cle, was born in Lodi, Ohio, Sep tern -
*f/ ber 3, 1841. The lineal descendant
of the Loomis family is from one
Joseph Loomis, who came from Braintree,
England, to Connecticut, in the year 1632.
The subject of this sketch is the sixth
in the order of birth of eight children
born to Milo and Lucy A. (Greenly)
Loomis, both natives of Jefferson county,
N. Y., people of prominence and wealth,
who came to Ohio in 1832, making their
home in Medina county, where they passed
the remainder of their lives. Our subject
resided in his native place until his nine
teenth year, when he entered the Union
army, in which he served faithfully three
and one half years at the front, his regi
ment being the Eighth O. V. I. He was
promoted consecutively to first sergeant,
second lieutenant and first lieutenant, and
was assigned, to the staff of Gen. S. S.
Carroll. He was severely wounded at the
battle of Antietam, and again at Gettys
burg. On his return home at the close of
the war he was appointed postmaster of
bis native town, Lodi, an incumbency he
filled ten consecutive years, at the end of
which time he resigned to accept the posi
tion of member of the State Legislature,
to which the suffrages of the Republicans
of his county had called bim. He served
his term acceptably, and declined a

60

HURON COUNTY, OHIO.

renoinination. In 1876 he purchased a
half interest in the Medina Gazette, and
was one of the editors and proprietors
thereof until 1879, when he sold bis in
terest in that paper and purchased the
Norwalk Chronicle, of which he is now
sole proprietor and editor.
Mr. Loomis is an ardent Republican, a
prominent and respected leader in tbat
organization, aud has been called frequentlv
to the councils and posts of trust and re
sponsibility in its interests. In religious
faith he is a Congregation alist, in tbe
church of which denomination he has been
an honored member for many years, and
as delegate has represented it at important
State meetings; he was Moderator of the
North Ohio Conference for a term; was
president of the Huron County Bible So
ciety several years ; was for some years pres
ident of the Huron County Sunday-school
Association ; was also president of the Ohio
State Sunday-school Association two years;
and was secretary of the Third Inter
national Sunday-school Convention, held
at Atlanta, Ga. Socially he is past com
mander of M. F. Wooster Post, No. 34,
G. A. R., of Norwalk; he was three times
elected colonel of F. H. Boalt Command
No. 17, Union Veterans Union, of Nor
walk; was elected department commander
of Ohio Command of the Union Veterans
Union, serving one year; declining a re
election as commander, he was elected
chaplain of the Department. For several
years he served as chairman of the Execu
tive Committee of the National Command
of the Union Veterans Union. He is a
director and trustee aDd a prominent
member of the Firelands Historical So
ciety, and has been its biographer for
several years.
While Mr. Loomis is a strong, earnest
and ever-active party man, he never for a
moment has forgotten that correct prin
ciples are stronger and more important
than party claims.
On January 10, 1865, F. R. Loomis
was united in marriage with Catherine C.

Kilmer, of Brooklyn, N. Y., and to them
was given one son, whose young life
brought to his fond parents' hearts the
light and joy of the sunshine. Clare R.
Loomis was born March 16, 1871 ; reared
in the atmosphere of a refined and loving
Christian home, he developed those ami
able, bright and strong qualities of soul
and mind that marked him most eminently
and wove the golden chain that endeared
bim to a wide circle of admiring friends.
He had a brilliant promise of life when he
left his father's home to accept a responsible
position on the editorial staff of the Chi
cago Inter Ocean, but the hand of disease
was suddenly laid upon his bright and
noble young life, and he died of typhoid
fever at his home in Norwalk, February
9, 1892, leaving desolate the now childless
parents, and creating a void in their hearts
which can never be filled.
Among the the temperance advocates of
Ohio, Hon. F. R. Loomis stands forth
prominently. Here, as elsewhere, his con
victions are strong, but are always equaled
by his courage in the expression of them.
His paper is the reflex of the man, battling
ever for the supremacy of principle, for
the right though the heavens fall, and in
this regard it is the reflex of its editor's life.

If RVING J. BROOKS, editor and pro-

I

Iprietor of the Greenwich Enterprise,
J son of Franklin and Ann Eliza (Ken
nedy) Brooks, natives of Huron county,
was born April 15, 1857, in Bronson
township. His paternal grandfather was
a native of Vermont, his paternal grand
mother of New York State. The mater
nal grandfather was a native of Ireland,
and maternal grandmother a native of
Scotland, belonging to the well-known
McPherson family and a cousin to Gen.
McPherson. They were pioneers of Bron
son township, where the first named re
sided for forty years, dying in 1872, and
the last named died in 1844.

HURON COUNTY, OHIO.

fil

The name was originally spelled Brooke,
and the family of that name in America
are descended from English ancestry.
The historical Say-Brooke fort, built at the
mouth of the Connecticnt river in 1635,
was named after Lords Say and Brooke,
who were the proprietors, and, in company
with others, held the grant of the territory
of Connecticut. Lemuel Brooke, youngest
son of William and Esther Brooke, was
born at Enfield, Conn., February 20,
1748. His father, William Brooke, who
owned and controlled the Enfield ferry,
was a great-grandson of Lord Brooke, of
England. He (William) taught in different
schools and colleges thirty- three years;
served four years in the war of the Revo
lution, acting in tbe capacity of quarter
master. He was employed by the United
States Government to survey, on the
Western Reserve, a tract of land in north
eastern Ohio set apart by the Government
for tbe people whose homes were destroyed
in the Revolutionary war. His surveys were
made in Lorain and Cuyahoga counties.
Returning to Vermont be emigrated
with his family in 1817, traveling the
whole distance with an ox-team, and settled
in Greenfield, Huron Co., Ohio. Owing
to the scarcity of steel at that time in this
new country, his sword was made into
butcher knives; his regimentals, etc., to
gether with most of tbe family records,
including the coat of arms of the Brooke
family, a silver helmet, buckler, etc., were
destroyed by fire at Greenfield, Ohio, in
1838. William Brooke married Keziah
Haskill January 5, 1775, and seven chil
dren were born to them, viz.: Lemuel,
Melicinda, Kezia, Aurelia, Homer, Selma,
Virgil. Of these, Lemuel, born August
7, 1776, was twice married, and by his
second wife, Esther Sprague, whom he
wedded February 13, 1806, he had eight
children, to wit: Lemuel Sprague, Har-
rietta Esther, William, Philo, Celia, Ne
hemiah, Irena and Jerusha. The father
of these died in Greenfield township,
Huron Co., Ohio, in 1831.

Lemuel Sprague Brooke was born in
Marlboro, Windham Co., Vt., October 29,
1806. When ten years of age lie rescued
his brother Nehemiah from a well, and
was all his grown life a man of superior
muscular power. In 1833 be married
Almira Adams, of North Fairfield, Ohio,
and to them two children were born —
Franklin (father of the subject proper of
this sketch) and Esther. He died in June,
1838, from cancer in the face, and was
preparing himself for the ministry at the
time of his illness.
Franklin Brooke was born January 13,
1834, in Greenfield township, Huron Co.,
Ohio; was married November 1, 1855, to
Ann Eliza Kennedy, of Bronson township,
Huron county, by whom there were four
children, named as follows: Irving J.,
Gardiner A., Frank Alexander and Anna
Elmira. Irving J. Brooks passed his boyhood in
New Haven township, and received a pri
mary education in the district school.
Subsequently he studied in the Normal
schools at Lebanon and Ada, Ohio, and
after obtaining a practical literary train
ing taught school several terms, and en
tered the Chronicle office at Norwalk in
1881. Subsequently he worked in tbe
offices of the Daily News, at Norwalk;
was assistant foreman of the Daily Jour
nal, at Battle Creek, Mich.; foreman of
the Enterprise, at Cherokee, Iowa, and
foreman of the Journal, at Mankato,
Minn. Returning to Huron county in
November, 1888, be purchased a half in
terest in the Greenwich Enterprise, and
in February, 1891, became sole proprietor.
This newspaper is an independent journal,
presents a good typographical appearance,
has a large local circulation, and is a good
advertising medium. To the editorial and
news columns of the Enterprise he gives
close, personal attention, and by his in
dustry has made the office profitable and
the paper useful. On April 15, 1886, Mr.
Brooks was united in marriage, at Chero
kee, Iowa, with Miss Lydia R. Ruggles,

62

HURON COUNTY, OHIO.

who was born in Waverly, Van Buren
Co., Mich., August 21, 1865, a daughter
of Charles D. and Henrietta C. (Hobart)
Ruggles. Her father's people pride them
selves in their blood, tbey being an old
family. Her mother is of Puritan descent,
tracing a direct line of ancestry to John
Alden and his wife Priscilla.
Mr. and Mrs. I. J. Brooks are members
of the Episcopal Church. He is a member
of the Masonic, Knights of Pythias and
National Union Lodges of Greenwich; a
Royal Arch Mason of New London Chap
ter; a member of the Sons of Temperance
of Norwalk, and also of the International
Typographical Union of Toledo.

EN. FRANKLIN SAWYER (de
ceased) was born in Auburn, Craw
ford Co., Ohio, July 13, 1825, a
Al son of Erastus and Sally Sawyer,
natives of the State of New York.
His father's ancestors emigrated to this
country from Lancashire, England, and
his mother's (whose maiden name was
Snider) from Holland. His parents were
pioneers in that then wilderness country.
He had one brother, Alban us, older, and
one sister, Mrs. Lucy Kellogg, younger,
than himself.
Upon his father's farm he remained
until his seventeenth year, employed in
the hard work of the new country, and at
tending the common school of the neigh
borhood when there happened to be one.
In 1843 he was a student at Norwalk
Seminary, and the next year at Granville
College, supporting himself during this
time, and while studying law, by teaching
school winters. In 1845 he commenced
the study of tbe law at Norwalk, was ad
mitted to the bar in 1847, and soon found
himself in a respectable practice. In 1850
he was elected prosecuting attorney, which
office he held two years, during wliich
time he was successful in breaking up a
noted gang of horse thieves, counterfeiters

and professional witnesses who infested
the county. In 1854 he formed a part
nership with George H. Safford, which
continued until both threw up the profes
sion to enter the army.
In 1860, at tbe instance of Gov. Denni
son, Mr. Sawyer organized a military com
pany known as the Norwalk Light Guards,
and on April 16, 1861, was ordered into
service for three months, and reported
with his company at Camp Dennison as
Company D, Eighth Ohio Volunteers.
The regiment soon re-organized for three
years; he was promoted to major, and
soon after to lieutenant-colonel. In July
the regiment went to Western Virginia,
and participated in the campaign of that
summer. S. S. Carroll, of the U. S. A.,
was appointed colonel, and took the regi
ment into the valley in the spring of 1861,
where it fought conspicuously in the
battle of Winchester. Col. Carroll was
there given the command of the brigade,
and from this time the regiment was in
command of Col. Sawyer. ' It was then
ordered to Harrison's Landing, and be
came part of the Second Corps. He com
manded the regiment in the battles of
Antietam, Fredericksburg, Chancellors-
ville, Gettysburg, Mine Run, Morton's
Ford, the Wilderness, and Spottsylvania,
and in innumerable skirmishes. In most
of these battles he was assigned to diffi
cult positions, and in every instance was
complimented by his superior officers for
his gallant conduct. At Gettysburg, he
was ordered to drive out a rebel force
posted in an important position in front
of Hancock's battle-line, which was hand
somely done with the bayonet, though at
a heavy loss. This position be maintained
for two days unsupported, and far in ad
vance of the line, although three times at
tacked by superior force; and finally,
charging an advancing column of rebels,
took a number of prisoners and three bat
tle-flags. In this battle, and also the
battle of Antietam, over one-half of his
men engaged were killed or wounded.

HURON COUNTY, OHIO.

63

His horse was shot from under him at
Antietam, Chancellorsville, and Locust
Grove. He was severely wounded at
Gettysburg, Morton's Ford, and Spottsyl-
vania, at the latter place the wound dis
abling him from further service and
partially paralyzing the left side. During
the draft-riots he was sent to the city of
New York with his regiment, and occu
pied a position on Brooklyn Heights until
the consummation of the draft.
Promotion was several times tendered
him, but he preferred to remain with bis
"gallant old Eighth." His popularity
with his men was unbounded, his ability
as an officer was conceded, and his absolute
bravery in battle unquestioned. The rank
of brevet brigadier-general was conferred
for meritorious conduct during the war.
In the fall of 1864 he visited the Ohio
troops on the line of the Mississippi, New
Orleans, Kentucky, Tennessee, Northern
Alabama, and Georgia, on a special com
mission from Gov. Brough. He then
acted as assistant judge advocate in the of
fice of Judge Advocate Gen. Holt, at
Washington, until the close of the war,
and tbe triumphal return of the Union
army to Washington, in June, 1865.
Iu 1865 he was elected representative
to the Legislature for Huron county on
the Republican ticket, and served two ses
sions. Was a member of the committee
on finance, schools, and the agricultural
college fund. The Cleveland Leader, in
a review of this Legislature, said of him:
" Few men in the State achieved a brighter
reputation in the recent war than Gen.
Sawyer, the member for Huron. As a
legislator he is chiefly distinguished for
his ability in presenting his case and
'dumbfounding' his adversary, if anybody
has the temerity to oppose him. For real
humor, as well as solid argument, he has
few superiors. Sometimes his rare blend
ing of humor and argument would con
vulse with laughter the entire house, and
upset tbe gravity of everybody within
hearing."

In May, 1867, he was appointed one of
the registers in bankruptcy for the North
ern District of Ohio, which office he held
during the existence of the act, a period of
over twelve years, being regarded as a
careful and impartial officer. He also dur
ing this period continued successfully in
his law practice. Gen. Sawyer always
took a lively interest in the prosperity of
Norwalk. He was a trustee of the Nor
walk Institute for several years, and until
it was discontinued on account of the non-
popular public-school system, and was
then for fifteen years a member of the
board of education of the union schools.
As a lawyer he occupied a prominent posi
tion at the bar, and was regarded as a man
of strict integritv; he was an interesting
speaker and ready debater, and a thorough
student of literature and history.
Gen. Sawyer was married January 30,
1848, to Lucinda M. Lathrop, who died
June 12, 1854. On November 29, 1855,
he was married to Elizabeth B. Bostwick,
of Delaware county, N. Y., who died
January 6, 1878. He has one son, Frank.
The General died of paralysis in 1893, at
the residence of his son in Norwalk, at
the age of sixty-eight years. [Compiled
from Williams' " History of Huron and
Lorain Counties."

d[ OHN A. RYNN. Among the most
j popular citizens of Norwalk is this
JJ genial representative of the Hibernian
race. His parents, Thomas and Mary
(Burns) Rynn, were both born in the
Emerald Isle, where they were married,
soon afterward emigrating to America.
The father died when his son John A.
was a little over two years of age, having
been killed in a railway accident, and the
mother then married John Mullen. Four
children have been born to her second
marriage, viz.: James, Bernard, Sarah
and Owen.

64

HURON COUNTY, OHIO.

John A. Rynn was born April 6, 1853,
in Norwalk, Huron Co., Ohio, and at
tended the public schools. He then took
a course at the Spencerian Commercial
College of Cleveland, and after finishing
his education entered tbe employ of a
wholesale grocer in Toledo, Ohio., Tbe
following autumn he returned to Huron
county, and in September, 1873, estab
lished his present grocery business, which
has grown to extensive proportions. In
1890 he became a member of the city
council and in 1891 was elected president
of tbat body. He is county delegate of
the Hibernian Society of Huron county,
and in April, 1892, was sent to New Or
leans as a representative of the local organ
ization. Mr. Rynn is no less prepossess
ing in personal appearance than in his
genial manners, and wins hosts of friends
among all classes.

D

»OOTOR AMOS WOODWARD, of
II Bellevue, Qbio, was born February
11, 1824, on what is known as the
"Woodward farm," near Bellevue.
He was the second son of Gurdon and
Mary S. Woodward.
His father in the spring of 1817 located
his farm iu Lyme township, Huron Co.,
Ohio, where he built a log cabin, and be
ing a man of unusual physical strength,
coupled with indomitable energy, he soon
cleared off the heavy timber and opened
up the farm for cultivation. He then re
turned to Utica, N. Y., and married Miss
Mary Savage, one of the brightest and best
of Utica's daughters, who came to their
new home in the West to adorn it with
her graceful charms of head and heart.
The home was widely known as "Wood
lawn," and for many years was noted for
its generous hospitality.
There were three brothers by the name
of Woodward, who came from England at
an early day, one settling in Connecticut,
one in Pennsylvania and one in Virginia —

men of strong distinct characteristics, and
prominent citizens where they lived.
Abishai Woodward, the grandfather of
the subject of this sketch, was born in
1749. He was an architect and leading
contractor in New London, Conn., then
one of the flourishing cities of New Eng
land. A prominent and highly esteemed
citizen, he was for many years an alderman
of his native village; he died in 1809. His
wife was Miss Mary Spicer, a lady belong
ing to one of the best families in Connecti
cut, and their family consisted of five sons
and six daughters. Two of the sons, Abi
shai and Eben, settled in Louisiana, and
three in Ohio — Gurdon and William in
1817, and Amos in 1820 — locating in
Lyme township, Huron county, on what
is known as the " Firelands," a tract of
land which was given by the State of Con
necticut to sufferers by fire at New Lon
don during the Revolution, when Benedict
Arnold with the British soldiers captured
and burned the city, and massacred the
garrison after its surrender at Fort Gris
wold. When a boy, Dr. Woodward went to
live witb his Uncle Amos aud Aunt
Rachel Woodward, who having no sons of
tbeir own urged his parents to let them
have the boy. As their farms joined, they
consented, and there he spent his boyhood
days, attending school winters, and help
ing on the farm summers, until 1841, when
on the death of his uncle, he bid adieu to
farm life and commenced the study of
medicine with Dr. Lathrop, of Bellevue,
one of the leading physicians of the county.
Being of an active and observant mind, he
made rapid progress with his studies, and
after attending lectures two winters at the
Medical College in Cleveland, graduated
in 1849. He immediately commenced
practicing medicine with Dr. Lathrop at
Bellevue, and from the commencement
had a large and extensive practice in the
town and adjoining counties. Possessing
the qualities of tenderness and sympathy
in an eminent degree, and gifted with

HURON COUNTY, OHIO.

07

quick perceptions, a good judge of human
nature, and prompt in diagnosis, he was
called in all important cases, especially in
consultation with other physicians, and
had he continued in bis profession would
doubtless have been at the head of the pro
fession in northern Ohio. His love for
his profession was unusual, and long after
he gave up the practice, even up to the
time of his death, he was ever ready to be
consulted with and to give advice, and
many of his old patients would come to
him, having such confidence in his skill,
that they thought no other physician
could prescribe for their ailments.
Dr. Woodward was married on June 25,
1851, to Miss Arabella Chapman, eldest
daughter of Judge Frederick Chapman, of
Bellevue, one of the earlier settlers and of a
very prominent family, socially and other
wise. Judge Chapman, at the time, was
a large landowner, extensively engaged in
business pursuits in Bellevue and vicinity,
and required just such a practical man as
Dr. Woodward to assist him in his busi
ness. Finally, in the year 1857, he per
suaded hi in to take an interest in his
business, which was thereafter carried on
in the firm name of Chapman & Wood
ward, with great success and profit until
the death of Judge Chapman, April 26,
1861. After that date the settling up of
the estate of Judge Chapman, and closing
up the business of the firm devolved upon
Dr. Woodward, in which position he
brought to bear his good judgment and
usual energy and ability, to the satisfac
tion of all parties, leaving a handsome
property for the heirs of Judge Chapman.
Dr. Woodward, as surviving partner, suc
ceeded to the business of the firm, and
with his energy and perseverance was
successful in acquiring a large and valu
able property in and around Bellevue, in
real and personal property. He was one of
the original stockholders of the Norwalk
National Bank, of Norwalk, Ohio, and a
director of the same from its organization,
iq March, 1865, until his death, during all

of which time he aided said institution
with his sound advice, sterling integrity
and good judgment. He was also con
nected with the First National Bank, of
Bellevue, Ohio, from its organization in
September, 1875, until his death. He was
elected cashier of this bank June 22, 1883,
and under his management the institution
was eminently successful, doing a large
and prosperous business, having the confl
dence and patronage of the community
to a high degree, and making regular
semi-annual dividends. In this position,
also, bis friends appreciated his ex
traordinary business ability. It was a
prominent trait in his character that what
ever he undertook to do, he did well, aud
was untiring in his efforts until the desired
result was accomplished. He was also a
close observer of things and their sur
roundings, and after a trip across the coun
try, it was very interesting to hear him,
describe the incidents of the journey, the
soil, climate and general appearance of
things at every point. With a well-culti
vated mind he taught for himself, and ex
pressed his own opinions. True to his
friends, true to his principles, and unyield
ing in his defense of right and justice, his
high character and integrity were appre
ciated by all who knew him or had any
business relations with him, and he stands
prominent as one of the best examples of
American citizenship.
Dr. Woodward left two daughters.
Louise, the elder, married John Gardiner,
Jr., of Norwalk, Ohio, October 3, 1877,
and has three sons, viz.: Amos Woodward
Gardiner, born September 12, 1879; John
Joslin Gardiner, born December 6, 1881,
and Douglass Latimer Gardiner, born De
cember 28, 1887, and is now a resident of
Norwalk, Ohio. Belle Woodward, the
second daughter, married, October 27,
1880, William C. Asay, a lawyer of Chi
cago, 111., and has two daughters, viz.:
Marguerite Louise, born December 19,
1884, and Pauline Clemeuce, born De
cember 17, 1886. As a husband and

HURON COUNTY, OHIO.

father Dr. Woodward was always kind and
indulgent, providing ample means to pro
mote the happiness of the family circle.
The residence of the family was purchased
of J. B. Higbee in 1871, and was greatly
improved, the grounds and lawns hand
somely laid out and the bouse elegantly
furnished. His widow still resides there
with all the pleasant surroundings and
comforts requisite to make life happy on
earth, with one missing in the family circle
whom nothing can replace.
In politics tbe Doctor was a Democrat.
In religious views, he was attached to the
Protestant Episcopal Church, and was a
liberal contributor to the creation of a
house of worship in Bellevue. He was
always a cheerful giver to its financial sup
port, though his giving was not confined
to tbe Episcopal Church, but, with his
liberal views on the subject, his hand was
ever ready to assist other organizations;
and as he disliked outward show, he gave
quietly and without display or ostentation.
After a lingering illness, which he bore
with manly patience, continuing to attend
to business up to the day of his death, he
departed this life September 23, 1891, at
tbe age of sixty-seven years, seven months
and twelve days, and as the words "He is
dead " passed from lip to lip, the whole
community was filled with genuine grief,
that one of its leading citizens — whose ac
tive life bad aided in building up the vil
lage, who had spent his whole life with
bis townsmen, and who was one of the
pioneers in the progress and improvement
of the county — had gone to his final rest.
"Then shall the dust return to earth as it
was, and the spirit shall return unto God
who gave it."

;OL. JAMES H. SPRAGUE, senior
member pf the firm of Sprague &
French, manufacturers of umbrellas,
Norwalk, is a native of New York
State, born in Cayuga county, February
15, 1845. He is a son of James and

Catherine (Grosbeck) Sprague, the latter
a native of New York State, the former of
Rhode Island, and a descendant of Gen.
Johu Sprague of tbe same State.
Our subject was privileged by his
thoughtful parents to have given him ex
cellent educational advantages, and after
receiving a solid literary substratum at the
common schools of his native place, he at
tended Union Academy, Red Creek, where
he graduated in 1857. He then, in 186-,
entered Pulaski Academy in Oswego coun
ty, N. Y., subsequently taking a course at
the Waterdown University, which he left,
however, in order to respond to his coun
try's call for loyal men to preserve the
Union. According to the records in the
adjutant-general's office, New York, and
those in the War Department at Washing
ton, our subject entered the Sixteenth
Regiment New York Infantry as drum-
major, serving in the first battle of Bull
Run, and all through the campaign of
1861. His regiment was then changed
from infantry to light artillery, and he was
appointed sergeant of Battery F. At the
storming of Fort Wagner he volunteered as
leader of a "forlorn hope" of twenty men,
at which engagement Col. Shaw, of the
Eleventh New York Battery, was killed,
and Sergeant Sprague thereupon received
promotion to junior second lieutenant. In
that capacity he took charge of the battery,
and commanded at Honey Hill, S. C,
besides in other engagements leading up
to tbe capture of Charleston, S. O, where
he also commanded a battery, aud was the
first man to cross the bridge into the city
during tbe siege. The next engagements
in which he participated were those of
what is known as the Georgetown raid and
the battle of The Cowpens, after which his
command was ordered back to Hilton Head,
where he was mustered out after having
done gallant service from April, 1861, to
June, 1865.
After the war Col. Sprague returned
north to New York, and was there ap
pointed by Gen. John A. Greene, adjutant-

HURON COUNTY, OHIO.

general of the State, to a majority in the
One Hundred and Fourteenth New York
National Guard, in which capacity he
served some three years, resigning in or
der to accept the position of general man-
ao-er of McLean's circus. In 1868 he re-
tired from the last named incumbencv, and
coming to Ohio accepted the position of
traveling; salesman for the house of Ber-
nard Court wright, whom he represented
until 1872, and then entered the employ
of F. B. Case, of Norwalk, as traveling
salesman for his tobacco business until
1876. In that year he took charge of col
lections for D. M. Osborne, of Auburn, N.
Y., manufacturers of harvesters and bind
ers, and with this firm remained till 1882,
at wliich time he accepted a position with
the Piano Manufacturing Company of
Chicago, 111., as manager of their business
in Ohio, Indiana and Michigan, remaining
as such till 1884, when he became in
terested with other citizens of Norwalk in
the "Hexagon Postal Box Company."
Subsequently he embarked in the manu
facturing of advertising novelties in the
same city, an enterprise he made a great
success of. In 1886 Col. Sprague, with
Mr. C. L. French, commenced the manu
facture of umbrellas, the well-known
"Tourist" being his specialty, in connec
tion with which he has a series of im-
f>roved patents, prominent among which is
iis unequalled adjustable handle and tip.
In a brief period they have built up this
industry from comparatively small begin
nings to its present mammoth proportions.
In 1887 they built the factory, and tbey
now employ during busy tiines of the year
over 150 hands, ten traveling salesmen
being constantly kept on the road, to push
their trade into every corner of the United
States. Col. Sprague has also manufac
tured machinery for making umbrellas,
and iu all qf his undertakings he has
proven himself a representative business
man and true American "hustler."
Col. Sprague was married, in Norwalk,
Huron county, to Eliza A. Cunningham,

of that city, and they are recognized lead
ers in Norwalk society. Politically the
Colonel is an active worker in the ranks of
the Republican party, and, though retired
from the army, his usefulness in military
affairs is far from gone, for after coming
to Ohio he was inspector of artillery on
the staff of Gov. Charles Foster four years.
In social organizations he is also promi
nent. He belongs to Mt. Vernon Lodge,
A. F. & A. M., Royal Arch and Chapter,
Norwalk Council, and is past eminent
commander of Norwalk Commandery; is
member of all the branches of the I. O. O.
F., and of the Royal Arcanum; is deputy
department commander of the U. V. U. of
Ohio, and past commander of the G. A. R.
Post. He is also a member of Alcoran
Temple of the Ancient Arabian Order of
the Mystic Shrine, at Cleveland, Ohio.

Tf EORGE N. SIMMONS. This well-
known citizen traces his genealogy
to five brothers who sailed from
Hamburg, Germany, to Plymouth,
Mass., years ago. Among their descen
dants is mentioned Senator Simmons of
Rhode Island, a cousin of Henry, father of
George N.
Henry Simmons was born May 16,1791,
in Rensselaer county, New York, near
Troy, where his youth was passed. He
was a lifelong farmer; in politics a Demo
crat' until Scott ran for President, when
he united with the Whig party, afterward
becoming a Republican. Mr. Simmons
married Mary Ham, daughter of Conrad
Ham. both residents, at the time, of Troy,
N. Y., and the children of this union were
Elizabeth, Catherine, Sarab, William H.,
John J., David- L., George N., Mary J.,
Emeline, Frances A., Clara, and Julia A.,
all of whom lived to adult age. Mr. Sim-
mons was a soldier in the war of 1812,
serving with Gen. Eddy at the battle of
Stillwater. He died February 2, 1876;
his widow on March 9, 1889, both mem-

70

HURON COUNTY, OHIO.

bers of tbe Methodist Church. They lie
buried in the home cemetery.
George N. Simmons was born July 12,
1825, in Grafton township, near Troy,
N. Y., and was educated in the common
schools. In 1853 he moved to Chicago,
and was conductor on the Lake Shore &
Michigan Southern Railroad some seven or
eight years; was also on the Ohio & Mis
sissippi Railroad, and the Cincinnati
Southern. In 1859, accompanied by three
other men, he crossed the Plains, and was
the first to discover gold in Colorado, on
what is known as the " Chicago Bar." He
then returned east, took in two partners,
and conveyed the first quartz mill, ever
used in Colorado, across the Plains on
wagons, there being at that time no rail
roads west of the Missouri river. The mine
was the well-known "Black Hawk Co."
The capital of the company being
insufficient to carry on the business, Mr.
Simmons again returned to secure more
funds, but the war breaking out, be
entered the service as scout in the Union
army. Meanwhile his partners, to whom
he bad given power of attorney, sold the
mine and disappeared with the proceeds,
of which Mr. Simmons never received one
cent. This mine was afterward sold to
an eastern company for seven million dol
lars, together with other property which
Mr. Simmons and his partners had located.
After his return from the war George Sim
mons resumed work on the railroad, which
he followed for several years on both north
ern and southern routes of the Lake Shore
& Michigan Southern. After resigning
his position on the railroad, be went into
the packing business in Chicago, on Ran
dolph street. He had goods stored in
Underwood's Provision Store House, and
all was destroyed by the fire of 1872. He
then abandoned that business, and, decid
ing to begin in fresh fields, opened a real-
estate office in Chicago, in " Parker's
block," the firm being Carter & Simmons.
Prior to the panic of 1873 his business
was worth several hundred thousand dol

lars, but at tbat time he shared the com
mon fate, and after amassing three
fortunes, was again left to begin the
world anew. But knowing no such word
as " fail " he found temporary employment
as conductor on the railroad, and in 1879
went to Lead ville, Colo., where he was
one of the locators and owners of the
famous " Col. Sellers Mine " at that place.
Some of the mines are paying fair divi
dends, while others of equal value are
closed down on account of depreciation in
silver currency. Returning east in Janu
ary, 1880, Mr. Simmons has since resided
in Norwalk. He occasionally travels be
tween Colorado and the East, transacting
business in relation to his gold, silver and
lead mines, some of which are leased and
yield a good percentage.
On October 12, 1850, Mr. Simmons was
united in marriage, in Albany, N. Y.,
with Miss Mary Barnes Chester, of Massa
chusetts, and children as follows have been
born to them: Lucretia Josephine; Nel
lie G. (Mrs. Roe), now a resident of Milan,
Ohio; George H., and Fred B. Formerly
a Whig, Mr. Simmons has been a Repub
lican since the formation of that party.

J(OEL BLACKMAN, one of the oldest
citizens of northern Ohio, is a son of
i Josiah Blackman, whose parents
were natives of New England, in
after years coming west with their children.
Josiah Blackman was born in Massa
chusetts, and lived in New York for some
time, coming to Erie county, Ohio, just
after the close of the war of 1812. He
was married to Tryphena Smith, who died
two or three years after tbey settled in
Ohio, followed by her husband at the age
of about seventy years. He was a farmer
all his life, and in politics voted with the
Whig party. They were the parents of
ten children, viz.: Clarissa, Allen, Ansel,
Harvey, Ira, Chester, Simeon, Joel, Hiram
and Sally. Of these, eight are deceased;

HURON COUNTY, OHIO.

71

one is living in La Porte county, Ind., and
Joel is the subject of this sketch.
Joel Blackman was boru March 13,
1801, in New York State, and in 1815
came with his parents to Ohio, locating in
Florence township, Erie county. After
his business, that of farming, was estab
lished on a firm basis, he returned to
Connecticut, and on September 12, 1830,
was united in marriage to Welthy Tilden.
The young couple began wedded life on the
farm in Erie county, and here resided in
peaceful prosperity until 1867, when they
came to the present home in Norwalk,
Huron Co., Ohio, where she died March
19, 1879. Joel Blackman is known as a
business man of integrity and good judg
ment. In politics he was originally a
Whig, and has been a Republican since the
organization of that party : in religion he
is a member of the M. E. Church. Three
children were born to him, of whom, in
the order of their birth, the following is a
brief record: Mrs. R. A. Watros was
married October- 15, 1869, and April 14,
1881, and is now living with and caring
for her father; she has one child, Grace
M. Packard. William Blackman was mar
ried June 10, 1862. Maria was the wife
of William Kellogg, and died July 28,
1871, leaving four children, as follows:
Charles C, who was married April 4,
1891, and died October 19, 1893; FredB.,
who was married June 12, 1888, and has
two children, Maria and Florence; Will
iam G., married February 15, 1891, and
Florence W. [Since the above was writ
ten Mr. Joel Blackman, the subject of the
sketch, died at the home of his daughter,
Mrs. R. A. Watros, the date of his death
being November 20, 1893. — Ed.

FETER HERMAN, senior member
of the prosperous firm of Herman
& Sons, in business at Norwalk and
Monroeville, was born September
12, 1835, in Peru township, Huron
Co., Ohio. He is a son of F. J. Herman,

whose parents were natives of Badem
Germany, where the grandfather followed
carpentry, and was accidentally killed by
falling from a building. The grand
parents were members of the Catholic
Church. F. J. Herman was born in 1799, in
Baden, Germany, where he grew to man
hood and followed the carpenter trade.
He was married to Waldaburga Barbie,
and in 1834 they came to America, lo
cating in Peru township, Huron Co.,
Ohio. The mother died in 1850, aged
fifty-five years, leaving seven children, of
whom Peter is the only one now living.
For his second wifeF. J. Herman married
Anastosea Eidel, a widow lady who had
two daughters by her former marriage,
viz.: Mary and Elizabeth Eidel, natives
of Huron county, Ohio. Mr. Herman
voted with the Democratic party, and in
religious faith was a member of the Cath
olic Church. He died in 1883, followed
by his wife in the following year.
Peter Herman was reared and educated
in Huron county, Ohio; then learned the
carpenter trade which he followed fifteen
years, assisting also with the farm work.
He and his step-sister resided under the
same roof from 1851 to March 5, 1859,
when their fraternal affection was changed
by an arrow shot from Cupid's quiver, and
the young couple were married. To this
union have been born the following named
children: Theresa, wife of L. Meyers;
Frank J., in partnership with his father;
Emma, married to George Meyer; An
drew, employed in the bottling works at
Norwalk; Tillie, wife of J. Greenfeller;
Flora J., living at home; Charles, a ma
chinist employed in the Leipsic Machine
Works; Frederick, Albert and Edward.
The family are all members of the Cath
olic Church, and all speak the German
language. The sons are business men,
and witb their father vote the Demo
cratic ticket.
Peter Herman first began his present
business by selling agricultural imple-

72

HURON COUNTY, OHIO.

ments, and in 1875 opened an establish
ment at Monroeville, dealing in carriages,
wagons, buggies, steam engines, threshing
machines and other agricultural imple
ments. One branch of this business yet
remains in Monroeville, but in 1892
another establishment was opened at Nor
walk, which will be the future central
oint, and he also conducts his farm in
eru township.

HON. O. T. MINARD. Descended
on his mother's side from Revolu-
_J tionary stock, while his father bad
•// been a soldier in the war of 1812,
the snbject of this sketch has
coursing through his veins true patriotic
American blood, originally, as the family
name would indicate, coming from an an
cestry of " La Belle France."
Mr. MiDard is a native of Connecticut,
born May 10, 1822, a son of Lynde and
Experience (Miner) Minard, also of the
"Nutmeg State," the former of whom
was born June 30, 1793, and died May
10, 1878, the latter born May 9, 1793,
came to Ohio in 1831, locating in Erie
county, and died October 8, 1862. They
were the parents of thirteen children,
nine of whom attained their majority, and
three are yet living. O. T. Minard had so
few school advantages in his boyhood and
early youth, that after he was old enough
to vote he attended for a time tbe old
Norwalk Academy. His first business
venture was merchandising in Birming
ham, Erie county, in partnership with a
brother, and he was so employed seven
years. At the end of that time he termi
nated his interests in the store, and re
moved to Huron township, Erie county,
where he was engaged in the same line of
business till 1861, in which year he came
to Norwalk township and here purchased
laud where he has since had his home,
carrying on farming operations. In 1883
he bought his elegant residence in the

Norwalk, and has
real-estate

strong

suburbs of the city of
become one of the
owners of Huron county.
A man of strong likes, suave in man
ner, fearless in his advocacy of the higher
and purer privileges of Democracy, Mr.
Minard has drawn about him a strong
cordon of friends, whose partiality in his
favor is told by their electing him, in
1880, in a Republican city, mayor, and in
re-electing him in 1882. They also re
peatedly made him, by their suffrages, a
member of the board of education; a
member of the water-works board, and at
times placed him in other positions of re
sponsibility and trust, in all of which
incumbencies be more than met the antici
pations of his warmest friends.
On October 31, 1850, Mr. Minard was
united in marriage with Miss Emily
Chandler, daughter of Daniel aud Sarah
(Somers) Chandler. No children have
been born of this union, but three little
ones of others found the love and bless
ings of tbe good home .whose kindness
and hospitality are proverbial. Two of
these foster children of Mr. and Mrs.
Minard — A. J. and E. S. Minard (nephews)
— are now prominent business men of
Springfield, Missouri.
This is one of the highly respected fami
lies of Norwalk, whose circle of sincere
friends but widens as the fleeting years
roll by. Mrs. Minard is a, consistent and
devout member of the Baptist Church.

</

HARTWELL R. MOORE, superin
tendent of the A. B. Chase Com
pany, Norwalk, is a son of George
P. Moore, who was born in New
Hampshire, December 6, 1818, and was
united in marriage with Hannah Tennant,
in 1843, in Clinton county, N. Y. She
was the daughter of Samuel Tennant, born
January 5, 1820, in Clinton county, N. Y.
Tbeir children were seven in number, five
of whom are living: Hartwell R., Samuel,

HURON COUNTY, OHIO.

73

Elizabeth (Mrs. Albert Mason), H. P.
Moore, and Minnie. When George P.
Moore was but ten years of age, he witb
his parents, Samuel H. and Clarissa
(Morse) Moore, removed to New York,
where he grew to manhood and met and
married Miss Tennant, as already related.
H. R. Moore was born April 23, 1844,
in the State of New York, and was reared
and educated in Peru, Clinton county. In
1861 he left home, and served an appren
ticeship to tbe piano manufacturing trade,
in the case department. In the spring of
1863 he went to work at his trade in Chi
cago, and in 1864 entered the organ fac
tory of Jacob Estey & Co., remaining in
their employ until the great fire of 1871,
although the property had changed hands
prior to that disaster. On December 25,
1865, he was united in marriage with
Catherine Andre, daughter of the eminent
music composer of that name, herself an
accomplished musician. She died May 19,
1891, leaving the following children:
Lillian (Mrs. Lampkin), William Andre
(assisting his father), Jessie, Grace, Amee
and Eva. On July 18, 1893, Mr. Moore
married Lucy M. Kennedy, of Holyoke,
Massachusetts. After the Chicago fire H. R. Moore
went to Battle Creek, Mich., in the inter
ests of Riley Burdett & Co., organ manu
facturers, to start up the making of cases,
cabinet benches, etc. This firm afterward
moved their plant to Erie, Penn., and be
came widely known as tbe Burdett Organ
Company. Mr. Moore was witb this com
pany until 1875, when be came to Nor
walk, at the time of the first organization
of the A. B. Chase Company, in order to
accept his present position as superinten
dent. He has planned and erected all the
extensive factory buildings owned by the
company, also superintended the construc
tion of all instruments manufactured by
them, besides purchasing the necessary
materials. When they first opened busi
ness the firm hired but thirty or forty men,
and now over two hundred hands find

regular employment in their factory. Mr.
Moore has been a stockholder and director
since the business was first incorporated,
and has iu vented a large number of im
provements for both pianos and organs.
He was a member of the council at Nor
walk for four years, and has been presi
dent of that body one year.

EPH AS TAYLOR, a well-known
retired citizen of Norwalk, was born
December 28, 1822, in Sempronius,
Cayuga Co., N. Y., son of Joseph
and Sallie (Potter) Taylor, both of whom
were natives of Massachusetts. Immedi
ately after marriage the parents removed
to New York, thence coming to the West
and locating in North Fairfield, Huron
Co., Ohio, where they spent the remainder
of their days. The father died about
1848, aged seventy-six years; the mother
died about 1855, at almost the same age
as her departed husband. They had a
family of nine children, all of whom grew
to maturity, and our subject is next to the
youngest in order of birth.
Cephas Taylor came west in 1839, locating
in North Fairfield, where April 18, 1850,
be was married to Eunice Cherry, a native
of that township, who died in Norwalk,
June 5, 1887. Mr. Taylor's second mar
riage was with Mrs. Roda E. Zeller. He
first settled on a farm in North Fairfield,
but after several years hard work there his
health became so seriously impaired that
he retired to recuperate. With renewed
health he went to Wood county, Ohio,
and again went to work on his farm, re
maining there until the Civil war broke
out, wben he sold his farm in Wood county
and returned to North Fairfield. In
January, 1870, he went to Bledsoe county
Tenn., and for nearly six years lived
among the Cumberland mountains, where
he entirely regained his health. While in
Tennessee he engaged chiefly in stock
dealing. On his return to Huron county

74

HURON COUNTY, OHIO.

in 1876, he concluded to retire from active
life, and in 1879 removed to Norwalk,
where he has since made his home, al
though spending several winters in the
South. Mr. Taylor now recalls with
evident pride, the fact that he was a Re
publican long before that party was or
ganized or even named, never failing to
vote the Free-soil ticket when opportunity
offered; be is also a strong Prohibitionist.
Mr. Taylor is of English descent, both bis
paternal grandfather and grandmother
having been natives of England. In re
ligions faith he is a Baptist.

fflfON. LEWIS C. LAYLIN, Ex-
f5*j Speaker of the Ohio House of
i l_ Representatives. It is conceded
¦J) that to the citizen of our Republic,
no higher honor can be accorded
than that conferred by his constituency in
choosing him as a representative in State
or National assemblies. This is pre-emin
ently true wben election is the result of
official fitness to hold a public trust.
It is a fact gratifying to the elector that
men of the highest character are exerting
an extended influence in political circles,
and are constantly being called from their
professions to fill public offices. An illus
tration of this class — one possessing not
the slightest taint of the proverbial word
"politician" — stands tbe subject of this
biographical sketch.
Lewis C. Laylin, a son of John Laylin,
a pioneer of tbe "Firelands," was born in
Norwalk, Ohio, September 28, 1848. He
attended school and worked on his father's
farm, alternately, until his graduation
from tbe Norwalk High School in 1867.
Having obtained the elements of an Eng
lish education, he further disciplined him
self by entering the profession of teaching.
He taught two years in the country schools,
at the end of which time he was elected
superintendent of the public schools of
Bellevue, Ohio, and was unanimously re

elected to the same position by the board
of education, for six consecutive years.
Abandoning school work, he commenced
the study of the law, under Judge C. E.
Ponnewell, now of Cleveland, Ohio, was
admitted to the bar March 13, 1876, and
it is at this period tbat his career proper
commences. The public seems to have
recognized in him trom the outset a safe
man, and how well their confidence has
been placed can be best judged by the
number of positions wliich he has filled,
and the length of time he was retained in
places of public trust.
He was elected city clerk of Norwalk,
and served two years; appointed a member
of the county board of school examiners,
serving twelve years; and was president of
the Norwalk board of city examiners three
years. He was secretary of the Huron
County Agricultural Society three years,
and has always been actively identified with
its interests. In 1879 he was elected prose
cuting attorneyof Huron county, and served
three terms — a period of seven years.
He was a member of the county Republi
can Executive Committee eleven years, its
secretary four years, and its chairman three
years. He was a member of the Republi
can Congressional Committee of his Dis
trict eight years, during a portion of which
time he served as chairman of that body;
and he has served as a member of the State
Central Committee. For several years he
has been secretary of the Firelands His
torical Society, and a member of its board
of trustees.
Mr. Laylin was elected to the State
Legislature in 1887, and during the 68th
General Assembly he was a member of
the standing committee on Judiciary, was
chairman of the committee on Institution
for the Blind, and served on the State
Centennial Committee. He was unani
mously renominated for representative in
1889, was elected a member of the 69th
General Assembly, and was chosen as
candidate for the speakership by the unani
mous action of the Republican minority.

K»,s#Nf ( t " *'A->^,
WW''- - - <S

HURON COUNTY, OHIO.

77

He was reappointed a member of the com
mittee on Judiciary, also a member of the
committee on Insurance, and of the com
mittee on Rules.
In September, 1891, he was again nom
inated for the Legislature by the unanimous
vote of the Republican delegates of Huron
county, was elected, and on January 4,
1892, he was elected Speaker of the House
of Representatives of the 70th General
Assembly. His administration as the
executive officer of tbe House was in the
highest degree creditable to him, and is
commended by both Democrats and Re
publicans. He is an excellent parliamen
tarian, prompt in his rulings, and clear iri
his reasonings. During his entire term
as Speaker not one of bis decisions was ap
pealed from.
In his characteristics Mr. Laylin is not
possessed of that bold aggressiveness which
forms so large a. part in the characters of
many of our public men. He is never of
fensive, to even his greatest adversary.
The strong elements of his nature which
have marked him as a party leader are his
deliberation and his powers of organization.
In this regard he is essentially a harmon-
izer of factions; while his gentility, his in
tegrity and well-known moral and Chris
tian manhood commend him to the
individual. Notwithstanding the fact that
he has been almost constantly in office since
he was admitted to the bar, he has found
time to build up a lucrative law practice.
As an advocate he is pointed, logical and
forcible, and many of bis discourses, both
at the bar and before public assembly, have
been complimented as mas ter- pieces.
Mr. Laylin was married November 3,
1880, to Miss Frances L., daughter of
John F. Dewey, a prominent citizen of
Huron county, and three children bave
been born to this marriage, viz.: Clarence
Dewey, Robert Weyburn ana Lewis Fair-
child. Our subject is past eminent com
mander of Norwalk Commandery K. T. ;
past master of Norwalk Lodge, F. & A. M.,
and past master of Bellevue Lodge F. &

A. M. He is a member of the First
Methodist Episcopal Church of Norwalk,
and of the official board of same.

JOHN LAYLIN was born in West
moreland county, Penn., May 22,
1791. His parents removed to
Beaver, Penn., in 1796. In March,
1810, his father sold bis farm and started
for the " lake country," taking with bim
all his family except John, who remained
behind until June of the same year to re
ceive a payment for the farm, which be
came due at that time.
Jolm hired out during the summer to a
farmer at ten dollars and fifty cents per
month, and attended school during the fol
lowing winter. In the spring his grand
father, Abraham Powers, and Hanson Reed
decided to follow John's parents to the
frontier. Accordingly they started over
land through the wilderness, taking with
them such household goods and other prop
erty as they could carry. John accom
panied them, assisting in driving stock,
and in other ways rendering them aid dur
ing their long, tedious journey. The party
at length arrived at Cuyahoga portage.
They tl,ien learned that John's father and
mother had stopped there the previous
spring, on their way to the frontier, and
raised a crop of corn, and in the fall had
removed to the mouth of the Black river,
on tbe lake shore. John remained with
his grandfather's party until they reached
Greenfield, Huron county, where they
settled. He remained with Hanson Reed
one month, to assist him in planting corn.
He then started alone and on foot, by In
dian trails, to join his father's family, near
Black river. While on this lonelv journey,
sleeping on the bank of the Vermillion
river, he was surrounded by wolves, but, by
the greatest vigilance, aud kindling a fire,
he kept them at bay until morning. In
October, 1811, the family removed to West
Berlin, Erie county. During the fol
lowing winter, Mr. Laylin taught school,

78

HURON COUNTY, OHIO.

receiving his board and one dollar and a
quarter tuition per scholar, as compensation.
In the spring of 1812 war was declared
between England and the United States.
A meeting of the citizens of that and the
surrounding counties was held to provide
means for defense. A petition, asking for
assistance from the governor of Ohio, was
forwarded, and a company of " Minute
men" was organized for home defense.
Mr. Laylin joined the company, and ou the
next day it marched to the peninsula off
Sandusky, to ascertain if there were any
Indians in the vicinity. Mr. Laylin was
prevented joining this expedition by severe
sickness. From the entire company of
thirty, only four or five survived the expe
dition. Nothing was heard of the poor
fellows until their whitened bones were
found in the following September by a de
tachment of Commodore Perry's victorious
troops. In August, Gen. Hull surrendered
to the British, which was not known among
the settlers until a small British fleet ap
peared off Huron, from which some of the
prisoners taken were sent in small boats to
the shore. The greatest consternation pre
vailed. In the panic which followed, the
family fled to Mount Vernon. At Mans
field, they met a regiment hastening to the
protection of the citizens on the border,
and Mr. Laylin joined these troops.
After his term of enlistment had ex
pired, he rejoined his father's family at
Mount Vernon. Here he learned the ma
son's trade. He was fond of reading and
study and, not being confined closely at
his trade, found time to avail himself of
the advantages of a public library. He
became a great student of ancient and
modern history. He also watched with
deep interest the great discoveries in
science and the inventions of genius. It
was during this time that his most lasting
political and religious opinions were
formed. In the meantime, his father's
family had removed to Norwalk, but he
remained in Mount Vernon until 1817,
when he was called home by the death of

his father. In October, 1818, he married
Olive Clark, wife of Daniel Clark, of
Bronson. Mr. Laylin then settled near
Norwalk, on a farm which he had pre
viously bought, where he passed the most
active and useful portion of his life. Dur
ing the years that followed he was a most
zealous worker in the Methodist Episcopal
Church, having made that the church of
his choice. He was appointed superin
tendent of a Sabbath-school in the neigh
borhood, which position he filled for a
number of years. During the year 1841
he was sorely bereaved in the death of his
wife and two children. There remained
of the family six children — two sons and
four daughters. Six years afterward Mr.
Laylin married Mrs. Mary Weyburn
States, of Hartland, who proved an excel
lent wife and mother. In the strength of
ber affection she gathered into her love the
remains of two broken families, and was a
true mother to them all. Soon after his
second marriage he removed to a residence
on Medina street, Norwalk, where he re
mained until his death.
His faithful wife died April 16, 1877,
after a long, painful illness, which baffled
skill, love and care. For several years her
husband's infirmity, and his desire to have
her by him, confined her to the precincts of
home. She was its light and strength.
Her worth was manifest in the high es-
teem and reverence in which she was held
by all her family. Mr. Laylin survived the
death of his wife but a few days. He died,
peacefully, April 26, 1877. Thereremain of
his children: Elvira, Mrs. Richard Elliott;
Celestine, Mrs. W. W. Hildreth; Olive,
Mrs. M. L. Carr; Marriette, Mrs. F. Gard;
Marie, Mrs. Frank Evans, and his sons,
Theodore C. and Lewis C., residents of
Norwalk. Mr. Laylin was a man of untiring en
ergy and perseverance. Favored with few
early advantages for mental culture, he
availed himself to the utmost of what he
had. Strength aud definiteness were lead
ing characteristics of his mind. He held

HURON COUNTY, OHIO.

79

decided aud independent judgments on all
religious and political questions that from
time to time stirred public thought during
his long life.

AMUEL P. DeWOLF (deceased) was
a descendant of an old New Eng
land family. He was born October
15, 1832, in Wellington township,
Lorain Co., Ohio, and resided there until
1861, when he located near the village of
Clarksfield, Huron county.
His father, Whitman DeWolf, was born
January 22, 1802, at Otis, Mass., where
he grew to manhood. He was married
January 4, 1827, to Alice Pelton, also a
native of Otis, born April 9, 1798. Her
father, Samuel Pelton, was born May 9,
1757, at Granville, Conn., and her mother,
Mary Pelton, was born January 21, 1761,
at Groton, Conn. Seventeen days after
their marriage they started for the "Far
West," accompanied by Mathew DeWolf,
his wife Mary, and son Homer, then a lad
of twelve years. The record of the jour
ney, as made by Mrs. Alice DeWolf, is
given as follows :
On January 12, 1827, we, a little New England
band from Berkshire County, Mass., left our native
home for Ohio, the " Far West;" and who were this
choice few? Matthew DeWolf his wife and son,
my husband and myself. We were just one month
on the road, with Scotch plaids and camlets belted
around us; fur capes and hoods, muffs and tippets,
and covered sleighs. Thus we* all started, leaving
dear friends behind. We were brought safely
through ; found kindness in every stranger, with
the familiar salutation " Bound for Ohio."
Whitman DeWolf purchased lands in
Wellington township, Lorain county, from
the State of Connecticut, made a clearing
and erected a cabin thereon, one mile and
a half west of the village of Wellington.
When the two brothers and their families
arrived they found shelter in that cabin,
and there the following named children
came to Whitman and Alice DeWolf:
James S., born March 11, 1829, a resident
of Clarksfield; Samuel P., subject of this

sketch, and Melville W., born September
28, 1834, now connected with tlie Erie Rail
road in the office in New York City. The
father died September 3, 1850, on the
farm which he reclaimed from the wilder
ness, and was buried in Wellington ceme
tery. His life of twenty-three years in
Ohio was a successful one, not only as a
farmer, but also as a stock-dealer and
trader, in all of which he exhibited un
usual business ability, and won success.
His widow, who resided with her son
Samuel, died September 18, 1871, and was
buried by the side of her husband.
Samuel P. DeWolf passed his youth
after the fashion of boys of the period, at
tending tbe winter school and working on
the farm. While yet a lad he would ac
company his father on trips to the West
to purchase live stock, and thus he became
himself an acknowledged judge of cattle.
His health, however, opposed an active
agricultural life, and consequently he
entered the hardware store of J. S. Reed,
at Wellington, where he was employed
about one year. The following year he
worked for his cousin, Samuel Jones, then
conducting a general store at Brighton,
Lorain county. After this insight into
mercantile life, he returned to the home
farm, purchased the interest of the other
heirs, and began a successful agricultural
career, continuing therein until 1861,
when he removed to the larger tract which
he purchased just south of Clarksfield
village. He was united in marriage
July 20, 1872, with Sarah Fox, who was
born February 4, 1847, in Hopewell town-
• ship, Seneca Co., Ohio. Her parents,
David and Jane (Johnson) Fox, who were
married in Seneca county, moved to Wis
consin, thence to Iowa, and returning to
Ohio in 1861 settled in Clarksfield town
ship, Huron county. The children born
to Samuel P. and Sarah DeWolf are Alice
Mae, Mrs. Willis Viets, of Clarksfield
township; Jessie L. (Mrs. H. E. Seeley, of
Clarksfield township), born November 10,
1875, and Bessie M., born January 16,

80

HURON COUNTY, OHIO.

1883, residing at home. The father of
this family died April 2, 1889, in bis home
near Clarksfield, and was buried in the
cemetery of the neighboring village.
He was a very extensive stock dealer,
and the owner of a beautiful farm of 260
acres, besides other real estate, including
two store buildings. Politically he was a
Republican, and gave to the party a loyal
support. He was not a politician in the
sense of being an office seeker, but one
who favored safe principles and good offi
cials. Well known and highly esteemed,
his death was mourned by a large number
of sincere friends. Mrs. Sarah DeWolf
has managed the estate with more than
ordinary ability, proving that woman pos
sesses executive and business tact, when
circumstances or necessity call for their ex
ercise. She is a member of the Congre
gational Church, and popular in social cir
cles in the township.

y\ILLIAM HENRY MITCHELL.
' In the publication of the biog
raphy of W. H.yMitchell, we will
revert briefly to the personality of
his grandparents.
Jethro Mitchell was born on the island
of Nantucket, Mass., January 27, 1784.
Mercy Green was born in Rhode Island,
January 31, 1785, and was a daughter of
Thomas Green, who subsequently moved
to Nantucket. Jethro Mitchell and Mercy
Green were married to each other at Nan
tucket, October 5, 1805. As the result of
this marriage twelve children were born —
six boys and six girls — one dying in in
fancy, and the others all living to manhood
and womanhood. All but the youngest,
Mary, were boru at Nantucket, she being
a native of Brooklyn, N. Y. The tenth
child was Walter, who was born November
14, 1819, and who is the father of the sub
ject of this sketch.

When Walter was but four years of age
his parents and family moved to New
York City, thence,jafter a year, to Brooklyn,
and thence, after eight years, to Cincinnati,
where Walter continued to live for a period
of seventeen years. From 1845 to 1848
he was a student at Lane Theological
Seminary, Walnut Hills, Cincinnati, Ohio,
graduating in the latter year. He was
licensed to preach by the Presbytery of
Dayton in a meeting held at Dayton, Ohio,
April 6, 1847. He has preached succes
sively at Greenville, Ohio, at Bedford and
Boonville, Ind., at Moscow, New Rich
mond, Hebron, Marysville, Gallipolis,
Russellville, and Wilmington, Ohio, in all
a period of over forty-four years. On Oc
tober 31, 1848, he was married to Miss
Mary Eliza Evens, at tbe home of her
father, Piatt Evens, Cincinnati, Ohio.
Piatt Evens was born in Herkimer
county, N. Y., June 13, 1792, and was mar
ried March 30, 1816, to Miss Eliza Ann
Murray, at Albany, N. Y. The latter was
a native of Vermont, and was born at Rut
land, October 24, 1798. In 1817 Piatt
Evens and wife moved to Cincinnati, Ohio,
where they continued to reside until both
were removed by death. Three children
were born to them, the third of whom was
Mary Eliza, who became the wife of Wal
ter Mitchell, and the mother of Walter
Piatt, Theodore Jethro, William Henry
and Anna Louisa, the third of whom,
William Henry, was born in Boonville,
Warrick Co., Ind., August 3, 1853, and
all of whom are still living, except Anna
Louisa, whose death occurred June 19,
1869, at the age of fourteen years. The
family is distinguished for health and
longevity. Jethro Mitchell's death at
forty-eight years of age was the result of
an accident, a fall through an elevator
shaft of a building in Cincinnati in which
he was doing business. His wife, Mercy
Mitchell, lived to be seventy-four. ¦ Piatt
Evens lived to be eighty-one, and his wife,
Eliza Ann Evens, was upward of eighty at
the time of her death. Walter Mitchell

HURON COUNTY, OHIO.

81

and Mary Eliza Mitchell are still living,
and bid fair to equal if not exceed the
limit of life attained by their parents.
William Henry Mitchell continued to
live with his parents until seventeen years
of age, when, having completed his high-
school course at Gallipolis, Ohio, he en
tered Marietta College, at Marietta, Ohio,
in September, 1870, and four years later,
in July of 1874, before he was twenty-one
years of age, graduated from the classical
course of that thorough institution with
the degree of A. B., and three years later
received therefrom the degree of A. M.
Following his graduation Mr. Mitchell en
tered at once upon the work of teaching,
and although he located at Gallipolis, Ohio,
the home of bis boyhood, he was soon
elected to the Principalship of Gallia
Academy, an institution then of thirty
vears standing, and chartered with full
college privileges, even to the conferring
of degrees. Mr. Mitchell's success in the
management aud control of the affairs of
this school, together with his otherwise
recognized ability, secured for him, in
1876, appointments to membership on
both the Gallia County and the Gallipolis
City Boards of School Examiners, in the
organization of each of which he was
elected to the clerkship, and all of which
honorable and important positions he con
tinued to hold until he became ineligible
by non-residence, in 1883. In 1878 W.
H. Mitchell bought of the Hon. S. Y.
Wasson, at Gallipolis, Ohio, a book and
stationery store, which he continued to
operate as the sole proprietor, doing a
large and lucrative business until 1883,
when he disposed of the same at private
sale, that he might again give his entire
time and attention to teaching, the profes
sion of his choice.
In 1879, after the requisite five years of
successful experience in teaching had been
served, Mr. Mitchell received, upon appli
cation, at the hands of the Ohio State
Board of School Examiners, a strictly first-
class teacher's certificate, good for life.

and so comprehensive in character that he
is empowered thereby to discharge tbe
duties of any public-school position in the
great Commonwealth of Ohio.
On May 1, 1879, W. H. Mitchell was
married to Clara Cooley, youngest daugh
ter and child of the late William Henry
and Caroline Miller Langley, of Gallipolis,
Ohio, the former being widely and promi
nently known as the first president of what
is now the Columbus, Hocking Valley &
Toledo Railway. Clara Cooley Langley
was the eighth child of her parents, and
was born April 20, 1857. A fact worthy
of note here is that her second sister,
Mary Frances, born July 16, 1851, is the
wife of Theodore Jethro, her husband's
second brother. To William H. and Clara
L. Mitchell have been born two children —
a daughter and a son. The first, Caroline
Langley, was born April 25, 1885, and the
second, Walter Evens, December 3, 1888,
and at this writing both of these are men
tally and physically strong, healthful chil
dren, with every prospect of long and use
ful lives.
In June of 1883, Mr. Mitchell, being
desirous for a change from the scenes and
surroundings which had been familiar to
him for fifteen years, and to his wife from
her birth, sought and secured the position
of superintendent of the public schools of
Monroeville, Huron Co , Ohio, and from
that time to the present has continued to
discharge the responsible duties of that
important trust. He has also served as
the principal of the High School, and for
nine years as clerk of the Board of Educa
tion with which he has been associated,
and is still the incumbent in all of these
capacities. In 1885 he was appointed by
the Probate Court a member of the Huron
County Board of School Examiners, a little
later was elected clerk of that body, and
is thus officially still serving Huron county.
Educationally in his county and section
Mr. Mitchell is a recognized leader, hav
ing repeatedly served as president of
Teachers' Associations, and having again

82

HURON COUNTY, OHIO.

been the past year president of tbe In
stitute. As a summer school and institute
worker bis services are sought and ever
appreciated. He has filled positions on
the programme of State and National
Teachers' Associations; has contributed
liberally to the public prints, and is con
ceded to be a fluent and forceful speaker,
an active and earnest educational worker,
and a facile and finished writer upon
themes educational and ethical.
Masonically, our subject has likewise
achieved distinction and honor, having had
conferred upon bim all the degrees of the
blue lodge, chapter, council, and com-
mandery, and having in these bodies filled
numerous official stations. At this writ
ing he has entered upon his third term as
Worshipful Master of Roby Lodge, No.
534, F. & A. M., of Monroeville, Ohio, and
is thereby the highest official and the
acknowledged head of tbe order in his
home town. Politically he is a Republi
can, aud in politics as in all things else is
active and energetic, though sufficiently
conservative as not to be offensively par
tisan. His voice is heard in the conven
tions of his party, and in the Huron
County Convention of 1892, the largest
and most remarkable in the history of the
county, he was both the temporary and
permanent chairman; and a prominent
Cleveland daily, in giving an account
thereof, published his portrait and biogra
phy, and added tbe comment that, "with
malice toward none, and charity for all,
we will venture the assertion that the
Huron county perspiring patriots, in con
vention assembled, could not have selected
from all their hosts a more competent
man than Sup't. W. H. Mitchell, of Mon
roeville, to preside over tbeir deliberations."
Religiously, W. H. Mitchell is a Presby
terian, having in mature manhood been
received into that church by his father,
and having later transferred his member
ship to the Presbyterian church of Mon
roeville. He is president of the Board of
Trustees of the church of his choice, and

is an active and useful member in the
management of all of its affairs.
As an educator, Mason, citizen and
Christian, William Henry Mitchell may
be recorded as a manly man. An honor
to his profession, an example to his fra
ternity, a credit to his community, a sup
port to his church, and withal a dutiful
son, affectionate husband, and kind and
indulgent father.

lILLIS H. PETERS, than whom
there is no more enterprising and
popular citizen in the fair city of
Norwalk, is a native of the place,
born September 1, 1853, a son of Eli and
Mary Jane (Weed) Peters.
Eli Peters was born of pure Holland-
Dutch descent, in Union county, Penn.,
where he was reared and educated. In
1853 he came to Norwalk, and at once em
barked in the clothing business, which he
followed during life, and died December
12, 1890, at the age of sixty-five years.
His parents having died when he was yet a
boy, he had to shift for himself; and his
remarkable success in life, considering his
advantages, was entirely due to his plod
ding perseverance, sound judgment in all
business transactions, and unquestioned
integrity. It has truly been said of him
that his character was without blemish,
and his honor pure and unsullied. On
December 15. 1852, at Wooster, Wayne
county, he was married to Mary Jane
Weed, a native of Wayne county, Ohio,
and a relative of Tburlow Weed, by which
union there were born two children. Mr.
Peters was a member and senior warden
of the Episcopal Church at Norwalk for
many years, and in his political sympathies
he was a Republican.
Willis H. Peters, of whom this bio
graphical sketch is written, was educated
at the public schools of Norwalk, and
afterward took a course at the Spencerian
Commercial College, Cleveland. When of

HURON COUNTY, OHIO.

83

proper age he was taken into his father's
store, serving at first as clerk, and later,
in 1877, was admitted as a partner, the
style of the firm being E. Peters & Son
for over ten years. At the death of his
father he succeeded to the business, and
has since carried it on with the same de
gree of care, attention and scrupulous
dealing- which characterized it during his
father's lifetime. The Peters Clothing
Company is the largest house in that line in
Norwalk, and gives steady employment to
some twenty-seven assistants, the stock
consisting of gents' furnishings, clothing,
hats, caps, etc., in addition to which
merchant tailoring is a specialty. Mr.
Peters' is a member of a syndicate of
twenty-nine merchants combined for the
better purchasing of clothing.
On May 17, 1892, Willis H. Peters
was united in marriage with Miss
Corinne Barrett, of Santa Anna, Cal., who
for many years was principal of a school
at Columbus, Ohio. Mr. Peters is a mem:
ber of the Episcopal Church, and in poli
tics is a stanch Republican. Socially he is
a member of the A. F. & A. M. (in which
he has attained the thirty-second degree),
of the Ancient Scottish Rite, also of the
Mystic Shrine and of the Order of Elks.
As a citizen he is much esteemed, and his
popularity is unbounded.

E

-DGAR MARTIN, M. D., the
eighth child of Gilbert and Han-
_, nah (Washburn) Martin, was born
-. in Fitch ville, Huron Co., Ohio,
October 10, 1826. In 1851 he came to
Townsend, and commenced the practice of
medicine. In 1853 Dr. Martin married Miss
Mary J. Chapman, of Townsend, and they
have had six children, viz.: Marie, Fred
D., May, Clarence E., Mary E. and Edgar
G., of whom are living Marie, May and Ed
gar G. ; Clarence E. died at the age of live

years, Mary E. when aged nine months,
and Fred D. at the age of thirty-seven
years. Marie married T. PI. Bain, and
lives in 'Topeka, Kans. (they had one
daughter, now dead); Fred D. married
Bessie Kellogg, and died July 8, 1893 (he
practiced medicine, his specialty being the
eye, ear and throat); May married Charles
A. Smith, and lives in Spokane Falls,
Wash, (they had one daughter); Edgar G.
is attending college.
Dr. Edgar Martin took his degree from
the Cleveland Medical College in Cleve-
land, Ohio, in the year 1856, after five
years of practice. He practiced medicine
from 1851 up to 1883, in Townsend aud
adjoining townships. In 1859 he was
elected justice of the peace, and has held
the office for thirty years — twenty-four
years in Townsend and six in Norwalk,
and is enjoying his third term in that
town. In tbe early part of the Civil war
he was commissioned first lieutenant in
the One Hundred and Twenty-third Reg
iment 0. V. I., and was soon promoted to a
captaincy in the One Hundred and Sixty-
sixth Regiment O. V. I. In 1873 he was
elected to the State Legislature, serving
therein two years. In early life Dr. E.
Martin was an Abolitionist, and in 1852
voted for John P. Hale, for President.
He has been a stanch Republican since
the organization of the party.
The Doctor sprung from a Quaker an
cestry, whieh will explain to some extent,
at least, his pronounced anti-slavery con
viction in his early manhood. To prop
erly estimate such a character we must
bear in mind that tbe church society and
the two great political parties were in
tensely pro-slavery, aud all alike ready to
rend the man who had the temerity to
stand and talk and vote for human rights.
To remember those in bonds, as bound
with them, created the bitterest antagon
isms as well as social ostracism, and was
considered sufficient cause for personal
abuse and cruel persecution in many cases,
both in the church and out of it. This

84

HURON COUNTY, OHIO.

fact will add a special lustre to the early
manhood of Dr. E. Martin. Socially he
is a Knight Templar, and a member of
the G. A. R. Post, East Townsend.

l"J\ILLIAM H. PRICE. The true
\i) standard by which to judge a
|f( community is the character of its
prominent citizens. Progress is
rarely, if ever, the result of chance, but
always the execution of well-laid plans
based on a thorough comprehension of the
laws of business. It is only by keeping
in view the lives of men who are ever as
sociated in the busy marts of commerce
that we can judge of the importance of de
velopment, and the possibilities of progress.
Thus it is, that from the commercial, more
than the literary or political side, the most
valuable lessons of life are to be extracted.
In this connection, as a gentleman whose
business qualifications are of the best, as
indicated by the numerous enterprises
which he has brought to a successful issue,
a brief biographical sketch is given of
William H. Price, president of the Nor
walk Savings Bank Company.
He whs born in Herefordshire, England,
in 1845, a son of Henry and Elizabeth
(Harris) Price, tbe former of whom is a
farmer of Herefordshire, and both the
Prices and Harrisses are of Welsh descent,
coming from the line of ancient Britons.
Samuel Price, the father of the Henry
Price above mentioned, and also the great
grandfather of the subject of this sketch,
 Grenow, were both born at the old
family English home, in Herefordshire,
which is still in the family possession.
The Prices were stock dealers and farmers,
while the maternal branch of the family
were seafaring men and miners; two of
them were sea-captains, sailing from Swan
sea. The venerable parents of subject are
still happily residing on the old homestead
— the beloved father and mother of seven
living children.

W. H. Price reached his manhood in
his parental home, receiving but a fair
business education in the public schools of
the vicinity, after which he served an ap
prenticeship to the droving and slaughter
ing business. At the age of twenty-one
he came to America with Mr. William
Prowbert, of the firm of William Prow-
bert & Co., Cleveland, who was a friend of
his father, and who in his day was one of
the leading business men of that city.
Mr. Price was associated with Mr. Prow
bert two years, having charge of much of
the firm's business, especially the buying
of stock for slaughtering purposes; after
two years' service in this capacity he be
came manager of the firm of' E. Cadle &
Co. in a similar line of business. Con
tinuing four years with this company as
manager, he organized the' firm of W. H.
Price & Co., closing with the old firm.
During the next six years the new firm
did a leading wholesale and retail slaugh
ter business in Cleveland, at the end of
which time Mr. Price again sold and re
tired, on account of failing health, caused
by his over-zealous attention, to their ex
tended affairs. He sailed for Europe in
the early part of 1878, and again visited
the familiar scenes of childhood, and those
of the dear old parental home. This change
and total relaxation of all care continued
through the season, and brought a happy
restoration of health and strength. It is
proper enough to here say that this was
his second severe sickness in this country.
Soon after he first came to America, and
when he bad only been fairly launched in
business, an unfortunate accident befell
him that finally sent him to the hospital
for a long term, and where he had to
undergo a dangerous surgical operation,
from which he barely emerged with life.
The young man had come with but a lim
ited capital, and his sickness had exhausted
this and all his earnings, leaving him more
than one hundred dollars in debt — mis
fortunes that would have quite vanquished
many a young man, especially if far from

^CtiL

HURON COUNTY, OHIO.

87

home and family friends. While the young
man's energy outran bis physical nature,
yet he had resolute will — -a soul undaunted
and a purpose high, he moved ever for
ward. On his return from Europe he or
ganized the firm of Price & Chandler,
which did an exclusively wholesale aud re
tail business, furnishing meat to the retail
dealers, and many of the public institu
tions of Cleveland, Mr. Price visiting
Chicago and St. Louis, purchasing the
stock of the firm. His solicitude and con
stantly painstaking labor, in whatever
capacity he acted, again told upon his
health; and after the firm had enjoyed
three yearB of very prosperous business he
found it necessary to retire from active
life in order to allow his energies to re
cuperate. With this view be sold out his
interest in the firm and removed to a farm
in the suburbs of Norwalk, where after
two years of quiet and outdoor exercise he
found much of his former vigor regained,
and soon again plunged into business. In
1884 he was associated with C. H. Stewart
in a real-estate partnership, and during the
five years they were actively thus engaged
they laid off four additions to Norwalk,
and the rapid growth of the place then
commenced, as they sold more lots and
built more houses than all the other deal
ers in the place, helping many workmen
to buy homes, as they would sell to them
on the installment plan. The period from
1884 to 1889 was marked as the improve
ment era of Norwalk, and much of this
was due to, the energy, foresight and liber ^
ality of this firm.
In 1889, in connection with C. H.
Stewart and W. O. Monett, Mr. Price
organized the Norwalk Savings Bank, a
copartnership concern until 1891, when it
was reorganized and, was chartered as a
j'oint-stock company. Mr. Price has been
president of both organizations, and this
is uow one of the most successful financial
institutions in this part of Ohio, with a
capital stock of one hundred thousand dol
lars. Mr. Price is a stockholder in tbe

First National Bank of Norwalk. In the
early part of 1892 the people of Norwalk
became deeply interested in the question
of electric motive power for street and
road transportation. As the rapid develop
ment of the use of electricity as the hand
maiden of man, street railroads became a
leading question, and a road connecting
Sandusky, Milan and Norwalk was mooted.
This called out people of greatest enter
prise. A company was soon formed, the
project put on its feet, and was rapidly
pushed to completion. Mr. Price is a
prominent stockholder and director, and
was by the unanimous voice of the owners
called to the most important place in di
recting its movements, the company all
feeling that with him at the helm there
was ample guarantee of assured success.
Auother enterprise of moment to the city
was also launched in 1892, when a com
pany was formed to build tbe Norwalk
Foundry and Machine Works, now a suc
cessful plant, and again Mr. Price was
called by his fellow stockholders to the
leading place of president. In the organ-:
ization of the Arcade Savings Bank Com
pany, of Cleveland, he was a prime mover
and is a stockholder; was active in estab
lishing the Garfield Banking Company,
whose place of business is located in Cleve
land and owned by Price & Stewart; he is
a stockholder in the Dime Savings Bank
of Cleveland, president of the Norwalk
Nursery Company, and president of the
Norwalk Brick Company, two of the im
portant industries of the city, which may
well look to him as their foster-father, as
they received the benefit of his intelligent
judgment and financial resources. He is
vice-president of the Smith Specialty Com
pany, one of the flourishing factories of
the place; stockholder and director of the
Norwalk Metal Spinning and Stamping
Company, and stockholder of the Lake Erie
Tobacco Company, of Norwalk. As stated,
he has opened four additions to the city of
Norwalk, on which he has built over 150
houses, and iu addition to these many

88

HURON COUNTY, OHIO.

important interests Mr. Price operates two
farms; and it is not to be wondered it is
said of him that he is oneof the busiest of
busy men.
The chief elements of Mr. Price's success
lie in his competency to plan, coupled
with his executive ability and shrewd fore
sight. His mind is never easy except
when the channels of each enterprise with
which he is connected are clearly defined.
It is in the fog that the ship strikes upon the
shoal or rock, and is wrecked. Business
natures have their misty days, and it is
then that a hand at the helm, familiar with
the way, saves from collapse. It may
well be said that no enterprise with which
Mr. Price has been associated has ever
proven a failure. He gives personal
supervision to every detail of his business,
and the wonder is that be succeeds in doing
so, considering the extent and variety of
his occupations. In person he is of strong
frame and medium stature. During his
youth he was quite an athlete, and met
few men his equal in physical strength,
but on just entering into bis business
career a severe spell of sickness left results
that have impaired his physical vigor. He
has since been forced to guage his accom
plishments to his strength. In reviewing
his life and early associations, and recall
ing many who started equal in the race
with bim, but whose lives have fallen short
of success, he has been prone to speculate
as to whether his physical disability has
not been a main cause of his keeping him
self aloof from the entanglements and dis
sipations which have proven destructive
to many others. Yet it may be safely held
that men of Mr. Price's stamp, who have
a definite aim in life, are hard to swerve
from their course. They go straight to
the end, surmounting obstacles as if driven
by the hand of destiny. However, after
having made life a marked success, it may
be well said of him that he has achieved
all under adverse circumstances.
William H. Price and Catharine A.
Wheaton, daughter of Daniel and Anna

(Meyhew) Wheaton, natives of Cambridge,
England, were joined in wedlock May 15,
1872. Mrs. Price was born in the old
English home, and came to America with
her people when but three years of age,
the family locating in Norwalk, where they
made their home. Mrs. Wheaton died in
1878. To Mr. and Mrs. Price were born
six children, as follows: Harris Wheaton
Price, born April 25, 1874, now teller in
bis father's bank; Bessie M. (deceased);
Anna Meyhew; Bessie Louise; Wesley
Hildreth, and Olive Edna. Tbe family is
Protestant in faith, and Mr. Price, while
he may be classed as affiliating with the
Democratic party, has always been in fact
independent in his voting, preferring the
best men and public weal to mere party
claims.

^ILLIAM SANDMEISTER,
M. D., a popular and rising young
physician of Bellevue, is a son of
Dr. Charles Sandmeister, who was
for many years one of the most prominent
members of the medical profession ia
Huron county. John George Sandmeister,
the grandfather of subject, was a native of
Hersfeld, Hessen-Cassel, Germany, was a
merchant in that city, and died there
in 1853.
Dr. Charles Sandmeister was born Febru
ary 22, 1831, in Hersfeld, Hessen-Cassel,
Germany, emigrated to tbe United States
in 1851, and studied medicine at Tiffin,
Ohio. In 1855 he commenced the prac
tice of the profession, and in 1864 gradu
ated from the Eclectic Medical Institute
of Cincinnati. On October 22, 1860, he
was married to Lena Wygant, of Sandusky
City, and to this union five children were
born, two sons — of whom, Charles, yet liv
ing, has graduated in pharmacy at Chicago
College of Pharmacy — and three daughters,
one being deceased. Dr. Charles Sand
meister died in 1888. He was a member
of three medical Societies, the National,

HURON COUNTY, OHIO.

89

the State and the Northwestern Eclectic
Medical Associations. In 1877 the Doc
tor visited Germany, and brought his
mother to this country, where she died in
April, 1882. At the time of his death he
owned 227 acres of fine land in Thompson
township, Seneca county, and had a large
income from his practice, for be was
recognized as a most competent physician
and surgeon, and one of liberal professional
views. In politics he was a Democrat;
in religious faith, a Lutheran.
Dr. William Sandmeister was born
January 23, 1865, at Bellevue, Huron Co.,
Ohio, and received his elementary educa
tion in the public schools of his native
city, afterward attending the Capital Uni
versity, Columbus, Ohio, whence he gradu
ated in 1886. Next entering Western
Reserve College, Cleveland, he was
graduated from that institution in 1889,
in which year he established himself
in practice at Bellevue. In September,
1891, he visited Europe, took a general
course in medicine in the great hospitals
of Vienna, Austria, returned in June,
1892, and resumed practice, in which he
has since been continuously engaged.
Though young in years, he is already
thoroughly experienced in the profession.
The teachings of his father, no less than
his father's high reputation, have made his
journey to professional success compara
tively easy-. His thorough studies of
medicine both in this and foreign lands,
together with his industry, qualify him to
take the place in professional aud popu
lar estimation held by tbe late Dr. Charles
Sandmeister,

Tf J( E. HILL. This representative pros
it perous citizen, and leading business
| 1| man of Monroeville, is a native of
•f/ Ohio, born in Berlin Heights, Erie
county, December 11, 1840.
Noah Hill, his grandfather, who was of
English descent, came from Connecticut
to Ohio in 1817, bringing his wife and five

children. They were veritable pioneers of
Erie county, where Noah, who had been a
cloth dresser in the East, followed the
trade of ship carpenter, becoming a master
builder and a very expert workman. He
was also a well-to-do farmer, owning at
one time over 400 acres of land, all ac
cumulated by hard work, and for part of
which he remained in debt some forty-five
years, but eventually succeeded in paying
off the last penny. In 1850 he disposed
of his property and retired, making his
final home in Berlin Heights, where he
died in 1864. He was a large, well-built
man; a Republican in politics, formerly a
Whig, and served as a justice of the peace.
By his wife, Sukey (Butler), he had chih
dren, as follows: Horace L., Edwin I.,
Elihu P., Benjamin L., Henrietta, Mary
Ann, Hester, Sarah, George S., Sterling
and Noah.
Edwin I. Hill, father of subject, was
one of the five children of Noah Hill who
became pioneers of Erie county. He was
born in Guilford, Conn., in 1809, aud con
sequently was eight years old when he came
to Ohio. He learned the cooper's trade,
which he followed as long as it was profit
able, and then took up farming, in which
he continued many years. He was thrice
married, first time to Lucy A. Tenant,
who bore him children as follows: Horace
O, killed at Resaca, Ga., May 15, 1864,
while a member of the One Hundred and
Third O. V. I. (his brother H. E. was also
in the same battle, totally ignorant of
Horace being also there, as he had not seen
him since enlistment; the interment of
Horace took place before H. E. knew of his
death); Benjamin I., a farmer, of near
Berlin Heights; Alpha A., now Mrs.
Charles Tillinghast, of Berliu Heights;
and H. E. The mother of these dying
August 31, 1842, Edwin I. Hill mar
ried, in 1844, Miss Catherine Wen-
dall, by which union was born one
child, Lucy, who died young. This wife
passed away in 1855, and for his third
spouse Mr. Hill wedded Miss Sallie Pea-

90

HURON COUNTY, OHIO.

body, by whom there are two children:
Sterling L., superintendent of schools at
Berlin Heights, Erie county, and Louise,
at present attending Oberlin College.
Edwin I. Hill departed this life January
24, 1888, and was buried at Berlin
Heights, Erie county. In his political
sympathies he was first a Whig, afterward
a Republican, and was well read on all
public issues.
H. E. Hill, the subject proper of this
sketch, received his primary education at
the common schools of his native place,
later attending a seminary at Berlin
Heights, in those days an educational in
stitution considerably in advance of others
in northern Ohio. He was but eighteen
months old when he lost his mother, but
he was adopted by an aunt, Mrs. Horace
L. Hill, who reared him, and was as kind
to him as the kindest mother could be; her
husband also treated him with great kind
ness, and took much interest in him. On
April 20, 1859, his foster-father having
given him two hundred dollars in gold, our
subject set out, in company witb five
others, for Pike's Peak, taking rail to St.
Louis, thence boat to Leavenworth, Kans.,
where they secured their outfit, including
provisions, three yoke of oxen, wagons, etc.
In fifty-one days they reached Detiver,
Colo., at tbat time a ragged collection of
rude huts, the route of the party being
across prairies where they saw vast herds
of buffalo, some of which fell to their rifles,
thus supplying them with plenty of fresh
meat. The summer the party spent in the
mountains, and in the fall they made tbeir
return trip homeward.
At Huron, Ohio, April 19, 1861, Mr.
Hill enlisted in Company E, Seventh O.
V. I., three months service, and from San
dusky they proceeded to Cleveland, where
was completed the organization of tbe
regiment, which then mpved tp Camp
Dennison, near Cincinnati, Ohio. About
the middle of June, 1861, the three months
term having expired, Mr. Hill, along with
the majority of the old members, re-

enlisted into the Seventh. The regiment,
which was attached to the army of the
Potomac, being ordered South, crossed the
Ohio river at Bellaire into West Virginia,
where at Cross Lanes it experienced its
first general engagement with the enemy.
The next campaign was in the Shenandoah
Valley, in which, owing to illness, Mr.
Hill was unable to participate. He was
sent to the convalescent camp at Washing
ton, D. O, for a few weeks, and on his
recovery he rejoined bis regiment. He
was present at the battles of Culpeper
Courthouse, Cedar Mountain and Antie
tam; thence marched to Fredericksburg,
after which came the two-days' battle of
Chancellorsville. From there the regi
ment proceeded to Gettysburg, where early
on the morning of the third day of the
memorable battle there be was wounded
in the left arm. After lying ten days in
the field hospital, he was removed to
Philadelphia. In January, 1864, he once
more joined his regiment, in time to take
part in the battles of Dallas and Resaca,
from which latter locality the command
was ordered to Chattanooga, where it re
mained till the end of June, 1864, and
July 6, following, our subject received an
honorable discharge at Cleveland, Ohio,
returning to Berlin Heights, having served
three years and three months. He was
promoted to sergeant, and at Gettysburg,
Cedar Mountain and Chancellorsville he
is reported as having " served with valor."
Having now resumed the vocations of
peace, Mr. Hill took a course at the East
man Business college, Poughkeepsie,
N. Y., and April 3, 1865, he made his
residence in Monroeville, where he entered
the freight office of the Lake Shore &
Michigan Southern Railroad, as clerk, re
maining as such until August 1, 1873.
On January 1, 1874, Mr. Hill embarked
in the grain elevator business, becoming
associated with Mr. Fish, his present
partner; but some time afterward he
abandoned this industry and commenced
in mercantile trade at Berlin Heights, in

HURON COUNTY, OHIO.

91

partnership with Mr. Webster, under the
firm name of Hill & Webster. In the fall
of 1878 he once more removed to Monroe
ville, where he opened up an extensive
grain trade, and July, 1881, having again
become associated with Mr. Fish, bought
the present flourishing business, the firm
becoming on tbe first day of the following
September, Skilton, Fish & Hill; in 1886
it was changed to Fish & Hill, its present
style — a firm of high standing.
On December 10, 1878, Mr. Hill mar
ried Miss Louisa B. Harter, born in San
dusky, Ohio, a daughter of Charles Harter,
and the children of this union are Horace
O, Ruth T., Marcus H. and Anna L.
Mrs. Hill is a member of the Presbyterian
Church. A Republican in politics, Mr.
Hill takes an active interest in all matters
tending to the welfare of his country,
State, county and town; he is a member of
the village council, and while a resident
of Erie county served his township as
treasurer. He is a past master, of Robv
Lodge No. 534, F. & A. M-

/f^EORGE E. WOOD, editor and pub-
I w lisher of The Bellevue News, was
\^| born in Walworth county, Wis.,
}k August 3, 1860. His parents, J.
G. and Almira (Mills) Wood, were
born in New York, and at an early date
settled in the West.
After an extended residence in Wiscon
sin, they again looked westward for a
home, and in 1867 located at Monticello,
Jones Co., Iowa, where the subject of this
sketch grew to manhood. In 1890 tbey
removed to Bellevue, Ohio, and took up
their abode with their son George. J. G.
Wood died at Bellevue June 28, 1892; his
widow is still living.
George Elmer Wood completed his, edu
cation at the State Agricultural College,
at Ames, Iowa, and for some time after
leaving engaged in school teaching. Later
he entered upon the study of law, and

while so engaged was chosen justice of the
peace and re-elected. He was admitted to
the bar of Iowa in 1884 before the State
Supreme Court, but soon relinquished the
practice of his chosen profession to move
to Anamosa, the county seat, and fill the
position of acting county recorder, to
which he was appointed. For fourteen
months he served in that capacity, and then
resigned in 1885, to accept the position of
county superintendent of schools, to which
he had in the meantime been elected. In
April, 1888, Mr. Wood came to Bellevue,
purchased the Local News office, improved
the appearance of the paper, built up a
really local newspaper, extended the cir
culation, abolished the old name, and in
1890 adopted the present title, The Belle
vue News. The paper has a local circula
tion among 1,300 subscribers, and is a
first-class advertising medium. It was
established in 1875, without political
affiliations, and has continued independent
to the present time. Mr. Wood is a young
man, energetic and ambitious, and by well-
directed industry has widened the influ
ence of his journal, and succeeded where
others failed.
Our subject was united in marriage
August 29, 1888, with Miss Jessie Deni
son, a native of Anamosa, Iowa, and
daughter of A. M. aud Lucy A. (Roberts)
Denison, both natives of the State of
New York.

HARLES W. ARNOLD, M. D., who
for the past several years has con
ducted a general mercantile business
at Townsend Center, was born Au
gust 11, 1825, in Oxford, Chenango Co.,
N. Y., the eldest of two children born to
James and Emily (Cook) Arnold, the
former of whom was a native of Norwalk,
Conn., the latter of Dutchess couuty, N.
Y. Both were of English descent.
James Arnold received in his youth but
a limited school training, but in after
years be succeeded by his own exertions in

92

HURON COUNTY, OHIO.

acquiring a good practical English edu
cation, and a wide and varied stock of gen
eral information.. He was all his life a
close reader, and was well posted, not only
on current topics, but also on general his
tory — ancient and modern — and the vari
ous sciences. His character was formed in
the practical school of experience, and this
rendered him broad and liberal in all his
views. In early life he learned carriage-
making at Utica, N. Y., with a man named
Lloyd, serving an apprenticeship of some
three years, after which he followed the
trade for a time as a journeyman. On
November 14, 1824, he was united in mar
riage, in North Norwich, N. Y., to Miss
Emily Cook, and in 1831 migrated west
ward to Ohio, coming via the Erie Canal
to Buffalo, N. Y., and thence on a lake-
boat, tbe " Sheldon Thompson," one of the
earliest on the lakes, to Sandusky (then
Portland). On the same boat was a com
pany of Wyandot chiefs, who were return
ing from a trip to Washington City.
Mr. Arnold located at Milan, Erie
county, where he opened a carriage and
Wagon shop, and continued to follow his
trade for some three or four years, when he
removed to Townsend, Huron county.
Here he purchased wild land, and cleared
and improved a farm, and was for sev
eral years engaged in agricultural pur
suits; then, in 1849, he bought a slightly
improved farm near Townsend Center, on
which stood an old blockhouse. He built
the first frame house in Townsend Center
(where be subsequently engaged in general
merchandising), and also tbe first sawmill,
which he sold to William and Dudley S.
Humphrey. For many years he was post
master at East Townsend. For several
years be was in partnership, in the general
mercantile business, with his younger son,
who later bought out his father's interest
in the store, and removed the business to
New York, after which Mr. Arnold led a
retired life until his death, which occurred
March 26, 1882. He was one of the old
est Masons in the county, having for a

number of years been a member of Mt.
Vernon Lodge No. 64, F. & A. M., Nor
walk, and afterward a charter member of
East Townsend Lodge No. 322, and he
was buried with Masonic ceremonies. His
father was a soldier in the Revolutionary
war, rendering gallant service throughout
the entire struggle, and at the battle of
New London, Conn., was taken prisoner
and confined in the famous sugar-ware
house prison iu New York. By profession
he was a civil engineer and surveyor.
The ancestors of the Arnold family were
among the hardy and patriotic pioneers of
the old Hartland colony, and took an ac
tive and honorable part in the affairs of the
commonwealth during Colonial days. Mrs.
Emily (Cook) Arnold died January 20,
1885, an ardent, lifelong member of the
Baptist Church. Her father, Joseph Cook,
who was born in 1751, was also a soldier in
the Continental army, having entered the
service at an early age. He participated in
the engagement at Plattsburg and many
other battles.
Dr. Charles W. Arnold, whose name
opens this sketch,, received in his early
years a fair common-school education, and
was employed on the home farm until be
attained his majority. He then commenced
the study of medicine under the preceptor-
ship of Prof. B. L. Hill, of Berlin Heights,
Ohio, completing his professional educa
tion at the Eclectic Medical Institute, Cin
cinnati, whence he graduated with high
honors in 1850. Entering upon the duties
of his profession at Townsend Center, his
old home, he remained there several years,
and then practiced Tn the vicinity of Cold-
water, Mich., for six or eight years. From
there he removed to Athens, Calhoun Co.,
Mich., where he continued to practice
about three years, after which, in 1874, he
abandoned his profession and returned to
Townsend Center, to care for his parents,
who were becoming aged and feeble. Sub
sequent to their death, in 1886,he embarked
in his present business, which he has since
successfully carried on. In September,

HURON COUNTY, OHIO.

93

1845, Dr. Arnold was married to Miss
Eliza Jane Proctor, who was born in Ohio;
her parents were natives, respectively, of
England and Vermont. To this union
came two children : Horace S., who at the
age of eighteen, in 1863, enlisted in Loomis'
Battery, from Coldwater, Mich, (he died
April 4, 1864, at Huntsville, Ala.), and
Ida G., who died June 10, 1854, when
aged four years. Mrs. Eliza Arnold died
June 4, 1854, a Universalist in religious
faith, and on October 17, 1873, our sub
ject wedded, for his second wife, Miss
Jennie L. Howard, who was a native of
Michigan and of English-German extrac
tion. In politics the Doctor is a Democrat,
and served for several years as postmaster
at East Townsend. Socially he is a mem
ber of the A. F. & A. M., East Townsend
Lodge No. 322, and* also of the I. O. 0. F.,
Subordinate Lodge and Encampment.

y\ILLIAM M. HUSTED, Norwalk.
' Edward E. Husted, father of this
gentleman, was born in Danbury,
Conn., December 27, 1805, and
came witb his father's family to Huron
county, Ohio, in 1810. Samuel Husted,
father of Edward E., was the first settler
of Clearfield township, in that county, and
died there during the Civil war, at the age
of eighty- two years.
Edward E. Husted grew to manhood in
Huron county, and was married in 1832 to
Miss Debora Gray, a native of Danbury,
Conn., by which union were born children
as follows: Edwin G., machinist in rail
road shops; Elmer E., postmaster at Well
ington, Ohio; J. Frank, who died in 1890,
aged fifty years; Edward L., bookkeeper
for G. M. S. Sanborn, coal dealer, Nor
walk; Emma G., Mrs. Abner Baker; Will
iam M., and Ella J., Mrs. J. H. Husted, of
Chicago, 111. The mother departed this
life September 26, 1884, at the age of
seventy-two, an active, Christian woman,
and member of the Congregational Church,

prominent in its affairs. Her brother,
Erastus Gray, opened a shoe store in Nor
walk, in 1832, and afterward became a
partner of Edward E. Husted, the style of
the firm being Husted & Gray, which was
afterward changed to Gray & Husted, and
finally to Husted & Son. Mr. Gray, who
was a native of Connecticut, and one of the
first settlers of Norwalk, reached the age
of seventy-six years. Edward E. Husted
died December 25, 1878. He was an up
right, intelligent and valuable citizen, and
a merchant of wide repute, keeping a shoe
store in Norwalk until 1857, which was
established by Husted & Gray, as already
related. He was first elected sheriff of
Huron county in 1840, at which time he
moved from his fine farm to Norwalk, and
served his term, not only to the satisfaction
of the Democratic friends who had elected
him, but of the entire community, and was
re-elected. Afterward he was elected, on
the Republican ticket, two terms as county
treasurer, aud in this office was equally
successful in pleasing his constituents. He
was an Abolitionist, and is said to have
kept a "station" on the "Underground
Railroad." For many years he was a con
sistent member of the Congregational
Church.

IfSAAC HARRISON CHANDLER, of
Norwalk township, was born Decem-
J ber 2, 1830, in Madison county, N. Y.,
a son of Ebenezer Chandler, who was a
son of Simeon, who was a son of Benjamin.
Benjamin Chandler, great-grandfather
of subject, came to America with Gen. La-
Fayette, in the French army, in which he
was serving as captain. He took an active
part in the Revolutionary war until its
close, and afterward settled near Hartford,
Conn., where he followed farming. He
had three children.
Simeon Chandler, son of Benjamin, was
born in Connecticut. At the age of four
teen years, he fell on the ice, injuring his
knee so badly as to cripple him for life,

94

HURON COUNTY, OHIO.

and this accident may be said to have ma
terially governed his future life. He be
came a shoemaker, and learning the violin
became a player of no small repute. He
married Miss Louise Benjamin, a lady of
Welsh descent, and seven children were
born to them, all growing to maturity,
viz.: Simeon, Benjamin, Rebecca, Fannie,
Louise, Parmelia and Ebenezer.
Of these Ebenezer was the father of the
subject of this sketch. He was born in
1800, in Connecticut, and there received
but a limited education, as he had to remain
at home in order to assist his widowed
mother, besides working out at whatever
he could find to do. At the age of eight
een years he left his native State for New
York State, locating on a farm near Per
ryville Falls, Madison county, where he
engaged in agriculture. He was there
married in 1822 to Miss Lydia Post, a
daughter of Isaiah Post, a farmer of that
locality. In 1836 they came to Hartland,
Huron Co., Ohio, settling on a farm,
where he died in 1877. He was originally
a Whig, later a Republican, and held nu
merous township offices. His wife died in
1891. They were the parents of ten chil
dren, viz.: One that died in infancy; Luret-
ta, deceased; Dolly, now Mrs. Truman, of
Clarksfield, Huron county; Cornelia, de
ceased; Isaac H., our subject; Ebenezer,
in Erie county, Ohio; Joseph E., a resi
dent of Fitchville, Huron county; Amelia,
deceased; and Arvilla, now Mrs. R. Bar
rett, of New London, Huron county, and
Frank B., of Colorado.
Isaac H. Chandler, whose name opens
this sketch, was six years of age when he
came with his father to Huron county,
where he attended the common schools and
was reared to farming pursuits. The
country was yet very wild, abounding in
deer and turkeys, many wolves yet roam
ing about in search of prey. He com
menced business life as a lumberman,
spending some time in the lumber re
gions of Michigan, where he met with suc
cess. Returning to Huron county, he

bought a sawmill at Hartland, and later,
in 1868, a second one on what is now the
Fries farm, in Norwalk township. This
he operated till 1874, when the boiler
burst, killing his eldest son, then about
twenty-one years of age, our subject him
self having a narrow escape. In 1876 he
rebuilt the mill, and has kept it in partial
operation since. In 1863 he had bought
the farm of sixty acres on which he lives,
and in 1866 moved thereto.
In 1853 Mr. Chandler was married to
Miss Catherine D. Rumsey, daughter of
George Rumsey, of New London, Huron
Co., Ohio, and seven children were born to
them, as follows: Homer, who was killed
in the sawmill; Charles H., a bookkeeper
in Cleveland; Lewis, a farmer of Fitch
ville township; Frank, deceased in in
fancy; F. H., who lives on a farm adjoin
ing his father's; Clarence O, married, re
siding with his father; and Clara May,
deceased when four months old. In his
political preferences Mr. Chandler is a
stanch Republican, and he has held various
township offices.

Iff ENRY P. STENTZ, president of
IsH the First National Bank of Monroe-
[ lj ville. This gentleman is prominent
•fj in the array of leading financiers
and capitalists of the State, and
one of the most widely-known, respected
and prosperous of her citizens. In Mon
roeville, and indeed in the whole county
of Huron, there is no name that ranks
higher than that of Henry P. Stentz, in
all those qualities which constitute good
citizenship; and there is none more de
serving of an exhaustive biographical
record in the pages of this volume.
Mr. Stentz was born in Middletown,
Penn., February 26, 1838, and is descended
from sturdy, honest German stock, from
which he inherits in a marked degree the
characteristic energy, good judgment and
other business qualities that have made
bim the successful financier be is. He is

HURON COUNTY, OHIO.

97

a son of Peter and Catherine (Keller)
Stentz, natives of Pennsylvania, who re
moved to Huron county, Ohio, in 1840,
thence, after a brief stay, proceeding to
Plymouth, Richland county; but the
greater part of their lives was afterward
passed at Galion, in Crawford county,
whither tbey removed in 1853.
Receiving his education at the Union
schools of Plymouth, Ohio, Mr. Stentz
at an early age entered the employ of Mr.
A. Atwood, a merchant and banker in
that town; and true to bis nature as evi
denced in all his business career, young
Stentz put his whole soul into the business,
his remuneration at first being but eight
dollars per month. His close attention to
business, and devotion- to every detail of
his employer's affairs, soon gained for
him the esteem and confidence of Mr.
Atwood, who did not fail to give substan
tial recognition.
Mr. Stentz remained in this connection
until during the Civil war, when he
severed himself from it, and launched out
on his own responsibility, speculating in
various articles of merchandise, such as
cotton, hemp, sugar and molasses. This
necessarily involved a good deal of travel
ing in the South, and business of this kind
and magnitude, requiring as it does the
application of shrewd finessing, cool
judgment, and bold, fearless push and
action, Mr. Stentz fonnd himself well
adapted to by nature.
But in these commercial enterprises he
does not claim to have made any fortune,
no doubt for the reason that in those
feverish, unsettled times the markets were
too capricious; yet it was in this exper
ience that he added capital to his already
no small stock of business tact and acumen.
At the close of the war he retired from the
field of speculation, and in 1866 came to
Monroeville to fill the position of cashier
of the Exchange Bank of that town, as
successor to Mr. S. V. Harkness. In
1879, this bank was organized as the
" First National Bank of Monroeville,"

with a capital of fifty thousand dollars,
and Mr. Stentz continued as "cashier of
same until 1889, when he was promoted to
the presidency. Mr. Stentz, during the
time of his wide commercial relations,
organized the First National Bank of
Galion, Ohio, one of the first institutions
of the kind established in Ohio under the
new regime, and he subsequently assisted
in the organization of the National Bank
of Plymouth. In addition to his banking
business, and aside from it, he is largely
interested in real estate, owning some
one thousand five hundred acres of fine
farming land in the vicinity of Monroe
ville. He has never married. Though
not a professor of religion he is an ad
herent and supporter of the Presbyterian
Church in Monroeville.
Henry P. Stentz furnishes a striking
illustration of a conservative and success
ful business man. Assuming the respon
sible duties of cashier of the Monroeville
Exchange Bank when a young man of
twenty-eight summers, he, by close atten
tion to every known duty connected with
that institution, and making himself
thoroughly conversant with all the details
of its working system; by strict and honor
able dealing and by careful and wise
management; by all these and more, Mr.
Stentz succeeded in elevating it to the
highest point of excellence attained byany
institution of the kind in Huron county.
And since, in order that its interests
might be extended, the Exchange Bank
was, through his efforts, organized into
a National Bank, he has brought it to
such perfection as a financial institution
that it now ranks among the soundest and
best managed banks in northern Ohio, his
name being identified with it as a leading
capitalist and business man. It has now
an annual deposit account of one hundred
and seventy-five thousand dollars, and pays
a dividend of five per cent, semi-annually.
From a recent issue of the Monroeville
Weekly Spectator we quote some portions
of an article written during the wild panic

98

HURON COUNTY, OHIO.

of the summer of 1893: "During a com
mercial crisis like that through which we
are now passing, when doubt and distrust
are apparent on every hand, there is sweet
consolation in the thought that the solvency
of our own home bank is unquestioned.
While hundreds of similar institutions
throughout the length and breadth of the
land are being forced into suspension or
failure, because of the existing lack of con
fidence, the First National Bank of Mon
roeville stands and will stand a monument
to tbe integrity, judgment and fidelity of
the efficient management it has ever en
joyed, and which to-day is identical
with that under which it began its career
over twenty-seven years ago. * * *
The present crisis finds it in better
condition than ever before to cope with
panical problems, and it will speedily and
satisfactorily solve all that are presented,
provided they legitimately come within
the sphere of its action. * * * Mr. Stentz
has been the moving spirit, the power be
hind tbe throne, the manager from the or
ganization to the present time, and to his
efforts are chiefly attributable the longcon-
tinued prosperity and substantial growth
that have characterized the bank's career,
and the enviable reputation, standing and
confidence which it now enjoys."
Mr. Stentz has not accumulated his capi
tal by speculation — far from it — but
through the well-regulated conservative
rules of legitimate business. His marked
success in, comparatively speaking, so un
pretentious a town as Monroeville, is a
lesson for every young man setting out in
life on a business career, with naught to aid
him save honesty of heart, integrity of pur
pose, a good courage and, withal, a willing
pair of hands and a level head.

CHARLES HILL STEWART, attor
ney at law, Norwalk, is a native of
the place, born November 6, 1859,
a son of Hon. Gideon T. and Abby
(Simmons) Stewart.

Our subject was reared amid generous
and pleasant surroundings, and while he
was born with no doubt the average allot
ment of youthful barbarism, yet the civiliz
ing precepts and examples of a refined
home, the lessons of the school and the
ever-vigilant eye of the community, with
its searchlight thrown upon the conduct
and bearing of the young, were enough to
bear him successfully to that time of life
when the youth becomes the father to the
man. The boy went the rounds of the
public schools with success, mixing in the
days with the usual riot of a vigorous boy's
life,, as well as a turn as printing office
boy, hunting " the type-louse," or on an
errand for the " devil's shooting-stick."
Like a sensible man, be regards his time
in the printing-office as days of his life not
ill-spent — barring a sigh of regret at the
way, boy-like, he would go down the stair
way at about two steps, always bringing
the frightened occupant of the lower floor
out to see if any one was killed. These
perilous but happy times were not entirely
ended by his transfer to the Ohio Wes
leyan University at Delaware, Ohio, where
he remained until well along in his junior
year. Returning to his home he com
menced the study of law in his father's
office, and on June 6, 1882, he was licensed
to appear in the courts as attorney. While
reading law he took his recreation in edit
ing and publishing the Daily News of
Norwalk, a vigorous and spicy paper, in
dependent politically. This he sold to
his brother, and it is now part of
the Experiment- News. Graduating out
of the publishing business into the law,
he then spent a year seeing with his
own eyes something of the wild life
of the West, a large part of the time
in the Dakotas and the Indian Terri
tory. Of all his years of schooling this
was perhaps the necessary sand-papering —
a polishing process of incalculable value.
On his return to Norwalk, he opened his
law office and set about the real business
of life, which was crowned from the start

HURON COUNTY, OHIO.

99

with more than the average professional
success. Soon he was operating iu real
estate, and in this line his record is re
markable for its brilliant achievements.
It is proper to explain that his operations
in real estate were commenced soon after
his marriage, his first venture being the
purchase of a plot and laying it off in lots,
which he sold on the installment plan —
introducing in Norwalk the favorable
scheme of helping the poor man to own
his home. Disposing of this, he next laid
out an addition on Harris avenue and
Olive street, followed by another on Grand
avenue and Spring street, another on
Courtland street, and still another on Carey
place. During all these years he has built
from five to twenty-five houses each sum
mer, selling many on the installment plan,
and retaining many, until he is one of the
most extensive landlords of Norwalk. Of
itself this tells us of the importance this
young man has been to tbe city's develop
ment. In other lines, however, be has
been still more active and efficient. He
was one of the promoters of the "Home
Savings & Loan Company," and its attor
ney and appraiser. Resigning his official
connection with this company, he helped
to organize the "Ohio Loan, Savings &
Investment Company," of which he is a
stockholder, director and attorney; he was
one of the founders of the Norwalk Sav
ings Bank, of which he is vice-president;
is president of the Norwalk Gaslight
Company; was one of the active organizers
of the C. W. Smith Company, of which
he is director and treasurer; one of the
organizers of the Lake Erie Tobacco Com
pany, of which he is director and treasurer;
helped to organize the Norwalk Metal
Stamping & Spinning Company, of which
he is manager and director; is treasurer
and director and owner of one-half of the
Bellevue Electric Light & Power Co.; also
assisted in the organization of the Norwalk
Foundry & Machine Company, of which
he is a director; established with others
the Norwalk Brick Company, of which he

owns one-third, and is one of the manag
ing operators; also owns one-third of the
C. H. Whitney Nursery Company, of
which he is director and one of the man

agement.

Mr. Stewart has been associated with
Mr. William H. Price as his partner in
most of his real-estate operations, and in
several of the companies named. While
they have been actively engaged in real-
estate deals in Norwalk and Huron county,
they have carried on their real-estate busi
ness in the city of Cleveland, owning busi
ness blocks on Euclid avenue, Sheriff
street, and other property in that city.
Tbey also assisted in organizing the
Arcade Savings Bank of Cleveland, and
are directors.
Combined with his dealings in real
estate, here is a record of wliich our oldest
and most successful business men need not
feel ashamed, but "Charley" — that is the
term used by everyone, with a kindly ac
cent of tone — is yet but at the threshold
of life; the future is before him radiant
of promise.
Charles H. Stewart and Miss Mayme
Carey, of St. Louis, Mo., the daughter of
Gen. Man. M. G. Carey, of the Wabash
Railroad, were united in wedlock, Nov-
vember 26, 1884. This happy marriage
was the outcome of the young lady's visits to
her relatives and friends in Norwalk, aud the
whilom trans-Mississippi school-girl pre
sides with rare accomplishments over their
pleasant Norwalk home, where were born
their four children as follows: Olive, De
cember 19, 1885; Carey, September 18,
1887 ; Abby, September 7, 1889 ; and Mary,
January 26, 1891.
Mr. Stewart served as captain of
Company G, Fifteenth Regiment Ohio
National Guard, but pressure of business
matters compelled him to resign. He has
been a working Republican for many
years, and takes an active interest in poli
tics. He served for several years as presi
dent of The Young Men's Republican Club
of Norwalk; has acted many times as dele-

100

HURON COUNTY, OHIO.

gate to State and District conventions, and
to State and National conventions of the
National League of Republican Clubs (in
which he takes a warm interest). He is
now a member of the Congressional Com
mittee in his District, and at the last con
vention nominating a common pleas judge
in his District, was the choice of his
county for the position, but at his request
bis name was not presented to the conven
tion. He says he is too busy to accept
office for himself, but is always ready to
assist his friends.

If Jf ON. HARLON LINCOLN STEW-
[^ ART. This gentleman's name
| 1| cannot escape becoming a perma-
•rfj nent part of the history of Nor
walk, of which beautiful little city
he is a native.
Mr. Stewart was born December 12,
.1861, a son of Hon. G. T. and Abby
(Simmons) Stewart, and was reared in the
pleasant social atmosphere of a refined
home, and the cultured circle of the city of
his birth. He passed through the public
schools, afterward taking a special course
in the State University at Columbus, and
when he had gained the necessary mental
discipline to engage in the preliminary
reading of a professional life, he became a
law student in his father's office. A touch
of his active nature, however, soon found
him at the genial pastime of founding, in
connection with his brother, a daily paper
— The News, a bright and newsy journal
— which was carried on a year by the
founders. After a successful year's ex
istence, it was sold, and the young news
paper man resumed the reading of the law
in his father's office. But the pleasant
aroma of the editorial tripod lingered, and
" Blackstone's Commentaries" soon dulled
in interest; so another paper was launched
on the uncertain sea of journalism — the
Sunday News — which became an inde
pendent supporter of Grover Cleveland in

the Presidential campaign of 1884. In a
little while this was consolidated with The
Experiment, the veteran Democratic paper
of Huron county, established in 1835, and
named after President Jackson's famous
campaign against State banks, and his ad
vocacy of a new system which he called his
"experiment." The consolidated paper,
which was named the Experiment'- JS 'ews,
was a weekly until 1889, when was added
a daily edition, which in 1893 was sold
and continued as the Daily Press.
The Experiment -News, greatly im
proved, was continued as a weekly, re
ceiving Mr. Stewart's entire attention.
At all times the strong and facile pen of
the editor attracted wide attention, while
on the stump his voice was heard, and
everywhere his earnestness of purpose and
convincing logic were part of the supreme
work that contributed much to the steady
gains of bis party in this part of the State.
The young editor and orator soon forged
his way to a pronounced leadership in bis
party; his sudden celebrity coming to him
in 1888, when in company with Hon. D.
H. Wadsworth he participated in the first
systematic speaking campaign in behalf of
Democracy that was ever made in Huron
county. In 1891 he wa§ chosen chairman
of the Democratic Executive Central Com
mittee of that county. In tbe campaign
of 1892 he was nominated on his party
ticket, in the face of a strong list of as
pirants, as standard bearer for the office of
State senator from the Thirtieth District.
He was1 elected, and served through the
Seventieth General Assembly; and, al
though the youngest member in the Sen
ate, was a recognized leader. In 1893 he
was prominently mentioned by tbe press,
generally, as a candidate for lieutenant-
governor, but declined to permit the use
of his name. He was renominated for
senator, receiving the unanimous vote of
the convention, but in the following elec
tion, though running ahead of the general
ticket in all parts of the District, he was
borne down in the overwhelming tide of

HURON COUNTY, OHIO.

101

defeat that engulfed his party in the elec
tion of 1893.
Hon. H. L. Stewart and Cora Nile Par
ker, one of the accomplished leaders of the
best social circle of the city of Norwalk,
were joined in wedlock January 7, 1891.

'HARLES B. SIMMONS, a promi
nent retired citizen of Fairfield town
ship, is a direct descendant of the
family who emigrated, it is sup
posed, from Wales, and settled in an early
day in Bristol county, Massachusetts.
Edward Simmons, the grandfather of
our subject, owned large flouring mills in
Rehoboth, Bristol Co., Mass., which were
burned by the British during the Revolu
tion, but were afterward rebuilt. He was
a soldier in the Revolutionary war, serv
ing as captain in the Continental line, and
he was an influential figure in military
matters. Of his children, Edward settled
in New Hampshire and became a judge;
Noble, who was a blacksmith, died in
New York State; Eliphalet B. is referred
to below; William, who owned the mills,
died in Massachusetts.
Eliphalet B. Simmons was born, in
1773, in Bristol county, Mass., and passed
his youth and early manhood there. In
1804 he moved to Delaware county, N. Y.,
where for thirteen years he carried on the
lumber business, meeting with quite a de
gree of success. During his residence
here he married Esther, daughter of Capt.
Charles Brown, of New London, Conn.
In 1817 he started for the "Firelands"
of Ohio, making the journey to Huron
county by wagon, and arriving July 12.
He purchased land in the Second section
of Greenfield township, and took up his
residence on Lot No. 22, where his grand
son, John N. Simmons, now resides, and
became a pioneer in the wilderness. He
was a man of great industry, coupled with
honesty of purpose, as well as good
practical judgment, and eventually ac
quired a large property. His selections

of real estate made in that early day have
stood the tests of time, and stand approved
as the best individual farms to this day.
He was twice married, and had a family of
four children, namely: Plarlon E. (de
ceased), Charles B., Albert (deceased), and
Washington L. (a resident of Kansas).
Eliphalet B. Simmons died at his home in
Greenfield January 26, 1836, in the sixty-
third year of his age. In politics he was a
Democrat, and took an active interest in
party matters. In religion he was a Bap
tist. Mrs. Simmons died in 1830.
Charles B. Simmons was born August
2, 1806, in Delaware county, N. Y., ob
tained his education in the common
schools, and in 1817 came with his father
to Huron county, where he worked on the
home farm. On July 5, 1829, be was
married to Maria P. Hanchett, a native of
Wayne county, Penn., where her father,
Reuben Hauchett, was a farmer, and for
six years the young couple lived in a log
house. Mr. Simmons then sold his farm,
and purchasing the home place removed
thereon, taking care of his invalid father.
He had 337 acres of fine land, among the
best in this section, and he engaged ex
tensively in raising Merino sheep, keeping
as many as 400 at one time. He also
reared a large number of horses.
Mr. and Mrs. Simmons had nine children,
viz.: Jeremiah Cole, a farmer of Indiana;
Esther, who died young; Lewis O, a lum
ber merchant of Minnesota; Volna E., a
merchant, who resided in Indiana, de
ceased in 1879; John N., who owns the
old farm in Greenfield township, and a
sketch of whom immediately follows;
George D., who died when one year old;
Emily I. and Mary, who died in 1849,
and Harlon, a resident of Kansas, who is
in the railroad business. Mrs. Maria
Simmons died September 24, 1850, and
September 20, 1852, our subject wedded
Miss Aura K. Palmer, daughter of George
Palmer, who at one time was a farmer in
Richland county, Ohio, and later resided
in Oberlin. To this marriage have come

102

HURON COUNTY, OHIO.

two children viz.: Frank P., who died in
infancy, and Sherman E., a physician of
Norwalk. Mr. Simmons in his political
predilections is a stanch member of the
Republican party, has held every office in
the gift of his township, justice of the
peace, etc., and served one term, 1858-59,
in the Legislature. In 1876 he retired
from active life, and since that time has
made his home in North Fairfield.
Though now over eighty-seven years of
age, he is still active and vigorous, and is
one of the most highly respected men in
his section.

JfOHN N. SIMMONS, son of the
above, was born August 28, 1842, in
' Greenfield township, Hurou Co., Ohio,
of which locality he is a prominent
farmer and stock grower.
His education wras received in the dis
trict schools of the neighborhood, his at
tendance thereat being confined to a few
months in winter time. He commenced
farming under the direction of his father,
on the same farm which he now owns and
resides upon, and remained with bis par
ents until August 28, 1863, when he en
listed, at Sandusky, in Company M,
O. V. H. A., joining his command at
Loudon, Tenn. He served through Geor
gia, Tennessee and Alabama, and at the
close of the war returned home to Huron
county, where he commenced agricultural
pursuits on his father's farm in Greenfield
township, renting same for ten years. On
September 30, 1868, Mr. John N. Sim
mons was united in marriage to Miss
Elizabeth A. Richards, who was born in
Norwich township, daughter of John
Richards, who came to Huron county with
his parents in 1816. To Mr. and Mrs.
Simmons has come one child, George B.,
born August 7, 1869, who resides with his
father on tbe home farm.
In September, 1875, Mr. Simmons pur
chased his present farm, where he has
since made bis home, following general

farming and stock growing. He is practi
cal and systematic, and has made a decided
success in agriculture. Politically he is a
Republican, and bis ideas have consider
able weight in the local council of that
party. He has filled various township
offices. An outspoken, sincere man, he
has hosts of friends who know, understand
and admire him for his many sterling
qualities. He does not affiliate with any
religious body, but takes the Golden Rule
for his guide.

B. KEEFER, prominent in bank
ing and business circles in Chi
cago Junction, was born Septem
ber 9, 1848, in Fairfield township,
Huron county. His great-grandfather,
Walter Keefer, emigrated from Holland
during the eighteenth century, and, it is
supposed, settled in New York.
Walter Keefer, father of our subject,
was born in 1810, in Vermont, a son of
Walter Keefer, also a native of that State,
received a primary education, and was
trained to farm work. In 1835 he ac
companied his parents to Sandusky county,
Ohio, and afterward resided at various
places in the State. Some time in the
"forties" he located in Huron county,
but subsequently moved to Erie county,
and there made his home until 1853, when
he located in New Haven township,
Huron county. On March 10, 1836, be
was married to Lydia Wiles, and to them
eight children were born, namely: Mason
S., Herman, Frank E., W. B., Wilber,
Mary A., Homer and John S. Mason S.
died at the age of two years, Herman at
thirteen, and Wilber at three; five are now
living and residing in Huron county. In
religious faith Mr. Keefer is a member of
the M. E. Church, in politics a Republican.
W. B. Keefer received a primary educa
tion in the schools of New Haven. At
tbe age of sixteen years he was crippled,
and seeing that this militated against his
engaging in manual labor, he wisely

HURON COUNTY, OHIO.

103

directed his attention to a preparation for
business. He attended the school at Nor
walk for one session, neglecting no oppor
tunity to obtain a practical education, and
at the age of twenty-three years he taught
school for one term, after which he traveled
one year for a sewing machine company.
Subsequently he learned telegraphy, and
was appointed yard clerk at Chicago Junc
tion for the Baltimore & Ohio Railroad
Company. When tbe postoffice was es
tablished at Chicago Junction be was ap
pointed postmaster, and held the office for
thirteen consecutive years. In 1877 he
opened a jewelry store at Chicago Junc
tion, which he carried on until 1888.
In August, 1888, Mr. Keefer founded
the Commercial Bank of Chicago Junc
tion; this is a private banking house, and
is one of the recognized financial institu
tions of the county, enjoying as it merits
the confidence of tbe citizens. On Feb
ruary 13, 1883, Mr. Keefer was married
to Miss Eva L. Shepard, of Hillsdale,
Mich., and they are the parents of one son,
Walter Dale. Mr. Keefer is a Republican,
and takes an active interest in town and
township political affairs. He is an ideal
self-made man, and having earned the
wealth he possesses, understands thor
oughly its true management and value.

J OHN G. SHERMAN was born in
k. I Wakeman township, Huron Co.,
%J) Ohio, November 11, 1830. His
father, Justin Sherman, was one of
the first settlers in Wakefield county, and
a descendant, in direct line, of Hon. Samuel
Sherman, who came from Dedham, County
of Essex, England, in 1634.
The entire life of our subject was spent
on the farm where he was born. His early
years were devoted to tbe usual round of
duties of a farmer boy, and a few months
each year spent in the district school fur
nished him "good enough" education for
a full-fledged farmer. In the spring of
1851 he married Miss Julia E. Beecher,

daughter of Cyrenius Beecher, an early
settler of Florence township, Erie Co.,
Ohio, and began farm life in earnest.
After six years of labor together, Mrs.
Sherman died from an attack of dropsy,
leaving her husband and one daughter to
mourn her early death. In 1858 Mr.
Sherman married, for his second wife,
Miss Elizabeth D. Miller, daughter of John
Miller, a substantial farmer in New Lon
don township, Huron county, she taking
up the household duties and the care of
the daughter who had lost a mother's de
votion. This union resulted in the birth
of one son and two daughters, who, with
the exception of one daughter, together
with Mrs. Sherman survive Mr. Sherman,
who died May 27, 1893, from the effects
of heart disease.
In the active years of his life Mr. Sher
man was successful as a farmer. Crops
well cultivated; stock well bred and cared
for; farm implements housed when not in
use — in short everything done in season
and in first-class order — formed the ele
ments of his success. He was a close ob
server, a great reader of farm publications
as well as the current news, and endeavored
to keep well informed on all matters per
taining to his occupation as well as the
political, social and religious news of the
day. He gave more or less attention to
local and State politics; was frequently a
delegate to conventions, notably to the Re
publican National Convention at Philadel
phia in 1872, to renominate President
Grant. Social in a high degree, he enjoyed
the esteem of a large acquaintance. Re
ligious, with a deep sense of duty, the
outgrowth of an early experience and
training, he was for years an active mem
ber of the Congregational Church at
Wakeman, and one of its deacons at the
time of his death. For years he took
great interest in its Sunday-school, and
assisted in its work as superintendent and
teacher, ever giving it liberal support.
During all his years of farm life, with its
demands, he always found time to enter-

104

HURON COUNTY, OHIO.

tain friends or enjoy a day with his family
at social gatherings. At the close of day,
for over thirty-five years, he recorded in
his diary his failures or successes; the
condition of the weather; the crops, when
in season, and all the events that go to
make up a family history. More notable,
possibly, was the service he rendered for
over fifteen years as newspaper reporter.
On more than one occasion did he take
down, in long hand, a verbatim report of
political speech, or testimony given in
court, and mail to paper for publication
without rewriting. His crop and weather
reports were regularly mailed for many
seasons. In domestic life Mr. Sherman was a de
voted husband and father — temperate,
attentive to all home duties, thorough in
his undertakings; economical, yet given to
acts of kindness and deeds of charity.

EV. T. F. HILDRETH, A. M.,
D. D., is a native of Tompkins
^ county, N. Y., born November 29,
+/ 1826, the third son of Benjamin
and Susan Hildreth, the former of
whom was born in Monmouth county, N.
J., the latter, whose maiden name was
Colegrove. born in Schoharie county, New
York. The parents came with tbeir family to
Huron county, Ohio, in 1833, and here
passed the remainder of their lives, the
father dying September 20, 1852, in his
fifty eighth year, the mother March 15,
1855, in her sixty-first year. The family
consisted of nine children — four girls and
five boys — the subject of this sketch being
the sixth in the order of their birth.
Dr. Hildreth was in his seventh year
when his parents settled in Huron county,
and his education began in an old school-
house a mile and a half from home, in the
summer helping what he could in clearing
up the farm, and in the winters attending
the district school till his nineteenth year,
when he took two terms in the Old Nor

walk Seminary, which at that time was
under the supervision of the Baptist
Church. He was converted when but
eleven years old, but did not unite with
the Church till in his sixteenth year. As
his parents were Methodists, he united
with the same Church, and from the date
of his conversion he was the subject of deep
convictions regarding his duty to enter the
Christian ministry. However, before he
had fully decided as to his life work, be
entered his name as a law student in the
office of the Hon. Samuel T. Wooster, of
Norwalk, then considered oneof the ablest
attorneys in the State. Before he bad com
pleted the course of study necessary to ad
mission to the bar, be had been licensed
as a local preacher in tbe M. E. Church,
and having been recommended by his
Quarterly Conference, he was received on
trial in the North Ohio Conference at its
Session held in Bellefontaine, August 22,
1851. Dr. Hildreth occupied several of
the leading appointments in bis Confer
ence till the fall of 1864, when he was
transferred to the New York Conference
and stationed at Trinity M. E. Church on
Thirty-fourth street. During his pastorate
in New York his health became so im
paired that he was obliged to resign his
charge, and in the fall of 1867 he returned
to his home in the bounds of the North
Ohio Conference. After a year of rest,
his health being greatly improved, he was
given charge of the M. E. Church in Nor
walk, of which he was pastor three years,
and then by special request of the church
in Ionia, Mich., he was transferred to the
Michigan Conference and stationed at that
place. The Doctor held three successive appoint
ments of three years each, and then, by
reason of impaired health, returned again
to his home in Norwalk, and once more
took his relation to the North Ohio Con
ference. When the pastorate of the Rev.
Dr. Mendenball expired, by the request of
the Norwalk Church Dr. Hildreth was
again appointed its pastor, aud again

'/yntAA^ctA.

^^^t/^t^ftti

HURON COUNTY, OHIO.

107

served it for three years. At the close of his
term in Norwalk, he was appointed to the
Lorain Street M. E. Church in Cleve
land, Ohio, but at the end of one year he
severed his connection with the North
Ohio Conference, and took charge of the
People's Tabernacle Church, at Music
Hall, an undenominational Society, com
posed of such persons of the various churches
as desired more particularly to do Gospel
temperance work. In this field the Doc
tor remained two years, and upon the
death of its founder and chief patron, Hon.
W. H. Doan, Dr. Hildreth resigned his
position and returned to his own quiet
home in Norwalk.
In 1863 the Ohio Wesleyan University
conferred upon the Doctor the degree of
A. M., and in 1887 the same institution
honored him with the degree of D. D. Dr.
Hildreth's popularity as a speaker has ever
caused him to be much sought after at the
dedication of churches, believing, as the
people did, that he was always eminently
successful iu securing church debts. His
sympathy for the soldiers caused him to be
frequently called upon on memorial oc
casions, and as a lecturer few have excelled
him in popularity on the platform. His
style is purely extemporaneous, never read
ing either a lecture or sermon, and seldom
using even a brief. While Dr. Hildreth is
well versed in metaphysics, and literature,
his language is simple, and his methods of
presenting truth easy to follow. His
imagination is often brilliant, and at times
he sways his audiences with the grandeur
of his imagery. He has written many
poems of merit, and some of them have
received from the press the highest com
mendations. Though not now the regular
pastor of any church, the Doctor is con
stantly engaged either in the pulpit or on
the platform, and retains in a high degree
the vigor both of his body aud mind.
In 1849 Dr. Hildreth was married to a
most estimable lady, Miss Eudolphia C.
Cherry, whose quiet unassuming life and
sterling worth have ever been a tower of

strength to him all through their years.
They are spending their evening twilight
in quietness and peace in their own cozy
home, surrounded with many friends.

TEPHEN F. CLARKE, a success
ful farmer of Lyme township, has
all his life been engaged in agricul
tural pursuits, and is to-day prom
inently identified among the progressive
and wide-awake farmers of Huron county.
His father, John Clarke, was born in
Ashelworth, Gloucestershire, England,
July 19, 1794, and was married May 5,
1823, to Miss Elizabeth Lloyd, of Tibber-
ton, Worcestershire, England, who was
born January 26, 1801. Of this union
eleven children were born (seven of whom
are still living), namely: Mary Lloyd,
born September 17, 1824; Catherine L.,
born October 18, 1825; John S., born
February 17, 1827; Christopher, born
August 30, 1828; Frederick, born Decem
ber 28, 1829; Elizabeth E., born April 15,
1831; Edwin, born July 22, 1832; Lucy,
boru October 15, 1833; Philip, born April
29, 1835; Stephen F., born December 19,
1839; and Theodore E., born April 12,
1842. John Clarke was a farmer from
his youth, and in 1836 moved to Ohio,
where he followed this occupation, ranking
high in the esteem of his neighbors. He
was a great Church worker, being one of
the founders of Lyme Trinity Episcopal
Church; was also lay reader for years after
the church was first organized, and during
the remainder of his life he was senior
warden. He died May 2, 1877 ; bis wife
passed away November 10, 1861.
Stephen F. Clarke was born on Pipe
creek, in Erie county, Ohio, and was five
years old when his parents moved to the
homestead, where he now resides. He at
tended the district school in the vicinity
until the formation of the union school in
Bellevue, where he continued his studies,
afterward completing them at Oberlin, and

108

HURON COUNTY, OHIO.

at Heidelberg College, Tiffin, Ohio. At
an early age he manifested a talent for
agricultural pursuits, and has devoted his
time exclusively to farming, having lived
on the property where he now resides since
1845. He owns eighty-five acres of valu
able and well-cultivated land, situated
about one mile from Bellevue, and each
year adds many improvements, in the way
of buildings, new farming implements, and
in putting into execution new methods for
carrying on his work. He was proficient
in music, and was a member of various
bands for years, playing also the trombone
in church at Bellevue several years.
On September 9, 1868, Stephen F.
Clarke married Sarah Rosa Stults, daugh
ter of Ralph and Ann Stults, who lived
on a farm about two and one half
miles east of Bellevue. She was an active
member of Lyme Trinity Episcopal
Church and choir. Her life was cut short
by an early death from childbirth, passing
away March 30, 1872, at the age of
twenty- three years; the child, Edith R.,
was born March 24, 1872. On Septem
ber 4, 1878, Mr. Clarke was married to
Minnie Louise Anderson, daughter of
James Emory and E. Louise Anderson, on
both sides descendants of Scottish ances
try. The first seven years of her life
were spent on her father's farm (the sec
ond one from where she now lives), after
which her father sold his farm, and with
his wife and daughter moved into the
town of Bellevue, where he engaged in the
grocery business. He is now manager of a
large orange grove in Daytona, Fla. Mrs.
Minnie L. Clarke attended a select school
for three pr four years, and then entered
the public schopl at Bellevue, where she
completed her studies with the class of
'78. To her marriage with Mr. Clarke
have been born three children, viz.: John
A., born October 19, 1879; M. Louise,
born October 20, 1881, and A. Bessie,
born May 16, 1884. Mr. and Mrs. Clarke
are members of the Congregational Church
at Bellevue, of which they are liberal sup

porters. Mrs. Clarke has been a member
of the choir for over sixteen years, not
withstanding her many family cares.
Alvin Anderson, grandfather of Mrs.
Minnie L. Clarke, was born July 28, 1800,
in New York State, of Scotch descent, his
parents having come from the land of
Scott and Burns at an early day. In 1820
he married Miss Harriet Baldwin, who was
born July 24, 1800, the eldest daughter of
Dr. Baldwin, of Newark, N. J. The
young couple then lived on a farm near
Honeoye, N. Y., where five children were
born to them, viz., Adeline, September,
1822; Martha, April 30, 1825; Alvin
Clark, February 18, 1830; Emily, 1833
(deceased in infancy); and James Emory,
August 13, 1836. " In 1838 Mr. and Mrs.
Anderson, with their young children, left
the East to seek their fortune in the West
(as Ohio was then considered), they having
to drive the entire distance, as in those
days there were no railroads through these
parts, the country being entirely new, and
as a consequence they endured many hard
ships. Neighbors were poor and far apart,
and the dense forest teemed with wild ani
mals, including ferocious wolves that
" made night hideous " with their howl-
ings. The family settled on a tract of be
tween four and five hundred acres of land,
situated one mile and a half east of Belle
vue, toward Strong's Ridge. This was in
course of time cleared and cultivated, and
sold off to new comers, and other farms and
town property bought.
One by one the children married, and
had homes of their own, the father giving
each a share until the youngest, James
Emory, came to marry. The parents then
moved into their town "Cottage," giviDg
James Emory the homestead, whither he
brought his handsome and accomplished
bride — E. Louise (Pennell) — from Hone
oye, Ontario Co., N. Y., they having mar
ried January 27, 1859. She was the eld
est daughter of Dennis Pennell, an exten
sive dealer in pianos, organs, etc., who
gave to each of his children every advan-

HURON COUNTY, OHIO.

109

tage money could procure (which in those
days was considerable), sending three of
his daughters to Music Vale Seminary,
Salem, Mass., where they graduated in
music in all its branches. Tbey afterward
became teachers for over thirty years,
their duties never interfering with family
cares aud society work. Two children
came to brighten the home of J. Emory
and E. Louise Anderson, viz.: Minnie L.,
born May 26, 1860, and Charles E., born
April 13, 1868, now on the "Nickel
Plate" Railroad, his home being in Belle
vue. On May 24, 1891, he married Pearl
Jessie Kline, of Flat Rock, Ohio.
Mr. and Mrs. Alvin Anderson jour
neyed through life together over sixty-two
years, and in 1870 they celebrated their
golden wedding. In 1882 this " blessed,
good, kind old lady, beloved by every one "
(as affectionately described by her grand
daughter Mrs. Clarke), received a paralytic
stroke, the second one in her old ao-e,
from the effects of which she died within
a few days, the date of her demise being
August 30. For the first five years after
the death of his wife, Mr. Anderson made
bis home with his son J. E., until the lat
ter moved to Daytona, Fla., in 1887; he
then lived alternately with his two daugh
ters—the late Mrs. J. B. Higbee, of Belle
vue, Ohio, and Mrs. Basil Meek, of Fre
mont. Mrs. Meek and two sons — J. E.,
and A. C. (of New Bremen, Ohio) — sur
vive him.
Alvin Anderson died March 5, 1893, at
the home of his daughter, Mrs. Meek,
aged ninety-two years, seven months,
seven days. He was possessed of much
strength of mind, a wonderful spirit of
endurance inherited from his Scotch an
cestry, and was a man of great industry
and integrity. Liberal of his means, he
contributed largely to the support of the
churches with which he was connected, as
well as educational 'institutions, especially
at Lima, New York, Berea, and Delaware,
Ohio, and cheerfully gave his children the
advantages of the above named institutions.

Upon arriving at his new home in Ohio,
in 1839, and finding no Methodist Church
in Bellevue, and only two or three mem
bers besides his parents and sister of his
own denomination, he gathered them to
gether, organizing them into a Methodist
class, which became the nucleus to the
present Methodist Church in the town.
He was a loyal Methodist, but liberal
toward all other denominations, and his
honored name will ever be held in grate
ful remembrance.

L

O. SIMMONS, the genial mayor of
Monroeville, also editor and proprie-
\ tor of the Spectator, is one of the
most prominent and popular citizens
of the place. He is a son of George and
Mary (Whaley) Simmons, both of whom
were born in England, and, immigrating to
America many years ago, settled in Huron
county, Ohio. Their other children were
Susie C, Mary, Fannie, Frank and Louis,
living, and one daughter — Belle — and one
son — George — deceased. The father died
in 1873.
L. O. Simmons was born September 16,
1867, in Monroeville, Huron Co., Ohio, and
attended the common schools of his native
town, afterward the high school, from
which he graduated. While pursuing his
literary work during regular school hours,
the ambitious youth also devoted every
hour of spare time to private study, and
after leaving school learned the printing
business in Cleveland, Ohio. In April,
1886, he purchased the Monroeville Spec
tator, and began business in that then dull
little town, which owes the greater portion
of its present prosperous condition to the
energetic efforts and enterprise of Mayor
Simmons. On June 20, 1889, L. O, Sim
mons, wisely, deciding that " two were'better..
than one," married Miss Margaret Fan
ning, and' their union has been blessed
with one daughter, Viola B.
In April, 1892, Mr. Simmons was
elected mayor of Monroeville, and has per-

110

HURON COUNTY, OHIO.

formed the several duties of that responsi
ble position with rare judgment and to the
entire satisfaction of his constituency. He
is a member of the I. O. O. F., also of the
Junior Order United American Mechanics.
His paper is independent in politics, a
spirited exponent of its editor's principles.

Ii

E. BARKER, justice of tbe peace,
dealer in real estate, and insurance
agent, of Greenwich, is widely
known in Huron and adjoining
counties. He was born in 1848 in Huron county,
Ohio, was educated in this county, and at
the age of seventeen years went to Michi
gan. He remained three or four years in
that State, returned to his native county in
1872, and located at Greenwich, where be
was connected with the dry-goods business
until 1881. In 1884 he engaged in the
insurance business, and now represents no
less than seven leading companies. At
the same time he established as a real-
estate agent, buying, selling and trading
lands, town lots and other property on
commission. Mr. Barker served the
municipality of Greenwich as clerk for
two terms; was elected mayor of Green
wich in 1889, and in April, 1892, was
elected justice of the peace. He was
united in marriage on December 16, 1875,
with Mary Sypher, a native of Des Moines,
Iowa, and daughter of Reuben and
Jennie (Armour) Sypher, the former a
native of Pennsylvania, the latter of
Indiana. Her mother died sixteen years
after marriage, and her father died at
Des Moines, Iowa, in 1879. Their daugh
ter, now Mrs. Barker, was sent to Oxford,
Ohio, when seventeen years old, to attend
school, and remained there for two years.
To her marriage two children were born,
namely: Echo Armour and Ethel Adeline.
Nelson and Adeline (Hinkley) Barker,
parents of Justice Barker, were born in
New York State, the former in 1819, the

latter in 1822, and are now residents of
Ripley township, Huron Co., Ohio. Their
parents came to Huron county about the
year 1834, and here Mr. and Mrs. Barker
were married, and five children were born
to them, three of whom are living, Dr.
I. N.. H. W., and L. E.
Joseph Barker, the grandfather of the
subject of this sketch, who was of English
descent, resided here from his coming in
the " thirties " until his death. The ma
ternal grandparents, natives of Connecti
cut, who settled in Huron county, resided
here until death removed them from the
circle of old settlers. The Hinkleys are
of French descent, grandfather Hinkley
being a cousin of Salmon P. Chase; his
wife, Laura, was Scotch-English. The
father of L. E. Barker, "Nelson Barker,"
died July 31, 1893, and L. E. Barker's only
sister, L. Delia, was appointed administra
trix of the estate of Nelson Barker, was
taken sick on October 4, 1893, and died
October 17 following at the age of thirty-
seven years, five months, twenty-five days.

COMMODORE O. H. PERRY, well-
known and respected in Peru town
ship, where he is a prosperous
agriculturist, is a native of New
York State, born in Cayuga county April
12, 1829.
Joseph Perry, father of subject, was
born in Orange county, N. Y., in 1785,
and was there educated and reared. Some
time after marriage he was induced to go
to Cayuga county, N. Y., and there re
mained until 1832, when he came to
Ohio, settling in Peru township, Huron
county. The journey was made by boat
from Buffalo to Sandusky, and from there
by wagon to Peru, where Mr. Perry took
up wild land and cleared same. In New
Jersey he married Miss Sarah Seward, a
second cousin of Gen. Seward, and the
children born to this union were Horace,

HURON COUNTY, OHIO.

Ill

Emeline, Catharine, Daniel S., Eliza,
Julia, Sally A., Joseph and C. 0. H. The
mother of these children died in October,
1861, the father on May 31, 1859; he was
a hardy pioneer of sterling worth, much
respected, and in politics he was first an
Old-line Whig, later a Republican.
The subject proper of this sketch re
ceived his education at the common
schools of bis native place, and was
reared to farming pursuits. He was three
years old, as will be seen, wheti he came
to Huron county, and has ever since lived
on the home place in Peru township. On
June 27, 1867, he was united in marriage
with Frances J., daughter of W. H. Sny
der, of Peru township, Huron county, and
the children born to them were: (1) Fan
nie, married to J. C. Wheeler, by whom
she had three children, Perry, Alto and
Mary; and (2) Oscar, deceased at the age
of two years. The mother of these being
called from earth on May 31, 1892, Mr.
Perry married Miss Mary M., daughter
of S. P. Towne, of Norwalk, Huron county.
A Republican in politics, Mr. Perry has
served as county commissioner six years,
commencing in 1886. He was a most
efficient and popular officer. He is a
member of the Presbyterian Church of
Peru, of which he has been an elder for
eleven years past.
Prompt and decisive in action, practi
cal and steadfast in purpose, industrious
and painstaking, a man of judgment and
probity, he is held in high esteem by
his neighbors and wide acquaintance.
Social and lively in temperament, with a
keen sense of the humorous, which is ap
parent in many a droll and witty re
mark, "Uncle Com," as he is familiarly
called, is welcomed everywhere as "good
company" by young and old. His hos
pitality is unbounded. He is a model
farmer and a natural mechanic, and has
always been noted for his fine stock.
Always busy himself, he has no sym
pathy for the shiftless and idle, but to
the unfortunate he is a kind and help

ful friend, whose sympathy is shown in
acts rather than words. In any plan for
the advancement of his community, his
active co-operation is relied upon.

DN. CAR1
mayor of
born Octo!

CARPENTER, the popular
Chicago Junction, was
October 18, 1833, near Bell-
ville, Richland Co., Ohio, a son of
Samuel and Eunice (Phelps) Carpenter,
natives of Genesee county, N. Y., and
Vermont, respectively, and who were
early settlers of Richland county, having
come hither with their parents in youth.
In 1847 Samuel Carpenter removed to
Richmond township, Huron county, with
his family, purchasing a corner lot, where
he resided until the period of the Civil
war, when he established his home at Defi
ance, Ohio, and there remained until his
death. Politically he was a Whig until
1856, when he became a Republican. Of
fourteen children born to Samuel and
Eunice Carpenter, eleven grew to maturity,
of whom five sons and three daughters are
living. Three sons and one daughter re
side in Ohio; another daughter in Ten
nessee; one in Indiana; and a son in Wis
consin, all heads of families. The sons are
all large men, D. N. Carpenter, who stands
six feet in his stockings and weighs 170
pounds, being the smallest of all in stature.
Our subject was the eldest son in the
family, and consequently became inured to
work from childhood, continuing on the
home farm until twenty-two years of age.
But little attention was given to his liter
ary education, but bis natural intelligence
more than compensated for the lack of
school knowledge. On December 10, 1854,
Mr. Carpenter was united in marriage with
Sarah A. Smith, daughter of John Smith,
of Seneca county, Ohio. Immediately af
terward he purchased a sawmill in the
southwest corner of Richmond township,
Huron county, which he operated for ten
years, when he sold the property. He then
commenced work for Philip Caruthers, who

112

HURON COUNTY, OHIO.

paid him one dollar and seventy-five cents
a day for the first month, two dollars a
day for the second month, two dollars and
twenty-five cents a day for tbe third and
fourth month, and so on until he finally be
came a partner, and they worked together
two years, when Mr. Carpenter retired
from the business to give attention to his
contracting and building interests. In
1880 he settled at Chicago Junction, where
he has erected a large number of houses,
including some of the finest buildings in
the town. Politically he is an active Re
publican, and is now serving his second
term as justice of the peace of Richmond
township, on the line of which he resides.
In the spring of 1893 he completed his
second term as mayor of Chicago Junction.
For three terms before moving to town be
served as trustee of Richmond township,
and in the fall of 1892 he was candidate
for the office of county commissioner. Mr.
Carpenter, on locating at Chicago Junc
tion, purchased a house and two vacant
lots, and in 1885 he built a commodious
residence, where he resides witb his family.
To Mr. and Mrs. Carpenter have come
children as follows: J. W., yard engineer
at Chicago Junction, in the employ of the
B. & O. Railroad Company; A. A., a car
penter, contractor and builder; Mary, wife
of I. M. Croninger, a contractor and
builder; Lou, wife of Dr. Kauffman;
Emma, wife of B. F. Fink; and one child
that died young. Mr. Carpenter is a mem
ber of the United Brethren Church. He
is very prominent in municipal affairs, is
a man of excellent ability, and a citizen
who is worthy of the name.

in

MAJOR L. B. MESNARD, sur
veyor. Norwalk, was born
_[ Huron county, Ohio, December
31, 1837, a son of Eri and Harriet
(Baker) Mesuard, the former of
whom was born October 16, 1797, in Nor
walk, Conn., where he grew to manhood.

/

Eri Mesuard received his education at
Ithaca, and became a practical engineer.
He was assistant engineer in the location
and construction of the Ithaca & Owego
Railroad, one of the first railroads built in
the State of New York. On June 11, 1835,
be was married to Harriet Baker, and in
1837 came to Huron county, Ohio, pur
chased a farm, sold it, and then bought
property in Norwalk township, on which
he made his permanent home. In 1850
he was elected county surveyor of Huron
county, and was several times re-elected,
holding the office for fourteen consecutive
years. He was originally a Democrat in
politics, but in 1856 voted for Fremont,
and ever after remained a Republican.
He was one of the most prominent men in
Huron county, highly honored by his
neighbors for his well-known probity and
nobility of character. In religious faith
he was a member of the Methodist Episco
pal Church. He died January 29, 1879.
Mr. Mesnard was a descendant of tbe
French Huguenots who left Rocbelle,
France, about 1700, came to America and
settled New Rochelle, near Saratoga, N. Y.
The immigrant Mesnard married a daugh
ter of Judge Hoyt, who was a judge in the
Colonies by appointment from tbe English
crown. Mrs. Harriet (Baker) Mesnard,
mother of our subject, was a native of
Massachusetts. She was married in New
York, and bore her husband three daugh
ters and one son: L. B. (subject of this
memoir), Mrs. Ellen M. Mead, Mrs. Mary
A. Wood, and Celestia H.
L. B. Mesnard grew to manhood under
the parental roof, and received his educa
tion in the public schools of the vicinity
and Norwalk Seminary, exhibiting special
aptness in mathematics. He afterward
became his father's constant companion,
even when a small boy attending him oh
many of his surveying expeditions; and he
had thus many advantages, both in the
line of mathematics as well as in practical
surveying, etc. Ending his school days in
1859, he followed the profession of teacher

HURON COUNTY, OHIO.

113

until the breaking out of the Civil war,
when he enlisted, in September, 1861, in
the Fifty-fifth Regiment 0. V. I., serving
in the army of the Potomac, taking part
in the battles of South Mountain, Second
Bull Run, Fredericksburg, Chancellors
ville, and Gettysburg, where he was se
verely wounded. He subsequently went
west with the Twentieth Corps, under
Gen. Hooker, and participated in the en-
fagements at Missionary Ridge, Lookout
fountain, and the siege of Knoxville.
He then received a veteran furlough, and
while at home raised, at Norwalk, a new
company, which was mustered in as Com
pany B, Twenty-fifth O. V. I., of which
he was commissioned captain. He went
with his command to Washington, thence
to Hilton Head, S. O, in the Coast divis
ion, and served till the close of the war,
at which time they were at Charleston, S.
O, and was commissioned major of the
Twenty-fifth O. V. I., some three months
previous to its muster out of service, June
18, 1866. During his service in the ranks
at the front he carried a musket 3,500
miles, filling the important position of
first sergeant of his company for a year or
more, and during bis long service in
the army was always present for duty
except when absent, wounded. After the
war he engaged in farming in the south
part of Norwalk township, which he fol
lowed till 1880, when he was elected
County Surveyor, in wliich office he is
now serving his fifth term.
Maj. L. B. Mesnard and Hattie Baker,
of Syracuse, N. Y., were united in mar
riage, in December, 1865. Two sons,
Howard W. (now at the Rensselaer
Polytechnic Institute of Troy, N. Y.) and
Ralph E. (a senior in the Norwalk High
School) have been born to this union.

EV. J. M. SEYMOUR, pastor of
the Presbyterian Church at Nor
walk, is a native of the Buckeye
State, having been born in Portage

county, February 3, 1842, a son of Erastus
and Mary A. (Chapman) Seymour, natives
of Connecticut.
The family are of English descent, those
members of it, under immediate consider
ation, being descended from Richard Sey
mour, who made his first trip to America
before the "Mayflower's" time, locating
in Maine; then revisited England, and re
turning to America finally settled in Con
necticut. Our subject's paternal grand
father came in 1820 as a pioneer to Portage
county, Ohio, bringing his family, Erastus
being one of them, and the journey was
made, by some on horseback, by others in
wagons, in which were also stowed their
household effects, their uLares et Penates."
Tbe father of Rev. Seymour died in Port
age county in 1883; the mother in 1892.
He was a strong Republican, and in church
connection he was a Oongregationalist.
Our subject's maternal great-grandfather
served in the Revolutionary war.
Rev. J. M. Seymour, in early boyhood,
and before the war of the Rebellion had
called a "magnificently stern array" of
troops into the field, attended school at
Rootstown, in his native county, and at
Mansfield, also Hiram College, of which
latter James A. Garfield was president at
that time. On the breaking out of hostil
ities, our subject enlisted in the Forty-
second O. V. I., of which Garfield was
colonel, and served in Virginia, Kentucky
and Mississippi, participating in the battles
of Middle Creek (Ky.), Cumberland Gap,
Chickasaw Bayou, Port Gibson, Cham
pion's Hill, Black River Bridge and the
siege of Vicksburg, besides many minor
engagements. In 1864 be was honorably
discharged as sergeant, and returned home
to the more congenial pursuits of peace.
For some time he now applied himself to
study and school teaching, after which he
graduated from the Western Reserve Col
lege, from which institution he went to
Andover Theological Seminary, where he
also graduated. Having now received a
license to preach, Rev. Seymour com-

114

HURON COUNTY, OHIO.

menced his pastoral labors at Brookfield,
Mass., where he remained two years;
thence went to Fort Wayne, Ind., and
from there after filling a seven years' in
cumbency came in 1884 to Norwalk, of
the Presbyterian Church of which place be
has since been pastor.
On October 1, 1877, Mr. Seymour was
united in marriage with Miss Edna Speaker,
a native of Stark county, Ohio, and one
child, Emma M., has been born to them.
Extremely popular among all classes, Mr.
Seymour is admired for his scholarly at
tainments, ability as a preacher and his
high moral standing. He is far-famed for
his powers of oratory, purity of language
and deportment as a Christian gentleman,
and is much sought after to grace the
platform on public occasions by his pres
ence and elegant addresses. In the Church
and Sab bath- school he is a hard worker,
and outside these duties he takes an es
pecially active interest in the welfare of
indigent old soldiers, widows and orphans.
He is a member of M. F. Wooster Post,
G. A. R.

D

W. VAIL, M. D., Norwalk, one of
the prominent aud influential citi
zens of Huron county, of which he
is a native, is a son of David Vail, a
descendant of early Puritan stock.
The father of our subject was born in
New York, October 2, 1811, and is a resi
dent of Olena, Huron county, a prosperous
farmer, ripe in years and rich in the re
spect and confidence of the many friends
and neighbors among whom he has spent
his life since coming to Ohio in 1837. He
was united in wedlock in 1845 with Al
mira Adams, daughter of Peter Adams, of
Connecticut stock who came to Huron
county as early settlers in Fairfield town
ship, and of this union were in the order
of birth the following children: D. W.
Vail, L. A. Vail, J. J. Vail, Alice (Mrs.
Robert Lambert) and C. W. Vail. David
Vail reached legal age at the time when

Andrew Jackson was forging his way to
tbe front as the great American representa
tive Democrat, and became one of his most
earnest adherents. To this day he has
maintained, as a Jacksonian Democrat, the
unflinching courage of his early political
convictions, and in his religious views he
is a Baptist.
In the list of the family of children
above given, it will be noticed that the
gentleman whose name commences this
brief notice is the eldest. He was reared
on his father's farm, where he was born
June 3, 1847, and received the rudiments
of an English education in the common
schools of the place. When prepared he
entered Oberlin College, and, completing
bis literary education, began the study of
medicine under Prof. Thayer Cleveland, at
Western Reserve College, Cleveland, Ohio,
where he was graduated in the class of
1869. As an evidence of the young stu
dent's diligence, it may be here stated that
he was fully prepared for graduation two
years before he attained the customary age
of graduation in the institution. Im
mediately on reaching his majority, he
opened an office for the practice of his
profession at New Haven, in Huron
county, where be was employed the next
fourteen years, a period of professional
success and eminence, both at home and
abroad. In 1883 he removed to his pres
ent place of residence, Norwalk, and from
that time to the present has been actively
engaged in important business affairs that
have practically withdrawn bim from his
profession. He was an active member of
a company which established the Post-
office Box factory at Norwalk, which was
being successfully operated till it and con
tents, with several other buildings, were
destroyed by fire, entailing a 6erious loss;
the factory has never been rebuilt. Dr.
Vail is president of and was a chief factor
in the erection of the plant of the Incan
descent Light and Power Company, that
is furnishing and lighting the city of Nor
walk, one of the most important improve-

jgm^

^T^tiT/^u^l,

HURON COUNTY, OHIO.

117

ments in the place. It was established in
1891, and at present is supplied with ma
chinery of 350 horse-power. He is also
president of the Norwalk Metal Spinning
and Stamping Company, which was estab
lished in 1890, the goods of which are en
tirely of nickel and copper. Dr. Vail is
also president of tbe C. W. Smith Manu
facturing Company, of Norwalk, where is
made wood fabrics of great variety. This
commenced in a small way, making mostly
easels, and has been extended to include a
variety of products until at present it is
the second plant of importance in Huron
county; it has 150 employees. The out
put the first year amounted to twelve
thousand dollars; second year, twenty-
eight thousand dollars; third year, forty
thousand dollars, and the present year
(1893), eighty thousand dollars. Bur
dened as he was with all these im
portant affairs, the Doctor became post
master at Norwalk, filling all its duties
thoroughly four years and one month, and
during his term became one of the co-pro
prietors and editor of the Daily and
Weekly Experiment -News, of Norwalk,
purchasing a half interest in the paper in
January, 1890, and was with the publi
cation more than a year.
Dr. Vail's political preferences have
been Democratic. At the age of twenty-
two he was elected justice of the peace,
and served a full term ; has held most of
the township offices where he resided; was
a member of the Democratic State Central
Committee; was a candidate on the Legis
lative ticket, and suffered defeat with his
party; a candidate for Congress, and by
circumstances was cheated out of the nomi
nation; was one term a member of the
Norwalk City Council; is at present a
member of the School Board; in 1888 was
appointed postmaster and served as already
stated. This is something of the record of the
professional, business and political career
of one who is yet a young man, and before
whom is still the promise of his best years.

Doctor Vail and Hannah Southard were
united in wedlock December 30, 1870;
she is a native of Tuckertown, N. J., and
a daughter of James P. and Mary (Stiles)
Southard, natives of New Jersey. She is
one of a family of ten children, all resi
dents of Ohio. In the home of Dr. and
Mrs. Vail is one child, Harry.

OLIVER W. WILLIAMS. Among
the prominent citizens of Norwalk
this gentleman is recognized as one
of the most deservedly popular.
His thrilling experiences as a veteran of
the Civil war form a theme of conversation
which fascinates the younger men, to whom
the story of that bloody contest is a ro
mance of " truth stranger than fiction."
Oliver W. Williams was born February
2, 1841, in Tiffin, Seneca Co., Ohio, a son
of Richard Williams, a native of Penn
sylvania, whose father was a soldier in the
war of 1812. Richard Williams was born
in 1815, and when a young man married
Miss Eunice Randall, who was born in
1817, in Williamsport, Penn. In 1840
the young couple settled in Tiffin, Seneca
Co., Ohio, where he practiced law and
served both as county auditor and treas
urer. He died in 1852, having been pre
ceded to the grave by his wife in 1841.
Oliver W. Williams was reared and
educated in Seneca county, Ohio, and
when twenty years of age entered the
army. On June 18, 1861, he enlisted at
Camp Chase, Franklin Co., Ohio, in Com
pany G, Twenty-fifth Regiment, O. V. I.,
which regiment, of which he was appointed
hospital steward in November, 1861, did
gallant service from the time of its organ
ization until mustered out of the service.
It was commanded by Col. James A.
Jones, and Company G fought under Capt.
Asa Way. On July 29, 1861, the regi
ment entered West Virgina, where Com
pany G assisted in guarding the Balti
more & Ohio Railroad between Wheeling
and Grafton. They left the railroad

118

HURON COUNTY, OHIO.

August 26, and after reporting to Gen.
Reynolds at Beverly took a position on the
summit of Cheat Mountain. As cold
weather came on, it found many of the
soldiers without overcoats, shoes or blank
ets, at the mercy of the freezing sleet and
heavy snow storms. On September 12 a
wagon train was sent into the valley for
provisions, and being captured on the way,
two companies were sent to overtake the
enemy. They drove the Confederates
back to the main lines, and on discovering
that Lee's army was in the vicinity, began
hasty preparations for defence. But about
this time the Union troops arrived from
the valley with a supply of provisions, and
the Confederates withdrew. On October 3,
the Twenty-fifth marched from the summit
witb several other regiments under Gen.
Reynolds, to attack the Confederates at
Greenbrier, but returned without impor
tant results, the Twenty-fifth having been
the last regiment to leave the field. In
November it went into winter quarters
at Huttons ville, and on the 31st of De
cember went to Huntersville, marching
one hundred and six miles in five days,
and destroying a vast amount of Confed
erate 6tores. This was one of the famous
raids of tbe war, and resulted in valu
able aid to the Union forces. In April,
1862, the Twenty-fifth crossed Cheat
Mountain and the Alleghanies, arriving at
Monterey after marching one hundred and
twenty-five miles through an unknown
region. They were attacked by Gen.
Johnston, who was repulsed and then re
treated. The Unionists under Gen. Mil-
roy followed the enemy to McDowell,
where they remained until confronted by a
large force under Johnston and Jackson.
On May 8, the battle of Bull-Pasture
Mountain was opened by a gallant charge
from the Twenty-fifth Regiment. All day
the contest raged fiercely, and as darkness
fell tbe light from ten thousand muskets
illumed the night. First to lead the van,
the Twenty-fifth remained till all others
had left the field, then covered their re

treat to Franklin. On June 8, they fought
in the battle of Cross Keys, and August
29 joined Pope in the second battle of
Bull Run, then went into winter quarters
at Brooke's Station. The Twenty-fifth
was transferred April 27, 1863, to the
Second Brigade, First Division, Eleventh
Corps of the army of the Potomac, and
it is a remarkable fact tbat they left
Brooke's Station with 443 men, and ar
rived at Chancellorsville with 444. They
remained with the army of the Potomac
until after the battles of Chancellorsville
and Gettysburg, in which they were
prominent actors; then were transferred
to South Carolina nnder Gen. Q. A. Gil
more, moved to Morris Island aud assisted
in the siege of Fort Wagner.
Mr. Williams re-enlisted, January 1,
1864, as a veteran, at Folly Island, where
he cast his first vote the previous October.
He received his discharge as hospital stew
ard May 25, 1864, in order to accept the
position of second lieutenant of Company
C, and received a commission as first lieu
tenant August 11, 1864, being mustered
in November 1, same year. The War De
partment Issued a special order "No. 188,"
releasing all wounded officers from duty,
and having been wounded at Chaucellors-
ville, Honey Hill and Deveaux Neck,
Oliver W. Williams was discharged, April
26, 1865, under this provision.
After the war Mr. Williams returned to
Plymouth village, Richland and Huron
Cos., Ohio. On March 5, 1864, during
his veteran furlough, he was united in
marriage, at Elk Rapids, Antrim Co.,
Mich., with Miss Gertrude Baker, a ua-
tive of Seneca county, Ohio, who has borne
him five children, namely: Addie J.,
Eliza M., Henry B., Eunice H. and Roger
O. After locating in Plymouth Mr. Will
iams served as justice of the peace for
some time, then entered the hardware
business. In May, 1877, he was nominated
treasurer of Huron county, being elected
in October of same year. He served four
years in that capacity, and in April, 1883,

HURON COUNTY, OHIO.

119

was elected city clerk of Norwalk, which
office he filled for six years, during which
time he became associated with the organ
ization of the Home Savings & Loan Com
pany of that town, having been its first
and only secretary. He attended to the
clerical and general work of the Company
until 1891, since which time the loan
business has increased so rapidly as to de
mand his entire attention. He has filled
the office of notary public since 1866. Mr.
Williams is grandson of a soldier of 1812,
and great-grandson of a soldier of the
Revolution. His wife is the daughter of
a Union soldier, the granddaughter of a
soldier of the war of 1812, and great-
granddaughter of a soldier of the Revo
lutionary war.

FM. SHEPHERD, whose name is as
" familiar as household words " in
tbe agricultural community of Wake
man township and surrounding
country, is a native of Ohio, born July 4,
1844, in Lorain county, near Wellington,
on the old homestead settled by his father.
Samuel Shepherd (grandfather of our
subject) and his wife Rachel (Taylor)
came from England to America and made
a new home in what is now Belmont
county, Ohio,- being among the first set
tlers to commence farming in the then
wild woods of the "Far West," bears,
deer, panthers and other wild animals
being numerous. They reared a family of
eleven children, of whom are yet living
James, in Barry county, Mich., and Mary,
in Hendrysburg, Belmont Co., Ohio.
Grandfather Shepherd, in 1822, then in
his fiftieth year, was killed by a falling
tree near where the town of Piedmont,
Harrison Co., Ohio, now stands. He was
a Whig in politics, and in religious faith a
Quaker, as was also his wife.
John Shepherd (father of F. M.) eldest
son of Samuel Shepherd, was born in
April, 1812, in Brandywine, Md., and
when a twelve-year-old boy was taught the

trade of shoemaker in Flushing, Ohio, fol
lowing same in Hendrysburg, same State,
several years. On August 4, 1838, he
married in Tuscarawas county, Ohio,
Jemima Organ, and for about four years
thereafter they remained in that county,
at the end of which time they came to
Wellington township, Lorain county, set
tling on a farm of fifty acres, situated four
and one half miles southwest of the vil
lage of Wellington, this farm being paid
for out of savings from bis shoemaking
business. There were in those days neither
roads nor near neighbors, naught but ap
parently insurmountable difficulties; but
bravely did these pioneers hew out a home
for themselves and future generations. A
family of six children were born to them
iu this wilderness, namely: Jessie, Mary
and Emanuel, all three now deceased, the
first named dying in Tuscarawas county,
the others in Wellington, Ohio; Lydia, in
Tuscarawas county, Ohio; Manuel W, now
residing on the old homestead in Spen
cer township, Medina county, and F.
M. The father died in August, 1890, the
mother in 1889. John Shepherd was a
member of the Methodist Church for
twelve years in early life, but from that
time to the day of his death was associated
with the United Brethren Society; politi
cally he was originally a Whig, later a
Republican. F. M. Shepherd, whose name introduces
this sketch, received a fair education at
the common schools of his native town
ship, and assisted on his father's farm un
til he was eighteen years old, at which
time, September 16, 1862, he enlisted in
Company E, One Hundred and Twenty-
fourth 0. V. I., under Capt. Bullock, of
Elyria, Col. Oliver H. Payne commanding
the regiment. He was mustered in at
Cleveland, Ohio, and honorably discharged
July 9, 1865, at Nashville, Tenn., after a
service of nearly three years. He partici
pated in the engagements at Fort Donel-
son, Chickamauga, Mission Ridge, Resaca,
Buzzard's Roost, Kenesaw Mountain,

120

HURON COUNTY, OHIO.

Peach Tree Creek, New Hope Church, At
lanta, Jonesborough, Franklin, Nashville,
and many skirmishes between Chicka
mauga and Atlanta, terminating with the
surrender of Hood's army. Our subject
was wounded in the fight at Dalton, and
was reported " dead," but after three
months confinement in hospital was again
reported, this time "convalescent." For
services at that battle he was promoted
from private to sergeant. On his return
home from the war he resumed farm life,
buying for himself a place of forty-seven
acres iu the southeast corner of Wakeman
township, Huron county, to which he af
terward added twenty-seven acres lying to
the west of it, and forty acres in Clarks
field township. Here he has since been
actively and successfully engaged in gen
eral farming, dairying and stock raising.
He has cut from the timber on his farms
4,000 cords of wood for the railroad, and
made 300 pounds of sugar from the maple
trees in the immediate vicinity of the
house. He has also made many substan
tial improvements on the property, and in
1881 built a comfortable dwelling and
commodious outbuildings.
On February 25, 1866, our subject was
married to Miss Permelia A. Clifford,
daughter of George Clifford, the first male
white child born in Wellington township,
and who has lived his entire life on a
portion of the Clifford farm. Children as
follows were born to this union: Three de
ceased in infancy, and Edith A., a school
teacher, living at home. In his political
preferences our subject is a Prohibition-
Repnblican, and has held various township
offices. Since he was seventeen years old
he has been a member of various denomi
nations. M. W. Shepherd is now living on the
old farm near where the subject of the
sketch was born, and is engaged in farm
ing and the production of honey, being
the possessor of a large number of colo
nies of bees. He made a trip to California
in 1891, and while there made tbe care of

bees a specialty, and upon returning home
settled down to spend the rest of his days.
The maternal grandfather and great
grandfather of F. M. and M. W. Shepherd
were soldiers in the Revolutionary army,
the great-grandfather giving his life in
defense of his country at the battle of
Bunker Hill, being torn to pieces by a
cannon ball while standing beside his son;
the last words he uttered were " God bless
my country!" The paternal grandfather
was a soldier in the war of 1812, and an
uncle was one of Scott's soldiers during
the war with Mexico; he was badly
wounded at the battle of Monterey; was at
the storming of the City of Mexico, and
was paid one hundred thousand dollars for
previously entering the city as a spy for the
American troops.

LLLIAM HUMPHREY JOHN
STON, B.S,, M.S., M.D., is a na
tive of Townsend Center, Huron
Co., Ohio, born December 17,
1866, only child of Hon. Watson D. and
Delia (Humphrey) Johnson.
Hon. Watson D. Johnston was born in
Allegheny county, Perm., May 21, 1844,
the eldest in the family of five children of
Rev. John W. and Sarah (Murray) John
ston, natives, the father of Pennsylvania,
the mother of New York State, and of
Scotch-English and Scotch-Irish descent,
respectively. Rev. John W. Johnston received a
thorough classical education at Jefferson
College and the Western Theological Sem
inary of Allegheny, graduating from both
institutions with high honors. After com
pleting his theological studies he was
ordained to the ministry of the Pre sbyte-
rian Church, and was pastor for various
congregations in the western partof Penn
sylvania. In 1842 he was married in his
native State to Miss Sarah Murray; he
died in March, 1882, in his seventy-seventh
year. His father. Rev. Robert Johnston,

HURON COUNTY, OHIO.

121

was also a lifelong Presbyterian minister,
and was a veteran of the war of 1812,
having served in the Pennsylvania line.
The ancestors of the Johnston family were
among the pioneers of western Penn
sylvania, taking an active and honorable
part in the various struggles of that Com
monwealth in the old Colonial days. The
Murray family were among the early
settlers of New York, the old family home
being in the vicinity of Albany.
Watson D. Johnston received his educa
tion at the common schools in the vicinity
of his place of birth, at an academy and at
Oberlin College, all which advantages were
secured to him mainly by his own exer
tions. After leaving college he taught
school for about two years in Illinois,
after which he was employed in the office
of a rolling mill at Kittanning, one year.
He then came to Townsend Center, Huron
county, where he has since been success
fully engaged in a general mercantile
business, and has been postmaster of the
village for several years. He is a stanch
Republican, and represented the county in
the State Legislature two terms, from
1883 to 1887; at various times he has
been clerk and treasurer of his township,
all of which incumbencies he has filled
with credit to himself and satisfaction of
his constituents. On March 15, 1866, he
was married in Townsend Center to Miss
Delia Humphrey, a native of Ohio, daugh
ter of William and Sarah (Bierce) Hum
phrey, both natives of Connecticnt and of
English descent. One son was born to
this union, William Humphrey, subject of
sketch. The mother died in June, 1869,
and for his second wife Mr. Johnston was
wedded in Jnne, 1872, at Butler, Penn.,
to Miss Caroline Walker, a native of Penn
sylvania, born in April, 1844. This union
was blessed with five children, viz.: Robert,
Mame, Thomas, Emma and Maggie. Mr.
Johnston is a Royal Arch Mason, a mem
ber of Lodge No. 322, F. & A. M., East
Townsend, of which he has twice been
worshipful master.

William Humphrey Johnston, after
several years attendance at the common
schools and academy of his native town,
entered the Scientific Department of the
University of Notre Dame, near South
Bend, Ind., from which institution he
subsequently graduated with highest hon
ors, in June, 1885, receiving the degree of
B. S. ; to him was also awarded the gold
medal, or first prize for English Essays;
the gold medal for original work in the
Biological Laboratory, and the gold medal
of the Scientific Association. During
the same year, 1885, he became a mem
ber of the American Society of Micro
scopy. After graduating he taught at
the University in the department of
Natural Science for some two years, and
at the same time took a medical and a
special or post-graduate course, receiving
the degree of M. S. in 1887. Dr. Johnston
then pursued his medical studies in the
Medical Department of the Western
Reserve University, of Cleveland, Ohio,
during which time he served as assistant
professor in tbe Department of Microscopy,
having charge and principal control of the
laboratory, and he was also first assistant
to Prof. C. B. Parker, M. R. C. S., pro
fessor of surgery. He graduated with
high honors in the class of 1889, after
which he returned to the home of his
childhood, where, in the short space of
three years, he has succeeded in building
up an extensive and lucrative practice.
The Doctor is fully equipped with all the
latest modern appliances, having beyond
a doubt the largest and best collection of
surgical and scientific instruments and ap
paratus to be found in this part of the
State. His microscope, with its various
attachments, is one of the most complete
known to the profession. Aside from his
use of the instrument in the usual lines,
and as an aid to medical study and diag
nosis, he has devoted much time to the
more delicate and difficult microscopical
technique, such as finds its application in
so-called " expert- work." In addition to

122

HURON COUNTY, OHIO.

his professional work, he also takes con
siderable interest in agriculture, owning,
in the immediate vicinity of Collins and
Townsend Center, a well- improved farm
of between three and four hundred acres,
which, however, is mainly operated by
tenants. On September 18, 1888, Dr.
Johnston was married at Norwalk, Ohio, to
Miss Nellie E. Dollard, daughter of James
P. Dollard. She was born in Bellevue,
Ohio, August 12, 1868, and left that place
at about the age of four, residing first at
Collins, Ohio, afterward, and until her
marriage, at Norwalk. Dr. aud Mrs.
Johnston have one child, Donald Hum
phrey, born May 8, 1893. Socially Dr.
Jonnston belongs to the Masonic Frater
nity, being a member of East Townsend
Lodge No. 322, F. & A. M., Huron Chap
ter No. 7, R. A. M., Norwalk Council No.
24, R. & S. M., and Norwalk Commandery
No. 18 K. T. He is also a member of the
S. of V., and Tent physician of the Town-
send K. O. T. M. His present residence
is the old Wm. Humphrey homestead.

*/

HON. O. A. WHITE, ex-mayor of
Norwalk, of which city he is a most
prominent, highly respected citizen,
was born in 1820 in New York
State. His parents, Abel and Polly
(Warren) White, were natives of Vermont,
descended from pure English stock, and
were farmers by occupation. In 1849
they migrated to Ohio, where they passed
the remainder of their days. The White
family were originally among the early
pioneers of New England.
Our subject was reared and educated in
his native State, and at the early age of
seventeen commenced teaching school,
which profession he followed until he was
elected town superintendent of schools at
Gerry, N. Y., and then commissioner of
the county schools of Chautauqua county,
N. Y. He served in the latter position
for a term of three years, at the end of

which time he came west, locating in Nor
walk, Ohio, with the intention at first of
going into the manufacturing business;
but being urged, he accepted the position
of principal of the grammar school, and
served the city of Norwalk in that capacity
for the next five years, when in 1867 he
was elected mayor of Norwalk; was re
elected in 1869, and again in 1876. He
became trustee of the Water-works, and
built the Works; has been civil engineer
for many of the public improvements in
and about the city, and has at all times
filled a prominent place in advancing every
enterprise of importance to his adopted city.

RAINARD W. SALISBURY, one
of the representative men of Mon
roeville, influential, progressive and
substantial, is a native of the State
of New York, born in the town of Theresa,
Jefferson county, May 17, 1846.
Percival B. Salisbury, father of subject,
was a son of Lodowic Salisbury, a native
of Massachusetts, who was married in the
town of Adams, that State, to Mary
Phillips, who bore him eight children —
seven sons aud one daughter — of wbpm
six sons lived to marry and have families.
Percival B., the youngest son, was born in
Henderson, Jefferson Co-, N. Y., July 27,
1818. His elementary education was re
ceived at the subscription- schools of his
native town, and he afterward attended
Watertown (N. Y.) Institute, where he
was fitted for the vocation of teacher, which
he followed for some years. On March 2„
1842, he was married to Stella Willard, of
Adams, N. Y. He then engaged as agent
for a lumber company, whose business was
in a wild part of Jefferson county, about
eightmiles from. Theresa. There he lived
a short time, and then moved to. Theresa,
and engaged in mercantile pursuits. In
October, 1854, he came to Ohio, locating
in North Monroeville, Erie county just

HURON COUNTY, OHIO.

123

across the Huron county line, and' for
seventeen years he was postmaster at this
place. In Adams, N. Y., Mr. and Mrs. Salis
bury had one child, Newell, born June 6,
1843. This sou enlisted in Company E,
One Hundred and Twenty-third O. V. I.,
and was twice captured by the Confeder
ates, each time at Winchester, Va. ; his
first imprisonment was in Belle Isle, and
also in Libby Prison. In October, 1863,
he was exchanged. In September, 1864,
he was wounded at Winchester, and again
captured by the enemy, but was released
at the time Sheridan retook that city,
September 19, 1864. He died just twelve
days afterward, and lies buried in the
National cemetery at that place. At
Theresa, N. Y., two children were born
to Mr. and Mrs. Salisbury, to wit: Brain
ard W., subject proper of sketch, and
Emma A. Cowles, now living with ber
widowed mother in Monroeville, Ohio.
Percival B. Salisbury died March 14,
1879, and is buried in Monroeville ceme
tery. Politically he was a Republican,
and for years served as township clerk of
Oxford township, Erie county; was also
a justice of the peace at the time of his
death. In church connection he was a
Congregationalist. Brainard W. Salisbury, as will be seen,
was eight years old when he came with
his parents to Ohio. He attended school
in North Monroeville, his first teacher
being Ellen Young, and at the age of
seventeen he left the common school to
attend a mare advanced one in Belleville,
N. Y., where he took a business course,
after which he returned to Ohio. He
clerked for a time in various stores, and
later was employed in the Monroeville
postoffice. Some time afterward he went
into the insurance business with A. S.
Skilton, after which he moved to Cleve
land, where he found employment as book
keeper in the office of the Howe Machine
Company. Here, however, he remained but
a few months, and then took his departure

for Collins, Ohio, to take charge of the
books of the Union Bending Works, lo
cated at that place. In May, 1876, he
came to Monroeville, where he was in
stalled as bookkeeper for the Exchange
Bank (at that time owned by Davis, Crim
& Stentz). On the reorganization of this
institution in November, 1879, it became
the first National Bank of Monroeville,
and he continued in the same incumbency
until 1888, when he was promoted to
cashier, a position he has since filled with
eminent ability, and to the complete satis
faction of both the public and the
directorate. On October 4, 1876, Mr. Salisbury was
united in marriage with Jane Todd, of
Port Chester, N. Y., a daughter of Will
iam Todd, by which union there is one
child, Stella, born November 9, 1877, now
a most interesting young lady. Politically
our subject is a Republican, and has held.
various offices; was member of school
board six years; was treasurer of Monroe
ville school board three years, and treasurer
of Ridgefield township, one term. Socially
he is a member of Nachee Lodge No. 94,
I. O. O. F., Monroeville, and of Maple
City Tent No. 13, K. O. T. M. In re
ligions faith he and his wife and daughter
are members of the Presbyterian Church,
of the Sabbath-school of which he is
superintendent, and he is a member of the
board of trustees and treasurer of the
Church.

F. STEWART, a well-known resi
dent of Norwalk, of which city he is
a native, was born March 18, 1854.
His mother's death, when he was
but six months old, was the cause of his
young life being spent in a family of the
name of Ruggles, on a farm, where as a
child and youth he remained till he was
seventeen years of age, receiving the les
sons of the farmer boy, with an occasional
attendance at the common schools.

124

HURON COUNTY, OHIO.

He had learned to work, and at an early
age evinced a marked quickness in me
chanics, with a handy use of tools. When
be was seventeen years of age he quitted
the farm and found employment with the
Lake Shore Railroad Company, and, with
out any other experience as a carpenter
than that of a boy on the farm, he went
with a carpenter's gang, and found no
difficulty in competing with the best of
them. After about one year he quitted
this employ, and profiting by his observa
tion of the wants of wood workers, com
menced to make and put upon the market
dowel _pins. Readily seeing that turning
these out by the slow process of making by
hand could be improved, he invented his
own pattern and machinery for making
them, and this he soon had in its present
perfected form. He then opened his fac
tory, which rapidly grew to such import
ance that the output for one year was
7,000 barrels of pins, which were readily
taken in the markets. He next invented a
machine to split the wood, and thus again
facilitated the making of them, while it
improved and cheapened the product. So
rapidly did this new industry grow and
spread that in July, 1890, Mr. Stewart was
justified in changing this business from
making the pins to the more important one
of manufacturing- the machinery for the
purpose, in which he is now engaged; and
he is now in the control and operating of
one of the growing factories of the city.
His goods find no competition in the
market; the whole industry is one of his
exclusive creation, and his machines have
been introduced into many of the leading
factories of the country. The old process
was for each workman to make his own
pins as he had to use them, much as, ori
ginally, all nails were made by blacksmiths.
A distinguished Englishman has said that
the really great men of earth are the dis
coverers of new truths and the inventors of
new and useful machinery. To these men
alone civilization looks in all its advances
onward and upward. The discoverers and

inventors blaze the way — they are the
children of the immortals, they deserve to
live forever.
As "all work and no play makes Jack a
dull boy," Mr. Stewart adopted the manly
sport of rifle shooting for recreation, and
became so expert with his favorite arm
(The Ballard rifle) that he easily won the
honors for his native State at Toledo, in
competition with the noted crack shots of
the United States. The next year he
was declared "King of Sharpshooters" at
the Detroit (Mich.) rifle tournament, for
making the greatest number of " bullseyes"
in the two days' competition. This feat
he repeated at Newark, N. J., in 1888,
where nearly one thousand riflemen were
striving for the honor.
In 1879 Mr. Stewart was united in mar
riage to Miss Helen I. Manahan.

ALEB HATHAWAY GALLUP.
From time immemorial the tradition
has been handed down by members
of an ancient family of the name of
Kolopp — residents of the Province of Lor
raine, now in Germany — that one of their
number went to western Europe as a fol
lower of William, Duke of Normandy, and
never returned.
As corroborative of this tradition, an
other exists in the Gallup family of
America to the effect that the founder of
the English branch came at the Conquest
into England from France. The different
spelling of the name by the two families
is no indication of a difference in origin.
" In those early days education was con
fined to the monasteries, and family names
were perpetuated by the medium of their
children more than by written records.
Afterward, as education became more gen
eral, and men learned to write their names,
the manner of spelling them was arbitrary,
depending upon the sound, or the fancy
of the individual. Kolopp is a correct
phonetic spelling of the German pronun
ciation of Gallup."

C. H. Gallup

HURON COUNTY, OHIO.

127

In the year 1630 John Gallup came over
to this country from England, and made
his home in Boston, then but an infant
settlement. He was an English sailor, who
soon became a Massachusetts fishermau,
and with his little fishing smack became
historic in the Indian troubles of that
time. He died at Boston January 11, 1650.
Soon after the settlement of New Lon
don, Conn., and about 1648, his son John,
who married at Boston, became a resident
of that part of New London since called
Groton, where he brought up his three
sons, John, Benadam and William, and
probably other children. In 1675 John
received warning, from a friendly Indian,
of the trouble soon to culminate in that his
toric event known as "King Philip's War."
That warning came in the shape of the
present of a wampum belt, or, rather, a belt
made out of the long coarse hair of the
black bear, ornamented with white beads
set in the form of a W. This indicated
war. He raised a company of soldiers,
and took them into that " direful swamp
fight " of December 19, 1775. The fol
lowing is a succinct account of Gallnp's
fate, as related in Barbor's "Connecticut
Historical Collections" and elsewhere:
" The Legislature of the colony, in a rep
resentation of the services they had per
formed in the war, say: 'In that signal
service, the fort fight, in Narragansett, as
we had our full number in proportion to
the other confederates, so all say they did
their full proportion of service. Three
noble soldiers — -Seeley, courageous Mar
shall and bold Gallup— died in the bed of
honor; and valiant Mason, a fourth cap
tain, had his death wound. There died
many brave officers and sentinels, whose
memory is blessed, and whose death re
deemed our lives.' "
Benadam survived the war, and lived to
rear a large family, including a son named
Benadam (2), who also reared a large
family of seven sons and four daughters.
One son, named William, removed from
Groton, Conn., to Kingston, Penn., in

October, 1774, and was living there at the
time of the Wyoming Massacr.e of July 3,,
1778. His son Hallet was in the fight, and
escaped by floating down the Susquehanna
river, with his body under water and his
face protected from view between two rails
grasped iu his hands. Two twin daughters
— Sarah and Hannah, born March 4, 1773,
at Groton, Conn., and aged about five
years — were captured and carried off by
the Indians, painted and adopted by a
squaw, but were soon after ransomed.
Hannah was the Mrs. Hannah Jones
who died at Kingston, Penn., about 1860.
Sarah was the Mrs. Sarah Hoyt, who died
at Norwalk, Ohio, in 1858. She first mar
ried Peter Grubb, Jr., and after his death
became the wife of Agur Hoyt, and re
moved to Danbury, Conn., whence, in 1831,
they came to Norwalk, Ohio. She was the
stepmother of the late Agur B. Hoyt, of
Norwalk, and mother of William R. Hoyt,
now of Toledo, Ohio. Another daughter,
Mary, was engaged to be married to James
Divine, of Philadelphia. He went to
Kingston to visit her, and was one of the
victims of July 3, 1778. She never
married. William Gallup (2), then a lad, escaped
the massacre, and at maturity married
Freelove Hathaway, sister of Capt. Caleb
Hathaway, mariner, of Philadelphia. Their
children were William (3), Hallet, James
Divine and Caleb Hathaway.
William Gallup (3) came to Norwalk,
Ohio, in 1818, and May 2, 1819, married
Sally Boalt, daughter of Capt. John Boalt
(the first marriage in Norwalk), and their
children were: William (4), lately de
ceased in Cleveland, Ohio; Matilda (Mrs.
William Bombarger), now of Denver,
Colo.; Mary, deceased; Frances, who died
in Denver, Colo.; Ruth Ann (Mrs. Lafay
ette S. Lyttle), of Toledo, Ohio; Eliza (Mrs.
Frederick Hunt), now of Aspen, Colo.;
George, who died in Tiffin, Ohio; Susan
(Mrs. Tliomas Thresher), in New Mexico;
Samuel O, now of Pueblo, Colo. ; James
Divine (2), now of Denver, Colo.; John (3),

128

HURON COUNTY, OHIO.

formerly of Boulder, Colo., now dead; Rose
(Mrs. Albert Nnsley), of Sandusky City,
Ohio. Hallet Gallup (2) was born in Kingston,
Penn., in 1796, and upon his birth a rela
tive at Groton, Conn., sent on to his parents
the wampum belt (given by the friendly
Indian to Capt: John Gallup, in 1775),
with the request to name the child John.
That belt, still in almost perfect preserva
tion, is in the possession of Carroll Gallup,
of Norwalk, Ohio. In 1812 Hallet (2)
joined Capt. Thomas' company of Penn
sylvania volunteers, and served in the
artillery under Harrison. On being mus
tered out of the service at the close of the
war, he, in 1816, moved to Bloomings-
ville, then in Huron county, and in 1818
came to Norwalk. In 1819 he was ap
pointed collector of what was then Huron
county. On April 9, 1820, he married
Clarissa, daughter of Piatt and Sally Bene
dict, and died July 11, 1877, at Norwalk,
Ohio, in his eighty-second year; his wife
died at the same place January 11, 1878,
at the same age. Their children were:
Catherine, formerly of Norwalk, now de
ceased; Maria (Mrs. M. A. Dunton), now
living in San Diego, Cal.; Lydia, deceased
in childhood; Carroll, in Norwalk; Sarah
(Mrs. Henry Brown), also in Norwalk;
Eliza, deceased in infancy; Caleb Hatha
way (2), and Lizzie Frances, both now liv
ing in Norwalk.
James Divine Gallup, third son of Will
iam (3), spent the greater part of his life
as a mining engineer, in tbe then just
developing coal regions of Pennsylvania,
and died unmarried at Mauch Chunk in
March, 1856, aged about fifty-eight years.
Caleb Hathaway Gallup, fourth son of
William (2), was born at Kingston, Penn.,
in 1802; came to Norwalk, Ohio, in 1825,
and opened a cabinet shop on' the lot so
long occupied by the late John H. Foster.
He died at Norwalk, September 20, 1827,
unmarried. Caleb Hathaway Gallup (2), the subject
proper of these lines, son of Hallet Gallup

(2), was born at Norwalk, Ohio, May 10,
1834. At Madison University, Hamilton,
N. Y., he graduated, in 1856, from the
Literary and Scientific course, and was the
first student upon whom that institution
conferred the degree of Bachelor of Phi
losophy. In 1857 he commenced the study
of law with Worcester & Pennewell, of Nor
walk, and in April, 1858, graduated from
the Cincinnati Law School witb the degree
of Bachelor of Laws, shortly afterward
opening an office in Norwalk. In 1859
he removed to St. John's, Mich., and July
19, same year, was admitted to practice
law in the courts of that State. The fol
lowing summer he removed from St.
John's to Port Austin, Huron Co., Mich.,
arriving there June 24, 1860. In the
fall of that year he was elected the first
prosecuting attorney of that county, to
which position he was re-elected for four
succeeding terms, holding the incumbency
till January 1, 1871, a period of ten years.
He also held the offices of circuit court
commissioner and injunction master dur
ing most of the same period, as well as
that of township treasurer, and several
other minor offices.
During the war of the Rebellion, he
acted as deputy United States marshal for
the western district of Huron county,
Mich., was himself drafted, and instead of
being sent to the front, was ordered back
to duty as deputy marshal. In 1866 he
was elected a member of tbe Michigan
Legislature for' two years; and while act
ing in that capacity introduced and ob
tained the passage of a joint resolution
calling on Congress to provide for and
construct a harbor of refuge at or near
Point au Barques, Lake Huron. He also
had printed and circulated, at the different
cities bordering the great chain of lakes,
a petition to the same end. This was the
first step ever taken to obtain such a
harbor, and did not meet with immediate
success; but it set the movement on
foot that eventually culminated in the
magnificent harbor of refuge at Sand

HURON COUNTY, OHIO.

129

Beach, Huron Co., Mich. Hundreds of ves
sels, thousands of sailors and millions of
dollars worth of property now find safe
shelter there from the terrible storms of
Lake Huron. In 1867-68-69 he made re
peated efforts to obtain an extension of
tbe Western Union telegraph line from
Lexington to Port Austin — seventy miles
— and with success.
On June 20, 1860, Mr. Gallup married
Miss Kate M., daughter of John V. and
Mary S. Vredenburgh, then of Peru,
Huron Co., Ohio, by which union there
is one son, Richard Carroll, boru Septem
ber 2, 1861, at the Pern farm. His
mother was called from earth May 25,
1863, aud November 3, 1869, Mr. Gallup
married Miss Helen A., daughter of Will
iam and Mary Glover, of Trenton, N. J.,
and niece of Hon. Joel Parker, of Free
hold, same State, the only person who has
twice held the position of governor of that
State. She died April 8, 1872, at Port
Austin, Mich., aged twenty-nine years,
and is buried at Norwalk, Ohio. The
issue of this second marriage are one
daughter-^-Mabel Parker, born September
17, 1870 — and one son — Herbert Alpheus,
born April 5, 1872, both born at Port
Austin. On July 9, 1872, Mr. Gallup removed
with his children back to Norwalk, Ohio,
his present place of residence, and then
abandoned the practice of law, engaging
in general business as well as public enter
prises, and taking care of his family and
the family estate. He has been identified
with nearly every public enterprise for the
good of his city and of the community at
large, that has been set on foot. He was
instrumental in having the Lake Erie Rail
road run through Norwalk, and subse
quently visited New York City for the
purpose of advocating the locating of the
Railroad shops here. He has assisted in
securing the establishment of most of the
factories, etc., in Norwalk. In 1888 he
with others organized the Home Savings
& Loan Company in Norwalk, Mr. Gallup

being its first president, a position he
still fills; and it may be said that it is due
to his management that this institution
has grown so vastly beyond the proportions
estimated by even the most sanguine. Asa
business man, Mr. Gallup is recognized
as possessing the highest ability, and is
called in council in all matters of pub
lic moment. He is quiet and unobtru
sive in his manner, but pushes all his
projects with characteristic energy, and
shows high executive power in the adjust
ment of business.

FLATT BENEDICT. About the
year 1500, William Benedict, of
Nottinghamshire, England, had an
only son born to him whom he
called William; this William (2)
had an only son whom he called William;
and this William (3) had, in 1617, an only
son, whom he called Thomas.
In 1638 Thomas Benedict came to
America and settled in New England; and
after remaining there for a time he re
moved to Southhold, on Long Island,
where were born to him five sons and four
daughters, whose names were Thomas,
John, Samuel, James, Daniel, Betty,
Mary, Sarah and Rebecca. From South-
hold the family removed to Hassamamac,
from there to Jamaica, Long Island (where
Thomas was married), and from there they
finally removed to Norwalk, Fairfield Co.,
Conn., where all the remaining children
were married.
Daniel married Mary, daughter of
Matthew Marvin, of Norwalk; was a sol
dier in the " direful swamp fight," of De
cember 19, 1675; after which, at a Norwalk
town meeting, January 12, 1676: "The
towne, in consideration of the good service
that the soldiers sent out of the towne in-
gaged and performed by them, and out
of respect and thankfulness to the sayd
soldiers, doe with one consent and freely
give and grant to so many as were in the
direful swamp fight;,, tw.elye a^ors of. la^d ;

130

HURON COUNTY, OHIO.

and eight acors of land to so many as were
in the next considerable service." Ac
cordingly, there was granted by the plan
tation, as a gratuity unto Daniel Benedict,
" being a souldier in the Indian warr,
twelfe acors of land and lyeth in three par
cels." In 1690 he sold his Norwalk prop
erty, and removed to Danbury. His chil
dren were Mary, Daniel (2), Hannah and
Mercy. Daniel Benedict (2) married Rebecca,
daughter of Thomas Taylor, one of tbe
original settlers of Danbury, Conn., and
their children were Daniel (3), Matthew,
Theophilus, Rebecca, Mary, David, Nathan
and Deborah.
Captain Daniel Benedict (3), born 1705,
married Sarah Hickok 1728, and died No
vember 9, 1773; their children were Dan
iel (4), Lemuel, Noah, Sarah, Jonas, Aaron,
Ruth, Mary and Amos. Of these, Jonas
was born September 21, 1742; married
January 14, 1767, to Mercy Boughton,
and died October 30, 1820. He was a
member of the General Assembly of Con
necticut in 1809. Their children were
Elizabeth, Jonas (2), Piatt, Sarah, Daniel
(5), Mary and Eli.
Piatt Benedict, the subject of this
memoir, was born at Danbury, Conn.,
March 18, 1775, and was of the sixth gen
eration of Benedicts in America. He mar
ried, November 12, 1795, Sarah, daughter
of Daniel DeForest, of Wilton, Conn. She
was born August 27, 1777, and died June
24, 1852, at Norwalk, Ohio. Their chil
dren were: (1) Clarissa, born September
4, 1796; married Hallet Gallup, April 9,
1820; died January 11, 1878, at Norwalk,
Ohio, leaving two 6ons and four daugh
ters, viz.: Catherine (deceased), Maria
(wife of Marlin A. Duuton, of San Diego,
Cal.), Carroll, Sarah (widow of Henry
Brown), Caleb H. and Lizzie F., of Nor
walk. (2) David Mead, born August 17,
1801; married September 24, 1833, to
Mary Booth Starr; and died June 16, 1843,
at Danbury, leaving no issue. (3) Daniel
Bridgum, born June 1, 1803; died unmar

ried September 9, 1827, at New Orleans,
La. (4) Jonas Boughton, born March 23,
1806; married October 8, 1829, to Fanny,
daughter of Henry Buckingham; and died
at Norwalk, Ohio, July 29, 1851, leaving
one son, David DeForest (Dr. Benedict,
the present druggist of Norwalk, Ohio),
and one daughter, Fanny B., who married
Louis H. Severance, of Cleveland, and died
August 1, 1874. And (5) Eliza Ann, born
October 27, 1812; married William Brew
ster, May 1, 1832, and died August 17,
1840, at Norwalk, Ohio, leaving two sons,
both of whom died in childhood.
After his marriage Piatt Benedict re
moved to North Salem, Westchester Co.,
N. Y., where his daughter Clarissa was
born; from there he removed to Randal's
Island, in East River, where he engaged
in market gardening; in a few years he re
moved back to Danbury, and was appointed
collector of that. town, in which capacity
he acted in 1812-13. In September, 1815,
he first came to Ohio to look up a new
home, and in the latter part of October, in
company with Elisha Whittlesey and Maj.
Frederick Falley, visited and examined the
present site of Norwalk. He then returned
to Danbury and negotiated the purchase
of about one thousand, three hundred acres
of land (now the site of Norwalk) on be
half of Elisha Whittlesey, Matthew B.
Whittlesey, E. Moss White and himself.
In January, 1817, he again returned, to
take charge of and make improvements
upon the new purchase; erected a log
house (which was the first building con
structed by white men within the present
corporate limits of the village of Norwalk),
commenced a clearing upon the flats south
of his new house, and on April 4 returned
to Danbury, arriving there May 4.
In July, 1817, he left Danbury with his
family, in a covered wagon drawn by one
horse, and another wagon loaded with
household goods, provisions, etc., drawn
by four oxen; also one saddle horse. After
seven weeks of fatiguing travel and hard
ship, they arrived at the house of David

HURON COUNTY, OHIO.

131

Gibbs and Henry Lockwood in Norwalk
on September 9, and then learned that
their house, built that spring, was burned
down. In this emergency, the open-
handed hospitality of frontier life was
extended to them by the families
of Gibbs and Lockwood, and there they
remained until a new bouse was erected.
Of the erection of that house, destined to
be the avant-courier of so many noble
structures and happy homes, Mr. Benedict
himself says:
On hearing of my house being burned, we
stopped with Messrs. Gibbs and Lockwood, who
very hospitably entertained us until I got my
house in a condition to move in. They were ac
commodating Capt. John Boalt's family, nine of
whom were sick with the ague. We stayed there
from Monday until Friday, when we went into our
new home, a log pen twenty feet square, no doors,
windows, fire-place, and no furniture except some
cooking utensils used on our journey. Built a fire
against the logs on one side of the shanty, made up
our beds on the floor, which was so green and
damp it spoiled the under-beds, which induced me
to fit up two bedsteads, one for myself and wife
and one for my daughters, placed in opposite cor
ners of the shanty, by boring holes in the logs, for
the sides and feet, and one upright post put into a
hole in the floor, and fastened at the top, and with
basswood bark, made matting in the place of cord,
and when completed they were very comfortable.
I cut out two doors and two windows. The sash I
bought but could get no glass, in place of which 1
used greased paper. Built an oven in one corner,
part in and 'part outside, with clay and sticks; also
a stick chimney above the chamber floor, had no
jams. After burning out three or four logs, I built
up the back part of the chimney of muck and
sticks. I chinked up and mudded between the
logs, which made it very comfortable. For a few
days we were almost without provisions ; we had
green corn, turnips and milk.
The late Seth Jenning, of Milan, says:
I commenced splitting clapboards out of oak
timber to make the roof of. Every man that could
work was on hand to help and do his best toward
getting up the house. The women turned out and
brought up our dinners that day; but we got along
so well with the house that the next morning Mr.
Benedict moved up, and Mrs. Benedict cooked our
dinners that day by a log near the house.
In " Scattered Sheaves, by Ruth," it is
stated: There were present Levi Cole and his sons,
Maj. Underhill, David aud Jasper Underbill, his
nephews, Lott Herrick,  Sanderson, Daniel
Clary, Noah P. Ward, Elihu Potter, Richard Gardi
ner, Reuben Pixley and his son Reuben, Henry
Lockwood, David Gibbs and others. Says David

Underhill, 2d., " Asher Cole, Sanderson and myself,
cut logs in the woods near, or on the ground now
occupied by the railroad buildings, and the water
was ankle deep; Lott Herrick drove the team.
Mr. Benedict regaled his fellow laborers with
Jamaica rum instead of whiskey, which was usually
furnished on such occasions. Mrs. Underhill fur
nished, cooked the dinner, and sent it to us. It con
sisted mainly of pork, potatoes, turnips and bread."
In an unpublished narrative, dictated by
Mrs. Benedict not long before her death,
she says:
Two miles from any neighbor our little
cabin stood ; the floor of logs split in the middle,
not smoothed by plane or chisel; our chairs
made in the same rude manner; our table
was of pieces of boxes in which our goods had
been packed, and "saplings" fastened together
formed our bedsteads. On one side of our cabin
was a large fireplace, on the east and west sides
were doors, on the north our only windows, in
which to supply the place of glass we pasted pieces
of greased paper. And many pleasant evenings
we spent beside that large fireplace, cracking nuts
and eating, not apples, but turnips. You need not
laugh, I tell you those raw turnips tasted good
when there was nothing else to eat, and as the
flames grew bright, our merry party would forget
that they were not in their eastern home, but far
away in the wilds of Ohio. We heard the howl of
the wolf and the whoop of the Indian resounding
through the forest, for a favorite hunting ground of
these wild men was situated near our cabin, and
often would the Indians assemble and renew their
noisy sports, little dreaming of the tide of immigra
tion which should finally sweep them away. One
night the loud barking of our dog attracted our at
tention, followed by a knock at the door; on
opening which, in stalked a large Indian, dressed
in furs and blanket, and fully armed. The children
huddled close to me as he came near and asked
for " daddy." He was evidently intoxicated, and I
did not dare to let him know that " daddy " was not
at home. I asked him to sit down, but he pre
ferred to stretch himself before the fire, where he
soon fell asleep. When he awoke he was nearly
sober, and quite inclined to be talkative. He told
me of the many wrongs the Indian had suffered;
that the white man planted corn over his father's
bones : and the poor old Indian wept. Finally he
started up, exclaiming, " daddy no come, you no
sleep, I go to my brothers;" and he went away.
Sleep was a stranger to our eyes that night, we
kept ourselves in readiness for flight, for we ex
pected the " red-face " would return with his broth
ers to murder us all. The riches of a kingdom
would not repay us for another such night of
anxiety. But as time passed on we gained the
friendship of these denizens of the forest, and they
brought us many, many presents in their own
rude way.
From the date of Mr. Benedict's settle
ment to that of his death, his history is so
completely intertwined with that of the

132

HURON COUNTY, OHIO.

growth and prosperity of the town, that to
give it here in detail would only be a repeti
tion of a large partof the history of Norwalk.
On June 17, 1856, he married, as his sec
ond wife, Mrs. Lavina P. Benton, of Re
public, Ohio, who survived him and died
February 9, 1875.
A few days before his death he attended
the Grand Encampment of Masons at
Toledo, became very much fatigued by
overexertion, was attacked by bowel com
plaint, but so great were his physical
powers, and so determined his will, that
he returned to Norwalk, after which be
rapidly grew worse; yet, so remarkable
was his vitality, that he kept up and around
his room until within a very few hours of
the end. One of his last acts preceding his
death, only about six hours, was the dicta
tion and signing a very salutary codicil
to his will for the benefit of his wife.
With all his faculties of mind clear and
distinct to the last, he quietly passed
away October 25, 1866, aged ninety -one
years, seven months and seven days. His
funeral took place on the following Sab
bath, and was conducted by _ the Knights
Templar from various parts of northern
Ohio, who came in special trains run from
Cleveland and Toledo for that purpose.
His cherished and aged friend, Rev.
Samuel Marks, of Huron, Ohio, officiated,
and at the grave, in the presence of assem
bled thousands, said: "Venerable man !
May thy ashes rest in peace, and the clods
fall lightly upon thy bosom ! Thy virtues
will be embalmed forever in our heart of
hearts, Fare thee well."

FROFESSOR A. D. BEECHY, Nor
walk, was born April 11, 1852. He is
a native of the Buckeye State, hav
ing first seen the light of day in the
somewhat historic county of Holmes.
He is the fourth son of David and Judith
(Yoder) Beechy, who came to Ohio from

Somerset county, Pa., where the Beechy
family is now quite numerous. His an
cestors came to this country from England
about 1767, and, like most people of those
times, engaged in agricultural pursuits.
His mother is a relative of ex-Congress
man Yoder, of Ohio. Both parents are
still living at this writing, and now reside
in Sugar Creek, Tuscarawas Co., Ohio.
Mr. Beechy's early education was very
limited, as in boyhood and early youth he
was occupied almost entirely in laboring
on his father's farm, attending only a
short winter term of district school each
year until he arrived at the age of thir
teen years. From this time until he
reached the age of eighteen, all the oppor
tunity he had for pursuing his studies was
that afforded by borne instruction during
the long winter evenings, rainy days, etc.
At these times he diligeutlyapplied himself
to the study of arithmetic and reading of
history. In this way he worked his way
through several old arithmetics without
any assistance whatever. Mathematics has
ever since remained one of his favorite
studies, partly owing, no doubt, to this
early training in this line of thought.
While progress in the rudiments of an
education was necessarily slow under
these circumstances, the lesson of self-
dependence thus learned stood him in
¦ good stead when better opportunities of
fered later in life.
At the age of eighteen be attended a
term of seventy-three days of country
school, before the end of wliich he passed
an examination by the county board of
examiners, and received a certificate for
twelve months, the longest issued to ap
plicants without experience in teaching.
The following year he commenced teach
ing, in which profession he has ever since
been engaged with the exception of about
a year. After teaching two six-months
terms of country school, he attended two
terms, commencing the summer of 1874,
the Hayesville Academy, then under the
management of Dr. Martin. At the time

HURON COUNTY, OHIO.

133

it was a preparatory shool for Wooster
University. Soou after this he learned
something of the advantages offered to self-
dependent young men by Mt. Union Col
lege, and directed his studies with a view
to entering this institution, which he did
in 1876, and from which he graduated in
the classical course in 1880. During each
of the years while at college, he taught a
term of school of four or five months, but
kept up with his class by private work and
taking the regular examinations. In
mathematics he stood first in his class.
During the following year he was prin
cipal of the schools of his native town,
Berlin, Ohio. In December of this year
he went before the State board of exam
iners, and was granted a life certificate,
being the youngest applicant, with one ex
ception, to whom such a certificate had then
been granted. At this time only one grade
of certificates was issued, to be entitled to
which one had to pass an examination in
the common branches, all the higher
branches taught in any high school of the
State, and a certain number of additional
higher branches selected by the applicant.
It authorizes the holder to teach any branch
in any school in the State. The law has
since been amended so as to allow two
grades of certificates to be issued — high
school and common school. The following
year he was elected to the superintendency
of the schools of Louisville, Ohio, which
position he filled for four years. While
in this place he was married to Miss
Theresa Baumann, of Louisville, on De
cember 25, 1883. One child, Ada May,
has come to cheer their home.
Prof. Beechy next purchased a half in
terest in a semi-weekly and weekly news
paper, The Alliance Review. In less than
a year's experience, however, he found
some of the work connected with its pub
lication and management quite uncon
genial. Besides, he could not agree with
his partner in some matters of honor and
right, as well as the political policy to be
pursued by the paper. He therefore sold

his interest to his partner for what seemed
a fair consideration, but which proved to
be a considerable loss. Determining to
return to the profession of teaching, he
was elected superintendent of the schools
of Elmore, Ohio, in which position he con
tinued his work four years, rendering em
inently successful services to these schools.
While iu this place he also conducted
a Normal School under the auspices of
the Toledo Business College, during sev
eral summer vacations. In 1886 the de
gree of A. M. was conferred on him by
Mt. Union College, he having completed
a post-graduate course of study in that in
stitution. In 1889 the subject of this
sketch was elected to the principalship of
the Norwalk High Schools. After two
years' service in this capacity he was
elected to the superintendency of the pub
lic schools in the same place, for which
position his ability and experience pre
eminently qualify him, and which position
he holds at this writing.
The Professor is a strong believer in
hard work, whether it concerns pupils,
teachers or himself. He owes his own
success almost wholly to the fact that he
was never disposed to shirk it. For the
boy or girl who is faithful to duty he has
an unlimited amount of sympathy and en
couragement; but in truancy and idleness
he recognizes two of the greatest evils that
afflict the young, and with these he wages
eternal warfare. Realizing that the " child
is father to the man," he insists that, in
order to have citizens who will respect the
authority of the State, we must train chil
dren to respect the constituted authority
of the home and the school. Discipline is
therefore insisted on in the schools under
bis management. Although giving his
best thought and efforts to the schools of
which he is the head, Mr. Beechy has
found time to pursue a regular course of
reading and study in the post-graduate de
partment of Wooster University. He has
just completed a very comprehensive
course of study in social and political

134

HURON COUNTY, OHIO.

science, and received the degree of Doctor
of Philosophy.
While he is liberal in his views on poli
tics and otlier subjects, as one who has had
his extensive reading could hardly help
but be, he believes that on nearly all the
great questions of national iuterest which
have divided the parties of this country,
the Republican party has been in tbe right.
In politics, therefore, he is a Republican.
His political principles were undoubtedly
intensified by the impression left on his
mind by the unpatriotic actions of many
of the adherents of the other party in
his neighborhood and county during the
Rebellion.

JOHN A. PITTSFORD, superintend
ent of public schools at Chicago
Junction, comes of Welsh descent.
His grandparents, David and Ann
(Davis) Pittsford, were natives of Wales,
born in 1762 and 1773, respectively.
They were married in their native land,
and coming to America in 1798 (soon
after the birth of their eldest child), lo
cated in Chester county, Penn. They re
sided on a farm in that county until 1816,
then came to Licking county, Ohio, where
he purchased one hundred acres, other land
having been added to the original tract,
and the old farm now contains 160 acres.
The children born to David and Ann Pitts-
ford were as follows: William, who moved
to Indiana; Mary, wife of Isaac Price;
Isaac, who moved to Indiana; John, whose
sketch follows; Elizabeth, wife of Rev.
Thomas Hughes, and James, all of whom
were married and left children.
John Pittsford was born in Chester
county, Penn., October 2, 1802. He re
ceived a good common-school education,
and afterward, in 1828 and 1829, attended
Kenyon College, near Mount Vernon, Ohio.
He married Mary, daughter of Philip
Peters, of Baltimore, Fairfield Co., Ohio,
who resided at Baltimore; After his
marriage John Pittsford supervised the

repairs of a large portion of the Ohio
canal. He then conducted a store at
Baltimore for two years, and in 1842
moved upon a farm in Licking county
which he afterward purchased and resided
upon until his death. He was a Radical
Whig in politics, and in religion was a ,
member of the Presbyterian Church. He
died in 1847 at the age of forty-five years;
his widow is yet living with her son (John
A.) at the age of eighty-two years. After
the death of her husband Mrs. Pittsford
was married to Myron Merchant, and bore
him three children. He died, and she
then made a third choice in the person of
Alfred Hatch, who is also deceased. Eight
children were born to the union of John
and Mary (Peters) Pittsford, as follows:
Mary, deceased in youth; Martha, wife of
Isaac FinkboDe, living in Licking county;
George, deceased in youth; Hiram, living
in Dayton, Ohio; Harriet, deceased in in
fancy; Diana, wife of John Harritt, of
Findlay, Ohio; John A., whose name
opens this sketch; and Timothy H., who
died March 11, 1865, in the hospital at
Chattanooga. John A. Pittsford was born April 12,
1844, in Licking county, Ohio. When he
was but a boy, three years old, he lost his
father, and soon after his mother's second
marriage he went to live with an aunt,
Elizabeth Hughes, in Morrow county, Ohio,
with whom he remained until he was sev
enteen years old. At the age of fifteen
years he taught a three months' summer
school, and when in his seventeenth year
entered Denison University, at Granville,
Ohio. He then taught and attended school
alternately until 1866, when he entered
the National Normal University at Leb
anon. While there he accepted a position
in a school near Lebanon, and continued
teaching and attending school about two
years. In 1868 he engaged to teach in
the A. Grammar school at Findlay, in the
meantime continuing his private studies,
and remained there three years. From
September, 1871, to 1873 be was superin-

HURON COUNTY, OHIO.

135

tendent of the schools of Johnstown, Lick
ing Co., Ohio. In 1873 be became
superintendent of a school at Mount
Blanchard, Hancock Co., same State,
which position he occupied six years, when
he was elected superintendent at Forest,
remaining there three years. On July 25,
1877, he was united in marriage with
Josie R. Smith, native of Mount Blanchard,
and daughter of Rev. John Smith, a native
of Virginia, a pastor of the M. E. Church.
In 1882 Prof. Pittsford accepted the
superintendency of the schools of Carey,
Wyandot county, where he remained six
years. After the erection of the new
school building in Chicago Junction, in
1888, he was elected superintendent, which
position he still holds, having been recently
re-elected for a term of two years, making
seven in all. He has a corps of ten teachers.
He has held the position of County School
Examiner in Hancock and Wyandot coun
ties for one and two terms each; and is
likely to receive the same appointment
soon in Huron county.
When but two years of age Mr. Pitts
ford was injured by a fall, his hip being
dislocated, which crippled him for life. As
soon as he was old enough to realize this
fact he resolved to make teaching his pro
fession, and possessing a naturally apt
mind, applied himself with earnest zeal to
preparation for his chosen calling. The
result of his efforts has been evident since
the day that the crippled lad of fifteen
years taught his first school, which was
the beginning of an unusually successful
life. He had no advantages save those of
a common-school education ; but the neces
sity which rendered it imperative that he
should teach in order to secure an educa
tion proved of valuable training to him.
He thus gained industrial habits and the
self-reliant ways which are so essential in
this profession. Few men are as well
qualified for their vocations as is Prof.
Pittsford, and through his untiring efforts
the schools of Chicago Junction now oc
cupy a position second to none in the

county. The phenomenal growth in num
ber has been fully met with enlarged and
sufficient facilities. He has been president
of the Pluron County Teachers' Associa
tion for several years. In politics be is a
Republican, and in religious matters he
has been an active member of and elder in
the Presbyterian Church since that denom
ination was organized at Chicago Junction.
The union of Prof, and Mrs. Pittsford was
blessed with five children, viz.: Ernest
Cecil, Clarice Lelia, Lulu Grace, Lois
Mary and Bruce Eugene, the latter dying
at the age of nine months.

M. BEATTIE, a well-known mem
ber of the Huron county bar, was
^ born June 10, 1853, in Ashland
county, Ohio. He is a son of John
and Isabel (Thom) Beattie, both na
tives of Scotland, the former of whom
came to America in 1836, the latter in
1837, both locating in Ashland county,
Ohio, where he became a prominent farmer
of his day. He died January 8, 1883, in
his sixty-eighth year; his widow still sur
vives, now aged sixty-six. They were the
parents of eleven children, seven of whom
are now living, our subject being fifth in
the order of birth.
A. M. Beattie received his primary edu
cation in the public schools of the vicinity
of his birthplace, afterward taking a course
in a Normal school. He then followed the
profession of school-teacher for some years,
and in the meantime commenced a system
atic course of study of the law, under the
tutelage of Judge Curtiss, of Ashland. He
afterward took a course in the Law Depart
ment of the State University of Indiana,
graduating in 1877, and in the spring of
1878 opened his law office in New London,
Huron Co., Ohio, the style of the firm be
ing Laning & Beattie. The partnership
was dissolved in 1882, and Mr. Beattie
continued alone in the duties of his pro
fession until 1884, when he was elected

136

HURON COUNTY, OHIO.

clerk of the courts of Huron county, fill
ing this office for the next six years. At
the end of his official term he resumed the
practice of the law, in which he has ranked
from the very first as one of the leading,
safe members of the bar of northern Ohio,
prominent in his profession and widely
known as a leading influential man. Mr.
Beattie at present is treasurer of the board
of education; he is a stockholder in the
Laning Printing Company and its at
torney, and attorney for the Home Savings
and Loan Company of Norwalk, Ohio.
A. M. Beattie and Dora Sullivan were
united in marriage April 15, 1879, and to
their union have been born two sons and
two daughters, namely: Blanche, Anna,
Walter and Homer. Mrs. Beattie was born
February 3, 1854, in Pennsylvania, and
moved with her parents to Ohio, while
quite young, making her home in Ashtabula
county, till her marriage. Her parents,
Josiah and Phebe A. (Hopkins) Sullivan,
were natives of New York State, where
they were both born in 1825.

EV. N. C. HELFRICH, pastor of
the Presbyteriau Church of Ply
mouth, was born February 9, 1837,
in Crawford county, Ohio. Peter
and Margaret (Burnett) Helfrich,
natives of Germany, emigrated to Amer
ica in the "twenties," and finding a home
in Crawford county, Ohio, engaged at
once in agriculture. Of their family of
five children — three sons and two daugh
ters — the subject of this sketch is the
youngest. Peter Helfrich was an officer
in Napoleon Bonaparte's army, bnt after
settling in Ohio he gave all his attention
to pastoral pursuits.
N. C. Helfrich obtained a primary edu
cation in the public schools of his native
place, which was supplemented by a course
in Iberia (now Central) College. He
graduated in 1863, and was appointed pro
fessor of mathematics, a position he filled

most satisfactorily for three years. In
1868 he entered Union Theological Semi
nary, N. Y., and graduating from that in
stitution in 1870 he was called to the
pastorate of the Presbyterian Church at
New Concord, Ohio, where he remained
six years. From 1876 to 1889 he served
the churches at Newton Falls, Hayesville
and Weston, and in 1889 accepted a call
to the Plymouth Church, of which he is
regular pastor, as he also was over his
Qther charges. Mr. Helfrich is a close
student and an earnest worker, and being
endowed with a strong constitution, he is
in every way well fitted for the profession
he selected.
His marriage with Miss Josephine Gra
ham took place August 23, 1866, at
Galion, Ohio. She died in 1873, and on
August 26, 1875, he married Miss Carrie
Marquis. Their home is the center of
Presbyterian unity in Columbus, Ohio.
He accepted a call to the West Broad
street Presbyterian Church of that city in
August, 1893.

W. GRAHAM. The subject of
this biographical memoir is a
typical American, not alone by
birth, but also because of his
characteristic push, energy and progress-
iveness; and of those whose names will
remain permanently associated with the
development of enterprises of magnitude,
there is none deserving of more promi
nence in the pages of this volume.
Mr. Graham was born in. Wayne county,
N. Y., in 1842, a son of Zachariah and
Lydia (Carrier) Graham, the former of
whom, a blacksmith by trade, was born of
Scotch ancestry, in Cayuga county, N. Y.,
the latter being a native of New York
City. The father died in 1852, at the age
of fifty-four years, the mother in 1888,
when seventy-nine years old; our subject's
paternal grandparents died at very ad
vanced ages, the grandfather when ninety-

HURON COUNTY, OHIO.

137

seven years old, the grandmother when
one hundred and fpur.
At the age of thirteen, W. W. Graham
left the paternal roof-tree, and turning his
face toward tbe setting sun, boldly ad
vanced westward in the direction of the
fertile State of Illinois, arriving in 1859
at Urbana, Champaign county. For
twenty-two years he resided here, engaged,
the greater part of the time, in mercantile
pursuits. In 1861, on the first call for
troops to suppress the Rebellion, he
offered his service in the army to the
Union cause, but was rejected on account
of his youth; however, on the second call
for troops, May 1, 1861, he enlisted in
Company K, Twenty-fifth 111. V. I., under
Gen. Sigel, serving in the army of the
Southwest. The first battle in which he
participated was Pea Ridge, and afterward
he was quartered at Rolla, Mo., until the
following spring. After eighteen month's
service, he was detailed for special duty, and
at the close of the war he was at Memphis,
Tenn., while his regiment was stationed at
Vicksburg, Miss. He was honorably dis
charged at Sedalia, Mo., as corporal, and
returned to his home in Urbana, 111. He
was there engaged in the dry-goods busi
ness until 1880, in which year he came to
Ohio, having been appointed paymaster
for the Wheeling & Lake Erie Railroad
Company. While serving in that capacity
he did some railroad contracting, and as
he could not be engaged in both businesses
at the same time, he in 1884 resigned his
paymastership, since when he has given
his almost exclusive attention to contract
ing. He contracted for and built nearly
all the bridges, and furnished the bulk of
the ties, for the Wheeling & Lake Erie
Railroad; and within the past eight years
the amount of his contracting has reached
the large sum of one and one-half million
dollars. During the four years he served
as paymaster on the road, he paid out over
three and one-half million dollars, without
ever making any mistake amounting to as
much as fifty dollars. During the past

year he built seventy miles of bridges for
the Baltimore & Ohio Railroad. The Lake
Erie Tobacco Company had been organized
at Cleveland, Ohio, but on account of ad
verse circumstances of some nature was
about to go into insolvency. This concern
Mr. Graham and others bought and moved
to Norwalk, where they placed it on a firm
and promising basis, and it is now in a
flourishing condition.
In 1864 W. W. Graham was united in
marriage, at Urbana, 111., with Miss
Nellie M. Griggs, whose father was general
.contractor for tbe Wheeling & Lake Erie
Railroad. In 1887 Mrs. Graham was
called from earth, leaving two children,
Maude and King. In 1890 our subject
married Miss Carrie M. Rude, of Sandusky,
Ohio. Mr. Graham is a F. & A. M.,
32nd degree, and a member of the Mystic
Shrine at Cleveland.

EV. JOSEPH BLASER, pastor of
St. Alphonsus Church, Peru, Ohio,
was born November 8, 1846, at
Schlier, in the Kingdom of Wur-
temberg, South Germany, a son of
Anton and Crescentia Blaser, who belonged
to the agricultural class.
Their parents and ancestors for genera
tions were farmers, perhaps as far back as
the time wben the bearded and pious
Eberhard V was created Duke of Wur-
temberg, by Maximilian I, in 1494. The
youth, Joseph, received a practical educa
tion in his native town of Schlier, and
when fourteen years old was so far advanced
in study as to warrant his parents sending
him to the famous Jesuit College at Feld-
kirch, Austria. There he completed his
study of the classics, and thence was sent
to Eichstadt, Bavaria, to study philosophy
and theology. In 1870, when he was
twenty-three years and six months old, he
was ordained priest, and became assistant
pastor at Basel, Switzerland. Six weeks
after he was appointed pastor at Klein-
lutzel, Switzerland, and there had charge

138

HURON COUNTY, OHIO.

of a congregation of 1,100 souls, and
was director of three schools. For two
years he labored at Kleinlutzel, and here
won golden opinions. In 1874 Father
Blaser left Europe, then in a much dis
turbed condition, called Culturkampf, to
seek a home in the New World, and com
ing to Ohio, found a resting place for a
time. Some time after his arrival at Cleveland,
he was appointed, by the late Rt. Rev.
Bishop of the diocese, pastor of the
churches at Nordridge and Mud Creek, in
Defiance county. At Mud Creek he built
a neat frame church, and, under his admin
istration of three years, progress was
unmistakable. Bishop Gilmour trans
ferred him to Millersville, Sandusky
county, where be erected an elegant resi
dence and enlarged and restored the old
church. After ten years and eight months
of pastoral labor, he was removed from
Millersville and appointed, by Bishop Gil
mour, to his present charge. His resto
ration and enlargement of the church
building here, and its conversion into a
modern Gothic house, pronounce him a
man of culture and taste.

1 1 OSEPH ROE McKNIGHT. The sub-
l. I ject of this sketch, whose portrait is
\LJ) seen on the opposite page, would, if
called upon, disclaim any of that kind
of modesty which would exclude him from
these pages; not that he is so egotistical
as to believe his own achievements entitle
him to public notice; but because he
deems it honorable and just to associate
himself at all opportune times, both in
name and person, with good men and good
deeds. His ancestral line, both paternal and
maternal, runs unbroken to what is known
as Scotch-Irish people. He was born on a
farm in Richland county, Ohio, on the
25th day of December, 1853. His father's
name was John Beard McKnight; his
mother's maiden name was Susanna Lori-

mor. The fifth one of eight children, he
is the only member of his father's family
living. His father died on tbe 16th day
of August, 1865; his mother on the 24th
day of May, 1893. His youth and early
manhood were spent on a farm, where les
sons of industry are practically and continu
ously taught. His educational training was
obtained at a country-district school, sup
plemented by oue year at Ohio Central
College, and a three- months' term at Iron
City College.
Mr. McKnight was married to Sarah
Jennette McCullough, on the 14th day of
April, 1874, at the home of her mother in
Mansfield, Ohio, and they immediately
went to house-keeping on the farm on
which he was born. Although inured to
farm life, it had always been distasteful to
him, which caused him to seek a favorable
opportunity to change his business, which
opportunity was found in 1880, at which
time he engaged in the drug business in
Shelby, Ohio. Having conceived a very
great liking for the law as a profession, he
commenced the study of it in connection
with the drug business, using what spare
moments he could find, without neglecting
his other interests, in reading law. In the
summer of 1886 he disposed of his inter
est in thejdrug business, and on the 5th day
of October, in same year, was at Colum
bus, Ohio, admitted to the practice of law.
On the 22nd day of November, of the same
year, in partnership with George T. Thomas,
he opened a law office in Norwalk, Ohio. At
first business came slowly, but an increas
ing acquaintanceship brought an increase
in clientage, and it was not long until he
had every reason to be satisfied with his
choice of profession and location.
No careful observer can well doubt that
the administration of the county prosecut
ing attorney's office exerts a co-ordinate
influence which penetrates and inoculates
the sociology of its own and surrounding
counties, making it one of tbe most impor
tant offices in a county. In 1891 Mr. Mc
Knight was elected to this office in Huron

HURON COUNTY, OHIO.

141

county, Ohio. Entering upon the duties
of the office on the first Monday of Janu
ary, 1892, he has, with the utmost in
tegrity, faithfully and impartially adminis
tered the affairs of the office. His domes
tic relations are congenial; be and his
wife have three children: Edna Ninetta,
John Bronson, and Ethel Bird.

FERRY TILLSON, a representative
well-to-do agriculturist of Norwalk
township, was born in Pern, Huron
Co., Ohio, September 3, 1855, on
tbe farm where bis grandfather,
Thomas Tillson, had settled in 1816.
Our subject is a son of the late Rufus
Tillson, who was born in Butternuts, Mass.,
a son of the Thomas Tillson above men
tioned, a weaver by trade. Thomas mar
ried Martha Stewart in his native State,
and in 1816 he came alone on foot to
Huron county, Ohio; two years later his
wife followed him, making the trip on
horseback, carrying in her arms her first
born, Rufus, who afterward became the
fatherof the subject of this sketch. Thomas
Tillson made a settlement in Peru town
ship, where were born the rest of his
family, to wit: Stephen, who moved to
Chicago, 111., where he practiced law in an
early day, and died in Iowa; Harriet, mar
ried to Alba C. Turner, and died in
Wyandot county, Ohio; and Thomas, de
ceased. The father of this family passed
the rest of his useful life in Peru town
ship, dying in 1844, the owner of 450
acres of land, the greater part of which he
had cleared himself. He had extensive
farming interests, employing a large num
ber of hands; and being a good manao-er
he made a success. His first dwelling was
the traditional log cabin, but later he
erected substantial and capacious build
ings. He also conducted a tavern for the
benefit of wayfarers — in those days
chiefly "freighters" and persons traveling

from the lake to the southern part of the
State. In politics he was a Whig, in re
ligious faith a Universalist. His wife sur
vived him some years, and they lie side by
side in Peru cemetery.
Rufus Tillson, eldest son of Thomas
Tillson, was born in Massachusetts, May
19, 1818, and was, as has already been
stated, an infant when brought to Pern
township, Huron county. He received
such education as the subscription schools
of his boyhood days afforded, proving an
apt student, and, compared with the rest
or. the scholars, an expert mathematician
and good penman. He was reared to agri
cultural pursuits, and continued to con
duct the home farm till 1882, after which
he lived a retired life until his decease in
July, 1890; his remains were laid to rest
iu Peru cemetery. First a Whig, later a
Republican, his maiden Presidential vote
was cast for William H. Harrison. He
was a great reader, intelligent above the
average, most unassuming and a despiser
of shams. As an all-round farmer he made
a success, and took a close interest in tbe
many details of agriculture, including the
care of stock. Rufus Tillson was twice
married, first time, in 1841, to Miss Julia
Perry, a native of New Jersey, daughter
of Joseph Perry, and the children of this
union are as follows: Irving, a farmer of
Peru township, Huron county; Annette,
now wife of E. P. Snyder, also a farmer of
Peru township, and Perry, the subject
proper of sketch. The mother of these
died in 1873, and for his second wife
Rufus Tillson married Mrs. A. J. Canfield.
Perry Tillson passed his boyhood in
much the same way as most country boys
— working on the farm in summer and
attending in winter the district school,
where he received all his education, except
ing what he gleaned during a few terms at
the normal school in Milan, Erie county.
He has been a farmer all his days, and
after marriage he and his wife purchased
the property where they now reside in
Norwalk township, near Norwalk, known

142

HURON COUNTY, OHIO.

as the old Lewis farm, it having been pur
chased by Mr. Lewis in 1815, and was the
second farm settled in the township.
In 1881 Mr. Tillson was married to
Grace M. Clapp, daughter of Aro Clapp,
of* Norwalk township, where she was born
February 12, 1860. The children of this
marriage were: Carl Dean, born May 6,
1884, died February 20, 1887; Howard
Clapp, born June 20, 1886, and Helen
Lucile, born May 16, 1893. Mr. Tillson
is a very successful farmer, and while he'
raises considerable grain and potatoes,
makes a specialty of dairying, selling milk
to the milkmen for the city trade. Iu 1889
he replaced the old house (built about the
year 1830 by Mr. Lewis) with a handsome
residence, and in 1891 he put up a second
bonse for the use of his hired help. These
and other improvements, together with the
natural fine building spot tbe farm affords,
make their place an ideal country home.
Politically Mr. Tillson is a Republican,
and, although not a member of any Church,
he attends the Universalist, and contributes
to its support.

/Gardner young. The rugged
I j, hills of New England have seem-
\^j ingly imparted a strength of charac-
j^. ter to those born and bred beneath
their shadow, which harmonizes well
with the aspect of Nature in the Granite
and Green Mountain States. Strong men
and true have breathed the bracing air of
New England, and gone forth from the
borders to found new homes, there im
planting those principles of honor and en
terprise characteristic of their native States.
From such ancestors is descended the sub
ject of this sketch.
Josiah Young was born February 25,
1780, in New Hampshire, passing his
boyhood on the home farm, and in 1804
was there married to Mary Bardin, a native
of the same State, born in 1785. They
remained in New Hampshire until about
1812, when they removed to Rochester,

Windsor Co., Vt. On May 2, 1836, Josiah
Young, accompanied by his son, Gardner,
set out on an exploring expedition, intend
ing to find a home in the then "Far
West." Their route was from Whitehall,
N. Y., to Albany, thence via the Erie Canal
to Buffalo, from there sailing on Lake Erie
to a northern Ohio port, then proceeding
to Akron, Ohio, where they visited friends.
From Akron they walked to De Kalb
county, Ind., where the father purchased
land, and, leaving his son Gardner in
charge, returned to Vermont for the fam
ily. While en route to his new home,
Josiah Young was persuaded by some rela
tives to locate in Ohio, and consequently
he bought 117 acres near North Monroe
ville in Ridgefield township, Huron county,
where he died September 18, 1870, when
nearly ninety-one years of age. He was
an indulgent husband and father, finding
his chief pleasures in domestic life, and a
zealous member of the First M. E. Church
of Monroeville. He was one of the found
ers of that Church, and in addition to
liberal contribution, made a valuable gift
to the congregation. In political opinion
he was formerly a Whig, afterward uniting
with the Republican party, of which he
was an enthusiastic supporter. Mrs. Young
was laid to rest February 10, 1880, at the
age of ninety-four years, and was buried
beside her husband in the cemetery at
North Monroeville. Their children were
as follows: Reuben, who left Vermont and
went west, where all trace of him was lost;
Lorenzo, first married in Vermont (he
came west after the death of his wife, and
was married to Lena Mackey; he died in
Monroe county, Mich.); Orrilla, widow of
Mahlon Young, is living in Norwalk, Ohio;
Gardner, whose sketch follows; Sophronia,,
who died August 23, 1893, while in Chica
go attending the World's Fair (she was the
widow of Joel P. Brown, of Lenawee
county, Mich.); Mary, deceased wife of
Lewis Pearce; Martha, married to Isaac
DeWitt, of Ridgefield township; Joseph,
deceased farmer of Ridgefield township;

HURON COUNTY, OHIO.

143

Ellen, wife of Milton Margatt, of Oakland,
Cal.; and John, a resident of Norwalk,
Ohio. Gardner Young was born December 23,
1815, in Rochester, Windsor Co., Vt.,
there receiving his early education. After
coming to Ohio he learned the cooper
trade, but followed it only a short time.
On September 6, 1847, he selected a life
companion in tbe person of Martha, daugh
ter of John and Hannah (Austin) Warren,
born in 1822, in Vermont, where tbe mar
riage took place. The young couple im
mediately came to Ridgefield township,
Huron county, Ohio, where he had pre
viously purchased land. In 1870 Mrs.
Young met with a fatal accident. She
was returning from Monroeville in a
buggy by herself, when her horse became
frightened at a hand-car and ran away.
After running with her nearly two miles,
she fell from the buggy, was picked up in
sensible, and lived but a few minutes.
She was the mother of the following chil
dren: Henry J., a farmer of Sumner
county, Kans. ; Clara A., deceased in early
youth; Charles S., a real estate man of
San Francisco, Cal.; Alice L. and Albert
W. (twins), the former a school teacher,
the latter a farmer in Colorado; Jennie,
who died in 1882; Jessie, living at home,
and Cora B., a resident of San Francisco,
California. In 1880 Mr. Young moved to his present
home in Monroeville, where he lives in
semi-retirement, simply superintending the
care of his property. He has been a most
successful business man. In politics he
is a leading Republican, formerly a Whig,
and has served in various local offices. All
of his children enjoy the advantages of a
college education.

I A. NICOLLS was born May 12,
w I 1827, in Lock, Cayuga Co., N. Y., a
^Jj son of John and Sarah (Peck) Nicolls.
William Nicolls, his grandfather, a
native of New York, was in the service of
his country during the entire seven years

of the Revolutionary war. The father of
subject, also a native of New York, was a
goldier in the war of 1812, serving
throughout that conflict, and was in the
battle of Fort George under Gen. Schuyler.
In 1837 John Nicolls came to Ohio,
locating iu Bronson township, Huron
county, and cleared off a farm, becoming
a prominent farmer in the township, where
be died in 1845. His widow was after
ward granted a pension for his services in
tbe war; she died in 1876, aged eighty-
five years. Their children were seven in
number, as follows: William, who died
when aged twenty-five, unmarried; Lorina,
Mrs. Hagermann, of Bronson township;
Samantha; Newell Ray, who died in 1865,
aged forty-five; J. A., subject of sketch;
George, of Bronson township, and one de
ceased in infancy.
J. A. Nicolls was ten years of age when
he came with the family to Ohio. He at
tended the common schools of that peripd,
the days of tlie primitive log schoolhouses,
where each pupil furnished so much wood,
as well as paying the teacher. When he
was fifteen years old he commenced to
work out as a hired man at six dollars per
month, which money all went to help sup
port the family. He thus labored four
years, tilling the land on shares, when be
went into debt and bought a farm. By
working hard ,and saving closely, and buy
ing other land on credit, in the end he
paid off all the accumulated debts, to the
sum of over four thousand two hundred
dollars (including six years interest), with
several lucky years' crops. He continued
to follow farming till 1877.
On August 24, 1870, J. A. Nicolls and
Miss Rosanna Fisher were united in mar
riage by Rev. John Hawker, and to them
were born four children, as follows: Ralph,
Dean, Jessie and John A. In 1877 the
family removed to Norwalk, and made ex
tensive investments in real estate, at the
same time farming and dealing extensively
in stock. Mr. Nicolls has served accept
ably as township assessor during seven

144

HURON COUNTY, OHIO.

successive terms; he was also township
clerk, and for about three years was post
master at Bronson, having his appointment
(which was signed by President Fillmore)
still in his possession. One of his Nor
walk enterprises wa's the erection, in the
fall and winter of 1877, of the elegant
"Nicolls Block," which was burned in
September, 1888; but he rebuilt it at once,
and still owns the fine property; he also
owns 270 acres of land in Bronson town
ship, and the elegant grocery house build
ing on Benedict avenue, in Norwalk. In
1876 he built his elegant residence on
Norwood avenue, where the family now
resides, the grounds around which include
about three acres, tastefully laid out aud
highly ornamented, making, altogether, one
of the finest homes in the city. Mr. Nicolls
did not go into the army to put down the
rebellion, having an aged mother and aunt
to care for; but he gave liberally of his
means to those that did enlist for their
country's protection. Politically he is an
active Prohibitionist, having enlisted with
the party at its commencement.

CHARLES M. NIVER, prominent
among the most prosperous and in
fluential of the farmers of Norwich
township, Huron county, is a native
of the same, born in 1835.
C. B- Niver, father of the subject of
this sketch, came in 1833 from Orange
county, N. Y., to Norwich township,
Huron county, where he settled on a farm
of 600 acres, part of which he sold to his
brothers, owning at the time of his death
250 acres of valuable land which he had
cleared. He was by trade a wagon maker,
but after coming to Huron county devoted
his attention exclusively to agriculture.
He married Miss Emily Moore, of Seneca
county, N. Y., and four children were
born to them, viz.: Laura J. and John M.
(both deceased), Albert E. and Charles M.
The father died in 1886, in politics a solid
Republican.

Charles M. Niver, the subject proper of
tbis sketch, was born On his father's farm,
and was there reared to agricultural pur
suits, attending during tbe winter months
the public schools of the neighborhood of
his place of birth. He now owns 151
acres of prime land, where he successfully
carries on general farming. Politically he
follows in the footsteps of his father, being
an uncompromising Republican.

ALVIN WHITNEY. The flexibil
ity of American genius — the ability
to project and successfully manipu
late the details of a new business, after
having for a protracted period conducted
one, perhaps diametrically different in its
nature — is one of its distinguishing char
acteristics. This easy transition from an
old to a new vocation may be said to lie
at the bottom of nearly all great material
development in the United States.
Capitalists, who for the most part are
discreet in their investments, embark in
new enterprises only when the way has
been carefully mapped out by this quality
of genius, and liberal returns are insured;
and, as a consummation of plans and ven
tures of men of this type, on grass-covered
prairies have sprung up towns and cities
where the incessant hum and roar of in
dustry in all its phases is the ^Eoliau
music of commerce and trade. Thus capi
talists, who furnish employment to the
masses by the establishment of such
enterprises, become our greatest bene
factors — our practical philanthropists —
to whom the public owe no less a debt of
gratitude than to men of letters, to the
statesmen, or to the soldier. In this con
nection we here introduce a brief bio
graphical sketch of Mr. Calvin Whitney,
president of the A. B. Chase Company,
of Norwalk, one of the leading industries
of the kind in the country, and certainly
the leading one in the State of Ohio.

HURON COUNTY, OHIO.

145

The Whitney family are of English
origin, Henry Whitney, grandsire of the
branch of the family in this country, hav-
ino- been born in the "tight little island"
about the year 1620. Immigrating to this
country, he became a pioneer of the, then,
New England Colonies, and the family
lived for successive generations in and
around the vicinity of Norwalk, Conn.,
until the migrating therefrom of Henry
Whitney, grandfather of the subject of
this sketch, as will be presently related.
This last mentioned Henry Whitney
was born in 1791, in Norwalk, Conn.,
where he married Miss Lucy Grumman,
afterward moving to the western border of
civilization, and, in 1819, settling in what
is now Shelby, Richland Co., Ohio. To
this honored pioneer couple were born
eleven children, ten of whom lived till
after the youngest had passed the fiftieth
milestone on the highway of life. One of
these children, by name Charles, born Sep
tember 23, 1812, in his younger days fol
lowed blacksmithing and farming, and he
is now a resident of North Fairfield, Ohio,
a hale and hearty octogenarian. He mar
ried a widow lady whose maiden name
was Roxanna Palmer, and they became
the parents of six children, the eldest of
whom, Palmer, gave every promise of a
bright career, but at the age of nineteen
he enlisted in Company A, Twenty-fourth
Regiment O. V. L, and after a gallant
service in the Federal cause was mortally
wounded at the battle of Shiloh; Anne,
the second child, died in Infancy; Calvin,
John L., Richard B. and Idalia L. are yet
living. Calvin Whitney was born in Townsend,
Huron Co., Ohio, September 25, 1846.
As a boy he pursued the usual vocations of
farm life during the summer seasons, in
winter time attending the common schools
of the neighborhood, where he developed
an ambition for learning, and exhibited a
special fondness for mathematics. He
proved an apt and diligent scholar, and by
close study at home by the cheerless light

of a tallow candle, and daily encouraged
by a loving, patient, painstaking mother,
he succeeded in mastering the elements of
an English education; and when at the age
of fifteen he found his school days termi
nated, he had acquired a higher mental
discipline than many whose advantages in
that respect had been greater. Something
he learned also — the greatest lesson of life
— to think for himself.
At the age of eighteen Mr. Whitney
began business for his own account by
taking a farm to work on shares, but a hail
storm came and destroyed his crops, which
disaster he interpreted as an ill-omen,
and concluding that Providence did not
design bim for a farmer (to use his own
words), he determined to change his voca
tion. Accordingly, in the fall of 1865, hus
banding his means — some four hundred
dollars — he went West and opened ont a
hardwood lumber business, on a scale such
as his finances admitted, soon established
a credit, and so made the venture a success
from the outset. Under his care the busi
ness grew rapidly, and for several years
before he commenced to withdraw bis atT
tention from it, and look after matters of
still greater magnitude, the lumber sales
aggregated from one hundred and fifty
thousand to two hundred thousand dollars
per annum.
But notwithstanding the extensive and
remunerative trade in this line of industry
which be had built up, Mr. Whitney was
ever on the "qui vive," watching for pos
sibilities in other directions. In the fall
of 1875 he assisted in organizing the A.
B. Chase Organ Company, for the purpose
of manufacturing reed organs, the capital
stock of the concern being then fifty thou
sand dollars. Of this company he was a
director until April, 1877, when, on tbe
death of Mr. A. B. Chase, he was unani
mously elected president of the same.
Now, after fifteen consecutive years of
assiduous duty, he still occupies the re
sponsible position, and it may be added
that since his administration, the business

146

HURON COUNTY, OHIO.

has grown extensively in its proportions.
The following excerpt from the com
pany's latest statistical statement speaks
for itself:
September 1, 1875. Charter was granted and
Company organized to manufacture Organs and
Pianos. January 1, 1876. First factory building
erected, 40 x 100 feet, three stories, frame. July 1,
1876. The first organ was completed. July 1,
1880. First addition, 40x80 feet, three stories,
completed. September 1, 1880. Entire factory
destroyed by fire. Loss, $65,000. January 1, 1881.
Brick factory erected, 40 x 200 feet, three stories.
July 1, 1883. Brick addition, 56 x 150 feet, three
stories, completed. January 1, 1886. Commenced
the manufacture of pianos. July 1, 1890. Second
addition, 56 x 85 feet, completed.
STATISTICAL RECORD.
At this date, January, 1892, about 200 men are
employed in the manufacture and sale of their
goods, 25 different styles of Pianos, and 70 different
styles of Organs are now being made; 200 Organs
and 100 Pianos are turned out each month. 30,-
000 Pianos and Organs have been made and sold
by this Company in the United States since it
was organized. $10,000 is paid out by them each
month for wages alone. '$1,250,000 has been paid
for labor in this county by this Co. since it com
menced business. $2,500,000 worth of instruments
have been sold by them. These have gone into all
parts of tbe world, and the money returned to
Norwalk, where a large proportion of it has been
spent for labor and material.
With superior business tact the sale of
the instruments has been pushed into not
only the rural districts, but into all the
great business centers, in the metropolitan
cities, in all parts of the United States,
besides a considerable export trade to Can
ada, Australia and Europe. Mr. Whitney
gradually withdrew from the lumber busi
ness, and for the past three years has given
his undivided attention to the manufactur
ing business at Norwalk.
Calvin Whitney was united in marriage,
November 5, 1868, to Miss Marian, daugh
ter of Royal Cady and Marian (Smith)
Dean, of Townsend, Huron Co., Ohio,
and this union has been blessed with four
children, viz.: Marian Daisy, Ruby L.,
Ida C. and Warren C. After spending
one year of married life in the West, Mr.
and Mrs. Whitney removed to Norwalk,
where they now live in a comfortable and
commodious residence on West Main street,

surrounded by an interesting and growing
family, and an abundance of everything
that can make life worth living.
Although so much pressed by business
cares, Mr. Whitney finds time to attend
to social, domestic and religious matters.
He and his wife united with the First
Methodist Church of Norwalk in Feb
ruary, 1875, and he is a prominent lay
man in that Society. In 1884 he repre
sented the laymen of Northern Ohio in
the general Conference at Philadelphia,
Penn, and assisted in the electing of five
bishops. In 1888 he attended the general
Conference at New York in similar ca
pacity, and assisted in the election of six
bishops. Mr. Whitney's parents were
members of the Baptist Church for over
fifty years, and have imparted much of
their religious zeal to their son. He do
nated ten thousand dollars to the Church
Extension Society of the Methodist Epis
copal Church, for the purpose of building
churches in the Far West; and in honor of
his beloved wife, this is known as the
"Marian Whitney Fund."

JOHN W. ROORBACK, for over
v I sixty years a resident of New Lon-
\Jj don township, where he is held in
the highest esteem both as a loyal
citizen and an industrious agriculturist, is
a native of Orange county, Ind., born Jan
uary 12, 1824.
John Roorback, his father, born in
Adams county, Penn., in 1796, married Miss
Ann Spooner, a native of Yates county, N.
Y., born in 1800, and five children came
to them, hamely: Martha A., Mary B.,
Frederick S., John W. and Elizabeth, the
last named dying at the age of two years.
In 1825 John Roorback and his, then,
little family, moved to Yates county, N. Y.,
and in 1830 came to Huron county, Ohio,
locating in New London township, at the
time when there were but eight voters be
sides himself in the township. The
country was very wild, and turkeys, deer

HURON COUNTY, OHIO.

147

and other animals were numerous, afford
ing plenty of sport and supplying an un
limited amount of food. John Roorback
died in 1862, his wife in 1879. Martha A.,
died in 1892.
John W. Roorback, whose name intro
duces this sketch, attended the primitive
subscription schools of the neighborhood
of his new home in Huron county, at tbe
same time assisting his father in the clear
ing of the land. In 1855 he married Miss
Rebecca J. McConnell, and one child was
born to them — Annie, wife of Peter Rob
ertson, by whom she has three children:
Nellie J., John W., and Gorden. The
mother of these dying in 1874, Mr. Roor
back married, for his second wife, in 1878,
Miss Eva Doty, by which union there are
two children: Marie and Paul J. Our
subject in his political sympathies is a
straight Democrat, and has served with
great credit as township trustee. He is
enterprising and public-spirited, and is
ever to be found on the side of progres-
siveness and good government.

+/

HENRY F. BROWN, dairy farmer
and milk dealer, is a son of Frank
Brown, whose father was born in
Connecticut. The latter afterward
moved to New York, and pur-
purchased 300 acres of land near Bing-
hamton, where he died.
Frank Brown was born in Connecticut,
afterward moving with his parents to
Broome county, N. Y., where he followed
agricultural pursuits. When a young man
he was united in marriage with Susan
Rose, whose parents were of English de
scent. Frank Brown in politics was a
Henry Clay Whig, in religion a member
of the Presbyterian Church. He died at
about the age of fifty-five years; his widow
is now living in Toledo, Ohio, in her
seventy-first year. They were the parents
of eight children, of whom Henry F. is
the eldest.

Henry F. Brown was born August 24,
1836, in Broome county, N. Y., and re
ceived his education at the schools of
Binghamton. About the year 1861 he
came to and settled in Norwalk, Ohio, and
was there married, in February, 1865, to
Ellen Brown, a native of Peru township,
Huron Co., Ohio, of which locality her
parents were early settlers. Three sons
have blessed this union, as follows: George,
an engineer on the Wheeling & Lake Erie
Railroad; Hiram, living at home, and Lewis,
attending school. After locating in Nor
walk, Mr. Brown conducted a gristmill for
some time; then devoted his attention to
agricultural pursuits, which he has fol
lowed in various localities. For the past
nineteen years he has resided on his pleas
ant farm containing sixty-five acres, forty-
three of which are included within the
limits of Norwalk. He has conducted a
milk business about nine years, now own
ing sixteen cows, and sells about one hun
dred and fifty dollars' worth of milk per
month, buying milk also at wholesale to
furnish customers. Politically he is an
active member of the Republican party,
and in April, 1892, he was elected a mem
ber of the city council from the Fourth
Ward. He has erected a pleasant dwell
ing and commodious barn, ample evidence
in themselves of his prosperity.

IV T[ ELSON O. ALLEN, son of Joseph
I VI and Martha (Devore) Allen, was
| l| born in Richland county, Ohio, in
J) 1858. Joseph Allen was a native of
the Shenandoah Valley, Virginia,
and is a descendant of the pioneer Aliens of
the Valley of Virginia, whose names are'
associated with agrarian affairs in Ireland.
in the seventeenth and eighteenth centu-1
ries, and with the Revolution here, in
which many of them served tbeir adopted
country. Martha (Devore) Allen is a na
tive of Richland township, and the mother
of seven children, the subject of this sketch,
being the eldest.

148

HURON COUNTY, OHIO.

Nelson 0. Allen grew to manhood in
Richland county. Less than a decade ago
he came to New London, and was engaged
as clerk in one of the houses there until
he became connected with the D. J. C.
Arnold manufacturing concern when it
was organized. His business ability was
so apparent that his connection with this
manufacturing enterprise promised suc
cess, and redeemed the promise. His
marriage with Josephine Reich, daughter
of Uriah and Mary Reich, took place on
the eighth day of Jauuary, 1880, at New
London; she was born in Cleveland, Ohio,
Politically Mr. Allen is a Republican, one
of the most active members of the party
in Huron county. A representative of
his township in county and district con
vention, and chairman of the New London
delegation in the county convention of
1891, he was nominated for sheriff on the
Republican ticket in 1892, and elected
sheriff in 1892.
In Society affairs our subject is a mem
ber of the Independent Order of Odd
Fellows. He is a bright and progressive
young man, who can fill the dual role of
business man and politician with ease and
success. As sheriff of Huron county, the
administration of that office must be satis
factory to all.

i[ RTHUR. The families of this name
in Greenfield township are de
scended from sturdy, honest North-
of-Ireland people, for the most part
tillers of the soil.
John Arthur, grandfather of Robert
and William H. Arthur, of Greenfield
township, was a native of County Tyrone,
Ireland, where his son John was born
February 18, 1795. This John received
a practical education at the schools of his
native place, aud was reared to agricultural
pursuits. He married Martha Easter, also
a native of County Tyrone, and to this
union was born, in Ireland, one child,
Margaret. In 1822 the family emigrated

to America, pushed westward from New
York to Huron county, Ohio, and settled
on a tract of land in Greenfield township.
There was a small clearing on this tract,
which was an extra inducement to the
stranger to purchase it for two dollars and
a half per acre. On this farm the other
children of the family were born, namely:
Ann J., who is now the widow of James
McPherson ; Mary, widow of Thomas
Irwin; Robert and William H., sketches
of whom follow, and Catherine, who re
sides in Greenfield township. Margaret,
the eldest child, married Alexander Lewis,
and lived to be sixty-two years of age.
The mother of this family died in 1879.
John Arthur was one of the most success
ful pioneers of Greenfield township. His
farm grew from very small beginnings to
a tract of 700 acres, and when he died, in
1888, this large place was highly improved
from end to end — the result of his in
domitable energy coupled with industry
and shrewdness. In political affairs he
affiliated with the Democratic party, and
held various township offices, in which he
was always faithful in the discharge of his
duties. In religious matters he and his
wife were active members of the Congre
gational Church, which they helped or
ganize, and were its main supporters in
this district. Mr. Arthur filled several
offices in this church.
Robeet Abthub, eldest son of these
honored pioneers, was born March 4. 1829.
He passed his boyhood in the manner
common to pioneer children — farm work,
in one form or another, taking first place
in his training. On December 27, 1867,
he married Julia E. Cook, who was born
in Peru township, Huron county, daughter
of Wyatt Cook, a native of Mt. Holly,
Vt., who came to Huron county, Ohio, in
1818, settling in Peru township. Here
he was married to Sophia Root, of North
Monroeville, and they resided in Peru
township until 1870, when they removed
to Fairfield township, where he died.
Their children were Sarah, Mrs. Spencer

HURON COUNTY, OHIO.

149

Sumerlin; Chauncey C, now in Waterloo,
Iowa; Ekna, deceased; Jay, deceased;
Anna and James, in Fairfield township;
and Julia E. In politics Mr. Cook was
originally a Whig, afterward becoming a
Republican, and an ardent Abolitionist.
In religious belief he was from his youth
a member of the Freewill Baptist Church
at Greenfield. To Mr. and Mrs. Robert
Arthur the following named children were
born: Mattie G., Clarence O, J. Vinton,
Laura A. and Fred R. Immediately after
his marriage he located on his present
farm. He is now the owner of 1,200
acres of choice land, and is the heaviest
tax-payer on real estate iu his township.
In addition to carrying on general farm
work, he is also engaged in stock growing
and dealing in cattle. While he inherited
considerable land, he is personally deserv
ing of great credit for the progress he has
made. Other young men could and would
have dissipated the inheritance in a little
while; but over it and around it he has
built up a most valuable property, and has
become, if not the largest farmer in Huron
county, the largest, certainly, in Greenfield
township. Almost two square miles of
land tell of his acquisitions in a quarter of
a century, while his sheep and cattle speak
of the varied directions in which his agri
cultural tastes run. A heavy wool-grower
and cattle dealer as well as an extensive
farmer, he appears to have developed the
very best principles of agriculture. His
residence is the finest in the township,
elegantly furnished and homelike.
A warm-hearted neighbor, and a most
lenient landlord, Mr. Arthur walks through
life unassumingly, as one who cannot
realize the important relation which he
bears to the community or the very high
place which he and his family hold in the
public estimation. Politically he is a
Democrat, and is an enthusiastic supporter
of his party. He and his wife are mem
bers of the Congregational Church, in
which he has been a trustee for some
years.

William H. Aethue, second son of
John and Martha (Eastei-) Arthur, was
born February 20, 1831.
He received a fair education in the
common schools of his district, and sub
sequently labored on the home farm until
1867, when he married Jennie, daughter
of William H. Armstrong, of the same
township. To this marriage was born one
son, who died in infancy. Mrs. Arthur
died April 15, 1888, and was buried in
Steuben cemetery. After his marriage
Mr. Arthur located on the farm where he
now resides, but for the last quarter of a
century has not been actively engaged in
farm work. Beyond the business of loan
ing money on real estate, and collecting
rents from the tenants on his property,
bis life is practically a retired one, so far
as business is concerned. He takes an
active interest in the success of tbe Demo
cratic party; but although he has held
various township offices he is not a poli
tician, and he has never sought office.
He is a member of the Congregational
Cliurch, and for several years was a
trustee in that Society. He is a reader
and a close observer, conversant with the
times and manners, and well posted on
American public affairs.

lILLIAM W. TWADDLE, one of
the most successful farmers of
Clarksfield township, was born
November 16, 1833, iu Holmes
county, Ohio, the fourth son and twelfth
child of Alexander and Elizabeth (Ramage)
Twaddle. William Twaddle was educated in the
district schools of Huron county (where
his family settled in 1836), a Miss Starr
being his first teacher. When school days
were over, he began work as a farm hand
and ox driver at eighteen pence per day,
and from his savings he was enabled to
pay the shoemaker (Hinman) for the first
pair of boots he wore. On October 30,

150

HURON COUNTY, OHIO.

1856, in South Milford, Ind., he was mar
ried to Sabra A. Pixley, who was born in
October, 1838, in Clarksfield township,
daughter of Eli and Czarina (Blackman)
Pixley, who migrated from New York
State to La Grange county, Ind., and later
moved to Minnesota, where they died.
The following children came to the mar
riage of William W. and Sabra A. Twad
dle: Herbert A., who married Sadie A.
Campbell, and lives in Clarksfield town
ship; and Rosa M., now Mrs. Nuland Lee,
of Lorain, Ohio. For about a year after
marriage they resided in an old log house
on the present farm. He then became
owner of the old Alexander Twaddle farm,
where he has since resided. For the last
two decades he has given much attention
to the dairy business, which he has carried
on in conjunction with general farming.
Siuce 1867 he has been a Prohibitionist,
and voted tbat ticket when there were but
three votes cast for it in his township.
He has served as trustee of Clarksfield
township, and takes a deep interest in
local political affairs. His wife is an
active member of the Methodist Episcopal
Church, and both are highly respected
citizens of Huron county.

D,ORR TWADDLE, a representative
j farmer of Huron county, was born
__' March 28, 1852, in Clarksfield
township. He is a grandson of
Alexander Twaddle, and a son of John J.
Twaddle, who was born February 23, 1820,
in Jefferson county, Ohio.
John J. Twaddle passed his youth in
Holmes county, Ohio (where the family
lived from 1823 to 1836), and he experi
enced all the hardships and privations in
cident to the life of a pioneer boy, but he
was never found wanting in fidelity to his
parents or the work which he was called
upon to perform. He and his brother
Alexander purchased land in Clarksfield
township, Huron county, in 1835. Some
time after locating thereon John J. Twad

dle married Julia A. Palmer, a native of
Westchester county, N. Y., who came
to Ohio with her parents when a girl.
After marriage the young couple resided
near Norwalk, Ohio, where he worked for
Isaac Underhill, a pioneer of that region.
While employed there he saved sufficient
money to pay for bis land in Clarksfield
township, where he resided until his death,
December 28, 1885. His widow died No
vember 8, 1889, and both lie buried in
Clarksfield cemetery. Of their children
the following record is made: Frank died
in infancy; Ella married J. T. King, and
resides in her native township; Dorr is the
subject of this sketch; Charlotte married
Eugene Fox, of Clarksfield township;
Leroy and Lillie A. (twins), the former of
whom resides here; Lillie A., Mrs. J. L.
Judd, lives in Marshall county, Kansas.
Dorr Twaddle entered industrial life on
the farm at a very early age, but his edu
cation was not overlooked, for he attended
the school taught by Miss Delia Dunham,
who was bis first teacher. At the age of
fifteen years he set out for Michigan, and
remained in that State three years, engaged
in various businesses. At the age of nine-
teen years he began learning the cheese-
manfacturing industry, and for four years
worked in Parker, Morgan & Hovey's
factory. Later he was appointed night
superintendent of the factory, and subse
quently was given charge of it. Some
time after the last promotion he became a
partner in the concern, also taking a half
interest in another cheese factory located
in the southern part of Clarksfield town
ship. For seven years he carried on that
factory, and later became tbe " Co." in the
firm of. J. C. Ransom & Co., being known
to the cheese manufacturers as a most suc
cessful operator.
Mr. Twaddle's marriage with Celia
Rowland took place December 30, 1874.
She was born March 16, 1856, in Clarks
field township, to Daniel and Harriet
(Chaffee) Rowland, and the children of
this union are Wanda P., William E. and

HURON COUNTY, OHIO.

151

Jay C, all residing with their parents.
In 1882 Mr. Twaddle took up bis resi
dence on his present farm, and has since
been engaged in general farming; he also
gives some attention to the cheese manu
facturing business. Since 1882 he has
made many improvements on this farm;
he is methodical in everything, and carries
on the different departments of his busi
ness systematically. Politically a Demo
crat, he is one of the leaders of his party
in this county.

(Washington Sanger, promi-
vJ/ nent among the well-to-do agri-
m[ cnlturists of Wakeman township,
is a native of New York State,
born in Oneida county October 7, 1821.
Richard Sanger, father of subject, a
native of Massachusetts, removed to New
Hartford, N. Y., and from there to Oneida
county, N. Y., where he was engaged
in mercantile pursuits during the rest of
his life. His eldest daughter married
Cyrus Butler, and moved to Birmingham,
Ohio. After the death of Richard Sanger
his eldest son came to Ohio, being shortly
afterward followed by tbe rest of the fam
ily, including our subject, who was then
between five and six years old. At the
age of eleven years he went to live with
John Carter, a farmer, in a part of Huron
county that is now in Erie county, and re
mained with him until 1850, in which
year be married Miss Gitty J. Stryker,
sister of Judge Stryker, of Birmingham,
Ohio. After marriage they lived on a
small farm in Erie county, two miles
south of Birmingham, a couple of years,
and then, in 1843, Mr. Sanger purchased
eighty acres of wild land in Wakeman
township, Huron county, on what is now
known as the "Butler road." After Mr.
Sanger had paid for these eighty acres at
eight dollars per acre, he bought forty
acres more near his former residence, at
twenty-five dollars per acre, and set to
work to clear the land; but he experienced

adversity as well as prosperity. He had
eleven acres of this new land seeded to
wheat just after clearing it, and a heavy
June frost completely killed it. In addi
tion to cereals he raised sheep, etc., and in
the long run became very successful in all
his undertakings. Mr. Sanger has had
two children, viz.: Watson T. and Etta,
who died in 1870. His wife died in May,
1883. In 1859 Mr. Sanger moved to Ashland
county, Ohio, and was there engaged in
mercantile business until 1861, when he
traded his stock in trade for a farm; then
carried on a grocery in Oberlin for a time
(his farm being in the meantime conducted
by his son), after which he returned to
Wakeman, in which township be now
owns 120 acres of land. In politics our
subject is a Republican.

RADLEY HAYES, a prominent
farmer aud stock-raiser of Wake
man township, is a native of Con
necticut, born in New Fairfield,
September 24, 1828.
Sturgis Hayes, his father, was born and
reared in the same locality, and taught the
trade of wagon-maker. He married Anna
Wakeman, also a native of New Fairfield,
Conn., where for a few years thereafter he
worked at his trade, saving his earnings.
About 1830, with their four children born
in Connecticut, he and his wife came to
Ohio, locating in Clarksfield township,
Huron county, the journey being made via
Buffalo and Cleveland. Here the father
bought seventy-eight acres of wild land,
which he cleared and transformed into one
of the most productive farms in bis sec
tion. In later years he added 122 acres,
and in his success he was loyally assisted
by his amiable wife and stalwart family of
children, of whom the following is a brief
record: Edward died in Missonri; Lewis
is a farmer in Kansas; Bradley is the sub
ject of sketch; Eli is a farmer at Hickory
Grove, Mo.; Hanna and Phoebe are de-

152

HURON COUNTY, OHIO.

ceased ; Maria is the widow of Ezra Stone,
and lives in Clarksfield, Huron county;
Harriet is the wife of Abram Harris, also
of Clarksfield; Francis is deceased. The
father of this family died in 1869, the
mother in 1880.
Bradley Hayes was two years old when
the family came to Ohio, and to Huron
county; and here amid the dense forest,
still haunted by wild animals, the boy was
reared and educated. Until he was twenty-
three years old he worked for his father,
and then commenced for himself, laboring
on a farm for three years on day wages for
I. Underhill in a sawmill, while they had
water, and on farm the rest of the time.
From there he went to Branch county,
¦ Mich., remaining one year, at the end of
which time he returned to Wakeman, and
for the following six years worked for one
Bissell. While in Michigan he bought
eighty acres of land there.
In 1857 Mr. Hayes married Mrs. Mary
A. Hanford, who was born October 17,
1828, in South Britain, Conn., a daughter
of Justus Wheeler. To this marriage were
born Hinda J., who married Canarus P.
Clawson, and is now residing in St. Louis;
Jess. J., a resident of Wakeman township,
married to Roxy C. Ross; and Hattie A.,
deceased. Mrs. Mary A. Hayes was two
years old when she came from South
Britain, Conn., to Wakeman, Huron Co.,
Ohio. Mr. Hayes is a stanch Republican,
and is respected by all as a useful, loyal
citizen.

DAVID FOX, son of David and Bar
bara (Betts) Fox, was born July 19,
__/ 1817, in Columbia county, Penn.,
and when five years of age came
to Ohio with his parents.
David Fox, Sr., migrated iu 1822 from
Pennsylvania to Ohio, and settled near
Tiffin, Seneca county, on a farm where, to
use a pioneer phrase, "there was not a
stick amiss." At that time the family
comprised Isaac, Peter, William, David,

Jr., and John. In Seneca county were
born Lizzie, Jacob. Margaret, Charles and
George. A brief record of this family is
as follows: Isaac was engaged in teaching
school and in farming until bis death,
which occurred at Madison, Wis.; Peter, a
bachelor, opened a fishery at Marblehead,
Ohio, where he was drowned; William is
a farmer of Seneca county, Ohio; David is
tbe subject of this sketch ; John served in
the war of the Rebellion, and suffered
much from fatigue and hardship in the
service (he is now a gardener at Muncie,
Ind.); Lizzie married Irvin Burns, and
died in Seneca county; Jacob, who resides
at Columbia City, Ind., lost an eye in the
service during the Civil war; Margaret is
the wife of Isaiah Hartley, of Seneca
couuty; Charles died in infancy; George is
a farmer of Whitley county, Ind.
David Fox, Sr., entered the Southeast
quarter, Section Fifteen, Township One,
Range Fourteen, now Seneca township,
Seneca county, on June 3, 1823, and re
sided thereon until his death in 1830. He
was in poor health for eleven years pre
vious to his decease, and came to Seneca
county with the hope that the change
would check the consumption which was
wasting him away. His widow died in
July, 1851, and was buried beside her hus
band iu the little cemetery on Wolf creek;
he was the first person interred there, and
his brother-in-law, Peter Wagner, the next.
The farm was cleared by bis sons, who
were earnest workers.
David Fox, the subject of this memoir,
was reared in Seneca county, where he at
tended the school of his brother Isaac,
who after the father's death was appointed
guardian of his younger brother. Some
time afterward, Isaac was married, and for
some reason young David did not become
a favorite with his sister-in-law. The
youth left his brother's home and went to
Franklin county, Ohio. Isaac provided an
other guardian for the boy in the person
of Christian Mussetter, and for awhile
affairs ran along nicely; but the master

HURON COUNTY, OHIO.

153

soon began to think that action rather than
words was necessary to the boy's welfare,
and the "gad" or "birch" appeared.
David resented this, and in 1837 fled to
Canada, where he joined the rebellion
there of that year, serving some seven
months, and participating in the destruc
tion of McCormick's property (this Mc
Cormick set fire to the steamboat
"Caroline," which contained provisions
and ammunition for the rebels, and cut
ting her moorings let ber drift down the
Niagara river and over the Falls of Niag
ara). David returned to Seneca county,
and Mussetter, glad to surrender his
rights as guardian, allowed the lad to go
free. Our subject then went to Bellevue, Ohio,
entered the brickyard of Barney Kline,
and remained in his employ for five years,
less one mouth. On May 7, 1845, he
married Louisa J. Johnson, who was born
July 20, 1827, at Freedom, Cattaraugus
Co., N. Y., to Peter and Eliza Ann (Rose)
Johnson. Her parents went in 1834 to
Genesee county, N. Y . , then to Harbor Creek
township, Erie Co., Penn.; next in 1844
to Noble county, Ind. (where the fever and
ague warned them off), and in the same year
to Sandusky county, Ohio. The children
born to David and Louisa Fox are Sarah,
widow of Samuel P. DeWolf; William F.,
a farmer of Gratiot county, Mich.; George
R., a farmer of Clarksfield township; Alice,
wife of John Kingsbury, of Hartland
township; Florence L., Mrs. Salmon
Haynes, and Alvah -A., both of Clarks
field township; Clara B., wife of L. M.
Kingsbury, of Hartland township, and
Elsie C, wife of D. L. Justus, of Clarks
field. Mr. Fox received from his father's estate
the sum of sixty dollars. After his mar
riage he located on the home farm in
Seneca county, purchased the interests of
five of the eight heirs, and made his home
there until he sold the place and removed
to Rock county, Wis., the trip from Ohio oc
cupying eighteen days. On his arrival he

purchased eighty acres, resided thereon
for three or four years, and then sold tbe
tract and bought other lands. Later he
purchased land in Delaware county, Iowa,
where he also resided three or four years,
until his health urged him to retire from
farm life. Renting the farm he removed
to Clinton, Wis., where he recovered his
health; then returning to Iowa he resided
there until 1861, when he traded his 320
Iowa acres for 120 acres in Clarksfield
township, Huron Co., Ohio, where he took
up his residence. In twenty-one years he
moved eighteen times, making a profit by
each move and improving his knowledge
of the country. Politically he is a Demo
crat, but not a politician. The close personal
attention which he gives to agriculture
and stock growing, in which he is largely
interested, militates against his political
interests, withdrawing him from public
circles. Mrs. Fox and the family hold a
high place in the esteem of the commu
nity, while Mr. Fox is known and appre
ciated far beyond the boundaries of
Clarksfield township.

+/

MAJOR SMITH (deceased) was
born August 17, 1809, in On
ondaga county, N. Y., son of
Elisha and Margaret (Matthews)
Smith.
Elisha Smith was born in 1766 at
Plymouth, Conn., where he married Mar
garet Matthews, who was born in 1776.
They lived at Plymouth, where Elisha
carried on his trade of blacksmith, until
1805, when the family moved to a point
near Syracuse, Onondaga Co., N. Y. In
1811 the father, mother, three sons and
one daughter set out from their New York
home for Ohio, traveling by wagon road
via Buffalo (N. Y.), and Erie (Penn.),
and then through the wilderness to the
settlement called Beef, on the Allegheny
river. There the father purchased a boat,
loaded thereon the wagon and team, and
then embarked with the members of his

154

HURON COUNTY, OHIO.

family for a voyage to Pittsburgh. Ar
rived in safety, they proceeded to Cincin
nati, Ohio (then a small place), whence
they journeyed by wagon road to Spring
field, Ohio, where they rested after a trip
of forty days. While there Elisha Smith
served in the war of 1812 as artificer in
Gen. Harrison's army, shoeing horses and
oxen, and performing all the work assigned
to him. His wife died in Springfield July
28, 1814, he in September following, after
which the eldest son, Sherman, assumed
the direction of the family.'
Major Smith was reared in the manner
of boys of that time and place. After the
death of his parents, which occurred when
he was five years old, he was cared for by
his brother Sherman, and in 1815 accom
panied his elder brothers to Huron county,
Ohio. The journey was made with a
wagon drawn by oxen, and was attended
by many hardships and privations; nor
did the hardships cease with their settle
ment in New London township, for the
brothers had to work early and late and
under circumstances trying even to pio
neers. Major resided with his brother
Sherman until June 6, 1831, when he
married Eliza Knapp, and settled on a
farm of twenty acres in Clarksfield town
ship, which his brother Sherman helped
him to secure. On it was a small log
house in a small clearing, but the im
provements were so rude that its change
from the wilderness to a cultivated farm
must be credited to Mr. Smith, as also the
additions to the original 'farm. On May
6, 1866, he located on the place where he
resided until his death, August 4, 1885,
and it is now the property of his widow.
Mrs. Eliza Smith was born March 16,
1813, at Danbury, Conn., to John and
Mindwell (Wood) Knapp. John Knapp
died at Danbury, and his widow afterward
married Simeon Hoyt, with whom she
came to Ohio in 1816, bringing her daugh
ter Eliza, and settling in the southern
part of Clarksfield township. Simeon
Hoyt was the son of Comfort Hoyt, a

merchant of Danbury, who received from
Connecticut a large grant of the " Fire
lands" for damages his business interests
sustained during the Revolution and the
war of 1812. He sent his son Simeon to
survey the tract in Huron county, and the
latter made his home here.
Major Smith was always a farmer, and
succeeded in building up a valuable prop
erty by his own labor and industry. His
illness in 1881 prevented the celebration
of his "golden wedding," for in June of
that year was the fiftieth anniversary of
his marriage. Politically he was first a
Jacksonian Democrat, in 1840 a Harrison
Whig, and in 1884 a Blaine Republican.
He took a deep interest in political affairs,
held various township offices, and was es
teemed in public and private life. The
only child of Major and Eliza Smith was
Dolly E., born July 27, 1835, who mar
ried Wesley Smith (son of John Smith), a
native of Clarksfield township. He died
November 12, 1863, leaving one child, H.
A. Smith, who resides with his grand
mother on the Major Smith farm. In
1866 his widow married W. F. Barnum,
and two children were born to them:
Charles P., August 4, 1866, and Jay M.,
August 29, 1870, both residing at Mica
Bay, Kootenai Co., Idaho. Their mother
died April 11, 1875.

El LIAS EASTER. This gentleman,
who is now living a retired life in
 l the city of Norwalk, was for many
years a leading, progressive agri
culturist of Greenfield township where he
was born September 19, 1834.
John Easter, grandfather of our subject,
was a well-to-do farmer and cloth manu
facturer in the town of Berragh, near
Londonderry, Ireland. His son, Archi
bald, was born in 1783 in County Tyrone,
Ireland, and received a very good common-
school education, as his parents were in
comfortable circumstances. When yet a
young man be was sent to America on

HURON COUNTY, OHIO.

155

business pertaining to some real estate
which they (the family of John Easter)
had in question, and, his business con
cluded, he was about to return home to
Ireland, when he was prevented from so
doing by the "Embargo Act" in force
during the war of 1812. Being familiar
with the art of weaving, he obtained a
situation in some mills at Chambersburg,
Penn., where he remained for three years,
during which time he was given the posi
tion of foreman, a lucrative and responsible
situation, and one which, notwithstanding
his youth, he was perfectly capable of fill
ing. Returning to Ireland he stayed at
home a short time, and then again came to
America, landing in New York in 1817.
He came westward by canal and lake to
SandusTjy, Ohio, thence proceeding to the
center of the State, and locating on a farm
near Columbus, where he resided for some
time; this farm is now included in the city
of Columbus. Later he removed to Lower
Sandusky (now Fremont), Ohio, where he
owned some land, but the ague being very
prevalent in that vicinity he left his farm
and afterward sold it. Before purchasing
the tract at Lower Sandusky, Mr. Easter
rode around the country on horseback for
many months in search of land, traveling
through nine States, but the bottom lands
of tbe Sandusky river seemed so inviting
that he located there, as already related.
In 1819 he came to Greenfield township,
Huron Co., Ohio, and purchased a farm
near the center of the township (which
tract is now occupied by Robert Arthur),
where he lived for several years. Here he
was married, in 1824, to Rebecca Easter,
who was born in 1801, in County Tyrone,
Ireland, daughter of James Easter. The
minister who performed the ceremony was
"Elder John Wheeler," who, in observance
of a custom of those times, stood in his
shoes, but wore no stockings. About 1820
or 1821 there came from Ireland James
Easter (maternal grandfather of subject)
and family, John Easter (paternal grand
father of subject) and family, and along

with them John Arthur and his family.
The latter had been persuaded to emigrate,
by Archibald Easter, who after their ar
rival took considerable interest in their
success, and aided them materially during
their first years in America.
To the union of Archibald and Rebecca
Easter were born six children, as follows:
Two sons who died in infancy; Elias, sub
ject of this memoir; Sarah, Mrs. John
McLane, of Greenfield township, Huron
county; Kezia, Mrs. Samuel Arthur, of
Greenfield township; and John, who was
drowned when a youth. About 1830
Archibald Easter settled on the farm
where he passed the remainder of his
days, and continued to follow agricultural
pursuits until 1860, when he retired, worn
out by a long life of unceasing industry.
He died May 1, 1867, and his wife sur
vived him until June 6, 1884, when she
too passed away, and was buried by the
Bide of her husband in Steuben cemetery.
They were both members of the Congre
gational Church. Politically Mr. Easter
was a Republican, originally a Whig, and
he was an ardent party man, well posted
in politics, in which he took considerable
interest. He was a great reader, thor
oughly conversant with current events,
and through his business sagacity and
able management of affairs became one of
the leading farmers in the county in his
day. His father, John Easter, died in
Greenfield township at an advanced age.
Elias Easter received his primary educa
tion at the common schools of his native
township, and afterward attended select
schools at various places. He wras reared
to farm life, and resided on the home place
with his parents until his literary educa
tion was finished, and also for some years
afterward, having charge of the farm for
several years prior to his father's decease.
On June 7, 1871, he was united in mar
riage with Jennie E. McMorris, a native
of Greenfield township, daughter of John
and Nancy (Arthur) McMorris, who had
come from Ireland in an early day. This

156

HURON COUNTY, OHIO.

wife died November 25, 1876, and was in
terred in Steuben cemetery. She was the
mother of two children: Nancy, who died
in infancy, and Charles A., now a well-
educated young man. On June 14, 1888,
Mr. Easter married, for his second wife,
Mrs. Margery (Chilcott) Aiken (widow of
James A. Aiken), who was born March
30, 1846, in Union township, Huntingdon
Co., Penn., daughter of Richard Chilcott.
Mr. Easter remained on the farm until
May, 1892, when he removed to Norwalk,
where he now lives a retired life, engaged
in no active labor, bnt still overseeing the
work of the farm, which is now in the
hands of tenants. In politics he is a life
long Republican, and has served in various
township offices, filling the positions of
trustee and justice of the peace with much
credit to himself and satisfaction to all
concerned. Mr. Easter is a member of the
First Congregational Church of Greenfield,
in which he has held office. He is very
fond of reading, and is well informed on
the topics of the day.

Ei M. DAY, a well-known farmer citi
zen of Clarksfield township, is a
l native of same, born October 20,
1842, a son of Ephraim Day, who
was born May 26, 1804, in Underhill,
Chittenden Co., Vt., a son of Samuel
Day, a farmer and "herb-doctor" of that
place. When Ephraim was eight years old his
mother died, the family circle was broken
up, and he was obliged to begin life on
his own account, doing such work as a boy
of his age could. Whatever education he
bad was acquired after he was eleven years
of age, though he continued to work.
When sixteen years of age he migrated to
Ohio, coining from Chenango county,
N. Y., where he had located a year pre
vious. In February, 1821, four brothers
— John, Josiah, Ephraim and William —
started on foot for Ohio, with twenty

shillings each and a haversack full of pro
visions, and arrived after a journey of six
weeks, having traveled over 700 miles.
The year previous Josiah Day had come
to look at the land, and had made arrange
ments for coming, he and his brothers
John and William settling in New London
township, Huron county. The next year
the father of these boys, Samuel, came to
Ohio with the remainder of the family,
which originally consisted of eighteen chil
dren, one of whom died in infancy. The
father gave John, Josiah and William
their time before they reached their major
ity, but Ephraim was obliged to remain
on the home farm until twenty-one. Sam
uel Day had learned much from an old In
dian about the use of herbs, and was
known as "Dr. Day." He passed tlie re
mainder of his life in New London town
ship, where he died in 1840.
After coming of age Ephraim Day pur
chased an axe, and went to clearing land,
receiving fifty cents an acre, which took
four days to clear. He continued in this
for some time, and then with his hard-
earned savings purchased a small piece, of
land in Clarksfield township, which he sub
sequently sold. He then purchased eighty-
nine acres at three dollars per acre, which at
the time was all timber-land. On Decem
ber 25, 1833, he was united in marriage
with Sarah Parker, who was born Novem
ber 4, 1816, in Ontario county, N. Y.,
daughter of Samuel and Ruth (Root) Par
ker, who came to Ohio iu 1817, first located
in Florence township, Erie (then Huron)
county; Mr. Parker was a "clothier and
dyer," and would dye and dress up the
homespun. After residing for some time
in Florence township he went to Birming
ham, Erie county, where he conducted a
mill; then became a farmer in Clarksfield
township, Huron county, after which he
followed his trade in Elyria, Lorain county;
in later years he migrated to Wisconsin,
where he died.
After marriage Ephraim and Sarah Day
settled on his farm in Clarksfield which

HURON COUNTY, OHIO.

157

he cleared and improved, and where he
passed the remainder of his life. The
children born to their union were as fol
lows: George M., born October 4, 1835,
died September 13, 1838; Harriet L., born
May 6, 1838, died June 9, 1865; Arriette
E., born August 18, 1840, who married
J. M. Rogers, and died in Clarksfield
township; Edward M., subject of this
sketch; Elmer P., born August 29, 1844,
died September 2, 1850; and Isabel, born
November 12, 1848, died September 6,
1850. The father of this family certainly
fought well against adversity, and was re
warded with success. Beginning with a
capital of determination, he overcame every
obstacle, and left to his wife and children
one of the best improved farms in the
county, which at the time of his decease
comprised 300 acres. He passed from earth
June 14, 1872, and was buried in South
Clarksfield cemetery, since when his widow
has generally made her home with ber son,
Edward M. He was a Jacksonian Demo
crat until 1856, when he cast his vote for
Fremont, and thereafter was faithful to
the Republican party until his death. He
was a lifelong member of the Baptist
Church, while his wife has always been a
Methodist Episcopalian.
Edward M. Day was reared in Clarks
field township, and there received a pri
mary education, the first school he attended
being presided over by Miss Fannie Bar
num, and held in his father's house. He
completed his education in Milan Academy.
From boyhood until 1867 he worked on
the home farm, learning practical lessons
in agriculture under his father. His mar
riage with Cynthia A. Waugh took place
March 29, 1867; she was born October
13, 1846, in Camden township, Lorain
Co., Ohio, daughter of Rev. Lansing and
Docia (Minor) Waugh. Mr. Waugh was
a minister of the Baptist Church, and gave
every opportunity to his daughter to be
come well educated, sending her to the
school at Norwalk and the college at Ober
lin. To the marriage of Edward M. and

Cynthia Day came the following named
children: Nora M., born September 22,
1869, now Mrs. B. E. Meacham, of Clarks
field township, and Frank L., born April
23, 1872, died November 20, 1893. After
marriage Mr. and Mrs. Day settled on
their present farm, known as "The Upton
Clark Farm." In 1882 he erected there
one of the finest farm residences in the
township, and during the last decade has
proved himself a most systematic agricul
turist and a thoroughly progressive citizen.
His first vote was cast for Abraham Lin
coln. For twenty years he was recognized
as an able young Republican, but in 1880
he joined the Prohibition party, and has
since remained in their ranks; he is not a
politician from the office-seeker's point of
view. In religious affairs he affiliates with
the Methodist Episcopal Church, in which
he is a trustee.

L

EVI HALES, a native of Ohio, born
in Lorain county, September 24,
1840, is a prominent and progress
ive farmer and stock-raiser of New
London township, Huron county.
He is a son of William and Laura
(Blackham) Hales, the former of whom
was of English descent, and one of the
famous "Ludlow heirs"; he lived to the
patriarchal age of ninety years, and died a
charter member of the Baptist Church of
Henrietta Hill, Lorain county. Eleven
children were born to Mr. and Mrs. Hales,
named as follows: Lucy, Harriet, Levi,
Simeon, Ansel, Mary, Elon, Leah, Berton,
Etta and Sarah. Mr. Hales was a success
ful farmer, owning 600 acres before re
tiring from active labor.
Levi Hales, the subject of this bio
graphical sketch, received a common-
school education, and was reared on his
father's farm up to the age of twenty-two
years. In 1863 he married Miss Cather
ine Haynes, from whom at the end of a
year and a half he was divorced, and he
remained single four aud a half years. In

158

HURON COUNTY, OHIO.

1869 he married, for his second wife, Miss
Arabella Lee, daughter of James Lee, of
New London. She died December 25,
1886, after a long illness, and September
24, 1891, Mr. Hales married his present
wife, Miss Carrie Munger, of Oberlin,
Ohio. On March 30, 1893, was born to
him his first child, a daughter named
Laura Elizabeth.
In 1882 Mr. Hales made a trip to Cali
fornia, spending a year in traveling, and
on his return he took up his home in New
London, embarking in his present business
of buying, selling and breeding fine horses,
at the same time carrying on his farm. Po
litically he is an earnest and active sup
porter of the Republican party, and he
and his wife are members of the Congre
gational Church. Mr. Hales is a thorough
going business man, and enjoys the respect
and esteem of the community at large.

WILLIAM DENMAN, who in his
lifetime was one of the most
prosperous, wide-awake agricul
turists of Wakeman township,
was born August 10, 1822, in that part of
the old county that is now included in Erie.
William Denman, grandfather of sub
ject, was a native of Kent, England, and
when he came to America was a farmer in
good circumstances. He made his home
not far from Kingston, Ulster Co., N. Y.,
and in the neighborhood of the Catskill
Mountains. He had married in England,
and was blessed with a family of nine
children. He died at the age of about
ninety-eight years, after a life of active
work. In England for eleven years he
had been a pastor in the Baptist Church,
but abandoned the ministry under tbe con
viction that he had never produced any
good results. However, in this country be
preached the Gospel many years with
marked success.
John Denman, father of subject, was
born in England, and was six years old

when his father brought him to America
and to New York State. Until the age of
eighteen years his life at his new home
was spent working at whatever he could
find to do — making shingles, chopping
wood, etc., and only attended evening
school six weeks. Wben he had been
safely piloted past the interesting age of
eighteen, he set. out from the paternal
home to seek his fortune in the " wide,
wide world." When he was about twenty-
four years of age he came from Sullivan
county, N. Y., to Huron county, Ohio, on
foot, carrying on his back aquantity of apple
se.ed, weighing about thirty pounds, which,
having secured and cleared a piece of land
in Huron county, he sowed, and this was
the nucleus to the first nursery in Huron
county. He then bought land; worked in
the salt works at East Liverpool, and from
his savings purchased oxen, wagons, and
other requisites for the proper conducting
of his farm and nursery. In 1819 he mar
ried Miss Miranda Blackman, whose father
was a captain in the war of 1812, living in
Buffalo at the time that city was burned
by the British. Fourteen children were
born of this marriage, to wit: Edward,
in Wakeman township, Huron county;
William, subject of sketch; Roxanna (Mrs.
Wliite), in Toledo, Ohio; Ann, deceased;
Laura (Mrs. Joseph Booth) and Charles
(a traveler) both in Pueblo, Colo.; Amos,
in Valparaiso, Neb.; Miranda, who died
in Hampton, Iowa; Henry, in Des Moines,
Iowa; L. B., in Valparaiso, Neb. ; John J.,
of Erie county, Ohio; Mary Fuller, in Nor
walk, Ohio; A. B., in Elyria, Ohio; and
Martin, in Elyria, Ohio. The father of
this large family was a Whig and Repub
lican; a member and earnest supporter of
the Methodist Church.
William Denman, the subject proper of
this sketch, was reared on the home farm,
and received his education at tbe district
schools. He remained under the parental
roof until he was twenty-one years of age,
and then moved to his late home in Wake
man township. He had but three hundred

HURON COUNTY, OHIO.

159

dollars when he first commenced for him
self, and at the time of his death owned
183 acres of land in Pluron county,
together with an elegant and comfortable
dwelling and commodious outhouses.
On September 8, 1853, Mr. Denman
was married to Cordelia Hough, daughter
of John Hough, of Clarksfield township,
Huron county, and three children were
born to this marriage, viz.: (1) William,
(2) Nellie, and (3) Ella Ann. Of these
(1) William was in the real-estate business
in various places in the West, making a
great success; in Kansas alone he bought
on speculation 13,000 acres of land which
he sold at a great profit; he owned stores
in Pueblo, Colo., and Boise City, Idaho, in
which latter place he was killed by a fall
from a horse, when he was thirty-four
¦ years old. (2) Nellie married M. L. Dorr,
of Colorado Springs, Colo., and (3) Ella
Ann was drowned in a cistern in 1858.
The mother of these died in 1868, and in
1869 Mr. Denman married Miss Julia
Partello, daughter of W. P. Partello, a
farmer of near St. Louis, Mich. The
children by this last union are Julia;
Lester C, at home; and Freddy (now
eleven years old) at school. Of these
Julia was married to Harry G. Carter Oc
tober 22, 1892, and lives on the east part
of farm. The father died December 12,
1892. In politics he was a Republican;
in religious faith he had been a member
of the Methodist Church at Wakeman for
many years, and at the time of his decease
was filling the office of trustee.

El D WIN S. PROSSER, well known
in Wakeman township as a pro-
 I gressive and enterprising agricul
turist, was born in Clarksfield town
ship, Huron Co., Ohio, March 6, 1843, a
son of Daniel Prosser.
Our subject received his education at
the public schools of his native place, and
was reared to agricultural pursuits on his
father's farm. At the commencement of

the Civil war he enlisted in Company F,
Third O. V. C, Capt. O. G. Smith, in
which be served over a year. His regi
ment was attached to the army of the
Cumberland, and participated in many
battles. At Shiloh Mr. Prosser was seized
with heart disease, but continued on duty
at the front in the advance on Corinth
until its evacuation. On May 30, 1862,
he was taken ill of a violent fever, was
sent to Cincinnati, Ohio, and was dis
charged on account of heart disease, re
turning home very much emaciated. For
some years thereafter he moved from place
to place, being for a time in Iowa and
Minnesota. In 1871 he returned to Clarksfield town
ship, Huron county, where he married
Mrs. Nancy J. Byron, daughter of Robert
and Mary T. Barnes, and widow of John
Byron. Mr. Byron was a member of
Company H, Seventy-sixth 0. V. I., and
died in Georgia, leaving a son, Frank J.
Byron, who was thirteen years old when
bis mother married Mr. Prosser. They
moved to Minnesota in April, 1871,
locating on a farm he had bought some
time before marriage. Here they lived
until 1872, when Mr. Prosser sold out
and moved to Nebraska. On June 4,
1873, he entered a homestead of 160
acres, and eighty acres under the timber
culture Act; also, as guardian of F. J.
Byron, he entered 160 acres, all being
prairie lands, and all adjoining, in Frank
lin county, Neb. While residing there
they engaged in farming and the raising
of live-stock, chiefly cattle, and there they
remained until 1882, in which year they
sold their stock and returned to Clarks
field, Ohio, in July, same year. On Au
gust 8, following, Mr. Prosser and Frank
J. Byron entered into copartnership and
bought a farm of 103 acres in Wakeman
township. In 1883, owing to impaired
health, Mr. Prosser sold his land in Ne
braska, as did also Mr. Byron. They have
since added 170 acres to their property in
Wakeman township, and have now one of

160

HURON COUNTY, OHIO.

the finest farms in this part of the county.
Here, in addition to general agriculture,
they are extensively engaged in the raising
of stock, making a specialty of sheep, and
bestowing considerable attention to fruit
raising. Mr. Prosser has one child, Guy O., born
in Franklin county, Neb., October 14,
1884. Politically our subject is a Demo
crat; socially, he has been a member of
the F. & A. M. some twenty-five years.

d I AMES L. VAN DUSEN, one of
Huron county's best known and
j most highly respected citizens, was
born in Constantia, Oswego Co., N.
Y., January 27, 1835.
His father, Jude Van Dusen, and his
mother, Anna Van Dusen, are now both
deceased. By occupation they were farm
ers. In 1837 the family moved to Wayne
county, N. Y., and subsequently, in 1849,
they removed to Ohio, having purchased
a farm in Fitchville township, Huron
county. Here, during the summer months,
James worked on his father's farm, attend
ing the sessions of the District school
during the winter months. At the age of
twenty-one years he was married to Cece
lia A. Pray, a worthy and accomplished
lady, daughter of Ethan A. Pray, Esq.
The young couple purchased a piece of
land in Henry county, Ohio, a portion of
which land is now occupied by the village
of Liberty Center. Here they remained
for two years, succeeding admirably, not
withstanding the many trials and difficul
ties usually incident upon a settlement in
a new country.
Iu 1861 Mr. Van Dusen was tendered
the office of Superintendent of the Huron
County Infirmary. He accepted the posi
tion, disposed of his interests in Henry
county, and returned to Huron county to
undertake the discharge of his new duties.
While at all times and in all respects
these duties have not been to his liking'.

he has nevertheless in their discharge
reaped the honors and enjoyed the pleas
ures of a noble work well done. For
nearly thirty-three years he has retained
this position of Infirmary Superintendent.
At the end of each term his re-appoint
ment has come unsought by him, and in a
manner clearly showing the unqualified
endorsement of the people of tbe county.
Under his management the Huron County
Infirmary has been made a model Institu
tion of the kind, always referred to with
pride by local and State authorities. To
the accomplishment of this end he has at
all times lent his untiring energy and
splendid business and executive ability.
Although in public life continuously for
so long a time, not once has the voice of
scandal, criticism, or of suspicion, even,
been raised against him. This is indeed
a marvelous record — more marvelous be
cause true — more worthy of mention be
cause deserved.
While not a partisan in any sense of
the word, Mr. Van Dusen has always been
a firm supporter of the Republican party.
He is naturally modest and unassuming,
but nevertheless takes a decided interest
in all matters pertaining to the public or
private good, and never hesitates to advo
cate and to do what he considers to be his
duty. His habits are strictly temperate.
About twenty-five years ago he united
with the First Presbyterian Church of
Norwalk, Ohio, and was soon after elected
one of the Church's Trustees. Pie served
as a Trustee for three years, and was then
elected one of the Elders, which office he
now holds, by virtue of several re-elec
tions. He is a faithful contributor to the
spiritual and material welfare of his
church. For nearly thirty years Mr. Van Dusen
has been a prominent and active member
of the Masonic Fraternity, being a member
of Mt. Vernon Lodge, No. 64, F. & A. M.,
Huron Chapter, No. 7, R. A. M., Nor
walk Council, R. & S. M., and Norwalk
Commandery, No. 18, K. T. He has

j<.%9^ti%>

HURON COUNTY, OHIO.

163

filled, several offices in this Order with
great credit, notably that of High Priest
of the Chapter and Eminent Commander
of Norwalk Commandery.
In his private business he has been care
ful and conservative, but has acquired a
goodly competence, and is regarded as one
of the financially sound men of bis county.
While not given to extravagance, he is
generous, and is liberal to his family,
affording them every advantage. Three
children of the five born to him are now
living: Frank, an attorney, and now city
solicitor, of Norwalk, Ohio; Wallace, a
student in the Medical Department of the
University of Michigan; and Clara, a
member of the senior class of the Norwalk
High School.
No biography of Mr. J. L. Van Dusen
would be complete which failed to make
mention of his most estimable wife. Side
by side, mutually encouraging and helpful,
they have thus far journeyed along life's
pathway — he a kind husbaud and indul
gent father; she a faithful wife and loving
mother. Whatever success in life he has
attained, with her must the credit and the
honor be shared. A countless number of
friends wish this worthy couple long life
and continued prosperity and happiness.

FRANK W. VAN DUSEN, Attorney
at Law and City Solicitor, was born
Feb. 15, 1862, in Norwalk, Huron
Co., Ohio. He received his elemen
tary education in the public schools, graduat
ing from the Norwalk High School in 1879.
His elementary educatiou was supple
mented by a four years' course in Adelbert
College of Western Reserve University,
from which institution he graduated in
1884 with, the degree of B. L., and was
subsequently honored by his Alma Mater
with the degree of A. M. In college he
was an excellent student, popular with his
fellows, and received many College Hon
ors. He was a member of the well-known
D. K. E. College Fraternity. In the fall

of 1884 he began the study of law in the
office of Judge Stevenson Burke, of Cleve
land, and at the September (1886) term of
the Supreme Court of Ohio was admitted
to the bar after passing, a highly satisfac
tory examination. In 1887 he opened a
law office in Norwalk, and has since been
in the active practice of his profession.
On August 22, 1888, Mr. Van Dusen
married Miss Kittie B. Thomas, a well-
known and accomplished lady. In the
spring of 1889 he was elected to the City
Council of Norwalk, Ohio, from the then
Third Ward of that city, he being the only
Republican councilman elected at that
election. His excellent and marked servT
ices in that capacity won for him, in the
spring of 1891, the nomination for the-
office of City Solicitor, to which office he
was elected by a large majority, notwith
standing the general triumph of the op
posing political party at that time. In
the spring of 1893 he was unanimously
renominated as City Solicitor, and was re
elected by a majority nearly double that
received two years before. Mr. Van
Dusen is universally recognized as a com
petent and expert lawyer. As City Solicit
tor of Norwalk, he has shown marked
ability, and has given general satisfaction.
In politics he is a Republican,; socially,
he is a member of the Masonic Fraternity,
being an officer of Norwalk Commandery,
No. 18, K. T. He is a prominent K. of
P., and Captain of Norwalk Division of
tbe U. R. of that Order. He is also a mem
ber of the Order of Elks, and of tbe Royal
Arcanum. In religious faith he is a Pres
byterian, being a member of the First
Presbyterian Church of Norwalk, Ohio.

EV. FREDERICK SCHULZ, pas
tor of St. Peter's Lutheran Church,
Sherman township, was born in
Leisten, Prussia, March 17, 1860,
a member of an old and highly
esteemed family, and is the only one of
them who left the Fatherland.

164

HURON COUNTY, OHIO.

He received his primary education in his
native country, and after reaching Amer
ica, in 1876, entered a college at Colum
bus, Ohio, from which be graduated with
honors four years later. In the fall of
1880 he entered the Theological Seminary,
where be remained until Easter, 1883, at
which time he moved to Randolph county,
III. He took charge of a church near
Chester in that county, and for six years
labored faithfully for the temporal and
spiritual welfare of his congregation. He
then took charge of a church in Philo,
same State, remaining one year, and in
March, 1890, came to Sherman township,
where he has since been pastor of St.
Peter's Church.
Rev. Schnlz is a gentleman of noble im
pulses and religions" mind, and teaches
much of morality by his pious, godly life,
and by the deeds of charity and mercy that
characterize his actions. He is beloved by
his entire congregation, and highly es
teemed by the citizens of Sherman town
ship. He is also instructor in the paro
chial school four months in each year.
In 1889 Rev. Schulz was united in mar
riage with Miss Martha Sickmeyer, daugh
ter of E. F. Sickmeyer, a prominent citizen
of Bremen, 111., and their union has been
blessed with one daughter, Hulda, and one
son, Paul. The subject of this biograph
ical memoir is very happy in his domestic
relations, and is devoting much attention
to the intellectual, physical and spiritual
development of his children.

S.WASHBURN. This gentleman,
one of the most prominent of Huron
county's prosperous agriculturists,
deserves more than a passing
notice in the pages of this work.
Mr. Washburn traces his ancestry to
James Washburn, who was born about the
year 1760, was a weaver by trade, and bad
his early home at Plainfield, Conn. As
the writer understands the subject matter

by data and traditions (such as he has been
able to obtain), he fully believes that
James Washburn is a direct descendant
from John Washburn, who came over in
the "Mayflower," and was subsequently
secretary of the Plymouth Colony. He
had born to him nine children, viz.: Wal
ter, Joseph, Robert, Henry, Phoebe,
Betsy, Hannah, Rosanna, and Sally Ann,
all long since gathered to their rest, and
their descendants scattered over many
States. The eldest son, Walter, grandfather of
subject, was born, in 1790, east of the
Hudson river, in Westchester county, N.Y.,
whence in 1805 he moved with his father
to Ulster county, same State, remaining
there till 1833, in which year he came to
Fitchville township, Huron Co., Ohio,
where he passed the rest of his days, dying
in 1865, at the age of seventy-five years.
He was a lifelong and successful farmer.
In 1809 he married Miss Nellie Van Ben-
scoten, of Ulster county, N. Y., daughter
of Larry Van Benscoten, and they had six
children, viz.: Julia Ann, Henry G.,
Louisa R., John, Hannah and Maria.
The mother of these died in 1825, and
in 1827 Mr. Washburn wedded Mrs.
Polly Van Benscoten, also of Ulster
county, N. Y.
D. S. Washburn, the subject proper of
this sketch, was born April 8, 1843, in
Greenwich township, Huron Co., Ohio,
and was reared from early boyhood to the
life of a farmer. His education was re
ceived at the common schools of the
neighborhood of his place of birth, and at
the academy in Milan, Erie county, after
which he commenced to devote his entire
attention to agricultural pursuits.
In 1867 Mr. Washburn was united in
marriage with Miss Sarah J. McComber,
of Ripley township, born March 30, 1845,
a daughter of Egbert McComber, by occu
pation a farmer, a native of Westchester
county, N. Y. From his younger boyhood
till shortly after his marriage with Miss
Anna Benedict, of his native county, he

HURON COUNTY, OHIO.

165

had his residence in Cayuga county, N. Y.,
and then moved to Ripley township. Here
they lived until 1870, in tvhicb year they
moved to Berlin Heights, Erie county,
where he died October 5, 1888, his wife
on March 30, 1892. After marriage Mr.
Washburn and bis bride moved to the
farm whereon they are still living, and
which comprises over 300 acres of prime
land — considered oneof the best in Ripley
township. Five children have been born
to our subject and wife, of whom the fol
lowing is a brief record: Anna Maude,
born September 24, 1868, is now Mrs.
Oscar Hills, of Lorain county; Earnest
Linton, born August 1, 1870, is at home
with his father; Inez, born August 1, 1871,
is now Mrs. Warren O. Smith, of Rich
land county, Ohio; Wayne was born No
vember 25, 1880, and Leo on August 6,
1883. Mr. Washburn, in his political
affiliations, has always been active as a
loyal member of the Republican party.
During the Civil war he served in the
National Guards.

TlOHN MoDONALD, a leading farmer
k. I of Clarksfield township, was born
%J) April 15, 1817, in Aberdeenshire,
Scotland, the son of Charles and
Barbara (Stratton) McDonald, both also
natives of Aberdeenshire.
Charles McDonald was born in 1782,
and grew to manhood and married in his
native county. To his marriage were born
three children, viz.: Margaret, who died
in Scotland when twenty-three years old;
John, and Charles. The mother of these
died in 1820, and Mr. McDonald then
took up his residence with his mother,
John (subject of this sketch) being con
signed to the care of his aunt Margaret.
In 1838 Charles McDonald, bringing his
son John and sister Margaret, sailed from
Aberdeen on the schooner "Nimrod,"
landing, after a voyage of six weeks, in
New York City. The youngest son,

Charles, had emigrated three years pre
viously; he taught school in Ashland,
Richland and Wayne counties, Ohio,
studied law at Mansfield, and after his ad
mission to the bar moved to Lexington,
Ky., where he taught school until his re
moval to Mississippi, where all trace of
him was lost.
Charles McDonald, Sr., traveled from
New York to Ashland county, Ohio, by rail
road, boat and wagon, the latter being the
vehicle of transportation from the port of
Huron to Savannah, Ashland county, then
known as the "Scotch settlement." Ow
ing to the poor condition of his health, the
support of the family devolved upon John,
and he labored for all until death relieved
his father, February 12, 1843. His aunt
Margaret lived with him until' her death,
which occurred February 19, 1859.
John McDonald was reared in the man
ner then common to farmer boys in Scot
land, beginning work as a farm hand when
nine years old, and during the winters of
his youth he attended the school of his na
tive place. On his arrival in Ashland county,
Ohio, in 1838, be found work on a farm,
and was later employed as boss and time
keeper on St. Mary's Reservoir in Mercer
county, Ohio. Within less than a year after
his arrival in tbe United States, in July,
1838, he had paid one hundred and fifty
dollars of the three hundred and twenty he
contracted to pay for a tract of forty acres
of land. Before the close of 1841 the
debt was cleared off, and a fertile farm in
Ashland county was his without question.
To accomplish this, he accepted various
offers of work — farming, cutting wood and
laying stone. Strong and healthy, his
friends held for him work too heavy for
themselves, and paid for it at tho rates
prevailing at the time. In 1847 he moved
to Clarksfield township, Huron county,
where be became owner of part of his
present farm, received in exchange for the
land in Ashland county. On April 7,
1855, he married Sally Phillips, daughter
of James Phillips, of New York, where

166

HURON COUNTY, OHIO.

she was born June 26, 1836. When fif
teen years old she accompanied a sister to
Huron county, and here met and married
Mr. McDonald. The children born to
them are as follows: Charles M., born
July 10, 1856, died at about tbe age of
twenty years; John, born August 5, 1858,
a farmer of Clarksfield township; George
W., born February 20, 1860, residing on
the homestead; and Jesse K, born Sep
tember 1, 1862, a farmer of Clarksfield
township. The mother of these children
died February 23, 1865, and was buried in
Clarksfield cemetery. On September 30,
1865, he married, for bis second wife,
Mary A. Kingsbury, who was born in
Genesee, N. Y., June 8, 1835, daughter of
Lemuel and Jerusha (Durbon) Kingsbury;
she came to Ohio in 1838. To this mar-
riage came one child, Jamie, born June 4,
1874, who died July 21, 1876.
Since taking up his residence in Clarks
field township, Mr. McDonald has followed
farming, gradually adding to the original
place in Huron county, until now he owns
184 acres of fine land. This property has
been accumulated by his own efforts,
showing what can be done by industry
and good management. Politically he is
a Republican; but while influential in the
party, he never took from his business a
moment's time which it appeared to re
quire prior to his retirement from active
farm life in 1882. For forty years he has
suffered from rheumatism, but only with
in the last decade could tbe disease make
any headway against his naturally strong
constitution. He and wife are members
of the Congregational Church at Clarks
field, and both are highly esteemed.

JlOHN P. LEE, contractor and builder,
of Clarksfield township, was born
' February 5, 1830, in Oswego county,
New York.
Thomas Lee, his father, was born Janu
ary 17, 1799, in Franklin township, Herki
mer Co., N. Y. ; was brought up there in

the manner common to farmers' boys, and,
when a young man, obtained the position
of a "boss" on the Erie Canal. Subse
quently he engaged in hauling wood to
Utica, N. Y., and still later worked on a
canal near Richmond, Va. In 1827 he
was married, in Oswego county, to Lucinda
Waugh, who was born there July 10,
1811, a daughter of 'Squire Norman
Waugh. To this marriage the following
named children were born in Oswego
county: Truman T., a farmer of Rock
county, Wis.; John P., the subject of this
sketch; and Margaret, who married Elan-
son Rose, of Camden township, Lorain
Co., Ohio, and died in Norwalk in 1890.
After marriage Mr. and Mrs. Lee located
on a farm in Oswego county, and he was
engaged in agriculture there until 1833,
when with their three children they mi
grated to Camden township, Lorain Co.,
Ohio, where the father had purchased, in
1832, 150 acres, at three dollars per acre.
On the journey to Ohio, the Waughs and
Douglasses accompanied them, and the
three families occupied pne log cabin until
Thomas Lee built a rude shelter on his
farm, which he occupied until 1848, when
he built a commodious dwelling house.
During the first spring the family passed
in Ohio, the father suffered from erysipe
las, the disease causing him the loss of his
left hand. He died in 1878, and was
buried in Camden township. He left his
widow and children a valuable property,
including the old homestead, on which she
resided since coming to Ohio. The chil
dren born to her in Camden township
were as follows: George F., a farmer of
Rock county, Wis.; Philip E., who died
at Trinidad, Col., where he had resided
for many years; Norman, a farmer of
Camden township, Lorain county; and An
drew, who is also a farmer of Camden
township. John P. Lee was a lad of three years
when he settled in Ohio, but he well re
members the cooking of the first breakfast
in Lorain county. Forked sticks, bearing

HURON COUNTY, OHIO.

167

a pole, from which a kettle suspended over
the fire, tell more clearly than words could
of his primitive surroundings. He received
a primary education in Camden township,
his first school teacher being Experience
Gifford, who presided over a few pupils in
a log cabin not far from the Lee home
stead. At the age of nineteen years he
was apprenticed to Edward Gager, with
whom he learned the carpenter's trade, his
progress in acquiring a knowledge of same
being very rapid. On January 23, 1856,
he was married to Sarah J. Rood, who was
born March 1, 1838, in Washington county,
N.Y. Her parents, Lewis and Hulda (Mo
sier) Rood, came to Stark county, Ohio, in
1841, and located near Masillon, whence
in 1847 they removed to Camden town
ship, Lorain county, where the daughter
met her husband. The children born to
John P. and Sarah J. Lee are named as
follows: Eva C. (Mrs. E. E. Rowland), of
Clarksfield ; John A., a farmer of Clarks
field, married to Sarah E. Barnes; El ma
(Mrs. Almar McChaflin), of Eaton county,
Mich.; Nuland W., a mason by trade,
married to Rose M. Twaddle; and Lillie
R. (Mrs. Lewis Johnson), of Clarksfield.
For three years after marriage Mr. Lee
worked at his trade in Camden. In 1859
he purchased a farm in that township, and
carried on agriculture in connection with
his trade until 1861, when he lost his left
hand. He had just signed a contract for
the erection of a dwelling house, and was
planing lumber for the window frames,
when he discovered that the adjusting
screw of the planer had to be set. While
setting it his thumb was drawn into the
machine, the hand receiving such injuries
that amputation became necessary. In the
spring of 1863 he located in Clarksfield
township, Huron county, on his present
farm, and gave closer attention than for
merly to agriculture, biit later resumed
carpentry, leaving the care of the farm to
his family. Mr. Lee has been quite suc
cessful as a builder and contractor; one of
the largest lime- kilns at Lakeside, Ohio, is

the result of his work, and several resi
dences and barns, as well as the leading
cheese factory buildings in Huron and Lo
rain counties, were built by him. He is
known as a conscientious contractor, who
will carry out his contracts to the letter.
A Republican in politics, Mr. Lee has
held the office of assessor for quite a num
ber of years. In religious connection he
is a member of the Methodist Episcopal
Church.

'/

t il ! ARK MYERS, a typical German
\f/\ — honest, industrious and well- to
ll do — is a native of Baden, born
April 14, 1820, a son of Joseph
and Agnes Myers, the former of
whom was a hard-working man in Baden,
where he lived many years, and, like most
married poor men, had a large family.
Joseph Myers was twice married, and
had three children by his first wife, and
ten by his second. In 1834, with his wife
and ten children (the others being yet un
born), he set sail for the United States
from the port of Havre de Grace, France,
and after a stormy passage of fifty-two
days, during which the mainmast was car
ried away, they landed at New York on
the-Fourth of July. Hearing the firing
of cannon, the immigrants were somewhat
dismayed, imagining that war must have
broken out; but on learning that it was
only their "American cousins" celebrating
the anniversary of the Declaration of In
dependence, their fears were at once dis
pelled. On the ocean another child was
born, and was named Frank. From New
York the family proceeded to Ohio, via
the Hudson river and Erie Canal to San
dusky, thence to Monroeville, Huron
county. In Ridgefield township Joseph
bought seven acres of land at six dollars
per acre, the paymeut of which exhausted
all his savings, as the expense of bringing
his family was very heavy. This land he
bravely set to work to clear with the
assistance of his sturdy sons, and his

168

HURON COUNTY. OHIO.

not less robust and industrious wife and
daughters. Soon their efforts were crowned
with success, and the rugged wildwood
gave place to green fields and rich pas
tures. Here Joseph Myers was gathered
to his fathers, dying on Easter Sunday,
1873, and was buried in the Underhill
Cemetery. Before his death the original
little homestead of seven acres had been
increased, by his unceasing dilligence and
perseverance, to 150 acres of excellent
farm land. His wife was called from earth
in 18—.
Mark Myers, the subject of this sketch,
received a fair education in his native land,
and was fourteen years old when he came
to the United States with the rest of the
family. In Ridgefield township, Huron
county, he found employment at various
occupations, and all his earnings he gave
over to his father until he was twenty-two
years old. During part of 'this time he
worked on the Wabash & Erie Canal at
twenty dollars per month, and for eight
years was employed in a distillery at Mon
roeville, carefully saving bis earnings, so
that by the time of his marriage he had a
nice snug sum laid by. In 1849 he bought
land in Sherman township, to which two
years later he and his wife moved, taking
up their abode in a rude log house sur
rounded with woods, where by dint of
hard work they effected a clearing and de
veloped a farm. From this comparatively
small beginning Mr. Myers kept on pros
pering until his original small farm had
grown to one of 325 acres, a good part of
which he has given to his sons, all of whom
he assisted in their start in life.
On October 12, 1847, our subject was
married to Miss Mary Ann Harman, who
was born November 15, 1825, in Buffalo,
N. Y., a daughter of Henry Harman, and
who came to Huron county in 1835. Thir
teen children were born of this union,
their names and dates of birth being as
follows: Kate, April 28, 1849; Mary,
December 23, 1850; Frank, December 30,
1852; Joseph, September 8, 1854; Gracie,

July 10, 1856; George, May 20, 1858;
Henry, October 16, 1859; Hannah, March
10, 1861: Lena, November 30, 1862;
Mark L., May 23, 1865; Ida, November
18, 1867; Mark W., January 20, 1869;
and Rosa R., May 13, 1871. Of these,
Mary died August 27, 1885, and Mark
died December 26, 1868.
Politically our subject is a Democrat,
but voted for Abraham Lincoln, on account
of his views on the slavery question. He
has held various offices of trust in his
township, where be is highly respected,
and with his wife is a worthy member of
the Catholic Church.

H. EMERSON, a resident of East
Norwalk, where he carries on a lu
crative blacksmithing business, is
a native of Vermont, born in 1827,
a son of Thomas Emerson, also a
native of the Green Mountain State.
The father of subject, who was a shoe
maker by trade, came to Ohio in 1816,
locating in Seneca county. In 1826 he
married Miss Sarah Glick, and then moved
to Fremont, same State, where he resided
till 1839, in which year the family came
to Huron county, settling on a farm near
Monroeville. Five children were born to
Mr. and Mrs. Tliomas Emerson, viz.:
Thomas E., Christian, Anna, Laurel, and
R. H.
In Monroeville our subject remained till
he was twenty-one years of age, when he
went to Milan, Erie county, same State,
and after two and one-half years' sojourn
there came to Norwalk and engaged in
blacksmithing, a trade he has followed
there some forty years. He also carries
on a farm of twenty-five acres. In 1864
he enlisted in Company B, One Hundred
and Sixty- sixth O. V. I., and served four
months and nine days, on guard duty,
after which he returned home, and for five
years following was a sergeant in the State
troops. In 1850 Mr. Emerson married

HURON COUNTY, OHIO.

169

Miss Jane Cortright, of Norwalk, who bore
him children as follows: Sarah, wife of
Nelson Bailey, of Townsend, Ohio; Lou-
ella Norman; Lewis, in Michigan; Laura
Trumbull, in East Norwalk, Ohio; Mary
Denman, of Townsend; Anna Sirls, of
Lakeside, Ohio; Lilly, in Kansas; and
Melinda, who died, in 1892, in Michigan.
The mother of these died in 1878, and for
his second wife Mr. Emerson wedded Mrs.
Sarah Bender, of Chicago Junction, by
whom there is no issue. Politically our
subject is a Republican, and he is a mem
ber of the Methodist Church.

JOEL ROSS. This well-known influ-
k. I ential farmer and stock raiser of
\^j Wakeman township first saw the light
March 12, 1828, the locality of his
birth being the same farm where his father
was born March 5, 1799, in Groveland
township, Livingston county, New York.
Joel P. and Maria (Ordaway) Ross, par
ents of the subject of this sketch, had a
family of thirteen children, of whom are
living the following: Anna (Mrs. William
Jeffries), a widow, living in Hartland;
Fannie Jane, wife of William Harrison
Fletcher, living in Wakeman, Ohio; Ange-
line, wife of John Moon, and Charity, wife
of Melvin Gunn, both residents of Brighton,
Lorain county; aud William, a farmer of
Michigan. When our subject was about
eighteen months old he came down the
Ohio river on a raft with his parents, and
his father moved to Scioto county, Ohio,
afterward coming to Lorain county, dying
in Brighton, March 9, 1881, at the age of
eighty-two years; for some time prior to
his death he had resided in Florence
township, Erie county. He was a lifelong
farmer; politically, he was a Republican,
and he was a member of the Methodist
Church, as is also his widow, who is yet
living in Brighton, Ohio, now in her
eighty-eighth year.
Joel Ross, whose name opens this sketch,
received bis education at the common

schools qf the vicinity of his home, at the
same time assisting his parents in the
work of cultivating and improving the
farm. When he was nineteen years old
he commenced working away from home
by the month, and, saving his money, paid
for fifty-three acres of land in Brighton
township, Lorain county. After five years
he went to California, where for four and
one-half years he was engaged in mining,
driving team, etc., saving his money with
judicious care. Returning to Huron county
he bought 150 acres of wild land in Wake
man township, and leased the fifty-three
acres in Brighton to his father, who lived
thereon to the time of his death. Clear
ing the land, our subject sold the timber,
built himself a comfortable log house,
barn, etc., and prospered. He now owns
150 acres, and successfully carries on gen
eral agriculture, including stock-raising.
On November 25, 1858, Mr. Ross mar
ried Miss Ann E. Haines, a native of
Bronson township, Huron county, daugh
ter of George W. Haines, of Clarksfield
township, same county, and children as
follows were born to them: Anna (Mrs.
Hayes), living in Wakeman; Dennis, mar
ried, and living near, working on the home
farm; Ida, married to Charles Fletcher,
and living in Michigan; and Ella (Mrs.
Charles Whitney), residing in Clarksfield
township. In his political associations
our subject is a straight Republican, and
has served his township as school director
and in other offices of trust.

A. McCULLOW is a young and
progressive business man of Green
wich, engaged in the merchant tailor
ing, clothing and men's furnishing
trade. He is a native of Huron county,
born in 1857, was educated here, and since
the close of his school days has been en
gaged in various mercantile enterprises.
In 1880 he and a Mr. Thomas established
the present business, but in 1882 Mr. Mc-'

170

HURON COUNTY, OHIO.

Cullow purchased his partner's .interest,
and for over a decade has carried on a suc
cessful trade. On October 24, 1881, he
married Miss Lovezilla Riblet, of Cleve
land, born in Galion, Crawford Co., Ohio,
a daughter of David and Caroline (Mathias)
Riblet, the former a native of Pennsylva
nia, the latter of Ohio. To this union one
child, Mable, was born. He is a Repub
lican in politics.
J. E. and Agnes (Bartlett) McCullow,
parents of the subject of this sketch, are
old settlers of Huron county. J. E. Mc
Cullow was born in New Jersey State,
came with his parents to this county when
a child, and was engaged in farming until
his retirement from active life a few years
ago. He lives at Greenwich, but still
owns the fine farm near that town, known
as the McCullow homestead. He was
married twice, C. A. McCullow being the
only child of the first marriage, while to
the second marriage was also born one son.
C. A. McCullow devotes two floors to
his business, each 20 x 52 feet in area.
Here a large assortment of domestic and
foreign cloths may be seen. From four to
six journeyman tailors are employed, and
an air of business pervades the whole
establishment. He is a member of the
National Union; and is popular in the com
mercial and social circles of Greenwich.

ILBERT L. JOHNSON, a promi-
r, nent representative agriculturist of
Clarksfield township, was born Feb
ruary 26, 1828, in the town of Dan-
by, Tompkins Co., N. Y., a son of
Abraham Johnson, who was born in
Connecticut. Abraham Johnson was educated in the
schools of his native town, and there
learned the two great branches of the
building trade, becoming a stone mason
and carpenter. When a young man he
migrated to Tompkins county, N. Y., and
located in Caroline township, where he
met and married Sally Walton, also a

" native of Connecticut, who came to Tomp
kins county, N. Y., when a girl, and re
sided there until 1846, when the family
migrated to Ohio. The children born to
Abraham and Sally Johnson are as follows:
Phoebe, who married Abraham Smith, and
died in Clarksfield township; Wesley, a
farmer of Crawford county, Penn.; George,
who resides in Branch county, Mich. ; Jane,
who married Anthony Shipman, and died
in Clarksfield township; Gilbert L., the
subject of this sketch; Emily, wife of
Aaron Thomas, of Henry county, Ohio;
Lewis, residing in Branch county, Mich.,
and Amanda, who first married John Wil
son, and is now the wife of Anson Wheeler,
of Henry county, Ohio. With the exception
of Wesley the whole family came to Ohio
in 1846, making the journey with a wagon
drawn by two horses. On this wagon were
packed the household goods, so that the
adults of the family had, practically, to
walk over rough roads from their old home
in New York to their new one in Ohio.
On arriving in Clarksfield township, Huron
county, they found themselves iu the midst
of a dense forest, but a space for a cabin
was at once cleared and the erection of a
small log house begun. Before the structure
was completed a storm swept over the for
est, blew down the trees on one side of
the little clearing, and one, falling on the
house, demolished it. Undeterred, the work
of building was resumed, and the pioneers
occupied their first home in Ohio. The
clearing away of the forest was then begun,
and there was soon another open space in
the wilderness. Subsequently the father
built for his family a frame house, and fol
lowed his trades, giving much more atten
tion thereto than to agriculture, until his
death, which occurred in February, 1866.
He was buried in East Creek cemetery, in
New London township, where the remains
of his widow were interred in 1872. Po
litically he was originally a Whig, having
voted for William Henry Harrison, later
became an Abolitionist, a Free-soiler, and
finally a Republican.

HURON COUNTY, OHIO.

171

Gilbert L. Johnson was raised in the
manner common to boys of the pioneer
period, attending school only as circum
stances permitted. When twelve or thir
teen years old he assisted his father in
making barrels, for the latter was a cooper
as well as a stone mason and carpenter.
When eighteen years old be accompanied
his parents to Ohio, and at once went to
work in clearing the farm, in which he
was engaged until 1849, when he com
menced to work for himself. He found
employment at eleven dollars per month,
cutting cordwood near Norwalk; and
having a kuowledge of coopering, also
earned money at that trade, and steadily
advanced. His marriage with Rhoda Cot
ton took place March 1, 1855. She was
born May 9, 1829, at Truxton, Cortland
Co., N. Y, a daughter of Jonathan and
Polly (Kingsley) Cotton, who settled in
Wayne county, Ohio, in 1832, where Mr.
Johnson met and married Miss Cotton,
while he was an employe of the Cleveland,
Tuscarawas Valley & Wheeling Railroad
Company, then in course of construction.
Mrs. Johnson was a schoolteacher in
Wayne county, Ohio, and Mr. Johnson
boarded at her father's house while work
ing on the railroad in that section. The
children born to this marriage were as fol
lows: Effie, now Mrs. Reuben Knapp, of
Huntington, Lorain county; Walton, who
died in 1864 at the age of six years; Lewis,
who married Lillie Lee, and resides in
Clarksfield; and Clara, now Mrs. Earl
Ketcham, of New London, Huron county.
After marriage Mr. and Mrs. Johnson
moved to Coldwater, Mich., where he
worked at the trade of cooper until he
learned of the illness of his wife's parents,
when he and his wife returned to Wayne
county to care for them. For four years
he was engaged in farming in Milton
township. In 1860 he removed to Huron county,
purchased a farm of forty acres in Clarks
field township, and there lived until 1866,
when he took possession of his present

farm. This tract contains 120 acres, well
improved, with a substantial, well-furnished
house, good farm buildings, fences, and
large orchard, representing his savings
since the close of the Civil war. Mr.
Johnson cast his first Presidential vote for
John C. Fremont, and has ever since been
a Republican. He takes a deep interest
in political affairs, studies current subjects,
and is well posted on the issues of the day.
He and his wife are Free-will Baptists, and
he is trustee in the church.

T M. HARKNESS, leading liveryman,
k. I horse dealer and transferman, of Nor-
%j) walk, is descended from an old New
England family.
His father, Abner Harkness, was born
in Vermont, and became a pioneer settler
of New Haven township, Huron Co., Ohio.
He was married to Nancy Garrett, a na
tive of Auburn, Cayuga Co., N. Y., and
passed the later portion of his life in Nor
walk. He purchased the first sheep brought
to Huron county, having been a prominent
agriculturist; in politics he was originally
a Henry Clay Whig, afterward uniting
with the Republican party. He was a
member of the M. E. Church for over fifty
years, bis family being also members of
the same. He was a strong man in early
life, but had poor health for over fifty
years. He died about 1870, at the age of
eighty-three, his widow surviving him
until 1877, when she passed away in her
eighty-third year. Of the children born
to this couple, seven grew to maturity and
five are yet living.
J. M. Harkness was born April 1, 1837,
in Norwalk, Huron Co., Ohio, and was
educated at the seminary in his native
place. He then learned the trade of tile
making, a business he followed till he
went in the service, as follows: He en
listed for three months in Company C,
Eighty-eighth 0. V. I., June 6, 1862, at
Norwalk, Ohio; mustered in at Camp

172

HURON COUNTY, OHIO.

Chase, Ohio, June 10, 1862; appointed
second sergeant June 12, 1862; promoted
to first sergeant June 27, 1862, and mus
tered out with the company as such at
Camp Chase, Ohio, September 26, 1862.
Re-enlisted as private in Company F,
Tenth Regiment, O. V. O, on the 1st
day of November, 1862, at Cleveland,
Ohio; mustered in U. S. service for the
period of three years on the 15th day of
January, 1863, at Cleveland, Ohio; ap
pointed first sergeant January 15, 1863;
commissioned second lieutenant June 14,
1864, and mustered as such July 19, 1864,
at Cartersville, Ga., to date June 25, 1864;
promoted to first lieutenant January 30,
1865; entered on duty as first lieutenant
and adjutant May 1, 1865, and mustered
out with regiment at Lexington, N. O,
July 24, 1865. He was with the regi
ment in all its engagements from start to
finish, including Sherman's celebrated
march to the sea.
After the war Mr. Harkness returned to
Huron county, Ohio, and embarked in the
livery business; he has dealt extensively
in carriage horses, and also carries on a
transfer business. Politically he is a mem
ber of the Republican party, and takes an
active interest in all movements tending
to the advancement of the community.
On August 18, 1856, he was married to
Julia Boughton, a native of Lorain county,
Ohio, and they are the parents of four
children: George C, J. O, Willie and
Katie, the only idolized daughter, who
died in February, 1891, at the age of six
teen years, deeply mourned by the be
reaved parents and relatives.

FE. WILDMAN. A leading repre
sentative citizen and prosperous
merchant of West Clarksfield, this
gentleman deserves more than a
passing notice in the pages of this volume.
He comes of old Connecticut stock, the
homestead of his great-grandfather, Sam

uel Wildman, being now a part of the town
of Danbury. The following is a brief
record of the children of this Samuel Wild-
man: Esther, born in 1779, married Sam
uel Husted, and they came to Clarksfield
township, being pioneers (she died at the
age of sixty-three); Samuel died in Octo
ber, 1842, in Danbury, Conn., aged eighty
years; Mary married Levi Stone, in Dan
bury, and later moved to Kent, Ohio,
where she died in September, 1845, when
aged eighty-six years; Grace was married
in Connecticut to Hezekiah Rowland, a
Revolutionary soldier, and she died in
Clarksfield, Ohio, in May, 1846, when
aged eighty-five years; Eli, who was a
farmer, died in Danbury, Conn., July 5,
1849, at the age of eighty-four; Ezra was
the grandfather of our subject; he had a
twin brother that died in infancy.
Ezra Wildman, grandfather of F. E.,
was born April 20, 1775, on his father's
farm near Danbury, Conn., and learned
the hatter's trade. On June 10, 1798, he
married Anne Hoyt, who was born April
19, 1779, near Danbury, a daughter of
Comfort and Eunice (Mallory) Hoyt, the
former of whom was born May 4, 1751
(old style), the latter on March 23, 1751
(old style). After marriage Ezra Wild-
man continued his trade in Danbury,
where were born to him and his wife chil
dren as follows: Mary Ann, born January
21, 1804, who married Daniel Stone and
moved to Clarksfield, Huron county,
where they both died; Cornelia, born
November 14, 1806, died at the age
of three years; William H. ; Freder
ick A., born June 5, 1813, ex-county
clerk, and a prominent citizen of Nor
walk, Huron county; and Cornelia E.,
born June 18, 1816, who married Alfred
R. Segar, and afterward became the wife
of S. G. Wright (she died in Kansas City).
Comfort Hoyt, Mrs. Ezra Wildman's father,
who was a merchant in Danbury, had his
store and contents damaged by British
soldiers during tbe war of the Revolution,
in compensation for which he was given,

HURON COUNTY, OHIO.

173

by the Government of Connecticnt, a tract
of land in what was then known as the
"Western Connecticut Reserve," afterward
becoming the State of Ohio. This land
Comfort Hoyt divided among his children,
Anne's portion lying in what is now Clarks
field township, Huron county, the same
being recorded as "Lot 10, Section 3."
Ezra Wildman made several trips from the
East to inspect this land, and have im
provements made thereon. In May, 1828,
he and his son, William H., drove to Ohio,
arriving on June 1 following, and here
the son remained, the father, after a brief
sojourn, returning eastward. In the fall
of the same year Ezra came finally with
his entire family, both single and married,
the journey being made by canal and lake,
the party arriving in Huron county Octo
ber 21, and they immediately took up their
residence in Clarksfield township, at the
home prepared for them, where they set
to work to clear the land and cultivate the
new soil. Grandfather Wildman died here
February 26, 1858, his wife in June, 1859,
after a married life of nearly sixty years.
Their remains repose in Clarksfield ceme
tery, east of Hollow. Politically, Ezra
Wildman was originally a Federalist of the
old school, then a Whig, and finally a Re
publican. William H. Wildman, father of the
subject proper of this sketch, was born
July 23, 1810, in Danbury, Conn., and
was there educated, first attending sub
scription school, afterward select school.
When fifteen years old he commenced
learning the hatter's trade with his father,
and was eighteen years old when, as
already related, he came to Ohio, where,
in Milan, Erie county, he worked four
years at his trade for Henry Lockwood.
On April 20, 1831, in Fitchville, Huron
county, he married Miss Mary Ann Seger,
who was born February 27, 1814, in Con
necticut, a daughter of Eli Seger, an early
settler of Clarksfield township. This wife
died childless July 29, 1834, and was
buried in Clarksfield. On March 27, 1836,

Mr. Wildman was united in wedlock, in
Genesee county, N. Y., with Miss Fanny
Knapp, born February 11, 1815, in Dan
bury, Conn., a daughter of Thomas B. and
Mercy (Seger) Knapp, highly respectable
farming people. The children born of this
union werjg as follows: Elbert K., born Au
gust 3, 1837, died when three years and
nine months old; Alfred R., born August
31, 1844, now of Cleveland, Ohio, an at
tache of the Cleveland Plain Dealer; and
Frank E., the subject proper of this sketch.
Until 1880, Mr. and Mrs. William H.
Wildman resided in Clarksfield township,
on their farm, which was a part of the
Connecticut grant; afterward lived two
years in Oberlin, then seven in Wakeman,
and they now have their home with their
son, F. E., in West Clarksfield, respected
and honored by all who know them.
F. E. Wildman, whose name opens this
sketch, was born September 24, 1846, in
Clarksfield township, Huron county, where
he received a liberal education in part at
the common schools and in part at select
school. In early manhood he entered the
employ of Bates & Gilbert, millers at Nor
walk, Huron county, as a helper; later went
west, and at Iowa Falls, Iowa, was engaged
in a general store as clerk. Returning
home, he resided for several years on the
farm owned by his father. In 1880 he re
moved to Oberlin, Ohio, where he bought
a wholesale notion wagon, and carried on a
wholesale notion business. After a few
years he bought a stock of goods in Kip-
ton, Ohio, remaining there two years; then
in 1889 be removed to Clarksfield, same
State, and in 1891 to West Clarksfield,
where he has since been engaged in
merchandising, conducting one of the
largest general stores in the county. Mr.
Wildman's well-known pleasantness and
courtesy, together with his thorough busi
ness principles, have won for him a wide
popularity. In 1872 Mr. Wildman was united in
marriage with Miss Mary Akers, who was
born in Birmingham, Erie Co., Ohio, April

174

HURON COUNTY, OHIO.

2, 1850, a daughter of P. G. Akers, a
farmer aud mechanic of that town. Two
children have blessed this union: William
H., clerking in his father's store, and Mary
Grace. Mr. Wildman is a stanch Repub
lican, and April 1, 1892, he was appoiuted
postmaster at West Clarksfield; at present
with characteristic fidelity and ability he
is filling various offices of trust. An active
member of the Congregational Church, he
is a deacon in same, aud for several years
was superintendent of the Sabbath-school.

LBERT GAGE, an influential and
progressive citizen of Centerton,
"1^ Norwich township, is a son of
George Gage, who was a son of
James, a native of Vermont, and a
descendantof the family of which Gen. Gage
was a member. He, James Gage, had a
family of eight sons — James, Moses, John,
George, Munson, Rodman, Theodore and
Judah — and two daughters — Anna and
Lucy. George Gage, father of subject, was
born about the year 1802, in New York,
at a place known as " the Grout," and there
his boyhood days were passed on a farm,
and in attending the subscription schools
of the neighborhood of his boyhood home.
He worked for a time in a salt factory,
and in 1834 came to Ohio, settling in
Lake county, where he continued farming
pursuits until his retirement from active
life. In 18 — he married Miss Phoebe
Hatch, of Herkimer county, N. Y., and
they have three children, Albert, Adelia
M. and Sarah L.
Albert Gage, the subject of this sketch,
was born, in 1825, in Syracuse, N. Y.,
and received a liberal common-school edu
cation. When a youth he went on the
lakes as a common sailor, and was wrecked
several times. In 1850 he came to Huron
county, taking up his residence in Center-
ton, where for ten years he was engaged in
the lumber business. The Civil war hav

ing then broken out, he enlisted, in 1861,
in the Fifty-fifth Regiment O. V. I., par
ticipated in the battle of Cross Keys, and
was discharged as sergeant in 1862 on ac
count of disability. On his return home
he was taken sick, and was invalided till
1864, when he joined the One Hundred
and Sixty-sixth O. V. I., as orderly ser
geant, remaining at the front one hundred
days. On bis return once more to the
pursuits of peace, he clerked two years for
Hester & Bank, merchants of Centerton,
Huron county, and then for Crow &
Miller, general merchants of same place,
one year, and after the death of Crow he
took over his interest by purchase. In
1873 he bought out Miller, and has since
been found at tbe same stand, doing a
flourishing and profitable business.
In 1854 Mr. Gage married Miss Eliza
beth Van Horn, of Norwich township,
Huron county, and five children were born
to this union, viz.: Henry F., Eugene W.,
Stanley, Frederick and Bertha. In his
political proclivities our subject has been
a stanch Republican, and has held various
township offices with honor.

J I AMES BELLAMY, a well-known
farmer of Townsend township, was
J born August 12, 1839, in Hunting
don, England, and is tbe seventh
child in a family of ten born to Samuel and
Susanna (Higbiam) Bellamy, the former
of whom was born in Huntingdonshire,
England, and the latter in Glasgow,
Scotland. Samuel Bellamy was educated and mar
ried in England, where he was engaged in
agricultural pursuits for many years, in
fact most of his life. His educational ad
vantages were very limited in youth, con
sequently such literary knowledge as he
possessed was mainly acquired in the
practical school of experience. In Sep
tember, 1862, be emigrated with his wife
and youngest child to the United States,

HURON COUNTY, OHIO.

175

all the other members of the family having
preceded them. First stopping with their
son, the subject of this sketch, in Huron
township, Erie Co., Ohio, they remained
until the following spring (1863) and then
removed to Ford county, 111., where Sam
uel Bellamy died August 3, 1863, when
in his sixty-third year. Both he and his
wife were consistent members of the
Church of England; the latter, however,
became in her later years a member of the
M. E. Church at Townsend Center, Huron
Co., Ohio.
William Bellamy, grandfather of our
subject, was a lifelong farmer in his native
England, where for many generations the
Bellamys were engaged in agricultural
pursuits. John Highiam, maternal grand
father of our subject, was a non-commis
sioned officer in the British army, all his
life being passed in the military service.
He was born at a military post (as were
also all his own children), his father being
a lifelong soldier, as was also his grand
father, and the ancestors of the family for
generations. James Bellamy, the subject of this
sketch, received bnt meager literary ad
vantages, in youth, never having attended
school more than two or three weeks in
his life, and that in England before reach
ing his seventh year. He has, however,
since attaining manhood's years, succeeded
by his own efforts in acquiring a very fair
business education. He is a man of good
judgment, quick perceptions and a close
observer of everything around him; and
he is also quite a reader, well informed in
current literature and in the Scriptures
and Bible literature generally. At the age
of sixteen, in 1855, he immigrated to the
United States, landing at New York City
on Christmas Day of that year, and arriv
ing at his sister's home in Berlin town
ship, Erie Co., Ohio, on January 1, 1856.
He immediately went to work by the
month on a farm in that neighborhood, for
a Mr. James Oates, with whom he re
mained until the following spring. He

continued working out by the month or
day, occasionally taking a job of chopping
cord wood or ditching, until the spring of
1873, when he bought wild land in Town-
send township, Huron county. There were
only four acres cleared on the place, out of
which he has since improved the farm
upon which he now resides, and to which
he has added other lands, now owning two
well-improved places. During eight or
nine winters he chopped 1,200 cords of
wood for Mr. Frank Pinney, in Townsend
township. Prior to his settling in Huron
county Mr. Bellamy had purchased wild
lands in Wood county, Ohio, and also in
Michigan, as a speculation, but never re
sided on either tract. On April 22, 1861,
he enlisted in Company E, Seventh Regi
ment O. V. I., for three months, and was
mustered out at Norwalk on August 22
following. Mr. Bellamy was married December 14,
1860, to Miss Eliza Coultrip, who was
born in Kent, England, June 8, 1842, a
daughter of James and Sophia (Fulligar)
Coultrip, both of whom were also natives
of Kent. Two sons have blessed their
union, viz.: John Charles, born Marcii
17, 1862, and William Porter, born De
cember 12, 1865. Mr. and Mrs. Bellamy
are devout members of the M. E. Church,
and are identified with the the class at
Townsend Center. Socially he is a charter
member of Townsend Post No. 414, G. A.
R., in which Post he has several times
filled the office of chaplain. Mrs. Bellamy
is au active member of Townsend W. R.
C. No. 142, Auxiliary to Townsend Post
No. 414, G. A. R. In politics Mr. Bel
lamy is a Republican, and he is one of the
enterprising, successful farmers of the
neighborhood, as well as one of her most
prominent and respected citizens.
Mr. Bellamy's brother, William Bellamy,
in company with whom our subject immi
grated to America, was employed, like
him, in working by the month, day or job
until the breaking out of the Civil war,
when he enlisted in the same company and

176

HURON COUNTY, OHIO.

regiment with our subject, and on the
same day. Soon after his discharge, in
September, 1861, he re-enlisted, this time
in Company C, Fifty-fifth 0. V. L, and
served with his regiment in all its marches
and engagements to the second battle of
Bull Run, in which engagement he was
killed by a cannon ball. No truer patriot
or braver soldier ever stood upon a battle
field than he. He was always ready for
duty, never hesitating or flinching from
any post assigned him, no matter how
arduous or dangerous the work. He was
color bearer of his regiment, and fell while
in tbe front ranks. He left a widow, hav
ing been married just before proceeding to
the front.
James Coultrip, father .of Mrs. James
Bellamy, was a shepherd by occupation,
in his native land. In 1850 he immigrated
to the United States, first halting near Al
bany, N. Y., where he was engaged in
chopping wood for one winter. The next
spring, 1851, he removed to Lorain
county, Ohio, locating near Avon, where
he was employed at shearing sheep and on
a large ditch contract, until the fall of the
same year, when he took a contract for
grading a part of the northern division of
the Lake Shore & Michigan Southern Rail
road in Lorain county. He completed the
same, but was defrauded of the fruits of
his labor, never receiving a cent of pay.
After this he was employed at any thing
which promised to bring him an honest
dollar. In the fall of 1852 he sent for his
wife and children, whom he had left be
hind in Old England, and the family,
among whom was Mrs. Bellamy, then ten
years old, arrived in New York in No
vember, that year, and came thence by
rail and steamboat to Berlin township,
Erie Co., Ohio. There they rejoined Mr.
Coultrip, who for several years afterward
farmed on rented lands in both Erie and
Huron counties. In about 1857 or 1858
he bought a farm in Townsend township,
Huron county, upon which he remained
until the spring of 1868, wben he sold out

and bought another place in Berlin town
ship, Erie county. After a few years he
sold this place, and later rented in various
parts of Huron county. The last two
years of his life were passed with his son-
in-law, the subject of our sketch, at whose
home his death occurred January 5, 1878,
when he was aged sixty- three years. Dur
ing the Civil war he served in the Nine
teenth O. V. I., from October 3, 1864, to
June 8, 1865. He was not- assigned to
any company, and for a time did duty as
a cattle guard, and afterward as nurse in
a hospital at Moorehead City, N. Carolina.

rRANK J. RUFFING, a prominent
agriculturist of Sherman township,
is a native of same, born September
13, 1859, a son of Joseph Ruffing, one
of the pioneers of the county. His father
numbered among those who came to Ohio
when it was necessary to clear in the forest
a place on which to build a log hut, and
make a home in the wilderness.
Our subject passed his childhood on his
father's farm, and remained there until he
was married. He attended the subscrip
tion school of his neighborhood, receiving
such education as was furnished in those
days, when the schoolhouse was a rude log
hut, scarcely protected from the elements,
and furnished with benches nailed to one
side of the wall, and where the teachers
were but indifferently prepared to impart
information. In 1884 Mr. Ruffing mar
ried Miss Victoria Layman, daughter of
Balsor Layman, a well-known farmer of
Sherman township, and their marriage has
been blessed with three children, viz.: Al
fred, Bertha and Nora, all of whom are yet
living. Mr. and Mrs. Ruffing are mem
bers of the Catholic Church.
Mr. Ruffing is singularly fortunate in
his domestic relations, his children being
a great source of pride to him, and his in
terest in educational matters is demon
strated by the manner in which he controls

HURON COUNTY, OHIO.

177

and directs the intellectual necessities of
his children. He is public-spirited and
enterprising, and readily endpsres any pro
ject calculated to stimulate the develop
ment and prosperity of the township and
county in which he resides. He is gener
ous and affable, his sympathies expressing
themselves in kindness to friends and in
charities when they are merited. It may
be said of him, that in all the relations of
life in which he is called upon to act, he
is trustworthy, constant and honest. His
habits of industry and application have
enabled him to accumulate a handsome
property, and he owns eighty-four acres of
valuable land, devoted to general agricul
ture, including stock raising. He is
popular in political circles, and has served
as supervisor for several years.

Tf H. McELHINNEY, M. D., a mem-
w I ber of the medical firm of J. H. & F.
\J) B. McElHinney, of New London, was
born in Washington county, Ohio, in
1850, a son of Dr. Joseph M. McElHinney,
who was born within four miles of the city
of Londonderry, Ireland.
Brought tothe United States when seven
years old, the father of our subject was
educated in Ohio, and while still a youth
began school teaching, presiding over a
school in the village of Newport, Ohio, for
eight years. During that period he read
medicine, and, entering the Eclectic Medi
cal Institute at Cincinnati, graduated,
afterward establishing himself in practice
at Newport. There he married Miss Ara
bella Hannold, and made his home. He
served a term in the army in 1864, as
captain of Company G, One" Hundred and
Forty-eighth 0. V.' I.
J. H. McElHinney, the subject proper
of this sketch, grew to manhood at New
port, Ohio, received a practical education
in the schools there, and completed his
literary course in Marietta College. When
not at school he assisted his father in office

work. School days over, he read medicine
under the direction of his father, aud as
sisted him in practice, even before entering
the medical college. He attended lectures
at the Eclectic Medical Institute, of Cin
cinnati, and, graduating from that institu
tion in 1873, returned home, where he
remained until his brother Frank won a
diploma. From that time until 1881 he
practiced at Hills, Washington county;
then moving to Ruggles, Ashland county,
and from there to New London, Ohio, in
1888, established himself at once as a skill
ful physician.
In 1877 Dr. McElHinney married Miss
Mary E. Greene, the second daughter of
Christopher and Mary F. (Wood) Greene.
Christopher Greene was born in Newport,
Ohio, in 1809, son of John Greene, oneof
the first settlers of Newport, which was
settled soon after the settling of Marietta,
Ohio. He was fond of hunting in his
younger days; also spent considerable time
running flat-boats on the Ohio and Missis
sippi rivers, in the capacity of pilot. At
the age of fifty-five he entered the United
States service in Company G, One Hun
dred and Forty-eighth O. V. I., under
Capt. J. M. McElHinney, in Gen. Benj.
F. Butler's corps on the James river, near
Petersburg, Va. He is still (1894) living
at Newport, Ohio. To Dr. and Mrs. J.
H. McElHinney have been born four chil
dren, namly: Mary A., Glenna E., Bessie
G. and Clare B.
The Doctor is a member of the Ohio
Eclectic Medical Society, and is now the
secretary; was a member of the Grand
Lodge of the I. O. G. T. for ten years, and
is a member of the I. 0. O. F. A Pro
hibitionist in politics, he is a consistent
member of that party. He is recognized
as an able general practitioner, and well
known as a most successful surgeon. Witb
tbe exception of the time devoted to field
sports, he gives close personal attention to
professional work. During certain seasons
he seeks out some good hunting and fish
ing grounds, and passes a short season in

178

HURON COUNTY, OHIO.

the role of hunter and fisherman. The
trophies in his office speak of his success
as a sportsman. He was mustered out of
the United States service .in the fall of
1864 when not quite fourteen years old.
He still has a fondness for target shooting
with the rifle, at which he is quite pro
ficient.

F. STARBIRD, a druggist of New
London, was born in Stark county,
Ohio, October 24, 1844. His father,
Austin Starbird,anativeof Pennsyl
vania, studied medicine at Cleveland, Ohio,
and graduated from the Medical College of
that city. About the year 1850 he located
in New London, and soon established him
self as a physician and surgeon. His study
did not at all cease with graduation. The
responsibilities of practice led him to
deeper studies and research, so that the
reputation be won, in the profession, was
based on a solid foundation ; for his knowl
edge of medicine and surgery, in both
•theory and practice, was wide. He died
in the spring of 1877, his widow, Mary J.
(Fulton), in 1891.
B. F. Starbird is the eldest in a family
of five children. He received a practical
education in the common school of New
London, and completed a commercial
course in Oberlin College. When he wa6
of age his father presented him and brother
with a fully equipped drug store, and this
business he has carried on since 1867. In
the spring of 1890 he purchased his
brother's interest in the store, at which
time the brother was appointed postmaster
at New London. The building in wliich
his business is carried on is 20 x 85 feet in
area, two stories high, with basement.
Throughout, it is fully stocked with drugs,
paints apd oils. The prescription depart
ment receives the close personal attention
of the owner, who gives general supervis
ion to the whole establishment.
In 1878 Mr. Starbird married Miss
Alice E. Kilburn, a daughter of one of the

pioneers of New London, where she was
born. To this marriage the following
named children were born: Mary Ella,
Burton Hoyte, Frank Kilburn and Mar
gurite J. With the exception of three
years passed in Chicago, 111., and many
days in school at Oberlin, Mr. Starbird has
been a resident of New London since the
family moved from Stark county, Ohio,
and holds a high position in the social as
well as in the commercial circle. He has
held the office of township clerk for. over
fifteen years. The beginnings of the fam
ily in America were made in Maine, from
which center they branched out. The
grandfather of B. F. Starbird migrated to
Stark county, and carried on a farm there
until his removal to Maumee, Lucas Co.,
Ohio, where he died at a ripe old age.

*J

HIRAM SMITH. Ranking among
the first and best of the early fam
ilies of Huron county is the Smith
family, descended from the New
England pioneer, Erastus Smith,
and his wife, Fannie (Spencer) Smith.
Hiram Smith, although still superin
tending, and not actively engaged in farm
ing, is one of Huron county's largest
practical farmers and landowners. He
was born in Greenfield township, Huron
county, November 21, 1816. His father,
Erastus Smith, was united in wedlock to
Fannie Spencer on the 19th day of De
cember, 1805, and of this union were born
seven children, viz.: Martin, Lydia, Tru
man, Erastus, LeBter, Hiram and Hen
rietta. At the time of the arrival in this
county of Erastus and Fannie Smith there
was but one cabin in Greenfield township,
and in this Mrs. Smith stayed while her
husband built their log cabin. This brave
pioneer woman lived to the great age of
ninety-seven years, retaining in a great
measure her wonderful mental powers up
to the time of her death. Erastus Smith
died July 16, 1820. Hiram Smith and

t^^e?

HURON COUNTY, OHIO.

181

family are owners of 800 acres of finely
improved land in Greenfield township, the
development of which is almost entirely
the result of Mr. Smith's personal energy
and resolution in overcoming all obstacles.
In connection with his farming inter
ests he, about the year 1850, engaged in
mercantile business at Steuben. In this
pursuit the results of his business sagacity
were as apparent as in his farming and
stock business. " Uncle Hi," as he has
for mauy years been popularly addressed,
is well and favorably known among the
farmers and stock-raisers of Huron county,
as his wool and stock buying tended to
make his a familiar and welcome figure
where his business called him in these
pursuits. Mr. Smith is largely a self-educated
man, and an extensive and profound
reader. His views of political and finan
cial affairs, fluently and lucidly enunciated,
are eagerly solicited by many who admire
and repose confidence in his well-demon
strated judgment in these matters. Among
his most striking characteristic traits is
his extreme fondness for children, his resi
dence having been and being the chosen
and favorite resort for his grandchildren;
his presence and ever-open home preferred
by them to that of all others. His kind^
ness and generosity, extended even to
those past the privileges of childhood's
claim, is proverbial.
Except as a matter of history, it is need^
less to state the esteem and confidence Mr.
Smith is held in, in a business way. His
honorable career has no blemish, and no
man can or does regret any dealing ever
entered into with him. In 1887 Mr,
Smith, fully justified in retiring from
active life, came to Norwalk, purchasing
his present residence on West Main street,
a quiet but luxurious home bis exemplary
life so richly deserves.
Hiram Smith and Polly Rockwell were
united in wedlock December 31, 1840;
she was the daughter of Thaddeus and
Polly Rockwell, then of Greenfield, but

formerly of New York State. To our
subject and wife were born six children (of
whom five are living), as follows: Emma
Fanette, widow of Harry C. Sturges, re
siding with her parents; Hiram J., in
Steuben, Ohio, who has eight children,
seven of whom are living — three daughters
and four sons — having lost by death one
son, Rollin J.; Henry Dayton, a resident
of Washington, who has one child, a son,
H. J.; Sarah Frances (deceased); George
Rockwell, of Kansas, who has three chil
dren — one son and two daughters; aud
Fannie Eliza (Mrs. Frank Lamkin), living
in Norwalk, who has one child, a daugh
ter, Mary Finette. Mr. Smith's imme
diate family worship at the Universalist
Church, and are esteemed among the best
of Norwalk's citizens.

AMUEL C. TOUGH, traveling sales- .
man, in the agricultural implement
line, with residence in Townsend
township, is a native of Huron
county, born ' November 11, 1845, in
Ridgefield township. He is the eldest of
two children born to Seth and Eliza(Fisher)
Tough, the former of whom was born in
Edinburgh, Scotland, the latter in North
umberland county, Penn., of German ex
traction. Seth Tough was born March 25„ 1807,
and received in his youth a very good
common-school education in his native
country. Soon after attaining his majority
he emigrated from Scotland to the United
States, settling in Ridgefield township,
Huron Co., Ohio, where he was married
October 3, 1844. Here be engaged in
agricultural pursuits, in which he con
tinued uutil his death, which occurred
October 10, 1853. Mrs. Eliza Tough was
born February 24, 1807, and was a devoted,
lifelong member of the Baptist Church;
she died October 13, 1879. Her father,
William Fisher, was born in Pennsylvania,
and received a fair English education in
his native State, where he married and

182

HURON COUNTY, OHIO.

engaged in farming pursuits. In about
1855 be removed with his wife and family
to Huron county, Ohio, where he bought
a farm and successfully engaged in agri
culture until his death. He was an earnest
member of the Congregational Church.
Samuel C. Tough, subject proper of this
sketch, received in his early years a good
common-school and academic education,
and remained on the old homestead until
rtaching his majority. He then, for the
next ten or twelve years, engaged in agri
cultural pursuits, during which time he
also followed the profession of teacher.
Since that time he has been employed as a
traveling salesman in the agricultural im
plement trade, with the exception of two
years, when he was engaged in the local
trade at Norwalk. For eight years he was
with the Bryan Plow Co., of Bryan, Ohio,
and for the past three years has repre
sented the Genesee Valley Manufacturing
Co., of Mt. Morris, N. Y., having control
of northwestern Ohio and the whole State
of Michigan.
On October 1, 1867, Mr. Tough was
united in marriage with Miss Mary E.
Kile, who was a native of Huron county,
Ohio, daughter of Adam and Sarah S.
(Milkes) Kile, and to this union have been
born two children, viz.: Percy Washing
ton and Sarah Gladys. Socially Mr.
Tough is a popular member of Mt. Ver
non Lodge No. 64, F. & A. M., and of
Huron Chapter No. 7, R. A. M., both of
Norwalk, Ohio.

E'UGENE L. McCAGUE, a promi
nent young citizen of Bronson town-
 , ship, is a son of Thomas J. Mc-
Cague, and a grandson of Thomas
McCague, whose parents, James and Janet
(Cochran) McCague, came to the United
States about the year 1784. They had a
family of four sons and four daughters.
Thomas McCague, son of this pioneer
couple, was born, in 1784, near Philadel
phia, Penn. He was there married to

Rosanna Coyan, daughter of Edward
Coyan, by trade a weaver, and also a native
of Ireland, and the young couple soon aft
erward (in 1819) came to Columbiana
county, Ohio. There Thomas McCague
bought land, but same year moved to a
farm in Summit county, same State, which
he had bought. In 1839 they moved to
Holmes county, same State, remaining
there eleven years; then settled in Hart
land township, Huron county, where he
died in 1863 at the age of seventy-nine
years. He was a Democrat in politics; in
religion Mrs. McCague was a member of
the Presbyterian Church. She died in
1873, the mother of seven children, four
of whom were deceased in youth and three
are yet living, viz.: Samuel, living on the
old farm in Hartland township; Thomas
J., and Jane, wife of R. G. Bishop, of
Akron, Ohio.
Thomas J. McCague was born August
14, 1826, in Summit county, Ohio, and
passed his youth on the home farm. He
received a subscription-school education,
and when nineteen years of age began life
for himself by working on a farm for eight
dollars per month. He continued to fol
low farming during his earlier years, and
was also employed in the sawmills. In
1850 he passed a year in Olena, Huron
Co., Ohio, and January 1, 1851, was mar
ried to Adeline, daughter of Bethuel Cole,
who was a son of Ebenezer Cole, for twenty
years justice of the peace in Vermont; his
son Bethuel was born in Rensselaer county,
N. Y. Thomas J. and Adeline (Cole)
McCague resided as tenants on a farm iu
Hartland township, Huron county, for
three years after their marriage. In the
autumn of 1854 they moved to the old
Cole homestead, where Bethuel Cole died
in 1874, aged seventy-seven years, followed
by his wife in 1890, who was ninety years
of age. Mr. and Mrs. McCague continued
to reside on the place after the death of
her parents. The farm contains one hun
dred acres, where he conducts a general
agricultural business. They were the par-

HURON COUNTY, OHIO.

183

ents of one son, Eugene L. Mrs. Adeline
(Cole) McCague died October 8, 1893, in
her sixty-eighth year.
Eugene L. McCague was born August
14, 1853, in Hartland township, Huron
Co., Ohio, and received a good practical
education in the county schools. On May
23, 1877, he married Mary E. Godfrey, a
native of Ruggles township, Ashland Co.,
Ohio. Between the years 1881 and 1885
Eugene L. McCague was traveling sales
man for dealers in agricultural implements.
He then learned the painting business, to
which he has since devoted some attention
in connection with farming. He is a
prominent member of the Republican
party, and is now serving his third term
as township trustee. The children of Mr.
and Mrs. Eugene L. McCague are Ida
Vione, born January 14, 1880; Carleton
Eugene, born March 21, 1890; and Harold
B. Godfrey, born August 7, 1892.

)\ P. CURTISS, son of Charles Cur
tiss, and grandson on the maternal
side of Ebenezer Treat, was born
in Ashland county, Ohio, in 1841.
Charles Curtiss was born in New York
State, but passed his boyhood in Canada.
About the year 1838 he migrated to Ohio,
locating in Ashland county, and erected
one of the first saw and grist mills in
Ruggles township. Water power was used;
so that, as the country was cleared and the
swamps converted into fertile fields, the
water courses dwindled into streamlets, the
water-wheel became of little use, and the
owner turned his attention to agriculture.
Charles Curtiss was married in New York
State, and ten children were born to him,
of whom eight grew to manhood and wo
manhood, two being now residents of
Ohio. The father of this family died in
1865, aged seventy-three years, and the
mother, Jemima (Treat) Curtiss, died in
1872 at the age of seventy-two years.
Charles Curtiss was a Democrat down to

1860, when he cast his vote for Lincoln,
being a stern Union man during the war.
W. P. Curtiss is an experienced manu
facturer and employer. Raised on the farm
in Ruggles township, he was educated in
the school of his district and in the high
school at Savannah. At an early age he
ventured into the business world by oper
ating a stone quarry on the home farm.
In 1864 he commenced the bending busi
ness at New London, and this business
was carried on by him and his brother,
Charles L. Curtiss, for two years, when he
bought his brother's interest. He then
associated himself with W. R. Santley for
the term of three years, at the expiration
of which Mr. Curtiss sold his interests in
the bending industry to his partner, and
commenced the manufacture of cheese
boxes, a business he carried on for four or
five years. He then added to his business
the manufacture of butter tubs, and again
took his brother, C. L. Curtiss, as a part
ner. This firm continued the business
about two years, when they organized a
joint-stock company for the purpose of
manufacturing cheese and butter packages,
arid other cooperage stock and lumber.
The management of this then passed into
other hands, and was operated by them
some three or four years at a loss to the
stockholders of nearly the whole invest
ment of which Mr. Curtiss and his brother,
C. L,, owned a large amount. Durino-the
most of this time Mr. Curtiss was at work
for the lumber firm of W. R. Santley &
Co., of Wellington, Ohio. About nine
years ago he purchased the old concern,
and commenced the same business again,
with Mr. O. C. Harvey (his nephew) as
partner, under tbe name of Curtiss &
Harvey. About one year later Mr. Harvey
died, and his widow (Mrs. Harvey) has
retained his interest witb Mr. Curtiss until
the present time. The business of this
firm has increased to four or five times its
original amount within the past five years.
The buildings now devoted to this industry
comprise one two-story 34 x 88 feet in

184

HURON COUNTY, OHIO.

area; one 30x60 feet two-story, and one
28x30 feet; one large steam- heated dry
kiln, and two sheds, each one hundred feet
in length; one seventy -five horse-power
engine is used for driving the machinery.
This is without doubt the most extensive
and best equipped butter tub factory in the
State of Ohio. Several of the machines
used in this factory were designed espe
cially for the business by Mr. Curtiss,
some of which he has several patents on.
Being located in a section of the coun
try where there is an abundant amount of
white ash timber of the very best quality
for butter tubs, this concern anticipates a
still greater increase in their business for
the next few years. The part this industry
has taken and now takes in the develop
ment of this section of the country is an
important one, and worthy the study of
the economist.
The marriage of Mr. Curtiss with Louisa
M. Fish, a native of New York, took place
October 17, 1871. To this union two
children — Mattie E. and William Ray
mond — were bom. William Raymond
died in December, 1882, at the age of one
year and fifteen days. In social affairs Mr.
Curtiss is a Royal Arch Mason, and a
member of the National Unipn. As a
citizen he is enterprising and progressive.

FAUL WILLIAM PFRANKLIN,
proprietor of meat market, Bellevue,
was born at Venice, Erie Co., Ohio,
February 6, 1866, son of David and
Elizabeth (Keiser) Pfrankliu. The
parents were born in Baden, Germany,
whence they came to the United States,
settling at Sandusky, Ohio, where the
mother still resides. The father died
April 29, 1888, aged sixty years. Of ten
children born to them, seven are yet
living. Paul W. Pfranklin grew to manhood in
Sandusky, and received a practical educa
tion in the German Catholic schools of

that city. When school days were ended
he entered a meat market, and there learned
all the details of the butcher's trade.
About two years ago he purchased a half
interest in a meat market, later bought out
his partner's interest, and is now sole pro
prietor of the house. By industry and
equitable dealing he has built up a large
trade, and is unquestionably the leading
dealer in fresh and cured meats at Belle
vue. He carries in stock all kinds of meat
foods, while his abattoir furnishes fresh
meats to supply the daily demand. His
enterprise has made Mr. Pfrankliu an im
portant factor in the community.

H. PEASE. This gentleman,
who by his own individual efforts
has become one of the leading suc
cessful citizens of Wakeman, is
a son of Sylvester Pease, one of the first
settlers of Cuyahoga county, Ohio.
Sylvester Pease was a hatter by trade,
and part proprietor of the first hat store
opened in Cleveland, the firm being Dock-
stater & Pease, still within the recollection
of the older business houses of that city.
For many years he was a resident of Sum
mit county, Ohio, and he had a family of
two sons (of whom one is living) and two
daughters — Mrs. Julia L' Hommedieu,
living at Cuyahoga Falls, Ohio, and Susie
Case, of San Francisco, Cal. The father
of Sylvester Pease, by name George Pease,
was a quartermaster in the Revolutionary
war, with headquarters at Hudson, Ohio.
He was a native of New York State.
W. H. Pease, the subject proper of this
memoir, was born in January, 1839, in
Cleveland, Ohio, whence when six years
old he was taken to Cuyahoga Falls, Sum
mit county, where at the age of twenty-
two years he enlisted in the Nineteenth
O. V. 1., Capt. Andrew J. Konkle's com
pany, the regiment being under the com
mand of Col. Beatty. After three months'
service he was commissioned lieutenant in

HURON COUNTY, OHIO.

185

the First Ohio Light Artillery, Battery D,
afterward transferred to Battery F as cap
tain, and participated in all the engage
ments of the Tennessee and other cam
paigns, among which may be mentioned
Stone River, Mission Ridge, Knoxville
and Pumpkin Vine Creek, where he was
wounded and captured by the Confeder
ates. He was confined in Libby Prison
for several weeks, then exchanged and re
turned to his battery. On resuming the
pursuits of peace, Mr. Pease went on the
road as a traveling salesman, continuing as
such until 1868, when he went to Mil
waukee, Wis., where for two years he was
employed in the telegraph office. From
there after marriage he moved to Chicago,
and after a year's residence in that city
came to Wakeman, Huron county, where
for two years he conducted a hotel. We
next find our subject embarked in the in
surance, furniture and undertaking busi
ness, in which he is still prosperously
engaged. On November 17, 1870, Mr. Pease was
married to Miss Josephine Bright, daugh
ter of J. Y. and Fanny M. B. Bright, and
three children, as follows, came to their
union: James S., born in May, 1874, died
January 14, 1881; William L., born March
12, 1885;' and Joseph B., born April 12,
1888, died April 9, 1891. In his politi
cal predilections Mr. Pease is a Republi
can, has held various township offices, and
for twelve years has been a notary public.

^ARREN M. PECK, a well-to-do
farmer of Wakeman township, is
a native of same, born September
16, 1834. His father, Henry T.
Peck, a native of Vermont, was at the age
of nine years brought by his parents to
Ohio, where, in Clarksfield township,
Huron county, they made their first
western home.
The subject of this brief notice was
reared to agricultural pursuits, and re

mained on his father's farm till he was
thirty-three years old, when he moved to
his present farm, at that time comprising
ninety acres, now 141 acres of prime land,
where he has since successfully followed
general farming, including stock raising.
His father aided him in a very substantial
manner when he left the paternal roof,
giving him one thousand dollars in hard
cash, of which he made good use, for he
has on his farm some as tine buildings as
can be seen in the county. In 1867 our
subject married Miss Millie J. Henry,
daughter of Mendell Henry, of Erie county,
Ohio, who was killed by " bushwhackers "
in Kentucky, during the Civil war. Two
children were born to this union, to wit:
Clarence W. and Harry M., both at school.
In his political preferences Mr. Peck is a
strong Republican, his first Presidential
vote being cast for John C. Fremont. He
served in the One Hundred and Sixty-sixth
O. V. I., N. G., and is a member of G.
A. R Post No. 559, Wakeman. Edward
Peck, a brother, was a member of the
Twenty-fourth O. V. 1., having enlisted at
the commencement of the Civil war, and
was killed at Pittsburgh Landing (Shiloh).

J JOHN HURST, who in his lifetime
I was a well-known' and generally re-
i spected farmer of Wakeman township,
was a native of Canada, born
August 29, 1828, near Toronto, Ontario.
His father, also named John, was born
in Lancashire, England, and at the age of
twenty-one enlisted in the British army as
artilleryman, serving in all twenty-six
years, six months. His battery being
sent to America during the Revolution, it
was present at the battle of Plattsburg;
and at the conclusion of that struggle was
ordered to Quebec, whence it sailed for
Europe, to take part in the sanguinary
Napoleonic wars. Under Sir Arthur
Wellesley (afterward Duke of Wellington)
he served in the Peninsular war (in Spain

186

HURON COUNTY, OHIO.

and Portugal), and among the many en
gagements in which he participated may
be mentioned the battles of Salamanca,
Albuera and Badajoz; under Sir John
Moore, in the same campaign, he was in
the memorable six weeks retreat of the
British army to the seaboard, the rations
served out tothe men for four weeks being
one-quarter pound of biscuit and a gill of
rum, each, per day, to which the soldiers
added roasted or boiled acorns and chest
nuts gathered in the woods as they passed
along. He also participated in the battle
of Waterloo a few years later, which under
Wellington decided the liberties of Eu
rope. On his discharge from the army
Mr. Hurst came to Canada, where he mar
ried Margaret Hislop, a native of Edin
burgh, Scotland, a daughter of James
Hislop, a stonemason by trade, who died
in Canada at the age of over seventy years.
Eleven children were born to this union,
as follows: Isabella P., Ann, Jennette,
Marian, Sarah Ellen, two daughters that
died in infancy, John (subject of sketch),
James (in Vermont), Thomas (in Town-
send, Huron county), and George (de
ceased in 1892); four of the daughters are
living in the Province of Quebec, the other
in Vermont.
John Hurst, whose name opens this
sketch, passed the most of his boyhood
days about forty miles from Montreal,
Canada, also in New York State and Ver
mont. On Marcii 10, 1852, he married
Miss Mary A. Longeway, daughter of
Nicholas Longeway, a native of. Lower
Canada, whose father, John Longeway,
came from France; Mrs. Hurst's mother
was also born in Canada, of Dutch ances
try. To our subject and wife were born
children as follows: Elizabeth Parmelia,
Noble G., Margaret Hannah and Melvin
John. Of these, Elizabeth P. was married
February 11, 1871, to Charles E. Weeks,
who died January 19, 1878; she passed
away June 21, 1880, leaving four orphan
children — three boys and one girl, the lat
ter of whom died February 24, 1890.

Noble G. was married November 29,
1876, to Ida A. Pierce, who died June 16,
1883, leaving one child, Mabel E., who
was taken care of by her grandmother
Hurst until she was about two years of
age; at that time her father married Miss
Margaret M. Morgan, of Camden, when
he moved from Wakeman to that place,
where he now resides; by this last mar
riage there is one child, Edna M., born
July 23, 1887. Margaret H. married, in
May, 1879, Robert McKinley, a prominent
farmer of Ashland township, Newaygo
Co., Mich., to which union were born
seven children, as follows: Lulu, Perme-
lia, Robert, John, Estella, Noble and
Mary. Melvin J. was married January 4,
1890, to Miss Mary J. Beecher, and they
have two children: Horace and John.
Melvin now resides on the farm his father
had bonght in Wakeman township.
In 1855 our subject and family set out
for Ohio, locating in Lorain county, near
Kipton, where they arrived April 20.
Here he rented a small farm. After a resi
dence here of six years he bought forty-
two acres, and then in Wakeman township,
Huron county, purchased eighty-two acres.
In 1871 he came to Wakeman, where, ,
having sold his farm in Lorain county, he
bought fifty-eight acres, and subsequently
another piece of land. Here Mr. Hurst
was successful in general farming and
stock raising. He died October 21, 1892,
a member (as are his widow and daughters)
of the Congregational Church; in politics
he was a Republican. In 1885 he took a
trip to his old home in Canada.

OBERT SLY, a representative agri
culturist of Townsend township,
was born August 24, 1829, in
Montgomery county, N. Y., the
second in a family of seven chil
dren of John and Philena (Titus) Sly,
both of whom were natives of New York
State and of English descent.

HURON COUNTY, OHIO.

187

John Sly, who was «ne of a family of
four brothers, received in his youth but
meager educational advantages, but in after
years acquired an ordinary business train
ing. He was married in his native town,
and in the spring of 1831 removed, with
his wife and family, to what was then
the western frontier, near Buffalo, N. Y.
Here he bought wild lands, and cleared
and improved a farm, where he was suc
cessfully and extensively engaged in agri
cultural pursuits until his death, which
occurred December 26, 1886, when he
was in his eighty-fifth year. Mrs. Sly,
also deceased, was a member of the Bap
tist Church. Robert Sly, father of John.
was a lifelong farmer of eastern New York
State, where he died in 1855 in his eighty-
fifth year. Both the Sly and Titus fami
lies were among the early English settlers
in eastern New York State, and several
members thereof served with distinction
in the Continental army during the Revo
lution. Robert Sly, whose name opens this
sketch, received in his boyhood days a
limited education in the primitive frontier
schools of western New York, and never
attended a day after he was twelve years old.
He is in the main self-educated, is well-
informed on current topics and literature,
and has all his life been a careful and ex
tensive reader. He remained with his
parents, working on the homestead farm,
until 1858, wben be came to northern
Ohio and purchased a partially improved
farm in Townsend township, Huron county,
to which he has since made numerous im
provements and additions, now having a
fine farm of 130 acres, where he success
fully follows agricultural pursuits. On
December 4, 1861, our subject was mar
ried to Miss Jane B. Draper, who was born
January 25, 1837, in Bronson township,
Huron county, daughter of Sheldon and
Clarissa (Cole) Draper, both of whom were
natives of New York State — the former
pf Dutchess, the latter of Chenango county
— and of English descent. To Mr. and

Mrs. Sly have been born three children,
namely: Clarissa P., now Mrs. S. G. Evarts;
Arthur, and Nettie L., Mrs. A. T. Gam-
ber. Mrs. Sly is an ardent member of the
Baptist Church, and Mr. Sly, though not
a church member, is a firm believer in
practical Christianity. In politics he is a
Republican, stanch and uncompromising,
and is recognized generally as a leading
citizen in his community. In his early
years Mr. Sly was a member of the New
York Home Guards.

JM. STULTZ, a well-known farmer of
Huron county, was born there on
September 25, 1837, a son of Ralph
and Ann (Fanning) Stultz, and a
member of an old and highly respected
family. His grandfather, Blodgett Stultz,
was born in New York, but came to Ohio
at an early date, numbering among the
pioneers who cleared the land and trans
formed dense woods into fertile farms.
Ralph Stultz, father of our subject, was
born in 1806 in Ontario county, N. Y.
He moved to Ohio in 1833, locating in
Huron county, where he devoted his atten
tion to managing his farm, which consisted
of 150 acres of valuable land. He was
married in New York to Miss Ann Fan
ning, who was also born in Ontario county,
and their union was blessed with seven
children, three of whom are still living,
viz.: B. F., A. J. and J. M. B. F. and
J. M. served one hundred days in the
Civil war. Mr. Stultz was trustee of Lyme
township for a number of years, and also
served as assessor. His family were mem
bers of the Baptist Church, and always
took an active part in charitable work.
He died in 1856, his widow in December,
1891. J. M. Stultz, the subject of this bio
graphical memoir, received his primary
education in the schools of his neighbor
hood, and for three years attended school
in Granville, Ohio, but before completing

188

HURON COUNTY, OHIO.

bis studies was compelled to withdraw on
account of the Civil war. He now owns
and lives upon the northern part of the
farm formerly owned by his father, and is
one of the progressive agriculturists who
realize that as much judgment, study and
executive ability are required by the farmer
as by any professional man, and each year
adds some improvement to his estate. On
July 7, 1869, Mr. Stultz married Miss
Ellen Seymour, daughter of John Sey
mour, a merchant of Huron county, and
their marriage has been blessed with four
children: Sadie, Bertha, and Ralph and
Minnie (twins), the last of whom died at
an early age. Mr. Stultz is promiuent in
business, social and political circles. He
makes a specialty of raising Jersey cows
and fine road horses. He has been presi
dent of the board of education, also school
director for a number of years, and takes
an active part in all movements that have
for their object public advancement.

E'ZRA S. JENNINGS, a retired
farmer, and one of the most es-
 I teemed citizens of Fitchville town
ship, was born near Bridgeport,
Conn., August 21, 1827.
Daniel Jennings, bis maternal grand
father, was born October 14, 1770, and
died March 14, 1840; his wife, Phoebe
Jennings, was born February 14, 1773,
and died December 26, 1856. Their chil
dren were as follows: Rhoda, born De
cember 25, 1802, died March 12, 1869;
Eunice, born February 10, 1804, died April
13, 1881 ; Gregory, born May 7, .1805, died
October 12, 1805 ; Ezra, born September
1, 1806, died December 5, 1826; Abigail,
born April 30, 1809, died November 5,
1870; Daniel, born May 4, 1811; Gersham,
born May 29, 1813, died January 3, 1887;
Sarah, born August 31, 1815, died De
cember 27, 1856; Esther, born May 24,
1817, died September 27, 1873; Alva,
born November 16, 1819, died February
28, 1893.

Walter Jennings, father of subject, was
born May 31, 1798, near Bridgeport, Conn.,
the fifth son in a family of nine sons and
two daughters, viz.: James (deceased Jan
uary 28, 1846), Isaac, Nathan, Albin,
Walter, Elijah, Peter, Barlow, Nehemiah,
Anna and Esther. Educated in the primi
tive schools of his time and place, Walter
Jennings saw in industry, rather than in
school, a way to succeed, and, at the same
time, win an education in the practical
work-a-day life. At the age of twenty-one
he began to learn the trade of carpenter
and joiner, and his inclinations running in
this direction, he made rapid progress in
acquiring a complete knowledge of the
trade. In 1822 he married Rhoda Jen
nings, eldest child of Daniel and Phoebe
Jennings, as above recorded, and by this
union were children as follows: Mary A.,
born November 1, 1824, married F. C.
Payne, and died in Ripley township De
cember 25, 1889; Ezra S., subject of
sketch; Nelson B., born October 14, 1829,
now a farmer near Buffalo, Mo.; Daniel
G., born May 4, 1832, a farmer in Fair
field township; Sarah M. and Elizabeth S.
(twins), born April 1, 1834 (Sarah M. died
May 21, 1835, Elizabeth S. two days later);
these six children were natives of Con
necticut, and in Ohio was born, December
27, 1836, one child, Sarah E., who became
the wife of James Young, of Chicago,
Ohio. The father of this family died Feb
ruary 12, 1843, the mother on March 12,
1869, and they lie side by side in Hinck
ley cemetery, Fairfield township.
In Connecticut Walter Jennings was a
farmer, using his knowledge of the trades
he learned in improving his home and
farm buildings there. From his brother,
who was a shoemaker, he learned enough
of that trade to make shoes for himself
and family, and was thus .possessed of a
knowledge of three useful trades, as well
as of farming. With confidence in him
self he set out, with the family, for Ohio
in 1835. Proceeding by wagon to Bridge
port, the journey was continued by boat

HURON COUNTY, OHIO.

189

to New York and Albany, and thence by
canal-boat to Buffalo. Here they re-em
barked for Huron, Ohio, but owing to
gales on shallow Erie, the lake-boat could
not approach the shore, so had to continue
on her way to Detroit. The sufferings of
the passengers during the storm, and the
disappointments, fears and fatigues of the
journey were never forgotten by the pio
neers or their children. The twin sisters,
Sarah M. and Elizabeth S., died shortly
after the landing at Detroit, the result of
exposure. When the storm abated its
fury, the boat returned on its course and
lauded the family at Huron, whence they
proceeded by team to Fairfield township,
Huron county. There they passed one
night at the home of John Wakeman, an
old friend of the family in Connecticut,
and next day Walter Jennings began active
life in Ohio. Purchasing a tract of eighty
acres at sixteen dollars per acre, with a log
cabin thereon, he worked hard at clearing
the tract and cultivating the new land.
Soon he built abetter log house, and made
many substantial improvements prior to
1839, when the hard work of four years in
the wilderness and the troubles of the
journey to Ohio began to tell on his con
stitution, and brought on the lingering
illness which ended with his death. The
early taking away of the father left the
burden of completing payment for the farm
on the widow and her eldest son. How
bravely they battled to finish the work,
which Walter Jennings set going, was
known and appreciated at the time, and
how they succeeded is told in the subse
quent history of the family. Walter Jen
nings was an Old-line Whig, and one of
the voters for Harrison in 1840. He and
his wife were members of the Methodist
Church at Fairfield Center.
E. S. Jennings, the subject proper of
these lines, received an elementary educa
tion in Connecticut, and even after the
coming of the family to Ohio he attended
the school of the district at intervals until
he was eighteen years old. Being the eld

est son, many duties devolved upon him
here. Owing to the failing health of his
father, the boy was compelled to play the
part of an able farm hand, and at the age
of fifteen years was really one of the most
industrious workers in his section of the
township. Through his labors the farm
was paid for, and at the age of twenty-one
years, when he went forth to work for
himself, his mother, brothers and sisters
were left in possession of a good frame
residence and a well-improved farm. In
1848 he began work for other farmers, and
within two years saved enough to make a
start in life. On November 28, 1850, he
married Harriet R. Godden, born at Utica,
N. Y., October 23, 1829, to William H.
and Lucina (Butler) Godden, who settled
in Fairfield township, Huron county, in
1834. William H. Godden was born August
6, 1804, in Albany, N. Y., and at the age
of thirteen he went by raft down the Ohio
river with bis married sister, landing at
Dayton, Ohio, where he lived with her and
her husband, learning the trade of mason,
and he became a stonemason, plasterer and
brick layer. At the age of twenty-one he
set out on foot from Dayton for the pur
pose of visiting his parents in Albany,
walking as far as Sandusky, where he took
vessel for Buffalo, from which port he
traveled by canal to Albany. In 1828 he
married Lucina Butler, who was born June
19, 1809, in the town of Lee, Oneida Co.,
N. Y., and they lived in Utica a few years,
where were born to them two children:
Harriet R. (Mrs. E. S. Jennings) and
Elizabeth (born May 25, 1832). The
family then moved to Buffalo, where the
eldest son, John, was born August 17,
1834 (he died in October, 1841), after
which (in 1834) they came to Ohio, set
tling in Fairfield township, Huron county.
Here the remainder of the children were
born, to wit: Emory, June 5, 1837 (died
September 8, 1878); Mary, August 18,
1839; Jennie and Julia (twins), January
17, 1845 (Jennie died March 10, 1887,

190

HURON COUNTY, OHIO.

Julia in infancy); Sarah, March 21, 1848,
and Lucina, February 14, 1850. The
father of these died November- 2, 1856, at
the age of fifty-two years ; the mother, now
(1893) at the advanced age of eighty-four
years, is still active, retaining all her fac
ulties. When the family came to Ohio
the country was nearly all covered with
forest, there being but few clearings, and
Mr. Godden had to work hard, suffering
many privations and inconveniences. He
followed his trade as well as he could in a
sparsely settled district, in order to get
money to support his family, and clear up
his farm of one hundred acres which he
bad taken up. He would walk nine miles
in the morning to do a day's work, return
ing same night, and following morning
walk another nine miles in a different di
rection for a similar purpose. In those
pioneer days mills were a long way off, and
the settlers would send one man with a
load of their wheat to be ground; on one
occasion the carrier was so long gone that
the Godden family ran out of flour, so that
the father had to grind some wheat in the
coffee mill, with which the mother made
pancakes. Indians were still to be seen
in the neighborhood, and there was an
abundance of deer and great droves of
wild turkeys, providing ample food of that
description. Mrs. Lucina Goddeu, mother of Mrs.
Harriet R. Jennings, is a daughter of
Jonathan and Lucina (Wright) Butler, the
former of whom was born August 1, 1781,
the latter on December 23, 1779. Their
children were as follows: Ezra, born
September 12, 1804; Adin, born April 4,
1806; Lucina, born June 19, 1809; Har
riet, born December 24, 1813; and Edward,
born July 4, 1818.
To the marriage of Mr. and Mrs. Ezra
S. Jennings the following named children
were born: Desseline, who died when
twelve years old; Byron E., a farmer of
Fairfield township; Edwin K., a farmer of
Fitchville township; Mary L., Mrs. George
Pond, of Norwalk, Ohio; Edson G., who

was drowned when two years old; Herbert
F., a farmer of Fairfield township; Hattie
M., residing with her parents, and Lena
R., who died in infancy. After marriage
Mr. Jennings purchased a farm of fifty
acres in Fairfield township, leaving part of
the purchase money outstanding. This
tract he improved and, for seventeen years
to a day, made his home thereon; in 1876
he sold it to his son Byron E. In 1868
he purchased the farm on which his pres
ent home is located, and developed both
tracts up to 1890, when he retired from
active agricultural life, renting his lands
to tenants. While not a politician, Mr.
Jennings takes a special pride in being a
stanch Republican. He and his wife were
formerly members of tbe Congregational
Church. Socially they are held in the
highest esteem in their neighborhood — for
their individual merits; for their share in
the development of Fitchville township,
and for the example of progress their lives
have shown.

E'LMER E. ROWLAND, one of the
most prosperous and best known
 I young farmers of Clarksfield town
ship, was born there in 1854, on the
farm which he now lives on and owns. He is
a grandson of the old pioneer, Aaron Row
land, who came in 1818 from Danbury,
Conn., to Clarksfield township, and was for
many years the leading miller in that part
of the country.
_ Daniel Rowland, father of the subject,
was bom in September, 1822, in Clarks
field township, Huron Co., Ohio, where in
his early manhood he took an active part
in the felling of the trees and making the
clearings necessary to bring about the
great change he witnessed in his lifetime
— the converting of the grim forests into
smiling farms, and the deep-tangled wild
wood into fruitful orchards, clover-clad
fields and meadows ripe with golden grain.
After his marriage Mr. Rowland and his
young wife commenced housekeeping a

HURON COUNTY, OHIO.

191

short distance from where he was living at
the time of his death. He built a new
house on the same spot of ground on which
the old log cabin used to stand, in 1877,
where he died September 24, 1881, at the
age of fifty-nine years and twenty-four
days, his end, no doubt, being hastened by
hard work, which seemed to be a second
nature to him. He was first a Whig,
afterward a Republican, and served as
township trustee. His widow followed
him to the grave June 1, 1889, and they
now sleep side by side in Clarksfield cem
etery. On November 9, 1843, Daniel Rowland
and Harriet Chaffee were united in the
bonds of matrimony. She was a native of
the State of New York, born at the foot of
the Catskill Mountains, in the picturesque
town of Hunter, Greene county, a daughter
of George and Purdy (Richards) Chaffee.
Her father one day mysteriously disap
peared, and was supposed to have been
murdered. He left a widow, one son and
four daughters. Some time later Mrs.
Chaffee married Ezra B. Gray, who after
ward came with the family to Ohio, land
ing at Huron, on Lake Erie, where Harriet
found employment in the millinery busi
ness, which she had learned in New York.
The children born to Mr. and Mrs. Row
land were as follows: Emma, who died
March 30, 1853, at the age of two years
and seven days; Carrie M., deceased No
vember 18, 1870, when aged eleven years,
ten months, and twenty-four days; Elmer
E., subject of this memoir; and Celia,
Mrs. Dorr Twaddle, of Clarksfield town
ship. Elmer E. Rowland, whose name intro
duces this biographical notice, received his
education at the common schools of his
boyhood period, and was reared to farming
pursuits under the preceptorship of his
father, with whom he continued to live up
to the time of his marriage. In addition
to his literary training he took a course in
bookkeeping at Oberlin, Ohio. On Oc
tober 25, 1877, he was married to Eva 0.

Lee, who was born, in 1858, in Camden
township, Lorain county, a daughter of
John P. Lee, and two children have come
to brighten their home: Ray L., born
November 7, 1879, and Ralph D., born
September 9, 1884. After marriage our
subject and wife located on the old home
stead, of which since his father's death he
has had charge. In addition to general
farming Mr. Rowland gives considerable
attention to the rearing of fine-bred sheep.
Politically he is oneof the leading Repub
licans of his township, and he has served
as trustee, and three years as justice of the
peace, declining to serve longer. . His wife
is a member of the M. E. Church.

V

VUK( ARTIN BEEBE, M. D. (deceased),
Y/i was born September 1,1836, at Do-
Ij ver, Lenawee Co., Mich. His par
ents, Mr. and Mrs. George Beebe,
migrated from Massachusetts in an
early day; and may be enumerated among
the pioneers of Michigan. About the year
1840 the family moved to Ohio, and set
tled in Norwich township, Huron county.
Martin Beebe may be said to have been
reared in Huron county. Brought here
when a child, he received a primary edu
cation in the school at Norwich, later
attended a select school and a seminary at
Norwalk, and subsequently taught schools
in Fairfield and Norwich townships. In
1863 he entered a medical college at Cleve
land, where he attended lectures, and
graduated in 1866. His marriage with
Miss Mary L. Barrett took place Decem
ber 27, 1865; she was born October 29,
1843, in Clarksfield township to Augustus
and Clarissa (Cochran) Barrett, natives of
Monroe county, N. Y. To this union
came two children: Augustus O, born
January 12, 1867, a farmer, residing on
the homestead, and George P., born Oc
tober 11, 1871, also residing at home.
Early in 1866 Dr. and Mrs. Beebe located
near Wakeman village, but within a short

192

HURON COUNTY, OHIO.

time moved to Oberlin, where they re
mained until the fall of 1869, when they
came to reside on the "Peter lioao- Farm."
During his residence there he was actively
engaged in the duties of his profession,
while his leisure hours were given to the
direction of farm work. Politically a
Democrat, he was a man of influence in the
local councils of that party. In religious
connection he affiliated with the Disciple
Church. He was an active, energetic man,
whose soul was in his profession. As a
farmer, too, he was most successful, and
socially he made many friends up to the
time of bis death, March 28, 1890. His
remains were interred in the cemetery at
New London. Since her husband's death
Mrs. Mary L. Beebe has managed the
estate with singular ability. Her home is
a modern house in its furnishings, and her
lands are as well cultivated and as judi
ciously and economically managed as they
would be under the direction of an ex
perienced agriculturist.

JOHN JAMES McGLONE, well
w I known and highly respected in the
\J) community in which he lives in
Wakeman township, is a native of
New York State, born in Tyrone in 1822.
Mr. McGlone is a son of Patrick Mc-
Glone, who in 1833 brought him when a
boy of ten summers to Reed township,
Seneca Co., Ohio. Leaving home after
two years he worked on the canal near
Toledo, Ohio, at twenty cents per day, re
ceiving a portion of his education from his
employer's wife, after which he attended
regular school. At the age of eighteen
years, having saved a little money, he went
to school one winter, and boarded with
Judge Lemon, in Attica, Seneca Co., Ohio,
after which he worked summers for Thomas
Reed, of Norwich township, Huron county,
until he attained his majority, attending
school in winter time. In 1843 he bought
out of his savings fifty acres of land in
Norwich township, Huron Co., Ohio,

which he resold for four hundred dollars.
Two years after he was taken sick, and
he was carried on an improvised ambulance
to Berlin Heights, Erie Co., Ohio, whence
he was coUveyed by stage to Elyria, Lorain
Co., Ohio, and on recovering found em
ployment in Medina, Ohio, as porter in a
hotel, his pay being twelve dollars per
month and board. After a time be bought
fifty acres of land in Litchfield township,
Medina county, about seven miles from
the county seat, and having improved
same sold it for seven hundred dollars.
He then bought a four-year-old horse, and
moved to Berlin Heights, Erie Co., Ohio,
where the horse was attached for the debt
of former owner, but the horse being taken
sick, a lawsuit ensued which resulted in
his favor. In 1849 Mr. McGlone pur
chased about fifty acres of land in Wake
man township, Huron Co., Ohio, which he
sold in 1855, and bought and sold several
farms until 1884, when he bought the
farm known as the Cyrus Strong place,
where he has since resided.
In 1848 Mr. McGlone married Miss
Catherine Stryker, of New York State,
and children as follows were born to them:
Isadore (Mrs. Jackson), in Norwalk, Ohio;
Mary (Mrs. Hall), in Wakeman; John L.
(deceased at age of twenty-one years); and
Florence (deceased at the age of nineteen).
Mr. McGlone is now the owner of one
hundred acres of prime land in Wakeman
township, on which he has made many
improvements. Politically he was at one
time a Republican, having cast his vote
for Lincoln, but is now a Democrat.

E'DWIN L. PERRY, a prominent
and well-to-do farmer and stock
 I raiser of Fairfield township, was
born November 13, 1841, on his
father's farm in Peru township, Huron Co.,
Ohio. *
Joseph Perry, grandfather of subject,
was born in Orange county, N. Y., in
1785, and was there educated and reared.

HURON COUNTY, OHIO.

193

Some time after marriage he was induced
to go to Cayuga county, N. Y., and there
remained until 1832, when he came to
Ohio, settling in Peru township, Huron
county. The journey was made by boat
from Buffalo to Saudusky, and from there
by wagon to Peru, where Mr. Perry took
up wild land and cleared same. In New
Jersey he married Miss Sarah Seward, a
second cousin of Gen. Seward, and the
children born to this union were Horace,
Emeline, Catharine, Daniel S., Eliza, Julia,
Sarah A., Joseph and C. 0. H. The
mother of these died in October, 1861, the
father on May 31, 1859; he was a hardy
pioneer of sterling worth, much respected,
and in politics he was first an Old-line
Whig, later a Republican.
Daniel Seward Perry, father of Edwin
L., was born, in 1815, in Cayuga county,
N. Y., and was reared to agricultural pur
suits. He was married December 11,
1840, to Elizabeth Dowe Tilson, of Peru
township, Huron county, and children as
follows were born to them: Edwin L.,
Charles H., in Nebraska; Seward N., a
farmer, of Kansas; William D., in Ne
braska; Dorcas A., Mrs. Wilcox, in Peru
township; and Annie L. and Libbie C.
(both deceased). The father died in 1866,
the mother in 1886; they were members
of the Baptist Cliurch, and in politics he
was a straight Republican. He was a
hard-working, plodding man, and not only
assisted in the clearing of his father's
farm, but also developed his own from the
wild woods.
Edwin L. Perry, the subject proper of
this sketch, was educated in Peru town
ship, Huron county, where be continued
to reside until 1876, when he moved with
his family to Fairfield township, settling
on the farm where he has since had his
residence. In November, 1866, he was
united in marriage with Miss Emily T.
Ruggles, and there were ten children born
to them, seven of whom are yet living:
Ralph, Edith, Irene, Daisy, Gladdey,
Branch and Thayer; those deceased are:

One that died in infancy, Floyd, and Beth-
beryl. Mr. Perry owns eighty-eight acres
of land, where he successfully follows gen
eral farming and stock raising. Politically
he is a Prohibitionist, and, with his wife
and family, he is an active member of the
Baptist Church.

IfSRAEL GREENLEAF, one of the
early settlers of Huron county, traces
_[ his ancestry to one Dr. Daniel Green
leaf, a pioneer of.Boston, Mass., where
his son was born. The latter was twice
married, and was the father of twenty-two
children. Of this family Tille Greenleaf was born
in New Hampshire, and there learned the
blacksmith trade. He was married to
Mary Sparford, and when twenty-six years
of age moved to a farm in Oneida county,
N. Y., where his remaining days were
passed. Politically, he was identified with
the Democratic party, and gave a liberal
support to the Presbyterian Church, of
which his wife was a member. She died
in her forty-seventh year, the mother of
seventeen children (of whom fifteen grew
to maturity), as follows: Anna, William,
Sophronia, Betsey, Lucinda, Melinda,
David, Abel, Emily, Israel, Mary, Harriet,
Maria, Joseph, Israel (whose name opens
this sketch), and two deceased in infancy.
After the death of the mother the father
married Elizabeth Dickson, who bore him
two children, of whom Levi is a physician
of Chenango county, N. Y. The father
died in 1850, at the age of eighty-six
years. Israel Greenleaf was born June 8, 1813,
in Augusta, Oneida Co., N. Y., and on
New Years day, 1833, he married Emily
Whitney, who was bom October 16, 1810,
in New York. (Her parents were natives
of Vermont, and she was one of twelve
children). They resided in their native
State two years after marriage, and coining
to Ohio in 1835 located on a pioneer farm
near Charleston, Portage county. They

194

HURON COUNTY, OHIO.

celebrated their golden wedding on New
Year's day, 1883, aud on the twenty-eighth
day of the same January Mrs. Greenleaf
passed away after fifty years and twenty-
eight days of happy wedded life. On No
vember 6, 1883, Israel Greenleaf was
united in marriage with Mrs. Philotha
(Sparks) Mowrey, who died February 7,
1892, leaving the bereaved husband alone
and childless. Five children were born to
his first marriage, as follows: One de
ceased in early infancy; John Whitney;
Sarah, married August 23, 1851, to A. L.
Curtis, and died June 29, 1871; Alcebe,
born August 7, 1840, died October 16,
1866; and Harriet, born July 5, 1848,
married March 6, 1867, and died in 1872.
Of these children, John Whitney was born
May 3, 1836, and grew to manhood on the
home farm. His father had bought but a
poor farm for him, which John, however,
converted into valuable property by dint
of assiduous labor. He was first married
to Martha Wadsworth, who bore bim two
children: Sebe and Mark Israel, now living
in the West. After the death of this wife
John Whitney Greenleaf was married to
Mrs. Sarah (Strong) Mason, which union
resulted in two daughters: Ethel, born in
1864, and Mason, born Marcii 5, 1881.
The father died • December 2, 1887; the
mother is yet living.
The life of Israel Greenleaf has been'
shadowed with heavy sorrows which none
but a strong and noble nature could have
borne so bravely. One by one he has seen
his loved ones fall to rest by the way,
leaving him alone, though iu the midst of
friends — for new friends cannot replace
the old. Although he appreciates the
kindly deeds of those who would cheer his
loneliness, he is eagerly waiting till the
white-robed angel comes, and "over the
river, the silver river," the boat will drift
to the loved ones on the other side. Home
is there now; aud with the poet his heart
echoes those lines, which voice the grief
of every mourner: "The hand of death
may rend asunder our dearest earthly ties,

yet faith unveils a world of glory, and
there we long to rise." His loved ones
sleep in tbe quiet churchyard of Charles
ton, Portage Co., Ohio. In addition to
his domestic troubles, Mr. Greenleaf has
suffered several serious accidents, having
lost his teeth by a tree falling upon him,
and also has had his hip broken. He is a
member of the Congregational Church.
In politics he cast his first vote for Jack
son; he was a strong Abolitionist, and has
been identified with the Republican party
from the time of its organization. After
his second marriage, in 1884, he retired to
his present home in Norwalk, Huron Co.,
Ohio. On February 7, 1893, Mr. Green
leaf was married to Miss Wealthy Watros,
of Carlisle, Eaton Co., Michigan.

JlOHN M. WHITON, a prosperous
w I merchant of Wakeman, Huron coun-
\y) ty, is a native of Massachusetts, born
in Berkshire county, in 1830.
He is a son of J. M. and Sallie (Brad
ley) Whiton, also of Massachusetts, re
spectively born in 1781 and 1793, and
died in 1833 and 1867. The father was
a consistent Christian; the mother after
his death joined the M. E. Church, and
was a devoted member. They came to
what was then known as the " Western
Reserve," and settled in Huntington when
our subject was a one-year-old child, and
he here received three months schooling
during a few winter seasons, at the same
time learning the trade of blacksmith. For
his services his employer was to give him
one hundred dollars aud two suits of
clothes when he reached the age of twenty-
one; but at nineteen he left for California,
in various parts of which State he worked
at mining. In July, 1852, having returned
to Ohio, he commenced mercantile busi
ness at Huntington, Lorain county, in
which he continued until 1855, and then
moved to Iowa, where he pre-empted and
bought land in Hardin county. In the

HURON COUNTY, OHIO.

195

spring of 1856 he helped to organize
Pleasant township, Hardin Co., Iowa, and
tbe winter of 1856-57 he passed in Platte-
ville, Wis., clerking in a store. Returning
in the spring of 1857 to Ohio, he engaged.
in mercantile business in Brighton, Lorain
county, till the spring of 1872, at which
time he purchased a farm in Wakeman
township, Huron county, carrying same on
until 1880. In that year he moved into
the village of Wakeman, and opened his
present mercantile business.
In 1860 Mr. Whiton married Miss Sarah
Kim mei, by whom he has two children:
Eva and William W. Politically our sub
ject was a Republican, having assisted in
forming the party; and when the Prohibi
tion party was organized he became a
strong worker in their ranks. He is a
member of the Congregational Church, is
an earnest Sunday-school worker and has
served many years as superintendent of
different Sunday-schools. He is an active
member of the Firelands Historical Society.

D. STOTTS, a successful, repre
sentative agriculturist of Huron
^ county, was born in 1822 in Bel
mont county, Ohio, and has heen a
residentof Huron county since 1823.
Abram Stotts, grandfather of our subject,
was born in Scotland, and when a young
man immigrated to the United States, find
ing a home in Maryland. After some
years he became owner of a farm in that
State, and there married Elizabeth Wine-
burner, a native of same, where were born
to them eight children, of whom John, the
father of A. D. Stotts, was the eldest.
John Stotts was born in 1794, and when
ten years old left Maryland for Ohio, and
located in Belmont county. He never at
tended school and never learned to read or
write, but his natural ability conquered
such disadvantages, and he succeeded on
the farm. While little more than a youth
he married Miss Eafy Winters, a daughter

of Henry Winters, of Marshall county,
W. Va. Her father, who was a soldier
and officer iu the war of 1812, was captured
by the British and Indians, and held by
them for five years, until he escaped from
them near Detroit. Walking from Detroit
to West Virginia, he resumed farming, be
came very prominent, and died about 1827.
After his marriage John Stotts resided for
a short time in Belmont county, Ohio, and
then settled in Ripley township, Huron
county. Of the nine children born to
them, A. D., the subject of this sketch, is
a native of Belmont county; while Isaac,
Elizabeth, Sarah, Jacob, Martin, Daniel,
Catherine and George are natives of Hu
ron county.
As has been stated, our subject came to
Huron county with his parents about 1823,
and he had no opportunity to attend school
until he was ten years old. Huron county
was then a veritable wilderness; deer were
as common as sheep are now; the bear was
monarch of the forest, and Indians were
regular visitants. In his youth our sub
ject acquired a good knowledge of mathe
matics, geography and grammar, studying
mainly without a teacher's aid. On Octo
ber 23, 1850, he married Miss Maryette
Boughton, daughter of John Boughton, of
Fitchville township, and settled on the
farm on which he yet resides. He in
herited from his father about one thousand
dollars, and has added to his real property
at intervals, until now he owns over 500
acres of as fine land as can be found in
Ohio. To Mr. and Mrs. Stotts have been born
four children, namely: Flora, who married
John Hopkins, of Ripley township; Adilla,
who married T. A. Hilton, of Coldwater,
Mich.; Clarence, a grain merchant of Rip
ley; and Elmer, who resides on the home
stead. Mr. Stotts has been a stanch
Republican since the organization of the
party, has served on tbe board of county
commissioners for six years, and filled
many township offices. In business mat
ters, he is president of the Huron County

196

HURON COUNTY, OHIO.

Farmers' Insurance Company, and has held
that position since the organization of the
company in 1879. In religious connection
he is a member of the Baptist Church at
Fairfield, and is one of the best supporters
of tbat body. While Mr. Stotts inherited
considerable property, he may be consid
ered a self-made man, one who by intelli
gent industry has carved a fortune out
of the wilderness. The appearance of his
home testifies to his energy, for it is a
model one. In every'branch of life with
which he is associated he has won success,
and to-day he is classed with the represent
ative men of Huron county.

/^'EORGE D. FULLER was a son of
I w, Samuel Fuller, who was born in
\_A Brattleboro, Vt., in 1793, and died
^1 in 1828. Coming to Ohio about

the year 1825, Samuel located in
Strongsville, Cuyahoga county, where he
bought a small improved farm on the
banks of the river, but the floods were so
destructive that he had to sell out and
move to near Cleveland, where he took up
a farm on which a few improvements had
been made. In the morning of the day he
started from Vermont for Ohio he married
Lorinda Doty, daughter of Ellis W. Doty,
a Revolutionary soldier' who enlisted in
the patriot army at the age of sixteen.
Samuel Fuller died at the age of thirty-
five, a lifelong Whig, his wife in Middle-
burgh, Ohio, when fifty-eight years old.
George D. Fuller, whose name opens
this sketch, was born June 20, 1832, in
Cuyahoga county, Ohio, the elder of two
children born to his parents, the younger
being Henry S. As will be seen, our sub
ject was three years old at the time of his
father's death, and an uncle then took
charge of the farm and family. This uncle
died at the home of George D. some years
since. The latter received his education
at the subscription schools of the neigh
borhood of his boyhood home, and was

reared to farming pursuits. He remained
on the old homestead until about thirty-
five years of age, and then in 1867 came
to Hartland township, Huron county,
where he now owns a well-cultivated farm
of 167 acres. In 1886 they built a hand
some residence, and made other substan
tial improvemenfs on the farm.
In 1857 Mr. Fuller married Miss Lucy
A. Humiston, daughter of Willis Humis
ton, a native of Massachusetts, and a
pioneer of Summit county, Ohio, who lived
in Huron county twenty-four years, dying
in May, 1891. Five children, as follows,
were born of this union: Frank H., an
engineer on the "Big Four" Railroad,
living in Cleveland; Hattie L., married to
Marion Hood, of Denver,' Colo.; George
S., in Philadelphia, a veterinary surgeon,
and a graduate of the New York College
of Veterinary Surgery; Carrie E., residing
at home; and William W. D., at school in
Norwalk, Ohio.

HARLES W. MANAHAN. This
gentleman was born in Cayuga
county, N. Y., May 16, 1813, a son
of Thomas and Violetta (Silcox)
Manahan, of New Jersey, the former
born in 1770, the latter in 1780.
His grandfather Manahan was a school
teacher in Ireland before coming to Amer
ica; the Silcoxes were from New England,
and of those who came at an early day.
Thomas Manahan and family migrated
from Cayuga county, N. Y., to Nor
walk, Ohio, in the spring of 1833, and
with them was their son Charles, twenty
years of age at the time. They were plain
farmer people, braving the severe trials,
dangers and the long self-denials of a
frontier life with heroic fortitude. Here
they passed the remainder of their honor
able lives, the father dying in 1856, aged
eighty-six, the mother in 1874, at the ripe
age of ninety-four years. The family
were Methodists; in political connection

HURON COUNTY, OHIO.

199

the venerable head of the house was a
Jackson Democrat. They could give their
children but the meager school and other
advantages as the day and time afforded.
In early life Charles was apprenticed to
the carpenter's trade, which had not been
completed fully when he came with his
parents to Norwalk. Here, before he had
reached legal age, his first business trans
action was to purchase fifty acres of land
near the town of Norwalk, at the price of
three dollars per acre, to be paid as he
could earn the money. This was an object
lesson in the youth's life. Stopping one
year in Norwalk the young man went to
Monroeville. same county, then a mere
hamlet, and here made his home for a
long time. Both he and his brother
George had considerable mechanical in
ventiveness, and as early as 1835, working
at their odd hours, and with the scantest
means, they constructed the first threshing
machine ever built in Ohio — the second in
the United States, all the work being done
by hand, not even having a lathe to aid
them. Such was their prevision tbat they
well knew the world's wants in this re
gard, and it was only their very limited
capital that prevented them from starting
a great factory.
Charles then purchased a blacksmith
shop, building a wagon shop by it, and in
order to make this purchase he had to get
a couple of his farmer neighbors to go his
security for the purchase money. As
primitive as were the tools he had, he soon
was doing quite a business; but everything
had to be "booked," and his debts were
accruing, and his credit must be main
tained. He traded his book accounts,
notes and wagons for horses, and to sell
these he started to the nearest market,
which was Detroit, a long and terrible
journey through the " Black Swamp," a
trip those of this generation can have no
idea of. At that time what is now Kala
mazoo, Mich., was " Branson's Land Of
fice," where so many were then going
through the " Swamp " to enter land.

Without stopping to describe a trip
through the " Black Swamp," it is enough
to now say the young man successfully
made his way there and sold his horses,
and after a three weeks' trip returned
home with money enough to pay every
debt, and had the princely sum of twenty-
five dollars left. His first financial ven
ture was to purchase land on credit.
While this was characteristic, yet this sec
ond financial transaction was quite as
prophetic of his future life as was the
first. All his debts paid, and a cash capi
tal on hand of no mean proportions for
that day, the young man began to enlarge
his business affairs, and we soon find him
also farming and beginning to trade in
stock. The year 1836 marked the floodtide of
town speculation in the West, and through
out the country was a fever to go West
and get rich at a stroke. Milwaukee be
ing the strong objective point, that year a
number of young men from this section
had gone thither, and their letters back to
their friends raised a whirlwind of excite
ment in tbe minds of the average ambi
tious young, and even old men. "Buying
and s.elliug city lots" was the dream of
all. During the winter one of the young
men had returned to Monroeville, and his
reports completed the fever of excitement.
And all believed that, like the valley brook,
this would " go on forever." In April,
1837, four young men, including Charles
and his brother Henry, were ready and
started to the promised land. The hour
of departure was a " red letter day " in
Monroeville — to be eclipsed only by the
arrival of a circus. Levi Ashley and
James Handfordwere the other two young
men of the party of four who had provided
a three-spring wagon and a pair of chest
nut or sorrel horses; and thus equipped
they sallied forth in high hopes, leaving
behind a score of young men sad of heart
that cruel fate compelled them to stay at
home. As propitious as was the outset,
they soon met trouble on the way. When

200

HURON COUNTY, OHIO.

they reached Lower Sandusky (now Fre
mont) they began to hear of the awful
road through the " Black Swamp." From
Fremont to Perrysburgis thirty-one miles,
nearly all the way through the terrible
" Swamp," and one of the stories of the
day was of the man found in the mud to
his waist, who, when help was offered,
said, " I've a good horse under me, and
propose to go through." They took two
days to journey from Monroeville to Per-
rysburg^ — fifty miles of hard traveling —
and strung along the way tbey saw sights
of others that were both laughable and
pathetic. In Michigan, such was the
scarcity of feed, that they gave tbeir horses
wheat to eat; and one was badly foundered ;
but here Charles Manahan's ready re
sources and knowledge of the horse enabled
them to resume their journey with only
the loss of half a day.
The party stopped in Michigan City one
day, and traded their team and wagon for
lots in Winnebago City (one of the
"boom " cities), on Winnebago Lake, and
with the "boot" money the young men
took the stage for Chicago. The stage
driver went out of his way to show them
a remarkable curiosity: In a tree some
twelve feet from the ground was a pair of
deer antlers imbedded and nearly grown
over, the timber being all smooth and
solid around them. They found Chicago
a small, muddy and forbidding place, and
here they took a sail vessel for Milwaukee,
glad to get away from the future " Fair
city," and eager to reach the haven where
cities grew in a night. At the "Leland
Hotel," Milwaukee, they found about
eighty millionaire boarders — all with beau
tiful maps showing their lots for sale —
every one of whom seemed to own one or
more great cities, and their wealth was
simply incalculable, yet not one of them
could pay his board bill. But they were
happy as clams, waiting for the " spring
run " of " suckers " to buy lots and get
rich quick. The landlord was waiting for
navigation to open, praying for it to bo

early, or they would soon have to eat
million dollar lots, instead of bread and
butter. Happy day! a boat came and
among others landed eighty mechanics, all
rich in hope of work and a quick fortune.
By this time came the memorable financial
crash of 1837, and the speculative bubble
burst. In less than ten days any of these
arriving mechanics could be hired for less
than half they could have got at home, and
one could have bought the erstwhile mil
lionaires in "job lots" for a "grub
stake " to help them on their way back to
where they came from. The one hundred
dollars " boot " money they had got in
their trade of team for the lots in the end
proved to be their good fortune. In the
scramble to get from under the financial
ruins, it was a question with nearly every
one how to save enough to return home
with. They had carefully husbanded the
one hundred dollars, and by so doing were
enabled to return, bringing tbe deeds to a
lot each in " Winnebago City," a metropo
lis like the squab, biggest when first
hatched. Tbey kept laid away their deeds
which stood them in lieu of one hundred
dollars each paid therefor, and in time
Henry sold his for an overcoat, while
Charles finally traded his for ten dollars to
a man who worked on his farm.
In the month of February, 1838, with
a younger brother, Charles and Henry
Manahan determined to revisit the scenes
of their birthplace. In order to pay ex
penses of the trip they bought on credit,
having no cash, a lot of work oxen, and
were successful in buying twenty-four
yoke of cattle. They borrowed one hun
dred dollars, at twenty per cent, interest,
to pay the expenses of the long trip, which
they made with forty-eight cattle, encoun
tering deep snow, and occupying four
weeks on the way. When they reached
and crossed Cayuga bridge their funds
were nearly exhausted, but their hard task
was about accomplished. After they had
been gone a few weeks, one of the men of
whom they bad purchased became uneasy,

HURON COUNTY, OHIO.

201

and began to throw doubts on their ever
paying for the cattle. He said " the
Manahan boys had bought all the oxen in
the county on credit." This was said in
presence of Daniel Williams, who assured
tbe man he need not fear, that the DQys
would pay every cent; if they did not pay
him for his cattle that he, Williams, would.
Their trip was successful, and it was said
they brought more money back than had
been paid into Campbell & Latimer's store
during the season. Tue two trips men
tioned give ample evidence of the young
men's ability and shrewdness as stock
traders. While carrying on his shop, owing to
the great scarcity of money in the country
Charles Manahan would exchange wagons
for horses. When he had secured six head
he would, alone, ride and lead them back
to his old home and sell them, and in this
way get money to pay on his land, having
sold his first purchase and bought 200
acres near Oleua. On one of these trips
he first met Miss Delana B. Wheeler, his
future wife. When he brought his school
girl wife to his home it was not the inten
tion to live on his farm. She had been
tenderly reared on her father's finely im
proved farm, with every comfort of the
times. They rented rooms on a second
floor in the village of Monroeville. He
took his wife to show her the farm, and it
was the brave little woman who said:
" Let us fix up this old cabin and live in
our own house." This squat old log house
was where Mr. Manahan had often kept
his horses when getting ready to go to
market. He went to work, cleaned it out,
spread abundant ashes, built higher the
stick chimney, turned the " shakes,"
chinked and daubed the walls, and then
they moved into their own house. The
careful wife put down her new self- made
rag carpet, but the rains descended and
the house leaked like a riddle, washed the
mud from the walls and nearly ruined the
carpet. The "loft," which was reached
by a, ladder, was covered with loose boards,

one of which was quite broad, and by sit
ting under this when it rained, if the rain
was not too hard, they could keep tolera
bly dry. His recollection is now that they
had to raise the umbrella but on one or
two occasions. Her father had given her
one hundred dollars to buy furniture, but
instead of so spending it, the young hus
band went into the woods, cut the timber
and made beech blocks, used to make car
penter's planes, which he exchanged for a
bureau, bedstead, looking-glass and two
chairs. When they moved into their
cabin, he made their second bedstead — a
one-legged one, attached to the logs on
two sides — and altogether they got to be
very comfortable. Here were passed many
of the happiest days of their lives. In
time they were aware that they were
slowly prospering, and Mr. Manahan set
about the task of building a new house,
and being a carpenter commenced with,
the material in the tree; and, except the
sawing of the lumber, with his own, hands
built a nice frame cottage, even doing his
own plastering, laid the stone wall founda
tion, built his chimnies and did his own
painting. It was much of his labor for
eighteen months, but when completed they
had the satisfaction of moving from the
poorest cabin in the neighborhood to the
best frame house.
In 1849 they left the farm and went to
Olena, where he eugaged in merchandis
ing. With the view of providing capital
to buy good«, he had purchased, the fall
before, 300 sheep, fed them during the
winter, and took them to New York in
open cars, three days and two nights be
ing occupied on the way, sold the lot and
purchased his goods. He had no experi
ence in the business, but he had faith in
himself, that self-reliance that is the crown
and glory of tbe highest type of true edu
cation. The old gentleman would doubt
less tell you with a sigh, that he had not
such advantages in schooling as those of
this favored time. While the truth is of
the thousands of over-trained and misedu-

202

HURON COUNTY, OHIO.

cated of to-day, the most may ever regret
that they were deprived of nearly all the
opportunities of real education; such as
the circumstances that surrounded the
young life of Mr. Manahan.
The most active part of his career was
now on; his store, farm and trading in
stock. The war was raging, and the need
of the Government for supplies for the
army was urgent. Pie filled an order in a
brief time for 200,000 walnut gun stocks,
the material loading 300 cars. He was
appointed to inspect the horses of the first
company of cavalry raised in Norwalk.
He contracted to furnish cavalry horses,
and supplied between 1,200 and 1,300
prime animals, shipping to New York,
Columbus and Washington. He has in
his possession an order, dated in the fall of
1862, from John Cooper, of New York, to
furnish " sixty horses delivered at New
York within eighteen days"; and in that
brief time the order was satisfactorily
filled. In 1862 Mr. Manahan was elected treas
urer of Huron county, was re-elected at
the end of his first two years' term, and
served four years. When first elected he
sold out in Olena, removing to Norwalk,
and in 1867 was formed the partnership
of Parker, Manahan & Tabor, merchants
of Norwalk. This was successful from
the start. Mr. Parker retired after six
years, and the next six years it was Mana
han & Tabor, when Mr. Manahan sold and
retired from mercantile life. About this
time he platted and laid off an addition to
the city of Norwalk, which is now finely
built up, he owning the improvements,
and one of the principal streets of the
town is " Manahan avenue."
On February 18, 1841, Charles W.
Manahan and Delana B. Wheeler were
united in marriage, in the place of his
birth — Cayuga county, N. Y. She was
born at Fall River, Mass., the daugh
ter of Cyrenus and Thursa (Evans)
Wheeler. Her father lived to the age of
ninety-five; be was the brother of Dexter

Wheeler, who made tbe first iron shovel
in the United States, at Lowell, Mass.
Cyrenus Wheeler, Jr., invented the first
two-wheeled mowing machine. After
years of litigation he fully vindicated his
right to that important invention, and sold
his patents for the sum of three hundred
thousand dollars. The children of Mr.
and Mrs. Charles Manahan were as fol
lows: Charles W. Manahan, born March
12, 1844; Jeroline, born May 30, 1847;
William Kendall Manahan, born October
6, 1857. Mrs. Delana B. Manahan died
March 29, 1887. William Kendall Mana
han died April 23, 1891.

E'DWARD DENMAN, prominent
among the progressive larmers of
 l Huron county, was born, in 1820,
in that part of the old county that
is now included in Erie, his father, John
Denman, having migrated thither in 1814.
His early training was that of a pioneer
farmer boy; hard and rugged work, in
'clearing the land, his lot from sunrise to
sunset. His education was necessarily
very meager, as the schools were of the
most primitive kind, and his opportunities
of attending them were but few. Until
he was twenty-two years old he worked
for his father, and the latter then gave
him a start in life by presenting him with
a small piece of land to cultivate for his
own account; and also allowed him wages
for whatever work he might do on the old
homestead. Industriously he plodded along,
until at the end of about three years he
had saved some eight hundred dollars. He
then rented 160 acres of his father for three
years, and stocked it with 400 sheep; then
bought 183 acres of land in the woods of
Wakeman township, for eight dollars per
acre. In the course of time he cleared
this and sowed it to wheat, his first crop
yielding 575 bushels, which he hauled to
Milan, Erie county, distant about twenty
miles. Thus he continued to prosper until

HURON COUNTY, OHIO.

203

he found himself the owner of one of the
finest farms in Wakeman township, one
hundred acres of which are of the highest
fertility. He has thereon a productive
orchard, grown from apple seeds planted
while working for his father on the old
homestead. In 1866 our subject built a
handsome residence, and the entire sur
roundings testify to the industry and judg
ment of the owner.
On October 13. 1847, Mr. Denman was
married to Jane Archer, daughter of Joseph
Archer, of New York City, and seven
children were born to them, of whom a
son died in infancy. Their eldest son,
Joseph, resides in Wakeman; Addie, the
wife of Stanley Pierce, also resides in
Wakeman; John E. resides iii Norwalk,
Ohio; Anna Belle, wife of Elmer Pierce,
is also a resident of Wakeman ; two daugh
ters, Jennie and Louise, are living at home
with their parents. The family are all
well educated, the sons having attended
school at Berea and Oberlin.
Politically, Mr. Denman was originally
a Whig, later, on the organization of the
party, becoming a Republican. He has
served as school director and in other
offices of trust with commendable zeal, and
to the satisfaction of the community.

Kr\ HAENSLER, a well-known mer-
|i^ chant of Bellevue, was born, in
li 1^ 1854, in Baden, Germany. His
¦jf) parents, Frank and Francesca (Egle)
Haensler, were also natives of Ba
den, where the former followed farming
until his death, which occurred in the
eighty-second year of his age. The mother
died November 24, 1893.
R. Haensler received the ordinary pub
lic-school education in Baden, and at the
age of sixteen years immigrated to the
United States. Arriving at Monroeville,
Huron Co., Ohio, he found work on a
farm, and for the succeeding five years was
engaged in agriculture. Subsequently he

worked in the grocery store at Hunt's Cor
ners, and in 1880 embarked in business
for himself at Bellevue. In 1881 his mar
riage with Miss Mary Urlan, a native of
Bellevue, was celebrated at Monroeville.
Five children have blessed this union,
namely: Rolertina, Edgar, Clarence, Marie
and Corenia. The family belong to the
Catholic Congregation of Bellevue. Mr.
Haensler has built up a fine trade in gen
eral groceries since 1881. Attending to
his own business closely, and dealing with
his patrons as he would wish to be dealt
by, he has made an enviable reputation,
and is regarded as a man whose business
methods are strictly upright and honorable.

JAMES M. CAHOON. In the front
rank of the influential, well-to-do
agriculturists of Wakeman township
stands this gentleman, a grandson of
Joseph Cahoon, who was born on Block
Island, R. I., and was an extensive manu
facturer in the East. He built a large
nail factory in Newark, R. I., and in an
early day came west to Ohio, settling in
Dover Bay, where he cleared land at a
time when Indians and wild animals were
more numerous than welcome. He died
about the year 1838 at the age of seventy-
five years, a Whig in politics, and a hard
working pioneer.
Samuel Cahoon, father of our subject,
was a native of Rhode Island, born in
1777, and received his primary education
in the primitive old-time log schoolhouse,
after which he attended Yale College, be
coming a classmate of Perry Penfield.
When yet a young man he came to Cleve
land, Ohio, and was there employed by the
Government in boat building. During the
war of 1812 he carried the mail for Har
rison's army, traveling at night, sometimes
np streams, at other times over steep hills
or through deep valleys, meeting with
many adventures. After the war he bought
a small farm in Lorain county, at that time

204

HURON COUNTY, OHIO.

covered with timber, which by dint of
hard labor he cleared. The Indians in those
restless days were very hostile to the white
man, and Mr. Cahoon organized a militia
company, of which he was made captain;
he also assisted in the building of Fort
Columbus in Lorain county. Documents
show that he received two commissions as
captain from Gov. Worthington. His wife,
Lucinda (Barnum), was a distant relative
of P. T. Barnum, and a daughter of John
Barnum, a native of Connecticut and a
well-known iron manufacturer, who when
well advanced in years came to Ohio,
locating in Cuyahoga county, where he
died a few years later. To Mr. and Mrs.
Samuel Cahoon were born two children:
John, living on the old homestead in Lo
rain county, and James M., the subject of
this sketch. The father of these died in
1862. In politics he was originally a
Jackson Democrat, but during the later
years of his life he was a stanch Republi
can. He was a devout Christian, a mem
ber of the Disciple Church. Socially he
was a charter member of tbe F. & A. M.,
of Elyria. His widow survived him sev
eral years, dying at the advanced age of
eighty-five years.
James M. Cahoon, the subject proper of
this sketch, was born March 3, 1826, on
the old homestead in Lorain county, in an
old doorless log house, and was reared to
the arduous duties of the farm. In 1855
he married Miss Cynthia D. Parish, daugh
ter of John Parish, a native of New York,
and shortly afterward they went to Wis
consin, where he invested his few hard-
earned dollars in land, but the climate not
agreeing with him, he sold the land and
returned to Lorain county, where they con
tinued to live from 1857 to 1863, at which
time they moved to tbeir present home in
Wakeman township, Huron county. Here
Mr. Cahoon owns a farm of about 160
acres of as fine land as can be found in the
county, on which he has built an ele
gant and comfortable residence, having no
superior for many miles around. He has

carried on general farming, and the raising
of large quantities of fruit. To our sub
ject and wife were born two children, viz.:
Fred P., a very popular young man, and
Julia, who died at the age of seventeen
months. Politically our subject is a Re
publican, and before he was twenty-one
years old he served as school director.
Both he and his wife are members of the
Congregational Church at Wakeman.

Ill LEXANDER TWADDLE, Se., may
ll__\\\ well be classed among the "sons of
\r~\_\ the American Revolution." He was
¦fJ born in 1782 in Allegheny county,
Penn., and was a son of the Twad
dles who emigrated from County Donegal,
Ireland, to Pennsylvania about the time of
the Revolution, took a part in that brilliant
struggle for liberty, and died abont the
beginning of this century, leaving nine
children, of whom the following is a brief
record: (1) John Twaddle, the eldest son.
died at Moore's Salt Works, Jefferson
county, Ohio. He reared a large family,
nearly all of whom were blind at birth.
He received from the United States a grant
of land, which he improved, and on which
he resided until his death. (2) Margaret
Twaddle married a Mr. Deffenbaugh, and
they moved to Muskingum county. Ohio,
where she died. (3) William moved to
Muskingum county, Ohio, in early days,
and was sheriff of that county for many
years; he died at Zanesville. (4) James
served in the war of 1812; after Harri
son's and Perry's repeated victories, on
land and water, over the British and Indi
ans, enabled bim to return, he engaged in
the Ohio river trade, went down that river
on a flat-boat, and was never heard of
again. (5) Alexander, sketch of whom
follows. Of the four other children, Philip,
Archie, Mary and Sarah, but little is
known. Alexander Twaddle was reared on the
home farm. He married Elizabeth Ram-

HURON COUNTY, OHIO.

205

age, who was born September 23, 1788, in
Pennsylvania, and brought her to Jefferson
county, Ohio, then on the frontier. He
rented a farm near East Springfield, but
soon after moved to a place called Moore's
Salt Works, on Yellow creek, where he
was employed for six years. While attend
ing to his duties there, he was walking out
on a plank, between two rows of boilers,
wheu a false step cast him into one, scald
ing him so severely from ankle to hip as
to make him a cripple for life. To him
and his wife were born eight children in
Jefferson county, namely: Jemima, born
November 18, 1807, married Daniel Haley,
of Holmes county, Ohio, and died in Kan
sas in 1893; Abner, born December 11,
1809, died at Rochester, Lorain county,
where for several years he conducted an
ashery; Lydia, born October 22, 1811,
married Peter Justice, of Holmes county,
Ohio, aud died in Clarksfield township,
June 1, 1873; Mary, born May 6, 1814,
married Robert Barnes, of Huron county,
Ohio, and died in Wakeman township;
Alexander, born February 28, 1816; Eliza
beth, born April 8, 1818, married Peter
Bevington, of Holmes county, Ohio, and
now resides in Clarksfield township; John
J., born February 23, 1820, married Julia
A. Palmer, of Westchester county, N. Y.;
and Sarah, born July 21, 1822, married
Adam Shank, of Holmes county, Ohio,
and now resides in Clarksfield township.
In the spring of 1823 the family left for
the West, as Holmes county was then con
sidered. Locating in Paint township, they
bought 200 acres at one dollar per acre,
occupied a log house which stood on the
tract, and began the work of clearing the
timber. Soon after Mr. Twaddle sold one
hundred acres to his brother-in-law, Abner
Rarnage, who had come from Pennsylvania.
In 1835 he sold the remaining one hundred
acres, and giving one hundred dollars to
his son, Alexander, Jr., and another one
hundred dollars to his son John J., as their
share or inheritance, suggested the invest
ment of the money in land. The boys

proceeded at once to Clarksfield township,
Huron county, purchased 170 acres in the
deep forest at three dollars per acre, erected
a log house thereon, and in the fall of 1836
invited the rest of the family to come to
the new land, which they found untouched
by civilization. The father purchased fifty
acres from the sons, erected a log cabin,
and lived therein until within a few years
of bis death, which occurred February 11,
1859, at the home of his youngest son,
William. The children born in Holmes
county, Ohio, are named as follows: Susan,
born December 17, 1824, widow of Royal
Gridley, residing in Clarksfield township;
Margaret, born January 8, 1827, who mar
ried Samuel Gaines, and died near Kinder-
hook, 111., being the first of the children
to die; Nancy, born January 27, 1830, now
widow of Elijah Minkler, residing in Mis
souri (her first husband was Philip Mag-
lone); aud William W., born November
16, 1833, a farmer of Clarksfield township.
The mother of this family died October 12,
1860, and was buried near her husband in
Clarksfield cemetery. The life of the father
was one of constant work. To provide for
his family he had to seek employment out
side his farm, and with his son Abner
labored on the Beaver and Sandy Canal.
He was a Jacksonian Democrat, who always
found time to vote that ticket.
Alexander Twaddle, fifth child of Alex
ander Twaddle, Sr., and oldest of the fam
ily now living, was reared in Jefferson and
Holmes counties, and settled in Huron
county in 1835. Before locating here he
worked for four months on a farm near
Maumee City, but was stricken with fever
and ague. Returning to his father's home;
be set out with his brother to locate in
Huron county, where he has since resided,
His marriage with Sarah Lee took place
June 27, 1839; she was born February 5,
1816, in New York State, a daughter of
David and Mercy (Barber) Lee, who set
tled in Townsend township in 1819. Her
father and mother died in Clarksfield town
ship, the former in his ninety-ninth year.

r.06

HURON COUNTY, OHIO.

Alexander and Sarah Twaddle resided on
the farm until 1848, when he sold the pio
neer home and located on his present farm
of 211 acres. The children born to them
are named as follows : Abner D., who served
in Company D, Fifty-fifth 0. V. I., aud
was killed at Resaca, Ga., May 15, 1864,
where he was buried; John J., a farmer of
Clarksfield township; and Dorinda A., who
married Clark Auble, and died in Clarks
field township. Politically Mr. Twaddle
has been a Prohibitionist since 1872; his
first vote was cast for Andrew Jackson,
but in 1856 he became a Republican, and
affiliated with that party until 1872. In
church connection he is a member of the
Methodist Episcopal Society, and has
served as steward and class-leader for many
years. He was formerly superintendent of
Sunday-school, and has always been in
fluential in church affairs.

4>

MR. COLEMAN, New London, is
undoubtedly one of the most en
terprising business men of Hu
ron county. Philip Coleman, his
father, was born in 1814 in New
York State, where he was reared on a farm,
and when a young man married Sarah A.
Haight, a native of Dutchess county, same
State, born in 1820.
Immediately after marriage Philip Cole
man and his wife migrated to Ohio, and
settled on a farm near New London, Hu
ron county, which is now in the possession
of their youngest son, the subject of this
sketch. Here five children were born to
them, three of whom are living. Mr.
Coleman was a progressive farmer. Po
litically a Republican, he was true to the
faith of that party down to the period of
his death, which occurred six years ago.
His widow resides with her son at New
London. M. R. Coleman was born in Huron
county in 1850. The territory was then
far advanced beyond pioneer condition, so

that as a boy he enjoyed advantages un
known to older natives of that section. His
education was received in the common and
high schools of the district. About the
year 1870 he began business for himself,
and for eight or ten years was engaged in
farming. Then he established himself in
New London as a hay merchant — buying,
baling and shipping this staple to corre
spondents in southern and eastern cities,
New York being his leading market. The
extent of his trade may be learned from
the fact that in 1892 he shipped 250 car
loads of baled hay. His flax mill is also
an important industry, and contributes its
quota to more than one American industry.
The product of this mill is principally up
holsterers' tow, in which a large trade is
done. With his hay and flax interests,
Mr. Coleman also carries on the farm, near
New London, giving to it a full share of
the attention it merits.
Politically a Republican, our subject is
influential among the men of his party;
while as a citizen he is a boon to the neigh
borhood in which he exercises his business
talents.

ISAAC De WITT, a prominent and
much respected agriculturist of Ridge
field township, is descended from Dutch
ancestry, the pioneers of his family
having emigrated from Holland to New
Jersey many years ago.
Isaac DeWitt, the grandfather of our
subject, was an extensive landowner along
the Delaware river, and in Warren county,
N. J. He reared a family of eight chil
dren, among whom is mentioned a son
named Jacob.
Jacob DeWitt was born in Warren
county, N. J., went to school in his boy
hood, assisting also in the farm duties, and
then learned the trade of blacksmith.
While yet a young man be married Eliza
beth Winters, a native of New Jersey,
who bore him six children, viz.: James, a
farmer of Perkins township, Erie county,

HURON COUNTY, OHIO.

207

Ohio, where he died in 1888; John, at one
time a boot and shoe dealer, of Sandusky,
Ohio, who died in 1866; Catherine, who
was married in New Jersey to Barnett
Matthews, and 'died in Ohio in 1888;
Elizabeth, deceased in 1890, in Huron
county, Ohio, wife of William Miller;
Margaretta, deceased wife of James Per
son, of Belvidere, N. J.; and Isaac, whose
sketch follows. In 1837 the father of this
family, accompanied by his son Isaac and
some of the other children, started west.
They crossed the Alleghany mountains,
then, proceeding to Pittsburgh, crossed
the Ohio river and pushed westward to
Ohio. After a long, tiresome journey
they arrived at Milan, Erie Co., Ohio, and
there made a temporary location. But
this rude home in the wilderness offered
little attraction for Mr. DeWitt, who had
always been accustomed to the luxuries of
civilization. He resolved to return to his
native State, and would have done so had
it not been for the persuasions of his son
Isaac, who used all his persuasive powers
to induce his father to remain. The latter
finally concluded to do so, purchased land,
and followed his trade at Cook's Corners
(now North Monroeville). In politics he
was actively identified with the Demo
cratic party, and in religion he and his
wife were members of the Presbyterian
Church. She died in 1863, be in 1866,
and both are buried in Perkins cemetery,
in Erie county.
Isaac DeWitt was born September 17,
1816, in Warren county, N. J., where he
attended school. He was an eager student,
and after leaving school fitted himself for
the profession of civil engineer, which he
followed for some time. After coming to
Ohio he devoted his attention to agri
culture, and on December 23, 1840, was
united in marriage with Martha Young,
who was born August 18, 1823, in Roches
ter, Windsor Co., Vt. She is a daughter
of Josiah and Mary (Barden) Young,
natives of New Hampshire and early set
tlers of Huron county, Ohio. Soon after

their marriage Mr. and Mrs. DeWitt
moved from Ridgefield township to Gro
ton township, Erie Co., Ohio, and in 1843
purchased a farm in Ridgefield township,
to which they removed. In 1857 he bought
the place which is now their home, and has
since been engaged in farming, with the
exception of a few years when he carried
on the grape industry on Catawba Island.
He has been an energetic and successful
business man, and though now far ad
vanced in life is yet able to do a great deal
of work. He possesses remarkable vitality,
and knows nothing of sickness from per
sonal experience. In politics Mr. DeWitt
has been a Republican since the organiza
tion of that party, at the same time sympa
thized with the Prohibition movement,
and is now a strong Prohibitionist. In
religion he and his wife are members of
the M. E. Church, with which he has been
connected fifty- six years. In 1890 this
couple celebrated the fiftieth anniversary
of their wedding day, on which occasion
they were the recipients of many beautiful
presents. They have had three children:
Mary Ellen (deceased in 1867), wife of
James G. Fish; Isaac E., a successful
prospector and miner of Colorado; and
Burton L., formerly in business at North
Monroeville, now a traveling salesman for
several large wholesale bouses of Cleveland.

E. SIMMONS, M. D., a well-known
practicing physician of Norwalk,
was born in Huron county, Ohio,
son of Charles B. and Aura (Palmer)
Simmons. Our subject received his primary educa
tion in the public schools, and subse
quently became a student at Oberlin
College (Oberlin, Ohio), and also at Ohio
Wesleyan University, Delaware, Ohio. He
studied medicine with Dr. Keith, of North
Fairfield, Ohio, and graduated in Cincin
nati, in 1881. The Doctor practiced his
profession iu North Fairfield, Ohio, from

208

HURON COUNTY, OHIO.

1881 to 1883; then in Milan, same State,
from 1883 to 1891. In the latter year he
took a special course of study in Chicago,
and in 1892 came to Norwalk, where he
is at present located, being surgeon to the
Huron County Infirmary. He is a mem
ber of the Board of Pension Examiners;
a member of the State Homeopathic So
ciety and of the National Society.
Dr. Simmons was united in marriage
with Miss Hattie Dimon, a native of
Milan, Ohio, and two children — Charles
and Mary — have been boru to them.

fr^ EORGE M. DILLON, active in real-
I j/ estate interests in Bellevue, is a na-
\^Ji tive of the State of Ohio, born March
J^ 19, 1851, iu Zanesville. In 1854
he was taken by his parents to Min
nesota, where he remained until 1864, at
which time the family returned to Ohio,
locating in Zanesville, but subsequently
settling in Chicago Junction, Huron
county. George M. Dillon received his education
in the common schools of Zanesville. He
then entered the service of the old Balti
more & Ohio Railway Company, serving
for ten years as conductor on that division,
and he is to-day one of the great army of
300,000 railroad men in the United States.
In 1882 he entered the employ of the N.
Y. C. & St. L. R. R. Company, as passen
ger train conductor, and he is at present
one of the most popular officials on that
division of tbe "Nickel Plate."
On November 3, 1872, Mr. Dillon was
united in marriage at Zanesville, Ohio,
with Miss Jennie S. Ogier, who was born
July 12, 1850, at Cambridge, Ohio, a
daughter of John P. and Martha Ogier,
natives of the Isle of Wight, England. To
this union have been born five children,
viz.: Thomas E., George B., Edith P.,
Sidney R. and Gracie M., all of whom re
side with their parents. Politically Mr.
Dillon is a Republican; in religious

connection he is a member of the M. E.
Church. In social and benevolent affairs
he is a member of the F. & A. M.
(thirty-second degree), I. O. O. F., Royal
Arcanum, and of the Order of Railroad
Conductors. Since locating at Bellevue
he has been prominent in real-estate en
terprises, owning considerable property,
and dealing generally in real estate. He
is the builder and principal stockholder of
the "Commercial Hotel" at Bellevue, and
is interested in many other projects. In
the spring of 1883 he was elected a mem
ber of the city council, and with the ex
ception of one year has since continuously
served in that capacity. The interest which
he takes in town affairs overmasters party
interests, for in this Democratic city the
people have elected and reelected him with
out questioning his Republicanism. A
natural leader, he is popular among rail
road men, for through him they have made
their influence felt, not only in Bellevue,
but also in the other towns on his division
of the "Nickel Plate." As a citizen he is
held in general esteem.

fffr ENDRICK W. LAMOREUX. This
fsH gentleman traces his genealogy to
I 1| natives of the " Sunny Land of
yj France." His pioneer ancestors
immigrated to America in an early
day, locating in Luzerne county, Penn.,
where Joshua Lamoreux was born August
30, 1793, and reared to manhood. He
was married to Martha Ives, who was born
July 24, 1796, and their children were
named as follows: Samuel A., Josiah,
Darius, Thomas, Elizabeth, Clarissa, Will
iam, Elmira, Lucy, Emily and Mary J.
Samuel A. Lamoreux, eldest son of
Joshua and Martha (Ives) Lamoreux, was
born October 11, 1815, on the home place
in Luzerne county, Penn. He attended
the schools of the period, and possessing
marked mechanical ability followed various
trades. In 1837 he selected a life com-

HURON COUNTY, OHIO.

209

panion in the person of Amelia M. Skad-
den, who was bom March 12, 1819, in
Luzerne county, Penn., daughter of Anson
C. Skadden. After his marriage Samuel
A. Lamoreux located on a farm, and in
connection followed the lumber business,
working also at the trade of millwright.
His children were there born as follows:
Joshua, January 14, 1840, deceased in in
fancy; Delia, November 6, 1841, wife of
W. F. Bradley, of Sandusky, Ohio;
Emmeline, January 6, 1843, living in
California; Hendrick W., whose name
opens this sketch, January 30, 1845; An
son, August 29, 1846, a carpenter of Mon
roeville, Ohio; Benton L., January 23,
1849, now living in South America; Al
bert and Absalom (twins, both deceased in
infancy), December 31, 1851; and Elmira
J., April 15, 1853, wife of David Wilkin
son, of Norwalk. The parents of this
family left Pennsylvania December 25,
1854, locating on a rented farm in Oxford
township, Erie Co., Ohio. Mr. Lamoreux,
being in limited circumstances, remained
a tenant four years after coming to Ohio,
and then bought a small tract of land. In
1874 he purchased a farm in Ridgefield
township, Huron county, and in 1876
moved upon it. He was actively interested
in politics, and was first a Democrat, be
coming a Republican after the war; he
served in various local offices. He was a
member of the Baptist Church for forty-
three years, and subscribed regularly to
The Examiner, a Baptist periodical which
had been known as the Baptist Register
since 1837. He was an officer in the
church, and taught the Bible class for
twelve years. He died October 31, 1890,
leaving many friends to mourn his death,
who knew his worth as a Christian man
and progressive citizen. His widow is yet
living on the home farm with her son,
Hendrick W. She has been a member of
the Baptist Church for fifty-five years.
Hendrick W. Lamoreux was born on
the home place in Luzerne county, Penn.,
where he attended the district schools.

On October 26, 1870, he was united in
marriage with Ruth H., daughter of
Daniel Frazier, and a native of Erie
county, Ohio. Mr. and Mrs. Lamoreux
have resided on his father's farm in
Ridgefield township, Huron county, since
their marriage, where two children have
been born to them: Bertha E. and Wilbur
L. Mr. Lamoreux is a prosperous busi
ness man, and takes an active interest in
the Republican party. He and wife are
members of the BaptistChurch, with which
he has been connected twenty-two years.

GEORGE SUTLIFF, who represents
w, an old and, well-known family of
Bronson township, is a son of Na
than Sutliff, who was born near
Genoa, New York.
Nathan Sutliff passed his youth in
Cayuga county, N. Y, and in early man
hood was there married to Loretta Law
rence, a native of Genoa, same State. The
young couple resided in the home neigh
borhood some time after their marriage,
and then came to Huron county, Ohio,
where Mr. Sutliff purchased 200 acres of
land. At the time of this purchase Bron
son township was a wilderness, the only
marks then evident of coming civilization
being two log cabins in Norwalk, and one
which had been erected the previous year
on the land now owned by Martin Kellog.
With these few neighbors to brighten the
lonely wilderness, Nathan Sutliff and his
wife set bravely to work and prepared a
home for those who followed. He was a
Whig in politics, and in religion was one
of tbe first members of the Presbyterian
Church in Peru township. Some time
after the death of his wife this pioneer was
laid to rest at a good old age. They were
the parents of eight children: Alice, Sam
uel, Mary, David, Loretta, John, Nathan
and George.
George Sutliff, son of Nathan and Lo
retta (Lawrence) Sutliff, was born March

210

HURON COUNTY, OHIO.

14, 1832, on the farm where he is now
living, in Huron county, Ohio. He re
ceived a limited country-school education,
passing his early youth on the home farm,
and then worked four years at the carpen
try trade. On February 1, 1854, he was
united in marriage with Emily Fancher, a
native of Huron county, and daughter of
Daniel Fancher, who was married to a
Miss Mitchell, and settled in Greenwich
township, Huron county, many years ago.
In the autumn following their marriage
Mr. and Mrs. Sutliff moved to De Kalb
county, Ind., where he bought eighty acres
of land (about sixteen of which were then
tillable), afterward adding twenty acres.
He continued to farm on this place seven
teen years, but finally returned to Ohio,
and purchasing the old homestead, consist
ing of 104 acres, has since resided upon it,
and has made many improvements. Po
litically he votes with the Republican
party. Mr. and Mrs. Sutliff have three
children: Ella S., Oberka F. and Ger
trude L. Oberka F. was married January
8, 1887, to Clara Barto, who has borne
him two children: Lelia Gertrude and
Nathan Roy.

5) ARNETT ROE, one of the most
progressive farmers of Greenfield
township, is a descendant of Thomas
Roe, the pioneer of the family in
America. Thomas Roe, a native of Northampton
shire, England, left -his country in 1822,
and with his wife and seven children came
to the United States, locating near Flem
ing, Cayuga Co., N. Y. He had eight
children born to him in England, of whom
one, Thomas, died there. The seven who
accompanied their parents to America
were Charles, married to Corinua Carver,
of Fleming, Cayuga Co., N. Y., who bore
him one daughter, Selina (Mrs. George W.
Atherton), of Peru township, Pluron county
(Charles Roe died in Peru township in
1891); Anna, who married Samuel Weeks,

and died at Pioneer, Williams Co., Ohio;
Mark, now residing at Granville, Ohio;
Joseph, a sketch of whom appears in the
biography of A. G. Roe, of Peru town
ship; Barnett, a short record of whom
follows; Mary Ann, who married Hiram
Barnum, and died in Fairfield township,
and William, who wras a farmer of Fair
field township, where he died. While re
siding in New York State, two more
sons were bom: Thomas, now a resident
of Oregon, and Reuben, of Toledo, Ohio.
About 1834 Thomas Roe and his son,
Charles, came to Huron county and pur
chased a tract of laud in Peru township.
The father remained here, while the son
went back to Cayuga county, N. Y., for
the remainder of the family, with whom
he returned and introduced to their new
home. Here the father and mother both
died. They were members of the Baptist
Church, and were much esteemed citizens
of the community.
Barnett Roe, son of Thomas, was born
in 1810, in England, and, accompanying
his parents to America, resided with them
in New York State, later moving with
them to Huron county, Ohio. His school
days were passed in Cayuga county, N. Y.,
where he also began to learn the carpen
ter's trade, which he followed with such a
measure of success that he was enabled
from time to time to invest in small tracts
of land, in Greenfield township, increasing
his number of acres annually. While still
a young man he married Harriet Bright-
man, of Peru township, who was bora in
1814, and the children of this marriage
are Elizabeth, Mrs. C. H. Strong; Anna,
Mrs. James White, of Cleveland; Barnett,
subject of this sketch; Maria aud Mary
(twins), of whom Maria is married to
Theodore Niver, of Norwich (Mary died
at the age of five years), and James K,
who was a miner in Colorado, where he
met his death in his thirty-second year.
Immediately after marriage Mr. and Mrs.
Roe made tbe homestead their residence,
where he engaged in agriculture and

HURON COUNTY, OHIO.

211

carpentry. In 1856 he erected what is
known as the Phoenix mills in Greenfield
township, and operated same for twelve or
thirteen years with marked success. After
that long term in the milling business his
health failed, compelling him to retire
from active life. He resided on the farm,
now occupied by his son, Barnett, until
his death, which was the result of paraly
sis. His wife died January 27, 1851, and
both are interred in the Steuben cemetery.
He was a strong advocate of tbe principles
of the Republican party, held various
offices in the township, and also served as
county commissioner. He was one of the
most progressive citizens who ever lived
in Greenfield township. His farm, mill
aud stone quarries were parts .of his plan
for the development of the township, so
that the death of such a man was a serious
loss, not only to his family, but also to the
entire community.
Barnett Roe, whose name opens this
memoir, was born January 26, 1843, on
the home farm. He received a primary
education in the district school, and while
yet a boy began work in his father's mill,
where he continued to labor until 1864.
On August 29, that year, be enlisted in
Battery M, First Ohio Heavy Artillery,
was mustered in at Sandusky, and pro
ceeded at once to Loudon, Tenn., where
he joined his company. He served with
his command in all the spirit-stirring en
gagements in which it participated, until
discharged, at Knoxville, Tenn., June 20,
1865. At Strawberry Plains, Dandridge,
Bean Station, and Greenville, Battery M
did good service, and on "other fields
offered timely aid. Mr. Roe was taken
sick at Leadvale, and was taken to a
nejro hut, where a colored woman,
known as "Aunty Jane," nursed him to
convalescence. On his return to Ohio he
reentered the service of his father in the
mill, and there worked some three or four
years. On May 16, 1867, he was married
to Martha J. Lowther, who was born
August 5, 1843, in Greenfield township,

daughter of Capt. E. H. Lowther. The
children of this union are Earnest B.,
born September 29, 1869; Frank L., born
November 2, 1871; Anna B., born Octo
bers, 1875, and Alto F. and Otto J. (twins),
born February 14, 1884, all of whom are
living. After marriage the young couple
occupied the homestead, and here Mr.
Roe carried on the farm in connection
with a sawmill and other businesses. In
1880 he located on his present farm, and
has since given close attention to agricul
ture and stock growing. Mr. Roe and
wife are members of the Disciple Church.
In politics he is a Republican, and has
served as treasurer and trustee of Green
field township, proving himself, in every
particular, worthy of the confidence and
esteem of the people.

+/

HS. FANNING, a progressive agri
culturist of Clarksfield township, is
a native of the same, born Novem
ber 5, 1864. His grandfather, James
Fanning, was born August 13, 1789,
and on January 2, 1809, married Sarah
Westbrook, who was born October 25,
1789. He died near Rushville, Onondaga
Co., N. Y., June 9, 1827, on vvhich day
he was present at a barn raising for tbe
proprietor of a neighboring hotel. A rain
storm came up suddenly, driving the men
to shelter, but when the rain ceased all re
sumed work. The water made the heavy
timbers slippery, and one of the bents fell,
crushing Mr. Fanning's head, killing him
instantly. He left a widow, and eight
children all born in Ouondaga county, as
follows: Ann, 'born October 23, 1809;
Eliza, born August 18, 1811; Richard,
born April 27, 1813; Asenath, born June
4, 1816; Julia, born May 2, 1819; John
O, born April 8, 1821; Benjamin G., born
September 11, 1823, and William M., born
May 13, 1826.
In 1832 the widow, determined to seek
a wider field for her children, sold her

212

HURON COUNTY, OHIO.

home in New York State, and migrated to
Huron county, Ohio. Her son, Richard,
who had settled in Clarksfield township a
year before the family left New York, sent
glowing reports of the new country, and to
that township the family directed their
steps. Here Mrs. Fanning purchased a
farm of sixty-five acres, where she resided
for twenty years, or until her marriage (in
1842 or 1843) with Jonas Clark, with
whom she moved to Sandusky county.
She died there July 17, 1863, and was
buried in the cemetery at Townsend.
Benjamin G. Fanning came with his
mother to Ohio in 1832, and received a
primary education in the rude school of
the period. While a youth he left home
to learn the shoe trade from a man named
Long, in Lyme township, an old tradesman
of Huron county. Mr. Fanning was an
apt mechanic, and became as good a shoe
maker as his teacher; but the trade did
not suit him, so he went into the fruit
business and became the owner of a farm
in Clarksfield township. Returning thither
he found employment in Sherman Smith's
shoe store, and while there engaged mar
ried Sabra, daughter of Sherman Smith,
the wedding taking place July 4, 1846.
Sabra Smith was born January 12, 1829,
in Clarksfield township, a daughter of
Sherman and Caroline (Knapp) Smith,
pioneers of Huron county. The young
couple settled on the sixty-five acres which
Mr. Fanning's mother purchased in 1832.
Leaving that, he bought himself a farm,
but preferring to travel as a patent-right
salesman, he left the care of the farm to
his wife and hired help. In 1852, how
ever, he assumed charge of his land, and
resided thereon till his* death, which
occurred December 12, 1891. In 1886
he was stricken with paralysis, and suffered
much from the disease. He was a fluent
speaker and an able salesman, and admira
bly filled the two positions of fruit-tree
grower and sales agent. He was a man of
progress, always encouraging improvement.
A friend of the unfortunate, his kindness

did not consist alone in words; and when
his remains were carried to Butterfield
cemetery for interment, there was a host
of mourners present.
Mr. Fanning was a Whig until the
formation of the Republican party, when
he cast his political fortunes with them.
Tbe children born to Benjamin G. and
Sabra Fanning are named as follows:
Escdorah, born March 11, 1847, died Au
gust 26, 1850; A. S., deceased June 9,
1849; Ida B., born January 27, 1853,
wife of Theodore Clark, a soap and per
fumery manufacturer, of Chicago, 111.;
and Henry S., who manages the home
farm, where he resides with his mother.
Henry S. Fanning was educated in the
common schools of his district. With the
exception of five years which he passed at
tbe home of Sherman Smith, his grand
father, he has made the house where he
was bora his home. His marriage to
Edith 'Day took place April 28, 1887.
She was liorn October 31, 1870, in New
London township, daughter of Hiram K.
and Sophia (Brenstul) Day, who were old
settlers of New London. To this marriage
one child was bora August 18, 1887, named
Ruth D. Politically Mr. Fanning is a "Re
publican, and takes an active interest in
local, State and national affairs. Like his
father, he is a friend of progress, and a
most successful farmer.

D, L. JUSTICE, a progressive, influ
ential farmer citizen of Clarksfield
 ' township, Huron Co., Ohio, is a
native of same, born June 18, 1852.
His father, Peter Justice, was born July
23, 1796, in Milford township, Somerset
Co., Penn., son of Nathan justice, who
was a distiller (then a very common pur
suit), and manufacturer of linseed oil.
Peter received a common-school education,
obtained some knowledge of farming on a
place which his father owned, and when
yet a youth learned the trade of carpenter

HURON COUNTY, OHIO.

213

and joiner. He enlisted in the war of
1812, but was not called into the service,
and after the close of that conflict worked
at his trade for five years. In early man
hood be started for the West in company
with a cousin, Adam Mikesell, crossing
the Ohio river at Steubenville, and travel
ing through Zanesville, Columbus and
Delaware toward Upper Sandusky, meet
ing Indians and passing through Indian
villages around Delaware, thence to Fulton
county, Ohio, in search of laud. He re
turned to Pennsylvania (making the entire
journey, coming and going, on foot), and
for some time gave his attention to his
trade. Later he came to Holmes county,
Ohio, where, on December 13, 1827, he
was united in marriage with Miss Lydia
Twaddle, who was born October 22, 1811,
in Jefferson county, Ohio, daughter of
Alex, and Elizabeth (Ramage) Twaddle.
While living in Holmes county children
as follows came to this union: Thomas W.,
born January 23, 1829, deceased April 27,
1862; Nathan, born May 4, 1831, mer
chant and postmaster at North Morenci,
Mich.; George W., born June 17, 1833,
deceased March 23, 1886; and Henry H.,
born December 31, 1835, a farmer of New
London township, Huron county.
In 1837 the family moved to Clarksfield
township, Huron county, coming with an
ox team by way of Wellington, and as the
roads were few and very bad tbey had to
pick out their way by marked trees. He
purchased 116-| acres (which he paid for
by working out by the day), where he
passed the remainder of his life, and which
at the time of his settlement contained no
improvements but a small log house. Here
the remainder of his family was born, as
follows: Johu A., born January 10, 1839,
a farmer of Brighton township, Lorain
county; Susan, born August 25, 1841,
living on the old homestead in Clarksfield
township (she has been blind all her life,
having been born so); Royal F., born April
16, 1844, died September 23, 1891, in
Brighton township, Lorain county; An

drew A., born December 24, 1846 (he was
bora blind); and Daniel L., subject of this
memoir. Andrew uses horse power to cut
his fodder, and has a mill to grind his
feed. In winters he does all his own chores
alone, only in summers hiring some one by
the day to assist him. After the death of
the mother, Susan kept house for the fam
ily, and all the work is now done by them
with the assistance of a hired woman.
Peter Justice was by trade a cabinet
maker, and for years made all the coffins
used in his section. The coffin for his eld
est son was among the first factory coffins
brought to those parts, and after that he
gradually ceased to follow his trade, finally,
about 1875, discontinuing it altogether.
He was a very robust, well-preserved man,
and the day he was seventy-five he walked
fourteen miles and cradled over five acres
of wheat ground. In pioneer days he
would walk to Ruggles, Ashland county,
taking his grist to the mill, where he
would often have to wait over night, as
there were so many before him. Roads
were few and difficult to follow, and on
one occasion be got lost and wandered to
Troy, Ashland county, before he could tell
where be was. He was never sick, and
never had occasion to call a physician until
the illness which caused his death. Once,
while chopping in the woods, he was
struck by a falling timber, and received a
cut some inches long across his forehead,
which was sewed up by his wife, as there
were no doctors near. He passed away
March 7, 1881, preceded by his wife on
June 1, 1873, and both are buried at
Rochester, Lorain Co., Ohio. He was a
member of the Democratic party, but never
took any further interest in politics than
to cast his vote at each election.
D. L. Justice was educated in the com
mon schools of his vicinity, and was reared
to farm life. When a young man he
commenced to learn photography in New
London, Ohio, having previously read
much on this subject, in which art he be
came quite proficient. He remained on

214

HURON COUNTY, OHIO.

the home farm until March 23, 1890, when
he was united in marriage with Miss Elsie
C. Fox, who was born September 30, 1866,
in Clarksfield township, daughter of David
Fox. Shortly afterward they settled on a
farm which he had owned for some time,
and where they have since made their
home. On October 30, 1893, a son was
born to them, named Peter A. Mr. Jus
tice, who is engaged in general agriculture,
is a well-informed, intelligent, progressive
citizen of the community. In politics he
is a Democrat.

d JAMES GILBERT GIBBS, Norwalk,
is the lineal descendant of one of the
' earliest pioneer families that came
and settled in Norwalk township.
He is secretary, treasurer and manager of
the Reflector Printing Company, printing
the daily and weekly Reflector, which are
among the leading publications of north
ern Ohio; also publishing several other
newspapers, and the Norwalk City Di
rectory. Mr. Gibbs was born August 7, 1852, in
Norwalk, where had lived his ancestors
since 1816, the date of their coming here
from Norwalk, Conn. He is a son of
Ralph M. and Mary (Higgins) Gibbs, the
former of whom was also a native of Nor
walk, born in 1824, and died of cholera in
August, 1854, then bnt thirty years of
age. David Gibbs, the paternal grand
father of the subject of this sketch, was
born in Norwalk, Conn., became au officer
in the regular army in the war of 1812,
and did efficient service as Capt. David
Gibbs of the Thirty-seventh Regular In
fantry. At the close of the war, having
meanwhile resigned from the army, he
came to Ohio and located where is now
Norwalk, at which time there were but
two other families in the township, and
the site of the present city of Norwalk was
an unbroken wilderness. He came here a
licensed lawyer, and in 1820 was appointed

by the court as county clerk of Huron
county, in which service he continued
until his death in 1841. This fact of itself
points him out, not only as among the
first settlers, but as one of the most prom
inent. His father-in-law, Henry Lock-
wood, of Norwalk, Conn., was a wealthy
merchant of that place, one of those who
sustained heavy losses during the Revolu
tion, through the raids of the traitor Bene
dict Arnold upon the Connecticut coast,
and who received from the State, as recom
pense, lands in the " Firelands " of the
Connecticut Western Reserve. These
lands descended by inheritance to his pos
terity, several of whom are residents; but
James G. is the only male descendant now
living in Norwalk of the Capt. Gibbs
branch of the Lockwood family. James'
mother came here in 1835 to make her
home with her grandfather, Rev. David
Higgins, pioneer preacher of the Presby
terian Church, who at that time lived
here. His son, Judge David Higgins, of
the common pleas court, was the uncle of
Mary Higgins; the young man, Ralph M.
Gibbs, was a son of the clerk of the court,
and the young people formed an acquaint
ance, then a friendship that in due time
ripened into the holier passion, and they
were joined in wedlock in 1846. Mrs.
Mary H. Gibbs is living, the beloved
mother of four children — three daughters
and one son, whose name heads this
article. James G. Gibbs, the father dying when
the boy was but two years of age, was
reared as a member of the family of his
uncle, Hou. Joseph M. Farr, who was the
founder in 1835 of the Norwalk Experi
ment, and who was also a member of the
Constitutional convention of 1850, that
formed the present State constitution of
Ohio. In this pleasant home the lad
passed his young days, and was given
more than the usual advantages of youth;
he graduated from the high school in
1869, and at once entered the Reflector
printing office, to learn the trade of

HURON COUNTY, OHIO.

217

setting type and the art of publishing and
editing a newspaper. Mastering rapidly
the mysteries of the "art preservative of
all arts," he laid down his "stick" and
entered Lafayette College, being enabled
to do so by the assistance of his uncle; but
his college course was much shortened by
the unfortunate death of this kind rela
tive. On leaving college the young man
went to Chicago, where he was a reporter
on the Inter Ocean newspaper, under
Hon. E. W. Halford, since eminent as
President Harrison's private secretary.
In 1873 he returned to Norwalk and pur
chased an interest in the Reflector, becom-
ino- the associate of Judge F. Wickham in
that publication, and has since continued
in that connection. In- 1881 the firm was
changed to a joint-stock company, and
soon after the Daily Reflector was first
issued, the initial number appearing in
1882, and from the first number to the
present time it has had unusual prosperity.
The Reflector has long been the official
city and county organ of the party. As
printer, editor and publisher, the young
man soon rose to prominence among the
craft, and for a number of years has been
a member of the various newspaper asso
ciations. His interest in his chosen voca
tion is manifest by his unfailing attend
ance upon each annual convention of the
National Editorial Association of the
United States since 1889; and at the meet-.
ing in Chicago, 1893, he was unanimously
elected its treasurer. He owns stock, and
is a director in several companies; is vice-
president of the Ohio Savings, Loan &
Trust Company of Norwalk; a director in
the Laning Printing Company, who are
the State Printers of Ohio; has, been presi
dent, secretary or treasurer of numerous
organizations, and, more than all, in pub
lic spirit and enterprise he is well estab
lished as one of our foremost citizens'
widely respected at home and favorably
known abroad. He has been elected and
re-elected a member of the city board of
education. 12

James G. Gibbs and Carrie L. Wickham
were united in wedlock, June 30, 1880;
she is a daughter of Judge F. Wickham,
and presides with quiet grace over their
comfortable home. They have two inter
esting children: Esther, a girl of eleven
years, and Ralph, a lad of five.

fl( NDREW J. MOREHEAD. Among
f|_\\ the leading influential and repre-
[r)__\ sentative men of that part of Lyme
¦rf) township known as Hunts Corners.
there is no one who enjoys a greater
degree of confidence and esteem than the
subject of this brief memoir.
He was born in Lyme township on the
28th day of May, 1836, and has never lived
anywhere else (only for temporary pur.
poses) since. He resides now where he
has lived for the last fifty-two years at
Hunts Corners, Lyme township, and only
one and one-half miles from where he was
born. He is now the oldest resident of
that noted burgh. His pareuts being poor
could only give him the benefits of a com
mon-school education (and the schools were
not fine in those days). After getting
what education he could at these schools,
he was able to earn money enough to pay
his expenses at Oberlin College, where he
remained until he was satisfied with his
education, working through the summer
for farmers by the day to get money with
which to pay expenses of a fall term at
Oberlin. On leaving Oberlin he commenced
teaching school (and by the way he got his
first teachers' certificate at Oberlin). His
first school was a "select school," situated
less than a half mile from home. He then
rented lands, and worked on the farm
through tbe summer, teaching school in
the winter for five consecutive winters.
Finding that teaching was too confining
and enervating for one of his constitution,
he finally made up his mind to try black
smithing. His father owned a shop and

218

HURON COUNTY, OHIO.

tools, and Andrew had occasionally helped
his father in the shop. The latter was now
old and crippled. Andrew took hold of
this with a will, determined to succeed,
and by hiring at first competent help did
succeed in supporting respectably an aged
parent who had been a widower for many
years, and whose daughters had married
and left him. During this time our sub
ject had served tbe township in several im
portant offices, and in 1879 be was elected
justice of the peace, which office he has
held almost continuously since with great
credit to himself and satisfaction to his
fellow citizens. His most distinguishing
trait is that of a peace maker, there having
been less litigation during bis administra
tion than ever before for the same length
of time.
About this time he contracted the asthma
in its worst form, consequently had to quit
blacksmithing. He then turned his atten
tion to gardening and bee keeping for sev
eral years. Becoming less able to do hard
work, he next opened a grocery store at the
old homestead, and notwithstanding the
hard times that soon came on, is satisfied
with the trade that he has secured, which is
still increasing.
Being an original and independent
thinker, and seeking to avoid popularity
or notoriety he has never joined any church
or secret society; but claims that he has
always been a consistent Christian in the
true sense of the word. Having ever lived
a moral life, he says that he would not
"swap" his chances of future bliss with
nine-tenths of the modern "saints." Mr.
Morehead has always enjoyed single
blessedness, but now that he is weaker and
wiser admits that one of the greatest mis
takes of the many that he has made in life
was in not marrying early.
George Morehead, the father of the sub
ject of this sketch, was born in Harrison
county, W. Va., in January, 1795. When'
but a boy of seventeen or eighteen he en
listed to fight the battles of his country,
and was sent with other Virginia troops to

join General Harrison in order to help to
drive the British and Indians from their
forts along the Maumee. He had not pro
ceeded much farther than the center of
this State, when he was stricken down with
the camp or swamp fever, and consequently
had to be left. After a long struggle be
tween life and death, he recovered, but
only as a cripple for life. He then lived
for several years in the son thern part of
Ohio, where he became acquainted with
and married Miss Charity Patton. Of
this union were born three children, the
youngest of whom is the subject of this
sketch. The father came to Huron county
in about 1831, and moved into Lyme town
ship about 1832. People have a good deal
to say now-a-days about hard times, but if
they were obliged to live as the pioneers
did in those days they would have some
cause to complain. All of the meat those
early pioneers got was procured from the
woods by their trusty rifles. Sometimes
they had to go twenty or thirty miles to
get a bushel of corn ground, with which
to make a johnnycake. Such was the case
when Mr. Morehead first came to Huron
county. The eldest child born of this union was
Mary, who afterward married Philip Hey-
man, and 'now resides in Wood county,
this State, surrounded by prosperous chil
dren and grandchildren. The second eld
est, named Emily, was married to Joseph
Morris, and now lives in Nebraska. Charity
Morehead died in 1838; George Morehead
died in 1873.

\ILBER G. FERVER, M. D.
Among the most prominent of
Huron county's young profes
sional men is the gentleman
whose name is. here recorded. Although
not a native of the county, he has, in the
brief period of his residence here, estab
lished for himself an enviable reputation
as a physician and surgeon.

HURON COUNTY, OHIO.

219

Dr. Ferver was born February 22, 1859,
in Lawrence county, Penn., near the town
of New Castle, and his boyhood was passed
on his father's farm, in the successful con
ducting of which he proved himself of
material assistance. At the age of seven
teen, having graduated from the common
schools of the vicinity of his birth, he en
tered the Edinburgh State Normal School,
and for the succeeding three years dili
gently pursued his studies. He then at
tended Allegheny College, Meadville,
Penn., one year, thereafter taking a course
in medicine and surgery at Jefferson Med
ical College, Philadelphia, graduating
therefrom in 1884. The Doctor then at
once located at Worth, Mercer Co., Penn.,
where for three years he successfully pur
sued the practice of his chosen profession.
From there he returned to the place of his
nativity, and after a brief sojourn came to
Wakeman, Huron county, in which thriv
ing town and for miles around he has since
been in the enjoyment of a most successful
practice. On June 15, 1885, Dr. Ferver was
united in marriage with Miss Emma V.
Goodge. They are members of the Con
gregational Church of Wakeman, and,
socially, enjoy the regard and esteem of a
wide circle of friends. Dr. Ferver is a
straight Republican, but is not active in
politics, his profession demanding aud re
ceiving his undivided attention.

JESSE E. WHEELER is a member of
the old and well-known family of that
name in Greenfield township. He is
a grandson of Rev. John Wheeler,
who came to Ohio in 1818, and settled
with his family in Greenfield township the
following year.
Rev. John Wheeler was bora in Massa
chusetts, but when . seventeen years old
moved to western New York, where he
studied for the ministry, and received
license to preach at a quarterly meeting of

the Free-will Baptist Church. While liv
ing in Ontario county, N. Y., he married
Polly Franklin, also a native of Massachu
setts, and with her took up his residence
on a new farm in that county. The young
preacher cleared his farm, and made it his
home until 1818, when, as previously re
lated, he brought his family to Ohio. The
children born to him in New York State
are named as follows: Sylvester F., John
H. and Benoni, all of whom died in Huron
county; Aaron, now a resident of Norwalk,
and Calvin, the father of the subject of
this sketch. The children born in Green
field township were Chauncey, who died
in Crawford county, Kansas; Almira,
widow of — Tucker (her first husband was
a Mr. Van Tine), and 'Samuel B., who
resides at Parsons, Kansas.
Calvin Wheeler, the fifth child of John
and Polly Wheeler, was bora January 19,
1818, in Ontario county, N. Y., and was
but an infant when his parents settled in
Ohio. He grew to manhood on his father's
farm, and made his home there until 1870,
when he established himself in mercantile
business at Steuben. In February, 1842,
he married Mary Richards, who was born-
January 27, 1821, in Herkimer county,
N. Y., and came to Huron county, Ohio,
in 1837. Twelve, children were hprn to
this union, a brief record of whom is. as
follows: Nancy Genette, born January 15,
1843, married E. Trimmer, and died in
Kalamazoo county, Mich.; Agnes E., born
March 9, 1844, is now. Mrs. Marion Par
sons, of Shiloh, Ohio; David M., born De
cember 29, 1846, is a traveling salesman,
his home being in Plymouth, Huron
county; Benjamin R., born November 20,
1848, is a farmer and stock buyer of
Greenfield township; Calvin G., born July
31, 1850, is a farmer of Peru township;
Chauncey B., born January 3, 1852, is an
engineer on the Chicago, Rock Island &
Pacific Railroad; Jason A., born January
22, 1854; Jesse E. (twin of Jason A.) is
the subject of this sketch; Alice, born
January 18, 1857, is the widow of Henry

220

HURON COUNTY, OHIO.

Bronson, and is now engaged in mercan
tile business at Chicago Junction; Alfred,
a twin brother, born January 18, 1857, is
now a harness maker at Plymouth, Ohio;
Lillis, born November 14, 1861, is now
the widow of Dayton L. Green, residing
at Steuben, and Linda Belle, born October
3, 1863, is now Mrs. Elmer McMorris, of
Steuben. Jesse E. Wheeler was bora January 22,
1854, in Greenfield township, was reared
on the farm, and received his education in
the district schools. He made his home
with his father until 1875, when he mi
grated to California, where he was engaged
in floriculture until 1885. In the last
named year he returned to Ohio, worked
in his brother's store, and after the burn
ing of that place labored on the home
farm. In 1889 he purchased from his
brother a stock of goods, and his interest
in the store, which he had opened at Chi
cago Junction, and in partnership with his
sister, Mrs. Alice Bronson, established the
present business in dry goods, notions and
wall-paper. Mr. Wheeler was married in
February, 1890, to Mary Keesy, daughter
of Rev. W. Allen Keesy, mention of whom
is made elsewhere in this volume. Mr.
Wheeler is an able business man, and takes
an active interest in all enterprises for the
benefit of his community.

R. CALLAGHAN, editor and part
proprietor of the Bellevue Gazette,
was born at Bellevue, Ohio, April
12, 1861. He was educated in the
public and parochial schools, and when
twelve years old entered a printing office
here, and devoted his youth to the " art
preservative of arts." For some years he
worked at the case, mastering every detail
of the work in the office of a weekly news
paper, and over eleven years ago became
interested in the Bellevue Gazette, pur
chasing an interest therein, and changing
the name of the firm to C. R. Callaghan

& Co. The Gazette is well managed.
Neutral in political affairs, it is never
silent when a wrong has to be righted, or
a dangerous candidate unmasked. In
ordinary local affairs, the Gazette is an
authentic record, for it is the aim of the
editor to give all the news of the city and
tributary district. Its certified circulation
is 1,400, and its merits, as an advertiser,
are acknowledged by the number and
variety of businesses, etc., which seek pub
licity through its columns.
On May 6, 1886, Mr. Callaghan was
united in marriage with Miss Johanna
Connors, who was born in Ireland, daughter
of Patrick Connors.

JIOHN E. MENGES (deceased) was
born in September, 1813, in Fayette
_' township, Sentca Co., N. Y. His
youth was passed in the manner com
mon to boys of that time and place, but
before his boyhood days were over he de
veloped a rare mechanical genius, and
worked at several trades in his native
county. In 1833 he followed his father, John
Menges, to Ohio. This John Mengeswas
drowned while crossing Lake Erie, and the
son came hither to settle the estate and
take care of the property. After working
for some time on a farm in Greenfield
township, Huron county, be moved to
Seneca county, Ohio, where he purchased
land. On June 12, 1836, he was there
married to Margaret Seed, who was born
May 25, 1819, in New York, and accom
panied her parents westward to Venice
township, Seneca Co., Ohio. Mrs. Mar
garet Menges died May 12, 1839, without
issue, and was buried at Attica, Ohio. On
April 27, 1841, he married Lydia F. Wil
bur, who was born January 30, 1820, in
Cayuga county, N. Y. In 1826 her par
ents, Nathan and Esther (Labarre) Wilbur,
settled in Sherman township, Huron Co.,
Ohio, where they passed the remainder of

HURON COUNTY, OHIO.

221

their lives. The children born to John E.
and Lydia Menges were: Margaret E.,
Mrs. Alonzo Simmons, of Fairfield, H uron
county; Flora, wife of Frank Marriot, a
lawyer of Delaware, Ohio; and Desse, Mrs.
.Frank R. Williams, of Toledo, Ohio.
Iu 1855 Mr. Menges came to Huron
county, locating in Fairfield township;
thence removed to Greenfield township,
and in 1878 settled in Peru township,
where he died January 26, 1885. He was
a prosperous merchant at Attica, Seneca
county, and later carried on a successful
business at Fairfield, before establishing
his farm iu Greenfield township. While
a resident of Peru he was engaged in vari
ous enterprises, at that place, and was
known as a most active and enterprising
citizen. A Republican in politics, he was
also an Abolitionist, and carried his prin
ciples into practice by harboring fugitive
slaves. In religious affairs he was a Wes
leyan Methodist. Since the death of Mr.
Menges* his widow has managed the busi
ness successfully. The manner in which
she transacts the affairs of tbe estate stamps
ber as a woman of executive ability, and
gives proof of what woman may -accom
plish in the business world. Mrs. Menges
attends the Methodist Episcopal Church.

1J

^ if ( RS. AMANDA J. SKILTON,
Y/Vi widow of Alvah S. Skilton, is the
|[ oldest child of John Sowers Davis
and his wife, Catharine Pasco
Nave.
Mr. Davis was born in Baltimore county,
Md., Marcii 28, 1806. He was among the
earliest settlers in Ridgefield township,
having accompanied his grandparents to
this locality when a mere boy. He at
tended school in the first school house
built in Ridgefield township. In early
manhood he removed to Lexington, and
thence, after a short .time, to Galion. He
lived in Galion twenty-eight years, and
during his residence there was married to

Catharine Pasco Nave, May 17, 1843. She
was born in Path Valley, Franklin Co.,
Penn., June 10, 1822, and moved to Galion
with her father's family in 1839.
In 1866 Mr. Davis with his family re
turned to Monroeville, his early home, and
there he lived until his death July 1, 1888.
In early life Mr. Davis was a farmer; in
middle life he was a merchant and banker;
his last years were spent in retirement
from active business. Mrs. Davis died at
the family homestead in Monroeville, Feb
ruary 6, 1890. Four children were born
to Mr. and Mrs. Davis: Amanda Jane,
born at Galion, married Alvah S. Skilton;
Johnnie and Kittiebell, bora at Galion,
died in infancy; Mary Elizabeth, born at
Monroeville, married Thomas W. Latham
and now lives in ber father's old home.
Elijah Steel Skilton was born near Wat
ertown, Conn., May 17, 1800. When a
young man he left his boyhood home and
taught school at Hunter, Greene Co.,
N. Y. Here he was married, April 4, 1827,
to Elizabeth Wilson, who was bora at
Hunter March 5, 1805. Soon after their
marriage Mr. and Mrs. Skilton emigrated
to Ohio, aud settled on a farm near Ra
venna, Portage county. Five children
were bora to them: Lucy Cornelia, John
Wilson, Jeannette Parthenia, Melicent
Guernsey and Alvah Stone. Elizabeth
Wilson Skilton died near Ravenna October
3, 1836. Elijah Skilton was subsequently
married a second and a third time, and
died at his home near Ravenna, having
passed the age of three score and ten years.
Alvah Stone Skilton was the son of Eli
jah Steel Skilton and his wife, Elizabeth
Wilson. He was born near Ravenna,
Portage Co., Ohio, April 12, 1836, and
when but six months old was left mother
less. His father committed him to the
care of Jonathan and Catharine Thompson,
with whom he lived until young manhood.
At the age of twelve years he accompanied
them to Mercer county, Ohio, where they
settled in a locality then a wilderness.
When he left the home of the Thompsons

222

HURON COUNTY, OHIO.

he entered the employ of. the Bellefontaine
& Indianapolis Railroad Company, and
was soon made an engineer, retaining this
position until he entered the Union army.
On November 1, 1861, Alvah Skilton en
listed in the Fifty-seventh Regiment, O.
V. I., and on the tenth of the following
February he was commissioned captain of
Company I of that regiment. Capt. Skil
ton was severely wounded in the right
forearm at the battle of Shiloh, April 6,
1862, and returned to Ohio on sick leave.
When sufficiently recovered from the ef
fects of his wound, he resumed command
of his company, and subsequently partici
pated in the siege of Vicksburg and in
many battles, among them being those at
Missionary Ridge, Resaca and Kenesaw
Mountain. Upon three occasions he re
ceived slight wounds, and at the battle of
Atlanta, July 22, 1864, he was wounded
and captured. He was held a prisoner of
war at Camp Oglethorpe, Macon, Charles
ton, Columbia, Asheville, Saulsbury,
Castle Tliunder and Libby. He escaped
from prison several times, and was once
within sight of the Union camp fires, but
was recaptured and compelled to travel
three hundred miles on foot to Asheville,
North Carolina, where he and his com
panions were confined in an iron cage.
Among his papers Capt. Skilton left a
diary which he kept during his retention
as a prisoner of war, and this little book
tells a most pathetic story of prison life iu
Dixie. Capt, Skilton was released from
Libby Prison April 2, 1865, and on the
13th of the same month was honorably
discharged from the military service of the
United States.
After his discharge from the army he
returned to Galion, his former home, and
engaged in the lumber business. On De
cember 20, 1865, he was married to Miss
Amanda J., daughter of Mr. and Mrs. J.
S. Davis, and soon afterward, the newly
married couple moved to Monroeville with
Mr. Davis and family. With the excep
tion of one year spent in Logansport, Ind.,

Capt. Skilton resided in Monroeville the
remainder of his life. During the early
part of his residence here he was Express
agent for the Lake Shore & Michigan
Southern Railway, but soon engaged in
the grain and commission business, con-.
tinuing therein until the time of his death.
He died in Monroeville July 27, 1887,
aged fifty-one years, three months, fifteen
days, the cause of his death being a car
buncle at the base of the brain. In 1877
he was elected junior warden of Zion-
Church, Monroeville, and served in this
capacity until he died. He was at the
time of his death chairman of the Huron
County Soldiers' Relief Commission.
Capt. Skilton was one of the charter
members and the first commander of Asa
R. Hillyer Post, No. 532, G. A. R. He
was also a charter member of Roby Lodge,
No. 534, F. & A. M., and was its first
'worshipful master. He was a member of
Huron Royal Arch Chapter No. 113, Nor
walk Council No. 24, and Norwalk Com
mandery No. 18. In politics Capt. Skil
ton was a stanch Republican.
Four children were born to Capt. and
Mrs. Skilton — one son and three daughters:
The Rev. John Davis Skilton, A. M., is
assistant minister in Saint Paul's Parish,
Cleveland; Elizabeth Roby, Mary Grace
and Catharine Amanda live with their
widowed mother in Monroeville in her
pleasant home, which embraces a part of
the original tract purchased by her ances
tors when they settled in the wilderness
during the early part of the present century.

HARLES A. SUTTON, a son of one
of the pioneers of northern Ohio,
was born July 4, 1844, in Green
wich township, Huron county.
Aranson Sutton, his father, was born
April 1, 1802, in Cayuga county, N. Y.
While yet a boy his father died, and,
transferred to an uncle's care, the youth
received a practical training in farm work,

HURON COUNTY, OHIO.

223

and the education- which the early frontier
schools afforded. In 1822 or 1823 he
was employed by the Erie Canal Com
pany at Lockport, N. Y., as bookkeeper,
having charge also of all the storehouses,
and keeping the time of all the workmen.
For his services he received twenty dollars
per mouth, and after accumulating about
three hundred dollars he set out, in 1824,
for the "Firelands" in Ohio, traveling by
canal and lake boat. He landed at San
dusky, and proceeded on foot southward to
Huron county, where he passed his first
night in the cabin of Willis Smith, in
Greenwich township; thence he walked to
Ruggles township, Ashland county, where
he joined a twin brother and a man named
Carver in the purchase of a tract of wild
land. His marriage with Emeline Brady
took place in 1828. She was born in
Westchester county, N. Y., in 1812, and
came to Greenwich township with her
parents when a child. The children born
to them are as follows: Charity, born No
vember 29, 1829, married Hiram Town-
send, and died August 31, 1892, at Cleve
land; Mary J., born March 9, 1832, is the
widow of Harvey Noble; Sarah A., born
September 2, 1837, married Dr. William
Reynolds, and died in April, 1885, in
Seneca county, Ohio; Louisa, bora No
vember 27, 1838, Mrs. James Fancher, of
Greenwich township; and Charles A., the
subject of this sketch. The father of this
family was accidentally killed November
17, 1870, by being run over by a wagon
loaded with wood. On January 28, 1873,
bis widow died, in hospital, at Columbus,
Ohio, where she was under treatment;
both were buried in East Greenwich ceme
tery. Aranson Sutton was a systematic
farmer. At one time he hauled a load of
wool to Greenwich depot which brought
him over two thousand nine hundred dol
lars. He made money out of every other
venture as well as agriculture and stock
growing, and at one time was owner of
700 acres here. In politics be was a
Democrat, until the Free-soil movement

won him. When the Republican party
was established in Ohio he cast his politi
cal lot- with it, and was faithful to its
principles until his death; he filled almost
every township office, and for fifteen years
served as justice of the peace, during which,
time he performed more marriage cere
monies than any contemporary justice in
the southern half of Huron county, and
became a believer in secular marriage. He
was an exhorter in the Methodist Episco
pal Church, and always held an important
office in that body. A liberal contributor
to the religious organizations of his neigh
borhood, he won the reputation of being
both tolerant and benevolent.
Charles A. Sutton was reared in the
manner common to contemporary youth,
working on the farm for nine months and
attending school in winter until he entered
Berea University. He afterward studied
for eight months in Oberlin College, and
later took up telegraphy and bookkeeping,
and, refusing the offer of his father to
educate him in any college in the United
States he would select, returned to tbe
farm, preferring to be a useful rather .than
an ornamental citizen. On April 28, 1870,
be married Ann E., daughter of Benson
and Esther (Rickard) Ellis, who came from
Onondaga county, N. Y., and settled in
Greenwich township. Mrs. Sutton was
born in this township, July 16, 1845, and
here, too,% the following named children
were bora to her: Edward A., born April
2, 1872, now residing at Oberlin; William
B., born May 30, 1875, and Charles D.,
born February 17, 1880, both residing at
home. After marriage the young couple
took up their residence in the Sutton home,
and the improvements which have been
made here since 1880 speak for the owner's
progressive ideas. In that year the capa
cious barn was constructed, and in 1883
the elegant brick residence which now
adorns the farm was erected, these being
the two principal improvements. Fences,
small buildings and drainage have been
carefully looked after and restored, and the

224

HURON COUNTY, OHIO.

old farm revamped as it were, until now
it is as fertile as it was when first reclaimed
from the wilderness. Mr. Sutton is a Re
publican in politics, and a Methodist in
church connection. For the past twelve
years he has served the township as school
director, and has taken a personal, active
interest in all measures which appeared to
him to promise benefits to the township
and county.

'HARLES D. STONER, member of
the well-known lumber firm of Gross
& Stoner, Bellevue, is a son of Jacob
and Hannah (Webb) Stoner, natives
of New York State, and grandson of 
Stoner, who came to the United States
from Germany about the close of the last
century or the heginning of the present one.
Charles D. Stoner was born in 1835 in
Chautauqua county, N. Y., and when fifteen
years old accompauied his parents to Wis
consin, in which State he grew to man
hood. In later years he made the trip to
Pike's Peak, and after his return located
at Conneaut, Ohio, where for several years
he was connected with the Conneaut Re
porter. In 1876 he removed to Bellevue,
became interested in the publication of the
Gazette, of which paper he later became
sole proprietor. Over eleven years ago he
sold a half interest to Mr. C. R. Callaghan,
in partnership with whom he still conducts
the paper. Notwithstanding his mercan
tile and manufacturing interests, he still
finds time to devote to newspaper work,
and may often be found in the Gazette
office, busy at the case or at the editorial
table. Some time after locating in Belle
vue, Mr. Stoner established a boot and
shoe store, subsequently adding a full line
of men's furnishing goods, and he did a
most satisfactory business until 1888, when
he closed out the stock. In that year he
purchased a half interest in the lumber
yard and planing mill, and directed his at
tention to the development of the trade
and industry. This is the only concern of

the kind at Bellevue, and is the supply
depot for a large area. The owners are
practical business men, who understand
the principles of low profits, quick sales
and prompt returns.' Mr. Stoner takes
charge of the office, and directs the sales
department, while Mr. Gross gives direct
attention to the planing mill and stock.
Mr. Stoner was married at Conneaut,
Ohio, to Miss Mary E. Fowler, and to this
marriage was born one child, Susan, who
resides with her parents. Mr. Stoner is a
Republican, and has at all times been faith
ful to his party. He is well known in
Masonic circles. While not a Church
member, he is a strong supporter of re
ligious effort, and always gives financial
aid thereto. As a citizen he is broad-
gauged and enterprising, and must be
credited with a large share in the develop
ment of Bellevue's interests. [Since the
above was written we have been informed
of the sudden death of Mr. Stoner in his
office, January 16, 1893.: — Ed.

+/

MATTHEW GREGORY, son of
George and Polly (Warring) Greg
ory, was born July 7, 1829, on the
same farm which he now owns
and resides upon in Clarksfield
township. George Gregory, his father, was born
November 12, 1786, atWilton, Fairfield Co.,
Conn., and there attended school until ap
prenticed to a saddle-tree maker, with
whom he remained until he learned the
trade. On December 31, 1810, he mar
ried Polly Warring, in the southeastern
part of Dutchess county, N. Y., where she
was born November 25, 1792. In his
earlier years he was a very active man.
After his marriage he followed his trade
until 1828, when he set out with his
family for Ohio. The journey was made
by river and canal to Lake Erie, thence by
boat to Huron, Erie county, from which
point they came by wagon to Clarksfield

HURON COUNTY, OHIO.

225

Hollow, in Clarksfield township, Huron
county. He learned that his trade was of
little value in northern Ohio, and resolving
to become a farmer purchased 112 acres in
the southern section of the township.
With the exception of fifteen acres, on
which stood an old and rude cabin, the
tract was completely wild, but the forest
was full of game, and accordingly there
was no lack of animal food. He worked
early and late in clearing this tract, and,
at the time of his death, June 16, 1865,
left a valuable property to his widow and
children. The widow died December 29,
1883, and was buried in Prosser cemetery,
New London township, near the grave of
her husband.
The children of George and Polly Greg
ory were as follows: One child born Oc
tober 22, 1811, died in infancy; James L.,
bora August 19, 1813, died in Clarksfield
township, July 11, 1863; Mary E., born
September 23, 1815, married Richard Fan
ning, and died July 15, 1844; Peter L.,
bora May 11, 1818, resides at Minneapo
lis, Minn.; Charles W., bora February 27,
1821, was a blacksmith, and followed his
trade until his death in New London
township; Abbey L., born August 30,
1823, the widow of J. M. Darling, of
Sandusky, Ohio; Ann M., born December
3, 1826, who married L. J. Smith, died in
Clarksfield township; and Matthew, the
subject of this sketch. All were born in
the southeastern part of Dutchess county,
N. Y., except the last named.
Matthew Gregory is one of the few per
sons in this county who can boast of living
on the home farm for so long a time as
from 1828 to 1893. He received a pri
mary education in a school near his father's
house, and otherwise was reared in the
manner of pioneer boys. On May 11,
1854, he married Harriet C. Rogers, born
October 13, 1832, in Wayne county, N. Y.,
a daughter of Joel and Betsy (Ells) Rogers,
who came to Ohio in November, 1832.
Their entire married life has been passed
on the home farm, of which Matthew took

charge after his father's death. Republi
can in politics, he is content to cast his
vote for the nominees of the party, with
out going into the maelstrom of the cam
paign. In social matters he has always
taken a leading part; he is one of the pil
lars of Grange No. 1174, and except for
one year has been treasurer of the Associa
tion since its organization. He is a sys
tematic, practical farmer, successful in all
his undertakings; and he is now enjoying
the rewards of years of well-directed labor.
Mrs. Gregory is a member of the Method
ist Episcopal Society of Barrett's Chapel.

y\ILLIAM E. BRAMLEY, foreman
' in the Baltimore & Ohio Railroad
shops at Chicago Junction, was
born in 1848 at Nottingham,
England. Iu 1849 his parents emigrated
from their native country, and arriving in
the United States, located at Philadelphia,
Pennsylvania. Some time later the family moved to
Zanesville, Muskingum Co., Ohio, where
William E. was apprenticed to the ma
chinist's trade, which he learned in the
shops where he subsequently worked as a
regular mechanic. His term of service
was three and one-half years, and in this
time he became a thorough mechanic.
Removing to Dennisoa, Ohio, he worked
in the shops there for two years, when he
entered the employ of the P. C. C. & St.
L. Railroad Company, as fireman. In the
course of fourteen months he was promoted
to engineer, in which capacity he served
that company for five years. In 1874 he
came to Chicago Junction, and at different
times worked in shops and ran a yard
engine. For several years he has been
foreman of the shops here, and in that re
sponsible position has given satisfaction to
his employers as well as to his fellow em
ployes. Sober, economical, industrious and
competent, be has accumulated a compe
tence, and is the owner of a comfortable

226

HURON COUNTY, OHIO.

home just outside of the town. A strong
advocate of temperance, he encourages the
practice of this great virtue among the
men with whom he is associated, and has
seen the good results of his example and
teaching. Mr. Bramley has been twice married.
In 1876 he was united with Jennie C.
Lewis, who died in 1884, leaving three
children: Libbie, Loula, and Jennie (who
died when one year old). His second
marriage, which took place in 1887, was
with Mrs. Amanda (Miller) Hahn, a daugh
ter of Daniel Miller and a native of Chi
cago Junction. Mrs. Bramley is an active
member of the Methodist Episcopal Church
and of the Woman's Relief Corps. Mr.
Bramley is a Republican, but not a parti
san. He joined the Masonic Fraternity in
1876 at Plymouth, Ohio, and since that
time has become a member of the Chapter,
R. A. He desires it to be here recorded
that be has become a follower of Christ;
that under the revival of Miss Jennie
Smith he gave his heart to God, and
united with the Methodist Episcopal
Church with his wife. He is also a useful
worker in the Temperance cause, in con
nection with which the organization known
as the " Railroad Temperance Association "
was recently started.

/GEORGE JOINER, than whom there
I y, is no more highly respected citizen
\J^ in Norwich township, where he has
^Ji his home, is a native of Huron .
county, born in Greenfield township
in 1839.
Ralph Joiner, his father, a son of Will
iam Joiner, was born in Shelburne Falls,
Mass., July 28, 1804. At the age of seven
years he was bound out by his mother, till
twenty-one years old, to one Smead, a tan
ner and currier and shoemaker, with whom
he worked his full time, and then took a
sea voyage from Boston to Cuba and the
West India Islands, in the capacity of

ship's cook. After this voyage he com
menced the trade of boot and shoe making
in Deerfield, Mass., continuing in same
five years. He then took another trip,
this time through the State of Illinois, to
New Orleans, down the Ohio river, and to
Sandusky City, Ohio, thence to Greenfield
township, Huron Co., Ohio, to a brother's
(Osias Joiner), where he made his home
until he was married. In the fall of 1835
he took charge of a grocery store for Mack-
intire Beemer, at Greenfield Center, Ohio,
remaining a year and a half. On August
3, 1837, Mr. Ralph Joiner was married to
Miss Eliza Inscho, born August 5, 1817, a
daughter of Robert Inscho, and to this
union were bora nine children, their names
aud dates of birth being as follows: George
(subject of this sketch), May 24, 1839;
Richard M., May 31, 1841 (deceased);
Ralph C, June 23, 1843; Harriet, June
28, 1845 (deceased); Charles, August 1,
1847; Charlotte L., April 28, 1850; Frank
P., December 29, 1852; Benjamin F., Au
gust 14, 1855, and Augusta Arminda, July
29, 1862 (deceased). The father of this
family died in 1877, of cancer in the hand.
The mother, now in the seventy-seventh
year of her age, is at the present writing
visiting her three sons, who are residents
of Hillsdale county, Michigan.
Robert Inscho, father of Mrs. Ralph
Joiner, was born in New Jersey in 1765;
moved to Virginia in 1806, whence after
a residence there be came to New Haven
township, Huron Co., Ohio, settling on a
farm that is now owned by a grandchild
of his. Some time in the "forties" he
moved to Noble county, Ind., and there
died at the age of eighty-seven years.
George Joiner, subject of sketch, was
reared to farm work, and has ever since
been successful in his agricultural labors.
Before he was twenty years old he bought
thirty- eight acres of land in Greenfield
township, and in 1861 he came to Norwich
township, where he worked by the month
for Wesley Robinson, and also hauled wood
for the railroad, making good wages. He

HURON COUNTY, OHIO.

227

then took up farming on his present place
in Norwich township, first buying eighty
acres, to which he has from time to time
added until he now has 227£ acres of as
fine land as can be found in the township.
In 1860 Mr. Joiner was married to Miss
Elizabeth Doncer, of Norwich township,
Huron county, daughter of George Don
cer, and their home has been blessed with
five children, namely: Wesley C, born
August 8, 1861; Sarah J., born February
4, 1864; Clara E., born August 12, 1867;
Alice I., born November 13, 1869, and
George Henry Harrison, born August 18,
1876. A Republican since the breaking
out of the Civil war, our subject has held
some offices in his township with character
istic ability and fidelity — notably having
served on the board of education, and as
district clerk. Together with his wife he
holds to the tenets of the U. B. Church of
Chicago, Ohio.

JIOHN DRURY. Prominent among
the successful agriculturists of Huron
__ ' county who till the soil and enjoy the
fruits of their labor, ranks the sub
ject of this biographical sketch, who de
votes his time and attention to farming,
and realizes that judgment and executive
ability are needed to successfully carry on
his chosen occupation.
His father, Jonathan M. Drury, was
bom February 24, 1809, in Worthington,
Mass., and inherited all of the energy and
ambition characteristic of that section of
the United States. His childhood and
early manhood were passed in his native
State, and he there learned habits of thrift
that served him well through after life. In
1837 he visited Ohio, and in the following
year located in this State, and in 1844 he
took possession of the farm upon which he
and his son now reside. He has devoted
his whole life to agricultural pursuits, and
owns one hundred acres of valuable land,
situated a mile from Bellevue. Mr. Drury
was married in March, 1836, to Miss Abi

gail M. Knowlton, of Vermont, and three
children blessed their union, viz.: John
(our subject), and Ellen and Carrie (both
of whom died at an early age). This wife
died May 8, 18.47. lie afterward married
Mrs. Clarissa B. Wrisley, of Massachu
setts, who died December 20, 1887. By
his second marriage he has one child,
Myron M. (now located in Chicago). Mr.
Drury has been a member of the Lyme
Congregational Church for over fifty years,
and a deacon in the same for a great
length of time.
John Drury was born March 7, 1847,
iu Lyme township. He has always re
sided at the place of his birth, and has
taken a great interest in the religious, so
cial and educational progress of the com
munity. In 1871 he was united in marriage
with Miss Ida M. Cowle, of Bellevue,
daughter of John Cowle, who settled in
Huron county as early as 1835. Of this
marriage one child was born, a daughter,
who died in infancy. Mrs. Drury died in
1887. In May* 1889, Mr. Drury married
Mrs. Josephine W. Nims, a daughter of
Mr. and Mrs. John Wright. Mrs. Drury's
mother was a daughter of Rev. James
Ford, who settled on the Ridge in 1833.
Mr. Drury makes his home on the farm
once owned by his father, and every year
makes improvements both in the way of
building and in carrying out modern ideas
in his farming operations. Mr. and Mrs.
Drury are members of the Lyme Congre
gational Church, of which they are liberal
supporters. He has been superintendent
of the Lyme Sabbath-school since 1882.

H' OR ACE B. SILLIMAN, who is a
son of Joseph and grandson of Jus
tus Silliman, was born in 1832 in
Fairfield county, Conn. Justus
Silliman was a farmer of Fairfield
county, Conn., a descendant of English
colonists of New England. In early man
hood he married Ruth Jennings, and to

*/

228

HURON COUNTY, OHIO.

this union were boru nine children: Jo
seph, Isaac, Abijah, Daniel, Stephen, Abby,
Morinda, Sally and Ruth. Justus Silliman
died on the farm, where he and his wife
passed the greater part of their lives.
Joseph Silliman was born in 1790 in
Fairfield county, Conn., was reared to man
hood on the farm, received a fair educa
tion in the school of the district, and later
taught school ' there. In 1812 he married
Lucinda Banks, who was born in 1792 in
Fairfield county, daughter of Joseph
Banks, a farmer of that county. After
marriage the young couple settled on a
farm in Fairfield county, where they re
sided until death removed them. Of their
three children, George migrated to Ohio,
settled in Fairfield township, Huron county,
and died on his farm; Sarah married Cor
nelius Benedict, of Connecticut, and died
in 1845; and Horace B. is the subject of
this sketch. The mother of this family
died in 1887. Joseph Silliman was a
stanch Democrat, and served as sheriff of
Fairfield county, Conn., and in nearly all
the offices of his township.
Horace B. Silliman passed his boyhood
on the farm in Connecticut, received his
education in the schools of bis native place,
and in 1855 was there married to Miss
Abigail Hawkins, also a native of Fairfield
county. The same year he came to Ripley
township, Huron Co., Ohio, bringing with
him a capital of three thousand dollars.
How judiciously this capital was invested
may be learned from the farm and home
of Mr. Silliman, for his lands now com
prise 225 acres of as productive a tract as
exists in the "Firelands" region. While
giving close personal attention to this
beautiful farm, he is also interested in
stock growing, and deals extensively in
fine cattle. A Democrat in political faith,
he has been elected to several offices, such
as trnstee, in his township, in the face of
the fact that the Republicans are in the
majority there. Twice he was nominated
for county commissioner, once for county
treasurer and once for Infirmary director,

and polled a very large vote. He is one of
the "wheel-horses" of his party in Huron
county. To Mr. and Mrs. Silliman have been
born the following named children:
Georgiana, J. W.,( Francis L., Dwight,
Edward, Clara, Mary, Ella; there were
others, who died in infancy; Georgiana is
deceased; the rest reside on the homestead.

P)ETER HOHLER. In 1834 John
Hohler and his wife, accompanied
by their four sons, emigrated from
Baden, Germany, and landed in
New York, September 14, 1834.
They there met an old acquaintance who
had previously settled in Huron county,
Ohio, and through his representations were
induced to proceed thither. The trip was
made by way of Lake Erie, and on arriv
ing in Peru, Huron county, 'October 3,
John Hohler bought ninety-six acres of
heavily timbered land in that township,
only a small portion of which was cleared.
With the characteristic energy of their
race, father and sons cleared the land,
erected a comfortable log cabin to which
they afterward made several additions, and
finally converted the cabin into a barn,
after building the present commodious
dwelling. The sons, all of whom united
their efforts on the old place until each one
had secured a home, were as follows:
Frank Joseph, who is supposed to have
been killed in the Mexican war; Peter,
whose sketch follows; Frederick, who died
in Peru township in November, 1863,
leaving seven children, two of whom are
living in Huron county, three in Cleve
land, one in Kansas, and one in Alaska;
and Philip O, who died in January, 1864,
in Peru township. The father died in
1849, at the age of sixty-four years, and in
1864 the mother was laid beside him, after
having entered her eightieth year. Both
were members of the Catholic Church.
Peter Hohler, the only living represent
ative of his family, was born July 12,

HURON COUNTY, OHIO.

229

1815, in Baden, Germany. He attended
the German schools, his knowledge of En
glish having been secured solely by prac
tical experience. When the old estate was
divided, he came into possession of the
homestead, and from poverty rapidly rose
to affluence, being now one of the wealth
iest men of the community. In 1842 he
was united in marriage with Margaret
Glassnes, a native of Germany, whose
parents came to America in the same year
as the Hohler family. Mrs. Holder died
in 1889, since which time Peter Hohler
has made his home principally with Mrs.
Brown (a niece of his deceased wife), of
the German settlement in Bronsou town
ship, right opposite his old farm, which
¦ after his wife's death he did not like to
have anything more to do with. He deeded
110^ acres to a son of his brother Fred
erick, named Leo Hohler, whom they took
(after his father's death) at the age of four
years, and brought up. In consideration
of this he has to pay to each of his
brothers and sisters a certain sum after the
death of Peter Hohler.
Our subject is a Democrat, and takes an
active interest in local politics; he has
served as township trustee, assessor and in
Other offices of trust. He is a member of
the Catholic Church.

J[l( TERRY, D. D. S., is the first den-
f[\\ tist of Norwalk, and one of the old-
frv_ est living dental practitioners in the
¦rfj State of Ohio. His paternal grand
father was a corporal in the war of
1812, and his son. Ira Terry, was bora in
Long Island. N. Y. Ira Terry was mar
ried to Fannie Skinner, whose parents were
natives of New York.
A. Terry, son of Ira and Fannie (Skin
ner) Terry, was born in 1824, in Tompkins
county, N. Y., where he was educated in
the common schools and commenced the
study of dentistry. In the autumn of
1850 he came to Ohio, but returning to

New York in 1851, be there remained a
few months, and then located in Plymouth,
Huron Co., Ohio. He soon afterward
moved to Monroeville, same county, and
the following June again returned to New
York. In 1853 be made a permanent lo
cation in Norwalk, where he has since
resided. During the war Dr. Terry did
not serve as a soldier, but after the battle
of Gettysburg left his office in charge of
an assistant, and went to the field to aid in
caring for the wounded, paying his own
expenses. He is a charter member of the
Northern Ohio Dental Association. In
early manhood the Doctor was united in
marriage with Miss M. I. Clapp, a native
of Ohio, who bore him five children,
namely: Two, Fred and Fannie, deceased
when young; Ida, wife of C. L. Rue; Al
fred D. and Bessie, the latter being married
to J. E. Clive.

THOMAS W. LATHAM. Among
the wealthy young citizens and en
ergetic real-estate men of Monroe
ville, this gentleman occupies the
position of a popular leader. He is
a son of Hiram Latham, and a grandson
of Wolcott Latham, the latter of whom
was a pioneer settler of Huron county,
Ohio. Hiram Latham was born in Huron
county, where he followed farming, and is
now a resident of Lyme. He was married
to Mary Evans, a native of England, who
has borne him four sons and one daughter,
Thomas W. being second in order of birth.
Our subject was born October 17, 1864,
in Huron county, Ohio, and was there
reared to manhood, being educated at the
Ada Normal School, after which he took a
business course at Poughkeepsie, N. Y.
After leaving school he passed two years
in Corwith, Iowa, being there connected
with his cousin, Frank Latham, in the
milling and grain business; and upon re
turning to Ohio, entered a hardware estab
lishment with R. G. Martin, selline out in
7 O

230

HURON COUNTY, OHIO.

1887. Soon after this he opened a real-
estate and insurance business, meeting
with signal success in this enterprise. On
June 25, 1889, he was united in marriage
with Mary E., daughter of John S. Davis,
at one time president of the First National
Bank of Monroeville, and to this union
has been born one son, Davis Wolcott.
Mr. Latham owns several hundred acres
of fine farming land near Monroeville, and
deals extensively in all departments of real
estate. In politics he is prominently iden
tified with the Republican party, being at
present a member of the county central
committee, treasurer of the corporation,
and a member of the school board. Socially
he is a member of the Masonic Fraternity,
and also a member of the Norwalk Com
mandery, Knights Templar, Norwalk, Ohio.
He is secretary of the Board of Industry,
an organization established for the im
provement of Monroeville, and takes an
active interest in all matters of public
improvements. In religious faith Mr. Latham is a mem
ber of Ziou Episcopal Church, of which
he is, at present, vestryman and treasurer.
He possesses an unusually energetic nature,
and well merits his reputation as an enter
prising, prosperous business man.

JfENRY S. ARNERT, one of the
'^ successful farmers and stock grow-
__[ ers of northern Ohio, now a resi
dent of Fitchville township, was
born May 20, 1831, in Yates county,
New York.
Uriah T. Arnert (son of James Arnert,
who died in Hartland township, Huron
Co., Ohio) was born March 12, 1806, in
Yates county, N. Y. The school and farm
were the tasks of his boyhood, and the
farm the work of his youth. In 1827 he
married Catherine Townsend, who was bora
January 13, 1809, in Yates county, N. Y.,
near the birthplace of her husband. There

three children were born to them, as fol
lows : George T., December 24, 1827 ; Mary
E., March 21, 1829, aud Henry S., the sub
ject of this sketch. George and Mary, just
named, died in their native county, while
Henry S. was brought to Ohio early in
1832 by his parents. The journey from
Buffalo to Huron, Ohio, was made on the
"Sheldon Thomson," and from Huron to
Hartland township, Huron county, they
traveled in a wagon drawn by oxen.
Arriving here, Mr. Arnert purchased
eighty acres of wild land at twenty shillings
per acre. The tract was clothed with heavy
timber, and water submerged a large part
of the land, but the pioneer went bravely
to work, erected a rude cabin, and began
the task of clearing. His success was
assured from the beginning; a better dwell
ing house took the place of the cabin, and
improvements were carried out until he
sold the place and moved to Townsend
township. About the year 1860 he located
in New London township, where he died
in 1863. He was buried in Hartland
Ridge cemetery.
The children born in Ohio to Uriah T.
and Catherine Arnert are as follows: Sarah
C, bora April 2, 1833, is the wife of
Thaddeus Sprague, of Wakeman town
ship; Phoebe J., bora October 12, 1835, is
the wife of Birdsall French, of Erie
county, Ohio; Dolly A., bora February
10, 1838, married Wilbur Jefferson, and
lives in Norwalk; Catherine O, born Oc
tober 4, 1840, married Edwin Burney, and
died in New London; Uriah B., born April
4, 1843, enlisted at the age of nineteen
years, serving with Company B, Third
Ohio Volunteer Cavalry, until his death in
Tennessee, in 1862; Cyrus D., born Au-.
gust 23, 1845, is now residing at Bir
mingham, Ohio; and Frank, born February
12, 1852, died in 1860. Mr. Arner,t was
a Whig prior to the organization of the
Republican party, of which he then be
came a member. In Church connection
he was a Methodist. His success in Ohio
was a decided one, so that, at his death, he

HURON COUNTY, OHIO.

231

left to his family a valuable property. His
widow married Henry Runyan, and now
resides at New London.
Henry S. Arnert was brought to Huron
county in infancy, grew to manhood here,
and became closely associated with its
affairs. He received a primary education,
his first teacher being Julia Ann Crine,
but the fact that he was the eldest son
militated against him in the matter of
education, for work on the farm had to be
attended to, in pioneer days, by the chil
dren as well as by the adults of the family.
He worked on the homestead until he was
twenty-four years old. On February 27,
1862, he married Julia A. Barker, who
was born October 31, 1829, in Fitchville
township, in which township her father,
Joseph Barker, was an early settler. To
this marriage came one son, Frank B.,
born September 20, 1863, a farmer of
Fitchville. After his marriage Mr. Arnert
purchased a farm in Townsend township,
and resided thereon until 1872, when he
moved to Fitchville township, and located
on the "Elias Showers Farm." He now
owns 127 acres of excellent land, which
tract is under a high state of cultivation.
He is also a stock grower, and takes pride
in the appearance of his cattle, farm and
home. Prior to 1863 he was a Republi
can, but since that year has been a Demo
crat. Before his marriage he saved enough
from his earnings to purchase his first
farm, and his property to-day, which repre
sents the savings of thirty years, is a monu
ment alike to his systematic farming and
to his industry.

;HAUNCY WOODWORTH, a well-
known, native-born citizen of New
Haven, is a son of Jonathan Wood-
worth, a farmer, who was born in
Trumansburgh, Tompkins county, New
York. Jonathan P. Woodworth, grandfather of
subject, was born July 15, 1775, in Con

necticut, and was reared to farm life. He
became a minister in the Baptist Church,
and followed his profession with much
success. He married, and had children as
follows: Abigail, born in 1797; Anna,
born in 1800; David, bora in 1801;
Jonathan, born September 7, 1803;
Osames, born in 1805; Cynthia, born in
1807; Chauncy, born in 1809; Herman,
born in 1811; Clarinda, born ia 1814;
Salina, born in 1817; and William O, bora
in 1819. Rev. Jonathan P. Woodworth
served for many years as justice of the
peace. He died in Trumansburgh, New
York. 8
Jonathan Woodworth attended the
schools of his native place during his boy
hood. He learned the shipbuilder's trade,
and early in life became a sailor on the
lakes, between Geneva and Buffalo. In
1835 he came west to Ohio, settling on a
tract of ninety-six acres in New Haven
township, Huron county, where he en
gaged in general agriculture, in which he
met witb considerable success, at one time
owning as much as 250 acres of land. He
was united in marriage October 27, 1828,
with Miss Freelove Mott, of Shenango,
Penn., daughter of Burger Mott, a farmer,
who was born September 10, 1786. To
this union were born fourteen children, as
follows: Herman, in 1830; E. C . July
25, 1831; J. P., October 13, 1832 (de
ceased); Mary A., March 19, 1835; So
phronia, November 25, 1836; Chauncy,
December 8, 1838; William A., May 12,
1841; James G., August 16, 1842; Mercy
J., November 25, 1844; Salina M., April
22, 1847; Ellen H., August 14, 1848;
Cynthia, December 23, 1850 (deceased);
Arsula, October 23, 1853; and one that
died in infancy. In politics Jonathan
Woodworth was an active member of the
Democratic party, was a great debater,
and served several terms as trustee of his
township. In religious matters he was a
prominent member of the Baptist Church,
He passed away April 16, 1857. He was
a man of large physique.

232

HURON COUNTY, OHIO.

Chauncy Woodworth passed his boyhood
days on the home farm in New Haven
township, meantime receiving his educa
tion in the common schools. He then
worked by the month for his mother for
twelve years. On October 6, 1869, he was
married to MissMaryetta Hartman, daugh
ter of Peter Hartman, who was a success
ful farmer of Bucks county, Penn., where
he was„born. He had five children, viz.:
Maryetta(Mrs.Woodworth),Frank,Ckarles,
George and Arabelle. After marriage Mr.
and Mrs. Woodworth resided for two
years on a farm in New Haven township,
and he then bought a place in Richmond
township, Huron county, near Chicago,
where they also remained two years. In
1875 they came to their present residence,
a pleasant farm of sixty-four acres in the
suburbs of New Haven, on which Mr.
Woodworth has made numerous improve
ments. In his political affiliations our sub
ject is a Democrat, and takes an active in
terest in the welfare of his party. He is
a substantial supporter of religious insti
tutions, giving liberally of his means to
churches and church work. Mrs. and Mrs.
Woodworth have had two children, one
being still-born, the other, a daughter
named Belle, dying at the age of three years.

|f Jf ON. S. E. CRAWFORD, Norwalk,
\^\ is a native of Richland county,
\ |1 Ohio, born September 20, 1842.
¦J) There are strong evidences at hand
pointing to the fact that he not only
came into this world, but also to Norwalk,
under propitious stars.
Twice in succession was he called to the
office of mayor of that city by the suffrages
of his old neighbors, the first time in
1889 ; and so favorable was his service that
he was re-elected, and was yet again the
unanimous choice of his party's convention
for a third term, chosen over the heads of
older citizens, and. it is not too much to
say, above all in Norwalk, because he is
and has been of the political party that is

in the minority in the city. Few men
ever receive such a compliment from the
voters as has come unsought to him; few
men are stronger than party ties, or live in
an atmosphere far above the active preju
dices of the American voter.
Mr. Crawford is a son of David and
Margaret (Miller) Crawford, natives of
Pennsylvania and Maryland, respectively.
They were pioneers to Richland county,
Ohio, where they met and were married,
thence removed to Huron county, when
the subject of this sketch was about five
years of age. The father died March 31,
1884, aged seventy-five; the mother Octo
ber 1, 1885, at the same age. They were
Universalists in their religions views, and
were possessed of the united respect of*
their fellow-men. Commencing their
young lives together, they were but briefly
separated in death. The paternal grand
father of our subject was a native of Ire
land, and a pioneer of Beaver county,
Penn., thence moving to Richland county,
where he was a farmer. The paternal
grandmother, Mary Eckles, was of Scotch
descent, and survived to the advanced age
of ninety years. Mayor Crawford's ma
ternal grandfather, Henry Miller, of Mary
land, removed to Harrison county, Ohio,
when Mayor Crawford's mother was but a
small child, locating soon after in the
forests on the dividing line between Huron
and Richland oounties, four miles east of
where is now the town of Plymouth. Our
subject's maternal grandmother died in
the village of Peru, Huron county, at the
advanced age of ninety-three years.
S. E. Crawford is the fifth in a family
of ten children. Here he has lived his
life of useful years, receiving from the
common schools of his locality the funda
mentals of an English education. WheD
old enough, he was apprenticed to learn
the wagon maker's trade, which he left un
completed to enter the service of his coun
try to aid in the suppressing of the great
Rebellion. He first joined Company C,
One Hundred and Sixty-sixth Regiment,

HURON COUNTY, OHIO.

235

O. V. I., and served a term of four
months; then enlisted in the One Hundred
and Ninety-second Regiment, O. V. I.,
Company A, and served in this command
, eight months as first lieutenant, all the
time being attached to the army of the
Potomac. When peace with her blessings
again came to the land, tbe young soldier
quit, the tented front and repaired to
Bryan, Williams Co., Ohio, and again took
up the learning of his trade, completing
which he located, in 1867, in Norwalk,
and commenced making wagons and car
riages, having established the firm of S.
E. Crawford & Co. In this he continued
until 1872, when he sold his interest in
the company, and at once engaged in the
agricultural implement business. In a
short time he organized his present indus
try — the manufacture of rubber buckets,
chain and wood force pump supplies.
In 1882 Mr. Crawford was elected a
member of the city council, and was re-.
elected until 1889, when he was chosen
mayor, as already stated. He is a promi
nent member of the I. 0. O. F., Daughters
of Rebekah, Knights of the Maccabees,
National Union and G. A. R,, in all of
which he is a past officer. He is a director
of the Norwalk Metal Stamping and Spin
ning Company, and is vice-president of
the Home Savings and Loan Company.
On June 20, 1893, he was elected a director
of the Sandusky, Milan & Norwalk Elec
tric Railway.
On September 30, 1869, S. E. Crawford
was united in marriage with Miss Mary
E. Harrington, daughter of Patrick and
Mary Harrington, formerly of Cleveland,
now deceased.

FW. SCHNEERER, M. D., Nor
walk, is a native of Cleveland, Ohio,
bora June 27, 1850, of German
descent, the son of Fredrick and
Johannah (Schwartz) Schneerer, natives of
Germany, who came to this country in

13

an early day, and settled in Buffalo, N. Y.,
subsequently removing to Cleveland, Ohio.
They had a family of ten children, and
of these the subject of this notice is the
fifth in the order of birth. He received a
good English education in the city of his
nativity, and after completing his literary
education, began reading medicine under
a preceptor, aud became a student at the
Eclectic Medical Institute, Cincinnati, Ohio,
graduating therefrom in 1875. In the
same year he opened an office for the
practice of his profession, in Norwalk,
where he has since remained, commanding
a large and lucrative business, originally
somewhat assisted in starting the prac
tice by his thorough familiarity with both
the English and German languages,
which, followed by eminent success with
clients, soon established for him a fair and
wide reputation.
During the year 1892 Dr. and Mrs.
Schneerer spent the season traveling in
Europe, among the countries visited being
England, France, Germany, Switzerland,
Scotland and Holland. The doctor is a
member of the State Eclectic Medical
Society. On November 18, 1875, he was
united in marriage to Miss Abbie F.
Cahoon, and of this union were born four
children: Fredrick B., Carl E., Mary E.,
and Theodore C.

H

W. HOFFMAN, a son of George
and Margaret Hoffman, was born
September 5, 1857, in Sandusky
J) county, Ohio. His parents, who
are natives of Germany, emigrated
to the United States in youth, and grew to
maturity in Ohio. George Hoffman was
twice married, three children being born to
each marriage, all residing in Ohio, and of
whom H. W. is the eldest.
H. W. Hoffman was reared in his native
county, and received all his literary train
ing before he was eleven years old, his
father's circumstances not being such as
to warrant his giving his son any great

236

HURON COUNTY, OHIO.

educational advantages. In 1868 he was
apprenticed to a harness maker, and at the
age of seventeen established at Sandusky
his own saddle and harness shop, which he
carried on for three years. In 1875 he
removed to Chicago Junction, where he
continued in his trade. In 1886 he opened
a grocery store, just opposite his present
store, on Myrtle avenue, and in 1889 erected
the two-story brick building, 30 x 60 feet,
which he now occupies. Here he car
ries a complete stock of standard and
fancy groceries; the establishment is well
fitted up, and the entire concern would do
credit to a much larger city than Chicago
Junction. Mr. Hoffman was married, April 24,
1879, to Elizabeth, daughter of Jacob
Stahl, of New Haven township, and to
them four children were bora, namely:
Lily, Rolson, Paul, and Herbert Henry
&dio died at the age of ten years). Mr.
offman is a member of Lodge No. 748,
I. O. 0. F., also of the local Lodge, K. of
P. No. 442, and Golden Rule Lodge 562,
F. & A. M. The facility with which he
changed a trade for a mercantile business,
and the success which he has won, are
noticeable points in Mr. Hoffman's career.
Few men could risk making the change,
and all he has accomplished must be cred
ited to himself, and to his energy, good
judgment aud business acumen.

WILLIAM W. DRENNAN was
born July 18, 1820, at Canton,
Stark Co., Ohio, a grandson of
David Drennan, a native of Ire
land, who immigrated to America prior to
the Revolution, settling in Pennsylvania.
David Drennan was married at Carlisle,
Penn., to Jane Armstrong, a daughter of
a Protestant-Irish settler in that town, and
seven children were born to them — three
sons and four daughters — of whom James,
the father of subject, was the second in
order of birth. Prior to 1781 David

Drennan was a "carrier of merchandise
and produce" between Carlisle and Pitts
burgh. Settling in Beaver county in 1781,
be aided in its establishment, and in the
year 1805 was appointed associate judge
of that county by Gov. McKean, vice Ab
ner Lacock, resigned. In 1804 he was a
member of tbe first grand jury. Two
years before he and one James Drennan
were tax-payers of the original Beaver
township (later Ohio township), and Judge
Drennan was a most influential citizen,
and an intelligent judge until his death,
which occurred in Ohio township, August
12,1831. James Drennan was born at Carlisle,
Penn. At the age of fifteen years he was
apprenticed to a cabinet' maker, and worked
for his master until his nineteenth year,
when he bought his freedom. Removing
to Steubenville, Ohio, in 1802, he worked
al his trade, and also as carpenter and
joiner, until he had earned sufficient money
to pay for his freedom, his master giving
him time to do so. When twenty-one years
old he married Jane Patton. a native of
Pennsylvania, of Protestant-Irish descent,
and to them six children were born, of
whom David, the eldest son, became a
Methodist preacher, and died when about
twenty-three years old; Jane died unmar
ried; John Patton, now over seventy-eight
years old, resides at Decatur, 111., where
his son publishes a daily paper; the other
three died in childhood. In 1812 James
Drennan was commissioned lieutenant in
the recruiting service for eastern Ohio, and
organized two militia companies, the second
of which he commanded as captain; and
going to the front at once, they served in
Harrison's army. After his marriage Mr.
Drennan had worked at his trade in Can
ton, Ohio, until called out to serve in the
army. After the war he, in partnership
with a wealthy German and a wealthy
Frenchman, organized the first banking
concern at Canton, of which he was cashier
until 1821. His first wife died in 1818,
and in 1819 he married Eliza Wolfe, a

HURON COUNTY, OHIO.

237

native of Wilkes-Barre, Penn., then re
siding at Mansfield, Ohio, where she taught
school and conducted the military store in
the old Blockhouse. She had come to Ohio
with her widowed mother in 1804, first
settling at Newark, whence they soon re
moved to Fredericksburgh, remaining there
until Hull's surrender, after which Mrs.
Wolfe joined her daughter at Mansfield.
In 1821 Mr. Drenuan resigned the posi
tion of cashier in the Canton Bank, and
moved to Mansfield, where he speculated
in land, and engaged in agriculture. In
1825 he came to Plymouth, same State,
where he worked at his trade and at differ
ent times engaged in mercantile business.
He was postmaster at Plymouth for four
years, under William H. Harrison's ad
ministration, and during his residence in
Stark county was justice of the peace.
He died in December, 1859, being then
over seventy-seven years old. His widow
died in 1870 at the age of eighty-one years.
Of the six children of this second marriage,
four are living, namely: William W., the
subject of this sketch; Artemisia D., now
Mrs. McDonough, of Plymouth; Rachel
C. Cook, formerly of Brooklyn, now of
Poughkeepsie, N. Y.; and Manuel J., a
professor in Vassar College, who was edu
cated at Oberlin and in the New York
Presbyterian Theological Seminary.
William W. Drennan received a some
what limited education. The- school at
Plymouth from 1825, when his parents
settled there, to 1832, when his school days
ended, was truly a primitive one. At the
age of twelve years he entered a general
store at Plymouth as clerk, and afterward
served in the same capacity in different
stores at Mansfield and Zanesville, until
he was twenty-four years old, when he
established himself in business at Shelby,
Ohio. A year later he and his father
opened a store at Plymouth, wliich they
filled with a stock of general merchandise.
The father retired at various times, leaving
or selling his interest in the store to others,
so that while W. W. Drennan was at the

head of the business until December, 1859,
he had several partners. At that time he
retired from mercantile pursuits, the con
dition of his health requiring a rural life,
and for eighteen months he was engaged
in agriculture. In the spring of 1861,
when the war broke out, he was acting as
mayor of bis town of Plymouth, and farm
ing, but from that time to the 24th of De
cember, 1861, he gave more time to re
cruiting soldiers for various regiments and
companies than he did to his office and
farm, and was very successful. He did
not enter the army himself because he was
pronounced by mustering officer unfit for
military duty. On December 24, 1861,
he was chosen by the officers of the Sixty-
fourth Ohio Infantry as their sutler, in
which capacity he served the regiment con
tinuously, faithfully and acceptably through
the war; -and at the close of the struggle
he engaged in the commission business in
Cincinnati, doing a very successful trade
for about seven months, when he sold out
and returned to Plymouth, Ohio, where he
gave his attention to his farm and to specu
lating in land for some years.
When a youth of from sixteen to nine
teen years, our subject began the study of
law, giving up the few leisure hours at his
disposal to that profession for three years.
Five years after the war was over, he re
sumed the study, and in 1872 was ad
mitted to the bar at Norwalk, Ohio, and in
Huron and adjacent counties he has since
been engaged in practice. During the
last eight or nine years he has enjoyed a
large pension practice. When he was ad
mitted to the law circle in 1872 he had
1,100 acres of land in Huron couuty, the
greater area of which he improved. For
nine years he was justice of the peace, and
has filled the office of notary public since
twenty-one years of age.
Mr. Drennan was married, in March,
1850, in Cayuga couuty, N. Y.,to Hannah
Brinkerhoff, a sister of Gen. R. Brinker-
hoff, of Mansfield, Ohio. Of six children
bora to this marriage, two are living, viz. :

238

HURON COUNTY, OHIO.

George B., a traveling salesman for a
Philadelphia house; and Edith K, a sten
ographer. Mr. Drennan has been a mem
ber of the Presbyterian Church since 1840,
and since 1846 of the Plymouth Presby
terian Society, in which he is an elder.
Politically he is a Republican, having been
an anti-slavery Whig prior to the organiza
tion of the Republican party.
Before closing this sketch, the ancestors
of Mr. Drennan on the maternal side
should claim some attention. His great
grandfather was Manuel Gonzales, a
Spaniard and a Protestant, who came to
Wilkes-Barre, Penn., and there married
an English girl named Turner. Eleanor,
one of the daughters of their marriage,
wedded an Austrian Protestant by the
name of Wolfe, who found a home in Penn
sylvania, where he was accidentally killed
in his fifty-fourth year. Soon after this
sad event the widow and her four daugh
ters and three sons moved to Ohio, where
the second daughter, Eliza Wolfe, married
James Drennan.

FRANK J. SMITH, who is a son of
Frank and grandson of Joseph Smith,
natives of Baden, Germany, was
born in Peru township, Huron Co.,
Ohio. Frank Smith, father of subject,
when a young man left his native land in
1829, accompanied by his brother Joseph,
and they landed in the United States.
Shortly after the brothers came to Massa
chusetts, and while there concluded to
seek a home in the newer country beyond
the Alleghany mountains. They wrote to
the father in Baden, telling him of their
intentions, and asking him to take his
family to New York.
In 1832 the entire family met in that
city, and without delay traveled westward
via the Hudson river and Erie Canal.
Halting at Cleveland, Ohio, they found
that land could be purchased there at eight
dollars per acre, but learning that better

land, at lower prices, could be had farther
west, they set out on the journey which
ended in Peru township, Huron Co., Ohio.
The incident which urged them to locate
here was a common one in the history of
the settlement of the western States. Halt
ing at a spring to drink, they found the
water exceptionally cool and clear, the land
in the vicinity good, and the location on
the ridge, between the sources of the
Huron rivers, favorable to health and in
dustry. The physical features of the
country corresponded with their correct
ideas of agriculture, and they delayed not
in obtaining a title to the land. They
immediately erected a frame building on
the west side of the road leading south
west from Monroeville, and there they re
sided until the death of Joseph Smith
(grandfather of subject) aud his widow.
Frank Smith, son of Joseph Smith, pur
chased a tract of land from his father,
paying six dollars per acre for same. He
married Miss Generosa Ott, aud to this
union the following named children were
born: Caroline, who died when thirty
years old; a son who died in infancy;
Frank J., the subject of this sketch; John
J., a resident of Bronson township; Charles
S., of Peru township; Alvin P., of Fre
mont, Ohio; Joseph S., of Peru township,
and Edward, who died in 1884. Frank
Smith, Sr., was a hardworking, intelligent
agriculturist, and a man of fine moral ideas.
He died in 1872. His widow, a kind,
wholesouled woman, died in 1888, in the
midst of her children, who merited and
won succes. Both were interred in St.
Alphonsus cemetery. Mr. Smith was a
member of St. Alphonsus Catholic Church,
in which he served as trustee and in vari
ous other positions. In politics he was a
Democrat, and from 1832 to 1872 took an
active interest in national, State and local
issues, and filled many township positions.
Frank J. Smith, son of Frank and Gene
rosa (Ott) Smith, was born March 3, 1840,
in Peru township, and received such an
education as the schools of the district

HURON COUNTY, OHIO.

239

afforded. Being the eldest son of a pioneer
family, uo small share of work had to be
done by him; but with all this he filled
the double role of pupil and farm hand
without complaining. He labored on the
homestead farm until 1867, when he mar
ried Susannah Scharf, a native of New
Washington, Crawford Co., Ohio. This
marriage was blessed with the following
named children: Frank W. (of California),
Mary O, Louisa C, Peter, Julia (a teacher
in the convent), Alfred, William, Henry,
Jacob, John, Carl,. Theresa and Hattie, all
residing at home. The parents and their
children are all members of the Catholic
Congregation of St. Alphonsus, to which
faith their ancestors have adhered almost
since the Romans named the cradle of the
family in Europe — "Civitas Aurelia
Aquensis." In politics Mr. Smith is a
Democrat, but beyond matters relating to
his township and county, is content with
the constitutional right to vote. He de
votes close attention to his agricultural and
stock growing interests, and is considered
one of the most industrious citizens and
one of the most systematic and intelligent
farmers of this rich pastoral district. He
is prominent among tbe people of German
descent, and his example and counsel are
appreciated by all within the circle of his
acquaintance.

rH. JONES, attorney at law, Nor
walk. From the unanimous testi
mony of this community, we may
well say that this gentleman is one
of the leading members of the Huron
county bar. He was born September 15,
1858, near Madison, Wisconsin, a son of
James and Sabra (Alvord) Jones, who mi
grated from Massachusetts to the West,
settling in Wisconsin. After a time, how
ever, they retraced their steps, returning
East and locating in Bellevue, Huron
Co., Ohio. The paternal ancestors of the
family came to this country about 1700,

and settled on the island known as Martha's
Vineyard; the maternal ancestors were
from England.
F. H. Jones received his early educa
tion in the common schools, and then be
came a student in Western Reserve Uni
versity, Cleveland, where he received the
degree of A. B. in the class of 1882.
During the year 1882-83 he was super
intendent of the public schools of Mentor,
Ohio. He then entered the Cincinnati
Law School, and in 1885 received his
diploma, conferring the degree of LL. B.
Locating first in Sandusky, Ohio, he there
commenced the practice of his profession,
but in a short time removed to Norwalk,
entering into the law practice in partner
ship with G. R. Walker. This firm was
subsequently dissolved, and Mr. Jones
opened out his present office, where he has
since been in active practice, gaining an
unusual degree of success. Pleasant in
address, a diligent student and graceful
speaker, his onward course has been the
inevitable result following strong and fixed
causes. He has the entire respect and
confidence of his professional brethren, and
the courts have designated their confidence
by appointing him referee in a number of
important cases. He has given special
study in the law to the subjects of equity,
corporations and realty, and his researches
in these lines have made him influential,
if not an authority, even with the older
men of the profession. Mr. Jones is yet
a young man; the future' with its fairest
promises is all before him, and here his
closest friends may in confidence anchor
their fondest hopes. In politics he has
always been an enthusiastic and active
Republican.

FHILIP SEEL was born November
24, 1843, on his father's farm in
Nassau, Germany, and received his
elementary instruction in the pub
lic schools of the vicinity. He
afterward took a thorough course of study

MO

HURON COUNTY, OHIO.

at a higher institution of learning, and
fitting himself for the position of civil
engineer, followed that profession for
some time in his native land. In 1870,
having saved a good sum of money, he
left Germany for America, embarking at
Hamburg, on the steamer " Harmonia."
After landing in New York, he pushed
westward to Ohio, aud renting a place in
Ridgefield township, Huron county, com
menced agricultural -pursuits.
In 1871 he was united in marriage with
Louisa, daughter of Chris Knoll, who was
a native of Germany and an early settler
of Ridgefield township, Huron county.
After his marriage Philip Seel purchased
and moved upon a portion of the farm he
now occupies, to which he added year by
year, and the place is now one of the most
valuable in the township. It is adorned
with all modern improvements, including
a commodious brick residence, and other
substantial buildings. Politically Mr. Seel
is a Republican, and has served in various
local offices, having been school director
for seventeen years. The family are all
members of the Lutheran Church, and en
joy the esteem of all who know them.
Four children have been born to Mr. and
Mrs. Seel, as follows: Otto W., Amelia,
Lydia, and a daughter that died in infancy.
[Since the above was written Mr. Philip
Seel died November 24, 1892, on his
forty-ninth birthday.

JJJLRAM D. DRAKE, a prosperous
'^ young farmer of Ridgefield town-
|| ship, is a grandson of Hiram and
Sarah (Ruggles) Drake, both of
whom were residents of Connecti
cut, descended from English ancestry.
Salmon Drake, father of our subject,
was born April 9, 1827, in Plymouth,
Luzerne Co., Penn., and came to Ridge
field township, Huron Co., Ohio, in 1848.
On June 17, 1850, he was united in mar
riage with Cynthia Dickey, and the fol
lowing autumn they located on the Dickey

homestead in Ridgefield township. He
was a superior farmer, and devoted the
greater part of his life to that vocation ; he
also had a practical knowledge of carpen
try, which he followed during the earlier
years of his life. In July, 1867, Mr. and
-Mrs. Drake and their eldest daughter
united at Fairfield, Huron county, with
the congregation of the Christian people
known as Disciples. In January, 1868,
their membership was transferred to a sis
ter church in Norwalk, where Mr. Drake
was at once chosen elder, and continued to
serve in that office the remainder of his
life. He was a zealous Christian man,
taking an active part in every good work
tending to the advancement of the moral
or religious growth of the community.
While one day training a young horse he
was injured in the left side, and having
contracted a cold in a storm soon after
ward, it resulted in a fatal attack of
typhoid pneumonia. He died April 3,
1877, and was followed to the grave by a
large number of sympathizing friends.
Since the death of her husband Mrs.
Drake has continued to reside on the
home place, where her children were born
as follows: Eliza Jane, July 5, 1852;
Hiram D., July 7, 1854; Charles W.,
May 9, 1856; Imogene, April 29, 1858;
J. Omer, March 6, 1861; Georgiana,
November 3, 1862; Sterry A., March 19,
1864; and Ira, born October 4, 1865, died
January 18, 1872.
Hiram D. Drake received his early edu
cation at the "Webb settlement" school,
afterward attending a normal school at
Milan, in Erie county. After the death
of his father he began to cultivate a tract
of land for himself, meanwhile boarding
at the home of a neighbor. On March 23,
1887, he was married to Blanche I. Killey,
a native of Marblehead, Ottawa couuty,
Ohio, and a daughter of Robert and Mary
Killey. Since their marriage Mr. aud
Mrs. Drake have resided on the home
place, in Ridgefield township, Huron
county, on which he has made many im-

HURON COUNTY, OHIO.

241

provements. He is a progressive farmer,
and for the past few years has been ex
tensively engaged in small fruit culture.
He votes with the Republican party, but
is not an active politican, as he gives his
whole time to conducting his private busi
ness. Mr. and Mrs. Drake have two little
sons, viz.: Lewis Earl, born December 29,
1888, and Robert Eric, born November
27, 1892.

EORGE BURDUE, a prominent,
successful farmer of Townsend town
ship, was born February 19, 1811,
in what is now Milan township,
Erie county. He is the second in
a family of eleven children (four of whom
died in infancy) born to William and
Elizabeth (Blazer) Burdue, both of whom
were born in Pennsylvania, the former
of French and the latter of German ex
traction. William Burdue, the father of subject,
was born November 26, 1782, and received
an ordinary common-school education in
his native State, where he afterward en
gaged in agricultural pursuits. Here too
he was married, March 28, 1809, and in
the fall of the following year (1810) emi
grated with his wife and child to the then
extreme limit of the western frontier, the
almost unbroken and pathless wilderness
of northern Ohio. Settling in the northern
part of Lot No. 4, Townsend township,
Huron county, he entered wild lands, and
built a log cabin in the primitive manner
of those days, with clap-board or shake
roof, puncheon floor and wooden latches.
During the first winter after his arrival he
left his family in the country near the In
dian village of Milan, while he busied
himself in getting his cabin ready for their
reception in the spring. Here, in tbe
dense forest, by which they were sur
rounded for miles on every side, he com
menced to carve out a home for himself
aud family, subsequently clearing up and
improving an excellent farm. On this

home the family experienced all the hard
ships and privations incident to a frontier
life, mitigated, however, by the various
pleasures common to backwoods life in
those early days. The vast forest around
them teemed with wild game of all kinds,
wild honey was abundant, and maple syrup
and sugar easily obtained. Though their
white neighbors were few and far between,
there was a warm, hearty, neighborly feel
ing existing among them, and their social
intercourse at the frequent house raisings,
log rollings and quilting bees was of the
most friendly character. Soon after their
arrival the family made the acquaintance
of an old Indian in the vicinity, who sub
sequently, by reason of the many favors
shown him, especially by Mrs. Burdue, a
lady of most excellent character, became
warmly attached to the family, and ren
dered them many services. On oue occa
sion Mr. Burdue, having lost a span of
horses and a colt, was asked by this Indian
to show him their tracks; this being done,
the Indian carefully measured them with
his hands and went away, returning in a
few days and iuforming Mr. Burdue that
he had found tracks answering to the de
scription. He also learned that the In
dians would, in a few days, go to Huron,
their usual trading point, and Mr. Burdue
requested his father, Nathaniel Burdue,
who was "able to speak the Indian language,
to go to Huron and demand the surrender
of the animals. This he did, but the In
dians refused to give them up without
compensation, the terms being a small-
quantity of corn and whiskey, which were
promptly furnished and the horses re
turned. This same old Indian gave frequent
evidences of his friendship for the family,
the most important of which occurred
during the war oi 1812-15, soon after the
surrender of Gen. Hull, when, partly by
signs, he made the family understand that
the savages were preparing to massacre the
settlers; that at the expiration of a certain
number of moons they would all probably

242

HURON COUNTY, OHIO.

be scalped if they remained in the country;
and at the same time he enjoined upon
them the strictest secrecy as to the source
of their information, assuring them that
death to him would be the consequence of
this friendly warning if known to other
members of his tribe. After this he went
away, aud was never again seen in these
parts. The family immediately prepared
for flight, first hiding some of their house
hold and cooking utensils under the
puncheon floor of their cabin, and went
back to Pennsylvania, where they remained
until after the close of the war, returning
to their frontier home in the spring of
1816; and they found the articles hidden
under the puncheon floor undisturbed, al
though the cabin had been occupied by the
savages. Mr. Burdue brought with him, on his
return from Pennsylvania, two small buhrs
or stones for a hand-mill, which he set up
near one side of the cabin, and which was
used by the neighbors for several miles
around, and was for a time the only one
in the vicinity. He afterward sold the
mill to a potter in Milan, who used it for
grinding clay. For many years the wolves,
witb which the woods were swarming,
were among their greatest pests, and would
carry off or destroy calves and young stock
of all kinds, unless it was secured under
the very eaves of the cabin; they' were fre
quently seen prowling abont the spring
near the house in daytime, and on one oc
casion destroyed the children's playhouse
"near the cabin. Wild cats and panthers
were also quite numerous. Game of a
less dangerous and more useful character,
such as deer, wild turkeys, wild hogs and
squirrels, abounded.
One of the greatest difficulties of the
settlers in that early day was to procure
fabric for clothing and other necessary
household articles, everything of the kind
being very scarce and very dear; prints
and domestics were worth from fifty to
sixty cents per yard; hence they were
obliged to raise flax and manufacture linen,

and to weave linsey-woolsey and jeans for
domestic use; and not unfrequently they
manufactured various articles of wearing
apparel from the skins of deer and other
wild animals. Salt, too, was very scarce,
and at one time Mr. Burdue was obliged
to pay ten dollars per barrel for a very in
ferior quality. Soon after his second ar
rival he went back to Pennsylvania and
returned with several head of cattle, all of
which died of bloody- murrain one after
another; their milch cows too died of the
same disease, until they had lost their last
cow seven different times.
For some time after they came to the
country there were no schools in the
neighborhood, and when a rude log house
was finally erected, the schools were of the
crudest, most primitive character for sev
eral years. As to churches, there were
none in the section, and, as usual in almost
all new countries, the Methodist itinerant
preachers, or circuit riders, were the pio
neers in the religious field, holding ser
vices first at one, and then another, of the
settlers' cabins. Both Mr. Burdue and his
wife were lifelong, earnest members of the
M. E. Church. His death occurred at his
home in Townsend township, October 23,
1834, and that of his wife March 29, 1868,
when she was in her seventy -seventh year,
her birth having occurred September 26,
1791. They reared seven children who
grew to maturity, of whom George is the
subject of this sketch; Nathaniel resides
in Norwalk; John and Benjamin are iu
Linn county, Kans.; Isaac B. lives in Ful
ton county, Ohio; Jacob died August 5,
1874, in Michigan; and William W. died
July 22, 1886, at Collins, Ohio.
Nathaniel Burdue, grandfather of sub
ject, emigrated to northern Ohio in about
1808, settling in Berlin township, now in
Erie county, where he entered a large tract
of land (including the present site of Ber
lin Heights), erected a cabin, and the fol
lowing year went back to Pennsylvania
for his wife and family. Here he subse
quently cleared and improved a farm, upon

HURON COUNTY, OHIO.

243

which he resided until his death, which
occurred when he was over ninety years
old. He was born and educated in Penn
sylvania, where in early life he learned the
shoemaker's trade. Being left an orphan
at a very early age, he was bound out till
be attained his majority, soon after which
he married Miss Margaret Welch, also a
native of Pennsylvania. She also lived to
be over ninety years of age, and her death
was occasioned by an accideut, her clothes
having caught fire, whereby she was
burned severely. She was a remarkably
active, vigorous and energetic woman all
her life, and was a lifelong, devout mem
ber of the Presbyterian Church.
. George Burdue, whose name appears at
the opening of his sketch, received but a
very limited English education in youth,
such as could be gleaned at the primitive
schools, held in rude log buildings, of the
Ohio frontier in that early day. In after
years, however, The succeeded, by his own
exertions, in acquiring an ordinary busi
ness education. He is possessed of good
judgment and a strong, active mind, and
is a close observer of everything around
him, thus gaining in the great school of
experience a fund of useful knowledge and
valuable information. He has also been a
constant reader, and is well informed.
Mr. Burdue owns, and has always lived
upon, the old home farm where his youth
and early life were passed, and where he
has been engaged in agricultural pursuits
with the most encouraging success. For
several years he was also engaged in manu
facturing charcoal for the market, of
which he has burned and sold many kilns.
He is classed among the pioneers and be
longs to the "Firelands Historical Society,"
a pioneer association, being among the first
white children bora in the northern part
of Huron (now Erie) county, Ohio. In
about 1844 he went to Green Springs,
Seneca county, thirty-three miles away, to
mill, but there being many others ahead of
him, he was obliged to leave his grist and
go back a second time, thus traveling 132

miles for one grinding. When a young
man our subject was quite a successful
hunter, and killed over a hundred deer, be
sides wild turkeys and other game without
number. In 1830 he killed a very large
well-known deer (but a short distance from
the house), known as "Old Golden," which
other hunters had frequently tried but
failed to secure; his track was known by
his having lost one hoof. The antlers of
this deer, still in his possession, he keeps
as a relic of early days.
Mr. Burdue was married, November 20,
1838, to Miss Susan Hill, a native of Dela
ware county, N. Y., born October 5, 1821,
daughter of Moses and Sally (Brooks) Hill,
both natives of New York State and of
English extraction. Two children — a son
and a daughter — have blessed this union:
Moses W., born Marcii 13, 1841, and Sarah
E., now Mrs. Thomas E. Riggs, bora June
25, 1846. Mrs. Susan Burdue's death oc
curred March 17, 1885, when she was in
her sixty-fourth year. Though a member
of no church she was nevertheless a firm
believer in the Christian religion, and a
practical Christian. Mr. Burdue now makes
his home with his son Moses W. and fam
ily, on the old home place. He is and has
been an earnest, lifelong member of the
M. E. Church. In politics he was for
many years a Democrat, but is now identi
fied with the Prohibition party, and is an
earnest advocate of the temperance cause.
He is one of the old pioneers, prominent
and representative farmers of the entire
county, as well as one of its most respected
citizens. Moses W. Burdue, with whom our sub
ject now makes his home, has always re
sided on the old home farm, where he has
been engaged in agricultural pursuits, the
greater part of the time with good success.
In early life he learned the carpenter's
trade, at which he has been employed to
some extent and at various places. He re
ceived a good English and scientific educa
tion in youth at the common schools and
at the Western Reserve Normal School,

244

HURON COUNTY, OHIO.

Milan, Ohio, and in his early manhood was
engaged in teaching for a time. He was
married, February 2, 1865, to Miss Mary
P. Vanderpool, a native of Hamilton
county, N. Y., born May 27, 1842, a
daughter of Joseph and Elizabeth (Six-
bery) Vanderpool, both of whom were also
natives of that State, and of Holland and
English descent, respectively. Four chil
dren have blessed their union, namely:
George M., Mary P., Susie E. and William
Earle. Mr. and Mrs. Burdue and the en
tire family are active members of the M. E.
Church. Socially Mr. and Mrs. Burdue
are members of Townsend Grange, No.
1392. He is an earnest advocate of the
temperance cause, a Prohibitionist in polit
ical faith, and one of the enterprising and
successful farmers of the community.

HENRY C. PINNEY, a well-known
farmer of Townsend township, is a
_ native of same, born April 11,
1842, the third in the family of
four children born to Hollibert and
Harriet (Fay) Pinney, both of whom were
natives of New York State, and of English
descent. Hollibert Pinney first saw the light De
cember 29, 1801, and received a good
common-school and academic education.
He was engaged in teaching for some time,
and worked on the old homestead in New
York until he attained his majority. In
1822 he was married to Harriet Fay,
whose parents were early settlers of west
ern New York; then bought the home farm
and followed agricultural pursuits, also
working on the Erie Canal and in the salt
works. He was a member of the New
York State militia until 1835, when he
came with his wife and one child to the
far western frontier of northern Ohio, lo
cating in Berlin township, Erie county.
He bought a slightly improved place of
ninety acres, and selling it about three
years afterward, bought one in Townsend

township, Huron Co., Ohio. Here he
continued to improve and increase his pos
sessions, finally becoming the owner of
255 acres of well-improved land. For
several years the family experienced all
the hardships and privations incident to
frontier life, their few neighbors being
widely separated. On this farm Hollibert
Pinney passed his remaining days, with
the exception of short intervals. He was
for many years a justice of the peace in
Townsend township, also serving as trustee.
He belonged to no Church, but was a firm
believer in the Universalist doctrine ; was
one of the most honored and respected
citizeus of the county, and a purer, more
exemplary man in life and character it
would be hard to find. He died October
2, 1885. His ancestors were among the
early settlers of Massachusetts. Mrs.Har
riet Pinney was a firm believer in the
doctrines of the M. E. Church, and a con
sistent Christian. Her 'death occurred
March 23, 1880, when she was in her
sixty-seventh year.
Henry C. Pinney, whose name opens
this sketch, received only a common-school
education in youth, never having attended
school after his seventeenth year. He has,
however, by his own exertions in later
years, succeeded in acquiring a very good
practical business education. He is a man
of good judgment and strong natural sense,
and is now possessed of a fund of general
information, having been all his life an ex
tensive and careful reader. He was em
ployed on the old home farm until he was
nineteen years old, soon after which, in
September, 1861, he enlisted, in Company
C, Fifty-fifth O. V. I., was mustered in,
and went south with his regiment January
22, 1862. They were assigned to duty
with the army of the Potomac, and our
subject participated in the battles of Cedar
Mountain, Bull Pasture, Second Bull Run,
and many other lesser engagements, in
fact he was with his regiment in all its
marches and engagements until the latter
part of August, when he had a severe at-

HURON COUNTY, OHIO.

245

tack of typhoid fever, and was sent to Mt.
Pleasant hospital, Washington, D. C,
where he remained for' several months.
Still being unfit for active duty at the
front, he was transferred to the V. R. C,
and served with same at Washington until
the expiration of his term of service, being
mustered out September 17, 1864. He
then returned to Huron county, Ohio,
where he engaged in agricultural pursuits,
and has been so employed ever since, with
good success, now owning a well-improved
farm of 111 acres.
Mr. Pinney was married October 16,
1864, to Miss Sarah Jane Roberts, a na
tive of Berlinville, Erie Co., Ohio, born
October 12, 1843. She is a daughter of
Thomas and Lucy (Baley) Roberts, both of
whom were natives of Pennsylvania, and of
German descent. To Mr. and Mrs. Pinney
have been born three daughters, namely :
Lucy Harriet (now Mrs. Charles Schreiner),
Ida Jane and Carrie Agnes. In politics
Mr. Pinney has always been a Republican;
in 1881 he was elected trustee of Townsend
township, serving four years, and was
again elected to the same office in the
spring of 1891, for a term of three years.
He belongs to no Cliurch, but is a firm be
liever in the Christian religion, and leans
toward the doctrines of the Universalists.
He was a charter member of Townsend
Post No. 414, G. A. R., in which he has
filled the position of quartermaster ever
since its organization in April, 1885.

THOMAS HURST, a member of the
farming community of Townsend
township, is a native of the Province
of Quebec, Canada, born November
10, 1843, a son of John and Mar
garet (Hislop) Hurst.
John Hurst was born in Lancashire,
England, a son of Thomas Hurst, a weaver,
who followed t-hat trade in his native land
until his death, which occurred when his
son John was very young. John Hurst

received a very fair education in England,
and after his father's death commenced to
learn the weaver's trade, in which he con
tinued until reaching manhood. He then
enlisted in the British army, in the Royal
Artillery, in which he served continuously
twenty-seven and a half years, including
the period during which all Europe was
engaged in the Napoleonic wars, being for
a considerable time under the command of
the " Iron Duke." - He also participated
in the famous Peninsular war, in Spain
and Portugal, and while he was serving in
that campaign his mother died. Later on
— in the war of 1812-14 — his regiment
was sent to America (landing at Quebec),
and he was with the British forces at the
battle of Plattsburg, near Lake Cham-
plaifi. While engaged in garrison duty
at a fort located on an island in the Riche
lieu river, some fifteen miles north of
Plattsburg, he first met and became ac
quainted with Miss Margaret Hislop, a
native of Edinburgh, Scotland, to whom he
was soon afterward united in the bonds of
wedlock. After his marriage he remained
in the army several years, doing garrison
duty at various posts in Canada, among
them one near Niagara. Upon his final
release from military duty he was obliged
to go back to England, where he received
his discharge and other documents, return
ing to Canada as soon as they were secured,
and locating on a farm near the Richelieu
river, bought by his wife during his ab
sence. Here he continued to reside, and
was successfully engaged in agricultural
pursuits until his death, which occurred
in October, 1854, when he was in bis
sixty-eight year. Both he and his wife
were lifelong members of the Episcopal
Church. James Hislop, the father of Mrs. Mar
garet Hurst, was twice married in bis
native land, Scotland, first time to Miss
Park (a cousin of the noted traveler and
explorer, Mungo Park), who bore him four
children, among whom was the mother of
our subject. Mr. Hislop next married a

246

HURON COUNTY, OHIO.

Miss Betson, and two sons blessed this
union. During the first years of the
present century Mr. Hislop emigrated to
America, settling in Lower Canada. He
was a stone-cutter and carver by occupa
tion, and was universally conceded to be
one of the finest workmen in the country.
Shortly before the war of 1812, he, with
others, contracted with the English Gov
ernment for the Construction of extensive
barracks and fortifications along the Cana
dian and American frontier, many of
which works are still standing, monu
ments of their skill and energy. Mr.
Hislop continued to follow his trade until
his death. For many years before com
ing to America he was a prominent and
extensive contractor in the stone-cutting
business in Edinburgh, Scotland, during
which time he had in his employ a man
named Dixon, who, years afterward, be
came inspector of the reformatory pri
sons in Canada, one of which was built
by Mr. Hislop on the same island in the
Richelieu before alluded to as the site of
the fort. Prior to his immigration he was
a devout member of the Presbyterian
Church, but after his arrival in Canada he
identified' himself with the Episcopal
Church. Thomas Hurst, tbe subject proper of
this sketch, was the ninth in the family
of eleven children of John and Margaret
Hurst, and received a very fair English
education at the common schools of
Canada in early life. After his father's
death, which occurred when he was only
ten years old, he remained on the old
homestead with his mother until her death,
which occurred in 1857, when our sub
ject was but fourteen years of age. Being
thus left an orphan at an early age,
he was thrown entirely on his own re
sources, and compelled to begin the battle
with the stern realities of life alone. For
several years he was employed by the
month — generally on a farm — but was
neither afraid nor ashamed to turn his
hand to any honorable 'employment that

offered an opportunity for making an
honest dollar. On September 1, 1860, he
set out for the United States, and on Sep
tember 3 found himself at Kipton, Lorain
Co., Ohio, with two dollars and a half
in his pocket. Here he went to work
at anything that offered, usually farm
work, and in the spring of 1866 bought
a partly improved farm of sixty acres
in Wakeman township, Huron county,
having no buildings and only five acres
cleared; but during the folowing fall
he built a house, moved onto the place
March 13, 1867, and commenced farming
on his own account. On this place
he remained some fifteen years, when
he sold out and bought the farm of one
hundred acres in Townsend township,
Huron county, known as the Manville
farm (of which he is the third owner from
the original), upon which he now resides,
and where he has since been successfully
engaged in agricultural pursuits. Of Mr.
Hurst it may most truthfully be said he is
the architect of his own fortune, having
commenced the battle of life with no
friend save good health aud an energy
that knew no such word as fail, and with
no inheritance save a stout heart and will
ing liands; nevertheless, by strict atten
tion to business, industry, economy, and
honest integrity, he has succeeded in ac
quiring a very fair share of this world's
goods. He is a man of good judgment
and quick perceptions, is at present one of
the trustees of Townsend township, and
has held various other township positions.
Mr. Hurst took out his naturalization
papers and became a citizen of the United
States June 20, 1868, casting his first
Presidential vote for Gen. U. S. Grant in
November of that year.
On December 25, 1866, Mr. Hurst was
married, in Elyria, to Miss Alice M. Close,
a native of Henrietta township, Lorain
Co., Ohio, where she was born May 9,
1847, daughter of Chauncey R. and Eme
line (Ashenhurst) Close, the former of
whom was a native of Auburn, N. Y.,

HURON COUNTY, OHIO.

247

and of English descent, while the latter
was a native of Florence township, Erie
Co., Ohio, and of English-German ex
traction. Four children have blessed the
union of Mr. and Mrs. Hurst, viz.: Ernest
C, Amy M., Perry T. and Marion A.
Mrs. Hurst is a consistent member of the
Disciple Church, and while Mr. Hurst be
longs to no church, he is a believer in
practical Christianity. In politics he is a
stanch and uncompromising Republican,
and is generally recognized as one of the
leading spirits of his party in this part of
the couuty. and one of its best workers
and organizers. He has always taken a
deep interest and an active part in the
political affairs of the country, local, State
and National, and is one of the prominent,
representative citizens of his county.

bar

TEPHEN M. YOUNG. This
prominent and successful attorney
at law, who is held in the highest
esteem by both his confreres at the
of Huron county and the public at
large, has the distinguished privilege of
claiming descent from a variety of nation
alities. Through his father he has inher
ited the vigorous, hardy and courageous
blood of the Scot and Scotch-Irish ; to his
mother he is indebted for having in him
much of the vivacity and polish of the
French, beside the stability and conserva
tism of the Holland-Dutch, whilst for
some generations back the family bave
been wide-awake Americans. Tbe Young
family are (as already intimated) Scotch-
Irish, and the maternal grandmother of
our subject was a Brennan. His maternal
great-grandmother was a cousin to Aaron
Burr. Mr. Young is a son of Downing H.
Young, who was born in Virginia August
6, 1816, one of a family of fifteen chil
dren. At Shelby, Ohio, Downing was
married to Angelina Marvin, a highly edu
cated lady, and from her he received his

chief English education after marriage.
Iu early life he commenced the study of
law, and in due course was admitted to
the bar at Mansfield, Ohio, where he com
menced the practice of his chosen profes
sion. Moving to Norwalk, he here con
tinued to conduct his law business, his
practice covering in all a period of over
forty-five years. He and his faithful wife
are now passing the declining years of
their honored lives at tbe old homestead.
Eleven children were born to them,
Stephen being eighth in order of birth.
Four of his brothers were in the Federal
army during the Civil war, viz.: Andrew
J., who died at Danville, Ky. ; Henry,
mortally wounded December 31, 1862, at
Stone River, Tenn., dying January 3,
1863; Samuel, who served six years in the
army, escaping wounds, and dying at his
home afterward; Howard, who served his
full time, and also escaped being wounded.
Daniel and George Marvin, brothers of
our subject's mother, were also in the war,
both being wounded, the latter several
times, but they escaped with their lives.
Charles and John Marvin also served in
the Union army, the former as surgeon.
B. Howard, husband of our subject's sis
ter, was in an Ohio regiment, and died in
Andersonville prison.
Stephen M. Young, the subject proper
of this sketch, was born in Mansfield,
Richland Co., Ohio, March 27, 1848.
When he was about seven years of acre he
removed to Toledo, where he remained
till 1860, and then came to New Haven,
Huron Co., same State. He had received
his elementary education at the common
schools in Mansfield, Toledo and New
Haven, after which he entered Oberlin
College. On completing his studies, in
1867, he commenced teaching school, first
in Crawford county, Ohio; after which he
became assistant in one of the public
schools of Cincinnati, in which capacity
he continued three years, and then, in con
sequence of impaired health, he had to
abandon teaching. We next find him

248

HURON COUNTY, OHIO.

acting in the capacity of agent in Shelby,
Ohio, for the Merchants Insurance Com
pany, of Chicago, before the great fire in
Chicago, 1871, which among many other
calamities resulted in the closing up of
this company along witb a host of others.
Mr. Young then engaged in a similar
capacity with the Underwriters Associa
tion of Philadelphia. During all this time
he was industriously pursuing the study
of law, and in 1873 he was admitted to the
bar at Columbus, Ohio. After a brief
sojourn in Plymouth, Richland Co., Ohio,
he moved to Bucyrus, Crawford Co., same
State, where he commenced the regular
practice of law in May, 1875, continuing
till October, 1878, when he came to Nor
walk, and has since here remained success
fully practicing his profession, and build
ing up a reputation as a learned and
shrewd jurist, in civil, criminal and cor
poration law.
On July 29, 1877, Mr. Young was mar
ried in Cleveland, Ohio, to Miss Isabella
Wagner, and five children were bora to
them, viz.: Walburga, Henry, Don John,
Stephen Marvin, Jr., and Isabella Wagner.
In politics Mr. Young is a Republican;
socially he is a Freemason, and a member
of the Knights of Pythias.

EORGE SHEFFIELD, formerly of
New London, Conn., was born
April 4, 1786. In the summer of
1809 he came on horseback to Ohio
as far as the mouth of the Huron
river, returning the same way tbe follow
ing autumn.
He followed his trade (shipbuilding) till
the beginning of the war of 1812. When
the British frigate " Macedonia " was
captured by Commodore Decatur, Mr.
Sheffield was a member of the Home
Guards. Early in the winter of 1813 he
married Betsey, daughter of the late
Abishai Woodward, of New London, and
on November 18, 1814, a son, George

Woodward, was born. In June, 1816,
George Sheffield left Connecticut with his
wife and son in a one-horse chaise, his
brother, J. B. Sheffield, boy, Orrin Harris,
and man with team following. At Dun
kirk, N. Y., the family boarded a
schooner, and after an uneventful voyage
landed at Huron, Ohio, some time in the
following August. On his land on the
west bank of Old Woman creek he built a
log house, where the daughter, Betsey, was
born in September. Soon after, the place
being very unhealthy, the family moved to
Huron, where Mrs. Sheffield died on the
18th of the following November. The
next spring Mr. Sheffield moved to Lyme
township, where he, with his brothers-in-
law, William and Gurdon Woodward, kept
bachelors' hall for two years, during which
time they were preparing separate homes.
In 1819 Mr. Sheffield, for his second wife,
married Thurza Baker, daughter of John
Baker, of Strong's Ridge. In 1820 he was
elected to the office of justice of the peace.
In February, 1822, his house was burned,
and in it his little daughter, Betsey, and
the boy, Orrin Harris, together with all
the household goods. His neighbors gave
him all assistance within their power.
About 1823 Mr. Sheffield sold his land in
Eldridge township (now Berlin) to Daniel
Benschooter. In 1825 or 1826 he was
appointed to appraise the "Firelands" for
taxation. In the autumn of 1831 he was
elected treasurer of Huron county, moving
to Norwalk, and he served in that capacity
until his death. On August 20, 1834,
Mrs. Sheffield was seized with cholera, and
died that night; Mr. Sheffield was taken
witb the same disease, and died on the
23rd — three days later. There were five
children of the second marriage, viz.:
James King, who died at the age of four;
Betsey; James Fredrick; Sarah T. and
Edward. On June 14, 1846, George Woodward
Sheffield married Lucy, daughter of Gur
don and Mary S. Woodward, of which
union there were seven children, viz.:

HURON COUNTY, OHIO.

249

Mary, who married Henry G. Bramwell,
formerly of Bellevue (they now live in
Lincoln, 111.); George, who died in 1884
(he married Mary Gertrude, daughter of
the late Judge Joel Parker, of Cambridge,
Mass.); Rachel, deceased in 1885; Julia,
married to Ezra R. Oliver, of Norwalk;
James, married to Fannie A., daughter of
Samuel Bemiss, of Strong's Ridge; and
Lucy and Gurdou, the latter of whom died
in infancy. Mrs. Sheffield died in 1865.
Mr. Sheffield still lives upon his farm two
miles sonth of Bellevue, on the western
boundary of the "Firelands."

^lLLIAM C. PENFIELD, one of
tbe prominent and prosperous
farmers of Norwalk township, is
a native of Huron county, born in
North Fairfield township in 1839.
His father, Samuel Penfield, was born
near Danbury, Conn., in 1804, where he
passed his boyhood on a farm, and when a
young man learned the trade of wagon
maker. In 1827 he moved to North Fair
field, Ohio, with his mother and two sis
ters, a third sister with her husband and
family accompanying them. He had pre
viously walked from Connecticut to North
Fairfield, taken possession of a tract of
wild land inherited from his father, and
built a log cabin upon it, and on the ar
rival of the family they' found this prim
itive home awaiting them. He occupied
and improved the farm for a number of
years, during which time, in 1831, he was
married to Miss Clara A. Woodworth, of
North Fairfield, a native of Central New
York, and daughter of James Woodworth.
A few years after his marriage he rented
the farm and moved into the village of
North Fairfield, where he worked at his
trade for a short time, and then engaged
in mercantile business for several years.
About 1846 he returned to the farm, and
there passed the rest of his days, dying at
the age of fifty- three years. There were

six children born in the family, namely:
Ephraim P., Frances E., James W. (de
ceased), William O, Charles (deceased)
and Henry B. (deceased in infancy). Of
these, Ephraim P., a physician, resides in
tbe State of Washington; Frances E. mar
ried T. H. Kellogg, an attorney of Nor
walk, Huron county; Charles enlisted in
the One Hundred and First 0. V. I., at
tached to the army of the Cumberland (he
was seriously wounded in the battle of
Stone River, and died in 1871). The
father of this family died in 1857, in poli
tics a stanch Abolitionist, a strong temper
ance man, and in religious faith a member
of the Baptist Church.
William C. Penfield received his ele
mentary education in the common schools
of his native township, after which he at
tended the Normal School at Milan, Erie
county, also a select school, and then be
came a teacher himself, pursuing the voca
tion three years. In 1860 he took a trip
to Pike's Peak, and for one year mined for
gold, with fair success. The following
year he returned home, and the Civil war
having broken out he enlisted for three
years in the Fifty-fifth O. V. I. He par
ticipated in Fremont's campaign up the
Shenandoah Valley in pursuit of Stonewall
Jackson, ending in the battle of Cross
Keys; with Sigel along the Rappahannock,
the Second Battle of Bull Run, Chancel
lorsville, Gettysburg, Reach Tree Creek,
and in numerous minor engagements. At
Chancellorsville he had some remarkably
narrow escapes, being struck by bullets no
less than three times in less than a minute
— one bullet drawing blood on his knuckle,
another striking his elbow, while a third
pierced his knapsack. At Gettysburg he
was taken prisoner, conveyed by way of
the Shenandoah Valley to Richmond, and
confined in Belle Isle prison. After bis
exchange the following spring, he rejoined
his regiment on the Atlanta campaign.
At the close of his three years service he
was mustered out at Atlanta, but early in
1865 re-enlisted, being this time attached

250

HURON COUNTY, OHIO.

to Gen. Hancock's corps, and was on duty
in Washington during the trial and at the
execution of the conspirators who took
part in the murder of President Lincoln.
In 1866 he was mustered out of the serv
ice, having been in the army over four
years, and during all this time of service
he was never absent from his company ex
cept while a prisoner.
On his return home from the army Mr.
Penfield went to Michigan, and was there
engaged in milling for five years, at the
end of which time he once more came to
Huron county and engaged in farming.
He has a nice property of about ninety
acres, just outside the city limits of Nor
walk. In 1869 he married Miss Agnes
A. Perry, of that city, a daughter of Orfus
Perry, a farmer, and three children were
born to this union, viz.: Clara M.; Leah,
who died in infancy; and Louis P. Po
litically our subject has always been a
stanch Republican, and he and his wife are
members of the Baptist Church.

;HARLES ROWLEY. In the career
of Charles Rowley we find one of
the best examples of the thrifty,
enterprising descendants of that
sturdy New England stock, which charac
terizes the Western Reserve, and has made
it so justly famous as one of the great
centers of intelligence, morality and pros
perity. He came from an old English
family, his quite remote ancestors being
among the very first settlers and pioneers
of Connecticut.
His grandfather, Eli Smith Rowley,
bora about the middle of the eighteenth
century, was a man of strong character
and convictions, and thoroughly patriotic.
When but fifteen years of age he enlisted
in the Revolutionary war, and was cap
tured by the British; bnt, though a mere
boy, he managed to make his escape, and by
traveling at night again reached the Co
lonial ranks, where, by his valiant service,

combined with his extreme youth, he ac
quired a distinction that was truly de
served. His military life was most ap
propriately referred to by Hon. Peter
Dyckman in an address delivered on July
4, 1876, at Jefferson, N. Y., in which he
said : " I know at least one Revolutionary
hero, taking his lasting rest among the
ever silent of yonder cemetery. Many are
the scenes he has portrayed before my
mind, in reciting ' deeds immortal ' like
unto this. * * * Among the noble
patriots who have left a record of deeds of
daring and patriotism, we may upon this
Centennial Anniversary day inscribe upon
the banner of Liberty the name of Eli
Smith Rowley." At the close of tfie war
he engaged in the pursuit of farming,
which was conducted until at a very ad
vanced age he quietly retired from active
life. Edward Rowley, his son, was born Oc
tober 23, 1788. When quite young he
left school to learn the cabinet maker's
trade, which, though later returning to the
family trait of farm life, he followed till
near his death, in April, 1878. He was a
most excellent workman, and manufactured
the finest grades of household furniture,
coffins and caskets to be found at that day.
His school days were quite limited, yet
being of a studious nature, and a great
observer, be became well educated, pos
sessed an excellent address, and was a fine
musician. He was a prominent member
and an ardent worker in the Presbyterian
Church of Jefferson, N. Y., where the
greater part of his life was spent, always
taking an active part in the religious and
better side of life. In business affairs he
was successful, rearing and educating a
large family, then retiring in comfortable
circumstances. Of his first marriage three
sons were born: Frederick, the eldest,
joined the "forty-niners" in California,
and there accumulated much property;
returning, he served two terms as sheriff
of Schoharie county, N. Y., where he
spent the remainder of his life. Of the

\ .c

HURON COUNTY, OHIO.

253

other sons, Harvey is still living in west
ern New York, and .Edward, who went
South when, quite young, became a wealthy
planter in Georgia, enlisted in the Con
federate army, and was probably killed
during the war, as he has never been heard
from since. His first wife having died,
Edward Rowley, Sr., was again married,
this time to Miss Lydia Decker, who was
a member of an old family which has long
been prominent in the lumber and agri
cultural regions of Michigan and southern
Canada. She was a woman of considera
ble executive ability, especially in domestic
and church circles, yet of a mild, loving
disposition which was ever manifest. She
died April 27, 1877, at the age of seventy-
two years, at Stamford, N. Y., her hus
band following her a few months later.
Of this union five children were born:
Elizabeth (Mrs. Edwin Sweet), now living
at Eminence, N. Y. ; Sarah (Mrs. James
Merchant), who died at Jefferson, N. Y.,
in April, 1878; Eli, the elder son, who
was the first man in Schoharie county to
offer his services to his country, at the be
ginning of the Rebellion, did noble service
in the Union cause, where, by hard service
and exposure, he contracted a lung trouble
that ended in his death on July 24, 1867,
at the age of. thirty-two years; Charles;
and Mary Jane (Mrs. Dr. E. W. Gallup),
now living at Stamford, New York.
Charles Rowley was hora in Jefferson,
N. Y., January 11, 1838, and died at
North Fairfield, Ohio, November 28, 1891.
Of his life and character perhaps no better
sketch can be given than the following,
which appeared in the Norwalk, Ohio,
Experiment-News, shortly after his death:
" On a farm, in Jefferson, N. Y., in the
year 1838, Charles Rowley was born, the
youngest son of Edward and Lydia Rowley.
The name has since won for itself a re
spect and confidence so universal that only
a most true and earnest man might hope
to win. It is the fact that the life and
death of Charles Rowley presents every
where models of a pure life and a pure
14

quality of heart, so much so that the
Experiment -News has gathered the few
simple details of a life not great in glory
and tinsel of cheap fame, but rich in true
nobility of heart.
" What may have been the home train
ing of Mr. Rowley on that New York
farm is best attested by his after life. We
do not gather figs of thistles; neither do
men of the noblest refinements of nature
come from other than noble parents. Nor
did tbe precepts of those God-fearing par
ents fall on. stony soil. Almost from
boyhood earnest industry, the plodding
step to success, marked the progress of
the youth in his studies. After several
terms spent in the best school of all, the,
position of teacher studying the develop
ing sturdy natures of scholars, Mr. Rowley
completed his education in the Franklin
Literary Institute, at Franklin, New York.
" In 1860 Mr. Rowley left his home for
Michigan, where he became secretary for
extensive mill ing and lumberino; interests,
owned by a cousin, Charles Decker, splen
didly fitting him, for the successful prose
cution of his own business interests in
after years. In April, 1863, he was mar
ried to Mis.s Elizabeth Stevens, of Ripley,
Huron county, and took his bride to
Michigan with him, this time to enter the
retail store of J. L. Woods, now President
of the Euclid Avenue Bank, of Cleveland.
In November, 1886, he came to North
Fairfield and engaged in the mercantile
business, which was conducted most profit
ably by him up to the time of his death.
He was also the owner of a fine farm near
the village, the management of which oc
cupied much of his time and attention.
He was a director of the Norwalk Savings
Bank Company, and vice-president of the
Huron County Mutual Insurance Com
pany. In politics Mr. Rowley was always
a stanch Democrat, fearless in his opinions,
but not giving offense by advancing them
against contrary opinions. He was always
a faithful worker in the interests of his
party, and though in a community noted

254

HURON COUNTY, OHIO.

for its radical Republican sentiment and
with an adverse majority of three to one
against bim, has been repeatedly elected
school director, till forced to decline to
serve longer because of ill health. He has
also held the offices of township clerk and
township treasurer, an almost impossible
accomplishment for a Democrat in Fair
field. " During his early life Mr. Rowley was
a member of the strict school of the Pres
byterian Church. Of later years, and
since his residence in Fairfield, he has
been an active and devout worker in the
Congregational Church. As a sincere
Christian, firm in the faith, he met death
without fear and in calm and hopeful
resignation. His private life was without
reproach. In his family he was a loving
and always solicitous father, striving by
example rather than precept to inspire all
about him with his own earnestness of
purpose. He was liberal in giving thor
ough educations to his children, denying
them nothing that would better fit them
for the struggle of life. Among his neigh
bors no man shared more fully the public
confidence. It is related of him that in
many cases large sums of money were de
posited with him for safe keeping, the
owners showing a confidence that they did
not have in any bank or saving institution.
"At the time of his death Mr. Rowley
was a comparatively young man, but too
faithful devotion to business laid the
foundations of disease too deeply for hu
man skill to remove. For fourteen years
he has suffered in health, at times seri
ously. Last spring an attack of grip fas
tened its clutches onto him, developing
complications of disease which gradually
drew him down until he was forced to his
bed, nearly seven weeks before his death.
Nervous prostration in its worst form re
sulted, and he quietly breathed his last at
6 o'clock A. M. November 28."
He leaves surviving him his widow;
four sons, of whom the eldest, Edward F.,
is conducting the business he left, and is

president of the North Fairfield Savings
Bank; Arthur E., who after graduating in
the literary department of the. University
of Michigan, and being admitted to the
bar, is now practicing law, in partnership
with Hon. G. T. Stewart, at Norwalk,
Ohio; two small boys, Charles Scott and
Leveret Alcott; and one daughter, Anna
L., now attending college at Oberlin. In
the quiet village cemetery at North Fair
field his remains are resting in the beauti
ful family vault erected shortly after his
death.

AMUEL D. MORSE, of Norwalk
township, is a native of the city of
Norwalk, born in 1845. He is a
grandson of Asahel Morse, who in
1818 came from Ontario county, N. Y.,
to Huron couuty, locating in Ridgefield
township, at which time the country was a
veritable wilderness, wild animals and
Indians being still numerous. He was a
carpenter, a trade he followed up to the
time of coming here, after which he de
voted his attention almost exclusively to
agricultural pursuits.
After three years residence in Ridge
field township, he moved to Norwalk town
ship, same county, where he owned in all
some 260 acres of land. He entered the
ministry of the Baptist Church, and for
about thirty years exhorted in the various
localities he lived in. His wife was Esther
Eaton, of Herkimer county, N. Y., and
they had three children, viz.: Daniel,
John and Elmira, the latter being deceased.
The mother of these dying, for his second
wife Asahel Morse married Miss Lucy
Raymond, of Ontario county, N. Y., and
three children were also born to this union,
named respectively Esther (deceased), May
and Samuel. Asahel Morse's father served
iu the Revolutionary war, himself in that
of 1812, in which latter he was a captain
stationed at Buffalo, N. Y.
Daniel Morse, father of subject, was
born January 3, 1810, in Gorham, Ontario

HURON COUNTY, OHIO.

255

Co., N. Y., where his boyhood days were
spent on a farm, and in attending the
schools of the neighborhood. Having
learned the trade of a tanner, he followed
same for some time, but farming was his
chief occupation; he owned the old home
stead until 1857, in which year he came to
his present farm in Norwalk township,
comprising 108 acres. Mr. Morse mar
ried Miss Joanna Danforth, of Barnard,
Vt., a daughter of Samuel Danforth,
M. D., and they had six children, as fol
lows: Oscar, Samuel D., Asahel, Alice,
Roland and Euphemia. The father has
been a Whig and Republican in his politi
cal sympathies, and he is a member of the
Baptist Church.
Samuel D. Morse, the subject proper of
this sketch, received a liberal education at
the common and high schools of Norwalk,
from which latter he graduated. He then
went to Toledo to fill the position of book
keeper, and in that city enlisted, in 1864,
in the One Hundred and Eighty-second
Regiment 0. V. I., serving one year, dur
ing which period he was promoted to sec
ond lieutenant. From 1865 to 1867 he
attended a commercial school at Pough
keepsie, N. Y., graduating therefrom in
1867. Returning to Toledo, he kept books
there three years, and then moved .to his
present farm in Norwalk township, Huron
county, where he has since carried on agri
culture. In 1867 Mr. Morse married Miss Elvira
Smith, daughter of Joel Smith, and one
child has blessed their union: Mary Alice,
living at home. Our subject is a member
of and deacon in the Baptist Church.

jjILLIAM B. HOYT, a leading
citizen of Ridgefield township,
was bora March 4, 1820, in St.
Lawrence county, N. Y., a son of
John and Lydia (Plympton) Hoyt, the
former of whom was a farmer of St. Law
rence county, and moved to Jefferson

county, same State, in 1832. They were
married February 26; 1810, and John
Hoyt died February 25, 1875, Lydia Hoyt
on May 16, 1855.
William B. Hoyt attended the common
schools of St. Lawrence county, and mov
ing with his parents to Jefferson county,
remained there until 1844. He and three
sisters then joined a party bound for Illi
nois, and following the canal to Buffalo,
N. Y., there embarked for Sandusky,
Ohio, on the vessel " Commodore Perry."
While on Lake Erie a storm compelled
them to land at Huron, Erie Co., Ohio,
and some of the party having intended
to locate at Cook's Corners, in Huron
county, they took a conveyance thither.
They persuaded William to accompany
them, and finally deciding to remain there,
he purchased and settled on a small farm
in the vicinity. On December 22, 1846, he
was united in marriage with Mary Ann,
daughter of Edward and Rachel (Cook)
Williard. She was a native of Adams,
Jefferson Co., N. Y., and having lost her
parents when young, came to live with
relatives at Cook's Corners, Huron Co.,
Ohio. She then becamo a pioneer school
teacher in Ridgefield and Lyme townships,
receiving one dollar and fifty cents per
week as compensation for her services, and
"boarded round" among the pupils.
Mr. and Mrs. Hoyt began wedded life
on a place near Cook's Corners, Huron
Co., Ohio, where he remained until 1869.
He then purchased the fertile tract of 225
acres where he is now residing, and his
parents, coming from New York, passed
their last days with this son. On arriving
in Huron county, William B. Hoyt had no
property, but by hard work and much
expense accumulated his present fertile
and productive farm, which is underlaid
with twenty-two miles of drain tile. The
children born to Mr. and Mrs. William B.
Hoyt are: Judson W., a farmer li vino-
near Bellevue; W. Julius, an agriculturist
of Seward county, Neb.; Charles F., a
farmer of Norwalk township, Huron

256

HURON COUNTY, OHIO.

county; Hubbard W., a physician of
Bellevue; John C, a real estate dealer of
EI Dorado, Butler Co., Kans.; Fred B., a
real estate dealer of Chandler, Oklahoma;
Arthur and Edward W., both residing with
their parents. These children have all
received a college education, and are prov
ing themselves worthy qf the exceptional
advantages they have enjoyed. Mr. Hoyt
takes a pardonable pride in the fact that
nine Republican votes were cast at one
time by his family, as he is an enthusiastic
member of that party, having served in
numerous local offices. He and his wife
are members of the Congregational Church,
of which he is a deacon. Mrs. Hoyt was
a charter member of the North Monroe
ville congregation.

THOMAS DUNMORE, a well-known
inventor, and prominent citizen of
Norwalk, was born in Birmingham,
England, in 1841, a son of Joseph
and Mary (Mason) Dun morp, both
natives of England, of whose family he is
the only surviving member.
Thomas Dunmore emigrated to this
country in 1861, and immediately after
landing entered the Navy, in New York,
remaining in the service four years and
three months. He was in New Orleans
just after its capture, and spent some time
at Key West. Mr. Dunmore has traveled
considerably, having crossed the ocean
nine times. In his native land he learned
the plumber's trade, and after the war set
tled in East Boston, whence in 1866 he
removed to Cleveland, Ohio, remaining
there until 1881, when he came to Huron
county for the purpose of following his
trade of plumber and steam-fitter. He is
the inventor of an improved system of
heating and ventilating houses. He is one
of the largest stockholders in the Norwalk
Incandescent Light and Power Company,
of which he was one of the chief organ
izers and builders, and is one of the most

enterprising citizens of his adoptod town;
His system of beating and ventilating is
covered by patents, and the testimony of
experts from all parts of the country is to
the effect that it is of the highest merit —
as often reiterated: "the best in the
world." He is master of his business,
and all the important contracts in Nor
walk have been under his successful man
agement. In social life Mr. Dunmore is a member
of the I. O. O. F. and K. T., and in poli
tics he is a Republican. At Birmingham,
England, he was united in marriage with
Elizabeth Wright, and to them has been
born one 6on, Walter T. Our subject's
grandfather Dunmore was one of the most
extensive farmers in Lincolnshire, England.
Mrs. Dunmore's father (Philip Wright)
was a soldier under Wellington, and was
in the front ranks at the battle of Water
loo; one of his sons was in the English
army in India, and died iu hospital. He
had been discharged, and intended upon
his return to England to come to America,
but he died a short time after reaching his
native country.

FREDERICK RICHARD was born
November 18, 1818, in Saxony, Ger
many, and is a son of John Richard,
a tanner, who in bis day was a well-
known tradesman in the Saxon community
where he lived.
Frederick Richard attended school in
Germany, and became a fair scholar before
he began to learn the tanner's trade under
his father. In 1847 he emigrated to
America, sailing from Bremen to New
York. Qnce in this country, he waited
not in the city, but pushed westward to
Bellevue, Ohio, where he worked at his
trade four years. In 1853 he married Anna
Yeager, a native of Saxony, who came to
this country alone when twenty-four years
old, and to this marriage the following
named children were born: John, a tanner
of Monroeville; Lena, Mrs. Fred Druner,

HURON COUNTY, OHIO.

257

of Toledo; Lewis and Henry, at home;
Tillie, Mrs. August Fahrenbacb, of Mon
roeville; and August, residing at home.
After his marriage Mr. Richard located
at Monroeville, and there engaged in the
tanning business for many years, con
tinuing therein uutil he saw the tannery,
which he labored so hard to establish, grow
into an important industry. When be re
tired to his farm, he gave the business to
his son, who now carries it on with marked
success. Mr. Richard now devotes his en
tire attention to this tract, which contains
165 acres. In political affairs he votes
with the Democratic party. In religion
the entire family are members of the
Lutheran Church. His industry is re
markable. His character is well exempli
fied by the fact that with very little capital
he established a manufacturing enterprise
at Monroeville, which subsequently de
veloped into a most prosperous industry.

C. POST, the well-known liveryman
of New London, is a native of the
town, born April 6, 1841. He is a
son of Hizah and Roxanna (Culver)
Post, both natives of Madison county, N.
Y., the father born in 1808, the mother in
1826. They were married in New York
State, and about the year 1840 came to
Huron county, Ohio, locating in New
London township, where they engaged in
agricultural pursuits. The mother died
there in 1862, and the father afterward
moved to Wisconsin, making his home
there until about 1889, when he went to
New York, and there passed from earth in
1892. Their son, C. C. Post, the subject proper
of this sketch, received a liberal education
at the common schools of his native town,
and at the early age of twelve years went
on the "Big Four" Railroad as water boy,
from which position he was promoted to
brakeman, and ran the first sleeping car
that was run from Cincinnati, Ohio, to

Pittsburgh. Not long afterward he was
promoted to the position of traveling agent
for the Pittsburgh, Ft. Wayne & Chicago
Railroad, with headquarters at Indianapo
lis, Ind., thence moving to Chicago, having
been appointed city passenger agent for
the Pennsylvania Railroad; then became
ticket agent, with office at the corner of
Clark and Randolph streets, same city.
His next incumbency was a yet more re
sponsible one — general traveling agent for
the same Company, over the United States
and Canada — a position he filled with
characteristic ability and energy five years,
after which he came to New London,
locating on a farm with G. W. Bissell,
father of his first wife, Sabra L. (Bissell),
who died in 1883. He then bought the
livery business in the town of New Lon
don, which he has since successfully con
ducted. Our subject by his after marriage
with Miss Ella Gates had two children:
Clarence and Arline.
Politically Mr. Post is a Republican; he
served four years on the city council of
New London aud four years as deputy
sheriff of Huron county.

d( WHITBECK FOSTER, manager of
the Norwalk Incandescent Light and
' Power Company, is a son of John
H. Foster, who was a native of New
York, aud in 1834 came to Ohio. He
was a school teacher, afterward a stockman
and drover, then served in the Civil war as
major of the Third Ohio Cavalry. On his
return home from the war he conducted a
commission establishment in Norwalk for
some time. He was married to Nancy M.
Boardman, also a native of New York.
The father died in 1874 (his death being
hastened by his wounds and exposure dur
ing the war), and was followed to the grave
by his wife in 1886. In their family there
are, besides our subject, two sons — Frank
B. and William S. — and one daughter —
Maria Louise — all yet living.

258

HURON COUNTY, OHIO.

J. Whitbeck Foster was born July 25,
1844, in Norwalk, Huron Co., Ohio. He
attended the high schools of his native
place, then took a two years' commercial
course in Brooklyn, N. Y., graduating in
1865. After leaving school he returned to
Norwalk, and entered the sewing machine
business in partnership with N. S. C. Perkins
and W. A. Mack, with whom lie remained
until the firm dissolved; then, in company
with N. S. C. Perkins, manufactured the
Queen and Dauntless sewing machines, until
they too went out of business. He afterward
became connected with the Norwalk Light
and Power Co., continuing with them un
til April, 1891, and in April, 1892, he ac
cepted the management of the Norwalk
Incandescent Light and Power Company.
On October 22, 1888, Mr. Foster was
married to Clare A. Morehouse, who has
borne him one son, Vernon W. In poli
tics our subject is a Republican, and has
served four years as a member of the coun
cil, during which time he was very active
in securing electric lights for the city; also
served on many important committees.
He is secretary of the National Union at
Norwalk, and president of the City Board
of Equalization.

flILLIAM HIMBERGER, one of
the representative, pushing, wide
awake business men of Norwalk,
junior member of the firm of
Smith & Himberger, proprietors of lumber
yard and planing mill, was born in the
Province of Nassau, Prussia, November
23, 1841. He is the eldest in the family
of eight children of William and Minnie
(Horn) Himberger, the former of whom
was born in Prussia in 1816, and was ac
cidentally killed in 1863, while his son
William was serving in the Union army.
The widowed mother, now seventy years
of age, makes her home with the subject
of this sketch.
At the age of fourteen years William
Himberger came with his parents to

America, and proceeding from their place
of landing on these shores to Huron
county, Ohio, they here made a settlement,
farming being their occupation, in which
they met with well-merited success.
Young William, after coming here, re
ceived about ninety days schooling in all
of three successive winters, learning Eng
lish; German and arithmetic, in which he
was proficient, he had learned in his native
land. In 1861 be enlisted in the Federal
army, in Company C, Third Ohio Cavalry,
in which he served sixteen months; then
joined the Thirty-fourth Kentucky In
fantry, serving in same till the close of the
war, the last two years as sergeant. His
regiment was attached to the army of the
Cumberland, and the company in which
he was enrolled were for the most part of
the time employed in provost duty. On
June 24, 1865, he was mustered out at
Knoxville, E. Tennessee, and he received
his pay July 12, following, at Louisville,
Ky., when he returned home to the pur
suits of peace.
On February 14, 1866. Mr. Himberger
was married to Miss Mary Huntsdorf, a
native of Hessen -Darmstadt, Germany,
born in 1845, who came in 1853 to Amer
ica and to Huron county, her English ed
ucation being received in Norwalk. Four
children have come to bless their union,
viz.: Minnie, Katie, and Dora and Julia
(twins). In 1868 Mr. Himberger entered
the lumber business as yard man and
salesman in D. E. Morehouse's planing
mill and lumber yard, where he worked
his way up, serving some time in the
office, then as superintendent of the plan
ing mill, finally becoming salesman, being
there some three and one half years in all;
was in Brown & Goodnow's lumber yard
and mill, five years; in Lawrence & Gil-
sons lumber yard (present location of the
Smith & Himberger yard and mill), three
and one half years; and August 1, 1880,
commenced as a member of the present
firm. Tbey do an excellent trade, and en
joy the fullest confidence of the people,

HURON COUNTY, OHIO.

259

their patronage extending far and wide.
The firm have twice suffered heavy loss
through fire, the shop having been burned
out March 8, 1881, loss about three thous
and dollars ; and October 30, 1891, the
lumber yard was burned with a loss of
about six thousand five hundred dollars
over and above what was covered by in
surance. But their credit remained intact,
and Phoenix-like tbey arose from their
ashes, strengthened rather than weakened
by the calamities.
In politics Mr. Himberger is a Demo
crat, firm and loyal, and has served as a
member of the town council two years, and
as president of the same, one year, being
elected in a Republican ward by a major
ity of over fifty votes. Socially he is a
member of the G. A. R., U. V. U. and
Knights of Pythias; in Church connection
he is an Episcopalian.

ff T[ M. INGLER, general foreman in
IsH the Baltimore & Ohio Railroad
I Jj Company's shops at Chicago Junc-
¦J) tion, is a son of Joseph and Eliza
A. (Baldwin) Ingler, natives of
Maryland and Pennsylvania, respectively.
The father was a brick manufacturer, and
carried on that industry from youth to old
age. To Joseph and Eliza A. Ingler nine
children were born — five sons and four
daughters — H. M. being the second in
order of birth.
H. M. Ingler was boru December 3,
1828, in Columbiana county, Ohio, where
he received his education. At the ao-e of
seventeen years he was apprenticed to a
machinist at Steubenville, Ohio, serving a
full term of four years in the McDevitt
shops. In 1850 Mr. Ingler joined a party
of Argonauts, and made the journey to
California, where he remained four years.
In 1856, some two years after his return,
he found employment in the shops of the
P. C. C. & St. L. Railroad, then known as
the Steubenville & Indiana Railroad, at

Steubenville, and in 1857 began work in
the B. & 0. Railroad Company's shops, at
Wheeling, W. Va., since which time, witb
the exception of five months, he has been
continuously in their employ. He worked
at Wheeling ( W. Va.), Bellaire and Chicago
Junction (Ohio) and at Garrett (Ind.). For
twenty years he was general foreman at
Bellaire, and for six months master me
chanic at Garrett. In July, 1885, he
came to the Chicago Junction shops as
general foreman.
On July 20, 1854, Mr. Ingler married
Mary A. Burt, daughter of Isaac Burt, at
Wheeling, W. Va., and to their union the
following named children were born:
George Eldorado, who was killed by a lo
comotive at Bellaire, Ohio; Viola E., wife
of W. A. Rang, a brakeman on this divi
sion of the B. & O. R. R. (she was twice
married, first time at Bellaire, Belmont
Co., Ohio, to James McGraw, who was
killed at Bellaire while in the service of
the B. & 0. R. R. Company as fireman, to
which union was born one daughter; after
a widowhood of eleven years, Mrs. Mc
Graw married W. A. Rang); Kate T.,
wife of G. W. Deyarmon, owner of a paint
store at Bellaire, and also a contractor;
Florence, who died in infancy; Martha M.,
wife of J. L. Milligan, a shoe merchant of
Bellaire; Emma, wife of L. C. Hess, form
erly of Wheeling, W. Va., now of Chicago
Junction; Josephine A., wife of Sherman
Williams, a farmer of Huron county, and
Miriam E., Bessie M., Edna R. and Hiram
K., residing with their parents.
During the war of the Rebellion, Mr.
Ingler was a strong Unionist. He en
listed in the Ohio National Guard, in
1861, for a term of five years, and in May,
1864, went into the United States army,
One Hundred and Seventieth Regiment, 0.
V. I., for 100 days service; was in active
service in the Shenandoah Valley until
September 30, 1864, when he was honor
ably discharged at Columbus, from which
point he returned to his duties with the
B. & O. R. R. At Bellaire he was a

260

HURON COUNTY, OHIO.

member of the board of Water- works trus
tees for three successive terms, aud one of
the promoters of the water system of that
city. At Chicago Junction he was presi
dent of the school board for three years,
and ever a strong advocate of fine school
buildings. Politically a Republican, he
has always been loyal to' the party. In
social affairs he belongs to the Order of
Good Templars, to the I. O. O. F., to the
Masonic Fraternity, and to the Ancient
Order of Druids. The entire family affili
ate with the Methodist Episcopal Church.

H. JACOBS. This well-known
citizen of Norwalk traces his an
cestry through the dim vistas of
many years to a Frenchman of
the family name, who immigrated to Ver
mont in early Colonial days. His son,
John W. Jacobs, who was born in Ver
mont, fought uuder Gen. Putnam at Bun
ker Hill, and was present during the sur
render of Cornwallis at Yorktown.
His son, Gustavus, was born in 1792,
in Middlebury, Vt, and in 1818 was united
in marriage with Harriet Perkins, a native
of the same place. They removed to a
farm in the New York colony, where he
died at the age of eighty-five years. They
were the parents of nine children — seven
sons and two daughters — of which family
Henry was killed in the Civil war, and six
are yet living. The parents were members
of the M. E. Church.
Gustavus Jacobs, son of Gustavus and
Harriet (Perkins) Jacobs, was born, in
1828, in Wyoming county, N. Y., where
his youth was passed. He learned and
followed the boat-builder's trade in con
nection with the lumber business, and
came to Huron county, Ohio, in 1863.
He was married to Sarah A. Roth, who
was born March 24, 1831, in Seneca Falls,
N. Y., a daughter of Jacob Roth, and
grandchild of Casper Roth, whose parents
were natives of Germany. Casper Roth

served throughout the Revolution, having
fought at Valley Forge, taking part also
in the battle of Eutaw Springs, and was
present at the surrender of Lord Corn
wallis. His son Jacob was born in 1798,
in Pennsylvania, and was married to Cath
erine McBeth. He was a soldier in the
war of 1812, and fought at Lundy's Lane.
After the war most of his life was spent
in New York, where he died at the age of
seventy-nine years. Gustavus and Sarah
A. Jacobs have passed their wedded life
in Huron county, Ohio, where he has ac
cumulated a large fortune, and is now
conducting a sawmill at Norwalk.
W. H. Jacobs, a son of Gustavus and
Sarah A. (Roth) Jacobs, was born in 1862,
in Norwalk, Ohio. He attended the gram
mar school and high school of his native
place, and since his eighteenth year has
followed carpentry and contracting. He
and George Stewart have conducted a gen
eral business in that line under the firm
name of Stewart & Jacobs, for about one
year and a half. They engaged in. all
classes of contract work, including paving,
the laying of sidewalks and water pipes,
and employing about twenty-eight men.
W. H. Jacobs is also interested in a saw
mill. He was married to Miss Nettie
Hamilton, a native of Pennsylvania, who
has borne him one daughter — Maude — and
one son — Gustavus. In political opinion
Mr. Jacobs is a stanch Republican, and he
and his wife are members of the Congre
gational Church.

FJRANCIS B. CROSBY (deceased)
was a son of William Crosby, who
settled in Huron county, Ohio, at an
early day, but subsequently moved
to Kansas. William was born in Adams
county, N. Y. His first wife was Eliza
Stilwell, and for his second wife he married
Eliza Starkey, who accompanied her hus
band to Huron county.
Francis B. Crosby was born September
16, 1833, in Ridgefield township, Huron

HURON COUNTY, OHIO.

261

Co., Ohio, where he received a primary
education in the school of the district, and
subsequently worked on the home farm.
On December 21, 1855, he married Ade
line Franklin, who was born August 22,
1836, in Onondaga county, N. Y., and
their children were as follows : Alice 0.,
married to John Bowen, a farmer of
Greenfield township; William F. and Al
bert W., residing at home. The parents
of Mrs. Adeline Crosby were Reuben and
Rhoda (Nobles) Franklin, who settled in
Richmond township, Huron county, at an
early day. Mrs. Franklin died in 1839,
Mr. Franklin in 1840. From the death
of her parents to the time of her •marriage
Adeline resided with her sister, Mrs. Rufus
Atherton. After marriage Francis B. and
Adeline Crosby made their home on the
William Crosby homestead, which they
purchased, and where he resided until his
sudden death, April 1, 1880. After his
death the widow assumed charge of affairs,
and managed the farm and other interests
with consummate ability, until the legal
division of the estate. From 1880 to this
time Mrs. Crosby has lived in her present
home. She is a member of the Baptist
Church, and she and her children hold a
high place in the estimation of the people.-
Mr. Crosby was a lifelong farmer and
stock-grower, and built up a valuable es
tate by industry and attention to details.
Politically he was a Republican, and in
religion a Baptist.

rE. WILCOX, who was born Decem
ber 4, 1843, in Peru township, is a
grandson of Daniel Wilcox. Asahel
Wilcox, father of subject, was born
September 2, 1805, at Gorham, Ontario
Co., N. Y., and migrated to Ohio in 1820.
On March 28, 1832, he married Emily
Adams, and they_ located in Peru town
ship, Huron county, where, with the ex
ception of a short time passed in Crawford
county, Ohio, he resided until his death,

which occurred during the cholera epi
demic of 1849. His widow lives with
her son, F. E. Wilcox, on the home farm.
Mrs. Emily Adams Wilcox was bora
September 27, 1814, at Rowe, Franklin
Co., Mass.; her father, Henry Adams, was
born in 1790 in Marlboro town, Windham
Co., Vt., and was, while still a youth, a
school teacher in that place. On October
14, 1813, he married Annis, daughter of
Simeon Barr, who was also born at Rowe,
Mass., aud a year later set out for that por
tion of Ohio known as the "Firelands,"
leaving his young wife and infant daugter
Emily at Rowe, until he could prepare a
home for them in the wildnerness. He
took with him, on this long journey, a
load of tinware, which he sold on his ar
rival in Cleveland, and then proceeded to
what is now Peru township, Huron Co.,
Ohio, where, he laid the foundation of his
western home on a part of the farm now
occupied by his grandson, F. E. Wilcox,
and was the earliest pioneer of this divi
sion of Huron county. Some time later
his wife and child and a party of relatives
arrived. They journeyed on a wagon
from Massachusetts to Buffalo, N. Y.,
where the team "gave out," compelling
tbe young mother and the adults of the
. party to walk to the Adams settlement in
Peru. The original home was constructed
with poles and bark, but later a substantial
log cabin was built, near the site of the
present Wilcox residence. The children
born to Henry and Annis (Barr) Adams
were Emily, who married Asahel Wilcox;
Caroline, born in Peru township February
27, 1818, married S. D. Seymour, and died
in Taylor county, Tex.; Levi, born De
cember 27, 1820, died when seven months
old; Simeon F., born October 28, 1821,
died in infancy; Franklin L. O, bora June
5, 1823, died in 1840; Jane, born April 6,
1825, married Eliphalet Adams, and died
at Norwalk, Huron county; Levi, born
July 20, 1827, died in 1829; and Alonzo
and Melissa (twins), bora April 15, 1830,
the former of whom died May 29, 1865.

262

HURON COUNTY, OHIO.

Mr. Adams resided here until his death
from paralysis, May 24, 1881. He settled
in the forest when there was only one
house at Norwalk and one at Sandusky,
endured all the trials and privations com
mon to the pioneer, and yet, beyond the
ordinary " chills and fever" which attacked
strong and weak without distinction, he
never suffered from illness until paralysis
came to carry him off. He was not only
a pioneer in name but also in fact. He
encouraged improvements in agricultural
methods, and was the first to introduce
mowers, reapers and other implements of
husbandry into Peru township. He set out
the first seed for fruit trees, ordering the
seeds from, Vermont. A consignment of
seeds went down in Lake Erie with the
vessel on which they were shipped, but a
day later the wreckers rescued the freight
and everything which escaped dissolution
in the waters was sent to its destination.
From a bag of seeds recovered at tbat
time, the fruit trees on the present Wilcox
farm sprung. Mr. Adams was a Demo
crat in early years; but about 1856 he
joined the Whig party, and afterward be
came a strong Abolitionist. He was a
conductor on the "Underground Railroad,"
and had his own depot for concealing
refugee slaves. He taught the first school
in Peru township, assembling the pupils
in his own log cabin. He was one of
the earliest adherents of Methodism, and
helped to establish and sustain the house
of worship in Peru village, from 1824
until he joined the new denomination, in
which he remained to the period of his
death. F. E. Wilcox, whose name appears at
the head of this sketch, received his pri
mary education in the schools of Pera
township. When he was six years old his
father died, and the lad was reared at the
home of his grandfather. On November
6, 1873, he married Dorcas A. Perry, who
was born October 15, 1848, in Peru town
ship, a daughter of Daniel and Elizabeth
(Tillson) Perry. The children born to this

marriage are named as follows: Frank T.,
born September 9, 1874; Charles N., born
October 6, 1876; John N., born January
27, 1879; Perry E., bora March 3, 1881
(died Angust 5, 1882); Fred E., born Feb
ruary 27, 1883; Bert O., born March 14,
1885, and Fanny E., born April 17, 1887.
Since 1849 Mr. Wilcox has lived on the
old Adams homestead, giving close atten
tion to agricultural affairs. Politically he
is Republican, and is actively interested in
the success of his party. In church con
nection he is a leading member and officer
in the Methodist Episcopal Society, in
which he is class-leader, steward and
trustee. A descendant of the pioneers of
Peru township, and successful in all his
undertakings, he is a man of influence
here, one whose good citizenship has never
been questioned in any particular. He is
a great reader, and is thoroughly posted
on all matters relating tothe United States.

,ILLIAM T. SMITH, one of the
leading farmers of Greenwich
township, and the' most popular
of all the old residents, was born
June 17, 1823, in Cayuga county, New
York. Willis R. Smith, his father, was the son
of Daniel Smith, of Westchester county,
N. Y., aud himself was a native of that
county. When a young man he married
Ann Underhill, also a native of West
chester, and shortly after marriage re
moved to Cayuga county, N. Y. There
the following named children were born to
them: Alfred, who died in his twelfth
year in Huron county, Ohio; Phoebe, never
married, who died when fifty years old;
Daniel, a farmer of Greenwich township,
died here, aged sixty-five; Amelia, residing
in Greenwich township; and William T.,
the subject of this sketch. On May 6, 1824,
Mr. Smith and his family arrived in Green
wich township. He had been a school
teacher in New York, where he graduated

HURON COUNTY, OHIO.

263

from a college, which profession he fol
lowed after settling here, and from his
small earnings saved enough to purchase
one hundred acres of land. The condition
of his health permitted him to do but lit
tle work on the farm, and this resulted in
his giving closer attention to school inter
ests. Satisfactory to himself, his services
were most beneficial tothe community, for
boys who became distinguished men re
ceived their lessons in reading, arithmetic
and penmanship from this pioneer teacher.
In Huron county an addition of three
children was made to the family: Sarah,
living in Greenwich township; Mary, wife
of Edward Golden, of Ripley township,
and Ann, residing in her native township.
The father died on the original farm in
1871, tbe mother in 1874. They were
members of the Friends Church in which
Mr. Smith was a minister, and they were
buried in the Friends cemetery. He was
a mathematician of some note, and was as
well educated as any of his comtempo-
aries in the county.
William T. Smith was less' than eleven
months old when his parents brought him
to Huron county. He received an ele-
•mentary education here, and at the age of
twenty-two years began the carpenter's
trade under Marvin Atwater. Subsequently
the relation between employer and em
ploye was reversed, and the former em
ployer became an employe of Mr. Smith.
In 1855 Wm. T. Smith married Asenath
Rosco, who was born in 1831 in Green
wich township, and to them came the fol
lowing named children: Charity, wife of
Wm. A White, of Colfax, Wash.; Celia, a
recorded minister of Friends living in
Dodson, Ohio, wife of Eugene P. Rollman;
Yana, who died December 3, 1890, at
Colfax, Wash., where she was teaching
school, and was buried in the Friends
cemetery in Greenwich township; AlvaR.,
residing in Nebraska; Willis J., a farmer
of Greenwich township,; Huron county;
Linna, residing at home, and baby Garland,
who died July 2, 1874.

After marriage Mr. and Mrs. Smith
located on the present farm, wliich was
purchased with money saved from Mr.
Smith's earnings. For over forty years he
has followed agriculture in connection
with tbe carpenter's trade. In 1889, he
set out on a western tour, going by the North
ern Pacific route, and returning by the
Union Pacific Railroad, making short stays
in the cities along each route, and on the
the Pacific slope. In 1892 he undertook
an eastern trip, but the condition of his
health urged him to return shortly after
his arrival in New York City. His trade
has proven very useful in the successful
life of this pioneer, for his residence and
large barn are specimens of his own work.
Out of the wilderness he carved a fine
farm, and placed thereon costly improve
ments. Politically he is a Prohibitionist,
having left the Republican party. He
took an earnest, active part in in the Pro
hibition movement, and yet devotes consid
erable attention toward developing the
idea. The family, religiously, are all
members of the Friends Church. [Since
the above was written, William T. Smith,
at the age of sixty-nine years ten months
twenty-three days, passed from earth May
10, 1893, after a short sickness, the im
mediate cause of his death being dropsy of
the heart. Although his sufferings were
intense, yet he was always cheerful, and
often spoke edifying words about heaven
to the many who came to see him. He
dearly loved his family; yet toward the
last he bad intense longing to depart and
be with Christ. The morning he died, he
took his wife by the hand, and sweetly
commended her and the children into the
loving care of the Heavenly Father. He
was buried in the Friends cemetery.

"HARLES HOMER FISH, one of
the progressive agriculturists of
Ridgefield township, is a son of
Sydney D., whose parents were John
and Lydia (Van Schoy) Fish.

264

HURON COUNTY, OHIO-

Sydney D. Fish was bora November 28,
1819, in Licking county, Ohio, and when
three years of age came with his parents
to Huron county, Ohio. He there pre
pared for school teaching, following that
vocation for some time, and then clerked
several years for Parkins & Hollister, of
Mouroeville. In 1846 he married Harriet
Sherman, who was born April 4, 1825, on
the farm in Ridgefield township where she
died; she was a daughter of Daniel aud
Laura (Hubbell) Sherman. Sydney D.
Fish built a first-class grain elevator at
Monroeville, in partnership with Mr. Sar
gent, the firm name being Fish & Sargent.
In 1874 Fish & Sargent sold their interest
to Fish & Hill, the former of whom is a
brother to Sydney D. Fish, and the busi
ness has since prospered under the skillful
management of Mr. Fish. In 1866 he
moved to the farm, located one and one
half miles north of Monroeville, and con
ducted the plaee in addition to the man
agement of the grain elevator. During
the later years of his life he retired to the
farm with a comfortable competence,
which had been acquired by years "of self
sacrificing industry. He was very popular
in social life, and in politics first voted
with the Whigs, afterward uniting with
the Republicans. He died September 4,
1887, followed by his wife October 22,
1890, who was a member of the Presby
terian Church. Their children were as
follows: George S., a farmer of Ridge
field township; Rozene, widow of R. G.
Miller; Allen, deceased at the age of four
teen years; Laura J., wife of D. H. Drake,
of Kendallville, Ind., and Charles Homer,
whose name opens this sketch.
Charles Homer Fish was born Novem
ber 9, 1859, in Monroeville, Ridgefield
township, Huron Co., Ohio. He grew to
manhood on the home farm, receiving a
common-school education, and in 1882
went to Mapleton, N. D., where he con
ducted a hardware and lumber business for
four years. He then returned home, and
on December 21, 1886, was united in mar

riage with Edna J. Van Horn, a native of
Monroeville and daughter of William H.
Van Hora. Since their marriage Mr. and
Mrs. Fish have resided on their present
farm, where he follows general agriculture
and stock raising, owning some very fine
Jersey cattle. He is an energetic farmer,
whose success is but the merited reward of
thrifty enterprise. In politics Mr. Fish
votes with the Republican party. Three
children have completed the family circle,
namely: Eugene, William and an infant
daughter named Clara.

E1 J. PEAT. Among the successful
business men of Norwalk, this gen-
 l tiernan holds an enviable position
from many points of view. Sur
rounded by a wealth of bud and blossom,
whose sweet perfumes fill all the air with
fragrance, his hands are busied with deftly
arranging and caring for the fragile plants.
While others wage fierce battle in the
political arena or wear out their lives
in dingy shops and crowded factories, he
ministers to the hunger of the human soul
for beauty and refinement. A pleasant
task, and one which ennobles all who share
its privileges. However humble a home
may be, when we see a little flower treas
ured by the inmates, we recognize a kin
dred feeling which softens the hardest
hearts, and so is this true of many homes.
Norwalk may well be proud to know that
a florist prospers within her limits, for no
surer test is possible of the culture and
innate refinement of her people. As the
missionaries in hostile, savage lands wel
comed the rising spire of the Christian
church, and knew that they were among
friends, so the traveler who passes from
town to town welcomes the pure, sweet
flowers as tokens of a kindred sympathy
with nature.
E. J. Peat is a son of Edwin Peat, and
was born September 21, 1862, in Birming
ham, England. He came with his father

HURON COUNTY, OHIO.

265

to America, and they first settled in Mon
roeville, Huron Co., Ohio, where E. J.
remained until about eight years of age.
They afterward moved to Toledo, Ohio,
remaining there two or three years, then
passed one year in Wauseon, finally set
tling in Norwalk, Ohio, where he attended
the public schools. He was united in
marriage with Miss Katie Bepply, who has
borne him one son, Roy. In 1882 E.
J. Peat established his present business as
a florist, on a place then located two miles
from the center of the city, just outside
the corporation. He deals in cut flowers,
and carries on a prosperous business both
in Erie and Huron counties. His father
is yet living, but the mother passed away
some years ago.

Jff P. KOHLMYER, secretary of the
pH Metal Spinning and Stamping Com-
|| pany, Norwalk, is a native of that
J) city, born November 21, 1858,
near the spot where he now resides.
He is the eldest son in a family of six
children born to John H. aud Gertrude
(Klegg) Kohlmyer, the former a native of
Germany, a tinner by trade, who came to
America in early manhood. He married
after coming to this country, reared a re
spectable family, and by his thrift and
energy was enabled to surround his chil
dren with the comforts and advantages of
the times. He and his family are resi
dents of Norwalk. *
H. P. Kohlmyer attended the public
schools of Norwalk, and when well
grounded in the fundamentals of a busi
ness education he learned the tinner's
trade under his father. After this he en
tered a hardware store as clerk, in which
line he opened out on his own account in
1882. In 1890 he had succeeded in draw
ing the attention of others to the impor
tance of a new process of manufacturing
tin and other ware, and they organized the
Norwalk Metal Spinning and Stamping
Company, capital stock twenty thousand

dollars, Mr. Kohlmyer taking seven thou
sand dollars. The works were built, were
soon in running order, and had been in
operation about four weeks when they ac-
cidently caught fire and burned to the
ground. But by December 19, 1891, the
plant was rebuilt, and the works were not
only running, but ready to make a ship
ment of goods on that day. There are but
three metal stamping concerns in the
United States, and this is the only one
that makes the metal spun goods in nickel;
thus the products go upon the world's
markets, practically without competition,
the demand for them all continually out
running the capacity of the works. Their
stamp to make tea-kettles, etc., weighs over
twenty thousand pounds; all tbeir machin
ery is of the latest improved make, and
complete in every department. The fac
tory in Norwalk is one of the institutions
in which the people take great pride, and
its existence is largely due to the untiring
energy and intelligent persistence of the
gentleman whose name introduces this
sketch. H. P. Kohlmyer and Emma Fox, of
Toledo, Ohio, were united in the bonds of
matrimony, December 22, 1880, and to
them have come three children: Justice,
Cornelius and Adolph. Socially our sub
ject is a member of the K. of P.; the
family worship at the Lutheran Church.

El C. MORRILL, M. D. In the
practice of homeopathy, this gen-
 I tleman is one of the oldest and best-
known physicians in the city of
Norwalk. He was bora in Cuyahoga
county, Ohio, in 1842, a son of Dr. Charles
and Judith (Gate) Morrill, both of whom
were natives of New Hampshire.
Charles Morrill graduated from an allo
pathic college of medicine in Cleveland,
and after considerable practice elsewhere
located in that city, where he passed from
earth in 1892, at the age of seventy-two.

266

HURON COUNTY, OHIO.

He was in continuous practice until that
time, having made sick calls the day
before his death.
E. C. Morrill was educated at Oberlin
College, and in 1862 left this school to
join the Union army. He enlisted in
Company C, Eighty-eighth O. V. I., and
during his four months term of enlistment
was at the front in Kentucky, after which
he, with his command, was mustered out
of the service. In 1864 he re-enlisted, in
the One Hundred and Sixty-sixth Regi
ment Ohio State Militia, and was with
the army in defense of the city of Wash
ington during this enlistment. On leav
ing the service he resumed the study of
medicine, which had been interrupted by
his last enlistment, and after a thorough
preparation under a private tutor, entered
as student the Cleveland Homeopathic
College, where he was graduated in the
class of 1866. He at once engaged in the
practice of his profession at Kent, Portage
county, where he remained four years,
after which he located in Norwalk, where
he soon became one of the leading practi
tioners. His life has been that of a dili
gent student of books and men, and his
many friends testify to his genial and
sunny disposition.
On July 17, 1872, Dr. Morrill was
married in Cincinnati to Miss Martha
Moore, by which union there were four
children, viz.: Alma Rebecca, born March
21, 1873; Charles, bora September 27,
1877, died June 29, 1890; Dee, born
January 24, 1879; and Judith Anna, born
February 21, 1883.

,)ILLIAM E. GILL, M. D., a well-
known homeopathic physician and
surgeon of Norwalk, is a native
of Huron county, Ohio, born in
1854. He is a son of Edward and Esther
(Young) Gill, the latter of whom was a
descendant of a family who were early
settlers in Ohio.

William E. Gill received his education
at the public schools of Norwalk, and after
finishing a course in the high school be
came a student at the Ohio State Univer-
ity. He then commenced a course of
medicine, reading for a time under a pri
vate preceptor, and afterward entering the
Cincinnati Homeopathic School of Medi
cine. He was graduated at a medical
college, in the class of 1877, and immedi
ately returned to Norwalk, where he
opened an office, rapidly acquiring a lucra
tive practice; he is still actively engaged
in the duties of his profession. He mar
ried Sarah Kline.

V

MARVIN HIBBARD, practical
farmer in Fitchville township
_| from September, 1854, till his
death, November 4, 1879, was
born on a farm in Mansfield,
Windham Co., Conn., August 25, 1797.
Little is known of his father, Andrew
Hibbard, save that he served honorably as
a company officer during the Revolution
ary war; that he was married twice, and
reared seven children, two by his first wife
— a son (the late Gen. Daniel F. Hibbard,
of Mansfield, who died March 19, 1880, at
the advanced age of ninety-five years), and
a daughter (Betsey, Mrs. Park, formerly
of Canterbury). The other children were
John Loomis and William, who became
farmers in Cortland county, N. Y. ; Mar
vin*, the leading subject of this sketch; and
Burnham, who settled in Oneida county,
N. Y., but owned several canal boats for
years running from Cleveland to the Ohio
river. The daughter married Anthony
Weaver, of Tolland, where they lived and
died, leaving a numerous family. One of
the sons, W. A. Weaver, has had residence
in Fitchville township, Huron county, now
more than twenty-five years.
The remembrance of the family is that
Francis Hibbard, the Revolutionary sol
dier and patriot, died, having fallen from a
load of hay, when his son Marvin was six

HURON COUNTY, OHIO.

267

years old. This affliction caused the family
to be dispersed, and Marvin was appren
ticed to a farmer and shoemaker in Hamp
ton, who was a relation of the family.
Making shoes not agreeing with his
health, he turned his attention to out-door
work. He began life for himself as a
hired man on the farm in this section of
the country. When he was twenty-nine
he had accumulated about six hundred
dollars, working for five to nine dollars per
month winters and summers. As the story
goes, he planned to go West to " Holland
Purchase," in New York, and buy a farm,
but while visiting an aunt in Randolph,
Vt., he purchased a farm and made ar
rangements to improve it. Returning to
Connecticut, he married, August 29, 1826,
Zilpha Robbins, who was born September
2, 1802, near Westford. Purchasing a
horse, a yoke of oxen and an ox- cart for
conveyance, they immediately migrated to
their new home, 150 miles to the north.
The farm was in a bad condition, some of
it being so stony and covered with briars
and hedge trees that a townsman claimed
it was not worth a cent an acre. Yet this
land was reclaimed and became very pro
ductive. While residing here twenty-
eight years, nine children were born to
them, but six of them died very young,
the oldest dyiug when about eighteen
months old. The third child, Andrew
Clark, born September 17, 1829, received
a good academical education at the Orange
County Grammar School, at Randolph.
He was teacher several terms in Vermont,
also in Fitchville, Ohio. In early life he
was engaged, on account of impaired
health, in the sale of sewing machines and
musical instruments. He is now a farmer
in Fitchville. He married November 12,
1862, Sarah Augusta Palmer, daughter of
the late Linns Palmer. They have three
children:- Edith May, Clarence Worden,
and Oramel Ernest, all living.
The fourth child, Albert Keyes (born
March 15, 1831), received an education at
the before-mentioned grammar school,

and became a mechanic, and has excelled
in the manufacture of pianos and organs,
also as an inventor in his business. He
has been since 1854 connected with, and a
member of, the Mason & Hamlin Piano
and Organ Company, Boston. He has
had three children, two living at the pre
sent time.
The ninth or youngest child, John
Loomis (born August 25, 1842), came
with the family to Ohio in September,
1854. It appears that in the spring of
that yrear, having sold his farm in Ver
mont, Marvin Hibbard determined to go
west. He visited Huron county, Ohio,
and purchased a farm in Fitchville. The
price paid was thirty-two dollars and fifty
cents per acre, including personal property
valued at about two hundred and fifty
dollars. In this place he was engaged in
agriculture until his death, November 4,
1879. His widow died March 10, 1884.
They were buried in the beautiful ceme
tery in Fitchville, where a suitable mouu-
ment is erected to their memory. They
were successful in the business of farming.
In politics he was a Republican. In re
ligion they adhered in early life to the
doctrines of the Christian Church, but
later they were connected with the Advent
Christian Church, in which faith they
died. It is just to say that Marvin Hib
bard was a man of strong, quick impulses,
and of good integrity, while Mrs. Hibbard
excelled as an economist, and she con
stantly taught the art of living in her
family. According to the family arrangement,
John L. was manager after 1862, and finally
came in possession of the home estate.
In the spring of 1864 he enlisted in the
One Hundred and Sixty-Sixth 0. V. I.,
Company C; on May 15 proceeded to
Virginia with the command, and partici
pated in the defense of Washington, as
one of the hundred days men of Ohio,
until September 9, 1864.
On November 12, 1868, he married
Sarah Jane Hartman, who was bora in

268

HURON COUNTY, OHIO.

Carroll county, Ohio, in 1841, daughter of
George W. Hartman, a native of that
county, who moved to Fitchville, where he
died. There are six children, as follows:
George Marvin, now with his uncle Albert,
in Boston; Ora V.; Milo E.; Albert K,
and Alton L. and Alta J. (twins), all
living. Mr. Hibbard was executor and
administrator of the estates of his father
and his wife's father, respectively. In
political affairs he has been a Prohibition
ist since 1884, having formerly been a
Republican, and he has held various town
ship offices. In church connection he is
a Congregationalist, and has taken a very
active part in cliurch work. Mrs. Hib
bard is a Seventh Day Adventist.
As an agriculturist Mr. Hibbard takes
pains to increase the fertility of the soil;
he likes, too, to raise improved stock of all
kinds. Although he deals sometimes in
horses, he has several now on hand, direct
descendants of the " Morgan " mare bought
by his father over sixty years ago. Nor
has he failed to pay considerable attention
to horticulture.

of N.

I AY F. LANING, the subject of this
l. I sketch, is a son of John and Caroline
\yj Laning, both early settlers of New
London, Huron Co., Ohio, the former
whom was born in Middlesex county,
J., in 1819, his ancestors having set
tled in that locality some time prior to the
Revolution. John Laning came to New London in
1844, where he resided until his death,
which occurred September 24, 1887. His
wife was Caroline Wood, daughter of Gil
bert and 'Sally Wood, who removed from
Putnam county, N. Y., to New London
township, in 1832. John and Caroline
Laning were the parents of three children,
two daughters — Sarah A. (now Mrs. Will
iam Molsher) and Adilla E. (now Mrs. C.
B. Post), both residing at New London —
and one son — Jay Ford Laning, now resid
ing at Norwalk, in the same county.

Jay F. Laning was born at New London,
May 15, 1853. He gained such an edu
cation as could be obtained at the common
schools of his birthplace, by a short course
of study at an academy, aud by self-culture
through reading and study at home. From
the age of fifteen to that of twenty-one his
time was spent in teaching school and at
manual labor. Whatever spare hours he
had were devoted to the study of law, and
he was admitted to the bar in 1875, enter
ing upon the practice at his native place.
He followed this profession successfully
for eight years. During this period, what
would have otherwise been spare time was
spent in developing ideas which became
the foundation of the business in which
our subject subsequently engaged.
In 1882 he moved to Norwalk, from
which time he gradually abandoned his
law practice, and established the publish
ing house with which he is now connected.
By energy, pluck, tact, hard work and
close attention, he made the business grow
with rapidity from a very humble begin
ning to one of widespread and extensive
patronage. Important among the publi
cations of which he is the author are a
system of labor-saving books and devices
for facilitating the conduct of agricultural
fairs — a knowledge of which he gained
while acting as the secretary of the organ
ization at New London— and a line of
school supplies embracing several educa
tional books, the outgrowth of his experi
ence as an educator. His knowledge of
the law has enabled him to prepare, also,
several useful legal books and forms which
have had an extensive sale. He is an
ardent Republican, and has always taken
an active part in local political work,
representing his ward for four years in the
city council. At the election of 1893 he
was elected as Senator to represent the
Thirtieth District, composed -of Erie,
Huron, Sandusky and Ottawa counties,
in the General Assembly of the State.
He has also been actively interested in
all enterprises tending to the industrial

d. f\ LANING.

HURON COUNTY, OHIO.

271

or commercial advancement of the city.
In 1875 Mr. Laning was married to
Caroline E. Sheldon, youngest daughter of
Rufus and Mary Sheldon, for many years
residents of Greenwich township, Huron
county, and the fruits of this union are
"five children, viz.: Ford H, Joanna P.,
John J., Mary G. and Sheldon.

(F*r EORGE L. CHILDS (deceased), son
I y, of Charles Childs, was born May 18,
\A 1826, at Templeton, Mass., where
J^- he passed his childhood. Charles
Childs was a cooper at Templeton,
Mass., until the reports of the development
of Ohio urged him to move westward and
share in the work of building up the State.
About 1834 the family set out on the
journey to the "Firelands," arrived in Hu
ron county, and located at Greenfield, where
he carried on his trade in connection with
farming. For a number of years he operated
a chair factory at Greenfield, and was suc
cessful in all his. undertakings. Some years
prior to leaving Massachusetts he married
Roena Baker, apd to this union four chil
dren were born, namely: Otis, George L.,
Thomas and Frank. The mother of these
children died in 1832, and the same year
the father married HepseyBaird, to whom
eight children were bora, namely: Roena,
James, Calvin, John, Mary, Delia, Cynthia
and Marcius. The father died in 1875.
George L. Childs accompanied his father
to Huron county in 1834. The change
from Templeton was a radical one for the
boy, for he was transferred suddenly from
a town, where he had never seen a cow, to
a wilderness where the bear, wolf and deer
abounded. His youth was passed in the
manner common to pioneer boys, attending
winter school and working on the home
farm. Later he learned the tinner's trade,
and worked at same for two years at Ply
mouth, Ohio, but returning to the farm he
labored there for one year. He then bought
an interest in the chair factory at Green-
is

field, and held that for about two years, or
until he lost the amount he had invested
in that industry. Purchasing three and a
half acres of land and the little log cabin
thereori, be engaged in farming for his own
account, and two years later bought a tract
of eight acres with a better house, to which
he added twenty acres, and on which he
resided fourteen years. Moving to New
Haven township he bought a farm of 160
acres, resided thereon for two years, and
next settled on a tract of a little over 100
acres in Ripley towpship, the boundaries
of which be extended until he had a beau
tiful farm of 399 acres. In 1847 he was
married to Miss Ann M. Miller, daughter
of William Miller, who was a son of John
Miller, of Chambersburg, Penn. To this
marriage eight children were bora, namely:
Julia F. (married to J. N. Kiser), Anna
R,. (married to C, L. Harrington), William
C, Lizzie (married to G. R. Craig), Burt,
Othello, Henry and Edwin F. Of the sons,
Henry married Anna Howard; William C.
married Carrie Young; Edwin F. married
Libby Miller; Burt married Nettie Stevens.
The father of this family was a stanch Re
publican, and one of the local councilors of
his party from 1856 to the time of his
death. In religious affairs he was a mem
ber of the Freewill Baptist Church, active
in its work, and particularly so in Sunday-
school matters. Out of his industry he
created wealth, and left to his widow and
children real and personal property valued
at twenty-five thousand dollars.
Mrs. Ann M. (Miller) Childs was born
in April, 1830, at Chambersburg, Penn.
Her father, William Miller, was born there
in 1806, learned the mason's trade, and
there married Elizabeth Swinard. He
worked at his trade at Chambersburg until
his removal to Plymouth, Ohio, and re
sided in that town until 1849, when he pur
chased about 100 acres in New Haven town
ship, Huron Co., Ohio. To his marriage
were born three children: Jacob, Ann M.
and Charlotte. The mother died in 1834,
and in 1839 be married Magdalena Rook,

272

HURON COUNTY, OHIO.

who lived near Plymouth, Ohio. To this
union came five children: Peter, John,
Margaret, Eliza and William, all living.
As a farmer in Huron county, the father
made a success of life, leaving to his fam
ily 240 acres of fertile land and a large
amount of personal property. Mrs. Ann
M. Childs is the only survivor of tbe chil
dren by his first wife. She came to Ohio
when about three years old, aud attended
school until her marriage in 1847. She
is a lady of good executive ability, and
manages the affairs of the estate with
singular success.

EORGE N. ROUNDS, a promi
nent, progressive citizen of Hart
land township, is a native of New
York, born October 12, 1820. His
father, Isaac Rounds, was the son
of a Vermont farmer, and grew to man
hood on the home farm.
When a young man Isaac went to
Ontario county, N. Y., and there married
Polly Waldron, who was born in that
county in 1802. The Erie Canal, which
was commenced July 4, 1817, was under
construction when he settled in New York
State, and there was little difficulty in find
ing work to do on any of the sections.
Young Rounds went to work with a will,
and proved himself a most valuable man.
The foreman discovered that he could wheel
more clay in a barrow than any of his fel
low-workmen, and considered him a
model laborer. The children bora to Isaac
and Polly Rounds in New York State
were: George N., the subject of this
sketch; Harriet, who married Aaron Pix
ley, and died in Clarksfield township;
Mary Ann, who died when eight years old
in New York State; Benjamin, who died
in Hartland township, Huron Co., Ohio,
when young; Hiram, who died a few
weeks after; Isaac and Jacob (twins),
farmers of Hartland towuship, and Lydia,
the widow of James Conoley, of Hartland

township. After the removal of the fam
ily to Huron county, the following named
children were bora : Eleanor, widow of
Irkskine Horr, of Barry county, Mich.;
Olive, married to Joseph Briggs, died at
Keokuk, Iowa; Arvilla, Mrs. Matthias
McKin, of Iowa; Jane, who died just six
weeks after the death of the father, at the
age of eight years; and Armenthia, Mrs.
George Bostwick, of Prairie City, Illinois.
About 1835 Mr. Rounds and his family
moved to Cattaraugus county, N. Y.,
where they resided until June, 1840, when
they made the journey to Ohio. Travel
ing by wagon road to Buffalo, N. Y., they
embarked for Sandusky, Ohio, but while
on the lake a storm arose, and the boat
was driven into harbor at Erie, Pennsyl
vania. Sailing again they found that a
landing could not be made at Sandusky,
and the captain headed the boat for De
troit. After the high winds had subsided,
the return trip to Sandusky was made, and
the family landed. Without delay they
proceeded to Hartland township, Huron
county, where Mr. Rounds rented a tract
of land. Within a year or so he purchased
a small farm in Clarksfield township, and
later bought a second small farm in Hart
land township. The care of these lands, to
gether with other tracts which he worked
on shares and laboring for others in clear
ing land, occupied his attention up to the
time of his death, February 15, 1850,
when a tree fell upon bim, crushing his
head to a pulp. The tragic affair cast a
gloom over the entire township; for the
father of a large family, and a most in
dustrious man, was removed from the
circle of pioneers. Politically he was a
Whig, and one who took a lively interest
in local and national affairs. His widow
afterward married Simeon Chandler, and
died August 31, 1878, in Illinois, where
she was buried.
George N. Rounds was about sixteen
years of age when he accompanied the
family to Ohio. Already a bread-winner,
the change from New York to Ohio was

HURON COUNTY, OHIO.

273

an agreeable one to him, and in Huron
county he worked vigorously to make a
home for the family. On December 25,
1849, he married Mary Elizabeth Knapp
(a daughter of pioneer parents), who was
born in Hartland township in 1831. To
this marriage came the following-named
children: George F., born November 7,
1850; Angie L., Mrs. O. T. Case, of
Clarksfield township, and a son who died
in infancy, unnamed. The mother of this
family died October 13, 1886, and was
buried in Hartland Ridge, cemetery. At
the time of his marriage, Mr. Ronnds had
practically nothing save good health and
strong arms. After his father's death, in
1850, he returned to the homestead and
took charge of the farm. To-day he owns
186 acres of good land, together with a
good home and excellent farm buildings,
distancing many of the men for whom he
worked prior to 1849, in the acquisition of
real estate. His success is due to inces
sant toil, untiring industry and economy.
He now holds a place among the leading
farmers of the county, and no one is held
in higher respect or esteem. His life
goes to prove the logic of the old proverb,
" where there's a will there's a way," and
will stand a practical demonstration for
his descendants. They may learn of the
hardships and privations of the pioneers,
but never can they endure them. After
seventy years of work, Mr. Rounds stands
like a giant tree in the forest of weather
worn pioneer oaks. Years have been given
to him to witness the settlement and im
provement of Ohio, from river to lake, and
from Pennsylvania to Indiana, and in sur
veying the scene he may look round him
and say: "I have taken a man's part in
bringing about this change, and no one in
Huron county has labored* for it more
earnestly than I have." In April, 1893, Mr.
Rounds again visited Cattaraugus county,
the scenes of his childhood, and while
there met an acqauintance of his youth
in the person of Mrs. Sally Hopkins, a
widow, whom he brought back as a wife.

George F. Rounds (eldest son of George
N. Rounds) has now the entire manage
ment of the farm. For some years he
was a traveling salesman/and while thus
employed journeyed over a large area of
country; but in 1885 he returned to the
homestead, which has since claimed his
close personal attention. He is a musician
by nature, and his ability in this direction
is as well recognized throughout this sec
tion of the State as his ability as an agri
culturist is in Hartland township. On
April 2, 1892, he was married to Jeanette
Jarvis. In politics he is a Republican.

RUSE, manufacturer of tile and
brick, New London, and a leading
spirit in the manipulating of the
affairs of the town, is a native of
Ohio, born in Plymouth in 1852.
He is a son of Andrew and Margaret
(Prame) Ruse, natives of Bohemia, Aus
tria, who came to the United States in
1851, locating in Plymouth, Ohio. By
trade Andrew Ruse is a stonemason, and
he now resides in Barry county, Mich.,
whither be had moved in 1868. He is a
Democrat in politics, and a member of the
Catholic Church. The mother is yet liv
ing. They were married in Bohemia, and
had a family of nine children, of whom
our subject is second in order of birth.
A. Ruse received the elementary part
of his education in Plymouth, Ohio,
whence when fifteen years old he moved to
Michigan, where he had his home some
five years. He then returned to Ohio,
and in Shiloh, Richland county, entered
into partnership with F. J. Prame in a tile
and brick business, remaining in that con
nection ten years, or until 1883, in which
year he came to New London and estab
lished himself in a similar business, which
he has since successfully conducted. The
shed for the tile works is 238 x 22 feet, and
that for the brick is 80 x 54 feet; the out
put has been 100,000 brick, and about

274

HURON COUNTY, OHIO.

18,000 pieces of tile to each of fifteen
kilns, regular employment being given to
from seven to ten men.
In 1877, Mr. Ruse was married at
Maple Grove, Barry Co., Mich., to Miss L.
M. Dillin, a native of Knox county, Ohio,
and children, as follows, have been born to
them: J. H, Minnie and Bessie. Politi
cally our subject is a Republican, and
he is a member of the F. & A. M. and
I. O. O. F.

rJRANK M. LUTTS. Norwalk town-
is noted for its prosperous farming
community, prominent among which
is the subject of this sketch, who
is a native of Huron county, bora in 1861
on his present farm in Norwalk township.
Conrad Lutts, father of subject, was a
son of Michael Lutts, who in an early day
came from Germany to America, first
locating in eastern Pennsylvania, and after
ward moving to Niagara county, N. Y.
Being to poor to pay his passage across
the ocean, he was sold to a planter to work
out his expenses. In eastern Pennsylvania
he married Miss Ruth Dolph, and by her
had five children, viz.: Gideon, Conrad,
Jonathan, Michael and Annie. Michael
Lutts served in the war of 1812, but was
obliged to abandon his bouse on account
of the " Redcoats " and Indians. The old
flint-lock musket, minus part of the stock,
is still in possession of the family. He
had a great abhorrance for the British, al
ways shooting them on sight, and was
termed a " bushwhacker;" he is buried on
the old homestead in Niagara county,
New York.
Conrad Lutts, father of Frank M., was
born in 1799 in eastern Pennsylvania,
whence he moved with his parents to Nia
gara county, N. Y. During the war of 1812,
owing to the hostility of the Indians, he
was obliged to leave the " clearing, " to
gether with his mother and the younger
members of the family, to a safe retreat in
another county, while his father remained

behind to protect their log cabin home.
After the war was over he returned to the
home which is still in possession of his
niece Mrs. Daniel Eaves, where the old
family burial place is located, and many
members of the Lutts family found their
last resting place there, but the dates upon
the slabs are not now legible. He became
personally acquainted with Gen. W. H.
Harrison during this struggle, and after
ward voted for him when he ran for the
Presidential chair, the only Presidential
nominee Mr. Lutts ever voted for, it being
a principle with him not to vote for any
one with whom he was unacquainted.
About the year 1818 he came to Huron
county, Ohio, where in 1822 he married
Miss Mary Fancher, five children being
the result of this union, viz.: William,
George, Michael, Julia, and Mary. The
mother of these died in 1833, and for his
second wife Mr. Lutts wedded, July 3,
1834, Miss Pamelia West, of Greenfield
township, Huron county, who is yet liv
ing. She is a daughter of Augustus West,
of Albany county, N. Y., a pioneer of
Huron county, a Democrat in politics, and
a very successful man in his business en
terprises. Six children were bora to this
marriage, of whom but two survive:
Augustus, in Allegan, Mich., and Frank
M. When Conrad Lutts came to Huron
county, a single small log cabin stood
within what are now tbe corporate limits
of the city of Norwalk. On his arrival
he had in his possession no more money
than would buy a barrel of salt, and for a
long time he made a living by hunting,
selling or trading the furs of the animals
he might kill. He met with many ad
ventures in his pioneer experiences, and
had some narrow escapes from death. His
rifle is apparently as good as when used
for killing the wild animals which sup
plied his home with necessaries and other
things. Frank M. Lutts, the youngest son of
this brave pioneer, received a liberal edu
cation at the common schools of his native

HURON COUNTY, OHIO.

275

township, and at the early age of sixteen
he took charge of the home farm, owing to
his father's death, and here he has since
continued to remain. In 1881 he married
Miss Mary E. Soule, daughter of C. W.
Soule, at that time a prominent farmer, of
Bronson township, Huron county, now a
resident of Norwalk. To this union were
born five children, viz.: Bertha, Conrad,
Nellie, Howard and Idel, all living. Mr.
Lutts is owner of one hundred acres of ex
cellent land, in a good state of cultivation,
and all devoted to general crops and stock
raising. Iu politics he is a stanch Repub
lican, and he is considered to be rather
above the average farmer in reading and
literature. He has a large and well-selected
library, to which he is constantly adding
standard works, it being his ambition to
be, some day, the owner of one of the best
libraries among the farmers of his county.
He has now in his possession the anvil and
vise which Michael Lutts used in his
blacksmith shop, and which have been in
use nearly one hundred years, in Huron
county fifty-six years, and they yet show
the hammer marks of the maker.

E. TERWILLIGER is descended
from pioneers of New England,
representatives of whom migrated
into New York State, where the
subject of this sketch was born.
William Terwilliger, the father of our
subject, was an old resident of Orange
county, N. Y., and there married Betsy
Monroe. In 1834 they moved with their
family to Cayuga county, N. Y., where
Mrs. Terwilliger died in 1836.
William E. Terwilliger was born De
cember 15, 1829, in Orange county, N. Y.,
and in 1834 accompanied his parents to
Cayuga county, where he was reared in
the manner common to boys of the pioneer
period. The subscription school, with its
fee of three dollars per term, was then a
luxury, which the circumstances of his

parents would not permit our subject to
enjoy. When ten or twelve years old he
lived out as a farm hand at three dollars
per month, and worked for several farmers
at that rate. Later he found employment
on the Erie Canal between Cayuga Lake
and Albany, serving first as a driver,
afterward as a steerer. Subsequently he
was a deck hand on one of the Cayuga
Lake boats, and thus wras engaged until
he was nineteen years old, when he bought
his time from his father for one hundred
dollars, and followed boating on canal aud
lake, until 1853, when he "caught the gold
fever," and set out for California. The
start was made from Auburn, N. Y., the
following-named forming the party: James
Sherwood, Oliver Booth, Charles Clark,
George R. Van Liew, Reuben Doty,
Jasper and William E. Terwilliger, all
young men from the neighborhood. They
sailed on the " Permetias " to Greytown
on the Isthmus, thence up the river to
Castalla Rapids, thence on foot to Cas-
talla, at the head of the rapids; from
there by lake boat to Virgius Bay, and
thence by mules, furnished by the trans
portation company, to San Juan del Norte.
On this trip were 500 "argonauts." The
cavalcade was arranged in squads, each
squad being under direction of a driver,
who carried a great whip and kept the
mules in line. From San Juan del Norte
the party sailed to San Francisco, halting
only at Acapulco to take on coal. Arriv
ing at San Francisco, the party of which
W. E. Terwilliger was a member rested
for one day, and the next pushed on to
Sacramento, where he found employment
at four dollars a day, carrying brick up
three stories, the first employment which
presented itself. He followed various
businesses in California, such as contract
ing to cut 100 acres of barley for four
dollars per acre, his partner being a man
named Smith. Ultimately he bought a
gold mine, which he sold out, and returned
to New York in May, 1858. The journey
home was interesting in many ways. Tak-

276

HURON COUNTY, OHIO.

ing passage on the "Golden Gate" at San
Francisco, the ship proceeded on her way,
but when twenty-four hours out "broke
down," and had to return to port. Mr.
Terwilliger, not to be delayed, was among
the men who then embarked on the old
"Menetia," an unseaworthy craft, even
then condemned. However, she carried
the passengers in safety to the Isthmus,
the trip across which was made without
accident, and the returning adventurers
took passage on the ship "Moses Taylor"
for New York. The voyage was made
in good time, and in May, 1858, he ar
rived among his relatives in Cayuga
county, where he worked as a farm hand
until November, same year.
Mr. Terwilliger then resolved to leave
his native State and seek a home in Ohio,
where his sister, Mrs. Silas Cain, lived, and
in November, 1858, he arrived in Clarks
field township, Huron county, where in
the spring of 1859 he bought one hundred
acres of unimproved land at twenty-one
dollars. A log cabin stood on the tract,
but, such as it was, it could scarcely be
considered an improvement, and Mr. Ter
williger at once set himself to the clearing
of the forest. On January 2, ,1860, he
was married to Elmira J. Ronk, who was
born August 27, 1839, in Orange county,
N. Y., daughter of George D. and Mar
garet (Vandemark) Ronk, who now reside
in Brighton township, Lorain Co., Ohio.
She came to Ohio in 1853, and worked out
for her board and clothing, so that her edu
cation was limited to a short school term.
After marriage the young couple moved
into a house which was not yet plastered,
so that he has, practically, accumulated
his present valuable property since then.
For over thirty years they have resided on
their present place, engaged in farming
and stock growing. For seventeen years
he extensively carried on a dairy business
without withdrawing his attention from
his farm. His industry is proverbial, for
at all times he finds something for his
hands to do, and his surroundings speak

of the constant care devoted to farm, stock
and home. As a Whig, he voted for Win
field Scott. From 1858 to 1884 he voted with
the Republicans, and since 1884 has been
in the ranks of the Prohibitionists; he is
not a politician, and seldom takes any in
terest beyond casting his vote. Formerly
a Baptist, he became a Methodist, aud is
uow steward and trustee in the East
Clarksfield Methodist Episcopal Church,
of which his wife is also a member.
The children of Mr. and Mrs. Ter
williger are as follows: Anna E., Mrs.
Frank McKenzie, of Brighton township,
Lorain county ; Alma C, Mrs. George
McDonald, of Clarksfield township, Huron
county; George L, who married Miss Stella
Cowie, of Brighton, Lorain county (they
reside on one of the farms). Mr. Ter
williger is the owner of two farms, both of
which are cultivated and improved to the
highest extent.

YRUS T. KING, D. D. S., a leader
in his profession, and a popular
member of the Northern Ohio Den
tal Association, was born in Oswego
county, N. Y., in 1849.
Leonard King, his father, who was a
native of Rhode Island, when a young man
migrated .to New York, whence in after
years he proceeded to Huron county, Ohio.
His wife, Julia (Turney) King, to whom he
was married in Oswego county, N. Y., was
a native of Connecticut. Of their three
children, Warner A. is a dentist of May-
ville, Ohio; Charles D. is a missionary of
the Baptist Church in India, and Cyrus
T. is the subject of this sketch.
Cyrus T. King came to Ohio with the
family when he was six years old. Re
ceiving a practical education in the schools
of his district in Huron county, he com
pleted a literary course at Granville, Ohio,
studied dentistry under Dr. Terry, of Nor
walk, Ohio, and commenced the practice
of that profession. Later he attended the
Cincinnati Dental College, took the prize

HURON COUNTY, OHIO.

277

for the best mechanical work, graduated
from the Dental School in 1882, and re
sumed practice at New London. His
patients come from a wide district, for his
work is appreciated, and his name is well
and favorably known in connection with
the profession.
In 1873 Dr. King married Miss Addie
Knowlton, and three children were born to
them, namely: Harry L., Vinton and Ida.
Politically our subject is a Prohibitionist,
in religious faith a member of the M. E.
Church, and in Society affiliation he is
a Royal Arch Mason, well advanced in the
work of the Chapter. As before stated, he
is a member of the Northern Ohio Dental
Association, and he is as much esteemed
by his confreres as he is by his neighbors
and patients. In municipal affairs he is a
member of the board of health of New
London, and bis knowledge has been of in
estimable value in the administration of
that department of local goverment. He
has made his own way through life, and
may be classed among the self-made men
of Ohio.

OLOMON SILLIMAN, a worthy
member of the Silliman family of
Fairfield county, Conn., is a grand
son of Justus and Rebecca Silliman.
Isaac Silliman, father of subject, was
born in 1792, in Fairfield county, Conn.,
was reared on his father's farm, and re
ceived his education in the school of the
settlement at Weston, Fairfield county.
On arriving at man's estate, he married
Abby Barlow, also a native of that county,
and to them were born three children,
namely: Polly, Catherine and Solomon,
of whom Solomon is the sole survivor.
The mother died about 1826, and the father
in 1840, leaving to his children a small but
valuable farm.
Solomon Silliman was born in Fairfield
county, Conn., July 26, 1824, lost his
mother when eighteen months old, and at
the age of six years was placed in charge

of Isaac Sherwood, a very extensive farmer
of Herkimer county, N. Y. With him he
remained until 1840, when Mr. Sherwood
was killed by a falling tree. The youth
was then hired by George Sherwood as a
farm hand, the money consideration being
fifty dollars for seven months. Complet
ing the contract, he attended school during
the winter months, and worked for his
brother-in-law during the other seasons,
the wages being eight dollars per month,
which in 1842 was increased to nine dol
lars. In the fall of 1843, he migrated
to Ohio, locating in Fairfield township,
Huron county, and found employment at
ten dollars per month, with his cousin
George Silliman. A 8hort time after, he
purchased a piece of wild land in Ripley
township, Huron county, and with his
trusty axe began the task of clearing
away the forest. For three or four years
he labored to create a farm out of the
wilderness, and by 1850, had succeeded
beyond his highest expectations.
Mr. Silliman's marriage with Lucinda
Peck, daughter of Isaac Peck, a promi
nent farmer of Danube, Herkimer Co.,
N. Y., took place April 21, 1850. They
began housekeeping on the new farm,
where were born to them four children,
namely: George B.. Emma L., Hattie L.,
and Charles H, all of whom are now liv
ing. How these early settlers succeeded
is told by the fact that Mr. Silliman be
came the possessor of 659 acres of land
clear of incumbrance. In the purchase of
this large tract of fertile Ohio land, the
owner did not incur one dollar of debt, pay
ing for each extension of his farm as it was
made, besides laying by considerable
money. To each of his children he gave
a good farm. George B. resides near the
old home, and is married to Ada Long, of
New Haven, Ohio; Emma L. is the wife of
J. Quincy Adams, of North Fairfield, Ohio;
Hattie L. is the wife of Edwin C. Wood-
worth, of North Fairfield, Ohio; Charles
H. married Emma Kurtz, of New Haven,
Ohio, and resides on the old homestead.

278

HURON COUNTY, OHIO.

Mr. Silliman, having retired from farm
life, has purchased a home in Plymouth,
Huron Co., Ohio, where he now resides.
The reputation of the father as a bread
winner, and a man who hewed a magnifi
cent property out of tbe forest, honors his
children, and the history of his life en
courages industry in the field.

I S. WHITE, Norwalk. The subject
w I of this sketch disclaims the possession
\JJ of any qualities that entitle him to
the mention which his friends believe
should be made of him; yet it is in no
spirit of adulation when it is said of bim
that his life is illustrative of the success
that attends honest, well-directed endeavor,
industry, and conscientious adherence to
duty. Mr. White's grandfather, Jonathan S.,
and father, John C. White, natives of New
York State, came to Ohio in 1829, set
tling on a farm near Mansfield. The last-
named married Nancy A. Taylor, in 1840,
after which they came to Huron county,
settling in Ripley township, where, on a
piece of land entirely covered by the na
tive forest, they built a log cabin, and
commenced housekeeping iu true pioneer
fashion. Here J. S. White was born in 1844, and
here followed the hard routine of farm
life from the time he was old enough until
grown to manhood. In the early fall of
1862 the One Hundred and First Regi
ment, 0. V. I., was formed, Company C
being for the most part made up of re
cruits from Ripley and Greenwich town
ships, Huron county, and our subject was
one of the "boys" who enlisted in its
ranks. In August the regiment went into
camp at Monroeville, Ohio, and although
Mr. White had enlisted in good faith, ex
pecting to be a soldier and do soldier's
duty, he was doomed to disappointment,
for when he came before the medical ex-
he was rejected as being too

ammers

slender to stand the marches aud hardships
incident to war. So, with a heavy heart,
homeward he trod his lonely way. But
conscious that he must do something for
his country, he subsequently joined an in
dependent company, and in 1864, through
the call of Gov. Brough, he had the satis
faction of going South and doing duty as
a soldier of the One Hundred and Sixty-
sixth O. V. I.
The educational advantages of Mr.
White's boyhood days commenced in a log
schoolhouse, the expenses of which school
were defrayed by private subscription; but
he was soon enabled to avail himself of
the free schools, summer aud winter, until
such time as his services were required on
the farm. He also enjoyed a few terms of
select school, and, being taught by compe
tent teachers, he so far mastered the com
mon branches that he became a teacher, in
turn, and for several winters successfully
taught young minds how to procure an
education. In 1869 Mr. White married Marietta
E. Barre, and they settled down to agri
cultural pursuits on a small farm adjoin
ing that of his father. Here they toiled,
enjoying the fruits of their labor and re
spect of their neighbors until, in 1887,
they moved to the city of Norwalk, where
they have formed the acquaintance of
many new friends to add to the list of old
ones so dear to them. The children born
to Mr. and Mrs. White are James Edgar,
Blanche and John Gaylord, all at home.
Mr. White is one of those men to whom
the trite term. "self-made" is appropriately
applied. Though lacking the advantages
of a higher education in college, yet he has
attained much of that most valuable edu
cation of all which comes from observa
tion, experience and general reading of
books. He has made for himself a char
acter and reputation that place him in the
highest regard of the people who know
him best. The feeling of confidence in
his judgment and probity is attested by
the fact that be has not only been called

HURON COUNTY, OHIO.

281

upon to serve in offices of trust in the
township that was so long his home, but
has been chosen to fill one of the most im
portant offices in the county. In the year
1886 he was elected county auditor, tak
ing his seat in September, 1887; was re
elected in 1889, and now (in 1893) is
serving out the last of his second term to
the satisfaction of all parties ; and when he
retires into private life it will be with the
satisfaction that he has served the people
of the county in a manner that will elicit
naught but favorable comment.
Politically Mr. White has always been a
Republican, and has been an unswerving
supporter of the cause which that organi
zation espoused.

AMUEL A. WARD, son of Samuel
and Ezuba (Bailey) Ward, of Oneida
county, N. Y., was born March 18,
1832, in Fitchville township.
Samuel Ward was bora in 1790, and was
reared on his father's farm in Oneida
county, N. Y. He married Ezuba Bailey,
who was born in that county in 1793, and
to their marriage were thirteen children —
nine bora in New York and four in Ohio,
namely: Mary, who married Daniel Will
iams, died in Fitchville township; William,
deceased in Michigan; Elizabeth (widow
of George Curry), residing in Henderson
county, 111. ; David, who died in Kentucky;
Alpha, who also died at an adult age; Char
lotte, who was first married to John Jen
kins and subsequently to H. P. Starr, aud
died in Erie county, Ohio; Gurdon, who
died in Michigan; James, who died in
Bronson township, Huron county, and
Martha, who married Benjamin Filkins,
and died in Fitchville township; the chil
dren born in Ohio are Samuel A., of whom
a sketch follows; Amos, member of a
Michigan Cavalry Regiment, who died in
the South during the war; Lucy, deceased
in infancy, and Adda, wife of A. H. Fox,
of Wakeman township, Huron county.

About 1830 or '31 Samuel Ward and his
family settled in Ohio. The journey from
Oneida county, N. Y., was made by river,
canal and lake boats to the lake port, and
thence by wagon to Fitchville township.
Here he purchased 200 acres of wild land
at three dollars per acre, and entered at
once on its improvement, leaving his fam
ily at his brother's house until the rude
pioneer cabin would be ready to shelter
them. Mr. Ward subsequently exchanged
this property for another tract, on which
he resided until his death, in 1864. His
widow died in 1873, and their remains lie
in Fitchville cemetery. Mr. Ward ex
perienced all the vicissitudes of pioneer
life, conquered every difficulty and won a
very high position among the pioneers of
Fitchville. In politics at first a Democrat,
the Free-soil principles of 1848 appealed
to his ideas and claimed his support. In
1856 he became a Republican, and gave
his adhesion to the new party until his
death. He and his wife were members of
the Congregational Church.
Samuel A. Ward attended a school
taught by Elder Hall, for a few months
each year, and while yet a boy worked on
the home place and became a valuable
farm hand. During his youth he moved
to Livingston county, Mich., where he
earned good pay, residing there until 1853,
when he returned to Ohio. On October
16, 1853, he was married to Weltha Fil
kins, who was born March 18, 1831, at
Stockton, Chautauqua Co., New York.
John S. Filkins, father of Mrs. Ward,
came with his wife and seven children from
Chautauqua county, N. Y., in March, 1832,
the journey, part of the way, being made
in a sleigh. He purchased fifty acres of
wild land in North Fitchville, paying one
dollar and fifty cents per acre. His family
stayed with his wife's father, Zadok Weeks,
until such time as he could clear a place
and build a log cabin. He had much to
contend against, and many difficulties to
surmount in the daily struggle to provide
for the family; but he bravely stood up

282

HURON COUNTY, OHIO.

against all adverse circumstances. He had
to journey to Wooster, a distance of fifty
miles, to buy flour, and on one occasion he
walked the entire distance in order to make
a purchase of fifty pounds of wool; and
after getting it carded into rolls and placed
in a sack, he shouldered his burden and
walked home! His wife spun this wool
into yarn, which in turn she wove into
cloth wherewith she made garments for the
family. She died of cholera in 1834, leaving
a sorrowing husband with eight children
on his hands, the eldest being a girl of
thirteen summers, who with her father's
help kept the family together two years.
Of these eight children six are still living
besides Mrs. Samuel A. Ward, and a brief
record of them is as follows: Mrs. A. E.
Vandusen resides in Milan, Ohio; A. J.
Filkins aud Mrs. M. C. Brown are in Wis
consin; Mrs. P. A. Whitsell resides in Cen
terville, Iowa; B. Filkins lives in Fitch
ville. Ohio; W. W. Filkins in 1852 set
out for California by the overland route,
enduring many hardships on the trip; he
returned to his old home in 1876 for a
visit, and he is now a resident of Port
land, Oregon. The mother of these, as
was also her husband, was a member of
the Baptist Church. In 1836 Mr. Filkins
married Miss Betsy Lyon, who died in
1849, leaving three children, all since de
ceased, to wit: Mrs. Eliza J. Prosser, who
died in Hartland, Ohio, in 1864; Mrs.
Ellen A. Williams, who died in St. Paul,
Minn., in 1877; and Mrs. Julia E. Doane,
who died in Hartland, Ohio, in 1873. By
bis third marriage Mr. Filkins had three
children, viz.: J. M. and David A., both
engineers on the " Big Four Road," and
residents of Cleveland, Ohio; and Mrs. O.
F. Fish, living in Florida, her husband
being also a railroad engineer. In 1867
S. A. Filkins went to California, returning
to Fitchville in 1872, soon after which, in
the same year, he met with an accident at
a barn raising which caused his death.
The children born to Samuel A. and
Weltha Ward are as follows: Eva B., born

October 13, 1854, died October 7, 1880;
Adalbert, born June 27, 1856, a farmer of
Fitchville township; Carrie A., bora March
15, 1858, died November 16, 1860; Albert
E., born July 16, 1862, a farmer of Fitch
ville township; and Blanche M., born May
25, 1868, died August 13, 1881. After
marriage Mr. and Mrs. Samuel A. Ward
took up their residence in the Ward home,
and remained there until 1867, when they
entered into possession of their present
farm. Though now living a retired life,
Mr. Ward still directs the management of
the farm, which is worked by his sons.
The property is a valuable one, and in its
development the labor of Samuel A. Ward
and the economical administration of Mrs.
Ward have proved the most important
factors. Politically he is a Republican,
but he wastes but little time on politics,
as his farm and stock interests claim his
principal attention. Mrs. Ward is a mem
ber of the Methodist Episcopal Church.

d( L. HELLER, a prominent farmer
citizen of Richmond township, was
_J born March 27, 1842, in Northamp
ton county, Penn., a son of Abraham
Heller, a native of Northampton county,
Pennsylvania. Abraham Heller married Susan Ann
Bower, by whom he had children as fol
lows: Josiah, deceased in Luzerne county,
Penn.; William H., of Ada, Ohio; a
daughter that died when two years old;
Maria, who married James Parks, and
died in Ohio; Jacob L., subject of this
memoir; and Benjamin F., who enlisted
in 1864 in Company C, Forty-ninth Regi
ment 0. V. I., and was killed December
16, 1864, at Nashville, Tenn., where he
was buried in the National cemetery.
Abraham Heller was born and reared in a
hotel, and conducted a hostelry for many
years in Northampton county, Penn. He
had been unfortunate in business, and the
worry over his affairs hastened his death,

HURON COUNTY, OHIO.

283

which occurred in 18 — ¦ in Pennsylvania.
He was a much-respected citizen. In
politics he was a member of the Demo
cratic party. After the death of the father
the widow kept the children together; she
was subsequently married, in Pennsyl
vania, to David Mascho, a farmer, and in
1859 the family came westward to Ohio,
locating in the village of Sulphur Springs,
Crawford county, where they followed
farming and resided for some years. Mr.
Mascho died in 1882; his widow now makes
her home at Ada, Hardin Co., Ohio.
J. L. Heller received a common-school
education, was reared to farm life, and
when seventeen years old came to Ohio, as
before stated. Here he commenced to
learn harness-making with George Cox,
serving as an apprentice to that trade for
about six months, or until his enlistment
in the Civil war. On August 15, 1861,
at Sulphur Springs, Ohio, he joined Com
pany 0, Forty-ninth Regiment 0. V. L,
Col. William H. Gibson, and served with
his command to the close of the struggle.
He was then detailed with the Fourth
Array Corps, which was ordered to Texas,
where he served five months, aud was dis
charged November 30, 1865, at Victoria,
Texas, though he did not reach home till
January 1, 1866. His brother, William
H., was a member of the same regiment,
the same company as himself, serving at
the same time and for the same period.
On August 30, 1866, Mr. Heller was
married to Uretsa Briggs, who was born
February 27, 1846, in Crawford county,
Ohio, daughter of Dr. G. A. and Olive
(Blowers) Briggs, and to this union have
come three children, viz.: Lillie M., now
Mrs. Edison Wilcox, of Henry county,
Ohio; Harry A., of Tiffin, Ohio, and Hat
tie M., at home. After marriage our
subject located on his present place, where
he has since continuously resided, engaged
in general farming. In his political rela
tions he is a Republican, is one of the
local counselors and advisers of his party,
and has served creditably as township

trustee and in various other positions. In
religious connection Mr. and Mrs. Heller
are members of the Methodist Protestant
Church, in which he has been steward and
a teacher in the Sunday-school. He is a
prominent citizen and successful farmer,
and takes an active interest in the welfare
of the community in which he resides.
Mr. Heller has traveled considerably, and
has been all over the West.

4)

MRS. LOUISA BOGARDUS, who
was born November 12, 1819, in
Plymouth, Luzerne Co., Penn., is
a daughter of Truman and Clarissa
(Fuller) Atherton, and widow of
the late Hon. Evert Bogardus.
Hon. Evert Bogardus was a son of Jacob
B. Bogardus, whose father (also named
Jacob) was an extensive wholesale mer
chant and importer, of New York, beina a
representative of a very wealthy aud aristo
cratic family.
Jacob B. Bogardus was born November
24, 1785, and was reared in East Haddam,
Conn., where he grew to manhood and
was married about 1807 to Gertrude
Mosely, a native of the same place, whose
father, Jonathan Mosely, served six
teen years in Congress. Mr. Bogardus
followed bookkeeping for some time,
then engaged in mercantile business, and
spent several years in the West. He died
November 24, 1868, at the home of his son
in Ridgefield township, Huron Co., Ohio.
Hon. Evert Bogardus was born Sep
tember 15, 1813, in Lehman, Luzerne Co.,
Penn., and, while receiving but a sub
scription-school education, made the best
possible use of every opportunity. When
fifteen years old he was apprenticed to a
saddler in New York, bnt not liking the
business, he went to Philadelphia. He
then determined to secure a more general
education, and after spending a short time
in Kalamazoo, Mich., he followed book
keeping in Williamsport, Penn. On No-

284

HURON COUNTY, OHIO.

vember 17, 1840, he was united in mar
riage with Louisa Atherton, and resided
on a farm in Huntsville, Luzerne Co.,
Penn., for seven .years, then located at
Wilkes-Barre, same State, where he fol
lowed a commission business along the
canal. In 1856 he came to Norwalk,
Huron Co., Ohio, and in the spring of
1857 entered into partnership with a
brother-in-law. He then purchased land
in Ridgefield township, Huron county, and
devoted his attention for a time to agricul
tural pursuits. In 1860 he opened a store
in North Monroeville, Huron county,
which he sold in 1881, and afterward lived
in retirement. Evert Bogardus was a
Democrat prior to the war, at which time,
however, he joined the Republican party,
serving in various township and county
offices. He represented Huron county for
four years in the State Legislature at Co
lumbus, and served six years as county
commissioner. In religious faith he and
his wife were zealous members of the Con
gregational Church at North Monroeville,
Huron county. They were the parents of
two children, William P., a hardware
merchant of Mount Vernon, Ohio, and
Emma G., deceased wife of H. C. Read.
The father died January 26, 1892, and was
buried in the North Monroeville cemetery.
After his death his widow moved to Mount
Vernon, Ohio, where she resides near her
son, enjoying the society of many friends.

RZA B. GILSON, Se., one of the
most prominent of Huron county's
^ representative farmer citizens, and
one of the most prosperous, de
serves more than a passing notice
in this work.
The first of the family to come to
America was his great-grandfather, who
arrived iu New York from Ireland about
the middle of the eighteenth century. He
was one of two brothers, the other remain
ing in Ireland. The one who emigrated

settled in Saratoga county, N. Y., and
there reared a family of thirteen children,
of whom one, named Joel, was born about
1750. The latter was a lifelong farmer in
Saratoga, his native county, and in con
nection operated a sawmill. He was a
collector, in the service of the United
States Government, of Continental money,
and had, it is alleged, in his possession the
sum of forty-two thousand, eight hundred
and forty dollars worth of that scrip when
Congress repudiated the payment of same,
and he thereby lost all he had. In his
political affiliations he was first a Federal
ist, later a Whig, and he was a man of
considerable prominence in his section,
straightforward in his dealings, and highly
respected. He died in 1820. His wife
was a Miss Adams, of Saratoga county,
N. Y., and they had a family of seven sons
and three daughters, named as follows:
Norman, Eli, Jonas, Joel, John, Asa,
Naum, Mary, Anna and Rhoda, all of
whom lived to a ripe old age, and are all
now deceased.
Naum Gilson, father of the subject of
this sketch, was born April 27, 1793, in
Saratoga county, N. Y., and received but
a limited education at the subscriptiou
schools of the period, but by hard study at
home he became quite a proficient scholar.
In 1817 he came to Ohio, walking the
entire distance to Norwich township,
Huron county, and hewed out for himself
a home in the dense forest. He built
there the first known log house in the
township to be used as a residence; put up
the first pair of rafters, and made the first
plow and harrow ever used in the town
ship. At this time Indians and wild ani
mals, including game of all kinds, were
numerous. He served in the war of 1812,
as did also his six brothers and father.
His wife was Miss Sally Ormes, of North
umberland county, Mass., a daughter of
Chauncy Ormes, a capitalist of that
section, and the children born to them
were Giles J., deceased; Marilla D.
Spaulding and Sarah A. Halliday, both

HURON COUNTY, OHIO.

285

deceased; Eugenia M., now Mrs. Abram
DeGroff, of Grand Ledge, Mich.; Arza B.,
subject of sketch; Elon W., of Norwalk,
Huron county, an ex-treasurer of tbe
county; and Ardelia A., now Mrs. S. W.
Owen, of Norwalk, Ohio. The father
died in 1864, mourned by all who knew
him. He was a man of ability and con
siderable business tact. At one time he
was land-agent for John W. Allen, of
Cleveland, who owned a large tract of land
in Huron county; was township clerk
thirteen years, and postmaster at North
Norwich eighteen years, being the first
postmaster in Norwich township. He
entertained at his house the first minister
that came to the township, and was con
verted by him on the occasion of his first
visit, being received into the fold of the
M. E. Church. Politically he was origin
ally a Whig, afterward, on the formation
of the party, a stanch Republican.
A. B. Gilson, the subject proper of
these lines, was born April 23, 1827, on
tbe farm whereon he now lives in Norwich
township. He received a fair education
at the public schools of the locality, and,
being an apt scholar and close student,
soon fitted himself for the position of
teacher. At tbe age of eighteen he com
menced teaching school, and continued
in that profession fourteen years; he also
taught vocal music thirty-five years. In
1863 he raised a company of 115 men, and
was elected captain of Company E, Sixty-
third Regiment O. N. G. On May 2,
1864, this regiment was called upon by
the General Government for one hundred
days service, and on that day he was
chosen as major. On arriving at Camp
Taylor, Cleveland, this regiment was
joined by the Seventy-ninth Battalion
O. N. G. from Medina county, Ohio, and
was then known as the One Hundred and
Sixty-sixth O. V. L, the field officers of
which were Harrison G. Blake, Col.; Ran
dolph Eastman, Lt. Col.; and Arza B.
Gilson, Major. He served the regiment
in this capacity until the twelfth of May,

1864, when by reason of an attack of
pneumonia he was relieved from duty, and
returned home. He was mustered out of
the regiment September 9, following, at
Cleveland, Ohio. He then engaged in
farming, in which he has met with well-
merited success, now owning 228 acres of
land, besides property in Chicago, Ohio.
On February 8, 1860, Mr. Gilson mar
ried Miss Eliza A. Baker, of Medina
county, Ohio, a daughter of Chauncy
Baker, and two children have been born to
them: Aida Belle, who was a pupil of
the Conservatory of Music at Cleveland,
Ohio, married November 22, 1893, to
John M. Elder; and Arza Baker, at home
and at school. Our subject, in addition
to his many other interests, is a notary
public, and pension attorney, in which
capacity be enjoys a large practice, cover
ing several States.

T'HADDEUS S. FANCHER, farmer
and stock grower of Greenwich
township, was born April 8, 1809,
in Ulster county, N. Y., a son of
Thaddeus Fancher, a native of Eng
land, where he was born in 1777, and where
he learned the harness maker's trade.
Emigrating to the United States, Thad
deus Fancher found a home near Stamford,
Conn., followed his trade, and there mar
ried Sally Mead, a daughter of Gen. Mead,
of Revolutionary fame. To that marriage
twelve children were born, namely: Mary,
Caroline, Daniel, Mead, Eliza, Thaddeus
S., Amy, William, Sarah, Mathew, Will
iam and Varney P., of whom Sarah, Mathew
and Varney P. were born in Huron county.
About the year 1808 the family moved
from Connecticut to Ulster county, N. Y.,
where the father followed his trade until
the war of 1812 called all loyal men to
arms. Mr. Fancher was drawn into the
maelstrom, and took up arms against the
troops of his native land. After the war
he resumed his trade, and resided with his

286

HURON COUNTY, OHIO.

family in Ulster county until 1815, when
he set out on the long journey to Huron
county, Ohio, to see for himself whether
the glowing reports about the "Firelands"
were reliable. The journey was made on
foot, and satisfied Mr. Fancher that the
land was all that was claimed for it, how
ever wild the country. He returned to
Ulster county, but in 1819 revisited Ohio,
selected a tract in Greenwich township,
Huron county, and went home to prepare
for the removal of his family to a new
home in a new land. In November, 1820,
the family started on the journey to Ohio,
a wagon drawn by a yoke of oxen with a
horse for leader being used during the
long trip, which occupied five weeks and
four days. When passing through Cleve
land only eight huts marked the site of
that now prosperous city, and along the
route via Oberlin and Fitchville Caucasian
life was scarce indeed. On Christmas Eve,
1820, the family found shelter in a cabin
occupied by a man named Waters. On
Christmas Day they arrived in Greenwich
township, and took possession of an old
hut, which stood ou the farm now owned
by C. A. Sutton. Within a day or so
they had a visit from David Briggs, their
first neighbor, who lived about two miles
away, and in the walk over that short dis
tance he killed seven deer. He informed
the new comers of his feat, and with Mr.
Fancher's help gathered in the game and
insured to his new friends enough meat to
supply the table for the winter. The father
died December 26, 1854, the mother May
1, 1857. He was truly one of the pio
neers of northern Ohio, was a leading
Whig of this section, and though not an
adherent of the Democratic party the men
of that faction, who knew him, admired
him for his sincerity and honesty of
purpose. Thaddeus S. Fancher came to Ohio with
his parents when eleven years old. There
were no schools in Huron county for six
years after bis arrival, so that the boy was
compelled to tramp three miles to and fro

daily, in winter, to a school which had
been recently established in Ruggles town
ship, Ashland county. He grew to man
hood on the home farm, in the improve
ment of which he assisted materially. On
September 8, 1833, he married Annie M.
Chapman, of Richland county, who was
bora at Simsbury, Conn., October 8, 1817,
and came to Richmond county with her
parents, Cyrus and Chloe (Case) Chapman,
in 1819. The children born to them are
named as follows: Reuben, of Lake county,
Ind., engaged in farming, real estate and
insurance; Louisa, Mrs. Albert Flint, of Em
poria, Kans.; Lavina, widow of  Warren,
of Chicago; Varney P., who served in the
One Hundred and Second O. V. I., suf
fered the horrors of Libby Prison and lost
his health, dying in Missouri, after the
war; Salathiel, a real-estate man in Kansas
City; Lewis, also a resident of Kansas
City; George, a carpenter, residing at
home; Maria, Mrs. William Dennison, of
Topeka, Kans.; Stephen, deceased when
six months old; Orlando, who died when
three years old; Semore, an attorney at
Crown Point, Ind., and Luella, Mrs. Alva
Tubbs, of Osawatomie, Kans. In Septem
ber, 1833, our subject settled on part of
his present farm, increasing the area of his
lands gradually, until his large estate was
formed. In 1859 fire destroyed his build
ings and much farm produce; insurance
had expired five or six days before, so that
he suffered total loss. He found himself
one thousand seven hundred dollars in
debt, but going to work witb redoubled
energy he reached the front again, and his
progress has since been unchecked. He
provided well for his children, and to-day
enjoys the comforts which such a man
should have.
Mr. and Mrs. Fancher are the oldest
married couple in Huron county. They
well remember the days when the bear,
wolf and deer were ordinary visitors, and
when deer would come to browse on the
leaves of the fallen trees in the clearing.
Indians in parties of thirty-five or forty

HURON COUNTY, OHIO.

287

often passed their pioneer home, en route
to the hunting fields of central Ohio. For
merly a Whig, and a Republican since
1856, he has always been faithful to his
party, and he and his wife have been mem
bers of the Methodist Church forty years.
Both are identified with tbe pioneer his
tory of northern Ohio, and are honored by
all, old and young, who know them.

eWITT C. NORTON was born De
cember 10, 1826, in Poultney, Vt.,
a grandson of Solomon Norton, who
was born in Connecticut in 1757,
and reared to farming, which he made a
success. Grandfather Norton moved to Vermont
when a young man, bought a farm and
erected a saw and grist mill, all of which
he carried on for some years. He was
prosperous and became a very influential
man. At the age of seventy-five he re
tired from active life, and with his wife
(his third one) moved to the town of
Shoreham, Vt., where he passed the re
mainder of his days. He was first mar
ried, in 1774, to Miss Sarah Rexford, who
was born in 1757 in Vermont, and they
had thirteen children — seven sons and six
daughters. James R. Norton, seventh child of Solo
mon Norton, was born in Poultney, Vt.,
in 1786, and was highly educated; he at
tended one of the best eastern colleges,
was a good classical scholar, a great reader,
and was possessed of a most retentive
memory. He married Miss Chloe Savage,
of Granville, N. Y., a daughter of Solomon
Savage, of the same place, and then em
barked in mercantile business in Poultney,
in which he continued until the passage of
the Embargo Act, wliich ruined his busi
ness. He then commenced the trade of
cooper, aud worked at same in Poultney
till 1834, in which year he came to Huron
county, Ohio, and settling in Norwalk
township bought a farm of thirty acres.

Pie still continued at his trade here, while
his sons farmed the place, and became
quite prosperous, owning before his death
147 acres of laud. In politics he was a
strong Republican, one of the counsellors
and advisers of the party. Mr. and Mrs.
James R. Norton were the parents of six
children, viz.: Louisa, Charlotte L., Sarah,
James H., DeWitt C. and Henry C.
DeWitt C. Norton at the age of eight
years came with his father from Poultney,
Vt., to Norwalk township. He received
his education at the high school of Nor
walk, after which he taught school nine
winters. In 1859 he was united in mar
riage with Sarah Henderson, daughter of
Joseph Henderson, of Connecticut. After
marriage he farmed with his father until
the death of the latter in 1872, when he
bought his present farm, then of 147, now
of 177 acres, and commenced the rearing
of fine sheep, an industry he continued in
some years with good success, and he had
the reputation of keeping the best sheep
in the county. He has now on his farm
several thorough-bred cattle. Mr. and
Mrs. Norton were the parents of four chil
dren, viz.: Mary and Sarah L., both of
whom died young; Horace H., working on
his father's farm; and James P., a veteri
nary surgeon in Fulton, Mo. Iu politics
our subject is a solid Republican, but has
never sought office.

EORGE M. RYERSON was born
March 10, 1821, in Sussex county,
N. J. His father, Peter Ryerson,
followed farming, and was also an
extensive tanner and currier in that
county. During the youth of George M. Ryer
son, his native county was surrounded by
pioneer conditions of even a more decided
character than he found existing in Huron
county, Ohio, in later years. He received
such an education as the subscription
schools of Sussex county afforded, and then

288

HURON COUNTY, OHIO.

learned the carpenter's trade, at which he
worked continuously until some six or eight
years after coming to Ohio in 1850. On
January 14, 1847, he was united in mar
riage with Miss Sarah C. Edsall, a native
of Sussex county, N. J., and to them the
following named children were born:
Elizabeth, who died in childhood; Sarah,
born October 22, 1849, who married
Charles H. Burg, of Paterson, N. J.;
Price V., born November 6, 1851, a
farmer of Greenfield township, Huron Co.,
Ohio; Edsall F., born August 12, 1853,
in Huron county, also a farmer in the
neighborhood; Esther P., bora January 11,
1856, wife of A. G. Roe, of Peru township;
George E., a farmer of Fairfield township;
Dora Elzie, married to Fred Mitchell, of
Bronson township: Delno P., a farmer of
Peru township; Kate, married to Free
man Mitchell, of Greenfield township;
and Grace, the youngest child, who was
married November 15, 1893, to Henry T.
Graham, of Greenfield-. The mother of
this large family died July 4, 1877, aged
fifty-three years, and was buried in Center
cemetery with the rites of the Methodist
Episcopal Church, of which she was a
member. On June 25, 1878, Mr. Ryer
son married, for his second wife, Miss
Hannah Harrison, who was bora February
11, 1837, in Huntingdonshire, England,
and came thence to Norwalk, Ohio, in
1867. The children of this marriage are:
Mabel B., born May 4, 1879, and Susie
A., born August 28, 1880.
In 1850 Mr. Ryerson, with his wife and
two children, made the journey from New
Jersey to this part of Ohio, where he
rented a small tract of land. Later he
purchased a larger tract in Peru township,
where he now resides. A farmer and car
penter, he found work always waiting for
his hands, and his industrious character
did not permit a waste of time. A good
farmer and a good mechanic, he filled the
double role well, and accumulated a valu
able property. His children were all
reared at home, and when each required

aid in beginning life's journey, he was al
ways ready with will and means to assist.
Up to the Buchanan regime Mr. Ryerson
was a Democrat, but since that period he
has been a Republican. He has held vari
ous township offices, and is thoroughly
versed in the principles of government,
always taking a deep interest in the success
of his party, particularly in the manage
ment of township and county affairs. He
is a leading member of the Methodist
Episcopal Church, in which he has held
several offices, and is one of its pillars and
most liberal supporters. His wife is a
member of the Baptist Church. The
family are well and favorably known here,
and Mr. Ryerson, himself, is held in the
highest esteem.

URI B. THOMAS, who has been a
resident of Huron county since 1846,
was boru October 24, 1818, in
Otsego county, New York.
His parents, George and Adeline (Baker)
Thomas, bestowed care on the training oi
their son, and gave him such education as
the common district school afforded. At
the age of eighteen years sickness com
pelled him to abandon study, and for the
three following years little attention was
given by him to school matters. Con
valescent once more, he entered Clinton
Institute, Clinton, N. Y., in May, 1840,
the year he claims was the turning point
in his life, and being a studious young
man learned quickly — grammar, algebra,
chemistry, surveying, philosophy and the
higher branches of mathematics, French
and Latin being particularly suited to him.
After a stay of four months and a half at
Clinton, he contracted to teach the village
school at Burlington Flats, the considera
tion being seventeen dollars per month.
There were fifteen applicants for this posi
tion, which entailed the instruction and
control of one hundred and five pupils.
This, his first school, began November 1,

-2=*-/,

HURON COUNTY, OHIO.

291

1840, and ended in March, 1841. His
success as teacher was pronounced, so
that when he established a select school in
the same village, parents gave him a lib
eral support. For several years after Mr.
Thomas conducted school, and also found
time to attend Clinton Institute. In 1840
he walked nine miles to attend the Whig
convention at Utica, making the tow-path
of the Chenango Canal his road to and fro;
and in November of that year he cast his
first vote for President of the United
States. From 1840 to 1846 he was steadily
, engaged in school work, and in April of
the last named year he set out for Huron
county, traveling via the Erie Canal and
lake to Huron, Ohio, whence he proceeded
to his destination in Greenwich township.
His father owned a piece of partly im
proved land in that township, half of
which tract (to the value of about five hun
dred dollars) he granted to his son, pro
vided the latter would clear and improve
the whole tract. Uri B. went to work
earnestly, and though the condition of his
health scarcely warranted such labor as the
contract with his father demanded, yet his
venture was attended with marked suc
cess. In the fall of 1846 he purchased
110 acres of wild land for five hundred and
ten dollars, and gave his attention for
three- fourths of each year to the improve
ment of both tracts, being engaged in
teaching school here during the winter
terms. On April 16, 1849, Mr. Thomas mar,
ried Ellen R. McOmber, a native of Cas-
tleton, Vt., born May 21, 1829. In 1848
a sister of this lady, by name Charlotte,
visited Greenwich township; she was one
of a party going through the country,
lecturing on mnemonics, or the science of
memory, aud gave an exhibition in tbe
school, then conducted by Mr. Thomas.
She organized a class there, which her
sister, was assigned to. teach, and in this
way Mr. Thomas became acquainted with
her. They were married at the old " Neil
House," Columbus, Ohio, by a Universal
is

ist preacher, Rev. N. Doolittle, and to this
union were born the following named chil
dren: Orr U., residing at home; George
T., probate judge of Huron county; Dora
E., who died young; a son who died in in
fancy; and Luna A., who died young.
Mrs. Ellen R. Thomas died March 25,
1861, and was buried in Fitchville ceme
tery. On February 17, 1864, his marriage
with Myra B. Stowe, a native of Erie
county, Ohio, took place, and to them were
born: Walter S., who died in youth, and
Myra A., Mrs. Lewis A. Akeley, a pro
fessor in the University of South Dakota,
at Vermillion.
After his first marriage our subject
established his home on the old place
where he had resided since 1846, and con
tinued there until 1864, when he moved
to his present residence. For a number
of years he was recognized as a leading
agriculturist, stock grower and wool dealer,
in the latter capacity buying wool through
out northern Ohio. For over two years
he has led a semi-retired life, leaving his
lands and the management of the estate in
the hands of his eldest son. Mr. Thomas
was a Democrat until 1852. In 1848 he
voted the Free-soil ticket, and in 1856
yoted the Republican ticket. He was a
justice of the peace for many years, but
stoutly refused other offices, even with
drawing his pame when presented in con
vention of his party for representative in
the Legislature. He is thoroughly versed
in the political history of the United
States, and well informed on a great num
ber of subjects. Possessing a good mem
ory and the gift of language, he is a fluent,
intelligible speaker. Some two years ago
he sustained injuries from a runaway team,
which came near making him a cripple for
life, and to his own knowledge of anatomy,
more than to any other source, must be
credited his recovery.
On August 29, 1873, was organized a
corporate company, under the title of
"The Greenwich Land and Building Asso
ciation," having purchased the farm of

292

HURON COUNTY, OHIO.

121.44 acres where Greenwich now stands,
for the purpose of growing the town. The
town of Greenwich had in 1873 a popula
tion of fifty within a radius of 160 rods
from the center of the C. C. C. & I. R. R.
tracks on Main street. In 1878 the popu
lation of Greenwich, within the same
radius, was over 1,000. Mr. Thomas hav
ing taken stock in said Association, at the
election of officers in September, 1873, he
was elected its president; re-elected to that
position annually to date, and the manage
ment has been largely under his control.

El THAN C. LOVELL, a large land
owner of Greenfield township, was
 l born bere June 17, 1819, where his
parents, David and Mary Chilcott
Lovell, were early pioneers.
David Lovell was born in 1763, in
Baltimore county, Md., which, according
to Bancroft, was " the only place in the
wide world where religious liberty found
a home." His ancestors came from Eng
land, but whether with the Maryland or
Virginia colonists is not recorded. He was
reared on the home farm in his native
county, received an education in the school
of his district, and when yet a young man
removed to Huntingdon county, Penn.
There he married Mary Chilcott, also a
native of Baltimore county, Md., and they
resided in Trough Creek Valley until the
fall of 1815, when he sold his farm andjour-
peyed across the mountains with his wife
and four children. He made a short stay
at tbe home of a relative in Knox county,
Ohio, but the reputation of the "Firelands"
had penetrated to the wilderness of Knox
county, and soon the family started on the
journey to Huron county. Arriving here
Mr. Lovell eptered a large tract of land in
Greenfield township, butdidnpt buildanew
pabin immediately, preferring the shelter
which the cabin of an earlier settler
afforded until he could select a favorable
site for a home. His land purchases were

not confined to Greenfield township, so
that he carried all he could handle. At
this critical time the buyer of the farm in
Huntingdon county, Penn., failed to pay
for it, and ownership had to be resumed
by Mr. Lovell. This circumstance com
pelled him to sell, not only the old farm
at a sacrifice, but also some of his lands in
Ohio. After this troublesome deal was con
cluded, he located on the farm where Ethan
C. Lovell now resides, and gave all his at
tention to agriculture until his death, which
occurred November 16, 1830. His widow
died July 14, 1848, and both are interred in
Greenfield township. Politically he was
a Democrat, and religiously a member of
the Close Communion Baptist Church.
The record of their children is as follows:
Ruth, born March 8, 1804, died February
17, 1818, while her parents were visiting in
Pennsylvania, and was the first person in
terred in Greenfield cemetery; Martha,
bora November 2, 1806, is the deceased
wife of Edward H. Lawther, of Green
field township; Rachel, born August 6,
1809, i6 the deceased wife of Phineas K.
Guthrie; Mary, born September 10, 1811,
died November 6, 1820; Eleanor, born
August 29, 1815, is the deceased wife of
Nehemiah Brooks; Ethan C. is the sub
ject of this sketch.
Ethan C. Lovell was born and reared on
the farm where he now resides, and his
education was such as the primitive schools
of that period afforded; geography was
the boy's favorite study. After the death
of his father bis mother assumed charge of
the far m , and the son worked thereon .When
seventpen or eighteen years old he took
charge of the home farm of fifty acres,
and also of a farm of sixty acres in Peru
township, and carried both on with marked
success. He was married December 30,
1854, to Martha McKelvey, who was born
March 31, 1831, at Plymouth, Ohio. Her
grandfather, William McKelvey, was a
soldier in the Revolutionary war. In
1811 he came to the "Firelands" of Ohio,
and' settled in Greenfield township, Huron

HURON COUNTY, OHIO.

293

county; but some time afterward, when
the news of Hull's treachery and the
capitulation of Detroit was heralded
through the settlements, William McKel
vey removed his family to Trumbull
county, and he and his son William joined
the army. When peace was declared they
returned to Greenfield, Huron county.
Matthew McKelvey, father of Mrs. Lovell,
was bora January 30, 1794, in Westmore
land county, Penn. He married Nancy
Adams, who was born July 30, 1798, at
Marlboro, Vt., a daughter of Bildad
Adams, an early settler of Huron county,
Ohio. Matthew McKelvey opened a
general store near Greenfield Center; the
first dry-good^ store at Plymouth, Ohio,
was established by him, and for a long
time he was the leading merchant in a wide
district, where to-day thousands are en
gaged in trade.
Mr. and Mrs. Lovell located on the
present farm immediately after marriage,
and to-day possess one of the finest resi
dences in the township. Having no chil
dren of their own, they adopted two, who
bear the name of their foster-parents. In
political life Mr. Lovell, prior to 1856,
was a Democrat, of the Jacksonian school,
but since then he has been a thorough Re
publican; he is a strong and logical advo
cate for protective tariffs. The valuable
property which he now owns is the direct
result of his own and his wife's industry
and perseverance. He gives to agricul
ture aud stock growing the care which
generally warrants success, and to-day he
ranks with the leading farmers of this
section of Ohio.

jBILIP HAUXHURST, a success
ful farmer and prominent citizen of
Huron county, was born October 4,
1829, in Ulster county, New York.
Samson Hauxhnrst, his father,
was bora April 30, 1803, near White
Plains, N. Y, aud was raised on his

father's farm until he was eighteen years
old. In 1821 he was apprenticed to a car
penter and millwright, with whom he
served five years. On January 1, 1829,
he married Susan Briggs, who was born
February 22, 1806, in Wawarsing town
ship, Ulster Co., N. Y., where her father,
Daniel Briggs, was a farmer. To this
marriage eight children were born, of
whom the three first named in the follow
ing record were natives of New York:
Philip, the subject of thia sketch; George,
born April 10, 1832, who died September
11, 1840; Martha, born January 1, 1834,
Mrs. J. W. Sprague, of Belgrade, Neb.;
Elnora, born February 2, 1837, wife of J.
S. Laughlin, of Golden Spring, Neb.;
Mary Jane, bora September 9, 1840,
widow of  Carscallen, of Oakdale,
Antelope Co., Neb.; Sarah, born Septem
ber 9, 1842, who married Marcus Bacon,
and died December 14, 1873, at Wells-
worth, Mo.; Minerva, born August 1,
1844, Mrs. Herbert Mickey, of Fitchville
township; and Charles W., bora Novem
ber 8, 1846, died April 13, 1847.
In the fall of 1836 the parents and their
three children set out from Ulster county
for Ohio. From their home in the village
of Ellen ville, to Kingston, thirty miles
distant, they traveled in a wagon, thence
to Albany, on a Hudson-river boat; thence
to Buffalo on canal boat; thence to Huron,
Ohio, on lake boat, and lastly in a wagon
to Fitchville township, Huron county,
where tbe family found a temporary home ¦
with Robert Washburn, a brother-in-law
of Mr. Hauxhnrst. Samson Hauxhurst
was not a stranger in the new country. In
1834 he had visited the West to examine
lands, and starting from Detroit traversed
southeastern Michigan and the two north
ern tiers of counties in Ohio (east of Wood
county), on horseback. In Huron county
he found land to suit him, and purchased
140 acres at sixteen dollars per acre. After
locating here in 1836 he built a log cabin,
which soon after gave place to a log house
built by himself. From that time till

294

HURON COUNTY, OHIO.

October 23, 1880, wben death removed the
pioneer, he gave all his time and attention
to the farm, seldom even exercising his
trade, when such would take him away
from the place. Mrs. Hauxhurst died in
June, 1870. Politically a Republican, he
was well posted on public affairs, faithful
to the party platform, and filled several
township offices most satisfactorily. In
religious faith he and his wife were mem
bers of the M. E. Church, and ardent as
well as liberal supporters of same. Mr.
Hauxhurst donated a house and lot to the
missionary cause. He held various posi
tions in the church, and was, altogether,
one of its most zealous members.
Philip Hauxhurst was reared at Ellen-
ville, N. Y., until be was seven years of
age, when he accompanied his parents to
Ohio. In boyhood he attended the Fitch
ville high school, when Mr. DeWolfe, ex-
State superintendent of schools, was prin
cipal of that institution. After school
days had gone with the past, he returned
to the farm. On May 4, 1854, he was
united in marriage with Julia A. Denman,
born November 26, 1830, in Ulster county,
N. Y., daughter of Martin Denman, who
settled in Townsend township, Huron
county, in 1833. To this marriage came
children as follows: Carrie D., born Jan
uary 12, 1856, died April 7, 1864; Louisa,
born December 7, 1857, died October 3,
1875; Annabel M., born August 10, 1859,
wife of J. E. Bliss, of Fairfield township;
and an infant, unnamed, born February 8,
1863, who died a few days later. The
mother of these children passed away Sep
tember 11, 1867, and Mr. Hauxhurst's
marriage with Mrs. Mary Webster, widow
of Guy Webster, of Ionia, Mich., took
place June 7, 1870. She died without
issue, February 13, 1889, aud on June 3,
1890, our subject married Anna Filkins,
a native of Attica, N. Y., born February
22, 1835. After his first marriage Mr.
Hauxhurst located in his father's home.
This property he purchased in 1870, and
at once began the work of improving it.

The residence, which was built by himself,
is one of the finest in the township. Po
litically a Republican, he has always been
true to the party. He has filled the office
of township trustee for a greater number
of terms than any other resident of the
township, and has also served in other
local offices. In religions affairs he is a
member of the Methodist Episcopal
Church, and steward of the M. E. Society
of Fairfield.
In May, 1864, our subject enlisted in
Company C, One Hundred and Sixty-sixth
O. V. I. (formerly of the Sixty-third Ohio
National Guards), proceeded to Virginia
with the command on May 15, and served
in the defense of Washington, D. C,
against Jubal Early's raiders. He prac
tically escaped the sickness which attacked
the regiment, and receiving honorable dis
charge, was mustered out September 9,
1864, and returning home resumed farm
ing. His civil and military records are
without stain, and to-day he stands high
in the opinion of the people of Huron
county and his township.

M. WILLEY was born August 23,
1828, in the county of Durham,
England. He received but a com
mon country school education in
his native land, and when yet a boy
emigrated to America, locating in Gunins,
Seneca Co., New York.
In 1854 he came to Ohio, and being
naturally adapted to mechanical work,
entered the employ of the Lake Shore &
Michigan Southern Railroad Company in
the road's pioneer days. After leaving
this company he went to Michigan, and
became an engineer for a sawmill, in one
of the great lumber camps. Finally re
turning to Ohio, he was married, July 29,
1870, to Hattie J. Haskell, who was born
in 1843, in Worcestershire, England. She
is the daughter of George and Mary Ann
(Barber) Haskell, who came to America in

HURON COUNTY, OHIO.

295

1850, locating in Erie county, Ohio. R.
M. and Hattie J. Willey were the parents
of one daughter, Gertie M., who now has
charge of the home farm. On April 22,
1872, Mr. Willey mourned the death of his
wife, and she was laid to rest in the Nor
walk cemetery. He passed his remaining
years on the farm in Ridgefield township,
Huron county, following general agri
culture and stock raising, in which he was
successful. His death occurred August 4,
1890, when he was laid to rest by the side
of his wife.
When a young man Mr. Willey twice
sustained the loss of large sums of money
due bim for labor, but not becoming dis
couraged he again set to work, and at last
succeeded in acquiring a competence. He
became an eager reader, and spent most of
his time at home, where he could always
be found. Although very unassuming in
his manner, he was a very popular man,
and his friends were numbered by the
scores. In politics he was a Republican,
taking an active interest in the success of
his party.

JL. SLAGLE, one of the prominent
railroad men of Chicago Junction,
was born July 4, 1858, at Cassel,
Hessen-Cassel, Germany. The name,
in Germany, was originally von Schlagel,
bnt after coming to the United States the
father of George von Schlagel, grandfather
of our subject, changed the spelling to
Slagle. George von Slagle was bora in Gallia
county, Ohio, shortly after his parents had
emigrated to the United States. He re
ceived a common English education, and
by his own labor paid for his education as
civil engineer and land surveyor. About
1856 he married a' Miss Atkins, of south
ern Indiana, and while they were visiting
in Germany to settle an estate, the subject
of this sketch was bora. They returned
in September, 1858, and settled in Wapello
county, Iowa. In 1861 George Slagle en

listed as a private in Company E, Thirty-
sixth Iowa Volunteer Infantry, and later
was promoted to corporal. Taken prisoner,
he was compelled for seven months to ac
cept the terrible hospitality of the Con
federate prisons, which, with thirty-seven
months in actual service, made his full
term of three years and eight months.
Since receiving honorable discharge he has
resided at Seymour, Ind., where he fol
lows the profession of civil engineer, and
is engaged in contracting. He has three
children, namely: J. L., Frank, and Hattie
C, wife of Harry Wheeler, locomotive
engineer, of Seymour, Ind. The mother
of this family died nineteen years ago.
J. L. Slagle received a fair education in
the common and graded schools of Sey
mour, Ind. At the age of nineteen years
be entered the employ of the Missouri
Pacific as fireman on the Kansas City &
Atchison division, in which position he
served eight months, when he was pro
moted to yard engineer. After eight
months' service he resigned, returning to
Indiana, where he again found employment
as fireman, but in an accident of his road
be received injuries which incapacitated
him for heavy railroad work for three
years. He was able, however, to do cleri
cal work, and traveled over the country in
various employments. In 1881 he re
sumed railroad work, as fireman on the Bal
timore & Ohio Railroad, but later accepted
a position as brakeman ; was then promoted
to freight, and then to passenger conductor.
On July 23, 1886, he assisted in opening
the new division between Philadelphia and
Baltimore, where he remained nearly one
year, and in 1887 returned as freight-train
conductor between Chicago Junction and
Chicago, making his home at Chicago
Junction. Since entering the service of
the Baltimore & Ohio Railroad Company
he has served in nearly every capacity on
the train — as brakeman, fireman, baggage
agent, and freight and passenger conductor.
Mr. Slagle was married August 9, 1888,
to Kunnegunde, eldest daughter of Capt.

296

HURON COUNTY, OHIO.

F. J. Leydorf. They own a delightful
home on Spring street, and enjoy many
substantial friendships. Mr. Slagle is a
polished, courteous gentleman, popular
not only in railroad circles, but also among
men in every station in Chicago Junction.
In 1892 his name was presented to the
Republican convention, as candidate for
sheriff of Huron county, and he received
a flattering support. In the great railroad
system of this country promotion always
waits on such a man, slow it may be, but
sure.

T OSEPH SMITHLA, who was born
k. I February 19, 1819, in Baden, Ger-
\J; many, is a son of John and Mary
(Gross) Smithla, natives of that
division of what is now the German
Empire. John Smithla was a miller, and died in
1826, his wife surviving him three years.
After the death of her first husband she
re-married, and Joseph resided with his
step-father during his minority. He at
tended the schools of his native town, and
subsequently learned the baker's trade, at
which he worked uutil 1847. In that year
he sailed for America from the port of
Havre in northern France, landed at New
York, worked one month at his trade there,
and then proceeded to Sandusky, Ohio.
He appears to have cast aside the baker's
trade there in favor of an ordinary labor
er's work, for he worked in the latter
capacity on the Newark & Sandusky
Railroad, which was then in course of
construction. In 1850 he went to Cali
fornia, the journey occupying 103 days,
and was engaged in the gold diggings until
1852, when he returned to Ohio and made
his home in Huron county.
On May 2, 1853, he was married to
Helena Hiss, who came from Germany
with her parents in 1837, and the children
born to this marriage were Joseph,
Edward and Taophile (all three farmers of
Peru township) ; Helena, Rosa, Carrie and

Tillie, residing with parents, and Mary
and Paul (deceased). In 1853 Mr. Smithla
purchased ninety acres of his present farm
of 187 acres, afterward adding the remain
ing ninety-seven acres. This tract gives
ample evidence of the care which he has
bestowed upon it during the last forty
years. It is highly improved and intrin
sically valuable, as well as being the
pioneer home of the Smithlas in America.
Like the Argonauts of 1849-52, the owner
is a whole-souled, able-bodied, reliable
man, whose industry carved out of a
forest a valuable home. The family are
all members of the Catholic congregation,
and, like the father, very much esteemed.
Mr. Smithla votes with the Democratic
party in State and National issues; and
even in local politics, where the man,
rather than the party, is considered, it is
unusual for him to desert the nominee of'
his party. The elegant brick residence
and farm buildings speak forcibly of Mr.
Smithla's relation to the community.

"VlLLIAM PERRIN, one of the
\il leading representative business
|f[ men of Huron county, is a native
of the Keystone State, born in
Wilkes-Barre, March 31, 1835, a son of
Gurdin and Polly (Church) Perrin, the
former of whom was born in Connecticut
in 1801, where he was reared and educated.
In 1822 Gurdin Perrin moved to Penn
sylvania where he followed farming till
1837, at which time he came to Huron
county, Ohio, and continued his life
vocation up to his death, which event
occurred about the year 1867. He was a
Presbyterian of the old school, in church
connection, and an uncompromising Whig,
in his political predilections. About the
year 1824 he was married to Polly Church,
and they had a family of eleven children,
eight of whom grew to maturity, and six
are now living. The mother died October
5,1855.

HURON COUNTY, OHIO.

297

William Perrin, the subject proper of
this sketch, was educated at the Huron
Institute, at Milan, Ohio, and when old
enough commenced teaching school in
Huron county, in which he continued some
years. Abandoning scholastic duties, Mr.
Perrin next turned his attention to agri
cultural pursuits, stone quarrying, and
dealing in real estate. He assisted in the
laying out of the route, in Huron county,
of the Wheeling & Lake Erie Railroad.
On December 26, 1860, William Perrin
was united in marriage with Miss Eliza
beth Newson, who bore him one child
that died. This wife was called from
earth February 3, 1863, and April 5, 1864,
Mr. Perrin married Mrs. Mary E. Jordan,
sister to his first wife, by which union
there are two children, Emma E. and
William N. In politics our subject was
originally a Democrat, his first Presiden
tial vote having been cast for Buchanan,
but in 1864 he became a Republican, and
has ever since cast his suffrages for that
party. In church relationship he is an
earnest Episcopalian.
William N. Perrin, son of William and
Mary E. Perrin, was bora in 1870 at Nor
walk, Ohio, and received his primary edu
cation at the common schools of Norwalk,
after which he attended the Case School
of Applied Science at Cleveland, studying
both civil and electrical engineering. He
made all the maps for a recent excellent atlas
of Huron county, which have given uni
versal satisfaction.

JAMES McMAHON, a well-known
v. I agriculturist of Huron county, was
%J) born May 17, 1837, in County
Monaghan, Ireland, where he passed
his childhood and received a moderate
education. As he approached manhood he
determined to seek a new home where he
could have broader chances for accumulat-
money, and more freedom in his ideas

in

and manner of livin,

g-

With this in view he emigrated from
Ireland in 1853, and immediately after his
arrival in America located in Ohio, where
he began his business career as a farm
laborer on the estate of Steven Sawyer.
The country at that date was in a wild
state, thoroughly undeveloped and but
thinly populated, and farming was hard
work; but a determination to succeed,
coupled with unusual energy, enabled our
subject to persevere in the work for eight
years. At the end of that time he had
accumulated enough money to buy two
horses and rent a small tract of land, and
in a few years bought seventy-two acres of
land, two and one half miles southeast of
Bellevue. He has continued to add to his
farm until it now comprises 200 acres of
highly cultivated soil, and ydelds him a
comfortable income. On October 10,
1866, Mr. McMahon married Miss Bridget
Perry, who was born in 1848 in Toronto,
Canada, a daughter of James Perry, a suc
cessful farmer of Erie county, who died in
1880, at the age of sixty-four. Their mar
riage has been blessed with eight children,
viz.: Rose (who married Bernard Brady,
of Portland, Oreg.), James (who lives in
Bellevue, and is married), Mary, Susie,
Agnes, Eddie, Julia and Isabella, all of
whom are living. Mrs. McMahon died
January 17, 1882, deeply mourned by her
family and friends.
The subject of this biographical memoir
is an example of what energy and frugal
ity can accomplish. He commenced life
in a new country without either money or
friends, and to-day has an abundance of
both. He devotes his attention exclusively
to farming, and principally to raising wheat
and corn. He is a Democrat in politics,
and served as road supervisor for a num
ber of years. He and his family are mem
bers and liberal supporters of the Catholic
Church. James McMahon, father of our subject,
was born in Ireland and lived there until
1861, at which time he came with his wife
to America, settling in Ohio. He was a

298

HURON COUNTY, OHIO.

farmer in the old country, and always de
voted his attention to agricultural pursuits
up to the time of his death. He com
menced work in Ohio with no money, but
succeeded in renting a farm in Lyme town
ship, where he was highly respected by
his neighbors, and where his wife died.
He had six children as follows: Thomas,
formerly of Deerfield, Mich., who died
December 25, 1887; Mary, who died in
New York in 1839; James, subject of
sketch; Mrs. Owen Kelly and Peter Mc
Mahon, of Deerfield, Mich.; and Patrick,
residing three miles southeast of Bellevue.

Kr\ EV. CHARLES V. CHEVRAUX,
hjK pastor of St. Mary's Church, Nor-
r| V\, walk. The organizer of the Eng-
J) lish-speaking congregation of Ro
man Catholics at N orwalk was Rev.
Father Narcissus Ponchell, a native of
France, born September 19, 1825. In
July, 1850, he bade farewell to his native
land, and in company with Bishop Rappe
embarked for America, landing August 6
following. On January 1, 1851, he was
ordained priest by Bishop Rappe. He
was an able man, and soon became pastor
of St. Peter's Church, at Norwalk.
Seeing the necessity for an English-
speaking church here, he organized St.
Mary's parish, and in 1853 purchased
land on which to erect a church. The
building was commenced in 1857, and the
first mass was held in it on Easter Sunday,
1859. He also purchased the cemetery of
five acres. Before the church was com
pleted, however, Father Ponchell was
called to his reward by the hand of death,
September 15, 1860. He had labored
zealously in the diocese for the salvation
of souls, and was beloved by citizens of all
denominations. He was a man of impos
ing appearance, amiable disposition, and a
true priest. Although it is now over
three decades since his remains were laid
to rest, his memory is as fresh in the
minds of the people as though it were but

yesterday, and he is still spoken of as the
perfect gentleman and true man of God.
Rev. E. M. O'Callahan attended St.
Mary's Church from Cleveland from Sep
tember 4, 1860, till December 1, same
year; from December 1 till April 2, 1864,
Rev. John Quinn had charge of the parish.
He did excellent work, and the congrega
tion grew under his charge. During his
pastorate a handsome parochial residence
was built. It is located on the southeast
corner of Milan and St. Mary streets.
Rev. Thomas P. Thorpe succeeded Father
Quinn as pastor of St. Mary's Church in
April, 1864. He enlarged the church, and
built a small parochial schoolhouse at the
rear of the church. Father Thorpe was
succeeded March 3, 1868, by the saintly
and energetic Father Hailey, whose pas
torate was marked by unusual progress of
the parish, both materially and spiritually.
Among the first moves in material matters
during his service in the parish was the
purchasing of a church bell, which weighs
three thousand one hundred pounds, and
is still one of the finest in this part of Chio.
As the congregation grew rapidly, and
most of the members settled in the western
part of Norwalk, it became necessary to
build a new church and school building, and
expedient to remove the location of the
same to a more central portion of the
parish. With this end in view, March 7,
1875, Father Hailey purchased a location
on the northwest corner of State and
League streets, and in 1878 a fine brick
schoolhouse was erected. A few years
later Father Hailey was incapacitated
through ill-health, and lingered about
three years, when death closed his earthly
labors, after having served for nearly sev
enteen years as pastor of St. Mary's
Church. Father F. Hailey was born near
Tramore, County Waterford, Ireland, Jan
uary 14, 1833; was educated at Mount
Mellory and at All Hallows College, Dub
lin, Ireland. In 1855 he came to Amer
ica, and in 1857 he entered St. Mary's
College, Cleveland, Ohio, where he was

HURON COUNTY, OHIO.

301

ordained by Bishop Rappe, December 2,
1860. He subsequently labored in Toledo,
Grafton, St. Mary's Seminary (Cleveland)
and St. Mary's parish (Norwalk). Al
though his last charge was a heavy one,
and fraught with adversity, he was always
equal to the task; a princely priest and
veritable man of God, he died January 4,
1885. During his pastorate in Norwalk,
he labored hard to put down all practices
that would tend to lower the morals of his
flock. Among other things his aim was
directed against the dance. When he took
charge of the congregation it numbered
thirty families; at his death it numbered
130, and was out of debt.
After the death of Father Hailey, the
present pastor, Rev. Charles Vincent
Chevraux, was appointed. He was born
in the eastern part of France January 22,
1848, a son of August and Justine (Poinsot)
Chevraux. When Father Chevraux was a boy of six
years, his parents emigrated to America,
and located in the town of Louisville,
Stark Co., Ohio. Here he attended the
local schools, and subsequently the dio
cesan college at that place. He afterward
entered St. Mary's Seminary, at Cleveland,
Ohio, where he graduated in 1874, and
he was ordained at South Bend, Ind., by
Bishop Gilmour. In 1874 Father Chev
raux was stationed at the cathedral, Cleve
land, Ohio, where he remained ten and
one-half years, aud while there gained
many friends, and proved himself a priest
by eminent qualities. When the pastorate
of St Mary's, Norwalk, was found vacant,
his appointment to the incumbency was
eminently fitting. One of the first moves
made by him was to introduce the Sisters
of St. Joseph to take charge of the paro
chial schools, and under their management
it has prospered in a high degree. He
commenced to build a church on the prop
erty purchased by Father Hailey, the first
work being done in 1889. The structure
is now almost completed, and is a beauti

ful

piece

of architecture, cruciform in

shape, Gothic in style, and built of stone
throughout. It will stand as a lasting
monument to the pious zeal of Father
Chevraux and his flock. The laying of
the corner-stone, which took place Sep
tember 22, 1889, called to Norwalk the
largest assemblage ever gathered in the
city, very many coming from Cleveland,
called hither on the occasion, greatly by
Father Chevraux's popularity in that city.
[Since this sketch was written the church
has been frescoed, the windows set in.
The fresco, windows and paintings are
beautiful aud grand.]
Father Chevraux is a man of over me
dium stature, pleasing and kindly in his
manners, an earnest preacher of the Gos
pel, and an enterprising citizen. He is
thoroughly American, and his views on
politics are of a broad and liberal char
acter. The following very flattering no
tice of this reverend gentleman is taken
from a recent issue of the Toledo Bee:
" Rev. Chas. V. Chevraux, of Norwalk,
Ohio, sang solemn high mass at St. Francis
de Sales Church Wednesday morning.
Father Chevraux is considered and un
doubtedly is the most celebrated vocalist
in the American Priesthood, aud the peo
ple of St. Francis de Sales parish were de
lighted to have an opportunity of hearing
him. A voice of superb ' timbre,' clear,
powerful baritone, of such volume that his
notes could be often heard a block from
the church, the lofty vaulted ceilings
seemed alive with charming music. A
cultured auditor remarked: 'There.! in the
sanctuary for once Madame Machen has
found her match, in church music' Come
again, noble-voiced monsieur, and give our
thousand cultured Toledo people due notice
of your coming."

JL. MEAD. Many years ago three
brothers of the name of Mead left
their home in Wales, and sailed
across the ocean to America. On
arriving in the New World they finally

302

HURON COUNTY, OHIO.

located in Huron county, Ohio, aud one of
them, Abram Mead, became the first white
settler of Fitchville township. Some years
afterward he and his family moved to
Norwalk township, where they became
prominent settlers. He was married four
times, and died near Norwalk in 1852.
Joel E. Mead, youngest son of tbe pio
neer just mentioned, was born in Putnam
county, N. Y., and was brought by his
parents to Huron county, Ohio, when but
three months old. He came with the
family to Norwalk township when about
fifteen years of age, and grew to manhood
on the farm. When a young mau he se
lected a life companion in the person of
Betsey A. Lewis, a native of the "Fire
lands." and she bore him seven children.
The father died in 1870, at the age of fifty-
three years, the mother on December 31,
1888. Jerome L. Mead, third child of Joel E.
and Betsey (Lewis) Mead, was born No
vember 7, 1850, iu Norwalk, Ohio, where
he was reared and educated. He worked
for several years handling and shipping
stock near to Norwalk, and now has charge
of the grain, feed and seed store in Nor
walk, formerly owned by Woodward Bros.,
and now the property of J. L. Mead & Co.
Our subject is also a partner in the grocery
firm of D. O. Woodward & Co. at Nor
walk. On May 2, 1877, he was united in
marriage with Miss Lucinda Woodward,
who was born in Clyde, Sandusky Co.,
Ohio, and they have two sons, Ralph and
Fred. J?olitically Mr. Mead is a Repub
lican; socially he is a member of the I. O.
0. F., and Royal Arcanum; in religious
faith he is a Presbyterian.

TlACOB P. HOUFSTATER is a
k. I grandson of Adam Houfstater, who
\J) was the pioneer of the family in
America. Adam Houfstater was
in 1755, in Germany, whence when

born

a youth he came to the United States, and

settling in Pennsylvania he learned the
weaver's trade, at which he worked until
he became a farmer. He was married in
Pennsylvania, and moved some time later
to Niagara county, N. Y., where most of
the following named children were born
to them: Adam, Philip, John, George,
Jacob, Jane, Susan and Polly, all now
deceased. George Houfstater, father of subject,
was born in 1797, in Pennsylvania, ac
companied his parents to Niagara county,
N. Y., when a boy, and was reared on the
frontier. In New York State he met
Elizabeth Barre, also a native of Pennsyl
vania, to whom he was wedded, and after
his marriage he began farming. Seven
children were born to them on the home
stead, namely: Almira, Mary, David,
Matilda and Fidelia (twins), Jacob and
Catherine; Lucy Ann, the eighth child,
was born in Huron county, Ohio, October
15, 1836. In 1836 the family moved to
Ohio, and settled on the farm which is now
the property of Jacob P. Houfstater,
which territory was then a complete
wilderness. While the new comers were
surrounded by neighbors, the particular
land selected was still in the forest, and
the clearing of this tract devolved on the
father and sons. He subsequently bought
a farm of 186 acres, which he saw cleared
before his death in 1874. Of a hard
working, economical disposition, he left a
valuable property to his children, and died
with success stamped upon his work.
Prior to 1856 he was a Whig, and from
that time until his death, a Republican.
In religion he affiliated with the Christian
Church. Jacob P. Houfstater was born January
17, 1830, in Niagara county, N. Y. Iu
1836 he accompanied his parents to Ohio,
wheae, February 16, 1854, he married
Roena M. Carpenter, of Fairfield town
ship, Huron county. The young couple
at once entered farm life, and for forty
years have continued to follow it success
fully. Not only does Mr. Houfstater own

HURON COUNTY, OHIO.

303

130 acres of improved land in Ripley
township, but he has also endowed three of
his children most liberally, giving to each
two thousand dollars. Of their children,
Cora married Agnew Welch, editor of the
Record, at Ada, Ohio; Elva married Abert
Young, a farmer of Ripley township; and
Carrie married Edward L. Young, who
was city editor of the Huron County
Chronicle, at Norwalk, from 1885 to 1892,
when he was appointed Great Record
Keeper of the Knights of Maccabees. Mr.
Houfstater is a Republican, an active
member of the party, serving his township
as justice of the peace and in various other
offices. He was a member of the Chris
tian Church of Ripley, and is a citizen
of acknowledged worth.

JjARMAN PATRICK, a well-known
_Y 1 1 agriculturist of Townsend township,
\Jj Huron county, is a native of the
State of Ohio, born December 10,
1836, in Florence, Erie county. He is
the eldest child and only son in a family
of four children born to James Jarman
and Lucy A. (Tucker) Patrick, the former
of whom was born in the County of Norfolk,
England, the latter in the State of New
York. James Jarman Patrick was born about
1809, and received a good English educa
tion in his native land. Soon after attain
ing his majority he immigrated to the
United States, landing at New York after
a stormy passage of six weeks, during
most of which time he suffered from sea
sickness. After his arrival in America he
farmed on shares, or rented lands in New
York for a short time, and then removed
to the far western frontier and almost un
broken wilderness of northern Ohio, first
stopping in what is now Erie county,
where he took the job of chopping and
clearing space for a mill-pond on the old
Sprague farm. Here he was married, and
soon afterward removed to Townsend

township, Huron county, where he bought
wild land, built a log house, and com
menced to carve out of the dense forest
around him a home for himself and
family. He and lift brother-in-law were
both accidentally killed, December 23, 1842,
their death being caused by the premature
falling of a tree, which fell upon and
crushed them. The Patrick family in
England were among the old and well-to-
do families of English commoners, own
ing quite an extensive landed property,
subject to the law of entail, that is, it
descended to the eldest son, generation
after generation. Mrs. Lucy A. Patrick's
death occurred October 1, 1886, when she
was in her seventy-third year.
Jarman Patrick, the subject of this
sketch, received a very fair common-
school education in early life. After his
father's death, which, occurred when he
was only six years old, he remained with
his mother on the old home farm for a
time, and then lived with his grandfather
Tucker, who employed him on his farm,
until he reached his twentieth year. He
then commenced for himself, being em
ployed at working out by the month and
farming on shares for several years. In
the spring of 1862 be bought a partially-
improved farm in Townsend township,
Huron county, upon which he now re
sides, and where he has ever since been
successfully engaged in agricultural pur
suits, the place being now well improved
and under a high state of cultivation.
During the Civil war Mr. Patrick enlisted
in Company B (organized in Townsend
township), One Hundred and Sixty-sixth
0. V. I., N. G., which was called out by
President Lincoln in May, 1864, for one
hundred days service. The regiment or
ganized at Cleveland, where Mr. Patrick
was transferred to Company F, and did
duty in and around Washington, D. C,
until September 9, 1864, when tbey were
mustered out and returned home, each
soldier receiving a certificate of thanks
from President Lincoln.

304

HURON COUNTY, OHIO.

On February 2, 1861, Mr. Patrick was
married to Miss Maryette Hill, a native of
Townsend township, boru August 24,
1841, daughter of Moses and Sallie
(Brooks) Hill, both of whom were natives
of Delaware county, N. Y. Seven chil
dren were the fruits of this union, only
four of whom are now living, viz.: James
Delbert, born October 10, 1866; Frank
J., born November 14, 1868; Guy B.,
born September 6, 1878; and William O,
bora July 23, 1883. Edgar Royle, who
was born August 12, 1864, died April 9,
1886, in his twenty-second year. Mr.
Patrick is a member of Townsend Post
No. 414, G. A. R., and Mrs. Patrick is a
member of tbe Townsend Relief Corps,
No. 142, auxiliary to the above mentioned
Post. He is also a member of East Town-
send Lodge, F. & A. M. In politics Mr.
Patrick is a liberal Republican, but claims
the right to think and act for himself in
all things and at all times.

M. S. SANBORN, lumber and
coal dealer, is a well known business
man of Norwalk. He is a son of
%. John M. Sanborn, whose father was
a native of New Hampshire, of
English ancestry, and passed his life on a
farm near Franklin, that State.
John M. Sanborn was born in 1821, in
Franklin, Merrimack Co., N. H., and
when a young man was married to Fannie
J. Fisher, a native of Francestown, N. H.,
and a representative of an old New Eng
land family. He was master mechanic of
the Norwalk division of the Lake Shore
Railroad from 1874 until a short time be
fore his death, May 12, 1890. He was a
member of the Masonic Fraternity, of the
thirty-second degree, and in religious faith
was a Baptist. Mrs. Sanborn died June
27, 1892, in Norwalk, leaving two children,
G. M. S. and Edward D.
G. M. S. Sanborn was born March 24,
1858, at Nashua, Hillsborough Co. N. Y.
He came west with his parents when

quite young, and after attending school
for a number of years, secured em
ployment with the Lake Shore Railroad
Company, at Norwalk; in April, 1875, he
began to learn the trade of machinist
and draftsman. He became an expert as
draftsman, and iu July, 1884, accepted a
position as superintendent of the drafting
department of the Lake Shore shops at
Elkhart, Elkhart Co., Ind. On Novem
ber 24, 1880, he was married to Blanche
O. Pepoon, who was born April 1, 1857,
in Painesville, Ohio, a daughter of Lycur-
gus and Susan (Morse) Pepoon, the
former of Painesville, Ohio, the latter of
Elizabethtown, N. J.; she is still living.
Mr. Pepoon was twice married; first time
in 1856 to Mary Lovelace, of Painesville,
Ohio, who died in 1861, and in 1863 he
married Susan Morse, as above. He died
at West Farmington, Ohio, in September,
1891. To Mr. and Mrs. G. M.- S. San
born have been born two sons: Willis E.
aud George Walter. Mr. Sanborn saved
quite a sum of money from his salary, and
in January, 1889, entered the Chicago Bap
tist Seminary, intending to prepare for
the ministry. His health failed, however,
and abandoning his studies in August,
1889, he bought out a coal and lumber
establishment in Norwalk, in which he
has been very successful. He is a mem
ber of the Baptist Church, and is Presi
dent of the Y. M. C. A., having assisted
in its organization in Norwalk.

11 WILLIAM S. CREECH, proprietor
yJJ of a stone quarry in Lyme town-
V( ship, was bora in England in
1836, a son of John and Caroline
Creech, who died while he was young.
Our subject immigrated to the United
States in 1871, locating in Huron county,
Ohio. His worldly goods were few, and
he depended solely upon health and
strength, and a determination to succeed,
to win friends and money in a new home.

HURON COUNTY, OHIO.

305

He commenced his business career in this
county as a laborer in the stone quarry of
H. Smith, and after eight years was able,
through practicing rigid economy, to start
in business for himself. He purchased
the stone quarry he now runs so success
fully, and every year adds to his already
large business some new improvement; he
now owns the largest stone crasher in
Lyme township. At one time he furnished
as much as seventeen thousand build-
stones for the roundhouse of the

in

Nickel Plate Railroad. He also owns a
large lime kiln, and furnishes lime
throughout all parts of the township. In
1860, before leaving England, Mr. Creech
was married to Miss Anna Hole, and by
her had six children, five of whom are now
living with him, viz.: Thomas G., Fred J.,
Caroline E., Ada F. and Anna L. Mrs.
Creech died in 1873, and in 1884 Mr.
Creech married Miss Elizabeth Hole, a
sister of his first wife.
Mr. Creech is a self-made man of more
than the average intelligence, and has by
means of his energy and executive ability
established a good business and a comfort
able home. He is a man of sterling worth,
whose integrity is never questioned, and
who uses his time and money for the ad
vancement of the township in which he
resides.

I( LLEN T. ASHLEY, grandson of
l\ James Ashley, was born April 2,
% 1829, the eighth in the family of
twelve children born to Leonard
and Sally (McDougal) Ashley.
Leonard Ashley was bora about 1790,
at Deerfield, Mass., learned shoemaking
nnder his father, and worked at the trade
during his life in Massachusetts. His
mother died about the year 1799, and the
youth then went to reside with an elder
brother, Luther. After some years he
wished to see the world outside of his
native State, and migrated to Canada,
where, in 1815, he married Sally Mc

Dougal, who was born in 1794, in Nova
Scotia, for whose father young Ashley
worked ; and while living on Yonge
street, and near Toronto, in the Province
of Ontario, the following named children
were born : Thomas, who died in in
fancy ; James, who, in 1824, accompanied
his mother to Ohio, where he married, be
came a Free-will Baptist preacher, and
thence moved to Michigan, where he died,
leaving twelve children ; Stewart B., late
a resident of Steuben, Ohio, who died Oc
tober 30, 1893, and is buried in Greenfield
cemetery ; Sally, who first married David
Skeeles, and subsequently Dean Keefer
(she is now a widow, residing at Colum
bus, Kans.); and John, a Free-will Bap
tist preacher, of Hillsdale, Mich., who was
a fellow schoolmate of James A. Garfield.
After the family joined the father in
Greenfield township, in 1824, there were
born Luther, a resident of Bellevue, Mich. ;
William, of Knoxville, Iowa ; Allen T.,
the subject of this sketch; Joseph B., of
Oberlin, Ohio; Mary, wife of Judge G.
W. Lewis, of Medina, Ohio; Henry, a
resident of San Francisco, Cal.; and
Daniel, who went to California in 1862
and died there.
In 1822 Leonard Ashley left Canada
for Huron county, Ohio, and worked on
farms and at bis trade here for two years.
In 1824 his wife and children arrived, and
all found a home with Alden Pierce, a
brother-in-law, who then occupied what is
known as the "Sturges Farm" in Green
field township. The father was known as
a good farmer and a good shoemaker, and
was a very active man until his death,
which occurred in 1873. At that time he
was on a visit to his son John at Rock-
away, Seneca Co., Ohio, from wliich place
bis remains were returned to Huron
county for interment in the Greenfield
cemetery. His wife, who died March 19,
1863, was interred in Steuben cemetery.
Leonard Ashley was a Whig until the or
ganization of the Republicans, when he
became a stanch supporter of the new

306

HURON COUNTY, OHIO-

party. In religious matters he and his
wife were members of the Free-will Bap
tist Church.
Allen T. Ashley was born in Green
field township, Huron county. He re
ceived a primary education in the district
school, and worked on the home farm until
1864, when he established his home on
the farm where be now resides. On
May 1, 1866, he married Clara T. Warner,
who was born January 29, 1844, in Medina
county, Ohio, daughter of M. B. and Sally
(Dimmick) Warner. To this marriage
were born three children, namely:
Georgia May, Mrs. A. T. Shaffer, of
Plymouth, Ohio; Dessie O, and Thad W.
Politically a Republican, Mr. Ashley has
only taken a citizen's interest in the great
party battles. The township offices which
he has tilled are not strictly political of
fices, the man, rather than the party, being
sought by the municipal body. He is a
practical and successful farmer, standing
high in the community, and he aud his
family are held in very high esteem.

JIACOB DEAN, a retired farmer of
! New Haven township, and a pio-.
i neer of Huron county, was born
at Wittenberg, Saxony, Prussia,
March 25, 1821.
His parents, George Michael and Jaco-
bine Dean, belonged to the class of Ger
man peasant farmers whose probity and
industry were acknowledged. In 1827
they decided to immigrate to America,
and proceeding to Havre, France, by high
way, they sailed for the United States, and
after a long voyage landed at New York.
Coming westward at once, by river to
Albany, by canal and lake to Sandusky,
Ohio, and thence by wagon-road to Green
field township, Huron county; they rested
there, and soon began agricultural life.
The father's characteristic industry en
abled him to support his family, and, as
its members increased, to provide for their
daily wants until death removed him.

Jacob Dean had to take a boy's share in
supporting the family, and thus was com
pelled to forego the advantages of an edu
cation, becoming a bread-winner at an
early age. When twelve years old he en
tered the employ of Capt. Lawther, of
Greenfield township, the consideration for
his labor being very small. With the ob
ject of providing a home for his mother
and brothers he worked diligently, saved
the little earnings he received, and in time
purchased a tract of wild land in New
Haven township. Here a cabin was built,
and in it the family made their home until
the mother died. She was buried beside
her husband in New Haven cemetery.
For some years after his mother's death
Jacob Dean kept bachelor's hall in the old
home, and lived with the tenants to whom
he rented the farm, in later years with his
brother, who came to the old homestead
with his family. Mr. Dean is now the
owner of 200 acres of fertile land, most
of which was cleared and cultivated by
him. Redeeming it from the forest, he
now enjoys the fruits of long years of
stern labor among the trees, and can see
that he has taken more than one man's
part in the development of this section.
When the Universalist Church existed
at New Haven, Mr. Dean was a member
of the denomination, but since that time
has not been connected with any religious
society. He votes with the Democratic
party, but his political activity begins and
ends at the polls. He has never married.

FHILIP J. KNOLL, a prominent
farmer citizen of Ridgefield town
ship, is a son of the late John
P. Knoll and grandson of Jacob
Knoll, natives of the Province of
Nassau. Germany, both of whom were
farmers, the latter dying in his native land.
Jolm P. Knoll was bora May 3, 1826,
and in the Fatherland received his ele^
mentary education in both literary and

HURON COUNTY, OHIO.

307

agricultural pursuits. In 1849 he immi
grated to America, and purchased land in
Ridgefield township, Huron Co., Ohio.
'He then revisited Germany, and returning
to America, brought with him his fiancee,
Miss Minnie Cook, whom in 1852 he
married at Sandusky, Ohio. She was the
daughter of George Cook, and was born
March 19, 1832. Mr. and Mrs. Knoll
settled on tbe farm in Huron county now
occupied by some of the family, and here
by constant toil he succeeded in securing
a comfortable competence. In political
opinion he was a lifelong Democrat, and
in religion a member of the Protestant
Evangelical Church, with which his
widow is also identified. He died in
1887, and Mrs. Knoll, surrounded by
many friends, is yet residing on the
beautiful home farm, which she owns.
The children of this estimable couple
were as follows: Charles, a farmer of
Norwalk township, Huron county; Will
iam, deceased at the age of three years;
Adolph, deceased in infancy; Lewis, who
died at the age of twenty-two years; Ed
ward, a farmer of Norwalk township,
Huron county; Louisa, wife of Philip
Poths, of Fulton county, Ohio; Philip J.,
whose name opens this sketch, and who is
married and lives on part of the farm, in
the house last bought by his father (in
1872); Gustavus, living on the home
place; and Matilda and Minnie, residing
with their widowed mother.

Ill) ALTER E. BELL, dealer in coal,
1\/' lime, cement, etc., Norwalk, is
M[ a son of James G. Bell, who was
born in New York State., of Ger
man ancestry, and who married Nancy C.
Bacon, a lady of Scotch descent. Our
subject was born January 25, 1845, in
Henderson, Jefferson Co., N. Y., and
coming west with his parents in 1849
located near Berlin Heights, Erie county,
Ohio. He farmed there for a time, then

moved to Norwalk, Huron county, and
about the year 1882 established his pres
ent business. Although beginning life
with no financial aid, he has prospered,
and is now recognized as one of the most
reliable business men of Norwalk. He
was married January 16, 1867, to Fannie
Henderson, then a teacher in the public
schools, and three children have blessed
their union, namely: Henry, Howard
and Charles. Mr. Bell is a Republican in
politics, and in religion a Baptist. He
has one sister, Mrs. Eliza M. Gibson, now
living in Stryker, Ohio; one brother,
Watson J., in Birmingham, Ohio, and
the younger brother, W. O, in Norwalk.

THOMAS ALEXANDER McLANE
was born in Greenfield township,
Huron Co., Ohio, April 20, 1832,
the fourth son of Robert and Mar
garet McLane, who with three elder
brothers had emigrated from Ireland two
years previous. A short time before his
birth they had built and moved into a log
cabin which stood near the present home,
which cabin, at the time of the birth of
Thomas, was in an unfinished condition,
there being neither floor nor chimney con
structed. His school days were begun in the old
log school house where the desks were
formed of planks resting on pegs driven
into the second or third log. The reversi
ble seats found in the schools of the
present day were represented by heavy
slabs resting on rustic legs. In those days
the wood was not provided, and the boys
were obliged to go into .the woods to pro
cure it. Plain as it was, that school may
be considered the vanguard of civilization,
and from it went forth men and women
superior in many respects to those who now
graduate within more pretentious public
buildings. When at school young Thomas
studied hard, and ranked as one of the best
scholars, the teacher often calling upon him

308

HURON COUNTY, OHIO.

to help others with their lessons. But time
flies rapidly, and Thomas has reached
young manhood and his school days are
over. He had a strong desire to learn a
trade, but times were hard and money was
scarce, so he was obliged to give up his
desire and go to work on the farm. He
had a strong constitution, and at the age
of sixteen could do a man's work. As it
was in the days before machinery came to
aid the farmer in his work, his services
were in great demand, for forty years ago
the modern machinery of to-day was
unknown. The grain was cut with
a sickle or cradle, and the grass
with a scythe; corn was planted with a
hoe, and the ground was plowed with oxen.
Instead of the threshing machine thresh
ing the grain, the farmer pounded it out
with flails. Tbe old house was fast decay
ing, and often in the winter when the
wind was blowing he would awake in tbe
morning to find his bed covered with snow.
As ail men must in the course of life
fall in love, he was not au exception, for
he met and loved Miss Susan Channing,
and was married to her November 28,
1867. She was born in Somersetshire,
England, April 4, 1844, and five years
later she accompanied her parents across
the ocean to America, they settling in
Greenfield township, Huron Co., Ohio,
where her father, Joseph Channing, es
tablished himsef as a farmer. The Chan-
nings subsequently moved to Richmond
township, then Norwalk township, and
finally to Chicago Junction, where her
father died December 3, 1889; her mother
is still living. While but a small child,
Susie (as she was commonly called) was
always willing to help her parents, and
since she was thirteen years old she has
earned her own living besides giving
mouey to her parents. At the time of his
marriage Mr. McLane decided to make
farming his vocation, and he and wife took
up their residence on the McLane farm,
where his boyhood days had been spent.
The only child bora to them is Margaret

O, an accomplished young lady, who re
sides at home. In politics Mr. McLane is
a Democrat, and in religion a Congrega-
tionalist. During the last two decades
many improvements have been made on
his place; the old house has been torn
down and the handsome brick residence
has taken its place, while the commodious
farm buildings and the beautiful shade
trees that have been planted speak forcibly
of Mr. and Mrs. McLane's taste and indus
try; for both have acted well their part in
the development of this tract, and are now
enjoying the fruits of their labors.

[( Jf ENRY LAIS, sole proprietor of the
lr^ Star Brewery, Norwalk, is one of
r| l_ the many indefatigable, wide-awake
¦fj citizens aud native-born business
men for which Huron county is so
justly celebrated. He was bora, in 1853,
in Monroeville, a son of Anthony and
Catherine (Thomas) Lais, natives of Ger
many, the former born in Baden in 1826,
the latter born in 1828. She came to the
United States when a child, and was reared
and educated in Huron county, Ohio.
In 1849 Anthony Lais came to Amer
ica, making his new home in Monroeville,
Huron county, where he married. In the
same year he came here he was given the
position of foreman in J. S. & H. M.
Robey's brewery in Monroeville (estab
lished in 1845), which he held with char
acteristic fidelity for a period of twenty-
one years. In 1870 he came to Norwalk,
and in 1871 purchased the brewery in that
town, from which time until his death in
1886 he carried it on continuously, with
more than average success. This industry
was at first but a small ale brewery, now
the product of it is nearly six thousand
barrels of beer annually, the market for
same being chiefly confined to local trade
in Huron and Erie counties. Anthony
and Catherine Lais had a family of eight
children, as follows: Mary (married to

/ uuAti^ *y6

0-t^r^

HURON COUNTY, OHIO.

311

W. O. Meyers), Henry (our subject), John,
Josephine, Charles, William, Helen, and
George, all yet living. The mother is now
making her home with her son Henry,
who with true filial affection is caring for
her in her declining years.
Henry Lais, of whom this sketch mainly
treats, received his education at the Mon
roeville public schools, after wliich he
worked two years in the brewery owned
by his father. He then went on the road
as salesman for the brewery, traveling
through Ohio and Michigan, and at the
end of ten years he went into the office,
and established the trade on a solid basis.
For the past eight years the business has
been most flourishing, the entire brewing
finding a ready market, as the brands are
of the very best quality. John Lais
brother of Henry, is an able assistant in
the management of the rapidly growing
business. In the year 1882 he married
Miss Mary Helrick.
Mr. Lais' paternal grandfather never
left Germany, but his maternal grand
father came to America about the year
1830, and was a farmer in Huron county,
dying some eight years since. Politically
Mr. Lais is a Democrat, and he is a mem
ber of the C. M. B. A., I. 0. R. M., also
Hermann Verein.

'HARLES L. HAWLEY, a promi
nent agriculturist, manufacturer and
justice of the peace, of Townsend
township, was bora in Roxbury,
Delaware Co., N. Y, June 12, 1824, a
son of William M. and Malinda (Older)
Hawley. William M. Hawley was born in Massa
chusetts, and was of English descent. He
received a good education in his native'
State, and while a young man moved to
New York, studied law and was admitted
to the bar, and located in Hornellsville,
Steuben county. Here he met with great
success, and was soon recognized as one of
17

the leading attorneys of that section of
the State. He married Miss Malinda
Older, a native of Delaware county, N.
Y., and of English descent, daughter of
Nathaniel and Anna Older, and their mar
riage was blessed with a son, Charles L.
In politics William M. Hawley was a
Whig, and very popular with his party.
He represented his District in the State
Senate two terms, and was Circuit Judge
for four terms. During a long and active
professional life he acquired both fame
and an ample income, and was sincerely
mourned when he died, in 1866. He was
a Mason, and a consistent Church mem
ber. His ancestors were pioneers of the
Bay Colony, and were actively engaged in
the struggles of the Colonial days; and
the ancestors of his wife, the Olders, were
early settlers of the Hartford Colony.
Charles L. Hawley received only a lim
ited literary training in his youth, but in
later years succeeded in acquiring a practi
cal business education. He lived with his
mother and worked on the home farm,
until twenty years of age, at which time
he commeuced life for himself with no
capital except health, energy and ambition,
Upon leaving home he was given an axe
by his stepfather, and that was his only
earthly possession, but by means of econ
omy, strict attention to business and good
judgment he has accumulated considerable
property. Mr. Hawley has always been a
great reader, not only of current literature,
but also of history and science. When he
started out to make a living, he was com
pelled to labor by the day or month at any
honest work, and being both competent
and faithful his services were always in
demand. In 1849 he came to Huron
county, Ohio, where he engaged in the
manufacture of potash for five or six
years, after wliich he contracted with the
Lake Shore & Michigan Southern Rail
road Company to supply wood along the
line of that road for about three years.
In 1866 he moved to Oil City, Penn.,
where for five years he was foreman for

312

HURON COUNTY, OHIO.

the Baltic Oil Company (the Company
operating at Petroleum Center and various
other points on Oil creek), and in 1871 he
returned to Townsend, Huron county,
where for three and a half years he acted
as foreman for the Collins Pump Com
pany. At the end of that time Mr. Haw
ley began manufacturing pumps on his
own account, at East Townsend, and has
up to the present time continued in this
business with great success.
About the time that he settled in East
Townsend he purchased a valuable farm in
Townsend Center, and has also engaged in
agricultural pursuits. Being physically
disabled, Mr. Hawley was unable to take
an active part in the Civil war, but in
September, 1862, Gov. Tod sent a message
to Norwalk, requesting that as many men
as possible be enlisted to defend Cincin
nati against a threatened attack of the
pnemy. He was notified of Gov. Tod's
call, and requested to enlist men and re
port with them at one o'clock in the after
noon, and reported with twelve men, be
tween seven and eight thousand men
responding to this call in less than twenty-
four hours. They were regularly mustered
into service, organized as the Ohio Squir
rel Hunters, and rendered excellent service
till May 4, 1863, when they were hon
orably discharged. Mr. Hawley has held
numerous positions of trust; he was clerk
of the township five years; was treasurer
for over nine years, and justice of the
peace for more than twelve years, to both
of which offices he was re-elected in April,
1892 ; and served for thirteen years as post
master, which office he held during the
Civil war. Socially he is a member of
East Townsend Lodge No. 322, A. F. &
A. M., and has filled every position in the
Lodge except that of S. D. He has pre
sided over this Lodge about half the time
since its organization, and has represented
it in the Grand Lodge of Ohio at fifteen
sessions. He is also a member of Town-
send Post No. 414, G. A. R., and is a
stanch Republican.

On May 2, 1847, Mr. Hawley married
Miss Maria Nichols, who was born in
Chelsea, Vt, October 10, 1830, a daughter
of Elijah F. and Elsa (Norton) Nichols,
natives of Vermont and of English de
scent. Their marriage was blessed with
four children, viz.: 0. Frank, who was
born February 13, 1849, and is now a
member of the firm of Haserott Bros. &
Co., wholesale grocers of Cleveland, Ohio;
Grover M., born July 29, 1850, and died
July 20, 1851; Julia A., bora April 21,
1852, and died August 20, 1854, and
Crosby N., who was born February 12,
1860, and is now settlement clerk for the
"Nipano" Railroad Company, at Cleve
land, Ohio. Both the Nichols and Norton
families were pioneers in Vermont, were
strong Whigs, and served faithfully in the
long struggle for American Independence.
Mrs. Hawley's grandfather, Zera Norton,
took a distinguished part in the Revolu
tionary war, and died in Cattarangus
county, N. Y. Her grandmother, Eliza
beth Norton, died in Huron county, Ohio,
after a long and happy life, filled with
kind thoughts and generous deeds.

L

EROY S. HELLER, postmaster at
New Haven, a popular citizen and
one of the principal business men
of this section of the county, was
born June 1, 1831, in Tompkius county,
New York.
Solomon Heller, grandfather of subject,
was a native of Pennsylvania, the son of
German pioneers of that State. Ephraim
Heller, the father of Leroy S., was born in
Northampton county, Penn., and when
twenty-one years old moved to Tompkins
county, N. Y., where he married Anna
Jacobs, and where he was engaged in agricul
ture until 1835. At that time be migrated,
with his wife aud children, to New Haven
township, Huron Co., Ohio, and purchas
ing the land now held by his heirs estab
lished his home, residing there until his

HURON COUNTY, OHIO.

313

death, which occurred March 11, 1876,
when he was in the sixty-ninth year of his
age. His widow died September 9, 1892,
in her eighty-second year. Both were
Free-will Baptists, and charter members
of the North New Haven Baptist Church.
Of their six children, Leroy S. is the eld
est; L. C. resides at New Haven; F. J.
is a farmer of Mitchell county, Kans.; E.
C. resides on the homestead; C. A. is the
wife of W. E. Geer, of Nemaha county,
Kans., and Harriet is the wife of J. G.
Hanna, of Brown county, Kans. The
family for generations have been con
nected with agriculture, the subject of
this sketch being the first to embark in
mercantile business.
Leroy S. Heller was about four years
old when he arrived in Ohio. Like con
temporary youth, he attended the district
schools, and worked on the home farm un
til his boyhood days were passed, aud then
devoted all his attention to farm work.
In 1853 he made the jqnrney to Cali
fornia, and in lhat State, and in Oregon
and Washington, he lived for fourteen
years, engaged the while in agriculture,
mining and lumbering. He returned to
Huron county in September, 1866, and
during the succeeding decade conducted a
general mercantile business, and then
went to Colorado. After remaining two
years in that State, he returned to Huron
county and engaged in the drug trade at
New Haven. In November, 1885, he
was commissioned postmaster, and held the
office under the first Cleveland adminis
tration as well as under that of Harrison,
and is still Postmaster under Cleveland's
second term.
Mr. Heller was married, January 31,
1869, to Ella Harrington, who died in
1875, leaving two children, namely: 0.
E., who resides in Kansas, and Ida, living
at home. His marriage with Lydia Har
rington took place in the fall of 1876;
she died in 1879, leaving one child, J.
Ransom, who resides in Fairfield town
ship, Huron county. In 188*3 Mr. Heller

married Miss H. J. Young. He has held
several township offices, was treasurer for
a long period, and is now serving as
township clerk.

AMUEL McCAMMON, M. D. (de
ceased), who for a quarter of a cen
tury practiced medicine in Green
field township, was bora January 3,
1821, near Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania.
His parents, Samuel and Elizabeth Mc-
Cammon, in 1823 moved from their farm
near Pittsburgh to the vicinity of Mansfield,
Ohio, and there the father died in 1825.
When Samuel was twelve years old he was
apprenticed to a saddler, learned the trade
and for a short time worked as a journey
man. Asa boy his desire for study was
manifest, and now that he was a bread
winner, he could indulge in this desire.
Accordingly he attended school at Mans
field and at Fredericktown, making rapid
progress in stndy. In December, 1842,
he turned his attention toward medicine,
and sought instruction in that science
under Dr. John Tifft, of Norwalk. Subse
quently he attended two courses of lectures
at the Willonghby Medical College, in Lake
county, and in March, 1845, commenced
practice at Greenfield, then a busy village
and the center of a rich agricultural dis
trict. His success was assured, and within
a little while he purchased a building lot
at Greenfield, subsequently buying the
farm adjoining that lot. On Sep
tember 7, 1848, he was united in mar
riage with Miss Philena Blackman, who
was bora August 27, 1828, in Greenfield
township, the eldest of three children born
to Lebo and Polly (Dubois) Blackman,
early settlers of Greenfield township. To
the union of Dr. and Mrs. McCammon
the following named children were born:
George L., born June 26, 1851, died Oc
tober 3, 1856; Frank, born October 5,
1855; EdwardS., born August 16, 1858;
and Laura, born July 9, 1861. Of these, one

314

HURON COUNTY, OHIO.

son resides with the mother on the home
stead; the other son and the daughter are
both married, and pleasantly situated in
homes of their own not far from the " old
home," and the farm and business affairs
are at the present time managed by Ed
ward S. McCain mon.
Dr. McCammon practiced over a very
wide circuit from March, 1845, to Feb
ruary, 1870, when his last professional call
was made. From the close of February to
the day of his death, August 2, 1870, a
chronic ailment, which had threatened him
for some years, gained the mastery and
confined him to his home. He was not a
Church member, but entertained a deep
respect for sincere Christianity and lived
like such, a correct life, doing good
wherever it was in his power. He went to
Eternity quietly and without fear.

JOHN CAROTHERS, an honest,
straightforward citizen, was born
April 15, 1824, in Beaver county,
Penn. His grandparents, William
and Sarah (Kress) Carothers, had a family
of seven children — three sons and four
daughters — among whom was one named
Mathias. Mathias Carothers, father of our sub
ject, was born in Virginia, received an
education in the common schools, and
learned the trade of wheelwright; he also
worked five years at the tanner's trade.
When a young man he married Nancy
Sample, who was born in Beaver county,
Penn., daughter of William Sample. They
were married in Beaver county, where he
followed his trade, and while residing
there children were bora to them as fol
lows: John, subject of this sketch; Sarah,
Mrs. John Smith, of North Fairfield, Ohio;
Margaret, deceased when young; and
Robert, of Venice township, Seneca
county. In the spring of 1834 the family
came to Trumbull county, Ohio, where
they purchased fifty acres at forty dollars
per acre, part of which was cleared. They

remained there until about 1838, and then
removed to Seneca county, same State.
After coming to Trumbull county they
had one son born to them, Philip, who is
now a carpenter in Van Wert, Ohio. The
family came to Seneca county in an old
wagon drawn by two oxen and a horse,
and the journey was necessarily a very
slow one. In December, 1838, they lo
cated in Venice township (Seneca county),
where the father purchased eighty acres
of land at two dollars and fifty cents per
acre, most of which was in the woods,
though a clearing large enough for a cabin
and a garden patch had been made.
While living here three more children
were born, viz.: William, a farmer of Van
Wert, Ohio; and two daughters who died
in infancy, unnamed. Here Mathias
Carothers remained until his death, which
occurred in 1879; his wife passed away in
1875, and was buried in Pisgah Church
cemetery, in Venice township, Seneca
county. Mr. .and Mrs. Carothers were
members of the M. P. Church. In politics
he affiliated witb the Democratic party.
He made agriculture his principal vocation
in life, and became a successsful farmer
and well-to-do citizen.
John Carothers first attended school in
Poland, Trumbull Co., Ohio, his first
teacher being a Miss Coe. He was reared
to farm life, and at an early age was put
to work, clearing the land which his father
had bought, attending school only such
days as his assistance was not required at
home. He remained under the parental
roof for some time after reaching his
majority, and on November 26, 1846,
was married to Susan Mowery, who was
bom in Harrison county, Ohio, daughter
of Michael Mowery, who came to Seneca
county in pioneer days. Children as fol
lows were born to this union: Nancy,
Mrs. Jonathan Crabbs, of North Fairfield,
Huron county; Mathias, a farmer of Rich
mond township; Sarah, Mrs. William
Runyan, of. Venice township, Seneca
county; Jennie, Mrs. Albert Runyan, of

HURON COUNTY, OHIO.

315

Van Wert county, Ohio; Emma, Mrs.
Frank Weaver, of Seneca county, Ohio;
Ida, Mrs. Benjamin Hawn, of Chicago
Junction, Ohio; Martha, Mrs. J. J. Link;
Ella, who married Cyrus Crabbs, and died
in Seneca county; William and a daughter,
both of whom died young. After his
marriage Mr. Carothers had purchased
forty acres of partly cleared woodland,
upon which he erected a house and barn.
This property he subsequently sold, and
purchased eighty-nine and one-half acres
of new land in Richmond township, Huron
county, upon which stood a log house
18 x 20 feet. He has since added to this
tract from time to time, until it now com
prises 139^ acres, completely equipped
with new farm buildings. In 1891 he
moved to Chicago Junction, where he has
since led a retired life. In politics he was
originally a Democrat, but since the for
mation of the Republican party has been
a member of same. He has served as
township trustee, for twelve years as
justice of the peace, and in various local
offices. In religious connection he and
bis wife are members of the U. B. Church,
in which he is class-leader. Mr. Carothers'
success is due to hard work and good busi
ness management, which, coupled with
common sense and sound judgment, have
brought him the reward he so well merits;
and he is a man whose opinions are sought
after and valued by his fellow-citizens.

ELIJAH WASHBURN, one of the
oldest native-born citizens of Fitch-
 I ville township, is the son of Joseph
Washburn, a pioneer of this section
of the State of Ohio.
Joseph Washburu was born on his
father's farm in New York State, near the
Catskill Mountains, was raised iu the man
ner common to boys of that time and
place, and while still a young man married
Sarah Tompkins. To them three children
were born in New York State, one of

whom died in infancy, while the second
lived to an adult age. In 1820 the family
migrated to Fitchville township, Huron
Co., Ohio, where Joseph Washburn had
located a tract of 700 or 800 acres of wild
land. On their arrival a log cabin was
built, and while awaiting the erection of
that cabin the members of the family found
shelter in the home of a settler named
Palmer. In Fitchville township the fol
lowing named children were born to the
pioneer parents: James, who moved to
Michigan; Sarah, who married Anson
Skellenger, and died at New London, Ohio;
aud Elijah and Edmund (twins), the latter
of whom died when two and one half
years old. On this land the father resided
until his death, February 7, 1853, and the
mother until her death, July 10, 1886.
Joseph Washburn was a practical farmer
and a successful one. Politically a Whig,
he was always faithful to that party. His
widow lived to be ninety-two years old.
Iu her later years she was a member of
the Congregational Church, and one of the
original members of that denomination in
Fitchville township. The husband and
wife were buried in Fitchville cemetery.
Elijah Washburn was born November
20, 1830, on the home farm, which he now
occupies. There he was reared, and in the
school of the district received an elemen
tary education, being one of the pupils who
attended regularly during the winter
mouths of each year. The rude school-
house is not better remembered than the
slab seats and stern teacher. During the
spring, summer and fall the boy was kept
busy on the farm, and thus employed he
grew to manhood physically strong and
self-reliant. In 1854 he married Harriet
Potter, who was born in Ruggles town
ship, Ashland Co., Ohio, in 1835, daughter
of Asahel Potter, a native of Connecticut,
who was a pioneer of Ashland county.
The young couple located on the home
farm, and to them were born children as
follows: Viola, deceased wife of Peter
Richie; Ada, married to George Evans, of

316

HURON COUNTY, OHIO.

Fitchville; Nettie, deceased; Charles, pro
prietor of the "Mansion House," at Fitch
ville; Hattie, deceased wife of Dwight
Kniffin; Martin; Joseph; Louisa, deceased;
Leeland; Lillie M. (deceased); and Lorin,
of whom, Martin, Joseph, Leeland and
Lorin are residing at home.
During his residence here, or for a term
of over thirty years, Mr. Washburn has
been a house- mover and farmer, and has
been successful in each business. For
merly a Whig, he became a Republican on
the organization of the new party. Born
in Fitchville township, he has resided on
the same farm longer than any other citi
zen in the township, and in his long life
here he has become highly esteemed by all.

I( ARON ROBINSON, one of the
\\ largest landowners and most prom i-
l\ neut stock growers of Fitchville
township, of which locality he has
been a resident many years, was
bora November 27, 1827, in Coshocton
county, Ohio.
His father, William Pierce, was left an
orphan in his boyhood, and was adopted
by a man named John Robinson, hence
the change in the patronymic. William
Pierce was born in Delaware in 1780, and
about the first or second year of this cen
tury migrated into Pennsylvania, settling
in Washington county. Here he married
Letitia Coleman, with whom in 1815 he
removed to Ohio, locating in Coshocton
county, where they made their home until
1829. In the year last named the family
removed to Crawford county, same State,
locating where the Cincinnati Turnpike
now is, at a point six miles south of Bucy
rus, and here they resided until 1833,
when his twelve children were stricken
with milk fever, a peculiar disease then
common in Crawford county. The father
determined to seek a healthier place, and
mounting his horse set out for Huron

county. Arriving there he made some ex
plorations, and succeeded in obtaining a
small tract of land, about fifty acres, in
Norwich township, in exchange for his
horse. Without delay he brought his
whole family to Huron county, and re
sumed the work of pioneers. The laud
was cleared by Mr. Robinson and his sons,
and a tract of 150 acres added to the
homestead, much of which was also cleared,
and all of it improved by them. Mean
time the father sold his estate in Crawford
county to a French family for one thou
sand six hundred dollars, and invested the
proceeds in lands in Wood county, Ohio.
In 1848 William Robinson removed to
Fitchville township, where he located on
the present Aaron Robinson farm, and
where he resided until his death, August
10, 1864. His widow died January 25,
1865, and both lie in the Fitchville ceme
tery. They reared a large family — seven
sons and five daughters — of whom two
sons and two daughters survive, namely:
Wesley, a farmer of Norwich; Aaron, a
farmer of Fitchville; Christine, widow of
John Bowen, of Norwich; and Emma
Eliza, widow of John M. Foreman, of
Miami, Lucas Co., Ohio. The father of
this family was a Democrat down to the
period of Buchanan's nomination in 1856,
when he joined the American party. From
1856 to the date of his death, he was an
active Republican, while, in religious
opinion, as was also his wife, he was a
member of the United Brethren Church.
Aaron Robinson may be termed a
pioneer of three counties iu Ohio. His
school days began in the log house in
Norwich township, where Miss Emily
Ashley wielded the birch. They were of
short duration; for the exigencies of the
times would not permit the farm to be
neglected, and the boy of the period had,
certainly, his place in the economy of the
farm. His marriage with Hannah D.
Hinkley took place October 1, 1856. She
was born June 13, 1832, in Hector town
ship, Tompkins Co., N. Y., to Horace and

HURON COUNTY, OHIO.

317

Laura (Mclntire) Hinkley, who settled in
Ripley township, Huroti Co., Ohio, in
1834, and removed to Fitchville township
in 1836.
After their marriage Aaron and Hannah
D. Robinson located on a farm in Fitch
ville township, which they now own, and
resided thereon until 1865, when the
family took possession of the present
farm. Their children are William H., an
attendant of the Lebanon (Ohio) College,
now a farmer of Fitchville township, and
Laura L. D. ; they reside with their par
ents. Mr. Robinson is the owner of 500
acres of as good land as may be found iu
the Western Reserve. He is one of the
large real -estate owners in the county,
and one of its extensive stock growers.
Systematic in the management of his
estate, he is also a good financier, and in
every respect a progressive agriculturist.
Politically he is a Democrat, and has been
elected trustee; has also filled other public
positions, but his manifold business inter
ests are given his closest personal attention.

JfESSE SNYDER, a well-known
farmer citizen of New Haven town-
_f ship, is a native of Tompkins coun
ty, N. Y. His grandfather, John
Snyder, who was of German descent, fol
lowed the milling business in Northampton
county, Penn., in which he was quite suc
cessful. He was a colonel in the State
militia during the Whiskey Insurrection,
and was a man of considerable influence.
He had twelve children, viz.: Peter, John,
Samuel, Melchior, Daniel, Simon, Rudolph,
Sally, Hannah, Louisa, Catherine and
Susan, all now deceased.
Rudolph Snyder, father of subject, was
born in 1802, in Northampton county,
Penn., passed his boyhood days on a farm,
and in early life learned the tanner's trade,
which, in connection with agriculture, he
followed for a number of years. In 1822
he was united in marriage with Miss Mary

Heller, who was bora February 3, 1803,
daughter of Solomon Heller, a farmer.
In 1836 Mr. and Mrs. Snyder migrated to
Ohio, locating in Bloominggrove town
ship, Richland county, where they lived
until 1839, in which year they removed to
New Haven township, Huron county, re
maining there until 1857, when they took
up their residence in the village of New
Haven. They were the parents of ten
children, of whom four died in infancy,
the others being Reuben, Jesse, Solomon,
Abner, Mary and Eliza. Mr. Snyder was
a decidedly successful man. Politically
he was an active member of the Demo
cratic party, and served as justice of the
peace in his township; in religious belief
he was a member of the Free-will Baptist
Church. He died April 2, 1882.
Jesse Snyder was born March 3, 1826, in
Tompkins county, N. Y., where he passed
his early years on a farm. In 1844 he
came to Plymouth (then Paris), Ohio, and
learned the carpenter's trade, working at
same for three years, when he commenced
farming, in which he continued until
1853. In that year he went to California,
taking the route through Central America,
where the Nicaragua Canal is now in
course of construction. He remained two
years in the California mining regions,
visiting all the principal camps — San
Francisco, Sacramento, etc. — and toward
the latter part of his stay went to San
Antonio, where he engaged in the shingle
business. During this time he also con
ducted a store and hotel in West Union,
four miles from Redwood City, Cal. In '
1855 he returned to New Haven, Ohio,
and purchasing a farm worked same for
two years, when he engaged in the tanning
business until 1865, and then again took
up agriculture, to which he has ever since
given his attention. Mr. Snyder now owns
128 acres of good farming land, and by
hard work and strict economy has attained
considerable success in his chosen vocation.
On October 3, 1850, Mr. Snyder was
united in- marriage with Miss Elizabeth

318

HURON COUNTY, OHIO.

Loveland, daughter of John Loveland, of
New Haven township, and to this nnion
came three children, viz.: Ralph, now a
farmer in New Haven township; and Will
iam W. and Jesse C. (both deceased). The
mether of these died February 9, 1862,
and September 14, 1863, Mr. Snyder was
married to Mrs. Satira A. (Campbell)
Easter, daughter of Lorenzo Campbell, of
Greenfield township, Huron county. She
died September 26, 1864, and on January
1, 1866, he was again married, this time
to Miss Martha Dickinson, a daughter of
E. Dickinson, of New Haven township. To
this union has come one child, Alton
S., a farmer of New Haven township. In
politics our subject is a stanch member of
the Democratic party, and has served in
various township offices. In 1848 he made
a visit to Chicago, 111., at which time the
city contained no railroads, and he made
the return trip to Ohio on a horse. He
became a member of the Order of the I. O.
O. F. in 1857, and has been a member
ever since; in 1870 was elected as repre
sentative of the Grand Lodge of Ohio,
I. 0. O. F.

J\ARREN SEVERANCE, a worthy
member of the Huron county bar,
lf( is a native of Sandusky county,
Ohio, born October 9, 1836.
Elisha Severance, his father, was a native
of Massachusetts, where he received a fair
education, and passed his early life.
When a young man Elisha Severance
moved to Pennsylvania with his father,
and made his home in that State until
1819, when he settled at Milan, Erie Co.,
Ohio. In 1830 he located at the site of
the present town of Clyde, Sandusky
county, and in 1839 came to Peru town
ship, Huron county, where he purchased a
farm. Having learned the trade of cooper
in Massachusetts, his time in Peru town
ship was devoted to that in connection
with agriculture, working at the trade in

winter, and giving his attention to the
farm during the remainder of the year,
until 1853. In the last mentioned year he
removed to Greenfield township, and there
remained until 1863, when he came to New
Haven with his son Warren, with whom
he passed the remainder of his days.
On April 28, 1823, Elisha Severance
was united in marriage with Martha Bangs,
and to their union were born children as
follows: Charles F., Lucien (who died
young), Clarissa, and Samuel (who died in
1883). This wife died August 12, 1829,
and on May 7, 1831, Mr. Severance wedded
Mrs. Phoebe (Tracy) Morgan, of Milan,
Ohio, by which marriage were also bom
four children: William M., Who died in
1883 in Illinois; Byron, who died iu in
fancy; Warren, the subject of this memoir;
and Byron (named after the first Byron),
a carpenter and joiner of Fairfield town
ship, who died October 7, 1892. The
mother of these children passed away in
January, 1879, aged seventy-seven years;
she was a daughter of Abel Tracy, of Ver
mont, in which State she was born; a
Presbyterian from the age of sixteen years
to her death, she was always a consistent
member of that Church. Elisha Severance
was a Whig before the war, but in 1856
or 1860 joined the Democratic party. He
passed away October 13, 1892, aged ninety-
eight years.
The family name was originally Severns,
of Norman origin. The ancestor of the
family in America moved from England
into Scotland, and came from the latter
country to the United States in early Co
lonial days. From the genealogy published
by Rev. Mr. Severance, of Chicago, we
quote: "While no member of the family
has ever arisen to any particular promi
nence, none have ever put any stain upon
the name." The family are the only rep
resentatives of the name in this section of
Ohio, but there is a colony of Severances
at Severance, Doniphan Co., Kans., while
a number of the name make their home in
Chicago, Illinois.

^ct^^c^y

HURON COUNTY, OHIO.

321

Warren Severance received in his youth
a practical education, aud for nine years
prior to 1875-76 was an instructor of high
repute. In 1863 he purchased a farm in
New Haven township, four miles east of
Chicago Junction and near New Haven
village, which he carried on without tak
ing his attention from his profession of
school teacher. On February 9, 1860, he
was married to Philinda Shepard, daughter
of Israel Shepard. who came from New
York to Ohio at an early day, aud they
have had two children: Elmer W., born in
1861, who is now in the office of his
father, and Clara M., wife of C. A.
Weatherford, of Chicago Junction. In
1876 Mr. Severance was offered induce
ments by Mr. D. H. Young, a member of
the Ohio bar and for thirteen years an in
surance agent, to enter the legal profession,
which he accepted, entering the office as a
partner in the entire business, aud for two
years be worked in the insurance and real-
estate office at Chicago Junction. On
March 28, 1878, he was admitted to the
bar, at Bucyrus, Ohio, and on June 3,
1880, was admitted to practice in the
United States Courts at Toledo, Ohio. In
September, 1878, Mr. Young moved to
Norwalk, Ohio, and Mr. Severance as
sumed full charge of tbe office. In 1891
he was appointed local counsel for the
Baltimore & Ohio Railroad Company, and
he has firmly established himself in the
confidence of that great corporation by the
close attention he gives to their legal af
fairs in this division. Apart from this
work, he commands a large and lucrative
general practice, and is well and favorably
known to the people of Huron and ad
joining counties. He also conducts an
important real-estate business.
Mr. Severance was largely instrumental
in the organization of the Presbyterian
Church here in 1890. In 1885 he was
one of four of the Republican candidates
for prosecuting attorney, receiving seventy-
seven of the seventy-eight votes required
for nomination, and as candidate for the

judgeship of the Probate court he also re
ceived a very flattering support. Almost
forty-two years old when admitted to the
bar, his success is marvelous, if not phe
nomenal. His knowledge of the people
and the universal respect and esteem in
which he was held played an important
part in the issue; but this alone, without
the actual ability which he possesses to an
unusual degree, would be of little use in a
battle for precedence among the lawyers
of this section, and Mr. Severance may
well be proud of the brilliant record which
he has made.

E^LON G. BOUGHTON, abstracter
and conveyancer, Norwalk, is a na-
 I tive of Huron county, born June
30, 1839, a son of John and Susan
(Benedict) Boughton. The father was born
in 1796 at Southbury, Conn., was reared
in Cayuga county, N. Y., and in 1836
came to Ohio, where he passed from earth
December 12, 1864. The mother was born
February 2, 1800, near Norwalk, Conn.,
and died June 9, 1888. They had a family
of ten children, six of whom are yet living.
E. G. Boughton was reared to early man
hood in the vicinity of his birth, gaining
the experiences of the average boy of the
period in the schools, and in learning the
practical lessons of patient labor and
economy. When only a well-grown youth
he taught school successfully for three
terms, but when the tocsin of war rang out
over our Union, the young man dropped
his birch baton and enlisted, in September,
1861, in Company D, Forty-first Regiment
O. V. I. He went to the front with the
army of the Cumberland, and was wounded
November 25, 1863, at the battle of Mis
sionary Ridge, after which he was on de
tached service to the close of his three
years term of enlistment. On his return
home he engaged in farming until 1872,
when he was elected recorder of Huron
county, and was subsequently re-elected,
serving three consecutive terms, or nine

322

HURON COUNTY, OHIO.

years. While in office, almost as a part of
his duties, he commenced work in a set of
abstract books, and immediately on retir
ing to private life opened his present ab
stract and conveyancer's office, in which
line he has commanded almost a monopoly
of the business.
E. G. Boughton and Melinda A. Davis,
a native of Huron county, were united in
marriage March 22, 1865, and they have
had four children: Will. H, Fred G., Lena
M. and Laura M. The Boughton family
is one of the eminently respected in Huron
county.

fr^ A. EHRMAN, baker and .confec-
I y. tioner, Chicago Junction, is a Ger-
\^J man by birth, born March 10, 1852,
J^. in Hessen Darmstadt, a son of Frank
and Margaretta Ehrman,the former
of whom was a baker by trade.
After leaving school in his native land,
our subject commenced learning his
father's trade, under him completing his
apprenticeship. At the age of sixteen
years he embarked at Bremen on board the
steamship "Rhine," for the New World,
and after a passage of fourteen days landed
at New York. From there he proceeded
westward to Cleveland, where he worked
at his trade till 1873, in which year he re
visited his native country, remaining there
one and one half years, when he again came
to America and to Cleveland, resuming
his trade. In 1877 he a second time
crossed the Atlantic to the Fatherland, on
this occasion sojourning there two years,
and then again coming to Cleveland, once
more took up the baking business. In
1881 he moved to Norwalk, Huron county,
and here worked for J. P. Link in the
same line, six years, at the end of which
time (1886) he came to Monroeville, and
commenced business for his own account.
In 1891 he gave up his small business in
Monroeville, and coming to Chicago
Junction has bere since conducted the

leading bakery and confectionery establish
ment, and grocery and provision business,
in the town.
On May 8, 1884, Mr. Ehrman was mar
ried to Barbara Heeb, born January 16,
1858, in Hessen- Darmstadt, Germany, a
daughter of Frederick and Catherine Heeb.
She came to the United States in June,
1883, and was living iii Cleveland, Ohio,
at the time Mr. Ehrman visited and won
her, and took her to Norwalk. The chil
dren born to this union are as follows:
Philip F. E., George L., Carl J. and Eddie
J., all yet living except the last named.
In his political leanings our subject is in
dependent, belonging to no particular
party, but voting always for the candidate
he considers best fitted for the position.
In religious faith he and his wife are mem
bers of the Catholic Church.

CAPTAIN F. J. LEYDORF, a pio
neer of Chicago Junction, was born
' November 7, 1841, in Prussia,
Germany, where his father, Henry
Wilhelm Leydorf, was a dealer in live
stock.
F. J. Leydorf received a practical educa
tion in the public and private schools of
his native place, and at the age of fourteen
years was apprenticed to a mechanic, with
whom he remained three full years. In
1860 he entered the Prussian army, and
served until 1866, when the Electorate of
Hesse fell [It was annexed to Prussia in
1867], and he did not wish to serve longer.
Some short time after the war his father
died, and the son was requested by his
mother to return. In 1867 he married
Anna Maria Baechman, and in 1868 they
immigrated to the United States, coming
to Sandusky, Ohio, where friends of the
family had settled. Shortly afterward they
moved to Custar, Wood county, where
Capt. Leydorf established a saloon and
meat market, but in 1872 he returned to
Sandusky, where he engaged in the hotel

HURON COUNTY, OHIO.

323

business, and remained until the fall of
1875. In 1873 he organized the Sandusky
military company, of which he was elected
captain, a position he held during his resi
dence in that city. Locating at Chicago
Junction in 1875 he erected one of the
first houses there, on the west side, and
engaged in the butchering business, which
he carried on until 1877. In 1882 he
bought the property of William Oehm, of
Front street, aud in 1889 purchased the
property he now occupies as a hotel, on
Spring street. He owns the Fox and
Oehm property, purchased previously, and
has been exceptionally successful in his
business. No man has been more inti
mately identified with the progress of
Chicago Junction in its various phases, and
it was through his efforts that the town was
incorporated. Coming here when the site
was practically in its primeval condition,
he labored in the interest of the place, and
watched its progress with joy. In 1879
he was elected street commissioner and
constable, in which position he served for
two years. As street commissioner he
laid out a number of what are now the
principal streets of the town, and shortly
after he was elected a member of board of
education for three years. An active,
earnest Democrat, he was the nominee of
the party for sheriff of Huron county, and
at the polls he succeeded in cutting down
the Republican majority from 1,400 to
778. In 1888 he was appointed deputy
United States marshal for the Northern
District of Ohio, and served until 1892.
He is now serving his sixth year as justice
of the peace, and in 1893 was elected
mayor of the city.
Of the ten children born to Mr. and
Mrs. Leydorf, eight are yet living, namely:
Kunnegunde (wife of J. L. Von Slagle),
Matilda K, Frederick W., Magdalena,
Anna Margaret, Maria Theresa, Amelia
and Amanda. The eldest child, Annie
Kathrina, died when four years old, and
Frederick Jacob died in infancy. The
family are all popular in the community,

and the Captain himself is known to his
particular friends as a prince of good
fellows.

VILLIAM MONTEITH, one of the
'I most progressive citizens of Ply
mouth, and cashier of the First
National Bank of that place, was
born March 25, 1861, in Ireland, and came
with his parents to the United States in
1864. He is a son of Andrew and Mary A.
(Smith) Monteith, natives of Ireland, and
descendants of that sturdy Scotch-Irish
race that predominates in the North.
Andrew Monteith, who was a farmer and
ropemaker in the land of his birth, emi
grated, in 1864, with his family to the
United States, and landing at Philadelphia
proceeded at once to Plymouth, Ohio,
where two of his brothers-in-law already
resided. In 1882 he pnrchased a farm in
New Haven township, and later bought
a second tract two miles south of Plymouth,
in Richland county, where he now resides.
Of the seven children born to Andrew
and Mary A. (Smith) Monteith, William
is the eldest.
William Monteith came to Ohio when
three years old. He received a practical
education in the public schools of Ply
mouth, and at the age of sixteen years
accepted the position of bookkeeper in the
First National Bank of that place. His
services in this capacity were so well ap
preciated, that in January, 1886, he was
promoted to cashier, vice W. B. Cuyken-
dall, who had resigned, and he still holds
the position, giving perfect satisfaction to
patrons and stockholders.
Politically a Republican, be takes an
active interest in public affairs, always
giving his party a loyal support, and he
has served as treasurer both of the town
ship and town. He is secretary of the
Plymouth Savings Building and Loan
Association, and a stockholder in that
company; is also a director and treasurer

324

HURON COUNTY, OHIO-

of the Cline Engine and Machine Com
pany, and is interested in every possible
way in the development of trade and in
dustry in Plymouth. This popular young
man is self-made by intelligence and
earnestness, for to all enterprises, with
which he associates himself, he gives bis
best thought and labor, and makes success
attend it.

FHILIP ERF, a prominent, highly
respected citizen of Peru township,
was born January 13, 1831, in
Nassau, Germany, and immigrated
to the United States in 1852.
His father, Jacob Erf, was also a native
of Germany, in which country he married
Catherine Spangkus, who bore him the
following children: Philip, Catherine,
Anthony and Jacob. In 1853 the parents,
with their three younger children, immi
grated to America, settling in Lyme town
ship, Huron Co., Ohio, where their son
Philip had previously purchased a farm.
Here they passed the remainder of their
lives, Mrs. Erf dying in 1875, Mr. Erf in
1889. Politically he was an independent
Democrat, and in religious faith he and
his wife were members of the Evangel
ical Church.
Philip Erf received a common-school
training in his native country, being fairly
educated for a young man of his time.
He remained in Germany until 1852,
when (as above related) he sailed for the
United States, taking passage for New
York from London, England, the voyage
occupying thirty-one days. After land
ing he proceeded westward to Ohio, travel
ing by canal, railroad and lake to San
dusky, and thence went to Monroeville,
where he obtained work as a farm hand at
eight dollars per month. A poor German
lad, honest and energetic, he went to work
with a will, saved his earnings, and within
a few years established himself as a land
owner. On October 18, 1856, he married
Dora Heyman, also a native of Nassau,

Germany, daughter of William Heyman;
she crossed the ocean on the same vessel
as Mr. Erf, though at the time of their
emigration they were entire strangers.
After his marriage our subject located on
the farm where he still resides, and which
at one time he worked in partnership with
his father-in-law. Since his location in
Peru township Mr. Erf has followed
general farming and stock raising, and
few if any of the farmers of the town
ship have been more successful. He now
owns over 500 acres of excellent land, on
which stands one of the finest brick resi
dences in the township. The barn equals
anything in the district, and the whole
farm gives evidence of progressiveness
and thrift. If the title of the most sys
tematic farmer can be consistently be
stowed on any one farmer in Peru town
ship, Philip Erf well deserves it. Aside
from some property received from his wife
his wealth is the accumulation of his own
industry. His land is to-day worth thirty-
five thousand dollars; the stock which he
raises always commands the highest prices,
and in the cultivation of the farm only the
most improved machinery and farm imple
ments are used. As a business man and
financier his influence is keenly felt, and
his decisions have great weight in his com
munity. Mr. and Mrs. Erf have children
as follows: William, a farmer of Lyme
township; Lydia, Mrs. August Horn, of
Lyme township; and Lewis and Oscar, at
home. Politically he is Republican, is an
enthusiastic party man, and has filled
several township offices. He and his wife
are members of the Protestant Church at
Monroeville.

W. OSBORN, the leading hard
ware merchant of Greenwich, was
born November 30, 1858, in Ma
honing county, Ohio, and received
a common-school education in the schools
of Youngstown, same State. He learned

HURON COUNTY, OHIO.

325

the tinner's trade, and worked at same for
ten years before establishing his present
business. On September 20, 1883, Mr. Osborn
established his present house at Green
wich. A practical tradesman himself, he
started on a small scale, gradually in
creasing his stock to meet his growing
trade, and thus built up on a solid founda
tion a prosperous business. He handles
hardware, stoves, tin ahd copper ware and
queensware, keeping in each department
a large and varied assortment of goods,
making a specialty of paints, oils, var
nishes, etc., and tin and sheet-iron work.
His store occupies a building 20 x 70 feet
in area. On November 12, 1889, he mar
ried Annetta Patterson, by whom two chil
dren were born: Mabel Estelle, August 12,
1890, and Mildred Virginia, June 12, 1893.
Mrs. Osborn's parents, Robert and Mary
Patterson, are Irish and Scotch respect
ively. Mr. Osborn is a Republican politically,
has served as member of the Greenwich
council, and is now a member of the school
board. An active participant in public
enterprises, he gives a liberal share of his
time to questions affecting the well-being
of the town and township of Greenwich.
In religious connection he is a member of
the Congregational Church. His parents,
Freeman and Susan (Strauss) Osborn, are
descended from English and Dutch pio
neers of Pennsylvania, who settled in Ohio
at an early day.

^npHOMAS L. MEAD, grandson of
| Calvin Mead, was born in Greeu-
I wich township, Huron Co., Ohio,
J) November 28, 1830. Luther Mead,
son of Calvin, was born on his
father's farm at Greenwich, Conn., in
1790. When a young man he married
Annis Mead, a native of Westchester
county, N. Y., and took her to his home
in New York City, where he had pre
viously established himself in mercantile

life. Subsequently he moved to Ludlow-
ville, where he started a dry-goods store,
and carried on business until 1826, when
he and family went to Greenwich, Con
necticut. In 1830 Luther Mead, his wife and
three children set out on a journey to the
"Firelands" in Ohio, traveling via Albany
and Buffalo to Sandusky (at that time
called Portland), and thence by wagon via
Norwalk to Greenwich township, where
his father, Calvin Mead, had purchased
1,100 acres of wild land. He deeded to
Luther 500 acres, and on this tract the
pioneers erected a cabin. In this pioneer
cabin were born two children, viz. : Thomas
L., tbe subject of this sketch, and Annie
M., a resident of Greenwich township.
The father of these children died on the
original farm January 11, 1876, and the
mother in March, 1886, both being in
terred in the Fitchville cemetery. Luther
Mead was a Whig until the Republicans
were organized, and for twenty years was
a faithful adherent of the new party. In
religious connection he and his wife
were early members of the Congregational
Church at Fitchville, and among its most
zealous supporters. On one occasion Mr.
Mead saw a few boys desecrating the Sab
bath Day by bathing in a mill pond, and
approaching them invited them to his
home to attend Sabbath-school. The boys,
now clean, good-natured and vigorous after
tbeir bath, accepted the invitation and ap
peared in due time at the Mead cabin.
The Sabbath -school was thus opened for
the first time in Greenwich township.
Thomas L. Mead received an elementary
education in the public school of his dis
trict, and passed a short term in the
schools of Milan, Ohio. School days over
he worked on his father's farm until 1855,
on November 30 of which year he married
Allathea P. Finch, who was born April
23, 1834, at Greenwich, Conn., daughter
of Gilbert P. and Allathea (Peck) Finch.
She visited a sister who resided in Huron
county, and here met Mr. Mead for the

326

HURON COUNTY, OHIO.

first time. To them the following named
children were born: Luther H., now over
seer of Dr. Parker's elegant country seat
at New Canaan, Conn.; Joseph A., a car
penter, of Cleveland, Ohio; Edward L., a
farmer; Annis M., now Mrs. E. D. Nick
erson, of Findlay, Ohio; Gilbert F., of
Greenwich township; Allathea C. and
Thomas L., Jr., residing at home, and
Anna D. The firstborn was a daughter un
named, who died in infancy; another child,
Marcus L., died in youth. The present
farm has been the family home since 1855,
with the exception of two years, when the
parents resided at Oberlin, Ohio, to super
intend the education of their children in
Oberlin College. Mr. Mead is a man well
endowed with common sense and good
judgment, and is considered one of the
leading citizens of his township. Politically
a Republican, he gives loyal support to his
party, and has served as justice of the
peace for six years. He is a deacon in the
Congregational Church at Greenwich, of
which his wife and several children are
also members, and for a quarter of a cen
tury he has discharged the duties of Sun
day-school superintendent.

4/

MICHAEL E. FEWSON, a promi
nent agriculturist and worthy citi
zen of Greenfield township, was
born March 17, 1841, at Burton,
Yorkshire, England.
His father, David Fewson, was a laborer
in Yorkshire, and there married Johanna
Scribner, to whom six children were born
in England, namely: John R., who died
in his native land; Elizabeth, Mrs. George
Billard, of Norwich township; John, a
sawyer of Richmond township; Robert, of
Surry county, Va. ; Michael E., of Huron
county, and Jane, who married Charles
O'Connell. In 1852 the family emigrated
from England to the United States. Sailing
from Liverpool in the clipper-ship "Rap
pahannock," Capt. Cushion, they arrived

at New York after a voyage of seven
weeks. From that city the family trav
eled by railroad to Havana, Huron Co.,
Ohio, via Buffalo and Sandusky. His
son-in-law, George Billard, had already
settled in the neighborhood; so that, how
ever strange the land appeared, they were
not altogether among strangers. Mr.
Fewson rented a log house in Norwich
township at one dollar per month, and re
sided there until his death, which occurred
in 1884. His wife died in 1879.
Michael E. Fewson was nine years old
when the family settled in the United
States. He received a primary education
in the district schools of Norwich town
ship, was granted his time by the father at
the age of eighteen years, aud entered on
life for himself. The first money he
earned was a dime, which was paid him by
the late Dr. McCammon to the young
guide who led bim through the thicket to
the cabin of Clark Eddy, who was suffer
ing from fever and ague. Soon after our
subject found employment in a sawmill as
engineer, and later he went to work in a
clearing, being so engaged up to the time
of his enlistment in August, 1863, for five
years State duty in Company E, Sixty-
third 0. V. I., commanded by Capt. A. B.
Gilson. On May 2, 1864, this organiza
tion was called on by the General Govern
ment for one hundred days United States
service, Capt. Gilson being elected major
of that regiment on the same day. They
were ordered to Camp Taylor, city of
Cleveland, arriving on the third, and were
there joined by the Seventy-ninth Battah
ion from Medina county, Ohio. They
were examined on the 6th and 7th and
mustered in on the Sth; and were then
known as the One Hundred and Sixty-
sixth Regiment O. N. G. Vols. Iu the
re-organization Mr. Fewson was attached
to Company H, commanded by Capt. B.
F. McCormick. His term of service ex
pired September 10, 1864, and he then re,
turned to Huron copnty, where he resumed
work in a sawmill,

HURON COUNTY, OHIO.

327

On November 2, 1865, Mr. Fewson
married Sarah E. Dailey, daughter of
Thomas Dailey, a native of New York,
who had settled in Greenfield township,
where Sarah was bora May 2, 1839. The
children by this marriage are Burton E.,
Nellie M., Minnie M., William G., Dessie
D. and Harry D., all residing with their
parents. After marriage Mr. and Mrs.
Fewson settled on a rented farm in Green
field township; later he purchased ten
acres in Norwich township, of which tract
he gave his parents a life lease; subse
quently he moved to Bronson township,
where he engaged in farming and carried
on a meat market, selling from a wagon to
the people. In 1878 he returned to Green
field township, and located on his present
farm of 114 acres. In a decade and a
half his labors have won him a valuable
property, and have given him a home of
which many an older man might feel
proud. His first vote was cast for Gov
ernor John Brough, of Ohio, in 1863, and
for the last thirty years he has been a
faithful Republican. With the exception
of various township positions, which he
has been called upon to fill, he has never
sought office, being content with the serv
ice he yields the party in the rank and
file of voters.

Ei D WIN L. DOLE, a well and favor
ably known agriculturist of Lyme
 ! township, Huron county, was born
April 21, 1842, in Ashtield, Mass.,
a son of Orrin and Lucinda (Kemp) Dole.
The Dole family are of French extraction,
were among the early settlers of Ohio, and
have always been distinguished for honesty,
true worth and irreproachable character.
Orrin Dole was born November 1, 1806,
in Massachusetts, where he received a com
mon-school education and acquired habits
of thrift and perseverance that were of
great benefit to him' in after life. He
also learned the cooper's trade, and fol
lowed that until 1843, at which time he

moved west and located in Huron county,
Ohio, where he numbered among the
pioneers who were felling trees, building
log cabins and transforming a wilderness
into fertile farms. In his new home he
began agricultural pursuits, an occupation
he continued to follow up to his death,
which occurred March 16, 1872. He was
popular with his neighbors, and was sev
eral times elected trustee for Lyme town
ship. Orrin Dole was married October
18, 1827, to Miss Lucinda Kemp, born
January 25, 1808, also of Massachusetts,
and eight children blessed their union,
viz.: D. W., Fidelia J. (Mrs. Samuel
Taylor, deceased), Harriet A. (deceased
wife of Ely Cooley), George S., Orrin,
Edwin L., Henry S. (deceased) and
Julia E. (Mrs. J. B. Stocking). Mrs.
Dole died November 15, 1884. The
family were members of the Methodist
Church, of which they were all liberal
supporters. Edwin L. Dole was only a year old
when brought by his parents to Ohio, and
his early life was one of vicissitude and
hard work. He received such education
as was afforded by the district schools of
Lyme township, and found leisure time to
cultivate his mind, and acquired a perfect
knowledge of agricultural pursuits. In
1854 he settled on his present farm, about
two miles from Bellevue, comprising 128
acres of valuable land, and here he gives
his attention to farmino- and the manu-
facture of vinegar. He has served two
terms as township treasurer and is highly
esteemed by all who know him. His
younger brother, Henry, was in the Civil
war, and engaged in active service two
years in Company G, Fifty-fifth Regi
ment, O. V. I. Our subject was married
December 24, 1865, to Miss Susan Ed
wards, who died February 7, 1879, leaving
three children: Louise M., Fidelia J.
and Orrin. On December 30, 1880, Mr.
Dole married Miss Elizabeth Kramb, of
Erie county, Ohio, 'who bore him one
child, Elizabeth (deceased). His second

328

HURON COUNTY, OHIO.

wife passed away May 24, 1885, and on
June 8, 1886, Mr. Dole was united in
marriage with Mrs. Aura Northam, of
Huron county, bora November 12, 1853,
in Chesterville, Morrow Co., Ohio,
daughter of Joseph and Deborah Laycox.
Joseph Laycox (born October 1, 1825),
and Deborah DeCamp (born February 27,
1832) were both natives of this country,
but were of French extraction. Joseph
Laycox was a member of Company F,
One Hundred and Thirty-sixth Regiment
0. N. G., and died at Fort Williams, Va.,
August 20, 1864. He was a fine and
noble young man, and was esteemed and
respected by all who knew bim. Deborah
Laycox, an estimable Christian lady, is
still living, and makes her home with her
daughter, Mrs. E. L. Dole.

T. FRANCIS. William Francis,
great-grandfather of the subject
of this sketch, was bora in Wales,
was an admiral in the British
navy under Lord Nelson, and saw the hero
of Trafalgar receive his death wound. He
received an honorable discharge from the
British government in 1808, and the same
year came to Canada, settling at Gravely
Bay. When the war of 1812 broke out
he was made brigadier- general, and served
until the beginning of the year 1815.
About that time a man by the name of
Dixon, a neighbor of his from Gravely
Bay, formed a small foraging company,
and joined the United States. This Dixon
owned a little vessel, and with his fol
lowers would cross into Canada to plunder;
but great-grandfather Francis caught three
of the gang and they were shot, Dixon es
caping, however, to the United States with
his plunder. Shortly after that event
Francis was taken sick at his own home,
at which time Dixon and his gang, again
returning to Canada, surrounded the house
which they set on fire, burning all within,
and while loading their plunder on his
vessel, a party of Canadians collected and

killed five of the gang, among them being
Dixon himself, who was shot by Abra
ham Savitz, a neighbor of Dixon's before
the war.
Thomas Francis, grandfather of W. T.,
came to Canada with his father in 1808,
and enlisting in the war of 1812 was made
captain, in which rank he served until the
close of the war, being twice wounded.
He was married in 1817 to Electa Wag
ner, who was born in Pennsylvania in
1797, and came to Canada with her parents
in 1816. Her father was colonel in the
British army. As soon as married the
young couple settled on a farm at New
Sayrum, Elgin county, Ontario, where she
now lives, quite hearty, at the ripe old
age of almost ninety-eight years. Grand
father Francis followed farming until
1860, in which year he died leaving a
family of eleven children — five sons and
six daughters.
William Francis, father of subject, was
the eldest in the family, and was born in
1817 at New Sayrum. In 1842 he was
married to Matilda Doan, daughter of Jo
nathan Doan, who was born in the State of
Pennsylvania, and with his family moved
to Canada before the war of 1812,
settling on a farm in Elgin county, Ontario.
William Francis also settled on a farm
in Elgin county, three miles from St.
Thomas, where he still lives. His wife
died in February, 1854, leaving three
children — all sons — named respectively
John D., William T. and George. In
1857 the father married Helen Hepburn,
whose parents came from Scotland, and of
this union three children were born — two
daughters and one son — Catherine, Ellen
and Robert. This wife dying in 1862, Mr.
Francis, in 1865, married Jessie Davidson,
a native of Edinburgh, Scotland, and six
children came to them — four sons and two
daughters — James, Wellington, Charles,
Nettie, Eva and Arthur, of whom James
and Charles are in the western States;
Wellington is at home, having charge of
the farm; the two daughters and Arthur

HURON COUNTY, OHIO.

331

are also living at home. Robert Francis
owns and is living on the old homestead at
New Sayrum, where our subject's father
was born (he is married aud has three chil
dren); Catherine is married to Frank
Hathaway, a farmer; Ellen is married to
William Guest, an engineer, and is living
in Bay City, Mich. John D. Francis, the
eldest son of William Francis, was born
June 22, 1848; he is a blacksmith by
trade, and carries on a lucrative business
at Shedden, Ontario; he married Maggie
Shaw, a farmer's daughter, and they have
two children living, one having died.
George Francis was born January 8, 1853,
is still single, and is on his farm near St.
Thomas, Ontario.
W. T. Francis, the subject proper of
these lines, was bora July 27, 1850. It
was his father's desire to give him a classi
cal education, and he remained at home,
going to school until the year 1868, when
the desire to be in business for himself
overcame his better judgment and the
wishes of his father. Without money, and
refusing assistance in any respect, he left
home in the month of June, and secured a
situation with a farmer by the name of
William Down, near London, Ontario.
From him he received one hundred and fif
teen dollars and board for five months' work,
and this money he changed for two and a
half and five-dollar gold pieces, and some
silver half dollars, all United States coin.
In the fall of 1868 he left Canada, and
proceeding to Grand Rapids, Mich., there
sold his gold and silver coin for just
double their face value to the Yankees for
pocket piece?, such coin being very rare at
that time on account of the premium on
gold and silver, " green-backs " and " shin
plasters " being the only money in circula
tion. His uncle, Titus Doan, a railroad
contractor, being at that time employed
by the Grand River Valley Railroad Com
pany in the construction of that road from
Grand Rapids to Jackson, Mich., through
him our subject got employment, at first
in charge of men, then as overseer of his
18

contracts, and timber purchasing agent for
the Railroad Company. There he remained
till 1871, when he returned home, but
again left in the spring of 1873, coming to
Newark, Ohio, where May 25, 1873, he
found employment as freight brakeman on
the Lake Erie division of the Baltimore &
Ohio Railroad. On November 9, of that
year, he was injured at Monroeville, Ohio,
while coupling cars, in consequence of
which he was laid up four months. On
May 1, 1875, he was promoted to freight
conductor, and until 1878 was con
ductor on local freight, wrecking, and
construction trains, also as extra passenger
conductor. In 1878 he was made regular
conductor of an accomodation train be
tween Newark and Sandusky, Ohio; in
1881 was put on the through runs from
Sandusky to Wheeling, W. Va., and in
1884 was put on the limited trains making
the run from Wheeling, W. Va., to Chi
cago, 111., covering the distance of 468
miles, and in four different States each
trip — -West Virginia, Ohio, Indiana and
Illinois. In July, 1884, he was placed,
back on the Sandusky and Wheeling runs.
On December 1, 1885, he was appointed
general agent and yard master at Chicagq
Junction, Ohio, which position he held
until December 1, 1887, at which date he
gave that up to again take the old position
as passenger conductor on the Ohio divi
sions. Removing to Sandusky, Ohio, he
there remained until February, 1891, and
then returned to. Chicago Junction. As
passenger, conductor Mr. Francis has been
remarkably fortuuate, having, in over six
teen years of such service, had qnly one
passenger injured (caused by the passenger.
himself being intoxicated), and in all that
time has never had but two pair of wheels
off the track. No one appreciates this good
fortune more than himself.
Chicago Junction in the spring of 1876,
with a population of less than 1,000, was
quite dull, but Mr. Francis assisted in in
spiring new life into it by, among other
improvements, making the Baltimore &

332

HURON COUNTY, OHIO.

Ohio Park at that place, and by arousing
tbe citizens to get up an old-fashioned
" Fourth of July Celebration. " The Balti
more & Ohio advertised it extensively, and
the consequence was that over three thou
sand people came in to celebrate, and went
home well pleased, with a more kindly
feeling than before for Chicago Junction.
From this on the town made a fresh start
with a growth which as yet has not been
retarded, as the population of 2,300 of to
day amply proves. In May, 1891, Mr.
Francis purchased that part of the William
Motson estate on the east side of the rail
road, together with the famous Deer Lick
Mineral Springs; laid out a large addition
in lots; graded streets and sidewalks; built
a number of fine residences, which he sold,
with several of the lots, cheap and on easy
terms, whereby many procured homes who
would not have been able to do so nnder
other circumstances. He has improved the
surroundings of Deer Lick Springs, and
given the citizens the free use of the water;
is now building on the grounds a large
Sanitarium bath-house on the latest im
proved plans, where all the different baths
will begiven as at other water-cures. The
natural surroundings of these springs are
beautiful, no less than seven different kinds
of water flowing ont within a space of 300
feet, among them being one of white
sulphur and one of iron. With the medici
nal qualities of these waters, the surround
ings and location, together with the im
provements above named, designate Deer
Lick Mineral Springs to become famous
the world over.
On September 1, 1875. Mr. Francis was
married to Rettie M. Holler, of Newark,
Ohio, the daughter of Elias and Mary Jane
Holler, and four children were born to
their union, two of whom are living, viz.:
Myrtle Delia, born September 24, 1877,
and Willard Thomas, born January 12,
1888. Two sous were taken away in early
life: Willie Earl, born July 28, 1880, died
September 1, same year, and Walter Mer
ton, a remarkably bright child, born July

13, 1882, died of diphtheria June 9, 1885.
Mrs. Francis has always been a kindly
wife, and true mother to her children,
never allowing the care of them to others,
and sharing alike with her husband the
burdens of sickness and misfortune. He
says of her with honest pride: "She is
entitled to her share of credit for any good
I may have done, worthy of mention."

LEXANDER LEWIS, who is a
son of Philip Lewis, one of the pio
neers of Huron county, holds a high
rank among the representative agri
culturists of northern Ohio.
Philip Lewis was bora in 1788 in Lewis
county, N. Y., and was reared on a farm.
In the spring of 1816 he took a lumber
raft down the Susquehanna, the timber
having been "taken out" during the pre
ceding winter, at the headwaters of that
river. On delivering the raft at its des
tination he received his winter's pay, and
immediately set out for Ohio, with the in
tention of making a home here. The
journey across the Alleghany mountains
was made on foot, and the youth reached
the site of Mansfield (then a village of a
few huts and a log cabin) in safety. The
conditions surrounding the title to the
land in and around Mansfield were then
unsatisfactory to buyers, so that Philip
Lewis had to seek another location. Walk
ing north to Plymouth, Huron county, he
began work for a settler named Barney,
aud earned a little money clearing land.
Having learned something of the district
in which he sojourned, he went down to
Greenfield township, and purchasing a
tract of 200 acres at three dollars per acre,
erected a cabin thereon, cleared a small
area and planted some corn. In the fall
of 1816 he returned to his native county,
where, in the spring of 1817, he married
Louisa Coleman, who was born in 1796,
in Oneida county, N. Y., and immediately
afterward the young couple set out for the
partially made home in Ohio, making the

HURON COUNTY, OHIO.

333

journey along the lake shore, sometimes
traveling on the ice, in a wagon drawn by
one horse. Here the following named
children were born to them: Maria, born
September 18, 1818, who was burned to
death in 1821, while left alone in
the cabin by her mother; David, born
July 24, 1820, who graduated from
Cleveland Medical College, was a physi
cian at New Haven, Ohio, and also
in the Quincy (111.) Hospital until his
death at Ashland, 111., December 15, 1880;
Eli, born August 24, 1822, studied law,
was admitted to the bar, and practiced at
Juneau, Dodge Co., Wis., until his death
there in 1890; Alexander, born October 3,
1824, is the subject of this sketch; James,
born September 28, 1826, taught school in
several townships of Huron county, and
afterward moved to Fort Worth, Texas,
where he died; Philander, born June 28,
1829, is now a lawyer of Juneau, Wis.;
Philena (twin sister of Philander), who
married John Worley, aud died in Illinois;
Lyman, born September 25, 1832, died in
youth; Alvira, born May 22, 1835, married
Augustus Colvin, and died at New Haven,
Ohio: and Lorenzo, who died in youth.
The mother of this large family died Sep
tember 2, 1848, and the fal her August 17,
1859. Both are buried in the Greenfield
cemetery. Philip Lewis was a farmer,
lawyer and politician, a very aetive man.
Loaning money without good collateral
was one of his faults; if he had others
they were buried with him. In Church
connection he was a Presbyterian, and in
politics a Democrat.
Alexander Lewis was borp in Greenfield
township, received his primary eduoation
in the common schools of the. district, and
subsequently worked on the home farm.
On October 11, 1849, he was united in
marriage with Martha M. Gunn, who was
born November 2, 1829, at Danby, Tomp
kins Co., N. Y., and came to Huron couuty,
Ohio, in 1834, with her parents, John and
Martha M. (Fletcher) Gunn. The Gunns
located in Greenfield township, and resided

there until 1849 when they moved to Nor
wich township, where John Gunn died in
1880, and his widow in 1891. Alexander
and Martha M. Lewis have one son, an
only child. Augustine W., born February
11, 1859, in Greenfield township. He re
ceived his education in part at the district
schools of the locality of his home, in part
at Oberlin, Ohio, and he is now a farmer
living on the homestead. On January 28,
1874, he was united in marriage at Juneau,
Dodge Co., Wis., with Miss Annie M.
Travis, and two children have come tq
brighten their home, viz.: Clarence A.,
bora in Juneau, Wis., October 26, 1875,
and Ada L., born in Greenfield March 10,
1879. They represent the fourth genera
tion that have occupied the Philip Lewis
estate. Alexander Lewis resided on the old
Lewis farm, and cared for his father, who
was an invalid for some time prior to his
death, after which event he (Alexander)
assumed charge of the estate, and settled
with all the heirs. In 1871 his new home
was completed and occupied. Since the
memorable Lincoln campaign Mr. Lewis
has been a Republican. In Church rela.-
tion his wife is a member of the Disciple
Church, and unquestionably one of the
most estimable women in Huron county.
Mr. Lewis has always been a farmer, and
even now, when approaching his seventieth
year, he is an active man of the world, en
joying labor and taking pride in a well-
cultivated and improved farm.

"HARLES A. PAUL, cashier of the
Norwalk Savings Bank, Norwalk, is
a native of Hurou county, born
December 12, 1860, a son of J. L.
and Eliza (Delamater) Paul, the former a
native of Ohio, the latter of the State of
New York. They are one of the promi
nent families of the county, living on a
stock farm two miles south of Norwalk,
where the father and son raise and deal in

334

HURON COUNTY, OHIO.

tine stock extensively, and in this line are
widely and favorably known. About their
household is an air of comfort and unos
tentatious refinement, in itself a sufficient
guarantee that their son was given those
influences and advantages that are adapted
to the production of the best citizenship.
Our subject was well grounded in the
fundamentals of an English education in
the Norwalk schools, and, passing these,
he spent the next three years at the Ohio
State University, taking a special course.
Returning to his home he entered into
partnership with his father in their stock
farm, an interest in which he still retains,
the firm being one of the most extensive
buyers and sellers of fine stock in this part
of Ohio. Their place is known as the
"Norwalk Stock Farm."
In 1891 C. A. Paul went to Cleveland,
and was employed in the Arcade Bank of
that place, but severed this connection to
return to Norwalk and take his present
position in the Norwalk Savings Bank, of
which he is also a stockholder and director.
He was married on June 28, 1893, to Miss
Clara B. Cannon, only child of Mr. and
Mrs. Cannon, of Cleveland, Ohio. It is
saying nothing more than what the records
bear out, when we publish the fact that no
young man in the county stands fairer in
the public estimation than Mr. Paul.

fl( NDREW LOVE, Je., a prominent
ljj__\ farmer citizen of Townsend town-
|/§\ ship, is a native of the same, born
yj " April 10, 1842. He is the ninth
child in a family of twelve children
born to Andrew and Eliza (Kelsey) Love,
the former of whom was bora in Catskill,
Greene Co., N. Y., the latter in Monmouth
county, N. J., of English and Irish de
scent, respectively.
Andrew Love, Sr., was born April 1,
1798, aud received but a very limited Eng
lish education in youth. At the age of
ten years he was bound out to a farmer in
his native county, with whom he remained

until he attained his majority, and then
went to Monmouth county, N. J., where
he was employed in a brickyard until the
fall of 1841, at which time he came to
Townsend township, Huron Co., Ohio.
Here he was employed for several years at
anything he could find to do, working by
the day or job and frequently taking con
tracts to chop and clear land. He cleared
several hundred acres of land, perhaps
more than any other one man in the town
ship, and in about 1848 bought fifty acres
of wild land in same township and county
(upon which our subject now resides),
where he engaged in manufacturing staves,
which he hauled to Milan, then the nearest
market, where many thousands were dis
posed of. In 1851, after having partially
improved the place, he sold out and re
moved to Wapello county, Iowa, where he
bought a partially improved farm and en
gaged in. agriculture, but after two years,
in 1853, he again sold out, and returned
to Townsend township, Huron county,
where two years later, in 1855, he bought
a place adjoining his first purchase. Here
he engaged in agricultural pursuits' until
his death, which occurred July 20, 1869.
His father, John Love, was born in Eng
land, where he received a meager common-
school education. At the age of nineteen
he emigrated to the United States, landing
at New York, where he afterward learned
the ship carpenter's trades which he con
tinued to follow for several years, or until
he was disabled by a log rolling against
and crushing his left limb. His death
occurred in 1833, in New Jersey, when he
was about sixty years old. When he left
England he brought with him an old Bible,
published at Oxford in 1725, which is now
the property of our subject.
Mrs. Eliza Love, who was born April
15, 1808, is yet living and resides with her
son, the subject of our sketch; she is a
devout member of the M. E. Church.
Her father, James Kelsey, was born iu
Monmouth county, N. J., where he received
a good education in English ana mathe-

HURON COUNTY, OHIO.

335

matics in early life. At the age of thir
teen he shipped on board a sailing vessel
as cabin boy, steadily advancing from one
position to another, at a very early age at
taining the rank of master or captain of a
vessel, which he continued to hold until
he was seventy-three years old, having
followed the high seas continuously for
sixty years in the waters of every clime
and quarter of the globe. He was mar
ried in his uative place and had two sons,
both of whom followed in their father's
footsteps and became captains of vessels,
serving as such till their ships were
wrecked and they were drowned, both be
ing wrecked in the same storm, but on
different vessels. The Kelsey family were
among the stanch patriots in New Jersey,
and took an active part in the fortunes —
civil and military — of that commonwealth
in early days.
Andrew Love, Jr., the subject of this
sketch, received an ordinary common-
school education in early life, and remained
with his parents, sometimes on the home
place and at other times working out by
the month, until he attained his "majority.
On February 15, 1864, he enlisted in
Company C, Fifty-fifth 0. V. I., joining
the regiment at Chattanooga, Tenn., early
in March, after which he served with his
command in all its marches and engage
ments up to and including the battle of
Resaca, Ga., where he was wounded in tbe
left hand, sent to the rear and subse
quently taken to a hospital at Jefferson-
ville, Ind., where, after his wound had
partially healed, he was taken sick and re
moved to a hospital at Camp Dennison,
Ohio. After his recovery he rejoined his
regiment at Atlanta, Ga., just before
starting with Gen. Sherman on his cele
brated march to the sea, upon which cam
paign he accompanied his regiment, suffer
ing very severely the while with rheuma
tism, and participated in all the subsequent
battles and engagements in which his com
mand was engaged to the close of the war.
He was in the Grand Review at Washing

ton, D. C, and was finally discharged from
the service July 20, 1865, at Cleveland,
Ohio. After his return from -the army he
chopped wood and worked by the month
for a year and a half, and in the spring of
1867 commenced farming on bis own ac
count on the old home place in Townsend
township, Huron county, upon which he
now resides, and where he has since been
successfully engaged in agricultural pur
suits. The farm, consisting of seventy-
five acres, is in a high state of cultivation,
and here he has built a good house and
barn. He has served the township as
trustee and in various other official posi
tions. Mr. Love was married, February
2, 1867, to Miss Lucy Ann Hoff, a native
of Monmouth county, N. J., where she was
born August 22, 1839, a daughter of
Samuel 0. and Elizabeth (Aumack) Hoff,
both natives of Monmouth county, N. J.,
and of Holland-Dutch descent. One
daughter has blessed this union, Lizzie A.,
now Mrs. S. J. Hawkins. Samuel 0. Hoff
died in September, 1872, in his sixty-sixth
year. Mrs. Elizabeth Hoff is yet living,
and makes her home with her daughter,
Mrs. Lucy A. Love. The Hoff family
were among the very earliest of the Dutch
settlers of New Jersey, and among their
ancestors was a lady who was the first
white woman in that State. Both Mr.
Love and his wife are devout members of
the M. E. Church at East Townsend. In
politics he is a stanch and uncompromising
Prohibitionist, and he is one of the well-
known, enterprising and respected citizens
of the community.

djOHN S. HESTER, of Norwich town-
I ship, for many years a well-known
_/ prosperous citizen of the county, is a
native of Ohio, born in Columbiana
county November 8, 1810.
His father, Martin Hester, was born in
Greene county, Penn., a son of John
Hester, of German birth, who came to

336

HURON COUNTY, OHIO.

America when a young man, settling in
Greene county, Penn., where he carried on
a farm of his own, and followed the trade
of weaver. He married Miss Elizabeth
Mason, by whom there were three sons —
Martin, John and Matthias — and five
daughters — Elizabeth, Sarah, Mary, Mar
garet and Emily. From Pennsylvania he
moved with his family to Columbiana
county, Ohio, settling on a farm of 160
acres, where he continued agricultural
pursuits and weaving. He passed from
earth about the year 1825, at the age of
sixty-two years. Politically he was a
strong Whig, and he was a member of the
German Lutheran Church.
Martin Hester, eldest son of this pioneer,
was born in 1787 in Greene county, Penn.,
and was reared on his father's farm, at
tending during a few winter months the
subscription schools of the locality. He
became a great reader, and what he lacked
in education he made up amply by home
study. When his parents moved to Co
lumbiana county, Ohio, he accompanied
them, and farmed there some four or five
years after marriage, removing then to
Orange township, Richland (now Ashland)
Co., Ohio. At that time this was the ex
treme frontier of civilization, and if there
were any neighbors north of them, save
"Redskins," they never heard of them.
The Indians were numerous, and wild ani
mals, such as bears, wolves and deer,
roamed the dense forest at will. One day
Mrs. Hester, being out after the cows,
found a very young deer, so small that she
carried it home in her apron, and kept it
as a pet for a year or two. In Orange
township Mr. Hester owned about 160
acres of land, and there lived till 1824,
when he came to Bronson township,
Huron county, settling on land bought of
Judge Southgate, and here he spent the
rest of his busy life, dying in 1870; his
wife passed away in 1865. In 1809 he
had married Miss Mary Stough, a daugh
ter of Rev. John Stough, of Fayette county,
Penn., and to this union were born five

children, all of whom are living to-day at
advanced ages, none being under seventy
years old. Their names are John S., Eliza,
Samuel, Matthias and Martin M., of whom
John S. is the subject of this sketch; Eliza
married Elisha Savage, of Berea, Ohio;
Samuel lives in Paxton, 111.; Matthias is
in Norwalk, Ohio; Martin M. is in Bron
son township, on the old homestead. The
father was a stanch Whig and Republican,
and a member of the M. E. Church, in
which he served as steward.
John S. Hester, whose name introduces
this sketch, received but a limited educa
tion, as his boyhood was much taken up
¦in assisting his father on the farm. Be
ing fond of books, however, and gifted
with a retentive memory, he was not long
in making up for deficiency in that respect.
At the age of nineteen he commenced to
learn carpentry, at which he worked three
years, receiving one hundred and fifty
dollars for his time. He then went to
Milan, Erie Co., Ohio, and continued his
trade for one year, his wages being one
dollar pej day. After this he moved to
Huron, same county, and worked on steam
boats, assisting among other things in
building several boats, among which may
be mentioned the " United States" and the
"George Washington." Coming to Nor
walk in 1834, he here worked at his trade
one year, at the end of which time, his
health failing and his eyesight becoming
impaired, he gave up work and returned
to his father's house, where he recuperated.
Soon thereafter, in 1835, he married Miss
Jane Pan cost, of Bronson township, Huron
county, but she died the following year.
He then bought land in Norwich township,
paying therefor four dollars and fifty cents
per acre, which property he subsequently
traded for the farm in Norwich township,
where he now lives. He received from his
father's estate four hundred dollars, which
alone gave him a start in the world, and
he has now 200 acres of land, although he
at one time owned 400 acres, having sold
200 acres of valuable timber land, the pro-

HURON COUNTY, OHIO.

337

ceeds of which he invested in five-twenty
Government bonds at par, to aid the Gov
ernment in carrying on the Civil war,
which investment proved remunerative.
For his second wife Mr. Hester married,
in 1841, Miss Lucinda M. Hildredth, bora
in Tompkins county, New York, a
daughter of Benjamin Hildredth, and five
children were born to this union, of whom
the following is a brief record: Charles
T. died in the Civil war; Eliza is the wife
of S. R. McConnell, of Burlington, Iowa;
Susan died in infancy; Julia is the widow
of William Dougherty, late of Mansfield,
Ohio, and has one child, Bessie (they re
side with our subject); Hattie H. is mar
ried to Rev. H. P. Richards, of North
Fairfield. Politically our subject has been
respectively a Free-soiler, Abolitionist and
a Republican. He is a member of the
Methodist Church, in which he has held
the offices of class-leader, steward, etc.,
and in 1879 was elected a lay delegate
to the annual Conference of northern
Ohio, and successively every four years
up to 1891.
Mr. Hester relates many interesting
anecdotes of the early days in the settle
ments. His great uncle, Uriah Hester,
was once attacked by Indians, who scalped
him and left him for dead; bnt he re
covered, and afterward moved to Indiana,
becoming the progenitor of the family of
the name in that State. Martin Mason,
great-grandfather of subject, when a boy
was captured by Indians, and taken to
Canada, where he was sold to some man of
prominence. When he was twenty-one
years old he was allowed to return to
Pennsylvania to visit relatives, with whom
he remained. Jacob Fast, great-uncle of
John S. Hester, was also captured by
Indians, who told him that he would have
to "run the gauntlet," and his life would
be spared. Instead of running the
customary way, however, he treated the
Redskins to an exhibition of side hand
springs, known among boys as " making a
wheel of himself," which must have con

siderably astonished his audience, who not
only spared his life but made him a chief.

T[f IALMER GRIFFIN, a successful
[^ farmer of Fitchville township, and
I || a progressist in all agricultural.
y) affairs, was born in Greenwich
township, Huron Co., Ohio, May
6, 1842, a son of Riley and Philena
(Washburn) Griffin.
His youth was passed much in the
manner of boys of that time and place —
attending the district school and working
on the farm. Miss Clarissa Parker was
his first teacher, and for many terms he
was present as a pupil in her school.
Later he attended an academy at Green
wich Center, which was conducted there
for one year, completed his education and
returned to the farm. On August 4,
1864, he married Amanda Knapp, a native
of Westchester county, N. Y., who came to
Ohio with her parents, and after marriage
the young couple moved to Montcalm
county, Mich., where he purchased a farm.
One year later they returned to Ohio, and
renting a place in Fitchville township,
Huron county, for two years, resumed
farming here. In 1869 he located on his
present farm, two miles south of Fitchville
village, and has since made the place his
home. From boyhood Mr. Griffin inclined
towards carpentry. He has cultivated his
mechanical talents to a practical extent,
utilizing them in the construction of new
buildings on his own farm and iu the re
pair of old buildings. A systematic agri
culturist, and consequently a successful
one, he finds time to devote to a very im
portant branch of farming — poultry rais
ing. In this department he employs the
most modern appliances, and the most ap
proved methods; he is a supporter and
reader of the leading poultry journals, and
a strict observer of scientific methods iu
the poultry-yard. A few years ago fire
destroyed the hennery, entailing a heavy

338

HURON COUNTY, OHIO.

loss, but he at ouce went to work and
built a larger and more complete one.
A lifelong Republican, Mr. Griffin has
always been a loyal member of the party;
for twelve years he held the office of town
ship trustee, and during that time the
public affairs of Fitchville went forward
with precision and harmony, for he took
an interest in every public and private en
terprise which promised benefit to the.
township. His children are as follows:
Blanche, Mrs. George Black, of Birming
ham, Erie Co., Ohio; Loren, a farmer, and
Lola W., an accomplished young lady,
both residing with their parents.

L

IEUTENANT GEORGE BARGUS,
a prominent agriculturist, and com
missioner of Huron county, was
bora in Newark, N. J., April 29,
1839, a son of William and Charlotte
(Argyle) Bargus, the former a native of
New Jersey and of German extraction, the
latter of Scotland.
Lieut. Bargus was left an orphan in in
fancy, and compelled to rely entirely upon
his own efforts even from the tenderest
years. He, therefore, received only such
education in his youth as was afforded by
the common schools of New Jersey at that
early day, but in after years succeeded in
acquiring a good practical knowledge of
the English language, which, added to his
judgment and energy, enabled him to win
success in every undertaking. His only
inheritance consisted chiefly of a stout
heart, willing hands and great faith in
humanity. He has always been a constant
and extensive reader, and possesses a wide
range of general information, being a sub
scriber for newspapers and magazines, and
owning a carefully selected library of sev
eral hundred volumes. He is particularly
interested iu ancient and modern history
and the various sciences, and his wealth
allows him to gratify his literary tastes.
At the age of thirteen our subject went to

Rochester, N. Y., where he learned the
baker's and confectioner's trade, serving
an apprenticeship of four years, after which
he journeyed west with the intention of
working at his trade, but found no open
ing, and was glad to do whatever offered
an opportunity to make an honest dollar.
During the winter and spring of 1859-60
he traveled through Tennessee, Arkansas
and Louisiana, but when the first clouds
of the Civil war gathered in the South he
returned north. Early in 1861 he enlisted
in Company E, of Yates' Sharpshooters,
which in 1864 became the Sixty-fouHh
Regiment Illinois Volunteer Infantry, and
was mustered in as sergeant. Owing to
distinguished service and gallantry at the
battle of Corinth and elsewhere, he was
rapidly promoted through all the inter
mediate ranks to First Lieutenant. For
more than a year he commanded his com
pany, and was with his regiment through
all its marches and campaigns, participat
ing in the battles of New Madrid, Island
No. 10, the Siege of Corinth, Resaca (Ga.),
Big Shanty, Kenesaw Mountain, Atlanta
of July 22, and also on July 28, 1864,
Ezra's Church, and numerous minor engage
ments. He accompanied Gen. Sherman in
his famous march to the sea; was slightly
wounded several times, and was mustered
out of service in January, 1865.
Lieut. Bargus, soon after his return
from the army, took a commercial course
in Oberlin College, and then moved west,
but after one year returned to Huron
county, Ohio, settled on his farm near
Collins, and engaged in agricultural pur
suits and raising fruit. His farm contains
400 acres of valuable land, all well
improved. He also conducted a sawmill and
lumber business, until the cyclone of April,
1890, entirely destroyed his large mill.
On April 12, 1866, Lieut. Bargus mar
ried Miss S. Alice Humphrey, who was
born in Cuyahoga county, Ohio, a daugh
ter of William and Sarah Ann (Bierce)
Humphrey, natives of Litchfield county,
Conn. Their union has been blessed by

fe

HURON COUNTY, OHIO.

341

four children: George (deceased), Alvin
Dudley, May (deceased) and Edwin Plum-
phrey. Lieut. Bargus has served as town
ship trustee several terms, was a member
of the county board of the Infirmary di
rectors, and is now serving his second term
on the board of county commissioners.
He belongs to no church, but is a firm be
liever in Christianity of a practical kind.
He is a member of the G. A. R. Post No.
414, Townsend, of which he has been
commander since its organization, in April,
1885. About two years ago Lieut. Bar
gus was general commander of the Four
teenth District Brigade, and is now assist
ant inspector and aid-de-camp on the
Department Staff, Ohio G. A. R. He is
also the colonel commanding F. H. Boalt
Command No. 17, U. V. U., of Norwalk,
Ohio, and last year served as deputy com
mander of Ohio. He is a member of the
Masonic Fraternity, and W. M. of East
Townsend Lodge No. 322, A. F. & A. M.,
to which Lodge he has belonged for over
a quarter of a century. He is a member
of Huron Chapter No. 7, R. A. M., of
Norwalk Commandery No. 18, K. T., and
also of Norwalk Council No. 403, Royal
Arcanum. Lieut. Bargus is an uncom
promising Republican, and while quite
young became very much interested in the
slavery question, being in sympathy with
the slaves. He is in harmony with his
party on the tariff question, and though he
has never been an office seeker, is deeply
interested in the success of the G. 0. P.,
and is an excellent organizer. His first
vote w'as cast for Abraham Lincoln.
William Httmpheey, father of Mrs.
Bargus, was born in Goshen, Conn.,
October 13, 1812, the seventh child of
Dudley and Polly M. (Sherman) Hum
phrey, and of Scotch- English descent.
in April, 1834, he married Miss Sarah
Ann Bierce, a native of Cornwall,
Conn., and of English-German descent,
by whom he had four children, viz.:
Emma Lonise (Mrs. Joseph Hyde), Sarah
Alice (Mrs. George Bargus), Delia Lucretia

(Mrs. W. D. Johnston, deceased) and
Willie (who died in infancy). Mrs.
Humphrey died November 13, 1854, and
Mr. Humphrey was married, June 28,
1855, to Miss Sarah M. Hyde, of Wake
man, Ohio. Mr. Humphrey's education
was chiefly acquired by experience and
observation, his school days having ended
when he was twelve years of age. While
young he manifested unusual mechanical
skill, and during his long and active
business career invented many improve
ments in machinery, such as " Humphrey's
Direct Action Steam Mill," and the
"Humphrey Double Action Pump." In
1835 be moved from Connecticut to
Parma, Ohio, where he engaged with bis
brother Dudley S. in manufacturing
clocks, lumber, etc., and in 1849 they came
to Townsend township, purchased a large
tract of land, and began an extensive lum
ber business. They built mills and plank
roads, furnished employment for a great
number of men, and transformed an almost
unbroken forest into broad acres of pas
ture, meadow and orchard land, where two
thriving villages now stand. Their lum
ber was shipped to eastern markets from
Milan, Ohio, via the lakes. Mr. Hum
phrey soon became, and continued until
his death, the largest landowner in Town-
send township. He Was president of the
Central Plank Road Company, and was the
leading spirit in completing the work, his
judgment in business matters being clear
and decisive. He boldly entered into and
controlled commercial enterprises that men
of broader experience hesitated to consider,
and was cool, self-reliant, and equal to
every emergency.
His father's estate having been spent in
paying security debts for friends, he
learned in childhood the lessons taught by
poverty, and endured its struggles, trials
and tempations. He was remarably char
itable, and always found time to listen to
the complaints of those who were in dis
tress. Himself incapable of a mean or
dishonorable action, he scorned and despised

342

HURON COUNTY, OHIO.

treachery and deceit in others, and was
even-tempered, forbearing and forgiving.
He was prepossessing in personal appear
ance, genial and attractive in manner,
and a devoted husband and father. Politi
cally he was a Democrat, but in sympathy
with the preservation of the Union, and
during the Civil war contributed gener
ously to the comfort of Union soldiers and
tbeir families. In 1865 he was nominated
by his party for State legislator. While
Mr. Humphrey was engaged in repairing
the roof of his house, November 23, 1874,
the scaffold gave way, and his skull was
fractured, causing death in a few hours.
He was never identified with any Church,
but believed in and practiced practical
religion. The Humphrey family is numerously
represented in Europe and America, and is
of noble and ancient origin, few families
even among the British peerage being its
equal in antiquity. A few years ago Dr.
Frederick Humphrey, of New York City,
his sister Mrs. Sarah W. Churchill, and
others, prepared with great labor and at
much expense a complete and elaborate
genealogy of the Humphrey family, trac
ing its origin to Sir Humphrey De Bohum,
of Normandy, born A. D. 996, and also giv
ing an account of the coats of arms adopted
by tbe different branches of the family.
The Humphreys were related to William
the Conqueror, and several of them accom
panied him in his conquest of Britain,
where no less than eight branches of the
family are now found, each with a differ
ent coat of arms. The Humphreys were
found in England, Scotland, Wales and
Ireland, and were barons of Prudhoe and
earls of Angus. Many of them took part
in the Crusades and perished in the Holy
Wars; others were beheaded and some
burned at tbe stake. Among them were
Philip Humphrey (the martyr), Lawrence
Humphrey (an eminent Puritan divine),
and Lieut. Gov. John Humphrey (oue of
the organizers of the East India Company,
and one of the original patentees of the

Colony of Massachusetts Bay).- The Hum
phreys found in America are divided into
four distinct branches: First — -Jonas
Humphrey, who came from England in
1634 and settled in Dorchester, Mass.,
and whose descendants are included in the
Dorchester and Weymouth branches. Sec
ond — Daniel Humphrey, who came from
Wales in 1660, and located in Philadel
phia, Penn., and whose descendants in
clude Charles Humphrey (member of the
first Continental Congress), Joshua Hum
phrey (designer and builder of the Ameri
can Navy in 1812-14), Maj. Gen. Andrew
A. Humphrey, and also the Humphreys
of New Jersey, Virginia, Tennessee and
Mississippi. Third — Hugh "Humphrey,
who settled on the Hudson river in New
York. Fourth — Michael Humphrey, who
came from Lyme Regis, England, in 1643,
and located in Ancient Windsor, Conn.,
and whose descendants are his sons Sergt.
John and Lieut. Samuel Humphrey, Will
iam Humphrey, Mrs. George Bargus, Mrs.
Joseph Hyde, Mrs. W. D. Johnston (de
ceased), and Gen. Humphrey (on Gen. U.
S. Grant's staff during the Civil war).
Gen. Bierce, the grandfather of Mrs.
Sarah Ann (Bierce) Humphrey, was a gen
eral in the Hessian army. Ke was sent by
the British ministry to America during
the Revolutionary war to assist in subdu
ing the Colonies, but soon after reaching
America Gen. Bierce's sympathy was en
listed on the side of the Colonists, and he
espoused their cause, rendering gallant and
distinguished service iu the American
army. He married in Connecticut, and
continued to reside there up to the time of
his death.

Jl H. WEBER, one of the leading busi
ness men of Bellevue, was born
J January 29, 1842, in Darmstadt,
Hessen -Darmstadt, Germany. Eleven
years later he accompanied his parents,
Henry and Elizabeth (Betzendorfer)
Weber, to the United States, and traveled

HURON COUNTY, OHIO.

343

west with them to Tiffin, Ohio, where the
family located. The father died during a
visit to Hessen -Damstadt, and the mother,
now seventy-eight years, of age, resides at
Cincinnati, Ohio, with her daughters.
J. H. Weber attended the public schools
of Darmstadt, and on his arrival here re
sumed his studies in the primitive schools
of the time. In about 1859 the youth
found employment as clerk in a store at
Bellevue, and when a young man his ster
ling qualities recommended him so strongly
to his employer that he became a part
ner in the concern. Later he purchased
the interests of his partner, and has since
managed, with marked success, the large
grocery establishment in the development
of which he took so important a part. He
has carried on business so many years in
Bellevue, and has been so closely connected
with all the enterprises attending the
growth of that city, that his name is
synonymous with it; for "going to
Weber's " was at once generally under
stood to be the same as going to Bellevue,
and it is a fact that very little has been
planned or projected by the community
without his counsel and aid. In the board
of educatiou and in the city council he has
been an invaluable adviser, always favor
ing progress, but keeping the cost of im
provement within reasonable bounds, and
opposing municipal jobs of every kind.
As president of the Electric Light and
Power Company, he has directed its affairs
in such a public-spirited manner as to
satisfy both the people and the stock
holders. Politically he is a Democrat; in
social relations he is a member of the
I. O. 0. F. and the Royal Arcanum; in
philanthropical work au earnest member
of the German Aid Society, and in Church
relation a Lutheran. During the summer
of 1892 he made au extended tour through
Europe, giving his special attention to the
modern condition of the German people.
Mr. Weber is the junior member of the
lumber firm of Gross & Weber, who have,
by their energy and fair dealings, built up

an extensive trade in their line, and their

success is identified with the growth of
the village. In 1893 he sold out his
grocery business to his son-in-law, H. A.
Schlicht, who, of late years has been his
manager. Mr. Weber may be said to have
grown up in, and materially assisted, the
growth of Bellevue, and ever had its in
terests at heart. Strictly a business man,
his life has been one of continued success
and commercial progress.

ILBERT L. ROSCOE, who is a
grandson of Josiah Roscoe, was born
)ctober 7, 1844, 'in Greenwich
township, where he is a pushing,
progressive farmer, and a citizen of
high standing.
Josiah Roscoe lived in Putnam county,
N. Y., and there married Hannah Bough
ton. Shortly after marriage the young
couple moved into the wilds of Cayuga
county, N. Y., where the following named
children were born to them: Jeremiah and
Benjamin (twins), Mary, Clara and Sally.
Jeremiah is referred to at length below;
Benjamin married, reared a large family
in Greenwich township, and died there;
Mary married Charles Pierce, and subse
quently became the wife of William Farley
(her death occurred in Greenwich town
ship); Clara, who married Daniel Kniffin,
died in Greenwich township; Sally married
Shadrach Reed, and also died in Green
wich township. About the year 1819
Jeremiah and Benjamin Roscoe visited
Huron county, and secured a large tract of
land at one dollar and twenty-five cents
per acre. After this one of them revisited
Cayuga county, and in 1820 brought his
father, mother and sisters to his new home
in Greenwich township, where the sons
had a log cabin ready for them. The trip
was made in a wagon drawn by oxen and
horses, and beyond its delays and tedious-
ness was uneventful. Josiah Roscoe was
a well-to-do citizen in New York, so that

344

HURON COUNTY, OHIO.

on his arrival here farm work was com
menced and carried out systematically.
The father died here in 1845, the mother a
short time afterward, and both were buried
on the farm.
Jeremiah Roscoe was born February 6,
1797, in Cayuga county, N. Y., and came
to Huron county when twenty-two years
of age. On April 4, 1826, he married
Selinda Sheldon, who was born in New
York State January 26, 1807. To them
were born the following named chil
dren: Harriet, Mrs. Charles Dills, of
Monroe county, Mich.; Hulda, Mrs.
Robert Griffin, of Fitchville towuship;
Asenath, Mrs. William T. Smith, of
Greenwich township; Johanna, Mrs. Will
iam Sutton, of Nebraska; Mary, who
died in youth; Sarah, who married
Charles Bell, and died in Wood county,
Ohio; Selinda, who died very young;
Benjamin, a citizen of Nebraska; Gilbert
L., the subject of this sketch; Lestina,
Mrs. Frank Hawkins, of Lyon county,
Kans.; and Alva, who died young. After
marriage Mr. and Mrs. Jeremiah Roscoe
settled on the homestead, where he was
engaged in farming until his death, April
5, 1872. His widow died in 1877, on the
farm, near the graves of Josiah and Han
nah Roscoe. The sawmill owned by Jere
miah Roscoe was the pioneer manufacturing
industry in Greenwich township, and he
operated it in conuection with the farm
until about 1840 when he sold it. In 1856
he left the Whig party, and became a Re
publican, and he served as clerk of Green
wich township for years. In religious
connection he and his wife were members
of the Universalist Church.
Gilbert L. Roscoe was born October 7,
1844, on the home place. Attending
school and working on the farm occupied
his time until 1862, when he joined the
National Guards. In 1864 his command
was ordered to Washington. D. O, and he
was stationed at Fairfax, Va., until the fall
of that year, when he returned home. On
March 17, 1869, he married Hattie P.

Brady, who was bora at Mecklenburgh, N.
Y., September 2, 1848, daughter of David
J. and Parmelia (Franklin) Brady. To
this marriage the following named chil
dren were born: Franklin B., Mary E.,
Lew W. and Johanna, all residing at home.
For some time after marriage the young
people resided on the home place, then
moved to Lorain, Ohio, where they re
mained until 1872, when they returned to
the homestead, and have since been en
gaged in general farm work and stock
growing. Mr. Roscoe is a natural me
chanic, and has done trade work for
himself, such as repairing machinery,
buildings, etc. In politics he is Republi
can; has represented his party in county
conventions, and served in various town
ship offices. He and his wife are mem
bers of the Congregational Church, in
which he has held office.

JOSEPH WALTER is a native of
k. I Germany, to which country so many
%Jj of our most gifted citizens trace their
origin. The country of the Rhine
has ever been as famous for the intel
lectual strength of its people, as for the
magnificent grandeur of its scenery, and
well may every German cherish a loving
pride for his beautiful Fatherland.
Joseph Walter is a son of Francis Wal
ter, who was born in 1793, in Baden, Ger
many, and there learned the butchering
business. In early manhood Francis
Walter was married to Manegarth Hein-
becker, who was also born in 1793, in
Baden, Germany. The young couple
settled in a small town in their native
place, where he followed his trade, and
also conducted a grocery store. Here the
following children were born to them:
Frederick, a resident of Mansfield, Ohio;
Joseph, whose name opens this sketch;
John, living in a western State, and Will
iam, in Columbia City, Ind. In the
spring of 1833 the family embarked from
Havre, France, first landing in New York.

HURON COUNTY, OHIO.

345

From this port they came by river and
canal to Buffalo, then via Lake Erie to
Sandusky, Ohio, whence they proceeded
with horse teams to Peru township, Huron
Co., Ohio. Mr. Walter there purchased
sixty acres of woodland, and found a tem
porary shelter in a vacant schoolhouse,
where the family remained until a rude
cabin was constructed of poles and bark.
In this home two children were added to
their circle, namely: Dennis, now living in
Columbia City, Ind., and Mary, widow of
E. L. Strause, living in Bismarck, N. D.
The parents died in Huron county, the
mother April 25, 1865, the father in Feb
ruary, 1874, and both are buried in the
Catholic cemetery of the German settle
ment, in Peru township.
Joseph Walter was born January 2,
1828, on the home place in Baden, Ger
many, and was but five years of age when
the family settled in Ohio. He began to
assist with the farm work at the earliest
possible age, and little leisure was ever
allowed, as, so he now says, " It was work,
work, work all the time." His educa
tional opportunities were limited to two
terms, of twenty-one and twenty-seven
days each, at the neighboring subscription
school. A hard life was this for an active,
fun-loving boy, but the stern lessons and
tasks of that dull childhood developed a
self-reliant and persevering spirit which
might have remained dormant in an atmos
phere of luxury and ease. Notwithstand
ing the privations of his youth he has ac
quired a practical business education,
which is sufficient for all ordinary pur
poses. On January 3, 1853, Joseph Wal
ter was united in marriage with Biligelldis
Snyder, who was bora in 1828, in Ger
many, a daughter of Joseph Snyder. She
came with her parents to America in 1847.
Joseph and Biligelldis Walter remained
on the home farm several years after their
marriage,'and cared for his aged parents.
Here he conducted a butcher business
in addition to his agricultural interests.
When the Lake Shore & Michigan South

ern Railroad was in process of construc
tion he contracted to furnish beef for the
graders employed there, but lost seven
hundred dollars on the transaction. This
sum was a serious loss at that time, but
undismayed by one failure he presevered
in the business, and success soon rewarded
his patient efforts. Year after year his
prosperity increased, and he now owns
over 300 acres of excellent farming land,
and in 1880 erected a handsome frame
residence, also other good buildings which
give ample evidence of prosperity. He
owned and managed a threshing outfit for
fourteen years, and made many acquaint
ances in this business; but of late years
failing health has required him to retire
from the more arduous tasks and devote his
time to overseeing the work. He is a sys
tematic farmer, whose success has been
achieved in the face of many obstacles.
In politics he is a leader in the Democratic
party, and he served as assessor of Peru
township for ten years, also in various
other local offices. He and his wife are
members of the Catholic Church at Mon
roeville. Their children have been born
as follows: Dennis, deceased farmer of
Peru township, Huron county; Frank,
living at home; William, a resident of
Monroeville; Emma, wife of Hard Der
ringer, of Tiffin, Ohio; Jeanette, married
to Henry Zipfel, of Monroeville, and
Adolph, residing with his parents. Mr.
Walter has been a very robust man, and
now weighs over 200 pounds.

JOHN T. TOWNSEND, the eldest
son of one of the pioneers of Huron
county, is himself one of the oldest
natives of this section of Ohio.
William Townsend, grandfather of John
T. Townsend, left Massachusetts to make
his home with his sons in Ohio, and died
in New London township, Huron county,
in February, 1847. Hosea Townsend, son

346

HURON COUNTY, OHIO.

of William Townsend, was born at Green
bush, N. Y., May 25, 1794, and grew to
manhood there, serving in the war of
1812 when little more than a boy. On
the day he was twenty-one years old he ar
rived in New London township, Huron
Co., Ohio, made an examination of the
lands in the county, and returned to his
home in Tyringham, Berkshire Co., Mass.,
where his father's family then resided.
The country impressed him favorably and,
on February 4, 1816, he and his brother
Hiram started for Ohio. The journey,
made in a wagon drawn by oxen, occupied
fifty-two days, or until March 28, 1816,
when the brothers arrived in New London
township. There they at once erected a
cabin, began the work of clearing the for
est, planted four acres in corn, and com
pleted the introduction to pioneer life.
The product of tbe four acres confirmed
the opinion which the brothers had formed
on the character of the land. It was not
only sufficient for feeding the oxen, but
also for food for the pioneer owners of the
farm, who ground the grain in a beech
stump mortar, and then formed it into
cakes, to be baked before the great log
fire. What corn they could not use was
sold to the Indians at one dollar and six
cents per bushel, who paid for it in
English specie.
In 1820-22 Hosea Townsend set out
the first orchard in New London township,
and in 1826 he built the first frame barn
there. His marriage with Sophia Case
took place March 25, 1821. She was
born April 26, 1798, in the town of
Phelps, Ontario Co., N. Y., and was
the first school-teacher in New London
township. To this marriage came the fol
lowing children : Sarah, born October 7,
1822, married S. W. Gates, and died at
Oberlin, Ohio; Jolm T., the subject of
this sketch; Eliza L., boru December 22,
1825, now Mrs. R. C. Johnson, of Fitch
ville; Dalinda, born January 12, 1828,
married George Washburn, and died in
New London in 1876; Ira S., born June

14, 1831, residing in Fitchville; Philotha,
born July 18, 1835, wife of Alfred John
son, of New London; Mary F., born Sep
tember 16, 1834, deceased (she devoted
herself to study); and Hiram W., born
March 5, 1842, cashier of the New Lon
don National Bank. This large, family
grew to maturity in Huron county, bless
ings to their parents, who lived to see them
settled in life. The mother of these chil
dren died Marcii 2, 1875, the father in
1885; an elegant monument in New Lon
don cemetery rises above their graves.
Hosea Townsend was truly a pioneer; for
when he and his brother located in New
London township, in 1816, the country
was a wilderness. When he died the
ancient forest was a thing of the past, for
a collection of homes and farms, and flocks
and herds, crowded out the trees as well as
the savage, and showed the reign of in
dustry. What his share was in tbe devel
opment of the township may be described
by young as well as old. A large land
owner and farmer, he yet found time for
public life. His vote was cast in 1840 for
James G. Birney and Francis J. LeMoyne,
candidates for President and Vice-Presi
dent, respectively, chosen by the Abolition
ists in convention at Warsaw, N. Y., in
1839. In 1844 he voted for James G.
Birney and Thomas Morris, nominees of
the Liberal party, and exerted all his
power in opposing slavery. While not at
tached to any Church, he was a believer in
the teachings of Christianity, and an ob
server of its tenets.
John T. Townsend was bora in New
London July 22, 1824. When of proper
age he was sent to the school presided
over by Miss Mary Frost, which was a
very primitive institution, in building and
surroundings, but it accorded with the
time and place, and was useful in its way.
For several years the boy attended this
school, until sent to Oberlin College,
where he prepared himself for the profes
sion of teacher. Returning home, he soon
was given the position of teacher in one of

HURON COUNTY, OHIO.

347

the Clarksfield district schools, and subse
quently taught in New London and
Fitchville townships.
On September 20, 1849, he married
Elizabeth A. Palmer, who was born in
Clarksfield township January 15, 1828,
and by this marriage there is one child,
Elmer E., of New London township.
After their marriage the young couple
took up their residence in a log house,
which stood on the site of their present
home. The improvement of this tract,
and the erection- of new buildings, must
be credited to him, for he has proved him
self a practical farmer and stock grower,
making a success of those two departments
of agricultural industry. He is now
interested as stockholder in the New Lon
don National Bank. Politically a Re
publican, he was formerly a Free-soiler,
and in 1848 cast his first vote for Van-
Bnren and Adams, nominees of the Free-
soil convention held at Buffalo, N. Y., in
August, 1848. Since that time Mr.
Townsend has taken a deep interest in
the political issues of the country, and in
local affairs has always been prominent.
For twenty-three consecutive years he was
justice of the peace, and might have held
the office indefinitely had he not declined
to serve another term; for several years he
was trustee and assessor of the township.
In 1880 he was elected a member of the
board of county commissioners for a term
of three years, at the end of which time he
was re-elected for another term, and since
the close of the second term he has filled
the office by special appointment. With
out regard to the influence of the Town-
send family in general, John T. Townsend
is honored for his own personal worth.

(\ILLIAM F. HEYMANN ranks
high among the prominent agri
culturists of Lyme township, and
is esteemed by all who know
him. He was born February 18, 1839,
in Germany, a son of John G. and Mary

Heymann, and came with his parents to
America in 1848.
Immediately after their arrival in this
country they journeyed west, and located
in HuroP county, Ohio, numbering among
the early settlers who suffered the trials
and hardships incident to transforming
the forest into fertile farms. In this'
country our subject received such educa
tion as was afforded by the district schools,
where the teachers were but poorly pre
pared to impart information. He re
mained with his parents until eighteen
years of age, laboring on tbe home farm,
after which he worked five years on the
farm of his brother Henry. At the end
of that time he had accumulated a suffi
cient amount of money to purchase two
horses, a wagon and a complete outfit for
farming, and in 1861 he bought ninety-
one acres of land and engaged in general
agriculture. In 1872 he bought ninety-
six acres, and still later 170 acres, making
a tract of 357 acres of valuable land. H :
is popular in political circles, and has
served as school director of Lyme town
ship. Mr. Heymann was married, December
3, 1863, to Miss Verena Ballmer, of
Henry county, Ohio, a daughter of John
Jacob and Verena Ballmer, and thirteen
children blessed their union, viz.: Mary
(deceased), Samuel, Julius August, Oliver
William, Verena, Charlotte, Walter Will
iam, Arnold Cyrus, William Frederick,
Roscoe Winfield, Arthur Oswald, Paul
Benjamin and Calvin Karl. In politics
our subject was originally a Democrat,
but is now associated with the Republican
party. In religious matters be is a mem
ber of the German Reformed Church, in
which he has been an elder twelve or
fourteen years. He furnished quite a
large sum of money for the Civil war, but
was unable to serve; he was worth about
two thousand dollars.
John G. Heymann, father of our sub
ject, married a Miss Oppermann, and by
this union had ten children: Jeanette

348

HURON COUNTY, OHIO.

(deceased), Anna (deceased), Philip, Will
iam (deceased), George, Henry, John P.,
Catherine, William F., and Margaret (de
ceased). John G. Heymann and his wife
passed the later years of their lives at the
home of our subject, where Mrs. Hey
mann died in 1872, and her husband in
1881. They were members of the Ger
man Reformed Church.

LESLEY ROBINSON. The sub
ject of this sketch is the tenth son
H[ in the family of eleven children
of William and Lutica (Coleman)
Robinson, who removed from Washington
county, Penn., to Ohio soon after the latter
became a State, first locating in Linton
township, Coshocton county, where tbe
subject of this sketch was born in October,
1822, or 1823.
In 1828 the father of our subject, with
his family, removed to Marion county,
Ohio, where they remained until April,
1832, when they came to Huron county,
arriving in Norwich township May 5 of
that year. Young Weslej' was brought up
in the wild woods, as there were only
about fifteen acres cleared off the farm his
father had settled on, the country being
almost a perfect wilderness, a very heavy
growth of timber covering the surround
ing country. All kinds of wild animals,
such as deer and turkeys, were numerous.
Mr. Robinson's privileges of going to
school were much limited, and the schools
were supported by the parents who sent
children, so much being paid for each
scholar. Young Wesley went to school
chiefly in the winter time, as Itis father
had other business for him to do in the
warm weather. After several years of hard
work and exposure he was stricken with
rheumatism, and was a cripple for about
five years, it having settled in his left
knee. After a time he attended common
school for a few terms, and his father sent
him to the seminary school at Norwalk

one quarter, which finished his limited
education. He then taught winter school
two terms, at the end of which time he
felt satisfied that it required more patience
than he could command. He then turned
his attention exclusively to farming, re
maining on the old homestead. Thefirst real
estate he ever purchased was on March 8,
1851, from which time he bought and sold
land, and finally became the owner of the
homestead farm of 200 acres. Subsequently
he bought land adjoining the homestead,
until he owned, in the aggregate, 437
acres. On the homestead farm he erected
new buildings, and since the time of the
war he has sold a part of his real estate,
and now owns but 290 acres. Believing in
the old adage, that "a rolling stone gathers
no moss," he and his wife have remained
on the old homestead farm, from May 5,
1832, up to the present time.
On April 5, 1846, Mr. Robinson was
married to Miss Mary, daughter of Isaac
H. and Sally (Cassady) Bennett, of Reed
township, Seneca Co., Ohio. After mar
riage the young couple continued to live
under his father's roof until the spring of
1848, when his parents moved to Fitch
ville, Huron county, and our subject and
wife were left alone on the old homestead,
which at that time contained 200 acres of
land. Here they remained, working the
farm, and rearing their family of children,
consisting of the following: William, born
March 30, 1847, married Susan Benning
ton, and now lives near Jackson, Mich.;
Isaac H, bora February 8, 1849, married
Isadore Bramble, and is now living with
his parents on the farm; George A., born
November 26, 1852, married Frances E.
Eddy, and is now living at Bellaire, An
trim Co., Mich.; and Daniel B G., who
married Mary Amend, and is now living
in Norwich township, Huron county.
In his political affiliations Mr. Robinson
is a sound Democrat, very conservative,
believing that every man has a right to his
own honest convictions. The first town
ship office he ever held was that of con-

um

HURON COUNTY, OHIO.

351

stable, having been elected in the spring
of 1846, and ever since he has held office
of one kind or another. He has been town
ship assessor several times; real-estate as
sessor three times; was first elected justice
of the peace in the spring of 1857, holding
the office until 1863; was re-elected in the
fall of 1874, and has held the office ever
since. Some twenty-five years ago he
united with the United Brethren Church,
and has been a member ever since. Socially,
he is a member of the F. & A. M., having
joined Richland Lodge No. 201, in the
fall of 1858, which Lodge holds its regular
session at Plymouth, Ohio. About the
same time he became a member of the
I. O. 0. F., Centreton Lodge No. 607, and
continues a member of both Fraternities.
Some years since he advocated that the
time had come when it was necessary for
the agricultural class to organize for their
better protection, as they were being
robbed, from day to day, of tbe benefits
and fruits of their honest work, by trusts
and other combinations, by the moneyed
kings of our country, who to-day stand in
our midst, to use his own words, "as monu
ments of evil and a disgrace to free Ameri
can people." Thus he became one of the
charter members of what is known as Live
Oak Grange, No. 747, Norwich township;
he was elected master on its organization,
March 23, 1874, and has occupied that
position most of the time since; has also
served as master of Pomona Grange, of
the county, several times. Some twenty
years ago he purchased seven head of the
American Merino sheep, of L. C. Clark,
of Vermont, at seventy-five dollars per
head, and later made several other pur
chases, for all of which he paid what was
considered extravagant prices. He was
one of seven that paid twenty-one hundred
dollars for one buck, and held an interest
in several bucks that cost from one hundred
to seven hundred dollars per head; he has
devoted considerable time and attention to
the breeding of this fine Merino sheep,
keeping upward of two hundred on his
19

farm year by year, and has found it a profit
able investment.
Mr. Robinson, with all his wealth, has
been a victim' of losing several thousand
dollars by signing notes for others; and
his only reason for having this mentioned
in the sketch is that it may be a warning
to others never to sign an accommodation
paper.

FA. SEVERANCE, M. D., late of
Bellevue, descended from an old
and highly respected New England
family. His father, Elihu Sever
ance, was the eighth son of Jona
than Severance, who, coming from England
in 1755 (an officer in the Commissary
Department of Gen. Braddock's army),
became a pioneer settler of Greenfield,
Mass., and afterward a soldier in the Revo
lution. In 1801 Elihu Severance married
Martha Hitchcock, a woman of cultured,
intellect, from a family eminent in the
educational and scientific circles of Massa
chusetts. Ralph Abercrombie, the elder of their
two sons, was born in Greenfield on Janu
ary 15, 1803. He inherited the sturdy
virtues of his pioneer ancestry on the faT
ther's side, and the scholarly tastes of his
mother. He early decided to follow one
of the learned professions; and after an
unusually thorough preparation, he gradu
ated from, the medical department of
Bpwdoin College in 1831. Soon after, he
began the practice of medicine at Saxton's
River, Vt., where he remained twenty-one
years, in constantly increasing esteem and
honor among his fellow townsmen, being
the most eminent physician in the region.
In 1854 Dr. Severance left Saxton's River,
greatly to the regret of the whole commu
nity, and removed to Bellevue, Ohio.
Here again he won wide confidence in his
skill as a physician, high admiration as a
public-spirited citizen, and warm esteem
for his sterling qualities as a man.

352

HURON COUNTY, OHIO.

For sixty years he was an active and
influential member of the Congregational
Church, to which he contributed with a
liberality out of proportion to his means,
as he did also to many educational and
philanthropic enterprises. He helped to
establish an academy in Verm ont, and was
one of the founders of a college in Michi
gan. He was a consistent Mason, holding
high office in the Order, until failing
strength prevented his attendance upon its
meetings. By birth and tastes he was in
clined to the "best things;" yet, in his
social relations and manner of life, he was
most democratic. In politics he was
always the friend of the oppressed. An
anti-slavery man by instinct, his house for
many years was a station on the " Under
ground Railroad." Though possessing for
fifty years an extensive practice in his pro
fession, his constant generosity prevented
the accumulation of a large estate.
On June 11, 1845, Dr. Severance mar
ried .Joanna Bailey, of Westmoreland, N.
Y., with whom he spent a most happy
wedded life of nearly forty-eight years. To
them were born three children, a son and
two daughters. Dr. Severance died April
23, 1893, at the great age of ninety years,
three months and eight days.

Tj\[ G. ROE, one of the most widely
IjV. known agriculturists of Peru town-
fr)_\ ship, was born April 21, 1849, on
-JJ the place where he now resides.
He is the son of Joseph and grand
son of Thomas Roe, natives of Northamp
tonshire, England, who emigrated to the
United States in the " twenties," and
settled in Huron county, Ohio.
Thomas Roe was married in England to
Mary Ann Barnett, where several children
were born to them, namely: Charles,
Annie, Barnett, Mary Ann., William and
Joseph B. In 1821 the family immi
grated to America, and after landing in

New York pushed westward to Auburn,
N. Y., where they remained ten years,
and where three more children were born,
namely: Mark, Reuben and Thomas.
About 1831 two sons visited Huron
county, Ohio, purchased a tract of land in
Peru township, and prepared a home there
for the rest of the family, who came in
the spring of 1832. The parents resided
here for the remainder of their lives. The
following is a brief record of their chil
dren: Charles, a well known farmer of
Peru township, died in the fall of 1891;
Annie married Samuel Wicks; Barnett,
who was a farmer and miller of Greenfield
township, died in the county; William
was the first member of the family to pass
away here; Mark resides at Granville,
Licking Co., Ohio; Reuben is a machinist
in Toledo, Ohio; Thomas went to Cali
fornia in 1852, and now resides in Ore
gon; Joseph B. was a farmer of Peru
township. Joseph B. Roe was born December 15,
1818, in England, and was brought to the
United States by his parents in 1821.
He received a primary education in the
schools of Auburn, N. Y., and after the
removal of the family to this county at
tended school in Peru township and worked
on the farm. He was united in marriage
with Amanda Gale, of Chautauqua county,
N. Y., and to this marriage was born one
child, A. G. Roe, of whom mention will
presently be made. Immediately after
marriage Mr. Roe located on the farm
where his son now resides, being a part
of the original tract occupied by the
family. Mrs. Amanda Roe died in June,
1849, during the cholera epidemic, and Mr.
Roe was afterward married to Harriet Hil
dreth, sister of a well-known preacher of
Norwalk. Mr. Roe was a Jackeonian
Democrat up to 1856, when he became
a Republican. At an early age he united
with the Methodist Church, and was al
ways one of its most liberal supporters;
he was a member of the building com
mittee during the construction of the

HURON COUNTY, OHIO.

353

present house of worship. His death oc
curred January 19, 1883, the result of an
attack of paralysis.
A. G. Roe received his rudimentary
education in the district school, and after
ward completed a commercial course in
Oberlin Commercial College. He worked
on the home farm until 1873, in which
year he visited the Pacific coast, went
from San Francisco, Cal., to Portland,
Oregon, and remained in the latter State
for some time. Returning he worked on
his father's farm until 1877, when he
married Esther P., daughter of George M.
Ryerson, of Peru township, and to this
union were born two children: E. Anna
and J. Clarence, both of whom are living
at home. Since the spring of 1878 he
has had charge of the home farm. In
1884 Mr. Roe was shot in the right leg,
an accident which checked bis rapid prog
ress as a farmer, and handicapped him in
the race for precedence. Notwithstanding
his physical disability he is fairly endowed
with wealth, and what is superior to
wealth, taste and intelligence. He is an
omnivorous reader, a good speaker and a
close student of events. He was a Re
publican up to a few years ago, when he
joined the Independent party. He and
wife are members of the Methodist Epis
copal Church, which Society he has served
in various offices.

NGUS McDQNALD The ances
try of the family, of whom this
^ gentleipaq is a prominent member,
is traced to one Roger McDonald,
a native of the island of Skye, one
of the Inner Hebrides, Scotland. He
removed to Campbelltown, Argyleshire, in
early manhood, and was there married to
Mary McAllister, and nine children —
four sons and five daughters — were bora to
them, of whom one son, Roger, came to
America and made a settlement here.

The father was a shepherd, and his eldest
son, named Donald, perished in a snow
storm while tending sheep on his native
hills, leaving one daughter Mary who
came to America and married an officer,
by name Donald McDonald, a resident of
Ontario county, Ontario (Canada), where
they are yet living, and have a family of
four sons and one daughter. Another
grandchild of Roger and Mary McDonald
is Mrs. Flora Simpson, a widow lady, at
present living in Norwalk, Huron Co.,
Ohio, with her two daughters, Flora (a
teacher in high school at Norwalk), and
Maggie (living at home).
Roger McDonald, son of Roger and
Mary (McAllister) McDonald, was born
in Campbelltown, Scotland, Marcii 20,
1820, and in 1840 he emigrated to Amer
ica, making his way from the port of
landing to Huron, Erie Co., Ohio. Here
he was married in 1844 to Charlotte Par-
ratt, a native of Somersetshire, England,
and in the following year they moved to
Noble county, Ind., where he followed
farming until 1849, in which year, being
seized with the "gold fever" which had
become so epidemic, he set out to the then
new " El Dorado " — California — his family
returning to Huron county, Ohio. In
J.851 he returned to Huron county, and
here he purchased 102 acres of farm land
in Lot 10, Section 4, in Bronson town
ship, Iu 1885 they removed to North
Fairfield village, still retaining the farm
property, however. Mr. and Mrs. Mc
Donald have had six children, two of
whom died when quite young, and four
children are living, viz.: Angus, the sub
ject of these lines ; Bruce, a prominent horse
dealer of North Fairfield, Ohio; Emma E.,
married to H. H. Hoyt, a dry-goods mer
chant, and has three children; and Will
iam H., a bookkeeper, all residents jof
Huron county, William H. and the Hoyts
living in Norwalk. In politics Roger
McDonald votes with the Prohibition
party; in religion both he and his wife are
members of the Baptist Church.

354

HURON COUNTY, OHIO.

Angus McDonald, the eldest son of
Roger and Charlotte (Parratt) McDonald,
was born April 22, 1846, in Noble county,
Ind., and after receiving a liberal common-
school training he entered the Toledo Com
mercial College, where he graduated in the
spring of 1866. In 1868 he purchased
the farm and began farming on the place
where he is now Jiving, being Lot 7. Sec
tion 4, Bronson township (101 acres). In
1869 Angus McDonald was married to
Libbie H. Adriance, a native of Greene
county, N. Y., born of parents of Dutch
and French descent, and they have two
children: Hugh A. and Elnora V., both
living in the parental home. Mr. McDon
ald is a thorough business man, and has
given bis chief attention to general farm
ing and stock raising. From 1886 to 1891
be was secretary of the Huron County
Farmers' Mutual Fire Association; has
been prominently connected with the vari
ous farmers' and labor organizations in
Huron county for many years. Politically
he is a Prohibitionist, and was a candidate
for the office of county recorder in 1890,
his opponent being elected by only a
small majority. In religion himself and
family are members of tbe Bronson Bap
tist Church.

B. TUDOR, a leading merchant of
Chicago Junction, is the son of Sa
lathiel and Mary J. (Wilson) Tudor.
His great-great-grandfather Tudor
was born in Wales; the maternal great
grandfather of subject was born in Ire
land, and tbe maternal great-grandmother
was a native of Germany.
Salathiel and Mary J. Tudor were natives
of Pennsylvania and Ohio, respectively.
Salathiel Tudor was a tailor, but later
learned carpentry, and applied himself to
that trade for some time. About 1827 he
came with his parents to Richmond town
ship, Huron Co., Ohio, but some time
afterward removed with his father to Mus

kingum county. He was married in Mus
kingum county, where he resided for a
short time, until the glowing accounts of
the prairie lands of Illinois urged him to
move farther west. For thirteen years he
lived in that State, but in 1859 returned
to Muskingum county, Ohio, where he
made his home until his removal to Chica
go Junction in 1883. His wife died in
Illinois in 1855. They had three sons and
three daughters, four of whom grew to
maturity, namely: William, who enlisted
in the One Hundred and Twenty-second
O. V. I., when seventeen years old, and
was killed at Locust Grove, Va., in 1863;
J. W., a farmer in Clarke county, 111.;
Lyman, residing in Guernsey county, Ohio;
and C. B., a resident of Chicago Junction.
The father entered the army in 1862,
served through the Civil war, and is now
a veteran of the G. A. R.
C. B. Tudor was born March 18, 1851,
in Edgar county, 111., received a somewhat
limited education in the district schools
there, and came to Ohio in 1859. He was
engaged in farm work until the age of
nineteen years, when he was employed for
the bridge and carpenter department on
the B. & O. R. R., where he remained
from 1873 till 1880. In that year he and
George Dillon established a hardware store
at Chicago Junction, bnt at the close of
a year's business Mr. Tudor purchased
his partner's interest, and for the two suc
ceeding years conducted it alone. His
brother-in-law, D. A. Bishop, then en
tered into partnership with him, and the
firm carried on trade until the spring of
1892, when Mr. Tudor again became sole
proprietor. He began business on a capi
tal of twelve hundred dollars, and now
carries a stock ranging in value from seven
thousand to ten thousand dollars. His
interests are not altogether mercantile. In
1889, in partnership with Otis Sykes, he
bought fifty-six lots in Matson's west side
sub-division, and of these only twenty re
main unsold. Seven years before, in 1882,
he and Mr. Sykes built the brick block in

HURON COUNTY, OHIO.

355

which our subject's large hardware store
is located.
On October 8, 1878, Mr. Tudor was
united in marriage with Miss Della Se-
vault, who was born in Huron county, of
which her father, Jacob Sevault, is an old
settler. Of their two children, Ebert died
in infancy, and Glenn, a bright boy of
eleven years, resides with his parents. In
political life Mr. Tudor votes with tbe Re
publican party in State and National elec
tions, but is not a politician, as his busi
ness interests are too numerous to warrant
him in giving his attention to public mat
ters, though he has served four years on
the school board. Socially he is a mem
ber of Lodge No. 748, I. O. O. F.; in re
ligion he is a member of the United
Brethren Church.

VJt OSEA M. HOOD, one of the most
Isel popular and widely-known citizens
i] 1 of Hartland township, where he
y) enjoys a very large circle of friends,
was born August 19, 1824, at
Sweden, Monroe county, New York.
His father, Thomas Hood, was born
January 1, 1791, in Canaan, Conn., and
about 1812 was married, at Steventown,
N. Y., to Dorothy L. Hill, who was born
there February 20, 1794. They soon after
ward moved to Sweden, N. Y., then a
frontier settlement, the trip being made
with an ox-team. In Monroe county he
found work as a wood-chopper, supplying
fuel for the salt works, near which he
lived. The children born to Mr. and Mrs.
Hood were: Henry L., born June 29,
1813, now a resident of Medina, Orleans
Co., N. Y.; Horace E., born October 13,
1815, au auctioneer, who died at Spring
field, 111., while traveling with Van Am-
berg's circus; Hiram B., born December
30, 1817, was accidently killed in 1850,
while working in a stone quarry at Swe
den, N. Y. ; Lydia L., born May 2, 1820,
married first to William Seely, of Me
dina county, Ohio, and subsequently to a

Mr. Coates, of Michigan; Dorothy L.,
born March 17, 1823, died in infancy;
Hosea M., the subject of this sketch; Bet
sey M., born January 20, 1827, married
Freeman Russell, and died at Holley, Or
leans Co., N. Y. ; Alvin J., born August
31, 1831, a farmer of Norwalk township,
Huron Co., Ohio; Edwin T., born April
24, 1834, who served during the Civil war
in the Fifty-fifth O. V. I., was wounded in
1864 at Peach Tree Creek, Ga., received
an honorable discharge, and is now a resi
dent of Nashville, Tenn.; Mary L., born
November 25, 1836, now Mrs. Randall, a
widow, of Rochester, N. Y. Some time
after the birth of the last child the family
removed to Orleans county, N. Y., where
the mother died May 15, 1841; the father
returned to Monroe county, where he died
April 19, 1865. Both were buried at
Sweden, where all their children were born
and which all called home. Thomas Hood
was a Whig prior to 1856, when he joined
the Republican party. In religious con
nection he was a member of the Baptist
Church at Holley, N. Y., his wife also
being a member of the same church.
Hosea M. Hood received an elementary
education in the " Stone Bridge School,"
at Sweden, N. Y., and subsequently
worked on the farm, near the salt-works,
assisting his father until 1845. In that
year he set out on the journey to Ohio,
his capital being ten dollars in currency,
good health and plenty of pluck. The
journey was made from Sweden to Buffalo
by way of the canal; from Buffalo to
Huron by lake, and thence to Hartland
Ridge by wagon. The trip from Buffalo
to Huron was so extremely rough that the
boat returned to port rather than venture
to weather the gale. Arriving at Hart
land Ridge with eight dollars of his capi
tal gone, he found his brother, Horace E.,
who had previously located there, and who
offered him work. The succeeding winter
he attended school, and the following
spring accompanied his brother, selling
notions along the route of June & Tur-

356

HURON COUNTY, OHIO.

ner's circus, going through Ohio, Michi
gan, Indiana, Illinois and Wisconsin. In
the fall they returned to Hartland town
ship, where Hosea M. taught the " Bills "
school for thirteen dollars per month. For
nine seasons he continued to follow the
routes of tbe great circus companies, sell
ing notions and jewelry. Van Amberg's,
Spalding & Rogers', Welch's, Franconi's
and Barnum's men knew him almost as
one of themselves. While thus employed,
he acquired a knowledge of the duties of
of an auctioneer, and this profession he
adopted. On June 4, 1850, he married Hulda M.
Holiday, who was born December 4, 1831,
in Ruggles township (then in Huron
county), daughter of Lorton and Matilda
(Gates) Holiday. To Mr. and Mrs. Hood
were born the following named children:
Elvira I., born October 10, 1851 (deceased
in infancy); Alice O, born August 15,
1853, a graduate of Lebanon (Ohio) Nor
mal School, who was seven years a teacher
in the Milan Normal School (she is now
Mrs. J. W. Ferguson, of Hartland town
ship); Hosea M., Jr., born September 25,
1855, is city salesman for a Denver (Colo.)
wholesale grocery house; Evaline F., born
November 26, 1856, died in infancy;
Herbert E., born November 10, 1858, an
employe as telegraph operator and station
agent for the C. C. & S. R. R. at Beach
City, Ohio; Dora B., born December 16,
1861, wife of S. F. Angus, a leading in
surance man of Detroit, Mich.; and Edith
M., born February 21, 1868, residing
at home.
After his marriage Mr. Hood located in
Hartland township, on a rented farm, but
continued to sell notions and jewelry as of
old. In 1854 be located on his present
home, which then comprised seventy acres,
but is now a well-improved tract of 175
acres. Since 1858 he has given close at
tention to his farming interests. As a
" sale crier " he is well known, and his
professional calls extend over a wide area.
Indeed it is said that some of the best

" sale criers " in this section of Ohio have
graduated under him. In early years, in
fact for fifteen winters after coming to
Ohio, he taught school in Hartland town
ship. A Republican in politics, he has
served in various township offices; for
twelve years he was justice of the peace,
and he also served as clerk and trustee.
He is a deacon in the Baptist Church, and
for some years was superintendent of the
Sunday-school. Mrs. Hood is also a mem
ber of the Baptist Church, and both are
popular in the township. Mr. Hood is a
progressive, leading citizen, and his prop
erty is entirely the accumulation of his
own earnest toil.

in

IMEON O. RIGGS. This gentle
man is a prominent representative
of an old Scotch family, the first
pioneer of the name having located
New Jersey in the earliest Colonial
days. For generations the eldest son of
this family has borne the name of Simeon,
and many years ago one Simeon Riggs
left his New Jersey home owing to some
misunderstanding with his relatives. He
was a fuller by trade, and settling in
Guernsey county, Ohio, there purchased
and operated a woolen mill. He was mar
ried to a Miss Cheney, who bore him
four children — two sons and two daugh
ters — the eldest son being named E. C, a
departure from the old family custom.
E. C. Riggs was born in Guernsey
county, Ohio, and when but twelve years
of age suffered the loss of one hand. A
few years before this accident his father
was burned out, uninsured, and this son
(although crippled) engaged in the most
menial labors, in order to assist in sup
porting the family and securing his own
education. He worked for some time as
errand boy in a general store, studying
every hour of leisure time, and when but
sixteen years old he commenced teaching
a writing-school. At the age of eighteen
years he began teaching public school in

HURON COUNTY, OHIO.

357

Noble county, Ohio, continuing the same
until 1864. In 1854 he was married to
Margaret Brokaw, a native of Ohio.
When the war broke out he wanted to
enlist, and although refused on the ground
of physical disability, he assisted in the
pursuit of Morgan. In 1863 he was
elected clerk of courts of Guernsey county
on the Republican ticket. In the spring
of 1864 he removed from Senecaville to
Cambridge, Guernsey Co., Ohio, continu
ing to hold the office of clerk for three
successive terms. He then conducted a
grocery and manufacturing business for
some time, and during Gov. Foster's first
term was appointed to fill the unfinished
term of Judge Buchanan as probate judge
of Guernsey county. After occupying
this office he served two years as acting
judge under Judge Kennan; then took a
position as bookkeeper with the Cam
bridge Coal Mining Company, which was
eventually merged into the Guernsey Coal
Mining Company, when he assumed the
duties of general manager and secretary.
This position he resigned August 1, 1892,
and he is now retired from active business.
The following children have been born to
the union of E. C. and Margaret (Brokaw)
Riggs: Mrs. J. F. Salmon, living in Cam
bridge; Simeon 0., whose name opens
this sketch; C. N., who owns the finest
drug business in Buffalo; Howard, a busi
ness man of Chicago, 111.; William L., a
resident of Cambridge; H. P., a telegraph
operator in Geneseo, Henry Co., 111.; and
Jessie, Delbert and Ruby, all three living
at home.
Simeon 0. Riggs was born May 9, 1856,
in Guernsey county, Ohio. He received
his early education in the schools at Cam
bridge, and at the age of sixteen was ap
prenticed to learn the printer's trade.
After working two years, he accepted a
position in a dry-goods store where he
worked three years; then traveled for a
cigar factory in which his father was
interested. In the fall of 1877 he selected
a life companion in the person of Alice,

daughter of S. H. Culbertson, of Cam
bridge. After his marriage Mr. Riggs
began business with his father-in-law in
general merchandise, but dissolved partner
ship one year later, and then conducted a
restaurant for one year. Afterward he
clerked for his father-in-law for some
time, and during the summer of 1880
worked for the Ohio Valley Hedge Com
pany, of Columbus, Ohio. He assisted
his father-in-law the succeeding winter;
then took charge of a job and news room
In Cambridge, continuing in that business
until 1883. At the end of that time he
came to Chicago Junction and took charge
of the Times newspaper, which had just
been started by Lusk & Krause. Six
months later he bought the office, and has
since been editor and proprietor of this
very successful paper, which is now estab
lished on a firm basis. It is Independent
in politics, and enjoys a large advertising
patronage, as well as a wide circulation
for a local paper. Editor Riggs contem
plates putting in steam presses, which will
doubtless greatly facilitate his business.
He is a Republican in politics, taking an
active interest in the welfare of his party.
In religion he is one of the founders of
the M. E. Church in Chicago, Ohio, and
is a zealous member of that denomination.
Mr. and Mrs. Riggs have three sons and
one daughter, namely: Walter A., Carlos
0., Simeon Otis, and Mable E. [Since
the above was written, Mr. Riggs, in the
fall of 1892, disposed of the Times, and is
now editor and publisher of the Times,
a straight Republican paper, at Indianola,
Warren Co., Iowa.

L

OUIS FIESINGER is a native of
i New York State, born in Utica,
Oneida Co., N. Y., February 8,
1844, a son of Francis Joseph and
Theresa Ehrhardt Fiesinger, natives of
Alsace (then in France, now in Germany),
the father receiving his education in
Paris.

358

HURON COUNTY, OHIO.

Michigan at that
he had
ten chil-
being the
ge family,
Doran, in
The father
about sixty-

At the age of thirty- five years the
father of our subject came to America,
locating at first in Utica, N. Y., where he
followed his trade of cabinet maker, which
he had learned in Paris. In 1854 he came
to Norwalk, Ohio, where he also worked
at his trade, and was for a time in the
employ of the Lake Shore &
Southern Railroad Company
place. In the old country
married Theresa Ehrhardt, and
dren were born to them, Louis
third youngest, and of that lar,;
only he and a sister, Mrs. .1
Cleveland, are now living.
died in 1872, at the age of
three years, tbe mother in 1887, aged
seventy-nine years; they were members
of the Roman Catholic Church,, and in
politics he was a Democrat.
Louis Fiesinger was educated in Nor
walk, at the high school of which place he
graduated, and after completing his stud
ies he for some years taught school in the
southern part of Ohio. Coming to Cin
cinnati in 1861, he was here employed as
recording clerk in the office of the clerk of
the courts, from 1861 to 1867, at the end
of which time he returned to Norwalk
and embarked in the grocery and provision
business. But this he soon afterward
sold out, and opening a restaurant carried
that on till 1871, in which year he accepted
a position as traveling salesman for
Stephen Buhrer, of Cleveland, Ohio,
wholesale dealer in liquors and wines.
This line of business he followed till 1873,
and then received an appointment as bill
clerk on the Lake Shore & Michigan
Southern Railroad at Monroeville, in the
same county; but in 1875 he moved to
Chicago Junction, also in Huron county,
and there once more commenced in the
restaurant line, having in connection a
ball alley. Thence in 1878 he went to
Columbus, where he ran a saloon and bil
liard room one year; then returned to
Chicago Junction, thence again moving to
Norwalk where he has since successfully

carried on his present business. In Nor
walk he has opened a brick and tile fac
tory which promises to become one of the
best of the kind in the country, the cost of
the plant being not less than twelve
thousand dollars. It is run by steam,
and has a capacity of 20,000 feet of tile
and 40,000 brick per day. The firing of
the tile and brick is done with oil fuel,
part of the plant being a large tank ca
pable of holding 300 barrels of oil, and
the work can be carried on in any weather —
summer or winter, hot or cold, dry or wet.
There is also a disintegrator for crushing
clay; in fact, the concern is most thor
oughly equipped in every essential.
In 1876 Mr. Fiesinger was married to
Elizabeth Fox, of Sandusky, Ohio, and
three children have been born to them,
viz.: William Louis, May and Leon. In
politics our subject is a Republican; in
religion he and his wife belong to no par
ticular Church.

Bof brie
and m

ARNOLD, manufacturer
brick and tile makers' supplies,
metal wheels, New London, is
a native of Massachusetts, born
October 27, 1854, in the town of Adams,
where he received his education.
In 1876 Mr. Arnold came west to Ohio,
and locating in New London, Huron
county, commenced in the lumber business.
In 1878 he established his present indus
try, the factory being, perhaps, the largest
one in the United States devoted to the
special manufacturing of brick and tile-
yard supplies. The buildings have a total
area of between 22,000 and 23,000 feet of
floor space, and being located on the main
line of the "Big Four" Railroad system,
which extends over a large portion of the
most populous section of the United States,
the shipping facilities are unsurpassed.
Shipments are made directly, to all parts of
the country, with but very few changes.
The Pittsburgh, Akron & Western Rail
road also runs here, and the Baltimore &

¦

Twmmsxf

/^au4J/ Xti^^k

HURON COUNTY, OHIO.

361

Ohio througb line is very near. The
industry does an extensive trade even as
far as the Pacific coast, including all inter
mediate points, and enjoys an unprece
dented local patronage. Among the cata
logued articles manufactured by Mr.
Arnold may be mentioned the following:
Represses, dump carts, brick, mud, tile, sand
and other barrows, patent pallet trucks,
spring trucks, dry press trucks, patent
sewer pipe trucks, and sewer pipe and other
barrows; pug mill shafts; wrought iron
tempering wheels; machine and hand molds
of all kinds; brick edgers, etc., as well as
everything pertaining to the proper out
fitting and furnishing of brick aud tile
kilns. Special mention may here also be
made of the metal wheels for trucks and
barrows turned out by the Arnold Metal
Wheel Company, for which a patent was
secured in 1890. These wheels are light,
strong, durable and handsome, and have
been in use long enough to demonstrate
that they are all that is claimed for them,
and that they never fail to give satisfac
tion. The superiority of good metal
wheels over wood, or a combination of
wood and iron, has been proven to tbe
satisfaction of all who have used them, and
who now use no other.
Mr. Arnold is looked upon .as the ne
plus ultra business man of New London,
his energy and enterprise being proverbial;
and in the affairs of both town and county
he wields a potent influence in the line of
progressiveness and reform. In his politi
cal sympathies he is a straight Republican.

4>

S^Jl ATHAN BEERS is descended from
vj one of the early families of Con-
1 necticut, of which State his father,
Nathan Beers, was a native. Grand
father Beers was paymaster under
Gen. Washington during the Revolution
ary war, and was subsequently a steward
of Yale College.
His son, Nathan Beers, was bora Octo
ber 15, 1806, in New Haven, Conn.,

where he received his education. He
completed the freshman year in Yale, aud
then set out on a journey to Ohio, travel
ing by canal and lake to Cleveland, and
thence, on horseback, to Trumbull county,
where relatives resided. After a brief
visit he pursued his journey, coming to
Huron county, where an uncle and a
brother had previously purchased land.
Ou July 3, 1828, he married Louisa Ash
ley, who was born December 6, 1806, in
Deerfield, Mass., whence in 1817 she ac
companied her parents, Luther and Eunice
(Smith) Ashley, to Greenfield township,
Huron Co., Ohio, the journey, which oc
cupied six weeks, being made in a wagon.
The children born to Nathan and Louisa
Beers were as follows: Mary, widow of
Lucius Gibbs, who resides in California;
Augusta, widow of Isaac Darling, of
Greenfield township, and Nathan. The
parents of these began married life on the
same farm where he died March 6, 1891.
His remains were interred in the Steuben
cemetery. His widow now resides with
her son Nathan on the homestead. Politi
cally this pioneer differed from the ma
jority of tbe men of Huron county, who
voted for Fremont in 1856. He simply
changed from being a Whig into a Re
publican, while the others who changed
political ideas at the time were generally
Democrats. He filled many township
offices in early years, such as clerk, trustee
and treasurer. He was a member of the
Congregational Church, and was much es
teemed by his neighbors. He was tenderly
beloved by his children and grandchildren,
and at all times he dealt justly, loved
mercy, and reverenced God.
Nathan Beers, son of the pioneer, was
born October 8, 1840, was educated in the
district school, and reared to the life of a
farmer. He worked on the homestead
until 1861, when he married Ellen Conk
lin, who was born March 14, 1844, at
Plymouth, Ohio; her parents, Charles and
Rachel (Bevier) Conklin, came from
Owasco, Cayuga Co., N. Y., where Mr.

362

HURON COUNTY, OHIO.

Conklin was born July 14, 1807, and his
wife November 24, 1807. Mr. Conklin
was a tailor by trade, but devoted much of
his time to agriculture. To the marriage
of Nathan and Ellen Beers were bora
three children, namely: Fred P., a boot
and shoe dealer of Plymouth, Ohio;
Louise, Mrs. Delno P. Ryerson, of Peru
township, and Mary, at home. All were
born on the home farm, where the parents
settled after marriage. Mrs. Beers is a
member of the Congregational Church,
and Mr. Beers of the Congregational
Society. Politically he is a Republican,
and he is one of the advisers of the party
in his district. In August, 1862, he en
listed, at Steuben, Ohio, in Company C,
One Hundred and Twenty-third 0. V. I.,
which was attached to the Eighth Corps
and army of the James, and served with
that command until the close of the war.
He received an honorable discharge, and
was mustered out in June, 1865, at Colum
bus, Ohio. With the exception of that
radical departure from home life, Mr.
Beers has called the farm, which was lo
cated by his father, his home. He is a
systematic agriculturist and an experienced
stock grower, and is in every respect a use
ful, industrious citizen.

VILLI AM A. DANGELEISEN,
proprietor of "The Imperial,"
MJ Bellevue, is of German descent,
and ranks high in commercial
circles. His father, Joseph Dangeleisen,
was born in 1817, in Breunlingen, Baden,
Germany, and passed his youth in that
country. He learned the trade of tanner
and currier, and followed same for twenty
years in various places in Germany, after
ward working in France, Italy, Austria,
Denmark, and five years in Switzerland.
During this time he learned several lan
guages and gained much valuable infor
mation. At one time he was foreman in
a shop at Germany, where be received
for his services only one dollar per week.

Joseph Dangeleisen emigrated from
Germany in, 1853, three years after the
revolution in that country, in which he
was a leader. He was at that time presi
dent of a German club, and also filled the
office of councilman. After reaching
America he located in what was then
known as Newburg (now Cleveland), Ohio,
and worked at his trade. In 1857 he
moved to Talford, same State, but soon re
turned to Cleveland, and from there went
to Akron, Ohio, where he had charge of a
tannery until 1859, at which time he
moved to Bellevue, and worked for Adam
Zehner four years. In 1863 he began
business for himself, opening the billiard
parlors and sample room now known as
"The Imperial," and continued in active
charge until four years ago, when his son
became proprietor. Iu 1846 Mr. Dange
leisen married Miss Caroline Rigger, and
their union was blessed with five children,
viz.: Joseph (I.) (who died in infancy);
Willliam A. (subject of this sketch); Emil
V. (who married Miss Matilda Schuler, a
native of Huron county, Ohio); Josephine
(twin of Joseph (IL), who married Otto
Marhoeser, of Cleveland, Ohio, and has
one daughter, Elsie). His wife died in
1866, and in 1868 Mr. Dangeleisen mar
ried Miss Susan Gimmey, to whieh mar
riage no children have been born. Mr.
Dangeleisen has acquired considerable
property, is highly respected, and is gen
erally regarded as one of Bellevue's best
citizens. William A. Dangeleisen was born in
1856, in Newburg, Ohio. He passed his
school days in Bellevue, and was with his
father until fourteen years of age, at which
time he went to Cleveland and learned the
machinist trade. He worked in Cleveland
four years, and attended the Commercial
College about eighteen mouths. In 1875
he moved to Adrian, Mich., where he
clerked in the " Mineral Spring Hotel,"
and was given full charge of same. After
six months he went to Toledo, but twelve
months later returned home, where he had

HURON COUNTY, OHIO.

363

a severe illness. He next entered the em
ploy of Higbee & Company, the largest
grain dealers of northern Ohio, and for
three years was assistant bookkeeper and
bookkeeper for four years. He remained
with the successors of this firm, Ward &
Collins, four years, and then became a
partner in the firm of McLaughlin & Com
pany, successors to Ward & Collins.
After five months he withdrew from the
business and moved to Sioux City, Iowa,
where he secured a position as bookkeeper,
but before he accepted it his father re
quested him to return home and assume
charge of "The Imperial" in Bellevue.
He has successfully managed this hand
some billiard parlor and sample room up
to the present time, and is very popular in
business circles.
In 1882 Mr. Dangeleisen married Miss
Julia Korner, and their union has been
blessed with two children: Virginia and
William Warren. He and his family are
members of the Catholic Church. He was
nominated township clerk, but declined
the nomination, and the same year refused
to run for city clerk, preferring to devote
his time and attention to his business
affairs. He is a member of the K. 0. T. M.,
and has filled the office of secretary for
Lodge No. 6, Guardian Tent; is also a
member of the Royal Arcanum, Lodge
No. 363, Bellevue Council, and Uniform
Rank of K. P. His political views are
Republican.

( "VLLLIAM A. HEYMAN. Among
\JI the agriculturists, who by their
||( exemplary lives have won the es
teem of their neighbors and per
formed an important part in the political,
mercantile and social affairs of Lyme town
ship, none are more prominent than Will
iam A. Heyman, who was born July 21,
1830, in Nassau, Germany.
William C. Heyman, father of sub
ject, was a native of Germany, and re
mained in that country until the prime of

life, when he was induced by the flattering
reports of his sou's success in America to
make for himself and family a new home.
He was a farmer by occupation, and after
locating in Huron county, Ohio, engaged
in agricultural pursuits, renting land until
1852, at which time he purchased a valu
able farm of 155 acres in Sherman town
ship. He married Miss Maria Opperman,
and to their union were born ten children,
eight sons and two daughters. Mr. Hey
man is now living in Huron county, and
though eighty -four years of age still enjoys
good health, and retains the energy and
executive ability that enabled him to ac
cumulate a handsome estate, and manage
his business affairs successfully. His wife
died in 1884, after a Christian life filled
with kind impulses and generous deeds.
William A. Heyman received an excel
lent education in Germany, and learned
habits of thrift and industry that served
him well during the years when he was
struggling for wealth and fame. When
nineteen years of age he determined to
seek broader fields of labor than were open
to young men in the Fatherland, and emi
grated from his native shore in 1849.
Immediately after reaching the United
States he journeyed west and settled in
Lyme township, Huron Co.,. Ohio, where
he worked as a farm laborer for Squire
Prentiss a short time. By practicing
strict economy he was soon able to engage
in farming for himself, aud he now owns
three valuable farms in Huron county,
comprising 425 acres, and devotes his at
tention to general agriculture and stock
raising. He is very popular in political
circles, and served as justice of the peace
four terms.
Mr. Heyman was married, December
15, 1854, to Miss Jennette Moore, who
was born in Germany, a daughter of Con
rad and Clara Moore, and fifteen children
— ten sons and five daughters — blessed
their union, viz.: Mary, Emma, Charles,
David, Adam, Benjamin, William, Henry,
Isaac, Jacob, Clara, Louisa and Sarah, and

364

HURON COUNTY, OHIO-

two whose names are not given, of whom
eight sons and three daughters are yet liv
ing. The mother of these died in 1875,
and in 1877 our subject was married, in
Lorain, to Miss Ida Schroeder, who was
born in Germany, a daughter of Dr.
Schroeder, formerly of Lorain county,
Ohio; he and his wife were both born in
1799, and the former died in January,
1885, the latter in January, 1893. Two
children blessed this last marriage of Mr.
Heyman, named Otto and Hugo. Mr.
and Mrs. Heyman are members of the
German Reformed Church, of which they
are liberal supporters, and are actively in
terested in all public matters that have as
an object the improvement of the township
in which they reside.

4J

MARTIN GROSS, senior member
of the firm of Gross & Weber,
proprietors of the lumber and
planing mills at Bellevue, was born
in 1843 in the Province of Nassau,
Germany, a son of William and Catherine
(Fritz) Gross.
In 1860 he immigrated to America, and
having learned the cabinet maker's trade,
followed that business for about one year
in Rochester, N. Y., where he first learned
to speak English. In 1861 he began
working on a farm near Bellevue, Huron
Co., Ohio, and soon afterward enlisted in
the One Hundred and Seventh Regiment,
O. V. I., in which he served three years
with the army of the Potomac. He took
part in the battles of Chancellorsville and
Gettysburg, and during the former en
gagement was wounded in the leg and
taken prisoner, but twelve days after his
capture he was exchanged. At the close of
the war he was discharged, and has since
drawn a pension. On May 1, 1866, he
selected a life companion in the person of
a Miss Angel,. who died a few years after
ward. Her children were as follows:
Louise, Lizzie, one deceased in infancy,
and Minnie. After the death of the

mother of these children, the father was
united in marriage May 26, 1874, with
Phillipena Schwenk, who has borne him
five children, namely: Katie, Emma.
Willie, Martin aud Charlie.
In 1867 Martin Gross opened a furni
ture business in Bellevue, in which he con
tinued fourteen years; then sold out, and
bought a half interest with J. H. Weber in
the lumber and planing mill at Bellevue.
In 1888 Mr: Weber sold his interest to
Charles D. Stoner, who died January 16,
1893, when M. Gross and J. H. Weber
bought the interest of Mr. Stoner. The
well-known firm of M. Gross & J. H.
Weber carry on an extensive business in
lumber, shingles, etc., their yard and plan
ing mills being located on the east side of,
and in close proximity to, the Nickel Plate
Railroad. Mr. Gross is a successful,
enterprising busiuess man, active in all
matters tending to public improvement,
and is a stanch supporter of the Demo
cratic party.

B. SMITH, the courteous and effi
cient postmaster at Bellevue, was
bora March 25, 1840, in Cleveland,
Ohio. His grandfather and father
were both natives of New York, the
former born of Holland-Dutch ancestry.
William T. Smith, father of subject,
was married to Frances L. Smith, a native
of Connecticut, and they had children as
follows: Oliver, Henry, A. B., Geo. E.,
F. W., Frances M. and' Chas. A. In 1835
William T. Smith established a shoe busi
ness in Cleveland, where he became a very
prominent citizen. Politically he was a
member of the Know-Nothing party, and
one time, while he was absent from home,
he was elected, by his Cleveland friends, a
councilman as such, although always a
Republican. He died July 2, 1890; his
widow still lives in Cleveland.
A. B. Smith received his education in
the public schools of Cleveland, and when
the Civil war opened he enlisted, in April,

HURON COUNTY, OHIO.

365

1861, in the First Ohio Regiment of Light
Artillery. He was in the first battery that
left the State after the fall of Fort Sumter,
and he took part in the battle of Philippi,
W. Va., June 20, 1861. After the time
had expired for which he had enlisted, he
reentered the service in 1864, then went
to Washington and remained in fortifica
tions until the close of the war, being
mustered out as sergeant. Soon after the
war he made a permanent settlement in
Bellevue, and engaged in the mercantile
business for about ten years. During Gar
field's administration he was appointed
postmaster at that place, and served fouf
years ; was re-appointed by Harrison in
April, 1891, having proved himself a faith
ful official and an enterprising citizen. Mr.
Smith was married October 7, 1862, to
Miss E. A. Lewis, who has borne him
four children, viz.: William F., Albert,
Frauk G. and Mary L.

IlOHN P. MEYER is the grandson of
k. |j George Meyer, a farmer of Baden,
%J) Germany, who in 1846 sailed for
America with his family, consisting
of wife and five children — four sons and
one daughter — one child having died in
infancy. After landing at New York they pro
ceeded westward by way of the Hudson
river and Erie Canal to Buffalo, N. Y.,
which at that time was the most popular
route. From Buffalo, via Lake Erie, they
went to Sandusky, Ohio, thence to Ridge
field township, Huron county, where
George Meyer purchased land uear Mon
roeville. He had accumulated consider
able property in Germany, which was
disposed of there, and he came to America
to avoid having his boys drafted into the
German army. In this country he was a
Democrat in politics. Soon after locating
in Ohio, his wife died, and in 1865 he was
laid by her side, having been a sufferer
from asthma several years. They were
buried in Monroeville cemetery.

John George Meyer, the eldest child of
George Meyer, was born March 27, 1831,
in Baden, Germany. Pie was reared on
the home farm and attended the common
schools of his native country. At the age
of fifteen years he came to America with
his parents, and followed farm work with
his father, with whom his youth was
passed. In April, 1855, he was married
to Lena Kohler, who was born May 1,
1833, in the Canton of Berne, Switzerland,
a daughter of Jacob Kohler. In 1854 she
came to America with relatives, sailing
from Havre, France, on the vessel "Gil
christ." After twenty-six days on the
ocean, she landed at New York, remaining
there three months with a sister, afterward
coming to Huron county, Ohio, where she
met her future husband. After his mar
riage Mr. Meyer engaged in farming near
Pontiac, Peru township, Huron county,
where he resided till 1858, and then pur
chased the farm in Ridgefield township,
on which he was living at the time of his
death, which occurred December 27, 1885.
Mr. Meyer was a successful agriculturist, *
and his excellent farm of nearly 142 acres
stands as evidence of his prosperity, much
of which was secured by the aid of his
good wife's economy and energy. In
politics he was a Democrat, and was
elected by his party to numerous township
offices, which he filled with credit to him
self. He was a consistent member of and
liberal contributor to the Evangelischer
Church at Monroeville, with which his
widow is also identified. Since the death
of her husband Mrs. Meyer has been living
on the home place, surrounded by hosts of
friends, and enjoying the respect and
esteem of thern all. She has had one son,
John P. Meyer.
John P. Meyer was born December 12,
1855, in Ridgefield township, Huron
county, Ohio, and received a common-
school education, his first knowledge of
agriculture being obtained on the same
farm where he is now residing. From
early youth he evinced a natural median-

366

HURON-COUNTY, OHIO.

ical gift, and though never learning any
trade, is now capable of executing work
requiring no small amount of skill, in sev
eral trades. On March 25, 1879, he mar
ried Wilhelmina, a daughter of Philip
Boehler, of Monroeville, and she has borne
him four children: Otto J., born March
23, 1881; Albert H., born January 30,
1884; Oscar P., born May 13, 1890; and
Clarence G., bora August 28, 1892, all of
whom are living. After his marriage
Mr. Meyer located on a part of his father's
farm where he has since lived, following
general farming and stock raising. He is
one of the leading and intelligent young
farmers of the township, and methodical in
his labors. Politically he votes the Demo
cratic ticket, and has held offices in his
township, taking considerable interest in
the success of his party. Both he and his
wife are members of the Evangelischer
Church at Monroeville.

\ILLIAM GAMBLE is undoubt
edly one of the self-made men of
Huron county. By his labor he
developed a valuable farm, and in
the face of difficulties and disappointments
established himself among the well-to-do
agriculturists of Greenfield township.
Thomas Gamble, a native of Lincoln
shire, England, was there married to Mary
Rick, and to them three children were
born, namely: Joseph, William, and Mary
Ann, who married George Wallace and is
now residing at Cascade, Iowa. In 1843
the entire family emigrated to the United
States, the voyage from Liverpool to New
York being accomplished in ninety days.
Tbe journey from Manhattan Island to
their destination in Huron county, Ohio,
was also long and disagreeable. Here
Thomas Gamble purchased a small parcel
of land and built a cabin, the first home
of the family in America. Mrs. Gamble
died in 1849, and was buried at Olena, in
Bronson township. This was a severe
stroke of misfortune, resulting as it did

in scattering the children and leaving the
father in a condition of depression, which
incapacitated him for an active life. He
now lives in a comfortable home furnished
by his son William.
William Gamble was born October 15,
1842, in Lincolnshire, England. On the
death of his mother he went to live with
an aunt, in Fairfield township; but owing
to a disagreement with her transferred
himself to his uncle's home in the same
township. Ultimately he went to the home
of his grandfather, Edward Rick (who
came hither from England in 1842), and
resided with him until 1853. From that
period until young Gamble was twenty-one
years old he resided at the house of James
Youngs, Sr., and worked for bim, receiv
ing at the close of the decade the sum of
one hundred dollars for his services. So
far in his career little opportunity for edu
cating himself was offered, beyond what
could be gleaned in the school of experi
ence. In February, 1864, he married
Elizabeth Bennett, who was born October
8, 1847, in New Haven township, and to
this marriage five children were born,
namely: Mary, who died young; Lillian,
Mrs. Charles Earl, of Olena, Huron county;
Helen, Mrs. Fred Sparks, of New Haven
township; William T. and Jay, both resid
ing at home. Mrs. Elizabeth (Bennett)
Gamble is a daughter of Allen aud Harriet
(Youngs) Bennett, and granddaughter of
James Youngs, Sr. From 1855, when her
mother died, to the date of her marriage,
she resided with her grandfather.
The farm on which Mr. Gamble now
lives was first occupied by him in 1864,
when he purchased sixty- six acres of it on
credit. How he worked by tbe day and
year to pay for this tract is a creditable
item in the history of the man. By 1866
he had saved sufficient money to warrant
him in beginning work on this farm. He
split 500 rails for his first five bushels of
seed potatoes, aud by closely observing the
principles of economy and industry was
enabled to pay for the sixty-six acres

HURON COUNTY, OHIO.

367

within a few years. He then purchased a
second tract, and extended the area to 133
acres; in 1872 he erected a new dwelling
house, since which year all the farm build
ings have been constructed. This prog
ress has not been accomplished under
the most favorable circumstances. His
leg has been broken twice, and sickness
has invaded the household at intervals, so
that at times his pathway was rough and
uninviting. But like a trained man he
conquered adversity, rose above it, and
came out from each trial feeling the better
for having fought and won. Mr. Gamble,
while engaged in agriculture proper, gives
some attention to the growing of Poland-
China hogs, fine sheep and other stock. He
votes with the Democratic party, but is
not an active partisan or politician, his
policy being to attend closely to his own
business, pay his taxes and let others look
after the affairs of State.

QEORGE LIN DER was born Feb-
f ruary 25, 1822, in Bavaria, Ger
many, where his father, John Law-
, . rence Linder, was a vine grower and
wine producer.
George Linder's youth was passed in
the manner common to boys of the Bava
rian agricultural class. He received a prac
tical education in the schools of his birth
place, and also attended Sunday-school
four years. When his boyhood days were
over, he began work on the farm and vine
yard, and so continued until the emigra
tion of the family to America. In 1845
the parents, with George and his sister,
Catherine, set out from their native land
for Havre, France, en route to the United
States. At Havre they embarked on the
" Argo," one of the giant ships of that
period, and after a tempestuous voyage of
thirty-five days and a half, landed at New
York. At one time during this dreary
journey, when the great ship was caught
in an ice-floe, grave fears were entertained
for her safety; hut Providence was with

tbe emigrants, and the good ship " Argo "
came safely into port. The travelers pro
ceeded to Philadelphia, thence across the
Alleghany mountains to Pittsburgh, and
through mistake were sent to Portsmouth,
Ohio, thence to Cleveland. It was cer
tainly a circuitous, expensive and trouble
some journey; but the brave Bavarians
endured it with but little complaint.
From Cleveland tbe party pushed into the
wilds of Huron county, and there the
father purchased laud in Pera township,
where the mother died in 1869, aged
seventy-three years, the father at the age
of -eighty-seven years. The fire of 1846
destroyed the little home they had built
and the property they had accumulated;
but like a majority of his countrymen Mr.
Linder rose above this misfortune, and
looked upon it as a lesson. He was a
hard worker, industrious aud frugal, and
succeeded in accumulating a good prop
erty. He was a member of the Lutheran
Church, and he and his wife are buried in
the Lutheran cemetery at Pontiac. Cath
erine, their daughter, who married Will
iam Brinker, of Cleveland, is also num
bered with the dead.
George Linder was married January 6,
1849, to Elizabeth Schwan, who was born
February 6, 1831, in Germany, and was
brought to the United States by her par
ents in 1834; she grew to womanhood in
Peru township, where the family settled
that year. George Schwan, her father,
moved to Seneca county, Ohio, in 1848.
To George and Elizabeth Linder were
born children as follows: George, a farmer
of Peru township; Lena, deceased; Cath
erine, deceased; Lawrence J., a farmer in
Peru township; and Minnie, Mrs. Henry
Linder, of Weaver's Corners. After mar
riage Mr. Linder established his home in
Peru township, where he resided until
April 1, 1870, when he moved to his pres
ent farm. The family is an industrial one
in every particular; father, mother and
each of the children work on the farm, in
the vineyard and in the home, with a

368

HURON COUNTY, OHIO.

single eye to the advancement of all.
Each one has his or her place to fill, and
does the work of that place cheerfully.
Mr. Linder is a Democrat, and a man of
influence in local politics. In religious
connection Mr. and Mrs. Linder are lead
ing members of the Lutheran Church, in
which he has held various positions. As
a farmer, grape-grower and stock-raiser he
has won his title to success, and is to-day
one of the most highly-respected old set
tlers of Huron county.

A. KNAPP, a well-known and
highly respected farmer and
banker, of Fitchville township,
was born in Fairfield county,
Conn., January 10, 1841, the eldest child
of William A. and Harriet (Marshall)
Knapp, of New York State.
William A. Knapp, father of subject,
was bora at Lewisboro, Westchester Co.,
N. Y., February 14, 1817. His father,
Sylvanus, was a sailor for years; but hav
ing learned the mason's and shoemaker's
trades, he worked at same in Connecti
cut. William A., Sr.. received an ele
mentary education in the schools of his
native place, and March 1, 1840, married
Harriet Marshall, a native of Westchester
county. That he was economical as a
youth is demonstrated by the fact that,
from a total revenue of fifty cents per
diem, he saved two hundred dollars, which
sum he loaned to a friend, but lost the
loan. Continuing at the shoemaker's
trade, which he had learned of his father,
he soon replenished his purse, and then,
from Judge T. Rosevelt, rented a farm in
Connecticut, near New York City, which
he operated until 1845, when he set out
for Ohio with his wife and two children — •
William A., the subject of this sketch, and
Amanda, now Mrs. Hialmar Griffin, of
Fitchville township. The family traveled
by river, canal and lake to Ohio, arriving
at Huron October 2, 1845.

The journey from Huron to Fitchville
township was made by wagon, and there,
on February 27, 1846, one child was born
to them, Euphronia, who married H. D.
Palmer, and died at New London, Ohio,
March 27, 1884. It appears from the
records of the family that Sylvanus Knapp,
father of W. A. Knapp, Sr., became, by
purchase or State grant, owner of 235
acres in the "Firelands" of Ohio. In 1838
or 1839 William A., the son of the owner,
visited Ohio, and selecting lands in Fitch
ville township brought the family hither in
1845, to occupy the tract. Becoming dis
satisfied with his purchase, however, he
exchanged it for lands in the southwest
part of the township, allowing three dol
lars per acre for the new tract of wild
land. In the Indian summer of 1845 two
acres were cleared and a frame house 18 x
24 feet erected, wherein the family passed
their first winter in Ohio. From distant
neighbors they purchased supplies for a
long term. In the spring of 1846 Mr.
Knapp planted two acres of corn, the sys
tem followed being to make a hole in the
ground with an axe, and place therein a
few grains of corn. The first crop, so
rudely put in, was large, giving the new
settlers an idea of what Ohio soil could do.
For eleven years the family resided there,
and in 1856 or 1857 moved nearer the
center of the township, where farming was
carried on until 1881, in which year the
family moved to Greenwich. There he
served as president of the Greenwich
Banking Co. until bis death in 1888. His
widow died at Fitchville in 1889, and was
buried beside her husband in the Fitch
ville cemetery. Both were members of
the Methodist Episcopal Church. Politi
cally, he was a Whig down to 1856, and a
Republican from that period until his
death. For a number of years he served
his township as trustee, and in all matters
relating to the public welfare his advice
was sought and generally followed. He
was a most successful farmer and business
Dealing extensively in live stock,

man.

DAUGHTEf\OFW.A.KNAPP.

HURON COUNTY, OHIO.

371

which he shipped to eastern markets, his
consignments were received without ques
tion, for his eastern correspondents knew,
as well as his neighbors, that he was a
judge of stock in the fullest sense of the
word, and that he would neither stoop to
defraud, nor permit any one to defraud
him. In financial affairs he was conserva
tive, prompt in thinking and acting, and
always a success.
W. A. Knapp received a liberal educa
tion in the schools of Fitchville, and a
practical education on the farm. In 1864
he enlisted in one of the one-hundred day
regiments, served the term, and after re
ceiving honorable discharge, visited his
home. Returning to the field, he worked
as a laborer in the Telegraphic Depart
ment of the army; was promoted to fore
man, and subsequently served for two
years, at seventy-five dollars per month
and expenses. Later be was employed by
the Western Union Telegraph Company,
by whom his talent and energy were recog
nized. Returning to the farm in 1869, he
became interested in his father's agricult
ural and live-stock business, which he has
conducted since that time. On the death
of his father he inherited valuable prop
erty, a fraction of what he now owns, and
to-day he is the most extensive farmer in
Fitchville township, a heavy stock man,
president of the Greenwich Banking Com
pany, a director in the New London Na
tional Bank, and a stockholder in other
projects. On March 27, 1879, Mr. Knapp married
Philena Kirkpatrick, a native of Troy
township, Ashland Co., Ohio, and daugh
ter of William Kirkpatrick, of that county.
By this union there were four children:
Pearl Knapp, born June 26, 1881; J. D.
Knapp, born March 5, 1883; Harley B.
Knapp, born November 23, 1886; W. A.
Knapp, born December 6, 1889, died June
21, 1892. The mother of this family was
called from earth July 29, 1892. Mr.
Knapp is a Republican, taking more than
ordinary interest in the party of progress,

but is not a politician, his agricultural and
banking interests demanding and receiving
his close personal attention. Though
liberally endowed by bis father, he may,
in a measure, be called the architect of his
own fortune; for, since he abandoned the
telegraph service, he has given his lands
and other interests his undivided time,
labor and study.

FJRANK HACHENBERG, contractor
and builder, Bellevue, was bora
April 27, 1847, in Snyder county,
Penn., a son of Samuel and Ellen
(Bilcher) Hachenberg, also natives of
Pennsylvania. He is one of a family of
eleven children — five sons and six daugh
ters — -ten of whom are yet living, the only
death being that of the second eldest who
passed away at the age of fifty- six years;
and only twice has a physician been called
upon to render aid to this large family.
The parents now reside in Elkhart county,
Indiana. Frank Hachenberg came to Ohio with
his parents about 1860, and one year later
moved to Michigan, where he remained
five years, thence proceeding to Indiana,
where he learned tbe carpenter's trade,
At the age of twenty-three years he set
tled at Bellevue, Huron county, and
worked at his trade hy the day for five
years. Since 1876 he has given his at
tention to contracting and building, and
tq him must be credited some of the finest
residence buildings in Bellevue. In the
fall and winter of 1892 he erected four
houses here, one of which is the finest in
the city. In all this work Mr. Hachen
berg has given direct employment to a
number of skilled workmen, and he has
satisfied the owners in observing specifica
tions. Mr. Hachenberg was married July 4,
1872, to Miss Lydia Kreisher, and to this
marriage have come six children, namely:
William, Carrie, Gertrude, Edith, Bertha
and Edwin. Politically he is an ardent

372

HURON COUNTY, OHIO.

Republican, and a member of the Patriotic
Order Sons of America, a Society which
rendered much aid to the Republican party
in 1892. He is also a member of the
I. 0. 0. F. and of the K. of P., and in re
ligious faith he is a member the Methodist
Episcopal Church, in all of which he is an
active worker. As a carpenter and builder
he is well known, not only in Bellevue,
but throughout the neighboring country.

1 1\ICKERY BROS., well-known law-
\\/y ^ers °^ bellevue, command an ex-
li( tensive practice not only on account
of their abilities and personal claims,
bnt also on account of their location, which,
at the corners of four counties, Huron,
Seneca, Erie and Sandusky, is in the midst
of one of the most prosperous agricultural
districts in the country.
Willis and Jesse Vickery are the sons
of William and Sarah (Perkins) Vickery,
who came to Bellevue from England in
1857. Willis Vickery, senior member of
the firm, was bora in 1857, at Bellevue,
received a primary education in the coun
try schools near there, and subsequently
studied in the Clyde High School, gradu
ating with first honors in 1880. He then
entered Boston University, and later was
enrolled a student in the law school of
that institution, graduating in the latter
course in 1884, receiving the degree of
L L. B. In 1885, in partnership with his
brother Jesse, he established a law office
at Bellevue, where he has since continued
in the active practice of his profession.
Willis Vickery was married September 23,
1884, in Clyde, to Miss Anna L. Snyder,
and to this union three children have been
born: Lucile, Melville and Howard L.
Mr. Vickery is a charter member of Alta
Lodge No. 206, Knights of Pythias, Belle
vue; representative in the Grand Lodge of
Ohio; a member of the committee on law
and supervision of the Order. A Repub
lican in politics, he is a member of the

Executive Committee of Sandusky county,
and is valued highly in the councils of his
party. Jesse Vickery was born in 1859, in
Groton township, Erie county, Ohio. Like
his brother, he received his early educa
tion in the local schools, later studied in
the Western Reserve Academy, and then
entered the University of Michigan, gradu
ating with the law class of '84. Returning
to Bellevue, he was admitted to the bar of
Ohio, and, in partnership with his brother
Willis, established the law firm of Vick
ery Bros, in 1885. On August 7, 1890,
he was married to Miss Bettie Haas, and
to this marriage has come one child,
Gordon H. Politically Mr. Vickery is a
Republican, and is a representative of that
party on the board of Deputy Election
Supervisors of Sandusky county, he having
served as Chief Deputy of the board,
which position he still occupies.
Both these brothers are popular in law
as well as in social circles, and have built
up a lucrative business, their clientage in
Huron, Sandusky, Erie and Seneca coun
ties being large and influential. Willis
Vickery is attorney for Bellevue city. The
young lawyers are men of fine legal at
tainments, physically and mentally strong,
and are working steadily onward to take
a first place among the legal lights of the
State of Ohio. Both are close students,
and keep well abreast with the current
events and literature of the day. Both
have excellent private libraries, being large
and well selected.

THEODORE C. LAYLIN, ranking
among tbe most prominent and in
fluential citizens of Norwalk town
ship, is one of the only two surviv
ing sons of John Laylin (a pioneer
of the " Firelands "), the other being Hon.
Lewis C. Laylin.
Our subject was born in 1841 on the
farm in Norwalk township, Huron county,
where Mr. A. D. Clapp now resides. He

HURON COUNTY, OHIO.

373

was here reared to manhood, attending the
union schools of Norwalk, at the same
time being trained to both the theoretical
and practical phases of agriculture. At
the age of twenty-two he was united in
marriage with Miss Martha *E. Ailing, of
Norwalk, a daughter of Pruden Ailing, a
farmer of the same township, and three
children have been born to them, to wit:
John, city engineer of Norwalk, Ohio,
and who, considering his age, has already
won for himself quite a reputation; Eliza
beth G., married to Dudley T. French and
living in Brownhelm, Ohio; and David T.,
assisting his father on the farm. After
marriage Mr. and Mrs. Laylin came to his
present farm, covering one hundred acres
of land, the greater part of which is the
result of his own industry and enterprise;
he also owns a feed mill which is situated
on his farm. In addition to his regular
vocation as an agriculturist he taught
school in the neighborhood for eight win
ters. Politically he has always been a
straight Republican, and filled the office of
assessor two years, and township trustee
three years. He is the owner of a very
fine piece of property, on which there is an
artificial lake constructed by his son John
as a trial qf his engineering skill.

EV. FREDERICKRUPERT,
preseut pastor of the Immaculate
Conception congregation of Belle
vue, was born November 21, 1849,
at Massillon, Ohio. He received
his elementary education in the parochial
and public schools of his native town.
In Autumn, 1868, he entered St. Louis
College, Louisville, Ohio, where he devoted
about five years to the study of Greek and
Latin classics, and higher mathematics. In
September, 1873, he was appointed to a
professorship in Assumption College, On
tario, Canada. Thishe resigned'in Septem
ber, 1876, when he entered St. Mary's
Theological Seminary, Cleveland, Ohio, and

on July 5, 1879, received ordination at the
hands of Rt. Rev. Bishop Gilmour. Since
then he has rendered pastoral service in
the Cleveland Diocese. His first appoint
ment was Antwerp and mission, which he
held till April 1, 1881, when he was trans
ferred to Shelby and mission. In July,
1882, he was appointed pastor of St.
Joseph's congregation, Maumee, Ohio, and
in April, 1885, was transferred to Bellevue,
Ohio, as pastor of Immaculate Conception
congregation. The history of the congregation may be
said to date back to 1833, when Father
Francis Xavier Tschenhens, C. P. P. S.,
visited the Catholic families in the terri
tory of which Bellevue is now the center.
Afterward Fathers Allig and Mahlebouf,
and other missioners, came among the
people, prior to 1844, when the Very Rev.
Sales Brunner laid the humble foundations
of the great church in Thompson town
ship, Seneca county. From 1844 to 1859
the people of Bellevue were compelled to
attend some neighboring church. In 1859
Rev. J. Ponchell, who was then stationed
at Holy Angels Church, Sandusky, was in
structed by the bishop to hold services at
Bellevue at stated times. On May 11 of
that year, a paint-warehouse and the
ground on which it stood were purchased
from J. B. Higbee for five hundred dollars.
The house was fitted up for church pur
poses, and answered therefor until 1884,
when the new church building was com
pleted. In December, 1860, Rev. J. Quinn came
to administer the new parish, but remained
only two months, and in April, 1861, Rev.
James Monahan was appointed the first
resident pastor. He purchased, on July 18,
1863,forone thousand and one hundred dol
lars, ahouseand three lots, which he had im
proved at once for the purpose of a pastoral
residence. In July, 1866, he was trans
ferred, and in September of that year Rev.
T. M. Mahony was appointed pastor. In
1867 the school was established, and the
parish was in a flourishing condition in

374

HURON COUNTY, OHIO.

August, 1871, when Rev. E. Mears as
sumed charge. On January 20, 1873,
Father Mears purchased two lots near the
business center for one thousand and eight
hundred dollars, and entertained the idea
of erecting a new church. His transfer to
Crestline, Ohio, in April, 1874, delayed
the project, and for the ensuing two years
Bellevue parish was in charge of Rev. J.
D. Bowles, who also attended Clyde, from
which he had been transferred. In July,
1876, Rev. J. Molloy was appointed pastor
and remained until the arrival of Rev. W.
J. Gibbons, who administered the parish
until 1880, when, owing to feeble health,
he retired and traveled in Europe. Rev. J.
T. Cahill taking his place. In November
of that year the secretary of the diocese,
Rev. George T. Houck, visited the parish
occasionally, but Father Cahill continued
pastor, and in October, 1881, work on the
foundations of the present building was
begun under his supervision.
On his return from Europe Father Gib
bons resumed his pastorate at Bellevue,
and on July 9, 1882, the corner stone of
the new building was placed. In the fall
of 1882 he purchased a lot, west of and ad
joining the lots on which the new structure
stands, for six hundred dollars, and thither
the pastoral residence was moved. At this
time the lots purchased by Rev. Mr. Mon
ahan were sold for two thousand dollars,
the sum going far to complete the new
church. The blessing of the new church
was carried out August 3, 1884, by the
Bishop of Cleveland, many priests from
this section of Ohio, and a great number
pf people, being present. The priest, to
whose earnest labors the congregation owe
this elegant building, died April 1, 1885,
and on April 6 his remains were interred
at Cleveland.
Father Rupert assumed charge of the
parish April 16, 1885. The school was
placed by him in charge of the Sisters of
St. Francis, who came from Tiffin, Ohio,
and began teaching here September 1,
1885. In November of the same year a

house and lot, opposite the church, were
purchased at a cost of eleven hundred
dollars, and fitted up as a residence for the
sisters. On February 2, 1887, the con
gregation purchased the public-school
property, in the rear of the new church,
for one thousand, three hundred and
twenty-five dollars. A further sum of nine
hundred dollars was expended in repairing
the old school building, and it was ready
to receive pupils September 1, 1887.
There are three rooms here devoted to
classes, and one to music. Within, it
shows the neatness which exemplifies the
life of the community of teachers; without,
the grounds are well ordered. The church
and school buildings tell of care and taste,
within and without, and the tout ensemble
is one of the prettiest in the pretty town
of Bellevue. The stone steps, leading from
the ground level to portico level, and ex
tending along the whole front of the
church, were constructed in October and
November, 1887, at a cost of three hun
dred and seventy dollars. This improve
ment, with the lavatory and sacrarium,
practically completes the building. The
debt of five hundred dollars which was due
on all this property in 1887 was a nominal
one, and is now paid. Even the library of
the Reading Society is paid for, the mem
bers, fifty-two in number, taking special
care to avoid debt.
A decade's work was finished in 1890,
and on August 27 of that year, Father
Rupert retired temporarily, to renew aca
demic days, this time entering the great
University at Washington, D. C. During
his absence Fathers P. W. Schirack, C. P.
P. S., and W. J. Smith, of the Order of
Fathers of Mercy, attended to parish
affairs. On January 20, 1891, Father Ru
pert returned and resumed the duties of
pastor. The number of the congregation
varies slightly. Dull times at Bellevue,
which fortunately are rare, reduce the num
ber, but taking .the decade just passed, the
increase has been marked indeed. Finan
cially the congregation holds an enviable

HURON COUNTY, OHIO.

375

position. Possessors of a most valuable
property, clear of indebtedness, a cash bal
ance of two thousand eight hundred and
twenty dollars and seventy-eight cents
stood to their credit iu the fall of 1892.
How much credit for this progress, this
pleasant condition of the parish, is due to
the respected pastor of the congregation of
the Church of the Immaculate Conception,
can be told by the people of Bellevue, and
particularly by the members of the con
gregation.

DANIEL WHEATON. Among the
leading business men of Norwalk
___ ' none holds higher rank than this
well-known gentleman, who is a
son of Robert and Catherine (White)
Wheaton. Robert Wheaton, who was one of four
brothers — Philip, William, John and Rob
ert — was born in 1784, in Huntingdon
shire, England, near Cambridge, and was
a successful butcher and farmer, keeping
four teams constantly at work. He died
in 1848, the mother passing away at the
age of eighty years.
Daniel Wheaton was born the second
Monday of January, 1814, in Huntingdon,
England, the second youngest of his
father's family, and is the only one now
living. He grew to manhood in his na
tive land, there following the butcher busi
ness as well as agricultural pursuits. He
was united in marriage, March 25, 1835,
with Miss Ann Mehew, who was born in
1816, also in Huntingdon, England. In
November, 1851, they came to America,
first locating in Monroeville, Ohio, and
three months later moving to Norwalk,
where they resided for three years. He
followed his trade for some time after
settling here, then purchased a farm, but
continued the butcher business until about
the year 1863, when his sons took entire
charge. Since then the father has man
aged the farm; formerly he owned ninety-
two acres, but now has eighty-eight acres.

He erected the Wheaton block in the
business portion of the city, and owns the
Webber block, the Chronicle block (part
of which he built) and seven houses in the
place, besides three brick buildings in the
village of Huron. He has taken two
thousand and one hundred dollars worth
of stock in the Wheeling & Lake Erie
Railroad, and was also an original stock
holder in the Norwalk Metal Spinning and
Stamping Company; he was the first man
to put in plate glass in Norwalk. Mr.
Wheaton is a Democrat in politics, and iu
religion is a member of the Baptist Church,
with which his wife was also identified.
Mrs. Wheaton died March 16, 1878, and
since then the home has been cared for by
relatives. The children bora to Mr. and
Mrs. Wheaton have been as follows: David,
born in April, 1836, in Erith, England,
died in 1844; Emma A. (Mrs. Watkins),
born in May, 1837; Dennis E., born June
17, 1838 (a butcher in Cleveland); Charles
H, born February 5, 1840 (also a butcher
in Cleveland); Susan A. (wife of Eli
Hoyt), born July 17, 1841, died September
6, 1889; Hannah L., wife of John Perrin,
born January 2, 1844; Robert A., born
March 16, 1847, died November 25, 1868;
Catherine, wife of W. H. Price, born No
vember 30, 1849; Ada E., born March 5,
1853 (died October 14, 1853); and Leon
ard, born January 30, 1856.

EIDWARD R. SKINNER, a prosper
ous, intelligent agriculturist of
 I New Haven township, is a native
of the same, born July 14, 1844,
son of John and Maria (Rubens) Skinner.
He was reared to farming pursuits, and
received his education in the common
schools of the neighborhood of his place
of birth, his first teacher being William
Gibbons. He resided at home until his
marriage, November 10, 1871, to Ellen J.
Woodworth, who was born August l4,
1847, in New Haven township, daughter

376

HURON COUNTY, OHIO.

of Jonathan Woodworth. After their
marriage they resided for about one year
on the home farm, and on April 1, 187,3,
took up their residence on their present
place, where they have ever since resided.
The tract then contained 120^ acres of
arable land, for which Mr. Skinner paid
$10,000, going into debt for $9,000, and
here he has since given his attention ex
clusively to farming. He has two chil
dren, Lillian and William J., both of
whom are leaders among the young people
of the section. In political faith our sub
ject is a lifelong Republican, and has held
various township offices, at present serv
ing as township treasurer. In 1890 he
erected one of the finest rural residences
in the township, at a cost of $3,000. He
is a progressive, well-to-do farmer in every
respect, and now owns over 200 acres of
excellent land, his farm being one of the
best, if not the best, in the township.
It is to the presence of such citizens as
our subject that New Haven township and
village can attribute their prosperity and
peaceful character. Mr. Skinner's prog
ress has been gradual, but decided, aud
with the help of his excellent wife, who
has watched incessantly over the house
hold affairs, he has accumulated a com
fortable competence. No family stands
higher in the community, and there is not
a citizen who is more respected, or a farmer
who more thoroughly understands his
business, than Mr. Skinner. He has a
practical business education, keeps himself
well informed, and in all matters exercises
good judgment and common sense.

HELDON J. HAWKINS, a suc
cessful merchant of Townsend town
ship, was born May 18, 1861, in
Cuyahoga county, Ohio, and is the
eldest of four children born to John W.
and Lavanche (Hillman) Hawkins.
John W. Hawkins was born in 1840, the
youngest of thirteen children, and was left
an orphan at the age of six years, his

father having been killed in the Mexican
war. Thus early thrown upon his own
resources, the half-orphan lad had no lit
erary advantages, and never attended a
term of school. But diligent application
overcame these obstacles, and, after the
day's work was ended, night after night
did he devote to study, thus securing a
good education. From early boyhood he
was employed in the sawmill and lumber
business, which he followed until attaining
his majority, since when he has given his
time to agricultural pursuits. He served
with distinction in one of the Ohio regi
ments during tbe Rebellion, and fought at
Harper's Ferry, also in many other en
gagements. In 1860 he was united in
marriage with Lavanche, daughter of
Samuel and Jane (Johnson) Hillman, the
latter of whom is now living with her
grandson, Sheldon J. Hawkins.
Mrs. Hillman is descended from the
earliest colonists of Connecticut, and her
ancestors took an active part in the strug
gle for Independence, many of them serv
ing with distinction in the Continental
army. Her father, Sheldon Johnson, was
a sailor in early life, and, rising rapidly
from a lowly position, eventually became
captain of his vessel. During the war of
1812 he transported supplies from foreign
countries to the American army, and, in
1814, being captured by one of the British
cruisers, vessel and cargo were confiscated.
Immediately after the war he and his
family removed to northern Ohio, first
settling in Erie county, where they en
dured the hardships and dangers insepa
rable from pioneer life. He erected a log
house, and began the task of clearing the
farm which was surrounded by Indians,
their white neighbors being few and far
between. They had numerous adventures
with bears, panthers and wolves, which
roamed through the vast forest, often car
rying off the stock. Wolves were espe
cially troublesome, and night after night
would howl about the pioneer cabins, kill
ing the dogs or driving them into the

HURON COUNTY, OHIO.

377

house. A few years later the Johnson
family removed to Cuyahoga county, Ohio,
and again settled in the woods, where the
father followed agriculture and droving
until his death, which occurred in his
eighty-fourth year, in 1866. His younger
brother, David, died in 1890, in Erie
county, Ohio, at the age of one hundred
years. Sheldon, when a young man, was
married to Martha Mason, a native of
Massachusetts, whose ancestors were En
glish Puritans, and among the first settlers
of the old Bay Colony, having taken an
active part in the Revolutionary war.
Jane, daughter of Sheldon Johnson, was
bora December 19, 1820, in the old cedar
house in Put-In-Bay, Ohio, and came with
her parents to Erie county, then to Cuya
hoga. She was married August 3, 1840,
to Samuel Hillman, and she had one child,
Lavanche (Mrs. John W. Hawkins). Mrs.
Hillman is a firm adherent of Puritan
principles, and in early life was a Presby
terian, but recently united with the M. E.
Church. Mr. and Mrs. Hawkins resided on the
farm in Cuyahoga county, Ohio, until the
mother's death, which occurred in 1871.
She had four children, namely: Sheldon
J. (whose name opens this sketch), Agnes,
Mildred, and a son who died when four
days old.
Sheldon J. Hawkins attended the sub
scription schools until ten" years of age,
remaining on the home farm in Cuyahoga
county until he was eighteen years old.
He then left home with but sixty-three
cents in his pocket, and commenced the
battle of life for himself. For the first
three years he worked by the month dur
ing the summer season, attending school
in winter, then became baggage master for
the Lake Shore & Michigan Southern
Railroad Company, at Collins, Huron Co.,
Ohio. During this time he had mastered
telegraphy, and was first employed as night
operator, then as station agent and oper
ator. In 1884 he became a partner in the
grain business of Frank Pinney & Co.,

and the following year left the railroad
service, engaging in general merchandise
in Collins. He is one of the leading
merchants of Townsend township, carrying
a large, well-selected stock of merchandise,
amounting to seven or eight thousand
dollars. He also deals very extensively in
grain, hay and coal at Collins, besides in
six or seven neighboring towns, and ex
tending into three or four counties in
northeastern Ohio. On August 27, 1885,
Mr. Hawkins was united in marriage with
Lizzie A. Love, a native of Huron county,
Ohio, and daughter of Andrew and Lucy
A. (Hoff) Love, natives of Ohio, of En
glish-German descent. Four children
blessed the union of Sheldon J. and Lizzie
A. Hawkins, as follows: Cyril, Lucy L.,
Agnes, and one deceased.
In 1888 Mr. Hawkins was elected town
ship clerk on the Citizens' ticket, his op
ponent being one of the most popular men
in Townsend township. He served two
and a half years, and in the spring of 1892
was again elected to the same office. Mr.
Hawkins is one of the most energetic busi
ness men of the township, and in 1890
was candidate for county sheriff on the
Prohibition ticket. He is a prominent
member of the K. 0. T. M., and Mrs.
Hawkins is identified with the M. E. de
nomination.

EiDGAR BARNHART is a son of
Steven Barnhart, who was born on
 l a farm in New York State, and there
attended the schools of the home
neighborhood. In early manhood he was
married to Nancy Palmer, and they after
ward located near Toronto, Canada.
In 1829 he removed to Ohio, and land
ing at Sandusky invested his limited capi
tal in a small wood-covered tract of land on
the east branch of the Huron river, in what
is now Ridgefield township, Huron county.
According to the kindly custom of early
pioneers, the neighbors gathered and
erected a log cabin for the new arrival.

378

HURON COUNTY, OHIO.

Here, surrounded by the beasts of the
forest, with neighbors few and far between,
the rude little home was erected, and in
due time gave place to a more pretentious
structure. He affiliated with the Old-line
Whig and Republican parties in politics,
and from the time of his first vote never
missed an election, except when confined
to his bed. In religion he and his wife
were members of the Old Free- Will
Baptist Church. Their children were as
follows: John E., born in Canada, was a
member of the Third Michigan Cavalry,
and died in Keota, Iowa; Melvin H,
born in Ohio, was a member of the One
Hundred and Twenty-third Regiment, O.
V. I., and died at Winchester, Va. ; Mer-
cilla, a native of Ohio, was married to
Judson Phelps, and died near Decatur,
Mich., and Edgar, whose name opens this
sketch. The father died on the Ohio farm
April 7, 1886, having been preceded to
the grave by his wife in September, 1870.
Edgar Barnbart was born June 27, 1837,
on the home farm in Ridgefield township,
Huron Co., Ohio, where he is yet living.
He attended the winter schools three
months each winter until he was sixteen
years of age, and then began active labor
on the farm. His youth was passed in
assisting in the clearing of the farm, in
addition to usual agricultural duties. In
1861 he was united in marriage with Mary
Ann Cary, who was born in 1835, in the
State of New York, and came to Ohio at
the age of twenty-two years. To this
union three children have been born, viz.:
Roily, a farmer of Norwalk township;
Mertie, wife of Lewis Hamilton, of Deca
tur, Mich., and Albert, residing in Toledo,
Ohio. In 1863 Mr. Barnhart enlisted at
Norwalk, Ohio, in Company B, One Hun
dred and Sixty-sixth Regiment, and served
as guard in the vicinity of Washington.
Being discharged four months later, he
returned to the home farm, and has since
given his attention to cultivating the sixty
acres of fertile land contained in the home
farm. In political opinion he votes with

the Republican party, and in religious
faith he is a member of the Baptist Church
of Norwalk, his wife being identified with
the Methodist denomination.

AMUEL MILLER, a prominent
representative citizen of Richmond
township, first saw the light May 17,
1839, near Goshen, in Columbiana
county, Ohio.
His father, also named Samuel, was
born October 26, 1806, in the State of
Pennsylvania, where he was married in
Lancaster county, about 1830, to Miss
Elizabeth Kirkwood, who was a native of
same, bora September 5, 1802. In about
1835 Samuel Miller came to Ohio, locating
in Columbiana couuty, where he remained
until 1849; then removed to Richland
county, where he resided but a short time,
and in 1850 located in the northern part
of Richmond township, Huron county.
He had always followed farming, and on
coming to Richmond township purchased
100 acres of land, but four of which were
cleared, where he lived in a log house.
He was obliged to go into debt for one-
half of the thousand dollars this land cost
him, but he set bravely to work and soon
cleared the property. Mr. and Mrs. Samuel
Miller had children as follows: Joshua,
born January 12, 1831, in Lancaster
county, Penn., died October 4, 1843, and
was buried in Goshen cemetery, Colum
biana county, Ohio; Hannah, born May
5, 1832, in Lancaster county, Penn., now
the widow of Seymour N. Sage, lives
in Richmond township, Huron county;
Thomas, born February 15, 1834, in Lan
caster county, Penn., died in March, 1866.
The rest were born in Columbiana county,
Ohio, as follows: Catherine, born May 9,
1836, now Mrs. J. W. Sage, of Richmond
township; Mary, born January 25, 1838,
now Mrs. Daniel Pollinger, of Richmond
township; Elizabeth and Samuel (twins),
born May 17, 1839, the former of whom is

HURON COUNTY, OHIO.

379

the wife of Otis Sykes, of Chicago Junc
tion (her first husband was Andrew J.
Sykes, a brother of Otis, who was killed in
the army); Samuel is the subject of this
biographical sketch; Susannah, born June
10, 1841, died September 20, 1841; John,
born July 18, 1842, now a farmer of Rich
mond township; and Jacob, born Decem
ber 10, 1845, also a farmer of Richmond
township. The father of this family was
a Republican, but took no interest what
ever in politics. He passed from earth in
July, 1875, his wife in January, 1880,
and they are buried side by side in the
Union Bethel cemetery, in Richmond
township. As a citizen he commanded
the respect and esteem of the entire com
munity. During the early days he en
dured many hardships; of his farm in
Richmond township, only a few acres were
cleared at the time he purchased it, and
before his death he had transformed all of
the remainder from the heavy forest to
prcductive fields. His family all reside in
Richmond township, but a short distance
from the old homestead.
Samuel Miller was reared to farming
pursuits; he passed the first ten years of
his life in Columbiana comity, then came
with his parents to Richland county, and
one year later to Huron county. He was
put to work at an early age, and remained
under the parental roof until reaching his
majority, doing chopping and other work
in the woods. On December 23, 1863,
he enlisted at Plymouth, Ohio, in Com
pany C, One Hundred and Twenty-third
Regiment O. V. I., and remained with the
command at Martinsburg, W. Va., during
the winter of 1863-64. They then took
part in the engagements of New Market,
Winchester, Piedmont, Lynchburg and
Berryville, Va., where on September 3,
1864, our subject was wounded by a ball;
he was first sent to the hospital at Sandy
Hook, thence to Frederick, Md., and
thence to Gallipolis, Ohio, where he re
mained until the close of the war, when he
was discharged. Returning home he

worked around in various capacities, and
traveled over the West through Iowa and
Missouri, but not liking the country he
came home.
On February 23, 1871, Mr. Miller was
united in marriage with Miss Aurilla
Sykes, who was born November 1, 1844,
in Richmond township, daughter of Daniel
Sykes. To this union have come four
children: Walter, Belle, William and
Bertha. After marriage Mr. and Mrs.
Miller settled on their present farm, and
here, with the exception of one year, they
have ever since resided. In his political
affiliations Mr. Miller is a Republican, and
is actively interested in the welfare of his
party. Mrs. Miller is a most kind-hearted,
generous lady, and is highly esteemed in
the community in which she resides.

dfOHN H. CRAWFORD is a native
of Cass township, Richland Co.,
i Ohio, born January 8, 1840, fourth
child of David and Margaret (Miller)
Crawford. John Crawford, father of David, was
born in County Tyrone, Ireland, aud when
eight years of age came with his parents
to a pioneer farm in Franklin county, Penn.
On arriving at maturity John Crawford
was married to Mary Eckels, and in 1830
they came to a farm in Richland county,
Ohio. He voted with the Democratic
party, and in religion was an earnest mem
ber of the Presbyterian Church. He died
in 1860, at the age of eighty-nine years,
followed by his wife in 1870.
David Crawford was bora December 4,
1805, on the home place in Franklin
county, Penn., where he was educated,
learning and following the shoemaker's
trade, and in 1830 came to Richland
county, Ohio. In the same year he selected
a life companion in the person of Mar
garet Miller, a native of Maryland, and in
1848 they settled in Ripley township,
Huron Co., Ohio, where he conducted a

380

HURON COUNTY, OHIO.

grist and saw mill. In 1863 he settled in
Peru township, Huron county, aud devoted
his later years to carpentering. Politically,
he affiliated with the Democratic party, and
he was a Universalist in religious belief.
He died in 1884, followed by his wife in
1885, when in her- seventy -fourth year.
They were the parents of ten children —
four sons and six daughters — of whom the
sons and two daughters are yet living.
John H. Crawford received a common-
school education, and learned the shoe
maker's trade. On July 28, 1862, he en
listed in Company D, One Hundred and
First Regiment, O. V. I., which was as
signed to the army of the Cumberland.
He went with them through Kentucky,
Tennessee, Georgia and Alabama, and took
part in the engagements at Perryville,
Stone River, Chickamauga, besides several
minor engagements. At the battle of
Chickamauga (September 20, 1863), he was
wounded and captured, being first taken
to Belle Isle, then to Danville, and from
there to Andersonville, where he was con
fined six months and ten days, enduring
untold hardships. From there he was
taken to Charleston, then to Florence,
thence to Goldsboro, and finally to Wil
mington. He was there paroled, and going
to Annapolis, Md., was finally exchanged
at Columbus, Ohio, February 26, 1865,
after having been a prisoner for eighteen
months. He was discharged at Columbus,
Ohio, June 9, 1865, and returning to Peru
township, Huron Co., Ohio, resumed his
trade. On July 3, 1867, he was united iu
marriage with Frances M. Nye, and they
had six children, namely: Cora L., Anice
M., Alice M. (deceased in infancy), Arthur
A., Verna (deceased in infancy), and Clair
M. In 1880 Mr. Crawford took charge
of his father-in-law's farm (consisting of
sixty acres in Bronson township) which he
now owns and occupies. Politically he
has always voted with the Republican
party, and he served seven years as con
stable of Peru township. He has also held
a similar position in Bronson township for

five years, and has served eight years as
township assessor. He is a member of the
Universalist Church; a member of Huron
Lodge No. 37, I. O. O. F., and a Past
Grand, and at the present time is Sen.
Vice Commander of James Mann Post G.
,A. R., Department of Ohio; also Secretary
of Peru Grange, P. of H.

Iff OMER C. CLARY. Prominently
IsH identified with the leading agricul-
| || turists of Ridgefield township is
•J) this well-known gentleman. His
early ancestors were natives of New
York and New England.
In the winter of 1817 Isaac and Preox-
cintha Clary began the perilous journey
from New York to Huron county, Ohio.
Ice covered the lakes over which they
passed, and finally they landed in the
midst of an unbroken forest, where Huron,
Erie county, now stands. Our travelers,
however, pushed farther south, making a
permanent location on a part of the large
tract now owned by their descendants. The
ring of the pioneer axe was soon heard in
the wilderness, and one by one the mighty
monarchs of the forest, which had for
centuries withstood the fury of the ele
ments, yielded to their conquerors. In
1818 Preoxcintha Clary was laid to rest in
the Monroeville cemetery, having been the
first of many whose remains are there in
terred. In 1822 Isaac Clary was buried
beside his wife, leaving the following chil
dren to perpetuate his memory: Aurelius,
two daughters (Mrs. Parsons and Mrs.
Ward), and Daniel, whose sketch follows.
Daniel Clary was born in 1799, near
Watertown, N. Y., and there received a
subscription-school education. He then
learned the gunsmith business, soon after
ward accompanying his parents to Huron
county, Ohio. He was a very energetic,
industrious young man, and after the death
of his father (who left no property) made
a bargain for 100 acres of land owned by
Maj. David Underhill, who was then the

HURON COUNTY, OHIO.

381

agent for the " Firelands." This tract was
to be paid for in work, and during the fol
lowing three years he lost but three days
time, thus securing the property and
obtaining a start in life. On February 23,
1825, he was married to Miss Mary Wilcox,
who was born in August, 1809, in New
York, and at the age of fifteen came with
her parents to Ohio, where she afterward
taught school in Crawford county. After
his marriage, Mr. Clary continued to fol
low agriculture, adding to his possession
year by year, and finally becoming one of
the most prosperous citizens of the com
munity. In politics he was an Old-line
Whig, afterward uniting with the Repub
lican party. He died April 29, 1863, fol
lowed by his widow in 1882. She was a
member of the Baptist Church. They were
the parents of two sons, viz.: Homer O,
whose name opens this sketch, and George
W., who married Sarah Patterson, and
died at the age of forty-seven years.
Homer C. Clary was born December 25,
1825, on the home farm in Ridgefield
township, Huron county, where he is yet
living. He attended school in District
No. 1, Ridgefield township, and assisted
his father with the duties of the farm.
On October 17, 1850, he married Laura
Humphreys, who was bora in 1830 in
Connecticut. When a girl she came to
Huron county, Ohio, with her parents,
Decius and Laura (Adams) Humphreys,
who were relatives of Col. Humphreys,
Gen. Washington's private secretary. The
representatives of this family have borne
national reputations as expert homeo
pathic physicians and surgeons of New
York City. Mr. and Mrs. Clary have
always resided on the farm which they
now occupy, and where children were born
to them as follows: George (deceased at
the age of twelve years), Ellen (Mrs. Fish
er), Atherton (in Buffalo, N. Y.), David
(deceased at the age of twenty-seven),
Daniel (a farmer of Ridgefield township),
Edward D. (secretary and superintendent
of the Burlington (Iowa) Gas Company)

and Frank (a lawyer of Toledo, Ohio).
Mr. Clary has inherited the progressive
traits of character so prominent in the life
of his father, and now owns over 300 acres
of the finest, most productive land to be
found in Huron county, every acre of the
property being tillable. A handsome brick
residence, surrounded by numerous shade
trees, stands amid the fertile fields, thus
completing one of the most pleasant home
scenes of Ridgefield township. In poli
tics Mr. Clary has been a Republican
since the organization of that party, and
has filled various township offices with
credit to himself and the satisfaction of
his constituents. In addition to his agri
cultural interests, he is a director of the
Monroeville National Bank, and was one
of the prime movers in establishing the
Monroeville Woolen Mills, which, how
ever, were in operation but a few years.

EIDWARD GEYER, a well-known
prominent farmer citizen and
 I wealthy landowner of Sherman
township, was bora in Saxony,
Germany (on the Austrian frontier), in
1834. He is a son of Christian and Eva Geyer,
who, in 1840, came to America, bringing
the family, and settled in Sherman town
ship, Huron county. Christian was by
trade a tanner, and operated a tannery in
Sherman township many years, in his later
days following farming as well. He died
in 1872 at the age of seventy-six years, a
healthy, strong man up to within a short
time of his death. His wife died in 1869,
aged sixty-six years. They were the par
ents of ten children, Edward being fifth in
the order of birth.
Tbe subject of these lines was, as will
be seen, seven years old when brought to
this country. He received but a meager
English school education, as in early boy
hood he was put to work in his father's
tan-yard, where he remained till he was

382

HURON COUNTY, OHIO.

fourteen years old, at which time he went
on the farm. After his marriage he com
menced agricultural pursuits for his own
account, in a small way, from which lim
ited commencement he has, by good busi
ness sagacity and indomitable perseverance,
amassed a fortune. He is now the owner
of 500 acres of land, and one of the finest
residences in Huron county, if not the
finest, being quite palatial in its design
and equipment. The house is of modern
style of architecture, built of pressed brick,
and fitted up to be heated with steam and
lighted with gas. The outbuildings — barns,
etc. — are in keeping, being comfortable and
commodious. He has devoted his attention
to all kinds of farming, including cereals,
root crops and stock.
In 1859 Mr. Geyer married Miss Eliza
Sowerine, by whom he has an interesting
family of ten robust children, namely:
Theodore, Louis, Edward, Louisa (married
to a Mr. Miller, and has one child, Levi),
Jennie, Emma, Cora, Alice, Lawrence and
Rosa. It may be here stated that so
healthy is the entire family that Mr. Geyer
has never had to pay a doctor's bill for
either himself, wife or children. Our sub
ject is a public-spirited Republican, and,
though not a member of Church, con
tributes liberally of his means to both
churches and schools, as well as to all
charitable institutions. During the war of
the Rebellion his duties to his parents,
who needed his filial care and help, pre
vented him joining the Union army, and
thus he was compelled to pay heavy
amounts for substitutes, although under
other circumstances he would rather have
shouldered his rifle and gone to the front.

JOHN McLANE, son of Robert and
Margaret (Arthur) McLane, was born
in Ireland, before the emigration of
his parents to America.
Robert McLane was boru in 1799 in
County Tyrone, Ireland, and, like boys of
that time and place, passed his youth al

ternately at school and in farm work. His
father was a farmer of that section, and
the McLanes were known there for gen
erations. About the year 1824 he married
Margaret Arthur, also a native of County
Tyrone, where she was bora in 1799. In
1831 they set out on the journey to Amer
ica with three children, James, John and
William. The father worked in New York
State for some time, and they then set out
for Ohio, landing at Sandusky after a
long, tedious and dangerous journey, and
immediately proceeding south to Green
field township, Huron county, arrived at
the home of John Arthur. Robert McLane
selected a tract of land in the wilderness
west of Steuben, which he purchased at
ten shillings per acre, and there built his
cabin, where he dwelt until his death in
1890.' His wife died in 1865, and both
are buried in the Steuben cemetery. The
only child born to them in Greenfield
township was Thomas, a farmer of that
township, who now resides on the home
place. The father was a lifelong farmer,
who succeeded in accumulating quite an
amount of property by the unceasing
labor of his brain and hands. Democratic
in politics and Congregational in religion,
he gave to each complete and loyal sup
port. John McLane was educated in the pio
neer schools of Greenfield township, giv
ing the- three winter months to study and
the balance of the year to farm work. In
1856 he married Sarah A. Easter, daugh
ter of Archibald Easter, who came from
Ireland and settled in Greenfield town
ship, where Sarah A. was born. To this
union were born two children: Stanley E.,
a farmer in Greenfield township, and
Irwin, who died December 31, 1880, at
the age of sixteen years. Immediately af
ter marriage Mr. and Mrs. McLane lo
cated on the farm where they resided un
til 1887, and which Mr. McLane still
owns. In the last mentioned year the
family moved to Steuben village, and he
retired from active agricultural life; his

HURON COUNTY, OHIO.

383

beautiful farm of 200 acres is, however,
still managed by him and his son. Since
the formation of the Republican party Mr.
McLane has voted for its candidates, prior
to which time he was a Free-soil Democrat,
and, before the agrarian question was
raised, a Democrat of the old school. For
' several years he served his township as
trustee, and has been treasurer for eight
years. Mr. and Mrs. McLane are ranked
among the most popular and respected
citizens of the county.

bornton,

W. BOISE, a descendant of the
DuBoies of France who, after the
conspiracy qf Amboise in 1560, had
to fly from their native land, was
December 13, 1831, at Worthing-
Massachusetts.
The member or members of tbe family
who belonged to the Eidgenossen or Hu
guenots fled, it is thought, before the edict
of January, 1562, was proclaimed, leaving
behind the Reformes, and taking with them
the name "Huguenots." Finding shelter
in Scotland, and afterward in Ireland,
many thousand of the refugees settled iu
the latter country, and descendants of them
may be found in that island to-day. Al
most a century and a half after the Am
boise affair the children of the refugee Du
Boies emigrated from Ireland and found a
New World home at Blandford, Mass.
In a border country, as Blandford then was,
there was little veneration or respect for
patronymics, and the prefix of the name
fell into disuse. In time the name proper
was changed from Boies to Boise, the
father of our subject being the first to
spell it thus.
• The American ancestor of the family
was David Boies, who died at Blandford,
Mass., December 15, 1752. He was ruling
elder in the church there for some years
prior to his death, perhaps from 1738 to
1752. Among the documents now in
possession of S. W. Boise, is one dated
April 18, 1738, which is nothing less than

a declaration of principles, a covenant made
between himself and God. A copy of the
old document is given as follows:
Eternal Jehova, I desire to come unto Thee, a
poor, wretched sinner, a miserable creature, who
am full of sin and iniquity. Defiled in all powers
and faculties of both soul and body by reason of
original sin and actual transgressions, and am
justly liable unto Thy wrath and displeasure, not
only in this world but in the wprld which is to come.
And that I can by no powers of mine own, no
created being, either angels or men, can help me
out of this miserable condition in which I am, and
seeing Thou hast made known to me in Thy
Blessed Word, that there is a way provided for the
relief and recovery of poor sinners in and through
Jesus Christ, and hath been pleased to condescend
so low as to make known to me the way how to ob
tain pardon of my sins and be again restored unto
God's favor; and the way is, if ever I expect to ob
tain pardon, in and through the Blessed Redeemer,
Jesus Christ. I must be denied to myself and all
mine own richeousness and to Accept of Thine as
He is freely offered in the Gospel and to be for
Thee and never for another, and to follow Thee
through good report and bad report and to Continue
faithful unto my life's end. And now, O Lord, the
Eternal God, the Wonderful, Condescending and
Merciful God the heart-searching and " re in-
trieng" God, who has been pleased of Thy bound
less and infinite mercy to provide such way of
relief through Jesus Christ, the only Savior and
Redeemer of poor lost and undone sinners, and hast
made proclamation of the Gosple, (hat whomsoever
cometh to Thee, in and through Him, thou wilt in
no ways cast out, and hast invited the weary and
heavy laden sinner to come unto Thee and they
shall find, out with their souls and seeing, O Lord
God, thou hast been pleased to invite such a poor
wretched sinner as I am, to come and enter into
covenant with Thee, who deserveth rather to be
cast into hell for my sins, Thou to have such a kind
offer made unto me; yet O Lord God, seeing Thou
art pleased of Thy Infinite mercy to condescend so
low as to invite me to come and enter into Coven
ant with Thee, which would have indeed been un
pardonable presumption in me to have attempted
to do, were it not that Thou hast invited me to
come, 1 do heartily embrace the offer, Lord God,
let it be a bargain. Lord. I believe, help my un
belief. Lord I give myself to Thee to be for Thee,
and to serve Thee for ever. Lord let Thy grace
be sufficient for me; and now, O Lord, my request
and my petition is to Thee for grace to help me per
form tbis Covenant aright, and, O Lord God. let
not. my failing make this void this covenant. Now,
O Lord, what I have now done on earth, let it be
ratified in heaven. Amen, and Amen.
The son of Elder David Boies was born
at Blandford, Mass.; at an early day he
moved to the Western Reserve, and died
in Lorain county, Ohio, at an advanced
age. He spelled his name Boies.

384

HURON COUNTY, OHIO.

Otis Boise, a son of this old settler of
Lorain county, was bora in 1804 at Bland
ford, Mass., and died at Cleveland, Ohio,
in 1874. When a young man he graduated
in medicine at Pittsfield, Mass., and in
1825 entered on the practice of his profes
sion there. Shortly afterward he was
united in marriage with Elvira Clark, and
in the spring of 1833 the family moved to
Twinsburgh, Summit Co., Ohio, where, and
also at Hudson, same county, Dr. Boise
conducted a mercantile business from the
time of his arrival until 1842. In the
latter year he moved to Bellevue, Huron
Co., Ohio, where ho commenced the prac
tice of his profession, proving himself a
skillful physician and surgeon, and he be
came wealthy and influential. The Clark
family, into which he married, are of Eng
lish ancestry.
S. W. Boise came with his parents to
Ohio in the spring of 1833, and received a
common-school education at Twinsburgh,
Summit county, subsequently removing
with the family to Bellevue, Huron county.
On October 8, 1856, he was united in mar
riage with Miss Celestia E. Gould, who
was educated at Oberlin College, and be
came the assistant principal of the first
graded school in Bellevue, a position she
held up to the time of her marriage. This
union has been blessed with three children,
a brief record of whom is as follows: (1)
Watson E., who graduated from Oberlin
College, is now a farmer of Bellevyria, N.
D. ; he has four children : David, Charles,
Howard and Otis. (2) Charles G. is also
a farmer in North Dakota; he is married
and has one child, Kate. (3) Julia E. is
married to Dr. H. M. Hoyt, and resides in
Bellevue, Ohio. Mrs. Celestia E. Boise,
though a grandmother, does not appear to
be past middle age. Her home tells of
care and refinement, and she herself is
Jike the home, contented, happy and well
preserved. Mr. Boise followed farming in Lyme
township for many years with marked suc
cess. He was recognized as a systematic

agriculturist and a most fortunate man of
business. Since his retirement, ten years
ago, from the active life of a farmer, he has
built a beautiful home in one of the finest
residence locations in Bellevue, and devotes
his time to the sale of his extensive prop
erty and the investment of his capital.
Having taken a full part in the develop
ment of this section of Huron county, he
now takes an important place in the finan
cial circles of Bellevue. A man of iron
constitution, his appearauce does not de
note bis age; for one who did not know
the fact would never suspect that he had
passed his threescore years. A Republi
can in politics, and a Congregationalist in
religion, he takes a share in aiding all
measures which promise to benefit the
community.

JACOB JETTER, retired farmer and
tanner, residing in Weaver's Corners,
was born in Wittenberg, Germany, in
1818. In his native land he was a
tanner by trade, which he followed for
many years in this country, whither he
had come in 1848.
Landing in Philadelphia, he worked
there seven years, then one year in the
country, after which he came to Ohio,
settling in Sherman township, Huron
county. Here he bought a tannery, which
he enlarged aud otherwise improved,
operating the same some thirty-one years,
at the end of which time he turned it over
to his son. He also bought land in Seneca
county, which he has owned nineteen
years, and twelve years ago he bought the
farm in Sherman township, Huron county.
Mr. Jetter did an extensive business in his
tannery industry, finding a ready market
for his product — consisting mainly of calf,
kip and harness leather — in Cleveland,
Sandusky, etc., besides local trade.
In 1851 Mr. Jetter married, in Phila
delphia, Penn., Miss Anna Bauman, a na
tive of Switzerland, who came to the
United States in 1848, and children were

HURON COUNTY, OHIO.

385

bora to them, of whom the following is a
brief record: Katie is the wife of Phil
Heyman, and has seven children — four
sons and three daughters — namely: Phillip,
Edward, Arthur, Walter, Stella, Neta and
Annie; Annie is married to H. C. Jacobi,
and has five children: William, Henry,
Charles, Albert and Clara; Lena was mar
ried, and died at the age of twenty- two
years; Lizzie is married toThomas Heyman,
and has one child, Howard; Charley is now
owner of the tannery; Emma is the wife of
Adolph Lieber, and has one child, Clarence;
Emma died in the fall of 1893, aged twenty-
six years. Mr. Jetter in his political sym
pathies was first a Democrat, then a Re
publican, voting twice for Lincoln, and
since the Civil war again a Democrat. He
is a member of the Lutheran Church. He
has four brothers and two sisters, of whom
three brothers reside in Philadelphia and
one in Germany; the two sisters reside
in Germany.

NDREW WILHELM, one of the
prominent farmers of Peru town
ship, is a son of Christopher Wil
helm, a native of Bavaria, who was
born in that Kingdom iu 1814.
When a young man he came to the United
States, and worked at the shoemaker's
trade in Buffalo, N. Y., for some time,
but subsequently settled in Peru town
ship, Huron Co., Ohio.
On coming to America he learned the
value of a trade. Being a complete
stranger in a new and strange land, his
own hands and mind were his only friends.
At Buffalo he had to labor late and early.
for very small pay, and even then his task
masters did not seem satisfied with the
volume of work produced by the young
Bavarian. Out of his small earnings,
however, he saved enough to ventnre far
ther west, and fortune led him to Peru
township, Huron county, where he resided
until his death. Here he worked at his
trade for some years, until he had saved

enough money to purchase a farm. Then
buying a part of the " Redenberg Tract,"
of the " Firelands," he began its improve
ment, and resided thereon until Centen
nial Year (1876), when he retired and took
up his residence at Monroeville, where he
died October 6, 1881. Mr. Wilhelm was
thrice married: first time to Arazula
Kraback, by which union there were three
children: One son — Frank, who died in
1864 during the Civil war in which he
served as post-quartermaster; — and two
daughters — Margaret and Mary Ann, tbe
former of whom died in 1876. The sec
ond wife was Catherine Hiss, a native of
Baden. Germany, who bore him three
children: John, who died when aged
twenty-nine years; Caroline, widow of
Andrew Duffnerr, of Monroeville, and
Andrew, our subject. The mother of
these died in 1852, and was buried in Peru
cemetery; she was a member of the Cath
olic Church. For his third wife Mr. Wil
helm married Agatha Dufiher, and two
children were bora to them, viz.: Eliza
beth, who died in 1878, and Fred. Chris
topher Wilhelm was a natural scholar. He
was edncated at the schools of Bavaria, and
after settling here was an omnivorous reader
of history, current literature and news
papers. A Democrat in politics and a
leader in his district, he .never tried to
condone the local or national errors of his
party, and thus he became known as a man
who estimated fair play above price. He
was trusted and respected, being several
times elected to township offices. He was
a consistent Catholic, a man who, if he
could not accomplish good, would not
descend to do harm.
Andrew Wilhelm was bora September
14, 1860, on the homestead farm. He
received a rudimeutary education in the
school of his district in Peru township,
and completed a commercial course in the
Dayton Business College. On October 6,
1876, he married Rosa Bower, a native of
Bronson township, and a daughter of Peter
Bower. To this marriage seven children

386

HURON COUNTY, OHIO.

were born: Alfred P., Charles A. (de
ceased), Frederick A., Mary Frances A.,
Edward O, Conny O, and Florentine J.
The same year in which Andrew was mar
ried, the father removed to Monroeville,
and Andrew took charge of the farm. Po
litically he is a Democrat, and one of the
advisers of the party in this district. He
held various township offices, and is con
sidered a man of sound judgment, honor
and principle. Religiously, he is a Catho
lic; as a business man he devotes all his
attention to agriculture and stock growing,
and takes a place among the practical,
successful farmers of northern Ohio.

LEWIS CONGER, one of the leading
I agriculturists of Greenfield town-
[ ship, is an example of what in
telligence and industry may ac
complish. Elijah Conger, father of Lewis Conger,
was born October 16, 1786, at Newark, N.
J., and when a youth learned the carpen
ter's trade in New Yrork City. Subse
quently he moved to Tompkins county,
N. Y ., and in partnership with his father-
in-law, Thomas Ludlow, built a mill at
Ludlowville, where he also established a
store. On October 24, 1809, he was mar
ried to Hannah Ludlow, daughter of the
founder of Ludlowville, where she was born
September 19, 1791. The children born to
this marriage in New York State were as
follows: Lorenzo, born July 29, 1810, died
in Greenfield township; Maria, born July
6, 1812, married Samuel Boalt in New
York, came to Ohio, and died in Peru
township, Huron county; Delia, born
January 25, 1815, married Harry Chase,
and also died in Peru township; Clarissa,
born June 5, 1817, now the widow of
Samuel Atherton; Charles, born January
6, 1820, died in Milan, Ohio; Cornelia,
born June 10, 1822, deceased; Lewis (the
subject of this sketch), born September 8,
1824; Elijah, Jr., born September 23,

1827, died at Milan, Ohio; Julia, born
March 31, 1830, deceased, and Henrietta,
bom March 7, 1832, also deceased. The
father of this family carried on a farm, a
mill and a store in Tompkins county, N.
Y., up to 1833, when he determined to
seek a home in Ohio. He traveled by the
Erie Canal and Lake to Huron, Ohio,
and thence proceeded to Milan, where
he engaged in mercantile business. '
Later he started a branch store at
Macksville, in Peru township, and in
about 1836 sold his interests at Milan
and took up his residence at Macksville.
In 1840 he erected a mill in Greenfield
township, sold the Macksville store, and
for ten years devoted his attention to the
milling industry. In 1850 he sold the
mill and lands in Greenfield township, and
returned to Milan, where he led a retired
life until his death, April 18, 1851. His
widow died October 18, 1884, at the age
of ninety-three years, and was interred at
Milan by the side of her husband. The
life of Elijah Conger, both in New York
and Ohio, was one of enterprise and
activity, and his name is associated with
the development of trade and industry in
Tompkins county, N. Y., and in Erie and
Huron counties, Ohio.
Lewis Conger was born September 8,
1824, at Ludlowville, N. Y., received the
rudiments of an education there, and in
1833 accompanied his parents to Milan,
Ohio. From boyhood until 1850 he as
sisted his father in mill and store, and to
him must be credited some of the success
which waited on their enterprise; for to
young Lewis was often left the direction
of the store and mill. In fact, for a- long
time prior to 1850 the management of the
business devolved upon him. On February
10, 1853, he married Isabel Lowther, who
was born in Greenfield township, June 25,
1831, a daughter of E. H. Lowther, and to
this union came the following named chil
dren: Edward L., born June 20, 1854, a
farmer of Greenfield township; Halsey,
born April 13, 1856, died September 27,

KrJ

c&MJSiJ CPc

Cti^

HURON COUNTY, OHIO,

389

1856; Julia L., bora January 8, 1858, now
Mrs. Charles Palmer, of CantoU) Ohio, and
Lewis L., born March 28, 1869, a teacher in
the Deaf and Dumb Asylum at Columbus,
Ohio. In the year of his marriage Mr.
Conger purchased a farm in Greenfield
township, where he resided until 1868,
when he purchased his present farm. In
1870 he 'bought another tract, now con
ducting two farms, and by careful man
agement he has succeeded in building up
a very valuable property in real estate and
live stock. In politics he was a Democrat
until the Prohibition party was organized.
In religion he and his wife are members
of the Congregational Church at Fairfield.
As a citizen he encourages all enterprises
which promise social, commercial or in
dustrial benefits to the county.

l\\/ffRS- MAEY ANN BISHQP was
I V/I k°rn January H) 1818, in Lor-
II ain county, Ohio, and is the only
y) living representative of her father's
family. She is a daughter of
Daniel and Laura (Williams) Cadwell,
natives of Pittsfield, Mass., who became
pioneer settlers, of Lorain county, Ohio.
On November 30, 1837, Mary Ann Cad
well gave her hand in marriage to William
A. Bishop, a son of Joseph and Mary
(Wykoff) Bishop, the latter of whom was
descended from, Holland ancestry. Joseph
Bishop was a representative of an old
English family, aud died when his son was
a small child, his widow surviving him
fifty- eight years.
William A- Bishop was born March 3,
1806, iu New Jersey, where his parents
were then living. He attended the district
schools, and in 1832 began teaching in
Northamptop county, Peiin., coming to
Huron county, Ohio, in 1834. On April
4, tbat year, he married Miss Magdalene
Elinger, who bore bim two sons: Joseph,
born January 26, 1835, deceased in infancy,
and William H., born June 19, 1836, now
ai

residing in Norwalk. Mr. and Mrs. Bishop
came to Ohio in the year of their marriage,
journeying in the old-fashioned emigrant
style, cooking their meals by the roadside
and camping out at nightfall. They first
located on the West Branch of the Huron
River, in Ridgefield township, Huron Co.,
Ohio, on what was known as the "Page
farm." Mrs. Bishop died on this place
April 5, 1837. Mr. Bishop was afterward
married to Mary Ann Cadwell, who bore
him the following named children: Laura
Ann (deceased), bora January 18, 1839:
Eliza, born August 25, 1842, deceased at
the age of three years; Charles D., born
January 4, 1846, now living in Norwalk,
Ohio; Ljna, born April 15, 1849, wife of
Charles Drake, of Ridgefield township;
Mary E., born January 2, 1854, deceased
at the age of three years, and Martha E.,
born June 1, 1857, living with her widowed
mother. In 1849 they moved to the
"Palmer farm," situated on the east bank
of the Huron river. The home farm con
tains nearly 170 acres of most productive
land, equipped with a comfortable dwelling
and commodious outbuildings. This was
the home of Mr. Bishop for over thirty^
two years, and during the latter part of
that time he lived retired from active busi^
ness. In politics he voted first with the
Whig party, afterward with the Repub
lican, and served in various local offices.
Though not a church member, he gave
liberally to the support of the good work.
He died January 20, 1881, and his widow
has continued to reside on the home place,
surrounded by many friends.

W. HEDRICK, M. D., one of the
ablest and most popular young phy
sicians of Huron county, is a native
of Licking county, Ohio, boru Sep
tember 23, 1853, a son of George and
Julia (Speer) Hedrick, natives of New
Jersey, the former born in 1826, the latter
in 1828.

390

HURON COUNTY, OHIO.

At the age of twenty George Hedrick
came west to Newark, Licking Co., Ohio,
where he has since almost continuously
resided, and here he met Miss Julia Speer,
to whom he was afterward married. They
are the parents of six children, namely:
William F. and Dennis E., both living in
Columbus, Ohio; C. W., the subject of
this sketch; Fred, a resident of Newark,
Ohio; Winona, the wife of Areh Day, of
Newark; and Inez G., who died in 1874.
The father of this family learned shoe-
making at an early age, and followed the
trade the greater part of his life. He and
his wife are both living. On the paternal
side the Hedrick family are of German
origin ; on the maternal side they are of
Scotch-Irish descent, the first ancestor of
the family in America having come from
the North of Ireland, where the grand
father and great-grandmother of our sub
ject were born; the great-grandfather was
born across the channel, in Scotland.
Dr. C. W. Hedrick received his edu
cation in the public schools of Newark,
Licking Co., Ohio, and after graduation
entered the employ of the Baltimore &
Ohio Railroad Co., as agent at Somerset,
Ohio, where he remained two years.
He then accepted the situation of book
keeper fpr the XX Coal Mine, at Shawnee,
Ohio, a position he filled acceptably for
one year. In 187^ he visited Illinois,
fully intending to locate there, but the
same year be returned to Ohio and became
a painter apprentice, learned the trade and
with the money thus earned finally paid
his way through medical college. He
commenced the study of medicine under
his uncle, Dr. A. T. Speer, in 1879, and
during the four years he remained with
him he obtained all the benefits to be de
rived from study under a practical man.
During the winter of 1880-81 he attended
Columbus Medical College; then studied
for another year under his uncle, and in
the winter of 1882-83 again attended lec
tures at Columbus Medical College, from
which institution he graduated in 1883.

Locating in Newark, he practiced there
until March 14, 1885, when he received
the appointment of medical examiner for
the Baltimore & Ohio Railroad Co.,
with office at Garrett, Ind., where he was
stationed until his removal to Wheeling,
W. Va., in February, 1886. On June 1,
1886, he was transferred to Chicago Junc
tion, his present home, where he owns a
pleasant residence.
Dr . Hedrick's marriage with Miss Saidie
A., daughter of David S. Nevins, took
place June 30, 1886, and to this union
have been bora two children — a son and
a daughter — Raymond Speer, who died
November 24, 1892, aged four months,
and Hazel Wood. Dr. Hedrick isa mem
ber of the I. O. O. F. and Encampment, of
the K. 0. T. M., Royal Arcanum and of
the Masonic Fraternity. He is a citizen
of sterling worth.

HARLES A. SAWYER, who ranks
among the prominent agriculturists
and stock raisers of Lyme township,
is a member of an old and highly
respected family.
His father, John Sawyer, was born in
the county of Kent, England, and came to
America as early as 1819. He located first
in Connecticut, and from there moved to
the banks of the Ohio river, numbering
among the pioneers of that region, where
be took a contract from Gen. Harrison to
clear some land thickly covered with woods.
At a later date he moved to Huron county,
Ohio, where he engaged with his father in
trading stock. Being the eldest of a family
of twenty children, he had many duties to
perform, and at the time of his death,
which occurred in 1852, owned 215 acres
of land. He married a Mrs. Edinger, of
New Jersey, and by her had six children —
two sons and four daughters — three of
whom are now living.
Charles A. Sawyer was born February
12, 1845, in Lyme township, Huron coun
ty, and passed his youth in Oberlin, where

HURON COUNTY, OHIO.

391

he attended the primitive schools of those
days and worked on his father's farm,
learning at an early age the duties and
customs of agricultural pursuits. After
reaching manhood he moved to Norwalk,
Ohio, and since the death of his father has
had entire charge of the old homestead
farm, where he devotes some attention to
stock raising, but is chiefly engaged in
farming. On April 14, 1887, Mr. Sawyer
was united in marriage with Miss Clara
Daley, also a resident of Huron county, but
born in Michigan. No children have been
bora to them. They are both members of
the Episcopal Church. He has served as
trustee of Lyme township for sixteen years.
He is a charter member of Raby Lodge, F.
& A. M., Blue Lodge, Monroeville, and
was senior warden and master of Lodge;
also member of Bellevue Chapter Royal
Arch Masons; is a member of the I. O. O.
F. of Bellevue, and has taken all but the
last degree. He served in the Civil war
from 1862 until 1864, in Company C,
Eighty-eighth Regiment, O. "V. I.; re-
enlisted in 1864, in Company I, One Hun
dred and Eighty-ninth O. V. I. Mr. Saw
yer is a member of Hillier Post, G. A. R.,
Monroeville.

SA G. FELTON, a successful and
prosperous agriculturist, of Nor
wich township, is a native of the
same, bora in 1847.
Ephraim Felton, father of our
subject, was born, in 1815, in Oneida
county, N. Y., a son of James Felton, who
was a native of Massachusetts, a farmer
by occupation. He, James, married Eu
nice Wheeler, of same place, and by her
had eight children, viz.: James, Lyman,
Hiram, Warren, Walter, Ephraim, Maria,
and one whose name is not given. The
father of these came to Huron county in
1833 with his son Ephraim, settling in
Norwich, where he died about 1850.
Ephraim Felton was reared on a farm, and
attended during the winter months the

subscription schools of the period. At the
age of eighteen he came to Ohio, and
worked at the trade of carpenter near Nor
walk, Huron county, till after his mar
riage, when he moved into Norwich town
ship, locating on the farm of one hundred
acres where William Stockmaster is now
living. From there in 1849 he came to
his farm in the same township, compris
ing fifty acres of good, fertile land. In
1841 he married Miss Melissa Gilson,
daughter of Asa Gilson, a farmer of Nor
wich township. The children of this mar
riage were Celia (married to George Kee
ler, a tinner), Rhoda, Asa G. and Mary
Melissa. The mother of these died in
1851, and Ephraim Felton subsequently
married Mrs. Mary Ann Chandler, a
daughter of Burwell Fitch, an early settler
of Sherman township, Huron county. To
this marriage were bora Ada V., Lillian
and Emma, of whom Ada V. is married
to Lewis Woodruff, and they live in Fair
field township; Lillian lives in Chillicothe,
Mo., married to. John Schnits, an attor
ney; Emma married I. H. Wilson, and
lives in Nebraska. Ephraim Felton made
a success of life, and owned at his death,
which occurred in 1864, about 300 acres
of land. He was a breeder of graded
stock, making a specialty of fine-wool
sheep. In politics he was a strong Aboli
tionist, and took an active part in the free
ing of the negroes; in religious faith be
was a Methodist.
Asa G. Felton, the subject proper of
this sketch, received a liberal education at
the common schools of the vicinity of his
birth, and was reared a practical farmer
boy. He was seventeen years old when
his father died, and four years later he
commenced business life as a clerk in a
store, where he remained some seven years.
Turning his attention to agricultural pur
suits, he then came to Norwich township,
Huron county, and settled on his present
farm of 150 acres in that township.
In 1872 Mr. Felton was united in mar
riage with Miss Catherine Kramer, of

392

HURON COUNTY, OHIO.

Plymouth, Ohio, daughter of Matthias
Kramer, a farmer of Auburn township,
Crawford county. Politically, our subject
has always been a solid Republican, a
counselor in the party; in matters of re
ligion he and his wife are members of the
Universalist Church of Havana.

T OHN STRIMPLE, one of the prom-
w I inent agriculturists of Greenwich
\yj township, was born February 19,
1829, in Hunterdon county, New
Jersey. Aaron Strimple, his father, was born in
New Jersey in 1803. Some years later
his father died, and Aaron was left to
battle with the world alone. About the
year 1828 he married Keziah Stout, who
was born in New Jersey in 1804, and to
their union came the following named
children: John (the subject of this sketch),
Judith Ann (Mrs.G.W. Van Scoy), Andrew
(who died at the age of twenty-seven
years), and George (a farmer of Green
wich township), all natives of New Jersey;
Sarah (Mrs. Daniel Sizer, of Greenwich),
Samuel (who died at an advanced age),
Elizabeth (widow of Egbert N. Burgess),
and William (who resides in Richland
county), all natives of Ohio. In 1839 the
family removed to New Haven township,
Huron Co., Ohio, in company with three
other families, the whole party comprising
twenty-eight persons. The journey was
made by wagon, over the Alleghany
Mountains, and occupied twenty-nine days.
On arriving here Aaron Strimple rented a
house in New Haven township, but the
following year removed to a point four
miles east of Mansfield, in Mifflin town
ship, Richland county, where he leased a
farm for ten years. About 1850 he lo
cated near the northern line of Richland
county, and bought a tract of land, part of
which lay in Pluron county. Later he
purchased eighty acres in Greenwich town
ship, where he and his wife resided, the

latter until her death in 1886, and the
former until 1890, when he passed away.
He was a practical farmer, and an expert
stock dealer and grower, being successful
in each line. In politics he voted with the
Democrats until 1856, when the new
Whigs or Republicans won him to their
cause, though at times he 'voted with the
Democrats, when the nominees of his own
party appeared to him to be undeserving
of public office. In religious connection
he and his wife belonged to the Methodist
Episcopal Church.
John Strimple accompanied his parents
to Ohio when ten years old, and during
his youth helped with the work on the
farm and attended school. He was quick
to learn, and while still a youth taught a
school for fourteen dollars per month, his
salary being gradually increased until he
was in receipt of thirty dollars per month.
During vacation periods he worked on
the farm, and lost no opportunity of earn
ing money. In 1851 he married Elizabeth
Mary Tiers, who was born in Rich
land county, Ohio, where her father, L. D.
Viers, resided. The children of this union
are named as follows: Alice P., Mrs. G.
W. King; Silas W., a grain dealer;
Thomas, an attorney, all three residing at
Greenwich; Theodore L., assistant prose
cuting attorneyof Cuyahoga county, Ohio,
and Keziah J., who died in youth. The
mother of these children died in 1864, and
Mr. Strimple married Loraine Viers, a
sister of his deceased wife. To this mar
riage were born Aden L. and Aaron B.,
the former an agriculturist and the latter
a school teacher. After his first marriage
Mr. Strimple rented a farm in Richland
county, and later joined his father in the
purchase of land. This tract was quit
claimed by the father, who sold a portion
to the son. In 1860 John Strimple pur
chased ninety-five and a quarter acres in
Ripley township, and established his home
thereon. In 1864 he purchased 110 acres
in Greenwich township, known as " The
Old Barrett Farm," and here he has since

HURON COUNTY, OHIO.

393

resided, the tract now comprising 235
acres, all thoroughly improved. His house
and bara are fine buildings, and are con
sidered among the best in the county.
Mr. Strimple has been liberal in the ex
penditure of money on the education of
his family. In political life he votes with
the Republicans, though he is not a
partisan, and he has filled various town
ship offices. He is a prominent member
of the Methodist Episcopal Church, in
which he is steward and trustee, class-
leader, and has been superintendent of the
Sunday-school — in fact he has taught
every class in the school. His reputation
is without reproach, and he may undoubt
edly be classed with the best citizens of
Hurou county.

IfTfARVEY PIERCE, a worthy de-
Issl scendant of an early pioneer family
I 1 of Huron county, was born January
yj "" 20, 1822, in Peru township. About
1814 his grandfather, Alden Pierce,
bought a part of what was then known as
the "Redenberg tract," in the "Firelands"
of Huron county. Late in 1815 he and
his son Willard, with a number of other
emigrants, came hither from their eastern
home, the journey occupying forty-four
days. Upon their arrival they erected a
rude shelter of logs and bark, where they
passed the remainder of the winter, and in
the spring the Pierces erected a more sub
stantial log cabin, and cleared the first
garden spot in Greenfield township.
Willard Pierce, father of subject, was
born April 29, 1800, in North Leverett,
Franklin Co., Mass., at the common
schools of which place he received his edu
cation. In 1815 (as above related) he
migrated with his father to Ohio, where,
during the ensuing four years, he carved
out a home for himself in the forest. In
1820 he set out for his native State, walk
ing the entire distance from Huron county,
Ohio, to Franklin county, Mass., and
while in the East married Nancy Curtis,

who was born in June, 1801, daughter of
Ebenezer Curtis, of Franklin county, Mass.,
who died in 1811. Under the laws of
Massachusetts the marriage bans had to be
publicly announced for three Sabbaths be
fore the ceremony could be performed, and
to avoid this delay Mr. Pierce took Miss
Curtis to Vermont, where Old Colony
formalities were not strictly observed, and
there they were married. They remained
in Massachusetts just long enough to con
vert the property of the young wife into
currency, and then set out for their future
home in Ohio, the journey being made in
a wagon drawn by a " Yankee team " of
oxen, with a horse for a leader. To their
union were born the following children:
Harvey; Jason (an invalid), of Oceana
county, Mich.; Jefferson, Maria (Mrs. Ben
jamin Hull) and Allen, all three residents
of Kalamazoo county, Mich.; Nancy, Mrs.
Lovell; and Susan, Mrs. Harrison. The
father of this family died here June 22,
1847; his widow died April 21, 1857, in
the Baptist faith, and both are buried in
the Hester cemetery iu Bronson township.
He was a successful farmer, who, notwith
standing the extraordinary expense caused
by repeated sicknesses, left a valuable
property to his children. In politics he
was a Jacksonian Democrat, and in man
ner unassuming and sedate.
Harvey Pierce was reared in much the
same manner as all pioneer boys of his
day, attending school and working on the
farm alternately. In the spring of 1843
he migrated to Wisconsin, passing through
Chicago village on his way thither. Of
course there were no railroads then, and
travel by wagon meant walking half the
distance. For nine months young Pierce
worked in the lead mines of Iowa county,
Wis., and early in 1844 returned to Ohio
and worked on the farm of Robert Baker
in Peru township at ten dollars per month.
Subsequently, when his father's health be
gan to fail, Harvey took charge of the
home farm, and on the death of the pio
neer continued therein, caring for his

394

HURON COUNTY, OHIO.

To Harvey and
following named
(1) Jenett L., of
born April 25,

invalid mother, and ultimately paying off
the share of the other heirs in the estate.
On June 16, 1859, he was married to
Sephronia Woodworth, who was born in
October, 1836, in New Haven township,
daughter of Jonathan Woodworth, who
came to this section from Tompkins
county, N. Y., in 1832.
Sephronia Pierce the
children were bora, viz.:
New Haven township,
1860, and was married March 18, 1884, to
W. L. Smith, by whom she has two chil
dren, Harvey and Stanford ; (2) Jouathan
W., a farmer residing on the homestead,
born January 31, 1868, and was married
February 5, 1889, to Emma P. Kellogg, of
Greenfield. Mr. Pierce is a man of extra
ordinary vitality, and is so well preserved
that he looks twenty years younger than
he really is. His memory is faultless,
and he can speak of events connected with
his youth and early manhood with remark
able accuracy. He was a Whig prior to
the organization of the Republicans, when
he joined tbe new party. He and his wife
are members of the Baptist Church, in
which Society he is an official. Mr. Pierce
is a great reader, and consequently well
posted on men and events. No one is
more respected than he, and all in all he
well merits the social and agricultural suc
cess which he has won.

LAWRENCE OTT was born Febru-
( ary 14, 1831, in Baden, Germany,
 \ where his ancestors were known for
generations. His father, Michael F.
Ott, a native of Baden, died in 1838,
leaving an encumbered property to his
widow. Lawrence, though then a child, realized
the condition of affairs, and with the spirit
ofja youth aided his mother materially.
On May 14, 1838, he left home and for
eight years worked as a farm laborer, re
ceiving from ten to fifty dollars per year.
His mother died in the meantime, and in

1853 he received some moneys from her
estate, enough to pay the expenses of a
trip to the United States. Knowing the
scant opportunities for winning a compe
tence in his native country, he set out for
London, England, where he took passage
for New York in the " Yawton " (his name
for the ship), arriving after a voyage of
thirty-five days, with a cash capital of six
teen dollars. He did not halt there long,
but pushed farther westward to the Ger
man settlements in Huron county, Ohio,
via the Hudson river, the Erie Canal and
the lake to Sandusky, Ohio, and thence to
Monroeville. From that point he walked
to Macksville, and the day after his arrival
began work on the farm of Martin Hes
ter, of Bronson township. He continued
with Mr. Hester for eighteen months, and
then entered the employ of Alvin Brith-
man, for whom he worked six years. On
February 5, 1861, he was united in mar
riage with Miss Mary Dehe, who was born
March 3, 1839, in Norwalk, Ohio, daugh
ter of Jacob Dehe, of Norwalk, and to
this marriage were born nine children,
namely: Rosa, Mrs. Leo Hohler, of Peru
township; John P., a farmer of the same
township; Frank, a carpenter, residing at
home; Charles, a resident of Cleveland,
Ohio; Fred, Lawrence, Louisa and Jerome,
residing at home, and Theodore, who died
when three months old. After his mar
riage Mr. Ott purchased seventy-two acres
of land, paying part of the purchase money
out of his savings, and securing the bal
ance by an ordinary real-estate mortgage.
Strong heart and hands aided him, year
after year he prospered, and after a strug
gle he could call this tract, with the im
provements thereon, his absolute property.
In 1873 he sold the first farm in the
southern section of Pern township, and
purchased 118 acres from Joseph Refnele,
where he has since resided. Aside from
improving his new purchase, he remodeled
the residence, barns and other buildings,
and literally made this part of the old wil
derness to "blossom as the rose." It is

HURON COUNTY, OHIO.

395

all the work of a healthy mind in a healthy
body, and of a citizen who would win by
honest labor over every obstacle.
Mr. Ott, his wife and children are mem
bers of the Catholic Congregation. In
political affairs he votes with the Demo
cratic party, but beyond this takes little
interest in politics. He earns the taxes,
votes for those whom he considers would
make good servants of the public, and
leaves the rest to men who have leisure
hours for it. The family are held in the
highest esteem in the community in which
they reside.

JOHN W. SAGE, a successful and
most highly respected agriculturist of
Richmond township, was born March
30, 1829, in Oswego county, N. Y.,
a son of Roswell Sage, who was bora May
18, 1786, in Connecticut. His father was
a native of Wales, and in early days im
migrated to America.
Roswell Sage was married January 26,
1814, to Nancy Jewett, bora October 5,
1792. Their children, who were all born
in New York State, were as follows: Ly
man, born September 27, 1815, died May
11, 1816; Caroline, born March 27, 1817,
married William Harman, and died in
Boone county, Iowa; Rhoda, born May
16, 1819, who was married to Alfred
Knapp, and died in Fairfield township,
Huron Co., Ohio; Sarah Marilla, born
May 27, 1822, married Newell Curtiss,
and now resides in Newark, N. J.; Sey
mour N., born May 17, 1824, was a farmer
and machinist, and was a leading citizen
and for twelve years justice of the peace
in Richmond township, Huron county,
where he died; Amanda E., born August
8, 1826, now the widow of Rev. Leander
Curtiss, a Congregational minister, who
had preached for forty years; John Wes
ley, subject proper of this sketch; and
Harriet E., bora May 8, 1832, now Mrs.
W. G. Rathborne, of Clyde, Ohio. While
residing in New York State Roswell Sage

followed farming, and became quite well-
to-do, but lost considerable by indorsement
for a friend, so that when he came to Ohio
in 1835 he was a comparatively poor man.
The trip from Oswego county, N. Y., was
made by way of Lake Ontario, then through
the Welland Canal, and thence across Lake
Erie to Cleveland, where they landed. On
Lake Erie they encountered a very rough
sea, and the women and children were all
ordered below, the captain declaring it to
be "the roughest sea for nineteen years."
The family traveled by wagon from Cleve
land to Pittsfield township, Lorain Co.,
Ohio, where the father purchased one hun
dred acres of land, on which they resided
for six years, and then moved to Auburn
township, Crawford county, remaining there
five years, when they took up their residence
in Ripley township, Huron county, being
driven out of Crawford county by the
"milk sickness" so common in that sec
tion. They made their home in Ripley
township till about 1845, and then moved
to Wood county, Ohio, where the father
died April 9, 1848, at Bowling Green, and
was there buried. His wife, who had
passed away December 26, 1843, in Rip
ley township, was buried in the "Old M.
E. cemetery," north of Edwards Corners.
Mr. Sage had met with many reverses, but
was a very sympathetic man, and always
did his best to help those who needed his
assistance. In religion he was a member
of the Methodist Church; in politics a
Whig. John W. Sage accompanied the family
to Ohio in 1835, and, though then but six
years of age, he remembers the journey
very distinctly, and the cries of the women
and children who were shut down in the
hold of the vessel to prevent their being
washed overboard. He attended the com
mon schools, but his educational oppor
tunities were in the main somewhat cir
cumscribed. He remained at home until
thirteen years of age, when he engaged in
various kinds of labor, and served an ap
prenticeship at boot and shoe making in1

396

HURON COUNTY, OHIO.

his father's shop at Bowling Green; but
not liking the trade, left it. Later, in com
pany with John Lamb, he built a wooden
scow which they ran on the Maumee river.
and he was subsequently employed as a
deck hand on the propeller " Globe," on
Lake Erie, making, however, but two trips
on that boat, which plied between Maumee
City (Ohio) and Buffalo (N. Y.). When
nineteen years of age he commenced to
learn the carpenter's trade in Ripley town
ship, Huron county, and served an ap
prenticeship of three years under three
different men. He continued to follow the
business twenty-five years, and some of the
finest residences in his section of the
county were either his own individual
work or erected under his supervision.
On March 15, 1855, Mr. Sage married
Miss Catherine Miller, who was born May
9, 1836, in Columbiana county, Ohio,
daughter of Samuel Miller, who came to
Richmond township, Huron county, in
1847. To this union have been bora chil
dren as follows: Julia A., now Mrs. A. W.
Harman, of Richmond township; William
S.,aU. B. minister of Sandusky Conference,
who was educated at Dayton, Ohio, after
which he spent about four years in Sierra
Leone, West Africa, in the missionary
field; Charles W., a farmer of Richmond
township; and Mary A., now Mrs. John
F. Dellinger, of Richmond township. After
his marriage Mr. Sage located in Richmond
township, on thirty acres of land which he
had purchased at twelve dollars per acre,
and to wliich he soon added another thirty
acres, gradually increasing the size of his
farm to 111 acres. In the summer of 1863
he joined Company H, One Hundred and
Sixty-sixth O. V. I., National Guards, on
May 2, 1864, was called into service, and
was detailed on guard duty the greater
part of his term of enlistment, which ex
pired September 9, 1864. Later, from
February, 1865, to May, 1865, he was in
the United States Engineers service, at Ar
lington Heights, Va., erecting forts and
fortifications. Early in the summer of

1865 he returned to his home in Huron
county, and in the fall of the same year
purchased his present farm, which then
consisted of 171 acres, for which he paid
twenty-six dollars per acre. The land was
then in a comparatively rude condition,
containing no improvements but a log
house and barn, and here he has since
made his home, excepting for three years
he was engaged at his trade. Through
his never-ceasing industry and care the soil
is now as rich as any in the county, and all
the buildings on the property are the work
of his own hands. He is a Republican,
and takes an interest in the welfare of his
party, but is not particularly active in
politics. In religious faith he and his wife
are prominent members of the U. B.
Church, in which he has held the offices of
steward, class-leader, trustee, etc., being
obliged to resign, however, on account of
poor health. For some years he has been
a teacher in the Sunday-school, in which
he has also been superintendent. Mr.
Sage is a great reader, and by observation
has acquired an excellent practical educa
tion ; he is a writer of no mean ability, and
as a poet deserves more than local promi
nence. He acts as correspondent to nearly
all the newspapers in his section, and to
all of those published at the county seat.
He is a successful farmer and a good
neighbor, and Mrs. Sage, who is a most
estimable, kind-hearted lady, shares fully
the esteem wliich is felt for the entire
family. The following are the titles of
some of his poetical productions: The
Storm King; God's Wisdom, Love and
Power; Jack Frost; Little Karl; Some
Sweet Day; A Poet's Imagination; The
Old Year; Naming The Baby; October;
Spring; May; December; After Harvest
Thoughts; Decoration Day; Eighteen
Hundred and Eighty-Three; Have Faith
in Jesus' Name; The Cabin; Twenty
Years Ago; The New Year; Oh ye
Winds: Ye Wintry Winds; The Editorial
Sanctum; Thoughts on the. Death
of Douglas Snyder; In the Far West,

HURON COUNTY, OHIO.

397

on a Claim; The Old Woman Who
Lived in Her Shoe; The Plymouth Ad
vertiser; If Yes; If; Cheerfulness; The
Plymouth Fair October 1887; The Farmer;
Stray Thoughts; How Oft we Murmur at
God's Providences; How Like Some Little
Fickle Maid; Memory; Summer Time;
The Best Farm Crop; Thanksgiving Day;
Life; By The Sea Shore; Spring; The
World; This Land of Ours; The Year
Eighty-Nine; The World's Fair; Thoughts
on the Past, Present and Future; Sunshine
and Flowers; Praise and Adoration; The
Old and the New Year; The Distant Shore;
September; The Equinoxial; Seasonable
and Unseasonable; The Soldier's Pension;
Huckleberries; At School; Groundhog
Day; He Calleth Unto Thee; Our Jour
ney; Ode to a Reporter; The Fast Age;
Daily Blessings; The Kitchen Hearth;
The Glorious Fourth. Of these we give
the following: THE STORM KING.

Terrific! rolls the thunder,
Cloud cleaving cloud asunder;
The forked tongues of lightning flash,
The giant oak, with heavy crash,
Late monarch towering in his pride,
Lies prostrate now with shattered side.
Peal on peal the thunders crashing,
And the forked lightnings flashing,
Like fiery chariots coming o'er us,
Joining the discordant chorus,
Heavens artillery all a-boom,
Blackness, and darkness, and gloom,
Hover about
With terrific shout,
Most terrible, solemn and grand,
Like the wail of demoniac band.
On, on they come with angry motion,
Shaking old earth as well as ocean.
Iron-bound ships riven asunder,
While onward rolls the distant thunder,
Rolls low, rolls high, rolls loud, and rolls,
Till earth is shaken from center to poles.
Again and again the thunders roll,
Waking the timid, slumbering soul;
While loud and long the storm king shouts
Like maddened chieftain to his scouts. —
His sword unsheathed in up-lifted hand,
He musters again his chosen band.
Heaven's artillery all ablaze,
The world in silence all agaze, —
While forked lightnings rend the sky,
And deaf 'ning thunders roll on high.
There he comes ! the storm king comes,
With neighing horses and heaven's drums;

Hurling thunder-bolts left and right,
Scattering javelins, piercing the nighty
On, on advancing
Like fiery steeds dancing.
Now hovers low, now rises high,
Like frightened eagle cleaving the sky,
While deathlike darkness over all,
Enshrouds the earth like a luneral pall.
With terrible shout,
The storm king's route,
Lies across the trackless ocean ;
And woe to the ship,
On its homeward trip,
When caught by this wild commotion.
Fire, hailstones, and Jupiter's coals,
Whirling, seething, and trying men's souls.
Jove's black war horse onward prances,
With liquid fire from eye that glances
From cloud to cloud as the storm runs high
And the eagles shriek as they pierce the sky.
Jove's charger, as with iron hoof,
Stops, paws the clouds of heaven,
While trembles the blue vaulted roof,
Like slivered timbers riven.
Darting from nostril distended,
Forked lightnings leap.
Darkness and light seem blended,
Deep calling unto deep.
Heavens host led on-, led on by Jove,
Find rendezvous in Neptune's grave,
While a grand parade of corps after corps,
Is marshaled for battle on Hinlan's shore.
The long roll reverberating
Battalions concentrating,
While the order reaches through the world at large.
The standard bearer advances,
The troops with naked lances,
Make the final victorious charge.
Then galloping over the plain,
With long, disheveled mane,
Come the warriors, with battle cry
Reaching through the sky.
The storm king's mooted power,
Transferred in a single hour,
While heaven's victorious fleet
Wheel into line for the homeward retreat.
The thunder rolls in the distance,
Offering little or no resistance.
Blackness and darkness give way,
The clouds roll back, and we say
The storm king, with his mighty host,
Has returned to his native coast,
And now, with united cry
We join in praise to the Most High.

q GEORGE E. HASKELL is a son
r, of George Haskell, whose father
was a physician in England. 'George
U Haskell was born in 1813, in Wilt
shire, England, and was there bound
out to learn the shoemaker's trade, which
he followed for some time. On January

398

HURON COUNTY, OHIO.

12, 1837, he married Mary Ann Barber,
who was bom March 19, 1815, in Wilt
shire, England, a daughter of William
Barber, a cabinet maker. George and
Mary Ann (Barber) Haskell first located
in Brixon Deveril, England, where four
children were born, namely: Hattie J.,
William Henry, John T. and Catherine.
In 1850 the parents, accompanied by
the above-named children, sailed from Liv
erpool, and after a voyage of ten weeks
landed at New York. From there they
proceeded, via the Hudson River, Erie
Canal, and Lake Erie to Sandusky, Ohio.
On arriving at Milan, Erie county, George
Haskell had only four dollars left, but was
soon earning fair wages at his trade. Some
time later he moved to Norwalk, and re
sided on Milan street, where he conducted
a gardening business. He then purchased
and moved upon a small tract of land in
Ridgefield township, Huron county, mean
while following his trade at Monroeville:
In 1866 he bought the home farm where
he died February 22, 1885, being followed
to the grave by his wife August 5, 1889,
and both were buried at Norwalk. He
was an energetic, industrious man, having
accumulated a good property by unremit
ting effort. Politically, he affiliated with
the Republican party, and in religion he was
a member of the Episcopal Church. The
children born to George and Mary Ann
Haskell were as follows: Hattie J., de
ceased wife of R, M. Willey; William H.,
an orange grower in Florida; John T., of
Liberal, Kans.; Catharine M., unmarried,
living in Ridgefield township; George E. ;
Ellen S., wife of John E. Wheaton, of
Seward county, Kans.; and Annie 0., wife
of John V. Brady, of Belleville, Kans.
Of these the latter three were born in the
United States.
George E. Haskell was born September
9, 1851, in Norwalk, Huron county, Ohio,
and attended the common schools. When
his brothers had all left home, this son re
mained on the old place, and assisted in
paying his father's debts. On December

28, 1887, he was united in marriage with
Adelphia Saunders, who was born in 1868
in Oxford township, Erie Co., Ohio, the
youngest of seven children of Leroy W.
and Eliza (Skinner) Saunders. Mr. and
Mrs. Haskell began wedded life on the
home farm in Ridgefield township, Huron
county. He well deserves the prosperity
which has rewarded his years of toil, and
his hospitable cheery manner, combined
with sterling worth, has won him scores
of warm friends. In politics he is a Re
publican; in religion he is a member of
the Disciple Church, his wife being iden
tified with the Presbyterian denomination.
They have two sons and one daughter:
Le Roy George, Clyde Vernon, and Mil
dred Pauline.

L

EROY BURTON, city marshal of
Norwalk, is a native of Huron
county, born November 25, 1843,
son of E. S. and Laura B. Burton.
The father was born in 1816, in Warren
county, N. Y., near Lake George, and
came west to Ohio when a young man. He
selected a site for his future home, then
returned East, married, and brought hither
his young wife. At the time of his death,
which occurred in 1883, he owned a fine
farm, mainly the result of his own unceas
ing industry. He reared a family of seven
children — four daughters and three sons-
all still living. Mrs. Burton died in 1864.
David Burton, the paternal grandfather of
subject, was a native of New York, and
lived to the advanced age of ninety-one
years, the graudmother reaching the patri
archal age of ninety-four years.
Leroy Burton was educated in the public
and select schools of Norwalk, and when
but a mere boy entered the army, but on
account of a severe accidental injury was
discharged, after which he engaged in
farming. On April 3, 1865, he was mar
ried to Jane Pettis, a native of Berea,
Ohio, and continued on tbe farm four
years afterward, at the end of which time

HURON COUNTY, OHIO.

399

he removed to Norwalk, and worked at the
carpenter's trade with his father-in-law the
next five years. Abandoning this, he
opened a gun repair shop, and conducted
same some seven years, or until 1885,
when he was elected marshal of Norwalk,
to which position he has since been con
tinuously re-elected; and he has had the
high compliment from his fellow citizens
of being elected by 375 majority. He is
now serving his fifth term, which will be
ten years. Mr. Burton is the unquestioned
head of the police force of Norwalk, the
welfare of the city during the day being
in his keeping, while at night there are
three guards who are also under him. As
an illustration of his popularity, it may be
here stated that in the 1889 elections he
was the only Republican elected, every
thing else going to the Democrats.

4

toJffATHIAS BEAMER, one of the
\f/\ Des^ hnown and most highly re-
1[ spected citizens of Richmond
township, was born September 25,
1820, in Carroll county, Ohio.
His parents, Adam and Elizabeth (Al-
baugh) Beamer, were both natives of
Maryland, born in the vicinity of Freder-
icktown, the former in 1773. The grand
father of our subject came from Germany.
Adam Beamer was reared to agricultural
pursuits. He was married in Maryland,
where three children were bora to him,
viz.: Rebecca (who married Henry Da-
huff, and died in Carroll county, Ohio),
and Elias and Henry, both of whom died
in Van Wert county, Ohio. In about
1810 the family came to Ohio, locating
near the Ohio river in Harrison county,
aud while living here Mr. Beamer entered
the war of 1812, in which he received
ninety-six dollars for six months service.
He assisted in the erection of Fort Meigs
(now Maumee City) on the Maumee river,
and after his service came to near Mcln-
tyre, Jefferson county, where his family

then resided. Here all the money he had
received for his services in the war was
paid out for bail for a merchant, named
Satskiver, who afterward failed. Subse
quently the family migrated farther west
to Carroll county, locating along Connot-
ton creek, in Rose township, where our
subject first saw the light. Adam Beamer
was a comparatively poor man, and having
no property of his own, he leased land,
which he would cultivate; but as he was
just about getting the land in condition to
work it to advantage, he would be obliged
to leave it and begin on another tract.
Aside from providing for his family he
accumulated very little. He died in 1840,
and was buried in the Hite cemetery, in
Rose township, Carroll county. Mrs.
Beamer survived her husband many years,
and passed from earth in 1865 in Van-
Wert county, Ohio, where she was buried,
in Sugar Ridge cemetery, Tully township;
Mr. Beamer was a Democrat in politics,
but voted for Gen. Harrison.
Mathias Beamer was reared to the ardu
ous duties of pioneer farm life, and dur
ing his youth received scarcely any school
training, as his father was too poor to
afford the subscription by which the
schools were supported. As early as
possible he was put to work clearing the
land, which was then entirely in the woods,
in which labor he assisted at the youthful
age of seven. When the father died the
mother was left poor, and our subject set
to work to pay off some remaining debts.
On February 24, 1846, he was married to
Margaret Thompson, who was born No
vember 15, 1824, in Monroe township,
Carroll county, daughter of Frederick
Thompson, who came from Maryland. Af
ter his marriage Mr. Beamer located near
New Cumberland, Tuscarawas Co., Ohio,
where he stayed three years. He had
saved a sum of money, and about 1849 re
moved to Van Wert county, Ohio, then a
wild and swampy country, where he owned
some land. Here he made his home for
eight years, during which time he did

400

HURON COUNTY, OHIO.

much hard labor, clearing and chopping,
and then coming to Huron county on a
visit to his father-in-law, he purchased his
present farm, at that time consisting of
ninety-six acres, which he has since in
creased to over 230 acres, all excellent
farming land. He has always followed
agricultural pursuits, and has met with
encouraging success in his chosen vocation.
Mr. Beamer has always been a healthy,
robust man, and in his prime could split
200 rails a day, from the stump, then a
wonderful task, which he accomplished day
after day.
To Mr. and Mrs. Beamer have been born
children as follows: Elizabeth, who mar
ried John Fink, and died in Seneca county,
Ohio; Hannah, now Mrs. George Cole, of
Richmond township; John, a farmer of
Richmond township; Ann, Mrs. Jacob
Rapp, of Richmond township; Lucinda,
Mrs. Lewis Rapp, of Crawford county,
Ohio; Rebecca, deceased in infancy; Ella,
wife of Charles Clark, a farmer of Rich
mond township; Allen, a farmer of Rich
mond township; Martha, Mrs. Jacob Fink;
and Emma, Mrs. Samuel Garber, of Rich
mond township. Mr. Beamer was origin
ally a Democrat, but is now a member of
the Republican party, though in township
and county elections he votes for the best
man, regardless of politics. In religious
belief he is a member of the " Church of
God." Mr. Beamer has five great-grand
children.

EPHRAIM W. FAST, than whom
there is no better known or more
highly respected citizen in Rich
mond township, is a native of
Orange township, Ashland Co., Ohio, born
March 28, 1830.
Christian Fast, grandfather of Ephraim
W., was a soldier in the war of 1812, dur
ing which struggle, along with four others,
he was taken prisoner by the Wyandot In
dians; this Christian Fast was naturally
very dark, and though decidedly of Ger

man extraction resembled an Indian very
much. The five prisoners were doomed to
death, but the preliminary tortures to
which they were subjected gave Christian
a chance to display his activity, and this
saved his life; the gauntlet was formed,
and being the last prisoner to run it, he
accomplished the painful journey by turn
ing handsprings the entire distance, which
so amused as well as astonished the sav
ages that they permitted him to pass
througb unharmed. Then, after putting
bis four comrades to death before his eyes,
they retained him as a conjurer, and he
soon became a favorite with the whole
tribe, being adopted by the head chief.
During his captivity he witnessed the
burning of Crawford at the stake by the
tribe he was with. As Mr. Fast remained
with the Indians, their confidence in him
continued to grow, aud gradually the
watches over him lessened. One night,
upon asking his bedfellow and guard to
bring him a drink of water, he was or
dered to go himself, and while the guard
slept, all unconscious of his captive's acts,
the latter filled a small kettle with hominy
corn and made his escape. He started
east, and before long reached the Maumee
river, across which he had to swim; but
in the meantime his escape had been dis
covered, and pursuit begun, for bullets
whizzed past him while he was in the
water. However, he reached the opposite
shore in safety, and set out for the white
settlements, then so few in eastern Ohio,
traveling by night and sleeping in the day
time. He reached the settlement in time
to inform the inhabitants of the approach
of the Indians (whom he could hear be
hind him), and none too soon, for they had
barely time to flee to the blockhouse be
fore the savages arrived. He afterward
proceeded on his journey, and finally got
back to his home in Pennsylvania. Chris
tian Fast had married, in Pennsylvania,
Barbara Mason, who bore him ten chil
dren, and he subsequently came with his
family to Ohio, settling in Ashland county,

HURON COUNTY, OHIO.

401

where he passed from earth about the year
1840; he and his wife, who survived him
four or five years, were buried side by side
in Ashland county.
Jacob Fast, father of subject, was born
in eastern Pennsylvania, and was married-
in his native State to Miss Catherine Rex.
He was a wheelwright by trade, and, as
previously stated, came to Ohio with his
father. The entire journey was made by
wagon, and they endured many hardships
on their trip to the western frontier, which
at that time offered cheap homes. They
located in Ashland county, where he pur
chased a tract of land, to the task of clear
ing which he at once set himself in order
to make a home for his growing family.
He followed his trade to some extent after
coming to Ohio, but soon finding it un
profitable, he gave his entire attention to
farming. His family were as follows:
Martin, who died in Ashland county;
Polly, who became the wife of John
Fast, and died in Ashland county;
Eli, deceased in Ashland county; Jacob,
now a resident of Troy township, Ashland
county; Malinda, who married Alonzo
Parker, and died in Ashland county; Ma
tilda, who married Campbell Murray, and
died in Ashland county; Rebecca, widow
of David Gurton, of Wood county, Ohio;
Jesse, deceased when young; Ephraim
W., subject of sketch, and Eizina (Mrs.
Wesley Cheney), of Ashland county. The
father of this family passed away in 1877,
preceded to the grave by his wife by a few
years; they lie buried in Orange township
cemetery, Ashland county. Mr. Fast was
a hard-working, highly esteemed man,
and accumulated a comfortable competence.
He was a Democrat in politics, and in re
ligion a member of the Lutheran Church.
Ephraim W. Fast was reared on the
home farm, and received a somewhat
limited education in the common schools
of the neighborhood. He resided at home
until his marriage, October 14, 1850, with
Hannah Roberts, who was born in 1830
in Ashland county, and they located on his

father's farm, which he worked on shares.
At about the same time he purchased a
tract of fifty-four acres, for which he was
obliged to go into debt. Mr. and Mrs.
Fast resided in Ashland county until 1867,
during which time he prospered and man
aged to save a sum of money. Selling out
his property in the year above named, he
came to Richmond township, Huron
county, and purchased 100 acres of land at
forty dollars per acre, where they have ever
since made their home, and to which he
has since added numerous improvements,
having erected a pleasant residence and
good farm buildings. They have had six
children, as follows: Jennie, now the wife
of Jacob Walker, of Seneca county, Ohio;
Mary, wife of Scott Seawalt, of Char
lotte, Mich.; Madison and Elmer, both
farmers of Richmond township; Leroy,
who died in 1881 at the age of nineteen
years, and Ida (Mrs. Winfield P. Skid
more), of Chicago, Ohio. Mr. Fast is a
systematic agriculturist, and has met with
well-deserved success; he is a self-made
man in every respect, and has acquired all
his possessions by his own industry, busi
ness economy and good management. He
has given all his sons a start in life, and
still has a comfortable income from his
lands. A quiet, peaceable and kind-hearted
neighbor, always ready to assist the needy,
he is everywhere respected and loved. In
his political affiliations he is a Democrat.
Mrs. Fast is a member of the Union Bethel
U. B. Church.

GEORGE EGGERT. Classed among
the leading business men of Monroe
ville, where he has been in business
for nearly twenty years, is the subject
of this sketch.
He is by birth a German, having been
born April 9, 1852, in Baden, a son of
Lawrence and Theresia (Schwable) Eggert,
farmers by occupation, who had a family
of eight children, six of whom are jet liv
ing. The parents came to this country in

402

HURON COUNTY, OHIO.

1887, taking up their residence in Cleve
land, Ohio. Our subject was reared to
farming in his native land, and when old
enough found employment at various kinds
of work, chiefly on farms. In thesuminer
of 1873 he left the Fatherland for the
United States, and September 15, same
year, found him in Monroeville, Huron
county, where he had relatives. For three
years thereafter he was employed in farm
work, and being hard-working, industrious
and frugal, he made and saved some money.
In 1876 he embarked in the grocery busi
ness in Monroeville, his first store being
an old building where now stands his
present fine one, which he erected in 1889,
and which he owns. Here he has built up
a leading business and safe trade.
On January 27, 1880, Mr. Eggert was
united in marriage with Miss Maggie
Rupp, who was born in Ridgefield town
ship, Huron county, a daughter of
Nicholas Rupp, a native of Wurtemberg,
Germany, whose wife, Barbara (Feit), is a
Prussian. They immigrated to America,
and Mr. Rupp is now a farmer in Ridge
field township. To Mr. and Mrs. Eggert
were born four children, namely: Mary,
William, Robert and Martin, all living
except the last named. Politically our
subject is a stanch Democrat, and he has
served as treasurer of Monroeville, the ap
pointment to him being an unexpected
honor, as his name was used entirely with
out his consent. He and his wife are mem
bers of the Catholic Church.

DAVID S. BELL, who is a grandson
) of Robert Bell, was born near St.
_^ ' Clairsville, Belmont Co., Ohio, April
25, 1816, at four o'clock in the
afternoon. Iu 1798 Robert Bell, accompanied by
his wife and children, migrated from New
Jersey to Washington county, Penn., and
in 1800 came farther west, settling in Bel
mont county, Ohio. He was a farmer and

distiller in Belmont county until 1814,
wben he purchased lands in Richland
county, same State, and moved thither
with his family. Bellville, iu tbat county,
was named in honor of him, and there the
remains of his wife and himself were in
terred. The children of Robert Bell are
named as follows: John, referred to below;
Zephaniah, a pioneer Methodist preacher,
who died in Whitley county, Ind.; Robert,
Jr., who died at Bellville, Richland county
(be had suffered from fever in youth, and
was left a cripple by the disease) ; Betsey,
who married George Yaring, and died in
Illinois; one daughter who married a Bap
tist preacher named Dorsey Phillips, of
western Pennsylvania; Catherine, who mar
ried Thomas Piatt, and died in Richland
county. John Bell, eldest son of Robert Bell,
was born in November, 1781, in New Jer
sey. In 1803 he married Hannah Finch,
who was bora in Rhode Island in 1785,
and came to Belmont county with her par
ents. To her marriage with Mr. Bell seven
children were born in Belmont county,
namely: Robert, who moved to Steuben
county, Ind., where he died; Jesse, who
moved to Missouri, and died near Hamil
ton; Anna, who married John Knott, and
died at Angola, Steuben county, Ind.;
John who died in Richland county, but
lived in Ripley, Huron county, where he
was a tanner; Hannah, widow of Thomas
Knott, of Tipton, Iowa; Enoch, who
died in Morrow county, Ohio, where he
was a preacher of the United Breth
ren Church, and later a farmer; and David
S., the subject of this sketch. In the fall
of 1817 John Bell and family moved to
Bellville, Richland Co., Ohio. In the
spring of the following year he purchased
260 acres of land at two dollars and fifty
cents per acre, in Bloominggrove town
ship, aud on that tract established his
home. He was a great hunter, and during
his lifetime killed over 400 dear, and a
large number of bears and wolves, thus
providing himself with field sports, and his

HURON COUNTY, OHIO.

403

large family and pioneer neighbors with
sufficient animal food. In Blooming-
grove township three children were added
to the family, namely: Nathaniel, a Metho
dist preacher and farmer of Ripley town
ship, Huron county, deceased; Stephen,
who died in the same township when
twenty-five years old ; and Joseph, deceased
in infancy. In 1839 the family moved
into Ripley township, Huron county, where
Mrs. Bell died in 1856. The father died
May 2, 1867, in Greenwich township, at
the house of his son, David S., where he
had resided the previous six years. Both
were buried in the old Salem cemetery in
Richland county.
David S. Bell received a primary edu
cation in the early schools of Richland
county, going many miles through the
woods for even the little which was taught,
and when seventeen years old began to
learn the tanner's trade at Fitchville, under
his brother John. Two years later he
moved to New Haven, and worked there
and in other settlements until the fall of
1835, when he moved to Steuben county,
Ind., where he erected a sawmill. Early
in 1836 he returned to Ohio, and on Sep
tember 8, that year, married Emeline Slo
cum, who was born November 26, 1817,
in Onondaga county, N. Y. To this mar
riage four children were born, of whom
Charles F. is a wagon maker of Wood
county, Ohio; Stephen, a farmer, and mini
ster of the Christian Church in Logan
county, Ohio; Melvin, who enlisted in
Company C, Sixty-Fifth O. V. I., and died
in 1862, at Lebanon, Ky., of disease al
leged to have been caused by poisoned
maple sugar served to the troops, and John
A., who died when five years old. The
mother of this family died in 1860. After
his marriage Mr. Bell moved to Steuben,
Ind., establishing a tannery there, which
he carried on until the spring of 1838,
when he returned to Huron county and
followed farming until the spring of 1863,
at which time he located on the farm in
Greenwich township, where he yet resides.

In 1860 he married, for his second wife,
Clarissa Stewart, who was born in Scott
township, Sandusky Co., Ohio, February
28, 1830, daughter of Galbraith and Anna
(Russell) Stewart. To this marriage two
children were born : Cora E., who was first
married to John Luxon, and is now Mrs.
C. B. Benedict, of Ripley township, and
Edwin S., a farmer of Greenwich township.
Mr. Bell retired from active farm work
in 1871, in order to give more attention to
the manufacture of cheese, in which he is
now heavily interested. For thirty years
no promissory note of his arrived at ma
turity before payment was tendered, and
all other obligations have been met with
equal promptness. The product of his
cheese factory commands the very highest
prices, for its quality is recognized as the
best, and it holds the local market. In re
ligious connection Mr. and Mrs. Bell are
members of the Society of Friends, and
both are elders therein. Mr. .Bell cast his
first vote on the Democratic ticket, but he
subsequently voted with the Whigs until
the formation of the Republican party,
sincewhen he has remained with that party.

'HARLES S. SMITH, a grandson of
Joseph Smith, who settled in Huron
county in 1832, was bora April 23,
1844, in Peru township. His father,
Frank Smith, son of Joseph, was one of
two brothers who came to the United States
from Baden, Germany, before his parents
and the other members of the family.
Charles S. Smith was educated at the
"Center School," in Peru township. Like
the majority of pioneer boys, his youth
was passed between school, work and play,
all merging into one another so completely
that now it is difficult to remember where
any one of these three parts in the youth's
life began or ended. When school days
were passed forever, the realities of farm
life were presented to him, and he worked
on the homestead earnestly and faithfully

404

HURON COUNTY, OHIO-

for his father until 1869. On April 13,
1869, he was married to Miss Mary Ann
Hipp, daughter of Andrew Hipp, and a
native of Peru township. The children
born to this marriage are named as follows:
Edward P., Clara R. and Anna M.
The members of this family are Catho
lics of the German School, and their at
tachment to their Church has ever been
noticeable. Politically Mr. Smith is a
Democrat, and is prominent in local party
circles. He has filled several township
offices with absolute profit to the people
and honor to himself and the township,
lending to the people in political affairs
the same earnestness, honesty of purpose,
and intelligence, on which is founded his
personal success. As an agriculturist, he
shares, with his brothers, the general esteem
in which they are held, and vies with them
in his efforts to elevate agricultural life to
the high plane which it should occupy.
His farm of 180 acres is a model farm in
fact. Not only is the land fertile in itself,
but the methods of cultivation, the system
of rotation of crops, and the general care
bestowed upon the tract have made it one
of the most productive and valuable farms
of its size in northern Ohio. Mr. Smith
also devotes attention to stock growing,
and is the owner of many fine-bred cattle,
sheep, hogs and horses.

JOSEPH REMELE, a highly respected
citizen of Peru township, is a son of
Lawrence Remele, who was a native
of Baden, Germany, where he fol
lowed the glazier's trade. He was married
to Josephine Ritter, and they became the
parents of ten children, of whom six — one
son and five daughters — grew to maturity.
In 1847 the family sailed from Havre,
France, and after a voyage of forty days
landed in New York, whence they pro
ceeded, by river, canal and lake, to Huron,
Ohio. They pushed southward into Peru
township, Huron county, where the father

bought fifty acres of laud, for which he
paid nine hundred dollars, which he had
saved in Germany, and afterward, with no
help but that of his son, cleared nearly
twenty acres of same. On this tract stood
a log house, 18x20 feet, in which the
family lived. They prospered, for they
belonged to that class of Germans whose
industry will always bring prosperity in a
fair field. Here the parents passed the re
mainder of their lives, the father dying in
1870, the mother about 1877; they were
interred in the Catholic cemetery.
Joseph Remele was born January 5,
1831, in Baden, Germany, and at the age
of sixteen came to America with his par
ents. He took charge of the home farm
some time prior to his father's death, payt
ing off all claims, and making many sub
stantial improvements; afterward bought
forty-nine acres from Peter Hipp, for
which he paid two thousand seven hun
dred dollars. In 1861 he was united in
marriage with Miss Theresa Gies, who was
born in 1838, in Bronson township, Huron
county, daughter of Joseph Gies, who was
bom in Alsace (then a part of France),
and came to America about 1819, locating
in Bronson township, Huron Co., Ohio.
To Mr. and Mrs. Remele were bo'rn two
children: Charles, who was married to
Amelia, daughter of G. Killhover, but
died one year after their marriage, leaving
one daughter, Amelia; and Alphonse, who
was married May 2, 1893, to Rosella,
daughter of Philip Barman, of Peru town- ,
ship. In religious faith, Alphonse, as was
also his brother, is a Catholic, and in poli
tics he is identified with the Democratic
party. They have always assisted their
father faithfully in the work of tbe farm.
After marriage Mr. Remele located on
the forty-nine acres he had purchased, and
in 1872 removed to his present weli-im-
proved farm, where he has since resided,
engaged in general farming and stock
raising. His success is but the direct re
sult of his own toil and constant industry.
Starting in life with but little, he has

^<y<i^^^^L^ln^^

HURON COUNTY, OHIO.

407

accumulated a good property, being now the
owner of 330 acres of good land, with
substantial buildings thereon. The resi
dence has been remodeled and the bams
improved, and evidences of the good taste
and systematic management of the owner
are everywhere present. In politics Mr.
Remele is a Democrat, but not an office-
seeker. His whole life has been an exam
ple of what principle, square dealing and
industry can accomplish, and he and his
wife are held in the highest esteem in the
community in which they reside. In re
ligious ..belief they are members of the
Catholic Church.

4J

VJf ORMAN SNOOK, small-fruit
vj grower, well-known in Norwalk
1 township for his industrious and
frugal habits, is a native of Colum
bia county, N. Y., born January 21,
1821, on the old homestead settled by his
grandfather. Peter Snook, father of subject, was also
a native of New York State, born in 1796;
and his father, born near Hudson, same
State, where he followed farming, had five
children — Peter, Martin, John, Tunis and
George — all now deceased. Peter served
in the war of 1812 a short time, and his
life vocation was farming, in that respect
following in the footsteps of his father.
He married Miss Cornelia VanDusen, of
the same place, and the young couple then
moved to Yates county, same State, mak
ing their new home in Benton Center for
six years. Thence they went to Allegany
county, also in New York State, and for
five years lived in the town of Grove, after
which they came to Pennsylvania, and for
one year had their residence in Girard
township, Erie county. Their next and
final move was to Norwalk township, Hu-
rou Co., Ohio, where Mr. Snook com
menced farming and the growing of small
fruits. He died in 1864, the father of
seven children, to wit: Laura, Stephen,

Josephus, Martin, Norman, Marvin and
Abby, of whom Stephen, Josephus, and
Marvin are deceased.
Norman Snook, the subject of sketch,
was brought up tp practical farm life,
which he followed for some years. In 1847
he was married to Miss Sally Cunning
ham, of Norwalk, Ohio, a daughter of John
Cunningham, and three children were
born to them, namely: Laura (deceased),
Lura (wife of A. T. Ewell) and Albert (in
Chicago), who served one year in the Civil
war in Company C, Twenty-fifth O. V. I.,
and was confined to hospital four or five
weeks. The mother died in 1862. After
marriage our subject continued farming
until 1874, and then opened a grocery in
East Norwalk, conducting same eight
years, at the end of which time he came to
his present place of twenty acres, where he
cultivates small fruit with considerable
profit. When he first arrived in Huron
county the land was almost entirely
covered with woods, and he has seen many
hundreds of deer and turkeys enjoying the
freedom of the dense forest. The Snook
family have always been stanch Democrats,
not caring, however, for political prefer
ment.

ip? ARNER STIMSON, one of the most
I w, successful agriculturists of Ridge-
^J field township, is a native of that
l}L "tight little island," England, born
in Cambridgeshire, January 2, 1836,
a son of Joseph Stimson, and grandson of
Thomas Stimson, who was a blacksmith by
trade, and died in England.
Joseph Stimson was bora in 1806, in
Sutton, Cambridgeshire, England, and re
ceived but a limited education, as he was
a small boy when his father died leaving
the widowed mother wifh but little prop
erty. In 1832 he was married to Mary
Ann Barnes, who was born in 1810, in
Huntingdonshire, England. Mr. and Mrs.
Stimson began wedded -life on a farm in
Cambridgeshire, where they remained

408

HURON COUNTY, OHIO.

until 1851, when in July of that year they
sailed from Liverpool on the vessel " Van-
dalia." After landing in New York they
went west via the Hudson river and canal
to Buffalo, thence coming up Lake Erie to
Sandusky, Ohio, and then, moving south
ward, located on a farm near Monroeville,
Huron county. Mr. Stimson continued to
follow farming the rest of his life, and had
a hard struggle to support his family. In
politics he was a lifelong member of the
Republican party. He died in 1886, hav
ing been preceded by his wife November
19, 1851. They were the parents of the
following children: Jane, wife of J. L.
Smith, of Norwalk township, Huron
county; Garner; Elizabeth, deceased wife
of George Setchel; Joseph, living in Michi
gan; Charles, who was a soldier in the war
of the Rebellion, and is now living in
Monroeville, Ohio; John, living in Mon
roeville, Huron county ; Frank, a resident of
Iowa; Ruth, married to Charles Kitchen,
and Arthur O, in Nebraska.
Garner Stimson came with his parents
to America at the age of fifteen years.
After attending the common schools, he
entered college at Granville, Ohio, then
worked on the homefarm. On September 4,
1861, be enlisted at Milan, Ohio, in the
Third Ohio Cavalry, and was wounded at
Shelbyville, Tenn. After a furlough of
four months he rejoined his regiment, and
some time later he sustained the loss of
his right eye, which was pierced by a
thorn. He took part in most of the im
portant engagements participated in by
the army of the Cumberland, and returned
to Huron county at the close of the war,
with the rank of captain.
On April 4, 1866, he was united in
marriage with Susanna Surles, who was
born in 1840, in Ohio, a daughter of Zibe
Surles. The children of this couple have
been as follows: Jessie L. (wife of Fred
Rosecrans, of Idaho), Effie O, William G.,
Elver Z., Gertie (deceased in infancy), Su
sie A. and Ambrose H. Since the war
Mr. Stimson has devoted his attention to

agriculture, in which business he has been
very successful. In politics be is a Re
publican with Prohibition sympathies, but
casts his ballot for the most capable can
didate, regardless of party. He and his
wife are leading members of the Monroe-
ville Baptist Church, of which he has been
a deacon for twelve years, and clerk of the
church for twenty-six years.

^ILLIAM GALE MEADE. Among
the prominent and successful citi
zens of Bronson township none
have won a higher place in the
esteem of the community than this gentle
man, the eldest son of Alfred Meade.
Grandfather Meade was a soldier in the
Revolutionary war, and for his military
services received 600 acres of land in
Cayuga county, N. Y. His son Alfred
was born about 1786, in Cayuga county,
N. Y., and grew to manhood on the heme
place, receiving a limited education, and
learning the trade of cooper. In ,1807 he
was married to Betsey, daughter of Paul
Barger, a prosperous farmer of Cayuga
county, who lived to be almost one hun
dred years of age. The Barger family
were remarkable for longevity, over four
generations of the family name having
been centenarians. Alfred Meade was a sol
dier in the war of 1812, serving three years.
At the battle of Lundy's Lane he received
a gun-shot wound, his left thigh being
shattered, and from the effects of this in
jury be died fourteen years later. In 1834
Mrs. Meade came to Ohio, where she died
at the home of her son in 1883, at the age
of ninety-four years, leaving four children,
namely: William Gale; Paul, of Kent,
Ohio; Mrs. Mary Smith, of Bronson town
ship, and Mrs. Mary Close, who died in
1887. The mother was a member of the
Methodist Church during her later years.
William GaleMeadewas born September
3, 1808, in Genoa, Cayuga Co., N. Y., and
there learned the carpenter trade. In 1827
he was united in marriage with Hannah

HURON COUNTY, OHIO.

409

Smith, also a native of Cayuga county, and
on June 4, 1833, the young couple moved
to Ohio. They proceeded to Buffalo via
the Erie Canal, then by boat on Lake Erie
to the mouth of Huron river, traveling
thence to their destination by private con
veyance. He bought 125 acres of land lo
cated between the farm of George Law
rence and the present home of our subject.
On arriving in Huron county Mr. and Mrs.
Meade lived with Benjamiu Lyons (on the
farm now owned by Josiah Lawrence) un
til their own log cabin was erected. He
hired help to clear the farm, which was
heavily timbered, and continued to follow
the carpenter trade for twenty-one years,
aud many of the oldest and most substan
tial buildings of Huron county are yet
standing as unimpeachable evidence of his
skill. The first house which he erected in
the county is the one now occupied by
John Gardiner. Game was plentiful in
those days, and many were the hapless vic
tims to his unerring rifle, for Mr. Meade
has been a famous hunter, supplying him
self and neighbors with all the game they
required. Among the many interesting
events of this period, he remembers hav
ing made a two-hours' hunt on nine suc
cessive occasions, each time returning with
a deer. When a young man he possessed
a fine physique, being capable of doing a
great amount of work, and since abandon
ing his trade has given his attention to the
farm. He has been a most methodical
and successful agriculturist, as none can
doubt who have had the pleasure of visit
ing his pleasant home. A short time be
fore the Civil war the county commission
ers appointed a committee of three practi
cal farmers to examine the farms and
award a prize to the one found in the best
condition. Upon an examination of eight of
the best farms, that belonging to Mr.Meade
was unanimously conceded to be in the
best condition, and he accordingly received
the prize. He served twenty-one years as
justice of the peace, during which time he
performed more marriage ceremonies than

any one who ever held that office in Huron
county. He always discharged the oner
ous duties of his position with the utmost
faithfulness, and is known by every person
in the county as an upright genial citizen.
Politically, he is a Prohibitionist, and in
religious faith has been a zealous member
of the Methodist Church for fifty years,
and has served as a class-leader.
Mr. and Mrs. Meade have had two chil
dren: Betsey A., who died in her twenty-
first year, and Alfred N., who was born in
1841, on the home place in Bronson town
ship, Huron county. He attended Ober
lin College two years, afterward graduat
ing' from Delaware College. Just before
the time appointed for their graduation,
Alfred N. Meade and nearly every member
of his class left the halls of the college for
the battle field. He served three years,
two of which were employed in attending
the prisoners on Johnson's Island, aud
while in active service he was unanimously
chosen captain of his company. On Oc
tober 1, 1862, he was married to Martha
Morse, who has borne him three children
— two sons and one daughter. Alfred N.
Meade is now a member of the firm of Bell,
Cartwright & Meade, lumber merchants, of
Cleveland, Ohio. [Since the above was
written William G. Meade was called from
earth, the date of his death being January
22, 1893.

THEODORE M. REYNOLDS, well-
known as one of the most success
ful agriculturists of Hartland town
ship, was bora July 3, 1826, in
Fairfield county, Connecticut.
Warren Reynolds, his father, was born
February 18, 1800, in the same county,
and married Sarah Scofield, also a native
of Fairfield county. To them were born,
in Connecticut, the following named chil
dren: William, who died in infancy;
Rachel, born June 5, 1824, died in Fitch
ville township, Huron Co., Ohio, May 7,
1838; Theodore M., the subject of this

410

HURON COUNTY, OHIO.

sketch; and Phoebe, who married Samuel
Wibert (she died in Michigan). After
the removal of the family to Fitchville
township, Huron Co., Ohio, one son,
James P., was bora, November 5, 1832,
served in the Civil war in the celebrated
Fourth Michigan Cavalry, and was one of
the six men of that regiment who captured
the President of the Confederacy, the late
Jefferson Davis. He died in Barry couuty,
Mich., December 1, 1867. The mother
of this family, born December 5, 1804,
died March 21, 1837, in Ohio, and was
buried in Fitchville township. Warren
Reynolds afterward married Ruth Barnes,
a native of Vermont, whose parents were
early settlers of Fitchville township, and
the children born to this marriage were
Rufus, a citizen of Nebraska; Lorinda,
Mrs. George Thatcher, of Michigan; Bet
sey, deceased; Henry, a citizen of Michi
gan; Sarah, who married John Lee, and
died in Ripley township; Eliza, who mar
ried Fred West, and died in Fitchville
township; John, who died in Fitchville
township, and Lucinda, Mrs. Edwin
Palmer, of Fitchville township.
The early settlers had many adventures
with wild animals, and the Reynolds
family were no exception. One night,
while our subject's mother and sister were
on their way to a neighbor's house, a wolf
came out of the woods to attack them, get
ting in front of them, snapping his teeth
and growling. Thrice they succeeded in
driving the brute back, aud there is little
doubt that had either been alone the wolf
would have made short work of his victim.
In Connecticut Warren Reynolds fol
lowed the cooper's trade. In June, 1831,
the idea of settling in Ohio took shape,
the fertile lands, to be had at a nominal
price, having won him to this decision, Set
ting out from their home in Connecticut,
the family traveled, via New York City
(where a week was passed with relatives),
by Hudson river and canal to Buffalo, and
thence by lake boat to Sandusky, Ohio.
The trip from Sandusky to Fitchville town

ship was made in a wagon, and here he
found himself in the midst of the forest,
with a cash capital of forty dollars, which
sum he at once invested in forty acres of
land in the northeast section of the town
ship. He undertook to support the family
by working at his trade, but owing to the
small demand for the product of cooper's
labor the task proved impossible, and the
pioneer directed his labor toward clearing
his own small tract, the while earning
small sums in clearing land for his neigh
bors. He died November 1, 1873, in
Fitchville township, leaving a valuable
property to his widow and children. He
was one of the three citizens of Fitchville
township who voted for James G. Birney,
candidate for President, up to which cam
paign he had been a true Democrat, but he
ever after voted the Republican ticket. In
religious matters he was a member of the
Congregational Church for some year3
prior to his death. In home affairs he was
a thorough lover of his family, and he was
recognized as a thoroughly honest and up
right business man.
Theodore M. Reynolds passed the five
first years of his life in Connecticut, came
with the family to Ohio in 1831, and has
since been a citizen of this State. His
educational opportunities were so limited
that, at the age of sixteen years, he could
not read figures. This was partly due to
the new aud unsettled condition of the
country, and partly to the fact that a good
deal of the farm work devolved upon the
eldest son. After reaching the age of
twenty-one years he realized the value of
education, and as he, in boyhood, obeyed
Miss Catherine Towerr, his first teacher,
bo now, in manhood, he was ready to
obey any teacher who would instill into his
mind a knowledge of reading, writing and
arithmetic. At the age of twenty-one
years he left home, and contracted to clear
four acres of land at four dollars per acre.
This contract completed, he worked by the
month as a farm hand -until twenty-three
years and two months of age.

HURON COUNTY, OHIO.

411

On September 2, 1849, he was united
in marriage with Melissa Sholes, who was
born May 3, 1823, in Madison county, N.
Y., daughter of Parley and Mary (Hidden)
Sholes. When thirteen years old she came
to Fitchville, on a visit to her sister, Mrs.
Samuel Ward, and here she met Mr.
Reynolds for the first time. To their mar
riage were born the following named chil
dren: Dayton W., a farmer of Rice county,
Kans.; Orrin P., a merchant of Hartland
Center; and Bion 8., a farmer in the Black
Hills country in Nebraska. After his mar
riage Mr. Reynolds' capital consisted of
sixty dollars in currency and a yoke of
oxen. Too limited to utilize with effect,
he continued to work as a farm hand until
1850, when he purchased fifty acres of land
in Hartland township, at six dollars per
acre. To make this deal he had to en
cumber the land with a debt of one hun
dred dollars, an amount which was due
him from an estate that failed to pay out.
In December, 1862, be purchased eighty
acres, upon which he built his home, and
where he has since resided. The area of
his farm has been gradually increased, un
til to-day he owns 175 acres, well improved
throughout with an elegant residence and
spacious farm buildings. The burning of
his large barn in July, 1892, entailing a
loss of three thousand dollars, and the en
dorsing paper for friends, have checkmated
him a little; but he rose above these mis
fortunes rapidly. His industry is supple
mented by executive ability and system, so
that he makes the farm a paying invest
ment where less careful men "fall behind.
In addition to his general farming, he is a
breeder of thoroughbred Short- horn cattle.
In the credit for his success Mrs. Rey
nolds must share, for she has well and
faithfully done her part. Liberal with
out being ostentatious, and economical
without being parsimonious, she has in
deed aided in making the happy home
which the family enjoy. Politically Mr.
Reynolds has always been a Republican,
and has served his party in many town

ship offices. He does not attach himself
to the religious sects, but is a believer in
the teachings of the Christian Church, an
observer of the " Golden Rule ," and
philanthropic to the limit of his means.
During the war of the Rebellion, Mr.
Reynolds was one of the one hundred days
men, and went to camp in Cleveland, re
maining there eleven days. He then hired
a substitute, paying him one hundred aod
twenty-five dollars, got his discharge, and
returned home to be with his wife and
children, measles having broken out in the
family. He had not been long redomesti-
cated, however, before a draft was ordered
by the Government, and he paid seventy-
five dollars to clear the township, after
whieh there was another draft ordered, on
which occasion he paid fifty dollars more
to again clear tbe township.

\\ NTHONY RUFFING ranks among
the prosperous dry-goods mer
chants of Bellevue, and is a mem
ber of an old and highly respected
family.
His father, Joseph Ruffing, was bora in
Bavaria, Germany, and in 1836 came to
America, locating in Huron county, Ohio.
He married Catherine Schwartz, and by
her had seven children, namely: Anthony,
Peter, Joseph, Frank, John, Michael and
Elizabeth ; Frank, John and Elizabeth be
ing deceased, and Peter, Joseph and Mi
chael wealthy farmers in America.
Anthony Ruffing was born April 8,
1840, in Sherman township, Huron Co.,
Ohio. His childhood was passed on his
father's farm, where he remained until
sixteen years of age, at which time he
moved to Bellevue, and entered the em
ploy of J. H. Eisenbeis, dry-goods mer
chant, as clerk. This position he filled two
years, and then for five years worked for
Setzler, in the grocery business. In May,
1865, Mr. Ruffing entered into partner
ship with J. H. Eisenbeis, the style of the
firm becoming J. H. Eisenbeis & Co., and

412

HURON COUNTY, OHIO.

when his partner died, in 1869, he bought
out the eutire business, and has since been
sole proprietor of one of the finest dry-
goods houses in Huron county, carrying a
very large and complete stock of dry-
goods, carpets, wall paper, etc.
On November 28, 1865, Mr. Ruffing
married Miss Elizabeth Eisenbeis, who
was born in Germany, a sister of J. H.
Eisenbeis, and daughter of Jacob and Eliza
Eisenbeis. This marriage has been blessed
with four children, viz.: Ro6e M. (Mrs. D.
B. Callaghan), Charles E., Albert A. and
Lucy M., the latter three living at home.
Mr. and Mrs. Ruffing are members of the
Catholic Church, of which they are liberal
supporters. They are enjoying the many
comforts that surround them, and in the
summer of 1892 made an extensive trip
through Europe. Mr. Ruffing commenced
his business career with nothing except
energy, ability and a determination to
succeed, and has by close application and
by means of his excellent judgment ac
cumulated a fortune.

1 "VILLIAM C. VAN LIEW, promi-
\J) nent among the well-to-do agri-
M[ culturists of Norwich township,
is a son of Frederick Van Liew,
of New Jersey birth, who was a son of
Peter Van Liew. The last named was a
native of Holland, coming to the United
States when young, and settling in New
Jersey. Here he married, and children as
follows were born to him : Peter, Fred
erick, Cornelius, John, Wicoff and Dinah,
all now desceased.
Frederick Van Liew, father of subject,
was born in New Jersey March 13, 1792,
and passed his boyhood days on a farm, at
the same time learning the trade of tanner
and currier, at which he worked up to
middle life. While a young man he moved
from New Jersey to Cayuga county, N.
Y., and there married, in 1814, Miss Mar
garet Post, born iu Somerset county, N.
J., January 10, 1797. After marriage the

young couple moved into Genesee county,
N. Y., where they lived many years, he in
the meantime becoming a farmer, in which
vocation he met with considerable success,
although at the time of his death he was
comparatively a poor man. In 1837 he
removed to Allegany county, N. Y., and
there farmed some ten years, at the end of
which time he came to Summit county,
Ohio, thence, after a residence there of
two or three years, to Huron county, set
tling in Norwich township, where he
passed the rest of his days. He died
March 8, 1865, while on a visit to one of
his daughters in New York State. In
politics he was originally a Whig, later,
from the time of the organization of the
party, a stanch Republican. He was the
father of nine children, viz.: Maria, Jacob,
Margaret, Jane, Willard, William O,
Adeline, Frederick and Martin, all called
to their long homes save Jacob, living in
Wyoming county, N. Y., William O, sub
ject, and Martin, in Potter county, Penn
sylvania. The subject proper of these lines was
bora May 10, 1828, in Genesee county, N.
Y., received his education at the common
schools of the locality, and at the age of
twenty years set out for the gold fields of
California. He spent his twenty-first
birthday on the Isthmus of Panama, and
was in the gold regions nearly four years,
doing fairly well. In 1854 he returned to
Huron county, and bought his present
property of one hundred acres, where he
has since lived, having cleared it of timber
and underbrush, and converted it into a
luxuriant farm. In 1864 he entered the
ranks of the One Hundred and Sixty-sixth
O. V. I., N. G., under Col. Blake, in
which regiment he served three months,
and at the end of that time he renewed
agricultural pursuits.
On March 11, 1856, Mr. Van Liew was
married to Miss Charlotte Burdge, a
daughter of Jacob Burdge, of Centerton,
Huron county, and six children were born
to them, to wit: Allen, deceased; Alberta,

HURON COUNTY, OHIO.

413

of Morenci, Mich.; Mary; Oscar, in Chi
cago, Hjiiron county; Fred, also of Chi
cago, Huron county, and Ada, of New
Haven. Politically our subject has been
a stanch Republican, and has served as
township trustee, treasurer, and in other
offices of trust. He and his wife are promi
nent members of the M. E. Church at
Centerton, and the children are all asso
ciated with the same church.

If If L. MOORE. One of the best
|^| known agriculturists of Hartland
I 1 township is the gentleman here
y) named. David Moore, his grand
father, who was a native of New
Jersey, married a Miss Robinson, and
afterward moved to New York State,
where he followed farming and the trade
of shoemaker. He died, in 1826, in Tomp
kins county, N. Y., the father of three
sons — Jonah, David and Joseph — and three
daughters — Polly, Sally and Susan.
Joseph Moore, father of H. L., was born
November 19, 1787, and died October 5,
1876. He received but a meager educa
tion, and learned the trade of weaver,
which he followed, also for some years
conducting a small distillery. In June,
1833, he came to Ohio, locating in Nor
walk township, Huron county, where he
bought a farm of Judge Timothy Baker;
in 1855 he moved to Hartland township.
He married Miss Susanna Silcox, of New
Jersey, daughter of Henry Silcox, who
was bora and reared in that State, and was
a soldier in the Revolution ; married a
Miss Luce, by whom he bad a family of
six children, all now deceased. Children
as follows were born in New York State
to Joseph Moore and wife: Sallie, Maria
(married to Jonathan White in 1842, now
living in Kansas), H. L. and David R. (twins
— David being deceased), a daughter de
ceased in infancy, and Lewis (in Hartland
township, Huron county, an invalid). The
father died in Hartland township, at the

home of his son Lewis, who inherited his
property; the mother was called from
earth in April, 1854. They were mem
bers of the Methodist Church, and in his
political predilections Mr. Moore was a
stanch Whig and Republican.
H. L. Moore, the subject of this sketch,
was born February 2, 1821, in Genoa,
Cayuga Co., N. Y. ; thence iu 1833 his
parents removed with him to Tompkins
county, same State, whence after a ten-
years' residence they came to Ohio. In
his boyhood H. L. attended the subscrip
tion schools, afterward taking a two-years'
course at the academy in Norwalk, Huron
county. When eighteen years old he
commenced work, and for two years was
employed on farms, at the end of which
time he commenced to learn carpentry at
Monroeville, serving an apprenticeship of
two years, but finding his health impaired
he returned to the farm. In 1848 he was
elected constable of Norwalk township,
and appointed deputy sheriff, in which in
cumbency he served six years; was then
elected sheriff on the last Whig ticket, his
majority being 231. In 1855 he was re
elected sheriff, this time on the Repub
lican ticket, with a majority of 1,200, and
at the expiration of his term, in 1857, re
moved to his farm which he had bought
out of his hard-earned stipends, never hav
ing received assistance from anyone. He
has experienced many ups and downs dur
ing his lifetime, but has never lost his
native energy and perseverance, though
his health, now, is not what it used to be.
In tbe Civil war he served in Company
H, One Hundred and Sixty-sixth O. V. I.,
N. G., one hundred days, during which
time he contracted disease from which he
never recovered.
On September 10, 1848, Mr. Moore was
married to Miss Sarah F. White, a daugh
ter of Cephas White, a native of Vermont,
who in 1844 came to Ohio aud to Huron
county, settling in Norwalk township,
where he was a successful farmer. He
served in the war of 1812, participating

414

HURON COUNTY, OHIO.

in the battles of Chippewa, Lundy's Lane,
etc. He died the father of seven children,
of whom are living Mrs. Mary K. Rodgers,
in Paulding county, Ohio; Mrs. Sarah F.
Moore; Luther, au ex-soldier; and Mrs.
Rhode R. Benn, a widow, in Norwalk;
those deceased are Cephas, Jonathan and
Henry. To Mr. and Mrs. H. L. Moore
were born seven children, of whom the
following is a brief record: Frank A.
and Finetta are both deceased; Lewis A.
and Lucy A. (twins), of whom Lucy A. is
the wife of George Brown, of Bronson
township, Huron county, and Lewis A.
lives on the home farm ; Edwin Jo Ceph,
a railroad man, resides in Cleveland; Jen
nie lives at home; Henry L., Jr., a young
man of great promise, is an instructor in
a business college of Cleveland, where he
resides. He was married May 4, 1893,
to Miss Lillie Cannada, of Randolph
county, Ind. Our subject is the owner of
one hundred acres of prime land, which is
conducted by his son Lewis A., and in
addition to general farming they pay some
attention to the rearing of stock. Mr.
Moore is a member of the Methodist
Church, and in politics he is a Republican.

/George w. atherton is des-
I w, cended from an old New England
^J family, and is a grandson of Jona-
J^. than Atherton, who was born De
cember 4, 1738, in New England.
On December 6, 1770, Jonathan married
Amey Sabin, and to their union were born
nine children, five of whom grew to ma
turity, of whom the youngest was named
Samuel. Samuel Atherton, father of subject, was
born June 29, 1790, on the home farm at
Richmond, N. H. He worked on the
homestead until his twenty-first year, when
he moved to Attleborough, Mass., where,
on January 19, 1812, he was married to
Patience Tyler, who was born July 17,
1795, in New Hampshire. By this mar

riage there were two sons: Simon, born
January 25, 1814, died December 31,
1840, in Massachusetts, and Jonathan, born
April 3, 1816, died in Greenfield town
ship, Huron Co., Ohio, July 24, 1886.
The mother passed away November 6,
1819, and was buried at Attleborough,
Mass. For his second wife Samuel Ather
ton married Content Atherton, who was
born May 31, 1787, in Massachusetts, and
by her also had two children: Rufus S.,
born September 13, 1821, died March 10,
1861, iu Iowa, and Nancy, born March
4, 1826, died September 2, 1826. Mrs.
Content Atherton died June 10, 1835,
and was buried in Attleborough, Mass.
On April 18, 1836, Mr. Atherton was
again married, on this, the third occasion,
to Sarah Robinson, who was born June 1,
1800, at Rehoboth, Mass., where her father,
Noah Robinson, was a well-known citizen.
In October, 1838, Mr. Atherton came
westward to Huron county, Ohio, with his
son Rufus, journeying by river to Albany,
N. Y.; thence by way of Erie Canal to
Buffalo, N. Y. ; from there by lake to
Huron, Ohio, and finally by wagon to
Greenfield township, Huron county. Here
he purchased land and prepared a home
for his wife, who had remained in the East,
whence, in the spring of 1839 (six months
after her husband) she came to Huron
county, accompanied by one of her step
sons. To Samuel and Sarah Atherton was
here born one son, George W. In poli
tics Mr. Atherton was a Democrat up to
1856, when he joined the Republican
party; in religion he was a Presbyterian.
He died August 18, 1871, and his remains
were interred in Bronson township. His
widow, though now in her ninety-second
year, is active and intelligent, and for the
last fifteen years has resided with her son.
She has been a member of the Presbyter
ian Church for over thirty years.
George W. Atherton was born May 17,
1840, in Greenfield township, Huron Co.,
Ohio, and passed his youth in the manner
common to boys of that period, attending

HURON COUNTY, OIllO.

415

school in the winter and working on the
farm during the rest of the year. On De
cember 18, 1862, he married Selina Roe,
who was born in 1837 in Peru township,
the only child of Charles and Corinna
(Carver) Roe, of Cayuga county, N. Y.
The father was born in Northamptonshire,
England, son of Thomas Roe, the mother
December 5, 1809, in Cayuga county,
N. Y. After his marriage Mr. George W.
Atherton located on a farm of sixty-eight
acres in Greenfield township, and con
tinued to reside there until 1871, when he
located on the Roe homestead. The chil
dren born to his marriage with Miss Roe
were Blanche, who died April 3, 1885,
aged twenty-one years, and Cecil G., who
was born October 17, 1879. Mr. and Mrs1.
Atherton are members of the Baptist
Church. Politically he was a Republican
from the formation of the party until the
organization of the Prohibitionists, with
whom he has since been identified. As an
agriculturist he ranks high, and is an au
thority on modern systems of farming.
As a stock grower he is well-known, not
only for the study he has given this im
portant department of farm work, bnt
also for the success he has won in it.

If RA S. TOWNSEND (deceased), who
I was a son of Hosea and Sophia (Case)
_[ Townsend, was bora in New London
township, Huron Co., Ohio, June 14,
1831, the first child born in a frame house
in the township.
When a mere boy our subject attended
the school taught by Miss Adeline Treat,
in New London township, and later com
pleted a course at Oberlin College, after
which, until 1855, he lived at home, shar
ing, of course, in the farm work. On
September 27, 1855, he married Mary M.
Ward, born February 4, 1836, in Chardon,
Geauga Co., Ohio, daughter of Samuel
Ward, who now resides at Milan, Ohio.
Mrs. Mary M. Townsend died October 14,

1881, and was buried in New London
cemetery. Some time after her death he
married Ellen Ward, his deceased wife's
sister, who was born January 24, 1841,
also in Chardon, Geauga Co., Ohio. She
is a member of the Congregational Church,
and active in the affairs of the Society.
After marriage Mr. Townsend located on
his late farm, a part of the 1,000 acres
which his father, Hosea Townsend, owned.
The tract was without buildings when Ira
S. Townsend first entered on its improve
ment, and it was all through his labor that
the elegant residence and farm buildings
were erected, 'and a beautiful farm devel
oped. He gave a large share of his atten
tion to stock growing, and he was also an
extensive dealer in stock. He was one of
the directors of the First National Bank
of New London from the time of its in
corporation, in 1872, nutil it was reincor
porated twenty years later. He was chosen
vice-president the third year, and continued
to serve in that capacity until 1886, when he
was elected president, serving as such six
years, at the end of which time (1892) it
was reorganized under the name of New
London Bank, when he was again elected
president, and continued to serve in that
incumbency until his death. In the bank
ing world, as well as in the agricultural
world, he proved his ability to command
success. System was his guiding princi
ple. It was part and parcel of his nature,
but while following it he did not permit
red-tapeism to cramp his business, as he
thought and acted quickly. Tn the midst
of his business he never neglected his du
ties as a citizen, for he was an active mem
ber of the Republican party, and a student
of the public affairs of Huron county.
Mr. Townsend died September 12, 1893,
and the following extract from one of the
county papers in a measure illustrates the
feeling of the community on learning of
his unexpected taking away, and the high
esteem in which he was held: " The sud
den death of Mr. Ira S. Townsend came so
unexpectedly to the people of New Lon-

416

HURON COUNTY, OHIO.

don, that rarely has the community been
so surprised and benumbed by the death
of one of its members. Mr. Townsend
made frequent visits to this village [New
London], he being president of both the
bank and the Fair Association. His whole
business interests, aside from bis farm,
were in New London, where he was re
garded and valued as one of its citizens,
and on Tuesday he was in town in appar
ent good health, driving home about four
o'clock. After supper, and while sitting
with his family, chatting and joking in
his usual good humor, he suddenly placed
his hand to his side with ah exclamation
of pain, and expired without a word."

ALPH C. JOHNSON, prominent
in agricultural circles in Fitchville
township, was born August 31,
1822, in Middlesex county, N. J.,
son of William Johnson.
William Johnson, son of Ralph John
son, was born in Middlesex county, N. J.,
September 18, 1793. About the age of
fifteen years he was apprenticed to a tanner
and currier and a shoemaker, and worked at
these trades for five years, five months and
eighteen days. In 1821 he married Lydia
(a daughter of Ralph Cortleyon), a native
of the same county, born April 22, 1800,
and their children are as follows: Ralph
O, born August 31, 1822; Gertrude A.,
born December 28, 1823, married J. C.
Ransom, and died March 9, 1892; Mary,
bora July 5, 1825, married William Pros
ser, and died May 14, 1882; Eliza Jane,
born April 8, 1827, widow of S. K. Barnes,
residing in Fitchville, Ohio; Alfred S.,
born March 29, 1829, a resident of New
London, Ohio; Catherine, born December
7, 1830, who married J. M. Foote, and
subsequently Ira Foote, and died February
8, 1877; and William O, born February
7, 1833, died November 13, 1833. The
mother of this family died April 3, 1834,
and the same year Mr. Johnson married

Melinda Blodgett. To this second mar
riage came the following: Lewis, born
September 13, 1835, now a resident of
Clarksfield township; Philena, bom No
vember 16, 1837, who married George
Foote, and subsequently John Bigelow;
Oliver, born June 14, 1841, died August
16, 1849; and Lydia, born September 14,
1846, died August 10, 1849. Mrs. Ma
linda Johnson died September 14, 1849,
and on January 30, 1850, Mr. Johnson
married Mrs. Hepzibah (Blodgett) Eaton
(widow of Jonathan Eaton), who died Sep
tember 20, 1861, without issue. The father
died February 24, 1867.
William Johnson followed his trade in
New Jersey until his removal to Ontario
county, N. Y., in 1825. In 1835 he mi
grated to Ohio, where, in Hartland town
ship, Huron county, he had purchased
some land. On November 17 of that year
the family started on tbe journey to that
township, arriving at their destination
December 2, 1835. The method of trans
portation was a lumber wagon, and the
route via Rochester, Buffalo, Cleveland
and Elyria. His purchase of 220 acres for
two thousand dollars was half paid for in
the fall of 1835, and within a few years
the second one thousand dollars was paid
up. On this farm Mr. Johnson led an
active life until within a short time prior
to his death, when he retired to the home
of a daughter at New London, where he
passed away, and was buried with Baptist
ritual, in Hartland Ridge Cemetery.
Ralph C. Johnson received an element
ary education in the rude schools which
were in vogue in his youth. He was reared
on the farm, and worked thereon till Feb
ruary 5, 1849, on which day he married
Eliza L. Townsend, born in Huron county
December 22, 1825, a daughter of Hosea
Townsend, who was a pioneer. After
marriage Mr. and Mrs. Johnson located
on a tract of wild land in Hartland town
ship, and remained there for sixteen years,
until the land was all cleared. In 1865
they located on the Hickock farm, one

HURON COUNTY, OHIO.

417

mile south of Fitchville Center, where
tbey have resided to the present day. One
child has been born to Ralph C. and Eliza
L. Johnson : Eliza J., wife of Richard L.
Merrick. She graduated from Oberlin
College, and is now a practicing physician
at Cleveland, Ohio, of the Homeopathic
School. Mrs. Johnson is a member of the
Baptist Church at Fitchville. R. 0. John
son was originally a Whig, became a Re
publican in 1856, and has since been a
most stanch supporter of that party. He
has held offices in each township where he
has resided, and has always been an effi
cient aud courteous official. Mr. Johnson
is a successful farmer and stock grower.
His estate of over 378 acres, in this rich
section of Ohio, has been won, principally,
by his stern, hard labor in the forest and
field. The improvements have been mainly
made by him, and the herds and flocks
which browse upon his beautiful farm have
been gathered by him. All in all he is
the sole architect of his own fortune, and
a man who deserves the place he holds in
the estimation of bis neighbors and of the
people of Fitchville township.

y\ILLIAM GRAHAM, son of John
' and Thomason Grabam, was born
January 21, 1835, in the County
of Durham, England. John Gra
ham was a tailor by trade, and generally
resided in the County of Durham, but
oftentimes traveled as a journeyman.
Mr. and Mrs. John Graham were the
parents of eight children, of whom Will
iam is the seventh in order of birth. He
received a primary education and, in 1845,
was apprenticed to a tailor for two years,
receiving board in lieu of pay. Not prov
ing partial to his father's trade, he was
apprenticed to a carpenter for five years
(his board being still the consideration for
his labor), but becoming discontented he
concluded to leave his native land and seek
a home in America. With his mother's

assistance he secured the amount necessary
to pay the expense of the ocean trip, and
sailed on the " Andrew Foster," Captain
Swift, from Liverpool to New York, the
voyage occupying seven weeks. From
New York he proceeded by river to Al
bany, by canal to Buffalo, by lake to San
dusky and thence to Greenfield township,
Huron Co., Ohio, where his brother Joseph
had hitherto located; and from the period
of his arrival until 1875 he worked at his
trade in the township.
On November 20, 1859, Mr. Graham
was united in marriage with Sarah Low
ther, who was born February 27, 1839, in
Greenfield township, daughter of E. H.
Lowther, a resident of that township. The
young couple settled on a tract of 108
acres, which Mr. Graham improved, at the
same time working at his trade. There
one son and two daughters were born to
them, the older daughter dying in infancy,
and there he made his home until 1881,
when he purchased the Terry farm, on
which he made many improvements, and
there took up his residence. For over a
decade he has given particular attention
to general farming and stock growing,
and has proved that a tradesman may be
a success as an agriculturist. Politically
he is a Democrat. In church relation he
and his wife are members of the Univer
salist Church of Peru. It may be truly
said tbat in business and politics, as well
as in religion, his wife and himself are co
workers, each industrious and each work
ing for the other. Few men stand higher
in the community than Mr. Graham, who
is recognized as a methodical, business
like farmer.

jlfENRY RUGGLES. The pioneer
'^H of the Ruggles family in Ohio was
1[ Joseph Ruggles, who was a resident
of Belehertown, Mass., where he was
known as a farmer and teamster.
In pre-railroad days, when the express
service between Boston and New York

4)

418

HURON COUNTY, OHIO.

was founded, Joseph Ruggles established
himself as a teamster on the route between
Belchertown and Boston, hauling mer
chandise from Boston to points on the
route, and farm products from such points
to Boston. He was married at Belcher
town to Miss Hannah Tillson, and four
children were there born to them: Leon
ard, Sumner and Benjamin (both deceased),
and Henry. In 1818 the whole family set
out for the West, and traveled in safety to
Pern township, Huron Co., Ohio, where
they located. As the father possessed but
little means, he was unable to purchase a
farm on coming here. Building a log
cabin to shelter his family, he devoted
himself to labor, and with his earnings
purchased some land in Peru township,
which he cleared and on which he resided
until his death in June, 1846. His widow
died three years later. The children born
to these pioneers after their location in
Huron county, Ohio, were: George (now
deceased), who was a farmer in Peru town
ship; Mary, who married Levi Ruggles
(deceased); Nancy, widow of Jeff. Brown
(now residing in Kansas City); Levi, who
died in Arizona, while in the United States
civil service, and Lyman, also deceased.
Of all the children born to this pioneer
couple, Henry, the subject of this sketch,
and Nancy, of Kansas City, Mo., are the
only survivors.
Henry Ruggles was born January 6,
1816, at Belchertown, Mass., came to Ohio
with his parents in 1818, and grew to
manhood in Pera township, Huron county.
His youth was like that of the other boys
of the settlement, and when a young man
he learned the carpenter's trade. On Janu
ary 9, 1844, he was married in Pern town
ship to Florinda Tillson, a native of New
York, and of the children born to this
union Lyman died at Sacramento, Cal.;
Lewis resides in Seneca county, Ohio; Ida
married George Minard, of Milan ; Inez is
deceased; Anna resides at St. Louis, Mo.;
Harvey resides at home, and Newton is
deceased. After their marriage Henry and

Florinda Ruggles located in Norwich town
ship, but two years afterward settled on
their present farm in Peru township. They
are members of the Universalist Church.
In politics Mr. Ruggles was a Whig up to
1856, when he united with the new Re
publican party, of which he has ever since
been a consistent member. He has held
various township offices, and has filled them
all with great satisfaction to the people.
As a farmer and stock grower he is well
known, for to these two departments of
farm work he gives the closest personal
attention.

B'

AYID HENRY REED, M. D., the
leading physician of North Fair
field, is a descendant of David Reed,
who was a farmer of Connecticut
in Colonial times.
David Reed, great-grandfather of Dr.
Reed, carried on a farm near Danbury,
Conn., where he was a large property
owner. Harry Reed, his son, was reared
on the home farm near Danbury, Conn.,
and when but a young man engaged in
mercantile life. He was there married to
Miss Mary Hoyt, who died leaving three
children, namely: Shadrach H, Charles
and Jane. After the death of his first wife
Mr. Reed was again married, and to this
union were bora two children, Henry E.
and Mary. Of all the children, Mary, the
youngest (now Mrs. Darius Stevens, of
Danbury, Conn.), is the only survivor.
Shadrach H. Reed, son of Harry Reed,
was born in September, 1809, in Connec
ticut, where, and in the State of New York,
he passed his boyhood years. When six
teen years old he accompanied a Mr. Mead
to the latter's purchase in the southeast
part of Greenwich township, Huron Co.,
Ohio, and worked for him on this tract
until he was twenty-one years old, when
his employer deeded to him eighty acres
of wild land in consideration of five years'
service. But soon afterward Mr. Reed
traded the eighty acres for another tract

HURON COUNTY, OHIO.

419

of 150 acres, which is still in the posses
sion of the Reed family. In 1831 he mar
ried Sally, daughter of Josiah Roscoe, who
came from Cayuga county, N. Y., and
settled in Greenwich township, and to this
marriage five children were bora, namely:
David H., a physician of Huron county;
Clara J., a resident of Bellefontaine, Logan
Co., Ohio; Charles E., deceased; A. S.,
deceased; and H. E., who resides on part
of the old farm. Mr. Reed gradually in
creased the area of his lands, and upon his
death, which occurred iu 1885, he left to
his heirs a tine farm of 200 acres, all of
which was cleared and improved by him
self. Shadrach H. Reed was a Democrat
up to 1856, when his son, the present Dr.
Reed, prevailed upon him to join the Re-
?ublican party. He was an outspoken
riend, and a man whose word was as good
as his bond. He held numerous township
offices, and was justice of the peace.
Dr. David H. Reed was born in 1832 in
Greenwich township, HurOn county, passed
his youth on the farm, and received his
primary education in the schools of the
district. He taught school for a short
period, and then began the study of medi
cine, in which he continued for two years,
later attending the Homeopathic Medical
School, Cleveland, for three years. He
graduated from that institution in 1854,
the same year establishing his office in
Fairfield, where he has practiced ever since.
Dr. Reed was married, in 1855, to Miss
Caroline Long, of Greenwich township,
who was bora in Cayuga county, N. Y .,
and to this union the following named
children were bora: Alto P., who died
when twenty-four years old; Charles E.,
who died in infancy; Abraham L.; Charles
S., a lawyer in Wilson county, Kans.;
Fanny C. ; Mary E. ; and two that died in
infancy. The Doctor owns 200 acres in
Greenwich township, besides his western
lands. It is now almost forty years since
he began the practice of medicine here.
A Republican by choice and education, he
was an active worker for Fremont in 1856,

and ever since that time his voice has been
raised for the interests of his party. In
religious faith he is a member of the
Christian Church, in which he is an elder.
The Doctor was appointed in 1863, by
Gov. David Tod, to organize the militia of
the Southern District of Huron county,
and was commissioned captain. After the
organization he was elected colonel of the
Third Regiment, and continued in com
mand until the organization was aban
doned. He also served as member of the
school board of the Union School of North
Fairfield for fifteen years. In 1893 he
was nominated and elected representative
to the Seventy-first General Assembly of
the State of Ohio, and at this date (Feb
ruary 14, 1894) is serving the State in
that capacity, holding the position of
chairman of the committee on Medical
Colleges and Medical Societies, also a mem
bership on the Fish Culture and Game,
Common Schools, and Food and Dairy
committees.

E'DMUND FRANKLIN, a worthy
member of an early pioneer family
 j of Huron county, and who is one of
the oldest and most highly re
spected citizens of Richmond township,
was bora May 8, 1827, in Herkimer
county, New York.
He is the fourth child and second son
of Reuben and Rhoda (Nobles) Franklin,
of Herkimer county, N. Y., the former of
whom was a farmer. Iu 1836 the family,
then consisting of father, mother and six
children, migrated westward to Ohio,
coming by way of canal and lake- boat to
Sandusky, and thence in a smaller, boat to-
Fremont, Ohio. Reuben Franklin resided
a short time in Norwich township, Huron
county, and then came to Richmond town
ship, where he bought sixty-one acres at
three dollars and fifty cents an acre, and
built thereon a cabin, the fifth in the
township. One child was born after the
family settled in Richmond township, and

420

HURON COUNTY, OHIO.

on this farm, which Edmund Franklin
now owns and makes his home upon, these
worthy people passed the remainder of
their busy lives. They were pioneers in
the true sense of the word, for at the time
of their arrival Richmond township was
covered with a dense forest, excepting the
southern part, which was then a vast
swamp, where no human being could pos
sibly make a living. With the exception
of a few sticks cut by hunters in search of
the game which abounded in this section,
there was "not a stick amiss" on the farm
in the northern part of Richmond township
where Reuben Franklin took up his abode.
He was a deserving pioneer farmer.
Edmund Franklin was reared in the
manner of pioneer farmer .children, and
during his youth received but limited lit
erary advantages, as there were no schools in
Richmond township for five or six years after
the family arrived. His mother died when
he was but ten years old, his father two
years later, and thus he was left at an early
age to begin life on his own account. He
worked by the month for twelve years at
various places, and for low wages. In 1849
he was united in marriage with Miss
Henrietta Thomas, a native of New York
State, born in 1829; her father, Henry
Thomas, was drowned near Buffalo when
she was but a little girl, and she came to
Ohio in early womanhood. During his
twelve years of hard labor Mr. Franklin
had accumulated enough money to buy
the home farm, most of which he had to
redeem from the forest, and here he has
since resided, making many valuable im
provements. On September 15, 1861, our subject en
listed at Norwalk, Ohio, in Company I,
Fifty-fifth O. V. I., which command was
sent to West Virginia, the first battle Mr.
Franklin took part in being at Moorefield,
that State, and he afterward participated
in the following engagements: Foot of
Cheat Mountain, Cross Keys, Second Bull
Run, Chancellorsville, Gettysburg, Mis
sionary Ridge and Lookout Mountain,

Buzzard's Roost, Big and Little Kenesaw
Mountain, Big Shanty, Resaca, Ga. (where
he belonged to the storming division),
Peach Tree Creek, siege of Atlanta, Ben-
tonville and Averysboro. He was also
with Sherman on his march to the sea.
At Resaca (where he found four bullet-
holes in his coat) he received a wound, and
he was knocked down at Peach Tree Creek
by the concussion of the wind of a ball.
He participated in the Grand Review on
June 24, 1865, at Washington, D. O, and
was discharged in that city in July, com
ing home at once to Huron county, where
he has ever since followed farming. He
has a most comfortable home. Mr. and
Mrs. Franklin have children as follows:
Walter, a car carpenter of Norwalk, Ohio;
Rufus, a railroad engineer of Chicago
Junction ; Ella, wife of Scott Jump, of
Chicago Junction; Emma, Mrs. Alonzo
Bowen, of Chicago, Ohio; Wilbur, who
was killed on the railroad when thirty-
four years old; Clarence, of Fostoria, Ohio;
Edmund, a railroad employe; and Carrie,
Kitty and George, who still reside at
home. In politics Mr. Franklin is a Re
publican. He is a highly-esteemed citi
zen, and the comfortable home and prop
erty which he now enjoys are the
accumulation of many years of hard, un
remitting toil; the entire family stand
high in the regard of the community in
which they reside. Mrs. Franklin is a
member of the U. B. Church.

4)

MATHIAS CAROTHERS, one of
the pushing, go-ahead young farm
ers of Richmond township, was
boru October 13, 1849, in Nor
wich township, Huron Co., Ohio,
eldest son and second child in the family
of John and Susan (Mowery) Carothers.
Our subject was reared to active agri
cultural life, received such an education as
the common schools of his boyhood af
forded, and remained under the parental

HURON , COUNTY, OHIO.

421

roof until his marriage. On July 4, 1872,
he wedded Miss Mary Bigham, who was
born in Venice township, Seneca Co., Ohio,
daughter of John Bigham, a pioneer of
that county. After marriageMr. and Mrs.
Carothers resided for a short time on his
father's farm, and in about 1873 took up
their residence on their present place,
where they have since had their home.
While Mr. Carothers has not resided in
Richmond township as long as some of its
farmers, he has seen his acres gradually
converted from heavy forests to fertile
fields, and this is practically the work of
his own hands, as, when he took posses
sion of the land, but a small portion of it
was cleared. The elegant residence, large
and commodious barn and other necessary
farm •buildings which enhance the value of
his place, are all the work of his own hands.
So far he has made farming his life work,
and has met with considerable success.
Mr. Carothers is active, full of energy and
progressive, and stands very high in his
community. He is a leader of the Re
publican party in his township, and is now
serving as justice of the peace. Mr. and
Mrs. Carothers are members of the U. B.
Church, in which he is class-leader and
superintendent of Sunday-school. They
have had three children, viz.: Daisy D.,
Jennie May, successful teachers in the
public schools, and Chalmer J., an ener
getic lad of eight summers.

JfOSEPH RUFFING. Among the
k. I brave old pioneers of Sherman town-
•X^J) ship stands prominent this worthy
farmer citizen, a native of South
Germany, born in Baiern (Bavaria) April
10, 1830.
He is a son of Joseph and Catharine
(Schwartz) Ruffing, wealthy farming people
in the Fatherland, who were the parents of
seven children, five of whom were born in
Baiern, as follows: Elizabeth, who died in
Sherman township, when nineteen years
old; Peter, a farmer in Sherman township,

a carpenter by trade, and one of the
pioneers in that business in the township;
Joseph, subject; John, a farmer of Sher
man township, who died in 1892; and
Frank, also a farmer of Sherman township,
who died in 1887. In the spring of 1836
the family set sail in a merchant ship from
Havre, France, for the New World, and
after a rough passage of forty-four days,
during which a severe storm drove them
considerably out of their course, north
ward, they landed at New York. From
there they proceeded via Hudson River
and Erie Canal to Buffalo, thence by lake
to Cleveland, and from that, then, village
by wagon to Elyria, Lorain county, where
they tarried a short time. Here, enquir
ing the most direct route to Sherman town
ship, they were misdirected, and by night
time found themselves in the village of
Norwalk, where the only place they could
find to sleep in was a welcome barn. On
the following morning the family pro
ceeded on their journey, and on the twenty-
fifth day of August, 1836, found them
selves at their forest home, in that part of
Sherman township lying south of the
center. Here they had settled but a short
time when the dense forest, and other un
pleasant features connected with the new
home, caused the head of the family to re
gret that he had not bought land in the
very heart of Cleveland, which had been
offered him for eighteen dollars per acre;
and be was of a mind to buy even yet, but
was dissuaded from doing so by an old
lady whom the family had met in Elyria.
In Sherman township the father had
bought land (represented at the time of
purchase as cleared, which turned out not
to be the case) at twelve dollars per acre
(about five times its value), and erected
thereon a log house. He then, with the
assistance of his sons, set to work to clear
the land, and prepare the soil for crops; in
the course of time Fortune smiled more
favorably on him, and by dint of hard
work and unceasing industry he prospered,
so that he was able to make additions from

422

HURON COUNTY, OHIO.

time to time to his original purchase, aud
at his death was the owner of a fine, well-
stocked and fertile farm, equipped with
comfortable buildings. Two children were
born to Joseph and Catharine Ruffing in
their pioneer home, namely, Anthony, a
merchant of Bellevue, Huron county, and
Michael, a farmer of Sherman township.
The father passed from earth in 1882, at
the age of eighty-two years, the mother in
June, 1865, and they lie side by side in
Sherman cemetery. They were members
of the Catholic Church, and contributors
to.vards the first church building of that
denomination erected in Sherman town
ship. Joseph Ruffing, the second son bora to
these honored old pioneers, recoived but a
limited education, the greater part of it,
in fact, at his home, his father being his
instructor; and under the tuition of his
brother Peter, who was a mechanic of
considerable ability, he learned the trade
of carpenter. At the age of thirteen he
was " hired" to a neighbor (Burrett Fitch)
to work out the price of a colt his father
had bought, and this occupied him six
weeks. At twenty years of age he com
menced journeyman work at his trade in
the neighborhood of his home, and he and
his brother Peter put np the first frame
house in Sherman township.
On October 21, 1856, Mr. Ruffing mar
ried Miss Mary J. Geiger, who was born
February 16, 1836, in Buffalo, N. Y., a
daughter of Lawrence Geiger, who came
to Sherman township when she was a child.
To this union were born children as fol
lows: Elizabeth, now Mrs. P. Krupp, of
Seneca county, Ohio; Frank J., a farmer
of Sherman township; Michael J., a farmer
of Norwich township; Coraline, Mrs. John
Glassner, of Seneca county; Josephine,
Mrs. Lewis Kalt, of Norwalk; Annie, Mrs.
John Witter, of Bucyrus, Ohio; and Vic
toria, at home. On July 13, 1877, the
mother of these was injured in a runaway,
and she lingered between life and death
until July 20, 1877, when death put an

end to her sufferings; she was buried in
Sherman cemetery. In 1877 Mr. Ruffing
married Mrs. Mary Quisuo, widow of
Joseph Quisuo, and a native of Belgium.
After his first marriage our subject settled
with his bride on a portion of his present
farm, and has here since devoted, himself
exclusively to general agriculture. He
and his brother had bought, jointly, one
hundred acres, of which at his marriage
each took fifty acres, and to his share
Joseph has since added as circumstances
offered until now he is the owner of 122
acres of as fine land as can be found in his
section. He is a member of the Catholic
Church; politically he is a Democrat, and
has held township and other offices of trust
with credit to himself and satisfaction of
his constituents.

THOMAS HAG AM AN is a repre
sentative of an old pioneer family
that originated in Holland. His
grandfather, Thomas Hagaman, na
tive of Gettysburg, Penn., married
Nellie Burnett, of New York, whose an
cestors were also natives of Holland.
The ancestors of this couple immigrated
to America many years ago, first locating
in New Jersey, and afterward crossing into
Pennsylvania, where the grandfather con
tinued to follow agricultural pursuits and
weaving. Politically he was a Whig and
Abolitionist; in religion he first united
with the Presbyterian Church, afterward
becoming a Congregationalism He died
in August, 1852, at about the age of eighty
years, his wife some years later. They
were the parents of three sons, John,
James and George B., who came to Ohio
w'ith their parents in 1818.
John Hagaman was born July 1, 1801,
in Cayuga county, N. Y., and in 1818
came with his parents, to Huron county,
Ohio, as above stated, where he married
Tina Ainmerman. He bought a farm of
new heavily-timbered land in Bronson
township, upon which he erected a log

JDHN HAGAMAN

HURON COUNTY, OHIO.

425

house, and devoted the remainder of his
life to clearing and cultivating the same.
In politics he voted first with the Whigs,
later with the Republican party, and was
the first Abolitionist in the township; in
religious faith he and his wife were active
members of the Congregational Church,
in which he served as a deacon. He died
in 1870, his wife December 29, 1879,
having passed her seventy-second year.
They were the parents of four children, as
follows: Maria B. (deceased in 1846, at the
age of nineteen), Lucy A. (deceased in
1890, at the age of sixty years), Thomas
(whose name opens this sketch), and Isa
bel (wife of J. W. Snook, of Bronson
township). Thomas Hagaman was born August 20,
1834, on the farm where he is now living,
in Bronson township, Huron Co., Ohio.
He received a good common-school educa
tion, and also attended the Norwalk High
School. On October 14, 1868, he married
Mary Ellen Woodruff, a native of New
Berlin, Chenango Co., N. Y., a daughter
of Edwin and Lydia A. (Gilmore) Wood
ruff. Two children were born to them:
Jessie W. and John E. The mother was
called from earth January 2, 1879. Since
the death of his father Thomas Hagaman
has had charge of the old homestead, and,
having bought out the other heirs, now
owns 137 acres, where he carries on gen
eral farming. In politics he is a Republi
can, and cast his first ballot for John C.
Fremont for President in 1856; in re
ligious faith he is a rpember of the Con
gregational Church.

\ILLIAM BROWN. This well-
known wide-awake and affluent
agriculturist of Norwich town
ship comes of sturdy Protestant-
Irish stock, noted for their longevity.
Thomas Brown, his grandfather, came
to America in 1805, and settling in New
York State there followed weaving and
23

farming. He was twice married, and had
in all eighteen children, the eldest of whom,
by name Thomas H., learned the trade of
weaver in his native land of Erin, where
he was bora in 1787, and was eighteen
years old when he came to America. He
made his first home in the New World in
Maryland, near Baltimore, where he fol
lowed the weaving trade six years. He
there married Miss Susan Sowers, of that
locality, and they then proceeded to New
York State, locating in Cayuga county on-
a farm, on which they resided till 1825,
when they came to Ohio, where, in Ash
land county, near the town of Ashland, .
Mr. Brown bought 160 acres of totally
wild land which he cleared, and where he
and his wife lived up to her death, in 1866.
He then moved to Hancock county, same
State, and made his final home with his
youngest son, James, dying there in 1884
at the advanced age of ninety-seven years.
He was a very successful farmer, owning
at the time of his death about 400 acres
of land, which he divided among his five
sons. He was a stanch Republican, and a
member of the Lutheran Church. His
family of children numbered ten, named as
follows: Hugh, Eve, Margaret, Martha,
William, Sarah, Thomas, Franklin, James
and Susanna, all now deceased except
Thomas, William (subject), Frauklin,

James and Sarah.
William Brown,
more particularly

of whom this sketch
relates, was born, in
1823, in Cayuga county, N. Y., and passed
his boyhood on a farm in Ashland county,
Ohio, whither the family had come in
1825, as above related. When he was
twenty-three years old his father gave him
eighty acres of land, entirely covered with
timber, but he went to work with an axe
and a will, clearing it and transforming it
into a fertile farm. To this from time to
time he added until he had 166 acres, and
he then sold and bought 200 acres in Nor
wich township, Huron county, where he
now lives. He has owned as much as 480
acres, and his success has been due entirely

426

HURON COUNTY, OHIO.

to untiring industry, judicious economy
and a life of rectitude. After giving each
of his sous fifty acres, he has 180 left.
During the Civil war he served from May
to September, 1864, in Company H, One
Hundred and Sixty- sixth Regiment O. V.
I., N. G., under Col. H. G. Blake, and was
always "ready" at the call to duty.
In 1846 Mr. Brown was united in mar
riage with Miss Elizabeth Greer, of Ash
land county, Ohio, daughter of James
Greer, and five children, as follows, were
born to them: Thomas, James, Franklin
H, William L., and one that died in in
fancy. Our subject in his political pref
erences is a stanch Republican, and has
held numerous township offices, notable
among which was that of township treas
urer, which he filled eight years. In re
ligious faith he and his wife are members
of the United Brethren Church, of which
he is a trustee.

L

YMAN ASHLEY is a descendant,
in the eighth generation, of a well-
known pioneer family whose ances
try may be traced to Robert Ashley,
who emigrated from England about 1630
and located in Massachusetts.
James Ashley, the great-grandfather of
Lyman, was born in 1740, in Massachu
setts. His son, Luther Ashley, was born
April 1, 1775, was a surveyor by profes
sion, and later a sawmill owner. On Sep
tember 1, 1800, he married Eunice Smith,
who was born October 10, 1781, and was
living at Shrewsbury, Mass. To this mar
riage the following named children were
born: Gilbert, born December 27, 1801,
removed to Seneca county, Ohio, where he
died, leaving a family, Nancy, born
January 17. 1803, widow of Hiram Spen
cer, lives at Sandusky, Ohio; Dexter, born
October 13, 1804, deceased in Greenfield
township at an advanced age; Louisa, born
December 5, 1806, widow of Nathan
Beers, residing with her son, Nathan, in
Greenfield township; Dennis, father of

Lyman, referred to belowT; Harriet, born
March 13, 1813, widow of Martin Smith,
living at Valparaiso, Ind.; Emily, born
January 6, 1816, widow of Erastus Smith,
living in Greenfield township; and
Smith, born December 22, 1822, residing
at Vacaville, Cal. The last named is the
only one who was born in Huron county.
In 1815 the father migrated to Canada to
look up work, but becoming dissatisfied
he returned to Massachusetts, and in 1817,
accompanied by his son Gilbert, he came
to Huron county, Ohio, and purchased
some land. His brother-in-law, Alden
Pierce, who had already made a settlement
here, visited Massachusetts that year, and
at the request of Luther Ashley, he
guided Mrs. Ashley and ber children to
their future home in northern Ohio. In
the fall of 1817 the family left Deerfield,
Mass. A wagon drawn by three horses
conveyed the household goods, the mother,
and younger members of the family,
while the adults walked the greater part
of the distance. From Buffalo, N. Y.,
westward, the roads were reported to be
bad, and to provide against delay or acci
dent, some of the goods were unloaded
and shipped by boat to the lake port near
est to Greenfield township. The party
then resumed the journey, traveling via
Cleveland and Norwalk, aud arrived safely
iu Greenfield township. The father moved
iu later years to a point near Albion, Ind.,
where he resided for some years. At last,
attacked by a malady common at that time
and place, he set out for the home in Hu
ron county, but died while en route, at
Fremont, Ohio, November 3, 1838, and
was buried at Steuben. His widow died
March 30, 1856, and was buried in the
same grave at Steuben. Luther Ashley
was a Federalist, and a stanch supporter of
that party. He and his wife were Con
gregationalists. Dennis Ashley, father of Lyman, was
bora January 30, 1810, at Deerfield, Mass.
He accompanied his mother to Ohio, at
tended the pioneer schools of Greenfield

HURON COUNTY, OHIO.

427

township, and worked on his father's farm.
In August, 1830, he married Lurany Bliss,
who was born at Rowe, Mass., March 17,
1812, to Jacob and Bethiah (Brown) Bliss,
who settled in Greenfield township in
1822. The children born to Dennis and
Lurany Ashley are named as follows: Ly
man, the subject of this sketch; Luther, a
resident of Yuba county, Cal.; Noah, who
died in youth; Lucy, who died in her eigh
teenth year; Erastus, residing in Chico, Cal. ;
Dexter, who died in youth; Mary, who
married Charles McMaster, died in Green
field township; Ward, deceased in Green
field township, -and Charlotte, Mrs. J. A.
Wheeler, of Greenfield township. From
1830 to 1854 Dennis Ashley was engaged
in farming here; the ensuing two years he
passed in Iowa, and from 1856 to his
death, which occurred September 27, 1892,
he was a farmer of Greenfield township.
From 1889 to 1892 he was an invalid.
His wife died August 8, 1891, and both
lie in the cemetery at Steuben. A Whig
prior to 1856, he was a stanch Republican
during the remainder of his active life,
and held various township offices. For
fifty years he was a member, and for some
years a deacon, of the Baptist Church, to
which denomination his wife also belonged.
He did not accumulate much property,
but always had a competence, and few men
were better known or more respected than
Deacon Ashley.
Lyman Ashley was born February 20,
1832, in Greenfield township, and there
secured a primary education in district
school No. 6. After school days he en
tered a dry-goods store at Plymouth, and
worked there a short time at four dollars
per month, when he engaged as brakeman
on the Sandusky, Mansfield & Newark
Railroad. Subsequently he worked in
Jonas Child's gristmill at Steuben, and
followed the miller's trade from Ohio to
Iowa until 1863. On March 29, 1863, he
married Mary L. Youngs, who was bora
December 3, 1846, daughter of James and
.Sarah (Frost) Youngs, of Greenfield town

ship. To this union came the following
named children: CoraB., Joseph B., and
Lewis C. (now a machinist at Galion,
Ohio). Cora B. was married December 7,
1892, to J. C. Baker, and they reside at
Steuben; one son, Glendower E., was born
to them September 14, 1893. Immedi
ately after marriage Mr. and Mrs. Ashley
located on their present farm, where the
husband did his first farm work when
thirty-one years old. In politics he is a
lifelong Republican, and has filled several
township offices with credit to himself and
profit to the people. He has increased the
area of his farm, has put out all the shade
trees and erected all the buildings thereon,
and is a practical, substantial farmer in
every respect, one who has made his way
to success unaided.

P. NOBLE, a prominent stock
man of Huron county, is a grand
son of James Noble, the ancestor
of the family in America, who
was born in Ireland, and reared to man
hood in County Tyrone.
In 1790 he left his native land, and after
a voyage of fourteen weeks set foot on the
shores of the young Republic, and pro
ceeding at once to Washington, Penn.,
located near Taylorstown. His marriage
with Mary Harvey, also a native of Ireland,
took place in Washington county, and to
their union five children were born,
namely: John, Will, Harvey, Mary and
Nancy, all now deceased, and their de
scendants scattered.
Harvey Noble, the father of subject,
was born in 1806 near Taylorstown, Wash
ington Co., Penn., and was reared on his
father's farm. He received a fair educa
tion in the subscription school of his na
tive place, but bis school days were alloyed
with a pioneer boy'.s work round the home
and on the farm. In 1827 he married
Margaret Little, a daughter of George
Little, who resided near Taylorstown, and
immediately after marriage the young

428

HURON COUNTY, OHIO.

couple set out for Richland county, Ohio,
with the intention of making a home there,
and located near the village of Shiloh.
The country was even then in a most
primitive condition; the forest teemed with
animals of the chase; bear, deer and
wolves were abundant, and even the
panther came to visit the district at inter
vals. On one occasion Mr. Noble was
compelled to go as far as Plymouth, Ohio,
for a doctor; the wolves appeared to be un
usually disturbed, and howled the whole
night, but he went on his journey unmind
ful of the brutes, and that night was the
last one for the wolves in the country.
About 1827 he located on a farm of eighty
acres in Richland county, which at the
time of his death was increased to 500
acres. There were born to him eight
children, namely: Mary, John, James,
Nancy, Elizabeth, Margaret, W. P. and
Minerva. Of these, Nancy and Elizabeth
are now deceased; James resides in Green
field township, Huron county; John is a
resident of Richland county; Mary is the
wife of Jerrie Davidson, of Richland
county; Minerva resides in Huron county.
The mother of these children died July 2,
1865, the father July 11, 1885. He was
the owner of the first threshing machine
used in Richland county, and was in every
respect a progressive farmer.
W. P. Noble was bora in 1839 in Rich
land county, Ohio, and was reared to
manhood on the old homestead in that
county. He received a practical education
in the school of his district, and was in
ducted into the mysteries of agriculture
under the direction of his father. In 1864
he married Eliza Jane Starkey, daughter
of James Starkey, then of Ripley town
ship, but now a citizen of Illinois, and to
this marriage were born ten children, as
follows: Mina A., Sherman, Elmer, Theo
dore (deceased), Allen, Warren, Winnie,
Nellie, and two that died in infancy.
After marriage Mr. and Mrs. Noble settled
on their present farm in Ripley township,
part of which vt as cleared and all of it im

proved by Mr. Noble. Politically he is a
Republican, and one of the "wheel horses"
of the party in Huron county. For many
years he has represented his section of the
county in local and Congressional con
ventions, and in every way is a trusted
councilor. Prior to 1870 Mr. Noble made the
foundations of his Shorthorn herds. To
day he has two prize herds, every head of
which may properly be classed as fine
stock, and to this business he has given
close attention, making it a most profitable
one. He also deals in fast horses, owning,
among other animals, a half-brother to
Maude S., Noble Harold, No. 4722. His
land now comprises 310 acres, all of which
he has accumulated since 1864.

I OHN R. ELLIS was born September
w j 1, 1845, in Greenwich township. His
\J) father, John Ellis, was born August
8, 1816, in Onondaga county, N. Y.,
attended school there when a small boy,
and at the age of twelve years hired out
as a farm hand at three dollars per month.
For the seven succeeding years he labored
on the farm, and at the age of nineteen
years began to learn the carpenter's trade,
which he followed until 1839, when he
and his brother George migrated to Huron
county, Ohio, and purchased, in partner
ship, a tract of fifty acres iu Greenwich
township. This land was bought from
their uncle, Ellis, at five dollars per acre,
and is now owned by John R. and Martin
Ellis. In 1841 John Ellis was united in mar-
with Rachel Rickard, a native of

riao-e

Trumbull county, Ohio, and to them were
born the following named children: Sidney
H., for forty years was a farmer of Green
wich township, and who died in 1888;
Theresa, who married Charles Horr; John
R., a farmer of Fitchville township;
Martin, a farmer of Greenwich township;
Leona, wife of Jacob Weaver, of Ripley

HURON COUNTY, OHIO.

429

township; Paulina, Mrs. Benton Davis, of
Ripley township; Hiram, deceased in
youth; and Sarah, Mrs. Allen Ziegler, of
Richland county, Ohio. The parents of
this family resided on the original farm
until they died, the mother in April, 1887,
and the father March 4, 1890. In 1850
Mr. Ellis began to lose his health, and from
1855 to the date of his death he was un
able to accomplish a day's work. Under
the care and labor of his sons, however,
his possessions grew, and from a half in
terest in fifty acres he became the owner
of 550 acres of fertile land. A one-thou
sand-dollar monument marks the grave in
Ripley cemetery where John and Rachel
Ellis lie. Iu early days they joined the
church; but owing to want of harmouy in
the religious body to which they belonged,
they ceased attending services, though con
tinuing to worship God within their home.
Politically a Democrat, Mr. Ellis was
loyal to the party, but never was an active
politician; he was often elected to town
ship office, and each trust confided to him
he observed with fidelity.
John R. Ellis was reared in the manner
common to his contemporaries in Green
wich township, attended the district school,
and at an early age entered on practical
farm work, taking a man's place on the
farm. On June 6, 1866, he was married
to Jane Viers, who was born in Butler
township, Richland Co., Ohio, a daughter
of L. D. and Jane (Parker) Viers. To
this marriage were born the following
named children: Hiram, Nora, and
Charles, all of whom reside at home.
After their union Mr. and Mrs. Ellis set
tled in Ripley township, and there remained
three years, when they purchased a one-
half interest in 218 acres in Greenwich
township, Martin Ellis holding the second
half interest. For nine years they resided
there, and then in 1880 came to Fitchville
township, where Mr. Ellis purchased the
old Palmer farm of eighty acres. To this
he has added forty-two acres adjoining, re
modelled the dwelling-house, improved

the farm buildings, and converted the
whole tract into a fertile garden. For the
last six years Mr. Ellis has suffered from
rheumatism, and does but little active
work; he gives, however, close personal at
tention to the farm. Politically he is a
Democrat, and one of the trusted advisers
and councillors of the party in Huron
county, well posted on political issues.

HERMAN CULP, a well-known at
torney of Plymouth, Ohio, is a na
tive of same, born November 1,
1854. Christian Culp, the grand
father of subject, was born in the seven
teenth century, in New York, where the
pioneers of the family in America settled
after coming from Germany.
When a young man Christian Culp
migrated to Ohio, iu which State he mar
ried Nellie Burton, a descendant of Scotch
pioneers. Shortly after his marriage he
purchased 700 acres of land (embracing
almost the whole site of Plymouth) in
New Haven township, Huron county, and
moving hither in 1835, established a grist
mill and carding-mill, both of which he
carried on in conjunction with his farm.
At the time of this settlement Plymouth
consisted of two or three log cabins. Here
five sons and two daughters were born to
Christian and Nellie Culp, only two of
whom are yet living: Jacob, now of Mans
field, Ohio, and Mrs. Polly Sherman, of
Plymouth. Henry Culp, the father of the subject of
this sketch, was the second child in order
of birth. At the age of twenty-five he
married Hannah Baker, a daughter of pio
neer settlers of Ripley township, and to
their union were born four sons and three
daughters. The father died February 13,
1889, at the age of sixty-two years, and
his widow now resides on the home of her
childhood in Ripley township.
Sherman Culp, the subject proper of
this memoir, was born, reared and edu
cated at Plymouth, and is now the owner

430

HURON COUNTY, OHIO.

of the home founded by his grandfather,
Christian Culp. At the age of twenty-
four years he entered the law office of John
W. Bell, at Plymouth, read law under his
direction, and in 1886 was admitted tothe
bar at Columbus, Ohio. During this
term of study the young lawyer was
elected mayor of the town, and has tilled
the offices of notary public and justice of
the peace. In 1888 he was the nominee
of the Democratic party for prosecuting
attorney of Huron county, and went within
327 votes of being elected. He has served
in the council of Plymouth, and takes an
active part in all public affairs. He is
also popular in social circles, and is a mem
ber of the K. of P. and I. 0. O. F.
His marriage with Louise Strong, daugh
ter of E. D. Strong, took place at Ply
mouth September 13, 1882. To them
three children were born, namely: Ross
S., Henry S. and Frank R., but the death
of the latter occurred September 4, 1893.
Mr. Culp's law practice is not confined by
any means to Huron, but extends through
out the four or five adjoining counties.
The business of the office is almost ex
clusively in civil law, of which Mr. Culp
is an able exponent, and in the practice of
which he is very prominent.

' HESTER S. HOWE, a well-known
resident of Peru township, was born
September 9, 1818, in Fleming,
Cayuga county, New York.
His father, Titus Howe, was also a na
tive of that place, bora November 14,
1793, and in early life learned tbe trade of
carpenter and joiner. On May 26, 1814,
he was united in marriage with Almira
Hicks, and they became the parents of the
following children: Nelson A., born Aug
ust 18, 1816; Chester S., subject of sketch;
Marion P., born February 25, 1821;
Edwin R., born October 5, 1823; Helen
M., bora February 1, 1830; Almira M.,
born November 14, 1833;. Julia E., born

May 5, 1837 ; Amelia V., bora October 22,
1839; and Oscar S., born April 28, 1843.
Titus Howe had visited the Far West
prior to 1834, in which year he came west
ward with his wife and family (then con
sisting of six children), making a location
where the beautiful town of Batavia, Kane
Co., 111., now stands. The journey was
made in a wagon, the route being through
northern Ohio, southern Michigan, north
ern Indiana and Cook county, 111., to the
banks of Fox river. In 1836 the family
moved twenty miles southward to what is
now Kendall county. On leaving Cayuga
county, N. Y., Mr. Howe took with him a
set of sawmill tools, which he used in a
mill he erected on Fox river. Later he
erected a saw and grist mill at Yorkville,
Kendall county, and was the pioneer in
the use of water-power there. He took an
important part in the development of this
rich little county of Illinois, and at his
death, which occurred August 25, 1867, in
Yorkville, the community mourned the
decease of an honest citizen. In politics
he was originally a Democrat, but after
the commencement of the Rebellion he
became a Republican. Mrs. Howe passed
away March 5, 1873.
Chester S. Howe accompanied his father
to Illinois in 1834, worked with him in
the sawmill on Fox river, and later in the
saw and grist mill at Yorkville. In Feb
ruary, 1838, he decided to go east, and
acting on this determination came to Peru
township, Pluron Co., Ohio, that month.
He resided one year with his maternal
grandfather, Daniel B. Hicks, and at
tended the school at Milan, Ohio. In the
spring of 1839 he revisited Illinois, where
he remained a year, then returning to
Ohio he worked at the carpenter's trade,
and during the winter of 1840-41 taught
school in Norwich township, Huron county,
having previously taught a school in
Greenfield township. In 1841 he entered
the employ of Alonzo Fox, as clerk in his
general store. In September of that year
he started on a southern journey with two

HURON COUNTY, OHIO.

431

friends, but at Cincinnati he and one of
the friends left the other, visited Lexing
ton and Louisville (Ky.), and thence pro
ceeded by river, via Cairo, St. Louis and
LaSalle, to his father's western home at
Yorkville. In the spring of 1842 he re
turned to Ohio, and entered the employ of
Boalt & Gibbs, merchants. In 1846 he
became Mr. Boalt's partner, aud subse
quently became sole owner of the stock.
In 1859 he purchased a farm in Peru
township, and followed agricultural life
until 1878, when he moved to Macksville,
where he has since made his home.
On June 7, 1846, Mr. Howe was united
in marriage with Miss Harriet Barker,
who was born April 11, 1822, in Cayuga
county, N. Y. In 1828 she was brought
by her parents to Bronson township, Huron
Co., Ohio, where she received her educa
tion, and passed the remainder of her life.
Two children were boru to this marriage,
namely: Albert B., born March 16, 1847,
and who died December 17, 1850; and
Frank, born December 5, 1851, and was
married February 20, 1873, to Eva, daugh
ter of William and Emilene Akers (their
children are Lela M., born January 12,
1877, and Sarah E., born February 3,
1879). Mrs. Harriet Howe died Septem
ber 27, 1892. Mr. Howe, in politics, is a
member of the Democratic party.

Y% ILEY GRIFFIN, grandson of Ger-
lwft( sham Griffin, was born April 29,
|j ]^ 1812, in the town of Hunter,
y) Greene county, New York.
Gersham Griffin was a farmer
of Westchester county, N. Y., at the be
ginning of the Revolutionary war, and
suffered repeatedly from marauding par
ties of the British soldiery. On one occa
sion he was plowing in a cornfield, whe«
some British cavalry galloped forward and
seized upon the only horse he possessed.
On sundry occasions they visited the farm,
destroying fences and burning what they

could not carry away. It is not known
why he did not enter the Continental line,
but his young wife and family probably
restrained him, or mayhap some political
notions may have militated against his
service with the patriots. Whatever the
cause, he did not serve in the army, but
removed with his wife and children to
Greene county, N. Y., where he hoped the
wilderness would not only shelter them
from the wrath of war, but would also
enable him to make a new property as
good as that which he abandoned. Ten
days before his death, in 1831, as a patient,
he made his first acquaintance with a phy
sician, but medical aid was useless, for bis
race was run, and he passed away at the
age of eighty-eight years, one month and
two days.
Abijah Griffin, son of this old pioneer,
was born in Westchester county, N. Y.,
August 28, 1773, and when eighteen years
old was brought by his parents into Greene
county. There he grew to manhood, and
in 1795 married Abigail Bloomer, who
was born in Westchester county, N. Y.,
June 5, 1770, and when twenty-one years
old came to Greene county witb her par
ents, who, like the Griffins, were pioneers
of that section of New York. To this
marriage came the following named chil
dren: Esther, born July 8, 1796, married
Joseph H. Miller, and died in New York
State in 1843; Ezekiel, born October 21,
1799, settled in Ohio in 1836, and died in
Greenwich township, Huron county, in
1872; Phoebe, born June 4, 1803, married
James Williamson, of Fitchville township,
Huron county, and died in 1881 (she was
the mother of J. A. Williamson, a leading
attorneyof the Huron county bar); Tamer,
born April 15, 1806, married Jeremiah
Kingsbury, in Greenwich township, and
died there in 1855; Robert B., born June
11, 1809, a farmer and carpenter, died in
Greenwich township, August 9, 1891, and
Riley, the subject of this sketch.
In May, 1833, the father of this family
visited Ohio, to examine the lands of

432

HURON COUNTY, OHIO.

Huron county. Selecting a tract of one
hundred acres in Greenwich township, he
purchased it for four hundred dollars, re
turned to Greene county, and in Septem
ber following brought his wife and chil
dren (excepting Esther and Ezekiel) to take
possession of their Ohio home. The
journey was made via canal and lake to
the village of Huron, and thence by wagon
to Greenwich township. The weather be
ing stormy, the boat on which they traveled
from Buffalo to Huron was driven to the
Canadian shores, where it lay for two days,
rather than risk a trip across the lake. The
land which Mr. Griffin purchased was
slightly improved, a small log cabin in a
small clearing indicating that some pioneer
had been there before. Some short time
after settling here another tract of one
hundred acres, opposite the first tract, was
purchased for ten dollars per acre, and to
the new land the family removed their
residence. A new house was erected
thereon by his sons, and there the father
died in May, 1856. His remains were in
terred in Fitchville cemetery, in or near
the grave where his wife was buried, she
having died November 20, 1840. Both
were Methodists, and in politics Abijah
Griffin voted with the Whigs.'
Riley Griffin was bora April 29, 1812,
and passed his boyhood on the farm and
in attending winter school. When a youth
he learned the carpenter's trade, but still
continued to give his attention to books.
He taught school for ten dollars per month
in New York State, and after settling in
Greenwich township taught one term there
and two terms in Fitchville, the highest
salary paid being fifteen dollars per month
and "boarding round." On January 21,
1839, he was united in marriage with
Philena Washburn, who was bora June
8, 1817, in Ulster county, N. Y., and was
brought by her parents, Henry and Mary
Washburn, to Greenwich township in
1819. To this marriage came the follow
ing: Mary, born February 10, 1840, died
December 5, 1882; Hialmer, born May 6,

1842, a farmer of Fitchville township,
Huron county; Ermina, born July 18,
1843, Mrs. T. W. Fancher, of Lorain
county; Corwin, born June 7, 1845, a
physician of Clyde, Ohio, and Stanley,
born May 20, 1848, proprietor of the
"Hotel Griffin," Lorain, Ohio. The
mother of this family died February 20,
1863, and was interred in the family burial
ground, in the northeast corner of Green
wich cemetery. On January 21, 1864, he
married, for hi s second wife, Mrs. Mary Jane
(Carl) Baker, who was borrr November 22,
1813, at Salem, N. Y., whence in 1815 she
was taken by her parents, William and
Martha (Weed) Carl, to Greenwich, Conn.
In 1830 the family moved to Greenwich
township, Huron Co., Ohio, where the
father purchased one hundred acres at one
dollar per acre, and here Mary J. Carl
married Marshall Baker, and after his death
united with Mr. Griffin. They knew each
other in their youthful days.
In 1834 Riley Griffin located on the
second tract of one hundred acres purchased
by his father, while Robert B., a brother
who also married about that time, located
on the first tract. The highway alone
separated the brothers' farms, and for
twenty-two years they worked as one man.
The earnings of the two farms were equally
divided annually, and this division closed
the year's business. Riley Griffin resided
on the second tract until 1876, when he
moved to the town of Greenwich, where he
has since lived a semi-retired life. The
trade of carpenter, which he learned in
his youth, enabled him to build his own
houses, fences, etc. This trade, with his
natural aptitude for agriculture and pro
verbial industry, brought him wealth, so
that now he can enjoy the reward of his
early labor. In politics formerly a Whig,
he became a Republican on the formation
of the party, and was one of the first four
teen men in Greenwich township who
voted the new ticket. He is a great
reader of newspapers, and is well versed
in the political history of the United

HURON COUNTY, OHIO.

433

States. His memory of dates and events
is phenomenal, and for a man of his age
there are few who can be compared with
him in physical and mental strength. He
has held several township offices, but he
had no political aspirations. In religious
connection Mr. and Mrs. Griffin attend
the Methodist Episcopal Church, and they
are in every way worthy of the esteem in
which they are held.

GALVERT A. MEAD is descended
from one of three Welsh brothers
who were early settlers of Huron
county. His father, Edmund Mead,
was born in 1788, in Putnam county, N.
Y., and reared on a farm. He received a
good education, and was private secretary
to a captain during the war of 1812. He
was "married in his native State to Rachel
Knapp, who was born in Delaware county,
N. Y., and came to Ohio in an early day.
After moving to Ohio Edmund Mead
bought 125 acres of land, situated one and
one half miles southeast of Norwalk.
About the year 1832 he bought a tract of
150 acres in Section 2, Bronson township,
a log house and a few tillable acres being
the only improvement then made. To
this family were born nine children — four
sons and five daughters — of whom five are
yet living, viz.: Mrs. Elizabeth A. Mit
chell and Mrs. Almira A. Merwin, both of
whom reside in California; Alfred G., a
farmer, surveyor and miller, of Michigan
(has a family of five sons and two daugh
ters); Charles E., living in Oklahoma (has
one son and four daughters), and Calvert
A. The father was an active worker in the
Whig and Republican parties. He died
in 1876 at the age of eighty-eight years,
and in 1878 the mother was laid beside
him, having passed her eighty-eighth year.
Calvert A. Mead was bora June 9, 1834,
on the home farm in Bronson township.
He attended the common schools, and
from early youth has been associated with

agricultural pursuits, having had charge
of the home place since his twenty-fourth
year. On March 24, 1857, he was united
in marriage with Ellen M., daughter of Eri
Mesnard, and she has borne him the fol
lowing children: Byron L., Albert S., Ger
trude L., Clayton B., Henry B. and Frank
L. ; they also have an adopted son, Charles
W. Of these children one is in Toledo,
Ohio, two are living in Illinois, one in
Buffalo, and Frank L., the youngest, died
September 29, 1893.
In 1876 Mr. Mead erected a commodious
residence, situated on one of the most
beautiful and picturesque spots in Huron
county. He has been a very successful
farmer, and has made many substantial
improvements on the place. In politics he
has been a Republican since the organiza
tion of that party, having cast his first
ballot for Jehu C. Fremont.

FRESTON PALMER, a descendant
of one of the most deserving pio
neer families of Huron county, was
born January 6, 1834, in Fitch
ville township.
The first of the family in America lo
cated in New England at the close of the
seventeenth century, and his descendants
were still residing there when the fertile
lands of Ohio were first opened to settle
ment. Samuel Palmer, grandfather of
subject, was born in 1758 in Fairfield
county, Connecticut.
Samuel Palmer, son of Samuel, was born
September 12, 1799, in Connecticut, re
ceived an elementary education in the
school of his native place, and grew to
manhood there. One of his brothers,
Alvah, was a soldier in the war of 1812, and
received 200 acres of the Connecticut " Fire
lands " in Ohio. Another brother, Randall,
visited Ohio in 1817 or 1818, making his
home there, and in the spring of 1819
Samuel, accompanied by Randall Palmer's
wife and her four children with his sister

434

HURON COUNTY, OHIO.

Hannah, set out for Ohio. They traveled
in a wagon drawn by an ox and a cow with
a gray mare as leader of the team. Owing
to wet weather, the greatest care had to be
taken in fording the rivers and streams en
route, and the greatest patience exercised
in crossing marshy spots on the road. The
party arrived safely in Huron county after
being seventy-five days on the road. Often
friendly Indians helped them out of the
swamps during their journey, and ever
after the travelers were kind to the Red
man. Along the route young Samuel
killed sufficient game to keep up the supply
of fresh meat, while from the pioneers they
bought corn or "johnny-cake." Samuel
Palmer became the first school teacher in
Fitchville township.
In October, 1832, he married Eliza O.
Curtiss, who was born on Long Island, N.
Y., October 7, 1815. Her father, William
P. Curtiss, was a minister of the Protest
ant Episcopal Church until his death from
cholera in 1828, and his two daughters
were brought to Ohio by their uncle,
Chester Manville, who settled in Wake
man township, Huron county. To this
marriage were bora the following-named
children: Preston, the subject of this
sketch; Marcus O, born February 19, 1839,
who died leaving a family; and Samuel L.,
born November 17, 1841, deceased in
youth. The mother of these children died
May 2, 1842, and was buried in Fitchville
township. On October 29. 1844, Mr.
Palmer married Anna P. Lyon, who was
bora in Cayuga county, N. Y., where the
marriage took place. The children born
to this marriage are named as follows:
Eliza, bora September 1, 1848; Samuel E.,
bora August 1, 1851, and Anna. The
last named three children died in youth,
and on September 27, 1876, their mother
passed away. The father died December
5, 1882, and the remains of both He in the
Fitchville cemetery. Mr. Palmer was a
farmer even during the years when he
taught school in Fitchville township. As
a horticulturist he was well known, for he

brought fruit-tree seeds from the East, and
set out the first nursery in the township.
He read every book, pamphlet and news
paper which came to his hand, and was
particularly devoted to Bible reading. A
supporter of the Congregational Church,
and in early years a trustee in that Church,
the latch-string of his home was always
out for preachers of that denomination.
An unflinching Abolitionist, he was a
"conductor on the Underground Rail
way," at times concealing from ten to fif
teen negroes round the home, until he
could forward them to Canada. In 1856
he joined the Republicans, and remained
witb that party the rest of his life. He
was a most successful farmer, and highly
esteemed in his district.
Preston Palmer was reared in the man
ner common to pioneer boys in Ohio at his
time. The common school existed when
he was of school age, and in that of his
district he received a rudimentary educa
tion, being a student at the time when
school was held in nine distinct houses,
and at irregular periods. At the age of
fourteen years his labor on the farm was
deemed more necessary than his education,
and from the spring of 1848 to the sum
mer of 1850 he worked steadily as a farm
baud. In 1850 he began to learn the
coach painter's trade under Jacob Loomis,
of Cleveland, and worked as journeyman
painter throughout southern Ohio in
1851-52, and part of 1853, when he re
turned to Fitchville township and resumed
farming. On June 26, 1859, he married Elthina
Crane (daughter of Chauncey Crane), a
native of Fitchville township, who died
August 27, 1890, without issue. On June
11, 1892, Mr. Palmer married Mrs. Jo
hanna (Van Vechten) Smith, daughter of
Dr. D. D. Van Vechten, formerly of Alle
gany county, N. Y. Mr. Palmer has not
devoted his whole life to agriculture. In
June, 1863, he was summarily summoned
from industry to war, and enlisted in an
artillery company at Cleveland, Ohio,

HURON COUNTY, OHIO.

435

which was dissolved by Gov. Tod. On
July 20, 1863, he enlisted in Company M,
First O. H. A., known also as the One
Hund'red and Seventeenth O. V. I., trans
formed into an artillery regiment by order
of May 2, 1863. He was engaged in the
construction of the works at Covington
and Newport for the protection of Cincin
nati, and also served at Alexandria and
Fort Whittlesey until the end of January,
1864, when the command proceeded to
Point Burnside, Tenn. At the close of
February the order to move toward Knox
ville was observed, but, on that terrible
inarch over the mountains, Mr. Palmer's
strength failed, and he was left at a farm
house to be cared for. About the last of
March he joined the company at Knox
ville, and on April 6 was assigned to serv
ice on the engineer corps under Lieutenant
Sternberger. In July, 1864, he was
stricken with malarial fever, and trans
ferred to hospital at Knoxville, where he
remained until discharged, May 26, 1865.
Returning from the war, he resumed farm
ing on the old homestead, and has won
success as an agriculturist. A Republican,
be is one of the counsellors of the party in
his county, is well posted on public mat
ters, and being a man of sound judgment
and common sense his opinion is often
sought in public affairs and in many pri
vate concerns.

EORGE VAN HORN, one of the
y pushing, wide-awake citizens of Ha
vana, and a prosperous merchant
of the town, of which he is also
postmaster, is a native of Norwich
township, Huron county, born in 1857.
William H. Van Horn, father of sub
ject, was born in Pennsylvania in 1827, a
son of William D. Van Hora, also a
native of the Keystone State, born of Ger
man ancestry. William H. was a carpen
ter and builder, and came to Ohio when a
young man. He married a Miss Hicks,
by whom there were seven children.

The subject of these lines received a
liberal education at the public schools of
Norwich township, and was thoroughly
trained to the arduous duties of farm life
until the age of seventeen, at which time
he commenced clerking for his uncle, F.
Van Horn, in Havana, Huron county, with
whom he remained eleven years. Then
for six years he was a partner with his
uncle, after which he bought his uncle out,
and commenced business for himself. He
is a thoroughly representative self-made
man, having risen from very small be
ginnings, by his own indefatigable energy,
to his present position of comparative
affluence. In his political preferences
Mr. Van Horn is a stanch Republican, and
on February 22, 1889, he was appointed
postmaster at Havana. In religious faith
he is a member of the Universalist Church.

E'LI 0. ELLIS, a worthy descendant
of pioneers of Vermont and north-
 l era Ohio, was born November 28,
1825, on the farm in Peru town
ship, where he now resides.
Andrew Ellis, grandfather of Eli O.,
was a farmer of Essex county, Vt., and in
connection with agriculture carried on the
manufacture of lampblack, in which he
was assisted by his children, whose names
are Mary, Andrew, Freeman, William,
Apollis, Joseph Cornelius and Lyman.
Lyman Ellis was born about 1795, on
the home farm in Vermont. When a
youth he served with the troops of his
State in the war of 1812 as a substitute
for his father. Before and after that con
flict he worked in the lampblack factory,
and then learned the cooper's trade. In
1820 he determined to see for himself
what truth there was in the reports from
Ohio, and made the journey thither on
foot, carrying with him all his property.
Locating for awhile in Lorain county, near
Black River, he satisfied himself that Flor
ence (now Berlin), Sandusky county, offered

436

HURON COUNTY, OHIO.

greater advantages to him, and thither he
proceeded. There he married Annie Wil
son, a native of Hebron, Washington Co.,
N. Y., near the Vermont line, daughter of
Asa Wilson, and who came with her par
ents to Ohio in 1820. During the jour
ney they encountered a very heavy snow
storm, the ground being covered to a depth
of two feet, and making it necessary for
the travelers to obtain the small limbs of
trees to feed to the cattle. In 1820 Asa
Wilson purchased 500 acres in Peru town
ship, Huron county, at five dollars per
acre, and built a rude cabin thereon, where
he dwelt with his wife and family. .Lyman
Ellis died in 1864; his widow followed
him to the grave in 1883, and both are
buried in the Wilson family cemetery.
Mr. Ellis was one of the early Methodists,
and was class-leader for a number of years,
until he and his wife renounced Method
ism and embraced the Free-will Baptist
doctrine. In politics he was originally a
Democrat, but voting for Fremont in 1856
he remained thereafter a consistent Repub
lican until his death.
Eli O. Ellis, like other pioneer boys,
passed his youth in farm work, in school
or in play, there being always a surplus of
work present. When a youth he was
sent to a school at Norwalk; bufr mechan
ics and agriculture being more in conso
nance with his nature than clerical work, it
is not a matter for surprise to find him
again on the farm, sharing in the work of
clearing and cultivating. When the San
dusky & Mansfield Railroad was surveyed
young Ellis was rodman for John Webb,
the surveyor. Being a natural mechanic,
he worked at various trades until 1847.
On May 23, that year, he married MisB
Hannah Gordon, a native of New York,
and to this marriage the following-named
children were born: Emma, Mrs. William
F. Robinson, of Norwich township, and
Adelbert D., who died when eleven years
old. Mrs. Hannah Ellis died in 1862,
and Mr. Ellis in 1864 married Sarah L.
Clement, wh6 bore him two children,

Clayton and Elbert M., both residing
here. After the death of Mrs. Sarah L.
Ellis, who was killed by the cars in 1881,
he married Mrs. Mary Millis. After his
first marriage our subject settled on the
home farm, which he had aided his father
in clearing, and here he has resided for
over forty-five years. Some years ago he
was injured by a runaway horse, and since
that time has done no active farm work,
although he still attends to the direction
and management of all his interests. Mr.
Ellis is an independent thinker, and will
not be held by party bonds unless the
principle and deeds of the party appear to
him to be wise. He was a Republican-
prior to the passage of the McKinley Bill,
and is now allied with the People's party.
Though he has been honored with town
ship offices since twenty-three years of age,
he is not a politician in the sense that an
office seeker is; for he can speak fluently
and intelligently on all sides of a political
question regardless of sympathy with it,
and indeed can ably bring out the good
and bad points in the lives of local and
national statesmen.

L

P. SISSON, a retired farmer of
Greenwich township, was born Feb
ruary 15, 1823, in Wayne county,
N. Y., a son of Sanford Sisson, who
was born in Rhode Island, but when seven
years old accompanied his father, Jabez
Sisson, to Rensselaer county, N. Y., where
he grew to manhood.
When a young man Sanford married
Flaviah West, a native of Rensselaer
county, and they moved to Wayne county
in pioneer times, residing there until 1827,
when the family came to Ohio. They
located in Ripley township. Huron county,
where the father purchased 114 acres of
land, upon whiah he erected a rude log
house. The old settlers of Huron can
form an idea of the courage of these pio
neers in entering Ripley township at that

HURON COUNTY, OHIO.

431

time. It was a veritable wilderness, the
favorite haunt of deer and other large
game, and Mr. Sisson, it is related, has
stood in one place and killed three deer at
a time. The bear and wolf were regular
visitants, and wild turkey abounded. To
Sanford and Flaviah Sisson fourteen chil
dren were born, of whom two are now
living, namely: L. P., the subject of this
sketch, and Augustus, of Ft. Payne, Ala,
Arnold, the last one whose death is re
corded, died in 1893 in Hastings, Mich.
The father died in Ripley township in
1859, his widow in Barry county, Mich.,
in 1862, each being buried in the place of
death. Mr. Sisson was a Whig, and took
an active part in the political contests of
his time.
L. P. Sisson was nearly five years old
when bis parents moved to Huron county.
He attended a winter school, taught by one
of his sisters in a rude log building, and
when school days were over entered on
farm work. On December 15, 1844, he
married Elizabeth Mills, who was born
December 3, 1822, in Wayne county, N. Y.,
daughter of Nathaniel Mills, who settled
in Ohio with his family about the year
1838. The children of this marriage were
Willis N., a farmer of Greenwich township;
Frances Josephine, Mrs. D. D. Washburn;
Sanford H., a farmer of Greenwich town
ship; Emma F., who died when nineteen
years old; Lucius A., residing at home;
Oscar L., living in Greenwich township;
Addie L., who died young; William E., a
farmer olf Greenwich township, and Jennie
A., Mrs. Charles McMillen, of Berea,
Ohio. After his marriage Mr. Sisson
worked on his father's farm for three
years, and then as a tenant for U. B.
Thomas. In 1850 he purchased fifty acres
in New London township; in 1853 he
took up his residence on the old Mills
homestead, where he continued to live till
October 31, 1893, when he moved to the
village of Greenwich. In politics origin
ally a Whig, he has been a Republican
{from the organization of the new party,

and has held various township offices, being
always earnest and faithful in the perform
ance of his duties. He has been a most
successful farmer and stock grower, but
five years ago be practically retired, and he
now enjoys the ease and peace which
generally follow economy and intelligent
labor. Ei G. E. EASTMAN, who was bora
April 17, 1838, in Bronson town-
 l ship, is a son of Seba Eastman,
born July' 18, 1798, near Rutland,
Vt. Seba Eastman was married, Novem
ber 26, 1830,. to Keziah Edson, who was
born December 8, 1801, near Charlestown,
Massachusetts. Starting in life Seba sold a valuable
team of horses for four hundred dollars,
but was cheated out of three hundred and
ninety-five dollars of this sum, the balance
of which, five dollars, he invested in a
Bible, which is now in the possession of
his son. The incident is given to show
the intensity of the faith, as it burned
among the Green Mountains at the begin
ning of this century. Before leaving Ver
mont two children were born to Seba and
Keziah Eastman — Caroline E. and Keziah
A. — both of whom were brought west by
their parents in 1832. The family traveled
by the Erie Canal and lake to Ohio, and
first located in Lykins township, Crawford
county, but in the fall of 1832 made a
permanent settlement in Huron county.
Of their children who came with them to
Ohio, Caroline, who married Alonzo
Adams, died December 9, 1869, and
Keziah, who became the wife of Myron
D. Stevens, resides in Michigan. The fol
lowing children were bora after their set
tlement in Ohio: E. G. E. ; Seba A., a
farmer of Greenfield township, and James
A., who enlisted when sixteen years old in
Company C, Twenty-fifth O. V. I., and
died in South Carolina. The father died
of apoplexy July 4, 1850, his widow on
May 6, 1877, and both are buried in
Centre cemetery.

438

HURON COUNTY, OHIO.

E. G. E. Eastman received a primary
education in the schools of his native town
ship. On the death of his father he began
work as a farm hand at six dollars per
month, and with this small pay labored
each summer until 1854, when he and his
brother formed a partnership, and later,
with their mother, purchased sixty acres
of land which now forms a part of his
estate. In 1859 Mr. Eastman moved to
Fulton county, Ohio, where he remained
one year, and then, returning, resided with
his mother until her death.
On January 3, 1878, he married Mary
J. Kendall, who was born June 19, 1845,
at Amity, Orange Co., N. Y., daughter of
Amos Kendall, who brought his family to
Huron county in 1846. To Mr. and Mrs.
Eastman have been born the following
named children: Effie G., Grace E., Gary
E., Amos K., and one who died in infancy.
With the exception of one year passed in
Bronson township, and two years on one
of the tracts in Peru township, the family
have resided on the old farm, purchased
about 1854. Mr. Eastman is non-partisan
in politics. His idea is to place honest
men in office, and this accomplished the
laws will be observed strictly, improve
ments 'carried out economically, and taxa
tion reduced to a minimum. He takes
special pride in being known as an indus
trious, frugal man, who has, in fact, made
a valuable property by his own intelligent
labor.

,EV: HENRY G. SUTTER, pastor
of the Evangelical Lutheran Church
of Bellevue, was born February 12,
1857, at Sugar Grove, Fairfield
county, Ohio.
His parents, John J. and Eva (Hoffman)
Sutter, natives of Switzerland and Wur-
temberg (Germany), respectively, came to
the United States when children, and to
their marriage four daughters and one son
were born. John J. Sutter was a German
Evangelical Lutheran minister, and

preached in Fairfield county the greater
part of his life, but also served charges at
Clyde, Marion and Bellevue, Ohio, after
ward. Rev. John J. Sutter died January
4, 1884. Mrs. Eva Sutter resides with her
son, Henry G., at Bellevue.
Our subject was educated in the schools
of his native place, and completed a liberal
course of study in the Capital University,
Columbus, Ohio, from which institute he
graduated in 1880. Entering the German
Lutheran Sem'inary at Columbus, he grad
uated thence in 1883, and was ordained at
Attica, Seneca county. In April, same year,
he took charge of the church at Attica, and
introduced preaching in both German and
English, German having been used exclu
sively in the pulpit up to that time. In 1884
he was called by the Bellevue congregation,
and this with two congregations in the
district he serves most satisfactorily. He
is one of the ablest of the younger minis
ters of the Lutheran denomination in Ohio.
Rev. Henry G. Sutter was married Sep
tember 18, 1884, to Miss Minnie Rut-
hardt, born in New York City, October 25,
1861, whose parents were both natives of
Wurtemberg, Germany. To this union
were born four children, namely: Fred
erick, Gertrude, Walter and Hortense.

JOSEPH F. SMITH, grandson of
Joseph Smith, was born April 1,
1849, in Peru township, Huron Co.,
Ohio, and received his primary edu
cation in the common schools. Later he at
tended Bryant & Felton's Business Cob
lege at Cleveland, Ohio, whence he
graduated. Returning to his native county, he
worked on his father's farm for some time,
then entered the employ of William & A.
W. Prentiss at Monroeville, where he was
a clerk for eighteen months, until stricken
with small-pox. Abandoning business he
returned to the home farm. In 1876 he
came into possession of the home place,
and on May 14, 1877, was married to Miss

HURON COUNTY, OHIO.

439

Mary Amend, who was born in Havana,
Ohio, a daughter of Frank Amend, farmer
of Norwich township. The children born
to this marriage are Joseph, Clarence and
Amelia, all residing at home. Since his
marriage he has resided on the home farm,
which is part of the "Old Johnson Farm."
Mr. Smith is one of the prominent agri
culturists and stock growers of the, county,
is very popular among "the Germans of
his neighborhood, and is a highly respected
citizen of his community. His farm and
buildings tell, at a glance, how far system
in agriculture goes toward success. The
ancestry of the family is recorded in the
biography of Mr. Frank J. Smith, of Peru
township, a brother of our subject. Mr.
Smith gives the Democratic party bis un
flinching loyalty; but beyond tbe time de
voted to the municipal interests of the
township he does not permit politics to
interfere with his business interests. The
family are members of the Catholic
Church.

Jj\[ RTHUR WILLOUGHBY, who
|/\\ during his lifetime was one of the
lr\_\ most progressive citizens of Rich-
•fj mond township, was a native of
Harrison county, Ohio, bora near
the present town of New Hagerstown.
He was the fourth child of James and
Margaret (Patterson) Willoughby, the
former of whom was bora in Washington
county, Penn., the latter in Ireland, whence
when a young girl she came with her par
ents to America, locating in Harrison
county, Ohio, where they were pioneers.
James Willoughby was a farmer in Har
rison county, whither he too had come with
his parents in pioneer times, and where he
was married. While living in Harrison
county three children were born to them,
as follows: Catherine, who was married
to John Bingham, and died in Seneca
county, Ohio; Robert, a farmer of Rich
mond township, and Arthur, the subject
proper of this memoir. About 1829 this

family settled in the woods of Seneca
county, at which time the vicinity
abounded with wild animals — bear, deer,
wild cats, turkeys, etc. The journey,
which was made by wagon, was very diffi
cult, and in some places they even had to
cut their own roads through the country.
He purchased land at one dollar and
twenty-five cents per acre, and made some
money acting as- guide for land seekers; he
also speculated to some extent, witb the
hard-earned money he had accumulated in
Harrison county, and had some success in
that line. His ability as a marksman,
with an old flint-lock rifle, was really re
markable, and many were the wild ani
mals which fell before it. Two more chil
dren were born in Seneca county: Rebecca,
now Mrs. Chauncy Reed, of Michigan,
and Jane, widow of William Gardner, also
residing in Michigan. Mr. Willoughby
died June 22, 1834, and was buried at
Attica, Seneca county; he was indeed a
pioneer in his section. His widow was
afterward married to Jacob Courtwright,
to whom she bore one child, Jacob, who is
now a liveryman of Attica, Seneca county.
They resided in Norwich township, and
she lived for a number of years afterward,
dying April 17, 1865.
Arthur Willoughby was bora February
27, 1825, was reared to farm life, and, as
his step-father did not believe in much
education, received during his early youth
but little school training. When seven
teen years old he left home, with but few
clothes and a small amount of money, and
took up his abode with Major La Rue, in
Venice township, Seneca county, where he
worked as a farm hand. Here he also at
tended school. He was a good worker, aud
received nine dollars a month for his serv
ices, prior to which he had split rails for
fifty cents a hundred. In the fall of 1852
he married Mary Jane Ringle, born in
Carroll county, daughter of George and
Catherine (Pottorf) Ringle, and the young
couple settled in Norwich township on
one hundred acres of land, which he had

440

HURON COUNTY, OHIO.

purchased at eleven dollars per acre. He
had previously bought tome land in Wy
andot county, Ohio, and selling this at a
profit, he was able, with the proceeds and
one hundred dollars' which his wife re
ceived from her home, to pay all but one
hundred dollars of the eleven hundred dol
lars, the price of the new land. It was
then entirely in the woods, and contained
a log house in which the family made
their home for eighteen years. From time
to time additions were made to this land,
and in 1869 an elegant brick residence
was erected across the road in Richmond
township. The following children cameto
bless the union of Mr. and Mrs. Arthur
Willoughby: Simon A., a former resident
of Reno county, Kans., where he died
April 28, 1893, leaving a widow and three
children (he was a member of the Kansas
State Board of Pardons, and in an obituary
notice of him in a local paper we find the
following: " For several years he had been
a very active man in politics, and labored
with an intelligence and earnestness in the
new political movement that marked him
as one of its leaders. He was yet a young
man, and would have made a good official
record had his life been spared "); Harry
E., of Cincinnati, an electrician in the em
ploy of the Electric Railroad; Willie M.,
a shoe merchant of Chicago. Ohio; Alice
M., Mrs. Cyrus Everingini, of Attica,
Ohio; Charley L., a farmer of Richmond
township; Clara B., a school teacher, a
highly educated lady; and Walter J., at
tending school.
The father of this family passed from
earth August 21, 1889; his death was sud
den and rather unexpected, as he had al
ways been a robust man, never ill for a
day. For eight years previous to his de
cease he had made his home in Attica,
Seneca county, in order to educate his
children, and here he lived a very retired
life. At the time of his death Mr. Will
oughby owned an elegant home and 375
acres of excellent land. In politics he was
a Democrat, and one of the leaders of the

party in his section; in religious belief he
was a member of the M. P. Church, in
which he held the office of steward. He
was in many ways an active man; even in
his early youth he understood the value of
knowledge, and this occasioned the dis
cord between him and his step-father
which caused him to leave home to seek
an education. He continued to hold these
opinions all his life, and as his family grew
up he afforded each member ample op
portunities for an education, of which they
were not slow to take advantage. As a
family and as individuals the Willougbbys
stand second to none iu the county. After
the death of her husband Mrs. Willoughby
returned to the home in Richmond town
ship, where she has ever since resided.
She is a member of the M. P. Church, and
is one of the most highly respected ladies
in the community in which she resides.

OLE- Of the families of this name
in Bronson and Norwalk townships,
the earliest ancestor of whom there
is authentic record was one John
Cole, bora in 1670, iu England, whose
son, also named John, was bora in 1705,
in " that tight little island," and came to
America in old Colonial days, passing the
later portion of his life in Connecticut.
He was twice married, first time to a sister
of Benjamin Franklin, his second wife be
ing Mary Brown. John Cole was the
father of six children — two sons and four
daughters — the eldest of whom was John,
the second son being named Thomas. The
latter was bora August 25, 1735, in Wind
ham county, Conn., and on December 7,
1757, was united in marriage to Miriam
Kinne, who bore him the following-named
children: Silas, Amos, Spencer, Levi,
Thomas, Jeremy, Samuel, Mary, Eunice
and Marion. The descendants of this fam
ily are very numerous, and are scattered
throughout the many portions of the
United States. The following is quoted
nearly verbatim, and with some additional

HURON COUNTY, OHIO.

443

matter, from a history of Huron and Erie
counties, giving a biographical sketch of
Levi Cole:
Levi Cole, the fourth son of Thomas and Mir
iam (Kinne) Cole, was born November 20, 1766, in
Windham county. Conn., married November 25,
1790, and died February 11, 1820, at Norwalk,
Ohio. His wife, Hannah Kinne, was born in
Windham county, Conn., July 24, 1770, and died at
Norwalk, Ohio, February 27, 1840. They had
seven sons and two daughters, as follows: Jeremy,
born March 17, 1795; died July 30, 1818; came to
Ohio in 1815. Asher, born April 23, 1797, died No-
vember-4, 1430; came to Ohio iu 1816. James, born
April 25, 1799; came to Ohio in 1816; on January
15, 1824, he was married to Philena Johnson, born
October 4, 1802, and there were born to them five
children — four sons and one daughter, viz. : Albert,
born October 2, 1824, still living in Greeley, Colo.;
Bryant, born March 7, 1828. died May 10, 1863;
Starry H., born March 6, 1831, died October 30,
1876 (he was first lieutenant of Company B, One
Hundred and Sixty-sixth Regiment O. V. I., for a
term of ninety days); George W., born February 22,
1835, died January 6, 1893 (he enlisted in the Third
Ohio Cavalry for a term of three years); and
Maria, born August 13, 1841, died January 1, 1892;
the father of these died December 26, 1881, the
mother on April 30, 1881. Levi, born March 23,
1801 ; died in Ridgefield township; came to Ohio in
1816. Miner, born July 26, 1803; died in Norwalk
township; came to Ohio in 1816. Manly K., born
February 11, 1807, and who came to Ohio in 1816,
has mention farther on. Lyman, born March 10,
1810; died October 10, 1853; came to Ohio in 1816.
The daughters were Hannah, born March 11, 1792,
died August 24, 1795. Ardelia, born December 4,
1811, died May 8, 1812.
In 1814 Mr. Cole was living in Herkimer county,
N. T., where he lost money after marriage, and,
that year, in company with Major David Underhill
and Timothy Baker, came on to look at lands held
by Mr. Underhill in Ridgefield township. He was
pleased with the land, and bargained for a piece
this side of the present farm of Sidney Brown, and
then returned home.
In 1815 the father came out again, accompanied
by his son Jeremy, Horace Morse, Dr. Joseph
Pierce and David Underhill, put up a house on the
land1, commenced a clearing, and otherwise pre
pared for bringing his tamily out the ne^t year, In
the fall, leaving Jeremy to look after the place' and
continue the improvements, he returned home
again. During this visit, and on the }6th day of July,
1815, he, Major Underhill and Dr. Joseph Pierce,
brushed out a "trail,"' or road, from Abijah Com-
stock's place tothe " Sand Ridge," as it was then
called (now Norwalk), and at night returned and
stayed at Comstock's until the next day, and then
started out and completed their worK through to
Underbill's place on the 17th. This was the first
highway labor ever done on Main street. They
followed the old " Indian trail," which came out
on the ridge somewhere between Milan and Chat
ham streets.

In January, 1816, Mr. Cole and Major Under.
hill started with their families and such goods and
supplies as they might require in their new homes,
with six teams and sleighs, three to each family.
The party comprised twenty persons, to wit: Mr.
and Mrs. Cole and six of their boys, Mr. and Mrs.
Underhill and six children, Jasper Underhill (a
nephew of the Major), Daniel Warren, Marks Ros-
beck, Rhoda Pierce, sister to Joseph Pierce, and a
person by the name of Wilcox.
After spending six weeks upon the road (five
days resting at Avery, the old county seat), they
reached Major Underbill's on the 22nd day of Feb
ruary, 1816. The Huron river was then so high
that Mr. Cole could not cross with his family and
teams to his own house, so he took them to Dr.
Pierce's house (the Benjamin Newcomb place),
and soon after purchased that place, and remained
there so long as he lived.
In 1818 Mr. Cole took a prominent part in the
movement which culminated in the removal of the
county seat to Norwalk.
On February 9, 1820, while Mr. Cole was en
gaged hauling a large saw-log, qne of h^s limbs,
owing to an accident in unloading, was caught
between the logs, and so terrihly crushed that he
died two days afterwards.
Of the children born to Levi and Hannah
Cole the following is a brief record: Asher
(the second sou), or Col. Asher Cole, as he
was called, was married January 6, 1828,
to Narcissa Lawrence, who bore him one
son, also named Asher. This son was born
November 12, 1828, and on October 19,
1859, was united in marriage with Sarah
J. Purdy. He died May 29, 1885, leaving
a widow and seven children.
Miner Cole (fifth son), father of Asher-
M.- Cole, was bora, as above recorded, July
26, 1803, in Herkimer county, N. Y.,
where he received his boyhood school
training. In 1816 he came to Huron
county, Ohio, with his father, making his
new home on a farm of 100 acres in Nor
walk township. In addition to his element
ary education he attended Norwalk Acade
my one term, and further improved his
mind by home study and close observation
of men and things. On July 30, 1840, he
married Miss Mary A. Allen, of Ripley
township, born November 7, 1819, a
daughter of Hiram Allen, a prominent
farmer of near Utica, N. Y. After mar
riage Mr. Cole continued in his life voca
tion np to the time of his death, wliich oc
curred August 20, 1885. A Eepublican

444

HURON COUNTY, OHIO.

in politics, he served his township faith
fully as trustee. But one child was born
to him, Asher M. Cole, a sketch of whom
follows. The mother died September 20,
1861. Manly K. Cole (sixth son) was married
March 27, 1844, to Sarah M. Bristol.
They lived in Section 3, Bronson township,
and were the parents of three sons and two
daughters. Manly K. Cole died April 29,
1893, at the age of eighty-six years.
Lyman (youngest child) was married
February 28, 1841, to Sarah Johnson, a
native of Genesee county, N. Y. About
the year 1840 he bought of Judge Baker
100 acres of heavy woodland, in Section
3, Bronson township, Huron county, which
is now the home farm. He was a prominent
agriculturist, and took an active part in
public matters. He died in 1853, his
widow surviving him till February 22,
1892, when she too passed away, in her
seventy-second year. They left three
children, viz.: Emma, living with her
brother on the old homestead; Ella, wife
of Sylvester Snyder, of Peru township, and
Levi L., sketch of whom follows.
Asher M. Cole was born November 19,
1843, on his present farm in Norwalk
township, and received a liberal education
at the schools of the home district, at the
same time learning agriculture on the
homestead under the preceptorship of his
father. At the age of twenty he enlisted
in Company B, Cne Hundred and Sixty-
sixth O. V. L, and May 15, 1864, was
mustered into the service. His first expe
rience was on garrison duty at Arlington
Heights, where he remained until Septem
ber, same year, when, his term of enlist
ment expiring at that date, he was dis
charged. Prior to his enlistment in the
United States forces, he had served on
home guard for some time.
On March 5, 1869, Mr. Cole married
Miss Louisa E. Channing, a native of
Somersetshire, England, born in 1846, aud
who. at the age of five years, was brought
to Huron county, where on a farm her

youthful days were passed. One child,
Miner A., born August 26, 1880, has come
to brighten the cosy home of Mr. and Mrs.
Cole. During the same year they adopted
a little boy of six summers, named Orill
Allen, a distant relative. Mr. Cole owns
a fine farm in Norwalk township of 125
acres, and he is honored and respected not
only as an industrious and prosperous
farmer, but also as a useful and loyal citizen.
He aud his wife are members of the Uni
versalist Church.
Levi L. Cole was born October 19,
1850, on the ancestral acres in Bronson
township, Huron Co., Ohio. He received
his elementary training in the neighboring
schools, then attended Milan Normal
School three terms. On October 20, 1880,
he was married to Elva T., daughter of
Richard and Eliza (Lutts) Boyle, a native
of Norwalk township, Huron Co., Ohio.
They have one daughter, Anna E., who is
now ten years of age. Mr. Cole has fol
lowed in the footsteps of his forefathers, is
a practical, successful agriculturist, and
has owned the old place (consisting of 150
acres) since the death of his father.

4/

MRS. BENJAMIN MOORE is a
daughter of Jacob Weiker, a na-
\ five of Pennsylvania, and a highly
educated citizen of Philadelphia.
He was a wealthy and prominent
man, and died at Bellevue, Ohio; in poli
tics he voted with the Democratic party.
His daughter Anna was bora July 10,
1818, in Union county, Penn., and in 1835
came to Bellevue, Ohio. On November
28, 1837, she was united in marriage with
Benjamin Moore, a son of Henry Moore;
a native-born farmer of Pennsylvania, and
in religion a member of the Evangelical
Church. He died at the home of 'his son
Charles, near Bellevue, January 25, 1855,
his age being eighty-one years.
Benjamin Moore was born May 19, 1814,

in Mifflinburgh,

Union Co.,

Penn., where

HURON COUNTY, OHIO.

445

he received his early education, and learned
the carpenter trade. His mother, Mrs.
Susannah Moore, was born in Pennsyl
vania May 11, 1779, and died in the same
State December 25, 1834, at the age of
fifty-five years and three months. In 1836
Benjamin Moore came on foot through
the winter snow from Pennsylvania to
Bellevue, Ohio. Arriving at his destina
tion with no capital except energy and a
good trade,, he set bravely to work, win
ning for himself position, wealth and
friends. After his marriage with Miss
Weiker, he continued to follow his trade
until 1861, and then moved to a neighbor
ing farm which he had purchased. In
1885 he and his family came to another
farm adjacent to Bellevue, and finally set
tled in that village, where he erected a
neat brick dwelling. He was actively in
terested in all matters relating to the pro
gress of the community, and for forty
years was a member of the Baptist Church ;
in politics he was a Republican. He died
June 11, 1892, honored and mourned by
all who knew him. He had the following
children: Sarah M., deceased August 1,
1846; William H, a druggist of Bellevue
Sas two children, Benjamin and George);
ary E., wife of J. U. Mayne, a prom
inent business man of Bellevue (she has
two children, Nettie and Ernest, by her
former husband) ; Louisa, wife of Frank
Smith, a famous evangelist of the Congre
gational Church (they have four children,
Fannie, Anna, Gertrude and Willie).
Mrs. Moore has three great-grandchil
dren, namely: Ethel Barker, Robert
Barker and Ernest Barker, and her last
days are passing amid a throng of loving
friends and relatives.

T AMES MoLANE, who was born De-
v. I cember 23, 1825, in County Tyrone,
\^J) Ireland, is the eldest son of Robert
and Margaret (Arthur) McLane, who
were bora in the same county in 1799,
where the family originated.

Robert McLane married Margaret Ar
thur, daughter of John Arthur, a farmer
of County Tyrone, and three children were
born to them there, James (in 1825), John
and William. The fourth son, Thomas
A., was born in Greenfield township,
Huron Co., Ohio, two years before which
event the family had emigrated from Ire
land, landing, after a voyage of six weeks,
at New York. The father's means were
limited, so that his further progress had
to depend upon his earnings. Finding
work in New York State, he labored there
until his savings warranted him in resum
ing the journey to Huron county, Ohio,
where relatives of his wife had previously
settled. In the fall of 1831 they set out
for their destination, traveling via the Erie
Canal and lake to Sandusky, Ohio, whence
the father walked to Steuben, in Green
field township, Huron couuty. There he
hired an ox-team, and returning to San
dusky brought his family to their future
home in the United States, locating on
rented land. Mr. McLane entered the
employ of Archibald Easter, with whom
he remained two years, when he purchased
some land at one dollar and fifty cents per
acre, and developed tbe farm on which he
resided until his death in 1889. His wife
died October 3, 1865, and was buried in
Steuben cemetery, where the remains of
her husband also lie. Robert McLane
cast his first vote for Andrew Jackson, and
voted for every Democratic candidate down
to 1889. Like bis wife, he was a Congre-
gationalist in religion. Of their children
James, John and Thomas A. are residents
of Huron county, while William is a
farmer of South Dakota. The four sons
assisted the father in clearing and improv
ing the home farm.
James McLane attended the early schools
of Greenfield township, in which the old-
fashioned speller was the only text book.
School days over, the youth entered on
regular farm work, and remained on the
home place until November 18, 1869,
when he married Rebecca C. Schaeffer,

446

HURON COUNTY, OHIO.

who was bora at Fayette, Seneca Co., N.
Y., whence when six years of age she came
with her father, Michael Schaeffer (a na
tive of Pennsylvania, who had settled at
Fayette, Seneca Co., N. Y.), to Milan
township, Erie Co., Ohio. To her mar-
rirge with Mr. McLane the following
named children were born: Schaeffer M.,
a stenographer, of Cleveland; Howard B.,
who died in infancy; Mary C. and Robert
D., residing at home. In 1869 they lo
cated on the farm which they now occupy,
and which they have made oneof the most
valuable in the township. In politics Mr.
McLane votes with the Democratic party,
and formerly he took an active interest in
political affairs, serving his township in
various offices. In Church relation he is
a Congregationalist, and one of the most
liberal supporters of that denomination
here. As a farmer he is well known for
his systematic methods, while as a stock
grower he has the reputation of being ex
perienced and successful. He is an in
dustrious man, highly esteemed for what
he has accomplished.

^ILLIAM H. PIERCE, postmas
ter at Wakeman, is a native of
the town, bora in 1840, and there
received his education.
Amile Piatt Pierce, grandfather of sub
ject, was a native of Connecticut, whence
in 1815 he came to Wakeman township,
Huron county, making the journey with
ox-teams, crossing the Alleghany Moun
tains, and encountering many dangers and
obstacles by the way. He located in the
northwestern part of tbe township at a
time when there were only two bouses in
it. His children were Lemuel Bennett,
Minot, Apn, Fanny, and David S., of
whom are yet living: Minot, now seventy-
nine years of age, and Ann (Mrs. Dr.
Johnson, of Oberlin), now aged seventy-
six years; the remainder of the family all
jv;iGhed advanced ages.

Lemuel B. Pierce, father of our sub
ject, was born, in 1807, in Connecticut,
where his early boyhood days were passed
on his father's farm. He was about eight
years old when his parents brought him to
Wakeman township, and on the journey,
small boy as he was, he drove one of the
ox-teams. Here he encountered all the
trials and dangers of pioneer life, attend
ing a few brief months the subscription
school of the locality, which was held in
a dilapidated old log cabin, with greased
paper in lieu of windows, and rough slabs
for seats and desk. During his earlier
youth he learned milling, a trade he fol
lowed in connection with agricultural pur
suits. He married Miss Eunice Burr,
daughter of John Burr, a pioneer of the
county, having settled in Wakeman town
ship in 1817. To this union were bora
five children, viz.: Amelia and Elbert B.
(both deceased); Julia, Mrs. T. V. Bunce,
of Oberlin, Ohio; Frank L., a resident of
the same place, and William H. The
father died in August, 1874, leaving an
estate of great value, and, of still greater
value, an honored name and an enviable
record for honesty, and generosity even to
a fault. In his political predilections he
was first an Old-line Whig, afterward,
from the formation of the party, a Repub
lican. He and his wife were both devout
members of the Congregational Church,
thorough Christians, and earnest workers
in the cause of the Master.
W. H. Pierce, the subject proper of this
sketch, with the exception of about six
years has spent his entire life at the place
of his nativity, and received thorough
practical lessons in the arduous duties of
farm life under the competent preceptor-
ship of his father. At the breaking out
of the Civil war, fired by the spirit of pa
triotism, he enlisted in Company H, Forty-
first O. V. I., under Captain Pease, and
served some three and one-half years, one
and one-half as private, from which he was
promoted to lieutenant. He participated
in the battle of Pittsburg Landing (where

HURON COUNTY, OHIO.

447

his regiment was hotly engaged), besides
many skirmishes, etc. Receiving an hon
orable discharge, Mr. Pierce returned to
Wakeman, and for about one year was en
gaged in his former vocation. In 1866
he embarked in mercantile pursuits in the
town of Wakeman, but after a short ex
perience in this line he found an oppor
tunity of disposing of the business, and
returned to his old love — farming. Then
followed a series of movings and remov-
ings between the years 1882 and 1888, after
which he again found himself in Wakeman
engaged in general mercantile pursuits.
In 1890, as the result of an election held
by the citizens of the town to determine
by vote who might be the most popular of
the many aspirants for the postmastership
of Wakeman, he was installed in the office,
an honor he has in every respect proved
himself well worthy of.
In 1864 he was united in marriage with
Miss Dosia A. Waugh, daughter of Lan
sing Waugh, a native of Chautauqua, N.
Y., and who came to Wakeman township
in 1850. Children, as follows, have been
bora to Mr. and Mrs. Pierce: Clarence
H., at home; Arthur M., in Findlay, Ohio;
Gilbert, who died in 1872; Ada M., at
home, and Anna, deceased in 1878. Our
subject and wife are members of the Sec
ond Congregational Church of Wakeman,
and in politics he is a square Republican.

*jf^h EV. W. A. KEESY was born July
f^K 25, 1843, in Richmond township,
| 1^ Huron Co., Ohio. His grand-
y) father, Henry Keesy, was bora in
Pennsylvania during the eighteenth
century, worked on the home farm until
of age, and then established his own home
stead. He was a soldier in the war of
1812, removed to Huron county, Ohio,
some years later, and died at the house of
bis son John, in Richmond township,
about the year 1855. He was an unassum
ing, industrious man, who played his part
in the development of the "Firelands."

John Keesy, the father of our subject,
settled in Ohio about the year 1830. His
education was necessarily limited, but
owing to his youth being spent in a coun
try and time where the German language
was more popular than the English, he
could speak both with ease. On April 3,
1828, he married Elizabeth Gons, and to
this union ten children were born, a brief
record of whom is as follows: Harriet is
the widow of Daniel Rogers; John H.
resides in Richmond township; Margaret
is the wife of Mathias Ringle, Tuscola
county, Mich.; Peter B. F. resides in
Richmond township; Noah Miley also re
sides in Richmond township; Catherine,
who married David Hershiser, died in Ful
ton county, Ohio, in 1865; W. A. is the sub
ject of this sketch; Mary A. is the wife of
Daniel Fink, of Attica, Ohio; George W.
resides in Yuba City, Cal., and Sarah E.
is the wife of Archibald Riddle, of Rich
mond township. The father of this family
died January 18, 1859, the mother in
1873. John Keesy was a farmer of ster
ling character. He followed an idea per
sistently, and thus itis not to be wondered
at that he was a radical Whig and an ex
treme Abolitionist, but after the formation
of the Republican party he gave it his un
qualified support. He filled many town
ship offices and served as justice of the
peace, trustee, treasurer and in various
other local positions. When he first set
tled in Ohio he was a Winebrennerian,
bnt owing to the scarcity of Winebrenner's
followers here he joined the majority and,
for over a quarter of a century, was a most
zealous worker in the Methodist Episcopal
Church. W. A. Keesy received a primary educa
tion in the schools of his district, which
was supplemented, after the war, by a term
and a half at the Milan (Ohio) Normal
School. In fact, agricultnre rather than
education claimed the attention of his early
youth. After his father's death he worked
as a farm laborer until October, 1861, when
he enlisted in the Fifty-fifth O. Y. I.,

448

HURON COUNTY, OHIO.

went into camp at Norwalk on the 17th of
that month, and on January 25, 1862, left
for the front with his command. The
severe marches from New Creek to
Romney, and to Moorefield, W. Ya., in
troduced him to war no less than diseases
which fell upon the regiment at Grafton,
in February, 1862. The April campaign
and unsatisfactory marching and counter
marching of the spring and early summer
of 1862 ended near Winchester, Ya., in
June, and in tbat month the Fifty-first
was made a part of the army of Yirginia.
In August the affairs on the Rappahan
nock tested the merits of the regiment. In
May, 1863, it performed splendid service
at Chancellorsville; at Gettysburg, the
command lost fifty-five men, and in the
Knoxville campaign, carried on in winter,
also suffered severely. Mr. Keesy did not
participate in the work of 1863, for after
the second battle of Bull Run his health
began to fail, and he was sent to hospital,
from which he was discharged, December
11, 1862. In October, 1861, he was a
robust, well-built, wiry man of 155 pounds.
On receiving his discharge from the army
he weighed only ninety-seven and a half
pounds, and, with this, was in a wretched
state of health.
On returning to Huron county Mr.
Keesy rested for six months, and then went
to work with his brother in a sawmill,
where he was engaged until he answered
the draft of 1864, in the fall of which year
he was one of 400 recruits received into
the Sixty-fourth O. Y. I., at Chattanooga,
Tenn. He took part in the pursuit of
Hood's forces to Alpine, Ga., where his
command was incorporated with Gen.
Thomas' army, returned to Chattanooga,
proceeded to Athens, Ala., thence marched
to Spring Hill, Tenn., where they again
suffered losses. At Franklin the regiment
sustained heavy loss, but marched with
spirit to Nashville, where its service was
substantial and its losses great. After
Hood's army was used up, the Sixty-fourth
went into camp at Athens, but they sub

sequently served at Athens and Decatur,
next at Huntsville, Nashville and Straw
berry Plains, and again at New Orleans,
until ordered to Yictoria, Tex., in Septem
ber, 1865, where they were mustered out
December 3, 1865. After the total rout
of Hood, Mr. Keesy received an honorable
discharge in Tennessee, June 16, 1865, re
turned to Ohio, and entering the Normal
School at Milan, as before related, studied
for a term and a half and afterward taught
school in Huron county five terms.
On July 7, 1868,.he married Miss Mag
gie Lane, daughter of Rev. S. T. Lane, of
the United Brethren Church. Of their
children, Minnie is the wife of William
McKee; Mary is married to J. E. Wheeler,
and Maggie L. died November 2, 1878,
aged four years and four months. The
mother died September 24, 1873, and on
February 9, 1875, he married Hattie
Augusta Charles, daughter of Robert
Charles, of Richland county, Ohio. To
this union were born six daughters and
one son, namely: Flora, Osceola, Yesta,
Edith and Ethel (twins), Leon Cassel
and Fern.
In 1865, after his return from the war,
Mr. Keesy made a profession of religion
for the first time. In 1868 the Quarterly
Conference licensed him to preach, and
recommended him to the Annual Confer
ence. The last named body granted him
license August 27, 1869, and he was or
dained a preacher in 1872, being assigned
to Huron Mission, in Huron county, the
same year. He served at Honey Creek
two years; Melmore, one year; Shelby,
one year; Richland Circuit, two years; and
Chicago Junction over three years. At
the latter place he organized, in 1870, a
United Brethren class, the first church in
that place, and in 1871 was instrumental
in building a house of worship there.
After a year's service at Osceola, he was
elected three consecutive years Presiding
Elder — one year at Fostoria and Clyde,
and two years at Attica, in Seneca county;
he then held the position of elder in the

HURON COUNTY, OHIO.

449

districts of Sandusky, Findlay, Fostoria
and Bowling Greeu for seven consecutive
years. Mr. Keesy made his home in Richmond
township until he began service as an
elder, wben he located at Chicago Junc
tion. He is a pioneer of the town, and
one who has taken a prominent part in its
upbuilding. In denominational affairs he
is untiring in his zeal, and has accom-
plished much for the cause he represents;
and few men in any trade or profession
are better known throughout northern
Ohio than he is. In the war he took part
and was under fire in the following en
gagements, viz.: Moorefield, Strausburg,
Cross Keys, Bull Run, Franklin (Ya.),
Columbia, Spring Hill, Franklin and
Nashville (Tenn.), besides being in many
raids and skirmishes. He has organized
and built several churches, and proposes
to continue to war against sin. He is a
1 forcible, logical and sympathetic as well
as fearless preacher, and while the "com
mon people hear him gladly," all classes
are edified by his eloquent sermons.
Wherever his extensive influence reaches,
the public is inestimably benefited.

UFUS S. MILES, one of the best
known and most highly respected
'citizens of Fitchville township, was
born January 1, 1824, in Green
wich township, Fairfield county,
Connecticut. His father, Daniel Miles, was also a na
tive of Fairfield county, Conn., and a well-
known stonemason and sawmill owner of
Greenwich township. When a young man
he married Eliza Ann Austin, and to them
were born, in Connecticut, the following
named children: Rufus S., whose name
opens this sketch; Emily F., Mrs. Will
iam Hickok, of Fitchville township;
Peninah C, Mrs. Robert Kelsey, of
Wauseon, Ohio; Mary, who died in Con
necticut when four years old ; Sylvester, a

farmer of Hartland township, who was
killed by an enraged bull in 1890; Phi
lander C, who died of the measles at
Wheeling, W. Ya., while a member of
Company C, One Hundred and Twenty-
Third O. Y. I., aud Marcus S., who resides
in Otsego county, Mich. The family mi
grated to Ohio in 1839, the journey being
made by canal and lake boat to Huron,
Ohio, and thence by wagon to Norwalk
township, where the father purchased land
at seven dollars per acre. That farm he
partly improved, carrying on, in connec
tion therewith, a sawmill. In 1841 Mr.
Miles purchased wild lands in Fitchville
township, and removing thereto cut the
first tree on the tract. After residing there
for some years, he established the family
on a farm in Hartland township, and was
a taxpayer of that township at the time of
his death. He had gone on a visit to Con
necticut, his native State, and while there
died. Mrs. Eliza Ann Miles died in Hart
land township, Huron Co., Ohio. Both
were identified closely with pioneer times
and events in Huron county, and the old
settlers of three townships often speak of
the days when the Miles family settled in
the wilderness.
Rufus S. Miles came to Ohio when little
more than thirteen years old. In his Con
necticut home he had received an elemen
tary education, and in Ohio he had to aid
his father in clearing the land, enduring
no small share of the hardships and priva
tions which fell to the lot of the pioneer.
At the age of nineteen years he began to
learn blacksmithing, and subsequently
worked for nine years at the trade in
Greenwich township. On October 13,
1852, he married Jane Crittenden, who
was born in Fitchville township Decem
ber 9, 1832, a daughter of C. C. Critten
den. To this marriage the following
named children were born: Mary D., wife
of O. F. Walton, of Norwalk, Ohio;
Charles D., a young merchant of Fitch
ville, and Frank R., who died at the age of
twelve years. After marriage Rufus S.

450

HURON COUNTY, OHIO.

and Jane E. Miles located in Hartland
township. For three or four years he
operated a sawmill in that township, and
then moved to Fitchville, bringing with
him the mill. Trading the machinery for
lands in Wood county, Ohio, he established
a general store in Fitchville, also a black
smith's shop and tin store. He remained
at Fitchville until 1882, when he moved
to his present farm, which he had pur
chased some years previous. This land is
in a high state of cultivation, and im
proved with a substantial residence and
fine farm buildings.
Republican in political faith, Mr. Miles
gives his party a hearty support, and is
looked upon as a safe counsellor in local
political affairs. Since he arrived at the
age of twenty-one years he has held town
ship offices, and has frequently filled sev
eral at one and the same time; for six
years he was postmaster of Fitchville. In
the days of the Civil war he was an earnest
worker in meeting the demands made
upon the township by the draft. Some
years ago, when there was a prospect of
connecting Fitchville with tbe outside
world by railroad, he favored the scheme
and aided the promoters in a very decided
manner. For eighteen years he was con
nected with the Greenwich Fair Associ
ation, and held every office in connection
with it, during that long period. For over
twenty years he was superintendent of
the Sabbath-school of the Congregational
Church, and held various offices in that
church. The part taken by his wife in
domestic affairs and in the social doings of
the township has been a material one, and
her influence for good has been recognized.
To-day she shares with her husband the
esteem and confidence of the people.

JIASON A. WHEELER was born Jan
uary 21, 1854, in Greenfield town-
> ship, Huron Co., Ohio. His grand
father, John Wheeler, was a native
of Massachusetts, and when a youth of

seventeen years settled in western New
York, where be grew to manhood. While
residing in Ontario county, New York, he
cleared a tract of farm land, where he es
tablished his home. There he married
Polly Franklin, a native of Massachusetts,
and to this union the following named
children were born in Ontario county,
N. Y.: Sylvester F., John H., Benoni,
Aaron and Calvin.
In the fall of 1818 the father visited

Ohio, and purchased land in Greenfield
township, Huron county. Early in the

ana pur
dp, Hur
spring of 1819 he set out with his wife
and children for their new home, making
the journey in a wagon drawn by a team
of oxen and a team of horses. The trip
occupied four weeks. They had no lack
of friends in the new country, for neigh
bors of the family, such as the Starrs,
Adams, McKelveys and others, had pre
viously located in Huron county. The
splendor of the forests, no less than the
hopes for the future, buoyed up the cour
age of the new comers. John Wheeler
was an ardent lover of out-door sports, and
here he could enjoy them ad libitum. The
animals of the chase abounded ; bear and
deer offered themselves as targets for the
hunter and food for the settlers, and the
rich soil promised rewards corresponding
¦with the industry of the husbandman. In
such a country the younger , children of
John and Polly Wheeler — Chauncy B.,
Almira and Samuel B. — were born. Of the
children who came to Ohio with their par
ents, Aaron (of Norwalk) and Calvin are
the only survivors, the others having
passed away in Huron county. Of the
children born in Greenfield township,
Chauncy died in Crawford county, Kans.;
Almira, who first married a Mr. Van Tine
and later a Mr. Tucker, is a widow; and
Samuel B. resides at Parsons, Kans. They
were all reared in Ohio in the manner of
pioneer children. When Calvin was four
years old his parents left him and three
brothers in the cabin, while they assisted
at the burial of a neighbor. During their

HURON COUNTY, OHIO.

451

absence the children saw a large sow root
ing in tbe soil near the house, and, while
they were watching, a black bear appeared
in the clearing and carried off the fright
ened hog to the edge of the woods, where
he killed it. Some time after a clearing
was made in Greenfield township the father
revisited Ontario county, N. Y., and there
was ordained a Free-will Baptist minister.
On his return he became an active worker
in that Church, and organized several So
cieties in Huron and Ashland counties.
His first wife died in June, 18 — , aged
sixty-three years. For his second he mar
ried Mrs. Hulda (Osborn) Gregory,
widow of Lansing Gregory, and she died
some years before him. fie was a strong
Democrat until the slave questiou arose,
when he joined the Republican ranks.
He possessed a stentorian voice, and when
leading religious services could be heard
at long distances. He preached for a
number of years at Steuben, where he was
the first Baptist minister; and, though his
circuit was a wide one, it was all known
to him, for he was a hunter aud a fisher
man as well as a farmer and preacher. He
died about 1877, in his ninety-first year.
Calvin Wheeler, son of John Wheeler,
was bora January 19, 1818, in Ontario
county, N. Y. Little over a year later he
was brought to Huron county, and here
was reared on his father's farm. He ob
tained the rudiments of an education in a
school, to which he had to walk two miles
each winter morning and return the same
evening. In February, 1842, he married
Mary Richards, who was born January 27,
1821, in Herkimer county, N. Y., and
came with her father to Huron county in
1837. The children of this marriage were
as follows: Nancy Genette, born January
15, 1843, who married E. T. Trimmer,
aud died in Kalamazoo county, Mich.,
Marcii 5, 1868; Agnes E., born March 9,
1844, now Mrs. Marion Parsons, of Shi
loh, Ohio; David M., born December 29,
1846, a traveling salesman, whose home is
at Plymouth, Huron county; Benjamin

R., bora November 20, 1848, a farmer
and stock buyer of Greenfield township;
Calvin J., born July 31, 1850, a farmer of
Peru township: Chauncy B., born January
3, 1852, an engineer on the Chicago,
Rock Island & Pacific Railroad; Jason A.,
bora January 21, 1854; Jesse (twin of
Jason A.), a merchant at Chicago Junc
tion; Alice, born January 18, 1857, widow
of Henry Bronson, now engaged in mer
cantile business at Chicago Junction; Al
fred (twin of Alice), now a harness maker
at Plymouth, Ohio; Lillis, born November
14, 1861, now the widow of Dayton L.
Green, residing at Steuben; and Linda
Belle, bora October 3, 1863, now Mrs.
Elmer McMorris, of Steuben. The father
of this large family was engaged in farm
work up to 1870, when he removed to
Steuben to engage in mercantile business.
He was postmaster there for some years.
His wife died Marcii 5, 1866, and was
buried in Steuben cemetery with the rites
of the Free- Will Baptists, of which Church
she was a member. Mr. Wheeler was a
Democrat until the organization of the Re
publican party, when he became a Free-
soiler. For over fifty-six years he has
been a member of the Baptist Church.
Jason A. Wheeler was born January 21,
1854, in Greenfield township, aud received
his education in the district schools and in
the Buckeye College. When school days
were passed he entered the store of his
brother, D. M. Wheeler, of Steuben, in
whose employ he remained until 1874.
For a time he was a clerk for A. J. Coul
ton, of Steuben, in which capacity he
learned all the details of business, and on
January 7, 1877, he established himself in
trade at Steuben. Here for ten years he
conducted a general store, and built up an
extensive trade, his courteous manners and
reputation for fair dealing winning him
an immense patronage. On May 30,
1887, his store and goods, valued at
$8,000, were destroyed by fire, but with
out delay he opened a stock at Chicago
Junction, and was engaged in general

452

HURON COUNTY., OHIO.

trade there for a short time, when he re
tired to his farm, one mile south of Steu
ben, whither he had moved in 1886. The
tract was known as the " Piatt Farm."
Mr. Wheeler was married October 15,
1873, to Charlotte Ashley, who was bora
in Clinton county, Iowa, February 11,
1856, and came to Ohio with her father,
Dennis Ashley, in March of that year.
The children of Jason A. and Charlotte
Wheeler are Charles N., George M., Mary
L., Jason A., Jr., and Ruth. The eldest
graduated from Oberlin College in his
eighteenth year. On October 21, 1891,
he delivered the oration on " Columbus
Day," being selected by the faculty for
this task in recognition of his high stand
ing in oratory. Mr. and Mrs. Wheeler,
with the three elder members of the fam
ily, belong to the Presbyterian Church.
He is one of the leaders of the Republican
party in Huron county; was postmaster at
Steuben for some years; was clerk of
Greenfield township eight years, is now a
trustee of that township, and November 7,
1893, was elected commissioner of Huron
county three years. Since 1886 he has
given close attention to his fine farm, and
has the reputation of being a methodical
agriculturist and a most excellent citizen.

UDOLPH GEIGER, retired, is a
native of Baden, Germany, born
December 17, 1823, a son of John
Geiger, who died in Baden when
Rudolph was five years old, leaving
five children.
In March, 1844, the widow and three of
her children — Lawrence (who had visited
the United States twelve years before),
Josephine (who died six weeks after arriv
ing in the country), and Rudolph — set out
for the shores of Columbia, here to better
their condition and make a new home.
They first proceeded to Rotterdam, Hol
land, thence to Havre, France, where they
took sailing ship for New York, landing
after a voyage of forty- two days. From

there they traveled westward to Ohio, ar
riving in course of time at the town of
Huron, Erie county, whence Lawrence and
Rudolph walked to Greenfield township,
Huron county, where they hired a team,
drove back to Huron, and brought their
mother and sister to Greenfield.
Rudolph Geiger received his education
in the Fatherland, and commenced to learn
the trade of blacksmith; but he. had to
abandon it on account of his lungs being
easily affected while working at the forge;
he then for a brief spell tried his hand at
carpentry, at which time he came to Amer
ica. In Huron county he first secured em
ployment in a brickyard, later in the tan
nery in Norwalk belonging to Judge
Baker's brother, who was so much pleased
with him, on account of his sterling hon
esty and characteristic industry, that he
offered to give him seventy acres of land
in Clarksfield township if he would stay
with him two years longer. This highly
complimentary and valued offer Mr.
Geiger was constrained to decline, how
ever, on account of the tannery business
impairing his health. He then drove team
for Pickett Lattimore, a brewer of Nor
walk, and from there, after a time, he re
turned to Greenfield township, and learn
ing the trade of a brickmaker soon became
owner of a kiln, which he conducted up to
his marriage. After that event he and his
young wife made their home in Milan,
Erie county, where for four years he
burned brick each season; and many of
the best buildings in that town, and also
in Norwalk, were made in his yard — in
fact his brick was by far the best made in
the county at that time. Until he com
menced in the business only a few brick
buildings had been erected, but afterward,
so popular had the product of his yards
become, a "boom " in putting up brick
houses was the result. He next came to
Sherman township, and bought eighty acres
of land in the woods, the trees being (to
use his own language) " as thick as hairs
on a dog's back." After two years labor

HURON COUNTY, OHIO.

453

bere in clearing the land he moved to San
dusky, and there made four kilns of brick,
which sold rapidly, notwithstanding the
many other kilns in the place — the reason
being, simply, that he made better brick
than any one else. On the breaking out of
cholera in that city, in 1855, he once more
came to Sherman township, renewed farm
ing operations, and has lived here ever since.
In February, 1849, Mr. Geiger married
Miss Sarah An n Ott, who was born in Baden,
Germany, in 1826, and came tothe United
States in young womanhood. "The chil
dren of this union were John and Adolph,
both in Sandusky; Louisa, who married
John Smith, and died when twenty-five
years old; Odelia, now Mrs. Frederick
Brown, of Pulaski county, Ind.; Mary,
now Mrs. John Weidenger, of Sherman
township; and Anna, at home. The fam
ily are all members of the Catholic Church.
Mr. and Mrs. Geiger, honored and re
spected in their old age, have been living
for the past few years a comparatively re
tired life, compulsory in his case more on
account of an accident he met with a few
years ago, a log rolling on him, which has
tened bis retirement from active work.

D., mayor
in 1847, in

S. LANTERMAN, M.
of Bellevue, was bora
Tompkins county, N. Y., a son of
£1 John and Julia (Brown) Lanterman.
The father was also a native of New
York State, where he passed from earth at
the age of forty- six years; the mother,
who is a native of New England, is now
eighty-one years old.
Dr. G. S. Lanterman was educated in
his native county, and read medicine there
under a preceptor for some time. Later
he was enrolled as a student in the Uni
versity of Michigan, and graduated from
the Medical Department of that institution
of learning in 1867. The same year he
located in Cayuga county, N. Y., where
he practiced medicine and surgery for one

year, and then removed to Bellevue, Ohio.
He is the oldest practicing physician of
the regular school here to-day, and is un
doubtedly the most popular citizen in this
particular section of Huron county. He
was a member of the old Delamater Medi
cal Association of Norwalk, and for a long
period was the life of that organization.
He has been connected with the municipal
affairs of Bellevue for a number of years,
served as councilman for several terms,
and is now serving his third term as
mayor. In political life he is a thorough
Republican, earnest in the support of his
party, but always good natured and logical
in his arguments. He is well up in Ma
sonic work, and has reached the thirty-
second degree. In August, 1862, at the
age of fourteen years, our subject enlisted
in the One Hundred and Ninth N. Y.
Volunteer Infantry, and served in that
command and in the Third N. Y. Light
Artillery until the close of the war.
Dr. Lanterman was united in marriage,
September 26, 1872, with Miss Emma
Heal, a native of England, daughter of
Enoch and Charlotte Heal. He has proved
himself a conservative power in the coun
cil of Bellevue, and a most able physician
and surgeon; and it may be here stated
that the municipal body is as safe in his
hands as are his patients.

C. HEYMANN. Among the
earliest German settlers of Sher
man township is the subject of
this sketch, who is an honored
representative of a large and respected
family of the name, noted for their thrift
and wealth.
Mr. Heymann was born in Germany in
1808, and came to America in 1852, set
tling in Sherman township, where he en
joys the distinction of being now the
oldest citizen. He married, and has ten
children, named as follows: William,
John, Charles, Jacob, Philip, Henry,

454

HURON COUNTY, OHIO.

George, Frederick, Mattie and Lizzie, to
each of whom Mr. Heymann has given a
good start in life. By industry and judi
cious economy he has accumulated a com
fortable competence, being an extensive
landholder, and is now living retired at
Weaver's Corners. In his political pref
erences he is a Republican, and in re
ligious belief he is a member of the
Lutheran Church.

AMUEL W. CURTISS, one of the
progressive, active spirits of Fitch
ville township, and a friend of every
worthy enterprise, was bora in that
township July 10, 1832.
Joseph C. Curtiss, his father, was bom
in June, 1803, in Oneida county, N. Y.,
attended the school of his native place for
some time, and then learned the gunsmith's
trade. He was there married to Lucina
Ward, and early in 1825 the young couple
set out for Ohio. It was then the para
dise of hunters, and Mr. Curtiss saw
plainly that, where hunters were, would un
doubtedly be the proper place to carry on his
trade. Locating at Norwalk, Huron coun
ty, he purchased a town lot on Main street,
known as " The Todd Lot," and thereon
erected a small house, to serve the dual
purpose of dwelling and workshop. Early
in 1832 he removed to Fitchville, and en
tering into partnership with Union White,
established a general store at the center.
Political incompatibility led to the disso
lution ot this partnership in 1835. There
was no possibility of an agreement be
tween Whig and Democrat, under one
roof, and hence the establishment of a sec
ond general store at Fitchville, in the year
named. In 1835 Mr. Curtiss erected a residence
adjoining his store, and there lived to the
close of his life. In 1861 he retired from
mercantile pursuits, but up to the period
of his death, September 1, 1871, he took
an active interest in politics, aud particu
larly in the development of Fitchville vil

lage and township. Prior to 1856 he was
an Old-line Whig, and during his remain
ing years a stanch Republican. In 1839-40
he was an active partisan in the Harrison-
Tyler campaign, and was himself elected a
commissioner of Huron county on the
Whig ticket. That office he held four
years, when he was elected a member of
the Legislature, in which he served during
the sessions of 1845 and 1846. A tem
perance man by experience, he studied the
devastation of human life by drink, and
opposed free liquor with all the force of
his mind. In fact he carried the principle
so far as to enlarge his dwelling and estab
lish a temperance hotel for the convenience
of the public. The enterprise was un
popular. Travelers, as a rule, were drink
ing men then, and the regular hotel-keep
ers furnished a certain amount of strong
drink with board and lodging; so that the
temperance hotel was compelled to fight a
long and strong battle against the sophistry
and liberality of its opponents. Mr. Cur
tiss met their actions by furnishing board
and lodgings twenty per cent, below the
price charged by the regular hotel men,
and this action compelled them to cut
prices. Thus matters went along for thir
teen years, when the temperance house
closed its doors. It was conducted at a
profit, and taught lessons which bore rich
fruit. Mr. Curtiss was twice married, first to
Lucina Ward, to whom three sons — J. O,
Jr., S. W. and D. A. — and one daughter
— Mary J. — were born. After the death
of this wife he married a Mrs. Allen, who
is the mother of one daughter, Jane, now
living in Hamilton, N. Y. While a resi
dent of Norwalk Mr. Curtiss produced a
greater number of guns than the demands
of local trade required. The surplus he
would load on a pack horse, at stated in
tervals, and sell along the old Wooster
trail, and what remained on arriving at
Wooster he could easily dispose of there
to hunters and farmers. He afterward be
came a heavy dealer in farm products,

HURON COUNTY, OHIO.

455

which he received iu exchange for mer
chandise. On one occasion- he sent for
ward a drove of 1,700 hogs to New York
City, and often shipped vast quantities of
stock and grain to the markets north,
south and east.
Samuel W. Curtiss was born in Fitch
ville township, immediately after the re
moval of the family from Norwalk, and in
his boyhood attended the school of Miss
Sarah Mason, just south of Fitchville vil
lage. After her day he continued to at
tend the school of the district, the hours
after school being given to work in his
father's store. Later he attended the
academy of Rev. T. F. Thompson, of Nor
walk, and when his school days were
passed took a position in the Curtiss store.
On one occasion, in winter time, when he
was seventeen years old, he was sent with
the drovers to deliver 1,700 hogs, which
his father promised to supply to a party or
parties at Baltimore. The route lay through
Pennsylvania. The Ohio river was crossed
at Smith's Ferry, and they proceeded
thence via the National Pike, through
Washington county, Penn. Before reach
ing Baltimore the destination was changed
to New York, and while en route they sold
1,300 of the hogs at Reading, Penn., the
balance being traded for fat hogs, which
they took to New York and there sold.
After returning to Fitchville our subject
became a regular clerk in his father's
store. In 1851 he married Fidelia Tucker,
who was born in 1830, in Madison county,
N. Y., daughter of Lester Tucker, and
after marriage the young couple went to
reside on a farm in Greenwich township.
His first experience in agricultural pur
suits was on the farm he now owns, where
he remained some three years, and then
moved to Greenwich, whence after two
years residence there he returned to
Fitchville and re-entered his father's store.
For three years thereafter he clerked, and
then continued as partner with his father
until the fall of 1864. Retaining his in
terest in the store, he returned tothe farm,

and was engaged in agriculture until 1871,
when the death of his father called him to
Fitchville village to take charge of the
store. In 1878 he admitted as partner his
son, who managed the house from 1883 to
1887, while the father gave his atten
tion to his fine farm, situated northeast
of the village. On this farm he built
an elegant residence and made many im
provements, but since 1887 he has made
his home in the village, entrusting his
farm to the care of tenants. The children
of Samuel W. and Fidelia Curtiss are as
follows: Ada M., Mrs. E. E. Townsend, of
New London township; Sidney O.. of New
London village; Carrie, who died when
twenty-two years old; Doren, who died
when four years old; Len'a F., deceased
wife of William Palmer; Bertha and Pearl,
who reside at home. The mother of this
family is a member of the Baptist Church.
Mr. Curtiss enlisted April 2, 1864, in an
independent company of the Sixty-third
Regiment, Ohio National Guards. In,
1863 the One Hundred and Sixty-sixth
Regiment was organized iu Huron county
as Home Guards, and in the spring of
1864 Gov. Brough turned the Sixty- third
over to the Government as United States
troops, to go wherever called. On May
2, 1864. they were ordered to Camp Taylor,
at Cleveland, Ohio, but when mustered it
was found there were some 200 men un
fit for duty, and Mr. Curtiss' company
was then consolidated with the Seventy-
ninth Battalion, O. N. G., of Medina
county, a senior organization. On May
15, 186,4, when the change was made
in the disposal of the Sixty-third Regi
ment, he was mustered in as first
lieutenant; and when his company was
consolidated with the Medina battalion
(at which time he. was quartermaster), he
was deprived of his commission on a
technicality. Thereupon he was about re
turning home, when his superiors prevailed
upon him to remain as lieutenant in Com
pany B. The regiment proceeded to Vir
ginia, and did duty at Forts Richardson,

456

HURON COUNTY, OHIO.

Barnard, Reynolds and Ward, until muster-
out, September 9, 1864. After the ex
citement attendant on Jubal 'Early's raid
on Washington had died out, the men of
Mr. Curtiss' regiment suffered much from
camp sickness. At one time his own ill
ness was so serious that his wife traveled
from Ohio to attend upon him, and to her
ministrations his recovery is attributed.
Our subject cast his first vote for the
first Republican Presidential nominee, and
his loyalty to the party is well known in
Huron county. He has filled various
offices in his township. Under the charter
of the village of Fitchville he is mayor,
although the corporation is sleeping. It
was he who contributed lumber for the
first sidewalk laid by the municipality, and
to him must be credited, specially, the
lighting of the streets of the village.

, RREN W. HEAD was born at Paris,
Oneida Co., N. Y., on the 18th day
of May, 1808. His parents, Jona
than and Hepzibath (Livermore)
Head, were both born in New England —
the father in Rhode Island, the mother in
New Hampshire.
Mr. Head grew to manhood on the farm,
receiving his education in the subscrip
tion schools of the neighborhood. In 1836
he contracted a matrimonial alliance with
Julia Crane, a resident of Marshall, Oneida
Co., N; Y., and to this union were bora
five children — three sons and two daugh
ters, the latter of whom are both dead. In
1842 Mr. Head and his family settled in
Ridgefield township, Huron Co., Ohio,
where he purchased the " Sours farm,"
together with other lands adjoining, mak
ing a farm of 420 acres^ which he kept
well cultivated and improved. In 1857
he built what is now known as the "Davis
Block " iu Monroeville, in which for a
number of years he did a banking busi
ness — first under the name of the Perkins
& Head exchange Bank; then, after the

death of E. B. Perkins, under the name of
the O. W. Head Exchange Bank. In 1862
be sold out to S. V. Harkness, but always did
a private banking business. He occupied,
and deservedly so, a high place in the es
teem of his fellow townsmen, and by close
attention to business; by strict and hon
orable dealing; by careful and wise man
agement, he succeeded in accumulating a
good competency. He was one of the
founders of the Monroeville National Bank,
and served as its first president, which po
sition he held up to the time of his death.
He died October 2, 1882, and was buried
in Monroeville cemetery.
Mr. Head was ever willing to assist any
movement tending to improve the condi
tion of the community in which he lived,
and was well and favorably known through
out the county. He never refused aid to
those worthy of assistance, and it can be
said of him that he assisted more men, at
the time they needed it most, to secure
homes, than any other one man in the
county. On October 4, 1872, Mr. Head was mar
ried to Annie M. Newcomer, of Ashland,
Ashland Co., Ohio, a daughter of Ben
jamin and Annie (Albert) Newcomer, of
Lancaster, Pennsylvania.
Since the death of her husband Mrs.
Head has resided upon the home farm,
and has conducted her business interests
with success. She is now owner of over
eight hundred acres of land, besides other
properties. Though not a professor of re
ligion, she contributes liberally of her
means to such institutions of which her
husband was also a hearty supporter.

fENRY KIMMEL, the pioneer car-

Hpenter and builder of Bellevue, is a
son of Henry and Anna Maria
(Brandau) Kimmel, farming people
of Germany, who lived and died in
their native land.
Henry Kimmel was born December 24.
1828, in Niederngiida, Kreiss Rodenberg,

4/

HURON COUNTY, OHIO.

457

Germany. When not eighteen years old
he, with a brother, came to the United
States, locating at Sandusky, Ohio, where
Henry learned the carpenter's trade. In
1848 or 1849 he came to Bellevue, Huron
Co., Ohio, and worked at his trade by the
day for a number of years. He was mar
ried July 22, 1851, to Miss Eva R. Streck,
of Bellevue, and to this marriage seven
children were born, namely: Louisa, who
is married to James Aigler, and has three
children — Ernest, Ethel and Amos; Julia,
who married Charles E. Burgess, and has
two children — Aid and Robert; Isabel,
married to Henry Mansfield; Franklin
(married); Adelaide (unmarried); Eva R.,
married to J. Rudd, and one son de
ceased. After his marriage Mr. Kimmel
returned to Sandusky, where he resided for
one year, and then moved to New Haven,
Ohio, remaining there six or seven months,
during which time he purchased, con
ducted, and sold the hotel at that point.
Returning to Bellevue, he has made this
city his home up to the present time. In
1862 he was drafted, but he furnished a
substitute. Mr. Kimmel has been engaged in con
tract work for about thirty -four years. The
first block iu the town of Bellevue, the
" Kern Block," was erected by him, and
of the many buildings he has put up it is
said that the owner was invariably satisfied,
a record which speaks most forcibly of Mr.
Kimmel's practical honesty.

D'

NAVID GRIEVE, one of the large
landowners of Greenfield township,
was bora April 28, 1819, in Ber
gen county, N. J., son of Thomas
Grieve, who was a native of Edinburgh,
Scotland. At an early age Thomas Grieve removed
to County Tyrone, Ireland, where in 1810
he married Elizabeth Stewart, a native of
that county, where one son—Thomas —
was born to them. In 1812 the father
sailed from Ireland for the United States,

and for two years worked at the weaver's
trade in New Jersey. Having earned
sufficient money to pay for the passage of
his wife and son, he sent for them, and in
1814 they arrived after a rough voyage of
ninety days, the cost of passage for each
being two hundred dollars. The family
located in iSew Jersey, and there the
father worked at his trade until 1836.
The children bora in New Jersey to
Thomas and Elizabeth Grieve are named
as follows: David, James, William and
George (twins), Elizabeth J. and John. In
1836 the whole family came to Ohio via
the Erie Canal and Lake Erie, and proceed
ing south located in Huron county. The
father purchased land in Greenfield town
ship at eight dollars per acre, improved the
tract with the aid of his sons, and had a
comfortable home made for his family,
when disease carried him off in 1838, he
and his three sons — William, John and
James — being buried within one month.
The widow survived this terrible affliction
until 1858, when she died, and was buried
in Greenfield township.
David Grieve attended school for six
and one-half years, intending to devote
his life to mercantile or clerical work.
When an infant six weeks old his right
hand was burned so terribly as to render
the member of little use, and to this inci
dent his long educational course must be
credited. In his youth he went to New
York City and found employment in a
grocery store on the corner of Spring and
Hudson streets, remaining there until
1836, when he followed his parents to
Ohio, where he taught school inan old-fash
ioned log house, boarding around with his
pupils. He caught the " Ohio Itch," and
suffered from lung troubles fostered by
exposure in the ancient school buildings,
and all this was rewarded by twelve dol
lars a month, with bed and board in va
rious places. Clearing the forest was pref
erable, and he abandoned the teacher's
profession, and for the seven following
years worked as a farm laborer. In 1865

458

HURON COUNTY, OHIO-

he married Sarah M. Koch, who was born in
1842, near Pottstown, Penn., and came to
Huron county with her father, Jonathan
Koch, when a girl. The children bora to
this marriage are Elmira G., who resides
at home, and John A., a farmer of Peru
township. For some years before his mar
riage the mother and sister of our sub
ject were his housekeepers.
At the time of his father's death David
Grieve was bequeathed a tract of land of
forty acres, in consideration of the care
bestowed by him on his mother and mem
bers of the family, and to this small tract
he added gradually, until he now has over
270 acres of good land. In 1854 he lo
cated on the farm which he now occupies.
Politically Mr. Grieve is a Republican,
formerly a Whig; in 1840 he voted for
William H.' Harrison. With the excep
tion of one year, which he passed as clerk
in a wholesale grocery house at -Toledo,
Mr. Grieve has devoted his attention to
agriculture. He has filled various town
ship offices, and is a man wdio reads ex
tensively and thinks for himself. Mrs.
Grieve is a member of the Lutheran
Church.

4J

MARTIN ORD WAlr, carpenter and
joiner, of Townsend township, is"
a native of the county, bora May
29, 1823, in Norwalk, the fifth in
a family of nine children born to
Nehemiah and Eleanor (Ferand) Ordway,
both of whom were natives of Vermont,
and of English descent.
Nehemiah Ordway was educated and
married in his native State, where he was
engaged in agricultural pursuits for several
years. He was a gallant soldier during
the war of 1812, soon after which, in 1816,
he immigrated with his wife and family to
the then western frontier of northern Ohio,
settling near Norwalk, Huron county, then
almost an unbroken wilderness, accomplish
ing the entire journey overland, from the
hills of Vermont to this wild region, with

wagons and teams. In the winter of 1823-
24 he bought wild lands two miles south
of the center of Townsend township, Hu
ron county, where he subsequently im
proved a farm. " Here the family suffered
all the hardships and privations incident
to a frontier life, their white neighbors
being few and far between, the nearest one
two and a half or three miles distant; the
Redmen, however, were still numerous, but
they were generally quite peaceable and
caused but little trouble or anxiety to
the white settlers. In about 1832 Mr.
Ordway sold his place and bought another
near Townsend Center, and there remained
until 1852, when he again sold out, and
removed to Wood county, Ohio. Here he
bought a farm, and successfully engaged in
agricultural pursuits until his death, which
occurred in May, 1876. He was for many
years trustee of his township, and for the
last thirty years of his life was an earnest
member of the Christian Church, to which
his wife also belonged.
Martin Ordway, the subject proper of
this sketch, received such an education in
youth as could be obtained at the common
schools, taught in the rude schoolhouses of
that early day, which were usually con
structed of logs, with puncheon floor and
clap- board roof. He was employed on the
home farm until he was nineteen years old,
and then went to Milan, Ohio, to learn the
carpenter's trade with his brother, with
whom he remained about three years. He
then went to work at his trade on his own
account, and he has ever since continued
to follow same, at various points, with
most abundant success. He owns a small
farm near Townsend Center, upon which
he has resided for the last forty-six years.
Mr. Ordway was married December 24.
1846, to Miss Amilla VanTassell, a native
of Genesee county, N. Y., born September
4, 1822, a daughter of Tunis and Pnah
(Haven) Van Tassell, both of whom were
natives of Onondaga county, N. Y., the
former of Holland- Dutch extraction and
the latter of English descent. To Mr. and

HURON COUNTY, OHIO.

459

Mrs. Ordway have been born five children,
viz.: Betsey Jane, now Mrs. J. C. Wissert;
Electa D., now Mrs. Niles H. House; Jef
ferson H.; Eflie A., now Mrs. W. G. Dart;
and Emma N. (Birdie), now Mrs. C. B.
Canfield. Mr. Ordway is at present serving
as trustee of Townsend township, and has
served as such at various times for many
years. He has been a member of tbe Ma
sonic Fraternity for over thirty years.
Both he and his wife are devout members
of the M. E. ^Church, and in politics he is
a stanch and uncompromising Republican.
Mrs. Ordway's father, Tunis Van Tas-
sell, was also one of the early pioneers of
northern Ohio, having removed from New
York to Townsend township, Huron county,
in 1836. Here he bought wild land and
subsequently improved a farm, where he
was successfully engaged in agricultural
pursuits all his life. His father aud father-
in-law were soldiers in the Continental
army during the Revolutionary war. The
ancestors of the Van Tassell family were
among the hardy and patriotic Holland
pioneers of the old Dutch colony of New
Netherlands, while the Haven family were
also among the early pioneers of the s,ame
colony, later known as New York.

FRANK CAMPBELL, a well-known
citizen of Fairfield township, is a
grandson of Hugh A. Campbell, and
is descended from the Argyle branch
of the Campbell family of Scotland.
Hugh A. Campbell was bora. May 15,
1783. He married Margaret Mather, and
to this union the following named, children
were born: Ann Eliza, who married Will
iam Inscho, died September 14, 1839;
Lorenzo Q., bora November 7, 1808, died
December 25, 1884; Argyle, born Feb
ruary 20„ 1810, died August 7, 1836;
James, M., born November 15, 1812.;
Angeline, bora November 8, 1815, mar
ried James Burns, and died in Iowa;
Hel^n, M., born April 6, 1818, died No-
25

vember 30, 1853; Margaret S., bora July
3, 1821, who married Jonathan Atherton;
and DeWitt C, born December 23, 1823.
In the spring of 1817 Hugh Campbell and
his family set out from their home at
Genoa, Cayuga Co., N. Y., for the "Fire
lands" in Huron county, Ohio. Travel
ing via Cleveland, Rocky river aud Nor
walk, they arrived in Greenfield township
and located on the farm where the father
died August 23, 1861. At the time of
their settlement here a small log hut stood
in a one-acre clearing on this land, an
oasis in the wilderness. From 1817 to
1861 the father of this large family toiled
on the farm or at his trade, that of a shoe
maker. In politics he was a Whig until
the organization of the Republican party.
He was a Presbyterian for many years and
was a deacon in that church, but later he
united with the Congregationalists. The
mother, Margaret Mather, was truly a pio
neer woman, and like her husband was a
mem ber of the Presbyterian Church. The
parents were buried in Steuben cemetery,
Lorenzo Q. Campbell accompanied the
family to Huron county, Qhio, in 1817.
He learned the shoemaker's trade here
from his father, and also learned the
cooper's and carpenter's trades, and with
all this obtained a primary education in
the pioneer schools of Greenfield township.
On April 15, 1834, he married Betsy
Mathers, a native of Connecticut, who ac
companied her parents to Huron county in
girlhood, and to this union two children
were born: Frank, born February 6, 1835,
aud Satira, bora October 31, 1836 (she
first married John H. Easter, later Jesse
Snyder, and died September 4, 1864).
The mother died January 26, 1837, the
father many years afterward, on December
25, 1884. Like his father he was a Whig
until the formation of the Republican
party, and filled nearly every township
office, serving as justice of the peace for
many years. In religious connection he
was a member of tlie Presbyterian Church,
in which he held office. To him must be

460

HURON COUNTY, OHIO.

credited the excellent condition of the
homestead in Greenfield township, for,
some years after his father's death, he
built a substantial residence and made
very many important improvements.
Frank Campbell was born February 6,
1835, in Greenfield township. Up to the
age of twelve years he attended the com
mon schools of his district, and then went
to the Hillsdale (Mich.) Academy, subse
quently attending the Ohio Normal School
at Milan. School days over, he resumed
farm life and worked for his father until
the latter's death. On September 26,
1860, he married Martha J. Shonrds, who
was born February 5, 1841, in Cayuga
county, N. Y., daughter of Daniel Shourds,
who settled in Huron county. The only
ehild born to this marriage is Mary Del,
who was married October 6, 1891, to
Roscoe B. Fisher, of Sandusky, Ohio.
Mr. and Mrs. Campbell are members of
the Congregational Church. In politics
Mr. Campbell is a Republican, fie has
traveled considerably over his native coun
try, and passed eighteen months on the
Pacific coast. He is an active farmer and
a skilled apiarist, much interested in bee
culture.

HELTON. When far advanced in
life, Gershon Shelton (grandfather
of Charles R. and Henry S. Shel
ton, of Wakeman township) came
to Ohio, settling in Vermillion township
(at that time in Huron county, now in
Erie), where, during the later days of his
life, he was engaged in broom making.
His children, all of whom were bora in
Connecticut, were as follows: Jennette
(Mrs. French); Julia, Sallie and Daniel,
all three deceased; William, in Vermillion
township, Erie county; and Lyman and
Gershon (both deceased). The last named,
father of Charles R. and Henry S., was
reared on the home farm in Connecticut,
receiving a limited subscription-school edu
cation during a few months jn the win

ter season. About the year 1825 he came
to Huron county, and trading a small
piece of improved land in Connecticnt for
a large tract of wild land in Wakeman
township, he set to work to improve it,
first building for himself a substantial log
cabin. This tract consisted of 240 acres
lying a short distance south of the present
site of Wakeman village. Here by in
dustrious labor and judicious management
he cleared his land, having at the time of
his death the best improved farm in the
locality. His wife was Hepsey, daughter
of David Smith, both natives of Connecti
cut, and who were among the first settlers
of Wakeman township. To this union
were born four children, to wit: Henri-
ette (Mrs. Joseph Hoskins), living in
Wakeman; Charles R., sketch of whom
follows; Mary Ann (Mrs. Green), a widow,
having her home in Wakeman; and Henry
S., sketch of whom follows. The father
passed from earth about the year 1840, a
stanch Democrat, and a useful adviser of
his party.
When he first came to Huron county,
wild animals of many kinds roamed the
forest at will, wolves being particularly
troublesome. While building his log
cabin, with the assistance of the few far-
scattered neighbors, darkness set in the
first day considerably before the work was
completed. Thereupon, having to wait
till next morning, the little party gathered
together their provisions, together with a
sufficient amount of firewood, and laid
themselves down to rest for the night.
Suddenly they were awakened by most
ferocious howls and yelpings, and starting
to their feet found to their dismay that
tbey were snrrounded by a pack of raven
ous wolves. Being totally unarmed, and
the danger imminent, they at once betook
themselves to places of security — some
climbing trees, others the half-built house
— and, in no little fear for their safety, in
that manner passed the rest of the night.
With the grey dawn of morning, the
wolves, disappointed of their prey, retired

HURON COUNTY, OHIO.

461

to the fastnesses of the forest, and the he
roes of our narrative descended to terra
, firma, and completed the building with
out further molestation.
Chaeles R. Shelton, a retired farmer
of Wakeman township, and now proprie
tor of a prosperous hardware business in
the town of Wakeman, was born January
3, 1820, in Oxford township, New Haven
Co., Conn., and was there reared. In his
boyhood he received an elementary educa
tion, and after attaining his majority at
tended Oberlin College, Oberlin, Ohio,
one year, and further improved his educa
tion by considerable home study and care
ful reading. When his widowed mother
married a second time, our subject formed
the resolution to " paddle his own canoe,"
struck out for himself, and for some years
worked on farms. In the spring of 1851
he married Miss Eunice O. Whitney, a
daughter of Abel Whitney, of Florence
township, Erie county, and Mr. Shelton
then followed teaming, buying timber and
hauling it to Ashland, where he traded it ,
for wheat, which in turn he conveyed to
Milan, Erie county, where it was sold,
that town being, on account of a canal
connecting it with Lake Erie, an impor
tant market point for wheat and other pro
duce. After three years so engaged, Mr-
Shelton, having made and saved money,
bought land in Wakeman township, in
creased by fifty acres of wild land left to
him by his father. This he cleared and
further added to until he was owner of a
considerable amount of good farm land, at
one time owning 500 acres; but he has
sold and given away a great deal, and now
has 143 acres, all in excellent condition.
In 1886 he retired from agricultural pur
suits, and coming to the town of Wake
man. began what has proven a successful
mercantile career, and now conducts a
thriving hardware establishment. In his
political sympathies he is a straight Re
publican, and years ago held many offices
of public trust; in religions faith he and
his wife are members of tbe Methodist

Church. During the Civil war he was de
barred from joining the Union army
through physical disability, but in giving
pecuniary assistance he was as generous as
he was loyal.
Heney S. Shelton, a well-known prom
inent farmer and stock raiser of Wake
man township, is probably the wealthiest
among the agricultural community of his
section. He is a native of the township,
born November 10, 1832, on the old
homestead, a part of which he now owns.
He received his elementary education in
his native township, and he well remem
bers the old red schoolhouse with its primi
tive furnishings, and not less primitive
" dominie." After a time he attended the
schools of Milan, Erie county,and later,Ober-
lin College, at Oberlin, Ohio, taking apartial
course. When he was about ten years old
his mother married a Mr. Squiers, of the
" inn " at Milan, and he was there reared,
being employed, from time to time after
leaving school, on the surrounding farms.
Being gifted with more than ordinary
strength, and having naturally industrious
habits, his services were much sought after
and appreciated. At the age of thirteen
he, unassisted, sowed to wheat thirteen
acres of newly cleared land, from which he
harvested 133 bushels,, from the proceeds
of the sale of which he invested in a team
of oxen, and an old " Scotch drag." Thus
equipped, he began the cultivation of his
mother's portion of his father's small es
tate. Meanwhile, his stepfather having
died, his twice- widowed mother and he
continued to live together, for his true
filial devotion for her, and her love for
him, would never permit a separation, he
toiling and saving his earnings that she
might be comfortably cared for in her fast
declining years.
By the time he reached his majority our
subject had saved some sixteen hundred
dollars, and he then married Miss A. M.,
daughter of Hoxey and Abigail Benson,
natives of Dutchess county, N. Y '., by
which union there are no children. This

462

HURON COUNTY, OHIO.

wife dying after eleven years of married
life, Mr. Shelton, for his second spouse,
wedded Miss Antoinette Vincent, of
Clarksfield township, Huron county, who
bore him children as follows: Charles H.,
a resident of Berlin Heights, Ohio; Mary
E. (Mrs. Charles Todd), in Wakeman; and
Addie B., George H., Myron A. and
Harry S., all at home. The mother of
these was called from earth in April, 1890.
Politically, our subject is a Republican; a
devoted adherent of the Methodist Church,
he is a liberal supporter of same, and he
is a useful and influential member of
society. He is now the owner of 350 acres
of land in Wakeman township, and forty
in Clarksfield, and his remarkable success
is clearly the result of his assiduous indus
try, indomitable perseverance and good
management.

HIRAM LATHAM, a prosperous
grocer of Lyme, and agent for the
Wheeling & Lake Erie Railway, is
¦J) a native of Huron county, born
June 9, 1835, a son of Alexander
W. and Anna (Wood) Latham.
Alexander W. Latham was bora in 1806
in Connecticut, where he passed his child
hood and youth, attending the district
schools of his neighborhood, and working
on his father's farm. Feeling desirous of
making a new home for himself, where he
could have better opportunities for ac
cumulating money, he journeyed west and
located in Sherman township, Huron Co.,
Ohio, where for sixty years he was promi
nently identified with its interests and
progress. Nature endowed him with a
great amount of tact and energy, charac
teristics that enabled him to win the re
spect of his new neighbors and to succeed
in business. The country at that time was
in an undeveloped condition, and he shared
the hardships incident to pioneer life. It
was his aim to deal fairly with every man,
and at his death, which occurred in 1889,
he was sincerely mourned by all who knew

him. He devoted his attention exclusively
to agricultural pursuits, and worked dili
gently in cultivating his farm. He mar
ried Miss Anna Wood, a native of Penn
sylvania, and their union was blessed with
four children: Thomas (deceased), Ly
man (deceased), Hiram and Riley. His
wife passed away in 1879, after having
passed uiany useful and happy years with
ter husband and children.
The subject of this biographical memoir
received his education in Huron county,
attending the rude log schools in his dis
trict. Until a year ago he engaged in
farming, since which time has been agent
for the Wheeling & Lake Erie Railway.
His wife is postmistress at Lyme, and as
sists in conducting their grocery business.
Mr. Latham was married, April 19, 1860,
to Miss Mary A. Evans, who was born in
London, England, and came to America
with her parents in 1849, and of their
union have been born five children, viz.:
Wilbur H, Thomas W., Fred E., Arthur
W. and Stella M. The family are mem
bers of the Episcopal Church, of which
they are liberal supporters. Mr. Latham
is a member of Raby Lodge, Monroeville,
A. F. & A. M., and of the I. 6. O. F.,
Subordinate Lodge No. 122. He was at
one time elected justice of the peace, but
did not serve, and has been assessor for four
terms. He is a wide-awake, active busi
ness man, and popular in the commercial
and social circles of Lyme township.

FREDERICK PARROTT (deceased),
who for many years was a leading
farmer of Fairfield township, was
born March 24, 1825, in England.
His father, William Parrott, also a native
of England, immigrated to America, locat
ing in Ripley township, Huron Co., Ohio,
where he resided for a few years with his
family. He then returned to England on
a visit, during which time his family be
came scattered; and after his return he re-

HURON COUNTY, OHIO.

463

sided with our subject the remainder of
his life. Of his children, one resides in
Ripley township, Huron county; three of
the daughters make their home in Toledo,
Ohio, and one resides in Bloomington,
Illinois. Our subject was but sixteen years of age
at the time of his immigration to America,
but even then he was looked upon by the
family as the provider. His education
was consequently somewhat limited, but
in after life he devoted much of his leisure
time to reading, thus acquiring a store of
valuable general information. He was
one of those who " felled the giant oak, "
cleared from the land the brush and waste,
and made thereon a home for himself and
his family, destined then to be what it is
now, one of the handsomest of rural homes
to be found in Huron county. Mr. Par
rott was married October 7, 1847, to Miss
Rosa M. Smith, daughter of Aaron and
Esther (Wallin) Smith, natives of New
York State, who came to Fairfield town
ship, Huron county, when it was yet a
vast wilderness. The land upon which
they located is that on which Mrs. Par
rott now resides. Upon his marriage our
subject purchased the interests of the
"heirs apparent" to the Smith place, and
assumed control and ownership of the
large farm. Mr. and Mrs. Smith, late in
their lives, moved to the West, where they
resided with their children until they de
parted this life, the latter dying January
18,1851. * y
To our subject and wife were born
three children, as follows: Phonie, de
ceased; William, who is now a representa
tive of the D. W. Osborne Machine Co.,
of Auburn, N. Y.; and Smith, at home.
Mr. Parrott was very much interested in
all kinds of machinery; for many years he
was a thresher, owning and operating one
of the first threshing machines in Huron
county. ¦ He also took the first threshing
outfit into the State of Wisconsin, where,
to enable him to do business with the ma
chinery, it was necessary to insure the

stock of grain against fire before he would
be permitted on the premises of the own
ers. He was also engaged in selling
various machines, and for years represented
in his locality the firm in whose employ
his son William now is. Mr. Parrott was
a Democrat, and while takino- an active
interest in the affairs of his country, he
was not a politician, thongh for a number
of years he held the office of township
trustee. Mrs. Parrott is a member of the
Disciple Church.

yjILLIAM H. ERDRICH, a prom-
' inent business man of Bellevue,
was born in that city in 1858, a
son of Joseph and Pervis (Lutz)
Erdrich, the former a native of Baden,
Germany, the latter of Ohio. Joseph
Erdrich emigrated to the United States in
1855, and in 1861 established a cooperage
in Bellevue, Huron Co., Ohio, carrying
same on until his death, which occurred
in 1889, when he was in his sixty-fourth
year. His widow still resides here, where
her parents had settled in 1820; her father
was born in Pennsylvania about tbe year
1800, and died at the age of eighty-eight;
her mother died in the "sixties."
William H. Erdrich was educated in
the public schools of Bellevue, in which
town he grew to manhood, learning the
cooper's trade in his father's shop. As
has been stated, the industry was estab
lished in 1861, and the work was all done
by band until 1880, when steam power
and modern machinery were introduced.
The specialty of the cooperage is a light
cask, made in imitation of foreign casks,
the tannin being so extracted from the
wood as to insure its future contents
against discoloration. The founder of
this cooperage saw it grow into a great
industry before his death, and left to his
widow and sons a valuable plant and a
more valuable business. Casks are made
in all sizes, and of all suitable woods. The
trade, which extends from Buffalo, N. Y.,

464

HURON COUNTY, OHIO.

to Omaha, Neb., is steadily growing, and
with it the reputation of this Bellevue in
dustry. When running on full time the
establishment gives employment to forty
men, and produces 60,000 light casks per
annum. The equipment for handling the
output is arranged with a view to economy
in labor, as is also the machinery. Since
the death of their father, our subject and a
brother have conducted the business with
much ability.
William H. Erdrich was married to Miss
Amelia Gelle, and to them were bora two
children, Eugene and William. In 1885
Mr. Erdrich was elected clerk of Lyme
township, aud was re-elected six times.
He has been president of the Water- Works
Company for over four years, and is closely
connected with public affairs in township
and city. Besides his cooperage he is in
terested in other business enterprises, and
is a wide-awake citizen. Politically a
Democrat, he gives loyal service to his
party. In social affairs he is a member of
of the I. O. O. F. and of the Elks, being a
popular member of both associations.

J OHN F. GRABILL, M. D., one of the
k. I prominent physicians of Townsend
\LJ) township, was born in Hayesville,
Ashland Co., Ohio, February 19,
1856, a son of Samuel aud Elizabeth
(Habeck) Grabill.
Samuel Grabill was born in Germany,
received a classical education in a college
in that country, and was there married to
Miss Elizabeth Habeck, also a native of
the Fatherland. In 1830 Samuel Grabill
emigrated from his native country, and
after reaching America located in Ashland
county, Ohio, where he purchased a par
tially improved farm near Hayesville and
engaged in agricultural pursuits. During
his early life he served several years as
cavalryman under Napoleon, participated
in many of the most noted battles fought
by that Emperor, and was several times

wounded. His death occurred in the fall
of 1870, when he was eighty-two years of
age. Both he and his wife were devoted
members of the Lutheran Church. His
parents, who lived always in Germany,
were quite wealthy, his father owning and
controlling a large milling business.
Dr. John F. Grabill was the fifth in
order of birth of the seven children born
to his parents. He received a common-
school and academic education in his
youth, attending the spring and fall ses
sions of the Perrysville Academy about
six years, and teaching during the winter
months. In 1877 he commenced to study
medicine, under the preceptorship of
Doctors Erwin and Craig, of Mansfield,
Ohio, and during the session of 1878-79
he attended lectures at the Medical De
partment of the Western Reserve Univer
sity of Cleveland, Ohio. In 1879-80 he
attended the Miami University of Cin
cinnati, Ohio, and graduated with honors
in the class of 1880. The same year he
began to practice his profession in Reeds-
burgh, Ohio, but after four years located
in Townsend township, Huron county. He
has built up an extensive and lucrative
practice, is remarkably successful in his
treatment of patients, and is undoubtedly
one of the most eminent physicians in
Huron county. In the fall of 1880, Dr.
Grabill married' Miss Rosina Buchanan,
who was born in Hayesville, Ashland
county, in July, 1856, a daughter of
George and Rosina (Hyatt) Buchanan.
Their marriage was blessed with two chil
dren: Wade Hampton and Vera. Dr.
Grabill is a member of the North Central
Medical Society of Ohio, and is thoroughly
posted in all the latest discoveries and ad
vancements made in his profession. Politi
cally he is a Republican.
George Buchanan, father of Mrs. Gra
bill, was born in Washington county, Penn.,
of Scotch descent. He was a man of
splendid scholastic attainments, being a
graduate of Washington College, both in
the classical and theological departments.

HURON COUNTY, OHIO.

465

Though prepared for the ministry, he had
no inclination for the profession, and
never entered it. He moved South, where
he engaged in teaching, and where he was
first married. But with the first signs of
the Civil war he returned to Ohio, and
settled in Ashland county, where he died
in September, 1882, being eighty-two
years of age. He was a lifelong member
of the Presbyterian Church.

ARTLETT DAVIS. In the year
1635 there came to America from
Wales one Joseph Davis, a Cym-
rodion of no small degree of promi
nence in his day, and from him are de
scended the numerous family of Davis in
America. This Joseph Davis was born in 1617,
and the best part of his life was passed in
Roxbury, Mass. The next lineal descend
ant, of whom there is record, was another
Joseph, who owned a tract of land in what
is now the South Gore of Oxford, Mass.,
and later bought land and settled in Wor
cester, same State. He was engaged to
some extent in mercantile business, and
frequently made trips to Boston with farm
produce, which he would exchange for
groceries, etc., dealing in such extensively,
and he was widely known as a man of the
highest integrity.
Aaron Davis (a twin), son of the last
mentioned Joseph, and father of Bartlett
Davis, was born in Massachusetts June 9,
1771. He was married November 29,
1800, at Dudley, in that State, to Thoma-
sine Bartlett, of Dudley, whose father,
Roger Bartlett, was a farmer by occupa
tion, and had served in the war of the
Revolution; so far as known he had three
children — two daughters and one son. Af
ter marriage Aaron Davis made his home
for a time in Charlton, Mass., afterward
went to Palmer. He was a laborer, and
for thirty-two years suffered much from
lameness caused by fever sores, which

alone was the cause of his being a poor
man up to the day of his death. About
the year 1844 he went to Wisconsin, and
at Bristol, Kenosha county, died Decem
ber 19, 1849. He was a lifelong Whig
in his political sympathies, but was never
ambitious for office; his wife, who passed
away August 9, 1866, was a member of
the Congregational Church. The names
of the children born to this couple are as
follows: Pharos, Sarah, Dexter, Thom-
asine, Aaron, Joseph, Bartlett, Wealthy
Ann, Diantha and Samantha.
Bartlett Davis, the subject proper of
this sketch, was born May 14, 1815, in
the town of Palmer, Mass., at the sub
scription schools of which place he re
ceived his education, necessarily very
limited. At the early age of nine years he
commenced work on a farm, receiving as
compensation his board and clothes, and
a few weeks instruction at the neighboring
schools. At the age of sixteen he entered
a woolen factory to learn the trade of
spinner, and for the first year received six
dollars per month for his services, after
ward from twelve dollars to fourteen dol
lars per month; and at the end of two
years he had saved some two hundred and
ten dollars. In 1836, in company with
relatives, he came to Ohio, by way of the
Erie canal to Buffalo, thence by lake to
Sandusky, and from there by wagon to
Bronson township, Huron county. After
a summer's residence there, he and Calvin
O. Chaffee jointly made a purchase of one
hundred acres of wild land at five dollars
per acre, in Hartland township, and built
thereon a stout log house. In 1865 Mr.
Davis built a handsome residence, and
still owns eighty-three acres of as fine land
as can be found in the county.
On May 10, 1836, Bartlett Davis was
united in marriage with Miss Maria Beal,
daughter of William Beal, a native of Ver
mont, and the children of this union were:
Louisa (Mrs. E. Burr), deceased; Mary A.
(Mrs. James Blakeman), in Hartland
township, Huron county; Martha, de-

466

HURON COUNTY, OHIO.

ceased; Flora, who died in infancy; Charles,
who was a soldier in Company A, Twenty-
fourth O. V. I., was wounded at Shiloh,
and died in Jefferson barracks, Mo., while
a member of the U. S. Signal Corps, in
which he had enlisted after recovering
from his wound; Lucy (Mrs. Ezra Webb),
and Frank K, by trade a carpenter, living
in Missouri. The mother of these died in
April, 1850, and was buried in Norwalk;
she was a member of the Methodist
Church. On December 25, 1850, Mr,
Davis married Miss Mary A. Jackson,
daughter of John and Clarissa (Vandeveer)
Jackson, of Elmira, N. Y., whose children
were Maria, Clarissa, John and Mary A.
Mr. Jackson was a soldier in the war of
1812, and was drowned in Lake Owasco,
Cayuga Co., N. Y. ; his widow was subse
quently intermarried witb James Hiles.
Mrs. Mary A. Davis came to Huron
county with the Monahan family in 1833.
The children by this second marriage of
Mr. Davis are: Milo O., married to Flora
Fish, and Cora L., wi'fe of Ephraim Tem
ple. Politically our subject is a Repub
lican, formerly a Whig, aud for twenty
years has served as trustee of Hartland,
of which township he was constable for
some time after his arrival. He and the
entire family are members of the M. E.
Church, with which he has been connected
nearly sixty years, and has been trustee for
some considerable time. Notwithstanding
his years, Mr. Davis is bale and hearty,
enjoying excellent physical health, and he
still supervises his farm, which in its pro
ductiveness and neatness is a credit to the
owner.

DELBERT E. PECK, owner of
101 acres of prime farm land in
^ Wakeman township, is a native of
the locality, born February 3, 1844,
a son of Henry Peck.
He was reared to the arduous duties of
farm life, and remained with his father
until he was twenty-six years old, when he

commenced for his own account. Having
saved a little money, and being assisted by
his father, he in 1874 went west and
bought a farm in Henry county, 111., re
maining there nine years, and making a
fair success.. In 1877 he revisited his old
home, and married Miss Julia E. Sweet,
daughter of Mrs. Elizabeth Sweet, of Lo
rain county, Ohio, bora of English par
entage. Taking his young wife out to his
western home, they there remained till
1883, when he sold the property and
bought his present farm of 101 acres in
Wakeman township. On it, same year,
he built an elegant home, and put up
about one and one-half miles of fence; his
specialty, in addition to general farming,
is the breeding of high-grade live stock.
Mr. Peck is a pronounced Prohibitionist,
and when he first went west was the only
voter on that ticket in Henry county, 111.,
where there are now eight votes. During
the Civil war, in 1864, he enlisted in Com
pany E, Capt. I. 0. Peck, One Hundred
and Sixty-sixth O. V. I., one hundred-
days men, and was mustered in at Cleve
land. His brother Edward was a member
of the Twenty-fourth O. V. I., having en
listed at the commencement of the war,
and was killed at the battle of Pittsburgh
Landing (Shiloh).

LUCIAN JONES,- a venerable and
. respected pioneer of Sherman town-
 | ship, is a native of Vermont, born
in Windsor county March 11, 1812.
Bruce Jones, father of subject, was bora
November 8, 1772, in Massachusetts,
whence when a young man he moved to
Vermont, and was there married Decem
ber 6, 1804, to Miss L. Partridge, who was
bora November 9, 1778, and died May 12,
1819. The record of the children by this
marriage is as follows: Amanda was mar
ried March 19, 1827, to Willard Crandall,
and always resided in Vermont; Solon,
born June 25, 1809, died in December,
1809; Lucian is the subject of this sketch,

HURON COUNTY, OHIO.

467

and Steorn, born September 2, 1814, died
November 11, 1862. For his second wife
Bruce Jones married Miss Lucy Sanderson,
who was born March 18, 1784, and died
March 19, 1865. Three children were the
result of this union, viz.: Lucretia, now
the widow of P. Bright, living in New
London, Huron county; Sarah, bora May
15, 1822, died September 6, 1838; and
Susan E., bora April 8, 1827, unmarried.
The father died in 1846. He had settled
on the land in Sherman township, Huron
county, on which some of his children are
yet living.
The subject of this sketch came to
Huron county with his parents, aud has
lived longer in Sherman township than any
one else. He has never married. He is
a Republican in politics, and one of the
most highly respected citizens of his sec
tion, honored the more, probably, on ac
count of his blindness, caused by disease,
an affliction he bears with Christian resig
nation. His half-sister, Susan E., keeps
house for him, and, Mr. Jones being very
wealthy, has a vast amount of business to
, transact, which she does with most com
mendable care and accuracy. She also
took care of her parents in their declining
years.JH. BEATTIE, a leading clothier of
New London, is a native of Ohio,
born in Ruggles, Ashland county, in
1849, a son of John Beattie, a native
of Scotland, who came to America at the
age of twenty-one years.
Our subject was reared in Ashland
county, attending the common schools of
the neighborhood of his birth, and also the
academy at Savannah, same county. In
1874 he commenced business for his own
account, having previously served as clerk
in various mercantile houses in New Lon
don, but closed out his business in 1877.
In 1889 he opened out his present cloth
ing and merchant tailoring establishment
in New London, and it has become the
leading one of its kind in the place.

In 1874 Mr. Beattie was married to
Miss Martha L. Middlesworth, of Knox
ville, Iowa, and six children, as follows,
have been born to them: Edna Mary, F.
J. M., Jennie Alberta, Louie Isabel, Les
ter M. and Alice. Our subject is a mem
ber of the F. & A. M., Royal Arcanum,
Knights of Honor, and National Union.
In politics he is a Republican, and has
been a delegate to various conventions;
was State delegate for his party when
Foraker was nominated for governor, and
also when McKinley was the nominee of
the party for tbe same office.

d( USTICE TOWNSEND, the popnlar
and courteous proprietor of the
I "Gregory House," New London, is a
native of Huron county, born in
Hartland township in 1852.
His father, D. T. Townsend, was born
in Ulster county, N. Y., whence when
twenty-one years old he came to Huron
county, Ohio, making a settlement in
Greenwich township. Here he married
Miss G. W. Dewitt, a native of JNew York
State, born in 1828, and three children
came to them, two of whom are yet living,
our subject being second in order of. birth.
The parents after marriage moved to Hart
land township, Huron county, where the
mother is yet living; the father died at the
age of sixty-five years; he was by trade a
millwright, and operated a sawmill; in
politics he was a Republican, and in relig
ious faith a member of the M. E. Church,
as is his widow.
Justice Townsend received a liberal edu
cation at the common schools of Hartland
township, Huron county, as well as at the
schools of Milan, Erie county, for a time,
after which he commenced business. His
first experience was on a farm, where he
remained one year; he then went west to
Beatrice, Neb., where he was in a sheep
business two years, after which he returned
home and bought a farm, which he con-

468

HURON COUNTY, OHIO.

ducted one and one-half years. We next
find Mr. Townsend, for he was never idle,
conducting a grocery business in Norwalk,
Huron county, up to the time of his
father's death, when he returned to the
homestead, on which he remained about
three years. Embarking then in the grain
and general stock trade in Clarksfield,
Huron county, he built an elevator, and
continued in the business two years, at the
end of which time he went into the hotel
business in the same town, remaining in
it some four years. In 1891 he became
proprietor of the "Gregory House" in
New London, and has since been its genial
and obliging host, meeting with well-
merited success, at the same time conduct
ing his farm. In 1873 Mr. Townsend was
united in marriage with Miss Mabel Mer
rick, a native of Knox county, Ohio, and
four children were born to them, viz.:
One deceased in infancy, Charles O., Julia
E. and John. Mr. and Mrs. Townsend
are adherents of the M. E. Church; so
cially he is a member of the K. O. T. M.,
and in politics he is a solid Republican.

0

TIS SYKES, the oldest and most
prominent business man at Chicago
Junction, was born May 2, 1847,
in Richmond township, Huron Co.,
Ohio. Daniel Sykes, his father, was born June
6, 1806, at East Berkshire, Franklin Co.,
Vt., where he attended school, afterward
working on the home or neighboring farms
until 1827, when he determined to seek a
wider field for his industry in New York
State. The following three years he
passed at Sweden, Monroe Co., N. Y., as
a farm hand, and there, on April 5, 1832,
he was married to Arabella'Butler. In May
of that year he visited Michigan, purchased
a quarter section of United States lands,
and passed the summer there, clearing the
land and preparing a home. That fall, on
returning to Monroe county, N. Y., he was

urged by his friends to settle in Ohio, and
in October, accompanied by his young wife
and a few friends, set out for that State.
The journey was made by wagon to Buf
falo, and thence to Sandusky by lake-boat.
At this point Daniel Sykes separated from
the party, leaving his wife in care of her
uncle, who took her to Milan on horseback.
Her husband went to Michigan to dispose
of his land there, but failed in his mission,
returned to Huron county, Ohio, and pur
chased forty acres of wild land one and a
half miles northwest of Greenfield Center.
On this tract was a small log cabin, and
into it the young pioneer couple moved, to
begin life in the wilderness. With un
daunted courage Daniel began the work of
clearing the forest. He had yet to pay for
this forty-acre tract, for his earnings were
nearly all invested in the Michigan pur
chase. With strong heart and hands
and a brave wife he persevered, and with
in a comparatively short space of time
succeeded, not only in paying for the land,
but also in obtaining various household
articles and comforts. In 1836 he sold the
old farm and purchased sixty acres in
Richmond township from a Mr. McMas-
ter, on which the home was established.
A few years later he purchased an adjoin
ing tract of sixty acres from Robert
Asians; but owing to a defect in the title,
Mr. Sykes was compelled to pay for this
property a second time, to Henry Mills,
the actual owner. Mr. Sykes had now a
good farm of 120 acres, with substantial
buildings, and all this he made out of his
labor, before his children were old enough
to help. His death, which occurred June
10, 1883, was the result of an accident;
while crossing the railroad he was struck
by a locomotive, fell under the wheels, and
his lower limbs were severed from his
body. He was a man of few words but of
many deeds, and was loved wherever
known. Of the eight children born to Daniel
and Arabella Sykes, five grew to maturity,
a brief record of them being as follows:

HURON COUNTY, OHIO.

469

William H. is a physician at Plymouth;
Andrew J. served in the Fifty-fifth 0. V.
I., and was killed at Resaca, Ga. ; Royal,
who served in the Third 0. V. C, died of
typhoid fever at Pittsburg Landing; Aurilla
resides on the old homestead in Richmond
township; Otis is the subject proper of
this sketch. In religious faith Mr. Sykes
was a Baptist; in politics he was origin
ally a Democrat, and later became a Re
publican. Otis Sykes was educated in the district
schools of his native township. On August
13, 1862, while yet a mere boy, he en
tered the United States service with Com
pany C, One Hundred and Twenty-third
O. V. I., and going to the front with the
command, participated in many of the
brilliant engagements which took place in
the Shenandoah Valley, taking part in the
battle of Winchester (where the famous
cavalry officer, Sheridan, saved tbe day),
in the Lynchburg raid, and in the battle
of Staunton, Va. At Winchester he lost
his left limb, and was sent to the field hos
pital. Thence he was removed to the hos
pital at Baltimore, and later to that at
Philadelphia, where he remained until
June 6, 1865, when he received an hon
orable discharge and returned to his home.
Some time later he commenced the study
of dentistry at Plymouth, Ohio, and prac
ticed his profession for three years. In
1872 he established a drug store at Wa
bash, Ind., which he carried on until 1876,
and then came to Chicago Junction, where
in 1878 he opened his present drug busi
ness, to which he has since given his ex
clusive attention. Mr. Sykes, in his poli
tical preferences, is a Republican, and on
the incorporation of the town of Chicago
Junction was elected a member of tbe first
council. He was also a member of the
school board, and in both offices exercised
a wide influence for good. In Society af
fairs he is a member of Chicago Junction
Lodge No. 748, I. 0. 0. F.
In 1873 Mr. Sykes was married to Miss
Elizabeth A., daughter of Samuel and

Elizabeth Miller, and to this union the fol
lowing named children were bom: Maud
I., who died in 1891, aged fifteen year's,
and Doris, who resides with her parents.
Mr. Sykes began mercantile life with little
or no assistance, and through his own ef
forts he has not only built up a prosper
ous business, but also that which is more
difficult to acquire and sustain- — a fine
reputation.

E'NOCH HEAL. The beginning of
the modern buildings of Bellevue
 I may be credited to the year in which
Enoch Heal arrived there. Mr.
Heal was born February 1, 1826, in Devon
shire, England, and learned the trade of
stone and brick mason under his father.
He was married in his native country, and
in 1849 emigrated to the United States,
arriving at Bellevue, Ohio, the same year.
His first work here was the building of the
stone gristmill. Later he put up the old
stone residence for Dr. Woodward, and he
has sinceAbeen continuously engaged as
contractor and builder, and as stone and
brick mason, building many of the sub
stantial structures now found in Bellevue,
Monroeville and Norwalk. From 1849 to
the present time his home has been at
Bellevue, save for eleven weeks in 1873,
which he with his wife and relatives
passed in England. During the Civil war,
when Cincinnati was threatened by the
Confederate forces, he joined a Bellevue
company, and went to the front to defend
the city.
Mr. Heal was united in marriage with
Elizabeth C. Joint, and to this union were
born ten children, a brief record of whom
is as follows: One child died in infancy;
Elizabeth C. is the widow of W. K. Hil-
bert; Emma is the wife of Dr. Lanterman;
Mary is the wife of W. E. Miller; Amelia
is married to George C. Beckworth, of
Bellevue; W. A. is a clerk in the "Ball
House" at Fremont; Nellie is the wife of
R. H. Boyer, of Minneapolis, Minn.;

470

HURON COUNTY, OHIO.

Francis P. is a druggist in Bellevue; New
ton W. is a traveling salesman; Nettie E.
is the wife of C. B. Cupp, a druggist.
The mother of this large family died De
cember 18, 1883. She carried on a milli
nery store here for about twenty years.
In October, 1891, Mr. Heal married Carrie
W. Dunning, a native of New Y^ork State,
who for some time was a stenographer at
Chicago, and for about three years was
engaged in the dry-goods business at
Bellevue. In political life Mr. Heal is a
Prohibitionist, and in church connection
a Congregationalist. Mr. Heal is the em
ployer of a number of skilled mechanics
and laborers, is the owner of valuable
property at Bellevue, and altogether is a
shining example of industry and enterprise.
The parents of Mr. Heal, Enoch and
Elizabeth (Tamliu) Heal, came from
Devonshire, England, to America in 1854,
and located at Bellevue, Ohio, where the
mother died in 1868, the father in 1872.
He had been twice married, the subject of
this sketch being one of the children born
to the second marriage. Our subject has
two full sisters and one full brother, the
latter and one of the sisters — Mrs. Eliza
beth Head, a widow — being residents of
Bellevue. Four sons in the family were
stone masons.

ELMER E. MoKESSON, proprietor
of a leading grocery establishment
 ! in Bellevue, is a son of James Mc
Kesson, a native of Pennsylvania.
Many years ago James McKesson lo
cated in Erie county, Ohio, where he fol
lowed farming and railroad work. When
a young man he was united in marriage
with Mayetta Provut, a native of the State
of New York, and to this union were born
four children, Elmer E. being the young
est. The father is now a resident of
Bellevue, and is still farming.
Elmer E. McKesson was born Novem
ber 16, 1862, in Erie county, Ohio, where
he attended the common schools. He

selected a life companion in the person of
Helen M. Riese, a young lady who moved
in the highest social circles of Bellevue.
On March 1, 1891, Mr. McKesson em
barked in a grocery business, which is
very prosperous, as he carries a full line
of excellent goods.

B> AVID BORES. Of the industrious
|j and prosperous German settlers of
^ I Sherman township, Huron county,
none is more deserving of the re
spect and esteem of the community than
this gentleman.
Mr. Bores was born January 24, 1832,
in Nassau, Prussia, a son of John and
Catherine Bores, the former of whom was
by trade a harness maker. David received
his education in his native land, and
learned harness making of his father. At
about the age of twenty-two years' he set
sail for the United States in the good ship
"Southampton," and after a voyage of
twenty-eight days landed in New York
December 13 following — "a stranger in a
strange land." After a few days sojourn
in New York City be came westward to
Ohio, making his first stop in the Buckeye
State at Monroeville, Huron county, where
for three months he was employed by
Philip Knoll at six dollars per month. He
next moved to Indiana, and worked as a
laborer on the railroad then being .con
structed between Indianapolis and Peru.
Returning to Huron county, he engaged
with Christ Knoll, with whom he worked
some time, but, suffering from fever and
ague for three years, he was almost totally
incapacitated for labor of any kind.
After a partial recovery from his illness,
Mr. Bores married, in 1855, Miss Anna
Mary Fachinger, also a native of Nassau,
Prussia, daughter of John Fachinger, who
came with his family to the United States
when Mrs. Bores was twenty-six years old.
After marriage our subject, though still
uuwell, worked as a farm hand in Lyme
township, Huron county, and then rented

HURON COUNTY, OHIO.

471

farms for six years. In 1862 he purchased
fifty acres of wild land in Sherman town
ship, Huron county, at forty dollars per
acre; this he has by hard work and assidu
ous industry converted into a productive
farm. He went into debt for this prop
erty, and has not only succeeded in paying
for it, but has added thereto until now he
has 240 acres of prime land, in the ac
cumulating of which, and in the convert
ing of the farm generally, he has been ably
and faithfully assisted by his amiable wife.
The children born to Mr. and Mrs. Bores
were as follows: Joseph, who died young;
Henry, a farmer of Sherman township;
Elizabeth, Mrs. Chris. Wilhelm, of Leip
sic, Putnam Co., Ohio; August, a farmer
of Sherman township; John, living at
home; and Emma, now Mrs. Wilhelm
Rintrlein, of Putnam county, Ohio. Poli
tically our subject is a Democrat, and he
has held the office of school director with
acceptability. He and his wife are mem
bers of the Catholic Church, of which he
is trustee. He is a typical self-made man,
and considering his long period of sickness
and the expenses incident to same, he has
been wonderfully successful.

I OHN F. GURNEY, one of the most
k. I extensive farmers of Richmond town-
%j) ship, was born November 10, 1832,
a son of Samuel and Jane (Cross)
Gurney. In 1838 the parents came to Ohio,
bringing their family, which then con
sisted of four children, viz.: Olive Jane,
now the widow of John Detweiler, of
Mansfield, Ohio; John F., who is men
tioned farther on; Oliver, of Bellville,
Ohio; and Lewie, a bricklayer and plas
terer, of Mansfield. After coming to Ohio
they had born to them one child, Sarah
Elizabeth. When Samuel Gurney arrived
in Ohio he settled near Bellville. Richland
¦county, where he owned one of the best
farms in the secbioaa, being a man of no
small means. He was possessed of con

siderable genius as a mechanic, and in
vented a shingle machine, a contrivance
for pulling stumps, and also a machine for
converting palm leaves into fans; while in
the South he made many profitable sales
of his inventions, and it is supposed that
he was killed in New Orleans for his
money. Some time later his widow mar
ried, for her second husband, Hiram
Bailey; she died about 1878 near Bellville,
Richland county, where she was buried.
John F. Gurney was about six years old
when he came with the rest of the family
to Ohio. He received the greater part of
his education from a private instructor in
the person of his employer, John C. Bate
man, a farmer of Knox county, Ohio, and
attended school very little, in fact for only
one winter. Being the eldest son the
family depended principally on him after
the death of the father, and at the age of
eighteen he commenced to learn plaster
ing, serving an apprenticeship of three
years, after which he bought out his em
ployer, William C. Weirick, and continued
in the business for twenty-one years in
Mansfield and vicinity. On January 6,
1856, he was united in marriage with
Miss Lavina Tinkey, who was born De
cember 16, 1829, in Washington county,
Penn., daughter of George and Elizabeth
(Swickard) Tinkey, who came to Ohio in
1853, locating in Richland county. After
marriage Mr. and Mrs. Gurney rented a
house in Bellville, where they resided for
about ten years, and then purchased a
small place south of the town, where they
made their home another ten years. On
July 19, 1874, they came to Richmond
township, Huron Co., Ohio, locating on
their present farm, where Mr. Gurney has
ever since been actively engaged in agri
culture and stock raising. To our subject
and wife bave been born children as fol
lows: Elizabeth Jane, Mrs. James L.
Frederick, of Chicago Junction, Ohio;
Ann Eliza, Mrs. William Cox, of Rich
mond township; Mary Inez, Mrs. D. B.
Ziegler, of Plymouth; Otis Washington, a

472

HURON COUNTY, OHIO.

farmer of Hicksville, Ohio ; Ella May, Mrs.
Portice Williams, of Fostoria, Ohio; and
Martha Adele, Mrs. J. A. Rang, of Chi
cago Junction.
In May, 1864, Mr. Gurney enlisted, for
one hundred days' service, in Company D,
One Hundred and Sixty-third Regiment
O. V. 1. (of which he had been a member
for five years), and participated in the en
gagements in the Shenandoah Valley,
around Richmond, etc., serving with special
bravery and distinction; on one occasion
he was one of four soldiers, who, after
having been ordered to surrender, defied
and held at bay 300 rebels, until their
comrades rallied and captured the enemy.
Our subject is the owner of 268 acres of
most excellent land, the result of his own
unremitting energy and industry, and his
continual perseverance in improving and
cultivating. This tract, located in the
north end of what was known as the
" Black Swamp," was once a vast swamp,
and was considered practically worthless;
but it is now the most productive land in
this section of the county. Mr. Gurney is
a member of the Republican party, but
takes no active part in politics; in religious
connection he was originally a Cumber
land Presbyterian, but is now a member of
the U. B. Church, and he has always con
tributed liberally toward churches and
church work.

J

OHN A. HETTEL, retired farmer of
Peru township, was born March 20,
1816, in Germany, and is a son of
John A. Hettel, a hatter who emi
grated to the United States with his family
in 1834.
They sailed from the port of Havre,
France, and after a voyage of thirty days
landed at New York, proceeding thence by
river, canal and lake boats to Huron, Ohio,
and from that village to the wilderness of
what is now the beautiful township of
Peru. Here the father purchased, at ten
dollars per acre, the land on which there

was at that time a clearing of six acres, and
increased gradually the area of the tract.
Mr. Hettel and his wife resided on this
tract until their death. Each arrived at a
ripe old age, living to see some of their
children settled, and fair provision made
for the younger members of the family.
The pioneers rest in St. Peter's Catholic
cemetery at Norwalk, where so many of
the early settlers are buried.
John A. Hettel, was eighteen years old
when he accompanied the rest of the family
into the wilderness of Ohio. He had re
ceived a good education in his native land,
and after coming to America assisted his
father in making a new home.
On November 15, 1847, he married Miss
Maggie Horn, who was bora February 10,
1822, near the birthplace of Mr. Hettel,
and came to the United States with her
father, Joseph Horn, in 1843, residing for
the next three years in Massachusetts,
when the family came to Huron county.
The following named children have been
bora to Mr. and Mrs. Hettel: Louisa,
Rose, Albert and Louis, all deceased when
young; Anna M., residing at home; John
F., a farmer in Peru township; Edward
A., a farmer of Henry county, Ohio, and
Frank A., residing at home. The mother
of this family died July 25, 1887, and
was buried in the Catholic cemetery at
Monroeville. From the period of her
marriage until her death the old home
stead, still occupied by Mr. Hettel, was
her home.
Mr. Hettel, though retired from active
work, is not an idle onlooker. Rounding
out as he now is fourscore years, he is
still hale and hearty, and takes especial
pride in seeing the farm which he helped
to hew out of the forest grow in beauty
and productiveness at the hands of his
children. In his old age he can look back
over a useful and honorable life, and take
pride in the children who grew up around
him. Lie appreciates the assistance he has
received from them and their mother, who
has passed away, in amassing, or rather the

HURON COUNTY, OHIO.

473

making, the wealth which he calls his own,
and which they will enjoy after him.
Since the mother's death, his daughter,
Anna Mary, has been mistress of the old
home, while the farm is managed by the
sons. Mr. Hettel has always been a con
sistent Republican, but takes no active in
terest in party affairs. He and his chil
dren hold to the Catholic faith, and as he
aided in planting it in northern Ohio, so
his sons and daughters to-day aid in sus
taining it.

TEPHEN BERRY, a wealthy and
highly honored agriculturist of Lyme
township, was born March 12, 1844,
in Waldo township, Marion county,
Ohio, a son of Henry and Christina (Powel)
Berry. Henry Berry was born in Virginia, and
there received the most complete education
afforded by the schools of that period. At
an early age he became familiar witb agri
cultural pursuits, an occupation which en
gaged his exclusive attention until his
death, which occurred in 1882. He was
a man of unusual culture and sterling
worth, and used his wealth to succor the
helpless neighbors who invariably appealed
to him for assistance. His vast estate was
highly cultivated, and his fortune of eighty
thousand dollars carefully managed. He
served in the war of 1812. He married
Miss Christina Powel, a native of Penn
sylvania, and of this union were bora nine
children (six of whom are now living),
viz. : Strander, Thomas, William, Stephen,
Massey (Mrs. Barney Collins), Mary (Mrs.
John Showers), Christina (Mrs. Jonathan
Wrights, of, Michigan), Cordelia (Mrs.

William Mills, who died in Bellevue) and
one whose name is not given. The mother
of this family died in 1872, after a life
filled with kind impulses and generous
deeds, and was sincerely mourned by her
family, friends and neighbors.
Stephen Berry was quite young when
he came with his parents to Lyme town

ship, where he has since continued to re
side. He received an education in the
district schools of the township, but his
natural ability and the advantages of cul
tured parents enabled him to attain a
much greater degree of knowledge than
the teachers of those days were prepared
to impart to their pupils. For eight years
he operated a sawmill, but has chiefly en
gaged in agricultural pursuits, and owns
two farms, one of forty-lour acres in Lyme
township, the other comprising 102 acres,
in Sherman township. At present he rents
his land, and is surrounded by all the com
forts that attend wealth. He is a Repub
lican, and very prominent in the political
circles of Huron county. Mr. Berry was
married, in 1872, to Miss Priscilla Gensal,
who was born in Pennsylvania, and their
union has been blessed with two children:
Ada and Arthur W. Mr. and Mrs. Berry
are members of the Reformed Church, and.
are actively interested in all charitable en
terprises.

I OSEPH SHERCK, who for four years
k I —from April, 1882, to April, 1886—
%Jj served as mayor of Bellevue, was
born November 10, 1828, in Mifflin
county, Penn. John and Magdalena (Krei-
der) Sherck, parents of our subject, moved
from Pennsylvania to Seneca county, Ohio,
locating in Thompson township October 1,
1834. In 1868 the family migrated to
Michigan, locating in St. Joseph county,
where Mrs. Magdalena Sherck died in
1882; the father also died there. They
reared a family of twelve children (onr
subject being the eldest), of whom five
are yet living.
Joseph Sherck received a primary edu
cation in the district school of Thompson
township, Seneca county, and' afterward
worked on the home farm, where he grew
to manhood. On August 19, 1851, he
married Barbara A. Decker, the youngest
child of Jacob and Susanna (Billman)
Decker. Jacob Decker is a son of John

474

HURON COUNTY, OHIO.

and Julia Ann (Royer) Decker, who came
in 1816 from Union county, Penn., to
Wayne county, Ohio, and thence in 1830
to Seneca county, where Mrs. Sherck was
born. To her marriage with Joseph Sherck
two children were born, namely: Mary A.,
Mrs. Miller, of Seneca county, and Charles
M., associated with his father in business
at Bellevue. From the time of his mar
riage until 1873 Mr. Sherck worked on
the farm, and in 1860 purchased the 160
acres in the center of Thompson township,
Seneca county, known as the Sherck home
stead. While on this farm he was elected
justice of the peace, and served in that
position for nine years. In 1873 he moved
to Bellevue, Huron county, and established
a saddle and harness house, which he con
ducted until 1884, when he engaged in the
grain trade. To-day he operates the large
elevator at Bellevue, and carries on a most
extensive business in grain, seed, coal,
plaster, salt, water- lime, etc.
Mr. Sherck can trace his ancestry back
300 years, and for a century or more can
claim this country as the family home.
Prominent in Masonic work, he is a mem
ber of the Lodge, Chapter and Council at
Bellevue, and of the Commandery, K. T., at
Norwalk, Ohio. In religious affairs he
affiliates with the Methodist Episcopal
Church. An active, enterprising business
man, one who has taken a full part in the
development of Bellevue, he enjoys, as he
merits, the confidence of the community.

4J

MJ. STAPF, general agent for all
kinds of agricultural implements,
with residence at Weaver's Cor
ners, is a native of Pennsylvania,
born in 1848, whence when five
years old he was brought to Huron county,
Ohio, by his parents.
Mr. Stapf received his education at tbe
public schools of Bellevue, Huron county,
and learned the trade of butcher, at which
he worked in various places. Abandoning

this business, he secured a position as trav
eling salesman for Nicholas Seckler,
wholesale liquor dealer, Cleveland, his
territory covering the States of Ohio and
Pennsylvania, and in this line he remained
some eighteen years. He then came to
Weaver's Corners, Huron county, where
he has since been successfully engaged in
his present business, doing a large and
profitable trade. In 1869 Mr. Stapf was
married to Miss Catherine Walter, and
eight children were born to them, namely:
George, Hester, Rosa, Frank, Nettie,
Henry, Lucy and John. Politically our
subject is an active Republican, and has
been assessor of Sherman township two
years; socially he is a member of the
I. O. O. F. and K. of P.; in Church con
nection he is a Lutheran.
Frederick and Christina (Baer) Stapf,
parents of M. J., immigrated from Ger
many to this country, and they took up
their residence in Bellevue, Huron Co.,
Ohio, where the father followed bis busi
ness, that of brewer. He died in 1887 at
the age of seventy-five years; his widow,
now seventy-six years old, the mother of
four children, is living with her son M. J.,
and with him enjoys the respect and es
teem of the community.

l^ILLIAM WELLS VAN GOR-
^Jl DER, a prominent and influential
M[ citizen of New London, where he
conducts a flourishing furniture
store and undertaking establishment, is a
native of Willoughby township, Lake Co.,
Ohio, born September 23, 1834.
Peter Van Gorder, his father, married
Miss Martha Allen, and nine children were
born to them, named respectively: Allen,
Mary, Sarah Ann, Henry, John, Miranda,
Martha, Daniel and William W. The last
named, our subject, received a liberal edu
cation at the common schools of the neigh
borhood of his place of birth, and aj the
age of seventeen commenced to learn car
pentry, working at the same for others for

HURON COUNTY, OHIO.

475

about three years, by the end of which
time he had saved about three hundred
dollars, being thus enabled to commence
business for his own account. For eleven
years he followed the trade with varying
success, and found himself the possessor of
five thousand dollars of hard-earned cash,
which he invested in property, and then
embarked in his present business.
Mr. Van Gorder was united in marriage
with Miss Angeline Sarah King, by which
union there is one child, Lillian Adelaide,
who was first married to Dr. Andrews, by
whom she has two children, named Mil
dred and Ermy. Dr. Andrews dying, his
widow was subsequently married to Mr.
Sheerer, who controls the lecture course in
a college in Cincinnati. As will readily
be seen, Mr. Van Gorder is a self-made
man in the strictest sense of the expres
sion. He is a director of the First National
Bank of New London, and one of the most
enterprising citizens of the town. Poli
tically he is a strong Prohibitionist, hav
ing been a member of that party since its
organization.

Jfr-UGH KENDEIGH, an enterpris-
';H ing, highly respected farmer citizen
I of Townsend township, was born
October 15, 1828, in Westmoreland
county, Penn. He is the second
child in a family of six born to Daniel
and Sarah (McKinney) Kendeigh, both of
whom were natives of Pennsylvania, and
of German and Scotch-Irish descent re
spectively. Daniel Kendeigh received no education
in youth, never having attended school a
day in his life; but after attaining to man
hood's years he succeeded, by his own ex
ertions, in obtaining sufficient education
for the ordinary transactions of life, and
was possessed of a varied stock of useful
knowledge, acquired in the great school of
experience. His youth was passed on the
old homestead farm in Pennsylvania, where
he was also married, soon after which
36

event he went to Pittsburgh, where he was
engaged in the manufacture of brick for
some four or five years. He then engaged
in coal mining at the same place, in which
he continued for some tenor twelve years,
and in 1833 removed with his family to
Amherst township, Lorain Co., Ohio,
where he bought a partially-improved
farm, and other lands in the same county.
In 1840 he sold the home place in Lorain
county and returned to Pittsburgh, remain
ing three or four years, and then coming
back to Lorain county, whence, after a
residence of about one year, he removed to
Lenawee county, Mich., selling his prop
erty. In Michigan he purchased a farm
whereon he resided and engaged in agri
cultural pursuits until his death, which
occurred in 1885, when he was in his
seventy-second year. In 1863 he enlisted
in a Michigan volunteer regiment, serving
under Gen. Gilmore in South Carolina, aud
participating with his regiment in all its
marches and engagements until the close
of the war. Both he and his wife were
earnest lifelong members of the Presby
terian Church. The McKinney family
were among the early pioneers of the old
Keystone State, and took an active part
in the progress and development of that
Commonwealth in the early Colonial days.
Hugh Kendeigh received a fair English
education in youth at the select and sub
scription schools of bis native State and
also in Ohio, and remained with his par
ents until he was about twenty-three years
old, when he commenced the battle of life
on his own account. He bought wild land
in Townsend township, Huron Co., Ohio,
where he subsequently improved a farm.
This he sold in 1862, the next year, 1863,
buying another farm in the same township,
where he yet resides, and has since been
successfully engaged in agricultural pur
suits. The place is well improved and
under a high state of cultivation. Mr.
Kendeigh was married iu 1855 to Miss
Hannah Love, who was a native of New
Jersey, born in 1836, daughter of Andrew

476

HURON COUNTY, OHIO.

and Eliza (Kelsey) Love, both also natives
of New Jersey. Three children, only one
of whom is now living, were bora to this
union, viz.: Charles L.; Arvilla Ann, who
died November 18, 1882, in her twentieth
year; and Myra D., Mrs. Elmer Belmey,
who died July 18, 1886. Mrs. Hannah
Kendeigh departed this life January 3,
1874, in her thirty-sixth year. In politics
Mr. Kendeigh is a Republican, and he is
one of the progressive and highly esteemed
citizens of the township and county.

Il OHN C. PALMER, a descendant of
k I one of the pioneer families of Huron
\J) county, is a son of John C. Palmer,
whose father, Roger Palmer, was a
farmer of Washington county, New York.
John C. Palmer, father of our subject,
attended the rate schools, and when a
young man married Mary Piester, of
Washington county, N. Y. They moved
to Huron couuty, Ohio, making a portion
of the journey by wagon, the remainder
via canal and lake, landing at Huron, on
Lake Erie. At this time Mr. Palmer's
capital, amounted to forty dollars and a
span of horses, one of which was killed
while being taken from the boat at Huron,
whence they proceeded southward, locating
along the Huron river in Ridgefield town
ship. The land was covered with dense
forest, and after a rude means of shelter
had been provided he set to work to "fell
the giant oak." Year after year of hard
labor brought slow but sure reward, and
fields of golden grain in due time sup
planted the grand old forests, and the pioneer
became a prosperous agriculturist. In poli
tics he was a Whig and Republican, and
in religion be and his wife were members
of the Baptist Church. A brief record of
their children is as follows: Matilda,
widow of Philo Whitford, is living on
the home farm; Elzina, widow of Rob
ert Richey, is also living on the old
place; Emily js the wife of Ira 0. Stew

art, of Michigan; Melissa is married to
Luther Ashley, of California; John C,
whosename opens this sketch; Luther is
a farmer of Ridgefield township; Myron
lives in Wauseon, Fulton Co., Ohio, and
Harlow, who sailed from New Bedford,
Mass., on a whaling vessel, was lost in
the Straits of Snnda. The father of this
family died in 1862, aged fifty-seven years,
followed by the mother in 1882, at the
age of seventy-eight years. To citizens of
Mr. Palmer's stamp too much praise can
not be given for the hardships and
struggles which they endured in the early
settlement of Huron county. These pion
eers sleep side by side in the Monroeville
cemetery. John C. Palmer was born November
17, 1838, on the farm in Ridgefield town
ship which he now owns. His earliest
education was obtained at the subscription
schools, and this was supplemented by a
short course in an institution away from
home. Since then his entire time and at
tention have been given to the farm, and
those principles of enterprise and energy,
characteristic of his father, are equally
noticeable in the son. He has charge of
the home farm, and in addition to general
agriculture deals extensively in cattle. In
politics he has been a lifelong Republican,
taking an active interest in the success of
the party. Mr. Palmer is unmarried, and
his two widowed sisters and a brother
make their home with him.

FHILIP HORN. Huron county.
has within her borders many men
toward whom she may point the fin
ger of pride, men who in their ad
vancement have not been blind to
their country's welfare, and while winning
honor and success for themselves have also
shaped her destiny. Chief among these
men ranks Philip Horn, who was born in
1826 in Germany, and settled in Pluron
county as early as 1854. His father, Gott-
fret Horn, is a prosperous farmer in Ger-

HURON COUNTY, OHIO.

477

many, and has eight children, six of whom
are now in America, our subject being
third in order of birth.
Philip Horn received a good practical
education in Germany. Growing tired of
the customs of his native land, he came to
America, and in Huron county, Ohio,
worked two years as farm laborer for
Joseph Wood, of Lyme township, and one
year for his brother. At the end of that
time he had, by practicing strict economy,
accumulated sufficient money to rent a few
acres of land from Isaac Bently, and be
gan farming for his own account. Five
years later he purchased a farm in Belle
vue, but sold that and purchased his pres
ent place, comprising 128 acres of highly-
cultivated land, where he devotes his at
tention to agricultural pursuits and stock
raising. In politics he is a Democrat, and
served as school director of Lyme town
ship eight years, and as supervisor six
years. He and his wife are members of
the Protestant Church.
Mr. Horn was married, in 1856, to Miss
Catherine Steel, and by her has nine chil
dren, five of whom married and are now
living in Huron county, viz.: Louisa
(Mrs. Henry Boehler); Gustave (married);
Charles (married); Minnie (Mrs. Christ
Uttar) and Emma (Mrs. Otto Boehler).

If CAL. WARD, a progressive and
k. I successful dry-goods merchant of
\JJ Chicago Junction, was born June 5,
1853, in Richland county, Ohio, son
of S. F. and Jane (Hunter) Ward, who
were natives of Richland and Columbiana
counties respectively. The father was a
cabinet maker, an adept at his trade, at
which he worked all his life, and he always
found ready work for his hands. He had
served an apprenticeship of four years in
Mansfield while learning cabinet making,
during which time he received only his
board and clothes. Of his children, J. C.

Ward is the subject of this sketch; and
Sophronia is the wife of Albert Gething,
of Mansfield, Ohio.
J. Cal. Ward attended the common
schools of his district in youth, but owing
to poor health gave study very little at
tention, and at the age of sixteen years
entered the general store of Uriah Uhler,
at Shiloh, Richland Co., Ohio. Here he
held the position of clerk for six years,
never losing a day or day's pay in that
long term, and though beginning work at
but ten dollars a month (and boarding
himself), his untiring attention to business
soon secured for him higher pay. Leav
ing this old house he entered the employ
of Williams, who kept a dry-goods and
grocery store at Shiloh, but left this posf-
tion within a very short time. In 1878 he
established a grocery house (borrowing the
necessary capital), which he carried on
until February, 1881, when he closed out
the stock and entered the employ of the
Acme Grease & Oil Manufacturing Co.,
of Cleveland, Ohio, as traveling salesman,
in which he continued for about six
months. In the fall of 1881 he took a
position in a dry- goods house at Berea,
where he worked until the spring of 1883,
and then resumed his position with the
Acme Co. at an increased salary, remain
ing with them until Christmas-time, 1885,
when he and S. S. Holtz purchased the
Brinemond stock of dry goods at Shiloh.
In September, 1887, Messrs. Ward &
Holtz, dissolving partnership, made an
equal division of the stock, and the former
continued the business until tbe spring of
1888, when he located at Chicago Junc
tion, and opened up a dry-goods and no
tion store in the old Hockett Building.
In October, 1890, he moved into the Wool-
ford Building, where he remained until
February, 1892, when his present estab
lishment in the Opera House Building
was opened. He carries a select assort
ment of dry goods, notions and wall-paper,
ranging in value from five thousand dollars
to seven thousand dollars.

478

HURON COUNTY, OHIO.

Mr. Ward was married, July 4, 1878, to
Miss Ellen Holtz, who died February 14,
1887, aud on October 17, 1887, he married
Miss Flora E. Case, daughter of Israel
Case. Politically Mr. Ward is a Republi
can, but not especially active in party
affairs. Socially he is a member of the
Masonic Fraternity, of the Knights of
Pythias, and of the I. O. O. F. and En
campment. He is a thorough business
man, but takes a deep interest in municipal
affairs and private enterprises affecting the
the welfare of the town.

L

OUIS WILLIAMS. Of the many
prosperous agriculturists of Nor
wich township, none is better known
or more highly respected than this
gentleman. He is a son of John Williams,
whose father, also named John, a tailor by
trade in Germany, married a Miss Leicht,
by whom he had one child: John. Soon
after John's birth the mother died, and the
father subsequently married Miss Stien,
who bore him three children, all now
deceased. John Williams, Jr., was bora in 1795,
in Nassau, Prussia, where, on a" farm,
his boyhood was passed. In early youth
he entered tbe Prussian army, and he
served at the battle of Waterloo, for
which he received a silver medal now in
the possession of Mrs, John Willow,
daughter of the subject of this sketch. Af
ter the close of that memorable campaign
he served six years in the Prussian army,
in Holland. On leaving the army he mar
ried Miss Catherine Herschberger, and then
commenced farming in his native land. In
1853 they came to America, and in Nor
wich township, Huron Co., Ohio, Mr.
Williams opened up a farm of 110 acres,
for which he paid the sum of three thou
sand dollars. He had a family of five
children, viz. : John, Jennette, Anthony,
Christian and Louis, all now deceased

except Anthony and Louis. Mr. Williams
never became a naturalized citizen, but was
a Democrat in principle.
Louis Williams, of whom this sketch
more particularly relates, was born in 1835
in Nassau, Prussia, where he first received
a good education. After coming to this
country, which he did at the age of eigh
teen years, he lived with his father until
he was twenty-one years old, and subse
quently worked out by the month until
after his marriage, when he came to his
present farm, now consisting of 459 acres,
on which he has since carried on general
agriculture, including the raising of Short
horn cattle. In 1861 he married Mrs.
Elizabeth Williams, widow of his brother
Christian, and six children were born to
this union, namely: Jennie, Artilla, Eliza
beth, Wilhelmina, Edward and Gustavus.
In his political associations our subject is
a Democrat, and he is a member of the
Lutheran Church.

P. JACOBS, a popular and public-
spirited citizen of Chicago Junction,
was born August 27, 1855, in Liv-
^l ingston county, N. Y., son of Gus
tavus and Sarah (Roth) Jacobs.
Our subject is the fourth in order of
birth in a family of nine children— five
sons and four daughters. Completing his
education in the schools of Norwalk, he at
once embarked in the lumber business, in
which he has since been continuously en
gaged. In 1872 he purchased a mill in
Wood county, Ohio, and conducted same
for six years, during which time he re
ceived injuries in a mill accident, which
for two years incapacitated him for active
work. On recovering he carried on the in
dustry at Millbury, Wood Co., Ohio, for
two years, and in 1886 located at Chicago
Junction, where he established a mill and
lumberyard, and at once built up an ex
tensive trade. He supplies large quan
tities of timber to railroads, and lumber

HURON COUNTY, OHIO.

479

and mill work to the local trade. To
gether with this he is a building contrac
tor and an extensive dealer in real estate,
owning property in Norwalk and Chicago
Junction. His trade in fine hardwoods,
and sash, doors and blinds is proportion
ately great.
In November, 1872, Mr. Jacobs was
married to Miss Ida S. Davis, daughter of
Benjamin F. Davis, of Norwalk, and to
them have been born eight children, six
sons and two daughters, namely: Earl,
Welton, Wesley, Clarence, Harry, Vernon,
Bertha and Mabel, all residing at Chicago
Junction. Mr. Jacobs votes with the Re
publicans, is active in the councils of his
party, and has filled various local offices
with satisfaction to the people, and credit
to himself. He is a member of Lodge No.
748, I. O. O. F. ; he is a thorough-going
business man, and one of the most enter
prising citizens of the town.

AMUEL MILLER, a prosperous
liveryman of Bellevue, was born, in
1810, in Lancaster, Penn., a son of
Samuel Miller. His parents were
well-to-do, and his mother was well edu
cated both in English and German; she
died in Wisconsin.
Our subject passed his school days in
his native State, receiving his education in
the primitive schools of his neighborhood.
In 1832 he came west, seeking broader
fields of labor and a home where he could
put in practice the habits of thrift and
energy that he had been taught at home.
With this object in view he settled in Ohio,
which at that time was but sparsely popu
lated, and where the pioneers were endur
ing many hardships and clearing land
preparatory to cultivating the soil. He
lived two years in Fremont, working at
his trade of shoemaking, and from there
moved to Thompson township, Seneca
county, where he farmed for two years, at
the end of which time he located perma

nently in Bellevue, . and engaged in the
livery business, in which he has since con
tinued, meeting with great success. He is
widely interested in buying and selling
horses in connection with his regular busi
ness, purchasing car-loads' of horses from
all over the country for both himself and
others. His livery and sale stable are
well stocked with fine horses.
In 1830 Mr. Miller was married to
Miss Sarah Oswick, who was born in
Pennsylvania, a daughter of George Os
wick, a prominent agriculturist of that
State. Their union has been blessed by
eight children, viz. : Reuben G. (deceased),
Edward (who married Miss Hale, and lives
in Bellevue), John (deceased), Charles
(married, in partnership in the livery busi-
uess with his father in Bellevue), Belle
(who is married, and resides in Huron
county), Sarah (deceased), Clara (Mrs.
Weil), and Emma (who lives with her par
ents). Mr. Miller was remarkably active
in his youth, and has through every period
of his life manifested energy and great
business ability. He took no part in the
Civil war, being too old, but his sons Ed
ward and John were both in the service.
He is popular alike in commercial and
political circles, and has served as marshal
of Bellevue for several years.

B. CUYKENDALL, who is
prominently identified with the
business interests of Plymouth,
was born, in 1828, in Cayuga
county, N. Y., son of Solomon and Mary
(Bran) Cuykendall, also natives of New
York State. The American ancestors of
the family emigrated from Holland.
Solomon Cuykendall was a well-to-do
farmer of Cayuga county, and resided on
the homestead there during his life. Of
the three sons bora to Solomon and Mary
Cuykendall, the eldest died in his native
State; the second still resides there, and
W. B. lives in Ohio.

480

HURON COUNTY, OHIO.

W. B. Cuykendall received a liberal
common-school and academic education in
his native State, and, school days over, en
tered a dry-goods house at Owasco, N. Y.,
where he remained three years. In 1852
be married Miss Adelaide Tompkins, a na
tive of Cayuga county, and two years later
they started for Davenport, Iowa, visiting,
en route, friends at Plymouth, Huron Co.,
Ohio, and thence pushing on by rail to
Chicago. The streets of the Garden City
were not then graded, and to all but the
hunter after the "almighty dollar" it was a
rather uninviting spot. His wife became
sick there, and he was compelled to take
her to Adrian, Mich., during their stay at
which place Mr. Cuykendall purchased
property at Charlotte, Eaton Co., Mich.,
intending to locate there. But correspond
ence with his friends at Plymouth, Ohio,
changed this purpose, and going thither
in the fall of 1854, he purchased a stock
of drugs from H. M. Wooster, and estab
lished himself in the drug business on the
south side of the Square, conducting same
for seven years. For a while he was con
nected with the dry-goods house of H.
Graham here, and also engaged in the
grocery business at Bucyrus, In 1864-
65 he was clerk in the quartermaster's
department at Pittsburgh, Penn., and
Washington, D. C, under Gen. Brinker-
hoff. After the war he went to Newberne,
N. C. and was engaged in cotton growing
there until 1870, meeting with consider
able success.
Returning to Plymouth in 1870 Mr.
Cuykendall entered into partnership with
II. Graham, bnt in 1873 he sold his inter
est and started a lumber yard, which he
carried on until appointed cashier of the
First National Bank of Plymouth in 1875.
This bank was founded in 1871, under
United States charter, and the important
office of cashier was filled by Mr. Cuy
kendall from 1875 to 1886, when he re
signed to make a tour of the country on
the Pacific Slope. In August, 1889, he
succeeded Josiah Brinkerhoff as president

of the bank. For about twenty years he
has been engaged in the insurance busi
ness, representing standard companies.
He is the owner of a farm of one hundred
acres near Plymouth, and in every way is
closely identified with the town and sur
rounding country. In politics he is a Re
publican, and in social affairs a member of
the Masonic Fraternity. Mr. and Mrs.
Cuykendall have had three children, all of
whom died young.

\ILLIAM H. SHEDD is one of
the wealthiest citizens and most
successful agriculturists of Bron
son township, having accumulated
a handsome competence by strict economy
and untiring industry.
He is a son of Simon and Rachel (Wood)
Shedd, natives of Connecticut, the former
of whom, a farmer by occupation, died in
New York at about the age of seventy-
three years, followed by his wife, who died
when eighty-five years of age. They were
the parents of nine children — seven sons
and two daughters — of whom one son
died at the age of twelve, and one at the
age of nineteen; another son, Foster L., is
living at Bridgewater, S. D., and with the
exception of William H. the remaining
children are residing in the East.
William H. Shedd is the third child in
order of birth, and the only representative
of bis family now living in Ohio. He was
born in April, 1824, in Jefferson county,
N. Y., attended tbe subscription schools
of the neighborhood, and began life as a
farmer in his native State. When twenty-
two years old he was married to Miss
Sarah Willard, who bore him one son,
Willard H., now living in Erie, Penn.
Mrs. Shedd died three years after her
marriage, and in April, 1857, our subject
was married to Rachel Shedd, who has
borne, him two sons and pne daughter,
viz.: Herbert C, a railroad mail clerk, in
Bronson township; Milton B., of Bridge-

HURON COUNTY, OHIO.

481

water, S. D., and Florence May, living at
home. In 1852 Mr. Shedd went to Cali
fornia, and there remained four years,
mining the first year, and then farming
successfully for three years. Having se
cured a competence in California he de
cided to make a home in Huron county,
Ohio, and in 1868 he bought 231 acres of
land in Bronson township, located one
mile and a quarter west of Olena. He has
invested six thousand dollars in improving
this place, and in the spring of 1888
erected a handsome dwelling in the out
skirts of Olena, where he has since resided.
In politics he votes the Republican ticket.

D

^AVID A. WHITE, who conducts a
snug, fertile farm of seventy-five
acres which he owns in Norwich
township, is a native of Greenfield
township, Huron county, born in 1842.
Nathaniel White, his father, a native of
near Mansfield, Ohio, was a son of Nathan
iel White, who was born in Pennsylvania,
was a tanner by occupation, and was mar
ried to Miss Nancy Thornton, of the same
place. They had thirteen children, of whom
nine grew to maturity : Thomas, Nathaniel,
William, Mahlon, John, Edwin, Polly,
Sarah and Emily, all now deceased except
Edwin, who lives in California. Nathan
iel, the second son, was born in 1806, and
passed his boyhood days on a farm, learn
ing at the same time the trade of tanner.
He married Miss Elizabeth Skeels, of the
same locality, and they then settled on
fifty acres of land in Greenfield township,
Huron county, where children, as follows,
were born to them: William, Isaac, John
(deceased), Mary, David A., Leander, John
and James, all now scattered over the
United States.
David A. White, whose name appears
at the opening of this biographical sketch,
received a fair education at the common
schools of his native township, was reared

on a farm, and learned the trade of har
ness maker. In 1862 he enlisted iu the
First Ohio Heavy Artillery, which was
attached to the army of the Cumberland,
and participated in the battles of Mission
Ridge, Chickamauga and others, after a
service of two years and seven months re
ceiving an honorable discharge and return
ing home. Recommencing the pursuits of
peace, he first opened out a harness shop
in Centreton, Norwich township, Huron
county, which he conducted two years, and
then moved to Wood county, this State,
where he bought 160 acres of land close
to the town of Milton Center; but selling
out in about one year he again came to
Norwich township and commenced farm
ing on a fifty- acre tract of land. At the
end of two years he went to California,
traveling over the greater part of the
State, following his trade, and to some ex
tent mining. He made some forty-five
thousand dollars, but lost it all in quick
silver speculation. On his return to Nor
wich township he settled on his present
farm, and has met with considerable suc
cess. He owns a hotel and a half interest
in a farm of 160 acres in California, be
sides his seventy-five acres in Norwich
township, Huron county.
Mr. White was united in marriage with
Miss Olivia G. Magee, of Norwich town
ship, daughter of William Magee, and five
children, named as follows, were born to'
them : Dolly, Page (deceased), Grace, Myr
tle (deceased) and Dora. In his political
affiliations our subject was a Democrat
until four years ago, at which time he
enlisted in the ranks of the Republican
party.

IM

(RS. M. A. CORWIN. This lady
is one of the most popular and
useful citizens of Norwalk. She
a daughter of the late Hon.

is

4/ Timothy Baker, and traces her
lineage to three brothers who sailed from
England and located in Lyme, Mass.;'

482

HURON COUNTY, OHIO.

afterward one of the brothers, Abner, set
tled in Northampton, Mass., in early
Colonial days.
Abner Baker was a member of the
church of Dr. Edwards. He married Lois
Waters, of Connecticut. He spent the
later years of his life in Norwalk, Ohio.
His son, Timothy, was born August 5,
1787, in Northampton, Mass. He went
to Utica, N. Y., in 1801, and in 1805 made
his home in Herkimer, N. Y. In 1814
he joined some friends in a journey to
Huron county, Ohio, with no intention of
purchasing land or making a home in the
locality. "Passing through Norwalk on
an Indian trail, the party found shelter
for the night, with several other similar
companies, in a log cabin about fifteen
feet square, two miles south of the village,
ten or twelve making their bed on the
poles and bark that formed the floor under
the primitive roof. In 1815 he again
visited Ohio, and purchased several large
tracts of land, including the farm in Nor
walk." After returning to Herkimer, he
was married, March 23, 1816, to Miss
Eliza Remington, a resident of Fairfield,
who was born in 1794, in Providence, R.
I., and whose maternal grandfather was a
cousin of Gen. Greene, of Revolutionary
fame. She was reared on a farm, and
educated in Fairfield Academy, N. Y., be
ing a very intellectual woman, and was of
material assistance in promoting the suc
cess of her distinguished husband. On
September 27, 1819, Timothy Baker, ac
companied by his family and brother The
odore, moved upon his property in Nor
walk, Ohio, the village then consisting of
ten or twelve families. He immediately
entered heartily into every plan for the
progress and development of the place,
and was a prominent citizen for forty
years. In 1821 he was made associate
judge of Huron county, serving in that
capacity for twenty-one years, in 1842 de
clining reappointment. He was also presi
dent of the Bank of Norwalk for many
years, and in all these responsible positions

won a reputation for integrity and good
judgment which has been accorded to but
few, and which was never better deserved.
In 1842 he united with the First Baptist
Church of Norwalk, and the tie thus
formed proved a source, of strength and
blessing during his remaining years, grow
ing more precious as the years passed.
Mrs. Baker died September 27, 1862, fol
lowed by her husband January 27, 1878.
They were the parents of six children, all
of whom lived to be over sixty years of
age. They were as follows: M. A., James
W., William (an attorney in Toledo), Timo
thy (now deceased, connected with the Chi
cago Board of Trade), and Charles H. and
George, in Toledo.
Mrs. M. A. Corwin grew to womanhood
beneath the paternal roof, and was educated
at the old Norwalk seminary when it was
a leading institution of the State. Among
her schoolmates were students who have
risen to national fame, and she has de
veloped into a woman of rare culture. On
September 3, 1840, she was united in mar
riage with Rev. Ira Corwin, who was bora
December 12, 1809, in Cazenovia, N. Y.
He was educated in the schools of his
native State, and then took a theological
course at Hamilton, N. Y., now Colgate
University. He then came to Medina,
Ohio, being ordained a Baptist minister in
1838, which was his first charge. He had
pastorates in Erie, Penn., three- years, and
then came to Ohio; was nearly nine years
in Marietta, Ohio, and then was seven
years in South Bend, Ind. In 1861 he re
signed his pastorate in South Bend, and
came to Norwalk, and supplied vacancies
in Huron and adjoining counties. He was
a thorough scholar, and watchful pastor,
doing grand service for the cause to which
his life was given. He died July 7, 1886.
The children were as follows: Timothy
B., William H., George Whipple, Eliza,
Charles, and George W., last named being
deceased. There are two grandchildren,
Bertha and Maria. Mrs. Corwin has been
a prominent leader in promoting the

HURON COUNTY, OHIO.

483

literary and social culture of Norwalk, as
one of the organizers of the Society for
that purpose which prospered for many
years, and whose influence is yet evident.
She is now living at Norwalk in semi-
retirement, though yet a devoted worker
in the Baptist Church, and gives liberally
to all worthy enterprises. For morning
exercise she indulges in a novel but suc
cessful method of healthy recreation, pull
ing weeds in the garden before breakfast,
which she affirms produces a salutary effect,
and is very conducive to a good appetite.

Ill USTIN CUSHMAN, a native-born
ll__\_\ agriculturist of Norwich township,
IT\_ .where he is well-known for his in-
yj dustry and frugality, first saw the
light in 1846, his parents being
Henry and Julia (Turner) Cushman.
The father of the subject of this sketch
was a, native of Ohio, born in 1820 in
Knox county, and was brought up a farmer
boy, his education being limited to twenty-
six days attendance at the subscription
schools, to which brief experience he ma
terially added by home study and a close
attention to men and things. When com
mencing life for himself, he bought a farm
of forty acres in Norwich township, Huron
county, and in course of time commenced
the practice of law, in which he still con
tinues, mainly the carrying through the
court of petty cases in his township. He is
a Democrat, and has held township offices,
such as justice of the peace and clerk;
in religious views he is an adherent of the
Universalist faith. Henry Cushman mar
ried Miss Julia Turner, of Peru township,
Huron county, a daughter of Jacob Turner,
the owner of several small farms in the
county. To this union were born four
children, viz.: Austin (subject of sketch),
Seymour, Ellen, and one that died in in
fancy. The mother of these was called
from earth in 1852, and Mr. Cushman

subsequently wedded Miss Mary Cole, of
Richmond, Ohio, by which marriage there
were five children, as follows: Charles,
Amos, Addison, John, and one that died
in infancy. Mr. Cushman is now retired
from active life.
Austin Cushman, whose name introduces
this biographical sketch, received a liberal
education at the common schools of the
neighborhood of his place of birth. Up
fo the time of his marriage he worked by
the month, after which, in 1867, he settled
on his present place of seventy-six acres
excellent farm land, where he is engaged
in general agriculture, including the breed
ing of sheep. His success, which has been
marked, has been due entirely to his own
untiring efforts and honesty of purpose.
In 1867 Mr. Cushman was united in mar
riage with Miss Alice Clark, daughter of
William Clark, of Norwich township,
Huron county, and one child, Artie, born
in 1883, brightens and cheers their home.
Politically our subject is a Democrat.

(¦JjILLIAM H. HOULE. In every
Ml county there are men who, by
M( their strength of will and irre
proachable character, impress their
individuality upon the entire community,
and succeed in whatever they undertake.
Such a man is William H. Houle, who,
since 1854, has resided in Huron county.
He was born, in 1828, in Devonshire,
England, where he received his education,
and where he served for a time as footman
to a wealthy family. Since his arrival in
Lyme township he has devoted his atten
tion to agricultural pursuits. When he
emigrated from England his only capital
consisted of energy, perseverance and good
health, and he was, therefore, compelled
to accept the first means of earning money
that presented itself. He worked for a
number of years as a farm laborer, before
he accumulated a sufficient amount of

484

HURON COUNTY, OHIO.

money to purchase his present farm, con
sisting of 114 acres of valuable land, two
and a half miles from Bellevue. Mr.
Houle was married in 1854 (just before
leaving England), to Miss Lucy Gaydon,
who was also born in that country, and
their union was blessed with four sons and
three daughters, viz.: William H., John
G., Lucy H., Frank G., Ida M., Frederick
G. and Jennie. All of these children re
side on the home farm, with the exception
of Jennie, who is deceased, and William
H., who is married to Miss Jennie Collins,
daughter of J. D. Collins, and lives with
his wife's parents. Mr. Houle is a self-
made man of more than ordinary ability.
of sound judgment, whose integrity was
never questioned, and whose influence
through life has always been for good.

DWIGHT M. BARRE, a lifelong
farmer of Ripley township, is a
___ ' native of same, born in 1848. John
Barre, his grandfather, was born in
Northumberland county, Penn., where he
was reared, and resided until his removal
to Tompkins county, N. Y., in early man
hood. He was married in Pennsylvania,
and to this marriage were bora three sons
and two daughters, namely: Thomas,
David, John, Betts and Catherine, all de
ceased but the last named. John Barre
was a practical farmer, both in Pennsyl
vania and in New York, aud when he
came to Ripley township, Huron Co.,
Ohio, about the year 1830, he brought
with him capital sufficient to purchase 400
acres in that township, and confidence in
himself to be able to hew a good home out
of the wilderness. At the period of his
settlement in Ripley, the township was
almost wholly in its primitive state, roads
were not then laid out, and bear, deer,
wolves and other game were numerous. He
resided there until his death, which oc
curred in 1836.
John Barre, father of Dwight M. Barre,
was born in Northumberland county,

Penn., and passed bis boyhood there and
in Tompkins county, N. Y. On August
25, 1825, he married Amy Stout, a daugh
ter of Jonathan Stout, of Tompkins county,
N. Y., and for a few years after marriage
the couple resided in that county, and
then, in 1832, moved to Huron county,
Ohio. To their union were born fifteen
children, namely: Cornelius (deceased),
David, Herman (deceased), Jane, Jona
than, Wellington, Henry, Ira, Maryetta,
Lyman, James, Corvis M., Dwight M.,
Josephine and Jessie. Of these Corvis M.
and Henry served in the war of the Re
bellion. Corvis M. Barre is now an at
torney of Hillsdale, Mich. ; he was formerly
cashier of the bank there, and subsequently
served as United States consul in Chili,
having been appointed by President Har
rison. For one year the Barre family re
sided in North Fairfield township, in 1833
moving to Ripley township, where the
father engaged in general farming and
stock growing.
Dwight M Barre attended the district
school, subsequently took a course in a
select school, and then entered agricultural
life. In 1876 he was united in marriage
with Ella Wolcott, daughter of Rensselaer
Wolcott, a farmer of Berkshire county,
Mass., and after marriage the young couple
settled on the farm where they now re
side, and here two children have been bora
to them: Walter and T. DeWitt. Mr.
Barre is a Republican in politics, and has
served his township as trustee for eight
years. In religious faith he is a mem
ber of the Congregational Church. His
farm of eighty-five acres is highly im
proved, and speaks well for the industry
of the owner.

DANIEL W. LONEY, M. D., of
Olena, is a son of Calvin Loney,
whose father, John Loney, was born
in Virginia, of Scotch-Irish parents.
Calvin Loney, a native of Knox county,
Ohio, was married to Mary Ridenonr,

HURON COUNTY, OHIO.

485

who was born in Washington county, Md.,
and they have always since resided in
Knox county, Ohio, where three sons and
three daughters were born to them, of
whom Daniel W. is third in order of birth.
The names of the others are John A.,
Clarence, Annie, Belle and Bernice. Both
parents are yet living.
Dr. Daniel W. Loney was born May 20,
1861, in Knox county, Ohio, and after
attending Greentown Academy at Perrys-
ville, Ohio, for three years, spent two
years at Kenyon College. In 1882 he
entered the medical school of the Univer
sity of Michigan, at Ann Arbor, graduat
ing therefrom in 1885. While yet a stu
dent, he was married, December 18, 1884,
to Hallie, daughter of Jacob Foltz, of Fort
Smith, Ark. In the spring of 1886 they
came to their present home in Olena,
where the Doctor has since been engaged
in the practice of medicine. Dr. and Mrs.
Loney have two daughters, Mary E. and
Doratha E. In his political preferences
he is a Democrat, as were his father and
grandfather.

W. HOFMAN, a highly respected,
influential citizen of Plymouth, is a
son of John H. Hofman, who was
a native of Pennsylvania, born near
Hagerstown, Md., of German de
scent. He was a jeweler by trade, and in
1823 came to Richland count}', Ohio, em
barking at Mansfield in the jewelry busi
ness, in which he continued for twenty
years. In 1843 he removed to Plymouth,
and later, in 1850, to Bucyrus, conducting
a jewelry business in both places. He
died in Bucyrus in 1854. Mr. Hofman
was united in "marriage with Miss Mary
E. Huffman, of near Hagerstown, Md.,
and to their union were bora eleven chil
dren, namely: Aaron, Catherine, Eliza,
Charles, G. W., John H, Jr., R. E.,
Allen G., Mary E., Laura, and Frank.
In politics the father of this family was
a Democrat.

G. W. Hofman was bora in 1831, in
Mansfield, Ohio, and was twelve years of
age when the family removed to Plymouth.
He received his education in the common
schools, and when yet a young man em
barked in the jewelry business with his
brother, Aaron Hofman, with whom he
remained until the breaking out of the
Civil war. In 1861 he enlisted in the
First Ohio Independent Battery, and
served three years with the army of the
East, taking an active part in twelve
engagements — Lynchburg (Va.), Cloyd
Mountain, etc. He returned from the
war in 1865, and buying out his brother —
A. Hofman — embarked in the jewelry
business, in which he is still engaged; and
though at times he has been unfortunate,
he has, in the main, been prosperous and
successful in his mercantile career. In
1889 Mr. Hofman received the appoint
ment of postmaster of Plymouth from
President Harrison; he is a Republican
politically, and has always been active in
party affairs in Richland county.
In 1858 Mr. Hofman was united in mar
riage with Miss Susan Frye, of New Haven
township, Huron county, daughter of
Abraham Frye, a farmer. To this union
have come two children, viz.: Belle, who
married Robert McDonough, a traveling
salesman; and Maude, married to W. F.
Reed, a newspaper man of Plymouth.

APTAIN JOHN WILLIAMS, for
nearly half a century a resident of
Lorain county, was born January 22,
1796, at New Haven, Connecticut.
In the spring of 1804 he came with his
parents to Ohio, locating in Columbia,
Cuyahoga county, this part of the State
being at that time a comparative wilder
ness, awaiting the westward march of
civilization. Where is now the magnifi
cent city of Cleveland there was, when
Mr. Williams landed at that port, but a
single log building, and he assisted in the

486

HURON COUNTY, OHIO.

erection of the first frame structure in the
Elace. In 1820 he removed to Ridgeville,
orain county, where he resided twenty
years, during the first five of which he
taught the first school held in Elyria. In
1825 he married Lorain Root, who was
born August 1, 1810, in Hartford, Conn.,
whence when she was but six weeks old
she was brought to Ohio by her parents,
being the first white child to be baptized
in what is now Lorain county, which was
named after her. Her father's family
consisted of eleven boys and one girl
(Lorain), all of whom lived to rear families
of their own. To Capt. John and Lorain
(Root) Williams were born twelve children.
He died February 27, 1867, at the age of
seventy-one years, one month, his widow
surviving him till January 16, 1881, when
she too was called to her long home.
J. S. Williams, the only surviving son
of this honored pioneer couple, was born
April 16, 1844, in Lorain county, Ohio.
On January 15, 1867, he was united in
marriage with Mary A. Greig, and there
have been bora to them nine children —
three sons and six daughters — all yet
living.

LYMAN AUSTIN. The New Eng-
I land States have always been dis-
\ tinguished for their industrious,
honest and frugal sons, one of
whom, bearing all these enviable charac
teristics, is the subject of this sketch.
Mr. Austin was born in New Hamp
shire in 1815, a son of Daniel Austin, a
native of Plainfield, same State, who was
a son of John Austin, a carpenter and
joiner by trade, who was killed while rais
ing a building. Daniel Austin was born
May 22, 1783, and in 1811 married Miss
Electa Lyman, of Norwich, Mass., daugh
ter of Luther Lyman, a farmer. After
marriage Daniel moved to Vermont,
and carried on farming there for a few
years, after which he came to New York
State, making a settlement in Genesee

county, where he died July 1, 1852. He
was generally successful, but in the panic
of 1833 he lost all he had made; never
theless he died comparatively well off.
He had a family of eight children, viz.:
Albert, Lyman, William, Betsy, Harriet,
Rodney, Adeline and Oscar, all now de
ceased except Albert, William and Lyman.
The father was a stanch Whig, held some
township offices, and was a member of the
Methodist Protestant Church.
The subject proper of this sketch was
educated at the common schools of Gene
see county, N. Y., whither his parents bad
brought him when a boy. After his mar
riage he worked on the home farm for five
years, and in 1845 came to Huron county,
Ohio, where, in Norwich township, he lo
cated on the farm which he subsequently
bought, and now owns. It originally con
tained fifty acres, to which from time to
time he has added until it now comprises
some 175 acres of prime farming land.
In 1882 he retired from active work, and
is at present living in the village of Cen-
treton, same township.
In 1840 Mr. Austin married Miss Re-
villa Rolf, of Cayuga county, N. Y .,
daughter of Jonathan Rolf, a carpenter
and joiner, and two children were born to
them, to wit: L. D., a resident of Nor
wich township, and L. W., living on the
home farm. Politically our subject was
originally a Whig, and since the formation
of the party has been astraight Republican.

EORGE C. PARKER, a prosper
ous and prominent agriculturist of
Bronson township, was born Sep
tember 23, 1841, on a farm situated
one and one-half miles south of his
present home. Our subject is a grandson
of George Parker, a farmer, of English
descent, who lived in Cayuga county,
N. Y. He was quite wealthy, and gave all
his children a good start in life.

HURON COUNTY, OHIO.

487

Nelson Parker, son of George Parker,
was born September 9, 1809, in Cayuga
county, N. Y., and grew to manhood on
the home farm. He then taught school
and a singing class, and on May 1, 1834,
was united in marriage with Malancy
Wade, who was born February 26, 1809,
in Massachusetts. In early life he came
to Bronson township, Huron Co., Ohio,
preceded thither by three brothers and two
sisters, and here he became a prosperous
farmer, at one time owning 450 acres of
land. In politics he was a strong Aboli
tionist. Mrs. Parker was the second in a
family of eight children, three of whom
located in Huron county. She was a re
markably intelligent woman, and through
reading acquired a liberal education. She
was a minister in the Christian Church,
and during active life was an earnest,
forcible preacher. She died in June, 1892,
having been preceded to the grave by her
husband in December, 1887. They were
the parents of eight children, as follows:
Two that died in infancy; Phoebe, who died
at the age of seventeen; George C, whose
sketch follows; Hannah F., wife of Will
iam Cole, deceased in 1890, at the age of
forty-six years, leaving two children ; Celia,
wife of Aro Carpenter, a farmer in Fair
field township, who has one child; Eunice,
who is married to A. G. Dale, of Bronson
township, her second husband, and has
six children ; and Laura M., who died in
1872, at the age of twenty years.
George C. Parker received but a limited
education, his help having been much
needed on the home farm, as he was the
only sou. He took entire charge of the
place upon attaining his majority, and re
mained with his father until his marriage.
On October 7, 1872, he was united in mar
riage with Miss Esther Ann Chapin, a native
of Hartland township, Huron county,
daughter of Morris and Clarissa (Granger)
Chapin, and to this union have been born
two children: Clara Ann and Edward
Conger. In October, 1882, Mr. and Mrs.
Parker came to their present home, con

sisting of 148 acres, in Bronson township,
where he has conducted a prosperous agri
cultural business; during the past year he
sold over one thousand and three hundred
dollars worth of produce. Politically he
is a Democrat, and has served as township
trustee, being, with one exception, the only
Democrat who has ever held an office in
Bronson township.

Il 1JITUS HOERNER, a successful
\,i/ farmer of Peru township, was born
ll( August 7, 1832, in Baden, Germany,
and is the pioneer of the Hoerner
family in Ohio.
The father of our subject, also named
Vitus, was a native-born farmer of Baden,
where his son attended school until he at
tained the age of fourteen years, when he
began farm life for himself. At the age
of twenty-two years he proceeded to Havre,
France, from which port he embarked in
the sailing- vessel "New York," landing at
New York City after a memorable voyage
of forty-seven days. Mr. Hoerner set out
at once for northern Ohio, arriving at Nor
walk during the cholera epidemic, when
the town was almost depopulated. Learn
ing of the deplorable condition of affairs
there, he did not wait for the command to
go, but betook himself to Sherman town
ship, Huron county, where hefoundwork,
the compensation for same being fifty
cents per day. Later he was engaged to
chop wood at fifty cents a cord. On May
15, 1854, our subject was married, by Rev.
Mr. Klein, a Lutheran minister, to Mary
Hildebrand, who was also born in Baden
in 1832, and came to America with her
parents in 1853, locating at Norwalk with
them. She became the mother of a large
family, as follows: Mary, Mrs. C. Bow
man, of Indiana; Margaret, Mrs. L. Lin
der; Vitus, a farmer of Peru township;
Lizzie,-Mrs. George Sheidt, of Peru town
ship; Catharine, Mrs. Charles Sheidt, of
Peru township; William, of Sherman

488

HURON COUNTY, OHIO.

township; Charles, Minnie and Frederick,
residing at home; and Jacob, Louis and
Lottie, deceased. Immediately after mar
riage these sturdy pioneers settled on a
farm, which both worked hard to clear and
buy. Within a year or so they purchased
twenty acres in Sherman township, where
they erected a log cabin and resided until
1873, when they purchased the present
farm in Peru township, and took up their
residence here. He still owns the pioneer
farm in Sherman township, together with
valuable tracts in other divisions of the
county. Arriving in the United States
with a capital of thirty dollars, he and his
wife have built up a valuable property,
provided well for each member of their
family, and still own a considerable estate.
Mr. Hoerner, though non-partisan in poli
tics, has been honored with various town
ship offices. The men, rather than the
measures, claim his support; for bad men
cannot administer good measures. In re
ligion he is a member of the Pontiac Lu
theran Church.

PH. SCHUYLER, a successful agri
culturist of Lyme township, was
born in 1826 in Pennsylvania, a
son of Garret and Mary (Heacock)
Schuyler, and came to Huron county
in 1834. ' The country was in a wild con
dition, and in order to till the soil it was
first necessary to clear the land and trans
form the dense woods into farms. The
pioneers of those days were sturdy and
energetic, and practiced frugality to a de
gree that is unknown to their children.
Mr. Schuyler 'now ranks among the most
highly esteemed residents of Huron county,
and has accumulated a comfortable for
tune. He has married.
Garret Schuyler, father of our subject,
was born in New Jersey, and was there
married to Miss Mary Heacock, also a
native of that State. Their union was
blessed witb six children, viz.: Philip N.,
Sarah A. (who died in 1842), Mary, P. H.

(our subject), Elizabeth, and Nancy (who
died in 1834). In 1834 Garret Schuyler
moved to Ohio, and located in Sherman
township, Huron county, where he en
gaged in farming. His thrift and economy
soon enabled him to take a prominent
place among his neighbors, and he was on
several occasions honored with township
offices. His death occurred in 1849; his
wife preceded him to the grave in 1834.

HARLES SAWYER ranks among
the prominent pioneer farmers of
Lyme township, who came to Ohio
when the State was almost an un
broken wilderness, thickly populated by
Indians. Those early days were filled with
hardships and dangers of which the present
residents of the State have little knowledge,
and our subject, like the other children of
pioneer parents, received only a limited
education, and that under difficulties that
the average youth of to-day would never
undertake, fie was bom in 1816 in Sus
sex, England, a son of Stephen and Doro
thy (Lanstell) Sawyer, and came with bis
parents to America when three years of age.
Stephen Sawyer was born in Sussex,
England, where he received an ordinary
school education, and in 1819 immigrated
to the United States, settling near Cincin
nati, on the Ohio river, fie engaged in
farming and stock raising, and died at the
age of eighty-six. He was married in
England to Miss Dorothy Lanstell, who
was also born in Sussex, and died in Ohio
at the age of eighty years. Their union
was blessed with nine sons and four daugh
ters, of whom four are now living.
Charles Sawyer worked on the home
farm, comprising 364 acres of land, from
1826 up to the time of his father's death,
and has always been engaged in agricul
tural pursuits. He was largely instru
mental in making Lyme township what
it now is, being one of the oldest aud most
highly respected citizens of same, and has

HURON COUNTY, OHIO.

489

been prominently identified with all of the
important events connected with the his
tory of Huron county. In 1851 Mr. Saw
yer was united in marriage with Miss
Rachel A. Gates, who was born in 1819,
in New York, a daughter of Elijah and
Hannah Gates. Mr. and Mrs. Sawyer are
members of the Episcopal Church, of
which they are liberal supporters, and
after long and well-spent years are enjoy
ing the sunset of life. Mr. and Mrs. Saw
yer have no children of their own, but
some they have adopted.

THADDEUS SPRAGUE, an enter
prising and successful farmer and
stock raiser of Wakeman township,
is a native of New York State, born
January 28, 1826, in Ulster county.
George Sprague, father of subject, was
born in Dutchess county, N. Y., and was a
lifelong farmer. He married Elizabeth
Gray, and seven children were born to
them, of whom are living Thaddeus, Henry
(in Hartland, Huron couuty), Joseph (in
Nebraska) and Minerva (in Fitchville,
Ohio). The parents both died in 1884,
aged about seventy-six years, in Wakeman
township. They came to Huron county
in 1833, and purchased sixty-three acres of
partly improved land at five dollars per
acre, on which they erected suitable farm
buildings, and here they made a success,
being enabled to give each of their sons a
good start in life. They were members of
the Free-will Baptist Church, and in poli
tics Mr. Sprague was a^lifelong Democrat.
Thaddeus Sprague, the subject proper
of these lines, received his early element
ary education at the schools of his native
place, and when seven years old was
brought to Huron county by his parents,
who took up a farm in Hartland township.
Here he resumed his studies, attending the
subscription schools a few months in the
winter season, the rest of his time being
occupied in working on his father's farm,

whereon he remained till his marriage. He
then bought sixty-six and three-quarters
acres in Wakeman township, to which from
time to time he added until ultimately he
found himself the owner of 200 acres of
prime land, fifty-five of which he has giveu
to his son, Elver, and fifty to his other son,
Elmer. In 1852 Mr. Sprague married
Sarah Arnot, daughter of Terry
and Catherine (Townsend) Arnot, who
in an early day came to Huron county
from Penn Yan, N. Y., settling in Hart
land township, where Mrs. Sarah Sprague
was born April 24, 1833. Four children
have been born to this union, viz.: Elver
and Elmer (on the home farm), Lydia Bell
(wife of John Denman, of Norwalk) and
Nora (wife of Doran Rowland, in Mans
field, Ohio). Mr. Sprague has in his day
traveled considerably, and is well informed
on most topics, a great observer of men
and things. He is a Democrat, and has
served bis township as trustee. In 1854
he erected substantial and commodious
buildings on his farm, greatly enhancing
the value of his property, which has since
been further improved. [Since the above
was written we have been informed of the
death of Mr. Sprague. — Ed.

FRANK CHASE, a well-known farmer
of Townsend township, was born De
cember 23, 1826, in Putnam county,
N. Y., the second youngest child in
a family of twelve bora to Alvin and Ruth
(Cole) Chase, both of whom were natives
of New York State and of English descent.
Alvin Chase was educated and married
in his native State, where he engaged iu
agricultural pursuits all his life. Lie was
a veteran of the war of 1812, having
served in the New York line, and for
more than thirty years officiated as justice
of the peace. Both he and his wife were
ardent, lifelong members of the Presby
terian Church. In politics he was a Whig
and a great admirer of Henry Clay, and

490

HURON COUNTY, OHIO.

was bitterly opposed to secret societies of
all kinds. His father was a stanch patriot,
and served in the Continental army dur
ing the entire seven years of the Revolu
tionary straggle. The Chase family were
among the early English settlers of the old
Empire State, taking an active and honor
able part in the various struggles of that
commonwealth in the early days. The
Cole family were also among the pioneers
of New York State, many of them serving
with distinction in the war of the Revolu
tion as well as in the Indian wars of an
earlier period.
Frank Chase, the subject proper of this
sketch, received a very fair common-school
and academic education in bis early life,
and at the age of sixteen years (in 1842)
came to Seneca county, Ohio, with his
sister and brother-in-law, on whose farm
he was employed until he attained his ma
jority, after which he taught school for a
short time in Crawford county, Ohio. In
1849 he went south, and was employed on
a packet steamboat plying between Vicks
burg and New Orleans for some seven
years, after which he returned north and
was employed on a farm in Erie county,
Ohio, for about one year. He then pur
chased a farm in that county, upon which
he remained for about seven years, and
then traded for another farm in the same
neighborhood. After a few years he
traded this place for a farm in Sandusky
county, Ohio, upon which he remained
some eighteen or twenty years, selling it
in 1890, and purchasing another in Town-
send township, Huron county, where he
now resides and is successfully engaged in
agricultural pursuits. While living in
Sandusky county he was twice elected
trustee of his township. In the spring of
1864 he enlisted in Company I, One Hun
dred and Forty-fifth 0. V. I, proceeded
with his command to Washington, D. 0.,
was engaged in garrison duty on Arling
ton Heights during the entire summer, and
was mustered out at Camp Chase, Ohio,
August 24, 1864.

On May 5, 1858, Mr. Chase married
Miss Sarah J. Tompkins, a native of
Dutchess county, N. Y., and daughter of
Nelson and Hannah (Knapp) Tompkins,
both of whom were natives of New York
and of English descent. Four children
have come to this union, viz.: Lester T.,
U. S. Grant, Arthur and Burton B. Mr.
Chase belongs to no church, but he is a
firm believer in practical Christianity. So
cially he is a member of Townsend Post
No. 414, G. A. R. He was distantly re
lated to the late Hon. Salmon P. Chase.
In politics he is a Republican, and is one
of the enterprising and most respected
citizens of his township and county. The
Tompkins family were also early settlers
of the Empire State, and bore an active part
in the various struggles of that grand old
commonwealth — civil and military — both
before and. after the Revolutionary war.

EORGE SCHUSTER, a successful
. harness maker of Bellevue, was
born in 1829, in Germany, where he
learned his trade and received a fair
education. Becoming dissatisfied
with the commercial prospects of his na
tive land, he determined to make for him
self a new home in a country where broader
fields of labor were open to young men.
With this in view he emigrated from
Germany in 1851, the only member of his
family who came to America, and imme
diately after landing traveled westward,
locating in Bellevue, Ohio. He worked
two years on a farm, and then as a journey
man at his trade until 1854, at which time
he began business for himself, opening
one of thelargest harness shops in Bellevue.
In 1854 Mr. Schuster married Miss
Barbara Cox, and of their union were born
five children, two of whom, Hattie and
Addie, are now living. The mother of
of these dying in 1864, Mr. Schuster was
married in 1866, for his second wife, to
Miss Elizabeth Kaiser, of Thompson, Ohio,

HURON COUNTY, OHIO.

491

by which marriage he has two children,
George and Laura. Mr. Schuster com
menced life with a capital composed chiefly
of energy, a thorough knowledge of his
trade, and a determination to succeed, and
now ranks high in business, social and
religious circles. He and his family are
members of the Reformed Church, and are
actively interested in whatever is intended
for the public good. In the Civil war. he
served two years and nine months, having
enlisted in Company D, Thirty-fourth
Regiment, O. V. I., under Gen. Cox, and
took part in the battle of Wytheville; he
was also a private in the Thirty-ninth
Regiment, O. V. I. He is pre-eminently
a self-made man, and has by his own efforts
built up a good trade.

OL. SPEAR, a successful merchant
of Plymouth, one who possesses the
confidence and esteem of all who
deal with him, is a native, of
the Fatherland, born near Hessen-Cassel
in 1843.
His father, Wolf Spear, who was a son
of Nathaniel Spear, was a merchant in
Hessen-Cassel, Germany, where he passed
his entire life, dying there, in 1889. He
married a Miss Schoeuberg, a native of a
neighboring province, and they became
the parents of six children, as follows: Two
that died in infancy; Nathaniel deceased
at the age of nine years; Sol., who is men
tioned farther on; Betty, married to Moses
Shield, a merchant of Plymouth, Ohio, and
Jacob, who is a general merchant in his
native town.
Sol. Spear passed his boyhood in attend
ing school in his native country, and at the
age of fourteen years came to America,
settling immediately in Plymouth, Ohio,
where he has ever since remained. At
first he attended school, then for a while
engaged in peddling, but finally com
menced clerking, first with W. B. Kahn,
87

with whom he remaiued two years. He
next entered the employ of Billstein &
Schoenberg, in the stock business, con
tinuing with them until the spring of 1866,
when he engaged in the stock business for
a few months on his own account. In the,
fall of 1866 he bought out the store of
W. B. Kahn, conducting the business alone
until 1868, in wliich year he admitted M.
Shield into partnership, and they carried
on the establishment jointly until 1891,
when Mr. Shield sold his interest to our
subject, who has since been sole proprietor.
Besides the regular business, the firm also
dealt extensively in wool, seeds, etc.
In 1867 Mr. Spear was united in mar
riage with Miss Augusta Billstein, by
whom he has six children, viz.: Nathaniel
(residing in Cincinnati), Alexander, Joel
(in Cincinnati), Ida, Maurice and Bernice.
In politics our subject has always been a
Democrat, and has held various offices of
honor and trust in his community; he has
served on the school board for eighteen
years, a longer term of service than any other
member can boast of. Mr, Spear owns a
storeroom, warehouse and dwelling in Ply
mouth. He has made a complete success
as a business man, and fully merits the
respect and good opinion which he has won
from all who come, in contact with him.

J! H. HALLER, whose successful
business career is everywhere recog-
_} nized in Huron county, was born in
1864, in Germany, son of John
Haller, a tailor in the Fatherland, where
he followed his trade. J. H. Haller re
ceived a practical education in the schools
of his native place, and, in 1880, immi
grated to America. He had acquired suf
ficient knowledge of the tailor's trade from
his father to enable him to work as a
journeyman, and on arriving in New
York City he found ready employment,
and worked at his trade in the metropolis
until 1885, when he revisited Germany.

492

HURON COUNTY, OHIO.

On his return to the United States Mr.
Haller took a course in Mitchell's Cutting
Academy, and after graduating was em
ployed as cutter in New York and other large
cities, becoming remarkably proficient in
this important branch of the tailor's trade.
In 1887 he engaged with a firm of mer
chant tailors in Plymouth, Ohio, with
whom he remained nearly four years, and
in September, 1891, established an inde
pendent tailoring house at Plymouth,
meeting from the beginning with a most
liberal patronage. In order to centralize
his trade, in August, 1892, be transferred
his stock to Chicago Junction, and his
success here has been as decided as at Ply
mouth. He carries a large assortment of
men's and boys' suitings, and conducts a
profitable merchant tailoring establish
ment, doing good work at prices which do
not fear competition. In 1887 our subject
was married to Miss Jennie Peters, of
Pataskala, Ohio, whom he brought to his
home at Plymouth, and there, as well as
at Chicago Junction, they have been highly
esteemed. In Society affairs Mr. Haller
is a member of Plymouth Lodge,
F. & A. M. His life furnishes an ex
ample of what may be accomplished by
energy in business and earnestness in the
desire to please customers.

fj\[ UGUSTUS JOSLIN, superinten-
l/V dent and secretary of the water-
lHl_\ works at Norwalk, is a son of Dr.
y) Perry and Fanny C. (Davis) Jos
lin, who were natives or New York,
born of Scotch-Irish descent.
Augustus Joslin was born in 1827, in
Ft. Edward, Washington Co., N. Y. In
1844 he came west, and locating in Nor
walk, Huron Co., Ohio, was here engaged
in the distillery business for ten years.
He then went to Tipton, Ohio, and took a
railroad contract on the Air Line, return
ing to Norwalk three years later, where he

has since resided. For the past nine years
Mr. Joslin has been connected with the
water-works at Norwalk, having taken
charge of the system when only four miles
of pipe were laid. He has proved most
efficient in this business, which has pros
pered under his management, fourteen
miles of pipe being now in operation.
Politically Mr. Joslin affiliates with the
Democratic party. He was married to
Miss Mary Weever, a native of the sam'e
State.

UGGLES. The families of this
name in Ridgefield township are
descended from Edward Ruggles,
who was born May 13, 1766, in
Danbury, Conn., of Scotch-Irish
parents. Daniel Ruggles, son of this Edward
Ruggles, was born December 23, 1796, also
in Danbury, Conn., and was the seventh
child in order of birth, and the second son
of his parents. His literary education was
completed before he was ten years of age,
after which he made a practical use of his
natural mechanical ability, and learned the
carpenter trade. About 1820 he removed
with his parentB to Luzerne county, Penn.,
where, on November 27, 1823, he was united
in marriage with Louisa, daughter of Ben
jamin and Catherine F. Fuller. The
parents were of Saxon ancestry, and re
sidents of Luzerne county, Penn., where
tbe daughter Louisa was born June 3,
1799. About 1831 Daniel and Louisa
Ruggles moved from Luzerne county,
Penn., to Ohio, bringing with them two
yoke of oxen, one span of horses, and two
wagons, which contained all their worldly
goods. They were over four weeks on the
road, and on arriving at Cleveland, Ohio,
the teams and wagons were pushed across
the river with " set poles " on a flat-boat.
There was only one log house on the west
side of Cuyahoga river, and in coming
through Berlin township, Erie county, to

HURON COUNTY, OHIO.

493

Milan, Ohio, land was for sale at one dol
lar per acre. The people said then that
the sandy soil between the two branches of
the Huron river would not produce any
thing. Mr. Ruggles purchased one hun
dred acres of land of Jonathan Hess, in
Ridgefield township, Huron county, for
which he paid eight dollars per acre, add
ing to the original farm as years passed
on, and at one time he owned over
500 acres, paying eighty dollars per
acre for the last purchase. Politically he
was originally an Old-line Whig, then a
Free-Soiler, and finally a Republican, but
be gave his principal attention to personal
business. He was a member of the Free-
Will Baptist Church, and many services
were held in his own home, where he was
ever a genial, hospitable host. He died
April 4, 1867, having been preceded to
the grave by his wife August 16, 1865,
and they were buried on the home farm.
They were the parents of children as fol
lows: Alonzo J., sketch of whom follows;
Alfred and Almond (twins), bom Febru
ary 12, 1827, the former of whom,
now deceased, was a farmer of Ridgefield
township (Almond died at the age of
eleven years); Daniel W., sketch of whom
follows; Dwight, born May 28, 1834, who
was a member of Company B, One Hun
dred and Sixty-sixth Regiment, 0. V. I.,
and died August 3, 1864, in a hospital at
Washington, D. C; and Mary J., born
August 8, 1836, who became the wife of
Charles Brown, of Milan, Ohio, and died
in 1892, in California.
Alonzo J. Ruggles, eldest son of Dan
iel Ruggles, was bora in January, 1825,
near Huntsville, Plymouth township, Lu
zerne Co., Penn., and was five years old
when his parents moved to Ohio. He at
tended the schools of Huron county, re
ceiving his elementary training in a small
white frame schoolhouse, which was a fair
specimen of the buildings then erected.
fie also attended school in Norwalk, and
after returning home assisted in the work
on the home farm. He would rise at four

o'clock in the morning, get the ox-team
ready and go to the clearing, where he
felled many monarchs of the forest. At that
time the streams had to be forded, as bridges
were theu unknown in the locality. On
September 15, 1852, Mr. Ruggles married
Thekla A. Lewis, who was born April 11,
1825, in Spafford, Onondaga Co., N. Y,
daughter of Benjamin Lewis, who was
born in Rhode Island, and was married to
Betsey Whiting, a native of Vermont.
In 1835 Mr. and Mrs. Benjamin Lewis
moved to Ashtabula county, Ohio, thence
to Huron county, where their daughter,
Thekla A., was married.
Alonzo J. and Thekla A. Ruggles began
wedded life on a portion of tbe old home
stead in Ridgefield township, Huron
county, where they remained until 1888.
They then came to their present home in
Norwalk, where he has since lived in semi-
retirement. He yet cultivates a small tract
of land in Ridgefield township, and owns
150 acres of some of the finest and best
improved land in the neighborhood. Po
litically Mr. Ruggles was first a Whig,
then a Republican, and has filled various
local offices. He is a member of the Free-
Will Baptist Church, his wife is identified
with the Disciple Church. They have had
children as follows: Charles, deceased in
infancy; Mary J., wife of Charles Bishop,
of Norwalk; Betsy Louisa, deceased at
the age of four years; Elizabeth T., de
ceased iu 1891; Celia F., wife of Hugh
Jacobs, of Cleveland, Ohio; Dwight J.,
deceased in infancy; Flora M.; and Flor
ence, married to Albert Prentiss, of Nor
walk. Fred Stewart, who was adopted by
Mr. and Mrs. Ruggles when he was but
four months old, aud reared to manhood
by them, is now a prominent manufac
turer in Norwalk, Ohio.
Daniel W. Roggles, fourth son of Dan
iel and Louisa (Fuller) Ruggles, was born
August 1, 1831, in Erie county, Ohio,
where his parents had made a temporary
location while en route to Huron county,
Ohio. When he was six months old the

494

HURON COUNTY, OHIO.

family moved to the home farm in Huron
county, where he was reared and educated.
On December 25, 1862, he was united in
marriage with Chloe, daughter of Lee and
Phoebe (Bradley) Moore, the former of
whom was boru in Vermont, and married
in Summit county, Ohio. Chloe was the
ninth in a family of eleven children, and
was born July 25, 1837, iu Bowling Green,
Ohio. To the union of Daniel W. and
Chloe (Moore) Ruggles three children have
been born, viz.: Frank W., Arthur L. and
Dora M., all living with their parents.
Mr. Ruggles has given his time to agri
culture, in which pursuit be has been suc
cessful, but for tbe past ten years he has
not been strong enough to perform any
manual labor. He has been a zealous
worker in the Republican party, casting
his first vote for John C. Fremont, and
has represented his locality in numerous
county conventions, serving also as school
director and supervisor. He and his wife
are members of the M. E. Church at
Norwalk.

1T|r5'HOMAS MILLER, one of the best
gi and most hustling business men of
| Norwalk township, and a prosper -
y) ous, enterprising agriculturist, is a
native of Huron county, born, in
1843, in Townsend township.
Levi Miller, his father, born near the Al
bany (N. Y.) salt-works, was a cooper, and
at the age of twenty-five years removed to
Richland county, Ohio, where for two
years he followed his trade. He then
came to Townsend township, Huron
county, where he was engaged in farm
ing for ten years, dying in 1855 at the age
of forty-five, having been bora in 1810.
His first wife was a Miss Betsy Taylor, of
Richland county, Ohio, and two children
were born to them, viz.: Elizabeth and
Maria, now Mrs. Jacob Rickett, of Toledo,
Ohio. This wife died iu 1838, and Mr.
Miller subsequently married Miss Harriet

Sanders, of Florence, Erie Co., Ohio, after
which they came to Townsend township,
as above stated. The children of this
union were Jane Jarrett, now of Berlin,
Erie county; Levi, who was a member of
the Thirtieth Ohio Cavalry during the
Civil war, and died at Corinth, Tenn.;
Thomas, subject of sketch ; and Henry and
Charles, farmers in Fulton county, Ohio.
Thomas Miller, whose name appears at
the opening of this sketch, commenced
active business life by selling farm ma
chinery, and doing threshing, which he
continued in till after his marriage, when
he took up farming in Townsend town
ship. Here he remained twelve years, at
the end of wliich time (1882) he came to
his present farm in Norwalk township, and
has since been successfully engaged in
both farming and selling machinery. He
was married, in 1870, to Miss Arvilla,
daughter of John Hunter, a pioneer of
Huron county. Mr. and Mrs. Miller have
two children, viz.: Ellery L. and Gertrude
May, both at home.
In 1864 Mr. Miller enlisted in Company
B, One Hundred and Sixty-sixth Regiment
O. V. I., under Col. Blake, attached to the
army of the Potomac, and stationed at
Fort Barnard, Va., eighteen miles from
Washington. He has been a lifelong
Democrat, as was his father before him,
and has held various township offices.

I OHN B. NIVER, a progressive and
k. I well-to-do farmer of Norwich town-
%y) ship, was born March 19, 1813, in
Orange county, N. Y., where he lived
nineteen years, working on his father's
farm, and attending the common schools
of the period.
Mr. Niver is a son of Jacob Niver, of
German descent, who came from Orange
county, N. Y., to Huron county where he
carried on farming, and died in the prime
of life, when our subject was five months

HURON COUNTY, OHIO.

495

old. In 1802 he married Margaret Mc
Millan, a native of Scotland, and daughter
of John McMillan, a shoemaker by trade,
who came to this country with his family,
settling in Orange county, N. Y., where
he passed from earth. He and his wife
had the following named children: Denni
son, James, Charles B., Mary J., Jacob
and John B., all now deceased except
John B.
The subject of these lines received a fair
education at the schools of his native place,
and was reared to farm life. In 1832 he
came to Huron county, and settled on his
present place of 122 acres, at that time
covered with a dense and sombre forest,
through which deer, wolves and other wild
animals roamed at will. In 1843 he mar
ried Miss Sarah A. White, of Mansfield,
Richland Co., Ohio, daughter of Nathaniel
White, and four children — Edwin (who
was a member of Company I, Third
O. V. O, and died in Anderson ville prison),
Marietta (deceased), Emma J., and Nancy
(deceased) — were born to them. The mother
of these died in 1864, and for his second
wife our subject was wedded to Miss Esther
Simmons, of Greenfield township, Huron
county, a daughter of Albert Simmons.
Three children were born to this union,
namely: Elmon L., Louie and Harry, all
yet living. A stanch Republican in pol
itics, Mr. Niver cast his first Presidential
vote in 1836, for W. H. Harrison, when
the latter ran against Martin Van Buren.
In religious faith he is a' member of the
Methodist Church.

I

J S. TUTTLE, proprietor of elevator,
and an extensive dealer in grain,
j coal, oil, etc., was born in 1853, in
Erie county, Ohio, son of J. M. and
Charlotte (Crawford) Tuttle, both natives of
New York. J. M. Tuttle came with his
father's family to the " Firelands " in Erie
county, and here cleared his farm, which
is still in the family's possession. About
1873 the family removed from the farm to

Norwalk, and, in partnership with W. T.
Bowen, built the elevator, which they suc
cessfully operated until 1887, when they
leased to the present proprietor. The pa
ternal grandfather, Nathan Tuttle, was
also born in New York, and came to Ohio
with his wife, who was a Leland.
E. S. Tuttle came to Huron county with
his parents, and was educated in the Nor
walk public schools, passing through the
high school with credit. He commenced
his active life as a clerk in a hardware
store, and there remained for thirteen
years, when he engaged in the grain busi
ness, meeting from the first with marked
success. He is regarded by all as one of
the intelligent, rising business men of the
city, liberal and enterprising, and of pleas
ing social qualities. He is sole proprietor
of the elevator and grain department, and
has two mills for making food and bolted
corn meal. Mr. Tuttle is a man who
keeps his mind in touch with the social
and other interesting questions of the day.
In 1876 he was married to Clara E. Lam
kin, a native of Seneca county, Ohio,
daughter of Dr. George Lamkin, of Nor
walk, and they have three children: Ora,
Bessie and George.

4/ whose Mr.

[[If ON. H. K. HOUSE. The city of
1^ Norwalk takes proper pride in ber
| 1 many thrifty, intelligent and pro-
y) gressive citizens, of whom not the
least prominent is the gentleman
name introduces this brief sketch.
House after leaving school com
menced business life as an employe on the
Pennsylvania Railroad, on which line for
several years he was a popular, faithful
and efficient conductor. Always frugal
and careful, he saved his earnings, retired
from the railroad, and locating in Norwalk
purchased property and embarked in the
furniture business. After a time he sold
out this industry, and engaged in railroad
contracting — his first contract being

on

496

HURON COUNTY, OHIO.

the Wheeling & Lake Erie Railroad — a
line of business that has since claimed his
close attention.
During the early " eighties " the Re
publican party in Norwalk, recognizing
the ability, sagacity and acumen of Mr.
House, by an almost unanimous move
ment invited him to represent the head of
their ticket in municipal election. Being
prevailed on to accept the nomination, he
was easily elected mayor of the city, an in
cumbency he has filled with characteristic
dignity and grace, and his administration
is remembered as one of the most peaceful
and prosperous in the municipal life of
Norwalk. Mr. House was married to
Mrs. Otis (nee Reed), whose father was the
first white male child born in Greenwich
township, Huron county. Our subject
erected, in the southern part of the city,
an elegant and pleasant home residence.

Ill BRAHAM D. JENNEY was born
IJ\\ May 19, 181-3, at Fairhaven, Bris-
jrv_ toi Co., Mass. His grandfather,
yj Benjamin Jenney, was bora Febru
ary 28, 1744, in New England, and
married Bersheba Bassett, who was born
December 14, 1744. They had four sons
and one daughter, of whom John was the
third son in order of birth.
John Jenney was bora July 12, 1773,
in Bristol county, Mass., and when a
young man married Catherine Davis, who
was born May 28, same year. They re
sided in Massachusetts, where John fol
lowed the trade of ship carpenter until the
removal of the family to Cayuga county,
N. Y., where he worked at the mill
wright's trade, and for a time was engaged
in milling. On May 19, 1823, he and family
followed his sons to Ohio. It appears
that the two sons — Mordecai and Obediah
— visited Huron county, Ohio, about 1818,
and selected lands in Greenwich township.
A daughter, Bersheba, who was married

in New York to E. L. Salisbury, came
here in 1820. Thither the father and
family moved in 1823, and he purchased
the land at one dollar and fifty cents per
acre, and erected a log house, the interior
of which he furnished in a style hitherto
unknown to the pioneers. After the home
in the wilderness was made, the father
went to Sandusky and built two vessels for
Townsend & Chapman, which were called
the "Lignra" and "The Charles Chap
man." He passed several winters at Sa
vannah, Ga., where he was recognized as
a good ship carpenter, and always found
work at his trade, so with that and farm
ing he was an industrious and altogether
a well-to-do citizen. He died March 4,
1852, his widow June 9, 1853, and both
are buried in a private cemetery on the
farm. Of their children the following
record is made: Obediah died at Nor
walk, aged eighty-nine years; Sarah mar
ried, in Massachusetts, Ebenezer Wing,
and died in that State at an advanced age;
Mordecai W. died in Greenwich township;
Bersheba married E. L. Salisbury, aud
died in Greenwich township; Elizabeth
married Joseph Bartlett, and died in Hu
ron county; Sylvia C. was married in New
York to Joseph Gifford, and died in Kan
sas; Jane married Humphrey Gifford, and
died in Greenwich township; Benjamin
resides in Montcalm county, Mich.; Mary
married Benjamin Watson, and moved to
Kansas; Abraham D. is the subject of this
sketch. Abraham D. Jenney was reared in the
manner common throughout western New
York in pioneer days. He was ten years
of age when his parents moved to Ohio,
and here he passed his youth, working on
the farm and attending the subscription
schools of the period. Being the only son
who did not learn a trade, he remained on
the farm and assisted his father in clearing
it. On March 20, 1842, he married Sally
Ann Griffin, who was born in New York
State October 7, 1818, and to this mar
riage came eleven children, as follows:

HURON COUNTY, OHIO.

497

James W., now a citizen of Kansas; Salina,
a physician; George D., a physician of
Kenton, Ohio, where he died; Cornelia, who
married Jasper Jennings, of Lexington,
Ky., and died at Fitchville, Ohio; Smith,
who died in youth; Mary, married to Otis
Burge, of Greenwich township; Chloe, re
siding at home; A. Warren, a school
teacher; and Charles A., residing on the
home farm; besides the children named,
there were two who died young.
After his marriage Mr. Jenney located
on his present farm, where he has been en
gaged in agricultural pursuits up to the
present time. In 1856 he became a Re
publican, having previously been a Whig,
but beyond filling various' township posi
tions he does not go actively into political
life. He and his wife are members of the
Society of Friends. Both are endowed with
excellent memories.

EILIJAH PRICE, retired farmer of
Fairfield townsnip, is of Welsh
 I descent, and is a grandson of Alex
ander Price, who was a farmer in
Cayuga county, N. Y. He was among
the first to offer his services in the war of
1812, during which conflict he commanded
a division of militia with the rank.of gen
eral. He was a Democrat in politics and
served many years as justice of the peace.
Alexander Price was united in marriage
with Polly Seely, and to this union were
born six children, namely: Elijah, Will
iam, Mary (who married Lucas Foot, of
North Fairfield), Betsey, Caroline, and Ann
(who married James Vincent, a farmer of
Chautauqua, N. Y.).
Elijah Price, son of Alexander, was born
in 1805, in Cayuga county, N. Y., was
reared on the home farm, and received his
education in the schools of the period. He
was married at Skaneateles, Onondaga Co.,
N. Y., to Miss Abigail Foot, who was
born there in 1806, and thev had seven

children, viz.: Alexander (who is now a
stock grower in Idaho), Eben, Salvio, Will
iam, Elijah, Mary Louise and Grant. In
May, 1832, Mr. Price brought his family
to fiuron county, Ohio, and settled on the
E resent homestead in Fairfield township.
Ie cleared the land and made a beautiful
farm of 177 acres, and at his death, which
occurred in 1888, left a valuable property
to his heirs. In political opinion he was
a Democrat, and served as township trus
tee. Mrs. Price died December 14, 1869.
Elijah Price, the subject proper of this
sketch, was born April 6, 1832, in Cayuga
county, N. Y., and was brought by his
parents to Ohio the same year. On Sep
tember 7, 1856, he married Harriet Place,
of Fairfield township, and they took up
their residence on the home farm, where
two children were born to them, one that
died in infancy, and S. Grant, a business
man of Norwalk. After his father's death
he purchased the home farm of 177 acres,
and engaged in general farming and stock
growing, giving particular attention to the
rearing of coach, trotting and draft horses:
In politics Mr. Price is a Democrat, and
has served his township as trustee.

L. KREIDER, M. D., is the oldest
medical practitioner in Monroeville,
and has been very successful in his
chosen vocation. He is a sou of
Michael Kreider, a native of Lebanon
county, Penn., and his ancestry (who were.
of Dutch origin) have been natives of
Pennsylvania for three generations.
C. L. Kreider was born May 29, 1840,
in Lebanon county, Penn., and received his
early education at Lebanon Academy. He
then took a medical course at the Univer
sity of Pennsylvania, graduating therefrom
in 1863, and began to practice in Lebanon
county. In 1868 he came to Monroeville,
where he has ever since been actively en
gaged in the duties of his profession. Dr!

498

HURON COUNTY, OHIO.

Kreider was united in marriage at Phila
delphia, Penn., with Miss Caroline Walter,
who has borne him four children. He was
formerly a member of the American Med
ical Association, and is now identified with
the Delamater Medical Association. In
politics he votes with the Republican
party, with which his sons are also asso
ciated. He and his family are all adher
ents of the M. E. Church, and socially he
is a member of the I. O. 0. F.
Of the children bora to Dr. and Mrs.
Kreider the following is a brief record:
Walter Kreider was educated in the public
schools of Monroeville, then took a par
tial course in civil engineering at Ann
Arbor, Mich.; he is now employed in
Chicago, 111. E. R. Kreider graduated
from the Monroeville High School, then
took a medical course at Jefferson Medi
cal College, Philadelphia, receiving his
diploma in 1890; he is now in partnership
with his father, and has already secured
the confidence of the community as a rising
young physician. Charles R. Kreider also
graduated from the Monroeville High
School, afterward preparing for business
life at Poughkeepsie, N. Y. ; he is now
in the employ of Sanborn & Co., Chicago,
111. Mabel, youngest child of Dr. and
Mrs. Kreider, is a student in Delaware
College, Ohio.

DA. WOOD, M. D., is one of the
oldest physicians and surgeons now
___ ' in practice in Huron county — in
deed, with a solitary exception, he
is the oldest.
His parents, Alva and Levissa (Buck)
Wood, were both natives of New York
State, the former born in 1809 in Saratoga
county, where he grew to manhood and
carried on a farm in connection with a
gristmill. He died at Utica, N. Y., in the
sixty-eighth year of his age. Levissa
(Buck) Wood died at Utica in the seventy-
seventh year of her age. Of their six chil

dren, five are living. Their parents came
from Connecticut to western New York at
an early day, and were among the pioneers
in the agricultural development of this
now rich portion of the Empire State.
The grandfather of Dr. Wood was a jus
tice of the peace iu Onondaga county for
many terms, and is still remembered by
the older residents of that county.
Dr. D. A. Wood was born September 16,
1832, in Onondaga county, N. Y. He re
ceived an elementary education in the
common schools, and subsequently entered
Clinton University, where he took a full
literary course. After reading medicine
for some time, he went to Syracuse, N. Y.,
attended lectures there, and graduated from
the Eclectic Medical College. Early in
1858 he removed to Ohio, and locating at
Olena, practiced medicine there for many
years. Meantime he neglected no oppor
tunity which offered to him greater per
fection as a physician, for he is found at
Cleveland attending lectures, or at home
reading Austrian, French or American
authorities. He graduated, in the winter
of 1871-72, from the Cleveland Medical
College, and continued to reside at Olena.
He had seen great changes in his district.
The trials which awaited him in his early
professional life were no longer to be
looked. for. Long rides through the forest
were no. longer necessary, nor was there a
prospect of his being again compelled to
lead his horse through the thickets or fol
low unfamiliar paths to the cabins of his
patients. Dr. Wood was married, at Olena, to Miss
Lucy A. Cherry, and to this marriage five
children were born, namely: Louise, wife
of W. C. Laney; Frederick; Elmer D.,
who died in early boyhood; Gertie M.,
residing with her parents; and Harley D.
In 1881 the Doctor moved to Greenwich,
where greater successes rewarded his close
studies and faithful attention to his patients.
In early practice he made a reputation in
restoring to health those stricken with
fever; he was also very successful in ob-

HURON COUNTY, OHIO.

499

stetrics, and won the entire confidence of
the people. To-day he numbers among
his patients many whose birth he attended.
Dr. Wood belongs to the Alumni Medical
Association of Cleveland, and is a regular
attendant at meetings of this Association,
as well as a periodical student in the col
lege. Among his favorite medical jour
nals are the "Cleveland Medical Journal"
and the "New York Medical Journal."
But his readings on medicine and surgery
are not at all confined to these, for he takes
special delight in anything and everything
written on the two subjects.

I D. EASTON is descended from an-
k. I cestors who were prominent actors in
^_J] the early history of the New Englaud
colonies. One of these pioneers of
the Easton family settled in Providence
Plantation, in Rhode Island, becoming an
associate of Roger Williams. The grand
mother of our subject, Miss M. Perry,
was a full cousin of Commodore Perry, of
Lake Erie fame.
Perry Easton, father of J. D., was born
January 8, 1790, in Woodbury, Conn., and
when yet a boy came to Greene county,
N. Y., and served in Capt. Clark's Com
pany during the war of 1812. After the
war he came to Ontario county, N. Y., and
in 1818 moved to Huron county, Ohio, re
siding in Ridgefield and Bronson town
ships. When a young man he was married
to Sallie Raymond, who was born in Great
Barrington, Mass., a descendant of Lord
Raymond, and they had three children, of
whom are mentioned J. D., the subject
proper of this sketch, and a twin brother
who lives in Paris, Texas. Politically Mr.
Easton was first a Jeffersonian Democrat,
then a Henry Clay Whig, and subsequently
a Republican. He and his family were
members of the Presbyterian Church. He
died in 1858.

J. D. Easton was born in 1816, in Rush-
ville, N. Y., and was reared and educated
in Huron county, Ohio. In 1848 he was
united in marriage with Miss Jane Barker,
who was born in 1815, in Cayuga county,
N. Y., and they made their home on a
farm in Pera township, Huron Co., Ohio.
During the war he bought horses for the
Government. About 1873 they settled on
their present home, containing 170 acres,
ninety of which are within the limits of
the corporation of Monroeville. In poli
tics our subject was originally a Whig,
now a Republican, and he has served six
years as a member of the board of directors
for the county infirmary. He has taken
an active interest in other matters of local
importance, and was recently elected vice-
president of the Firelands Historical As
sociation. His wife is a member of the
Society of Friends. Mr. and Mrs. Easton
are the parents of two children, namely:
Ida S. and John P., the latter of whom is
married to a Miss Fish, and is now living
on a farm near Monroeville; he has two
children, Eunice and Candace.

4/

MRS. DAVID L. GIESECK is a
daughter of Henry D. and Han-
J nah J. (Harris) Smith, both of
whom were natives of Ohio, the
former born in Knox county, the
latter in Licking county. The father died
at the age of sixty-five years.
Carrie S. Smith was born on the home
place in Knox county, where she grew to
womanhood, attending the common schools
of the vicinity. She also received a year's
training in the normal school, then taught
two years in Licking county, Ohio. On
January 29, 1885, she was united in mar
riage with David L. Gieseck, whose father
was a native of Germany, his mother an
American, boru of German ancestry.
David L. Gieseck was born March 8,
1858, in Black Lick, Ohio, passed his

500

HURON COUNTY, OHIO.

youth in his native county, and after his
marriage came to Huron county, locating
in Monroeville March 20, 1885. Here, in
partnership with his father, he founded
the tile works, the product of which was
sent to the eastern and western part of
Ohio, and also as far south as Columbus.
In the following April they employed
eight men. Mr. Gieseck in politics was a
Democrat. He was a member of the
school board, and a justice of the peace,
holding the latter position at the time of
his death, which occurred February 9,
1892. He was baptized in the Lutheran
Church; his widow is identified with the
Baptist denomination. Since the death of
her husband Mrs. Gieseck has conducted
tbe tile business with great success. She
has had three children, namely: Henry L.
(deceased at the age of two years and nine
months), Emma T. and Mable H.

JfACOB BROWN was born April 6,
1836, in Peru township, Huron
' Co., Ohio, a son of Jacob Brown, who
was the pioneer of the family in the
United States.
The father of our subject was a native
of France, whence he emigrated when a
young man, and found a home in the
United States. He worked on the Erie
Canal, at Milan, Erie Co., Ohio, and there
met and married Mrs. Mary Ann Bentley,
a widow. Soon after their marriage this
couple located in Pern township, on a tract
of five acres, and Mr. Brown, together
with improving that little farm, worked
for others, his industry enabling him to
gradually extend the lines of the original
purchase. His property was destroyed by
fire once, obliging him to seek another lo
cation in the township. After a life of
hard, honest toil, he died on the farm, and
three years later was followed to the grave
by his wife; both are buried in the Catho
lic cemetery. Mr. Brown merely exercised

his constitutional right to vote, giving his
closest attention to his farm and family
interests. To his marriage with Mrs.
Bentley were born five children, namely:
Henry, who served during the Rebellion
with the Fifty- fifth O. V. I., and died
shortly after the close of the war from in
juries received in battle; Coleman, a farm-
mer of Peru township; Jacob, subject of
this sketch; Lainie, married to Henry
Brown, of Norwalk, Ohio; and Mary Ann,
who . married William Brown, of Peru
township. Jacob Brown received a common-school
education, and worked on the home farm
until 1861, when he was married to Mary
Ann Addleman, a native of Peru township,
daughter of Joseph Addleman. To this
union nine children were born, namely:
Evaline (now Mrs. John Greseainer, of
Sherman township), Charles (a farmer of
Norwalk township), Alfred, Arthur, Ida,
Laura (Mrs. William Hettel, of Peru town
ship), Eleanor, Theodore and Otto, resid
ing at home. In 1861 Mr. Brown located
on the home farm, and remained thereon
for five years, when he purchased a one-
hundred-acre tract. He owned several
farms at different times prior to 1873,
when he settled on his present place. The
residence and other buildings erected here
by Mr. Brown within the last two decades
speak of his progressive character, his taste
and his industry; while his farm is testi
mony to the methodical application of agri
cultural knowledge. The members of the
family belong to the Catholic Church.

THOMAS THOMPSON, proprietor
of the "Greenwich Hotel," is not
only a pioneer of northern Ohio, but
also an old and respected hotel man
of this section.
Thomas Thompson was born November
28, 1832, in Richland county, just across
the Huron county line. His parents,
Thomas and Mary (Bard) Thompson, were

HURON COUNTY, OHIO.

501

pioneers of Richland county. The father
was born in Washington county, Penn.,
moved to Richland county, Ohio, in 1823,
bought a tract of wild land, and settled
thereon with his young wife, a year after
their marriage. The names of the six
children born to them are as follows:
Margaret, a widow; Ann, Mrs. McLaugh
lin; John, living in Greenwich township;
Keziah, residing on the old homestead;
Thomas, the subject of this sketch, and
Absalom, a carpenter aud joiner.
Thomas Thompson grew to manhood on
his father's farm, which he helped to im
prove. He assisted in opening the old road
between Huron and Richland counties, and
also aided in making the first road on the
west branch of the Vermillion river. He
was not yet fourteen years old when he
hauled the grain and other products of the
farm to Milan, the nearest market-town,
and from that age to his twenty-eighth
year was the man of all work on the home
stead. On October 4, 1860, he married
Miss Susan Clark, who was born in Orange
township, Ashland county. One son
George M., was born to them, who, enter
ing the telegraph service at fourteen years
of age, is now filling an important position
with the Western Union Co., in the State
of Washington. Soon after marriage Mr.
and Mrs. Thompson located on a rented
farm in Greenwich township, whence he
shortly afterward moved to the center of
the township, and carried on a hotel
for three years. He next came to
Greenwich, purchased property in the
village, and conducted a hotel from
September, 1866, to September, 1876,
when he disposed of his interests in the
old house, and purchased his present
property, where he has since resided and
carried on business. Mr. Thompson was
one of the men who cut the first lumber
used in the construction of theC.& I. R.R.,
and for four or five years was engaged
in the lumber business, handling princi
pally black walnut. During the Civil war
he was represented in the field by his

cousin, John Thompson, who is now living
in Pennsylvania. In politics our subject
is a Democrat. His paternal grandparents
came from Ireland, where their fathers
had settled on the confiscated lands. They
came here with tbe theories of ownership
of real and personal property inculcated
in Ireland, and those theories have been
inherited by their children and grand
children. On the maternal side the grand
parents came from England, and found a
home in Pennsylvania.

pros-

4/

tiff ICHAEL STEIBER, Je., a
Xr/\ per°ns, intelligent farmer of
1[ Ridgefield township, is a son of
Joseph Steiber, a native of Ger
many, and by trade a stonemason.
Michael Steiber was born in 1829 in
Baden, Germany, and after attending the
public schools of the Grand Dnchy, learned
his father's trade. In 1860 he was united
in marriage with Victoria Holerbaugh,
also a native of Baden, who bore him four
children, namely: Frank, now a farmer of
Ridgefield township, Huron county; Mi
chael, whose sketch follows; Gretchen, and
Louis, the latter two having died in their
youth. The father followed his trade some
years after his marriage, then farmed ' for
a time. A brother (Franklin) who had
settled in America, then bargained for a
farm, which they purchased, and in 1872,
with his wife and two sons, Michael
Steiber sailed from Hamburg, landing at
New York. They then proceeded to Nor
walk, Ohio, remaining there four weeks,
waiting till their property was vacated,
then located on the farm where they have
since resided. Among the many improve-
which Mr. Steiber has made on his place
should be mentioned the handsome dwell
ing and commodious new barn. He has
successfully conducted a general farming
and stock-raising business, and has suc
ceeded in saving a good sum of money by

502

HURON COUNTY, OHIO.

dint of constant toil and judicious economy.
He is an unassuming but thoroughly sub
stantial citizen, and in politics votes the
Democratic ticket. He and his wife are
zealous supporters of the Catholic Church
at Norwalk.
Michael Steiber, Jr., son of Michael and
Victoria (Holerbaugh) Steiber, was born
September 28, 1863, in Baden, Germany,
where he attended school two years, then
came with his parents to Huron county,
Ohio. After settling in this country he
finished his education at the schools of
Ridgefield township, and on May 4, 1886,
he married Mary Fitz, who was born in
1861, a daughter of Frank Fitz, of San
dusky, Ohio. Since their marriage Mi
chael and Mary Steiber have resided on his
father's farm, which he works. He is one
of the leading young men of Ridgefield
township, and in political opinion is a
Democrat. He and his wife are members
of the Catholic Church.

fr^h OBERT F. WADDELL, Hartland
lJ*f( township. This gentleman is a
If 1^ grandson of Robert Waddell, a
y) farmer, who was born near Balti
more, Md., whence in middle life
he migrated to Ohio, dying in Knox
county at about the age of seventy-two
years. The names of some of his children
are Charles, Abbott, Robert F., David,
Bertha and Rachel.
Robert F. Waddell, father of subj^t,
was also a native of Maryland, and came
to Ohio along with his father. He was a
farmer all his days, and in Brown town
ship, Knox county, was a local preacher.
He took up wild land in that township, and
" blazed " a road from Danville to his farm,
a distance of nearly eight miles through
the woods. He cleared half an acre, and
built him a log cabin, after which he re
turned to Maryland for his wife and child,
whom he had left behind, bringing them

to their new western home, together with
all the household goods and chattels, the
journey being made in winter-time with
au ox-sled. Wild animals still roamed the
forest, and wolves would frequently make
nocturnal attacks on the illy-protected
cabin, rushing for the " door," which con
sisted of nothing stronger than a blanket
hung up; but by keeping up a bright fire
the ravenous brutes were/held at bay. Mr.
Waddell cleared 250 acres, and had many
an adventure while engaged at either
chopping or hunting, at one time having a
narrow escape from a bear, which would
have killed him but for his faithful dog.
He built the first church and schoolhouse,
and established the first burying-ground in
Brown township, Knox county, Ohio.
Robert F. Waddell, Sr., married Eliza
beth Critchfield, a daughter of Alvin
Critchfield, a native of near Cumberland,
Md., who came to Knox county, Ohio, and
there passed the rest of his days. To this
union were born children as follows: Ray
mond, Milton and Matilda, all three de
ceased; Evaline (Mrs. Melton), also de
ceased; Mary Ann (Mrs. Phillips), in Hart
land; Charles, a physician iu Indiana,
where he has an extensive practice; James,
in Wauseon, Fulton Co., Ohio; and Rob
ert F. The father died in 1850, a mem
ber of the Wesleyan Methodist Church, the
mother about 1868.
The subject of this sketch was born
February 7, 1848, on the old homestead in
Knox county, Ohio, and received his edu
cation at the common schools of the vicin
ity. At the breaking out, of the Civil war
he would have joined the Union army but
for physical disability, and, moreover, it
was necessary for him to care for his aged
mother, he being the only one left at home.
He married Miss Christiana Blakely,
daughter of William and Sarah Blakely,
of Knox county, Ohio, and five children
were born to this union, to wit: Jennie,
Charles, Raymond, Sarah Elizabeth and
Jessie Mabel, all at home except Charles,
who is deceased.

HURON COUNTY, OHIO.

503

After marriage Mr. Waddell sold the old
homestead and bought fifty acres of land
in Huron county, which he paid for in four
or five years, and then resold and purchased
his present place in Hartland township,
comprising ninety-one and a quarter acres
of excellent farm land. In 1890 he built
a commodious barn, and otherwise greatly
improved the property. , Politically Mr.
Waddell is a Republican, and in religious
faith he is a member of the United Breth
ren Church.

I C. FRIEND, M. D., a deservedly
u popular rising young physician and
druggist of Monroeville, is a native
of that town, born in 1862.
He is a son of Charles Friend,
who was born in Baden, Germany, in
1827, a son of John Friend, of the same
place. Charles was a cooper by trade,
working at which as a journeyman, he
traveled over the greater part of Switzer
land. When comparatively yet a young
man, he immigrated to the United States,
and to Ohio, making a new and permanent
home in Monroeville, Huron county, where
he carried on his trade several years, and
then embarked in the grocery business, in
which he met with fair success. In 1853
he married Miss Paulina Stoeckley, also of
Baden, Germany, a daughter of John
-Stoeckley, who came from Germany to
Monroeville, Ohio, some few years ago.
To this marriage seven children were
born, viz.: Henry, Alfred, Emma and
Catherine, all deceased in infancy; and
Mary L. (Mrs. Tyler), in Monroeville; Dr.
A. O; and John B. The father died
April 2. 1889; the mother died July 19,
1888. They were worthy members of the
Catholic Church.
The subject of this biographical sketch
was educated in his native town, and after
leaving school entered the drug store of
D. Jay Kling as clerk. He then, about
1882, went to the Western Reserve Medi
cal School, where he graduated in 1884.

He first commenced the practice of his
profession in Sandusky, but remained only
a short time, returning ?to Monroeville,
where in 1887 he bought a half interest in
a drug store, his brother John B. owning
the other half. Not long afterward our
subject bought out his brother's interest,
and has since had undivided control of the
business, an excellent one, the store being
replete with everything essential to a first-
class drug establishment, including the
careful compounding of prescriptions.
In 1888 Dr. Friend was married to
Miss Loretta E. Worley, daughter of An
drew Worley, a retired merchant of New
Riegel, Seneca Co., Ohio, aud three chil
dren have come to brighten their fireside
— Ralph W., Oliver J. and Sylvia Marie.
The Doctor has been for a considerable
time a prominent local Democrat of no
little influence, and has served in various
positions of trust, such as justice of the
peace, and town clerk, which latter incum
bency he is now filling with marked
ability ; has been president of the Demo
cratic club of Norwalk, and chairman of
the central committee. He is president of
the National Building and Loan Associa
tion of Monroeville, and in religious faith
is a prominent member of the Catholic
Church. In addition to his thriving drug
business, he enjoys a lucrative and fast
increasing practice in his profession.
[Since the above was written we have been
informed of the death of Dr. Friend,
which occurred November 8, 1893. — Ed.

E. HERSHISER, M. D., who enjoys
a wide reputation in Huron county
and vicinity as a successful physi
cian and surgeon, is a native of
Ohio, born in the town of Shelby,
Richland county, in 1854.
He is a son of Solomon Hershiser, who
was born in Bradford, Penn., whence when a
small boy he came with his father to Ohio,
settling in Richland county, where he en
gaged in farming all his life. His grand-

504

HURON COUNTY, OHIO.

father (great-grandfather of our subject),
came to America before the Revolution,
in which struggle he served on the side
of the patriots.
A. E. Hershiser received a liberal com
mon-school education, after which hegradu-
ated in a scientific course, and then took
up the study of the classics. He read
medicine first under the preceptorship of
Dr. N. Huss, then of Shelby, Ohio, now
of Brooklyn, N. Y., and attended lectures
at Cleveland Medical College, two terms,
finally graduating at Miami Medical Col
lege, Cincinnati. The Doctor commenced
the practice of his profession at Collins,
Ohio, whence after about three years he
proceeded to Philadelphia, where for a
year he attended hospitals and leading
medical colleges, receiving his diploma
from Jefferson Medical College. In 1885
he came to Wakeman, and has since en
joyed a wide and successful practice; he
has given diseases of the lungs and abdomen
special attention. Our subject was mar
ried, in Cleveland, Ohio, to Miss Nettie S.
Purdy, and one child, Mary Beulah, has
been born to them. Dr. and Mrs. Her
shiser are members of the Congregational
Church; politically he a Prohibitionist,
socially a member of the North Central
Ohio Medical Association.

IfSAAC McKESSON. The well-known
family, of which this gentleman is a
J worthy member, originated in Scotland,
where one John McKesson was born
and educated, graduating with high honors
from both the literary and theological
departments of the University of Edin
burgh. Immediately after graduation he
was ordained to the ministry of the Pres
byterian Church, and passed his life as a
"watchman on the walls of Zion."
About 1760 he set sail for the United
States in company with some friends, first
locating at Windsor, York Co., Penn.,
where in addition to his ministerial duties

he owned and operated a large distillery,
taking the produce to Baltimore and other
markets by means of four-and-six-horse
teams. His superior scholarship was of
practical use in land surveying, of which
there was much in those days, untangling
knotty problems, adjusting compasses,
levels and other mathematical instruments ;
and also enabled him to act as interpreter
in the various courts. He was a stanch
patriot, rendering numerous and important
services to the young Republic.
He and his wife, Jane McKesson, who
was also a native of Scotland, had a family
of seven children.
Isaac McKesson, youngest child of John
aud Jane McKesson, was born July 25,
1782, in Pennsylvania. He received a
good education, and began to study for the
ministry, but theology did not suit his
tastes, which were inclined to mechanical
pursuits. Accordingly, he abandoned his
theological studies, and served several
years as an apprentice to his brother James,
who was an expert millwright and equally
skilled in all branches of woodwork. After
serving his time, Isaac McKesson success
fully followed his trade the greater part of
his life. On October 1, 1811, he was
united in marriage with Elizabeth, daugh-
of James and Jane (Reed) Caldwell, the
former of whom was a prominent patriot
and colonel in the Continental army,
rendering valuable service to his country.
during the Revolution. After their mar
riage Mr. and Mrs. McKesson removed to
Lycoming county, Penn., where he took
up about 2,200 acres of land among the
hills on the west branch of the Susque
hanna river. He then built a saw and
grist mill at Sinnamahoning, Cameron
county, near the mouth of Sinnamahoning
creek, also dealing extensively in lumber,
which he shipped down the river to Balti
more and other important points. After
the war of 1812 he sustained heavy finan
cial losses, through the depreciation of
currency throughout the country. In 1827
he moved to northern Ohio, first lo,catii}g

HURON COUNTY, OHIO.

505

in Venice, Erie county, then moving to
Huron county, where he repaired the saw
and grist mills owned by E. Jessips, an ex
tensive land owner, of whom Mr. Mc
Kesson purchased a farm in Margaretta
township, Erie Co., Ohio. Mr. and Mrs.
McKesson reared a family of eight chil
dren. They were members of the M. E.
Church, in which he held numerous offi
cial positions. He died March 25, 1854,
at the home of his son Isaac.
Isaac McKesson, whosename introduces
this sketch, was born January 12, 1821,
in Lycoming county, Penn., and when
seven years of age came with his parents
to Ohio. After receiving a subscription -
school education he taught for a while, at
the same time assisting his father with the
carpenter and mill-wright business." He
then opened a lumber and sawmill estab
lishment at Enterprize, Huron county,
and after conducting this one year, re
sumed farming on his father's place, later
moving to near Sandusky. During the
winter season he dealt in lumber for about
three years, then bought a farm in York
township, Sandusky Co., Ohio, and fol
lowed agricultural pursuits, also acting
as agent for various kinds of agricultural
implements. In 1851 Mr. McKesson
moved to a place known as the •* Seven-
Mile House," iu Erie county, Ohio, which
he purchased, and there continued farm
ing, in addition to the agency business,
until the autumn of 1869. He then sold
a part of this farm, and moved to Towns-
end township, Huron county, where,
about three years previously, he had pur
chased several hundred acres of land and
the bending works situated at Collins. He
continued to improve the works, which
had been opened in 1852, being the
first establishment of the kind in that part
of Ohio, and in 1871 sold the business to
his son, L. V., and established a sash and
blind and pump and tubing factory at
Collins. The famous "Collins force-pump"
was first made at the factory just men
tioned, which Mr. McKesson afterward

sold and then conducted the first " Genesee
separator " used in this country. He now
owns a large tract of land in Eaton county,
Mich., and for several years has conducted
a large sawmill and turning factory about
two miles below Eaton Rapids; he has
also been part owner of an edge-too fac
tory at the same place. He is now retired
from active business, but still owns several
hundred acres of land in Ohio, Virginia, Mis
souri and Michigan, besides town and vil
lage property in various places. During
the Civil war he was elected lieutenant-
colonel of the Erie county militia, and since
then has filled numerous civil and military
positions. He served eight successive
terms as trustee of Groton township, Erie
county, being elected by the Republican
party in a township usually having a
Democratic majority. He was originally a
local leader of the Whigs, afterward assist
ing to organize the Republican party, in
which he has , been a prominent worker.
At one time he was an earnest advocate of
the " Greenback" theory, but never re
nounced fealty to the Republicans, and is
now deeply interested in the National Bank
system. He has served as township treasurer
and justice of the peace, and for two years
was commissioner of Erie county. Mr.
McKesson has also been appointed ad
ministrator of various estates and guardian
for minor children. He has been a trustee
of the Childrens' Home Association of
Huron county since that institution was
organized, and for several years has been a
director of the Agricultural Society of Erie
and Huron counties, having assisted with
the location and purchase of the grounds
for the Erie County Agricultural Associa
tion. He has ever been a'leading spirit in
all public enterprises, and was the prime
mover in the erection of the new depot at
Collins. He also assisted in locating,
grading and adorning the beautiful little
park at that place, in securing the elegant
music hall, the improvement of several
streets, and has been interested in various
public enterprises.

506

HURON COUNTY, OHIO.

On October 28, 1841, Mr. McKesson
was united in marriage with Lorada Jane
Hunt, who was a native of Bridgewater,
N. H., born August 8, 1817, and was edu
cated at the Norwalk Seminary, being a
pupil of the late Bishop Thomson. She
was a daughter of John and Nancy (Lord)
Hunt, both of whom were natives of New
Hampshire, of English descent. She died
September 29, 1878, a lifelong member of
the M. E. Church, leaving two children:
Lester V. and Nancy E., wife of George
D. Lyles. In March, 1880, Isaac Mc
Kesson married, for his second wife, Mrs.
Harriet S. (Reed) Emerson, who was born
July 19, 1818, in Connecticut. She died
July 1, 1886, at the home of her daugh
ter, Mrs. J. D. Waggoner, a member of
the M. E. Church, and on November 1,
1887, Mr. McKesson was married to his
present wife, Mrs. Rebecca Jane (Balliet)
Van Buskirk, who was born May 18,
1840, in Mansfield, Ohio, a daughter of
Henry and Catherine (Montz) Balliet, na
tives of Pennsylvania, whither their an
cestors had emigrated from Alsace-Lo-
raine (then in France, now in Germany).
Our subject, in religious faith, is a mem
ber of the M. E. Church, which he has
served in various capacities, while Mrs.
McKesson is identified with the Presby
terian denomination.

Joseph t. lazell, a successful
k. I farmer of Fitchville township, is a
\yj native of New York State, born at
Moravia, Cayuga county, February
15, 1837.
Calvin Lazell (great-grandfather of sub
ject) and his brother emigrated from
France to America about the close of the
eighteenth century, the first named locat
ing in Cayuga county, N. Y., the latter in
Pennsylvania. This Calvin was the father
of fourteen children, of whom Daniel
was one.

Daniel Lazell married, and had six chil
dren, Jared, the third in order of birth, be
ing the father of our subject. Jared La
zell was born in 1812, in Cayuga county,
N. Y., was reared there in the manner
common to the boys of his time, and while
still a youth was apprenticed to a shoe
maker. When a young man he married
Hannah Turner, a native of Cayuga
county, and they soon after migrated to
Huron county, Ohio, locating in Hartland
township, where they lived at the home
of Spencer Phillips. Here he followed
his trade for a short time, and then re
turned to Cayuga county, where Mrs. La
zell died in July, 1841. Mr. Lazell mar
ried, for his second wife, Mary Sawyer,
and then, again determined to try Ohio,
he came to Berlin, Erie county, where he
worked at his trade one year, going from
house to house, as was then the custom.
The family then returned to Cayuga
county, N. Y., where Mr. Lazell followed
the trade for six or seven years, and then
moved to Olena, Huron Co., Ohio. Later
he established himself at Bairdstown,
Wood Co., Ohio, where he is yet engaged
at his trade, though now over eighty- two
years of age. His wife also resides there,
and both enjoy remarkable health for per
sons of their age. There were three
children born to Jared and Hannah Lazell,
namely: Joseph T., the subject of this
sketch; Emeline, widow of Judson Smith,
of Cleveland; and an infant who died un
named. To his second marriage, with
Mary Sawyer, two children were bora:
Franklin, of Bairdstown, Ohio, and Caro
line, widow of Byron Fullson, of Garretts-
ville, Trumbull Co., Ohio.
Joseph T. Lazell received an elementary
education in the public schools, and when
thirteen years old was apprenticed to Wal
ter Sabin, a shoemaker in Cayuga county,
N. Y. Having previously acquired a
knowledge of the trade with his father, he
learned quickly, and soon received sev
enty-five dollars per annum for his
labor, working with Sabin nine months.

HURON COUNTY, OHIO.

507

Later he received two hundred and fifty
dollars a year, and subsequently worked at
Montville, N. Y., until he began life as a
journeyman. Owing to his youthful ap
pearance he was known as " The Boy Shoe
maker," a sobriquet generally conferred in
the kindest sense, for the people knew that
he was as capable of doing fine work as
the most experienced tradesman. He
worked as journeyman from Moravia to
Buffalo, and at the age of nineteen years
located at Olena, Huron Co., Ohio, where
he began work for T. G. King, afterward
working for Benjamin Green, and he sub
sequently became a partner with his father.
On February 16, 1858, Mr. Lazell mar
ried Mary A. Burris, who was born at
Olena, daughter of William H. Burris,
who came from Cayuga county, N. Y.,
and settled in Hartland township, Huron
Co., Ohio. To this marriage were born
the following named children: Blanche
H., Mrs. A. H. Luxon, of Chicago, Ohio;
Ruth A., Mrs. J. E. Smith, of Fitchville;
Nellie, Mrs. Eugene Lee, of Hartland
township; Emma, Louise, and Jessie, all
residing at home. After his marriage he
built a home at Olena, and worked at his
trade there until 1866, when he purchased
the Abijah Palmer farm in Fitchville town
ship. To this tract he has added seventy
acres, and improved the whole area. A
Republican in politics, he has filled vari
ous township offices; but his farm receives
the greater part of his attention.

^HARLES S. CLARK. This gentle-
man, who is one of the most enter t
prising and thoroughly successful
young men of Wakeman, is a son of
D. Stiles Clark, who was born in Milford,
New Haven Co., Conn., in 1828. The lat
ter received a liberal common-school edu
cation, and in early youth commenced to
learn the trade of boot and shoe maker,
which he followed for fully twenty-five
yews. 38

In 1856 D. Stiles Clark came west to
Ohio, and located in Wakeman township,
Huron county, where he continued his
trade, and invested in real estate in and
near the present site of Wakeman village,
wliich was then but a mere " cross road."
Some of his property was divided into town
lots, the remainder he cultivated and
farmed. In Connecticut he had married
Miss Esther A. Boyd, and five children
were bora to them, as follows: Ella, Wab
ter and Rollie (deceased) ; Harriet, now the
wife of Prof. Andrews, of Oberlin College;
and Charles, subject of sketch. Tbe father
died in February, 1887, a thorough Chris
tian, and a member of the Congregational
Church of Wakeman. In his political
sympathies he was a Republican until a
few years before his demise, when he be
came a Prohibitionist. In the course of
his busy life he had accumulated wealth,
but in later years he met with reverses and
lost heavily. In the cemetery of Wake
man stands a beautiful monument, erected
by the family to the memory of a devoted
husband, a kind and loving father, an hon
ored and trusted neighbor and citizen. His
noble wife, who through sunshine and
storm was ever his helpmate and comfor
ter, survives bim, and is now at the age of
sixty- four years residing with her son, of
whom she is justly proud.
Charles S. Clark, whose name opens this
sketch, was born March 21, 1860, in
Wakeman, Huron county, where his boy
hood was passed, during the winter months
attending the village school, the remainder
of the year working on his father's farm.
On reaching his majority he decided on
his future sphere of life, and renting from
his father an acre of ground, bought five
dollars worth of corn-seed, that sum being
his entire capital. This seed he sowed on
the land he had rented, and the crop there
of he sold for seed purposes; then the fol
lowing year he rented more land, and this
time planted sweet corn, on each occasion
carefully cultivating and harvesting his
crops. From this small beginning Mr.

508

HURON COUNTY, OHIO.

Clark has gradually risen until to-day he
is the most extensive seed-corn grower in
America. He handles more than eighty
different varieties of corn — including field,
pop and sweet — and his business has
grown to such proportions that he now has
seven branch offices and warehouses in
various parts of the United States. He is
the originator of the varieties of corn
known as "Clark's Mastodon Field Corn "
and " None-such Sweet Cora," which,
though placed on the market a few years
ago, are known and grown by corn raisers
all over the world. During the past few
years he has invested many thousands of
dollars in buildings, etc., while his daily
freight bills reach far into the hundreds,
which in themselves testify to the magni
tude of his trade. In connection with his
business interests, Mr. Clark has traveled
extensively, and is well known in every
part of the land.
On June 12, 1888, our subject was
united in marriage with Miss Sadie T.
Smith, daughter of Stiles Smith, of Mil
ford, Conn., aud two children have come to
brighten their home, viz.: Hazel, born
February 20, 1892, and another daughter,
born February 17, 1894. In his political
predilections Mr. Clark may be said to be
a " No Party " man, casting his vote for
the candidate — Presidential or otherwise
— he considers best qualified for the posi
tion, and the best man for the people at
large. His wife and mother are members
pf the Congregational Church.

E

^JDWIN DENNIS TODD, one of
the many well-to-do farmer citizens
of Wakeman township, is a native
of same, born on the old homestead
farm December 20, 1841.
George Todd, father of Edwin D., was
born in North Haven, Conn., in 1807, and
was there educated, and reared to agricul
tural pursuits. In 1836 became to Ohio,
settling on land now owned by our sub

ject, in Wakeman township, Huron county,
at that time a vista of almost unbroken
forest and deep-tangled undergrowth. He
married Miss Betsy Pierpoint, also of
Connecticut birth, and four children, as
follows, came to their union: Edgar M.,
living in Wakeman, Huron county; Ellen
G., wife of Rev. Edwin Irwin, of Middle-
town, Ohio; Edwin Dennis, subject of
sketch, and one deceased. The father of
this family died in April, 1853, owner at
that time of 206 acres of land which he
accumulated by industry and good man
agement. Socially he was a good citizen,
honest and upright; politically he was a
stanch Democrat, loyal to his party and
active in all its campaigns. His widow,
now in her eighty-first year, is living with
her son Edgar M. in Wakeman ; she is a
devout Christian, and enjoys the respect
and esteem of the entire community.
Edwin Dennis Todd received a limited
elementary education at the common
schools of the home district, which was
supplemented with a two-terms course in
the schools of Milan. He remained on
his father's farm until twenty-six years of
age, at which time he commenced working
for his own account, and he is now the
owner of ninety-six acres of prime land in
Wakeman township, on which, in 1891, he
built a commodious dwelling. On No
vember 25, 1869, Mr. Todd was united in
marriage with Miss Anna Bates, daughter
of Hiram Bates, of Wakeman, and natives
of New York State. They have no chil
dren. Our subject is a Prohibitionist, and
is regarded as a good representative citizen.
He has been a member of the Congrega
tional Church several years.

JAMES PARK, one of the prominent
farmers of Huron county, was born
April 20, 1832, in County Donegal,
Ireland, within eighteen miles of
Londonderry. His father, Joseph Park, son of Joseph
Park, a farmer of County Donegal, Ire-

HURON COUNTY, OHIO.

509

land, was born in 1802 on the farm of his
father and there reared to manhood. In
early manhood he married Sarah McAdoo,
who was born in 1805 in County Donegal,
Ireland, and to this marriage six children
were born in Ireland, namely: Joseph and
Robert, both farmers of Bronson town
ship, Huron Co., Ohio; James, the subject
of this sketch; William H, a farmer, who
served in the Third Iowa Cavalry, and was
for seven years U. S. guager at Cincinnati
(he died in 1886); Alexander, a farmer of
Bronson township, and Matthew, who
served in the One Hundred and First
O. V. I., and after the war was clerk for an
iron company in Missouri, where he was
taken ill (he returned home and died in
Bronson township January 20, 1874). The
father of this family was the owner of two
good farms near Londonderry and the em
ployer of many farm hands until 1847,
when he sought a home in the United
States, where a wide field was open for
himself and his children. In 1847 Joseph,
his wife and the six sons proceeded to Liv
erpool, England, and embarking on the
ship " Royalist," sailed for the United
States. The voyage was a stormy one
from the start, so much so that the old ex
perienced Scotch captain of tbe vessel rec
ommended his passengers to prepare for
death. The old captain, fortunately, was
out in his reckonings, the storm abated,
and the good ship anchored in the shadows
of Quebec's heights twenty-eight days
after leaving Liverpool.
The Parks proceeded westward by river
and lake boats until they reached the port
of Huron, Ohio. They proceeded by
wagon from that village to William Mc-
Pherson's house in Bronson township,
Huron county, and there rested for a few
weeks. Later the family went to Ashland
county, Ohio, and remained among friends
from Donegal for a few months. In the
fall of 1847 the father returned to Bron
son township, purchased seventy-five acres
of land at ten dollars and fifty cents per
acre, and there resided until his death,

November 6, 1860; he was followed to
the grave by his wife January 1, 1861,
and the remains of both lie in Olena ceme
tery. The land which he purchased was
all wild with the exception of three acres,
and in clearing it the father and sons ex
pended much labor; for the work was new
to them and their financial condition, low
ered by the extraordinary expenses of the
journey to Huron county, Ohio, caused
them to exercise the closest economy
while making their home in the wilder
ness. The fact is that he had to buy his
first farm on credit, but through the per
sistent industry of himself and sons he
prospered, and before his death had made
a comfortable home.
James Park received an elementary edu
cation in the schools of his district in,
Donegal, Ireland, and as soon as he was
old enough assisted in the farm work and
cattle herding. In 1847 he accompanied
the family to America, and gave his best
labors here until their first home in the
New World was made and clear of debt.
He next entered the employ of Isaac Sel-
over, in Bronson township, the consider
ation being one hundred and sixty-two
dollars for the year ending in October,
1855. The next three months our subject
worked at carpentry, and on January 20,
1856, embarked at New York on board a
vessel bound for Aspinwall, and after
crossing the Isthmus of Panama took pas
sage in the " John L. Stevens" for San
Francisco. During the two years he passed
in California he was engaged in various
pursuits, such as mining, packing mer
chandise between Humboldt Bay and Sal
mon river, and butchering. On July 4,
1858, he re-embarked on the " John L.
Stevens " for the Isthmus, crossed to As
pinwall, and thence sailed to New York
on the " Moses Taylor." He paid another
visit to California, and also revisited his
native land — Ireland.
In April, 1859, Mr. Park was married
to Catherine Ernsberger, who bore him
two children, William H. and Emma, both

510

HURON COUNTY, OHIO.

of whom died in youth. The mother of
these children dying in February, 1863,
Mr. Park married Martha Ernsberger, sis
ter of his first wife, and to this union were
born three children: Jennie, Mrs. Charles
F. Brown, of Hartland township; Emmett,
who resides at home, and -Lizzie, Mrs. A.
D. M. Pratt, of Norwalk. After the death
of Mrs. Martha Park, he married, for his
third wife, Mary A. McPherson, and she
became the mother of four children,
namely: Louise E. (a student in Oberlin
College), Clara B., Edna M. and Alice F.,
residing at home. On the death of his
first wife Mr. Park took up his residence
with his father-in-law, Mr. Ernsberger, on
the farm which he now owns, later pur
chasing this place and adding to it gradu
ally, until his estate now comprises over 200
acres of the best land in the township. In
1884 he selected a natural elevation on his
farm for a residence, and thereon built the
finest dwelling house in the township. Mr.
Park's success rests on labor. He is an
indefatigable worker and a most system
atic agriculturist. Endowed with the vim
and energy characteristic of the sons of
Erin, he carved out for himself a fortune
and gave to the fairest portion of Ohio one
of its best improved farms. Politically a
Republican, he has always been loyal to
the party, and is one of its most trusted
members in Huron county. He has served
his township in various official positions,
as director of the County Infirmary for
nine years, and township trustee for thir
teen years. During the Civil war he
helped in raising nineteen thousand dollars
to clear the township of demands arising
from the draft. He has taken a prominent
part in the organization of agricultural so
cieties, and has held various positions in
agricultural fair associations throughout
the county. A man of excellent judgment,
his opinion is sought on questions affect
ing township and county; while, in pri
vate affairs, his reputation for honesty and
sincerity causes him to be selected as
guardian and executor. In religious con

nection he and his wife are members of
Olena Presbyterian Church, in which he
has been elder for over twenty-five years,
superintendent of Sabbath-school for over
twenty-seven years, and is from every
point of view a pillar in the Society.

S. ANDREWS, son of Samuel
and Eunice (Taylor) Andrews,
was born in 1843, in Fairfield
township, Huron county Ohio.
Samuel Andrews was born in Cayuga
county, N. Y., and resided there until his
marriage with Eunice Taylor. The young
couple then removed to Huron county,
Ohio, and settled in Fairfield township,
where Mrs. Andrews died in her seventy-
sixth year. Samuel Andrews, now over
eighty years old, resides with bis son, W.
S., at Greenwich. They had two sons.
W. S. Andrews was educated in the
district schools, and subsequently took a
commercial course in Oberlin College.
Returning home, he worked on the home
place until he was twenty-six years old,
when he established himself as a dealer in
horses, making a specialty of fine coach
and carriage horses for the New York and
Boston markets. He located at Greeuwich
in 1882, when he established a livery in
connection with his stables. In 1884 he
sold his livery interests, in order to give
exclusive attention to his growing business
in fine horses. Animals worth from two
hundred and fifty dollars to eight hundred
dollars are always ready in his stables for
shipment, and his representation of a horse
is accepted, for there is.no better judge of
horses in the county than he is. The fact
that he has a horse in bis stable is a certain
guarantee that the animal possesses all the
points necessary in a coach or carriage
horse. He is recognized as a thoroughly
reliable, honest business man, and he gen
erally receives his own price for his stock.

HURON COUNTY, OHIO.

511

Mr. Andrews was united in marriage, in
Fairfield, with Miss Flora Wright. In
politics he is a Republican. As a citizen
he has done much to encourage the breed
ing of fine stock, and has exerted a bene
ficial influence on the horse markets of
eastern cities.

IV ¥f ATHANIEL W. O'DELL, a prom-
I VJ inent citizen of Fitchville township,
a l[ was born February 8, 1842, inHart-
•J) land township, Huron Co., Ohio.
His great-grandfather, James
O'Dell, was one of three brothers who came
from Ireland to the young Republic in the
latter part of the eighteenth century.
James settled in Connecticut; another
brother located in Virginia, and one became
a sailor, all trace of the latter being lost.
Nathaniel O'Dell, son of James O'Dell,
was born November 6, 1799, in Warren
county, N. Y., where he grew to manhood,
and learned the trades of mason and plas
terer. In 1819 he was united in mar
riage to Sally Lane, who was born in the
same county October 20, 1799, and there
the following named children were born to
them: Daniel, born July 4, 1819; Ansel,
born April 19, 1821, came to Ohio with his
parents, but about 1855 migrated to Mich
igan, settling in Ingham county, where he
carried on farming until his retirement
from active life (he now lives at Aurelius,
Mich.); Lewis L., born August 31, 1823,
died January 29, 1825; Amy, born Sep
tember 30, 1825, wife of William Hop
kins, of Aurelius, Ingham Co., Mich.;
Lewis L. (2), born September 20, 1827,
who was a farmer of Ingham county,
Mich., died in Lucas county, Ohio; and
Maria, bora August 24, 1829, who married
Ezra Stratton, and now resides at Swanton,
Ohio. The family of Nathaniel O'Dell
removed to Ohio about the beginning of
the year 1833, the father having visited
Huron county three years prior to their

migration. The journey of the family,
however, was not completed without disap
pointments. The lake was so rough that
they were prevented from landing at Huron,
and the teams sent down from Huron
county to meet them and convey them to
their new home returned. When the storm
subsided, a landing was made, and Mr.
O'Dell walked to Olena to procure other
teams. His trip was successful, and re
turning to Huron he brought the family to
Hosea Townsend's farm in New London
township. His capital at this time was
twelve dollars, and the members of the
family that were old enough had to enter
at once on" work, to earn sustenance. In
this county the following named children
were born: William, born February 14,
1833, who died February 6, 1840, and was
buried on the farm ; Emeline, born Sep
tember 4, 1836, wife of Frank Miller, of
Swanton, Ohio; and Charlotte, bora Sep
tember 20, 1844, married to Silas Munsil,
of Swanton, Ohio, where she now resides.
For six months after their arrival the fam
ily remained in New London township,
and then moved to the site of the present
town of Olena, then known as " Angel's
Corners," where the father purchased some
land. There he resided until about 1850,
and then located on a farm some distance
south of Olena, on which he made his
home until his death, September 19, 1879.
He was taken ill while visiting in Lucas
county, Ohio, which illness led to his death.
His wife died in 1878, and both lie in the
cemetery at Olena, where monuments,
erected by their children, mark their graves.
Politically he was a Democrat until the
time of tbe Civil war, when he joined the
Republicans. Owing to the scarcity of
work for him as a tradesman, he devoted
his attention to agriculture, and even as
an old man he could contest for the honors
of work with the ablest hands on the farm.
As a wrestler, he was never thrown by any
one. His wife, known as "Aunt Sally,"
was a strong, healthy woman, and endured
with the family all the trials of pioneer life.

512

HURON COUNTY, OHIO.

Daniel O'Dell was born in 1819, at
Queensbury, Warren county, N. Y., came to
Ohio with his parents in 1833, and took a
full share in supporting the family. Be
fore leaving Warren county, N. Y., he at
tended school, and even in Ohio he realized
the value of an elementary education, for,
while, working here for A. G. Post, he
found time to attend the winter school of
the district. When a young man he at
tended the masons in the erection of the
first brick building at Norwalk, and he also
cut the first four-foot fire-wood hauled to
Norwalk, the consideration being two shil
lings per cord. He was united in marriage
February 11, 1841, with Mfss Almira
Wooley, who was born April 28, 1824, in
Genesee county, N. Y., and came to Ohio
when a child ten years of age. To her
marriage witb Mr. O'Dell the following
named children were bora: Nathaniel W.,
the subject of this biographical memoir;
Henry C, born May 18, 1844, a resident
of Olena; Charles J., a farmer of Fitch
ville township; Wesley D., a resident of
Olena; and Sarah J., born October 15,
1861, deceased July 3, 1862. In 1841
Daniel O'Dell and his wife settled on a
farm of forty acres in Hartland township,
Huron Co., Ohio, thence in 1860 removing
to Townsend township, where he had pur
chased land. In 1871 he returned to
Hartland township, eight years later taking
up his residence in Greenwich township,
and remaining there until 1881, when he
located at Fitchville. Here he resided un
til his death, March 16, 1891; the death
of his wife, the preceding day, affected
him so powerfully as to cause his own
death within twenty-four hours, and the
pioneers were buried side by side in Olena
. cemetery. Mr. O'Dell was an enthusiastic
Democrat, and in Church connection affili
ated with the Society of Friends. His wife
joined the Methodist Church in early
years, but seventeen years prior to her
death united with the Society of Friends
at Greenwich. Both were excellent peo
ple, as parents and citizens, and possessed

broad sympathy for the unfortunate. At
their golden wedding, held February 11,
1891, the large number of relatives and
friends demonstrated clearly the esteem in
which the old people were held.
Nathaniel W. O'Dell passed his youth
after the fashion of farmers' boys of the
period, working on the farm and attending
winter school, his first teacher being Miss
Emma A. Pierce. From the age of eigh
teen to that of twenty-one years his health
was poor, but recovering somewhat he
went to Cleveland, where he obtained the
position of traveling salesman in Noyeson
Bros.' dry-goods and notions house. The
salary of twenty dollars per month was
soon increased to forty-five dollars, and he
remained in the service of that firm until
the close of June, 1869. On July 1,
1869, he was united in marriage with
Mrs. Dania (Templar) Deneen (widow of
William Deneen), who was bora January
22, 1850, in Hartland township. Her
father, Jonathan Templar, was born
March 20, 1813, in Schenectady county,
N. Y., came westward to Ohio in 1848,
and subsequently went to Mason, Mich.,
where he died October 10, 1866. To Mr.
and Mrs. O'Dell came the following
named children: Frank, a farmer of Fitch
ville township; Fred L., born August 1,
1871, also a farmer of Fitchville; Annie
S., born November 14, 1875, Mrs. John
Kennedy, of Olena; Nicholas T., born
Marcii 19, 1877; Colonel E., born April
23, 1882, and Della, born November 4,
1886, all residing at home. After mar
riage Mr. O'Dell and his wife located in
Greenwich township, where he was en
gaged for one year in buying and furnish
ing wood for the C. C. C. & I. Railroad
Co. He had fifty-three acres of land in
Townsend township, the property of his
maternal grandfather, and selling this
tract, together with one of thirty acres in
Greenwich township, he removed to Olm
sted Falls, Cuyahoga Co., Ohio, where he
became interested in farming and stone
quarrying. After a year be returned to

''IrA.ff.aitrlie-.'S-

HURON COUNTY, OHIO.

513

Greenwich township, and, in partnership
with his father, purchased a farm and car
ried it on for over six vears. Then he
removed to Plartland township, to take
possession of Grandfather O'Dell's farm,
which he purchased, and on which he re
mained for five years, a part of the time
conducting a general store at Olena, in
connection with his farming operations.
In 1883 he purchased the Hezekiah John
son farm in Fitchville township, and he
now owns 178 acres, all improved, which
he manages systematically. In connection
with his agricultural pursuits on this beau
tiful farm, be does a large business in agri
cultural implements, a trade which he has
built up during the last twelve or thirteen
years. Politically Mr. O'Dell is a Demo
crat; religiously, a Presbyterian.

1(0 HN S. DAVIS was born March 28,
k. I 1806, in Baltimore county, Md. His
\^J) parents were Jesse and Mary Ann
(Sowers) Davis. His mother died
while he was still an infant, and he was
brought up by his maternal grandparents,
John and Mary Ann Sowers. After his
mother's death his father was twice mar
ried — fir&t to a Miss Hunt, by whom he
had two children, Mary and Jackson — and
again to a Miss SeweU, who bore him one
child, Ann Eliza. Not long after his
mother's death, his father removed to the
State of Pennsylvania, where (in the vil
lage of Shrewsbury, York county) he died
about the year 1833.
In 1811, when he was but five years old,
Mr. Davis came, with his grandparents
above named, to Fairfield, Lancaster Co.,
Ohio. Not long after, they settled in
Ridgefield township, on what is now known
as the Cone farm — a part of which is in
cluded in the corporation of Monroeville.
Here his grandfather died July 23, 1820,
aged sixty-three, and his grandmother
twenty-eight years after, May 21, 1848,

aged ninety-three. These grandparents
had four sons, John, Moses, Daniel and
James, with the older of whom Mr. Davis
lived till after his majority. It is well
worthy of record, as a remarkable physio
logical fact, that James, the youngest of
these four uncles (who is still living in
Whitley county, Ind.), was born when his
mother was fifty-three years old, his next
older brother, Daniel, being then in his
fourteenth year.
Mr. Davis lived in this township till
1835, when he removed to Lexington,
Richland county. Three years later he
moved again to Galion, Crawford county,
where he lived twenty-eight years — re
turning to Monroeville in 1866.
While living at Galion, on the 17th of
May, 1843, he married Catharine Nave,
who was b'orn iu Path Valley, Franklin
Co., Penn. They had four children, of
whom two daughters are still living. The
elder of these daughters, Amanda J., born
February 17, 1844, married Capt. A. S.
Skilton in Galion, December 20, 1865.
They had two children, John Davis Skil
ton and Elizabeth Roby. Mr. Davis' young
est daughter, Mary Elizabeth, was born
January 15, 1869.
Mr. Davis followed the honorable pro
fession of farmer, on a small place in
Ridgefield township, till he was thirty
years old, when he went into the dry-goods
business with Mr. Bloomer as partner.
About the year 1850 he embarked in the
business of banking, first in the Exchange ,
Bank of Galion, managed under the firm
name of Atwood, Davis & Bloomer; after
ward in the First National Bank at the
same place. He was also interested in the
Farmers' National Bank of Mansfield, the
National Bank of Plymouth, and (more
especially) the Exchange Bank of Monroe
ville, of which the managing firm was
Davis, Crim & Stentz. Mr. Davis was
also president of the First National Bank,
Monroeville, acting in that capacity up to
the time of his death. In all his business
enterprises Mr. Davis was singularly sue-

514

HURON COUNTY, OHIO.

cessful, and if he did not " make money "
quite as fast as Midas, he was more for
tunate than that fatally avaricious king, in
that he was permitted to choose what
should, and what should not, turn to gold
under his touch.
On the 28th of March, 1876, a very
numerous company of his relatives, friends
and neighbors assembled at his spacious
mansion to celebrate his seventieth birth
day. The affair was managed by his good
wife, together with his daughter and son-
in-law, Mr. and Mrs. Skilton, as a "sur
prise," and most complete was their suc
cess, Mr. Davis having not the least sus
picion of what was going on, till the
guests began to arrive. But his surprise
reached its culmination when, after the
company had all assembled, an elegant
gold-headed cane, and a beautiful, life-
sized crayon portrait of Mrs. Davis (a
present from the above-mentioned parties),
were produced and presented to him in an
appropriate address. Touched to the heart
by these manifestations of kindly regard,
it would have been strange, indeed, if he
had found any other than the simplest
words of thanks, in which to express his
grateful emotions. The Huron County
Teachers' Institute, being then in session
at Monroeville, were present in a body,
and with them the distinguished gram
marian, Professor Harvey, of Painesville.
In the fall of the same year he enjoyed
the distinguished, but unsought, honor of
being chosen elector of president and vice-
president of the United States; and after
ward, in the college of electors, of casting
his vote for Rutherford B. Hayes and
William A. Wheeler, as president and
vice-president of the nation.
Mr. Davis enjoyed perfect health up to
his last illness, which resulted in death,
July 1, 1888, being over eighty-two years
of age. He was looked up to by young
and old as a kind friend and prudent
counsellor. No object, looking toward
the moral and religious improvement of
the community, failed of his cordial support.

TlOSIAH LAWRENCE. The Law-
k. I rence family are represented among
(j^/ the oldest pioneers of Huron county,
having been for many years prom
inently identified with the history of its
development. Samuel and Hannah (Dibble) Lawrence
were natives of Connecticut, where they
were reared and married. In June, 1804,
they removed to Cayuga county, N. Y.,
and there passed their remaining days on
a farm, where nine children — six sons and
three daughters — were born. Samuel Law
rence was a zealous member of the Pres
byterian Church, and was known as a man
of sterling worth. He died when about
eighty-three years of age. Of his children ,
Timothy, George and a sister are men
tioned, the latter of whom is now residing
on the old home farm in New York.
George Lawrence, son of Samuel and
Hannah (Dibble) Lawrence, was born, in
1805, in Cayuga county, N. Y., and was
the first member of the family to settle in
Huron county, Ohio. In the spring of
1831 he was married, in his native State,
to Rhodema Smith, and the succeeding
autumn came via Lake Erie to Sandusky,
thence proceeding to Huron county, Ohio.
He bought the home farm in Bronson
township, and was obliged to cut a road
through the woods before he could get to
the place, which was cleared with the assist
ance of his son, Miner. The father gave
bis principal attention to carpentry, until
obliged to retire from active life as old
age approached. He is now living on the
home farm in Bronson township at the
age of eighty-seven years. He reared the
following children: Miner, born in 1833,
was married in 1865 to Julia Smith, and
is now living on the home farm (they have
had six children, five sons and one daugh
ter) ; Alonzo E., born in 1838, was married
to Jane Herrick (who has borne him one
son), and is a prominent farmer of Bron
son township; Addison, living in Califor
nia, and Alice, widow of Hubbard Law
rence, living in Bronson township.

HURON COUNTY, OHIO.

515

Timothy Lawrence, son of Samuel and
Hannah (Dibble) Lawrence, was born in
1800, in Connecticut, and was a small boy
when his parents moved to Cayuga county,
N. Y. After attaining his majority he
worked at the carpenter trade about twelve
years. In 1831 he was married in New
York to Calista Todd, a native of Tomp
kins county, N. Y., born March 6, 1812.
In 1833 he came to Huron county, Ohio,
and bought his present farm of 112 acres,
in Lot 18, Section 4, Bronson township,
the place at that time being a wild piece
of heavily-wooded land. Here he resided
the remainder of his life with the excep
tion of the eight years, between 1868
and 1876, when he lived in Norwalk
township. In personal appearance Tim
othy Lawrence was of medium size, some
what below the average height. Politically
he was originally a Whig and Abolition
ist, afterward becoming a Republican, and
in religious belief he was a Presby
terian. He died January 30, 1882, leaving
a widow and two children — Josiah, and
Mrs. Delia L. Curtis, of Calumet, Mich.

The mother is yet living on the home farm.
Josiah Lawrence, son of Timothy and
Calista (Todd) Lawrence, was born No
vember 9, 1834, on the home farm in
Bronson township, Huron Co., Ohio. He
attended the common schools, and from
early boyhood has followed agricultural
pursuits. In 1867 he was united in mar
riage with Alice Newman, a native of In
diana, who was residing in Ohio at the
time of her marriage. She died in 1870,
leaving two children, Eben and Mary, and
in 1871 Josiah Lawrence was married to
Maggie Baird, born in Monroe county,
N. Y., of Scotch parents. She died in
1878, leaving one child, Vina, and for his
third wife Mr. Lawrence married, in De
cem ber, 1879, Nancy Rowland, of Clarks
field, Huron county. Since 1868 he has
had full charge of the old place, upon
which he carries on a successful business,
and has added thirty-eight acres to the
original tract. Politically, he is a Re
publican, and has served in various local
offices; in religion he is a member of the
Presbyterian Church.

Ll

0RAII2

W J~-S JL

I'Zw^yT

rOLONEL NAHUM
BALL GATES, who
for more than fifty
years was closely iden
tified with the pros
perity of Elyria, was
born in St. Albans,
Vt., September 28,
1812. He was the youngest
of twelve children of John
and Abigail (Ball) Gates, who
in 1800 migrated from North-
borough, Mass., to St. Albans
township, Franklin Co., Vt.,
where they followed farming.
Col. N. B. Gates received
his education in the district
schools of his native town, also one year
at St. Albans Academy, which well pre
pared him for teaching, a vocation he
followed for three winters, laboring on
his father's farm during the intervals. In
the spring of 1834, being violently attacked
with what was called "Western Fever,"
he threw down his axe and declared
he would never chop another stick of
wood in Vermont; so with the scanty
means his parents could afford, at the
age of twenty-one he came to Elyria,
where his brother, Horatio N. Gates, was
engaged in mercantile business. In Sep
tember, same year, he engaged as clerk in
his brother's store, where he remained till

May, 1835, at which time he went to
Cleveland, Ohio. While there the cholera
epidemic broke out, but it in no way drove
him away from the place, as it did thou
sands of others, for he remained at his post
and manfully devoted his time for weeks
in attending to the sick and dying, and
also to the burying of the dead. These
acts of humanity were characteristic of
him all through his life. He had no fear,
and upon other occasions, when smallpox
and other scourges afflicted the community,
he performed similar offices, and escaped
all contagion. In Cleveland he remained
engaged in a variety of pursuits until Sep
tember, 1834, when he returned to Elyria,
and during the remainder of that year and
part of 1835 clerked for the firm of Gates
& Green. On May 17, 1835, our subject
went to Black River (now Lorain), in Lo
rain county, and opened a general store
for Gates & Green, remaining in charge of
same until the fall of 1838, when he was
elected sheriff of tbe county, and removed
into the town of Elyria. From 1836 to
1844 a copartnership had existed between
himself and his brother, H. N. Gates, in
the forwarding and commission business
at Black River. While a resident of that
place he filled the various offices of con
stable, justice of the peace and marshal.
He was elected sheriff in 1838 because of
his thorough fitness for the position ; there

520

LORAIN COUNTY, OHIO.

was much public excitement in that year
— banks suspending specie payment, and
counterfeiters springing up in every sec
tion — and it was undoubtedly due to Sher
iff Gates' indomitable courage and deter
mination that Lorain county was rid of all
kinds of nefarions characters.
In 1840 Col. Gates was an ardent Whig,
and took an active part in the memorable
campaign of that year. Mounted on his
famous black horse "Bucephalus," he led
the delegation in the procession from Lo
rain county to the imposing grand conven
tion held upon the banks of the Maumee
river on June 11, that year. In Elyria he
built a sawmill, sash, door and blind fac
tory, and in 1843 he put up an ashery,
which he operated for many years. In
1843 he was elected mayor of Elyria for
the first time, and served many succeeding
terms, though not consecutively. In 1844
he embarked in general mercantile business
in Elyria, but at the end of a year he sold
out. In 1850 he was a director of the Lo
rain Plank Road Company, and for many
years was its superintendent. In 1852 he
was elected president of Lorain County
Agricultural Society, and gave it its first
permanent footing. In 1862 he was active
in the Republican party, and a member of
the "Wide-awake Club." Same year he
was appointed by Abraham Lincoln col
lector of Internal Revenue for the Four
teenth District of Ohio, in which office
he remained till removed by President
Johnson. Indeed it may be truly said of Col.
Gates that his life in Elyria has been one
of constant action. His code of morals
may be inferred from the following scrip
tural quotation found among his papers —
yellow with age — and which lie exemplified
in all his intercourse with his fellows:
"Pure and undefiled religion before God,
the Father, is this: To visit the fatherless
and widows in their affliction, and to keep
himself unspotted from the world."
Col. Gates died December 9, 1890; all
his family were present at the funeral ser

vices except his daughter Helen, then ab
sent in New York, whose health prevented
her from attending. The services at his
late residence were conducted by his pas
tor, Rev. E. E. Williams, and were brief
and impressive. The ceremonies at the
grave were performed by Elyria Lodge
No. 103, I. O. O. F., which Col. Gates
was mainly instrumental in the formation
of, and at the time of his death was the
only living active charter member. His
son-in-law, Rev. T. Y. Gardner, read a few
extracts from a paper written and sealed
by deceased on his birthday, two years be
fore, in which he briefly reviewed the past,
and gave some of the leading principles
which had been the guide of his actions.
To give a more detailed history of our
subject's usefnl and busy life comes not
within the province of this article; suffice
it, that he was possessed of those sterling,
solid qualities which were calculated to
give him prominence in his newly-chosen
field, and make him what he proved to be,
one of Lorain county's leading and hon
ored citizens. In his administration of his
public duties he was brought in contact
with all classes, and in his discharge of
those duties, while his aim was always to
maintain a high standard of morality, his
kind heart never failed to respond when
there was opportunity for leniency or
mercy. He will long be remembered by
the poor for his many acts of charity and
benevolence. Being a positive and ag
gressive man, his position on all public
questions was never a doubtful one, and
he was always found true to his convic
tions, whether religious, political or other
wise. In the home circle he was a great
favorite. His geniality and his rare social
qualities made him ever companionable.
Although for months clinging to life by a
slender thread, baffling disease with all the
force of his great will-power, like a true
philosopher he was uncomplaining, always
hopeful, . always better, always heroic, as
he passed down the line to the gateway of
the great Unknown. To the hearts of his

LORAIN COUNTY, OHIO.

521

family who ministered to his wants he
brought only sunshine; and when the end
came it was as calm and peaceful as the
close of a midsummer day.
On May 12, 1841, Col. Gates was united
in marriage with Miss Sarah S. Monteith,
a daughter of Rev. John Monteith, form
erly, professor of ancient languages in
Hamilton College. She survived her hus
band but a little over two years, dying in
New York City from the result of an ac
cident, April 18, 1893. There were born
from this marriage, John Quincy, who
died early, Elizabeth, wife of Dr. A. W.
Wheeler, of Cleveland; Charlotte, wife of
Rev. T. Y. Gardner; Mary Ely, who died
in childhood; Charles Alexander, of Mas-
siilon; Helen Gates, of Elyria; William
N., of Cleveland, and Frederick H., of
Cleveland. Mrs. Gates was a highly edu
cated lady, possessed of marked character
istics, a leader in all kinds of reform,
Church and missionary work, strikingly
non-partisan, prominent in W. C. T. U.
work, and withal an uncompromising ad
vocate of temperance. Mr. and Mrs. Gates
lived to enjoy nearly fifty years of marital
felicity, for Mr. Gates' death occurred but
five months prior to their fiftieth anniver
sary of wedded life. They lived also to
see four of their children married, and
born of them twelve grandchildren. This
large family periodically held their family
reunions, and the old homestead at such
times was the scene of rare festivities.
Rev. John Monteith was born August
5, 1788, at Gettysburg, Penn. His father,
whose parents were natives of Dundee,
Scotland, was an early settler in the wilds
of western Pennsylvania, where the son
was reared in a life of industry and plain
farmer's toil. His mother was also a
native of Dundee, Scotland, and from this
parentage he inherited that hardy physical
constitution, and those sturdy mental and
spiritual traits that conspired to fit him
for the heroic work that fell to his hands
as a pioneer, and a lifelong educator and
reformer. He graduated at Jefferson Col

lege, Penn., in 1813, and at Princeton
Theological School in 1816. About this
time an invitation was extended to him
" to introduce the Gospel into the Terri
tory of Michigan," to accept which offer
he declined an appointment as professor
in a Pennsylvania college. On Sunday
afternoon, June 13, 1816, he preached the
first English sermon that had ever been
pronounced in Michigan, from the text
Luke ii, 10. In May, 1817, Mr. Monteith
was ordained in the Presbyterian Church
at Princeton, N. J., Dr. Alexander deliv
ering to him the charge. Returning to
Detroit he entered upon the work with
characteristic zeal, industry and personal
sacrifice. He organized the Presbyterian
Church at Monroe, and preached the first
Protestant sermon in that place. The
"University of Michigan," in point of fact
simply a school, established in 1817, in a
great measure owed its birth to Mr. Mon
teith, who had the office of president and
no less than six professorships conferred
upon him.
On June 7, 1820, he was married to
Sarah Sophia Granger, of Portage, Ohio,
who died in the autumn of the same year,
while visiting her parents in Ohio. In
1821 he married, at Nahor, in the then
wilds of northern Ohio, Miss Abigail
Harris, and here his career in Detroit
came to an end. From that point he re
moved to New York State, to occupy the
Chair of ancient languages in Hamilton
College, in which position he remained
eight years. Then for several years he
followed academic labors at Cambridge,
N. Y., and at Germantown, Penn., after
which, in 1832, he came to Elyria, Ohio.
" Here was the evident goal of his provi
dential destiny. He bettered the town
and the community by his educational
labors and lectures. He bettered the
Western Reserve by joining his hand with
others in the establishment of churches,
and Presbyteries, and colleges." He
girded on the armor of a zealous aud un
compromising anti-slavery champion, and

522

LORAIN COUNTY, OHIO.

fearlessly and conscientiously fought its
battles. " When the clash of arms came,
he felt that the beginning of the end was
at hand; and when the red cloud of war
passed beyond the horizon, he felt that the
ultimate vision of his life was realized.
* * * His joy was calm, dignified and
silent." In 1845 Mr. Monteith again resided in
Michigan, ministering to the spiritual
wants of the good people of Blissfield and
Monroe until 1855, in which year he re
turned to Elyria, where he passed the re
mainder of his busy, useful life, dying
April 5, 1868, in the eighty-first year of
his age.
Rev. John Monteith was a fine speci
men of manly physique; he was six feet
tall, straight and muscular, his power of
endurance being transmitted from the
Scottish race from which he. sprang. As
a scholar he was accurate and learned, and
though the scope of his culture was not
wide, yet in the ancient languages and in
French his proficiency was something re
markable for his day. Duty was the
mainspring of all his actions, and fear
lessly he performed it, as witness his he
roic efforts to introduce the Gospel into
undeveloped territories, making long,
weary and ofttimes hazardous journeys in
the prosecution of benevolent work.

HON. JOEL TIFFANY. To Hon.
George G. Washburn, of Elyria, the
publishers are indebted for the fol
lowing biographical record of this
deceased gentleman, who "was a
most original genius, and one of the in
ventive creators of his age."
Mr. Tiffany was a native of Barkham-
stead, Conn., born September 6, 1811, and
where his ancestors lived in the days of the
Revolution. They being Presbyterians,
he was placed in college in 1827 to pre
pare him for the ministry, but, preferring

the study of law, he in 1831 entered the
office of William G. Williams, of New
Hartford, Conn., as a law student. In the
following year he went to Ohio on a visit
to a brother and other relatives, and was
induced to make Ohio his home, which he
did, first locating in the town of Medina.
Here he resumed the study of law under
the preceptorship of Charles Olcott, and in
the summer of 1834 was admitted to the
bar and commenced practice. In the spring
of 1835 he came to Elyria, Lorain county,
and entered into the practice of law with
Horace D. Clark, and together they worked
harmoniously — Mr. Clark preparing the
cases, and Mr. Tiffany trying them in court.
In 1848 he removed from Elyria to Little
Mountain, Ohio, where he remained a short
time, and thence to New York City. From
1850 he gave up all other business, and
devoted his time to writing and speaking
upon the subject of spiritualism until
1860, when he went to Albany, N. Y.,
engaging there in legal writings, etc., and
in doing what he could in suppressing the
Civil War. He served as reporter for the
court of appeals for several years with
marked distinction. At the end of ten
years he went to Chicago, 111., and was
actively engaged in different lines of busi
ness up to the time of his death, which
occurred at Hinsdale, 111., July 1, 1893,
he being then eighty-two years old.
Mr. Tiffany was not only a lawyer but
also an inventor, and he is, probably, most
widely known for his invention of the
Tiffany Summer and Winter Refrigerator
car; he also made, through his inventive
genius, valuable improvements and inven
tions in machinery.
Mr. Tiffany resided in Elyria thirteen
years, during the prime of his manhood,
and was engaged in the practice of law the
greater part of the time. He served as
prosecuting attorney during the years
1837-38-39, and in 1841 and 1845 each
for one year. As a lawyer, and especially
as an eloquent advocate, he had no superior
at the bar, which was composed of strong

LORAIN COUNTY, OHIO.

523

men ; and had he devoted his great natural
abilities to the practice of his profession
he would have attained the highest dis
tinction at the bar and on the bench. In
the trial of causes he was aided not only
by a remarkable memory, but by an intui
tive perception of the points his adversary
would make, and thus was ever ready to
meet them. The trials which gave him
most distinction were the noted "counter
feiting cases," in which one Cash, whose
testimony was important to the prosecu
tion, was shot by the counterfeiters be
cause he turned " States evidence," and
was brought from his home on a litter to
give his testimony. In these cases, which
were tried in 1838-39, Mr. Tiffany acted
both as detective and prosecutor with con
summate ability, regardless of the threats
against his life that came from unknown
sources. He persisted in his prosecutions,
and succeeded in breaking up an extensive
gang of counterfeiters who had hitherto
successfully plied their vocation in this
county without detection, and landed four
teen of them in the penitentiary. He was
a scholar of almost unlimited resources, yet
he derived little pecuniary aid therefrom.
His inventive genius was remarkable, but
it took the direction of natural science and
philosophy rather than practical mechan
ics, and this, near the close of his life, gave
him a competence.

1(1/ ON. GEORGE G. WASHBURN
hH is a native of Orange, Grafton Co.,
I 1J N. H., born November 24, 1821.
y) His father, Azel Washburn, de
scended from the Maine branch of
the Washburn family, and his mother,
Elizabeth Danforth, was of Scotch-Irish
descent, her ancestors being among the
early settlers in Londonderry, New Hamp
shire. The subject of this sketch spent his early
days among the rugged New Hampshire

hills, with his parents for his only teacher,
until he was eleven years old, when the
family removed to Ohio, and settled in
Perry township (then in Geauga county)
where for three years he had the benefit of
good schools. In 1835 they removed to
Camden, Lorain county, then an unbroken
wilderness, where he spent most of the
days of his minority in the laborious work
of clearing up a new farm.
By the aid of his father, and by the light
of the log-cabin fireplace, he acquired suf
ficient education to teach school in the
winter, while his summers were spent in
farm labor. At the age of twenty-one
years he abandoned the farm, and spent
one year in teaching a private school in
Brandenburg, Ky. On his return he spent
four years in study at Oberlin College,
paying his way by labor on the college
farm, and by teaching during the winter
months. From Oberlin he removed to
Elyria, nine miles distant, where he read
law in the office of Hon. Philemon Bliss.
He was admitted to practice in 1848, and
for two years was associated with Hon.
Sylvester Bagg, who subsequently removed
to Iowa.
Mr. Washburn became an early writer
for the press, and on the removal of Judge
Bagg to Iowa he assumed charge of the
Elyria Courier, the organ of the then
Whig party, which soon became recog
nized as an influential factor in moulding
public sentiment. He soon abandoned all
other pursuits, and for forty-two years con
ducted that journal and its successors —
the Independent Democrat and the Elyria
Republican — as the sole proprietor, editor
and manager. For many years he de
clined all political preferment, but served
during this period as member of the
board of school examiners for the
county, member of the Elyria council, and
for six years as president of the board of
education. He was appointed by Gov.
Dennison, and served during the war as
secretary of the military committee for
Lorain county, the duties of which often

524

LORAIN COUNTY. OHIO.

led him to visit the battle-fields of the Re
bellion, and aid in caring for the wounded
soldiers. He has been connected with the
Lorain Bank in Elyria, and its successor,
the National Bank of Elyria, as one of its
board of directors for thirty-four years.
In 1883 he consented to become a mem
ber of the Ohio General Assembly, as the
representative for Lorain county, and served
four years with credit to himself and his
intelligent constituency. He then declined
further political service, and resumed his
journalistic duties, but was soon afterward
commissioned by the Governor as one of
the board of managers of the Ohio State
Reformatory, which he had been active in
establishing while in the General Assem
bly, and which position he now holds. In
September, 1891, he sold the entire plant
of the Elyria Republican, which he had
conducted with marked success for so many
years, and is now devoting his time chiefly
to the reformatory movements of the day.
His long connection with the State and
National Press Associations, and services
as a legislator, have given him an exten
sive acquaintance with men prominent in
politics and journalism in both the State
and Nation.

E'LY FAMILY. Among the first
land proprietors of what is now
 I Lorain county, Ohio, was Justin
Ely, of West Springfield, Mass., a
very extensive dealer in real estate, and
one of the original proprietors of what was
then known as " The Connecticut Western
Reserve," in Ohio, under the Connecticut
Land Company.
Hon. Heman Ely, fourth in the family
of Justin Ely, and who succeeded to his
father's estate in what is now Lorain
county, was also a native of West Spring
field. Mass., born April 24, 1775. He
was a linguist of ability, and a traveler of
no small experience, having visited, prior

to 1810, many of the leading places of in
terest in Europe. In that year he returned
to America, and in 1811 came west as far
as Cleveland, Ohio, with the view of open
ing up for settlement the land owned, by
his father, then known as "No. 6, Range
17, Connecticut Western Reserve." The
impending war between the United States
and Great Britain, however, made it an
inauspicious time for colonization, and
Mr. Ely returned to his New England
home. In 1816, peace being now concluded be
tween the two countries, he again ventured
west, and immediately commenced opera
tions for the development of his forest-
covered land, contracting for the building
of the first house that marked the spot
whereon now stands the prosperous city of
Elyria, together with a gristmill and saw
mill. Having accomplished so much, he
returned to West Springfield, and in Feb
ruary, 1.817, finally left for his new western
home, where the remainder of his life was
passed in the development of its resources,
and the converting of the wild forest into
prosperous farms, villages and towns. He
erected several houses, including the one
in which his son, Heman, now lives, in
Elyria. The town was laid out by him in
its present form, and bears his name, as
also the township. On the formation of
the county in 1824, he named it Lorain,
from Loraine, in France, in which prov
ince he spent some time while in Europe,
and with which beautiful spot he was
much delighted. He was also the founder
of the educational, religious and other pub
lic institutions of Elyria, giving liberally
of his means, and his name is still revered
by the many descendants of the early set
tlers of Elyria. He passed from earth
February 2, 1852.
Heman Ely, Je., was born October 30,
1820, in Elyria, Ohio, and received his edu
cation at the " Elyria High School," and
at Farmington, Conn. In his father's
office he acquired a thorough training and
insight into the real-estate business, which

^Mtir^ti fti

<77>r/7-

ti^^ttrr^ CtitiY,

LORAIN COUNTY, OHIO.

527

he followed for many years with much suc
cess. Like his father, but further in the ad
vancement of the county, Mr. Ely has iden
tified himself with many of the leading
institutions of Elyria, prominent among
which may be mentioned the Lorain Bank
(established in 1847); the First National
Bank (organized in 1864 from the Lorain
Bank), and the National Bank of Elyria
(organized in 1883 from the First National
Bank), in which several institutions he has
been director, vice-president and president,
in which latter capacity lie is at present
serving in the last named organization. In
1852, in connection with others, he secured
the building of that section of the Lake
Shore & Michigan Southern Railroad,
then known as the "Junction Road," from
Cleveland to Toledo. From 1870 to 1873
he served in the State Legislature, and as
sisted in molding the present insurance
laws of the State of Ohio.
On September 1, 1841, Heman Ely and
Miss Mary Harris Monteith, daughter of
Rev. John and Abigail Harris Monteith,
were united in marriage, and children as
follows were born to them: Celia Belden,
George H. and Mary Monteith. The
mother of these children died in Elyria
March 1, 1849, and May 27, 1850, Mr.
Ely married, for his second wife, Miss Mary
F. Day, daughter of Hon. Thomas and
Sarah (Coit) Day, of Hartford, Conn.
Four children were born to this marriage,
namely: Edith Day, Charles Theodore,
Albert Heman and Harriette Putnam. Mr.
Ely is prominent in social life, as follows:
Has been an active member of the F. & A.
Masons since 1852; from 1858 to 1871 he
was worshipful master of King Solomon
Lodge No. 56 of Elyria; received the
orders of Knighthood in Oriental Com
mandery of Knights Templars No. 12 in
Cleveland, Ohio, in 1857, of which he was
Eminent Commander from December,1861,
to December, 1865, and from. 1864 to 1871
he was grand commander of the Grand
Commandery, Knights Templars of Ohio.
He is an active member of the supreme
89

council of Ancient Accepted Scottish Rite
for the Northern Masonic jurisdiction of
the United States of America, and was treas
urer of same from May, 1867, to September,
1891. In matters of religion he has
been a member of tbe Congregational
Church of Elyria since 1838, and for many
years has been one of its officers, about ten
years as superintendent of the Sabbath-
school. He is a Republican in politics,
and a gentleman much respected in the
community for his moral worth and his
many unassuming charitable deeds.

JOHN W. HULBERT, cashier of the
National Bank of Elyria, was born in
Old Chatham, Columbia Co., N. Y.,
April 1, 1827!'
His ancestor on the father's side settled
in Connecticut in 1630. His great-grand
father and grandfather both served in the
Revolution, the former in the capacity of
surgeon. Grandfather Hulbert was born
in Connecticut, removed to western Mas
sachusetts, and thence to Canaan, N. Y.,
where his son, Philip, father of John W.,
was born. He, Philip, was born April 16,
1799, and died March 27, 1881. He set
tled in Old Chatham, and followed the
trade of carpenter and joiner until 1837,
when he bought ah iron foundry, which
with a plow-factory he carried on till his
death. On September 1, 1824, he married
Abigail Smith, born August 26, 1797, died
May 8, 1840, and eight children were born
to them, to wit: Harriet Elizabeth, John
W., Geo. B., Chas. W., Seymour C, Mary
I., Henry B., and Samuel C.
The subject of this sketch received his
education in the common schools of Chat
ham, and at the age of fifteen went to New-
York City, as clerk in a dry-goods house.
He came to Elyria in September, 1847,
under engagement in the large general
store of Kendall & Mussey, with whom he
remained till 1853, when he was appointed.

528

LORAIN COUNTY, OHIO.

teller of the Lorain Branch of the State .
Bank of Ohio. In January, 1856, he was
elected cashier, in which capacity he has
remained through its re-organizations in
1864 and 1883, being upwards of forty
years of continuous service.
Mr. Hulbert was united in marriage,
January 1, 1857, with Miss Ellen N.Wood
(daughter of Taber Wood and Almira his
wife), who was born in Chesterfield, Mass.,
May 4, 1832, and died December 6, 1889,
leaving two daughters. In politics Mr.
Hulbert was a Democrat until 1853, when
he became a Free-Soiler (afterward a Re
publican). 'He was made a Mason in King
Solomon Lodge No. 56, F. & A. M., in
March, 1851, a R. A. M. in October, 1851;
and a Knight Templar in Oriental Com
mandery No. 12, Cleveland, Ohio, in 1855,
to which organizations he still belongs. He
Was Master of his Lodge from 1853 to
1859; M. E. H. P. of the Chapter from
1853 to 1883. Mr. Hulbert is a member
and trustee of the First Congregational
Church, where for sixteen yearB he led the
church choir.

Ei R. HOLIDAY, M.D., Wellington,
was born March 27, 1843, a son of
 , Lorton and Huldah Matilda (Gates)
Holiday.
Amos Holiday, the great-grandfather of
our subject, is believed to have been born
in Vermont. At the beginning of the Re
volution, however, he was living in Gran
by, Hartford Co., Conn., and with his
three brothers served during that war in
the Colonial army, enlisting and going out
in a company raised in what was known
as "Salmon Brook Street" in or near
Granby. One of the 'brothers was taken
prisoner, and was either killed or perished
in prison, as he was never heard of after by
his friends. After the war Amos again
returned and lived at Granby until 1800.
In that year, in January, his son Jonathan,

who was born in Granby in 1776, married
Bethesda Holcomb, also a resident of
Granby, born there June 22, 1879. In the
spring of that year these three and a bro
ther of Amos, named Azariah, emigrated
to Pompey, Onondaga Co., N. Y., where
were born to Jonathan and Bethesda Holi
day the following children: Hiram, Lorton,
Rowena, Milton, Eno and Arley — four
sons and two daughters. During the stay
in Pompey, Jonathan Holiday was twice
called out in defense of the State and coun
try in the war of 1812, and served at
Sacket's Harbor, Sodus Point and other
places along the border. After the chil
dren had become somewhat grown, they
removed to near Bath, in Steuben county,
where they lived until 1828, when the
grandfather of E. R. and four of his chil
dren — Lorton, Eno, Rowena and Arley —
removed to Huron county, Ohio, the rest
of the family remaining about Bath and
Hornellsville, where their descendants now
live. Amos Holiday was a pensioner of
the Revolution, and lived to the remark
able age of one hundred and nine years and
eleven months, dying in Steuben. Jona
than Holiday died in Hartland, Huron
county, in 1845; his wife, Bethesda, died
in the same place February 22, 1859.
Lorton Holiday, the father of our sub
ject, was born in Pompey August 27,
1804. Here and in Steuben he acquired
a fair education in the branches taught in
those times and places, and on arriving in
Ohio taught school for a time. Marrying
in 1830, he soon after began hotel keeping
in New London, in what was known as
the " Asher House." Here E. R. was
born. The other children of this marriage
were as follows: (1) Huldah M., born De
cember 4, 1831, is now tbe wife of Hosea
M. Hood, and resides in Hartland, Huron
Co., Ohio.
(2) Henry M., bora March 3, 1833, who
ran away at the age of sixteen, went to sea,
and was a sailor for two or three years,
but finally, through the influence of his
captain, returned to shore life and books;

LORAIN COUNTY, OHIO.

529

graduated from Thetford Academy, Ver
mont, then wedding Miss Louise Jane
Coombs, of that place, they went South
and taught schools in Georgia and Ala
bama until the trouble about slavery and
secession grew so fierce they were requested
to leave, which they did in 1859; coming
north he studied theology at Walnut Hills,
near Cincinnati, Ohio, then at Andover,
Mass., from which place he went to St.
Johnsbury Center, Vt., where he was in
stalled pastor of the Congregational Church
of that place. From here he went to Tol
land, Conn., as pastor of a church there;
thence he went to Alma, Mich., finally to
Olivet, Eaton county, where he died July
31, 1888, of typhoid fever; his wife died
about a month later of same disease, leav
ing three children: Nina, Winifred and
Charles. (3) Charles B., born November 11, 1834,
was an attorney of St. John's, Mich.; en
listed in the Eighth Michigan Infantry as
lieutenant, and died off Port Royal, Oc
tober 5, 1861, of typhoid, on board ship,
and was buried at sea.
(4) Lenora J., born July 8, 1838; mar
ried Alonzo Hood, and lives at Alma,
Mich. They have one daughter living —
M. Louise Hood.
(5) George G., bora March 31, 1840,
was a soldier in the late war, serving three
years; he married Miss Chloe Garget, and
they have two daughters; he is a farmer.
H. M. (Gates) Holiday, mother of E. R.,
was born December 8, 1812; died April
18, 1843; she was a daughter of Gross
Gates (born February 4, 1789, died Feb
ruary 8, 1841) and Abigail (Ames) Gates
(born September 22, 1794, died June 13,
1836); they died and were buried in
Ruggles, Ashland Co., Ohio. Gross Gates
served in the " war of 1812."
Lorton Holiday, after the death of his
wife, continued in the hotel business for a
few years, when, his children having found
homes (?) with friends and relatives, he
went into the new State of Michigan,
working at gunsmithing and trading with

the Indians, among whom he was often
styled — -on account of his black eyes,
swart complexion and heavy black beard —
" Black Hawk." He was a man of splen
did physical proportions, six feet two
inches in his stocking feet, and as lithe as
a panther. He was on friendly terms
always with the Indians, and after settling
down at Alma, they always camped upon
his land if their rovings brought them in
the neighborhood, knowing they were wel
come. He lived at Alma, Gratiot Co.,
Mich., before the township was organized
as a township, keeping a sort of "pioneer
hotel." He was postmaster in that place
under Buchanan. He died of pneumonia
April 25, 1870.
Edwin R., the subject proper of this
sketch, on the death of the mother was
taken and cared for by Helen M., a sister
of the dead mother, and wife of Eno Holi
day, a brother of the father. Here he
lived on a farm until the breaking out of
the war, when, on the 5th of September,
1861, he enlisted in the Third Regiment
Ohio Vol. Cavalry, and served with that
organization throughout the war, being
discharged from the service . August 14,
1865; veteranizing in January, 1864, was
discharged as sergeant; was at Savannah
during the battle of Pittsburg Landing, as
cavalry was useless, and there was enough
to do the work anyhow; was in the Stone
River engagement at Chattanooga; at
Kenesaw; Atlanta; on the Wilson raid
from Eastport, Tenn., to Macon, Ga.,
where they first learned of the surrender
of Lee and the death of Lincoln; and last
(but not least to him) had charge of twen
ty-five men from bis company, which, with
the regiment or a part of it, went in pur
suit of Jefferson Davis, but was too far in
advance, however (eight miles), of that
anomaly to be in at the capture, but saw
him in the ambulance on the return trip.
After the war our subject returned home
on a Saturday, and the following Monday
morning started for school at Milan, Erie
Co., Ohio, where he took one term; taught

530

LORAIN COUNTY, OHIO.

school the winter following, and in the
spring went to reside with his brother
Henry in Vermont, where he took private
instructions until the following winter,
when he began the term of lectures at his
Alma Mater, the medical department of
Western Reserve College, from which in
stitution he graduated in February, 1871.
For a time he practiced in the western
part of the State, and in Michigan.
On January 5, 1878, the Doctor mar
ried MiBS Ella B. Peet, of Brighton, Lo
rain Co., Ohio, who was born in that place
December 1, 1856. He located in Clarks
field, Huron county, where he practiced
for eight years, and twice was elected
coroner of the county. In this place were
born to Dr. and Mrs. Holiday three chil
dren: Lorton E., born November 24, 1878;
Malcolm P., born February 26, 1882, and
Bertha Gates, born December 12, 1884.
In April, 1887, the Doctor removed to
Wellington, Lorain Co., Ohio, where he
has since practiced his profession.

Trfr ON. JUDGE LAERTES B. SMITH,
|;H a prominent, well-known jurist of
I 1 Lorain county, attorney at law and
y) justice of the peace, with residence
in Elyria, was born in Amherst
township, Lorain Co., Ohio, September
21, 1830. He comes of an old New Eng
land family of Puritan descent.
His paternal grandfather, Chiliab Smith,
was bora in Connecticut November 11,
1765, and died in 1840. Prior to coming
to Ohio he lived many years in Berkshire
county, Mass., and was there married to
Nancy Marshall, who was born January
19, 1765, and died December 5, 1824. In
1814 they immigrated to Lorain county,
the trip being made with ox wagons; and
it took them five days t& cut a road from
the present site of Elyria through the
woods to what afterward became Amherst
township (for it was not organized till

April, 1817), where they arrived October,
16, 1814. Here they settled upon land
for which grandfather Smith had traded
property in the East to the Connecticut
Land Company. He was by trade a tailor,
at which he worked in his new home dur
ing intervals in his farm work, as oppor
tunity offered. As an exhorterin the M. E.
Church, he held frequent meetings in
the neighborhood of his home and in his
own house. When old age came upon
him he turned his farm over to his chil
dren, who also inherited the good name
of one of the best known and earliest of
the pioneers. He had settled on Little
Beaver creek, four miles west of where is
now Elyria, and opened the first tavern in
that vicinity.
David Smith, father of subject, was born
in Berkshire county, Mass., March 20,
1797, and came to Lorain county along
with his father. In 1824 he married a
Miss Fannie Barnes, also a native of Berk
shire county, bora December 23,1802, and
nine children were born of this union, six
of whom grew to maturity, Laertes B. be
ing the third in the order of birth. The
father died April 30, 1861, the mother
August 6, 1888. In religion she was a
Presbyterian, attending the Church of that
denomination in Elyria till 1840. In poli
tics David Smith was a Democrat, and he
was a quiet, unostentatious man.
Laertes B. Smith, the subject proper of
this memoir, received his education at the
public schools of his native township. At
the age of twenty-one years he left his
father's farm to learn the trade of harness
maker, at wliich he worked till he was
about twenty-five years old. He then en
tered a hardware store at La Porte, Ind.,
where he remained some five years, or un
til 1858, in which year he returned to
Lorain county, and commenced the study
of law with Vincent & Sheldon, Elyria. In
1860 he was admitted to the bar, and be
came a member of the firm with whom he
had learned his profession, and within the
first year, Mr. Vincent retiring, Mr. Shel-

LORAIN COUNTY, OHIO.

531

don and Mr. Smith formed a new partner
ship; but the Civil war breaking out, the
senior partner went into the army in 1861,
and in the following year our subject be
came a partner with Judge W. W. Boyn
ton, which copartnership lasted some three
or four years. In June, 1871, he was
appointed probate judge of Lorain county,
to fill the vacancy caused by the resigna
tion of John W. Steele, and continued in
the office, by re-election, till February,
1882, since when he has been acting jus
tice of the peace.
On December 26, 1871, Judge Smith
was united in marriage with Miss Mar
garet Smyth, of Ontario county, N. Y.,
and five children have been born to them,
namely : Fannie, Clara Louise, Frank
Carleton, Gertrude and Leroy. Politically
Judge Smith was a Democrat till the
breaking out of the war of the Rebellion,
since when he has been a Republican.

lEV. MATTHEW L. STARR, re
tired, was born April 4, 1809, in
Jefferson township, Schoharie Co.,
N. Y., a son of Talcott and Mary
(Lindsley) Starr, who came to Lorain
county in 1840, and here died.
The subject of this sketch received his
elementary education at the subscription
schools of his native place, supplemented
with a three-years' course at an academy,
and he was reared on his father's farm.
Having decided to devote his life to the
ministry, he, after marriage, prepared
himself for the work, attending a„ Theo
logical school in his native State. Having
duly qualified, he preached his first ser
mon in Jefferson, Schoharie Co., N. Y.,
taking for his text the words: "Behold!
I stand at the door and knock." For
three years after his marriage he contin
ued to live on his father's farm, at the
same time following his duties as a min
ister of the M. E. Church, and then trav

eled four years in the New York Confer
ence. Removing to Massachusetts, he
was associated with the Great Barrington
(Berkshire county) Conference for a time;
from there was transferred to Bloomfield,
Conn., thence to Colebrook, same State.
In 1838 he received a transfer to the
Michigan Conference, at that time em
bracing the portion of Ohio wherein
1 Lorain county lies, to reach which he and
his wife had to drive to Buffalo, N. Y.,
thence proceed by lake to Cleveland, and
theu take stage for Elyria. From Elyria
to' Penfield township they came by a con
veyance driven by Orrin Starr, a pioneer
of that township, and at his home our
travelers made their first sojourn in Ohio.
The reason of Rev. and Mrs. Starr pre
ferring to come to Lorain county, was on
account of her parents, William L. and
Aurilla (Lindsley) Hayes, having made a
settlement in Penfield township. Mr.
Starr was on the Elyria circuit two years,
during which time his home was at La-
Porte, Lorain county; thence moved to
Medina, then to the Wellington circuit,
after which he was stationed, respectively,
at Tiffin, Sidney, Bellefontaine and Lima
(all in Ohio), from which latter place he
returned to Penfield township. After
four or five years rest and relaxation, dur
ing which time he built a comfortable
residence on his farm in that township,
and moved therein (he had purchased this
property before coming to Ohio), he pro
ceeded, at the earnest request of their
friends, to LaPorte; from there went to
Richfield (Summit county), thence to Co
lumbia (Lorain county), and from there to
Hayesville (Ashland county) — aggregat
ing, from the date of his first sermon, a
half century of active life in the ministry
of the M. E. Church, and be is now
superannuated, preaching only an occa
sional funeral sermon.
On March 3, 1831, Mr. Starr married in
Delaware county, N. Y., Miss Sarah Hayes,
born in New Canaan,Conn., and to this union
were born children, as follows: Alta M.,

532

LORAIN COUNTY, OHIO.

who died, unmarried, at the age of twenty-
one; Sarah M., who died unmarried at the
age of twenty-three; Elbert A., a farmer
of Penfield township; Wilbur F., who died
when five years old; Watson F., a livery
man, of Mackinaw Island, Mich.; Mary I.,
Mrs. William Sheldon, of Kansas; and
Irving, a farmer of Penfield township.
Mr. Starr, in his political preferences, was
for many years a stanch Republican, but
of late has been an uncompromising Pro
hibitionist, not only in theory but in prac
tice, for never in his long life has he tasted
either liquor or tobacco. He and his
faithful wife, now in the sixty-third year
of their married life, are hand in hand
descending the hill toward the golden sun
set, wearing well their years of honored
and useful lives, and enjoying the respect
and esteem of a wide circle of friends. On
October 23, 1893, Mrs. Starr received a
shock which affected ber right side, and on
January 4, 1894, she fell, injuring her hip
on the same side.

l( LANSON GILLMORE. This hon-
\\ ored old pioneer of Lorain county
|^ deserves more than a passing notice
in this volume, were it only for his
continuous residence here of over
fourscore years, in that period witnessing
the transformation of forests wild into
fields of golden grain; and the time of the
old postboy and stage-coach giving place
to the era of steam and electricity.
Mr. Gillmore was born in April, 1805,
in Hampshire county, Mass., seventh in
the family and the only survivor of eight
children born to Edward and Elizabeth
(Stewart) Gillmore, both also natives of
Massachusetts. In 1812 they came to Lo
rain county, the journey from Hampshire
county, Mass., being made overland with
teams, and occupying thirty days. They
located on land on the shore of Lake Erie,
two miles west of the mouth of Black

river. Here they opened out a farm, on
which tbey passed the rest of their busy
lives. The mother died in February, 1844,
the father on April 9, 1846. He was a
strong John Quincy Adams man, also a
supporter of John A'dams; in his later life
he was a Democrat.
Alanson Gillmore was seven years old
when his parents brought him to Lorain
* county, and he was reared on the shore of
Lake Erie, his education being received at
the primitive schools of those early days.
When the family first came here, they
killed game in abundance in what is now
Black River township. Our subject dis
tinctly remembers Perry's victory on Lake
Erie, and the firing at the time of Hull's
surrendering of Detroit to the Canadian
militia. Till he was twenty-one years of
age he worked on a farm, and then went
into a shipyard with Capt. Augustus Jones,
of the sloop " William Tell." For over
thirty years he was employed as a ship
builder, working chiefly in the principal
cities along the lakes.
On February 23, 1833, he was married
to Miss Evaline C. Jones, a native of Con
necticut, whose half-brother came to Lo
rain, Ohio, in 1818. To this union were
born five children (all yet living except
one), as follows: Adelaide E., wife of Ed
mund Gillmore, of Lorain; Simon A., mar
ried, and living in Lorain; Joel M,, a
seafaring man, drowned in Lake Michigan
July 2, 1886; Byron A., residing in Lo
rain, and Fannie, wife of Capt. Thomas
Wilford, also of Lorain. The mother of
this family died on the farm on Lake Erie,
October 5, 1850, and February 10, 1859,
Mr. Gillmore married Emma Lynch. She
died in 1863, and June 5, 1865, our sub
ject was united in marriage, in Dodge
county, Wis., with Mrs. Sarah Mantoe, a
native of New Hampshire, daughter of
Jonathan and Mary (Barron) Burnham,
who in an early day migrated to Michigan,
thence to Wisconsin at the time it was a
territory. This Mrs. Gillmore had been
twice married before her union with our

LORAIN COUNTY, OHIO.

533

subject, first time to Mr. A. Bankson, by
whom she had two daughters, viz.: Louisa,
wife of William Cross, of Fairmount,
Minn.; and Jennie, widow of William
Washington Peanick. By her marriage
"with Mr. Mantoe she had one son : George
Arthur, in San Francisco, Cal., foreman in
a bonded warehouse. During the Revolu
tion Grandfather Jonathan Barron served
as an aid-de-camp to his father Gen. Bar
ron. Jonathan Barron married a Miss
Minor. In politics our subject was originally a
Whig, and since the formation of the party
has been a strong Republican; he has
served as justice of the peace (two terms)
and township assessor. In matters of re
ligion he is a member of the Discinle
Church.

L

EVI MORSE. Among the promi
nent citizens of Lorain county, none
is more notable than this gentle
man, who is a trustee of Elyria
township. Mr. Morse is a native of Connecticut,
born in Prospect, New Haven county, July
1, 1812, a son of Lent and Lydia (Doolittle)
Morse, the former of whom was born in
Cheshire, New Haven Co., Conn., followed
farming, and died at the age of sixty-seven
years; he was descended from one of three
brothers who came from England in very
early times. Mrs. Lydia Morse, the mother
of our subject, lived to be fifty years old,
and had six children, of whom the follow
ing is a brief record: Lydia married Sam
uel Bronson, and resided in Waterbury,
Conn., where she died, leaving one son,
Spencer Bronson; Lent died in Prospect
when about forty years old, leaving two
daughters, Martha and Lucy; Luther lived
in Prospect, married Adelia Piatt, and
reared three children: Nancy, Agnes and
Edward; Levi, the subject of this sketch,
is the fourth child ; Harry married Sarah
Gillette, and died, leaving seven children:

George, John, Walter, Byron, Hattie,
Mary and Alice; Achsah married George
Payne, of Prospect, where she still resides
(she reared three children : Achsah, Lydia
and Harry). The mother of this family
died in 1825, and in 1828 or '29 Mr.
Morse married Miss Tuttle, by whom there
are three children: Augustus M., Sarah
and Lydia Ann.
Levi Morse, whose name opens this
sketch, was reared and educated in his na
tive town, Prospect. In 1835, at the age
of twenty-three, when Elyria was but a
small place of perhaps four hundred in
habitants, with two or three stores, a log
house used for a jail and no church build
ings, he came west to Ohio, and there com
menced business in the store of S. W.
Baldwin, who had accompanied him to the
town. He remained in his employ some
fifteen years, at the end of which time he
embarked in the dry-goods business in
company with a Mr. Andrews, under the
firm name of Andrews & Co. In about
two years Mr. Andrews died, and Mr.
Morse carried on the business alone for a
time. We then find him in the responsi
ble position of first station agent at Elyria
for the Lake Shore & Michigan Southern
Railroad Company, which incumbency he
filled with ability and satisfaction three
years; after which for a time he was in the
produce trade — buying and selling graiu.
In 1863 he was elected township trustee,
which position he has held continuously
since, excepting one term. He was super
intendent of the County Infirmary for over'
two years.
In 1840 Mr. Morse was united in mar
riage with Miss Minerva Mann, who was-
born in New York State, December 7,
1818, and the children born to this union
were as follows: Milo Welsey, boru April
21,' 1842, enlisted in 1862 in Company E,
Forty-second Regiment 0. V. I., and was
killed May 25, 1863, at the siege of Vicks
burg, while on sharpshooting duty; Clara
A., born January 15, 1846, died February
18, 1849, of scarlet fever; Alfred D., born

534

LORAIN COUNTY, OHIO.

January 29, 1851, now living in Elyria,
married to Miss Adams, of Columbia; Ed
ward F., born November 11, 1853, is in
the mining business, and he and his wife
make their home alternately in Stockton
and Salt Lake City, Utah; Lydia May, the
wife of Rev. J. F. Brant, of Port Clinton,
Ohio, was bora April 10, 1859; Charles
L., born October 6, 1861, in business in
Elyria, married to Miss Basset, of Elyria.
Mr. Morse in his political proclivities is
a Republican, and has voted for every
Whig and Republican candidate for Presi
dent since 1833. In his church relation
ship he is a Methodist, and took a promi
nent part in building the first M. E.
Church (now the Disciple Church) on East
Second street, which was dedicated in 1851.
He has held an official position in the
church of his choice since 1843, and is now
one among less than a dozen of the origi
nal membership of the First M. E. Church.
His children now living are four in num
ber, and he has eight grandchildren.

THOMAS LOTHROP NELSON,
prominent merchant and banker of
Elyria, was bora in Lyme, Grafton
Co., N. H., January 11, 1823, a son
of Asa and Sarah (Gilbert) Nelson.
His mother was the daughter of Major
Thomas Lothrop Gilbert, a worthy citizen
of Lyme.
The Gilberts had emigrated to Lyme
from Hebron, Conn., and, at the time of
Thomas L. Nelson's birth, a line of worthy
ancestors had lived in Lyme for at least
one hundred and eighty years, and the old
Gilbert Homestead, in which Thomas L.
Nelson was born, is now occupied by a
descendant of the seventh generation. His
father, Asa Nelson, was a merchant in
Lyme, but died when his youngest child
was small, and left his widow with no
means, but a stout heart and courage to
care for a family of small children.

The little lad, Thomas L. Nelson, spent
his boyhood days in his Grandfather Gil
bert's family. Mr. Nelson enjoyed and
improved the few educational advantages
which the place afforded, and then went
for a time to Thetford Academy, Vermont,
near by; but he was a close student and
careful reader all his life. Upon leaving
school he was employed in a dry-goods
store in his native town for two years, and
then, attaining his majority, he started for
the great West, reaching Oberlin, Ohio,
where his uncle (by marriage) Deacon Por
ter Turner resided. His ambition was to
acquire an education at the college in
Oberlin, but as all his possessions consisted
of one dollar in money and the small
bundle he carried in his hand, the way to
procure an education did not seem clear to
him. Yet this early struggle and disap
pointment prepared the way for him to
sympathize with, and help in later years,
young men similarly situated.
Thomas L. Nelson left Oberlin, walked
to Mansfield, Richland county, and at last,
after many attempts and failures to find
employment, secured a position as clerk in
a dry-goods store, which clerkship he held
for six months. A kind Providence after
ward directed his steps to Elyria, and
he entered the store of Baldwin, Starr &
Co. At the end of five years of industry,
the strictest economy and self-denial, he
was able to become a partner in this busi
ness, under the firm name of Starr & Co.
In 1857 the firm of Baldwin, Laundon &
Nelson was formed, and for fifteen years
Mr. Nelson was known throughout the
county as an honest, upright, successful
merchant. The largest business in Lorain
county was done by this house. At the
time of this partnership the same parties
also conducted a large mercantile house in
Wellington. In 1872 Mr. Nelson with
drew from the mercantile business, and in
company with J. C. Hill organized the
Savings Deposit Bank, of which he was
chief stockholder and the honored Presi
dent up to the time of his last sickness.

^.h/ISMIima SifirvKf

LORAIN COUNTY, OHIO.

537

He was a valuable man in the commun
ity, and his presence in business or Chris
tian meetings was, as it were, "a tower of
strength." He was always interested in
the cause of education and tbe upbuilding
of humanity. For thirty-one years he was
a member of the Board of Education of
Elyria, and for eighteen years its president.
For nearly twenty years he served as trus
tee of Oberlin College. For one year he
was mayor of Elyria, but declined all other
offices tendered to him. Mr. Nelson cast
his first vote with the Whig party, and
afterward was a member of the Liberty and
Republican parties as tbey came into ex
istence. For thirty-seven years he was a
beloved member of the Congregational
Church, ever ready to bear the burdens of
the Church, a devout attendant upon its
worship, a constant worker in the Sabbath-
school, and a faithful witness for truth and
righteousness. When a young man he
laid down certain rules for governing his
life, among which honor, strict business
integrity and Christian charity stood most
prominent in his mind. A life regulated
by such standards bore its fruits in win
ning the confidence of all with whom he
came in contact and in an enviable reputa
tion. How little does a sketch of this
length portray the character of such a man!
In a business career of nearly half a cen
tury — a man of unstained integrity, as a
citizen — honored and respected. A Church-
member, beloved and mourned. In social
circles always the gracious, affable gentle
man. Thomas Lothrop Nelson died Feb
ruary 21, 1891.
Mr. Nelson was thrice married. His
first wife was Miss Lucretia Churchill
(daughter of Judge Churchill, of Lyme,
N. H.), whom he married July 24, 1851;
she died January 18, 1853, leaving an in
fant daughter, Lucretia, now the wife of
the Rev. E. P. Butler, of Sunderland,
Mass. On August 21, 1856, he married
Miss Mary L. Moody, of Chicopee, Mass.
She died February 13, 1863, leaving three
daughters: Mary L., the wife of A. L.

Garford, of Elyria; Lizzie Gilbert, who
died in childhood, and Sarah M., wife of
Robert Frey. After ten years Mr. Nelson
married, February 19, 1873, Miss Frances*
H. Sanford, of Elyria, who survives him.
The last Mrs. Nelson was the youngest
daughter of Frederick Burr Sanford and
Eveline (Nichols) Sanford. Mr. Sanford
was born in Danbury, Conn., April 25,
1805. He was educated in the academies
of his native place, and at the age of seven
teen years, with his brother-in-law, Thomas
W. Pitman, went South and engaged in
commercial business in Newberne, N. C,
but after a sojourn of some years they sold
out and returned to their home in Dan
bury. On May 6, 1830, he married Eve
line Nichols, daughter of Aaron Nichols,
of Danbury. She was a woman of rare
gifts, active in Church work, a friend of
the poor, a sister of mercy to the sick and
afflicted — an example of all tbat is sweet,
tender and heroic in Christian faith.
After the birth of their six chil dren they
left Connecticut and settled in Elyria, Ohio.
Mr. Sanford again embarked in mercantile
business, for a long period being proprietor
of the then well-known " Peoples' Store."
Subsequently he engaged in the shoe busi
ness. His noble, beautiful life passed from
earth December 27, 1879; his wife pre
ceded him March 1, 1864. They were
both members of the Congregational
Church, and their children cherish the ten
derest memories of their home. Both Mr.
and Mrs. Sanford were descendants of the
Starr family, a name well known through
out Connecticut, and they were worthy
descendants of such a long line of noble
ancestors.

ORRIN HALL, than whom there is
no one better known or more highly
respected in Lorain county, was
born April 5, 1816, in Connecticut,
a son of Avery Hall, also of the Nutmeg
State, whose father's name was also Avery.

538

LORAIN COUNTY, OHIO.

Avery Hall, father of subject, was reared
on a farm, and when a young man took up
the business of what was commonly known
throughout the country as a "Yankee
peddler," selling, in company with another,
tinware and notions from their tin shop in
Meriden, Conn., the first of the kind in the
town. On December 27, 1801, he married
Miss Sarah Foster, who bore him two chil
dren: Selden, boru September 19, 1802,
and died in Wellington, whither he had
removed from Brighton, and where he lived
retired; and Alfred, born May 21, 1803,
and died in 1890 in Perth Amboy, N. J.,
where he was in the terra cotta business.
The mother of these dying, Mr. Hall mar
ried, September 1, 1805, for his second
wife, Miss Lucy Bacon, the result of which
union was children as follows, born in
Connecticut: Erastus, born July 28, 1806,
was a merchant, and died in Grand Rapids,
Mich.; Sarah, born November 11, 1807,
married Cyrus Miner, and died in Town-
send, Huron Co., Ohio; Edwin, born April
9, 1809, lives in Elyria, Ohio; Avery, born
February 28, 1812, a farmer, died in 1891
in Kansas; Lucy, born April 13, 1814,
married Lorenzo Doty, and died in
Brighton, Lorain county; Orrin is the sub
ject of this memoir; Julia and Julius
(twins), born April 19, 1818, of whom
Julius died in infancy (Julia was first
married to Alfred Lamb, and after his de
cease to William Cook; she died in Per-
rysburg, Ohio); one born June 17, 1820,
and died in infancy; and Theophilus, bora
May 15, 1821, lives retired in Wellington,
Ohio. In New England Avery Hall owned a
farm, and also a sawmill located on Muddy
brook. About the year 1820 he came to
Ohio in company with a man by the name
of Comstock, the journey hither being beset
with many hardships and much suffering.
Iu Lorain county Avery selected 200 acres
of wild land, and then returned to Connec
ticut, where for the Lorain land he traded
what property he had to the State of Con
necticut. In the summer of 1822 he and

such of his family as were then living, ex
cepting two sons — Selden and Alfred (who
had already gone on, in order to prepare a
cabin, walking the entire distance carrying
their packs on their backs) — set out for
their new Western home. The family, to
gether with their goods and chattels, came
in two wagons drawn by a span of horses
and a yoke of oxen, respectively, others of
the farm stock, including a couple of cows,
being led behind. After a tedious though
somewhat uneventful journey of four weeks
and four days, the party arrived in Lorain
county, locating in what afterward became
Brighton township. The county seat was
then Medina, now of Medina county, Lo
rain county being organized about the year
1821, and the Hall family was the fifth to
come into the township. (The county was
organized the year before they came in, and
the township the year after). On their
arrival they found the cabin not quite com
pleted, consequently they stayed at the
home of Calvin Rice for a time. While
living in Brighton township three more
children were born to Mr. aud Mrs. Avery
Hall, to wit: John W., born August 26,
1823, of Wisconsin; William, bora April
11, 1825, now a mechanic of Southampton,
Mass.; and Clarissa, born August 22,
1829, who died when twelve years old.
After a residence of some time here, Avery
Hall attended a meeting which was called
for the purpose of forming a township,
and he there suggested for it the name of
" Brighton," which was adopted. At that
time there were only sufficient voters in the
township to fill the several offices estab
lished by its formation. The whole country
all around for many miles was in a thor
oughly wild state, not ten acres of cleared
land to be found in the entire township,
and bears, deer, wolves, grey foxes, wild
turkeys, etc., were numerous; the Indians
used to bring fresh meat to the Avery
home, which they would trade for other
things useful to themselves. In course of
time Mr. Hall, as declining years came
upon him, retired from active work, and

LORAIN COUNTY, OHIO.

539

made his home in Brighton Center, where
he died at an advanced age; his wife had
preceded him to the grave, dying in No
vember, 1853, and they lie side by side in
Brighton Cemetery. In religious faith
she was a Congregationalist. Politically
Mr. Avery Hall was a Democrat until the
formation of the Republican party, when
he united with it, continuing in the ranks
thereof till the day of his death; he held
the first offices in Brighton township, and
was as highly respected as he was well
known. Orrin Hall, whose name introduces this
sketch, was, as will be seen, six years old
when the family came to Ohio, and as for
nine years thereafter there were no school
houses in Brighton township, his educa
tional advantages were necessarily some
what limited. For a time he found ample
employment in assisting to clear up the
land, and at the age of sixteen years he
commenced to learn the trades of mason
and bricklayer and plasterer, under A.
Briggs. Having completed what might
be termed his apprenticeship, he worked at
these trades as a journeyman in twenty-
eight States of the Union and in Upper
Canada, traveling about as much to see the
country as anything else. Immediately
after his marriage he located on a portion
of the old Kingsbury homestead in Brighton
township, and in 1855 came to his present
farm in Brighton township, comprising
115 acres of prime farm land. Since 1888
he has retired from active work, and is now
enjoying with ease a well-earned com
petence. On November 1, 1843, Mr. Hall was
united in marriage with Miss Louisa Kings
bury, born November 16, 1823, a daughter
of Austin and Altomira (Adams) Kings
bury, who in an early day came from Berk
shire county, Mass., to Lorain county. To
this union children as follows were
bora: Charles M., who became amember of
Company F, Twelfth Ohio Cavalry, and was
killed in 1863 at Mt. Sterling, Ky., where
he was buried; Albert, of Cleveland; An

drew, living at home; Mary, Mrs. Albert
Pierrepont, of Wyoming; Jay, a teacher
at Oberlin, Ohio; and Eva, of Wellington.
Politically our subject was originally a
Whig, now a Republican, and in religious
faith he is a member of the Congrega
tional Church at Brighton Center, which
he has attended for over sixty years, and
has held every office in same.

EV. JOHN J. SHIPHERD. Ober
lin is known in the world as an in
stitution of learning and a com
munity, the two having a common
origin and a common history. As
seen to-day it is a thriving city of some
five thousand inhabitants, surrounded by a
prosperous farming community, in the
midst of which stands a college with its
various departments, theological, collegiate,
preparatory and musical, and an average
yearly attendance of about fifteen hundred
students. The projectors and prime mov
ers of the enterprise were Rev. John J.
Shipherd, then pastor of the Presbyterian
Church of Elyria, and his associate and
friend, Philo P. Stewart.
John J. Shipherd was born March 28,
1802, in West Granville, Washington Co.,
N. Y., son of Zebulon R. and Elizabeth
B. Shipherd. He was carefully and re
ligiously educated, and while at school at
Pawlet, Va., in preparation for college, his
conscious religious life opened in a con
version which began iu intense conviction
and conflict, and resulted in great peace
and joy. From this time to the end of his
days his character and life were marked
with profound earnestness and restless ac
tivity. In his youth a serious mistake, in
swallowing poison instead of a remedy pre
scribed for a slight indisposition, so af
fected his constitution, involving a. weak
ness of his eyes, that he had to abandon his
preparatory studies for entering the col
lege at Middlebury, Vt., and turn his at
tention to such business as opened to him.

540

LORAIN COUNTY, OHIO.

In 1824 he married Miss Esther Ray
mond, of Ballston, N. Y., and removed to
Vergennes, Vt., to engage in the marble
business. But he had still in view the
work of preparing for the Gospel minis
try, and his eyesight having improved, he
entered the study of Rev. Josiah Hopkins,
of New Haven, Yt., where he spent a year
and a half, in company with other young
men, in theological study. His first year
in the ministry was with the church in
Shelburne, Vt. The next two years he
was engaged in the general Sunday-school
work in the State, making Middlebury his
headquarters, editing a Sunday-school pa
per, and traveling throughout the State in
the work of organizing schools. Conclud
ing to try a new field for his life work, he
took a commission from the American
Home Missionary Society, and " weut out,
not knowing whither he went," but turn
ing his face to the " Valley of the Missis
sippi," as the whole country west of the
Alleghany Mountains was then called. At
Cleveland he met Rev. D. W. Lathrop,
who had just closed his labors as pastor of
the church in Elyria, and upon his invita
tion he came to that town in October,1830,
and the following February was installed
pastor of the church. In October, 1832, he
tendered his resignation, and entered upon
the work of laying the foundations at
Oberlin, in which connection he was
joined, the same year, by his old friend,
Philo Penfield Stewart, the companion of
his boyhood at Pawlet Academy. Thus
the two founders of Oberlin were finally
brought together, consecrated to the
great cause, and ready for any sacrifice
which the work required. In constitution
and natural movement they were greatly
unlike. Mr. Shipherd was ardent, hope
ful, sanguine, disposed to underestimate
difficulties and obstacles; while Mr. Stew
art was slow and cautious, apprehensive of
difficulties, and inclined . to provide for
them in advance. But they had entire
confidence in each other, in respect to rec
titude of heart and purpose, although their

cooperation doubtless involved some diffi
culties; but whatever they were, there was
unanimity in the pushing to consumma
tion the one grand object in view. In
their deliberations they exchanged views;
one would present one point of interest,
and another a different one. Thus they
labored and prayed, and one day while on
their knees asking guidance, the whole
plan developed itself to Mr. Shipherd's
mind, and before rising to his feet he said:
" Come, let us arise and build." He then
told Mr. Stewart what had come into his
mind — to procure a tract of land and collect
a colony of Christian families that should
pledge themselves with all its interests.
They came down from the study, and Mr.
Shipherd, with a glowing face, said to his
wife: " Well, my dear, the child is born,
and what shall its name be?" It was
named for John Frederic Oberlin, a Ger
man pastor of Waid bach, in the Vosges
Mountains, Eastern France, who had died
a few years before, of whose labors, in ele
vating the people of his parish, an inter
esting account had been published in this
country, as a Sunday-school book.
Several sites were proposed whereon to
found Oberlin, but none of the situations
gave sufficient scope to Mr. Shipherd's
ideal community; finally a forest-covered
tract eight miles southwest from Elyria, in
the township of Russia, was decided on,
the owners of which lived in New Haven,
Conn. Hence a journey must be made
by some one to New England, for the
threefold purpose of securing the land,
the money, and the men. In November,
1832, Mr. Shipherd undertook the jour
ney, which had to be accomplished on
horseback, arriving at his destination,
New Haven, in the course of two weeks.
" The day after his arrival," to quote from
Mrs. Shipherd's records, " he called on
Messrs. Street and Hughes, the owners of
the land, and laid his plan before tbem,
and asked the gift of five hundred acres for
a Manual Labor School, proposing to
gather a colony of families who should pay

LORAIN COUNTY. OHIO.

541

a dollar and a half an acre, for five thou
sand acres in addition, representing that
this would bring the lands into market,
and thus prove a mutual benefit. But
they could not see the prospect. He
called on them day after day unsuccess
fully, until at length he came down from
his room one morning, and remarked to
the lady of the house, our friend, ' I
shall succeed to-day;' and she told me
afterward that his face shone like the face
of Moses. He accordingly went over to
the office, and after the morning saluta
tions, one of the firm said: : Well, Mr.
Shipherd, we have concluded to accept
your proposition.' They adjusted mat
ters, and he was prepared to proceed with
his work of collecting the colony."
The arrangement was to sell five thou
sand acres, bought for one dollar and a
half an acre, to colonists, at an advance of
one dollar an acre, and thus secure a
fund of five thousand dollars for laying
the foundations of the college. But Mr.
Shipherd engaged that from this fund a
sawmill and a gristmill should be erected,
to be owned by the college, as these were
essential to the very existence of the
colony, and there was no probability that
the mills would be erected as a private
enterprise. But as it does not come within the
province of this biographical article to
give a history of Oberlin, which has
already most exhaustively and graphically
been treated on by Prof. James H. Fair-
child, president of Oberlin College, it but
remains for us here to conclude the per
sonal sketch of Mr. Shipherd.
While in the East, he had engaged the
number of families he supposed it desira
ble to invite to become the nucleus of the
Oberlin Colony; had enlisted a considera
ble number of students who were to join
the school at its opening in December
following, or the next spring; had looked
up and secured the appointment of the
necessary teachers, and had raised a fund,
in contributions and subscriptions, amount

ing to nearly fifteen thousand dollars.
His journey back to Ohio was character
istic of the man and the times. Mrs.
Shipherd had gone in the early summer,
with a six-weeks-old babe in her arms, to
her father's home in Ballston, N. Y.
There Mr. Shipherd joined her in August,
and in an open buggy, with a willow
cradle at their feet, they made the journey
to Ohio, remembered by Mrs. Shipher,d,to
the last, as the most pleasant journey of
their lives. They then took up their resi
dence in Oberlin.
In 1834 the organization of the " Con
gregational Church of Christ at Oberlin "
was begun, the ministers present at the
organization being John J. Shipherd; Seth
H. Waldos principal of the school; John
Keyes, pastor of the church at Dover;
J. H. Eels, pastor at Elyria; and Oliver
Eastman, of Oberlin. Mr. Shipherd, by
unanimous call, became its first pastor, in
which relationship he continued, with
some interruption from ill health and his
other duties, until June, 1836.
There were special educational enter
prises of a missionary character, in which
the colony shaTed with the college. The
first of these was led by Mr. Shipherd
himself, who had laid the foundations
here, and had a longing to continue work
of the kind. In providing men for Ober
lin, the church and the college, he had not
been careful to reserve a place for himself;
and thus, after ten years, while still a
young man, he found himself with im
proved health, free from the responsibility
in the college except as trustee. Having
occasion, in the autumn of 1843, to pass
through the State of Michigan, his mind
occupied with the thought of another Ober
lin, be chanced upon a place in Eaton
county that impressed him as possibly the
appointed field. Returning to Oberlin, he
gathered a few of the men who had joined
the Oberlin colony upon his invitation,.
and proposed to them the new enterprise.
In the spring of 1844 Mr. Shipherd took
his wife and six sons into a wagon, together

542

LORAIN COUNTY, OHIO.

with such household goods as could be
readily transported, with a young man or
two to drive his cows and sheep, and made
his way overland to the new wilderness
home. A half-dozen families from Ober
lin followed, and two young men, gradu
ates of the preceding year, joined them as
teachers. Thus the foundations of the
town and the college of Olivet, Mich., were
laid. The new settlement had its experi
ences of hardship and trial; sickness came
to many, especially to Mr. Shipherd and
his family. In September, 1844, at the
age of forty-two, he passed away, and his
grave was made in the new colony, where
his memory is still cherished, as it is in
Oberlin. No published writings of his re
main, and as no portrait of him, of any
kind, was ever taken, not even an outline
of his features was left. Mrs. Shipherd
returned to Oberlin with her fatherless
boys, and by the help of the people here
her former home was secured to her. After
some years three sons came forward to
their mother's aid, and provided her a
home in Cleveland, where some of them
had settled in business. She died Decem
ber 7, 1879, at the advanced age of eighty-
two. A memorial window in the Plymouth
Church at Cleveland symbolizes the self-
forgetfulness and beauty of her life. A
simple tablet in the Ladies' Hall is all that
bears the Shipherd name at Oberlin —
Oberlin itself is the monument. [Com
piled from " Oberlin : The Colony and the
College," by the kind permission of the
author, Prof. James H. Fairchild.

FHILO PENFIELD STEWART.
This gentleman, whose name has
been associated with that of John
J. Shipherd, in the above sketch,
when treating of the organization of
Oberlin Colony and College, was a native
of Connecticut, born in the town of Sher
man, July, 1798. When ten years of age,
on account of his father's death, he was

sent to live with his maternal grandfather,
in Pittsford, Vt., and at the age of four
teen he was apprenticed to his uncle in
Pawlet, Vt., to learn the saddle and har
ness-making trade. In this apprentice
ship he served seven years, with a term of
three months each year in the Pawlet
Academy, a privilege which he greatly
prized, and thoroughly improved. Under
the influence of a Christian teacher in the
Academy, he had devoted his life to the
Master's service; and after completing his
apprenticeship he experienced a sort of
second conversion, in a conflict with his
love of money, which seemed a natural
tendency iu his character. Thus he was
prepared at the age of twenty- three to ac
cept an appointment from the American
Board to a mission among the Choctaws,
in the State of Mississippi. The journey
of almost 2,000 miles to his field of labor
he made on horseback, a pair of saddle
bags containing his whole outfit. The
officers of the Board had furnished him
seventy dollars for his traveling expenses.
But from the time of starting he entered
upon his missionary work, and preached
the Gospel to the families along the way,
until he reached the Choctaw nation, at an
expense to the board of only ten dollars
for himself and his horse.
An important part of his work at the
mission was the superintendence of its
secular affairs, for which he was well fitted.
In addition he taught the boys' school,
and with the help of an interpreter held
services on the Sabbath in the different
Indian settlements. His health failing,
he returned to Vermont to recruit, but re
turned again to the mission in 1827, with
a reinforcement of one young man and
three young women, whom he took over
the long journey in a wagon, at an expense
only slightly greater than that involved in
his own journey six years before.
In 1828 Mr. Stewart, now thirty years
of age, married Miss Eliza Capen, one of
the young women whom he had taken out
to the mission the previous year from

LORAIN COUNTY, OHIO.

543

Pittsford, Vt., and together they wrought
in the mission two or three years more,
wben Mrs. Stewart's broken health com
pelled them to return north, and resign
the mission work. Still on the outlook
for a field for Christian labor, he corre
sponded with his old friend, Mr. Shipherd,
the companion of his boyhood at Pawlet
Academy; and as a result, leaving Mrs.
Stewart behind, he joined him at Elyria
in the spring of 1832, and became an in
mate of his family.
During Mr. Shipherd's eastern tour in
1832, to secure lands, funds, etc., Mr.
Stewart was rejoined by Mrs. Stewart, and
they remained at Elyria with Mr. Ship-
herd's family, Mr. Stewart being especially
occupied in the work of bringing to per
fection a cooking-stove which he had in
vented, and which was known as the
" Oberlin stove." This was the beginning
of the Stewart cooking-stove, whieh has
become so well known throughout the
country. It was his expectation that the
success of the invention would warrant the
trustees of the school in taking the pecuni
ary responsibility involved, and thus all
the profits might go to the school; but the
trustees never felt authorized to assume
this responsibility..
While carrying forward the project of
the cooking-stove at Elyria, Mr. Stewart
had general supervision of the work of the
new colony at Oberlin, meeting the colo
nists as they came from the East with in
formation and counsel and encourage
ment, conducting such correspondence as
the work called for from this point, and
holding frequent meetings with several
gentlemen of the region who had con
sented to act as trustees of the enterprise.
Thus the work at Oberlin was begun.
Mr. and Mrs. Stewart, having no chil
dren, had pledged themselves to the service
of the Oberlin Institute for five years, for
no other compensation than the mere cost
of living. When the school was opened
iu 1833 they took charge of the boarding-
hall, and continued in this capacity of

father and mother to the young people,
until 1836. The first year he was also
general manager, in the absence of Mr.
Shipherd, as treasurer of the college.
His views and practice of frugality, and
plainness of diet, were somewhat too rigid
for general acceptance with the students,
and in 1836 he resigned the stewardship
of the " Hall," and with some sense of
disappointment Mr. and Mrs. Stewart
made their way eastward to Vermont, and
finally to New York, to work out the
stove problem, which for two or three
years had been held in suspense. He
established his home at Troy, N. Y., in
the neighborhood of the manufacturers
who worked out his inventions.
Mr. Stewart, worn out with the cares
and' perplexities of his business, died De
cember 13, 1868, at the age of seventy
years. Mrs. Stewart afterward remained
at her home in Troy, the only survivor of
the group that in the parsonage at Elyria,
in prayer and consultation, devoted them
selves to the work of building up in the
wilderness a Christian College, and a
Christian community. [Compiled from
"Oberlin: The Colony and The College,"
by the kind permission of the author,
Prof. James H. Fairchild.

DAVID BENNETT, one of the early
settlers of Lorain county, was born
_ ' on the 26th day of May, 1788, in
Westmoreland, Cheshire Co., N. H.,
being third in a family of fifteen children.
His father, Dea. David Bennett, was
tbe only son of one of three brothers who
came from England to the Massachusetts
Colony about the year 1750, and was bora
at Harvard, Mass.^ May 28, 1761, his par
ents both dying in his infancy. At the
age of sixteen years he enlisted in the in
fantry service of the United States army,
and fought in the Revolution. He was
married in 1783 to Abagail Chase, and to

544

LORAIN COUNTY, OHIO.

them were born nine children. He joined
the Baptist Church at Jamaica, Vt., in
1806, and the next year received the ap
pointment of deacon. In December, 1811,
he contracted a second marriage with Se-
lina Holmes, and to them were born six
children. He died at Dummerston, Vt.,
June 9, 1848.
David Bennett at the age of twenty-two
years married Polly Wheeler, and lived at
Londonderry, Windham Co., Vt., until the
year 1827, when he came to Carlisle town
ship and purchased 112 acres of land iu
Section 12, one and one-half miles west of
the center. He returned east for his fam
ily, consisting of his wife and a niece, and
the next spring, in May, came to make a
permanent settlement on his farm. He
soon afterward built the first frame
house in that part of the township; put
under cultivation 110 acres of land, and
there resided until his death, July 16,
1863. On February 6, 1830, he married, for his
second wife, Jane, eldest daughter of Neri
and Betsy Galpin, of Elyria, and to them
were born six children : Polly, who died
at the age of fifteen years; Jane A., wife
of W. C. Sutliff; Emerett, wife of Curtis
Webster, Elyria; Celestia, who died in in
fancy; Melvin R. and Cassimar D. Mrs.
Bennett died December 27, 1884, at the
age of seventy-four years. David Bennett
was an energetic farmer, and became suc
cessful in his chosen vocation. In politics
he was a Democrat, and held various offices
of trust in the township, being for six years
justice of the peace, and for two terms
township treasurer. In religious faith he
was a Universalist.
M. R. Bennett, the eldest son, was bora
September 11, 1849, on the home farm,
where he resided until 1884, when he
removed to seventy acres adjoining which
he now owns. He received an elementary
education in the common schools of his
native township, afterward attending Ely
ria High School, and subsequently Ober
lin Academy.

On January 27, 1880, he was united in
marriage with Miss Katie L. Schaden, a
native of Lorain county, and to them were
born two children, Florence E. and Karl
E. Mr. Bennett, politically, votes with
the Democratic party, and in 1872 was
elected to the office of township clerk, in
which position he has since served.

GD. BENNETT, an enterprising
wide-awake farmer of Carlisle town
ship, is a native of same, born No
vember 2, 1852, a son of David and
Jane (Galpin) Bennett.
He was reared to agricultural pursuits,
and is now owner of sixty-four acres of
well-improved land, where he carries on
general farming. In 1887 he married
Miss Carlie Kellogg, of Oberlin, Ohio.

FARKS FOSTER. As a living ex
ample of what it is possible for
man, with willing heart and hands,
to accomplish — how from tbe bot
tom round of the ladder, upward, to
work out for himself an honorable compe
tency, a solid reputation and a good name
— this gentleman stands prominent among
the worthy citizens of his native county.
Mr. Foster was born in Lorain county,
Ohio, September 4, 1832, of ISIew England
ancestry. His paternal grandfather, who
was a native of Vermont, for some ten or
twelve years lived in the State of New
York, whence he came to Ohio, where he
passed the rest of his days. Elisha Fos
ter, father of subject, also of Vermont
birth, moved to New York State with his
parents when nine years old, and in 1816
proceeded westward to Ohio, making a
settlement in what is now Avon township,
Lorain county, at that time a wild, un
broken wilderness. The next year he

-^'Ifi'-iZ/ &; WJlMUC^-L £

LORAIN COUNTY, OHIO.

547

moved to Amherst, same county, and the
farm which he cleared and lived on is still
in the possession of members of the family.
In addition to his agricultural' interests he
kept hotel at Amherst for fourteen years.
He married Miss Ann Maria Mason, who
was born in Lee, Mass., January 12, 1804,
and is still living on the old home farm,
hale and hearty for a woman of her years.
Parks Foster received his education in
the old log schoolhouse at Amherst, and
early commenced the arduous work inci
dent to farm life in his younger days.
This he pursued until he was thirty-six
years old, and then went into the stone
business, Amherst township and vicinity
being famed for its quantity and quality
of sandstone. At the end of two years he
sold out and moved to Elyria, but shortly
afterward, on account of his wife's im
paired health, they went to the Sunny
South, sojourning in Chattanooga, Tenn.,
seven years, during which time lie was
connected, as director, with the First Na
tional Bank of Chattanooga; was president
of the first street railway organization in
that city; was one of the first organizers of
of tbe Roane Iron Company Mills, at that
time one of the largest rolling mills in the
South, and was assistant superintendent of
same; helped to start the Wasson Car
Works, and also assisted in the erection of
a flouring mill. On behalf of the Govern
ment, he helped to open up the Mussel
Shoals Canal, employing in the work a
large number of men for a year. He put
out the first extensive peach orchard, yield
ing good fruit, on the side of Missionary
Ridge, where the battle of Missionary
Ridge was fought; in addition to which
he became interested in real estate, own
ing lands and houses, including a hand
some residence in Chattanooga, which was
the family home while in that city. On
his return to Lorain county, Mr. Foster
reentered the stone business, in company
with Clough Bros., the firm style being
" The Clough Stone Co.," which continued
some seven years. They built the railroad
30

to the quarry from Oberlin, some four
miles in length, afterward selling out to
the Cleveland Stone Company.
Afterselling his interests in the Clough
Stone Co., Mr. Foster tooka trip toEurope,
remaining there some months, visiting vari
ous countries, and then set sail again for
his native land. Soon after his return he
engaged extensively in the lake vessel
business, as a member of two transporta
tion companies, the Escanaba & Lake
Michigan Transportation Co., and the
Owen Line, and one of the vessels, a hand
some craft, bears his name — " The Parks
Foster." In 1888, Mr.. Foster was appointed, by
Gov. Foraker, one of the trustees of the
State Asylum for the Insane, at Toledo,
and served throughout the Governor's
term ; under Gov. Campbell he was re
moved for political reasons only, but was
reappointed by Gov. McKinley, and still
enjoys the incumbency.
In addition to Mr. Foster's manifold
businesses above recounted, he is interested
in a cattle ranch in Colorado, and also in
coal industries. For a time he was a
stockholder in and director of the Savings
Deposit Bank Co., of Elyria. He owns
two large farms near Toledo, and, in con
nection with J. C. Hill and T. L. Nelson,
was interested in an extensive timber
business. He is at present a director of
and stockholder in the Garford Manufac
turing Co., and the Electric Light Plant
at Lorain, Ohio. In 1890 he was elected
a member of the State Board of .Equaliza
tion, serving thereon some seven months.
While in Toledo Mr. Foster contracted
(in 1891) with that city to lay some pipes,
to the amount of fifty thousand dollars,
and while engaged on same was taken so
ill that he had to be conveyed to his home,
where he gradually became worse, and in
May, 1892, he had to take to his bed, and
for eleven months he lay between life and
death, his friends all despairing of his re
covery. In October, after lying some five
months dangerously ill, he submitted to a

548

LORAIN COUNTY, OHIO.

heroic operation. Medical skill, backed
by a good constitution, prevailed, and
the patient slowly gained strength, al
though he had lost one hundred pounds in
weight. Five months elapsed after the
operation before much improvement in
his system* was noticeable, but since then
he has improved steadily, and is now
almost fully recovered — a living monu
ment to modern medical and surgical skill.
In October, 1855, Parks Foster and
Mary L. Robertson, a native of Lorain
county, were united in marriage, and four
children — one son and three daughters —
were born to them, of whom the following
is a brief record: Sarah May is the wife of
S. L. Kent, of New York City; Burton P.
is a resident of Findlay, Ohio; Mary L. is
the wife of Arthur W. Walker, of Ports
mouth, N. H. ; and Miss Florence is a
student of music at Boston, Mass. John
B. Robertson, Mrs. Foster's father, was a
native of Ballston, N. Y., and was well-
known in prominent Democratic circles.
He was formerly a resident of Saratoga,
N. Y., coming to Lorain county in 1830.
He married Miss Temperance Foot, a na
tive of Lee, Mass., and they had five chil
dren—three sons and two daughters — of
whom two sons are living, in Lorain county
and New York City, respectively. Mr.
Robertson died in 1875. His widow is
now living in Amherst township, Lorain
county, at the advanced age of ninety-
three years.
Mrs. Foster passed her girlhood in Am
herst township, where she was educated.
It was after marriage, when her health be
gan to fail, that she and her husband went
South, as already related. She has ever
been a hard worker in the interests of re
form, a zealous Church woman, and was
the one who took the initiative and most
actiye part in the erecting of the present
Baptist Church building. A member of
several organizations, she acts as chairman
of numerous committees. She is a live
worker in the social interests of the
Church, and raised the wherewithal to

establish the Temperance Reading Room.
In the Anti-Liquor League recently or
ganized, she is one of the active workers,
and a leader in its councils. She is a
power in the family circle, and a counsellor
to her husband, at times aggressive when
he may be mild or indifferent, but always
on the side of right, to that end, in all
things, fearless and unflinching.

^ILLIAM SMITH, retired, enjoys
the distinction of being one of the
oldest and most honored of the
farmer citizens of Lorain county.
He was born in Bennington county, Vt.,
December 30, 1809, and is consequently
now fourscore and four years old.
He is a son of Samuel and Pollie (Fuller)
Smith, the former of whom was born in
Vermont, was a farmer by occupation, and
died in Ashland county, Ohio, at the age
of eighty- three. His wife, when aged
sixty-two, died in Illinois, whither he had
accompanied her, but returned East just
prior to his death. His father, Daniel
Smith, a Vermonter, came of old Puritan
stock, and was a deacon in the Baptist
Church; Mrs. Pollie Smith, our subject's
mother, was also a Baptist. She had five
children, of whom the following is a brief
record: Jedediah is residing near Platts
burg, N. Y. ; William is the subject of
this sketch; Willis is living in Utah;
Laura, who was married in New York
State to a Mr. Webb, died in Iowa; and
Lydia, married to a Mr. Pixley, is living
in Orange, Ashland Co., Ohio.
William Smith received a liberal edu
cation at the schools of the neighborhood
of his place of birth, and was reared to
agricultural pursuits on his father's farm.
At about the age of twenty-six he moved
to New York State, but after a year's so
journ there came to Ohio, settling on a
piece of land in Sullivan township, Ash-

LORAIN COUNTY, OHIO.

549

land county, commencing there with about
four hundred dollars, and by industry and
indomitable perseverance succeeded in
accumulating a handsome competence,
becoming the owmer of 388 acres of fertile
land. There he lived forty-one years, or
until about 1878, when he came to Well
ington, Lorain county, and has here since
made his home. In November, 1835, our
subject married Miss Sabrina Palmer, and
eleven children were born to this union, of
whom the following is a succinct record:
(1) Lydia M. married George McClellen,
and had two children: Lydia M. and Julia,
both married; Lydia M. died in Welling
ton in 1884. (2) Piatt B. is a farmer in
Sullivan township, Ashland count.y. (3)
Fuller enlisted in Company H, Eighth
O. V. I., and was killed at the battle of Cold
Harbor. (4) Russell also was in the Civil
war, serving under Garfield in the Forty-
second O. V. I., during which time his
health was completely shattered; he died at
home. (5) Martin W. lives in Sullivan,
Ohio; he is married and has five children:
Nettie, Sabrina, Fuller, Claude and Ethel.
(6) Julia is the wife of a Mr. Beem, and
resides in Sullivan, Ohio; she has one son,
William S. (7) Eli resides in Michigan;
he has four children: Milo, Mabel, Ruby
and Ettie Joy. (8) George, living in Sulli
van, has two children: Louise and Mack.
(9) Ettie resides in Sullivan. (10) Milo
died in youth. (11) One that died in in
fancy. The mother of these died in 1874,
and in 1878 Mr. Smith wedded Mrs. Lo-
rena G. West, nee Dimmock, a daughter of
Solomon and Clarissa (Phelps) Dimmock.
Her father, who was a native of Connecti
cnt, in an early day came to Sharon,
Medina county, Ohio, and died at Olmsted
Falls, Cuyahoga county, at the patriarchal
age of ninety-three years. He was a well-
known Baptist minister, at first serving in
the capacity of a missionary. His wife
(who was born in Connecticut, and from
there moved to Vermont, where she was
married) died at the age of eighty-nine
years. They had twelve children, Mrs.

Smith being among the younger ones. Her
first husband, by whom she had four sons,
died in Kansas in 1875; he was a farmer,
and a devout member of church. She is
an adherent of the Baptist faith, Mr.
Smith of the Disciples. Politically he is a
Republican, and as a Whig cast his first
vote for Polk. In his long life and early
pioneer experiences he has an interesting
history, and full many a tale of days gone
by can be yet relate — of difficulties and
dangers unknown to the present generation.

THEODORE FRELINGHUYSEN
DANIELS, cashier of the Citizens
Savings Bank, Lorain. Of the men
who have from the first believed
firmly and steadfastly in the ultimate
greatness of Lorain, and whose faith has
been and still is unshaken by any momenta
rily discouraging circumstance that might
arise, T. F. Daniels has been one of the
most patient and persevering. The town
never had a bank until he came in 1880,
and it has had a good one ever since.
When the town grows to a population of
a hundred thousand or so he will be re
membered as the pioneer banker. His
ability and integrity have brought pros
perity to the institution of which he has
so long been an important officer, and his
continued connection with it amounts to a
guaranty of its continued success.
Theodore Frelinghuysen Daniels was
born in Caledonia, N. Y., on the first day
of July, 1844, a son of Eli W. and Ann
(Miner) Daniels, both of whom were na
tives of Connecticut. The mother died
when Theodore was four years of age, but
his father is yet living at the age of
eighty-one. When the subject of this
sketch was two years of age the family
moved to the wilds of Wisconsin. The
first place the family settled was at Ocono-
mowoc, a few years later moving to what
is now Auroraville. The Daniels

550

LORAIN COUNTY, OHIO.

was about the first white family to settle
in the neighborhood, and young Theodore's
first and for a number of years only play
mates were young Indians. Settlement
was made on the bank of a small stream
which was made to furnish power for a
saw and grist mill. For many years the
place was known as Daniels' Mills, but as
it grew in importance, the name was
changed. At the breaking out of the war
of the Rebellion young Theodore desired
to accompany his older brother when he
went to the front, but his father refused
to give his consent on account of his son's
delicate health. He continued to assist
his father with his business until the last
call for troops came in 1864. In Septem
ber of that year Mr. Daniels enlisted in
Battery D, First Wisconsin Heavy Artil
lery. His company was sent to Brashear
City, La., which is some distance below
New Orleans. Mr. Daniels was detailed
first as clerk in the company headquarters,
but afterward became a messenger in the
telegraph service. The responsibilities
and dangers of this position were some
times great. He was still in this service
when President Lincoln was assassinated,
and carried the dispatches which spread
the startling news. Mr. Daniels was at
tacked by " southern fever," and lay for
several months in different southern hos
pitals, being finally discharged at Prairie
du Chien in July, 1865.
The following winter he attended a nor
mal school near his home, and was in
fluenced by his teacher to go to Oberlin
College. He reached Oberlin February 1,
1866, and graduated from that institution
in August, 1872. The next day after he
graduated he entered the First National
Bank of Oberlin, and it speaks well for his
conduct and close application to his work
that he became its cashier in a little less
than two years and a half. In May, 1875,
he was married to Miss Julia H. Lewis,
of Pleasanton, Mich., an Oberlin student,
who was born near Athens, Ohio, Septem
ber 9, 1850, daughter of Rev. William S.

and Eliza (Campbell) Lewis, the former a
native of Bridgeport, Conn., the latter of
Acworth, N. H. In 1864 the Lewis
family removed to Michigan, and later the
daughter attended Oberlin College, where
she met her future husband.
'During the summer of 1880 Mr. Daniels
was attacked by the " western fever," and
took a prospecting trip through Colorado,
Nebraska, Kansas and Wyoming. He
came back satisfied with Ohio, but still
determined to launch out for himself in
business. About this time Lorain began
to attract attention by reason of the build
ing of the brass works. Mr. Daniels came
down from Oberlin one day to look the
town over. What he saw must have
pleased him, for he immediately resigned
his position at Oberlin, and started tbe
Bank of Lorain in the front room of a
dwelling house owned and occupied by
Mrs. Mary Reid. Owing to the great de
mand for business rooms at that time, this
was the only location tbat could be ob
tained. The town grew and the bank
prospered. In January, 1882, the First
National Bank was organized with a capi
tal of fifty thousand dollars as the successor
of the Bank of Lorain. Mr. Daniels was
offered the presidency of the new institu
tion, but preferred the more active duties
of the cashiership. The bank paid regu
lar semi-annual dividends, and in March,
1893, divided an extra twelve per cent.
dividend; and the First National Bank
was then merged into the Citizens Savings
Bank, with a subscribed capital of one
hundred thousand dollars. The new bank
started out with a surplus of twelve thou
sand five hundred dollars, which in the
coming January will be increased to four
teen thousand dollars, notwithstanding the
unprecedented panic of 1893.
Mr. Daniels has held different local offices
among others that of city and township
treasurer, councilman, water-works trustee,
etc. It is needless to say he has filled all
these positions with credit. He has always
been much interested and a great deal of

LORAIN COUNTY, OHIO.

551

the time an active participant in local pub
lic affairs. He has a pleasant home on the
bank of Lake Erie a short distance west of
Lorain. His family consists of a wife and
three children: Irving L., Mabel E. and
Ruth R. Mr. and Mrs. Daniels were both
formerly members of the First Congrega
tional Church of Oberlin, and latterly
members of the Congregational Cliurch of
Lorain. Politically our subject is a Re
publican. [Extract from " Men we all
know," Lorain Herald, December, 1893.

EV. JAMES BRAND, D. D.,
Oberlin, is a native of Canada, born
February 26, 1834, at Three Rivers,
a town on the St. Lawrence, in the
Province of Quebec. He is a son of
James and Jennette (Boyes) Brand, natives
of Dumfries, Scotland, where they married,
and whence they came to Canada shortly
before the birth of our subject. The father
was a school teacher and farmer, and he
and his wife were members of the Presby
terian Church; they died in Canada.
Our subject received a limited education
in the public schools, Windsor, P. Q., and
graduated from Phillipps Academy, An
dover, Mass., after which, in 1861, he en
tered Yale College. His studies here were
interrupted by a service in the Union army,
he having enlisted in 1862, in the army of
the Potomac, where he served under Burn
side and Hooker and Mead, as color ser
geant of the Twenty-seventh Connecticut
Volunteers. He participated in the bat
tles of Fredericksburg, Chancellorsville
and Gettysburg, in the first of which he
was wounded in the shoulder. At the ex
piration of his term of service he contin
ued his college studies at Yale, and in 1866
graduated A. B. He then entered the
Theological Seminary at Andover, Mass.,
where for three years he studied theology,
at the conclusion of which he became

pastor of the Maple Street Congregational
Church in Danvers, Mass. After four
years labor in that field he came, in 1873,
to Oberlin, and became successor to Pres
ident Finney as pastor of the First Church.
Mr. Brand received his degree of D. D.
from Iowa College, Grinnell, Iowa. He
has published several books and pamphlets,
all treating more or less on theological sub
jects, and has also written considerably for
journals. To some extent he has lectured
on the battle of Gettysburg. He has taken
a prominent part in the Temperance Re
form in Ohio; was a delegate to the Inter
national Council at London, England,
where he delivered one of the addresses.
In 1871 Dr. Brand married Miss Juliette
H. Tenney, of Troy, Ohio, and has a family
of six children, as follows: Charles A.,
Edith B., Mary T., Helen O, James T. and
Margret R.

[( Jf ON. W. B. THOMPSON. In the
I^H front rank of the progressive and
fe 1 influential citizens of Lorain stands
y) this gentleman, a leading attorney
at law, and mayor of the city.
Mr. Thompson was bora September 6,
1863, at Columbia, Lorain Co.. Ohio, a
son of S. B. andEmular (Osborne) Thomp
son, residents of Columbia. He attended
school at Berea, Ohio, finally graduating
from Baldwin University, class of 1885,
taking the degree of Ph. B. He then,
having decided on making the profession
of law his life work, commenced its study
with Judge Barber, of Cleveland, and
completed same with prosecuting-attorney
Webber, of Elyria. After a thorough
delving into " Blackstone " and " Coke
upon Lyttleton," our subject was admitted
to the bar, December 6, 1888, and was as
sociated in business in Elyria with his last
preceptor, one year, when, seeing the great
possibilities in store for Lorain, a fast
growing town, he moved thither and
opened an office for his own account. He

552

LORAIN COUNTY, OHIO.

has succeeded beyond his most sanguine
expectations. As a cogent reasoner and
jurist, he is marked for his ability, and as
a pleader he has few equals among men of
his age and experience. By his integrity
and business capabilities he has won the
confidence of the best business men of the
community. In 1890 Mr. Thompson was
elected mayor of Lorain, and is now filling
his second term. During his incumbency
as mayor have been made most of the
great public improvements of the city, and
in this he has always taken a leading part.
During the year 1892 Lorain expended
sixty thousand dollars on public sewers,
and many other extensive improvements
have been made.
In December, 1890, Mr. Thompson was
united in marriage with Lulu Sanford, of
Delaware, Ohio. He is a member of the
F. & A. M., K. of 'P. and I. O. O. F.

ILAS D. WHITNEY, the oldest
citizen of Pittsfield township, is a
worthy member of a pioneer family
of the county. He is a grandson
of Asa Whitney, who in 1792 removed
from Connecticut to the vicinity of Pitts
field, Mass., where he passed the remainder
of his life, dying there in 1802. He was
twice married, and among the children by
his first wife was Asa, Jr., who afterward
became the first man to agitate the idea of
a railroad to the Pacific coast.
Milton Whitney, who was a son of Asa
Whitney by his second wife, was born in
1786 in Salisbury, Conn., and moved with
his parents to Massachusetts, where he
was reared. He received a common-school
education, learned the trade of blacksmith,
and had wagons and plows made in his
wagon shop. After the death of his
father he resided with his mother until
his marriage, in Pittsfield, Mass., with
Miss Lydia Cleveland, who was born on

the island of Martha's Vineyard, daughter
of Zebdial Cleveland, an old sea captain.
To this union came children, all of whom
were born in Pittsfield, Mass., as follows:
Asa W., a blacksmith by trade, who died
in Pittsfield, Lorain Co., Ohio (he was in
Lorain county when Pittsfield township
was formed, it being No. 4, Range 18,
Connecticut Western Reserve, and it was
he who suggested that the township be
called Pittsfield, after Pittsfield, Mass.);
Chancey, who died young, the sharp point
of an old-fashioned spinning-wheel having
accidentally penetrated his skull; Clarissa,
who married Hiram Humphrey, a presid
ing elder and minister in the M. E.
Church, and died in Pittsfield, Ohio;
Wealthy, who married J. L. Wadsworth,
and died in Wellington, Ohio; Oliver W.,
deceased in Des Moines, Iowa; Silas D.,
who will receive mention farther on;
Henry C, who owned a large tract of land
in Colorado, where he died; and Frederick
O, of Pittsfield Center. In 1820 Milton
Whitney set out for Ohio, traveling by
way of the Erie Canal as far as Buffalo,
where he remained one week, waiting for
the steamer (the only one on the lake) to
take him to Cleveland, which was then a
small village, containing but a few huts.
He came by stage from Cleveland to South
Amherst, and thence on foot to Pittsfield
township, Lorain county, where he had
some few years previously purchased a
large tract of land, containing one thou
sand six hundred acres. He decided not
to settle at that time, as the country was
entirely wild, and there were but few
white people in all of Lorain county. Re
turning to his home in Massachusetts, he
remained there until 1833, when he sold
his beautiful home for a good price, and
in the fall of the year came with his wife
to Lorain county, Ohio, where they de
cided to locate in Pittsfield township.
Again returning to the East, they made
preparations for migration, and on Jan
uary 22, 1834, their two sons, Asa W. and
Silas D., left Pittsfield, Mass., setting out

LORAIN COUNTY, OHIO.

553

with two horses and two wagons for their
new home, where they arrived in the latter
part of February. The rest of the family
followed shortly afterward. To Thomas
and Jerry Wait Mr. Whitney gave one
hundred acres, and to Chauncey and
Henry Remington, also one hundred acres
(fifty acres to each individual), all wild
land in an unbroken wilderness in No. 4,
on condition that they settle on the land,
which they did. The Waits (both bache
lors) settled here in 1821, being the first
permanent settlers in Pittsfield township.
Milton Whitney was not physically a
strong man, or robust, and he spent
many seasons at Saratoga, N. Y., for the
benefit of his health. He was an ardent
member of the Democratic party, and
served as postmaster during his residence
in Pittsfield township, where he owned
one thousand acres of land. He died in
1839, his wife in 1869, and they are both
buried in the South cemetery, in Pittsfield
township. Silas D. Whitney was born March 3,
1820, in Pittsfield, Mass., where he re
ceived the greater part of his education,
afterward attending the old log school
houses of Pittsfield, Ohio, and finally one
term in Wellington. He was reared to
farm life, and remained at home until two
years after his father's decease. On No
vember 11, 1841, he was married to Miss
Electa N. Parsons, who was born in 1824
in Hampshire county, Mass., daughter of
Ebenezer and Electa (Naramore) Parsons,
the latter of whom died when her daugh
ter Electa was born ; the father remained
a widower ten years, when he remarried,
and in 1835 he came to Pittsfield, Lorain
Co., Ohio. After marriage Mr. and Mrs.
Whitney settled on the home farm, where
they still reside, and here the following
children have come to brighten their home:
Arthur E., of St. Paul, Minn.; Ann Clar
issa, a most beloved daughter, who died at
the age of thirty-one; Alma E., wife of
Charles E. Archer, of Massillon, Ohio;
Abbie, wife of F. C. Williams, of Creston,

Ohio; Agnes, who was married November
22, 1893, to Frank Coleman, of Nelson,
Neb.; Frances, living at home; and Ed
mund M., superintendent of the F. C.
Kimball Manufacturing Co., Cleveland.
In politics Mr. Whitney was originally a
Democrat, but subsequently became an
Abolitionist, and he is now an active mem
ber of the Republican party. He is a
member of the Baptist Church; his wife
worships at the Congregational Church.

ULLIAM HAWKINS (deceased)
was born July 2, 1804, in New
burgh, Orange Co., N. Y., a son
of Samuel and Lydia (Van Camp)
Hawkins, the latter of whom was bora in
the Wyoming Valley, Pennsylvania, and
was an eyewitness to some of the incidents
connected with the massacre which took
place in that historic vale.
William Hawkins was one of a family
of eight children, of whom he was the last
survivor. When he was nine years of age,
his father died, and the young lad then
went to make his home with Adam Welty,
a farmer of Owasco township, Cayuga
Co., N. Y., with whom he lived some
time, during which he attended the com
mon schools in winter and worked on a
farm in summer. When seventeen years
of age he commenced to learn the trade of
blacksmith under one Holliday, whom ih
later years he always referred to as his
" old boss," and after an apprenticeship of
three years he commenced business for his
own account in Owasco township. When
he started he was absolutely penniless, as
during his apprenticeship he received
nothing but his board and clothes, although
treated very kindly, and as one of the
family. His foster-father went security
for an outfit of tools, which enabled him
to make a good start, and after a few years
industrious application at his trade he paid
off this indebtedness, his only one, and had

554

LORAIN COUNTY, OHIO.

saved money. In 1830 he made a visit
to Michigan (where he had a brother liv
ing), with the intention of remaining
there, but being dissatisfied with the coun
try, returned to New York State. In
1832 he came to Ohio, and locating in
Erie county worked at his trade for a man
named Tillinghurst at but meager wages.
Two years after his arrival in the Buckeye
State he bought 105^ acres on Lot 13,
Tract 10, Camden township, Lorain county,
at that time covered with an unbroken
forest, and devoid of buildings of any
kind. Here, in company with his brother
Charles, he set to work to make a clearing
for a home, and together they erected a
substantial log house, at that time consid
ered the best one in the township. Our
subject also built a log blacksmith shop,
and in connection with his farming opera
tions followed his trade for thirty years, at
the end of which time he retired from
blacksmithing, and continued agriculture
exclusively during the remainder of his
active life. He died September 6, 1888,
after a brief illness, and was laid to rest
in Camden cemetery. He was a man of
remarkable vitality, strong, robust consti
tution, and almost iron frame. He made
a success in life, and from a start of posi
tively nothing save a willing pair of
hands accumulated a comfortable compe
tence, and succeeded in securing and re
taining the respect and esteem of his
neighbors and many acquaintances. Po
litically he was originally a Whig, later a
Republican, and in church matters he in
an early day united witb the Baptist Con
gregation at Camden Center.
On April 22, 1835, Mr. Hawkins was
united in marriage with Miss Mary Ab
bott, a native of Otsego county, N. Y.,
born March 29, 1813, a daughter of Squire
and Anna (Spafford) Abbott, of Massa
chusetts, where they lived till they were
over twenty years of age. Mr. Abbott
was a Baptist minister, and in pioneer
days came from New York State to Ohio
on horseback, being sent out as missionary

from the Baptist board. In 1820 he lo
cated in Ashtabula county, and five years
later came to Henrietta township, Lorain
county, at that time part of Brownhelm
township, where he died December 18,
1853, at the age of eighty-three years;
his wife had preceded him to the grave in
1847, and they peacefully await the Resur
rection Morn in Henrietta township ceme
tery. The record of the children — eight
daughters and one son — is as follows:
Eliza married Egbert Ingersoll, and died
iu 1886 at Camden Center; Hannah is the
wife of J. B. Cook, of Elyria; Maria is
residing at home; Vesta married Oscar
Tanner, and died May 23, 1863, in Rug
gles, Ashland county; Mary is the wife of
L. A. Andrews, of Delphos, Ohio, a con
ductor on the P. A. W. Railway; Anna
is married to Simeon Hales, of Henrietta,
Ohio; Charles E. is farming on the borne
place in Camden township; Naomi is the
wife of E. H. Wing, of Chicago, 111.;
Alice is tbe wife of Henry Hales, of Cam
den township. Since the death of her
husband Mrs. Hawkins, now a hale and
hearty lady, in the enjoyment of almost
phenomenal health, has been making ber
home with her son Charles and daughter
Maria on the old homestead, where well
nigh sixty years of her honored life have
already been passed.

EYMOUR WESLEY BALDWIN,
long a merchant in Elyria, was born
in Meriden, Conn., June 29, 1807.
He was, quite remarkably, only in
the fourth generation from the first an
cestor of the name, Richard Baldwin, who
settled in Milford, Conn., in 1639. The
family was a very respectable one in
Buckinghamshire, England, prominent in
Milford and rich in lands — which were
divided and rerdivided among the descend
ants, so that there was an unusual number
of farmers of moderate wealth.

'/7/6/W-ms

LORAIN COUNTY, OHIO.

557

Such was Mr. Baldwin's father, Charles
Baldwin, an early Methodist of the last
century, who bought a large farm in
Meriden, and died there in 1818 leaving a
widow and seven children, of whom Sey
mour W. was the youngest. He went to
district school winters, working at the
farm summers, and was thought to have
considerable education when ne attended
the Episcopal Academy at Cheshire for
one winter. When seventeen, Seymour
commenced business as a peddler, which
mode of life was the common and almost
only one open to enterprising and respect
able young men; and many prominent
citizens in after days commenced as " Con
necticut peddlers." Many settled' in that
most profitable field, the South, as mer
chants, and many elsewhere. When, in
1847, Mr. Baldwin retired to Meriden, the
ex-member of Congress residing there —
both bank presidents, the ex-president of
the N. H. & H. R. R. Co., and a large share
of the other leading business men of the
place, had made such a beginning. When
all goods had to be carted overland, this
was quite the natural mode of trade. The
carriage of goods by railroad has nearly
abolished this mode of trade, and vastly
lowered its dignity. An entertaining study
might be made of that business at that
time. The field was on foot, or with
horse and wagon in the New England
States and Long Island, or with wagon in
the South, and with regular routes and
customers. Seymour soon entered into partnership
with his brother Jesse, under the firm
name of J. & S. Baldwin, as a country
merchant, in Oxford, Conn., then a more
thriving village than at present. The
business was general, and while at first
one of the brothers peddled, they also em
ployed other peddlers and manufactured
silver spoons. Soon outgrowing Oxford,
J. & S. Baldwin removed to Middletown,
same State. The energy, ability and high
character of the brothers had already be
come recognized in New York. That cele

brated New York merchant and philanthro
pist, William E. Dodge, in his little book on
Old New York published by Dodd, Mead
& Co., in 1880, selected the two brothers
and a comrade, who together entered his
store with trunks, as typical samples of
Connecticut merit and success. They all
became prominent and valued customers
and friends of Mr. Dodge. Mr. Dodge
mentioned that Mr. Jesse Baldwin had
then been a bank president for twenty
years, and the third a large manufacturer.
Mr. Dodge then spoke of the subject of
this sketch at greater length and with
much respect. Both brothers became in
South Carolina and Georgia strong anti-
slavery men — Jesse as a leading Abolition
ist, while Seymour was a Whig, becoming
an early Free-soiler. Possibly his wag
ons at Elyria may sometimes have traveled
on the "Underground Railroad," for bis
works were always with his faith. In
May, 1835, though the South was a more
alluring field for money, Mr. Baldwin
with his young wife and an infant son re
moved to Elyria. Here with a magnificent
physical constitution he displayed great
energy. Business was then so perfectly
unlike business now, that a sketch of it
may be interesting.
Elyria, the county town, was settled in
1817. The county was heavily timbered.
It is easy to see that before the Erie Canal
there must have been but little trade in
deed. The pioneers must have lived by
themselves — lives very simple and full of
" hardship," and perhaps as happy as ours.
In 1835 there was a general barter trade;
there was very little money. The heavy
timber was burned into ashes, and ashes,
pot and pearl, were considered " cash, "
and went to Pittsburgh for glass and also
to New York. Many salts went to Pitts
burgh in the shape of scorchings or black
salts, which was lye reduced to a black mass
and then scorched in ovens. From 1838
much white oak and many staves went to
Black River, thence by sail to Buffalo,
thence by canal to New York. There could

558

LORAIN COUNTY, OHIO.

hardly have been any eastern trade with
out these commodities. The dry goods
and groceries were bought in New York.
They came by canal to Buffalo, thence by
boat or sail to Cleveland, or more com
monly Black River. No goods came
through in the winter, and such replenish
ing, if any, as took place, came by Pitts
burgh to Cleveland, being hauled from
Baltimore and Philadelphia to Pittsburgh.
Hauling was a business of considerable
extent, and one spring Mr. Baldwin met
east of Pittsburgh within ten miles
as many as fifty wagons. After a while
some goods were bought of the firm of
Hilliard & Hayes, in Cleveland. In the
early spring goods were hauled from Buf
falo west (before that harbor was opened)
to Silver Creek or elsewhere, to meet tbe
boats, and Mr. D. B. Andrews, formerly
partner of Mr. Baldwin, going down on a
steamer, was compelled to land in Canada,
caught cold, and died in Buffalo.
The cheapest goods were then in demand.
There were no ingrain carpets kept in
Elyria until about 1845. Ingrain carpets,
nice shawls and dresses, were bought on
special orders. Mr. Baldwin was at first
in company with Mr. Orrin Cowles, from
Meriden. They separated, and be bought
out (for the sake of the corner stand) Wil
cox & Beebe, successors of the Lorain Iron
Company. That store long remained with
Mr. Baldwin's sign " Old New York Store."
Then commenced the very energetic
competition which made Elyria noted for
trade. Mr. H. K. Kendall, a merchant of
great ability, then had the leading business.
He was first on the ground, and there had
been great falls in prices of which he had
"the credit. A merchant's life was labori
ous. Mr. Baldwin used to go by stage
before navigation opened on the lake —
sometimes by way of Buffalo and some
times by way of Pittsburgh — to New York
and Philadelphia. It was a great thing to
get the first goods in the spring, and he
studied the matter carefully, spending
several days in Albany. He loaded the

canal boats in New York (being careful to
have the boats filled with his own goods
only), and early went to Albany before the
canal was opened. There boats had a right
to go in order of registry. For several
years he offered prizes for being among
the first ten boats at Buffalo, but there was
danger of being too early; as, if unloaded
at Buffalo in warehouse, the lake boats
would take fresh canal boats rather than
from the warehouse, thereby saving one
loading. At the first decided triumph,
when liis rival had advertised the first
goods, Mr. Baldwin passed those first
goods safely stored at Buffalo, saw his
own loaded in boat, got the boat to land
at Black River, and accompanied the goods
to Elyria long before his rival's arrived.
Such single incidents seem small, but it
was the many such struggles that made
Elyria the center of trade for from fifteen
to twenty miles east and west, and twenty-
five miles south. The system of ready
cash (there was but little) or barter was
introduced, and this lowered prices.
Elyria in those days was a sight to see.
The farmer came over the mud road with
his heavy wagon, frequently with oxen, for
twenty-five miles, bringing part of his
family and such articles as he had to sell,
and doing the trading for the spring and
fall. The street at midday would be full
of wagons, there being often one hundred,
more or less. Other merchants were
crowded out, but both the chief competitors
went safely through the hard time's of
1837 to 1840. In the spring of 1837
both had to ask some extension, Mr. Bald
win asking only leave to extend their debts
for some friends; but aside from this, in a
business life of over sixty years, Mr.
Baldwin has never been obliged to ask a
favor of a creditor. It is difficult even for
one who experienced it to see how busi
ness could have been conducted — with
the frightful state of money and difficult
transportation. The farmers brought but
ter (and very poor it was in those days),
feathers, oats, wheat, in fact everything

LORAIN COUNTY, OHIO.

559

they had, and the merchants bought almost
everything but live beef. The butter went
• to New York, and the wheat was floured
at the local mills. But the farmers brought
little money. Some cash came in with
emigrants. When the farmers could ex
change a pound of butter for a pound of
sugar there was rejoicing. In 1836 there
was a general suspension of banks, and
there was no resumption until 1840.
There was "Michigan Wild Cat" paper,
the worst currency imaginable, everybody
fearing it. Mr. Baldwin once having flour
to sell on commission — the currency being
left to him — the farmers seemed to be very
glad to get anything for such currency;
and when Mr. Baldwin announced that he
would charge a dollar more for currency
than for barter, the currency came in only
the faster. Produce was generally taken
as cash, and sold again at home without
profit. It was very difficult for the farm
ers to get enough money to pay taxes, and
Mr. Baldwin earned the lasting gratitude
of one farmer by giving him two dollars
hard money at the current price for butter.
At a later date the firm at Elyria sold at
times from one hundred and fifty thousand
dollars to two hundred thousand dollars,
and a branch at Wellington two-thirds as
much. A large share was paid in pro
duce, the firm at Elyria handling from fifty
thousand dollars to sixty thousand dollars
worth of butter in a year. The firm em
ployed at one time about forty clerks. The
rivalry at Elyria was famous, and a retired
New York merchant once said to the writer
that, as a country store, Mr. Baldwin's was
as remarkable in its way as that of Mr.
Stewart's in New York City. Railroads
largely revolutionized the trade. Mr. Bald
win never tried to make large profits,
and never lost money except one year
(about 1840), the year the banks were re
quired to resume in Ohio. He paid a
Cleveland bank that announced the inten
tion to resume thirteen per cent, premium
in its own bills for a draft on New York
ten days before the appointed time. The

draft was paid, the bank did not resume.
At that time merchants refused to sell at
any price for the currency of the country.
That generation needed no more lessons as
to the value of safe currency.
Mr. Baldwin has been a man of very un
usual poise of character. With such a
business, which by its economy of labor
and low profits has done the farmers of
Lorain a very large amount of saving, he
has not himself cared for wealth. Always
fairly economical — never ostentatious — he
on coming to Elyria resolved that when
he had acquired a moderate fixed sum he
would retire. In 1847, in accordance with
that resolve, he returned to Meriden,
though it is doubtful if he would have
been willing to quit unless he had become
tbe leader. But be could not let business
alone. He started there a ready-pay store,
and became the president of the Home
(now Home National) Bank, which post
he resigned on his return to Elyria. He
was also a member of the banking firm of
Wicks, Otis & Brownell, of Cleveland. He
became acquainted with the senior mem
ber of the firm, William A. Otis, while
waiting at Albany to see the goods through.
In 1856 he returned to Elyria, and until
his death had a small interest in the busi
ness at Elyria and at Wellington. Losses
invited his return, but he had no, ambition
for business in large places — having de
clined in 1847 an invitation to partnership
in the leading house in Cleveland, and at
other times favorable invitations to New
York. His energy and business judgment
would have made large wealth in larger
places, but Mr. Baldwin had such mastery
of life that he cared not for it.
In 1870 Mr. Baldwin went abroad for
travel, and after that he was not active in his
business. In 1874 he had so severe an attack
of pneumonia that it was thought to be im
possible for bim to live, and his death was
reported; but a vigorous constitution and
pure life carried him through, and he lived
until the fourth day of February, 1891.
He continued active in his care of an

560

LORAIN COUNTY, OHIO.

invalid wife until her death in 1886 ; in his
garden; in slight attention to the business
of the bank, of which he was many years
director; or in other private business. He
w'as always an intelligent reader, having
especially a taste for history.
Mr. Baldwin was also much interested
in securing, before he died, the building of
a new church, donatingthe lot and in other
ways helping much. He gave the plans
and the building much thought and time.
He was a man of sturdy independence of
character, with a frank toleration for the
opinions of others, which steadily increased
with his advancing years. An interchange
of thought became a pleasure, for his in
terlocutor was sure of a fair hearing, how
ever diverse might be their views. His
public spirit was evidenced by the deep
interest he always took in the success of
the many young men with whom he was
associated. Said Dr. Hoyt at his funeral:
" Coming as Mr. Baldwin did from Puritan
stock, he early inherited some of its
marked peculiarities. He had an intense
antipathy at all times to whatever he re
garded as meanness, to ingratitude and to
every form and manifestation of injustice.
He prized personal, political and religious
freedom, and he sought in every way as he
had opportunity to protect the helpless and
the oppressed, and to guard against the
encroachment of power."
Mr. Baldwin was always much inter
ested in what he regarded as the best in
terests of Elyria in political or business
matters, and in early days, when railroad
ing was a problem, was a director in the
Junction Railroad — built through Elyria
and now a part of the Lake Shore & Mich
igan Southern Railway. He attributed
his business success to rigid adherence to
principles of which the chief were to always
promptly fulfill his obligations, of what
ever nature, and to keep his business
always within his control. It may fairly
be said of him, however, that his life has
been governed by a rare judgment and
moderate ambition.

Mr. Baldwin was twice married, first to
Mary Candee, of Oxford, Conn., who died
in Elyria September 23, 1836, leaving two
children both under two years of age. For
his second wife he married Fidelia Hall,
of Meriden, Conn., who survived until
1886. He had four sons — by tbe first
wife: Charles Candee Baldwin, of Cleve
land, and David Candee Baldwin, of
Elyria; by the second wife: John Hall
Baldwin, a manufacturer, of New York
City, and Arthur Rice, a resident of
Atlanta, Georgia.

HARLES CANDEE BALDWIN
was born December 2, 1834, in
Middletown, Conn., a son of Sey
mour W. and Mary (Candee)
Baldwin. In May, 1835, the family moved to
Elyria, Ohio, making a considerable part
of their journey by boat on the Erie Canal,
where it is reported that the young traveler
made his presence effectively known by the
vigorous use of his then lusty voice. In
1836 his mother died, too early for his re
membrance. In time her tender care was
supplied by a stepmother, of whom it is
said in the Baldwin Genealogy that she
was as good a stepmother as ever lived.
As illustrating the changes which have
taken place in Lorain county, where his
childhood was spent, and which has always
been his pride, it is related, among the ex
periences of his early childhood, that when
two years old he was lost in the woods
where the Elyria depot now stands.
In 1847 the family returned to Connec
ticut, residing in Meriden until 1856, when
they again came to Elyria. Meantime, on
August 1, 1855, Charles had graduated
with honor from the Wesleyan University,
Middletown, and same month entered the
Harvard Law School, where, in 1857, he
took the degree of LL. B. In the autumn

LORAIN COUNTY, OHIO.

561

of the same year he was admitted to the
bar at Cleveland, Ohio, and entered the
office of S. B. and F. J. Prentiss. In 1861,
on the election of F. J. Prentiss to the
office of county clerk, Mr. Baldwin entered
into partnership with S. B. Prentiss, un
der the firm name of S. B. Prentiss &
Baldwiu. In 1869, upon the election of
S. B. Prentiss to the bench, the firm of
Prentiss, Baldwin & Ford was formed,
which in 1878 was changed to Baldwin &
Ford. By too close attention to business Mr.
Baldwin's health became so much im
paired in 1870, that he spent some time in
Europe for recuperation, which, however,
was but partial; so that for some years
subsequent he gave less attention than
formerly to his law business, in order to
secure more outdoor exercise. From 1875
to 1878 he was president of the Cleveland
Board of Underwriters. He has been di
rector of four banks, and has been twice
offered the presidency of a leading bank
in Cleveland. His rare capacity and sterl
ing integrity have brought into his hands
from the first a business, unusually im
portant in its character and responsibility,
largely relating to corporations and bank
ing. A most important case — that of
Brown, Bonnell & Company, the great
iron manufacturers of Youngstown — was
argued by him, by brief and orally, several
times in the Supreme Court of the United
Stated, involving the very successful issue
of a million and a half of dollars.
In 1884, on the organization of the
circuit court, under the change in the con
stitution of Ohio, Mr. Baldwin was unani
mously presented by his county as their
candidate. Of the 160 votes cast at the con
vention in Elyria Mr. Baldwin received 142;
the next highest candidate nominated re
ceived but 105. He has since been reelected,
and is now (1894) the presiding judge of
that court. Mr. Baldwin has been untiring
in his attention to the duties of his office,
though it has been impossible for him to
relieve himself from finishing in the

United States Courts a large amount of
professional business of a high order. So
well founded have been the most of his
judicial decisions, that it is exceedingly
rare for one to be reversed by the higher
courts. Though a man of specially tender
susceptibilities, he has shown himself, to a
remarkable degree, able to rise above his
sympathies in defining the exact equities
of the law. In one notable case, where
the death of a beautiful little girl bad been
caused by a railroad train, though his feel
ings were so overcome that he completely
broke down in giving his decision, yet
it was clear that he did not suffer his
sympathies to warp his sense of legal
equity. The inherent activity of Judge Baldwin's
nature, and the liberal education with
whieh he began his professional career,
joined to natural tastes in that direction,
have led bim to do a largeamount of effect
ive work in promoting the general inter
ests of science, education and culture, both
in Ohio and in the country at large.
Especially effective has been his work
in lines of historical and archaeological
research. In 1866, while a vice-president of the
Cleveland Library Association (now Case
Library), Mr. Baldwin planned the West
ern Reserve Historical Society, which was
first formed as a branch of the Case Library
Association; but in 1892 was organized
under a separate charter. Upon the death
of Colonel Whittlesey, in 1886, Mr. Bald
win was chosen his successor as president
of the Society. Through his personal so
licitations in 1892, sixty thousand dollars
were raised to complete the purchase and
remodelling of the fireproof building, upon
the Public Square, in which the valuable
historical library and arch asologi cal mu
seum of the Society are now stored. Mr.
Baldwin's taste for history has been active,
and in 1881 he published the "Baldwin
Genealogy;" in 1882-83 the "Candee and
Allied Families," and later the " Baldwin
Supplement." There have also been

562

LORAIN COUNTY, OHIO.

published from his pen some twenty-five
addresses and magazine articles, among
them Early Maps of Ohio and the West
(the one on Indian Migrations being
adopted with little change in Windsor's
" Critical History of America ") ; an ad
dress at Yonngstown on "The Geographical
History of Ohio; " at Norwalk, on "Man
in Ohio;" at Oberlin, on "Columbus;"
and at Mansfield, on "Early Indian Mi
gration in Ohio;" and a review of the
"Margry Papers," published in Paris in
the French language. He has been elected
causa honoris a member of nine State or
other historical societies, and in 1891 a
fellow of the American Association for the
Advancement of Science. Prof. G. F.
Wright is free to say that but for the recog
nition and aid of Judge Baldwin, his own
work in glacial antiquities would have
come to an end with the survey of Penn
sylvania, and that it was largely through
the advice and encouragement of Judge
Baldwin that he was led to venture upon
the publication of so elaborate and highly
illustrated a work as his "Ice Age in
North America." For portions of several
seasons Judge Baldwin has been in the
field with Professor Wright in prosecuting
glacial investigations.
In 1892 Mr. Baldwin received the
degree of Doctor of Laws from his Alma
Mater. Among the many who united in
nominating him for this honor was
David J. Brewer, of the United States
Supreme Court, who sent the following
letter: Supreme Court of the United States.
Washington. April 6, 1892.
to the faculty of western university.
Gentlemen : —
Permit me to join with others in recom
mending the granting of an honorary LL. D. to
Judge Charles C. Baldwin, of Cleveland, Ohio: I
have known Judge Baldwin ever since college days.
He is now the presiding judge of the Court of
Appeals in Northern Ohio, and has a high rank as
a lawyer and judge. He is a gentleman of high
character, and especially loved and honored in the
State in which he has made bis home during his
active life. He has won quite a name, too, outside
of the law, by his researches into tbe early history

of his State, both before and since its settlement by
the whites. He is eminently worthy of any honor
the University can confer upon him, and certainly
a host of friends will be gratified by bearing that
he has received an LL. D. from his Alma Mater.
Yours very truly,
David J. Brewer.

DAYID CANDEE BALDWIN was
born in Elyria, Ohio, September 23,
1836., He was son of Seymour W.
and Mary (Candee) Baldwin, the
latter of whom was a daughter of David
and Hannah (Catlin) Candee, of Oxford,
Conn. The Candees were French Hugue
nots. The Catlins had among their ancestors
Capt. Joseph Wadsworth, who hid the
Connecticut Charter in the Charter Oak,
and Matthew aDd John Allyn, two of the
grantees named in that sameCharter. John
Allyn was for thirty years secretary of Con
necticut, and during some of the time was
practical governor, the then .Connecticut
constitution requiring a change of gov
ernor every year; but the secretary of
State was more constant. The father of
Mrs. Heman Ely, Thomas Day, was for
twenty-five years secretary of the same
Commonwealth. Hannah Catlin had also among her an
cestors William Pynchon, the treasurer of
the Massachusetts Colony before the emi
gration, a member of the council, tbe
founder of Springfield, and high iu in
fluence until he wrote a Unitarian book,
one hundred and fifty years too soon. The
book was burned on Boston Common, and
Mr. Pynchon returned to England, where
he could enjoy religious liberty — "fearing,"
says Judge Savage, "that he would be
treated as was bis book." The State of
Massachusetts at the Chicago Exposition
exhibited in its State Building most con
spicuously his portrait. Mr. Pynchon is the
hero of Holland's " Bay Path."
When Mr. Baldwin was but five days
old his mother died, and his father was

LORAIN COUNTY, OHIO.

563

left with the care of two infants, for the
older son was not yet two years old.
David was at first cared for by Mrs. Sarah
Goodwin, who had a son of the same age.
Seymour W. Baldwin's second wife, Fide
lia Hall, as gentle and conscientious as any
mother could be, came -into the care of
these two small children. She survived
until 1886, in Elyria, having two children
of her own. She was many years in ill
health, a feeble, tender woman, strong in
her past life, and in her character. Her
own children were far away, one in Minne
sota and one in New York City, and no
own son could have been more attentive,
thoughtful and kind than was the stepson
who lost his own mother when five days
old. She should certainly have loved him
as tenderly as if he was her own, and she
did. When our subject was ten years old his
father revisited his old home in Connecti
cut, returning to Elyria in 1856. David
was educated at the best schools to be
found, first in Meriden with Hon. David
N. Camp, afterward distinguished in Con
necticut, and Hon. H. D. Smith, also a
leader; next with D. H. Chase, LL. D.,
of Middletown, all still living and all
honored. He closed his education at
Wilbraham Academy under Dr. Ray
mond, now president of the University at
Middletown. His father had high hopes of his practi
cal business qualities, and he went at once
into a store at Meriden, in which his father
was partner. On the return to Elyria he
went into the store there of Baldwin,
Laundon & Nelson. Through his father
he had an interest in the business, and he
contributed in a large degree to the emi
nent success of the firm, the business of
which is described in the sketch of S. W.
Baldwin. His excellent sense and judg
ment, his easy tact, graceful manners and
strict and high integrity made him an ex
cellent salesman and an early favorite with
tbe public. On the reorganization of that
firm in 1872, it became D. C. Baldwin &

Company, composed of his father, himself
and Mr. John Lersch, he having principal
charge of the very large business of the
firm. The then leading wholesale merchant
of Cleveland once said to the writer that
no better merchant entered his store than
Mr. Baldwin. In time the firm became
Baldwin, Lersch & Co., composed of the
same partners, and later by the death of
Mr. S. W. Baldwin, Mr. Leroch taking
gradually a more responsible part in ac
cordance with his own and the wishes of
David. Mr. Baldwin has a fine skill and
judgment iu mechanics, and it is easy to
see that with his business ability, if he
had remained in Meriden, he would prob
ably have engaged in manufacturing, as
was indeed his first taste, and he would
have become eminent. He has an excel
lent library, which is especially rich in
archaeology — a science which at the present
time, especially, needs good judgment, and
his opinions are much respected. He gave
some mouths and considerable expense to
the exhibit of Man and the Glacial period
under the name of Prof. G. F. Wright and
himself in the Anthropological Building
at the Columbian Exposition. He has
been very generous to the Western Reserve
Historical Society of Cleveland, of which
his brother is president, having aided hand
somely in the purchase of its building, and
still more handsomely in the objects of the
Society. The D. C. Baldwin Collection
was the first extensive collection of archseol-
ogy donated to the Society, and it is prob
ably unexcelled by any collection of the
same size in the United States.
On the reorganization of that very suc
cessful Society in 1892, Mr. Baldwin was
one of its incorporators; he is also a patron
and an honored adviser. With no wish
for wealth for its own sake, and with more
than means to gratify his wants, no one
person knows his generosity. Whether as
lieutenant in the Civil war, or bank director
or holding other office, he has simply taken
what was in the plain line of duty, with
no shrinking from care, but with no desire

564

LORAIN COUNTY, OHIO.

for place beside. He has well in his heart
the idea of the Moravian prayer — "Pre
serve us from the unhappy desire of be
coming great."
Not long since a gentleman, who has
been most intimately associated with a
public man of distinguished and constant
success, told the writer that in the pleni
tude of his distinction, this man said:
"My life has been a failure." Who
can say that, when his success is his
character? Mr. Baldwin married, May 1, 1878,
Miss Josephine Staub, daughter of Rev.
Henry Staub, a° clergyman of the Method
ist Episcopal Church. She is a person of
fine education, with a very active mind
and much intellectual strength. They are
both addicted to reading (which brings the
best of company of this and other ages)
and to travel. They have journeyed abroad
thrice, as well as extensively in this coun
try. Mr. Baldwin's life has been quite
without such incident as is usually men
tioned in a biography. He did not ad
venture himself as a pioneer in a new
eountry, or start business in a new place,
or hold conspicuous office. To those who
know him it is evident he would have been
successful in any line of life he chose, as
he has been in that he has chosen. He
has been a prominent citizen, and especially
a leader in such good deeds as need sym
pathy, active work and a benevolent con
tribution. Few men have that even poise
of character that they are not carried away
by the world, by the desire of wealth, of
power or of political position. Mr. Bald
win's distinction is, as was his father's be
fore him, his character — successful in
everything he has ever tried, of ample for
tune, but not desiring large wealth, de
clining the prospect of prominent station
whenever offered; well educated by school
ing, reading, by travel and by experience;
well married, happy in society, in his own
home and abroad; hospitable, thoroughly
appreciated by all who know him; intelli
gent, with tact and generosity; having, a

most charming home, with such reason
able hobbies as occupy his mind; happily
contented, independent in his own pur
suits, and able to gratify every wish of
himself or his appreciative wife — who can
but feel that that is a life to be envied,
and who in the county will not think that,
if any one deserves it, "Dave Baldwin"
does?

ICHARD BAKER. The subject
of this sketch was bora at Harpole,
near Northampton, England, Feb
ruary 8, 1818. His ancestors were
Freeholders — yeomen, owners and
occupiers of land for many generations,
both on his father's and mother's side.
Up to twelve years of age our subject
was kept closely to the country school, and
was then sent to a first-class boarding-
school, one of the leading business educa
tional institutions of that day. At the
age of sixteen years he left school, and
assisted his father in the management of
" Spratton Grange Farm," which he occu
pied for many years. From a young boy
he was very fond of live-stock, especially
cattle, and his father being a large breeder
and feeder, he had great advantages, be
coming an expert in judging, managing
and handling cattle.
While yet in his minority young Richard
succeeded in gathering and establishing a
herd of Shorthorns, that in after years was
successful in the show-ring. He has been
an admirer of Shorthorns all his life, but
never entertained any prejudice against
other useful breeds. Having in those early
years handled so many Hereford, Aber
deen, Sussex and Norfolk grades, he knew
their good qualities, and has ever been
ready to acknowledge their merits. He
has been called upon to serve as " Expert
Judge " on the " Beef Breeds " of cattle at
several different States, and many other
large, exhibitions, his decisions being
generally satisfactory.

^^l^^^T^wfe^.

LORAIN COUNTY,- OHIO.

567

In 1852 Mr. Baker, accompanied by his
wife and family of eight children, immi
grated to this country, settling in Lorain
county, where he has since been engaged
in farming and stock raising. In 1856 he
commenced breeding Shorthorns, and in
1871 he purchased the " Cliff Grange
Farm " of 200 acres, near Elyria.
The subject of this sketch was married,
in England, to Sarah, sixth daughter of
Jeremiah and Martha Gaudern, of Cottes-
brook, Northamptonshire, England. Mr.
Gaudern was a large grazier and feeder of
cattle: his wife, Martha, the mother of
Mrs. Baker, was a Miss Eaton, of same
county; her ancestors had been prominent
agriculturists for many generations. Sev
eral of the children of Mr. and Mrs. Baker
died in their infancy, and two sons and
one daughter — George Edward, Sarah Ann
and Alfred M. — passed away in maturer
years. Alfred M. died at Fort Collins,
Colo., May 18, 1893. In 1874 he went
out to Colorado, purchased 160 acres of
land, improved it, and made himself a
pleasant and substantial home, including a
good brick house and all necessary out
buildings. In 1881 he married Ada,
daughter of John Richardson, of Norwalk,
Huron Co., Ohio. He added to his farm,
and at the time of his death owned 400,
acres of land, well stocked, tooether with
other property. He left a loving, wife and
a daughter, Edna. In 1890 he had " La
Grippe," which never quite left him, and
at the above date died of quick consump
tion. Gordon W., the eldest son of Richard
Baker, is in business in Elyria. He mar
ried Charlotte Alice, the fourth daughter
of William Linnell, a farmer, of Sulby,
Northamptonshire, England ; has two
daughters: Alice Maud Mary and Annie
Lonise. Fred Richard is at Fort Collins,
Colo., where he has a large farm, which he
rents to a good farmer, and lives in the
city. He is a director of the First Na
tional Bank, and was county commissioner
one term. He was a member (from Lo
rain county) of the " Union Light Guards,"
31

composed of young men, one from each
county in Ohio, sent to Washington by
Gov. Tod, of Ohio, as an escort to Presi
dent Lincoln during the war of the Rebel
lion. In 1876 he was married to Elnora,
daughter of Mr. James Jackson, of Am
herst, Lorain Co., Ohio, and their only
son, Edward Richard, is the only grand
son to bear the name of this branch of the
Baker family. The youngest living daugh
ter, Lizzie 0., is at home, having the whole
care of the household, her mother having
been an invalid for several years past.
Mr. Baker has held several offices. In
1858 he was elected a director of Lorain
County Agricultural Society, and was its
president at different times up to 1883.
In 1860 he started a county "Farmers
Club," which was in useful existence for
many years. He wrote up the History of
the County Agricultural Society, published
by Williams in 1879. In 1888 he was
appointed County Centennial Commission
er, and also elected president of the Coun
ty Centennial Association. In 1879 he
was elected a member of the Ohio State
Board of Agriculture; re-elected in 1881;
elected president of the Board in 1882;
participated in establishing the. " new
work " of the Board; the system of gather
ing crop reports; analyzation of fertilizers;
strongly advocated the Ohio farmers
"County Institutes"; opposed premiums
ou wines at the State Fair. He was a de
legate to the convention o,f agricultural
and college boards, at Washington, called
by Commissioner Loring in 1882; read a
paper at that meeting on " Best Breeds of
Cattle for Farmers of the Western States,"
which elicited lengthy discussion; was ap
pointed one of a committee of five, at that
convention, to urge upon Congress the
necessity and importance of the " Hatch
Bill." He assisted in organizing the Lo
rain County Farmers Institute, and was its
first president; has prepared many papers
and read them at the Institute meetings;
is secretary of this organization at the
present time (1894). In 1862 he was ap-

568

LORAIN COUNTY, OHIO.

pointed by tbe first commissioner of Agri
culture (Newton) as principal correspond
ent and reporter of condition of crops and
farm stock for Lorefin county, Ohio, aud
has held that office up to the present time,
under Secretaries Coleman and Rusk and
the present secretary, Morton. He has a
complete set of the Annual Reports of the
Department of Agriculture.
The following is taken from the Ohio
Farmer: "Mr. Baker became acquainted
with Thomas Brown of the Farmer in
1853, and has been a subscriber, reader
and occasional contributor ever since. He
has always been a firm friend to this jour
nal, and has done some noble work for it.
His first communication to it was on the
importance of ' Farmers Clubs.' He is a
thorough American in thought and prin
ciple, has done his duty wherever it has
been made known, honestly, conscientiously
and fearlessly. Mr. Baker was one of the
men who earnestly advocated the Board of.
Agriculture owning its own grounds for
State Fair purposes, and for some time
stood alone in this position; but he has
lived to see his plan carried into successful
completion. All honor to the pioneers of
progressive Agriculture in Ohio." He has
been a true friend to the farmers not only
of Lorain county, but of the entire State,
never grudging his time, and he has been
the leading spirit of the Agricultural
Society. In politics the subject of this sketch
has been a thorough Republican, from the
organization of that party, and most
heartily endorses the McKinley protec
tive Bill.
His father was the fourth son of George
Baker, a large farmer of Harpole, North
amptonshire. His mother was third
daughter of Thomas Marriot, Floore,
same county. George Baker was the second
son of John Baker, who was a son of
William Baker, all large farmers. A
nephew of George Baker was a noted
writer of his day. He published the "His
tory of Northamptonshire." [George

Washington's ancestors were from that
county.] He possessed the most complete
library in the county. The Baker and
Marriot families are Saxon on both sides,
all along the line. They have been " Free
holders," and always eligible to vote for
member of the House of Commons.

D

. S. CUMMINGS (deceased) was a
ll son of Archibald Cummings, who
was born in Billingscake, County
Down, Ireland, in March, 1781.
Archibald Cummings came to America
in 1791, and remained in New York State
until 1834, in which year he came to Sul
livan (then in Lorain, now in Ashland
county), Ohio. In 1813 he married Eliza
beth Anderson, and ten children were born
to them, as follows: (1) Sarah Ann, mar
ried Rev. Joel Talcott, who died in 1871;
Sarah Ann died in 1891. (2) John P.,
deceased in 1868. (3) D. S., subject of
sketch, died April 3, 1881. (4) Thomas
S., deceased October 19, 1893, in Overton
county, Tenn. (5) Elizabeth, married to
Dr. William Stilson, who died in Clyde,
Ohio; Elizabeth is now living in Kansas.
(6) Margaret, deceased in 1856. (7) Har
riet, deceased in 1873. (8) James Ander
son, who lives in Milan, Ohio, and has
three children. (9) Archibald, who died
in St. Louis, Mo., in 1856. (10) Andrew,
married, and residing in Missouri.
D. S. Cummings was reared to agri
cultural pursuits, and educated at the sub
scription schools of the period. He re
mained with his parents until he was
twenty-four years of age, at which time he
came to Rochester township, Lorain county,
where he hired out to C. W. Conaut. After
his marriage in 1844 Mr. Cummings rented
land for two years, at the expiration of
which time, by assiduous industry and
judicious thrift, he was enabled to pur
chase "one hundred acres of land in Roch-

LORAIN COUNTY, OHIO.

569

ester township at eight dollars per acre,
paying cash for one-fourth of the amount,
and giving notes for the balance. This
was all uncleared land, with the exception
of about fifteen acres, which could be called
tillable. In about six years from that time
seven acres were added, making a total of
107 acres, which is now the homestead of
his widow, all being accumulated by their
joint efforts.
On April 13, 1844, Mr. Cummings was
married, in Sullivan (then Lorain, now
Ashland county), to Miss Elizabeth Close,
daughter of Benjamin and Elizabeth (Gale)
Close, who were the parents of sixteen
children, as follows: Miranda, Alonson,
Deborah Ann, one that died in infancy,
Alvira, Nathaniel, Rebecca, Amy, Eliza
beth, Samuel, Lockwood, Sarah, Diana,
Annis, Lucy and Reuben.
Benjamin Close was born in Greenwich,
Conn., a son of Benjamin Close, Sr., who
was of Scotch descent, and was wounded
in the Revolutionary war. These two,
father and son, when the latter was about
ten years old, moved to Genoa, N. Y.
When grown to manhood, Benjamin, Jr.,
with his wife and two children, and accom
panied by his elder brother, Henry, started
for Ohio in June, 1817. He left his fam
ily in Painesville, and along with Henry
came on to Sullivan township, then in Me
dina county, afterward in Lorain, now in
Ashland. Of an old acquaintance living
in Harrisville, thirteen miles from Sulli
van, Mr. Close borrowed some corn and po
tatoes, and he had not a dollar to pay on his
land, even his last tavern bill haying to be
settled in cloth Mrs. Close had made before
leaving Genoa. They built the first house
of logs in Sullivan township, and cut their
road through the dense forest, as they
moved onward with their ox-team from
Harrisville to Sullivan. As soon as Mr.
Close could clear a piece of land, he planted
some apple seeds, thus starting an orchard,
and until fruit was gathered from it the
family, from the time they came into the
township, eat only two apples. For tea,

medicine, etc., he had to go on foot to
Elyria, twenty-five miles north, there being
no road for oxen, and at that time he had
no horse. On one occasion he lost his way,
coming homeward, it being so cloudy he
could not see the sun, and his compass he
had left behind. After wandering about
some time, he struck a small stream which
proved to be a tributary of Black river, in
what is now Rochester township, then un
inhabited save by roving Indians and wild
animals. On the bank of this stream he
spied a wolf watching him, and then our
adventurer wished he had brought his gnn;
but his faithful dog, that had accompanied
him, "tackled" the brute, and after a des
perate struggle got him by the throat, which
so weakened the wolf that Mr. Close wag
able to give him a blow on the back with
a hickory club he had cut for the purpose,
and the dog then easily finished him. Mr.
Close reached home at last, but not before.
darkness had set in.
Mr. Close succeeded eventually in pay
ing for 200 acres of land. The home was
a regular manufacturing establishment; for
there was tailoring, dressmaking, millinery
work and slioemaking going on nearly all
the time. Wool was spun and woven, and
the cloth colored, all at home; yet with all
this work the family found time to close
their labor on Saturday night, ready for
rest on the Sabbath — sweet rest, indeed!
The fainily library consisted of Bible,
Catechism, " History of Henry Obookiah,"
" Life of God in the Soul of Man " (the
latter volume published in England in
1620) and the " Missionary Herald," pub
lished in the interest of the missions in the
Sandwich Islands. This pioneer home was
always open to ministers and school teach
ers, of whom those in the neighborhood
had much to do with the education of the
large family growing to manhood and
womanhood. Mr. Close was protected
through many dangers by a kind Provi
dence; at last, on August 10, 1852, when
at the age of sixty-four years, he was driv
ing a span of young horses that took fright

570

LORAIN COUNTY, OHIO.

and ran away, throwing him from the
wagon and killing him, when but a short
distance from his home. His widow died
in 1868.
D. S. Cummings died April 3, 1881,
leaving a widow but no children, as the
three bora to them died young, namely:
Francis E., died when five years and eight
months old; one died in infancy, un
named; and Wallace A. died at the age of
five years. Mr. Cummings in his political
sympathies was a Whig, afterward a Re
publican, and he was repeatedly called
upon to fill offices of trust in his township,
which he did with characteristic fidelity
and acknowledged ability. In Church
work he was very energetic and helpful,
was a deacon in the Congregational Church
many years, and took particular interest in
educational work. His highly respected
widow is regarded in the community as a
woman of high morality, and is admired
for her many virtues. At the present time
she is living on the old homestead with
an adopted son.
In 1848 there was a long and tedious
lawsuit commenced by some Connecticut
people against the farmers in the section
where Mr. Cummings had settled. It ap
pears that this tract of land was many
years ago cede,d to Ohio by some Connecti
cut people who afterward claimed to have
never signed away their right and . title to
it. The suit was finally decided in favor
of the fanners (of whom Mr. Cummings
was one), but the. cost of contesting it was
about equivalent to paying for the land
twice over, and fell the more heavily on the
occupants, as the soil, being new, was
yielding but a very small revenue.
In tbe fall of 1843 the women of
Rochester formed a Temperance Society,
as they found liquor was being sold in the
town, doing an inestimable amount of
harm. The leaders among the women were
Mrs. H. M.Tracy (afterward Mrs. Cutler),
now living in California, and Mrs. Mary
Bell, now living in Kansas. They ap
pointed the following named as a commit

tee to talk to the party selling the liquor:
Mrs. Orpha Conant, Mrs. Humiston and
Mrs. Lucretia Stevens. The liquor dealer
promised to stop the sale, but nevertheless
continued the traffic, though more cau
tiously, and the women then took the case
before tbe county court, where the man
was fined ten dollars and costs. In 1844
Mrs. Tracy edited a paper called The Pal
ladium, the temperance meetings being
continued, and this lady also delivered
some good temperance lectures. Some of
the best citizens came with their wives to
hear her, and soon afterward she was in
vited to deliver the lectures in public.
Thus meetings continued for two or three
years. Mrs. Tracy left the town, how
ever, for more extended work, and Miss
Anvilla Humiston then edited Hie Pal
ladium, and Mrs. Eliza Conant became
president. Later Miss Humiston also left
town for another field of usefulness, after
which Mrs. E. C. Cummings edited The
Palladium. The meetings still continued
till public sentiment was sufficiently
aroused to induce those best men to en
courage the women in the good work. The
liquor element succumbed, and as a na
tural result the morals and status of the
community greatly improved. As far as
known, this was the first Woman's Tem
perance Society formed in the State of Ohio.

JOHN I. MASTEN (deceased), who
in his lifetime was one of the most
industrious and deservedly successful
agriculturists of Rochester township,
was a native of New York State, bora
March 8, 1812, in Dutchess county, a son
of James Masten.
Our subject received a liberal education,
for his early time, at the subscription
schools of the vicinity of his native place.
He was reared to farm work, and being a
natural mechanic was capable of following
the trades of turner and shoemaker. On

LORAIN COUNTY, OHIO.

571

October 7, 1835, he was united in marriage
with Miss Rosalia Loomis, who was born
August 17, 1813, in the town of Steuben,
Oneida Co., N. Y., daughter of Martin and
Laura (Blanchard) Loomis. In the fol
lowing spring the young couple came to
Ohio, via canal and lake to Cleveland,
thence by wagon to Rochester township,
Lorain county. Mr. Masten, the previous
winter, had visited this locality, and pur
chased a piece of timber-covered land in
Rochester township, where wild animals —
such as deer, turkeys, hogs, etc. — were
almost as " plentiful as blackberries." This
farm, comprising fifty acres of primeval
forest, he paid four dollars and fifty cents
per acre for, and the first dwelling of these
honored pioneers was of a most primitive
description — the floor being made of pun
cheon and the roof of beech bark, while a
quilt nailed over the entrance served the
place of a door. Here during his long
residence he followed general farming, in
cluding the rearing of and extensive deal
ing in live stock, of which he was an
excellent judge. It should here be men
tioned that to the original tract of wood
land he from time to time added until at
his death he was the owner of 236 acres
of prime farming land. For seven and
one-half years he lived in the village of
Rochester, at the end of which time he re
turned to his farm and, later, moved a
short distance to where his long and busy
life came to a close March 16, 1893. His
remains repose in the cemetery at Rochester.
In his political affiliations Mr. Masten
was a Whig until the organization of the
Republican party, when he enlisted under
the new banner, and up to the close of his
life was loyal to the cause. He was an ex
emplary member, as is his-aged widow, of
the Free-will Baptist Church, in wliich he
held office many years. Mrs. Masten is
now passing the evening of her honored
life at the old homestead, calmly and hope
fully awaiting the summons that shall call
her hence. The farm is now ably con
ducted by her son Frank L., whose filial

care is a blessing to his loving mother.
The children born to Mr. and Mrs. John
I. Masten were as follows: Decalia B.,
whe served in the Civil war, and afterward
located in Dayton, Ohio, where he died;
Amelia O, who married C. C. Boney and
died in Lorain, Ohio; Mortimer C, of
Charlotte, Mich.; Celia, now a widow, of
Manchester, Ohio; Delia, Mrs. J. H. Bis
sell, of Rochester, Ohio; Nina, Mrs. A. J.
Irish, of Lorain, Ohio; John D., of Char
lotte, Mich.; aud Frank L., in charge of
the home farm.

OBEDIAH BOWEN (deceased) was
in his lifetime a well-known pros
perous citizen of Elyria, where
stands, as a monument to his mem
ory, the "Bowen Block," on Cheapside,
erected by him not long before his death.
Mr. Bowen was born June 26, 1818, in
the town of Roxbury, Delaware Co., N.Y.,
and was reared on a farm till about the
age of eighteen years. He then com
menced to learn the trade of merchant
tailor, in Waynesburg, Ohio, whither he
had come when sixteen years old, and
where he followed the business about ten
years. For ten or twelve years he was ex
press and ticket agent for the Lake Shore
Railroad Company, after which he em
barked in tbe manufacture of and dealing
in Babbitt metal. During the later years
of his life he was retired from active work,
living upon the interest of his hard-earned
accumulations. He was a typical self-
made man, shrewd and calculating. At
the time of his marriage he had but
seventy-five cents in cash, but he was very
successful in all his business transactions,
and when he died he left a considerable
amount of property. On April 11, 1839,
Mr. Bowen married Miss Diantha A. Pren
tiss, of whom special mention will be pre
sently made. In August, 1857, Mr. and

572

LORAIN COUNTY, OHIO.

Mrs. Bowen came to Elyria, where he
passed from earth December 11, 1887. He
was a stanch Republican, casting his first
vote for W. H. Harrison, and his last vote
for Benjamin Harrison. In religion he
was a member of the M. E. Church, as has
been his widow since 1832. For thirty
years he was a member of the I. O. O. F.,
and was buried by the Order.
Mrs. Obediah Bowen was born Novem
ber 17, 1816, in Lowville, Lewis Co.,
N. Y., and in June, 1836, moved west with
her parents to Lorain county, the family
coming at that time as pioneers into a wild
and unbroken forest, and making a settle
ment about one mile from the center of
what is ndw Camden township. She is a
daughter of William and Sarah. (Bates)
Prentiss, the former of whom passed away
in 1819, the latter (who was born in North
ampton, Mass.) dying at the age of ninety-
two years. Mrs. Bowen's grandmother
died January 7, 1837, at the patriarchal
age of ninety-five years, less nearly four
months.

W. ROWLAND. The family, of
which this gentleman is a worthy
member, is well known and highly
esteemed in both Huron and Lorain
counties. He is a son of Aaron Rowland, who was
born in a military camp at Danbury,
Conn., during the Revolutionary war, a
son of Hezekiah Rowland, who served all
through that struggle, the exact period of
his service being seven years, eleven
months and seven days. By trade he was
a blacksmith. Aaron Rowland was a
miller, and operated flour and saw mills
along the Croton river. Seven children,
as follows, were born to him in New York
State: Ezra, deceased in Clarksfield town
ship, Huron Co., Ohio; Anna, deceased in
infancy; Jemima, who married Lin ues
Palmer, and died in Fitchville township,
Huron county; William, a farrier by trade,

who died in New York City; Samuel W.,
a retired farmer of Oberlin, Ohio; Tama-
zon, who first married Samuel Husted,
and is now the widow of Martiu Pulver,
of Clarksfield township, Huron county;
and Betsy Ann, who first married Joseph
Stiles, and is now the wife of Thomas
Pelton, of Beri in ville, Erie Co., Ohio.
In the fall of 1818 the family set out on
a journey to Ohio with two yoke of oxen
and one horse, the trip as far as Cleveland
occupying six or seven weeks. When
they arrived at that now large and elegant
city they found but one bouse on the
" West Side," and that was occupied by
the ferryman who rowed travelers across
the Cuyahoga river. Coming yet farther
west, the family halted at Clarksfield Hol
low, in Huron county, where Aaron Row
land secured work in a new mill owned by
Capt. Samuel Husted, and he and his
family occupied the iog- cabin home of
Capt. Husted, along with his family. In
course of time Aaron bought a small farm
north of Clarksfield Hollow, and during
the summer season, when water in the
streams was too low to drive the mill, he
would work on this farm. He was also in
charge of a mill east of the " Hollow," later
owning a share in same, and he followed
the business several years. When he came
into what is now Clarksfield township, it
contained but eight other families, the
several heads of which were Samuel Hus
ted, Smith Starr, Benjamin Benson, 
Seger, Benjamin Stiles, Asa Wheeler,
Simeon Hoyt, and Ezra Wood. After
coming to Ohio the following children
were born to Aaron Rowland: Charles
(the third child born in Clarksfield town
ship, Lavina, daughter of Asa Wheeler,
and Samuel Stiles having been the first
and second, respectively), and Daniel.
After a married life of sixty-six years less
a few days the parents were called from
earth, the mother dying in 1866, the father
in 1868, and they now sleep their last
sleep in the cemetery at Clarksfield. Po
litically he was first a Whig, afterward, on

LORAIN COUNTY, OHIO.

573

the organization of the party, a Republi
can. He was a pioneer in the milling in
dustry, in those days the leading one next
to farming, and was a man of prominence,
well known and universally esteemed.
S. W. Rowland, the subject proper of
this memoir, was born July 5, 1810, in
Putnam county, N. Y., and in early life
learned the trade of axe-handle maker, but
feneral farming has been his life work.
[e was eight years old when the family
came to Ohio, and he distinctly remembers
the journey. At the primitive subscription
schools of the locality where his father
had settled, in Huron county, he gleaned
a comparatively meager education, which,
however, he vastly improved by reading
and study in his spare moments.
On Christmas Day, 1834, Mr. Rowland
was married to Harmony Blair, who was
born June 25, 1814, at Becket, Mass.,
daughter of Luther Blair, who came in
the fall of 1832, to Rochester, Lorain Co.,
Ohio, at that time on the frontier of the
" Far West." The young couple began
married life in a log cabin in Clarksfield
township, Huron county. In 1836 they
removed to Rochester township, Lorain
county, where he bought land at three
dollars per acre, which he improved and
cultivated with his own hands till 1868,
in which year he removed to Oberlin, same
county, where he has since resided, living
a retired life. Children as follows have
been born to this honored pioneer and his
faithful wife: Mary, now Mrs. Alonzo
Welcher, of Iowa; William, deceased;
Caroline, wife of H. A. Deming, of Kip-
ton, Ohio; Edmund, a farmer of Rochester
township, who also manages the home
farm; Evaline, Mrs. J. A. Flower, of
Elyria, Ohio; and Thaddeus, a druggist at
Oberlin, Ohio.
On Christmas Day, 1884, Mr. and Mrs:
Rowland celebrated their golden wedding,.
members of the family, only, being pres
ent, and last Christmas (1893) being the
fifty-ninth anniversary of their marriage,
their children and grandchildren came

home to celebrate the occasion in an ap
propriate manner, wishing the old couple
" many happy returns." Mr. Rowland
owns a fine farm of 185 acres in Rochester
township, and a pleasant home in Oberlin.
Politically he is a Republican, originally
a Whig. Mrs. Rowland is a member of
the Congregational Church.

EV. WILLIAM BENTON CHAM
BERLAIN, A. M., professor of
elocution and rhetoric, Oberlin Col
lege, comes of an old Connecticut
family, his paternal grandfather
having been a native of that State, but
passed a considerable portion of his life in
Ohio. Joshua Chamberlain, great-grand
father of our subject, was a captain in the
Revolutionary war.
The gentleman under our present con
sideration was born at Gustavus, Trumbull
Co., Ohio, September 1, 1847, a son of Rev.
E. B. aud Mary Ann (Cowles) Chamber
lain, the former of whom was a native of
western New York, the latter a sister of
John P. Cowles, of Ipswich, Mass., and of
Prof. Henry Cowles, D. D., of Oberlin
College; she died in 1874, aged fifty-seven
years. Rev. E. B. Chamberlain graduated
from the second class at Oberlin College,
1838, and after being licensed preached in
Ohio for the greater part of his ministerial
life, and later in western Pennsylvania, in
which locality he died in 1882 at the age
of seventy-two years. Of their five chil
dren William B. is the youngest. He en
tered Oberlin College in 1871, and gradu
ated from the classical course in 1875.
Proceeding to Philadelphia, he studied
music there from 1876 to 1878. Return
ing to Oberlin, he entered the Theological
Seminary, graduating from there in 1881.
From 1878 to 1883 he taught vocal music
in Oberlin Conservatory of Music, a por
tion of the time giving lessons in elocu-

574

LORAIN COUNTY, OHIO.

tion, having been appointed instructor of
that art in 1881; in 1884 he was appointed
to his present incumbency, of professor of
elocution and rhetoric. Mr. Chamberlain
is a master of vocal expression, and last
year he published a work entitled " Rhe
toric of Yocal Expression." He has thor
oughly adopted what is recognized as the
" Oberlin Ideal " of things, and although
he has been offered more remunerative
positions elsewhere has invariably refused
them, preferring to labor in the interests
of Oberlin. Mr. Chamberlain is a Con-
gregationalist, and has filled various pul
pits at different times, not as regular
pastor, however, as his time is fully oc
cupied with teaching. Prior to making his
home in Oberlin he taught common schools
in Erie county, Ohio.
In 1875 Rev. W. B. Chamberlain and
Miss Emma E. Peck were united in mar
riage, and the following named six chil
dren have been born to them: Fred W.,
John F., Ernest E., Harold, F. P. and
Mary E. In his political preferences our
subject is a Prohibitionist, but of that
practical class that is willing to work for
any measure that promises to eliminate or
curtail the liquor traffic.

[If ON. E- G- JOHNSON was born in
t=s| LaGrange, Lorain Co., Ohio, No-
I 11 vember 24, 1836. His father, Hon.
yj Nathan P. Johnson, removed from
Jefferson county, N. Y., to La-
Grange in 1833. The township was then
sparsely settled with pioneers, mostly from
the same State, living in rudely constructed
log cabins, and diligently engaged in clear
ing away the primeval forest that sur
rounded their hospitable dwellings. Here
he labored with ceaseless energy to trans
form the wild woods into fruitful fields,
and with undaunted courage met the many
vicissitudes incident to a pioneer's life.

His intelligence, high sense of honor, and
zeal in all good works won the highest re
gard of all who knew him, and called him
to occupy places of trust and honor in
after years. He was three times elected to
represent his county and district in the
General Assembly, serving two years in
the House of Representatives and two in
the Senate. He died in 1874, and the
memory of his noble character will long be
cherished. It was surrounded by such influences and
under such salutary home instruction that
the son E. G. grew up to manhood before
leaving the parental roof. In early boy
hood he began to display the diligence and
application that have characterized his sub
sequent life, and all his leisure moments
were spent in willing efforts to aid his
honored parents in bearing the burden of
founding a home for the family, with no
means except their strong arms. These
efforts were not relaxed as years added to
his strength and the desire for study
trenched upon his hours for labor. In those
pioneer days schools were not what they
now are, and boys of sufficient age to per
form farm labor were often deprived of
the poor facilities afforded for instruction.
Not so with the children of pioneer John
son. He not only labored extra hours to
enable his two sons to attend the winter
sehool, but taught them at his own log
cabin fireside the rudiments of the com
mon branches aud the sterling virtues that
form the basis of a well-ordered life. Al
though hampered by the want of better
opportunities, the young lad early mani
fested a desire to acquire more of the hid
den treasures found in the books, and was
granted the privilege of attending the win
ter school at Oberlin, a few terms, which
he improved with willing ardor. Thus,
between hard labor upon the farm and dili
gent use of leisure hours in study, he ac
quired sufficient knowledge to become a
teacher before he attained his majority.
When of legal age he did not lose his
love for this employment of his youth, nor

LORAIN COUNTY, OHIO.

577

his affection for his parents whose welfare
was ever his earnest desire, but spent some
time alternately engaged in farm labor,
study and teaching. During this time he
commenced the study of law under the
tutelage of L. A. Sheldon, Esq., who was
his townsman, and who subsequently
distinguished himself as a General in
the Union Army, Member of Congress
from Louisiana, and Governor of New
Mexico. In due time he received a cer
tificate of admission to the bar, in Colum
bus, and opened an office in his native
town. At the age of twenty -one years he was
elected justice of the peace, and held that
office with entire approbation of the peo
ple for ten consecutive years. Devoting
all his leisure time to mental rather than
pecuniary gain, he had but little oppor
tunity in the quiet township of LaGrange
to lay by a store for the increasing wants
of his family, and in 1868, on the petition
of nearly all the voters in the township,
regardless of party affiliation, he consented
to stand for the office of county auditor.
He was nominated at the convention that
soon followed, receiving twenty-eight ma
jority on the first ballot, against a strong
opponent. He was elected with great un
animity for four successive terms, but in
1876 he resigned, and has since devoted
his energies to his professional duties with
ever-increasing success and popularity.
During his successive terms as auditor he
was brought into official relations with
nearly every adult person in the county,
and by his courtesy, ability, unquestioned
character and integrity, he gained the
confidence of the people, which confi
dence, so well merited, he has ever since
retained. Mr. Johnson has found time during the
busy years of his professional life to ably
serve other interests besides that of the
law. Wedded in youth to the pursuit of
agriculture, he, has never lost his desire for
the welfare of those who cultivate the soil.
He has been an active member of the Lo

rain County Agricultural Society for more
than thirty years, and for thirteen years
was its popular and efficient secretary.
For twelve years he also served as chair
man of the Republican Executive Com
mittee, during which period he displayed
great energy in promoting the Republican
cause. He was a delegate to the Repub
lican National Convention at Chicago in
1884, and was the Republican candidate
for Congress from the I ourteenth District
of Ohio in 1892, bnt was defeated. His
patriotic ardor was early enlisted in the
Union cause. He was among the first
citizens of LaGrange who answered the
call of President Lincoln in 1861, and en
listed in Company A, afterward Company
I, Eighth 0. v. I., for three months. He
went out as first lieutenant, but was pro
moted to the rank of captain. He re-en
listed with the major part of his company
for three years, while in Camp Dennison,
but was rejected by the surgeon who de
clared him to be physically unable to per
form military duty. He received an honor
able discharge from the service, aud it was
several years after his return before he
fully recovered his health.
Mr. Johnson's career at the bar has
been one of unsullied honor and rapid ad
vancement. He at once took a position at
the head of the bar in Lorain county, and
now ranks among the foremost in the list
of able attorneys in Northern Ohio. He
has been engaged in many important capi
tal criminal cases, notably his defense of
John Coughlin at Ravenna, who, with the
notorious " Blinkey " Morgan (who was
couvicted and executed), was charged with
the murder of detective Hulligan. Samuel
Eddy, at that time one of the ablest law
yers of Ohio, was associated witb Mr.
Johnson. Coughlin, though at first con
victed, secured a new trial, and was finally
acquitted. In more than a dozen other
capital cases Mr. Johnson has won a wide
reputatiou as a successful criminal lawyer.
He is a man of strong convictions, form
ing his opinions only after thorough in-

578

LORAIN COUNTY, OHIO.

vestigation, and is fearless in expressing
them when once formed. In combating
the illogical theories and " isms " of those
who defy reason and the law of nature in
their attempt to correct political and social
evils, he has incurred the displeasure of a
few self-constituted modern reformers, as
all men do who have the courage of their
convictions. He has long been an active
leader in social and political reforms, and
now stands in the front ranks of the great
army of true progress. His whole life has
been characterized by an open-hearted
honesty in dealing with his fellow men,
and a supreme hatred of hypocrisy and
double dealing.
Mr. Johnson has always retained his
love for bis early home life and the friends
and acquaintances of his boyhood. In
1886, in company with Hon. E. H. Hin
man, he made a trip to Europe, visiting
many of the places of interest both in
Great Britain and upon the continent.
Among others he visited the famous Lean
ing Tower at Pisa, from which point he
wrote Hon. George G.Washburn, late editor
of the Elyria Republican, a letter in which
he recalls the memory of his boyhood home,
as follows:
After breakfast we took our guide book and
started for the leaning tower: It was but a short
walk, and yet it seemed a mile, so greatly had our
expectations been excited. It seemed impossible
that we were to set our eyes upon that famous col
umn. I remember of hearing my mother describe
it, as we sat around the fire of a long winter even
ing in the old log house, which, with ber, long ago
crumbled into dust. Oh how times and circum
stances do change. Then as she told me the story,
I thought life would be a failure unless my eyes
should behold it, and I resolved that some day I
would go and see it and come back and tell her of
my journey. Here I am at the tower, but where is
she ? and where is that happy circle then complete,
and those happy days which then seemed eternal?
Memory holds them— all else is gone.
In 1887 Mr. Johnson made a trip through
the West, visiting among other places the
National Park, which he reached by stage
from Beaver Canon on the Utah Central
Railroad. It is just one hundred miles
from that point to the Park, through
a wilderness. From his stopping place

on Snake river he wrote to Mr. Washburn
a letter from which is made the following
extract: I am stopping to-night on the banks of Snake
river, and now sitting by a stove in a log bouse
which, if it had a big fireplace across one end,
would be almost a copy of the one where fifty years
ago I first saw the sun-light, and where, though
brief were the years passed beneath its roof, that
sun-light began to fade. Out of the door I can see
the same waving forests, only that was of beech
and maple and whitewood and oak, while this is of
spruce and pine. This house is but just erected,
and will long years defy the ravages of rain and
frost, while that house is only one of memory's
treasures. The voices of the good people who
have opened the doors to give us welcome greet
my ears, while along the tender chords of memory
come the sweet voices that when the days were
young made that old house the home of mirth and
happiness. As I sit here alone, fancy brings that
old log structure back out of the dust, peoples it
with the same happy throng that gathered at the
family altar and at the same table ; but it is only for
a moment, for faithful memory will not let me for
get that half of those who gathered there lie in
graves which
"Are severed far and wide, by mount and stream and sea."
Mr. Johnson's unselfish generosity and
kindness of heart are proverbial wherever
he is known, and none appeal to him for
aid in a worthy cause without receiving his
mite according to his means, regardless of
color, sect or nationality. He has always
been a liberal contributor to the support of
the M. E. Church; and on one occasion
not long ago its worthy pastor, by his in
vitation, accompanied him on a vacation
trip to the Rocky Mountain region, at his
expense. Many instances might be cited
of like acts of kindness, showing his char
acteristic regard for the happiness of others
with whom he only sustains the relation
of neighbor and friend. His great in
dustry, unquestioned integrity and unim
peachable moral character have won the
regard of his host of friends, who stand
high in social and religious circles.
On January 1, 1859, Mr. Johnson was
married to Lydia D. Gott, also a native of
LaGrange, Ohio. Mrs. Johnson is a woman
highly respected and esteemed wherever
she is known for her many womanly vir
tues. Mr. Johnson is yet in the prime of
his usefulness, and few men have more de-

LORAIN COUNTY, OHIO.

579

voted friends to wish him success in all
his undertakings. [This sketch for the
most part is from the able pen of Hon.
George G. Washburn, late editor of the
Elyria Republican. — Ed.

^AYLD D. JOHNSON (deceased),
who in his lifetime was one of the
prominent and well-known citizens
of Elyria township, was a native of
England, born December 2, 1829.
When an infant of nine months his
parents set sail for the New World, but on
the voyage the father died, and found a
grave in the broad Atlantic, there to lie
" till the sea shall give up its dead." The
widowed mother continued on with her
little family to Lorain county, Ohio,
making a settlement in Avon township,
where our subject was reared and educated.
He followed farming pursuits all his life,
and was prosperous. On January 11, 1887,
he passed from earth in his fifty-eighth
year. On November 15, 1860, Mr. Johnson
married Mary E. Fowls, who was born,
reared and educated in Amherst township,
Lorain Co., Ohio. After marriage they
resided in Elyria township, same county,
several years, and then came to Elyria,
where they owned a good farm of seventy-
five acres, highly cultivated land. Mr.
Johnson spent seven years in the West.
He was an ardent Republican. Upright
in character and of sound integrity, he was
honored and respected by all. He had one
son, M. B. Johnson, who was educated in
Elyria and at Oberlin College, Ohio, from
which latter he returned to Elyria, at the
high school of which city he graduated.
He then read law under Metcalf & Web
ber, and in 1884 was admitted to the bar,
after which he located in Cleveland, where
he has since enjoyed a lucrative practice.
He married Miss Mary E. Laundon, of

Elyria, Ohio, and two children — David
Laundon and Arthur Earnest — have been
born to them.
After leaving Oberlin Female Seminary,
where she had finished her education, Mrs.
Mary E. Johnson taught school in Lorain
county (Black River township), afterward
in Angola, Steuben Co., Ind., and in Men-
don, St. Joseph Co., Mich., both in private
and public schools. She is a daughter of
Godfrey and Sarah (Gardiner) Fowls, who
were natives of Germany, where they were
married. In 1828 they came to the United
States and to Ohio, locating in what is now
the very center of the city of Cleveland,
and afterward coming to Amherst town
ship, Lorain county, where they passed
the remainder of their busy lives on their
farm, the father dying at the age of eighty-
eight years, the mother at the age of sixty-
nine. They were the parents of ten chil
dren, all of whom grew to maturity.

JjOHN H. JOHNSON (deceased), a
typical self-made man, one who has
' left behind a record worthy of emu
lation, was born August 11, 1815, in
Canal township, Yenango Co., Penn., a son
of James Johnson, a native of Ireland,
born May 6, 1785.
When yet a lad James Johnson came to
the United States, presumably to seek his
fortune in the New World. After landing
he made his way westward to Yenango
county, Penn., wherein Canal township he
settled down to agricultural pursuits on a
farm of 200 acres, on which in later years,
long after, his death, oil was discovered.
He died in Pennsylvania, a Democrat in
politics, and in Church relationship an Old-
school Presbyterian. On September 22,
1814, he married, in Yenango county, Mrs.
Elizabeth Cousins (a widow), nee Sutley,
born April 5, 1791, in that county, who
bore him children as follows: John H. ;

580

LORAIN COUNTY. OHIO.

Sarah A., born March 24, 1821, who mar
ried John Singleton; Robert H., born De
cember 18, 1823, died in Fulton county,
Ohio; Harrison R., born May 18, 1825,
died in Nashville, Tenn., where he was
principal of schools (he was a graduate of
Ashtabula College, Ashtabula, Ohio); and
Hugh, born June 23, 1828, a blacksmith
by trade, who died of smallpox while on
a visit at his mother's house. The mother
of these, after the death of the father, mar
ried Sylvester Knowlton, and in course of
time moved to Huron county, where she
passed from earth; she was interred in Rip
ley Methodist cemetery.
John H. Johnson received such educa
tion as the early schools of his boyhood
days afforded, fie was reared on a farm
up to the age of eighteen years, and then
learned the trade of blacksmith. After
completing his apprenticeship he went to
Buffalo, N. Y., working there as a jour
neyman until 1841, and then locating in
Warren, Penn., where in partnership with
a half brother, William Cousins, he suc
cessfully followed his trade. Here he mar
ried Miss Elizabeth P. Snyder, born June
1, 1823, in Penn Yan, Yates Co., N. Y., a
daughter of John and Eliza (Pierce) Sny
der, natives of Columbia and Onondaga
counties, N. Y., respectively, and who af
ter marriage settled in Elk township, War
ren Co., Penn. In June, 1845, Mr. and
Mrs. Johnson came to Ohio, to Richland
county, leaving their only child, Theodosia,
then two years old, in care of its grand
parents, Mr. and Mrs. John Snyder (a son,
Alston, had died at the age of three
months). Their trip to Ohio was made in
order to " spy out the land," and being sat
isfied with it they returned to Pennsylvania
for their household effects and his black
smithing tools. The journeys were made
entirely by wagon, the trips occupying six
days each way. In Bloominggrove town
ship, Richland county, Mr. Johnson
bought three town lots, on which he built
a shop and residence. Here for a time
business with him was very poor, and to

add to other causes the memorable frost of
June 1, that year, damaged the wheat crop
to such an extent that the price of it ran
up to three dollars per bushel. Later,
however, business improved, and money
became more plentiful. For six years they
resided at Rome, Ashtabula county, and
from Rome moved to Ripley township,
Huron county, where Mr. Johnson pur
chased a fifty-acre farm, erecting thereon
a " smithy," in connection with his dwell
ing, and, hiring a hand to work his farm,
personally conducted his shop, at which
time he was kept quite busy; at that time
horse shoes were split from wagon tires,
and nails were made from lighter material,
all of which combined to make work for
the blacksmith much more onerous than
at the present day. He at all times,"how-
ever, had one or more apprentices working
for him, which materially lessened his la
bor. Selling out his business in Ripley,
he moved with his family to Greenwich
township, having purchased seventy-four
acres of land, and moving his shop to this
farm here continued his trade until the
spring of 1860, when he came to Brighton
township and located on the farm now oc
cupied by his son A. C. On this he
erected another shop, and continued work
ing at his trade till within ten days of his
death, which occurred February 25, 1864,
after a ten-days' illness from typhoid-
pnenmonia; his remains were interred in
Brighton cemetery. He was a stanch
Democrat, but during the later years of his
life did not vote, averring that he was of
the opinion his party had changed their
principles; in matters of religion he was a
strict Presbyterian. Since his death, his
widow has continued to live at the old
homestead in Brighton township, a highly
respected lady, and a devout member of
the Congregational Church.
The children born to Mr. and Mrs. John
H. Johnson were as follows — born in
Rome, Richland county: Madora, now
the wife of A. S. Gilson, a photographer ot
Norwalk, Ohio; Orestes, of Norwalk, in

LORAIN COUNTY, OHIO.

581

the employ of the A. B. Chase Co. ; and
AdelbertC., sketch of whom follows. Bora
in Ripley township: Frank D., and Em
ma O., wife of Charles A. Finley, of Kip-
ton, Ohio. Born in Greenwich township:
Aravilla, widow of George Harris, and Al
bert, fireman on the Lake Erie & Wheel
ing Railway, at Norwalk, Ohio. Born in
Brighton township: Ada, who died at the
age of seven years; Charley S., in the saw-
milling business at Rochester, Lorain
county; and Eva, deceased at the age of
three months. The eldest daughter, Theo
dosia, married William Callin,and lives in
Brighton township.
Adelbeet C. Johnson, a member of the
firm of Laundon, Windecker & Co., manu
facturers of cheese, is a native of Rome,
Ohio, born March 27, 1850, the fifth child
and third son of John H. aud Elizabeth
P. (Snyder) Johnson.
When his parents removed to Green
wich township, Huron county, our subject
was but an infant, and he was there reared
on the home farm. With the exception
of one year during which he was fireman
on the Atlantic & Great Western Railway,
he was uever absent from the parental
home till his marriage, after which he
moved to Wood county, Ohio, and com
menced farming on a piece of land be
longing to his father-in-law. There he
resided four years, and then returned to
Brighton township, and for four years car
ried on agriculture; then went to Clarks
field, Huron county, and worked in a
cheese factory for John Emmons, where
his first idea of the cheese business was
obtained. After about a year he came to
Brighton and embarked in the manufac
turing of, cheese, at which he has ever
since been engaged as a member of the
firm of Laundon, Windecker & Co., and
he is superintendent and manager of the
"Goss Factory." On May 30, 1874, Mr.
Johnson was married to Julia A. Emmons,
who was born in Brighton township, Lo
rain Co., Ohio, a daughter of John and
Julia Emmons, and two children, Pearlie

and Lillie, have been born to them. Our
subject is an ardent Republican, has held
township offices in Brighton ever since his
return from Wood county, Ohio, and has
served three terms as trustee; he is now
superintendent of the Lorain County In
firmary, which position he has occupied
since November 1, 1893. He has an
extensive acquaintance and considerable
political influence. Socially he is a mem
ber of the F. & A. M., at Wellington, Lo
rain county.

EORGE E. NICHOLS, dealer in
real estate and insurance, is a na
tive of New Hampshire, born in
ii Londonderry, October 7, 1819.
His father, Reubeu Nichols, was
born in Londonderry, N. H, in 1787, and
in 1811 was married to Miss Asenath
Senter of the same town. He was the
son of Jacob and Sally George Nichols,
natives of Massachusetts, who removed to
Londonderry, N. H, where they died.
They had twelve children — seven sons and
five daughters — of whom Reuben was the
youngest, and they all lived to be from
eighty-four to ninety-six years of age ex
cept one who died young from the effects
of an injury.
In October, 1827, Reuben Nichols,
father of George E. Nichols, left New
Hampshire with his family, and started
for the wilds of the West, to seek a home.
On reaching Pike Hollow, Allegany Co.,
N. Y., the family made a halt while the
father proceeded to Lorain county, Ohio,
on horseback, where he secured a farm six
miles south of Elyria. He then returned
to his family, and they set out for their
new home, reaching Elyria March 28,
1828. They first located at Butternut
Ridge, then almost a dense wilderness, re
maining there nearly two years, and then
removed to Elyria, where in 1830 Reuben
Nichols purchased the " Old Eagle Hotel."

582

LORAIN COUNTY, OHIO.

In 1832 he commenced building the new
hotel called the " Mansion House," and
this he kept until 1839, when he sold it.
At that time it was one of the finest hotels
west of Buffalo, N. Y. While keeping
this hotel, he hitched four horses to a lum
ber wagon, and conveyed John J. Ship-
herd and others to the present site of
Oberlin, their first trip to that locality, to
found a school. After selling out the
" Mansion House " he moved his family
to Oberlin in order to have his children
educated. In 1842 he returned to Elyria,
where he passed the remainder of his
days, making business changes in property
from time to time. He died in 1871, hav
ing lived eighty-four years, an honest, up
right and just man; a lifelong Democrat in
politics. His wife died in November, 1870.
George E. Nichols, the subject proper
of this sketch, after receiving a good edu
cation settled in the mercantile business
in Elyria, where he remained for a number
of years. In 1852, under Franklin
Pierce's administration, he was appointed
postmaster at Elyria, and after serving
four years resigned March 5, 1856, for
political reasons. During this period
(1854) he was appointed one of a commit
tee to proceed to Nebraska to try and have
it become a Democratic State. He had a
land office at Washington, D. C, and a
large amount of land under his control;
and though he made many trips to Ne
braska, he did his chief land office work at
Washington. This he continued in sev
eral years, having influential friends and
finding good opportunities whieh he im
proved. He was interested iu bringing
the first printing press to Omaha, and as
sisted in the establishment of a paper
there. Of recent years Mr. Nichols has
given his attention mainly to the real-es
tate business, with his home and office in
Elyria, Lorain county, and has met with
marked success.
In November, 1843, he was married to
Miss Angeline D. Elliott, daughter of
Rev. Joseph Elliott, Baptist clergyman,

and two children have been born to them:
Ella Gertrude, wife of William Mills
paugh, of Middletown, N. Y., and Lelia
May, wife of Seymour Cromwell Prentiss,
of Detroit, Mich. They have four grand
children — George Marcus Millspaugh and
William L. Millspaugh, of Middletown,.
and Marion Louise Prentiss and Edith
Rouse Prentiss, of Detroit, Mich. — and
two great-grandchildren. On November
22, 1893, Mr. and Mrs. George E. Nichols
celebrated their Golden Wedding at the
home of their daughter, Ella Millspaugh,
in Middletown, Orange Co., N. Y., refer
ring to which interesting event a Middle-
town (N. Y.) paper of same date contains
the following:
Fifty years ago to-day, Mr. and Mrs. George E.
Nichols, of. Elyria, Ohio, were united in marriage.
They are spending the winter at the residence of
their daughter, Mrs. William Millspaugh, on Or
chard street in this city. Mr. and Mrs. Millspaugh
do not propose to let so important an event pass
without proper recognition, and accordingly have
invited a number of intimate friends of the family
and the acquaintances Mr. and Mrs. Nichols have
made during their visits to this city, to join with
them in celebrating, in a quiet way, the golden an
niversary of Mr. and Mrs. Nichols' marriage.
Mr. and Mrs. Nichols have been singularly
blessed during their half-century of married life.
They have been permitted to enjoy a reasonable
measure of worldly prosperity, and have reached
the allotted age of man in good physical and men
tal health. Two children have blessed their union
—Mrs. Millspaugh, of this city, and Mrs. Prentiss,
of Detroit; they have four grandchildren and two
great-grandchildren, and there has never been a
death in their family, nor in those of their children.
There are few who are permitted to look back over
fifty years of married life, and fewer still who can
survey the past with greater reason of thankfulness.
The friends of Mr. and Mrs. Nichols in this city
and elsewhere will wish them many happy returns
of their wedding anniversary.

'•HhUSSEL B. WEBSTER. A bio-
V^ graphical record of Lorain county
I ^ would indeed be incomplete were
y) mention not made of this gentle
man, who was one of the pioneer
settlers of Wellington township, and who
bore an honorable and influential part in
the early history of the county.

LORAIN COUNTY, OHIO.

583

Russel B. Webster was born in Otis,
Mass., April 25, 1799. He came to Ohio
in 1820 in search of a home, carrying sev
enty pounds of baggage upon his back.
He located a farm in Wellington, and re
turned to Otis, Mass., where he married
Orpha Hunter, and, returning to his forest
home with his bride, brought all their
possessions in a wagon drawn by a yoke
of oxen. To Russel and Orpha Webster
were bora the following named children:
Samuel H, now a retired merchant in
Shelbyville, 111.; Bidwell, a civil engin
eer, who died in Wellington, Ohio, Sep
tember 7, 1856; Leander, who commanded
a company in the Fourteenth Illinois Cav
alry during the Civil war, and who now
resides in Castalia, Iowa; David Philan
der, who died in infancy; Philander R.,
who commanded a company in an Illinois
regiment during its term of service, and
who died in Shelbyville, 111., April 14,
1884; William W., who emigrated to
Colorado in 1859, and was for four years
president of the Upper House of Colorado
Territory, and now resides in Pasadena,
Cal.; Loret, who died at the age of about
three years as the result of a fall ; Edward
F., who, after four years of service during
the Civil war, returned to Wellington,
where he has since been actively engaged
in business, and Leveret F., who died Jan
uary 29, 1861, as the result of an accident.
Mr. Webster was a perfect type of the
good old Massachusetts Puritan stock. He
was a man of remarkable physical powers
and endurance, and was endowed with in
tellectual powers and a mental vigor no less
remarkable. He joined the Congregational
Church during his early residence in Wel
lington, and during a long and useful life
was an earnest, active Christian worker.
He was thoroughly devoted to all that was
good, and sternly opposed to all that he
considered wroug. He went beyond the
requirements of the " golden rule " and
throughout his life was constantly doing
for others far more than he would have
asked others to do for him under similar

circumstances. In the early pioneer days,
when the struggle for existence was so
hard, and the opportunities for " lending
a helping hand " were so numerous, he
often taxed his physical powers to their
utmost in assisting neighbors and friends,
and never hesitated to contribute his last
dollar in case of urgent need. He was
active and indefatigable in every good
work, and contributed his full share toward
laying broad and deep the foundations of
religious order, good morals and good
society that have given to Lorain county its
honorable history. In the early days, Mr.
Webster commanded a militia company,
and thereafter was known as " Capt. Web
ster." In politics he was an ardent Whig,
while that party existed, and was con
sidered one of the " wheel horses " of the
party in the county. He joined the Re
publican party upon its organization, and
remained steadfast in his loyalty to it dur
ing the remainder of his life. He died in
Wellington January 31, 1881, honored by
all who knew him. His wife, Orpha Web
ster, survived him about one year.
To the life, work and example of the
class of pioneers to which Russel and
Orpha Webster belonged, Lorain county
owes an inextinguishable debt of gratitude.

'ONRAD HAGEMANN, one of the
most prominent and enterprising
agriculturists of Black River town
ship, was born in Hessia, Germany,
October 10, 1831, a son of John and Mar
tha (Heussner) Hagemann.
The family emigrated to the United
States and to Ohio, settling, in 1847, in Am
herst township, Lorain county, where they
followed farming. The father was born
about the year 1800, and died in North
Amherst in 1877; the mother passed away
in 1869 when aged about seventy-two
years. They were sturdy, hard-working
people, whe strove well to bring up their
family to usefulness and good citizenship;

584

LORAIN COUNTY, OHIO.

they were both members of the German
Reformed Church. They had a family of
eight children, as follows: John, a cabinet
maker by trade, died in North Amherst,
Ohio; Adam is a farmer in Black River
township, Lorain Co., Ohio; Henry is a
cabinet maker in Lorain, Ohio (he was a
soldier in the Mexican war) ; George died
in Louisville, Ky.; Conrad is the subject
of this sketch; Antone now lives in Inde
pendence, Iowa; Catherine is the wife of
Valentine Klotzbach; Matthew was a sol
dier, when twenty-three years old, in the
Civil war, and died in hospital in 1862.
Two of the above-named children — Henry
and Adam — had preceded the rest of the
family to America in 1845.
The subject of this sketch attended
school two winters after coming to Lorain
county, and spent the earlier years of his
life working on the farm and driving team.
Before reaching his majority he went to
Iowa for the purpose of buying land, but
remained there only one year, when he
was obliged to return home to take care of
his parents, who were becoming advanced
in years and needed his assistance. With
true filial piety he stayed by them till
their death. Mr. Hagemann purchased
his present farm of 118 acres of prime
land in Black River township the year
after bis marriage, and has lived on it
ever since.
On September 16, 1855, our subject was
united in marriage with Miss Catharine
Claus, daughter of Henry and Martha
(Hildebrand) Claus, and they have had a
family of fourteen children, namely: Two
died in infancy; Anna is the wife of
Michael Gegenheimer, and they now live
in Yermillion, Ohio (they have three chil
dren: Albert, Franklin and Ralph); Eliza
beth is the wife of John Beller, of North
Amherst, and they have four children:
Anna, William, Edna and Helen; Paulina
married Llenry Kolbe, and died leaving
four children: Frank, August, George and
Henry; Edna is the wife of Martin Trin-
ter, and they have five children: Philip,

Elmer, Lydia, Edna and William; Philip
(unmarried) runs a fishing tug at Lorain;
August carries on a brick yard in Lorain;
Martha resides at home; Albert attended
the business college at Oberlin, and is now
a bookkeeper; Robert, who also attended
business college, is living at home; Walter
is going to school; Herman is at school;
Elmer (yet a boy) is under the paternal
roof. Mr. Hagemann and all his grown-up
sons vote the Republican ticket, his first
vote being cast in 1852 for Gen. Scott.
The family are associated with the Re
formed Church at Amherst.

JO HILL, president of the Savings
Deposit Bank Company of Elyria, was
born in Erie county, Ohio, October
27, 1837, a son of E. P. and Sarah
Hill, natives of Connecticut. His educa
tion was received in his native State, first
at the high school in Berlin Heights, Erie
county, and afterward in Antioch College
at Yellow Springs, Greenecounty, at which
latter institution he was under the pre-
ceptorship of Horace Mann. His father
and grandfather were prominent pioneers
of Berlin Heights, and the former was a
member of the Ohio State Senate from
Erie county, in 1852 and 1853.
J. C. Hill after leaving college studied
law in Cleveland, and from tbe law college
in that city took his degree of LL. B. in
June, 1861, his A. B. having been re
ceived at the literary college in 1860. He
then practiced law one year in Elyria in
company with Judge J. C. Hale, they
having come to the then village from
Cleveland at the same time. Mr. Hill, at
the expiration of the year, practiced same
length of time alone, and then formed a
second partnership with Judge Hale, which
continued until 1864, when it was dis
solved. In that year our subject and W. A.
Braman entered into a copartnership in
live-stock dealing, which continued for

Sng. hy£',Q bVtitia ms

\dr*Tff

LORAIN COUNTY, OHIO.

587

three years, and was a success financially.
For several years after this he was engaged
in the nursery business, doing an extensive
trade, both wholesale and retail. On No
vember 1, 1872, Mr. Hill, in company
with T. L. Nelson, organized and started a
private banking company, with unlimited
liability of stockholders, and at the end of
the second year there were twelve mem
bers in the company representing a re
sponsibility in the bauk of half a million.
This secured for the institution the un
bounded confidence of the public, and as a
result the bank was soon enabled to double
its capital from its own earnings, besides
paying regular dividends. It was known
as "The Savings Deposit Bank of Elyria,"
and without doubt was one of the most
flourishing and safe institutions of the
kind in the State. In 1890 it was reorgan
ized and incorporated as a regular stock
bank with a paid-up capital of two hun
dred thousand dollars, and surplus amount
ing to twelve thousand dollars. In March,
1893, the bank carried loans to the extent
of over one million dollars, and had deposit
accounts aggregating nine hundred and
fifty thousand dollars. Mr. Hill was the first
cashier and manager, and, at the death in
1890 of Mr. T. L. Nelson, the president,
he succeeded to the presidency, retaining
the managership. At the time of the re
organization, fifteen new directors were
elected, who meet twice a year, and a
finance committee which meets once each
week. On January 2, 1861, Mr. Hill was mar
ried to Miss Etta M. Wilson, of Elizabeth,
N. J., whom be first met as a schoolmate
under Horace Mann, and who lacked only
one year of graduation at Antioch College.
Five children have heen born to this union,
of whom the following three are still liv
ing: Ralph W-> head bookkeeper in the
bank already referred to; Arthur E.,
superintendent of the Independence Horse
and Cattle Company, North Park, Colo.,
and Ed^tha L., at present attending school
in Philadelphia, Penn. Mr. Hill is a

Republican in politics; socially he is a
Royal Arch Mason, and a member of the
Royal Arcanum. Since 1879 he has been
a member of the school board of Elyria,
and president o'f same since 1888. He is
the leading stockholder in the Independ
ence Horse and Cattle Company of North
Park, Colo., which company owns a large
tract of valuable land within twelve miles
of the snow line in that State, and about
eight hundred high-grade Hereford cattle.
Mr. Hill is a man of broad views, keen,
quick perceptions, sterling integrity and a
spotless reputation— qualities which have
secured him the unlimited confidence of
the people with whom he has come in con
tact. In addition to his duties as manager
of the largest moneyed institution in the
county, he has, as executor, settled several
large estates, discharging his duties with
characteristic fidelity. An honorable, up
right life, guided by rare mental endow^
ments, and a delicately adjusted mental
balance, rarely fails to achieve success.
Success in this case has not been to the
possessor of these gifts alone. His equip
ment and business sagacity have not only
been turned to good account by his associ
ates in business, but the public has been
a generous beneficiary of his excellent
common sense aud sound, mature judg
ment. Mr. Hill having hut slightly passed the
noon mark of a useful career, with a lovely
home, and pleasant family and social sur
roundings, may well take pride in the
gathered fruits of his well-ordered and
oorrect life.

G.BALLANTINE,D.D.,LL.D., president of Oberlin College, was
born in the City of Washing
ton, D. C, December 7, 1848, a
son of Elisha and Betsey A. (Watkins) Bal-
lantine. The name is Scotch, and the first
of the family emigrated to America about
the year 1648, locating in Boston, where

LORAIN COUNTY OHIO.

they and their descendants lived for some
generations. The first Ballantine gradu
ated from Harvard College in 1694.
Rev. Elisha Ballantine, LL. D., father
of subject, was born in the State of
New York, and received his literary and
classical education at the University of
Athens, Ohio. For many years he was
professor of Greek in the University of
Indiana. He died in 1886 at an advanced
age. His wife, who was Miss Betsey A.
Watkins, was bora in Prince Edward
county, Ya., and died in 1873, the mother
of a large family of children, of whom the
subject of this sketch is the seventh.
Pres. Ballautine received his elementary
education mostly at home. He took the
Freshman and Sophomore years at Wabash
(Indiana) College; in 1866 he entered the
junior class at Marietta (Ohio) College,
graduating in 1868 A. B. While yet a
student and after graduation he followed
civil engineering, and in 1869 became a
member of the Ohio State Geological Sur
vey. Subsequently he entered Union
Seminary, New York, and there, under
the preceptorship of Dr. Henry B. Smith,
studied theology, graduating in 1872. In
that same year, desiring to drink still deeper
of the Pierian Spring, he proceeded to
Leipsic, Germany, for the purpose of study
ing Hebrew under Delitzsch. In 1873,
as a member of the American Palestine
Exploring Expedition, he traveled through
out the Holy Land for about six months, the
territory east of the Jordan being the por-
• tion chiefly visited by the expedition. On
his return to the United States he was ap
pointed to a professorship in Ripon (Wis.)
College, occupying the Chair of Chemis
try and Natural Science from 1874 to
1876; was assistant professor of Greek in
Indiana University from 1876 to 1878, and
was professor of Greek and Hebrew Exe
gesis in Oberlin (Ohio) Theological Semi
nary from 1878 to 1880. From 1880 to
1891 he was Professor of Old Testament
Language and Literature in the same in
stitution-. For some time the Professor

was one of the editors of the "Bibliotheca
Sacra." In 1880 he was ordained to the
Congregational miuistry; in 1885 he re
ceived the honorary degree of D. D. from
Marietta College, and in 1891 the degree
of LL. D. from Western Reserve Univer
sity. On January 28, 1891, he was elected
president of Oberlin College. It will thus
be seen that Prof. Ballantine's reading,
study and teaching, have been of a remark
ably versatile nature, and his breadth of
knowledge and executive ability are too
well known to here require any comment.
In 1875 Prof. W. G. Ballantine was
married in Waupun, Wis., to Miss Emma
F. Atwood, and four children have been
born to them, namely: Henry W., Arthur
A., Edward and Mary F.

EY. JOHN MILLOTT ELLIS,
A.M., professor of mental and
moral philosophy, Stone professor*-
ship, Oberlin College, is a native
of New Hampshire, born in Jaf-
frey, March 27, 1831, a son of Seth B. and
Lucy (Joslin) Ellis.
The father of subject was born in Keene,
N. H, where he was reared and educated.
At the age of fifty he came west to Ohio,
locating in Oberlin, where he carried on a
planing mill and lumber yard. He died
in 1865, at tbe age of seventy- five years,
his wife when seventy -seven years old, the
mother of ten children, nine of whom came
with their parents to Oberlin. Timothy
Ellis, great-grandfather of subject, was a
colonel in the Revolution, and participated
in the capture of Fort Ticonderoga; he
was ninety years old at the time of his
death, which occurred in Keene, N. H.
The subject of this memoir received his
elementary education at the common
schools of his boyhood days, after which, at
the age of sixteen, he entered Oberlin Col
lege, where he graduated in 1851. He
then taught school for a time, was also
professor in Mississippi College, Clinton,

LORAIN COUNTY, OHIO.

589

Miss., three years. In 1857 he was ap
pointed to a Greek professorship in Ober
lin College, which he filled for nine years;
after this he occupied the Chair of phi
losophy, rhetoric and composition, etc., and
more recently that of mental and moral
philosophy. During life he has been active,
for many years in ministerial work as pas
tor of the Secoud Congregational Church
at Oberlin, and supplying churches in
Cleveland, and other neighboring towns.
In 1862 Prof. Ellis was married to Miss
Minerva Emeline Tenney, and four chil
dren have been born to them, all sons, viz.:
Albert H, Theodore H, John T. and
Luman M. Mrs. Ellis is a graduate of the
literary course of Oberlin College, class of
1858. Her grandfather, Judge Harris,
was a pioneer of Lorain county, and her
father, Dr. Luman Tenney, was a native
of Yermont.

q'/EORGE FREDERICK WRIGHT,
r, D. D., LL. D., F. G. S. A., profes-
jl sor of the Harmony of Science and
U Revelation in Oberlin Theological
Seminary.
Concerning this learned gentleman, we
excerpt from an article in a recent num
ber of the " Popular Science Monthly "
the following: " Prof. George Frederick
Wright has come within a few years to a
foremost position among authorities in
geology and the antiquity of man. His
studies of glacial action have been thor
ough, extended, comprehensive, and fruit
ful of results beyond those of almost any
other single observer, and make singularly
fitting the curious designation given him
by Judge Baldwin, secretary of the West
ern Reserve Historical Society, as ' the
apostle of the Ice Age and Early Man.' "
Prof. Wright was bora at Whitehall, N.
Y., January 22, 1838, a son of Walter and
Mary (Peabody) Wright — he a native of
New YTork State, she of New Brunswick,
N. J., and both descended from New Eng
land families. " They were plain people,

in moderate circumstances, not exempt
from the necessity of labor, who, parti
cipating in the sentiment which that in
stitution then represented, sent their son
to Oberlin College, five hundred miles
away." Here in 1859 he graduated in the
classical course, and in 1862 from the
Theological Seminary. While taking his
Theological course be served as a private in
Company C, Seventh O. Y. I., in which he
had enlisted on the first call of President
Lincoln for troops; but a severe sickness
led to his discharge after five months en
rollment. In the fall of 1862 he became
pastor of the Congregational Church at
Bakersfield, Yt., an incumbency he en
joyed for about ten years, at the end of
which time (1872) he accepted a call to
one of the Congregational Churches of
Andover, Mass. From the magazine al
ready quoted from we glean the following,
illustrative of Prof. Wright's multifarious
labors: "Besides attending to his pastoral
duties, and engaging actively in revival
work in his own church and in the sur
rounding towns, he entered vigorously
into educational movements; started and
presided over a vigorous farmers' club;
studied the local geology and wrote articles
for the country papers on the glacial
phenomena of the region; read his He
brew Bible through, and translated 'Kant's
Critique of Pure Reason,' besides several
of Plato's philosophical works."
While in the discharge of his ministerial
duties in Andover, Mass., he enjoyed the
friendship of the professors in the Theolog
ical Seminary, made the acquaintance of
Prof. Asa Gray, of Harvard, and com
menced an active literary career. His
special attention was directed to the gla
cial phenomena of the region, and as early
as 1876 his observations were volumi
nously reported in the " Proceedings of the
Boston Society of Natural Philosophy."
After making himself familiar with the
glacial phenomena of New England, " he
was invited in 1881, by Prof. Lesley, to
survey, in company with the late Prof.

590

LORAIN COUNTY, OHIO.

H. Carvill Lewis, the boundary of the
glaciated area across Pennsylvania to the
border of Ohio."
During his pastorate at Andover he
also published a number of articles in the
" Bibliotheca Sacra," notably one on the
theology of President Finney, and four on
Darwinism. Numerous articles from his
pen also appeared in various other serials,
and in 1880 he published his book en
titled "The Logic of Christian Evidences."
"Studies in Science and Religion," "The
Relation of Death to Probation," and " The
Divine Authority of the Bible," rapidly
followed each other, and showed to the
Christian public that a calm, clear, fear
less yet fair advocate of Revealed Chris
tianity was coming to the front.
In 1881 he was called to the Chair of
New Testament Exegesis in Oberlin The
ological Seminary, and almost the first
question he asked after his arrival in Ober
lin was a geological one: "What is the
age of the canon of Plum Creek?" This
stream is modest enough in its meander-
ings, " but Prof. Wright made it and its
work in denudation, in his 'Ice Age in
North America,' the basis of an important
and interesting calculation concerning the
antiquity of the Great Ice Age." During
the summers of 1882-83 he continued his
geological survey across Ohio, Indiana and
a part of Illinois, the result of which work
was published by the Western Reserve
Historical Society under the title of " The
Glacial Boundary in Ohio, Indiana and
Kentucky," which attracted wide atten
tion. The two summer vacations of 1884-
85 were spent by Prof. Wright under the
auspices of the United States Government
in tracing the terminal moraine across the
western States to the Mississippi; in re
viewing the field of Ohio and western
Pennsylvania, and in verifying his previous
work. Later he spent a summer in Alaska,
pamping for a month beside the great
Muir glacier. In 1887 he was invited to
give a course of eight Lowell Institute
Lectures at Boston, which were afterward

repeated in Baltimore, Md.,and Brooklyn,
N. Y., and were enlarged into his volume
on " The Ice Age in North America."
The summer of 1890 Prof. Wright spent
in the lava fields of the West, where he
obtained additional and exceedingly valu
able evidence of tbe existence of man in
Idaho and California prior to the lava out
pour. The summer of 1891 he passed in
Europe, where he was warmly greeted by
the glacialists of England, his fame as a
specialist in glacial geology having pre
ceded him there. In the winter of 1891—
92 he gave a second course of lectures in
the Lowell Institute, Boston, to uniformly
large audiences. Besides his geological
and theological publications already enu
merated, numerous articles from his pen
have appeared in various serials. His
book entitled " Logic of Christian Evi
dences," already referred to, at once at
tained a wide circulation,' and is used in
several schools as a text book.
In 1862 Prof. G. F. Wright was
united in marriage in Sheffield township,
Lorain county, with Miss Hulda M. Day,
daughter of William Day, and four chil
dren have been born to them, named, re
spectively, Mary A., Etta M., Frederick
B. and Helen M.

B. EYERITT, M. D., a successful
medical practitioner of Lorain coun
ty, having his residence in Kipton,
Camden township, claims descent
from a "Mayflower family."
He was born in Litchfield township,
Medina Co., Ohio, September 24, 1846, a
son of Abner Everitt, a native of Con
necticut, born in Litchfield, April- 15,
1798, a son of Abner Everitt, who was
born May 12, 1764, and whose father,
Daniel, was born in Connecticut in 1715.
Abner, father of subject, was married in
the "Nutmeg State," February 20, 1828,
to Hannah Mallory, who was born 'in
Litchfield county, May 7, 1809. He was

LORAIN COUNTY, OHIO.

591

by occupation a farmer, and was proprietor of
a grist and saw mill. About 1834 he and
his family came to Genesee county, N. Y.,
and from there in 1836 to Ohio, making
the journey by ox-team. They located in
Litchfield township, where the father bought
land, totally wild and unimproved. Here
they had to blaze the trees to mark out the
roads, etc., and in the midst of the somber
forest they built them a log house of a
very primitive style of architecture, but
comfortable and commodious enough. Here
the parents passed the remainder of their
pioneer days, the father dying April 2,
1857, the mother December 25, 1888, and
they rest from their labors in Litchfield
cemetery. They were members of the M.
E. Church. Politically Mr. Everitt was
for a long time an Old-line Whig, in later
years a Republican. In Connecticut chil
dren were born to them as follows: Nura-
nia E., born September 24, 1829, widow of
Hanson Cole, to whom she was married
March 14, 1858, in Medina county, Ohio
(she now lives in Fulton county); Jedidah,
born April 29, 1831, deceased August 16,
1834; Augusta M., bora November 17,
1834, died August 15, 1866. In Litchfield
township, Medina county, the following
were born: A son born February 6. 1837,
died February 22, 1837; Jedidah H., born
May 10, 1838, died December 19, 1860;
Aaron M., born March 7, 1841, died July
30, 1842; Ambrose M., bora November
14, 1843, enlisted September 15, 1862, at
Cleveland, in Company B, One Hundred
and Twenty-fourth Regiment O. Y. I., was
wounded May 15, 1864, at Resaca, Ga.,
and died June 8, 1864, in the hospital at
Chattanooga, Tenn., and was buried in the
Soldiers' cemetery (he served under Capt.
G. W. Lewis, of Medina, Ohio, and took
part in the following engagements: Spring
Hill, Chickamauga, Brown's Ferry, Or
chard Ridge, Rock Face Ridge and Res
aca); Abner B., subject of this sketch;
and Daniel Quincy, born August 26, 1849,
died on the home farm July 5, 1872 (he
was a school teacher).

From history written by Thirza J.
Strong, aunt of our subject on his father's
side, the following is taken: "My grand
parents on my mother's side emigrated to
this country in the early part of the seven
teenth century, to enjoy religious freedom.
In England they of my grandmother's
family were some of the families of the
Lords or Earls, selling all of their landed
possessions, reserving only their silver
service aud jewels with their money. Set
tled in Massachusetts; four daughters only
of the family. The oldest married Col.
Ethan Allen, of Revolutionary fame. The
second married Abraham Brownson, who
was my grandfather. He was killed by
being flung from a horse in the year 1785.
My grandmother died at my father's in
the year 1815, being between eighty and
ninety years of age; Abigal Brownson by
name. By this marriage there were three
sons and two daughters, my mother being
the oldest of the family. Her sister mar
ried Elias Merwin, and moved to the far
west. Livona, in York State. She soon
after died. My uncles were Deacon Myers
Brownson, Abraham and Israel. None but
Israel had any family. Three brothers
Brownson came from England and bought
a large tract of land in the town of Rox
bury, Conn. Two of the brothers died,
leaving my grandfather alone. Then he
sold and moved to Bethlehem, Litchfield
county, Connecticut, where my parents
were married."
A. B. Everitt, whose name opens this
sketch, was reared a farmer boy, and re
ceived his elementary education at the
common schools and in those of the
"Nevins District," which well prepared
him for taking up the profession of school
teaching. He taught in Seneca, Sandusky
and Medina counties. Later he attended
Oberlin College for about three terms, but
prior to this he had been reading medicine
at home, simply to gratify a natural desire
he entertains for knowledge of that nature.
These studies he continued under Dr. R.
Y. Gamble, of Liverpool, Ohio, and in

592

LORAIN COUNTY, OHIO.

February, 1884, he received his diploma
from Adelbert College, Cleveland, Ohio,
and in the first class after the consolidation
of the Wooster and Adelbert Colleges.
In 1880 he left the home farm, where he
had hitherto lived, and which had come
into his possession, and made his residence
in the village of Litchfield until 1889, in
which year he came to Kipton, and has
here since resided. During his stay at
Litchfield he practiced medicine, and he
has been very successful since coming to
Kipton. In March. 1880, Dr. Everitt was united
in marriage with Miss Frankie A. Plank,
who was bora in Castorland, Lewis Co.,
N. Y., a daughter of Jacob Plank, a
farmer. She was on a visit to relatives in
Medina county, Ohio, when she and the
Doctor " met by chance, the usual way."
To Dr. A. B. and Frankie A. Everitt was
born November 19, 1885, a daughter,
Mary H. Our subject and wife are mem
bers of the Methodist Church, and in poli
tics Dr. Everitt is a straight Republican.
He is a member of Lodge No. 381, F. &
A. M., at Litchfield, Ohio; of Wellington

Lod, 92,

re No. 44, K. of P., and of Tent No.
O. T. M., Kipton.

J | AMES W. CHAPMAN, manager
and secretary of the Ohio Co-oper-
' ative Shear Company, Elyria, was
born in Avon, Lorain Co., Ohio,
July 5, 1846, the only child of Amasa and
Catharine (Wood) Chapman.
The parents of our subject were both of
English descent, and the father was born
in Ashford, Conn., December 3, 1813, the
mother in Chester, Mass., January 22,
1816. The maiden name of the grand
mother of James W. Chapman, on the
mother's side, was Betsey Brewster, and
she was a direct descendant of William
Elder Brewster, who came over in the
" Mayflower." The subject of this sketch was a boy of
six when his father died. When he was

eleven years old, his mother having re
married, the family removed to Castile,
N. Y., where he remained until he was
of age, when he returned to Ohio and
settled in Elyria. Here he was engaged
in loaning money, and attending to his
property interests until 1882, at which
time the Ohio Shear Company was organ
ized, and he was elected to the manager
ship, which position he held until the
company was dissolved and the Ohio Co
operative Shear Company organized. He
was then chosen manager of this company,
and continued in tbat incumbency until
January, 1890, when he was chosen
manager and secretary of the company,
which position he occupies at the present
time. In politics he is a strong protec
tionist and a stanch Republican.
On July 25, 1867, Mr. Chapman was
married to Margaret A. Darling, daughter
of Joshua H. Darling, president of the
First National Bank of Warsaw, N. Y.,
who was the son of Judge Joshua Darling,
of Henniker, N. H. Five children have
been born to Mr. and Mrs. Chapman, viz.:
Robert Mosher, William Brewster, Grace
Darling, Arthur Wood and Alice Darling.
The family are members of the First Con
gregational Church of Elyria, and are
active workers in that organization.
The works of the Ohio Co-opeeative
Sheae Company are situated in the- west
E art of the town of Elyria, on the Cleveland,
,orain & Wheeling tracks near their junc
tion with the Lake Shore & Michigan South
ern R. R. The buildings consist of three
large structures, in addition to the boiler
and engine rooms, the whole covering an
area of some ten thousand feet, and the
works are divided into ten departments.
The main building is two and a half
stories, with a frontage of fifty feet, run
ning back one hundred and fifty feet, the
rear part of the building being one story
high. The engine room is eighteen feet
square, containing a seventy-five-horse
power engine and boiler. There are two

LORAIN COUNTY, OHIO.

593

other buildings, one 16 x 30, the other
20 x 40, in which are kept the raw mate
rials from which the shears and scissors
are manufactured. The present company
was organized seven years ago, and started
with about forty employes. The business
has so increased that now there are seventy-
five employes with a monthly pay roll of
over twenty-five hundred dollars.

JOHN SCOTT. In the land of the
Scots, of which the poets have so
often sung, the " land of the mountain
and the flood," and in the county of
Dumfries, was bora April 8, 1819, the
gentleman whose name here appears.
He is a son of Walter Scott, also a native
of Dumfriesshire, born in 1780, a son of
John Scott, who lived to be over ninety-
seven years of age, and who was a shep
herd on the muirs and hills of Scotland.
Walter Scott married Miss Mary Burton,
of the same county, a daughter of Henry
Burton, and the children of this union, all
born in Scotland, were Helen, deceased in
Scotland; Jane, widow of Robert Brannan,
of Ionia, Mich. ; Henry, of Kipton, Lorain
county; John, subject of this sketch ; Wal
ter G., of Kipton; and William, who died
in his native country. The father was by
trade a stonemason, which he followed for
several years in his native land, and he was
also a " carrier," doing errands, principally
of a commercial character, buying, carting,
delivering and marketing goods for the
people along his particular route. In 1826
he came alone to the United States, land
ing in New York with but three half -pence
(three cents) in his pocket. He at once
obtained work, however, at his trade, but
later he hired out as a hostler for a country
tavern, aud managed to save some money.
Having now three hundred dollars, he de
cided to send for his wife and family, and
accordingly proceeded to New York in
order to secure their passage, but falling
in with a bogus " captain," the latter
swindled him -out of every cent of his sav

ings. He had no recourse now except to
go to work as before, which he did, saving
his money until he had another sum of
three hundred dollars laid by. In 1830 he
returned to Scotland, and in April set sail
with the family, arriving in Quebec after
a passage of six weeks on the " Mary Ann."
From Quebec they moved westward to
Montreal, thence to St. John's, near that
city, and from there by Lake Champlain
to Ontario county, N. Y., near the foot of
Seneca Lake, and here the entire family,
except our subject, were seized with fever
and ague. In the spring of 1834 they set
out for Ohio via Erie Canal and Lake Erie
to Huron, Ohio. In Camden township,
Lorain county, Walter Scott bought fifty
acres of wild land for two dollars per acre,
and here erected a temporary shelter, very
rough and primitive, which was succeeded
by a more pretentious cabin in which they
passed their first winter in these parts.
This stood on the site of our subject's present
home, and here the parents died, the father
in January, 1877, the mother in Novem
ber, 1847, and they lie buried in Camden'
cemetery. They were Presbyterians, and
iu politics he was a Democrat.
The subject of this sketch was reared on
a farm, and received the greater part of his'
education in his native country. At the
age of twenty-one he expressed a desire to
leave home, but his father prevailed on
him to remain, which he did, and with
true filial piety cared for his parents in
their declining years, at his father's death
falling heir to the home farm of fifty acres.
This he has since increased to 120 acres,
and has in all his labor made a success.
On December 22, 1842, Mr. Scott was
united in marriage with Climena J. Whit
ney, who bore him five children, viz.:
Mary L., Mrs. Charles Buckley, of Hen
rietta township; Jane, deceased; Helen,
Mrs. Charles Arnold, of Denver, Colo.;
Frances, Mrs. Leando Bates, of Colorado
Springs, Colo.; and John H., of Cleve
land, Ohio. On August 27, 1854, the
mother of these died, and she now reposes

594

LORAIN COUNTY, OHIO.

in Camden cemetery. For his second wife
Mr. Scott married, in 1855, Sarah A.
Shattuc, who died in September, 1880,
and in 1881 he was wedded to his present
wife, Hannah E. (Brumby). In politics
our subject is a Democrat, and he has held
various township offices. He is a member
of the Methodist Church, of which he is
steward, and enjoys the respect of the en-
tiro community. Mr. ScQtt is remarkable
for his kind-heartedness and generosity,
has never had a lawsuit, never sued anyone,
and has never been sued.

\M. A. BRAMAN, a leading and
progressive citizen of Lorain
county, is a native of the same,
born in Carlisle township Octo
ber 4, 1836. His grandparents, on his
father's side, had come from Genesee
county, N. Y., to Avon township, Lorain
county, in 1822.
Anson Braman, father of subject, was
born May 30, 1811, in Genesee county,
N. Y., whence in 1822 he removed to
Avon township, Lorain county, and from
there to Carlisle township, where he fol
lowed the vocation of farmer and nursery
man. In 1855 he came to Elyria, same
county, and here carried on the nursery
business until 1872, when he moved to
Northport, Mich. In 1835, at Carlisle,
Lorain county, he married Miss Emeline
Yincent, a native of Massachusetts, born
October 10, 1818, at Mt. Washington,
Berkshire county, removing with her par
ents to Carlisle, Lorain Co., Ohio, in 1834.
Their eldest child is the subject of these
lines. W. A. Braman passed the first twenty-
one years of his life on the home farm, at
intervals attending the schools of the
neighborhood, and then, being desirous of
securing better education, he worked by
the month on other farms; teaching school
during the winter gave him the necessary
funds with which to gratify his desires,

and thus glided past six more years of his
life. In 1864 he commenced the business
of live-stock dealing, which he followed
until 1870, in partnership with J. E.
Boynton and J. C. Hill; then with J. E.
Boynton was engaged in the purchase and
sale of cheese. During the spring of 1874
was founded the firm of Braman, Hon- &
Warner, for the manufacture of and gen
eral dealing in butter and cheese, which
firm became oneof the largest in northern
Ohio. On April 27, 1865, Mr. Braman was
united in marriage with Miss Sophia E.
Patterson, then twenty-one years of age,
daughter of Hiram Patterson, and children
as follows have been born to them: Theo
dore W., in 1867; Charles M.,in 1869 (he
is cashier of the Savings Bank at Medina);
and Belle Louise, in 1872. This union has
proved a most fortunate and happy one.
Mrs. Braman, a most estimable woman,
has done well her part in contributing
to the happiness of their pleasant home.
Mr. Braman has earned success by his
enterprise, natural shrewdness and well-
established reputation for integrity. He
stands prominently among the foremost
business men of the county, and the sev
eral institutions with which he has been
closely in touch attest his eminent quali
ties as a counselor and financier in their
unbroken line of successes. He enjoys a
very wide acquaintance throughout the
county, and has hosts of friends who have
shown their appreciation of his qualifica
tions for official positions by electing him
from time to time to various offices of
trust in Lorain county, among which may
be mentioned: County commissioner, one
term; county treasurer, four years from
1876; township trustee and city council
man for several years; has been president
of the Lorain County Agricultural Society
seven years, and for a much longer period
one of its officers; is present president of
the Farmers' Institute of Lorain County;
for twenty years was a director in the
Elyria Savings Deposit Bank Co., of

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LORAIN COUNTY, OHIO.

597

which he was one of the founders, has
been a member of the finance committee
from its organization, and is now vice-
president; has been a member of the Union
School board nineteen years, and president
of same a considerable time. In the
House of Representatives he served four
years (1887-91), throughout which entire
period he was on the finance cominittee,
and during his service in the Sixty-eighth
General Assembly many bills of impor
tance were introduced and passed, includ
ing laws affecting Temperance and Sunday
observance, largely through his influence,
as of such matters he is a pronounced
champion. Mr. Braman is what may be
termed a Temperance Republican, taking
an active interest in all moral questions.
Since September 1, 1891, he has been
president of the Republican Printing Co.,
and editor of the Elyria Republican, the
oldest newspaper in the county, and en
joying the largest circulation, which, as
well as its general business, has rapidly
increased during the last few years of its
existence. Mr. Braman has dealt largely in real
estate, and has been very active in all
business matters. But few men have
come more directly in contact with the
financial interests of Lorain county, and
none have commanded more completely
the respect and confidence of the commu
nity at large. He has risen by his own
individual efforts and may justly be styled
" a self-made man." His wide circle of
friends and acquaintances confidently be
speak for him a long-continued active
career.

LYIN PELTON, one of the leading
and most highly esteemed farmer
citizens of Russia township, is a na
tive of Trumbull county, Ohio,
born in the town of Gustavus De
cember 1, 1819.
Harvey Pelton, father of subject, was
born in Connecticnt, and was twelve years

old when his father, Josiah, brought him
to Trumbull county, they being among the
first settlers there. He was reared to farm
ing, aud learned the trade of chair maker.
In Ohio he was married to Miss Mary
Bailey, who was born in Pittsburgh, Penn.,
where her parents had tarried while en
route to Ohio. After marriage the young
couple located on the old homestead farm,
which the husband worked on, at same time
occasionally following his trade. The chil
dren born to them were as follows: Seth, in
Cheboygan, Wis. ; Alvin, subject proper of
sketch; Russell, a retired farmer of Wau
paca, Wis.; Miranda, widow of W. F.
Lawrence, of Sioux City, Minn.; Mary B.,
Mrs. Jolm Cisson, of Minnesota; Abi
gail E., who married Henry Wilbur, died
in Michigan; Samuel N., a harness maker
of Pomona, Cal.; Martha, Mrs. J. B. Lake,
of St. Louis. Mo.; and Lydia A., who died
at the age of eighteen. The father died
May 10, 1837, of rapid consumption, al
though he had been in feeble health for
many years, and was buried at Russell,
Geauga Co., Ohio, whither he had moved
in the fall of 1833, and bought a piece of
new land, which was being cleared up.
The subject of this sketch received a
common-school education, and was reared
a farmer boy. As he was but a youth
when his father died, and next the eldest in
the family, he went to work pretty early
in life, in order to provide for his younger
brothers and sisters, and his widowed
mother. He found plenty to do in assist
ing to clear the land of timber and brush,
chopping down trees, etc., for which he re
ceived twenty-five cents per day. Thus he
remained at the old home until he was
married, after which he located on fifty
acres left for his mother, who went west to
Cheboygan, Wis., where she died in 1858,
and was there buried. In the spring of
1855 our subject sold his farm in Geauga
county, Ohio, and moved to Russia town
ship, Lorain county, where he bought his
present valuable farm of ninety-four and a
half acres. Here he has since resided, with

598

LORAIN COUNTY, OHIO.

the exception of three and one half years
he lived in Oberlin, same county, while
having his younger daughter educated at
the college there. For the past eighteen
years he has been engaged in the manufac
ture of cheese, and has met with every
success in both that and his general farm
ing operations.
On April 3, 1851, Mr. Pelton was mar
ried in Geauga county, Ohio, to Caroline
McFarland, daughter of Abel and Olive
(Randall) McFarland, natives, the father
of Massachusetts, the mother of New
York State. The latter died when her
daughter Caroline was fifteen years old,
and the orphan girl afterward made her-
home with some of her sisters. The fol
lowing named children have been born to
Mr. and Mrs. Alvin Pelton: Clarence H,
a farmer of Russia township; Flora, who
was married to Milliard Franks, and died
in Michigan; and Carrie M., now Mrs.
Harry Cook, of Oberlin, Ohio. Mr. Pel-
ton is a Republican, and invariably de
clines political preferment. Mrs. Pelton
is a member of the Methodist Church.

4J

MRS. ELIZABETH W. (RUS
SELL) LORD, assistant princi
pal of the Woman's Department,
Oberlin (Ohio) College, was born
at Kirtland, Ohio, April 28, 1819,
the eldest child of Alpheus C. and Eliza
beth (Conant) Russell, natives of Massa
chusetts, the father of Hampshire county,
the mother of Berkshire county.
The subject of this memoir received her
elementary education in the public schools,
after which she became the pupil of Rev.
Truman Coe, pastor of the Congregational
Church at Kirtland, Ohio. In 1838 she
came to Oberlin, Lorain county, and at the
college located there finished her educa
tion. On July 21, 1842, she was married
to Dr. Asa D. Lord, and they returned to
Kirtland, where she assisted him in his
work in the Western Reserve Teachers'

Seminary at that place. In 1847 they
moved to Columbus, Ohio, in order to es
tablish in that city a system of graded pub
lic schools, the first of the kind in the
State. When the high school opened,
Mrs. Lord became the first principal, and
she and her husband remained in connec
tion with the public schools until 1856,
when Dr. Lord was given charge of the
Institution for the Blind there, in which
labor Mrs. Lord assisted bim till 1868,
when he left that institution to organize
the new State Institution for the Blind at
Batavia, N. Y. With this last named
they were connected till 1875, the year of
his death, he as superintendent and she as
teacher, and Mrs. Lord then succeeded him
as superintendent. Mrs. Lord performed
the duties of that important office until
the fall of 1877, when she no longer
deemed it best to act as superintendent.
Her resignation was reluctantly accepted,
on condition that she remain in the insti
tution. In this connection we here give
an extract from the superintendent's report
to the trustees of the New York State In
stitution for the Blind, showing in a meas
ure the high esteem in which Mrs. Lord
was held by all concerned, the several reso
lutions being adopted and printed as a part
of the regular report:
"Resolved, That in the judgment of
this board, the connection of Mrs. Asa D.
Lord with this institution for the last nine
years, first as teacher and afterward as
superintendent, has contributed largely to
its success, and by her wise administration
of its interests she has shown herself emi
nently fitted to conduct the education of
the blind.
"Resolved, That in voluntarily with
drawing from the institution she bears
with her tbe high esteem of this board as
a conscientious and accomplished Christian
lady, and their best wishes for her in any
station of usefulness in which she may
hereafter be placed. Permit me to place
on record along with these resolutions a
fact which recently came to my knowledge,

LORAIN COUNTY, OHIO.

599

viz.: that Mrs. Lord has certainly taught
more blind persons to read than any other
single teacher of the blind in this land,
and probably more than any other in the
world." After a few months with her only child,
Mrs. Henry Fisk Tarbox, of Batavia, N.
Y., Mrs. Lord returned to the institution,
and spent five more years in labors for the
blind. In 1884 she was appointed to her
present position of assistant principal of
the Woman's Department of Oberlin Col
lege, a position in which she gives eminent
satisfaction. In 1890 she gave eleven
thousand dollars toward the building of
Lord Cottage at Oberlin. Mrs. Lord is a
member of the Second Congregational
Church. De. Asa D. Loed was born in Madrid,
St. Lawrence Co., N. Y ., June 17, 1816,
and the early years of his life were spent
on the farm, and in attending the district
school. The death of his father, when he
was but two years of age, left the direction
of his education to his mother — a gifted
woman and an experienced teacher. At
the age of seventeen he taught his first
school, and subsequently pursued a course
of study at Potsdam (N. Y.) Academy.
In 1837 he moved to Ohio, and in the vil
lage of Willoughby opened a private school,
and the following year entered the Sopho
more class in Western Reserve College.
In 1839 he was chosen principal of the
Western Reserve Teachers' Seminary, at
Kirtland, Ohio, a position he filled for
eight years with characteristic ability and
skill. In 1843 he formed a teachers' class,
composed of teachers in the vicinity, and
pupils in the seminary who intended to
teach. This was the first teachers' insti
tute in Ohio, and one of the first in the
country. Three years later he attended
and assisted in conducting the first teach
ers' institute in Jackson county, Mich.
While principal of the Western Reserve
Teachers' Seminary he studied medicine,
attending lectures at the Willoughby Medi
cal College, from which he received a

diploma; but he netfer entered upon regu
lar practice. In 1846 he gave to life the
"Ohio School Journal," publishing the
first volume in Kirtland, and continuing
it in Columbus. He remained in journal
istic work in the cause of education for ten
years — from 1846 to 1856 — editing in the
meantime other journals of a kindred
nature. But his editorial labors did not
engross the whole of bis time. In 1847
he accepted the position of superintendent
of public schools of Columbus. He was
an instructor and lecturer in the first In
stitutes held in the State of Ohio, and was
one of the organizers of the Ohio Teachers'
Association. At the close of 1853 he re
signed the superintendency of the Colum
bus schools to accept the position of agent
for the State Teachers' Association, but in
1855 was again elected superintendent.
In 1856 he once more resigned to accept
the position of superintendent of the Ohio
Institution for the Blind, which under his
able direction soon took rank among the
first of its kind in the land. While con
nected with that institution he studied
theology, and in 1863 was licensed to
preach by the Presbytery of Franklin.
After over twelve years' experience as an
instructor of the blind in Ohio, Dr. Lord
was given charge of the new State Institu
tion for the Blind at Batavia, N. Y., where
he remained its zealous, kind-hearted,
philanthropic superintendent and instruct
or up to the time of his death, which
occurred March 7, 1875. He died beloved
and esteemed by all, and the world will
truly be better because it has once felt the
inspiration of his life and presence.

EY. CHARLES H. CHURCHILL,
A. M., Professor of Physics and
Astronomy, and occupying the Jas.
F. Clark professorship in Oberlin
College, was born in Lyme, N. H.,
August 21, 1824, a son of David C. and
Polly (Franklin) Churchill.

600

LORAIN COUNTY, OHIO.

His grandfather, Francis Churchill, was
a carpenter, and a soldier of the Revolu
tionary war, who first saw the light in
1758, at Plymouth, Mass., where his an
cestors for three generations had also been
born. The grandfather Franklin, bora in
1750, was a blacksmith. He, too, served
in the Revolution. These all were God
fearing, faithful, loyal and valued citizens.
David C. Churchill, the father, was an as
sociate judge in Grafton county, N. H,
for nearly twenty years. All his twelve
brothers and sisters, children of one mother,
were married and had large families.
The subject of this memoir received his
elementary education in the public schools
of his native town, fitting for college at
Meriden Academy. He entered Dart
mouth College in 1841, and graduated in
1845. He has since been made a member
of the Pi Beta Phi, an honorary Society of
Alumni. For the following five years he
was Principal of the Academy of Brooklyn
Center, near Cleveland, Ohio, and of the
first High School in what is now West
Cleveland. Here he. was married and his first
child was born. Then entering the Seminary
at Oberlin, he studied theology under Drs.
Mahan, Morgan and Finney; supporting
himself and family , by teaching music,
drawing and languages. Graduating from
Theology in 1853, he was appointed Pro
fessor of Greek and French in what soon
after became Hillsdale College, occupying
this Chair from 1853 to 1859. From his
marriage to Mary J. Turner, daughter of
Dea. T. P. Turner, of Oberlin, were born
Charles C. Churchill; at Cleveland, in
1847; Franklin H., at Oberlin, in 1852;
Frederick A., at Hillsdale, in 1856, and
Mary Lucretia, at Hillsdale, in 1858.
During that year Mrs. Churchill died, and
the bereaved husband was called to the
Chair made vacant in Oberlin College by
the transfer of James H. Fairchild to the
Theological department. To the duties of
his professorship Mr. Churchill joined the
training of the free class in vocal music
sustained by the college, and the leadership

of the great choir of the church, then the
only one in the place, upon which also de
volved the work of supplying the music for
commencement occasions. After the found
ing of the Oberlin Conservatory of Music,
Professor Churchill resigned that portion
of his labors, and, as he had always done
while in Michigan, gave himself to preach
ing on the Sabbath wherever the oppor
tunity offered. At one time for several
months he ministered regularly to the
2d Congregational Church in Oberlin ; has
preached often at the 1st Church, and often
in Wellington, Elyria, Cleveland, Brown-
helm, Wakeman, Pittsfield, Sandusky,
Toledo and many other towns. For two
years he preached regularly to the Congre
gational Church in New London, Ohio-
In the fall of 1859 Mr. Churchill was
united in marriage to Miss Henrietta
Yance, of Lima, Ind., a daughter of Lewis
and Henrietta Yance. The fruit of that
marriage has been four sons and one
daughter, all born in Oberlin: Edward P.,
who graduated in 1881, is now a busi
ness man in Weeping Water, Neb.; Alfred
Y., who left .college to pursue art studies
in Europe three years, is now a teacher
of art in St. Louis, Mo.; Nelson, who en
tered Oberlin College in the class of '92,
died in his Freshman year, at twenty years
of age; Mary has recently graduated from
the Kindergarten Normal Training class,
Armour Institute, Chicago, and from the
Post-Graduate class; Carroll, the young
est, is a member of the class of '97, Ober
lin College. Of the children by the first
marriage Charles C. graduated from col
lege in 1867, entered soon upon the work of
civil engineering, and married Miss Ella
Durand, who bore him a daughter, Grace
(he died at the age of twenty-four); Frank
lin H. left school to engage in business,
and married Miss Hattie Reddington, by
whom he has three daughters (he is now
a salesman in the music store of Lyon &
Potter, of Chicago); Frederick A., gradu
ating from college in 1878 and from the
Chicago Homeopathic Medical College in

LORAIN COUNTY, OHIO.

601

1883, married Miss Martha Blanke, by
whom he has two children (he is now
a practising physician in Seattle, Wash
ington). Professor Churchill is widely known in
Ohio as a lecturer on Astronomy aud
other scientific subjects; has held Teach
ers' Institutes in a large number of coun
ties, and in some of them many times.
He has been at different times and for
years president of the Congregational
Society of the 1st Church at Oberlin;
member of the common council, and presi
dent of the school board. He is now one
of the very few survivors of the earlier
members of the Faculty of the college.

I OHN WELLER (deceased). This
k. I gentleman, who has left as perma-
\yj nent monuments to his memory not
a few trophies of his architectural
genius, was a native of England, born in
the county of Sussex, May 8, 1833, and
died in Elyria, Lorain Co., Ohio, October
11, 1890.
When about seventeen years of age he
came to America, and in Ohio learned the
trade of stone mason, at which he worked
by the day and job till 1857, when he com
menced business as a stone contractor.
Among the evidences of his handiwork
may be mentioned the water-tower at Ely
ria; the east and west viaducts for the
Public Highway at the same place, the east
viaduct being said by civil engineers and
architects to be next to the largest stone
arch in the world, of its height. He built
also the Episcopal Church at Elyria, which
is a model of rustic architecture, and he
did a great deal of otlier similar work in
various parts of Ohio. His death was la
mented by a host of citizens besides the
members of his family. In 1857 he was
married to Miss Mary McCollum, born in
Steuben county, N. Y., and five children,
as follows, were born to them: May E.,
wife of Alexander Lamberton, of Elyria,

Ohio, who has five children — George A.,
Robert Wesley, Edith, Harold and Lucile;
George L. (superintendent of the Elyria
Water Works, sketch of whom immedi
ately follows); and Wesley, Alice and
John, at home. The children are all
marked for their intelligence, natural acu
men and industrious habits. Tbe boys
have inherited the mechanical genius of
their father, and are following, to a certain
degree, in his footsteps. They are stanch
Republicans, as was their father before
them, and believe in the protection of
American labor.
Mrs. Weller, who is now residing with
her three youngest children in the vicinity
of Elyria, is a daughter of Alexander and
Mary (Gilchrist) McCollum, both natives
of Argyle, N. Y., the father born in 1793,
the latter on December 3, 1801. They
lived in Steuben county, N. Y., till about
forty years ago, when they came to Lorain
county, Ohio, locating in Elyria, where
Mr. McCollum followed his trade, that of
miller, and died in April, 1870. He and
many of his immediate relatives took an
active part in the war of 1812, he being
but a youth of nineteen when engaged at
the battle of Plattsburg, on Lake Chain-
plain. His mother's people, McDougalls
of Argyle, took an equally active part in
all those troublous scenes of the early Co
lonial warfare; and it is recorded that they
did much and appreciated work at the forts
along the Hudson and many other places.
Both of Mrs. Weller's great-grandfathers
were born in Scotland, and theMcCollnms
were among the early colonists of Argyle
township, Washington Co., N. Y., it hav
ing been given by the Duke of Argyle to
a certain number of Scotch families. Her
great-grandfather, Col. Gilchrist, came to
America, witb Gen. Abercrombie, and
served under him at the battle of Ticonder
oga in 1758 ; he was related to the brave
Gen. Duncan Campbell, who was killed in
that engagement. After the war Col. Gil
christ settled at Fort Edward, N. Y.,
where he died.

602

LORAIN COUNTY, OHIO.

George L. Wellee, superintendent and
engineer of the Elyria Water- Works, and
machinist for the Mussey Stone Co., is a
native of Lorain county, born in the city
of Elyria March 28, 1864.
From early boyhood he worked with
his father, attending at the same time the
public schools of Elyria, after wliich he
took a business course at Oberlin College,
and one in penmanship at Poughkeepsie,
N. Y. He then learned the trade of stone
mason with his father, which he followed
till four years ago, having done work on
all, or nearly all, the large stone contracts
in Elyria and surrounding country. In
1889 he was appointed to his present posi
tion at the Elyria Water- Works, which he
is eminently qualified to fill, and in addi
tion to his duties there does all the work
in his line for the Mussey Stone Co.
Mr. Weller was married July 19, 1893,
to Miss Ida Alma Black, of Yermillion,
Ohio, an accomplished young lady in
music ahd the art of home making. Mr.
Weller is a Republican, but has no time to
devote actively to politics, having kept
close to business all his life. He has in
vented a rock-drilling tool which he has
assigned to others, and which, it is claimed,
saves one-third of the cost of quarrying
rock. He has also recently invented a
rock-drilling engine, which is proving a
very successful machine for quarry work.

V JfENRY BASSETT (deceased) was in
Y^l his lifetime one* of the best known
|j 1 and most highly respected of the
y) farmer citizens of Lorain county,
having been a resident of Eaton
township for nearly sixty years.
Mr. Bassett was born in Seneca county,
N. Y., in 1814, a son of Daniel and Phebe
(Covert) Bassett, natives of the same
county, where they were married, and
whence, in 1834, they came with their
family to Lorain county, Ohio, making a
settlement in Eaton township. The father

died at LaPorte in 1846, the mother in
Eaton township at the age of eighty- two.
Our subject was reared and educated in
New York State, and was twenty years old
when he came with his parents to Eaton
township. Here he followed farming all
his life. On November 5, 1835, he was
married in Carlisle township, Lorain
county, to Miss Betsy E. Slauter, who was
bora in 1818, in Luzerne county, Penn., a
daughter of Jared and Sarah (Curtis)
Slauter, natives of Stockbridge, Mass.,
where they married, and whence in an
early day they came west to Luzerne
county, Penn., and in 1826 to Carlisle
township, Lorain county, by team, Mrs.
Bassett, then eight years old, walking the
greater part of the way. Here Mr. and
Mrs. Slauter passed the rest of their days,
he dying some eight years after his wife.
They had bora to them a family of ten
children, viz.: Ephraim, who went to Wis
consin, where he died; Lydia, deceased
wife of Everett Stoddard, an early settler
of Eaton township; Mary Ann, deceased;
Sarah, wife of Henry Warner, who moved
to Whitehall, Wis.; Betsy E., widow of
Henry Bassett; Henry, who died in Wis
consin; Jared, who died in Carlisle town
ship, Lorain county; Jane, wife of D. L.
Gibbs, of Carlisle township; Olive, wife
of R. Gibbs, also of Carlisle township; and
Hiram, a resident of LaPorte, Lorain
county, Ohio.
To Mr. and Mrs. Bassett were bora
thirteen children, all of whom grew to
maturity, and of whom the following is a
brief record: (1) Charlotte is the wife of
Anson Lines, of Grafton township; they
have two children — Julia and Mina. (2)
Caroline is the wife of John Hart, of
Elyria. (3) Sarah is the wife of Sylvester
Tompkins. (4) Charley died in 1879.
(5) Daniel is married, and resides in De
fiance county, Ohio. (6) Ollie, who was
married to Lemuel Barlow, died in Lorain
county. (7) Frankie is married to Na
thaniel Benedict, of Michigan. (8) Julia
is the wife of Marion Sutliff, of Elyria.

LORAIN COUNTY, OHIO.

603

(9) Edwin is married, and resides in Eaton
township. (10) George, who married
Adelpha Pember, resides near the old
home. (11) Cerepta was first married to
P. Crowell, and after his decease to Edwin
Welton; they reside-in Elyria. (12) Clara
is the wife of Charley Morse, of Elyria.
(13) Alice is the wife of Frank Jackson,
of Eaton township.
Mr. Bassett departed this life in 1891,
a lifelong, energetic and active Republican,
one who held many offices of trust in his
township. Mrs. Bassett taught the second
school iu Eaton township, and is widely
known and respected. She has lived to see
seventeen great-grandchildren.

D G. WILDER, M. D., a well-known
member of the medical profession
__ ' in Oberlin, was bora December 15,
1846, in Oneida couuty, N. Y.,
son of Dr. David aud E. A. (Williams)
Wilder. The father, who was also a phy
sician, was a native of New York, and
died in 1850, in Chenango county, same
State. The mother, who is a native of
England, is now living in Madison county,
N. Y. The Wilder family were originally
natives of Massachusetts.
D. G. Wilder,- subject of this memoir,
was brought to De Ruyter, Madison Co.,
N. Y., at the age of six years, and resided
there until he reached the age of nineteen.
He received his primary education in the
common schools of that place, and in 1866
entered the Preparatory department of
Oberlin College, Oberlin, Ohio, where he
remained for three years. He then studied
medicine for one year, and in 1870 en
tered Hillsdale. College, where he took a
scientific course, graduating with the class
of 1872. He next went to Cleveland,
where he continued the study of medicine
in the office of Drs. Boynton and Yan-
Norman, until February, 1873, when he
graduated from the Homeopathic Medical
College, Cleveland. He commenced the
practice of his chosen profession in Cuya

hoga county, and after residing for three
years in Bedford removed to Fremont,
Ohio, thence to Cleveland, where he prac
ticed in the Western Reserve for nearly
twenty years. In September, 1888, he
came to Oberlin, Lorain county, where he
has since been actively engaged in the
duties of his profession witb marked
success. On August 25, 1874, the Doctor was
married, in Cleveland, to Miss Alma
Hickox, a native of Columbia township,
Lorain county, who graduated from Bald
win University, Berea, Ohio. Her par
ents, Eri and Alma (Hoadley) Hickox,
were natives of Connecticut, and in a very
early day migrated westward to Columbia
township, Lorain Co., Ohio, where they
passed the remainder of their lives. Mr.
Hickox followed farming, and served for
many years as justice of the peace; in re
ligion he and his wife were both Method
ists. Mrs. Wilder's maternal grandfather,
Hoadley, erected the first frame house in
Columbia township. To Dr. and Mrs.
Wilder have been born three children,
uamely: David Horace, now attending
Oberlin Academy; Jennie Elizabeth, also
attending Oberlin Academy; and Witt
Hoadley. Socially our subject is a mem
ber of Oberlin Lodge No. 678, 1. O. O. F.,
and also of Oberlin Tent No. Ill, K. O.
T. M., and is at present commander of the
Tent and Medical Examiner. He is also
an examiner for the N. E. Mutual Life
Insurance Co., and the State Mutual of
Worcester, Mass. In politics he is a
Prohibitionist. The Doctor and his family
are members of the First M. E. Church of
Oberlin. HARLES E. SUTLIFF, dealer in
coal, contractor and owner of several
teams for heavy hauling, etc., is one
of Wellington's (Lorain county)
most energetic and wide-awake enterpris
ing business men. He was born in Ionia,
Mich., February 16, 1845, a son of Will
iam H. H. and Phoebe D. (Gott) Sutliff.

604

LORAIN COUNTY, OHIO.

Our subject attended the district schools
of his native place and Wellington town
ship, Lorain county, and was reared on a
farm. For some years he carried on gen
eral agriculture, including dairying, in all
of which he was very successful, and mov
ing into the town of Wellington, he here
embarked in his present businesses, the
first of many experimenters in the coal line
to make a permanent success. Although
he has had many competitors in that
branch, yet they have all succumbed to his
superior business attainments, and he now
controls the entire coal trade in Welling
ton and vicinity, having by his correct
business methods won the confidence of
the citizens.
In 1868 Mr. Sutliff was married to Miss
Mary Jane Hoffman, a native of New Lon
don, Huron Co., Ohio, and two children
have come to brighten their home, viz.:
May E. and Floyd E. Politically our
subject is a Republican, and although his
many business interests will not permit
bim to participate much in his party's
campaigns, yet he is looked upon as a
strong man on the Republican ticket should
he consent to nomination for office, or
otherwise. He and his wife are members
of the M. E. Cliurch, and their deeds of
charity to the poor and needy are too well
known to require comment.

^AYID J. NYE, Judge of the Court
of Common Pleas, of the District
embracing Lorain, Medina and
Summit counties, Ohio, is a son of
Curtis F. and Jerusha (Walkup) Nye, na
tives of Yermont.
The parents of Judge Nye were married
at Otto, N. Y., April 12, 1841, and first
settled upon a farm in Chautauqua county,
whence they removed to Cattaraugus
county, and settled upon the farm where
they remained until their death. They
had four children : Webster Kimball Nye,
born October 13, 1842; David J. Nye,

born December 8, 1843; Sidney P. Nye,
born November 22, 1846; and William
Curtis Nye, born February 28, 1851.
Webster K. Nye and Sidney P. Nye both
volunteered their service in the war of the
Rebellion. Webster K. enlisted in the
Second Ohio Cavalry, and was afterward
transferred to the Twenty-fifth Ohio Bat
tery, remaining until the close of the war,
when he settled in Bradford, Penn., where
he now lives. Sidney P. was a member of
the Sixteenth New York Cavalry, and died
while in the service at Alexandria, Va.,
July 21, 1864. William Curtis Nye now
lives in Texas.
David J. Nye, the subject of this sketch,
was born at Ellicott, Chautauqua Co., N.
Y. He was raised upon a farm, and when
seventeen years of age enlisted in the first
military company that went out from his
town in 1861; but owing to the objection
of his parents, his. elder brother being
then in the army, the officer refused to
muster him into service, and he returned
home. Up to the year 1862 he attended the dis
trict school at his home, during the winter
terms, and worked upon the farm in the
summer; but in the winter of that year he
decided to secure other and better advan
tages. In pursuance of that purpose, he
entered, in the spring of that year, the
academy at Randolph, N. Y., where he
remained until his money, which he had
earned and saved for that purpose, was ex
pended; then went back to the farm, and
worked during the summer in haying
and harvesting, returning to Randolph in
the fall.
The following winter, 1862-63,' he
taught school in one of the districts of his
neighborhood, while the next spring and
summer again found him engaged in work
on the farm. In the fall of 1863 he re
turned to Randolph Academy, and in the
winter of 1863-64 he taught school near
Randolph. Coming to Ohio in 1864, he
immediately engaged in teaching in Cuya
hoga county. After closing his school, he

FWCMll^r- llBrr/0

/TV

LORAIN COUNTY, OHIO.

607

returned to New York State, where he re
mained but a short time, when he returned
to Ohio, and again took a school at Boston,
Summit county, teaching here during the
winter of 1865-66. In February of 1866
he entered the Preparatory Department of
Oberlin College. Teaching winters, and
pursuing his studies summers, he was able
to enter Oberlin College in 1867. He
taught school every winter, except one,
from 1862 to 1870.
In 1870 Judge Nye accepted the posi
tion of superintendent of the Public School
at Milan, Ohio, where .with his labors he
found time to study, and graduated with
his class at Oberlin in August, 1871. In
the Milan schools he continued another
year, and in addition to his work there
took up the study of law, which he had
early chosen as his life's profession, and
was admitted to the Bar at Elyria, Ohio,
in August, 1872. As before stated, he
was graduated at Oberlin College in 1871,
receiving the degree of Bachelor of Arts,
and in July, 1883, the College conferred
upon him the degree of Master of Arts.
From the time that Judge Nye entered
Randolph Academy until he was admitted
to the Bar, he paid his way with the fruits
of his own labors, receiving no financial
aid from any other source. In October,
1872. he went to Emporia, Kans., and
opened a law office, remaining there until
March, 1873, when he returned to Elyria,
Ohio, and went into the office of Hon,
John C. Hale, where he remained a year,
pursuing his legal studies and doing such
professional business as came to him,. In
March, 1874, he opened a law office in the
Ely Block, and from that time on until he
went upon the Bench in 1892, he was in
the constant practice of his profession,
building up a good practice, his clients
being among the best citizens of Lorain
county. In 1873 he was appointed county-school
examiner, a position he held four years.
He was a member of the council of the
village of Elyria four years. In 1881 he
33

was elected Prosecuting Attorney of Lorain
county, which office he held one term. In
April, 1890, he was elected a member of
the Board of Education, in which capacity
he served until he weut upon the Bench.
In January, 1891, at a meeting of the
members of the Bar of Lorain county, he
was selected, as the choice of the members
of the legal profession of his own county,
as their candidate for Judge of the Court
of Common Pleas. In July following he
was nominated for that office at Medina,
was elected in November, and entered
upon the discharge of his duties February
9, 1892.
On the fifteenth of September, 1880,
Judge Nye was united in marriage to Miss
Luna Fisher, at Cleveland, Ohio. Mrs.
Nye was a daughter of the late Alfred
Fisher, one of the early pioneers of Cuya
hoga couuty, who emigrated from Ver
mont in 18i7. Mrs. Nye is a true and
faithful wife and a devoted mother. Two
children, David F., boru October 27, 1882,
and Horace H., born August 4, 1884, have
come to brighten their home.
Judge Nye always has a word of en
couragement for the young, and in his own
family he is affectionate and indulgent.
He is extremely fond of children, and his
two boys are his, constant companions when
they are out of school and at home.
Early in life, when Judge Nye was only
a boy, he became impressed with the
principles of Freemasonry, and conceived
the idea of becoming a member of that
Order, At the early age of twenty-one
years he made application to, and joined,
the Lodge nearest his home in New York.
Since locating in Elyria he has taken
the advanced decrees in that Order. He
is now a member of the Lodge and Chap
ter at Elyria, a member of Oriental Com
mandery of Knights Templar of Cleve
land, and of the Order of Ancient and Ac
cepted Scottish Rites of the same city.
In politics he has always been a faithful
and consistent Republican, and from his
early manhood till the present time he has

608

LORAIN COUNTY OHIO.

advocated the cause and principles to Re
publicanism. In this, be has been con
sistent and straightforward, believing that
tbe success of that party was for tbe best
interests of the country. Although he is
unswerving in his devotion to his political
principles, the Judge is too broad and
liberal-minded to let party affiliations bias
his judgment or interfere with personal re
lations. Some of his warmest and most
earnest personal friends are found in the
ranks of other political parties.
Judge Nye has now been upon the bench
only two years, and during tbat time he
has presided at the trials of very many
difficult and closely-contested cases. He
has shown by his administration that he
is peculiarly adapted to the position which
he now occupies. He is entirely unassum
ing in his manner upon the bench, and
seldom interferes with the attorneys dur
ing the trial of their causes. He has been
heard to say that he did not propose to try
either side of a case. He makes himself
thoroughly familiar with the law of every
case that is tried before him. The at
torneys are always treated with kindness
aud courtesy, and their arguments are
listened to and considered by him with
patience and attention. In his decisions
he is open and frank, but he is always
careful not to irritate or offend the persons
against whom he decides. He has a mild
and gentle expression, and is always con
siderate of the feelings of others. There
is an open candor about his decisions that
impresses the listener with the sincerity of
his convictions. He is thoroughly honest,
and every decision made by him is the
fruit of his best judgment and careful con
sideration. In the trial of Jury cases he is especi
ally careful in all his rulings and conduct
not to intimate to the jury, or allow them
to know, what he thinks about the case. In
his charges he gives the law to the jury in
a plain, clear manner, but leaves them to
determine the facts. He never attempts
to control their decision, but rather tries

to conceal his opinion from them; and
when the verdict is rendered, the parties
and attorneys feel that they have had a
fair and impartial trial. Comparatively
few of the cases that are tried before him
are taken up to a reviewing Court. His
decisions have seldom been reversed when
so reviewed.
Although Judge Nye had made a suc
cess at the practice of his profession, and
was thoroughly familiar with the law, he
had many misgivings of his own fitness
and adaptability for the Bench. But hi6
brief term as a judge, his patience, candor,
and painstaking manner, have given the
members of the Bar and the people con
fidence in his ability and integrity. His
prospects for the future in his new calling
seem very bright. His industrious habits
and untiring energy are indications of a
prosperous career.
Judge Nye is a man of gentlemanly
demeanor, always meeting his associates,
both in the social circle and in business
pursuits, with a cordial and friendly bear
ing, which has won for him the respect
and friendship of every one who knows
him. As a servant of the Public, he has
discharged the duties of every position in
which he has been placed with a pains
taking fidelity that has secured for him
the unlimited confidence and respect of
the people whom he has faithfully served.

T B. SMITH, editor and proprietor
k. I of the Wellington (Lorain county)
%JJ Enterprise, is a native of Ohio,
born in Cardington township, Morrow
county, January 1, 1845.
William Smith, father of subject, was born
in Berks county, Penn., September 4, 1809,
and was reared in Guernsey county, Ohio,
whither his parents brought him in 1811.
In 1831 he married Miss Elizabeth Speck,
a native of Guernsey county, born there
October 8, 1813, and in 1839 they
moved to Morrow county, same State,

LORAIN COUNTY, OHIO.

609

where the father died August 10, 1884.
He was a strong Abolitionist, and in reli
gion originally a member of the Friends,
but having married outside of the Society
he forfeited membership. They were the
parents of twelve children, as follows:
Cynthia, wife of C. Farlee; Finley, a car
penter by trade, in Dakota; Thomas and
Sarah, both deceased : Mary Frances; Julia;
J. B., subject of this sketch; Augustus,
deceased; Emily, wife of Elmer Kingman;
Leander, a pharmacist, of Syracuse, N. Y. ;
Henry O, a farmer of Cardington, Ohio;
and Ollie, wife of E. M. James.
J. B. Smith, the subject proper of this
sketch, was reared and educated in his na
tive county, and his first start in life was
as telegraph operator at Greenwich, Huron
Co., Ohio. In 1883, in the same town, he
embarked in the newspaper business, in
which he remained till 1885, when he
came to Wellington and bought out the
Enterprise, which is a strictly party paper,
radically Republican in its views, newsy
and well edited.
In 1874 Mr. Smith was united in mar
riage in Huron county, Ohio, with Miss
Adelaide L. Barker, of Fairfield township,
Huron county, and two children— Irma
and Fern — have been born to them. So
cially, our subject is a F. & A. M., and a
member of the Congregational Church.
On his father's side he is of English Penn
sylvania stock, and on his mother's he is
descended from German ancestry.

'HAPMAN M. WAUGH. Promin
ent among the pioneers of Henri
etta township is to be found this
gentleman, a well known and pro
gressive agriculturist.
Ezra Waugh was one of the three broth
ers who early in the history of America
emigrated from England, their mother
country, to America. Two of them located
in Connecticut, while one sought his for
tunes amid the hills of Yermont. This

latter one was Ezra, the grandfather of the
subject of this sketch. Lie subsequently
removed to the State of New York, where
he engaged in farming, and there the
balance of bis life was spent.
Gideon Waugh, son of Ezra, was born
in New York State, and was there reared
upon the farm of his father, which was
small and afforded a mere existence for
the rather large family. His parents dy
ing when he was but a child, he was early
thrown upon his own resources, arid also
was entrusted with the care of those of the
family younger than himself. His services
were engaged by various farmers through
out the neighborhood, and by careful
management he was enabled to save a
small amount from his earnings, with
which, after his marriage, and after the
younger children were provided for com
fortably, he bought a small farm in Oswego
county, N. Y., upon which there were no
improvements. He married Miss Mi
nerva Miner, a native of the State of New
York, and to them were bora the following
children: Gideon, Jr., Minerva, Chapman
M., Lansing and James. In 1833 the
family removed to Lorain county, Ohio,
locating upon seventy-seven acres of wild,
unimproved land in Camden township. In
tbe fall of the same year the mother died,
our subject then being but nine years old.
In 1834 Gideon Waugh, Sr., married
Mindwell Shepard, by which union was
born one child; Minerva Waugh is now
living and is the wife of Silas French, of
Wakeman township, Huron county, a very
industrious farmer, who has made some
valuable improvements. They have a very
nice family of six children — three sons
and three daughters.
The circumstances of the family were
very limited, and they were much in debt
for the land which had been purchased by
them, which was at the rate of two dollars
and fifty cents per acre. By the practice
of rigid economy and careful management,
however, the indebtedness was in a few
years paid off, and at the death of the

610

LORAIN COUNTY, OHIO.

father, which occurred in 1869, the home
was well improved. Gideon Waugh, Sr.,
the father of subject, was a Whig, and one
of tbe first members of the Baptist Church
of Camden township. For many years he
was justice of the peace of the township.
He was widely known, and universally es
teemed and respected.
Chapman M. Waugh, whose name intro
duces this sketch, was bora in Oswego
county, N. Y., November 27, 1823, and at
the age of nine years came with his par
ents to Ohio as before recorded. The first
few nights after the family's arrival upon
the ground of their future home they slept
under the wagons, while a great fire made
of brush and wood served to keep off the
animals which then abounded. During
the first few days, in the clearing of a
space sufficient to admit the building of a
log cabin 16 x 20 feet, the father severely
cut himself upon the hand, an accident
which rendered him comparatively help
less so far as immediate assistance was
concerned. The log cabin was soon
erected, however, finished with a puncheon
floor, and furnished with stools, etc.
While the house was in course of erection
a tree fell upon it, but so strong was tbe
frame that the tree was broken and the
frame remained uninjured. The original
farm just spoken of was at last sold, and
the family bought another near Wakeman,
Huron county, upon which they resided
for some six years, when it was sold, the
family returning to Lorain county, and
buying a farm in Carlisle township near
Elyria. Our subject theu bought with
his savings the farm of sixty-seven acres
where he now resides, and on which there
were some improvements.
In 1843 he married Miss Roxey Cook,
of Oswego county, N. Y., and three chil
dren were born to them, as follows:
Newell, Judson and Nancy, the last
named bping now deceased. Newell is a
resident of Camden township, Lorain
county; Judson is a successful merchant
of Lima, Ohio. The mother of these died

in 1855, and in 1856 Mr. Waugh married
Mrs. Polly Cable, a widow, daughter of
Eli and Lucy Waterhouse, natives of Ver
mont. Her father, who was a cooper and
farmer by occupation, came to Lorain
county among the first settlers. To this
union one child, Emma Dora, was born,
but died in infancy. Politically Mr.
Waugh is a Republican, and has held
minor offices of trust. In 1873 he built
the handsome residence in which he now
resides, upon his farm of one hundred
acres in Henrietta township. One great
fact is apparent, and that is that Mr.
Waugh's success and prosperity have been
accomplished by dint of hard, earnest labor
good management and care, which proper
ties are characteristic of him. Both he
and his wife are Baptists in principle;
their many Christian acts are well known
and will exist in memory long after they
have joined thearmy upon the other shore.

LYMAN BECKLEY, who for nearly
I his entire life has been a resident of
 | Lorain county, was born April 5,
1827, in Stow township, Summit
Co., Ohio, a grandson of Selah Beckley,
who was born in Connecticut in 1767,
and came to Ohio in 1812, locating in
Summit county. In 1787 he had married
Miss Caroline Beckley, who was born
in 1768, and children as follows were
born to them: Hepzibah (IV Noel,
Lotau, Hepzibah (2), Rowena, Elnathan
S., Lois, Edwin, Ahira and Sally. The
father of these, by trade a blacksmith,
died in 1817, in Stow township, Summit
county, and is there buried.
Elnathan S. Beckley, father of Lyman,
was born in Berlin, Conn., April 2, 1801,
and was eleven years old when the family
came to Ohio. He was reared to agricul
tural pursuits, and was a farmer all his life.
On June 1, 1825, he married Miss Polly
Wilcox, who was born in Berlin, Conn., in

LORAIN COUNTY, OHIO.

611

1805, and by her had two children: Ly
man, and Eloise, now Mrs. Madison An
drews, of Huntington township, Lorain
county. After marriage Mr. and Mrs.
Elnathan S. Beckley lived near Cuyahoga
Falls, Ohio, and then, in 1842, came to
Huntington township, Lorain county, mak
ing their home for some years in the
southwest part of the township. In 1863
they moved to Rochester township, same
county, where Elnathan died in Decem
ber, 1872, and was buried in Huntington ;
his widow subsequently made her home
with her son Lyman, dying in May, 1890.
She and her husband were members of the
Universalist Church; in politics he was a
Democrat. Lyman Beckley, the only son of this pio
neer couple, received a liberal education at
the district schools, and when fifteen years
old came with his parents to Lorain county.
They stopped for a few weeks with an un
cle's family who lived in a single roomed
cabin of the primitive style, with shake
roof, puncheon floor, stick chimney and no
window, till they could clear away the for
est from a portion of the wild land they
had selected for their future home, and
build a shelter of their own. His father
being in poor health, he had a grand op
portunity to finish his education with an
axe in the woods by day, and burning logs
for evening recreation. On October 26,
1848, he married Miss Mary J. Sage, born
in Huntington township, Lorain county,
October 6, 1831, a daughter of H. P. and
Susan (Mallory) Sage, who came from New
Haven, Conn., to Ohio about the year
1825. Mr. Sage was a valuable addition
to this new settlement, being a man of cul
ture and refinement. He taught their
public schools and music classes; gave
lessons in the higher mathematics and
other branches, including theology in his
home. He gave but little attention to
party politics, yet was honored with several
offices of trust. He gathered the people
together on the Sabbath for public wor
ship, as he was a pioneer minister of the

Universalist faith, formerly an Episcopa
lian. He died in Huntington in 1887, his
wife in 1870, and they are are buried in
that township.
After marriage Mr. and Mrs. Lyman
Beckley settled on the farm he had toiled
to improve. In 1863 they moved to
Rochester, where he gave special atten
tion to dairying, and in 1869, in partner
ship with a neighbor, built what is still
known as the Beckley Cheese Factory. In
1876 he sold his Rochester farm to his
oldest son and bought, of D. T. Bush, a
farm adjoining his first location in Hunt
ington where he still resides. The chil
dren, four in number, of Mr. and Mrs.
Lyman Beckley were Alma R., born Sep
tember 13, 1849, died at the age of four
teen months; Harley O., sketch of whom
follows; Ellis S., born in 1858, died in the
latter part part of 1861, and D. I., born
May 26, 1861, a farmer in Rochester town
ship, Lorain county. The parents are
members of the Universalist Church, and
in his political sympathies he is a stanch
Democrat. He is a well-known, highly
respected citizen, a practical dairy farmer,
and by industry and perseverance has
earned a comfortable competence.
Haelet O. Beckley was born June 6,
1851, in Huntington township, Lorain
county, and received his elementary
education at the common schools of
the district, afterward attending Wel
lington (Ohio) high school a couple of
terms. Up to the age of eighteen he
worked more or less on his father's
farm, chiefly in the dairying department,
and then entered the Beckley Cheese
Factory under George Bush, which was
located near his home, but after two
years returned to his first occupation. On
October 4, 1871, he married Miss Mary A.
Peet, a native of the county, born in
Rochester township, a daughter of Homer
and Charlotte (Kelsey) Peet. The young
couple then commenced housekeeping in a
small residence on his father's farm, rent
ing same, but which Harley subsequently

612

LORAIN COUNTY, OHIO.

bought. One child has come to bless
this union — Chloe A., at home with her
parents. In 1876 Mr. Beckley came to his pres
ent farm in Rochester township, where he
has been extensively engaged in the dairy
ing business iu connection with general
agriculture, and has met with more than
average success. In 1892, at a cost of two
thousand dollars, he built one of the most
substantial barns to be found in the south
ern portion of Lorain county, and by far
the best one in Rochester township. In his
political predilections our subject is a
Democrat, taking active interest in the af
fairs of his party. He and his wife are
prominent members of the Universalist
Church, iu which he is trustee, and for
some time he was superintendent of the
Sunday-school.

^SCAR HERRICK. In the county
auditor of Lorain county we find a
typical representative of New Eng
land. The Herrick family, of
which the subject of this sketch is a worthy
member, comes of English ancestry who in
early Colonial days immigrated to the
New World, making their first cis-Atlantic
home in Massachusetts, afterward remov
ing to New York State.
Harlow Herrick, father of the subject
of this sketch, was born July 21, 1801, iu
New York State, where he received the
limited education afforded by the schools
of the neighborhood of his borne, and was
reared to the occupation of a farmer.
While a young man he moved to Ohio, tak
ing up a farm in Medina county, where he
made his home a few years, and then came
to Lorain county, where the remainder of
his useful life was spent. In Medina county
he married Miss Laura Ann Briggs, a native
of Massachusetts, and to this union chil
dren as follows were born : Helen (Mrs.
S. W. Gott) and Rollin, both living in
Michigan, the latter in the town of Ed-

more; Harriet, widow of Arad Lindsley,
who was killed at the battle of Ball's
Bluff during the war of the Rebellion (she
is now a resident of Carson City, Mich.) ;
Daniel, who died in Lowell, Mich., in
1870; Oscar, subject of sketch; Ann, re
siding in Pueblo, Colo., widow of Andrew
Schnur, who died in 1862 while in the
Union army; Byron, who died in 1862 at
New Creek, Va., while in the service;
Henry and Eliza, both deceased, at the
ages respectively of one and one half years
and three weeks; and Jane (Mrs. Walter
Yeamans), in Ionia, Mich. The father of
this family died in Michigan May 31,
1891; the mother is living in Iouia, that
State. Politically, Harlow Herrick was
originally a Whig, and on the organization
of the Republican party became a loyal
member and earnest supporter of same.
Oscar Herrick, whose name introduces
this biographical notice, was bora in Pen-
field, Lorain Co., Ohio, April 20, 1838.
His boyhood and youth were passed on the
home farm, a few months in the winter
seasons being devoted to attending the
schools of the neighborhood, where he ob
tained his rudimentary instruction — the
solid substratum of his after study. In
early manhood he became interested in
watchmaking and the jewelry business,
and entering a store in Medina in that
line, learned the trade in all its details.
Having thoroughly prepared himself for
journeyman work, he set out into the
world with buoyant hopes and sanguine
expectations, destined to be well realized.
He worked in Medina, Cleveland, a id
Wellington (Lorain county), at which latter
place he opened a jewelry establishment,
conducting same some twenty years.
In 1862 Mr. Herrick was united in mar
riage with Miss Victoria C. Bowers, a
model wife, one whose Christian spirit
and amiable demeanor endeared her to a
large circle of friends. She was born and
reared in Wellington, where she held an
honored place in society. In 1892, on the
sixth day of July, her pure spirit took its

LORAIN COUNTY, OHIO.

613

flight, and all that was mortal of her was
laid to rest in the quiet cemetery at Well
ington. Sylvester Bowers, father of the late Mrs.
Oscar Herrick, was born October 1, 1805,
in Massachusetts, where he was reared and
educated. He married Miss Esther Cheney,
also a native of Massachusetts, bora in
1804, and a brief record of the children
born to them is as follows: Henry was
killed at the battle of Knoxville, Tenn.,
during the Civil war, while in the Union
service; Charles H. married Miss Emma
J. Webster, and they reside in Wellington,
Lorain county; Victoria C. was the wife of
Oscar Herrick; Hattie I. is living at home
with her aged father, who came to Well
ington township about the year 1836,
where he engaged in farming. Originally
a Whig, he has of late years been a Re
publican. He is a member of the Con
gregational Church, has always been a lib
eral contributor to public enterprises, and
is a true man.
Mr. Herrick maybe truly classed among
the self-made men of Lorain couuty, and
placed in the front rank of her business
citizens. He has ever been a stanch Re
publican, at all times advocating and ad
vancing the interests of his party. In
1886 the people of Lorain county, fully
appreciating his well-known business
qualifications, elected him to the auditor-
ship of the county, which incumbency he
is still filling with characteristic ability
and fidelity. In public as in private life
he is an exemplary citizen, holding an
enviable position in the esteem and respect
of all who know him.

/^EORGE H. NORTON. Thisgen-
I w, tiernan, who for over half a century
\Jt has been prominently identified with
^^Jl the interests of Lorain county, and
more particularly those of Penfield
township, is a native of Allegany county,
N. Y., born December 18, 1824.

His father, Hiram Norton, was born in
1802 in Rutland county, Vt., son of Joel
Norton, who in an early day removed to
New York State, locating finally in Alle
gany county, where Hiram was reared.
Here he was married, when a young man,
to Miss Lucy A. Greene, who was bora in
Sodus, N. Y., daughter of John Greene,
and children were born to them, as fol
lows: George H, whosename opens this
sketch; Edward J., a farmer of Michigan;
Andrew J., of Clinton county, Mich.; and
Clarissa M., now Mrs. William Christy, of
Michigan. In the fall of 1836 the family
came to Ohio, where Hiram had come sev
eral years previously on a visit to his par
ents, who resided in Cuyahoga county,
where the mother died; the father passed
away in Putnam county, Ohio. Hiram
Norton brought his family west in a cov
ered wagon drawn by a team of two oxen,
and after a journey of three weeks paused
in Cuyahoga county, where an uncle of his
resided. The roads were very poor, and
assistance was found necessary in several
places to pull the wagon along. Mr. Nor
ton rented a farm in Parma township,
Cuyahoga county, whence, after a resi
dence of two years, he removed to Rich
field, Medina (now Summit) Co., Ohio,
where he remained two and a half years.
Then, in February, 1841, he removed to
Penfield township, Lorain county, where
he purchased (on credit) sixty acres of land
at thirty dollars an acre, where he lived
four years, and then came to the farm now
owned and occupied by onr subject, in
partnership with whom he purchased
sixty-four acres at six dollars and fifty
cents per acre. A log house was erected
on the site of the present dwelling, but the
land was totally unimproved, not a tree
having been cut, and here Mr. and Mrs.
Norton passed the remainder of their
lives, he dying in 1872, she on April 15,
1887. They are both interred in Center
cemetery, Penfield township. In politics
he was originally a Democrat, but later,
on the formation of the party, became a

614

LORAIN COUNTY, OHIO.

Republican, and in religious faith he and
his wife were both members of the M. E.
Church. While in New York he engaged
in chopping and other day labor, and also
earned a livelihood by hunting, having in
his day killed 1,000 deer, besides large
numbers of turkeys and other game. Even
after coming to Ohio he killed many deer,
which he shipped to Cleveland.
Our subject received in his early youth
but a limited education, and was twelve
years old when he came with the rest of
the family to Ohio. He has a very dis
tinct recollection of the trip, as well as the
various towns they passed through en
route, especially Cleveland, and he well
remembers the strife between Ohio City
(now the West Side, Cleveland) and the
city proper. Locating with his parents in
Cuyahoga county he did such farm work
as his age permitted, remaining under the
parental roof till reaching his majority,
when he hired out to Lathrup Penfield at
eleven dollars per mouth. In the follow
ing winter (1844) he invested his savings,
forty dollars, in a tract of land adjoining
his present farm. On May 6, 1847, Mr.
Norton was united in marriage with Miss
Mary M. Houghton, who was born May 5,
1825, in Genesee county, N. Y., daughter
of Asa and Tamson (Bigelow) Houghton,
who came in 1836 to Spencer township,
Medina Co., Ohio, where the former con
ducted a sawmill. After his marriage
Mr. Norton rented a farm in Spencer
township for one year, in the following
year removing to Penfield township, Lorain
county, on a small farm, living in a frame
house which he had erected. After ex
changing land with his father, he came, in
1853, to his present farm, where he has
since continuously resided. He has been
a lifelong farmer, and in connection with
his agricultural operations has for years
been engaged in dairying; he now owns
one hundred acres of excellent land. To
Mr. and Mrs. Norton bave been born chil
dren as follows: Lucy M., Mrs. C. D.
Wilson; Mary, Mrs. Philo Penfield; and

Frank M., a farmer, all three of Oceana
county, Mich.; Elvira T., residing at home;
and Edwin H., a school teacher of Grand
Rapids, Mich. The present residence of
the family was erected in 1861, and the
collection of buildings on the farm, all of
which have been erected by Mr. Norton
himself, would be a credit to any farmer.
In his political preferences our subject
was a Republican until 1888; since then
he has been iu the ranks of the Prohibition
party; he has never used either tobacco or
spirituous liquors. He . takes an active
part in public affairs, and has served four
years as assessor, one term as township
trustee, and for thirty -five years as justice
of the peace. Both he and his wife are
members of the M. E. Church, he for
forty-eight years, she for over fifty years.
For over thirty-three years he has been a
local minister from the Cleveland district,
and preached for years at Chatham Center,
Medina county, prior to which time he
served at Brighton, Wellington, Hunt
ington, and various other places in Lorain
county.

FAXON. In the year 1601 there was
born in England one Thomas Faxon,
who immigrated to America, some
time prior to 1647, settling in
Braintree (now Quincy), Mass., where he
passed the rest of his days. He was mar
ried in England, and had three children,
of whom one son, Richard, was born in
that country about 1630, and died in 1674
in Braintree, Massachusetts.
This Richard Faxon had a son named
Josiah, born in Braintree, September 8,
1660, died in 1731; his son, Thomas, born
February 8, 1692, died March 19, 1729-
30; he had a son, Thomas, born in Brain
tree, February 19, 1724, married August
24, 1749, Joanna Allen, who was the de
scendant of Samuel Allen the emigrant;
also the granddaughter of Abigail Savil,
the granddaughter of William Savil the

^ti- &. fr<

O-^C- .

LORAIN COUNTY, OHIO.

617

emigrant. Abigail Savil was connected
through her mother, Hannah (Adams)
Savil, with the Adams family, from whom
was descended Samuel Adams, the Signer
of the Declaration of Independence, and
John Adams, President of the United
States. [ Vide Vinton Memorial.]
This Thomas Faxon was a soldier in the
Revolutionary war, and died in Deerfield,
Mass., in June, 1792. He had a son, also
named Thomas, born February 19, 1755,
died January 3, 1827. He had a son,
Isaac Davis Faxon, born at Conway, Mass.,
November 16, 1791, who, at an early day,
came west to Portage county, Ohio, where
he followed agricultural pursuits, and
died August 5, 1821. He held several
township offices, and served in the war of
1812. This Isaac Davis Faxon married
September 13, 1814, Corinna Lewis, born
in Farmington, Conn., December 23, 1789,
daughter of Oliver and Lucinda (North)
Lewis. John Hall Faxon, eldest son of this
Isaac Davis Faxon, was bora at Aurora,
Portage Co., Ohio, June 6, 1815, and was
but six years of age at his father's death.
He was then taken to live with an uncle,
Oliver H. Lewis, in the same county,
whence they removed to Ridgeville, Lorain
county, where the lad was reared, being
brought up in the practical lessons of farm
life, and received his primary education in
the country schools of that early period.
About the year 1837, John Hall Faxon
proceeded to Utica, N. Y., and there,
through the kindness of another uncle,
Hon. Theodore S. Faxton (as he wrote his
name), was enabled to attend an academy
in that city for eighteen months, in which
he pursued a course of study fitting him
for his chosen pursuit of civil engineer
ing. In that capacity he was employed
on the Erie Canal, the Auburn & Syra
cuse Railroad, and subsequently the Atlan
tic & Great Western, and the Lake Shore
& Michigan Southern Railroad in Ohio.
On June 21, 1838, he was married to
Esther Terrell, of Ridgeville, Lorain Co.,

Ohio, who survives him. Six children
were born to them, four of whom are still
living and are well known residents of
Elyria. Mr. Faxon held many offices of
trust and honor, in all of which he dis
charged his duties with ability andfidelity.
He was appointed deputy sheriff in 1840;
was elected sheriff in 1844, re-elected in
1846, serving four years. He was elected
sergeant-at-arms of the Ohio Senate in
1856, and served two years. He was ap
pointed canal collector at Cleveland, Ohio,
by Gov. Chase, about 1857, and served two
years. He also served a number of terms
as county surveyor and city engineer. In
1873 he was elected representative in the
Sixty-first General Assembly, and was re
elected to the Sixty-second in 1875, where
he became widely known as a faithful and
efficient public servant. In 1875 he was
admitted to the bar, by tbe Supreme Court
of the State, but never engaged in active
legal practice. Besides these official posi
tions he served for twenty-one consecutive
years as justice of the peace, and for a few
terms as mayor of Elyria village. He was
for a number of years assistant assessor of
Internal Revenue for Lorain county, Ohio.
Mr. Faxon was a man of pronounced
opinions and strong convictions, but his
genial ways always made him a pleasant
gentleman to meet. In his social inter
course his worthy traits of character gave
him the esteem, high regard and support
of his friends and neighbors, while his ex
ecutive ability and manly vigor placed him
high in public favor. Has sterling quali
ties as an honest, industrious citizen gave
him the comforts of life for which his
genial disposition was well suited; his
whole life was one worthy of emulation.
He was an old and honored member of the
Fraternity of Odd Fellows.
During the later years of his life he
was president of the Flushing Coal Com
pany, their mines at Flushing, Ohio, being
owned by him and his sons, Isaac D. and
Theodore S. Mr. Faxon died July 4,
1891.

618

LORAIN COUNTY, OHIO.

Isaac Davis Faxon, eldest son of John
H. Faxon, was born September 16, 1840,
and received his education at the public
schools of Elyria. He was connected for
thirteen years, as bookkeeper, with the
Cleveland Herald, and has held other
positions of trust in Cleveland and else
where. He returned to Elyria in 1878,
and until recently was engaged in mer
cantile pursuits; he is secretary and
treasurer of The Flushing Coal Company.
Mr. Faxon married September 2, 1869,
Miss Laura Margaretta Briggs, bora De
cember 31, 1845, in Painesville, Ohio,
daughter of Joseph William and Harmony
(Gilmore) Briggs. Mr. Briggs was the
son of Rufus Briggs, the eldest son of
Allen Briggs, born April 27, 1756, in
Cranston, Rhode Island. Among the
other children of Allen Briggs was George
Nixon Briggs, born April 12, 1796, in
South Adams, Mass., a distinguished
statesman, governor of Massachusetts and
member of Congress for many years.
Joseph William Briggs, left an orphan at an
early age, was brought up in the family of
his uncle, Gov. Briggs, and having, in its
infancy, becomean enthusiastic advocate of
the Free Delivery Letter System, he re
ceived, unsolicited, in 1864, from Post
master-General Blair the appointment of
superintendent of the free delivery system
throughout the country. He entered upon
his duties with the determination to make
the system a success, and literally wore his
life out in its service, dying February
23, 1872.
Theodoee S. Faxon, son of John H. and
Esther (Terrell) Faxon, was born in Ely
ria, Ohio, January 13, 1846.
His education was obtained at the high
schools of his native town, and at the age
of eighteen he went to Cleveland, where he
was employed as bookkeeper in a whole
sale business house up to the age of twenty-
three years. He then returned to his na
tive town, and commenced the manufac
ture of furniture, subsequently embarking
in the lumber business, having in connec

tion therewith a planing-mill. Selling
out his interest in this business he became
the secretary and treasurer of a number of
coal companies, continuing as such for a
period of three years, when in connection
with others he organized the Flushing
Coal Co., and also the Broek Hill Coal
Co., and was elected as secretary and treas
urer of both companies, which positions he
held for one year. At the end of that
time, selling his interests in the Brock Hill
Coal Co., he and his father and brother,
Isaac D., became sole owners of the Flush
ing Coal Co., of which he became general
manager, and after the death of his father,
in 1891, was elected president of the com
pany, which position he now occupies.
T. S. Faxon and Miss Martha E.Bullock,
a native of New York State, were united
in marriage June 20, 1871, and five chil
dren have been born to them, as follows:
Mary Belle, Theodore E., Catherine L.,
Isaac Davis and Robert B.
Our subject in politics is a Republican,
and he is a member of the G. A. R. Dur
ing the war of the Rebellion he served
with the One Hundred Days men, being
about eighteen years old at the time.

I

RNEST L. DISBRO, senior pro
prietor and editor of the Oberlin
Citizen, has been engaged in the
newspaper business since 1880, a
portion of the time as foreman on the
Oberlin News. In 1883 he published the
Moravia (Iowa) Tribune; for a time filled
the position of foreman on the Citizen
of Centreville, Iowa, and in 1888 was for a
time in charge of the New London (Huron
county, Ohio) Record, on leaving which
he returned to Oberlin, and four years
later became one of the proprietors of the
Oberlin Citizen, a lively newsy paper
that in December, 1892, bought out the
Exponent. Mr. Disbro was born in Elyria, Lorain
Co., Ohio, October 15, 1860, third son of

LORAIN COUNTY, OHIO.

619

Rev. Dr. William B. and Catherine M.
(Hutchins) Disbro, the former a native of
France, the latter of Herkimer, N. Y.
The other children are W. B., secretary
and treasurer of the Woodward Lumber
Co., Atlanta, Ga.; Delia, in Atlanta, Ga.,
and one deceased. When a boy the father
came to this country, making his first
home in the New World at Marietta, Ohio.
He was educated in Cleveland, and gradu
ated from the Homeopathic College, after
which he practiced his profession for sev
eral years in that city. In 1843 he en
tered the ministry of the M. E. Church,
was appointed presiding elder in the San
dusky district, and afterward was trans
ferred to the Cleveland district, where he
officiated in the same capacity, his resi
dence during the latter time being in
Elyria, Lorain county. He died in 1865;
his widow now resides in Atlanta, Georgia.
The subject proper of this sketch passed
his early boyhood in Berea, Ohio, and re
ceived the bulk of his education at Bald
win University, in that city, his father at
that time being auditor of that institution.
He then became identified with journal
ism, as already recorded. He is a Re
publican in politics, though his paper, the
Citizen, is independent in its views, and
he is a member of the Republican Central
Committee. Socially, Mr. Disbro is a
member of the I. 0. 0. F. In 1885 he
was united in marriage with Miss Eva E.
Newell, a native of Pennsylvania, daugh
ter of Nelson and Fanny (Mungar) New
ell, both natives of Vermont, who in 1865
settled in Kipton, Lorain county, from
Crawford county, Penn., where the father
died in 1891; his widow is now passing
her days in Pennsylvania. To this union
there is one daughter, Marion.
When the present management assumed
charge of the Citizen it was a Prohibition
organ, with scarcely any patronage and
few subscribers. A strict adherence to
business principles on the one hand, and
a constant endeavor to place before the
public a model newspaper on the other,

have gained for the Citizen a large circu
lation throughout the county, there not
being a postoffice in the entire county to
which a package of the papers is not
mailed weekly. Independent, fearless
and aggressive, the C^tizen occupies a
unique field in country journalism, and
demonstrates the possibilities of energy,
push, and purpose. By action of the coun
cil the Citizen has recently been selected
as the official paper of the city.

QEORGE E. SMITH, M. D., phy-
, sician and surgeon, is a native of
Lyme township, Huron county,
\ Ohio, born in 1832.
Dr. Charles Smith, father of sub
ject, was born in Westfield, Mass., and
was married in New York to Miss Mehet-
abel Seymour, a native of Otsego county,
N. Y., born of a Puritan family of Con
necticut. In 1829 the young couple came
to Huron county, Ohio, making a new
home in Lyme township, on Strong's
Ridge, where he practiced his profession,
and cultivated a farm of twenty acres.
He was a graduate of Yale Medical Col
lege, and before coming to Lyme township
taught school for a time in Granville,
Ohio. He became closely identified with
the early history of the county, assisting
in many ways in its development. Politi
cally he was originally a Whig, afterward
a Republican. As a Presbyterian, he was
an active churchman, and for years was at
the head of the Sabbath-school, and was
an Elder in the Church. He was a great
temperance advocate, and organized the
first Temperance Society in Huron county,
which same was founded in Lyme town
ship, October 6, 1830. His home was the
first one built in the township without
the use of whisky. He was connected
with the Firelands Society, and wrote the
" History of Lyme Township." Dr.
Charles Smith died March 2, 1861,
his wife in April, 1854. Simon Smith,

620

LORAIN COUNTY, OHIO.

paternal grandfather of subject, wasaRevo-
iutionary soldier from Connecticut, and
later settled in Westfield, Mass. Jona
than Seymour, the maternal grandfather,
was an ensign in the Revolutionary strug
gle, aud in 1793 settled in Otsego county,
N. Y., where he died in 1819.
The subject proper of these lines was
reared in Lyme township up to the age of
fourteen years, and received his education
at the schools of Lyme and Milan, after
which, in 1851, he entered the Western
Reserve College at Hudson, where he
graduated A. B. with the class of 1855.
fie taught school some seven years — two
years (1855-57) in Tennessee; had also
charge of the Western Reserve Teachers'
Seminary, at Kirtland, Ohio, and for two
years was principal of the grammar school
at Circleville, same State. In 1858 he
graduated A. M. from the Western Re
serve College. After leaving college he
attended three courses of medical lectures
at Cleveland, Ann Arbor, and the Medi
cal College of Ohio, where he graduated
in 1862. In that year he commenced the
practice of his profession at Willoughby,
Ohio. On December 23, 1862, he was
commissioned assistant-surgeon of the
Seventy-sixth O. V. I., and joined his
regiment at Arkansas Post January 14,
1863. He was present at the seige of
Vicksburg, where he was taken sick, and
was confined in the Officers' Hospital at
Memphis, Tenn. Obtainiug leave of ab
sence, he returned to Ohio, and resigned
his commission. He was then appointed
on the Government contract service at
Hillsdale, Mich., as examining physician
and surgeon of Post Hillsdale. Here he
remained from July, 1863, till March,
1875, when he went to Fremont, San
dusky Co., Ohio, and after practicing his
profession there some sixteen years, came,
in June, 1891, to Oberlin, where he has
since resided.
In 1862 Dr. Smith was married at Ply
mouth, Richland Co., Ohio, to Miss Sarah
Brinkerhoff, a native of New York, daugh

ter of Gen. Henry R. and Sarah (Swart-
wout) Brinkerhoff, also of New York.
Gen. Brinkerhoff served in the war of
1812, was afterward commander-in-chief
of the New York Militia, and received
Gen. LaFayette at Auburn, N. Y. He
was a member of the Legislature of New
York, and member of Congress from Hu
ron county, Ohio, at the time of his death
in 1846. To our subject and wife have
been born four children, as follows: Isa
bella S., a teacher in the high school at
Fremont, Ohio; Alice Gertrude, attending
college; Josephine, attending high school,
and Roelif B., assistant secretary Y. M.
C. A., Detroit, Michigan.
Dr. Smith in politics is a Republican,
and while in Hillsdale, Mich., he served
as school inspector five or six years. He
is a member of the G. A. R. Post at Ober
lin; of the Knights of Honor at Fremont;
of the American Academy of Medicine,
and was secretary of the Southern Michi
gan Medical Society two years. He and
his wife are members of the First Congre
gational Church, in which he is deacon;
while a resident of Fremont and Hillsdale
he was superintendent of Sunday-school,
and was president of the Hillsdale County
Sunday-school Association at the time of
his leaving that place.

\\ B. FOLLANSBEE, a member of
the firm of Laundon, Windecker
)ll & Co., manufacturers of cheese,
proprietors of the second largest
factory in that line in Wellington, Lorain
county, is a native of Grafton, N. H., bora
April 25, 1830. John Follansbee, his
father, who was of the same town, and a
farmer by occupation, married Miss Eliza
Potter, by whom he had four children:
Offrinda, who died about twenty years
ago; Daniel, residing at East Grafton, N.
H.; John E., living in Oberlin, Ohio, and
W. B., the subject of this memoir. The
father died at the age of eighty-six years,

LORAIN COUNTY, OHIO

621

the mother when aged seventy; they were
both descended from New England families.
Our subject received his education at
the schools of Grafton, N. H, and before
coming west had some experience as a
traveling salesman. At the age of twenty
years he came to Cuyahoga county, Ohio,
where for some fourteen years he followed
the meat market business and stock deal
ing. He then moved to Columbia town
ship, Lorain county, where for a time he
again engaged in stock dealing, as well as
farming and the cheese business, after
which he came to Wellington, same county,
where he now resides, engaged in the
prosperous business alluded to at com
mencement of sketch. He is also a part
ner in the Wellington Brick and Tile
Works, another of the leading industries
of Wellington, and in addition to tbe
cheese factory in that town he operates
eight to ten others in the county.
In 1861 Mr. Follansbee married Miss
Mary Adams, of Columbia township,
Lorain county, and two children have
come to cheer their home — William, a
bright boy, who graduated with honor at
the Wellington schools, and Howard, who
is still in school. In his political predilec
tions our subject is a stanch Democrat, and
socially he is a member of the Royal
Arcanum.

also

'HARLES C. ENSIGN, sheriff of
Lorain county, is a native of the
same, born in 1863, a son of Calvin
and Deborah (Burdick) Ensign, both
natives of Ohio, but whose parents
were from Vermont. Calvin Ensign was
a farmer by occupation, and he served as
sheriff of Lorain county two terms — 1883
-1887. Charles C. Ensign, who was the eldest
child and only son in a family of five chil
dren, received a liberal education in the
high schools of Elyria. He served as
deputy sheriff of the county for six years —
two years under his father, and four years

under his father's successor, during which
latter period he did most of the hard work
in the office. At the end of that time, at
the age of twenty-six, he was nominated
for the office of sheriff, and in the fall of
1890 he was elected, taking office in Janu
ary, 1891, the youngest sheriff in the State;
he has since been reelected. His long ex
perience as deputy sheriff makes him
eminently well qualified for his position,
whilst his natural ability is unquestioned
and his popularity unbounded. He is
tall, stalwart, athletic and brave, and as
assiduous in his duties as be is loyal to his
county, State and country.
Mr. Ensign was united in marriage,
March 30, 1886, with Miss Cora F. Hul
bert, of Elyria, a daughter of James and
Nancy (Fish) Hulbert, who are natives of
Ohio; and two children — Mabel L. and
Walter C. — have been born to them.
Politically Sheriff Ensign is an ardent
Republican, and in church connection he
and his family are Baptists.

THOMAS G. CHAPMAN, editor and
proprietor of the Lorain Times, was
born in Lorain, Lorain Co., Ohio,
November 8, 1866, a son of James
and Elizabeth (Burk) Chapman.
Mr. Chapman received a liberal educa
tion at the* public schools of his native
town, graduating, and then took a course
at Oberlin Business College, where he
graduated in 1884. He then returned to
Lorain, and for a time was employed in
the shipping department of the Lorain
Brass Works, where he had worked for
about a year prior to his enlistment. Con
cluding to enter the arena of journalism,
he secured a position on the Lorain
Times, which after a year he bought
out, and since 1886 has been its editor and
proprietor. The paper, a weekly, is Re
publican in its views, liberal, bright and
newsy, and Mr. Chapman has materially
improved the facilities of the office by
changing the old hand-press for a steam-

622

LORAIN COUNTY, OHIO.

power one. Our subject has held the
office of township clerk four and one-half
years, and in the spring of 1893 was elected
Treasurer of the township. He is looked
upon as one of the popular rising young
men of his section of the county, fie is a
member of the I. O. O. F., and served a
term as secretary of the Lodge.
Mr. Chapman was united in marriage,
December 28, 1892, with Miss Millie
Bruce, an estimable young lady, who was
born at LaPorte, Lorain Co., Ohio, Octo
ber 29, 1872.

4/

HJ. CAHOON, recorder of Lorain
county, with residence in Elyria, is
a native of the same, born in Avon
township, May 11, 1837.
O. B. Cahoon, father of subject,
was born in Harkness county, N. Y., May
25, 1804, and when ten years old accom
panied his father, Wilber Cahoon, to Lo
rain county, Ohio, they being the first
settlers in Avon township, where subject's
grandfather followed farming the rest of
his active life, dying there in 1856; he was
born in 1772. On coming here he had to
cut his way eight miles into the woods,
and for a long time there was not a single
settlement between his place and the town
of Cleveland. He was an Old-line Whig,
and the first justice of the peace elected in
Avon township, which office he was hold
ing at the time of his death. He was a
native of Massachusetts, his wife, Priscilla
(Sweet), of Rhode Island. They had eight
children, all of whom lived to middle life
except one that died at the age of sixteen.
O. B. Cahoon lived in Avon township on a
portion of his father's old property. In
politics, until the agitation of the slavery
question, which precipitated the Civil war,
he was a solid Democrat, but his views
changing he became a Republican, and so
remained the rest of his life. He died in
1881, aged seventy-seven years, the father
of seven children, all of whom lived to

maturity, namely: H. J., Melissa A., Jo
seph B., Wilber D., Ora B., Burritt E.
and Charles S.
The subject of these lines was educated
in the public schools of his native town
ship, and reared on a farm. Tn 1862 he
enlisted in Company E, Forty-second O.
V. I. (Garfield's regiment), which was at
tached to the Southwestern army, most of
the time operating on the Mississippi river.
Mr. Cahoon participated in the siege of
Vicksburg, but being seized with sickness
he was sent to hospital at Jefferson Bar
racks, where he was detached and sent
home, to resume peaceful labor on the
farm. Mr. Cahoon was united in marriage,
February 10, 1861, with Elizabeth Lucas,
who was born in Avon, Lorain Co., Ohio;
her parents, Jonathan and Ann Lucas, were
born aud reared in England. Five chil
dren came to bless the home of Mr. and
Mrs. Cahoon, named as follows: Carrie,
Ella (wife of Don Johnson), Fred, Maud
and Anna. Our subject is a Republican,
and in 1891 he was elected to the office of
recorder for a term of three years. He is
ex-adjutant of John Harrison Post in
Avon township, and is a member of the
Baptist Church.

J I E. WILLARD, treasurer of . Lorain
I county, comes of New England peo-
' pie and Revolutionary stock, his
grandfather having served in the
great American struggle for liberty, dying
in 1858 at the age of ninety-seven.
S. R. Willard, father of subject, was a
native of Vermont, and was a Baptist
minister. When the son, J. E., was yet an
infant, the parents came west to Ohio, first
locating in Bedford, Cuyahoga county,
thence, after a sojourn of some seven years,
moving to Salem, Columbiana county,
after which they lived in various other
parts of the State, including Lorain county.
In 1866 the father left the Baptists, and

LORAIN COUNTY, OHIO.

623

united himself with the Disciple Church,
becoming a celrgyman in that denomina
tion. From La Grange, in Lorain county,
the family proceeded to Wellington, in
the same county, and thence to Minnesota,
then back to Wellington, from there mov
ing to Summit county, same State, and
then returning to Wellington, for the last
time as far as concerned the father, as he
died there in 1878, at the age of seventy-
seven years, having been bora in 1801.
In 1829 he married Miss Catherine
Trotter, by which union were born five
sons and two daughters, our subject being
the third; there were also two daughters
born to Mr. Willard by a former marriage.
The mother of J. E. Willard was called
from earth in 1891, aged eighty-four
years, dying in Elyria; she was of Scotch-
Irish descent.
J. E. Willard, subject proper of this
memoir, was born August 25, 1836, in
Ogdensburg, N. Y., and when young
was brought by his parents to Lorain
county, Ohio, where he received his edu
cation. He was reared on a farm, and
lived thereon till he was twenty-two years
old, when he entered a dry-goods store at
La Grange, Lorain county, remaining there
four years. In 1881 he received the ap
pointment as deputy treasurer of Lorain
county, in which capacity he served be
tween five and six years, at the end of
which time he was appointed deputy
auditor, tilling the position one and one-
half years. In 1888 he was elected on the
Republican ticket to his present incum
bency — treasurer of the county, and he is
now serving his second term, with char
acteristic fidelity and ability.
Mr. Willard was married, June 5, 1856,
to Delia A. Gott, a native of La Grange,
Ohio, daughter of David and Emeline
Gott, both of whom were born at Worces
ter, N. Y. To this union three children
have been born, viz.: Minnie A.,Kittie M.
and Archie M. In political sympathies Mr.
Willard is a Republican, and socially he is
a member of the K. O. T. M. and G. A. R.

During the Civil war he enlisted, Septem
ber 26, 1862, in the One Hundred and
Twenty-eighth O. V. I., which served on
Johnson's Island, guarding prisoners there,
and he was discharged June 9, 1865. Mr.
Willard was a schoolmate of the lamented
President Garfield, at Hiram, Ohio, and he
subsequently had various business com
munications with him, having yet in his
possession several autograph letters of his.

4)

\]l OSES S. TENNANT (deceased)
\f/\ was a well-known school teacher
1} and agriculturist — at one .time
cultivating the plastic minds of
the young, at another the ductile
soil of the earth. He was born May 22,
1812, in Monroe comity, N. Y., the eldest
son of Selden and Lydia (Allen) Tennant.
Selden Tennant, father of subject, was
a native of Connecticut, born in 1787, and
in 1793 came to Otsego county, N. Y.,
with his parents. When a young man he
bought land near Buffalo, N. Y., but not
long afterward he removed to Monroe
county. In 1846 < he came to Ohio and
bought wild land in Camden township,
Lorain county, where he became a well-to-
do citizen, farming being his life vocation.
In Otsego county he had married Miss
Lydia Allen, who bore him children as
follows: Moses S., subject of this memoir;
Betsy, who married Charles Kingsbury,
and died in Michigan; Allen, a resident of
Kenton, Ohio; Lydia, married to David
M. Tennant, died in Oberlin in 1892;
David R., farmer, of Camden township;
and Hannah M., married to Moses Hol
comb, now of Cass county, Iowa. The
mother died in 1835 in New York State,
the father on his farm in Camden town
ship, Lorain county, in 1871. Politically
he was first an ardent Whig, afterward, on
the formation of the party, a stanch Re
publican. In religious connection he and
his wife were zealous Baptists.

624

LORAIN COUNTY, OHIO.

Moses S. Tennant, the subject proper of
these lines, received his education at the
common schools of his native township,
and was reared to agricultural pursuits on
his father's farm. Being a studious boy
and youth, and having a natural inclina
tion for reading and a love of books, he
soon had himself prepared for the profes
sion of teacher, which he followed several
years with pronounced success. In Octo
ber, 1839, shortly after his marriage, he
came with his wife to Ohio, the journey
being made with a covered wagon and oc
cupying two weeks. They located in
Camden township, Lorain county, and
having out of his wages — about twelve
dollars per month — saved a little money,
Mr. Tennant was enabled to buy one hun
dred acres of land at ten dollars per acre,
twenty of which were cleared and fenced,
and on which there stood a comfortable
log house with a brick chimney, the first
oue of the kind built in the township.
Soon after settling here, he again took up
school teaching at a salary of twelve dol
lars per month, " boarding round " at
various places in the district, and in the
winter of 1840 he conducted a school in
his own house, being assisted by his wife.
For several winters he assiduously fol
lowed this vocation, working on his farm
the rest of the year, but the later years of
his life he applied himself exclusively to
agricultural pursuits, in which he made a
pronounced success, being a good manager
and financier. He died April 8, 1890,
and was interred in Kipton cemetery.
Politically he was first a Whig, later a
Republican, and he was an active Aboli
tionist, a "conductor" on the "Under
ground Railroad," and many a fugitive
slave found refuge at his home, where
he and his wife would not only feed
and clothe them but also teach them to
read. In religion he was a prominent
member of the Baptist Church, in wliich
he held various offices, and was an active
worker during the last twenty years of
his life.

On August 14, 1839, Mr. Tennant was
married at Clarkson, Monroe Co., N. Y.,
to Miss Mary J. Billings, who was. born
there July 20, 1820, a daughter of Walter
and Nancy (Gillis) Billings, and children
as follows came of this union: William
S., born February 7, 1842; graduated at
Oberlin College;, studied law at Ann
Arbor, and practiced his profession many
years, becoming judge of the circuit court,
in Saginaw (Mich.) District, but was so
overworked that he was compelled to leave
his position; and LettieM., also a graduate
of Oberlin, who married John A. William
son (a graduate of Yale), of Norwalk,
Ohio, and died when thirty-five years of
age. G. F. (a foster son) is now paymaster
ontheC.L.&W.R. R.; and Edwin A. (also
a foster son), who has charge of the home
farm in Camden township. Since the
death of her husband, Mrs. Tennant has
continued to reside on the home farm, and
visits her children from time to time. She
has been a member of the Baptist Church
for the past fifty years, and enjoys the es
teem and respect of a wide circle of friends
and acquaintances.

THE POND FAMILY. On July 8,
1776, there died on Long Island, of
camp fever, brought on by exposure
in the service of his country, Ros
well Pond, in the thirtieth year of
his age, a faithful soldier in the Contin
ental army under Gen. George Washing
ton. He had married in Branford, Conn.,
November 22, 1764, Miss Lydia Rogers,
and three children were born to them, viz.:
(A) Josiah C, September 27, 1765; (B)
Abigail, December 18, 1769, and (C) Ros
well, Jr., July 15, 1772.
(A) Josiah C. Pond married Miss Je
rusha Bull, September 6, 1792, she being
then twenty-seven years old, and children
as follows were born to them: (1) Nancy,
born at Harwinton, Conn., November 1,
1793; (2) Sheldon, born May 3, 1795,

LORAIN COUNTY, OHIO.

627

died April 4, 1883; (3) Josiah, Jr., bora
December 31, 1796, died on Christmas
Day, 1883; (4) Jerusha, born June 17,
1799; (5) Candace, born May 8, 1801; (Q)
Cynthia, born September 8, 1803; (7)
Mary, born March 4, 1806, died April 28,
1890, at Oswego, N. Y., and (8) Jonathan,
born December 1, 1809. Of these, (1)
Nancy married  Covey, and died Oc
tober 8, 1826; her son, William O, died
June 7, 1848. (2) Sheldon married No
vember 9, 1831, Clarissa Austin, who was
born February 3, 1804; she died May 15,
1891, at the age of eighty-seven years;
their children were Ellen L. (bom Janu
ary 18, 1833), Albert S. (bora August 27,
1834, died September 17, 1875), Mary J.
(bora July 24, 1838); of these EUen L.
married Henry Pond November 5, 1851,
in Bristol, Conn.; Mary J. married J. H.
Scovill December 17, 1862, and they live
on the old farm in Connecticut; Albert S.
married Hattie A. Harrington November
14, 1863, and died September 17, 1875.
(3) Josiah Pond, Jr., married May 5, 18,19,
Acta Dyer, who died June 4, 1844, and
their children were Lucius Dyer, born
March 20, 1820; Mariette, born December
18, 1829; Flora Ann, born November 15,
1832, married Ferdinand Trivoya Novem
ber 6, 1853. (5) Candace Pond died a
maiden August 11, 1847. (6) Cynthia
married a Mr. Belden, and died February
11, 1861. (7) Mjiry Pond married Augus
tus Pettibone, who was born May 5, 180Q;
she died July 28, 1890, leaving five daugh
ters. (8) Jonathan Pond married, but had
no children. The parents of this, family
both died at Harwinton, Coim., the father
January 31, 1838, aged seventy- two years,
the mother February 29, 1836, aged
seventy-one. (O) Roswell Pond, Jr., married January
23,,' 1800, Hannah Webster, born April 14,
1778, a daughter of Charles Webster, of
fiarwiutou, Conn., and related to Noah
Webster, the Lexicographer. To this union
were born children as follows: (I) Roswell,
bo,ra February 16, 1801, died March 18,
34

1819; (II) Lydia, born July 1, 1803, died
February 24, 1889; (III) Lew Anna, born
June 30, 1805, died in Torrington, Conn.,
June 13, 1888; (IV) Hannah Webster, born
October 10, 1807, died January 10, 1871;
(V) Charles Webster, born February 8,
1810, died in Toledo, Ohio, August 21,
1885; (VI) Martin Webster (the subject
proper of this sketch), born March 12,
1814; (VII) Edwin Loomis, born Septem
ber 6, 1816, died in the Sandwich Islands
November 12, 1889; and (VIII) Julius
Roswell, bora February 11, 1822, died in
Glencoe, Oregon, May 25, 1891. The
father of this family died in Harwinton,
Conn., September 18, 1826, the mother at
the residence of her son, Martin W., whom
she was visiting, at Elyria, Ohio, Novem
ber 15, 1854.
Of the children of (C) Roswell Pond,
Jr., (II) Lydia married, May 19, 1825,
Ezra Stiles Adams, of Canton, Conn., and
they at once came west to Ohio, locating
in Elyria, then but a small village. The
record of their children is as follows: Mary
Laura was born September 1, 1826; Albert
H. was bora May 8, 1830, and died Octo
ber 23, 1831 ; Alfred Henry was born De
cember 10, 1832, and died March 15,1833;
Lydia Ann was born February 3, 1834;
George Hurlbut was bora February 1,
1837, and Ezra Stiles was born June 4,
1845. Of these, Mary Laura married,
April 21, 1846, in Elyria, Ohio, Charles
E. Mason, a native of Portage county,
Ohio, boru May 4, 1823. The issue of
this union are three children: (1) Mary
Adelaide, bora in Elyria, June 16, 1847;
(2) Laura Isabel, born in Elyria, February
4, 1850, and (3) George Adams, born in
Wellington (also in Lorain county), July
18, 1858. Of these, (1) Mary Adelaide
married, June 16, 1868, John W. Meaker,
of Ann Arbor, Mich., and their children
are John W., Jr., born July 18, 1870; Guy,
bora September 6, 1873; Belle, born Feb
ruary 10, 1876, and Mazie, bora November
30. 1878, all born in Detroit, Mich., except
the last named, who first saw the light in

628

LORAIN COUNTY, OHIO.

the "World's Fair City "—Chicago. (2)
Laura Isabel Mason was married June 24,
1873, in Wellington, Ohio, to Schuyler
Davis, and their children are George S.,
born in Wellington, August 24, 1874, and
Roy Mason, born in Cleveland, November
16, 1879.
Lydia Ann Adams, second daughter of
Ezra Stiles and Lydia Adams, was married
May 27, 1850, to George F. Bell, of Can
ada West (now Ontario), and they had one
child, Kate, born February 11,1853. Mr.
Bell died August 11, 1872, in Mercer,
Penn., and May 22, 1879, his widow was
married to Nelson Case, of Orangeville,
Ohio. George Hurlbut Adams, youngest son
but one of Ezra Stiles and Lydia Adams,
vyas united in marriage December 25, 1868,
with Miss Addie Kemp, who died August
26, 1874, and for his second wife George
H. Adams married, May 27, 1878, Miss
Belle J. Henry, of Rockport, Ohio.
Ezra Stiles Adams, Jr., youngest son of
Ezra Stiles and Lydia Adams, was married
January 19, 1870, in Wellington, Ohio, to
Miss Jennie L. McClelland, of that place,
and their children are Louisa M., born in
Cleveland, October 20, 1871, and Georgia,
born March 15, 1873.
(Ill) Lew Anna Pond died at Torring
ton, Conn., June 12, 1888; she was mar
ried at her father's house in Burlington,
Conn., December 15, 1825, to Edmund
A. Wooding, and children as follows were
born to them: (a) Adeline, born January
8, 1827; (b) Julia, bora at Torrington,
Conn., October 28, 1835, and (c) Mary,
bora at Torrington, February 25, 1838.
Of these (a) Adeline married, November3,
1846, in New Hartford, Conn., Augustus
Merrill, by whom she had children as fol
lows: (1) Addie, born in New Hartford,
November 15, 1849, married November
25, 1868,William Baker Gilbert, of Thomas-
ton, Conn., and has one child, Grace, bora
October 12, 1880. (2) Grace, born in
Thomaston, Conn., January 18, 1854, mar
ried December 25, 1875, Charles S. Spald

ing, of Winstead, Conn., and has three
children, viz.: Jessie, born July 22, 1878;
Anna, born August 12, 1880, and Ethel
May, born November 14, 1885. (b) Julia
Wooding married May 17, 1877, in New
York City, William Burtis Fowler, (c)
Mary Wooding was married at her father's
house in Wolcottville, Conn., November
25, 1855, to Walter Scott Lewis, of Bridge
port, Conn., and two children were born to
them, viz.: Lizzie, March 28, 1857 (mar
ried to Addison A. Ladley, of Philadel
phia, Penn., January 6, 1881), and Charles
W, October 16, 1859, both born in Wol
cottville, Connecticut.
(IV) Hannah Webster Pond was mar
ried in Wolcottville, Conn., June 16, 1833,
to Jeremiah D. Root, and three children
were born to them iu Hartford, Conu., as
follows: (1) Edward J., born in 1837, died
March 16,1842; (2) Albert Homer, born
June 15, 1840, died February 19, 1841;
(3) Frank, born in April, 1834, and was
killed by a boiler explosion in New York
harbor while in the U. S. service, in 1864
or '65, leaving one son, Edward Samuel,
known as "Ned Root," born January 10,
1855; and (4) Ella, born October 15, 1842.
Mrs. Hannah Webster (Pond) Root died
in New London, Conn., January 10, 1871.
Jeremiah D. Root died in New York City,
August 6, 1875, and both are buried in
Hartford, Connecticut.
(V) Charles Webster Pond married
October 21, 1846, at Smithville, Canada
West (now Ontario), Miss Martha Smith,
and they had two children: Robert, born
in Canada July 28, 1850, and Ezra Stiles,
born at Auburn, Mich., February 29,
1856. The mother died at Smithville, C.
W., in May following the birth of her last
child, and Mr. Pond married for his
second wife, at Detroit, Mich., May 6,
1857, Miss Catherine Vantiplen, and their
children were (1) Charles Henry, bora at
Brighton, Mich., March 12, 1858, and
died at Toledo, Ohio, December 19, 1881.
Robert Pond, son of Charles Webster and
Martha (Smith) Pond, married May 7,

LORAIN COUNTY, OHIO.

629

1873, in Monroe county, Mich., Emeline
Hungerford of Bedford, Mich., and their
children were May, born at Bedford, Mich.,
February 5, 1874; Maud, born at Toledo,
Ohio, August 1, 1877, died there Febru
ary 10, 1882, aud Charles E., born at
Bedford, Mich., July 15, 1879.
(VIII) Julius Roswell Pond married
July 2, 1850, at the home of her father,
Royal Watson, in New Hartford, Conn.,
Miss Martha A. Watson, a native of that
town, born March 19, 1821, and their chil
dren are Edwin Watson, bora June 17,
1853, in New Hartford, and Cora Lena,
adopted by them when one month old, and
who was born at New Hartford March 24,
1863; she is married to Edward Bisack,
aud they live in Norwich, New York.
(VI) Maetin Webstee Pond, the sub
ject proper of this sketch, removed with his
sister, Mrs. Lydia (Pond) Adams, to
Elyria, Ohio, in 1825, where, December
10, 1835, he married Miss Eliza J. Sayles,
of Mayville, Chautauqna Co., N. Y.. born
there Marcii 26, 1817, and died in Elyria
May 31, 1887. Her parents were from
Rhode Island. The children born to this
union were (1) Henry Clay, (2) Martin
Webster, Jr., (3) Horace Roswell Brown,
(4) Frank, (5) Franklin Gaylord, and (6)
Lizzie, all natives of Elyria, Ohio, the rec
ord of whom is as follows: (1) Henry
Clay was bora in Elyria September 11,
1839, and March 23, 1865, married, in
Hartford, Conn., Lottie Payne; (2) Martin
W., Jr., was born April 30, 1841, and
February 12, 1871, was married in Cleve
land, Ohio, to Miss Fannie J. Thrall, of
that city, their children being George
Horace, born at Titusville, Penn., October
19, 1871, died at Colorado Springs of con
sumption October 6, 1889. (3) Horace R.
B. was born October 31, 1842; in 1861 he
enlisted in Company I, Eighth Regiment
O. V. I., and died at his father's house
May 14, 1870, of disease contracted in the
army; he married September 5, 1867,
Jennie Keyes, of Sandusky, Ohio, and one
son, Harry, was born to them August 4,

,1868. (4) Frank was bora April 14, 1848,
and died of croup February 7, 1851. (5)
Franklin G. was born February 25, 1849.
(6) Lizzie was born February 21, 1854,
was married December 5, 1877, to Samuel
Howe Bowen, of Newport, Herkimer Co.,
N. Y., and their children are Helen Pond,
born in Green Spring August 15, 1878,
and Scott Howe, born November 27, 1886.
Martin Webster Pond received his edu
cation at the common schools of his native
State, and the district schools of Elyria,
Ohio. He then, at about the age of sixteen,
entered the employ of his brother-in-law,
Ezra S. Adams, as an apprentice to learn
the saddle and harness making business,
which he completed in his twenty-first
year, soon after which he left Elyria for
the purpose of perfecting himself in his
trade, among other places working in
Cleveland, Detroit, and Wheeling (W.
Va.). At the end of two years he returned
to Elyria, and here followed his trade until
1852, during which period he formed vari
ous partnerships: first with B. F. Robin
son, then with Waterman Morse, and
lastly with William Doolittle. In June,
1852, he started on a trip to California,
via the Nicaragua route; at the Isthmus,
where he was delayed some three weeks,
he was attacked with Panama fever, but
finally reached San Francisco, in a very
feeble condition, however, after a tedious
journey of sixty-five days in all. Gradu
ally recovering his health he engaged in
mining, his headquarters being at Nevada
City. In June, 1853, he returned to
Elyria, this time taking the Panama route,
and again entered into partnership with
Waterman Morse in the saddlery and har
ness business, but at the end of the year Mr.
Pond retired from the firm. In 1858 fire
destroyed a building owned by Mr. Pond,
and immediately he began the erection of
a finer one, and upon its completion, in
January, 1859, he resumed his old busi
ness, which he continued until 1870, when
he engaged in the manufacture of a harness
pad, for which he had obtained a patent,

630

LORAIN COUNTY, OHIO.

In 1862 he invented the first successful
tug buckle, to the sale and introduction
of which he gave much attention until
1870. A Republican in politics, Mr. Pond
has filled many position of honor and trust
conferred upon him by his fellow citizens.
He is a member of the F. & A. M., and
was for twenty-nine years treasurer of
Marshall Chapter No. 47. In 1841
he assisted in forming in Elyria a Lodge
of the "Mechanics Mutual Protection," an
Order that has exerted much permanent
influence for good in the community. Mr-
Pond, always a lover of education, was one
of the most active workers for the estab
lishment of the Elyria Union School. In
the improvement of Elyria he has taken a
conspicuous part.
Mrs. Pond died May 31, 1887, at the
age of seventy years. Their golden wed
ding anniversary had passed; for more
than fifty years their joys and sorrows had
been mutual. Theirs had been a most
happy union, in which communion of
souls had made the two lives as one, and
the existence of each as essential factors
of the other. Since Mrs. Pond's death,
the husband has lived at the old home
stead, only waiting God's time to be called
to the final reunion. His health is far
from good, and being one of the oldest
residents of Elyria, not many years will pass
ere the summons comes, which will find
him ready and waiting.

4/

HIRAM H. HOWK, familiarly
known among his many friends as
"Uncle Hiram," for about three
score years a resident of Wellington
township, is a "native of Berkshire
county, Mass., born October 2, 1816.
His father, David Howk ("Uncle Da
vid, " as he was generally known), was
bprn in the same county, where he married
Polly Bradley, who bore him six children,
as follows: Clarissa, who died in Che
nango county, N. Y.; Ely B., deceased in

Wellington, who was a justice of the
peace; Hiram H., subject; John, who is
mentioned elsewhere in this volume;
David; and Mary, deceased in Pennsyl
vania, who was the wife of Frank Hamil
ton. The family moved to New York
State when our subject was a boy, and
came to Wellington township, Lorain Co.,
Ohio, when he was a youth of eighteen
years. They traveled by lake to Cleveland,
the rest of the journey being made by
wagon, and tbe first house they lived in,
built of logs, was 12x20, with flat roof,
punchepn floor, and without either door or
window, curtains being hung up in lieu
thereof. Deer, wolves, and other wild
animals were plentiful, while human be
ings were pn the other hand rare, there
being no family in the woods at the time
the Howks came. Here they carved out a
home from the dense woods and deep-
tangled undergrowth, and here the parents
pasted the remainder of their pioneer lives.
Their farm was located in the southeastern
part of the township, very wild land at the
time, and the first brush pile in the sec
tion was cut by "Uncle" David Howk.
He died on the old homestead at the age of
sixty-eight years, a member of the M. E.
Church, and a Whig in politics; he was a
hardy, active and vigorous man. His wife
passed from earth March 5, 1871, at the
present residence of the family, aged about
eighty-two years. On the father's side
the family are of Holland-Dutch lineage;
on the mother's side they are of Massa
chusetts ancestry, her parents being of
Lee, Berkshire county, where they lived all
their lives.
The subject of our sketch received but
a limited education at the old-time log
schoolhouse, as his boyhood days were for
tbe most part occupied in assisting his
father on the farm — chopping and clear
ing. He has been a lifelong agriculturist,
and has met with well merited success.
On September 20, 1843, he married Miss
Electa Butler, bora in Wheeling, W. Ya.,
and three children were the results of thia

LORAIN COUNTY, OHIO.

631

union: John, in Wellington, Lorain
county (has two children: Fred and
Arthur); Almira, who died in 1872 at the
honie of her father, aged twenty-two years,
leaving one child, Eddie H. Burns; and
Grove, also in Wellington (has one child,
Myrtle). After marriage our subject con
tinued to reside on the old homestead, liv
ing there in all about thirty years. On
April 8, 1863, he and his wife moved to
Wellington village, and made their home
there until lately, when they once more
came to their farm, a life of ease not suit
ing " Uncle Hiram," as he is a man of
perpetual activity, and bright aud spry for
his years; in that respect resembling his
thirty-three-year-old horse, of which he is
proud, and which is a wonderful animal
considering his age. In addition to his
farm our subject owns a nice property in
the village of Wellington.

J| H. LANG. The Lang family, of
which this gentleman is a worthy
____' representative, and which was at one
time quite numerous in Huntington,
Lorain county, can trace their genealogy
back to Plymouth Rock.
The earliest known member of the fam
ily was one Robert Lang, a seafaring man
who came from Scotland as early as 1630.
He built a house at Portsmouth, N. H,
some time between 1635 and 1650, which
is still standing in a very good condition.
It was built of New Hampshire Pasture
Oak. The walls are bricked up between
the studs with brick brought from Eng
land, and the nails were hand made. This
house was occupied by English soldiers
during the King Philip war; was also oc
cupied by Governor Wentworth, and shel
tered General Washington when he visited
New England. This is one of the oldest
houses in the New England States, and
relics of it are now in the possession of
some of the younger members of this old

family. The following line brings this
family down to the present numerous gen
eration :
First from Robert was John, then a sec
ond John, who was a Revolutionary soldier.
Then Bickford, and a second Bickford, who
was a captain of militia in the war of 1812.
He was born in Rye, N. H., married Abi
gail Locke, and settled in Epsom, N. H.,
where he reared a numerous family. His
eldest son William was the first to leave
the parent nest, and go to what was then
the "Far West." His brother Reuel soon
followed, and both settled in Huntington,
Lorain county, about the year 1821, being
among the first settlers of that township.
David, another son of Bickford, followed
about 1835, and the father came in 1838,
all of them settling in Huntington. An
other son, John, settled in Ashland, Ohio,
where he was for a number of years a
prosperous merchant and business man,
and where he died in 1847. Benjamin,
another son, graduated at Kenyon College,
Gambier, Ohio, and was for some time a
professor of that college; he died in
Kansas in 1885. David spent the most
of his life, after coming to Ohio, in Hunt
ington, a prosperous farmer, and died at
the home of his son John in Rochester in
1884. Josiah Crosby, the youngest son
of this family, enlisted in the war of the
Rebellion, but was taken sick and died be
fore he had seen any active service, his
death occurring in 1861. Of the two
boys who first came to Ohio, Reuel was a
cabinet maker, and wprked at the trade of
carpenter and joiner for many years;. and
many of the first frame structures of
Lorain county show his handiwork. He
was for many years a local preacher among
the Methodists. The last years of his life
he spent in Wellington, surrounded by
many of his children, where he peacefully
passed away in March, 1891, in the eighty-
ninth year of his age. William, the eld
est son, is still living with his son John
in Wasioja, Minn., in his ninety-sixth year.
Bickford, Jr., was the only one of this

632

LORAIN COUNTY OHIO

numerous family who did not "go west."
He remained in his native State, and is
still living at Franklin, N. H. There
were four girls in this family: Maria,
who married Dr. Babb, and died at Man
chester,' N. H. ; Lorenda, married to Kim
ball Prescott, and died at Marinette,
Wis.; Sarah, who married Morrill Chesley,
and still lives in New Hampshire, and
Abigail, who married Milton Barker, and
died at Oberlin, Ohio. Beyond this brief
review, this history will have only to do
with the later generation, and with those
who have been more intimately connected
with the history of Lorain county.
Of the descendants of this family, only
the children of Reuel settled in this county.
Josiah Bickford, the eldest, married
Lorena Chapman, and for a number of
years lived in Huntington, where he fol
lowed the trade of carpenter; for more
than twenty years he was engaged in the
tin, stove and hardware trade in Welling
ton. He served a term as mayor of that
village, and by his enterprise and counsel
added much to its prosperity; for the
last few years his home has been in
Cleveland; he had four children — -three
sons and one daughter, viz.: Watson W.
and Charles, both ih business in Cleveland;
Eva A., now the wife of George M. Cad
well, a business man in Cleveland; the
first-born son was killed when a child by
the kick of a horse. The next son is Jesse
H., the subject proper of this sketch, of
whom further mention will presently be
made. Cyrus Welcome, the third son,
lived at home in Huntington till the age
of twenty, when he visited his relatives in
New Hampshire, where he died in his
twentieth year. Louisa Maria, the eldest
daughter, married Peter S. Wright, lived
a short time in Huntington, a number of
years in Oberlin, moved to Vermontville,
Mich., where he accumulated some prop
erty, and about ten years ago returned to
Wellington, where he still resides. Mr.
Wright was famed as being one of the
most ingenious mechanics in the country,

He enlisted in the army and served with
honor, and is now retired in broken health,
on a small pension. They had three chil
dren, two of whom died in infancy, and the
third, Grace, is now the wife of Utley
Wedge, and resides in Cleveland. Esther
Abigail, the next daughter, married
Charles W. Horr, a prosperous business
man of Wellington; they had a family of
four boys, the eldest of which is a lawyer
in Cleveland, and the rest still live in Well
ington. Charles, the fourth son, died at
Huntington in the twentieth year of his
age. Olive Amy, the youngest daughter,
after graduating from Oberlin College,
married Dr. Meriden B. Lukens, who
practiced medicine for many years in Illi
nois, Wisconsin, and Cleveland, Ohio, and
finally drifted to Dalton, Ga., where they
now reside. George Locke, the next son
in line, grew to sixteen years of age in
Huntington; then went to Wisconsin and
took a position in the store of his brother
Jesse, and when the war broke out he en
listed in Company G, Twelfth Wisconsin
Volunteers, in which he served gallantly
and faithfully; was severely wounded at
the siege of Atlanta, Ga., a minie ball
being permanently left in his right lung;
after he returned from the war he studied
telegraphy, and has been engaged in that
occupation ever since; he is now engaged
in important work of this kind in the East,
with a residence in Boston; he married
Lizzie Viles, at Oberlin, and they have
one daughter, now married and residing in
Washington, D. C. Merrill Warner, the
youngest of this family, also grew to man
hood in Huntington, married and settled
in Wellington, where he now resides, an
honored citizen. He has been many years
a member of the village council, and has
had much to do with the affairs of that
village; he has one son, Burton Lang, who
is married and lives in Cleveland. Five
fenerations of Langs have lived and
ourished in Lorain county — Watson, the
son of Josiah,having two children, and Bur
ton, the son of Merrill, having one. Bick-

LORAIN COUNTY, OHIO.

633

ford, of the first generation, died in Hunt
ington at the age of about ninety years,
and Reuel, of the next in line, died in
Wellington as before stated. Of David's
family, Albert, the eldest, died in Hunt
ington; John, the second son, lives in
Rochester; Lydia Ann, the oldest daugh
ter, is now the wife of Horatio Norton,
and lives in Huntington; Henry, a younger
son, entered the army, and was killed in
action. The names mentioned above com
prise all or nearly all of this numerous
family who have been identified with
Lorain county. While this family has not
produced any great men, there never has
been any stain on its moral character, none
of them ever having been in either Con
gress or Penitentiary.
Jesse Hart Lang, whose flame opens this
sketch, was born in Huntington township,
Lorain Co., Ohio, December 21, 1827, a
son of Reuel and Amy (Hart) Lang, na
tives respectively of New Hampshire and
Vermont. He was named after his ma
ternal grandfather. Mr. Lang grew to
manhood in his native town, attended
school in Oberlin a number of years, and
engaged in teaching and study from 1844
to 1848. On January 1, of the latter year,
he married Miss Mary E. Fitch, of Shef
field township, Lorain county, a daughter
of Samuel B. and Dolly (Smith) Fitch, na
tives of Massachusetts and early settlers of
Sheffield township, Lorain county. The
first two years of our subject's married life
were spent on a farm in Huntington town
ship, after which he removed to Olmsted
Falls, Cuyahoga Co., Ohio, where he was
engaged in managing a woolen factory for
five years. In 1856, with his young wife
and one daughter, he went to Grand Rap
ids, Wis., where he was in the employ of
the Government, and at the same time
studied law. While there he was a candi
date for the Legislature, but was defeated,
the District being largely Democratic. For
ten years he was there engaged in the
businesses of land surveyor, lawyer and
merchant. Returning to Oberlin in 1870,

he has here since resided, engaged in the
profession of attorney and general busi
ness agency. He is a Republican, and
cast his first vote for the Free-soil party.
Socially he is a F. & A. M., and he and
his wife are members of the Congrega
tional Cliurch. They had six children, all
of whom died young, the youngest, Carrie,
at the age of thirteen years. Mr. Lang
published a work entitled " Childrens'
Pictorial Bible," containing twenty thou
sand illustrations (seven hundred of them
being electro-plates) and a topical analysis.
He spent twenty years on the work.

JOHN MOUNTAIN, late leading mer
chant tailor in Elyria, was born Sep
tember 27, 1834, in County Fer
managh, Ireland. His parents were
John and Elizabeth (Carson) Mountain,
also natives of County Fermanagh; the
father, who was a merchant tailor, died in
his seventieth year; the mother, who was
of Scotch descent, died at the age of forty-
four years. They were the parents of five
children, to wit: William, who entered
the British army, and died at Bombay,
India; Christopher, who died in the British
army, in Turkey; Mary, widow of Thomas
Timmington, of Fremont, Ohio; John, our
subject; and Margaret, wife of Charles
Wilmott, of Melbourne, Australia.
At the age of seventeen years the sub
ject of this sketch left his native land to
seek his fortune in the Western world, and
coming to Canada completed his trade
with his uncle Joseph Mountain, which he
had commenced under his father's tuition
in Ireland. In 1859 he came to Elyria,
Lorain county, under contract to do cut
ting for a leading house in that town.
After working at his trade in various ca
pacities, the Civil war broke out, and be
ing imbued with the same martial spirit
that actuated his brothers to enlist in the
British army, he, in 1862, enlisted as fifer
in the One fiundred and Third O. V. I.

634

LORAIN COUNTY, OHIO.

He was mustered into the regiment as
drum major, and after serving in the army
of Tennessee, in Kentucky, one year, was
mustered out under an order from the War
Department relieving all drum majors
from the service. On his return home he
worked at his trade until 1878, in which
year he embarked in business for himself,
in Elyria. Having become well known in
and gained the confidence of the com
munity at large, he soon found himself in
possession of the leading merchant tailor
ing trade in the city, which he enjoyed up
to the time of his death, which occurred
August 12, 1893.
In 1853 Mr. Mountain married Miss
Elizabeth Frazer, by whom there were
three children, as follows: Libbie, wife of
Dr. P. D. Reefy, of Elyria; Minnie, wife
of Herbert S. Follansbee, of Elyria; aud
Carson, who died when twenty-two years
old. The mother died in 1878. Mr. Moun
tain afterward married Miss Dora Dunton.
One child — Arthur — was born to them.
Politically our subject was a Republican;
was also a member of the G. A. R., and
of the Episcopal Church.

jtftOF. JAMES HARRIS FAIR-'
CHILD, ex-president of Oberlin
College, was born in Stockbridge,
Mass., November 25, 1817, a son of
Grandison and Nancy (Harris) Fair-
child. The father was a native of Shef
field, Mass., born April 20, 1792, and died
July 31, 1890, in the ninety-ninth year of
his age; tbe mother was born in Rich
mond, Mass., November 29, 1795, and
died August 31, 1875. Daniel Fairchild,
grandfather of subject, removed from Shef
field to Stockbridge, Mass., with his young
family, where he passed the remainder of
his busy life in agricultural pursuits; his
wife's name was Buttles.
In 1818 Grandison Fairchild came with
his family to Lorain county, Ohio, making
a settlement in what is now Brownhelm

township, then a wilderness, and here he
cleared a farm and passed the rest of his
life. The property is still in the posses
sion of the family. Eight of the children
— four sons and four daughters — bora to
Grandison and Nancy Fairchild grew to
maturity, of whom the following is a brief
record: (1) Charles Grandison remained
on the old homestead, and carried ou the
farm until his death in 1884. (2) Edward
Henry was educated in Oberlin College,
and afterward became principal of the
preparatory department of same; at the time
of his death he was president of Berea
College, Kentucky; one of his sons is
president of Rollins College, Florida; an
other professor in Doane College, Ne
braska; another is connected with Berea
College, Kentucky. (3) James Harris is
the subject of this memoir. (4) Catharine
Baxter is the wife of Chester A. Cooley.
(5) Emily Frances is the wife of Rev. M.
W. Fairfield ; one son is professor at How
ard University, Washington, D. C. (6)
Mary Plumb was married to Cyrus Bald
win, now of Dayton, Ohio, and died leav
ing four children; one of her sons, Cyrus
G. Baldwin, is president of Pomona Col
lege, Cal..; another son, Dr. James F. Bald
win, is Dean of the Medical University at
Columbus, Ohio; her daughter is the wife
of Prof. Cook, of Michigan Agricultural
College, Lansing, Mich. (7) Harriet Eliza
married Prof. R. C. Kedzie, of Lans
ing, Mich.; their three sons became
professors of chemistry. (8) George T. is
president of the Kansas Agricultural Col
lege, Manhattan, Kansas.
The subject of this sketch received his
education in part at the schools of Brown
helm, and high school of Elyria, but
chiefly at Oberlin. The school at Oberlin
was first begun in December, 1833; in
May, 1834, it was first regularly organized,
and in the following October the first
Freshman class was formed, comprising at
that time the two Fairchilds — James H.
and his brother Edward Henry — and two
others. -Pursuing his course steadily,

J-QA, ^r ^k^JtijU/^

LORAIN COUNTY, OHIO.

637

James graduated from college in 1838,
after which he entered at once upon a
theological course, which he completed in
1841. In 1839 he was appointed tutor in
Latin and Greek in the college, and, on
the completion of his course in Theology
in 1841, he was elected professor of Latin
and Greek. In 1847 he was transferred
to the Chair of Mathematics and Natural
Philosophy, and in 1858 he received the
appointment of professor of Moral Philos
ophy and Systematic Theology. In 1866,
Prof. Finney having resigned his position
as president, Prof. Fairchild was appointed
his successor, and held the position until
1889. In November, 1841, Prof. Fairchild was
united in marriage with Miss Mary F.
Kellogg, at Minden, La., whither her
father had removed from Jamestown, N,
Y., on account of impaired health. She was
a native of New York State. This event
took place before the days of rail
roads, and the trip from Oberlin to
Minden occupied several weeks. The
Professor took the canal to the Ohio,
then steamer down the Ohio into the
Mississippi; down that river to New Or
leans, then up the Red river, to the Creole
town of Natchitoches, from which place
he proceeded on horseback through the
pine forests seventy-five miles to Minden.
The many incidents met with on the way,
and to him annoying delays, are of ttimes
recounted by the Professor in his own in
imitable manner. To this marriage were
born eight children — two sons and six
daughters — as follows: (1) Lucy Kellogg
is the wife of Prof. Kenaston, of Howard
University; (2) George Hornell is a well-
known business man and banker in North
Dakota; (3) Mary Fletcher is matron in
Baldwin Cottage, Oberlin; (4) Catharine
Cooley is keeping house for her father,
her mother having died in 1890; (5) Grace
Augusta is a teacher in the art department
of Oberlin College; (6) James Thome is
a professor in Tabor College, Iowa. The
other two children died young.

The life of Prof. Fairchild has not been
what might be termed eventful, but it has
been a busy one — a quiet, yet progressive
life. He has found time to give to the
world not a few of the productions of his
pen, among which may be mentioned:
"Fairchild's Elements of Theology ^'"Fair-
child's Moral Science"; "Oberlin: The
Colony and the College."
In a "History of Lorain County," the
following is truthfully and gracefully said of
Prof. Fairchild: "As a public speaker he is
quiet and self-contained, and though im
pressive, would not be called oratorical.
Yet, so fraught are his productions with
elevated and original thought, clothed in
a style clear and terse, that corresponding
thoughts are awakened in his auditors,
which do not pass away with the hearing.
His public addresses on special occasions
have uniformly possessed so high a degree of
excellence that, almost without exception,
they have been requested for publication.
That which best expresses and explains
his life is — fidelity to duty. He has not
been ambitious, or eager for distinction;
but he has risen to a high position in the
esteem, respect and admiration of- a large
number. He has given himself to his
work with a devotion which has known no
abatement. There is found in him, in uo
ordinary degree, both the speculative and
the practical. His mind grapples reso
lutely, and works actively and intensely
on the great subjects of thought; but high
thoughts do not so absorb his attention as
to make him neglectful of the necessary de
tails of practical affairs. He is wise in
little things as in great.
" The prevailing bent of his mind is un
questionably ethical. Though his mind is
too comprehensive to allow him to be a
mere specialist, yet his favorite study is
ethics. On this summit of human thought
he has long dwelt; and the result of his
thinking and teaching he has embodied in
his treatise on moral philosophy. This is
an admirable exposition of the moral law
of love or benevolence; first, in its philos-

638

LORAIN COUNTY, OHIO.

ophy or reason; and, secondly, in its prac
tical application to human rights and du
ties. In his theological teaching he is
clear, rational, and evangelical.
" Under his wise and discreet manage
ment, Oberlin College has undergone a
gradual and continual improvement. This
improvement is, indeed, its natural growth;
yet it is not spontaneous, but must be pro
moted by intelligent effort, in which many
co-operate. This growth consists in the
enlargement and perfection of the course
of study, so as to furnish a culture broader
and higher; and, as a necessary material
basis for this, an adequate college endow
ment."

C. MOORE, M. D., physician and
surgeon, is in the van of his pro
fession, not only in North Amherst,
where he has his residence, but also
in the entire county of Lorain.
He wa6 born in Lake county, Ohio, in
1819, a son of Isaac and Philena (Blish)
Moore, natives, the father of New York,
the mother of Massachusetts. In 1811
Isaac Moore came to Lake county, Ohio,
and took up farming. He was there mar
ried, and in 1831 moved to Cuyahoga
county, thence in 1836 to Mentor, Ohio.
He died at Farmer City, DeWitt Co., 111.;
his widow passed from earth while living
in Cuyahoga county. In politics he was a
Whig and Republican. Grandfather John
Moore enlisted, for six months, later for
the entire service, during the Revolution
ary war, and lived to the patriarchal age
of ninety-three years; his grandmother
Blish died at the same age. To Isaac
Moore and his wife were born five sons
and three daughters, the latter of whom
are deceased. The sons are C. H., an at
torney at Clinton, 111., whither he had
gone in 1841; Dr. A. C, subject of sketch;
Blish, a farmer in De Witt county, 111.,
where he settled in 1845; Milan, a jeweler
in Farmer City, 111.; and H. C, now in
California.

The subject proper of this sketch re
ceived his primary education at the West
ern Reserve Teachers' Seminary in Lake
county, Ohio, after which he attended a
medical course at Willoughby, now the
Starling Medical College of Columbus,
Ohio, then took a course at the Eclectic
Medical College, Cincinnati, Ohio, gradu
ating with the class of 1848. In order to
secure means wherewith to prosecute the
study of medicine, he taught school several
terms. In 1849 he commenced the prac
tice of his profession, and has now been
successfully engaged in it forty-four years.
In May, 1855, Dr. Moore was united in
marriage, in Lorain county, to Elizabeth
Onstine, a native of Lancaster county,
Penn., daughter of George aud Rosanna
Onstine, natives of Pennsylvania, and who
in 1820 came to Lorain county, Ohio. , To
this marriage was born one daughter, Lulu
O, wife of H. G. Redington, of Amherst,
an attorney at law, and who is president
of the Amherst Savings Bank, and has
been mayor of North Amherst four terms.
Mrs. Dr. Moore died in March, 1893.
Our subject in politics is independent,
and he is a strong temperance advocate.
In 1875 he was mayor of North Amherst,
and he is a member of the board of health.
In matters of religion, be is associated
with the Christian Church. He is one of
the stockholders of the Amherst Savings
Bank, and is a highly respected and popu
lar gentleman.

HARLES W. JOHNSTON. This
gentleman is a lineal descendant of
one of the oldest and most powerful
of the clans of Scotland, that for
centuries kept the borders of that country
in a constant ferment of bloody strife. Sir
Walter Scott, in his " Tales of a Grand
father," says: "There had long existed a
deadly feud on the western borders, be
tween the two great families of the Max
wells and Johnstons. The former house
was the most wealthy and powerful family

LORAIN COUNTY, OHIO.

639

in Dumfriesshire and its vicinity, and had
great influence among the families inhabit
ing the more level part of that country.
The Johnstons on the other hand were
neither equal to the Maxwells iu number
nor in power, but were a race of uncom
mon hardihood, much attached to their
chieftain and to each other, and who re
sided in the strong and mountainous dis
trict of Annandale. It was between the
houses of Johnston and Maxwell that the
last great clan battle took place. It is
known as the battle of Dryfe Sands, and
was fought on the river Dryfe, near Loch-
maben. The Maxwells had besieged the
castle of Lockerby (or Locherby), the fort
ress of a Johnston who was in arms with
his chief. His wife defended the resi
dence until the approach of the Johnston
forces. From the superior skill of the
Johnston chief the Maxwells were de
feated, and on their retreat many of them
were slain or mutilated on the streets of
Lockerby. The chief Maxwell had been
wounded by the Johnstons, and left upon
the field of battle with one hand cut off.
He had offered ' ten pound ten ' for the
hand or head of the Laird of Johnston,
and Johnston in return offered to bestow
five-merk land upon any one who would
bring him the hand or head of Maxwell.
As a result Maxwell's hand was cut off;
and when the Lady of Johnston came out
of her castle to see how the battle had
gone, she found Lord Maxwell on the field
of battle, and knocked ont his brains with
her castle keys. So badly were the Max
wells cut up that a peculiar mark on the
face was afterward known as ' Lockerby
Lick.' "
It was from this same Lockerby that
Peter Johnston, grandfather of the subject
of this sketch, was descended. He was
born in Scotland, in the town of Lockerby,
Dumfriesshire, and came to America in
1773. Before leaving his Scottish home
he received from the magistrates of the
town of Lochmaben, in the same county,
a credential paper, of which the following

is a copy: " By the magistrates of the
Burgh of Lochmaben. — The bearer hereof,
Peter Johnston, in Lockerby in this neigh
borhood, having applied to us and repre
sented that, from the inducements given
for going to America, he intended going
there, and desired a certificate of his char
acter, therefor we hereby attest that the
said Peter Johnston and his family have
Maintained a blameless character, and that
he has honestly supported his family with
out being a tronble to any one, all of
which is attested by us upon proper infor
mation. Given at Lochmaben, the Thir
tieth day of May, One Thousand Seven
Hundred and seventy-three years. [Signed]
Will Haggan (Provost), W. M. Law
(Baillie), John Dickson (Baillie)." In
1775 Peter Johnston was a lieutenant in
the Continental army, and participated
during the Revolution in the battle of
Saratoga (or " Stillwater ") ; also was pres
ent at Burgoyne's surrender.
Steven Cleveland, maternal grand
father of Charles W. Johnston, was a cap
tain in the Continental army during the
war of the Revolution, and in that rank
participated in the battle of Saratoga under
Gen. Gates; he also was present at the
surrender of Gen. Burgoyne. He died at
Bennington, Vt., aged lOl years.
Thomas Johnston, father of the subject
of these lines, was born in Saratoga, N.
Y., August 30, 1777. He was a volunteer
in the war of 1812, and fought at the bat
tle of Plattsburg. In 1832 he came with
his family to Ohio, making his first west
ern home in Medina county, whence he
moved to Lorain county, dying there July
22, 1858. He was a lifelong farmer, for
many years a deacon in the Baptist
Church, and prominent in public and
social life. He married Susannah Cleve
land, a native of Bennington, Vt., born
October 2, 1781, and died in Lorain
county, Ohio, July 19, 1873. They had
twelve children, eleven of whom grew to
maturity, our subject being the youngest
but one.

640

LORAIN COUNTY, OHIO.

Charles W. Johnston was bora in Lee
township, Oneida Co., N. Y., June 29,
1823, and received a liberal education at
the public schools and in an academy. As
above related the family came to Ohio in
1832, and here young Charles commenced
the study of both medicine and law. In
medicine he graduated from the Western
Reserve College, and practiced the profes
sion six years in Ashland and Lorain
counties, but abandoned the field of Galen
for that of Blackstone. In law he studied
in the office of Sheldon & Vincent, Elyria
(the former of whom — L. A. Sheldon —
was afterward governor of New Mexico),
and in 1859 was admitted to the bar at the
Columbus, Ohio, supreme court. In. April,
same year, he commenced the practice of
law in Elyria in copartnership with Hon.
P. Bliss, which continued till 1861, in
which year Mr. Bliss removed to Nebraska,
having been appointed judge of that Ter
ritory. Mr. Johnston then entered into a
partnership with Hon. Albert A. Bliss,
brother of the judge just mentioned, but
at tbe end of a year Mr. Bliss retired from
the firm and left for Michigan. Our subject
then continued in the exclusive practice of
law, alone, enjoying a wide and lucrative
clientage. In 1869 he was elected prose
cuting attorney for Lorain county, and he
then received Hon. George P. Metcalf as
partner in his business. In 1871 he was
again elected prosecuting attorney, posi
tively declining to allow his name to be
again brought before the convention, and
his partner, Mr. Metcalf, was nominated in
his stead. From that time on Mr. John
ston continued practice alone until in
1881 he formed the present copartnership
with his son-in-law, James H. Leonard.
The business of the firm is general, but
chiefly in civil practice, and they make a
specialty of the investigation of land titles.
Mr. Johnston's law business has not been
confined to Lorain county alone, for he has
practiced more or less in Erie and Huron
counties, and at Cleveland before the
United States court, and occasionally in

the United States circuit and district courts.
In 1849 Charles W. Johnston and Mary E,
Fisher were united in marriage, and three
children were born to them, viz.: Mary C,
wife of J. H. Leonard; Martha L., wife of
W. C. Barnhart, secretary and treasurer of
the Elevated Railroad Company, Kansas
City, Kans., and Carleton F., in the U. S.
mail service from St. Louis to Omaha. In
politics Mr. Johnston is a Republican, and
a strong Union man, liberal of his means
both during the Civil war, in assisting the
cause, and ever since those dark days, in
relieving the needy old soldiers, widows of
soldiers, and their orphans. A great reader,
keeping well abreast of the times, he is the
possessor of a good library.

T'HOMAS GAWN, leading capitalist
of Lorain, and one of the most in
fluential citizens of Lorain county,
is a native of same, born December
25, 1829. His parents were natives
of the Isle of Man, and coming to this
country about the year 1822 settled in the
northern part of Black River township,
Lorain Co., Ohio, where they carried on
farming with much success. The father
died in 1868 at the age of seventy-seven
years, the mother in 1881, when eighty-
six years old. They had a family of seven
children, of whom Mrs. Thomas Radcliff
and our subject are the only surviving
members. Thomas Gawn received such an educa
tion as was provided in the pioneer schools
of his boyhood in Lorain county, and was
reared to the arduous duties of the farm.
Apart from agricultural pursuits, which
he followed for some time, he became in
terested in the shipping business early in
1862, since when he has had heavy invest
ments in lake vessels. He is a member of
the Lorain Steamship Company, and has
been one of the leading stockholders in
some of the best steamships that sail the
lakes, besides smaller vessels.

LORAIN COUNTY, OHIO.

641

In 1854 Mr. Gawn was married to Miss
Elmina Moore, and immediately thereafter
settled on a farm whereon part of the town
of Black River (Lorain) now stands. He
has seen in his day both the slow and
rapid growth of his section of the county,
Lorain developing from a village to a
thriving city, and was a man in business
here long before the days of steam and
electricity. He has been identified with
the best financial institutions of Lorain
from their inceptiou, and is a stockholder
and one of the main supporters of the Lo
rain Savings Bank. Politically he is a
lifelong Republican.

Il AMES DAY. The family from which
k. I this venerable and honored pioneer
\_JJ of Lorain county traces his descent
was originally from Wales.
The first of the family to come to Amer
ica was Robert Day, who at the age of
thirty years set sail from his native land,
arriving in Boston in April, 1634. He
was one of the first settlers of Hartford,
Conn., and as such his name is found on
the monument erected to their memory in
that city. He married Editha Stebbins, of
Hartford, to which union were born two
sons, Thomas and John. Thomas, eldest
son of Robert Day, removed to Springfield,
Mass., and was the ancestor of the Spring
field branch of the Day family. John re
mained in Hartford and was the ancestor
of the Hartford branch.
Capt. William Day,grandson of Thomas,
was the grandfather of the subject of this
sketch. He was born in Spriugfield Oc
tober 23, 1715; went to sea in his boy
hood, and was for many years engaged in
seafaring business. He was in the service
during the French war, holding a commis
sion under the British Government. His
vessel was captured on one occasion, and
he was carried a prisoner to France, where
he was confined in prison two years.
When he was released he begged to be al

lowed the privilege of taking his old boots
with him, which was granted, and why he
was so desirous of having them with him
was because the heels were filled with
English guineas. For meritorious ser
vice during the war in capturing four
French frigates and bringing them into
Plymouth harbor, Capt. Day was pre
sented by the Admiralty of England with
a large pain-ting by Copley, commemora
tive of the event. " fie is represented
standing on the deck of his ship, spyglass
in hand, calmly viewing the scene with the
conscious pride of a victorious hero swell
ing his breast and lighting np his fea
tures." When about fifty-five years old
Capt. Day left the ocean, locating in Shef
field, Mass., and married Rhoda Hubbell,
of Litchfield, Conn., to which union were
born four sons and a daughter. He died
March 22, 1797.
John Day, father of James Day, was
born in Sheffield, Mas6., February 3, 1774,
and was a lifelong farmer. When twenty
years of age he married Lydia Austin,
daughter of Joab Austin, of Sheffield.
Her grandparents were among the first
settlers of Sheffield, Mass., making their
wedding journey on horseback from West-
field, Mass., over the hills to their new
home in tbe wilderness, the bride taking
her bed on her horse with her. John Day
was the father of twelve children, eleven
of whom lived to manhood and womanhood,
and nine of them to the age of threescore
years and ten.
James Day, the seventh child of this
family, was born August 27, 1807, in the
old home on Brush hill in Sheffield, Mass.,
and spent nine years of his life among the
Berkshire bills. In January, 1815, his
father and Jabez Burrell, also of Sheffield,
purchased of Gen. William Hart, of Say
brook, Conn., the township now known as
Sheffield, Lorain Co., Ohio. In June of
that year tbey explored the township, and
in the summer of 1816 John Day removed
his family to Ohio, arriving July 27, and
locating at the center of Sheffield. He

642

LORAIN COUNTY, OHIO.

died October 8, 1827, at the age of fifty-
three; his widow died October 9, 1854,
aged fourscore years.
James Day attended the first school
taught in Sheffield by Dr. Preston Pond,
of Keene, N. H., in the winter of 1817-
18, and for a number of years afterward
attended school iu the winter, but nat
urally his education was more highly
developed in the line of hunting and
fishing, and the lore of the unbroken
forest. While a mere boy he went many
long journeys on horseback through the
lonely forest trails to mill, carrying the
grist tied to his saddle. There was a mill
at the center of Ridgeville, and another on
Beaver Creek in Black River township, in
1816, and later one in Elyria. Mr. Day
looks back on the experiences of those
early days as the happiest of his life.
After his father's death he took charge of
, the old farm for a number of years, and
then settled on a farm of his own. Ten
years of his active life, from 1845 to 1855,
were spent in the lumber business in com
pany with his brothers, William and Nor
man, and William H. Root. Their mill
on French creek was swept away by flood,
and never rebuilt. In later life he has
had ample leisure for reading and the en
joyments of life. His life has always been
identified with that of the Congregational
Church at the Center of Sheffield, he having
been a member since early manhood, and a
constant attendant since it was first formed
by Rev. Alvin Hyde, assisted by Rev.
William Williams, May 1, 1818. This is
the oldest Church in the county, and one
¦of the oldest in northern Ohio. In his
political preferences Mr. Day was first a
Whig, and since the formation of the
party has been a stanch Republican, tak
ing an active interest in politics.
In June, 1876, in company with three
others who came from Sheffield, Mass., as
boys, in 1816, he revisited his native town
to attend the one hundredth anniversary
¦of a town meeting held June 18, 1876, of
which his grandfather, Capt. William

Day, was moderator, at which the people
of Sheffield pledged their lives and for
tunes to support the Continental Con
gress in any measures they might see
fit to take toward declaring the independ
ence of the Colonies.
James Day married, at the age of twenty-
eight, Ann Eliza Austin, a native of Shef
field, Mass., born March 15, 1815, and to
this union came eight children, five of
whom are living. She died January 13,
1873, aged fifty-seven years. During a
long life Mr. Day has enjoyed the respect
and regard of a large circle of friends,
many of whom have known him from boy
hood, and have watched with him the won
derful development of the Western Re
serve; a development in which they have
an active interest, since with it their
whole lives have been identified. The
Western Reserve may well be considered
a monument to the early pioneers, whose
industry, integrity and steadfast purpose
have helped to make it what it is.

T| V. SAMPSELL, M. D., one of the
k. I most successful physicians of Lorain
l^f) county, having his residence in Ely
ria, is a native of Ohio, born in Ash
land county, May 19, 1850, a son of Dr.
J. B. F. and Catherine (Luther) Sampsell,
both now deceased.
The Sampsells in Ohio are descended
from an old Maryland German family,
who became early settlers of Columbiana
county, Ohio. Dr. J. B. F. Sampsell has
four brothers and eight cousins, all physi
cians of repute, while our subject's mater
nal grandfather was an M. D., in addition
to wliich he has four cousins physicians,
and one of his lady cousins is married to
a member of the profession.
Dr. J. V. Sampsell was reared in Ash
land county, Ohio, receiving his elemen
tary education at the common schools, and
then took a course of study at Bethany,
W. Va. After reading medicine for a

LORAIN COUNTY, OHIO.

643

time with an uncle, our subject entered
Jefferson Medical College, Philadelphia,
at which institution, in the class of 1876-
77, he took tbe degree of M. D., and in
the latter year he commenced the general
practice of his profession at Elyria, where
he has since built up an enviable busi
ness, even yet on the increase, his ride tak
ing him for many miles into the country,
in addition to his city practice. Recently
he took a post-graduate course at the New
York Polyclinic.
On June 17, 1880, Dr. Sampsell was
u-nited in marriage with Miss Leonnetta
Nichols, of Elyria, whose father was born
in Ohio, the mother coming from Jeffer
son county, N. Y. He is a member of the
INational Board of Physicians and Sur
geons, and is physician and surgeon for
the Cleveland, Lorain & Wheeling Railroad
Co. He is a member of the F. & A. M.,
Blue Lodge and Chapter; in politics he is
a stanch Democrat, and during the Cleve
land administration he was president of the
local board of pension examiners.

|( |[ IRAM TILLOTSON, a leading, re-
\^l presentative agriculturist of Hunt-
I 41 ington township, is a native of
y) same, born March 9, 1825, a son
of Daniel Tillotson, who was bora
January 5, 1794, on Wyalusing creek,
Pennsylvania. Thomas Tillotson, father of Daniel, was a
farmer and shoemaker, the old hammer he
used in his work being still in the posses
sion of his grandson, Hiram. In Henri
etta township, Monroe Co., N. Y., Daniel
married Lovisa Sage, born October 5,
1795, a daughter of Isaac and Polly (Rice)
Sage, who became the second settlers of
Huntington township, Lorain county, the
first being the Labories. In June, 1818,
Daniel Tillotson, with his wife and two chil
dren — Chloe and Sally — came to Hunting
ton township, they being the fourth family
to arrive. Joseph Sage, a brother of Isaac

Sage, already mentioned, owned a large
tract of land in Huntington township, and
from him Daniel Tillotson bought a few
acres in the woods, where yet roamed the
Indian and wild animals — deer, turkeys,
bears and wolves being frequently seen.
In the new home, a log house having been
built, were born the rest of Daniel Tillot-
son's children, namely: Enos S., who is
said to have been the first white child born
in the township, the date of his birth be
ing December 18, 1818 (he died in Michi
gan, December 5, 1872); Sophronia, now
the widow of E. D. Calkins, living in
Wellington; Alvin, born in Sullivan town
ship, now of Olivet, Mich.; Hiram, subject
of sketch; Lucetta, who married Hamilton
Fisher, and died in Brighton; Jennette,
who married John Halleck, and died in
Rochester township, Lorain county; Hulda
Ann, now Mrs. Henry Baird, of Welling
ton ; Lucy E., who died at the age of seven
years; Harriet C, also deceased at the age
of seven years; and Elijah, who died on
the home farm when seven years old. Of
the two children bora in the East, as al
ready recorded, Chloe married Joshua N.
Colver, and died in Wisconsin; Sally was
twice married, first to David Smith, after
ward to Luther Mead, and she is now
again a widow, her home being in
Minnesota. Daniel Tillotson was in all respects a
genuine pioneer. He had to take his axe
in hand, and from the dense primeval
forest literally hew out a home for him
self and family. He was not only a man
of muscle but one of superior natural abil
ity and bright intellect. For twenty-one
years he was a justice of the peace, and
proved a jurist possessed of excellent
judgment, his rulings being invariably
sustained by higher courts, in cases of
appeal. He was also an ordained minister
in the Universalist Church, and as a
farmer he met with more than ordinary
success. On January 31, 1834, he came
to the farm now owned and occupied by
his son Hiram, and at that time lying in the

644

LORAIN COUNTY, OHIO.

midst of a vast wilderness. This he went
to work to clear, and to a considerable ex
tent had succeeded in transforming it into
a fertile spot when death summoned him
from the midst of his labors. The last
thirteen years of his life had been passed
in the care of our subject and wife; and
his widow for thirty years, during eighteen
of which she was blind, had her home with
her son, who with true filial devotion
tenderly cared for her in her declining
years, which even in her affliction were
enjoyed by her, so pleasant was the treat
ment she received at the hands of her son
and daughter-in-law. She passed away
February 1, 1875, and was laid to rest by
the side of her husband in Huntington
cemetery. Mr. Tillotson was reared a
Democrat, but in after years became a
Republican, remaining as such the rest of
his life.
Hiram Tillotson received his education
at the subscription and district sahools of
his time, and was reared to farm life amid
all the rugged surroundings of a pioneer
home. He remembers well that flour was
twelve dollars per barrel, and could not
be bought nearer than Wooster, Ohio;
johnny-cakes were the chief article of food
in his boyhood days, and he made many a
meal of them, washed down with plenty
of fresh milk. At the age of fifteen he
left school, and has since assiduously ap
plied himself to agricultural pursuits.
On September 29, 1847, Mr. Tillotson
was married to Miss Solina Fisher, who
was bora March 13, 1830, in Jefferson
county, N. Y., a daughter of Eleazer and
Polly (Davis) Fisher, who came to Ohio
in the spring of 1836, locating in Brigh
ton township, Lorain county. After mar
riage, owing to the declining health of his
parents, our subject removed with his
bride to the old homestead, where he yet
lives, the dwelling being the third one
built on the premises, and practically- on
the same site as the first one. The chil
dren born to Mr. and Mrs. Hiram Tillot
son were as follows: Harriet A., now Mrs.

D. W. Cole, of Huntingtou township;
Caroline L., now Mrs. M. R. Sage, of
Huntington; Myra L., now Mrs. Lewis
Labarie, of Huntington; Rosella, deceased
when twelve and a half years old; and Ina
and Elvira, both deceased in infancy. Mr.
Tillotson has now 356 acres of prime land,
and in addition to general farming has
been an extensive dealer in and shipper of
live stock. He has lost in cash over four
thousand dollars by befriending others in
the way of endorsements. In his political
affiliations he was a Democrat until Lin
coln's time, when he enrolled himself under
the Republican banner, and has ever since
remained loyal to the cause. He and his
amiable and kind-kearted wife are ex
emplary members of the Universalist
Church.

AMES MONROE of Oberlin was
yborn at Plainfield, Windham Co.,
Conn., July 18, 1821. He received
his early education in the common
school, at Plainfield Academy, and, after
ward, under the private instructions of
Mr. John Witter, a highly esteemed
teacher of Plainfield.
Before reaching the age of twenty, he
was engaged, for several years, in teach
ing in the public schools of Windham
county. From October, 1841, until Feb
ruary, 1844, he was employed as agent of
the American Antislavery Society and
other organizations of similar object,
Bpeaking and laboring earnestly for the
antislavery cause. He thus became ac
quainted with many of the early Abolition
ists. In the spring of 1844, feeling the
need of more thorough classical training,
he went to Oberlin College, from which
he graduated in 1846. For the three fol
lowing years he pursued and completed a
course of theological study in that institu
tion. After having served for several
years as tutor, he was elected, in 1849, to
the Chair of Rhetoric and Belles Lettres
in Oberlin College, a place which he filled

*S?/l***-£<f *S&£*

LORAIN COUNTY, OHIO.

647

until 1862. Beginning with the winter of
1850-51, he devoted some months of each
year, for several years, to raising money
for the College. Mr. Monroe was elected,
in the fall of 1855, to the first Republican
General Assembly of Ohio. He was a mem
ber of the House of Representatives in that
State in 1856, 1857, 1858 and 1859, and
of the Senate in 1860, 1861 and 1862.
While in the Legislature he introduced
and carried through several important
measures, such as a bill to establish Re
form Schools, one to amend the Habeas
Corpus Act, and bills to protect the rights
of colored citizens and for other purposes.
He was chosen President pro tempore of
the Ohio Senate in 1861, and again in
1862. In the meantime he did not neglect
his work in the College, as the sessions of
the General Assembly were held at the
time of the long vacation in that Institu
tion. In the fall of 1862 he resigned bis place
in fhe Ohio Senate, and also his Chair in
the College, to accept the position of
United States consul at Rio de Janeiro
tendered him by President Lincoln. This
office he held until the spring of 1870,
having also served for some months in
1869 as Charge d' Affaires ad interim. In
October, 1870, he was elected from tbe
Oberlin District to the House of Repre
sentatives at Washington. He was a mem
ber of this body for ten years, from March
4, 1871, to March 4, 1881. During this
period he served upon the Committee on
Banking and Currency, that on Foreign
Affairs, that on Education and Labor, of
which he was Chairman, and that on Ap
propriations. At the close of his Fifth
Congress he declined a renomination. On
his return to Oberlin a desire was ex
pressed that he might be placed in a new
Professorship of " Political Science and
Modern History; "but the College had no
fund for its snpport. Thereupon his
friends in Northern Ohio and other parts
of the country contributed thirty thousand
dollars to Oberlin College on condition

that it should be permanently invested,
and that the interest should be applied to
the support of the new Chair which Mr.
Monroe should be invited to fill. This
arrangement was accordingly carried out,
and in September, 1883, Mr. Monroe re
sumed teaching in the new place, the
duties of wliich he has continued to dis
charge to the present time.
In politics Mr. Monroe has been a Re
publican ever since the organization of the
party; and, in his religious faith, he is a
Congregationalist.

THE HORR FAMILY. Among the
pioneer families planted in Lorain
county few have left more numer
ous descendants than the one now
under consideration; and in no
other instance bave so many brothers risen
to public note and business prominence.
For several generations the Horr family
had lived at Pomfret, Vt. The grand
father of the Horr brothers, now living in
Ohio, was Deacon John Horr, and, back
of him, the heads of the Horr family were
a line of deacons; but this religious ardor
has not been preserved in its orthodox
purity to the present generation.
The original emigrants of the Horr
family to Ohio were Roswell Horr and his
two sisters, Mary and Lucina. Mary
Horr married Joseph B. Jamison, of Avon ;
Lucina Horr married Samuel Robinson,
formerly of Vermont. She died in Wis
consin without issue.
Roswell Horr was born in Pomfret, Vt.,
January 13, 1796. He had but meager
educational advantages in early life, and
he served an apprenticeship to the trade
of blacksmith, which he made his chief
vocation. In 1834 he emigrated to Ohio,
and located in Avon township, Lorain
county, where he bought and .improved a
farm, upon which he afterward erected, as
the family home, what is now known as
the Dr. Townsend residence, situated about

648

LORAIN COUNTY, OHIO.

one and a half miles east of the village of
French Creek. He also built a blacksmith
shop on the farm, and there worked at his
trade. Notwithstanding his limited edu
cation, -and the fact that he lived only
seven years after coming to Ohio — his
death having occurred April 25, 1841- —
he had laid an excellent foundation for his
future. He had served his community as
justice of the peace and postmaster in a
creditable manner, and he left his family
a home of seventy odd acres unencum
bered, and fifty acres more that was nearly
paid for. Common sense and strict in
tegrity marked his actions both public and
private. For his first wife he married
Miss Lucinda Wheeler, who bore him two
daughters: Lucinda, who married Barlow
G. Carpenter, of Olmsted Falls, Ohio; she
now resides in Chicago, 111., and has two
children — Harry H., of Chicago, 111., and
Mrs. Lucena McNeil. Lucina, the second
daughter of Roswell Horr, married Will
iam S. Carpenter, of Olmsted Falls; she
now lives with her son, Newton H. Car
penter, of Chicago, 111., who is secretary of
the Art Institute of that city. After the
death of his first wife, Roswell Horr mar
ried, in Waitsfield, Vt., in 1829, Miss
Caroline Turner, a native of Moretown,
same State, bora in 1805, who is still
living, residing in Wellington. Mrs. Horr
was a woman not only of great heart and
brain qualities, but she secured a more
than average early education, and before
her marriage was for many years a school
teacher. While engaged in this vocation
she taught Senator Carpenter, of Wiscon
sin, the alphabet. Her mother was a Miss
Carpenter, and a great-aunt of the Senator.
Mrs. Horr had eight sons, all of whom
reached maturity except Henry and Frank,
who died in their " teens," while attend-
school at Oberlin. The eldest of this

in

family was but a little over ten years of
age at the time of the death of the father,
Roswell Horr. In the rearing of this large
family of boys Mrs. Horr had ample op
portunity fo exercise all her ingenuity and

moral courage. If the ambition of the boy
is inspired by early lessons, or his genius
quickened by early incentives, how well
she has succeeded is best told in the lives
of her sons. The first birth occurred
November 26, 1830, and by this she bore
two sons — one now Hon. Rollin A. Horr,
of Wellington ; the other Hon. Roswell G.
Horr, of New York City.
Hon. Rollin A. Horr received an ele
mentary education in the public schools,
and commenced life as a clerk in a store
in Huntington, Lorain county. He sub
sequently entered the cheese business and
farming and stock dealing there, and made
that his home for fifteen years. He as
sisted in the organization of the First Na
tional Bank of Wellington in 1864, and
the spring of the same year removed to
Wellington, which he has since made his
home. He was cashier of the First Na
tional Bank for twenty-seven years, since
which time he has been its vice-president.
He was for a time a member of the exten
sive lumber firm of W. R. Santly & Co.,
and besides being vice-president of the
First National Bank is now secretary of
the Clarksfield Stone Company. He was
nominated by the. regular Republican
caucus, and elected to the State Senate
from the Twenty-seventh and Twenty-
ninth Senatorial Districts in 1879, serving
during the sessions of 1880-81 and 1882-
83; was subsequently the Republican
nominee from the Fourteenth Congres
sional District. On October 8, 1891, he
was appointed special employe of the
United States Treasury Department by
.Secretary Foster, and served in that capac
ity until June 1, 1893, when he was re
moved by the Democratic administration.
Mr. Horr is a man of medium height,
but large proportions. He has the natural,
easy, pleasant bearing of a man long accus
tomed to do business with the public. He
was married in 1853 to Miss Sarah A.
Ames, from which union were born seven
children, of whom one died in infancy;
those living are: Abbie O, married to fi.

LORAIN COUNTY, OHIO.

649

B. Hamlin; Rollin O, who was educated
in Cornell University, and is now in the
stone business in Philadelphia, Penn. (he
is serving his third term as member of the
city council of Philadelphia); Walter Scott,
who graduated from Wellington High
School, now a stenographer and book
keeper by profession, and residing in Du-
luth, Minn.; Warner M., also a graduate
of Wellington High School, now a book
keeper, residing in San Francisco, Cal.;
Charles P., who was for five years book
keeper in the First National Bank at
Wellington, and is now a paving con
tractor of Philadelphia, Penn.; Nellie, a
graduate of Wellington High School, and
still at home.
Hon. Roswell G. Horr is the other of
the twin brothers. He is of national
reputation as a politician and lecturer.
He first attended the public schools, then
took a partial course in Oberlin College,
after which he attended Antioch College,
and in 1857 graduated under Horace
Mann. Returning to his native* county,
he was elected clerk of the court of com
mon pleas in the fall of 1857, and re
elected in 1860. While acting as clerk of
the court he read law, and upon stepping
out of the office was admitted to the bar,
becoming a partner with Judge J. C.
Hale, and pursuing the practice of law in
Elyria for two years. In the spring of
1866 he removed to southeastern Missouri,
engaged in mining business, and while
there was the Republican nominee for the
State Legislature. In the spring of 1872
he removed to East Saginaw, Mich., and
was elected from the Eighth Congressional
District, serving in the XLVI., XL VII.
and XLVIII. Congresses of the United
.States of America. He is at present tariff
editor of the New York Weekly and Semi-
Weekly Tribune. When in Congress he
participated in the leading debates and
legislation of the day. He has perhaps
made more political speeches than any
other man living, besides having prepared
and delivered a number of lectures on

literary and scientific subjects, which have
given him a national reputation as a public
lecturer. Mr. Horr was married in 1859 to Miss
C. M. Pinney, and has four living children
— two sons and two daughters, viz.: Flora
M., wife of Frederick Hebard, of Plain-
field, N. J.; Frank, a merchant of Ithaca,
Mich, (he was educated at East Saginaw
and Orchard Lake State Military Acad
emy); Katherine, at home, engaged in
literary work; and Rollin A., residing in
Saginaw, Michigan.
James C. Horr, the third child of Ros
well and Caroline (Turner) Horr, was born
January 25, 1832. He received his edu
cation in the common schools of his native
place, which he supplemented with a
course of study at Oberlin University.
At the age of twenty-one years he went to
Australia, remaining there fourteen years,
at the end of which time he returned to
Lorain county, and there remained four
years. His next trip was to California,
and after spending six years there he
located permanently in the city of Olyin-
pia, now the capital of the State of Wash
ington. He served a term in the Terri
torial Legislature, and was for four years
special agent of the United States Treasury
Department during the Garfield- Arthur
administration. He has served as mayor
of Olympia, and is now a member of the
State Senate of the State of Washington.
He was for a time engaged in the furniture
trade, but now operates a wholesale and
retail feed and forwarding store, and real-
estate business. He was married in Aus
tralia to Miss Lizzie Upton; has no living
children .
John Horr, born June 2, 1833, in Ver
mont, is the last of these children born in
Vermont. He went to Australia with his
brother, and subsequently to New Zealand,
where he now resides. He married in Aus
tralia, and has one daughter. But little is
known of his personal history.
Ralph Turner Horr was born June 2,
1835. He was a harness maker by trade.,

650

LORAIN COUNTY, OHIO.

which he followed in earlier life. Subse
quently he engaged with the American
Express Company, and finally entered the
United States Mail service. He died a
few years since. He married a Miss
Martha Barker, and left two sons: George,
agent of the Merchants Despatch Transpor
tation Company, Chicago, 111. ; and Howard,
in the employ of the Troy Laundry Manu
facturing Company, Chicago, Illinois.
C. W. Hoee, leading business man and
capitalist of Wellington, is a native of
Lorain county, Ohio, born in Avon, Janu
ary 25, 1837. He was reared on the farm,
during the brief winter months attending
the schools of the locality till he was about
sixteen years old, when he went to Cleve
land, with but a few dollars in his pocket,
there to seek employment, a total stranger
in the place, with solely himself to rely
upon. Casting bis eye on the sign of a
leading hack and omnibus line office, and
understanding something of horses, he im
mediately applied for and found employ
ment as an omnibus driver. Falling into
no dissipation, and allowing himself no in-
dulgencies of any kind, he succeeded in
saving some money, and at the end of five
months he found himself in a financial
position sufficient to enable him to take a
term at Oberlin College, which he did.
He then taught school at Pittsfield Center,
Lorain county. At the age of eighteen,
with barely enough money to pay expenses,
he took stage coach from Louisville to
Nashville, Tenn., near which city he se
cured a position as teacher in Zion Semin
ary. In 1858 he became principal of the
public schools of Napoleon, Ohio.
In 1857 Mr. Horr entered Antioch (Ohio)
College, graduating from there in 1860.
On August 12, of the same year, he mar
ried Esther A. Lang of Huntington, Ohio,
who has proved the kindest and wisest of
wives and mothers. Indeed. Mr. Horr
and all of his intimate friends would agree
in regarding his marriage as the most for
tunate event of his life. In the fall of
1860, with his wife as assistant, he became

principal of the public schools of Vandalia,
111. In that town he became a leading
local agitator in the cause of the Union,
delivering many eloquent and patriotic
speeches, and finally he organized Com
pany B, Thirty-fifth O. V. I., of which he
was made captain. With his command he
did duty in Missouri, and served under
Fremont, Halleck, Curtis, Jefferson C.
Davis, and other leaders of the movement
in Missouri. During the larger part of
his service, he was employed as forage
master or as brigade commissary of sub
sistence, and during the latter part of his
service he was attached to Gen. Buell's
army. At the commencement of the war
he was a Douglas Democrat. After he
left the army, he returned to Lorain county,
aud in company with his brother, J. C.
Horr, commenced the development of the
cheese industry, building in Huntington
township the first cheese factory in Lorain
county. The firm of J. C- Horr & Co.
was succeeded by Starr & Horr, and at the
end of a year that firm was succeeded by
the present cheese and butter firm of Horr,
A¥arner & Co. Of this firm Mr. C. W.
Horr has always been the recognized head,
and its great success is largely due to his
ability as a business man, and to his saga
city as a financier.
Mr. Horr is also a member of the firm
of Wean, Horr, Warner & Co., the most
extensive onion and celery growers in Ohio,
and probably the greatest onion growers in
the world. He is also .president of the
well-known Wellington Milling Company,
and has for years been a stockholder and
director in the First National Bank of
Wellington, Ohio, and also of the Savings
Banking Company of Elyria, Ohio. Mr.
Horr owns an extensive tract of land in
Lorain and Medina counties, and is to a
large extent engaged in the breeding of
fine Holstein-Friesian cattle. In 1892 he
was president of the National Holstein-
Friesian Association, and he has recently
beeu elected president of the National
Dairy Union.

LORAIN COUNTY, OHIO.

651

In his earlier days Mr. Horr read law,
and was admitted to the bar, and his knowl
edge of both law and general business has
been of invaluable service, not only to him
self but also to friends and others who
frequently consult him on matters of im
portance and difficulty. In politics he is
a Republican, and few campaigns have
taken place since the war in which he has
not taken a more or less active part, as he
is a forcible public speaker, and keeps well
posted on all political and public questions.
He is also a writer of ability, a master of
the English language, and an accomplished
rhetorician. Although deeply immersed
in his many business enterprises, Mr. Horr
still finds time for the study of literature
in the quiet of his home, where he is sur
rounded by every comfort and finds the
purest and greatest enjoyment of his life.
In the very prime of manhood, he is a man
of fine physique, and of great physical and
mental energy. He is by no means the
meekest of men; he is positive in his views
and aggressive in his methods, and his
power and influence have been felt in many
political contests.
Mr. and Mrs. Horr have had five sons,
viz.: Norton T., a graduate of Cornell
University, and member of the law Arm
of Boynton & Horr, of Cleveland, Ohio;
Charles W., Jr., a graduate pf Cornell
University, now engaged in various busi
ness enterprises with his father; Clinton
(deceased); Alfred R., at present a member
of the junior class of Cornell University,
and Harley M., who still resides with his
parents.

FJRANCIS S. WADSWORTH, a
thoroughly representative agricul
turist of Lorain county, is a native
of Massachusetts, born in Becket,
Berkshire county.
Jonathan and Deidama (Snow) Wads
worth, grandparents of our subject, were
of Connecticut birth, and moved to Becket,
Mass., where their family of children were

bora, and where he died at the age of
eighty-six years; his wife afterward came
to Wellington, Lorain Co., Ohio, and died
in the "American House," where she was
living at the time with her grandchildren
— O. S. and J. L. Wadsworth. She, as
was also her husband, was a member of
the Congregational Church.
Lawton Wadsworth, father of subject,
was born June 24, 1785, in Becket, Berk
shire Co., Mass., and was reared to agri
cultural pursuits. In early manhood he
taught school in the neighborhood of Otis,
Mass., where he first met the young lady
who became his wife, in the person of
Miss Nancy Rowena Lawton, daughter of
Elijah Lawton, of that town. They were
married October 15, 1806, in Becket,
where they settled on a farm, and seven
children, as follows, were bora to them:
Milo L., born October 2, 1807, who lived
in Wellington township, died April 2,
1889; Oliver S., born May 2, 1809, was a
farmer, and lived for a while at the
"American House," in Wellington, sub
sequently returning to Massachusetts (he
was killed in a railroad accident at Erie,
Penn.); Jabez L., born August 27, 1813,
who lived for a number of years at the
"American House," in Wellington, and
subsequently followed milling (he built
a brick residence in Wellington, where he
died; his widow now resides in Welling
ton); Elijah M., born February 9, 1815,
learned the trade of carpenter and joiner,
took a college and theological course at
Oberlin, Ohio, then went to Wisconsin,
and later went to Minneapolis, Minn.,
where he now resides; Albert O., born
August 27, 1819, who has always followed
farming, first in Wellington, Lorain
county, and at present in Sarauac, Mich.;
Francis S., born April 27, 1821, and
David L., born June 1, 1825, who died in
October, 1892.
F. S. Wadsworth, the subject proper of
this sketch, was twelve years old when the
family arrived in Lorain county, Ohio,
whither they traveled in wagons the entire

652

LORAIN COUNTY, OHIO.

way, the trip occupying from April ' 15 to
May 9. He received a liberal education
in the common and high schools (two
terms at Wellington select schools), and,
when he was of age, two years at Oberlin,
where he displayed considerable aptitude
and fondness for mathematics. For a
trade he learned that of carpenter and
joiner, at which he worked, engaging, at
times, also in painting, and for four
winters taught school. On September 20,
1854, he married Miss Sarah A. Leonard,
born January 6, 1833, in New York
State, and the young couple then located
on a farm about one and one-half miles
from their present home in Wellington,
whither they removed in 1884. Two chil
dren were bora to them, viz.: Ettie R., April
25, 1858, who was married to B. B. Her
rick (has two children, viz. : Sarah E. and
Hobart) ; and Frank L. O., of whom special
mention is made farther on.
Mrs. Wadsworth is a daughter of Tru
man Leonard, who was born in Worth
ington, Mass., March 23, 1784, and June
1, 1811, married Miss Roxanna Aliis, born
in Chester, Mass., September 15, 1786.
After marriage they moved to Middlesex,
Ontario Co., N. Y., and there lived until
1835, in which year the family, including
eleven children, moved to Ohio, settling
in Chatham, Medina county. The father
died February 24, 1846, the mother on
September 12, same year. Their daugh
ter, Sarah A., received a fair education in
the common and high schools, well prepar
ing her for the vocation of a teacher, which
she commenced to follow at the age of
fifteen years. For the past quarter of a
century she has been a newspaper corre
spondent, chiefly for the Elyria Republi
can; also contributed to the Ohio Farmer,
and the Young America, New York. A
lady of culture and refinement, she shares
with her husband the respect and esteem
of a wide circle of friends.
Frank L. O. Wadsworth, their sou, was
born October 24, 1866, and received a
superior education. He is the recipient of

a diploma from Wellington (Ohio) High
School (1883); graduated from the Ohio
State University, Columbus, June 30,
1888, in Mining Engineering, and the fol
lowing year took a diploma in Mechanical
Engineering, and degree of Bachelor of
Science. In 1889 he commenced to teach
in the Ohio State University, but was soon
given a Fellowship in Clarke University,
Worcester, Mass., where he remained three
years. In July, 1892, he received the ap
pointment of senior assistant in the Astro-
physical Laboratory of the Smithsonian
Institute. While a student at Clarke Uni
versity he assisted Prof. Michelson in per
fecting an instrument for measuring the
length of a meter, to establish a reliable
standard for the metric system. This in
strument was for the French government.
In the fall of 1892, in company with Prof.
Michelson, he visited Paris, adjusting and
testing the instrument to the entire satis
faction of all parties concerned. At the
present time, in connection with his labor
atory work, he is a frequent contributor to
several scientific papers published both in
this country and in Europe. He was mar
ried September 6, 1893, to Miss Laura
A. Poole, of Washington, D. C.

DR. N. H.
known pra
geon of N

CORNWELL, a well-
practicing physician and sur-
North Amherst, was bom
January 4, 1847, in Elyria, Lorain
Co., Ohio. His father^ N. H. Cornwell,
was a native of Michigan, and married
Mary Onstine, who was born in Amherst
township, daughter of George and Rosina
(Ruhl) Onstine, natives of Pennsylvania,
who came in an early day to Amherst
township, Lorain Co., Ohio, where they
both died. Mr. Cornwell died in Elyria
in 1847.
N. H. Cornwell was reared by his grand
father Onstine, at Amherst, at the public
schools of which place he received his

LORAIN COUNTY, OHIO.

653

early education. He was for some time
engaged in the lumber business, inspecting
lumber at Chicago from 1873 to 1876.
He entered the Eclectic Medical Institute,
Cincinnati, Ohio, whence he was gradu
ated with the class of 1880, and first began
practice at Port Clinton, coming shortly
afterward to Lorain county, where he has
since resided. Dr. Cornwell was married,
in 1885, to Miss Josephine Barber, who
was born in Amherst township, this
county, daughter of Joseph Barber (now
deceased). The latter was an early settler
of northern Ohio, and came to Lorain
county in 1863. Socially the Doctor is a
member of the K. of P., and K. 0. T. M.,
and is also a F. & A. M.

IDEON L. STARR, who for many
years has been actively identified
with the business interests of Pen-
field township, is a prosperous, self-
made agriculturist.
He is a son of Talcott and Mary (Linds
ley) Starr, the former of whom was bora
in Danbury, Conn., and was reared to farm
life. Talcott Starr was married in Har-
persfield, Delaware Co., N. Y., in which
State five children were born to him, as
follows: Matthew L. ; Maria, who was
married in New York State to David
Turner, a Methodist Episcopal minister,
and died in Schoharie county, N. Y. ; An-
geline, who was married in New Y"ork to
Benjamin Turner, and died in Rhinebeck,
that State; Gideon L., subject of this
sketch; and Alden, of Flint, Mich. Tal-
,cott Starr had made three trips to Penfield,
Lorain Co., Ohio (driving the entire dis
tance), where three of his brothers — Orrin,
Raymond and William — had located, and
in 1839 he sold his farm and otlier effects
in New York State, and set out for the
West. They arrived here after a long,
tedious journey, driving a team of two
horses, having come via Cleveland to
Elyria, where they remained some years

on a farm one mile east of his brother
Raymond, who conducted a mercantile
business. Later Mr. Starr traded that
farm, which he had bought, to a man
named Kemp for land in Penfield town
ship, whither the family removed in 1855,
and here the parents passed the remainder
of their lives, the father dying October 15,
1872, the mother May 10, 1876; they are
buried in Center cemetery. They were
members of the M. E. Church, and in
politics he was a Democrat. He was a
very successful farmer, and was quite
well-to-do. Gideon L. Starr was born February 13,
1816, in Jefferson, Schoharie Co., N. Y.,
was trained to farming pursuits, and ob
tained his elementary education in the
common schools. Later he attended a
Methodist Episcopal school in Dutchess
county, N. Y., preparing himself for the'
profession of teacher, which he followed in
Delaware county (N. Y.) and elsewhere
for several years. He accompanied his
parents on their journey to Ohio, and
drove the team, but after a short sojourn
there returned to New York State, where,
in Harpersfield, Delaware county, he was
married, November 10, 1839, to Miss
Polly Baird. She was born July 7, 1818,-
in fiarpersfield, daughter of Daniel and
Abigail (Dayton) Baird, early residents of
that place, whither they had come from'
Watertown, Conn. After his marriage
Mr. Starr settled on the old family home
in Schoharie county, N. Y., which he had
bought (going into debt for the same), and
here followed farming, teaching school dur
ing the winter season. Later he was
elected township examiner, and conducted
teachers' examinations.
While living in New York State Mr.
and Mrs. Starr had children as follows:
Lemuel T., born November 30, 1840, a
farmer of Penfield township, Lorain Co.,
Ohio; Similde A., bora October 5,1844,
who died February 8, 1857, and Emer
Gene, born July 14, 1847, who married
Charles Canfield, of Litchfield, Medina

654

LORAIN COUNTY, OHIO.

Co., Ohio, and died August 12, 1887. In
the spring of 1849 our subject traded his
farm in Schoharie county, and set out with
his family for Ohio, after a two days'
drive reaching Spraker's Basin, N. Y.,
whence he started, by way of the Erie
Canal, for Buffalo, where he arrived six
days later. Here he took the lake-boat for
Cleveland, arriving the following morn
ing in that city, where he was met by his
brother Alden, who drove the family to
Elyria, Lorain county, where the father
lived. After some visiting in and around
Elyria, Mr. Starr arrived on May 2, in
Penfield township, passing the first night
at the home of Lewis Hart. Here he pur
chased land, 121 acres in lot No. 51 east of
the center, and forty- three acres west of
the center, locating on the first-mentioned
tract in a log house, quite different from
the home in New York. Some of the wood
on this farm had been cut by lumbermen,
but the land was not yet fit for agricul
tural purposes, and it required considerable
hard work to convert it into a fertile farm.
Some time later another house was erected,
wliich still stands, and on this place three
children were added to the family circle,
namely: Munson B., born October 30,
1849, who died February 8, 1854; Estella,
born February 27, 1855, who married Ed
win Sears, and lives in Litchfield, Ohio
(while absent from home December 27,
1893, their house was burned); Lee W.,
born December 25, 1856, a farmer of
Litchfield, Ohio, who was married June
25, 1882, to Celia Henderside. Mr. Starr
was obliged to go into debt for his farm,
and in the face of the predictions of older
men, who had lived here fpr years, to the
effect that he would never pay for it, he
went to work with a determination, and
met with a marked degree of success.
Since his residence here farming has been
his chief vocation, but he has also dealt
extensively in stock. He is a hard worker,
a good manager, and an excellent judge of
stock, which knowledge has been of con
siderable benefit to him in managing vari

ous details of his business to advantage.
He now owns 300 acres excellent land.
Politically lie is a Democrat, and in re
ligious faith he and his wife belong to- the
M. E. Church, of which she has been a
member sixty years. In 1885 they re
moved from the farm to the village of
Penfield, where they now have a pleasant,
comfortable home. Mr. Starr has twelve
grandchildren and two great-grandchildren.

,AUL W. SAMPSELL, M. D. (de
ceased), was bora in Columbiana
county, Ohio. June 22, 1828. He
received a liberal education in the
common schools, after which he at
tended the Eclectic Medical School, then
the Homeopathic School of Medicine at
Cincinnati, Ohio, from both of which in
stitutions he graduated.
He first practiced his profession at Ash
land, Ohio, whence he removed to South
Bend, Ind., where he practiced till failing
health compelled him to seek a change.
Concluding that a trip to the Pacific slope
would materially assist him in recuper
ating, he crossed the Plains, about the year
1852, in a wagon in company with the
Studebakers of South Bend, then young
men and friends of the Doctor. On the
journey they had in charge a number of
wagons and several families. In Cali
fornia he remained for one year, at the end
of which time he felt sufficiently well to
return to his native State, which he did,
and in 1854 made a permanent settlement
in Elyria, where he continued in eclectic
practice of medicine up to the time of his
death. After locating in Elyria he was
offered a Chair or Professorship in one of
the colleges of Cincinnati, but declined
acceptance, preferring to remain in active
practice. As a physician Dr. Sampsell
had no superior, and during his career
probably had not a peer. He was in the
enjoyment of a large office practice as well

p^ 1y-</cu~4A~4

LORAIN COUNTY, OHIO.

657

as an extensive ride both in and outside
the city, and his popularity both profes
sionally and socially brought him a wide
circle of friends.
In 1855 Dr. Sampsell was married in
Elyria to Mi6s Evaline Childs, and oue
son, Warren W., was born to them, but
died Dec. 1, 1887. The doctor was called
from earth May 8, 1888. Mrs. Sampsell
is a native of Elyria, and comes of an early
and much respected family. She is a lady
of high culture, and commands the high
est esteem in the county.

,)ILLIAM H. H. SUTLIFF, re
tired, one of the best known and
most highly esteemed citizens of
Wellington township, has been
closely identified with Lorain county and
vicinity for the past seventy-three years.
He is a native of New York State, born
July 22, 1815, in Erie county, a son of
Salmon and Anna (Beeman) Sutliff, the
former of whom- was bora in Genesee
county, N. Y., in 1786, the latter on the
Susquehanna river. In August, 1820, the
family, consisting of father, mother and
children, set out from their home in the
East to seek a new one in the thenwildsof
Ohio. The journey was made with a team
of horses and a wagon, conveying a few
household goods; two cows and fifteen
sheep being driveu along. They passed
through Buffalo, N. Y., at that time a low-
lying village consisting of a few dirty
cabins or shanties. On their arrival at
Cleveland they counted thirteen small log
houses, with not an acre of land cleared in
any one place on Superior, the only street
in the place. They were ferried across the
Cuyahoga river, landing on the west side,
where not a house was visible, but abun
dance of land for sale on which there was
not a stick of timber, the soil being simply
yellow sand. Proceeding onward, the party
in due course reached Avon township,
Lorain county, where they tarried a short

time until a piece of land could be pur
chased on the so-called "Murray Tract,"
in Carlisle township, and a log house built
for the family. Into this they moved
January 1, 1821, before any of the cracks
were chinked or mudded, and when only
one-half of thefloor was laid witb puncheons
or split logs. This cabin was afterward
improved, being fully floored, chinked and
mudded, a chimney built and hearth and
fireplace constructed, with a pole placed a
few feet above the hearth, from one side of
the chimney to the other, on which to
hang the pot or kettle. Their bread was
made chiefly of commeal, sometimes rye-
wheat flour being kept for special oc
casions; their meats were for the most part
venison and young fatted pork; tea was
scarcely known, and "coffee" was made by
burning an ear of corn black and then
steeping it in hot water, cooled with milk
and sweetened with maple sugar. It should
be mentioned here that on their way to
their new home they passed through what
is now the thriving town of Elyria, Lorain
county, then composed of three little huts
inhabited respectively by Heman Ely, A.
Beebe and a Mr. Sholes, who kept a small
grocery. Salmon Sutliff was a great hunter, and
the deer he killed supplied the family
with not only venison, but also hides which
were tanned into leather, from which they
made shoes for all the family and breeches
for the men's winter wear; he also trapped
wolves for the Goverment bounty, eight
dollars per scalp, in addition to which he
could get one or two dollars for each hide.
Bears he would ran down by tracking them
in the snow or driving them up trees;
their hides were also of value, and their
meat as good as pork for family use. Trees
were cut down and burned in large heaps,
the ashes being saved and leached, then
liquid being made into black salts, same
being sold for $2.25 to $2.50 per one hun
dred pouinds — half cash and half trade, the
latter being in goods at high figures, to
wit: calico or cotton, twenty-five cents per

658

LORAIN COUNTY, OHIO.

yard. In those days men raised flax and
dressed it, then the women spun and wove
it into linen and cloth for domestic use.
Wild fruits of all kinds were found in
abundance, especially cranberries, which
would fetch seventy-five cents per bushel.
So much for the natural history of the
place about seventy years ago, although
a vast deal more might be written of in
terest did space permit. Something has
been said of the average dwelling, and next
in importance come the schoolhouses.
They were built of logs, chinked and
mudded in the same manner as the cabins
were, and supplied with a fireplace and
chimney. The furniture consisted of slabs
(with pegs stuck into them for legs) placed
flat side up for seats, and a board, laid on
pins let into tbe house logs, for writing
desk. The grim dominie, armed with an
awe-inspiring birch rod, sat. in a corner by
the fireplace, and at times varied the mo
notony of the school hours by flogging
warmth into the more stupid boys at the
farther end of the class. Five years elapsed
after the coming of the Sutliff family be
fore there were enough children in the
neighborhood to warrant the organizing of
a school district, and the using of such a
building. Before the Sutliffs had raised
any grain, Salmon would have to walk to
Avon, a distance of twelve miles, and there
labor for a bushel of corn, which he would
carry on his shoulder to a gristmill known
as " Hecock's mill," which after he had got
it ground he would carry home through a
dense forest teeming with wild beasts. On
one occasion, accompanied as usual by his
faithful dog, 'he came across a she bear
and cubs, and the dog and bear had a fierce
battle, which resulted in the total discom
fiture of the former, he being badly
"chawed up," though not killed.
In the early farming days the family
would sow a little wheat or rye, as the case
might be, and when ripe they would cut
it down with a hand sickle, thresh it with
a couple of sticks or flails, and clean it
of the chaff, etc., with a large fan

held by the hands and knees. In many
things, especially in cases of sickness,
they imitated the customs of the Indians,
and in this respect it is related of Salmon
Sutliff that when somewhat advanced in
years he was stricken with what was sup
posed to be consumption, and hearing of
an alleged cure for that disease, he re
solved to adopt it, viz.: the swallowing of
a rattlesnake's heart. Accordingly on a
certain day he killed a yellow "rattler,"
about six feet long, took out the heart, put
it into a bowl of cold water, and swallowed
it all, his son, William H. H., being a
witness to the act. It is not known how
much of the consumption was cured, but
he lived to see his seventy-second birthday
pass, dying in 1858. He was a lifelong
Whig and a member of the M. E. Church;
he served in the war of 1812, and was a
great admirer of Gen. Harrison, for whom
he named his son, our subject. His
widow was called from earth in 1870.
Thirteen children, as follows, were born
to this honored couple: Silas B., who was
captain of a steamboat, died of cholera at
Joliet, 111.; William H. H.; Asa G., who
died in Minnesota about twelve years ago,
was a farmer and drover, driving cattle
from Texas; O. H. P., a resident of Car
lisle township, Lorain county; Charles B.,
who was killed twelve years ago in a rail
road accident near Elyria; Ralph O., a
farmer at Chapin's Corners, Mich.; Lu-
setta, wife of Eli Wright, now residing in
Wood county, Ohio; Warren O, a justice of
the peace in Carlisle township; Lucinda,
Mrs. Perkins, who died of dropsy (she was
first married to a man named Lee) ; Jessie,
residing in Michigan; Theodore, residing
in Potterville, Eaton Co., Mich.; Miles
W., in Penfield township, Lorain county;
and Rosetta, wife of William Gott. The
mother of this family was left an orphan
when a child, and was brought up by a
family named Osborne; she was a daughter
of Silas Beeman. The grandfather of our
subject, Gad Sutliff, was a native of Eng
land, whence with two brothers he came

LORAIN COUNTY, OHIO.

659

to America, all being single men, and here
they separated, all trace of the two who ac
companied Gad being lost; the latter died
at Clyde, Ohio, aged ninety years.
William H. H. Sutliff, the subject
proper of this sketch, received his edu
cation in Carlisle township, Lorain county,
attending the old log schoolhouse of the
period, and experienced all the sufferings
and privations incident to three-quarters
of a century ago. His clothes were of the
most primitive home-make, and he was
twenty years of age before he had a pair
of boots on his feet; but he was tough and
hearty, and underwent all kinds of hard
ships — working on the farm by day, and
hunting raccoons, skunks, porcupines,
opossums, etc., by night. At the time the
town of Oberlin was being laid out he
worked there the better part of three years,
chopping down the timber and clearing it
off the land. In October, 1834, a Mr.
Sill, who had come in from Black Rock to
Oberlin, where he lived one year, bargained
with our subject for the latter to drive
four heavy oxen, pulling a load of goods
(wagon and load weighing 6562 pounds)
to Jonesville, Hillsdale Co., Mich., the
route lying through a totally new country.
Mr. Sill drove four oxen with a lighter
wagon, containing the family, and they ex
perienced many difficulties, at one place,
near Maumee, the mud being so thick and
deep that they made but little progress.
They passed thirty-one taverns in thirty
miles, but required to stop at only one of
them, two nights, finally reaching Jones
ville in safety; Mr. Sutliff then returned
to Ohio, and did hard labor until March,
1838, when he engaged to drive a four-ox
team from Carlisle township to Ionia,
Mich. They traveled through the Maumee
swamp before the frost had passed out of
it, but got over in safety, and then pro
ceeded with comparative ease to Jackson-
burg through mud and storm, but were
still seventy-five miles from their destina
tion. From Jacksonburg they traveled to
Marshall, the county seat of Calhoun

county, thirty miles; thence to Kalamazoo
thirty miles; thence seventy-five miles
northeast to Ionia county, the entire
journey occupying twenty-six days. Here
Mr. Sutliff assisted in hewing out a new
home in the woods, and building a log
house, 18x24, into which the family
moved within eleven days after their ar
rival, during which time they were living
with a man named Webster.
In the same year, Mr. Sutliff having de
cided to revisit Ohio, he shouldered his
knapsack, and set out alone, on foot, in
one day reaching St John's, the county
seat of Clinton county, Mich. From there
he proceeded to Detroit, taking the nearest
route, which was forty miles through the
woods along an old Indian trail. About
an hour before noon he met a big Indian,
fully equipped with a rifle, tomahawk
and knife; but Mr. Sutliff gave him
a very brief interview, his looks be
ing much more suggestive of a villain
than a friend, and left him roasting a
muskrat for his noon-hour meal. Our
hero arrived in safety, however, at Liv
ingston, Berrien county, after a tramp
of forty miles between sunrise and sunset,
and from there, after a rest, made his way
to Detroit, which he reached in due time.
From Detroit he took steamboat to Cleve
land, a rough voyage, thence home by way
of Carlisle, &c\
After this, in the same year, William
H. H. Sutliff, Asa G. Sutliff and Philo
Murry converted their effects into twenty
head of cattle — oxen, new milch-cows, &c.
— and started for Ionia, Mich. They pur
sued the same route, in due course reach
ing Marshall, Calhoun Co., Mich., and
from there proceeded northward eleven
miles, to the village of Hastings; thence to
Vermontville, Eaton county, from which
place they plodded their way through an
unbroken wilderness, taking an Indian
trail, one of the party leading the way with
an axe, with which now and then he had to
cut an opening through the bush. Some
times the oxen would be "mired down" in

660

LORAIN COUNTY, OHIO.

a tamarac swamp they had to pass through,
and then they would have to be assisted
out, and the entire party make a detour of
about a mile. At the close of each day a
halt would be made .at some convenient
spot, a fire built, the cows milked, and a
quilt spread on Mother Earth, whereon the
weary wayfarers would rest for the night.
To use Mr. Sutliff's own graphic words :
"We ate and drank and fared sumptuously
during the three days and three nights we
were in the wilderness, and came out hale
and hearty!"
In September, 1840, Mr. Sutliff was
married to Miss Phoebe D. Gott, of
LaGrange, Ohio, a native of New York
State, born March 22, 1821, and they had
twelve children, all sons except one, of
whom the following is a brief record :
William H., born October 7, 1841, a dray
man in Lorain, married Emily Allen, and
they have two children — Milton and
Phoebe; George B., born January 9, 1843,
died July 21, 1845; Charles E. (his sketch is
on page 603), bora February 16, 1845,
married Mary Hoffman, and they have two
children, May E. and Floyd E ; George War
ren, born March 12, 1847, now residing in
California, married Emma Bruce, and has
four children — Belle, Brace, George W.
and one whose name is not given; John
Laverdo, born May 6, 1849, died October
20, 1852; Stephen S., born August 16,
1851, died January 14, 1861; Martin
Beeman, born April 16, 1854, died Janu
ary 5, 1861; James Alvord, born August
5, 1856, died September 12, 1892 (he
farmed on the home place; he was married
to Miss Leona Barber, but had no children) ;
Frederick Eugene (a hackman in' Welling
ton), born November 17, 1859, married
Prudence Coding, and they have two
sons — Walter and Wilber; one son was
still-born; Emma Jane, bora August 7,
1862, wife of Bart Whitehead, residing
in Wellington (they have one child, Phoebe
Delilah); and Franklin Pierce, born Sep
tember 9, 1864, a farmer who married
Frances Dorchester.

In December, 1841, Mr. and Mrs. Sut
liff (the latter carrying her two-months-
old babe), with a pair of oxen, two cows
and seven sheep, set out for Michigan to
establish a new home on his property
above alluded to, where they arrived in
safety, rich in youth and health and
strength, but poor in pocket, not having
a dollar at their command. The young
husband and father soon, however, had a
good log house put up and furnished, and
he continued making improvements on his
land, besides working for others, clearing
away the timber and brush and assisting
in the building of schoolhouses, bridges,
and log crossways; chopping out highways,
and lumbering in the winter season. In
this wilderness he encountered many dan
gers, especially from wild animals, and he
did a good deal of trapping, catching in
that way nine large grey wolves; he also
killed a bear, first by the aid of his dog,
driving it up a tree, which he chopped
down, and then with his axe finished Bruin's
earthly career. The amount of small game
he killed was something that would make
a modern-day Nimrod gasp with wonder
ment. On this land he lived from Decem
ber, 1841, to February, 1852, — eleven
years — at the end of which time he was
induced to return to Lorain county, to care
for his parents in their declining years.
Accordingly he " swapped " his Michigan
farm for one in Wellington township, and
here he has since resided, for the past forty
years, in the town of Wellington. One
day in 1842, in passing through a piece of
heavily-timbered land, four or five miles,
with a team of oxen and a wagon, when
about half-way through, he found a dead
man, evidently thrown from a wagon, the
horse having taken fright at something.
Mr. Sutliff picked the body up, placed it
in his wagon, and conveyed it to the near
est house, the act being justified by the
law, which provided that after a dead body
had lain in the woods eighteen hours, sub
ject to mutilation by wild animals, the
finder of the corpse may remove it. A

LORAIN COUNTY, OHIO.

661

coroner's jury was summoned, and they
endorsed by their verdict the facts as re
lated by Mr. Sutliff.
Our subject's first wife died in 1888,
and in December, 1891, he married Mrs.
Dency Rugg, a native of LaGrange
township, born in 1831, who by her first
husband had three sons, namely: (1) Orrin
David Rugg, born July 1, 1855, who 'is
married and has two children — Leona C.
and Edmund; (2) Frank E. Rugg, born
July 27, 1857, residing in Huntington
township, is married and has four children
— Ermie, Earl, Laverdo and Grace; and
(3) Charles Edison Rugg, residing in
Huntington. The father of these, Edmund
Rugg, was born in the State of New York,
whence he came to Ohio when eleven years
old. In February, 1854, he married Miss
Dency Hulbert, of LaGrange township,
Lorain Co., Ohio.
Mr. Sutliff's Michigan farm comprised
140 acres; his one in Wellington township,
126 acres. In politics he was originally a
Republican, his first Presidential vote be
ing cast for W. II. Harrison; in matters of
religion he has been a member of the M.
E. Church since he was sixteen years old.

G. COMINGS, mayor of Oberlin,
and proprietor of one of the most
extensive bookstores in Lorain
county, is a native of Franklin
county, Vt., bora in 1856, a son of
A. C. and Amanda (Jones) Comings, both
also of the "Green Mountain" State,
where they were married. They came to
Lorain county, Ohio, when our subject
was nine years old, and settled on a farm
in Russia township, one mile from Ober
lin. They had a family of six children,
all educated at Oberlin, A. G. being the
youngest; he has one brother living, pub
lisher of a paper at Springfield, Mo. The
father is living; the mother is deceased.
The subject of our sketch, after coming
to Russia township, attended Oberlin Col

lege till he was twenty-one years old, after
which he taught school ten years, in course
of which time he served in the capacity of
principal and superintendent at Conneaut,
Ohio, and other places. He then perma
nently settled in Oberlin, and in 18,89
bought his present business, which has
since increased to such an extent that he
has had to enlarge his premises.
On June 20, 1878, Mr. Comings was
united in marriage with Emelie Royce,
who was born in Oberlin March 27, 1856,
a daughter of S. and Martha Royce. To
Mr. and Mrs. Comings two children have
been born: Charles and Harriet. In his
political predilections our subject is a Re
publican, has been a member of the city
council two years, and mayor of Oberlin
since April, 1892. He is a member of the
Royal Arcanum.

E. BRAMAN, county coroner for
Lorain county, and township asses
sor of Elyria township, is a native
of the county, born at Carlisle Oc
tober 20, 1838.
Anson Braman, father of our subject,
was bora in 1811 in Genesee county, N.
Y. In 1822 his parents came from that
county to Avon township, Lorain Co.,
Ohio. In 1832 Anson removed from Avon
to Carlisle, where he followed the business
of a farmer and nurseryman, and in 1855
came to Elyria, same county, where he
established the nurseries now owned by J.
C. Hill. From Elyria he went to North-
port, Mich. He was married, in 1835, in
Carlisle, to Miss Emeline Vincent, who
was bora at Mt. Washington, Berkshire
Co., Mass., October 10, 1818.
R. E. Braman was reared on his father's
farm and educated at the Elyria public
schools. At the age when he should have
been entering the arena of professional
or business life, the Civil war broke out,
and fired by the spirit of patriotism he en
listed, August 9, 1861, in Company I,

662

LORAIN COUNTY, OHIO.

Eighth O. V. I., and was mustered into
the service at Columbus, Ohio. On the
first day of his service he was promoted
to corporal, afterward to sergeant, and
finally to lieutenant, his commission, how
ever, not being issued till July 25, 1864.
Our subject participated in the following
battles and skirmishes: Hanging Rock,
Va. ; Romney, Va. (both battles); Blues
Gap; French Store; Blooming Gap; Cedar
Creek; Strasburgh; Kernstown; Winches
ter; Cedar Creek (second battle); Wood
stock; Edinburgh; Mt. Jackson; Rood's
Hill; New Market; Front Royal; Harri
son's Landing; Chickahominy Swamps;
Germantown (all these in Virginia) ; Mon-
ocacy Bridge, Md.; South Mountain, Md.:
Chancellorsville, Va.; Gettysburg, Pa.;
Kilwinter, Md. After which he was
present at the following engagements iu
Virginia: Falling Water, Culpeper Court
house, Robinson's River, Rappahannock
Station, Bealeton, Auburn, Bristol Station,
Centerville, Kelly's Ford, Robertson's
Tavern, Mine Run, Morton's Ford, Wil
derness, Todd's Furnace, Po River, Spott-
sylvania and North Anna. At the last
named battle he received a shot through
the thigh, which crippled him for life, and
he remained in hospital until August 25,
1864, when he returned home.
In 1865 Mr. Braman married Miss
Helen M. Nickerson, a native of Welling
ton, Ohio, and four children — Edith M,
Harry E., Hattie L. and Frank R. — were
bom to them. For a short time after the
war Mr. Braman was engaged in the coal
business, but since 1868 he has almost
constantly been holding local offices of
trust. In that year he was elected town
ship assessor of Elyria township, an in
cumbency he has filled continuously since,
with the exception of the period he was
county sheriff— 1872 to 1876. He was
elected county coroner in 1881, and has
filled the office ever Since without interrup
tion. He has served as constable of
Elyria township several years, and is, at
present, deputy city marshal. His pen

sion for services in the war was originally
thirty dollars per month, which was raised
to forty-five dollars by special Act of Con
gress. Politically he is a stanch Repub
lican; socially he is a member of the
G. A. R. Post, No. 65, Elyria (in which
he has been senior vice-commander), of
the Royal Arcanum and Knights of Honor.

fr^/ H. ROBBINS, ex-treasurer of Lor-
[ y, ain county, is a native of same, born
\J September 25, 1826, fourth in the
J^. order of birth of the nine children
of Joseph and Mehitabel (Hurlbut)
Robbins, natives of Connecticut.
The parents of subject moved to Jeffer
son county, N. Y., and there followed
farming until 1825, when they came to
Ohio and settled in the woods of La
Grange township, Lorain county, where
they cleared a farm and remained till the
father was about seventy years old. They
then retired into the village of La Grange,
and there passed the remainder of their
busy lives, the mother dying in 1878, at
the age of seventy-nine years, the father
in 1880, at the patriarchal age of ninety-
one. He was in politics first a Democrat,
then a Free-soiler, and lastly a Republican.
He and his wife were members of the
Baptist Church, in which he was a deacon
from 1840 up to the time of his death.
His father (grandfather of subject) was a
native of Ashford, Conn., a farmer by oc
cupation, and died in La Grange, Lorain
county, when his grandson, G. H., was a
boy. The subject proper of these lines re
ceived a liberal education at the common
schools of the vicinity of his first home,
and until he was twenty-four years old
followed agricultural pursuits. He then
entered mercantile business in the town of
La Grange, and continued in same with
encouraging success until 1880, when he
was elected county treasurer, in which
office he served two terms (four years). At

LORAIN COUNTY, OHIO.

663

the time of his receiving the incumbency
he moved into Elyria, and has since been
one of its most prominent and respected
citizens. Since 1856 he has been a zeal
ous Republican, prior to which he was a
Democrat. In 1853 Mr. Robbins was united in
marriage with Miss Mary F. Perkins, who
has borne him two children, Louise L.
and Hettie J. Mary F. Perkins was born
February 12, 1828, at Burlington, Otsego
Co., N. Y., and is the eldest daughter and
second child in the family of eight chil
dren — four sons and four daughters — born
to Thomas and Lucy (Fitch) Perkins, who
were also natives of the same place. Her
early years were spent in Virgil, Cortland
Co., N. Y., and iu 1849 she removed with
her parents to Grafton, Ohio. For several
years previous to her marriage she was
engaged in teaching, in which profession
she was very successful. Thomas Perkins
was a descendant of John Perkins, one of
two brothers who migrated from England
to Boston about the year 1700.

TfJfENRY E. MUSSEY, a prominent
I^H business man of Elyria, and a lead-
] \_ ing financier of Ohio, commands
yj more than a passing notice in the
pages of this volume. He was
born August 18, 1818, in Washington
county, N. Y., where he passed his early
school days.
Reuben Mussey, father of our subject,
was a native of New Hampshire, born in
Dover, October 14, 1785. He studied
law, and was admitted to the bar at Albany,
N. Y., in 1818, and practiced his* profes
sion at Sandy Hill, N. Y., iw partnership
part of the time with Judge Skinner, also
law partner with B. F. Butler, of New
York, and partof the time with Hon. Silas
Wright, subsequently U. S. Senator in
New York State. In 1825 he came to
Elyria, his family following August 10,

1826, and here he remained, devoting him
self chiefly to the practice of his profession,
teaching school in the county, and in other
occupations, including that of justice of
the peace, until the fall of 1837, when he
removed with all his family (excepting his
son, Henry E.), to Rockford, 111., where
he continued in the practice of , the law
until his death, which occurred October
14, 1843.
Henry E. Mussey completed his educa
tion in Elyria under the preceptorship of
Rev. John Monteith, and at the age of
fourteen commenced the battle of life with
no capital save energy, willing heart and
hands, and sound judgment. He takes
pride in relating how he chopped cord-
wood in Elyria at eighteen and three-
quarter cents and twenty cents. Choosing
the arena of mercantile trade, he became
clerk for Kendall & Parsons, where close
application to business, steadiness and in
tegrity soon brought him advancement till
we find him in course of time senior partner
of Mussey & Fuller, which subsequently
became H. E. Mussey & Co., and he claims
that the secret of the unbounded success the
firm met with was the strictly cash basis
upon which they operated — buying for
cash and selling for cash. In 1842 Mr.
Mussey went west and took up a large
amount of land in Minnesota, fie was in
Chicago when land there that is now worth
millions could have been bought for a
mere song; but from his experience he
avers that money loaned at six per cent
per annum is a better and safer invest
ment than average real-estate investments.
During the " forties " he made more than
one trip to Michigan and elsewhere, carry
ing with him different bank currencies, and
making exchanges at various places, sell
ing at a discount for gold and trading cur
rency for currency, in order to get Ohio
money or gold. In 1857 he sold out his
mercantile business to Baldwin, Laundon
& Nelson, and engaged in lake shipping,
becoming, from that time, interested also
in banking and real estate.

664

LORAIN COUNTY, OHIO.

In 1843 Mr. Mussey was united in mar
riage with Miss Caroline M. Kendall, of
Suffield, Conn., and five children were born
to them — three sons and two daughters —
Henry, who died at the age of eighteen
months; and Eugene K., Reno F., Caro
line E. and Flora B., all living at the pres
ent time. A stanch Democrat, Mr. Mus
sey has at all times been loyal to his party
and country, but has never aspired to of
fice, nor has he ever taken active part in
political contests. For thirty continuous
years he has been a member of the school
board of Elyria, for twenty-four its treas
urer, and during many years its president.
He is vice-president of the National Bank
of Elyria, and a director of the Cleveland
National Bank of Cleveland, both of which
institutions he assisted in organizing; is
president of the Mussey Stone Company,
one of the largest stone interests in Ohio;
is largely interested in the Cambridge
Consolidated Coal Company; besides in
many other enterprises — financial and oth
erwise — and has taken pride and pleasure
in contributing liberally of his time and
means to whatever tended to the pros
perity and welfare of the community at
large. Mr. Mussey is possessed of a most re
tentive memory, recalling with wonderful
accuracy the details of incidents which oc
curred within his own view during his
long life; and he believes that memory is
the divinest attribute of man, permitting
him to live over again the happy days of
his past life. He has in his possession a
budget of souvenirs illustrative in a meas
ure of the rapid strides this country has
made during the past few decades — such
as letters written in the " thirties " before
envelopes came into use, and the postage
was thirty-seven and one-half cents per
half ounce between Elyria and Indiana.
He saw the day when the mail for Elyria
was brought on horseback in a single bag
three times a week, and has witnessed all the
improvements since, from the daily stage to
the present age of steam, telegraph and

telephone, with postage gradually reduced
to two cents per ounce to any part of the
United States, and the single mail bag of
three times a week developed into many
such — pouring their contents, correspond
ence from all parts of tbe civilized world
— several times a day in every day of the
year. He has also been a witness to great
political changes in the nation, and one of
the greatest improvements that he marks
was the transformation of a State currency
to a National one. Mr. Mussey has seen
dark periods of panics and financial de
pression, but by keen foresight and care
ful management he always succeeded in
steering his affairs clear of shoals and the
impending vortex. During the war of the
Rebellion, he was true to his colors, gave
much of his time and means toward the
defense of the Union, and was a member
of the local military committee. In re
ligious connection his family are members
of the Baptist Church, of which he has
ever been a liberal supporter. Socially he
has always been liberal, frank and genial,
in business never else than scrupulously
honorable and honest.

|[| M. PARKER, A. M., superin-
f "^ tendent of public schools, Elyria, is
|| 1| a native of Licking county, Ohio,
y) born in December, 1835, a son of
John and Persis (Follett) Parker,
natives of Franklin county, Vt. They
come of old Puritan stock, and the first of
the family in Ohio eame about the year
1835. His grandfather was a soldier of the
Revolution, and au officer in the war of
1812. One of his great-grandfathers was
killed in the Revolution, and another was
an officer throughout that war, and judge
of the first Supreme Court of Vermont.
Our subject received a liberal education
at the common schools of the neighbor
hood of his birthplace,, and at Marietta
College, Marietta, Ohio, from which insti-

LORAIN COUNTY, OHIO.

667

tution he graduated in 1859. He entered
upon the profession of teaching at the
Granville Male Academy, of which he was
principal for one year. He served two
years as principal of the Second Ward
Schools in Zanesville, Ohio, under the
superintendency of Gen. M. D. Leggett.
He resigned this position to accept the
superintendency of the Elyria Public
Schools, from which work he was called
two years later, 1864, to take charge of
the Mansfield Public Schools, which posi
tion he held till 1873, when he resigned
to return to the Public Schools of Elyria,
where he still remains. Mr. Parker is a
member of the National and the Ohio
State Educational Associations, and is a
regular attendant at their meetings; he has
served on various committees thereof, and
as president of the Ohio Association; he
was a member of the State examining
board three years, having received his ap
pointment from Col. D. F. DeWolf.
While a resident of Richland county,
Ohio, he was a member of the board of
county examiners, aud since coming to
Lorain has been a member of the board of
examiners of that county, some twenty
years. At a convention of the Knights of
the Maccabees of Ohio, held at Lakeside,
Ohio, in July, 1892, Mr, Parker was
elected Great Commander for the State.
At the close of the year he was reelected
to the same responsible position.

i\ILLIAM HELDMYER, promi
nent in the commercial circles of
Elyria, and one of the most ex
tensive hardware merchauts in
Lorain county, is a native of the Buckeye
State, born in Medina county April 13,
1850. He is a, son of Jacob and Julia
Heldmyer, natives of Wittenberg, Ger
many, who came to America in 1848, set
tling iu Medina county, Ohio. The father,
who was first a harness maker and later a
farmer by occupation, died early in life;
the mother is yet living in Elyria.
36

William Heldmyer at about the age of
fourteen years left home and worked in
various cities throughout the country,
finally, in 1867, locating in Elyria, where
he first found employment on the L. S. &
M. S. Railroad, but it was not until 1880
that his career of success commenced. At
that time he opened ont, in conjunction
with Mr. Wright and Mr. Semple, a hard
ware store in Elyria, under the firm name
of Heldmyer, Wright & Semple, and three
years later he bought out the entire con
cern, carrying same on, for some three
years longer as sole proprietor. He then
received into partnership Mr. John Krantz,
and for the past several years the prosper
ity of the firm has become as a proverb in
the community, while others have not suc
ceeded so well. William Heldmyer & Co.
bought out the entire stock of H. Brush
& Co. (at the time of their failure in
Elyria), consisting of hardware, imple
ments, etc. About this time the firm of
W. H. Semple & Son also failed in busi
ness, and our subject purchased their stock
of stoves, etc. The firm also bought out
the stock of W. E. Brooks, one of the
largest implement dealers in northern,
Ohio, and with this large stock of goods —
the practical consolidation of four separate
businesses — William fieldmyer & Co. pre
sented themselves to the public as the
largest general hardware dealers in Lorain
county. In addition to the articles already
enumerated, they include in their stock
agricultural implements of all kinds, farm
vehicles, buggies, wagons, etc., as well as
hardware of every description, seeds, phos
phates, etc. The building they occupy,
and which they own, is 50 x 165 feet, three
floors of which they use, besides a ware
house filled with goods. Mr. Heldmyer
is a stockholder in the Savings Deposit
Bank Co., of Elyria, in the Lake Erie
Electric Light Company at Lorain, and in
the steamship "Veca." In politics he is
a Republican, and has been a member of
the city council for four years. He is a
representative self-made man, all that he

668

LORAIN COUNTY, OHIO.

has made being due entirely to his own
indomitable perseverance and irrepressible
energy. In 1874 Mr. Heldmyer was united in
marriage with Miss Mary Beeee, of Elyria,
by which union there are four children:
Florence, Alice, Leona and Harry, all
living. In the spring of 1893 Mr. Held
myer purchased the " Metropolitan Hotel"
of Elyria, and August 1, same year,
bought a one-third interest in the "And-
wur Hotel," an elegant hostelry costing
ninety thousand dollars. His home is sit
uated at Middle avenue and Fourth street.

4/

jJfEMAN E. STARR, who for the
''¦""I past sixty years, or nearly so, has
l[ been a resident of Penfield town
ship, is a son of Orrin Starr,
who was a representative pioneer
citizen of same.
Orrin Starr was born October 30, 1803,
in Delaware county, N. Y., a son of Elea
zer and Rebecca (Clapp) Starr, old settlers
of that county, where he passed his early
years on the home farm. He received his
literary training in the common schools of
his native county, but when seven years
old he was left tatherless, and the duties
of assisting in the support of the family
and his widowed mother devolved upon
him. In 1834 he disposed of his interest
in the family estate, and -migrating to Lo
rain county, Ohio, settled on a farm a mile
and a half northeast of Penfield Center, at
which time the present territory of Pen-
field township contained but two frame
dwellings. On September 12, 1825, he
had married Miss Abigail, daughter of
Heman end Lucinda Hickok, of Schoharie
county, N. Y-, and they had passed a happy
wedded life of over fifty-six years, when,
on April 30, 1882, he was called from
earth; he was buried in Penfield cemetery.
Since the death of her husband Mrs. Starr
has resided on the home farm with her son

Clapp R., who now owns the place. Mr.
and Mrs. Starr were the parents of eleven
children, viz.: Melinda (deceased), Min
erva and Maria (twins), Heman E. (our
subject), Elizabeth (who died in Kansas),
Alonzo B. (who died at Mount Vernon,
Ky., of disease contracted in the army),
Hiram H., Emma L. (deceased), Edna,
Clapp R., and Marian A. (deceased). In
politics he was originally an Old-line
Whig, later a Republican, and was elected
justice of the peace in his township, but
resigned after serving a year, feeling that
his personal affairs required his exclusive
attention ; he was also elected to other town
ship offices. He and his wife were both
members of the Methodist Episcopal
Church, the latter having joined it in her
youth. He was a very successful man,
and at the time of his death owned 237^
acres of excellent land in the center of
Penfield township.
Heman E". Starr was born March 30,
1831, at Harpersfield, Delaware Co., N.
Y., and when three and a half years old
was brought by his parents to Penfield
township. He received his education in
the district schools of the neighborhood of
his boyhood home, then held in old log
houses, his first teacher being Miss Mary
Hayes, but being the eldest son he was
unable to avail himself of many advanta
ges. He was reared to agricultural pur
suits, which he followed on the home farm
until the age of twenty-one, when he took
up his home with an uncle, Talcott Starr; but
after residing with him only thirteen days
he was taken ill, and he did not recover
for a year. On November 13, 1852, he
was united in marriage with Miss Amelia
M. Gaylord, who was born May 12, 1833,
in Harpersfield, N. Y., daughter of Milton
and Hannah (Eells) Gaylord, who came to
Penfield township in 1836, and later set
tled in Wellington township. The cere
mony was performed by Rev. William
Runnals, a Methodist Episcopal minister.
After their marriage Mr. and Mrs. Starr
resided for a short time with her father in

LORAIN COUNTY, OHIO.

669

Wellington, and in the following spring
settled on their present farm, three-quar
ters of a mile south of the center of Pen-
field township. At the time of their com
ing but a small portion of this place was
cleared, and they first lived thereon in a
home that cost twenty dollars, complete.
Here he has since erected a pleasant dwel
ling, and now owns 130 acres of excellent
farm land. Mr. and Mrs. Starr have had
three children, viz.: Milton G., a farmer
of Penfield township, who married Miss
Hattie Noble (daughter of Mortimer E.
and Helen A. (Olmstead) Noble, residents
of Swanton, Ohio), and has one child,
Winifred L. ; Lizzie, who died young; and
Harry E., a hardware merchant of Mc-
Comb, Hancock Co., Ohio. Our subject
has always followed farming, and for a
number of years has conducted a dairy
business in connection therewith. In his
political preferences he is a Republican,
and has served as trustee and in various
other township positions. He has also
held offices in the Congregational Church,
of which he and his wife are members.

William graves sharp is a
native of Ohio, born at Mount
U[ Gilead March 14, 1859, and is
descended from one of the oldest
and most honored families in Maryland.
George Sharp, grandfather of subject,
and his son (also named George), both
natives of Maryland, were among the first
editors in Ohio, in which State and in
Maryland they held honorable political
positions. The grandfather died at Mount
Gilead, and is buried there. The father of
William G. married Miss Mahala Graves,
who was descended from an old Connecti
cut family. They had but two children,
William G. and George W., the latter of
whom was the youngest senator of Michi
gan; he is a graduate of Elyria high school
and Michigan University, and is now an
attorney at law in Michigan.

The subject of these lines received a
liberal education, in part at the common
schools, and in part at the high schools of
Elyria, from which latter he graduated.
He then took a course at the University
of Michigan, Ann Arbor, where he grad
uated in the class of 1881 in law, and part
of the literary course. When he left col
lege he found himself poor in a financial
point of view, but, rich in a harvest of
literary and legal lore. He then made a
trip west to Minnesota and Dakota, and
at Fargo, in the last named State, entered
newspaper work, becoming, local editor
and finally editor-in-chief. Returning to
Ohio, he opened a law office in Elyria, and
soon afterward we find him forming a
partnership with Lester McLean in Elyria.
In 1884 he was elected, on the Democratic
ticket, to the office of prosecuting attorney,
overcoming an adverse majority of more
than 2,000, and after three years was
nominated for State senator in his District,
but was defeated, although he ran con
siderably ahead of his ticket. In 1892 he
was a Presidential elector for Ohio on the
Democratic ticket, and has been chairman
of Couuty and Congressional District
Committees at various times. About five
years ago he became interested as attorney
for certain Tennessee business corpora
tions, and in many other enterprises, from
wliich connection with Tennessee capital
ists he was enabled to organize a number
of large manufacturing concerns in the
United States and Canada. He also vis
ited several South American Republics
for the same purpose, meeting with en
couraging success, but was interrupted by
the Chilean war. Mexico was also visited
by him in similar interests, and with a
like result, and he is now a director and
stockholder in half a dozen different com
panies, requiring more or less attention.
He numbers among his friends and busi
ness associates some of the most prominent
capitalists in this country, both in the North
and South, whose confidence he enjoys in
the highest degree In the meantime his

670

LORAIN COUNTY, OHIO.

home is still in Elyria, as is also his law
office; but so much of his time is given to
manufacturing enterprises that he has but
little to spare for clientage. While in
regular practice he made a record equal to
the best, being successful in a very large
proportion of the State cases entrusted to
him as prosecuting attorney. Iu 1891 he
began the erection of the W. G. Sharp
block in Elyria, which is built of pressed
brick, and is three stories in height, hav
ing the interior fitted up with hardwood,
marble and tile. Mr. Sharp has traveled
extensively in nearly every country except
the extreme Orient, and has profited much
by his observation of men and things.
Socially he is a member of the F. & A.
M., I. O. O. F., K. O. T. M. and K. of P.

FRANK W. BENNETT, president
of the Wellington (Brick) Machine
Co., of Wellington, Ohio, comes of
stalwart English ancestry, and of
patriotic Revolutionary stock in this
country. His grandfather, a native of either Ver
mont or Massachusetts, served in the
Revolution. He was a Baptist preacher
for a very long period, and died at the
patriarchal age of ninety-two years in
Wellington, Lorain Co., Ohio, where his
wife also ended her days. They came to
Ohio with their family some time in the
winter of 1832-33. They had two chil
dren: Isaac, father of subject, and Fannie,
who married Peter Bost, of Penfield, Lo
rain county.
Isaac Bennett, father of subject, was
born in Vermont in 1800, and came with
his parents to Ohio when he was about
thirty-two years of age. He taught school
both before and after coming here, but
chiefly gave writing lessons in Lorain
county. In course of time he opened out a
brick manufacturing business, which he car
ried on some years; also owned a sawmill,
and made rakes and such like agricultural

implements in a shop be built for the pur
pose. For seventeen years he served as
a justice of the peace, and it is stated by
good authority that no decision of bis was
ever overruled by higher courts. He was
librarian of the public library at Welling
ton many years, and in every public enter
prise showed himself in a substantial way
to be a useful, loyal citizen. He was a
zealous Baptist as long as there was a
church or congregation of that denomina
tion in the neighborhood, but died a
member of the Disciple Church, that event
taking place in 1886, when he was aged
about eighty-seven years; his wife, Esther
(Childs), passed away in 1891. They
were the parents of six children, as -fol
lows: Lewis, of whom special mention will
presently be made; Tirzah, who married a
Mr. Kirk; William, residing in Welling
ton ; Charles, also in Wellington ; Levi, de
ceased, and Frank W., subject of sketch.
Frank W. Bennett, whose name intro
duces this sketch, was born December 5,
1843, in Wellington, Lorain Co., Ohio.
He received a liberal education at the
common schools of the neighborhood of
his place of birth, and at the age of nine
teen laid aside his Ovid and Sallust for
the musket and sword. In 1863 he en
listed in Company C, Eighty-sixth 0. V.
I., six months service, and was discharged
February 10, 1864; February 1, 1865, he
enlisted, second time, in the One Hundred
and Seventy- sixth O. V. I., and was honor
ably discharged June 8, 1865. In the
first company he served he was a corporal,
and during his last enlistment he was in
the regimental band. After the war he
commenced the manufacture of cheese
boxes in Wellington, Lorain county, which
industry be conducted until purchasing an
interest in his present business, originally
known as Bennett Bros. & Co., but since
incorporated into a stock company under
the title of the Wellington Machine Co.
This company is extensively engaged in
the manufacture of brick machinery, an
industry which, under their management

LORAIN COUNTY, OHIO.

671

and control, has grown from small pro
portions to one of considerable magnitude.
Iu connection with this they own the
Quaker Brick Machine, the sale of which
they have pushed in all parts of the
United States, as well as brickyard sup
plies. In 1890 they put up their present
manufacturing building, which contains
about half an acre of floor space, and they
employ an average of seventy-five men.
In 1867 Mr. Bennett married Miss Ella
Roys, who was born in Norfolk, Litchfield
Co., Conn., in 1848, and came to Ohio
with her parents in 1857. Mr. and Mrs.
Bennett have one child — Roy C. Politi
cally our subject is an ardent Republican.
Lewis Bennett, eldest brother of Frank
W., is a native of Vermont, born Septem
ber 7, 1824, and received nearly all his
schooling in Lorain county. Till he was
in his twenty-third year he worked in his
father's brickyard, after which he carried
on a similar business for his own account,
some thirty years, in Wellington, Lorain
county, making by hand most of the brick
used in the erection of all the best houses
in the town. In 1871 he built the "Park
Hotel" in Wellington, a well known and
popular hostelry. In 1847 he married
Miss Fannie Lewis, a native of Medina
county, Ohio, born in September, 1830,
and two children have been bora to them,
both now deceased, the son at the age of two
years, the daughter (who had married, but
had no children) when thirty years of age.
Politically Mr. Bennett is a lifelong Re
publican, and in matters of religion is a
member of the Disciple Church.

T. MAYNARD, M. D., a leading
physician of Lorain county, and a
resident of Elyria, was bora Sep
tember 14, 1851, in Ripley town
ship, Huron Co., Ohio. He is a son of
George and Polly (Woodward) Maynard,
natives of New York State, both of whom
are yet living, and carrying on farming in

Ripley township, Huron county, where
they have resided ever since their marriage,
in 1850.
Our subject was reared on a farm, and
received his elementary education in the
common schools of the neighborhood of
his place of birth. So hard did he study,
and so apt was he as a student, that from
being a scholar he became a teacher be
fore he was twenty-one years old, and all
the money he earned up to that age went
toward the support of the family. After
that period of his life he continued teach
ing during winter time, and working on a
farm in summers, saving his money in
order to enable him to follow out the am
bition of his boyhood and youth — to become
a physician. In 1873 he commenced the
study of medicine, the same year entering
the Eclectic Medical Institute, Cincinnati,
Ohio, where he took his degree of M. D.
in 1875. During the two succeeding years
he was assistant physician in the North
western Ohio Asylum for the Insane at
Toledo, Ohio. In the general practice of
his profession Dr. Maynard opened out
first at Middletown, Ohio, whence, in
1878, he moved to North Amherst, in
Lorain county, and here he practiced over
seven years, during which time he took a
post-graduate course at the Medical Col
lege, Western Reserve University, Cleve
land, Ohio, graduating there in 1884. In
1885 and '86 the Doctor spent six months
in the Polyclinic, New York, taking an
other post-graduate course. In 1886, on
his return, he moved to Elyria, Ohio, and
established his present lucrative practice.
The winter of 1888-89 he passed in
Europe, visiting various medical institu
tions in London, Paris, Berlin and Vienna,
spending a whole year in post-graduate
work; in addition to all of which he took
a short course at the Homeopathic Medi
cal College, Chicago, in 1892, and spent
six weeks at the Post-graduate School of
New York, in the fall of 1893. This is an
experience of, study that few medical men •
in Ohio can boast of, and Dr. Maynard is

672

LORAIN COUNTY, OHIO.

justly recognized as one of the leading
practitioners in his county, while at the
same time he is almost the youngest man
there in the profession.
Dr. O. T. Maynard was married, in 1877,
to Miss Mary E. Lyman, niece of Dr. B.
A. Wright, superintendent of the North
western Ohio Asylum for the Insane at
Toledo, already mentioned. In politics he
is a Republican, and socially is a member
of the Royal Arcanum, the I. O. F.,
the Cuyahoga County Medical Society, the
Society of Medical Sciences of Cleveland,
and the Ohio State Medical Society. He
has been an active member of the Baptist
Church ever since he was married, having
united with that Church at Cincinnati
during his student life.

;HARLES E. WILSON, county com
missioner of Lorain county (with
residence in Elyria), is a native of
same, born in Avon township, Au
gust 26, 1840.
His father, William Wilson, was born
in 1812 in Northamptonshire, England,
whence at about the age of eighteen years
he came to the United States, locating in
Cleveland, Ohio, for a few years. He
there married Miss Elvira Clisbee, and the
young couple then (1839) moved to Avon
township, Lorain county, settling on a
piece of land, at that time all covered by
the forest. He died January 19, 1860,
aged forty-seven years, two months, nine
teen days, a Democrat in politics, a Bap
tist in religion. His father, also named
William, came from England to this coun
try, and died in Avon township, Lorain
county; he was twice married, his first
wife dying in England, his second in Avon
township. Our subject's mother, who is
at present living at Tabor, Iowa, aged
seventy-three years, comes of New Eng
land stock. She is the mother of six chil
dren, of whom the following ij3 brief men
tion: Charles E. is the subject of this

sketch; Nancy is the wife of N. S. Phelps,
of Glenwood, Iowa; Louis E. is in Atchi
son county, Mo.; Anna is the wife of J.
Graves, of Tabor, Iowa; Willis S. died
when twenty- three years old; Alice is also
deceased. Charles E. Wilson, the subject proper
of this sketch, received his elementary
education at the common schools of Avon
township, which was supplemented with
an attendance of one term at Oberlin Col
lege. In 1864 he enlisted in Company H,
First Ohio Heavy Artillery, which served
in eastern Tennessee. He remained in the
army until the close of the war, and was
in active service at the time of Lee's sur
render, after which he came home, and in
the fall of the same year drove a team to
Iowa, where he resided one year on a farm.
Once more coming to Lorain county, he
married Miss Elzina Lucas, and then set
tled on the old homestead which at that
time he rented, but later bought. They
lived there until 1886, when he located in
Elyria. He is a stockholder in the Elyria
Savings Deposit Bank Co.; has been a
member of the board of directors of the
Lorain County Agricultural Society; he is
affiliated with the G. A. R., and is a F. &
A. M. He is a Republican in politics,
and has been a member of the city council
and of the board of education. To Mr.
and Mrs. Wilson were born two children,
viz. : Alice, who was married, June 8, 1893,
to F. E. Edwards, and lives in Medina, Ohio,
where her husband is a leading dry-goods
merchant, and Grace, who departed from
earth at the early age of sixteen years.
The family are members of the M. E.
Church.

MITH STEELE is a son of John
and Pollie (St. John) Steele, and
was born in Avon township, Lorain
Co., Ohio, October 27, 1819.
tlis father, a native of Delaware county,
N. Y., where he married, was a tanner and
currier, and harness and saddle maker. In

LORAIN COUNTY, OHIO.

673

1818 he came to Lorain county, settling in
Avon township, where he followed his
trade for some years, and then, about 1826,
removed to North Amherst. Here he
passed from earth at the age of sixty-six
years. The mother of our subject was
born in Connecticut, and reared in Dela
ware county, N. Y.; she died in California.
A brief record of their children is as fol
lows: Julia Ann married 0. Williams, of
Avon township, Lorain county, and died
there; at one time they lived in Michigan.
John O, a farmer, lived in Avon town
ship, Lorain county, for a time, then in
North Amherst, where he died; his daugh
ter is living on his late farm. R. E. went
from North Amherst to California, where
he had ranches, and died very wealthy.
Horace S., who was a carpenter and joiner
and also a farmer, went to California, and
lived on a ranch. Nathaniel was a resident
of North Amherst, and died while visit
ing in New YTork State. Mary B. married
S. J. Finney, a professor and lecturer, who
was elected to the Assembly of California;
she died in Pescadero, Cal. The seventh
in order of birth is Smith, the subject of
sketch. Emeline married Isaac Steele, and
is reputed wealthy; they live in Pescadero,
California. Smith Steele received but a limited edu
cation, and was reared to the arduous
duties of farm life. In 1841 he was
united in marriage with Miss Lydia Orms
by, who was born in North Amherst Janu
ary 27, 1822, and whose parents were
among the first pioneers of North Am
herst. After marriage Mr. and Mrs. Steele
remained a short time on the farm, and
then moved to North Amherst, where for
six years he carried on a store, and for
three years a hotel, at the end of which
time they again went on the farm. In
1869 they returned to North Amherst,
where they built a nice residence. Mr.
Steele had twenty-two acres of prime land,
and followed agriculture until his retire
ment from active life in 1873. He and
his wife visited California three times, on

one occasion spending a year in the "Eu
reka State." Mr. and Mrs. Smith Steele
have two children living — H. N. and Eber
— two having died — Mary, born January
29, 1843, died at the age of two years;
Hattie May, born October 29, 1849, died
October 8, 1864. H. N. was born De
cember 20, 1845, and was educated at
Oberlin College; he is now cashier of the
Savings Deposit Bank of North Amherst.
Eber was born December 16, 1847, and
educated at Oberlin; he is now secretary
in the same bank as his brother. Politi
cally our subject was originally a Demo
crat, but is now a Republican; he and his
wife are Spiritualists. He is a stockholder
in the North Amherst Bank, and in the
Lorain Steamship Company.
Rev. Caleb Ormsby, father of Mrs. Smith
Steele, was born at Becket, Berkshire Co.,
Mass., August 10, 1789, and died July 31,
1864, in North Amherst, Ohio. He re
ceived his education in his native town,
and in New York State, in which latter
he was married in 1811, to Catherine
Stanton. In 1820 they came to Ohio and
made a settlement in Amherst township,
having previously bought the land on
which the village of North Amherst now
stands. He was a circuit preacher in the
M. E. Church for about forty years, riding
mauy miles to the various meeting houses,
and he had a wide reputation for preaching
funeral sermons. Besides his duties as a
preacher, Mr. Ormsby carried on farming,
and became wealthy. He died July 31,
1864, a lifelong Republican. His wife
was born in Rhode Island, and died in
1872. Their children were as follows::
Isaac C, born January 5, 1813, died in
1875 (he was a sailor on the lakes) ; Mary
C, married to John Williams, of Avon
township, Lorain county, died about the
year 1832; Caleb N., born August 27,
1824, was a farmer, and died June 29,
1844. H. N. Steele, cashier of the Savings'
Deposit Bank, North Amherst, is a native
of that town, born December 20, 1845, a

674

LORAIN COUNTY, OHIO.

son of Smith and Lydia (Ormsby) Steele.
He received his education at Oberlin Col
lege, after which be commenced business
at North Amherst. For some time he was
in the milling business, and for about five
years carried on agriculture. He was one
of the organizers of the Savings Deposit
Bank in North Amherst, and March 12,
1891, he was appointed cashier of same.
Mr. Steele was united in marriage, Sep
tember 20, 1867, with Miss Ellen Gawne,
and four children have been born to them,
as follows: Edgar, Franklin, Florence and
May. Our subject is a Republican, and a
member of the K. of P. He is a stock
holder in the North Amherst Furniture
Company, and in the Lorain Steamship
Company. Mr. Steele is a man of excel
lent business capacity, and an expert in
financial matters.

JOSEPH L. WHITON, Je., a prom
inent farmer of Amherst township, is
a worthy representative of an early
pioneer family; His grandparents
were Joseph L. and Amanda Whiton, and
the following is a brief record of their chil
dren: Harriet, born March 7, 1796, is
how deceased; Amanda, born October 10,
1797, is also deceased; Samantha, born
August 30, 1794, came to Lorain county,
and died December 13, 1878, in St.
Charles, Minn.; Joseph L. is the father of
bur subject; Daniel G., born March 20,
1801, came to Lorain county, but subse
quently went to Wisconsin, and died there
March 20, 1866; Edward V.,born June 2,
1805, came to Lorain county, and after
ward went to Janesville, Rock Co., Wis.,
where he became prominent in the early
history of the county, and served as judge,
deciding the Barstow case (he died April
12, 1859); Eliza, born April 16, 1807,
died June 15, 1885, at Clifton, Va.; Cath
erine, born March 8, 1810, died August
14, 1836; and Agnes, born August 12,

1813, is deceased. The father of this family
was a soldier in the Revolutionary war. He
died August 16, 1828.
Joseph L. Whiton was born July 14,
1799, in Lee, Berkshire Co., Mass., and
came to Lorain county, Ohio, at the age of
twenty years, locating on land in Black
River township. He afterward returned
to Massachusetts, where he was married
December 18, 1829, to Lavina Wright, a
native of Springfield, that State, and in
1830 they came to Amherst township, Lo
rain county, settling in the then wilderness,
where they passed the remainder of their
lives. They became the parents of three
children, viz.: Agnes, who married Henry
Allen, of New York, and died in Amherst
township August 1, 1863; Catherine, wife
of M. W. Axtell, of North Amherst, and
Joseph L. Mr. Whiton took great interest
in the politics of his day; he served for
twelve years as justice of the peace; for
seven years he was associate judge in the
court of common pleas; he represented his
county in the Legislature during the winter
of 1849-50, and was always very active in
public affairs. He died April 26, 1869,
his wife surviving him till April 8, 1874,
when she too passed away.
Joseph L. Whiton, Jr., was born March
28, 1848, on his present farm in Amherst
township, received his education in the
district schools, and has always followed
farming. On June 24, 1874, he was mar
ried in Amherst township to Miss Annetta
J. Gawn, a native of Lake Breeze, Shef
field township, Lorain county, whose
grandparents, John and Ann Esther
(Quail) Gawn, were natives of the Isle of
Man, and came to Lorain county in a very
early day; they died in Amherst township.
Their son, Daniel Gawn, who was also born
in the Isle of Man, learned the trade of
carpenter, and when a boy of sixteen came
to Lorain county, Ohio. He was married,
at Black River, to Susanna Spooner, a na
tive of Maine, and to their union were
born nine children: Annetta J. (Mrs.
Whiton), Thomas E. (living in Amherst

LORAIN COUNTY, OHIO.

677

township), Mary E. (wife of Charles Grif
fin, of Amherst township), John L. (a
resident of Lorain), Charles L. (living in
North Amherst), James (in North Am
herst), Susanna C. (wife of Adam Schu
bert, of Lorain county), Joseph L. (in
Amherst) and Daniel C. After his mar
riage Mr. Gawn operated Lake Breeze farm,
and in 1867 moved to Amherst township,
where he died January 22, 1876 ; his widow
is now residing in Lorain.
To Mr. and Mrs. Whiton have been born
five children : Joseph Edward, Curtis
Warren, Edith Lovina, Agnes L. and
Arthur Lucas. In politics Mr. Whiton is
a Democrat, and has served repeatedly as
trustee, assessor, and member of the school
board. He conducts a general farming
business, giving his principal attention,
however, to stock farming, raising Short
horn cattle.

Ei DWARD WEST, familiarly known
as " Deacon West," is a capitalist
¦ and farmer of no small prominence
in Lorain county, and a citizen of
unquestionable loyalty and probity, hold
ing many offices in the township where he
resided. He was born October 3, 1818, in Green
wich, Mass., a son of Roger West, who
was born in October, 1787, in the same
place, and died August 21, 1837. Roger
West married, in 1813, Miss Cynthia
Sears, born April 12, 1792, and died July
12, 1840. Roger received a fair educa
tion in his native town, and became a good
bookkeeper and business man. By occu
pation he was a miller, owning saw, card
ing and grist mills. In 1831 he came
west with his family to Ohio, the first win
ter tarrying in Brooklyn, Cuyahoga
county, near Cleveland; thence in March,
1832, moving to Strongs ville, same county,
where they resided two years, and then
came to Ridgeville, Lorain Co., Ohio,
where for nearly four years tbe father fol
lowed farming. Here he died, and the

family in March (1838) following pro
ceeded to Pluntington township, where
they made a permanent settlement, the
mother dying there July 12, 1840. Mr.
and Mrs. Roger West were upright, hon
orable people, held in respectful remem
brance for their many virtues. Tbey were
the parents of seven children, a record of
whom is as follows: (1) Lyman was born
July 3, 1814, and was twenty-four years
old when the family settled at fiuntington;
here he was shortly afterward converted,
and joined the Baptist Church at Hunt
ington, of which he was an active member
and deacon until 1867, when he removed
with his family to Michigan, locating on a
farm in DeWitt township, Clinton county.
He united by letter with the Baptist
Church at that place, where he was made
deacon in September, 1867, serving until
1877, when he removed to Lansing, same
State, and united soon after with the Bap
tist Church there. He finally returned to
his old home in DeWitt township, Clinton
county, as his health was poor and he
wished to be near his son, and there he
died, August 1, 1886. (2) Hannah was
bora September 3, 1816, and in February,
1834, was united in marriage to Marvin
E. Stone, who was killed by a runaway
horse October 14, 1879, when he was
seventy-five years of age. He had lived
in Strongsville for almost sixty years.
They had nine children. Mrs. Stone died
November 18, 1893. (3) Edward, of whom
special mention is made further on, is the
subject of this sketch. (4) Turner was
bom March 5, 1821, aud spent most of
his life in Lorain county, but in his later
years he went to Kansas to encourage
and help his sons. He had a fall in a
cornfield, which proved fatal, and he
died September 26, 1875. (5) Al
pheus was born June 18, 1823, and
died August 1, 1828, when five years
old. (6) Henry B. was born July 3, 1832,
at Strongsville, Cuyahoga county, and
spent three years in study at Oberlin Col
lege, Ohio; he was soon after chosen

678

LORAIN COUNTY, OHIO.

recorder of Lorain county, in which position
he served for nine years, holding the office
three years longer than any other man up
to that time. Shortly after the expiration
of his third term he went to Put-in-Bay,
and engaged in the hotel business, being
the pioneer in that line there; and here he
continued in this for fifteen years, when
the "Put-in-Bay House" was destroyed by
fire. Some time prior to this event Mr.
West had become interested in the "West
House," at Sandusky, and after the fire he
removed thither, remaining there three or
four years, when he removed to Shelby,
Ohio, conducting the "Junction House" at
that place two or three years. He next
went to Cleveland, where, as stated by the
Cleveland press, be became one of the
oldest and most successful hotelkeepers
in the city, and died there July 12, 1888.
(7) Harriet R. was born July 3, 1834, in
Ridgeville township, Lorain county, and
in 1859 was married to Fazelo Hubbard,
with whom she removed to Illinois in
1860. She embraced religion when very
young, and was always a meek and Chris
tian-like woman, and an ardent worker in
the church, ever ready to do her Master's
will. She died at Pana, Illinois, Novem
ber 11, 1870.
Edward West, whose name opens this
sketch, received a fair education at the
public schools of his native place, and two
and a half years at Oberlin College, Ohio,
and assisted his father in his woolen mill,
chiefly in the carding room. He was also
employed on a farm till 1850, when he
commenced dealing in sheep and wool, a
business he followed for about thirty years
in connection with his farm, which was
located in Huntington township about
three-quarters of a mile south of the cen
ter. In 1881 he came to Wellington, with
the business progress of which town he
has since become intimately identified.
Soon after the organization of the bank
there he become one of its heaviest stock
holders and a director, and has been con
nected with same ever since. On Sep

tember 24, 1840, he was united in marriage
with Miss Emeline C. Chapman, born
August 26, 1821, in Montgomery, Hamp
den Co., Mass., a daughter of Abner and
Olive (Fisher) Chapman, natives of Con
necticut and Massachusetts, respectively,
and a record of whose children is as fol
lows: (1) Luther, born November 20,
1798, came to Ohio on foot, settling in
Geauga county, where he was married
February 19, 1830, to Anna Granger; he
died March 30, 1886, near Troy, Ohio,
and was a member of the M. E. Church.
(2) Calvin, born March 24, 1800, was
married November 5, 1823, to Eliza Van-
Horn, whose father was a cabinet maker in
Boston, Mass. Calvin Chapman died June
1, 1827. (3) Achsah, born February 10,
1802, died January 10, 1804. (4) Olive,
born April 22, 1804, died January 10,
1870, in Wisconsin; she was married
on February 4, 1822, to Julius Hatch.
(5) Achsah, born Eebruary 1, 1806, died
December. 28, 1823. (6) Laura, born
February 29, 1808, was married Decem
ber 19, 1823, to Sumner Otis; she died
January 9, 1832. They had a son who
was a major-general in the regular army,
and a graduate of West Point, and lived
with his grandfather, Abner Chapman.
(7) Abner, Jr., who was bora March 8,
1810, and was married March 25, 1835,
to Eliza A. Cone, who died February 5,
1884. He resides in Wellington. (8)
William, born April 30, 1812, was mar
ried November 19, 1835, to Rowena Bab
cock, who died May 3, 1885, in Hunting
ton, a member of the Baptist Church; he
died December 26, 1880. (9) Eunice,
born July 3, 1814, was married December
7, 1840, to Lyman West; she died March
18, 1887. (10) Hulda A., born June 19,
1817, was married October 5, 1841, to
Josiah C. Lang, who was a soldier in the
Civil war, and died November 17, 1861;
she died September 20, 1872. (11) John
Austin, born April 7, 1819, was married
November 6, 1844, to Isabel Lindsey; he
died May 22, 1891. (12) Emeline' C. is

LORAIN COUNTY, OHIO.

679

the wife of Edward West. Mrs. Emeline
C. West was twelve years of age when she
came to Lorain county, and she attended
school in Huntington township, after
which she taught some years. At about
the age of nineteen she united with the
Baptist Church, but two years after her
marriage she became identified with the
Congregationalists. Politically our sub
ject has been a stanch Republican since
the organization of the party, and he was
always a pronounced Abolitionist. In
February, 1840, he united with the Con
gregational Church, in which he was dea
con for many years. All his life he has
been an active and zealous church worker,
and has been liberal of his means in the
cause of education, in charities and in
public improvements, giving at one time
a thousand dollars to Oberlin College and
smaller amounts since that time, aud about
a year ago he gave five hundred dollars to
the village library of Wellington.

EORGE H. ELY, one of the leading
spirits of enterprise in Elyria, and
one of her most prominent citizens,
Al is a native of that beautiful town,
born November 15, 1844, a son of
Heman and Mary H. (Monteith) Ely.
After attending the common schools of
the place, the subject of this brief notice
entered Yale College, from which he
graduated in the class of 1865. On his
return from college he became a member
of the firm of Topliff & Ely, in Elyria,
giving his entire attention to the develop
ment and management of that concern
until 1888, when he sold out his interest.
At present he is connected with several
prominent businesses in Elyria, most of
which owe their origin to his enterprise
and forethought. In the fall of 1893 he
was elected senator to represent the 27th
and 29th Districts in the 71st General
Assembly of Ohio. For many years he
has shown great interest in the Lorain

County Agricultural Society, and is at
present the president. Moreover, rather
as a diversion from the cares of business
than otherwise, he has for some consider
able time been interested in the live-stock
industry, and he is now the owner of one
of the best stock farms in Ohio, and'of the
far-famed "Elyria."
On December 11, 1867, George H. Ely
and Miss Annie Moody, daughter of Loman
A. and Louisa (Patrick) Moody, of Chico-
pee, Mass., were married in that town. In
his political preferences Mr. Ely is a
Republican.

and

HARLES COOLEY, superintendent
of the County Infirmary, was born
in Brownhelm township, Lorain Co.,
Ohio, in 1835, a son of Moses B.
Jane M. (Peck) Cooley, lifelong
farmers, the latter of whom died at the
age of seventy years. They were mem
bers of the Presbyterian Church.
Moses B. Cooley was a native of Massa
chusetts, born in Stockbridge in 1800, and
in 1818 came west to Ohio, settling as a
pioneer in Brownhelm township, Lorain
county. He died in 1889, a Republican
in politics, originally an Old-line Whig.
Tbe pioneer of the name in Lorain county
was Hanson Cooley, who, in 1818, settled
with his family in what is now Brownhelm
township. He was a millwright by trade,
and built the old Ely mill, the first one in
the county.
Charles Cooley received a liberal edu
cation in the schools of his native town
ship, and at Oberlin College. He married
Miss Anna Bacon, who died in 1865, leav
ing two sons — George, now in St Louis,
Mo., and Charles. For his second wife he
married, in 1870, Miss Addie Appleby,
by which union there is one child. Mrs.
Cooley is a lady of refinement, possessed
of superior personal attainments and busi
ness qualifications, and by her popularity
has surrounded herself with hosts of
friends. After bis first marriage Mr.

680

LORAIN COUNTY, OHIO.

Cooley remained on his father's farm in
Brownhelm township for five years. In
1888 he was appointed to his present posi
tion, since when he has been a resident of
Elyria. In the conducting of the affairs of
the County Infirmary he is assisted by his
excellent wife, and they have given emi
nent satisfaction in every particular. In
politics Mr. Cooley is a Republican; so
cially he is a member of the F. & A. M.
and K. of P.

4/

HENRY WURST. Among the pre
eminently self-made men of Lorain
county, and prominent in the busi
ness circles of Elyria, is to be found
this gentleman, who is deserving of
more than a passing notice in the pages of
this volume.
He is a native of Hessen-Cassel, Ger
many, born November 7, 1849. When he
was about one year old, his parents emi
grated to America with their family,
making their way westward to Ohio, where
they made a settlement in the fair town of
Elyria. When our subject was six years
old he lost his father by death, and after
a few years' attendance at the common
schools, at the early age of eleven, he com
menced business life as a clerk in the gro
cery store of C. A. Parks, in Elyria. About
1866 Mr. Parks went out of business, and
young Wurst commenced work for Mrs.
C. A. Ely; from there went to Mr. D. M.
Fisher's, and from there to Baldwin, Laun
don & Nelson, with whom he stayed until
they sold the grocery and crockery and
hardware business to Harman & Obitts.
With this firm he remained till October 2,
1875, in which year he and H. H. Andress
jointly purchased the grocery and crockery
business. After a short time, however,
Mr. Andress retired, Mr. Wurst purchasing
the entire concern. He remodeled the store
and greatly extended the trade, which soon
became one of considerable magnitude,
bringing in profitable returns. Iu 1880
he purchased the property whereon now

stands the Wurst block, but in 1885 his
buildings were destroyed by fire. He im
mediately rebuilt, however, the result
being one of the best business blocks in
Elyria, and known as the " Wurst block,"
just mentioned. It is of brick, three
stories in height, the main building being
44 x 75 feet, and the rear one 18 x 70.
Mr. Wurst continued the grocery business
till June 15, 1892, when he found himself
so deeply engaged in other interests in the
city that, in order to give his undivided
attention to affairs of, to him, more im
portance, he sold out his grocery. He and
his former partner, Mr. Andress, had pur
chased the " Beebe House," the leading
hotel in Elyria, which at considerable out
lay they repaired and refitted, and it now
stands second to none in the State as a
first-class hotel. Mr. Wurst is a stock
holder in the Elyria Savings Bank; the
Electric Light Plant Company of Lorain;
the Savings and Loan Association of Elyria,
and of the National Building aud Loan As
sociation of Cleveland.
On November 27, 1873, Mr. Wurst was
united in marriage with Miss Ella Robin
son, of Ridgeville, Lorain Co., Ohio, she
being of English birth, and two children
have been born to them — Earl H. and
Charles J., both now attending college at
Oberlin. Politically Mr. Wurst is a Re
publican, and he is a member of the
Knights of Pythias.

FENELON B. RICE, the well-known
director of the Oberlin Conservatory
of Music, is a native of Ohio, born
at Greensburg, Trumbull county, in
1841. He is the first son of Rev. David
L. and Emily (Johnson) Rice, the former
of whom was bora in Trumbull county,
Ohio, May 1, 1820, the latter in Canaan,
Litchfield Co., Connecticut.
The father of our subject received his
literary education in Trumbull county,
Ohio, and studied for the ministry in
Geauga Seminary. The field of his cleri-

LORAIN COUNTY, OHIO.

681

cal labors lay in Trumbull and Ashtabula
counties, Ohio, excepting twenty years in
which he was traveling from place to place
in the country, from New York to Iowa,
soliciting subscriptions or donations to
ward the founding of Hillsdale"" (Mich.)
College, visiting all the Freewill Baptists
on his route, he being a preacher in the
church of that denomination. Pie died in
Trumbull county in 1886. His father,
David Rice, came from his native place,
North Brookfield, Mass., to Trumbull
county, Ohio, then a wilderness, where he
lived seven years ere a death occurred in
their township. He married a native of
Brookfield, Yt., and they were members of
the Congregational Church. Two brothers,
one sister and qnite a colony of relatives
settled there. Enoch Rice, great-grand
father of the subject of this sketch, was a
farmer and mechanic, and built grist and
saw mills.
Fenelon B. Rice received his early edu
cation at Orwell Academy in Ashtabula
county, Ohio (Prof. Tuckerman being then
in charge, now president of New Lyme In
stitute), and at Hillsdale College. In 1859
he went to Boston for the purpose of
studying music, and in 1863 he graduated
from the Boston School of Music. In that
year he took charge of the musical depart
ment of Hillsdale (Mich.) College, where
he continued until 1867, at which time he
went abroad with his wife, who was her
self musical and became an accomplished
vocalist, for the extension of their musical
culture. His time was spent at Leipsic,
chiefly under the instruction of Dr. Pap-
peritz, Ignaz Moscheles and Louis Plaidy
In piano, and Prof. Richter in theory. He
there found the standard of criticism higher
than any he had hitherto met, and set
about mastering the Leipsic point of view,
with results that were determining for his
own taste. His teachers, also, were men
of high moral conceptions, and their in
fluence fostered Prof. Rice's natural senti
ment in favor of high morals in company
with high art.

On his return from Germany, in 1869,
he began his professional work at Oberlin.
He became associated with Prof. G. W.
Steele, and entered into a joint arrange
ment to manage the Conservatory of Music
in that place for two years, at the end of
which time Prof. Steele withdrew, leaving
Prof. Rice in sole charge. His connections
at Oberlin proved congenial, both to him
self and the College. With the char
acteristic moral and religious sentiment of
the place he could heartily sympathize;
and if the average musical feeling was not
up to his standard, at any rate there were
few places where it was better, or where
the public mind was more tractable. He
set about his work with the Leipsic Con
servatory for his model of organization,
and with an unbending devotion to the
lofty art ideals which had won his heart.
Pr.of. Rice has been director of the Ober
lin Conservatory of Music since 1871. In
1880 tbe degree of Mus. Doc. was given
him by Hillsdale College; in 1884 the
honorary degree of A. M., by Oberlin Col
lege, and he has been twice elected presi
dent of the Music Teachers National As
sociation. The Conservatory has experi
enced a remarkable growth since his con
nection with it. When he first entered
its doors in a professional capacity he
found the institution occupying two small
leased rooms, and employing three teach
ers. To-day, mainly through his indi
vidual energy and enterprise, Oberlin Con
servatory of Music stands among the very
foremost institutions of the country, as a
place for the study of music. The school
occupies a fine sandstone edifice, the muni
ficent gift of Dr. and Mrs. Lucien C. War
ner, of New York City. It was erected at
au expense of more than one hundred thou
sand dollars, and is one of the finest and
largest structures ever built exclusively for
the use of a school of music. It is a four-
story building, with a frontage of 150 feet
on North Professor street, and a depth of
120 feet, and contains a fine concert hall,
lecture room, orchestra room, library,

682

LORAIN COUNTY, OHIO.

offices, and more than eighty instruction
and practice rooms. It is heated through
out, by steam, lighted by gas and electric
ity and supplied with a fine passenger
elevator, and many other modern conveni
ences. The three teachers of a few years
ago have multiplied into twenty-three pro
fessors of unquestioned ability, who give
instructions to more than six hundred
students every year, all under the immedi
ate direction of Professor Rice.
In 1863 our subject was married in
Detroit, Mich., to Miss Helen M. Libby,
who was born in Portland, Me., and they
have one child, Louis M. They are mem
bers of the Second Congregational Church
at Oberlin, of which he is a trustee. For
the last twenty-three years he has been a
member of the Faculty of Oberlin Col
lege, and for the past eight years has been
on the executive board, which has largely
to do with the finances of the College.
Politically he is a Republican. He has
been a director of the Oberlin Bank since
its organization, and for the past two years
vice-president of same.

4/

HORACE WADSWORTH, better
known in his locality as Deacon
Wadsworth, senior member of the
firm of H. Wadsworth & Son, lum
ber dealers, of Wellington, is a na
tive of Massachusetts, born in Tyringham,
Berkshire county, May 26, 1822.
Enos Wadsworth, grandfather of sub
ject, was born in Massachusetts, and died
in Portage county, in the woods. He had
gone hunting one day, and not returning,
his friends and neighbors instituted a
fruitless search. Three weeks afterward
a neighbor dreamed that he saw the body
lying in a certain swamp; search was made
at the place indicated, and the body was
there found.
Asa Wadsworth, son of Enos and father
of Horace, was bora in Tyringham, Mass.,
in 1794. He there married Electa Russell.

In 1819 he brought his family to Ohio.
This was the third family to enter Free
dom, Portage county, at that time a per
fect wilderness. Wild animals roamed un
disturbed in the forests, and the sound of
howling wolves was often heard. Their
first home was built of round green logs,
split logs forming the floor. There was
no chimney till the kitchen fire, built at
the end of the house, burned an opening
large enough to start a stone chimney.
Four children were born to this pioneer,
in their forest home: Calista A., Eliza
beth S., Emaret and Cyril. Edwin, the
eldest, was born in Massachusetts. Em
aret died when three years of age; the
others all live in Wellington.
At this home the subject of our sketch
spent his childhood days. The sound of
the axe and the crash of falling trees were
music to his ears. When but four years
old, emulating the success of his elders, he
wished to down one of the monarchs of the
forest. In the absence of his father he
started for a large tree near the house, think
ing to astonish his mother by cutting it
to the ground. On the way he slipped on
the. ice. In falling he cut his hand badly,
severing one finger, thus crippling him for
life. When he was eight years of age he at
tended the first school formed in the
township. The family lived in this home
twelve years. In 1835 they moved to Well
ington, Lorain county. Wellington was
then comparatively new, and the people
lived, with few exceptions, in log houses.
There were at the center two stores, two
hotels and a blacksmith shop; a third
building served the triple purpose of
church, town- house and school-house. The
first M. E. Church was erected and en
closed the year of their arrival. The
family made a settlement on land three-
fourths of a mile west of the center; their
home was a log house, formerly used as a
Methodist meeting-house. The father
and his three sons, two of them thirteen
and fifteen, respectively, formed the force
necessary to clear the land and furnish the

LORAIN COUNTY, OHIO.

683

means of subsistence. The elder son by
reason of ill health was for a number of
years unable to do heavy work. The
youngest, but a child, was at this time un
able to assist, and the burden of the work,
therefore, fell upon the father and the
second son Horace. To clear the laud and
fit it for cultivation formed the task of
those early days. At that time ready
money was seldom seen. Wood at fifty cents
a cord, cut from the farm, was exchanged
at the store for clothing and provisions.
This called for work with the axe early and
late to provide for the family of seven.
During the winter months Horace at
tended school, rising and doing the chores
of the farm before daylight and swinging
the axe till nine o'clock, then to study.
On his return after school the same task
was continued. This routine of work and
study was persisted in for a number of
years till the forest was replaced by culti
vated fields of wheat and corn, and he
gained an education fitting him for his
future work. The youngest son, Cyril,
with increasing years became old enough
to assist in the work, and in 1844 a new
frame house was erected and finished suf
ficiently for the family to enter. The out
look for the family appeared bright, but
the following year, the father, after a brief
illness, died. This left the management
of the farm upon Horace, then twenty-one
years of age. The next year the frosts
killed the wheat and corn. With nothing
to feed the stock it was sold at a very low
price. With a debt of several hundred
dollars upon them, they were still further
burdened by the sickness of the mother,
who became and remained a helpless in
valid, eared for by the two daughters till
her death in 1865. Hard work, however,
cleared the farm, and good crops paid the
debts and finished the house hitherto in
complete. At twenty-five years of age Horace,
qualified by hard study, began teaching in
the common schools. He taught with
good success for ten winters, two of which

were in the same schoolhouse which he
had attended as a scholar. In connection
with this work he became a contractor and
builder, and for a number of years was the
leader in this line. In 1879 he started in
the lumber business, buying a small es
tablishment which he enlarged, adding
thereto a planing mill and factory which
was afterward sold. In 1853 he married
Sarah H. Phelps, a native of Connecticut,
and daughter of Daniel Phelps. A mem
ber and worker in the Congregational
Church and Sabbath-school, she was
worthy of the love and respect of all who
knew her. Mortimer H., their only child,
was born June 27, 1857, and was educated
and graduated at the high school at Well
ington. He is now associated with his
father in the lumber business.
The subject of this sketch was origin
ally an Old-line Whig, and his first vote
was cast for Henry Clay. When sixteen
years of age he united with the Congrega
tional Church. At forty-one he was chosen
deacon. He has been an active worker in
the Sunday-school as superintendent and
teacher, and is a ready and active helper in
all church work. Now, at seventy-two
years of age, he is in good health, and is
always interested in church work as well as
public improvement.

4J

MA. POUNDS. In Lorain county,
Ohio, was born September 17,
J 1848, the subject of this brief
sketch, who is ex-sheriff of Lorain
county, and at the present time a
well-known horse dealer and trainer, than
whom there is no .one in the county more
deserving of the popularity he enjoys.
He is a son of L. M. and Fidelia
(Humphrey) Pounds, the former of whom,
now living retired in Elyria, was educated
at Delaware, Ohio, and became a promi
nent divine in the M. E. Church. The
mother was born in Lorain county, Ohio,
a daughter of Orson J. and Lucina Hum-

684

LORAIN COUNTY, OHIO.

phrey. Their children, five in number,
are as follows: M. A., subject of sketch;
L. H., in real-estate business in Topeka,
Kans. ; T. M., engaged in banking in To
peka, Kans.; Amelia, wife of George Bow
man, residing in Elyria; and Jessie, wife
of William Jones, of Brooklyn, New York.
Our subject received his education at the
Elyria high schools and Berea College, and
was reared to agricultural pursuits, but
early in life evinced a great liking for
horses, so that he naturally drifted into
the buying and selling of sucb stock. He
resided in Eaton township, Lorain county,
until 1886, when he was elected sheriff,
at which time he moved to Elyria, here to
make his future home. As sheriff he
served the county two terms, or four years,
acceptably, and since retiring from the in
cumbency he has devoted his time and at
tention to breeding and rearing fine road
horses, besides training all kinds of horses
for himself and others. His stables are
located in Elyria.
On November 24, 1870, Mr. Pounds
was married to Miss Mary E. Johnson, and
three children have been born to them,
viz.: Mabel, Harry and Ruth. Our sub
ject is a member of the F. & A. M., An
chor Lodge No. 56, Elyria.

|[J[IRAM WOODWORTH (deceased).
I^H Among the leading representative
I 1 families of Lorain county, none are
y) more worthy of special mention in
this volume than the one of which
the gentleman, whose name opens this
sketch, was an honored member.
Hiram Woodworth was a native of
Madison county, N. Y., born in the town
of Fenner February 14, 1802, a son of
Benjamin and Sophia (Allen) Woodworth,
both also natives of the Empire State.
Reared on the home farm, and trained to
the arduous duties incident all the year
round to the pursuits of agriculture, our
subject remained under the paternal roof

until about a year beyond his "coming of
age." At that time he commenced work
ing away from home, by the month, con
tinuing chiefly in that line of his choice
for some six years, diligently pursuing his
vocation and carefully husbanding his
earnings. By this time he was able out
of his savings to purchase one hundred
acres of land in the town of Randolph,
Cattaraugus Co., N. Y., which two years
afterward he traded for a hotel building in
the town of Bristol, Ontario county, same
State. In the meantime, in September, 1828,
Mr. Woodworth was married to Caroline
L. Wales, a daughter of Rev. Alvin and
Polly Wales, and a native of the same
town as her husband. In January, 1829,
the young couple moved into the hotel just
spoken of, which they conducted two and
one half years, and at the end of that time
our subject traded the hotel for 335 acres
of land in what is now Rochester township,
Lorain Co., Ohio, and eighty acres in what
was then the Territory of Michigan. On
May 22, 1832 — sixty-two years ago — Mr.
and Mrs. Woodworth arrived in their new
forest home in Rochester township, the
journey being made via the Erie Canal to
Buffalo, thence Lake Erie to Cleveland,
and from there by wagon to destination.
From the time of their arrival till the
middle of September following, this
pioneer couple lived in the most primitive
of primitive homes, the rude hut being
furnished with neither door, window,
hearth, chimney, nor even a chair of any
sort, much less any other kind of furniture.
Nothing daunted, however, they cheer
fully set to work to render their home
comfortable, Mr. Woodworth making, with
such tools as he was posessed of, some
stools, table, etc.; and soon the surround
ings began to take the garb of civilization
— the monarchs of the forest disappeared
neath the sturdy axe of the woodman, and
the stately trees were superseded by smil
ing fields of golden grain, and pasture land
redolent with clover. The improvements

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I. 1

IftJuA^o M^tnA^/t

LORAIN COUNTY, OHIO.

687

were not only attractive in appearance, but
also of the most substantial kind, and dur
able, Mr. Woodworth's maxim, in all his
undertakings, being: " That which is worth
doing at all is worth doing well."
Having now succeeded in getting the
new home in good order, and in comfort
able condition, Mr. Woodworth embarked
extensively in the live-stock business,
which in time grew to such proportions
with him that there was no room left for
any competitor in that line in northern
Ohio. Most of his stock was driven to
Brighton, Mass., where the animals were
sold, the round trip occupying in the neigh
borhood of forty days. In his live-stock
ventures Mr. Woodworth was remarkably
successful, nor could they be otherwise
when under his immediate control, and his
extensive trade gave employment to a
small army of help, scattered, in their
various lines of duty, all over northern
Ohio. After a residence of thirty years in
Rochester township, the old homestead
was sold, and Mr. and Mrs. Woodworth
came into Wellington township, he haviug
purchased a fertile farm, said to be. the
" premium farm " of Lorain county, which
is now part of the town site of Wellington.
From here after a three years' residence
they moved into a hotel in the town of
Wellington — now known as the " Ameri
can House " — which Mr. Woodworth had
bought, and was conducted by him, up to,
his death; the property is still owned by
Mrs. Woodworth. He passed from earth
October 10, 1873. Iu his political pre
dilections he was a Republican, and while
in Rochester he served as postmaster some
six years.
Mrs. Woodworth, though past the
eightieth mile post on the highway of life,
is still vigorous, both mentally and physi
cally. She is residing in her pleasant home
on Maygar street in the town of Welling
ton, and she worships at the Congrega
tional Church. The record of her chil
dren, in brief, is as follows: Roxania
37

(deceased) was the wife of John Braman,
now a resident of Cleveland, Ohio;
Rosenia is the widow of David L. Wads
worth, and resides in Wellington, Ohio;
Warren A. is in West Virginia; Roenia is
the wife of F. M. Sheldon, of Hornells-
ville, N. Y.; Rosetta is the wife of Stanley
Wilcox, of Plattsburg, Missouri.

E. BROOKS,, vice-president and
manager of the Topliff & Ely
Company, manufacturers of spe
cial carriage hardware, Elyria, is
a native of Lorain county, Ohio, born in
Avon, August 13, 1846. His parents
were James E. and Eliza (Sweet) Brooks,
both natives of Vermont, and early settlers
of Lorain county. The father died June
5, 1874; the mother January 5, 1894.
Our subject received a liberal education
in the common schools of his native place,
and from early youth was brought up in
the general hardware business, in which
he was engaged. In 1870, he removed to
Elyria, and became interested in the agri
cultural implement business until 1888,
in which year he, sold out and became as
sociated with the Topliff & Ely Company,
which was founded in 1866 by G. H. Ely
and J. A. Topliff, and incorporated in
1888. They began by making hubs and
spokes, but in 1874, abandoning that line,
they embarked in the manufacture of
tubular bow sockets, for carriage bows,
which industry has grown to euormous
proportions, they being tbe only manu
facturers of this patent in the world for
many years. They ship not only to all
parts of the United States, but also to
Europe, South America and Australia. In
the manufacture of bow sockets alone,
there are employed in the building about
one hundred hands who turn out from
125,000 to 150,000 sets per annum.
On August 8, 1877, Mr. Brooks was
united in marriage with Miss Fannie Top-

LORAIN COUNTY OHIO

liff, daughter of John A. and Caroline
(Beers) Topliff, the former a native of
Massachusetts, the latter of Connecticut,
and both now living in Elyria. To this
union were born three children, as follows:
Harold T. (who died January 27, 1893),
Margaretta E. and John P. The mother
of these died December 4, 1893. Mr.
Brooks is a member of the F. & A. M.,
K, of P. and Royal Arcanum.

DANIEL T, BUSH, a wealthy re
tired farmer and a citizen of Well-
' ington, was born in Plymouth, N.
Y., August 28, 1814. He is the
son of Benjamin T. Bush and Elizabeth
(Burst) Bush, and a grandson of Henry T.
Bush. The father of subject was born in Al
bany county, N. Y., in which State he
married Elizabeth Burst, a native of
Dutchess county, N. Y. In 1834 the
family came to Ohio, the journey being
made by wagon from Canandaigua, N. Y.,
to Rochester; by canal to Buffalo; Lake
Erie to Cleveland, Ohio; and from there
by wagon to Huntington township, Lorain
county, where they settled on a farm of
fifty acres covered with dense woods. The
mother died in Rochester, Ohio, August
29, 1844, aged seventy years, seven months,
and two days. The father died near Lan
sing, Mich., August 28, 1855, aged
Feventy-nine years and eight months.
They were both members of the M. E.
Church, and in politics he was a Demo
crat. Children were born to this pioneer
couple as follows: John T. ; Joseph T.;
Martin T.; Nancy T.; Eliza T. ; Daniel
T. (subject of this sketch); and Amy
T. ; all were born in the State of New
York, and all but Martin T. died
in Michigan. Martin T. went south
about the year 1825 or 1826, and has
not been heard from since. The grand
father of subject served in the war of the
Revolution, was taken prisoner by the

British and conveyed to Canada, where he
died of smallpox; his two eldest sons
served during the . Revolutionary war
against foreign invasion, the younger
entering the service of the Colonies at the
age of fourteen years, and serving during
the entire war. The rest of the family en
countered great hardships being driven
from their home in Cherry Valley, and
becoming eyewitnesses to the destruction
of all their property.
D. T. Bush received his education in the
little red schoolhouse on Baptist Hill in
Bristol, Ontario Co., N. Y. On February
25, 1838, he married Sophia Clark, and
settled on a farm in the woods one mile
south of his father's farm, where he had
to literally hew out what is now oneof the
finest farms in Huntington township,
which in 1871 contained 205^ acres, hav
ing thereon a large and comfortable dwell
ing and commodious outbuildings. This
farm was purchased in different parcels,
covered by seven deeds, and here the fol
lowing nine children were born to them:
Almond D. (died in infancy), Melissa J.,
George C, Martin L., Mary A., Edwin D.,
Charles A., John O., and Henry W. (died
September 12, 1879, aged twenty-three
years). Selling the farm in 1871, Mr.
Bush moved to Wellington, Ohio, where
he now resides in his eightieth year, en
joying the respect and esteem of his fel
low citizens, and a loving and grateful
posterity.

F. LEE, the widely-known and
popular photographer, of Elyria,
was' bora in the town of Vernon,
Conn., August 26, 1843, a son of
George and Ida Harris (Skillman) Lee.
Georgo Lee was also a native of Con
necticut, born in tbe town of Vernon, in
1806. He was reared to the woolen manu
facturing business, working from bis
earliest boyhood in what is known as the
Frank Woolen Mills. His business ability
was marked by the fact that in subsequent

LORAIN COUNTY, OHIO.

689

years he succeeded to the management of
these mills, and became the principal
stockholder and proprietor of same. In
about the year 1853 a disastrous fire de
stroyed the plant, and, financially, Mr. Lee
was" almost ruined. Concluding, in the
hope of recuperating his fortunes, to come
west, he set out with sanguine expecta
tions, first locating at Utica, N. Y., where
he was superintendent of the Globe
Woolen Mills for about two years. He
then made a trip still farther west, visit
ing different points in Illinois and else
where, but not finding satisfactory induce
ments to remain, returned eastward to
Ohio, and made a settlement in Norwalk,
remaining there until 1863. Removing
in that year to Cleveland, he there engaged
in the oil-refining business, and Fortune
once more smiled on his enterprise and in
defatigable industry. But again he was
doomed to become a victim of the devour
ing element, the ravages of fire once more
confronting him on his onward march to
wealth, his oil mills being burned to the
ground in 1870, whereby all he had a
second time acquired was almost utterly
destroyed. This second disaster was suf
ficient to crush the ambition of most men,
aiid Mr. Lee, finding himself too far ad
vanced in years to commence life anew
the third time, gathered together what he
could from the ruins of his estate, and
retired to Berlin Heights, in Erie county,
where he passed the rest of his days
in peaceful retirement, dying in 1874
at the age of sixty-eight years. Mr. Lee
was a lifelong practical Christian, and a
deacon in the Congregational Church. In
his political sympathies he, in earlier
years, was an Old-line Henry Clay Whig,
and in later life affiliated with the Repub
lican party.
Ida H. Lee, the mother of our subject,
was born at Riverhead, Long Island, N.
Y., in July, 1812; in 1830 was married to
George Lee; on September 7, 1893, died
in Elyria, Ohio, at the residence of her
son, C. F. Lee, where for some years she

had made her home. She was a descend
ant of one Fanning, a native of Ireland,
who had settled in Long Island in an early
day. To George and Ida H. (Skillman)
Lee were born six children, of whom the
subject 'of this sketch is the sole survivor.
C. F. Lee received his education chiefly
at the old seminary at Norwalk, Ohio. In
1864 he joined the Federal army, enlisting
in Company B, One Hundred and Sixty-
sixth Regiment, 0. V. I., at Norwalk,
Ohio. This regiment belonged to what
was known as the "one hundred days
service," and was sent to the defense of
Washington, D. C. At the close of his
term of enlistment Mr, Lee returned home
and took up his residence in Cleveland,
Ohio, where he learned the art of photo
graphy with J. F. Ryder, and was in his
employ most of the time until 1876. In
that year he established himself in his
present business in Elyria, where he has
since successfully conducted the leading.
photographic establishment of the city.
In 1868 Mr. Lee was married to Miss
Ella Louise Morehouse, and three children
have been born to them, viz.: George E.,
Ida V. and Nellie M. Politically, our
subject is a Republican; socially, he is
past master of King Solomon's Lodge,
F. & A. M., Elyria, Ohio, and a member
of Marshall Chapter No. 47, R. A. M.

EV. JOHN KEEP was born in
Long Meadow, Mass., in 1781,
graduated at Yale in 1802, was
pastor in Blandford, Mass., and in
Homer, N. Y., from 1805 till 1833,
when he came to Cleveland and became
pastor of a new church on the West Side.
While he was at Homer he had been a
trustee of Hamilton College and of Au
burn Theological Seminary, and was natur
ally interested in any educational enter
prise in the neighborhood. In 1834 he
was elected a trustee at Oberlin, and held
the position until his death in 1870. By

690

LORAIN COUNTY, OHIO.

reason of his years and experience he was
made president of the Board, and had the
responsibility of the casting vote on the
question of receiving colored students, in
1835. From that day he took Oberlin on
bis heart, and never laid it off unless when
he laid off the earthly life. His last words
pertained to a letter he had planned to
write in the interest of the college. He
traversed the land to gather means to sus
tain it, and crossed the ocean to save it in
a crisis. In 1850, then seventy years of
age, he removed to Oberlin, and from that
time his home was here. At every meet
ing of the trustees he was present, and
encouraged all by his hope and his faith.
When others were depressed he sustained
and bore them on by his cheerful courage,
and thus he held on to the end of his days.
When more than fourscore years old he
would often come out at evening, with his
lantern, to find some one burdened with
responsibility and care, and cheer him up
with a word of encouragement. His sleep
was sweeter after such a service. He died
in his eighty-ninth year, not from disease,
but because life was completed. [Taken
from "Oberlin: The Colony and The Col
lege," by the kind permission of the author,
Prof. James H. Fairchild.

tl EV. HENRY" COWLES was called
to the professorship of languages
V at Oberlin, upon the resignation of
Mr. Waldo, and came in Septem
ber, 1835- He was bprn in Nor
folk, Conn., in 1803, and was, thirty-two
years of age when he came.
He had graduated at Ya'e, and taken his
theological course there. fie completed
the course in 1828, was ordained at Hart
ford the same year, and came at once to
northern Ohio under appointment from
the Connecticut Home Missionary Society.
He preached in Ashtabula and Sandusky,
and after two years, having received a call
from the church in Austinburg, he re

turned to his home in Connecticut, was
married, and commenced his work in Aus
tinburg. From a most successful pastorate
of five years he came to Oberlin, and
found himself in lull sympathy with all
the leading objects and aims of the work;
and from the first day until the day of his
death — a period of forty-six years — he
gave himself, without reserve, to these ob
jects. There seemed to be no thought of
himself or his personal interests; no anx
iety in reference to position. His heart
was in the work, and all he asked was a
place to lay out his strength. In 1838 he
took the chair of Church History in the
seminary, and of Hebrew and Old Testa
ment Literature in 1840. In 1848, in
consequence of straitened means on the
part of the college, and the necessity of
reducing expenses, he resigned his work
in the seminary, and took the editorship
of the Oberlin Evangelist, a work which
he had shared with others for some years
preceding. From this time until the close
of 1862 he gave his thought and heart to
the Evangelist, and made it greatly what
it was, a treasury of religious thought and
experience, and of practical life. The
twenty-four volumes of the Oberlin
Evangelist, with which Professor Cowles
had more to do than any other man, give
a better exhibition of Oberlin thought and
character and work during those years than
any definite attempt to set them forth can
possibly do.
When the Evangelist was closed up
Professor Cowles was about sixty years of
age, and he might naturally feel that the
chief work of his life was done; and it
would have been a satisfactory work. But
the habit of communicating his thoughts
to others by writing was strong upon him,
and by what seemed a divine leading he
entered upon tbe work of writing com
mentaries upou the Scriptures. He com
menced with the parts of the Old
Testament to which he had given more
particular attention as an instructor, and
went on, year after year, adding volume

LORAIN COUNTY, OHIO.

691

to volume, devoting to it all his energies
and all his resources, through a period of
seventeen years. In 1881 he issued the
last volume, and then felt that the Lord
permitted him to depart in peace. His
work was done; the result remains with
us — a commentary on the entire Scrip
tures, full of practical wisdom and the ripe
fruits of scholarship. He died in Septem
ber of the same year. The interests of the
college through all these years filled his
heart and hands. He was a member of
the "Prudential Committee" and a trustee,
in constant attendance upon these duties,
and often went out upon financial missions
in behalf of the college. His last public
duty was to attend the meeting of the
trustees in 1881. [Taken from "Oberlin:
The Colony and The College," by the
kind permission of the author, Prof. James
IT. Fairchild.

j) EY. ASA MAHAN reached Ober
lin in May, 1835, having been
elected to the presidency of the col
lege, aud entered directly upon his
duties. He was then thirty-six
years of age, a native of Western New
York, educated at Hamilton College and
Andover Seminary.
He came from the charge of the Sixth
Presbyterian Church of Cincinnati, and
his earnest and vigorous preaching made
at once a strong impression upon the peo
ple of Oberlin. He was a bold and ag
gressive advocate of all the Oberlin ideas
and doctrines, and was always ready, at
home or abroad, to give a reason for the
faith that was in him with earnestness and
full conviction. He was an enthusiastic
teacher in his own department, that of
philosophy, and gave an impulse to the
study at Oberlin which it has never lost.
His administration of the college was, in
general, successful, and he gave his heart
and strength to its prosperity without any
reservation. An infelicity which often
attends great strength of purpose and of

character was sometimes suspected in him,
namely, a greater facility in conviction
than in conciliation. While he had many
ardent friends, there would be another
class who were as distinctly not his
friends. Some of his colleagues felt at
times that his strong aggressiveness
awakened unnecessary hostility against the
college; and in 1850, some of his friends
having planned a new university at Cleve
land, and invited him to take the direction
of it, he resigned at Oberlin, having held
the presidency of the college fifteen years.
With President Mahan, Oberlin lost some
what of its positiveness and aggressiveness.
The enterprise at Cleveland was not a
success, and Mr. Mahan was called to a
professorship in Adrian College, Mich.,
and at length to the presidency of the
college. The last ten years he has spent
in England, in abundant labors in the
special work of promoting the "higher"
Christian experience, and now [1883], at
the age of eighty-three, he is preaching to
large congregations, editing a magazine
called Divine Life, and issuing one vol
ume after another, such as " The Baptism
of The Holy Ghost," " Out of Darkness
into Light," and " Autobiography, Intel
lectual, Moral and Spiritual." While at
Oberlin he published works on " The
Will," "Intellectual Philosophy," and
" Moral Philosophy." Other works, since
published, are on Logic, Spiritualism,
Natural Theology, and a Criticism of the
Conduct of the War. [Taken from "Ober
lin: The Colony and The College," by the
kind permission of the author, Prof. James
H. Fairchild.

EY. CHARLES G. FINNEY" came
in June, 1835, about a month after
Mr. Mahan. He was then nearly
forty-two years of age, with health
somewhat broken by the exhaust
ing evangelistic labors of the preceding
ten years.

692

LORAIN COUNTY, OHIO.

He found a theological department of
thirty-five students, and entered at once
upon his work, as professor of systematic
theology. His habit was to preach once
on the Sabbath, not often twice, and the
year following he was called to the pastor
ship of the church. For many years he
gave the long winter vacation to preaching
as an evangelist, for the most part with some
church at the East. In 1849 he went to
England, and spent a year and a half in
similar labors in London and other cities
of England and Scotland. Ten years later
he went again in the same work for about
the same length of time. In 1851 he was
elected President of the college, and held
the position until 1865, with the arrange
ment that he was not to give attention to
the details of the position, but only to the
more public duties. His work as an in
structor was notchanged except that he took
the Senior college class for some years in
moral philosophy. In 1865 be resigned the
presidency, being then seventy-three years
of age. He had already, in 1858, sur
rendered the work in systematic theology,
retaining the pastoral theology and his
work as a pastor. In 1872 he laid down
tbe pastoral work, but continued his pas
toral lectures until the year of his death,
1875, having completed, lacking a few
days, his eighty-third year. No brief
mention can characterize him or set forth
his work; nor is it necessary. He belongs
to the world, and not to Oberlin alone.
His " Sermons on Important Subjects" and
"'Revival Lectures" were published before
his coming to Oberlin. His "Lectures to
Christians" appeared a year or more after
ward, and his two volumes on "Systematic
Theology" in 1846 and 1847. These were
numbered as volumes second and third,
his purpose being to prepare a volume on
" Natural Theology " to precede them. This
volume was never written. While he was
in England in 1850, he prepared and pub
lished an edition of • his Theology in one
volume, involving the substance of the
two preceding volumes. His latest works

were a volume on " Masonry," published in
1869, and his "Memoirs," written by him
self, and published after his death. Upon
the publication of his Theology very
diverse opinions were expressed in regard
to it, according to the standpoint.
Rev. Wm. II. Burleigh closed a notice
of the work in the Charter Oak, Hartford,
Conn., 1846, with the following paragraph:
"We will venture the prediction tbat fifty
years hence this volume will rank among
the standard works on theology, and the
name of Finney be mentioned with those
of Edwards, Dwight and Emmons. Sooner
than that we fear he will not be generally
appreciated. The time will come when
Finney will have justice done to his exalted
talents, and when the host of his revilers
— men not possessing, in the aggregate,
half his mental grasp — will be lost in
oblivion unless he should preserve their
names from utter extinction by an inci
dental allusion in his works."
Dr. Charles Hodge, in the Biblical Re
pository, 1847, wrote as follows: "The
work is, therefore, in a high degree logical.
It is as hard to read as Euclid. Nothing
can be omitted; nothing passed over
slightly. The unhappy reader once com
mitted to a perusal, is obliged to go on,
sentence by sentence, through the long
concatenation. There is not one resting-
place, not one lapse into amplification
or declamation, from the beginning to the
close. It is like one of those spiral stair
cases, wliich lead to the top of some high
tower, without a landing from the base to
the summit; wliich, if a man has once
ascended, he resolves never to do the like
again. The author begins with certain
postulates, or what he calls first truths of
reason, and these he traces out with singu
lar clearness and strength to their legiti
mate conclusions. We do not see that
there is a break or a defective link in the
whole chain. If you grant his principles,
you have already granted his conclusions.
.... We propose to rely on the reductio ad
absurdum, and make his doctrines the

LORAIN COUNTY, OHIO.

693

refutation of his principles .... We con
sider this a fair refutation. If the prin
ciple that obligation is limited by ability,
leads to the conclusion that moral
character is confined to intention, and that
again to the conclusion that when the in
tention is right nothing can be morally
wrong, then the principle is false. Even
if we could not detect its fallacy, we should
know it could not be true."
Dr. George Redford, of Worcester,
England, in the preface to the London
edition, which h© edited, 1851, writes:
" As a contribution to theological science,
in an age when vague speculation and
philosophical theories are bewildering all
denominations of Christians, this work will
be considered by all competent judges to
be both valuable and seasonable. Upon
several important and difficult subjects the
author has thrown a clear and valuable
light which will guide many a student
through perplexities and difficulties which
he had long sought unsuccessfully to ex
plain. The editor frankly confesses that
when a student he would gladly have
bartered half the books in his library to
have gained a single perusal of these lec
tures; and he cannot refrain from express
ing the belief that no young student of
theology will ever regret the purchase or
perusal of Mr. Finney's lectures." [Taken
from "Oberlin: The Colony and The Col
lege," by the kind permission of the
author, Prof. James H. Fairchild.

JACOB B ARTH, a representative self-
made and progressive agriculturist of
Grafton township, is a native of Ger
many, born November 7, 1826, in
Wittenberg. His father, John Jacob Barth,
was a peddler and huckster, and also owned
a small piece of land, which his wife and
family of ten children looked after.
When our subject was ten years of age
his parents hired him out as a shepherd
boy, he receiving in compensation a few

clothes and his board for a summer's work.
In the winter season he attended school a
short time, but home labor required his
attention so much that but little time was
left for his education. Up to his fifteenth
year he had been working round at various
places, and at different kinds of work, get
ting but small wages. At the age of fif
teen he commenced to learn shoemaking,
his three-years apprenticeship costing him
a premium of some twenty-five dollars,
after which he followed his trade as a
journeyman for the equivalent of one
dollar per week. He also found employ
ment on the public highways then being
repaired, receiving therefor twenty cents
per day, out of which he had to board
himself. After he had passed his twenty-
first birthday he joined the regular army,
in which he served nearly six years.
While yet in Germany he married Ro
sina Merika, who bore him one child,
Jacob L., in the Fatherland. In 1853,
leaving his little family behind, he set sail
for America, and after a three- mon ths'
voyage landed at New York, whence he
continued westward to Liverpool, Medina
Co., Ohio, where he found himself, a
stranger in a strange land, with a capital
of just two cents. However, he soon
found employment in Liverpool at his
trade at five dollars per month, after which
he worked in Litchfield, same county, two
years. By his employers, who had con
fidence in him, he was trusted, and being
honest and industrious he never lost their
confidence. Having saved some money he
sent for his wife and son Jacob (now fore
man of the Grafton Stone Sawmill) to
come out to him, which they did, arriving
in due course at Litchfield, from which
place they shortly afterward removed to'
York, same State, where for nine years he
followed his trade. At the end of that
time they went to Abbeyville, Medina
county, where Mr. Barth bought a farm of
sixty-two acres, running in debt to the
amount of three hundred dollars, on which
he paid six per cent, interest. For three

694

LORAIN COUNTY, OHIO.

years they lived here, and then in 1866
came to the place he now owns and lives
on, in Grafton township, Lorain county,
running in debt two thousand dollars, on
which he paid ten per cent, interest. With
the assistance of his sons he has cultivated
and improved this property, which con
sists of eighty-four and a half acres (all
paid for), equipped with good buildings,
in the aggregate presenting the result of
indefatigable perseverance, honesty of pur
pose, energy and economy, and accumu
lated from the commencement of the two
cents he had when he landed in Ohio.
In this country ten children were born
to him, as follows: Henry F., of Cleve
land, where he is a skilled mechanic in the
Steel Works, making steel; Frederick, a
molder, in Rochester. N. Y.; John J., Jr.,
a farmer in Rochester, N. Y. ; Mary O,
Mrs. Andrew Hartung, of Chicago, 111.;
Martha L., Mrs. J. A. Weaver, of Cleve
land, Ohio; Catherine L., Mrs. Fred Kel
ler, of Liverpool, Ohio; William A., of
Belden, Ohio, an engineer; George M., of
Cleveland, an iron-worker; Joseph H, a
farmer, living at home with his father;
and Charles A., a carpenter by trade, liv
ing at Cleveland. Politically Mr. Barth
is a Republican, and he and his wife are
members of the Lutheran Church at Liver
pool, Ohio.

FREDRICK B. MANLEY. No
greater pleasure can be enjoyed
by the aged than to look back on
a life usefully spent for the good
of others as well as themselves — a happi
ness that can be enjoyed in an eminent
degree by the gentleman whose name here
appears. Mr. Manley is a native of Berkshire
county, Mass., bora in the town of Otis
March 10, 1817. He is the eldest son of
Josiah B. and Betsey (Webster) Manley,
also of the Bay State, who came to Ohio
in 1821, the journey occupying forty days

and forty nights. The father located land
in Wellington township, Lorain county,
and immediately entered upon the labors
of "rolling up a log cabin, " and opening
up a new farm in the " forest primeval, "
at which and similar work he was actively
and successfully engaged until his death,
which occurred August 22, 1824. Of the
noble army of pioneers he was the first to
pass away in Wellington township, and he
is remembered as a devoted husband, a
kind and indulgent father and a true
friend. While his remains were being
consigned to their last resting place, marks
of respect and esteem were abundantly
shown by warm-hearted, sorrowing friends.
His widow taught school for three succes
sive seasons in her log house, and two
terms in a district schoolhouse. She died
at the home of her son, Fredrick B., at the
advanced age of eighty-three years.
The subject proper of this sketch was, as
will be seen, about four years old when his
parents brought him to Lorain county, and
he was reared among the many privations
of pioneer life. In Wellington township
he attended the first school taught there,
continuing his attendance thereat, both
summer and winter, until he was thirteen
years old, after which he availed himself
of the winter term only, later enjoying the
benefit of excellent select schools. He has
followed farming for the most part all his
life, and is well-trained in the calling of
the agriculturist, occasionally engaging,
sometimes quite extensively, in the busi
ness of speculation in live stock. The
three-hundred-acre farm, which by careful
thrift and assidnons labor he has brought
to an excellent state of cultivation ; the com
modious dwelling and ample and comfort
able outbuildings — all combine to attest
to the characteristic skill and sound judg
ment of the owner. And a true description
of the spot would be incomplete, were a
notable and far-famed attraction left un
noticed — the grand old elm — widely known
as "Manley's famous elm" — that graces
the lawn, spared by the pioneer axe-man

LORAIN COUNTY, OHIO.

697

on account of its majestic appearance, its
height from root to topmost limb being at
least a hundred feet.
"Woodman spare that tree,
Cut not a single bough ;
It used to shelter me,
And I'll protect it now."
On the 10th day of March, 1847, Fred
rick B. Manley was united in marriage
with Miss Mary L., eldest daughter of
Major Judson and Lucinda Wadsworth, of
Wellington. By this union there is one
son, Henry W., married, and the father of
one child — Floyd DeWitt. Mrs. F. B.
Manley died March 25, 1883, aged fifty-
nine years.
Our subject in his political views is a
sound Republican, his first vote having
been cast for Gen. W. H. Harrison. He
served his township as constable, one term,
and assessor eight consecutive years. Soci
ally, he has been president of the Union
Agricultural Society by seven successive
reflections, faithfully and acceptably dis
charging the duties imposed. During
the war of the Rebellion, he was enrolling
officer, receiving the compliments of the
managing board for his carefully prepared
and neatly-written enrollment paper, and
he was in a marked degree energetic in
securing men to put down the Rebellion.
Mr. Manley is one of the oldest pioneer
settlers in Wellington township, none now
living antedating his arrival. During his
long residence of over seventy-two years
in the county, he has ever sustained a repu
tation for integrity and good citizenship,
alike creditable to his judgment and char
acter. As one of the men who in an early
day took part in subduing the wilderness,
transplanting in its place the fine farms
and beautiful homes that the present gen
eration enjoy in comparative ease, Mr.
Manley is well worthy of being memorized
in the biographical record of Lorain
county. Now at the honored age of seventy-
seven years, well preserved, of a command
ing presence, possessed of a vigorous

mind, good practical business sagacity,
and a reliable memory as to early events,
he is deeply grateful that Time has dealt
gently with him. Ofttimes he ruminates
upon the changes that have taken place, in
his midst, since the days of the stick
chimney and puncheon floor, and the twang
of the thread as the good mother faithfully
plied her needle, by the dim light of a
tallow candle, to "keep the wolf from the
door." Anon! When the "hamlet is still,"
recalling in a retrospect the marvel
ous work of the first settlers of Welling
ton, their memory and the goodly heritage
abideth.

HARLES E. TUCKER, a member
of the enterprising firm of Hart &
J) Tucker, proprietors of lumber yard,
planiug-mill and coal yard, Elyria,
is a native of Lorain county, Ohio, bora
in Carlisle township, February 11, 1860,
a son of William H. and Clarissa (An
drews) Tucker, the latter of whom died in
Elyria January 20, 1870.
William H.Tucker was born Marcii 21,
1826, in Windham, Portage Co., Ohio, the
youngest son of Jacob and Chloe Tucker.
In boyhood he came with his parents to
Lorain county, and the family made a set
tlement in the woods of what is now Eaton
township. He received as. liberal an ele
mentary education as the home schools of
the times afforded, and by hard work and
judicious saving was enabled afterward to
place himself in a select school at Ridge
ville, Ohio. He then commenced teach
ing, an occupation be followed the long
period of twenty-two years in various parts
of Ohio. In 1864 he was elected recorder
of Lorain county, a position he filled, by
two re-elections, for nine consecutive
years. In the meantime he had been mak
ing a study of law, and on retiring from
the recordership was admitted to the bar
at a sitting of the district court at Cleve
land, Ohio. In 1864 he came to Elyria,
where he is yet residing. Mr. Tucker was

LORAIN COUNTY, OHIO.

prominent in the organization, in his
adopted town, of the Royal Arcanum and
of the Knights of Honor, and has filled
the highest positions in both these Socie
ties in the State of Ohio.
Charles E. Tucker received his primary
education in the common schools, and
afterward attended the high school of Ely
ria. In 1882 he entered the employ of
John W. Hart, in the lumber and planing-
mill business, and by faithful attention to
his duties, steadiness and trustworthiness,
soon won the confidence and goedwill of
his employer. In 1892 he and L. J. Hart,
son of John W. Hart, purchased the entire
plant from the latter, and, by close appli
cation to business and honorable dealing,
tbe young firm have succeeded in building
up a large and lucrative trade, in which
thev enjoy the utmost confidence of their
patrons. Mr. Tucker was married, September 20,
1882, to Miss Hatty E. Hart, daughter of
John W. and Caroline O. Hart. In poli
tics he is a Republican, and he is a mem
ber of the Royal Arcanum and the F. &
A. M. and Chapter. Young, energetic
and thoroughly experienced, our subject
is specially well adapted to his branch of
the business — attending to the sales of
lumber, coal, etc., and the outside business.

FEV. JOHN MORGAN arrived at
Oberlin, in company with Mr. Fin
ney, in 1835. He was then thirty-
two years of age, a native of Ire
land, having been brought to this
country at the age of ten, trained as a
printer in eastern cities, prepared for col
lege at Stockbridge, Mass., and graduated
at Williams, as valedictorian, in 1826.
He had taken no seminary course, but
studied theology some years in New York.
He was an instructor in the literary or pre
paratory department of Lane Seminary, at
the time of the anti-slavery excitement
there, and was in entire sympathy with the

students in their withdrawal. His first
appointment to Oberlin was as professor
of mathematics, but the call which he ac
cepted was to the chair of the literature
and exegesis of the New Testament. This
work he entered upon at once, but his
broad and thorough scholarship enabled
him to fill many a gap, upon emergency,
in the new college. There was not a
study in the entire curriculum in which he
could not give instruction, at an hour's
warning, as successfully as if it were his
own specialty. But the New Testament
was his chosen field, and for this field his
linguistic, historical and philosophical
gifts and attainments abundantly qualified
him. He was no mere mechanical or
technical interpreter, but reached at once
the soul of the matter, where language
and philosophy both harmonize.
The iufluence of Professor Morgan in
the enterprise was conservative in the best
sense, not by reason of any inertia or im
mobility of nature. His enthusiasm, in
any well-considered movement, was always
prompt, but his breadth of nature and
thought and knowledge gave him a view
of all sides of every question, and he
could not hold an extreme position, or
enjoy any extreme action. He could
patiently tolerate the extravagances of
others, because of his kindliness and his
hopefulness. Probably no one among the
many instructors who have been at Ober
lin has held a larger place in the hearts of
all. For many years he was associated
with Mr. Finney in the pastorship of the
church, preaching once on the Sabbath,
and more in Mr. Finney's absence or ill
health. At the age of seventy-eight he
retired entirely from his work, and since
that time has been residing with a son and
a daughter in Cleveland. By all right he
belongs to Oberlin, and the benediction of
his presence in these latest years ought to
rest upon us. He expended his interest
and his labor upon his classes, and rarely
felt that he was ready to commit his
thoughts to writing. Thus far he has

LORAIN COUNTY, OHIO.

699

given us no books. A few valuable essays
are all that we have from him in this
form. The " Baptism of the Holy Spirit "
and " Acceptable Holiness " were published
in the Oberlin Review, and an article on
the " Atonement," in two parts, can be
found in the Bibliotheca Sacra for 1877-8.
[Taken from "Oberlin: The Colony and
The College," by the kind permission of
the author, Prof. James H. Fairchild.

FREDERICK A. ROWLEY. In
the front rank of the galaxy of news
paper men in Lorain county stands
this gentleman, thoroughly repre
senting in propria persona, the hustling,
enterprising and wide-awake typical Amer
ican journalist.
By birth he is a Hoosier, having first
opened his eyes to the light of day in
Steuben county, Ind., April 17, 1860.
His father, Martin V. Rowley, was born
in Cuyahoga county, Ohio, in 1836, and is
now a prominent real-estate dealer of
Oberlin, Lorain county. He was married
to Miss Lydia Clarke, a native of Cale
donia county, Vt., also still living, and
they had five children, as follows: Lillian,
who died in youth; Willis A., who has a
responsible position with the Pennsyl
vania Railroad Company at Coshocton,
Ohio; Frederick A,, the subject of this
sketch; Mary E., deceased when eighteen
years old; and Kate M., attending Oberlin
College, Ohio. Enos Rowley, paternal
grandfather of our subject, was born in
Montgomery county, N. Y., of English
ancestry, and the Clarke family also date
back to England.
Frederick A. Rowley, whose name in
troduces this sketch, received his educa
tion at the public schools of Huron
county, Ohio, and at the age of seventeen
precipitated himself into the arena of
journalism in the Arcadian role of " devil "
for the Times, in Carey, Wyandot Co.,
Ohio, where he served his apprenticeship.

From there he proceeded to Oberlin, in
tending to take a regular course in college,
but after a short time turned his back — •
literally, not figuratively — upon the col
lege, with his face and footsteps toward
the town of Lorain. Here he again took
up newspaper work, ultimately establish
ing the Lorain Times, which, after con
ducting it successfully some six years, he
sold out. He then sought employment in
western cities, securing positions on lead
ing newspapers, finally halting at Kansas
City, Mo., where he found employment on
the local staff of the Times. While in
that city he was elected assistant secretary
of the Inter-State Fair Association, in
which capacity he served during the fall
of 1877. In that year he returned to
Ohio, and was engaged for a time as court
reporter on the Cleveland Press, and later
he launched into the world, for weal or for
woe, the Herald, at Lorain. After a year
the Herald became a semi-weekly paper,
and is a bright and spicy sheet, clean both
in type and in matter, newsy, trenchant and
vigorous, and like its publisher and editor,
uncompromisingly Republican.

OBERT MERRIAM, the most ex
tensive farmer and landowner in
Pittsfield township, is a native of
same, bora January 7, 1840. His
father, William A. Merriam, was
born April '5, 1811, in Pittsfield township,
Berkshire Co., Mass., and was reared to
farm life, receiving in his youth a common-.
school education.
In 1836 William A. Merriam married
Miss Lucy H. Fairfield, a native of the
same place, and in the following spring
(1837) the young couple migrated west
ward, journeying by way of canal and lake
to Cleveland, Ohio. Their boat was the
first to make the trip to Cleveland that
spring, and the passengers were obliged to
travel for eleven miles over the ice; during
this journey the boat took fire, and they

700

LORAIN COUNTY, OHIO.

narrowly escaped being burned. Proceed
ing from Cleveland to Amherst, Lorain
county, they remained at the latter place
one summer, and then removed to Pitts
field township, same county, where he in
vested in 110 acres of land at seven dollars
and fifty cents per acre. This tract was
completely wild, with the exception of
fourteen acres which had been chopped
but not cleared. The dwelling was a log
cabin, with puncheon floor and Dutch
chimney-place, but no hearth, and here
were born two children: Robert, and John
F., a well-to-do retired citizen of St. Joseph,
Mo. Here Mr. Merriam passed the re
mainder of his life, never journeying more
than forty miles from home, and he never
traveled by rail. He was a hard-working,
industrious farmer, and was well known in
the community in which he resided. In
politics he was a Democrat. He passed
from earth February 27, 1871, his widow
on August 12, 1890, and both are buried
in South cemetery, in Pittsfield township.
In religious faith Mrs. Merriam was a
member of the Congregational Church.
Robert Merriam received his education
in the common schools and at Wellington
Seminary, and later took a commercial
course at Oberlin College, when S. S.
Calkins was at the head of that depart
ment. He was afterward a student at
Wellington Station, on the C. C. C. & I.
Railroad, at the time when Noah Hamil
ton was agent for the "Big Four" Rail
way at that place, but, being dissatisfied
there, returned home and followed farm-
. ing with his father.
On June 2, 1869, he was united in mar
riage with Chloe M. Sheffield, who was
born October 30, 1844, in Camden town
ship, Lorain county, daughter of Robert
S. Sheffield, who was bora in Schenectady,
N. Y.; in April, 1842, he came westward
to Pittsfield township, Lorain Co., Ohio,
where he married Delia Watkins, and fol
lowed farming the remainder of his life.
Mr. Merriam is an industrious, persevering
and enterprising man, possessing consider

able business ability, and has accumulated
during his active lifetime a comfortable
competence. Some years since he in
herited quite a sum of money, which he
invested in land, and he is now the owtier
of 422 acres, being the largest farmer in
Pittsfield township, of which he is a lead
ing and influential citizen. In politics he
is a Democrat, but beyond casting his bal
lot takes little active interest in affairs of
State. Mrs. Merriam is a highly esteemed,
intelligent lady, well-read and an interest
ing conversationalist.
Mr. and Mrs. Merriam have enjoyed
many pleasant trips to Connecticut and
Massachusetts, visiting the old homes of
their parents, besides otlier journeyings.
In August, 1892, they set out on a west
ern tour, their first stopping place being
St. Joseph, Mo., where Mr. and Mrs. J. F.
Merriam and daughter, and Mrs. Gray,
Mrs. J. F. Merriam's mother, joined them
for the remainder of the trip. From there
the party proceeded to Denver, Colo.,
thence to Colorado Springs, stood on the
summit of Pike's Peak, drank of the
Manitou Springs, and visited the "Garden
of the Gods." Thence they proceeded to
Pueblo, where they visited the " Mineral
Palace," and the smelting works, witness
ing there the transforming of crude ore
into perfected steel rails. Salt Lake City
was their next point, where they were for
tunate enough to meet a Mormon elder
with whom they had some previous ac
quaintance, and he showed them many
things of interest. From Salt Lake City
they journeyed to other points, including
Madera, Cal., from which town they went
by stage (the first vehicle of the kind to
make the trip through to the Yosemite
Valley), seven days being occupied enroute.
Returning to Madera, the tourists there
took train for Los Angeles, where they
made a stay of three days, visiting the
ostrich farm, etc., and here for the first
time they had a glimpse of the Pacific
Ocean. From there they proceeded to Old
Mexico; thence to Oakland and San Fran-

LORAIN COUNTY, OHIO.

701

cisco, Cal.; thence to Salem and Portland,
Oreg. ; thence took a flying trip into the
new State of Washington. Then turning
homeward, they stopped off at Shoshone,
from there staging twenty-eight miles to
Shoshone Falls and Blue Lake. Return
ing to Shoshone they traveled to Denver,
thence home via St. Joseph, Mo., just
escaping the great and memorable snow
storm, having from the time they first left-
St. Joseph been traveling seven weeks,
everywhere sight-seeing and visiting most
of the accessible places of interest.

|f | ENRY RIMBACH, furniture dealer
lp^ and undertaker, one of the fore-
sj t_\ most business men of Elyria, was
y) born in the city of Buffalo, N. Y.,
October 30, 1854.
His parents, Henry and Catharine (Bran-
dau) Rimbach, natives of Hessia, Germany,
came to America in the year 1852, locating
in Buffalo, N. Y., where they were shortly
after married, and here Mr. Rimbach fol
lowed his trade, that of cabinet making,
until late in the year 1855, when they and
their young son, Henry, came to Elyria,
Ohio. For a period of ten years he pur
sued his business in the employ of others,,
and at the expiration of this term he en
gaged in business on his own account, and
this he conducted to the time of his death,
when his son Henry succeeded to the busi
ness. Henry Rimbach, Sr., was born Jan
uary 23, 1825, and died December 26,
1878; a man whose business career was
successful, and whose character was with
out stain or blemish. Mrs. Rimbach was
born February 7, 1833, and died Novem
ber 21, 1881. Their children were as fol
lows: Henry, whose name prefaces this
sketch; Anna, wife of Charles Friday, of
Elyria; Ernst O, a cigarmaker, of Elyria;
George, in the boot and shoe business in
Elyria; John ; and Adam, an ordained min
ister of Cleveland, Ohio.

Grandfather Rimbach, whose name was
Christopher, was a native of Germany, and
came to America in 1854. He was a
gifted musician and a professor of the
violin and clarinet. He made his home
in Pennsylvania till the year 1868, when
he came to Elyria, making his home with
his son Henry, and, after the latter's death,
with his grandson, Henry; he died at the
ripe old age of eighty-eight years; he was
born in 1800. Although a resident of
the United States for thirty-four years he
never spoke English.
We cannot well conclude this notice
without some favorable mention of the
eldest surviving member of this family.
Henry Rimbach was early taught the value
of books, and also was early made aware
that toil and frugality were both essential
to success. He received a good school
training, and when respited from his
studies he was taught to shove, the plane.
From a poor boy he has hewn out his own
prosperity, and to-day takes easy rank
among established and older business men
of his city. Socially he is a member of
the R. A., and a member of the Funeral
Directors' Association, of Ohio. Politi
cally he is a Democrat. On May 19,
1880, he married Miss Christina Herold,
of Berea. Ohio, and they have two children
in their home: Emanuel and Henry. The
business house of Mr. Rimbach is one of
the most substantial structures of Elyria.

JOSEPH H. LINCOLN, deceased
farmer of Pittsfield township, was a
native of Peru, Bennington Co.,
Vt., born January 31, 1818. He re
ceived a common-school education, was
reared to the duties of agricultural life,
and when a young man migrated west
ward with his parents to Ionia county,
Mich. On the way thither Joseph stopped
to visit a short while with his brother, S.
W. Lincoln, who had settled on a farm in
Pittsfield township, Lorain Co., Ohio, and

702

LORAIN COUNTY, OHIO.

in 1848, shortly after the death of his
father, which occurred in Michigan, he
came to Pittsfield township, and here re
sided with his brother for about one year.
On April 3, 1849, Mr. Lincoln was
united in marriage with Hannah N.
Phelps, a native of New Marlborough,
Mass., who was born January 9, 1819,
youngest child of Bethuel and Levina
(Norton) Phelps. The parents migrated
westward, settling in Pittsfield township,
Lorain Co., Ohio, on the same farm where
their daughter Hannah still resides; and
at the time of their settlement the country
was still in its primitive state, the forests
abounding with bears, wolves, turkeys and
other wild animals. After marriage Mr.
Lincoln settled on the farm of his father-
in-law, the " Phelps Homestead," where
he passed the remainder of his life, suc
cessfully carrying on a general farming
and dairy business. He owned a farm in
Ionia county, Mich., but sold it. To Mr.
and Mrs. Lincoln were born two children:
Louisa, who died at the age of thirty- two;
and Andrew P., a farmer of Pittsfield
township. The father died in February,
1862, and was buried in South cemetery,
and Mrs. Lincoln has since managed the
farm (excepting for four years when it was
rented), displaying in this capacity consid
erable business ability. In politics Mr.
Lincoln was an ardent Republican, and
held various positions of trust in Pittsfield
township.

UARTUS GILLMORE is a member
of one of the early families of Lo
rain county, of which he is a native,
born in May, 1839, a son of Quartus
and Elizabeth (Reid) Gillmore. The
Gillmores are of Scotch ancestry, and early
settlers of Massachusetts.
The father of our subject was a native
of Massachusetts, whence in the spring of
1810 he set out on foot for Ohio, where
he located land in what was then the Con
necticut Reserve, which land is now in

Lorain county. In the fall of the same
year he returned to Massachusetts, and in
the spring of the following year once more
came to his new settlement (this time in
company with his father, Edmund Gill
more), and here passed the rest of his days
in farming; he died in 1869, his widow in
1876. They were both Methodists, and
in politics he was first a Whig, then a
Free-soiler, and, in his later years, a Re
publican. They reared a family of eight
children, namely: Gen. Quincy A., a
native of Lorain, Lorain county (after
leaving school, and up to the age of twenty,
he taught school; then entered the Mili
tary Academy at West Point, where in
1849 he graduated at the head of his class;
he was well known in the Civil war, and
his death occurred at Brooklyn, N. Y., in
1888); Elizabeth, wife of W. Prince, of
Cleveland; Sophia, wife of D. S. Leslie, of
Northport, Mich.; Roxana, wife of A. B.
Spooner, in California; Edmund, a resi
dent of Lorain; Alice, wife of James Con
nolly, of Lorain (she died in January,
1893); Quartus, subject of this sketch;
and Cornelius, residing in Cleveland, Ohio.
Quartus Gillmore received a liberal edu
cation at the public schools of his native
county, and at the age of seventeen com
menced sailing on the lakes, a vocation he
followed several years, at one time as cap
tain of a vessel. In 1866 he gave up sea
faring life, and embarked in the grape-
growing industry, continuing in this until
1882, when he formed a partnership with
a Mr. Stang, under the firm name of
Stang & Gillmore, dredgers and pier
builders. In 1888 they dissolved partner
ship, since when Mr. Gillmore has carried
on the same line of business alone.
In 1859 our subject was married, in
Lorain, Ohio, to Miss Mary Fitzgerald,
who was born in Michigan, but reared in
Lorain county, Ohio, daughter of Almond
and Mary (Root) Fitzgerald, of Massachu
setts, who in an early day Came to Lorain
county, where they died. To Mr. and Mrs.
Gillmore have been born four children:

LORAIN COUNTY, OHIO.

703

Quartus A., married and residing in Cleve
land, Ohio; Mary Isabelle, wife of Theo
dore Burgess, of Lorain, who is employed
on the C. L. & W. R. R.; Theodore Leroy,
married and residing at Conneaut, Ohio;
and William, at home. Mr. Gillmore in
hia political preferences has been a Re
publican since his first vote was cast for
Abraham Lincoln. Socially he is a mem
ber of the Knights of the Maccabees and
Royal Arcanum. He is the owner of con
siderable property iu Lorain.

^'YRUS IYES, for nearly sixty years
a resident of Columbia township,
where he now owns a magnificent
tract of land of five hundred acres,
divided into four farms, deserves special
mention in this volume.
He was born, in 1825, in Genesee (now
Wyoming) county, N. Y., a son of Albert
and Betsey (Russell) Ives, natives of Con
necticut and Vermont, respectively, who
in 1834 came with their family to Lorain
county, locating in Columbia Center, later
moving to the southwest partof Columbia
township, where they hewed out for them
selves a new home in the solemn woods.
They were the parents of five children, to
wit: Cyras, our subject; Harriet Maria,
wife of Andrew Osborne, residing in Co
lumbia township; Ambrose, deceased; Seth,
residing in Columbia; and Sarah Jane,
who married Warren Bracy, and died in
1891, in Columbia township. The parents
were devout and zealous members of the
Baptist Church, and the father for several
years was sexton in bis neighborhood. He
was an ardent Democrat, and a man of
wide reputation for his sterling principles.
He was called from earth in 1872, his wife
in 1874.
Cyrus Ives was reared in his native
county until ten years of age, at which
time his parents brought him to Lorain
county, and he then attended the schools
of Columbia township. Reared to agri

cultural pursuits, he has been a lifelong
farmer, progressive and successful, and he
and his father were the prime movers in
establishing Columbia township. In 1849
he was married in Elyria, Ohio, to Miss
Prudence Stranahan, a native of Connecti
cut, and daughter of Joshua and Mary
(Mason) Stranahan, also of that State.
The mother died there, and the father
afterward married, in Connecticut. Miss
Lucy Farnham. In 1830 they came to
Columbia township, Lorain county, and
took up a farm. This wife died, and Mr.
Stranahan then married, in 1854, Miss
Jeanette Stone; he died in 1856. By his
first marriage, only, there are surviving
children, as follows: Sheffield J., who re
sides in Michigan; Martha Louisa, wife
of Daniel Bigelow, of Columbia township;
and Prudence, Mrs. Ives.
To Mr. and Mrs. Ives was born one
child, John Cyrus, who was cut off in his
twenty-fourth year, April 12, 1881, after
a lingering illness from catarrhal con
sumption. He was a member of the Bap
tist Church, was licensed to preach, and
went to Denison University three years,
never missing either a recitation or chapel
service or prayer meeting in all that time.
At his death he could read four languages.
On the Sabbath he was called to his re
ward, Communion service was postponed
until the following Sabbath, when his
father officiated. Politically our subject
is a Democrat, taking a lively interest in
the affairs of his party. He and his wife
are members of the Baptist Church at
Columbia Center, in which he has been a
deacon forty-one years, and during all that
time he never missed attending church to
officiate excepting one Sabbath.

JAMES WHIPPLE was born March
16, 1811, in Pomfret town, Windham
Co., Conn. His parents, Charles
and Hannah Whipple, were both
natives of North Providence, R. I., born
April 28, 1779, and November 14, 1786,

704

LORAIN COUNTY, OHIO.

respectively. In 1807 they moved to
Pomfret, Conn., and thence in 1815 to
Westmoreland, Oneida Co., N. Y., where
they passed the remainder of their lives.
Charles Whipple died January 8, 1866,
aged eighty-six years; his wife, Hannah,
had preceded him to the grave December
6, 1863, when aged seventy-eight years.
On May 24, 1833, James Whipple came
to Lorain county, Ohio, having previously
purchased in Brighton one hundred acres
of land, known as the Loomis farm; this
farm he afterward increased to two hun
dred acres. On November 14, 1839, he
was united in marriage with Melinda
Dunbar, who was born September 6, 1819,
at Sandy Lake, Rensselaer Co., N. Y.,
daughter of John Dunbar, who was born
June, 1777, at Bridgewater, Norfolk Co.,
Mass., of Scotch and English descent. He
resided with his parents at Bridgewater
vfntil sixteen years of age, when he re
moved with them to Grantham, Sullivan
Co., N. H. In 1800 he was married to
Sally Annadown, who was born Sep
tember 29, 1776, daughter of Joseph and
Dorcas Annadown, of Southbridge, Mass.,
and they resided at Grantham until Feb
ruary, 1818, when they removed to Sandy
Lake. In 1820 tbey went to Ludlow,
Windsor Co., Vt., thence, in 1831, to
Minerva, Essex Co., N. Y. In the latter
part of May, 1835, they came westward to
Ohio, locating, in the latter part of Sep
tember, in Brighton, Lorain county, where
Mr. Dunbar passed from earth January 8,
1838, when aged sixty-one years. He
carried on farming on a place situated
about three-fourths of a mile north of the
center of the township. His widow passed
away September 22, 1854, aged seventy-
eight years. Melinda Dunbar received in
her youth a common-school education, and
was sixteen years of age when she came
with her parents to Brighton township,
Lorain Co., Ohio.
To Mr. and Mrs. James Whipple were
born four children, viz.: Jefferson O,
bora August 18, 1841; Anzonette, born

February 8, 1851, died June 17, 1859,
aged eight years, four months and nine
days; Emma, born April 2, 1857, died
June 12, 1859, aged two years, two months
and ten days; and Manette C, born Oc
tober 31, 1861. The family homestead is
one and a half miles from Brighton. Mr.
Whipple was actively identified with the
early religious and political questions of
the town, taking his part in the develop
ment of the country.

D,AVID L. WADSWORTH and
) FAMILY. David L. Wadsworth,
___ ' youngest and seventh son of Lawton
and Nancy R. Wadsworth, was born
in Becket, Berkshire Co., Mass., June 1,
1825. He was a lad of fine promise —
bright, witty and active — and grew up
among the granite hills, laying the foun
dation for character noted in after years for
geniality and good fellowship. A true son
of sturdy New England ancestry.
On April 15, 1833, Lawton Wadsworth
and family started from Becket on a west
ern journey, moving by overland route,
with horses and covered wagons, and ar
rived in Wellington, Ohio, May 9, making
the journey of about 600 miles in twenty-
four days. David L. was then in his
eighth year, and the town of Wellington in
its pioneer stage. Here, for fifty-nine
consecutive years, he dwelt among her
people, growing with her growth, strength
ening with her strength, until, step by
step, he moved onward and upward, with
the march of improvements of this busy,
bustling town. During his youthful days
he acquired a good common-school educa
tion, which was supplemented with a few
terms at Oberlin College, preparatory to
following the vocation of school teacher.
For seven years he taught in district
schools during the winter terms, establish
ing a good record as instructor and discip
linarian.

-^'Vtfj, &j-/JlJi2't.;Tiie^

cti'^^^^ti^ZZ

LORAIN COUNTY, OHIO.

707

In 1840 he commenced the study of
medicine under Dr. Hall, of Orange, Ohio,
but acquiring a distaste for this profession,
he shortly returned to the parental home
stead, and gave his attention to farming
and stock dealing, developing a spirit of
speculation that proved lasting, and as
years passed brought forth its complement
of unlimited success. On October 22, 1850,
D. L. Wadsworth was united iu mar
riage with Miss Rosenia C. Woodworth,
of Rochester, Lorain county, a daugh
ter of Hiram and Caroline L. (Wales)
.Woodworth, bora November 5, 1831, in
Bristol, N. Y., and who came with her
parents to Rochester in 1832, where they
settled for a term of years. Three children
were the fruits of this marriage, viz.:
Kitty May, born' May 20, 1856, and died
April 6, 1858 (she was a beautiful child,
sweet aud lovable, and died greatly
lamented); Georgie M., born September
25, 1861, and Leon H., born October 13,
1863. In 1866 the present family resi
dence, situate on North Main street, was
completed and occupied. In 1868 Mr.
Wadsworth purchased a planing mill, and
embarked in the manufacture of doors,
sash and blinds, dealing largely in lumber,
shingles, lath, etc. Afterward other in
dustries were added, to wit: a cheese and
butter-box factory; and later on he estab
lished a lumber yard and planing-mill in
Green wich, Ohio, giving employment to up
ward of seventy-five workmen. He was a
prominent dealer in real estate, buying
farms, buildinghonsesabouttown for dwell
ings and other purposes, a hundred or more,
adding much to the general growth and
prosperity of the village wherein he dwelt.
On October 22, 1875, Mr. and Mrs.
• Wadsworth celebrated their twenty-fifth
wedding anniversary in a right royal
manner, with some 300 guests in attend
ance, who presented many elegant silver
gifts |n honor of the occasion. It was a
fete noted for its social and enjoyable
features, and ever remembered with pleas
ure by those who participated therein.
38

Mr. Wadsworth's political faith dated
from the famous " Rescue Case " of 1858,
after which time he was a Democrat. In
1861 he became an ardent, zealous and
enthusiastic War Democrat, fie called
the first meeting for the purpose of secur
ing volunteers, and his cry of: " Boys,
this means business," was very like a
clarion note, inciting men to do their
duty, and to do it well. He gave gener
ously of his time and money to further the
cause of loyalty to the Union, and was ever
a true and firm friend to the "boys in
blue." Although the district in which
Mr. Wadsworth lived has always been Re
publican, yet he received many political
honors. On April 1, 1878, he was ap
pointed, by Gov. Bishop, trustee of the
Cleveland Insane Asylum, holding this
position five years. Gov. Hoadley ap
pointed him trustee of the State Institu
tion for the Blind, and this position was
held during the remainder of that gov-,
ernor's term of office, also the entire first
term of Gov. Foraker, a Republican offi
cial. In 1875 he was nominated to fill
the office of State treasurer, and was de
feated hy only two votes; in 1888 he was
nominated for a representative to Congress,
and succeeded in reducing the Republican
majority in his own county over four
hundred. In 1890 he was offered the
same nomination, but declined the honor.
Although not a member of any church,
his public spirit led him to contribute
largely to the building of churches with
out regard to color or creed. In Free
Masonry he attained the thirty-second
degree. Mr. Wadsworth gave his children,
Georgie M. and Leon H., every facility
for educational advantage. After this
years' attendance in the Union schools of
Wellington, Georgie was given one year-
of schooling in Oberlin, and two years in
Miss Mittleberger's Select School for
young ladies, in Cleveland. Leon H.
graduated in the Ann Arbor (Mich.) Law
School in 1883. On October 14, 1885, he

708

LORAIN COUNTY, OHIO.

married Miss Mary E., only daughter of
Capt. William and Sophia Trinter, of
Vermillion, Ohio. The wedding was cele
brated with all due honors at the home of
the bride's parents, and wedding gifts
were numerous and valuable. On Octo
ber 22, 1885, on the thirty-fifth anniver
sary of Mr. and Mrs. D. L. Wadsworth's
wedding, their daughter Georgie M. was
united in marriage with Mr. D. B. Ord
way, of Hornellsville, N. Y. A reception
was also tendered Mr. and Mrs. Leon H.
Wadsworth at the same time and place, and
once again the elegant home of Mr. and
Mrs. D. L. Wadsworth was filled with
many guests to celebrate this triple event
in the history of the family. The gener
ous collection of rare flowers used for dec
orations; the elegant home furnishings;
the rich costumes, as seen under gaslight,
made a charming picture, worthy of being
perpetuated on canvas.
Previous to the marriage of the chil
dren homes had been prepared and fur
nished, ready for occupancy. Mr. and
Mrs. Ordway's home was located in Hor
nellsville, N. Y., while that of Mr. and Mrs.
Leon H. Wadsworth was near the paternal
homestead, and he was given an interest
in his father's lumber business. In March,
1886, Mr. and Mrs. Ordway returned to
Wellington, taking up a residence in the
house previously occupied by Mr. and
Mrs. Leon H., the latter moving to Green
wich, Ohio, and taking charge of the lum
ber business, previously established at
that place by his father. Mr. Ordway
was given a position in the lumber busi
ness in Wellington similar to that of Leon
H. On October 25, 1886, a son was born
to Mr. and Mrs. Leon H. Wadsworth, and
was christened William Luther, in honor
of each grandfather. On November 29,
1886, a son was born to Mr. and Mrs. D.
B. Ordway, and christened James Wads
worth Ordway.
In 1890. D. L. Wadsworth received an
appointment from Gov. Campbell as a
member of the World's Fair Board from

Ohio. He was a most active and tireless
worker, and from over-exertion in this cause
was attributed the fatal illness that cut
short the thread of life in so summary a
manner. Mr. Wadsworth died at his home
on the evening of October 7, 1892, of heart
failure, at the age of sixty-seven years.
His illness was only of a few hours' dura
tion. Dr. E. G. Rust, the family physi
cian, was in attendance, and his family all
present. The funeral service was con
ducted at his late home, Tuesday, 2 o'clock
P. M., October 11, by Rev. William Bar
ton, pastor of the Congregational Church,
assisted by Jacob W. Yanderwerf, emi
nent commander of the Order of Knights
Templar, Oriental Commandery df Cleve
land, Ohio, of which Order Mr. Wads
worth had been a member for twenty
years. The perfection ring presentation
was conducted by Prelates Ills. Charles A.
Woodward and Brenton D. Babcock; music
was rendered by a Knights Templar quar
tet, the ceremonies being all most solemn
and impressive. Mr. Wadsworth's remains
were dressed in the Knights Templar re
galia, as were the fifty or more Knights in
attendance. The casket and rooms were
adorned with choice flower pieces, gifts
from the various Orders to which the de
ceased belonged, also from relatives and
friends, and their honied perfume made
the air fragrant with sweetness. The day
was most divinely fair, each shrub and tree
had put on its most attractive colors, and
the rich, mellow sunshine, softened by
cooling breezes, baptized Mother Earth
with a glory quite indescribable. All the
principal business houses and shops in
town were closed during the funeral obse
quies, and the attendance was very large.
The roomy house and extensive grounds,,
were filled to overflowing. No greater
tribute of respect was ever paid a deceased
citizen of Wellington, than was freely
given on this occasion, by not only the
citizens of the town, but by all surround
ing towns, whence came many people to
pay their last respects and to extend their

LORAIN COUNTY, OHIO.

709

sympathy to the bereaved family. The
order of the procession was as follows:
First Wellington Brass Band, playing a
funeral dirge; carriage containing the
clergy; hearse, guarded by six Knights
Templar, bearing reversed swords, fol
lowed by fifty or more of same Order on
foot, each dressed in regalia of their Order ;
Masons of all grades; workmen employed
in the various industries carried on by the
Wadsworth firm; carriage containing
mourners; carriages containing citizens;
citizens on foot, numbering several hun
dred. The service at the grave was con
ducted by Prelates same as at the family
residence, and the remains were lowered
into their last resting-place amid a sprink-#
ling of evergreens and floral blossoms.
"Eaeth to eaeth, and dost to dust."
His widow still resides in the now lonely
home, where, on every hand, are seen evi
dences of the thoughtful outlook and care
ful supervision on the part of the dear de
parted, for the comfort of those dwelling
within the home circle. Ah! it is little
wonder the bereaved heart continually cries
for the protecting arms that were wont to
shield it from all adverse afflictions and
trials, incident to human life whilst making
its earthly pilgrimage.

/George h. andress, a promi-
I w, nent agriculturist of Henrietta
\^>| township, is a native of same, bora
^JL August 5, 1834, a son of Carlo and
Nancy (Buckly) Andress.
Carlo Andress was born November 6,
1804, in Essex county, N. Y., and came to
Ohio in 1817. On March 1, 1832, he was
married in Henrietta to Nancy Buckly, who
was born in Auburn, N. Y., May 30, 1812,
and they lived together nineteen years,
when she died, August 25, 1851. They
had but one child, George fi., the subject
of this sketch. Carlo Andress was subse
quently, on December 4, 1851, married to
Weltha Smith, of Elyria, by which union

he had two children, both born in Hen
rietta, at the old homestead, viz.: Alice,
bora October 30, 1853, and Henry, bora
June 19, 1855. Carlo Andress died of
paralysis November 8, 1870, in Oberlin,
whither he had removed in order to have
his children educated; his wife was born in
Poughkeepsie, N. Y., August 16, 1815,
and died April 24, 1871.
Carlo Andress commenced life as a pio
neer farmer, working early and late with
out any of the comforts and barely the
necessities of life. For the wife of his
earlier years he married one that was as
willing to work as was he, and together
they labored and managed to lay the foun
dation of a competency. He was elected
justice of the peace ih the time of T. Cor
win, in 1842, and was for many years jus*
tice in Henrietta township, where he tried
to have all troubles settled without any
ill-will. His wife was a Christian woman,
having joined the Disciple Church while
quite young, and remaining true to her
early faith till the last. She was noted for
her goodness to the poor and her kindness
to the sick, and her sweetness of disposi
tion is often spoken of until this day by
the people who ¦ knew her best. Two
brothers of hers and their descendants are
living in Henrietta township at the pres
ent time. His second spouse was a model
wife and mother, devoting her entire time
to her family. He could at this time pro
vide for his family far differently than in his
younger days. He and his wife were
deeply interested in the welfare of their
children and the people that were of their
household. Our subject attended the primitive coun
try schools of his boyhood days, and Berea
(Ohio) College two terms. He then as
sisted his father in the farm work, clear
ing the land of timber and undergrowth,
and converting the virgin soil into fertile
fields. At the age of about twenty-three
years he commenced life for his own ac
count, as a full-fledged farmer, and in his
vocation has been highly successful. He

710

LORAIN COUNTY, OHIO.

now owns 134 acres of prime land, one
hundred of which were cultivated by his
father. In 1859 Mr. Andress was united in mar
riage with Miss Matilda Elson, and three
children were born to them, as follows:
Maud (Mrs. Fred Fowler, of Berlin Heights,
Ohio), born April 13, 1861; Ernest, born
July 18, 1863, died January 16, 1873; and
Leon, born March 13, 1865. The mother
of these died in 1868, and in 1870 our
subject intermarried with Adelaide Ennis,
by which union there is one child, Frank,
in the express office iu Elyria. In 1872
Mr. Andress married Amelia Hutchison,
daughter of William Hutchison, and
children, as follows, were born to this
union: Edna, at present at Painesville
(Ohio) Seminary; Elsie, teaching school
at Berlin Heights, Ohio; Walter, deceased;
Henry, Fred and Bessie, at home. Politi
cally our subject is a Democrat, but in
local elections he invariably votes for the
best man regardless of party.

I

DMUND GILLMORE. A biograph
ical record of Lorain county would
j be incomplete were prominent men
tion not made of this gentleman,
who is a native of the county, born Feb
ruary 10, 1833, in Black River township.
Mr. Gillmore is a son of Quartus and
Elizabeth (Reid) Gillmore, the former of
whom was a native of Chester, Hampden
Co., Mass., a son of Edmund and Eliza
beth (Stuart) Gillmore, also of Massachu
setts, born -of English and Scotch ancestry,
respectively. From their native State
they came west to what was then known
as the " Connecticut Western Reserve,"
locating, in 1811, in what is now Lorain
county, Ohio, where he bought wild land
which he cleared, passing the rest of his
days thereon. He was a farmer and land
owner in Amherst and Black River town
ships, and he and his wife died in Black

River township, in 1843 and 1844, respect
ively. They had a family of ten children
— nine sons and one daughter — a brief rec
ord of them being as follows: (1) Quar
tus, born in 1790, has mention made
further on. (2) Aretus, born in Massa
chusetts in 1792, died in Lorain county,
Ohio. (3) Orrin, born in Massachusetts
in 1794, died in Cuyahoga county, Ohio.
(4) Simon, born in 1796, died in Detroit,
Mich., in 1833; he was a ship carpenter
by occupation. (5) Truman, born in 1798,
died iu Lorain county, Ohio, in 1881.
(6) Linas, born in 1801, died in Lorain in
1881. (7) Roxanna, born in 1803, was
married in Lorain county to Robert
Wright, and died in Oregon. (8) Alanson
"was born in 1805. (9) Edmund, born in
1801, died in Minnesota. (10) James
Madison, born in 1811, died in Lorain
county, Ohio.
Quartus Gillmore came west .with his
parents, the journey being made with
teams. In what is now Lorain county,
Ohio, he married Elizabeth Reid, who
died in 1876, surviving her husband seven
years, he having passed away in 1869. In
politics he was an active Whig, afterward
a Republican; was for many years a magis
trate, and about 1837 was appointed the
first trustee of Black River township.
Of their family of children, Quincy A.
was born in Lorain county in 1825, and
was educated in the public schools of Nor
walk and at Elyria Academy; was a teaeher
in the public schools for three years; in
1845 entered the Military Academy, where
he graduated at the head of his class, and
ultimately became a noted general. He
died in Brooklyn, N. Y., April 7, 1888.
Edmund Gillmore received his educa
tion at the public schools of Black River
township, Lorain county, and at the age of
fifteen commenced sailing on the lakes,
making trips to Oswego, Chicago, and all
lake ports, which vocation he continued in
for ten years. He also worked at ship
caulking, and while so engaged on one oc
casion received a severe injury. For ten

LORAIN COUNTY, OHIO.

711

months he was with a brother in New York
City, acting as shipping agent and assistant
draughtsman. In 1858 Edmund Gillmore was united
in marriage with Miss Adelaide E. Gill
more, a native of Lorain, Lorain Co., Ohio,
and daughter of Alanson Gillmore, of
Lorain. To this union has been born one
child, Quincy A. Gillmore, a prominent
attorney at law of Elyria, Ohio. Politi
cally our subject is a pronounced Republi
can, and has held several offices of trust in
his locality, such as assessor for some time,
township clerk for fifteen years, justice of
the peace since 1863, and notary public
for the past twenty years.

^UINCY A. GILLMORE, a leading
attorney at law of Elyria, was born
May 12, 1859, in Lorain county,
Ohio, a son of Edmund and Ade
laide E. (Gillmore) Gillmore, also
natives of the county, who are now resi
dents of the town of Lorain.
Our subject received his education in
Oberlin and Delaware Wesleyan Colleges,
graduating in 1881. Making a study of
law, he graduated from the Cincinnati
Law School in 1883, and in the fall of
1884 located in Elyria for the practice of
his chosen profession, iu which he has met
with well-merited success. In 1884 he
was married to Miss Frankie G. Brown,
and one child has come to brighten their
home, named Scott E. Politically Mr.
Gillmore is one of the most ardent Re
publicans in his section, and he is a mem
ber of the K. P. and of the Lorain County
Bar Association.

EORGE W. RICE. This gentleman
is descended from one of the pio
neer families of Lorain county, and
is a native of the same, having first
seen the light on his father's farm
in Amherst township February 19, 1846.

His father, Abram Rice, was born April
21, 1801, in Fayette county, Penn., and in
1822 came to Lorain county, where he
took up one hundred acres of wild land in
Black River township. Later he moved
into Amherst township and bought a
partly-improved farm of one Moses Mul-
nick, where he passed the remainder of
his pioneer days, dying in 1876. In his
political preferences he was a Whig and
Abolitionist, and, later, a Republican. In
religious sentiment he was a Methodist.
He was married in Fayette county, Penn.,
to Miss Margaret Stacker, who died in
March, 1891. They were the parents of
fourteen children, of whom the following
is a brief sketch: (1) Mary was married in
Illinois to O. P. Kilmer, of New York,
who enlisted in Company F, Forty-First
O. Y. I., and was shot at Pittsburgh Land
ing in 1862, dying two weeks later in Cin
cinnati; his widow died February 28,
1891. (2) Daniel was born in 1824, was
reared in the county, and here married
Mary Smith, of Black River township,
Lorain county, who died shortly afterward;
in 1850 he went to California, where he
married and had six children — five daugh
ters and one son; he died June 23, 1889,
in Arroyo Grande, Cal. (3) Samuel A.,
bora in 1826, became an early pioneer of
Grant county, Wis., where he married and
passed the rest of his days, dying in 1855,-
leaving a widow and one daughter, now
Mrs. Ella Jansen, of Clay Center, Kans.
(4) Ann E., born in 1827, was married in
1850, in Lorain county, to Hiram Wilber,
of New York, who came in an early day
to Lorain county, where he died in 1878;
they had two children : Byron E ., in Adams
county, Iowa (married and has two chil
dren, Stella and Jessie); and Eda B., mar
ried to M. Cunningham, of Columbus, Ohio,
and has two children, George and Roy.
(5) John S., born in 1829, was married to
Miss Lucy Hale, of Lorain county, some
time in the " fifties." At the time of his
marriage he was keeping a hotel at Berlin
Heights, Erie Co., Ohio. Later he sold

712

LORAIN COUNTY, OHIO.

out, and removed to Minnesota, where he
was residing when the call came for volun
teers to suppress the Rebellion. He en
listed in the Second Regiment Minnesota
Infantry, and served until discharged on
account of chronic sore eyes. Afterward
he moved to Iowa, and still later went with
his family to Arroyo Grande, Cal., where
he now resides, surrounded by his family
of eight sons and one daughter, besides
numerous grandchildren. (6) Melissa, born
in 1830, was married to H. P. Strickler, of
Pennsylvania; she died in 1861, leaving
one son and one daughter; the sou, L. D.,
and daughter, Mrs. Meda Sandrock, reside
with their families in Amherst township.
(7) Adaline, born in 1832, is the widow of
Wm. Pearl, and resides in North Amherst;
she has three sons: Eugene F.,CorriceC. and
Arthur A. (8) Margaret J., born October
7, 1833, was married to I. G. Hazel, and
to them were born five children, viz.:
Emma and Alma, both deceased ; Alpha, re
siding in Oberlin; Ruby, wife of Everett
E. Walker, of North Amherst, and Harry,
attending Oberlin College; Margaret J.
Hazel died in North Amherst March 28,
1890. (9) Nancy O., born January 6,
1835, married R. G. Barney, who enlisted
for one year in Company E, Sixth Ohio
Cavalry, served his time out, and died No
vember 12, 1872; they had two children,
.Mrs. Maggie Root, and Mrs. Mina Guten-
felder, of Cleveland; Nancy O. Barney
died in 1869. (10) Susan, born in 1837,
is the wife of John K. Hazel, who was a
member of Company C, Second Wis
consin Cavalry; they live in Florida; they
have three children living: Loudon C,
Percy and Mark. (11) Abram J., bora
January 17, 1840, enlisted in 1861 in
Company F, Forty-first O. V. L, was killed
at the battle of Pittsburg Landing April 7,
1862, and was buried on the battlefield; the
G. A. R. Post located at Amherst is named
in honor of him. (12) Wesley, born January
29, 1842, is married and resides in Oberlin;
he has two children, Alma, wife of Charles
J. Maynard, and Mary Faith. (13) Charles,

born December 5, 1843, died August 31,
1886, at Amherst. (14) George W. is the
subject of this sketch. On the father's
side the family were of French-German
ancestry, on that of the mother they claim
German-Dutch lineage. Grandfather Rice
served in the Revolutionary war, and died
in Pennsylvania.
George W. Rice, the subject of this
sketch, received a moderate education at
the common schools of Amherst township
and at Berea College. In his boyhood
and youth he was thoroughly inducted
into the mysteries of agricultural pursuits,
which have been his life work, and he now
owns the homestead, consisting of ninety
acres of prime land, all in a good state of
cultivation, Socially he is a member of
Amherst Lodge No* 74, K. of P., and is
Master of Exchequer in same; also mem
ber of Amherst Lodge No. 96, I. O. G. T.
Politically he is a zealous Republican, and
for nearly a quarter of a century he has
been an active member of the board of
education of Amherst township, being at
present president of the same. Up to date
he is unmarried, none the less he is the
leading spirit of his neighborhood, socially
and politically; his interest in the welfare
of old and young never flags.

/GEORGE C. JEFFERIES, attorney
[ w, at law and war claim agent, Elyria,
\j^l was bora June 22, 1837, in Spencer,
fk Lorain (now Medina) Co., Ohio, a
son of Gilbert and Mary A. (Spencer)
Jeti'eries, the latter of whom was the eldest
daughter of Col. Spencer, after whom the
town and township of Spencer (Medina
county) were named. She died the day
following Thanksgiving Day, 1891, at the
age of eighty years, a member of the M.
E. Church.
Gilbert Jefferies was born in October,
1811, in the town of Webster, N. Y., and
in 1832 came to Ohio, making a settle
ment in Spencer, Lorain (now Medina)

LORAIN COUNTY, OHIO.

713

county. He was a farmer all his life, and
died June 22, 1870. An Old-line Whig
originally, he united with the Republican
party in 1854 (the year of its organization),
and was a member of the M. E. Church.
Thomas Jefferies, paternal grandfather of
subject, came to Medina county in 1847,
and passed the rest of his days with our '
subject's parents. Gilbert and Mary A.
(Spencer) Jefferies were the parents of
nine children — seven sons and two daugh
ters — of whom our subject is the eldest,
and six are yet living.
George C. Jefferies received his educa
tion in the country schools and at Oberlin
College (where his mother was also in part
educated). After reading law with Hon.
H. G. Blake, of Medina, Ohio, he enlisted
August 12, 1862, in Company B, One
Hundred and Twenty-fourth O. V. I. His
regiment was attached to the army of the
Cumberland, and its first camp was made
in Elizabethtown, Ky., whence it was sent
to Nashville and Franklin, Tenn., at which
latter place a battle was fought. Thence
the regiment marched to Triune, same
State, from there to Readyville and Man
chester, Tenn., from which latter it moved
to the Sequatchie Valley. On September
19, 1863, it participated in the battle of
Chickamauga, where Mr. Jefferies (then
serving as first sergeant) was so severely
wounded that he had to retire from the
army. On his return home he completed
, his iaw studies, and in 1875 was admitted
to the bar of the State of Ohio, and the
United States bar. In 1876 he commenced
the practice of his profession, and in 1878
moved into Elyria. Since 1885, in con
nection with his legal business, he has
given special attention to war claims.
On July 7, 1870, Mr. Jefferies was mar
ried, at Chatham, Medina Co., Ohio, to Miss
Mary Hine, and three children have been
born to them, viz.: Gilbert C, born in
Spencer, Medina Co., Ohio, August 8,
1871, now a stenographer and typewriter
in Elyria; Edgar C, born at Elyria Oc
tober 15, 1879, now at school, and Thomas

O, born at Elyria February 7, 1881, also
at school. Our subject in politics is a
Republican, in religion a Methodist. He
is a member of the G. A. R., and U. V.
Legion. The first of this family of Jef
feries in Ameria was the first governor of
Connecticut. Mrs. Mary. (Hine) Jefferies was born
January 6, 1846, at Chester, Wayne Co.,
Ohio, a daughter of John and Elizabeth
(Luce) Hine, the latter of whom died when
Mary was a child. The father in early
life settled in Wayne county, Ohio, where
he became one of the largest horse and
wheat raisers, and there resided until he
was well advanced in years, when he
moved to Chatham. There he passed from
earth in November, 1876, at the age of
seventy-eight years.

||OHN HARVIT, one of the repre-
k- I sentative self-made men of LaGrange
\yj township, is a native of Ohio, born
April 26, 1836, in Chester township,
Wayne county. He is a son of Joseph
and Nancy (Smith) Harvit, farming people,
the former of whom died in 1838, leaving
a comfortable home. His widow subse
quently re- married.
Our subject was educated in the com
mon schools, and during his early man
hood was employed as a farm hand, mean
time saving his earnings. On November
7, 1865, he was married to Miss Sarah
Coleman, born May 3Q, 1847, in La
Grange township, Lorain Co., Ohio, whom
he had met while a resident of Penfield,
same county, whither he moved with his
step-father, James Brown, who was a well-
to-do farmer. Mrs. Harvit was the
daughter of James and Harriet Coleman,
the former of whom died in 1849, of
cholera, and was buried in the Catholic
cemetery in Eaton township. Mrs. Cole
man was subsequently married to William
Ormsby, and continued to reside on her
former home; she was buried in the ceme-

714

LORAIN COUNTY. OHIO.

tery in LaGrange township. After mar
riage Mr. Harvit located on the James
Coleman homestead, lot No. 30, LaGrange
township, where he has always followed
farming, in which he has met with en
couraging success. He has a natural apti
tude for carpenter work. In 1885 he
erected one of the most comfortable rural
homes in the township on his place, which
consists of 278^ acres of excellent land,
fully equipped with good farm buildings.
Mr. Harvit is a hard worker and a good
business manager, and the results of his
labor are shown in his surroundings, for
his farm and farm buildings are among
the best in the township. In party affairs
he is a Republican, but is not an active
Solitician. To the union of Mr. and Mrs.
[arvit has come one child, Hattie, born
November 28, 1869, now the wife of Don
Scwartz, a leading citizen of LaGrange
township. (They have one son, Harry,
born February 20, 1892). Mrs. Harvit is
a member of the M. E. Church at La
Grange.

|[J ON. LUCIUS HERRICK. This
H gentleman, who is a prominent and
I \\\ well-known figure in the arena of
y) agriculture and politics in Lorain
county, is a native of Jefferson
county, N. Y., born in Houndsfield, near
Watertown, November 8, 1820.
Philo Herrick, father of subject, was
born in Tyringham, Berkshire Co., Mass.,
whence when a boy he, with the rest of the
family, moved to Bridgewater, Oneida
Co., N. Y., his father, Amasa Herrick,
afterward taking them to Houndsfield,
same State. Here Philo Herrick made
his home till the spring of 1835, when,
with his wife, Sophia (Blodgett), and fam
ily, he came to Wellington, Lorain Co.,
Ohio, the journey being made with an old-
time "prairie schooner." Here he made
a land purchase of 158 acres in Welling
ton township (which has since passed into
the hands of his son Lucius), built a log

house, and set to work to transform the
wild woods into a fertile farm. The father,
who was a tanner and currier, and also a
shoemaker, rented a tannery in Hunting
ton township, but soon afterward returned
to Wellington. For a time he followed
the shoe business in Winnebago county,
111. He died in Wellington in 1866, a
strong Republican in politics, originally a
Whig, his first vote being cast for James
Monroe; his wife was born September 27,
1788, and died at the age of ninety-eight
years less five days. They were the parents
of four children: Loring, now a resident
of Meckling, Clay Co, S. Dak.; Amasa
B., residing in Chicago; Lucius, and
George F., a mechanic, who was accident
ally killed September 15, 1844, at Janes-
ville, Wisconsin.
Lucius Herrick, the subject proper of
this biographical sketch, enjoyed but lim
ited school privilege?,' but the loss in that
he partially compensated for by systematic,
diligent home study. In 1839 he entered
an academy in Elyria, where he made his
home with Deacon Lane, working for his
board. His father tried to induce him to
take up the trade of shoemaker, but he
preferred farming, and consequently made
it his life work. In 1843 he married Miss
Mary E. Griffith, who bore him one son,
Luther G. This wife was called from
earth in January, 1844, and in 1849 Mr._
Herrick married Miss Harriet E. Bidwell,
and one son blessed their union, Bert B.,
who was educated at the common schools
of Wellington and at Oberlin; he is now a
farmer and cheese manufacturer; he mar
ried Miss Etta Wadsworth, and they have
two children : Ethel and Hobart.
Formerly a Whig, now a Republican,
Mr. Herrick has ever taken an active in
terest in public affairs. He served as in
firmary director two years, and also as
township trustee; was elected county com
missioner three full terms consecutively,
resigning in order to accept nomination to
the Legislature, in which he served in tbe
Sixty-third and Sixty-fourth General As-

m

V:. ¦¦>.';',""¦' ^vf^i''.:.

*U*£sC^ty

LORAIN COUNTY, OHIO.

717

semblies; and he says he much enjoyed the
variety of being in the House, but that it
was the hardest work he ever did in his
life. He has in his possession several in
teresting public documents, and in his
library the full series of "Geological Sur
veys of Ohio," by Newberry. Mr. Herrick
is the owner of 435 acres of land, and has
seen the gradual evolution in agricultural
development from the hand sickle to the
self-binding harvesting machine. Mrs.
Herrick, with whom he is now living, was
Miss Sarah West, only daughter of Francis
West, of Berlin, Erie Co., Ohio. The
families for three generations at least, have
been members and supporters of Presby
terian and Congregational Churches.

Ei A. CUYrLER, a well-known fruit
grower of Avon township, where he
 I has resided for almost the last half
century, is a native of New York
State, born in Essex, Essex county, in
August, 1822. His parents, John B. and
Phoebe (Hoffnagle) Cuyler, were also na
tives of New York State, where they both
passed their entire lives, the father dying
in 1838, the mother forty years later, in
Essex county. John B. Cuyler was a ser
geant in the war of 1812.
E. A. Cuyler, the subject proper of this
memoir, was reared in his native county
up to the age of twenty- one, receiving his
education in the common schools. After
coming, in 1843, to Avon township, Lo
rain Co., Ohio, he commenced sailing on
the lakes, in which he continued for seven
teen seasons, on boats plying between
Cleveland and Buffalo, and also Detroit.
In an early day he opened up a farm in
Sheffield township, Lorain county, where
he resided for some years, thence remov
ing to Avon township, where he has since
had his home. In 1847 he was married,
in Avon township, to Miss Ruth J. Titus,
who was born in New York State, daugh
ter of Anson and Hannah (Moore) Titus,

natives, respectively, of Massachusetts and
Connecticut, and early settlers of Avon
township, where they died. To this union
were born four children, as follows: Mi
nerva, who was first wedded to Lorenzo
Miller, and after his decease to Frank Nes-
bitt (she had two children by her first hus
band, Vernon and Carrie, and one by her
second husband, Little Elbert, named for
his grandfather; she died in 1892); Jane,
wife of William J. Curtis, living in Avon
township; Sumner, who was drowned when
five years old; and Edward, residing on
the home farm, who is married and has
two children — Lou and Melinda. The wife
of E. A. Cuyler died in 1879. In his
political connections our subject is an
active Republican (casting his first vote for
James G. Birney), and has served three
terms as trustee of Avon township. In re
ligions faith he is a member of the Epis
copal Church, and socially he belongs to
King Solomon Lodge, No. 56, A. F. & A.
M., Elyria, and to Marshall Chapter No.
47. , Mr. Cuyler owns a fertile farm of
sixty-two and a half acres in Avon town
ship, and twenty acres of another farm ; he
has twenty-one acres devoted exclusively
to grape-culture.

E' W. PITTS. This gentleman was
born February 18, 1833, in Spring-
 I field township, Richland Co., Ohio,
a son of William and Mary (Buck
ingham) Pitts.
William Pitts, grandfather of our sub
ject, was a native of England, and when a
young man emigrated to America, where
he married and reared a family of children,
among whom was one son, William. The
latter was born April 15, 1803, in West
moreland county, Penn., was reared to farm
life, and had but meager educational ad
vantages. When a youth of fifteen he
came west to Ohio, and here passed the
remainder of his life, principally engaged
in agricultural pursuits. On May 6, 1832,

718

LORAIN COUNTY, OHIO.

he was united in marriage, in Mansfield,
Ohio, with Miss Mary Buckingham, who
was born April 5, 1817, in Harrison
county, same State, daughter of Joshua
Buckingham (who was born March 28,
1781), and his wife Margaret (Randall)
(who was born September 27, 1781, in
Baltimore county, Md.).
Gov. Buckingham, of one of the New
England States, was a full cousin to Mrs.
William Pitts, and consequently second
cousin to E. W. Pitts, the subject proper
of this sketch. The governor's father was
a Methodist minister. On his mother's
side E. W. Pitts has six full cousins who
are physicians, and two who are lawyers,
one of whom, by name William Cantwell,
born near Mansfield, Ohio, died a few years
ago in San Francisco, Cal. On our sub
ject's father's side there were also many
relatives of prominence, noted men in Eng
land, holding high positions there, some as
" merchant princes."
To Mr. and Mrs. William Pitts were
bora two children: Ezekiel W., subject
of this memoir, and Otis W., a liveryman
of Belleville, Ohio. Mr. Pitts was obliged
to begin life for himself with practically
nothing, and was at first employed in
chopping wood, being paid for his work in
money, which was then very scarce in the
backwoods regions. However, he became
a successful farmer, and accumulated a
comfortable property. In politics he was
a Democrat until Abraham Lincoln's time,
after which he remained a member of the
Republican party; in religious faith he was
a member of the Presbyterian Church, his
wife of the Methodist denomination. He
passed from earth November 24, 1884, and
was followed to the grave by his widow
September 18, 1887, and they now rest side
by side in Shelby cemetery, Richland
county, Ohio.
Ezekiel W. Pitts was reared to the duties
of agricultural life, and when but five years
of age attended school in bis-native county,
at which time the now thriving city of
Shelby could boast of but one store. When

he was six years of age his parents moved
to Springfield township (Richland county),
where he went to school with his mother,
who, having had no literary advantages in
her early life, availed herself of the pres
ent opportunity. Our subject attended
school regularly till seventeen years of age,
and in 1852 came to the college at Oberlin,
Ohio, where he studied nine months, tit-
ting himself for the profession of a teacher.
To pay for his tuition at Oberlin he worked
on the P. F. W. & C. R. R., for ninety
cents a day, and lathed at Oberlin for ten
cents an hour. He began teaching in New
Haven township, Huron Co., Ohio, in the
Miller District, when it contained seventy-
five pupils, who met in an old log school-
house. The school had been without a
teacher for some time, and Mr. Pitts was
obliged often to enforce obedience, but he
nevertheless was very successful. While
attending school at Oberlin Mr. Pitts met
Miss Roseltha A. Rowell, who was born
July 16, 1837, on the farm her husband
now owns, daughter of Levi L. and Laura
M. (Matcham) Rowell, and they were mar
ried September 26, 1855, in the house
where he still resides. Levi L. Rowell was
born in Granville, Hampden Co., Mass., a
son of Snllivanand Elizabeth (Woolworth)
Rowell, and was the first of the family to
come to Ohio. He migrated hither from
Connecticut in 1832, settling in Pittsfield
township, Lorain county, when that section
was in truth a "howling wilderness,"
abounding with wild animals.
After marriage Mr. and Mrs. Pitts lo
cated in Springfield township, Richland
Co., Ohio, on a farm of forty acres, costing
nine hundred dollars, which amount he
borrowed from his neighbors. The house
was a rude frame structure, 16 x 24 feet,
and containing but two rooms, and here
they resided for ten years, when they
moved to Pittsfield township, Lorain
county, where he had purchased some land.
In 1867 they came to their present farm,
which at one time comprised 300 acres;
but it has been gradually divided among

LORAIN COUNTY, OHIO.

719

the children, until now he has bnt 132
acres, which he calls his own. Mr. Pitts
has met with well- merited success in his
chosen vocation, and he is one of the lead
ing farmers in the county. His advice on
various matters is often sought for by his
neighbors, who appreciate his good com
mon-sense and sound judgment, and respect
and admire him for his many sterling
qualities. To Mr. and Mrs. Pitts have
come children, a brief record of whom is
as follows: Effie W., who was born in
Richland county, Ohio, is the wife of Dr.
E. V. B. Buckingham, of Chicago Junc
tion, Ohio; Levi M., who was also bom in
Richland county, Ohio, was drowmed June
23, 1882, when aged twenty-three, being
seized with cramps while bathing; Alton
J. is a farmer of Pittsfield township; Willis
W. is also a farmer of Pittsfield township;
Roseltha M. has been a student at Oberlin
College; Grant W. is farming in Pittsfield
township. In politics Mr. Pitts is a mem
ber of the Republican party, and has served
as township trustee, in which position he
gave universal satisfaction; he is the pres
ent school director in his district. Mrs.
Pitts is a member of the Methodist Cliurch.

PETER MoRO BERTS, one of the
pioneers of Pittsfield township, was
born February 10, 1804, in Spring
field, Vt., son of John McRoberts,
who was born in Scotland in 1759,
and came to America in 1775. He served
as a soldier in the Continental army dur
ing the war of the Revolution, and re
ceived an honorable discharge. He died
in 1813. and sleeps in an honored grave in
the South cemetery of Whiting, Vt. His
wife, Lucy Bradford, was born, in 1761,
in Massachusetts, a descendant of the
Bradfords of Puritan fame; she died in
1845, and was buried in Centre cemetery
of Pittsfield.
Peter's youth and early manhood were
spent in farming, lumbering, and driving

a mail coach from Castleton to Middle
bury, Vt. His education was that of the
common school, which at that time to
those in his station was limited to a short
term in winter. His text books were a
Spelling Book, Testament, American Pre
ceptor, for a reader, while Adams' Arith
metic (in which he excelled) completed
the outfit.
Peter McRoberts was married Decem
ber 13, 1828, in Sudbury, Vt., to Eliza
Waite, who was born in Shoreham, Vt.,
August 23, 1803, daughter of Samuel
Waite, who died, in 1805, in Shoreham,
Yt. Her mother, Elizabeth (Smith) Waite,
was born in 1765 in Massachusetts, came
to Ohio, and died in Pittsfield in 1835;
she was buried on the Josiah Barnard
farm, there being no public burying place
in the township at that time; some years
later her remains were removed to the
Centre cemetery of Pittsfield township,
and laid by the side of Nahum Clark, a
son by her first husband. On October 31,
1831, Peter, with his wife, two babies and
sister Cynthia, in a covered wagon drawn
by two horses, started from Sudbury, Vt.,
for Ohio, a journey of seven hundred
miles, and at the end of six weeks they
found themselves in Madison township,
Richland county, where Mrs. McRoberts
had two sisters living — Mrs. William
Stewart and Mrs. Horatio Harmon. On
January 14, 1832, he contracted with
George Mann, of Sullivan township, for
the purchase of the whole of Lot 4 and the
north half of Lot 17, in Pittsfield town
ship, at two dollars and a half per acre,
two hundred and fifteen dollars in hand
paid, the balance in three annual payments
in neat stock or wheat; and in March,
same year, the family moved hither, liv
ing with a neighbor by the name of Beam
until a log house could be built. They
moved in as soon as the roof was on, the
earth serving for a floor, and a blanket for
a door. Tbey were the twelfth family
in Pittsfield township. Mr. McRoberts
cleared a part of this farm, and in 1834

720

LORAIN COUNTY, OHIO.

sold it to Josiah Barnard. He then pur
chased Lot No. 18, cleared a large part of
it, and built a frame house and barn. But
his ambition exceeded his endurance, and
his health failing he gave up farming for
merchandising, moving to Wellington vil
lage in 1837. For a time he did business
where Benedict's hardware store now
stands, in a building owned by John S.
Reed, later moving his establishment to
where the postoffice now is, in a building
formerly occupied by R. H. Foot. He
built and operated an ashery for manu
facturing pearlash (crude soda, a product
of wood ashes), and continued in business
till 1843, when he sold out to Mathew
Allen, and came back to his farm in Pitts
field township, on which he made many
improvements. Politically Mr. McRoberts was a Whig,
and he took great interest in public affairs,
helping to organize the County Agricul
tural Society; he also took an active part in
building the Congregational Church, and
though not a member was one of the
trustees of the Society. He held the
offices of real-estate assessor, justice of the
peace, and township trustee; having some
knowledge of law he could tell what he
knew, and advocated many cases before
justices of the peace, being generally suc
cessful. He died in 1847, aud was buried
in the Centre cemetery of Pittsfield town
ship; his wife, now in her ninety-first
year, has lived continuously in the same
house for more than half a century, the
sole survivor of all the residents of Pitts
field township that had attained their ma
jority when she came here sixty-two years
ago. As wife, mother and neighbor she
has nobly sustained her part in the trials
and hardships of pioneer life, and the rear
ing of a large family, and now, with her
mother love undimmed (children and
grandchildren supplying her wants), with
a faith that never faltered, her life shadow
lengthening near the nightjjshe awaits the
coming dawn of a life eternal in Heaven.
Her children, seven in number, were all

sons, to wit: Henry, born October 31,
1829, in Hubbardton, Rutland Co., Vt.,
lives on the home farm, sketch of whom
follows; Albert, born August 9, 1831, in
Sudbury, Rutland Co., Vt., is a farmer of
Pittsfield township (he draws a pension
for disability incurred in the service of the
United States while acting as first lieu
tenant iu the Forty-first Regiment O. V.
I.); Pitt, born December 22, 1834, in
Pittsfield township, Lorain Co., Ohio, is a
well-to-do farmer of that township, living
within fifty rods of where he was born;
Charles, bora December 25, 1838, in
Wellington, Lorain county, who served
two years in Battery E, First Regiment
Ohio Artillery, was killed at Cleveland,
Ohio, in 1872, while a freight conductor
on the L. S. & M. S. R. R. (he was
buried in the Centre cemetery of Pitts
field); Volney, born May 12, 1841, in
Wellington, Ohio, a sketch of whom fol
lows; Erwin, born February 14, 1844, in
Pittsfield, enlisted in the Eighty- seventh
Regiment O. V. I., for three months, was
captured at Harper's Ferry, was paroled
and came home, being discharged at Dela
ware, Ohio (he re-enlisted in Company D,
One Hundred and Seventy-eighth Regi
ment O. V. I., and served to the end of
the war; he was killed at Toledo, Ohio, in
1870, while a freight couductor on the L.
S. & M. S. R. R., and was buried in the
Centre cemetery, Pittsfield, by Oberlin
Lodge, F. & A. M., of which he was a
member); and Arthur, born September
29, 1846, in Pittsfield township, where he
now resides, and carries on farming (so
cially he is a member of Oberlin Lodge,
I. O. O. F.).

HENRY McROBERTS, a well-known
resident of Pittsfield township, was
born October 31, 1829, in Vermont,
and came to Pittsfield township
with his parents in 1832. His edu
cation was that of the common schools,
and he lived with his parents and an uncle

4/

LORAIN COUNTY. OHIO.

721

by the name of Hall till his eighteenth
year. He then went to Elyria, in the em
ploy of Baldwin, Starr & Co., dealers in
general merchandise, as a salesman, re
maining there two years, and thence going
to Chicago, where he was in the employ of
William Blair & Co., hardware merchants,
at No. 176 Lake St., as salesman, for three
years. During that time he cast his first
vote at a municipal election. He saw the
first train of cars go out of the city. In
1852 he came back to Pittsfield, and has
lived on the same farm forty-one years, as
a farmer, dealer in fine-wool sheep, and
patent rights; he also operates a stone
quarry, and is a contractor for stone work.
In politics a Republican, he has held the
offices of President of the Board of Educa
tion, Township Trustee and Assessor, and
is serving his fourth term as Justice of the
Peace. During the war of the Rebellion
he was one of tbe " Squirrel Hunters."
On April 19, 1860, Mr. McRoberts was
married to Llarriet Pomeroy, who was
born November 2, 1834, in Newfane,
Windham Co., Vt., daughter of John M.
and Clarissa (Gale) Pomeroy; the parents
came to Ohio in 1839, and first located in
Sullivan township (then in Lorain county),
whence they finally moved to Pittsfield
township, where they settled. To Mr. and
Mrs. McRoberts have come the following-
named children: Luella P., Philip L.,
William S., Metta G., Erwin R., Ola E.
and H. Blain, all born in the same house
in Pittsfield township, and all living. Mr.
McRoberts is a member of theF. &A. M.,
and is well-known in the community where
he resides.

¥)OLNEY McROBERTS, an influen
tial citizen of Pittsfield township,
was born May 12, 1841, in Welling
ton, Lorain Co., Ohio, fifth in a
family of seven sons born to Peter and
Eliza (Waite) McRoberts. In 1843 he
came with his parents to the farm in Pitts

field township, where he first attended
school, his first teacher being one William
Horton. After the death of his father our sub
ject went to live with an uncle, Orlando
Hall. He received his primary education
at the common schools, and later took a
two years' course at Oberlin College. Re
turning to the home of his uncle he re
mained there until July, 1862, when he
enlisted, at Cleveland, in the First Ohio
Battery, which was sent to Kentucky and
stationed on the Green river, along the L.
& N. Railroad, whence they were driven
back by Bragg. Mr. McRoberts, along
with a number of others, being taken sick
near Louisville, he was discharged in the
fall of 1862, and returned to Pittsfield,
Ohio. On August 18, 1863, he was married to
Miss Celia Pomeroy, a native of Pitts
field township, daughter of John Pomeroy,
and to this union were bora four children,
namely: Walter V., foreman in a stone
sawmill at Bedford, Lawrence Co., Ind.;
Cora E., Mrs. Charles Reynolds, of Shef
field, Ohio; Lena M., wife of C. C. Carter,
a farmer of Pittsfield township; and Pitt
E., attending the business college at Ober
lin. On February 15, 1875, the mother
of these children passed from earth, and
was buried in Pittsfield cemetery. On
April 3, 1877, he married, for his second
wife, Amelia Johnson, of Penfield, Ohio,
who was born September 29, 1850, in
Wellington township, daughter of Collins
and Eliza (Gaylord) Johnson, who came
here in an early day from Jefferson county,
N. Y. To this marriage have come two
children, Celia F. and Helen I., both liv
ing at home. After marriage Mr. McRob
erts settled on Lot 21, in Pittsfield town
ship, where he has since resided, principally
engaged in agriculture, in which he has met
with no small degree of success. His farm
is an excellent one, and now comprises
137 acres of fine land. This tract contains
a stone quarry, wliich he operated for
seventeen years, and he has done con-

722

LORAIN COUNTY, OHIO.

siderable work for the cdunty, giving
his chief attention to bridge-building,
stonework, etc., all of which he- has
executed in a most creditable manner. Poli
tically he is a leading member of the Re
publican party, and has served his township
in various official capacities; he cast his first
vote for Abraham Lincoln. Socially he is
a member of Oberlin Lodge No. 380,
F. & A. M.

4/

HENRY H. WEEKS, a prominent
resident of Camden township, is a
native of New York City, born
March 10, 1831, a sou of Thomas
T. and Mary (Hoag) Weeks, the
former of whom was born in Yorktown,
Westchester Co., N. Y., in 1798, a son of
Benjamin K. Weeks, who was born in
1773, a son of James Weeks.
Thomas T. Weeks received a fair educa
tion at the schools of his native place, and
being naturally bright was a clever student
and an apt scholar. He was reared on a
farm, and followed agricultural pursuits
until 1825, when he moved to the city of
New York, and there followed the busi
ness of draying (at that time a lucrative
occupation) for a large wholesale firm,
until 1837, in -which year he removed with
his family to Ohio by river, canal and
lake via Buffalo, the voyage from the
latter place being made on the " Daniel
Webster," the first boat to pass through
the ice that spring — then the middle of
May. Prior to this he had visited Ohio
(in 1833 and 1835) and bought 320 acres
of land in the extreme southeastern part
of Florence township, Erie county, a part
of which was cleared, with a log house
and barn and a small orchard thereon. He
lived here thirty-four years. In 1871 he
sold this farm and bought another two
miles farther west, on which he lived in
the family of his son, Henry, eleven years.
Thomas T. Weeks was twice married:
first to Miss Mary Hoag, who was born in
Dutchess county, N. Y.,in 1796, daughter

of Abraham and Sarah (Matthews) Hoag,
and the children by this marriage were:
Sarah, now widow of James Daley, of
Wakeman, Ohio; Lydia M., wife of Edgar
Wright, a wholesale grocer of New York
City; Elizabeth, who died in 1878, and
Henry H. The mother of these died in
New York in 1833, and iu 1836 Mr.
Weeks married Mrs. Freelove Fowler, nee
Thorn, widow of Henry Fowler. The
children of this marriage were: Theodore,
who died in infancy; John F., now living
at Clyde, Ohio; Benjamin K., a farmer,
who died in Oberlin in 1879; James, who
died in infancy; Martha J. and Marietta,
of Oberlin, Ohio; and Emma, of Spring
field, Mass. The mother of these died in
Florence in 1866. Mr. Weeks died March
8, 1885, at the home of his daughters in
Oberlin, where he had been temporarily
sojourning. He was a man of strong con
victions, fearless and outspoken, a success
ful farmer and good business man, self-
made, and highly, respected. In politics
he was, a Democrat until 1856, when he
became a Republican, and ever after took
a deep interest in the success of the prin
ciples of that party.
Henry H. Weeks, the subject proper
of this memoir, attended the public schools
of the county of his adoption, and also
one term at a select school at Birming
ham, Erie county. He remained with his
father until his marriage in 1855, teaching
school, however, during several winters in
Florence, Vermillion and Wakeman town
ships. Soon after his marriage he moved
into a log house on a small farm which he
owned in Henrietta township, Lorain
county, where he lived until 1858, when
he removed with his family to Findlay,
Ohio, where he carried on a grocery and
provision business. In 1861 he returned
to Florence, and in compauy with his
brother, Benjamin, carried on the home
farm four years. The next three years he
lived in the city of New York. Return
ing from there in 1868 he took charge of
his father's farm, on which he and hia

LORAIN COUNTY, OHIO.

733

family lived until the spring of 1883,
when he purchased and moved onto the
farm where he now resides in Camden
township, Lorain county, about one mile
west of Kipton.
Mr. Weeks has been twice married;
first time November 15, 1855, to Miss
Cora L. Van Camp, of Quincy, Mich.,
and, second, October 14, 1872, to Mrs.
Louise J. Shaffer, widow of George
Shaffer, a member of the One Plun-
dred and First Regiment 0. V. I.,
who died of smallpox at Chattanooga,
Tenn., in 1863. She was born at Birming
ham, Erie county, March 13, 1841, a daugh
ter of Thomas Hazard, a native of the city
of New York. By the first marriage were
born two children: Frank E., now a prac
ticing physician in Clarksfield, Huron
county, and Charles H., who was accident
ally killed at the age of ten years. Politi
cally our subject is a Republican, has held
several township offices, and is now serving
his tenth year as township trustee.
From genealogical records in his posses
sion Mr. Weeks traces his lineage back to
Anneke Jans- Bogardus, a native of Hol
land, who with her husband, Roelof Jans,
came to New Amsterdam (now New York)
in 1630, and who at her death left landed
property there which has since become
very valuable, and is now in the possession
of Trinity Church. The immediate an
cestors of our subject were Friends, or
Quakers, and he is by birthright a member
of that Society, but in belief is bound by
no religious creed.

THOMAS FOLGER, a leading grape
grower in this section of Ohio, and
manager of the grape syndicate that
controls the sale of grapes grown in
the Lake Erie district, is a native
of Medina county, Ohio, born February 14,
1842. He is a' son of H. G. and E. A.
(Ingersoll) Folger, the former of whom

died November 26, 1883; the mother is
yet living, and is making her home with
her son Thomas.
Thomas Folger, grandfather of the sub
ject of this sketch, was boru on the island
of Nantucket, Mass., where his ancestors
had settled, one of whom was many years
ago one of the seven proprietors of that
island. Grandfather Folger was a whaler,
owning an interest in several whaling
ships; and when the English Government
passed a law granting a bounty on whale-
oil products, he removed to London, Eng
land, in order to come under the provis
ions of said law, expecting good financial
returns. He there married, and in the
city of London our subject's father was
born. After tbe rescinding, by the Eng
lish Government, of the whale-oil bounty
Act, Thomas Folger returned to Nantucket,
taking his family with him. C. J. Folger,
the prominent American politician, who
was U. S. Sub-Treasurer under Grant, also
Secretary of the Treasury under Arthur,
and held many other high offices of trust
in the U. S. Government, is an uncle of
our subject.
Thomas Folger received his education
in part at the public schools, and in part
at the Western Reserve College. At the
breaking out of the Civil war he enlisted,
in August, 1861, in Company H, Twenty-
fifth O. V. L, and was mustered out of
the service in July, 1865. His regiment,
which was first assigned to the army of
the Potomac, participated in the battles of
Gettysburg, Chancellorsville, Cedar Moun
tain and several minor engagements. It
was then transferred to the army of the
Southwest, under Sherman, was in the
celebrated march to the sea, and after its
return homeward took part in the Grand
Review at Washington. Mr. Folger was
promoted from the ranks to lieutenant and
adjutant, and brevet captain. On his return
to the pursuits of peace, he took up his
residence in Cleveland, Ohio, where he
embarked in the produce and commission
business, which he carried on for some five

724

LORAIN COUNTY, OHIO.

or six years, subsequently becoming a
wholesale commission merchant. About
the year 1878 he abandoned this business
for grape culture, a line of industry for
which he has a special liking, and to
which he has since given mnch thought
and attention. He now owns and operates
a vineyard covering some forty acres, and
is one uf the leading organizers of a syndi
cate whose object is the marketing of
grapes grown in this part of the country,
Mr. Folger being manager of same. He
attends to the details of shipment, as well
as the finding of suitable markets, and, in
fact, controls the entire business of the
corporation. He is also a stockholder and
director in the Lorain Banking Company.
Mr. Folger was united in marriage, May
2, 1867, with Miss Delia Beswick, and
four children have been bora to them:
Anna B., Josephine D., Jennie P., and Ida
A., who died at the age of eight years.
Politically he is a Democrat, and has been
a member of the city council of Elyria (of
which place he is a resident). He is a
F. & A. M.,a member of the Chapter, and
is a member of the G. A. R. A man of
marked business faculties, Mr. Folger is a
potent factor in all movements tending to
the advancement and prosperity of the
county of his adoption.

IDNEYSARDUS WARNER. This
gentleman, prominent in the bank
ing, manufacturing and farming in
terests of Lorain county, comes of
English ancestry, who left the Mother
Country many years ago for America,
making a settlement in New England.
Mr. Warner was born in Suffield, Conn.,
April 17, 1829, and in 1832 was brought
by his parents to Mantua, Portage Co.,
Ohio, thence in 1839 to Huntington, Lo
rain county. There he made his home un
til he moved in 1868, to Wellington, where
he has since resided. His father, Chaun
cey Warner, born in Suffield, Conn., in

1790, was a man of culture, high mental
attainments and irreproachable character.
He married Miss Eliza Kent, who was
born in his native town in 1792, a lady of
pronounced intellectual force, undimmed
' even in her old age, and a devoted worker
in every cause tending to the advancement
and enlightenment of the human race.
They both attained patriarchal ages, the
father dying at ninety- two, the mother at
ninety-seven years. With such intellec
tual, hale and stanch parentage, it is not to
be wondered at that at an early age, ere he
had quite reached the close of the first
decade of his life, the son should begin to
develop that spirit of determination and
enterprise that has since characterized his
many and various undertakings, and ele
vated him to the pinnacle of success.
When thirty-two years old, Mr. Warner
was elected to represent Lorain county in
the General Assembly of Ohio, on the
"Union ticket;" was reelected in 1863,
and has ever since been a Republican. Llis
career as Representative was marked by
his accuracy of judgment and political sa
gacity, and his fearless discharge of duty
to his constituency and the State at large;
and as a proof, if proof were indeed needed,
of the esteem and respect in which he was
held by the people, we find him elected State
Treasurer on the Republican ticket in
1865, again in 1867, and yet again in
1869, serving three consecutive terms.
Mr. Warner's administration was charac
terized by the highest efficiency and the
most scrupulous honesty. After serving
four years as trustee of Cleveland Hospital
for the Insane, he was reappointed to the
same position, by Gov. Foster, for a term
of five years, during which time he filled
the office of president of tbe board. Soon
after bis re-appointment, however, he re
signed, in 1880, to head the Republican
ticket as elector-at-large, but was, after the
election of Garfield, again, December 31,
same year, re-appointed to that trust, to
preside at tbe board from which he had
recently resigned. Mr. Warner's political

o-fEngravmQ ftn(>-'-'

LORAIN COUNTY, OHIO.

727

career has been marked, at every step, by
persistent energy, strict integrity and a
high' sense of justice. In 1874 he was a
prominent candidate for Governor of Ohio,
and would probably have been nominated
had not the question of U. S. senatorship
entered the convention as a potent factor.
As a candidate for Congress in the Four
teenth Congressional District, he secured,
for 595 successive ballots, more, votes than
any other candidate in the convention. He
withdrew, however, in the interest of har
mony — naming a new candidate who was
nominated the first ballot thereafter. Mr.
Warner has, indeed, been highly honored
by his State; and it can be said, without
suspicion of flattery, that he has well
merited every honor he has received.
Mr. Warner's business enterprises, while
numerous and varied, have been successful
and prosperous. He was one of the prime
movers in the organization of the First
National Bank of Wellington, in 1864,
and has been its president since, a period
of about thirty years. Since 1869 he has
been a member of one of the largest cheese
firms in the State of Ohio, widely known
all over the country under the name of
Horr, Warner & Co. During its exist,
ence, he was president of the Citizens
Mutual Relief Association. In 1881 he
was chosen president of the Clarksfield
Stone Company; in 1883, he assisted in
organizing the Cleveland National Bank,
of which he has been the only president.
He is a member of the, agricultural firm of
Wean, Horr, Warner & Co., and is ex
tensively engaged in the breeding of fine
blooded horses.
In 1851 Mr. Warner married Miss
Margaret Anna Rradner, 0f Huntington,
Lorain county, a woman of the same
sturdy New England stock, whose ability
and good judgment have supplemented
the endeavors of her husband, and whose
accomplishments have kept pace with his
career. Four children have been born to
this union, as follows: Orrie Louisa,
Sidney Kent, Albert Rollin and George
39

Bradner, the youngest two being gradu
ates of Cornell University, the daughter
of Oberlin College.
Surrounded by his interesting, intelli
gent family, Mr. Warner is a thoughtful,
devoted husband, and a kind, indulgent
father. Among men he is genial and
companionable; manly and fearlessly in
dependent in character and thought; con
sistent and temperate in all respects. His
social standing is high, his integrity in
corruptible. A true and loyal friend, a
man of taste and culture — with broad and
liberal views — Mr. Warner is a man, all
in all, of large body, soul and mind.

AMUEL S. ROCKWOOD, assist
ant cashier of The Savings Deposit
Bank Co., Elyria, is a native of that
town, born October 6, 1861. His,
education was, received in the public schools
of Elyria, and ha graduated from the High
School in the class, of 1880. In 1882 he
entered into the employ of the Savings
Deposit Bank as assistant bookkeeper,
from which position he has been promoted
step by step to the assistant cashiership, to
which incumbency he was appointed in
1892, and is at present filling with char
acteristic ability and fidelity. In 1886 Mr.
Rockwood was married to Miss Ella L.
Garford, and one child, named Gertrude
L., has come to brighten their home.
Our subject in his political sympathies
is a Republican; socially he is a member
of the Royal Arcanum and National
Union, and both he and his wife are mem
bers of the Protestant Episcopal Church.
The parents of the subject of our
sketch, Augustus F. and Diantha (Spencer)
Rockwood, were children of pioneers of
the county, born, reared and educated
there. The father, who was by trade a
carpenter and joiner, died in 1874 from
diseases contracted during a three years'
service for the Union in the war of the
Rebellion. They were the parents of three

728

LORAIN COUNTY, OHIO.

children: Samuel S., the subject of our
sketch; Angeline S., wife of J. A. Reublin,
and Mary D., wife of W. G. Watts, Well
ington, Ohio.
Henry S. Rockwood, the paternal grand
father of our subject, was one of the pio
neers of the county, having spent most of
the years of a long life within its bounds.
He was for some time county recorder, and
is still living hale and hearty, having
passed his eighty-second birthday. He
came of long-lived stock, his own father
having lived and died in the county at the
advanced age of one hundred years. Eliel
C. Spencer, the maternal grandfather of
the subject of our sketch, came to Lorain
county when a mere boy. He endured all
the hardships and privations of pioneer
life, and died at the age of eighty-two. He
was an indefatigable worker, and of him it
is said: "He hewed more miles of public
highway through the virgin forest in the
towns of Pittsfield and LaGrange than any
other man in those parts."

FA. AYERY, editor and proprietor
of the North Amherst Argus, is a
_ native of Lorain county, Ohio, born
January 6, 1872, in Henrietta town
ship. He is a son of A. P. and Lucinda
(Wheeler) Avery, the former of whom was
born, in 1832, in Massachusetts, came west
and located in Wellington, Ohio, where he
married Miss Lucinda Wheeler, of La
Grange township, Lorain county.
The subject of these lines left his home
at the age of fourteen years, and from that
time made his own way in the world. He
received his education at the common
schools, alsoat the Wellington high school,
and took a miscellaneous literary course at
the Normal College of Valparaiso, Ind.
In Antwerp, Ohio, he learned the printing
trade, and after serving his apprenticeship
came to North Amherst, where for a year
and a half he was manager and local editor
of the Reporter. In the fall of 1891 he

severed his connection with that paper and
worked as a "jour" competitor on various
leading newspapers in the East and West
until October, 1892, at which time he
established the Argus, a clean, bright,
newsy journal which is bound to make its
mark under the facile pen of its experi
enced though yet youthful editor. It is a
paper free and untrammeled, being open to
all parties, influenced by none, and neutral
in politics.

K. STARR, farmer and extensive
landowner, and oldest resident of
Penfield township, is a son of Will
iam Starr, who was born October 3,
17 — , near Danbury, Conn., son of Eleazer
and Rebecca (Clapp) Starr.
William Starr was reared to farm life,
and when a young man removed with his
parents to Harpersfield, Delaware Co., N.
Y., where he was united in marriage, in
1816, with Miss Ada Beardsley. She was
born April 18, 1795, near Danbury, Conn.,
daughter of Gaylord and Charlotte (Bass)
Beardsley, who also moved from Connecti
cut to Delaware county, N. Y. Here
William and Ada Starr had children as
follows: A son that died in infancy un
named; Axey E., born September 20, 1818,
who married Abel Dougherty, and died
in Penfield, Ohio; Polly Ann, born Feb
ruary 29, i820, now the widow of Jacob
Smith, residing with her children in Erie
county, Penn.; Clarinda E., bora Novem
ber 11, 1822, who married for her first
husband Dr. William Jeffries, and for her
second Charles Shepard (she died October
5, 1885, at Adrian, Mich.); Orline R.,
boru January 20, 1826, now the widow of
J. W. Hamilton, who died October 11,
1877' (she lives in Wellington, Ohio);
Jane M., born April 1, 1827, of Welling
ton, Ohio; Ada L., who died when three
months old; and George W., bora March
20, 1831, who died June 8, 1878, at Pen-
field, Ohio. After coming to Ohio they
had two more ehildren — Orrin K., sub-

LORAIN COUNTY, OHIO.

729

ject of this sketch, and Gideon R., a
farmer and retired merchant of Warren
township, Warren Co., Penn. In 1831
the family came by canal and lake to Ohio,
the hired man driving the team to Buffalo,
N. Y., from which place they came on the
boat "William Penn" to Cleveland, the
trip occupying three days and two nights.
During this journey a terrible storm arose
on the lake, the ship being twice driven to
the Canadian shore. From Cleveland they
drove with a team to Medina, where
Mathew L. Hamilton, a brother-in-law of
Mr. Starr, resided, and here remained two
weeks, when they removed to Penfield
township, Lorain county; at this time
there was no bridge there across the Black
river, and Mrs. Starr crossed it on a foot-
log, carrying her infant son George. They
located on land a short distance west of
the center of the township, which Mr.
Starr purchased from Amzi Penfield, and
made a permanent home on this farm,
which still remains in the possession of
the family, being now owned by the sub
ject of this sketch. When William Starr
came to Ohio his means were somewhat
limited, and he was obliged to go into
debt for his farm, only a few acres of which
were then cleared, and which contained a
log house, but no barn. Wild animals
abounded. Improvements were begun at
once, and here he continued to follow
farming tbe rest of his life, and amassed a
comfortable competence. Politically he
was a Democrat until the time of William
H. Harrison, when he joined the Repub
lican party, with wliich he affiliated the
rest of his days. He died in April, 1864,
preceded by his wife May 28, 1856, and
both are buried in Penfield cemetery. They
were members of the Methodist Episcopal
Church at Penfield.
0. K. Starr was born December 3, 1833,
in Penfield township, Lorain Co., Ohio, on
the farm he now owns. He was reared to
agricultural life, and obtained his educa
tion in the common schools of the day, re
ceiving his first literary instruction under

Jiles Palmer. After his seventeenth year
he worked away from home, receiving
eight dollars per month; later was em
ployed three years by Hiram Smith; in
1855 went to Adair county, Iowa, and
while there took up land which has since
remained in the family. In 1857 he was
married, in Penfield, to Miss Matilda
Wager, who died a few years later, leaving
one child, Ida, now Mrs. Edwin Norton,
of Grand Rapids, Mich. For his second
wife our subject was married, February 28,
1863, to Miss Mary E. Blanchard, who was
born in 1840 in Palenville, Greeue Co.,
N. Y. (among the Catskills), daughter of
J. H. and Jane Parmelia (Myers) Blanch
ard, who came to Penfield township in
1850 from Morrow county, Ohio, whither
they had migrated from New York. In
company with his brother George Mr.
Starr bought out the other heirs of the old
home farm, and here -he made his home
until 1888, when he removed to his pres
ent farm. To his second marriage have
been born two children, namely: Justice
M. (a merchant of Penfield) and Alena R.
(wife of Fred Andrews, a farmer of Pen-
field). Mr. Starr has dealt in stock, aud
has bought and sold wool, meeting in all
his enterprises with no small degree of
success. He now owns 213 acres of excel
lent land. In his political predilections he
is a stanch member of the Republican
party, and has served as township treasurer
for some years. Mrs. Starr is a member
of the M. E. Cliurch.

JOHN AUSTIN CHAPMAN (de
ceased), for many years a prosperous
farmer and dairyman in Huntington
township, was born in Montgomery,
Mass., April 7, 1817.
Isaac Chapman, paternal grandfather of
John Austin Chapman, was a native of
Connecticut, born in the town of Groton,
December 18, 1740. His wife, Mary, was
born July 13, 1742, in Plymouth, Mass.,

730

LORAIN COUNTY, OHIO.

and died May 25, 1806, the mother of nine
children, all born in Groton, as follows:
Content, Susanna, Isaac, Mary, Abner,
Elisha, Nathan, Bradford and Sarah. John
Fisher, maternal grandfather of John Aus
tin Chapman, was born May 22, 1751, and
his wife, Muriel, on November 15, 1741.
Of their children, William, Olive (John
A. Chapman's mother), George, Hulda and
Henry all lived in Yermont.
Abner Chapman, father of subject, was
a native of Connecticut, born June 20,
1772. He worked on the farm of John
Fisher, in Vermont, whose daughter, Olive,
he married January 19, 1796, at Ver-
gennes, same State; she was born Novem
ber 20, 1778. All their children, thirteen
in number, were born in Massachusetts,
and the following is a brief record of the
majority of them: Luther, born in 1798,
died at the age of eighty-six in Geauga
county, Ohio, where he had settled; Calvin,
born November 24, 1800, was married, and
died in Boston, Mass., June 1, 1857;
Achsah (1) died in infancy; following these
come Olive, Achsah (2), Laura, Abner,
William, Eunice, Hulda A., John Austin
(subject of sketch) and Emeline (wife of
Edward West), of Wellington, Ohio, all of
whom grew to maturity excepting two. In
1833 the family came from Montgomery,
Mass., to Lorain county, Ohio, settling in
Huntington township. Luther, the eldest,
came west before his parents and the rest
of the family, walking the entire distance
to Geauga county, Ohio, where he settled,
as already related. The father died Jan
uary 29, 1851, the mother on February 25,
1854. The subject of this sketch was married
November 6, 1844, m Huntington town
ship, Lorain county, to Miss Isabel Lind
sey, born December 15, 1824, in Chester,
Mass., a daughter of John and Susan
(King) Lindsey, the former of whom was
born in Massachusetts (it is believed) No
vember 15, 1803. In 1836 Mr. Lindsey
came to Lorain county, Ohio, settling
on a farm in Huntington township. He

served as deputy under Sheriff Gates, of
Lorain county, and was one of the posse of
detectives who hunted down the counter
feiters several years ago, bringing back in
custody several of them from beyond the
Mississippi river. His wife was born July
7, 1801, in County Armagh, Ireland, and
died June 2, 1845, after which Mr. Lind
sey removed east, but after a time again
came west, for a couple of years sojourn
ing in Illinois, where he had business, and
where he died in September, 1852. In his
political predilections he was a strong
Douglas Democrat. To Mr. and Mrs.
Lindsey there were bora six children, viz.:
Isabel, born December 12, 1824, widow of
John A. Chapman; William K-, bora May
18, 1826, died young; Esther, born May
25, 1828; John G, born April 18, 1831,
living in Allegan, Mich.; Margaret, bora
June 6, 1835; and William H., born Sep
tember 28, 1839, living in Michigan, all
born in Massachusetts except the youngest,
who is an Ohioan. Grandfather William
Lindsey, who lived in Chester, Mass., was
descended from Scotch ancestry, the Chap-
mans being of English descent. Mrs.
Chapman's maternal grandmother, Mar
garet Morton, married William King.
Her (Mrs. Chapman's) paternal grand
mother was Jane Hubble, a native of Con
necticut, who had two brothers known to
Mrs. Chapman, named respectively Ed
ward and Silas; she was twice married:
first to John Lindsey and then to William
Lindsey. After marriage, Mr. and Mrs. John
Austin Chapman settled in Huntington
township, Lorain county, on the Chapman
homestead, taking care of his parents in
their declining years. In 1876 they came
to the town of Wellington, where they
built the elegant and commodious residence
still occupied by Mrs. Chapman. Here he
died May 22, 1891, leaving a comfortable
competence, the accumulation of years of
honest toil aud careful thrift. Prior to
the Civil war he was an Old-time Dem
ocrat, but became, at the breaking out of

LORAIN COUNTY, OHIO.

731

that straggle, a stanch Republican, re
maining iu the ranks of that party till the
day of his death. Their home was bright
ened by the birth of three children, of
whom the following is a brief record:
Oren P., born October 30, 1845, married
Miss Ella Perkins, and has two children,
Mary Isabel and Robert A.; John Lindsey,
born July 31, 1852, married Mabel Noney,
and has three children: William Austin,
Grace and Olive; and Josephine, married
to Edward Van Cleaf, has two sons: Frank
Chapman and Winferd K.

in

'EORGE M. HARRIS, M. D. This
gentleman, who has successfully
practiced his profession for some
sixteen years in Lorain, comes of an
old pioneer family of Lorain county.
He was born in North Amherst, Ohio,
1854, a son of Milo and Mary J.
(Tyrrell) Harris, natives of Ohio and Mas
sachusetts, respectively. The father is a
prominent man in Lorain county, toward
the growth and advancement of which he
has materially contributed. In 1861 he
was elected sheriff of the county, serving
eighteen months; was also a justice of the
peace for many years in Amherst and
Black River townships. He was twice
married: first time, in 1843, to Miss Caro
line Stocking, of Lorain county, by which
union there was one child, Florence (widow
of Hiram Leslie), now living in California.
Mrs. Caroline Harris died in 1852, and
Mr. Harris subsequently married Miss
Mary Tyrrell, daughter of Homer and
Mary F. Tyrrell (both now deceased), all
natives of Massachusetts. By this mar
riage there were five children, of whom
the following is a brief record: George M.
is the subject of this sketch; Albert T. is
a physician in Howard, Kans. ; Lucia M.
is the wife of George M. Parker, of North
Amherst; Homer J. died at the age of
sixteen years; Carrie F. died at the age of
three years.

Josiah Harris, grandfather of subject,
was bora November 30, 1783, in Becket,
Berkshire Co., Mass., and died March 26,
1867, aged eighty-four years. Iu 1818
he came on foot from Massachusetts to
Lorain county, where he had previously
purchased land in what is now Amherst
township. He was a member of the Ohio
Legislature, and to attend to his duties
there, at Columbus, he used to ride on
horseback through a comparatively wild
country. He served as postmaster (under
appointment of Postmaster-General Meigs)
over forty years continuously, excepting
when in the Legislature.
George M. Harris received his primary
education at the common schools of North
Amherst, after which, in 1875, he entered
the Eclectic Medical Institute at Cincin
nati, where he graduated with the class of
1877, in which year he located in Lorain,
a town then of but some 1,500 inhabitants,
and where he has since resided. In May,
1881, the Doctor was united in marriage,
in Uhrichsville, Ohio, with Miss Dor-
rell M. Leggett, a native of Uhrichsville,
and to this union has been born one child,
Florence. In politics Dr. Harris is a Re
publican, and he has served as a member
of the town council. Socially he is a
member of the K. O. T. M.

|[OHN CURREY, a successful well-to-
l I do merchant, and well known as one
%_J) of the stanch business men of Roches
ter, is a native of Pennsylvania, born
in Chester county February 10, 1823.
William Currey, father of subject, by
trade a wagon maker and wheelwright,
was of the same locality by birth, as was
also his wife, Rachel (Rickard). They
were the parents of children as follows:
Jonathan, who died in Troy, Ashland Co.,
Ohio; Ann, who married Thomas Wood,
and died in Ashland county; Isaac, de
ceased in Ashland county; Harriet", who
died in Pennsylvania when young; John,

732

LORAIN COUNTY, OHIO.

subject of sketch; Hannah, Mrs. James
Walker, of Troy, Ohio; William, of Ash
land county; Matthew, a resident of the
State of Washington; and Angeline, who
died young. In 1837 the family came to
Ohio, the journey to Columbus, their
destination, being made by wagon, and
their route the National Pike. In Colum
bus the father died, in August, 1837, and
his widow about three months afterward
moved to Greenwich township, Huron
county, where she 'and the family rented
land, on which they lived five years. In
1842 they moved to Troy, Ashland county,
where they bought fifty acres of wild land
at six dollars per acre. Here the mother
died in 1854, her remains being laid to
rest in Beckley cemetery, Rochester "town
ship. John Currey, whose name introduces
this sketch, received his education at the
schools of his native place, and was four
teen years old when the family came to
Ohio, where he had to lay his hand to the
axe to assist in the hewing out of a new
home for the family. In 1866 he moved
from Troy township, Ashland county, to
Rochester, Lorain county, where he en
tered mercantile life, having since success
fully conducted his general store, in con
nection with which he is interested in a
hotel business, and buys and sells farm
products. He owns in Troy township,
Ashland county, 312 acres of excellent
farming land.
Mr. Currey has been twice married, first
time in 1854 to Miss Almira Carrier, who
was born in Ashland county, Ohio, and
shortly thereafter they moved to Iowa
City, where he was employed as clerk in
the hardware store of Hart, Love & Co.,
which was not his first experience in that
line, having already been in business for
himself in Troy, Ohio. While in Iowa
City his wife died, and about three months
later he returned to Troy. In 1856, for
his second helpmeet, Mr. Currey wedded
Miss Matilda Wicks, a native of New
York, born of English parentage. By

this marriage came children whose record
is as follows: Rachel, now Mrs. Adelbert
Mitchell, of Rochester; Jane, Mrs. Charles
Beardsley, of Rochester; Emeline, Mrs.
George Smith, of Brighton township:
Charles, of Troy, Ohio; Hattie, Mrs.
Dwight Mann, of Rochester; and Nellie,
residing at home. Politically our subject
is a stanch Republican, and has held vari
ous township offices, including that of
treasurer six years. Both he and his wife
are exemplary members of the M. E.
Church. Mr. Currey is a man of good
judgment and sound common sense, and
his advice, where truly needed, is fre
quently sought for and found valuable.

T'HADDEUS W. FANCHER, post
master at Lorain, was born Febru
ary 25, 1839, in Greenwich, Huron
Co., Ohio, where he was reared and
educated.
At the age of twenty-four he removed
to central Michigan, where he resided
about ten years, or until 1873, when he
came to Lorain, Ohio, and there followed
contracting and building some five or six
years. At the end of that time he bought
an interest in a hardware business, having
as a partner a Mr. Edison, and this he con
tinued in until his appointment, in 1880,
as postmaster at Lorain. At the end of
seven years' well-merited popularity in
this office he was deposed by the incoming
Cleveland administration, but received re
appointment on the accession of Harrison
to the Presidency, in 1890. He has also
served in various municipal offices, such as
member of council and mayor, besides as a
justice of the peace for several years.
In 1862 Mr. Fancher was united in
marriage, in Greenwich, Huron Co., Ohio,
with Miss Ermina Griffin, of the same
place, daughter of Riley and Philena
Griffin, the former of whom was bora in
1812 in Greene county, N. Y. ; his wife,
Philena (Washburn), was born in Ulster

LORAIN COUNTY, OHIO.

733

county, N. Y., in 1817, and died in 1862.
Two children have been born to Mr. and
Mrs. Fancher: Elvadore R. and Millicent
A. Our subject has been a Freemason
since the age of twenty-one. He is a son
of William and Mary (Vanscoy) Fancher,
the former of whom was born in 1811 in
Poughkeepsie, N. Y ., whence in 1819 he
came to Greenwich, Huron Co., Ohio, and
died in 1887, at Camden, Mich., at the age
of seventy-six years. Our subject's mother
was a native of Geauga county, Ohio.

C. WEEKS, whose industry and
thrift have united in placing him
in the front rank of Lorain county's
K. many prosperous agriculturists, is
the owner of a highly-improved
farm of seventy-seven acres in Rochester
township. He is the third son of German Weeks,
who was born in the State of New York
March 13, 1804; was united in marriage
January 7, 1830, with Jane S., daughter
of Christina and Peter Thompson. She
whs born April 17, 1809. To Mr. and
Mrs. Weeks were born thirteen children,
all of whom are now living except the
third child, who died in infancy. They
are as follows: Matilda, Schuyler, George,
Christina, Peter T., Andrew, John, Mary
E., Martha A., Eliza J., Harriet L. and
La Rue. Five of these accompanied the
parents to Ohio in 1840, locating first in
Rochester, Ohio, and two years later mov
ing two miles south to Troy, Ashland
county. Here he bought and cleared up a
farm of one hundred acres, and here he
lived until his death, which occurred June
25, 1886, a period of more than forty
years. His faithful and beloved wife de
parted this life November 29, 1882,
greatly mourned by her husband and
children. G. C. Weeks was born September 10,
1835, and received a fairly liberal educa
tion at the schools of his native place. At

the age of fourteen he left the paternal
home, and worked out at what he could
find to do on neighboring farms. At the
end of seven years he returned to his par
ents, and with filial affection assisted and
cared for them until he was thirty years
old, at which time he bought for his own
account fifty acres of land at forty dollars
per acre. Directly after his marriage he
added to this purchase twenty other acres
adjoining, and, still later, seven more,
which in the aggregate comprise his pres
ent fine farm.
During the Civil war Mr. Weeks en
listed, in February, 1865, in Company F,
One Hundred and Eighty-seventh Regi
ment O. V. I., serving one year. Return
ing home January 31, 1866, he married,
May 31, same year, Miss Mary B. Ford,
born in Clear Creek township, Ashland
Co., Ohio, February 9, 1846, a daughter
of Elias Ford, one of the pioneers of Ash
land county. Politically Mr. Weeks is a
Republican, and in religious faith he and
his wife are members of the Methodist
Episcopal Church at Troy, in which they
take an active interest.

jARREN. The Warren family is
one of the oldest in Wellington
township, and is descended from'
a long line of N ew England an
cestry. The earliest records of the family men
tion one Warren, born about 1650, who
was the father of Joshua Warren, of
Watertown, Mass. Joshua married Re-
becah, daughter of Caleb Church, also of
Watertown. The next in line was Joshua,-
Jr., who married Elizabeth Harris, of
Brookline. He was followed by Benjamin
Warren, born in Watertown, November
30, 1728; his wife was Hannah Lewis, and
he was a Revolutionary soldier.
Benjamin Warren, Jr., was born April
19, 1772, and married Lucy Burr, of Nor
folk, Conn. He brought his family to

734

LORAIN COUNTY, OHIO.

Wellington in 1831. Their children were:
Polly, Harriett, Betsey, Alanson and Lu
ther Day. The latter was born March 2,
1813, and married Laura Wait, who was
born in Fredonia, N. Y., February, 6,
1814. Their descendants, who still live
in Wellington, are: Harriet E. Warren,
M. D.; Frank D. Warren, who married
Metta Sage (they have one child — Ella);
Walter D. Warren, who married Helen
Comstock, and with their three children —
Clarence, Albert and Emma — still lives in
the old homestead on the banks of the
Charlemont.

|[| ENRY HARRISON WILLIAMS,
t^ one of the earliest pioneers of Avon
jj 1| township, was bora in Norwich,
y) Conn., October 21, 1812, one of
eight children born to Johu and
Clarissa Williams, both natives of Massa
chusetts. In 1817 the parents moved to Ohio and
settled in Troy (now Avon) township,
Lorain county, bringing with them their
eight children, as follows: Laura, Justin,
Tempa, Eliza Minerva, John Wendell,
Mary Harriet, Henry Harrison and James
Dwight, of whom, Jnstin died in 1846.
Here the father opened up a farm in the
woods, whereon he made a -permanent
home, and he laid the first board floor in
the township. He died June 29, 1840,
his wife October 28, 1839. In politics he
was a Whig, and he served as township
treasurer. Some of their children lived to
old age: Mrs. Tempa Garfield died January
13, 1894, in Sheffield, in her ninety-fourth
year; Mrs. Eliza M. Clary, now in her
ninety-first year, lives in Norwalk; John
W. died in Avon in his eighty-fifth year;
Henry Harrison is now in his eighty-
second year'; James D. died in Avon in his
seventy- fifth year.
H. H. Williams was five years of age
when he came with the rest of the family
to what is now Avon township, at which
time the country was covered with timber,

wolves, bears and deer being numerous.
One of the male members of the family
would have to go horseback once in every
two weeks, to Olmsted, to have their mill
ing done, and as* there were no roads the
journey was often somewhat perilous.
Many a day Harrison spent pounding corn
in a stump, hollowed ont, to make their
bread. Shoes were a luxury, and the chil
dren would tramp miles to school in win
ter time with their feet bound up in
cloths. Our subject received his educa
tion in the common schools of the day,
which were held in log cabins, and subse
quently engaged in mercantile business at
French Creek for fifteen years. In 1850
he erected the first steam sawmill in the
township, which he conducted for some
time, and then bought a gristmill. In
1855 he was burned out, and in 1856 he
built the present gristmill at French
Creek, which he operated for many years.
For the past few years he has given his
attention to agriculture, and owns a good
farm adjoining the village. On February
6, 1840, he was married at Ridgeville,
Ohio, to Miss Eunice Amelia Porter,
daughter of Ebenezer and Eunice (Yale)
Porter, who were married in 1800 at Lee,
Mass.; in 1822 they left |there, with their
family of eight children, for Ohio, the
journey being made with covered wagons,
and occupying three months. They spent
the first winter in Dover, Cuyahoga
county, and in the spring moved to Ridge
ville, where Mr. Porter built the first log
house on Sugar Ridge. He was a lifelong
farmer. He died at his residence in
Ridgeville July 6, 1867, at the patriarchal
age of ninety-two years. His wife died at
the same place November 19, 1847, aged
seventy-seven years. Their children were
as follows: Mrs. Griscilda Gardner, de
ceased; Kimball; Mrs. Marcia Smith, de
ceased at the age of eighty-two years;
Mrs. Mary E. Chester, Mrs. Frances 'Sex
ton, Mrs. Charlotte Tinker and Charles J.,
all deceased, and Mrs. Eunice A. Will
iams. To Harrison H. and Eunice A.

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S*r

'tntiti^.
LORAIN COUNTY, OHIO.

737

Williams were born five children, their
names and dates of birth being as follows:
(1) Howard, January 21, 1841; (2) An
nette, January 23, 1843; (3) Everett E.,
March 2, 1846; (4) Montville, November
15, 1847 (died December 16, 1847); and
(5} Nellie L., October 5, 1853. Of these,
(1) Howard married March 13, 1871, Ada
F. McCarty; he is in the slate and felt
roofing business in Toronto, Ont., also
Buffalo, N. Y. ; their children were Alli
son Jay, Annette Morey, Dwight Mc
Carty (deceased), Ralph Clark and Frank
lin Howard (of these Annette Morey was
married June 15, 1893, to T. Corbert
Thompson, a dry-goods merchant in To
ronto, Ont.). (2) Annette married, June
3, 1868, Norris Morey, an attorney at law
of Buffalo, N. Y., and captain in the New
York cavalry; their children are Isabel
Ransom, Joseph Harrison, Howard Will
iams and Arthur Norris. (3) Everett E.
married, at Avon, October 23, 1870, Miss
Laurett A. Williams; he is assistant cash
ier in the National Bank of Elyria; their
children are Zella Messenger, Harrison
Charles and Porter Hastiugs. (5) Nellie
L. was married May 21, 1881, to Burton
C. Jameson, formerly of Avon, in the
gravel and composition roofing business in
Buffalo, N. Y., also in Toronto, Canada;
their children are Everett Williams and
Norris Morey.
Howard Williams, eldest son of H. H.
Williams, enlisted August 11, 1862, then
twenty-one years of age, in Company E,
Forty-secoud O. V. I., as a recruit. For
most of the time he was on detached, or
special, duty until April 3, 1863, when,
being sick, he was sent to St. Louis Hos
pital. Subsequently he was given a com
mission as second lieutenant of Company
B, Fifth U. S. Volunteers; was ordered to
Salena, Kansas, a border town, to guard
army trains across the Plains, where In
dians and others were troublesome. Later
he was sent to Denver, Colo., and there
remained till the close of the war. He is
now in Toronto, Ont., as above recorded.

In political connection Henry H. Will
iams was originally a Whig, and cast his
first Presidental vote for Gen. Harrison in
1840; since the formation of the party he
has been a Republican, and he has served
as treasurer of Avon township, and also as
postmaster at French Creek. He and his
wife have been active members of the
Baptist Church at French Creek, she for
fifty-nine years, he for fifty-two years, and
a trustee much of the time.

GOLDEN "WEDDING.
" Married in Ridgeville February 6, 1840,
at the residence of E. Porter, Esq., by the
Rev. Silas Tucker, Mr. Henry H. Williams
of Avon and Miss Eunice A. Porter.
" The printer's fee on this occasion was
a full loaf of cake of ample dimensions,
which spoke well for the sweet temper of
the bride, and the prospect of future felic
ity to the happy pair."
The above notice appeared in the Elyria
paper of February, 1840. February 6,
1890— Mr. and Mrs. Williams, who have
been spending the winter in Buffalo, cele
brated their golden wedding at the resi
dence of their daughter, Mrs. Norris
Morey, No. 200 Sumner street, The four
children of Mr. and Mrs. Williams, with
their families, were all present, thirteen
grandchildren, making twenty-three in
the family: Howard Williams, of Toronto;
Mrs. Jameson, of Buffalo; Mrs. Morey;
Mr. Williams, of Elyria; it being the first
reunion of the family at which every mem
ber was present. Two deaths have oc
curred during the fifty years — an infant
son and a grandson. The bride and groom
of half a century received many golden
gifts, also beautiful flowers and books
from friends in Buffalo.

E'VERETT E. WILLIAMS, assistant
cashier of the National Bank of
 I Elyria, is a son of H. H. and Eu
nice A. (Porter) Williams, and was
born March 2, 1846, in Avon township,

738

LORAIN COUNTY, OHIO.

Lorain Co., Ohio. He received his liter
ary training at the public schools of Avon
and at Oberlin College. At the conclu
sion of his studies he commenced the mill
ing business in Avon, and is now a mem
ber of the firm of Williams, Barrows &
Co., merchant millers, Lorain, Ohio. In
connection he is interested in grain eleva
tors as a member of the firm of Williams
& Breckenridge. In 1885 he was unani
mously nominated and elected, on the Re
publican ticket, treasurer of Lorain county,
and after serving his county in this capac
ity two terms (four years), he became
connected with the National Bank of
Elyria, as teller.
Mr. Williams was married, at Avon,
October 23, 1870, to Miss Laurett Will
iams, and they have three children, namely:
Zella Messenger, Harrison Charles and
Porter Hastings. Mr. Williams is among
the best known and most progressive busi
ness men of Lorain county, and enjoys an
enviable popularity.

4/

MILO HARRIS, a leading and in
fluential citizen of North Am
herst, where he carried on mer
cantile business for many years,
but is now retired from active life,
was born April 21, 1822, at that place, the
third son and child of the old pioneer
Josiah Harris.
Josiah Harris was the most notable man
to arrive in Lorain county in 1818. He
was born in Becket, Berkshire Co., Mass.,
November 30, 1783, and died March 26,
1867, aged eighty-four years. He made
journeys to Ohio in 1814-15, and pur
chased land; in 1818 he came to Amherst,
and soon after had a lo^g house completed.
on the banks of Beaver creek. He finally
settled on the Public Square. In 1821
he was elected a justice of the peace, and
served thirty-six years; was the first sheriff
of Lorain county, and served three years
as associate judge, being appointed in

1829; was a member of the General As
sembly of Ohio in 1827, representing
Cuyahoga county; represented Lorain and
Medina counties in the House, and after
ward was elected to the State Senate from
the same District. Some time in the
"twenties" he was appointed postmaster
by Postmaster-general Meigs, and held the
office continuously to the time of his death
(over forty years), except when in the
Legislature, being, probably, the oldest
postmaster in the United States. He was
agent for a number of eastern landowners,
in which capacity he was enabled to do
many a kind turn for the new comers, and
no man in the township exerted a wider or
more potent influence for good. He had
four children, viz.: Josiah A., now de
ceased, for many years editor of the Cleve
land Herald; Loring P., in Texas; Milo,
and Emeline C, in Philadelphia.
The subject of this sketch received a
liberal education at the schools of North
Amherst, and was reared to commercial
life. In 1861 he was elected sheriff of
Lorain county, serving eighteen months;
he was also a justice of the peace for many
years in Amherst and Black River town
ships. In 1843 he was married to Miss
Caroline Stocking, of Lorain county,
daughter of Samuel and Elizabeth (Good
rich) Stocking, of Massachusetts, who in
an early day came to Black River town
ship, Lorain county; they are both now
deceased. To Mr. and Mrs. Harris was
bora one child, Florence (widow of Hiram
Leslie), a resident of California. Mrs.
Caroline Harris died in 1852, and on
March 1, 1853, Mr. Harris married, in
Amherst township, Lorain county, Mary
Tyrrell, daughter of Homer and Mary F.
Tyrrell (both now deceased), all natives of
Massachusetts. By this marriage there
were children as follows: George M., a
physician and surgeon in Lorain, Ohio;
Albert T., a physician in Howard, Kans.;
Lucia M., wife of George M. Parker, a
member of the Amherst town council and
superintendent of the Malone Stone Quarry;

LORAIN COUNTY, OHIO.

739

and Homer J. and Carrie F., who died at
the age of sixteen and three years, re
spectively. In politics our subject is a Republican.
Socially he has been a member of Elyria
Lodge, No. 103, I. 0. O. F., since 1852,
and was a charter member of Plato Lodge;
he was also a member of the I. O. G. T.
Mrs. Harris is a member of the Congrega
tional Cliurch. A notable fact in regard
to the Harris family is that three of its
members have held the office of sheriff of
Lorain county: Judge Josiah Harris was
the first sheriff; his son, Josiah A., held
the office at a later period, being third
sheriff in the county, and Milo was sheriff
in 1861, as already related.

4J

HENRY WALLACE, the well-known
lake captain and vessel owner, whose
residence is in Lorain, was born in
County Down, Ireland, in 1828, a
son of Samuel and Ann (Finley)
Wallace. In his native land he was reared on a
farm, and educated at the Protestant
schools of the vicinity of his place of birth.
In 1850 he came to America and to Ohio,
making his first home, in the New World,
in Cleveland, where he remained till the
fall of the same year, when he came to
Lorain (then Black River), in which now
flourishing city he has since made his
home. Here he worked in shipyards for
several years, finally becoming interested
in vessel property — small boats chiefly — ¦
the firm with which he was connected being
known as "Wallace, Gawn & Co.," who
became very successful in business. For
the past several years he has been owner
or part owner of some of the A 1 vessels
that have sailed the lakes, and among those
in which he at present has an interest may
be mentioned the propeller " Vulcan "
(built of steel), and the steamer " Robert
Wallace " and sailing vessel " David Wal
lace," the " Thomas Gawn " and " Lyons;"

also the steel propeller " Vega," which was
built by the company winter of 1892-93.
For about twenty-eight consecutive years
he sailed the lakes as captain, and for ex
cellency of seamanship and care in hand
ling his vessels, his reputation stands
without a blemish.
On Christmas Eve, 1856, Capt. Wallace
was united in marriage with Miss Chloe
Case, a native of Avon, Lorain Co., Ohio,
and they have three children living, namely :
Eva, wife of J. H. Hills, superintendent of
the Brass Works at Lorain (they have three
children: Alma, Harry and Albert); Eliz
abeth, and Lillie, wife of Welker McEl.
Frish. The entire family, with the exception
of Mrs. Hills, who is a Congregationalist,
are members of the M. E. Church. Capt.
Wallace is a Republican in politics, and is
a member of the I. 0. O. F.

HENRY J. BARROWS was bora
March 15, 1851, in Avon township,
_ Lorain Co., Ohio. His early life
was spent upon a farm, and he re
ceived such an education as the dis
trict schools afforded, later studying for a
time in the Preparatory Department of
Oberlin College. At the age of twenty-
seven he married Miss Anna L. Beers
(daughter of Lewis and Susan Beers),
whose native place was Stratford, Conn.,
and two daughters, Edna and Ellen, were
bora of the union. Mrs. Barrows died
April 5, 1893.
In 1879 the subject of this sketch pur
chased an interest in the Avon Flouring
Mills, then owned and operated by Willams,
Warden & Co. Mr. Barrows at once took
charge of the business of the firm, and in
1886 the style of the firm was changed to
Williams, Barrows & Co. Near the close
of the year 1886 tbe Avon property was
sold, and possession given on the first day
of January, 1887, and the company at once
commenced the erection of a new flouring;

740

LORAIN COUNTY, OHIO.

mill of 150 barrels daily capacity, at Lo
rain, Ohio, which was completed and
started up June 15, that year. From the
start the new venture has been a success.
Mr. Barrows still retains a share of and
manages the business. He holds a direc
torship in the Citizens Savings Bank Co.,
and in the Lake Erie Electric Light Co. ;
is president of the board of Water Works
Trustees, and vice-president of the Citizens
Home Savings & Loan Association. In
politics he has always been a Republican:
James R. Barrows, father of subject,
was born in New York, and at the age of
seven years. came to Ohio with his father,
Adnah Barrows, who settled on a farm in
Avon township, in what was at that time
almost an unbroken wilderness, and died
at the age of sixty-seven. Clarrissa Day,
his wife, lived to be eighty-seven years of
age. James R. Barrows married Melvina
P. Sawyer, and they had a family of four
children, of whom Warren J. died at the
age of twenty-seven ; Ellen C. died at the
age of thirty- four; Henry J. and Etta M.
are still living. Mr. James R. Barrows is
now living at the age of seventy-two years,
on a farm in Avon township, in comfort
able circumstances. His first wife died
at the age of thirty-two.

|l OHN LERSCH, member of the well-
k. I known prosperous dry-goods firm of
{^_D Baldwin, Lersch & Co., Elyria, is a
native of the Bavarian Palatinate,
Germany, bora July 25, 1841.
He is a son of Carl and Louise (Schweit
zer) Lersch, natives of the same place, who
emigrated to America in 1851, bringing
their young son John with them. At
Havre, France, July 25, that year, they
boarded a sailing vessel bound for the
United States, and after a voyage of forty
days arrived at New York September 4
following. From there they came direct
to Cleveland, Ohio, where they sojourned

about six months, and then proceeded to
Mansfield, same State, in which city they
resided one year. At the end of that time
they returned to Cuyahoga county, where
the father purchased a farm in North Dover,
about thirteen miles east of Elyria, and not
far from the Lorain county line. They did
a considerable amount of their trading in
the town of Elyria, and one day while there
with their son, the subject of this sketch,
the following seemingly trivial incident
occurred, which influenced and directed the
after life of the lad. They were making a
purchase in the old-established store of
Mussey & Co., when one of the salesmen
— a Mr. Bishop — asked the boy how much
a peck of the article his father was pur
chasing would cost at $2.62£ per bushel.
Undaunted by the question, young Lersch
gave prompt and correct answer. " Are
you sure of this?" asked Mr. Bishop. The
boy for a moment looked at his mother for
assurance, and then, on her telling him to
answer if he really knew, he replied: " Yes,
that is right." Thereupon Mr. Bishop
turned to Mr. Gallup, a partner in the
house, with the remark: "Here is a boy
we want; " and accordingly then and there
it was agreed that, as soon as the proper
preliminaries could be arranged, Master
John Lersch should enter the store of
Mussey & Co., on a thirty-days trial. Thus
on April 13, 1854, our subject, then not
thirteen years old, found himself installed
" on trial " with the firm, a sudden transi
tion truly from the quiet life of the farm
to the bustle of a busy town. This month
of probation was marked by a strict ap
plication to business on his part, and con
stant punctuality, so that at the end of the
prescribed time indentures were signed
for three years. The compensation he re
ceived for his first year's service was forty
dollars and board; for the second, fifty
dollars; for the third, seventy-five dollars;
and for the fourth, one hundred and
seventy-five dollars and board, his salary
being advanced in proportion to his pro
motion in the store.

LORAIN COUNTY, OHIO.

743

In 1858 S. W. Baldwin, T. W. Laun
don and T. L. Nelson bought out the firm
of H. E. Mussey & Co., Mr. Lersch re
maining with them until their retirement
from business in 1872, when, each having
made liberal fortunes,, they sold the dry-
goods department of their business to D.
0. Baldwin & Co., Mr. Lersch being the
junior partner. By hard work and close
attention to detail their business soon be
came one of the largest retail houses in the
State. As years rolled by Mr. Lersch be
came familiar with the entire business of
buying and selling, so that, in whatever
capacity he acted, his services were alike
valuable. This relationship continued until
1880, when the firm was changed to Bald
win, Lersch & Co., the present style of the
firm, although Mr. Baldwin has partially
retired from active business. Most of
the management of the concern devolves
upon Mr. Lersch, than whom few men so
competent, and certainly none superior,
could be found. At about this time Mr.
Lersch established the N. 0. Syndicate,
composed of Baldwin, Lersch & Co., Ely
ria, Frier & Scheule, of Cleveland, and B.
C. Taber & Co., of Norwalk, Ohio, formed
for the purpose of purchasing goods,
chiefly from manufacturers or their agents,
thus saving jobbers' profits, keeping an
agent constantly on the lookout for bar
gains, which enables them to sell at con
siderable advantage.
In 1868 Mr. Lersch was married in
Elyria, to Miss Pamela Boynton, third
daughter of Joshua Boynton, and the alli
ance has proved a happy one. Seven chil
dren have been born to them, all of whom
have had good educationalprivileges. They
are Carl Theodore and Robert Boynton
iboth assistants in their father's store),
>ouise De Lano, Carlotta Pauline, John
Walter, Arthur Emerson and Paul Har
wood. After Mr. Lersch's marriage, his
parents resided with him during the re
mainder of their lives; his mother died in
P'ebruary, 1877, his father in March, 1887.
Although a native of Germany, and speak

ing the language of that country equally
as well as he does English, Mr. Lersch is
a typical American. He is broad iu his
views and conversant with all public ques
tions, believing it is the duty of every
American citizen to be intelligent, and
well informed on all public issues. As he
is an ultra-protectionist, it goes without
saying that he is a straight Republican. At
the present time Mr. Lersch is one of the
directors of the Elyria Savings Deposit
Bank; also a member of the finance com
mittee of this bank. Mr. Lersch attributes
much of his business success to the admir
able training he received at the hands of
Mr. T. W. Laundon, than whom, probably,
no better dry-goods man ever conducted
business in Lorain county. Mr. Lersch
has been connected with practically the
same store for a period of forty years, dur
ing which time he has lost only four days
on account of illness; and the only vaca
tion he has taken of any length was in
1882, when he spent the months of July
and August in Europe.

Fit W. NICHOLS, one of the most
//\\ progressive and intelligent of Lo
ir^ rain county's agriculturists, and
y) whose magnificent farm of two
hundred acres is among the most
fertile of Grafton township, comes of Eng
lish-Welsh ancestry.
He was bora July 3, 1828, in York town
ship, Livingston Co., N. Y., a son of Na
thaniel Nichols, who was born in Rodman
township, Jefferson Co., N. Y,, May 7,
1806, and whose father, also named Na
thaniel, served in the Revolutionary war.
The father of subject was a tanner and
shoemaker, at which latter trade he served
a regular apprenticeship. On September
16, 1827, he married Dorcas E. Bailey,
who was born Marcii 29, 1804, in Elmira,
N. Y., of Huguenot and Dutch extraction,
daughter of Benjamin and Polly (Burr)
Bailey. After marriage they made their

744

LORAIN COUNTY, OHIO.

new home on a piece of land owned by his
brother Albion, where for a time he fol
lowed his trade. While they were residing
in Livingston .county, N. Y ., one son, A.
W., our subject, was born to them. Later
they moved to Cattaraugus county, same
State, and made a temporary settlement in
Dayton township, where the father bought
fifty acres of land. Here two children
were born to them : Martha E., born July
2, 1831, married to Milton Adams, and
they now live in Eaton county, Mich.; and
Mary A., born December 27, 1834, mar
ried first to Orange Adams, afterward to
Samuel Denison, a ranchman near Well
born, Texas. From Cattaraugus county
the family moved to Nunda, Allegany
(now Livingston) Co., same State, where
two more children were born, viz.: Rollo
A., born June 7, 1838, who during the
Civil war, while a bookkeeper in Hunts-
ville, Ala., was forced into the Confed
erate service, and rose from the ranks
till at the battle of Spottsylvania C. H.
he found himself an officer on Gen. Buell's
staff; at that engagement he was taken
prisoner by the Federals, and in the
spring of 1864 he enlisted in the Union
army, in which he served till the close of
the war; afterward he served as commis
sary for the U. S. Government, and died
in 1880 at Florence, Ga., where he was
buried. The other child who came to them
in Allegany county is Ellen, born Septem
ber 25, 1843, married to Don Carlos Van
Dusen, now of Oberlin, Ohio.
In 1843 Nathaniel Nichols came alone
to Ohio, and deciding to settle in Grafton
township, Lorain county, he purchased in
the eastern part fifty acres of wild land at
ten dollars an acre. In the following fall
the family joined him, and they set to
work to clear the land and make all neces
sary improvements, building a substantial
log house for a dwelling. After some
years the father moved to Columbia town
ship, same county, whence after a time he
returned to Grafton township, and made a
final settlement in the southern portion of

same. For a season he was a resident of
La Grange township (also in Lorain
county), and he died in 1883 in Hinckley,
Medina Co., Ohio, where he was sojourn
ing with his daughter Ellen. His wife
preceded him to the grave some years, dy
ing in La Grange township, and they now
lie buried in the Western Cemetery in that
township. After coming to Ohio Mr.
Nichols followed farming chiefly, and to
some extent his trade, shoemaking. Po
litically he was originally a Whig, butdied
a Democrat. He was a very liberal and
hospitable entertainer; in his religious
views he was partial to the M. JC. Church,
while his wife was an Old-school Presby
terian, and their home was always open to
ministers of all churches.
A. W. Nichols, the subject proper of
this sketch, received but a limited educa
tion at the public schools of his boyhood
days, and was reared to farm work. Be
ing bright at his studies, and an apt
scholar, he made considerable progress by
private reading, and became skilled in
mathematics. When he was a small boy
he was adopted by a bachelor uncle, Al
bion Nichols, and a maiden aunt, Esther
Nichols, who lived together and carried on
farming. In 1844 he came to Ohio, and
spent his first winter in Lorain county.
In the following year his uncle and aunt
came to Grafton township, and here bought
sixty acres of wild land from. James Tur
ner, being the farm our subject now owns
and lives on, and where he has since re
sided, for he at once made his home with
his benefactors. For some years before
their death — they lived to advanced ages
— he had the entire management of their
farm, and when they died he succeeded to
the property. He has prospered in all his
undertakings, and is now the owner of 200
acres of prime land. In May, 1883, his
residence was burned down, but he at once
set to work and built a yet finer one, which
he calls "Hnrricane Hall."
On February 22, 1870, prior to the death
of his uncle and aunt, Mr. Nichols was

LORAIN COUNTY, OHIO.

745

united in marriage with Mrs. Elizabeth H.
Durkee, who was born April 14, 1835, in
Eaton township, Lorain Co., Ohio, a daugh
ter of John Gamble, a native of York
shire, England, and his wife, Mary Curtis,
of Boston, Mass. Politically our subject
has been a Republican since the organiza
tion of the party, and has held several
township offices of trust. He is a mem
ber of the F. & A. M., Lodge No. 399, at La
Grange, and of Marshall Chapter, Elyria.

1Tf^ CHESTER, who for over sixty
v^! years has been a resident of Avon
!J V township, where for nearly half a
y) century he has been an industrious
and frugal farmer, is a native of
England, born in Northamptonshire, in
1823. He is a son of William and Amelia
(Perrin) Chester, natives of the same
county, the former of whom died in Eng
land, and his widow, after marrying John
Fretter, emigrated with her family in 1833
to the United States. They settled in
Avon township, Lorain county, where they
lived on rented land till 1840, in which
year they moved to the farm where our
subject now resides. The mother died in
Minnesota about the year 1878, her second
husband passing away in 1846 in Avon
township, Lorain county. There were five
children born to her first marriage, a brief
record of whom is as follows: William
married and resided in Avon, where he
died in 1881; John died in Avon township
in 1879; Job is married and resides in
Rice county, Minn., where he was the first
settler; R. is the subject of these lines;
Matilda became the wife of Charles Blanch-
ett and died in Avon -township in 1887.
Qur subject had two stepsisters, viz.: Eliz
abeth, who married Luke Cheney, and
moved to Rice county, Minn., where she
died in 1880; and Lucy, who married
Joseph Spriggs, and also moved to Rice
county, Minn., where she died in 1885.

The subject of this sketch, who was ten
years old when he came to Avon town
ship, received his education at the common
schools of the neighborhood of his home,
and when he was old enough to work as
sisted in clearing the home farm. For
four years he was in the employ of ex-Gov
ernor Wood in Rockport township, Cuy
ahoga county, and then returned to Avon
township, in 1848 locating on his present
farm of 245 acres, which for the most part
he cleared himself, and where he has since
been assiduously engaged in general farm
ing. In 1852 he was married, in Elyria
township, Lorain county, to Miss Eliza
Mitchell, a native of Northamptonshire,
England, and children were born to them,
as follows: Elizabeth Ann, who died in
1864 at the age of eleven years; Clara, who
died in 1892 at the age of thirty-seven
years; Job, residing at home; Mary Ann;
Agnes Jane; and Reuben Albert. In pol
itics Mr. Chester is a Republican.

DR. H. L. HALL, a well-known young
physician and surgeon of North
Amherst, was born May 17, 1860,
at Jefferson, Ashtabula Co., Ohio.
His grandfather, Daniel Hall, was a native
of Connecticut, and in a very early day
came westward to Ashtabula county, Ohio.
0. L. Hall, son of this early pioneer, was
born in Connecticut, and was reared in
Ashtabula county. He was married to
Laura Hyde, a native of Connecticut,
whose father, Gates Hyde', was born in
Allegany county, N. Y., and was one of
the earliest pioneers of Lenox township,
Ashtabula county, where he assisted in
clearing a farm. Mr. Hall followed the
profession of a teacher. He died in 1885
at Macon, Ga. ; his widow is now living in
Atlanta, Georgia.
Dr. H. L. Hall was reared in his native
county, and received his education at Grand
River Institute, Austinburgh, Ohio. In
1881 he entered the Medical Department

746

LORAIN COUNTY, OHIO.

of the Western Reserve University, Cleve
land, Ohio, graduating with the class of
1884, and afterward spent eighteen months
at the Lakeside Hospital, also in Cleve
land, graduating therefrom in October,
1885. He then came to North Amherst,
which he has since made his home, and
where he has built up an extensive general
practice; he is now medical examiner for
seven old-line life-insurance companies.
Iu June, 1885, the Doctor was united
in marriage, in Ashtabula county, Ohio,
with Miss Hattie A. Tinker, a native of
that county. They are both members of
the Congregational Church, in which he
has filled several offices. In politics our
subject is independent, and be takes an
active interest in everything tending tothe
advancement of his community. Socially
he is a member of North Amherst Lodge
No. 74, K. of P.

fr* ORDON W. BAKER, senior mem-
[ j. ber of the well-known clothing firm,
\_A in Elyria, of Baker & Foster, is one
J^. of tbe oldest established merchants
in the city. He is a native of
Northamptonshire, England, born June 2,
1838, a son of Richard and Sarah (Gau
dern) Baker, of the same place, who emi
grated to the United States when the
subject of these lines was yet a boy, lo
cating in Lorain county, Ohio.
Mr. Richard Baker enjoys a wide repu
tation as one of the most prominent
stockmen in the Buckeye State. He was
one of the leaders of the State Fair an
nually held in Columbus, Ohio, and for
several years was president and a director
of that Association; was one of the first to
introduce iuto Lorain county, Ohio, the
famous Shorthorn cattle, and it is said
owned the first herd of that breed exhibited
in these parts. To the rearing of not only
fine-bred cattle but also horses, as well as
general agriculture, has Mr. Baker devoted
the greater part of his useful life.

Gordon W. Baker received his primary
education at Ihe schools of the neighbor
hood of his place of birth, which he
supplemented in this country with con
siderable application to books and study as
opportunity offered. Leaving his father's
farm at the age of thirteen years he en
gaged his services as clerk to a general
merchant in Elyria, but this employer
going out of business, Mr. Baker soon
found another opening, with Starr Bros.,
which position he filled with much credit
for some four or five years. He then en
tered the employ of Baldwin, Laundon &
Nelson, the then leading mercantile house
of Elyria, and here he did efficient work
for several years, becoming at the same
time thoroughly conversant with all
branches of mercantile trade, making his
mark for application to business and thor
ough knowledge of all departments of the
same. From the successors of the above-
named firm he purchased the clothing de
partment of their business, and received
into partnership Frank H. Foster, the style
of the firm becoming Baker & Foster, as it
at present remains. Through his long
connection with mercantile pursuits, Mr.
Baker gained for himself a very extensive
acquaintance, and his sturdy Anglo-Saxon
qualities of integrity, liberality and candor
gained for him a host of personal friends
and the utmost confidence of the public.
He soon became the leading clothier of
Elyria, which he continues to be. Mr.
Baker has often remarked that just as a
man has gained sufficient knowledge of
business to find a real pleasure in it, the
best part of his life has passed, and he is
compelled to withdraw into retirement.
In 1872 Mr. Baker -was united in mar
riage, in New York State, with Miss
Charlotte Alice Liiinell, a native of North
amptonshire, England, to which country
the happy couple made their wedding trip.
To this union were born two children,
named, respectively, Alice Maud Mary and
Annie Louise. The family reside in a
handsome home on Washington avenue,

^2^, jfyr72^/'-£»

~Z>

LORAIN COUNTY, OHIO.

749

Elyria. Mr. Baker is a Republican, and
he attends the services of the Episcopal
Church. In political, religious and all
other views, public or private, he is liberal,
always respecting the rights of every man
to his own opinion and judgment. He is
a stockholder in and director of the Elyria
Savings Deposit Bank Co., and a member
and director of the Elyria Savings and Loan
Company. Mr. Baker is a great reader, and keeps
himself well informed on all public ques
tions. He has a special fondness for live
stock of all descriptions, and is a good
judge of same. He breeds extensively,
and organized a company for the purpose
of introducing and perpetuating a line of
fine stockin Colorado, where he has an in
terest in a ranch, and a considerable amount
of means invested. A traveler of no little
experience, he has made several trips to
Europe, visiting his old home in England
and places of interest on the Continent.

JOSEPH H. BALDWIN, one of the
leading, intelligent and progressive
agriculturists of Brownhelm town
ship, was born in Addison county,
Yt., in 1824, a son of Thomas and Esther
(Wilson) Baldwin, natives of the State of
New Jersey, the father born in 1785, the
mother in 1794.
Thomas Baldwin, who was a wagon-
maker by trade, left the paternal roof in
early life, and, for a time sojourning in Ver
mont, married there. In 1832 he removed
to Chautauqua county, N- Y., whence in
1836 he came to Brownhelm township,
Lorain Co., Ohio, where he bought a farm
and spent the rest of his days. He died
in 1868. his widow in 1881. In politics
he was first a Whig, afterward a Republi
can. Six children were bora to Mr. and
Mrs. Thomas Baldwin, viz.: Lucus, now a
resident of Paulding county, Ohio; Joseph
H., the subject of our sketch; Julia, who
died in 1852; and three children who died
40

in infancy. On the father's side the fam
ily claim Welsh descent; on the mother's
they are of Scotch lineage.
Up to the age of twelve years the subject
of our sketch was reared in the States of
Vermont and New York, and, after coming
to Ohio in 1836 with his parents, attended
for a time the district schools of Brown
helm township, Lorain county. Learning
the trade of carpenter and joiner, he worked
in the shipyards at Vermillion, Erie
county, much of the time until 1863, when
he settled on the old homestead farm, con
sisting of eighty-five acres in Brownhelm
township, Lorain county. While engaged
in the business of farming Mr. Baldwin
has increased his farm by purchase of ad
ditional land, nntil now he has a well-
improved farm of 163 acres of first-class
land, on which he still resides.
Mr. Baldwin has been thrice married,
the first time in 1851, to Miss Sarah M.
Ashenhurst, by which union three children
were born: Henry T., a blacksmith by
trade, now residing at Berlin Heights,
Ohio; William A., a railroad employe,
who was killed while coupling cars, July
7, 1883; and Charlie, who died in infancy.
This wife died September 5, 1864, and in
December, 1865, Mr. Baldwin was wedded
to Miss Adeline Hardy, a native of the
State of New York, daughter of Ephraim
Hardy, a pioneer of Erie county, Ohio. To
this union two children were born, namely;
Frank O., who has attended school and
taught for the past five or six years, he
having graduated from the Commercial De
partment of the Ohio Normal University
(September, 1892), and the Business De
partment of the Tri-State Normal College
(October, 1893), the degree of B.' C. S.
being conferred upon him by each institu
tion; and Charles A., a farmer who resides
at home with his father. The mother of
these departed this life April 21, 1890, and
February 14, 1892, the subject of our
sketch married Mrs. May E. Howey, a na
tive of Missouri, and a lady of culture and
refinement (she has, by her former bus-

750

LORAIN COUNTY, OHIO.

band, one child, a son, who is a successful
telegraph operator in the West).
In his political faith Mr. Baldwin is a
stanch Republican; he has served as town
ship trustee several years, and is now
president of the Board of Education in his
township.

d [JACOB GOODMAN (deceased) was
i born September 13, 1818, in Seneca
'J county, N. Y., to Jacob and Eliza
beth (Meyer) Goodman, who about
the year 1833 came to Medina county,
Ohio, from the East, settling in the woods
of Brunswick township.
Our subject attended the public schools
, of his early day, but being one of a large
family of children, twelve in number, did
not enjoy many educational advantages.
In December, 1849, he married MaryEuga,
a native of Baden, Germany, born Decem
ber 11, 1828, daughter of Jacob Euga,
who came with his family to the United
States in 1834, landing in New York after
a three weeks' passage. Thence they pro
ceeded by Hudson river and Erie Canal to
Buffalo, N. Y., from which city they came
by lake to Cleveland, thence by road to
Liverpool township, Medina county, where
the father bought a small tract of land
totally unimproved, on which he erected a
log house, and where his family were
reared. After marriage Mr. and Mrs.
Goodman located on a farm, where he had
previously resided, iu Grafton township,
Lorain county, and here a new log cabin
was erected. On this farm children as
follows were born to them: Sarah, Mrs.
Frederick Wise, of Eaton township; Char
lotte, Mrs. W. E. Saddler, of Bloomdale,
Wood Co., Ohio; Adaline, Mrs. Charles
Reisinger, of Grafton township; Mary,
now Mrs. Edward Killup (her first hus
band, Henry Reisinger, was killed by
lightning in Columbia township), and
Charles. About the year 1861 Mr. Good
man built tbe frame house in which he re
sided until his death, which occurred Sep

tember 20, 1884, after a lingering illness;
his remains were interred in Belden ceme
tery. He was a lifelong successful farmer,
and his death was hastened by overwork,
as he was a most energetic man in all his
undertakings. In politics he was an en
thusiastic Democrat, and though not a
member of school board, was a strong ad
vocate of free schools and compulsory edu
cation. In matters of religion he was a
member of the Congregational Church at
Belden, as is also his widow, who con
tinues to reside on the old homestead,
which is under the management of her
son Charles, a brief sketch of whom is
here given.
Chaeles Goodman was born in March,
1862, in Grafton township, Lorain Co.,
Ohio, and received a liberal education at
the district schools. On August 1, 1888,
he was united in marriage with Hattie D.
Bradley, who was born in Monee, 111.,
February 17, 1870, a daughter of George
and Eleanor (Harper) Bradley, and three
children were born to them, viz.: Mary E.,
Bert B., and Henry, who died in infancy.
After marriage Mr. Goodman continued
to reside on the old farm, which now com
prises 244 acres of prime land, for his age
controlling more land than any other
farmer in the township, and he long since
gave evidences of his competency to do so.
He is a typical "hustler," and one of the
most prosperous go-ahead and wide-awake
young farmers of Grafton. In politics he
follows in the footsteps of his father, being
an uncompromising Democrat.

|l FRANCIS HARMON, the well-
k I known druggist of Oberlin, was born
%JJ in Randolph, Portage Co., Ohio,
January 22, 1836, a son of Chaun
cey and Comfort (Dickinson) Harmon.
The father of subject was born in Berk
shire county, Mass., in 1796, and in 1816
came west to Ohio, settling in Randolph,
Portage county, where he carried on farm-

LORAIN COUNTY, OHIO.

751

ing up to the time of his death in 1862.
In 1821 he married Comfort Dickinson,
who was born in Granville, Conn., and in
1806 came west with her parents. Both
families were of English ancestry.
J. F. Harmon was educated at the com
mon schools of his native place, and at
Oberlin, whither he had come when yet in
his "teens." On leaving school he com
menced to learn the trade of printer, and
after a three-years apprenticeship, he and
V. A. Shankland purchased, in 1858, the
Evangelist, a weekly paper in Oberlin,
which they continued to publish jointly till
during the Civil war, when fired with the
spirit of patriotism Mr. Harmon entered
the service of the Union, having previously
sold out his interest to his partner; but the
paper collapsed during the war period.
There was another periodical established in
1858, and published in the Evangelist office,
entitled The Oberlin Students' Monthly,
the students of Oberlin College supplying
the editorial matter, and this also "came
to grief" during those troublous days.
They also established the Lorain County
News in 1860, which under the title of
Oberlin News is still published.
Our subject enlisted April 19, 1861, in
Company 0, Seventh O. Y. I., in the three
months service, and went to Cleveland,
Ohio, as corporal, there to join his regi
ment. Thence they proceeded to Camp
Dennison, where they were drilled till the
end of the following June. At the expira
tion of his term Mr. Harmon reenlisted
for three years, as did also nearly every
member df the company. They were
then ordered to West Virginia, where they
spent their first summer and fall, and at
the affair at Cross Lanes, where they en
countered Gen. Floyd's force, about thirty
of the company were taken prisoners, and
some died of their wounds. In December,
1861, the regiment proceeded to central
Virginia, and participated in the engage
ment at Winchester with Gen. " Stone
wall" Jackson's force, in which four or
five of Company C were killed; thence

they moved down the Shenandoah Valley,
where they remained during April, May
and June, 1862, and the regiment did
good service at the battles of Port Repub
lic and Cedar Mountain, where they lost
many men, killed and wounded. They
then served in what is known as Pope's
Campaign, and at the battle of Antietam
they again lost several men. Shortly after
this last battle, the brigade to which the
Seventh was attached went into camp on
Bolivar Heights, Harper's Ferry. In the
spring of 1863 the Seventh again encoun
tered the enemy, this time at Chancellors
ville, where it lost heavily. In June, same
year, they were at Gettysburg, Penn., and
did gallant service. From there they were
ordered to New York to assist in quelling
the riots; about September 1, following,
they returned and occupied the old camp
on the Rapidan. Soon after, with the
Twentieth Army Corps, under Gen. Hook
er, they were transferred to the Western
Department, and participated in the battles
of Lookout Mountain and Mission Ridge.
Two days later, at Ringgold, in storming
the heights of Taylor's Ridge, the gallant
Seventh were severely handled, and re
pulsed with a loss of nineteen killed and
sixty-one wounded, only one commissioned
officer being left uninjured. In January,
1864, the regiment returned to its old
camp at Bridgeport, Ala., where it passed
the winter in comparative quiet. In the
spring of the year they saw some service
at Resaca and elsewhere, and this ended
their campaign, for in June they were
mustered out, and returned home. Of the
original 1,000 men of the Seventh Ohio
only about 270 were left, and of the one
hundred original members of Company C,
only seventeen answered their names at the
muster-out roll.
On Mr. Harmon's return home he bought
an interest in the Oberlin News, and a
short time afterward purchased the entire
concern, and this paper he conducted dur
ing the summer of 1865, when he sold out.
For nine years thereafter he was postmas-

752

LORAIN COUNTY, OHIO.

ter at Oberlin, at the close of which in
cumbency (in 1874) he embarked in the
drug business in the same town, and has
continued it ever since, enjoying an excel
lent trade.
In 1864 Mr. Harmon was married to
Miss Cecelia C. Viles, who was bora in
Camden township, Lorain Co., Ohio, daugh
ter of William and Dorlisca (Heath) Viles,
and by this union there is one son, Will
iam, who recently graduated at the Massa
chusetts School of Pharmacy in Boston.
Mr. Harmon, iu his political predilections,
has always been a straight Republican, and
his first Presidential vote was cast for Lin
coln. In the G. A. R. Post, No. 364, Ober
lin, he has been quartermaster, adjutant
and commander.

,\ILLIAM H. PHILLIPS. This
gentleman is the oldest living set
tler of Eaton township, having
been a resident of same for the
past sixty-seven years, during which time
he has seen the wild woods give place to
fertile farms, and tbe untutored Indian
and fierce animals of the forest vanish be
fore the inevitable onward march of civil
ization. Mr. Phillips is a native of the State of
New York, born in Greene county in 1809,
a son of Henry J. and Abigail (Finch)
Phillips, also of New York State, where
they were reared and married. In 1826
they migrated westward to Lorain county,
Ohio, settling in October of that year in
Eaton township, our subject being then a
lad of seventeen summers. The father
was a wagon maker by trade, and made the
first wagon used on Butternut Ridge. He
died in Eaton township, February 11,1864;
he was a lieutenant in the State militia
during the war of 1812. The mother had
passed away July 13, 1833. They were
the parents of nine children, as follows:
William H., subject proper of sketch; De
borah, married, who died some years ago

in Omaha, Neb.; Edward, married, who
was a sailor on Lake Erie, and was wrecked
October 24, 1851, on the "Henry Clay;"
Catherine, who was the wife of William
Webster, and died in Carlisle township,
Lorain county; Jeremiah, who died in
Boone county, 111., in 1891; Mary, who
was the wife of William Webster, and
died in Texas in 1891; Martin O., who
died in Wisconsin; Savilla W., wife of
Samuel Sweeley, residing at Adel, Iowa;
and Abbie, who is the wife of William
White, of Denison, Texas.
William H. Phillips received part of
his education in Ithaca, N. Y., and part in
the old log schoolhouse of Eaton township,
Lorain county. He learned wagon making
with his father, and followed the trade
some years; he made for his own use the
first buggy that ever ran on Butternut
Ridge, Eaton township. For the past
sixty years or so he has given his attention
exclusively to his farm.
In 1840 Mr. Phillips was married, in
Carlisle township, Lorain county, to Maria
S. Slater, who was bora in New York
State, daughter of Johiel Slater, who died
in Ridgeville township, Lorain county.
To this union were born children as fol
lows: William A., an oculist and aurist in
Cleveland, Ohio, and a member of the
Faculty of the College of Homeopathy,
Cleveland, who has been at college some
twelve or fourteen years, and graduated
from the New York Institute for the Eye
(he married Marian Nickerson, and they
have one son, Roland); Edgar A., who en
listed in Elyria, Lorain county, and was shot
during the retreat from Martin's Ferry,
Va. ; Edward E., who is married to Mary
Schuyler, is a professor in Marietta Col
lege (he has been engaged in educational
work all his life, and has visited Europe);
Corda C. is the wife of Ezra Atwater, and
lives in Newburgh, Cuyahoga Co., Ohio;
Lena M., the wife of D. H. Stevenson,
resides in Eaton township, Lorain county,
and has one child — Phil W. The mother
of this family was called to her long home

LORAIN COUNTY, OHIO.

753

in 1868. 'Politically Mr. Phillips is a
Republican, formerly a Democrat, and he
voted for Gen. Jackson. He served as
assessor of Eaton township for nearly
thirty years, and as justice of the peace
about twenty years; has also been super
visor and member of the school board. He
is a member of the Universalist Church.

D. FOOT. Dell Foot, the courte
ous, obliging and popular " mine
of a leading hotel and livery

host :

in Wellington, is a native of Lorain
county, born September 21, 1836,
in Huntington township.
Amos Foot, father of subject, was born
March 5, 1812, in Chester, fiampden Co.,
Mass., and in 1835 came to Ohio, locating
in Huntington township, Lorain county.
He brought with him one hundred and
fifty dollars in cash, which latter he in
vested in fifty acres of land. He married
Miss Mary Chapman, a native of Mont
gomery, fiampden Co., Mass., and for
years thereafter he followed farming; then
became a preacher in the Wesleyan Church,
holding forth for a considerable time in
Avon, Loraiu county, afterward in Olm
sted Falls, Cuyahoga county. Returning
east he preached for ten years at Cochit-
nate, Mass., near Boston, where his wife
died April 20, 1869, and then once more
came to Lorain county, where he married
his second wife, his last days being spent
at the home of his son, our subject. He
died in 1888, his second wife in 1882. He
was a very large man, in his prime weigh
ing some 290 pounds, and he had a voice
remarkable for its strength and volume.
He had two children — G. D. and Emma
J. (wife of George Royce, of Wellington)
— by his first wife, none by his second.
The subject of this sketch was reared to
agricultural pursuits on the farm of his
father, with whom he lived until 1856,
when he purchased the farm. To the
original tract he added until he had

500 acres of as fine land as could be found
in the township, and carried on general
farming, including dairying and stock-
raising. During seven years he milked
an average of one hundred cows, and
dealt in cattle, horses and hogs. In 1873
he moved to Wellington, where he is en
gaged in the hotel and livery business, his
house being most complete in every re
spect, fitted with water and gas supply,
although there is neither system in the
town — in fact it is essentially a metropoli
tan hotel.
In 1856 Mr. Foot married Matilda
Rush, who was born in Greene county,
Penn., and they had five children, viz.:
Celia, Lucy, Jessie, Dell and Orrie, of
whom Celia married E. D. Bush, a suc
cessful farmer and proprietor of a meat
market; she died in January, 1891, aged
thirty-six years, leaving four children,
Walter, Charles, Fred and George. Lucy
married George Lambert, one of the firm
of the Wellington Milling Co., and has two
children, Robert and Celia. Jessie married
Chris. McDermott, one of the proprietors
of the Machine Co., at Wellington, and
has three children, Lucile, James, and
Louise. Mr. Foot in his political faith is
a stanch Republican. Personally he is
most affable, good-natured, social, and is
in every respect, as a caterer to the wants
of the public, " the right man in the right
place."

MORELL E. SEELY, a prominent
and well-to-do farmer of Brighton
__[ township, is a son of Humphrey
y) S. Seely, who was born November
22, 1817, in Oneida county, N. Y.,
aud whose father, Cornelius, was born
in the same county September 3, 1796, a
son of Daniel. During the Revolutionary
war the last named, while fishing with1
some other boys, was kidnapped by the
"Tories," and induced to enter the British
service, which he did, acting in the capac
ity of officer's servant.

754

LORAIN COUNTY, OHIO.

Cornelius Seely, grandfather of subject,
in 1817 married Rachel Smith, who was
bora October 1, 1800, in New York, only
daughter of Thomas Smith, a farmer and
cooper. The children by this union were
the following: Humphreys.; Joseph W.,
who died in Kansas; Thomas, an M. E.
minister of Ann Arbor, Mich.; Esther A.,
widow of John Cockrel, deceased; Almira
H., widow of William Hubbard, a tailor,
who died in the service during the Civil
war; Phebe, who married Hart Smith, and
died iu New York State; Daniel F., a
farmer of Waukesha, Wis. (he was form
erly in the lumber business); Phineas, also
a farmer of Waukesha, Wis. ; Renette, who
died of scarlet lever when six years old;
Amanda, deceased in infancy; James W.,
a farmer of Ridgeville township; Floren
tine, who married Asa Frary, and died in
Canaan, Wayne Co., Ohio; Rachel N., who
died in childhood; Ursula, wife of William
Vandervere, of Kalamazoo, Mich.; Elroy
Mc, who served in the same regiment with
the subject of this sketch, and died in the
hospital at Nashville, Tenn. Cornelius
Seely, who was a lifelong farmer, came in
1821 to Lorain county. Ohio, with his fam
ily, consisting then of a wife and three
children, the journey being made with a
covered two-horse wagon, which conveyed
two families, for his brother, Daniel, wife
and child accompanied them. (This child, by
name William, became a Methodist Epis
copal divine, was presiding elder, and was
superannuated). The party camped out by
the roadside at such times as -taverns could
not be reached by night, and they were
kindly treated wherever they went. Their
route was by way of Cleveland, where they
'forded the Cuyahoga river, then traveled
alono- the beach of Lake Erie to Avon
township, where the brothers secured a
tract of land of 300 acres, north of the
ridge, by trading his farm in New York
State for it. The land was all covered with
timber and underbrush, but by dint of
hard work and incessant toil they succeeded
in making a clearing for their farm, and

on it built a log house to shelter both
families, but afterward each had a cabin.
Money was a scarce commodity, and the
brothers would make a journey on foot to
Cleveland, a distance of twenty miles, and
the same day after arrival each cut an
average of four cords of wood. About the
year 1846 Cornelius Seely moved to Wis
consin, locating for some time near Wau
kesha, and then returned to Avon town
ship. Here he died March 4, 1866, and
his remains lie buried in Avon cemetery.
He was a pillar of the M. E. Church, serv
ing as class-leader and in various offices.
Mr. Seely had been twice married ; his first
wife, Rachel, died October 18, 1843, and
for his second spouse he wedded Mrs.
Mary Cadwell, nee House, widow of Capt.
Cadwell (her first husband was a Mr. Kin
ney), whom she married in New York.
She died in her ninety-third year at the
home of her daughter, Mrs. Leavitt Tay
lor, in Elyria, Ohio. Mr. Seely had no
children by this union.
Humphrey S. Seely, father of subject,
received his primary education at the sub
scription schools of his native place, and
after reaching maturity attended select
school, later the seminary at Norwalk, the
principal thereof being Bishop Thompson,
who died while on a trip around the world.
Mr. Seely was a man of considerable abil
ity, and advanced rapidly in his studies.
He remained on his father's farm till after
his marriage, when he located on that of
his father-in-law for two or three years.
He then bought wild land in Brighton
township, same county, and here cleared a
farm, remaining on same until 1889, when
he removed to Wellington village, in the
township of that name, where he is now
living a retired life. On March 25, 1841,
he married Miss Cordelia Loveland, who
was born November 12, 1823, in Brighton
township, a daughter of Leonard LI. and
Margaret Y. (Whitlock) Loveland (a sketch
of whom immediately follows), and two
children were born to them, viz.: Morell
E., subject of this memoir; and Amina R.,

LORAIN COUNTY, OHIO.

755

born November 6, 1843, now Mrs. John
Eddy, of Wellington; her first husband
was Oliver Rulison, who during the Civil
war served in the Second Ohio Cavalry, and
died from injuries received in the war.
The mother of these died March 23, 1852,
and was buried in Loveland cemetery,
which was situated on the home farm. For
his second wife Mr. Seely married, in
1852, Miss Julia Crosby, born December
23, 1825, in Brighton township, Lorain
county, a daughter of John Crosby, a pio
neer of same. Two children came to this
union, viz.: DeForest O, bora October 12,
1858, died April 26, 1878; and Dwight
F., born July 9, 1860, a farmer of Brigh
ton township. This wife was called from
earth August 13, 1876, and was buried in
Brighton cemetery. Mr. Seely's present
wife, whom he married February 14,
1877, was Mrs. Julia E. Andrus [nee
Smith),, widow of John Andrus. In politics
Mr. Seely is a Prohibition-Republican,
and he and his wife are devout members of
the M. E. Church, respected and honored
by the entire community.
Morell E. Seely, the subject proper of
this sketch, wa's born May 22, 1842, in
Brighton township, Lorain Co., Ohio, on
the farm he now owns and lives on. He
received a liberal education at the schools
of his district, his first teacher being Sarah
Boardman, and under his father's careful
tuition he was thoroughly posted in the
business of general farming. On August
5, 1862, he enlisted, in Brighton town
ship, in Company F, One Hundred and
Third O. V. I., and was sent to Camp
Cleveland for purposes of drill, joining the
command at Covington, Ky. At Knox
ville, Tenn., November 25, 1863, he was
wounded so severely as to necessitate being
.sent to hospital. After convalescence he
was furioughed, and April 18, 1865, was
honorably discharged from the service,
and returned to Brighton township, where
he worked one year for his father. He
then came to his present farm, where his
grandfather, Leonard H. Loveland, was

then living, and with him made his home
until the death of the latter, when the
farm was transferred by inheritance to our
subject. He has now 214 acres of prime
land, on which he carries on general farm
ing, including dairying on an extensive
scale, and he is conceded to be one of the
best managers and financiers among the
agriculturists of his township. As a
steady, progressive farmer, he has no su
perior, and in many ways is a leader in
the community.
On September 30, 1868, Mr. Seely was
married to Miss Rachel Rulison, who was
born February 5, 1852, daughter of James
Rulison. She died without issue March
28, 1873, and was buried in Brighton
cemetery, and Mr. Seely married, May 18,
1874, her sister, Cordelia, born Marcii 18,
1849. The children by this union are
Herbert E., born March 2, 1875, clerk in
a bank at Oberlin, Ohio; and Leonard E.,
born March 22, 1877, residing at home,
who takes an active interest in the me
chanics, especially in electricity, and who
is somewhat of a genius in that direction.
In his political preferences our subject is
a stanch Republican, and has frequently
been elected to office, but invariably de
clined to serve.
Leonaed H. Loveland (deceased), ma
ternal grandfather of Morell E. Seely, was
a native of Massachusetts, born in South-
field, Berkshire county, October 3, 1794,
a son of Abner Loveland, with whom he
lived until he attained his majority. He
was educated at the common schools, and
studied in spare hours at night by the
flickering light of a burning pine log, thus
qualifying himself for a teacher, a voca-"
tion he followed two years with marked
success. On March 13, 1820, he married,
at South Brunswick, N. J., Margaret V.
Whitlock, born in that town September
10, 1802, and three children were born to
them: Abner, Cordelia and Emeline. The
mother of these died October 3, 1860, in
Wellington, Lorain county, and on August
3, 1862, Mr. Loveland married Mrs. Anna

756

LORAIN COUNTY, OHIO.

Rulison, who was born December 22, 1809,
in Knox county, N. Y. He passed from
earth August 18, 1887, and was buried in
Brighton cemetery. Politically he was a
Democrat until the firing on Fort Sumter,
after which he united with the Republican
party. He served as a justice of the
peace twenty years, county commissioner
two. terms, and had charge of the extensive
land interests of O. Bliss. As a consistent
member of the M. E. Church, he was ever
a liberal contributor to same. He was a
man of fair legal ability, excellent judg
ment and sound common sense, while his
unswerving personal integrity, and the
general rectitude of his life, gained for
him an enviable reputation in the com
munity where he was best known.

Il RTHUR LOVETT GARFORD,
1\ president of the Garford Manufac
turing Co., and Cashier of the Sav
ings Deposit Bank Co., Elyria, is a
native of that town, born August 4,
1858, and comes of old English lineage.
William Garford, his grandfather, was
manager of a large estate in England —
where his ancestors had lived for genera
tions. His son, George, father of Arthur
L., was a native of that country, bora in
Northamptonshire, where were passed the
earlier years of his life. In 1851 he was
married to Miss Hannah Lovett, daughter
of Edward and Hannah Lovett, of Keg-
worth, Leicestershire, England. Mr. Lovett
Was the proprietor of a large silk and lace
factory, and was a manufacturer of wide
repute. Both Mr. and Mrs. Lovett lived
to a ripe old age, and died in Kegworth
but a few years ago. All but one of their
children survive them. The eldest son,
John Lovett, is at present manager of a
large factory in England, and is a genius
of high merit. James, another son, served
for many years in the British Navy, and
is now on the retired list. Five sisters
are still living in and around Derby, Derby
shire, England.

In 1853, Geo. Garford, who felt that
America offered more favorable opportuni
ties for an ambitious young man, severed
his connection with Dr. Daniels, a physi
cian of large practice and repute, in whose
service he had been for a number of years,
and came alone to the United States and
to Ohio; his wife and child, Geo. H., fol
lowing him to the new western home in
1854. They settled in Elyria township,
Lorain county, where he had engaged in
landscape gardening, and later on in stock
farming. Some of the most picturesque
gardens and artificial landscapes in Elyria
to-day bear tribute to the early efforts of
Mr. Garford. As a stock raiser he achieved
a national reputation. For a number of
years his stock was to be seen at the
Annual State Fairs, where, successively,
he bore off the highest awards. For nine
teen years prior to 1882 he occupied the
Elywood Stock Farm of nearly three hun
dred acres. Since 1882 he has not been
actively engaged in farming personally,
his sons, Geo. H. and Charles E., having
charge of his interest in a large farm in
Ashtabula county, which he now owns.
His love for fine stock is still manifest,
however, as he continues to raise, in a
small way, some very fine horses at his
attractive home on Harrison street, in
Elyria. Eight children were born to Mr. and
Mrs. Geo. Garford, as follows: Geo. H. ;
Elizabeth A., wife of C. H. Miser, Con
neaut, Ohio; Kate S., wife of Edmund F.
Smith, Buckland, Mass. ; Arthur L. ; Ella
Louise, wife of Samuel S. Rockwood, as
sistant cashier, Savings Deposit Bank Co. ;
Charles E. ; Edith G., and Carrie M. The
mother and daughters are all active mem
bers of the Episcopal Church. The father,
in politics, has always been a stanch Re
publican, and the sons have grown up in
like mind.
Arthur L. Garford was named after C.
Arthur Ely— the original owner of Ely-
wood farm — and one of the greatest phi
lanthropists who has ever lived in Elyria.

£«9 hESWUum.! tlBnW

LORAIN COUNTY, OHIO.

759

Though a youngman when he died, in 1865,
his name is yet revered, and his memory
kept green by many of the older citizens
who knew him, and by the later generation
because of his gift of the public library,
now one of the greatest attractions of the
town. An attraction sprung up between
William Arthur Ely — only son of the late
Charles Arthur Ely — and the subject of
our sketch in very early boyhood, and has
continued to exist without interruption
ever since. For a number of years Arthur
L. made his home with his friend, and
widowed mother, and many evidences still
exist of the regard in which he was held
while thus intimately associated with this
family. He received a liberal education
at the public schools of Elyria, where he
graduated at the age of sixteen years. One
year later he entered the arena of business
by accepting the cashiership in the large
importing house of Rice & Burnett,
Cleveland, Ohio. Here his natural ability
soon asserted itself, and it was not long
before he was promoted to head book
keeper, being then but eighteen years of
age. In this capacity he remained until
April, 1880, at which time he resigned on
account of ill health — later on accepting
the position of bookkeeper in the Savings
Deposit Bank, of Elyria.
In 1882 D. B. Andrews, well known as
one of the most expert accountants in
northern Ohio, resigned the position of
teller of the above-named bank, to asso
ciate himself with the Mercantile National
Bank, of Cleveland, and Mr. Garford was
promptly installed in the vacancy, which
incumbency he filled until January 1,
1888, when he was promoted to assistant
cashier. On the re-organization of the
bank, after the death of Mr. T. L. Nelson,
its president, in January, 1891, Mr. Gar
ford was further promoted to cashier, and
at the same time was elected a director,
positions he yet holds.
Outside the routine of office Mr. Gar
ford for several years found pleasure
and invigorating recreation in bicycle

riding, and while so engaged, not being
pleased with the saddle on his machine,
his inventive faculties were brought
into play, resulting in the invention
of an improved bicycle saddle. He had
no idea at first of turning his device
to any account, but its originality and
value being favorably pronounced upon by
friends, he applied for and received a
patent, which he at once took steps to dis
pose of. Receiving, however, but little
encouragement from proposed purchasers,
he concluded to manufacture his invention
himself, beginning in a small way. Pros
pects of success in his enterprise brighten
ing, he associated with him H. S. Follans-
bee and Fred N. Smith, a partnership be
ing formed under the firm name of "Gar
ford Manufacturing Co.," and at once
proceeded to have the saddle placed on the
market, the goods 'being manufactured
by the Topliff & Ely Co., of Elyria. This
was in 1889-90, from which time the busi
ness developed so rapidly, and the demand
for the goods increased so fast that in No
vember, 1891, the firm found it expedient
to form an incorporated company under
the laws of Ohio, with a capital stock of
one hundred thousand dollars, the old
company turning over their patents, good
will and business to the new concern for
that amount. On May 4, 1892, the works
of tbe Topliff & Ely Co. were badly dam
aged by fire, and the saddle department
completely destroyed, thus causing a large
loss to the Garford Mfg. Co.
After mature consideration the directors
of the Company concluded to build a fac
tory peculiarly adapted to their business;
accordingly, in August, 1892, they began
the construction of their present factory in
Elyria, tbe main building of which is
40 x 100 feet, three stories and basement,
and is admirably located directly alongside
the tracks of the Lake Shore & Michigan
Southern Railroad, a spur from which runs
to the receiving door in the rear. The
basement is used for heavy machinery, the
blacksmith shop,' spring formers, etc. The

760

LORAIN COUNTY, OHIO.

first floor contains the offices — finished in
oak throughout — the tool-room and the
polishing-room. The second floor is de
voted to nickel-plating, buffing and leather-
room, in which latter the hide, by special
process, is transformed into the perfect
saddle top. The upper floor of all is used
for shipping purposes, stock and assem
bling. The engine house is detached
from the main building, and the engine
has a capacity of 150 horse-power. Al
though in 1893 the output reached 800
saddles per day, yet the supply proved in
adequate to the demand, and the Company
found it necessary to largely increase their
capacity, and have recently built an addi
tion, containing coal sheds and enameling-
room, providing ample storage accommo
dation. Over one hundred men are now
employed in all departments, and during
the past six months the factory turned out
the enormous number of sixty thousand
saddles. In addition to their own goods,
leather furnishings for bicycles and sev
eral specialties are here made. The pres
ent Company at its organization had among
its stockholders the following prominent
citizens: Hon. W. A. Braman, Hon. Geo. H.
Ely,M. M. Ely, J. C. Hill, Hon. Parks Foster,
W. A. Ely, G. W. Baker, F. H. Foster, F.
P. Hill, H. S. Follansbee, F. N. Smith,
and A. L. Garford; the directors being
Hon. Geo. H. Ely, Hon. Parks Foster, A.
L. Garford, F. N. Smith and H. S. Fol
lansbee. Mr. Garford was elected presi
dent; H. S. Follansbee, vice-presideut; and
F. N. Smith, secretary and treasurer. In
February, 1893. a suit for infringement
brought against the Hunt Manufacturing
Co., competing saddle manufacturers, of
Westborough, Mass., resulted by way of
settlement in two-thirds interest of that
company being passed to the Garford Man
ufacturing Co., and the Company beingat
once re-organized with a paid-up capital of
thirty thousand dollars, A. L. Garford being
elected president and a director of same.
The Garford Manufacturing Co. is by
far the largest and most extensive exclus

ive bicycle saddle manufacturing company
in the world, and their product enjoys the
reputation of being the standard of excel
lence, and is "used almost exclusively by
the largest and best manufacturers of bi
cycles in the United States. Mr. Garford
and his associates have become very widely
and favorably known among the Cycling
fraternity, and prominent manufacturers
generally. The following clipping from
Cycling Life, one of the most prominent
Cycling journals, under date of October
19, 1893, illustrates the regard in which
Mr. Garford is held by the fraternity.
" Upon starting out in life A. L. Gar
ford must have had conspicuously in front
of him the inspiring reflection, now an
apothegm, that youth must be served. We
behold him to-day the king of the craft of
saddle making, and hence well entitled to
a place in our gallery of 'Leaders in the
Cycle Industry.' Very interesting, indeed,
is it to trace the rise of Mr. Garford. The
son of a farmer, he must have early be
come imbued with higher ambitions and
aims than most men, for when scarcely out
of his 'teens' we find him in a banking
institution, from which he graduated with
such distinction as falls to the lot of few men.
At financing he is an expert, and doubtless
it was while engaged in such work that
he acquired that solid reputation for integ
rity which is inseparable from the charac
ters of those who are successful in that
line. Some will ascribe his success simply to
ability, some to fortunate circumstances
and some to the close practice of hon
orable business principles; but we prefer to
credit him with being the rare possessor of
all three qualifications, and choose to find
the secret of his distinction in the faithful
practice of them. It is said of Mr. Gar
ford that the contemplation of his own
success does not yield him as much pleas
ure as it may afford to those who are his
biographers in a small way. Perhaps this
is because he feels that he is not yet spent
— that he has in him the power to climb
to greater heights."

LORAIN COUNTY, OHIO.

761

On December 14, 1881, Arthur L. Gar
ford was united in marriage with Miss
Mary Louise Nelson, second, daughter of
the late T. L. Nelson, of Elyria, and two
children have come to brighten the Gar
ford home — Mary Katharine, born July
17, 1883, and Louise Ely, bora July 19,
1885. Mr. Garford is a stanch Republican, and
though frequently approached by friends
to allow his name to be used in connection
with party office, he has invariably declined
all proffered political honors. He is a
prominent member of the Royal Arcanum,
having occupied all the Chairs of Elyria
Council, and is now a past regent. The
high school of Elyria has an Alumni Asso
ciation, of which he has served as presi
dent. In addition to his other extensive
interests above recounted, he is secretary
and treasurer of the Republican Printing
Co., of Elyria, and of the Beal Mining
Core Drill Co.; is a stockholder in the
Sunol Bicycle Co., of Chicago, and of the
Topliff & Ely Co., of Elyria; is two-fifths
owner of the Fay Manufacturing Co., and
a stockholder in the National Bank of Ely
ria. He was city treasurer for Elyria some
five years, resigning in 1892. At the death
of T. L. Nelson, his father-in-law, he was
one of the executors of the will, and he
has since helped in the management of the
entire estate. Busy as he is with his end
less variety of commercial interests, Mr.
Garford yet finds some little time for the
farm, and he is the proud owner of some
fine-bred horses, noted for both blood and
speed, and he is tbe possessor of consider
able real estate in and about the city of
Elyria. Mr. Garford is a typical self-made
American, with the strain of British blood
in his veins that adds to his American pro
gressive impulses an indomitable will and
a tenacity of purpose that are some of his
more pronounced characteristics. From a
plain farmer's son, he has risen in the
commercial world by his own marked exe
cutive ability and untiring energy; and

though not yet past the heyday of young
manhood, he is already prominently iden
tified with nearly every enterprise located
in Lorain county.

D

C. NICHOLS, one of the well-to-
do, native-born farmer citizens of
LaGrange township, is a son of
James Nichols, who was born
August 9, 1801, in the State of Rhode
Island. When six months old James was
brought by his father, Stephen Nichols,
to Washington county, N. Y., and there re
mained until eighteen years of age, when
he went to Jefferson county, N. Y. His
parents followed him to that county some
time afterward, and there passed the re
mainder of their lives.
James Nichols was reared to farm life,
and his education was received in the
common schools. He was married in
Jefferson county, N. Y., at the age of
twenty years, to Miss Leonora Johnson,
who was born in that county February 14,
1803, daughter of Joshua and Experience
(Tibbals) Johnson, who were natives of
Connecticut, and early settlers in Jefferson
county, N. Y.; the father died at the
home of our subject, D. C. Nichols, in
LaGrange township, Lorain Co., Ohio; the
mother died in Michigan. While resi
dents of New York State children were
born to James and Leonora Nichols, as
follows: Eliza, now the widow of Bennett
Rockwood, of Pittsfield, Lorain county;
Cyrus, who died in LaGrange township,
October 19, 1891; George, who died when
three months old; Philander, a carpenter
of Wellington, Ohio; Sarah, who married
Dittamus Johnson, and died in LaGrange;
Alfred, a carpenter of Lorain, Ohio; and
Cordelia, Mrs. William Disbro, of Cass
county, Iowa. James Nichols followed
farming in New York State, and also
worked as a lumberman in the pineries.
He owned a small place, which he sold,
and in June, 1836, came west to Ohio,
via canal to Buffalo, and thence by lake to

762

LORAIN COUNTY, OHIO.

Cleveland, from which city he was driven
to LaGrange township, Lorain county,
where his father-in-law had located some
years before. The roads were almost im
passible, and it was only after much work
that they reached their destination, where
for a short time they made their home
with Joshua Johnson. Mr. Nichols pur
chased a tract of land containing fifty
acres, on which he made payments, and by
hard labor had partly cleared; in spite of
his toil he lost his home through an un
scrupulous land-dealer. Not being dis
couraged by his misfortune, however, he
purchased fifty acres lying south (the farm
on which our subject now resides), which
he finally succeeded in paying for, by hard
labor, such as chopping and clearing the
land, raising what crops he could, and also
going to the northern part of the county,
where he chopped four-foot wood at two
shillings per cord.
After coming here the family was in
creased by the following children: Mi
randa, a resident of South Dakota, the
widow of Garrison Archer, who was
drowned while going to the war, as a re
cruit; Ozias, who died when five years
old; Stephen, a resident of Cass county,
Iowa; and D. O, the subject proper of
this sketch. After coming to Ohio Mr.
Nichols engaged exclusively in agricul
ture, made for himself a comfortable home,
and became a respected, well-to-do citizen.
He died on the homestead in May, 1872,
his wife September 5, 1864, and both lie
buried in LaGrange cemetery. Though
Mr. Nichols never made any profession of
religion he was a thorough Christian ; Mrs.
Nichols was a member of the Methodist
Church. In politics he was a stanch Re
publican. D. C. Nichols, whose name appears at
the opening of this sketch, was born May
13, 1847, in LaGrange township, Lorain
Co., Ohio. He received his education at
the common schools of the neighborhood
of his birthplace, and then remained on
the home place, engaged in agricultural

pursuits, to which he had been trained
from boyhood. On January 28, 1869, he
was united in marriage with Miss Jeanette
Holcomb, who was born October 5, 1845,
in LaGrange, a daughter of Asahel and
Fannie (Hastings) Holcomb, who were from
Jefferson county, N. Y. After marriage
the young couple located on the farm
where they yet reside, and which he now
owus, consisting of 113 acres of land
highly improved and equipped with all
necessary buildings, etc. To Mr. and
Mrs. Nichols have been bora children as
follows: Charles H. (attending school),
Guy S., Claude M. and James A. (all three
living at home). In politics our subject
was a Republican until 1876, when he be
came a Democrat.

Ei DGAR H. HINMAN, probate judge
of Lorain county, is a prominent
 I figure in the galaxy of legal lights
in the county. He is a native of
Ohio, born December 16, 1846, a son of
Edward and Mary B. Hinman, the former
of whom was born in Catskill, N. Y., the
latter in Lee, Mass.; they both came when
children to Ohio and to Portage county,
where they were married, and here Edward
Hinman carried on farming, until his
death, which occurred March 7, 1875, in
Oberlin, where Mrs. Hinman still makes
her home. The first of the Hinman family,
in America, came to the United States,
from England, in 1655, making a settle
ment in New England.
The subject proper of this memoir re
ceived his literary education at Oberlin
College, Ohio, and studied law at Ann
Arbor, Mich. In 1864 he enlisted in Com
pany K, One Hundred and Fiftieth O. Y.
I. (one hundred-days service), which regi
ment was stationed around Washington,
and participated in the defense of the cap
ital at the time it was attacked by the Con
federates. On leaving the army Mr.
Hinman went to Missouri, and for one

LORAIN COUNTY, OHIO.

765

year was deputy clerk of the supreme
court at St. Joseph, after which he was
engaged as foreman in the building of
dikes along the Missouri river, preparatory
to building a bridge. In 1872 he returned
to Ohio, and for a time resided in Oberlin,
where he commenced the practice of his
profession, but soon afterward moved, in
1873, to North Amherst, in the same
county, where he opened an office, prac
ticing law for nearly nine years. For two
terms he was mayor of Amherst, resigning
this when elected probate judge, upon the
duties of which office he entered February
9, 1882. He is now serving his fifth con
secutive term, and is also president of the
Elyria Savings and Loan Company. His
residence is now in Elyria, and has been
since 1882.
Judge E. H. Hinman and Miss Ada M.
Faxon were united in marriage in Novem
ber, 1877, and the following named four
children were born to them: Harold F.,
Scott, Lucile and Edgar, the latter of whom
died in infancy. Active in politics, the
Judge has been chairman of the Republican
County Committee about six years, and
has been a delegate to State and Congres
sional conventions. Socially he is a mem
ber of the F. & A. M., of the G. A. R. and
K. of P. Oneof the pleasant incidents of
Judge Hinman's life was a trip he made
in 1886 to Europe with Hon. E. G. John
son, of Elyria. Many people will long re
member the humorous letters written by
Mr. Johnson to home papers, giving ac
counts of their adventures abroad.

J I W. WILBUR, dealer in general hard
ware, Wellington, is a native of Can-
' ada, born in Markham, near Toronto,
Ontario, May 12, 1839.
John Watson Wilbur, father of subject,
was born April 14, 1811, in Schodack,
N. Y., whence when he had attained his ma
jority he moved to Canada, and for four or
five years following farming there. He

then removed to Ohio, stopping in Port
age county for a few months, after which
he came in 1841 to Lorain county, and
took up a farm in Huntington township,
where he made his home for over thirty-
one years, at the end of which time he re
tired and took up his residence in the town
of Wellington, dying there in January,
1891. Politically he was first a Whig,
then a Free-soiler and finally a Republi
can; he was a strict temperance and strong
anti-slavery man. In 1837 he married
Miss Lucinda Chapman, a native of Can
ada, born near Toronto, February 23, 1814,
and she is yet living. Five children were
born to them, as follows: J. W , the sub
ject of this biographical memoir; Henry,
born March 23, 1841, residing in Welling
ton township; George W., born June 7,
1843, a farmer in Hartland township, Hu
ron Co., Ohio; Josiah L., born October 10,
1845, residing in Wellington; and Martha
M., bora September 12, 1849, died No
vember 5, 1852. The brothers and sisters
of John Watson Wilbur were the follow
ing: Clark T., bora December 24, 1804,
now a resident of Darlington, Ontario;
Mary, born January 25, 1807, died March
27, 1891 (she married a Mr. Leek, who
died in Canada); Phoebe, bora July 10,
1809, died in Wellington; Eliza Ann, born
February 23, 1813, died in Schodack,
N. Y.; George W., born February 8, 1815,
died in Canada; Martha, born September
8, 1817, residing in Sullivan, Ashland Co.,
Ohio; Israel, bora November 29, 1819,
residing in Canada; and Deborah, born
July 13, 1823, died April 30, 1891, in
Albany, N. Y. The father of these,
Thomas Wilbur, was born October 18,
1780, was a farmer, and died in New York
State; his wife was Anna Cline, born June
24, 1783, died August 25, 1862. John
Chapman, the maternal grandfather of sub
ject, was born January 27, 1783; he mar
ried Margaret Ferris, and their children
were as follows: Hannah, born September
9, 1807, deceased; Jerusha O, born July
15, 1809, died January 26, 1889; Martin

766

LORAIN COUNTY, OHIO.

Chapman, bora August 19, 1811, living
in Lorain; Lucinda, mother of our sub
ject, born February 23, 1814; John T.,
born August 17, 1816; Nathan, born
April 3, 1819, residing in Huntington;
Laura, born September 15, 1821, deceased;
Lorena, born June 24, 1824, living in
Cleveland; Lorenzo, b,orn April 8, 1827,
living; Thomas, born December 8, 1829;
Joseph, born January 8, 183-.
J. W. Wilbur, the subject proper of this
sketch, received a liberal education at the
common schools, after which he attended
select school, working also on the farm till
he was eighteen years old, when he came
to Oberlin, attending school there some
seven months, after which he taught school
for some years. On June 15, 1861, he
enlisted in Company I, Forty-seventh
O. Y. I., and was assigned to duty in West
Virginia. He participated in several en
gagements, and was ordered to Vicksburg,
Miss., being present at both the assaults
there. After forty-seven days siege, the
regiment proceeded to Jackson, Miss., in
the capture of which it participated; thence
was transferred to Memphis and Missionary
Ridge; took part in the Atlanta campaign,
and marched with Sherman to the sea. At
Savannah it assisted in the capture of Fort
McAllister. Here it was that the dispute
arose between the Forty-seventh and
Seventieth Ohio as to whose colors were
first planted on the fort, but several of Gen.
Hagen's staff, who were overlooking the
entire movement, decided that the colors
of the Forty-seventh were the first to ap
pear on the fort, and the captured flag is
now in the State House at Columbus. The
regiment set out from Ohio with 870 men,
and at the close of the Atlanta campaign
there were only 120; after the Atlanta
campaign it was re-enforced by 400 drafted
men and substitutes. Our subject was
mustered out November 11, 1864, the re
giment on August 11, 1865. He entered
the service as a private, and was mustered
out as second lieutenant of his company;
when he arrived at home he weighed but

ninety pounds. After the war he resided
in Huntington township about three
months, at the end of which time (Febru
ary, 1865,) he embarked in the stove and
tinning business in Wellington, in com
pany with his uncle, J. B. Lord, which he
has since continued in.
In September, 1865, Mr. Wilbur was
united in marriage with Miss Anna E.
Collins, born October 16, 1841, daughter
of Charles and Dorcas (Abbott) Collins,
the former of whom was born March 28,
1811, died October 1, 1883, the latter bora
February 25, 1811, and still living, having
her home with her daughter, Mrs. Wilbur.
By this union there were three children,
viz.: Mabel O, born August • 14, 1866,
married to D. B. Harris, now in Califor
nia ' (they have one child, Zoe); Carl C,
bom April 29, 1868, a musician, now in
California; and Rollin A., at home. In
his political preferences our subject is a
Republican; socially he is a member of
the G. A. R., I. 0. O. F., K. of H., Royal
Arcanum and National Union.

|| W. DOANE. Columbia township
k. I has good reason to feel proud of her
^Jj wealthy, intelligent farming com
munity, of wliich the subject of this
sketch is a leading member.
Mr. Doane was born March 21, 1831, in
Jefferson county, N. Y., a son of Isaiah
and Betsy E. (Giddings) Doane, natives of
New York State, whence in the fall of
1833 they moved to La Fayette township,
Medina Co., Ohio, making a clearing in
the woods, and building a log cabin.
From there the father came in 1846 to
Columbia township, Lorain county, where
he passed the rest of his days, dying in
1852. He was twice, married: first time
to Betsy E. Giddings, who died in Medina
county, in 1846; afterward to Hannah
Jewett, who passed from earth in 1878, on
the farm of the subject of this sketch.

LORAIN COUNTY, OHIO.

767

Mr. Doane was a soldier in the war of
1812; in politics he was a pronounced
Democrat, and for many years served as a
justice of the peace in Medina county.
The children born to his first marriage
were as follows: Luther W., who died in
Medina county at the age of nineteen;
Rosella L., widow of Dougal McDougall,
of Medina county; Diana H, deceased
wife of Levi Herrington; Frank Johnson,
residing in Harper county, Kans.; Mary
M., widow of Don A. Clark, who died in
the service during the Civil war; William
H. H, married, and residing in Berrien
county, Mich. ; Almeda E., widow of Ben
jamin Chamberlain, of Cuyahoga county,
Ohio; Orlando A., married, and residing
in Durand county, Wis.; J. W., our sub
ject; Frederick W., who enlisted in the
Civil war in Michigan, and died some
years ago; Lydia A., who was the wife of
A. W. Bishop, of Medina county, and died
in York township, Medina county; and
Martha B., wife of Gerome Osborne, of
Benton Harbor, Michigan.
J. W. Doane received a liberal educa
tion at the common schools of Medina
county, and was fifteen years old when he
came to Columbia township, Lorain county.
His lifework from his early boyhood years
has been agriculture, and he is now the
owner of a good farm of 115 acres, all in
a high state of cultivation, and which he
has improved, erecting a comfortable resi
dence and commodious barns.
In 1854 Mr. Doane was united in mar
riage, in Columbia township, Lorain county,
with Miss Amelia Hitchcock, a native of
that township, daughter of Samuel and
Amelia (Osborne) Hitchcock, of Connecti
cut, who in 1812 came to Lorain county,
where they died. By this union two chil
dren were born, namely: A son that died in
infancy, and Alice, wife of Judd Arthur
(she died at the age of twenty-three). The
mother of these was called from earth
January 3, 1890, and in April, 1892, our
subject married Mrs. Melissa Lanphier,
widow of Austin Lanphier; she has one

child, a daughter named Clara, married to
Charles Hutchinson, of Columbia town
ship, Lorain county.
Politically, our subject is a Democrat,
and is now serving his fourth term as
trustee of his township. He has been a
delegate to conventions, and has proven a
most useful member of the community,
both politically and socially. For about
eleven years he served as postmaster at
Columbia Station.

E'ZRA S. JACKSON, for nearly three
score years a resident of Avon town-
 I ship, whither he had come in 1837,
is a native of New York State, born
in Herkimer county in 1816. He is a
son of John and Patience (Payne) Jackson,
also of New York State, where the father,
who was a farmer, died in 1863; he had
served iu the war of 1812. His widow
came to Avon township, Lorain county,
and spent the remainder of her life at the
home of her son Ezra S. Jackson, dying in
1876. She had another son, R. P., who
came here in 1837, but moved to Michi
gan in 1863, and died there in 1864.
The subject of these lines received a lib
eral education at the schools of Herkimer
and Cattaraugus counties, N. Y., and in
the latter county learned carpentry, which
he followed several years. In 1837 he
came to Avon township, and erected many
buildings in both Lorain and Huron coun
ties, after which he engaged in the busi
ness of millwright. In December, 1844,
Mr. Jackson was married to Miss Cordelia
Q. Moon, a native of Avon township,
daughter of Abraham and Theresa (Du
rand) Moon, early settlers of Avon town
ship, Lorain county, where they died.
Four children have been born to Mr. and
Mrs. Jackson, the following being a brief
record of same: Theresa, wife of H. A.
Kenney, lives in Wisconsin; Jennie is the
wife of R. E. Loveland. superintendent of
schools at Lodi, Wis.; Ernest S., married,

768

LORAIN COUNTY, OHIO.

is county surveyor and resides in Elyria;
and Lena is living at home. In 1845 our
subject settled on his present farm of 117
acres prime land in Avon township, which
he improved from the primeval forest. In
his political sympathies he was originally a
Whig, later, on the organization of the
party, a stanch Republican; he served his
township as trustee, and has been a justice
of the peace. Mr. and Mrs. Jackson are
members of the M. E. Church, in which
he is steward.

4)

Vii OSES HERNER LEVAGOOD.
\_f/\ This prominent citizen of Elyria
I, is widely and favorably known in
business circles, not alone by
reason of his public and social
positions, but also for his frank, genial and
cordial disposition and scholarly attain
ments. Mr. Levagood's ancestors came from
England, France, Prussia and Holland
some two centuries ago, and a more im
mediate progenitor served in the war of
1812 between this and the mother country.
Our subject is a son of George and Sophia
E. (Herner) Levagood, the former of whom
was a native of Pennsylvania, the latter of
New York.
M. H. Levagood was bora February 2,
1845, in Wilmot, Ontario, Canada, where
he received his literary education. In
1863 he removed to Michigan, and at the
age of nineteen years entered into business;
but wishing to better fit himself for a com
mercial career, heenteredBryant, Stratton &
Goldsmith Business University, at De
troit, Mich., graduating from same April
15, 1869. Thence proceeding to Adrian,
same State, he taught the advanced classes
in the science of accounts and mathematics
in Evans Business College in that city. In
1871 he entered the employ of Mr. B. P.
Howe, sewing machine manufacturer in
Detroit, as bookkeeper, and later had
charge at Cleveland of Mr. Howe's west

ern correspondence, covering the territory
west of the Alleghany Mountains to the
Pacific Ocean. This responsible position
Mr. Levagood filled with thorough efficiency,
but resigned in order to associate himself'
with a screw factory in Cleveland, which
business was in 1874 removed to Elyria,
Ohio, its present title being "The Western
Automatic Machine Screw Co." With this,
the second largest screw manufactory of
its kind in the United States, our subject
has been actively and officially associated
for twenty-one years, and its high position
among the manufacturing interests of the
country is largely due to his enterprise,
good management and fidelity. The fol
lowing brief sketch of this prominent in
stitution will be read with interest:
The Western Automatic Machine Screw Co.,
Elyria, Ohio. Thia establishment, which well
merits the distinction of being one ofElyria's most
influential and valuable trade exemplars, was
founded, in the city of Cleveland about 1870, and
in 1874 was moved to Elyria. Some twelve years
ago it was reorganized, taking the above name, and
wilh abundant capital, combined with superior
management, has become a gigantic business en
terprise, with large and increasing demands for its
productions. When the additional buildings erected
this year are fully equipped with machinery, em
ployment will be given to about two hundred and
twenty-five men, who, in character and skill are
very much above the general average. Under its
present supervision its business growlh has become
phenomenal, so much so that it now ranks as the
second largest screw manufactory of its kind in
America. Screws and all kinds of special milled
pieces are here made, and in almost endless va
riety, adapted to every conceivable use, and vary
ing in size from the infinitesimal, requiring 15,000
and more to weigh a pound, to the larger sizes,
weighing three or more pounds each. The build
ings are all of brick, and present an imposing
appearance. The main factory is 50 x 150 feet, with
an L 44 x 98 feet, four stories high ; blacksmith shop
22x70 feet; case-hardening shop 38 x 43 feet; en
gine house 16x37 feet; boiler house 34x82 feet,
one story high; machine and tool shop 35 x 86 feet,
and office and warehouse 35 x 105 feet, two stories
high. The power is supplied by three engines
aggregating three hundred and twenty-five horse
power, and three boilers aggregating five hundred
horse-power. To-day this institution is the pride
of Elyria, and its business manager, Mr. Levagood,
a respected and honored citizen of the place.
On December 4, 1866, Mr. Levagood
was united in marriage, at Greenwood,
Mich., with Miss Mary J. Nichols, a

Enj%1EC.WJI,,^i.B'^{

LORAIN COUNTY, OHIO.

771

native of Ontario, daughter of Henry B. and
Mary (Ayers) Nichols, both of whom were
from New York. On December 4, 1891,
was celebrated at their residence in Elyria
the " silver wedding " of Mr. and Mrs. M.
H. Levagood, on which occasion a large
number of friends responded to the invita
tion to be present, to whom their host and
hostess, in their usual frank and cordial
manner, gave hearty welcome. When the
guests dispersed it was with the unani
mous feeling that this social event was one
of the most enjoyable they had ever at
tended, while a large number of presents
were left by them as tokens of their good
will and respect.
Through all the disappointments and
trials incident to human life, Mr. Leva-
good is always the same, genial, hopeful
and good-natured man, which makes him
an honored and valued member of several
Fraternal Orders, and in this, respect few
in the State have greater prominence. He
is a member of King Solomon Lodge,
F. & A. M.,and treasurer of Marshall Chap
ter No. 47 Royal Arch Masons, Elyria,
Ohio; he is a past officer of the Knights of
Honor, Royal Arcanum, and the American
Legion of Honor, in which latter he has
held the responsible State offices of grand
trustee and grand treasurer, served two
terms as grand commander, is now sitting
past grand commander, and is Ohio's repre
sentative to the supreme council. He
is a member of the city council, now serv
ing as its first president; as vice-president
and a director of the Elyria Savings and
Loan Co,, and president of the Elyria Aid
Society. He is a trustee of the First Con
gregational Church Society, and is actively
identified with other charitable and benevo
lent enterprises. With a generous sym
pathy, kindliness, and a desire to live a
helpful life, regardless of class or condi
tion he has a large circles of friends, and
has endeared himself to those in his em
ploy, where mutual confidence, goodwill
and respect prevail. The natural fruitage
of such a life, with a hearty reciprocal re

sponse from the members of his family,
produces the charm of his home, to which
he retires for rest and pleasure, when the
duties and responsibilities of the day are
laid aside.
The business motto of Mr. Levagood is
"never postpone until to-morrow what
can and should be done to-day; business
first, pleasure afterward." With these
characteristics governing his life, his suc
cess is but the fulfilling of a natural law,
and has earned for him the prominence he
has attained ih the commercial world.

41

ilLLIAM DOUGLASS, the well-
known retired merchant of Kip
ton, was born June 21, 1835, in
Camden township, Lorain Co.,
Ohio, a son of Robert Douglass, who was
born in Lyme, Conn., September 27, 1795.
Robert Douglass, grandfather of our
subject, when a young man came with
his father's family from Scotland to Con
necticnt, abont the year 1775. He was
there married, and reared a family of six
children, viz.: Nancy, Lovisa, Prudence,
Robert, William and John. The father
of these died in Connecticut, where he was
an extensive farmer, keeping a large dairy;
he also owned, and kept slaves to do his
work, but finally sold off the slaves, the
last two for the sum o,f eighty-five dollars.
After his death the widow, with her six
children, removed to Hamilton, New York.
Robert Douglass, father of the subject
of this sketch, moved with his widowed
mother to. Hamilton, N. Y., and soon
afterward, in 1817, he married Susan A.
Waugh, who was bora August 26, 1799,
in Camden township,- Oneida Co., N. Y.
Iu 1833 he came to Ohio, traveling by
canal and lakes to Huron, Erie county,
thence by road to Camden township, Lo
rain county, accompanied the entire trip
by Thomas Lee and Gideon Waugh, also
heads of families. Mr. Douglass bought
twenty-five acres of wild land in Camden
township at two dollars and fifty cents per

772

LORAIN COUNTY, OHIO.

acre, and the three families settled to
gether, at first erecting a single cabin for
the shelter of all, until the Lee and Waugh
families could be provided for. In this
cabin two years afterward was bora the
subject of this sketch, and on this farm
the parents passed the remainder of their
days, the father dying April 19, 1863, the
mother April 9, 1856, and they now
" sleep the sleep that knows no wakening "
in Camden cemetery. Their original
twenty-five acres increased from time to
time till the property became a farm of
considerable size, but prior to his death
Mr. Douglass sold off all except the
original twenty-five acres; and the old log
cabin was superseded by a more modern
and comfortable residence. The record of
the children bora to this honored pioneer
couple is as follows: Lovisa, born Janu
ary 6, 1818, married J. G. B. Babcock,
and died in Oswego, N. Y". ; Nancy, born
October 2, 1819, married B. Bayless, and
died in Kipton, Ohio; Adeline, born
August 4, 1822, died in New York
before her. parents removed to Ohio;
Charlotte, bom January 20, 1825, mar
ried A. Boswell, and died in Michigan
(she was buried in Camden cem
etery); Lucinda, born March 8, 1827,
married S. B. Williams, and died at Ver
million, Ohio (she was also interred in
Camden cemetery); Robert H., born April
22, 1830, is a resident of Kipton, Ohio;
Saily Helen, boru October 9, 1832, mar
ried Bethel Sabins, and died in Michigan,
where she was buried; William, subject of
sketch, is spoken of more fully further on ;
John G., born February 2, 1838, of Cleve
land, Ohio; Susan A., born June 5, 1840,
Mrs. A. L. Howe, of Cleveland, Ohio;
Harrison, born January 13, 1843, who en
listed at the age of eighteen in Company
H, Forty-third Regiment O. V. I., and
was killed February 3, 1865, at River's
Bridge, S. C, after having served through
four years of the war. Politically Mr.
Douglass was for several years an Old-line
Whig, in later years a stanch Republican

and a strong Abolitionist, sheltering many
a fugitive slave on his way to freedom in
Canada. He held several township offices,
and was in all ways a most useful member
of the community. As a sportsman he
was a keen shot, and as there was abun
dance of game of all sorts, including deer,
turkeys, etc., his home was seldom without
a well-stocked larder, and his neighbors
were abundantly supplied by him with
wild meat. He and his wife were of the
close communion Baptist faith, as early
members of the church at Center.
William Douglass, whose name intro
duces this sketch, received his education in
a primitive old log schoolhouse situated
about three-fourths of a mile from his
home, and this was the only one he ever
attended. He was reared to agricultural
pursuits, and remained under the parental
roof until he was twenty-one years old,
when he found employment in the woods,
making staves ; and being a powerful young
man, he wafc able to earn good wages. Up
to his twenty-fifth year he divided his time
between helping his parents, who needed
his assistance, and making a little money
for himself. A land grant his father had
secured for services in the war of 1812, and
which consisted of 160 acres in Mower
county, Minn., was bought by our subject,
and he remained thereon for some time.
In 1860 he came to Kipton, Camden town
ship, Lorain county, and traded this land
for a stock of groceries, and the rent of a
building in Kipton for two years. From
the time he opened out his business, he
continued in it thirty successive years, and
not long after commencing he bought also
the building, then a frame one. His trade
expanded so that in course of time he had
to put up a substantial brick store, which
he still owns. In 1888 he disposed of his
stock of dry goods and groceries, since
when he has been living in retirement. A
couple of months each year he spends in
an elegant lakeside cottage he owns at
Linwood, Ohio, and his leisure time is
spent in fishing and hunting.

LORAIN COUNTY, OHIO.

773

On July 3, 1862, Mr. Douglass was
united in marriage with Josephine Ran
som, born January 16, 1843, at Berlin
Heights, Erie Co., Ohio, daughter of Rus
sel M. and Caroline (Tenant) Ransom, and
the child born to them is Cora C, born
July 26, 1863, wife of 0. L. Wright, of
Toledo, who has one child, Gurtha D.,
born July 5, 1886. Republican in his
political sympathies, our subject's first
Presidential vote was cast for J. C. Fre
mont, and he has frequently been solicited
to accept office, but invariably declines, his
business interest at such times demanding
all his attention. He and his faithful life
partner are consistent members of the
Disciple Church.

'HARLES ALEX. TWINING, one
of the most prosperous and wealthy
of the prominent farmers of Hen
rietta township, is a native of the
State of New Jersey, born in Hunterdon
county May 23, 1821.
Samuel Twining, father of subject, was
born February 22, 1796, in Hunterdon
county, N. J., and moved his family to
Broome county, N. Y., in 1823, where he
died April 10, 1831. On September 23,1815,
he married Elizabeth Stout, who died Oc
tober 17, 1882. Her people were wealthy,
but on the death of her parents she lost all
that she became heiress to. Samuel was
a farmer, miller, cloth-dresser and dis
tiller, and at the time of his death owned
fifty acres of land near Binghamton, N. Y.
He left five children, a mother-in-law and
sister-in-law for our subject to assist in
providing for, and, although the latter was
but ten years old when his father died, he
was the "main spoke in the wheel."
Charles A. Twining, whose name opens
this sketch, received but a limited educa
tion at the subscription schools of the
place of his nativity. On October 18,
1842, he was married, by Squire Jesse
Richards, to Miss Nellie Schermerhorn,

and for about seven years thereafter they
continued to reside in Broome county,
N. Y. In 1849 they came to Lorain
county, Ohio, and Mr. Twining, having
saved some five hundred dollars from his
earnings, bought a small piece of land in
Pittsfield township, Lorain county, where
he resided three years. At the end of this
time he sold out to his three brothers and
returned to Broome county, N. Y., where
he bought the old home farm formerly
owned by his father. After residing here
three years he sold out, returned to Ohio,
and bought a farm iu Camden township,
Lorain county. Sold this farm and bought
in Russia township; sold this and bought
a farm in Henrietta township, which he
still owns. In 1888 he built a comforta
ble modern dwelling, situated in Henrietta
township, and his property has increased
from time to time till he now owns 720
acres of prime farm land, divided into
seven farms, with good buildings. He has
owned farms in Brownhelm and We6t
Henrietta, and in Erie county, in Florence
township; three farms in West Clarksfield,
Huron county, Brighton township, Lorain
county, and Wakeman, Huron county, and
resided on all of these except the one in
Wakeman. He has given his daughter
Sarah Ann a good farm in Camden town
ship, and has settled his six living sons on
good farms, and has also dealt quite ex
tensively in live stock.
Eleven children were bora to Mr. and
Mrs. Twining, as follows: Mrs. Sarah Ann
Gibson, living in Clarksfield, Huron Co.,
Ohio; Herbert, deceased; Orlando, de
ceased; William T., living on the home
farm, near his father; Gertrude E., de
ceased; Alva P., Floyd O., Virgil L.,
Perry E. and Fred A., on farms near their
father; and one that died in infancy. The
entire family are members of the Baptist
Church, except Perry, who is a member of
the Methodist Church, and all brought up
in the path of Christian rectitude, which
they have in no instance deviated from.
The sons have never used liquor or tobacco

774

LORAIN COUNTY, OHIO.

in any form. Mr. Twining in his political
affiliations has always been a stanch Dem
ocrat, and has served his county to the
best of his ability, and held offices of trust.
Mr. Twining formerly belonged to the
Methodist Church, where he was class-
leader and superintendent of Sabbath-
schools for a number of years, and also
held an exhorter's license. In 1866 Mr.
Twining spent one year with his family in
Ocean county, N. J., stopping at a pleas
ure resort in Point Pleasant.

4J

VT ATHANIEL MARTIN, who for
VJ the past quarter of a century has
]|i been identified with the agricul
tural interests of Columbia town
ship, is a native of England, born
in Devonshire in 1830.
His parents, John and Sarah (Osborn)
Martin, were also natives of Devonshire,
where they spent their entire lives, the
mother dying in 1844, the father at the age
of eighty-eight years. They had a family
of six children (four of whom came to
America), as follows: Mary was the wife
of Edward Spetigue, and died in England,
leaving a family; Maria, who was the wife
of John Tubb, went to Australia, and there
she died leaving six children ; Jeremiah,
who came with our subject to Lorain
county, where he owned a farm, and thence
moved to Jasper county, Mo.; John, who
came to Lorain county in 1849, located
first in Ridgeville township, then became a
resident of Eaton township, and finally of
Columbia (he is now living in Pennsyl
vania); Nathaniel, the subject of this
sketch; and Jane, wife of William Palmer,
of Eaton township.
Nathaniel Martin was reared and edu
cated in the land of his birth, and in 1863
was united ih marriage with Miss Mary
Ann Moyse, a native of Cornwall, Eng
land, whence in 1867 they came to the
United States, settling at once in Colum
bia township, Lorain Co., Ohio. Here

Mrs. Martin died in 1869, leaving three
children, viz.: John R., Elizabeth E., and
Anna Maria, who is now teaching in Ant
werp, Ohio. In 1870 Mr. Martin was
married, in Columbia township, for his
second wife, to Mrs. Caroline (Ruple) Reed,
daughter of Dr. Boltis and Clarissa (Os
born) Ruple, natives of Connecticut, who
in an early day came to Columbia town
ship, Lorain county, where the father died ;
the mother, who is now in the ninety-
fourth year of her age, still survives.
Since coming to Lorain county Mr. Mar
tin has engaged in agriculture and he now
owns a good farm of seventy-six acres, in an
excellent state of cultivation. He read medi
cine in Columbia township, and also at
tended Cincinnati Medical College, gradu
ating therefrom in 1879, and subsequently
practiced his profession for some years.
He now conducts a general farming busi
ness, operating 216 acres in Lorain and
Medina counties. In politics he is a Pro
hibitionist, and has been a member of the
school board. In religious faith Mr. and
Mrs. Martin are both members of the
Wesleyan Methodist Church at West View.

|| OSEPH H. MULL, junior proprietor
k. I of the Oberlin Citizen, has been
\J) identified with the printing business
for the past seventeen years, rising
from "devil" to "boss." For the most
part he was employed on local papers in
Oberlin, and in job offices, and in 1892 be
came associated with Mr. Disbro in the
publication of the Citizen, a flourishing
weekly, in Oberlin.
Mr. Mull was bora in November, 1857,
in Dubuque county, Iowa, a son of Jacob
and Almira (Sage) Mull, natives, the father
of Pennsylvania, the mother of Connecti
cut. In the early days of Iowa as a State
they moved thither, locating in Dubuque
county, whence in 1860 they came to Ohio,
where the father died in 1891; his widow
is now living in Pittsfield township, Lo-

LORAIN COUNTY, OHIO.

775

rain county. He was a farmer by voca
tion, in politics a Republican, and was a
member of the Christian Church.
The subject of our sketch was educated
in the schools of Pittsfield, and in the
preparatory department of Oberlin College,
after which he embarked in the printing
business, as already narrated. In 1884 he
was married to Olivia Stone, and they have
had four children, two being deceased,
Ernest at the interesting age of three
years; those yet living are George and
Julia. In his political sympathies Mr.
Mull is a Republican ; socially he is a mem
ber of Oberlin F. & A. M. Lodge, No. 380.

FLOYD M. PELTON is a son of
David C. Pelton, who was born
February 4, 1800, in Hartford,
Washington Co., N. Y., a son of
James Pelton, who was among the earliest
pioneers of LaGrange township, having
settled there in 1824.
David C. Pelton married Lydia Dodge,
who was bora March 12, 1807, and they
had six children, four of whom lived to be
named, as follows: Maria, Martha, Mary
and Charles; the last named of these came
to Ohio with his father, and is now a
farmer in the State of Illinois. The mother
of these died, and in 1832 Mr. Pelton was
married, in New York, for his second wife,
to Hannah Smith, and in the fall of 1833
started with his wife and one child for
Ohio, where his father, James, had been
living, as will be seen, for some few years.
They came by way of canal aud lake to
Cleveland, and thence drove to Lorain
county, locating in the eastern part of La
Grange township, near his father. He re
mained there eight years, and then re
moved to the western part of the township
(then a very wild section, and all new
country, the roads not being cut), locating
on the farm where our subject now resides.
By his second wife he had ten children,
viz. : Lydia, Mrs. Charles Crowner, of La

Grange; Mary, married to Manford Rip
ley, now of Eaton county, Mich.; Clark,
of Cheboygan, Mich.; James K., of Wau
kesha, Wis.; John, of Rising Sun, Wood
Co., Ohio; Grovener, who enlisted in Com
pany H, One Hundred and Third Regi
ment, and died in hospital at Hickman's
Bridge, Ky., where he was buried; Ade
line, Mrs. Edward Beaver, of LaGrange;
Hannah, Mrs. Thomas Cornell, of Eaton
county, Mich.; Elizabeth, Mrs. Lawrence
Van Warner, of Elsie, Mich.; and Win
field, a farmer of Eaton county, Mich. The
mother of these died June 30, 1852, and
was buried in LaGrange, aud for his third
wife he married a native of New York
State, Mrs. Mary (Tippin) Burns, widow of
Thomas Burns. By this union there were
five children, as follows: One that died in
infancy unnamed; Clarissa, who married
Augustus Vanlinder, and died in New
York in 1885, leaving five children; Syl
vester, who died young in 1864; one died
of spotted fever when seven or eight years
old; and Floyd M., subject of this memoir.
Mr. Pelton died on his farm February 11,
1890, being then over ninety years old,
and was buried in LaGrange township.
Politically he was a Republican. After
his death his widow resided on the home
farm with our subject; she died September
8, 1893, at the age of eighty-three years.
Floyd M. Pelton was born June 18,
1860, in LaGrange township, youngest
of the twenty-one children of David C.
Pelton. He attended the common schools
of his day, and was reared a farmer boy,
receiving his first instructions under the
direction of his father, on the farm he now
owns and resides upon. He was united in
marriage June 18, 1879, with Miss Lottie
Johnson, who was born September 15,
1864, in LaGrange, daughter of Elijah and
Lydia (Haines) Johnson, and they have
had four children: Cora B., Mary E.,
Clara M. and Charles W. Since his father's
death Mr. Pelton has had charge of the
home farm, which he now owns, and to
which he has added eighty acres, making

776

LORAIN COUNTY, OHIO.

him in all a tract of 160 acres. He has
met with some misfortunes, having had
his barns destroyed by fire three times, but
he has rebuilt each time, and in 1891 he
erected one of the finest aud most conven
ient barns in the township. He also con
ducts a dairy in connection with his
farming operations, and has at present
thirty-eight fine Holstein cattle. He is
also a member of the Holstein-Friesian
Association of America. He is an ener
getic, hard-working man, and has been
very prosperous. Politically he is a Re
publican, and has held various township
offices; in religious faith he and his wife
are members of the Baptist Church of La
Grange.

|( |f ENRY WISE, one of the progres-
1^ sive German agriculturists of Graf-
| 1] ton township, was bora in Byron,
y) October 5, 1847, a son of Peter
Wise, who was born November 5,
1810, also in Byron, and married a native
of that place in the person of Miss Louisa
Miller, bora May 18, 1817.
In 1853 the family, consisting of father,
mother and six children — Louisa, Fred-
ericka, Henry, Lewis, Frederick and
Christian — 6et sail from Havre, France,
for the United States, and after a voyage
of twenty-one days landed at New York
toward the latter part of December. From
that port they came west to Liverpool,
Medina Co., Ohio, by way of Hudson
river, Erie Canal and lake Erie to Cleveland,
from which point Peter's brother brought
them by wagon to Liverpool township,
Medina county, where they arrived #on
Christmas Day. In Germany Peter Wise
had been well-to-do, but through going
security for a friend, who afterward failed
in business, he lost over two thousand dol
lars. In Liverpool township, Medina
county, he rented a farm for a short time,
and then removed to Columbia township,
Lorain county, later coming to Grafton
township, same county, where he bought

fifty acres of wild land on credit, and here
lived seven years, at the end of which time
he moved to the farm whereon he died
August 8, 1886; his wife had passed away
June 19, 1883, and both are interred in
Belden cemetery. In Ohio the family was
increased by three children, as follows
Hannah J., bora September 11, 1857
Catherine S., born September 12, 1859
and Jacob J., born July 25, 1864. The
parents were hard-working, industrious
people, accumulating a comfortable com
petence, and they were honored and re
spected by all.
Henry Wise, whose name introduces
this sketch, was six years old when his
father and family came to America and to
Ohio. Before leaving Germany he had
attended a Kindergarten for a time, and
after coming here he received the rest of
his education at a German school, but he
never entered an English educational in
stitution. While yet a lad he was put to
work on his father's farm, where he re
mained until he was fourteen years old, at
which time he commenced work for Ben
jamin Corning at six dollars per month, all
his earnings being turned over to his par
ents to help pay for the home. On March
28, 1870, Mr. Wise married Mary Law,
who was born March 13, 1851, in Grafton
township, Lorain county, daughter of
Jacob Law, and children as follows were
born to them: Twins (stillborn), Rosa,
Bertha, Alice, Edith, Amanda, Elmer,
Anna, Lorena, Agnes, Henry and Ralph.
In 1871 he and his brother Lewis pur
chased land, going into debt nine thou
sand six hundred dollars for it, and the
predictions of many were that " the Wise
boys would fail." But these ominous words
were not fated to come true, for " the Wise
boys" did not fail; on the contrary they
succeeded, by dint of hard work and judi
cious economy, in paying off every dollar
of the indebtedness. At the end of thir
teen years (in 1886) the brothers effected
an amicable division of the property, each
one settling on his own share. Our sub-

LORAIN COUNTY, OHIO.

Ill

ject has an excellent piece of land and a
good home, equipped with all modern im
provements, including commodious out
buildings. Politically he is a Democrat,
and he and his family are members of the
Lutheran Church of Liverpool, Ohio.

||OSEPH S. WHITNEY, retired agri-
k. li culturist, well known and highly re-
\^j spected in Lorain county, now re
siding in the town of Camden, is a
typical "Green Mountain Laddie," born
July 10, 1814, in Bennington county, Ver
mont. Joseph Whitney, father of subject, first
saw the light in Westminster, Mass., Feb
ruary 21, 1785, a son of Elisha Whitney,
and April 27, 1811, was married to Abi
gail Townes, who was bora January 22,
1791, in Andover, Vt., where she was
married. After their marriage they con
tinued to live in Vermont till 1838, when
they came to Ohio, making a settlement in
Pittsfield township, Lorain county, the
entire family (excepting two sons, who had
preceded them) making the journey in a
wagon, the trip occupying three weeks.
The head of the family had in 1833 made
a prospecting visit to Lorain couuty, com
ing by way of the lakes, and at that time
bought the land in Pittsfield township to
wliich the family afterward removed, as
above related. The two sons, spoken of as
having preceded the rest, came, Joseph S.
in 1836 and Aaron in 1837; and in pre
paring the new home they cleared thirty
acres of land, and erected a rude frame
house in which the family lived after their
arrival. Here the parents died, the father
May 2, 1877, at the patriarchal age of
nearly ninety-three years, the mother on
May 3, 1872, and they lie buried in Pitts
field cemetery. Mr. Whitney was owner
of a fine farm in Vermont, and was worth
two thousand dollars at the time of his
coming to Ohio; when he died his estate
was valued at twenty thousand dollars.

His political proclivities were of a pro
nounced type, at first as a strong Whig,
and later as a stanch Republican. He and
his wife were members of the Congrega
tional Church. Their children, all born
in Vermont, were Hannah T. and Abigail
(twins), born July 5, 1812, of whom Han
nah married Reuben Stone, in Vermont,
and died in Oberlin, Ohio (Abigail died in
infancy); Joseph S., born July 10, 1814,
who is the subject proper of this memoir;
Aaron T., bora July 5, 1816, who died in
1870, in Collinwood, Ohio; Mark, born
December 17, 1818, a farmer of Russia
township, Lorain county; Augustine, born
December 27, 1820, of Pittsfield township;
Richard, bora February 16, 1823, of Grin-
nell, Iowa; Susan A., born July 20, 1825,
who married John Mills, and died in Pitts
field; Norman, born January 20, 1828, of
Anthony, Kans.; Ira, born September 13,
1829, of Harper county. Kans., where he
owns over 1,200 acres; and Loren, born
February 26, 1833, of Texas.
The subject of our sketch received but
a limited education at the subscription
schools of his native place, consisting of
two months' tuition during a few winters;
but what he lacked in that respect he made
up for by after-study, and a close observa
tion of men and things. In 1836 his
father sent him to Ohio to prepare a new
home for the family, as above related, and
in this then wild locality he did many a
hard day's work, being a stout, active
young man, and frequently had encounters
with wild animals who were disposed to
assert their prior right to the forest wilds.
After his marriage he and his bride settled
on 100 acres of land in Pittsfield township,
which he had bought on credit, and here
they lived four years, their house being ah
old log cabin, very much the worse for a<ie
and exposure to the elements, and through
the many cracks between the logs would
often creep into "the sacred penetralia of.
the home" snakes and other reptiles. Buy
ing another farm near by, Mr. Whitney
lived there mauy years; then for two years

778

LORAIN COUNTY, OHIO.

made his home in Brownhelm township,
same county, and then returning to Pitts
field township lived there till 1870, in
which year he came to Camden township,
taking up his residence at Kipton, where
he has since lived a retired life.
On September 19, 1839, Mr. Whitney
was married, in Sullivan, Ashland Co.,
Ohio, to Lucy A. Ward, who was born Oc
tober 7, 1818, in Orwell, Vt., a daughter
of James and Lucy (Abel) Ward, who
came to Ohio in July, 1836, locating in
Pittsfield township, Lorain county. The
children born to this union are four in
number, of whom the following is a brief
record: Melva A. is the wife of Roswell
Adams, of Wellington, Ohio; Agnes A.
is the wife of E. Jones, of Fostoria, Ohio;
Everetta H. is the wife of Frank Sheffield,
of Pittsfield township; Mary M. is an
educated young lady of Cleveland, Ohio.
Politically our subject was originally a
Whig, later a Republican, and he held
various offices of trust in Pittsfield town
ship. On September 19, 1889, Mr. and
Mrs. Whitney celebrated their golden wed
ding; and they are yet hale and hearty, en
joying in their declining years the good
will and esteem of a wide circle of friends
and acquaintances.

rH. FOSTER, member of the flour
ishing clothing firm of Baker & Fos
ter, Elyria, was born in Carlisle
township, Lorain Co., Ohio, Decem
ber 7, 1849, a son of I. B. and Hannah
(Taylor) Foster, natives of Tompkins
county, N. Y., the father born September
12, 1822, died July 7, 1882, and the latter
born March 2, 1828, in Enfield, died Feb
ruary 4, 1890.
Both parents were reared on farms, and
received common-school educations. They
were married in their native county, and
moved westward to Ohio, settling in Car
lisle township, Lorain county, about the
year 1847. They had four children, viz.:

F. H.; Frederick K., now a farmer at
Saint John's, Clinton Co., Mich.; DeWitt,
a farmer, now residing at Oberlin, Ohio;
and Charles H., a clerk with the firm of
Baker & Foster. Our subject's paternal
grandparents were both natives of New
York State, where they passed their entire
lives, and were descended from old Massa
chusetts stock. The maternal grandpar
ents were of the same nativity, and the
grandmother is yet living, now at the ad
vanced age of eighty-four years.
I. B. Foster, father of snbject, was by
trade a carpenter and joiner and cabinet
maker. After coming to Lorain county
he followed the business of contracting
and building, was recognized as a first-
class mechanic, and had in his employ at
times as many as thirty hands. His health
failing, however, he abandoned this line of
trade, taking up fruit culture, including
tree grafting, and also carried on a mer
cantile business in a small way at La
Porte, in Lorain county, up to the time of
his death, which occurred at his home in
LaPorte. He was very active in business,
and made a success of it. In politics he
was a strong Republican, and a pronounced
temperance advocate and Abolitionist,
often concealing in his house run- away
slaves during the "Underground Rail
road" period. His wife was a slight,
delicate woman, and, like her husband,
was possessed of strong religious convic
tions. They were married November
1, 1846.
F. H. Foster, subject of these lines, re
mained with his parents till he was nine
teen years old, attending during the winter
months the schools of LaPorte, Lorain
county, and working in the summer sea
son. He got some ideas of mercantile
business in his father's store, and always
had an ambition to lead a commercial life.
At the age of nineteen he left the paternal
roof, and proceeded to Oberlin, in the
same county, where he entered the employ
of J. M. Johnson & Son, with whom he
remained two years and four months;

'¦•:-:'.p,-':J-''

LbRAIN COUNTY, OHIO.

781

then came to Elyria, and for seven years
clerked with Starr Brothers & Co., general
merchants. In both these houses Mr.
Foster tilled positious with ability and
energy in all departments, and during tbe
last three or four years he was with the
last named firm he had charge of the
clothing and manufacturing of clothing,
becoming a thorough expert in all the de
partments of that branch of the business.
Leaving the firm of Starr Brothers & Co.
on account of their going out of business,
he entered into an equal partnership with
G. W. Baker, under the firm name of
Baker & Foster, and in 1878 they bought
out the clothing department of Baldwin,
Lersch & Co.; since then they have been
the leading clothiers in Elyria. Both are
admirably adapted to the trade, havinig
had long experience in the business, and
being well known to the public. They
commenced in a careful, conservative way,
and as business increased enlarged their
premises, making three additions to their
rooms; after which they bought out Cogs
well & Co., and added their late room to
their own store. Mr. Foster is one of the
best buyers and salesmen to be found any
where, and in discretion and judgment in
both buying and selling he has no superior
in the State. He does all the buying for
the firm.
Mr. Foster was married, November 1,
1871, to Miss Emma Inez Prindle, a na
tive of Carlisle township, Lorain county,
born October 6, 1851. She is a daughter
of H. H. and Christiana Elizabeth (Spaf
ford) Prindle, the former of whom was
born about the year 1822 in Carlisle town
ship, Lorain Co., Ohio, where he lived
and died, the latter born in Richfield,
Summit Co., Ohio, January 13, 1822, and
died at Elyria, Ohio, October 13, 1885,
aged sixty-three years, eight months and
twenty-eight days. Mrs. Emma Inez
Foster was educated in the country schools
till the age of fourteen, when she came to
Elyria to attend the high school there,
making her home during that time with

her grandparents. She is the mother of
two children: Clarence H., bora October
21, 1877, and Maud Inez, born December
15, 1881'.
Politically Mr. Foster is a Republican;
socially he is a Master Mason and a mem
ber of the Royal Arcanum. He is inter
ested in the Independent Horse and Cattle
Company at North Park, Colo., and for
recreation and the benefit of his health he
makes frequent trips to that place. He
and his wife are members of the Episcopal
Church.

**r\ EV. J. A. SCHMIDT, pastor of the
\^& Evangelical Lutheran Church in
I 1^ Elyria, was born April 5, 1854, in
y) Shelby county, Ohio, the fifth
child of J. A. and Rosina (Bertch)
Schmidt, both of whom were born in
Wurtemberg, Germany. After coming to
this country they lived in Ohio and In
diana; the mother died in 1892; the father
is now a resident of Liverpool, Ohio.
The subject of this sketch received his
literary education in part at Fort Wayne,
Ind., and pursued his theological studies
at Concordia College, St. Louis, Mo., where
he graduated in 1877, in July of which
year he was ordained. Coming, then, direct
to Elyria, he took charge of St. John's
Evangelical Lutheran Congregation. The
appointments in the parish were poor, a
small frame edifice serving as church,
parochial school and pastoral residence. By
and by Mr. Schmidt agitated among his
flock the question of building new accomo
dations for the flock and pastor, and as a
result of his labors the Evangelical Lu
theran Church building, schoolhouse and
pastoral residence are among the finest
buildings in Elyria. The congregation
have never solicited aid from outside
sources, it being a principle of the denomi
nation that to donate to Church work is a
privilege and purely a matter of religion.
Mr. Schmidt was united in marriage,
April 22, 1878, with Miss Johanna

782

LORAIN COUNTY, OHIO.

Schwan, who was born in Cleveland, Ohio,
daughter of Rev. H. C. Schwan, D. D., and
Emma (Blum) Schwan, the former of whom
is a native of Hanover, Germany, the latter
of Brazil, South America; they reside in
Cleveland, Ohio. To this union have been
born the following named four children:
Stella, Flora, Esther and George. In
politics our subject is independent. At
Grafton, Ohio, he has a station which he
visits monthly to preach the good tidings
of salvation.
\ Al "VILLIAM N- SHOOP, one of the
\J\wJ foremost citizens of Grafton town-
M( Vf ship, was born May 31, 1828, in
Fairview township, York Co.,
Perm., son of Peter and Susan (Nelson)
Shoop, who were of German extraction.
Our subject received a common-school
education, attending school during the
winter season, and doing chores for his
board, his duties being so numerous that
he was obliged to labor very industriously
to perform all the work assigned to him
before school began. Thus he struggled
on until he was sixteen years of age, when
he commenced to learn the blacksmith's
trade, working for one year under John
Whitmer, of White Hill, Cumberland Co.,
Penn., and then for two and a half years
under James Denning, on Third street,
Harrisburg, Penn. He was then employed
for a short time at Baltimore, Md., in a
shop on Utah street, when failing health
compelled him to give up the trade, and
he obtained work in the limekilns along
the Lebanon pike from Harrisburg, Penn.
In 1849 his father died, and was buried in
Fairview township, York Co., Penn., by
the side of the mother, who had preceded
him to the grave in 1841. They left five
children, of whom William N. was the
youngest; the latter was taken sick after
his mother's death with a disease very
much like la grippe, and during his illness
incurred a doctor's bill of five dollars, to
settle which he gathered roots and herbs
after his recovery.

After the death of his parents, being
dissatisfied with his wages, Mr. Shoop con
cluded to migrate to Ohio, and came to
West Salem, Wayne county, but failing to
find work there, walked to Westfield town
ship, Medina county, carrying his budget.
He worked for twelve dollars a month un
til October, 1854, when he returned to
Harrisburg, Penn., remaining there until
the following spring, when, in company
with three other young men, he started for
St. Paul, Minn., traveling by rail to Galena,
III., and thence by boat to their destina
tion. He found employment with a sur
veying corps (then laying out Stillman's
addition to St. Paul), but after a short
time returned to northern Illinois, work
ing near Freeport, Stephenson county, un
til the spring of 1856. He then went to
Mt. Vernon, Iowa, where he helped to
burn the brick for the college of that place;
and then returning to his native State,
remained there for some time. In the lat
ter part of 1858 he returned to Ohio, and
locating in Westfield, Medina county, en
gaged in farm work for about one year,
when, his health failing, he obtained a sit
uation with the Ohio Farmers Insurance
Company, his former employer signing his
bond for two thousand dollars, fie com
menced his career in March, 1860, in
Grafton township, Lorain county, making
his first business call at and taking his first
risk on the house in which he was after
ward married, and which subsequently
came into his possession. Though he had
no experience whatever in the insurance
line, during the first year alone he in
creased the number of applications from
123 (the highest number obtained by his
predecessor) to 365. He subsequently
worked iu portions of Erie, Huron, Cuya
hoga, Logan, Union, Knox and Champaign
counties, Ohio, and for various companies,
continuing in business until 1872.
On December 22, 1863, Mr. Shoop was
married to Miss Sarah Thorp, who was
born May 15, 1843, in Grafton, daughter
of Ira S. and Sarah (Johnston) Thorp, and

LORAIN COUNTY, OHIO.

783

to their union has come one child: Jessie,
Mrs. John G. Gardner, of Grafton town
ship. In 1867 he removed to his present
farm, and here, since 1872, has been suc
cessfully engaged in general agriculture.
In political faith he is a Republican, and
has served in various township offices. Mr.
Shoop is one of the representative self-
made men of Grafton township. He is a
leader in public affairs, and his opinions on
agricultural subjects are highly valued. As
a citizen, he is public spirited, progressive
and enterprising, and is ready to assist in
every measure tending to benefit the com
munity in general.

THOMAS CHOPE, a representative
prosperous agriculturist of Colum
bia township, of which he is- a native,
was born in April, 1841.
His parents, Thomas and Ann
(Rowlan) Chope, natives of England, where
they married, came in the year 1835 to
the United States and to Ohio, first locating
on the Public Square, Cleveland, whence
they moved to Columbia township, Lorain
county, where they settled in the woods
and commenced clearing a farm. Their
first piece of land was thirty acres which
they improved, and they added thereto from
time to time till it is now a fine property
of 230 acres. Here they passed the re
mainder of their days, the father dying in
1884, a lifelong Whig and Republican, the
mother in 1885. They had a family of
four children, all now deceased except our
subject, their names being Thomas, Will
iam (deceased at the age of twenty-four),
Mary (deceased when twenty-two years
old) and Ann (who died at the age of
eighteen). Thomas Chope, the subject proper of
this sketch, was educated at the schools of
his native township, and learned the
butchering business, which he followed
for some years in Cleveland and Chicago.
After the death of his father he took up

farming, which has since been his life
work, and he is now the owner of 125
acres, all in a good state of cultivation: on
it he erected, in 1890, a commodious barn,
40 x 60, standing on twenty posts. In
1863 he was married, in Columbia town
ship, to Miss Addie Van Dorn, by whom
he had five children, viz.: Clara, born in
1865, married in 1891 to A. Roth, of Co
lumbia township; Charles W., born in
1867, married to Miss Ida Robins in 1891,
and has a daughter, Florence M., born in
May, 1892 (he resides in Strongsville,
Cuyahoga county); Edward T., born in
1872, married to Miss Percy Viola Hillman
in 1890, and has one son, Clyde A., born
in 1891 (they reside in Cleveland); one
son, born in 1878, died at the age of three
months; Henry, born in 1882, is living at
home. Politically Mr. Chope is a straight
Republican, and he takes a lively interest
in all matters tending to the advancement
of his township and county.

IV |f KELLING. The Kingdom of Prus-
I Vl sia has given to the United States
fj 1] not a few of her steadiest, most
y) progressive, useful and loyal citi
zens, and this volume would be in
complete were prominent mention not
made of the gentleman here named, a
native of Prussia.
Mr. Kelling was born March 22, 1829,
a son of John and Catherine (Schuster)
Kelling, also natives of Prussia, farmers,
who in 1844 set sail with their family
from Antwerp for the New World. Ar
riving after a voyage of fifty- two days at
New York, they proceeded westward to
Ohio, reaching Sheffield township, Lorain
county, in August, same year, and here
they settled on the farm whereon our sub
ject now lives. The father died in De
cember, 1845, the mother in March, 1887.
They reared a family of eight children, as
follows: George, married, and residing in
Sheffield township; N., subject of sketch;

784

LORAIN COUNTY, OHIO.

Michael, married, and living in Sheffield
township, Lorain county; John, married,
and now in Pennsylvania; Joseph, mar
ried, and a resident of Elyria, Ohio; Eliz
abeth, wife of Anton Junglas, of Salem,
Mich.; Anton, married, and residing in
Elyria, Ohio; and Jacob, somewhere in the
West. N. Kelling, whose name opens this
sketch, received his education at the
schools of his native place, and was fifteen
years old when the family came to Amer
ica. In their new home in Sheffield town
ship he assisted in clearing up the farm,
and converting the forest wild into smil
ing fields of golden grain. For a trade he
learned that of carpenter and joiner, at
which he worked some ten years in Cleve
land; three years at Wellington, Lorain
county, and built a church at East Avon ;
he also worked for a time at boat building.
In 1865 he settled down to agricultural
pursuits, and bought the old homestead of
fifty-three and three-quarters acres of land,
to which he has since added till he now
owns 120 acres, all in a high state of culti
vation. In 1854 Mr. Kelling was united
in marriage, in Sheffield township, with
Margaret Diederich, who was bora in
Prussia in 1833, and died in Sheffield
township, Lorain Co., Ohio, in 1855. To
this union was born one child, Gertrude,
who is the wife of Chris Laubenthal, of
Ridgeville, and has four children. In
1858 Mr. Kelling married, for his second
wife, Miss Anna Mary Diederich, who
died in 1875, and by that marriage there
were six children, as follows: Katie, wife
of Thomas Monroe, of Elyria, Ohio, has
three children; Margaret, married to An
drew Ferner, died in March, 1884, leaving
one son; Mary, wife of Peter Schneider,
of Kansas, has three children; Thursa,
wife of Michael Sterbenc, has one child;
John, married, resides in Elyria, Ohio;
and Eva, in Atlanta, Ga. In 1875 Mr.
Kelling married, for his third wife, Miss
Ferner Kunne, a native of Prussia, and
¦five sons have been born to them, named

respectively: Andrew, Peter, Henry, Con
rad and Barney. In his political sympa
thies our subject is a Democrat, and he
has been township trustee and supervisor.
He has been postmaster at Crandall,
Lorain county, since 1878, the office being
at his residence. Mr. and Mrs. Kelling
are members of the Catholic Church.

D. REEFY, M. D., a prominent
physician of Elyria, is an Ohioan by
birth. He received a common -
school education at the district
school, which he attended three
months in the winter, working on the
farm the balance of the year.
At tbe outbreak of the Civil war, while
yet a boy in his " teens," he enlisted in
Company F, Nineteenth O. V. I., as pri
vate, and served from September 7, 1861,
to November 25, 1865, with the army of
the Cumberland. He was engaged in all
the battles fought by that army, from Shi
loh to its last general battle at Nashville,
in December, 1864, participating, alto
gether, in eighty-four engagements. He
held every rank from private to captain;
served as adjutant of his regiment for one
year; commanded a company two years;
served on the staff of Maj.-Gen. Wood,
as mustering officer of the Third Division,
Fourth Army Corps; served as ordnance
officer of the Central District of Texas,
and as assistant adjutant-general on the
staff of Maj.-Gen. Sam. Beatty.
Immediately after the war our subject
spent two years at school, and in 1867 he
went to Cincinnati, Ohio, where he studied
medicine, and graduated in 1869. At
Bellevue Hospital, N. Y., he spent half a
year, and in 1871 graduated from Cleve
land Medical College. In 1873 he went
to Europe, and studied in Vienna and Ber
lin, returning to Ohio in 1874, since when
he has been in active practice at Elyria.
In 1877 Dr. Reefy was married to Lib-
bie Mountaine, to which union have been

LORAIN COUNTY, OHIO.

787

added two rollicking children, Karl and
Bessie. In politics and religion the Doc
tor is strictly independent; neither party
nor creed can hold him in alliance, but he
acts on the impulse of his own opinion,
caring little for the conventionalities of
society or their influence.

EORGE BRYANT, retired, well
», known and highly respected in the

\LJi community, is a native of England,
j^. born in the parish of King Stanley,
Gloucestershire, November 1, 1814.
John Bryant, father of subject, was born
in Wales, and was there married March
18, 1813, to Miss Pamelia Collins, who
bore him six children, as follows: George,
subject of this sketch; Jane, deceased wife
of A. H. Redington; Ann, wife of George
Collins, of Amherst; J. C, residing in
Buffalo, N. Y., a member of the faculty of
the Bryant & Stratton Business College;
H. B., founder of the Bryant & Stratton
Business College; and Pamelia, wife of
Henry Dwight Stratton, of the firm of
Bryant & Stratton, proprietors of the well-
known business colleges. The father, who
was all his life a farmer, came with his
family to this country in 1830, arriving in
South Amherst, Lorain Co., Ohio, October
18, 1830, and here bought the farm prop
erty owned by his son George. He died
in 1880, aged ninety-one years and six
months; his wife had preceded him to the
grave in August, 1864, when seventy-six
years old. Her father was a clergyman in
the Church of England in the mother
country, very prominent as a "High
Church" ecclesiastic. Nathaniel Bryant,
grandfather of our subject, was coachman
to the Duke of Wellington for some time;
he died at Amherst, Lorain county, at the
age of eighty-nine years.
George Bryant, whose name introduces
this sketch, was, as will be seen, sixteen
years old when the family came to Lorain
county. With the exception of three

weeks' schooling in South Amherst, he
received all his education in his native
parish in England, at the same time being
thoroughly trained to agricultural pursuits
under the immediate tuition of his father.
He followed farming all his active life, and
made a thorough success of it.
In 1836 he was married to Miss Ade
line L. Webb, born February 6, 1817, in
Amherst township, Lorain county, and six
children, as follows, were born to them:
Ellen T., deceased wife of Darius Plumb;
Mary D., who married James H. Redfern,
and had one child, Lottie B., who died
when eighteen and a half years old (our
subject now resides with this daughter);
George W., who has three children —
Maude L. (wife of John Harper), Adeline
L. and Sadie G.; Pamelia, who married
George Camp, and died without issue; E.
O, who had four children — Charles, Nina
May, Harvey (deceased) and Della; and
Charley C, residing on the old home farm,
who has one child, Eva. Mrs. Adeline L.
Bryant was a schoolteacher before mar
riage, and afterward she aided her husband
very materially in improving his educa
tion. It may be here mentioned that his
schooling in this country was abruptly
terminated by himself, as the other boys
"made too much fun of his Gloucester
shire accent;" but in after years his clever
wife came to his assistance, and imparted
to him an interest in study, whereby he
became a great reader and one of the best
informed men in the community. Mrs.
Bryant died February 29, 1888. A Re
publican in politics, formerly a Whig, Mr.
Bryant's first vote was cast for Andrew
Jackson. He is now retired from active
life, and makes his home with his daugh
ter and son-in-law — Mr. and Mrs. James
H. Redfern. [Since the above was written,
we have received information of the death
of Mr. George Bryant, which occurred
August 13, 1893.— Ed.]
fi. B. Bryant, brother of our subject,
was the founder of the famous Bryant &
Stratton Business College, the nucleus of

788

LORAIN COUNTY, OHIO.

which was a small class gathered together
by him for a Mr. Folsome in Cleveland,
with whom he became a partner, ultimately
succeeding him; and from this small be
ginning he developed the great commercial
school, establishing no less than forty-nine
business colleges in various parts of the
United States and Canada.
James H. Redfern, son-in-law of George
Bryant, was born February 13, 1840, near
Toronto, Ontario (Canada), a son of
Robert and Ellen (McClarendon) Redfern.
In his boyhood he came to Ohio, where,
at Olmsted Falls, North Amherst, and
South Amherst, he completed his educa
tion. For a trade he learned harness-
making in South Amherst, and followed
same till 1862, in which year he enlisted
in Company F, One Hundred and Third
0. V. L fie served in the army of the
West, and participated in the following
battles: Armstrong's Hill, Knoxville
(Tenn.), Atlanta and Resaca, besides
many others; he was promoted to corporal,
and received his discharge June 20, 1865.
After the war he applied himself to his
trade about one year, part of the time
keeping a shop of his own, and theu
worked on a farm in Amherst ' township
till 1878, when he paid a visit to Hays
City, Kans., taking up a claim whereon he
remained about two years, at the end of
which time he returned to Lorain county,
and engaged in his present coal business
in Elyria.

FITT McROBERTS, one of the most
prominent citizens and well-to-do
farmers of Pittsfield township, is
descended from a well-known pio
neer family of Lorain county. He
was born December 22, 1834, in Pittsfield
township, son of Peter and Eliza (Wait)
McRoberts. Our subject was reared to farm life, and
received such education as the common
schools of his time afforded ; the old school-
house which he attended stood in the midst

of a forest, which has since become a pro
ductive field, and now forms part of his
farm. The father died when Pitt was but
twelve years of age, and he then went to
live with Orlando Hall, a wealthy farmer,
with whom he remained several years. On
December 12, 1860, he was united in mar
riage with Abbie Baruard, a native of Ver
mont, daughter of Wood Barnard, and
they located in Pittsfield township on a
farm of forty acres, which he had pur
chased. In 1856 they went to live with
the widow of Orlando Hall, and here they
have since remained. This farm comprises
140 acres, and Mr. McRoberts owns, alto
gether, 239 acres, divided into two farms.
He is an industrious, hard-working farm
er, and has attained considerable success
in his life vocation. He is a man of prac
tical education, has a good memory, and is
quite an extensive reader, keeping well up
with the times. In 1892 he took a trip
through the South, viewing southern bat
tle fields and other places of interest. In
his political tendencies he is a Republican,
and an influential man in his party, but
does not dabble much in affairs of state.

|( ACOB KNELLMER, one of the lead-
k. I ing representative farmers of Brown-
}^J) helm township, is a native of Lorain
county, born in Henrietta township,
April 12, 1852, a son of Henry and Eliza
beth (Battenhousen) Knellmer.
The parents were born in Germany, and
soon after their marriage emigrated to the
Western World, making a settlement in
Lorain county, Ohio, first in Henrietta
township and finally in Brownhelm, in
which latter township the father died at
the age of sixty-four years; the mother is
yet living, now aged seventy-eight. She
is a member of the Reformed Church; her
husband was associated with the Evangelic
cal Church, and in politics was a Republi
can. In the Fatherland he lived the Ar
cadian life of a shepherd, and in this
country he followed farming,

LORAIN COUNTY, OHIO.

789

The subject proper of this sketch re
ceived a liberal common-school education,
and was reared to agriculture on his father's
farm. In 1876 he was married to Miss
Mary Schnuck, who was born in 1849 in
Brownhelm. Lorain Co., Ohio, daughter of
Henry and Barbara (Clous) Schnuck, na
tives of Germany, and seven children have
come to bless their home, viz.: Melissa,
Benjamin Franklin, Albert,- Emma, Bertha,
Ella and Clara. After marriage Mr. and
Mrs. Knellmer settled on their present
farm of 165 acres, where they have met,
thanks to their industry and judicious
thrift, with well-merited success. He is a
Democrat, and has served his township as
trustee and assessor.

'HARLES STONE, a prominent and
highly respected citizen of Lorain
county, is a native of same, bora
October 12, 1837, in Pittsfield
township. His father, Reuben Stone, son of Samuel
Stone, was born in 1812, in Bennington
county, Vt., received a common-school
education, and afterward taught school.
When a young man he married Hannah
T. Whitney, who was also born in 1812,
in Vermont, daughter of Joseph and
Abigail (Townes) Whitney. In 1835 the
young couple came to Pittsfield township,
Lorain Co., Ohio, and here bought 101
acres of timber land at three dollars per
acre, upon which he erected a small frame
house. At the time of their settlement
the country was still in a primitive state,
and wild animals abounded. Here their
children were all born, as follows: Frank
lin, who became marshal of Oberlin, and
was killed in 1880, while attempting to
arrest a colored boy; Charles, subject of
sketch; Eliza L., wife of Wesley Hill, of
Madison, S. Dak.; Betsey A., Mrs. Scott
Mongar, of Nuckolls county, Neb.; AI-
meron R., of Cincinnati, Ohio; and Abbie

A., wife of Dr. R. J. Cummer, of the
National Vapor Stove Co., in Cleveland.
Mr. Stone became a successful farmer, and
remained in Pittsfield township until
1860, when he removed to Oberlin and
embarked in the lumber and sawmill busi
ness. Mrs. Stone died in 1873, her hus
band in 1884, and both are buried in
Oberlin. In politics he was originally a
Whig, then a Free-soiler and finally a Re
publican, and served in various local
offices in Pittsfield township and later in
Oberlin. He was possessed of good com
mon sense and sound judgment, and was
selected to fill many positions of trust, in
which capacity he settled up a number of
estates, and transacted considerable busi
ness of a like nature. He and his wife
were both members of the Congregational
Church. Charles Stone received his early educa
tion in the common schools, and later at
tended Oberlin College, but did not com
plete a course there, though his parents
desired him to. For two years he worked for
A. Whitney, of Pittsfield township, and
while in his employ spent a winter in the lum
ber regions of Mississippi and Tennessee.
On September 18, 1860, he was united in
marriage with Lucy H. Ives, who was bora
in 1839 in Pittsfield township, daughter of
John and Rebecca (McCloen) Ives. After
marriage Mr. Stone bought 118 acres of
land in Pittsfield township, going into
debt for same, and went to work on this
farm (a comparatively new one, and heav
ily timbered), which he sold, however, iu a
a few years. He then bought the " old home
stead farm" from his father, and resided
there until 1876, when he bought land one
mile south of Oberlin in Pittsfield town
ship; in 1879 he erected a fine residence
on this place, where he has since made his
home. In 1876 he was elected sheriff of
Lorain county, and served during 1877 and
1878, wben failing health caused him to
retire from that office, having no desire to
remain. Mr. and Mrs. Stone have one
foster-child, Nellie L., who enjoys all the

790

LORAIN COUNTY, OHIO.

advantages of an elegant home and fine
school at Oberlin. Since his retirement
to private life Mr. Stone has completely
recovered his health, but does not engage
in active farm work. He deals extensively
in hogs and sheep, and is also somewhat of
an auctioneer, being, altogether, a very suc
cessful business man. In his political af
filiations he is an ardent, lifelong Repub
lican, and is a leading, highly esteemed
member of the community. Our subject
is a great lover of sport, every now and
then allowing himself a hunting expedi
tion in the Northwest; and he frequently
makes a short angling tour through Mich
igan, being a devoted follower of Izaak
Walton.

HAPMAN FAMILY. Nothing defi
nite is known of Robert Chapman,
the first of the family under con
sideration in the country, previous
to his emigration hither. According to
the family tradition, he came from Hull,
England, to Boston in 1635, from which
place he sailed, in company with Lyon
Gardiner, for Saybrook, as one of the com
pany of twenty men who were sent over
by Sir Richard Salstonstall, to take pos
session of a large tract of land, and make
settlement near the mouth of the Connecti
cut river under the patent of Lord Say and
Seal. At this time he is supposed to have
been about eighteen years old.
After the Indians were subdued, they
proceeded to clear up the forests and form
a permanent settlement. For about ten
years after leaving England he kept a jour
nal. The colony records show that each of
his three sons were representatives to the
Legislature, to which he himself had also
been elected forty- three times. The eldest
son served there twenty-two Sessions, the
second eighteen Sessions, and the third
twenty-four Sessions.
Robert Chapman seems to have been a
soldier, as his name appears as a sentinel in
the Pequot war in 1637. It appears from

the records of Saybrook, that he was a
very large landholder in the town of Say
brook, and East Haddam. He left at his
decease 1,500 acres to each of his three
sons, which had been received by him as
one of the legatees of Uncas,an Indian chief.
Robert himself resided on a tract of land
in the Oyster River Quarter, about two
miles west of Saybrook Fort, which has
descended in the line of the youngest son
of each family, never having been bought
or sold, and which in 1854 was occupied
by George H. Chapmau, Esq., the young
est of the fifth generation. Robert Chap
man was a man of exemplary piety, and
but a short time previous to his decease he
wrote an address to his children, who were
all members of the church, in which he
exhorted them to a devoted life, and to
abide by the Covenant into which they had
entered with God and his church. Rob
ert's parents were Puritans, whose religi
ous zeal had been transmitted to him.
There are several letters on file in the
office of the Secretary of State, written to
Robert Chapman.
Robert Chapman was married to Ann
Bliss, April 29, 1642. According to the
family tradition he was bora in 1616, and
died October 13, 1687, aged seventy-one
years. He had seven children, as follows:
John, Robert, Anna, Hannah, Nathaniel,
Mary and Sarah.
Robert Chapman, Jr., the second son of
the first settler, was bora in September,
1646, at Saybrook, Conn., and was an ex
tensive agriculturist, owning at the time
of his decease not less than 2,000 acres of
land. The town records show him to have
been a man of extensive influence in civil
affairs. He was for many years clerk of
Oyster River Quarter, as well as commis
sioner and surveyor for the town of Say
brook. He was a member of the Legisla
ture from 1692 to 1711. He was also a
member of the Assembly that drafted the
Saybrook Platform in 1708, a work that
has preserved the purity of the Congrega
tional Churches of Connecticut for 185

.tiUti>

LORAIN COUNTY, OHIO.

793

years. Mr. Chapman was twice married,
first to Sara Griswold, of Norwich, Conn.,
July 27, 1671, by whom he had nine chil
dren. This wife died April 7, 1692, and
October 29, 1694, he was married to Mrs.
Mary Sheather, by whom he had four chil
dren. His children by the first marriage
were: Samuel, Robert. Sarah, Francis, Dor
cas, Steven, one son that died in infancy,
Sarah, and a son that died an infant. By
the second marriage there were Benjamin,
Steven, Mehetabel and Abagail. Mr. Chap
man died suddenly in the Hartford court
room November, 1711. He was buried
in the old burial ground at Hartford,
Conn., in the rear of the Centre Church,
where his tombstone now stands, about a
rod north of the monument on which are
inscribed the names of the first settlers of
Hartford, with this inscription — " Llere
lyeth the body of Robt, Chapman who
departed this life November ye 10th 1711
aged 65 years. "
Capt. Samuel Chapman, eldest son of
Robert Chapman, Junior, was born Sep
tember 12, 1672. On December 6, 1693„
he married Margaret Griswold, a daughter
of Capt. Samuel Griswold, of Norwich,
Conn., and by her he had ten children.
Mrs. Chapman died December 21, 1750.
Mr. Chapman was a prominent man in
civil and military affairs. He resided in
what is now the town of Westbrook, and was
one of the first fourteen persons organized
into a church at that place June 29, 1726.
The date of his death is not known. His
children were Sarah, Margaret, Samuel,
Martha, Temperance, Jedediah, Mehetabel,
Caleb, Lucy and Aaron.
Jedediah Chapman (1), the second son
of Capt. Samuel Chapman, was bora at
Westbrook, Conn., October 9, 1703, and
was married to Miss Hester Kirtland, June
5, 1723, by whom he had eight children.
He was a very prominent man in the so
ciety of Westbrook in military, civil and
religious affairs. He was a major of in
fantry, a lawyer by profession, and held
the position of deacon in the church from

1732 until his death, which took place at
Westbrook February 10, 1764, in the
sixty-first year of his age. Tbe following
were his children: Hester, Temperance,
Jedediah, Ann, Reuben, Charity, Chloe
and Tabitha.
Jedediah Chapman (2), eldest son of
Maj. Jedediah, was born at Westbrook,
December 15, 1726, and was married to
Miss Mary Grinnell in 1755. He was
deacon of the church of Westbrook from
1771 until his death, which transpired
February 29, 1816, a period of forty-four
years, and was for twenty years justice of
the peace. At his decease he was ninety
years of age. His children were Dan, :
Jedediah, Constant, Hester, Lucilla, Mary,
Ann and Aaron.
Constant Chapman, son of Deacon Jede
diah Chapman (2), was born at Westbrook,
Conn., December 27, 1760, and was mar
ried to Miss Jemima Kelsey, of Killing-
worth, Conn., January 2.7, 1785, by whom
he had nine children. At the early age of
sixteen he entered the Revolutionary army,
was for six years under the immediate
command of Washington, and was for
some time one of his body-guard. He was
at the battle of Long Island, Germantown,
Princeton, and Trenton, experienced all
the rigors of Valley Forge, and was at the
final surrender of Cornwallis at Yorktown.
He also followed the sea for many years,
rising to the position of captaiii of a
merchant vessel, trading on the coast of
South America, and to Lisbon, and other
foreign ports. In 1793 the vessel, of
which he was commander, was captured by
the French off Porto Rico, scuttled and
snnk, while he and his crew were carried
prisoners to the French Island of Guade
loupe, and after four months he was libera
ted. The latter part of his life was spent in
Brimfield, Portage Co., Ohio, where he
died in 1850, aged ninety years. His
children were Lydia K., Thurot F., John
K., Anna M., Cloe P., Mary C, Joseph
G., Jemima T. and Henry C. The chil
dren of Constant Chapman, it will be

794

LORAIN COUNTY, OHIO.

seen, all had middle names, while none of
his ancestry were thus favored.
Thurot F. Chapman, eldest son of Con
stant Chapman, was born at Old Killing-
worth, Conn., December 7, 1789, and was
twice married: first, November 17, 1810,
to Lydia Andross, by whom he had one
child; second, October 16, 1833, to Eliza
beth Furray, by whom he had three chil
dren. In the war of 1812 he enlisted in
Col. Van Rensselaer's Regiment of New
York Militia, crossed the Niagara river
into Canada, and was at the battle of
Queenston Heights, and taken prisoner
there but afterward paroled. Mr. Chap
man was for some time a sailor in the
coasting trade, and also in the business of
codfishing off Newfoundland and tbe
Straits of Belle Isle. He was a man of ster
ling integrity and of the most generous im
pulses. The poor and the oppressed were
never turned away empty from his door,
and many a poor slave escaping from
bondage was by him fed, sheltered and
helped on his way to freedom. Mr. Chap
man first set up his family home in
Smithville, Chenango Co., N. Y., but
emigrated to the wilderness of the Ohio
Western Reserve in 1817,where he followed
clearing land a number of years, having
chopped, cleared and fenced nearly 300
acres of land. He here died December 16,
1860, aged seventy-one years, a practical
Christian of the Congregational school.
His children were Alonzo A., a sketch of
whom follows; Emily Al, wife of Lucius
R. Fields, of Oberlin, Ohio; Degrass S.,
who enlisted, during the Civil war, in
Company K, Twenty-third O. V. I., was
wounded at the battle of Antietam, and
died six days later in the field hospital,
aged twenty-four years; and Harlan P.,
special mention of whom will presently be
made. The mother of the three last named
children was born in New Durham, Greene
Co., N. Y., March 9, 1804, and was killed
by accident in Oberlin June 12, 1876.
Alonzo A. Chapman, eldest son of Thu
rot F- Chapman, was born August 25,

1811, at Smithville, N. Y., and was mar
ried September 30, 1832, to Miss Mar
garet Taylor, by whom he had seven chil
dren, fie was for many years a farmer in
Eaton township, Lorain Co., Ohio, and
was one of the first residents of that town
ship, coming there with his parents in
1817. He was called upon to fill various
positions of trust in civil and religious
affairs. He was a member of the M. E.
Church over fifty years, and was a mem
ber of the first class organized at LaPorte,
Ohio. He moved his family to Ridge
ville, Henry Co., Ohio, in 1866, and was
for many years in the lumber business.
Mr. Chapman died at Ridgeville Corners,
Ohio, August 5, 1890, aged seventy-nine
years. His children were as follows:
William T., Mary L., Henry L. (1),
Emory N., Pamila A., Facelia S. and
Henry L. (2).
William T. Chapman, eldest son of
Alonzo A. Chapman, was born in Eaton
township, Lorain Co., Ohio, on Bntternut
Ridge, July 10, 1833, and was married
March 21, 1854, to Miss Fidelia S. Banis-
tee, by whom he has had three children.
His vocation has been that of teacher,
having entered that profession in the fall
of 1852, and continuing therein until the
spring of 1890, a period of thirty-eight
years. He has taught, in all, fifty-seven
terms in the following counties of Ohio:
Eighteen terms in Lorain, one in Cuya
hoga, two in Defiance, two in Lucas,
twenty-three in Henry and eleven in Ful
ton. In 1867 he removed with bis family
to Henry county, settling in Ridgeville,
where he now (1893) resides. On August
4, 1862, he enlisted as a private soldier' in
the Union army to assist in putting down
the slaveholders' Rebellion, and upon the
organization of the company he was made
a sergeant. In December, 1862, he was
made orderly sergeant, and in June fol
lowing received a commission as second
lieutenant of Company H, One Hundred
and Third O. V. I.; in March, 1864, he
was discharged for physical disability by

LORAIN COUNTY, OHIO.

795

order of E. M. Stanton, Secretary of War.
His children are Minnie E., Myra 0. and
Myrta J.
Emory N. Chapman, second son of
Alonzo A. Chapman, enlisted August 11,
1862, in Company H, One Hundred and
Third 0. V. I.; discharged September 17,
1864, on account of wound received at
Resaca, Ga., May 14, 1864.
Henry L. Chapman, fourth son of
Alonzo A. Chapman, enlisted December
24, 1863, in Company F, One Hundred
and Twenty-fourth 0. V. I.; was left in
tobacco shed with the smallpox at Con
cord Station, East Tenn.; both feet were
frozen so that the toes came off; discharged
for same May 31, 1865.
Harlan P. Chapman, the subject proper
of this family sketch, and the youngest
child born to Thurot F. and Elizabeth
(Furray) Chapman, was born on Butternut
Ridge, in Eaton township, Lorain Co.,
Ohio, September 6, 1844. In his boyhood
and early youth he attended the common
schools of the vicinity, and Oberlin Col
lege two terms, in the meantime being
reared on the farm. On August 4, 1862,
he enlisted in Company H, One Hundred
and Third Regiment 0. V. I., which was
first sent to Camp Cleveland, thence to
Cincinnati, Ohio, whence they marched to
Kentucky, wintering at Frankfort. In
April, 1863, they moved across the State
to the Cumberland river, where they had
several skirmishes with the Confederates,
and following August were placed under
Burnside, after which they crossed the
Cumberland Mountains into East Tennes
see. Mr. Chapman participated in the
battles of Blue Spring., Knoxville and
Armstrong's Hill, at which latter engage
ment, which took place Thanksgiving Day,
November 25, 1863, he received a serious
wound, from which he never fully recov
ered, a musket ball being left imbedded in
the hip joint; after nine months' confine
ment to hospital, he returned home on
furlough. Before he was ordered back to
hospital he was married March 31, 1864,

to Miss Mary C. Pitkin, of Brunswick,
Medina Co., Ohio, and he was not called
upon for further service in the army.
After his discharge, June 27, 1864, he
settled on his present farm in Carlisle
township, village of LaPorte. Here were
born to him and his wife three children,
viz.: Erie D., educated at Elyria and Ober
lin; Otto B. and Oleo. Politically our
subject is a sound Republican, and for
three years served as postmaster at La
Porte; in November, 1892, he was elected
treasurer of Lorain county, and was duly
installed into said office on September
4, 1893.

THOMAS WILFORD, a representa-r
tive farmer of Amherst township, is
a native of " Merrie England," born
in Clipston, Northamptonshire, in,
1827, a son of John and Sophia
(Falkner) Wilford, of the same county.
The mother died at Clipston, England, iu
1835. John Wilford, who was a shoemaker, in
1838 came to the United States and to.
Elyria, Lorain Co., Ohio, where he followed
his trade. From there he moved to North
Amherst with one Thomas Quirk, and to
gether they carried on a boot and shoe
business till in 1840, when he bought
Quirk out. He then went to Lorain, same
county, where he opened out both a shoe
store and a meat market, and passed the
rest of his days, dying in 1872. In North
Amherst he had married Nancy Stanton,
and three children were born to them, viz. :
Richard (married), living in Cleveland;
Lucy, wife of George Peach, of Toledo,
Ohio; and George, married and living in
North Amherst, Ohio.
The subject of this sketch came with
his father to the United States and to Lo
rain county, and received his education
partly in the schools of England, partly in
those of Lorain county. In 1862 he en
listed in North Amherst, in Company I,
One Hundred and Twenty-eighth O. V. I.,

796

LORAIN COUNTY, OHIO.

for three years or during the war, and
served on Johnson's Island to the close of
the struggle — twenty-one months in all.
Returning to Lorain county, he recom
menced the pursuits of peace, cultivating
his farm, and he now owns a good property
of sixty acres in a prime state of cultiva
tion. Mr. Wilford in politics is a Repub
lican, and is a strong Prohibitionist; at
one time he joined the Murphy movement,
and he is a strong advocate of temperance.
He is a member of Rice Post, No. 148
G. A. R., at North Amherst. When a young
man he sailed the lakes two or three sea
sons, and spent two years in Kankakee
county, 111., working at day labor.

JAMES JACKSON, who for the
k. II past half century has been actively
\Jj identified with the agriculturalinter-
ests of Lorain county, Ohio, was born
October 5, 1816, in Champion, Jefferson
county, New York.
He is a grandson of Reuben Jackson, and
son of Daniel, who was born in 1775 in
Pittsfield, Mass., where he learned the
blacksmith's trade under his father. He
was married in his native State to Patty
Kellogg, who was bora in Pittsfield in
1785, and while residing in Massachusetts
three children were born to them, as fol
lows: Jane, who married Harvy Birdseye,
died in Trenton, Oneida Co., N. Y., when
aged eighty-four years; Pliny, born in
1806; and Sally, who married William
Gillett, and died at the age of thirty-six in
Penfield, Ohio. Between 1812 and 1815
the family removed west to Jefferson
county, N. Y., and bought the farm where
on the parents passed the remaining years
of their lives, the father engaging chiefly
in agriculture, although he also followed
his trade to some extent. In New York
State were born the following named chil
dren: Susan, who married William Chap
man, and died in Chicago at an advanced
age; Maria, who married Ferdinand Turni-

cliff, and died in Pittsfield, Ohio; Jason,
a farmer, who died in Champion, Jefferson
Co., N. Y.; Daniel, also deceased in
Champion, N. Y. ; James, the subject of
this sketch; Charille, who married Hiram
Hopkins, and died in Wellington, Ohio;
Jesse, a farmer of Humboldt county, Iowa;
and Belah, who died after reaching adult
age in Champion, Jefferson Co., N. Y.
Mr. Jackson was a very successful farmer.
He was a man of wonderful vitality, ac
tive and capable of performing a hard day's
work to the very end of his life; he died
suddenly, while chopping wood, in his
eighty-fourth year, fie frequently re
marked that he did not know what it was
to feel tired. In politics he was an Old-
line Whig, a stanch member of the party.
His wife died at the age of ninety-three
years, and lies buried byhis side in Cham
pion cemetery; they were devout members
of the Old-school Presbyterian Church,
and he was a man so highly respected, es
teemed and loved every where, that it could
almost be said he had not an enemy in the
world. James Jackson attended the common
schools, but in his youth cared so little for
study that he preferred to stay at home
and assist with the duties on the farm.
His first knowledge of agriculture was ob
tained under his father on the home place,
where he remained until he was twenty-
five years of age. In June, 1843, he set
out for Ohio, traveling, on the first railroad
he ever saw, to Buffalo, where he took
passage on a lake boat for Black River
(now Lorain), Lorain county, his destina
tion being Pittsfield, Lorain county, where
he had a brother-in-law, named Turnicliff,
with whom he resided for some time.
Then, in company with his brother Daniel,
he purchased an interest in a tract of fif
teen acres in Pittsfield township, which,
after many days of hard labor, clearing and
preparing the land, which was all in the
woods, they sowed to wheat; but just a
few weeks before harvest time a heavy
frost destroyed the crops, and eighteen

LORAIN COUNTY, OHIO.

797

months of labor were lost. Ou February
10, 1848, our subject was united in mar
riage with Miss Jael K. Coats, who was
born January 22, 1819, in the town of
Amherst, Erie Co., N. Y., daughter of
Josiah and Dianthe (Harmon) Coats, who
came to Ohio in 1836, locating first in
Clarksfield, Huron county, and later re
moving to New London township, same
county, where the parents died and were
buried. After marriage Mr. Jackson took
up his home in a small frame house, 18 x 22,
which he had erected, and there resided
until 1859, when he came to Penfield
township, and purchased, from David Cur
tice, 114 acres of land, which then con
tained no improvements but a log house
and barn. Here he has since resided, and
he has cultivated and improved the land,
and put up all the farm buildings thereon,
as well as a comfortable residence, wliich
was erected in 1873. Having had but lit
tle assistance in life, his present prosperity
is all the direct result of his own efforts.
In his political preferences he was origin
ally an Old-line Whig, casting his fiust
vote for William H. Harrison, and is now
a stanch member of the Republican party,
never missing an election, though he is not
an active politician. In religious matters
he is a member of the U. B. Church, his
wife of the M. E. Church, with which she
united in 1838. Mr. and Mrs. Jackson
are the parents of children as follows : Al
bert K., a resident of Curtice, Ottawa Co.,
Ohio; Sally, who died young; Antoinette,
who died at the age of twenty-one years;
Charles E., of Farnam, Dawson Co., Neb.,
a carpenter by trade; and Emma L. (at
home) and Amy E. (Mrs. August Griffis,
of Farnam, Neb.), twins.

LAYTON J. BELL, a well-known
wide-awake and go-ahead young
farmer of Brighton township, is a
native of same, born June 4, 1859,
the farm which he now owns and

on
lives on.

John Bell, grandfather of subject, was
bora in County Fermapagh, Ireland, in
1800, and in early boyhood was appren
ticed to a carpenter; but not liking the
trade he ran away from his employer be
fore completing his apprenticeship. In his
native land be married Miss Mary Ann
Grundale, also born in 1800, and in 1831
they came to the United States, bringing
their little son, John, and locating near
Clarksville, N. J., where he found employ
ment, first as a common laborer, later as
gate tender on the Morristown Canal, he
doing the night work, his wife the day
work. There were bora to them children
as follows: Mary Jane, now Mrs. Sheldon
Clark, of Brighton township, Lorain
county; Montgomery, a farmer of Eaton
county, Mich.; Amanda M. (deceased),
married to Michael Backins; Elizabeth,
now Mrs. Newton Snow, of Bedford, Ohio;
Henry, born in 1842, a farmer in Eaton
county, Mich.; and Margaret (Mrs. Lucas),
of Camdeu, Ohio, now forty-four years old.
In 1842 the family, attracted hither by an
old friend, Isaac Griggs, who some years
before had settled in Brighton township,
Lorain county, followed him to that town
ship, where the father bought land. Here
he passed the rest of his days, dying May
2, 1863, and was buried in Brighton ceme
tery; his widow still survives him, now
aged ninety-three years, wonderfully hale
and hearty considering her patriarchal
years. Mr. Bell was a hard-working man,
one who prospered and made his mark in
the community in which he lived. Politi
cally he was originally a Democrat, but
during the later years of his life voted
under the banner of the Republican party;
in his native country he was a member
of the Church of England, but did not
unite with any denomination in the United
States. John Bell, Jr., father of Clayton J. Bell,
was born in County Fermanagh, Ireland,
in December, 1830, and was but an infant
when his parents brought him to America.
At the age of twelve he came with the rest

798

LORAIN COUNTY, OHIO.

of the family to Ohio, and when old
enough worked out as a farm hand, thus
securing a fair start in life as an agricul
turist. By untiring energy, patient toil
and judicious economy he found himself
the owner of 115 acres of prime land, on
which he built a comfortable residence and
commodious outhouses. On March 17,
1879, he departed this life, and was buried
in Brighton cemetery; his wife was called
from earth March 20, 1889. She was Miss
Sophronia. Kingsbury, born in Brighton
township, Lorain county, of an old pioneer
family, and their children were two sons:
Clayton J. and Elmer, both of whom grew
to maturity; Elmer died when twenty-
three years old, and was buried in Brigh
ton cemetery.
Clayton J. Bell received his education
at the common schools of the neighbor
hood of his place of birth, and was reared
to farm life from early boyhood. On the
death of his father in 1879, the charge of
the farm fell to him, and he has ever since
retained it, owning the entire homestead,
aud representing the third generation who
have lived on it as owners. On November
9, 1887, he married Ella Dugan, who was
born August 15, 1868, in Oberlin, Lorain
Co., Ohio, a daughter of John and Mary
(Coughlin) Dugan, the former of whom
was born in 1826, in County Tipperary,
Ireland, and died April 8, 1881, the latter
born in 1836, in County Kilkenny, Ire-
laud. Mr. and Mrs. Bell have one son,
Walter J., born June 25, 1889. In politi
cal predilections Mr. Bell is a Democrat;
Mrs. Bell is a member of the Catholic
Church at Wakeman, Ohio.

N. GARVER, M. D., Lorain, is a
native of Ohio, bora in Wayne
county in 1858, a son of John and
Catherine (Shoemaker) Garver, also
natives of Wayne county, where the
father followed agricultural pursuits all
his life, dying in 1871. The mother is
now residing in West Salem, Ohio. They

were the parents of eleven children, nine
of whom are yet living. Grandfather
David Garver was a native of Pennsyl
vania, and an early pioneer of Wayne
county, Ohio, where he passed the rest of
his life in farming.
The subject of this sketch received his
literary education in his native county, and
at Lodi, Medina Co., Ohio. In Wayne
county he followed teaching for a time,
and then, iu 1876, entered Wooster (Ohio)
Medical University, where he graduated
with the class of 1879. The Doctor then
commenced the practice of his profession
in Medina county, where he continued
until 1882, at which time he came to
Lorain county, and here he has since been
engaged in successful practice, his office
being now in the "South End." His
residence is on Bank street.
In 1879 Dr. Garver was married, in
Medina county, Ohio, to Miss Alice Dris
kell, a native of same, and daughter of
Hugh and Florilla (Allen) Driskell, of
Ohio, the father deceased in Medina county
in 1876; the mother now resides with her
daughter, Mrs. Garver. To our subject
and wife have been born two children:
Birt and Lou. Dr. Garver in his political
predilections is a Republican, and he is a
member of the K. of P. He and his wife
are members of the M. E. Church, of which
he is a trustee.

4/

f |fENRY MOLE. Among the repre-
'^ sentative self-made agriculturists
1 of Grafton township, who, begin
ning life with little or no aid, have
reached the top round of the ladder
of success, is the subject of this sketch,
who was born July 20, 1824, in Devon
shire, England, son of John and Sarah
(Bauman) Mole.
He was reared to the arduous duties of
farm life, and, his parents being poor peo
ple, he had but limited educational oppor
tunities, as he could not be spared from
the farm. When a young man he was

LORAIN COUNTY, OHIO.

799

married March 20, 1850, in his native
country, to Ann Gardner, and same year,
deciding to try his fortune in America,
sailed from Plymouth, England, on the
vessel " Cornwall." During the early part
of the voyage a storm arose, and the ves
sel put back into port until it subsided,
but their passage to New York, which
lasted three weeks, was very rough. They
immediately proceeded to Eaton township,
Lorain Co., Ohio, and on his arrival Mr.
Mole had about fifty dollars in cash, which
he had saved from his meager earnings.
Here he purchased land (going into debt
for same), and, as the forest thereon was
very dense, a great amount of labor was
required to clear it for crops. After a ten
years' residence on this farm he disposed
of it at a profit, and bought land in other
parts of the same township, acquiring dif
ferent tracts, which he improved, and in
variably sold at a good profit. In 1870 he
came to Grafton township, locating on his
present farm, where he has since resided,
successfully engaged in general agriculture
and dairying. To Mr. and Mrs. Mole
were born eight children, namely: John,
deceased; William, a farmer in Grafton
township; Henry and James, both farming
in Michigan; George, farming in Eaton
township; Mary J., wife of Perry D.
Mennell, of Grafton; Charles and Rosa.
The mother of these children died No
vember 14, 1874, at the age of forty-five
years, and for his second wife Mr. Mole
married, April 5, 1879, Mrs. Elizabeth
Cousins, who died in April, 1881. For
his third wife he married, August 31,
1881, Mrs. Melvina (Holly) Adams, who
was born February 18, 1849, in Lake
county, Ohio. Mr. Mole is an energetic,
hard-working industrious man, and has
accumulated considerable property. He
has given each of his children a good start
in life, expending therefor about nine
thousand dollars in cash; but he still re
tains 122 acres of choice land. He has
paid several visits to his native country,
and in his affluence he has not forgotten

his relatives who have been less prosper
ous, as is shown by his frequent remit
tances to them. He is a stanch member
of the Republican party, but does not
mingle in politics; while not a member of
any church, he is a devout believer in the
principles of Christianity, and contributes
liberally toward its support.

/

M' AX MOREHOUSE, senior mem
ber of the firm of Morehouse &
Starr, dealers in Ladies' Furnish
ing Goods, Elyria, and the young
est merchant in the place, is a
native of Elyria, Ohio, bora October 15,
1866. He received his education at the com
mon schools of the city of his birth, and in
Oberlin. At the age of fifteen years he
entered the dry-goods store of Mr. Marx
Straus, a leading merchant of Elyria, with
whom he remained until the spring of
1890, when he commenced business on his
own account. It may be said of him that
he literally " rose from the ranks," having
made a beginning as errand boy, closing
his industrious career with Mr. Straus in
the position of head buyer and junior mem
ber of the firm. When Mr. Morehouse
and Mr. Starr commenced business to
gether the amount of their stock did not
exceed three thousand dollars, while to-day
it averages fully eight thousand dollars.
In November, 1892, Mr. Morehouse
opened, in conjunction with Mr. Carter
and Mr. Beese, a dry-goods store in Lo
rain (the leading house of the kind there),
the style of the firm being Morehouse,
Carter & Beese. The store is 40x80 feet
in size, and seven clerks handle the fifteen-
thonsand-dollar stock, which is all bought
by Mr. Morehouse himself, everything be
ing under his personal supervision; and
both enterprises are doing a good business.
The subject of our sketch is a son of
Andrew and Edith (Brown) Morehouse.
His father died in 1883, since which time

800

LORAIN COUNTY, OHIO.

he has entirely supported his mother, and
proven himself one of the kindest and most
devoted of sons. His life has all been
spent in Lorain county, with tbe exception
of a few years in Allegan, Mich., when a
small child.
Although leaving school at an early age,
Mr. Morehouse has attained a liberal edu
cation, and a large amount of culture, by
being a close student of men, and the read
ing of many good books. He in a pro
nounced champion of education, particu
larly a practical one for all boys, and he
himself is a living example of what may
be accomplished by solid integrity, strict
attention to business, industry and judi
cious economy. Politically he is an Inde
pendent, believing in voting for good men
and right principles rather than party. He
has not yet enrolled himself in the noble
army of Benedicts.
His grandfather, Thomas Brown, is one
of the oldest pioneers now living in the
county, having settled in Lorain in 1829.
He is remarkably well preserved, and at
the age of eighty-six is still active, and a
regular attendant at the county fairs.

|f |f ENRY J. EADY, proprietor of a
[^ well-known and popular drug-store
i 1| in Elyria, is a native of England,
yj born in Cottesbrook, Northamp
tonshire, April 28,. 1846.
Samuel Eady, grandfather of subject,
was an innkeeper at Brix worth, a village in
England, during good old stage times,
where he married Elizabeth Underwood,
by whom he had six children— four sons
and two daughters, viz.: Thomas, John,
Francis, Henry, Elizabeth (unmarried),
and Mary (wife of Thomas Barker, a prom
inent horse dealer of London). The sons
were all farmers in England, farming lands
near each other, and Francis was not only
a large farmer, but an innkeeper as well,
doing a prosperous business.

Thomas Eady, father of Henry J., was
born, in 1806, at Brixworth, in Northamp
tonshire, where he was reared. In 1827
he married Susan Holt, of the same vil
lage, where they were neighbors and chil
dren together. Their children, six in
number, were: William (in New Zealand),
John (deceased), Francis and Thomas (both
in England), Mary Ann (wife of John
Lantsbery, of Carlisle township, Lorain
county), and Henry J. (the subject of this
sketch). The father died in 1862; he had
been an officeholder in the villages of
Cottesbrook and Creaton; the mother
passed away in 1884 at the age of seventy-
eight years.
Henry J. Eady, whose name introduces
this sketch, received his education in the
public schools of his native place, taking
also a grammar-school course at Guils-
borough. He was reared on his father's
farm, and in his early youth was of no lit
tle assistance to his parents in the many
duties incident to the cultivation of the
soil and the harvesting of crops. In 1864,
in company with his sister and her hus
band, he came to the United States^ land
ing in New York November 25, the day the
attempt to set fire to that city was frus
trated. Soon- afterward he came to Ely
ria, Ohio, and for a year or two worked on
a farm, after which he entered the factory
of Topliff, Sampsell & Ely, in the same
town, studying evenings in the office of
his friend, Dr. P. W. Sampsell. In 1868,
having developed a liking for the drug
business, he commenced learning same
with W. H. Park, in his store in the old
Beebe Block, now Andwur, Elyria, where
he remained five years, at the end of which
time he embarked in the business for his
own account, his first store being in an old
wooden building, No. 8 Cheapside east of
the park. In 1870 he paid a visit to his
native land, spending the winter there, and
in the following spring returned to the
United States and to Elyria. Since 1873
he has been continuously in the drug busi
ness in the same location, and is now a

<n™yf'

LORAIN COUNTY, OHIO.

803

registered pharmacist; also has held prom
inent positions in the State Association.
His success has been almost phenomenal,
and he has gradually increased his trade
until to-day he is proprietor of the leading
drug business in Elyria. In 1885 he
erected the handsome three-story business
block, on the same lot as his old store.
Also, in 1892, he built the block, No. 16
Cheapside, one of tbe handsomest build
ings in the town, the first floor of which is
rented for a carpet store, and the upper
floors as his own residence. Indeed, for
his means, Mr. Eady has done more build
ing than any other person in Elyria. For
twenty years he has been a member of the
Agricultural Association of Lorain, and
has taken an active interest in everything
pertaining to the farm. In 1881 he took
another trip to England, spending the sum
mer among the scenes of his boyhood.
On February 16, 1876, Mr. Eady was
married to Charlotte Ellen (''Nellie")
Noakes, daughter of Rev. B. T. Noakes,
D. D., the then Episcopal clergyman at
Elyria, now of the First Reformed Epis
copal Church in Cleveland. The Noakes
family trace their lineage to Sussex, Eng
land, where many of the name are still
prominent. Rev. Dr. Noakes married Miss
Sarah Piper, and they are the parents of
five children, viz.: Charlotte Ellen (Mrs.
H. J. Eady), Florence T. (Mrs. N. P.
Wooster,of Elyria), Fannie,(Mrs. J. S.Van-
Epps, Cleveland), and Grace and Gertrude
(still under the paternal roof). To Mr. and
Mrs. Eady was born one child that died
in infancy unnamed. Politically Mr. Eady
is a stanch Republican, but his business
demanding and receiving all his time, he
is not an officeholder. Socially he is a
member of the F. & A. M., LO. O. F., and
K. of H., of which last-named Order he
has been treasurer since 1879; also for
several years was treasurer of the I. O. 0. F.
at Elyria. For fifteen years he was treas
urer of St. Andrews Episcopal Church of
Elyria, of which he and his wife are con
stant attendants. Mr. Eady is a strong

advocate for the support of home indus
tries, and has given liberally of his means
toward the improvement of the city of his
adoption. He has brought around him a
host of friends in and about Elyria, whose
confidence he well merits, and is one of
the best known business men of the place.

EORGE L. COUCH, mayor of Well
ington, and a well-known furniture
dealer, is a native of that town, born
September 4, 1850.
A. G. Couch, father of subject,
was born in December, 1819, in Berkshire
county, Mass., and in 1843 came west to
Lorain county, Ohio, settling in Welling
ton, where he established the present
business owned by his son George L. ; and
until recent years he was interested in the
extensive furniture factory. He was mar
ried to Miss Mary E. Durkee, who was
born in Pittsfield, Mass., in 1824, and
children as follows were born to them :
Julia A., Ella N., George L., Walter E.
and Nellie E. In politics the father was
originally an Old-line Whig, and of later
years has been a straight Republican;
prior to and during the war of the Rebel
lion he was a strong Abolitionist.
The subject of this sketch received his
education in the public schools of his
native township, and in early boyhood
commenced to learn the trade of cabinet
maker in his father's shop, which he now
successfully operates. Some twenty years
ago he became a partner with his father in
the business, and eight years later bought
out the entire business. In 1880 he was
united in marriage with Miss May H.,
daughter of Rev. E. H. Bush, and two
children have been born to them, viz.:
Treva May and Florence E.
Politically Mr. Couch has always been
an uncompromising Republican, and since
the Grant-Greeley campaign has been
active in the interests of the party, attend
ing nearly every National, State and county

804

LORAIN COUNTY, OHIO.

convention since the Hayes administration.
For more than ten years he was a member
of the county committee, and in 1885 was
elected a member of the State Central
Com mittee ; during the following four years
he served on Gov. Foraker's military staff.
In municipal affairs he has always taken a
great interest, but declined to become a
candidate for any office until 1890, at
which time he was elected to the office of
mayor. So acceptably did he fill the office
as to be twice re-elected without opposi
tion, which office he continues to hold.
He is a leading man in every way, admira
bly adapted to the exalted position he
holds in his native town. Socially he is
a member of the I. O. 0. F. and Encamp
ment, and of the Royal Arcanum.

C. CRAGIN, the well-known farmer
and dairyman, is one of the most
active men of his age in Grafton
township, where he is owner of
eighty-one acres of fine land and a pleas
ant home. Though now nearly seventy-
two years of age, he can still do a good day's
work in the field, "holding up his end"
with the hired men, for his health and
strength have been preserved by consider
ate care and temperate habits.
Our subject was born November 15,
1821, in Weston, Windsor Co., Yt., a son
of Benjamin Cragin, a farmer, who mar
ried Miss Mahala Boyington. In the Green
Mountain State they had children as fol
lows: Lorena, who married Oliver Bell,
died in LaGrange, Ohio; Benjamin, a re
tired farmer of LaGrange; Charles C, sub
ject of this memoir; Adna A., who died in
LaGrange, Lorain county; Esther, who
died at the age of eighteen; Horace, who
died in LaGrange; Harrison, a farmer of
LaGrange; Elizabeth (bora in Ohio), widow
of George Chamberlain, living in Milwau
kee. In September, 1835, the family set
out from Vermont in a wagon for Buffalo,
N. Y., whence they proceeded by Lake Erie

to Cleveland, Ohio, from there by road to
Lorain county. Here, while stopping with
an acquaintance to rest after their long
journey, they became so impressed with the
country that they decided to remain, and
Mr. Cragin purchased a part of Lot No. 61,
Grafton township, containing 155 acres of
woodland, at four dollars per acre; there
was no house of any kind on the place, but
it was not long before a dwelling 22x32
feet, and one and one-half stories high, was
erected, all the timber for it being cut by
Mr. Cragin himself. Here this pioneer
toiled and prospered, assisting in the de
velopment of the country, and witnessing
the onward march of civilization close on
the heels of the retiring Red Indian and
the vet more fierce panther, wolf and bear.
He died July 31, 1865, his wife in 1855,
and they were buried in West Grafton
cemetery. They were members of the
Methodist Church, in which he was trus
tee, steward and class-leader, and in politics
he was originally an Old-line Whig, after
ward a Republican. He was a very robust
man, and at sixty years of age could rake
and bind all day after a cradler in the har
vest fields.
C. C. Cragin, whose name opens this
sketch, received part of his education in
his native State, and part iu Lorain county,
Edward Perkins being his first teacher in
the latter. He attended about three months
in the year, the remainder of his boyhood
being devoted to the farm, under his
father's tuition. For six years after his
marriage he had charge of the home farm,
and then bought thirty-three acres in
Grafton township, on which there was a
log house, where the family lived two
years, when a more substantial residence
was erected. In 1863 Mr. Cragin came to
his present farm, bought from Josiah
Turner, and which is a part of the original
Turner tract. Here he built new out
buildings, and otherwise improved the
property. For the past thirty years he has
been engaged in the dairying business in
addition to general farming.

LORAIN COUNTY, OHIO.

805

On May 8, 1844, Mr. Cragin was mar
ried to Miss Jane Wilkins, who was born
April 18, 1826, in western Vermont, a
daughter of Silas and Hannah (Tenney)
Wilkins, who came with their family to
Ohio in 1834, driving to Troy, N. Y.,
thence taking canal to Buffalo, lake to
Cleveland, and wagon to LaGrange town
ship, Lorain county, where Miss Wilkins
was wooed and won by our subject. The
children born to Mr. and Mrs. C. C. Cra
gin were four in number: Andrew J., who
died at the age of thirteen years; Esther
M., who died when thirteen months old;
Ellen A., who died when three years old;
and Juliette, residing with her parents.
Politically our subject is a 6tanch Repub
lican, although his first Presidential vote
was cast for a Democrat, and he has held
several township offices, such as assessor,
declining many others. Mrs. Cragin is a
member of the Methodist Church at Bel
den, and they are respected far and near
as good neighbors and kind-hearted people.

I( RTHUR W. NICHOLS (deceased)
l\ was born in Eaton township, Lo-
T__\ rain Co., Ohio, July 2, 1854, a son
of Mason E. and Joann (Mead)
Nichols, the father a native of
Crown Point, Lake Champlain, whence in
1832 he came with his parents to Portage
county, Ohio, to Eaton township in 1851,
and to Elyria in 1876. He was a farmer
by vocation, a Republican in politics, and
a member of the Disciple Church. He
married Miss Joann Mead, who was born
in Cattaraugus county, N. Y., July 16,
1833, and they had a family of five "chil
dren, of whom one died in infancy; the
others are all living, with the exception of
the subject of this sketch. Mrs. Joann
Nichols died November 9, 1864, aud in
1865 Mason E. Nichols was united in mar
riage with Mahala Cousins.
Arthur W. Nichols received his elemen
tary education at the common schools of
his native township, after which he at

tended school at Oberlin and Delaware,
Ohio. After pursuing a law course in Chi
cago, 111., he located in Elyria, Lorain Co.,
Ohio, where, in 1880, he commenced the
practice of law, carrying on at the same
time an insurance and money- loaning busi
ness; and had he lived he would have made
his mark in the legal profession. He died
December 26, 1886. Mr. Nichols was a
member of the I. O. O. F., Royal Ar
canum, Chosen Friends and Good Temp
lars, in which latter Society lie was grand
secretary of the State Lodge for several
years, and he visited Washington, D. O, and
Toronto, Canada, as a delegate of the Order.
In religious connection he was a member
of the M. E. Church.
On October 18, 1882, Mr. Nichols was
united in marriage with Miss Nettie
Squires, of Lorain county, Ohio, born in
1862 near Elyria, a daughter of Anson and
Lydia (Richardson) Squires, the father
born on the Canadian shore of LakeCham-
plaiu, N. Y., in 1822; when a small boy
he came with his parents to Lorain county,
Ohio, where be passed the rest of his days,
dying April 9, 1872, in Elyria, to which
town he had retired from his farm. He
was a Republican in politics, and a mem
ber of the Methodist Church. Mrs. Ni
chols has one child, Mason A., a bright and
interesting boy, who was born September
9, 1883.
If S. METCALF. This gentleman, a
resident of Elyria, now some five or
J six years retired from active business,
the father of a large and highly re
spected family, comes of old Puritan stock
on both sides of the house. The first, in
this country, was Michael Metcalf, who
came in 1637, settling near Boston, Mass.
His forefathers, of an old Saxon and Dan
ish family, were originally Roman Catho
lics, and lost their property and titles in
the time of Queen Elizabeth, being ad
herents of Mary, Queen of Scots; but
afterward they seem to have become rigid
Puritans.

806

LORAIN COUNTY, OHIO.

The subject of this sketch was born
January 29, 1822, in Worcester county,
Mass., a son of Isaac and Anna (Stevens)
Metcalf, the latter of whom died in Elyria,
Ohio, at tbe age of seventy-eight years.
The father was also a native of Worcester
county, Mass., and was there reared and
educated. After leaving school he became
a teacher in his native State, for a time
having an excellent private school in Bos
ton, in which city he died in 1831, at the
age of fifty years, leaving seven children.
The son, I. S., passed his boyhood in Bos
ton, whence he moved to Bangor, Maine.
At Bowdoin College, in Brunswick, Maine,
he graduated in 1847, after which he pur
sued civil engineering on railroad surveys
and constructions for ten years, in Massa
chusetts, New Hampshire and Illinois.
He came west in 1850, to take part in the
first survey of the Illinois Central Rail
road. In 1856 he settled in Elyria, where
he has ever since been somewhat promi
nently connected with most public inter
ests, moral and religions, in matters of
education and business.
Mr. Metcalf has been twice married:
first time July 5, 1852, in Dunbarton,
N. H., to Miss Antoinette Putnam, a na
tive of that town, to which union nine
children were born, as follows: W. S., now
in business in Lawrence, Kans.; Charles,
with his brother W. S. ; Marion, for about
ten years a teacher in Wellesley College,
Mass., now in Hampton, Va., training
colored students for the ministry; Anna,
wife of Professor Root, of Oberlin; John
M. P., professor in the Theological Semi
nary, Oberlin ; P. H., who studied theology
at Oberlin, and is now assistant pastor of
the First Congregational Church of Des-
Moines, Iowa (he is a musician of repute) ;
Grace Ethel, a graduate of Oberlin, and
now studying at Moody's School, in Chi
cago, 111., for missionary work; Henry M.;
a graduate of Oberlin, now clerking for
his brother in Lawrence, Kans.; and An
toinette P., a graduate of Oberlin, spring
of 1893. The mother of this family died

August 14, 1875, and March 25, 1878,
Mr. Metcalf married, for his second wife,
Miss Harriet Howes, of English parentage,
to which union six sons have been born,
viz.: Ralph Howes, Joseph Mayo, Eliab
Wight, Isaac Stevens Jr., Keyes De Witt
and Thomas Nelson. Eight of Mr. Met-
calf's children are college graduates, either
of Oberlin, Ohio, or of Wellesley, Mass.,
and at least two more are now studying
with a view to a similar education. Po
litically our subject was originally a Whig,
and since the formation of. the party has
been a stanch Republican. He is a con
sistent member and for more than thirty
years an officer of the Congregational
Church, and is a strictly conscientious ad
vocate of the principles of temperance.

FREDERICK S. REEFY (original
spelling Riffe) is a native of the
Canton of Bern, Switzerland, bora
September 1, 1833, in the village of
Boezingen. In the following year the family immi
grated to America, making their first
home in the United States on a farm near
Mt. Eaton, Wayne Co., Ohio, where
young Frederick passed his boyhood, work
ing in the fields during the summers, and
attending the common schools of the
neighborhood in the winter months, at
the same time receiving instruction from
his parents in German. Being an apt
and studious scholar, he made rapid prog
ress with his books, and in a few years
mastered the branches taught in the dis
trict schools. In 1848 the family moved
to Tuscarawas county, same State, near
Wilmot, and here for four years more our
subject attended school and worked on the
farm. He also began teaching in the win
ter, during the summer pursuing the
higher branches of education, which course
— teacher and student alternately — con
tinued seven years, and thereby he ulti
mately became a successful educator.

ti- -'¦111

Ifey1' 'yphp life

Ijlij^lp

zfJ.^^fv

LORAIN COUNTY, OHIO.

809

In the spring of 1860 Mr. Reefy went
to Roanoke, Ind., where he organized the
Roanoke Educational Society, and by its
aid founded Roanoke Seminary, at the
head of which he remained eight years,
during which time it was one of the most
popular schools in northern Indiana. In
1868, on account of failing health, he
abandoned teaching for a time, and subse
quently moved to Bluffton, Ind., organ
ized the graded schools of that place, and
remained in charge as superintendent un
til 1872, when he resigned, and with his
family removed to Elyria, Ohio, where he
became editor and proprietor of the Elyria
Constitution, now the Elyria Democrat.
In 1862 Mr. Reefy was united in mar
riage with Miss Mary Shearer.

great

J (AMES JEWELL. In all the
"Buckeye State" there is no county
that, for its population, can boast of
a greater number of self-made men
who have risen to comparative opulence than
Lorain, and among this class stands no one
more prominent than the subject of this
sketch. Mr. Jewell is a native of Ohio, bora
May 18, 1828, in Belmont county, thirteen
miles west of Wheeling, W. Va. He is
a son of Parkinson Jewell, who was a son
of Zachariah, whose father was the first of
the family to land on the shores of Amer
ica. This earliest known progenitor of the
Jewell family came from England prior to
the Revolutionary war, in which he served,
being killed at the battle of Bunker Hill,
i'ust seven years after his arrival in the
Tew World. He left a widow and three
sons and two daughters, and in course of
time the sons were "bound out" as ap
prentices to various trades.
Zachariah, one of these sons, found his
lot cast with a Southern planter, who took
him to his estate in Virginia, and placed
him as overseer of some 300 slaves owned

by him, and who labored on his plantation.
Here Zachariah remained some vears, in
the meantime losing sight of all his broth
ers and sisters — never again hearing of
them. While in Virginia he married,
and some children were there born to him.
In 1805 he migrated west, coming to Ohio,
and had his residence some years in Bel
mont county, thence moving to Tuscar
awas county, later to Coshocton county,
and finally to Lorain county, where in
Brighton township he died at an advanced
age. Parkinson Jewell, a son of Zachariah,
was about four years old when his parents
came to Ohio, and he was reared near
Stillwater creek in Belmont county. There
he married Jane Clark, who bore him seven
children — five daughters and and two sons.
From Belmont be moved to Tuscarawas,
thence in 1837 to Coshocton, from there
in 1848 to Lorain, and finally to Paulding,
all counties in Ohio, and in each he fol
lowed farming. In the last-named county
he and his wife died, and their remains
were laid to rest in Antwerp cemetery. A
brief record of their children is as follows:
James is the subject of this memoir; Mary
died July 20, 1872, at the home of our
snbject (she was the wife of Dennison
Hughes, who now lives in Kansas); Re
becca married James Hayes, and died in
Defiance county, Ohio; Martha J. was first
married to Jacob Brnner, who was killed
in the Rebellion, and she is now the wife
of John Miller; Sarah is married and re
sides in Michigan; Nancy E. is the wife
of Zene Hart, of Paulding county.
James Jewell, of whom this sketch more
particularly relates, received such educa
tion as the subscription schools of his boy
hood days afforded, limited at the most to
a few months attendance during the win
ter seasons. On reaching his majority he
hired out as a farm hand, his wages vary
ing from ten to twelve dollars a month.
After his marriage he removed to Paulding
county, Ohio, where he had bought 163
acres of unimproved land at seventy-five

810

LORAIN COUNTY, OHIO.

cents an acre, .which after a few years, hav
ing improved the property, he sold at a
profit. He then came to Lorain county,
where in Huntington township he pur
chased sixty-two acres of wild land; later
moved to Spencer township, Medina
county, from where, in 1870, he came to
Rochester township, Lorain county, buying
his present farm of Thomas Cummings, and
here he has since carried on general farm
ing and stock raising. This fine property
he has greatly enhanced the value of, hav
ing in addition to other improvements
erected substantial aud commodious out
buildings. On October 30, 1851, Mr. Jewell was
married to Mary Ensign, of Huntington
township, Lorain county, and children as
follows were the result of this union:
Florence E., now Mrs. Nathan Snyder, of
New London, Huron Co., Ohio; Carrie M.,
Mrs. Joel Snyder, also of New London ; Cora,
Mrs. Calvin Hill, of New London; Alice,
Mrs. Samuel Landis, Jr., of Ruggles town
ship, Ashland Co., Ohio; and fiarley and
Calvin, both at home. Mr. Jewell is a
conservative Republican, as quiet in his
political manifestations as he is in his do
mestic circle, and he is respected and hon
ored by all who know him. He and his
amiable wife, as well as their children, are
exemplary members of the Congregational
Church.

E

LNATHAN PEABODY. In No
vember, 1833, there migrated to
Henrietta township, Lorain Co.,
Ohio, from New Hampshire, one
Andrew Peabody, who was born, about the
year 1795, and was one of the nation's de
fenders in the war of 1812. He was a
militiaman, and while not in active service
stood ready to respond to his country's
call. A brother was mustered into the
service at Plattsburgh, N. Y., when but
twenty- three years of age, and served
through all the notable encounters of that
memorable war.

Andrew Peabody was a shoemaker, and
while yet a resident of New Hampshire he
married, and reared a number of children.
The first few years of his life in "the
woods " of Lorain county he was employed
at his trade, and by exercising great care
and economy he was in 1836 enabled to pur
chase a small heavily- wooded piece of wild
land. The greater share of the labor of
clearing this piece of land fell upon his
sons. During the winter season and earlier
months of spring the timber was felled,
and then in August the brash was fired.
Grain was planted in the clearing, amid
the stumps of the fallen trees, and when it
was ripened it was cut with the cradle and
threshed with the flail. At this time a yoke
of oxen brought the magnificent sum of
forty dollars, while dairy animals brought
ten dollars, chiefly in orders upon some
neighboring mercantile establishment, as
money was a scarce commodity. Andrew
Peabody married Asenath Gillis, a lady of
Scotch descent, and a native of New Hamp
shire, and to them were born ten children,
of whom those living are Elnathan, Os-
man, Frederick, M. B., Mary, Melissia Gill
(a widow) and Clara J. Pety, all residents
of Henrietta township, Lorain county. The
father of these died in 1878, the mother
in 1846.
Elnathan Peabody was born October 23,
1830, in New Plampshire, on the Merri-
mac river. When be was but three years
old his parents removed to Ohio, and he
was therefore reared in the "Buckeye
State." His early boyhood was passed in
lending all assistance possible to his par
ents, and in attending such schools as the
period afforded, which being but meager,
his education was necessarily limited. His
first schoolbooks consisted of an English
reader, United States history, and the
Bible. In 1855 he married Elizabeth
Petty, a daughter of Thomas Petty, who
was a pioneer of Lorain county, and of
English nationality. The children born to
their union are H. B., in Henrietta town
ship; L. F., at home; C. M., near Oberlin;

LORAIN COUNTY, OHIO.

811

Mary A. (Mrs. Arnett), residing near
Oberlin; and Capitola V. Rhodes, living
two miles east of Oberlin. At about the
age of twenty-three our subject possessed
but one hundred and forty dollars, with
which he in part paid for twenty-five acres
of land, going in debt for the balance. This
land he cleared, and had just finished pay
ing for same, when the Civil war broke out;
he enlisted in August, 1864, in Company D,
One Hundred and Seventy-eighth O. V. I.,
Capt. Ed. Rickey, and served till the close
of the conflict, fie was one of those called
"Teunessee Woodticks," who rendered
such valuable service near New Berne,
N. C. Mr. Peabody is a Republican, and is
now a member of the United Brethren
Church, although while in the service he
was an adherent of Methodism, was a
regular attendant at the services held by
Chaplain James Mitchel.

i)ILLIAM M. FRENCH, for near
ly threescore years a farmer citi
zen of Columbia township, is a
native of Herefordshire, England,
born .in 1824.
John French, father of subject, who
was born in Gloucestershire, England, mar
ried Miss Elizabeth Morton, a native
of Herefordshire, whose mother was
Welsh. In 1842 the family emigrated to
Canada, whence in June, following year,
they moved to the United States and to
Ohio, settling on a farm in Columbia town
ship, Lorain county, where they cleared a
farm, and lived the rest of their lives. The
mother died in January, 1855, the father
in August, same year. Their family num
bered three children, as follows: William
M. ; Thomas, who went west some years
ago ; and Sarah Esther, Mrs. N. R. Ingalls,
of LaGrange, who died in May, 1891.
The subject of this sketch received his
education in his native land, and came with
the rest of the family to America. At the

age of twenty-two he commenced to learn
the trade of cooper in Cleveland, where he
followed it nine years, and afterward for
some years in Columbia township, Lorain
county. In 1852 he bought in that town
ship thirty-five acres of land, to which he
added from time to time, until he now
owns ninety-five acres in Columbia and
forty acres in Olmsted township, Cuyahoga
county. In 1852 Mr. French married, "In
Cleveland, Ohio, Miss Rosina Maxfield,
a native of Ireland, and to this union were
born six children, of whom the following
is a brief record: William Morton, mar
ried, who died in 1880; Sarah Elizabeth,
wife of Perry D. Spencer, of LaGrange,
has four children — Demby Morton, Rosa,
Laura and an infant; Lucy, wife of Luther
Blodgett, of Olmsted township, has three
children: Lee G., Gertie and Edith; George,
a physician and surgeon of Columbia Sta
tion, Lorain Co., Ohio, who is married and
has one child — Emma; Alice, wife of John
T. Sheer, of Olmsted, has four children —
Allie, Essie, Ray and an infant; Park M.,
married, resides on the home farm. Polit
ically our subject is a Republican, his first
Presidential vote being cast for John C.
Fremont; he has served on the school
board with zeal and fidelity, and he is a
member of the Baptist Church at Colum
bia Center.

FO SMITH, than whom there is no
more industrious or honorable citi
zen in Grafton township, was bora
July 7, 1842, in Liverpool township,
Medina Co., Ohio.
Frederick Smith, father of subject, was
a native of Baden, Germany, where he
learned the trade of harness maker and
whence, when a young man, he eame to
America, the voyage to New York occu
pying six weeks. From there he came to
Cleveland, Ohio, where he worked at his
trade till 1835, in which year he came to
Liverpool township, Medina county, buy
ing land there two miles south of the cen-

812

LORAIN COUNTY, OHIO.

ter. Iu Cleveland he had married Barbara
-, and the children born to them in

that city were Louisa (married to Adolph
Ganzart, a farmer, now deceased), and
Caroline (now Mrs. William Zizelman, of
Cleveland, Ohio). Iu Liverpool township
the family was increased by three more,
namely: Frederick C. (subject of sketch);
Adolph (who was a member of Company fi,
Eighth O. V. L, in which he served three
and one-half years; he died in LaGrange
township, Lorain Co., Ohio) ; and Mary (de
ceased when young). In 1858 the mother
of these died and was buried at LaGrange.
This event broke up the family, and the
father afterward made his home among his
children, chiefly with Mrs. Ganzart and
our subject, fie died in 1885 at the resi
dence of the latter, and was buried in Nes-
bit cemetery. Politically he was a Whig
and Republican.
The subject of this memoir received his
education in the district schools of the days
of his boyhood until the age of thirteen,
when he left home and found work with
F. W. Preston, who lived near Rawson-
ville, receiving for his services four dollars
per month. On leaving there he worked
at various places until his enlistment in
Elyria, Ohio, August 15, 1862, in Company
H, Eighth 0. V. I., from which he was
transferred as sergeant to the One Hundred
and Twenty-fourth O. V. I., Company E.
They were sent to Kentucky and then to
Tennessee, where our subject was shot
through the leg, May 11, 1864. He was
sent to Cleveland Hospital, where he lay
six months; was discharged February 6,
1865, and returned to Grafton, where he
found work with his former employer. F.
Preston. On the latter's leaving for To
ledo, Ohio, Mr. Smith took control of the
farm, and conducted it five years on his
own account, at the end of which time it
was sold, he buying forty acres of it. Here
he lived until his removal in 1872 to the
town of Grafton, where in 1874 he built
his present elegant home. He now conducts
a livery, coal and ice business, in addition

to carrying on his farm, and in all his un
dertakings he has met with well-merited
success. On January 8, 1868, Mr. Smith married
Miss Alfarette Ackley, born in Cuyahoga
county, Ohio, in 1849, daughter of Hetfry
and Mary (Dickson) Ackley, and children
as follows have been born to them : Charles
H., bookkeeper for the Walter A. Wood
Harvester Co., Chicago; Hattie M., James
D., Clara A., Ida E. and Clayton F., all at
home. Politically he is a stanch Republi
can, has served as township trustee six
years, and in the town of Grafton has been
treasurer of both the schools and the cor
poration, serving with credit to himself and
satisfaction of his constituents. He and
his family are members of the Congrega
tional Church.

FRED NORTON SMITH. The
manufacturing interests of Elyria
are well represented by this gentle
man, who is one of the most active
and pushing men in the county. He is
a son of William L. and Juliette (Hamlin)
Smith, the former a native of England,
and at the present time a resident of the
State of Washington, the latter a daugh
ter of Judge Hamlin, one of the early set
tlers of Elyria.
Fred N. Smith was bora in Mowsley,
Leicestershire, England, August 18, 1848,
and first came to this country with his
father when less than one year old, return
ing again to his birthplace at the age of
fourteen. The following six years were
chiefly spent in school, after which he
again returned to the United States, where
he completed his education in Oberlin
College, his father having graduated from
this well-known institution in 1847. Af
ter teaching school about one year, on the
1st of April, 1873, he accepted a situation
as bookkeeper with Topliff & Ely, manu
facturers of carriage hardware in Elyria.
In 1887 this firm sold their business to a

LORAIN COUNTY, OHIO.

815

stock company of which Mr. Smith was
one of the incorporators. He was elected
secretary and treasurer of the new com
pany (The Topliff' & Ely Co.), and retained
this position until 1892, when he resigned
to fill a like position in the Garford Manu
facturing Co.
In 1889 he became a partner with Mr.
A. L. Garford and Mr. H. S. Follansbee,
in a business known as the Garford Manu
facturing Co., and has since been actively
identified with its growth. Since the in
corporation of the Garford Manufacturing
Co., in 1891, he has been its secretary ana
treasurer. The present building occupied by this
company is 100 feet by 40 feet, three sto
ries and basement. This factory was com
pleted about January 1, 1893, employs
upward of one hundred men, and has a
capacity of about one thousand saddles
per day. The plant is fitted up with new
and modern machinery throughout, and is
undoubtedly the most complete saddle fac
tory in existence to-day.
In 1880 Mr. Smith was married to Miss
Louise M. Porter, principal of the Elyria
High School, by whom he has one child,
Caryl Porter. Mr. Smith is a Republi
can, and a thorough Protectionist.

HARLES W. COTTON, a leader
among the native-born agricultur
ists of Lorain county, was bora in
Sheffield township May 7, 1826, a
son of George W. and Rachel (Smith)
Cotton. Benjamin Cotton, grandfather of Charles
W., was born May 1, 1758, in Coos (now
Grafton) county, New Hampshire. On
October 12, 1785, he married, in Went
worth, N. fi., Dolly Smith, also a native
of New Hampshire, born April 3, 1766,
and the names and dates of birth of their
children are as follows: Hannah, April 11,
1786; Benjamin N., August 25, 1787;
Solomon, February 11, 1789; Dolly, Sept-

43

ember 24, 1790; Lydia, June 4, 1793;
Abigal, March 22, 1795; Jonathan, De
cember 8, 1796; George W., September
18, 1798; David, April 27, 1800; Theo
dore, September 24, 1802; Wiseman,
July 23, 1803; Elizabeth, June 13, 1805;
Joseph, April 6, 1807; and William, No
vember 18, 1810. About the year 1834
the grandparents of our subject came to
Ohio, first settling in Medina county, and
they died in Wayne county, each at the
age of eighty-seven years; he was a sol
dier in the Revolutionary war.
George W. Cotton, father of subject,
was born in New Hampshire, whence in
1817 he came to Ohio, locating in Shef
field township, Lorain county. His wife,
Rachel (Smith), was a daughter of Joshua
and Martha (Hall) Smith, and all were na
tives of Berkshire county, Mass. They
came to Lorain county, Ohio, settling in
Sheffield township in 1812, and here
Joshua Smith died in 1816; he was the
first white man buried in that township;
his wife died in 1859. On March 26,
1833, George W. Cotton moved to Elyria
township, and there died in April, 1865,
his wife in 1849. Their family numbered
five children, as follows: Jerome (deceased
in 1852), Charles W. (subject of sketch).
Martha (widow of Frank Younglove, of
Virginia), N. L. (of North Amherst, Lo
rain county) and George J. (residing in
Lansing, Michigan).
Charles W. Cotton received a limited
district-school education, and learned the
trade of carpenter and joiner, which he
followed some years. In 1872 he was
married to Miss Catherine Arman, a na
tive of Lorain county, Ohio, aud daughter
of Jacob Arman, of German birth. To
this union were born five children, viz.:
George W., Edwin, Erman, Dora and
Daisy. In 1887 Mr. Cotton bought a
farm in Elyria township, and has since been
successfully engaged in general farming
and fruit growing. In August, 1862, he
enlisted in Battery E, First Ohio Light
Artillery, for three years, and was attached

816

LORAIN COUNTY, OHIO.

to the army of Tennessee. He partici
pated in the battles of Cumberland Gap,
Perryville, Murfreesboro, and many other
minor engagements. In 1865 he was dis
charged at Camp Dennison, Ohio, and re
turned home to the pursuits of peace.
Politically he is a strong Republican; he
is a member of Richard Allen Post No.
65, G. A. R., Department of Ohio.

|f |f D. ROOT. This gentleman, who
t^ has been a shipbuilder for the past
1 1[ forty years, and whose name is
yj " familiar as household words "
among mariners and others, is a
native of Lorain county, Ohio, born in
Black River township in 1833.
He is the younger of two children born
to Oresten and Julia Ann (Dutton) Root,
natives of Farmington, Conn., the father
bora in 1800. Oresten Root was well edu
cated in the schools of his place of birth,
and early in life went to Georgia, where
he was in business for a time, after which he
moved to Buffalo, N. Y., where he married,
and' there remained until 1828, in which
year he proceeded to Cleveland, thence to
Wellington, Lorain county. He had bought
land in the Reserve, and in 1830 he settled in
Black River township, on what is known as
the Gregg farm. Later he was engaged for
several years in the commission and for
warding business, having a warehouse at
Black River, near the lake. He also owned
an interest in the schooners "President"
and " Vincennes," and was entire owner of
the " Equator," built in 1842, which was
lost on the lake, near Buffalo, uncovered
by insurance. He was drowned in 1852
when the propeller " Henry Clay " was
lost. Mr. Root was an Old-line Whig, ac
tive in politics, and was a justice or the
peace for many years. His widow died in
Lorain in 1871. They had , another son
besides our subject, Samuel J., who was
born in Lorain county, educated in Lorain,
was a sailor all his life, and served as a

man before the mast up to captain. In
1889 he was skipper of the yacht "Leo,"
which was lost that year in Lake Erie,
near Cleveland, with all on board — nine
in number; he left a widow and three
children. H. D. Root, whose name opens this
sketch, received his education at the schools
of Lorain, and at about the age of fifteen
commenced the life of a sailor; at twenty
he was captain, and he sailed the lakes
continuously for thirteen years. He
learned shipbuilding under William Jones,
one of the earliest shipbuilders of Lorain,
and in 1853 embarked in that business at
the same place, since when he has built
the following vessels there: First scow,
"Cousin Mary;" 1857— "E. S. Taylor;"
1861— "E. K. Kane;" 1862— " Conrad
Reid;" 1863— " H. D. Root;" 1865—
"Henry Chapman;" 1866-67— brig "E.
Cohen;" 1867 — scow "Fannie L. Jones,"
and another scow; 1868 — schooner " Yer-
nie Blake;" the "Ida J. Root;" "Ger
man;" "Growler;" aud rebuilt scow
"Ferret;" 1873 — steam barge "Mary
Groh; " 1873-74— schooner " Three Broth
ers;" 1874-75 — schooner "Our Son;"
1875— tug "Myrtle;" 1876— the "Theo
dore Voyes;" 1877— the "Col. Gates;"
1878 — tug " Telephone " and schooner
" Ohio Grover; " 1879 — steam barge " Lu-
ella Worthington " and tug " George W.
Lorimer:" 1880— "W. H. Doon " and
schooner "Conrad Reid;" 1881 — rebuilt
the "C. L. Hutchinson " tow-barge; 1881-
82 — tbe " DeGinty " and tow-barge " R.
Botaford;" 1882— steam barge "H. S.
Hubbell " and tugs " C. E. Bolton " and
"Chamberlain." At Vermillion, Erie
county, he built the following: 1882 — tug
"J. F. Weyland," the "Marquette," the
"J. S. Petton." At Cleveland he built
the steam barge " J. P. Farnham," the
" Margaret," the " Olwell " and the " Fire
Tug." At Lorain he rebuilt the steam
barges " John Martena," the " W. T." and
the "Albert Y. Gowen;" built the "Fair-
port" and the tug "Daisy Moore," for

LORAIN COUNTY, OHIO.

817

self; 1891— the tug " J. E. Erwin ; " 1892
— the tug " Susie B.," besides doing a vast
amount of repairing, keeping employed as
many as eighty men at one time.
In 1855 Capt. Root was married in
Cleveland, Ohio, to Jeanette A. Fuller, a
native of Sheffield township, Lorain county,
a daughter of W. A. and Chloe (McNeil)
Fuller, of Connecticut, and of Scotch an
cestry, the mother a distant relative of
John Quincy Adams. In about 1820 they
came to Lorain county, where the mother
died ; the father passed away at Arcadia,
Neb. To Capt. and Mrs. Root were bora
three children, viz.: Ernest, who died at
Lorain in 1885, leaving a widow and six
children; W. O., married, and residing in
Cleveland, where he is head draftsman for
the Hill Clutch Works; and Nettie R.,
wife of Walter Goodell, of Lorain. In
politics Capt. Root has been a lifelong
Republican, his first vote being cast for
John C. Fremont, and he has served in
the town council of Lorain. He is a mem
ber of Tent No. 1, K. O. T. M., and of the
M. E. Church, with which the entire fam
ily are associated.

J. KREBS, an influential, lead
ing citizen of Penfield township,
was bora December 13, 1846, in
Orange township, Ashland Co.,
Ohio, a grandson of Christian Krebs.
His father. Daniel G. Krebs, was bora
July 14, 1814, in Columbiana county,
Ohio, and was reared to farm life. He
was married, in Orange township, Ash
land county, to Catherine Rickett, who
was born May 27, 1818, in East Bethle
hem township, Washington Co., Penn.,
daughter of Christopher Rickett, also a
native of that place, where he married
Mary Horn; they came to Ohio in June,
1823, and were the third family to settle
in Orange township, Ashland county. To
Mr. and Mrs. Krebs were born seven chil
dren, of whom W. J. is the second son and
third child. Mr. Krebs died January 19,

1857, of typhoid fever, and was buried in
St. Luke cemetery, Orange township. In
politics he was a Democrat. His widow,
who is still living, makes her home with
a daughter, Mrs. J. H. Crawford, of Lodi,
Medina Co., Ohio.
After the father's death the family were
left in limited circumstances, and Mrs.
Krebs, who had learned the weaver's trade,
was engaged in the summer season mak
ing homespun, thus supporting the younger
children. At this time our subject left
home to work for Peter Snyder, a farmer,
receiving five dollars a month for his serv
ices, and he continued to follow farming
during the summers, one-half of his wages
going to his widowed mother, and in the
winter seasons attending the common
schools of the period. He was a very in
dustrious youth, and worked at any honest
labor he could find, practicing economy
and saving all he could. He remained in
Orange township, Ashland county, until
the spring of 1864, when he moved with
his mother to Rochester, Lorain Co., Ohio.
On November 17, 1872, he was united in
marriage, in Rochester township, Lorain
county, with Miss Sarah H. Andrews, who
was bora August 4, 1850, in Wiltshire,
England, daughter of Thomas Andrews,
who came to the United States in 1852,
locating in Spencer township, Medina Co.,
Ohio. After marriage Mr. Krebs removed
to a farm in Rochester township, which he
rented from A. B. Strodger, and there re
mained three years, when, having sold to
his brother, R. W., a one-third interest,
which he had at the time of his marriage,
1 in 140 acres of land (whereon the family
had removed in 1867), he purchased ninety
acres and made his home thereon one year,
when, anticipating a decline in the value
of land (which actually came), he sold it.
On March 1, 1877, he came to Penfield,
Lorain county, where, in company with
his brother R. B., he embarked in the
mercantile business, conducting same with
well-earned success for twelve years, since
when he has lived a semi-retired life.

818

LORAIN COUNTY, OHIO.

During Hayes' administration Mr. Krebs
was appointed postmaster at Penfield,
serving as such for a period of six years,
and on July 21, 1893, he again received
the appointment, under Grover Cleveland.
In State and National contests Mr. Krebs
is a stanch adherent of the Democratic
party, but in township and county affairs
he is influenced more by the ability and
fitness of candidates than by party lines.
He is strictly temperate in his habits,
never using either tobacco or liquor in any
way. In religious connection he and his
wife are active members of the M. E.
Church, in which he is trustee, and where
he has also held other offices; for some
time he was secretary of the Sunday-
school. Mr. and Mrs. Krebs have two
children, namely: Stella, a popular young
lady teacher, connected with the primary
department of the Penfield graded schools,
where she was the first instructor; and
Carrie M., at home.
Though a resident of Penfield township
for a comparatively brief space of time,
Mr. Krebs has made an enviable record,
and fully merits the respect and esteem
which are everywhere accorded him. He
was elected township clerk of Penfield
township in 1880, and so satisfactorily did
he discharge the duties of that office that
he was re-elected ten terms in succession.
He was also elected justice of the peace in
1883, and has held that office ever since.
He is now serving his fourth term as jus
tice with credit to himself and to his con
stituents. By mis faithful attention to
business, hard work and economy he has
accumulated property, and has placed him
self in good, comfortable circumstances.

L

B. PRATT, retired, having his resi
dence in the town of Wellington,
where in 1883 he built a comfortable
home, is a native of New York State,
born in Deerfield, Oneida county, Novem
ber 27, 1821.

Benjamin Pratt, father of subject, was
born in New Jersey, whence in his youth
he moved to New York State, making a
settlement in Oneida county, where he
married Miss Lucy Biddlecomb, a native
of that county, who bore him four children,
viz.: Daniel, who resided in Huntington,
where he purchased a farm and passed the
greater part of his life, dying near Medina,
in Medina county, Ohio; Caroline, who
married Louis Gilbert, of Oneida county,
N. Y., and now lives near Utica, same
State; Benjamin, a farmer in Huntington
township, and L. B. Mr. Pratt conducted
a meat market for several years in Deer
field, Oneida county, where he and his
wife both passed away, he in 1828, she in
her forty-fifth year.
L. B. Pratt, of whom this sketch more
particularly relates, was seven years old
when he lost his father, and as a conse
quence his school advantages were some
what limited; but, nevertheless, he suc
ceeded in receiving a good practical ele
mentary education. He was reared to
agricultural pursuits, which he followed
in his native county till 1844, in which
year he came west to Lorain county, Ohio,
and bought a piece of wild land iu Hunt
ington township, which he cleared up and
converted into a fertile farm. With his
grandfather, Daniel Biddlecomb, in Oneida
county, N. Y., he had commenced the
study of veterinary surgery, a profession
he pursued during recent years. His first
experience was with a disease among cat
tle known as " bloody murrain," and he
was so. successful in his treatment of it
that he was encouraged to continue the
study, finally becoming as skillful a veter
inarian as any in the county. In 1885 he
retired from the farm to take up his resi
dence in the town of Wellington, where to
some extent he still practices his profession.
Mr. Pratt has been twice married, first
time to Miss Rachel Camilla Warner, by
which union there is one child, a son,
Otis, a gifted artist in sculpture, who
studied with Hiram Powers and Larkin

LORAIN COUNTY, OHIO.

819

Mead; he has traveled over the world, and
resided four years in Paris; he now lives
in Oceanville, N. J. This wife died in
1879, and for his second our subject mar
ried, in 1883, Miss Hattie Johnston. Po
litically Mr. Pratt is a Democrat, formerly
a Republican.

LJ. HART, one of the youngest and
I most enterprising of the business
 | men of Elyria, and member of the
firm of Hart & Tucker, proprietors
of planing-niills and lumber yard, in that
town, is a native of Lorain county, Ohio,
born June 30, 1865, a son of John W. and
Caroline (Bassett) Hart.
Our subject received his literary educa
tion in the high schools of Elyria, after
ward taking a course at the Business Col
lege in Poughkeepsie, N. Y. On his re
turn home he joined his father in the stone
quarry business at Grafton, in Lorain
county, but selling out his interest in this,
he and his brother-in-law, Charles E.
Tucker, bought the present lumber busi
ness and planing-mill from John Hart,
subject's father, and they have since suc
cessfully operated same, the style of the
firm being Hart & Tucker. In connec
tion with their interests in this they do an
extensive contracting and building busi
ness, altogether employing an average of
one hundred hands. Politically Mr. Hart
isa Democrat, and socially he is a mem
ber of the Knights of Pythias.

JOSEPH BLANTERN. England has
given to the United States a large
proportion of her industrious, loyal
and prosperous citizens, among whom
may be justly numbered the gentleman
whose name here appears.
Mr. Blantern is a native of Shropshire,
England, born August 28, 1827, a son of
Robert Blantern, also an Englishman by
birth, born January 30, 1772, and who was

reared a farmer boy. When yet a youth
he left the paternal roof to make his home
with a wealthy bachelor uncle, a Shrop
shire farmer, and with him he lived until
his marriage with Miss Elizabeth Turner,
tt '
who was born in England in June, 1787.
He then located on thirty acres of land in
Shropshire, to which he had fallen heir
through the death of a relative. While
living on this farm children were born to
him as follows:. Hannah, residing at Graf
ton, widow of Thomas Hopwood, to whom
she was married in England; Mary, who
was married in England to Richard Ridge
way, and died in Ridgeville township,
Lorain county; a son who died in infancy;
Fannie, who was married in Lorain county,
Ohio, to Henry Swartz, a tailor of Elyria,
and died in Toledo; Robert, a tanner, of
Litchfield, Medina county; Sarah, who
married Samuel Lynds, and died in 1891
in Paulding county, Ohio; Martha, widow
of John Pierce, residing in York township,
Medina county; a son who died in infancy ;
and Joseph, subject of this memoir.
Having decided to come to the United
States, our subject's father had to get a
decree from the English Government to
sell his land, on account of the "law of
entail." Having settled everything, in
March, 1831, he and his family set sail
from Liverpool on the vessel " Ceres,"
which experienced a lengthy voyage, some
six weeks, during which she was driven so
far north that Greenland was visible from
her masthead, and the passengers saw sev
eral whales spouting and sporting in the
water. The sailors caught a porpoise, and
our subject, then not four years old, dis
tinctly remembers seeing it cut up for the
cook's "kettle." On the ocean Robert
Blantern's youngest child was bora, and at
the request of the Captain was named
"Ceres," after the vessel; two years and
nine months afterward the little one was
carried off by scarlet fever. From New York
the family journeyed to Cleveland via the
Hudson river, Erie Canal and Lake Erie.
Here Mr. Blantern was informed by a Mr.

820

LORAIN COUNTY, OHIO.

Dryer, that Grafton township, where his
home was, would be a good place to locate,
and offered to convey thither the entire
family and chattels, which offer was read
ily accepted. After arrival Mr. Blantern
purchased eighty-five acres partly cleared
land, having thereon a log cabin, that after
two years gave place to a better one, which
the subject of this sketch utilizes as a
granary. Here the parents passed the
rest of their pioneer days, the father pass
ing away February 9, 1849, his widow on
December 1, 1879, aged over ninety-two
years, having lived with her son Joseph
from the time of the death of her husband.
They were consistent members of the
Methodist Church.
Joseph Blantern, of whom this sketch
more particularly relates, received his edu
cation at the early schools of Grafton town
ship, which, however, he attended but four
months in the year, as his services were
too valuable at home in assisting in clear
ing up the land. His father for many years
before his death was a sufferer from rheu
matism, and on young "Joe" devolved a
great deal of the hard work, especially as
his only brother, Robert, had left home to
learn a trade. At odd times while on the
farm he picked up carpentry, at which
he worked for a time in Grand Rapids,
Mich., and while there he married,
July 24, 1852, Miss Laura Ames, of that
place. To this union were bora four chil
dren, as follows: Elmer, a barber of To
ledo, Ohio, formerly superintendent of
Leetonia (Ohio) school; Charlotte, who
died when aged five years four months and
two days, and was buried in Nesbit ceme
tery; Sarah, Mrs. William Mole, of Graf
ton ; and Llewellyn, a farmer and school
teacher of Grafton township. After mar
riage the young couple lived on the home
farm in Grafton township some years, of
which he still owns thirty-five of the
original eighty-five acres bought by his
father, having paid off all the legacies.
For the past fourteen years he has lived
on his present place, on which in 1882 he

erected a pleasant and commodious resi
dence, and he now owns in all 182 acres
of as fine land as can be found in the
county, all accumulated by incessant toil
and assiduous perseverance. In addition
to this he has assisted the several members
of his family to good homes of their own,
and a fair start in life. Mr. Blantern and
his first wife were divorced in 1878, and
in 1879 he married Miss Helen Perry,
who was born in New York State. Polit
ically he is a Democrat, but in township
matters he invariably votes for the man
best suited to the position, regardless of
party. He is a well-known and highly re
spected citizen, his religion being the
" Golden Rule of Life," has never had a
lawsuit, and deals "fair and square" with
every one.

S. NICHOLS, proprietor of meat
market, Elyria, was born August
21, 1829, in Cortland county, N.Y.,
a son of Asa and Harriet (Smith)
Nichols, natives of Hartford, Conn., where'
they were married and where some of their
children were born.
In 1835 they came west from Cortland
county, N. Y., where they had followed
farming, and settling in Lorain county
the father, there carried on a stone quarry
ing business. He was born in 1792, and
died at the age of eighty years; a Whig
originally in politics, he afterward voted
the straight Republican ticket. The mother
lived to be seventy-five years old. They
were the parents of ten children (nine of
them grew to maturity, four yet survive),
of whom the subject of this sketch is the
fifth in order of birth.
O. S. Nichols received his elementary
education at the district schools, finishing
at select school. His first work was on a
farm, but disliking agricultural pursuits
he ran away from home, and making his
way eastward to the seacoast, at New Bed
ford, Mass., being fond of adventure, he

LORAIN COUNTY, OHIO.

821

resolved to go to sea. Shipping aboard a
merchantship, his first voyage was into the
Indian Ocean and to the Sandwich Islands;
thence sailed to the Behring Sea, and the
Arctic Ocean ; thence to China, and home
ward- again by way of San Francisco, at
which port he concluded to remain. Here
he resided for some years, working at first
in the capacity of stevedore. He then as
sisted in fitting out the first ship for a line
running between San Francisco and China.
In 1861 he returned to his old home in
Lorain county, Ohio, and same year came
to Elyria, where in 1864 he opened out his
present prosperous meat market.
Mr. Nichols was married April 14,
1862, to Miss Delia Rockwood, and two
children have been born, to them: James
and Dora. In his political preferences our
subject is a Republican, and he is a member
of the F. & A. M. He is possessed of
good business ability, has an excellent
trade, and enjoys the respect and con
fidence of the public at large. He claims
lineal descent from " Mayflower " Puritans,
and his grandfather Nichols fought val
iantly in the war of the Revolution.

DM. ADAMS, who for many years was
one of the leading stock buyers of
the southern part of Lorain county,
was bora February 11, 1819, in
Hector, Seneca county, New York.
Our subject is the second son and fourth
child of John M. Adams, who was bora in
1785, son of Benjamin Adams. The fam
ily came originally from England, lo
cating first in Massachusetts, then in
Litchfield county, Conn., and thence mov
ing to New York State, where they first
lived in Dutchess county, and finally set
tled in Danby, Tompkins county. Benja
min Adams was a distant relative of John
Adams and John Quincy Adams. He was
a tailor by trade. John Murray Adams,
father of our subject, was also a tailor, and

moved about with his father, Benjamin,
from place to place. He was married, in
Connecticut, to Polly Ann Wheeler, and
they had twelve children, five of whom are
yet living, viz.: D. M., subject proper of
this sketch; Elizabeth Ann, widow of
Orrin Parsons, of Wardsborough, Wind
ham Co., Vt.; Eveline M., widow of Henry
Murphy, also living in Wardsborough,
Windham Co., Vt.; Charles B., a farmer
of Lawrence, Kans.; and Maria A., re
siding in Chicago, 111., widow of John W.
Starr, who was a real-estate broker, and
died in Washington, D. C. John M.
Adams died of cholera during the epi
demic, on August 10, 1854, in Shiloh, Rich
land Co., Ohio, while on a visit to his son,
Benjamin. His widow passed away No
vember 4, 1872, in Breckenridge, Mo., a
member of the M. E. Church. The Adams
family is an illustrious one, and among the
prominent members thereof we mention
Alonzo W. Adams, who enlisted in the
Black Horse Cavalry, and during his serv
ice rose from the ranks to general. He
subsequently practiced law in New York
and in Washington, D. C, but being taken
sick in the latter place came to the home
of our subject to recuperate; however, he
died in Cleveland on the return trip to
Washington, and was buried in LaGrange
cemetery, Lorain county, Ohio, in a lot pro
vided by Mr. D. M. Adams.
D. M. Adams passed his earlier years on
a farm in Tompkins county, N. Y., whither
he had been brought when an infant, and
where he remained until sixteen years old.
He received his education at the common
schools; he was naturally a bright scholar,
and was also possessed of considerable me
chanical genius, being able to work at al
most any trade, and proving especially
adept at painting and carpenter work.
When he was sixteen years of age his par
ents came to Cleveland, Ohio, where the
father commenced to work at his trade of
tailor, and later came to Eaton township,
Lorain county, remaining, however, but a
short time, when he again resumed his

822

LORAIN COUNTY, OHIO.

trade in Cleveland. Our subject remained
for some time in Eaton township, aud then
went to the town of Boston, in Cuyahoga
county, where with a capital of two hun
dred dollars he opened a grocery store, and
also carried on a hat store. Subsequently
he traded his business to a man from New
York named Perry, for a farm of one hun
dred acres in Sullivan county, N. Y., and
went east to look after his farm, which he
lost, as* the title proved to be worthless.
Not discouraged by this experience, he be
gan again, and in 1839 started on the
return trip to Ohio, stopping en route at
Erie, Penn., where he worked at the car
penter trade for a year. He then came to
Portage county, Ohio, where he was mar
ried, in October, 1840, to Jane A. Trotter,
born December 25, 1819, in Messina vil
lage, Jefferson Co., N. Y., a daughter of
Richard Trotter, who afterward came to
Portage county, Ohio. The young couple
commenced housekeeping in Aurora town
ship, Portage county, where he purchased
130 acres of land, on which they resided
until 1850, when he sold out and came to
LaGrange township, Lorain county. Here
he purchased from Z. Ensign his present
farm, comprising 225 acres of good land,
upon which, in 1859, he built at a cost of
seven thousand dollars a very comfortable
residence, then the finest in the township;
he drew the plans for this house himself,
made all the brick, and took upon himself
the overseeing of the building, there being
no contract work on the place. While en
gaged in the business, and while residing
in that place, he bought and sold more
stock than any other man in the business
in Lorain county. He was among the
original promoters and stockholders of the
Lorain Plank Road, had a contract for
seven and a half miles of same, and it was
mainly through his efforts that LaGrange
village secured this road; otherwise it
would have gone by Grafton. He was
superintendent of this road five years, and
also served the same length of time as
manager and collector. He had made many

trips to New York City, and it was during
one of these that he met with the accident
— falling through a railroad bridge —
which caused him to give up the business.
He had a most extensive acquaintance.
To the union of D. M. and Jane A.
Adams came children as follows: Velorias
L., of Belden, Lorain Co., Ohio; Benjamin
F., a farmer of LaGrange; Eliza J., now
Mrs. L. G. Parsons, of Greenville, Ohio;
and Ella A., now Mrs. D. D. Gott,
of Greenville, Ohio. The mother of
these died October 31, 1877, and
was buried in LaGrange cemetery, and
on August 4, 1880, Mr. Adams was mar
ried to Miss Ella M. Moorehouse, of Cort
land, N. Y. Politically he was originally
a Whig, then a Republican until 1872,
when he became a Democrat, aud in 1892
he joined the Farmers Alliance; he takes
little interest in party affairs, and has re
fused various township offices. He is. a
very temperate man, and never uses either
tobacco or intoxicating liquor in any form.
Owing to his eminent qualities as a busi
ness manager, Mr. Adams acts as guardian
for a number of orphans, and has settled
up various estates; he is now engaged in
collecting the celebrated Award in favor of
the La Abra Silver Mining Company, of
the city of New York, against the Re
public of Mexico.

ICHARD De WITT PERRY,
superintendent of The Western
Automatic Machine Screw Co., Ely
ria, is a representative self-made
man, and a living example of what
willing heart and hands and indomitable
perseverance can accomplish.
He is a son of Clinton DeWitt and
Celia (Spencer) Perry, and was born in
South Manchester, Conn., January 12,
1857. His parents are also natives of the
Nutmeg State, the father born in North
Manchester, the mother in South Man
chester, and after marriage they were resi-

LORAIN COUNTY, OHIO.

825

dents of Hartford, where the father was
engaged in general business; they still re
side there. The paternal grandfather of
subject was a physician, and the patro
nymic of his maternal grandparents was
Spencer (the grandmother's maiden name
being Hollister). C. M. Spencer, uncle
of Richard DeW. Perry, was the inventor
of the widely-known Spencer rifle, and also
of the Spencer automatic machine screw.
The subject of these lines was educated
in his native town, and learned his trade
with the Hartford Machine Screw Com
pany, with whom he remained many years,
rilling nearly every position in the me
chanical department, and becoming thor
oughly efficient in each. In 1883 he
was appointed manager of The Western
Automatic Machine Screw Company, at
Elyria, and has ever since had charge of
all the mechanical work done in that in
stitution, which is by far the largest manu
facturing concern of its kind in the West.
Since Mr. Perry's connection with it, its
trade has expanded vastly, and new build
ings have been added to accommodate the
fast increasing business, all of which de
velopment is mainly due to his thorough
knowledge of the business, arid his nat
ural energy and progressiveness.
In 1883 Mr. Perry was united in mar
riage with Miss Jennie Swan, and three
children have been born to them, viz.:
Philip W., Hester and Richard De Witt,
Jr. In his political preferences our sub
ject is a Republican, and in the spring of
1893 he was elected a member of the
board of education of Elyria. He has re
cently erected a handsome residence on
West Third street, which has been equipped
with all modern improvements.

EIRASTUS BRADLEY, who in his
lifetime was a well-to-do farmer of
 I Pittsfield township, was born July
6, 1806, in Lee, Mass. His father,
Jesse Bradley, was born December 9, 1763,
at New Haven, Conn., and on December 9,

1790, married Lucy Munson, by which
union there were nine children, of whom
Erastus was the seventh in order of birth.
Our subject received a common-school
education, and, as his father's family was
a large one, was obliged to begin life for
himself at an early age, going to New
York, where he learned the trade of cloth
dresser. Mr. Bradley was twice married
in New York State, but of the children
born to both marriages none lived to adult
age. About 1840, his brother Jesse having
died in Knox county, 111., Mr. Bradley
made a journey thither to settle up the
estate, and while en route made a short
visit in Pittsfield township, Lorain Co.,
Ohio, where he met the lady who sub
sequently became his wife. After adjust
ing the affairs of his brother in Knox
county, 111., he returned to Pittsfield town
ship, where on August 23, 1842, he was
united in marriage with Miss Orpha I.
Phelps, who was born February 27, 1814,
in Norfolk, Litchfield Co., Conn. In 1836
her parents, Bethuel and Levina (Norton)
Phelps, migrated from Norfolk, Litchfield
Co., Conn., to Ohio, coming by way of
canal and lake to Cleveland, thence to Lo
rain county, where they settled on a farm
on the north and south center road, two
miles south of the center of Pittsfield
township; here the father died in 1880, at
the age of ninety-three years. After his
marriage Mr. Bradley lived for some time
with his father-in-law, and then bought a
farm in Huntington township, returning,
however, to Pittsfield township, where in
later years he bought the farm whereon
he died, and where his widow still resides.
By this union there were children as fol
lows: Mary, born July 13, 1843, who died
when three years old ; aud Delphine, bora
May 6, 1845, who died when aged twenty-
seven years.
Mr. Bradley passed from earth April
16, 1888, and was buried in the South
cemetery of Pittsfield township. In poli
tics he was a Republican, and took con
siderable interest in local affairs, serving

826

LORAIN COUNTY, OHIO.

as treasurer and in other positions of trust
in his township. Though not engaging in
active farm work to any great extent, he
conducted successfully a general farming
and dairying business, which his widow
now manages, and she has proved herself
a woman of unquestioned business sagac
ity. She is one of the oldest members of
the Episcopal Church at Oberlin, as was
also her husband. Mrs. Bradley is one of
the most highly respected and intelligent
ladies of Pittsfield township, aud though
already past her threescore years and ten,
is still in full possession of her mental
faculties; she takes great delight in
reading.

rW. EDISON, proprietor of the
leading hardware store in Lorain,
uncle of Edison, the world-famed
electrician and inventor, is a Cana
dian by birth, having first seen the light
in the county of Elgin, Ontario, in July,
1832. His father, Samuel Edison, was born in
Newark, N. J., March 5, 1761, of Holland-
Dutch (Amsterdam) ancestry, and in 1805
removed to Nova Scotia, thence to what is
now the Province of Ontario, Canada, where
he died March 27, 1865. He was twice mar
ried, his second wife being Elizabeth
(Yocum), by whom he had five children,
our subject being the youngest but one;
she was born in Philadelphia May 8,
1799, and died in March, 1891.
The subject of this sketch received his
education in the common schools of his
native place, and served an apprenticeship
at the tinner's trade. In 1854 he came to
the United States, where for nearly fifteen
years prior to his marriage he was a jour
neyman tinsmith, in the literal sense, for
he traveled continuously all over the coun
try, working at his trade. At the time of
the breaking out of the Civil war he was
in Kentucky, and from there came north,
at various times visiting and sojourning
in Port Huron (Mich.), Cleveland and

Detroit. From the latter place he re
turned in 1865 to his home in Canada,
and married an old schoolmate, Miss Emily
Johnston, who was then teaching school;
on the day of her wedding, she taught
school up to noon, and at two o'clock was
married! The young couple then resided
in Port Huron, Cleveland and Detroit, re
spectively, until March 15, 1872, when
they came to Lorain, where Mr. Edison
opened out a tin- shop, and commenced a
flourishing business; in 1878 he put in a
full line of hardware, etc., having now one
of the best assorted stocks of the kind in
the county. Mrs. Emily Edison died in'
1881, the mother of three children: Ho
mer, Harry and Grace, and in 1884 our
subject married, in Michigan, Martha
Bell. Politically he is a Republican ; he
is a Chapter Mason, and a member of the
Knights of the Maccabees and the Order
of Tonti.

4/

HEMAN BARROWS (deceased), who
had been a resident of Avon town
ship, since early childhood, was
born in 1826 in Riga, Monroe Co.,
N . Y., a son of Adnah and Clar
issa (Day) Barrows, the former of whom
was a native of Connecticut, the latter of
Bennington, Vermont.
Adnah Barrows, who was born January
17, 1797, when a youth removed to New
York, in which State he remained until
1828, when he came by water to Avon
township, Lorain Co., Ohio, taking up a
farm in the woods of Section 10, near
French Creek, where he passed the rest of
his days. He died October 3, 1856, a
stanch Democrat in politics; his wife, born
October 3, 1800, died November 26, 1882.
They were the parents of six children, as
follows: James R., married, who resides in
Avon township; Lyman, who died in
Michigan about 1889; Heman, subject
proper of this memoir; Lydia, widow of
Jacob Walker, of North Amherst; Mary,

LORAIN COUNTY, OHIO.

827

who died about 1836; and Eliza, wife of
Edward S. Fitch, of Avon township.
Grandfather Benjamiu Day, who was a
native of Vermont, was a soldier in the
Revolution, serving with General Wash
ington; was with him at Valley Forge, in
Pennsylvania, and saw Major Andre exe
cuted; he also served in the war of 1812.
He died in Bennington, Vt., at the age of
ninety-three. Heman Barrows, whose name introduces
this sketch, was two years of age when
brought by his parents to Avon township,
where he was educated in the log-cabin
schools of the day. He was reared on the
home farm to agricultural life, in which he
has always continued, and he now owns a
fertile farm of tweuty-five acres, in a good
state of cultivation, where he has resided
since 1888. On September 23, 1843, he
was married, in Avon township, to Miss
Cordelia Gillett, a native of same, daughter
of Gresham and Betsy (Moe) Gillett, early
pioneers of the township, where both died.
To this union were born children as fol
lows: Chester, who was born August 9,
1845, and died in Avon township May 15,
1868; Frank, bora November 30, 1847,
now residing in Huron, Erie county, is
married and has four children — Eugenia,
Samuel, Nona, and one whose name is not
given; Miles, born August 15, 1852, died
September 6,1853; Horace, bora in 1854,
married January 1, 1877, Sarepta Moon,
and died January 31, 1879, in Avon town
ship; Charley, born April 18, 1859, died
November 9, 1860; and Ada, born De
cember 28, 1863, wife of Arthur Buck, of
Atchison county, Kansas. The mother of
these died in 1872, and June 14, 1884, our
subject was again married, this time to
Mrs. Sarepta Barrows, a native of Van-
Bnren county, Mich., daughter of John L.
and Mary Anna (Bonsor) Moon, the father
a native of Avon township, Lorain Co.,
Ohio, the mother of England, from which
country she came when eight years old;
both died in Avon township. To this sec
ond marriage was born October 24, 1889,

one child, Clara Day. John L. Moon was
bora April 9, 1829, and died June 16,
1886; Mary Anna Bonsor was born Feb
ruary 13, 1836, and died July 30, 1882.
They were' married September 18, 1853,
and six children were born to them, as fol
lows: (1) Sarepta, (2) George H.,(3) Ellen
R., (4) Lucy A., (5) John L. and (6) Bird.
Of these, (2) George H. was married in
1887 to Miss Flora Halliday, and two chil
dren were born to them: Hazel, who died
at tbe age of nine months, and Howard
J., born in 1892. (3) Ellen R. was mar
ried to Charles A. Pardee in 1879, and
died December 17, same year; they had
one child named Nellie Moon. (5) John L.
married Miss Mary Halliday November
16, 1888.
Heman Barrows, the subject of this
sketch, died November 26, 1893. He was
a well-known character in the town in
which he lived, and had an extensive ac
quaintance throughout the country. He
held many offices of public trust, and in
all of them did he perform his duty with
fidelity. He was a man of more than or
dinary natural ability, and he had made
good use of his opportunities. Respected
by all his acquaintances while living, his
memory will be honored by them now that
he has passed away. In politics he was an
active member of the Democratic party,
and he served as justice of the peace in
Avon township for twenty-four years; as
assessor, ten years; real-estate assessor,
two terms; and as township trustee, twenty
years. He was also a notary public in the
township for years.

)ALKER S. TERRY, farmer of
Grafton township, is a son of
Eleazer Terry, a native of New
Hampshire, born in 1791 in the
town of Colebrook, whence he moved to
New York State and then to Ohio, in
both of which States he followed farming.
He married Miss Hannah Sawyer, born in

828

LORAIN COUNTY, OHIO.

1794, and the children bora to them be
fore coming to Ohio in 1834 or 1835 were
as follows: Ransom, deceased in Michigan;
Lewis and Orrin, both of whom died in
California; Philinda, married to J. M.
Doan, and died in California; Lucinda,
an invalid, living with our subject; Austin,
deceased in Michigan; Lois, now Mrs.
William Johnston, of California; Amanda,
married to Frank Doan, died in 1853 en
route to California; and William, who
died in Texas. After coming to Ohio
three children were added to the family,
all of whom were born in Grafton town
ship, to wit: Gardner A., now living in
Michigan; Walker S., and Jonathan, the
latter of whom died in Grafton. The father
departed this life in 1871, the mother on
October 5, 1881, and they sleep their last
sleep in Belden cemetery. Prior to com
ing to Ohio Eleazer Terry had worked in
an eastern distillery, and when he arrived
here had but limited means, but when he
died was comparatively opulent. In Lo
rain county he settled on a farm in Grafton
township, where our subject now lives, the
place at that time being wild woodland.
He served in the war of 1812, and was
present at the battle of Plattsburgh; was
a Democrat in politics, and the entire
family were looked upon as unassuming
Christian people. Asa Terry, father of
Eleazer, was a Revolutionary soldier.
W. S. Terry, the subject proper of this
memoir, was born February 7, 1836, and
received his education, during the winter
months, in the public schools of the early
days of Grafton township, up to the age of
fifteen. He was reared a true pioneer
farmer boy, and remained under the pa
rental roof until he was eighteen years of
age, when he went to Michigan, where, in
St. Joseph county, he worked in a sawmill
nine years, at tbe end of which time he re
turned to Ohio, In 1857 he married
Rowena D. Benton, and, then, with his
young wife, once more proceeded to Michi
gan, this time working at the milling
business and on a farm, also buying land

there. In 1870 he returned to Ohio, and
has since been carrying on general farm
ing, being now owner of the homestead
farm in Grafton township, Lorain county,
in connection with which he operated a
threshing machine for several years. In
December, 1863, Mr. Terry enlisted at
Leonidas, Michigan, in the Eleventh
Mich. V. I., and was sent to recruit the
ranks of that regiment thinned by the
bullet and disease; he was assigned to
Company F. They were ordered to Chatta
nooga, participated in the battle of Resaca,
and the march to Atlanta with Sherman;
then returned to Chattanooga as a detach
ment. After a service of twenty-two
months Mr. Terry was honorably dis
charged, and returned to Michigan.
By his first wife there were no children,
and she died in 1889. In 1891 he mar
ried Florence Giesey Benton, who was
born in Cincinnati, Ohio, in 1864, daugh
ter of Frederick Giesey, a native of Paris,
France, where he was educated for the
priesthood. Politically W. S. Terry is a
Populist, formerly a Republican.

LEONARD G. HAMILTON. In
I March, 1647, there was born in
 [ Glasgow, Scotland, one Sir William
Hamilton, who came to America in
1668, married an English girl named
Mary Berry, and settled iu North Kings
ton, Rhode Island.
Their children were as follows: Eliza
beth, who married a Mr. Roberts, and died
at the age of one hundred and two years;
Joseph, born in 1693, died in Redding,
Conn., aged eighty-six years; Thankful,
married to a Mr. Sweet, and died aged one
hundred and two years; William, Jr., who
settled in Rhode Island, and died when
ninety-eight years old; David, born in
North Kingston, Conn., April 11, 1697,
died in Sharon, Conn., in 1779, at the age
of eighty- two years; Benjamin, born in

/ " S '

5^-?_J

LORAIN COUNTY, OHIO.

831

1701, died agedninety-five ; Elisha, drowned
¦at an early age; Nathaniel, killed by a fall
from a tree; John, died young. The father
of these children, like the majority of
them, lived to a patriarchal age, dying
when five score and two years old.
William Hamilton, Jr., eldest son of
Sir William, had five children, viz.: Will
iam, who married Sarah Benedict; Silas,
married to Elizabeth Knapp; Joseph (2),
born in 1730, married to Thankful Taylor;
Ruth, wife of John Knapp, and Catharine,
wife of Nathaniel Gregory. Of these Silas
and Joseph (2) settled in Danbury, Conn.,
and Joseph and Thankful (Taylor) Hamil
ton had children as follows: Joseph, Jr.,
Eden (grandfather of the subject proper of
these lines, L. G. Hamilton), Asel, Eliakim
and Ezra.
Eden Hamilton, son of Joseph, Jr., was
born in New Fairfield, five miles north of
Danbury, Conn., in 1763, and was an eye
witness to the burning of that town by the
British during the Revolutionary war.
He married Zilla Lindsley, and removed
to North Harpersfield, Delaware Co., N. Y.,
where he remained till 1820, in which year
he came as a pioneer to Medina county,
Ohio, where he carried on agriculture.
He was born in 1763, and died in 1850;
his wife was born in 1760, and died in
1828. He was an Old-line Whig in poli
tics, in Church connection a Baptist. The
following are the names and dates of birth
and death of their children, who were all
born in Harpersfield, N. Y. : Talmon, born
September 18, 1782, died October 20,
1878; Ira, born 1784, died September 28,
1795; Anson, born 1786, died May 18,
1860; Adna, born 1790, died 1850; Arsa,
born 1792, died October 22, 1838; Phoebe,
born 1795, died July 26, 1846; Matthew
Lindsley, born January 20, 1797, died
November 3, 1881; Elizabeth, born 1800,
died 1822; Eden (father of subject), born
1802, died September 17, 1849.
Eden Hamilton, Jr., youngest in the
family of Eden and Zilla (Lindsley) Ham
ilton, grew to manhood in his native town,

where he was educated and reared to farm
life. About the year 1820 he migrated to
Ohio, where he made a settlement in the
wilds of what is now Medina county, and
here followed farming to the close of his
life. He was among the first settlers in
that section (the first being Zenos Hamil
ton, his cousin, who came in 1814), his
nearest neighbor, for some eighteen months
after his location there, being seven miles
distant. Eden, Jr., married Miss Celestia
Fletcher, and the children born to them
were as follows: Leonard G., Hiram F.,
Marcus N. and Nancy A. In politics
Eden, Jr., was an Old-line Whig, and he
was a member of the Baptist Church.
Several of the Hamilton family moved to
Ohio, among them being -Matthew Linds
ley Hamilton (uncle of subject), who came
in 1816 and took up land, returned to his
old home to be married to Achsa Beardsly,
and made his final settlement in Medina
county, in 1817. In fact, all of subject's
uncles, excepting Talmon, removed to Me
dina county between the years 1816 and
1820, and his aunts located on the Cleve
land and Wooster stage road, all in about
the same neighborhood. Hamilton's Cor
ners, about four miles north of the town of
Medina, was named for them.
Leonard G. Hamilton was born Novem
ber 26, 1828, at Hamilton's Corners, Me
dina Co., Ohio, and received but limited
school advantages. He worked from boy
hood on his father's farm until twenty
years of age, when he returned to the old
home of his people — North Harpersfield,
Delaware Co., N. Y. — where he attended
select school during the winter. In the
following summer he chopped wood in
order to earn sufficient money to take him
to Albany, N. Y., where he was in hopes
of finding an opportunity to learn the car
penter's trade, or get some kind of
work. Failing, however, in his expecta
tions, he returned to North Harpersfield,
working all the way, his route being over
the Catskill Mountains; then set out,
again on foot, for Binghamton, N. Y.,

832

LORAIN COUNTY, OHIO.

fully expecting to find work on the Erie
Railroad, which was then in course of con
struction, but walked, instead, down to
Owego, where he hired out as a raftsman
on the Susquehanna river. At Peach
Bottom he received an injury while raft
ing, from which he has never fully recov
ered. The river was so shallow that the
raftsmen had to temporarily abandon their
work, and he was trying to pull a boat out
of a shoal, the rope being fastened round
his waist, when by some means he got
hurt. In those days he was a powerful
man. At Port Deposit, at the mouth of
the Susquehanna river, they made their
rafts into floats, which they took up Elk
river and Back creek to Chesapeake City,
Md.; thence (after having converted the
floats into lockins — which form they were
made into so they could -be towed through
the locks of the canals) via the Chesapeake
and Delaware Canal, and thence (having
put all the timber into floats again) up the
Delaware river with the tide to Philadel
phia, thence to Bordentown, N. J. At that
place they entered the Rariden Canal
which carried their timber to the city of
New Brunswick (where subject was seized
with cholera), where it was again made
into floats on the river Rariden, down
which it was floated to Amboy Bay, thence
by the tide up Staten Sound to New York,
where it was finally marketed. Mr. Ham
ilton remained in tbat city a short time,
and then proceeded to Danbury, Conn.
While there his father died, and our sub
ject then came west to Medina county,
Ohio, and worked on the home farm for a
few years, but had to abandon it on ac
count of his old hurt troubling him.
From Medina county Mr. Hamilton pro
ceeded to Randolph, Cattaraugus Co.,
N. Y., where for two terms he attended
school and an academy. Again coming to
Medina county, be became salesman for
his uncle, John Fairchild, who was a man
ufacturer of wooden bowls; but in 1852 he
went to Iowa and took up 680 acres of
land in Washington county, which he

held about thirty years. On his return
home, his uncle (just referred to) gave him
an interest in a bowl manufactory at Berea,
Cuyahoga, Co., Ohio, and he had just got
down to business when the premises were
burned to the ground. Commencing
anew, however, he carried on the business
several years, at the end of which time he
closed out and embarked in the general
mercantile business. While he and his
uncle were carrying on the bowl industry,
Mr. Hamilton would make trips westward
to sell the wares, and in the course of his
travels met with many adventures. He
passed two summers up and down the
Missouri river with teams, selling his bowls
among the so-called " border ruffians"; on
his return east he fitted up an old-fashioned
flat boat at Pittsburgh, Penn., which he
loaded with bowls and grindstones, and
took down the river to New Orleans, two
thousand miles; at Jefferson ville, Ind.,
where he had a shop, he filled up his boat
and went to making sales at all the towns
along the river, he himself piloting the
vessel from about six miles above Wheel
ing, W. Ya. He reached New Orleans
just about the breaking out of the Civil
war, and there sold the balance of the ven
ture at wholesale, getting good prices.
Our subject then returned northward, by
boat, via the Mississippi river. The firm
of Fairchild & Hamilton had bowl fac
tories opened out at Berea, Ohio; Colum
bia, Lorain Co., Ohio; Jeffersonville, Ind.;
St. John's, Mich.; and Chatham, Canada.
Having been appointed treasurer oi the
Berea Savings and Loan Bank, he held
that position with ability and satisfaction
four years, at the end of which time (1884)
he came to Elyria and bought out his
present furniture business. Before coming
to Elyria he was the assistant of the treas
urer of Cleveland.
Leonard G. Hamilton and Miss Cassie
A. Marsh were united in marriage, in
May, 1862, and five children were born to
them, as follows: Carrie C; May B., wife
of Henry Ingersoll, an attorney at law in

LORAIN COUNTY, OHIO.

833

Elyria, Ohio; Leonard Walter, in business
with his father; Eden, deceased; and
Harry G., at school. In politics, Mr.
Hamilton is a Republican, and he is a
member of the I. O. 0. F.
From another branch of the family
comes David, whose son, Alexander, was
born January 11, 1757, in tbe island
of St. Christofer, West Indies. The Ham-
iltons can be traced back to the twelfth
century, producing some eminently scien
tific men, dukes and lords of Scotland and
England, and martyrs of the Reformation.

E'LIZER G. HASTINGS, a lifelong
farmer of LaGrange township, is a
 l native of same, born June 20, 1827,
a son of Curtis H. and Pattie
(Graves) Hastings.
Our subject received an education in
the common schools, and was reared to
agricultural life, receiving his first train
ing in that direction under his father.
He remained on the home farm till
twenty-three years of age, and then went
to work for Mathew Starr, receiving for
his services twelve dollars a month. In
December, 1850, he was married, in La
Grange, to Miss Hannah Crane, and they
had three children, viz.: Susan, Mrs.
Almon Taylor, of Sandusky, Ohio (her
first husband was Royal Merriam) ; George,
a farmer of LaGrange; and Evaline, now
Mrs. David McFadden, of Sandusky, Ohio.
In 1851 Mr. Hastings went to work for
Adison Foster; in 1852 he worked for
Richard Loomis; in 1853 he was in the
employ of Darius Holcomb, and in 1854
he worked at the carpenter trade. In
1855 he moved onto a piece of land owned
by his father, and which he worked on
shares, he having one-third. In 1858 Mr.
Hastings moved with his family to Van-
Wert county, Ohio, but ague and bilious
fever being prevalent there, they had to
return to their native place. In 1861 he

moved onto the old farm, which he worked
on shares until the death of his father,
which occurred December 22, 1877. Our
subject now owns 142-J acres and a com
modious house; he has erected various
outbuildings on the place, and a new
dwelling across the road from his own.
Mrs.Hannah Hastings died May 7, 1870,
and Mr. Hastings was married, January
27, 1875, to Mrs. H. L. Davis, who. was
born February 11, 1829, in Hampshire
county, Mass. Our subject has been an
active, hard working man, and has always
been fond of his home. In 1883 a sick
spell left him almost a physical wreck, and
since then he performs only light farm
labor, the remainder of the work being
attended to by his son George, who was
married to Miss Hattie Barnes, of Pen-
field, Lorain Co., Ohio. Mr. Hastings is
a Democrat in his political preferences.

[JOHN ALEXANDER. This gentle-
k. li man, one of the leading agricultur-
%J) ists of Eaton township, is a son of
Samuel and Sarah (Frankum) Alex
ander, natives of Gloucestershire, England,
who immigrated to the United States in
1830, locating first in New York State.
In 1838 they moved to Elyria, Lorain
Co., Ohio, where they remained some time,
thence removing to Grafton township,
same county, and in 1844 to Eaton town
ship, where they were well-known agricul
turists; the home farm is still in the fam
ily. Samuel Alexander died in 1886 at
the age of eighty; his wife died in 1883,
aged seventy-nine. Politically he was a
Whig and Republican. They had a family
of eight children, as follows: Martha, who
married Edwin Martin, and died in La
Porte, Lorain county, in 1884; Samuel,
who married Barbara Slatershine, of Mich
igan, and is a resident of Carlisle town
ship, Lorain county; Ann, wife of William
Lawson, of Grafton township, Lorain

834

LORAIN COUNTY, OHIO.

county; Sophia, wife of Cyrus Wallace, of
Winnebago county, 111.; John, subject of
this sketch; Job, a farmer of Eaton town
ship, Lorain county, who married Ann
Pierce; Albert, who married Addie Goland,
and who resides in Eaton township; and
Amanda, who died in her youth.
John Alexander, whose name opens this
sketch, was born November 12, 1836, in
Grafton township, Lorain Co., Ohio, and
received his education at the country schools
of Eaton township. In 1873 he bought
one hundred acres of land in Eaton town
ship, which he has since much improved,
having erected a comfortable residence,
commodious barns, etc., and has increased
the area of his farm till it now comprises
186 acres, fifty-four of whieh are in Carlisle
township. On October 6, 1876, Mr. Alexander was
married, in Oberlin, Lorain county, to
Miss Hannah Dimick, who was born in
New York State, a daughter of Alanson
and Hannah (Hill) Dimick, the father a
native of Vermont, who died at the age of
one hundred years, the mother a native of
Connecticut, who died at the age of eighty-
five, both passing away within a year, at
the home of the subject of our sketch. To
Mr. and Mrs. Alexander has been bora one
child, Grace. Politically our subject is a
Republican. Ei C. GRISWOLD. The family, of
which this gentleman is a prominent
 l member, claim German descent, the
first of the ancestry, of whom there
is record, having come to England with
the Prince of Orange. The name was
originally spelled Griswolde.
Edward and Matthew Griswold (the lat
ter of whom was the direct ancestor of
the two Governors Griswold) were brothers.
They resided in Kenilworth,Warwickshire,
England (the ancestral seat being known
as Malvern Hall, the coat-of-arms two
greyhounds courant), where another
brother, Thomas, also lived. In 1639, in

a vessel sent out by Mr. William Whiting,
they came to America, in company with
Rev. Ephraim Huit and several other mem
bers of his congregation, who settled in
Windsor, Connecticut.
(1) Edward Griswold, born in England
in 1607, married, while young, Margaret
— . After his arrival in America he
located in a part of Windsor called Po-
quonnack, but afterward became one of the
first settlers of Killingworth, Conn., where
he appears to have been a man of much
enterprise and influence. In March, 1663,
he was appointed one of a committee to
lay out the undivided lands in Massaco
(Simsbury) to each of the inhabitants of
Windsor as desired or needed. In Killing-
worth he was a commissioner and large
landholder. His first wife died in Killing-
worth August 23, 1670, and he then mar
ried Sarah, widow of James Bemis, of New
London. He died about 1690. His chil
dren were Francis, George, JohnandSarah,
all four born in England (Sarah was twice
married, first to Samuel, son of William
Phelps, November 10, 1650, and second
to Nathaniel, son of Humphrey Pinney,
July 21, 1670) ; Anne, born in America,
June 19, 1642; Mary, born October 5,
1644 (married Timothy, son of William
Phelps, March 19, 1661); Deborah, born
June 28, 1646 (married Samuel, son of
William Buel, and went to Killingworth);
Joseph, born March 2, 1647; Samuel, born
November 13, 1649, died at Killingworth
July 6, 1672; John, bora August 15, 1652.
(2) George married Mary Holcomb Oc
tober 3, 16 — ; she died April 4, 1708. He
settled in Windsor, was holder of con
siderable land, part of which he bought of
the Indians, and was a man of high re
spectability. His children were Daniel,
born October 1, 1656; Thomas, born Sep
tember 29, 1658; Edward, bora May 19,
1660; Mary, born September 28, 1663;
George, born December 3, 1665; John,
born September 11, 1668; Benjamin, born
August 16, 1671 ; Deborah, bora May 20,
1674 (married Thomas Moore December

/C^^Srj^ vti<^

<^+~J&

LORAIN COUNTY, OHIO.

837

12, 1695); Abigail, born October 3, 1676,
died March 7, 1682; Samuel, born No
vember 5, 1681, died June 1, 1682.
(3) Daniel, born October 1, 1656, mar
ried Mindwell, daughter of Nathaniel
Bissell, February 3, 1680, who died De
cember 31, 1728. Their children were
David and Nathaniel (twins), born Feb
ruary 14, 1684; Peletiah, born September
13,1689; Mary, bora 1692; Edward, born
March 8, 1696; Deborah, born November
7, 1698; David, born August 6, 1701.
(4) David, born August 6, 1701, mar
ried Huldah Brown, 1731. Their children
were David, born May 25, 1733, died
March 6, 1736; Joel, born 1734; Ezekiel,
bora February 21, 1737; Huldah, bora
April 23, 1739; Sybil, born April 17,
1742; Deborah, bora March 15, 1745;
David, born February 15, 1748; Asinah,
born September 6, 1750.
(5) Joel, born 1734, married May 11,
1758, Mary Ebens. Their children were
Joel, born November 4, 1758; Elijah,
born August 20, 1762; Luther, Ralph,
and Rufus.
(6) Elijah, born August 20, 1762, mar
ried July 6, 1787, Lydia Adams, born
August 30, 1767. Their children were
Elijah Pinder, born June 12, 1788; Lydia,
born July 24, 1790; Chauncey Gay, born
September 16, 1792; Sophia, born Jan
uary 4, 1794; Julia, born March 17, 1796;
Fanny, born March 5, 1798; Thirza Maria,
born December 29, 1800; Edwin Elijah
(father of the subject of this sketch), born
August 20, 1802; Edson Adams, born
June 27, 1804; Mary Catherine, boru May
8, 1806; Luther Dwight, born February
7, 1809.
Edwin Elijah Griswold, the last but
three mentioned in the above genealogical
record, was born in the township of Sims
bury (of Old Windsor, now Bloomfield),
Conn., and received his education at the
subscription schools of the vicinity, and
also in a, private school. He was a cler
gyman of the MethodistEpiscopal Church,
and filled incumbencies in Connecticnt,
44

New York State and New York City,
many of his appointments being the best
held in the several localities. Daniel
Drew and the well-known publishers,
Harper Brothers, were among his parish
ioners. For seventeen years he was pre
siding elder, part of the time officiating in
New York City. After nearly forty-five
years of active service in the ministry of
the Methodist Episcopal Church, at his
own request he was released from his du
ties, and returned to his home in Danbury,
Conn. He was a D. D. of Mt. Union Col
lege. On April 20, 1825, he married
Miss Nancy Webster, who was descended
by direct line from John Webster, one of
Hartford's early settlers and the fifth Gov
ernor of Connecticut Colony, and the rec
ord of their children is as follows: Fanny
F., born February 22, 1826; E. C. (sub
ject of sketch); Harriet W., born Feb
ruary 23, 1830, died May 5, 1893; Ann
Angusta, bora September 18, 1836; and
Mary Victoria, born November 27, 1838,
died November 8, 1839. Mrs. Griswold
died April 3, 1870, and Mr. Griswold was
subsequently married to Artemesia W.
Pease (widow of a preacher), who still
survives. He died April 3, 1878.
Edwin Chauncey Griswold was bora in
Farmington, Conn., May 18, 1827, and
received his elementary education in a
preparatory school, after which he took
a course of study at the Wesleyan Uni
versity, Middletown, Conn., where he
graduated in 1847, being then twenty
years of age. After teaching school for a
time, he became connected with the Peo
ples Line of Steamers of the Hudson river,
and was in that service some four years.
He then became connected with the
Methodist Book Concern, in New York
City, having charge of the mailing depart
ment, but his health becoming impaired,
he concluded to move westward. Accord
ingly, in February, 1854, he came to
Elyria, Ohio, and established a book store,
which he carried on for about twenty-four
years, or until 1877, when he sold out. He

838

LORAIN COUNTY, OHIO.

has since been connected with various
business enterprises, among which may be
mentioned the Lakeside Company, of which
he is president, and one of its heaviest
stockholders; had also at one time charge
of their hotel at Lakeside. He owns grape
growing and farming interests, and oc
cupies much of his time in assisting to
manipulate stock companies of various
kinds. On February 2, 1852, in Hartford,
Conn., Mr. Griswold was married to Miss
Anne Sweetland, a native of Hartford,
Conn., where and at Mt. Holyoke Semi
nary, Massachusetts, she received her edu
cation. The following is a brief record of
their children: (1) Ellen Augusta, bora
November 23, 1852, in New York City;
after graduating at Elyria High School
she entered upon a course of study at
Baldwin University, Berea, Ohio, and had
reached the Senior class, when failing
health caused her to leave; she afterward
graduated at Cleveland Normal School;
she was married to Rev. Lucius C. Smith,
July 12, 1878, and died December 28,
1878, in Copiapo, Chili, S. A., her hus
band being a missionary of the M. E.
Chnrch, one of the "Taylor missionaries."
(2) Edwin Luther was born February 11,
1855, and died September 26, 1881; he
entered upon a course of study at Wesleyan
University, Middletown, Conn., but un
avoidable circumstances prevented his
completing the course; he was engaged in
the book business with his father, and
later in Cleveland. (3) Fannie Martha,
born September 4, 1857, graduated at Ohio
Wesleyan University at Delaware, Ohio.
was married, March 29, 1882, to G. W.
Rice, and now resides in Hamilton, Ohio;
(4) William Sweetland was born June 20,
1862, and was educated at Ohio Wesleyan
University at Delaware, Ohio, then one year
in Berea, Ohio, and afterward at the Case
School of Applied Science, Cleveland,
Ohio. He is now in Lansing, Mich., where
he is engaged in the artificial stone busi
ness and selling coal. He was married

October 7, 1885, to Miss Martha H. Wales.
of Sandusky, Ohio, and they have two
children, viz. : Edwin Chauncey, born June
9, 1887; and Marie Sweetland, born Sep
tember 17. 1892.
Mr. E. C. Griswold is a strong Republi
can; he served as clerk of Elyria township
thirteen years, and for years was also town
ship trustee ; for several years he was a mem
ber of the board of education and clerk of
the same. In 1876 he was a member of
the M. E. General Conference that met in
Baltimore, Md., and has for many years
been an active member of the Methodist
Episcopal Church in Elyria. He also
holds important relations with several
educational institutions.

tfLLIAM GREEN, a prominent,
well-to-do farmer of Pittsfield
township, was born October 4,
1848, in Lincolnshire, England,
son of William and Mary (Marshall) Green.
William Green, Sr., was a shoemaker,
and followed the trade exclusively in Eng
land, where he married and had three
children: Henry, who died in England;
Ann, who died in Wood county, Ohio,
wife of William Bailey, and William. In
1854 the family embarked at Liverpool,
and after a voyage of seven weeks landed
in New York City. They at once pro
ceeded to Pittsfield township, Lorain Co.,
Ohio, where William Marshall, brother of
Mrs. Green, had previously located, and
there purchased a partially improved tract
of fifty acres, where the father began farm
ing. Here they passed the remainder of
their lives, Mrs. Green dying in 1877, her
husband in 1884, and they both rest in
Pittsfield cemetery. Both were members
of the Methodist Church, and in politics
he was a Republican.
Our subject received a common-school
education, and was reared to farm life, re
maining at home with his parents until

LORAIN COUNTY, OHIO.

839

his marriage. On October 5, 1871, he was
married to Rowena Cole, who was bora
in Wellington towmship, Lorain county,
daughter of Horace Cole, and to this union
were born two children: Lou Emma, Mrs.
Frank Whitney, of Pittsfield township;
and Mary Ann, who died in infancy. The
mother of these children died in November,
1878, and was buried in Pittsfield ceme
tery. For his second wife Mr. Green mar
ried January 1, 1880, Miss Anna Jordan,
who died February 3, 1883, some time
afterward, without issue. In 1884 Mr.
Green married Catherine Rogers, and to
this union has come one child, Walter
Henry. After marriage our subject lo
cated on the home farm, and there re
mained until 1883, when he removed to
his present farm, in the center of Pitts
field township, which he had purchased the
preceding fall. Here he has since resided,
carrying on general agriculture and dairy
ing, and he has met with a considerable
degree of success, being an energetic, sys
tematic farmer. Politically he is a Re
publican, and in religious faith he is a
member of the Methodist Church, in which
he has served as trustee and in various
other positions.

rLAVIUS A. HART, proprietor of
a leading furniture establishment in
Oberlin, and undertaker, comes of
English ancestry. The first of this
branch of the family in America, was one
of three brothers who came from England
in 1646 or '48, one of whom, settled in
Connecticut, one went west and was never
heard of again, and the third, from whom
our subject descends, made a settlement
in Lynn, Massachusetts.
Sylvester Hart, father of Flavins A.,
was born, in 1806, in Vermont, the eldest
son 'of George Hart, and came to Lorain
county, Ohio, in 1832, settling in Carlisle
township, where he carried on farming

operations. He died in 1874, a stanch Re
publican, having originally been an Old-
line Whig, fie married Miss Relief
Baldwin, also a native of Vermont, born
in 1806, and died in 1892. They had a
family of five children, of whom Flavius
A. is the youngest.
Our subject was born in Carlisle town
ship, Lorain Co., Ohio, December 2, 1849.
When six years old he came to Oberlin,
where he received his education, first at
tending the public schools and then Oberlin
College. For a time he read law in that
town, in order the more thoroughly to
qualify himself for business, and then
turned his attention to agriculture, which
he followed till some sixteen years since,
and he still owns a farm in the township.
On giving up agricultural pursuits he.
opened out a furniture factory in Oberlin,
and also a store for sale of the products,
The factory he carried on three years,
since when he has confined himself to the
retail business and undertaking. He car
ries a large stock of furniture, and enjoys
a wide business connection.
In 1877 Mr. Hart was married in
Oberlin to Miss Olive A. Crain, who
was born in Florence township, Erie
Co., Ohio, to which union three children
have been born: Burton S., Merton S. and
Eugene A. In politics our subject has
been an ardent Democrat ever since he
first exercised his franchise at the ballot,
and has twice been Democratic candidate
for county treasurer, also Democrat candi
date for mayor of Oberlin. On December
20, 1893, he was appointed postmaster at
Oberlin by President Cleveland; confirmed
by Senate January 9, 1894, and commenced
his duties as postmaster February 1, 1894.
He is past master in the A. F. & A. M.,
and past noble grand in the I. 0. O. F. ;
is a member of the Oberlin Society which
governs the Congregational Church.
Zerubable Hart, paternal great-grand
father of the' subject of this sketch, was a
native of Lynn, Mass. He owned the best
yoke of oxen in the neighborhood of Bos-

840

LORAIN COUNTY, OHIO.

ton, and prior to the battle of Bunker Hill
he hauled hogsheads of sand up that and
Breed's Hill for the making of military
breastworks; his brother, John Hart, was
one of the Signers of the Declaration of
Independence; their father, Jonathan Hart,
was captain of a privateer, and was captured
on the Mediterranean Sea by the Moors.
He had to work as a slave in the mines of
Africa for nine long years without ever
seeing the light of the sun; but one day
he and two other prisoners succeeded in
escaping by first killing the overseer with
their picks, and another man with the guard's
gun. Having now regained their liberty,
they put to sea in an open boat, and were
picked up by a Portuguese vessel, and ulti
mately reached their respective homes.

FRANK A. COATES. Among the
more intelligent and highly re
spected citizens of Henrietta town
ship, this gentleman must certainly
be classed.
He is a son of Stephen Coates, who was
born in Rutland county, Vt., in 1812, and
was there reared to manhood. His school
advantages were much limited, and his
education, therefore, consisted of but the
common branches. During his youth he
learned the trade of shoemaking. In 1845
he migrated to Lorain county, Ohio. Sub
sequently he married Caroline Bodfish, a
daughter of Nathan Bodfish and a native
of Vermout, to which union were bora six
children, as follows: Delia, Janet, Au
gusta, Frank A., Caroli and Herbert, of
whom there are living, Augusta, now the
wife of M. "William Thomas, of Oberlin;
Herbert, a farmer of Huntington, Lorain
county; Caroli, the well-known landlord
of a popular hotel in Sullivan, Ohio, and
Frank A- Upon the location of the family
in their new home in Ohio, the father
found employment at his trade, and by
careful management and observance of
rigid economy, he was enabled to save a

portion of his earnings. After a few years
he purchased a small plat of land, which
he cultivated, and worked at his trade.
This bit of land he subsequently sold, and
bought 200 acres which he divided equally
between the four children at the time of
his removal to Oberlin. , His career was
in every respect eminently successful, and
at his death he was possessor of more than
200 acres, the clearing of which was nearly
all his own handiwork. Some years prior
to his death he purchased a large farm in
Henrietta township, upon which he resided
for a number of years, keeping a dairy,
cutting timber, etc. He then removed to
Oberlin, where he departed this life in
March, 1889, at the age of seventy-six
years. Politically he was a Democrat,
and for a number of years he filled the
office of justice of the peace of Henrietta
township. His wife had preceded him to
the grave in 1887; she was a member of
the Baptist Church.
Frank A. Coates, the subject proper of
these lines, was bom in Birmingham, Ohio,
March 4, 1846, and was there reared,
accompanying his father to his various
locations as above recorded. He was the
recipient, of a superior education, having
at one time attended Oberlin College. In
1867 he married Miss Mira Thomas,
daughter of William Thomas, Sr., who
died in Vermont; his widow came to Ohio
in 1855. To our subject and wife have
been born the following children: Nellie,
Carrie (Mrs. Cor. Courier), Jennie (Mrs.
Arthur Court), Lizzy and Harold. At the
age of twenty-one our subject was the pos
sessor of fifty acres of land, bequeathed to
him by his father, upon which he erected
buildings, and added all improvements;
his handsome brick residence was erected
in 1877. Mr. Coates' children have all re
ceived exceptional educations, Mrs. Courier
(nee Carrie) being a graduate of Oberlin
Conservatory of Music.
Politically Mr. Coates is a Prohibition
ist, and is now occupying the office of
justice of the peace. He is a prominent

LORAIN COUNTY, OHIO.

841

member of the Baptist Church. When
but a boy of fifteen years he suffered an
illness wliich left him a cripple for life,
yet despite this physical disadvantage his
success has been indeed marked. He suc
cessfully cultivates his farm of seventy-
nine acres, and devotes much attentiou to
the cultivation of small fruits.
Mrs. Coates and her daughters are justly
popular ladies in their community, and
their many excellent qualities are highly
appreciated by their large circle of friends.

FW. ROCKWOOD, a prosperous,
intelligent farmer of La Grange
township, is a native of the "Em
pire State," born January 18, 1817,
in Champion, Jefferson county.
His father, David Rockwood, was born
in 1777 in New Hampshire, and was reared
to farm life. When a young man he came
witb some of his older half-brothers to
Cherry Valley, N. Y., and as they kept
"bachelors' hall" he was their cook. In
later years their parents came to New York
State, also locating in Cherry Valley,
and David and his half-brother, William,
moved into Jefferson county, N. Y., and
bought land. Here David Rockwood was
united in marriage with MissRuby Rounds,
a native of Westchester county, N. Y.,
and while living in New York State they
had six sons and one daughter, viz.:
Henry, of Elyria; Benjamin S., who went
west years ago, and has never since been
heard from; Emeline, widow of David
Gott; F. W., subject proper of this sketch;
Giles C, of Wood county, Ohio; David
P., of LaGrange Center; and Almon A.,
of California. Another child, Pauline,
now the widow of Hiram Buswell, was
born in Lorain county, Ohio. Mr. Rock
wood was a well-to-do farmer in New
York, and traded his farm there for 600
acres in LaGrange township, Lorain Co.,
Ohio, for which place he set out in June,

1826, driving a team of horses. Five
sons and the daughter came with the par
ents, the other son traveling by the water
route with the household goods. Asal
Rockwood, a brother of David, came at
the same time. The journey from New
York occupied ten days, and they came
via Cleveland, where at that time there
was no bridge across tbe Cuyahoga river,
and where he was offered land — now
the site of tbe Public Square — at four
dollars an acre, or land on the west
side of the city at twenty shillings an
acre. However, they pushed on to Ely
ria, and thence to La Porte, where the
family remained while the father went
out to look over the land he had bargained
for at LaGrange. Upon seeing this he was
so disappointed that he concluded to re
turn to Cleveland, and invest in land there,
but was dissuaded from this by Belden,
Ingersol and Mennels, three of the leading
men in Grafton township, who induced him
to remain in LaGrange in order to more
thoroughly settle up the country. He re
mained on the 600-acre farm, a portion of
which he traded to Nathan Clark for a like
amount in Lot No. 49, and built thereon a
a rude house of logs, covered with elm-
bark, into which he moved. This was
shortly afterward supplanted by a better
one. Mrs. Rockwood died and was buried
in LaGrange township, and he married,
for his second wife, Polly Graves, who bore
him five children, all of whom died young.
He was always a farmer, and after moving
on his farm in the northwest corner of
LaGrange township, sold some of it, giving
it out for work on other parts of the tract.
He was stirring and energetic, and was
active up to the age of sixty-five, when he
retired. His death, which occurred in
1877, when he was one hundred years and
one month old, was the result of old age.
In politics he was originally a Whig, later
a Democrat, and in religious connection
he was a member of the Christian Church.
F. W. Rockwood received his education
in the common schools of his boyhood days,

842

LORAIN COUNTY, OHIO.

when eleven years old coming to Ohio,
where he also attended the schools, which
were held in log buildings. From early boy
hood he was reared to farm life, doing any
work he could about the place, and when
fifteen years old went to learn the trade of
cabinet maker under his brother Henry, in
LaGrange, remaining there five years, and
then working as a carpenter and joiner.
On October 27, 1840, he was married to
Miss Clarissa Wack, who was born Feb
ruary 22, 1821, in Danby, Yt., daughter of
Frederick W. and Hannah (Loomis) Wack,
natives of Connecticut, who came to Lo
rain county, Ohio, in 1834, locating in Car
lisle township. After his marriage he
moved into Oberlin, where he followed his
trade for three years, and then came to his
present farm, where he himself erected a
house, and has since made his home. He
has two children, namely: Edgar D. and
William W. For the last twenty years he
has given up his trade, but previous to
that time did much of the building in his
section. He now owns 460 acres of land,
situated in various parts of the country —
Ohio, Iowa and South Dakota; his farm
in Ohio is one of the most valuable in Lo
rain county, as it contains an exceedingly
good deposit of building stone. In pol
itics he is a stanch Republican, and has been
a party leader in his section. He has a very
pleasant home, rendered doubly attractive
by the presence of Mrs. Rockwood, who is
a most estimable, kind-hearted lady. Mr.
Rockwood keeps himself well informed on
the leading questions of the day, both by
reading and observation.

TH. MUMFORD, a prominent, highly
respected citizen of Russia town
ship, was born in 1840 in Darling
ton county, South Carolina.
In July, 1857, he left his native
State, and he has since been identified
with the interests of Lorain county, Ohio.
He attended the Union schools at Oberlin,

and for some time thereafter followed the
trades of painting and paper hanging. In
1862 he enlisted in the Fifty-fourth Mass
achusetts Infantry, and in 1864 reenlisted,
this time in Company D, One Hundred
and Seventy-eighth O. V. I., for one year or
during the war, being assigned to the army
of the Cumberland. He participated in
the engagements at Nashville (Tenn.) and
Kingston (N. C), and was also in many
skirmishes. In 1865 he received an hon
orable discharge at Charlotte, N. O, and
returned to Oberlin, where he has since
continuously resided.
Mr. Mumford was married at Oberlin,
October 5, 1865, to Miss Evelene Oswalt,
and they have had three children, namely:
William D., Sumpter Marion and Zula.
In religious faith Mr. and Mrs. Mumford
are both members of the First Congrega
tional Church. In politics he is a Re
publican, deeply interested in the welfare
of his party, and he has held the office of
township trustee for the past seventeen
years, having been first elected in 1876.
Mr. Mumford takes an active part in every
project tending toward the improvement
and advancement of the interests of Lorain
county. He is a member of Henry Lincoln
Post No. 564, G. A. R.

| ACOB LAW, a leading and successful
k. I agriculturist of Grafton township, is
\^ a German by birth, having first seen
the light of day November 17, 1823,
in Wittenberg, Prussia.
He is a son of Mathias Law, a shepherd
iu the Fatherland, who married Mary
Metzger, by whom there was one child, the
subject of this sketch. The young mother
was called from earth when Jacob was but
a child, and the father afterward married
Margaret Ritchley. Deciding to seek a
new home in the Western World, the fam
ily, at that time consisting of our subject
and his father and stepmother, in 1834 set
out from Wittenberg for the port of

LORAIN COUNTY, OHIO.

843

Bremen, a journey of fourteen days, and
there on April 1, same year, set sail on a
" full-rigged ship " for the shores of Amer
ica. After a voyage of about forty- three
days they landed at New York, whence
they proceeded westward by the Hudson
river and Erie Canal to Buffalo, from there
sailing on Lake Erie to Cleveland, re
maining in that town one week. Mr. Law
there bought, for four dollars per acre,
thirty-two acres of unbroken land in
Liverpool township, Medina county, with
out a house or cabin of any kind on it, but
with some five hundred feet of lumber and
three cut forked sticks he soon erected a
rude shanty under the branches of a noble
beech tree, where the little family made
their home from June 18 to October, same
year, by which time a commodious and
substantial log house was erected. Mr.
Law had but a small capital to start on —
one hundred dollars — and many difficul
ties to contend against in clearing the land,
not the least of which was the continual
encroachments of wild animals on his lit
tle domain. In the fall of 1834 he sowed
his first wheat, which was harvested the
following year, and the prospects after
1836 (which was a bad year for farmers)
began to brighten. In 1842 the log house
gave place to a frame one, and to the farm
fifty acres were added, lying in the east
ern part of lot No. 70, Grafton township.
In 1877 this honored pioneer passed from
earth after a brief illness, his wife in Feb
ruary, 1889, and they lie buried in Liver
pool cemetery, Medina county.
Jacob Law, whose name opens this
sketch, as will be seen was ten years old
when he came to America, so had at
tended school for some four years in his
native land; after his arrival in Lorain
county he had the benefit of such English
education as the then primitive schools af
forded. His early youth was passed in
hard work on his father's farm, and when
but sixteen years of age he worked on a
canal at Coshocton, Ohio, all his earnings
beyig given his father; he also labored on

other canals. After his marriage, which
will be spoken of presently, his father gave
him thirty acres of land in Grafton town
ship, where he resided up to 1863, in
which year he came to his present farm in
the same township. At one time he owned
468 acres, but having given much of it to
his children, has now 215 acres.
On June 13, 1848, our subject was mar
ried to Agnes Laun den berger, also a native
of Wittenberg, Germany, bora August 20,
1830, daughter of Thomas Laundenber-
ger, who came from Bremen to the United
States in 1833, arriving in New York af
ter a lengthy passage of ninety-one days.
From there he proceeded westward to
Canton, Stark Co., Ohio, where he fol
lowed his trade, that of blacksmith, as well
as farming. Later he came to Liverpool
township, Medina county, where Mr. Law
met his daughter Agnes for the first time.
The children born to our subject and wife
were as follows: John, a farmer; Mary,
Mrs. Henry Wise; Henry, a farmer;
Catherine, Mrs. Louis Wise; Carrie, de
ceased; August, a harness maker, of
Erhert, Ohio; Jacob, a farmer; Louisa,
deceased; William, a farmer; and Joseph,
residing at home. Politically Mr. Law is
a Democrat, and he is a member of the
Lutheran Church, in which he has held
office some years. He and his esteemed
wife are highly respected in the commun
ity in which they live, and he is recognized
as a leader among the sturdy and prosper
ous yeomen of Lorain county.

FETER SCHULLER, one of the pro
gressive agriculturists of Sheffield
township, is a native of Lorain
county, Ohio, born May 17, 1853, in
Sheffield township.
Matthias Schuller, his father, who was a
German by birth, was married in- his na
tive land to Miss Katherine Klein, and two
of their children were bora there. Coming
to the United States, the family settled ou

844

LORAIN COUNTY, OHIO.

a farm in Sheffield township, Lorain Co.,
Ohio, where the father died in 1871 at the
age of sixty-three years, the mother on
March 4, 1885, aged seventy-two. They
were members of the Catholic Church, and
in politics Mr. Schuller was a Democrat.
They were the parents of three children,
two of whom are yet living, viz. : Michael,
born in Germany, now living in Sheffield
township, and Peter.
The subject of our sketch received his
education at the public and parochial
schools of his native township, and was
re'ared to agricultural pursuits. In 1880
he was united in marriage with Miss Mag
gie Kelling, and to them seven children
were bora, as follows: George, Henry,
John, Matthias, Minnie, Frank and Julia.
Mr. Schuller takes an active interest in
politics as emphasized in the principles
embodied in the platform of the Demo
cratic party, and is a member of the school
board; was also for some five or six years
road supervisor. He is a member of the
Catholic Church. Owner of a good farm
of eighty-six acres, Mr. Schuller does a
successful general agricultural business.

R. WEBBER, prosecuting attorney
for Lorain county for six years (his
~~%_ term ending January 2,- 1894), is
a native of Cbio, born in Hinckley,
Medina county, January 21, 1852,
of old English stock, his great-grandfather
and family having been immigrants from
the mother country to the New England
States many years ago. His grandfather,
Richard Webber, was a pioneer of Hinck
ley, and a man of great worth, a preacher
of rare gifts and power, wielding great
influence in his community.
George E. Webber, father of subject,
was a native of Massachusetts, a son of
Richard Webber, and a molder by trade.
At the age of fourteen he moved westward
to Ohio, with his father, locating in

Hinckley, in Medina county, where he
aided in clearing the forest to make way
for farms, and cutting out the public high
ways. When eighteen years old he re
turned to Massachusetts and learned the
trade of molder, which having completed
he again came to Medina county, and
started a foundry in the town of Hinckley,
operating same for twenty years. After
this he farmed for six years, owing to
poor health, and then moved into the town
of Medina, where he opened out the pres
ent Hollow-ware foundry, for the manu
facture of iron hollow-ware, which now
employs sixty-five men. He is a man of
great push and force of character, and ex
tensive reading. He was married to Miss
Jane Woodruff, a native of New York,
who taught school for many years in
Hinckley, aud was ever known for her
sweet disposition and deeds of charity and
kindness. They had a family as follows:
Julius F. Webber, A. R. Webber, Julia
Walker, Lana Webber, H. B. Webber and
John Webber. Julius and Lana are dead;
John and Julia reside in Medina; H. B. is
an able attorney in Canton, Ohio.
A. R. Webber received his education at
the schools of his native town, and at
Baldwin University, Berea, Ohio. He then
commenced the study of law in the office
of Judge Lewis, Medina, Ohio; was ad
mitted to the' bar in 1876, and at once
opened a law office in Elyria, Lorain coun
ty, in partnership with a Mr. C. H. Brint-
uall, which copartnership continued for
some six months, when it was dissolved.
Mr. Webber's next partner was Mr. C. W.
Johnston, at oue time prosecuting attor
ney, and this copartnership terminated at
the end of two years, the next partner
being Hon. George P. Metcalf, for some
years prosecuting attorney for Lorain
county. Since the latter's death in 1887,
Mr. Webber conducted the business of his
office alone till two years ago, when he
formed a partnership with Lee Stoup, a
young man who read law in his office. In
1887 he was nominated and elected to Jhe

CX -<R \»jO»W-

LORAIN COUNTY, OHIO.

847

position of prosecuting attorney, taking
office in January, 1888. Mr. Webber does
a general practice, and has a very large
clientage. A. R. Webber and Miss Ida C. Finch
were united in marriage May 17, 1875, and
two children have come to brighten their
home: Gilbert G. and Lawrence H. Mrs.
Webber is a lady of culture, and among
the foremost in works of charity and tem
perance in her city. Our subject is a Re
publican in politics, and a member of the
Royal Arcanum and Knights of the Macca
bees. He is a stockholder in tbe Savings
Bank, and in tbe Republican newspaper
company. He enjoys the enviable dis
tinction of being one of the ablest and
best informed lawyers in Lorain county; is
a close student, ever keeping well abreast
of the times; was a strong prosecutor and
is an able jury lawyer, as well as a reliable
and safe counselor. He has but few peers
in the county, and certainly no superior.

^ILLIAM SHERMAN POWELL
was bora July 28, 1833, in Char
lotte, Chittenden Co., Vt., in
which State his parents were
also born.
Calvin Powell, father of William S., was
born August 19, 1799. On January 6,
1819, he was married in Charlotte, Vt., to
Maria Gray, who was born September 29,
1801. In Charlotte they resided until
1838, when they sold out aud came to
Lorain county, Ohio, with their family.
The journey from Vermont, a distance of
seven hundred miles, was made in a covered
wagon with four horses attached, the trip
taking four weeks. Here they purchased
134 acres of heavily timbered land. Mr.
Powell by hard labor and perseverance
cleared up the entire farm, and he resided
there until his death. The children born
to Mr. and Mrs. Calvin Powell were as
follows: Alma M., born February 27,

1821, died March 3, 1880 (wife of J. W.
Rockwell); Henry Sherman, born July 25,
1823, died April 25, 1888; Harriet, born
September 20, 1826, died May 4, 1893
(wife of C. J. Case); Polly Ann, born No
vember 10, 1828 (Mrs. William Rockwell,
residing in St. Louis, Mo.); Elvira, born
May 9, 1831, died June 14, 1890 (wife of
Albert Eldred); William S., subject of
sketch; Lorenzo C, born June 23, 1837,
a resident of Frankfort, Kans.; Amelia,
born August 12, 1839 (Mrs. George Hub
bard, of Decatur, Mich.); and Mary, born
October 9, 1842 (Mrs. M. Tuscott, of La
nark, 111.). Calvin Powell was a man of
prominence, and held various township
offices. He was a member of the Baptist
Church of Elyria, a constant attendant and
earnest supporter. He died January 26,
1860. Mrs. Powell was also a faithful
member of the same church. Her death
occurred August 17, 1883, at the home of
her youngest daughter, in Lanark, Illinois.
W. S. Powell, the subject of this sketch,
spent his early life in Amherst township,
where he attended the common schools, first
in the log schoolhouse, afterward at the
select schools, where he obtained a practi
cal education. He remained at home until
he was twenty- two years of age. He then, in
1856, went to Illinois, where he remained
five months, and then returned to Ohio,
where he has since resided. On Novem
ber 25, 1856, he was married to Miss
Betsey M. Bender, daughter of Peter
Bender, a resident of Elyria. After his
marriage he remained on the home farm
two years, then rented a farm on Lake
Avenue, where he remained one year.
When his father died he again rented the
home farm, which he carried on two years.
He then purchased a farm in the southwest
part of Amherst township, and here re
sided four years, at the end of which time
he sold, and bought a farm of one hundred
acres three miles north of Oberlin, where
he lived eight years, in the meantime
adding fifty-two acres of land. He then
sold, and removed to his present farm,

848

LORAIN COUNTY, OHIO.

which contains about 150 acres, and is re
garded as one of the finest farms in Lorain
county, sixty- two acres being in the cor
poration of Elyria.
His children were as follows: Ella M.,
born June 18, 1861, died June 2, 1863;
Orpha E., born October 10, 1864, married
March 17, 1886, to John Stang, and now
living in Elyria township (they have one
child, Herbert Ralph, bora June 15, 1890) ;
Elnora T., bora November 12, 1866, mar
ried March 17, 1891, to M. B. Sonnels,
who holds a position as locomotive en
gineer on the Lake Shore & Michigan
Southern Railroad, and they reside in
Elyria; Mary May, bora November 20,
1871; Edwin Sherman, born August 21,
1873; and Arthur William, born Septem
ber 7, 1878.
Mr. Powell is a self-made man, having
made his own financial success. He is
now carrying on his farm, and although
Bixty years of age is vigorous and active.
For many years he has been prominent in
all public affairs relating to both the town
ship and county of his residence. He has
always been a pronounced Democrat of the
Jacksonian school, ready at all times to
express his opinions, but at. the same time
disposed to be charitable to his opponents.
Equipped by nature with strong intel
lectual endowments and rugged physical
powers, possessing a sterling honesty
which characterizes his conduct in all the
offices of life, he has won a high place in
tbe esteem and confidence of his fellowmen.

| P. BYRD is one of the most pros-
k. I perous and substantial agriculturists
%J) of Brownhelm township, whither he
had come in 1866. He was born
in Huntsville, Ala., in 1833, a son of John
and Susan (Page) Byrd, natives of Eng
land and France, respectively, in which
latter country they were married.
In an early day they immigrated to
Richmond, Va., thence moving to near

Huntsville, Ala., where John Byrd was a
planter, and where he died in 1840, as did
also his wife some years later, at the age
of seventy years. Grandfather Page was
a native of France, and coming to this
country served in the Revolutionary war
under LaFayette; at the time of his death
he was a senator from Albemarle county,
Va., of which State he was a pioneer.
J. P. Byrd, the subject of this memoir,
received his education at the public schools
of the vicinity of Huntsville, Ala., and
learned the trade of merchant tailor. When
a young man he came north, and in 1862
located in Cincinnati, Ohio, whence in
1866 he came to Lorain county, as already
recorded, and after marriage settled on a
farm in Brownhelm township, which now
comprises 111^ acres of land, where he
carries on general agriculture, including
the breeding of high-grade Shorthorn
cattle. He has an excellent stone resi
dence, two stories high, 28 x 30 feet.
In 1865 Mr. Byrd was married in Ely
ria to Miss D. E. Cable,a native of Brown
helm, Ohio, daughter of O. A. and
Caroline (Peck) Cable, the latter of whom
was born in Stockbridge, Mass., and came
to Ohio with her parents when she was
eight years old. Stephen Cable, grand
father of Mrs. Byrd, was a native of Ver
mont, whence he came to Ohio, locating in
Cleveland, from there coming to Lorain
county, settling in Ridgeville township in
1811. O. A. Cable, his son (Mrs. Byrd's
father), was born in 1813, in Ridgeville, and
was the first white male child born in the
county of Lorain. He was about one year
old when his father moved to Amherst,
where he lived about three years, and then
moved to Henrietta township, where
Stephen Cable died when O. A. was
about eight years old. The latter died in
Brownhelm in 1879; his wife, Caroline P.
Cable, died in the same township in 1887.
Mrs. Byrd's grandfather, Elisha F. Peck,
came to Brownhelm in 1817, and took up
480 acres of land — -three quarter sections.
He was a native of Connecticut, born in

LORAIN COUNTY, OHIO.

849

Berlin. His grandfather came from Eng
land. Mrs. Byrd was educated in Ober
lin, and graduated in the class of 1861;
later she taught school in Pittsfield and'
LaGrange townships, Lorain county.
To Mr. and Mrs. J. P. Byrd were born
three children, as follows: Nina P., now
wife of Harry E. Sage, of Brownhelm
township; Leon F. and John O. Politi
cally our subject is a Republican, but
in municipal matters he invariably votes
for the best man, irrespective of party
principle.

DE GRASSE and HARRIET
THOMAS. The Thomases were
J of old New England stock. De-
Grasse Thomas was the oldest child
of Edmond and Asenath Thomas, and of a
family of six — two boys, De Grasse and
Orrin, and four girls, Mannett, Jeanett,
Julia M. and Jane.
Edmond Thomas was born in the town
of Rutland, Vt., one of a large family
born to Wesson and Patience (Hall) Thom
as, who came to Vermont from Massachu
setts. Wesson Thomas was a soldier and
pensioner of the Revolution. Originally
the Thomases came to Massachusetts from
Wales. When Edmond was about twelve
years of age his father moved to the town
of Adams, Jefferson Co., N. Y., where he
grew to manhood and where he married
Asenath Crapo, daughter of Jonathan
Crapo, a soldier of the Revolution, of an
old and honorable family in the old Com
monwealth, originally from France. In
1835 Edmond moved his family, then con
sisting of wife and five children, to Ohio,
coming by lake from Sacket's Harbor to
Genesee, thence on a primitive railroad,
where the cars were drawn by horses, to
Rochester, N. Y.; from there to Buffalo
by the Erie Canal, and by steamer to
Cleveland, from that point to Pittsfield by
wagon. Settling in that township, a farm
was cleared out of the woods, and after
nine years the family moved to the western

part of Rochester township, where another
farm was hewn from the forests, which
then covered all that country in every
direction except only where farms were
being cut out bere and there. Here the
two sons took land for themselves, cleared
them up, and day by day, year by year,
have grown old together with the neigh
borhood their work has done so much to
redeem from the forest. Here the good
old mother was found on May 18, 1877,
by the silent Reaper, in the eighty-first
year of her age, and here the father lingered
until January 19, 1889, passing away in
his ninety-second year; he was a soldier
and pensioner of the war of 1812.
Harriet Thomas, the daughter of James
and Sarah Fancher, was born in the town
of Mendon, Monroe Co., N. Y., Septem
ber 21, 1822, one of a family of thirteen
children. John Fancher, the father of
James, was a soldier of the Revolution,
and married a niece of Gen. Daniel Schuy
ler; they lived in the township of Florida,
near Albany, N. Y., where James was born
and where he married Sarah Doty, of Spen
cer township, whose father was also a
soldier of the Revolution, and of Dutch
descent. When Harriet was nine years
old the mother left Mendon for Ohio, to
join her husband, who had preceded her.
She traveled with tbe children from Pitts
ford to Buffalo by canal, then on Lake
Erie by steamer to Huron, Erie county,
where the father met them and took them
to a temporary home in New London,
Huron county, whence they soon moved
to the neighborhood known as East Creek,
in the eastern part of the township, where
other children were born to them. Here
the final summons found the father in the
eighty-fourth year of his age. James
Fancher was a soldier of the war of 1812
and a pensioner. At the old home in
Mendon they were near neighbors of
Eber Kimball, Joseph Smith and Brigham
Young. Before her seventeenth year Har
riet married Gustavus Noble, to whom she
bore five children, four of whom grew to

850

LORAIN COUNTY, OHIO.

maturity: Sarah A., the wife of George
Chadwick, by whom she had one child, a
son, Frank; Eliza, the wife of Ho
mer E. Barrett, to whom has been born
one child, Earl; Perry A., who married
Ella J. Mann, daughter of Bradley Mann,
of Rochester, and whose family consists
of three girls, Grace, Bertha and Mary,
and two sons, Wayne and Perry Allen;
and Mary, who became the wife of Wilbur
W. Hall, and who after a few brief years
passed on to another world, leaving, to
mourn the loss of a sweet mother, two
children — Clayton G. and Kate.
Harriet Fancher Noble married De-
Grasse Thomas, and to this union have been
bora three children, two of whom grew to
maturity: Alma M., wife of Walter D.
Hall, to whom have come two children —
Ethel and Ford; and Fred Fancher, a
sketch of whom follows.

FRED F. THOMAS, the subject of
this sketch, son of De Grasse and Har
riet Thomas, was born Sunday, May
29, 1859, on the homestead farm iu
Rochester township, Lorain county. He
attended the school of his district until
his fourteenth year; then the graded
school at Rochester until the fall of 1876,
when he entered the Wellington High
School. The superintendent was W. R.
Wean, a strict disciplinarian and excellent
instructor; the principal was Mrs. Wean,
a lovely lady and good teacher, to whom it
was a delight to recite, and whose memory
is cherished. At the beginning of the
winter term of 1877 he entered the Prepa
ratory Department of Oberlin College,
and remained in that institution until the
spring of 1879, when impaired health com
pelled him to suspend for a time work of
that kind. After a summer spent at home
on the farm, he entered, in the fall of that
year, the law office of George P. Metcalf
and Amos R. Webber. Here the time
passed swiftly and pleasantly until the

winter of 1881, when he matriculated at
the University of Michigan. The follow
ing fall he entered the class of 1882 Law
Department, and, carrying the work of two
years in one, graduated with the class.
On the organization of the class be was
elected secretary, and on graduation was
chosen alternate Alumni Orator.
Returning to Elyria, he opened an office
in the old Snearer building, where Sharp's
block now stands. Here he remained,
slowly but surely gaining business until
the winter of 1885, when, becoming con
vinced that there were superior advantages
for getting on in the world offered young
men in the South, he moved to Monroe
county, Ark., and engaged in cattle ranch
ing on Grand Prairie. This venture not
proving a success, in November, 1887, he
accepted the position of attorney for the
U.c S. Antimony Co., a mining corporation
composed of Philadelphia capitalists. Re
signing this position in December, 1888,
he returned to the prairie country, and
after several months opened an office for
the practice of law in the Fourth Judicial
District of Arkansas. His health becom
ing impaired on account of malaria so
prevalent in that climate, he determined
to move back to Ohio while yet there was
time to re-establish himself in his profes
sion at his old home.
On the first day of January, 1893, he
opened an office in Elyria for the second
time, and was happy to be once again
among such people as compose the inhabi
tants of the Western Reserve. Entering
the contest for the nomination to the office
of prosecuting attorney, on the Republican
ticket, he was, after a spirited contest, on
the third day of June, 1893, nominated in
what up to that time was the largest county
convention ever held in Lorain county, re
ceiving on the seventh ballot 153 votes out
of a total of 217, and the nomination, which
on motion of Charles A. Metcalf, his strong
est opponent, was made unanimous.
Mr. Thomas' ancestors were of old New
England stock, his great-grandfathers

At 4? £fiC^.

a&/~

LORAIN COUNTY, OHIO.

853

being soldiers of the Revolution, and his
grandfathers soldiers and pensioners of the
war of 1812. He is a Republican and
Protectionist of the most pronounced type,
believing America should so shape its in
dustrial policy as to afford American citi
zens the opportunity to supply American
markets with American manufactures, and
the products of American farms at Ameri
can prices. He is not a member of any
church or sect, reserving to himself, as he
grants to all others, perfect freedom of
belief. He is a member of Wellington
Lodge No. 127, F. &. A. M., and a char
ter member of Myrtle Lodge No. 61,
K. P.,_ of Stuttgart, Arkansas.
On the evening of October 28, 1885, at
the family home in Elyria, Mr. Thomas
was united in marriage with Fannie E.
Smith, daughter of William L. Smith and
Frances (Perry) Smith, the latter a daugh
ter of Horatio Perry, one of the old set
tlers of the Western Reserve. There is
one child from this marriage: Mary Smith
Thomas, born at the old homestead in
Rochester, March 26, 1889. Mrs.
Thomas is an alumna of Lake Erie Semi
nary, graduating with tbe class of 1879,
and a member of Elyria's oldest literary
society — "The Fortnightly."

il
4J 1815,

[fJfENRY HOBART HITCHCOCK
1 5^1 1 was born in Montville township,
S \\ Medina county, Ohio, December
yj " 14, 1843, a sou of Daniel B. Hitch
cock, who was born January 13,
and came from Oswego county,
N. Y., to Ohio in 1836. He was a wheel
wright and chair maker by trade, which
businesses he followed after coming to
Ohio. He settled on a farm he had bought
about five miles south of Medina, and
tilled the soil in connection with his other
vocations. Daniel B. Hitchcock married Miss
Sarah E. Welton, March 14, 1841, and the

children born to them were Henry H, and
Mary (now Mrs. Samuel C. Rosenbury, of
Kalamazoo county, Mich.). The father
died in Montville, Ohio, in 1865, at the
age of fifty years, the mother in Kalama
zoo county, Mich., in 1885, at the age of
seventy-four years, and they are buried in
Montville township cemetery. They were
both consistent members of the First
Episcopal Church at Medina, where they
and their family regularly attended wor
ship. In politics he always stood with
the Republican party.
Henry H. Hitchcock, whose name opens
this sketch, attended the school in the dis
trict at home until attaining years of ma
turity, when he finished his education in
the Medina schools. He was reared in
agriculture, and after finishing school ap
plied himself to its pursuits. On August
17, 1867, he was married to Eleanor S.
Breckenridge, youngest child of Justin and
Elizabeth K. Breckenridge. Eleanor S.
was born July 4, 1844, in Grafton town
ship, Lorain Co., Ohio, and always lived
at the place of her birth, excepting about
two and one-half years she spent in Mont
ville after her marriage.
Justin Breckenridge was born in Ben
nington, Yt., August 7, 1798. In early
life he went to St. Lawrence county, N. Y .,
where he lived until the spring of 1841,
when he moved to Pittsfield township, Lo
rain Co., Ohio; in July, same year, he
came to Grafton, Lorain Co , Ohio. On
January 13, 1824, he was married to
Elizabeth K. Pohlman, of St. Lawrence
county, N. Y. Justin Breckenridge died
January 30, 1874, aged seventy-five years
and six months; Elizabeth K. Brecken
ridge died March 17, 1872, aged sixty-
eight years. They are buried in the Nes-
bitt cemetery, three-fourths of a mile east
of their former home.
To Henry H. and Eleanor S. Hitchcock
have been born four sons, viz.: Clarence
P., born August 30, 1868, in Montville
township, Medina Co., Ohio (he is follow
ing insurance as a business); Willis N.,

854

LORAIN COUNTY, OHIO.

born October 14, 1870; Howard H., born
June 18, 1874; and Dwight B., bora April
19, 1880. After their marriage our sub
ject and wife located in Montville town
ship, Medina Co., Ohio, on the farm
formerly owned by his father, and which
after the latter's decease was purchased by
said Henry H. Hitchcock, he buying the
interests of the other heirs. Here Mr.
and Mrs. Hitchcock made their home un
til April 10, 1870, at which time they lo
cated on the Breckenridge homestead at
Grafton, consisting of 225 acres where they
still reside, having bought the farm from
Justin Breckenridge. In the year 1892
were added twenty acres more by purchase,
on the north end of the farm. Henry H.
Hitchcock has held township office, for
six years as trustee. In politics he is a
Republican, and in Church denomination
a Congregationalist. He is a thrifty, well-
to-do farmer, living one mile east of Graf
ton, Lorain Co., Ohio.

;APTAIN JOHN BOOTH, a promi
nent representative citizen of Car
lisle township, was born July 30,
1823, in Lancashire, England, of
which country his parents were also natives.
His father, John Booth, born in 1777,
was united in marriage, in 1798, with
Miss Betsy Lord, who was born Novem
ber 27, 1781, and they became the parents
of eleven children, as follows: Eliza, wife
of William Woodward, of Cottage City,
Martha's Vineyard; Sarah, Mrs. Husband,
of Providence, R. I., deceased; Jane, wife
of Thomas Featherston, of Providence,
R. I.; Mary, Mrs. Brown, deceased; Ann,
residing in Oberlin, Ohio; William, who
died in Lorain county, Ohio; James, who
died at Cape Cod, Mass.; Richard, who
died in Texas; a son and daughter who
died in infancy, and John, the subject of
this sketch. This family of eleven left
England in July, 1827, landing in Boston
in August. They lived in Pawtucket and

Smithfield a 6hort time, then moved to
Taunton, Mass., where they resided for
twelve years, when, in 1839, they moved to
East Liverpool, Ohio. The father died in
April, 1863, when aged eighty-six years;
the mother died in 1872, when in her
ninety-second year. In religious faith
they were both members of the Episcopal
Church. Grandfather John Booth was a
farmer, and passed his entire life in Eng
land, his native country.
Capt. John Booth, the subject proper of
this memoir, received part of his educa
tion at tbe Bristol County Academy, which
be attended until fifteen years of age. He
was reared to farm life. During the Civil
war he enlisted in Company H, One Hun
dred and Third Regiment O. V. I., was
mustered into the service as lieutenant,
and served in Kentucky and Tennessee,
participating in the battles of Blue
Springs and Knoxville, and in many minor
engagements. In 1863 he was commis
sioned captain, and was mustered out in
April, 1864, owing to physical disability,
immediately returning to Carlisle town
ship, Lorain county, Ohio (whither he had
come from East Liverpool), where he has
since resided.
In 1868 Capt. John Booth was married
to Miss Nellie King, and they have three
children, namely: John, Mary and Bessie.
Our subject has been extensively engaged
in general farming and stock raising, and
was formerly engaged in buying sheep,
which were driven from Columbiana
county, Ohio, to Missouri, in 1844, thence
from St. Louis county, in 1845, to Saline
county, in the western part of the State.
He takes an active part in politics.

OLONEL J. W. STEELE, the ge
nial and popular postmaster at Ober
lin, was born at Middlebury (East
Akron), Ohio, December 21, 1836,
a son of Alexander and Maria (Whedon)
Steele. The father was a native of New

LORAIN COUNTY, OHIO.

855

Hampshire, and died April 6, 1872; the
mother, a native of the State of New York,
is still living at Oberlin.
Alexander Steele received his elemen
tary education at the public schools of his
native place, after which he attended a
medical school at Castleton, Yt., from
which he graduated M. D. In 1835 he
came to Ohio, and commenced the practice
of his profession in Middlebury (East
Akron), from which place he came to
Oberlin, Lorain county, when the subject
of this sketch was about three months old.
Here, the first regular practitioner in the
town, he practiced until 1872.
The subject of our sketch received his
education at Oberlin, and after leaving
school read law in the office of Judge G.
M. Barber, in Cleveland. In 1859 he
graduated at the Cleveland Law School,
after which he continued to reside in Cleve
land until the spring of 1861, when he re
turned to Oberlin. On September 16 of
that year, he enlisted in Company H,
Forty-first O.V- L, raised in Lorain county,
which was attached to the army of the
Cumberland. For the first year he served
with his regiment, and was then placed on
Gen. J. M. Palmer's staff, as judge advo
cate, also as engineer officer. By President
Lincoln he was appointed aide-de-camp with
rank of major, and assigned to duty with
Gen. D. S. Stanley, commander of the
Fourth Army Corps. In July, 1865, he
was sent to Texas to oppose Gen. Kirby
Smith, and in his entire service he par
ticipated in the battles of Shiloh, Perryville,
Stone River, Chickamauga, etc., the At
lanta Campaign, engagements at Franklin,
Nashville, and others. On March 23,
1866, be was mustered out of the service
with the rank of Lieutenant Colonel and
A. D. C, U. S. V., and returned home.
In 1867 he was elected probate judge of
Lorain county, and reelected in 1871,
serving about one year of his second term,
at which time he resigned on account of
impaired health. He then commenced the
business of railroad contractor, construct

ing sixty-five miles of the Canada South
ern Railway, which occupied about one
and one-half years, and on completion of
this he was engaged on a survey in South
America, for a railway through the valley
of the upper Amazon. Following this he
contracted on other railroads in the north
and west. In 1888 the Colonel was ap
pointed postmaster at Oberlin, under the
Harrison administration, and has since
filled the position with eminent ability.
In 1867 Col. J. W. Steele and Miss
Ella F. Clark were married. They bave
had born to them four children, as follows:
Ella Louise, a teacher in Oberlin college;
Margaret and Marion, both at school ; and
John, living at home. Our subject is a
member of the G. A. R., and secretary of
the Society of the Cumberland, to which
position he was elected in 1870.

^ EV. J. P. BARDWELL, who in
tf his lifetime was one of the well-
1^ known and prominent citizens of
Oberlin, intimately connected with
its early history, was born in the
town of Edmiston, Otsego Co., N. Y.,
September 16, 1803, of English lineage.
Mr. Bard well was converted under the
preaching of Rev. Spalding, and in order
to qualify himself for the ministry came
to Oberlin, where he attended the college,
and studied theology under Rev. Finney.
In 1835 he married, in New York, Miss
Cornelia C. Bishop, a lady of English an
cestry, and they went out as missionaries
to the Indians, their station being at Leech
Lake, northern Minnesota. Prior to this,
however, he had spent some time in the
South locating teachers among the negroes,
and he was frequently assaulted and in
sulted while in the discharge of his good
work, at one time a friend losing his life
in an endeavor to protect him. He was
connected with the A. M. A., and collected
funds for the same, besides working hard

856

LORAIN COUNTY, OHIO.

for tbe cause, so much so that his health
became much impaired. His death oc
curred, in 1872, at Leech Lake (his last
illness being brought on by hardship and
exposure), and his body was brought to
Oberlin for burial. Three children were
born to Rev. and Mrs. J. P. Bardwell, as
follows: (1) John N., who is married, and
had two daughters, the elder one being
dead; (2) Cornelia E., wife of Henry
Chapman, of Cleveland, Ohio (they have
three children: Henry Bardwell, a grad
uate of Oberlin and Cambridge Colleges,
now in Cleveland; Harriet, a graduate of
Wellesley College, aud who also attended
Oberlin College; and Willie, now in col
lege) ; and (3) Alonzo, who died at the age
of eleven years.

l( LTON HENRY MOOERS, a rep-
\\ resentative self-made man, an hon-
T^ ored and respected citizen of Elyria,
and proprietor of the chair factory
in northern Ohio, is a native of the
State of New York, born in Ithaca, May
2, 1830.
Phineas Mooers, father of subject, was
a native of New Jersey, born of Scotch
ancestry, the first of whom to come to this
country (in 1730) settled in New York.
The names and places of settlement of the
brothers and sisters of Phineas Mooers
are: James, in Kingston, Canada; Jona
than, in Wilkes-Barre, Penn.; Henry, in
Toledo, Ohio; Daniel, in New Orleans, La.;
Kate (Mrs. William Young), in Toledo;
Nancy and Mary, spinsters, passed all
their lives in Ithaca, N. Y., dying thereat
over ninety years of age; Julia A. (Mrs.
Armstrong) lived at Niagara Falls. In
the order of birth Phineas comes next to
Jonathan. He passed his early life in
New Jersey, receiving his education at
the public schools of that locality. While
yet a youth he moved to Watertown, N. Y.,
where he learned the trade of chair maker,
becoming a journeyman, and from there

in course of time he moved to Ogdensburg,
same State. Here in 1825 he married
Elizabeth Shaw, a native of that town, and
soon afterward the young couple made
their home in Ithaca, Mr. Mooers carrying
on a shop there for his own account; but
after some time they proceeded to Water-
town, remaining there some five years.
From Watertown they came by canal,
lake and team to Birmingham, Erie Co.,
Ohio, where he opened out a chair factory,
carrying same on till 1839, in which year
they removed to Sandusky City, fiere
Mr. Mooers carried on the same business
ten years, but on account of cholera break
ing out there, he returned to Birmingham,
whence after a two years' residence they
came to Ridgeville^ township, Lorain
connty, passing the rest of their days in
peaceful retirement at the home of their
son, A. H. The father died January 26,
1855, the mother September 30, 1879.
Mr. Mooers iu his political predilections
was originally a Democrat until the elec
tion of Van Buren for President, when he
united with the Whig party, later becom
ing, on its organization, a stanch Repub
lican, remaining in the ranks of tbe party
the rest of his life. He served as a justice
of tlie peace in Erie county. The follow
ing is a brief record of the children born
to Phineas and Elizabeth (Shaw) Mooers:
Oscar D. is deceased; Matilda T. married
Jonathan Taylor; Julia B. married Han
son S. Mitchell; A. H. is the subject
proper of this memoir; Mary J. married
Charles Arbogast; Charles is a resident
of Chicago, 111.; Carrie is the wife of
William fi. Tucker; George, who enlisted
in the Indiana Heavy Artillery, three-years
service, was killed at the battle of Port
Hudson; Frank enlisted in the Twelfth
Ind. V. I., was wounded at the battle of
Chickamauga, and died at Danville, Va'. ;
Emeline and William are both deceased.
Alton H. Mooers received a liberal edu
cation at the schools of his native town,
and in his father's factory learned chair
making. At the age of twenty-two he

&~z?-e^j

LORAIN COUNTY, OHIO.

859

came to Elyria, and there followed his
trade until 1853, in which year he came
to Ridgeville, and embarked in his present
business. The chair factory, probably
the most extensive of any kind in the
county, has a capacity of eighty thousand
chairs per annum, and is still growing,
promising to become in the near future an
establishment of mammoth proportions.
In September, 1854, Mr. Mooers was
united in marriage with Miss Arlette,
daughter of Wyllys Terril, of Ridgeville
township, and children as follows were
born to them: Etta (Mrs. Charles Inger
sol), deceased; Nettie (Mrs. B. H. Starr);
Frank C. (Mrs. Clayton Chapman);
Phineas, who died at the age of three
months; Fred, deceased when ten days old,
and one that died in infancy. In politics
Mr. Mooers was a Democrat until 1885,
when he joined the Republican party. He
has held various township ¦ offices ; was
school trustee seventeen years, and presi
dent of the board of education five years;
was township trustee and treasurer five
consecutive years each, and was superin
tendent of roads two years. For fourteen
years he has been a member of the Lorain
Couuty Agricultural Society — eight in the
capacity of president, and on,e as treasurer.
In religious faith he is a member of the
Congregational Society at Ridgeville, of
which he has been a trustee eighteen years.
An active, enterprising citizen, and a
man of the steadiest probity, Mr. Mooers
commands the respect of every one with
whom he comes in contact.

|f | ORACE J. CLARK, dealer in gen-
1^ eral merchandise, and one of the
I 41 prominent and influential citizens
y)' of Oberlin, is a native of Ohio,
born in Medina county January 27,
1839, a son of John and Betsey (Tyler)
Clark, and of Massachusetts descent
through his paternal grandfather.

agriculturaltive, ac

John Clark, father of subject, was born
in New York State, whence in the pioneer
days of Ohio he came to Medina county,
where he passed the rest of his days in
pursuits. Lie was a very ac-
and prosperous man, a
Whig in politics, and in religion a Con-
fregationalist. He married Miss Betsey
yler, a native of Poultney, Vt., who with
him and their children came west to Ohio,
driving an ox-team. After his death in
1845 Mrs. Clark with her children re
visited the old home, traveling the same
route, this time with a horse team. Mrs.
Clark lived to be seventy-seven years old,
the mother of nine children, five of whom
— William P., Mary E., Merrit, Lucinda
B. and Horace J. — reached mature age,
and of these the following is a brief record:
William P., who now lives on the old home
stead in Medina county, Ohio, for many
years owned and conducted a select school
at Medina, and afterward was superintend
ent of Norwalk (Ohio) public schools, and
also of the public schools at Hillsdale,
Mich.; Mary E. is unmarried, and now
lives on the old homestead with her
brother; Merrit married aud settled in
Covington, Ohio, where he died in 1852;
Lucinda B.. died in 1846 at Medina, Ohio,
at the age of twenty-four years.
Horace J. Clark, the subject proper of
this sketch, received his elementary edu
cation in the select school of his brother
at Medina, Ohio. At the age of nineteen
he entered Western Reserve College,
where he graduated in the class of 1861.
After this he had charge of the Shaw
Academy at East Cleveland two years;
then had charge of the Tallmadge (Ohio)
Academy, four years, at the end of which
time, finding his health impaired, he
abandoned teaching for a time, and em
barked in the business of manufacturing
stoneware, building the first works of the
kind in Tallmadge, Ohio. On regaining
his health at the end of two years, he ac
cepted the position of principal of the
Poland (Ohio) Union Seminary, an in-

45

860

LORAIN COUNTY, OHIO.

cumbency he filled during the greater part
of a decade. For eight years he was a
member of the board of examiners of
Mahoning couuty. For the next two years
be was traveling agent for the publishing
house of Van Antwerp, Bragg & Co., at
the close of which engagement, in 1879,
he was appointed superintendent of public
schools at Oberlin, Lorain county, in which
capacity he served three and one half
years, when he resigned, and was reap
pointed by election to his old position in
the Poland Seminary. At the end of two
years, however, he resigned this position,
and returned to Oberlin in order to give
his children the advantages of Oberlin
College. Here for the past eight years he
has successfully carried on a general mer
chandise business.
In 1861 Mr. Clark was united in mar
riage at Hudson, Ohio, with Miss Lizzie
P. Blackman, who was born in Mt. Ver
non, Ohio, and whose parents emigrated
from England before the days of steam
ships, being nine weeks on the ocean. To
this union have been born five children, as
follows: (1) Mary A. is a graduate of
the classical course of Oberlin College,
class of 1886, has since been engaged in
teaching, and was at one time assistant
principal of the high school in Welling
ton, Ohio. (2) Frank S. is a graduate of
the classical course of Oberlin College,
class of 1887; he took the medical course
in the Medical School of Western Reserve
University, Cleveland; he was for one and
one-half years in charge of Lakeside Hos
pital, for one year of the time as house
physician ; for one year had charge of the
Charity Maternity Hospital, and is now a
member of the staff of St. Alexis Hospi
tal, Cleveland, Ohio, where he is practic
ing medicine. (3) Edward W. is also a
graduate of the classical course of Oberlin
College, in the class of 1889; for two years
he has been employed as tutor of Latin in
the College; is now pursuing his studies
in Leipsic, Germany, perfecting his prepa
ration to teaGh College Latin and Ger

man; he married Miss Lottie Life, daugh
ter of the late S. Life, of Oberlin, and one
child has come to brighten their home,
named Gertrude. (4) Anna Ida died at
the age of five years at Poland, Ohio, and
(5) Alice Gertrude died in Oberlin in
1886, when seven years old. Politically
our subject is a Prohibitionist. He and
his wife are members of the First Congre
gational Church.

W. SHERBONDY, a wide-awake,
active farmer, and one of the most
extensive grape-growers in Avon
township, has resided on his present
farm since 1851.
Our subject was born in 1823 in West
moreland county, Penn., son of Peter and
Martha (Reagan) Sherbondy, natives of
Virginia, who in an early day removed to
Westmoreland county, Penn., thence mi
grating to Portage (now Summit) county,
Ohio, where they both died, the mother in
1830, the father in 1884. They had six
children, namely: Malachi, who died in
Summit county in 1888; A. W., subject
proper of this sketch; John, who went to
California in 1849; Peter, married, who
resides in Akron, Ohio; Ella, wife of Jason
Brown, of Akron, Ohio; and Esther, wife
of Nelson Hawkins, of Summit county,
Ohio. Th'e Sherbondy family are of
French extraction.
A. W. Sherbondy, who was always of
rather feeble health, was reared in Summit
county, on a farm, working thereon till his
nineteenth year, in the meantime receiving
his primary education at the common
schools of his day. He then attended an
academy for portions of two seasons, after
which he engaged as clerk in a grocery
store in Akron, Summit Co., Ohio, for a
term of years, continuously, except that in
the intermediate time he taught two terms
of district school in Summit county. He
was then engaged in the grocery business
in Akron until 1851, also continuously,

LORAIN COUNTY, OHIO.

861

excepting that in the meantime he taught
five successive terms of district school in
Lake township, Stark Co., Ohio. Lie then
moved from Summit county to Avon town
ship, Lorain county, and was there engaged
in mercantile business seven years, after
which he bought the Moore farm of seven
ty-five acres, one of the first settled tracts
in the township. Here he has erected a
good barn and comfortable residence, and
is successfully conducting a general farm
ing and grape-growing business; his vine
yard covers an area of twenty-five acres.
In 1847 Mr. Sherbondy was married, in
Portage county, to Rebecca A. Buckman,
who was born in Stark county, Ohio,
daughter of Abram and Rebecca A. (Lip-
pincott) Buckman, who were natives of
New Jersey, whence in an early day they
came to Ohio, locating first in Stark and
later in Portage county. The father, who
was a farmer, died there in 1879, preceded
to the grave by his wife in 1876. Mr.
Sherbondy is president of the Lorain county
Grape-growers Association, a growing or
ganization, which was founded in 1889,
and now has a membership of about one
hundred. In politics he is a Republican,
and in 1854 he was elected justice of the
peace in Avon township, which office,
with the exception of two terms, he has
since continuously held; he has also served
as notary public and township trustee, and
he was postmaster at Avon Lake for eigh
teen years.

AMUEL BUSBY. Among the
prosperous farmers of LaGrange
township, none stand higher in the
esteem of their fellow-citizens than
the gentleman whose name opens this
sketch. He was born July 29, 1846, in
Bedfordshire, England, son of William
and Harriet (Russell) Busby, farming
people in moderate circumstances.
Our subject was reared on a farm, and
being denied the full advantages of the
day schools, attended the night schools,

where he learned to write. When five
years old he was put to work, picking
stones from the land, and also pulling a
weed, there called " twitch -weed, " which
grew very profusely in his native country.
When sixteen years old he left home to
make his own way in the world, and first
worked as a farm hand for five shillings a
week, boarding himself. By being eco
nomical and saving he struggled along
until 1870, when he concluded to leave
England and seek his fortune in the
United States. At this time his employer
was owing him a sum of money, sufficient
to bring him to America, which, on learn
ing his intentions, he refused to pay him;
but Mr. Busby was determined to come,
and by borrowing from his friends he
managed to get enough to pay his way
across, sailing from Liverpool in the ves
sel "Tripoli," and after a voyage of twelve
days landing, on April 27, 1870, at Bos
ton, Mass. He had a ticket for Cleve
land, Ohio, his destination being La
Grange, Lorain Co., Ohio, where his
friends had located some time before, and
he arrived there with eight dollars in his
pocket, and anxious for work. He secured
employment with William Stevenson at
twelve dollars a month, and gave good
satisfaction, for, though small in stature,
he was not only au excellent worker but a
steady-going young man. He afterward
worked for various people, among them
Warren Miller, L. G. Parsons, and Dr.
George C. Underhill, the latter employing
him for eighteen months at twenty-two
dollars per month, the highest wages then
paid for farm labor. He was in the em
ploy of Dr. Merriam over four and a half
years, and then worked nearly two years
for A. R. Underhill, always receiving the
highest compensation for his services. On
March 21, 1882, he was united in marriage
with Mrs. Leruah Miller, who was born,
August 7, 1846, in Ridgeville township,
Lorain county, daughter of Marcus Ter
rell. In 1880 he had purchased, from
Chancey D. Brown, his present farm, con-

862

LORAIN COUNTY, OHIO.

sisting of ninety-one acres of fertile land,
where he has ever since resided, success
fully engaged in farming. He is a sys
tematic agriculturist, and a self-made man,
having won success in the face of every
obstacle, and he deserves no small amount
of credit for his perseverance and indus
try. Politically he is a stanch member of
the Republican party. Socially he is a
member of LaGrange Lodge, Knights of
Pythias.

E< F. LOOMIS, a successful and well-
known agriculturist of La Grange
 l township, is a native of same, born
Marcii 10, 1845, a son of Richard
N. Loomis.
Russel Loomis, the grandfather of our
subject, was born November 28, 1786, in
Westmoreland, N. Y., a member of the
fifth generation of his family in the United
States, and a descendant of Joseph Loomis,
who came in 1638 from Braintree, Essex
county, England, to Windsor, Conn., and
from whom the genealogy of the family
dates. This genealogy was compiled in
recent years, and was completed iu 1870
by Elias Loomis, LL. D., professor of
Natural Philosophy and Astronomy in
Yale College. The name has been vari
ously spelled — Lomas, Lomis, Lomys, etc.
Russel Loomis was the first of the family
to come to Ohio, he settling in LaGrange
township, Lorain county, in 1831. He
was married March 1, 1810, in Oneida
county, N. Y., to Betsey French, who was
born in 1788, and died October 21, 1860,
in LaGrange township. Previous to his
settlement Mr. Loomis had come to Ohio
on horseback, and selected land here, be
coming one of the very first settlers. He
had a family of four children, all born
in New York State, as follows: Erastus,
born December 2, 1810, a lumber worker,
who died July 8, 1839, in the South;
Sarah, born January 22, 1813, who was
married in LaGrange to James K. Pelton,

and died in Putnam county, Ohio; Rich
ard N., father of our subject; and Mary,
born May 8, 1819, who died June 4, 1825,
in New York State. Russel Loomis passed
the remainder of his life in LaGrange
township, dying in 1880 at the age of
ninety-four years; he was interred in La
Grange cemetery.
Richard N. Loomis received his educa
tion in the common schools, and when
fourteen years old came with his parents
to Ohio, where he was reared to farm life.
On May 23, 1840, he was married to Jane
Pelton, who was born February 4, 1820,
in Jefferson county, N. Y., daughter of
James and Harriet (Clark) Pelton, the
former of whom lived to be seventy-six
years old, the latter eighty-four. James
Pelton was the second permanent settler
in LaGrange township, his brother-in-law,
Nathan Clark, being the first. After his
marriage Richard N. Loomis took up his
residence on the homestead farm with his
father, who lived with him, and there
made his permanent home. At one time
there were four generations of the Loomis
family living in the same house. Richard
Loomis was a lifelong farmer, and attained
no small degree of success in his chosen
vocation. He died March 19, 1883, and
was buried near his parents. To him and
his wife were born children as follows:
Susan, born June 23, 1842, who was mar
ried May 20, 1865, to Harrison Smith, and
died in October, same year; Erastus F.,
subject of this memoir; Calvin, born April
28, 1853, a farmer of LaGrange township;
and Sarah M., born June 23, 1855, now
Mrs. George Rawson, of Elyria, Ohio.
Politically Mr. Loomis was originally a
Whig, afterward a Republican, and he was
actively interested in the success of his
party; he held various local offices of honor
and trust. Since his decease Mrs. Loomis
has been living with her son on the home
stead farm, where they have a very pleas
ant and comfortable home.
Erastus F. Loomis, whose name opens
this sketch, was bora March 10, 1845,

LORAIN COUNTY, OHIO.

863

received a liberal education in the common
schools of the neighborhood, and was
reared to farm life under the direction of
his father. He was united in marriage,
June 16, 1866, with Miss Sarah J. Myn-
derse, a native of New York State, daugh
ter of Andrew Mynderse, who is now a
resident of LaGrange Center. For four
years after marriage Mr. Loomis lived at
home with his parents, and afterward
located on twelve acres of land he owned
in LaGrange township. He has been a
lifelong tiller of the soil, and now owns
114 acres of good land, upon which he
has erected various farm buildings. In
his political preferences he is a Republi
can, and has held several offices in his
township, serving as trustee three terms.
He has prospered in his business, and now
has acomfortable competence. Mrs. Loomis
is a member of the Methodist Church at
LaGrange. They have no children.

leading

| C. LEHMAN, one of the
k I farmers and well-known successful
%J) mechanics of Grafton township, was
born at one o'clock in the morning of
March 1, 1833, in London, England.
His father, Joseph Lehman, was born in
Wurtemberg, Germany, where he married
Hannah Malay, also a native of that coun
try. He was reared a farmer boy, but for
nine years sailed the seas, visiting proba
bly every commercial port in the world.
Immediately after his marriage he pro
ceeded to London, England, and in the fall
of 1837 he sailed from Liverpool for the
United States, landing in New York, the
voyage occupying sixty days. From that
city they moved west to Cleveland by
river, canal and lake, and from the last
named place they made an overland trip
by wagon to Liverpool township, Medina
county, in which vicinity Frederick Malay,
father-in-law of Joseph Lehman, had pre
viously located. In that section the latter

bought a small piece of land. Here chil
dren were born to him, as follows: Mary,
married to Frederick Garling, and died in
Liverpool; Louisa, now Mrs. Joseph Hud
son, of Grafton township, Lorain county,
and a son that died in infancy. In course
of time Joseph Lehman moved from
Liverpool township to Grafton township,
where he passed the rest of his days, dying
in 1866, his wife following him to the
grave in 1884, and both rest from their
labors in the cemetery at Liverpool, Me
dina county. They were members of the
Lutheran Church, aud highly respected,
industrious and frugal citizens; in politics
he was a Democrat.
The subject proper of these lines was
between four and five years of age when the
family came to America, and in Liverpool,
Ohio, he received a fair education at the
common schools of the locality. His
parents were strict Church people, the
rules of which they observed very closely,
and at the age of fourteen he was con
firmed by tbe Bishop at Liverpool, the first
confirmation ever held in the place. Im
mediately after that he left school and
home to seek his fortune in the world.
His first work was on the farm of Eli
Warner, at six dollars per month, and then,
an acquaintance at Cuyahoga Falls, Ohio,
having induced him to go there, he set out
on foot, with nothing wherewithal to ap
pease his appetite on the journey, fie
reached his destination, however, in safety,
and remained there three years, after which
he went to Cleveland to learn the trade of
carpenter. Having served an apprentice
ship of two years thereat (receiving six
dollars per month for first year, and six
teen dollars per month for second year),
he found he had attained such proficiency
as to be able to earn one dollar and fifty
cents per day; and thus he continued at
his trade several years, working one year
in Chicago, and three years in Indianapolis,
Ind. Coming to Grafton township, Lo
rain county, he here continued his trade
till 1888, when he retired from it. For

864

LORAIN COUNTY. OHIO.

twenty years he followed this, in connec
tion with farming, during the proper sea
sons, erecting some of the best residences
and barns in his section of the State, be
sides churches, town halls and other pub
lic buildings, frequently having under him
as many as three gangs of carpenters. He
had no superior as a calculator on esti
mates, and it was due to this, coupled with
an accurate idea as to cost and amount of
material necessary, that be made such an
enviable success. In 1868 he bought in
that township twenty acres of land at
thirty-five dollars per acre, and afterward
eighty-five acres from Josiah Taylor heirs,
to which he from time to time added until
he now owns 312 acres of excellent land.
He has been thoroughly economical, aud
assisted his parents to pay for their home,
giving them ali his earnings, up to the
time he came of age, and not a little after
ward. His aged mother made her home
with him for thirty years.
On February 24, 1863, Mr. Lehman was
married to Amelia Lyndes, who was born
September 26, 1840, in Grafton township,
Lorain Co., Ohio, daughter of Qrville and
Mary Lyndes, who came from Vermont
and Massachusetts, respectively, to Lorain
county, he in 1823, and she in 1816. Chil
dren as follows were born to this union:
Cassius W., who died at the age of twenty-
six years; and Clayton De Witt, Clifford
E. and Corinna B., at home. Politically
our subject was a Republican up to 1873,
since when he has been a Democrat.

;LARENCE HUGH SLATER, pro
prietor of a bus and dray line, at
Lorain, is a prominent representative
native-born citizen of that place.
His grandfather, Robert Slater, was a
native of Pennsylvania, and in 1811 came
to Lorain county, Ohio, where he followed
his trade, that of carpenter, erecting some
of the early residences in Lorain. His
death occurred in the South.

Hugh Slater, son of Robert Slater, was
born, in 1826, in Lorain county, Ohio,
where he was reared and educated. He
learned the trade of carpenter, and for a
while carried on a farm in Sheffield town
ship, after his marriage settling in Lorain.
In 1849 he was united in marriage, at
Elyria, with Miss Tirzah Bedortha, and
they had one child, Clarence Hugh. Mr.
Slater was an active politician, an ardent
supporter of the principles of the Demo
cratic party. He served as lighthouse-
keeper of Lorain three years. u.e died in
1863, Mrs. Slater in 1891, aged sixty-
three years.
Clarence Hugh Slater was born August
10, 1850, in Lorain, Lorain Co., Ohio, at
the public schools of which place he re
ceived his education. He commenced life
as a sailor, working for five years under
Capt. Church, and after leaving the lakes
engaged for five years in the fishing busi
ness. For the next five years Mr. Slater
was employed in the shipyards at Lorain
under IT. D. Root; then engaged in farm
ing in Sheffield township, and afterward
ran the first milk wagon in Lorain, con
ducting the Ayrshire Milk Dairy. He
was then engaged in the building of the
new courthouse at Elyria, Lorain county,
thence going to Marion, Ind., and assisted
in the erection of the courthouse there.
After his return to Elyria Mr. Slater
worked for a time in the Elyria Screw and
Tap Factory, and then coming to Lorain
engaged with F. M. Whitman in the
Sussex Sauce Works. He next ran a
pleasure yacht to Randall's Grove and
Lake Breeze, and then embarked in the
dray business, which he sold out after
three years, since which time he has con
ducted his present bus line between Lorain
and Oak Point.
On January 20, 1874, Mr. Slater was
married to C. N. Wallace, a native of
Elyria, who was divorced inl887,leaving him
one child, Maud. In 1889 he married, for
his second wife, Miss Ida Gleeson, a native
of Lorain, daughter of Frank Gleeson, a

LORAIN COUNTY, OHIO.

865

resident of Lorain, and to this union was
also born one child, Goldie. Mr. Slater
owns a farm of forty acres in Black River
township, situated on the Lake, two and a
half miles west of Lorain, which he devotes
to the raising of fruit. He also owns four
residences in Lorain. In politics he votes
with the Democratic party, and he takes
an active interest in everything tending to
promote the welfare and advancement of
his county. Socially he is a member of
the 0. U. A. M., and of Lorain Lodge No.
680, I. O. 0. F., and he and his wife are
both members of the Order of Rebekah.
In religious faith Mr. and Mrs. Slater are
Methodists. Mr. Slater has watched the
progress and growth of Lorain from its
very beginning, and he remembers the
time when there was but one house across
the river.

[fJfENRY H. CLOUGH. The gen-
t^ tiernan here named is one of the
j 4 most prominent and progressive of
yj Lorain county's prosperous citizens.
He is a grandson of Deacon John
and Judith (Gerrish) Clough, the for
mer of whom was born in Canterbury,
N. H., the latter being a descendant of Sir
Matthew Hale, of England.
Baxter Clough, father of subject, was
born in Canterbury, N. H., in 1807, and
was reared to the arduous duties of agri
culture on his father's farm till 1830, when
he came westward, and after some misad
ventures located in Solon township, Cuya
hoga county, at that time an unbroken
wilderness. Subsequently he moved to
Cleveland, thence to Berea, Cuyahoga
county, and finally to Lorain county, his
attention having been called to the free
stone quarries in North Amherst, whither
he moved in 1852, and formed a partner
ship with P. & L. Dean, which was of
short duration, however, he having pur
chased his partner's interests. He then
commenced the manufactureof grindstones,

which industry from small beginnings de
veloped into gigantic proportions. About
I860, there having sprung up a demand
for block stone for building purposes, Mr.
Clough turned his attention more particu
larly to that branch, which in course'of a
few years increased to a business of enor
mous magnitude. Docks were built by
him -at the lake, and a railroad was con
structed to the dock, which supplied a- di
rect outlet of his own to ship by water.
He also purchased and developed what was
known as the Independence and Columbia
quarries, where he also manufactured great
quantities of block stone and grindstones.
On July 19, 1832, he was married to Miss
Hannah Gerrish, formerly of Boscowan,
N. H., at that time residing with her
brother in Solon, and eight children were
born to them, of whom Henry H. is the
seventh. The father died in November,
1872, the mother on January 21, 1893, in
her eighty-seventh year, having been bora
April 20, 1807. They were consistent
members of the Congregational Church.
Henry H. Clough, the subject proper of
this memoir, was born in Cleveland, Ohio,
August 22, 1846, and wben a child was
brought by his parents to North Amherst,
where he was reared. His elementary edu
cation he received at the common schools
of the town, which was supplemented with
a course of study at Oberlin College, on
leaving which he became connected with
the Clough Stone Company. At the death
of their father, the sons J. B. and Henry
H. succeeded to the business, and the lat
ter became president of the company. On
December 16, 1868, Henry H. Clough was
united in marriage with Miss Margaret
Barney, of Black River township, Lorain
county, Ohio, and six children were
bora to them, as follows: Hallie M.,
Mattie B., Otis H., Karl B., Albert G. and
Henry Hale, of whom Albert G. died in
infancy. For four years Mr. Clough was
president of the pool which controlled all
the stone quarries in his section. He is
secretary-treasurer of the Giles-Clough

866

LORAIN COUNTY, OHIO.

Fruit-jar Manufacturing Company at Red-
key, Ind. Of late he has been interested
in banking, and he is now president of two
banks — one, the National Bank of Bowl
ing Green, Ohio, the other, the Volusia
County Bank of De Land, Fla. ; he is also a
director of the Savings and Deposit Bank
of Elyria. In politics he is a Republican.
Mr. Clough is one of the leading capital
ists of Elyria, and out of the stone busi
ness has amassed a fortune. His elegant
stone residence, the architecture of which
is especially recherche, and which is built
after his own design, commands the admi
ration of all.

[fJfERBERT S. FOLLANSBEE.
r^H Prominent among the progressive
|| 1 citizens and enterprising manufac-
y) turers of Lorain county stands this
gentleman. He is a native of
Massachusetts, born in Taunton, February
15, 1857.
The Follansbees were among the early
settlers of Amesbury, Mass., several gen
erations of the family having been born
there down to and including Joshua Fol
lansbee, father of the subject of this
sketch. He, Joshua, was a tradesman in
the leather business, in Rhode Island. He
was married in Warren, R. I., to Miss
Hannah Adams, daughter of Nathaniel
and Polly (Hunter) Adams, the father be
ing of the early Massachusetts family of
that name so famous in American history.
Mrs. Polly (Hunter) Adams was of an old
Massachusetts family, and some of her an
cestors owned a large tract of land that is
now in the heart of the city of Providence,
R. I. A copy of the deed for this land,
which bears the date of 1768, is now in
the possession of Mr. Follansbee.
After their marriage Mr. and Mrs.
Joshua Follansbee resided in Massachu
setts and Rhode Island alternately, finally
settling in Pawtucket, that State, where
they died, he in 1890, at the age of seven

ty-six years, she in 1880, aged fifty-six.
They were the parents of eight childreti :
One died in infancy; the remaining chil
dren are all now residents of either Massa
chusetts or Rhode Island, except our sub
ject, who was the only one in the family
to settle in the West.
Herbert S. Follansbee was an infant
when his parents removed to Rhode Island,
six years old when they took up their
home again in Taunton, Mass., and ten
when they moved to Central Falls, R. I.,
where he received the main part of his edu
cation, at the high school of which place
he graduated. From Central Falls the
family removed to Pawtucket, R. I.,
where for a short time he was engaged in
real-estate and insurance interests, after
which he was employed in various lines of
business, including two years in a printing
office, and seven years as clerk and sales
man. At the end of this time he accepted
a position with Reed & Barton, of Taun
ton, Mass., extensive silverware manufac
turers, and spent ten months in their fac
tory learning the business — the mode of
manufacturing, etc. He was then offered
by the firm a position to represent them
as traveling salesman, which offer he ac
cepted, and for ten years he was " on the
road" as salesman. Elyria, Lorain Co.,
Ohio, was one of his stopping places, and
oh one of his trips, he here met the young
lady who subsequently became his wife,
in the person of Miss Minnie Mountain,
of that town, and they were united in
marriage October 1, 1885. About one
year later Mr. Follansbee formed the ac
quaintance of Mr. A. L. Garford and Mr.
F. N. Smith, of Elyria, and a close friend
ship springing up between them they de
cided to unite themselves in business, the
result being the establishment of the
bicycle saddle manufacturing concern in
Elyria, Mr. Follansbee's special duties
being to introduce the saddle to the east
ern and western trade. At the commence
ment of this business the firm consisted of
A. L. Garford, F. N. Smith and H. S.

LORAIN COUNTY, OHIO.

Follansbee, and the style thereof was " Gar
ford Manufacturing Co." After about
one and one-half years the business was
incorporated under State laws, with A. L.
Garford, president; H. S. Follansbee, vice-
president, and Fred N. Smith, secretary
and treasurer, retaining the original title.
The present stock company consists of
some of tbe brightest business men in the
county, and men of high financial stand
ing. Mr. Follansbee was up to October 1,
1892, for ten years, identified with the
Reed & Barton Co., before mentioned, but
had to resign his position, the business of
the Garford Manufacturing Co. having
grown to such proportions as to demand
his undivided attention.
Since his marriage Mr. Follansbee has
made his home in Elyria. He and his
wife had one child, named Stanley, that
died in 1890. They are members of the
Episcopal Church at Elyria, of which he
is a vestryman. He is a member of the
Cleveland Commercial Travelers Associa
tion; a stockholder in the Savings Deposit
Bank, of Elyria, and in the Hunt Manu
facturing Co., of Westborough, Mass., of
which Mr. Garford is president.

(a

|(OHN BERG, one of the best-known
k. I and most successful citizens of Russia
%JJ township, was born February 5, 1842,
in Bavaria, Germany, son of Jacob
coal miner) and Elizabeth (Morgen-
stern) Berg.
The parents had four children bora to
them in Germany, namely: John; Charles,
a farmer and mason in Russia township;
Jacob, of Oberlin, Ohio; and Catherine,
wife of James Mcllrath, of Oceana county,
Michigan. In April, 1854, the family, with the
help of friends, started for the United
States, sailing from Antwerp, but were de
tained when only twenty-four miles from
home, as their passports had been improp

erly made out. Owing to this delay they
were obliged to cros6 in a merchant vessel,
the " Golden Spring," wliich sailed one
week later, and after a voyage of forty-two
days landed, about June 1, in Quebec.
From the latter place they proceeded by
boat to Cleveland, Ohio, and thence over
the C. C. C. & I. Railway to Grafton,
where they hired a team and were driven
to the German settlement in Russia town
ship, Lorain county. Here the father
hired out as a farm hand, and shortly
afterward purchased ten acres of land at
twelve dollars per acre, for which he was
obliged to go into debt. Mr. Berg, who
was used to mining, suffered much after
coming here frOm the change of climate;
he died in 1858, and was buried in Car
lisle cemetery. His widow is still living.
After coming to Lorain county they had
one child, Frank, who died at the age of
twenty-eight. Our subject attended school in the Fath
erland, and then for six months after com
ing to Lorain county, which completed his
literary education. He was but sixteen
years old when his father died, at which
time he was working for eight dollars a
month, and being the eldest his wages had
to go toward the support of the family.
When nineteen years old he commenced to
learn the stone mason's trade under Will
iam and George Evans, receiving eight dol
lars a month the first year, and twice that
amount the second year. In May, 1862,
he enlisted, at Sandusky, Ohio, iu Com
pany C, " Hoffman Battalion," which af
terward became Company C, One Hun
dred and Twenty-eighth O. V. L, and served
till the close of the war, being stationed on
Johnson's-* Island, near Sandusky. After
receiving his discharge he returned to
Russia township, and then resumed his
trade. On December 16, 1868, he was united
in marriage with Miss Mary Griem, who
was born October 20, 1849, in Germany,
daughter of Joachim Griem, who came to
the United States in 1854, locating in

870

LORAIN COUNTY, OHIO.

Amherst township, Lorain Co., Ohio. Af
ter marriage Mr. Berg located on a farm
of thirty-four acres in Russia township,
which he had previously purchased for a
home for the family. He has since given
his chief attention to masonry and con
tracting, in which he has been very suc
cessful. He has a pleasant residence north
of Oberlin, where he makes his home dur
ing the winter, in summer time living
wherever his work takes him. In politics
he is a Republican, in religion a member
of the German Evangelical Church at
North Amherst.

JB. THOMPSON, capitalist, a typi
cal " hustler," and one "of the live
young business men of Lorain county,
of which he is a native, was born in
Columbia township in 1861.
His grandparents, John and Amanda
(Osborn) Thompson, were natives of Con
necticut, and about the year 1810 came to
Columbia township, Lorain county, where
they passed the rest of their lives, the
grandfather dying in January, 1893, the
grandmother in 1890. Grandfather Asel
Osborn, also a native of Connecticut, was
one of the first settlers of Columbia town
ship, and one of the first commissioners of
Lorain county. S. B. Thompson, father
of subject, was bom in Columbia town
ship, Lorain county, where he married
Miss Emular Osborn, and they are still
living in the township. They had two
children : W. B., in Lorain, Ohio, and J. B.
The subject of this sketch was educated
at the common schools of his native place,
and at Berea College, after which he went
on the road as a traveling salesman for a
Cleveland cloak firm ; later for a New York
house, his residence during that period
(two years) being in that city. He then,
in 1888, embarked in the live-stock busi
ness on a small scale at West View, Cuya
hoga county, buying and selling, from

which modest beginning he has already
risen to be one of the prominent business
men of the locality. In 1889 he com
menced the real-estate business, buying
seventy acres adjacent to West View, and
buildings thereon; it will soon be incor
porated in the southeast addition to that
village. He has already thirty-seven lots
platted on the east side of Rocky river,
and purposes to plat his entire farm. Al
ready he has put up twelve residence
houses, store and blacksmith and carriage
shop, which he rents, and is still building.
In addition to all this he owns ten fine
residences in Cleveland, one in Wadsworth,
and a good farm near Medina, all in Ohio.
The Columbia Stone Quarries adjoin his
farm, and their business is expanding
rapidly in Columbia township, which
tends to enhance the value of his property
as well as increasing the advantages of the
village of West View.
In 1886 Mr. Thompson was united in
marriage in Cleveland, Ohio, with Miss
Nellie Charter. In politics he is an ardent
Republican, taking an active interest in the
affairs of his party.

E

DWARD HILDEBRAND. Among
the most progressive of Lorain
county's native-born young men,
none stands more prominent than
this gentleman. He was bora on his pres
ent farm in Black River township July
27, 1856, a son of Benjamin and Eliza
(Applemann) Hildebrand, natives of Hes
sen, Germany.
The father, who was by trade a ship
carpenter, when a young man came in 1844
with his father, Edward David Hilde
brand, to America and to Ohio, settling on
a farm in Black River township, where he
passed the rest of his days, dying in 1879;
he was an active, intelligent, thorough
going man, commanding the respect of his
fellow citizens, who elected him to the re
sponsible position of township trustee.

LORAIN COUNTY, OHIO.

871

His widow is yet living. They had a
family of six children, of whom the fol
lowing is a brief record: Rowena is the
wife of William Fullmer, of Amherst
township; Sophia is the wife of Henry
Bickel, late of Black River township,
Lorain county; Elizabeth is the widow of
Henry Plato, of North Amherst; Chris
tina is tbe wife of Adam Jaeger, also of
North Amherst; Minnie died young; Ed
ward is the subject of this biographical
memoir. Edward Hildebrand has always followed
agricultural pursuits, including stock rais
ing, and is now the owner of a fine stock
farm of eighty-eight acres in Black River
township, Lorain county, well watered by
Beaver and Wind creeks. In July, 1878,
he was united in marriage with Mary
Wernert, a native of Germany, and daugh
ter of John and Dora (Hett) Wernert,
who came from the Fatherland with their
family in 1872; the father died in 1888,
and the mother is yet living in North
Amherst. To Mr. and Mrs. Edward
Hildebrand have been born seven children,
namely: Lizzie, Montana, Phillip, Henry,
Paulina, Willie and Esther. The parents
are members of St. Peter's Lutheran
Church of North Amherst. Mr. Hilde
brand is a member of the K. 0. T. M. and
I. O. G. T. ; in politics he is a Democrat,
but in local matters he invariably votes for
the man on his individual merits without
regard to his political status.

in

4J

HI ALSEY GARFIELD, a prosperous
representative agriculturist of Shef-
[ field township, is a native of same,
born December 24, 1823.
His father, Milton. Garfield, was
born in 1792, in Tyringham, Mass., where
he was reared and educated, and whence in
1815 he came to Ohio, first locating in
Lake county, and then, in 1816, settling in
Sheffield township, Lorain county, where
he bought a quantity of unimproved land.

He was married in Avon township,
May, 1820, to Miss Tempe Williams, a
native of Massachusetts, born in 1800, a
daughter of John and Clarissa (Hamlin)
Williams, also of Massachusetts, who came
with their family to Avon township, Lo
rain county, where the father followed
agricultural pursuits during the rest of his
.days. He died in November, 1862; his
widow is yet surviving, now at the ad
vanced age of ninety-three years, though
still retaining her mental faculties to a
wonderful degree. H. H. Williams, of
Avon township, is her brother. " Col."
Garfield (as he was best known) was ori
ginally a Whig, afterward, on the organ
ization of the party, a Republican, and he
served as county commissioner. To Mr.
and Mrs. Milton Garfield were born six
children — three sons and three daughters
— of whom the following is a brief rec
ord: (1) Henry W. was reared in Lorain.
county, and in 1849 went to California,
whence he returned home iu 1869; he
died in 1892. (2) Halsey is the subject
of this sketch. (3) Eliza Paulina is* the
wife of George F. Smith, and they occupy
the old homestead. (4) Fannie M. was
the wife of Graham Harris; she died in
1870. (5) Daniel W. is a farmer in Shef
field township. (6) Julia C. is the wife
of Edward Root, also of Sheffield town
ship. Halsey Garfield received a liberal edu
cation at the schools of Sheffield township,
and in his youth taught both in Huron
and Lorain counties, Ohio; he also learned
the trade of carpenter. Afterward he was
for years engaged in selling goods at
French Creek, Lorain Co., Ohio, and since
1863 he has carried on farming operations
in Sheffield township. In all his under
takings he has deservedly prospered.
In 1855 he was married, in his town
ship, to Miss Harriet Root, daughter of
William H. and Sarah Eliza (Case) Root,
natives of Sheffield, Mass., the father born
in 1803, died in 1889; the mother was
called from earth in 1833, when Mrs.

872

LORAIN COUNTY, OHIO.

Harriet Garfield was an infant. To Mr.
and Mrs. Garfield were born four children:
Jessie, a teacher of music, and who is a
pupil of the Oberlin Conservatory of
Music; Shirley; William M., a graduate
of Oberlin College, class of 1889; and
Tempe F., also a graduate of Oberlin
College, class of 1891, and who is now a
teacher in the schools of Batavia, 111. The
mother of these passed away March 7,
1889. In politics Mr. Garfield is a Re
publican, and has served his township as
trustee three terms, and as assessor two
terms.

L. FAY, attorney at law, as one
of the influential citizens of Lorain
county, deserves a place in this
volume.
The first of the Fay family to land in
America was John Fay, who came from
England, A. D. 1656 in the good ship
" Speedwell, " and settled in Massachusetts.
From him descended in a direct line the
subject of this sketch, as follows: John,
Jr., James, Daniel, Aaron (great-grand
father, who married Rebecca Winslow),
Lyman (grandfather, born in Vermont),
Winslow (father), and Winslow Lamartine
(subject), the eighth of his generation in
America. Dr. Lyman Fay (grandfather) came to
Ohio in 1815, and soon after located at
Milan, Erie county. He soon gained a
wide reputation as a physician and busi
ness man. In addition to his professional
labors he kept a drug and general store, a
large grain warehouse, and was one of the
promoters of the Milan Canal which, before
the days of railroads, made Milan the prin
cipal grain market of northern Ohio. He
accumulated a large property, and died of
cholera September 2, 1854. On July 21,
1816, he married Catherine Kellogg, who
survived him, dying December 3, 1862.
Joseph Brooks (maternal grandfather)
came to Ohio from eastern New York at

an early day; his wife was Rachel Barnum
of Danbury, Conn., related to Phineas T.
Barnum, the great showman.
Winslow Lamartine Fat, the subject
of this sketch, was born at Clarksfield,
Huron Co., Ohio, September 12, 1848, a son
of Winslow and Mary Ann (Brooks) Fay.
the former of whom was born April 21,
1817, on the Huron river, at Avery, near
Milan, Erie Co., Ohio, and died August 4,
1884. He (the father) was the oldest of a
family of ten children. He was a mer
chant during the greater part of his life,
but during his later years was engaged in
farming. He was married January 6,
1839, to Mary Ann Brooks, who was born
at Florence, Ohio, December 30, 1818, and
died May 4, 1878. The mother was edu
cated at the seminary conducted by Dr.
Monteith of Elyria, who at that early day
was widely known as a successful and
thorough instructor. W. L. was the second
of three sons who grew to manhood. He
received a liberal education at Oberlin
College, and during his vacations taught
school for a number of years in Huron and
Lorain counties. When just past sixteen
years of age, becoming dissatisfied with
farm life, he asked the consent of his
father to be allowed to start out and make
his own way in the world; the consent was
kindly granted, and without further aid,
by perseverance and hard study and close
application, he provided means to secure his
own education, and obtain his profession.
He read law, with Hon. John C. Hale, then
of Elyria, where he was admitted to the
bar in 1870 under twenty-two years of age;
for four years thereafter he practiced his
profession with his preceptor, at the end of
which time he opened an office on his own
account. Up to 1879 he did a successful
general practice; but close confinement to
office and professional work seriously af
fecting his health, he gradually gave his
attention to other matters less confining,
until now his law practice occupies only a
small portion of his time. He is the in
ventor of the Fay Sulky Scraper for mov-

#£>

LORAIN COUNTY, OHIO.

875

ing earth, and was engaged in its manu
facture for several years. Afterward he
invented the "Fairy Tricycle" for ladies,
girls and cripples, which he manufactured
in large numbers, and which have been
sold extensively all over this country, and
many shipped to foreign lands. Lie or
ganized the Fay Manufacturing Co., and
was principal owner of same until he sold
his entire interest in December, 1891. A
6hort time previous to this he bought the
controlling interest in The Elyria Stone
Co., which has extensive quarries at Graf
ton, Ohio, and he now holds the offices of
secretary, treasurer and manager of said
Company. Since his connection with this
Company the plant has been greatly en
larged and improved, and the business very
much increased. He is also engaged in
the manufacture of Babbitt metal under
the firm name and style of W. L. Fay &
Co., which business he has conducted since
1876. He has also been engaged in farm
ing all his life, he now owning an inter
est in a large grape farm on Avon Point,
Lorain county; he also has vessel interests
on the lakes, and has many other invest
ments that require more or less time. In
addition to his business Mr. Fay has found
leisure to travel quite extensively, he hav
ing visited and traveled over the greater
portions of this country, of interest, and a
considerable part of Europe.
Mr. Fay was first united in marriage in
May, 1878, to Emma A. Vincent, who
died in June, 1879, leaving to his care an
infant daughter — Mary Emma. He was
married, the second time, in 1886, to
Ophelia Goss Lawrence, a daughter of
Rev. John Lawrence, of St. Johnsbury, Vt.
His present wife was the fifth of a family
of eight children, and was born at Wilton,
Me., during her father's pastorate at that
place. Her father, Rev. John Lawrence,
is a direct descendant of John Lawrence,
born at Wisset, England, in 1609, and who
soon afterward came to this country and
settled in Watertown, Mass. Her mother
was Nancy Temple Wakefield, of Reading,

Mass. By his second marriage Mr. Fay
has four children: Lamartine Brooks, and
Lawrence Temple (twins), Rachel Char
lotte, and Florence.
Politically our subject is one of the
stanchest Republicans, although he has
never been an office seeker. He is a mem
ber of the Masonic Lodges of his place,
and in this has followed in the line of his
forefathers as far back as he has any record ;
is also a member of a number of other
secret Societies. He is the examiner of
the Savings Deposit Bank of Elyria; one
of the directors, secretary and attorney for
the Elyria Savings and Loan Co., of which
he was one of the founders; is also director
in a number of other enterprises of which
he is a member. Whatever business he
has undertaken, he has made a success of,
and those that know him best are his best
friends. Mr. Fay is a thorough believer
in temperance, and at all times is ready
aud willing to lend his aid in anything
that will help remove the curse of this
evil from the land, although he does not
follow all the ideas that are advocated by
extremists in this direction; he is also a
believer in the Gospel of Christ, but has
never united with any Church. He is a
stockholder in the Gospel News Co., of
Cleveland, Ohio, publishers of the Gospel
News, a weekly religious paper which was
started for the purpose of furnishing
Christian reading matter to the masses, at
a low price.

NTON JUNGBLUTH, a prosper
ous farmer of Sheffield township,
where he owns and operates a highly
cultivated farm of 250 acres, is a
native of Germany, bora in 1848.
Anton Jungbluth, father of subject, was
born in Prussia during Christmas week of
1802. In his native land he was a grape
grower, a business he followed there with
considerable success. In 1852 he emigrated
to the United States, coming to Lorain

876

LORAIN COUNTY, OHIO.

county, Ohio, where in Sheffield township
he settled on a farm of twenty-five acres,
then all in the woods, which he cleared
and improved, and where he carried on
general farming. In politics he is a Demo
crat, in religion a Catholic. He married
Maggie Schuver, and their children were
as follows: John, living with subject;
Nicholas, in saloon business in Cincinnati,
Ohio; Peter, who died at the age of forty
years; and Anton. The father is yet living
in the enjoyment of good health; the
mother died February 13, 1892.
The subject of this sketch received a
good education in the common schools of
Sheffield township, Lorain county, whither
he had come when about four years old,
and he has been an agriculturist from the
time he left school. At the age of twenty-
five years he was united in marriage with
Miss Catherine Young, born in Sheffield
township, Lorain Co., Ohio, and by her
has had six children, as follows: Anna,
Mary, Catherine, John, Bernard and
Francis. Mr. Jungbluth has been very
successful at his occupation, and the old
homestead of twenty-five acres which he
bought he has added to from time to time
till he has now 250 acres, as already re
lated. He is a member of the Catholic
Church, in politics a Democrat, and he is
a member of the school board.

|( R. BARROWS, one of the most pros-
k. II perous of the well-to-do agriculturists
\J) of Avon township, came here in July,
1828, from Genesee county, N. Y.,
where he was bora in 1821. He is a son
of Adnah and Clarissa (Day) Barrows,
natives, respectively, of Connecticut and
Bennington, Vt. Joseph Day, grandfather
of subject, who was originally from Massa
chusetts, served as a soldier throughout
the entire Revolutionary war, and after the
close of the struggle settled in Bennington,
Vermont, where he died at the age of ninety-
three years.

Adnah Barrows, father of subject, when
a boy, in 1811, moved to New York State,
and served in the war of 1812, for which
he received a pension. He was married in
that State to Miss Clarissa Day, and in
1828 they came to Avon township, Lorain
county, settling in the woods where they
cleared a farm. Here the father passed
from earth October 3, 1856, the mother
November 26, 1882. They had a family
of six children, five of whom grew to ma
turity, as follows: J. R. ; Lyman, who went
in 1883 to Shiawassee county, Mich., where
he died about 1889; Heman, residing in
Avon township; Lydia, widow of Jacob
Walker, of Amherst township; and Eliza,
wife of Edward S. Fitch, of Avon town
ship. J. R. Barrows, our subject, as will be
seen, was seven years old when he came to
Avon township, where he received such
education as the primitive district schools
of those early times afforded. He was
carefully trained to tbe pursuits of the
farm, and has made agriculture the vocation
of his, life, remaining on the old home
stead until 1852, in which year he took
possession of his present farm in the same
township. His property at first numbered
fifty-three acres, to which he from time to
time added until now he is the owner
of 114 acres, all in an advanced state of
cultivation. In 1844 our subject was
married in Avon township, Lorain county,
to Miss Melvina P. Sawyer, daughter of
John Sawyer, of New York State. To this
union were born four children, viz.: War
ren J., who died in 1872 in Erie county,
N. Y.; Ellen O, who married John S.
Blackwell, and died in 1882; Henry J.,
residing in Lorain; and Marietta, wife of
F. H. Richardson, of Tampico, Whiteside
Co., 111. The mother of these died in
1860, and in 1861 Mr. Barrows wedded
Mrs. Eunice (Royce) Griswold, widow of
L. S. Griswold, and she dying in 1882, our
subject married, in 1883, for his third
wife, Mrs. Aurelia (Terrell) Sawyer,
daughter of Willis Terrell (an early

LORAIN COUNTY, OHIO.

877

pioneer of Ridgeville township, Lorain
county), and widow of Philip Sawyer.
There are no children by the last two mar
riages. In his political preferments our
subject is a Republican, and has served as
trustee and assessor of his township several
terms. In Church relationship he is a
Baptist, Mrs. Barrows being a member of
the M. E. Church.

4)

HI M. ANDRESS, the popular and en
terprising liveryman of Elyria, is a
native of Henrietta township, Lo
rain county, Ohio, born in 1855, a
son of Carlo and Weltha (Smith)
Andress. The father, who was a farmer,
was born in Essex county, N. Y., in 1804,
one of a family of ten children, came to
Ohio in 1817, and died November 8, 1870;
the mother died April 24, 1871.
H. M. Andress received a liberal com
mon-school education, and in early youth
commenced commercial life. For a time
he owned a half interest in a grocery,
which he sold out to Henry Wurst, and
purchased a share in a livery, with Jno. T.
Houghton; but, his partner subsequently
retiring, our subject was left with his in
terest, and has continued the business alone
ever since. The livery is one of the best
equipped in Northern Ohio, and enjoys a
wide and lucrative patronage. Soon after
commencingin this line Mr. Andress opened
an emporium for vehicles, handling all kinds
of carri ages, buggies, road wagon s, far m wag
ons, sulkies, etc., in which he has met with
well-merited success, selling both wholesale
and retail. He has also traded consider
ably in horses — buying and selling. In
connection he also opened out a harness
shop in the lower story of the Odd Fellows
Block, in the fall of 1891, which, like all
his other enterprises, is a pronounced suc
cess. In company with Henry Wurst he
purchased the "Beebe House," the leading
hotel in Elyria, which at considerable out

lay they repaired and refitted, and it now
stands second to none in the county as a
first-class hotel.
H. M. Andress and Miss M. G. Boyn
ton, also a native of Elyria, were united in
marriage July 9, 1878, and three children
have been born to them: Maude, Jeaueand
George. Joshua Boynton, father of Mrs. H. M.
Andress, was born in Wiscasset, Maine, in
1811; her mother, Barbara (Arman) Boyn
ton, was bora in Germany. Of Mr. An
dress it can be truthfully said, that as a
"hustler" in business, and in financiering,
he is a leader in the county, and, although
yet a young man, he is owner of consider
able property besides his business inter
ests. He claims he has " never yet been
guilty of voting for a Democrat, except
for corporation or county offices;" so to
particularize his politics would indeed be
superfluous.

|f | L. HECOCK, a rising and popular
1^ young attorney of Lorain, comes of
il 1| an old family in Lorain county, his
y) grandfather having been a pioneer
of Sheffield township.
Our subject was born February 24,
1869, in Sheffield township, Lorain Co.,
Ohio, a son of I. B. aud Mary (Drake)
Hecock. He was educated at the common
schools of his native township, and also at
the Union schools of Elyria, where he
graduated in the class of 1889. He taught
school during the winter 1889-90, and in
1890 commenced the study of law under
Mayor Thompson, of Lorain. He was ad
mitted to the bar in December, 1892. By
din t of hard study and close reading of books,
both literary and legal, Mr. Hecock suc
ceeded in securing a good professional edu
cation, and at the same time assisted in the
support of his parents. He has manifested
a special aptitude for mastering the techni
calities of law, and has succeeded in win
ning the confidence and friendship of a

878

LORAIN COUNTY, OHIO.

wide circle of acquaintances, which speaks
well for his prospects in his business, and he
already enjoys a creditable clientage. He
is an advanced member of the I. 0. O. F.,
being a member of Subordinate Lodge,
Encampment, and Daughters of Rebekah,
and a member of the Jr. 0. U. A. M. In
the spring of 1893 he was elected justice
of the peace, and has always taken an
active part in politics since the time that
he commenced to study law. On Septem
ber 30, 1893, Mr. Hecock was married to
Miss Annabel Burrell, formerly of Shef
field, the daughter of I. H. Burrell and
Hanna (Hall) Burrell.

E'LEAZER ABBE, one of the best-
known and most highly respected of
 I tbe retired agriculturists of Lorain
county, was born December 28,
1805, in Lisle, Broome Co., N. Y., a son
of Abel Abbe, who was born in Windham,
Conn., August 7, 1767.
Solomon Abbe, grandfather of subject,
was a native of the "Nutmeg State," where
he married and had three children, viz.:
One son, Abel, and two daughters, Esther
and Rena. Abel Abbe was married August
26, 1789, in Connecticut, to Mariam Bing
ham, a native of Mansfield, Conn., born
April 29, 1772, and the children of this
union were as follows: Lura, born January
20, 1791, died in 1888; Rena, born
August 31, 1792; Linda, born July 5,
1794 ; Origin, born April 20, 1796;
Charles, born May 3, 1798; William, born
April 15, 1800; Phoebe, born February
11,1802; Foster, born January 23, 1804;
Eleazer, subject; Abel, born February 15,
1808; Luther, bora August 5, 1811, and
Matilda, born June 11, 1813. The parents
both died in Ohio, the father in 1845 at
the home of his son Eleazer, the mother
in 1854, at the home of her daughter Ma
tilda, in Elyria. Abel Abbe followed
farming in Connecticut, whence in the

early part of this century he moved to New
York State, where he carried on a sawmill
and woolen mill. In 1817 he came to
Ohio, locating in what is now Lake county,
and opening in Madison township a black
smith shop, but agricultural pursuits were
his chief life work. In his political af
filiations he was a Jackson Democrat, and
in his military experience he was a captain
of cavalry in the Connecticut militia.
Eleazer Abbe, the subject proper of
these lines, received his education at a pub
lic school taught by his sister Linda, first
held in a log schoolhouse, afterward in a
frame one. On reaching maturity he com
menced life for his own account. In 1831
he came to Lorain county, and purchased
a sixty-acre tract of land in Elyria town
ship, where he nowresides, and also twenty-
one acres adjoining, on credit. In addition
to his farming interests he did considerable
teaming, and among numerous other
articles he brought from a distance was the
first stove seen or used in Elyria, and also
a pair of forge hammers and collars, haul
ing the latter articles from the Geauga
furnace. He also carried loads of the prod
uct of the Elyria furnace to Ashland,
Wayne county, which he would trade for
produce. In this manner be succeeded in
paying for his land purchase. He and his
brother also hauled timber to Elyria, to be
used in tbe construction of the earlier build
ings, and in 1839 they were among the
contractors for the macadamizing of the
Maumee road. Mr. Abbe also furnished
wood for the Geauga furnace, as well as
ore. To Pittsburgh he carried produce by
team, the trip usually consuming some
nine or ten days.
In 1849, the year of the "gold fever,"
he embarked at Cleveland on the sailing
vessel " Eureka," for a voyage to Califor
nia. They went through the canals and
down the St. Lawrence river to Quebec,
where they remained a couple of weeks, and
then proceeded down the Gulf of St. Law
rence to the Atlantic Ocean. When they
arrived in the vicinity of Cape Hora, they

Missing Page

Missing Page

LORAIN COUNTY, OHIO.

881

found that, owing to a dense fog prevail
ing, they had to " double " it, instead of
passing through the Straits of Magellan,
the shorter route. Finally, after a voyage
of nine months, our subject reached San
Francisco, from where after landing he
proceeded at once to the gold mines, and
after a time returned to San Francisco for
the winter. In the following spring he
ascended the Yuba river; thence to Feather
river; thence to Nelson creek, spending
the ensuing winter again in San Francisco.
In 1851 he concluded to return home, and
took passage on the steamer "Republic"
at 'Frisco for Panama. A short time after
taking the steamer, she sprang a leak in
mid-ocean, owing to her having run against
a rock on the previous trip. She was kept
afloat by hard pumping, and was run ashore
at Acapulco bay, right on the beach, for
repairs. The passengers were sent ashore
with all their bedding. In an hour after
ward her stern went down. There on the
beach they saw the old bark "Eureka";
they say that tbe passengers were about to
mutiny with their captain. He (the cap
tain) gave up his bark, and ran off across
Mexico. Mr. Abbe and the rest went to
Panama on a Panama boat of the same
line, which left San Francisco two weeks
later. They crossed the Isthmus, thence
Mr. Abbe sailed for New York, and from
there traveled by rail homeward. He was
absent about three years, during which
time he made good wages, but experienced
great hardships and many trials. After his
return he devoted himself almost exclu
sively to agricultural pursuits, up to the
time of his retirement from active life, and
his fine farm of 300 acres in Elyria town
ship is now carried on by his sons, Horace
and Norman.
On October 31, 1835, Mr. Abbe was
united -in marriage with Miss Betsy Wil
cox, a native of Cornwall, Conn., born
March 21, 1807, but a resident of Elyria,
Ohio, at the time of her marriage. A rec
ord of the children born to Mr. and
Mrs. Abbe is as follows: Mary D. (Mrs.
46

John H. Taylor, of Ridgeville) was bora
April 3, 1837; Horace, born November
24, 1840, was married February 16, 1870,
to Mary A. Aston, and they have four chil
dren: H. Nelson, Norah D., Eula B. and
Jane A.; Norman, bora March 19, 1842,
was married October 15, 1868, to Mabel A.
Taylor, of Perkins township, Erie Co.,
Ohio (they live on the homestead) ; George
was born September 30, 1843, and John
on December 30, 1845. In his political
preferences the subject of this sketch is an
old -school Democrat.
Norman Abbe, the well-known stock
man and farmer, received a liberal educa
tion at the schools of Elyria, and was reared
on his father's farm, which he and his
brother Horace operate, and where they are
engaged in the breeding of fine cattle, in
addition to carrying on general agriculture.
Politically Mr. Abbe is a Democrat, and
he is a member of the Disciple Church.

JfOSEPH BALDAUF, one of the fore
most among the German residents of
' Russia township, was born December
23, 1843, in Bavaria, Germany. His
father, also named Joseph, died when our
subject was three years of age, and the
mother afterward married Joseph Haller.
In 1852 the family, consisting of Mr. and
Mrs. Haller, two sons and five daughters,
immigrated to America, sailing from Bre
men and landing in New York after an
ocean voyage of four weeks. From New
York they came westward, by canal and
lake to Cleveland, Ohio, thence to Avon
township, Lorain county, where Mr. Haller
bought twenty-five acres of land.
Joseph Baldanf had attended school iu
his native country, but after their emi
gration to the United States received no
educational advantages whatever, though
at that time he was but eight years of
age. He was put to work, giving such
assistance on the farm as he was able, and

882

¦ LORAIN COUNTY, OHIO.

when fifteen years old started out in life
for his own account. For two years he
was employed by George Bryant, of Am
herst township, then going to Oberlin
hired out as a farm hand in Russia town
ship, receiving twenty dollars a month for
three years. On November 22, 1864, he
married Theresa Schmidt, a native of
Grafton township, Lorain county, daugh
ter of Jacob Schmidt, and after his mar
riage bought a farm of fifty acres, the
" Schmidt Homestead," where he has since
resided. In 1878 he erected his pleasant
residence, and has made many other im
provements on the place, increasing the
area of the farm until he now has 180
acres of choice arable land.
Mr. and Mrs. Baldauf are the parents
of the following named children: Mar
garet (wife of Joseph Klinkshirn, a farmer
of Avon township), Anna (wife of Anton
Klinkshirn, of Avon township), John (a
farmer), Catherine, Frank, Willie, Mary,
Charley, Elizabeth and Theresa, all living.
Mr. Baldauf has been an energetic, in
dustrious farmer, economical from boy
hood, and, though starting in life with
nothing, he has amassed a comfortable
competence. Though having few oppor
tunities for an education, he has, by ob
servation and study, acquired a very fair
store of practical knowledge, and is pos
sessed of sound judgment and good com
mon sense. Politically he is a lifelong
Democrat, and in religion he is a member
of tbe Catholic Church at Elyria. During
the summer of 1893 Mr. Baldauf paid a
visit to the World's Fair, Chicago.

L

EWIS WISE, a typical self-made
man, and one of the most prosper
ous farmers in Grafton township,
was born January 30, 1850, in
Wittenberg, Prussia, a son of Peter Wise,
who was born November 7, 1810, also in
Wittenberg, and married a native of that
city in the person of Miss Louisa Miller.

In 1854 the family, consisting of father,
mother and six children — Louisa, Fred-
ericka, Henry, Lewis, Frederick and
Crist — set sail from Havre, France, for
the United States, and after a voyage of
twenty-one days landed at New York,
toward the latter part of December. From
that port they came west to Liverpool,
Medina Co., Ohio, traveling by rail to
Cleveland, from which point Peter's
brother brought them by wagon to Liver
pool township, Medina county, where they
arrived on Christmas Day. In Germany
Peter Wise had been well-to-do, but
through going security for a friend, who
afterward failed in business, he lost over
two thousand dollars. In Liverpool town
ship, Medina county, he rented a farm for
a short time, and then removed to Co
lumbia township, Lorain county, later com
ing to 'Grafton township, same county,
where he bought fifty acres of wild land
on credit, and here lived seven years, at
the end of which time he moved to the
farm whereon he died August 8, 1886;
his wife had passed away June 19, 1883,
and both are interred in Belden cemetery.
In Ohio the family was increased by three
children, as follows: Hannah J., born
September 11, 1857; Catherine S., born
September 12, 1859, and Jacob J., born
July 24, 1864. The parents were hard
working, industrious people accumulating
a comfortable competence, and they were
honored and respected by all.
Lewis Wise, the subject proper of this
sketch, was four years old when the
family came from Germany to America.
In course of time he and his brother Henry
purchased land, going in debt nine thou
sand six hundred dollars for it, and the
predictions of many were that " the Wise
boys would fail." But these ominous
words were not fated to come true, for the
"Wise boys" did not fail; on the con
trary, they succeeded, by dint of hard work
and judicious economy, in paying off every
dollar of their indebtedness. At the end
of fifteen years (in 1886) the brothers ef-

LORAIN COUNTY, OHIO.

883

fected an amicable division of the property,
each one settling on his own share. Our
subject has an excellent piece of land and
a comfortable residence, surrounded with
commodious outbuildings, including a very
fine barn, and everything pertaining to a
well-regulated farm.
On January 6, 1874, Mr. Wise was
united in marriage at Liverpool, Ohio, by
Rev. Scheliha, with Miss. Catherine M.
Law, who was born November 29, 1854,
in Grafton township, Lorain couuty,
daughter -of Jacob Law. The children
born to them were as follows: George H.,
born November 27, 1874; Clara L., born
September 19, 1876, deceased December
11, 1876; Charles W., born October 26,
1877; Herman J. P., born July 29, 1886;
Louisa A., born March 21, 1884, deceased
July 13, 1886; Eddie J., bora October 6,
1888; and Arthur L., born April 23, 1893.
Politically Mr. Wise is a Democrat, and
he and his wife are members of the
Evangelical Lutheran Church, of which he
has been trustee for over ten years.

JlEROME MAN VILLE, a well-known
k I member of the agricultural commun-
%J) ity of LaGrange township, was born
May 28, 1823, in Jefferson county,
New York.
His father, Henry Man ville, was one of
a large family of children born to David
Manville, who removed from Meriden,
Conn., to Jefferson county, N. Y. Henry
Manville, who was a farmer, married Miss
Matilda Wait, and they had seven sons
and one daughter, as follows: Henry W.,
of Crawford county, Penn.; George C., of
Amboy, Ashtabula Co., Ohio; a son that
died in infancy unnamed; Hiram D., of
Minnesota; Jerome, subject of this sketch;
Milton, a farmer of Crawford county,
Penn.; Chester C, of Elyria, Ohio; and
Mary M., deceased in Michigan, who first
married David Ambrose, and later Myron

Bronson. Mr. Manville built a sawmill
on his farm (which was a good one), and
just had his business in good running
order, when he died, on February 23,
1833, aged thirty-six years. After the
father's decease the family became scat
tered, and the widow was married in La
Grange, Ohio, to R. Humphrey, moving
to Crawford county, Penn. By this union
she had three children, viz.: James R., of
Kansas; a daughter that died in infancy,
and Orson, of • Cleveland, Ohio. The
mother died July 3, 1866, and was buried
in Center cemetery.
Jerome Manville attended the common
schools until ten years of age, when his
father died, and he was obliged to leave
home and live among strangers and rela
tives, like the rest of the family. He
spent his first season with one Rotiers, a
farm agent, and then made his home for a
time with Nathan P. Johnson, who moved
to Ohio. Our subject next resided with
Dorastus Waite, and in February, 1835,
came with him to Ohio, walking the
greater part of the way. After his arrival
here he went .to live with his former em
ployer, Nathan P. Johnson, with whom he
remained till he was nearly twenty-one
years of age, working hard and saving his
earnings. On October 20, 1847, he was
united in marriage with Miss Cynthia M.
Merriam, who was born in Jefferson
county, N. Y., daughter of Sylvester and
Cynthia (Johnson) Merriam, who settled
in LaGrange township, Lorain Co., Ohio,
prior to 1830. After his marriage our
subject rented the farm of his father-in-
law, and made his home thereon until
1849, when he purchased his present place,
then comprising forty acres, which he has
since increased to 110 acres.
To Jerome and Cynthia M. Manville
were born children as follows: Charles D.,
born July 16, 1848, at one time a tele
graph operator in the employ of the " Big
Four " Railway, who died at the age of
thirty-eight years; and Adelbert B., born
May 9, 1853, Frederick E., born January

884

LORAIN COUNTY, OHIO.

31, 1855, Rector J., bora November 19,
1857, and Jennie M., born January 5,
1862, all four deceased when young. The
mother of these died November 30, 1890,
and was buried in Center cemetery, and on
March 29, 1892, Mr. Manville married
Miss Mary J. Thickstun, a native of Craw
ford county, Penn., daughter of William
and Rachel (Freeman) Thickstun.
Mr. Manville has also two houses and
lots and four vacant lots in LaGrange vil
lage. Since residing on his present place
he has made many improvements thereon.
In spite of his lack of educational advan
tages in early life, he has acquired a good
practical business training, and this, com
bined with good judgment and common
sense, has brought him success. He is a
man of much natural intelligence and
ability. In political connection he is a
stanch Republican. He is a member of
the M. E. Church, in which he holds the
office of steward; Mrs. Manville is a mem
ber of the Baptist Church, and is a Pro
hibitionist.

JACOB P. BRECKENRIDGE, more
familiarly known by his many friends
as "Jake Breckenridge," a name as
widely known as his many kind acts
and hospitable deeds are, deserves more
than a passing notice in this Commemora
tive Record.
He is a native of the State of New
York, bora April 3, 1827, in Morristown,
St. Lawrence county, a son of Justin and
Elizabeth K. (Pohlman) Breckenridge, the
latter of whom was born in Lower Canada
(now Province of Quebec) in August,
1803, of German parents. Justin Breck
enridge was born in Bennington, Vt., July
30, 1798, a son of Daniel Breckenridge,
who in his family of children had five
sons — Norman, Lewis, Justin, Daniel and
James— three of whom, Norman, Lewis
and Justin, came to Lorain county, locat
ing in Camden township.

Justin Breckenridge was reared to farm
life, but he was a natural mechanic, doing
all kinds of carpenter work, including the
building of barns, etc., though he never
learned the trade. While living in New
York State eight children were born to
this old pioneer and his wife: Daniel, de
ceased in Grafton township; Jacob P.,
subject of this memoir; Cecilia, who mar
ried Frank Marlatt, died in Michigan;
Lewis, an attorney of Elyria, Ohio, who
died in Cleveland, where he was superin
tendent of the library for some time; Nar-
cissa, wife of James Golden, residing in
Santa Barbara, Cal.; Benjamin, who died
in Minnesota; John, a wholesale merchant
and well-to-do citizen of Baltimore, Md.
(he was a lieutenant in the Civil war); and
Hannah, Mrs. William Durand, of Ober
lin, Ohio. In 1841 the family came to
Ohio, the trip from Ogdensburg (N. Y.)
to Cleveland being made by boat, and from
there they proceeded by road to Camden
township, Lorain county, making a stay at
the home of one of Justin's brothers. Soon
afterward the father purchased a farm in
Pittsfield township, but after a two months'
residence there he removed to Grafton
township, settling about half a mile south
of Rawson ville. One child was born to
him in Lorain county, named Eleanor S.,
now Mrs. Henry H. fiitchcock, of Grafton
township. Justin Breckenridge died Jan
uary 30, 1874, his wife in 1871, and they
sleep their last sleep in Nesbit cemetery.
She was a member of the Presbyterian
Church. Politically he was a Republican,
originally a Whig, and one of the precinct
voting places in the fall of 1840, for the
election of W. H. Harrison, was at his
house in New York State. He was a hard
working man, strong and muscular, and
possessed of wonderful endurance.
The subject proper of our sketch re
ceived a liberal education at the subscrip
tion schools of the neighborhood of his
place of birth, and early in life was in
ducted into the mysteries of agricultural
pursuits. At the age of thirteen years he

LORAIN COUNTY, OHIO.

885

came to Ohio, and the rest of his boyhood
and his youth were passed in the then
wilds of Grafton township, Lorain
county, which he materially assisted in
clearing and subduing to a condition of
fertility. Until 1844 he continued to live
with his parents, and then moved to his
present farm, which at that time was
covered with heavy timber and under
growth, which he at once set to work to
clear. He has cut, logs on this farm six
feet in diameter at the butt, and fifty-four
feet eight inches in length, to the first
limb, when the diameter was thirty-nine
inches. On February 22, 1853, Mr.
Breckenridge was married to Fanny Wood
mansee, who bore him three children: A
daughter that died in infancy ; Lucy, now
Mrs. Mathews, of Albion, Mich.; and
Charles, a farmer of Grafton township,
Lorain county. Mr. Breckenridge was di
vorced from this wife, and he subsequently
married Mrs. Lucinda (Darwin) Blanchard,
a widow lady of LaGrange township, Lorain
county. Politically our subject is an out-
and-out Republican, and he says that as a
reader for many years of the Cleveland
Leader and Elyria Republican he is thor
oughly convinced that his political lean
ings are in the right channel.

He

J JfERBERT CHAPIN, a representa-
1^ tive wide-awake native-born agri-
I 41 culturist of Lorain county, first saw
y) the light of day in North Amherst,
February 25, 1854.
is a son of A. and Julia (Broughton)
Chapin, the former a native of' Massachu
setts, born in 1816, the latter of Carlisle
township, Lorain Co., Ohio, born in 1831.
The father came to Lorain county in 1835,
and in 1851 married Julia Broughton,
who bore him children as follows: Emma;
Herbert; Charles; Anna, wife of Frank
Starr, of Camden township, Lorain county;
Mary, at home; and William, attending

college at Oberlin. The father of this
family was a tanner by trade, which he
followed for some years in North Amherst,
and then removed to Brownhelm township
where he is yet living with his son Her
bert. His wife died in 1886. Aaron
Chapin, grandfather of our subject, came
to Lorain county in an early day, and died
here; grandfather Broughton was also an
early settler of this county.
Herbert Chapin since four years of age
has lived in Brownhelm township, where
he received his education and was inducted
into the mysteries of the farm. He is one
of the active young men of his township,
and takes a lively interest in all matters
pertaining to the advancement and pros
perity of the county, advocating good
schools, good roads and all else tending to
public improvement. He is a Republican
in his political affiliations, and a member
of the Farmers' Alliance. Mr. Chapin is
owner of a snug farm of seventy-five acres,
all under fine cultivation.

\ILLIAM BACON is one of the
earliest born citizens of Lorain
county, having first seen the light
in 1819, in Brownhelm township,
on the farm whereon he now lives, located
between Brownhelm postoffice and Bacon's
mills, on the Vermillion river.
He is a son of Benjamin Bacon, a na
tive of Massachusetts, born in Old Stock-
bridge, whence in 1818 he came to Ohio,
locating in Brownhelm township, Lorain
county, and making a settlement where
the subject of this sketch now lives, hav
ing bought wild land from one Henry
Brown. In 1820 he erected a mill at what
is known as " Mill Hollow," on the Ver
million river, and about 1835 increased its
capacity from one set of burrs to two sets.
Ten years later he equipped it with modern
improvements. He was three times mar
ried, first time to Ruth Gifford, who was
born in Lee, Mass., in 1797, and died in
1819. By this union there were two chil-

LORAIN COUNTY, OHIO.

dren: William, and Mary C, wife of J. A.
Perry. For his second wife Benjamin
Bacon married Lydia Atwater, and two
children — Lydia and Samuel — were born
to them. For his third wife he wedded
Miss Anna W. Graham, a native of West
Hartford, Conn., and they had three chil
dren: T. H., Jnlia and Sarah. The father
passed away in 1868 at the age of seventy-
nine years.
William Bacon, the subject proper of this
memoir, received such education as was
obtainable at the subscription schools of
the primitive days of his boyhood. In
1841 he was married to Miss Mary Cooper,
and four children were the results of their
union, as follows: (1) William S., married
and has three children — Leonard, Ella and
Gertrude; (2) Lemuel, now living in Dover,
Ohio; (3) Mary R, wife of W. H. Moul-
ten, has one child — Ruth; and (4) Benja
min A., has two children — Lottie E. and
Edna L. Mr. Bacon in his political pre
dilections was in his early days an Old-
line Henry Clay Whig, and of late years
has been a stanch Republican.

L

IVA BROWN, a highly respected
citizen of Brownhelm. township, is a
native of New York State, born in
Cayuga county, N. Y., December 8,
1830, a son of Daniel and Adaline (Peck)
Brown. The father of our subject was born in
New York State, and about 1836 came to
Erie county, Ohio, locating in the town of
Florence for a time, but later moving to
Vermillion, same county, thence to Brown
helm township, Lorain county. In 1851
he moved to Marshall, Mich., where he
died in 1886 at the age of seventy-seven
years. He was an active politician, voting
the straight Democratic ticket. His wife
died when thirty-three years old. Five
children were born to them, viz.: Mary,
widow of James Raney; Liva; Jane, who

married A. Thompson, and afterward mar
ried Nuten Case (she lives in Marshall,
Mich.); Jerry, in Wisconsin; and Sallie,
wife of Charles Bodfish, of Vermillion,
Ohio. Both the paternal and maternal
grandparents of our subject died in New
York State.
Liva Brown, whose name appears at the
opening of this sketch, was about six years
old when his parents brought him to Ohio.
He received a fair education at the public
schools, and was trained to farming pur
suits, but for about thirty-one years de
voted his time chiefly to the buying and
selling of wool, live stock, etc.; for the
past few years, however, he has withdrawn
from that work and confined himself to
farming, as better suited to his health. In
1851 Mr. Brown married Miss Clarissa
Harris, who was born at Berlin, Erie Co.,
Ohio, February 13, 1832, and four chil
dren — one son and three daughters — have
been born to them, as follows: (1) Jerry,
born December 6, 1851, married October
11, 1882, to Lillie L. Penson (they have
four children: Manda S., Liva, Orrin D.
and Blanche) ; (2) Ara, married January 1,
1872, to Wilber Wood, of Brownhelm,
Lorain Co., Ohio (two children were born
to this union, a daughter, Bertha, born
February 20, 1873, and a son, Liva, born
in 1875, and died in 1879; Ara Wood
died at Cheboygan, Mich., January 25,
1885); (8) Bertha, born May 16, 1859,
married May 23, 1880, to John Hull, of
Brownhelm, Lorain Co., Ohio, and died
June 23, 1880; and (4) Clara, bora Octo
ber 13, 1869. In his political affiliations
Mr. Brown is a Democrat.

A. STURTEVANT, dealer in real
estate, in the town of Lorain, is de
scended, on his father's side, from an
old New York Dutch family who
originally spelled their name Stuyvesant,
of whom Peter Stuyvesant, the last Gov-
enor of New Netherland (New York), was

LORAIN COUNTY, OHIO.

887

a member. A " Tree " of the family, now
in possession of one of them, shows their
lineage back over six hundred years.
Asher Sturtevant, grandfather of sub
ject, was born in Dutchess county, N. Y.,
and married an Englishwoman who lived
to be one hundred and five years old. Our
subject's paternal great-grandmother was
a full-blooded French woman, while on his
mother's side he comes of Welsh and Eng
lish ancestry.
Horace Sturtevant, father of C. A., was
bora in Delaware county, N. Y., and was
there married to Miss Sarah Weeks, his sec
ond wife; they moved to Cleveland, Ohio,
where he passed the rest of his days, dying
at the age of seventy-one years. He was
for many years a farmer, and afterward a
watchman for the Standard Oil Company
in Cleveland. In 1861 he enlisted in Com
pany B, Seventy-Sixth O. V. I., and was
under Gens. Osterhouse and Sherman.
Afterward he was transferred to Washing
ton, D.C, and was one of the soldiers who
guarded Lincoln after he was shot. He
served in the army nearly five years, and
then received an honorable discharge. His
widow isnowaged seventy-two years. They
were the parents of five children, all yet
living. C. A. Sturtevant was born in Norwalk,
Conn., November 5, 1852, and came west
with his parents when seven years old.
He received a fair district-school educa
tion, and between the ages of fourteen and
nineteen had to work hard on his father's
farm, for, being the eldest in the family,
and his father much disabled through ex
posure while in the army, a great deal qf
the duties about the home place devolved
on him. When nineteen years old he
commenced to work for the Standard Oil
Co. in Cleveland — first as timekeeper and
then as foreman. On leaving this he
learned the trade of plumber, gas and
steam fitter; but abandoning this business
he took up that of contractor and builder,
making a good success, erecting as many
as forty-two houses in one year, besides

the Gas Works. He then merged into
the real-estate business. He came to Lo
rain in May, 1881, and has been identified
with a number of interests since living
here. He was married in 1876, and has five
children: Ida, Ada, Ira, Eva and Ora.
Politically our subject is a Harrison Re
publican, and he is a member of the K. of
P., I. O. O. F. and A. F. & A. M. He
had a half-brother who died in 1862 in
Helena, Ark., while a soldier.

ENJAMIN WADSWORTH, the
largest landowner among the agri
culturists of Lorain county, and a
most progressive and enterprising
citizen, was born in Becket, Mass., May 16,
1821, a son of Lorin Wadsworth, also a
native of Becket, where he was born in
1800. Benjamin Wadsworth, grandfather of
subject, came from tbe East to Lorain
county, Ohio, and took up land in Well
ington township, whereon he lived seventy
years, and which is yet known as the old
family homestead. His son Lorin came
west in about the year 1821, and made his
first home in Lorain county in the log
cabin his father had erected in Wellington
township. Here he carried on agriculture
till within a short time before his death,
which occurred in 1862. He was in poli
tics originally a Whig, later a Republican,
and in church affiliation he was a Presby
terian. At the time of his coming to
Wellington, now a flourishing city, there
were only four or five houses in the place.
The subject of this sketch received a
liberal public-school education, and worked
on his father's farm till he was twenty-
four years old, when he embarked in agri
cultural pursuits for bis own account, his
first farm comprising ninety-five acres of
wild land, to which he from time to time
added until now he is the owner of 1,014

LORAIN COUNTY, OHIO.

acres, making him the largest landowner
in the farming community of the county.
For many years he reared, grazed and sold
sheep, at one time effecting a sale amount
ing to four thousand dollars. In May,
1851, he married Miss Maria E. Ames,
who was born in Becket, Mass., in 1825,
and they have two children, viz.: Elmer,
married, and living on one of his father's
farms; and Jane, married to Frank J.
Eckels, also living on one of the farms.
Their family numbers six children, named
as follows: Elmer P., Jennie W., Herron
Ames, Frank, Jr., Maria and James Starr.
In his political predilections Mr. Wads
worth is a strong Republican, originally an
Old-line Whig. He is a member of the
Congregational Church, and gave four
thousand dollars to assist in building their
handsome twenty - four - thousand - dollar
church in Wellington. For the Civil war
he furnished a substitute, paying four
hundred and twenty-five dollars for the
same, besides helping the cause in many
other ways. Though blind, he went to
the "World's Fair," and has a very good
idea of its wonderful magnitude.

fp^EORGE CLIFTON. Not
township, nor indeed

H

in

in Avon
all the
county of Lorain, is there to be
found any citizen, in any sphere of
life, who is in the enjoyment of a
higher degree of respect than was in his
lifetime the gentleman whose name here
appears. Mr. Clifton was born, in 1813, in
Northamptonshire, one of the midland coun
ties of England, a son of William Clifton,
a native of . the same county, where during
nearly all his life he was engaged in agricul
tural pursuits and gardening. William was
there married, andchildren were bom to him
as follows: William, George, John, Fanny,
Elizabeth, Mary, Rosana, and one other
daughter whose name is not remembered.
The parents died in England.

At about the age of eighteen or twenty
George Clifton immigrated to America,
and after landing came at once westward
to Ohio, making a halt in Avon township,
Lorain county. Here he entered the serv
ice of Joel Townshend, remaining with
him some years, earning the respect and
confidence of his employer by his steady
habits and plodding industry. Leaving
Mr. Townshend, he next found employ
ment on a lake vessel in the capacity of
steward, winning during his stay on the
ship the utmost confidence of the captain
and others, by his characteristic devotion
to his duty, and his obliging manner to all
alike. After a residence of a year or two in
this country, our subject revisited his na
tive land, where he married Miss Ann
Moore, a resident of Northamptonshire.
The young couple then set out for their
new home in the " Far West," coming di
rect to Lorain county and to Avon town
ship, in the eastern part of which they
made a settlement. Here he took up
agriculture, which he followed successfully
until retiring from active work. Moving
to the present homestead, he here erected
large and substantial buildings, and here
some of the family are yet living. The
children born to George Clifton were one
son that died in infancy, and one daugh
ter, Rosana, now Mrs. E. P. Burrill, of
Sheffield township. The mother of these
dying in 1856, in September, 1857, Mr.
Clifton married Miss Bessie, daughter of
John Charlton, of Leicestershire, England,
by which union there were three children,
viz.: Alice and Lena (deceased in in
fancy) and S. G. (who now conducts the
home farm).
Mr. Clifton was a representative self-
made man — a pioneer of the truest type —
whose courage and perseverance, coupled
with sound judgment, judicious economy
and untiring industry, aided hiiri in his
hard struggle to found a home. "He
filled the office of justice of the peace for
several terms, was auditor of the county

in

ti.

^Vcn-Cc SsCt/Jf'H/

LORAIN COUNTY, OHIO.

891

four years, and was also county commis
sioner fol* a term or two, all of which offices he
filled with ability and integrity. * * He
was withal a great reader, and kept him
self thoroughly informed not only on the
affairs of this country, but of European
countries as well. A stanch Republican,
he always gave our Government his hearty
support. In the time of the Civil war he
was very active in the work of procuring
recruits, giving more than any other man
in the township toward raising the quota
of soldiers, though on account of his age
Hot subject to the draft. On account of
his knowledge of law, and also his abili
ties as a financier, his advice was sought
by many who always found him a willing
and safe adviser. Much more might be
truly said in praise of him, but time for
bids. His place is not easily filled." In
1861 he was a member of the board of
equalization. Mr. Clifton died February
7,1883.

4/

NATHANIEL TOMPKINS, a mem
ber of one of the early pioneer
families of Eaton township, was
born in 1829 in Tompkins county,
N. Y. His parents, Samuel and
Betsy (Tellis) Tompkins, were born in
1805 in Newfield, Tompkins Co., N. Y.,
and in early pioneer days came thence to
Lorain county, Ohio, settling in Eaton
township. Nathaniel Tompkins was about four
years of age when he came with his parents
to Eaton township, where he was reared
and educated. Mr. Tompkins was first
married in New York, in 1861, to Mary
O. Benedict, who died in Lorain county
in 1881, and in 1885 he married, in
Eaton township, for his second wife, Miss
Esther A. Earl, a native of Lorain county.
Mrs. Tompkins is a daughter of Recom
pense Crowell Earl, who was born March
10, 1799, in Essex county, N. J. In
1813 he moved with his parents to Tomp

kins county, N. Y., where he lived till
1825, when he married Miss Anna
Fauver. In 1836 they came with their
five children to Eaton, Lorain Co., Ohio,
where in 1828 Mr. Earl had purchased
twenty acres of land, on which he resided
until his death, which occurred in 1885.
Mr. Tompkins rents the twenty acres of
land which his father-in-law purchased,
now well cultivated and highly improved,
where he carries on general farming. In
politics he is a Republican. In 1864 he
weut to Michigan, where he resided for
some years.

\ ICHARD WELLS POMROY, who
K( is prominent in social and Insur-
Y^ ance circles, is a native of Bristol,
Ontario Co., N. Y., where he was
born June 3, 1825, the son of Sam
uel and Penelope (Allen) Pomroy.
His father was a native of Springfield,
Mass., and was a man of remarkable vigor,
being ninety-four years old at the time of
his death. Mr. Pomroy came of a family
remarkable for their longevity, the grand
father and one uncle living to be ninety-
four years of age, while two other uncles
reached the age of ninety-three and ninety-
five respectively.
The subject of our sketch received his
education at the Academy at Canandaigua,
N. Y. He then taught school for a time,
after wliich he embarked in the mercantile
business in his own town, remaining
the same until 1857, in which year
came to Ohio. Here he was engaged
the same business until 1870, when
abandoned that line and took up the
surance business, to which he has since
given his entire attention. He commenced
exclusively in Life Insurance, which
branch he carried on for three years, since
when he has been in Fire Insurance alone,
having built up a large business.
Mr. Pomroy was married April 10,
1853, to Miss Annie L. Sisson, daughter

in
he in
he
In-

892

LORAIN COUNTY, OHIO.

of General Horatio and Clotilda Taylor
Sisson, natives of Ontario county, N. Y.,
and seven children have been born to them,
of whom the following is a brief record:
Frances L. is the wife of Dr. H. Pomeroy,
of Cleveland, Ohio; Grace S. is the wife
of Watson E. Boise, clerk of the State
Legislature of North Dakota; Mary E.
and Alice C. are both teachers; Charles
W., the only son, is connected with the
Western Automatic Screw Company, of
Elyria; Annie M. is a teacher of music in
the Conservatory at Grand Forks, North
Dakota; and Harriet A.
In politics, Mr. Pomroy was originally
a Whig, and, since the formation of the
party, has been a stanch Republican.

E1 THEW, for over forty years a resi
dent of Columbia township, is a
 I native of New York State, bora in
Clinton county in 1816, a son of
Daniel and Electa (Nichols) Thew, also of
that State, who both died in Clinton
county. They reared a family of eleven
sons (three of whom served in the war of
the Rebellion), their names being as fol
lows: Robert, Eleazar, Gilbert, Garret,
Henry, Charles, Nathan, John, Josephus,
Bethuel and James.
The subject of our sketch received his
education at the schools of Clinton county,
N. Y., in those early days held in a log
cabin with very primitive furnishings.
He was thoroughly trained to agricultural
pursuits, and has been a lifelong farmer,
having now a well-cultivated piece of land
of some ninety-five acres in Columbia
township. He was married, in 1837, in
Clinton county, N. Y., to Miss Mary
Calkins, a native thereof, and in 1852
they came to Lorain county, where Mr.
Thew bought a partly-improved farm, on
which he erected a good residence and
barn. Two children, both now deceased,
were born to this union, viz.: Cornelia,

married to Lemuel Osborne, and Eliza
beth. The mother of these died, and in
1872 Mr. Thew wedded Miss Amanda
McNichols, a native of Vermont, who
came when a child to Medina county,
Ohio, where she was reared. Politically
Mr. Thew is a Democrat, and served his
township as trustee one term.

HARLES W. SUMNER, a retired
school teacher, now a prosperous
agriculturist of Eaton township, was
born in Medinacounty, Ohio, in 1854.
Clement Sumner, father of subject, was
born in Vermont, and about 1853 came to
Medina county, Ohio, where he followed
the vocation of a farmer. For some years
he had taught school in Ashland and
Holmes counties, sarae State. In Medina
county he married Mrs. Almira (Hier)
Gardner (widow of Lewis Gardner), a na
tive of Massachusetts, and their only child
is the subject of this sketch. They died
in Medina county, Ohio, the father in
1873, the mother in 1888. Clement
Sumner had been previously married, and
his children by that union were Catherine,
wife of Edwin Helbert, of Ashland county,
Ohio; Phebe, wife of Samuel Mullin, of
Jewell county, Kans.; and Solon, married,
residing in Cattaraugus county, N. Y.
Mrs. Almira (Hier) Sumner by her first
husband had five children, as follows:
Andrew (married), a farmer of Brunswick,
Medina Co., Ohio; Lucas (married), a
farmer of Page county, Iowa; Lewis (mar
ried), a farmer of Missouri; Lucinda, wife
of William Johnson, of Preemption, Mer
cer Co., 111.; Julia Ann, wife of Christian
Winegar, of Saranac, Ionia Co., Mich.
Grandfather Sumner was a native of Ver
mont, while grandfather Hier was from
Germany, in an early day immigrating to
Massachusetts, thence moving. with an ox-
team to Medina county, Ohio, where he
died in 1868, being preceded to the grave
by his wife.

LORAIN COUNTY, OHIO.

893

Charles W. Sumner, was reared and
educated in his native county, and at the
age of twenty years commenced teaching
in the same county, continuing three suc
cessive terms at the home district school,
later in township schools in Eaton and
Columbia townships, moving to Eaton
township in 1889. In Columbia town
ship he resided some ten years. In 1888
he gave np teaching, and has since applied
his attention solely to farming, on his
place of ninety acres, which he owns.
In 1878, in Eaton township, Mr. Sum
ner was married to Miss Mary C. Long-
bon, a native of the township, daughter of
John J. and Ellen (Walker) Longbon,
early pioneers of Eaton, where the father
died in 1888. To Mr. and Mrs. Sumner
were born children as follows : Ellen, Irvin,
Mary, Earl (deceased at the age of five
years) and Grace (deceased at the age of
three). Originality and good judgment
are the most prominent characteristics of
Mr. Sumner, who is a Republican in his
political sympathies, and is a highly-re
spected citizen.

rW. PIERCE. The subject of this
sketch is now in the prime of life,
one among the most active business
men in the town of Lorain.
His ancestors were of New England
origin. His father, Philemon Pierce, who
was a native of the State of New Yrork,
married Miss Diantha Hovey, of the same
State, and to them were born five children,
viz.: George, Ann, Eliza, John and
Fred. W. Those sterling characteristics
of the New England people Philemon
Pierce possessed to a great degree — in
genuity, industry and economy. His trade
was that of a carriage builder, which he
followed through life. In 1850 he left the
place of his birth to seek for himself a
home in Ohio, which was then considered
the " Far West." Locating in Brunswick,
Medina county, he here lived and worked

at his trade until his removal to Carlisle,
Lorain county, where he resided until his
deaths which occurred in 1862.
It was in the year 1855, amid those
stirring times just preceding the Civil war,
that Fred. W. Pierce was born, on the first
day of November. Early bereft of his
father, he was required to depend on his
own resources for a livelihood. When fif
teen years of age he went to Owosso, Mich.,
where he went to school for two years.
With this education, and that other equally
important, the knowledge of a good trade,
he was well prepared for the practical
duties of life. When he came back from
Michigan he located, in 1872, in Lorain.
His natural inclination leading him into
mechanical pursuits, he served an appren
ticeship as a regular carriage builder; but
not satisfied with this he learned the car
penter's trade. Gradually he discontinued
the trade of carriage building, and came to
devote his whole time to building and
contracting, which has absorbed his whole
attention for the last seven years. His
skill, industry and integrity have won for
him his well-deserved success, which has
come during these busy years. The many
buildings which he has erected stand as
substantial evidence of the work, for which
he has no reason to be ashamed. Promi
nent among these are the school building
in South Lorain and the Methodist Epis
copal church, the finest building in the
city, erected in 1892. Mr. Pierce has the
knowledge of how work ought to be done,
and the fidelity to see that it is done as
the contract defines. While thus occupied,
opportunities for some business in real
estate were presented, which he has im
proved to great advantage, so that as a
result he has come into the possession of
some very valuable property, which in
that growing town, with values increasing,
will tend to enhance his wealth largely in
the future. At times his business assumed
large proportions, when he had under his
employ twenty men working on public
jobs amounting to thousands of dollars.

894

LORAIN COUNTY, OHIO.

That wliich is not the least item of im
portance is the home which he has been
permitted to build and enjoy. The young
lady of his choice, Miss Addie Bayless,
resided at Kipton, Ohio, and they were
united in marriage in Sandusky, Ohio,
July 3, 1877. In both toils and successes
they have been partners, and thus know
how to enjoy the results of their labor and
success. The truest independence is to
make your own fortune, and enjoy it. The
number of Mr. Pierce's family is exactly
equal to that of his father, viz.: five. They
bear the names: Pearl, Ray, Frank, Clara
and Blanche.
Like all wide-awake citizens of this Re
public, Mr. Pierce possesses his positive
convictions and party affiliations. This
seems unavoidable, where politics are in
the food, and in the very air we breathe.
We grow that way. Or perhaps the well-
known law of heredity may account for
some of it. His father was identified with
that party which had the honor of electing
one of the best men who ever occupied the
Presidental chair — the party which made
the most brilliant history for a quarter of
a century. It is unnecessary to say that
it was the Republican party wliich had on
its roll such respectable and heroic politi
cians as Stanton, Chase, Sumner and Abra
ham Lincoln. Hence we need not be
surprised that a son of Philemon Pierce, a
Republican, should likewise be a Republi
can. Mr. Pierce is thus a well-established
and fixed quantity in the city of Lorain.
It is no small honor which belongs to him,
for he enjoys the confidence of its people.
In obedience to their call he is serving them
on the board of councilmen. They know
that such a trust will be held in his liands
with safety. One of the most useful and
beneficial Orders of Lorain, in a business
line, is that of the K. O. T. M., and
there are many widows and orphans in
the town to bear witness to its benefits.
Mr. F. W. Pierce was the twenty-fifth
charter member of the Lorain Lodge of
this Order.

Truly the outlook for Mr. Pierce is en
couraging. Yet but a young man, he
occupies a good position among his fel
lows; he stands on the advantage ground
of his past achievements, and certainly has
much to hope for, and look forward to, in
the years to come. No doubt with the
same careful and industrious course in the
future, Time will dispense his gifts with
equal generosity.

DEACON JOHN SEWARD CASE,
one of the oldest citizens of Well-
_. ' ington township, is a native of Con
necticut, having been born in the
town of Granby, Hartford county, July
11, 1808.
He is a son of Dr. Gideon Case, who
was born in Canton, Conn., and who be
came an eminent physician and surgeon,
educated probably in Simsbury, that State.
He practiced in his native State until he
came to Ohio, in 1818, when he resumed
practice in Hudson, Portage county. He
was killed by the kick of a horse, about
the year 1822. His entire journey from
Connecticut to Ohio was made in a three-
horse wagon. He married Miss Persis
Seward, a native of Granville, Mass. (and
daughter of Capt. John Seward, of Revo
lutionary fame), who died at the age of
eighty-six years. Seven children were
born to them, of which the following is a
brief record: John Seward is the subject
proper of this sketch; Gideon W. resides
near Nauvoo, 111.; Otis P. resides in
Aurora, Portage county, on the old Grand
father Seward homestead; Jane married
Mr. Nix, and died in Portage county,
Ohio; Lucia married Mr. Demming, of
Rootstown, Portage Co., Ohio (she is now
deceased) ; Albert died in Michigan a year
or two ago; Dr. Almon Case was a mem
ber of the State Legislature of Tennessee
in the period of the Civil war, during
which time he was killed by bushwhack
ers, it is presumed on account of his anti-

^^ ~^f i ^y^tiUK

LORAIN COUNTY, OHIO.

897

slavery views. The mother married, for
her second husband, Arial Case (no rela
tive of her first husband), and they after
ward lived in Rootstown, Portage Co.,
Ohio, where two sons were born to them.
The subject of this sketch was, as will
be seen, ten years old when his parents
came to Portage county, Ohio. After his
school days he commenced learning the
trade of tanner and currier, finishing the
same at Kent, Portage county. In No
vember, 1829, he came to Lorain county,
and commenced the tanning business, in
1830, in the town of Wellington, opposite
where the ice house now stands, and suc
cessfully operated the same until some
twelve or fifteen years ago, when he re
tired from business. He taught school
during the winter of 1829-30 in an old
log house, where Mallory's store now
stands, which cabin was also used as a
church at the same time. Shortly after
his arrival he became associated with the
Congregational Church, in which he has
been a deacon since 1846, and to which he
has contributed liberally of his means, as
well as to all charitable institutions. Mr.
Case has been twice married: First time
in October, 1832, to Miss Diantha Blair,
a daughter of James Blair, of Massachu
setts, and sister to the mother of Gov.
Fairchild, of Wisconsin. The record of
the children of this union is as follows:
(1) Celia is the wife of Mr. Stewart, and
lives in Romney, Tippecanoe Co., Ind.;
she taught school for many years in Ten
nessee, and in Romney. (2) Helen mar
ried Mr. Luther Miller, of Cedar Hill,
Ohio, but nearly all of her married life
was spent in Romney, Ind., where she was
buried in 18 — ; she was the mother of
three children: Mary, now Mrs. U. Z.
Moore, of Columbus; Frank Case, a recent
graduate of the Ohio State University, and
a civil engineer in Columbus; andCassins,
named after Gen. Cassius Fairchild, of
Wisconsin, a farmer of Cedar Hill, Ohio.
(3) Col. Frank S. (now deceased) was
an officer in the Second Ohio Cavalry dur

ing the Civil war, being captain of a com
pany, and was shot through the lungs;
after the war he was colonel in the Sev
enth Ohio State Guards, and on Gov.
Foster's staff; be was present at Garfield's
inauguration at Washington, D. C, and
his was the largest regiment out at the
funeral of that President in Cleveland.
He was born December 21, 1838, received
his education at Wellington and Oberlin.
He was a good stump speaker, and was
chairman of the Republican committee of
Logan county. He died August 9, 1887,
from wounds received in battle. At the
time of his death he was treasurer of
Logan county, Ohio. His widow, for
merly Miss Clara Burr, of Brighton, to
whom he was married in 1864 while home
on leave of absence, now resides in Belle
fontaine. (4) Emma married Rev. Charles
E. Manchester, D. D., pastor of the Broad
way M. E. Church, Cleveland, Ohio; they
have children as follows: William C.
(twenty-one years of age) and Frank S.
(aged seventeen). The mother of this
family was bora, in 1807, in Blandford,
Mass., and died October 19, 1848. For
his second wife Mr. Case married Miss
Lucinda A. Ely, of Elyria, who was born
December 25, 1819, in Deerfield, Ohio,
and died January 24, 1893. To this union
there were two children, both of whom
died young — one in infaucy, the other,
Mary, at the age of six years. In his
political preferences Deacon Case is a
stanch Republican, originally an Old-line
Whig, his first vote being cast for John
Quincy Adams.

I( DAM KOLBE, a prominent farmer
\\ of Black River township, was bom
near Hersfeld, Germany. August
18, 1848.
He is a son of Henry W. and
Elizabeth Kolbe, who were the parents of
nine children, named as follows: Eliza
(Mrs. Spiegelberg), Henrietta (Mrs. Bech-

898

LORAIN COUNTY, OHIO.

stein), Christina (Mrs. Smithkous),
Adam (subject of sketch), Henry, Cath
arine (Mrs. Holstein), Mary (Mrs. Neid-
ing), Emma (Mrs. Bechtel) and William.
In 1856 the family came to the United
States, first locating in the, then, village of
Lorain, Lorain Co., Ohio, afterward, in
1867, settling on a farm in Black River
township, same county, where the parents
followed agricultural pursuits till advanced
age compelled them to retire from active
life. The father died October 8, 1893:
the mother, now in her seventy-seventh
year, is living with ber son Adam on the
farm in Black River township. She is a
member of the Evangelical Association,
as was also her husband.
Adam Kolbe received a liberal education
at the public schools, and was reared to
agricultural pursuits on his father's farm.
In • 1873 he married Miss Caroline Faber,
who died in May, 1891, leaving one child,
a son named Lawrence A. Mr. Kolbe has
remained on a farm ever since, and in the
town of Lorain, in the same county, he en
gaged in the fishery business for about four
years, as a member of the firm of Kolbe
Bros. & Co., in which he was financially
successful. In 1889 he withdrew from the
firm, and has since been living on the farm
in Black River township. In religious
faith Mr. Kolbe is a member of the Evan-
felical Church; socially he is a member of
iOrain Lodge, Knights of the Maccabees;
politically he is a Republican.

E1 L. BURGE, an enterprising pro
gressive citizen of Oberlin, was
 I born in September, 1837, in Orange
township, Ashland Co., Ohio, where
he passed his early life.
His father, John Y. Burge, was a na
tive of Pennsylvania, and in an early day
came to Richland (now Ashland) county,
Ohio, where he passed the remainder of
his days. He was a cooper by trade. He
married Mary Lowry, a native of Vir

ginia, and they became the parents of
twelve children, six of whom are still liv
ing, namely: Benjamin, a farmer of
Greenwich, Huron Co., Ohio; John Y., a
farmer of Brighton township, Lorain
county; E. O, also farming in Brighton
township; Rachel, a resident of Ashland,
Ohio; Sarah, wife of John Goldsmith, of
Richland county, Ohio; and E. L. The
father of this family died in 1841, the
mother in 1878.
E. L. Burge received his education iu
the district schools of his native county,
and in 1859 came to Lorain county, which
has since been his home. He followed
farming for a few years in Brighton town
ship, and in August, 1861, enlisted, at
Wellington, Ohio, iu Company H, Second
Ohio Cavalry, for three years. He was
mustered in at Cleveland, and served for a
while on the frontier, in January, 1862,
being stationed at Ft. Leavenworth, Kans.,
and later at Ft. Scott. He. participated in
the battles of Pea Ridge and Diamond
Grove, was next in Kentucky, and after
ward took part in the Morgan raid at
Knoxville, Tenn. In 1864 he veteranized,
at Mossy Creek, Tenn., in the same com
pany and regiment, and was subsequently
in the engagements of the Wilderness and
Cedar Creek, also serving under General
Sheridan in the Shenandoah Valley. Mr.
Burge took part in the Grand Review at
Washington, thence going to Springfield,
Mo., and on September 20, 1865, he was
honorably discharged at Columbus, Ohio.
He returned to Brighton township, Lorain
county, where he remained until 1882,
since which time he has been a resident
of Oberlin.
On March 8, 1864, Mr. Burge was mar
ried to Miss Harriet J. Tucker, a native of
Camden township, Lorain county, daugh
ter of Matthew and Rosanna (Martin)
Tucker, early pioneers of the county; the
father died in 1878; his widow is how re
siding in Pittsfield, Lorain couuty. To
Mr. and Mrs. Burge was born one daugh
ter, May B., who graduated from Oberlin

LORAIN COUNTY, OHIO.

899

College in the class of 1891; she is now
principal of a school at Delta, Ohio. Mr.
Burge is actively interested in politics,
and supports the principles of the Repub
lican party; he has been delegate to va
rious conventions, served one term as
deputy sheriff of Lorain county, and in
1889 was elected city marshal of Oberlin, a
position he still occupies. Socially he is
a member of Llenry Lincoln Post No.
564, G. A. R., and in religion he and his
wife are members of the Second Congre
gational Church of Oberlin.

OWELL CALVIN ADAMS, dealer
in agricultural implements, seeds
of all kinds, fertilizers, etc., Wel
lington, is a native of Wellington
township, born February 1, 1838,
of an old Connecticut family.
Lie is a son of Calvin and Eunice
(Smith) Adams, the former of whom was
a native of the " Nutmeg State, " whence
prior to his marriage he came west to
Ohio, settling on a farm in Wellington
township, Lorain county, where he was
engaged in agricultural pursuits till a
short time before his death, which oc
curred in 1864. He was twice married,
and by his first wife, Eunice (Smith), he
had five children, namely: Edwin, de
ceased in childhood; Fayette, who died
when young; Marcia, now the widow of
R. F. Jones, of Wellington, Ohio; Rowell
Calvin, and Lois, who died, unmarried, in
1879. The subject of this biographical sketch
received a liberal education at district
school No. 4, Wellington township, attend
ing a few winter terms, the remainder of
the year being occupied on his father's
farm, where he continued to reside till
1865, in which year he removed to Hunt
ington township, and here bought a farm
of 113 acres prime land, where, until about
1882, he carried on general farming,

including dairying, buying and selling
stock, etc. In that year he came to Well
ington, after a time opening out his pres
ent prosperous business. On September
29, 1859, he was married to Miss Melva
A. Whiting, born in Pittsfield township,
Lorain county, October 15, 1840, and
four children have come to this union:
Rosa M., wife of Delmer I. Beckley; Mrs.
E. L. Wilcox; Grace M., and Leon R. Po
litically Mr. Adams is a lifelong Republi
can, and two years ago he united with the
Prohibitionists. He is not identified with
any particular church; his wife is a mem
ber of the Methodist Episcopal Society.
During the war of the Rebellion he en
listed three times, but on each occasion
he was rejected on account of physical dis
ability caused by #n accident he met with
when fourteen years old, whereby his leg
was broken, and he has been slightly crip
pled ever since. He is doing an excellent
business, thoroughly understanding the
wants of the community in his line of trade.

FJRANCIS N. ELDRED is one of
the enterprising native-born agri
culturists of Elyria township, where
in 1850 he first saw the light.
He is a son of Noah and Harmony
(Redington) Eldred, the former of whom
was born in the State of New York,
whence, in company with his father, Moses
Eldred, he came to Ohio in 1811, settling
in Ridgeville township, Lorain county.
Grandfather Eldred was a soldier in the
Revolution ; by occupation he was a farmer,
and he also kept a tavern in Ridgeville
township; he died in Elyria, his wife in
Ridgeville. Noah Eldred, father of sub
ject, received a limited education at the
subscription schools of Ridgeville town
ship. In Amherst township he married
Harmony Redington; then settled on the
farm now owned by our subject, and here
he died in 1882, his wife having preceded
him to the grave in 1854.

900

LORAIN COUNTY, OHIO.

The subject of this memoir was educated
in the schools of the neighborhood of his
place of birth, and was reared to agricul
tural pursuits, which have been his life-
work. He has a neat, compact farm of
eighty-two acres devoted to general farm
ing. In 1876 he was married in Elyria
township to Miss Nettie Cochran, a native
of same, and daughter of Henry and Eliza
beth (Thompson) Cochran, pioneers of
Lorain county from Vermont. Six chil
dren, named as follows, have been born to
this union, Ray. Nina, Irwin, Alta, Lewis
and Orlo. In his political associations our
subject is a Republican, and he and his
wife are members of the M. E. Church.

Mr.
county,

E. JUMP has been a resident of
Oberlin for the past thirty-five
years, having, established himself
in the town in 1858, for the pur
pose of study in Oberlin College.
Jump was bora in Westchester
N . Y, in 1832, a son of Ira and
Sarah (Dan) Jump, natives of New York,
who in 1835 moved to Norwalk, Huron
Co., Ohio, and from there, about 1843, to
Vermillion, Erie Co., Ohio, where both
died at a ripe old age. Ira Jump was a
basket maker, and his son, R. E., was
brought up to that trade, which he fol
lowed for some time in Oberlin. Mr. Jump
received his education at the common
schools in Erie county, and in the Prepara
tory Department of Oberlin College. Fail
ing health prevented him from continuing
his studies. He taught several terms in
the schools of Erie county, Ohio, and in
Indiana. In 1863 he enlisted in Company
F,One Hundred and Twenty-eighth O.V. I.,
for three years or during the war, serv
ing under Gen. Hooker, on Johnson's Is
land aud Cedar Point, guarding and ex
changing prisoners at Fortress Monroe and
other points, and on detached duty at To
ledo, on service as provost-guard, and in

recruiting service. Mr. Jump was hon
orably discharged from the service at Camp
Chase, in July, 1865.
In 1852 Mr. Jump was married to Miss
Julia Chapin, a native of New York, but
reared and educated in North Amherst,
Ohio, and to this union one son was born,
C. Ellis Jump.
Mr. Jump in politics is a Republican,
having cast his first vote for Fremont in
1856, and voted with that party since. He
is a member of Henry Lincoln Post, No.
364, G. A, R., in which he has held the
rank of surgeon and junior vice-commader.
During the past fifteen years, in his leis
ure time, he has done considerable taxider
mist work, and has now a very fine collec
tion of stuffed animals and birds. He is
practically interested in agriculture, being
the owner of thirty acres of well-improved
laud, half of which lies within the corpor
ate limits of Oberlin. He also takes a
lively interest in bee and small fruit cul
ture. He was engaged in the Oberlin and
Wellington Rescue case.
Mrs. Julia Chapin Jump, M. D., was
bora in Oneida county, N. Y., in 1832, the
second child of John and Eliza (Clark)
Chapin, natives of New England, who re
moved to Brownhelm, Ohio, in 1836, and
from there to North Amherst, Ohio, in
1839. [Seethe following sketch of John
Chapin J
Dr. Jump received her early education
in the common schools of North Amherst,
Ohio. At the age of seventeen she began
to teach. This profession she followed
thirty years. For the first two or three
terms she taught for one dollar a week and
" boarded round." In 1852 she married
R. E. Jump, of Erie county, Ohio. They
had one son, C. Ellis Jump. In 1858 they
removed to Oberlin, for the purpose of se
curing a liberal education. During the
last three years of her couse of study Dr.
Jump taught in the Academy. After six
years of study, she graduated from Ober
lin College, Lit. in 1865. She then taught
seventeen consecutive years, nearly five in

(ctitiz^A^i? Cfoz^titi

;&.*?.

LORAIN COUNTY, OHIO.

903

the Grammar School of Oberlin, and over
twelve years in the Public Schools of
Cleveland. She then began the study of
medicine in The Cleveland Homeopathic
Hospital College, from wliich she gradu
ated in 1884, since which time she has
been practicing medicine in Oberlin.
The honorary degree of A. M. was con
ferred on her by Oberlin College, in 1891,
and that of F. fi. S. by tlie Medical Col
lege from which she received her diploma.
She is a member of the board of Censors
of the Cleveland Homeopathic Hospital
College; a member of the American In
stitute of Homeopathy, The Ohio State
Homeopathic Society, and The Lorain
County Homeopathic Society. Dr. Jump
is a member of the First Congregational
Church, and of the W. R. C. of Oberlin,
Ohio.

JOHN CHAPIN was born in Sheffield,
Berkshire Co., Mass., in 1804. At
the age of eighteen he was appren
ticed to a Mr. Catlin, of the adjoin
ing town of New Marlboro, to learn the
trade of tanner and currier.
In 1827 he was married to Miss Eliza
Clark, a native of Norwich, Conn., though
reared in New Marlboro. They had five
daughters and two sons. In 1836 Mr.
Chapm moved to Ohio, then the " Far
West," and located in Brownhelm. In
1839 he removed to North Amherst, where
he spent the rest of his life. Mr. Chapin
and his wife united with a few others to
organize a Presbyterian Church in North
Amherst, and Mr. Chapin was elected dea
con, an office which he held till his death
in 1852. Deacon Chapin was a man of
strong convictions, a thorough temperance
man, and an Old-line Whig. He was
strongly anti-slavery in his views and took
the ground before his death, which became
the platform of the Free-Soil party in 1856.
The Deacon was a strong, well-built man,
and was considered very desirable help
47

at the raising of buildings in those days.
Whiskey was usually served freely, aud
at the first important " raising " to
which he was invited the men were nearly
all under the influence of whiskey before
the work was half done. Deacon Chapin
and a Mr. Rose were the only total abstain
ers in the party. On raising a heayy.
" bent " of the frame the men allowed their
pikes to slip, and the bent fell, crushing Mr,
Rose under the heavy timbers. His back
was broken, and though he lived many
years, he was a cripple. When the men
were sober, Deacon Chapin urged them to
give up the use of strong drink, citing the
accident to Mr. Rose to give weight to his
arguments. Soon after this the Deacon
prepared to build a large tannery. The
timbers were very heavy, and the building
was two stories on one side and three on
the other. While the timbers were being
prepared there was another raising — a
small barn. Three brothers owned the
property. They always drank freely at
raisings, but decided from motives of econ
omy to furnish no whiskey for their own
raising. When the men who had been
invited to assist arrived, some of them
called for whiskey before beginning work.
When told that none would be furnished,
the men said the timbers might rot before
they would touch them without whiskey.
The whiskey was sent for at once, and the
frame went up. People who knew Deacon
Chapin's strong temperance principles, and
that he never tasted whiskey, wondered
what he would do at his raising. In those
early days the raising of such a building
was quite an event. The builder in charge
one day asked the Deacon if he should
furnish whiskey for the raising. On re
ceiving a reply in the negative, he said he
would not be responsible then for the rais
ing of it, as it could not be raised without
liquor. The Deacon then replied that the
raising would be " a cold-water raising "
or none. Many friends in the adjoining
town of Brownhelm sympathized with
Deacon Chapin in his temperance prin-

904

LORAIN COUNTY, OHIO.

ciples, and sent him a message saying that if
the Amherst people failed him, they would
come to his aid. When the time for the
raising drew near, the Deacon started on
his round of invitations. Nearly every
man invited asked if he would have whis
key, and on receiving a negative reply,
answered: "Then I will not come." As
every one declined the invitation, tbe Dea
con invited every available man in the vil
lage and the adjacent country. Mrs. Cha
pin prepared for the entertainment of the
men by brewing a barrel of root beer, and
the brick oven was kept full of good things
— bread, biscuits, cakes of all kinds, pies,
puddings, chicken pies aud pork and beans.
Roast meats of all available kinds were
prepared in abundance. The day set for
the raising dawned bright and still. At
an early hour the invited men began to ar
rive singly or in small parties until every
man who had been invited put in an ap
pearance. With much joking about a
" cold-water raising " they set to work with
hearty good will. The small or root beer
was passed in pails, and one man told the
Deacon that he had a chunk of ice as big
as his fist in his throat from drinking the
beer, and he wanted something to thaw it
out. When the bents had all been raised,
and were supposed to be securely fastened
in place, several men went to the top to
fasten the large wooden plates to the bents
to bind them in position and to support
the rafters. Deacon Chapin and Staunton
Merriman, a carpenter, were on the bent
on the east side of the building, wliich was
three stories high. The ground on that
side was covered with broken stone, the
refuse from dressing the stone for the
foundation. Soon after they reached the
top the bent began to sway with them, but
the men on the ground were all sober, and,
rallying with their pikes, held the heavy
timbers in position till they were securely
fastened. All knew that the fall of the
bent would be certain death to the men.
When the work was completed the Deacon
said: "Comedown tothe house now and

we will have something to thaw the ice
out of your throats." Mrs. Chapin was a
good cook, and her heart was in her work.
Long tables were loaded with every good
thing which she could devise, and with tea
and coffee in abundance. Many of the men
said to the Deacon: "If this is what you
call a cold-water raising, I would like to
go to one every day." They said they
came because they knew he was acting from
principle, that although he was one of the
best workers always at a raising he never
drank- whiskey. Deacon Chapin died in
1852 of typhoid fever; Mrs. Chapin lived
to be eighty-six years old.
The family was well represented in the
war of the Rebellion. John Clark Chapin,
the youngest son of Deacon Chapin, enlisted
in the Forty-first O. Y. I., at the organiza
tion of the regiment, for three years; re-
enlisted with the regiment, was engaged
in all the battles in which the. regiment
fought except Chickamauga, and was hon
orably discharged at the close of the war.
Two sons-in-law, J. J. Pillen (the husband
of the eldest daughter, Eunice), and R. E.
Jump (who married the second daughter,
Julia), were also in the Union army, and
were honorably discharged at the close of
the war.

' EORGE L. SEARS, florist and man
ufacturer of pottery, Elyria, is a
native of Massachusetts, bora in
New Lenox, March 8, 1854, a son
of L. L. Sears, a prominent agricul
turist of Elyria township.
In 1861 the family came to Ohio, and
for a time located in Medina county, then
in 1867 settling in Lorain county, on a
farm within the corporate limits of Elyria.
Our subject has since resided in Elyria,
and in 1881 he commenced business as a
florist, in which vocation he has risen, by
industry and good management, to consid
erable prominence. He now owns seven
large greenhouses, and ships all kinds of

LORAIN COUNTY, OHIO.

905

flower germs to every part of the United
States. He makes a specialty of wedding
and funeral decorations, his taste in designs
being considered " nulli secundus." Hav
ing concluded to manufacture his own
flower-pots, of which his extensive business
demands a vast number, he opened up a
pottery, and he now makes from 18,000 to
20,000 flower-pots per week, supplying
not only his own requirements, but also
markets in Cleveland, Chicago, and all the
great cities of the West.
In 1878 Mr. Sears was married to Miss
Emma Bradbnr, and three children have
come to brighten their home, named
respectively: Harry, Roy and Grace W.
Our subject and wife are members of the
Congregational Church, and in politics he
is a Republican.

NSEL JENNE, for over half a cen
tury a resident of Lorain county,
and one of the best known and
most prosperous agriculturists of
Amherst township, was born in
Cayuga county, N. Y., in 1825.
His father, also named Ansel Jenne,
was a native of New York, where he mar
ried Elizabeth Brown, and from there
moved to Cayuga county, same State, in
1825. In 1826 he and the family came to
Ohio, making their homein Cuyahoga coun
ty until 1841, in which year they removed to
Lorain county, arriving on March 9, locat
ing on Middle Ridge; but in 1845 they
removed to a farm where the parents
passed the remainder of their days, the
father dying in July, 1872, the mother in
August, 1885, at the patriarchal age of
uinety-one years. They reared a family of
seven children, of whom four are yet liv
ing, as follows: Alfred, married and living
in Cuyahoga county, Ohio; Ansel, of
whom this sketch more specially relates;
Bethia, wife of F. A. Griffin, of Elyria
township, Lorain county; and John P.,

married and residing in Amherst township,
same county. The deceased are Arad Joy
(the eldest in family), bora July 9, 1819,
died September 5, 1820; Eliza, born April
25, 1827, who was married to Solon
McElrath, and died in Lorain county,
September 18, 1871; and Annette, bora
August 27, 1830, died in 1832.
Ansel Jenne, whose name opens this
biographical sketch, received his education
at the primitive log schoolhouse of the
early days of Cuyahoga county, Ohio. At
the age of sixteen he came with the rest
of the family to Lorain county, and has
ever since been a resident of Amherst
township, owning now the old homestead,
consisting of sixty acres prime land. He
and his brother John P. cleared in all some
400 acres in Amherst township.
On December 9, 1859, Mr. Jenne was
married, in Amherst township, to Phoebe
Wing, a native of Wyoming county, N. Y.,
daughter of Benjamin aud Polly (Wes
cott) Wing, natives of New York, where
the father died in September, 1857. In 1858
the widowed mother came to Lorain county,
and made her home with her daughter, Mrs.
Jenne, for the rest of her days, dying in
1868. Two of her children came to Lorain
county besides Mrs. Jenne, viz.: Sterling,
who died here in 1874, and Dora, wife of
Luman Van Tassel, of Bowling Green,
Ohio. To Mr. and Mrs. Ansel Jenne were
born five children, of whom the following
is a brief record: Sarah Ellen married
Bird Richmond, and they have one child,
Frank Harrison; William Henry is mar
ried, resides in Amherst township, Lorain
county, and has one child, Blanche; George
is married, has his home in Detroit, Mich.,
and has two children, Willie and Winfield;
Frank died at the age of nineteen years;
Albert K. is married, resides on the home
farm, and has two children, Bertie and
Lucile. In politics Mr. Jenne is a Dem
ocrat. When he came to Lorain county
fifty-two years ago, the now flourishing city
of Elyria was but a hamlet consisting of
nine cabins, surrounded by dense woods,

906

LORAIN COUNTY, OHIO.

wherein roamed the Indian and wild ani
mals innumerable. He has seen, in his
township the old rickety stage coach rele
gated into retirement by the palatial cars
of the aggressive railroads, and the mail-
carrier's weekly or semi-weekly visits meta
morphosed into the modern mail of three
or four deliveries and collections everyday
in the week; not to speak of the advent of
the magic-like universal telegraph and
telephone, which had their birth within
comparatively recent years.

EIDWIN ROBSON, a representative
and prosperous agriculturist of Car-
 I lisle township, is a native of York
shire, England, born in 1839.
Our subject is a son of Edward and
Ann (Tran) Robson, of the same place,
who in 1843 came to the United States
and made a settlement in Eaton township,
Lorain Co., Ohio, where they are yet liv
ing. They were the parents of a large
family, as under: Emma, who married
Seth C. Felt, and died in Huron county,
Edwin, subject of this sketch; Mary Jane,
who died unmarried; James, deceased in
childhood; David, deceased when young;
Henry, also deceased when young; Will
iam, deceased in Grafton township, Lorain
county; John, married, residing in Graf
ton; and Lizzie, wife of Charles Johnson,
of Grafton township.
Edwin Robson was, as will be seen, four
years old when he came to Lorain county
with his parents, and at the common
schools of Eaton township he received a
liberal education, in the meantime work
ing on his father's farm. He now owns a
fine property of 225 acres in a good state
of cultivation. On November 14, 1866,
he was married, in Oberlin, Russia town
ship, to Miss Ann Johnson, a native of
same, daughter of James and Mary (At
kinson) Johnson, who were early pioneers
of Lorain county, coming here in 1826;

the father died in Elyria in 1888, the
mother in Cleveland in 1864. To them
children as follows were born: Jane, wife
of Leroy Rogers, of Henry county, Ohio;
Elizabeth, widow of John Bucher, of Ely
ria; Thomas, who died during the Civil
war, in Lexington, Ky.; Ann, Mrs. Rob
son; John, a resident of Eaton township;
James, deceased at the age of eighteen;
George, married, living in Elyria; Mary
Ellen, wife of M. A. Pounds, of Elyria;
and Mary and William, both deceased in
infancy. " To Mr. and Mrs. Robson have
been bora seven children, to wit: Charles
Edmund, James Edward, Adalbert John
son, Mary Louise, Thomas Putnam, Thad
deus Warren and Leroy Walter. Our
subject and wife are members of the M. E.
Church at LaPorte. In politics he is a
Republican, and has been a member of the
school board, of which he is now a director
in his district.

H

4J

WIGHT, owner of a fertile farm
in Eaton township, where he has
resided for nearly threescore years,
is a native of New York State,
•born in St. Lawrence county on
Christmas Day, 1821.
He is a son of Reuben and Susannah
(Van Buren) Wight, the mother a native
of New York. The father was born in
Oxford, Worcester Co., Mass., and in 1794
moved to Herkimer county, N. Y., with
his father, John Wight, who was born
November 2, 1752, and married Betsy
Robinson, bora in 1765, and died in 1858.
They had a family of children, of whom
the following is a brief record: Uzziah
was born in 1781, and died in 1784;
Abner died in St. Lawrence county, N. Y. ;
Jason was born in 1785, died January 20,
1835; Reuben was the father of our sub
ject; Abigail died in New York State in
1849; Betsy died young; John died in
New York State in 1863; Alvin, a car-

LORAIN COUNTY, OHIO.

907

penter and builder, came to Lorain county,
Ohio, in 1835, and died in Ottawa county,
Ohio, January 1, 1857; Harvey died in
Green county, Wis., in 1876.
Reuben Wight was reared and educated
in New York State, and was married in
what is now Fulton county, same State,
July 14, 1814. In 1834 the family came •
to 6hio, arriving August 9 in Cleveland,
but settling at Rockport, in the same
county, where the father died of cholera
same year. He served in the war of
1812, and after his death his widow en
joyed a pension. In 1836 the widowed
mother, with her children, came to Lorain
county, making her final home in Eaton
township, where she died April 21, 1882,
aged eighty-nine years, having been born
in 1793. The following is a record of the
children: Leonard was married in Eaton
township, Lorain county, and in 1858
moved to Gratiot county, Mich.; Almina
is the widow of Daniel Pearce, and resides
in Eaton township, Lorain county; Will
iam, who became one of the early teachers
of Lorain county, married in Eaton town
ship, and died in 1853; Segatia died in
Cleveland at the age of eighteen years;
the next in order of birth is the subject of
this sketch, of whom further mention will
presently be made; Adeline C. is the wife
of James Duffy, of Charlotte, Eaton Co.,
Mich.; Julius, a widower, is a resident of
Eaton township, Lorain county; Reuben is
married, and dwells in LaGrange town
ship, Lorain county; Mary S. is the wife
of James W. Fitch, of Milan, Erie Co.,
Ohio; Ziel, who was an engineer, born
August 13, 1832, married, and on No
vember 12, 1892, died in Delaware county,
Ohio; Rosella is the widow of John King,
of Clark county, Wisconsin.
H. Wight, of whom this sketch more
particularly relates, was reared to the age
of thirteen years in New York State, and
was there educated, his school training be
ing much improved by his native ability,
close application to books, and general
study of men and things. He was remark

ably quick at figures and geometry, and he
is widely known throughout northern Ohio
for his ability as a mathematician. In his
younger days he taught school in Lorain,
Medina and Cuyahoga counties, aud then
embarked in agricultural pursuits. Iu
1834 he came to Ohio, and in 1836 set
tled in Eaton township, where he has since
resided. Politically he has been a Repub
lican since the organization of the party,
and he served as real-estate assessor in
1870, and on the school board several years.

MATHIAS NUHN, one of the many
industrious, honest and loyal citi
zens the Fatherland has given to
JJ Lorain county, is a prosperous
farmer of Ridgeville township, of
which he has been a resident since 1845.
Mr. Nuhn was born in Germany in 1838,
a son of Peter and Anna Mary (Moss)
Nuhn, the father a native of France, the
mother of Prussia. Peter was a shoe
maker by trade, at which he worked seven
years in Paris, France, after which for two
years he was coachman for Napoleon's
nephew. In 1824, while working at his
trade in Prussia, he married. In 1845 he
and his wife and family emigrated to
America, sailing from Havre, France, the
voyage to New York occupying sixty-two
days. From there they proceeded west
ward to Ohio, by way of the Hudson
river, Erie Canal and Lake Erie to Cleve
land, and from that city by wagon to
Ridgeville township, Lorain county, where
Mr. Nuhn bought twenty-five acres of land
which he cleared and improved, at the
same time working at his trade. To this
first purchase of land he added forty acres,
and, later, twelve acres. Of the nine chil
dren of Mr. and Mrs. Peter Nuhn we give
record of seven children, as follows: Mary,
wife of Peter Donenfelcer, died in 1854;
Nicholas, married, resides in Ridgeville
township; Elizabeth is the wife of Anton

908

LORAIN COUNTY, OHIO.

Smith, of Center, Ridgeville township;
Hannah is the wife of John Roth, of
Lorain; Catherine is the wife of Peter
Smith, of Avon township; Mathias is the
subject of this memoir; and Peter, married,
lives in Lorain. The father died March 8,
1874, a Democrat in politics, a member of
the school board and supervisor; he was
buried on the fiftieth anniversary of his
marriage; the mother was called from earth
in 1875.
Mathias Nuhn, whose name introduces
this sketch, was, as will be seen, about six
years old when he came to Lorain county,
and during his first summer his home was
in a barn in Stony Ridge, Ridgeville town
ship, while a log house was being erected
for the family. He received his education
at the common schools of the locality, and
learned the trade of carpenter and joiner,
which he followed exclusively up to the
time of the breaking out of the Civil war;
he then combined farming with his trade,
and he has met with well-merited success.
In 1862 Mr. Nuhn enlisted in Company
G, One Hundred and Seventh O. V. I.,
for three years or during the war, and his
regiment was assigned to the army of the
Potomac. At the battle of Chancellors
ville he was taken prisoner, and confined
first in Libby, afterward in Belle Isle,
whence he was taken on parole to Camp
Annapolis, Md., and then detailed to the
pioneer corps tbat served through Ten
nessee; to the close of the war he was
stationed at Chattanooga and Kingston.
In 1865 he was discharged, at Columbus,
Ohio, and returned to his home in Ridge
ville township, Lorain county, where he
resumed the pursuits of peace.
In 1860 Mr. Nuhn was married, in
Liverpool, Medina Co., Ohio, to Mary
Magdalene Kolb, who was born in that
county, daughter of Joseph and Sophia
(Gravensteter) Kolb, natives of Germany,
who about the year 1838 immigrated to
the United States, settling in Medina
county, Ohio, where the father died in
1878, and the mother is yet living. To

this union children as follows were born :
Rosa, the wife of Mr. Douglas, constable
of Lorain, has three children — Mathias,
Edith and Nora; Catherine, wife of Ma
thias Burkhart, of Lorain, also has three
children — Clara, Lillian and Frank; Mary,
wife of Charley Perry, of Cleveland, has
one child; Hannah, wife of John Alfen, of
Cleveland, has two children — Willie and
Mabel; John, married, resides in Ridge
ville township; Elizabeth, a widow, resid
ing with her father, has two children —
Olive and Bertha; Lena; Clara; and Ma
thias. Politically our subject is a Demo
crat, but in township matters he votes for
whom he considers the best man for office,
regardless of party. He has been a mem
ber of the school board eighteen consecu
tive years, such is the confidence his con
stituents repose in him, and he and his
wife are members of the Roman Catholic
Church at Ridgeville. Socially he is a
member of Wesley Kibby Post No. 708,
G. A. R., North Ridgeville, and has served
as assistant quarter-master two terms. He
is owner of nearly sixty acres of land in an
excellent state of cultivation, on which in
1888 he built his present residence — a
two-story frame house, 35 x 28 — also a
commodious barn, 56 x 36, and granary
(with workshop combined), 16 x 22 feet.

.( LONZO WRIGLIT, a highly re-
1\ spected and prosperous agriculturist
T__\ of Russia township, hard-working,
and scrupulously honest in all his
dealings, is a native of Essex coun
ty, N. Y., born November 11, 1825.
His father, Alonzo Wright, Sr., was
brought up to farm life, and served for a
time in a woolen factory. He married
Philomilla Andrews, who was born in
Stillwater, N. Y., and children as follows
were born to them: Charles A., who died
in California; Bushnell A., a physician of
San Jacinto, Cal.; Alonzo, Jr., subject of
this memoir; Harriet, deceased in youth;
Sarah D., who was first married to Charles

LORAIN COUNTY, OHIO.

909

Lyman, and is now the wife of Lewis Oz-
mun (they reside in Amherst township);
Laura B., who married Edwin Durand,
and died in Wellington, Ohio. In June,
1834, the family set out for Ohio, making
the trip partly by sailing vessel, partly by
canal to Buffalo, N. Y., and from there to
Black River Harbor (now Lorain), Ohio,
by steamer, thence to Oberlin by wagon.
In Russia township the father bought
ninety acres of land at ten dollars per
acre (nine hundred dollars), which amount
he paid in cash, part of the proceeds of his
farm in New York State, which he had
sold prior to coming west. He had pre
viously visited Ohio, in order to select
land, got as far as Cleveland, but returned
east without succeeding in his purpose.
For some time after their settling in Rus
sia township the family lived in an old log
cabin, till a new one was built. Here was
born one more daughter, Mary, who died
at the age of fourteen years. On this farm
the father passed away in 1883, having
been preceded to the grave by his wife in
1862. They lie buried in South Amherst
cemetery. He was a Whig and Republi
can in politics, and a member of and dea
con in the Congregational Church.
Alonzo Wright, the subject proper of
these lines, received the earlier part of his
education at the public schools of the vicin
ity of his place of birth, and after coming
to Lorain county attended District school
No. 1, his first teacher here being Samuel
Rossiter. Later he attended a few terms
at Oberlin College. He then taught school
several terms, and subsequently attended
the Eclectic Medical College at Cincinnati
three years. He had previously studied
medicine under Dr. James Fisher, of Tif
fin, Ohio; and thus it will be seen he was
well prepared for the arena of medicine,
which, however, he never entered. After
completing his course he returned to his
home, and in 1848 commenced agriculture
on his father's farm, which he now owns;
of late years he has added the cultivation
of small fruits to general farming.

In 1861 Mr. Wright was united in mar
riage with Adelia C. Whipple, and chil
dren as follows were bora to them: Doug
lass, deceased at the age of nine years;
Della, teaching in the public schools of
Findlay, Ohio; Eddie, deceased in infancy;
Henry, farming on the home place, and
Jessie, still living with her parents. The
surviving children have all enjoyed excel
lent educational opportunities. In politics
Mr. Wright is a stanch Republican, and
until the organization of that party was a
Whig; his wife and children are members
of the Congregational Church.

B. BEDORTHA, an attorney at
law, of Oberlin, was born May 5,
1854, in Russia township, Lorain
Co., Ohio, the only child of
Luther and Eliza A. (Brown) Bedortha,
the former of whom was a native of Shef
field, Mass., the latter of the city of New
York. Luther Bedortha, father of subject, came
to Lorain county with his parents in 1824,
and they made a settlement in Sheffield
township. He was twice married, first
time, in Sheffield township, to Miss Sarah
Strong, soon after which they moved to
Iowa, where they remained a few months
and then returned to Ohio, Mr. Bedortha
in 1852 establishing his residence on a
farm in Russia township, Lorain county.
To this first marriage were bom two chil
dren: B. S. Bedortha, Esq., of Bridgman,
Mich., and Dr. B. T. Bedortha, of London,
England. The mother of these died at
Joliet, 111., while en route on the return
trip to Ohio from Iowa, and on February
17, 1853, Luther Bedortha married Eliza
A. Brown, who had come to Oberlin in
1852; she survives him, he having died
December 29, 1864, at Oberlin, Ohio, to
which place he had removed but a short
time previous to his death.
W. B. Bedortha received his education
at the public schools of his native town-

910

LORAIN COUNTY, OHIO.

ship, and in 1868 entered the office of the
Lorain County News, at Oberlin, where
he learned the printer's trade, continuing
in the printing business either as employe
or proprietor for about ten years. In 1877
he commenced the study of law in the
office of Judge J. W. Steele, the present
postmaster at Oberlin, and in October,
1880, was admitted to the bar, where he at
once commenced the general practice of
his profession.
On February 8, 1881, W. B. Bedortha
was married to Fannie J. E. Jenney. He
is a Republican and a member of the Con
gregational Church.

\ILLIAM RININGER. Whatever
may be the form of government
under wliich men live, it is the
men of opinions who rule. They
have circumscribed the power of kings,
and in representative governments they
are the leaders of the common people in
both public and private concerns. They
seldom fill official positions. Our ablest
statesmen have never tilled the Presidential
chair. It is the Utopian ideal of Demo-
'cratic governments that broad, intelligent,
honest, partrician citizenship, with financial
independence, unfettered by official bur
dens, is the goal of the best man's am
bition. When this idea is adopted by our
educators, and thoroughly implanted in the
bosoms of the youth of our land — when
we cease to be hero worshipers, and Na
poleon and Alexander become object les
sons of less importance than the patrician
citizen, we will have taken the first great step
toward the millennium. As a type of the
character of the men foreshadowed above,
we introduce a brief sketch of Mr. William
Rininger, merchant and capitalist, of Well
ington, Ohio.
Mr. Rininger descends from German
stock. His grandparents emigrated from
Germany, locating in Center county, Penn.,

when the father of our subject, Peter Rin
inger, was a boy.- There the grandparents
lived and died. Peter Rininger married
Miss Mary Miller, and to their union were
born two children: William, the subject
of this memoir, and Eliza. The latter mar
ried in Pennsylvania, and died some years
since, leaving two children. Peter Rin
inger died when his son William was only
two years of age. By the subsequent mar
riage of his mother, our subject was thrown
upon the charities of the world when a
mere child. He was born April 2, 1823,
and at the age of eight years was given the
choice of remaining in Pennsylvania or
emigrating to Ohio with his uncle, Will
iam Miller. He chose the latter expedient,
and they located in Seneca county, Ohio.
His uncle William subsequently purchased
the site of the present village of Attica,
and laid out the plat for a town. It was
with this uncle that the boy William Rin
inger found the only semblance of what
his early days knew as a home. He alter
nated between work and school, and was
in return for his services clothed and fed.
His uncle entered a variety of businesses
besides farming. He operated an ashery,
built and carried on a hotel, and finally
kept a general merchandise store. Com
ing in contact with a variety of pursuits,
William Rininger familiarized himself with
the leading features of each, meanwhile
applying himself assiduously to mastering
the essential elements of an English edu
cation. Thus early thrown upon his own re
sources, he learned the most important les
son in life — the lesson which only those
strongly endowed by nature can learn — to
think independently, to think for himself
— and through life this has been his lead
ing personal characteristic. All arbitrary
laws in religion, politics and elsewhere —
all theories advanced that are not based
upon reason and humanity — have ever ap
peared to him the schemes of duplicity
formulated to dominate the minds of the
weak and the credulous.

"ua^ti^/^

LORAIN COUNTY, OHIO.

913

Mr. Rininger made his first money with
a paint brush. He had watched the painters
around the hotel, and took up the trade.
He worked at that business for a salary of
one dollar per day, subsequently working
in the harvest field. Saving his money he
went to making brick, and subsequently
made investments in various limited ways,
and each proved a success. Lie not only
made money, but saved it, and invested to
the best possible advantage. By making the
best of his opportunities, in 1844 he found
himself possessed of a few hundred dollars
in cash, which he invested in a store in
Attica in connection with his uncles, Will
iam and Samuel Miller. From that time
forward he felt his success assured. He
remained personally in connection with
his business at Attica, Ohio, until 1866,
when he left his partner, one John Silcox,
in charge there, came to Wellington with
a view of establishing himself in business
here, . and bought the store of Charles
Foote. In Wellington he had a partner,

for about a

year,

William Barnard,

but bought out the latter's interest, and
has since operated his general merchandise
store with the assistance of clerks. He
still retains his interest in the store at
Attica. Mr. Rininger's practice in buying
has been to purchase for cash, although he
has constantly had to tide customers over
hard periods, as his books will show. He
is generally recognized as a just but lenient
creditor., Mr. Rininger was formerly a Repub
lican, but says: " When that party diverged
from its original principles," he did not
follow it. He believes in principles and
in men, but not in party dominance. He
is not a church member, being an indepen
dent thinker in this as in all other matters;
but he is philanthropic in its broadesfsense,
believing that to be just and humane is
the highest condition of consciousness.
During the years that have passed, Mr.
Rininger has been an intelligent witness
of the greatest political and commercial
changes the country has ever experienced,

and is one of the soundest and best versed
men in its financial history and conditions
that can be found.
Although his life has been one of inde
fatigable work and constant application to
business, and he has always had the cour
age of his convictions and expressed his
opinions freely, it is not in public but
within the domestic circle of his home —
with his family gathered around his
hearth-stone — that Mr. Rininger has felt
the cup of life most nearly full. He was
married, September 9, 1844, to Miss Eliza
J. King, who was bora in Scipio, Cayuga
Co., N. Y., April 2, 1820. By this mar
riage there are five daughters and one son,
viz.: Lillian, wife of Edward Phelps, now
of Scranton, Iowa (they have five children:
Mabel, Edna,Homer, Raymond and Hazel) ;
Delphene, wife of J. L. Smith, of Dela
ware, Ohio (they have three children:
Ward, William R. and Louise); Natella,
wife of William C. Miller, of Gallipolis,
Ohio, now at Cincinnati (they have one
son, Frank); Augusta, at home; Frank,
who died at the age of fourteen years; and
Celestia A., who died at the age of one
year. Mr. Rininger is a representative self-
made man, his life bearing testimony to
what it is possible to accomplish with will
ing heart and hands, steadfast integrity
and honest toil. In brief, he started in
life penniless; to-day he commands the
highest quotation in Dunn's Commercial
Agency of any individual merchant in the
State of Ohio.

JOSEPH WESBECHER, a member
of the prosperous firm of Wesbecher
& Co., dealers in hardware, North
Amherst, is a native of Germany.
He was born February 25, 1852, in Mug-
enstnrm, Duchy of Baden, the seventh in
a family of eight children bora to Aloysius
and Matta (Melcher) Wesbecher, who were
also natives of Mugensturm, Baden, Ger-

914

LORAIN COUNTY, OHIO.

many, where they were reared and married;
the father was a farmer, and died in the
Fatherland; the mother is yet living. Of
their family three sons came to America:
John, now in Botkins, Ohio; George, a
resident of Greensburgh, Penn., and Jo
seph, our subject.
Joseph Wesbecher was educated in his
native land, and, not wishing to enter the
German army, in 1869 came to America.
He learned the tinner's trade, and after
working at different places for three years,
came, in 1872, to North Amherst, Ohio,
where he continued to work at his trade
until 1876, when he embarked in the
hardware business on his own account; the
style of the firm was Cook & Wesbecher
until 1880, since which time it has been
Wesbecher & Co. Mr. Wesbecher was
married November 28, 1878, in North
Amherst, to Miss Matilda C. Plato, and they
have had five children: Henry, Edd, Carl,
Leo and Frank. Politically our subject is
a stanch Democrat, and in religion he is a
member of the Catholic Church. He gives
his entire attention to his business, and by
industry and perseverance has succeeded
in building up a good trade.

TOMPKINS, a well-known, highly
respected agriculturist of Eaton
township, has been a resident of
same for over sixty years. He was
born in 1833 in Tompkins county, N. Y.,
son of Samuel and Betsy (Tel lis) Tomp
kins, natives of Pennsylvania, who were
reared and married in Newfield, Tompkins
county, N. Y. In 1833 they came with
their family to Eaton township, Lorain
Co., Ohio, where they opened up a farm.
The father died many years before the
mother, who passed away in 1885. They
reared a family of four children, namely:
John, married, who settled near his parents ;
Nathaniel, married, who resides in Eaton
township; S. Tompkins, subject of thjs
memoir; and Mary, wife of Joseph Dew
hurst, of Eaton township.

The subject of this sketch was reared
and educated in Eaton township, and has
always followed agricultural pursuits. He
owns a highly cultivated farm of eighty -
four acres. Mr. Tompkins was married
in Eaton township, to Miss Sarah Jane
Bassett, a native of same, and to this union
have come six children: Otis; Charley,
married, residing in Eaton township; Ellen,
wife of Bird Farr, residing in Amherst
township (they have two children); Fred,
Ira and Ida, all three residing at home. In
Politics Mr. Tompkins is a member of the
>emocratic party.

G'APTAIN THOMAS WILFORD, a
v well-known lake captain and protn-
) inent citizen of Lorain, has been
identified with sailing interests on the
Lakes for the past thirty -four years, and is
still in active demand. His father, Joseph
Wilford, a native of Northamptonshire,Eng-
land, married Mary Ellen Griffin, also a
native of that county, and they had a family
of ten children, of whom Thomas was the
eighth in order of birth. They came to
America, locating in North Amherst, Lo
rain Co., Ohio, where the father followed
farming, which was his life vocation. He
died at the age of fifty-three; his widow
passed away when aged seventy-three.
Thomas Wilford was born June 21,
1841, in Northamptonshire, England, and
remained in his native country until twelve
years of age, when be came with his par
ents to North Amherst. He received his
education in the common schools, and for
two years afterward worked on a farm. He
began life on the Lakes as a common sail
or, and then became mate, from which
position he was promoted to captain. He
was master of sailing vessels for eight
years, first of the schooner " Exile," and
next serving for two years on the steamer
" John M. Osborne." In 1884 the latter
collided with the steamer " Aberta," in

LORAIN COUNTY, OHIO.

915

Lake Superior, and went down in five
minutes, three of the crew being lost; and
it was only due to Capt. Wilford's prompt
itude, in ordering the "Aberta" to keep
forward and not pull off, that any of the
passengers were saved. He had on board
his wife, his two little girls, and a young
lady friend from Ashtabula, Ohio, and he
succeeded in saving his wife, the two little
girls being rescued by the mate. Capt.
Wilford spent partof the next season in
superintending the building of the steamer
" J. H. Devereaux," which he commanded
for five years, and next superintended the
building of the steamer " J. H. Wade,"
which he commanded for two years. He
afterward had charge of the building of
the steamer " Samuel Mitchell," of which
he is still in command'.
Capt. Wilford was married December
29, 1870, in Lorain, to Miss Fannie Gill
more, a native of that place, daughter of
Alanson Gillmore, and they have had two
children: Cora E., wife of Charles F. Bar-
tenfeld, and F. Adelaide, who died of ty
phoid fever May 28, 1893, aged sixteen
years two months and seven days. In po
litics our subject is a Republican, and
socially he is a member of the Royal Ar
canum aud also of the Ship Masters Asso
ciation. He has been a resident of Lorain
since 1861.

4/

HA. DEMING, a highly respected
citizen of Camden, now retired
from active public life, is a native of
Washington, Berkshire Co., Mass.,
born June 27, 1822. He is the
youngest in the family of nine children of
Absalom and Sarah (Eames) Deming, the
former of whom was a native of Connecti
cut, and a farmer by occupation. His par
ents were both of Puritan stock, he being
able, on his father's side, to trace his> an
cestry back to John Deming, Esq., who
was active in the early settlement of Hart
ford, Conn. Upon his mother's side his

lineage runs back, by direct line, to George
William Bradford, who came over in the
" Mayflower," hence he was of pure English
extraction. Our subject received his elementary
education at the public schools of his early
day, after which he attended an academy at
Westfield, Mass., and in this way prepared
himself for teaching, whieh he followed
for sixteen terms in his native State. He
was reared on his father's farm, and well
trained to agricultural pursuits. When he
had attained his majority (1843) his father
died, and young Deming took charge of
the home place, renting the portion belong
ing to the other heirs, and here remained
until 1855, when he removed to Hinsdale,
Berkshire Co., Mass., where he bought a
farm and continued in agricultural pur
suits. Finding his health failing at the
end of one year, he gave up the farm, and
entered a dry-goods store in Hinsdale, as
a clerk and bookkeeper, but after a time
he embarked, for his own account, iu the
flour and feed business. Abandoning this,
he accepted the position of bookkeeper
in a furniture factory. In December, 1869,
he moved to Mattoon, 111., and bought
property, and here be formed a partner
ship with his brother as loan agents, in
which they continued till September, 1882,
when our subject came to Oberlin, Ohio,
in order that his adopted daughter might
enjoy the best of school advantages.
While living here, in retirement, he spent
one winter in Florida, and while a resi
dent of Illinois passed a winter in Mary
land. In 1889 he came to Kipton, a
village in Camden township, Lorain county,
where he has since made his home.
Mr. Deming has been twice married,
first time December 4, 1850, to Isabel
Miliken, born March 30, 1827, in Hins
dale, Mass., a daughter of Robert Miliken.
This wife died in Oberlin, Ohio, January
25, 1886, and on April 3, 1889, Mr. Dem
ing was united in marriage with Miss
Carrie Rowland, born in Rochester, Lo
rain county, a daughter of Samuel W. and

916

LORAIN COUNTY, OHIO.

Harmony (Blair) Rowland. Mr. Deming
has an adopted daughter, Carrie B., born
July 3, 1864, now Mrs. E. E. Hopkins, of
Lorain, Ohio. Politically our subject was
originally a Whig, then a Republican, and
finally a Prohibitionist. At the age of
twenty-three years he was a member of
the school board at Washington, Mass., on
which he served ten years; at twenty-five
he was elected assessor, overseer of the
poor and select man of the town during
his residence in Washington. While a
citizen of Hinsdale he served on the school
board thirteen years continuously, as as
sessor six years, and treasurer of the town
three years. During his stay in Mattoon,
111., he was a member of the city council
four years, and of the school board three
years; and he took a leading part in or
ganizing the First Congregational Church,
in which he was an active Deacon for ten
years. Mr. Deming has been a great
reader in his day, is well posted and pos
sessed of sound judgment, is very popular
and is universally respected.

'HARLES H. HORTON. This gen
tleman, the widely-known inventor
and manufacturer, and formerly
superintendent of the Wellington
(Brick) Machine Co., of Wellington, is a
native of the State of New York, born
April 25, 1845, in Holley, Orleans county,
a son of Chauncey and Nancy (Masten)
Horton. The father was bora in the New
England States, and died while our sub
ject was young; the mother passed from
earth in Rochester, Lorain county. Our
subject's maternal grandfather and grand
mother were of French and Yankee birth,
respectively; his father's grandfather served
in the Revolutionary war.
C. H. Horton was reared on a farm to
the age of sixteen years, receiving during
the winter months a liberal education at
the common schools, chiefly in Hunting

ton township, Lorain Co., Ohio, whither
he had come when nine years old. Later
he removed to Ripley, Huron Co., Ohio,
where, in October, 1861, he enlisted in
Company D, Fifty-fifth O. Y. I. (for three
years service, or during the war), which
regiment was sent first to West Virginia,
and afterward assigned to the army of the
Potomac, Eleventh Army Corps. It par
ticipated in the battles of Bull Run, Cedar
Mountain, Chancellorsville and Gettys
burg, after which it was transferred to the
army of the West. Mr. Horton was in
the battles of Chattanooga and Buzzard's
Roost, and was severely wounded at Resaca,
but recovering rapidly rejoined his com
pany, and was with Sherman on his march
to the sea. He participated, in all, in
twenty-eight engagements, chiefly in the
rank of sergeant, to which he was promoted
soon after his enlistment. At the close of
the war his regiment took part in the
Grand Review at Washington, D. C,
where, in July, 1865, he received his dis
charge, having been in the service about
four years. He returned home and for a
time lived in Rochester, Lorain county,
and then came to Wellington, which has
since been his place of residence. Mr.
Horton is an inventor of considerable re
pute, and his first invention was a thresh
ing machine which had a self-registering
grain measure. This patent he sold, and
the machine was afterward manufactured
and sold very extensively. He then had
the sale of threshing machines and en
gines for several years till becoming a
member of the Wellington Machine Co.
He is the inventor of the " Monarch Brick
Machine," which is made of iron, its
capacity being six thousand bricks per
hour, and is the chief article turned out by
the Wellington Machine Company, of
whose shops Mr. Horton was superinten
dent from the organization of the com
pany until July 1, 1893, when he sold his
interest therein.
On November 8, 1877, our subject was
married to Miss Amelia Callin, daughter

^^c

LORAIN COUNTY, OHIO.

919

of James and Many Callin, of Monroe
ville, Ohio. Politically he is a Republican,
socially a Knight Templar, and a member
of Hamlin Post, G. A. R., Wellington. He
has been a member of the city council since
the spring of 1893, at which time he was
elected. In 1889 he built a fine block in
Wellington, north side of Mechanic street.

GW. HARRINGTON, a leading
farmer of Columbia township, is a
native of same, born February 29,
1848, a son of Elisha and Jane Har
rington, of Vermont birth, who in an early
day migrated to Lorain county, Ohio, set
tling in Columbia township. They died
here on their farm, the mother in 1858,
the father in January, 1884; he dealt con
siderably in live stock, was a Republican
in politics, and served as trustee of his
township. They had a family of six chil
dren, as follows: George (deceased when
three years old), Hiram (who resides with
his brother, C. W.), C. W., Wallace (mar
ried, living in Columbia township), Julia
(who died unmarried) and Sarah (who also
died unmarried). The grandfather of sub
ject had fourteen sons and two daughters.
C. W. Harrington received a liberal
school training in his native township, and
attended an educational institute in Cleve
land one term. Brought up to agricul
tural pursuits, he has made farming his
life work, and is now the owner of ninety-
four and three-fourths acres of well-cul
tivated land in Columbia township, on
wliich he settled in 1868. He has con
siderably improved the property, erecting
a comfortable residence, etc. In December,
1867, Mr. Harrington married Miss Susan
Maria Heath, bora in Elyria, Ohio, daugh
ter of William and Mary (Green) Heath,
natives of Vermont, and who migrated
westward to Ohio, settling in Columbia
township, Lorain county, where they are
yet residing. To Mr. and Mrs. Harring

ton have been born seven children — four
sons and three daughters — as follows:
Wallace W., who died at the age of two
months and fourteen days; Willie E., who
resides in Chicago; Bertha G., who died
when two years and six months old ; Afton
B., deceased when two months old; Eva
M., married to Charles Putt, and has one
child, Mamie; Julia Frances, who died
when fourteen years and six months old
(she united with the M. E. Church when
nine years old, and was a faithful worker
for the Lord at the time of her death; she
was an alto singer in the choir from the
time she was nine years old up to her
death); and Warren C, who resides at
home. Politically our subject is a Re
publican, and he is a member of the Bap
tist Church, his wife of the M. E. Church.
They are rearing an adopted child named
Lester Leon Lockwood.

H. SNOW, county surveyor of
Lorain county, is a native of Lorain
county, Ohio, born in the town of
Avon, September 22, 1848.
His father, Edwin Snow, was born
in Portage county, Ohio, and was there
married to Miss Julia Lewis, a native of
New York State. They became settlers
of Lorain county, where the father fol
lowed agricultural pursuits, owning a
farm of 400 acres, 200 of which he cleared
with his own hands. This was in Avon
township, and one of the roads there, still
known as " Snow's road," was named after
him. Edwin Snow was a leading farmer,
enjoying the respect and esteem of the en
tire community. He died in 1886, at the
age of seventy- seven years. In his politi
cal preferences he was a Republican. His
widow is still living in Elyria, now aged
seventy-four years.
C. H. Snow, who is the third of five
children born to Edwin and Julia Snowr
received a liberal education, in part at the

920

¦LORAIN COUNTY, OHIO.

common schools of his native town, and in
part at Oberlin College. His school days
over, he went to Cleveland, Ohio, and
there spent one year in civil engineering
work. Returning to Lorain county, he mar
ried, May 24, 1880, Miss Mary Sweet,
and settled down to agricultural pursuits,
which he followed several years, at inter
vals working at his profession. In this
he continued from 1874 till about 1886,
in June of which latter year he was ap
pointed, without any solicitation on his
part, county surveyor of Lorain county;
was elected in the following fall on the
Republican ticket, and is now serving his
second term. He still operates his farm,
although attending closely to his profes
sional duties. Since 1887 he has, by
special appointment, been serving as civil
engineer for the city of Elyria.
To Mr. and Mrs. C. H. Snow have been
born two children: Franklin and Bricena.
The family are members of the M. E.
Church.

fi

ENRY SPICER, one of the well-
known old residents of LaGrange
township, was bora January 4, 1829,
in Lancashire, England.
He is the son of Richard and
Harriet (Upton) Spicer, the former of
whom was a teamster, and drove in his
day the usual six-horse team. Their
children were named as follows: Alfred,
Thomas, Jesse, Henry, Mary and Harriet,
of whom Alfred and Thomas now reside
in Charlotte, Mich.; Jesse is in Iowa;
Mary is the deceased wife of Jesse Con-
over; and Harriet is the deceased wife of
Sheldon Seares, who was her second hus
band (she was first married, in England, to
John Pickwood). In 1832 Richard Spicer
came to the United States (bringing our
subject but not the entire family), landing
at New York, and thence proceeding by
river, -canal and lake to Cleveland, Ohio,
from which city be came to Lorain county,

locating east of the center of Ridgeville
township. By that time he had only a
small sum of money left, and he rented
land and earned his livelihood by thresh
ing (in the old-fashioned way), in which
line he was quite expert, being able to
thresh ten bushels of grain and clean up
after it in one day, a feat at that time
looked upon as almost phenomenal. Later
he removed to Butternut Ridge, where he
resided some time, and then lived for a
while at Grafton Station, Grafton town
ship, moving thence to Carlisle township,
where he bought fifty acres of land, then
all in the woods. He removed his family
thereon, but after clearing it and making
some improvements he sold the tract and
invested in land in the northern part of
LaGrange township, on which a vast
amount of clearing also had to be done.
He was a hard-working, iudustrious man,
and though beginning life poor he owned
at the time of his death one hundred acres
of land, all accumulated by his own untir
ing efforts. He and his wife both died on
the farm in LaGrange.
Henry Spicer was but three years old
when brought by his parents to the United
States and Ohio, where he received his edu
cation in the common schools of the day.
He could attend even these for only a short
period, however, as his eyes became
affected, which compelled him to abandon
study. He was reared to farm life, and
during his boyhood he frequently saw wild
animals — bears, deer, wolves, turkeys, etc.,
which were then still abundant in the
region — in the clearings on the farm. He
remained on tbe home place until his
marriage, January 8, 1850, to Lucinda P.
Hastings, who was born in Jefferson
county, N. Y., daughter of Otis Hastings,
a pioneer of LaGrange township. At this
time Mr. Spicer's circumstances were
somewhat limited. Locating in one of the
wildest portions of LaGrange township, he
purchased a tract at eight dollars per acre,
being obliged to go into debt for the land,
which was heavily timbered and difficult

LORAIN COUNTY, OHIO.

921

to clear. He next removed to Henrietta,
township, where he afterward sold out at a
profit, and in 1870 came to his present
farm, in LaGrange township, then com
prising 111 acres, part of which he has
since sold, having now eighty-six acres.
Mr. and Mrs. Spicer have had the follow
ing children: Richard, who died after
reaching adult age; Elbridge, a farmer of
LaGrange township; Perry, also a farmer
of LaGrange; Harriet, now Mrs. Lewis
Curtice, of LaGrange; and Carrie, Mrs. O.
Nichols, of Lorain. In politics, Mr.
Spicer was a Democrat until 1890, since
when he has been a Republican. In re
ligious connection he is a member of the
Baptist Cliurch. For seventeen years he
has conducted a threshing business, and he
is unusually well acquainted in his section.
He is a much respected member of his
community, and fully merits' the esteem
and regard in which he is held by his
fellow citizens. From a start of compara
tively nothing he has made a success in
life, reared his family well, and now enjoys
a comfortable competence.

V

.jOBERT SALISBURY, a typical
\V self-made man, and one of the lead-
1^ ing agriculturists of Grafton town-
y ship, is an Englishman by birth,
born near Hull, Yorkshire, July 7,
1821, a son of Joseph and Mary (Graspy)
Salisbury. They had three children bora
in England, viz. : Robert, subject of sketch ;
Hannah, now Mrs. John Dunn, of Ne
braska; and Graspy, who died at the age
of five years, and is buried in Belden
cemetery. In 1827 the family took passage in a
sailing vessel from Hull for the New
World, and after a voyage of six weeks
and three days they landed at New York.
From there they proceeded by river, canal
and lake to Cleveland, Ohio, thence to
Grafton township, Lorain county, by

wagon, the driver being a man who had
come from Spencer, Medina county. The
father of our subject had borrowed ten
dollars from a companion on the voyage,
and this was expended ih bringing the
family to Grafton. One John Langdon, a
friend of Mr. Salisbury, had previously
located in the township, and the latter was
on that account the more resolved to come
here, although while at Cleveland he re
ceived some inducement to stay there, be
ing offered not only work, but also land at
four dollars per acre, which, however, he
declined for the reason stated. On their
arrival in Grafton the family were in
needy circumstances, but Mr. Jonathan
Rawson, with whom they staid over night,
supplied them with provisions enough to
last them two or three days. At last Mr.
Salisbury secured work as a farm hand,
working for Judge Wells for twenty acres
of land, wliich he afterward traded; then
bought and sold, each time to advantage,
until he and his son, our subject, found
themselves possessors of 218 acres. After
coming to the United States two more
children were born to Mr. and Mrs. Joseph
Salisbury, as follows: Betsey, now Mrs.
Nelson Knowles, of LaGrange, Lorain
county; and Miney, now Mrs. Alonzo
Ryan, also of LaGrange. The father died
in 1869, the mother on February 15, 1881,
and they are buried in the cemetery at
East LaGrange.
The subject of this sketch was six years
old when the family came to the United
States, and he well remembers crossing
the ocean, and of being corrected by the
captain of the ship for climbing the rig
ging. In Grafton township he attended
the first schoolhouse built there, a very
primitive one, constructed of logs and
rudely furnished. He was reared to farm
ing, and has made it his life work, for a
considerable time he and his father work
ing together, clearing land in various
places; he also learned the trade of cooper,
and has followed it in connection with
agricultural pursuits. At the age of nine-

922

LORAIN COUNTY, OHIO.

teen he met with an accident, from the re
sult of which he has since suffered not a
little. One night he was coon-hunting.
and having climbed a tree after one of the
animals, he lost his hold, falling to the
ground, a distance of thirty-eight feet, and
through this mishap he became the first
patient of Dr. G. C. Underhill, in Grafton
or LaGrange township.
On September 19, 1857, Mr. Salisbury
was united in marriage, by Elder Nesbit,
with Miss Nancy L. McKenzie, a native
of Grafton, Ohio, and three children were
born to them, as follows: Charles F., mar
shal of Grafton; Franklin G., deceased at
the age of three years; and a son that died
in infancy, unnamed. After marriage our
subject continued to reside on the home
place, which is situated on the northwest
corner of Grafton township, and his parents
passed their declining years with him. At
one time he owned 235 acres of land, but
having given away and sold some, he has
now 168 acres left, besides three residences
in the village of Grafton. A Republican
in polities, he is a stanch member of the
party. He and his wife have been members
for twenty-seven years of the Congrega
tional Church, in which he has held vari
ous offices.

JlOHN HOWK, one of the most prom
inent and affluent of Lorain county's
i retired agriculturists, is a native of'
New York State, born in Chenango
county December 13, 1820.
David Howk, father of subject, was born
in Lee township, Berkshire county, Mass.,
of Holland- Dutch descent, his father hav
ing come from that land of pure butter
and cheese and variegated flowers to
America in an early day, settling in Lee
township, above referred to. Grandfather
Howk brought his wife with him, and in
their new home in the New World they
reared four sons and four daughters. The
grandfather died at the age of sixty-two

years. His son, David, married Miss Pol
lie Bradley, a native of the same place, and
they had six children, as follows: Clara
(who died in infancy), Eli B. (who died in
February, 1884), Hiram H, John, David,
and Mary (who died in 1884). After mar
riage David Howk moved to New York
State, locating near Oxford, in Chenango
county, and there resided till July 15,
1834, when the family came to Welling
ton township, Lorain Co., Ohio, making
the trip by canal and lake to Cleveland,
thence by wagons to their destination.
They were pioneers in the literal sense, for
they had to hew their way in the woods,
and found no neighbor less than two and
one-half miles distant, excepting wolves,
bears, panthers and many other wild ani
mals. Here tbe father died in 1853 aged
sixty-eight years, the mother in 1872 at
the advanced age of eighty-one; they were
members of the M. E. Church, and in poli
tics he was a Whig.
John Howk, the subject proper of this
sketch, was fourteen years old when he
came to Lorain county, with the rest of the
family, and nobly did his share toward the
clearing up of the wild woods. After his
marriage he settled on a farm in Welling
ton township, which now comprises 236
acres of prime land. On September 27,
1849, he was married to Miss Esther A.
Baird, born April 11, 1825, a daughter of
Bidwell and Sophia (Cheney) Baird, who
were natives of Massachusetts, the father
born in Berkshire county in 1796, and died
November 28, 1876; the mother born in
1801, and died August 21, 1891. They
came to Ohio in 1832, settling in Well
ington township, Lorain county. They
were the parents of ten children, viz.:
Kendal W., Esther A., Catherine S.,
Robert H, Sylvester B. (deceased), Al-
mena A., Albert E. (deceased), LucindaE.,
Adelaide P., and Abram P. (deceased).
The children born to our subject and wife
were as follows: Addie M., wife of H. O.
Barber (they have three children: Jessie
Bell, Clara May and John L.); Hattie, in

{^titi

LORAIN COUNTY, OHIO.

925

the auditor's office, Cincinnati, Ohio; and
Mary Ella, Emma A., Willie Perry and
Freddie E., all four deceased. Politically
our subject was first a Whig, then a Re
publican, and since S. J. Tilden ran for the
Presidential chair he has been a Democrat.
He has been a member of Congressional
conventions, also senatorial committees,
and served as trustee of his township nine
consecutive years, part of the time during
the Civil war. In church matters he is a
member of the M. E. Church. For the
past twelve years Mr. Howk has lived a re
tired life in the town of Wellington, hon
ored and respected by all.

4/

HE. CLARK, who was horn May
15, 1846, in Pittsfield township,
• Lorain Co., Ohio, was a grandson
of Nathan Clark, who was one of
the first two settlers in LaGrange
township. Jonathan L. Clark, son of Nathan, was
born in Jefferson county, N. Y., and when
eight years old came with his parents to
LaGrange township, Lorain Co., Ohio,
where he was reared to farm life. He mar
ried Rhoda Dale, a native of Vermont,
and they became the parents of four chil
dren, viz.: Julia, who died at the age of
twenty-two years; H. E. ; Carrie, Mrs.
Richard Gibbins, of Pittsfield township,
and John G., an attorney of Kansas City,
Mo. The father of this family was a Re
publican in politics. He died in 1877,
and was buried in Pittsfield cemetery.
His widow is still living at an advanced age.
H. E. Clark received a common-school
education, in the same district where his
children now attend school, and resided at
home until his marriage. On March 28,
1873, he was wedded to Miss Mary Rogers,
who was born April 28, 1842, in Pittsfield
township, daughter of Edward and Ann
(Bailey) Rogers; the latter were the par
ents of three children — one son and two

48

daughters — and came to Lorain county,
Ohio, from Cornwall, England. After
marriage Mr. Clark settled on the present
farm, where he was principally occupied in
general farming and dairying; he also
took considerable interest in stock raising,
and was formerly engaged iu breeding
fancy poultry, Oxford-Down registered
sheep, Ayrshire cattle (registered) and
Poland-China hogs, having experimented
with yarious strains, all eligible to record.
He also raised fine dogs — Scotch collies,
Newfoundland dogs and English pugs —
as well as ferrets, sending his stock to all
parts of the United States and Mexico. He
owned four imported horses, one Percheron
and one Norman stallion (French coach
stallions), and two mares. The farm now
comprises 253 acres, and the stock enter
prises netted him no small amount of
clear annual profit. In addition to general
farming he carried on a creamery of his
own, having regular customers who bought
the products of the same. His extensive
business was built up entirely by himself,
and his fair, honest dealing, business-like
methods, and complete practical knowl
edge of the business were important fac
tors in his success. To Mr. and Mrs.
Clark had been born four children:
Rhoda A., Carrie M., Edward L,., and Ro-
sella M. (who died when five years old).
Mr. Clark died July 21, 1893, a member
of the Methodist Church, as is also his
widow.

J. BRAMAN, a well-known and
'. popular citizen of Lorain, is a native
of Lorain county, born in 1839, a
£1 son of Daniel and Belinda (Fal
coner) Braman, the father a native
of Massachusetts, the mother of Pennsyl
vania. In an early day the parents came
to Lorain county, Ohio, but in 1851 they
migrated to Allamakee county, Iowa, so
journing there until 1856, in which year
they moved to Jackson county, Wis.,

926

LORAIN COUNTY, OHIO.

where they passed the rest of their days in
farming pursuits. The father died in
1883, the mother in 1891; he was a Demo
crat, and took some interest in politics.
G. J. Braman was reared and educated
in Lorain county, and at the age of twelve
years moved with his parents to Iowa,
where in 1852 he carried the chain on a
survey locating the boundary line of Iowa
and Minnesota. In 1857 he located at
Red Wing, Minn., and was a pilot on the
Mississippi river until 1860, when he re
turned to Lorain county, and again at
tended school, also following the trade of
carpenter. In May, 1861, he enlisted in
Company K, Twenty-third O. V. I., for
three years or during the war, serving un
der Col. R. B. (afterward General) Hayes,
assigned to the Eastern army. He was
first under fire September 10, 1861, at Car
nifex Ferry, and participated in the bat
tles of SeweU Mountain, Cotton Mountain
(Va.), and Newberne (N. C); after that
he was assigned to the army of the Poto
mac, and was in the battles of Fairfax
Courthouse, South Mountain, and Antie
tam; he was then ordered to the Kanawha.
While in the army of the Potomac, he was
detailed in charge of transportations. Mr.
Braman was honorably discharged at Co
lumbus, Ohio, in July, 1864, and returned
to Lorain county, Ohio, where he remained
till 1873, in that year moving to Michi
gan. For a time he was engaged as su
perintendent of a bridge gang in Texas,
but in 1882 he again came to Lorain
county, making his home in Lorain, and
was engaged on the C. L. & W. for some
time. Mr. Braman has been a member of
the Lorain police force since 1889, and
constable since 1890.
On December 25, 1864, Mr. Braman
was united in marriage, at Grafton, Ohio,
with Miss Belle M. Crittenden, also a na
tive of Lorain county, daughter of William
H. and Clara (Arnold) Crittenden, of
Massachusetts, who became early settlers
of Lorain county. To this union was
born one daughter, Rena Belle, now

the wife of William H. Ault, of Lorain
county.- Mr. Braman is a Republican,
and takes an active interest in politics;
in 1888 he served as a member of the
town council. He is a member of the Q.
A. Gillmore Post, G. A. R., Lorain, and
of the K. O. T. M.

F. CARTER, proprietor of a flour
ishing hardware establishment in
Oberlin, one of the leading business
houses in that line in Lorain county,
is a native of New York State, born in
Cattaraugus county in 1838.
Thomas Carter, his father, was a native
of Connecticut, and when he was a child
his parents, also natives of the "Nutmeg
State," came to Onondaga county, N. Y.,
from there moving to the western part of
the same State. The father, who was a
tanner and shoemaker, died at the patri
archal age of eighty-three years. In 1854
Thomas Carter and his family came to Lo
rain county, Ohio, settling on a farm in
Russia township. By trade he was a tan
ner and shoemaker, but after coming to
Ohio he followed farming exclusively. An
Old-line Whig in his younger days, he
has, since the organization of the party,
been a stanch Republican. His wife,
Abi (Hotchkiss), died in 1864, the mother
of six children. He now lives with a
daughter at Riceville, Penn., at the great
age of ninety-five years.
0. F. Carter, whose name introduces
this biographical sketch, is fourth in order
of birth in his father's family. His school
training was received in part in his native
county, and in part at Oberlin, Ohio. He
remained on his father's farm, assisting
thereon until his mother's death, after
which he bought the old homestead and
cultivated same till 1866, when he sold
out and returned to Cattaraugus county,
N. Y. Here, in Randolph township, he
embarked in the hardware business with a

LORAIN COUNTY, OHIO.

927

brother, but some little time afterward re
turned to Lorain county and opened in
Oberlin his present hardware store, the
style of the firm being, first — " Carter,
Franks & Co.," and, for the past four
years — " Carter & Hnckus."
In 1860 our subject was united in mar
riage with Miss Emily M. Brown, and one
child, Carrie J., was born to them; she is
the wife of Elmer M. Rice, of Riceville,
Penn., and has one child, named Robert
Hughes. Politically Mr. Carter is an
active Republican, and has been a regular
delegate to State and county conventions
for several years. Socially he is a mem
ber of the Royal Arcanum and Knights of
Honor. In church relationship he is a
Congregationalist.

JfOHN DAGUE, a lifelong farmer and
a highly respected citizen of Penfield
__' township, is a native of Ohio, born
November 16, 1820, in Milton town
ship, Wayne county, son of Frederick
Dague. Michael Dague, grandfather of
our subject, was of German extraction.
Frederick Dague, father of John Dague,
was a native of Washington county, Penn.,
where he was married to Catherine Harsh,
also born in Washington county, daughter
of Henry Harsh, and in 1820 the young
couple migrated westward to Ohio. The
road were very rough, but they came in a
wagon, and located in Wayne county, then
a very wild section, where wild animals —
deer, bears, wolves, etc. — abounded. Here
Mr. Dague purchased 160 acres of land, all
heavily timbered and without improve
ments of any sort, erecting thereon a rude
cabin, with puncheon floor, stick chimney,
etc. He had a family of eight children,
one of whom died in Pennsylvania, and six
of whom still survive, viz.: Frederick,
John, Henry, Levi, Sarah and Ann. The
father of these passed his remaining years
on the pioneer farm in Wayne county, liv

ing to see the transformation of his prop
erty from the primeval forest to a fertile
farm. Much hard labor was necessarily
involved in accomplishing this, but he was
assisted in the work by his family, every
member of which worked with a will to
secure a home, and at the time of his
death the property was worth several thou
sand dollars. He made many substantial
improvements thereon in the way of build
ings, putting up a fine barn and outbuild
ings, also a handsome brick residence, and
was progressive in every way. He acquired
and retained universal respect and esteem,
and instilled into the minds of his children
those sterling principles so characteristic
of his life, and now so apparent in theirs.
He lived to a ripe old age. Mrs. Cather
ine Dague died July 12, 1834, and Mr.
Dague subsequently married Margaret
Baker, who had come from Maryland j
there were no children by this union.
John Dague received in his youth a
meager training in the common schools of
that early day, his attendance being re
stricted to five days during one winter
term. From early boyhood he engaged in
the arduous duties of farm life, and re
mained at home until reaching his ma
jority, assisting in the clearing of the pio
neer farm, where he labored zealonsly to
help his father secure a home. On Jan
uary 20, 1842, he was united in marriage
with Miss Barbara Waltner, who was born
in December, 1816, in Adams county,
Penn., daughter of Jacob and Sarah
(Bowser) Waltner, who came by wagon to
Ohio in 1834, the family, which then con
sisted of three daughters, walking the
greater part of the way to Milton town
ship, Wayne county, where they located.
For nine years after their marriage Mr.
and Mrs. Dague rented land, and he worked
for fifty cents a day, clearing land for
others, laboring from sunrise to sunset,
his wife helping all the while. In Feb
ruary, 1852, they came to Penfield town
ship, purchasing 102 acres at five dollars
per acre, and there made their home in a

928

LORAIN COUNTY, OHIO.

log house, the walls of which were so open
that the snow blew through the cracks.
Children as follows were born to them:
Mary, who died at the age of thirty- one
years, unmarried; Sarah, Mrs. Alfred
Brouse, of Penfield; Margaret, Mrs. Har
vey Brouse, of Penfield; Jacob, a farmer,
deceased; Hattie, Mrs: Robert Davidson,
of Wellington, Ohio; Fred, a farmer of
Penfield; John, also a farmer of Penfield;
and William, a farmer of Spencer, Medina
Co., Ohio. About twenty-five years ago
Mr. Dague lost almost entirely the use of
his arm, but his children bave taken hold
of the manual labor, and the affairs of the
farm have progressed finely. At one time
he owned over 200 acres of land, and now,
after having started his children in life, he
has an excellent farm and a most beauti
ful home, and enjoys a comfortable com
petence. His noble wife deserves no small
amount of credit for the part she haB
taken, and now, though over seventy-seven
years of age, she is still in the enjoyment
of remarkably good health. Mr. Dague
is extremely fond of his home, seldom
leaving it for more than a day at a time.
He is a self-made man in every respect,
and from small beginnings has made a
complete success, having acquired during
his business career an enviable record for
fair, honest dealing. In politics he sym
pathizes with the Democratic party, tnd
in religious connection he and his wife are
members of the German Baptist Church.

Co

HARLES A. FOWLER was the
eldest son of Charles aud Eliza (Ba
ker) Fowler, and was born January
28, 1834, in Chestertown, Warren
N. Y. (where he spent his boyhood
days), a very picturesque village situated a
short distance from the Adirondack Moun
tains. Here during his leisure hours he roamed
at will down through the deep glens or
over the rugged mountains. After having

graduated at the high school, and receiv
ing a thorough business education, he en
tered his father's mercantile establishment,
where he became familiar with the practi
cal works of a merchant. About the year
1854 he came to Ohio to look after an ex
tensive land estate in the townships of
Grafton and Eaton, Lorain county. This
estate was purchased from Jonathan Raw-
son, it being a large tract of land situated
on both sides of Black river, and covered
nearly all the territory on which the pres
ent prosperous village of Grafton Station
now stands. After remaining in Grafton for
a short time, Mr. Fowler went to Michi
gan and engaged in the mercantile busi
ness, but in about one year returned to
Grafton to take care of the property there,
which was deeded to him by his father.
He spent his time in general farming,
stock raising and so forth. There was a
sawmill on the premises which he operated
until the year 1862, when it was carried
away by a flood, after which he devoted
his spare time to local politics, and filled
some of the most important offices of the
place with great credit; was mayor of
Grafton one term, and is still quoted as
the honest and business-like mayor. Po
litically he was a Democrat. While he was
very outspoken, he was very kind-hearted,
generous and charitable to a fault. In
1891 he rebuilt his home, which now ranks
among the finest in northern Ohio. Mr.
Fowler died December 30, 1891, in La
Grange, from injuries received while step
ping from a moving train. His remains
rest in the cemetery in Elyria, in a vault
erected by his wife at an enormous ex
pense, it being the finest in Lorain county.
The business part of the community feel
the loss of a good councilor and citizen,
and the poor mourn him as a benefactor.
On February 15, 1857, in the city of
Adrian, Mich., Charles A. Fowler was
united in marriage with Miss Mary J.
Hendee, who was born April 6, 1835, in
Spencer, Medina Co., Ohio, a daughter of
James and Anna (Hoover) Hendee, early

LORAIN COUNTY, OHIO.

929

settlers in Medina county, formerly resi
dents of Monroe county, N. Y. Mr. Hen
dee was a lifelong farmer, a man of
moderate means. He had a family of
eight children, of whom five at this date
are yet living. Mrs. Fowler is a lady of
sound judgment, and manages her farm of
140 acres in a manner that well exempli
fies her innate business sagacity and acu
men. Her residence is one of the finest
in the county, and is elegantly furnished,
all its surroundings giving evidence of the
exquisite taste and refinement of its owner.

LFRED FAUVER, ex-commissioner
of Lorain county, and retired agri
culturist, is a native of the county,
born in Eaton township in the year
1835.
In his boyhood and early youth Mr.
Fauver attended the common schools, and
learned the trade of carpenter and joiner,
at which he was working when the war of
the Rebellion broke out. He was the first
to volunteer into the service of the Union
from Eaton township, enlisting in the
Eighth O. V. I., which regiment was sent
to Camp Dennison from Cleveland, and
there being no accommodation prepared
for them the men had to bivouac in a field
among the snow and mud; in consequence
of such exposure our subject was seized
with pneumonia, but did not leave the
service. The regiment then proceeded to
West Virginia, to guard the Baltimore &
Ohio Railroad, and participated in the
battle of Winchester, where Mr. Fauver
received a musket-ball and three buckshot
in the leg, which wounds necessitated his
confinement in hospital at Winchester for
some time. Returning home when con
valescent, he was honorably discharged
from the service August 19, 1862. He
then settled down to agricultural pursuits
in Eaton township, which he carried on
successfully till 1891, in which year he re

tired from active life, and took up his resi
dence in Oberlin, in order the better to
educate his children.
On October 24, 1863, Mr. Fauver mar
ried Miss Elizabeth King, of Eaton town
ship, Lorain county, by which union there
are six children — five sons and one daugh
ter, as follows: Lester A., graduate of a
civil engineering school, and now city en
gineer of Lorain; Louis B., attending Ober
lin College; Clayton K., in college; Edwin
and Edgar (twins), both in high school at
Oberlin; and Mabel. In politics Mr. Fau
ver is a stalwart member of the Republi
can party, aud in 1884 was elected county
commissioner, in which incumbency he
served nine years and one month. He has
been active in the interests of the county
in many ways, and was a member of the
fubernatorial convention that nominated
'oster for governor of Ohio. He assisted
in the organization of the First National
Bank of Lorain, and is one of its directors;
he is also a stockholder in the Savings
Bank of Elyria.

JjILLIAM H. SAXTON, one of the
' most prominent and influential
of the prosperous agriculturists of
Russia township, was bora Octo
ber 28, 1827, in Jefferson county, N. Y.,
a son of Elisha Saxton, also a native of
New York State.
The father of our subject married Miss
Ardelia Cottrel, of the State of New York,
and they then settled in the vicinity of
where he was reared. He had served in
the capacity of coachman (rising to that
position from one of day laborer) for
Joseph Bonaparte, a heavy landowner and
prominent man, who at the time of his
death gave each of his employes fifty acres
of land, Elisha Saxton being one of the
beneficiaries. This he commenced farm
ing on, but it was new land and proved to
be not worth much, and later he moved to
Otsego county, same State, to a town then

930

LORAIN COUNTY. OHIO.

called Butternuts. Thence he proceeded
to Jefferson county, locating for a time in
Denmark, and from there the family came
in 1835 to Ohio, by way of the Erie Canal
from Syracuse to Buffalo, thence by boat
to Huron, Ohio, from which place they
were conveyed by wagon to Richland
county, where they sojourned a month or
two. From that county they moved to
LaGrange township, Lorain county, where
Mr. Saxton bought for cash seventy-five
acres at about five dollars per acre. Here
he lived for some years, at the end of
which time he removed to Wellington
township, same county, whence after a
time he returned to La Grange town
ship, where he died in July, 1863;
his widow passed from earth in 1870, in
Ohio, at the home of her son Nelson. They
are buried side by side in Pittsfield town
ship, Lorain county. He was a successful
hard-working farmer, and by industry and
frugality accumulated a comfortable com
petence. Politically he was a Democrat
until the Anti-slavery movement, when he
turned Abolitionist; he held various offices
of trust in his township. When he first
came to Ohio he was a Baptist, but later
became an adherent of the Universalist
faith, remaining so to the close of his life.
The children born to him prior to his re
moval to Ohio were as follows: Elzina,
who married Hiram Jones, and died in
LaGrange township, Lorain county; Will
iam H., subject of this sketch; Daniel, who
died soon after coming to Ohio; Nelson, a
minister of the Universalist faith, w»ho died
in 1890; and Emily, who married Cyrus
Batchelor, and died in LaGrange town
ship. Those born in Ohio are Albert D.,
now a resident of Eaton Rapids, Mich.;
and John, a farmer of Deerfield, Michigan.
William H. Saxton, the subject proper
of this sketch, received his education at
the subscription school of LaGrange town
ship, which was held in an old log cabin,
with slab seats, puncheon floor and greased
paper for windows in lieu of glass, the first
teacher being Lura Cross, fiere our sub

ject drank of the "Pierian Spring" dur
ing the winter months until be was eigh
teen years old, working on the farm in the
summer season. He lived at home till he
was twenty-one years old, when he pur
chased a piece of land containing fifty
acres, price three hundred and fifty dol
lars, paying one hundred dollars down, and
in a few years by hard labor and judicious
economy he was enabled to pay for it in
full. He built thereon a log cabin, al
most entirely with his own hands, the
chimney being made of mud and sticks,
and an old "hard-head boulder" consti
tuted the back of the fireplace.
In May, 1849, Mr. Saxton was married
to Mary Allyn, a native of Connecticut,
born in June, 1824, daughter of Matthew
Allyn, and they commenced their wedded
life in the humble log house just described.
The first road, in those parts, between
Cleveland and Toledo, came near their
home, and so they kept boarders, which
helped Mr. Saxton toward paying for his
farm; and he also sold cross ties from the
land he was clearing. This property of
originally fifty acres he has from time to
time added to, and he now owns in all
over 700 acres — some in Ohio, some in
Michigan and some in Iowa. For five
years after their marriage Mr. and Mrs.
Saxton lived in the old log cabin, and then
moved into a frame house. Their children
were born as follows: Clara, Mrs. Raphael
Rogers, of Cleveland, Ohio; Judson, a
farmer of Huiriboldt county, Iowa; Will
iam, a farmer of LaGrange township, Lo
rain county; Arthur, of Cleveland, Ohio;
and Edith, Mrs. M. Mason, of Oberlin,
Ohio. Mr. Saxton has been a great reader in
his day, and has a very retentive memory
for everything he finds of use from books.
He also takes a deep interest in various
branches of industry, and has been a patron
of all the leading industrial Expositions
held in the United States for the past
twenty-five years, including the Centennial
at Philadelphia, the New Orleans Exposi-

LORAIN COUNTY, OHIO.

931

tion, the World's Fair at Chicago, etc. In
1889 he and his wife made a trip to the
Pacific Slope, visiting among other places
San Francisco aud Sap Diego, Cal., and
Seattle, Wash. ; they also traveled through
the New England States, visiting his wife's
place of birth. In the summer of 1892
he visited the Western States, proceeding
as far north as Alaska, and traveling
through various parts of that new Terri
tory. In his political preferences Mr.
Saxton was a Republican up to the time
of Horace Greeley's campaign, since when
he has been a Prohibitionist.

H. ARNET, retired, who enjoys the
record of being one of the most
painstaking and successful farmers of
Russia township, a shrewd manager
and sound financier, is a native of
Western New York, born July 17, 1827,
in Jerusalem township, in the lake country.
James S. Arnet, father of subject, was
born November 26, 1783, and about the year
1835 came to Ohio, locating in Hartland
township, Huron county, in the pioneer
days of that locality. After some years
residence there he moved to Illinois, but
returning to Ohio he passed the rest of his
days among his children. He died in
Townsend township, Huron county, in Oc
tober, 1868, and was buried at Hartland
Ridge by the side of his second wife. Po
litically he was for several years a Whig,
afterward, on the organization of the party,
a steadfast Republican. He had been twice
married, first time September 11, 1804, to
Julia Terry, who was bora March 31,
1785, and died when her son G. H., our
subject, was two months old. Mr. Arnet
then removed to Sheffield township, War
ren Co., Penn., where, on August 12,
1830, he married Rebecca Shipman, who
died in Hartland township, Huron county.
G. H. Arnet, the subject proper of
this sketch, being but an infant when his
mother died, was brought up by his sister

Caroline, and attended the subscription
schools of the period. At about the age
of twenty-one he began to work out for
himself, with a lumber company (four
years) and in sawmills, etc., in Huron and
Lorain counties. On December 28, 1854,
Mr. Arnet was married to Elizabeth West,
who was born September 7, 1831, in Gen
eva, N. Y., and in 1841 came to Welling
ton township, Lorain county, with her
parents, Horace and Susan (Weiser) West.
The children born to this union are Mel
vin D., born October 13, 1859, a farmer
in Russia township; Helen S., born March
17, 1863, married to Manasses Baker, of
Oberlin, Ohio; and George W., who died
young. Prior to his marriage our subject had
bought on credit 121 acres of wild land at
eight dollars per acre, where he is yet liv
ing, and this he has improved and from
time to time added to until he now has 180
acres of as good farming land as can be
found in the county. For some years he
has lived retired from active life, his son,
Melvin D., having charge of the place; but
he can not remain idle, for at all times he
is to be seen doing light work of one kind
or another about the premises. He has a
bright, pleasant home, where he and his
estimable wife are quietly and comfortably
passing the declining years of their lives.
Politically Mr. Arnet is a stanch Republi
can, formerly an Old-line Whig.

4/

HG. HUSTED, senior member of the
well-known firm of H. G. and D. S.
Husted, dentists, in Oberlin, is a
worthy representative of bne of the
earliest pioneer families.. His grand
father, Samuel Husted, came in a very early
day from Danbury, Conn., and erected the
first flour mill in the county. Hoyt Husted,'
father of subject, was born in Danbury,
Conn., and learned the milling business,
which he followed for many years in Clarks
field township, Huron Co., Ohio. For his

932

LORAIN COUNTY, OHIO.

first wife he married Sarah Gray, a native
of New York State, who came with her
parents to Ohio in 1825, settling in Clarks
field, Huron county. His second wife,
Anna C. Stone, was born in Connecticut,
and removed with her parents to Clarks
field when but a child.
H. G. Husted, son of Hoyt and Sarah
(Gray) Husted, was born April 6, 1851, in
Clarksfield township, Huron Co., Ohio,
and was reared to farm life, receiving his
primary education in the common schools.
For three and one-half years he studied
dentistry under a preceptor, in Norwalk,
and since September, 1878, he has resided
in Oberlin, where he .has built up a good
practice. Mr. Husted was united in mar
riage, November 11, 1879, in Norwalk,
Huron county, with Miss Alberta Jackson,
a native of Norwalk, and to this union
have been born three children: Walter,
Clara and Hubert. Politically our subject
is an active member of the Republican
party, and has served two terms as mem
ber of the town council. In religious faith
he is an adherent of the Congregational
Church. He is a member of the Northern
Ohio Dental Association.

DS. HUSTED, junior member of the
well-known dentist firm, in Oberlin,
_' of H. G. and D. S. Husted, is de
scended from an earlypioneer family
of this section. His grandfather, Samuel
Husted, came in a very early day from
Danbury, Conn., and erected the first flour
mill in the county. Hoyt Husted, father
of subject, was born in Danbury, Conn.,
and learned the miller's trade, which he
followed for many years in Clarksfield
township, Huron Co., Ohio. For his first
wife he married Sarah Gray, a native of
New York State, who came with her par
ents to Ohio in 1825, settling in Clarks
field, Huron county. His second wife,
Anna C. Stone, was a native of Connec
ticut, and came to Clarksfield with her
parents when but a child.

D. S. Husted, son of Hoyt and Anna C.
(Stone) LIusted, was born March 17, 1861,
in Clarksfield township, Huron couuty,
where he was reared, and where he received
his primary education at the common
schools. In 1885 he was graduated from
the Dental Department of the University
of Michigan, and commenced the practice
of his profession at Troy, Miami Co., Ohio,
where he remained for some time. Later
he formed a partnership with his brother,
H. G. Husted, and they are now conduct
ing an extensive practice in Oberlin. The
Doctor was married, April 25, 1889, to
Miss Lizzie Hurlburt, of Oberlin, Ohio,
and they have had two children, namely:
Howard and Edith. Politically Mr.
Husted is a Prohibition-Republican, and
in religion he is an adherent of the M. E.
Church. He is a member of the Northern
Ohio Dental Association.

D

AVID BURKE is one of the most
prominent representative agricul
turists of Lorain county, his resi
dence being on Butternut Ridge,
Eaton township.
He is a native of New York State, born
in 1827, in the town of De Kalb, a son
of David and Isabella (Mcllwe) Burke, the
former of whom, a native of Londonderry,
Ireland, when a young man sailed from
Belfast for this country, aud after his ar
rival proceeded to De Kalb, N. Y., where
he married, and his children were born.
From there in March, 1834, the family
came to Lorain county, Ohio, settling in
Ridgeville township, where the father
opened up a farm, subsequently purchas
ing the Alcott property in the same town
ship. He died in August, 1875, his wife
having preceded him to the grave in 1872.
They reared a family of seven children, all
of whom are yet living, as follows : Samuel
Burke, married, residing in Indiana; Mat
thew Burke, married, living in Chicago;
Judge Stevenson Burke, of Cleveland;

^ ^ ti

£*/:

1

LORAIN COUNTY, OHIO.

935

David Burke, the subject proper of this
memoir; Mary J., wife of Henry Smith,
of Olmsted Falls, Ohio; James Burke,
married, a resident of Ridgeville township,
Lorain county; and R chel, wife of Henry
Marsh, of Summit county, Colorado.
David Burke received his education at
the common schools of Ridgeville town
ship, Lorain county, whither he had come
with his parents when seven years old. In
early life he went on the lakes, first as fire
man on a steam vessel, in course of time be
ing promoted to engineer, remaining in all
nine years, during " the cholera year,"
working on the Sandusky line. On leav
ing the lakes, he came to Eaton township,
and bought six acres of wild land, to
which he added from time to time until he
now owns 360 acres in Eaton township,
and fifty in Ridgeville township. All his
property he has greatly improved, and the
barn he built — 86 x 46 feet — 24 foot posts
— has a capacity of 200 tons of hay, with
basement for cattle and horses. In addition
to general farming operations, Mr. Burke
trades considerably in horses, matching
teams, and so forth.
In 1850 he was married in Ridgeville
township to Miss Hannah Kemp, who was
born in Kenninghall, England, daughter
of Robert and Hannah (Colley) Kemp, also
natives of England, who came to America
and, in 1830, made a permanent settle
ment in Ridgeville township, Lorain Co.,
Ohio. To Mr. and Mrs. Burke have been
born two children: Albert (married), on
his father's farm, and Lyman, attending
school in Elyria. In his political predilec
tions our subject is a Republican.

DANIEL AUBLE, a widely respected,
upright citizen of -Penfield township,
is a native of the State of Ohio, born
July 6, 1828, near Greentown, Stark
county. His father, Christopher Auble,
was bora in Pennsylvania, and his grand
father, Conrad Auble, was a native of
Germany.

Christopher Auble was reared to farm
life, was married in Pennsylvania to Miss
Mary Crumbaugh, also bora in that State,
of German parentage, and in an early day
they came west to Stark county, Ohio,
where they resided for some years. In 1829
they moved to Wadsworth township, Me
dina county, where he purchased 160 acres,
all in the woods, erected a small log house,
and immediately set to work clearing the
land, where he made his home for many
years. In their later life, after their chil
dren bad all married, Mr. and Mrs. Auble
removed to Spencer township, Medina
county, where he passed from earth at the
age of eighty-two years, she at the age of
ninety-two, both members of the Evangeli
cal Church. They now lie buried in
Spencer cemetery. Mr. Auble was a sol
dier in the war of 1812, and drew a pen
sion for his services. He was an honest,
industrious, hard-working farmer, who ac
cumulated an ample share of this world's
goods, and lived to enjoy a comfortable
competence. He was actively interested
in religions work, and became a minister
in the Albright Church, being a naturally
bright, intelligent man. His children, ten
in number, all became successful, well-to-
do citizens.
Daniel Auble was but an infant when
his parents removed to Medina county,
where he was reared to mandood on the
home farm, receiving an education in the
common schools. As soon as he was old
enough to help, he was put to work clear
ing the land, and he continued to do gen
eral farm work, remaining at home until
reaching his majority, and turning over all
his earnings to his parents. On Septem
ber 19, 1861, he was united in marriage
with Miss Ruth E. Space, who was born
January 10, 1843, in Spencer township,
daughter of Philip and Elizabeth (Benja
min) Space, and they first located on a
rented farm in Spencer township. They
then rented various other places for about
five years, when Mr. Auble purchased a
small tract of laud near Spencer Mills,

936

LORAIN COUNTY, OHIO.

whence in 1866 they came to Penfield
township, Lorain county, locating on the
Smith road. Here they resided for about
twenty-five years, and in 1891 came to the
present farm, which comprises one hun
dred acres of excellent land. The children
born to Mr. and Mrs. Auble are as fol
lows: Mary E., Mrs. William Haulk, of
Wellington ; Alice L., Mrs. George White,
of Penfield ; Ida J., Mrs. Frank England,
of Huntington; Aaron, Francis and Lucius
L., at home; and Christopher, deceased.
By hard toil and the practice of economy
Mr. Auble has met with encouraging suc
cess in his life vocation, and though be
ginning life with almost nothing, he is
now a well-to-do farmer citizen, highly
esteemed for his square, honest methods
in dealing with his fellow-men. In his
political predilections he is a stanch sup
porter of the Democratic party, and in re
ligious faith he and his wife are members
of the Evangelical Church.

JOHN STANG, railroad and Govern
ment contractor, Lorain, is a native
of Germany, bora February 19, 1836,
at Kurhassen, where he was educated,
and learned the trade of manufacturer of
broadcloth. At the age of nineteen he
immigrated to the United States, and after
landing came directly to Lorain, Ohio,
where he worked first in a shipyard, in
the meantime making himself master of
the English language. With, characteristic
energy and his well-known ability he soon
advanced himself, and it was not long be
fore he was largely interested in contract
ing and building, including bridge build
ing for the county, as well as for railroads,
in connection with which latter the first
bridges he contracted for were on the
Cleveland & Akron road, and on the Nickel
Plate; he also constructed foundations for
iron bridges. Prior to this he had done
Government work, chiefly building piers

and breakwaters, from which he drifted,
in 1881, into harbor dredging. Nor did
Mr. Stang confine himself to contracting
and building, for in 1864 we find him al
ready deep in the timber business, shipping
to New York, Buffalo and Cleveland, and
to Quebec (Canada) for foreign shipment;
and he is still interested in that line of
trade in Ottawa county, Ohio, where he
has, in connection, sawmills, stores etc.
He more closely confines himself to Govern
ment contracts for the building of dry-
docks, coal-docks etc., also the raising of
sunken vessels, and other such work on the
lakes. Mr. Stang has been twice married, first
time, in 1863, to Miss Mary Brown, by
whom he has four children: Christina M.,
wife of H. Little; W. F. and John J., at
tending to their father's timber interests,
and Lizzie, wife of P. Jackson. The
mother of these dying in 1875, Mr. Stang
married, in .1876, Miss Catherine Brown.
In his political sympathies our subject is
a Republican; socially he is a member of
the Royal Arcanum, Knights of the Mac
cabees and Knights of Honor. In matters
of religion he is a member of the Congre
gational Church. Mr. Stang's parents,
Augustus and Margaret (Herwig) Stang,
were also natives of Kurhassen, Germany,
where they passed their lives, and where
the father carried on a merchant tailoring
business. They were Presbyterians. Their
family consisted of six children — four sons
and two daughters — of whom the subject
of this sketch is fourth in order of birth.

THOMAS ROACH, a prosperous
farmer of Eaton township, is a
native of Northamptonshire, Eng
land, born November 29, 1848, son
of John and Elizabeth (Ames)
Roach. The parents of our subject were also
natives of the same county in England,
and in 1853 came to the United States,

LORAIN COUNTY, OHIO.

937

locating first on rented land im Amherst
township, Lorain Co., Ohio. In 1854 the
family removed to Ridgeville township,
and thence in 1856 to Eaton township,
settling on the farm where Thomas Roach
now resides, which at that time was but
partly improved. The father afterward
resided in Carlisle township. He died in
1888; the mother preceded him to the
grave, having passed away in the fall of
1853, in Amherst township. They reared
a family of seven children, all born in
England, a brief record of whom is as fol
lows: Mary was married in England to
Samuel Maddock, and now resides in De
fiance county. Ohio; Joseph is married,
and resides in Nebraska; Ann is the wife
of Henry Townsend, of Carlisle township;
William enlisted, in 1861, in Amherst
township, as a member of Company K,
Twenty-third 0. V. I., for three years, and
was accidentally shot and killed the same
year; Betsy, the wife of Henry Montague,
resides in Neosha county, Kans.; Sophia
is the wife of Peter Watts, of Knights-
town, Ind.; Thomas is the subject of this
memoir. John Roach took an active in
terest in politics, and held various local
offices of trust, serving as township trustee,
member of the school board and road
supervisor. In religious faith he was a
member of the Disciple Church.
Thomas Roach was reared in England
until five years of age, when he came with
his parents to Lorain county, Ohio. He
received his education in the common
schools of Eaton township, and has since
been engaged in agriculture, which he has
made his life vocation. He now owns the
homestead farm, consisting of fifty acres
of good land, in a high state of cultivation.
In September, 1879, Mr. Roach was mar
ried, in Eaton township, to Miss Jennie
Artress, a native of England, daughter of
William and Mary (Johnson) Artress, who
were also born in England; they came
from their native country to Amherst
township, Lorain Co., Ohio, removed thence
to Elyria, and from Elyria to Grafton (all

in Lorain county), finally returning to
Elyria, however, where Mrs. Artress still
resides. William Artress died in 1884.
Mrs. Roach died July 1, 1891, leaving one
daughter, Elizabeth Ann. In politics Mr.
Roach is a Republican.

L

ORENZ HORN, furniture dealer,
undertaker, and postmaster at North
Amherst, was born December 23,
1839, in Hessia, Germany, a son of
Andrew and Sophia (Bechstein) fiorn, also
natives of Hessia. Their parents were
born in France, and removed to Germany,
where our subject's father and mother are
yet living. Andrew Hora served in the
German army ten years, and afterward as
a Government employe.
Lorenz Horn left the paternal roof in
the Fatherland on March 23, 1856, and
after a voyage of forty-two days landed in
New York, whence he came to Lorain
county, Ohio, arriving in North Amherst
on June 7 following. Here he made a stop
of one week, and then proceeded to Louis
ville, Ky., where he learned the trade of
shoemaker, following same until the break
ing out of the war of the Rebellion, at
which time he enlisted in the Twenty-
second Regiment, Kentucky Volunteer
Infantry, in which he served sixteen
months; then enlisted in the One Hundred
and Twenty-eighth Regiment, O. V. I.,
for nineteen months, fie was attached to
the army of the Cumberland; was at the
siege of Charleston, and in pursuit of
Morgan at the time of his raid. On his
return to the pursuits of peace, Mr. Hora
followed his trade of shoemaker until 1871,
when he commenced in his present busi
ness, which has grown to considerable pro
portions, and proved very successful.
Mr. Horn was married, August 16,
1863, in North Amherst, to Miss Margaret
Ray, a lady of Scotch and German parent
age, and six children — one son and five

938

LORAIN COUNTY, OHIO.

daughters — were born to them, as follows:
Lucy, Emma, Catherine, Daisy, Franklin
G. and Pansy. The entire family are
members of the Congregational Church,
aud all assist in the choir. Mr. Horn is
an active Republican, and has served his
town and county in various offices of trust,
such as member of the council, three
terms; president of the school board, three
years; treasurer, six years, and also clerk.
In July, 1887, he received the appoint
ment of postmaster at North Amherst,
which incumbency he is yet filling. He
is a member of the I. O. O. F. and G. A. R.

ED. HANCE, a leading native-born
' farmer of Eaton township, first saw
 I the light December 13, 1836, a son
of Hiram and Rhoda Ann (Ames)
Hance, the former of whom was born in
New York, the latter in Massachusetts.
Hiram Hance came to Eaton township,
Lorain county, at the age of fourteen. On
January 2, 1836, he was married in Graf
ton township, same county, to Rhoda Ann
Ames, and they at once settled on a farm,
his previous business having been distill
ing, which he carried on for some time in
Newburg, Cuyahoga county. Children as
follows were born to this pioneer couple:
Ed., subject of this memoir; Grove, mar
ried, residing in Eaton township; Jerome,
who died in Eaton township at the age of
twenty-seven (he attended Oberlin College,
and was a teacher in Lorain county; he died
from over-study) ; Abbie, residing in Phil
adelphia, Penn. ; Florence, deceased April
7, 1883, in Eaton township; and Oscar,
married, residing in the township. The
father died January 22, 1886, aged seventy-
six years; the mother July 2, 1885, aged
sixty-five. In politics Mr. Hance was
originally a Democrat, his first Republican
vote being cast for John C. Fremont,
from which time, however, he was a
Republican.

Jeremiah and Abbie Hance, grandpar
ents of subject, were natives of Holland,
whence in an early day they immigrated
to America, settling on Long Island. He
was a saltwater sailor for over twenty years
in the merchant service, and after leaving
the sea carried on a shoemaking business
in Long Island and Jersey City, in which
latter place he was burned out. In 1821
he came with his family to Eaton town
ship, making a settlement in the woods,
where they cleared a farm. Here he died
in 1866, aged ninety-seven years, his wife
passing away in 1871. The names of the
children they brought with them to Ohio
are Riley, Hiram, Ira, Charles, Abigail,
Sterling, Mary (widow of Theron Jackson,
of Delta, Ohio), and Lloyd (married and
residing in Liverpool, Medina Co., Ohio).
Of these Hiram died January 22, 1886,
Ira January 25, 1886, and Abigail Jan
uary 26, 1886.
Ed. Hance, the subject proper of this
biographical sketch, was the first white
child born in the southern part of Eaton
township. He received a limited educa
tion at the district schools of the vicinity,
giving only seven months' attendance, but
experience and self application brought
him up to a fair standard among his con
freres. His first business experience was
as a boatman on the Mississippi and Ohio
rivers, and Gulf of Mexico, after which he
took up general farming, and has since
followed same with marked ability, mak
ing a specialty of stock raising. In 1864
he bought 130 acres of land in Eaton
township, on which he has erected a com
fortable residence and commodious barn,
and to which he has added from time to
time till he is now owner of 300 acres of
prime land in a good state of cultivation.
In September, 1864, Mr. Hance was
married in Cuyahoga county, Ohio, to
Miss Letitia Emerson, a native of same,
and daughter of Asa and Louise (Free
man) Emerson, natives of Maine and Mas
sachusetts, respectively, and early pioneers
of Cuyahoga county; Mr. Emerson died

^Z<Jyc4~*2^i*-*J±- 

LORAIN COUNTY, OHIO.

941

there June 17, 1890. To this union chil
dren as follows were born: George (a
sailor, who was drowned November 12,
1886, at Avon Point), Jerome, Willfred,
Hubert, Lucretia and Lloyd (twins, the
latter of whom died at tbe age of three
years), and Anna. The mother of these
passed from earth March 11, 1890. She
was a lady of superior literary abilities,
and was a writer of considerable merit.
several of her productions appearing in
Washburn's paper. She was also an ex
cellent judge of fine art, and served on
committees. On December 23, 1891, Mr.
Hance wedded Mrs. Lucy (Crane) Sprague,
widow of Charles Sprague.
In his political associations our subject
is a straight Republican, and has served
as trustee of Eaton township eleven years
¦ — nine in succession. He has been one of
the directors of the County Association
twenty-two years; president of the County
Fair two years, where he invariably makes
an exhibit, and has been superintendent of
exhibits at Columbus. He is the possessor
of the largest individual collection of
stone-age implements in the county, and
has devoted considerable time to the study
of their use and history.

HARLES S. FERGUSON, editor
and proprietor of the Lorain News,
the only Democratic newspaper pub
lished in that town, is a native of
Ohio, born in Milan, Erie county, July 15,
1863, and comes in a direct line from an
old Scotch family.
P. M. Ferguson, his father, was bora
November 12, 1833, in Luzerne county,
Penn., and received his education at the
schools of Dallas in the same county. In
1855 he came west to Ohio, and made a
new home in the town of Milan, Erie
county, where for a time he followed
butchering, then worked in a shipyard,
and afterward became a farmer. In 1887

he moved to Lorain, Lorain county, where
he is now engaged in the livery business.
In 1862 Mr. Ferguson married, at San
dusky, Ohio, Miss Mary A. Smith, and
three children have been born to them,
viz.: Charles S., Nettie M. and Ada P.
In politics the son of whom we write in
no way differs from the father, who is a
"true blue" Democrat.
Charles S. Ferguson received a liberal
education at the public schools of his na
tive town, and at the University of Michi
gan, Ann Arbor, three years. On his re
turn home he took up the profession of
civil engineering and became surveyor for
Erie county, an incumbency he filled from
1885 to 1888, in wliich latter year he
came to Lorain, and in 1889 established
the first and only Democratic newspaper
in the place. The News is a bright, newsy
weekly, and, under Mr. Ferguson's sole
proprietorship and editorship, it is bound
to succeed and make its mark in the arena
of journalism.

ock,

;APT. ALEXANDER McPHAIL,
a well-known captain on the Great
Lakes, and a citizen of Lorain, was
born September 7, 1831, at Green-
on the Clyde, Scotland, son of
Alexander and Elizabeth (McKennon) Mc-
Phail, both of whom were also natives of
Scotland. The father was a sailor, and
died in his native country in 1838, and in
1873 his widow came to America, locating
in Lorain, Lorain Co., Ohio, where she
died in 1889.
Alexander McPhail was reared on the
banks of the Clyde, and received his edu
cation in the schools of his native country.
At the age of about fourteen he com
menced to lead a sea-faring life, and he
has made sailing his life vocation. For
seven years he served on vessels sailing
from Liverpool and Glasgow to the East
and West Indies, and he also made a trip
around the world. In August, 1851, he
left the vessel at Montreal, and coming to

942

LORAIN COUNTY, OHIO.

Cleveland, Ohio, has since been identified
with the Great Lakes, for many years as
captain, sailing from Buffalo to Chicago,
and along the entire chain of the lakes.
Since 1852 he has been a resident of
Lorain. On December 20, 1858, Mr. McPhail
was married to Miss Annie Ludlum, a na
tive of Lorain, this county, whose father,
Henry Ludlum, was a native of New
Jersey, and was a mason by trade. He
married Annie Howsworth, a native of
Germany, and they located in Ridgeville,
Ohio, in an early day, thence coming to
Lorain, where they passed the remainder
of their lives. To the union of Alexander
and Annie McPhail were bora six children,
four of whom are now living, viz.: Frances,
wife of Lewis Hoffman, of Lorain; Charles,
an engineer, residing at home; Henry, at
home, and Elizabeth. The mother of these
children died in November, 1891. In poli
tics the Captain supports the principles of
the Republican party, and socially he is a
member of the I. O. O. F. In religions
faith he is a member of the M. E. Church,
with which he has been identified since
1857.

VAVID A. RAWSON, one of those
noble old pioneers who has been
spared by the ravages of time, was
boru October 12, 1819, in Grafton,
Lorain Co., Ohio.
The father of our subject, Grindall Raw-
son, was born in West Southbridge, Mass.,
in 1792, a son of Samuel Grindall Raw-
son, who was by trade a wagon-maker, and
from Massachusetts moved to Genesee
county, N. Y., whence after about one
year "he came (in 1816) to Ohio, landing
first at Cleveland, then a collection of
huts. From there he walked to Liver
pool, Medina county, thence to Grafton
township, Lorain county, at that time a
primeval wilderness, where yet roamed the
Indian and many a savage wild animal.

His father had traded land in Connecticut
for a tract in Grafton township, and his
sons Grindall and Jonathan selected 160
acres each near where the village of Graf
ton now stands, after which Grindall re
turned to Genesee county, N. Y., and for
eome time made his home with one Han
ford Boughton.
In 1817 Grindall Rawson once more
came to Ohio, and permanently located on
his 160 acres, bravely setting to work to
clear the land, erecting at first a rude log
cabin. Here he married Maria Ashley, a
native of Massachusetts, and daughter of
David Ashley, who came as a pioneer to
Grafton township, settling near the Center.
To this union were born children as fol
lows: David A., the subject of sketch;
Angelo D., a farmer of Eaton township; a
son that died when two months old; Henry,
a farmer, who died in San Diego, Cal.,
where he had gone in search of health;
Rachel, Mrs. Samuel Wilson, of Windsor,
Ashtabula Co., Ohio; Adaline, of Pres
cott, Wis. ; Phebe, Mrs. Cassana Lovejoy,
of Cleveland, and Theodore, who died
when a young man/ Mr. Rawson followed
his trade in connection with farming, and
was one of the leading men of his time.
When he first came to Grafton township,
in order to get his milling done he had to
go to the Tuscarawas river, a nine-days'
trip through the woods, and oxen were the
only beasts of burden. He cleared all his
land, which at the time of his death
amounted to over 300 acres, and he was
looked upon as a hard-working, thrifty
man. He died May 21, 1876, his wife
about two years- afterward, and both lie
buried in Center cemetery. Politically he
was originally an Old-line Whig, later a
Republican. David A. Rawson, whose name opens
this sketch, was educated at the subscrip
tion schools of the period, one Samuel
Curtis being his first teacher, and his at
tendance was limited to a few months in
the winter season. In January, 1845, he
was married to Miss Amanda M. Jad win,

LORAIN COUNTY, OHIO.

943

a native of the State of Massachusetts,
daughter of Rensselaer Jadwin, who came
to Lorain county, Ohio, in pioneer times.
After marriage our subject and his young
wife located on eighty-four acres of land
which he paid for out of his savings, the
amount being four hundred and eighty
dollars. Here he has since continued to
live, and has seen his property converted
from a howling wilderness into a smiling,
fertile farm. To him and his wife were
born four children, to wit: J. Henry, who
died when four years old; J. A., a leading
farmer of Grafton; Eva, Mrs. George
Cragin, of Grafton; and William T., who
died at the age of sixteen years. The
mother of these departed this life in May,
1876, a consistent member of the M. E.
Church. Iu his political preferences Mr.
Rawson is a stanch Republican, formerly
an Old-line Whig, and while not a mem
ber of church, he is a Universalist in senti
ment. He has always been a hard worker,
has managed well, and he is one of the
successful farmers in Grafton township.

G. COLE, prominent among the
successful agriculturists of Colum
bia township, is a native of same,
born December 31, 1842, a son of
William A. and Electa A- (Smith) Cole.
William A. Cole was born in Connecti
cut in 1816, a son of John and Bethany
(Cole) Cole, natives of the same State, who
' in 1828 came with their family to Lorain
county, settling in Columbia township on
600 acres of wild land. The journey from
Connecticut to Cleveland was made by
water and occupied three weeks, the rest
of the trip being made on foot. John Cole
died in 1851, his wife about six months
later. A brief record of their children is
as follows: Constant G., who married and
lived in Elyria, was county surveyor for
nine years, and was drowned in the Black
river; W. G., married, resides in Ridgeville

township; William A. is spoken of further
on in this sketch; John resides in Colum
bia township; Mary (twin sister of John),
who became the wife of Thomas Church-
wood, died in Berea, Ohio; Nathaniel N.
resides in Columbia township.
W. A. Cole was twelve years old when
he came to Lorain county, so the greater
part of his education was received in Con
necticut, the remainder in Columbia town
ship. He is a lifelong agriculturist, and
he is now owner of ninety-seven acres of
prime land, upon which he makes his
home. In 1841 he was married, in Colum
bia township, to Miss Electa A. Smith, a
native of New York, whose father was a
sheriff in Pennsylvania, and was killed
while making an arrest. Five children
were born to this union, viz.: S. G., sub
ject proper of sketch; Ezra, residing in
Michigan, who is married and has seven
children — Mary, Stella, Dolly, Viola, Ma
bel, Earl and Inez; Ora, married and re
siding in Kansas, who has one son, Clar
ence; Zelora, residing in Eaton township,
who is married and has two children, Roy
and Ralph; and Nettie, the wife of George
Allen, of Columbia township, who has two
children, Ray and Floyd. When Mr. Cole
first came to Columbia township, there
were only a few people in it, and his fam
ily is now the oldest extant. He and his
wife have been members of the Baptist
Church for over fifty years.
S. G. Cole received a liberal education
at the schools of his native township, and
three years at Oberlin. He was reared to
agricultural pursuits, and in early man
hood commenced teaching school, a voca
tion he followed for twenty winters in Co
lumbia township, all the time in adjoining
districts, his summers being occupied in
farming. He owned, at first, twenty-five
acres, which has since been added to until
he has now one hundred and ninety acres
of excellent land. On December 25,
1865, Mr. Cole was married, in Columbia
township, to Miss Lydia A. Robinson, a
native of Summit county, Ohio, daughter

944

LORAIN COUNTY, OHIO.

of Daniel and Julia (Wilson) Robinson —
he a native of New York, she of New Jer
sey; in an early day they came to Summit
county, Ohio, where they married, after
ward, in 1842, moving to Columbia town
ship, Lorain county, and settling on a farm
where the father is yet living; the mother
died in 1874. Two children have been
born to Mr. and Mrs. Cole, as follows:
Willie D., married, and living on a farm
(he has one son, Leon); and George H.,
living at home, who was married December
25, 1893, to Miss Jennie Longbon. A
Democrat in politics, our subject has
served his township as clerk, also as trustee
several terms, and he has been a justice of
the peace for three years. He and his
wife are members of the Baptist Church at
Columbia Center, of which he is a trustee.

JOHN PORTER, a retired, honored
resident of the town of Rochester, is
a native of New York State, born in
Montgomery county July 18, 1810.
William Porter (father of subject), also
a native of Montgomery county, N. Y.,
was bora July 19, 1789, a son of John
Porter. He (William) learned the trade
of fanning-mill maker of an uncle, Aaron
Porter, and this business he worked at,
more or less, during the rest of his life.
On April 24, 1808, in Montgomery county,
N. Y., he married Dolly Smith, who was
bora June 13, 1790, a daughter of John
Smith, and here their firstborn, John, the
subject of these lines, came into the world.
In 1813 this little family moved to Au
relius township, Cayuga county, same
State, locating on a twenty-five-acre tract
about six miles southwest of Auburn,
which land William cultivated, at the same
time following his trade. Here the home
circle was increased by two more children
— Martha, born September 29, 1812, mar
ried to Jacob Hershey in Genesee county,
N. Y., and died February 20, 1839, in
Ruggles township, Ashland Co., Ohio; and

Sanford, born June 4, 1815, who died
April 6, 1862, in Jasper county, Iowa. In
the early part of 1819 the family removed
to Livonia, Livingston Co., N. Y., where
Mr. Porter bought twenty-five acres, hav
ing sold his property in Cayuga county;
and here he labored chiefly on his farm,
doing but little at his trade. Another ray
of sunshine entered the Porter home in
the coming of the fourth child in the per
son of Maria A., who was born April 25,
1819, and died August 26, 1849, in Rug
gles, Ashland county. After a three-years
residence in Livonia the family again
moved, this time to Lima, same county,
and for a period of nine years the husband
and father continued at his trade, meeting
with very fair success. The remainder of
his family were born there, to wit: Enoch,
born July 1, 1821, now of New London,
Ohio; William George, born January 15,
1823, who died in Ruggles, Ashland Co.,
Ohio, February 7, 1882; and Jacob, born
February 16, 1825, who died November
20, 1857, in Ruggles, Ohio.
About the year 1830 William Porter,
having purchased a farm in Genesee
county, N. Y., removed his family thither,
and iu the fall of 1832 they came to Ohio.
In the previous spring the father, together
with his eldest son (our subject) and a
brother-in-law, Jacob Hershey, had come
to Ohio for the purpose oflookingup land.
To Buffalo, N. Y., they traveled by team,
thence by lake vessel to Sandusky, Ohio,
from which town they walked through the
woods to Ruggles, Huron (now in Ashland)
county, " blazing " their way as they went.
In what was then the northwest corner of
Ashland county, and is now the southeast
corner of Huron county, Mr. Porter bought
200 acres of the wildest of wild land —
a four-mile journey from the nearest gleam
of civilization — for which he paid two dol
lars per acre. Returning to Genesee county,
N. Y., in the following fall, these " avant-
couriers " made the necessary preparations
to transport the entire Porter family to
their new Ohio home. They all made the

LORAIN COUNTY, OHIO.

947

journey in a wagon, driven by William Por
ter, except our subject and Mr. Hershey, who
came by water, arriving in advance of the rest
of the party. The latter arrived in the sec
tion of where their new home was to be on
a certain dark night, without the slightest
knowledge of their whereabouts; "but find
ing the cabin of a settler, by nameLeebow,
they enquired of him how they should pro
ceed to reach the settlement of Jacob Rohr-
back, which was to be their temporary
abiding place. Making a torch out of a
kindled strip of hickory bark, the only
light to be had, Leebow set out in front of
the benighted travelers; but though com
paratively well acquainted with the local
ity he lost his way, and in the dense, dark,
wild-beast-haunted forest they wandered
about until dawn, when at last they found
the long-sought haven. At Rohrback's
J lace they remained a 6hort time, while
ohn and Hershey were building, for their
reception, on their own land, a rude log
cabin, at that time having neither door,
floor nor window, but which later was made
more complete and comfortable. When
the family came to Ohio Mrs. Porter
brought along enough soap to last them
through the first year, and when that had
been exhausted they found that they could
get no grease to make another supply.
This difficulty, however, was overcome by
young Porter, who supplied the grease by
killing hedgehogs, and dressing them and
rendering the fat. During their first win
ter in this forest home the family cleared
four acres, and, following spring, planted
corn, sowing it in depressions made in the
soil by sinking an old axe in it between
the numerous beech stumps that almost
covered the. surface of the clearing. Con
sidering the primitive condition of things,
a remarkably good crop was gathered the
succeeding fall; and so year by year these
brave pioneers, nothing daunted, kept im
proving their little farm, clearing it gradu
ally of both trees and stumps, and erecting
outbuildings as necessity demanded. The
father lived to see that entire section

transformed from its primeval state into
prosperous farms surrounded with blossom
ing gardens and smiling fields of grain.
He died February 7, 1872, and was buried
in the cemetery at New London, Huron
county, by the side of his wife, who had
preceded him to the " Land of the leal "
June 1, 1866. She was a member of the
Baptist Church. Mr. Porter, in his politi
cal sympathies, was originally an Old-line
Whig, and, after its organization, a faith
ful member of the Republican party.
John Porter, whose name introduces this
sketch, being the eldest in his father's fam
ily, had the lion's share of hard work to
do, but he found time, prior to coming to
Ohio, to secure a good subscription-school
education, besides learning the trade of
fanning-mill maker. After coming to
Ohio he bought of his father (on credit)
one hundred acres of the latter's original
purchase, and this by untiring energy and
hard work he succeeded in clearing and
convertinginto a well-cultivated farm. Im
mediately after marriage he and his bride
took up their residence in a newly erected
log cabin on his farm, and this he left in
1881, coming with his wife into the town
of Rochester, Lorain county, which has
since been his home.
On September 26, 1837, Mr. Porter
married Miss Sally Clarke, born in Cayuga
county, N. Y., a daughter of Nathaniel
Clarke, who came to Troy township, Ash
land county, in an early day. To this union
children as follows were bora: William, a
Methodist minister of Kansas; Franklin,
who died at the age of thirty years in
Rowlesburgh, Ashland Co., Ohio, where he
was a merchant; Leander R., of Troy,
Ashland Co., Ohio, a horseman; Martha
E., who died when three years old; and
Alice F., Mrs. Joseph Yacomb, of Welling
ton, Ohio. Mrs. Sally Porter died May
24, 1876, and was buried in the fam
ily lot at New London, Huron county.
For his second wife Mr. Porter married
June 16, 1878, Miss Martha Beck, a native
of Harrison county, Ohio.

49

948

LORAIN COUNTY, OHIO.

Mr. Porter is a living example of what
may be accomplished by industry, resolu
tion and thrift. His methods through life
have always been most exemplary, and the
motto •' The Golden Rule " he has as
siduously observed. He never was sued,
and never sued any one. Although a time-
honored Whig and Republican from prin
ciple, his first Presidential vote was cast
for Andrew Jackson, but that was his last
polling for a Democratic administration.
In both Ruggles township and Rochester
he has served in offices of trust faithfully
and satisfactorily. In religious faith he
and his wife are members of the Methodist
Church, of which he is trustee.

HRISTIAN SCHWARZ,oneof that
class of indefatigable Germans who
prosper better after reverses, and
whose motto and watchword is
"Verzage nicht," was born March 14,
1833, in Fraudenthal, Wiirtemberg, a son
of Christian Schwarz, who in the Father
land was by trade a confectioner. There
were eleven children in the family, eight
of whom grew to be men and women.
The father died in 1849, the mother two
and one-half years before him. They were
much respected people, honest and indus
trious, and in good circumstances.
The subject of our sketch received all
his education in his native country, uot
having attended any schools since coming
to America, but nevertheless he can read
and write English fairly well. In his boy
hood he partly learned the trade of butcher,
and after Ms father's death he returned to
it, to serve a regular apprenticeship, the
premium paid by him for same being
sixty-five guilders, equal to about twenty-
five dollars United States money. At the
end of nine months he passed an examina
tion, and then in August, 1851, with some
money he had received from his guardian,
he started for the United States, sailing

from Havre, France, on the ship " Balti
more" for New York. He was without
any friend or relative when he cast his last
look on the Fatherland, but, though yet
a lad of seventeen summers, was possessed
of a stout heart, a strong determination
and a willing pair of hands. At the end
of thirty days he found himself in New
York — a stranger in a strange land — and
hastening on westward he reached Cleve
land, Ohio, on September 25, one dollar
in debt, for he had been assisted by a
friend whose acquaintance he made on the
voyage. In that city he obtained work at
his trade, and for five years was with
George Ross. Later he embarked in the
butchering business for his own account,
and prospered beyond his expectations, for
at one time he was worth as much as
twenty thousand dollars; but later, owing
to the fall in price of cattle, of which he
had a quantity en route, he suffered severe
loss. In Cleveland he remained till 1869,
in which year he came to Liverpool,
Medina county, whence after three years
he moved to Grafton township, Lorain
county, where he has since resided, en
gaged in the butchering business and
farming. He has bought a great deal of
cattle in his day, his experience eminently
qualifying him for being an expert in that
line, and made a great deal of money; but
reverses came sufficient to discourage al
most any other man, yet he was never dis
couraged. He now owns in Grafton town
ship 150 acres of prime land, equipped
with gopd buildings, his good wife having
nobly done her share toward the accumu
lation and improvement of the property.
Politically he is a zealous member of the
Democratic party.
In 1857, while residing in Cleveland,
Mr. Schwarz was married to Christina
Bleil, born in Liverpool township, Medina
Co., Ohio, December 22, 1835, daughter
of John Bleil. She is a typical German-
American lady, and has been of invaluable
assistance to her husband in both pros
perity and adversity. She was on a visit

LORAIN COUNTY, OHIO.

949

to a married sister in Cleveland when she
met and was married to Mr. Schwarz. Her
father was among the early residents of
Liverpool township, whither he had come
from Germany- in 1831. In 1846, with
his wife and six children, all stowed in a
two-horse wagon, he made a trip to Wis
consin with the intention of settling there,
and arrived at the end of a three- weeks'
pretty rough journey. After a two-years'
residence in Rock county, they concluded
to return to Ohio, and on their way spent a
Sundayin Chicago, the" World's Fair City,"
then a very unpromising muddy little town,
which Mrs. Schwarz remembers well. The
children born to our subject and wife were
as follows: Charles, a butcher by trade,
and working on the farm; Frederick, a
carpenter, of Missouri ; Albert, a farmer,
also of Missouri; Ida, Mrs. E. R. Mennells,
of California; Caroline, deceased; Rosa,
residing at home; and Bertha, Mrs. John
Bezing, of Grafton.

rA. GREENE, a retired ship captain,
and farmer of LaGrange township,
was born March 10, 1836, in St.
Lawrence county, New York.
He is a son of Frederick and Betsey
(Beverly) Greene, the former of whom was
a farmer in New York State, and later
moved to near Watertown, Jefferson
county, whence' in 1843 he came to Ohio.
He had four children, viz.: Fordice B-,
who was a soldier- in the Federal army, and
died in the service; Vint R,oy, now of
Mendon, Mich.; Aurora, now Mrs. Syl
vester Parsons, of Michigan; and F. A.,
subject of this sketeh. Frederick Greene
brought his family in a covered wagon
drawn by one horse, and they located in
Ridgeville tpw,nship, Lorain county, where
he had bargained for forty acres of land.
He intended to pay for that land and make
a home there, but one day while chopping
in the woods his axe was so caught while
he was carrying it, in getting away from a

falling tree, that it struck him, the wound
causing his death. He was buried in
Ridgeville cemetery. The mother kept the
family together a short while, but she too
was soon called from earth, dying June
30, 1849.
Being thus left an orphan at an early
age, our subject, through force of circum
stances, left home to battle with the world
alone. For six months he lived with Levi
Tomlinson, but, being dissatisfied, left and
went to Avon township, concluding after
a short stay there, however, that Cleveland
would be a better place for him. Taking
all his earthly effects, which he easily car
ried in a handkerchief, he set out on foot
for tbe city, which was twenty-two miles,
distant; and so anxious was he to reach
his destination that he ran more of the
way than he walked. Shortly after
going to Cleveland he shipped on board
the propeller " Oneida," bound for Chi
cago, carrying principally immigrants,
and made eight trips on her that season,
He next went out on the scow "Commo
dore Lawrence," as cook, where he served
satisfactorily, and during the winter sea
son, when navigation closed, he found em
ployment carrying cross country mails,
from Vermillion to New London. For a
long time he made his home with Capt.
Judson, of Vermillion, becoming very
much attached to him and his family.
For many years he was employed by Mr.
Bradley, then so well-known among vessel-
men, with whom he remained thirty-five
years, serving as cook, mate and captain,
and proving efficient, thorough, faithful
and trustworthy in all these positions. In
the season of 1892 he shipped for three
months on the vessel " Ida Keich," and
this was the last work he did on the lakes.
Mr. Greene has been one of the most suc
cessful men on the lakes; he was sailing
for nearly fifty years, and during that
time never lost a doller for either the un
derwriters or his employers.
On December 22, 1863, Mr. Greene was
married to Miss Lucy Underhill, who was

950

LORAIN COUNTY, OHIO.

born in LaGrange, daughter of Dr. G. C. Un
derhill, the well-known medical practi
tioner in that place; they had met at
Berea University, which institution both
attended. To this marriage came three
children, as follows: Hettie E., now the
wife of Rev. W. W. Long, a Methodist
Episcopal minister, of Ashland county,
Ohio; Mary, who died in 1881; and George
Judson, residing at home. After his mar
riage our subject located at Vermillion,
thence removing to Cleveland and later to
LaGrange. In 1875 he moved to Ober
lin, returning to LaGrange in 1886, in
which village he erected a very comforta
ble house, which he afterward sold, erect
ing another dwelling, which he still owns,
and which is one of the pleasantest resi
dences in the town. He now resides on
eighty acres of land, bought from the tract
of Dr. G. C. Underhill, where he now finds
pleasure in agricultural pursuits. Mr.
Greene is a self-made man, having by hard
work and incessant toil risen to his present
prosperous position, undergoing all the
hardships incident to the lot of a twelve-
year-old boy on board a vessel, and en
deavoring to obtain an education. Mr.
Greene is a Democrat, but takes little in
terest in politics; he was formerly a great
admirer of Stephen Douglas. Mrs. Greene
is a member of the Methodist Church.

L

ESTER J. RICHMOND, a pros
perous, self-made citizen of Penfield
township, was born November 22,
1842, in Akron, Ohio, son of Charles
B. and Matilda (Welton) Richmond. He
was one of twins, the other named Lucy J.
Our subject received the greater part of
his education before reaching the age of
sixteen, in the meantime being reared to
farming pursuits on the home place, and
also working out for other farmers. In
August, 1862, he enlisted, at Penfield, in
Company B, First Ohio Light Artillery,

and went into camp at Cleveland, whence
the command was sent to Louisville, Ky.
They took part in the battles of Perrys-
ville, Wild Cat, Murfreesboro, and Chicka
mauga, and thence went to Nashville,
Tenn., where they remained for some time.
Mr. Richmond was never wounded, but
he lay sick three months with fever and
other camp ailments at Hospital No. 1,
Nashville, where he was his own physician.
At the close of the war he was discharged
at Nashville, and returned to Penfield,
where he resided with his parents, and in
the following season went to Geneva, Ash
tabula county, where he worked as a farm
hand. On November 13, 1866, Mr. Richmond
was united in marriage with Miss Mary A.
Dolgleish, who was born December 10, 1843,
in Penfield township, daughter of Robert
Dolgleish, who came hither from Scotland.
After marriage Mr. Richmond lived for a
short time with his father, and then rented
a farm iu LaGrange township, where he
made his home for one year. He next re
moved to the center of Penfield township,
where he was employed one year in a saw
mill, thence going to Wellington township,
where he acted as superintendent on the
farm of Edwin Hensdale. He then took
up his home in Wakeman township,
Huron county, and for three years took
contracts for furnishing cordwood for the
Lake Shore Railway Company. At the
end of this time he purchased sixty acres
of land in Ross township, Wood Co., Ohio,
which he cleared and improved, and
whereon he resided for seven ' years, when
he rented it and returned to Penfield town
ship, taking charge of the home farm for
a year. He next rented a farm in
the northeast corner of Penfield township,
later removing to Wellington village for
the benefit of his children's education, and
finally, in March, 1889, returning to Pen-
field township, and locating on the farm
of 198 acres which he still occupies. To
Mr. and Mrs. Richmond have been born
children as follows: Elmer A., who lives

LORAIN COUNTY, OHIO.

951

on the home place, which is the oldest
farm in the township, having been taken
np by Peter Penfield, after whom the
township was named (the first sawmill
built and operated in the township is
on this place); Frank E., of Huntington;
Nora, Mrs. Waller Hull, of Wellington,
Ohio; Mamie, who died young; and Vic
toria and Robert, at home. In politics our
subject is a Republican, and in religious
connection he and his wife are members
of the Congregational Church, in which
he is a deacon.

|( AMES GAWN (deceased) was born
k. I] in the Isle of Man, in August, 1829,
\y/ and died in Lorain county, Ohio,
January 23, 1885.
When three years old he came with his
parents to the United States, and to Lorain
county, Ohio. In Black River township
he followed blacksmithing and farming
till 1848, in which year he was united in
marriage with Miss Louisa E. Barnes, and
the young couple then for seven years
made their home in the village of North
Amherst. In 1855 Mr. Gawn purchased
the farm of one hundred acres in Amherst
township, where he passed the remainder
of his days, and where his widow now re
sides. Three children were born to this
marriage, viz. : Ellen, wife of H.N.Steele,
of North Amherst (they have four chil
dren); Henry J.; and Marion E., who died
September 6, 1888.
Henry J. Gawn, only son of James and
Louisa E. (Barnes) Gawn, was born in
Amherst township, Lorain Co., Ohio, June
25, 1855. He received his education at
the common schools on Middle Ridge,
Amherst township, and learned the trade
of blacksmith with his father, at which he
works a little, but is chiefly engaged in
farming. In 1888 he was married to Miss
Melissa Swartwood, of Amherst township,
and one child, Frank, has been bora to

them. Henry J. Gawn operates a nice
farm of thirty-six acres devoted to general
agriculture. Politically he is a Democrat,
and takes a lively interest in all county
affairs. Mrs. Louisa E. Gawn was born, reared
and educated in Amherst township, when
there was little else than wild woods, and
settlers were, literally, "few and far be
tween." She was born August 27, 1828,
a daughter of Ezekiel G. and Elvira (Har
rington) Barnes, the former of whom was
born September 1, 1799, in Old Becket,
Mass., and came with his parents to Am
herst, Lorain county, in 1817. In 1825
he revisited the East, and was there mar
ried same year to Miss Elvira Harrington,
who was born March 5, 1805, in Massa
chusetts. Returning to Amherst town
ship, he continued agricultural pursuits,
and became prosperous. He and his wife
were the parents of five children, viz.: Gil
bert H., a resident of Amherst township;
Louisa E., widow of James Gawn; G.
Monroe, who died in 1891, leaving a
widow; Henry D., deceased in 1869, and
Sardis N., a prominent farmer of Amherst
township. The father was called from
earth December 18, 1881, the mother on
January 29, 1888.

V

AVID BRICKNELL. The stal
wart sons of England are to be found
the wide world over, ever aggressive,
plodding, loyal and honest. Such
an one is the subject of this brief sketch.
Mr. Bricknell was born March 8, 1840,
in Northamptonshire, England, a son of
John and Mary Bricknell, who both died
in that county. He received his education
at the country schools of his native parish,
and was brought up a farmer lad. He
hired out twelve years as farmers' serv
ant, and in 1866 he married, in England,
Miss Sarah Ann Townsend, who was born
May 13, 1841, a native of Warwickshire,

952

LORAIN COUNTY, OHIO.

a daughter of William Townsend. For six
and one-half years he filled the position of
under gardener for one employer, and dur
ing that time two children had been born
—Ellen and Emily. In 1875 Mr. Brick
nell immigrated to the United States, com
ing to Lorain county, Ohio, living and
working in Elyria the first year. He then
rented a small farm, and also worked in
Elyria as gardener. For the next five
years he rented farms, and during that time
two more children were born — Rosa and
Daisy Josephine. In 1882 he bought his
present farm of fifty acres, all in a good
state of cultivation, and here he success
fully carries on general farming. Of the
children, Ellen, who is the wife of Frank
Bowman, resides in Eaton township (they
have one child, Cora May); Emily, wife of
Richard Tran, of Grafton township, has
three children : Goldie May, Sylva Bell and
Roy Richard.
In his political preferences Mr. Brick
nell is independent; he and his wife are
members of the Disciple Church at North
Eaton. He is a typical self-made man,
having from a commencement of nothing
accumulated all be owns by hard labor,
honest toil, and judicious economy.

li

EGRAND ROOT, the only one left
of the ©Id settlers in the northeast
quarter of Wellington township, is
a native of Connecticut, born in
Litchfield, Marcii 18, 1831, a son of Will
iam R. and Serena (Terrell) Root.
Grandfather Root was a native of Eng
land, and immigrated to the American
Colonies before the Revolutionary war.
In that struggle he enlisted in the cause
of the patriots, and participated in the en
gagement that led to the surrender of
Gen. Burgoyne; also served as one of
Washington's aids, and was captured by
the British, but subsequently exchanged.
After the close of the war, he was leading

his regiment on a march, and in crossing a
bridge the structure gave way, killing him
and several of his men. His son William
R., father of subject, was bora about the
period of the Revolutionary struggle in one
of the New England States. He married
Miss Serena Terrell, and when their son,
Legrand, was four years old, they came to
Ohio, locating first in Eaton township,
Lorain county, then in Wellington town
ship, on the farm now owned by our sub
ject. Finally Mr. Root moved to Allegan
county, Mich., where he and his wife died
during the same year, she at the age of
sixty-nine years. They were the parents
of ten children, of whom the following is
a brief record: Eliza married L. L. West,
of Minnesota, where they reside; Legrand
is the subject of this sketch; Leroy lives
in Kansas (during the Civil war he entered
the Union army, and was with Sherman
on his march from Atlanta to the sea);
Amarilla, who married H. Oliver, resides
in Michigan; Charlotte, who was the wife
of John Everatts, died in Michigan ; Finette
died when about eighteen years old;
Rosette is married to A. D. Wallers, and
resides in Dakota; Sarah Ann, who was a
school teacher in Kansas, married Abner
Folk, of Rich county, that State; George
is deceased; Benjamin Franklin died in
childhood. Legrand Root, of whom this sketch more
particularly relates, was married in 1855
to Miss Lucinda Kelsey, born in Hunting
ton township, Lorain county, in September,
1835, and the young couple then settled
on his present farm of 220 acres well-im
proved land. Prior to this he had lived
for a time in Eaton, then in Huntington
township, same county, and in 1851 went
to California on a prospecting tour, but
soon returned. In addition to general
farming Mr. Root carries on dairying to a
considerable extent, and he is progressive
and prosperous. The children bora to this
marriage, seven in number, were as fol
lows: Those deceased are Leroy, who died
when aged four years; Aner, when aged

LORAIN COUNTY, OHIO.

953

two years; Albert, when aged twenty-
seven years (he was married and had one
child); Dennis, when aged sixteen years
(this was the youngest child); those living
are: Emery, married, who has one child,
Elmer; Mary, wife of Arnold Taylor, of
Lodi, Ohio; Ada, residing at home, who
was educated in Wellington township, and
is now teaching school in Huntington
township. Politically our subject is a
stanch Republican, and, during the dark
days of the Rebellion, showed his loyalty
to the Union cause by subscribing to the
Government liberally of his means. Mr.
Root is a man of more than average edu
cation aud ability, and is well informed on
all the public issues of the day.

AYMOND HAVEN, for forty-six
years a resident of Eaton township,
where his name is "familiar as
household words," is a native of
Portage county, Ohio, born in
Shalersville in 1823.
He is a son of John Haven, a native of
Vermont, who came on foot to Ohio when
a young man, settling on a farm in Port
age county, and becoming prosperous and
comparatively wealthy, fie here married
Miss Julia Sanford, and reared the follow
ing family of children: Annis, deceased
in Portage county; Raymond; John, de
ceased in Portage county; Julia, living in
Ohio; George, married, residing in Bloom
ingdale, Mich. The father of these died
in 1882, the mother in 1853. Politically
Mr. Haven was a Republican, and served
as township trustee.
Raymond Haven received a liberal
school training in Portage county, Ohio,
was brought up a practical farmer, and has
always made general agriculture his busi
ness, principally dairying, in which he has
met with unqualified success. In 1847 he
came with a team from Shalersville to
Eaton township, Lorain county, and bought

eighty acres of partly improved land,
having thereon a log house and barn, in
lien or which Mr. Haven in course of time
erected a one and one-half story house,
24 x 40, with two L one-story wings; also
a commodious barn. To his original pur
chase of eighty acres he has added from
time to time until he now owns 321 acres.
In 1845 Mr. Haven married, in Portage
county, Miss Lucinda C. Scouten, a native
of that county, daughter of John Scouten,
an early pioneer of same. To this union
children as follows have been bora: EUen,
wife of Locks Lemert, of Kansas; Alice,
who married Laban Lemert, and died in
Ohio, July 23, 1873; George, who died
April 30, 1865; Julia, wife of Oscar Dur
kee, of Eaton township; Frank, married,
residing in Eaton township, who owns a
good farm given him by his father; New
ton, married, residing in Eaton township
(he owns a good farm); Hattie, wife 'of
William Sawyer, of Eaton township; Jen
nie, who died January 23, 1867; and Myra,
wife of Charles Sawyer, a merchant of
Grafton. Politically our subject is a Re
publican, and he has served as trustee of
Eaton township. He and his wife are
members of the Disciple Church, in which
he has been a deacon for some forty-five
years. He has made all he owns by in
dustry and frugality, and is listed among
the most successful of Lorain county's
farmer citizens.

RTHUR WALKDEN, a leader in
the agricultural community oi Co
lumbia township, is a native of Eng
land, a "Lancashire lad," born in
that county in November, 1823$
third son of William and Mary (Blundell)
Walkden. The parents of our subject were natives
of Devonshire, England, whence in 1826
they emigrated to this country, locating
first in Lowell, Mass., where they worked

954

LORAIN COUNTY, OHIO.

in factories, moving in 1833 westward to
Ohio, living in Newburgh one year, and
then settling on a farm in Cuyahoga
county. The father died in Berea, Ohio,
in April, 1873, aged ninety-two, the
mother in September, 1857, in Cuyahoga
county, at the age of sixty-four years.
Mr. Walkden had been twice married, and
by his first wife had three children, viz.:
John, who remained in England; Jane,
Mrs. John Bainbridge, who died in Ridge
ville township; and William, who came to
Lorain county in 1843, died on the ocean
in 1879. By his marriage with Miss Mary
Blundell he had children as follows: Alice,
who died in 1890 in Cuyahoga county;
James, who died in 1875 in Lowell, Mass.;
Thomas, residing in Cuyahoga county;
Ann, widow of Eastman Bradford, of
Berea; Mary, widow of Joseph Chevalier,
of Berea; Arthur, residing in Columbia
township; Peter, who came to Lorain in an
early day, and died in Ridgeville township
in 1880; Richard; Peggy, deceased; and
Margaret, widow of Henry Woods, of
Cuyahoga county.
Arthur Walkden was a three-year-old
boy when his parents brought him to the
United States, and was about ten years
old when they came to Cuyahoga county,
where he was educated and learned the
trade of blacksmith, which he followed for
some years after coming to Columbia
township in 1843. Here he made a settle
ment in the woods, having bought thirty-
seven acres of improved land, to which
he has from time to time added until now
he has 226 acres all in a good state of cul
tivation. In 1846 he was married to Miss
Tirzah Wetton, a native of Derbyshire,
England, and daughter of Thomas and
Mary (Holden) Wetton, of the same county,
who, in 183^3, came to Hamilton, N. Y.,
and thence in 1842 to Columbia town
ship, Lorain county, settling where our
subject now resides. The father died in
1879, aged seventy-eight years; the mother
survived him till March 31, 1893; they
were members of the M. E. Church, and

politically Mr. Wetton was a Republican.
Three children were bora to them, namely:
Tirzah, Mrs. Walkden; Harriet, who mar
ried Joseph Chamberlain, and died in
Columbia township in 1856; and Saman
tha, wife of John Meehan, of Denver,
Colorado. After marriage our subject resided on
his present farm till 1857, in which year
he went to San Francisco, Cal., by way of
the Isthmus of Panama, and there re
mained two and one-half years, working
at his trade, at the end of which time he
returned to Columbia township. Politically
Mr. Walkden is a prominent Republican,
and he and his wife are members of the
Wesleyan Methodist Church at West View,
Cuyahoga county, in which he has been
steward for several years, and is now serv
ing as trustee.

V. R. HOWARD. Prominent in
the front rank of the wealthy and
intelligent agriculturists of Roches
ter township is found the gentle
man whose name is here recorded.
He is a son of Morris Howard, a farmer,
who was born in Andover, Windsor Co.,
Yt., where he married Hannah, daughter
of William Smith. To them were born
seven children — three sons and four daugh
ters. In 1836 Morris Howard came to
Ohio with his family, making the journey
with three horses and two wagons, their first
tarrying place being Elyria, Lorain county,
whence after a month's residence with a
relative there, they moved to Richland
county, now Ashland county, locating for
a year near the town of Ashland. The
father at this time made a trade with one
Smith for a farm in Rochester township,
Lorain county, the same one whereon our
subject now resides. At that time but a few
acres were cleared on it, and for some years
Morris Howard lived there. Later he
moved to Racine, Wis., and died there at

*d?47, (A.H^rcaA?

LORAIN COUNTY, OHIO.

957

the age of seventy- seven years; his wife
had passed away in her fifty-seventh year.
S- V. R. Howard was born September
3, 1817, in Andover, Windsor Co., Vt., at
the subscription schools of which town he
received his education. He was reared to
farm life, and in early youth worked from
home at fifty cents per day, at that time
considered fair wages. He was, as will be
seen, nineteen years old when he came to
Ohio with the rest of his father's family,
and when yet a young man he set out on foot
for Illinois, his purpose being to make a
tour of that then new territory, but re
turned eastward, satisfied that there was no
place like home. On December 11, 1843,
he married Miss Barbara Bowman, who
was born June 11, 1821, in Orange town
ship, Ashland Co., Ohio, a daughter ot
John N. Bowman, and his next residence
was in a house erected by himself imme
diately opposite his present home. Chil
dren were born to this marriage, the fol
lowing being a brief record of same: Mary
J. is the wife of H. K. Kob, of Findlay,
Ohio; Laurilla is the wife of Chester Chor-
pening, of Benton Harbor, Mich. ; Lydia
is married to E. M. June, of Greenwich,
Ohio; Lillian is married to Thomas Whit
ney, of Benton Harbor, Mich.; Charles G.
is a farmer of Rochester township, married
to Miss 'Emma Fast, of Troy township,
Ashland Co., Ohio; Cynthia is the wife of
Thomas Landis, of Rochester. The mother
of these died October 11, 1882, and was
buried in Rochester cemetery; she was a
member of the Lutheran Church. On Feb
ruary 2, 1885, Mr. Howard married Miss
Emiiy Bowman, born April 18, 1835, in
Green township, Mahoning Co., Ohio, a
daughter of Joshua and Mary (Reed) Bow
man, who came from Washington couuty,
Penn., to Ohio, being among the first set
tlers of Ellsworth township, Mahoning
county, at that time an unknown forest.
Mrs. Howard, who is well educated and
highly cultivated, taught district school no
less than twenty-nine terms in Mahoning
and Columbiana counties, Ohio.

Mr. Howard's first purchase of land was
seventy-five acres at eleven dollars per
acre, which still forms a part of his
splendid farm of over five hundred acres,
lying partly in Lorain county, and partly in
fluron. fie is a typical self-made farmer,
enjoying the most robust health, and still
capable of doing a long day's work. In
his political predilections he was originally
a Whig, of later years a Republican, and
has held the office of township trustee sev
eral years. Mrs. Howard, well-known,
most popular and highly respected, is an
exemplary member of the Presbyterian
Church.

iT^EORGE E. HILL. Prominent
I w, among the citizens of Ridgeville
\^l township, in both public and private
J^. life, stands this gentleman, who is
a native of the county, born in
Eaton township, October 16, 1852.
Mr. Hill is a son of Edward and Jane
(Gulliford) Hill, natives of England, who
in the year 1849 immigrated to the United
States, settling in Eaton township, Lorain
Co., Ohio, where the father died Septem
ber 10, 1889; the mother is yet residing
at the old homestead. The subject of our
sketch received a good practical, education
in the schools of his native township, and
was reared to the arduous duties of the
farm. In 1889 he left Eaton township,
and moved to his present place in Ridge
ville township, comprising some seventy-
six acres of highly-cultivated land, the
property being known as the "Homer
Terrell Farm," though it was improved by
Franklin Terrell. In 1874 he was mar
ried, in Columbia Center, Lorain county,
to Miss Evalyn Terrell, a native of Ridge
ville township, who was born July 26,1855,
daughter of Homer and Mary (Kelley)
Terrell, the former of whom was born on
the farm now owned by our subject; the
latter was bora August 11, 1823, in Taun
ton, Mass. ; the father died on his farm

958

LORAIN COUNTY, OHIO.

here August 16, 1888, the mother July
29, 1869. They were the parents of
three children, namely: Evalyn (Mrs.
Hill); Irving, bom September 24, 1857,
married, and residing in Ridgeville town
ship; and Edward, born December 29,
1864, residing in Elyria.
After marriage Mr. and Mrs. Hill
settled on the Wescott farm in Eaton town
ship, containing 148 acres prime land
which he yet owns, and here remained till
1889, as already related. To them have
been born five children, as follows:
Freddie, born January 26, 1875, died
March 16, 1875; George, born October 6,
1879, died March 24, 1880; Raymond,
born June 14, 1881; Mary Jane, born
January 23, 1884; and Ella E., born
January 25, 1888. In politics our sub
ject is a Republican, and takes an active
interest in the affairs of his party. He
has served on the school board, and been
trustee of Ridgeville township since 1889.

BAKER, the well-known, wide
awake and enterprising clothier and
tailor, of North Amherst, is a na
tive of Germany, born in Mechlen-
burg May 22, 1857.
At the age of ten years he came with
his parents to the United States and to
Illinois, where for about one year they
lived on a farm near Mascontah, St. Clair
county, after which they moved to town,
where our subject attended school one
year. About this time he was attacked
with hip disease, which caused permanent
lameness, although he went to St. Louis
for treatment. The family then moved to
Elyria, Ohio, and here Mr. Baker finished
his school days in the German Lutheran
Parochial School. He then commenced
business life in a woolen factory, where he
partly learned the cloth manufacturing
business, which he would undoubtedly have
followed but for his lameness. Having

now learned how to make cloth, it was a
natural transition for him to learn tailor
ing. He served two years with Moebius
& Wimmers, and after they dissolved part
nership, Moebius came to Amherst, Mr.
Baker remaining with Wimmers as a
journeyman tailor, for another year. He
then concluded to go to Cleveland for the
purpose of learning more about his trade;
and after working for some of the best
tailors in the city four years, he set out
on a business tour throughout the States,
in course of which he worked in Chi
cago, Milwaukee, St. Paul, Omaha, Den
ver, Kansas City, St. Louis, Memphis,
Vicksburg, Little Rock, Natchez, New
Orleans, Mobile, then back to New Or
leans, thence down to Houston, Texas.
After this he returned home to spend
Christmas, and then traveled east, stopping
for a time in New Y"ork to attend a
cutting school, and before he had quite
finished was given a situation on
Third avenue as cutter. While holding
this latter position he attended the Peter
Cooper Institute in the evening. On ac
count of his widowed mother, who was
still living in Elyria, he came nearer home,
and accepted a position as cutter in Clyde,
Ohio; after about five months he secured
a position as cutter in Cleveland. Not
being satisfied with this situation of things,
Mr. Baker concluded to start in business
for himself, and after many trials and
difficulties, all of which he bravely over
came, in the fall of 1882, at the age of
twenty-five, he opened up, in Elyria, a
merchant tailoring establishment with a
capital of three dollars, and a line of
woolen samples furnished by a Cleveland
woolen house.
This was in a room upstairs in the
M. W. Pond building, opposite the old
" Beebe House," and here he remained
about two years; then moved in the old
Perry building, where now stands the ele
gant Sharp block. Here he remained
about three years, by which time, with
hard work and economy, he had saved

LORAIN COUNTY, OHIO.

959

enough to build bim a nice house on Mid
dle avenue. He now traded his property
for a clothing store in North Amherst,
with his old boss, Mr. Moebius. It is
here that Mr. Baker begins to take an
active part in business and public affairs.
He talks and writes in public, and often
differs with men, but he has the respect of
his community for honesty and fairness.
He is a hard worker, and although he
should now have all his work done, he
still sticks to the work-bench, and in a
little time-book to advertise his business
be writes and encourages all laboring men
to economize, and tells them that he him
self never thought that he would some
day be able to buy out his boss. He is
yet in the prime of life, and unless some
unforeseen misfortune overtakes him, we
predict for him a prosperous future. We
know that the men who move onward step
by step are the safest and surest in the
long run.
In the spring of 1883 Mr. Baker was
united in marriage with Miss Hattie
Rosenwald, a native of Cleveland, Ohio,
and five children have been born to them,
viz.: Mabel, Cora, Alphabet, Lillie and
Esther. In politics our subject is a Re
publican, and he is very active in munici
pal and county affairs. In 1891 he built
a block in North Amherst, two stories in
height, of which he occupies one of the
lower rooms, rents the other, while the
upper room, a hall, is occupied by Jaeger
Lodge, I. O. O. F.

D

C. BUNT, a systematic farmer of
Penfield township, was born August
19, 1832, in Jefferson county, N. Y.,
a son of George Bunt, who was a
native of eastern New York. His father
came from Holland, and died when George
was but six years old.
George Bunt was married in early man
hood to Elizabeth Cottrell, and followed

farming in his native State, where children
as follows were born to him: Stephen,
Philip, Henry, and David C, our subject,
who is the only survivor. In 1833 the
family removed to Ohio, coming by water
to Cleveland, and thence being driven to
LaGrange township, where Mr. Bunt
rented land for six years; and while living
there one child was added to the family,
Lucy Ann, who married Alvin Nichols
and died in Michigan. He then purchased,
at six dollars per acre, twenty-five acres of
land in Penfield township where our sub
ject now resides, settling thereon in Feb
ruary, 1839, at which time tbe place was
entirely in the woods, and abounded with
wild animals. At the time of their com
ing there was no bridge over the stream
which they were obliged to cross en route
to Penfield township, but they contrived
to float over. Mr. Bunt lived to the ripe
old age of eighty-eight years, preceded to
the grave by his wife, who passed away
when aged seventy-two; both are buried in
Penfield township cemetery. In religious
connection they were members of theM. E.
Church, and in politics he was originally a
Whig, later a Republican.
D. C. Bunt was but an infant when
brought by his parents to Ohio, and re
ceived such an education as the common
schools of those pioneer days afforded, his
first teacher being Caroline Blanchard. On
April 14, 1859, he was united in marriage
with Mary J. Mosher, who was born
August 29, 1842, in New York State,
daughter of Elihu and Rebecca (Freeman)
Mosher, who came to Ohio in 1844, set-
tlingin LaGrange township, Lorain county,
where the father, who was a cooper, fol
lowed his trade. Our subject held an in
terest ,in some land with his father, with
whom he took up his residence after mar
riage, and here, with the exception of four
years, he has ever since resided. Though
having but twelve acres at the start, he now
owns a fine tract of 170 acres, highly im
proved and cultivated, whereon he has
erected a number of substantial buildings.

960

LORAIN COUNTY, OHIO.

Mr. and Mrs. Bunt have had four children,
as follows: Josephine, who died at the age
of fifteen years; Grant W., of New Mex
ico; Frank C, who died when twenty-one
years of age; and Elmer M., residing at
home. Mr. Bunt has been engaged all his
life in agriculture, of which he has a
thorough knowledge, and for some time
also conducted a dairy business; he has
been successful in the full sense of the word.
He and his wife are both members of the
M. E. Church, and in his political pref
erences he is a stanch Republican; his first
vote was cast for John C. Fremont. He is
actively interested in the welfare of his
party, and has served as trustee and in
various other township offices. He is very
popular and highly respected and esteemed
in his community.

R. MoCONNELL, owuer of a
highly-cultivated farm in Roches
ter township, where he is well and
favorably known, is a native of
New York State, born in Belfast township,
Allegany county, December 17, 1825.
His father, James McConnell, was born
in Yates county, N. Y., where he was
reared to pioneer farming, and in early
manhood married Miss Margaret Roora-
back, daughter of John Rooraback. The
children of this union, eight in number,
were as follows: Martha, who married
Jonathan Bridge, and died in Quincy,
Mich.; Mary, who married John Corey,
and died in Quincy, Mich.; Nancy, who
married Amos Darby, and died in New
London, Ohio; Betsy, who married Henry
Close, and died in Williams county, Ohio;
Alexander, deceased in Clyde, Ohio; John,
a soldier in the Civil war, who enlisted
from Williams county, Ohio, and died in
Rochester township at the home of our
subject; W. R., whose name heads this
sketch; and Jane, who married John
Rooraback, and died in New London,

Ohio. After marriage James McConnell
and his bride moved to Allegany county,
N. Y., where for some years he conducted
a farm, small in extent, as he was a man
of but limited means. In 1833 the family
came to Ohio, making a fresh home in
New London township, Huron county,
where Alexander, a brother of James Mc
Connell, as well as several brothers-in-law,
had previously made a settlement. The
family made the long journey, which was
a tedious one of three weeks' duration, by
wagons to Buffalo, thence to Elyria,
Lorain county, thence to Wakeman, Huron
county, and from there to New London
township, where the father bought fifty-
six acres of land at five dollars per acre. The
family found a temporary home at Alex
ander McConnell's, while a rude log cabin
was being built for their reception, kind-
hearted and willing neighbors giving all
the assistance in their power toward its
completion. The land was entirely new,
not a tree haviug been cut from the dense
growth of beech, maple and black walnut,
and wild animals were abundant; but
bravely did the family set to work to make
a clearing, and before long they had a
small tract ready for a garden which the
following spring produced divers kinds of
vegetable foods. Coming to the new home
in October, there was no time to grow any
of the necessaries of life that year, and the
entire support of the family for the ensu
ing winter fell on the father. For two
days' labor for a neighbor he received a
bushel of corn, wliich he had to carry to
a mill in Ruggles township to be ground,
his journey there and back taking him
along the Vermillion river. The first corn
he planted on his farm was dropped into a
" gash " made in the soil with an old axe,
but it grew, ripened, and was harvested,
and was found to make a few grists from
which some sturdy johnny-cakes were
made. The abundance of sugar maples
around the clearing afforded them, by
tapping, some revenue, and game being
plentiful, there was after a time no lack of

LORAIN COUNTY, OHIO.

961

provisions of all kinds. On this farm they
lived till 1849, in which year they removed
to Rochester township, settling on the 100-
acre tract where yet lives the subject of
this sketch. Here James McConnell, the
brave pioneer, died September 28, 1867,
his loving and faithful wife having pre
ceded him to the grave October 28, 1862;
they sleep their last sleep in New London
cemetery. Politically James McConnell
was a stanch Democrat, and in Church
connection he and his wife were devout
Methodists. W. R. McConnell, whose name opens
this sketch, received but a limited educa
tion in his boyhood at the subscription
schools, and in later life, when other educa
tional systems were introduced, he attended
school a short time longer, but he was a
studious youth, an apt scholar, and gar
nered not a little useful practical instruc
tion. Reared to pioneer habits and cus
toms, when but a young boy he was put to
work at chopping in the clearing, experi
encing all the hardships incident to back
woods life.
On February 26, 1852, he married Miss
Lydia L. Carvy, born May 3, 1833, in
Rochester township, a daughter of William
and Eunice (Thomas) Carvy, early settlers
in that township from New York State.
The young couple then took up their resi
dence in a 14 x 18 addition of logs, built
to the old home cabin of his parents on the
100-acre farm already alluded to. The
children born to Mr. and Mrs. W. R. Mc
Connell were as follows: Stewart N., a
farmer of Rochester township; Newell J.,
who died of diphtheria at the age of eleven
years; Edwin L., a farmer of Rochester
township; Etta L., at home; Ransom O, at
home; Newell O, who attended Berea
(Ohio) College, deceased when twenty-three
years old; and Nellie E., at home. Mr.
McConnell has now 410 acres of as fine
Harm land as can be found in the county,
representing, in the aggregate, years of
honest toil, good management and judi
cious thrift. Besides the cereal and root

crops he for some years was extensively
engaged in dairying, and he has always
made the rearing of sheep a specialty. A
straight Whig and Republican, his first
vote was cast for John C. Fremont, and he
has never missed his franchise at the polls
except once, on which occasion he was visit
ing outside the State. Popular in his
party and the community at large, he has
been entrusted with various township
offices, such as justice of the peace and
trustee, filling all with characteristic ability
and honesty.

DC. HOLLADAY, a retired agricul
turist of Grafton township, was
_J born October 25, 1827, in Berk
shire county, Mass., son of James
Holladay, also a native of Berkshire county,
where he followed farming. James Holla
day served four years in the Revolutionary
war, and justly deserved a place among the
patriots. When forty-five years of age he
was married to Mary Gibson, and to their
union was born one child, D. C, the sub
ject of this memoir. The mother died in
December, 1827, the father in 1829, and
both are buried in Massachusetts.
The subject of these lines was reared by
a maiden aunt, Ruth Holladay, who died
in 1856, in Salt Lake City, Utah, whither
she had gon« to pass her declining years.
When seven years old he came west to Ohio
with his aunt and an uncle, Moses Holla
day, the journey being made by canal and
lake as far as Cleveland, whence they were
driven to Litchfield, Medina county, where
they settled. Mr. Holladay was early put
to farm work, and attended school but little
in Medina county, as the schoolhouse was
four miles distant. He was subsequently
reared by relatives who came to Graf ton-
township, Lorain county, in 1836, and re
sided at Kingsley's Corners, remaining
with them until twenty-one years of age..
He was soon afterward united in marriaoe
with Miss Roxina Sheldon, who was boru

962

LORAIN COUNTY, OHIO.

in Johnstown, Penn., and they became the
parents of two children, namely: Alvira,
Mrs. James Tucker, of Eaton township, and
Erastus, on the home farm in Grafton town
ship. Shortly after his marriage Mr.
Holladay purchased the farm he yet resides
on, where he was for many years success
fully engaged in general agriculture; of
late years, however, he has retired from
active farm work, leaving the management
of the place to his son, Mrs. Holladay
passed from earth February 17, 1886, and
her remains are interred in Nesbit ceme
tery. Our subject is a stanch member of
the Democratic party, but has no desire for
political preferments, having declined to
serve as justice of the peace.
Mr. Holladay is an excellent type of
those sturdy old pioneers who have passed
their lives in Grafton township, to whom
too much credit cannot be given for the
assistance tbey have rendered in the im
provement and advancement of the coun
try. He has seen the dense forest give
place to fertile fields of grain, and has
himself been instrnmentalin effecting these
changes.

y\ILLIAM H. JOHNSON, an eu-
' terprising agriculturist, and rep
resentative citizen of LaGrange
township, is the ojdest male
representative of his father's family,
which is one of the most prominent in
Lorain county. He was born May 30,
1834, in LaGrange township, a son of
Hon. Nathan Porter and Laura (Waite)
Johnson. Hon. Nathan P. Johnson was of New
England stock, his parents, Stephen and
Phebe Johnson, having been born in Old
Haddam, Conn., whence in 1785 they re
moved to Hartford, Washington Co.,
N. Y., finally in April, 1801, migrating to
Champion, Jefferson Co., same State.
Nathan P. was bora in Hartford, N. Y.,
January 30, 1801, and was, as will be

seen, an infant when his parents removed
to Jefferson county, fie received but
a limited education, the schools of those
early days being very primitive in their
character, but being an apt scholar, and of
a bright and studious disposition, he made
wonderful progress. In Jefferson county
he was married October 20, 1822, to Miss
Laura Waite, who was born in February,
1804, in Champion, N. Y., a daughter of
Dorastus and Sally (McNitt) Waite.
While residing in New York State the
following children were born to them,
their names, dates of birth, etc., being
given: Sarah L., September 14, 1823,
now living in LaGrange, the widow of
William F. Hubbard; William H., Sep
tember 19, 1825, died October 11, 1829;
Cynthia A., September 25, 1827, wife of
Charles A. Wilcox, of LaGrange; Mary
L., June 29, 1830. now the widow of
Spencer Lincoln, of LaGrange; and Phoebe
M., April 24, 1832, married Henry Ster-
rot, and died April 4, 1866. In Ohio
were born as follows: William H. (subject
of sketch); Elizur G., November 24, 1836,
living in Elyria; Ellen M., January 25,
1840, married Henry Noble, and died in
LaGrange; and Ann Eliza, February 11,
1842, twice married, first time to Andrew
J. Lemore, second time to Harry Nichols,
and died in New York State December 4,
1869. In 1833 Nathan P. Johnson traded land
in New York State for a tract in Lorain
county, Ohio; in November, same year,
came here with his family, a two- horse
wagon conveying them, while their house
hold effects were transported by water as
far as Cleveland. The journey occupied
twenty-one days, and on their arrival in
Lorain county they made their temporary
home at the house of Sylvester Merriams,
a brother-in-law of Nathan Johnson. In
the meantime a log house was erected on
the farm south of the center of LaGrange
township, into which, when completed,
the family removed. Mr. Johnson was
originally an ardent Whig of the old

LORAIN COUNTY, OHIO.

963

school, later a Republican, and was elected
to the Legislature in 1844, reelected in
1845; was a member of the Ohio Senate,
1847-48, from the Districts composed of
Lorain and Medina counties; was, after his
removal in 1862 to the village of La
Grange, appointed postmaster there by
Abraham Lincoln; in fact he was a
thoroughly representative man, a useful
citizen, honored and respected. He died
December 22, 1874, and was interred in
LaGrange cemetery. At the time of his
death he was a member of the Methodist
Church, but was in the earlier days of his
life a Congregationalist. Mr. Johnson's
first wife died in 1846, and he afterward
married Miss Mary Hart, of Elyria, by
whom there was no issue.
William H. Johnson, whose name opens
this sketch, received his primary education
at the common schools of his township,
his sister Sarah L. being his first teacher,
and, later, he attended the higher schools
of Oberlin and Elyria. He was reared to
farming pursuits, and lived on his father's
farm until bis marriage, at which time he
moved to his fine property situated south
of LaGrange, and there remained till 1891,
in which year he came to his farm, lying
in the center of LaGrange township, and
which comprises 141 acres prime land,
highly cultivated. On September 15, 1856,
Mr. Johnson married Miss Mary A. Par
sons, born in Windham, Portage county,
Ohio, and two children were born to them:
Laura V., now wife of M. W. Ingalls, and
Mary A., at home. The mother of these
was called from earth in 1860, and in
1862 our subject married Mrs. Lucy H.
Bruce (nee Bradley), widow of O. Bruce.
By this union there were three children,
viz.: William H. (1) (deceased in infancy),
William H. (2) (also died in infancy), and
Anita S., now Mrs. C. H. Curtis, of Berea,
Ohio. In politics Mr. Johnson is a leader
in the ranks of the Republican party, and
has held various township offices with
credit and ability, such as assessor, trustee,
etc. Formerly he was a Congregationalist,

but of late years he has been a member of
the M. E. Church, in which he is a class-
leader. He is remarkably temperate in
his habits, never having used tobacco in
any form, and alcoholic liquor only occa
sionally for its medicinal properties.

B. BELDEN is a native of Lorain
county, born in Brownhelm town
ship in 1846. His father, Martin
Belden, was a native of Landisfield,
Mass., born in 1810, and was mar
ried May 1, 1833, in Colebrook, Conn., to
Eliza Murray, who was born in Delhi,
N. Y., in 1811. In 1834 they came to
Lorain county, Ohio, locating in Amherst
township till 1842, in which year they
moved to Brownhelm township, same
county, and in 1854 proceeded to the vil
lage of North Amherst, where for two
years the father was engaged in the dry-
goods business. In 1860 they moved to
Wood county, Ohio, where they resided
till 1872, in which year they returned to
Lorain county. The father died Novem
ber 6, 1888; he was a Democrat and
served as county commissioner. The
mother is yet living. They had a family
of eight children, four of whom are yet
living, namely: Eliza Ann, wife of Albert
Aldrich, of East Amherst, Ohio; Pru
dence B., a graduate of the University of
Philadelphia, who is a practicing physi
cian in Chicago. 111.; R. B., the subject of
sketch; Clara L., the wife of Warren
Bulsey, a druggist of Napoleon, Henry
Co., Ohio.
R. B. Belden received his education'at
the public schools of North Amherst, and
was reared to farming pursuits, which he
has successfully followed. He has re
sided in Lorain county all his life with the
exception of nine years spent in Trumbull
and Portage counties, Ohio, where he was
engaged in the cheese business. He now
devotes his attention exclusively to his
farming interests.

964

LORAIN COUNTY, OHIO.

On April 20, 1887, Mr. Belden was
united in marriage with Mrs. Arthur Carr,
a native of Huron county, Ohio, daughter
of Robert and Mary (Wright) Curtis, the
former of whom was born in Vermont, the
latter in New York State. Robert Curtis
came to Huron county, Ohio, locating in
North Fairfield township, where he kept,
hotel; he died in 1873 in the village of
North Fairfield. His wife bad passed
away in 1866. Mr. Belden is a Democrat,
and has served as trustee of Amherst. He
is a member of the F. & A. M., Stoning
ton Lodge No. 503, and of the I. 0. O. ¥.,
Plato Lodge, No. 203, having passed all
the Chairs. Mrs. Belden is a member of
the Daughters of Rebekah, Lodge No.
257, of which she is a charter member;
she is also a member of the Ladies of the
Maccabees.

|{ T. HENDERSON. The Oberlin
k. I Business College has for many years
S^j held an exalted place among the
business schools of this country, and
many young men and women, now prom
inent in the business world or as teachers,
received their training in this school. We
are pleased to be able to present to the
readers of this book a brief biography of
J. T. Henderson, whose portrait appears
upon the opposite page, and whose ability
as a teacher, good judgment and character
as a man have had much to do in building
up this useful school.
About four miles north of McConnels-
ville, Morgan Co., Ohio, is found a quiet
country home, surrounded by fertile hills
and valleys, in which was born the subject
of this sketch May 18, 1862. He is the
eon of John and Cecelia (Richardson)
Henderson, also natives of the Buckeye
State, the former of whom died in Morgan
county in 1884, where his widow is yet
residing. His early life was very much as
that of other country boys, the summers
being spent in work upon the farm, and

the winters in the district school, except
that he early manifested an unusual inter
est in his studies, and made such rapid
progress in them that before he was six
teen years old he had secured a county
teacher's certificate. This opened the way
for him to a broader and more useful life,
and after this the farm had little attrac
tion for him.
He began teaching when seventeen years
old, aud continued to teach in country
schools for several years, with a degree of
success not often attained by even older
instructors. As evidence of this success,
he was retained in his first school seven
terms. During these years he developed
an extraordinary fondness for fine writing,
and, by long and faithful practice, consider
able ability to execute the same. To
gratify this fondness, and to improve him
self in this chosen profession, he was induced
to attend the Muskingum Yalley Normal
School for four summers in succession.
This school was under the able manage
ment of Prof. Jacob Schwartz, for twenty
years superintendent of penmanship in the
public schools of Zanesville, Ohio. This
gentleman was a penman of rare ability,
and to bis competence as a teacher is due
the great number of penmen and business
educators which Morgan couuty has pro
duced. As might well be supposed, in
this association Mr. Henderson found
plenty of fuel for his burning passion for
penmanship, and his indefatigable labors
were rewarded at the close of the last term
by receiving the prize for being the best
penman iu the school, consisting of about
one hundred competitors. This seems to
have been the flood-tide in the affairs of
this energetic young man, for the prize
was a scholarship in the Zanesville Busi
ness College. We find that Mr. Hender
son completed the business course in this
institution in the spring of 1883, thereby
climbing one round higher on the ladder
which has brought him such abundant
success. The summer of 1883 was spent
in traveling through different parts of the

Principal of Oberlin Business College.

LORAIN COUNTY, OHIO.

967

East, visiting Chautauqua, Niagara Falls,
Ocean Grove, Coney Island, Asbury Park,
Long Branch, New York and other cities,
a part of his expenses being defrayed by
card writing at the summer resorts.
The year 1883-1884 found our subject
occupying his first position as teacher of
commercial branches in Baldwin Univer
sity, Berea, Ohio. While connected with
this college he devoted his spare time to
further study, completing such branches
as Geometry, English Literature, Rhetoric,
etc. Pres. Schuyler says of his work in
this institution: "He understands his busi
ness, is an excellent teacher and a worthy
man." During the latter partof this year
he was employed in the First National
Bank of that city as bookkeeper, which
position was filled ably and to the entire
satisfaction of the management of the bank.
The dream of his life now began to take
definite shape, and possessing a mind quick
to perceive and ready to appropriate useful
information, he here obtained much prac
tical knowledge that has been of inestima
ble value to him in the work upon which
he was soon to enter — that of a business
educator. In the fall of 1884 he purchased
of Uriah McKee a half-interest in the
Oberlin Business College, and since that
time he has devoted his whole time and
energy to building up and improving this
old and well-known institution.
Business education has had an interest
ing history in Oberlin. The history of such
work dates back to the very earliest period
when such instruction was given anywhere,
and many men who are now occupying
eminent places in the world have been as
sociated with the work in this place as
teachers, among whom we might mention
William Warren, author of the Warrenian
System of Penmanship; Piatt R. Spencer,
author of the Spenceriau System "of Pen
manship, now famous the world over;
Charles Griffeth, S. S. Calkins, Drake
Brothers, Piatt R. Spencer, Jr., W. F.
Lyon, Mr. Howland, Mr. Cobb, U. Mc
Kee, and many others. It was the mantle
50

of such men as these that fell upon the
shoulders of Mr. Henderson, who has for
ten years demonstrated his ability to carry
to a successful issue the work for which
these men laid the foundation.
In June, 1885, he was united in mar
riage in Morgan county, Ohio, with Miss
Ada Lawrence, a native of that county,
and four children have been born to
them: Fred (who died at the age of four-
years), Elmer Clinton, Harold Lawrenca
and Alice Estelle. In politics Mr. Hender
son is a Republican-Prohibitionist, and he
and his wife are members of the M. E.
Church, of wliich he is treasurer, as well
as assistant superintendent of the Sunday-
school. The partnership between McKee and
Henderson continued until June, 1892,
when. Mr. McKee was compelled to with-.
draw from the school on account of failing
health, his, entire interest being purchased
by the junior member of the firm, who.
since that time has had the entire manage
ment of the institution. Since Principal
Henderson was first associated with the
Oberlin Business College, the patronage
has almost doubled, and its present prom
inent position among similar colleges is
largely due to his untiring efforts. He
has been a close student of all subjects
bearing upon his work, and for several
years has been giving his students the
benefit of his researches, in what is termed
the " Wednesday Afternoon Lecture
Course," when such subjects as "Elements
of Success in Life," " Life Insurance,"
"Building and Loan Associations," "Our
Domestic System of Exchange," " Post
Office Money Order System," " Banking,"
" New York Clearing House," etc., are
discussed in a manner which has long
been popular with the students, not so
much because of rhetorical flourish as be
cause of the abundant practical informa
tion contained.
Mr. Henderson takes a deep interest in
the welfare of the community, and occu
pies a high place in the estimation of his

LORAIN COUNTY, OHIO.

fellow citizens. The mayor of Oberlin
said of him recently: "He is known here
as an upright and conscientious teacher, a
patriotic citizen, and an enthusiastic
worker in the Church and benevolent Socie
ties of the place." For several years he has
been a member of the Board of Directors of
the Oberlin Y. M. C. A., and for some time
past an efficient member of the Board
of Health. He is also a member of the
Executive Board of Associated Charities
for Oberlin, and has recently been elected
a member of the Board of Education. His
superior skill as a penman, his practical
experience in the banking business, to
gether with his ability as a teacher and
character as a man, render him an able in
structor in the college over which he pre
sides, a useful citizen in the community'in
which he lives, and place him in the
front rank of business educators of the
present time.

EV. NICHOLAS PFEIL, pastor
of Holy Trinity Church, Avon,
was born November 4, 1859, in
Cleveland, on the so-called West
Side, formerly known as Ohio City.
The house in which he for the first time
saw the light of day is still standing on
the southeast corner of the intersection
of Penn and Chatham streets. He is the
second youngest of seven children — five
boys and two girls — all of whom with their
parents are still among the living. They
reside in and about Cleveland, except his
youngest brother, who at present is so
journing in England, near Liverpool, being
a priest of the Society of Jesus.
His parents were among the pioneers of
Cleveland, having immigrated in the fall
of 1847. They came from the northern
part of Baden, 'in Germany, and are de
scendants of that loyal race of sturdy
Franks, who through all the storms of
centuries remained faithful to the Catholic
Church, ever since the days of Franconia's

apostle, St. Kilian, who, in the latter part
of the seventh century, converted the
Franconian people from heathenism to
catholicity. His father, Lawrence Pfeil, hails from
the town of Koenigsheim on the Tauber,
and his mother, whose maiden name was
Franciska Reinhart, comes from Gissig-
heim, a picturesque little village in the
uplands of the so-called Taubergrund.
Lawrence Pfeil was a baker by profes
sion, and upon arriving in Cleveland began
to ply his trade for a time; but, seeing that
ship carpenters were in greater demand
and better paid, be joined their ranks, to
earn a living for his little family. After
several years of trials, sickness and suffer
ing, which were the common lot of pio
neers in those terrible days of fever and
ague, he, being assisted by his saving and
diligent wife, succeeded in acquiring a
little home on Pear street hill. Later on
he invested his hard-earned savings in a
more comfortable home on Chatham street.
Here the subject of this sketch spent
his early youth, watched over by a pious
mother who taught him the first know
ledge of God, and folded his hands in
childlike prayer. When seven years of
age, he was sent to St. Mary's school on
Jersey street, then as now taught by the
Christian Brothers of Dayton, who enjoy
a wide reputation as clever teachers.
In the latter part of the " sixties," the
family removed from Chatham street on to
a little farm near the crossing of Lorain
and Henley streets. Though the distance
tothe parochial school was now three miles,
the subject of this sketch very seldom
missed a day, despite rain and storm, foot
ing it regularly there and back, summer
and winter, and often through what now-
a-days would be called impassible roads.
From his eleventh year on he attended St.
Stephen's school, which was opened on
Courtland street in the spring of 1870.
Here, in 1872, he made his First Com
munion under the guidance and direction
of a pious and zealous pastor, the Rev.

LORAIN COUNTY, OHIO.

969

Casimir Reichlin, for whom he entertains
filial affection and devotion to this day.
For, next to the grace of God, it was, in
great measure, owing to the beautiful,
priestly life of this good man that he
gradually felt an earnest desire of conse
crating himself one day to the service of
God by entering the priesthood.
Agreeably to his request, Nicholas, with
his younger brother, was sent by his par
ents, in the fall of 1873, to Canisius Col
lege, Buffalo, N. Y., under the able man
agement of the Jesuit Fathers, where, for
five years, he applied himself closely to
the study of Christian doctrine, Latin,
Greek, German, English, French, mathe
matics and other branches usually taught
during a collegiate course. He was gradu
ated in June, 1878, and the following
September entered St. Mary's Theological
Seminary on Lake street, Cleveland. Here
he remained five years, studying philosophy
and theology, church history, exegesis,
canon law, rubrics, etc., in preparation for
the reception of Holy Orders- — the dream
of his life.
After so many years of patient and
laborious study he received minor orders
on the 17th of March, subdeaconship on
the 17th, and deaconship on the 18th day
of May, and priesthood on the 1st of July,
1883, being then in his twenty-fourth year.
On the following Sunday, July 8, he cele
brated his first public Mass in St. Stephen's
Church, amidst great solemnity and a vast
outpouring of people, who had known him
from boyhood days up.
His first pastoral charge was St. Patrick's
congregation, Hubbard, Trumbull county,
where he remained seven months, when he
was transferred to the pastorate of Holy
Trinity congregation, Avon, Lorain couuty.
It is now closely upon ten years that he
has directed the temporal and spiritual
affairs of this congregation, having arrived
February 29, 1884.
During this period he also attended St.
Peter's congregation, North Ridgeville, for
somewhat over four years, holding services

in both congregations every Sunday and
Holy-day. He is now solely pastor of
Avon, having been relieved of the arduous
work of the Ridgeville mission by Bishop
Horstmann, November 12, 1893.
The present pastor of Trinity Church
loves to spend his leisure moments in his
library among his books. He is fond of
solitude because of the opportunity it aL
fords him for reading and mental improve
ment, but he also loves the company of
his friends, and highly appreciates a good
joke when he hears it. Although born in
the city, he prefers to live in the country,
regards with affection its plain people
and their simplicity of life, delights in
flowers and birds, and is passionately fond
of music. His great pleasure, however, is
jto come to the relief of some poor suffer
ing soul, and is ever ready, at any hour of
the day or night, to exercise his priestly
ministrations.

| M. VANTILBURG, M. D., a pop,
k. I ular physician and surgeon of Lorain,
(yj was born January 19, 1849, in Ash
land county, Ohio, and is descended
from one of the early pioneer families of
that county.
His grandfather, Daniel Vautilburg,
was born in Jefferson county, Ohio, and
in 1812 entered land in Ashland county,
State. He returned to Jefferson

same

county, where he was united in marriage
with Miss Margaret Clinton, and in 1813
settled permanently in Ashland county,
where he became a prominent citizen, re
siding on his farm until his death, which
occurred in 1866. He took part in the
war of 1812, serving six months in an
Ohio regiment. Mr. and Mrs. Yantilburg
reared a family of six children — three sons
and three daughters; two of the sons,
John and Henry (twins), are practicing
physicians in Ashland county. The Van-

970

LORAIN COUNTY, OHIO.

tilburgfamily was originally from Holland,
and Grandfather Vantilburg was of Penn
sylvania-German descent.
Daniel Vantilburg, son of this old
pioneer, was born on the farm in Ashland
county (one mile south of Ashland), where
he passed his entire life. He was married
in Jefferson county, this State, to Miss
Clarinda Myers, a native of same, and they
had a family of four children (three yet
living), namely: Margaret, who was mar
ried to Dr. Charles Campbell, of Ashland,
and died in 1879; J. M., subject of sketch;
William, residing at Ashland, and George,
living on the home farm in Ashland
county. The father of this family died in
1878, in Ashland county, where his widow
still resides.
J. M. Vantilburg was reared in his na-.
tive county, and received his education in
the common schools of Ashland and in the
college at Hayesville. In 1864 he en
listed, for three years or during the war,
in Company G, Twenty-third O. V. I.,
under Gen. R- B. Hayes, Captain William
McKinley (afterward Governor McKinley).
He was mustered into service at Columbus,
Ohio, being assigned to the army of West
Virginia, and participated in the engage
ment of Cedar Creek and in many skir
mishes, fie was honorably discharged at
Cumberland, Md., in July, 1865, and re
turned to his home in Ashland county,
Ohio. In 1885 he entered Jefferson
Medical College, Philadelphia, and in
October, 1888, came to Lorain, Lorain
county, where he has since made his home,
actively engaged in the duties of his pro
fession. From 1881 to 1883 the Doctor
resided in western Texas and Mexico,
assisting for some time in the construction
of the Texas and Pacific Railroad from Ft.
Worth west. For nine months he was
engaged on the construction of the Mex-
Central Railroad, from El Paso to

Q. A. Gillmore Post No. 752, G. A. R.,
and has been commander of same since its
organization (this post at the present
writing has twenty-three members); he is
also a member of Woodland Lodge No.
226, K. of P., of Uniformed Rank No.
117 Loyal Legion, and Lorain Lodge No.
552, F. and A. M. For many years he
has been a member of tbe Ohio National
Guards, of which he was the first lieu
tenant. Politically he is a Republican,
and has served as member of the town
council.

ican

Zacatecas, and then located for a short
time in the city of Chihuahua, Mexico,
after which he returned to Ashland county.
Socially Dr. Vantilburg is a member of

JOHN SAYE, farmer and keeper of
boarding stable, Ridgeville township,
is an Englishman by birth, born
December 7, 1839, in Yorkshire, a
son of James and Ann (Colley) Saye, of
the same county, where they married. In
1850, they came to the United States,
crossing the ocean in six weeks, and from
their port of landing came westward to
Ohio, taking the Hudson river, Erie Canal
and Lake Erie to Cleveland, thence pro
ceeding by wagon to their destination-
Eaton township, Lorain county, where
they lived many years; they died in Ridge
ville township, the father in February,
1881, the mother in 1871. They had a
family of eight children, six of whom are
yet living, viz. : Watson, residing in Ridge
ville township; Ann. widow of Albert
Adams, of Saginaw, Mich.; Harriet, wife
of John Watson, of Ridgeville township;
Mary, wife of Ambrose Snow, of Cali
fornia; John, our subject; and Hannah,
widow of Joseph Peterson, of Berea, Ohio.
John Saye, whose name introduces this
sketch, was aboy when he came with the rest
of the family to America, and his education
was received partly in England and partlyin
Ridgeville township, Lorain county, where
he was also trained to agricultural pursuits.
In 1872 he bought his present fine farm
of forty-five acres in Ridgeville township,
and here he has since been successfully

LORAIN COUNTY, OHIO.

971

gaged in general fanning and boarding
horses, in connection with which latter
branch of his business he has had the care
of horses of all kinds, from various parts
of the county. Mr. Saye has been twice
married: first time in 1863 to Miss Miriam
Parker, a native of Henrietta township,
Lorain county, by which union were born
three children — all daughters — viz.: Amy,
Ella (wife of Douglas Proudfoot; they
have one child, Lester), and Miriam. The
mother of these died in 1879, and in 1883
Mr. Saye married Miss Ellen Gayton, a
native of Cleveland, Ohio. In politics our
subject is a Republican, and he is one of
the useful, loyal citizens of his locality.

L

ORRIN EMMONS, member of an
early pioneer family of Ridgeville
township, is a native of same, born
in December, 1823, son of Chauncey
and Charlotte (Porter) Emmons.
The parents of our subject were both
natives of Connecticut, the mother born
August 26, 1789, and in 1810 they mi
grated westward, coming with au ox-team
to Lorain county, Ohio, where they passed
the rest of their long lives. They located
in Ridgeville township, first on Butternut
Ridge, and subsequently on the farm now
occupied by the subject of this sketch.
Chauncey Emmons took an active interest
in the politics of the day. His death oc
curred in Ridgeville township, June 24,
1874, his wife dying September 21, 1847.
These pioneers reared a family of eight
children, a brief record of whom follows:
Marilla was first married to Newton
Adams, and is now the wife of Mr. Brandy-
burg; they live in Lansing, Mich. Beecher
Porter removed to Missouri, where he died
in 1890. Caroline is the widow of Fred
erick Hall, of Olean, N. Y. Susan is the
widow of David Brainerd, of Wisconsin.
Edmond died in Lorain county. Lorrin

is the subject of this biographical memoir.
Harlow Chauncey resided tbe greater part
of his life in Elyria; his death occurred in
St. Paul, Minn. Spencer died in Elyria.
Lorrin Emmons was reared in his na
tive township, and received his education
in the common schools of Ridgeville
Center. He has made farming his life
vocation, and now owns the old homestead
of twenty-five acres, to which he has added
twenty-five more, making a fine farm of
fifty acres in a high state of cultivation.
On March 27, 1849, Mr. Emmons was
married, in Ridgeville township, to Miss
Mary Burrell, daughter of Higby and Ann
(Conrad) Burrell, natives of New York
State, who in an early day came to Lorain
county, Ohio; the father died in Ridgeville
township at the age of eighty-one, the
mother many years before. To Mr. and
Mrs. Lorrin Emmons have come four chil
dren, namely: Lois, wife of Orrin Herrick,
of Cleveland, has four children; Ada A.,
who married Elson Dye, died in January,
1893, leaving two children; Alice, wife of '
Howard Knevels, of Elkhart, Ind.; and
Arthur L., married and living in Omaha,
Neb., in the employ of the Union Pacific
Railroad. Mr. Emmons is a member of
the Democratic party, and has been elected
to the offices of assessor and trustee of his
township, serving in the latter position
many years. He and his wife are mem
bers of the Congregational Church.

H. SHAW, a leading agriculturist
of Ridgeville township, and a repre
sentative citizen, is a native of
New York State, born in Bristol
township, Ontario county, in 1829, a son
of Samuel and Charlotte (Hale) Shaw, also
natives of the Empire State.
In the fall of 1829 the family migrated
to Ohio, making a settlement in Bath
township, Summit county, the fourth or
fifth family to come into that locality.

972

LORAIN COUNTY, OHIO.

Here the father died January 31, 1837,
and in 1839 his widow married Lyman
Doolittle, who died in Summit county,
Ohio. To Samuel and Charlotte Shaw
were bora six children, as follows: Allen,
who died young; S. H., our subject; Cor-
inthia, who died young; Lorenzo, who mar
ried and lived in Summit county, died
about 1890; Dency, who married Walter
Simmons, and moved to Medina county,
died in September, 1891 (he died in Sep
tember, 1890); and Richmond, married,
residing in Bath township, Summit county.
By the mother's second marriage there
were five children, to wit: Eliza, who
married William Wylie (they came to
Ridgeville township, where she died in
1875); Erwin, who died young; Lucy, who
died young; Orpha, wife of Virgil R.
Shaw, living on the old home; and Gen
evieve, wife of Virgil E. Shaw, also resid
ing on the old homestead.
The subject proper of this sketch re
ceived a liberal education at the common
schools of his boyhood home, and was
reared to farming pursuits. In 1851 he
came from Summit county, Ohio, to Ridge
ville township, Lorain county, where he
cleared a farm from out of the woods, at a
time when wild animals, including all
kinds of game, were yet plentiful. He
bought eighteen acres of land, and after
improving it sold out and moved into Me
dina county, where he resided till 1856;
then returned to Lorain county and bought
a ten -acre tract of wild timber land, which
he cleared, and from time to time added to
till now he is the owner of sixty-five acres
all in a good state of cultivation. He has
a comfortable residence, ample barn and
other outbuildings, and confines himself
now exclusively to mixed farming, although
at one time he worked at his trade, that of
carpenter and joiner, and for twelve years
followed the business of building mover.
In 1851 Mr. Shaw was married, in Sum
mit county, to Miss Juliette Wylie, a native
of Erie, Penn., and daughter of Joseph and
Anna (Shaw) Wylie, both of Connecticut

birth, who in an early day moved to Erie,
Penn., and thence in 1839 to Summit
county, Ohio, locating in Bath township.
The father died in Erie in 1838, the mother
in Ridgeville township, Lorain county, in
1872. Their family, seven in number,
were as follows: Andrew, who has resided
on his present farm in Medina county since
1848; Mary Ann, wife of Isaac Warren,
residing in Oklahoma; Warren, who died
young; William, deceased iu 1887 in Ridge
ville; Favian; Jane, who died young; and
Juliette, Mrs. Shaw. To Mr. and Mrs.
S. H. Shaw were bora seven children, a
brief record of whom is as follows: Zimri,
agent at Shawville. where he resides, is
married and has two sons, Archer and
Stanley; Arthur, agent at Olmsted Falls,
is married and has one son, Glenn; Dora
died at the age of two years; Diana, wife
of Lafayette Phillips, residing in Carbon,
Ind., has one son, Claude; Oscar, married,
resides in Clarksville, Tenn. (he has two
children, Hattie and Cecil); Alfaretta, wife
of Morris Bills, residing at Collins, Ohio,
has two children, Grace and Stella; Lola is
a graduate of Elyria High School. Po
litically our subject is ah ardent Republi
can, and has served as township trustee
and in other offices of trust. At one time
there was in Ridgeville township a post-
office, Shawville, named for the family,
which was changed, however, but there is
still a station on the L. S. & M. S. R. R.
of that name.

ttLLIAM F. ESKERT. Among
the well-known agriculturists of
Elyria township stands prominent
this gentleman. He is a native
of Boston, Mass., born July 26, 1849, a
son of George and Elizabeth (Abbenzeller)
Eskert, who came from Germany to the
United States, and were married in Bos
ton, Mass. The father, who was a rope
maker by trade, died at the early age of
twenty-nine years; the mother is yet living
in Elyria.

LORAIN COUNTY, OHIO.

973

The subject of this sketch received his
education in Boston, and learned the trade
of boiler maker, which he followed in his
native city till 1868, in which year he
came to Lorain county, and commenced
farming, a vocation he has since prospered
in. He has been a member of the board
of County Infirmary directors since 1890,
having been elected on the Republican
ticket, and he was trustee of Elyria town
ship for several years.
On April 30, 1870, Mr. Eskert married
Miss Frances Hoadley, daughter of Luther
and Hannah (Smith) Hoadley, who are
among the oldest pioneers of Lorain county.
One child has been born to Mr. and Mrs.
Eskert: Helen, wife of Allen E. Griffin, of
Oberlin, Ohio. Mr. Eskert is a member
of the F. & A. M.

|f |fENRY WARNER was born Octo-
ha4 ber 17, 1801, in Middletown, Mid-
I 1 dlesex Co., Conn. On April 21,
y) 1825, he was united in marriage
with Miss Elizabeth Whitcom, of
Wayne county, N. Y., by which union
there were eleven children, viz. : William
H, John V., Esther A., Maria J., Malita
A., Augustus A., Jerome B., Cyrenius P.,
Vandalia S., Irving N., and Yaleria E.,
two of whom are liviug, Augustus A. and
Cyrenius P.
The subject of this memoir moved to
Brownhelm, Lorain Co., Ohio, in 1847,
having previously purchased the stone
quarry now owned by the Worthington
Brothers. From this quarry he shipped,
it is believed, the first stone that was
shipped from Lorain county; this shipment
was to Canada. Some time in 1854 or
1855 he was associated with Baxter Clough
in the quarry business, and was owner of
the Haldeman quarry in 1859. He spent
his days on the farm where he died, which
is now owned and occupied by his son-in-

law, J. R. Miller, and located about one
mile west of Nortli Amherst village, on the
Lake Shore & Michigan Southern Rail
road. Mr. Warner died January 25, 1876,
in the seventy-fifth year of his age. His
wife died August 25, 1872.

H

f ENRY FOWL, one of the represent
ative native-born agriculturists of
Lorain county, first opened his eyes
yj to the light of day in Amherst
township in 1843.
His father, Henry Fowl, came from
Germany to Ohio when about eleven years
old, with his father, Godfrey Fowl, and for
a year they had their residence in Cleve
land, thence moving to Amherst township,
Lorain county. Here Henry Fowl re
mained till 1864, when he came to Elyria'
township, settling on the farm now occupied
by our subject. He married Miss Sarah'
E. Baker, who came to Lorain county when.
five years old, and they reared a family of
eight children, of whom the following is a'
brief record: Henry is the subject of this
sketch; Charles E. is on a farm in Elyria
township ; Catherine, the wife of L.
Haserodt, of Elyria, died March 8, 1873;
Lucy, who married Conrad Brandt, of Ely
ria township, died in November, 1883;-
Leonard died in January, 1892; Lena is
the wife of Emanuel Eckler, of Elyria;
Andrew, married, resides in Elyria; Philip
lives in Carlisle township. The parents
both died in 1890, of " la grippe," the
father on May 13, the mother on Septem
ber 22.
Henry Fowl was reared in Amherst
township, and received his education at the
public schools of the neighborhood, at the
same time being trained to the practical
duties of farm life. In 1889 he came to
his present place in Elyria township, Lo
rain county, where he has since been en
gaged in general agriculture . In 1870 he

974

LORAIN COUNTY, OHIO.

was married to Miss Sarah Pangborn, a na
tive of Amherst township, Lorain county,
an adopted daughter of Anson and Ida
(Squires) Pangborn, he a native of Ver
mont, she of Whitehall, N. Y. Mrs. Pang
born came to Lorain county in 1816, Mr.
Pangborn in 1827, and they both died in
Elyria township in 1880 and 1888 respect
ively. To Mr. and Mrs. Fowl have been
born six children, as follows: Sydney, Elfa
(wife of E. Denman, of Elyria, who has
one child, Ena P.), J. M., Ida, Leonard
and Urr C. Our subject and wife are
members of the Church of Christ, and in
his political sympathies he is a strong
Prohibitionist.

|f |fENRY A. PLATO, vice-president
t^H of the Savings Deposit Bank, and
j 41 dry-goods merchant, North Am-
y) herst, is a native of Germany, born
December 28, 1845, a son of John
and Wilhelmina (Bodmann) Plato, also
natives of Germany.
In 1856 they came to the United States,
and to Ohio, making a stay of four or five
months in Yermillion, Erie county; then
came to Amherst township, Lorain county,
where they followed farming about three
years, after which they moved into the
village of North Amherst. Here for
some eight or ten years the father operated
a livery, assisted by his sons; also erected
a- grocery store, and conducted a business
there till his retirement from active life,
at which time his sons took charge of the
grocery. He died in December, 1890,
aged seventy-six years; his widow is yet
living, now sixty-nine years old. Their
family comprised three sons and one
daughter, viz.: Henry A., John E. (part
ner in business with Henry A.), Herman J.
and Matilda C, wife of Joseph Wesbecher,
partner in the hardware business with
Henry A. and John E. Henry A. com
menced the grocery business with his

brother, John E., in 1869, and continued
therein about twelve years, or till 1881, in
which year his brother-in-law (Joseph
Wesbecher) being in the hardware busi
ness, our subject and brother, J. E., bought
an interest in same. Subsequently Mr.
Plato, in conjunction with his partners,
built a brick block, and up to January 1,
1892, he saw to the interest of the brothers
in the hardware branch, which grew to be
a thriving concern, while J. E., the brother,
attended their dry-goods store; but being
sickly changed positions with his brother,
and went back to the dry- goods store on
January 1, 1892, at the same time retain
ing his connection with the hardware busi
ness. About two years ago the Savings
Deposit Bank was organized in North
Amherst, and Mr. Plato has ever since
been vice-president of same. About four
years ago he was instrumental in organ
izing the North Amherst Furniture Co.,
which is one of the best equipped enter
prises of the kind in Northern Ohio,
putting up the building which is now oc
cupied by the concern.
In 1866 Henry A. Plato and Miss Eliz
abeth Hilderbrand were united in mar
riage, and six children were born to them,
viz.: Matilda, a clerk in her father's store;
Albert D., who was educated at Notre
Dame, Ind., and is connected with his
father in the dry-goods business; Wil
helmina, also educated at Notre Dame,
Ind.; Cecelia, Louisa and Florence, all of
whom have had the best possible educa
tional advantages. They are possessed of
rare musical abilities, and form within
their own circle a talented band. They
have for some years furnished the music
in the Catholic Church at Amherst, and
are in much demand at both public and
private entertainments. The "Plato Band,"
as it is sometimes called, consists of two
violins (played by son and one of the
daughters); piano and cornet (two other
daughters), and flute (Mr. Plato himself).
Mr. Plato is a stanch Democrat, and a
leader of the party in his vicinity. Iu

mm, ¦JJ0§M3Si
fSKPtf^^fp-'if' ff4fS«- v ' ¦; Si'

?C4/Q)

LORAIN COUNTY, OHIO.

977

1887 he was elected township clerk, a po
sition he still fills. In 1861 (then but
sixteen years of age) he wished very much
to enlist as a fifer, but his father pre
vented his going out, being too young;
however, in December, 1863, he enlisted,
this time iu Company E, One Hundred
and Twenty-eighth O. V. I., and served
till July, 1865, when he was mustered
out at Camp Chase, the war coming to a
close.

ll DAM BERRES, Jk., one of the in-
l\ dustrious and progressive farmer
7__\ citizens of Ridgeville township, is
a native of Prussia, Germany, born
in 1837, a son of Adam and Mary
(Jacobs) Berres, also natives of the Father
land. In 1857 the family immigrated to the
United States, and settling on a farm in
Ridgeville township, Lorain Co., Ohio,
the parents passed the rest of their lives
there, the father dying January 28, 1892,
the mother in 1877. Their children, nine
in number, were as follows: Peter, mar
ried, a resident of Wood county, Ohio;
John, married, residing in Ridgeville
township; Adam, our subject; Gertrude,
wife of Joseph Schneider, of Michigan;
Matt, a farmer of Avon township; Mary,
wife of Mathias Myers, of Ridgeville town
ship; Joseph, a farmer of Ridgeville town
ship; William, residing in Elyria; and
Casper, who resides in Ridgeville township.
Adam Berres, Jr., was twenty years old
when he came with the rest of the family
to this country, and he has always followed
farming. He is now the owner of an ex
cellent property of ninety-one acres of
land all in au advanced state of cultivation,
his first residence thereon being a log
shanty, which was superseded by a house
18 x 36, two stories in height, with an
"L" 16x26, two stories; there is also a
commodious and well-built barn 24x32.
In 1862 our subject enlisted in Company

G, One Hundred and Seventh 0. Y. I.,
army of the Potomac, for three years or
during the war, but served only eleven
months, being honorably discharged in
1863 in the convalescent camp near Alex
andria, Va., and returning home to Lorain
county, where he has since carried on
general farming. In 1867 he was married
to Miss Catherine Myer, a native of Ger
many, and daughter of Andreas Myer,
and to this union have been bora ten chil
dren, named as follows: Peter, Gertrude,
Mathew, Joseph, William, Casper, Kate,
Jacob, Christian and Frank. Politically
Mr. Berres is a Democrat. Socially he
belongs to the G. A. R. Post at Ridge
ville, and he and his wife are members of
the Catholic Church.

| ACOB MYERS, well - known and
k. I highly respected as a well- to-do farmer
%j) citizen of Lorain county, was born in
Tompkins county, N. Y., in 1814, a
son of Joseph and Mary Snyder Myers,
who were of Dutch descent.
Joseph Myers was bora March 11, 1760,
in New Jersey, and was there married to
Mary Snyder, who was bora in the same
State January 27, 1770. In an early day
they removed to New York State, where
the father died April 24, 1829, the widowed
mother afterward removing to Ohio, and
dying in Elyria township in 1853. Five
children were born to them, named re
spectively: Margaret, Andrew, Catherine,
Julia and Jacob. Of these, the youngest,
who is the subject of this memoir, re
ceived his education at the subscription
schools of Tompkins county, N. Y. In
the winter of 1833 he came on foot to
Ohio, first locating in Carlisle township,
Lorain county, thence, in 1834, moving to
Elyria township. He learned the trade of
carpenter and joiner, and in course of time
became a contractor and builder, a business

978

LORAIN COUNTY, OHIO.

he followed for years. In 1835 he bought
his farm in Elyria township, whereon he
now resides, and built himself a modern
comfortable home.
On November 15, 1835, Mr. Myers was
united in marriage with Miss Mary Bur
rell, a native of New York State, and
daughter of Arnold and Mary (Hitchcock)
Burrell, of Vermont birth, who removed
to New York State, whence, in 1833, they
came to Lorain county, Ohio, becoming
pioneers of Sheffield township, where they
both died. To Mr. and Mrs. Jacob Myers
were born seven children, to wit: Andrew,
who died when eight years old; Mary L.,
wife of Judson Kinney, of Sheffield town
ship (they have three children : Lena, Elmer
and Edith); Lorin, married, living in Ely
ria; Esther, wife of William Cox, has two
children — Francis ahd Lorin; Andrew,
living on a farm, who is married and has
three children — Alta, Grace and Miles;
Alonzo, residing at La Porte, Ohio, who is
married and has two children — Jacob and
Eva; and Alligan, wife of Charles Cox,
has four children — Lottie, Mary, Sumner
and George. The parents celebrated, in
1885, their "golden wedding," in the old
home where they had first settled as man
and wife, and Judge Day, who officiated
at the marriage, was among those present.
Politically Mr. Myers is a pronounced Re
publican, casting his first vote for Van-
Buren, and has been a member of the
township school board.

E> DWARD S. FITCH, who for three
score years has been a resident
 l of Avon township, Lorain county,
where he has prospered well as a
general farmer, is a native of Rutland,
Vt., born in 1829.
He is a son of Cyrus and Camilla (Gar
rett) Fitch, also of Vermont, where they
were married, and whence iu 1834 they
migrated to Lorain connty, Ohio, locating

in the woods, and there cleared the farm
now owned by the subject of this sketch.
They purchased, at first, sixty acres, built
a log house, and continued to live there the
rest of their days, the father dying in 1875 ;
he was prominent in political affairs, first
as a Whig, later as a Republican. The
mother of our subject taught the first
school in the district where the latter now
lives, for the first six months of that oner
ous work receiving no salary; she died in
April, 1892, aged eighty-four years. Three
children were bora to this pioneer couple,
viz.: James, deceased when young; Edward
S., subject of sketch; and Candace, who
died at the age of six years.
Edward S. Fitch, who is the only living
representative of the family, was reared on
his present farm, and educated at the
schools of Cuyahoga county. In 1856 he
was married to Miss Eliza Barrows, daugh
ter of Adnah and Clarissa (Day) Barrows,
and three children were the result of this
union, namely: (1) Daniel, married
and residing in Avon township (has two
children: Scott and Camilla Louise); (2)
Charles, deceased in 1878; and (3) Delia,
wife of Michael Henson (they -reside in
Avon township, and have one child,
George). Politically Mr. Fitch is a Re
publican, taking a lively interest in the af
fairs of his party.

4J

MH. LAMPMAN, prominent in
mercantile affairs in Lorain coun
ty, and proprietor of a general
merchandise store in the town of
Lorain, is a native of the county,
bora in Avon township April 16, 1844.
M. Z. Lampman, father of subject, was
born iu the State of New York of Ger
man parents, and his father, who was a
hatter by trade, came west many years ago,
dying in Wisconsin. M. Z. Lampman in
early life came to Lorain county, Ohio, and
found employment on the lakes, at one
time sailing on the old steamship " Bun-

LORAIN COUNTY, OHIO.

979

ker Hill," long since passed away. After
leaving the lakes he married Elizabeth
Churchill, who was born in Buffalo, N. Y.,
in 1820, and he then carried on farming
till 1850, in that year removing to a hotel
at French Creek, which he kept till the
spring of 1853, when he came to Lorain.
Here he kept hotel for some time, first
in a building which stood opposite the
new "Griffin House;" he then bought the
place where the " Griffin House " now
stands, and in that hostelry did a flourish
ing business till about 1872. Mr. Lamp-
man was collector for the port of Lorain for
about twenty-one years, from Buchanan's
time, and he kept a store in the town for
some twenty-five years, up till 1865 or '67.
About three years before his death he
opened a hotel at Lake Breeze, Lorain
county, and he also owned a farm there.
Politically he was first a Jackson Demo
crat, and then a Republican from the time
of Buchanan. He died at Lake Breeze in
1875, aged sixty-seven years, his widow in
the fall of 1892. They were the parents
of four children, all of whom grew to ma
turity, viz.: C. A., deceased wife of E. K.
Porter; M. IL, subject of sketch; Augusta
M., wife of Harry Jones, and George, born
in 1847, a painter by trade, who was un
married, and died in Lorain in April,
1892. M. H. Lampman, whose name opens
this sketch, received a thoroughly practi
cal school training, aud from the age of
sixteen till two years after bis marriage
was engaged as store clerk. In 1869 he
went into the butchering business for a
time, then worked at carpentry, remaining
in the C. L. & W. R. R. shops at Lorain
nine and one-half years, or till 1887, since
when he has been conducting his present
business, in which he has met with un
qualified success. In 1867 Mr. Lampman
married Miss Julia A. Miller, who was
born in 1842 in Avon township, Lorain
Co., Ohio, daughter of Peter Miller, who
is said to have been the hero of the story
related in the old-time school primers,

to wit: ^There was once a bear that chased
a boy up a tree, following him so closely
that he was enabled to grab the boy's foot
in his mouth, whereupon the latter let go
his hold on the tree and came toppling
down to the ground, bear and all, but boy
on top; and so great was the surprise of
Bruin, who was partially stunned, that he
was unable to pursue the lad, who it is un
necessary to add took to his heels without
wishing his bearshipany ceremonial adieu.
In his political predilections Mr. Lamp-
man is a Republican. He is a member of
the M. E. Church, and of the F. & A. M.,
K. P. and K. O. T. M.

E1 A. SMITH, for nearly half a century
an honored resident of Ridgeville
 I township, whither he came from
Connecticut in 1840, is a native ol
that State, born in 1823.
Our subject is a son of Edward and Sally
(Hotchkiss) Smith, also of the " Nutmeg
State," the former of whom died there in
1823. The widowed mother continued to
reside at her old home till our subject was
seventeen years old, so that he received his
elementary education at the schools of the
neighborhood of his place of birth. In
1840, as above intimated, the family came
west to Ohio, making for themselves a new
home in the wild woods of Ridgeville
township, Lorain county; and here our sub
ject labored with the rest in clearing away
the timber and underbrush, and converting
the somber forest into sunny fields. He
had learned the trade of bone and horn but
ton maker, which he followed in Ridge
ville township. He is now owner of fifty-
nine acres of land, all highly cultivated
and well improved. In 1855 he was mar
ried in Ridgeville township to Miss Mel-
vina Terrell, a native of same, and daughter
of Willis and Sarepta (Phelps) Terrell, ot
Connecticut birth, who many years before

980

LORAIN COUNTY, OHIO.

marriage became settlers of Ridgeville
township, Lorain county. Mr. Terrell
came here, when a boy, with his father,
Major Willis Terrell, and clearly remem
bered the news of Perry's victory on Lake
Erie. He died in 1881 ; his widow is yet
living in Ridgeville township. To Mr.
and Mrs. Smith one child has been born,
named Charles P., now married and re
siding in Ridgeville Center. Politically
our subject has been a lifelong Democrat,
and has served his township as trustee, real-
estate assessor (1870-1890) and treasurer.

JB. SHEAHAN, of North Amherst,
is a native of Hamilton county, On
tario, Canada, bora, June 21, 1863, a
son of John and (Ann) Fox Sheahan.
The father of our subject was born in
Limerick, Ireland, and about the time of
his marriage went to Canada by way of
Quebec, whence he and his wife came
farther west. About the year 1850 they
came to the United States, where he fol
lowed various pursuits, all of a mechanical
nature, till 1856, when they returned to
Canada, and part of the time resided in
Hamilton county, Ontario, until 1865.
In that year they came to Lorain county,
Ohio, locating west of North Amherst till
1872, when they removed to East Quar
ries, where the father died in 1876. He
was a member of the Catholic Church.
The mother of subject, who was born in
Limerick, Ireland, November 1 (All Saints
Day), 1839, is yet living, a resident of
North Amherst. They were the parents
of nine children, of whom the following is
a brief record: Cornelius is foreman in
quarries in Jackson couuty, Mich.; is
married and has one child, Geraldirie.
Stephen is in Chicago, yard master for the
Chicago & Great Western Railroad, oper
ated by the Chicago, Kansas City & Ne
braska R. R. Co. ; is married and has five

children, viz.: Mamie, Charley, John,
Annie and Maggie. Maggie is living at
home. The fourth in order of birth is the
subject of this sketch. Lizzie and Jere
miah are still living at home. Patrick F.
died in Michigan in 1888, at the age of
eighteen years. Mamie is a teacher in the
parochial school at North Amherst. Dan
iel died May 24, 1893, when eighteen
years of age.
J. B. Sheahan received his education at
the public schools of North Amherst. For
eight years he operated a stone sawmill in
Michigan, at the end of which time he re
turned to Lorain county, in March, 1893,
and is now in business in North Amherst.
He is popular in the town, and is an ac
tive member of and official in Catholic
Societies, among which may be mentioned
the C. M. B. A. In politics he is a Demo
crat. Mr. Sheahan was married Septem
ber 7, 1886, and has two children: Edith,
aged five years, and Bernard, aged two years.

4/

\\ |f OAH H. PECK, one of the prom-
Vl inent representative farmer citizens
1 of Ridgeville township, is a native
of New York State, born in Oswego
couuty, August 17, 1833, a son of
Harmon and Lydia (Conkling) Peck.
Harmon Peck was born in Dutchess
county, N. Y., a son of Noah and Belinda
(Roe) Peck, who had a family of seven
children, named as follows: Hiram, Ed
ward, Harmon, Lewis, James, Albert, La
vina G. T. The father of these died in
New York State; he was a farmer, also a
shoemaker, and a member of the Baptist
Church. Harmon Peck, who followed the
same vocations as his father, married in
New York State, and from there in 1833
moved to Ohio, via water to Cleveland,
and thence by wagon to Lorain county,
where he bought wild prairie land iu
Pittsfield township. This he improved and

LORAIN COUNTY, OHIO.

981

later sold, purchasing a farm in Ridgeville
township, whither he moved in 1842; he
died in 1870, his wife in 1880. The chil
dren born to them were as follows: Noah
H., James, Harriet (now Mrs. George Bur
rell), and one that died in infancy.
Noah H. Peck, the subject of this sketch,
was an infant when his parents brought
him to Lorain county, and he received his
education at the schools of Ridgeville
township. He was reared to agricultural
pursuits, which have been his life work,
and he is now the owner of sixty acres of
Erime land, all well improved. In 1860
e was married to Miss Vesta Blain, daugh
ter of Richard Blain, and children as fol
lows have been born to them: Edith (now
Mrs. Joseph Cutler, of Ridgeville town
ship), Ida, Ella (deceased), Lydia (wife of
Albert Hoftizer), Ernest (in Cleveland),
Eddie and Lora, at home. Mr. Peck is
independent in his political sympathies,
and in matters of religion he is a member
of the Disciple Church.

D. JOY, a prominent progressive
agriculturist of Carlisle township,
engaged also in housemoving, is a
native of the Buckeye State, born in
Aurora, Portage county, March 22,
1836, a son of Nehemiah and Elizabeth
(Frost) Joy, the former of whom was born
in Massachusetts in 1811. He came in
1831 to Parkman, Portage Co., Ohio,
where he was married in 1834 to Elizabeth
Frost, a native of Yergennes, Vt., who
came with her parents to Portage county.
In 1837 Nehemiah Joy came with his
family to Lorain county, making a settle
ment in Carlisle township, where he carried
on farming till 1871, at which time he
moved to Lee county, Iowa, where he died
in 1883; his wife had preceded him to the
grave in Carlisle township, Lorain couuty,
in 1882. They reared a family of three
children, viz.: A. D.; Marcia M., wife of

Rev. William King, a minister of the Con
gregational Church, now in Michigan; and
Orlando F., married, and residing in Car
lisle township.
Noah and Marcia (Williams) Joy, pa
ternal grandparents of our subject, were
natives of Massachusetts, whence they came
to Elyria, Ohio, in 1837. He was a mill
wright by trade, and in 1849 went to Wal
worth county, Wis., where his wife died
the following year; later he returned to
Portage county, Ohio, where he passed the
rest of his days. Levi and Elizabeth
(Slocum) Frost, maternal grandparents of
our subject, were natives of Vermont, and
in about 1831 came to Portage county,
Ohio; subsequently they moved to St.
Charles, 111., where they both died ; he had
served in the Revolutionary war.
A. D. Joy, the subject proper of this
memoir, received a liberal education at the
schools of Carlisle township, Lorain county.
For a trade he learned carpentry, which he
worked at for some time; for about seven
years he was railroading, from 1852 to
1858, commencing as brakeman on the
Cleveland & Norwalk Railroad; then went
west, and was employed on the Illinois
Central, after which he was on the St. Paul
& Fond du Lac Railway, as fireman, and
later as engineer on the Racine & Missis
sippi Railway. In 1858 he returned to
Lorain county, where he engaged in farm
ing and carpentry, and since 1863 has done
a considerable amount of business in house-
moving. He owns a farm of fifty-one and
a half acres, all in a good state of cultiva
tion, and has accumulated what he owns by
his unaided efforts, sound judgment and
judicious economy.
Mr. Joy has been thrice married, first
time in 1858 to Miss Groveline C. Thorpe,
a native of Carlisle township, daughter of
Abel M. and Emily (Squires) Thorpe,
early pioneers of that township, both of
whom are yet living. To this union were
born three sons: Elba, married, and resid
ing in Elyria; William, married, and liv
ing in Denver, Colo.; and Frank, married,

982

LORAIN COUNTY, OHIO.

manager of the Denver (Colo.) College.
The mother of these departed this life May
4, 1865, and in 1874 Mr. Joy married
Miss Charlotte Saylor, a native of Ger
many, daughter of David and Margaret
Saylor, who were born in Bavaria, Germany,
and came to America, settling in Carlisle
township, Lorain Co., Ohio, where they
both died. The children by this marriage,
six in number, are named as follows: Ida,
Charles, Alice, Edwin, Edith and Amy.
Mrs. Charlotte (Saylor) Joy died April 14,
1887, and on September 25, 1887, Mr.
Joy married, for his present wife, Mrs.
Elizabeth Pember. In politics he is a
Democrat.

MATHIAS MYERS, one of the
leading native-born residents of
J Ridgeville township, of which he
J) is a trustee, first saw the light in
1848.
His father, Mathias Myers, was a na
tive of Coblentz, Germany, where he mar
ried Miss Mary Dehn, of the same place,
and they then set sail from Antwerp for
the United States. After a voyage of
seventy-two days they landed in New
York, and thence proceeded to Lorain
county, Ohio, locating in Ridgeville town
ship in 1847, the place being at that time
wild woodlands. Here they opened up a
farm of six acres, clearing and improving
it until it became one of the best in the
county. They had a family of nine chil
dren, as follows: Mathias; Philip, a car
penter of Elyria; Peter, married, residing
in Ridgeville township; Emma, wife of
M. Pitts, Jr., residing in Ridgeville town
ship; Joseph, married, also in Ridgeville
township; Maggie, wife of Joseph Blazer,
of Dover, Cuyahoga county; Adam, who
died at the age of sixteen, his death re
sulting from the kick of a horse; Clara,
deceased when three or four years old;
and one that died in infancy. The father
was called from earth in March, 1893; the
mother is yet living.

The subject of this sketch was educated
in the schools of French Creek, and at the
age of thirteen commenced working by the
month, since when he has continued in
agricultural pursuits, successfully conduct
ing the homestead farm, which has 'been
added to till now it comprises fifty-three
acres. In 1874 he married, in Elyria,
Loraiu county, Miss Mary Berres, a na
tive of Germany, daughter of Adam and
Mary Berres, who about the year 1858
immigrated to America, settling in Ridge
ville township, Lorain Co., Ohio. To this
union have been born two children — John
Matthew and Amelia. Mr. and Mrs.
Myers are members of the Roman Catholic
Church at Ridgeville, of which he is
treasurer; politically he is a Democrat,
and is now serving, in a Republican town
ship, his second term as trustee of same.

E1 NORTON, a representative farmer
of Amherst township, is a native of
 I Connecticut, born in 1810 to Sey
mour and Anna (Clark) Norton.
The parents were also natives of the Nut
meg State, and in 1813 moved to Genesee
county, N. Y., where the father followed
farming, and died at the advanced age of
ninety years; his wife passed away aged
seventy-eight. Seymour Norton was
drafted in the war of 1812, and his father
served in the Revolutionary war.
The subject of this sketch was reared to
manhood in Geneeee county, N. Y., and
received his education at the schools of
the vicinity. In 1833 he came to Lorain
county, and made his home for a time in
Elyria. For some years he lived in the
South, and at Chattanooga, Tenn., was
foreman of a "large foundry about three
years; then, in 1848, started one in Hunts
ville, Ala. He is the inventor of various
kinds of cotton machines. He also traded
in coal, having shipped the first coal from
East Tennessee to Chattanooga by flat-

LORAIN COUNTY, OHIO.

983

boats, and was the first to make coke in
Tennessee. From the South he went to
New York, and thence in 1860 came again
to Lorain county, and in 1863 took up
and improved the farm whereon he now
resides, in Amherst township, a fine piece
of property of one hundred acres, all in a
good state of cultivation.
In 1856 Mr. Norton was united in mar
riage with Miss Adaline Matthews, of At
tica, N. Y., and to this union four children
have been born, as follows: Grove, a real-
estate agent, who is a resident of Utah;
Charles E., in the real-estate business at
Los Angeles, Cal. ; Elnora, wife of George
Snyder, of Lorain, and Seymour, at
home. Mrs. Norton is a member of the
Baptist Church. Mr. Norton, in his po
litical predilections, is a straight Democrat.

FRED WISE, a leading and well-
known general farmer and stock
breeder, of Eaton township, is a
native of Germany, born in the
Duchy of Baden in 1851, eon of Peter and
Louisa (Miller) Wise, also of Baden.
The parents of subject immigrated to the
United States about 1854, and coming to
Ohio made their home in Medina county
four years; then moving to Grafton town
ship, Lorain county, there passed the re
mainder of their active lives in farm work,
the father dying in 1888, the mother pass
ing away in Grafton township in 1882.
The record of their family of children,
nine in number, is in part as follows:
Recka is the wife of Jacob Clinet, of
Grafton ; Louisa, who married John Kline,
died about 1873 in Cuyahoga county;
Henry (married) lives in Grafton town
ship; Louis (married) is a farmer of Graf
ton township; Fred is the subject of sketch ;
Chris (married) resides in Illinois;
Hannah resides in Grafton; Katie is the
wife of William Law, of Liverpool town
ship, Medina county; Jacob (unmarried)
resides at Grafton.

The subject of our sketch was two and
a half years of age when he came to Ohio,
and received his education at the schools
of Grafton township, Lorain county, gain
ing as well a thorough insight into the
arduous duties of farming, which he has
made his life vocation. In 1884 he moved
to Eaton township, and here bought of
W. H. Rowe the farm he now owns, com
prising some ninety-two acres of valuable
land, which he improved and subsequently
added to until he now owns one hundred
acres of prime land, all in a good state
of cultivation. He is proprietor of the
full registered Belgian stallion, "Gen.
Chanzy," imported by Douglas & Howell.
In 1873 Mr. Wise was married in Graf
ton township, Lorain county, to Sarah
Goodman, a native of Grafton, and daugh
ter of Jacob and Mary (Euga) Goodman,
early settlers of Grafton township, both
now deceased, the former of whom was
born in Seneca Falls, Seneca Co., N. Y.,
in 1818. By this union there are four
children: Nellie, Charles, Burt and Ella.
Our subject takes a lively interest in
politics, invariably voting the straight
Democratic ticket; socially he is a mem-
of Leonard Tent No. 31, Knights of the
Maccabees, in which he has held office.

J I AMES M. JAYCOX, a well-known
fruit grower of Avon township, is a
l native of same, born in 1849, son of
George and Mary (Madison) Jaycox,
both of whom were born in New York
State. George Jaycox, father of our subject,
was reared in his native State up to the age
of fifteen years, and in 1828 migrated
west with his parents, Samuel and Sarah
Jaycox, who were also natives of New
York. They settled in an early day in
Avon township, Lorain Co., Ohio, where
they passed the remainder of their lives.
George Jaycox al-o took up a farm in the

984

LORAIN COUNTY, OHIO.

woods of Avon township, where he be
came a prominent citizen. He was a life
long Republican, an active member of the
party, and held various township offices.
fie died in 1873, his wife surviving him
three or four years. They were the par
ents of ten children, viz.: Charles, who
died at the age of seven years; Jane, wife
of J. Bnre, of Avon township, who was a
soldier in the Civil war; Eliza, wife of O.
Moore, of Avon township, who also served
in the Civil war; James M.; Emily, wife
of J. Ketcham, residing in Lorain; Alice,
wife of H. G. Brown, of Lorain; Anson,
married, who makes his home in Dover
township, Cuyahoga county; Henry, a resi
dent of Lorain; Minnie, wife of J. Brown,
of Lorain; and William, living in Avon
township. James M. Jaycox was brought up .on
the home farm in Avon township, in the
common schools of which place he received
his education, and later engaged in mer
cantile business in Lorain, fie now gives
his attention to the culture, as well as the
buying and selling, of grapes, and since
embarking in this business has handled
over 400,000 baskets of that fruit. Since
1880 he has resided on his present farm
in Avon township, where he has eight
acres devoted to grapes, and he also raises
other fruit; he is the owner- of forty-one
acres of land in Avon township. In 1879
Mr. Jaycox was married, in Elyria, to
Miss Ida L. Hilliard, a native of Wiscon
sin, daughter of Joseph W. Hilliard, who
was a blacksmith, and an early settler of
Avon township, whence he subsequently
removed to Wisconsin, where he died. To
Mr. and Mrs. Jaycox have been born three
children, namely: Ethel, Lora and Frances.
Politically our subject is a stanch member
of the Republican party, and held the
position of postmaster at Avon Lake for
seven years. Socially he is a member of
Avon Tent No. 1, K. O. T. M., French
Creek. He is secretary and treasurer of
the Lorain County Grape-growers Ship
ping Association, which organization has

a membership of 125, and in 1893 shipped
150 carloads of grapes from Avon Station.
Our subject and wife are both active
workers in all religious movements; Mrs.
Jaycox is an ardent worker in the temper
ance cause, and is president of the W. C.
T. U. of Avon Lake. They are both mem
bers of the M. E. Church, in which Mr.
Jaycox holds the offices of steward and trus
tee, and he has served as superintendent of
the Sabbath-school for many years.

[JOHN E. PLATO, of the hardware
k. |! firm of J. Wesbecher & Co., in North
\^J) Amherst, was born in the Kingdom
of Hanover November 11, 1848, a
son of John and Wilhelmina (Bodmann)
Plato, also natives of Hanover.
The family came to America in 1857,
and after landing proceeded westward to
Ohio, locating first at Vermillion, Erie
county, later set tli ng per rn anently in North
Amherst. The father was a professional
musician, in his native land, but in this
country he conducted a livery business.
He died December 5, 1890, at the age of
seventy-five years; his widow, now in her
seventy-sixth year, is living -with her son
John E. They were the parents of four
children. The subject of this sketch, who is sec
ond in order of birth, received his educa
tion at the parochial schools of New York,
his attendance there covering some four
years, after which he returned to North
Amherst and engaged in the livery busi
ness. Later he commenced in the grocery
and dry-goods business, and for the past
ten years has been a member of the firm
of Plato Bros., in that line; also one of the
firm of J. Wesbecher & Co., in hardware,
at North Amherst, and connected with the
North Amherst Furniture Co. Of all
these interests Mr. Plato now gives his
sole attention to the hardware business.

LORAIN COUNTY, OHIO.

987

The firm carry a full and complete line of
shelf and heavy goods. He is also a stock
holder in the Savings Deposit Bank of
North Amherst.
On November 29, 1877, Mr. Plato was
united in marriage with Miss Lena Menz,
who was bora at North Amherst, Ohio,
July 26, 1856, a daughter of John Peter
and Matilde Menz, natives of Bavaria,
Germany, who came to America May 2,
1853. To Mr. and Mrs. Plato have been
boru five children, namely: Leonora,
Agatha, John, Henry and Ruth. Mr.
and Mrs. Plato are stanch members of the
Catholic Church, and influential pillars
thereof. In politics he has always been a
Democrat, and is active in municipal
affairs. Mr. Plato has for years been one of the
leading business men of North Amherst,
and is progressive and public-spirited.

T'T^'HOMAS FOX, an enterprising and
| wide-awake farmer of Sheffield town-
Ij ship, is a native of County Roscom-
y) mon, Ireland, born in 1833, a son
of John and Mary (Dowd) Fox,
farmers in that county, where they both,
died. They reared a family of nine, chil
dren, two of whom came to Lorain county,
Ohio — -Thomas and John, the latter of
whom arrived in about 1846, settling in
Sheffield township, where, he cleared a farm
and passed the rest of his days.
Thomas Fox came fro,m hia. native Ire
land to Lorain county in 1854, and worked
by the month for some time. In 1858 he
bought thirty-five acres of land in Shef
field township, to which he has added from
time to time till he now owns sixty-six
acres of highly improved land. The old
log cabin in which he and his wife first
lived has given place to a comfortable two-
story house, 18 x 28, with an " L " 14 x 24,
equipped with a good barn and outhouses,
and all modern improvements.

In 1858 Mr. Fox was married to Miss
Catherine Coughlin, and two children —
Anna and Katie — have been bora to them.
The mother was called from earth March
14, 1889. Politically our subject is a
Democrat, and he and his family are mem
bers of the Catholic Church.

T' J. SQUIRES, a representative agri
culturist of Carlisle township, is a
native of Lorain county, hprn in
1835 in Elyria township.
He is a son of Amasa and Jerusha
(Carter) Squires, the former of whom was
a native of New York State, the latter of
Vermont. In early manhood Amasa Squires
came westward to Lprain county, Ohio,
during pioneer days, and here followed
farming the remainder of his life, dying
at tbe age of seventy- eight years. Mrs.
Squires died in Lprain county when aged
fifty-five years. They were the parents of
seven children, as follows: Jegertha, de
ceased when sixteen years old; Grazelda,
who died at the age of seven years; T. J.,
subject of this memoir; Fitzgerald, who
was shot during the Civil war; Amasa,
who died on Johnson's Island; Marcella,
married to Thomas Sherwood; and one that
died in infancy. The father of this family
was an active politician, and was an ardent
member of the Democratic party.
T. J. Squires was reared on the home
farm to the manifold duties of agricultural
life, in the meantime receiving an educa
tion in the common schools of the district.
When twenty-three years old he went to
Nebraska, thence to Colorado, remaining
in the West eight years, during which
time he was engaged in mining, and also
in cattle dealing and droving, crossing tbe
plains twelve times with stock. Mr. Squires
was united in marriage, at the age of thirty-
three, with Miss Perscis Farr, a native of
Carlisle township, and they have five chil-

988

LORAIN COUNTY, OHIO.

dren, namely: Arthur, Eubie, Orlin, Creta
and Elwin. Since his return to Lorain
county our subject has been engaged in
general agriculture, and is now owner of a
well-improved farm of 163 acres. In his
political affiliations he is a stanch member
of the Democratic party.

4

\R[ RS. PHEBE L. FARR, who has
\f/\ been a resident of Lorain county
1 for the * past three-quarters of a
century, and has been an eye
witness to its full development,
deserves more than a passing notice in the
pages of this volume.
She is a native of New York State, born
in 1812 in tbe town of Ovid, a daughter
of Henry and Eliza (Glazier) Halford, who
were married in New York State. In
1817 the family set out with a team on a
journey to the then " Far West," arriving
in Lorain county, Ohio, in February, 1818,
and settling in what is now Carlisle town
ship, where they followed agriculture. The
father died in Carlisle township in 1859,
the mother in 1862, in her eightieth year.
To Henry and Eliza Halford were born
nine children, as follows: Reuben, married,
died in Lorain county in 1858; Phebe L.
is the subject proper of this memoir;
Henry S. was married in Lorain county,
and died in Michigan in 1892; Jeremiah,
a widower, resides in Eaton township;
Louisa and Laura are both deceased;
Humphrey served in the war of the Re
bellion, and died from the effects of a
wound; Rebecca is deceased, and Lorenzo
died young. Grandfather Edwin Halford
was a native of England, whence at the
age of sixteen he came to New York. He
was a soldier in both the Revolution and
the French and Indian war.
Phebe L. Halford was about six years
old when she came to Lorain county with
her parents, and she was educated at the

schools of the locality. In 1832 she was
married, in Carlisle township, to Lowell
Farr, son of Abel and Polly (Smith) Farr,
all natives of Vermont, who in 1817 came
to Lorain county, where they passed from
earth, Mrs. Farr's husband in 1861. Our
subject is the mother of ten children, of
whom the following is a brief record:
Eliza is the widow of William Pember, of
Eaton, Lorain county, and has two chil
dren: Odelpha and William; Rosalie is
the wife of Elias Disbro, of Michigan, and
they have six children: Minerva, Phebe,
Emma, Ellsworth, Euba and John; Han
nah is the widow of George Seeley, and
has four children: Esther, Lemuel, Eliza
and Frank; Perscis is the wife of T. J.
Squires, of Carlisle township; Lowell,
married, resides in Pittsfield township, Lo
rain county, and has three children: Cora,
William and George; Ephraim is married,
lives in Michigan, and has five children:
Eddie, Emma, Florence, Lena and Hazel;
Lauren is married to Hermina Drusen-
dobl, and they have four children: Edna,
Earl, Herschel and Ruby (they all reside
at the old home); Phebe was married to
Lafayette Dumas, and died in 1871;
Laura died in childhood; Bird is married,
has two children — Ethel and Phebe — and
lives in Amherst township, Lorain county.

CHESTER A. PRESTON, a prosper
ous farmer of Carlisle township, is a
native of Ohio, born in York town
ship, Medina county, in 1840.
Adolphus Preston, father of subject, of
Connecticut birth, married, in New York
State, Miss Charlotte Shaw, a native of
same, and in an early day they came to
Ohio. For a time they resided in Me
dina county, in 1847 moving to Grafton
township, Lorain county, later locating in
LaGrange township and finally in Carlisle,
where they died, the father in 1878, the
mother in 1874. He served in the war of

LORAIN COUNTY, OHIO.

989

1812 in a battery of artillery. Four chil
dren were born to them, namely: Eliza,
who married Joshua Wilbur, and died in
1856 in Medina county; Emily, who died
in Medina county in 1843; Horace, who
died in 1852 in Grafton township, Lorain
county; and Chester A., subject of this
sketch. The paternal grandfather of our
subject was a soldier in the Revolutionary
war, was taken prisoner by the British and
conveyed to Van Dieman's land; after the
war he was released and sent home, and
died in New York State.
Chester A. Preston received a good
practical school training in the educational
institutions of the vicinity of his boyhood
home, and was reared to agricultural pur
suits, which have been his life work. He
now owns a good farm of eighty-two acres
in Carlisle township. In 1865 he was
married, in LaGrange township, to Miss
Mary Goodman, who was born in New
York State, a daughter of George and
Betsy (Leversee) Goodman, of New York,
who came to Ohio in 1852,. settling in
Grafton village, Lorain county, where the
father died in March, 1866, the mother
some years before. To Mr. and Mrs. Pres
ton have been born three children: Mary,
Bertie and Grace. In his political sym
pathies our subject is a Republican. Mrs.
Preston is a member of the Union Church.

A. REAMER, general merchant,
and one of the most energetic and
enterprising citizens of North Am
herst, is a native of Huron county,
Ohio, born near Norwalk September 16,
1859. He is a son of Anthony and Mary
(Eisenbeis) Reamer, the former of whom
was born in Peru township, Huron Co.,
Ohio. He was a merchant in Norwalk for
some sixteen years, then in Monroeville,
same county, eighteen or twenty years,
from which place he moved to Toledo,
where he now lives.

The subject of this memoir received the
greater part of his education in Monroe
ville, after which he lived in Tiffin, Ohio,
for two years. In 1884 he came to North
Amherst, worked six months at the dry-
goods business, and then entered into a
partnership with Plato Bros., in mercan
tile business, which continued three years,
at the end of which time he commenced
for his own account in North Amherst.
In 1889 he put up his present brick build
ing, and in 1891 added thirty-four feet to
it, the dimensions at present being 30 x 90
feet, two stories in height, while his stock
in trade consists of dry goods, carpets, cur
tains, wall-paper, boots and shoes, etc.
Five clerks do the selling for this large
concern. Mr. Reamer, himself, speaks
German as well as English.
On April 28, 1885, C. A. Reamer and
Miss Maggie Weisenberger were united in
marriage, and the following named four
children were born to them: Esther, Leona,
Norbert and Victor. In politics our sub
ject is independent, and he is a member of
the Catholic Church. He is active in all
public affairs, and wields much influence
in the community.

EORGE WICKENS, funeral director
j, and furniture dealer, Lorain, and
president of the Funeral Directors
Association of Ohio, was born July
19, 1852, in the south of England.
At the age of ten years he commenced
working in a furniture store, learning the
trade of cabinet maker and joiner, and
fully completing his apprenticeship when
about nineteen years old. At that time
(1871) he came to America, and for a time
sojourned in St. Catherines, Ontario, Can
ada, whence in 1873 he came to Lorain,
Ohio, making here a permanent settle
ment. He first engaged iu carpenter work
— contracting and building — which he car
ried on till 1883, in which year he em-

990

LORAIN COUNTY, OHIO.

barked in his present undertaking and fur
niture business in Bowens Hall. He then,
in order to further qualify himself for the
profession of funeral director, attended
lectures at the Embalming College, Cleve
land, Ohio, and at Clark's School of Em
balming, from which he graduated in
August, 1888. He had also become, in
1886, a member of the Funeral Directors
Association of Ohio, and at the meeting
of June 2, 1892, at Columbus, Ohio, was
elected its president. In 1891 he erected
on Broadway, Lorain, a brick building,
36x114, three stories high with basement,
two floors of which are occupied with his
business, the upper floor, which is a hall,
being rented by the I. O. O. F.
In 1875 Mr. Wickens was united in
marriage with Miss Celia E. Chapman,
and they had one child, George B. This
wife dying in 1876, our subject married,
in England, in 1877, for his second wife,
Miss Mary A. Colly, and three children
have been born to them, viz.: William A.,
Elizabeth M. aud Edward M. In politics
Mr. Wickens is a Republican, and for many
years he has been a member of and local
preacher in the M. E. Church, of the Sun-
day-schoql of which he has been superin
tendent for many years. He has visited
his native land many times, on one occa
sion remaining there four years. Mr.
Wickens is a representative self-made man,
one who from absolutely nothing has, by
intelligence, energy, business acumen and
unquestionable probity, worked his way
from the bottom rung of the ladder to
prosperity and comparative affluence, fie
is now a leader in both branches of his
business, in northern Ohio, and is well
and favorably known throughout the en
tire State. " In all local matters, he is
always to be found on the right side, aiming
constantly to build up and improve the in
terests of his fellows and the city in which
he lives. In addition to his many duties in
connection with several Fraternal organiza
tions, he is faithful in the discharge of the re
sponsibilities which come to him as a di

rector in the Lorain Savings and Banking
Co., and also of the Citizens Home and
Loan Association of Lorain. In all things
Mr. Wickens has endeavored to exemplify
all that is contained in one sentence, namely :
An industrious Christian gentleman."

4/

HENRY BICKEL,a prominent, well-
to-do agriculturist of Black River
township, was born on his present
farm March 27, 1844.
He is a son of Henry and Eliza
beth (Wetzel) Bickel, who came from Ger
many to Ohio at an early day where the
father worked for a time on the Maumee
Canal and at other employment. They then
settled on a farm in Black River township,
Lorain county, where they passed the rest of
their lives. When they came here Indians
and wild animals roamed the forest, and
the country, was a comparative wilderness.
The father died at the age of sixty-five
years and eleven months; the mother is yet
living, now aged seventy-one years. Of
their children our subject is the only sur
vivor. Henry Bickel received his education in
the public and district schools, and when a
youth, during the war of the Rebellion,
was drafted into the army, but had not
proceeded toward the seat of hostilities
farther than Cleveland, when he secured a
substitute, and returned home. On March
22, 1866, he married Miss Sophia C. Hilde
brand, who was bora in Black River town
ship, Lorain Co., Ohio, March 16, 1846, a
daughter of Benjamin and Eliza (Appe-
mann) Hildebrand, natives of Germany.
Six children have been born to Mr. and
Mrs. Bickel, viz.: Frances E. (wife of
George Horn, car inspector for the C. L.
& W.- R. R. Co.), Emma E., Charley F.,
George M., Reuben E. and Arthur H.
Mr. Bickel in his political predilections is
a Democrat, and he is a member of the

LORAIN COUNTY, OHIO.

991

Evangelical Church. He has been town
ship trustee for three years, and school di
rector, twenty-two. His fine farm of 123
acres gives evidence of the care, thrift and
sound judgment of the owner, who justly
enjoys the confidence and good will of his
neighbors.

GYRUS L. WHITTLESEY, of Brown
helm township, is a native of same,
having been born on his present
farm August 8, 1831. He is a son
of Solomon and Sarah (Sherman) Whit
tlesey, the former of whom was born in
Stockbridge, Mass., April 30, 1786, the lat
ter in New Haven, Conn., March 23, 1796.
Solomon Whittlesey, father of subject,
was twice married, first time in 1811 to
Miss O. Kirby, who was born in 1784.
They came to Brownhelm township, Lorain
Co., Ohio, and settled on the farm on
which they passed the remainder of their
lives. By this marriage there were four
children, viz.: Mary, born February 6,
1812, now the widow of Rev. L. D. Butts,
and residing in Erie, Penn.; Edmund,
born June 17, 1814, married and residing
in Winnebago county, 111. ; Eliphalet, born
April 7, 1816, married and residing in
Calhoun county, Iowa; and Calista, born
May 29, 1819, deceased wife of H. Wood
ruff. The mother of this family died in
1823, and in 1824 Mr. Whittlesey married
Miss Sarah Sherman. Solomon Whittlesey
was a soldier in the war of 1812, and re
ceived bounty land. In an early day he
worked in an ashery in Lorain county, and
he was a noted hunter. In politics he was
originally an Abolitionist, but in his later
years he voted the straight Republican
ticket. Among other public offices he held
the position of township trustee. He died
February 22, 1871 ; his widow was called
from earth in 1873. They were the parents
of seven children, as follows: David, born
September 15, 1825, died at the age of

nineteen; Solomon, born February 27,
1827, died aged fifteen years; Parmelia,
bora May 24, 1829, wife of Henry Stod
dard, lives at Olmsted Falls, Cuyahoga
Co., Ohio; Cyrus L. is the subject of this
sketch; Sarah, born March 11, 1833, was
married to Irvin French, of Winnebago, III.,
and died in May, 1890 ; John M., born April
19, 1837, died in March, 1838; and James
Monroe, bora November 10, 1840, died
March 5, 1842.
Cyrus L. Whittlesey enlisted in 1861 in
the Union army, three months' service, and
when the call was made for three years'
men he enlisted at Columbus, Ohio, in
Company K, Twenty- third O. V. I. His
regiment was assigned to the army of the
Potomac, and our subject participated in
the battle of Carnifex Ferry, the second
fought in West Virginia; was at the cap
ture of Morgan; Second Bull Run; South
Mountain; Antietam; on scouting service
in West Virginia, thence to Stantpn, Va.,
after which they took prisoners to Colum
bus, Ohio. He was shot through the hand
while in pursuit and capture of Morgan.
He was discharged at Columbus, July 6,
1864, and returned home.
In 1869 Mr. Whittlesey was united in
marriage in Brownhelm township, Lorain
county, with Miss Lucy Bacon, a native of
that township, and daughter of Samuel
and Ruth (Davis) Bacon, the father a na
tive of Stockbridge, Mass., the mother of
Connecticut; he was a manufacturer in the
East, and coming to Lorain county, Ohio,
in 1828, followed farming until his death
in 1865; his widow followed him to the
grave in 1875. They were the parents of
ten children, viz.: Jane H., wife of Ed
mund West, of Oberlin, Ohio; George,
who died at the age of nine years ; Henry,
deceased at the age of three; Samuel, who
died in Lorain county, Ohio, when forty
years old; Eliza, residing in Oberlin,
Ohio; Benjamin, who during the Civil
war enlisted in the one hundred days' serv
ice, and now lives in Anderson county,
Kans. ; Henry Clay, who in 1862 enlisted

992

LORAIN COUNTY, OHIO.

in Brownhelm township. Lorain county, in
Company F, One Hundred and Third
0. Y. I., and was in the army of the West
with Sherman (he now lives in Wood
county, Ohio); the eighth in order of birth
is Lucy, wife of our subject; Charles B.,
who died at the age of forty -six, and Ruth
A., whose home is now in Oberlin, Ohio.
Mr. and Mrs. Whittlesey have one child
living, Hayes B., at home.
In his political preferences our subject
is a Prohibitionist. He is a member, and
has been commander, of Rice Post, No.
148 G. A. R., and he and his wife are as
sociated with the Congregational Church.
Thej/ have a fine farm of 112 acres con
fined to general agriculture. Mr. Whit
tlesey is a crack rifle shot, one of the
best in the county, and takes great delight
in hunting.

|f |f B. MARTIN DALE, member of the
1^ well-known firm of Martindale &
I 41 Leonard, dealers in general mer-
y) chandise, hardware, tinware, to
bacco, etc., French Creek, where they
commenced business in 1890, has been a
resident of Avon township since 1873.
He was born in 1849 in Lake county, Ohio,
. son of Harrison L. and Ann E. (Brown)
Martindale, also natives of that county,
where the father still resides; the mother
died in 1859. Grandmother Laura M.
(Babbett) Reynolds, who is a daughter of
David Babbett, a native of Massachusetts,
who came to Ohio in an early day, was
born in Ohio, and came to Mentor, Lake
county, where she yet resides at the ad
vanced age of eighty-five.
Our subject was reared to manhood in
Lake county, where he received his early
education, and then engaged in farming
and tree-grafting until 1873, when, as above
related, he came to Avon township, Lorain
county, where he now owns a snug little
farm of eleven acres in a good state of cul

tivation. In 1879 Mr. Martindale was
married, in Avon township, to Miss Carrie
L., daughter of David L. Sawyer, an early
pioneer of the township, and to their union
have been born two children: Laura E.
and Mary Eleanor, who died when twenty-
three months old. In politics our subject
is a Republican, and is at present serving
as justice of the peace, which position he
has held for seven years. Socially he is a
member of King Solomon Lodge No. 56,
Elyria; and of the K. O. T. M.", Tent 18,
French Creek, in which he is past com
mander.

L. SAWYER, a well-known pioneer
farmer of Avon township, where he
has resided since September, 1838,
was bom, in 1821, in Schoharie
county, New York.
John and Rhoda (Lynes) Sawyer, parents
of this gentleman, were also natives of New
York State, where they were married, and
whence, in 1838, they removed to Lorain
county, Ohio, settling near French Creek
in Avon township, where they made a per
manent home. The father, who was a
blacksmith, died in 1868, the mother in
1872. They had a family of ten children,
a brief record of whom is as follows: D. L.
is the subject of these lines; James died in
Avon township in 1848 ; Polly became the
wife of Riley Barrows, of Avon township,
where she died; Philip died iu Elyria,
Lorain county; Henry, who was a sailor,
was drowned in the St. Clair river; Am
brose, married, resides in Lorain; Betsy
Ann died unmarried ; Sturgia died in Avon
township; Adeline lives in Avon township;
Phebe died in Michigan. Grandfather
Lynes was a soldier in the Revolution, and
was with Gen. St. Clair at the time of his
defeat. D. L. Sawyer received his literary train
ing in the common schools of his native
State, and was reared in New York up to
his eighteenth year, when he came with his

LORAIN COUNTY, OHIO.

993

parents from Oneida county to Avon town
ship, Lorain county, where he has prin
cipally engaged in farming. He learned
the blacksmith's trade, which he followed
for thirty years, since when he has given
his exclusive attention to agriculture. He
owns a good fruit farm of twenty-seven
acres, besides another tract, his lands com
prising in all seventy- two acres. On Oc
tober 19, 1843, Mr. Sawyer was united in
marriage, in Avon township, with Miss
Eliza Lyon, a native of New York State,
daughter of Elexander and Alice Lyon,
who came from New York to Lorain county,
Ohio, in 1830, being among the earliest
pioneers of LaGrange township. The
father subsequently removed to Nauvoo,
111., and thence to Ogden, Utah, where he
now resides. To Mr. and Mrs. Sawyer have
been born five children, namely: David,
married, who resides in Avon township;
Carrie L. and Emma (twins), the former
of whom is the wife of H. B. Martindale,
of Avon township, the latter the wife of
Rev. F. N. Phelps, a Baptist minister of
Tiro, Crawford Co., Ohio; Delia;and James,
married, a resident of Ridgeville township.
In his political preferences Mr. Sawyer is
an ardent Republican, and has served as
township trustee; he cast his first ballot for
James G. Birney, and later voted for John
C. Fremont. Socially he is a member of
King Solomon Lodge No. 56, Elyria. In
religious connection he and his wife are
members of the Baptist Church at French
Creek.

HARLES H. GLENN, a well-known
contractor and builder, of Oberlin,
was born December 20, 1857, at
Delphos, Allen Co., Ohio, a son of
George M. and Augusta L. W. (King)
Glenn, the former a native of Virginia, the
latter of Prussia.
He received his education at the public
schools of Oberlin, then learned the trade
of carpenter and joiner. In 1884 he em

barked in the contracting business with
the firm known as Glenn & Copeland, in
which he has since continued, and he has
done contracting in various places, among
which may be mentioned Colorado Springs,
his work, however, lying chiefly in Ober
lin, where he resides. He makes a spe
cialty of dwelling houses, and conducts
quite an extensive business, giving em
ployment to from five to thirty men.
Mr. Glenn was united in marriage De
cember 20, 1881, with Miss Effie V. Tuck,
who was born in Gallia county, Ohio, and
reared in Oberlin, a daughter of John C.
and Eliza (Dyer) Tuck. To this union
have been born three children, namely:
Lucretia, Wilhelmina, Frankie D. and
Charles A., of whom Frankie died at the
age of ten months. Our subject is a Re
publican, and takes an active interest in
politics; he is now serving a second term
as member of the city council. Mr. and
Mrs. Glenn are both members of the First
Congregational Church at Oberlin.

fl( RTEMAS BEEBE, proprietor of
l/l\ book-store and dealer in books,
F[j!_\ stationery and mouldings, Elyria;
J) is a native of that city, born May
26, 1869, a grandson of Artemas
Beebe, who came of an old New England
family, and son of ' Artemas and Nancy
(Fisher) Beebe.
Artemas Beebe, second son of the late
Artemas Beebe, who came here from Mas
sachusetts in 1817 with the late Heman
Ely, and assisted in making an opening in
the wilderness where Elyria now stands,
died at his farm residence on Cleveland
street, August 27, 1891. Deceased was
born in Elyria, October 10, 1825, and
spent all of his nearly sixty-three years in
Elyria. He attended the public schools
until he was about fifteen years of age,
when he entered the dry-goods store of
the late Seymour M. Baldwin, where he

994

LORAIN COUNTY, OHIO.

was employed as clerk for a few years, and
then engaged in farming pursuits. On
November 25, 1847, he married Miss
Nancy L. Fisher, of Graftori, and soon
after moved to bis farm near the city,
where, with the exception of two years, he
spent his remaining life. On the death of
bis father in 1880, he became the owner of
the "Beebe House," which he leased until
1886, when he took possession as manager
and remained two years, then returning to
his farm, which comprised 200 acres, and
was located entirely inside the corporation
of Elyria. The children born to him were
William A., Mary, Frank and Artemas.
His widow is still living on the old home
stead. The origin of Mr. Beebe's illness dated
from the winter of 1890, when he suffered
from a severe attack of La Grippe, from
which he recovered in a few weeks; but in
January, 1891, he had a recurrence of the
same disease, his heart becoming affected,
resulting in dropsy, which terminated his
life. In all his duties of husband, father and
neighbor, he occupied a high place in the
esteem of his fellow-citizens; and while
his family, consisting of his wife, three
sons and one daughter, will more deeply
feel their bereavement, the Church and
more especially the Sunday-schools of Lo
rain county, in which for many years he
has taken an active interest, will miss his
presence and counsel. Mr. Beebe was a
member and a regular attendant of the
Congregational Sunday-school of Elyria
for sixty years. For ten years he was its
assistant superintendent. He has also for
many years been the Chairman of the ex
ecutive committee of the Lorain County
Sunday-school Union, and the success of
its annual meeting has been owing more
to his constant and efficient labor than to
any other cause. Mr. Beebe was an active
and honored member of the Congrega
tional Church of Elyria for thirty-three
years. In his official duties; in his inter
course with his fellow-members; in the

largeness of his Christian charity and fel
lowship, as well as in his daily social and
business life, he aimed to be true to his
high calling of God.
Artemas Beebe, whose name introduces
this sketch, received a liberal education at
the public schools of his native town, and
graduated in the class of 1890. In April,
1891, he opened out his present business,
and has met with well-merited success.
On December 16, 1891, he was united in
marriage with Miss Minnie Mapes, also a
native of Elyria, and who had been a
schoolmate of Mr. Beebe's. In political
preferences our subject is a Republican,
and in church connection he is a Congre
gationalist.

4/

HG. REDINGTON, a prominent
and widely esteemed attorney at
law of North Amherst, is one of
the rising young barristers of
Lorain county, of which he is a
native, born July 10, 1858.
His father, R. N. Redington, a native
of Massachusetts, came to Amherst town
ship in 1819, being at the time three years
old. He was a farmer all his life, and
died at the age of sixty-nine years. He
married Miss M. E. Tyler, who was born
in 1823 of Connecticut people, and she is
yet living; she is, as was also her husband,
a member of the Disciple Church.
The subject of this biographical sketch
received his elementary education at the
district schools, afterward attending Ober
lin College, where he completed the junior
year; thence went to Cornell (N. Y.) Uni
versity, one term, after which he com
menced to read law with Hon. J. F.
Burket, now on the supreme court bench.
On June 4, 1884, he was admitted to the
bar, and at once opened an office in North
Amherst, Lorain county, where he has
since been engaged in the practice of his
profession. He has successfully carried

&m-A.

e

LORAIN COUNTY, OHIO.

997

through cases versus railroads, involving
a considerable amount of litigation, and
succeeded in securing the compromise be
tween North Amherst and the Lake Shore
& Michigan Southern Railroad Company,
the nature of which was as follows: The
question involved was whether the railway
company could raise the grade of its rail
way through the village and over the
streets and narrow the streets at the inter
sections, without consent of the village or
the payment of damages to abutting own
ers. The question was decided in favor
of the village, that the railway company
could not.
In 1885 Mr. Redington was elected
mayor of North Amherst, serving till
1893, in all four continuous terms. Lie is
president of the Savings Deposit Bank, of
which he was one of the chief organizers;
is president of the North Amherst Shear
Company, and assisted in organizing the
North Amherst Furniture Company, of
which he is a stockholder. Politically he
is an uncompromising Democrat, a pro
nounced Cleveland man on the Tariff ques
tion. Socially he is a member of the
K. of P., the K. 0. T. M., and the
I. O. O. F., of which he was District
Deputy Grand Master.
In 1884 Mr. Redington was united in
marriage with Miss Lulu C. Moore,
daughter of Dr. A. C. Moore, of North
Amherst, and three children have been
born to them: Harry M., Blanche G. and
Llorace Raymond.

4/

MICHAEL EPPLEY, one of the
thrifty and prosperous agricul
turists of Elyria township, is a
native of Wittenberg, Germany,
born December 7, 1821, a son of
Jacob and Catherine (Keller) Eppley, also
natives of the Fatherland.
In April, 1832, the family set sail from
Holland for the New World, and after a

voyage of fifty-five days landed at Phila
delphia. From there they proceeded west
ward to Ohio, locating at Zanesville, Mus
kingum county, where the parents passed
from earth, the father at the age of eighty-
six, the mother when seventy-six years old.
They had eleven children — nine sons and
two daughters — and seven of the sons are
now living, all near Zanesville, Ohio, ex
cept our subject, while the two daughters
reside in Michigan.
Michael Eppley was reared to manhood
in Zanesville, Ohio, where he received his
education, and worked hard to make a
little money which he saved in his boy
hood. At the age of twenty years he com
menced carpentry, a trade he followed for
twenty-one years; also farming, in con
nection doing a considerable amount in
contracting and building. He was in the
employ of the State of Ohio, constructing
dams and docks in the Muskingum river.
At the age of twenty-three he was united
in marriage with Miss Rosina Harsch
(daughter of Mr. and Mrs. John Harsch),
a native of Wittenberg, Germany, coming
with her parents to America when six
years old. Thirteen children were born to
this union — five sons and eight daughters
— namely: William, who went west and
died (he was married to Mary Mauer; left
two children); Mary, wife of Mose Beal,
also died at an early age (left seven chil
dren) ; Katherine, wife of Samuel Beal, has
eight children; Caroline, wife of Jacob
Schaible, has two children; Jacob, mar
ried to Kate Martin, has four children;
Rosa, died at the age of twelve years;
Solomon, married to Nellie Bender, and
has one child; Christena, wife of Henry
Martin, has four children; Abram, mar
ried Mary Martin, has four children;
Matilda, wife of Ernest Drunagle, has one
child; Mose,. married to Mary Spiegelberg,
and has one child; Lydia, wife of William
Spiegelberg, and Cora, residing at home.
Shortly after marriage Mr. Eppley
purchased a farm in York township,
Morgan county, containing 240 acres of

998

LORAIN COUNTY, OHIO.

land, which he improved and then sold
just before coming to Elyria. He came
to Lorain county in 1874, and bought his
present farm, containing one hundred
acres (in Elyria township), bordering
on the town of Elyria (on Murry
Ridge, southwest of town), paying one
hundred and twenty dollars cash per acre
for same. After two years the mother
died at the age of fifty -one years, which
was a sore loss to the whole family, and
here he has since remained as a widower
(his daughter Cora keeping house for him).
Mr. Eppley always was, and is to this
day, for his age, an active man as well as
ambitious; honest in -all his dealings. In
religion he is an earnest, steadfast follower
of Christ, and has been from early life.
He is a member of the Evangelical Church.
His greatest aim is to reach his heavenly
home.

I( LFRED E. HALE, farmer and
\\ cheese manufacturer of Carlisle
|\ township, is a native of Lorain
county, born March 23, 1862, on
Henrietta Hill. He is a son of
George and Anna M. (Smith) Hale, the
former of whom was among the pioneers
of Carlisle township, having settled there
when his son, Alfred E., was but ten days
old. The subject of this sketch was reared
to agricultural pursuits on his father's
farm, received his literary training in the
common schools of Carlisle township until
sixteen years of age, and then studied for
one term at the Elyria high school.. For
the next two years he was employed in
the Hart Cheese Factory, at that time
operated by William A. Braman, and then
worked in Sullivan and Ashland counties,
Ohio. When nineteen years old he pur
chased, in partnership with a brother, the
farm on which his brother resides, and on
which they have since made many im

provements, and there Mr. Hale carries on
a prosperous cheese-making business, keep
ing twenty cows. He manufactures a full
cream cheese, and receives New York
State prices for all his dairy products, for
which there is a constant demand.
In 1886 Mr. Hale was united in mar
riage with Miss Buda Bell Peabody, and
they have two children, namely: Gilbert
N. and Cassie B. Our subject is a mem
ber of the Republican party, and takes an
active interest in political questions. He
is recognized as one of the thorough-going,
progressive business men of Carlisle town
ship, where he has established himself in
a profitable line of trade.

HARLES H. WARBURTON, mas
ter mechanic for the Cleveland,
Lorain & Wheeling Railroad, at
Lorain, was born September 17,
1846, at Cleveland, Ohio. His father,
Thomas Warburton, a native of Edinburgh,
Scotland, married Martha Rummage, who
was born in Cleveland, Ohio, and they
reared a family of five children — four sons
and one daughter — of whom Charles H. is
the eldest. The mother died in 1878, the
father is now residing at Birmingham,
Ohio. Charles H. Warburton grew to man
hood in his native city, receiving his edu
cation in the public schools of same. At
the age of sixteen he engaged with the
Lake Shore & Michigan Southern Rail
road Company to learn the trade of ma
chinist, and served some five and a half
years. For some time after he worked as
contractor in the Wilson Sewing Machine
Shops at Cleveland, but again returned to
the railroad business. , In 1.873 he came
to Lorain county, engaged with the Cleve
land, Lorain & Wheeling Railroad as gang
boss, and afterward as general foreman, in
wliich capacity he served until 1882, after
which time he held the position of master

LORAIN COUNTY, OHIO.

999

mechanic, being superintendent of 334
men. In July, 1893, he resigned his posi
tion on the railroad to embark in his pres
ent business in Cleveland, Ohio, in part
nership with E. C. Angell, the style of the
firm being " Viaduct Machine and Tool
Co." On November 13, 1873, Mr. Warbur
ton was married, at Cleveland, to Miss May
J. Angell, and to their union have been
born six children: Charles, Lewis, Henry,
Katie, Cora and Frank. Politically our
subject is a prominent member of the Re
publican party, in whose welfare he takes
an active interest; he has served in various
positions of trust, has been a member of
the city council, and for five years was
president of the City Water Works. So
cially he is a member of Woodland Lodge
No. 226, K. of P., and of the K. O. T. M.;
he is also a member of the F. & A. M.,
K. T., and of the A. A. O. N. M. S.

|I0HN RILEY, Je., one of the promi-
k. I nent representative young men of
\J) Amherst township, is a native-born
Ohioan, having first seen the light of
day in Erie county in 1856.
He is a son of John and Bridget
(Welch) Riley, the father born in Ireland.
Coming to America in 1844 he made his
home in Erie county, Ohio, a number of
years. About 1868 he removed with his
family to Lorain county, and he now re
sides in Elyria township. He has been a
lifelong farmer, and in politics a stanch
Democrat. Eight children were born to
John and Bridget Riley, all yet living.
John Riley, Jr., received his education
in the public schools of Elyria and Berlin
Heights. For some years he followed
agricultural pursuits, and he now owns a
good farm of one hundred acres in Am
herst township. In 1882 he commenced
contracting for the Toledo & Cleveland

Railroad, northern and southern division,
and later has been employed in getting
out ship timber.
Mr. Riley has been twice married : first
time in 1880 to Miss Jennie Davis, who
died in 1883, and he subsequently, in 1889,
married Miss Carrie Armert. He takes
an active interest in politics, and is a
strong, useful member of the Democratic
party. Since September, 1893, he has
been the efficient and courteous postmas
ter at North Amherst.

[fJfENRY HITCHCOCK, prominent
r^ in the farming community of Co-
jj 41 lmnbia township, of which he is a
y) native, is a son of Samuel and
Amelia (Osborne) Hitchcock.
Samuel Hitchcock was born, in 1786, in
Waterbury, Conn., whence in 1810 he
came to Columbia township, Lorain coun
ty, traveling the entire distance with a
team, the journey occuping some six
weeks. Here he opened up three farms,
and became a prosperous agriculturist. In
politics he was originally a Whig, later a
Republican. His wife, Amelia (Osborne),
was also bora in Connecticut, and died in
April, 1892, a daughter of Asel and Mary
(Hoadley) Osborne, who came to Colum
bia township, Lorain county, from Con
necticut, in 1810. To Mr. and Mrs. Samuel
Hitchcock were born seven children, of
whom the following is a brief record:
Alma, who married James R. Ruple, died
in Olmsted township, Cuyahoga county,
in June, 1892; Julia, who was the wife of
Cyrus Ruple, died in about 1882; Mi
nerva, the wife of James Warnock. died in
1893; Marietta, widow of Winslow Shaw,
resides in Michigan ; Amanda, who was the
wife of Abner Houston, died in Ridge
ville township at the age of twenty-five;
Amelia, Mrs. J. W. Doane, died in Janu
ary, 1890; and Henry is the subject of this
sketch.

1000

LORAIN COUNTY, OHIO.

Henry Hitchcock, the subject proper of
this memoir, was born in 1836, and was
reared on his father's farm, his schooling
being obtained in the primitive log cabin
of the period, in Columbia Center. He
has always followed farming, and has met
with well-merited success, being now the
owner of 108 acres of excellent land in one
tract, and also a twenty-four-acre farm
elsewhere, while Mrs. Hitchcock owns a
good farm of thirty-two acres; he is also
guardian for thirty-two acres. In 1867
our subject was united in marriage, in
Columbia township, Lorain county, with
Emeline Peachey, a native of that township,
and daughter of Thomas and Philemela
(Smith) Peachey, of Massachusetts birth,
early settlers of Columbia township,
Lorain county, where they died. To this
union two children were born,- viz. : Aman
da, wife of William Martin, residing on
the home farm; and Charley, living at
home. In his political affiliations Mr.
Hitchcock is a Republican; his wife is a
member of the M. E. Church.

\ OBERT N. GOODWIN, one of
d( the best known and most popular
1^ citizens of Lorain county, is a na
tive of Ohio, born in Granger,
Medina county, May 13, 1828.
Nathaniel A. Goodwin, father of our
subject, a native of Connecticut, whence
he first moved to Genesee county, N. Y.,
and then to Ohio, was one of the earliest
settlers of Granger township, Medina
county, traveling the entire distance from
Genesee county with an ox-sled, it being
the winter season; at that time there was
only one other family in the township, and
his sister Deborah was the first white child
born in Granger township. He married
Miss Levinia H. Lowe, a native of the
State of New York, who bore him ten
children, of whom the following is a brief
record: Charles A., who died at the age of

seventy-four in Medina county, was for
some time a resident of Michigan; Alvira,
who married Earl Salsberre, died May 3,
1893, aged seventy-nine years; Mary L.
is the widow of William Hopkins, of
Sharon township, Medina county, and is
now seventy-eight years old; Seth, who
lived in Sharon township, Medina county,
died of paralysis at the age of sixty- six
years; Deborah died in 1871 at the age of
fifty-three years; Levinia is the widow of
Foster Young, of La Porte, Iowa, and is
nearly seventy-one years old; Hiram, now
sixty-seven years old, resides in Medina,
Ohio, and is clerk of the court of common
pleas; Robert N. is the subject of this
sketch; William G., now sixty-three years
old, is a farmer in Iowa, ahd resides near
La Porte, that State; Marshall W., bora
in 1836, now a farmer, lives in Granger,
Medina county, Ohio. The father died of
cancer January 21, 1843, aged fifty-five
years, the mother February 5, 1867, aged
seventy-six years.
The subject under present consideration
attended school in his boyhood winters, at
the nearest log schoolhouse (in which the
seats were made of slabs, with wooden pins
for legs), which was a mile away from his
home, his summers being passed in work
ing on the farm. He also learned the trade
of cooper, which he followed for some
years both in his native town and five
years in Lorain county, whither he came
in 1861. He then clerked in a grocery
store in the town of Wellington, at the
same time attending to some insurance
business, which was the nucleus to his
present extensive connection in that line.
Mr. Goodwin has served in various public
capacities with characteristic ability and
fidelity, and among the positions he has
held may be mentioned: secretary of an
agricultural society, twelve years; justice
of the peace, two terms; city clerk (Well
ington), fourteen years; township and cor
poration assessor, nineteen consecutive
years (he is elected each year as assessor,
and every two years as city clerk). Politi-

LORAIN COUNTY, OHIO.

1001

cally he is a straight Republican. Dur
ing the war of the Rebellion five men were
drafted on his street, he being one of them,
and he reported himself at Elyria, but
they were not ready to receive bim, and he
finally sent a substitute. He had made
preparations, however, to fill a position as
clerk in the commissary office, but was
taken ill with fever, and reluctantly had to
remain at home. He is a member of th*
Congregational Church. His grandfather,
Seth Goodwin, served throughout the,
Revolutionary war and a portion of that of
1812, being a lieutenant at the time of the
burning of Buffalo by the British. His
father served throughout the war of 1812
as a lieutenant, and saw an Indian killed
by an officer of the army, for touching a
torch to a building, setting it on fire.
In 1850 Mr. Goodwin was united in
marriage with Miss Louisa M. Harris, a
native of New York State, born in Gene-
fee county, June 2, 1830. No children
have been born to them. He and his
wife, Louisa M. Goodwin, have resided in
Wellington, Ohio, since 1861, when there
were only 245 buildings that were used in
any part for dwellings; at this time (1894)
there are many elegant dwelling houses,
besides the many beautiful churches,
schoolhouses, business buildings and as fine
a town hall as is not often seen in cities. As
he has fine property in Wellington, he ex
pects to remain there during his natural life.

JLLARD HART, than whom
there is no better or more favor
ably known resident of Penfield
township, is a native of same,
bora October 12, 1840, son of Hawley
Hart. Hawley Hart was born February 10,
1807, in Litchfield county, Conn., son of
Samuel, who was a farmer by occupa
tion. The father of our subject received a
common-school education, and during his

early manhood was engaged in peddling
clocks for Lewis Hart, throughout the
Western Reserve, in 1834 coming through
Penfield township, Lorain county. On
January 12, 1840, he married Miss Lucy
Hart, who was born September 17, 1821,
in the town of Winchester, Litchfield Co.,
Conn., daughter of Lewis and Persus
(Swift) Hart, who came to Lorain county,
Ohio, settling, in June, 1838, in Penfield
township, where the marriage took place,
the ceremony being performed by Justice
Samuel Knapp. After his marriage Mr.
Hart always followed farming, and made
his home in Penfield township; he first
took up a farm in Lot No. 45, which con
tained but a few rude improvements, and
resided for two years on that place, where
two children were born to him, namely:
Willard, our subject, and Chester, who
died at the age of seventeen years. From
this farm he removed to Lot 37, and
there remained for eight years, when
he took up his residence in Lot No. 47,
living there for some time. Then, in
later years, he moved to a place two miles
south of the center of Penfield township,
where he died August 5, 1881, of apoplexy,
and was buried in Center cemetery. He
was, in politics, a Jacksonian Democrat,
and attended the elections regularly. He
was a successful farmer. Since his decease
his widow has made her home with her
son Willard. She has been a member of
the M. E. Church since 1869.
Willard Hart attended during his boy
hood the common schools of the district,
and received his first knowledge of agri
cultural work under the direction of his
father. On January 15, 1861, he was
united in marriage with Miss Ann E.
Sooy, a native of Spencer, Medina Co.,
Ohio, and this union was blessed with one
child, Carrie L., who is now the wife of
W. B. Lindsley, a farmer of Penfield town
ship, and has two children, Marion A. and
Dot H. Our subject has always followed
farming, and after his marriage took up
his residence with his parents on the home

1002

LORAIN COUNTY, OHIO.

place, where he has ever since contin
uously made his home, and he now owns
the excellent farm he resides on, besides
two hundred acres which he rents. In
addition to farming he has also conducted
an extensive dairying business, an industry
in which he has met with well-deserved
success, and which has proved exceedingly
profitable. He has constantly on his farm
about thirty-five milch cows, and it is due
chiefly to his efforts that Lorain is one of
the principal dairy counties in the State.
He was the first to introduce Holstein
cattle into the county. Mr. .Hart is a life
long Democrat, takes an active interest in
political affairs, has served as township
trustee, and is now filling the office of
township treasurer. He is a warm friend
of the public-school system, and has served
as director of his special school district,
where he labored hard for the schools
they now have, in the advancement of
which he takes great interest. Both he
and his wife are members of the M. E.
Church, in which, since his union there
with in 1869, he has been a leading
factor, holding numerous offices in the
Church, and being also prominently iden
tified with the Sunday-school. He is
highly thought of in his community.

[fJfENRY BRADFORD, one of the
t^ most prominent and affluent of the
| 1 many prosperous agriculturists of
y) Lorain county, and the owner of
one of the finest and best-equipped
farms in Rochester township, i6 a native
of the county, born August 14, 1849, in
Columbia township.
Hiram N. Bradford, his father, was born
May 31, 1821, in Olmsted Falls, Cuya
hoga Co., Ohio, a son of Hosea and Han
nah (Eastman) Bradford, natives of Ver
mont, who moved to Canada, and from
there to Ohio. They were the parents of

ten children, seven of whom — five sons and
two daughters — grew to naturity, their
names being Philo, Lester, Eastman, Hiram
N., Myron, Cynthia and Laura.
Hiram N. Bradford received a common-
school education, and being a natural me
chanic, in early youth turned his attention
in that direction, learning the trade of
stonemason. His first work in this line
was laying the walls for wells, which was
considered ordinary labor; but his ability
soon asserting itself, he was given more dif
ficult work, such as laying cellar walls, in
which in course of time he became very
proficient, and he was widely known as a
skilled mechanic. He made his home with
his parents until his marriage (at which time
he was a comparatively poor man), after
which he and his young wife made their
home in Columbia township, Lorain coun
ty, for a short time; then lived with his
wife's parents, who were getting advanced
in years, and here Mr. Bradford died
March 20, 1856, his remains being inter
red in Columbia township. He was a
member of the Wesleyan Methodist
Church, and in politics was originally a
Whig, at the time of his death a Repub
lican, which party had just been organized.
On July 20, 1842, Hiram N. Bradford
and Eunice Eddy were united in marriage.
She first saw the light February 22, 1822,
in Columbia township, Lorain Co., Ohio,
daughter of David and Elizabeth (Sher-
dine) Eddy, born February 1, 1^83, in
New Jersey, and April 1, 1785, in Wash
ington county, Penn., respectively. Mrs.
Eddy's father was killed by the Indians.
David Eddy came to Ohio before his mar
riage, and being in Cuyahoga county dur
ing the war of 1812, assisted in building
blockhouses there. He died in Columbia
township, Lorain county. At Hiram N.
Bradford's death be left three children,
viz.: Sylvia, now Mrs. Herbert Mills, of
Cleveland, Ohio; Viola, who died at the
age of fifteen, and Henry, the subject of
this sketch. Mrs. Bradford kept the chil
dren together on the farm left by her hus-

LORAIN COUNTY, OHIO.

1003

band, and February 1, 1860, married Samuel
Hanley, a farmer of Lorain county. For a
short -time Mr. and Mrs. Hanley made their
home in New London township, Huron
county; then, April 15, 1860, removed to
the farm in Rochester township her son
Henry now owns and lives on. Mrs. Han
ley is a member of the Freewill Baptist
Church, and in her declining years is
honored and respected by all.
Henry Bradford, the subject proper of
this sketch, was reared on a farm, receiv
ing his elementary education at the public
schools of the neighborhood of his home,
later attending select school. When a
young man he made a trip to Michigan,
and in the " pineries " there worked for
some time; returning, he labored in the
lime quarries of northwestern Ohio. On
October 16, 1872, having once more come
to his native county, Mr. Bradford married
Miss Ella A. Storrow, born April 12, 1853,
in Brighton township, same county, a
daughter of Thomas and Sophia (Baird)
Storrow, and the young couple then com
menced housekeeping in Brighton town
ship. From there at the end of a year
they removed to Rochester township,
where Mr. Bradford bought the home
stead of his stepfather. The children
born to our subject and wife are Alton
L., Lansing A. and Carrie V. — all
living. Mr. Bradford enjoys the reputation of
being«a systematic and thoroughly practi
cal farmer and stockman, as well as an ex
tensive wool grower. In 1876 he became
identified with the Poland-China Hog
Breeding Association, from which time
he has vastly improved his own stock, be
sides increasing its number; and he can
boast of not only having some of the finest
animals on his farm, but also of having
been the means of improving the breed
of swine all over northern Ohio. In 1889
he built at a cost of about three thousand
dollars, one of the handsomest farm resi
dences in Rochester township, furnished
throughout in hardwood, and in elegance

and comfort surpassing anything of the
kind in his part of the county. In his
political preferences Mr. Bradford is a
stanch Republican, and is now serving his
township as trustee.

ber 5,

F. HOPKINS, a worthy member of
one of the early families of Brown
helm township, is a native of
Oneida county, N. Y., born Decem-
1838, a son of Fred. M. and Phila
M. (Barnes) Hopkins.
The family came west to Ohio in 1849,
settling in the ridge in Brownhelm town
ship, Lorain county, where the father had
bought a partly-improved farm, clearing
the remainder himself. He was a pro
nounced Abolitionist, and took part in the
agitating movements of that period. He
died in September, 1866, his wife in May,
1867. Two children were born to them:
C. F., and George M., who is chief engineer
on a lake steamer, having his home in Bay
City, Michigan.
The subject of this memoir received his
education in part in Oneida county, N. Y.,
and in part in Brownhelm township, Lo
rain Co., Ohio. In his youth he assisted
in improving the home farm, and has fol
lowed fruit farming and gardening. In the
spring of 1863 he bought his present
property, then consisting of thirty-four
acres, which he has since increased to
eighty acres, and which he has planted
with apples, cherries, peaches, all varieties
of berries, etc. In 1863 he was united in
marriage with Sophronia Vincent, a daugh
ter of Levi and Polly (Austin) Vincent,
natives of Canada, and early pioneers of
Henrietta township, Lorain Co., Ohio.
The father died in 1886 at the advanced
age of eighty-five, the mother surviving
him three years. To Mr. and Mrs. C. F.
Hopkins have been born children as fol
lows: Edna C. (wife of Charles L. West,

1004

LORAIN COUNTY, OHIO.

of Oberlin), Frederick M., Thyrza H.,
Gertrude S., Eleanor V. (wife of E. S.
Cook, of Bowling Green, Wood Co., Ohio),
Marcia J. and Ada G., the latter of whom
died at the age of two years. Mr. Hop
kins is a Republican, and is a member of
the F. & A. M., Stonington Lodge No.
503, North Amherst, also of Marshall
Chapter No. 47, Elyria, Ohio.

B)EN ti:

ENJAMIN REDFERN, retired
arness manufacturer and farmer,
s one of the prominent citizens of
South Amherst. He is a native of
County Armagh, Ireland, born March 31,
1827, a son of Robert and Ellen (Mc-
Clarnen) Redfern, both also natives of the
Land of Erin.
The father, who was a weaver by trade,
in 1830 emigrated with his family to
Canada, locating near Toronto, Ontario,
where they resided till 1852, and then re
moved to Olmsted Falls, Ohio, whence
after about two years they came to Hen
rietta township, Lorain county, making
their new home on a farm. In 1868 they
moved to Amherst township, same county,
where the mother died in 1883, the father
in 1886. They had a family of eight chil
dren, of whom the following is a brief
record: Benjamin is the subject of this
sketch ; Barbara R. is the widow of Alfred
Chandler, and lives in Elyria; Margaret S.
is the wife of David B. Wright, of Olmsted
Falls, Ohio; Robert is married, and resides
in Columbia township, Lorain Co., Ohio;
James H. is married, and has his -home
in Elyria (he enlisted in Amherst town
ship, Lorain county, in 1862, in Com
pany F, One Hundred and Third O. V. I.,
for three years, and served to the close of
the war) ; Mary was the wife of Jefferson
Ormsby, who was killed by lightning in
1871 (she died in 1892); Elizabeth A. is
the wife of Anson Cooper, of Strawberry
Point, Iowa; Ellen died in Canada in 1851.
Benjamin Redfern, whose name opens

this sketch, received a good practical edu
cation in the schools of Canada, learned
the trade of harness maker, and worked at
same there until 1849, when he came to
Lorain county, Ohio, and, locating first in
Elyria, remained in that town till 1852,
in the spring of which year he moved to
North Amherst, whence in 1856 he came
to South Amherst. He worked at his trade
in Lorain county till 1863, and then com
menced agricultural pursuits, having pur
chased a farm. In 1865 he bought out the
store of Henry Jackson, in South Am
herst, and conducted a general mercantile
and harness business till 1867, when he
abandoned that line and resumed farming
till 1887, retiring in that year. Mr. Red
fern owns twenty-two and one-half acres
of land in South Amherst, besides a good
farm of ninety acres in that town, although
he has sold several lots off this property.
On January 17, 1852, our subject was
united in marriage with Miss Ellen Hy-
land, daughter of Thomas and Martha
(West) Hyland, all natives of Sussex, Eng
land, who in 1841 immigrated to Canada,
locating at Port Stanley, Ontario, whence
in 1848 they came to Elyria, Lorain Co.,
Ohio, settling on a farm in Carlisle town
ship. The father died in September, 1849;
the mother is yet living in Carlisle town
ship, now aged eighty years. They were
tbe parents of five children, as follows:
Ellen, wife of Benjamin Redfern; Henry,
married in Lorain county, and moved to
Ionia, Mich., where he died in February,
1893; Mary, wife of William Stall, of Car
lisle township, Lorain county; D. W., who
was married in Michigan, and now resides
in Elyria, Lorain county (he enlisted, in
1862, in Company F, One Hundred and
Third 0. Y. I., for three years, and served
to close of the war); and Sarah A., wife of
J. Jonas, of Carlisle township, Lorain
county. To Mr. and Mrs. Benjamin Red
fern have been born two children: Eva,
wife of G. W. Hazel, of Fostoria, Ohio,
and Ella May, wife of William E. Par
sons, of Amherst township.

w&vu,

&i.'WlAAAs

LORAIN COUNTY, OHIO.

1007

Mr. Redfern in his political sympathies
is a Republican, and has served his town
ship as trustee four terms; socially he is a
member of Plato Lodge No. 203, 1. 0. 0. F.
He has been a Notary Public for some
seven years. Although practically retired,
he still carries on a snug business in gen
eral insurance, representing among other
companies the "Phoenix" of Hartford,
Conn. In Church connection be and his
wife are Baptists. In their lifetime in Lo
rain they have been eyewitnesses to many
nineteenth-century changes, some of them
marvels of science, for at the time of their
settlement here, less than half a century
ago, there was no railroad west of Elyria.
Mr. Redfern has always been active in
public matters, and has taken a genuine
interest in everything tending to the ad
vancement and prosperity of his county.

4/

MAURICE GOSS. Among the many
progressive and skilled agricultur
ists of Brighton township, this
gentleman holds a prominent
place. He is of the seventh gen
eration of a family whoeameto the United
States in 1631, same time that Gov. Win-
throp's party came from England.
Mr. Goss is a son of David, a son of
Philip, who was bora July 13, 1755, and
married Esther Yale, who bore him nine
children, of whom three sons — Clark,
David and Philip — came to Ohio. Philip
Goss, grandfather of subject, served in the
Revolutionary war under Gen. Washing
ton, and at White Plains was commissioned
major; he died June 23, 1840. David,
one of his three sons who came to Ohio,
was educated at the subscription schools of
the period in his native town (Boston,
Mass.), where he afterward worked as a
drayman. In 1832 he married Aurelia,
daughter of Samuel Porter, of Dummers-
town, Vt., soon after which event the
58

young couple came to Ohio, locating in
Cuyahoga county. He was then compara
tively poor, for he had lost all his prop
erty by signing for others. In later years
he moved to Brighton township, where he
and his wife passed the rest of their pio
neer days, dying August 6, 1871, and Oc
tober 17, 1874, respectively; their remains
were interred in Brighton cemetery. In
Cuyahoga county were bora to them chil
dren as follows: Maria, deceased at the. age
of thirty-four years; Maurice, subject of
this memoir; Edmund G., deceased Jan
uary 20, 1855; Otis F., a farmer of
Brighton township; Julia S., Mrs. J. E.
Field, of Carbondale, 111.; Ellen A., Mrs.
J. J. Lawrence, of St. Mary's, Ohio. Po
litically Mr. Goss was a Free-soiler and
Republican, and he and his wife were
members of the Congregational Church.
His chief vocation was that of farming, and
in connection therewith he also conducted
a saw aud grist mill in Brighton township.
Though unfortunate in business in early
life, yet he succeeded by incessant toil in
accumulating a comfortable competence.
Maurice Goss, whose name opens this
sketch, was born November 20, 1835, in
Middleburgh township, Cuyahoga Co.,
Ohio, at the common schools of which lo
cality he received a meager education. He
was early in life inducted into the mys
teries of farm labor, and a considerable
portion of his time was passed in his
father's gristmill, the buhrstones for
which were found along Charlemont creek
in Wellington township. He remained
under the parental roof until he was nine
teen years old, when he commenced life
for his own account. His first business
transaction was the sale of a calfskin his
father had given him, with the proceeds
of which he bought two sheep, which in
creased in value, and gradually adding
others he soon found himself the possessor
of a fine flock. He then rented land, and
before he was twenty-one years old he had
bought fifty acres on credit, which, being
industrious and indefatigable, he soon was

1008

LORAIN COUNTY, OHIO.

enabled to pay for. This tract of fifty
acres he disposed of at a profit some time
after his marriage, and he then bought
seventy acres on which he built a house
and barn, and 'where he remained until
1863, at which time he removed into
Pittsfield township. In the spring of 1865
he returned to Brighton township, and
from his uncle, Philip Goss, be purchased
his present farm, which has been added to
until it now contains 195 acres of excel
lent farming land, since much improved,
new buildings having been erected, and
the old ones enlarged and remodeled.
Some years ago Mr. Goss erected a cheese
factory on his farm, which he successfully
operated for some years, when he disposed
of" it to Richmond & Tracy, who retained
his services as superintendent for one year.
After various changes this factory again
fell into Mr. Goss' hands, and later was
sold to Laundon, Windecker & Co., of
Wellington, Ohio. In 1871 he erected a
warehouse at Rochester, Ohio, a one- half
interest in which he sold, and the style of
the firm is now M. Goss & Co. In 1886
our subject moved to Rochester, where he
made his home till 1893, in which year he
returned to Brighton township, where he
now resides, retaining his interests at
Rochester. On December 8, 1856, M. Goss and
Josephine M. Judd were united in mar
riage. She was born in January, 1834, in
Brighton, Ohio, daughter of Erasmus
Judd, and children as follows were born to
them : Nettie, who was married to F. Twin
ing, and died in Henrietta township, leav
ing one child, Maud; Herbert S., a farmer
of Spink county, S. D. ; May, residing at
home; and Lindsey E., who died young.
The mother of these died November 5,
1883, and was buried in Brighton town
ship. In 1885 Mr. Goss married Mrs.
Ezilda Bridgman, a widow, sister of his
first wife, and she died in 1891, her re
mains being taken to Atchison, Kans.,
where they were laid to rest. Mr. Goss in
his early political preferences was a straight

Republican, and as such served with credit
as a justice of the peace; of late years he
has been a zealous Prohibitionist. He is
a member of the Congregational Church,
in which he has served as deacon. A typi
cal self-made man, he is a leader and ad
viser in the community, being possessed
of good judgment and sound common sense.

ill LBERT H. SMITH, manager and
f[\\ city editor of the Elyria Republican,
|?§\ was born in Chepstow (originally a
y) Norman stronghold and fortifica
tion), Monmouthshire, England,
June 11, 1848, a son of George Frederick
and Elizabeth (Chidgey) Smith, the former
of whom was descended from Norman-
Welsh ancestry, the latter of Saxon or.
English stock. George F. Smith, who was
a custom-honse officer, died when the sub
ject of these lines was a lad of some nine
summers. A. H. Smith after leaving school en
tered the office of the West Somerset Free
Press, a well-known weekly paper pub
lished at Williton, Somersetshire, England,
and here he learned the profession of
printer and journalist, subsequently hav
ing charge of the paper. In June, 1870,
he emigrated to America, and, locating in
Corry, Erie Co., Penn., took charge of a
daily paper there till the fall of 1872,
when he moved to Oberlin, Ohio, and ac
cepted the position of manager of the
Standard of the Cross, the Episcopal
organ for the diocese of Ohio. With this
paper he was connected till 1875, a period
of about three years, during which time
it was removed to Cleveland. Mr. Smith
then came to Elyria and bought a half
interest in the Republican, which he, how
ever, sold, remaining with the paper as
city editor. Again becoming a stock
holder, in September, 1891, a joint-stock

LORAIN COUNTY, OHIO.

1009

company was organized, and our subject
has since continued in the dual capacity of
general manager and city editor.
In 1871 Mr. Smith was married to
Amanda H. Fuller. In church connec
tion he is an Episcopalian, in politics a
Republican, and he is a member of the
F. & A. M. and I. O. O. F.

THOMAS LINE. Ranking among
the prominent and influential citi
zens of Columbia township is this
gentleman, who is an Englishman
by birth, having been bora, in 1823,
in West Haddon, Northamptonshire.
He is a son of William and Elizabeth
(Facer) Line, who in 1848 emigrated to
the United States, sailing from Liverpool,
and arriving at New York after a voyage
of five weeks. From there they proceeded
to Lorain county, Ohio, where the father
cleared a farm out of the dense forests and
became a prosperous agriculturist; he was
a builder by trade, but in this country fol
lowed farming exclusively up to the time
of his death, which occurred September 11,
1872, when he was eighty-two years old,
his wife passing away February 27, 1887,
at the age of eighty years. They were the
parents of four children, as follows:
Charles, who died in Ridgeville township
in 1892; Thomas; John, a resident of
Columbia township; and Sarah, wife of
George Robinson, postmaster at North
Ridgeville, Lorain county.
Our subject received his education at
the schools of his native parish in Eng
land, and learned the trade of mason. He
was married in that country February 8,
1848, to Miss Elizabeth Gare, and the same
year they emigrated with tbe rest of his
family to the United States. By this
union there were four children, viz. : Sarah
J., wife of John Cole, of Ridgeville town
ship; Fred William, residing at Millbury,

Wood Co., Ohio; John T., married, who is
in the hardware business at Matta Bend,
Mo.; and Lue, wife of Ernest Mitchell, of
Ridgeville township. The mother of these
died May 1, 1882, aged fifty-six years, four
months, and September 1, 1884, Mr. Liue
married, in New York, Miss Martha
Watts, also a native of England. Our
subject worked at his trade in Lorain
county, in the South, and in various other
places, till settling down to farming pur
suits. He now owns a well-cultivated
place of eighty-one acres in Columbia
township where he lives, and seventy-four
in Eaton township. He has erected on his
farm a good brick residence. Politically
he is a Democrat, and was postmaster at
North Eaton some years. He and his wife
are members of the Church of England.
The male members of the family have been
masons for hundreds of years back.

FRANK D. JOHNSON, foremost in
the ranks of the leading engineers
in the employ of the Wheeling &
Lake Erie Railroad Company, is a
native of Huron county, Ohio, born March
30, 1852, a son of John H. and Elizabeth
P. (Snyder) Johnson.
Our subject received a liberal education
at the common schools of his native place,
and was reared to agricultural pursuits,
working on his father's farm until he was
twenty years old. At that time, being
dissatisfied with the life of a husbandman,
he left the paternal roof, and proceeding
to Cleveland entered the employ of the
Atlantic & Great Western Railroad Com
pany, remaining ten years. At first he
fired an engine, and then was promoted to
engineer, in which capacity he has since
served with characteristic carefulness and
fidelity. Removing to Norwalk, Huron
county, he at once commenced as engin
eer for the Wheeling & Lake Erie Railroad
Company, his present position.

1010

LORAIN COUNTY, OHIO.

On June 17, 1876, Mr. Johnson mar
ried Miss Sarah E. Miller, born September
20, 1852, in Chester county, Penn., and
three children have come to brighten their
home, as follows: Flora V., Oliver E. and
Edessa M. Politically our subject is a Re
publican, a hearty worker in his party, and
he and his wife are members of the Baptist
Church. He is a man of magnificent
physique, standing six feet in his stockings,
and weighing 220 pounds. He is one of
the oldest and most, trustworthy engineers
on the road, none more popular, and his
agreeable and jovial disposition makes him
friends wherever he goes. Socially he is
a member of Norwalk Lodge K. of P.
His residence is No. 82 Prospect street,
Norwalk, Ohio.

IM

RS. L. A. OSBORNE, a resident
of North Amherst, was born in
Orwel, Vt., daughter of Ira W.
and Lucy Smith, also natives of
Vermont, where they were married,
where ten children were born to

4J and
them. In the fall of 1832 Ira W. Smith came
west to Lorain county, Ohio (the trip being
made for the most part by water), and pur
chased a considerable amount of land about
one mile from the present village of North
Amherst. Later on the rest of the family
joined him; but he was not fated to long
enjoy his new home, for in the spring of
the following year, just six weeks after
the arrival of his wife and children, he
was killed by a falling tree while out in
the woods making a roadway through, on
his land, which is now called the Middle
Ridge. He was in his fifty-second year at
the time, and his sudden taking off was a
terrible blow to the family; his widow, died
about twenty years ago at the age of eighty-
one years. They had a family of ten chil
dren, of whom the following is a brief

record: (1) Lucy married Daniel Cuts, and
settled in Windham, Portage Co., Ohio,
where she died. (2) Ira W. was a land
owner, farmer aud stockman at Kankakee,
111., and died there leaving a numerous
family. (3) M. D. was a stockman and
landowner at Wellington, Ohio, where he
died leaving a large family. (4) Sarah
Ann married a Mr. Streator in Vermont,
and died in Licking county, Ohio. (5)
Mariette is the wife of Orlnm Winton, of
North Amherst, Ohio. (6) Russell was a
ranchman, and died at his residence in the
city of Stockton, Cal. (7) John (deceased)
was a farmer in Iowa. (8) Jane married
Samuel Vining, and died in Illinois. (9)
Charles died in Kansas. (10) L. A., the
subject proper of this memoir, born in
1832, was married in 1850, at the age of
seventeen, to William Walker, who was
born in the State of New York and reared
at North Amherst, Ohio. He died sixteen
years after marriage, leaving three children,
viz.: Zuleina L., wife of A. V. Kent, of
Toledo, Ohio, by whom she has three chil
dren: Loula L., Grace E. and Amos Ross;
Charles, a farmer on Middle Ridge, Am
herst township, Lorain Co., Ohio (he has
one child, Bertie); and William K., who
died in October, 1892, aged thirty-two years.
Oursubject was married, the second time,
in 1868, to Henry A. Osborne, a native of
Lorain county, born in Avon, but most of
whose early life was passed in Pennsyl
vania. After marriage they made their
home in Amherst township. Lie was a
soldier during the war of the Rebellion,
and in the service contracted consumption
of which he died July 26, 1871. One
child was born to this union : Maude E.,
now the wife of J. H. Wright, of Grind
stone City, on Lake Huron. For the past
sixteen years Mrs. Osborne has lived on
Church street, North Amherst, and among
her children. She is identified with the
Congregational Church; her second hus
band was a member of the M. E. Church.
Mrs. L. A. Osborne's early education
was limited to the common schools, but an

LORAIN COUNTY, OHIO.

1011

ambition to excel caused her to attain in
telligence and culture rapidly, and this,
coupled with a handsome appearance and
genial disposition, made her an early favor
ite in society. Her first husband was an
excellent business man, and the Walker
family became known as one of the pros
perous and leading families of Lorain
county. Mrs. Osborne had grave respon
sibilities left upon her by her first hus
band's death; but she succeeded well. She
is still young looking, and still among the
social leaders of North Amherst. She is
an active church worker, and one of the
leaders of the Ladies' Relief Corps of
North Amherst.

'HARLES BOWERS, well known
and highly respected in Wellington
and vicinity, where for several years
he has industriously pursued his
trade, that of carpenter, is a native of tbe
town, born August 13, 1836, a son of
Sylvester and Esther (Cheney) Bowers.
Sylvester Bowers, a native of Connecti
cut, born in 1805, came west to Ohio in
1834, settling on a farm in Wellington
township, Lorain county, and here reared
a hardy and intelligent family. Of late
years he has lived a retired life in Well
ington, on Tayler street. Politically he
was originally a Whig, and since the or
ganization of the party has been a Repub
lican; in Church connection for some years
he was a Baptist, but for a considerable
time back has been a Congregationalist.
His wife, a native of Massachusetts, born
in 1804, died at the age of eighty-two
years. Their children, four in number,
were: John, who joined Company H, One
Hundred and Third O. V. I., and was
killed at the siege of Knoxville; Charles,
our subject; Victoria, deceased wife of
Oscar Herrick, county auditor, living in
Elyria; and Harriet, residing with her
father.

Charles Bowers, of whom this sketch
more particularly relates, attended in his
boyhood the district schools, and learned
the trade of carpenter in his native town.
In June, 1863, he enlisted in Company C,
Eighty-sixth Regiment 0. V. I., which
was ordered to Cumberland Gap; he was
discharged there at the expiration of his
term of service, and returned home. The
following season he served in the Govern
ment employ as carpenter in the vicinity
of Nashville, Tenn., and after the war he
worked six months longer for the Govern
ment, since when he has been a constant
resident -of Wellington, Lorain county. In
1870 Mr. Bowers married Miss Emma J.
Webster, who was born in Wellington,
Ohio, October 13, 1838, and they have
two children: Ida, married to David
Gammell, of Akron, Ohio, and Clayton.
Mrs. Bowers is a daughter of Oliver and
Melissa (Babcock) Webster, New England
people, the latter of whom was eighty-
five years of age in November, 1893. The
father, who passed away in 1870 at the
age of sixty-two years, was a Whig and
Republican, and a member of the Congre
gational Church. Their children were:
Emerson, in Denver, Colo.; Henry, in
Wellington, Lorain county; Alonzo,
Amelia, Philena (deceased) and Emma.
Mrs. Bowers' paternal grandfather, David
Webster, came to Lorain county in a very
early day, and died at an advanced age.
Our subject is a Republican in politics,
and a member of the G. A. R. Post; in
Church connection he and his wife are
Congregationalists.

J. COLE, the genial and popular
clerk of Columbia township, was
born on his present farm August 19,
1860, a son of John and Sarah (Ban
croft) Cole, natives of Connecticut and
Massachusetts, respectively.
John Cole came to Columbia township
when a boy of nine years, along with seven

1012

LORAIN COUNTY, OHIO.

other members of the family, and was here
married to Miss Sarah Bancroft, who had
migrated hither in her girlhood, settling in
Ridgeville township. They are yet living,
the parents of four children, namely: Eliza
beth A., wife of A. H. Perry, of Colum
bia township; Harriet A., wife of F. J.
Hinman, of Cleveland; Fied E. (married),
died in Kansas in 1884; and C. J., our
subject. The father was a farmer by oc
cupation, a Prohibitionist- Democrat in
politics, and filled various township offices,
including those of clerk and trustee.
C. J. Cole, the subject of this sketch, re
ceived his elementary education at the com
mon schools of his native township, and aft
erward attended Oberlin College six years,
graduating with the class of 1886. On ac
count of failure in health he returned to
his father's farm immediately after grad
uating, where he has since remained. His
chief occupation has been farming and
school teaching, wliich latter he followed
some five years in Olmsted and Columbia
townships, and he is the owner of sixty-five
acres of prime land, allin a good state of cul-
ti vation. Politically he is a stanch Repub
lican; has served as justice of the peace
some years, and as township clerk six years,
with ability and fidelity, having been elec
ted to the office in 1887. Mr. Cole is
justly recognized as a useful member of
society, and one of the most prosperous
citizens of his township. He is deeply
interested in educational matters, and an
avowed advocate of free schools and free
speech.

URIEL M. BEMIS, a well-known re
spected citizen of Lorain, was born in
1829 in Massachusetts. His parents,
Charles H. and Azubah (Perry)
Bemis, were also natives of Massachusetts,
and in 1850 moved westward, locating in
Lorain county, Ohio. They had children
as follows: Uriel M., our subject; Fraucis,
of Amherst, Lorain county, who enlisted
ih 1863 in an Ohio Regiment, and served

througb the remainder of the war; Marcus,
now living in Iowa county, Mich. ; Henry,
deceased; Charles and Luther, who both
died in the army. The father of this fam
ily died in Tennessee in 1857; the mother
died in 1881, in Lorain county.
Uriel M. Bemis was reared and edu
cated in his native State, and when twenty-
one years of age came to Lorain county,
Ohio, locating in Black River township,
where he was engaged in farming and also
operated a sawmill. In 1865 he removed
to Sheffield township, where he was en
gaged in farming and milling, and in 1886
came to Lorain, where he has since been
employed as engineer in the car shops. In
1853 he was united in marriage, in Shef
field township, with Miss Mary Standen,
a native of England, daughter of James
and Julia (Upton) Standen, also natives of
England, and who came to Sheffield town
ship, Lorain Co., Ohio, in an early day.
To Mr. and Mrs. Bemis have been born the
following named children: Eva M., wife
of Thomas C. Burlingame; Ella, widow of
Edwin Abels; Celia, married to James
White; Hattie, married to Daniel Dodge,
of Dayton, Ohio; Nettie, wife of Fred
Olkey, of Lorain; and Harry L. In poli
tics Mr. Bemis is a Republican, and he
takes an interest in everything tending to
improve and advance the community in
which he resides.

THOMAS C. BURLINGAME, fore
man of the Car Shops at Lorain,
is the oldest employe in same, hav
ing worked there the past twenty
years.
His father, William Burlingame, was
born in Massachusetts, and in about 1836
came to Lorain connty, Ohio, where he
followed farming, also conducting a saw
mill for a few years. He was united in
marriage, in Sheffield township, Lorain
county, with Melissa Baker, a native of
Pennsylvania, and they reared eight chil-

LORAIN COUNTY, OHIO.

1013

dren, as follows: Sarah, married to Will
iam Smith, of Lorain; Henry, who resides
in Wisconsin; Thomas Corwin; Eunice,
wife of Daniel Ball, Cleveland; Maria,
wife of Harry Packham,of Chicago; Lucy,
wife of B. Shaw, of Geneva, Ohio; Will
iam, Jr., of Geneva; and Martha, Mrs.
Brainard, of Geneva. They have a half-
sister named Mina. The mother of this
family died in Sheffield township in 1865,
and in 1872 the father moved to Ashta
bula county, Ohio, where he died in 1892.
Politically he was first a Whig, and after
ward, on the formation of the party, a Re
publican, being an ardent supporter of the
principles of his party; he took an active
part in the early history of the county.
Thomas Corwin Burlingame was born
December 22, 1846, in Sheffield township,
Lorain Co., Ohio, where he was reared
and educated. He followed milling in the
township in an early day, and in 1873
moved into Lorain, here entering the em
ploy of the Cleveland, Lorain & Wheeling
Railroad Company. On November 28,
1871, he was married, in Sheffield township,
to Miss Eva M. Bemis, a native of Lorain,
and they have had one child, Gertie. In
politics our subject is a Republican.
Socially he is a member of Tent No. 1,
K. O. T. M., of the Royal Arcanum, and of
the Order of Tonti, of which he is treas
urer. In religion Mr. and Mrs. Burlingame
are members of the Disciple Church.

E

G. SPRAGUE, a well-to-do farmer
citizen of LaGrange township, is a
j native of Livingston county, N. Y.,
born August 2, 1841, in the town
of York.
His father, William G. Sprague, son of
William, was born February 23, 1812, in
Covington, N. Y., and on November 17,
1836, married Miss Pamelia Root, who
was born January 1, 1819, in Pittsfield,
Mass., whence her parents, Chester and

Clarissa Root, moved to New York, where
she met and married Mr. Sprague. The
latter learned the trade of miller, and fol
lowed it in New York State, where three
children were born to him, viz.: Chester,
born February 15, 1838, who died Febru
ary 8, 1840; William Chester, bora Janu
ary 30, 1840, who was killed by a horse
March 1, 1891; and Edward G., subject
proper of this sketch. In the spring of
1842 the family came to Ohio, whither the
father had preceded them a few months,
spending the winter near Columbus, Ohio,
where he had better health. When the
family joined him iu the spring, he pur
chased land in Copley, Summit Co., Ohio,
residing thereon for ten years, and then
removing to Lorain county, where he in
vested in 135 acres of land. Here he
passed the remainder of his life, except
one year, when he bought and conducted
a gristmill at La Porte. He died on his
farm February 3, 1893, preceded by his
wife June 23, 1883, and they now lie
buried in East cemetery, LaGrange town
ship. The children born to them after
coming to Ohio were Oliver R., born'
March 14, 1846, in Copley, who died May
28, 1864; and Charley, born December 6,
1848, in Copley, who died October 12,
1879. Mr. Sprague was an active man,'
and traveled considerably, visiting the
Centennial Exposition at Philadelphia in
1876; he owned some property in Michi
gan, which he also visited frequently. He
was well informed on various questions,
and though he had but limited educational
advantages in his youth he acquired much
practical learning by reading, travel and
observation. He conducted systematically
anything which he undertook, and was
much respected in his community. Ih
politics he was a Republican, and held the
office of township trustee.
E. G. Sprague received a common-school
education, and during his boyhood and
youth was inducted into the mysteries of
farm life. Upon reaching his majority he
left home and went to Michigan, where he

1014

LORAIN COUNTY, OHIO.

worked in the pineries, but being dissatis
fied returned. On March 14, 1867, he was
united in marriage with Miss Malissa Dale,
who was born November 16, 1846, in
LaGrange township, daughter of Orrie
and Charille (Clark) Dale, and for one year
thereafter they lived on land in Grafton
township, which he rented from his father-
in-law. They then moved into LaGrange
township, where, with the exception of a
year and a half they lived in LaPorte, they
have ever since had their residence, on
April 7, 1892, coming to the home farm,
where they now are. He is administrator
of his father's estate, and controls over
three hundred acres of land. Mr. and
Mrs. E. G. Sprague have children as fol
lows: Linnie, born March 5,1872; George
E., born July 1, 1877; and Ora M., born
February 26, 1883. In politics our sub
ject is a Republican, but is not active in
party affairs. He has been a lifelong
agriculturist, and besides general farming
is extensively engaged in raising horses
and sheep, a large number of which he
usually has on hand.

FE. GRIFFIN, a thoroughly repre
sentative self-made man, and a pros
perous agriculturist of Amherst
township, is a native of same, bora
October 15, 1847, a son of Frederick A.
and Bethia L. (Jenne) Griffin.
Frederick A. Griffin, father of our sub
ject, stands, prominent among the practi
cally self-made agriculturists of Lorain
county. He was born in Dutchess county,
N. Y., March 5, 1824, a son of Morris and
Maria (Brownell) Griffin, natives of the
same place. The father was a farmer, and
died in New York about the year 1827;
the widowed mother then married Paul
Nichols, and they lived in Cayuga county
till 1875, when they came to Lorain county
and made their home with Frederick A.

The mother died in Michigan in 1890.
Grandfather Samuel Brownell was a native
of New York, and followed drovingbetween
that city and the West; be died in Wyoming
county, N. Y., at the age of ninety years.
On the maternal side of the house the fam
ily are of Holland extraction, and on the
paternal side they are of Scotch. Three
Griffin brothers came from Scotland in
Colonial days, and settled in New York.
Frederick A. Griffin was reared in part
in Cayuga and in part in Dutchess county,
N. Y., at the schools of which place he re
ceived a liberal education. In 1844 he
came to Lorain county, Ohio, locating on
rented land in Amherst township. _ In
1847 he moved into Erie county, thence
in 1852 to Russia township, where he
cleared a farm of 160 acres of wild land.
Here he lived until 1878, when he came
to Elyria township, and settled on his
present farm. On September 4, 1846, Mr.
Griffin was married in Ridgeville, Lorain
Co., Ohio, to Miss Bethia L. Jenne, a na;
tive of Cuyahoga county, Ohio, a daughter
of Ansel and Elizabeth (Brown) Jenne, of
whom mention is made elsewhere. Two
sons have been born to this union, viz.:
Frederick E., whose name opens this
sketch, and Charles B., married to Mary
Gawn, and residing in Amherst township
(they have four children, viz.: Charles,
Frederick A., Gertrude and Eugene). In
politics Mr. Griffin is a Prohibitionist, and
he is a strong advocate of temperance
principles. He and his wife are members
of the M. E. Church at Elyria. Mr. Griffin
at one time owned good farms in Rus
sia and Amherst townships, aggregating
200 acres, which he sold prior to coming
to Elyria township.
Frederick E. Griffin attended in his boy
hood and early youth the public schools of
his township, and was reared to farming,
which has been his life-work. In Decem
ber, 1868 , he was united in marriage with
Emma Bassett, who was born April 26,
1847, in Russia, Lorain Co., Ohio, daughter
of Charles and Emma (Parsons) Bassett,

LORAIN COUNTY, OHIO.

1017

the former of whom was born in the town
of Chili, Monroe Co., N. Y., March 10,
1820, the latter in Wiltshire, England,
July 28, 1819. To Mr. and Mrs. Frederick
E. Griffin has been born one child, Allen
E. Mr. Griffin has always taken an active
interest in politics, and is an ardent Re
publican; recently he was nominated for
the County Republican Committee. At
the last election he was nominated and
elected county commissioner of Lorain
county, and took office January 1, 1894.
In matters of religion he was a member
of the Congregational Church. He is the
owner of a productive farm of ninety
acres, all well improved, whereon, in addi
tion to cereals, etc., he raises sheep and
fine-bred horses.

W. KEENER, leading capitalist,
and one of the most prosperous
business men in LaGrange town
ship, is a native of same, born June
. 1850.
Peter Kelner, great-grandfather of our
subject, came to this country from Ger
many in about 1787, and first made a
temporary location in the State of New
Jersey. In 1788 he brought his family to
Jefferson county, N. Y., and took up his
residence near the town of Champion,
where he and his wife passed the re
mainder of their days. Of their children
four sons and one daughter grew to ma
turity, among whom was one named Will
iam, the grandfather of our subject.
William Kelner was born September 1,
1787, in New Jersey, and was reared to the
multitudinous duties of farm life in Jef
ferson county, N. Y. He had but limited
educational opportunities, and learned to
read after his marriage, having attended
school in his youth bnt six weeks. In
1818 he was married in Jefferson county,
N. Y., to Miss Cynthia Phelps, a native of

that county, born November 13, 1792, and
they became the parents of two children,
namely: Elmira, bora June 20, 1819,
who was married in Lorain county, Ohio,
to Sandrus Rockwood, and after his decease
to James Waite (she died in LaGrange
December 24, 1848); and Charles, bora
January 3, 1823. Mr. Kelner was a well-
to-do farmer, and owned a good place in
Jefferson county. In the spring of 1835
he set out for Ohio, with a view of locat
ing, walkiug the entire distance, and after
looking over the land and making a selec
tion returned to New York, where he sold
his farm and farming utensils. Mrs. Kel
ner died June 2, 1835, and in the fall of
the same year he started for Ohio with his
two motherless children, making the trip
in a covered wagon drawn by two horses.
After a wearisome journey they arrived in
LaGrange township, Lorain county, where
for a short time they were guests of Nathan
Clark, LaGrange township's first perma
nent settler, later making their home with
one Joseph Phelps, a brother-in law. Mr.
Kelner purchased one hundred acres in
Lot 19, N. W. Section of LaGrange town
ship, for which tract he paid one thou
sand dollars in cash, and which land he
cleared and improved, also adding to it as
circumstances permitted. He was twice
married after coming to Lorain county:
first to Miss Mary Chase, who was born
November 26, 1783, and died November
23, 1842, but had no children by either
union. He passed from earth March 28,
1878, at the patriarchal age of ninety years,
dying in LaGrange township, where he was
buried. He was a successful farmer, and
accumulated a very comfortable compe
tence, being a most active man even in his
old age, never content unless occupied with
labor of some kind. He was constantly
reading and studying the Scriptures, and in
religious connection was a member of the
M. E. Church, which he joined in his later
years. Charles Kelner, father of our subject,
was about twelve years old when he came

1018

LORAIN COUNTY, OHIO.

with his father to Ohio, and drove the
horses during most of the journey. He was
reared to farm life, received an education
in the common schools, aud then worked
on the home place until his marriage. On
October 19, 1840, he wedded Miss Martha
A. Clark, who was born May 13, 1820, in
Jefferson county, N. Y., third daughter and
fifth child of Nathan and Anna (Loomis)
Clark, who came to LaGrange township in
1825, and, as previously stated, were the
first permanent settlers there. To the union
of Charles and Martha A. Kelner came
children as follows: George H., born June
6, 1842, a cheese maker and farmer of La
Grange township; Cynthia M., born Oc
tober 7, 1844, now Mrs. Richard Rounds,
of Barry county, Mich.; Emma M., bora
November 3, 1846, now Mrs. Nelson Wil
son, of Penfield, Ohio; Stowell W., the sub
ject of this sketch; Frank, born July 29,
1855, a farmer of LaGrange township; and
Charlie, born August 13, 1860, a resident
of LaGrange township. The family re
sided on the homestead many years, mak
ing their home there until 1875, when he
built in LaGrange village the finest resi
dence in the township, and there passed
the remainder of his days, dying August
14, 1880. He was buried in a cemetery
near the home farm in LaGrange town
ship. In his political affiliations he was
a stanch member of the Democratic party,
and held the office of township trustee
when the town hall was built. He was
very successful in his agricultural affairs,
and accumulated a very comfortable com
petence, leaving to his widow an elegant
home, which she now shares with our sub
ject. Stowell W. Kelner received his educa
tion in the common schools of his native
place, his first teacher being William A.
Braman. He was reared to farming pur
suits, and remained at home with his par
ents until December 17, 1872, when he
was united in marriage with Miss Hannah
E. Nichols, who was born December 3,
1853, in LaGrange, daughter of Cyrus and

Henrietta (Pierce) Nichols, who came from
Watertown, N. Y ., to LaGrange township
in an early day. Children as follows have
blessed the union of Stowell W. and Han
nah E. Kelner: Two sons that died in in
fancy; Cassie M., bora October 30, 1881;
Mattie M. H, bora August 1, 1885; Earl
W., bora June 14, 1889; and Rowan B.,
born January 26, 1891. After marriage
Mr. Kelner settled on the home place,
which had been divided between two sons,
and for five years conducted the stone
quarry which had been discovered on the
farm. But in 1884 a switch from the
Lake Shore Railroad was built from Ober
lin, Ohio, and the stone business (a very
profitable one) and the farm of 140 acres
were sold to the Cleveland Stone Co. at a
handsome figure. Mr. Kelner had also
erected buildings, and carried on a general
store, which were disposed of at the same
time. He still owns fifty acres of valuable
stone land. In the fall of 1883 he took
up his residence in the village of LaGrange,
and here he has since resided in the beauti
ful and luxuriously furnished home erected
by his father. He buys and sells wool,
and also deals in various kinds of stock,
being a shrewd, well-known business man,
popular in the commercial circles of Lorain
county. He is amemberof the Democratic
party, but takes no particular interest in
political affairs. Mrs. Kelner is a member
of the M. E. Church.

JOSEPH TURLEY, retired merchant,
and a representative self-made man,
having his residence in Wellington,
is a native of Manchester, England,
born in 1814.
He is a son of Francis and Alice (Eckels-
ley) Turley, of Irish and English birth,
respectively, the former of whom went to
England when a young man, and there
married. He was a weaver, a trade he fol
lowed in England till his death, which oc
curred when he was seventy years of age;

LORAIN COUNTY, OHIO.

1019

his wife also died in the mother country,
aged about sixty-five. Of their children
the following is a brief record : James
Lionel is a weaver in Manchester, England;
John was also a weaver in Manchester,
where he died; Joseph is the subject of
this sketch ; Frank resided in Manchester ;
Isabel O. died in England; and one died
young. Joseph Turley received his education at
the schools of his native city, and worked
in a large cotton -factory there. At the age
of thirty-five years he immigrated to the
United States, landing at Boston, Mass.,
and worked in the East some two years
before coming West, part of the time as a
mechanic at Springfield, Mass. While so
employed he received a hurt in an acci
dent, and it was then that he turned his at
tention, through a friend, to Wellington,
Lorain Co., Ohio. This was in 1850, al
most half a century ago, when the bear,
the panther, the wolf and many other wild
animals still roamed the imperial forest.
Here Mr. Turley resolved to go into the
grocery business, and after securing a suit
able building found he had only twelve
dollars left wherewith to buy goods; from
which small beginnings, by close applica
tion to business, shrewdness and ecouomy,
he made in the course of a few years a com
fortable competence. His first week's re
ceipts amounted to between twenty and
thirty dollars, and the last bill he paid, for
sugar and molasses alone, amounted to two
thousand dollars. In 1860 he visited Eng
land, being about fifty weeks there, and
after his return located in Cleveland, Ohio,
where for two years he operated a grain
and produce business. At the end of that
time he opened a cooperative store in Wel
lington, and one in Oberlin, but in about
a year and a quarter he retired from busi
ness. In March, 1893, he again visited
England, but returned in the following
June, having been taken sick there. On
both his trips he happened to be the oldest
passenger on board the vessel, although he
was one of about twelve hundred souls.

Mr. Turley was married, on May 18,
1840, to Miss Anna Smith, who died in
1851, and in 1852 he wedded, for his
second wife, Miss Anna Vincent, who died
November 15, 1892. In politics our sub
ject is strictly independent; in church
matters he is a Congregationalist. He
has been liberal in his contributions to
various charitable institutions. Aside from
a temporary affliction, he is remarkable for
mental and physical vigor.

THOMAS COX, for nearly half a cen-
tury a resident of Elyria township,
where he has been a prosperous
farmer, is a native of England, born
in Northamptonshire, in November,
1816, in the village of Naseby, near
where was fought, in June, 1645, the
memorable battle between Cromwell and
the Royalists, in which the latter were de
feated with the loss of five thousand men.
Thomas Cox, father of our subject, a na
tive of the same place, and by occupation
a laborer and farmer, sailed in 1833 for the
United States with his family, lauding in
Philadelphia July 8, of that year, and first
locating in Allegheny county, Penn. From
there he proceeded to Lorain county, Ohio,
where he made a settlement in Elyria town
ship, east of the river. In England he had
married Miss Catherine Luck, of the same
county, and they had five children, viz.:
William, who died at the age of eighty-
five in Allegheny county, Penn.; Robert,
who resided in Allegheny county, Penn.,
and died at about the age of seventy-two;
Joseph, living in Allegheny county, Penn. ;
John, in Elyria township, and Thomas, our
subject. The mother died in England be
fore the family came to this country; the
father died in August, 1851, at the age of
seventy-six years.
The subject proper of these lines re
ceived his education in Pennsylvania, and

1020

LORAIN COUNTY, OHIO.

has followed agricultural pursuits all his
life. He now owns one hundred acres of
land in a high state of cultivation, and has
prospered well. In 1840 he married Miss
Isabella Aldridge, who was born in Eng
land in March, 1820, a daughter of John
and Mary (Crisp) Aldridge, natives of War
wickshire, and who came to this country
in 1831, landing in Baltimore, Md., thence
proceeding to Pittsburgh, Penn., where
they both died in 1854, of cholera. They had
two sons: Thomas, living in Steubenville,
Ohio, and John, who died in Newport, Ky.
To Mr. and Mrs. Cox have been born two
children, namely: Samuel, who is married
and has two children, Burton and Howard;
and Mary A., wife of Richard Henson, also
has two children, Thomas H. and Alfred
C. In politics our subject is a straight Re
publican, and cast his first vote for W. H.
Harrison. [Since the above was written
we have been informed of the death from
La Grippe of Thomas Cox, the subject of
the sketch, the sad event taking place De
cember 20, 1893.

J. RICHMOND, one of the thor
ough-going representative farmers
of Amherst township, is a native of
Lorain county, Ohio, bora in Black
River township, April 15, 1831.
He is a son of Freeman and Eunice Rich
mond, the former of whom was born in
Providence, R. I., August 29, 1791, the
latter in New York.
The father was twice married, the first
time to a Miss Nancy Arnold, of Chau
tauqua county, N. Y. Soon after marriage
they moved to Sheffield, Lorain Co., Ohio,
arriving there December 1, 1815. One
child, Philinda, was bora September 14,
1817, being the first white child born in
Sheffield. Mrs. Nancy Richmond died
August 12, 1819. The daughter, Philinda,
married Schuyler Strong, and died Novem

ber 4, 1844. In the course of time Mr.
Richmond was married to Mrs. Eunice
Fox, a widow with four children — Gilbert,
Orpha, Hannah and Nancy. The children
of the second marriage are six in number,
viz.: Sylva, born July 15, 1824, and mar
ried to Albert Arnold; Minerva, wife of
Isaac Shupe, born July 21, 1826; Jane,
born February 19, 1829; Albert, born April
15, 1831; Milo, born January 2, 1837;
Elmeda, wife of James Rankin, born July
24, 1839. Freeman Richmond moved
from Sheffield to Black River township
February 15, 1825, and afterward removed
to Amherst. He lived to the age of ninety-
one, his wife surviving him two years.
A. J. Richmond, the subject proper of
this sketch, received his education at the
public schools of Amherst township, where
he was reared to farming, which has al
ways been his. occupation, excepting in his
younger days, when he worked for a time
at vessel calking at Lorain, Milan and
Huron. On October 9, 1852, he was married to
Mary L. Gilmore, daughter of Aretus and
Orra Gilmore, early pioneers of Black
River township, Lorain county, and to this
union one son, Bird, was born.
Bird Richmond was born October 16,
1853, and was married, October 16, 1877,
to Sarah E. Jenne, daughter of Ansel and
Phebe Jenne, by which union one son,
Frank, was born July 16, 1880.
A. J. Richmond's wife died October 11,
1886, and in 1888 Mr. Richmond was mar
ried to Mrs. Emaretta Tenery, of Clyde,
Ohio. In politics' our subject is a Repub
lican, and he has always taken a deep in
terest in the affairs of the county, of which
he is a useful and loyal citizen.

J A. MEREDITH is a son of William
Meredith, who was born August 8,
1813, in Herefordshire, England,
eldest child of James Meredith, who
was a farmer.

LORAIN COUNTY, OHIO.

1021

William Meredith was reared to the
duties of agricultural life, and received but
a com mon- school education, his opportuni
ties in that direction being limited, as his
parents were poor. For a time he found
employment working in noblemen's gar
dens, etc., but in 1848 left England, sail
ing from Liverpool in the vessel " Cala-
grimcha," wliich was some time afterward
burned at sea. Along with William came
a friend, Thomas Jones, who had been
here before, and after landing at New York
they proceeded to Pittsfield township, Lo
rain Co., Ohio, where Mr. Meredith in
vested in forty-seven acres of land at nine
dollars per acre, for which he was obliged
to go into debt. On April 23, 1849, he
married Esther Gurney, who was born
February 8, 1816, in Worcestershire, Eng
land, and passed the earlier part of ber life
in Herefordshire, same country. She was
a daughter of Thomas and Mary (Wheeler)
Gurney, who were poor people, and Esther
was early in life obliged to work for a
living, being thus deprived of even the
smallest opportunity to obtain an educa
tion. She had met Mr. Meredith in Eng
land, where they were engaged, and he
started for the United States to seek a
home, concluding, if satisfactory arrange
ments could not be made here, to return to
England. But in about a year he had
made a home, and sent for Miss Gurney,
who sailed from Liverpool on a vessel of
the "Black Star Line," landing in New
York after a voyage of thirty-three days.
She immediately proceeded to Pittsfield
township, where she was joined by Mr.
Meredith, and here immediately after mar
riage they began life in a rude frame
house, where they resided seven years,
after which they moved to the farm. To
their union were born children as follows:
Mary Ann, deceased in infancy; James A.,
subject of this sketch; Alice, Mrs. John
White, of Wellington, Ohio; and Reuben
and Arthur, both farmers of Pittsfield
township, fie was a strong Republican,
and took great interest in political issues,

reading considerably and keeping himself
well posted. At the time of his death,
which occurred July 3, 1885, he owned
280 acres of land, all of which he had ac
quired by patient, honest toil, working
part of the time as a farm hand. He and
his wife were members of the Episcopal
Church in England. Mr. Meredith was
buried in the South cemetery at Welling
ton. Since his death the widow has re
sided on the home farm, and is a highly
respected lady in her community.
J. A. Meredith was born July 29, 1854,
in Pittsfield township, and received his
literary training in the common schools.
He was reared to the arduous duties of
agricultural life, and remained on the
home farm until his marriage, working
out in the summer seasons. On Decem
ber 25, 1876, he wedded Miss Alice Par
sons, a daughter of Ebenezer and Armitta
(Corkins) Parsons, and immediately there
after settled on his present farm, where he
has since resided, carrying on a general
farming and dairying business. He is one
of the most enterprising and progressive
young farmers in his section, and is a
well-known member of the locality. Po
litically he is a Republican, and has held
various township offices, refusing others.
Socially he is a member of Lorain Lodge,
No. 281, I. 0. O. F., and Camp No. 247.
To Mr. and Mrs. Meredith have come
children as follows: Clara E., Frank A.,
Charles (deceased), Mabel A., Lena A.,
Bessie, Belle R. and Howard Edmund.

A. WIRE, late superintendent of
the C. L. & W. R/R. docks, Lo
rain, deservedly one of the most
popular of men, is a native of the
State of New York, born April 17, 1831.
He is a son of Samuel and Abigail (Sher
man) Wire, the former of whom was for
some time a contractor on the New York
Central Railroad. He was also a preacher

1022

LORAIN COUNTY, OHIO.

in the Freewill Baptist Church, having
commenced exhorting at the age of thirty-
one. When our subject was three years
old the family moved to Ashtabula county,
Ohio, locating on a farm for a time, after
which they again returned to New York
State, and for six years made their home
in the town of Canandaigua. The mother,
who was of Scotch lineage, died in Potter,
Yates Co., N. Y., and the father then re
sided for a short time in Wayne county.
He lived to be eighty-one years old, and a
short time before his death was cradling
grain, something not to be so much mar
veled at when it is remembered that he
came from a long-lived hardy Scotch-Irish
race. His grandfather was one of Wash
ington's body guard during the Revolu
tionary war.
W. A. Wire, the subject of this sketch,
in his boyhood attended school in New
York State, and at the age of twenty-one
commenced railroading, first as a fireman
for a locomotive on the Cleveland & Co
lumbus Railroad; at the end of a year he
was appointed brakeman on the Cleveland
& Erie Railroad, whieh position he filled
also one year. For the following eighteen
years he was conductor on the Cleveland
& Erie road, after which for three years he
ran the yard at nights in Cleveland for
the Lake Shore & Michigan Southern Rail
road. His next experience was in the
Pennsylvania oil fields, two years speculat
ing in oil. From there he came to Lorain,
having received the appointment of yard-
master for the Cleveland, Tuscarawas Yal-
ley & Wheeling (now the Cleveland,
Lorain & Wheeling) Railroad. On his
retirement from this incumbency in the
spring of 1884, to go to Cleveland, Mr.
Wire was presented by the city and rail
road employes with a handsome gold
watch as an expression of esteem. His
call to Cleveland at that time was to ac
cept the position of dockmaster on the
" Big Four," remaining thereon for seven
and a half years, at the end of which time,
November 1, 1888, he returned to Lorain to

fill the then vacant position of assistant
superintendent for the C. L. & W. road,
in which capacity he remained one year,
and was then given charge of the docks as
superintendent. In April, 1893, he left
the railroad business, and moved to Glen-
ville, Ohio.
In 1853 Mr. Wire was married in Lake
county, Ohio, to Miss Caroline Rosette
Powers, of Perry, Lake Co., Ohio, a lady
of French origin, and two children have
been born to them : Samuel, a machinist iu
the employ of the C. L. & W. Railroad
Company (he is married to a daughter of
Capt. Coney, of Lorain), and Laura, who
is a singing Evangelist, traveling through
out the country. Mr. Wire is a member
of the F. & A. M., K. of H. and R. A.,
and of the Disciple Church. In politics
he is a stanch Republican.

|V|[ICHOLAS GRABENSTETTER, a
I VJ well-known farmer citizen of Graf-
| ll ton township, was born June 29,
y 1820, in Baden, Germany, son of
Paul and Rosa (Gross) Grabenstet-
ter, farming people of that place.
In June, 1833, the family, which then
consisted of the parents and three children
— Nicholas, Sophia and Alice — left their
native country, the father having saved
enough from his earnings to bring them to
the United States. They embarked at
Havre, France, in a full-rigged sailing
vessel, and after a voyage of thirty-five
days landed in New York, where they re
mained one week, strangers in a strange
land. They then took a steamboat to Al
bany, thence to Rochester, N. Y., where
they remained over winter, the father
doing any honest labor he could there find,
but as times were hard Nicholas could find
nothing to do. In May, 1834, they left
Rochester, traveling by canal to Buffalo,
N. Y., thence by steamboat to Cleveland,

LORAIN COUNTY, OHIO.

1023

Ohio, where they remained two weeks,
searching for land. As his capital was
small, Mr. Grabenstetter concluded to go
to Stark county, and traveling by canal to
Bethlehem (near Massillon), that county,
remained three weeks, but finding himself
unable to purchase land there, returned to
Cleveland, taking the same route. He
then went to Liverpool township, Medina
county, where he purchased forty-seven
acres at four dollars per acre, which land
was entirely in the woods, not a tree having
been cut, or a single improvement made
thereon. A rude house, constructed of
rough boards and a couple of forked stocks,
was put up, which, though wet and un
comfortable, served as a shelter all sum
mer. Setting to work they began to clear
the land, though during the first year they
could raise nothing but garden stuff, and a
log house was built, which was later sup
planted by one of hewn logs. Although
wild game was plentiful, the forest teem
ing with deer, turkeys, etc., they could not
take advantage of the abundance, as they
could not afford firearms, and thus they
were obliged to struggle on till crops grew
better. Mr. and Mrs. Grabenstetter re
sided on this farm the remainder of their
lives, dying at the ages of eighty-five and
eighty-three years, respectively, and were
buried in the Catholic cemetery in Liver
pool township. They were members of the
Catholic Church. In Rochester, N. Y.,
the family was increased by one child,
Frank, who is now a farmer in Litchfield,
Medina county.
Nicholas Grabenstetter was reared to
farm life, and attended school in his native
country until thirteen years of age, when
be came with his parents to the United
States. He grew to manhood in the woods
of Liverpool township, Medina Co., Ohio,
where he became inured to hard work, and
he resided with his parents until his mar
riage. Our subject was not only employed
at farm labor, but also worked on the canal
then in course of construction at Milan,
Ohio, before he was sixteen years of age.

He was afterward employed on various
other canals, the Tuscarawas Canal, the
Erie Canal, the Maumee Canal, etc., toiling
from sunrise to sunset for fifty cents a
day, and all his earnings went to assist his
father. In 1841 he was wedded to Mary Yeager,
a native of Baden, Germany, daughter of
Lawrence lreager, who came to the United
States, locating in Liverpool township,
Medina county, in pioneer times. After
marriage Mr. Grabenstetter located on the
farm of his mother-in-law, remaining
there for eight years, when he purchased a
tract of forty-five acres in Grafton town
ship, Lorain county; this land cost five
hundred dollars, and he was obliged to go
four hundred dollars into debt for same,
but by hard work the loan was soon paid
off. He resided thereon until 1863, when
he purchased his present place, then com
prising ninety-eight acres, where he has
since resided, following agricultural pur
suits. To our subject and wife were born
eleven children, six of whom are yet living,
namely: Odelia, Sophia, Alouys, Andrew,
Rosa and John. The mother of these chil
dren died May 6, 1870, and was buried in
the Catholic cemetery; she was a member
of the Catholic Church. Mr. Grabenstet
ter has been a hard-working man, and by
his industry has accumulated a comfort
able property. He is an excellent farmer,
and an honest, upright business man,
highly respected and esteemed. He is a
lifelong member of the Democratic party,
but does not mix in politics; he is a mem
ber of the Catholic Church.

|[ M. SEELYE, a well-to-do farmer of
k. I Ridgeville township, where he owns
%J) forty-four acres all in a good state of
cultivation, is a native of Lorain
county, born in Avon township, July
26, 1836.

1024

LORAIN COUNTY, OHIO.

?

He is the son of Cornelius and Rachel
Smith) Seelye, who were natives of New
ork State, where they were married, and
whence in an early day they came to Ohio,
locating in the woods of Avon township,
Lorain county, near French creek, where
Mrs. Seelye died in 1843. They remained
here till 1847, and then moved to Craw
ford county, Wis., where the father con
tinued to live until 1854, in which year he
returned to Lorain county,, taking up his
home in La Porte. He died in Avon town
ship in 1866. For his second wife Mr.
Seelye married, in Avon township, Mary
Cadwell, who died in Elyria in 1888. By
his first marriage he had fourteen children
— seven sons and seven daughters — as fol
lows: Humphrey, married, residing in
Wellington; Esther, who married John
Cockrell, and died in Wayne county, Ohio;
Joseph, deceased in Iowa; Thomas, who
resides in Michigan ; Phebe, deceased wife
of Hart Smith, of New York; Elmira,
who was the wife of William Hubbard,
died at French Creek; Daniel, married,
residing in Crawford county, Wis.;
Phineas, also residing in Crawford county,
Wis.; J. M., subject of this sketch; Flor
entine, who married Asa Frary, and died
in Wayne county, Ohio; Ursula, wife of
William Vandeveer, of Kalamazoo, Mich.;
McKindre, who enlisted in the Civil war in
Avon township, and died from the effects of
disease contracted in the service; and two
others whose names have not beeii given.
By his second marriage there were no
children. Politically Mr. Seelye was first
a Whig, later a Republican.
J. M. Seelye, the subject proper of this
sketch, received his education in part at
the schools of Avon township, Lorain
county, and in part at those of Wayne
county, Ohio, whither he had removed at
the age of twelve years. After a four
years' residence there he returned to Lo
rain county, and in Ridgeville township
worked by the month for. Randall Stetson
for about eight years, at the end of which
time he moved to Crawford county, Wis.,

sojourning there one winter, and then
coming back to his old home in Ridgeville
township. Again he worked for Mr. Stet
son, getting out lumber, until May, 1860,
when he went to California, and was there
engaged in the dairy, business till 1864, in
which year he once more found himself in
Ridgeville township. In 1866 he made a
trip to Michigan, where in Van Buren
county he bought 120 acres of land, and
farmed three years; then in the city of-
Lawrence, same county, he conducted, a
butchering business eight years. Next we
find our Protean friend in the lumber
business, buying and selling until 1889,
when he once more came to Ridgeville
township to finally remain.
In 1866 J. M. Seelye was united in
marriage with Miss Jane M. Stetson, born
in Ridgeville township, Lorain county, a
daughter of Randall and Adeline Stetson,
and by this union there was one son,- Ran
dall, who died in Michigan at the age of
six years. In politics our subject is a
straight Democrat, and is a member of the
school board.

4

HENRY A. BARNES. Oneof the
leading farmers of Rochester town
ship, and one of her best known
and most honored citizens, the sub
ject of this sketch enjoys the dis
tinction of being second to none in these
respects. Mr. Barnes is a native of Massachusetts,
born in Worcester county April 23, 1827,
a son of Moses Barnes, whose nativity was
Becket, Berkshire Co., Mass. When the
latter was nine or ten years old his father
died, leaving ten children, some" of whom
were bound out as apprentices, while
Moses and others of the younger members
of the family were kept at home. In his
boyhood he suffered from a severe attack
of fever, which resulted in his being left
a cripple for life. When a young man,

-r^ CL ./ucu^tu&y

LORAIN COUNTY, OHIO.

1027

after leaving school, he learned the trade
of cloth dresser. In 1833 Moses, with his
wife and children, set out for Lorain coun
ty, Ohio, making direct for Rochester
township, he and his brother Sumner hav
ing traded land in Massachusetts for 200
acres in that township, receiving also two
hundred dollars as " boot money." The
journey was made via canal and lake, and
they landed at the mouth of the Black
river in Lorain county, where they hired
an ox-team to convey them to Huntington
township, and here the party remained at
the home of Jesse Johnson, an acquaint
ance, during the illness and death of Silas,
a son of Moses Barnes (Silas was the first
to be buried in Huntington cemetery).
They then settled on their own property in
Rochester township, where they had hasti
ly built a log cabin, which at first had
neither door nor chimney, but was soon
afterward much improved, bfth in appear
ance and comfort. The land was all cov
ered with timber, chiefly beech and maple,
and wild animals were numerous. For
their milling they had to go to Hayesville,
Ashland county, the trip occupying two
days. When a young man Moses Barnes had
married, in Worcester, Mass., Miss Eliza
Stone, a native of the same county, and
who worked in a cotton factory, and in
that State were born to them children as
follows: Henry A. (subject of sketch),
Milo, Silas (already referred to), and Orin,
who died in Toledo, Ohio. Milo had
rather an adventurous life. At the time
of the breaking out of the Civil war he
was living in Arkansas, where he was ar
rested by the Confederates as a spy, and
was confined to prison three months and
five days, at tbe end of which time he was
released on condition of his enlisting in
the Southern army, which he did, serving
one year as a teamster. But securing a
pass one day, he escaped to Fort Scott,
Kans., where he found the Third Wiscon
sin Cavalry, for whom he acted as guide,
but was shot at by some Confederates and

wounded; after convalescence he enlisted
in the Twelfth 0. V. I. His regiment
was sent to Johnson's Island at the time
of the " Canada scare," and he was on duty
eight hours that cold New Year's night of
1863, which brought on a violent cold that
settled on his lungs, causing his death,
which occurred on the Island.
In Rochester township there were bora
seven children to Moses Barnes, namely:
Rachel, who married Charles Day, and
died in New London, Ohio; William, de
ceased at the age of twenty-one years;
Alvira, deceased when young; John, who
died during the Civil war at Nashville,
Tenn., of smallpox, while a member of the
Third Ohio Cavalry; Johan, deceased when
five years old; Leeta, deceased in infancy,
and Lewis, now living on the old home?
stead, Rochester Station, Lorain county.
The father died in September, 1888, in
his eighty-seventh year, the mother in
M^rch, same year, at the age of seventy-
eight years, and they are buried in Roch
ester cemetery. They were exemplary
members of the M. E. Church, and of the
first class formed in Rochester; politically
Mr. Barnes was originally a Whig* after
ward a Republican.
Henry A. Barnes, the subject proper of
these lines, was six years old when the
family came from Massachusetts to Lorain
county, consequently his education was
limited. He attended the first school
taught in Rochester township by Martha
Fay, she receiving one dollar a week, and
boarding from house to house; the funds
were raised by subscription. Her walk
to the schoolhouse, never less than two
miles, was through the woods, the direc^
tion being found by marked trees. The
old school-buildiug was made of logs about
sixteen feet square. Mr. Barnes' school
ing consisted of about three months a year
until he was eighteen. At the age of six
teen he began working away from the pa
ternal roof, first on the farm of Dr. Seager,
of Clarksfield towuship, Huron county,
later for Benjamin Perkins, of Rochester,

1028

LORAIN COUNTY, OHIO.

Ohio, four years, and then working nearly
a year at the building of the Cleveland
& Columbus Railroad. After his marriage
he settled on seventy acres of dense timber-
covered land in Rochester township, for
which he paid seven dollars per acre, and
here he built a rude log cabin, 12x16
feet inside. This was the happiest era of
his life, and from time to time he added
to this purchase till he now owns 180
acres of as. rich farm land as can be found
in this vicinity; for a part of this he paid
fifty dollars per acre, and had placed on it
all of the modern improvements.
On January 23, 1848, Mr. Barnes was
married to Miss Polly Day, who was born
in New London township, Huron Co.,
Ohio, June 20, 1832, and died May 31,
1892, in her sixtieth year. She was the
youngest child of Dr. Samuel Day, who
was one of the earliest pioneers of New
London township. She was left an or
phan at the age of eleven years, after
which she took care of herself, making her
home mostly with her half-sister, Mrs.
Hendrix, until she was married and set
tled on the farm in Rochester township,
Lorain county. Here by their united ef
forts they built np the beautiful home and
surroundings, and here she was residing
at the time of her death. She was the
mother of eight children, viz.: Samuel
M., who is now a farmer in Michigan;
Eliza (now Mrs. A. G. Fisher), Rosina
(Mrs. John Dagnan), and Matilda (Mrs.
Nelson Robinson), all living in Welling
ton, Lorain county, Ohio; Henry W., a
farmer on the homestead; Clarence, who
died at the age of six years, and two de
ceased in infancy. Five of these yet re
main to comfort their father.
Mrs. Barnes experienced religion thirty-
seven years ago, and united with her hus
band in the M. E. Church at Rochester,
Lorain Co., Ohio. Although in poor
health, and being prevented the greater
part of the time from attending public
worship, she ever lived a faithful and con
sistent Christian life. She was a loving

and devoted wife and mother. Realizing
that her end was near, she made needful
preparations for her funeral, which was
held at her late home June 2, 1892, and
was attended by a large number of rela
tives and friends, after which she was in
terred in the cemetery at Rochester.
In his political associations our subject
is a Republican, and he served his township
as trustee four years. He is a member of
and steward in the M. E. Church, of the
Sabbath-school of which he was superin
tendent some five, years. On September
10, 1893, Mr. Barnes was united in mar
riage to Miss Lina Braman (the daughter
of Samuel and Belinda Braman), a resi
dent of Rochester and a member of the
M. E. Church.

TASSO DELOS PHELON, a resi
dent of Huntington township, is a
native of same, born August 31,
1848, a son of Delos and Louisa M.
(Perkins) Phelon.
The fatherof oursubjectwas born in 1812,
in Hartford county, Conn., whence in 1833
he came to Ohio, and built the first ware
house at the mouth of Black river, where
is now the thriving town of Lorain (he had
previously visited Cleveland with the in
tention of remaining, but returned to Con
necticut). At this place he carried on a
forwarding and commission business from
1833 to 1837, after which he had his resi
dence for a time in Sheffield township, Lo
rain county, and then moved to Hunting
ton township, where he kept a general
merchandise store, and also farmed, dying
October. 4, 1888; his wife had passed away
June 19, same year, at the age of seventy-
four years, seven months, ten days; she
was born in Becket, Berkshire Co.,
Mass. Mr. Phelon in his political asso
ciations was originally an Old-line Whig,
but in later years changed to a Democrat.

LORAIN COUNTY, OHIO.

1029

They were the parents of children as fol
lows: Daniel W., who resides in Kansas;
Joseph V., in Huntington; Deette, wife of
L. Chapman, of Rochester; Mary, wife
of G. W. Wilbur, of Hartland, Huron
county, had one child, George J., who died
when about twelve years old; and T. D.
Grandfather Phelon was born in Suffield,
Conn., and died in Lorain county, Ohio.
T. D. Phelon, whose name opens this
sketch, was educated at the common
schools of Huntington, his summer months
being occupied in learning the practical
lessons of farm life. In December, 1862,
he enlisted in Company E, One Hundred
and Twenty-eighth 0. Y. I., for three
years or during the war, and served until
the close of the conflict, when he was
mustered out by order of the War Depart
ment, July 13, 1865. On his return home
after the war he took up agricultural
pursuits, and has since successfully con
tinued in same. In 1869 he married Miss
Adelaide Noony, born in Huntington
township, Lorain county, August 12, 1846,
and one child, Flora N., still under the
parental roof, was bora to them. Mr.
Phelon is a Republican, and served his
township as trustee two or three terms; he
is in his tenth year as justice of the peace,
and was school director some fifteen years.
Iu 1888 he was elected county commis
sioner, an incumbency he is yet filling with
ability and fidelity. Mr. Phelon owns a
large tract of land, on which part of the
village of Huntington now stands. He is
regarded as one of Lorain county's strong
est and most popular citizens, and is a
prosperous representative agriculturist.

^RRIN T. BAKER, retired agricul
turist, and a leading prominent
citizen of Lorain county, is a native
of the State of New York, born
in 1818.
His father, Elisha Baker, was bora in
Vermont July 25, 1782, and died in New

York State when his son Orrin T. was a
child. He married Miss Ruth Davids, who
was bora November 11, 1787, and died at
the age of eighty years. They were the
Sarents of children as follows: Mary, born
•ecember 23, 1812, who was married to
Lucas Adams, and resided in Michigan,
where she died January 11, 1891; David,
born January 10, 1814, who died in Illinois;
Elisha, born September 18, 1815, who was
a soldier in the Civil war, and died shortly
afterward, in Illinois, from the effects of
exposure; Hiram, bom October 16, 1816,
who lives in Chittenden county, Vt.; Orrin
T. (the subject of this sketch) and Alvin
(twins), born in 1818; and George, born
February 6, 1819, who lives in Michigan.
The subject of this sketch was educated
at the public schools of the locality of his
place of birth, and at the age of fourteen
was bound out to learn the trade of car
penter and joiner with A. L. Cook, serv
ing a seven years' apprenticeship in Hunt
ington township, Chittenden Co., Vt.,
whither he had removed, his residence be
ing in an adjoining township. In 1835 he
came to Ohio with Mr. Cook, and located
in Fitchville, Huron county, for two years,
after which he returned to Huntington and
resumed work with his former employer.
In course of time he formed a partnership
with Mr. Cook, and at the end of a year
commenced journeyman work for himself.
On October 11, 1844, he married Miss
Lydia O. Perkins, a native of Becket, Berk
shire Co., Mass., born in 1824, a daughter
of Col. Darius and Polly (Dewey) Perkins,
the former of whom was born in Connec
ticut. He was a carpenter and joiner, and
in 1833 came to Ohio, making a settle
ment in Huntington Center, Lorain county,
where he cleared a farm out of the wild
woods, game at that time being plentiful
and wild animals numerous. Here Mr.
Perkins died at the age of eighty-one
years, his wife when seventy-two years
old; they were members of the Congrega
tional Church, and in politics Mr. Perkins
was a Whig. They were the parents of

1030

LORAIN COUNTY, OHIO.

seven children, to wit: Milton D., who
married, and died in 1873, leaving a
family; Mary L., who married Delos
Phelon, both now deceased; Orrin M., who
died young; Lydia O. and Abel Dewey
(twins), of whom Abel died in 1892;
Samuel John, who died in 1879; and Sarah
J., wife of W. W. Wells.
After marriage our subject and wife re
mained in Huntington township, Lorain
county, till 1868, when they came to the
town of Wellington, same county, and
have lived in their present home twenty-
two years. During his entire life Mr.
Baker has followed his trade of carpenter
and joiner, and made sash, doors and
blinds in the winter season, also contract
ing for the building of honses, ete. When
he first commenced business in Huntington
township, there were some fifteen carpen
ters, but they all left, leaving him in un
disputed possession of the field, and as a
result he put up more buildings in Hunt
ington than any other man. In that town
ship he owns 115 acres of land, besides
the five acres on which his home stands in
Wellington. Politically Mr. Baker is a
Republican, his first Presidential vote
being cast for William Henry Harrison,
while in principle he has always been
anti-slavery and a Prohibitionist. Iu matT
ters of religion he is a member of the
M. E. Church, his wife of the Congrega
tional Church. She is a charter member
pf the Daughters of Rebekah, and was
first noble grand of Lily wood Lodge, of
Wellington. Socially Mr. Baker is a mem
ber of Lorain Lodge No. 281, I. 0. O. F.,
and has passed all the Chairs of the Sub
ordinate Lodge. Two children have been
born to this honored couple, namely: Ed
gar D., a sketch of whom follows, and
Rosa Ophelia, born in April, 1852, and
married to M. N. Hill, of Kipton, Ohio
(they have two children: Leo N. and Ora).
Edgar D. Baker was born in Huntington
township, Lorain cqunty, September 6,
1845, and in his boyhood winters attended
the common schools of the neighborhood.

On December 10, 1863, he enlisted in
Company 1, One Hundred and Twenty-
eighth O. V. I., and during the greater
part of his term of service did duty on
Johnson's Island as a private orderly; he
was discharged in July, 1865, and returned
home, in 1867 he married Miss Ella
Moore, a native of Massachusetts, and
three children bave been born to them,
viz.: Maude (born August 31, 1870, mar
ried to Arthur D. Eglin, of Wellington,
Ohio), Lelia Belle and Ray O. Mr. E. D.
Baker is, now farming on the homestead
in Huntington township. He is a straight
Republican, and a member of the G. A. R.,
in which he has filled various offices. He
is agent for the P. A. W. Railroad, and
postmaster at Baker's Crossing.

JAMES WYATT, who for a quarter
of a century has been one of the suc
cessful farmers of Amherst township,
is an Englishman by birth, born in
Devonshire in 1825, a son of James and
Hannah (Rich) Wyatt, also of Devonshire,
where they were married, and where the
latter died in 1854.
In 1854, after the death of his wife, the
bereaved father came to the United States
with his children, making a settlement in
Chautauqua county, N. Y., where he died
the saine year. He was the father of chil
dren as follows: Francis, married, and liv
ing in Minnesota; James, subject of sketch;
John, married, a resident and pioneer of
Dodge county. Minn.; Mary, wife of
Samuel Kingston, living in Decatur coun
ty, Iowa; Harriet, wife of Edward Dow,
of Corry, Penn.; Nancy, widow of Charles
Hines, of Evansville, Wis. ; Anna, married
and living in Dodge county, Minn.; and
Samuel S., married, and a resident of Clay
county, Iowa.
James Wyatt, whose name opens this
sketch, was educated in the schools of his

LORAIN COUNTY, OHIO.

1031

native county in England, and in 1854
came with his father to America, and to
Chautauqua county, N. Y., where he en
gaged in farming till 1867; he then came
westward to Huron county, Ohio, whence
in 1869 he moved to Lorain county, where
he has since followed agricultural pursuits.
In 1855 our subject was married in
Chautauqua county, N. Y., to Mrs. Phinna
N. (Culver) Arnold, widow of Chauncey
Arnold, and a native of New York. Two
sons were born to this union, viz.: George
C, married, and residing in Butler county,
Iowa (he has three children), and Frank
D., married, and living on a farm. The
mother of these passed away July 9, 1892,
and on November 6, 1893, Mr. Wyatt
married Mrs. Ann E. Wilber. Mr. Wyatt
in National elections votes the Republican
ticket. He is a member of the M. E.
Church.

OY^AL HARRIS, a prosperous and
substantial agriculturist of Brown
helm township, is a native of same,
born on his present farm, April 4,
1849.
Thomas Harris, father of our subject,
was born in 1797 in Vermont, whence
when eighteen years old he came to Erie
county (then a part of Huron county),
Ohio, with his parents. His father, Nathan
Harris, after a residence of some years in
Ohio, removed to Indiana, where he died.
Thomas Harris came to Lorain county in
1847, making a settlement in the woods,
where he cleared a farm. He was married
to Sarah Call, a native of Essex county,
N. Y., and they had a family of thirteen
children, of whom the following is a brief
record: Betsy married Ambrose Willard,
and died in Kansas in 1890; Harriet mar
ried Henry Barber, of Marshall county,
Iowa; Sarah was the wife of Richard Dim
mick, and died in March, 1883; Susan
married Obed Noble, of Clay county,
Kans.; Clara is the wife of L. Brown, of

Brownhelm township, Lorain county; Al
ma is the wife of Daniel Hunicker, of
California; Adelaide is married to David
Neal, of Dallas county, Iowa; Angeline is
the wife of James Bacon, of Marshall
county, Towa; Fannie died at the age of
three years; Cyrus died when one year
old; Essex resides in Brownhelm township,
Lorain county; Charles died when aged
thirteen years; Royal is the subject proper
of this memoir.
Royal Harris received his education in
the public schools of his native township,
and was reared to farming, which has
been his life vocation. In 1877 he was
married to Ella Tappenden, a native of the
State of New York, daughter of Stephen
and Eliza (Moody) Tappenden, the former
of whom was bora in the eastern part of
Kent, England, the latter in Montgomery
county, N. Y. The father, who was a
cabinet maker by trade, at the age of four
teen years, immigrated to New York,
whence in 1872 he removed to Cleveland,
Ohio, and in 1873 to Brownhelm town
ship, Lorain county, where he died in 1892
at the age of seventy-seven years; his wife
had preceded him to the grave in 1889.
Mrs. Royal Harris was their third child.
To our subject and wife was born one
child, Jessie. Mrs. Ella Harris died in
1878, and in 1882 Mr. Harris married
Alice Tappenden, sister to his first wife,
and second child of her parents. By this
union there are two children — Earl and
Nellie. In politics our subject is a Demo
crat, and he is a member of Ely Lodge,
No. 424, F. & A. M.

N

L. COTTON, widely known
prosperous fruit grower and

as a
gar-

4/

dener, having his residence in North
Amherst, was born in Sheffield
township, Lorain county, in 1829.
a son of George Washington and Rachel
(Smith) Cotton.

1032

LORAIN COUNTY, OHIO.

The father of our subject was born in
Warren, New Hampshire, in 1798. At
the age of sixteen he started from his na
tive placeon foot forTruxton,N.Y., whence
he paid his way to Ohio by driving and
caring for cattle. After his arrival he did
farm labor for Jabez L. Burrell. In Shef
field township he married Rachel Smith,
who was born in Berkshire county, Mass.,
and in 1832 they moved to Elyria town
ship, same county, and opened up a fine
farm. He died there in 1865 ; his wife
was called from earth in September, 1850;
in politics he was a strong Whig. They
were the parents of five children, as fol
lows: Jerome G., born in Sheffield town
ship, Lorain county; died in Elyria town
ship, in 1852, was one of the first
shorthand reporters, and at one time owned
the paper in Elyria, now edited by William
A. Braman (he was employed as a reporter
in Washington, D. C, about three years,
for the New York Tribune and Cleveland
Herald); Charles W., also born in Shef
field township (he enlisted in the Civil war,
in Company E, First Ohio Battery, three
years' service); Martha R. (widow of
Francis A. Younglove), residing in Vir
ginia; N. L., subject of sketch; and George
J., born in Elyria township, enlisted in
Company F, One Hundred and Third
O. Y. I., now residing in Lansing, Mich.
Grandfather Benjamin Noys Cotton, a
native of New Hampshire, was a Revo
lutionary soldier, serving eight years; was
with Gen. Warren at the battle of Bunker
Hill, and was present through the winter
at Valley Forge; served to the close of the
war, and was present at Washington's
farewell address. He represented his
District in the New Hampshire Legisla
ture four times, and was known as " old
'76." He came to Lorain county in 1836,
making his home in Elyria township, and
both he and his wife died in Wayne county,
Ohio, at the age of eighty-nine years.
N. L. Cotton was educated at the public
schools of Elyria township, Lorain county,
and at the academy in the town of Elyria,

after which he taught school for a time in
Avon township, same county. Moving to
Kendall county, 111., he was there engaged
in farming about two years. On August
6, 1862, Mr. Cotton enlisted in Sheffield
township, Lorain county, in Company F,
One Hundred and Third O. V. I., for
three years or during the war, and was
mustered into the service at Camp Mitch
ell, Ky., September 7, 1862. He par
ticipated in the battles of Blue Springs
(Tenn.), Armstrong Hill, Resaca, Peach
Tree Creek, Norse Creek, Atlanta, right
of Atlanta, and Spring Hill. After the
Atlanta campaign his regiment was made
head-quarters guard for the Twenty- third
Corps, their colonel being provost-marshal
general of the Department under General
Scofield, whose corps moved from Flor
ence, Tenn., to Cincinnati; thence to Wash-'
ington, D. C; thence by steamer to Fort
Fisher; thence through Wilmington and
Goldsboro to Raleigh, N. C, where it was
mustered out. Our subject was discharged
June 23, 1865, at Cleveland, Ohio, and
returned home to Lorain county, and to
the pursuits of peace. For some years he
farmed in Sheffield township, and in
March, 1882, he moved to Amherst, where
he embarked in his present business.
On November 27, 1851, Mr. Cotton
was united in marriage, in Sheffield town
ship, Lorain county, with Miss Caroline
M. Hecock, a native ef Herkimer county,
N.Y., and daugh ter of George W. and Sarah
(Davis) Hecock, of New York State, who
settled in Sheffield township in 1834. The
father served in the war of 1812 as a
drummer boy; he died in 1876, his wife
in 1875. Grandfather Silas Hecock, a na
tive of Connecticut, and a soldier in tbe
Revolutionary war, died in New York;
Grandfather Davis also served in that
struggle. To Mr. and Mrs. N. L. Cotton
were born children as follows: Clara M.,
wife of Thomas C. Foote, of Amherst
township, Lorain county; Elmer F., mar
ried and living in Sheffield township; Cora
B., wife of William E. Hart, of Lincoln,

LORAIN COUNTY, OHIO.

1033

Neb.; Nellie B. and Lillie D. (twins), the
former of whom is the wife of Stillman
Cotton, and resides in Cleveland, Ohio
(Lillie D. died at the age of nineteen years) ;
Martha R., married to Charles Straw, of
Elyria, Ohio; Ina S., a teacher, and Minnie,
attending school at Granville, Ohio (she
had been teaching for a time in Lorain
county). In his political sympathies Mr.
Cotton isa Republican; for ten years he
served as trustee of Sheffield township, and
for several years as j ustice of the peace. He
isa member of Rice Post No. 148, G.A.R.,
of which he has been commander and chap
lain. In church relationship he and his
wife are Baptists.
Joshua Smith, maternal grandfather of
Mr. Cotton, came to Lorain county in 1812,
and was the first white man to die in Shef
field township, the year of his death being
1813. His daughter, the mother of Mr.
Cotton, was the first white woman to come
into the township of Sheffield.

Ifff E. PARKER, M. D., the pioneer of
I^H the medical profession at Lorain,
I 1 since it became a town of any prom-
y) inence, was born November 20,
1851, at Berea, Cuyahoga Co., Ohio,
son of Dr. Henry and Elizabeth (Sher
wood) Parker.
The father was born in Brunswick, Ohio,
where he was reared, and received his medi
cal education at a college in Cincinnati,
where he graduated. He at once settled in
Berea, Ohio, and there commenced the prac
tice of his profession, in which to some ex
tent he still continues. Politically he isa
Republican, and was a member of the con
vention which nominated John C. Fre
mont for President. Grandfather Parker,
who was an early pioneer of Cuyahoga
county, was descended from emigrants of
the same name who came from England
during the seventeenth century, settling in
Massachusetts.

Dr. H. E. Parker was reared in Berea,
Ohio, at the public schools of which place,
and at Baldwin University, he received his
early education. He attended his first
course of lectures in 1876, in the Medical
Department of Hudson School, Cleveland,
and then, in 1877, began a course at the
Bennett Medical College, Chicago, whence
he graduated with the class of 1878. He
commenced practice at Berea, in partner
ship with his father, and continued in same
for three years, or until June 7, 1881,
when he located in Lorain, South End,
where he has since resided. The Doctor
is practically the pioneer of the South End,
having erected the first house in that sec
tion, before the streets were even opened,
and all the improvements have been made
since his settlement. On March 5, 1878,
he was married, in Medina county, to Miss
Cora I. McConnell, a native of that county,
where her parents (both of whom are now
deceased) were early settlers. To this
union has been born one child, Lulu V.
Socially our subject is a member of Wood
land Lodge No. 226 K. of P., in which he
is past chancellor. In his political predi
lections he is a Republican, and has served
as a member of the school board.

|f Tf W. SEMPLE, proprietor of fash-
|!*l ionable tonsorial parlors in the town
I 1 of Wellington, is a native Virgin-
y) ian, born in Fredericksburg, May
10, 1857, a son of James and Rosa
(Atkins) Semple. His father, by profes
sion a French chef de cuisine, is yet living;
his mother died at the age of forty- six
years. They were the parents of seven
children, named respectively: John, Delila,
Daniel, Maria, James, H. W. and Lucinda.
In 1858, while yet an infant, our sub
ject was taken to Washington, D. O, and
here he was reared and educated, graduat
ing in 1877; he also learned and worked

1034

LORAIN COUNTY, OHIO.

at his trade in that city. Iu 1879 he en
tered the U. S. Coast Survey, and his first
experience in that branch of the public
service was in New York with Prof. Agas-
siz, of the Zoological Comparative Mu
seum, at Cambridge, N. Y. Hethen went
to South America, Hayti, Jamaica, and
other West India islands, also New Or
leans and many other seaports and water
ing places, serving over two years, at the
end of which time he was offered a posi
tion in the State Department in Washing
ton, but arrived there a day too late, where
by he not only did not get tbe new position
but lost the old one. In consequence of
this he returned home, coming by way of
Detroit, where he had relatives, and on his
arrival in Wellington he resumed his trade,
working for eight years for one man, after
which, August 26, 1889, he opened out his
present place of business, and has met
with unprecedented success, having already
'four chairs in his establishment. While a
resident of Washington he shaved many
prominent men. In 1884 Mr. Semple
married Miss Laura A. Shepherd. A Re
publican in politics, he takes an active
interest in the workings of his party; in
matters of religion he and his wife are
Baptists.

E

H. HASTINGS, who is one of the
most successful native-born agri-
j culturists of LaGrange township,
was born June 20, 1827, son of
Curtis H. Hastings.
The father was born December 1, 1796,
in Jefferson county, N. Y., eldest of ten
children born to Thomas Hastings, who
first saw the light April 3, 1776. Curtis
H. Hastings learned the carpenter's trade,
and was married in his native county to
Miss Pattie Graves, who was born October
23, 1800. While residents of New York
State they had children as follows: Ashley,
who died when eighteen or nineteen years

old; Wesley, of Penfield township, Lorain
Co., Ohio, and Diana S., now Mrs. Lyman
C. Crane, of Chatham, Ohio. In June,
1826, he came to LaGrange township,
Lorain Co., Ohio., into which he drove the
first horse-team. He had visited Lorain
county before settling, walking the entire
distance from New York, and later traded
fifty acres of land in that State for a farm
in LaGrange township, whereon he located.
But little of this land had been cleared, and
bis cabin was the third in the township,
but on this farm he passed the remainder
of his life, dying at the age of eighty-two
years. After coming to Ohio Mr. and
Mrs. Hastings had children as follows: E.
G. and E. H. (twins), who were the first
white male children born in LaGrange
township: a daughter that died in infancy
unnamed; Samuel, afarmer of LaGrange;
another daughter that died in infancy un
named; and J. Edson, a farmer of La
Grange. The mother of these died at the
age of forty years, and Mr. Hastings then
married Miss Asenath Amy, by whom he
had one son, Frank, who married and died
leaving four children.
E. fi. Hastings was, born one-fourth of
a mile from his present farm, and during
his youth attended the common schools of
the vicinity a few weeks each year. He
was reared to agricultural life on the home
farm, and when eighteen years old, being
of a roving disposition, he left home and
hired out at ten dollars a month to John
ston Rawson, by whom he was employed
for five seasons. Then, being anxious to
return to school, he went home, but after
attending for only a few days found he had
not time, as he was busy threshing; thus
he continued to work, and, saving his
money, was able by hard work to pay for
some land. Having caught the " gold
fever," he started, on December 29, 1851,
for California, going from LaGrange,
Ohio, by rail to New York, where he took
passage on a boat going around Cape Horn,
with two companions, William Rockwood
and L. L. West, who went as far as Riode

<£^Pfe&^<£/?'

LORAIN COUNTY, OHIO.

1037

Janeiro, Brazil, where they took passage
on another vessel, while the "Racehound"
lay in that port twelve days for repairs.
After a voyage of six months and three
days our subject landed at San Francisco,
where he was taken sick, and found him
self, after paying a week's board in ad
vance, nearly out of funds. He entered
the State Marine Hospital until he re
covered, and, while in California, he had
some rather hard experiences, being with
out money among strangers. Later,
through the efforts of a farmer, he secured
work as an overseer, aud remained away
from home five years, also working in the
lumber business (on Government land),
in which he made money. On the way
home he crossed the Isthmus of Panama
at Aspinwall, and after remaining in his na
tive place for two weeks he returned west
in company with three others, going to Mis
souri. Here they purchased five thousand
head of sheep, which were driven across
the plains to California, and during the
trip they oi-cupied fifteen days in crossing
one river, the South Platte. The entire
journey, which took six months, was very
satisfactory, being comparatively free from
loss, and after reaching their destination
Mr. Hastings kept the sheep one year. Re
turning to Lorain county, Ohio, he passed
the winter in Penfield township, where he
had fifty acres of land.
There he was married, September 15,
1859, to Rosanna Dalton, who was born in
New York, daughter of Benjamin Dalton,
and the young couple began married life
in a log house, on a farm in Penfield town
ship. In the spring of 1860 they located
in LaGrange township, since which time
he has been engaged in farming and stock
raising. He now owns 226 acres of land
in LaGrange township, a house and three
lots in Wellington township, and one and
three-fourths acres in the corporation of
Wellington. Mr. Hastings is a successful
business man and shrewd financier. He
voted for Abraham Lincoln, but otherwise
he is always a Democrat in National af

fairs. On April 12, 1891, Mrs. Hastings
passed from earth, and was buried in the
East cemetery in LaGrange township; she
was a member of the M. E. Church.

EORGE W. NOBLE, a resident of
Elyria, was born August 10, 1821,
in the town of Warren, Herkimer
Co., N. Y"., a son of Hervey and
Phoebe (Wilkinson) Noble. He is
descended from one of three brothers who
in a very early day came from England to
the New World, settling in Massachusetts.
Hervey Noble, also a native of Herkimer
county, N. Y., born April 1, 1795, moved
from there in 1819 to Wilna, Jefferson
Co., same State, and there resided till June,
1827, when he came to Ohio, settling about
one and one-half miles north of LaGrange,
in LaGrange township, and there followed
farming. He died June 16, 1871. On
December 15, 1815, he married Miss
Phoebe Wilkinson, who died in LaGrange,
Lorain county, April 23, 1870. They had
a family of eight children, our subject be
ing second.
George W. Noble received a limited
education at the district schools of La
Grange township, and remained on the
home farm till he was twenty-one years of
age, at which time he commenced house
building, and many other kinds of mechani
cal work; for eight years he was engaged
in a carriage works in LaGrange; then, for
five years, was in a store. After that he
bought a foundry and machine shop at
Liverpool, Ohio, conducting same nine
teen years, doing all kinds of foundry
work, including the complete making of
engines. He has made carriages, wagons,
plows, and wood-sawing machines, with
great success, a large n umber of them being
sold. In this he continued until December
6, 1881, when he had to abandon work on
account of his failing eyesight, and con-

1038

LORAIN COUNTY, OHIO.

sequently sold out. He then moved to
Berea, Ohio, where he resided eight years,
thence proceeding to Cleveland and there
remaining till October, 1891, when he
came to Elyria, Lorain county.
In 1845 Mr. Noble 'married Miss Jane
E. Garritt, who was born in Saratoga coun
ty, N. Y., January 15, 1829, and three
daughters were bora to them, as follows:
Amanda Helen, now the widow of Erotus
M. Dixon, has her residence at 130 Herald
St., Cleveland, Ohio (she has no children);
Melissa Ellen, the wife of William Edgar
Parmelee, of Elyria, Lorain Co., Ohio, has
two daughters and one son; Charlotte
Phoebe, now the wife of Dr. Rufus V. Gam
ble, of New London, Ohio, has one daugh
ter, Grace. Politically our subject has al
ways been a Republican, but says that he
" is now utterly disgusted with all parties."
He believes in " equal rights of man and
woman "; Liberty for all. He belongs to
no Church, Creed, or Lodge, " To do
good'''' being his only religion: Hoping,
doubting, and trying to investigate the
great mysteries of this and a future
existence.

ElDWIN HALL, a well-known and
widely-respected retired citizen of
 I Elyria, now in his seventy-ninth
year, was born in the old town of
Meriden, Conn., in April, 1815, and when
seven years old was brought by his father
to Ohio.
Avery and Lucy (Bacon) Hall, parents
of Edwin Hall, were of New England de
scent, and the more remote ancestors of
the father came from England, while those
of tbe mother (who was from Connecticut),
claimed the land of Scott and Burns as the
place of their nativity. Avery Hall was
bom in Meriden, Conn., in 1776, whence
he removed with his wife (whom he had
married in Meriden) to Berkshire Hills,
Mass., and from there to New Connecti
cut, "Western Reserve" (now Ohio),

where he died at the age of eighty-five
years. He had been an industrious and
well-to-do farmer all his life. He was a
member of aud for a long time chorister
in the Congregational Church, of which
denomination at Meriden his great-grand
father had been a preacher. Politically he
was an Old -school Democrat, and his first
vote was cast for Andrew Jackson. At
the time of the burning of New London,
Conn., by the British during the war of
1812, he was living at Meriden, and with
others went to see the conflagration.
Tlie subject proper of this sketch re
ceived his education at the primitive
schools of Lorain county, whither, as
already related, he had come when a lad.
The country was wild and uncleared of the
timber and underbrush, and Mr. Hall re
members of having been chased by wolves
on two different occasions, but he came to
learn the habits of these animals and so
knew how to elude them. He remained
a few years on the farm with his father in
what is now the southern extremity of Lo
rain county, and then, having a desire to
revisit the scenes of his early boyhood, re
turned to Connecticut; but his health
failing after a short time, by the advice of
his physician he set out on a sea voyage on
a merchantman, for China. This trip
lasted one and one-half years, and in 1837
he returned to Lorain county, again, how
ever, after a short sojourn, to pay a visit
to his native place in Connecticut. In
1838 he once more returned to Lorain
county, where he has since made his home.
In 1840 he entered mercantile business, in
which he remained a number of years.
In 1840 Mr. Hall was married to Miss
Mary Beebe, daughter of A. Beebe, who
was one of the original settlers of Elyria,
who built the " Beebe House," which had
a good reputation among the traveling
men. Mr. Hall was the successful pro
prietor of this house for more than twelve
years, and was known as a temperance
man in principle and practice, never using
or selling liquor himself, or renting any of

LORAIN COUNTY, OHIO.

1039

his buildings for the sale of it. Two chil
dren were born to Mr. and Mrs. Hall, viz. :
Mary Beebe, who died at the age of twenty-
five years; and Helen F., who married
Rush R. Sloane, and has two children,
Helen and Mary. Politically Mr. Hall is
a stanch Republican. He and his wife
live on the spot in which they began life
together in 1840, enjoying life amid the
scenes of early days.

JfAMES S. BALDWIN, one of the
k. I leading farmers of Pittsfield town-
^J/ ship,was born August 5, 1839, in Corn
wall, Litchfield Co., Conn. He is the
fifth son and seventh child in a family of
nine children born to William and Julia
(Trafford) Baldwin, as follows: William H.,
a lumber dealer of Lee, Mass. ; Mary E., de
ceased at the age of twenty; Noah, died in
infancy; Leeta, who married Joseph W.
Gaines, of Cleveland (both are now de
ceased); Horace F., a retired citizen of
New Haven, Conn.; Russell P., of Pen-
field, Ohio; James S., who will receive
mention farther on; Edward D., a grain
dealer of Detroit City, Minn.; and Frank
C, a mechanic of New Haven, Connecticut.
James S. Baldwin received his education
in the common schools, and was reared to
the duties of agricultural life. He re
mained at home until twenty-one years
old, and then resided for some time with
John Adams, of Salisbury, Conn., working
a farm on shares. On December 31, 1863,
he was married to Delphene L. Gray, who
was born in Cornwall, Conn., daughter of
Augustus B. Gray, a farmer, and after
marriage the young couple spent two years
in their native State, one year on a farm,
the other in Falls Village. In the spring
of 1866 they migrated to Ohio, and rented
a farm in the western part of Pittsfield
township, where tbey resided two years.
They next took up their residence in

Wellington township, where they remained
three years, and in 1872 bought eighty
acres in Pittsfield township, from Horatio
Gates, to which they removed; Mr. Bald
win has since added to this farm, wliich
now comprises 205 acres of excellent land.
He has erected several farm buildings, and
his residence is one of the pleasantest in
the township. In politics our subject is a
Republican, though not strictly partisan,
and has served as justice of the peace and
in various other local positions of trust.
He and his wife are leading members of
the Congregational Church, and he also
takes great personal interest in the Sunday-
school. Mr. Baldwin is one of the most
successful business men of his township;
he deals extensively in poultry, shipping
mostly to New Haven, Conn., and is one
of the leading men in Lorain county in this
line. He also deals in stock and produce,
which he ships to larger markets; he has
reared some fine-bred Chester White hogs
and registered cattle, and his stock of all
kinds is excellent. His father being a
poor man, Mr. Baldwin started in life with
a capital of thirty-seven cents, and his suc
cess has been due to his energetic, pro
gressive and industrious habits, his enter
prise being well known throughout the
county. He is fond of reading, and keeps
himself well abreast of the times.

4/

NICHOLAS DIEDERICH, one of
the leading representative agricul
turists of Sheffield township, is a
native of same, born in 1849.
His father, John Diederich, was
born November 28, 1805, in Germany, and
was there married October 29, 1832, to
Gertrude Sauerence, also a native of the
Fatherland, born June 22, 1814. In 1843
the family sailed from Antwerp to New
York, whence they proceeded to Cleve
land, Ohio, reaching the city August 4.

1040

LORAIN COUNTY, OHIO.

In November of the same year the father
bought and settled on the farm in Sheffield
township, now occupied by his son Nicho
las. Nine children — four sons and five
daughters — were born to John and Ger;
trude Diederich, as follows: Matthias,,
bora November 15, 1833, now a ship car
penter in Cleveland; Catherine, in Shef
field; Peter, in Cleveland; Margaret, who
died in December, 1874, in Tennessee;
Nicholas; Gertrude, in Milan, Ohio; Anna
C, wife of Anton Bora, of Avon town
ship, Lorain county; Frank, at North
Ridgeville; and Mary C, living in Cuya
hoga county, Ohio. The parents are yet
living. Nicholas Diederich, the subject proper
of these lines, received a fair common-
school education, and was trained to the
pursuits of the farm. He now owns a fine
property of seventy-six acres highly cul
tivated land, and does an extensive general
farming business.
In 1878 Mr. Diederich was married to
Miss Anna Burkhart, who died November
7, 1880, and in 1885 our subject wedded
Catherine Schneider, to which union six
children were born, as follows: Theresa,
October 2, 1885; Juliet, January 11,1887,
died March 17, same year; Lidwina, July
3, 1888; Zitta, October 20, 1889; Amanda,
November 6, 1891, and Leonardo, March
23, 1893. In politics Mr. Diederich is a
Democrat, and has served as township
trustee since 1881, having been recently
reelected for another term; for several
years he has beep a member of the school
board.

|[ F. HASERODT, a popular and
k. I progressive citizen of Elyria, where
\y./ he carries on a prosperous harness
business, was bora in Medina county,
Ohio, July 8, 1836, a son of H. C. aiid
Margaret (Berdz) Haserodt, natives of
Prussia. The parents of our subject came to
America in 1834, and made a permanent

settlement in Medina county, Ohio, where
the father carried on harness making and
farming; he was born in 1799, and died
in 1887, aged eighty-eight years and four
mouths; the mother was born in 1807,
and passed away in 1891. Nine children
were born to them, of whom our subject
is the fourth in order of birth. Mr. Hase
rodt received his education at the common
schools, which was supplemented with
considerable private study and close obser
vation of men and things. He learned
his trade in Cleveland, Ohio, being ap
prenticed to it at the age of about seven
teen years. In 1857 he proceeded to Mem
phis, Tenn., and there remained until the
breaking out of the war of the Rebellion,
when he came north to Pittsburgh, Penn.,
and after a sojourn there of some eight
months returned to Cleveland, becoming
foreman of a harness shop in that city.
His business was such that he could not
join the Union army, but he furnished a
substitute. In 1867 he went on his father's
farm in Medina county, and there remained
thirteen years, in 1880 moving thence to
Elyria, where he opened out his present
•business. He makes a specialty of light
harness, and his trade is not confined to
Lorain county, for he ships full harness
sets to Chicago, New York, Philadelphia,
and other cities. Mr. Haserodt is recog
nized as one of the most expert harness
makers in the country, and commands a
wide custom.
In 1862 he was married, in Cleveland,
to Miss Johanna M. Meyer, and eleven
childreu have blessed their union, viz.:
Lillie, George, Henry, Edmund, William,
Otto, Oscar, Paul, Violet, Manuel and
Elmer. Mr. Haserodt is a stanch Repub
lican, and in 1889 he was elected a mem
ber of the city council from tbe Fourth
Ward, to which position he has since been
twice reelected, his third term expiring
in 1895. In church connection he is an
Evangelical Lutheran, and has occupied
the position of elder in St. John's Evan
gelical Lutheran Church for six years, at

LORAIN COUNTY, OHIO.

1041

present serving his third term. On Mr.
Haserodt's settlement in Elyria, he bought
a lot on which his father built a house.
He then removed his aged parents to the
house, adjoining his own, and to the day
of their death he cared for them with true
filial devotion.

L

A. BARNES, M. D., a practicing
'physician and surgeon of Lorain, is
a native of Columbus, Ohio, born in
1853, a son of Dr. L. and Julia
(Moulton) Barnes, the father a native of
Connecticut, the mother of Vermont.
When a boy Dr. L. Barnes came from
his native State to Licking county, Ohio,
where he was reared, and where he mar
ried. He has been a practicing physician
for over forty years, and he and his wife
now reside in Lorain, Ohio, whither they
had come in 1888. Grandfather Mallory
Barnes, a native of Connecticut, became an
early pioneer of Licking county, Ohio, of
which he was in his day a prominent citi
zen, closely identified with its best inter
ests. He and his wife both died there.
The parents of subject reared a family of
nine children, seven of whom are yet liv
ing. One son, Leroy, enlisted in Delaware
county, Ohio, in 1861, in Company C,
Fourth 0. V. I., and served four years in
the army of the West; he is now a prac
ticing physician in Laramie, Wyoming.
The subject proper of this sketch re
ceived his elementary education at the
common schools of Delaware county, Ohio,
after which he attended the college at
Delaware. On completing his course there,
he entered Columbus (Ohio) Medical Col
lege in 1878, and afterward further con
tinued the study of medicine in Cleveland
Medical Institute, where he graduated with
the class of 1880. The Doctor then prac
ticed his chosen profession, in connection
with his father, in Delaware, two years,

and continued in same, alone, at Mechanics
burg, Champaign county, same State,
until 1882, in which year he came to Lo
rain county, locating in Kipton, whence,
in 1888, he removed to Lorain, where he
now resides. He has now been some thir
teen continuous years in the profession, and
is in the enjoyment of a large and lucra
tive practice.
In 1882, in Champaign county, Ohio,
Dr. L. A. Barnes was united in marriage
with Miss Emma Davis, of that county,
daughter of Martin Van Buren and Eliza
beth (Miller) Davis, natives of Pennsyl
vania and Maine, respectively, and early
pioneers of Champaign county, where the
father died in 1891; the mother now re
sides in Mechanicsburg. To Dr. and Mrs.
Barnes have been born three daughters:
Clara, Ida and Lucille. Our subject is a
member of the Knights of the Maccabees,
Tent No. 1, Lorain, and is examining
physician for the Order; is also a member
of Woodland Lodge No. 226, Lorain,
Knights of Pythias.

Ei C. FOSTER. The gentleman here
named is one of the most widely
 I known, well-to-do citizens of North
Amherst. He is a native of the
township, born September 1, 1827, a son
of Elisha Foster, Jr., and Anna Maria
(Mason) Foster.
The father of our subject was born Oc
tober 15, 1795, in Vermont, whence when
a young man he moved to Herkimer
county, N. Y. Here he resided until 1815,
when he came, west to Ohio, locating in
Avon township, Lorain county, having
purchased forty acres of land, which he
cleared and cultivated; but in about a
couple of years (in 1817) he came to Am
herst township, where he passed .the rest
of his days, dying January 23, 1842, the
owner of 309 acres of excellent farm land.

1042

LORAIN COUNTY, OHIO.

In his political preferences he was a Demo
crat. His widow is yet living on the home
farm with her daughter, Mary M., and is
one of the oldest inhabitants of Amherst
township. They had five children — three
sons and two daughters — viz.: Leonard,
who died at the age of ten years; E. C,
subject of this sketch; Parks, a resident of
Elyria; Mary M., wife of Ezra Straw, liv
ing on the old homestead; and Martha,
wife of S. Porter, of St. Louis, Michigan.
Elisha Foster, Sr., grandfather of sub
ject, was a native of Boston, Mass. He
came from Herkimer county, N. Y., to
Lorain county, in 1815, with his wife, three
sons and one daughter. He died in 1833
aged sixty-eight years, his wife having pre
ceded him to the grave in September, 1828.
E. C. Foster, the subject proper of this
sketch, received a liberal education at the
common schools of the vicinity of his place
of birth, and was reared to farming pur
suits, which he followed until 1867. In
that year, he and his bother, Parks, bought
ont a stone quarry which they successfully
operated some time, and then sold out.
On June 10, 1847, Mr. Foster married
Miss Mary M. Aiken, who was born in
Brooklyn township, Cuyhoga Co., Ohio,
August 25, 1831. Four children were born
to this union, namely: (1) Orlando E., now
on a farm in Amherst township, was born
March 23, 1848, married Sophia Lesley,
and has two children: Edwin E. and Cora
U., of whom Edwin E. was educated in the
common schools and at Elyria High
School, and is now teaching school; (2) N.
Franklin was born June 23, 1849. married
Lillian A. Wolcott March 17, 1872, and
lives on the old homestead; (3) Ella U.,
bora May 22, 1851, was married to Will
iam Hutton, foreman in a stone quarry,
and they have two sons: Willie and Frank;
(4) Mrs. F. M. Barber, of Amherst, whose
husband is a traveling man, has one son,
Joseph E. Barber, now in Elyria High
School. Mr. Foster has been eminently success
ful in all his business enterprises, of which

there were some in Chattanooga, Tenn., also
real-estate interests. He is a stockholder
in the Lorain Steamship Company, etc.
Politically he has been a Republican since
the birth of that party, and he is an hon
ored citizen, respected for his integrity
and moral worth, and for the valuable as
sistance he has rendered in developing the
resources of his native county.

li

L. SEARS, prominent and influen
tial among the prosperous agricul
turists of Elyria township, is a native
of Massachusetts, born in Lenox,
Berkshire county, April 8, 1825.
The family, of which our subject is a
worthy member, come of English ances
try, two brothers, Paul and Silas Sears,
having emigrated from England to Amer
ica about the year 1600, and from Paul our
subject is descended. Zachariah Sears,
father of L. L., also a native of Massachu
setts, was a" farmer by occupation. He
married Miss Almira Butler, also of the
Bay State, and they both died there. Nine
children were born to them, of whom three
are yet living, viz.: James, who resides in
Pittstield, Mass.; Polly, who was married
to George Whittaker, and resides in Marl
borough, Mass. ; and L. L., subject of this
memoir. L. L. Sears, of whom this sketch more
particularly relates, was educated in his
native Sfate, and was trained to the duties
of the farm. He has been twice married:
first time in 1848 to Miss Sarah Schofield,
by whom he has one son, George L., a flo
rist and manufacturer of pottery in Elyria.
Mr. Sears' second wife was Miss Charlotte
Schofield, whom he wedded in 1858, and
by this union there is one child, Lillian, a
young lady of bright natural ability, and
well educated; she is a popular school
teacher, having taught first in Carlisle
township, Lorain county, theu in the high

LORAIN COUNTY, OHIO.

1043

school at Mentor, same State, and is now
superintendent of the public schools in
Mentor. She graduated in Oberlin, Ohio,
class of 1890.
In 1861 Mr. Sears came to Ohio, first
locating in Medina county, then in 1867
settling iu Lorain county on a farm within
the corporate limits of Elyria, which he
subsequently sold, purchasing his present
fine property. A Republican in politics,
he is one of the active and influential adher
ents of the party, is a member of the school
board, and has served as township trustee.
He and his wife are members of the Con
gregational Church at Elyria.

J JOSEPH GANNETT, Wellington.
This gentleman is descended from
_.' Benjamin Gannett, one of three
— stalwart brothers who in an early day
came from England to America, he settling
in Suffolk county, Mass., the other two in
Virginia, but of whom nothing is known
than that they both died bachelors, intes
tate, and their .property went to the State.
Jacob Gannett, grandfather of subject,
was born in Suffolk county, Mass.; he was
a millwright by trade, went to New York
State, and died there at the advanced age
of eighty four years. Joseph, his son,
was born in Massachusetts July 3, 1776,
and died March 10, 1847, in Spencer,
Medina Co., Ohio. When a child his
parents moved to New York State, where
lie was reared on a farm in Ontario county,
near Palmyra, receiving but a limited sub
scription-school education. He. was mar
ried there to a Miss Craft, by which union
there were three children: Ellit, who mar
ried Mr. A. Hill, and resided in Lock-
port, N. Y., and Genesee county, N. Y.,
finally moving to Spencer, Medina Co.,
Ohio, where she died; Ruth, who married
R. Smith, and they lived near Spencer,
Medina county, afterward in Wisconsin,

where she died; and Olive, the deceased
wife of S. Smith, lived in Wellington vil
lage. The mother of these died, and the
father then married Miss Martha Stone,
by whom there were four children, as fol
lows: Joseph, the subject proper of this
sketch; Hannah, who was married to Mr.
Nooney, and died of pneumonia in No
vember, 1893; Alvin, who died at the age
of sixty-eight years, resided in Spencer,
Medina county (he left a family), and Mary
Jane (who never married), killed in a run
away wheu she was thirty-four years of
age. When the family came to Ohio, the
journey was made in a wagon, the dis
tance being over 300 miles, and occupying
about three weeks. They arrived in the
month of November, and at once located
in Spencer township, Medina county, the
father having taken up one thousand acres
of land there by trading his New York
farm for same. Here the parents of our
subject passed the rest of their days, the
mother dying in 1869 aged eighty-four
years, having been born in 1785; the
father was a Close Communion Baptist,
and in his political sympathies a Whig and
Republican. He was a very strong man,
of tine physique, standing six feet in his
stockings. Joseph Gannett, the subject of this
sketch, was born in Ontario countj', N. Y.,
near Palmyra, February 6, 1819. At the
age of sixteen he came with the rest of the
family to Spencer township, Medina county,
and after leaving school, which in those
early days was of a very primitive nature,
he took up the private study of sciences,
including philosophy, astronomy, etc. In
Medina county he carried on mixed farm
ing, including dairying, and owned 160
acres of good land. In 1871 he moved
from there to Wellington township, Lorain
county, and bought his present farm of 228
acres, all in one body, located in the corner
of the corporation of the village of Welling
ton. In 1841 Mr. Gannett was married to
Miss Orra Warner, sister to S. S. Warner,
ex-treasurer of Ohio, and they had one

1044

LORAIN COUNTY, OHIO.

child, Chauncey Warner, who married, and
had four children: Orra E., Jo, Elmer K.
and Chauncey W. ; he died June 5, 1890,
aged thirty -nine years. This wife was
called from earth in September, 1850, at
the early age of twenty-six years, and in
1851 Mr. Gannett wedded her sister, Miss
Emma C. Warner, by which union there
were two children : Cora E. and Mary Eliza,
the youngest of whom died at the age of
nineteen months. Politically our subject
was a straight Whig and Republican till
the last State election, when he voted the
Prohibition ticket; he cast his first vote for
W. H. Harrison, and supported Birney and
Hall. In matters of religion he is liberal,
with leanings toward the Unitarian faith.
[Since the above was written we have been
informed of the death of Mr. Joseph Gan
nett. He died November 2, 1893, of
pneumonia, after three days' illness; his sis
ter, Hannah, died of the same disease two
weeks later. — Editor.

RECKEN RIDGE. Norman Breck
enridge, a native of Vermont, when
a young man came to New York
State, and in Orange county mar
ried Triphena Rosencrans, who was born
in that State.
In Oswego county Norman Brecken
ridge carried on farming, and here three
children were born to him, as follows:
Alonzo L., living in Kipton ; Norman, who
was a member of the Twenty-third O. V. I.,
and was killed in the war of the Rebellion :
and Mary, now Mrs. Arnold, of Oberlin,
Ohio. In 1834 the family came to Ohio
by way of the Erie Canal and Lake Erie,
first locating in Wakeman township, Huron
county, and then in the spring of 1835 re
moving to Camden township, Lorain
county, settling east of the center, where
the father bought sixty-six acres of wild
land at two dollars and fifty cents per acre,

which by steady industry he was not long
in converting into a fine farm. Here he
passed the rest of his days, dying in 1860.
Mrs. Breckenridge, after the death of her
husband, removed to Oberlin, Ohio, where
she remained until her death in 1876, and
they now repose side by side in Camden
cemetery. The children born to them in
Ohio are as follows: Daniel W., B. F.,
J. A., Henry C. and Frances (Mrs. R. H.
Lamphier), all in Michigan (except B. F.),
where the first named is a merchant. Po
litically the father was a stanch Whig and
Republican, aud served with fidelity and
ability in various offices of trust in his
township. He was a devout and liberal
member of the Disciple Church (which
was removed from the center of Camden
township to Kipton), and was a highly
esteemed citizen.
Alonzo L. Beeckeneidge (eldest son of
Norman Breckenridge), well known in
the commercial circles of northern Ohio,
more especially in Lorain county, where
his business for the most part has been
conducted, is a native of New York State,
born in Oswego county October 20, 1831.
In 1834, then a three-year-old boy, he
was brought to Ohio by. his father, the
family locating in Wakeman township,
Huron county, and then in the spring of
1835 removing to Camden township, Lo
rain county, where the father bought sixty-
six acres of wild land at two dollars and
fifty cents per acre, which with the assist
ance of his family he ere long converted
into a fertile farm. Here young Alonzo
attended, a few months in the winter time,
the primitive subscription schools of those
early days, his first teacher being a Miss
Parker, while his summer months were
devoted to working on his father's farms.
At the age of eighteen he hired out to
farm work at nine dollars per month.
After his marriage he located in Henrietta
township on a farm of seventy-eight acres,
which he bought at twenty-eight dollars
per acre, going into debt one thousand five
hundred dollars, and here lived ten years,

LORAIN COUNTY, OHIO.

1045

at the end of which time he came to Kip
ton and commenced the business of fur
buying, conducting at the same time a
grocery store for some years. The firm of
Breckenridge Bros., general storekeepers,
was then formed, and continued twelve
years, our subject then embarking in the
elevator business, and buying grain, etc.,
in which he has since continued; has also
a half interest in an elevator in Elyria. Of
late years he has been somewhat retired
from active work, but superintends his
business affairs. Forty years ago he re
ceived a kick on the leg from a horse, and
the hurt has ever since troubled him,
keeping him at times from attending to
business. On June 15, 1857, Mr. Breckenridge
was united in marriage with Aravilla Bo-
hall, who was born in Lewis county, N. Y.,
in 1828, a daughter of John Bohall, and
to this union there is one child, Nina, now
Mrs. Williard Granger, of Kipton. Po
litically our subject is a Republican, his
first vote being cast for John P. Hale, and
he has held various offices, such as town
ship treasurer over eighteen years.
B. F. Beeckeneidge (fourth son of Nor
man Breckenridge), one of Lorain cofinty's
leading merchants, carrying on a prosper
ous business in the town of Kipton and
elsewhere, was born in Camden, Ohio,
November 11, 1840.
For a time he attended the common
schools and Oberlin College, which pre
pared him for teaching, a profession he
followed some time. In 1863 he bought
a farm in Camden township, Lorain
county, on which he went to live, leaving
the paternal roof, and this he conducted
until 1868, wben he moved into the town
of Kipton, and purchased the general store
of Thomas La Nell, which he at once took
charge of, and under his direction and
management the business has increased to
mammoth proportions. He has erected
several good business blocks in the town,
and his own store occupies a substantial
and commodious room. In addition to this

extensive concern Mr. Breckenridge is in
terested in several other stores in Kipton,
and is owner of one in Lorain.
On June 4, 1864, our subject was mar
ried to Miss Mary Arnold, born in Cam
den township in 1844, daughter of George
and Mary Ann (Moore) Arnold. Mr. and
Mrs. Breckenridge adopted the following
children: Earl N., who died at the age of
seven years, and Georgie M., a highly edu
cated young lady. Politically Mr. Breck
enridge was a Republican till 1872, when
he voted for Horace Greeley, since when
he has been a straight Democrat. He in
variably declines office, as his various
commercial interests demand and receive
his undivided attention.

| OHN HAWKE, an extensive agri-
k. I culturist and landowner of Eaton
\yj township, has been a resident of Lo
rain county since 1858. He was born
in 1833 in Cornwall, England, son of
Richard and Grace (Hugglow) Hawke, both
natives of England, where the father died;
in 1858 the widowed mother came with her
son John to Lorain county, Ohio, whence
she subsequently moved to Jefferson coun
ty, Wisconsin.
" The subject proper of this sketch was
reared to farm life, and was educated in the
schools of his native country. In 1858 he
was married, in England, to Miss Ann
Sheer, who was also bora in that country,
daughter of John and Margery (Denis)
Sheer, natives of Cornwall, who lived and
died in their native land. In the year of
their marriage the young couple came to
the United States, locating first in Ridge
ville township, Lorain Co., Ohio, where
they lived some years, and then coming to
Eaton township, settling near North Eaton.
Here Mr. Hawke purchased a cleared farm,
where he has since been successfully en
gaged in agricultural pursuits, and his place

54

1046

LORAIN COUNTY, OHIO.

now comprises 200 acres of land in a good
state of cultivation, upon which he has
erected a good barn. Mrs. Ann Hawke
died in 1878, aud in 1890 he married, in
Columbia township, Lorain county, Miss
Clara Holbrook, who was born in Eaton
township; her parents, Charles and Phebe
(Hathaway) Holbrook, were natives of
Massachusetts, who in an early day came
to Lorain county, where the father died
August 1, 1893; the widowed mother now
makes her home on the old farm. To the
union of John and Clara Hawke have come
two children: One who died in infancy, and
Esther. Mr. Hawke has also reared an
adopted child, Ernest James, now of Cleve
land. In politics our subject is a Repub
lican, and takes an active interest in the
welfare of his party, Mrs. Hawke is a mem
ber of the M. E. Church.

/^EORGE LYON, a prominent and
I ». progressive farmer of Elyria town-
\^l ship, was born in 1836, in Huron
Ji county, Ohio, a son of John and
Elizabeth (Thurston) Lyon.
John Lyon, father of subject, was born
and reared in Rockland county, N. Y.,
where he married Elizabeth Thurston. In
an early day they moved westward to Buf
falo, whence they proceeded by lake to
Cleveland, Ohio, and from there by road
to Huron county, where he followed farm
ing and carpentry. After a time they re
moved to Cleveland, where the mother
died. She had children as follows: Jane
(deceased in Cleveland), who was married
to George W. Shepherd; Eleanor, who
died in Michigan ; Jacob, deceased in Cuya
hoga county, Ohio, about 1850; George,
subject of sketch; and Elizabeth, who
died in Cleveland. John Lyon married,
for his second wife, Clarissa Huntington,
and by her had two children: Melissa, who
died in Brooklyn township, Cuyahoga Co.,

Ohio, and Charles, married, and residing
in Elyria township, Lorain county. The
father was called from earth in 1880, in
his eighty-ninth year.
George Lyon, whose name introduces
this biographical sketch, received his edu
cation in the common schools of his boy
hood period. In April, 1861, he enlisted
for three months in an independent com
pany at Cleveland, which served chiefly in
western Virginia. He participated in the
engagements at Carrick's Ford and Laurel
Hill, and in July, 1861, received his dis
charge in Columbus, Ohio. In 1864 he
re-enlisted, this time in Capt. Babcock's
Light Artillery, which was sent to San-
diibky and to Johnson's Island, guarding
prisoners; at Sandusky he was discharged
in November, 1864, and returned to
Cleveland. In 1866 he came to Elyria
township, and settled on his present farm
of fifty-five acres, where he has since been
actively engaged in general agriculture,
including the rearing of Hereford cattle.
In 1866 Mr. Lyon was married, in Me
dina county, Ohio, to Miss Jennie E.
Blanchard, to which union were born three
children: Ulysses G., married, and living
in Elyria, Ohio; Ida A., who died at the
age of five years, and William R., at home.
The mother of these died in 1882, and in
1888 Mr. Lyon married Mrs. Mary Ann
Fitzgerald, a native of Canada. Politi
cally our subject is a Republican; socially
he is a member of the G. A. R. and
I. O. O. F., Elyria, and of the American
Hereford Cattle Breeders Association.

JB. CHAPMAN, vessel owner and
hardware man, Lorain, is a native of
that town, born in the year 1859, a
son of James and Elizabeth (Burk)
Chapman. He received a liberal education at the
common schools of his place of birth, and
at the age of nine years commenced sail-

LORAIN COUNTY, OHIO.

1047

ing on the lakes as cook on his father's
boat. After leaving the water, at the age
of fourteen, he entered a hardware store in
Lorain, in which he remained twelve con
secutive years, less one. For some time
past he has been engaged in F. W. Edi
son's hardware store in Lorain, and is at
present employed there. He has held in
terests in the following vessels: The "C.
H. Burton," " Itasca," " St. Lawrence,"
" Gen. Sigel," and the " Selkirk."
Mr. Chapman was united in marriage
with Miss Carrie R. Bemis, of Lorain, Ohio.
In politics he is a Republican, promi
nently identified with the party ever since
casting his first vote, and he is a member
of the city council. Socially he belongs
to the K. O. T. M.

4J

JT ARRISON A. CRAGIN, a pros-
'^ perous farmer, an unpretentious
__[ citizen and an agreeable neighbor,
is one of the best known and most
popular men in LaGrange town
ship, of which he may be said to be a life
resident. Mr. Cragin was born in May, 1835, in
Weston, Windsor Co., Vt., a son of Ben
jamin Cragin, a farmer, who married Miss
Mahala Boyington. In the Green Moun
tain State they had children, as follows:
Lorena, Benjamin N., Charles C, Adna A.,
Esther, Horace B., and Harrison A.; in
Ohio was born Elizabeth, the youngest in
the family.
In September, 1835, the family set out
from Vermont in a wagon for Buffalo,
N. Y., whence they proceeded by Lake
Erie to Cleveland, Ohio, and from there
by road to Lorain county. Here, while
stopping with an acquaintance to rest after
their long journey, they became so im
pressed with the country that they decided
to remain, and Mr. Cragin purchased a part
of Lot No. 61, in Grafton township, con

taining 160 acres of woodland, at four
dollars per acre; there was no house of any
kind on the place, but it was not long be
fore a dwelling 22 x 32 feet, and one and
one-half stories high, was erected, all the
timber for it being cut by Mr. Cragin him
self. Here this pioneer toiled and pros
pered, assisting in the development of the
country, and witnessing the onward march
of civilization close on the heels of the
retiring Red Indian aud the yet more fierce
panther, wolf and bear. He died July 31,
1865, his wife in 1855, and they were buried
in West Grafton cemetery. They were
members of the Methodist Churoh, in which
he was trustee, steward and class-leader,
and in politics he was originally an Old-
line Whig, afterward a Republican. He
was a very robust man, and at sixty years
of age could rake and bind all day after a
cradler in the harvest field.
Harrison A. Cragin, the subject proper
of this sketch, was about five months old
when the family came to Lorain county.
He received such education as the subscrip
tion schools of those early times afforded,
was reared to the onerous duties of farm
life, and has passed his entire life on the
old homestead,
On September 6, 1855, he wedded, in
Wood county, Ohio, Miss Fanny Richard
son, born in February, 1837, in Franklin
county, Maine, a daughter of Asa and Jane
(Staples) Richardson, who came to Ohio in
1850, and later moved to Michigan, where
the father died in 1878, and the mother
is yet living. The record of the children
bora to Mr. and Mrs. Harrison A. Cragin
is as follows: Flora, bora March 24, 1856,
now Mrs. Frank Foster, of LaGrange; Fred,
born December 11, 1860, of Grafton town
ship; Earl, born July 7, 1863, a farmer of
LaGrange township; and Ernest, born Oc
tober 24, 1874, who resides at home. Mr.
Cragin is the owner of 160 acres prime
land, where he carried on general farming
until a few years ago, since when he has
lived a comparatively retired life. He had
bought the old home farm, satisfying the

1048

LORAIN COUNTY. OHIO.

claims of the other heirs, and has con
siderably remodeled and improved the
dwelling and outbuildings. He is a Re
publican, and cast his first vote for John C.
Fremont, but is no politician, though he
has never missed 'a vote since his first
ballot. He and his wife are members of
the Methodist Church, in which he has held
various offices, for a considerable time
serving as superintendent of the Sunday-
school.

^JHh OBERT J. COWLEY, whose name
\^\l on the Great Lakes, wherever they
I 1^ can be navigated, is the synonym
y) of carefulness and superior seaman
ship, is a native of the Buckeye
State, born in Cleveland, November 2,
1839. His parents, Robert A. and Catherine
(Cain) Cowley, were natives of the Isle of
Man, the father born in the town of Peel,
the mother in the village of Ballaugh.
They immigrated to America about the
year 1826, and settled in Cleveland, Ohio,
where the father followed shipbuilding.
He was the youngest of seven brothers, all
of whom were sea-faring men; he died at
the age of seventy years, the mother when
sixty-seven years old.
The subject proper of this biographical
notice received a sound practical educa
tion at the public schools of Cleveland,
and when old enough learned the trade of
shipbuilder, which he followed afterward,
for some time, during the winter months;
sailing the lakes as a man before the mast
in the summers of open seasons. In 1858
he removed from Cleveland to Black Lake,
near Grand Haven, Mich., where he was
engaged in fishing and lumbering for
three years. Late in the summer of the
year preceding the breaking out of the
Civil war, he went South, first to St. Louis,
then to New Orleans, working at his trade
in shipyards, and he was in the latter city
at the breaking out of the Rebellion. As

soon as possible in the spring of 1861 he
returned North, and took up his residence
in Black River (now Lorain). In the
summer of 1864 he entered the navy in
the service of the U. S. Government, and
assisted in the blockade of the West Gulf
under Commodore Farragut. While at
tempting the capture of Mobile, Ala., the
gunboat on which our subject served was
blown np by a torpedo, causing a loss of
one half the crew in killed and wounded,
Capt. Cowley himself having a narrow
escape. After the close of the war he re
turned to Lorain, and in the summers
sailed the lakes, in winter time working at
his trade, until 1879, in which year he
entered into an engagement with the
Menominee Transportation Co., with
whom he was employed winters until
1885, superintending repairs on their ves
sels; during the summer seasons sailing
one of their steamers. Since then he has
been employed by Corrigan & Co.. and
also by H. J. Webb & Co., both of Cleve
land, on their steamers as master. The
first steamship he ever sailed on was the
"David W. Rush," and many a fine pro
peller has he since commanded.
In 1866 Capt. Cowley was married, in
Lorain, to Miss Celia E. Lyons, who was
bora in Lorain, as were aho her parents,
Winfield Scott and Mary (Brooks) Lyons.
Three children have been born to this
union, viz.: Scott L., Rittie C. and Robert
H. In politics the Captain is a Republi
can, and he is a member of the F. & A. M.

L. FISHER, a prominent and enter
prising farmer and dairyman of Hun
tington township, was born June 11,
1839, in Brighton township, Lorain
Co., Ohio, a son of Danforth and Lucinda
(Wilcox) Fisher.
The father of the subject of sketch was
born in Burlington, Otsego Co., N. Y., July
9, 1807, and was married in Henderson,

LORAIN COUNTY, OHIO.

1049

Jefferson county, January 1, 1832, to Miss
Lucinda Wilcox, born iu that county April
14, 1812. In New York State they had
born to them two children, and then, in
1836, they came by water to Ohio, settling
in the southeast corner of Brighton town
ship, then a wilderness, and here were born
to them nine children. In 1863 the par
ents removed to Michigan, and made their
final home in Johnstown, Barry county,
dying there, the mother May 12, 1888, the
father April 16, 1889. Mrs. Fisher was a
member of the Disciple Church; Mr. Fisher
was a strong Republican in his political
preferences. Their family numbered in all
eleven children, one of whom Phoebe Alice
died in infancy, the rest being as follows:
Eliza, wife of Joseph Powers, residing in
Michigan; H. Clinton, who was a resident
of Michigan, now deceased; Edward B., a
farmer of Huntington township, served one
year in the Tenth Michigan Cavalry; 0. L.,
subject of sketch; Alma, who was married
to Hiram Wilson, and lived in Cleveland,
and who is now a widow, residing in Cali
fornia; Newton D., late a resident of Cleve
land, where he was a lumber merchant, who
served four years in the Second Ohio Cav
alry (he died November 17,1893); George
F., a carpenter, of Chicago; Oren D., who
was educated at Oberlin College, at Olivet
(Mich.) College, and later at Yale College,
and is now a minister in the Congregational
Church at Toledo, Ohio; Peter, a farmer
in Michigan; and Wilbur, in the lumber
business at Cleveland.
0. L. Fisher, whose name opens this
sketch, attended during the winter months
the district schools of Wellington town
ship, Lorain county, and worked on his
father's farm summers. In 1862, in
Brighton township, he enlisted in Battery
I, First Ohio Light Artillery, and was sent
to Eastern Virginia. He participated in
the battles of Chancellorsville, Gettysburg,
Lookout Valley, Rocky Face, Resaca, Kene
saw Mountain, bombardment of Fredericks
burg, Peach Tree Creek and Atlanta, Ga.,
in fact all the engagements his battery took

part in. On June 13, 1865, he was dis
charged, after having been in hospital five
months, and returned to his home in
Brighton township, Lorain county, whence
after a month's stay he went to Michigan,
whither his parents had gone, as above
stated. At the end of six years he again
came to Lorain county, and bought his
present farm of 127 acres in Huntington
township, where he successfully carries on
general farming, including a lucrative
dairying business. On December 27, 1865,
Mr. Fisher married Miss Sarah A. Led
yard, a native of Huntington township,
born July 11, 1846, and they have two
children, viz.: Louis, at present residing at
home, and Erva.

I( LLEN SANDERS. Among the
\\ several prosperous and enterprising
|\ native-born agriculturists of Lorain
county, none, probably, is deserving
more prominent notice in this vol
ume than the gentleman whose name here
appears. Mr. Sanders was bora in LaGrange
township in 1835, a son of Horace and
Maranda (Clark) Sanders, natives of the
State of New York, who came before mar
riage to Ohio. They were wedded in La
Grange township, Lorain county, and
settled on a farm which he had purchased
in 1826. Here they passed the rest of
their pioneer lives, the father dying in
1879 aged seventy-two years, the mother
in 1883, also aged seventy-two. To Mr.
and Mrs. Horace Sanders were born six chil
dren, as follows: W. B., Allen, Melinda
(deceased), De Loss (deceased in LaGrange
township), Eber (a farmer of LaGrange
township), and Clark (who died in New
burgh, Ohio). Grandfather Sanders was
born in New York State, aud Grandfather
Nathan Clark was a pioneer of LaGrange
township, subsequently moving to Eaton
couuty, Mich., where he died.

1050

LORAIN COUNTY, OHIO.

Allen Sanders, the subject proper of this
sketch, received his education at the dis
trict schools of LaGrange township, and
was practically reared to farm life. Up
till 1883 he was engaged in farming in La
Grange and Pittsfield townships, and then
came to Elyria township, buying an im
proved farm known as the "Cochran
farm." In 1858 he was married to Miss
Amelia Thorpe, a native of Carlisle town
ship, Lorain county, and daughter of
Maletus and Emily (Squires) Thorpe, na
tives of Vermont, who came to Lorain
county at an early day, and died here. To
Mr. and Mrs. Sanders was born one child
that died at the age of three months. In
politics our subject is a Democrat of in
fluence, active in the affairs of his party,
and he is noted for his industry and fru
gality, and liberality toward schools,
churches and all public enterprises;

E' IDWIN H. BACON, than whom
probably no one in Lorain county
 I is better known, is a native of
Brownhelm township, born Novem
ber 19, 1838, only son of John C. and
Mary (Peck) Bacon.
The father of subject was bora in Mas
sachusetts, June 10, 1811, and died in
Brownhelm township, Lorain county,
whither he had come in the spring of
1818, being brought by his parents. His
father, George Bacon, bought land from
the State of Connecticut, and carried on
farming up to the time of his death,
which occurred when he was eighty years
old. He was a soldier in the war of 1812.
His father, also named George (great
grandfather of E. H. Bacon), received a
life pension for services rendered in the
Revolutionary war, part of which was,
being disguised as an Indian, the throwing
of the tea overboard the English ships in
Boston harbor. John C. Bacon was a

well-known business man in Brownhelm
township, and built up the place known as
Bacon's Corners. He married Mary Peck,
by which union there was but one child —
Edwin H. John C. Bacon, in his political
predilections, was a Republican, ever active
in the interests of his party.
Edwin H. Bacon received a liberal edu
cation in the schools of the vicinity of his
place of birth. In September, 1861, he
was united in marriage with Celia S. Haw
ley, who is also a native of Brownhelm
township, Lorain county, bora February
19, 1862. She is a daughter of J. K. and
Margaret (Wells) Hawley, the former of
whom was born February 19, 1807, in
Jefferson, Ashtabula Co., Ohio, the latter
on July 11, 1808, in Hartford, Conn. To
Mr. and Mrs. Bacon have come eight chil
dren, as follows: Alice M., wife of John
Shotton; Edith M.; Elizabeth F.; Edna
O, wife of L. A. Busche; Bertha M.,
wife of W. E. Fisher; Minerva S., Grace
A. and Edwin K. After marriage Mr.
and Mrs. Bacon made their home on a
farm in Brownhelm township for three
years, and then moved to Wood county,
Ohio, where they resided a few years, re
turning to Brownhelm township, and re
suming farming there. After about fif
teen years they proceeded to Vermillion,
Ohio, but at the end of four years returned
to Lorain county and took charge of the
" Farrell House " in the town of Lorain,
for two and one-half years. In 1891 they
moved into Elyria (where they yet reside),
and for one year kept the old-established
"Beebe House" in that town. Politically
Mr. Bacon is a Republican.

HIRAM PRENTICE, one of Cam
den township's most highly re
spected citizens, is a native of the
State of New York, born Septem
ber 15, 1824, in Lewis county, a
son of William and Sallie (Bates) Prentice.

4/

LORAIN COUNTY, OHIO.

1051

William Preutice, father of subject, was
a miller by trade in New York State, con
ducting saw and grist mills. In 1835 he
came to Ohio with his wife and five chil
dren, the journey being made with wagons,
and they brought with them such house
hold goods as were necessary for them by
the way, the bulk of the effects being con
veyed by water to Huron, at that time a
port on Lake Erie. Coming to Camden
township, Lorain Co., Ohio, the family
located one half mile south of the present
village of Kipton, where Mr. Prentice
bought one hundred acres of uncleared
land for eight hundred dollars cash, and
had sufficient money left to equip the farm
with all necessary outhouses, etc., for there
was nothing in the way of buildings on it
save two small huts. He also conducted
a gristmill. On May 1, 1836, less than
one year after settling on his purchase, he
passed from earth, and was buried on his
farm, but his remains were afterward re
moved to Camden cemetery. His widow
died in February, 1886, at an advanced
age, and was laid to rest by his side. They
were the parents of five children, all bora
in New York State, as follows: Diantha,
widow of Obediah Bowen, of Elyria;
Obadiah, late a physician of Norwalk;
William, of Rice county, Minn.; Hiram,
subject of this memoir; and Harvey, of
New York City.
On Friday, December 29, 1893, died
Dr. Obadiah Prentice, at his home in Nor
walk. He was born at Lowville, Lewis
Co., N. Y., November 6, 1819. In 1835,
with his parents, he moved to Camden
township, Lorain county, where he lived
for many years. In 1848 he was gradu
ated from the Cincinnati Medical College,
and began to practice in Ashtabula, where
he remained for'six years; thence removed
to Monroeville, where he lived until 1881,
at wliich time he came to Norwalk, where
he has since resided. In 1844 he married
Miss Harriett D. Webster, of Jefferson,
Ohio. His wife and two children — Dr.
C. M. C. Prentice, of Chicago, and Mrs.

L. D. Lindsley, of Norwalk — survive him.
His life is too well known to need eulogy,
for by his death the community has lost a
helping friend in all kinds of trouble.
" Life's work well done,
Life's race well run,
Life's crown well won,
Now comes rest."
The remains were interred in Camden
cemetery, where his father and mother are
sleeping, Camden being his old boyhood
home. Hiram Prentice, whose name opens this
sketch, was reared a farmer boy, and re
ceived a liberal education at the public
schools. A good deal of his boyhood time
was spent in his father's mills, and being
abrightmechaniche was able to dress buhrs
in the gristmill before he was twelve years
old. In 1835 he came to Ohio with the
rest of the family, as above related, and
was at once put to work at the plow, driv
ing and steering the oxen between the
many stumps that remained in the ground.
Wild animals were still plentiful, and deer,
turkeys and occasional bears were to be
seen in the woods. He was at that time
ao-ed about twelve years, and when a little'
older he entered Oberlin College, where he
made considerable progress in his studies.
Having fitted himself for teaching, he fol
lowed the profession in Camden town
ship, Lorain county, and also in Lyme
township, Huron county. For seven
years he studied medicine under the pre-
ceptorship of his brother, in Ashtabula,
Ohio, but circumstances compelled him to
give it up and return to the home farm',
which gradually fell into his possession,
he buying out the interests of the other
heirs, and he has resided thereon ever
since. On March 17, 1853, Mr. Prentice was
married to Laura A. Webster, who was
bom October 3, 1831, in Kingsville, Ash
tabula Co., Ohio, a daughter of Smith and
Margaret (Blodgett) Webster. She is a
well-educated lady, and for seven or eight
terms taught school in Ashtabula county,

1052

LORAIN COUNTY, OHIO.

at which time it was she formed the ac
quaintance of Mr. Prentice. The chil
dren bora to this union were Eugene S.,
agent for the Michigan Southern and Lake
Shore Railroad at Kipton; Minnie R., who
died at the age of seventeen years, and
Jennie E., at home. Politically Mr. Pren
tice was originally a Whig (his first Pre
sidential vote being cast for John P. Hale),
then a Free-Soiler, later a Republican
until 1884, when he united with the Pro
hibitionists. While under the Republican
banner he served his township in several
offices. He and his wife are leading mem
bers and liberal supporters of the Christian
Church at Kipton, in which he is an elder.

||OHN WOLF. One of the represen-
k. I tative thorough business men and
\j) shrewd financiers of Lorain county,
and not the least of Rochester town
ship's systematic and progressive farmer
citizens, is the gentleman whose name here
appears. Mr. Wolf was born July 27, 1832, in
Knox township, Columbiana Co., Ohio, a
grandson of Adam Wolf, who in 1805
came from Virginia to Ohio, and died in
Indiana. William Wolf, father of John,
was a native of Virginia, bora in Loudoun
county, and came with his parents to Ohio,
where in Columbiana county he married
Miss Catherine Fetterhoff, who was born in
the Keystone State, a daughter of Jacob
Fetterhoff. In 1848 the family removed to
Troy township, Ashland Co., same State,
thence after a time to Steuben county, Ind.,
where, near Pleasant Lake, William died
in 1888; he lies buried in Mt. Zion Church
cemetery in that county. His widow, now
well advanced in life, resides in DeKalb
county, Ind., with her eldest daughter,
Susanna Smith. Of their large family of
seventeen children, fifteen married, and

fourteen are yet living in various parts of
the United States, the sons for the most
part being farmers.
John Wolf, of whom this sketch chiefly
relates, received his education in the pub
lic schools of his day, which in some re
spects, he avers, are superior to those of
the present time. He was practically
trained to farming under the tuition of his
father, and at the same time learned car
pentry, although not apprenticed to the
trade. From the age of sixteen he was
reared in Troy township, Ashland Co.,
Ohio, and remained under the paternal
roof till he was twenty-two, at which time
he commenced working out as a farm hand.
In August, 1862, he enlisted in Troy town
ship, Ashland county, in Company K, One
Hundred and Second O. V. I., which went
into camp in Mansfield, Ohio, and was then
detailed to do guard and scout duty in
Tennessee, Kentucky and Alabama. At
the close of the war he was honorably dis
charged, and returned home, arriving in
July, 1865. Not prepared to at once set
tle down to the pursuits of peace, he mar
ried, in the fall of the same year, Miss
Eliza A. Sponsler, born in Columbiana
county, Ohio, November 24, 1839, a daugh
ter of Andrew Sponsler, at that time a
farmer of Sullivan township, Ashland Co., ¦
Ohio. The children born to this union are
as follows: Charlie, a farmer of Rochester
township; Phoebe E., deceased in infancy;
Carrie, Mrs. Winter Close, of Orange
township, Ashland county; John F., a
farmer of Rochester township, and Min-
ner, Mrs. Emmer Hileman.
In Troy township, Ashland county, Mr.
Wolf bought, out of his savings at the time
he was working by the month at thirteen
dollars per month, a farm which he after
ward resold. Later, out of his savings
from his pay while in the army, he pur
chased ninety-seven acres near his father's
place. In the following year, after making
a home on his last purchase, he bought of
Cephas Clark a farm of 153 acres in
Rochester township, Lorain county,whereon

4 . if'V

(/&$_

LORAIN COUNTY, OHIO.

1055

he now lives, and to this he has since
added until he now has 190 acres of as fine
agricultural land as can be seen in his sec
tion. This has all been accumulated, not
by speculation, but by assiduous, honest
toil, backed by sound judgment and care
ful economy, in which he has been loyally
and valuably -assisted by his amiable and
thrifty wife. They are worthy leading
members of the Congregational Church, in
which he is trustee. Politically he is a
Democrat, and in Rochester township,
though largely Republican, he has filled
the office of trustee for a number of terms
with acknowledged ability.

rW. MARTIN, for about sixteen
months a member of the firm of
Martin & Smith, of Elyria, Ohio,
and still of Martin Brothers, Chi
cago, 111-, and now doing business as F. W.
Martin, at Elyria, is a native of Rhenish
Bavaria, bora May 4, 1861, about four
miles from Landau.
In that city he was reared and educated
up to the age of fifteen years, at which time
he emigrated to America. Having no
knowledge of English, he proceeded to Illi
nois in order to attend the Northwestern
College at Naperville in that State. At
the end of one term he left that institution,
expecting to spend the vacation in Chicago
and then return to school; but instead he
came to Elyria, where he had a brother liv
ings clergyman of the German Evangelical
Church. After attending school six weeks
here, in order to become better acquainted
with the English language, he entered the
employ of D. C. Baldwin & Co., with
whom he remained fifteen months, and then
found employment in the dry-goods estab
lishment of Goldberg Brothers, Elyria.
With them he also remained some fifteen
months, after which he accepted a position
with Strauss & Kupfer, till September,

1885, when he commenced business on his
own account, in carpets, wall paper, curtains,
oil-cloth, etc. Lie had purchased the stock of
Strauss & Kupfer, and commenced business
under the firm name of F. W. Martin &
Co., his father-in-law, W. F. Hurlbut, being
associated with him. At the latter's death
Mr. Martin changed the firm to F. W.
Martin, which so continued from Decem
ber 18, 1886, to October 1, 1892, when
he formed a partnership with fi. H. Smith,
and opened out an establishment on Cheap-
side, in Elyria, at which place he was in
business until January 12, 1894. He sold
his interest in this firm, and opened up in
the same line at No. 27 Broad street as
F. W. Martin. Mr. Martin, early in 1888,
opened a branch business in Lorain, but in
May his health failed, so that he could not
properly attend to it, and he consequently
sold this branch out the following July.
In September, 1891, he commenced busi
ness in Chicago, 111., at No. 503-5 West
Madison street, the firm name being Mar
tin Brothers (he having received his broth
er into partnership), their line of trade
being furniture and household goods on
the installment plan. On May 1, 1892,
he opened another branch in that city, at
No. 307 Ogden avenue, for the sale of
wall paper, paints, oils, etc., which latter
he discontinued after one year's trial.
On January 13, 1885, our subject was
united in marriage with Alice G. fiurlbut.
He is a Republican in politics, and is a
member of the Knights of Pythias, Blue
Lodge. Mr. Martin continues to reside in
Elyria, as his Chicago house is in a flour
ishing condition, and does not require his
personal attention.

Ei C. BURGE. This well-known resi
dent of Brighton township is a
 I native of Ohio, born in Orange
township, Richland (now Ashland)
county, September 11, 1830, a son of John
Y. and Mary (Lowry) Burge.

1056

LORAIN COUNTY, OHIO.

The father of our subject was born in
Loudoun county, Va., a son of William
Burge, who came to Pennsylvania in early
days, residing for some years in Greene
county. In the early part of this century
he moved to Ohio, finally settling in Rich
land county, where he died, fie had a
family of seven children, of whom the
following is a brief record: John Y. is
the father of our subject; Henry, who
was a blacksmith by trade, remained in
Pennsylvania, where he died; Mary mar
ried Andrew Newman, and died near
Jeromesville, Ohio; Benjamin M. died in
New Haven township, Huron Co., Ohio
(he was accidentally killed in the following
manner: He and others were logging,
and had several logs rolled together. They
were putting a single log on the top of the
pile, and Benjamin Burge had one end of
it held up with a handspike, one end of
this lever being under the log, the other
resting on his shoulder. When the rest
of the men were lifting up the far end of
the log, Burge's foot slipped and he fell,
the handspike, being suddenly released
from his shoulder, striking him on the
neck with great force, dislocating it and
producing death) ; Ruth married Usher
Goldsmith, and died near Mansfield, Ohio;
Sarah married Christopher Lamberton, a
lawyer of Mansfield, Ohio; William L.,
who was well educated, died in St. Louis,
Missouri. John Y. Burge was reared on a farm,
and learned the trade of cooper under his
father. He was married in Pennsylvania
to Mary Lowry, who was bora in Loudoun
county, Va., a member of one of the lead
ing families of that State. After marriage
they remained in the Keystone State some
time, and then came with his family to
Ohio, locating on a farm in Stark county,
where Mr. Burge stopped temporarily, and
engaged with a farmer to work his place
for a period of three years; then moved to
Richland county, whither his parents had
preceded him, and in the township of
Orange he and his wife passed the re

mainder of their lives. They had a family
of fourteen children, as follows: Lemuel
G., who died in Orange township after
reaching adult age; William W., who died
in infancy, in Stark county, Ohio; Samuel
W., who died of typhoid fever in Orange
township; Benjamin M., of Greenwich,
Huron Co., Ohio; John, a farmer of
Brighton township; Elizabeth, who died
at the age of twenty-five years; Sarah, who
married John Goldsmith, and now lives in
Richland county, Ohio; Ruth, who died
unmarried; Mary, who died in youth;
E. O, subject of this* sketch; Rachel, un
married, residing in Ashland county, Ohio;
Ezra L., of Oberlin, Ohio; Ellzey K., who
died in Lawrence county, Penn.; and one
that died in infancy unnamed. Mr. Burge
followed his trade, coopering, with much
success in the various places where he
lived, and succeeded in accumulating a
pleasant home, comprising 153 acres of
prime land, and an elegant house. In his
political associations he was a Whig, and
he and his wife were members of the
Methodist Church.
E. C. Burge, whose name opens this
sketch, received his education at the com
mon schools of his native township, and
when a young man came to Lorain county
with his brother John Y. He took up his
residence in Brighton township, where he
worked as a farm hand at first-class wages,
and after his marriage located on the old
homestead in Orange township, Ashland
county, then consisting of 153 acres, con
siderably encumbered, however, and here
resided three years. In 1856 he again
came to Brighton township, Lorain county,
and worked as a hired man until 1859, sav
ing money sufficient to buy the land where
he now lives, and in 1860 he moved there
on. Here he has since carried on general
farming, and built a new residence, barn,
etc. ; for some years he has also done a very
profitable dairy business. In addition to
all this Mr. Burge taught school during
the winter months in various parts of Ohio
— Lucas, Ashland, Huron and Lorain

LORAIN COUNTY, OHIO.

1057

counties — in all thirty-three terms, giving
eminent satisfaction to all concerned; but
he had to retire from the profession on
account of impaired eyesight.
On October 17, 1852, Mr. Burge was
married to Nancy Thompson, who was born
February 13, 1836, in Wayne county, Ohio,
daughter of William and Rachel (Kearnes)
Thompson, and the children born to them
are as follows: John V., a school teacher;
Martha A., Mrs. John Burrows, of Brigh
ton ; Mary, Mrs. O. L. Rolfe, of Brighton ;
and Yernie, a school teacher, also of Brigh
ton. Our subject is a prominent member
of the Republican party, and has held va
rious offices of trust in his township. In
matters of religion he and his wife are
members of the Methodist Episcopal
Church. He is in all things remarkably
temperate, and never drinks intoxicating
liquors.

("VALTER SMITH, a native-born
_\J/ agriculturist of Lorain county,
iff was born September 5, 1843, in
Penfield township, on the same
farm which he now owns and resides upon.
Levi Smith, father of our subject, was
born December 23, 1815, in Camden,
Oneida Co., N. Y., son of Joel B. Smith,
a cabinet maker, and was reared to
farm life. During the winter season
he attended the common schools, but
he was actively engaged as well in farm
work even in his early boyhood, when he
was so small that he could not hold the
plow handles, or yoke the oxen without
standing on a box; and from the time he
was sixteen years old he had charge of a
small farm which his father owned.
About 1836 he came to Lorain county,
Ohio (the passage over Lake Erie being
very rough), accompanied by his parents,
who first located in Amherst and then in
Penfield township. He remained with
them until 1840, when he returned to his
native county in New York, and there

married Miss Harriet Johnson, an old
schoolmate, who was born July 9, 1819, in
Oneida county, N. Y., daughter of Russell
Johnson, a farmer. Immediately after
marriage the young couple set out for the
home in Ohio, where they located on a
tract of forty-six acres, all of which, with
the exception of the riverland, was in the
woods, and here erected the house our sub
ject now resides in. Here were born to
them two children, as follows: George,
who enlisted August 9, 1862, at Cleveland,
in Battery B, First Ohio Light Artillery,
and died December 9, 1862, of typhoid
fever, in Hospital No. 9, Nashville, Tenn.,
where he was buried in the National
cemetery, the day before his father arrived ;
and Walter, who is the subject proper of
this sketch. Mr.# Smith was a lifelong
farmer, and at the time of his death owned
228 acres of land, which property he had
accumulated by hard work and good man
agement, and he kept 500 head of sheep
when wool sold at one dollar per pound.
Levi Smith was one of the best finan
ciers of his timo, and was a close observer
of men and events. Politically he was ori
ginally a Whig, later a Republican, was a
regular attendant at all elections, and
served for many years as township trus
tee. He was very patriotic, and during
the Civil war contributed much toward
freeing the township from the draft. When
about forty-five years of age he united with
the M. E. Church, of which he remained a
member until his death, which occurred
March 6, 1884. After his decease his widow
removed to Wellington, where she passed
a retired life until her death, December
11, 1888, when she was buried by the side
of her husband in Center cemetery. She
was a member of the M. E. Church for
over forty-five years.
Our subject obtained such an education
as the common schools of his time afforded,
meantime receiving his agricultural train
ing on the home farm. On August 23,
1866, he married Alice M. Crane, also a
native of Penfield township, and they had

1058

LORAIN COUNTY, OHIO.

two children, as follows: Blanche, now Mrs.
E. M. Smith, of Cleveland, Ohio; and
George, now a resident of California. The
mother of these died in 1870, and in 1872
Mr. Smith married, for his second wife,
Miss Sarah E. Pierce, who was bora near
Auburn, N. Y., daughter of James M.
Pierce, who removed to Ohio in his later
years. To this union came four children,
namely: Guy E., Mary Etta, Harry H.
and Levi. After his marriage Mr. Smith
located in Penfield township, and worked
the farm owned by his father, after whose
death he moved to his present place, where,
with the exception of two years passed in
Wellington for the benefit of his children's
education, he has since made his home.
In politics he is a stanch member of the
Republican party, and ,js well posted on
the issues of the day. Mrs. Smith is a
member of the M. E. Church.

¦tl

C. SMITH, one of the most success
ful business men in Penfield town
ship, was born April 9, 1827, in
Camden, Oneida Co., New York.
Joel B. Smith, father of our subject,
was born February 2, 1788, in Connecti
cut, and when a youug man was bound out
for six years to learn the trade of carpen
ter and joiner. He was married in Con
necticut, on February 13, 1811, to Miss
Harriet Bronson, who was born in that
State January 1, 1791, and they shortly
afterward removed to Oneida county, N. Y.,
locating in the town of Camden, where he
worked steadily and industriously at his
trade. He purchased property and owned
a farm, and here children as follows were
born to him: Myron B., born November
30, 1811, now of Lapeer, Mich, (he was at
one time State surveyor of Michigan);
Levi, born October 13, 1812, who died
November 27, 1812; Sarah S., born March
6, 1814, who was married in New York

State to Edward Ackley, and died June 6,
1839 (she was the second woman interred
in Penfield cemetery); Levi, born Decem
ber 23, 1815; Hervey P., who was a resi
dent of Michigan many years ago, but left
that State to locate some coal mines in
Pennsylvania, and has never since been
heard from; George L., a farmer, who died
in Lapeer, Mich.; Harriet, who married
William Hart, and died in Grafton; Hiram,
a very successful lumberman, who died in
Flint, Mich.; J. C, the subject of this
sketch; and fienry, of Cleveland, Ohio.
During the winter of 1836-37 Joel B.
Smith had come to Lorain county, Ohio,
and passed a short time in Amherst town
ship with his brother Isaac, who was a
Methodist Episcopal minister, while there
making some arrangements for the pur
chase of a farm, while the snow was on the
ground. He next went to Michigan on a
visit to his son Myron B., and then returned
to "his home in New York, in the spring of
1837 bringing his family to Lorain county.
They came by way of the Erie Canal
from Utica to Buffalo, N. Y., and thetice
by Lake to Cleveland; during their pas
sage through the ice in the lake the paddle-
wheel of the vessel was broken, but Joel
Smith, being a carpenter, repaired it. Their
progress was still very slow, however, three
days and three nights being occupied in
traveling twenty miles, but they finally
landed at Black River (now Lorain), from
which town they drove their own team to
the home of Isaac Smith in Amherst town
ship. By this time the snow had melted
from the ground, and Mr. Smith, seeing
that the land he had partially bargained
for was stony, declined to take it, but hear
ing of a farm for sale in Penfield township
he came hither and bought 150 acres at
thirty dollars per acre, the place on which
our subject now resides. The bottom-land
on this tract had been partly cleared, but
the rest was all in the woods, and here Mr.
Smith resided until his death, from heart
disease, on May 13, 1850. He was buried
in Center cemetery, and his widow then

LORAIN COUNTY, OHIO.

1059

made her home with her son J. C. for
seven years. She next went to Michigan,
to live with her son Myron B., where she
died in 1'849; she was buried by the side
of her husband. After coming west Mr.
Smith followed his trade, and erected the
residence on his own farm and various
other buildings in the township. He was
also able to make tine furniture and manu
factured a number of coffins. He was a
soldier in the war of 1812, and the old
musket he carried at Sacket's Harbor is
still in the possession of our subject. He
was a Republican in politics, formerly a
Whig, and kept himself posted on the
issues of the day.
Our subject attended the common schools
of the neighborhood of his boyhood home
up to the age of ten years, when he came
with his parents to Ohio, at which time
there was no schoolhouse in his district.
Later, however, he attended a school one
and a half miles south of his home, taught
by J. B. Wilson, in the meantime being
trained to agricultural pursuits on the
home farm, where be remained until his
marriage. On April 9, 1851, he was
wedded to Miss Mary A. Knapp, a native
of Penfield township, daughter of Schuble
Knapp, an early pioneer of same, who was
killed by the falling of a hollow log, which
struck him on the head while he was build
ing a smoke-house. Mrs. Mary A. Smith
died Mareh 3, 1852, leaving one child,
Mary E., now Mrs. Charles Lang, of Pen-
field, and on April 24, 1853, Mr. Smith
married Miss Minerva Starr, who was
born November 6, 1827, in Harpersfield,
Delaware Co., N. Y., daughter of Orrin
and Abigail (Hickok) Starr, pioneers of
Penfield township. To this union were
boru children as follows: Burton, of Graf
ton, Ohio, in the employ of the C. C. C.
& St. L. R. R. Co.; Josephine M., now
Mrs. William Mander, of Toledo, Ohio;
Alonzo B., a farmer of Van Buren county,
Mich.; and Marian, widow of Edward
Worrell, of Port Clinton, Ohio. Mr.
Smith has made farming his principal vo

cation in life, and for five years also en
gaged in droving, buying cattle throughout
southern Ohio. For forty years he con
ducted a dairy, and tor two years was also
in the milling business at Grafton Station,
having won success in all bis business en
terprises. During the season he makes
maple syrup and molasses. Politically he
is a lifelong Republican, but is not an as
pirant for public office. He and his wife
are both members of the M. E. Church,
in which he has held various positions
of trust.

B. CHAPMAN, a well-known early
resident of Lorain county, is a son
of James Chapman, who was reared
in Lorain county. He married Eliza
beth Bark, a native of Germany, who came
to America at the age of fourteen, and
they had six children, three of whom are
now living, namely: C. B., Bird (clerk in
a hardware store at Elyria, Ohio) and T. B.
(editor of the Lorain Times). The father
of this family followed sailing on the lakes
for some time; he died in 1868. His
widow is still living.
C. B. Chapman was born April 12,
1845, in Sheffield township, Lorain Co.,
Ohio. In 1849 he came to Lorain, where
he received his education, and, in 1857, at
the early age of eleven years,* commenced
sailing on the Lakes, a vocation in which
he has ever since continued, being now
captain of a tug-boat plying between
Sandusky and Lorain. Mr. Chapman has
also dealt "in real estate; he owns two
dwelling houses in Lorain besides his own,
and has also several lots in the West End.
He sold five acres in the southwestern part
of the town.
In 1866 the Captain was married, in
Cleveland, Ohio, to Mrs. Elizabeth Snider,
a native of Germany, who in an early day
came with her parents, Henry and Mary
(Brown) Snider, also natives of Germany,
to Lorain couuty, Ohio, where the father

1060

LORAIN COUNTY, OHIO.

died; her mother died in June, 1893, at
the age of eighty-six years. Socially our
subject is a member of the K. 0. T. M., of
the Excelsior Marine Benevolent Associa
tion, of Cleveland, of Black River Lodge
No. 680, I. O. O. F., and of the Order of
Rebekah. Politically he is an active mem
ber of the Republican party, and served
one term as member of the town council
his brother has also served in the same
capacity. Mr. Chapman is a member of
one of the early families of Lorain, and
has watched her growth and progress from
a village of 600 people to her present pros
perous condition.

L

F. CLIFFORD, a leading and pro
gressive farmer of Wellington town
ship, is a native of same, bora April
18, 1834, of German ancestry on the
paternal side, his great grandfather hav
ing come from Germany to America in
time to serve in the Revolutionary war.
He received a regular discharge from the
army; his wife died December 9, 1844,
aged ninety-three years.
John Clifford, grandfather of our sub
ject, was born in 1777, in Providence, R. I.
He married Miss Margaret Williamson,
who bore him children as follows: John,
Jr., born September 8, 1797, died Decem
ber 25, 1857; Daniel, born February 7,
1799, died January 31, 1886 (he was the
father of our subject); Luther L., born
Marcii 8, 1801, died Marcii 12, 1864;
Hannah, born July 15, 1803, died April
28, 1857; Theodocia, born May 15, 1805,
died May 31, 1880; George W., born June
18, 1807, died September 28,1861; Elijah,
born March 13, 1810, died in July, 1880;
Pollie M., born June 6, 1813, died July
1, 1849; Benjamin F., born January 19,
1816, died December 21, 1885; Harriet,
born May 30, 1819, died December 5,
1869; and Adeline E., born in Ohio Sep

tember 23, 1821, died September 2, 1841.
The mother of these was born March 15,
1779, and died May 22, 1845.
In 1818 John Clifford, leaving his fam
ily behind, came west to Ohio in company
with four others — Ephraim Wilcox, Will
iam Welling, Joseph Wilson and Charles
Sweet — the entire journey being made
with a horse and cutter. Saving selected
a suitable location for a settlement, on the
banks of Wellington creek, about half a
mile from where the town of Wellington
now stands, Mr. Clifford returned east for
his family, consisting of wife and ten chil
dren, and they all arrived safely at their
new home in March, 1820. One week after
ward they had cut the timber and erected
a log house, covered it with shakes, chinked
and " mudded " it, and laid the floor, ul
timately finding themselves comfortably
settled. This building also became the
first schoolhouse, the first meeting house
and the first tavern. It was the first point
immigrants would reach as they entered
the settlement, and its doors were always
open to welcome new comers. There the
first sermon was preached by Presiding
Elder McMahon, a Methodist, and at that
meeting Adam Poe received his license to
preach. Mr. Clifford was proverbial for
his industry and thrift. In addition to his
labors in clearing land, cutting roads and
raising crops, he plied his trade of shoe
maker, for many years supplying the wants
of his neighbors for many miles around,
being the only shoemaker in the settle
ment. One daughter was born to Mr. and
Mrs. Clifford shortly after coming here,
making the eleventh in the family. Mr.
Clifford died September 17, 1869, after a
few weeks' illness from cancer under the
left arm; and at the time of his death there
had been of his family of eleven children
seventy-nine grandchildren, ninety-seven
great-grandchildren and one great-great
grandchild — 188 in all.
Daniel C. Clifford, father of the subject
proper of this sketch, was bora February
7, 1799, at Tyringham, Berkshire Co.,

LORAIN COUNTY, OHIO.

1061

Mass., and was, as will be seen, a young
man of twenty-one when he arrived with
the rest of the family in Wellington town
ship, where all his life he followed farm
ing. On March 13, 1825, he married
Miss Sarah P. Hall, of Brecksville, Ohio,
and twelve children were born to them,
named as follows: Edward, Henry, Elvi
ra, Jane, Christopher, Franklin, Andrew,
Charles, Harriet, Adeline and Ageline
(twins) and Francis, all yet living except
two. On March 13, 1875, Mr. and Mrs.
Daniel C. Clifford celebrated tbeir golden
wedding, and there were present at the fes
tival many of those who had attended the
marriage half a century before. On Jan
uary 31, 1886, within one week of his
eighty-seventh birthday, Mr. Clifford was
summoned to his long home. He had lived
on the same farm sixty-six years, and " was
a man of a remarkably vigorous frame, in
domitable energy and independence of
character, industrious, thrifty, provident,
a fair type of the men who conquered the
difficulties of pioneer life." fie was a
member of the First Methodist Episcopal
Society of Wellington, but did not until
shortly before his death sympathize witb
or appreciate modern innovations or recent
methods. His widow survived him a little
less than one year, dying January 23,
1887, at the age of eighty-four. She was
a woman of remarkable energy and ability,
and heroically braved the toils, dangers and
privations of pioneer life. She possessed
a cheerful, happy disposition, and " Aunt
Sarah " (as she was familiarly called) was
universally loved and respected.
L. F. Clifford, the subject proper of
these lines, received his education at the
subscription schools of Wellington town
ship, Lorain couuty, his attendance there
being confined to a few months in the
winter seasons, the balance of the year be
ing devoted to farming operations, in which
he became remarkably successful. In 1866
he was united in marriage with Mrs. Alice
Houghton Drake, and they have two chil
dren, viz.: Paul Carlton, born August 18,

1870, and educated at the high school of
Wellington, and Robert Houghton, born
December 28, 1872, who graduated at the
high school of Wellington, and is now
taking a four years' course in the " Case
School of Applied Science," Cleveland,
Ohio. In his political preferences Mr.
Clifford is a Republican, and in matters
of religion he is a member of the M. E.
Church.

DANIEL TOLHURST, whose name
is intimately associated with the
agricultural interests of Lorain
county, more particularly of Am
herst township, is a native of the eastern
part of the county of Kent, England, born
March 18, 1836.
His father, John Tolhnrst, was born in
the same county in 1800, and was there
married to Miss Mary Standen; in 1851
they emigrated with their family to the
United States and to Ohio, settling on a
farm in Amherst township. The father
died in 1885; the mother is yet living,
and makes her home with her son Daniel,
who is the only survivor of her family of
children. The voyage across the ocean
took five weeks, while now it can be made
in about that number of days. Daniel's
fifteenth birthday was passed on -the water.
A particularly sad event on the trip was
the death and burial at sea of an .only sis
ter, not quite two years old.
The subject of these lines was a youth
of fifteen summers when he came to Lo
rain county, and has been a resident ever
since of Amherst township, where he
owns a well-cultivated farm of seventy-two
acres. Iu 1861 he was united in mar
riage to Miss Harriet Standen, a native of
England, and two children were born to
them, both of whom died when young.
This wife departed this life in 1865, and
in 1866 Mr. Tolhurst married Miss Ame
lia Chapman, who was born in Michigan,
and reared in Lorain county, Ohio. Four

1062

LORAIN 'COUNTY, OHIO.

children came to bless their union, viz.:
Cora, deceased ; Ward, born in October,
1871, who received a liberal commercial
education at Oberlin, and lives on his
father's farm; Mary, wife of Howard
Walker, of Amherst township, and Arthur,
attending school. In politics our subject
is independent, invariably voting for the
best men and most salutary measures, irre
spective of party.
Mrs. Amelia Tolhurst is a daughter of
William Henry and Jane (Sackett) Chap
man, the former of whom was born in
New York State in 1816, and died May
26, 1891. He lived in Michigan for a
time, and was there married to Miss Jane
Sackett, who was a resident of Lorain
county. Eight children were born to Mr.
and Mrs. Chapman, as follows: Celia,
wife of Captain S. Gilmore, of Lorain
county, Ohio; Amelia, wife of Daniel Tol
hurst; Arthur, who was lost on the
schooner " Clough," when aged twenty-six
years; William, deceased in childhood;
Ella, wife of Dr. Smith, of Olmsted Falls,
Ohio; Cora and Alice, both of whom died
young, and one that lived not beyond the
days of infancy.

;HARLES A. FINLEY. prominent
at one time among the general agri
culturists, stock and dairy men of
Lorain county, and now a leading
capitalist of Camden, was born in Buffalo,
N. Y., December 23, 1847, a son of Thomas
A. Finley, a native of the District of Colum
bia, whose father was a sailor.
Thomas A. Finley received a good edu
cation, and on leaving school entered the
U. S. Navy, in which he served some time.
He was married, December 30, 1846, in
Buffalo, N. Y., to Lucretia Spooner, who
was bora in Penobscot couuty, Maine.
She died August 12, 1849, leaving one
child, Charles A. The father then re
turned to the sea, and for a short time

thereafter wrote home occasionally till all
at once his letters ceased, and he has never
been heard of since; he may be dead, but
his fate is enshrouded in mystery.
Charles A. Finley, after the death of his
mother, was taken to be reared under the
care of his grandmother, Mrs. Lewis
Spooner, whose husband died of cholera in
1849. With her Charles continued to live
until he was six years of age, when he was
placed in a boarding school at Buffalo,
N. YT., and there remained until he reached
the age of thirteen years, at which time
he was bound out to Levi House, a farmer
of Marilla township, Erie Co., N. Y., and
with him remained till he was twenty
years old, part of the time attending school.
After this he obtained work on a farm, bnt
did not remain long, as in 1867 he came
to Ohio, locating in North Amherst, Lo
rain county, for a couple of years, still en
gaged in farm work. At the end of that
time he moved into Wellington township,
same county, working as a farm hand for
S. D. Bacon, whose daughter, Euphemia,
he married January IB, 1874. One son,
Archer S., was born to them, but died in
infancy, the mother following to the grave
in January, 1875; her remains are interred
in Wellington cemetery. For his second
wife Mr. Finley married on March 8,
1877, Miss Emma O. Johnson, who was
born in Greenwich township, Huron
county, December 26, 1853, daughter of
John and Betsy (Snyder) Johnson, who
came to Brighton township, Lorain county,
in 1860. To this union have been born
two children: Mabel L. and Erwin E., both
living at home.
In April, 1877, our subject came to
Camden township, Lorain county, and
bought 121 acres of land at forty-two dol
lars per acre, going in debt over four thou
sand dollars. For nine years he lived on
this farm, engaged in agriculture, stock
raising and dairying, and then moved into
Kipton, for two years thereafter retaining
his farm, which he then sold. In 1887 he
started a broom factory, a new industry,

CB^tA^.^rti-^.

LORAIN COUNTY, OHIO.

1065

which he successfully carried on two years,
and then disposed of his interest in it. He
has since been engaged in various enter
prises, meeting in all his ventures with
unqualified success. He is a shrewd dealer
and a good financier, and is possessed of
more than ordinary business qualifications,
as his entire career amply testifies. He
controls a considerable amount of capital,
and much credit is due him for the man
ner in which he has accumulated property
and wealth, and controlled what he has.
A Democrat in politics, he has held several
offices of trust in his township, for six
years being trustee thereof. He is a mem
ber of the K. O. T. M., Tent No. 92, Kip
ton. Mrs. Finley is a member of the
Baptist Church at Camden Center.

E1 H. NICHOLL, druggist and phar
macist, was bora October 10, 1867,
 I at Brownhelm, Lorain county, the
sixth child of James and Jane
(Lawson) Nicholl.
When our subject was four years of age
his parents moved to North Amherst,
where he attended school and studied
pharmacy. They are prominent repre
sentative citizens of that place, and the
father, who has always been interested in
the stone business, is now general super
intendent of the Cleveland Stone Co. At
the age of seventeen E. H. Nicholl went
into partnership, in the drug business'
witb J. F. Uthe, who died two years later,
when Mr. Nicholl continued alone in the
business. Shortly afterward, owing to ill
health, he took a trip through the south
ern States, returning greatly improved.
He is an active member of the Ohio
Pharmaceutical Association, and is licensed
by that State.
In 1892 he married Miss Anna Miller,
of North Amherst, and they have one
child, Alson. Politically Mr. Nicholl is

inclined toward the Democratic party, but
does not take much interest in political
affairs, as he spends the greater partof his
time in study and in making his business
a success. He is a member of the K. of P.
and K. 0. T. M. Lodges, and is one of the
leading, progressive and enterprising
young men of North Amherst. In the
spring of 1892 he was elected member of
the town council for a term of two years.

EL DURKEE, Je., an enterprising,
native-born farmer of Eaton town
ship, was bora December 2, 1844, a
son of Oel and Betsy (Terry) Dur
kee, the former of whom was born in 1808
in New York State, the latter in 1809 in
Vermont. Oel Durkee, Sr., was reared in his
native State, where he married Betsy
Terry, and in 1832 they came westward to
Lorain county, Ohio, settling in the woods
of Eaton township, where they yet reside.
They had a family of nine children (five of
whom are still living), viz.: Mason, mar
ried, residing in Henry county, Ohio;
Nancy, who was the wife of Josiah Lind-
ley, of Henry county, Ohio, died in 1881;
Cordelia, who married Nelson Cornwell,
of Henry county, died in 1878; Hiram,
who enlisted in 1861, in Company D,
Twenty-third O. V. I., and served two
years, was killed in the battle of Antie
tam; Pucis, deceased when eight or nine
years old; Oel, Jr., mentioned farther on;
Evaline, Mrs. Myers, residing in LaPorte,
Ohio; Horace, married, residing in Graf
ton, Ohio; and Oscar, married, residing in
Eaton township, Lorain county. The
father of this family, though now over
fourscore years of age, is still a strong,
active man. He is a member of the Re
publican party, takes considerable interest
in politics, and served for many years as
trustee of Eaton township.

1066

LORAIN COUNTY, OHIO.

Oel Durkee, Jr., was reared in Eaton
township, received his education in the
common schools of same, and has devoted
the greater part of his life to agriculture,
engaging also in the manufacture of
cheese. In 1861 he enlisted, for three
years or during the war, in Company E,
Forty-second O. Y. I., and served with
the army of the Cumberland. He par
ticipated in the engagements in Kentucky,
siege of Vicksburg, Jackson, and New
Orleans, was through the Red River cam
paign, and subsequently at Brownsville,
Texas. In 1865 he was honorably dis
charged, at Columbus, Ohio, and imme
diately returned to Lorain county, where
he resumed farm life. In December,
1866, he was united in marriage, in Eaton
township, with Miss Emma Phillips, a
native of same, daughter of Edwin and
Betsy (Wilmptt) Phillips; the father, a
native of Vermont, who was an early set
tler in Eaton township, was drowned about
1857, while sailing on the " Henry Clay."
His widow, who afterward remarried, died
in Eaton township in 1891.
To Mr. and Mrs. Oel Durkee were born
eight children (six of whom are yet liv
ing), viz.: May (deceased at the age of
three years), Juna (deceased at the age of
seventeen). Edward, Leo, Stella, Blanche,
Elza and Flossie. Our subject owns a
farm of eighty-three acres of good land,
where he carries on general farming. In
politics he is a Republican; socially he is
a member of Richard Allen Post, G. A. R.,
Elyria.

E. HOLCOMB, farmer and stock
raiser, and a popular citizen of La
Grange township, is a native of
same, bora September 28, 1840.
He is a sou of Asal and Fannie
(Hastings) Holcomb, the former of whom
was born in Jefferson county, N. Y., son of
Noah Holcomb. Asal Holcomb received
an education in the common schools, and

learned the carpenter's trade, having a
natural aptitude for mechanical work.
When a young man he came to Lorain
county, Ohio, where he married Miss Fan
nie fiastings, up to which time he had
been engaged in various kinds of labor.
He then bought land in LaGrange town
ship (the farm our subject now resides on),
and here all their children were born, as
follows: A. I., a farmer of LaGrange;
R. E., subject of this sketch; Jeanette,
Mrs. D. C. Nichols, of LaGrange; Wesley,
who died young; and Fannie, Mrs. Ed
ward Nichols, of Penfield, Ohio. Mrs.
Holcomb died at the birth of her daughter
Fannie, and was interred in East cemetery,
and Mr.- Holcomb subsequently married
Miss Maria Hunter, of Richland county,
Ohio. There were no children by this
union. Mr. Holcomb was a lifelong, agri
culturist, and met with considerable suc
cess in his vocation, accumulating a com
fortable competence. In politics he was a
Democrat, and in religion they were Chris
tians — though not members of any Church.
He passed from earth in 1867, and he and
his wife lie buried in East cemetery.
R. E. Holcomb was educated first in the
common schools, and later at select school,
being a pupil of E. G. Johnson at La
Grange Center. He was trained to agri
cultural life, and remained on the home
farm until his enlistment, September 5,
1861, at LaGrange, in Company B, First
Ohio Artillery, with which he went to
Camp Dennison, near Cincinnati. His
first active service was at Wild Cat, Ky.
ftheirs being thefirstartillerydischarged iu
Kentucky during the war), and subse
quently he was in the battles of Mill
Springs, Stone River, Lookout Mountain,
Crawfish Springs, following his command
through to the close of the war, during
which time he was never obliged to be in
hospital. He had studied while in camp,
sending home for books, and thus prepar
ing himself to teach, and after coming
home to LaGrange he taught school three
terms in that township. On December 10,

LORAIN COUNTY, OHIO.

1067

1868, Mr. Holcomb was married to Miss
Margaret Henderside, who was bora in
Litchfield, Medina Co., Ohio, daughter of
James Henderside, who came from Scot
land. He then bought out the other heirs
of the home place, being obliged to go into
debt therefor, and here he has ever since
been engaged in general farming and stock
raising, fie is a self-made man in every
respect. In politics he is a Republican,
and has served in various local positions,
but is not an active partisan. Mr. and
Mrs. Holcomb are the parents of the fol
lowing children: Belle F., now Mrs.
George Nichols, of LaGrange; and Bertie
A., who is living at home.

|( H. REMINGTON, for over sixty
k. I years a resident of Lorain county,
^Jj having been born here in 1828, comes
of old Massachusetts stock, his parents
— Henry J. and Matilda (Williams) Re
mington — being natives of that State.
In February, 1822, the parents set out
for Ohio, with a yoke of oxen and one
horse, and after a journey of six weeks ar
rived in Lorain county, and made a settle
ment in Pittsfield township. Chauncey
Remington, brother of Henry J., accom
panied them, and his wife, Mary (Williams),
was the first white, woman to enter Pitts
field township, where she died in 1823. In
1828 our subject's father moved to Am
herst township, where he cleared a farm,
but in 1836 he migrated to Steuben county,
Ind., returning thence in 1839 to Amherst
township, and passing the remainder of his
days in the county, dying January 7, 1889.
He was a lifelong Democrat, and filled
several township offices; in church connec
tion he was a Baptist. His wife died in
Amherst township in 1881. They were
the parents of seven children, as follows:
Fannie, born in Massachusetts, widow of
0. D. Worden, of Grinnell, Iowa; H. W.,

born August 9, 1823, the first male white
child born in Pittsfield township, Lorain
Co., Ohio, who now lives in Wood county,
Wis.; Amanda, wife of Horace Steele,
living in California; J. H, subject of
sketch; Benedict Bliss, who died in Ash
tabula county, Ohio, in 1885; Sarah Ann,
deceased in infancy; and Lydia, who was
married to William Kelley, of Kelley's
Island, and died at the age of eighteen.
J. H. Remington was born in Amherst
township, where he received his education
and was reared, excepting for about three
years which he passed in Steuben county,
Ind. For his trade he learned carpentry,
and in early manhood worked at same in
Dane county, Wis. While there he en
listed, in 1861, in Company A, Eleventh
Wisconsin Infantry, and was mustered into
the service at Madison, the regiment being
assigned to the Western Department.
During tbe first winter they guarded pris
oners at St. Louis, Mo., after which they
were at the siege of Vicksburg, and the
engagements at Magnolia Church and Port
Gibson, whence they proceeded to Jack
son, Miss., and then returned to Vicks
burg. Our subject then came home on a
thirty-days' furlough, after which he re
joined his regiment at New Orleans. In
their second campaign they marched 215
miles, and they served in the campaign of
western Tennessee and northern Missis
sippi, thence going to Mobile, Ft. Morgan
and Ft. Blakeley, where Mr. Remington
captured a revolver from a Confederate
officer. After this the regiment was sta
tioned at Brownsville, Texas, etc. At
Mobile, Ala., our subject received his dis
charge in September, 1865, and returned
to Madison, Wis., having seen over four
years' hard service.
In 1852 Mr. Remington was united in
marriage, in Amherst township, Lorain
Co., Ohio, with Miss Maria Spencer, who
was born in LaGrange, Lorain county,
daughter Qf E. C. and Angeline (Rock
wood) Spencer, natives of New York.
Grandfather Asa Rockwood came to La-

1068

LORAIN COUNTY, OHIO.

Grange township in 1826, being one of
the first settlers of the place. Mrs. Rem
ington's father came to Lorain county
in 1832, was married in 1833, and after
some years moved to Henry county, Ohio,
where he died in 1892; the mother had
passed away in 1885. To our subject and
wife were born seven children, namely:
Frank, married and living in Pottawat
tamie county, Iowa; Ella, deceased at the
age of one year; Addie, wife of L. L. Jack
son, of Ashtabula, Ohio; Lydia, wife of A.
A. Sharp, of Centerville, Kans., Willie and
Lillie (twins), the former living athome, the
latter married to G. R. Coleman, of Omaha,
Neb., and Angie, at home. In politics
Mr. Remington is an ardent Republican,
and takes a live interest in the affairs of
his county and township. He is a mem
ber of the Union Veteran League, quarter
master of Post No. 148 G. A. R., now
serving his fifth term, and has been com
mander of the Post. Prior to coming to
North Amherst, he followed farming in
Lorain county. fSince the above was writ
ten, we have been informed of the death
October 1, 1893, of Mr. Remington.— Ed.

THOMAS H. JONES. The land of
the Cymri has given to America
many of her most stalwart, loyal
and honorable citizens, such as was
the gentleman whose name here
appears. He was bora in Wales in 1843,
a son of John and Maria (Monroe) Jones,
also natives of that country, whence they
came to the United States when our sub
ject was a boy, making, their new home in
Cleveland, Ohio, where the father died;
the mother is now living in Cuyahoga
county, same State.
Our subject received his education in
Cleveland, and October 6, 1862, he en
listed, in that city, in Company H, One
Hundred and Twenty-fourth O. V. I., three
years' service, or during the war. His

regiment was attached to the army of the
East, and participated in many bloody
battles, among which may be mentioned
Lookout Mountain, Missionary Ridge,
Gettysburg, Wilderness and Atlanta. On
July 9, 1865, Mr. Jones was honorably
discharged at Nashville, Tenn., and re
turned home to Cleveland, where he con
tinued to reside until 1870, when he came
to Lorain, Lorain county, with which
thriving town he was closely identified up
to his death, which occurred April 4, 1891.
Thomas H. Jones and Miss Augusta M.
Lampman were united in marriage in 1868.
She is a native of Lorain county, Ohio, a
daughter of Mark and Elizabeth (Church
ill) Lampman, of New York and Connect
icut, respectively. Her father was a sailor,
then a hotel and storekeeper, later custom
house officer for over twenty years at Lorain,
and he is yet remembered as one of the
early merchants of Lorain county. He
served in the war of 1812. He died in
July, 1885, his wife surviving him till
August, 1892. To Mr. and Mrs. Thomas
H. Jones were born two children : Mark,
sketch of whom follows, and Gussie. Mr.
Jones was for some time engaged in the
real-estate business, and at the time' of his
death was collector for the Port of Lorain.
Politically he was a Republican, and he
was a member of the Protected Home
Circle. His grandfather, Stephen Church
ill, was a soldier in the Revolutionary war.

4/

MARK JONES, who for the past
two years has been in the employ
J of the Cleveland, Lorain & Wheel
ing Railroad, as time-keeper, is a
native of Lorain, born June 10,
1869, a son of T. H. Jones. Our subject
was reared in his native city, receiving
his education in the public schools of same.
He was for some time in the employ of
the Cleveland Paper Company, and later
studied stenography in Chicago, after

LORAIN COUNTY, OHIO.

1069

which he became bookkeeper in a foundry
at Lorain, and has held his present posi
tion since March 9, 1891. On J uly 14, 1891,
Mr. Jones was united in marriage with
Miss Rowena Moore, who was born in Lo
rain, Lorain county, daughter of Captain
Truman Moore; her parents reside in Lo
rain. Mr. and Mrs. Jones are members
of the M. E. Church, in which he holds
the office of trustee.

rH. BACON. This gentleman, who for
many years has been recognized as a
leader among the leading business
men of Lorain county, is a native of
same, born in Brownhelm township, March
13, 1840.
Benjamin Bacon, father of subject, was
a native of Massachusetts, bora in Old
Stockbridge, whence in 1818 he came to
Ohio, locating in Brownhelm township,
Lorain county. He made the entire journey
with a one-horse wagon, and had but four
dollars in money when he arrived in Brown
helm. He made his settlement where
William Bacon now lives, having bought
wild laud from one William Brown. In 1820
he erected a mill at what is known as
" Mill Hollow," on the Vermillion river,
and about 1835 enlarged it from a one-burr
to a four-burr capacity. Ten years later he
equipped it with modern improvements.
He was twice married, his second wife
(mother of the subject of this sketch) be
ing Miss Anna W. Wells, a native of West
Hartford, Connecticut.
F. H. Bacon, whose name opens this
sketch, received his education in the dis
trict schools of Brownhelm township, and
at Norwalk High School, after which he
commenced the milling business with his
father. In this he continued until 1860,
when he engaged in shipping grain to vari
ous points. On May 13, 1861, he joined,
as first lieutenant, Company K, Twenty-

third 0. V. I., which was assigned to the
army of the West, and he participated in
the battles of Bull Run, South Mountain
and Antietam, after which the regiment
returned to West Virginia. In January,
1864, he resigned his commission, and re
turned to Lorain county, once more en
gaging in the milling and shipping busi
ness. In 1873 he sold the mill; in 1879
rebought it; in 1882 rebuilt it, putting in
rollers and making it a 150-barrel mill; in
1892 again sold, but now (1893) once more
owns it. This is the same mill, in Brown
helm township, which his father had built
and enlarged. For some years he has had
large interests in southern Indiana — 800
acres of the best coal and grain land.
In 1860 F. H. Bacon and Miss Abbie
S. Wells were united in marriage. She
was a daughter of George and Maria B.
(Butler) Wells, who came from Connecti
cut to Brownhelm township, Lorain county,
about the year 1821, and here passed the
rest of their lives. To Mr. and Mrs. Bacon
were born eight children, as follows: Sarah,
assisting her father in the office; as amanu
ensis, etc., and whe is considered one of
the best all-round business women in Ohio;
Anna, who died in 1883 at the age of six
teen; De Wight, Martha W., Melvin S.,
Lewis O, Charles and Julia W. The
mother was called to her long home in
1882. Mr. Bacon is a member of Rice
Post, G. A. R., at North Amherst, and is
a Republican. In thoughts and acts he is
thoroughly metropolitan, perfectly famil
iar with Boards of Trade and other busi
ness interests, in all parts of the country.
He is now managing two mills of 150-
barrels capacity each, and is largely en
gaged in farming and shipping stock.

Jf C. BIGGS. England has given to
the United States mauy stalwart and
' loyal citizens, plodding and indus
trious in time of peace, and cour
ageous and resolute in the fight for liberty

1070

LORAIN COUNTY, OHIO.

and right. Such an one is the subject of
this sketch, who is recognized as a "typical
fighting common soldier." He is of me
dium height, very hardy and muscular, the
dogged determination peculiar to the Brit
on, being, perhaps, his strongest charac
teristic. Mr. Biggs was born in Northampton
shire, England, in 1839, a son of Thomas
and Frances (Paxton) Biggs, the former of
whom carried on farming in Pittsfield
township, this county, south of Elyria.
Here the parents passed the remainder of
their days, the father dying in 1876 at the
age of fifty-nine years, the mother in 1889,
aged sixty-eight years. They had a family
of six sons and one daughter, our subject
being the eldest, and the only one born in
England; the youngest son now owns the
old homestead.
J. C. Biggs, the subject proper of this
memoir, was but a boy when his parents
brought him to America, and to Pittsfield
township, Lorain county, at the common
schools of which he received a liberal edu
cation. He also attended for a time the
high school, and while a student there the
war of the Rebellion broke out, which
turned his attention from the schoolroom
to the field of Mars. On April 18, 1861,
he enlisted in Company I, Eighth O. V. I.,
Capt. E. G. Johnson, which was the first
company to go out from the county. He
served four years, ten months, fifteen days
in the army of the Potomac, Hancock's
corps, and participated in the following
battles: Winchester, Antietam, Fredericks
burg, Chancellorsville and Gettysburg,
besides numerous minor engagements. At
Gettysburg (his last battle) he was severe
ly wounded in the arm, which necessitated
his confinement to hospital for six months.
He then reentered the service, enlisting
this time in Company K, Ninth Regiment
Hancock's Veteran Corps, in which he
served till March 3, 1866, at which date he
was mustered out at Washington, D. C,
having served a much longer period in the
army than most of his comrades. Return

ing home to the pursuits of peace, he fol
lowed farming for a few years; then em
barked in the newspaper agency business
in Elyria, and has had the sale of the lead
ing newspapers for over fifteen years. He
now disposes of about 400 papers per day,
and is agent for twenty-three dailies. Mr.
Biggs was married March 3, 1869, to
Emma Clark, also a native of England, and
five children have come to bless their home:
Clark, Elsworth, Norris, Harry and Edith.
Our subject is a Republican and an Episco
palian. He is a vice-commander in the
G. A. R., and is a mem ber of the Union Yet-
eran Legion, No. 44, Elyria, Ohio, of which
he is colonel and presiding officer, and in
which he has served as officer of the day,
past commander and in other prominent
positions. He is also a member of the
Society of the Army of the Potomac, and
was the only member of it from the State
of Ohio to attend the reunion held in
Scranton, Penn., in June, 1892.

IfTfENRY" F. BEESE, one of the en-
|;H terprising proprietors of the far-
I 1 famed "Boston Store," in Lorain,
y) is a native of Elyria, born September
19, 1867.
His father, Frederick Beese, was born
in 1825, in Germany, where he married
Miss Mary Stark, also a native of Ger
many, born in 1827. In 1856 they im
migrated to the United States, and, settling
in Elyria same year, have here since re
sided. They are the parents of five chil
dren, of whom Henry F. is the youngest.
Frederick Beese was a private in Company
G, One Hundred and Seventh Regiment
0. V. I., serving three years.
Until the age of fourteen the subject of
this sketch was educated in the German
Lutheran School at Elyria, afterward at
tending the public schools of the same
place some three and one-half years. On

LORAIN COUNTY, OHIO.

1071

completion of his literary education Mr.
Beese entered the employ of Straus &
Kupfer, dry-goods merchants, and was en
gaged in the same store until September
1, 1892, during which time it changed
hands three times: first to M. Straus;
then to Biggs, Bowen & Co., aud lastly to
Geo. T. Biggs & Co. In the fall of 1892,
in company with Max Morehouse and
William E. Carter, Mr. Beese opened out
a dry -goods store in the new " Smith
Block," Lorain, occupying the first floor
and basement, the dimensions of the large
store room being 40 x 80 feet, and here
with characteristic push and energy, close
attention to business, they have since con
ducted a thriving trade. Politically Mr.
Beese is a Democrat; socially he is a mem
ber of the Sons of Yeterans and Knights
of Pythias.

/

lUffLLAN CONE (deceased). Roger
\f/\ Cone, the father of this gentleman,
|| was born August 17, 1803, in
Berkshire county, Mass., son of
Frederick Cone, and in his early
manhood learned the millwright's trade.
He was married to Emeline Brown, who
was born April 21, 1803, in Tyringham,
Berkshire Co., Mass., daughter of Lyman
Brown, and while in Massachusetts two
children were born to this union, namely:
Marshall, a farmer, who died in 1870 in
Penfield, Ohio; and Mary, who resides in
Wellington, Ohio.
In 1843 Roger Cone came west to
Charlestown, Portage Co., Ohio, driving
the eutire distance with a covered one-
horse wagon, and en route stopping at
various places in New York and other
States, fie remained in Portage county
one year, and in 1844 removed to Penfield
township, Lorain county, locating on the
farm where he passed the remainder of his
life, and which he purchased at sheriff's
sale at nine dollars per acre; it was form

erly the property of an early settler, Dr.
Hall, who had met with reverses, losing
his sawmill and other property. Here
Mr. Cone erected a residence, which is
still standing. After coming to Ohio, the
following members were added to the fam
ily: Mercy, now the wife of David Peters,
of Wellington, Ohio, who has one child,
Lavina; Merritt, who died in 1853, and
Milan, whose name opens this sketch.
The father of these was a systematic agri
culturist, and took great interest in the
neatness of his farm and surroundings.
He was very successful, and at the time of
his death was the owner of 252 acres of
excellent land. In politics he was a
stanch Democrat, though not an active
politician, and in religious connection he
and his wife were both members of the
M. E. Church at Penfield. He passed
from earth March 11, 1884, preceded to
the grave by his wife March 12, 1876, and
they now lie buried in Penfield cemetery.
Milan Cone, tlie subject proper of this
sketch, was born April 4, 1848, on the
farm in Penfield township where he passed
his entire life. He obtained his elemen
tary education in the common schools of
the neighborhood, and this was afterward
supplemented with a short term of study
in a school in Delaware, Ohio. On De
cember 25, 1871. he was united in mar
riage, by Rev. A. Pollock, with Miss
Esther Drake, who was born November
20, 1851, in the town of Ames, Mont
gomery Co., N. Y., daughter of David and
Julia (Alger) Drake, who came to Ohio in
1862, locating first in Harrisville town
ship, Medina county, and later in Penfield
township, Lorain county. After marriage
our subject located on the home farm, liv
ing in a small house near the family resi
dence, whither he removed after the death
of his father. To the union of Milan and
Esther Cone were born children as follows:
Letha E., bookkeeper for a wholesale
house at Chicago, 111.; Kate W., attending
school at Penfield; Mercy A., and Fred
M. ; all living. Mr. Cone engaged chiefly

1072

LORAIN COUNTY, OHIO.

in the breeding of fine cattle, especially
Jerseys, and was a most excellent judge of
stock. In politics he was a leader in the
Democratic party in his section. He died
Ja'nuary 19, 1892, of consumption, after a
lingering illness, and was buried in Pen-
field cemetery. Since his decease his
widow has had charge of the farm, in the
management of which she has shown con
siderable ability. She is a member of the
Methodist Church at Penfield Center, and
is highly respected in the community.

ruary

AMUEL NAYLOR, one of the most
extensive landholders and wealthiest
farmers of Penfield township, is a
native of Pennsylvania, born Feb-
27, 1823, in Carlisle, Cumberland
county. He is a son of Samuel "Naylor, who was
born in what was then known as Little
York, Penn., a son of Jacob Naylor, who
was a farmer and a distiller. Our sub
ject's father was reared on a farm, and
when a young man followed teaming,
hauling whiskey from his father's and
other distilleries to Baltimore, Md., where
was found the best market for that com
modity. In those days it took six horses
to haul thirty barrels of whiskey. Samuel
Naylor, Sr., was married in Cumberland
county to Elizabeth Uhler, a native of that
county, born of German ancestry. After
marriage the young couple located on a
small farm in Cumberland county, which
he rented. In Pennsylvania children, as
follows, were bora to them: Mary, now
the widow of Amos Fritz, residing at Me
dina, Ohio; Samuel, our subject; Benja
min K., a farmer and blacksmith, now of
Lucas county, Ohio; Jacob, a farmer of
Spencer, Ohio; and Rebecca, Mrs. W. W.
Hutchisson, of Wood county, Ohio. In
the fall of 1829 the family came to Ohio
over the Alleghany Mountains in a cov

ered two-horse wagon, bringing with them
considerable household effects, including
their bedding, which they found of the
greatest use on their two weeks' wearisome
journey. Mr. Naylor, the father, had pre
viously visited Ohio, and in Guilford town
ship, Medina county, had selected land
then looked after by Judge Heman Ely, of
Elyria, Lorain county, On the occasion
of that visit Mr. Naylor had hired a man
to build a log house for the convenience of
the family when they should arrive, but
they found it in such an unfinished state
that they had to rent another cabin in the
neighborhood, wherein to pass the winter.
In the meantime their own was made habi
table, and in the following spring they
moved into it. While the family were en
route, one child, named Eliza, was born at
Lancaster, Penn., which interesting event
delayed them three days. In Medina
county the family were further increased
by four, to wit: John, who died at the age
of twenty-one; William, of Wood county,
Ohio, who served in the Civil war; Sarah,
deceased; and Henry, of Wood county.
On this farm in Medina county the mother
of these children passed from earth, and
the father then moved into the village of
Seville, same county, having purchased in
the vicinity a farm of thirty acres, and also
a residence in tbe village. In Guilford
township he married, for his second wife,
Miss Harriet Sheldon, and one child was
born to this union, Harriet, now Mrs.
James Ross, at the frontier teaching In
dians. Mr. Naylor died at the age of
seventy-three years, and lies buried in the
Lutheran cemetery, Guilford township.
Politically, he was originally a Whig, and
after the formation of the party was a
stanch Republican. He had traveled all
through the Southern States, and, from
observations he made during his visit, pre
dicted the Civil war many years before it
broke out.
Samuel Naylor, the subject proper of
this sketch, received' but a limited educa
tion at the common schools of Guilford

-tiiDe^yi^M^

LORAIN COUNTY, OHIO.

1075

township, Medina county, as in early boy
hood he was put to work to help clear his
father's farm of heavy timber and under
growth, and in reality he was able to do a
man's work while yet a boy. Besides
working at home he hired out to different
parties to make shingles, at which he be
came very expert, being able to turn out
in a single day one thousand shingles, 28
inches long by 6 wide. Up to the time of
his marriage he lived at home, and turned
all his earnings over to his father. In Au
gust, 1845, Mr. Naylor was married in
Guilford township, Medina county, to Bar
bara Long, who was born in September,
1824, near Toronto, Canada, a daughter of
John Long, a farmer of Wadsworth town
ship, Medina county, and for a time there
after tho young couple made their home
with Mr. Long. Our subject then rented
land in Litchfield township, same county,
where he lived for three or four years, after
which he came to Penfield township, Lo
rain county, where he bought 107 acres of
wild land at six dollars per acre. At that
time not a road led to the spot, and he had
to cut his way through as he came along.
The first thing he did was to erect a cabin,
and then commenced to make a clearing
for purposes of cultivation. This land he
bought entirely on credit, and with but a
rude equipment of farming implements he
heroically set to work to convert the al
most impenetrable forest into smiling fields
of grain, and the land was soon all paid for.
The record of the children born to Mr.
and Mrs. Samuel Naylor is as follows : Jacob,
who enlisted in the Civil war before he was
seventeen years old, died at Camp Dennison
while in the service; Henry died young;
Elizabeth is Mrs. Stewart Long, of Penfield;
Rebecca is the deceased wife of Andrew
Sigourney; Harriet A. lives at home; Lany
E. died at the age of seven years; Emma
(Mrs. William Bradstock) lives in Penfield;
Mary died when seventeen years old ; Har
vey G., a farmer, is living in Spencer,
Ohio; and Dora (Mrs. Lemuel Hower) also
lives in Spencer. The mother died Janu

ary 7, 1874, and was buried at Spencer,
Medina county. She was a member of
the United Brethren Church. For his
second wife Mr. Naylor wedded Miss Nancy
E. Yocom, who died in 1882 leaving no
issue; she is buried in Congress, Wayne
Co., Ohio. Iu politics our subject is a Re
publican, but has never been an aspirant
to office, his own affairs demanding and re
ceiving his undivided attention. He now
owns about 400 acres of superior farming
land, on which in 1892 he erected a fine
modern residence. He is a leader in edu
cational matters, and in an early day was a
prime mover in the formation of the school
district in his section, he and his brother
Jacob contributing the land where the first
school building stood in their section. For
several years Mr. Naylor has been a con
sistent member of the United Brethren
Church.

HARLES BEAVER, a prominent,
representative agriculturist of Eaton
township, was bora in Monroe
county, N. Y., in 1828, a son of
William and Rebecca (Matthews) Beaver,
natives of Long Island and Genesee county,
New York.
About the year 1841 the parents of our
subject came to Lorain county, first lo
cating in LaGrange township, afterward
moving to Eaton township, where they
continued in agricultural pursuits, which
had been their life work. The father died
in Grafton in 1878, the mother in Adrian,
Mich., in 1892. They reared a family of
nine, of whom seven are yet living, as fol
lows: Benjamin, a farmer of Lenawee
county, Mich.; James, a farmer of La
Grange township; Charles; Edward, a car
penter, residing in LaGrange township;
Catherine, wife of S. C. M. Hardy, of Mon
roe county, N. Y.; Alice, wife of C. Jen
nings, of Cleveland, Ohio; and Susan, wife
of S. W. Sharp, of Adrian, Michigan.

1076

LORAIN COUNTY, OHIO.

Charles Beaver received a liberal edu
cation at the schools of his native place,
and was brought up a farmer's boy. At
the age of thirteen he came with his par
ents to LaGrange township, Lorain county,
and from there moved to Kalamazoo, Mich.,
where he engaged in the livery business.
In 1862 he enlisted in Company I, Fifth
Michigan Cavalry, for three years, and was
assigned to the army of the Potomac. He
participated in the battles of the Wilder
ness, Second Bull Run (where he reoeived
a gun-shot wound in the right hand) and
Strasburg, after which he was detailed as
wagon master on a wagon train. He was
honorably discharged at Detroit, Mich.,
July 3, 1865, and returned to the pursuits
of peace in Lorain county. In September,
same year, he was united in marriage with
Miss Harriet Felt, a native of Lorain
county, Ohio, daughter of Voman and
Julia (Peck) Felt, natives of Vermont and
early settlers of Lorain county; the father
died in 1872, the mother is still living,
now at the advanced age of ninety years.
To Mr. and Mrs. Charles Beaver were born
three children: George; Nora, wife, of
Bernard Worthington, of LaPorte (they
have two children); and Natha. Politi
cally our subject is a zealous Republican;
socially he is a member of Richard Allen
Post, G. A. R., Elyria.

^ipHOMAS KING, than whom no one
1 1 is better known as an agriculturist
I and breeder of fine stock in Lorain
y) county, is a native of Massachu
setts, born November 25, 1828, in
Taunton, where he resided until twelve
years of age. He then removed with his
parents to Colum biana county, Ohio ; thence
to Eaton, Lorain Co., Ohio. He received
a common-school education, and was reared
to agricultural pursuits. Farming has been
his life work. He has made a specialty of

rearing Cotswold sheep and Holstein
cattle, which have frequeutly taken prizes
at county fairs.
On March 7, 1871, Mr. King was mar
ried at Niagara Falls to Harriet Van-
Wagnen, of Eaton, Lorain Co., Ohio,
daughter of G. H. Van Wagnen. The
following named seven children have been
born to them: Eva, Grace, Myrtle, Minnie,
Clara, Richard, and Nellie.
Mr. King is owner of a farm' of one
hundred and ninety-two acres, all in agood
state of cultivation. He is interested in
politics and votes the Republican ticket;
has been township trustee three terms, and
is a member of the school board.
Richard King, father of the above, was
born in Leicestershire, England, in 1796,
and was there married to Elizabeth Ball, of
the same town. In 1826 they moved to
Taunton, Mass. Mr. King was engaged
in the Taunton print works until 1840,
and then moved to East Liverpool, Colum
biana Co., Ohio. In 1841 he came with
his family to Eaton, Lorain county, at
that time an uncultivated forest tract.
Here he set to work with a will, and with
the assistance of his older children soon
cleared a fine farm. He was one of the
first in the settlement to build a brick kiln
and sell brick to other pioneers. He died
at the age of ninety-two, and his wife at
eighty-two. In his political predilections
he was an anti-slavery Whig until the for
mation of the Republican party, when he
enrolled himself under its banner. Ten
children were born to this honored
couple, four of whom died in childhood.
The following is a record of the six
remaining: The first, George W., was bora in 1822;
went to Galena, 111., thence to Clark
county, in the Territory of Wisconsin,
where he married. He was admitted to
the bar in Wisconsin; was prosecuting at
torney in Clark county, and represented
same in the State Legislature. Later he
engaged extensively in the lumber busi
ness, but sustained serious reverses in the

LORAIN COUNTY, OHIO.

1077

panic of 1873. Being in Idaho at the
time that Territory was admitted aB a
State, he was elected a delegate to the
Constitutional Convention. He now re
sides in Colorado, where he is interested
in mining, and is widely known as a
political speaker and writer on free silver.
He has three children, one of whom,
George R., served for two years in the
Fourteenth Wisconsin Regiment.
The second, Myra, was born in 1825,
and married Charles H. Merrick who
served for three years in the Eighth O. V. I.
She studied medicine, graduating in 1852
from the Eclectic Medical College of
Rochester, N. Y. Later she adopted
Homeopathy, becoming a member of the
American Institute. She was the first
woman physician in Ohio. From 1852 to
1892 she practiced in Cleveland, having
an extensive and very lucrative business.
She was actively connected with college,
hospital and dispensary work. She has
now retired and lives in Cleveland with
her only child, Richard L. Merrick, a me
chanic and contractor. He married Eliza
Johnson, daughter of A. C. Johnson, of
Huron county, Ohio. She is a physician,
a graduate of Oberlin and of the Homeo
pathic Medical College of Cleveland, and
now a professor in the Cleveland Medical
College. The third, Thomas, is the subject of this
memoir. The fourth, John, born 1830, married in
1860, and moved to Clark county, Wiscon
sin, where he engaged in farming and lum
bering. He enlisted in 1862 for three
years, in the Fourteenth Wisconsin In
fantry, and served with the army of the
West in Louisiana; was honorably dis
charged in 1865 at the close of the war.
He died in 1886 in Clark county, Wiscon
sin, leaving widow and six children.
The fifth, Elizabeth, born in 1836, was
married in 1863 to Alfred Fanver on his
return from the war. He had received a
very severe wound at the battle of Win
chester. They are now living at Oberlin,

educating five of their children. The
eldest son, Lester, is City Civil Engineer
of Lorain county, Ohio.
The sixth, Sara Ellen, was born in 1840.
She became the wife of Capt. John Booth,
who was a soldier, serving in the One
Hundred and Third O. V. 1. They now
live on the Booth homestead in Carlisle
township. Mrs. Booth is an active church
worker. They have three children, one of
whom is being educated at Oberlin.
The King family has been intimately
and honorably connected with the history
of the county in its war record, its anti-
slavery, temperance, and educational senti
ment, and in all that makes for good citi
zenship.

iT^EORGE BATTLE, who from in-
I j, fancy, with the exception of five
^^1 years, has been a resident of Well-
J^k ington township, is an agriculturist
of uo small prominence. He is a
native of Massachusetts, born in Great
Barrington, Berkshire county, October 5,
1823. Ithel Battle, his father, also a native of
Massachusetts, a farmer by vocation, mar
ried Miss Sarah Smith, and when our sub
ject was some six months old they came
west to Ohio, traveling with a two-horse
wagon. Tbey settled in Wellington town
ship, Lorain county, where the father car
ried on agricultural pursuits up to the
time of his death. He died in May, 1869,
when he was seventy- seven years old; his
wife passed away in October, same year,
aged seventy-two years. They were honored
people of the Old-school Presbyterian per
suasion, industrious and frugal in their
habits; politically the father was a Repub
lican at the time of his death, originally a
Whig, and he was a very robust, erect
man, even in his old age. Our subject's
maternal grandfather, Smith, was from
Orange county, N. Y., and when he was
twenty years old he (Mr. Battle) visited
his grandmother there.

1078

LORAIN COUNTY, OHIO.

George Battle, whose name introduces
this sketch, was reared on the farm he now
owns and resides on, and attended the dis
trict schools during the winter months for
a few seasons. For some five years he re
sided in Brighton township, then six years
in the village of Wellington, and finally
on his present farm of 112 acres of prime
land. He also at one time owned land in
Hardin county, Ohio. In 1850 he married
Miss Arvilla Dyar, who was reared in
Hanover, Ind., and two children have been
born to them: Viola, and Durell, who
married a Miss Johnson, by whom he has
five children, namely: George O, Darwin
Blake, Clyde, Carl and Bernice L. Politi
cally Mr. Battle is a stanch Republican,
and was a strong Abolitionist and Union
man at the time of the Civil war.

'ALVIN SAGE, insurance agent,
Wellington, is one of the leading,
pushing business men of the town.
He is a native of Lorain county,
born in Huntington township, October 15,
1837, and comes of long-lived ancestry,
his grandparents having reached patri
archal ages, the grandmother being over
one hundred years old at the time of her
death. Martin L. Sage, father of our subject,
was born in Torrington, Conn., and came
as a pioneer to Lorain county, Ohio, build
ing the first frame house put up in Hunt
ington township, and becoming a success
ful farmer. In Connecticut he had married
Miss Hulda Sanford, by whom he had four
children, namely: Luther, born in Con
necticut, and now about sixty-five years of
age, who is living a retired life with his
children in Minneapolis, Minn.; Orrin,
who passed all his life in Lorain county,
where he died; Ellen, wife of James A.
Newton, of Brunswick, Medina Co., Ohio;
and Calvin, our subject. The father died

at Huntington Center in 1860, at the age
of sixty-four; the mother, born near Tor
rington, Conn., died -in 1888, aged eighty-
eight years.
Calvin Sage, whose name opens this
sketch, received his education at the graded
schools of his native township, was reared
on the home farm, and learned the trade
of harness maker. In 1861 he enlisted,
in the first call for three years' volunteers,
in Company H, Second Ohio Cavalry,
which was attached to the army of the
Frontier during the first year; half of the
following year in the Western Depart
ment, during which it participated in sev
eral skirmishes, including the fight at
Lone Jack and other points. In the streets
of Independence, Mo., February 22, 1862,
it had a short, sharp and decisive fight
with Quantrell's Cavalry, in which the lat
ter was routed in fifteen minutes, and for
several months thereafter they followed
him up. The regiment was then ordered
back to Columbus, Ohio, and recruited at
Fort Smith, Fort Leavenworth and Fort
Scott, after which it took part in Burn-
side's campaign, including the siege of
Knoxville, where they lay six months.
Mr. Sage was on detailed service a con
siderable part of the time, and for the last
six months of his term of enlistment was
in the quartermaster's department. At the
close of his service he received au honora
ble discharge, and returned home to the
pursuits of peace, which was at the time of
the assassination of Lincoln. For fifteen
years thereafter he was with Horr, War
ner & Co., Wellington, Lorain county, and
on leaving this he took up his present in
surance business, in which he has met
with well-merited success.
In 1858 Mr. Sage married Miss Cerrin-
tha Chamberlain, who was boru in Portage
county, Ohio, in 1836, and three children
were the result of this union, viz.: Walter,
a partner with his father in the insurance
business, and representing, as traveling
agent throughout Ohio, the German-Amer
ican Insurance Company (he is owner of a

LORAIN COUNTY, OHIO.

1079

ranch in California); Florence, who died
at the age of fourteen; and Emily O,
stenographer in her father's office. Politi
cally Mr. Sage is a Republican; socially he
is a member of the F. & A. M., Blue Lodge
and Chapter, and of the G. A. R. Post at
Wellington.

L

H. WADSWORTH, a prominent
! young business man of the county,
\ was born in 1864 at Rochester,
Ohio, and is descended from an old
Massachusetts family.
He passed his boyhood at Wellington,
Ohio, received a primary education there,
and then was enrolled as a student of the
University of Michigan, at Ann Arbor.
Subsequently he entered the Law Depart
ment of that University, graduating with
the law class of 1882. He did not pursue
his law studies with any intention of mak
ing it his professsion, but rather as a mat
ter tending to mental discipline. Some
short time after completing this liberal
education, he established himself in busi
ness at Wellington, Lorain county, where
he carried on a large and successful busi
ness until 1885. In that year he removed
to Greenwich, established his lumber yard
and planing-mill, and engaged in the
business of contractor and builder. At
the death of his father he removed to
Wellington, and during the period of one
year was manager of the estate. At the
end of that time he purchased the lumber
plant at Wellington, and is now running
it for himself, having sold out at Green
wich, and Wellington will probably be his
home in the future.
As a business man Mr. Wadsworth ex
emplifies the true value of such a college
training as that which he received. Not
only does he attend to his own affairs
closely, but also to the public affairs of his
town, which are studied by him. He is
justly accepted as a leader in all move

ments, the object of which is the improve
ment of the town or the better government
of the township and county. His personal
interest in the welfare of his town cannot
be questioned. A large employer of labor,
having sixty-eight men on his pay-roll,
and transacting an extensive business, itis
but natural that municipal affairs should
claim a good deal of his thought. The
yards are well stocked with standard lum
ber, shingle and lath, while the planing-
mill is thoroughly equipped with modern
machinery. The enterprise of this young
business man is well known.
Mr. Wadsworth's marriage with Miss
Mary E. Trinter, took place at Vermillion,
Ohio, October 14, 1885, and to this union
one child, William Luther W., was bora.
Mr. Wadsworth is a member of the Masonic
Fraternity, and K. T.; of the I. O. O. F.,
and of the National Union, in all of which
organizations he is popular.

LARENCE G.WASHBURN, a ris
ing young attorney at law of Lorain,
is a native of Ohio, born February
19, 1867, in Huron county, a son of
Henry C. and Charlotte (Griffin) Wash
burn, who came to Huron county, Ohio,
from the State of New York.
Clarence G. Washburn received his lit
erary training at the schools of Green
wich, in his native county, and on complet
ing his studies became a traveling man, his
business taking him over as many as seven
teen States, besides Canada and the Indian
Territory. In 1887 he gave up traveling,
and proceeding to Kansas served as deputy
postmaster at Wendell, a town near Kins
ley, Returning to Ohio, he there for a
year carried on a boot and shoe store, in
both New London and Plymouth, for a
Cleveland firm, conducting a safe and pro
fitable business. Mr. Washburn then
studied law a year and a half, in Green-

1080

LORAIN COUNTY, OHIO.

wich, Huron county, under the preceptor-
ship of T. K. Strimple, after which he took
a law course at Ann Arbor, Mich., which
he completed June 30, 1892, after having
commenced the practice of his chosen pro
fession in Lorain April 10, 1892. He is
also a member of the real-estate firm of
Buell, Washburn & Co., in the same town.
In his political predilections he is a liberal
Republican ; socially he has been a member
of the I. 0. O. F. 6ince twenty-one years
of age.

| OHN DUNNING, who for many
k. I years has successfully conducted a
\^J general farming and grape-growing
business in Avon township, has been
a resident of same since October, 1838.
He was born in 1830 in County Down,
Ireland, and when eight years of age came
to America with his parents, Alexander
aud Margaret (Smith) Dunning, also na
tives of County Down.
Immediately after their arrival in the
United States they proceeded to Avon
township, Lorain Co., Ohio, settling in the
wood s on the farm now occupied by our
subject, and here passed the remainder of
their lives. The father died in 1878, the
mother in 1862. They had a family of
six children, as follows: David, married,
who first resided in Avon township, thence
moving to Michigan and later to Kansas,
where he died; Catherine, who married
Charles Ketcham, of Avon township,
where she died in 1869 ; Elizabeth, wife of
Wolcott Mitchell, of Avon township; Jane,
Mrs. William Lucas, who died January
25, 1853; John, the subject of this sketch;
and Alexander, who died November 19,
1852. John Dunning, whose name appears at
the opening of this sketch, received his
education in the common schools of Avon
township, and in his early youth aided in
clearing the pioneer farm, also learning

the trade of carpenter and joiner, which
he followed for many years. In 1855 he
was united in marriage, in Avon township,
to Miss Mahala Moore, who was born in
Essex county, N. Y., daughter of Joseph
and Ruth (Sheldon) Moore, natives, re
spectively, of Massachusetts and New
York, in which latter State they were mar
ried. In 1846 they came west to Lorain
county, Ohio, locating on the lake shore in
Avon township, thence removing in 1864
to Wisconsin, where they both died. They
had the following children: Orlena, wife
of Charles Jarvis, of Lorain; Mahala, Mrs.
Dunning; Ransom, of Waupaca county,
Wis. ; and Dwight, married, who resides in
Minnesota. To Mr. and Mrs. Dunning have been
born eleven children, seven of whom are
now living, namely: Alfred and Ernest,
both married, and living in Avon town
ship; Eva, wife of Frank Masten, of Roch
ester township, Lorain county; Edson, a
resident of Avon township; Bertha, wife
of Floyd Crandall, of Huntington, Ind.;
Allen, also in Huntington, Ind.; and
Carl, residing at home. Those deceased
are Harriet Augusta, who died when
eighteen months old; Rose May, who died
at the age of seven years, four months; a
twin of Rose May, deceased in infancy;
and May, a twin sister of Ernest, who
died in infancy. Mr. Dunning is actively
engaged in general farming, and owns a
nice farm of 100 acres in a good state of
cultivation, fourteen acres of which are
devoted exclusively to the culture of
grapes. Politically, our subject is a Re
publican, and in religious faith he and his
wife are members of the Baptist Church
at French Creek.

ERNEST S. JACKSON, county sur
veyor for Lorain county, having his
 I residence in Elyria, was born July
24, 1861, in Avon township, Lorain
Co., Ohio.

LORAIN COUNTY, OHIO.

1081

His father, Ezra S. Jackson, born in
1816, in New York State, came to Ohio in
1834, settling in Avon township, where
he has since remained, with the exception
of a three-years' residence in Oberlin,
where he was educating his children. He
married Miss Cordelia Moon, who was
born in Avon township, Lorain county,
in 1826, and children as follows were born
to them: Lillie, wife of H. A. Kinney, of
Milwaukee, Wis.; Jennie, wife of R. E.
Loveland, of Freeport, 111.; Lena, at home;
and Ernest S. The parents are yet living,
hale and hearty, in Avon township; they
are members of the Methodist Church,
and in politics Mr. Jackson is a Repub
lican. Ernest S. Jackson, whose name opens
this sketch, received a liberal education at
the common schools of the vicinity of his
place of birth, and he developed a natural
talent for mathematics. He was reared
on his father's farm, but in youth turned
his attention to civil engineering, making
a study of the practical part of the profes
sion at Akron, Ohio, and he did his first
surveying work in Lorain, county. In
November, 1892, he was elected, on the
Republican ticket, county surveyor of
Lorain couuty, a position he fills with
eminent ability and the utmost satisfac
tion. Mr. Jackson was married to Miss
Sylvia Moon (in no way related to his
mother's family), and they have three
children, to wit: Roy, Leon and Herbert.
The family are adherents of the M. E.
Church, and socially Mr. Jackson is a
member of the F. & A. M. and the
Chapter.

Ei C. SCHULER, manager of the
North Amherst Furniture Co.,
 l which has been in active operation
since 1889, is a native of Pennsyl
vania, bora in Easton, Northampton
county, in 1845. He is a son of George
and Anna Catherine (Luezler) Schuler,

natives of Germany, the father of Baden,
the mother of Hessia. George Schuler
was a locksmith by trade, which he fol
lowed in this country for a time, and then
revisiting Germany, remained there seven
years, at the end of which time he returned
to the United States, making his perma
nent residence in Pennsylvania, where he
died; his wife, whom he married in Ger
many, passed from earth in 1887, also in
Pennsylvania. They were the parents of
six children, as follows: George Theodore,
a graduate of Heidelberg College, Ger
many, now in business1 in Georgia; Amelia,
widow, living in Allentown, Penn.;
Aurelia, wife of J. Rohrer, in South
Easton, Penn. ; Isabella, widow, a resident
of Allentown, Penn.; Harmon, living in
Arkansas (he enlisted in the Nineteenth
P. Y. O, and served throughout the war
of the Rebellion, veteranizing), and E. 0.,
subject of sketch.
E. C. Schuler received his elementary
education at the schools of Heidelberg,
Germany, to which country the family re
turned when he was two years old. After
staying seven years in Heidelberg the
family again came to the United States,
and for three years resided in Mauch
Chunk, Penn., and then at Easton (where
E. C. was born), at which place he finished
his education, passing finally through
Easton High School. In 1867 he came to
Brownhelm township, Lorain county,
where he worked for Rice & Co., as molder,
having previously learned the trade, and
in 1868 came to Amherst, continuing in
the same line of business for some time.
He then carried on a meat market about
eight or ten years. In 1889 he commenced
in the furniture manufacturing business,
in which he has met with much success.
In 1869 Mr. Schuler was married, in
Brownhelm township, Lorain county, to
Mary E. Shotton, a native of that town
ship, daughter of John and Irene (Thrall)
Shotton, the father a native of France, both
now deceased. To this union four chil
dren have been born, viz.: Fi'ances, wife of

1082

LORAIN COUNTY, OHIO.

H. R. Hart, of Toledo, Ohio; Fred; and
Anna and George, twins. Our subject
and wife are members of the M. E. Church,
of the Sunday-school of which he is super
intendent. Politically he is a Democrat,
and during Cleveland's first administration
served four years as postmaster at North
Amherst. He has been a member of the
town council, and of the school board twelve
years. Socially Mr. Schuler is a member
of the F. & A. M., Stonington Lodge, No.
503, of which he was W. M. three times;
also of the Marshal^ Chapter, No. 49, Ely
ria, Ohio; is a member of Amherst Lodge
No. 47 K. of P., of Plato Lodge No. 301,
I. O. O. F., and of the K. O. T. M.

EORGE JACKSON. This gentle
man, who enjoys the distinction of
being the most extensive and pros
perous agriculturist of Penfield
township, is deserving of more than
a passing notice in the pages of this work.
He is a great-grandson of Reuben Jack
son, and a grandson of Daniel, who was
bora in 1775 in Pittsfield, Mass., where he
learned the blacksmith's trade under his
father. Daniel was married in his native
State to Patty Kellogg, who was born in
Pittsfield in 1785, and while residing in
Massachusetts three children were bora to
them, as follows: Jane, who married Har
vey Birdseye, and died at the age of eighty-
four years in Trenton, Oneida Co., N. Y. ;
Pliny, father of our subject; and Sally,
who married William Gillett, and died in
Penfield, Ohio, when aged thirty-six years.
Between 1812 and 1815 the family re
moved west to Jefferson county, N. Y., and
bought the farm whereon the parents
passed the remaining years of their lives,
the father engaging chiefly in agriculture,
although he also followed his trade to some
extent. In New York State were bora the
following named children: Susan, the wife

of William Chapman^ who died in Chicago
at an advanced age; Maria, who married
Ferdinand Turnicliff, and died in Pitts
field, Ohio; Elisha, a farmer of Penfield
township, Lorain county; Jason, a farmer,
who died in Champion, Jefferson Co.,
N. Y. ; Daniel, who also died in Champion,
N. Y. ; James, a farmer of Penfield town
ship, Lorain Co., Ohio; Charille, who
married Hiram Hopkins, and died in Well
ington, Ohio; Jesse, late a farmer of Hum
boldt county, Iowa, where he diedNovem-
ber 29, 1893; and Belah, who died after
reaching adult age. in Champion, Jeffer
son Co., N. Y. Mr. Jackson was a very
successful farmer. He was a man of
wonderful vitality, active and capable of
performing a hard day's work to the very
end of his life; he died suddenly, while
chopping wood, in his eighty-fourth year.
He frequently remarked that he did not
know what it was to feel tired. In poli
tics he was an Old-line Whig, a stanch
member of the party. His wife died at
the age of ninety- three years, and now lies
buried by his side in Champion cemetery;
they were devout members of the Old-
school Presbyterian Church, and he was a
man so highly respected, esteemed and
loved everywhere, that it could almost be
said he had not an enemy in the world.
Pliny Jackson, father of subject, was born,
in 1806, in Jefferson county, N. Y., near
Carthage, was educated at. the common
schools and reared to farming pursuits.
When a young man he was married, near
Ogdensburg, N. Y ., to Miss Sarah Rowlin,
who bore him two children in New Y"ork
State, viz.: Jane, now Mrs. Henry Rey
nolds, of LaGrange, Ohio, and Martha,
wife of Eli Griffith, also of LaGrange. In
the early spring of 1835 the family set out
for Ohio with a sled, drawn by oxen, which,
the snow having in the meantime melted,
stuck in a deep mud hole, and they had to
hire another yoke of oxen to drag out the
sled. Pliny Jackson had previously visited
Ohio, prospecting for land, but made no
definite purchase. They landed in Penfield

j^^i>Ju^i^ j/Ost^^y^-

LORAIN COUNTY, OHIO.

1085

township, Lorain county, after a long and
tedious journey, and here the father
traded his oxen, sled and the entire outfit
for 120 acre's of wild land, the same our
subject now owns and lives on. Here they
made a clearing, built a log house, and set
to work to make further improvements on
their new home. The nearest neighbor
was on the opposite side of the road from
the Jacksons, while the next nearest was
three miles distant. Game was plentiful,
and the family larder was always well pro
vided with venison, wild turkey, pheasants,
quail, rabbits, etc. By and by Mr. Jack
son added to this property 121 acres ad
joining. Here were born to Pliny Jackson
and bis wife children as follows: George,
our subject; Alonzo, who died at the age
of twenty-five; Malissa, now Mrs. William
Snow, of Oakland, Cal.,; Harriet, Mrs.
Ed. Rockwood; and Eliza, who died of
smallpox when young. The father in af
ter, years moved into Wellington village,
thence .to LaGrange, where he died; for
several years he had been a sufferer from
rheumatism. His wife survived him a few
years, dying at the home of her daughter,
Mrs. Griffith. They were buried in Pitts
field township cemetery, near the farm
whereon they had first settled. Mr. Jack
son was a hard-working, industrious man,
and a leading farmer of his day, in his
political proclivities a stanch Democrat.
George Jackson, the subject proper of
this sketch, was born July 6, 1835, on the
farm he now owns and lives on in Penfield
township, Lorain county. He received a
liberal education at the schools of the
neighborhood, which in those early days
of the county were most primitive in their
furnishings and educational facilities. On
his .father's farm he was thoroughly trained
to the arduous duties of farm life, and
agricultural pursuits in all phases have
been his life work. In August, 1861, he
married Miss Mercy Hoxley. of Summit
county, Ohio, where she was born in 1840.
and children as follows were the result of
this union: Arthur, of LaGrange; Alonzo,
56

of Penfield ; Eliza, Mrs. Ford Gott, of La
Grange; William, of Penfield township;
Frances, who is married to Frank Brad-
stock, of Penfield, and Bernice, who died
young. The mother of these died Octo
ber 21, 1873, and lies buried in Pittsfield
cemetery. In September, 1874, Mr- Jack
son married, for his second wife, Miss
Frances E. Hull, who was born in Pen-
field township, Lorain county, a daughter
of Joel and Polly (Huxley) Hull, and
four children have come to this marriage,
all yet living and named respectively:
Mabel, Jay, Ernest and Sylvester.
Mr. Jackson may truly be said to be a
representative self-made man, as from
small beginnings, by dint of indefatigable
energy, coupled with sound judgment,
good management and unsurpassed finan
ciering, he has attained a comfortable
Competence. He now owns 431 acres of
prime farm land, well equipped with com
modious buildings, is a thoroughly practi
cal as well as theoretical agriculturist, and
is an excellent judge of stock. Demo
cratic in politics, he has held various town
ship offices in a strongly Republican com
munity, and he has proven himself as
capable as he is popular. For a few years
the family lived in the town of Welling
ton, in order that the children might there
be educated.

4J

HANS HEINRICH JULIUS
KROHN, city marshal of Elyria,
is a native of Schleswig-Holstein,
Germany, born April 24, 1841.
His father, Henry William
Krohn, was born in Flensborg, Schleswig-
Holstein, where he married Miss Lucy
Muellerstedt, a native of the same city.
Here he died; his widow is now living in
Denmark, with her son Henry Ernst
Georg, who is in the service of the
Government as mail agent. Three mem
bers of this family, incuding our subject,
came to America in 1869, but prior to that

1086

LORAIN COUNTY, OHIO.

he had served his time as florist and land
scape gardener. After his arrival in this
country he first located in North Amherst,
Lorain county, and in September immedi
ately following moved to Lake Forest, 111.,
where he had charge of tbe horticulture
and floriculture at a family residence.
From Lake Forest he went to Clinton,
same State, where he followed farming, af
ter which he came to Elyria, and has here
since made his home. Mr. Krohn from
the time he came to Elyria has been en
gaged in various capacities, railroading
being one of his experiences, but finding
tbat his age stood in the way of promotion,
he abandoned that, and took a position on
the night police force. He made an
efficient officer, gaining the confidence of
the people of Elyria, and in the spring of
1890, after one year's service as night
policeman, he was elected to his present
position of city marshal, and is ex-officio
chief of police. In the spring of 1891 he
was reelected for two years, and in the
spring of 1893, Elyria having been changed
from a village to a city, his term of office
was nullified, and he was reelected for two
years nnder the city ordinance.
In 1866 Mr. Krohn was united in mar
riage with Miss Elise C. Freese, a native
of Schleswig-Holstein, Germany, and
three children were born to them, namely:
Henry, who died at the age of seventeen
years; Edith, wife of E. J. Moser; and
Elizabeth, recently married to Reno F.
Mussey. In his political preferences our
subject is a Republican ; socially he is a
member of the Royal Arcanum, and of the
K. of P., Uniform Rank.

\ILLIAM A. SAYLES. The sub
ject of this sketch, William Allen
Sayles, was born June 11, 1847,
in Onondaga county, New York.
His father, Smith F. Sayles, was born in
Rhode Island in 1822, but moved with his

parents to the State of New York iu his
early boyhood. At the age of twenty-two
he married Evalyn Allen, and William A.
was the only child of this marriage. Hav
ing lost his first wife, he married Clara
Van Slyke in 1853, and soon after moved
to Lorain county, Ohio. For the first five
years he lived first in Ridgeville, then in
Eaton township, and finally bought 140
acres for his permanent home in Carlisle
township, a most beautiful tract of land on
the banks of Black river. Two children
were the fruit of this second marriage,
neither of whom lived to years of matur
ity. The father died April 22, 1890, sur
vived only by his wife and son, William
A. Politically he was a Democrat until
the outbreak of the Rebellion. Then he
became a Republican and remained such
until the latter years of his life, when he
gave his support to the Prohibition party.
William A. Sayles spent his boyhood
upon his father's farm, and was educated
in the public schools of Lorain county. On
November 5, 1863, he enlisted in Com
pany L, Twelfth Ohio Cavalry, and served
until April 25, 1865, when he was honor
ably discharged. He then spent some time
in study at Berea College. After leaving
school he remained with his father upon
the home farm until the time of his mar
riage, except a part of three years spent in
Wisconsin, near Kenosha. In 1872 he mar
ried Lillian Brush, daughter of William
Brush, a pioneer of Lorain county. Until
the death of his father he lived in a home
upon the bank of the river near the home
of his father. Here his three children —
Clare, Lynne and Bertrand — were born.
Upon the death of his father he moved with
his household to the old homestead, where
he now lives.
Mr. Sayles is a successful farmer, his farm
being one of the best kept and most fruitful
in the neighborhood. An ardent lover and a
good judge of horses, he has given some
attention to horse raising, and has the dis
tinction of having sold to the Royal stables
of Austria an animal now pronounced by

LORAIN COUNTY, OHIO.

1087

competent authorities to be the finest trot
ting horse in Europe. Our subject takes
a prominent part in the politics of the
county, and is a stanch Republican. He
is one of the foremost in a community of
progressive ahd prosperous farmers.

Dv CROWELL, for over sixty years a
| resident of Eaton township, is a son
_/ of Richard and Mary B. (Little)
Crowell, who were natives of New
Jersey, where they were married in 1824.
In 1832 they came west to Ohio with a
team owned by Alvah Brooks, and settling
in the woods of Eaton township, Lorain
county, set to work to open up a farm.
Here they made their home several years,
then moved to Grafton township, same
county, where they passed the remainder
of their pioneer lives, dying, the father in
1875, the mother in 1879. They had a
family of eight children, as follows: Re
becca, wife of Isaac B. Ross, of Eaton
township; Mary Louisa, wife of Chandler
Eaton, died in Michigan in 1873; D.
Crowell, subject of this memoir; Aaron
and Moses (twins), the latter of whom died
at the age of fourteen (Aaron married, and
made his home in Eaton township, where
he died in 1882); one deceased in infancy;
Silas, married, residing in Grafton town
ship; and Phebe, who married David Phe-
lan (a soldier), and died in Eaton township
in 1863.
D. Crowell, whose name appears at the
opening of this sketch, was born in New
Jersey in December, 1829, and was two and
a half years old when his parents brought
him to Eaton township, where he was
reared and educated. He ably assisted in
clearing up the home farm till he came of
age, when he bought 156 acres of wild
land in the same township, whereon to
build up a home for himself. This he has
so well improved and cultivated that it is

now one of the best farms in the county,
and, by additions, at this time comprises
165^ broad acres. He has erected resi
dences thereon, both two stories high,
16x28 and an L 16x28; also a good
horse barn 30 x 44. In connection with
general farming he pays considerable at
tention to dairying, and in all his under
takings success has followed his efforts.
In 1849 Mr. Crowell was united in mar
riage, in Eaton township, with Miss Sarah
Smith, a native of England, daughter of
T. P. Smith, who came from that country
to America, making his first home in the
United States at Olmsted Falls, Cuyahoga
Co., Ohio, afterward moving to Amherst
township, Lorain county, then to Elyria,
and finally to Henry county, same State;
he died in 1866, his last days being spent
at the home of our subject. To this union
has been bora one child, Smith Ebenezer,
who is married and is the father of three
children: A. D., Bertrand M. and Richard
Hubert. Politically Mr. Crowell is a
Democrat, and he is a member of the
M. E. Church.

EORGE MATHEWS, one of the
most prosperous of the native-
born agriculturists of Eaton town
ship, was bom in 1842, a son of
Edward and Ellen (McDermot)
Mathews, natives of Ireland.
Edward Mathews when a young man
emigrated from his home in Erin to Can
ada, whence after his marriage he came to
Lorain county, sojourning for a time in
Columbia township, thence moving to
Eaton township, and making his final home
on the farm where our subject now resides,
which locality was then all wild woodland,
teeming with game of all sorts. He died
in 1855; he was a strong Democrat for a
time, but in later years supported the Whig
party. His widow is yet living, making
her home now with her son George. The

1088

LORAIN COUNTY, OHIO.

record of their children is as follows: James
E. went to Michigan when a young man,
where he married, and died in 1890; Ann
is the widow of R. R. Steele, of Milwaukee,
Wis. ; Martha is the wife of Stephen Tyler,
and resides in St. Joseph, Berrien Co.,
Mich. ; Jane is the wife of Henry Foster,
of Kalamazoo, Mich.; George; William is
married, and residing in Berrien, Mich, (he
enlisted in Lorain county, Ohio, and served
two years in the Civil war); Ellen is the
wife of Reuben Learn, and resides at Og
den, Utah; Emma is the wife of Martin
Terry, of Elyria, Ohio.
George Mathews, the subject of our pres
ent writing, received a fair education at
the schools of his native township, which in
those early days were somewhat primitive
in their character, both in their furnishings
and in the quality of the literary pabulum
provided therein. He was thoroughly
trained to the pursuits of the farm, and has
all his life carried on general agriculture
on the old homestead, which he owns, and
which comprises some seventy acres of land,
all in a good state of cultivation. In 1869
he was married in Eaton township to Miss
Emma, daughter of John and Harriet
(Wilson) Shadford, sketch of whom follows.
Two children have been born to this union,
namely: Leon, who received his education
in Elyria, is now in the employ of Salyer
& Allen, clothiers, Elyria; and Mamie.
Politically Mr. Mathews is a loyal member
of the Republican party.
J. Shadfoed, father-in-law of Mr.
Mathews, was born in 1814 in Lincoln
shire. England, a son of John and Mary
(Collinson) Shadford, of Yorkshire, Eng
land, the latter of whom died in her native
land. John Shadford, father of subject, came
in 1828 with his family to the United
States, first locating in Grafton township,
Lorain county, thence in 1831 moving to
Eaton township, where he cleared up a
farm out of the woods, and which after
ward came to be known as the " Wilson
farm." Here he died some time before

the breaking out of the war of the Re
bellion. He had two brothers who came
to the United States, viz.: William, who
enlisted in Cincinnati, Ohio, in the Civil
war, serving as orderly sergeant (he is now
residing in the West, it is thought in
Iowa); and Major, who lived in Lorain
county, Ohio, nearly all his life, dying
about the year 1873.
J. Shadford, of whom this writing
chiefly relates, received his education in
the schools of his native place, and after
coming to this country, which be did at
the age of fourteen, attended the schools
of Grafton and LaPorte, in Lorain county.
The main business of his life has been
farming, but he owned and for some years
operated steam mills at Grafton, which be
had erected about the year 1859. He is
now owner of ninety-one acres of first-class
land, all improved from the woods, and
under a good state of cultivation. In
1836 he was married to Miss Harriet
Wilson, a native of England, and daugh
ter of Thomas Wilson, who died in that
country. Two children have been born to
this marriage, viz.: Edward W., and
Emily, wife of George Mathews. In poli
tics Mr. Shadford is a Democrat, and he
has served on the school board.

|| EREMIAH MARTIN, Je., a well-
k. I to-do agriculturist of Columbia town-
•\J) ship, was born October 8, 1850, in
Devonshire, England.
His parents, Jeremiah and Mary (Sheer)
Martin, were also natives of England, the
father of Devonshire, the mother of Corn
wall, whence in 1867 they came to the
United States, locating in Columbia town
ship, Lorain Co., Ohio, where Mrs. Mar
tin died in 1868; Mr. Martin now resides
in Jasper county, Mo. They had seven
children, namely: Jeremiah, subject of
this sketch; William, married, residing in

LORAIN COUNTY, OHIO.

1089

Columbia township; Nathaniel, married,
who makes his home in Missouri; John
Thomas, married, also living in Missouri;
Jane, wife of Clifton Baker, in Missouri;
Mary, wife of Lafe House, of Hillsbor
ough, Oregon; and Charles Wesley, mar
ried, a resident of Missouri.
Jeremiah Martin, Jr., whose name in
troduces this sketch, passed his early years
in England, where he received an educa
tion in the common schools. In 1867 he
came with his parents to Columbia town
ship, Lorain Co., Ohio, and in 1869 went
to Jasper county, Mo., residing there until
1873, when he returned to Columbia
township. Here he was united in mar
riage, in 1875, with Lucy R. Peachey,
who was a native of Columbia township,
daughter of Thomas and Philomela
(Smith) Peachey, early pioneers of same,
where they' both died. In 1881 Mr.
Martin located on his present farm, com
prising 145^ acres of land in a good state
of cultivation, upon which he has erected
a good barn, 40 x 72 feet, with ten-foot
basement and milk house 9-ijX 16 feet, two
stories high, with a geared windmill and
water tank on top of it; here he conducts
a general farming business. In politics
our subject is a member of the Republican
party, and has served on the school board.
Mr. and Mrs. Martin are members of the
M. E. Church of Columbia, in which he is
trustee and treasurer. They are the par
ents of four children, namely: B. A.,
Alonzo B., Charles Wesley and Philomela.

IfSAAC B. ROSS, well-known in Eaton
township as a solid, practical farmer,
\ was born in 1826 in New Jersey, a son
of William R. and Hannah W. (Du
rand) Ross, natives of the same State. The
father, who was by trade a surveyor, died
in February, 1877, in good circumstances;
his widow came to Lorain county, Ohio,

and here passed the rest of her days, dying
July 5, 1887. They had a family of six
children, as follows: Isaac B., subject of
this sketch; Harriet, wife of Lucian Bur
rett, of Lorain; Mary, residing in Lorain;
Juliet, wife of Zadoc Reeve, of New Jer
sey; John, residing in Eaton township,
and George, who died in Eaton township,
Lorain county.
Isaac B. Ross, whose name introduces
this sketch, was educated in New Jersey,
and there resided till 1848, when he came
to Eaton township, Lorain county. He
was originally a shoemaker, a trade he fol
lowed successfully until about the year
1855, when he turned his attention ex
clusively to agriculture. In that year he
moved to his present fine farm in Eaton
township, comprising 137 acres of as good
land as can be found in the county. In
1849 Mr. Ross was married, in Eaton town
ship, to Miss Rebecca Crowell, a native of
New York, daughter of Richard and Mary
(Little) Crowell, natives of New Jersey,
who about 1831 came from New York
State to Lorain county, settling in Eaton
township, where they made their home for
many years; they died in Grafton, the
father October 25, 1875, aged seventy-three
years, the mother February 24, 1879, aged
seventy-eight. They were the parents of
eight children, as follows: Rebecca, Mrs.
Ross; Daniel, residing in Eaton township;
Silas, married, residing in Grafton; Moses,
who died in 1844; Phebe, the' wife of
David Phelan, died in 1863; MaryL., wife
of Chandler Eaton, died about 1872 ; Aaron,
deceased December 1, 1882; and one de
ceased in infancy. In 1832, when Mrs.
Ross was a little girl, she got lost in the
woods of Eaton township, while on her
way to visit a neighbor — the only one for
miles around. On being missed a search
party set ont, and after a long and patient
hunt found her about 1 o'clock the next
morning. She had waded in water up to
her arm-pits, and although she often heard
her mother and others calling her name,
she was so frightened that she thought the

1090

LORAIN COUNTY, OHIO.

sounds came from the howling wolves, of
which there were many in those pioneer
days. To Mr. and Mrs. Isaac B. Ross were
bom three children, namely: Moses O,
married, residing in Eaton township;
M. D., married, living on the home farm;
and Perry, married, who died in Eaton
township in 1880. In politics our subject
is a Prohibition -Republican, and he is
serving as a member of the school board.
He and his wife are members of the M. E.
Church at Eaton, of which he is steward.

JOHN LANTSBERY, who for over a
quarter of a century has been among
the leading successful agriculturists
of Carlisle township, is a native of
England, born in Little Creaton, North
amptonshire, July 26, 1842. His parents,
John and Ann (Haddon) Lantsbery, na
tives of the same county in England,
were farming people, industrious and
economical. The father died there in
1846, the mother in Lubenham, England,
November 24, 1873, at the age of fifty-
one years. They had four children, our
subject being the only survivor.
He was educated in the schools of his
native place, and in 1864 emigrated to the
United States, arriving in December of
that year in Elyria, Lorain Co., Ohio,
where he resided till 1867, in which year
he came to Carlisle township, agriculture
having been his occupation in both town
ships. His first land purchase was seventy-
one acres partly improved, but he now
owns ninety-six acres, all in a good state
of cultivation.
In 1863 Mr. Lantsbery was married in
England to Mary Ann Eady, a native of
Cottesbrook, Northamptonshire, daughter
of Thomas and Susan (Holt) Eady, of the
same county, where her father died in 1862,
her mother in 1884, at the age of seventy-
eight years (for her second husband the

latter had married a Mr. Kilworth). Of
their six children, William now resides in
New Zealand; John died .in England;
Francis lives in London, England; Thomas
is also in England, and Henry J. is a drug
gist in Elyria, Ohio. To Mr. and Mrs.
Lantsbery were born six children, as fol
lows: Jolin Thomas died of pneumonia in
1891, aged twenty-six years; Henry W.,
born in 1867, is married, and resides near
his parents; Alice, born in 1869; Anna S.,
born May 20, 1874, is attending school in
Elyria; Fannie, bora in 1877, died in 1883;
Nellie McE., born May 22, 1880._ The
parents are members of the Disciple
Church at Elyria, of which Mrs. Lantsbery
has been organist for several years, and for
a long time she taught music throughout
the county; she is correspondent for the
Republican, the Democrat and the Ober
lin News. In his political' sympathies
Mr. Lantsbery is a Republican.

JS. CRAWFORD, who for some five
years was a prominent merchant in
Lorain, South End, but has been re
tired since 1887, came to the town in
1882 from Seville, Medina county, Ohio.
He was born in Medina county January
15, 1847, a son of William and Rebecca
(Smith) Crawford, natives of Pennsylvania,
the father of Washington county, the
mother of near Philadelphia. In 1821
they came to Ohio, settling on a farm in
Medina county, which is still in the family
name. The father was a sergeant in the
Home Guards. He died in 1877, the
mother in August, 1888. Our subject
was educated in part at the district schools
of the vicinity of his birthplace, and in
part in the schools of Seville. On August
9, 1882, he came to Lorain county and
opened a grocery store at Lorain, South
End. He put up a frame building which
was destroyed by fire February 2, 1883,

LORAIN COUNTY, OHIO.

1091

and he afterward erected a double brick
store, two stories high, 50x48 feet, and
continued in business till 1887 — five years.
Prior to this he followed farming till 1869;
then went west, remaining away some
eight years, part of the time in Missouri
(Henry county), Mississippi, Illinois and
Michigan. Mr. Crawford was married in Medina
county, Ohio, in 1876, to Miss Chestina
Hay, a native of that county, and daughter
of Henry Hay, and to this union has been
bora one child, Mary R. Mrs. Crawford
is a member of the Baptist Church. Po
litically Mr. Crawford is independent, in
variably voting for the best men and
soundest measures. He is a member of
Woodlawn Lodge No. 226, K. of P., and
of Lorain Lodge No. 552, A. F. & A. M.,
of which he is treasurer. His present fine
residence on the corner of Washington and
Franklin streets, Lorain, he erected in
1891. Grandfather James Crawford came
to Medina county, Ohio, from Washington
county, Penn., in 1821, and made his future
home there.

DAVID DR
and dairy i
is a nativ

DRAKE, a leading farmer
man of Carlisle township,
tive of Schoharie county,
N. Y., bora April 20, 1820, a son
of Alexander and Lucy (Benson) Drake, of
Vermont, who migrated to New York
State in an early day. The Drake family
are of English descent, and in early Colo
nial days three granduncles of Mr. Drake
¦ — Benjamin, Cyrus and Alexander — came
from England to Vermont, where they
settled as farmers. The father of David,
who was by trade a blacksmith, was born
in the year 1766, and died in Montgomery
county, N. Y., July 2, 1838, being buried
July 4. He was twice married, and by his
first wife had three children — Preserve,
Polly and Sally. The children by the
second marriage were: Apollos, Pliny,

Gilbert, Abram, David, Dennis (of Iowa,
now deceased), and Caleb (living in Mis
souri); of whom Apollos, about the year
1830, came from Delaware county, N. Y.,
to Medina county, Ohio, and died at
Hamilton's Corner in 1883, a lifelong
Democrat. David Drake, the subject proper of
these lines, received his education in Scho
harie and Montgomery counties, N. Y.,
and until he was twenty-seven years old
worked on farms by the month or day,
two seasons for twenty shillings per
month. In 1862 he migrated from New
York State to Medina county, Ohio, where
he remained one year, and then moved to
Spencer township, same county, whence
in 1867 he came to Penfield township, Lo
rain county. Here he bought an improved
farm which he lived on and conducted
eighteen years, and theu moved to La
Grange township, same county, making
his home there one year. In 1885 he
finally settled in Carlisle township, where
he owns the old Golden farm, bought by
him from William A. Braman, and which
consists of 144 acres of highly- improved
land; he also owns ninety acres in Carlisle
besides the tract he resides on, making, in
the aggregate, 234 acres.
On February 7, 1848, in New York
State, Mr. Drake was married to Miss
Julia Alger, of New York, daughter of
William and Casadena Alger, natives of
England, who when young came to New
York, where they married and died. To
this union were born three children, viz.:
William, married, and living in Carlisle,
has three children: Olivia, Ray and Lulu;
Esther, widow of Milan Cone, of Penfield
township, has four children: Letha, Kate,
Mercy and Fred; Hattie, wife of George
Plase, in Carlisle township, has one child
— Claude — by a former marriage with
Charles Spicer. Mrs. Julia A. Drake died
October 10, 1875, and February 13, 1878,
Mr. Drake was united in marriage, in
Medina county, Ohio, with Miss Aurelia
Graham, a native of that county, daughter

1092

LORAIN COUNTY, OHIO.

of Andrew Graham, an early settler of
Medina, who died August 18, 1892. By
that marriage there is one child, Lucy,
living at home. In his political ' affilia
tions our subject is a Republican. He is
a representative self-made man, having ac
cumulated all he owns by his individual
perseverance and industry.

D. STOCKING, a prominent and
prosperous agriculturist of Brighton
township, is a native of same, born
November 17, 1840, a son of Jona
than S. Stocking.
Joseph Stocking, grandfather of subject,
was born in Ashfield, Franklin Co., Mass.,
November 1, 1781, and in 1815 came to
Dover township, Cuyahoga Co., Ohio, with
his family, including Jonathan S. They
traveled with an ox-team, the journey
occupying six weeks, other immigrants
coming at the same time. Mr. Stocking
had visited the locality twice before bring
ing his family — once in 1-811 or '12, and
again in 1814. He built a log house on
the site where he last resided. When he
first came to Dover township there was but
one frame building in Cleveland, that
place, in fact, being a mere point, a nucleus
around which a village afterward grew up,
from which was evolved the great city of
Cleveland. Mr. Stocking was prominent
fynd active in the township, and was equally
active in its religious and educational in
terests. His first Presidential vote was
cast for Jefferson, and it is said he voted
at every Presidential election afterward,
his last vote being cast for Hayes. He
died February 23, 1877, aged ninety-five
years, three m°nths, twenty- two days,
having been a resident of Dover township,
Cuyahoga county, over sixty years. He
lived to see the wilderness transformed
into fruitful fields, and towns and cities
rise up out of the dense forest; he lived to

hear the rush and roar of the railroad train
where once could be heard naught but the
howling of wolves, the angry growling of
no less ferocious bears, and the war-whoop
of the Indian. But to essay to mention
what was consummated in those three
score years would be to attempt a history
of all the Northwest, with its most won
derful growth and marvelous development.
In Dover township, Cuyahoga county,
in November, 1836, Jonathan S. Stocking
married Sabrina Lilly, born in Ashfield,
Mass., daughter of Austin Lilly, who
came from New England in pioneer times.
Jonathan S. Stocking lived in Cuyahoga
county till 1836, in which year he moved
to Brighton township, Lorain county, and
in company with Harry Hawes bought 222
acres of heavily-timbered land, and they
felled the first tree that ever felt the axe
on that farm. This land cost them six
dollars per acre, but it proved a valuable
property. Jonathan Stocking died here in
1890, aged eighty years, two months, seven
teen days, his wife in 1887, aged seventy-
two years, four months, five days, and they
are interred at Brighton Center. He was
very successful, not only in general farm
ing but also in stock raising, and was a
hard-working man up to within two years
of his death. In politics he was first a
Whig, and, after the formation of the
party, a stanch Republican. Mrs. Stock
ing, in Church relationship, was an Epis
copalian. They were parents of children
as follows: C. D., subject; Byron, de
ceased in infancy; Elmns B., who enlisted
in Company K, One Hundred and Seventy-
eighth O. Y. I., was detailed to hospital
work at Wilmington, S. O, and while
handling corpses in the dead house became
poisoned (he died at home at the age of
twenty- two years); Abigail, who died in
1865 when sixteen years old; Ralph G.,
deceased in infancy; and Darwin, a farmer
of Brighton township.
C. D. Stocking, the subject proper of
this sketch, received a good practical edu
cation at the common schools of his native

/%£> tjj Jd/h? ^wo-

LORAIN COUNTY, OHIO.

1095

township, and was reared to agricultural
pursuits. He has always lived on the old
homestead with the exception of the few
months during the Civil war he worked
for his uncle, Joseph Stocking, in Cuya
hoga county. His farm, the largest in the
township, now comprises 331 acres of ex
cellent land, equipped with as fine resi
dence and outbuildings as can be seen in
the county.
On January 7, 1874, our subject was
married to Miss Ann Eliza Fish, who was
born, in 1838, in Ashland county, Ohio, a
daughter of Daniel Fish, and two children
— Abigail M. and Jane R. — have been
born to them. Mrs. Stocking is a member
of the Congregational Church at Brighton.
Politically Mr. Stocking is a Republican,
and has served as township trustee ten
consecutive years; socially he is a member
of the Knights of the Maccabees.

JL. REED, widely known in the
county as a thorough business man,
and an active member of the enter
prising firm of Teasdale & Reed,
proprietors of the People's Shoe Store, and
of the livery firm of Moysey& Reed, Elyria,
is a native of Cuyahoga county, Ohio,
born February 7, 1846, in Strongsville.
Joseph Reed, father of subject, was a
native of Cornwall, England, a son of
Thomas Reed, who was born in the parish
of St. Agnes, in the same county, and was
a farmer and landowner there. In an early
day he (Thomas) immigrated to the United
States, bringing with him his family of
thirteen children, of whom Joseph was the
seventh in order of birth. They settled in
Strongsville (near Cleveland), Cuyahoga
Co., Ohio, where the father of this large
family followed farming to the close of his
life, which was a long and active one, he
being close on ninety years of age at the
time of his death. He was a member of

the Congregational Church. His wife,
Mary (Hitchens), was nearly eighty years
old at the time of her death, and all the
ancestry, on both sides, seem to have been
long-lived. Joseph Reed, their son, was
barely twenty years old when he came to
America. He was married in Strongsville,
Ohio, to Miss Tamar Lyman, and six
children were born to them, J. L. being
the eldest. The father of these was born
in 1818, and died August 14, 1880; the
mother, now in her seventy-fourth year,
is living in Columbia. After marriage
Joseph Reed settled in Columbia town
ship, where he followed farming. By trade
he was a shoemaker, which he followed in
England, and to a limited extent in this
country. J. L. Reed, the subject proper of this
biographical memoir, in his boyhood
worked about the quarries in Berea and
Columbia, and chopped wood by the cord,
in order to earn money to pay for his
schooling. His elementary education he
received at the commoii schools of his na
tive place, which he supplemented with
three terms study at Oberlin, and three
terms at Baldwin University, Berea, Ohio,
besides a course at Oberlin Commercial
School. He then took up farming, secur
ing a lease of his wife's father's farm in
Ridgeville township, Lorain county, where
he now owns 110 acres of well-cultivated
land. He also, in connection with his
farming interests, deals in wagons, agri
cultural implements, etc., and runs a shop
in which repairing of wagons and imple
ments, in all of its branches, is done. In
1889 he became associated with the
People's Shoe Store, in Elyria, in company
with Mr. Teasdale, as successors to Stone
& Campbell. In May, 1891, he became
a partner with Mr. Moysey in the present
livery business, both of which enterprises
are in a sound flourishing condition.
In 1869 Mr. Reed was married to Miss
Elizabeth Healy, and two children have
been born to them, viz.: Fred, at present
a student at Garfield School, in Portage

1096

LORAIN COUNTY, OHIO.

county, Ohio, and Elsie, better known as
" Kittie" among her many friends and ac
quaintances. In his political affiliations
he is a stanch Republican, and he served
as justice of the peace nine years, declin
ing to accept further election. He is a
notary public, a member of the Church of
Christ at North Eaton, aud is the superin
tendent of the Sunday-school in said
church. He is now vice-president of the
Lorain County Agricultural Society, of
which he has been a director four years.

REN MOORE, a prominent repre
sentative farmer of Sheffield town
ship, was born February 13, 1848,
in Lorain county, Ohio.
He is a son of Norman Moore, a native
of Massachusetts, who came to Ohio when
a young man. He was married in Huron
county, Ohio, to Honore Messenger, and
later settled at Avon Point, Lorain county.
He was a sailor and farmer, and also con
ducted a saw and grist mill. He built two
vessels; one of these, the "Rainbow," sev
enty-five tons burden, at the time created
considerable excitement, people coming for
miles to see it launched, fie afterward built
the "Young Leopard," 125 tons burden,
which he sold at Oswego. Mr. and Mrs.
Moore had five children, all of whom grew
to maturity, namely: Amaneer, who be
came a sailor, and died of cancer at the age
of fifty-eight (he was a custom-house
officer at Pnt-in-Bay for about three years
during the latter part of his life); Oswell,
who enlisted at Elyria in the Civil war
and was killed at Gettysburg, being shot
through the heart; Oren, our subject;
Charles, and Amanda, widow of John
Nesbitt, who died on his return home
from thearmy. During the latter part of his
his life Mr. Moore was an invalid; he died
when about seventy-five years old.

Oren Moore was reared at Avon Point,
Lorain county, and received his education
in the common schools. When yet a
young man he was married to Miss Abbie
Jaycocks, a native of New York, and tbey
have had eight children, as follows: Lo
renzo, who died at the age of forty-
three; William, a farmer of Michigan;
Marietta, wife of L. Cahoon; Hattie, wife
of Harry Hay lor; Horace, a farmer of
Michigan; Sadie, wife of L. Robinson, of
Lorain; Millie, married to Harry Groene,
and Lennie, wife of John Faragher. After
his marriage Mr. Moore lived in a log
house in Avon township, on the Center
road, later coming to Sheffield township,
where he now owns a good farm of one
hundred acres. His wife died of cancer at
the age of sixty four. Our subject is a life
long farmer, progressive and enterprising in
every respect. Politically he is a Repub
lican; socially he is a F. & A. M. Mr.
Moore has eighteen grandchildren.

FETER MEYER, one of the promi
nent, progressive and prosperous
German agriculturists of Lorain
county, is a native of Bavaria, born
in 1844, a son of Andrew and Mary
Catherine (Wack) Meyer, also of Bavaria,
and in 1846 they set sail with their
family from Havre, France, for the New
World. After a voyage of forty-eight days they
landed at New York, from which city
they proceeded westward to Ohio, making
a settlement on a farm in Ridgeville town
ship, Lorain county. For eleven years
the parents resided in the town of Elyria,
and here the father died in 1882, the
mother in February, 1892. By trade An
drew Meyer was a carpenter, which he fol
lowed in his native land, but in this
country he carried on agriculture almost
exclusively. He had a family of eight

LORAIN COUNTY, OHIO.

1097

children, of whom we give a record of
seven, as follows, the eldest two being by
a former wife, and, consequently, half-
brother and half-sister to the others: Eliza
beth, wife of Henry Neipfoot, of Elyria
township; John, who enlisted duriug the
Civil war in Company G, One Hundred
and Seventh O. V. I., and was killed in
the battle of Gettysburg; Peter, subject of
this sketch; Catherine, wife of Adam
Berres, of Ridgeville township; Mathias,
a resident of New York City; Gertrude, de
ceased; Adam, married, a resident of
Hartford, Conn., in the employ of the Gas
& Electric Light Company, near San-
Francisco, Cal.
The subject of this biographical sketch
was two years old when he came to Ridge
ville township, and he here received a fair
English education, in the meantime being
trained to the arduous duties of the farm.
In 1862 he enlisted in Company G, One
Hundred and Seventh O. Y. I., for three
years or during the war, his regiment be
ing first attached to the army of the Po
tomac, and later to the Department of the
South. He participated in the battles of
Gettysburg and St. John's Island (S. C);
was in the charge on Fort Wagner, and
then with Sherman in the Carolina cam
paigns; was present at the destruction of
the Columbia & Georgetown Railroad at
Sumter, S. C, in the campaign in which
State he served over ten months. At
Gettysburg he was wounded, but not in
capacitated. In June, 1865, he was dis
charged at Charleston, S. O, mustered out
at Cleveland, Ohio, same year, and re
turned to the pursuits of peace in Ridge
ville township, Lorain county, farming be
ing his lifework, although he was engaged
two aud one half years at carpenter work.
Mr. Meyer was married in Ridgeville
township, in 1872, to Miss Catherine
Stander, and twelve children have been
born to them, all yet living, named as fol
lows: Barbara, Emma, Peter Jacob, Mary
Magdalene, Bridget. Rosa, Henry, Mary,
Clara, Lawrence, Henry, and Gregory.

Politically our subject is a stanch Demo
crat; socially he is a member of Wesley
Kibby Post No. 708, G. A. R., Ridgeville.
His wife and family are members of the
Roman Catholic Church. Mr. Meyer is
owner of 121 acres of land, all in a good
state of cultivation, and well improved.

E

p^LDEN WORTHINGTON is one of
the most substantial and well-to-do
of the agriculturists of Carlisle
township, of which he is a native.
He was bora Marcii 9, 1833, a son of
Jonathan B. and Elizabeth (Orr) Worth
ington, natives of Luzerne county, Penn.,
the father bora January 16, 1807, the
mother October 23, 1813. They were
married in that county, and shortly after
ward came with a one-horse wagon to
Huron county, Ohio, thence moving to
Lorain county, locating in Carlisle town
ship. Here the father opened up a farm,
then bought land in Eaton township, near
LaPorte, and some years later moved
thereon. He died in LaPorte September
5, 1884, the mother in Carlisle township
October 25, 1869. In politics he was first a
Whig, and afterward, on the organization
of the party, a Republican; he was a jus
tice of the peace, and for many years town
ship trustee. Nine children were born to
Mr. and Mrs. Jonathan B. Worthington,
as follows: Maria, widow of Alfred Rug
gles, of Norwalk; Elden, subject of sketch;
Benjamin, born in Carlisle township, served
in the Civil war, three-months' service,
and died in Cleveland in May, 1880; Eli
jah, married, and engaged in the real -estate
business in Cleveland; Elizabeth, wife of
O. Humphrey, of Eaton township, Lorain
county; Henry, married, and living in La
Grange township, Lorain county; Erwin,
who served in the Civil war, three-months'
service, is married, and lives in Norwalk,
Ohio; Augusta, who married Charles

1098

LORAIN COUNTY. OHIO.

Warner, of Eaton township, and died June
16, 1891; and Mary, deceased in July,
1888. The Worthington family are of
English lineage. Grandfather Worthing
ton was a native of Massachusetts, a school
teacher bv occupation, and in an early day
moved to Pennsylvania. Grandfather Orr
was born in New Jersey of German an
cestry, and became a pioneer of Luzerne
county, Pennsylvania.
Elden Worthington received his educa
tion at the common schools of Carlisle and
Eaton townships, learned the trade of
shoemaker, and worked at same with his
lather some ten years at LaPorte. He then
commenced farming in Eaton, and in
course of time owned a farm in that town
ship, and one in Carlisle. In his political
predilections he is a Republican, and for
several terms was trustee of Eaton town
ship, as well as member of the school
board. He and his wife are members of
the M. E. Church of Elyria. In addition
to his regular agricultural interests Mr.
Worthington deals considerably in real
estate — both buying and selling.
On September 16, 1857, our subject was
united in marriage in Carlisle township
with Miss Elizabeth J. Cornell, a native of
Eaton township, daughter of James and
Betsy (Dolbee) Cornell, of New York,
who came to Lorain county in 1834, lo-
catingin Eaton township, but subsequently,
in 1838, removing to Carlisle township,
where the father passed from earth in
April, 1860; the mother died in June,
1888. They had a family of ten children,
six of whom are yet living, viz.: Louisa,
wife Rev. N. S. Worden, of Ridgeville,
Henry Co., Ohio; Heiro, married, and
living in California; Nelson, married, and
residing in Chickasaw county, Iowa; Fan
nie, wife of Rev. B. D. Jones, of Coshoc
ton county, Ohio; Elizabeth J., wife of
Elden Worthington; and Fidelia, widow
of Walter Fauver, of Ridgeville, Henry
Co., Ohio. To Mr. and Mrs. Elden Worth
ington have been bora five children, of
whom the following is a brief record:

Edith is the wife of Anson E. Pinney, of
Ithaca, Mich., and they have four children:
Clyde, Lila, Charles E. and Ruth Eliza
beth; Clara is the wife of Samuel Dew
hurst, of Carlisle township, and they have
three children: Wilfred. Mabel and James
E. ; Frank A. resides in Michigan ; Nelson
Orr is married, and makes bis home at
Avon Lake, Lorain county (he has one
child, Carlotta); Lila died in 1888 at the
age of eleven years.

4J

HENRY DE LLOYD, who for the
past twenty-five years has been
prominently identified with Lorain
county, and known far and near as
a successful fast-horse trainer and
speeder, is a native of England, born May
26, 1846, in Shropshire. He is a son of
Henry and Sarah (Capper) De Lloyd, of
the same county, both of whom died there.
The subject of this memoir received his
education at the parish schools of his
native county, and from early boyhood has
been with and among horses; indeed, it
may truly be said of him that what he
does not know about that noble animal is
not worth knowing. In England, where
fast horses are run less " mechanically,"
probably, than in this country, he followed
the business of trainer, and also rode in
steeple- chases and other races, when a boy,
sitting the saddle with the ease and confi
dence of a veteran. In 1867 he immi
grated to the United States and to Ohio,
making a settlement in Ridgeville town
ship, Lorain county, where he has since
been engaged in farming in connection
with his other business interests. He
owns a good half-mile track, laid out about
eight years ago, and at the present time
has some nine or ten horses, besides colts,
training on it. He has some animals with
good records, including a colt, " Dolwood,"
a " Standard," one of the best-bred in

LORAIN COUNTY, OHIO.

1099

Northern Ohio. Mr. De Lloyd has made
several races in both Ohio and Michigan.
His farm in Ridgeville township is all
well improved and highly cultivated, and
is devoted to cereals and root crops.
Mr. De Lloyd was united in marriage
with Miss Emma J. Hudson, born in
Ridgeville township, Lorain county, a
daughter of Frederick and Mary (Colly)
Hudson, natives of England, the father of
Cambridgeshire, the mother of Yorkshire,
and both early immigrants to Ohio, their
first home in the New World being in
Cleveland, their last one in Ridgeville
township, Lorain county, where they died.
Four children have been born to Mr. and
Mrs. De Lloyd, namely: Leonard (married
to Miss Esther Fortune, and now residing
in Ridgeville township), Hudson, Martin
and Lee. Politically our subject is a
prominent Republican, active in the inter
ests of the party, and served as president
of the school board nine consecutive years.
Socially he is connected with Elyria Lodge,
No. 103, I. 0. O. F., and the Encamp
ment; also of the Knights of the Macca
bees at Ridgeville, being a charter member
of both Societies.

m NDREW OSBORN, one of tbe
Lj__\ oldest and most prominent of the
fr\_ agricultural citizens of Columbia
yj township, is a native of Ohio, born
in Summit county in 1823, a son
of Joseph and Phila (Ball) Osborn, of
Connecticut. About the year 1811 Joseph Osborn,
father of subject, came from the "Nut
meg State" to Ohio, making the journey
in four weeks on foot, and after locating
in Brimfield township, Portage county, re
turned for his wife, whom he had left be
hind in Connecticut. From Portage they
moved to Summit county, same State,
whence they came, in 1836, to Columbia
township, Lorain county, and hewed out a

new home in the wild woods. He was a
useful man in his day, serving as trustee
and assessor of Columbia township, of
which he was a resident half a century.
He was born at Waterbury, Conn., May
13, 1794, and died August 27, 1887, at
the advanced age of ninety-three years,
three months; he had served in the war of
1812, and was the recipient of a pension.
Before coming to Columbia township he
built the locks at Akron, Ohio, and helped
to raise the first building. Mr. Osborn
was twice married, first time to Phila Ball,
who bore him three children: Andrew,
subject of sketch; Phebe Ann, deceased at
the age of thirteen; and Hannah, wife of
Ormal Smith, of Olmsted township, Cuya
hoga county. The mother of these died
in 1831, and in 1832 Mr. Osborn married,
in Summit county, Roba Harrington, who
died April 17, 1875. Grandfather An
drew Osborn was a native of Connecticut,
born of English ancestry.
The subject of this sketch was thirteen
years old when he came with his parents
to Lorain county, and as a consequence he
received part of his education in Summit
county, Ohio, and part in Columbia town
ship, Lorain county. Since coming to Co
lumbia he has lived with his father upon
the old homestead, his present place, com
prising 180 acres of well-cultivated land,
where he is engaged in general agriculture.
In September, 1843, he was united in
marriage with Miss Harriet Ives, daugh
ter of Albert and Betsy (Russell) Ives,
natives, the father of Connecticut, the
mother of New York, who became early
settlers of Columbia township, Lorain
county, where they passed the rest of their
days. Nine children have been born to
Mr. and Mrs. Osborn: George, married to
Mrs. Mary (Hill) Harrington; Joseph,
married to Jessie Jasper, and has one
child, Bertha; Charley, who married Liz
zie Yunnan, and has two children, Lilly
and Leon; Phila, married to Warren Good
man, and has two children, Guy and For
est; Mary, wife of George fioward, of

1100

LORAIN COUNTY, OHIO.

Columbia township, has three children,
Emma, Vivian and Clare; Frank, born
November 6, 1851, died at the age of
nineteen, and three that died in infancy.
In his political predilections Mr. Osborn
was originally a Whig, and, since the
formation of the party, has been a straight
Republican. He and his wife have now
for half a century traveled together the
highway of life; and it is the earnest wish
of their many friends that they may be
spared to see many more anniversaries of
the commencement of their married life.

J. SNYDER. This gentleman,
who for many years was a success
ful tradesman, is now justly classed
among the progressive farmer citi
zens of Lorain county.
He was born November 12, 1828, in
Upper Angusta towmship, Northumber
land Co., Penn., and is a son of Joseph
Snyder, a farmer, who was born in Lancas
ter, Penn., July 1, 1791, and died January
8, 1872. He was a soldier in the war of
1812. He was twice married, the name
of his first wife being unknown. For his
second he married Mrs. Elizabeth Millet, a
widow, nee Noaker, who was born July 5,
1792, and she became the mother of the
subject of this sketch. The parents both
died in Schuylkill county, Penn. Grand
father Snyder, whose name was also Joseph,
was a native of Germany, and came to Lan
caster, Penn., immediately after marriage.
A. J. Snyder received a good prac
tical common-school education in reading
and writing, mathematics being entirely
omitted. When about sixteen years of age
he was bound out as an apprentice for
three and one-half years to Edward Finney,
a shoemaker in Danville, Columbia (now
in Montour) Co., Penn., with whom he re
mained from June 23, 1845, to March 1,
1848, at which time, having effected a

compromise with Finney, he purchased his
freedom. With what little money he had
saved from his earnings he proceeded to
Northumberland, then to Port Carbon,
thence to Pottsville, in all of which places
he followed his trade, successfully. While
in Port Carbon he was married, August
21, 1849, to Miss Elizabeth Ann Plunket,
daughter of Michael and Mary Plunket.
Their wedding tour was made with a horse
and buggy, and by the time they reached
home they found themselves absolutely
penniless, so poor was he when he plunged
into the sea of matrimony. In the spring
of 1850 Mr. and Mrs. Snyder came to
Ohio, being accompanied by her parents,
making among themselves quite a party of
immigrants. They had some time pre
viously started for Ohio, but were detained
at Hollidaysburg, Penn., where Mr. Sny
der worked at his trade. On their jour
ney westward the party passed through
Canton, New Lisbon, Massillon, Wooster
and Ashland, finally halting at Plymouth,
where our subject found himself -forty
dollars in debt. He worked at his trade
in Norwalk and New Haven, and again at
Plymouth, in the latter place for eleven
years, saving a little money there, and
providing a home for the family. Here
he lost his first wife, she dying January 1,
1859, and here she was buried; she left
three children, viz.: Lucinda A., now Mrs.
Samuel Markle, of Ashland, Ohio; Willis,
a farm laborer of Miami county, Ohio; and
Antoinetta, now Mrs. Morris Risser, of
Ashland, Ohio. For his second wife Mr.
Snyder married, October 15, 1859, Mrs.
Melinda Shurter, a widow, and two chil
dren, both deceased in infancy, were born
to this union.. Mrs. Melinda Synder died
December 18, 1861, and our subject on
March 31, 1863, married Miss Mary Quinn,
who bore him two children (twins): One
deceased in infancy, and William, now in
Bloominggrove township, Richland Co.,
Ohio. Mrs. Mary Snyder died January 4,
1864, and January 1, 1865, the thrice-
bereaved husband wedded Miss Lydia

LORAIN COUNTY, OHIO.

1101

Simonson, by whom there were two chil
dren: Joseph G., a farmer of Richland
county, Ohio, and Bertha M., who died at
the age of fifteen years. This wife passed
away December 21, 1872, and for his fifth
and present spouse Mr. Snyder married,
September 4, 1873, Miss Victoria Mc
Millen, of Oliversburg, Richland Co.,
Ohio. To this last marriage five children
were born, to wit: Etta A., deceased at the
age of niue years; and Carlos L., Leroy V.,
Autha P. and Ralph V., all at home.
In Plymouth our subject made his home
until 1861; then lived on a farm a short
time, after which he moved to Shelby,
Ohio, where for a brief period he worked
at his trade; thence went to a farm in
Bloominggrove township, Richland county,
and then again resided in Shelby a short
time. In the spring of 1865 he came to
Lorain county, settling in Rochester town
ship, where he had purchased of Erastus
Knapp 150 acres of prime land (his present
home), on which he has made many im
provements. Mr. Snyder is not only a
good farmer, but a systematic business
man, keeping a regular set of books, show
ing expenditure and revenue in all his deal
ings ever since he commenced on his pres
ent farm. Politically he is a zealous Re
publican, taking a lively interest iu the
affairs of the party, and has been a dele
gate to various county conventions. In
Church relationship he is a member of the
M. E. Church, his wife being a Baptist.

J | B. PARKER, a prominent business
man of North Amherst, well-known
' in insurance circles, is a native of the
State of New York, born October 28,
1830, in Lexington, Greene county. He is
a son of Abram and Elizabeth (Buel)
Parker, of the same county, the former of
whom, a farmer by occupation, and a Dem
ocrat in politics, died in April, 1852, the

latter dying in Williamstown, Oswego
county, N. Y, in October, 1864, and was
buried in Jewett, Greene county, N. Y.
J. B. Parker received his education at
the district schools of his native place, and
was reared on his father's farm. In 1856
he moved to Wayne county, Penn., where
he bad charge of a store, and was book
keeper for Morse, Martin & Co. (later
Morse, Cook & Co.) until 1862, when he
proceeded to Williamstown, Oswego coun
ty, N. Y., and engaged in general mer
chandising, continuing in business there
until 1869, the year he came to New Lon
don, Ohio. In that town he remained till
1874, and then moved to North Amherst,
where he lias since resided, intimately
identified with the business interests of the
place. In 1851 Mr. Parker was married, in
Greene county, N. Y., to Miss Louisa Ben
jamin, who died without issue, and in 1855
he became united in marriage with Mrs.
S. C. Pain, nee Wolcott, by which union
there were four children (two of whom are
yet living), viz.: (1) Metta A., widow of
J. B. Norton, of Amherst; (2) Lillie and
(3) Willie, twins (the former or whom died
in Williamstown, Oswego county, N. Y.,
the latter in Ledge Dale, Wayne Co.,
Penn.), and (4) Carrie E., wife of E. E.
Kimmel, residing at Cedar Valley, Iowa.
Mr. Parker is a Democrat of the first water,
and was elected a justice of the peace in
1891; is now serving his second term as
notary public, and has been a member of
the town council. In his fire, life and
accident insurance business, in which he
has been engaged the past six years, he
represents, among other offices, the Glens
Falls, Manchester, North Western and'
National and Wayne County Fire Com
panies, besides the New York Life and
National Life of Vermont. In addition to
all this he is secretary of the North Am
herst Shear Co., incorporated December
18, 1890, with which he has been con
nected since its organization. He and his
wife are members of the M. E. Church, in

1102

LORAIN COUNTY, OHIO.

the Sunday-school work of which, and in the
choir, he has taken much personal interest.
Mrs. Parker was born September 4,
1830, in Lexington, Greene Co:, N. Y., a
daughter of Reuben I. and Artemesia
(Buel) Wolcott, natives of New York, who
in 1831 came west to Huron county, Ohio,
making their residence for a time in Fitch
ville, thence moving to Ruggles township
(now in Ashland county). The mother
departed this life in Huron county, Ohio,
in 1842, the father in Ruggles township
(then in Huron county) in 1863 or '64.
fie was a farmer of prominence, and in his
day an active politician, first as a Whig,
afterward as a Republican. Mrs. Parker
was educated in Oberlin, and has been twice
married, as already recorded. Mr. Parker's
grandfather, William Parker, a native of
Connecticut, was a drummer boy in the
Revolutionary war; in after life he settled
in Lexington, Greene Co., N. Y. Her
grandfather, Munson Buel, also a native
of Connecticut, moved in an early day to
Lexington, Greene Co., N. Y., and died at
the advanced age of eighty-two; he was a
cloth dresser by trade, and also owned a
flour and grist mill.

JlACOB SCHAIBLE, in his day a well-
known Lorain county pioneer, was
_J born March 27, 1807, in Boulanden,
Wurtemberg, Germany, and died
.February 7, 1874.
When but Ave or six years old he lost
both of his parents by death, leaving him and
his only brother, Michael, orphans. After
the death of the parents, his grandmother,
on the mother's side, undertook the care
'of the two little boys, and gave them both
a common-school education.
Jacob took up the pursuit of farming
(and it was in this career that he grew up
to manhood), in which he was eminently
successful. In January, 1834, he was
united in marriage with Miss Catharine B.
Ramsayer, granddaughter of the then emi
nent physician and surgeon, C. H. von

Ottein, who had engaged the best teachers
money could procure and gave her a good
education. Mr. Schaible, with his young
wife, settled on his estates, on which he had
made many improvements after his major
ity, and as they both liked country life
their home life was attractive and pleasant.
Nothing, in fact, marred their every-day
life until in the fall of the year 1846, when
Mr. Schaible was suddenly stricken down
with an illness so severe that his life hung
in the balance for many a day; finally,
however, his strong constitution prevailed
over the disease, although he did not fully
recover his former health. Then his at
tending physician and several other phy
sicians held a consultation, and their
unanimous decision was that Mr. Schaible
should take a sea voyage for the restoration
of his health.
Accordingly in May, 1848, with his wife
and five children, Mr. Schaible wended his
way toward the seaport of Havre, took pas
sage there ona sailing ship, and after a tem
pestuous voyage of seven weeks landed at
New York. Their stay there was of short
dnration, for they soon turned in the di
rection of Ohio, taking steamer on the
Hudson river as far a> Albany; from
there in a canal boat to Buffalo, thence to
Cleveland, whence they came directly to
Elyria, arriving there August 1, 1848.
The three months' travel restored Mr.
Schaible to his former health. Elyria was
then but a mere village, straggling out
over several streets of mud and under
brush, and the only approaches at that time
were by the way of lake and stage coach.
Mr. Schaible soon after his arrival pur
chased land one mile west of Elyria, built
a small house and settled on his farm,
which was nearly all covered with under
brush and forest. He immediately began
to clear and improve his property until he
had one of the best farms in the county,
also buying more land from time to time
until he had some three or four hundred
acres of well-improved land at the time of
his death. He was honest and indus-

LORAIN COUNTY, OHIO.

1103

trious, kind and obliging, and his name be
came the synonym for integrity and up
rightness. Being temperate in his habits,
he was a rare specimen of the hardy pio
neer. He was a faithful member of the
Evangelical Lutheran Church from early
youth, and for many years was its stanchest
supporter. In the family he was a loving
husband, a kind and indulgent father. His
faithful wife, who had so long shared his
joys and sorrows, preceded him but eight
weeks in death. His remains were placed
beside those of his wife in Murry Ridge
Cemetery, in the bosom of mother earth, in
full hope of a glorious resurrection.
Mr. Schaible left four sons and five
daughters to mourn his loss, viz.: Agnes
B, Theiss, of Cleveland; Margaretha M.
Limb, of Wooster; J. Frederich Schaible,
who died February 12, 1875; C. Hen
rietta Krieger, of Wooster, Ohio; Jacob
E Schaible, of Elyria; Carrie Schaible,
Charles H. Schaible, John G. Schaible and
Sophia C. Schaible, all of Elyria.

JfACOB E. SCHAIBLE was born in
k. I Germany, and was but two years old
\^j when he came with his father to this
country. He now lives on his farm
of 140 acres on West Ridge, and is one of
the most thorough farmers in Lorain
county. Mr. Schaible has over sixteen
thousand tile under ground, and has one
of the best-improved farms. He and his
two children are members of St. Paul's
Church. In 1886 he took a trip across the ocean,
and visited the principal cities in England,
France and Germany, spending some time
in his native country.

JULIAS BAUMHART, one of the
leading, most prosperous and enter
prising agriculturists of Black River
township, is a native of Erie county,
Ohio, born in 1845.
57

E

His father, Capt. Adam Baumhart, was
born in Hessia, Germany, whence at the
age of fourteen years he came to America
and to Erie county, Ohio, with his father,
Elias Baumhart. In 1846 Adam moved to
Black River township, Lorain county. He
was married in Erie county to Christina
Herwig; daugher of Jacob and Catherine
(Blech) Herwig, all of Hessia, Germany,
who came to tho United States when
Christina was eight years old. They were
nine weeks crossing the ocean. Jacob
Herwig was a miller in the Fatherland,
but in this country he followed farming.
He died in 1873, his wife in 1853. Capt.
Adam and Christina Baumhart are the
parents of eleven children, viz.: Emeline,
wife of Benjamin Claus, of Brownhelm
township; Elias, subject of sketch; Jacob,
deceased at the age of two years; Henry,
who died wheu a°;ed fifteen years; Cather
ine, wife of Charles Hohn, of Black River
township, Lorain county; Armina, at home
with her parents; Martha, wife of Henry
Furber, of Erie county, Ohio; Adam, Jr.,
studying medicine at tbe University of
Ann Arbor, Michigan; Edward, who died
when five years old; Jacob, on his father's
farm in Brownhelm township, and James,
also a farmer in that township. The par
ents are yet residing in Brownhelm town
ship, highly respected and honored.
Elias Baumhart received his education
at the district schools of Black River town
ship, whither he was brought when an in
fant. He was reared to agricultural pursuits,
and after attaining his majority bought
fifty-six acres of land, which he cleared.
This he subsequently rented, and bought
his present fine farm of 240 acres, well
watered by a good creek and equipped with
all necessary buildings. In December,
1869, Mr. Baumhart was united in mar
riage, in Brownhelm township, Lorain
county, with Miss Amelia Lutz, who died
March 16, 1873, the mother of two chil
dren: Charles and Thomas, the latter of
whom died when eight months old. On
April 12, 1874, our subject married, in

1104

LORAIN COUNTY, OHIO.

Black River township, Lorain county, for
his second wife, Miss Margaret Jacobs, a
native of that township, and daughter of
Peter and Dora (Smith) Jacobs. To this
union have been born six children, viz.:
Delia, Benwill, Nelson, Armina, Robert,
and Edward, who died when seven months
old. The parents are members of the
Evangelical Church; in politics Mr. Baum
hart is a Democrat, and lias served his
township as trustee.

MLLIAM A. BATES. William
Bates, the paternal grandsire of
our subject, was born and reared
in Connecticut, but passed the
freater portion of his life in Lewis county,
L Y., near the town of Lowville. His
vocation in life was that of a farmer. He
married Mrs. Sarah Woods, and the results
of this union were ten children; by a pre
vious marriage five were born.
In about 1836, then in his seventy-fifth
year, he removed to the then wilds of
Ohio, whither several of his sons had pre
ceded him a year. The journey was made
overland, the means of locomotion being
four strong horses, and the conveyance a
large covered wagon, into which were
crowded the family and many personal
effects. The remaining years of his life
were passed with his children, all of whom
were located in Lorain county, Ohio. He
was a veteran of the Revolutionary war,
bravely fought for liberty as a trooper,
and was commended by his officer for
gallantry and bravery in the battle against
the British at Sacket's Harbor. He de
parted this life in 1848, at the age of
eighty-four years. His good wife sur
vived him some thirteen years, aud was a
like number of years his junior. She also
lived to the age of eighty-four, and was
remarkably well preserved and hale, in
fact, a few months previous to ber demise
ehp thought but little of a walk of a half

mile. They were formerly Presbyterians,
but after removing to Ohio they joined
the Methodists, and they were exemplary
Christian people. The following children
accompanied and located in Lorain county,
with their father: Francis, Ottis, Bennett,
Hannah, Moses, Lyman, Thaxter, Norton
and Charles, all now deceased, Bennett be
ing the last to pass away, dying in De
cember, 1892. The father of these was a
Highland Scotchman, and was a man of
giant-like dimensions, being six and one-
half feet in stature, and weighing over
three hundred pounds. His sons averaged
six feet in height, and were of massive
proportions. Francis Bates, the father of subject,
was born in Lewis county, N. Y., in 1800,
and was there reared, fie was possessed
of skill in the use of tools of any sort, but
his attention chiefly turned toward farm
ing, and the trade of shoemaking. In
1835, at the age of about thirty-five years,
he gathered together his savings and
started for the then wilds of Ohio, almost
immediately on his arrival locating upon
a tract of fifty acres in the western portion
of Lorain county. To pay for the land he
was employed at working for others; bis
leisure being used in the clearing of his
own land. At that period the wages re
ceived "at clearing" were fifty cents to
seventy-five cents per day. At tbe time
of his advent into this then "wilderness"
there were several log houses in Camden
township. In 1820 he married Miss Maria
Obits, a lady of German parentage, though
of American birth, and a native of the
same county as her husband. To this
union were bora four sons and one daugh
ter, namely: Nelson, Sallie Ann, Justin,
Elbirge and William A. Of these the
last mentioned and Justin, a prominent
citizen of the Hawkeye State, are the only
ones living. Francis Bates was, politically,
an Old-line Whig, an earnest Abolition
ist, and religiously a devout member of the
Methodist Church, as was also his faithful
wife. Both were well and kindly known

LORAIN COUNTY, OHIO.

1105

throughout a large community, and their
deeds of charity are traditional in many of
the pioneer homes of the county. In Oc
tober, 1858, Francis Bates departed this
life, his wife following him to eternal rest
in 1869.
William A. Bates, the subject proper of
this memoir, was born in St. Lawrence
county, N. Y., and there reared to the age
of fourteen, when he came west with his
parents to Ohio. Here lie attended school
in the old log school building with its slab
benches and other primitive furnishings.
Soon, however, he was compelled to shoul
der his portion of the labor of cleariug his
father's land, and working for others to
assist in the payment of the indebtedness,
into which his father had gone in the pur
chase of same. For such work he received
twelve dollars per acre cleared, and, for only
chopping or felliug the timber, six dollars
per acre. Mr. Bates' health was never ro
bust, and he received many setbacks in his
progress even in his youth, because of this
misfortune. When about twenty-seven he
had about two hundred dollars, all saved
from his earnings, and he then linked his
fortunes with those of Miss Sarah Sigs-
worth, the date of their marriage being
June 29, 1848. She is the daughter of
Thomas Sigsworth (now deceased), who
was one of the first, if not the first, of
Camden township's citizens. He was a
native of England, and by many of the
older residents of Camden he is remem
bered as an industrious, loyal, thoroughly
esteemed citizen. To our subject and wife
were born children as follows: S. Olive,
William Duane, Ella M., Mary A., Fran
cis W?, Elma R., Willnettie and L. Clem-
ant; the first three were born in Ohio and
died in infancy, the others were born in
Iowa. Of these Mary A. is the wife of
Floyd Twining, of Henrietta township;
Francis W. and Elma R. reside at home
with their parents; Willnettie (Mrs. Ed
ward Bell) is a resident of North Royal-
ton, Ohio; L. Ciemant is a successful clerk
in Lorain, Lorain county. In October,

1854, thinking a change of climate would
benefit his health, he removed to the then
new State of Iowa; accompanied by his
wife he made the trip in a covered wagon.
After remaining in Iowa thirteen years, he
returned to Ohio in May, 1867.
Mr. Bates has been a successful agri
culturist, and is highly respected through
out his wide acquaintance. He has given
his children the advantage of a good edu
cation, and that they appreciate the efforts
of their parents in their behalf is shown
in their devotion to them, in these their
declining years. Mr. Bates is a Republi
can, politically, and takes an active and in
telligent interest in local and national
affairs, and has held several local offices.
His farm displays the hand of enterprise
and thrift, the many improve ments bespeak
ing well his praise. Mrs. Bates and other
members of tbe family are earnest and de
vout members of the Methodist Church.

^ESLEY HASTINGS, a worthy
representative of one of the earli
est pioneer families of Penfield
township, is a native of Wilna,
Jefferson Co., N. Y., bom December 21,
1822. He is a son of Curtice and Pattie^
(Groves) Hastings, the former of whom
was bora in Vermont, and when a young
man removed to New York State, where
he married and had children as follows:
Ashley, who was accidentally killed by the
explosion of a signal gun in LaGrange
township, Lorain Co., Ohio; Wesley, sub
ject of this sketch; and Submit, Mrs. Ly
man Crane, of Chatham Center, Medina
Co., Ohio. Curtice Hastings followed the
carpenter's trade, for which he had a na
tural inclination, and in 1825 came west
to Ohio, in company with Henry Towns-
end, walking the entire distance from
New York State. He visited in Harris
ville and Lodi, and, after looking over the

1106

LORAIN COUNTY, OHIO.

land in Lorain and Medina counties, re
turned home. In June, 1826, he set out
for Ohio with his family, being a long time
on the road, as they drove the entire dis
tance, aud their team was the first one to
enter the township. They made their home
at the house of a family named Holcomb
until their cabin of logs and bark was
erected on the tract which Mr. Hastings
had bargained for, which at that time was
a dense wilderness, abounding with wild
animals; and many were the exciting ad
ventures and narrow escapes which the
pioneers had in these forests. Their cabin
was a rude one, and for the first year had
no floor, and neither door nor window. At
first they had to go a long distance east to
have their milling done, hauling the grist
on a sled drawn by oxen, the journey oc
cupying five days and nights, and marked
trees being their only guide, as there were
no roads.
After locating iu LaGrange township
the family was increased by the following
members: E. H. and E. G. (twins), who
were the first white male children born in
the township; Samuel, a farmer of La
Grange township; a daughter that died in
infancy; Edson, now a farmer of LaGrange
township; and a son, who was adopted in
infancy, on the death of his mother, by the
Dreher family of Grafton township, who
moved to Utah and joined the Mormons,
which was the last heard of them and the
child. Mrs. Hastings was interred in East
cemetery, LaGrange township, and for his
second wife Mr. Hastings married Asenath
Amie, who bore him one child, Frank, who
served in the Civil war (he died in La
Grange township). After coming west
Mr. Hastings engaged in agriculture, and
also continued to follow the carpenter trade,
erecting many of the first gristmills in his
section. He also conducted the sawmill at
Rawson ville for some time, and he was the
builder of the Jonathan Rawson mill that
stood at Grafton Station. He began to
prosper, accumulated property, and at the
time of his death was in very comfortable

circumstances. His second wife preceded
him to the grave. Politically he was a
Democrat. Wesley Hastings was but a child of four
years when he came to Ohio, at which time,
and for several years following, there were
no schools of any kind in his district. The
first one opened was of the subscription
variety, but be was unable to attend even
this regularly, as his services were needed
at home. He was reared to agricultural
life on the pioneer farm, and learned the
trade of a carpenter under his father. On
April 2, 1842, he was united in marriage
with Miss Elmira Loomis, a native of Jef
ferson county, N. Y., daughter of Justin
and Sally (Sillick) Loomis, who came to
LaGrange township in an early day, locat
ing on Vermont street. To this union
were born children as follows: Charles, a
carpenter, in the employ of the D. L. Wads
worth Lumber Co., of Wellington, Ohio;
and Irwin, who died young. After his
marriage our subject located on Vermont
street, LaGrange township, where lie re
mained for a year, and then removed to a
farm directly opposite this place and sepa
rated from it by the Black river. Here
he lived four years, with Dorias Holcomb,
a brother-in-law, in a house which they
erected, thence moving to his present farm
in Penfield township, where he has now
had his home for over fifty years. The
section was then a vast wilderness, and
here Mr. Hastings purchased fifty acres at
six dollars per acre, to which he has since
added, and all of which has been cleared
and improved by his own labor. In con
nection with farming he continued to fol
low his trade until 1875, aud he has erected
more buildings in his section than any
other man living; be has also worked in
other parts of the county. For a number
of years he has given his principal atten
tion to farming, and, though he has passed
his threescore and ten years, he is yet
capable of doing a good day's work. In
political matters Mr. Hastings has always
sympathized with the Democratic party,

LORAIN COUNTY, OHIO.

1107

although he voted for Abraham Lincoln;
in former years he took considerable inter
est in party affairs, and served in various
local offices. He is a highly respected citi
zen of the community, and now, after many
years of toil and hardship, enjoys a com
fortable competence.

E! A. TURNEY, a thoroughly repre
sentative farmer and influential citi-
 l zen of Amherst township, is a na
tive of Ohio, born in Lake county,
March 23, 1815.
The father of subject was born in Fair
field, Conn., October 15, 1759, and was
married to Polly Downes, who was born in
Reading, same State, December 2, 1768.
He was a soldier in the Revolutionary war,
his first enlistment being in 1777, and his
first battle at Danbury, his second at Black
Rock, both in Connecticut; later he served
in the baggage train of tbe army till the
close of the war. From the year 1832 to
thecloseof his life he was in receipt of a pen
sion from the Government of eight dollars
per month. While a resident of Connecticut
he was for a time a sailor on merchant ships,
trading with the West Indies. In 1809 he
came to Ohio, and bought 100 acres of wild
land in Madison township, Lake county,
wliich he improved; later he purchased 160
acres in Perry township, Lake county, and
finally another seventy acres in Madison
township, aggregating 330 acres, of which
he gave to each of three sons 100 acres.
In politics he was an Old-line Whig, his
first vote being cast for George Washing
ton, in Connecticut; after coming to Madi
son, he served as trustee of that township.
He died April 5, 1833, aged seventy- three
years, five months and twenty days; his
wife on October 9, 1835, aged sixty-six
years, ten months and twenty- three days;
they were members of the Baptist Church.
To this honored pioneer couple were born
children as follows: Daniel Turney, a
farmer, born May 11, 1788, died March 9,

1841, in Lake county, Ohio, whither he had
come on foot from Connecticut; Phebe
Turney, born March 9, 1791, who was mar
ried to Erial Cook, and died in Lake county,
March 4, 1852; David Turney, born De
cember 25, 1794, died in Lake county, Marcii
5, 1826, aged thirty-one years, two months
ten days; George Washington Turney, bora
Marcii 13, 1797, died in Lake county,
February 19, 1830; Charlany Turney, born
August 20, 1799, married James Gage, and
died in Lake county, in June, 1829; Asa
Squire Turney, bora March 20, 1804, died
in Lake county, February 16, 1886 (he was
a minister of the Disciple Church); Marvin
Turney, born in Connecticut, August 11,
1807, who resided on a farm in Dearborn
township, Wayne Co., Mich., where he set
tled in 1834, until his death, which occurred
April 28, 1893, when he was aged eighty-
six years; and Eli A., subject of sketch.
Eli A. Turney received his education at
the public schools of Lake county, Ohio,
which were first held in a blockhouse, after
ward in a log house, and he was reared to
agricultural pursuits, which he followed for
some time. He then engaged in ship
building at Black River, Sandusky, Ver
million, Huron and Milan, lake port towns
of Lorain and Erie counties, Ohio. Subse
quently he entered the Freewill Baptist
ministry, was licensed to preach in 1850,
and ordained in June, 1856, ever since
which he has been a minister in that church
as a member of the Freewill Baptist As
sociation. In 1833 Mr. Turney moved to
Lorain county, and to Amherst township,
wThere he bought 118 acres of wild land,
which he improved, erecting thereon tbe
first log house he ever saw built, and, con
trary to the prevailing custom of those days,
no whiskey was used during the work. Prior
to coming to Lorain couuty he resided for
a time in Geauga county, same State.
On May 12, 1833, our subject married,
in Ridgeville, Ohio, Minerva Seeley, a na
tive of Tioga county, N. Y., born Septem
ber 15, 1815. The result of this union
was seven children, of whom the following

1108

LORAIN COUNTY, OHIO.

is a brief record : Albert Turney, who was
educated at Oberlin, Ohio, is now a resi
dent of Bowling Green, Wood Co., Ohio;
he married Hannah Harris, of Oberlin, and
has two daughters: SophiaaudCory. Cyrena
R. Turney became the wife of Perry Bel den,
of Amherst, and died in 1860. La Fayette
Turney, born April 6, 1838, was educated
at Amherst, and lives at Grand Rapids,
Ohio, where he is a salesman ; he has three
children, one of whom , E.E. Turney, is study
ing for the ministry. David M. Turney,
born March 20, 1848, a railroad man, lives
iu Kansas. Mary, born July 10, 1853, is
the wife of Frank Bissell, of Columbus,
Ohio. Henry Turney died in Lorain county
October 21, 1858. Charles Wesley Turney,
born October 1, 1841, died at the age of
fourteen months. The mother of these
died May 29, 1868, and September 11,
1869, Mr. Turney married Mrs. Arvilla
(Crocker) Brauch, who was born in North
Amherst, Ohio, daughter of Roswell and
Perlina (Barnes) Crocker, the father a native
of New York, the mother of Becket, Mass.
They came to Lorain county, Ohio, in 1817,
locating near Amherst, but in 1834 moved
to Madison, Lake county, where Mr. Crocker
died in 1868, his widow in 1880, at the age
of eighty years. They reared a family of
eight children, as follows: Eliza, widow of
O. Barney, of North Amherst; Alonzo and
Lorenzo (twins), born in 1819, the latter of
whom died at the age of sixty-eight; Ar
villa, wife of subject; Fannie, whose hus
band, Dr. Martin Luce, died of cholera on
Sand Bar in the Ohio river; John W., a
resident of Lake county, Ohio; Hulda,
wife of D. D. Fox, of Doylestown, Wis.;
and Erastus W., a resident of Hawaii, Sand
wich Islands. Mrs. Turney is the oldest
living lady bora in Amherst township. In
1840 she was married to S. G. Brauch, of
Madison, Lake Co., Ohio, and three chil
dren were born to them, viz.: E. P., mar
ried and residing in Florida (he served in
the Civil war); W. S., in Dakota; and
Fannie, wife of C. M. Parsons, of Cleve
land, Ohio. Mr. Brauch died in 1863.

In politics Mr. Turney is a Republican-
Prohibitionist, and cast his vote for W. H.
Harrison in 1840; he has been a member
of the school board for years. He is a mem
ber of the Freewill Baptist Cliurch, Mrs
Turney of the Congregational Cliurch.

FHILIP SIPPEL, well-known in Lo
rain county and elsewhere as a prom
inent contractor and builder, is a
native of Hessia, Germany, born
July 20, 1831. He is a son of
George and Mary (Schaffer) Sippel, who
both died in Germany, the father in 1836,
the mother in 1871, at the "age of seventy-
seven years; they were members of the
German Presbyterian Church.
Our subject was educated in the public
schools of his native land, and in 1853
came to the United States, landing in New
York with but three dollars left, which he
afterward gave to a less fortunate com
rade, who was unable to secure work. Our
subject, finding employment in New York,
saved his earnings, and when he had laid
by enough to carry him westward, set out
for Lorain county, Ohio, and, in about
three months after first setting foot on
American soil, he found himself settled in
the then village of North Amherst, which
has since been his home. In the Father
land he had learned the trade of carpenter
and joiner, and for some time followed it
iu this country. Having bought a farm,
he laid aside his trade for a time, and fol
lowed agricultural pursuits, but selling the
property he resumed carpentry, at which
he made a success. Mr. Sippel is now
recognized as the leading contractor and
builder of North Amherst, having the full
confidence of the community, and has been
the architect and builder of the M. E. and
Presbyterian churches, besides various
business blocks.
In 1856 Mr. Sippel was united in mar
riage with Miss Catherine Keller. Polit-

LORAIN COUNTY, OHIO.

1109

ically he is a Democrat, and for nine years
was a member of the board of education,
was township trustee one term, and served
his town as treasurer six years. Socially
he is a member of the K. of P. and I. O.
O. F.,in which latter he has passed all the
Chairs.

E

BIGLOW, proprietor of the West
Yiew Tile and Brick Works, is a
j native of Lorain county, born in
Columbia township in 1845, a son
of Daniel and Martha L. (Stranahan) Big-
low, also of Columbia township, where
both are yet living.
Ephraim Biglow, grandfather of sub
ject, was born in Massachusetts, whence
when a boy he moved to Maine, from there
to New York, and from there migrated to
Lorain county, Ohio, settling in Colum
bia township, where he passed the rest of
his days.
E. Biglow, the subject proper of this
sketch, received a liberal-education at the
public schools of his native township, and
lived on a farm up to the age of twenty-
eight, when he embarked in mercantile
business in West View, Cuyahoga county,
continuing in same till the spring of 1893.
In 1880 he became the proprietor of the
West View Tile and Brick Works, which
were built in 1880 for the manufacture of
all kinds of brick and tile; they do the
most extensive business and have the
largest plant of any concern of the kind in
the county. The capacity of the works is
400,000 brick each season, with a corre
sponding capacity for tile, and they gener
ally have on hand a large supply of both
products. The storage room is three stories
high, 40 x 64, with a wing, two stories,
24x80; engine-room 20x24; drying shed
18 x 64, heated by steam pipes throughout;
clay house, a brick building, 26 x 30, lo
cated on the " Big Four" Railroad, with
side track running to the works. There is
also an iron track for carrying clay.

In 1874 Mr. Biglow was married in
Columbia township, Lorain county, to
Miss C. R. Osborn, daughter of Asahel
Banner and Sophronia (Scales) Osborn, all
natives of that township; both parents are
deceased. To this union there is one
child, Ernest O., at present attending
Berea College. In politics Mr. Biglow is
a Republican, and for eighteen years he
served as postmaster at West View. He
and his wife are members of the M. E.
Church of that town, and they are held in
the highest respect by all who know them.

A NIEL BIGLOW, a prominent, na
tive-born agriculturist of Columbia
township, first saw the light in the
year 1820.
His parents, Ephraim and Nancy (Frink)
Biglow, were natives of Massachusetts and
Connecticut, respectively, and were mar
ried in New York State, whence, in 1816,
they migrated westward to Ohio, coming
with a team. They located in the woods
of Columbia township, Lorain county,
where they passed the remainder of their
lives, the father dying in 1838, the mother
in 1861. He was an ardent advocate of
the principles of the Whig party, voting
for Thomas Jefferson, and took an active
interest in the politics of his day. Mr.
and Mrs. Biglow had a family of eight
children, but two of whom are now living,
viz.: Daniel, the subject of this sketch,
and Amasa, married, who resides in Olm
sted Falls, Cuyahoga Co., Ohio.
Daniel Biglow was reared and educated
in his native township, and during his
early youth aided in clearing the home
farm. He has made agriculture his life
vocation. In 1852 he settled on his pres
ent farm, then consisting of seventy-eight
acres, which he has since improved and
from time to time added to until he now
has 137 acres, 110 of which are cleared

1110

LORAIN COUNTY, OHIO.

and in a good state of cultivation. In 1844
Mr. Biglow was married, in Columbia
township, to Miss M. L. Stranahan, daugh
ter of Joshua C. and Mary (Mason) Strana
han, natives of Connecticut, where the
mother died; in an early day the father
came to Columbia township, Lorain Co.,
Ohio, where he passed away in 1859. To
this union were bora three children, two
of whom are living, namely: Ephraim,
residing in West Yiew, who is married
and has one child, Ernest; and G. J., re
siding at home. In political matters our
subject is a Republican, and has served
as trustee of Columbia township. He is
one of the three oldest residents of same.
Mrs. Biglow is a member of the Baptist
Church.

FETER FORTHOFER, a prominent
farmer citizen of Avon township, and
trustee of same, is a native of Bava
ria, Germany, born July 14, 1841.
He is a son of John and Joanna
(Schwartz) Forthofer, of tbe same locality,
who in 1853 immigrated with their family
to the United States, coming to Ohio and
locating in Dover township, Cuyahoga
county, for five years, and thence moving
to Avon township, Lorain county. Here
the father, who was a lifelong farmer, died
in 1880, the mother in 1885. They were
the parents of four children, as follows:
Joseph, who died in Avon township in
1891: John, married, residing in Avon
township; Mary Susan, wife of George
Nagel (both deceased in 1893), and Peter.
The subject of this commemorative ar
ticle was twelve years old when he came
from Bavaria to America, so that he was
partly educated in his native land and
partly in this country. On coming to
Avon township he engaged in farm labor,
and was so employed until 1868, when he
settled in same township on his present

farm, which then consisted of fifty-four
acres of partly-improved land, which he
has since improved and added to until now
it is a fine property of 193 acres, all under
excellent cultivation. In 1865 Mr. Fortho
fer was married, in Sheffield township, Lo
rain county, to Miss Margaret Friedman,
daughter of George and Margaret (Miller)
Friedman, all natives of Bavaria, who im
migrated to America, first locating in
Ravenna, Ohio, and thence in 1852 moving
to Sheffield township. In 1865 they
finally settled in Mercer county, Ohio,
where Mr. Friedman died in 1869, Mrs.
Friedman in April, 1885. To our subject
and wife were born- ten children, as follows:
Mary, wife of George Bohland, of Dover,
Ohio; George; Joseph, married, residing
in Avon township; John; Anna, wife of
George Conrod, of Avon township; Peter;
Andrew; Maggie; Anton, and Jacob. The
parents are members of the Catholic Church
at Avon, and in politics Mr. Forthofer isa
sound Democrat.

fr*f H. VAN WAGNEN, who for the
I I past fifty-five years has been a lead-
^^j ing agriculturist of Lorain county,
jfk- is a native of the State of New
York, born May 5, 1817, a son of
Garrett C. and Mary (Welton) Yan-
Wagnen, natives of New Jersey.
They were married in New York State,
whence in 1832 they moved to Portage
county, Ohio, where they carried on farm
ing, and reared a family of fifteen children,
eight of whom are yet living, namely:
Sally Ann, wife of Samuel Voorhees, of
Elmira, N. Y.; Mary, widow of Ambrose
Johnson, of Sullivan. Ashland Co., Ohio;
G. H., our subject; Alonzo, married, and
residing in Missouri; Evaline, widow of
Madison Johelyn, late of Brownhelm
township, Lorain county; Agnes, wife of
Edward Frost, of Mantua, Portage Co.,
Ohio; Charles, married, residence Chi-

d/r // tti*^t /$0L4

't<&#?ifi^\'

LORAIN COUNTY, OHIO.

1113

cago, 111.; and Sabrina, wife of Albert
Llastings, of Kent, Portage Co., Ohio.
The father of this family passed from
earth in 1851, the mother surviving him
till 1876.
The subject of our sketch was reared on
a farm in New York State, and received
his education at the schools of the neigh
borhood of his place of birth. In 1832
he came west to Ohio, making his home
for a time in Portage couuty, and in the
following year proceeded to Cleveland,
where he learned the trade of carpenter,
at which he worked thirty years. In 1838
he came to Lorain county, plying his trade
in Grafton and Eaton townships till 1848,
in which year he bought ninety-six acres
totally unimproved land in the wild woods
of the last named township. This he set
to work to reduce to a state of cultivation,
subsequently adding to it thirty-eight
acres, now presenting in the aggregate
as fine a farm as can be found in the
county. Here he carries on general agri
culture, including the rearing of Holstein
cattle. In 1840 Mr. Van Wagnen was married
in Grafton township, Lorain county, to
Miss Lucinda Cornning, a native of New
York, daughter of Nathan and Clarissa
(Smith) Cornning, both of Connecticut,
whence in 1832 they came to Lorain
county, Ohio, settling in Grafton town
ship, and here the father followed his
trade, that of mechanic, up to the day of
his death; he passed away about the year
1854, his wife surviving him some years,
and dying in Iowa. To Mr. and Mrs.
Van Wagnen were born seven children, as
follows: (1) Welton, married, and residing
in Michigan. (2) Clarissa, wife of C. G.
Reynolds, of Tuscola county, Mich.; have
four children: Ida Ettie, wife of George
Clark, of Brighton, Lorain county (have
two children: Tracey and an infant, un
named), Hattie, Clark and Delos. (3)
Irving, married and residing in Tuscola
county, Mich.; have children as follows:
Martin, Henry (married, and living in

Michigan), Katie, Lo, Olive and Frederick.
(4) Hattie, the wife of Thomas King, of
Eaton township; their children are Eva,
Grace, Myrtle, Clara, Minnie, Richard
and Nellie. (5) Henry, a resident of
Eaton township, a sketch of whom follows
this. (6) Frank, married to Susan Cham
bers, and. has three children, Lura, Cora
and Gertrude. (7) Charles, twice mar
ried, first time to Elmira Bingham, and
by her had one child, Ida; second wife
Martha Bingham; he is a painter by
trade, and they reside in Lorain. In poli
tics our subject is an ardent Republican,
and cast his first vote for William H. Har
rison; he served his township as justice of
the peace and as trustee several ternis.

4

HENRY VAN WAGNEN, a prom
inent farmer of Eaton township,
was bora February 5, 1848, in La
Porte, Lorain county, son of G. H.
and Lucinda (Cornning) Van-
Wagnen, early pioneers of Lorain county.
Henry Van Waguen was reared in
Eaton township, where he received his
education, and he has always followed
agricultural pursuits. In 1884 he pur
chased a tract of sixty acres, which had
been improved by Johu Allen, and here
engaged in general farming. He was
first married, in 1S67, to Miss Clara Ben
nington, a native of Eaton township,
daughter of Thomas and Jane (Robson)
Bennington, early pioneers of Eaton town
ship, where they died. To this union were
born six children: Ada, George, Jennie
(who married Edward Johnson, and has
one child, Clara), Minnie, James and
Alonzo. The mother of these children
died in Michigan in 1881, and on July 3,
1884, Mr. Van Wagnen married, in Hen
rietta township, Miss Florence Kelly, a
native of Henrietta township, Lorain
county, daughter of Richard and Jane

1114

LORAIN COUNTY, OHIO.

(Peabody) Kelly, who reside in that town
ship. To this union has been born one
child, Dolly. Iu 1876 Mr. Van Wagnen
went to Michigan, and engaged in farming
in Tuscola county, where he remained
until 1881; he was burned out in 1880.
He is now engaged in general farming
and stock raising, and makes a specialty
of Cotswold sheep. He is a member of
the Republican party.

TRUMAN MOORE, for about thirty
years a mariner on the Great Lakes,
fifteen as captain, is a native of Lo
rain county, born in Sheffield town
ship December 1, 1844.
Theron Moore, grandfather of subject,
came to Lorain county in about 1816, lo
cating in what is now Avon township,
whence he afterward moved to Wisconsin,
where he died. His son, Theron, was
born in Plattsburgh, N. Y., and came with
his parents to Lorain county, where he
was reared and educated. He was mar
ried in Avon township to MisB Delia Ann
Case, a native of Ohio, and after marriage
tbey made their home at a place called
Lake Breeze, in Sheffield township. He
was by occupation a sailor and ship builder
in his youfiger days, but later in life fol
lowed agricultural pursuits on a farm in
the last mentioned township. He died
November 28, 1877, on board a vessel at
Detroit. He was a Republican and a
Methodist; his wife survived him till
1880, being called to her long home while
living iu Trumbull county, Ohio. Eleven
children — four sons and seven daughters —
were born to them, of whom the following
is a brief record: Menzies died in Kansas
November 6, 1881 (he was a sailor);
Leonard is married and resides in Lorain;
Elmina is the wife of Thomas Gawn, of
Lorain; Amelia is the widow of John Far-
agher, of Sheffield township; Melvina died

in childhood; Truman is the subject of
this sketch; Charlotte is the wife of Bert
Briggs, of New York; Maria is the wife of
Mair Poynton, of Yellow Medicine county,
Minn.; Bert died in childhood; Rowena is
the wife of Theron Merry, of Kansas;
Mary is the wife of W. A. Jewett, of
Cleveland. The subject of these lines received a lib
eral education at the public schools of his
township, and early in life commenced
Bailing on the lakes, serving iu different
capacities on board ship till his appoint
ment as captain some fifteen years ago. He
is captain of the " Robert Rhodes, " pro
peller, and has a controlling interest in the
" Alice B. Norris " and the " Kate Wins
low." In 1881 the Captain moved to Lo
rain and bought a residence lot, whereon
he built a two-story house, in addition to
which be owns three other bouses, which
he rents.
In 1863 Capt. Moore was married to
Miss Esther Carron, a native of the Isle of
Man, by which union three children were
born, viz.: Edward, married, and having
his home in Green Bay, Wis. (he is cap
tain of the schooner " Kate Winslow,"
plying between Buffalo and Green Bay);
Rowena, wife of Mark Jones, of Lorain;
and Ettie. The mother of these died in
Sheffield township in 1880, and in 1881
our subject was married to Mrs. Rosa
Rice, a native of Medina county, Ohio. In
his political sympathies Capt. Moore is a
Republican, and has served on the town
council. Socially he is a member of the
Royal Arcanum, and of Tent No. 1,
K. O. T. M. He and his wife are associated
with the M. E. Church.

q LOVER MILLER, a native-born
, prosperous agriculturist and grape-
grower of Avon township, was born
„ , on his present farm in 1838. His
parents, P. J. and Ruth (Houseworth)
Miller, natives of New York, came in 1817

LORAIN COUNTY, OHIO.

1115

to Ohio and to Lorain county, settling in
Avon township on the farm above referred
to, where they died, the father in 1851,
the mother in 1893.
Glover Miller, of whom this sketch is
written, received his education at the pub
lic schools of the neighborhood of his place
of birth, was reared to farm life, and has
followed general agriculture with rather
more than average success. He is owner
of the old homestead settled by his parents,
comprising some sixty acres of highly fer
tile land, on the lake shore, four of which
are devoted to grape culture. In 1879 he
was married, in Avon township, to Miss
Hannah Titus, who was born in the town
ship, daughter of Henry and Orrie
(Cahoon) Titus, a sketch of whom follows.
Three children were bom to this union:
Ruth, Orrie and Minnie. Mr. Miller is a
Republican in his political views.

4/

rjfENRY TITUS, a truly progressive
sH and well-to-do farmer and fruit-
1 grower of Avon township, is a na
tive of Essex county, N. Y., bora
in 1811, a son of Anson aud Hannah
(Moore) Titus, natives, respectively, of
Connecticut and Massachusetts.
The parents of our subject were married
in New York State, and in 1829, with their
family, came to Ohio and to Lorain county,
making a settlement in the woods of Avon
township, where they cleared a farm, erect
ing a sturdy and comfortable log house.
Here the father died in 1865, the mother
some time later. Five children were born
to this honored pioneer c'ouple, as follows:
Treat, residing in Avon township; Henry,
our subject; Mary, widow of Leonard
Cahoon, of Avon township; Sarah, widow
of William Curtis, of Port Clinton, Ohio;
and Joseph, married, who is a resident of
Iowa. Henry Titus, the subject of these lines,
was reared and educated in Essex county,
N. Y., until the age of eighteen, when he

came with his parents to Avon township,
where he assisted in clearing the home
farm. In 1846 he was married in Avon
township to Miss Orrie Cahoon, also a na
tive of New York State, daughter of Wil
bur and Priscilla (Sweet) Cahoon, of the
same State, who in 1809 came to Ohio
and to Avon township, Lorain county,
where they cleared a farm and passed the
rest of their busy lives. To Mr. and Mrs.
Titus were born three children, namely:
John, residing on the farm, who is mar
ried, and has four children: Arthur, Clar
ence, Marietta and Edith'; Ora, married,
who resides in Wisconsin; and Hannah,
wife of Glover Miller, a sketch of whom
appears above. Our subject is the owner
of as fine a farm as can be found in the
township, comprising 140 acres of highly
productive land, twenty-eight of which are
devoted to the growing of grapes, eighteen
at the present writing being covered with
fruit-bearing vines.

L

UCIUS R. MARSH. Among the
many useful and enterprising citi
zens of Lorain county is promi
nently mentioned this gentleman.
He is a well-known fruit farmer in Brown
helm township, the owner of thirty- five
acres of fruit-growing land, whereon are a
vineyard, peach, apple and cherry orchards,
300 plum trees (the finest orchard of the
kind in the county), and all kinds of small
fruit shrubs.
Mr. Marsh is a native of Erie county,
Ohio, born in 1848, a son of O. H. P. and
Minerva M. (Rockwell) Marsh, whose ante
cedents are traced to Boston, Mass. They
came west to Ohio, first locating in Paines
ville, afterward in Erie county, where he
carried on farming, and also conducted a
general store in Milan, in the palmy days
of that town. He died there in 1860, and
his widow subsequently married C. D.
Perry. To O. H. P. and Minerva M.
Marsh were bora two children: Mary M.,

1116

LORAIN COUNTY, OHIO.

wife of A. D. Wilder, of Chautauqua, N. Y.,
and Lucius R., the subject of this sketch.
Lucius R. Marsh was reared and edu
cated in Erie county, and passed six years
of his earlier life there, working at the car
penter's trade. In 1864 he came to Lorain
county, and in 1876 bought his present
farm. In 1870 he married, in Erie county,
Miss Georgiana Ennis, a native of that
county, and daughter of Alexander Ennis,
a pioneer of same. To this union have
been born three children : Willie, Lulu and
Lottie Belle. In his political sympathies
Mr. Marsh is a Republican.

VILLIAM EDGERTON, a leading
fl and prosperous agriculturist of
Columbia township, is a native of
same, born in April, 1832, son of
Austin Edgerton.
The father was born in Connecticut,
near New Haven, and was there married to
Miss Mary Brad way, a native of Massa
chusetts. In 1831 they came westward to
Cleveland, Ohio, via canal, etc., to Buffalo,
thence by lake, and from there proceeding
by wagon to Columbia township, Lorain
county, where he opened up a farm in the
dense forest. For some thirty years he re
sided here, and then removed to Blooming
dale, Van Buren Co., Mich., where he and
his wife passed the rest of their days, he
dying in 1874, a lifelong Democrat, she in
1891. They reared four children, namely:
William, our subject; Albert, a carpenter
and joiner and farmer, of Michigan; Eliza,
wife of A. J. Broad well, of Berea, Ohio,
and Mary, wife of Andrew Coy, of Van-
Buren county, Michigan.
William Edgerton, whose name intro
duces this sketch, was educated at the
public schools of Columbia township, and
reared on his father's farm. He bought
his present place in 1855, and has always
followed agricultural pursuits. His first
purchase was fifty acres of wild land, which
he improved and added to until he now

owns eighty-five acres, all in a good state
of cultivation. In February, 1855, in
Columbia township, Mr. Edgerton mar
ried Miss Mary Elizabeth Worden, who was
born in Liverpool, Medina Co., Ohio, a
daughter of Virgil H. and Caroline (God
dard) Worden, natives of Connecticut, who
in early times came westward to Ohio, locat
ing in Liverpool, Medina county, thence re
moving to Columbia township, Lorain
county. Mrs. Caroline G. Worden died in
1845, her husband in 1875. To Mr. and
Mrs. Edgerton has been born one child,
Carrie, wife of Thomas Healey, of Eaton
township, Lorain county, by whom she has
one child, Melvin. Politically our subject
is a Republican, and has been a delegate
to the party conventions, notably the one
held in Mansfield, Ohio, in 1893. Socially
he is a member of the F. & A. M., Berea
Lodge No. 382, and of Berea Chapter
No. 134.

HAPMAN MORGAN COOK, a
well-known retired agriculturist of
Henrietta township, was bora May
13, 1818, in Hamilton, Madison Co.,
N. Y., a son of Jesse and Nancy (Morgan)
Cook, the former of whom was a native of
Jefferson, N. Y., and died at the age of
seventy-two years. He was a farmer and
shoemaker by occupation, and in politics a
Whig. They had a family of nine chil
dren, viz.: Orrin, Newell, Jessie, Nancy,
William, Norton, Judson, Roxie and Chap
man M., the last named being the. only
survivor. Their mother passed from earth
when aged seventy years, after an illness
of nine years. In Church connection she
was a Baptist.
The subject of this sketch was reared
and educated in Oswego county, N. Y.,
and at the age of twenty came to Lorain
county, at that time a complete wilder
ness, with no roads and little clearing of
any kind. His first purchase of land was
one hundred acres in what is now Hen-

LORAIN COUNTY, OHIO.

1117

rietta township, toward which he paid
forty dollars, all the money he brought
with him, the balance being paid after
ward. On this place he built a log house,
and in course of time cleared every part of
it with his own hands. By and by, in
1855, he erected his present comfortable
home, surrounded with commodious barns
and otlier outhouses, and bere he now
lives in peaceful retirement, having rented
his farm. He points with pride to a cer
tain tree on his grounds wliich he planted
himself in 1853, at that time two inches
thick, and which is now (1893) two and
one-half feet in diameter. Lumber on his
farm, worth five dollars per 1,000 feet
fifty years ago, now readily fetches forty
to forty-five dollars per 1,000 feet.
In 1842 Mr. Cook was married, in New
York State, to Fidelia Tinney, daughter
of David Tinney, of Oswego county, N. Y.,
and three children were born to them, as
follows: Theresa and Mary (both de
ceased), and Hannah, wife of Mortimer
Brown, a farmer, living in Wakeman,
Huron Co., Ohio. In politics Mr. Cook
was originally a- Whig, and later, since the
organization of the party, a Republican.
He is a member of the Baptist Church at
Henrietta and Camden Center, Lorain
county.

CHARLES W. HILL, whose fine
farm of 144 acres, in an advanced
state of improvement, is one of the
most productive in Eaton township,
is a native of the locality, born in 1851.
Edward Hill, father of subject, was born
in England, where he married Miss Jane
Gulliford, and on their wedding day they
set sail with a fair wind for the shores of
the New World — ihe loadstar of many
thousands of England's best blood. On
arrival at the port of debarkation, they
proceeded at once westward to Ohio, where
they made a settlement in Eaton township,
Lorain county, opening out a farm of

sixty acres. To this Edward Hill from
time to time added until he was owner of
300 acres of good farming land at the
time of his death, September 10, 1889,
and where his widow is yet living. In bis
political preferences he was a Republican.
Their children, five in number, are all resi
dents of Lorain county, and a brief record
of them is as follows: Charles W. is the
subject of this sketch; George E., married,
is a farmer of Ridgeville township; Mary
J. is the wife of George Osborne, Columbia
township; Lucy A. is the wife of J. Z. Cole,
of Eaton township; and Emma is the wife
of Thomas Dair, also of Eaton township.
C. W. Hill, whose name introduces this
sketch, received his education at the com
mon schools of Eaton township, and was
early in life inducted into the mysteries
of farming. For eighteen months he fol
lowed that vocation in Piatt connty, 111.,
and since his return to Eaton township
has been most successful in general agri
culture. In 1871 he married Miss Mary
M. Hathaway, a native of Eaton township,
and daughter of John M. and Sarah M.
(Clark) Hathaway, of whom special men
tion will be presently made. To this
union have been born five children, viz.:
Edward J., W. C, Ford, Mildred and
Elmer. Mr. and Mrs. Hill are members
of the Disciple Church at North Eaton ;
in politics he is a Republican, and has
served as township trustee and supervisor.
John M. "Hathaway, father of Mrs. C.
W. Hill, was born in Richland county,
Ohio, in September, 1822, a sou of Elihu
and Annette (Mallory) Hathaway, natives
of Vermont and New York State, respec
tively. They were married in the last
named State, and then moved to Medina
county, Ohio, thence to Richland county,
returning in 1836 to Medina county, and
in 1838 locating in Columbia township,
Lorain county, on a tract of wild land.
Selling this, however, Mr. Hathaway moved
to Crawford county, same State, and he
died in Wood county, March 12, 1875, his
wife having preceded hirn to the grave in

1118

LORAIN COUNTY, OHIO.

Columbia township, Lorain county, Octo
ber 31, 1865. In politics he was an un
compromising Democrat of the Jackson
type. The children born to this pioneer
couple were as follows: Phebe, widow of
Charles Holbrook, of Eaton township;
John M., of whom we write; Mary, a
widow, who died in Wood couuty ; Baldwin,
married, residing in Marion county, Ohio;
Hiram, married, residing in Kent county,
Mich.; James, deceased about 1888, in
Wood county, Ohio; Hamner, deceased in
Wood county; Lucy Jane, wife of Chauncy
Ryal, of Ridgeville; Charles, married, re
siding in Ottawa, Ohio; William, residing
in California; Alvira, wife of Dr. W. W.
Hill, of Weston, Wood county. Jesse
Hathaway, grandfather of John M., was a
native of Yermont, where he died. Grand
father John Mallory served as a captain in
the war of 1812, and while traveling on
horseback with some important documents
in his possession, from Lake George to
New York City, he was lost, and not a
vestige of either himself, horse or papers
was ever afterward seen.
John M. Hathaway was reared in Medina
county, and educated in the old-fashioned
log schoolhouse of the period, and when
sixteen years old came to Lorain county,
where for a time he worked by the month.
He then commenced sailing on the lakes,
a vocation he followed seven years, as mate
one season, and wheelman, two. On aban
doning this somewhat adventurous life,
he came to his present farm of fifty acres
well- improved land, where he carries on
general agriculture. On March 7, 1852,
he was united in marriage with Mrs. Sarah
M. Clark, bora in Medina county, Ohio,
daughter of Nathan and Nancy (Smith)
Clark, natives, respectively, of Berkshire
county, Mass., and Vermont; the father,
a carpenter and joiner by trade, at the age
of nineteen traveled on foot from New
York to Grafton, Lorain Co., Ohio, and
thence to Medina county, where he died in
1866, his wife in 1859. To Mr. and Mrs.
John M. Hathaway have been born six

children, to wit: MaryM., wife of Charles
W. Hill; Flora E., wife of Frank Lewis,
of Columbia township, Lorain county (has
two children : Raymond and Ivy) ; Perry T.,
married, residing in Columbia township;
Anna N., in Columbia township; E. M.,
married, residing at Eaton Center (has
two children: Blanche and Vira); and
Fred O, a successful teacher of Lorain
county, residing at home. In 1851 Mrs.
Hathaway taught school in Columbia and
Eaton townships, in an old log cabin,
" boarding around ;" also taught in Strongs
ville, Cuyahoga county. Her great-grand
father, Nathan Turner, was one of the pil
grims who landed on " Plymouth Rock."

C'ROVE HANCE, a popular and pro
gressive farmer of Eaton township,
is a native of same, born on his
present farm in 1839, a son of
Hiram and Rhoda Ann (Ames)
Hance, the former of whom was born in
New York, tbe latter in Massachusetts. In
an early day they came to Ohio, where they
married, afterward settling on the farm in
Eaton township, Lorain county, where
their son Grove now resides. The father
died January 2, 1888, the mother July 2,
1887. The subject of this sketch received his
education at the common schools of his
native township, and was reared to farm
ing, which has been his life vocation. He
owns part of the old homestead of his
father, as well as other land, aggregating
170 acres, all in a good state of cultiva
tion. In September, 1861, "he was mar
ried to Miss Susan Gregory, a native of
Medina county, and four children have
been born to them, as follows: J. G., who
resides on the farm, has one child, Lois;
Minnie, wife of Burt Carr, of Liverpool,
Medina county, has one son, Harlan; Ger
tie, wife of Elmer Tucker, of Elyria, has
one son, Grove; Lilly, wife of Charles
Austin, of Elyria, has one son, Hugh.

LORAIN COUNTY, OHIO.

1119

Mrs. Hance's father went to California
in 1849, one of the many thousands of
gold seekers of that period. Her step
father, V. H. Worden, was the first man
to cross Hance's swamp with a team, got
"mired," but managed to pull through.
In politics our subject is a useful and
zealous member of the Republican party,
and has served as constable of Eaton
township. He is a member of Leonard
Tent No. 31, Knights of the Maccabees,
at North Eaton. Mrs. Hance is a member
of the Disciple Church at North Eaton.

d|OB ALEXANDER, a progressive,
I wide-awake agriculturist of Eaton
I township, was born in 1841, in
Grafton township, Lorain Co., Ohio.
He is a son of Samuel and Sarah (Frank-
um). Alexander, natives of Gloucestershire,
England, who immigrated to the United
States, locating first in New York State,
whence in 1840 they moved to Grafton
township, Lorain Co., Ohio, thence in
1844 to Eaton township, where they were
well-known agriculturists, and the home
farm is still in the family. The father
died iu 1886, the mother in 1883, at the
age of eighty and seventy-eight years
respectively. They had a family of eight
children. The.subjeet of this memoir received a
liberal education at the schools of Eaton
township, Lorain county, and was reared
to agricultural pursuits, which have been
his life work. In 1863 he enlisted in
Company H, One Hundred and Third
O. V. I., which was assigned to the army
of the West, Twenty-third Army Corps.
He was in the battle of Resaca, Ga., and
the capture of Atlanta, after which event
the Twenty-third and Fourth Corps " took
care of " Hood's army. When the latter
had been defeated and broken up, our sub
ject went with his regiment to Washing

ton, D. C, and from there to North Caro
lina; finally reunited with Sherman's
army there. Mr. Alexander first started
in Kentucky, and accompanied Burnside's
expedition across the mountains into Tenn
essee, and he was present at the siege of
Knoxville. In June, 1865, he was honor
ably discharged at Raleigh, N. C, and
returned home to the pursuits of peace,
laying aside the rifle for the plough. He
owns a highly cultivated fertile farm of
105 acres.
In 1866 Job Alexander was united in
marriage, in Carlisle township, with Miss
Ann D. Pierce, daughter of Philemon and
Diantha (Hovey) Pierce, natives of New
York, who in an early day came to Lorain
county; the father died in Carlisle town
ship, the mother in Eaton township, at
the home of her daughter, in 1880. To
Mr. and Mrs. Job Alexander were born
six children, as follows: Hattie (wife of
Orlando Rose), Albert (deceased at the
age of twenty-five years), Ida, Loren, Lu
ther and Rosa. Politically Mr. Alexander
is a Republican;. socially he is a member
of Richard Allen Post, G. A. R., Elyria.

DORASTUS WAITE, one of the
widest known pioneer citizens of
 ' LaGrange township, Lorain county,
was born June 21, 1810, in Cham
pion, Jefferson county, New York.
His father, Dorastus Waite, a farmer,
was a native of Vermont, where he married
Miss Sally McNitt, and later moved into
New York State, where he lived comfort
ably and reared a large family, all of whom
are now dead bnt two — our subject and a
half brother, Guverry M., who is a farmer
in Jefferson county, N. Y. The mother
of our subject was the second wife of Do
rastus Waite, Sr., and at the time of her
marriage to him was the widow of Rufus
Blodgett; her maiden name was Malinda
Canfield. Mr. Waite died in Champion,

1120

LORAIN COUNTY, OHIO.

Jefferson Co., N. Y., at the age of eighty-
two years. But two of his family — James
and Dorastus — came to Ohio.
Dorastus Waite passed his early years
on his father's farm, assisting in the many
duties of the agricultural work, and re
ceived an education in the common schools,
attending, however, only in the winter sea
son, when he could be spared from home.
In October, 1831, he was united in mar
riage with Miss Diantba Fitts, who was
born in 1813 iu Massachusetts, daughter
of Daniel Fitts, who moved to Jefferson
county, N. Y., where our subject met his
daughter. After marriage the youngcouple
began housekeeping on a small farm owned
by his father, remaining there but a few
years. In the fall of 1834 he rode to
Ohio on horseback, the trip occupying
three weeks, and after looking over the
land purchased one hundred acres in Lot
86, LaGrange township, Lorain county,
for which he paid four hundred dollars.
He then returned to Jefferson county,
N. Y., in the same manner, and remained
over winter, in the spring of 1835 coming
out with a one-horse wagon, and bringing
his wife and only child, Sarahetta L., who
is now the widow of Ferguson Zang, and
makes her home in LaGrange village.
They commenced life in Ohio in a log
cabin on the pioneer farm, where he at
once set to work clearing the land, and re
sided until 1871, when he removed to La
Grange village, where he has since lived a
semi-retired life. The children born to
Mr. and Mrs. Waite in Ohio were as fol
lows: James E., a farmer of LaGrange;
Maryette, who became the wife of Frank
Beckwith, and in 1855 died on the home
farm, aged nineteen years; Everett L.,
who died at the age of four years; and
Everett L., who died at the age of twelve
years. The mother of these died in 1873,
and was buried at LaGrange; in 1874 he
married Mrs. Martha J. (Pelton) Belden
(widow of Daniel Belden), who was born
in Middlefield, Mass. Mr. Waite has dur
ing his long life accomplished no small

amount of hard work; when first settling
on his place it was all in the woods, but by
constant labor and untiring energy he has
now one of the most productive farms in
the entire township. Politically he was
originally an Old-line Whig, is now a
member of the Republican party, and he
has served in various township offices. In
religious connection he was an attendant
of the Congregational Church until the
Society disbanded, when he united with
the M. E. Church. He is remarkably well
preserved for one of his years, and is a man
of extremely temperate habits, does not
use tobacco in any form, and has not even
tasted spirituous or malt liquor for over
sixty years. He had several great-grand
children. [Since the above was written we
have been informed of the death of Mr.
Dorastus Waite, which occurred December
31, 1893.— Ed.

G. DAWLEY. In the front rank
of the prosperous and progressive
farmers of Eaton township, stands
prominent this gentleman. He is a
native of Portage county, Ohio,
born in Ravenna township in 1825, a son
of Daniel and Eunice Dawley, the former
a native of Vermont, the latter of Massa
chusetts. They were married in Portage
county, Ohio, whither the father had come
when a young man, in 1790, and here fol
lowed agricultural pursuits the rest of his
busy life. He died in 1871, his wife in
1863. Four children -were born to them,
a brief record of whom is as follows: Cor
nelia is the widow of Miletus Clark, of
Portage county, Ohio; Darius, married, is
a farmer in Ravenna township, Portage
county; Perry died in Portage county in
1882; A. G. is the subject of this memoir.
A. G. Dawley was reared to farm life in
his native township, receiving his elemen
tary education at the common schools, and

w%

%

t«

4 aQ Qa^h^

LORAIN COUNTY, OHIO.

1123

attending select school one or two terms.
In 1854 he came to Eaton township, Lo
rain county, where he made a new home
for himself and family. In 1862 he lo
cated on his present farm, a highly im
proved one of 111 acres, on which he
carries on general agriculture with much
success. In 1847 he was united in mar
riage in Portage county, Ohio, with Miss
Sophia Moulton, a native of Brimfield
township, that county, a daughter of Har
rison and Bethsheba (Coburn) Moulton,
very early pioneers of Portage county; the
father was killed in 1826 by a falling tree
while out chopping, the mother dying some
time later. To Mr. and Mrs. Dawley four
children were born, as follows: William,
married, residing in Norristown, Penn.
(had five children — Frank, Addie Sophia,
Carl Albert, one deceased in infancy, and
Sumner E., deceased); Cornelia, wife of
George Johnson, residing in Elyria, had
ten children: Floren, Edwin, Gertie,
Albert, Vernon, Georgie (deceased at the
age of six years), Jennie, Cassie, May, and
an infant; Clifton, married, residing iu
Eaton township, had five children: Lena,
Perry, Wilton, Charles and Ivy; Mary
was the wife of William Allen, and resided
in Macomb county, Mich, (she died in
1885). The mother of these was called
from earth in February, 1888. In politics
Mr. Dawley is an active adherent of the
Republican party, and he is a member and
deacon of the Christian Church of Eaton.

4/

MB. JAMESON, a well-known
successful agriculturist of Avon
township, is a native of same,
born in 1837, son of Joseph B.
and Mary (Horr) Jameson.
The father of our subject was born in
1787 in New Hampshire, and in 1824
came to Lorain county, Ohio, settling in
the woods of Avon township, where he

opened up a farm. Here he passed the
remainder of his years, dying in 1867, in
politics a stanch Whig; he served for many
years as justice of the peace. He was mar
ried three times, first to Thankful Clement,
who died in 1817, leaving two children,
Thankful Jane, born in 1814, in New
York, now the deceased wife of Ora B.
Cahoon; and Mary, born in 1816. His
second wife was Avis Smith, and she bore
him six children, three of whom are now
living — William (in Avon township),
Joseph (married, a resident of Avon town
ship), and Sarepta (wife of C. Blackwell,
of Avon township); those deceased are
David O, who died in 1833; Clarissa A.,
Mrs. R. Steele, who died in 1866 in Cali
fornia; and Mary E., Mrs. Collin Ford,
who died in 1870 in Lebanon, Ohio. For
his third wife Mr. Jameson married, in
New York State, Miss Mary Horr, a na
tive of Vermont, and to this union were
born four children, as follows: M. B., sub
ject of this sketch; Daniel, who died in
Avon township at the age of ten; Robin
son, who died in Colorado ih 1873; and
Lucina H, who died iu Avon township in
1866. The mother of these died in 1893,
at the advanced age of ninety-two years.
M. B. Jameson received his elementary
education at the common schools of his
native township, and in early life was in
ducted into the mysterie's of agriculture,
which he has continued to follow. He
subsequently attended college at Berea
and Lebanon, Ohio, and for several years
pursued the vocation of teacher. He was
married, in 1860, in Avon township, to
Miss Cordelia S. Wilder, also a native of
same, daughter of Thompson and Sabrina
(Fuller) Wilder, who were born in the
State of New York, and in 1836 came to
Avon township, Lorain Co., Ohio, where
they passed the remainder of their lives, he
dying in 1874, she in 1876. Mrs. Jameson
taught school with her husband several
terms. To their union have been born
five children, viz.: Clifton E., married,
who resides iu Montesano, Wash.; Torrey

1124

LORAIN COUNTY, OHIO.

W., living at home; Mary B., wife of
H. H. Carter, of Washington; Annette,
and Plynn C, both living at home. Our
subject is engaged exclusively in general
agriculture, and he owns a fertile farm of
sixty acres in a good state of cultivation.
In his political sympathies he is a Eepub
lican, and in religious connection he and
his wife are members of the M. E. Church
at French Creek. [Since the above was
written, we have been informed of the
death, December 9, 1893, of Mr. Jameson.

4/

HD. STETSON, a native-born, wide
awake and enterprising agriculturist
of Ridgeville township, first saw the
light in 1850.
Randall Stetson, father of sub
ject, was born in Massachusetts, where he
was first married, and in 1832 came with
his family to Lorain county, settling in
Ridgeville township, where he had bought
a fifty-acre tract of timber land, which he
improved, adding thereto until he owned
215 acres (the homestead), besides other
land in the county, and about one thou
sand acres in the West. He dealt largely
in real estate, and was extensively engaged
in stock dealing — buying and selling
blooded animals. By his first marriage
he had four children, viz.: Emily, widow
of Willard Kemp, of Cleveland; Martha,
widow of William Nelson, of Cleveland;
Jane, wife of J. M. Seelye, of Ridgeville
township; and Ellen, widow of Monroe
Dean, of Michigan. The mother of these
dying in 1836, Mr. Stetson married, in
1837, in Ridgeville township, the widow
Loomis, who bore him three children, as
follows: John, residing in Olmsted town
ship; H. D., subject of this memoir; and
Isabelle, who lives in Oberlin. The
mother of these was called from earth in
1883, the father in 1886. He was a
straight Republican, and served his town

ship as trustee several terms. In 1884 he
and his son, H. D., bought a gristmill in
Ridgeville, which they improved and re
modeled, putting in the new roller process,
and this was operated by father and son
until the decease of the former, when the
latter bought out the interest therein of
the heirs, and conducted same until 1889,
in which year he sold it.
The subject proper of this memoir re
ceived his primary education at the com
mon schools of his native township, which
was supplemented with a two years' at
tendance at Oberlin College. In addition
to the gristmill above referred to, he car
ried on general farming, and he is now
the owner of 190 acres of tbe old home
stead, besides 600 acres in the West. He
was married in Ridgeville township, in
1871, to Miss Florence Simonds, a native
of Cuyahoga county, Ohio, daughter of
Simeon and Marcia (Beebe) Simonds, of
Massachusetts and Ridgeville township,
Lorain county, respectively. They are
now residing at Dover, Cuyahoga county.
To Mr. and Mrs. Stetson were born six
children, to wit: Ray, who graduated from
Oberlin College with tbe class of 1893,
and is now Professor of Chemistry at the
same .college; Carl, residing at home;
Marcia, deceased at the age of fifteen ;
Adaline, Dora and Merritt, residing at
home. In politics our subject is a Re
publican, and he enjoys the respect and
esteem of a wide circle of friends and
acquaintances.

d(AY HART, who stands foremost
among Penfield township's prominent
_} citizens and thorough, successful
farmers, was born November 10,
1851, a son of Lewis Hart, Jr., who was a
son of Lewis Hart, Sr.
When but a lad of eleven years our sub
ject lost his father by death. Prior to
this he had received such an education as

LORAIN COUNTY, OHIO.

1125

the common schools of the period afforded,
and when a mere boy found employment
as a farm hand. He worked at various
places, and for different people, being em
ployed for two years by Orrin Starr, a like
time by Luther Penfield, and also by G.
L. Starr, all of whom are well-known and
successful farmers. He also spent several
years in the employ of Miles Leech and
Henry Whitbeck, of Litchfield, Medina
Co., Ohio, receiving under such competent
instructors a complete knowledge of agri
cultural life, in which he has been very
successful. On November 5, 1876, Mr. Hart was
united in marriage with Miss Ida Sheldon,
who was born November 15, 1854, in
Cortland county, N. Y., daughter of
Abijah and Jane (Kiff) Sheldon, and from
the age of seven years made her home
with her aunt, Amy Andrews, for whom
our subject had worked some time, and
where he and his young wife made their
first home after marriage. They have three
children, viz.: Amy, Ina and Rhe. Mr.
Hart is a substantial representative farmer
and leading citizen of Penfield township,
and his progressive, active spirit is recog
nized throughout the community. He has
prospered well in his agricultural opera
tions, and has succeeded in accumulating
a fine farm of 200 acres, the excellent con
dition of which is sufficient evidence of its
owner's ability as a systematic farmer. In
his political preferences Mr. Hart is a
stanch member of the Republican party.
Mrs. Hart is a member of the Congrega
tional Church.

|j ACOB H. CLAUS, blacksmith, North
k I Amherst, descends from an early
\J) German family, and was bora in
Brownhelm township, Lorain Co.,
Ohio, April 27, 1837. He is a son of
Henry and Martha (Hilderbrand) Clang,
the former of whom was bora in Hessia,

Germany, and in 1828 came to the United
States, making a settlement in Brownhelm
township, Lorain Co., Ohio, where he fol
lowed farming, and the trade of carpenter
and joiner. He and his wife both died
young, at the ages of thirty- three and
twenty- three, respectively. They had three
children, of whom our subject is the eldest.
Jacob H. Claus received but a limited
public-school education, being left an
orphan when yet a boy. fie learned his
trade in the shop where he is now work
ing, and hag been in business for himself
more than thirty years. The cheerful
ring of his anvil, and the merry sparks
that burst from his forge, are not more
welcome to the wayfarer than his own
honest greeting; and his shop is the resort
of customers and others, who come miles
to visit his well-known smithy. In 1860
Mr. Claus was united in marriage with
Miss Marie Geabaner. They have one
child, a daughter.
In politics our subject has been a Re
publican since Garfield's election, and he
has held many municipal and township
offices. He has been a member of St.
Peter's Evangelical Church at North Am
herst for the past forty years, and for
twenty-five years he has been a member of
the I. 0. O. F. ; he is also a member of the
Daughters of Rebekah, andof the K.O.T.M,

J I ACOB SCHWARTZ, an old and
highly esteemed resident of Russia
i township, was born February 20,
1819, in Rhenish Bavaria, Germany,
a son of Jacob Schwartz, who died in
Germany in 1834.
In 1846 Jacob Schwartz was married,
in his native country, to Catherine Burg,
and they had one child born in Germany,
Daniel, who died in infancy. Our subject
was a weaver by necessity, and also worked
at anything else he could find to do. In
1848, in company with his wife, his
widowed mother, his brother David, and

1126

LORAIN COUNTY. OHIO.

his sisters Elizabeth and Margaretta, he
left the Fatherland, taking passage at
Antwerp, and landing in New York after
a voyage of forty-two days. They imme
diately set out for Cleveland, Ohio, travel
ing via the Erie Canal and Lake Erie, and
thence proceeded to Russia township, Lo
rain county, where Jacob bought land.
By gathering the funds of the entire party,
which amounted to about three hundred
dollars, he was able to purchase a tract of
thirty acres, and then borrowing six dol
lars from a neighbor, John Schramm, pur
chased a cow. On this farm Mr. Schwartz
resided until 1871, when he bought, from
"Bachelor Bailey," his present farm, and
sixty-one additional acres, which latter he
has given to his children. A brief record
of his family is as follows: Elizabeth, who
married William Sump, died January 6,
1876, leaving four children, viz.: Charles,
William, Millie and Alva; Mary is the
wife of Alva Gibson, of Russia township;
Carrie (twin of Mary) is the wife of Charles
Albright, of Russia township; Margaret
resides at home; Emma is married to
Henry Bassett, of Russia township. Mr.
Schwartz has always been a hard-working
farmer, and has fully deserved the success
he has won. He is an honest, upright,
kind-hearted citizen, ever ready to assist
those in need, and is highly esteemed and
respected by all who know him. In his
political preferences he is a Democrat,
though non-partisan and but little inter
ested in affairs of State. In religious
connection he is a member of the Evan
gelical Church at North Amherst.

JOHN A. MILLER, prominent among
the prosperous agriculturists of Avon
township, is a native of same, born in
October, 1831.
Peter Miller, father of the subject of
this sketch, was born in Palmyra, N. Y.,
August 10, 1803, and in 1819 was brought

by his parents, Adam and Anna (Tea-
mount) Miller, natives of the same State,
to Avon township, Lorain county, they
settling in the woods near the shore of
Lake Erie, where they opened out a farm.
Here Adam Miller died in 1834, his wife
in 1848. They reared a family of ten chil
dren, of whom Peter was reared on the
farm; he followed agricultural pursuits,
and also worked at ship carpentry at Black
River, he having learned the trade of Cap
tain Jones before he was twenty years old.
There was only one house between the
home in Avon township and Black River,
and wild animals were numerous and fero
cious. In 1821, as he was returning home
from his work one Saturday evening, Peter
Miller lost himself in the woods, and was
treed by a bear that five times climbed
after him, finally catching him by the feet,
which were badly lacerated. The boy,
however, managed to get away from Bruin,
who was herself not a little alarmed, and
ran for his life as fast as his wounded feet
would permit, reaching the nearest neigh
bor's in a sorry plight. He was married in
Black River township in 1828, to Miss
Ruth House worth, a native of New York
State, daughter of Jacob and Ruth (Hart)
Honseworth, the father born on the ocean,
the mother in Rhode Island; they moved
to New York State, and thence in 1819 to
Ohio, settling in Black River township,
the journey being made by water from
Buffalo, fiere Mr. Houseworth died at
the age of fifty-nine years, his wife passing
away in her eighty-fourth year, at the
home of her daughter, Mrs. Peter Miller.
After marriage Mr. and Mrs. Peter Miller
continued to reside in Avon township,
where they successfully conducted a highly
improved farm. The father died in 1851
at the age of forty-seven years, the mother
on August 18, 1893, in her eighty-sixth
year; she had been a resident of the county
seventy-four years, and of Avon township
sixty-five years, having lived on the same
farm all her married life. They had a
family of five children, all yet living, viz.:

LORAIN COUNTY, OHIO.

1127

John A.; Amanda, wife of Leonard Moore,
of Lorain; Glover, married, residing in
Avon township, on part of the old farm;
Julia, wife of M. H. Lampman, of Lorain,
and Jeanette, residing in Avon township.
John A. Miller, whose name opens this
sketch, received his education at the com
mon schools of the neighborhood of his
birthplace, and was brought up to farming
pursuits, which have been his life work.
In 1868 he was married, in Elyria, Lorain
county, to Miss Catherine Burrell, a native
of Sheffield township, Lorain county, and
daughter of Hiram and Harriet (Hall)
Burrell, pioneers of that township, he a
native of Massachusetts, she of Dover
township, Cuyahoga Co., Ohio. Grand
father Isaac Burrell was an early pioneer
of Sheffield township, Lorain county. By
this union was born one child, Catherine,
at home, who lost her mother March 26,
1869. In politics Mr. Miller is a stanch
Republican, and has held several township
offices of trust, such as trustee. Socially
he is a member of the F. & A. M. Lodge at
Elyria, and of Marshall Chapter.

I( LEXANDER PORTER, ship cap-
W\ tain and vessel owner, well known
on the lakes as a careful and skill
ful mariner, and respected on shore
as a useful and loyal citizen, is a
native of the town of Lorain, Ohio, born
March 16, 1843.
He is a son of Nathaniel and Clarissa
(Nelson) Porter, the former of whom was
a native of the North of Ireland, bora in
1801, an Orangeman, one of twelve broth
ers who came to this country and to Ohio,
settling in Elyria, Lorain county. In
1830 Nathaniel came to Lorain, about the
commencement of the "boom," where he
opened a brickyard, which he carried on in
connection with farming and teaming. He
was married in Massachusetts, and had a
family of eight children, all yet living ex

cept one drowned in the lake, in the fall of
1892, from the steamer "W. H. Gilcher."
The father died in 1878; the mother passed
away in 1857.
Alexander Porter, whose name opens
this sketch, received his education in part
at the public schools of his native town,
and in part at Oberlin College. At about
the age of fourteen years he commenced'
sailing on fhe lakes, and in 1859 he was a
seaman on the barge "Pierson," which
sailed from Cleveland to Liverpool, Eng
land, touching at Bristol, and returning
by same route lay in the Welland Canal,
Canada, all the following winter. Since
then he has sailed the lakes every summer,
for the past twenty-five years as captain,
and the first boat he was skipper of was
the " Rescue." He and two of his broth
ers owned a vessel, the "Three Brothers,"
which for several years successfully traded
on the lakes. He is now -owner or part
owner of no less than five boats that turn
in a good revenue every year.
In 1871 Capt. Porter married Miss Dor-
liska Freeman, a native of LaGrange, Lo
rain county, daughter of S. V. R. Free
man, of Albany, N. Y., a farmer, who
came to Lorain county in 1829, and settled
on a farm at LaGrange. He was twice
married, and he had four sons and three
daughters; he was born in 1801, and died
in 1878. Capt. and Mrs. Porter have had
no children. In politics our subject is a
Republican, and he is a member of the
F. & A. M., Knights of the Maccabees and
Royal Arcanum.

|(OHN H. ECKLER, a well-known
k. I farmer of Carlisle township, is a na-
\j) five of Germany, born November 24,
' 1835, a son of Henry and Anna
gJarber) Eckler, also Germans, born in
essia. The father of our subject emigrated
with his family to the United States in
1838, making his new home in Erie

1128

LORAIN COUNTY, OHIO.

county, Ohio, where he first worked as a
day laborer in Yermillion township, clear
ing land in the winters. In summer time
he worked on the Maumee Canal at
eighteen dollars per month, out of which
he had to pay his board Sundays, and pro
vide for his family, then consisting of wife
and five children. He was very poor,
and could not speak English, bnt he had a
willing heart and hands, and by industry
prospered. For some time he lived in Ver
million township, Erie Co., Ohio, as al
ready related, thence, in 1852, coming to
Carlisle township, Lorain county. He
succeeded in accumulating 200 acres of
land, and at the time of his death had
money in the bank, notwithstanding the
fact that he had given liberally to his
children. He died July 9, 1890, in his
eighty-sixth year, his wife in 1866, aged
fifty-six. They were members, first of the
Presbyterian Reformed Church, afterward
of the Lutheran Church, and in politics he
was always a Democrat. They had in all
seven children, as follows: Catherine, wife
of H. M. Hempy, of Cleveland, Ohio;
Margaret, wife of J. F. Irish, both now
deceased; Ann, wife of Fred Stroble, of
Wood county, Ohio; Mary, wife of J. G.
Kinsey, of Lorain; Elizabeth, wife of Ed
ward Bickle; John H. ; and Emanuel, in
Elyria. At the age of two and a half years the
subject of these lines came to Ohio, and re
ceived his English education at the schools
in Vermillion township, Erie county, and
at the Center School in Carlisle township,
Lorain county. He has been engaged all
his life in farming, with the exception of
six years he worked as a carpenter in
Cleveland, and is now the owner of 213
acres, all in a good state of cultivation.
Like his father before him, he votes the
straight Democratic ticket, and at one time
was elected trustee of his township, serv
ing but a few months, as he was elected
against his wishes.
In 1862 our subject married Miss Cor
nelia M. Hart, who was born in Carlisle

township, Lorain county, and five children
have come to them, as follows: Henry,
married and living in Elyria (has three
children — Hazel, Georgie and Edith);
Bertha M., wife of Harold Hinkson, of
Elyria (they have one child — Rollin);
Catherine, wife of Arthur Champney, of
Oberlin (they have one child — Bertha);
Frank R. and Charles R., both at home.
[Since the above was written we have been
informed that Mr. John H. Eckler died of
typhoid fever November 23, 1893, having
been a great sufferer to the last. — Ed.

j) J. FULLER, proprietor of livery
and boarding stable, in the town
of Oberlin, of which he has been
a resident some nine years, is a
native of Ohio, born in Portage county, in
1850, son of C. C. and Mary (Bierce)
Fuller. The father of our subject was born in
Nelson township, Portage Co., Ohio, in
1818, and was there reared and trained to
farming, which has been his life vocation.
He there married Mary Bierce, a native of
the same township, born in 1830, who died
there in 1885, aged fifty-five years.
Grandfather Jeremiah R. Fuller, a native
of Cornwall, Conn., came west in about
the year 1804 to Portage county, Ohio,
where he opened up a farm in Nelson
township, dying thereon in 1853. Grand
father Horatio Bierce also died in that
county; great-grandfather William Bierce,
a native of Connecticut, served in tbe war
of the Revolution, and died in Nelson
township, Portage county.
W. J. Fuller received a liberal educa
tion at the public schools of- his native
township, after which he was engaged in
the milling business in Portage county;
he was also three years in the oil fields of
Pennsylvania. In 1884 he came to Lorain
county, and commenced in his present

LORAIN COUNTY, OHIO.

1129

livery business, in which he has met with
gratifying success, keeping a full line of
vehicles. In 1874 Mr. Fuller was united in mar
riage with Mrs. Mary (Tinker) Tracy, also
a native of Portage county, Ohio, daugh
ter of Benjamin and Mary (Hopkins)
Tinker, of. Massachusetts and Connecticut,
respectively, and who in an early day came
to Portage county, Ohio, where the father
passed from earth in 1877; the mother is
still living. To Mr. and Mrs. Fuller has
been born one child, Helen D. By her
former marriage Mrs. Fuller had one
daughter, Mary E., wife of J. C. Ball,
of Pompey, N. Y. In politics our subject
is a Republican, and he has served as con
stable. He and his wife are members of
the First Congregational Church.

JOHN SMITH TOWNSHEND, a ris
ing young farmer of Sheffield town
ship, was born there in 1860, a son
of John and Ann (Smith) Townshend.
The father of our subject was born in
1809 in England, whence at about the age
of twenty-two years he came to America
with his parents, the entire family first
making their home in Cleveland, Ohio.
Later John Townshend moved to Sheffield
township, Lorain county, where he carried
on farming during the rest of his life. He
was twice married, his first wife being
Hannah Hurst, by whom he had four chil
dren: Martha Fox, living in Sheffield
township; Sarah, wife of Joseph Walker;
Josiah PL, married, and living in Sheffield
township, and Alfred, deceased. His second
wife, whom he wedded in Elyria township,
was Miss Ann Smith, a native of Leicester
shire, England, and two children were born
to this union; Mary E. and John S., the
former living with the latter. JohnTowns-
hend died in Elyria April 15, 1875.

John S. Townshend, the subject proper
of this sketch, received his primary educa
tion in the district schools of his native
place, and at the age of fifteen attended the
high school of Elyria, after which he at
tended school one year at Oberlin. He
then commenced farming, wliich has been
his life vocation; he now works eighty
acres of land, and is the owner of fiftv-one
acres well improved, and a sawmill.
In 1889 our subject was married to Miss
Carrie M. Buck, born in Avon township,
Lorain Co., Ohio, and two children, named
respectively Ann E. and John, have been
born to them. Mr. Townshend's political
views are Republican, and he is a member
of the Baptist Church.

G ON RAD WIEGAND, one of the
wide-awake progressive citizens of
Lorain, is a native of Hessen-Cassel,
Germany, born May 31. 1849. He
is a son of Henry and Christina (Roth)
Wiegand, also natives of Germany, and
who were the parents of eight children —
six sons and two daughters — two of whom
are now living in America. John Wie^
gand, one of the sons, came here in 1857,
and during the war of the Rebellion en
listed in the Seventh O. V. I., at Cleve
land; he was wounded at the battle of Win
chester, and taken prisoner, but was re
leased, dying soon after, however, in'
hospital, in 1862.
Our subject was educated at the public
schools in the Fatherland, and at the age
of twenty (1869) came to the United States,
totally ignorant of the English language,
but of which he soon made himself mas
ter. From the port of landing he made
his way direct to Lorain county, Ohio, and
first located in Elyria, working at his trade
there till 1872, when he and a brother
opened a boot and shoe store in Lorain.
This partnership continued until 1883, in
which year Conrad Wiegand bought out
his brother, and has since continued in the

1130

LORAIN COUNTY, OHIO.

business alone. He commenced with a
small stock, about five hundred dollars
worth, and has now one valued at as many
thousands. His present brick building he
erected in 1892, and moved therein No
vember 1, tbat year, and he still owns his
old store on North Broadway. He has a
nice residence on Second avenue.
In 1871 Mr. Wiegand was married, in
Elyria, Ohio, to Miss Minnie Beese, and
they have had three sons: Fred, Carl and
Alvin. Our subject is a Republican in
politics, and in religion is associated with
the Evangelical Lutheran Church. He
has been a member of the board of educa
tion since 1882, with the exception of one
year and eight months. Socially he is a
member of the K. 0. T. M.

4

VJIf W' PHELPS- Th*s gentleman, a
\f/\ member of one of the earliest fam-
I ilies to settle in Lorain, county, as
a man of unbounded popularity
and well-known generosity, and as
one who has done much toward the progress
of Eaton township and the establishment of
the town of North Eaton, claims more than
a passing notice in the pages of this Biog
raphical Record.
Our subject was born November 18,
1821, in Jefferson county, N. Y., a son of
Joseph and Dollie (Waite) Phelps, the
former of whom was born in 1800, in Jef
ferson county, N. Y., the latter in New
York about 1801. They were married in
Jefferson county, and in 1826 migrated
westward to Ohio, traveling by water to
Cleveland, thence by team to LaGrange
township, Lorain county, having to cut
their way through the timber and under
brush, Mrs. Phelps walking the entire dis
tance with one child in her arms, and
others toddling by her side. The farm
they settled on contained 160 acres of wild
land, and this by dint of hard and assidu

ous labor they succeeded in reducing to a
state of culture. Their cabin was built
with the assistance of men brought from
Grafton. Occasionally the Indians, for the
first two years, lived in their wigwams
alongside of the Phelps family. Leaving
the farm, Mr. Phelps kept hotel twenty-
five years at LaPorte, Carlisle township,
and then moved to Butternut Ridge, where
he died in 1861; he was, in politics, a
Whig, later a Republican. His wife had
preceded him to the grave in 1857, the
mother of a large family of children, of
whom we give a record of ten : George W.
died in LaGrange township at the age of
five years; Harriet A. resides in Chicago,
111.; Roger (married) died in Sandusky,
Ohio, about 1870; Erastus (married) re
sides in Elyria (he is the oldest engineer
on the Lake Shore & Michigan Southern
Railroad, having been on the road for forty
years); Clarissa is the wife of Edwin
Beardsley, and resides on Chestnut Ridge,
Eaton township; Elvira resides in Min
neapolis, Minn.; Jefferson (married) is an
attorney at law in Chicago, 111. ; Elizabeth
resides in St. Paul, Minn.; Joseph Elston
(married) resides in Toledo (he is one of
the best engineers on the Lake Shore &
Michigan Southern Railroad); George
Washington, who was married and resided
in Toledo, and was an engineer on the Lake
Shore & Michigan Southern Railroad for
thirty years, was killed at Bellevue, Ohio,
in February, 1891.
Joseph Phelps brought the first yoke of
oxen into LaGrange township, and they
did hard work not only on his own farm,
but also on those of his neighbors. At
the time the family settled in the county,
wolves, bears and other wild animals
abounded, and the first cow they owned,
also their first flock of sheep, eighteen in
number, were destroyed by wolves and
carried off, not the least part of the loss
felt being the wool on the sheep, on which
the family depended for future clothing.
On another occasion, during the month of
March, two or three hunger-driven wolves

(tiltitilfitijfti

LORAIN COUNTY, OHIO.

1133

got into the sheep pen, and would have
made much havoc among the sheep but for
a powerful mastiff that fought the wolves
furiously, succeeding in driving them
away, minus a considerable amount of fur
they left behind in the pen. The brave
dog was so sorely wounded that he lay as
dead on the floor, but with careful nursing
he recovered in the course of a week. The
last grey wolf seen was killed on Mr.
Phelps' farm in the winter of 1839; after
being pursued two days it turned on its
pursuers, and was then shot. In the
summer of 1852 a doe reared two fawns,
which the following winter were killed by
hunters. Prior to this all large game, in
cluding the elk, panther and bear, had dis
appeared. Roger Phelps, father of Joseph, and
grandfather of subject, was a native of
Connecticut, where he learned the trade
of tanner and currier. In an early day he
moved to Jefferson county, N. Y., and in
1826 came to Lorain county, where he
died. M. W. Phelps, the subject proper of this
sketch, received his education in the pub
lic schools of LaGrange township, Lorain
county (whither he was brought by his
parents when a child of five summers), and
finished his studies at a select school in
Elyria. In his early manhood he taught
school in Elyria and Grafton townships,
and also at Olmsted Falls, Cuyahoga
county, at which latter he taught a num
ber of terms. On retiring from his scho
lastic duties he commenced farming opera
tions, in which he has since continued with
well-merited success in Eaton township,
where he owns an excellent farm of 275
acres, all well improved. In addition to
the usual grain and root crops, he does au
extensive business in dairying, milking
from thirty-seven to forty cows ; and he has
also dealt largely in live stock.
In August, 1844, Mr. Phelps was united
in marriage in Dover, Cuyahoga Co., Ohio,
with Miss Harriet Ann Grimes, a native
of Vermont, daughter of Johnson and Amy

(Hamilton) Grimes, also of the Green
Mountain State, who came, in 1837, to
Dover township, Cuyahoga county, and
thence moved to Kalamazoo county, Mich.;
the father died in 1869 at the residence of
his son-in-law, our subject; the mother in
1891. Two children were bora to Mr. and
Mrs. Phelps, viz. : Vernon Beresford, mar
ried and residing in Eaton township (he
has five children) ; and Frank Herbert, who
is married and resides in Elyria.
Mr. Phelps is not only progressive, but
also aggressive, and has proven to the
county of his adoption a most useful, loyal
citizen. To him is due the credit of hav
ing secured the Eaton Station (situated on
his farm) for the Cleveland, Cincinnati,
Chicago & St. Louis Railroad, toward
which he subscribed one thousand five
hundred dollars, besides paying out of his
own pocket $600 for labor done. Poli
tically he was originally a Whig, then a
Republican, voting for McClellan, since
when he has been a stanch Democrat.

THOMPSON CLARK, a well-known,
native-born agriculturist of Avon
township, first saw the light April
7, 1822, on the farm where he yet
resides.
He is a son of Samuel and Polly
(Seward) Clark, the former of whom was
born in Connecticut, at the age of thirteen
years removing thence to Vermont, where
he was married in 1816. In the fall of
the last named year he set out with a team
for Ridgeville township, Lorain Co., Ohio,
and in the spring of the following year
settled on a farm, then entirely in the
woods, where he built a log cabin and
passed the remainder of his days. He
passed from earth in 1867, preceded to the
grave by his wife in 1865. They had
born to them eight children, as follows:

1134

LORAIN COUNTY, OHIO.

Samuel, who died here at the age of thirty-
two; Lyman, who died September 14,
1876, in Steuben county, Ind. ; Daniel, who
married and removed to Indiana, where
he died in 1889; Thompson, whose name
introduces this sketch; Clarissa, Mrs.
Amos Moon, who died in Avon township;
Anna, who married Justus Butler, and
died in Indiana in 1885; Orilla, who mar
ried David H. Barnard, of Ridgeville, and
died in Olmsted, Ohio, in 1885; and
Naomi, who became the wife of Wilkes
Rathbun, and died in 1885 at the home of
our subject. Grandfather Gaylord Clark
was a native of Connecticut, and in an
early day removed thence to Addison, Yt.,
where he died.
Thompson Clark received his early edu
cational training in the log cabin subscrip
tion schools of that early period, and was
reared from boyhood to agricultural pur
suits, which he has made his life vocation.
In 1841 he was married to Miss Jane
Young, a native of Addison county, Vt.,
daughter of Alvah and Lucretia (Wilkison)
Young, also natives of that State, and early
settlers of Medina county, Ohio, where both
died. In 1871 this wife died, leaving no liv
ing children, and in 1873 Mr. Clark wedded,
for bis second wife, Miss Amelia Chand
ler, daughter of Harry and Beulah (Ter
rell) Chandler, all natives of New York
State, whence in an early day they came to
Ohio, locating first in Huron county, and
subsequently taking up there home in
Grafton township, Lorain county. Harry
Chandler died in 1885 at the home of our
subject, preceded to the grave by his wife,
who died in Huron county, Ohio. By his
second marriage Mr. Clark has 'one child,
Samuel. Our subject now owns the old
home farm, comprising forty-eight acres of
fertile land, all in a good state of cultiva
tion. In his party preferences he is a
liberal Republican, though in local poli
tics he takes an independent stand. In re
ligious connection Mrs. Clark is a member
of the Congregational Church. Mr. Clark
is now the only representative of one of the

first six families who settled in Avon town
ship. On the paternal side the family is
of English origin, while on the mother's
side they come of Scotch and French ances
try, who located in Connecticut in Colonial
days. William Seward, an uncle of our
subject, was a soldier in the war of 1812.

FRANK E. BONSOR, a well-known
contractor and builder, of Lorain, is
a native of Iowa, born December 28,
1860. Charles E. Bonsor, father of
our subject, was born in England, where
he learned the trade of brick mason and
contractor. In 1849 he came to America,
and here followed his trade in New York
City, from which place he came to Cleve
land, Ohio, thence moving to Indianapolis,
Ind., and thence to Iowa, where he fol
lowed contract work for a number of years.
He then returned to Ohio, locating in
Oberlin, whence, after a residence of eigh
teen or nineteen years, he moved to Fred-
erickstown, Mo., where he and his wife
now reside. Mr. Bonsor married Anna
Watts, who was also a native of England,
and they had nine children — seven sons
and two daughters — eight of whom grew
to maturity.
Frank E. Bonsor was reared in his na
tive State until three years of age, when
he came with his parents to Oberlin, Ohio,
where he received his education. He
learned the trade of. brick mason with his
father, and in 1871, then but eleven years
old, he worked at same in Chicago. He
was connected with his father in the con
tracting business at Oberlin for a few
years, and when a young man superin
tended work undertaken by him. Among
the many buildings erected in Oberlin
under their supervision may be mentioned
the E. J. Goodrich and the Henry Blocks,
Carter Building, Carpenter Building,
Ladies Society & Call Building, Morris

LORAIN COUNTY, OHIO.

1135

Building, Wooster Block, the Town Hall,
besides many dwelling houses. They
erected the greater part of the brick build
ings in Oberlin until 1880, when Mr. Bon
sor came to Lorain, and he has since
followed contracting and building in vari
ous places. He and his brothers took the
contract for the Home State Building, in
Knightstown, Ind., and they received the
highest recommendations for work done
on this edifice. Mr. Bonsor has also done
contract work in Columbus, Cleveland, and
Vermillion, Ohio, and his record duringhis
entire career has been second to none. In
1886 he and his brothers built the Bonsor
Block, the largest business block in Lo
rain, a fine building 78 by 80 feet, and
three stories in height. In 1892 he
erected the Opera House, a handsome
three-story brick building, 41 by 101 feet.
In 1886 Mr. Bonsor was married ,to
Miss Flora B. Manes, and they have two
.children, namely: Frank and Cleora. In
politics he votes with the Republican
party, and socially he is a member of the
I. 0. 0. F. and F. & A. M. Mr. Bon
sor comes from a family of brick masons.
It was the trade of his father and grand
father, and three uncles and three brothers
also follow same.

E. STIWALD, a progressive, en
terprising citizen of North Am
herst, was born in August, 1842,
at Cleveland, Ohio. His parents,
George Michael and Mary (Fox)
Stiwald, were natives of Germany, whence
they emigrated to the United States in
about 1838, locating at Cleveland, Ohio.
They were the parents of six children,
namely: Catherine, a widow, residing in
North Amherst; John, who died in 1876
in Amherst township; Conrad, living in
Michigan; Emma, who died in 1862;
Gertrude, who died in 1875; and A. E.

The father of this family died in 1846, in
Cleveland, and in 1852 his widow came to
Avon township, Lorain county, settling on
a farm, where she resided until her death,
which occurred in 1885, in North Amherst.
A. E. Stiwald, our subject, was reared
up to the age of ten years in Cleveland,
where he received his early education, and
in 1852 came with his mother to Avon
township, where he assisted in clearing the
farm. On August 15, 1862, he enlisted
in Company G, One Hundred and Seventh
O. V. I., for three years or during the war,
and was assigned to the army of the Poto
mac. He participated in the battles in
Kentucky, and was also at Gettysburg,
Fredericksburg, and most of the other en
gagements participated in by the army of
tbe Potomac, and took part in the Grand
Review at Washington, D. C, where he
was honorably discharged in 1865. He
returned to Lorain county, and in 1868
came to Amherst township, there engaging
in farming until January 1, 1870, when
he came to North Amherst and engaged
in the manufacture of cigars, in which he
continued until 1880. a.e is now engaged
in raising fruit.
In 1865 Mr. Stiwald was united in mar
riage, iu Lorain county, Ohio, with Miss
Sarah Ann Jaycox, a native of Lorain
county, daughter of Smith Jaycox. She
died in 1869, and in 1878 Mr. Stiwald was
married, for his second wife, to Miss Maria
White, a native of England. She was a
daughter of Robert White, who was also
born in England, and came to America, lo
cating in Amherst township, Lorain Co.,
Ohio, where he died in 1885. To Mr. and
Mrs. Stiwald were born the following
named children: Florence Eva, Earl O,
Maria G., Grace L. and Grover Allen. In
politics our subject is a Democrat, very
prominent in his party, and has been
elected to various offices of trust; he filled
the position of town clerk in North Am
herst for twelve consecutive years, the
longest period of time for which that office
has been held; he was assessor of North

1136

LORAIN COUNTY, OHIO.

Amherst two years; served for twelve
years as township trustee, and did much
toward the improvement of Amherst; and
was clerk of the joint board (township and
village) during the building of the Town
Hall. Socially he is a member of Rice Post
No. 148, G. A. R., in which he served as
commander two terms, and is now officer
of the day; of Plato Lodge, No. 203,
I. O. O. F., in which he has been secretary
(he has passed all the Chairs); and of Am
herst Lodge No. 74, K. of P., of which he
is deputy grand chancellor. Mr. Stiwald
is an energetic citizen, deeply interested
in everything tending toward the improve
ment of the community in which he resides.

yjILLIAM JAMESON, a native-
' born farmer citizen of Avon town
ship, is a son of JosephB. and Avis
(Smith) Jameson, the father a na
tive of New Hampshire, the mother of
Massachusetts, where they were married.
In 1824 they came to Lorain county, Ohio,
settling in the woods of Avon township,
where they opened up a farm and made a
permanent home. Mrs. Jameson died in
1834, and Mr. Jameson subsequently mar
ried Miss Mary Horr, who died in Avon
township in 1893 ; to that union were born
four children, of whom M. B., the only
survivor, resides in Avon township.
William Jameson, whose name opens
this memoir, was born in 1824, in Avon
township, where he was reared, and re
ceived his elementary education in the
common schools, supplemented by one
term at Norwalk. He taught school for
seven winters in Lorain and Cuyahoga
counties, since when he has chiefly en
gaged in farming. In 1849 he located on
a farm in Sheffield township, which is now
known as Randall's Grove, and first built
a log cabin thereon, which was afterward
supplanted by a frame house. On that

place he resided for sixteen years, improv
ing the land, and then, in 1865, bought an
improved farm of 102^ acres in Avon
township, to which he himself has made
many new improvements, and where he
has since been successfully engaged in
general farming; at one time he worked on
this farm for twelve dollars per month. In
1852 Mr. Jameson was married, in Bir
mingham, Erie county, to Miss Laura La-
more, who was a native of LaGrange town
ship, Lorain county, and the adopted
daughter of Dr. Beaman, an early settler
of French Creek. Mrs. Laura Jameson
died in 1859, leaving one child, Clyde
Burton, who is married and has two chil
dren: Everett E. and Norris Morey; he
resides in Buffalo, N. Yr. In 1859 our sub
ject wedded, for his second wife, Miss
Delia F. Stephens, who was born in Berk
shire county, Mass., daughter of Benjamin
and Lovicia (Foote) Stephens, both natives
of Massachusetts and early settlers of Avon
township, where they died. To this union
was also born one child, George Chauncy,
who graduated from the Philadelphia
Medical University, class of 1893, and is
now located at Oberiin, Ohio. His mother
died in 1887. In politics Mr. Jameson is
a Republican, and has served as assessor
of Sheffield township. In religions faith
he is a member of the Baptist Church at
French Creek.

LAYTON CHAPMAN, arising and
brilliant young attorney at law, and
a justice of the peace, Elyria, is a
native of Lorain county, Ohio, born
February 5, 1868, a son of Lucian H. and
DeEtte (Phelon) Chapman, also natives of
the Buckeye State, and descended from, old
Massachusetts families.
He received a liberal education at the
common schools of the neighborhood of
his place of birth, and for a time taught
school. At the age of about twenty he

LORAIN COUNTY, OHIO.

1137

commenced the study of law with A. R.
Webber, the prosecuting attorney of Lo
rain county, whose office was in Elyria.
On March 5, 1891, he was admitted to the
bar, and at once commenced the practice
of his chosen profession in Elyria. In
November, 1890, being then but twenty-
two years old, he was elected a justice of
the peace of Elyria township, and is proba
bly the youngest justice in the State of
Ohio. He has already proven himself a
jurist of considerable ability, and has the
reputation of interpreting the law in its
strictest sense and bearing, particularly in
criminal cases. Politically he is an ardent
Republican in politics, and socially he is
a member and Regent of the Royal Ar
canum. Mr. Chapman was united in marriage
August 31, 1892, with Miss Frances
Mooers, of Elyria, daughter of A. H. and
Arlette Mooers.

E. CAHOON is a native of the
city of Elyria, where he resides,
and was born May 15, 1846, a
son of William O. and Melissa
(Eldred) Cahoon, the former of whom was
born in the State of New York, and in
1810, then two years old, came to Ohio
with his parents.
Joseph Cahoon, grandfather of subject,
was the first settler in Dover, Cuyahoga
county, and the old home place is still in
the possession of members of the family.
Many changes have taken place on it in
the lapse of years, but the old fireplace
where they cooked their meals is still ex
tant, also apple trees planted by Grand
father Cahoon, which have borne fruit
evei» since. On this place William 0.
Cahoon lived till he was about seventeen
years old, when he moved to the southern
part of the State for a time; then return
ing northward he finally, in 1835, settled
in Elyria, where he passed the remainder

of his days, dying in 1878. His widow
passed away in 1888. In politics he was
a Republican and Free-soiler, and in church
connection he was a Methodist. His
family numbered five sons and one daugh
ter. The eldest son, E. A., was a member
of Battery E, First Ohio Artillery, in
which he served two and one-half years,
when he was honorably discharged.
W. E. Cahoon received his education at
the public schools of the neighborhood of
his home, and at the age of seventeen en
listed in Company K, One Hundred and
Thirty-fifth O. V. I., one hundred days
service, which regiment was sent to Vir
ginia, Maryland, Harper's Ferry, Martins-
burg and Maryland Heights, participating
in the fight at John Brown's Schoolhouse.
On his return home Mr. Cahoon learned
the trade of tinner, which he followed
about twelve years, but accidentally losing
his right arm while firing off a cannon on
Decoration Day, 1874, he closed up his
business in 1878. In 1875 he was elected
assessor of Elyria township, filling the
office four consecutive years; in 1882 he
was elected county recorder, serving till
January 1, 1892, since when he has been
abstracter of titles.
Mr. Cahoon was married, July 30, 1874,
to Mrs. M. P. (Bush) Tyler, who was born
in Fremont, Ohio, daughter of Rev.
Enrotus H. and Mary (Goodsell^ Bush,
both of whom were born in Rochester,
N. Y. Politically our subject is a stanch
Republican, and socially he is a member
of the G. A. R. and Royal Arcanum.

OBERT COWLES, well-known in
Eaton township as a well-to-do
farmer and dairyman, and respected
as a loyal and useful citizen, is a
native of the Isle of Man, bom
in 1836.
He is a son of William .and Mary (Com
mode) Cowles, also natives of the Isle of

1138

LORAIN COUNTY, OHIO.

Man, who in 1837 immigrated to the
United States, locating iu Rochester,
N. Y., where the father worked at his
trade, that of hatter. In 1849 they came
to Eaton township, Lorain county, and
here in the wild woods the family made a
clearing for a new home, there residing till
about 1861, when the father moved to
Fulton county, Ohio, thence to Lake town
ship. Wood Co., same State. He died in
1875, bis wife in 1854, while they were
living in Eaton township. A brief record
of the children born to this couple is as
follows: John died about 1866 in Fulton
county, Ohio (during the Civil war he en
listed, in Fulton county, in the Sixty-
seventh O. V. I., served three years,
veteranized, and served till the close of the
war) ; Jane was married to Thomas Crane,
and died June 14, 1889, in Wood county,
Ohio; Robert is the subject of this sketch;
Charles resides in Michigan (he enlisted in
the Civil war in Fulton county, Ohio);
Henry died in April, 1891, in Wood county
(he enlisted in Fulton county in the Sixty-
seventh O. V. I., and served till the close
of the war); William also enlisted in Ful
ton county, Ohio (he died in Michigan) ;
Mary, who was the wife of Peter Domito,
died in 1875 in Adrian, Michigan.
The subject proper of this sketch was,
as will be seen, an infant when his parents
brought him to this country. He received
his education at the schools of Rochester,
N. Y., and was trained to the arduous
duties of the farm. In 1851 he moved to
Cleveland, Ohio, where he learned the trade
of carpenter and joiner, at which he worked
in tbat city for some years. In 1860 he
went to Pike's Peak by the overlaud route,
and there labored, and followed his trade;
thence proceeded to South Park, where he
worked two years, making salt. From
there, in 1863, he proceeded by overland
route to California, and engaged in team
ing at Sutter Creek until 1865, in which
year he went to Boise City, Idaho, where
he was engaged in the construction of a
building to be used as a factory wherein

to grind quartz rock. After one year he
returned to Amador county, Cal., and
from there, in 1873, came to Ohio, first
tarryi/ig in Wood county, and then from
there coming, in 1880, to Lorain county,
finally settling in Eaton township, where
he has since carried on farming operations,
including dairying.
In 1878 Mr. Cowles was married to
Miss Betsy Jane Spaulding, born in Eaton
township, a daughter of Jesse and Repta
(Howard) Spaulding (both now deceased),
natives of New Hampshire, who iu 1836
came to Lorain county, and in 1839 moved
on a farm in Eaton township now owned by
R. Cowles, with their family of six children
— four sons and two daughters. One
daughter died at the age of twelve years;
the rest grew up on the farm. In their
wilderness home they lived for some time,
the nearest neighbors being one mile dis-
taut, and the farm was slowly cleared. Mr.
and Mrs. Spaulding died on the farm,
June 10, 1863, and April 22, 1875, re
spectively. The remaining daughter still
lives on the farm. Politically Mr. Cowles
is a Republican ; Mrs. Cowles is a member
of the Baptist Church in Columbia town
ship, Lorain county.

AMUEL BEAL, a leading agricul
turist of Elyria township, is a native
of Lorain county, born May 7, 1846,
a son of Philip and Eva (Smith)
Beal, who were married in Germany, where
three of their children were born. They
came to the United States, and settled in
Lorain county, Ohio, on a farm where the
father died in 1866, at the age of seventy-
seven years. They were the parents of eight
children, as follows: Eva (wife of Chris
topher Decker), Maria (wife of John Kolpe),
Lewis (now in Michigan), Susie (wife of
C. Heeg), Paul, Mary, Moses and Samuel.

LORAIN COUNTY, OHIO.

1139

The subject of this sketch received his
education at the common schools of his
native township, and was reared to agri
cultural pursuits. In 1870 he was mar
ried to Miss Catherine Eppley, and eight
children were born to them, named as fol
lows: Frank (married to Mary Barth),
Cora (wife of Vernon Bender, and has one
child, Lydia), Ora, Samuel, Charles, Har
vey, Earl and Elmer. Mr. Beal owns 144
acres of land, and by industry and per-
serverance has accumulated a snug com
petence. In his political preferences he is
a Republican, and in matters of religion he
is an adherent of the Evangelical Church.

Il MASA WEST, retired farmer and
j\\ blacksmith, the cheerful ring of
whose anvil has been heard for
miles around his " smiddy " for
many a day in Russia township, is
a native of Massachusetts, bom June 9,
1817, in Berkshire county, a son of Joshua
and Mary (Newell) West, both also natives
of Berkshire county, the mother born in
the town of Lenox.
Joshua West, father of subject, was
born in 1774, and his father hailed from
the Cape Cod District. The family de
scend from one of three brothers who came
from England to America many years ago,
one of whom was entirely lost sight of.
Joshua West was a lifelong farmer. He
married Mary Newell, and in Lee, Berk
shire Co., Mass., were born to them eleven
children, eight of whom reached maturity,
as follows: Washington, a farmer, who
died in Pittsfield township, Lorain county;
Carlos, a blacksmith by trade, who died in
Tabor, Iowa; Josiah N., a blacksmith by
trade, who also died in Tabor, Iowa;
Oliver, a farmer of Pittsfield township,
Lorain county, where he died; Mary, who
became the wife of Henry Wolcott, died
in Pittsfield ; Amasa, subject of this sketch ;

Jesse, who died in Tabor, Iowa, being the
first of the family to pass away (he was a
strong Abolitionist and a warm friend of
the negro); and Jane, widow of Albert
Root, of Pittsfield, Ohio.
In the early spring of 1832 our subject
and his brother Oliver came to Ohio by
sleigh, there still being snow , on the
ground as far as nine miles west of
Buffalo, N. Y., where, snow now disappear
ing, they traded their sleigh for a wagon,
which brought them on to Wellington,
Lorain county, where an older brother,
Josiah Newell West, a blacksmith, had
located, in whose shop our subject com
menced an apprenticeship. In the fall of
the same year the parents, with four of
the remaining children — Washington,
Jesse, Mary and Jane — - came to Lorain
county from Massachusetts, making the
journey with two wagons — a two-horse
and a single. They made their new home
in Wellington township, two and one-
half miles north of the center, on a totally
unimproved farm then almost all in the
woods; and after a few years' residence
there the father moved to Portage county,
Ohio, where he followed farming. In
November, 1854, while on his way to
Pittsfield on business, he stopped over
night at a wayside tavern, some ten miles
southeast of Cleveland, where he acci
dentally fell downstairs and was killed; he
was buried in Pittsfield cemetery. His
widow died in 1861, and was laid to rest
beside him. Mr. West in politics was a
Whig, and in church relationship was a
Presbyterian till coming to Ohio, when he
united with the Congregationalists. At
the time of his decease he was in comfort
able circumstances, and in his earlier days
he was one of the leading and most
prosperous farmers of Berkshire county,
Massachusetts. Amasa West, whose name introduces
this sketch, was educated at the common
schools of the neighborhood of his home,
and worked on his father's farm till fifteen
years of age, when he commenced to learn

1140

LORAIN COUNTY, OHIO.

the trade of blacksmith at Wellington,
serving an apprenticeship of three years.
He then worked out, earning various
wages at different places, at one smithy
receiving one hundred dollars a year and
his board, a day's work often being twelve
or fourteen hours. After his marriage he
located at Windham, Portage Co., Ohio,
and there followed his trade till Novem
ber, 1843, when he moved to Pittsfield,
Lorain county. Here he bought a farm
on which he resided till 1853, when he
sold out, moved back to Windham, and
bought a farm of 150 acres, where he
lived till the death of his wife in Septem
ber, 1854; in 1855 he sold his farm and
traveled for two years. While in Pitts
field Mr. West had been for one and one-
half years engaged in mercantile business,
but failing health caused him to abandon
it, and in 1859 he bought a farm in
Henrietta, where he lived till the spring
of 1879. He then moved to Oberlin in
order to have his children educated, and
while there he sold the farm in Henrietta
township, buying his present one in Rus
sia township, on wliich he has erected a
modern residence, where he now lives in
retirement. On October 14, 1840, while working at
his trade in Portage county, Ohio, Mr.
West was married in Windham to Miss
Hannah Lyman, daughter of Jeremiah
Lyman, the first settler in Windham town
ship, Portage county, and by this union
there were three children: Martha, who
died at the age of twelve years; Mary L.
(now Mrs. Ira D. Bryant, of Spencer,
Medina Co., Ohio), and Hannah M., living
at home with her father. This wife died
in September, 1854, and for his second
wife Mr. West married, on May 28, 1858,
Nancy B. Dudley, a native of Vermont,
daughter of Jonathan Dudley. By this
marriage there were five children, three of
whom died in infancy, the remaining two
being Edward D., a plumber by trade,
and Harriet A., at home with her father.
The mother of these passed from earth

November 20, 1885, and lies buried in
Henrietta township, Lorain county. Polit
ically Mr. West was originally a Whig,
his first Presidential vote being cast for
William H. Harrison, and he is now a
liberal Republican. He has been a mem
ber of the M. E. Church since 1843, and
has frequently held office in same.

If S. STRAW. Prominent among the
thoroughly representative agricnltur-
_[ ists of Carlisle township is found this
gentleman.
He is a native of New York State, born
April 29, 1830, a son of Ezra and Hannah
(Colbcath) Straw, of New Hampshire
birth. In an early day Ezra Straw moved
to the northern part of New York State,
and thence, in 1833, to Lorain county,
Ohio, locating at first in Huntington
township, afterward in Sheffield township,
and finally settling in Amherst township.
He died in 1854, his wife in 1887. In
his political sympathies he was originally
an Old-line Whig, in later years a Repub
lican. They were the parents of seven
children whom they reared to maturity,
five of whom are yet living, namely: I. S.,
subject of this memoir; Ezra, a farmer of
Black River township; Selina, widow of
Sylvester Potter, of North Amherst;
Marina, wife of W. P. Potter, of North
Amherst; Sophia, wife of G. W. Barns, of
Amherst township. On the father's side
the family are German, on the mother's
they are English.
As will be seen, our subject was a small
boy when his parents came to Lorain
county, and he was here reared and edu
cated, receiving a thoroughly practical
training to farming pursuits under his
father's tuition. In 1864 he purchased
his present farm in Carlisle township, one
of the most fertile and best kept in the
county. Mr. Straw has been thrice mar-

LORAIN COUNTY, OHIO.

1143

ried: first time, in Norwalk, Ohio, in
1854, to Miss Jane Murray, a native of
Carlisle township, Lorain county, and
daughter of .Abner and Betsey Murray,
pioneers of that township, where the
mother died; the father passed away in
Norwalk, Ohio. To this marriage were
born three children, viz.: Murray A., who
died in Colorado; Charles (married), resid
ing in Elyria (has three children: Isaac N.,
Earl and Nellie); and Jennie M., wife of
Harvey Walls, of Elyria. The mother of
these was called from earth in 1863, and
for his second wife Mr. Straw married,
January 8, 1864, Miss Betsey Lawrence, a
native of Vermont, and daughter of Steven
Lawrence, a pioneer of Carlisle township,
Lorain county; she died August 6, 1889.
In July, 1892, Mr. Straw was united in
marriage with Mrs. Sarah Penney Willson.
In his political sympathies our subject is
a straight Republican, active in the inter
ests of his party. He has served as justice
of the peace, and was a director of the
County Infirmary sixteen years. He is
highly respected and esteemed as a useful,
loyal and progressive citizen.

|f|fENRY^ TOWNSEND. This gen-
|!H tleman, who ranks among the well-
fi 4 known farmer citizens of Carlisle
•J) township, was born in 1831, in
Warwickshire, England. His par
ents, William and Ann (Darlow) Town-
send, were natives of the same county,
where they passed their entire lives, the
father dying at the age of seventy-five, the
mother in about 1863.
Henry Townsend was reared in England,
receiving during his youth but limited
educational advantages, and after his
school days were over followed farming in
his native country until the age of twenty-
six. In 1857 he immigrated to America,
proceeding at once to Elyria, Lorain Co.,
59

Ohio, where he engaged in agricultural
work. He subsequently went to Sugar
Ridge, Ridgeville township, and in 1862
came to Carlisle township, locating on the
farm where he has since made his home.
He purchased twenty-nine acres, then in
the woods, cleared a place to build a
house, and has made all the improvements
on the tract with his own hands. He has
added to the farm from time to time, and
now owns one hundred acres, all highly
improved and cultivated, upon which he
has erected a good house and barn. A
sister of our subject, the wife of John
Smith, who came to Lorain county in
1857, resides on an adjoining farm in
Carlisle township.
In 1862 Mr. Townsend was united in
marriage, in Eaton township, with Miss
Ann Roach, who was born in Northamp
tonshire, England, daughter of John and
Elizabeth (Eames) Roach. Her parents,
who were also natives of Northampton
shire, in 1856 came from England to the
United States, locating first in Amherst
township, Lorain Co., Ohio, where they
remained one year, thence moving to Ridge
ville, where they resided for two years. The
family next lived a year at Plum Creek, and
finally moved to Eaton township, where
they opened up a farm, and made a per
manent home. Mr. and Mrs. Roach were
the parents of eight children, as follows:
Mary, wife of Samuel Mattock, of De
fiance county, Ohio; Ann, Mrs. Townsend;
Joseph, married and residing in Hall
county, Neb.; William, who enlisted, in
1861, in Company K, Twenty-third
0. V. I., and was killed November 15,
1861, at Camp Ewing, W. Va. (he was
accidentally shot) ; Thomas, who died in in
fancy, in England; Betsey, wife of Henry
Montague, residing in New Chanute,
Kans.; Sophia, wife of Peter Watts,
of Knightstown, Henry Co., 'Ind.; and
Thomas, a resident of Eaton township.
The mother of this family died in Am
herst township in 1856, the father in 1888
at the home of Mr. Townsend.

1144

LORAIN COUNTY, OHIO.

In politics our subject is a Republican,
takes an active interest in the welfare of
his party, and has served as trustee and
supervisor of his township. He has al
ways followed farming in the township,
and he and his wife are among the most
prominent and highly respected members
of the community in which they reside.
To their union have come two children, as
follows: William, who on April 22, 1886,
was united in marriage with Miss Celia
Jane Philpott, of Elyria (he is engaged in
farming on the home farm); and Martha
Sophia, at home.

E. SQUIRES, a well-known mer
chant at Turner's Mills, is a native
of Lorain county, Ohio, born Au
gust 16, 1837, in Carlisle township.
His parents, Abner and Lois
Squires, were natives of Vermont, and in
1831 migrated westward to Lorain county,
Ohio, settling in Carlisle, where the
father, who was a farmer, died in 1851,
his widow in 1864. He was a Democrat
in political faith. These pioneers reared
a family of eight children (four of whom
are yet living), namely: Emily, widow of
Abel M. Thorpe, residing in Elyria town
ship; Ida, who was married to A. Pang
born, and died in Elyria township; Anson,
deceased in Elyria; Truman, married, and
residing in Story county, Iowa; Susan,
wife of Charles B. Sutliff, both now de
ceased; Ezra, married, and residing in
Michigan ; Louisa, Mrs. Halford, who died
in Pittsfield. ; and A. E.
A. E. Squires was reared in his native
township, receiving his education at the
common schools of the district. In 1861
he enlisted, for three years, in Company
K, Twenty- third Regiment, O. V. L, was
mustered in at Columbus, Ohio, and
served with the army of the Potomac,
participating in the engagements at South

Mountain and Antietam, besides many
skirmishes. In 1864 he received an hon
orable discharge and returned home, but
subsequently re-enlisted, this, time in the
Eleventh O. V. I., and was with Sherman
on his march to the sea, served throughout
the Carolina campaign, and took part in
the Grand Review at Washington, D. C.
He was mustered out of the service at
Camp Dennison, and immediately returned
to Carlisle township, where he commenced
to follow the trade of carpenter and
builder. On January 31, 1860 Mr. Squires was
married, in Carlisle township, to Miss
Catherine Cornell, who was born in Pitts
field, Lorain county, daughter of George
Cornell, an early pioneer of the county,
where he lived and died. To this union
was born one sou, Orville, whose mother
died in 1883. On August 1, 1892, Mr.
Squires was married, in Carlisle township,
to Mrs. Emma Pember, widow of DeWitt
Pember, of Carlisle: she is a native of
Summit county, Ohio, daughter of William
Manning, who removed from Summit
county to Carlisle township, Lorain county,
where he died in 1867. In politics Mr.
Squires is a Prohibitionist, and served for
one year, 1891, as postmaster at Turner's
Mills, when the office was discontinued.
He has been engaged in the grocery busi
ness at Turner's Mills since 1890.

ARREN W. BLAINE, owner of
as fertile and well-conducted a
farm as can be found in Ridge
ville township, is a native of same,
born in 1837, a son of Richard and Fannie
(Fuller) Blaine.
Richard Blaine was born in Genesee
county, N. Y., a son of Wilson and Han
nah (Vannatten) Blaine, who were natives
of New York and Pennsylvania, respect
ively. In 1819, when Richard was a lad
of six summers, they came from Genesee

LORAIN COUNTY, OHIO.

1145

county, N. Y., to Lorain couuty, Ohio,
and made a settlement in Ridgeville town
ship, at that time all woodland. Wilson
Blaine lived also for a time in Eaton town
ship, but the greater part of his life was
passed in Ridgeville, where he and his wife
died, the latter in 1861. Grandfather
Warren Fuller came to Olmsted, Cuyahoga
Co., Ohio, in an early day.
Richard Blaine, lather of subject, re
ceived his education at the common schools
of Ridgeville township, and at La Porte.
He made agriculture his life work, and be
came prosperous. He was married, in
Olmsted, Cuyahoga Co., Ohio, to Miss
Fannie Fuller, and they then commenced
married life on the homestead in Ridge
ville township, Lorain county, making
their home in an old log cabin. The chil
dren born to them were four in number, as
follows : Warren W., subject of this sketch;
James, who resides in Cleveland; Vesty,
wife of Noah Peck, of Ridgeville town
ship; and Harlon, who died in Ridgeville
township about 1856. The father of these
died in 1877, the mother in 1886. He
was at first a Whig in his political views,
later a Republican, and served in various
township offices.
Warren W. Blaine, the subject proper
of this sketch, received his primary educa
tion at the common schools of Ridgeville
township, which he supplemented with a
course of study at Berea (Ohio) College.
He had a practical training in agricultural
pursuits under his father's tuition, and has
made farming his life work. In 1861 he
was united in marriage with Miss Eliza
beth Watson, a native of Ridgeville town
ship, Lorain county, daughter of John
Watson (deceased), who was an English
man by birth and an early settler of Ridge
ville. "Seven children were born to this
union, as follows: Martin, residing in
Ridgeville, who is married, and has two
children, Theodore and Melvin; R. E.,wife
of Ed. Terrell, residing in Elyria, has two
children, Orville and Elfa; Elfa, who was
the wife of John Reed, and died in Cali

fornia in 1888, leaving one child, Olive E.;
Janie, Harlon, Fannie and Emma. Mr.
Blaine owns the old homestead in Ridge
ville township, aggregating 131 acres of
well-cultivated land. Politically he is a
Republican.

[( DDISON E. LORD, manufacturer
l\ of cigars, Elyria, is a native of
\<_ Connecticut, bora at Warehouse
Point, Hartford county, October 16,
1842, a son of Chester Adkins and
Lucretia (Moran) Lord, also natives of the
Nutmeg State, and descended from old
New England stock. The father, who was
for over forty years a stationary engineer,
lived to be eighty-two years of age. They
had eight children (subject being theyoung-
est), of whom one son and four daughters
are yet living. The parents died in 1845,
on May 17 and July 2, respectively.
Addison E. Lord received his education
at the common schools of the vicinity of
his place of birth, and at the age of four
teen (1857) went on a whaling expedition
to the sea of Ochotsk, east of Russia in
Asia (eastern Siberia); thence sailed tothe
Pacific Ocean, visitiug, among other places
of importance, New Zealand. In July,
1861, he returned to his old home, to find
the country about to plunge into a terrible
Civil war, and he remained but one short
month in peaceful quietude, when, fired
by the spirit of patriotism, he joined the
U. S. navy as a seaman. He served three
years and four months, cruising along the
coast from the Mississippi to Galveston,
Texas. In the winter of 1864 he once
more returned to the pursuits of peace,
coming direct to Elyria, Ohio, where he
had a brother engaged in the cigar-making
business, with whom he found employment,
learning the trade. With him he remained
until 1874, when he opened out in the
same town for his own account, doing an

1146

LORAIN COUNTY, OHIO.

exclusively wholesale business till 1877,
in which year he moved into his present
building, and commenced the retail trade
in company with F. H. Sudro (abandoning
the wholesale) ; he has since done a flour
ishing business, keeping a large and choice
stock, chiefly of his own manufacture.
Mr. Lord was married in January, 1866,
to Miss Louise Ward, a native of Elyria,
and three children came to brighten their
home, viz.: Burton H., died April 17, 1870;
Ed. G. and Pearl. Mrs. Lord's parents,
Lyman and Calista Ward, were natives of
Vermont; the father died August 6, 1872,
the mother November 8, 1876. Mr. Lord
is a Republican in politics; socially he is a
member of the F. & A. M., I. O. O. F.and
G. A. R., and a charter member of the
K. of H, L. of H, and I. O. F. Of the
I. O. O. F. he has been a member for
twenty-three years, has filled the Chairs
from warden to noble grand, and has been
a representative to the Grand Lodge. Mr.
Lord is a useful citizen, popular and pro
gressive, and has done his part toward the
growth and prosperity of his adopted
county and town.

R. MOYSEY, the leading veterin
ary surgeon of Elyria, was born
April 19, 1858, in Mansfield, Rich
land Co., Ohio, a son of R. R. and
Sallie (Dennison) Moysey, both of whom
were born in Lincolnshire, England. In
1852 R. R. Moysey came from England to
Mansfield, Ohio, where he resided for six
teen years, and then moved to Kelley's
Island, Ohio, where he has ever since made
his home. For twenty-five years he has
devoted his time and attention to grape
culture and wine making, and he is one of
the proprietors of the Sweet Valley Wine
Company. The subject of this sketch received his
education at the common schools of the

vicinity of his place of birth, and was
reared to his father's grape business on
Kelley's Island in Lake Erie, until he
commenced the study of veterinary sur
gery. In 1885 he entered the Veterinary
College at Chicago, graduating from same
in 1887. He then came to Elyria, and
practiced his profession exclusively till
about two years ago, when he opened a
livery stable in connection, having as a
partner J. L. Reed, and he does an exten
sive business in both interests.
On April 24, 1883, D. R. Moysey was
united in marriage with Miss Sallie D.
Carpenter (who was also reared on Kelley's
Island), daughter of Charles Carpenter,
wlio was born in Norwich, Conn.; her
mother was born at Rockport, Ohio, and
was one of the old Kelley family. To this
marriage children were born as follows:
Lynne, Mildred, Mabel and Florence. Our
subject is a Republican, and is a popular,
loyal citizen.

yBILIP R1TZENTHALER, a mem
ber of the well-known firm of Breck
enridge & Ritzen thaler, merchants,
Kipton, is a native of Baden, Ger
many, born August 14, 1841, a son
of Philip Ritzentbaler.
In 1851 the family, consisting of parents,
three sons and one daughter, left the
Fatherland for the distant shores of Amer
ica, sailing from Havre, France, for New
York, where they landed after a voyage
of thirty days. From there they proceeded
to Dunkirk, thence to Sandusky, Ohio, and
in Milan township, Erie county, the father
bought land. Later he moved to Wake
man township, Huron county, where he
sojourned a short time, and then, on ac
count of impaired health, came to Nor
walk, same county, where he lived a retired
life, and died in March, 1861. He was
well-to-do, but having financially assisted
otlier German families to come to Amer
ica, and failing to be repaid by them in

LORAIN COUNTY, OHIO.

1147

any shape, he lost a considerable amount
of money. He had a family of eight chil
dren, of whom are yet living: Barnhart,
a farmer in Baden, Germany; Charles, a
farmer of Ontario county, N. Y.; George,
of Erie county, Ohio; Philip, subject of
sketch; Mary, Mrs. Anthony Siebolt, of
Erie county, Ohio; and Emma, Mrs. Nahm,
a widow, of Fremont, Ohio.
Philip Ritzenthaler, whose name opens
this sketch, received a limited education at
the schools of his native place, and at the
age of fourteen, being now in Ohio with
his parents, left home to do for himself.
In 1857 he came to Kipton, and worked
for O. Bowen, who then conducted a hotel,
and was also ticket agent for the Lake
Shore & Michigan Southern Railroad Com
pany at that place, and also atteuded the
pumping station for the same company.
Here he remained some four or five
mouths, and then went to the farm of
Hiram Prentice, near Kipton, with whom
he worked for some years at from four to
eight dollars per month, and board, in the
summers, and in the winters for his board
only, as he attended school a good part of
the time. From Mr. Prentice he went in
1861 to live with John P. Lee, but Octo
ber 31, same year, he enlisted in Company
H, Forty-third O. V. I.; he participated
in the battle of New Madrid (near Island
No. 10), the Corinth campaign, and second
battle of Corinth. After serving two years
and three months, he reenlisted, and was
with Sherman on his march to the sea, ex
periencing all the hardships of that mem
orable campaign. He served in all three
years and nine months. In July, 1865,
he was discharged from the service at
Louisville, Ky., returning to Camden town
ship, Lorain county, and for two years fol
lowing again worked for Hiram Prentice.
In 1867 he went to Moore county, Minn.,
and cultivated a piece of land he had pur
chased there, but after a residence of two
years and three months he returned to
Kipton. In 1869, after his marriage, he
and his young wife went into housekeep

ing in Ontario county, N. Y., where he
managed a farm for three years, and once
more returned to Kipton. In 1880 Mr.
Ritzenthaler entered the general store of
William Douglass at Kipton, as partner,
and after two years served as postmaster
under C. A. Arthur, at the same time
clerking in the store of Douglass & Rose.
For some time thereafter he was in the
creamery business with E. Jones, of Fos
toria, Ohio; later became clerk for B. F.
Breckenridge at Kipton, and in 1890 they
formed a partnership which has since con
tinued. In July, 1869, our subject married Miss
Hattie M. Allen, bora in Henrietta town
ship, Lorain Co., Ohio, a daughter of Rose-
well Allen. She died in 1875 in Kipton,
and was buried in Oberlin, the mother of
two children: Nellie M., now Mrs. Will
iam L. Moninger, of Waynesboro, Penn.,
and Laura M,, now Mrs. L. C. Bates, of
Lorain, Ohio. For his second wife Mr.
Ritzenthaler married, in 1879, Miss Annetta
Eddy, who was born in Camden township,
Lorain county, a daughter of Squire Eddy,
a pioneer citizen of Camden township. To
this union were born children, as follows:
Nettie L. ; Reuben E., who died at the age
of six months, and Flossie E., all living. In
his political sympathies our subject has
always been a stanch Republican, has held
various township offices, and is now serv
ing as clerk with fidelity and ability.

4J

HENRY PIFER. This representa
tive, prosperous agriculturist of
Rochester township is a son of
Christian and Catherine (Garner)
Pifer, natives of Lancaster county,
Pennsylvania. In 1836 the parents came to Ohio, lo
cating on a farm in Orange township,
Ashland county, where the father bought
thirty acres of wild land, that part of the
country being entirely new, without a single

1148

LORAIN COUNTY, OHIO.

road in it, only blazed trees marking a path
through the woods. A temporary log
house was built, and in course of time a
better one; thirty acres were added to the
first purchase, and, later, still more, until
the farm aggregated 114 acres. Children
as follows were born to this pioneer
couple: Jacob, who resides in Marion
county, Iowa; Elizabeth, single, who re
sides on the home farm; Martha, who
makes her home in Brighton, Lorain
county; Mary, who is the widow of Isaac
Lydick, of Orange township, Ashland
county; Samuel, a farmer of Orange
township; and Henry, whose name opens
this sketch. The father of this family
died in July, 1881, aged seventy-five
years; the mother on August 20, 1893, at
the advanced age of eighty-eight years,
one month, fourteen days, and they lie
side by side in Orange cemetery, Ashland
county. They were members of the Dunk-
ard Church, and in politics Mr. Pifer was
a Republican. Henry Pifer, whose name introduces
this sketch, was born September 11, 1841,
in Orange township, Ashland Co., Ohio.
In 1865 he came to Lorain county, where
for a year he was employed on tbe farm of
Josephus Clark, and then rented land.
After his marriage he rented a farm in
Ruggles township, Ashland county, for a
few years, and in 1873 bought seventy-five
acres in Rochester township, Lorain
county, which is embodied in his present
farm. Hither he removed, and there resided
until his purchase from Thomas Knapp
of the piece of land whereon he now has
his residence, and which lies opposite his
seventy-five acre farm. He now owns
118^ acres of excellent land, all greatly
improved by him, and in addition to gen
eral farming he is extensively engaged in
the dairy business.
On March 24, 1864, Mr. Pifer married
Miss Mary A. Krebs, who was bora Sep
tember 16, 1841, in Orange township,
Ashland county, a daughter of Daniel and
Catherine (Rickett) Krebs, and two

children were born to this union: Jennie
M., now Mrs. Henry Barnes, of Rochester,
Lorain county, and Loran, at home with
her parents. Politically our subject is a
stanch Democrat, formerly as stanch a Re
publican, his first vote being cast for
Brough for governor of Ohio. He and
his wife are. both consistent members of
the Congregational Church at Rochester.

/T^EORGE H. BRADNER, prominent
I j, in the farming community of Hunt-
\J ington township, was born in 1833
}k in Chester, Mass., a son of S. D.
Bradner, who was born in 1800 in
the State of New York.
In 1833 S. D. Bradner came to Ohio,
having secured by trade some 500 acres of
wild land in Huntington township, Lorain
county. In Massachusetts he had married,
a year or two before, Miss Louisa Holland,
a native of that State, and four children
were born to them, viz. : Margaret, mar
ried to S. S. Warner, of Wellington, Lo
rain county; George H., subject proper of
sketch; Frank, who died at about the age
of forty years; and John H.-, in the coal
business in Cleveland. The parents died
in Wellington township, the father in
1875, the mother in 1870.
George H. Bradner was, as will be seen,
but an infant when the family came from
the East to Lorain county, the common
schools of which he attended, also Oberlin
College two terms. He was reared to
agricultural pursuits, and is now the owner
of a large, highly- improved farm in
Huntington township, on which he erected
a comfortable brick residence. Up to
1888 he lived continuously there, with the
exception of two years he spent in Michi
gan, and he was a resident of Wellington
four years. In 1861 our subject

some

married Miss Auna M. Benallack, a native
of Cornwall, England, and six children

LORAIN COUNTY, OHIO.

1149

have been born to them, as follows: Sam
uel Denton, residing in Wellington, who
is married and has two children — Vera
and Susie; Mary, wife of B. Royce, has
one child; Margaret and Orrie, at home;
and two that died in infancy. Politically
Mr. Bradner is a Republican; his wife is
a member of the Baptist' Church.

JOSEPH STORROW, a leader in the
agricultural interests of Wellington
township, is a native of Upper Can
ada (now Province of Ontario), born
August 7, 1828.
Joseph Storrow, his father, born in
England in 1780, immigrated to America
when thirty years old, and his first voca
tion in the New World was in the lumber
business in Schenectady, N. Y. He made
frequent visits to friends and relatives in
his native land, having crossed the ocean
some five times for no other purpose. He
married Miss Triphena Freeman, who was
a native, it is supposed, of Pennsylvania,
and five children were born to them,
namely: Thomas, a farmer in Brighton
township, Lprain county; Rowena (de
ceased), who was married to Miren Merls;
Louisa, wife of K. Baird; May A., wife of
Louis Barge, and Joseph. The father died
in Wellington, Ohio, February 5, 1858,
the mother on November 27, 1844.
The subject proper of this sketch re
ceived a liberal education, and was reared
to farming pursuits. On August 30,
1854, he was united in marriage with
Miss Emily Bunce, a native of New York
State, daughter of Isaac and Cornelia (Vos
burgh) Bunce, of Vermont and New York
birth, respectively, who in an early day
came west to Ohio, settling in Brighton
township, Lorain county, where the father
died at the age of sixty-one years, the
mother when forty-five years old ; they were
members of the M. E. Church; their chil

dren were as follows: Emily, Mrs. Joseph
Storrow; Christina, Mrs. Leonard, resid
ing in Huntington; Susan, widow of A.
Twaddle; Elizabeth, Mrs. George Gillett,
living in Brighton township; and Mary,
married to Horatio B. Beardsly, of Roch
ester township.
To our subject and wife have been born
two children: Hubert, born October 20,
1855, received his education in the district
schools, and married Miss Eva Willard;
they have five children: Emily E., Cyn-
thiana, Cora Dell, Carrie Bell, and Joseph
Hubert, an engineer on the Kansas Rail
road, residing at Kansas City. (2) Byron
A., bom January 4, ,1860, attended the
neighboring schools, and on January 1,
189l, married Miss Delia Walters, a native
of Spencer, Ohio. Mr. Storrow came to
his present farm in Wellington township
in April, 1838, nearly fifty-six years ago,'
then a boy of ten summers, and has made
farming his life work. He now owns 150
acres of land. In politics he is a stanch
Republican.

4J

HARVEY M. PEABODY, one of
the most prominent and prosperous
agriculturists of Russia township,
is a native of the Green Mountain
State, born October 20, 1837, in
Irasburg, Orleans county, a son of David
and Sarah E. (Tuller) Peabody.
David Peabody, father of subject, was"
born July 10, 1812, in Londonderry, N. H.y
a son of Andrew Peabody, bora in 1759,
who followed the dual trades of tailor and
shoemaker. He was a soldier in the
Revolutionary war. He was three times
married; by his first wife he had no issue;
by his second he had three children — Elias,-
Daniel and Andrew — and by his third, who
was a Miss Hannah Beadle (sister to his
second wife), born in 1777, he had nine
children, as follows: Susan, born in 1797,
married Richard Kelley, and died in Am-

1150

LORAIN COUNTY, OHIO.

herst township, Lorain county; Charlotte,
born in 1801, married R. Bailey, and died
in Henrietta township, Lorain county;
Clarissa, born in 1803, married Omar
Bailey, and died in Russia township;
Mercy, born in 1806, married James
Mitchel], aud died in Michigan; Nathan,
born in 1808, died during the war of the
Rebellion, in Virginia; Harriet, born in
1810, married Charles Mitchell and lives
in Montcalm county, Mich.; David and
Aaron (twins), born in 1812, of whom
David is the father of our subject, and
Aaron resides in Eaton county, Mich.; and
Mary Maria, born in 1814, married twice,
first to Calvin Briggs, and afterward to
Elisha Aldridge (she died in Nebraska).
The father of this large family died July
4, 1839, in New Hampshire, his last wife
on July 6, 1842, and they are buried at
the head of Lake Memphremagog, in
Orleans county, Vermont.
David Peabody was reared on a farm,
and educated at the common schools of his
native place. On January 13, 1837, be
was united in marriage with Sarah Eme
line Tuller, who was born in 1814 at St.
Albans, Vt., daughter of Samuel Tuller,
and Mr. Peabody then settled down to agri
cultural labor at his home in Vermont till
September, 1842, when he came to Ohio
with his family, the journey being made
by canal and lake to Cleveland. Thence
they proceeded by team to Russia town
ship, Lorain county, where he bought
twelve acres of land, subsequently adding
fifty acres, where he has since had his home.
The children born to David and Sarah E.
Peabody are Harvey M., the subject proper
of this sketch; Alonzo, born March 20,
1840, and Richard (an invalid), born May
20, 1845. In politics Mr. Peabody is a
Republican, formerly a Democrat, and he
(as was also his wife) is a member of the
First Congregational Church. His wife
was called from earth September 9, 1880.
Harvey M. Peabody, the subject proper
of this memoir, was, as will be seen, about
five years old when the family came to

Ohio. He attended the common schools
of Lorain county, and was reared to agri
cultural pursuits on his father's farm, under
his tuition. When sixteen years of age he
commenced working for Squire Roberts,
with whom he remained three years, and
in part payment for his services he re
ceived twenty acres of land, which was his
first property. Later he and his father to
gether bought a small tract of land, and
still later our subject traded with his father,
receiving a tract of seventy acres in ex
change for what he then owned, and as a
result of such trading and later purchases
he is now the owner of 336 acres, ac
cumulated since he was a young man work
ing for two shillings a day.
On December 30, 1866, our subject was
united in marriage with Martha Petty, who
was born February 29, 1844, in Henrietta
township, Lorain Co., Ohio, a daughter of
Thomas and Mary Ann (Simpson) Petty,
and five children, as follows, have been
born to them: William H. and Clayton D.,
farmers in Russia township, Lorain county ;
and Otis E., Mattie B. and Ethel B., all at
home with their parents. Mr. Peabody is
a Republican, but is not an active politi
cian, as his time is fully occupied with his
business; he and his wife are members of
the Methodist Church, of which he is a
trustee.

D'

AVID L. GIBBS, a prominent
farmer and stockman of Carlisle
township, is a native of same, born
March 15, 1828, a son of Ransom
and Julia (Pritchard) Gibbs.
The father of our subject was born in
Waterbury, Conn., and was reared, edu
cated and married in New Haven county.
After the birth of their first child there,
he and his wife came to Ohio, and made a
settlement in Carlisle township, Lorain
county, Mr. Gibbs cutting two miles of the
Elyria road, and building a log house at

&M>

LORAIN COUNTY, OHIO.

1153

the end of the road, where he made his
new home, the family being among the
first settlers on Murray Ridge. The father
died March 17, 1879, at the advanced age
of eighty-three, the mother when fifty-
eight years old. Grandfather Obed Gibbs
came to the county at the same time, ac
companied by his wife, Hannah (Scoville),
and they both died in Carlisle township.
To Ransom and Julia (Pritchard) Gibbs
were bora four children, viz.: Jane, who
was married to George Boughton, and
died in Nebraska; Lewis, deceased in
Washington City; Harriet, wife of Alonson
Wooster, of Elyria; and David L.
The subject of these lines received his
education in the public schools of Carlisle
township, and from early boyhood worked
on the farm. He is now owner of 204
acres of highly-cultivated land, where he
carries on stock farming. In 1849 he
married Miss Jane M. Slauter, a native of
Pennsylvania, and two children blessed
their union: Carrie, wife of M. L. Chap
man, of Denver, Colo, (they have three
children — Hattie, Nellie and Henry); and
Hattie Y., wife of F. M. Hance, now of
Oberlin. Politically Mr. Gibbs is a
Democrat.

^RSON M. CARVE Y. Among the
foremost of the progressive and suc
cessful farmers of Rochester town
ship is to be found this gentleman,
who is a son of William Carvey.
William Carvey, grandfather of Orson
M., was bora in New York State, near the
spot where Washington marshaled his
army in martial array, and in which vicin
ity many other noted events of the war of
Independence transpired. In 1820 he re
moved with his family to Goshen, same
State, and after four years residence, there
made a final settlement in the town of
Jerusalem (also in New York State), where

he died March 15, 1832. His son William,
father of our subject, was born June 14,
1809, in Little Britain, Orange Co., N. Y.,
and was eleven years old when his parents
took him to Goshen, and fifteen when they
removed to Jerusalem. In New York
State, in 1832, he married Miss Eunice
Thomas, who was born October 4, 1811,
and October 15, 1832, they set out for Lo
rain county, Ohio, arriving after a tedious
journey of three weeks. He located on the
" Dodge farm," adjoining the present
homestead of our subject, subsequently
buying the latter (at that time a tract of
seventy acres), paying twenty shillings
($2.50) per acre for same. To build a log
house was no easy task, but the expense
was comparatively light, as the total cost
of hauling to the spot all the logs required
was only eight shillings ($1.00). On
March 1, 1833, the rude cabin was " com
pleted " aud ready for the family, though
it had neither door, window nor hearth.
For two years after coming to Rochester
township he voted in Huntington town
ship, and at the first election "held in the
former there were but seventeen votes cast.;
his first Presidential vote was cast for An
drew Jackson. The record of the children
born to this worthy old pioneer is as fol
lows: Lydia L., now Mrs. W. R. McCon
nell, of Rochester township; Nancy L.,
who married James Jennings, and died on
the home farm; Berton W., who was a
soldier in Battery B, First O. V. A., and
died in hospital at Nashville, Tenn., of
disease contracted in the service; Harriet
L., Mrs. Frederick Peet, of Rochester
township; Ellen L., Mrs. Frank Corey, of
Quincy, Mich.; and Orson M., subject of
sketch. The father died September 13,
1886, the mother on January 24, same
year, and they sleep their last sleep in
Beckley Cemetery, Rochester township.
Mr. Carvey was originally an Old-line
Whig, till the organization of the Republi
can party, when he enrolled himself under
their banner, remaining true to bis colors
until the day of his death.

1154

LORAIN COUNTY, OHIO.

Orson M. Carvey, the subject proper of
these lines, was born April 23, 1852, inRoch-
ester township, Lorain county, on the same
farm he yet owns and resides upon. He
received a liberal district-school education,
his first teacher being Rhoda Close, who
boarded at his father's house, and was an
intimate friend of the family. Thoroughly
trained to agriculture, Mr. Carvey has
proven himself to be one of the most suc
cessful in his vocation in the county.
After the death of his parents he bought
out the rest of the heirs, and has since en
joyed the entire ownership of the original
100-acre farm, where he has carried on
general agriculture, including dairying.
On December 30, 1874, Mr. Carvey
married Miss Mary McConnell, who was
born November 17, 1846, in New London,
Ohio, a daughter of William and Martha
(Rohrback) McConnell, who several years
ago came from Oswego, N. Y., to Huron
county, Ohio, making their home in New
London. Mrs. Carvey is a cultured lady,
and at Oberlin University studied vocal
and instrumental music. One child, Fred
W., a bright little boy, born April 29,
1881, completes the happy family circle.
The lad has succeeded in training a couple
of sheep to pull him and his little wagon
about, and tbey can haul him a consider
able distance with the greatest ease. Po
litically our subject is a Republican, and
takes an active interest in all elections.

GS. MILLS. Among the well-known
and influential citizens of Ridgeville
township, none occupies a more
prominent place than this gen
tleman. He was bora in Ridgeville. township
December 7, 1829, son of Samuel and
Sally (Vannatten) Mills, the former of
whom was a native of Jefferson county,
N. Y., the latter of Connecticut. In 1818
or 1820 Samuel Mills came westward to

Lorain county, Ohio, locating in the east
ern part of Ridgeville township, where he
purchased 100 acres of land, subsequently
adding thereto until he had a farm of 220
acres. On January 2, 1821, he was mar
ried in Lorain county to Sally Vannatten,
and they became the parents of children
as follows: Hiram V., born January 1,
1822, who died in Jefferson county, N. Y.,
in February, 1859; Alfred D., born July
11, 1824, who died in Chicago, 111., in
August, 1850; H. D.; P. Amelia, who
died in 1834; and C. S., subject of this
biographical memoir. The father of this
family served in the war of 1812, partici
pating in the battle of Sacket's Harbor.
In politics he was an active Whig, and
served as justice of the peace. He passed
to his long home June 24, 1839, survived
for many years by his wife, who died in
Ridgeville, Lorain county, May 5, 1873.
Grandfather Mills, who was a native of
Connecticut, settled in an early day in
northern New York, and later came to
Lorain county, Ohio, where he passed his
closing years, dying in Elyria June 26,
1858, when aged eighty-nine. He was
married three times, and had children by
each union; the grandmother of our sub
ject, who was a Woodruff, died in New
York. C. S. Mills was reared in his native
township, and there received his primary
education, subsequently attending school
at Oberlin, Ohio, and Watertown, N. Y.
When twenty-three years of age he was
united in marriage with Miss Jane Ter
rell, a native of Ridgeville township, and
their home has been brightened by children
as follows: Two who died when young;
Ada, Mrs. Brown, of Grand Rapids,
Mich.; Jennie, residing at home; and
Harry, residing on the home farm, who is
married and has one child, C. S. Mr.
Mills is a lifelong farmer, and, with the
exception of eighteen years he resided in
Eaton township, where he bought a farm,
has made Ridgeville township his home.
He now owns 155 acres in Eaton town-

LORAIN COUNTY, OHIO.

1155

ship, besides fifteen acres of the home
farm in Ridgeville township, where he
resides. Politically our subject is a life
long Republican ; he cast his first vote for
Gen. Scott, and has ever since taken a
prominent part in public affairs, being a
wheel-horse of the Republican party in
Ridgeville township. In 1874 he was
elected county commissioner, and served
in that office nine consecutive years, dur
ing which time he was appointed by the
board of commissioners to superintend the
erection of the courthouse.

JW. LEASH ER, a popular citizen of
Russia township, was born August
12, 1839, in Bullskin township, Fay
ette Co., Penn., son of John Leasher,
a native of Franklin county, Penn., who
was a shoemaker and farmer. He married
Martha Doubler, who was bora in Ger
many in 1800, and four years later came to
America; she died in 1876, in Mt. Pleas
ant, Penn., at the home of her son, J. C.
Leasher. She was the mother of ten chil
dren — five sons and five daughters — of
whom our subject was the fourth sou. The
father died in 1856, and the children were
then obliged to take care of themselves.
J. W. Leasher received a common-school
education, and when twelve years of age
hired out as a farm hand at six dollars a
month, continuing at that occupation for
years in his native county. He was also
employed as a miner in the Youghiogheny
river country, and saw the first coke ovens
built in that section. On May 18, 1865,
he married Miss Rachel B. Strickler, who
was born January 18, 1839, in Tyrone
township, Fayette Co., Penn., daughter of
John R. and' Esther (Cochran) Strickler.
The Stricklers are descended from one of
nine brothers who came from Germany to
Chester county, Penn., prior to the Revo
lutionary war. They were " tall, straight

and fair, blue eyes and sandy hair, good
looking." The Cochran family were of
Scotch-Irish extraction, coming from the'
North of Ireland and locating in Delaware,
whence they removed to Fayette county,
Pennsylvania. After his marriage Mr. Leasher rented
property, which he worked on shares, and
in February, 1868, moved from Pennsyl
vania to Russia township, Lorain Co.,
Ohio, where he had purchased the old
Carter farm of one hundred acres, upon
which he has since resided. He has been
successfully engaged in general farming on
this place, where he has -made a very com
fortable home. Politically he is a Repub
lican, though not active in party affairs;
in religious connection he is a member of
the Disciple Church at Kipton, Ohio.
Mr. and Mrs. Leasher have no children of
their own, and their home has sheltered
many young children. They are most
agreeable neighbors, and are highly es
teemed by all who have the pleasure of
their acquaintance.

FETER SCHRAMM, one of the most
extensive farmers of Russia town
ship, is a native of Bavaria, Ger
many, born September 5, 1836, to
George P. and Catherine (Berg)
Schramm, who came to America in 1848.
George P. Schramm died August 8, 1861,
aged fifty-seven years, four months, three
days; Mrs. Catherine Schramm died Sep
tember 4, 1890, aged eighty-four years,
five months.
Our subject attended school in his na
tive country until twelve years of age, when
he came with his parents to the United
States, where they settled in Russia town
ship, Lorain Co., Ohio. He attended school
four winters in Russia township, and then
commenced to work. After the death of
his father, he and a brother took charge of

1156

LORAIN COUNTY, OHIO.

the home place, and being hard-working
and industrious they succeeded in paying
off the other heirs, continuing to work the
farm in partnership until 1880. In the
fall of that year Peter Schramm was united
in marriage with Mary Kane, a native of
Germany, who came to America when quite
young. To this union have been born five
children, namely: Jacob A., Frederick J.,
Emma D., Franklin G. and Catherine S.
Soon after marriage Mr. Schramm settled
on his present farm, which now comprises
178 acres of land, upon wliich he has made
numerous improvements. He is a model
farmer, and one of the best and most suc
cessful in Russia township, having, by
energy, perseverance and strict attention to
business, risen from a poor boy to his
present prosperous position. Politically he
is a Democrat, in religious faith an ad
herent of the Congregational Church.

djOHN SCHRAMM, a successful
farmer of Russia township, was bora
) November 1, 1838, in Rhine-Pfalz,
Bavaria, Germany, son of George Peter
and Catherine (Berg) Schramm, farming
people of Rhine-Pfalz. They had seven chil
dren — four sons and three daughters — and
in June, 1848, came to America with six
of their family, Jacob, the remaining son,
following four years later. They set sail
from Bremen, and after a voyage of thirty-
eight days landed iu New York, whence
they at once proceeded, by way of the
Erie Canal and Lake Erie, to Russia town
ship, Lorain Co., Ohio. The father pur
chased seventy acres of land at ten dollars an
acre, then nearly all in the woods, and here
the parents passed their remaining years,
the mother dying in 1890, the father some
years previous; they were buried in Car
lisle cemetery. In religion they were both
members of the Congregational Church.
John Schramm attended school in his
native country, and later in Russia town

ship, Lorain county, and was reared to the
arduous duties of farm life, continuing in
same on the home place until his marriage.
Ou January 27, 1870, he married Miss
Catherine Miller, who was born June 28,
1850, in Rhine-Pfalz, Bavaria, Germany,
daughter of Jacob Miller, and came to New
York August 1, 1868. For some years
Mr. Schramm had farmed in partnership
with his brother Peter, but upon his mar
riage they divided their interests, our sub
ject remaining on the home farm for ten
years, when, in 1880, he removed to the
place where he yet resides. By hard work,
economy and perseverance Mr. Schramm
has increased his possessions, until he now
owns a tine farm of 170 acres. In poli
tics he is a Democrat, and in religious
faith he and his wife are members of the
Congregational Church. They have five
children: George P., Sophia M., Henry
J., Carrie A. and Albert E.

DJ. PECK, representing several fire,
life and accident insurance com-
__ ' panies, in Elyria, is a native of Ohio,
born in Olmsted township, Cuya
hoga county, December 29, 1825, a son of
Buel and Sallie (Barnum) Peck, the former
of whom was born January 20, 1794, in
Addison county, Vt., the latter born Oc
tober 10, 1793.
Buel Peck was among the many emi
grants who left New England in 1817, on
account of the cold season of 1816, and the
consequent dearth of food, and he and his
family passed through Ohio with ox
wagons, reaching Ridgeville October 11,
1817. He bought one hundred acres of
land for five hundred dollars at Ridge
ville, and for tbe same price was offered a
similar amount of land where the city of
Cleveland now stands. He was a hard
working, honest, industrious man. He
died August 11, 1864, in Ridgeville, on

LORAIN COUNTY, OHIO.

1157

the farm whereon be settled in 1817. His
father, William Peck, was born in Con
necticut, but spent the greater part of his
life in Vermont. The mother of subject
died September 1, 1857. She was a daugh
ter of John Barnum, a native of Vermont,
whose father, Joseph Barnum was also
from that State. John Barnum, our sub
ject's maternal grandfather, was the sec
ond to be buried in the town of Ridgeville,
Ohio; he was a soldier of the Revolution
ary war. At the time when Buel and
Sallie Peck came to Ridgeville, the latter's
parents were living
D. J. Peck received his education at the
high school in Elyria, and then returned
to the home farm, where he remained till
five years after his father's death. In 1870
he visited Madison, Wis., for one year, and
on his return to Lorain county he took up
his present line of business. Politically
he is a Republican, and he is a member of
the Royal Arcanum. His wife, who is a
model woman, noted for her deeds of
charity, is a member of the Congrega
tional Church. She was born March 4,
1829, in Brookfield, Madison Co., N. Y.
Her father, James S. Anthony, was born
October 26, 1794, in East Greenwich,
R. I.; her mother, Lydia (Mason), was
born December 16, 1802, in Swansea,
Mass. They were married in Brookfield,
N. Y., February 3, 1823, and June 9,
1832, removed to Rockport, Cuyahoga
Co., Ohio. James S. Anthony died July
28, 1845, and Lydia, his wife, on July 23,
1856. They were stanch members of tbe
Baptist Church, and excellent representa
tives of New England people.

Ii

E. HASERODT, a prominent and
progressive agriculturist of Carlisle
township, was born in Medina coun
ty, Ohio, in 1841, a son of Henry C.
and Margaret (Barz) Haserodt, natives of
Prussia.

In 1834 they immigrated to this coun
try and to Ohio, locating in the woods of
Medina county, where they cleared a farm.
After several years they came to Elyria,
Lorain county, where the father died in
1888, at the age of eighty-eight, and the
mother in October, 1891, aged eighty-four
years. They had a family of nine children,
six of whom are yet living, viz.: John G.,
married, residing in Brooklyn, Cuyahoga
Co., Ohio; J. F., married, a resident of
Elyria; Caroline, widow of Bernhard Was-
sermann, of Cleveland; L. E., subject;
Charles L., married, residing in Edison,
Ohio; and Louisa, wife of John Weidner,
of Liverpool, Medina Co., Ohio.
L. E. Haserodt received a liberal educa
tion at the common schools of Medina
county, supplemented with one term at
school in Elyria. In 1860 he came to Lo
rain county, locating in Elyria, where he
clerked for Baldwin, Laundon & Nelson
three years; then for Stan Bros. & Co., and
finally for Henry Bruch. In 1864 he en
listed in Company K, One Hundred and
Thirty-fifth O. V. I., one hundred days,
and was stationed chiefly at Martinsburg
and Maryland Heights, on garrison duty;
also engaged in the attack on Gen. Early,
which occu pied an entire day. Mr. Haserodt
received his discharge in 1864 at Colum
bus, Ohio, and returned home to Elyria.
In 1865 he went with a brother to Ken-
dallsville, Ind., and there engaged in the
grocery trade, but being burned out, our
subject retnrned to Elyria, and embarked
in the grocery business, establishing one of
the first groceries in the place. In 1865
he bought out and partly improved a farm
of eighteen and a quarter acres of wild
land, to which he has added until he now
owns thirty-six and one-half acres, all under
careful cultivation.
In 1867 Mr. Haserodt was married in
Elyria to Catherine E. Fowle, a native of
Amherst township, and four children have
been born to them: Edward II.; Cornelia,
wife of Wilford Maddock, of Elyria; Ru
pert W., married to Ruth Cudderbach, and

1158

LORAIN COUNTY, OHIO.

residing in Vermillion, Ohio; and Cather
ine, wife of C. Maddock. The mother of
these died in March, 1873, and in 1874
Mr. Haserodt married Miss Anna Herold,
of Berea, Cuyahoga Co., Ohio, by which
union there is one child, Henry C. Mr.
and Mrs. Haserodt are members of the
Lutheran Church, and he was one of the
trustees appointed to supervise the build
ing of the first church, at which time there
were only seven members eligible to vote.
Politically our subject is a Republican.

D'

.AVID C. FISHER, a prominent
real-estate dealer and ice merchant
in Lorain county, is a native of West
Virginia, born iu June, 1850, a son
of Robert and Mary (Fowler) Fisher, of
the same State, where they passed their
entire lives. .
Our subject when a boy came to Lorain
county, Ohio, and made his home in Ober
lin, where he was educated, attending the
college at that place for some time. In
1875 he was in the employ of the Land
Company, in which he has been more or
less interested since, buying, improving
and selling real estate. Since 1884 he has
been doing business in that line for his
own account, and in eight years turned
over as much as fifty thousand dollars
worth of property, the amount in 1892
alone having reached eighteen thousand
dollars. In 1881 he embarked in the ice
business, the first one in that industry
in Lorain, and practically the only one.
The buildings for this purpose were located
on Black river, and he made a com
plete success out of it, as he has done in
the real-estate business. He at one time
owned nine residences in Lorain — of which
he sold two, lives in one, and rents the rest
— besides other property. Mr. Fisher is
also engaged in. the commission business.
He is largely interested in the improve

ment of the West Side (Lorain), where he
bought an addition, portions of which he
has sold on land contracts.
In 1883 David C. Fisher and Miss Eliza
beth Dorsey were united in marriage. She
is a native of Ashland, Ohio, daughter of
George and Margaret Dorsey, who at one
time lived in Elyria. Her father, in 1861,
in the war of the Rebellion, enlisted at
Ashland, Ohio, was sent to tbe front, was
wounded, and died in hospital, all within
the year; his widow is yet living. To Mr.
and Mrs. David C. Fisher have been born
two children: Arthur Edwin and Ruth
Anna. Our subject is an active Repub
lican, aud with his wife is a member of the
Congregational Church, in which he holds
office, and in the Sabbath- school of which
he takes a lively interest. For a number
of years he has been a member of the board
of health in the village of Lorain, and is
also constable.

DAVID KIRK BRIDE, a prosperous
farmer of Amherst township, comes
on the paternal side from Scottish
ancestry, as his name clearly in
dicates. He was born in April, 1833, on Hud
son street, New York, a son of David and
Mary (Phillips) Kirkbride, natives of
England, the former born January 13,
1799, in the county of Cumberland, the
latter in 1800 in Leicestershire, of Eng
lish lineage. The father at the age of fif
teen moved from his native place to Lon
don, where he learned the lace and stock
ing weaving trade. Later he was a sales
man for the house of I., W. & J. Kirk
bride. He married in England, and in
1832 the young couple immigrated to the
United States, the voyage to New York
being made in the ship " Roscoe." They
arrived at that city December 6 following,
where Mr. Kirkbride engaged in the man
ufacturing business for a time; they then

LORAIN COUNTY, OHIO.

1159

proceeded to Philadelphia, and from there
in 1835 came to Lorain county, settling in
the woods of Amherst township. Here
he died in 1875, his wife in 1889. In his
earlier days in this country he was a Dem
ocrat, later a Free-soiler. Grandfather
Phillips was a soldier in the Napoleonic
wars with England. Mr. and Mrs. Kirk
bride had a family of eight children, as
follows: David, subject of sketch; Mary,
at home; Elizabeth; Ann; Margaret; John
(married), deceased in January, 1875;
Maria, wife of W. S. Biggs, of Elyria; and
Isaac, a farmer of Amherst township.
David Kirkbride, whose name intro
duces this memoir, received a fair com
mon-school education in Amherst town
ship, whither he was brought when a
small boy. and he has been a lifelong
farmer. Politically he has always been a
strong Republican.

'HARLES S. AIKEN, a progressive
native-born agriculturist of Lorain
county, is a worthy representative of
an old pioneer family. His grand
father, George Aiken, who was a native of
Connecticut, served as a minute-man in
northern Ohio, and died in Brooklyn town
ship, Cuyahoga county.
Irad Aiken, son of George, was born in
1791, in Connecticut, and in 1814 came to
Cuyahoga county, Ohio, where he resided
until 1835. He took up a farm in the
midst of the forest, and remained thereon
until 1863, when he moved into North
Amherst. Mr. Aiken was married, in
Cuyahoga county, to Miss Indiana Brain
erd, a native of Connecticut, whose parents,
Ozias and Mary (Strong) Brainerd, also
natives of Connecticut, came to Cuyahoga
county in an early day. The journey occu
pied some time, being made with an ox-
team as far as Cattaraugus, N. Y. They
died in Brooklyn township, Cuyahoga
county; their farm is now included in the
city of Cleveland.

To Irad and Indiana (Brainerd) Aiken
were born eight children, two of whom
died young. Of the remainder, Charles
S. is the subject of this sketch; William
Hanford lives in Black River township,
Lorain Co-, Ohio; Laura is the wife of
Clark Wheelan, of Shiawassee county,
Mich. ; Marietta is the wife of E. C. Foster,
of North Amherst, Ohio; Noah B. is mar
ried and resides in Caledonia township,
Shiawassee Co., Mich.; Edwin is married
and resides in Amherst township, Lorain
county. The father of this family was a
man who thought much of his home; he
died June 9, 1879, in North Amherst, his
wife surviving him until 1891, when she
too passed away. '
Charles S. Aiken was born October 16,
1819, in Cuyahoga county, Ohio, where
he received his education in the log-cabin
schools of the district. In 1835 he located
in Black River township, Lorain Co., Ohio,
where he engaged in farming, and in 1861
moved to North Amherst, where he now
resides. Mr. Aiken was married, in Oc
tober, 1846, in Elyria township, Lorain
county, to Miss Lucy R. Holmes, a native
of the county. Her parents, George S. and
Mary (Lester) Holmes, were natives of
Connecticut, and in 1840 emigrated to
Black River township, Lorain county,
where he followed farming. He afterward
moved to Berea, Ohio, where he died in
1875; his widow is now living in Cleve
land, Ohio, at the age of eighty-four years.
They reared a family of five children, viz.:
Lucy R. (Mrs. Aiken); Marriett, who died
in 1860, in Cuyahoga county; Sarah;
George Henry, who resides in Canada; and
Ellsworth, who resides in Cleveland.
In politics Mr. Aiken is an active mem
ber of the Republican party. He served
three terms as justice of the peace in Black
River township, and one term in North
Amherst; has also served as county com
missioner, one term, and has been a dele
gate to various county conventions. Our
subject has been a resident of Lorain county
for fifty-eight years, and during that time

1160

LORAIN COUNTY, OHIO.

has been actively identified with her prog
ress and development. Mr. and Mrs. Aiken
have two adopted children ; she is a mem
ber of the Baptist Church. [Since the
above was written, we have received in
formation of the death of Mr. Charles A.
Aiken, which occurred on September 24,
1893.— Ed.

LEWIS F. WRIGHT, than whom
: there is no more enterprising, in-
 [ dustrious and thrifty farmer in
Elyria township, is a native of the
county, born in the town of Lorain Au
gust 9, 1839.
He is a son of M. P. and Martha
(Miller) Wright, the former a native of
Vermont, the latter of Ogdensburg, N. Y.
They were married in the State of New
York, and in 1838 came to Lorain, Ohio,
where Mr. Wright engaged in the stave
business, had charge of a gang of men,
and part of time was employed in the
shipyard. They afterward moved to
North Amherst, and from there to Elyria,
where they lived eight or ten years; then
removed to the farm, where they lived
some thirty years, and they now make
their home in Elyria.
Lewis F. Wright, subject of sketch, was'
reared and educated in Elyria, and as
sisted his father in his business until
1861, when he enlisted in the three
months' service, but did not go to the
front. In 1862 he enlisted in the Fif
teenth Ohio Battery of Artillery, for three
years or during the war, and was assigned
to the army of Tennessee. He participated
in the battle of Holly Springs, Miss., and
then returned to Memphis, Tenn., thence
proceeding to the siege of Vicksburg. The
regiment then was with Sherman in his
march to the sea, moving as far as Me
ridian, Miss. ; also participated in the Caro
lina campaign, and took part in the grand
review at Washington, D. C. In June,

1865, our subject was discharged at Co
lumbus, Ohio, when he returned home.
Having once more settled down to the
pursuits- of peace, he resumed farming,
and, concluding that it was "not good for
man to be alone," he in 1879 took unto
himself a wife in the person of Miss
Catherine Elizabeth Walsh, a native of
Ireland, daughter of Walter and Catherine
(Hoolihan) Walsh, who many years ago
left their home in Erin's Isle for a new
one in the Western World, which they
first found in Vermillion, Erie Co., Ohio,
afterward in Elyria, Lorain county, whither
they came in 1853. Here the father. died
January 1, 1880; the mother, who was
born in December, 1800, is now living
with her daughter, Mrs. Wright. To our
snbject and wife have been born three
children, viz.: Fannie Catherine, George
F. and Lucy Agnes. Mr. Wright is a
Republican in his political sympathies,
and has served on the school board; so
cially he is a member of the G. A. R.
Post, No. 65, Elyria.

4/

HOMER E. BARRETT, a resident
of Wellington, is a native of Huron
county, Ohio, bora April 2, 1847,
a son of Augustus and Clarissa
(Cochran) Barrett.
The father of our subject was born Sep
tember 21, 1813, in Monroe county, N. Y.,
and in 1826 came to Ohio. On Novem
ber 5, 1840, he married Miss Clarissa
Cochran, and they made their home in
Erie county till 1843, in which year they
moved to Clarksfield township, Huron
county, and there lived the rest of their
lives. In connection with general farm-
intr he was an extensive sheep breeder,
and at the time of his death, which oc
curred June 7, 1886, he was quite wealthy;
he died in the house he had built in
Clarksfield township forty years before. In

LORAIN COUNTY, OHIO.

1161

politics he was originally a Whig, in his
later years a Republican; and he wa*s a
member of the Baptist Church. His wife
was a native of Cambridge, Vt., bora
September 16, 1814, came with her par
ents to Ohio, and taught school in Erie
county up to the time of her marriage;
she died September 5, 1890. Three chil
dren, as follows, were bora to this honored
couple: Mary L. (Mrs. Beebe), of Clarks
field township, Huron Co., Ohio; Caroline
M., married to William Minor, of New
London township; and Homer E.
Philander Barrett, paternal grandfather
of subject, and his wife were both natives
of Massachusetts, while the maternal
grandparents were of Vermont birth; they
were farming people, and after the death
of the grandfather, the grandmother made
her home with our subject till her re
moval to Grand Haven, Mich., where she
died. Homer E. Barrett, whose name opens
this sketch, received a liberal education at
the public schools of Clarksfield township
and Norwalk, also at Oberlin, eight or nine
terms, after which he attended for a short
time, in 1866, the Business College of
Poughkeepsie, N. Y. In 1867 he married
Miss Eliza E. Noble, bora May 24, 1844,
a daughter of Gustavus and Harriet
(Fancher) Noble. Her father was born
in New York State, whence prior to bis
marriaoe he came to Ohio, settling in
Litchfield, Medina county. He died when
she was a girl of four summers, and the
mother (who was born September 21,
1822) was afterward married to De-
Grasse Thomas, of Rochester township,
Lorain county, and two children were born
to them: Alma, wife of Walter Hall, rail
road telegraph operator; and Fred, mar
ried to Fannie Smith. The mother is now
living in Rochester, Ohio. Mr. and Mrs.
Noble were the parents of five children, as
follows: Adelaide, deceased; Albina, wife
of George Chadwick, residing in Welling
ton; Eliza E., wife of Homer E. Barrett;
Perry, residing in Sherman, Texas; and
60

Mary, deceased wife of Wilbur Hall. Mrs.
Homer E. Barrett lived for a time with
her grandparents in New London, where
she attended school. Grandfather Noble
and his wife were lifelong residents of
Litchfield, Medina Co., Ohio.
To our subject and wife was born No
vember 15, 1868, a son named Augustus
Earl, who graduated at the high school
and attended the Homeopathic Hospital
College at Cleveland, graduating fromthere
in March, 1893. He .is now practicing
medicine in Detroit, Michigan.

IfSAAC KIRKBRIDE is a lifelong,
well-to-do agriculturist of Amherst
( township, and on his father's side of
the house comes of Scottish ancestry.
He was bora in 1838 on his present
farm in Amherst township, a son of David
and Mary (Phillips) Kirkbride, natives
of England, the father born January 13,
1799, in the county of Cumberland, the
mother in 1800 in Leicestershire, of Eng
lish lineage. The father at the age of
fifteen moved from his native place to
London, where he learned the lace and
stocking weaving trade. Later he was a
salesman for the house of W. & J. Kirk
bride. He married in England, and in
1832 the young couple immigrated to the
United States, the voyage to New York
being made in the ship " Roscoe." They
arrived at that city December 6 following,
where Mr. Kirkbride engaged in the manu
facturing business for a time; they then
proceeded to Philadelphia, and from there
in 1835 came to Lorain county, settling in
the woods of Amherst township. Here he
died in 1875, his wife in 1889. In his
early days in this country he was a Demo
crat, later a Free-soiler. Grandfather
Phillips was a soldier in the Napoleonic
wars with England. Mr. and Mrs. Kirk
bride had a family of eight children, as

1162

LORAIN COUNTY, OHIO.

follows: David, a farmer in Amherst town
ship; Mary, at home; Elizabeth; Ann;
Margaret; John (married), deceased in
January, 1875; Maria, wife of W. S.
Biggs, of Elyria; and Isaac, subject of
sketch.
* Isaac Kirkbride received his education
at the public schools of his township, and
was reared to farm life. He owns a good
farm of 107 acres, all in a high state of
cultivation. In politics he takes an active
interest, and votes with the Democratic
party. He has never married.

/^ARL WANGERIEN. Germany
*\ has given to the United States a,
\^ host of industrious, frugal, honest
and loyal citizens, and wherever
they make their stand, there they
leave their impress. Of such an one is the
subject of this sketch.
He was bora March 29, 1814, in the
Grand Duchy of Mecklenburg- Strelitz,
Germany, a son of John Wangerien, a
shoemaker by trade. Our subject was
educated from tbe age of six to fourteen
at the public schools of his native place,
and then commenced to learn his father's
trade under him, serving a four-years' ap
prenticeship, after which he passed four
years in the regular army. He then served
one year as a journeyman workman, travel
ing from place to place, at the end of which
time he returned to his native town and
commenced business for his own account.
At that time, October 18, 1842, he mar
ried Miss Henrietta Naherenst, a native
of the same part of the country, daughter
of David Naherenst, by which union two
children were born in Germany: Amelia,
now Mrs. John Lindeman, of Cleveland,
Ohio, and Augusta, who was married to
Frederick Heist, and died in Russia town
ship, Lorain county.

In the summer of 1852 the family, con
sisting of Mr. Wangerien, his wile and
two daughters, set sail from Hamburg on
the good ship "Howard," bound for New
York, where after a voyage of forty-three
days, they landed in safety. From there
they proceeded by rail to Dunkirk, N. Y.,
thence by water to Cleveland, where they
arrived in September following. Here
Mr. Wangerien worked at his trade two
months, after which the entire family
removed to the German settlement in Rus
sia township, Lorain county, where the
father bought land and lived thereon
twenty years, employed in farming and at
his trade; in 1872 he bought another piece
of land containing 247 acres, in the same
township, and as an agriculturist he has
been fairly successful. In the United
States two more children were born to him,
viz. : Charles R. and Henry C, both farmers
in Russia township. The mother died
June 20, 1884, and was buried in South
Amherst cemetery. In politics Mr.
Wangerien is a Republican, though not an
active worker in his party. In the Father
land he had united with the Lutheran
Church, in which he has faithfully re
mained. Since the death of his wife he
has been making his home with his sons,
who are neighbors, tarrying with them
alternately.

rung

HARLES R. WANGERIEN, one
of the most successful and careful
agriculturists of Russia township,
Lorain county, who from the bottom
of the ladder has made his way to
the top entirely by his own energy, per
severance and sound judgment, is a native
of Russia township, Lorain Co., Ohio,
born November 10, 1854.
Mr. Wangerien is the eldest born in Lo
rain county to Karl and Henrietta (Naher
enst) Wangerien. He attended school
eight seasons in Russia township, after-

LORAIN COUNTY, OHIO.

1163

ward at Cleveland two seasons, and then
commenced agricultural pursuits on his
father's farm, where he has since continued
to reside. On November 16, 1876, he
was married to Augusta Dehn, who was
bora in Amherst township, Lorain Co.,
Ohio, June 29, 1855, a daughter of Will
iam and Christina (Hacker) Dehn, natives
of Mecklenburg-Strelitz, Germany, whence
they emigrated to this country many
years ago. When Mr. Wangerien's mother
died in 1884, his wife took charge of the
household affairs, and has so continued
since. To our subject and wife have been
born three children: Harry A., Karl W.
aud Alma H.
In politics Mr. Wangerien is a Repub
lican, but not an active one, as he wisely
devotes all his time to his farm and family.
He is the owner of 225 acres of prime land
in Russia township, and is considered one
of the best and most industrious farmers
in his locality.

"I JfENRY C. WANGERIEN, than
'!*J whom there is no more industrious
1 and painstaking agriculturist in
J) Russia township, is a native of
same, born October 24, 1857, young
est in the family of Karl and Henrietta
(Naherenst) Wangerien.
He received a liberal education at the
common schools of his township until he
was fifteen years old, when he commenced
work on the farm under his father, a voca
tion he has since continued in with every
success. On December 7, 1880, Mr. Wan
gerien was married to Augusta Dramm,
who was born in Russia township, Lorain
county, January 19, 1859, a daughter of
Karl Dramm, a native of Germany. To
this union have been bora the following
children: Arthur C, born July 10, 1883;
Iona G., bora November 10, 1885; and
Nelson L., born July 1, 1889. After mar
riage our subject built a house near that of

his father, where he and his bride made
their new home, and continued to live
until 1889, in which year they removed to
their present farm, which Mr. Wangerien
has substantially improved, having erected
all the buildings thereon with his own
hands. He now owns 185 acres of excel
lent land, and stands second to none in the
county as an all-round agriculturist. Po
litically he is a leading Republican, and is
now acceptably filling the office of town
ship trustee.

EORGE W. GIBSON. This gentle
man, proprietor of the leading livery
and hack business in Oberlin, comes
of ancestry whose home was the
soil of Scott and Burns — " land of
the mountain and the flood."
Our subject was born November 19,
1845, in Russia township, Lorain Co.,
Ohio, a son of Orin and Elizabeth (Free
man) Gibson. The parents were natives
of New York, and in 1833 came to Ohio,
locating in Brownhelm township till 1835,
when they moved to Russia township on a
farm, which at that time was all in the woods,
but is now one of the best cultivated in
the township. The father died May 30,
1884, in Oberlin, where the mother is yet
living. She was born in Vermont, a daugh
ter of Luther Freeman, also a native of the
Green Mountain State, who in 1824 came
to Russia township, Lorain county, where
he passed the rest of his days. Mr. and
Mrs. Orin Gibson were the parents of
three children, as follows: Louisa, wife of
Nathan B. Nash, residing in Russia town
ship, Lorain county; Anna, who was mar
ried to David Brobert, and died in 1886
in Oberlin; and George W.
The subject of these lines was reared and
educated in his native township, and as
sisted in the opening up of the home farm,
working thereon till March, 1881, when
he came to Oberlin and embarked in his
present livery business. On December 25,

1164

LORAIN COUNTY, OHIO.

1870, Mr. Gibson was married, in Russia
township, Lorain county, to Miss Catherine
Plain, a native of Broome county, N. Y.
(daughter of Henry Plain), who came to
Lorain county in 1861. One of her broth
ers, during the Civil war, enlisted in the
Federal army from Lorain county. Two
children have been born to this union,
Electa and Raymond. In his political
sympathies Mr. Gibson identifies' himself
with the Republican party, and in 1882 he
was appointed deputy sheriff, a position he
is yet filling. Socially he is a member of
the Knights of Honor. He owns the old
homestead in Russia township, and is a
well-to-do, popular citizen.

F. LANGDON, a welhio-do citi
zen of Penfield township, was born
November 16, 1819, in the town
of Cobleskill, Schoharie Co.,
N. Y., son of Forester and grandson of
Lewis Langdon, who was a manufacturer
of cider-mills.
Forester Langdon was married in his na
tive State to Hannah, daughter of Moses
Frederick Delosdernier, who came from
Nova Scotia, and while living in New
York children were bora to this union as
follows: Clarissa, who married Perry
Disbro, and died March 9, 1893, in Iowa;
Matilda, who married Samuel White, and
died February 7, 1890, in Eaton Rapids,
Mich.; William F., our subject; Hiram
A., who was a physician of Avon, Lorain
county, where he died October 9, 1873;
Maria, who married Lyman Webber, and
died April 10, 1886, in Van Wert county,
Ohio; Orilla, Mrs. Samuel Disbro, of Cass
county, Iowa; Lucinda, who was the widow
of Horace Cragin, of La Grange, Ohio,
died December 19, 1893; Washington L.,
of Van Wert county, Ohio; and LionarE.,
also of Van Wert county, Ohio. Early in
1834 Mr. Langdon, with his daughter

Matilda and son William F., set out for
Ohio, driving the entire distance, and ar
riving on February 16, after a journey of
twenty-one days, in La Grange township,
Lorain county, where they found a tem
porary home with Mr. Langdon's brother-
in-law, Allen Sheldon. The father re
turned to New York State, and in the
following May brought the remainder of
the family to Ohio, our subject in the
meantime living with his uncle, Joseph
Lincoln. Mrs. Langdon died in Lorain
county April 21, 1835, at the age of forty-
one, and some years later Mr. Langdon re
moved to Van Wert county, Ohio, where
he is now buried, having passed away there
at the age of eighty-two years.
Our subject received his education in
the common schools of the period, and
came to Ohio when fourteen years old, at
which time the country was completely
wild and abounded with wolves, deer, wild
hogs, turkeys, etc. At the age of twenty-
one he left home and went to La Porte,
where he learned the carpenter's trade
under a Mr. Bassett, and also acquired a
knowledge of wagon making, which he
followed to some extent. In the winter
of 1846 he went to Louisiana to work in
the lumber region. On January 22, 1850,
he was married to Miss Margaret Denham,
who was born November 9, 1825, in Scot
land, whence her parents, Peter and Mar
garet (Lyle) Denham, emigrated in an
early day to the United States and to Ohio,
locating in Penfield township, Lorain
county, where both died at the age of
eighty-six years.
After his marriage Mr. Langdon located
on the place where he yet resides, purchas
ing, on credit, fifty-seven and a half acres
at ten dollars per acre. The country was
very swampy and all in the woods, and
there was not a house in sight. For
twenty-five years he worked diligently
at his trades, some of the best wagons in
the section coming from his workshop;
and after years of industry and economy
has amassed a comfortable property, all

LORAIN COUNTY, OHIO.

1165

the result of his own untiring efforts. Mr.
and Mrs. Langdon have had one child,
Margaret F., now the wife of M. L. Disbro,
of Penfield township; Mr. and Mrs. Disbro
have had two children: Munson Langdon
and James Leverne, the latter of whom
died in 1881 at the age of ten months.
In politics our subject is a Republican,
active in party affairs, and has held various
local positions of trust, such as township
trustee, etc. He and his wife are mem
bers of the M. E. Church, in which he has
served as trustee.

0. SUTLIFF, one of the best
known farmer citizens of Carlisle
township, and a justice of the
peace, is a native of same, born
February 28, 1826, a son of Salmon and
Anna (Beaman) Sutliff.
The Sutliffs come of English ancestry.
The father of our subject was born in
Washington county, N. Y., in 1786, and
was there married. He served in the war
of 1812, under Gen. Harrison. In 1820
he came to Lorain county, Ohio, first
locating in Avon township, whence on
January 1, 1821, he moved to Carlisle
township. He died here in 1857, his wife
in 1870, at the age of seventy-eight years.
In religious sentiment they were Baptists,
and in politics he was an Old-line Whig.
They were the parents of fifteen children,
of whom the following is a brief record:
Lovicia died at the age of six years; Silas
B., a wagonmaker, was married, and died
at Joliet, 111.; William H. H. resides in
Wellington, Lorain county; Asa G. was
married, and died in Minnesota in 1879;
O. H. P. is married, and lives in Carlisle
township, Lorain county; Charles B. was
killed by the cars; Ralph 0. is married,
and resides in Michigan; Lusetta is the
wife of Eli Wright, of Wood county, Ohio;
Warren C. is the subject of this memoir;
Lucinda was the wife of Frederick Lee

(she died in Cleveland, Ohio); Jesse S., a
twin, has his home in Saginaw, Mich, (his
twin brother died when three weeks old);
Theodore S. also lives in Michigan ; Miles
W. is married, and resides in Penfield
township, Lorain county; Rosetta is the
wife of William Gott, of Wellington, Ohio.
Grandfather Gad Sutliff was a soldier in
¦the Revolutionary war, and lived and died
in New York State.
W. C. Sutliff received a limited educa
tion in the public schools of his native
place, was' reared to agricultural pursuits,
which have been his life work, and he now
owns a good farm in Carlisle township.
In February, 1854, he was united in mar
riage with Miss Jane A. Bennett, daugh
ter of David and Jane (Galpin) Bennett,
the former born in Westmoreland, N. H.,
the latter in Waterbury, Conn. Two chil
dren — Ada C. and Louis E. — have been
born to this union. Mr. Sutliff is an
active Democrat, and cast his first vote
for Franklin Pierce. He served his town
ship as constable for about ten years, also
as assessor and trustee several terms, and
for the past twenty-five years has been a
justice of the peace.

JOSEPH B. FLICKINGER, than
whom no citizen of Lorain county
stands higher in the community, or is
better esteemed, comes of an old
Pennsylvania-German family.
He was bora December 29, 1827, in
Greene township, Wayne Co., Ohio, a son
of Peter Flickinger, who was bom in
Hagerstown, Md., October 13, 1787, he a
son of Jacob Flickinger, a native of Ger
many. Peter was a stone mason and
bricklayer by trade. He was married Oc
tober 10, 1813, in Brothers Valley town
ship, Somerset Co., Penn., to Elizabeth
Kieffer, who was born June 12, 1793, also
in Brothers Valley township, daughter of

1166

LORAIN COUNTY OHIO.

Jacob Kieffer, a well-to-do capitalist, who
came from Germany, and was married to
a Miss Eva Fritz, also of Germany," whose
mother died when crossing the ocean, and.
was buried at sea. One child, Mary Ann,
was born to them in Southampton town
ship, Somerset Co., Penn., August 1, 1814,
and died unmarried in Greene township,
Wayne Co., Ohio. On March 10, 1818,
Peter Flickinger and his little family, ac
companied by his father-in-law, Jacob
Kieffer, came to Ohio, locating in Greene
township, Wayne county (he had come out
the year before, and entered land there).
The country was very wild, and they had
to cut their way through the woods, in
which roamed fierce animals, sometimes so
emboldened by hunger as to enter the very
house. One night Mrs. Flickinger had
some meat boiled in a pot, and a bear,
smelling it from afar, coolly walked into
the house, ate up the beef, and then took
his departure with considerably less cere
mony than would any average nineteenth-
century tramp. Mr. Flickinger had bought
160 acres of Government land, which for
the most part he cleared with his own
hand, receiving valuable assistance from
his stalwart sons. At the time of his
death he was owner of 550 acres of land.
In addition to farming he did considerable
masonry work, among other buildings
erecting his own house. In politics he
was a Whig, and served in various town
ship offices of trust to the entire satisfac
tion of his constituents; in religion he
was one of the pillars of the Lutheran
Church. He died May 20, 1849; his wife
passed from earth August 23, 1843, and
they are buried in Milton township, Wayne
county. The children born to them in Ohio
were as follows: Eli, born July 22, 1816,
in Greene township, Wayne Co., Ohio,
now of Kipton, Ohio; Otillia, born May
24, 1818, widow of E. N. Fowler, of Ben
ton county, Iowa; Jacob, born January 24,
1821, who died October 21, 1846, at
Matamoras, Mexico, while serving in the
Mexican war; Jesse, born May 22, 1824,

now a mechanic and carpenter, of Kansas;
Peter N. and Joseph B. (twins), born De
cember 29, 1827, of whom Peter N. died
March 23, 1849, when aged twenty-one.
Joseph B. Flickinger, the subject proper
of this sketch, did not attend school till
he was nine years old, the schoolhouse
being at too great a distance from his
home; but he was an apt scholar, and
learned rapidly. Up to the age of sixteen
he was reared on a farm, was taught
agriculture, and then commenced to learn
the trade of bricklayer and stonemason, at
first under his father, later under Reuben
Tressler. On completing his trade he be
gan taking contracts for his own account,
and worked at various places. After his
marriage he located on a farm in Greene
township, Wayne Co., Ohio, on the Port
age road, on which he remained eighteen
months, then coming to Huntington town
ship, Lorain county, he bought 126 acres
of land, where he made his home two
years, at the end of which time he moved
to Camden township and purchased the
fine farm which he yet owns. In Septem
ber, 1880, he came to the town of Kipton,
where he has since resided iu comparative
retirement. For twelve years he was en
gaged in the sale of farming implements.
On March 8, 1849, Mr. Flickinger was
united in marriage with Miss Mary Pow
ers, bora October 16, 1829, in Canaan
township, Wayne Co., Ohio, daughter of
Wiram and Maria (Moulton) Powers, who
were descendants of some of the early fam
ilies of New England. Each of the par
ents — Wiram and Idaria — came to Wayne
county, Ohio, with their parents. Thomas
Powers, father of Wiram, married Olive
Harvey, who ran bullets for the Conti
nental army at Bunker Hill, as four of her
brothers were participants in that engage
ment; in the same army her father was a
blacksmith, and shod horses for the cavalry.
To Mr. aud Mrs. Flickinger were born two
children, as follows: Claista O, born Oc
tober 9, 1850, in Greene township, Wayne
Co., Ohio, and Hiram J., born September

LORAIN COUNTY, OHIO.

1167

19, 1854, in Camden township, Lorain Co.,
Ohio, and died September 7, 1863. Claista
C. married Otis Kelsey, and three children
were bora to them: Carrie B. (Mrs. L. V.
Bates), Cora L. and Nettie M. In poli
tics Mr. Flickinger was originally a Whig,
later a Republican, and for twenty-four
years he has served as a justice of the
peace, his last reelection being in the spring
of 1893; he has also been trustee, assessor
of real estate and personal property, and
was enumerator of census in 1880 and in
1890. He and his wife are members of
the Baptist Church, of which he is a dea
con, and of the Sabbath- school of which he
has been superintendent for twelve years.

nv R. TENNANT, one • of Lorain
I county's leading farmers, having
___/ 234 acres of prime land in Camden
township, was born August 20,
1826, in Monroe county, N. Y., a son of
Selden and Lydia (Allen) Tennant.
Selden Tennant, father of subject, was a
native of Connecticut, born in 1787, and
in 1793 eame to Otsego county, N. Y.,
with his parents. When a young man he
bought land near Buffalo, N. Y., but not
long afterward he removed to Monroe
county. In 1846 be came to Ohio and
bought wild land in Camden township, Lo
rain county, where he became a well-to-do
citizen, farming being his life vocation.
In Otsego county be had married Miss
Lydia, Allen, who bore him children as fol
lows: Moses S., who died in Camden town
ship aged seventy-eight years; Betsy, who
married Charles Kingsbury, died in Mich
igan; Allen, a resident of Kenton, Ohio;
Lydia, married to David M. Tennant, died
in Oberlin in 1892; David R.,our subject;
and Hannah M., married to Moses Hol
comb, now of Cass county, Iowa. The
mother died in 1835 in New York State,
the father on his farm in Camden town

ship, Lorain county, in 1871. Politically
he was first au ardent Whig, afterward, on
the formation of the party, a stanch Re
publican. In religious connection he and
his wife were zealous Baptists.
David R. Tennant attended, as circum
stances permitted, the common schools of
the locality of his birth, and early in life
was inducted into the mysteries of farm
life. He continued to reside' with his
parents, and on November 19, 1846, was
married in Monroe county, N. Y., to Miss
Melita Burpee, who was born July 29,
1827, in Rutland county, Vt., daughter of
Otis and Dorinda (Pearson) Burpee, who
moved to Livingston county, N. Y., in
1830, and in 1842 came to Monroe county,
same State. After marriage Mr. and Mrs.
Tennant came to Ohio with his father, on
whose farm in Camden township, Lorain
county, he resided nine years after coming,
working for the most part on shares, his
father making his home with him. In
about 1855 he bought ninety-one acres, a
portion of his present farm, which he in
creased by additions to 234 acres, and here
he has successfully carried on farming
operations. The children bora to our sub
ject and wife are as follows: Franklin R.,
a farmer of Bay county, Mich.; Emily D.,
married to Albert H. Kennedy, residing in
Rockport, Ind. (they are both graduates of
Oberlin College); Ella A., Mrs. H. H.
Howe, of Medina county, Ohio; Clara M.,
wife of H. F. Bronson, a farmer of Cam
den township; George W., a farmer of
Bay county, Mich.; and Almina M., who
died at the, age of twenty-three years. All
these children were well educated, and all
had been school-teachers, except one, who
had lost health. Mr. Tennant is a Repub
lican in politics, formerly a Whig, and a
Christian man in all his thoughts and acts,
though not a member of any church. He
is very precise in his dealings, but never
"close," rather the reverse; and he has
been most liberal to his family in the way
of educational advantages and all thinas
necessary to their advancement in life.

1168

LORAIN COUNTY, OHIO.

Mrs. Tennant, who has nobly acted her
part in the rearing of her family, and in
making the home what it is — comfortable
and home-like — is a member of the Bap
tist Church.

J | AMES CONNOLLY, who for over
i twenty- two years has been keeper of
' the lighthouse off Lorain, is a native
of Quebec, Canada, born November
9, 1828.
His father, John Connolly, was a native
of Queen's County, Ireland, and when a
young man came to Quebec, where he mar
ried Cordelia Bell, a native of London,
England. He was a ship carpenter,
caulker and sailor, sailing on the ocean in
early life, but after his marriage followed
the lakes, building vessels at different
ports. In the summer of 1836 he settled
at Black River (now Lorain), Lorain Co.,
Ohio, where he passed the rest of his days,
dying in 1864; his wife died in Lorain in
1853. They reared a family of eight chil
dren — six sons and two daughters —
namely: Bartholemew, who died in Shef
field township, Lorain county; Stephen,
who also died in Lorain county; James,
subject of this memoir; Carrie A., wife of
Henry Volmar, of Cleveland; Elizabeth,
widow of F. C. Thompson; William, mar
ried and residing in Loraiu (he served in
the One Hundred and Twenty-fourth
O. V. I.); Edwin, married and residing in
Cleveland; and John, who enlisted, in
1862, in Company H, Eighth O. V. I.,
for three years, or during the war, and was
wounded in the battle of Manchester (he
re-enlisted in Company H, One Hundred
and Third O. V. I., was taken prisoner,
and died in Andersonville Prison in 1865).
In November, 1836, when about eight
years of age, James Connolly came from
Buffalo, N. Y., to Lorain, Ohio, where he
received his education at the common
schools. He learned the trade of ship
carpenter and caulker, and for thirty years
was a sailor on the lakes, being captain and

mate of a vessel during the summer for
many years, and during this long life he
had many thrilling experiences. In 1871,
during Grant's administration, he was ap
pointed, by Secretary Boutwell, keeper of
the lighthouse, in which capacity he is
still retained. He now has charge of the
second lighthonse, and the tower building,
for range lights are erected, and are being
used. On June 21, 1853, Mr. Connolly was
united in marriage, at Lorain, with Miss
Alice L. Gillmore, a native of Lorain
county, daughter of Quartus Gillmore,
both members of a very early family of
the county. To this union were bom six
children, namely: Alice, wife of L. H.
Eddy, residing on Second Avenue, Lorain
(Mr. Eddy is an engineer on the C. L. &
W. R. R. from Lorain to Wheeling) ;
James Q., who was killed by lightning
when ten years old ; Eugene, who died at
the age of sixteen; Frank Lyons, who died
when five years old ; and Clara and Carrie
(twins), who died when seven weeks old.
The mother of these children passed from
earth January 5, 1893. In politics our
subject is a Republican, and served as a
member of the school board for three
years, when the public schools were first
organized here. Socially he is a member
of Lorain Lodge, F. & A. M., of which
he is a charter member; he was also a
member of King Solomon's Lodge at
Elyria. In religious belief he is a Con
gregationalist. During his residence in
Lorain Mr. Connolly has watched its de
velopment, from a village of 500 people,
to a thriving little city of 6,000.

OBERT REDFERN. Prominent
and well-known in the community
of Columbia township, in both pub
lic and private life, is to be found
this gentleman.
He is a native of Canada, bom in the
town of White Church, County of Brnce,

LORAIN COUNTY, OHIO.

1169

Ontario, August 24, 1837, a son of Robert
and Ellen Redfern, natives of Ireland, who
in an early day immigrated to Canada,
locating iu the County of Bruce, Ontario,
from there removing in 1853 to Olmsted
Falls, Cuyahoga Co., Ohio, and later com
ing to Henrietta township, Lorain county.
Our subject received a thorough education
at the common schools of his native place
up to the age of sixteen, at which time the
family moved to Olmsted Falls, Ohio, and
he was twenty years old when they came
to Lorain county. Here he was engaged
in farming and sawmilling.. For one year
he was employed in the cheese factory at
West View, and he was in the milk busi
ness in Cleveland seven years. In April,
1857, he had married, in Columbia town
ship, Lorain county, Miss Mary C. Hacket,
a native of that township, daughter of
Gain R. and Electa (Sabin) Hacket, pio
neers of Columbia township, who settled in
the wild woods where they cleared a farm.
Gain R. Hacket was born in Manchester,
N. Y., August 13, 1810; his wife, Electa
A. (Sabin), in Ontario, N. Y., May 5, 1815.
They were married September 13, 1832,
and same year moved to Ohio, settling in
Columbia township, Lorain county, on a
farm of seventy-five acres, which he cleared
up. They were the parents of seven chil
dren, namely: Zebina, Mary O, Lafrancis
E., Stephen, Emily, Sarah and Laura, of
whom there are yet living: Mary C. Red
fern, Lafrancis E. Hacket and Emily Os
born. The father of these died in March,
1855; the mother is now living on the old
place with Mr. and Mrs. Redfern.
After marriage our subject settled on his
present fine farm of 148 acres, all in a good
state of cultivation (its original size having
been seventy-five acres), and here carries
on general agriculture including dairying,
of which branch he makes a specialty, do
ing a large business. Five children have
been born to Mr. and Mrs. Redfern: Lilly
Ann, wife of John Richards (they have
five children — Charles, Robert, Albert, May
and Lena, all residing in- Strongsville,

Ohio); Ellen May, who married J. H.
Culver, and died ifl 1884; Eva May, who
died at the age of thirteen years; Elmer
Dewitt, who died at the age of seven years;
and one that died in infancy. In politics
our subject votes with the Republican
party; has served as township trustee, be
ing now in his fourth year, and has been
a member of the school board several
years. He and his wife are members of
the M. E. Church.

ARDIS N. BARNES, farmer and
dealer in horses, is well and favor
ably known throughout Amherst
township, where he was born in
March, 1838.
Ezekiel Barnes, his grandfather, was a
native of Massachusetts, born in 1770 in
Worcester, whence in 1817 he came to
Lorain county, Ohio, settling on Lot 43,
Amherst township, where he died in 1860.
His children were as follows: Ezekiel G.;
Sardis D-, who died at Upper Sandusky
before the subject of this sketch was born ;
Paulina, who died in Madison, Lake Co.,
Ohio (she was the wife of Rawson Crocker,
and their son is now the oldest man in
North Amherst); Fannie, who married
David Smith, and became the mother of
Judge L. B. Smith, of Elyria; Amanda,
who married Warren Smith, and went
with the Mormons (he was killed during
the raid on Nauvoo, 111., and she died re
cently in Salt Lake City); Juliet, who
married Ira Lelie, and still resides in Am
herst; and Charlotte, who married Mon-
ville Wintone, and died in Wood county.
Grandfather"Barnes was a farmer by occu
pation, and was well known in political
circles, first as a Whig and iu later years
as a Republican. His eldest son, Ezekiel
G., father of our subject, was bora in Old
Becket, Mass., September 1, 1799, and
came with his parents to Amherst town
ship, Lorain county, in 1817. In 1825 he
revisited the East, and was there married,

1170

LORAIN COUNTY, OHIO.

same year, to Miss Elvira Harrington, who
was born March 5, 18*05, in New York
State. Returning to Amherst township he
settled down to agricultural pursuits and
became prosperous. He was a great hunter,
and as in his day the forest teemed with
game of all sorts, many a deer, pheasant
and wild turkey fell to his unerring rifle.
In politics he followed in the footsteps of his
father. He and his wife were the parents
of five children, a brief record of them be
ing as follows: Gilbert H., born Novem
ber 17, 1826, still resides in Amherst
township; Louisa E., born August 27,
1828, is the widow of James Gawn, and
she also resides in Amherst township;
G. Monroe, born September 3, 1830, was
married, and died iu August, 1891; Henry
D., born August 12, 1836, died April 6,
1869; Sardis N. is the subject of this
sketch. The father of this family was
called from earth December 31, 1881, the
mother on January 29, 1888.
Sardis N. Barnes was reared on a farm,
and received his education in the common
schools of his township. On September
10, 1861, he was united in marriage with
Miss Calista Bemis, who was born Novem
ber 7, 1840, and one child, Nellie, has come
to brighten their home. Mr. Barnes is a
wide-awake, progressive farmer, and for
the past few years has given special atten
tion to trading iu fast horses, selling in the
eastern markets. Politically he votes with
the Republican party, in which he takes
an active interest.

Jl H. REED, a prominent and influen
tial farmer of Eaton township, was
_J born July 19, 1847, in Strongsville,
Cuyahoga Co., Ohio, a sou of Joseph
aud Tamar (Lyman) Reed, natives, the
father of Cornwall, England, the mother
of Strongsville, Ohio.
At the age of twenty Joseph Reed emi
grated to the United States, and locating
first in Strongsville, Ohio, from there
moved to Columbia township, Lorain

county, where he followed agricultural pur
suits during the rest of his life. He died
in 1882; his widow is yet living. They
had a family of nine children, of whom six
are yet living, viz.: J. L., married, resid
ing in Ridgeville township (he has two
children, Fred and Elsie); J. H., subject
of sketch; Sophia L., widow of Chauncey
Nichols, late of Berea, Ohio (she has three
children — Lena, Mary and William) ; Mary
I., wife of Otis B. Osborne, of Eaton town
ship (she has three children — Nellie,
Charlie and Bayard); F. N., married, in
the wholesale millinery business in Cleve
land, Ohio (has one daughter — Winifred);
and Charles T., single, in business with
his brother in Cleveland. Mr. and Mrs.
Joseph Reed also reared a niece, Lydia
Ratcliffe, now married and living in Cali
fornia. J. H. Reed, whose name introduces this
sketch, received his education at the pub
lic schools of Columbia township, Lorain
county, supplemented with a few months
attendance at Oberlin College. For a
time he worked at the stone business in
Berea, Ohio, as well as in Columbia town
ship, but farming has been his chief life
vocation. In 1872 he came to Eaton
township, and bought a partly improved
farm of seventy-nine acres, on which he
erected a house and barn, subsequently
adding thereto sixty-two acres, aggregat
ing one of the finest farms in the town
ship. Just after marriage, and prior to
coming to Eaton township, Mr. Reed and
his wife lived two years in Ridgeville
township. On Christmas Day, 1871, our subject
was married, in Ridgeville township, to
Miss Jennie McNelly, of that township,
daughter of John and Elizabeth (Cave)
McNelly, the father a native of Whitehall,
N. Y., who settled in Ridgeville township
some sixty years ago, the mother of Eng
land; both are living in Elyria, Ohio.
Thomas and Jane (Wilson) Cave, grand
parents of Mrs. Reed, were natives of Eng
land, whence in an early day they came to

LORAIN COUNTY, OHIO.

1171

America, making a settlement on Chestnut
Ridge, Ridgeville township, Lorain county.
To our subject and wife have been born
two children — Claude Thomas and Clyde
Joseph. Mr. and Mrs. Reed are members
of the Christian Church at Eaton Center,
of which he is clerk and deacon. In poli
tics he is an active Republican, is a mem
ber of the school board, and has served in
Congressional conventions. He takes an
active interest in the local Agricultural
Association; is one of the directors of the
County Agricultural Society, and has been
a delegate to the County Conventions.
The mother of our subject is a daugh
ter of Elijah and Irene (Whitney) Lyman,
natives of Vermont, of English ancestry,
who in 1814 came to Strongsville, Cuya
hoga Co., Ohio, where they died, he in
1828, she in 1820. Thomas and Mary
(Hickens) Reed, paternal grandparents of
J. H. Reed, were natives of Cornwall,
England, whence about the year 1838 they
came to Ohio, making their new home in
Cuyahoga county. The grandfather died
in Columbia township, Lorain county, in
1876, at the age of eighty-seven years; the
grandmother had passed away in Strongs
ville, Cuyahoga county, in 1871, when
seventy-six years old.

AMUEL ALEXANDER, a prom
inent and representative farmer of
Carlisle township, was bora May 9,
1829, in Gloucestershire, England.
His parents, Samuel and Sarah (Fran-
cum) Alexander, also natives of England,
came to America when Samuel was but
four weeks old, and located in Grafton,
Lorain Co., Ohio. The father was a
farmer, and died at the age of eighty, the
mother passing away in her eightieth year.
They were tbe parents of seven children
who grew to maturity, viz.: Martha, who
married Edwin Martin, and died in La
Porte in 1886; Samuel, subject of sketch;

Aun, wife of William Lawson, of Grafton;
Sophia, wife of Cyrus Wallace, of Winne
bago county, 111.; John, Job and Albert,
all three married and residing in Eaton
township. Samuel Alexander was reared to farming
pursuits in Grafton and Eaton townships,
and received his education in the common
schools of the district. At the age of
twenty-five he was married to Miss Eliza
beth Stevens, and after residing in Du
buque, Iowa, for two years, he removed to
Michigan, where he married, for his sec
ond wife, Miss Laura Tyce. She died, and
Mr. Alexander was next married to Miss
Barbara Slaterline, to which union have
been born six children, namely: George
(who died when fourteen months old),
Elmer, Mary, Cora, Olie and Charley.
Mr. Alexander resided for fifteen years in
Bay City, Mich., bnt in 1873 he returned
to Lorain county, Ohio, locating in Eaton
township, whence he shortly afterward
removed to Carlisle township. Here he
has since resided, engaged in general agri
culture and dairying, and he owns a fine
farm of 300 acres, all in a high state of
cultivation. While residing in Michigan
he was engaged in the butcher business,
carrying on a meat market, in which line
he met with considerable success. He
takes a lively interest in politics, voting
with the Republican party.

LFRED HARRIS, one of the best
known and most highly respected
farmers of Russia township, is a na
tive of Oxfordshire, England, born
February 6, 1831, a son of John
Harris, a native of the same county, who
was by trade a miller. He married a Miss
Lee, and to them were born in England
children as follows: Thomas L., deceased
in Brownhelm township, Lorain county,
while working in a stone quarry; Henry
L., a physician, deceased in Bellevue, Ohio;

1172

LORAIN COUNTY, OHIO.

Caroline, wife of Dr. James F. Grimes,
of Mishawaka, Ind.; John, who was a
school-teacher, and died in the West
Robert, a physician of South Bend, Ind.
Mary, widow of William Purdy, of Indiana
Nancy, who married Richard Longmate,
and died in Oberlin, Ohio; Arthur, a car
penter of St. Louis, Mo.; Alfred; and
Harriet, who married Philander George,
and died in Coldwater, Michigan.
In 1833 the family came to the United
States, the voyage across the ocean occu
pying six weeks. Prior to this the father
had come alone to the country, and bought
for one thousand two hundred dollars in
gold 233 acres of land, which is now the
farm of the subject of this sketch. At
that time such a sum of money could have
bought a great portion of the town of
Cleveland, for cholera was raging fear
fully, and people were using every endeavor
to leave the place. After the arrival of
the family in New York, it was six weeks
before the husband and father could be
found. They then came on to Ohio, and
settled on their new home in Russia town
ship, Lorain county, at that time an almost
unbroken wilderness. In the United States
children were born to Mr. and Mrs. John
Harris: Hannah, who married A. A. Tur
ney, and died in Wood county, Ohio; and
George, who was colonel of Sheldon's
Guards, under Gen. Garfield, during the
Civil war, and was killed at Fort Gibson.
After coming to America the father of our
subject worked at the sawmilling business
in connection with farming, which latter
was the chief occupation of his life, but
his later years were passed in retirement.
He died in 1868, his wife some time be
fore, and they lie buried in Amherst ceme
tery. Politically he was first a Whig, and
afterward, on the formation of the party, a
Republican. Alfred Harris, the subject proper of this
sketch, received a liberal education at the
common schools, and subsequently attended
Oberlin College, when Prof. Finney was
president of that institution. When he

was about twenty-six years old he left the
paternal roof, and embarked in the cattle
business — buying and selling — in which
he was very successful. In 1862 he rented
the home farm for five years; then bought
a piece of improved land, which he sold
six years later, and bought the home farm
where he now lives, containing 233 acres
of as good land as can be found in the
township. In 1861 Mr. Harris married Julia Du
rand, a native of Henrietta township, Lo
rain county, by which union children as
follows have been born: Viola (now Mrs.
Daniel Shaeff); Harriet, Charles H. and
Garfield, at home. Iu his political associa
tions our subject is a Republican.

JOSEPH J. RICE is proprietor of the
k. I old-established foundry in Amherst
^y) township, situated two and one-half
miles southwest of North Amherst,
and known far and wide as "Rice's Foun
dry." Mr. Rice was born September 17, 1828,
in Westmoreland county, Penn., a son of
Joseph and Elizabeth (Uhlre) Rice, the
former of Westmoreland county, the latter
of Fayette county, Penn., and who came
to Amherst township, Lorain county, in
1829. They were the parents of four chil
dren, viz.: Henry, born July 13, 1816,
died in 1849; Peter, born February 19,
1818, died in 1889; Samuel, born Febru
ary 1, 1825, died in 1852 in California,
and Joseph J., subject of sketch. The
father died in 1835 in Amherst township,
the mother in 1865 at the age of seventy-
nine years.
Joseph J. Rice received his education
at the common schools of Amherst town
ship, and learned the trade of foundryman
in his present foundry, which his brothers,
Henry and Peter, had built in 1843. They
themselves knew nothing of the business,
but employed men to do the work, and

LORAIN COUNTY, OHIO.

1173

they operated same for several years, until
our subject, having thoroughly made him
self master of the trade, succeeded to the
business, and he has since been running it
constantly every day. He does an im
mense trade, and since his proprietorship
has been engaged in the manufacture of
the " Rice Plow," well known in northern
Ohio. Mr. Rice also owns a good farm of
140 acres, all in a high state of cultivation.
In 1857 our subject wedded Miss Emily
Josephine Cook, who was born February
4, 1839, in Delaware county, N. Y., daugh
ter of Lewis R. and Emeline Cook, of the
same county. To this union have been
bom three children: Arthur J., who was
educated at Oberlin College; Virgil E.,
married and residing in Oberlin, where he
carries on a florist business; and Tracy J.,
attending the Conservatory of Music at
Oberlin. In politics Mr. Rice is a stanch
Republican.

y\ E. RICE, the well-known florist of
Oberlin, is proprietor of the most
extensive business of the kind in Lo
rain county. He has over one fourth
of an acre under glass, no less than seven
hot-houses all connected, in the aggregate
representing the largest conservatory for
floriculture in his part of the State. A
visit to his grounds, which he owns and
which are situated on Lorain street, will
well repay the lover of flowers, for here he
will find them in endless variety, beautiful
and fragrant, and iu all stages of growth.
Summer and winter he has flowers for sale
— both cut and uncut — and he is always
to be found at his post, courteous and
¦obliging. Mr. Rice is a native of Lorain county,
born in Amherst township in 1865, a son
of J. J. and Emily (Cook) Rice, the former
of whom is a native of Pennsylvania, the
latter of New York State. The father
came to Lorain county, and engaged in the
foundry business in Amherst, fie and his
wife are now living in Amherst township.

Our subject received his elementary educa
tion at the common schools of his native
township, which was supplemented with a
one-year's attendance at Oberlin College,
after which betook acoursein OberlinBusi-
ness. College, where he graduated. He
then embarked in his present line of busi
ness in Amherst, which he successfully
carried on there until 1890, when he re
moved to Oberlin.
In April, 1888, Mr. Rice was married,
in North Amherst, Lorain county, to Miss
Lena Merthe, a native of Lorain county,
and daughter of Henry Merthe, a farmer
of Amherst township. To this union has
been bora one child, Earl V. In' politics
our subject is a Republican.

DS. WRIGHT, dealer in stoves and
tinware, Elyria, is a native of Co-
^_ ' shocton county, Ohio, born in 1830
He is a son of Lewis and Eliza.
(Smith) Wright, who were both born in
the Bine Ridge Mountain region, West
Virginia. They came to Ohio, and were married in
Coshocton county, where they passed the
rest of their days, rearing a family of
children, as follows: Willis (who was shot),
William (died of consumption), Martha
(deceased in childhood), D. S. (subject of
sketch), Charles (drowned in the Cuyahoga
river), John and Henry (twins, the latter
of whom was editor of a Kansas paper,
and committed suicide in 1867), Thomas,
Robert, Laura, Ferdinand and Frank. The
father was a farmer, civil engineer, school
teacher, justice of the peace, and to some
extent a lawyer. He died at the age of
forty-eight years, the mother when fifty-
three years old.
Our subject was reared and educated in
his native county, and at the age of six
teen became engineer on a canal boat, a
vocation he followed for some time. After
ward he learned his trade of tinsmith in
Muskingum county, Ohio, and after a
residence for a time in Cleveland, he, in

1174

LORAIN COUNTY, OHIO.

1852, located permanently in Elyria, two
years thereafter opening out a general
business in stoves, tinware, etc., in which
he has been remarkably successful. His
stoek is at all times replete with every
thing in his line. He was married to
Miss Mary Freer, and has three children
living, as follows: Frances, who married a
Mr. James F. Thompson, and has five
children: Ruby, Alice, Bessie, Blossom
and Don; Josephine, married to E. P.
Lord, and has one child, Lawrence; and
Alice, who married F. H. Quayle, and has
three children: Mable, Jonas and Milton
(she keeps house for her father, her
mother having died January 18, 1891).

\\| ICHOLAS WILBER, a progressive
VJ citizen, and prominent in the agri-
\ cultural interests of Henrietta town-
fj ship, is a native of the State of New
York, bora January 19, 1827, in
Preble, Cortland county.
Thomas Wilber, father of subject, first
saw the light in 1793, in Dutchess county,
N. Y., where he lived until he reached his
thirtieth year, when he moved to Cortland
county, N. Y. At that time the section
where he settled was for the most part
wild land, but, commencing life a poor
man, he became comparatively opulent
through assiduous industry and indefatig
able labor, bought land and lived the rest
of his life a prominent farmer. He mar
ried Marion Filkins, a native of Dutchess
county, N. Y., and they had a family of
eleven children. He was a Federal Anti-
Jackson man, afterward an enthusiastic
Whig, then (1844) a strong Abolitionist,
and, finally, an active Republican. He
died in 1873 in the town of Cortland.
N. Y., and was buried in Homer, same
county. Nicholas Wilber, the subject proper of
these lines, received superior educational

advantages, attending school until he was
thirteen years old, when impaired health
compelled him to abandon study. He then
turned his attention to farming pursuits,
and worked on the homestead until 1864,
when he came to Ohio, and bought a small
piece of land in Henrietta township, Lo
rain county, on the Oberlin Road. In
course of time he came into possession, by
purchase, of 160 acres prime land, whereon
he now lives, having a comfortable resi
dence and commodious barn and other out
houses. Mr. Wilber has always taken an
active part in politics — first as a Whig,
then as a Republican, and in later years as
a Democrat. He has attended several
State conventions, and has filled with abil
ity various township offices of trust. Mr.
Wilber had five brothers: John, Isaac,
Jonathan, Daniel W. and George A., two
of whom are still living: Isaac and
Daniel W.
In 1848 he was united in marriage with
Miss E. J., daughter of Edmund and Mary
Miller, and one son, Miller, was born to
them. The latter married Hattie, daugh
ter of S. O. Kellogg, and they had four
children, all of whom died of diphtheria
in January, 1893, and were buried" within
five days of each other.

FETER R. DRAPER, a much re
spected and highly prosperous farm
er citizen of Brighton township, is
a native of Huron county, Ohio,
born in Townsend township, May
25, 1839, a son of Sheldon and Clarissa
(Cole) Draper, the father born in Dutchess
county, the mother in Chenango county,
N. Y. They came from the latter county
to Ohio, first locating in Bronson town
ship, Huron county, later removing to
Townsend township, where they died, the
father in 1869, the mother in 1879, and
they lie buried in Townsend township.

LORAIN COUNTY, OHIO.

1175

The subject proper of these lines re
ceived a fair education at the common
schools of his native place, and early in life
commenced to work on his father's farm.
At the age of eighteen he commenced to
learn the trade of blacksmith, but at the
end of twelve hours gave it up, concluding
that he was better adapted to agriculture.
After his marriage he located in Camden
township, Lorain county, on forty acres of
land he had bought there, on which he
lived two years, then in 1870 came to his
present farm in Brighton township, where
he successfully carries on general farming
and stock raising. Here he now has 127
acres of land, besides some in Townsend
township, Huron county, and he has
erected on his Lorain county farm one of
the finest residences in the locality.
On March 29, 1868, in Brighton town
ship, Xorain county, Mr. Draper was
united in marriage with Miss Estella Sellon,
born in Michigan December 4, 1849,
daughter of Major Sellon, and children as
follows were born to them: Alma Mary,
Mrs. Gilbert McCord, of South Dakota;
DeWitt A., a farmer of Camden township,
Lorain county; Della L., Mrs. Clarence
Gibson, of Camden township; and Frank
A., Altha E., Fred R., Archie P., Seth O.,
Rosella M., Jessie L., Clarence O. and
Glenn S., all at home. In politics our
subject is a Republican, and has served in
various township offices; in church asso
ciation he and his wife are Seventh Day
Adventists.

, ICHARD WALKDEN, a leading
wide-awake agriculturist of Colum
bia township, is a native of Massa
chusetts, born October 14, 1828, in
Lowell, a son of William and Mary
(Blundell) Walkden.
The parents of our subject were natives
of Lancashire, England, whence in 1826
they emigrated to this country, locating
first in Lowell, Mass., where they worked

in factories, iu 1833 moving westward to
Ohio, living in Newburgh one year, and
then settling on a farm in Cuyahoga
county. The father died in Berea, Ohio,
in April, 1873, aged eighty nine years, the
mother in September, 1857, in Cuyahoga
county, at the age of sixty-four years. He
had been twice married, and by his first
wife had three children, viz.: John, who
remained in England; Jane, Mrs. John
Bainbridge, who died in Ridgeville town
ship; and William, who came to Loraiu
county in 1843, died on the ocean in 1879.
By his marriage with Miss Mary Blundell
he had children as follows: Alice, who
died in 1890 in Cuyahoga county; James,
who died in 1875 in Lowell, Mass.;
Thomas, residing in Cuyahoga county;
Ann, the widow of Eastman Bradford, of
Berea; Mary, widow of Joseph Chevalier,
of Berea; Arthur, residing in Columbia
township; Peter, who died in Ridgeville
township in 1880 (he had come to Lorain
county in an early day); Richard, our
subject; Peggy, deceased; and Margaret,
widow of Henry Woods, of Cuyahoga
county. Richard Walkden was a small boy when
his parents brought him from Massachu
setts to Cuyahoga county, Ohio, where he
received his education in Warrensville
township, and was reared to practical
farming. In 1859 he purchased his
present place in Columbia township, Lo
rain county, comprising fifty acres which
be improved, erected a comfortable dwell
ing and commodious barp, etc., and has
added thereto till now he owns 193 acres
of as good land as can be found in the
county. In 1859 Mr. Walkden was mar
ried in Columbia township to Miss Matilda
Litchfield, bora in Birmingham, England,
a daughter of Thomas aud Elizabeth (Hol
den) Litchfield, who came from their
native England to America in 1847, land
ing in Prince Edward Island, Canada,
where the father died ; the, mother subse
quently came with her family to Lorain
county, Ohio, locating in Columbia town-

1176

LORAIN COUNTY, OHIO.

ship, where she married a Mr. Price; her
death occurred in October, 1872. By her
first husband she had nine children, as fol
lows: Mary, married, living in England;
Elizabeth, widow of Henry Mitchell, of
England; Eliza, deceased; John, who en
listed in 1861 in the One Hundred and
Twenty-fourth O. V. I., and was killed at
the battle of Missionary Ridge; Thomas,
residing in California; James, living in
Washington; Joseph, who died February
24, 1888. iu Shiawassee county, Mich.;
Matilda, Mrs. Walkden; and William, who
died in England.
To Mr. and Mrs. Walkden were born
thirteen children, as follows: Mary is the
wife of Henry Hawkins, of Berrien county,
Mich., and has three children, Arthur, Lula
and Leroy; Cornelia was a teacher in Lo
rain county for a number of years, and is
now tbe wife of Robert Bivan, of West
View; Fred; Frank was killed by light
ning at the age of ten years; George, re
siding ou the farm, is married and has one
son, Lee Ebenezer; Emma has been a
teacher in Columbia and Ridgeville town
ships, Lorain county; Delilah; Jennie;
Clayton died at the age of three years;
Henry, Lena, Chester and Ernest. In
politics Mr. Walkden takes an active in
terest as a member of the Republican party;
he has been a member of the school board
for some considerable time. He and his
wife are members of the Baptist Church,
and they are highly respected in the com
munity.

F)ETER SIGOURNEY, retired, hav
ing his residence in Kipton, Lorain
county, where he is much respected,
is a native of New York State, born
in Fowler, St. Lawrence county.
The father of our subject, also named
Peter, was born in Vermont, whence he
moved to New York State, and married
Miss Wealthy Bates, a native of Massa
chusetts. He died in 1832, the father of

nine children, of whom the following is a
brief record: Louisa married Daniel Rus
sell, and died in Livingston county, Mich.;
William is deceased: Caroline married
John Kemp, and died at Watertown, N. Y. ;
Andrew also died in Watertown, N. Y.,
after reaching maturity; Peter is the sub
ject of this sketch; Anthony is a resident
of Lincoln, Neb.; Orin is a resident of
Westerville, Neb.; Sarah is the widow of
Nicholas Boshert; Addison is a carpenter
of Norwalk. After the death of the
father, the farm, which had only been in
part paid for, was sold at a sacrifice and
the family were scattered. Our subject
went to Watertown, N. Y., to make his
home with his uncle, Anthony Sigourney,
and here remained four years, part of the
time working out on day wages. His
elder brother, William, had come to Ohio
in March, 1838, locating in Camden town
ship, Lorain county, and the rest of the
family, including Peter, came to Ohio in
the following June. They lived in Hen
rietta township six or eight months, and
then, William having, in February, 1839,
bought land in Camden township, they
moved thither in Marcii following.
Peter Sigourney, our subject, attended
school until he was ten years old, and
after the death of his father had to work
hard to assist in the support of his
brothers and sisters. After his marriage
he made his first permanent location in
Camden township, Lorain county, where
he worked around at whatever he could
find to do, chiefly clearing land, at which
he did more than any one living to
day in Camden township. In 1847 he
bought out of his hard-earned savings
forty-seven acres of land at six dollars and
fifty cents per acre, in Camden township,
to which four years later he moved, his
first house being a building 15 x 24, ten
feet high, and there made his home until
1878. In that year he moved into the
town of Kipton, built a residence which he
sold some time after, and then erected his
present comfortable home. On January 7,

LORAIN COUNTY, OHIO.

1177

1846, Mr. Sigourney was married to Miss
Sarah M. ¦ Johnson, born in Saratoga
county, N. Y., July 15, 1825, a daughter
of Ezra and Polly (Wood) Johnson, who
came to Ohio in 1831, and settled in Flor
ence, Erie county. The children of this
union were Bennett, born February 15,
1847, died July 20, 1851, and Mary E.,
born June 15, 1857, died September 22,
1858. Our subject is a loyal Democrat,
during the Civil war voting the Union
ticket, and he is a member of the Free
will Baptist Church. He is a representa
tive self-made man, and what he owns has
been won by hard work and judicious
economy.

fr* EORGE SCHOTT, than whom there
I w, is no more respected citizen in
\L>| Grafton township, is a representa-
J^k five self-made man, and a prosper
ous agriculturist.
He is a native of Bavaria, Germany,
born January 22, 1817, a son of George
Schott, who was a farmer in his native
land. Up to the age of fourteen our sub
ject attended school in Bavaria, and then
served a two-years' apprenticeship at the
baker's trade, nnder two masters. Being
naturally of a roving disposition, and
learning, in 1836, of two or three families
about coming to America from his native
town, he made up his mind to join the
party. Receiving sufficient money from
his father, hs set sail from Hamburg on
the good ship " Lucadona," and after a
voyage of fifty-eight days arrived in New
York, where he soon secured work at his
trade. At the end of two years his father
and the rest of his family emigrated to the
United States, the port of landing being
Baltimore, at which time George was ly
ing sick with malaria in a certain town on
the Hudson river. He had written to his
parents not to come to America, which
letter never reached them, but they found
the sick boy, and on his recovery he
61

joined them while en route to Logan
county, Ohio. Here, a few years later, the
parents died. Our subject had taken a
trip through that State, but not being sat
isfied with the country concluded to re
turn to New York State; aud while on his
journey thither he stopped over at Liver
pool, Medina Co., Ohio, where he met
Miss Margaret Baumann, also a native of
Bavaria, who had crossed the Atlantic
with her parents in 1835. Here he was
married, and having but little money
wherewith to commence housekeeping, he
hired himself out as a farm laborer, and by
hard work aud judicious economy he and
his wife ere long accumulated sufficient to
buy a small farm in Medina county, which
they lived on until 1846. In that year
they came to Grafton township, Lorain
county, where for two years they rented
land, at the end of which time Mr. Schott
purchased from Charles Bishop the farm
where he now lives, at that time compris
ing seventy- five acres. To this he from
time to time added until he had an aggre
gate of 325 acres, fifty-five of which he
gave away, leaving him now the owner of
270 acres of choice farming land.
The children born to George and Mar
garet (Baumann) Schott were George W.
and Peter, both in Indiana; John B., in
Nebraska; Frank, in Grafton, and a
daughter that died in infancy. The mother
of these departed this life in 1861, and
for his second wife Mr. Schott married
Sarah Yucah, now deceased, by which
union there is no issue. Politically our
subject is a stanch Republican, and he is a
member of the Evangelical Church at
Liverpool, Medina county.

JOHN SMITH (deceased) was bora
April 12, 1805, in Yorkshire, Eng
land, whence when a young man he
emigrated, in company with a brother,
William, to Canada. The brothers there

1178

LORAIN COUNTY, OHIO.

purchased fifty acres of land, but John
afterward disposed of his share and went
to New York State. Some time later he
returned to Canada, and on August 29,
1836, was there united in marriage with
Mary Braithwaite, who was born Novem
ber 9, 1815, also in Yorkshire, England.
When three years of age she came with
her parents to Montreal, Canada, in which
country her father, Edward Braithwaite,
became an extensive farmer; he also fol
lowed his trade, that of carpenter. Before
returning to Canada Mr. Smith had made
a visit to Oberlin, Ohio, and while there
became very much impressed with the
country, consequently he moved thither
with his wife soon after his marriage.
They drove a span of horses part of the
way, and then made a part of the journey
by water, landing at Cleveland, whence
they again drove to Oberlin, Lorain county.
Mr. Smith had saved a few hundred dol
lars, which he soon invested in forty-four
acres of land; he obtained employment in
Oberlin, running the engine in the grist
mill at that place, in which he continued
until the mill was burned, when he com
menced work on his farm. After the mill
was rebuilt, he was again employed there,
but returned to his farm (where he first
lived in a rude cabin), which by his un
ceasing industry and energy he was con
tinually enabled to increase. He remained
there until 1869, when he rented the place,
and moved into Oberlin to educate his
family. To Mr. and Mrs. Smith came the
following children: Sarah Ann, born Sep
tember 27, 1837, who married Lewis
Breckenridge, an attorney of Cleveland
(they had one son, Edwin S., a professional
ball-player); Mary S., now widow of Lewis
Breckenridge, of Cleveland; Emma J., of
Cleveland; John Edward, who graduated
from Andover College, Massachusetts, and
is now a Congregational minister in Cali
fornia; Mary S. died in infancy; and Will
iam H. died in youth. They had also an
adopted daughter, Phoebe Rollinson, now
Mrs. John Gunn, of Delta, Colo. Alex

ander Greenwood, now a young man, has
also shared their home, but is ¦ at present
residing in Massachusetts.
In 1879 Mr. Smith returned to his
farm, and a few years later built a very
pleasant home, just outside of Oberlin,
where he led a retired life until his death.
During his later years his eyes caused him
considerable trouble. In politics he was a
Republican with Prohibition tendencies,
and in religious faith was a leading member
and supporter of the First Congregational
Church of Oberlin. He passed from earth
April 29, 1889, and was buried at Oberlin.
Mr. Smith was one of the most success
ful farmers of his day, and though enjoy
ing in his youth but meager literary ad
vantages, he acquired a practical education,
was a close observer of men and manners,
and possessed a good memory. He was
very fond of Scripture reading, was an ac
tive worker in the Church, and was a highly
esteemed citizen of the community in
which he resided. Since his death, Mrs.
Smith, who is a well-read, intelligent lady,
and a most interesting conversationalist,
has spent part of her time in the East, but
resides generally at the pleasant family
home near Oberlin, where she is surrounded
by hosts of friends.

Li

D. GLYNN, a prosperous agricul
turist of Lorain county, was born
October 17, 1819, in Berkshire
county, Mass. His parents were
Edward and Sylvia C. (Tuller) Glynn, who
reared a family of three children, all sons,
namely: Henry, who came westward to
Ohio, where he died in Clarksfield, Huron
county; Alfred J., who died in Michigan,
and Lorenzo D., subject of this memoir.
The father of this family died when his
son Lorenzo D. was but six years of age,
and for a while the latter was cared for by
others, in the meantime attending school.
When fourteen years old he was bound out

LORAIN COUNTY, OHIO.

1179

to Elijah Hughings, a farmer of Great
Barrington, Mass., and in September, 1836,
came with his foster-parents to Lorain
county, Ohio, locating near the center of
Pittsfield township. Some dissatisfaction
having arisen between them, however, Mr.
Glynn left Hughings, and returned to
Massachusetts, making part of the journey
by canal, and walking the remaining dis
tance. In the fall of 1839 he returned to
Pittsfield township, where he found work
— threshing and chopping wood, and in
fact doing any honest labor he could
obtain. On September 22, 1844, he was married
to Emeline Carter, who was born June 9,
1825, in Greene county, N. Y., daughter
of Calvin S. and Johanna (Townsend)
Carter, who came to Pittsfield township in
1841. To this union were born children
as follows: Sarah Ann, who married
Horace G. Bartlett, and died in Pittsfield,
Ohio; Melvin R., who served in Company
H, Second Ohio Cavalry, and received a
wound at Stony Creek, Va., from the
effects of which he died; Lucy E., who
married Alexander Mayhew, and died at
Garretts ville, Ohio; Susan D., wife of
Harvey Norton, of Pittsfield township;
Mary J., who was first married to Lewis
Ives, and is now the wife of Alonzo Nor
ton; Ellen, Mrs. Horace Bartlett, of Pitts
field; Eva E., Mrs. Charles Bryant, of
Wood county, Ohio; Marion, deceased in
infancy; James T., a farmer of Pittsfield
township; Viola, Mrs. Thomas Hollings
worth, of Pittsfield; and Alice M., Mrs.
Henry Colston, of Russia township, Lo
rain county. After marriage Mr. Glynn
located on a small farm in Pittsfield town
ship, which he had partly cleared, and
which he subsequently sold to John Pres
ton. In 1848 he came to his present farm,
purchasing 120 acres, then almost entirely
woodland, and with n0 improvements
whatever. He had to erect a cabin him
self, and then went industriously to work,
clearing off the land, aud year by year
adding thereto, until he now has a fine

farm of about 231 acres. Mr. and Mrs.
Glynn are both good business managers;
starting in life with nothing, he has met
with no small degree of success in his life
vocation, all due to his own exertions. In
politics he was originally a Whig, later a
Republican until 1872, when he became a
member of the Democratic party, with
which he has since affiliated. Socially he
is a member of Oberlin Lodge No. 678,
I. O. O. F. He and his wife are both
fond of reading;.

ODMANN BROTHERS are pro
prietors of the popular flourishing
grocery in North Amherst, which
they opened for business November
9, 1891, having bought out the grocery
department of Plato Bros.
Henry J. Bodmann, senior member o.f
the firm, was bora April 6, 1869, and re
ceived a liberal education at the common
schools of the vicinity of his boyhood
home. At the age of thirteen he com
menced to learn blacksmithing, at which
he worked until going into the grocery
business with his brother.
William J. Bodmann, junior member of
the firm, was born February 4, 1871, and
was educated at the common schools. At
the age of thirteen he commenced working
at home, and one year afterward entered a
grocery store as junior clerk, where he re
mained some years, after which he was on
a farm three years. He was, then in the
employ of Plato Bros., about one and one-
halt' years, at which time he and his
brother Henry J. bought out the grocery
of that firm as already related. Mr. Will
iam J. Bodmann is a Catholic, and a char
ter member of the C. M. B. A.
Henry Bodmann, father of Henry J.
and William J. Bodmann, was born June
11, 1837, in the Kingdom of Hanover,
Germany, where he received his education,
and was taught the flour-milling trade.

1180

LORAIN COUNTY, OHIO.

In 1865 he came to the United States, and
after half a year's residence in New York
moved westward to North Amherst, where
he first, found employment in a brewery,
in which he remained about ten years.
He bought property, and for some years
carried on a saloon. In 1867 he was united
in marriage, in North Amherst, Ohio, with
Margaret Frank, who was born in Hesse,
Germany, December 29, 1842, and was
nineteen years old when she came to Amer
ica. Eight children were bora to them,
viz.: Henry J. and William J. (of the
grocery firm of Bodmann Bros.), Harman,
Louis, Mary, John, Carl and Joseph. Mr.
Bodmann is a Democrat, and a member of
the Catholic Church.

EORGE HOLLSTEIN, one of the
well-to-do native-born farmers of
Amherst township, is a son of Henry
and Elizabeth (Bechstein) Hollstein,
natives of Hessen-Cassel, Germany,
where they were married.
In the spring of 1848 they set sail from
Bremen for the Western World, and after
a voyage of fourteen weeks landed at New
York, whence they proceeded by rail to
Buffalo, thence by water to Cleveland, and
from there by team to Lorain county, Ohio,
where they settled on a farm of fifty acres
the father had bought in Amherst town
ship, and on which our subject now re
sides. Here Henry Hollstein carried on
farming until his death, which occurred in
1890, when he was aged eighty -four years;
the mother died in 1880, aged sixty-eight
years. In his political preferences Henry
Hollstein was a Republican, and he and his
wife were members of the Evangelical As
sociation. They reared a family of five
children, as follows: Adam married Lu
cinda Ray, a native of Lorain county, and
settled in Brownhelm township, where he
died in 1890 (his widow resides in that
township); Elizabeth, widow of John

Dreher, lives in Allegan county, Mich.;
Catherine is the widow of John Hoffner,
of Oberlin, Ohio; Sophia is the wife of
Conrad Nuhn, of Vermillion, Ohio; and
George is the subject proper of this sketch.
George Hollstein was born on his pres
ent farm in 1851, received his education
at the Union schools of North Amherst,
and was reared to agricultural pursuits on
his present farm. For a time he followed
quarrying and taking out ship timber in
different counties of Ohio, but he has given
most of his attention to the farm.
In 1881 Mr. Hollstein was married, in
Lorain county, to Miss Catherine Kolbe, a
native of Germany, daughter of Henry and
Elizabeth (Huessem) Kolbe, also of the
Fatherland, and who now reside in Black
River township, Lorain county. One child
has come to brighten the home of Mr. and
Mrs. Hollstein, named Walter. They are
members of the Evangelical Church, ol
which he is trustee, and of the Sunday-
school of which he was superintendent
some years. Politically he is a Republican.

A IjILLIAM LAPP was born Decem-
yJJ ber 27, 1845, on his present farm
Mj in Amherst township, a son of
Henry and Catherine (Able) Lapp,
who were natives of Hessia, Germany,
where they were married.
In an early day they came to America,
and to Lorain county, Ohio, settling finally
on the farm whereon our subject now lives,
in Amherst township. The father was a
merchant tailor, an occupation that took
him away from home a good deal, and
while he was absent his wife attended to
the farm. On first coming to the county
he located on the lake shore, where he
bought seventy-five acres, on which he
built a tailor shop, and here followed his
trade; he also worked for a time in Brook
lyn, a village near Cleveland. He died in

LORAIN COUNTY, OHIO.

1181

1890 at the age of eighty-nine years; his
wife in 1891 when aged eighty-two. They
had children as follows: John, who died
about the year 1838; Eliza, who married,
and died in Lorain county in 1889; Cath
erine, wife of Jacob Fowls, who lives in
Amherst township; Mary, widow of Henry
Heisner, who lives in North Amherst;
Henry, a resident of Lorain ; and William,
the subject of this memoir.
William Lapp, whose name opens this
sketch, received his education in the com
mon schools of his district, and was reared
to farm life. In 1869 he married Miss
Eliza Appleman, by whom he had three
children: John (attending the business
college at Oberlin), Charles and Frank.
The mother of these died in 1890, and in
1892 Mr. Lapp was united in marriage
with Miss Katie Limbaugh. Our subject
owns a tine farm of 156 acres prime land,
and carries on general agriculture. In
1884 he built his present residence at a
cost of three thousand dollars. In politics
he is in sympathy with the Democratic
party, and in religious sentiment he is a
member of the Presbyterian Church.

H. BRYANT, proprietor of the
Bryant Chanueler Machine Shops,
North Amherst, was born on his
present farm in Amherst town
ship, Lorain Co., Ohio, October 10, 1840,
a son of Nathaniel and Ann (Wilkins)
Bryant, who were born in Gloucestershire,
England, the father in 1799; they were
married in their native county, and came
to the United States in 1828.
The subject of this sketch received his
primary education in the common schools
of his township. On October 30, 1861,
he enlisted in the Forty-second O. V. I.,
and participated in many battles and skir
mishes, principal among which were the
engagements at Vicksburg, Chickasaw

Bluffs, Arkansas Post, and Vicksburg (2),
where they camped all winter on the low
flat marshy point in front of Vicksburg.
Thence in the following spring they moved
to below Vicksburg, thence to Grand Gulf,
the mouth of Black river, from which place
they saw the terrific bombardment of that
place by U. S. gunboats. The regiment
then participated in the battle of Thomp
son's Hill, where they sustained great loss,
and were afterward at Champion Hill,
Black River Bridge, as well as in several
skirmishes around Vicksburg, afterward
taking part in the siege thereof, and its
final surrender July 4, 1863. They then
marched to Jackson, Miss., and drove
Johnson's army from that place; also as
sisted in tearing up thirty miles of rail
road, after which our subject came hoVne
on a thirty-days' furlough. Rejoining
his regiment at Berwick Bay, La., he pro
ceeded with it up Bayou Teche, same State,
and at Plaquemine remained all winter.
Next spring they were ordered to Baton
Rouge, thence to the Red river campaign,
after which they were placed on detail
duty, to keep the river clear; were also at
Milliken's Bend, Eagles Point and Du-
ValPs Bluff, Ark., at which latter place
Mr. Bryant's term expired. His company
was one of the best drilled -companies in
the Western army. They took part in a
prize drill contest at Milliken's Bend, and
came off victorious. Mr. Bryant remained
in the river service from Baton Rouge to
Eagles Point, Ark., till the close of his
term of service, chiefly on the Mississippi,
Arkansas and White rivers. At Memphis,
Tenn., in 1862, he was promoted to orderly
sergeant. On his return home he attended
for a time the commercial school at Buf
falo, N. Y., of Bryant & Stratton, both of
whom are related to him. He also learned
the trade of stone cutter. At Meadville,
Penn., he taught bookkeeping, and as
sisted in establishing a commercial college
there. From Meadville he proceeded to
Michigan, and was two years on a home
stead in the northern part of that State,

1182

LORAIN COUNTY, OHIO.

where he experienced the hardships inci
dent to clearing up a farm in a heavily-
wooded country, where he had but one
neighbor nearer than one mile. While on
the farm he received an offer of a position
in a concern doing a large business in sup
plying wood to lake steamers, and shipping
it to Chicago. After the second year he
became general manager of the business.
The company purchased and sold about
twenty thousand cords of wood annually,
the bulk of which was chopped by the In
dians, who received nearly all of their pay
in goods and provisions from the com
pany's store. After five years spent in the
northern part of Michigan, Mr. Bryant
removed to Chicago to take a position as
bookkeeper, but at the end of a year, hav
ing to give up his position on account of
the climate proving unfavorable to the
health of Mrs. Bryant, he came to Am
herst, Ohio,and shortly afterward went into
the stone business, which at first was far
from a grand success, but finally proved to
be a good venture. In 1889 he invented
a machine known as "The Bryant Chan-
neler," for cutting both limestone and
sandstone, and for the past four years has
been engaged in manufacturing thern. He
also owns the Bryant Quarries in Amherst
township, as well as one in Elyria.
On April 21, 1866, Mr. Bryant was
married in Meadville, Penn., to Miss Har
riet Adelaide Wykoff, a native of Penn
sylvania. In politics he is a Republican ;
socially he is a member of the K. of H.

FRANKLIN ARNOLD, an upright,
intelligent citizen of Pittsfield town
ship, was bora August 20, 1841, in
Camden township, Lorain county.
His father, James Arnold, son of An
thony Arnold, was born in 1806 in New
York, where he was reared to manhood
and received an education in the common
schools. He was married in his native

State toMiss Eliza Carrington, and in about
1839 came west to Lorain county, Ohio,
purchasing land in Camden township.
Here he soon afterward settled, and at that
time the tract was all woodland, with no
improvements save an old log house. In
1844 Mrs. Arnold died, leaving one child,
Franklin, and was buried in Camden ceme
tery. For his second wife Mr. Arnold
married Jane Ann Powell, a native of New
Y^ork, who bore him three children: An
thony; Susan, Mrs. Byron McNeal, of
Chicago, 111.; and Emma, married, now of
Council Bluffs, Iowa. They resided in
Camden township until 1851, when they
moved to the farm in Pittsfield township
(where Franklin Arnold now resides), and
there passed the remainder of their lives.
In politics he was a Democrat, and he took
considerable interest in the political issues
of the day, keeping himself well informed.
He held various local offices, serving as
township trustee, assessor, etc., and was a
shrewd business man and a good farmer.
He died January 13, 1864, and was buried
in Camden township by the side of his
wife. His widow, who was a member of
the M. E. Church, died in 1878, and was
interred in Pittsfield cemetery.
Franklin Arnold was reared to farm life,
received his education in the common
schools of his day, and when ten years of
age moved with his parents to Pittsfield
township, where he has since made his
home. On December 21, 1865, he was
married, in Elyria, Ohio, to Helen M.
Rawson, who was bora December 30, 1844,
in Pittsfield. Her parents, Ropha and
Betsey (Fulton) Rawson, came from New
York State to Lorain county, Ohio, locat
ing in LaGrange township; they died in
Pittsfield township. To Mr. and Mrs.
Arnold have come children as follows:
Erwin, born January 30, 1868, who gradu
ated from Wellington high school, and is
now teaching in Pittsfield township; and
George A., bora August 30, 1870, a
farmer of Pittsfield township. Soon after
marriage Mr. Arnold purchased, from Ara

LORAIN COUNTY, OHIO.

1183

Rawson, fifty acres of land adjoining the
home farm, and here began wedded life,
living upon that tract until 1892, when he
moved to the home farm. Here he has erected
a handsome new dwelling-house and barn,
which are models of their kind. In politics
he is a Democrat, and in 1891 was elected
township trustee, being the first Democrat
to hold that office since his father served
in the same capacity; he has numerous
friends in both parties. Mr. Arnold now
owns 147 acres of excellent land, where he
carries on a general farming and dairying
business, fie has hosts of friends, and it
is safe to say that there is no citizen in
Pittsfield township who holds a higher
place in the esteem and regard of his
fellow-citizens. Mrs. Arnold is a member
of the Methodist Church.

j\ILLIAM PRESTON, one of the
most successful agriculturists of
Pittsfield township, was born July
31, 1823, in Lincolnshire, Eng
land, son of John Preston. The grand
father of subject was a tailor by trade, and
was in the employment oi the British
Government at Gibraltar, where his son
John was born.
John Preston was reared on a farm in
Lincolnshire, England, and there married
Martha Major, who bore him four chil
dren, viz.: William; Eliza, who was mar
ried in England to William Colson, died
in Oberlin, Ohio, and was buried in Pitts
field; Caroline, who was married in Eng
land, came to America, and died in Phila
delphia, Penn., where she was buried; and
one son that died in infancy unnamed.
The mother of these children passed away
in 1831, and Mr. Preston married in Eng
land, for his second wife, Rebecca Clark,
to which union were bom six children. In
1847 he sailed from Liverpool to New
York, whence he at once proceeded to
Pittsfield township, Lorain Co., Ohio,

where an English family named Wills had
previously located. Here he purchased
fifty-six acres of land for six hundred dol
lars, and having a capital of but eighty
dollars was obliged to go in debt for the
remainder. He lived in an old log house
on this tract for some time, aud later re
moved to the west town line, where he
died in April, 1877, and was buried in
East cemetery, Pittsfield township; his
wife had preceded him to the grave. He
was an active Republican, and took great
interest in politics. He was a man of
good proportions, and during his active
life was an indefatigable worker.
William Preston attended the common
schools until ten years of age, and from
early boyhood worked on the farm, his
first duty being to scare the crows from pick
ing the corn off'the ground. When thirteen
years of age he hired out at thirty dollars
per year, to care for four horses, and was
later employed in various places and at
various occupations. On May 15, 1851,
he was united in marriage with Elizabeth
Flatters, who was born May 29, 1824, in
Lincolnshire, England, daughter of Abra
ham and Mary (Emerson) Flatters, and on
May 28, same year, the young couple left
their early home and friends, taking pas
sage for New York on a " Red Star "
liner. They landed after a voyage of five
weeks, and proceeded at once to Cleveland,
Ohio; on the way thither they happened
to be in Buffalo, N. Y., on the Fourth of
July, and witnessed the celebration, but
did not kuow the cause of it. From
Cleveland they came by rail to Welling
ton, Ohio, from which place they were
driven to Pittsfield township, where they
saw the log house in which his father had
first, lived. There they remained for two
months, and then rented a house and later
five acres of land, where they resided for
eighteen months. Mr. Preston next rented
land from Joseph Worcester, of Pittsfield
township, and subsequently removed to
Wellington, where he rented a much
larger place. From Wellington he moved

1184

LORAIN COUNTY, OHIO.

to Sullivan township, Ashland Co., Ohio,
where he resided for six years. In 1870
he purchased ninety-six acres in Pittsfield
township, Lorain county, and resided
thereon until 1891, when he moved to
Pittsfield Center, where he now leads a
retired life.
Mr. Preston now owns 135 acres of ex
cellent land. Coming to America a poor
man, he has, by patient industry and un
tiring energy, accumulated a comfortable
competence, and is one of the most highly
respected members of his community,
kind-hearted and generous in every respect.
Politically he is a Republican, and has
served as township trustee, and in relig
ious faith he and his wife are members of
the Methodist Church. To their union
have come the following named children :
Elizabeth, deceased at the age of four
years; Martha, Mrs. Charles Avery, of
Pittsfield; Eliza, deceased when fifteen
months old; Mary L., Mrs. William Pick-
worth, of Clarksfield, Ohio; Catharine,
Mrs. John Jordan, of Brighton, Ohio;
Roderick J., who died at the age of four
years; and William, a farmer of Pittsfield
township.

Il LBERT FOSTER, who for many
l\ years has been prominently identi
fied with the interests of Lorain
county, is a native of the "Green
Mountain State," born January 30,
1831, in Windsor county.
His father, Addison Foster, a farmer,
and mother, Lizzie (Pease), were both
born in Weston, Windsor Co., Vt., and
while living in that State had children as
follows: Lucy A., who was married in
Ohio to David Clark, and died in Ne
braska; Ira A., of Eaton county, Mich.;
Albert, the subject of this memoir; and
Hannah, Mrs. Rufus Knowles, of La
Grange. In August, 1836, the family
set out for Ohio, driving three four-year-
old horses, coining via Troy, N. Y., to

Cleveland, and thence to LaGrange town
ship, Lorain county, where a sister of Mrs.
Foster, Malinda Dale, resided, at whose
home they remained for a few days. Mr.
Foster purchased eighty-three acres in the-
vicinity, on which some clearing had been
done, and here the family made their first
settlement, remaining thereon until 1862,
when Mrs. Foster's failing health induced
him to change his residence to the center
of the township. Here they led a retired
life until their decease, Mr. Foster passing
away in 1874, Mrs. Foster in 1875; both
are buried in the Center cemetery of the
M. E. Church. He was industrious, hard
working, a good business manager, and
one of the most progressive men in the
county, qualities which brought him suc
cess and enabled him from time to time to
increase his property. He always gave
liberally to church work, and was the
largest contributor toward the M. E.
Church building, also donating the land
upon which it stood. Politically he was
a Republican, originally a Democrat, hav
ing changed during Fremont's administra
tion, and served as township trustee and
in various other local offices. After com
ing to Ohio three children were added to
the domestic circle, viz.: Horatio, who
died in LaGrange in 1864, of smallpox;
George, of LaGrange, and a son that died
in infancy unnamed.
Albert Foster was five years old when he
came with his parents to Ohio, and here
he» attended the common schools, which
were then held in log buildings. He re
ceived a thorough training in agriculture
on the home farm, where he remained until
his marriage, on February 6, 1852, to Miss
Betsey Knowles, who was born in the
East, and came when one year old to Ohio,
whither her father, Horace Foster, removed
in an early day, settling in LaGrange town
ship, Lorain county. After his marriage
our subject located on a piece of tbe home
place, near the homestead, and commenced
farming, remaining there ten years, when
he exchanged with his father for the home-

LORAIN COUNTY, OHIO.

1185

stead. Here he resided fifteen years, or
until April 2, 1877, when he disposed of
108 acres of the home farm, and came to
his present place, near the center of La
Grange township, where he has since lived
retired. To Mr. and Mrs. Albert Foster
have come four children, viz. : Lyman P. (of
Penfield, Lorain county), Merritt (of Brown
county, Kans.), Frank (of LaGrange) and
Edward (of Brown county, Kans.), all of
whom are engaged in farming. These
children have all had the best of educa
tional opportunities, and their father has
liberally assisted each one to make a start
in life. In politics he was originally a
Democrat, but is now a stanch member of
the Republican party, and has given uni
versal satisfaction as trustee of LaGrange
township. In the fall of 1883 he was
elected a director of the county infirmary,
a position in which he has ever since effi
ciently served. Kind-hearted and generous.
he is recognized as a public benefactor, and
is looked up to and esteemed as one of the
leading citizens of his community. He
has traveled considerably, and has paid
several visits to his sons in Kansas. Mrs.
Foster is a member of the M. E. Church.
[Since the above was written we have been
informed of the death of Mr. Albert Foster,
which occurred January 20, 1894. — Ed.

dH. TOWNSHEND, a progressive
and well-to-do agriculturist of Shef
field township, is a native of the same,
born in 1839, a son of John and
Hannah (Hurst) Townshend, both of whom
were natives of England, the father of
Warwickshire. When a young man John Townshend,
father of subject, emigrated from England
to the United States, coming in 1831 to
Lorain county, Ohio, and settling on a farm
in Avon township. He there married Han
nah Hurst, and the young couple theu
moved to another farm, in Sheffield town

ship. Mr. Townshend was killed by the
cars in Elyria, Ohio, in 1875, and Mrs.
Townshend died some years ago.
J. H. Townshend was educated in the
common schools of his native township,
and was trained to farming pursuits, which
have been his life work. He assisted in
opening up the home farm, now a well-
cultivated piece of land, on which he yet
resides. In 1875 he visited Pittsburgh,
Penn., and was there and then married to
Miss Mary Shober, by whom he has had
the following named children : Lloyd,
Leola, Ina and Florence. In politics Mr.
Townshend is a Republican, stanch and
true, and he and his wife are members of
the Baptist Church at Avon.

FETER M. SMITH is a thoroughly
representative loyal German-Ameri
can citizen of Sheffield township,
where he successfully follows the
plough.
He was born May 19, 1819, in Prussia,
Germany, a son of Mathias and Barbara
(Dohn) Smith, also natives of Prussia,
where the father, who was a farmer, .died
when his son Peter M. was five years old.
The widowed mother and her family sub
sequently emigrated to the United States,
and to Lorain county, Ohio, where she died
in Sheffield township at the age of seventy -
nine years, the mother of eight children,
of whom three grew to maturity, namely:
Mary, Peter M. and Ann Mary.
Peter M. Smith, the subject of this bio
graphical memoir, received his education
in the schools of the Fatherland, and was
there married. In 1846 he and his family
came to America, and to Lorain county,
Ohio, first locating in Ridgeville township,
afterward settling in Sheffield township,
where he bought his present beautiful farm
of 166 acres of highly cultivated land. A
brief record of his children is here pre-

1186

LORAIN COUNTY, OHIO.

sen ted: Joseph has his home in Wisconsin;
Peter is married, and lives in Cleveland (he
has six children living); Hubbard is mar
ried, and had ten children; Kate, Mrs.
Schumacher, has had six children ; John is
married, and has nine children. The mother
of the above named family died iu 1883, at
the age of seventy years. Mr. Smith has
four living grandchildren, and three great
grandchildren. In politics he is a Demo
crat, and he is a member of the Catholic
Church.

B'

^ AVID MILLER, a well-known resi
dent of North Amherst, is an early
settler of Lorain county. His par
ents, Jacob and Catherine (Cook)
Miller, were natives of Bavaria, Germany,
and in 1847 emigrated to America, locat
ing in North Amherst, Lorain Co., Ohio,
where they passed the rest of their lives.
They reared a family of seven children,
viz.: Jacob, who lives in Brownhelm town
ship; Catherine, in Mercer county, Penn.;
Elizabeth, wife of Jacob Miller, of Sheffield
township; David; Julia, living in Michi
gan; Margaret, wife of Adam Baker, of
Black River township: and Amelia, wife of
Barney Burke, of Lorain. The father of
this .family followed farming; he died in
North Amherst in 1889, having been pre
ceded by the mother in 1888, when aged
eighty-eight years.
David Miller was born in 1827 in Bav
aria, Germany, where he was reared and
educated. He learned the blacksmith's
trade, which he followed in Germany, Eng
land and France, and in 1847 came with
his parents to North Amherst, Lorain
county, where he also followed his trade
for many years. In 1864 he enlisted, at
Wooster, Ohio, in Company I, First Ohio
Artillery, for one year or during the war,
serving as blacksmith; they were stationed
at Chattanooga, Tenn., and at Dalton, Ga.,
at which latter place Mr. Miller received
an honorable discharge in 1865, and re
turned to Lorain county.

In 1851 Mr. Miller was married in Lo
rain county, to Miss Margaret Hildebrand,
a native of Germany, daughter of David
and Gertrude (Reis) Hildebrand, natives
of Hessen, Germany, whence they emi
grated in 1835, settling in Black River
township, Lorain Co., Ohio, where the
father passed away in 1858, and was fol
lowed to the grave by the mother in 1862.
They were the second German family to
settle in Lorain county. A brother of
Mrs. Miller resides in North Carolina.
Our subject and wife are the parents of
seven children, viz.: Lewis, a farmer of
Sheffield township; Mary, wife of George
Keller, a farmer of Black River township;
Sophia, wife of Winnie Gawn, of Amherst
township; Elizabeth, wife of Roy Leslie,
of North Amherst; Rowena, wife of Philip
Klotz, residing in Lorain;' Julia; and
Emma, wife of Irving Chappell, a machin
ist, of Cleveland, Ohio. In politics Mr.
Miller is a Republican, and in religious
faith he and his wife are members of the
Presbyterian Church, at North Amherst.
Mr. Miller is now engaged in fruit farm
ing and gardening.

JOHN W. GROTE, of North Amherst,
was bora November 25, 1849, in
' Hanover, Germany, a son of George
and Nena (Zieranberg) Grote, the
former of whom was also a native of Han
over, where they both died. The father
was killed by an accident in 1849; the
mother passed from earth when about fifty-
three years old. They had four children,
of whom our subject was the only one to
come to America.
John W. Grote received a good educa
tion at the 6chool of his native place, and
in 1872 came to America, setting sail April
15 and arriving May 15 following. After
his arrival in North Amherst, Ohio, he
commenced working in stone quarries, in

LORAIN COUNTY, OHIO.

1187

which he continued some fifteen years in
one place, most of the time in the capacity
of foreman in the Holdeman quarry (now
owned by the Cleveland Stone Company).
After a year's sickness he opened out in
the retail liquor trade in North Amherst,
and has been very successful, being a popu
lar and much respected citizen. Mr. Grote
was united in marriage with Miss Amelia
Subears, and four children — one son and
three daughters — have been born to them,
viz. : Rosa, Emma, Lizzie and Willie. The
entire family are members of the Presby
terian Church; in politics Mr. Grote is a
Democrat, and he is a member of the
I. O. O. F. and Encampment, and the
K. 0. T. M.

Il ZARIAH SMITH ROOT, A. M.,
\\ Librarian and Professor of JBibli-
T_i\ ography at Oberlin College, is a na
tive of Massachusetts, born in Mid-
dlefield February 3, 1862, a son of
Francis and Anna (Smith) Root. The father
of subject, also born in Middlefield, Mass.,
is now a merchant in the town of East
Douglass, Mass. He married Anna Smith,
who died March 24, 1874, at the age of
forty-five years, eight months, the mother
of two children, of whom Azariah S. is the
second. The subject of this memoir received his
preparatory education at the high school of
Middlefield, and at the Hinsdale and Pitts
field schools, all in Massachusetts. In 1880
he entered Oberlin (Ohio) College, where
he graduated in the classical course of 1884,
after which, in 1885-86, he studied law in
Boston University, aud also in Harvard
University. In 1887 he was appointed li
brarian of Oberlin College, and in 1889
professor of Bibliography, which positions
he is at present holding. In the year last
mentioned be took the degree of A. M. at
Oberlin College. He is librarian for the
Ohio Church Historical Society.

On April 30, 1887, Prof. Root was united
in marriage with Miss A. M. Metcalf, of
Elyria, Ohio, and one child — Francis Met
calf — was born to them August 24, 1889.
In politics our subject is a member of the
Third Party Prohibitionists, and is a mem
ber of the County Prohibition Committee.
He is of the tenth generation of the Root
family in the United States.

DAVID SCHWARTZ, one of the
prosperous and industrious German
agriculturists of Russia township,
is a native of Bavaria, Germany,
born July 7, 1832.
His father, Jacob Schwartz, was by vo
cation a farmer in the Fatherland, owning
a small piece of land, and he labored at
whatever he could find to do when he had
no work at his own home. He married
Miss Catherine Burg, and she bore him
five children, one of whom, Catherine by
name, died in Germany. The father passed
from earth there in March, 1834, leaving a
widow and five children to be provided for.
In the meantime the eldest boy married,
and the family circle being now broken,
the widowed mother concluded to emigrate
to America witb her remaining offspring.
Consequently in June, 1848, they — she
and four children, Jacob, Margaretta, Eliza
beth and our subject — set sail from the
port of Antwerp for New York, where
they landed after a passage of forty-two
days. From there they proceeded by Erie
Canal to Bnffalo, thence by lake to Cleve
land, and then by road to Russia township,
Lorain county, where there already was a
small colony of their countrymen. The
son Jacob acted as leader of the party,
and having among themselves saved about
three hundred dollars, he (Jacob) pur
chased a farm therewith, afterward repay
ing what he had borrowed.
At this time David Schwartz was sixteen
years old. He attended school regularly

1188

LORAIN COUNTY, OHIO.

in his native country, and but a short time
in the New World. He had no trouble in
securing work, and for his first year's
services received fifty dollars. At the age
of nineteen he bought sixty acres of land
on credit, and by the time he was twenty-
one he bad paid off the entire sum — five
hundred and eight dollars — all accumu
lated by hard work and rigid economy.
He has now 163 acres of land, all in a
high state of cultivation.
In September, 1856, Mr. Schwartz was
united in marriage with Christina Baker,
who was born March 16, 1834, in Boston,
Mass., a daughter of Nicholas and Eliza
beth (Cook) Baker, who came west to Ohio
in an early day, and settled in Amherst
township, Lorain county. After marriage
the young couple commenced housekeep
ing in an old log house that stood on his
farm, which in after years was superseded
by the more substantial residence, which
is yet standing. Children as follows have
been born to Mr. and Mrs. Schwartz:
Frank E., a farmer of Carlisle township,
Lorain county; Caroline, Mrs. William
Shubert, of Russia township; Charles H.,
of Elyria, Ohio; Eliza S., Mrs. Eugene
Waldorf, of Muncie, Ind.; John A., ot
Arizona; Lucy S-, Mrs. A. F. Renkie, of
Elyria, Ohio; and Mary F. The mother of
this family died somewhat suddenly on
August 6, 1879, after a brief illness, and
she now lies buried in North Amherst
cemetery. Politically our subject is a
Democrat, but though true to his colors
takes no active interest in the affairs of
his party, having his time fully occupied
on his farm.

JOHN McLAUGHLIN, a popular,
progressive and wide-awake citizen
of Oberlin, where he is proprietor of
a flourishing bookstore, is a native of
Canada, bora November 6, 1849, in Bol
ton, Brome county, Province of Quebec.
He is a son of John and Mary (Mooney)

McLaughlin, the former of whom was born
in the Highlands of Scotland, and when a
child was brought to Canada by his par
ents, who died on their farm there. The
father of our subject, after his marriage
with Miss Mary Mooney, a native of New
Hampshire, settled on the old homestead
in Brome county, Quebec, where he died
in 1884, at about the age of sixty-two
years; his wife lived to an advanced age.
The early life of our subject was passed
on the farm In Canada, and his education
was received at the schools of St. Johns-
bury. At the age of twenty years he came
to the United States, prior to which he had
worked at various vocations, saving money
as he plodded along. This enabled him to
come west, where there were better oppor
tunities for a young man, and locating in
Lorain county, Ohio, he attended school at
Oberlin one year. After this, February
26, 1876, he opened his present bookstore
in Oberlin, in which business he has met
with well-merited success. In addition to
books and stationery he carries a large
stock of wall-paper, and makes a specialty
of lamps, particularly the " Oberlin Lamp,"
for which he has the exclusive sale in the
city. Our subject was married in Oberlin
to Miss Jennie V. Bunce, and they have
two children: Helen Irene and Dora Gene
vieve. In his political preferences he is a
Republican.

E

DWIN A. BIVINS, a well-known
farmer of Amherst township, ie a
j descendant of one of the earliest
pioneer families of Loraiu county.
Benjamin Bivins, grandfather of our sub
ject, was born in Connecticut, and was
reared in Erie county, N. Y., where he re
ceived his education in the schools of the
district. In an early day he came to Lo
rain county, Ohio, where he followed
farming, afterward returning to Erie
county, N. Y., where he was married to
Miss Asenath Adams. In 1835 they came

LORAIN COUNTY, OHIO.

1189

to Lorain county, and settled on a farm,
where they passed the remainder of their
lives. The grandfather served for many
years as constable and justice of the peace
in his township. He died at the age of
eighty-three, and his wife passed away at
Elyria when a°ed eighty-nine years and
nine months. He was a soldier in tbe war
of 1812.
Lyman Bivins, son of this old pioneer,
was born January 17, 1808, in Otsego
county, N. Y., and in 1835 came with his
father from Clarence, Erie Co., N. Y. He
married Lydia Greene, a native of Massa
chusetts, and tbey became the parents of
six children, as follows: Edwin A.;
Maria, wife of Morris Hecock, of Sheffield
township, Lorain county; George L., in
the livery business in Elyria; Eliza, de
ceased wife of L. D. Stout; Josephine,
who married Leonard Steele, and died in
Amherst; and Albert, who died in infancy.
The mother of this family died in 1864;
the father is still living at the age of
eighty-five years.
Edwin A. Bivins was bora in 1837 in
Amherst township, Lorain county, and
was reared on the farm, receiving his edu
cation in the district schools. He learned
the carpenter's trade of his grandfather,
and for fifteen years was in the employ of
the Lake Shore Railroad, at Norwalk, on
car and cab work. He was afterward en
gaged for five years in the milling busi
ness at Amherst, and then returned to the
farm. In 1863 Mr. Bivins was married
to Miss Mary I. Winton, who was born in
Amherst township, daughter of Orrin and
Mariett (Smith) Winton, natives of Ver
mont, who came to Amherst township
about 1834, where he was extensively en
gaged in farming. They were the parents
of children as follows: Eli, who resides in
Arkansas; Ann, widow of Edward Aikens,
of Amherst township; Mariett; C. F.,
living in Kansas; 0. P., who died in East
St. Louis, 111.; Alferetta, wife of George
Morgan, of Elyria; Hattie, wife of Will
iam Barnes, of Cleveland; William W., a

stationary engineer at Sandusky, Ohio
(his twin sister died in infancy); Nellie,
who lives in Elyria, and Mary I., Mrs.
Bivins. The father of this family was
killed by a falling tree; his widow is now
residing with our subject. Mrs. Bivins'
maternal grandfather Smith came to Lo
rain county in 1834.
To Mr. and Mrs. Bivins was born one
child, Frank B., who became a sailor, em
barking first at Erie, Penn.; after sailing
for three years on the lakes, he went to
Philadelphia, from there sailing to Ger
many, and thence to Australia, whence,
after a stay of nine months, he went to
London, England. From there he went to
San Francisco, and then cruised along the
coast to British Columbia. He was killed
on board the ship "Kennebec," while some
days out from San Pedro, Cal., and was
buried at sea. In politics our subject is a
member of the Democratic party, and he
has. filled numerous political offices; for
two years he was marshal of North Am
herst, and he has also served as constable,
as member of the town council, and as as
sessor of North Amherst. Socially he is
a member of Stonington Lodge No. 503,
and in religion he and his wife are mem
bers of the Congregational Church at North
Amherst.

J. GARRETT. In the front rank
of the representative agriculturists
of Carlisle township is found this
gentleman, the owner of one of the
finest 200-acre farms in the county, de
voted to general agriculture, in a great
measure to dairying, having thereon an
average of twenty cows.
Mr. Garrett is a native of New York
State, bora in Saratoga couuty, August 10,
1830, a son of Benjamin and Charlotte
(Rowell) Garrett, the father a native of
New York State, the mother of Vermont.
Thev were married in New York State,
and in 1834 migrated to Lorain county,

1190

LORAIN COUNTY, OHIO.

Ohio, locating first in Penfield township,
afterward, in 1836, settling in Carlisle
township, where they bought a partly-im
proved farm of 265 acres. In politics the
father was first a Democrat, then a Repub
lican, and he served as trustee of his town
ship. He died in Carlisle township, June
29, 1866, the mother in May, 1886, at the
age of eighty-seven years. The paternal
grandfather of subject, Joseph Garrett,
lived all his life in New York State, and
his wife lived to be ninety years old. To
Benjamin and Charlotte Garrett were born
three children, viz.: John, who married,
and moved to Clinton county, Mich., where
he died about the year 1884; Jane Eliza,
wife of George Noble, residing in Elyria,
and S. J.
The subject of this memoir was almost
five years old when he came with his par
ents to Lorain county, and in Carlisle
township received his education, at the
same time giving his assistance toward the
opening up and improving of the home
farm. In 1854 he was married to Miss
M. Noble, who was born in Lorain county,
and reared in LaGrange township, a daugh
ter of Hervey and Phoebe (Wilkinson) No
ble, who settled in an early day in that
township, where they carried on farming
the rest of their lives. At the time of their
settlement in LaGrange, in June, 1827,
there were only two or three families in
the township. Mr. Noble died June 16,
1871, aged seventy-six, his wife having
preceded him to the grave April 23, 1870,
aged sixty-nine years. They had a family
of eight children, as follows: Betsy, de
ceased at the age of eighteen months;
Esther, wife of David Parsons, of Akron,
Ohio; George W., residing in Elyria;
Amanda, deceased at the age of eighteen
years; Emily Annette, wife of C. C. Man
ville, of LaGrange township, Lorain coun
ty; Mrs. S. J. Garrett; Henry D., who
was married, aud died in Lorain county in
1861; and Melissa, deceased at the age of
four years. To Mr. and Mrs. S. J. Garrett
were bora three children: Frank, who was

married in 1878 to Miss Mary Martin, and
has one child — Essie Bell; Cora, wife of
Charles Fuller, who has one child — -Carrie
(they live in Cleveland) ; and Charles, who
was married in February, 1887, to Minnie
Lehman, and has three sons — Leroy, Mark
Elmer and Roy. In his political associa
tions Mr. Garrett is ,a Republican, and has
served as township trustee three or four
terfns.

|f[fIRAM WACK, one of the promi-
1^ nent representative agriculturists of
I] 1 Carlisle township, is a " Green
y) Mountain Laddie," born in Ver
mont September 9, 1809, a son of
Frederick and Hannah (Loomis) Wack,
natives of Connecticut.
They were married in their native State,
and afterward moved to Manchester, Yt.,
thence to Dorset, Vt., when our subject
was about two years old. In 1837 they
came to Lorain county, Ohio, settling on
a farm near the Black river, in Carlisle town
ship, where Mr. Wack died, when over
eighty years of age; Mrs. Wack passed
away in Michigan also aged over eighty
years. They had a family of children, six
of whom are yet living, named as follows:
Eliza (wife of John Wyman), William
Albert, Hiram, Charles Chauncey, Caro
line Laura, and Clarissa; Erastus died in
infancy. In politics Mr. Wack was a
member of the Whig party.
Hiram Wack, of whom this sketch
chiefly relates, may be justly classified
among the pioneers of Carlisle township,
as he came here in 1837, at a time when
wild animals were yet plentiful. On Sep
tember 19, 1839, he was married to Miss
Jane Rickey, a native of Vermont, and
they had three children, as follows: George,
who married Miss Diantha Vibber, and has
one child — Herbert (they live in Russia
township); Alfred, who married Miss Caro
line Bender, and has six children — Ellen,
Charles, Frank, Cassie, Mary and Mabel;

LORAIN COUNTY, OHIO.

1191

and Mary Jane, wife of Charles H. Heigh
ten, who has three children — Harry, John
and Robert (the family reside in LaPorte,
Carlisle township). Our subject learned
the trade of carpenter in New Y'ork, and
worked at same in Oberlin some years, at
intervals, before his marriage; he was also
a workman one winter on the steamship
" Bunker Hill," which lay at the mouth of
the Black river. After marriage he did
carpenter work only in his neighborhood,
and also operated his farm, which is well
improved and now comprises some 179
acres. He has taken an active interest in poli
tics as a member of tbe Republican party
ever since its organization, though his first
vote was cast for Andrew Jackson. The
paternal grandfather of subject, who is
supposed to have been a German, was a
soldier in the American Revolution, and
died while on his way home at the close of
his service.

^ARREN EARL, assessor and treas
urer of Eaton township, who has
been a resident of Lorain county
since December, 1853, is a native
of Tompkins county, N. Y., born in 1834.
His parents, Moses and Elizabeth (Fauver)
Earl, were also natives of New Y'ork, and
there passed their entire lives. The father
died in New York in 1836. They had
but one child, Warren. Some time pre
vious to his death Moses Earl had located
laud in Ohio.
Warren Earl was reared and educated in
Tompkins county, N. Y., and in 1853
came to Lorain county, Ohio, locating in
Eaton township, and working in Elyria,
where he learned the bricklayer's and
plasterer's trades. In 1864 he enlisted, at
Wooster, Ohio, for oneyear, in Company D,
One Hundred and Seventy-eighth 0. Y. I.,
and served with the army of the West.
He participated in the engagement at
Murfreesborough, served till the close of

the war, and 1865 was honorably dis
charged at Philadelphia. He returned to
Lorain county, Ohio, and in 1868 settled
in Eaton township, where in 1877 he
bought twenty acres of improved land. Mr.
Earl has taken considerable interest in
politics, voting with the Republican party,
and has served two terms as township as
sessor and for twelve years as treasurer.
Our subject has been twice married,
first in 1859, in Eaton township, to Miss
Adelaide Fauver, a native of New York,
who died in 1871. In February, 1874, he
was united in marriage with Miss Sally
Earl, a native of New York, and to this
union have come two children, namely:
Minnie A. and Anna B. Socially Mr.
Earl is a member of Richard Allen Post
•No. 65, G. A. R., Elyria.

|( O. HUMPHREY, a lifelong farmer
k. I of Eaton township, comes of a family
\U' who have been identified with the
county over threescore and ten years.
He was born in 1832 on his present
farm on Butternut Ridge, a son of Orson
J. and Lucinda (Sutliff) Humphrey, both
of whom were natives of Connecticut,
where they were married. From there
they came with a one-horse wagon to
Lorain county, Ohio, the trip occupying
six weeks, and in 1822 located in Ridge
ville township, whence in 1832 they
moved to Eaton township, to the farm now
occupied by the subject of this sketch.
Orson J. Humphrey was a tanner and
currier by trade, which he carried on till
he commenced farming. He took a con
siderable interest, in politics, first as a
Whig, later as a Republican, and served as
a justice of the peace fifteen years, and
county commissioner three terms. He
died December 5, 1867, his wife in No
vember, 1869. They had a family of six
children, five of whom grew to maturity,
as follows: Amelia, deceased wife of Joiner

1192

LORAIN COUNTY, OHIO.

Race, of Ridgeville township, Lorain
county; Fidelia, wife of Lewis M. Pounds,
of Topeka, Kans.; Orelia, now in Kansas;
Facelia (widow of William Brust), .a resi
dent of Toledo, Ohio, and J. O.
The subject of our sketch had a thor
oughly practical school training in his
native township, and afterward attended
select school at LaPorte, Lorain county,
and college at Berea. On his return
home he applied himself assiduously to
agriculture, at which he has since contin
ued with well-merited success. He now
owns a fine farm of 125 acres, all in a
good state of cultivation.
In 1856 Mr. Humphrey was married,
in Carlisle township, to Miss Elizabeth
Worthington, and eight children have
been born to them, of whom the following
is a brief record: Helena is residing at
home; Elmer E. married Miss Alzina
Hamlin, and they have two children —
Hamlin and Blanche; and Mary, Orson,
Clarence, Mildred, Edwin and Herbert, all
at home. Mr. Humphrey in his political
sympathies votes the Democratic ticket.
Mrs. Humphrey is a member of the M. E.
Cliurch at LaPorte. Joseph and Betsy
Humphrey, grandparents of subject, were
Connecticut people, bora of Welsh an
cestry, and in an early day came to Ridge
ville township, Lorain county, where they
passed the rest of their busy lives.

\ICHARD MARSH, a farmer of
K Eaton township, was born in 1816
1^ in the eastern part of the county of
Kent, England, son of John and
Elizabeth (Dean) Marsh. The par
ents of our subject were also natives of
England, where they died, the father at
the age of seventy, the mother at the age
of fifty- one. They reared a family of
seven children, two of whom are still liv
ing, namely: Jane, wife of Thomas Spicer,
residing in England; and Richard, subject

of this memoir. John, who came to Eaton
township in 1850, married Louisa Sutton,
and died in October, 1890; his widow re
sides in Eaton township.
Richard Marsh was reared and educated
in his native England, and there engaged
in farming pursuits until 1852, when he
came to the United States, locating in
Eaton township, Lorain Co., Ohio. In
1864 he was married, in Eaton township,
to Mrs. Harriet Cassell, a native of Eng
land, widow of Edward Cassell, by whom
she had two children: Henry, a resident
of Missouri, and a daughter, Mrs. Silk.
Mr. Marsh has devoted bis entire life to
agriculture, and he now owns a good farm
of forty-two acres, all in a high state of
cultivation. In his political preferences
he is a Republican; in religion he is a
member of the Disciple Church.

JfOHN BERRES, for over a third of a
century a valuable farmer citizen of
^} Ridgeville township, is a native .of
Germany, bora near Berlin in 1835,
a son of Adam and Mary Berres, of the
same country. In 1856 the family came
to the United States, settling in Ridgeville
township, Lorain Co., Ohio, where the
parents passed the rest of their lives, the
father dying in 1892, the mother in 1879.
As will be seen, our subject was about
twenty-two years of age when he came to
America, so that his school days were all
passed in his native land, where he also
learned farming (a vocation he has ever
since followed), besides, according to the
customs of the country, a trade, his choice
being carpentry, at which he worked two
years before crossing the ocean. In 1865
he bought forty-two acres of partly-im
proved land, subsequently adding thereto
the Taylor farm, and he now owns 103
acres, all well-cultivated, on which he has
erected a comfortable modern one-and-a-

LORAIN COUNTY, OHIO.

1193

half-story residence 22x28, with an L,
also one and a half stories, 18 x 24; kitchen
14x16; woodshed 12x14; horse barn
22x28. He has also put up a commodi
ous barn 40x60, and a second one 30x40.
Mr. Berres confines himself to general
farming, and by untiring energy, sound
judgment and judicious economy has made
an enviable success.
In 1861 our subject was married, in
Ridgeville township, to Miss Anna Stouber,
a native of Germany, daughter of Peter
and Barbara (Conrad) Stouber, also of
Germany, who in an early day immigrated
to the United States, making their final
home in Avon township. Mr. and Mrs.
Berres are the parents of four children, as
follows: Emma, married to George Otten,
of Ridgeville township (they have two
children, Mathias and Katie); Katie, wife
of Mathias Diedrick, of Ridgeville town
ship; Mary and Caspar. They have also
adopted a boy named Tony Stouber. Some
time ago our subject spent seven years in
the Lake Superior country among the
copper mines. He is an active member of
the Republican party, and has served his
township as supervisor and member of the
school board. He and his wife were born
and brought up in the faith of the Roman
Catholic Church.

H. JACKSON. Among the pros
perous and most respected of the
representative, native-born agricul
turists* of Eaton township, is to be
found this gentleman. He is a son of Bar
nabas and Martha (Farnham) Jackson, and
first saw the light of day in 1851.
Barnabas Jackson, father of subject, was
born in Maine, whence when young he
came to Liverpool, Medina Co., Ohio, with
his parents, Abel and Sarah Jackson, who
were also natives of Maine. He married
in Portage county, Ohio, Miss Martha

Farnham, who was born in that county,
near Ravenna, and for some time there
after they lived in Medina county, where
he condncted a sawmill. Later he followed
building and contracting in Grafton town
ship, Lorain county, and among the build
ings he put up may be mentioned the
roundhouse and two hotels. In 1853 he
moved to Eaton township, same county,
and bought an improved farm from Ira R-
Morgan, where he passed the rest of his
days in agricultural pursuits, dying Au
gust 8, 1889. He was a Republican,
originally a Whig, and served his town
ship as trustee; during the dark days of
the war of the Rebellion he gave all the
assistance in his power to preserve the
Union. His own parents died, the father
in Iowa, the mother in Eaton township,
Lorain county, aged eighty-nine years, To
Mr. and Mrs. Barnabas Jackson were bora
seven children, all of whom are yet living,
viz.: Ellen, wife of Albert Bingham, of
Eaton township; C. H., our subject;
Sarah, wife of Charles Kettner, of Cleve
land: Frederick Henry, married to Celia
Nichols,, and residing in Cleveland; An
drew, married, and living in Eaton town
ship; Byron W-, married to Blanche Nich
ols, and living in Cleveland; and James
E,, married to Sarah Aubrey, also in Cleve
land. The mother of this family is yet
living on the old homestead.
C. H. Jackson, whose name opens this
sketch, received his elementary education
at the schools of Eaton township, which
was supplemented with a two-years' at
tendance at Oberlin College. He was
reared to agricultural pursuits, but in early
life turned his attention to the manufac
ture of cheese, which industry he carried
on in Ridgeville township, Lorain county,
some thirteen years; he was also interested
in a cheese factory in Eaton township. In
1881 he purchased an improved farm of
125 acres in Eaton township, where he has
since resided, carrying on general farming.
In 1877 Mr. Jackson was united in mar
riage, in Berea, Ohio, with Miss Eva E.

1194

LORAIN COUNTY, OHIO.

Emmons, a native of Columbia township,
Lorain county, daughter of Francis and
Cordelia (Smith) Emmons, of Connecticut,
and pioneers of Columbia township, Lo
rain county; the mother is deceased, the
father yet living. To this union has been
bora one child — Grace G. In his political
associations Mr. Jackson is a Republican,
and for five years served as township trus
tee; in 1888 he was elected a justice of
the peace.

A. BAINBRIDGE, one of the
wide-awake, go-ahead, native-born
agriculturists of Ridgeville town
ship, is owner of 140 acres of as
good land as can be found in the county,
being mostly the old homestead of the
family. Mr. Bainbridge was bora in 1837, a son
of William and Elizabeth (Ford) Bain
bridge, natives of England, the father of
near Hull, Yorkshire. They were married
in their native country, and subsequently
immigrated to the United States, and in
1832 they made for themselves a new
home in Ridgeville township, Lorain
county, the locality at that time being all
woodland. William Bainbridge first
bought twenty-five acres, to which he
added sixty acres, and, later, fifty acres, ag
gregating 135 acres of fine farm land, where
he successfully carried on general agricul
ture till his death; his widow passed away
at the age of eighty-one years.- Mr. Bain
bridge in his political views was first a
Whig, in later years a stalwart Republican,
casting his first Presidential vote for J. C.
Fremont, and ho held many township
offices of trust. To this honored couple
was born a family of children, the follow
ing being a brief record of them: George
died in Ridgeville township at the age of
thirty-three; Mary Jane died young; Jabez,
married, resides in Olmsted township,
Cuyahoga county; W. A. is the subject of
this sketch; Hester is the wife of Thomas

Hollister, of California; Rachel is the wife
of Augustus Tilburg, of Ridgeville town
ship; Fletcher died in Ridgeville township;
William B., who was married, died in
Ridgeville township.
The subject of these lines received such
education as was afforded in his early boy
hood by the primitive schools, held in
some old log shanty, whose furnishings
and "dominie," alike, smacked of "the
sere and yellow leaf." In politics he is a
straight Republican, and has served his
township as road commissioner. In 1891
he visited California, spending six months
in the southern portion of the State, part
of the time in San Jose. Mr. Bainbridge
has not yet enlisted in the courageous army
of " Benedicts," preferring an Arcadian lite
of single bliss.

CHARLES W. BOMMER, a repre
sentative, progressive citizen of
Avon township, where he has re
sided since childhood, was bora August
30, 1861, in Olmsted township, Cuyahoga
Co., Ohio. - 3 B
Joseph Bommer, father of Charles W.,
was a native of Baden, Germany, whence
in an early day he came to the United
States and to Cuyahoga county, Ohio,
where he worked by the month. He mar
ried Sophia Muche, who was born in
Hesse, Germany, and in 1867 they came
to Avon township, and opened np a farm
on which he remained until his death,
which occurred in 1881; his widow passed
away in Avon township in 1885. They
reared a family of seven children, as fol
lows: Louisa, wife of P. Nagle, of Avon
township; Ed., married, residing in West
View, Cuyahoga county; Frank, a resident
of Ridgeville township, Lorain county;
Eva, who died at the age of twenty-two
years; Gertie, living in Lorain county,
Willie, who died when three years old; and
Charles W., whose name introduces this
sketch.

LORAIN COUNTY, OHIO.

1195

Charles W. Bommer came with his par
ents to Avon township when six years
old, and here obtained his literary educa
tion in the common schools. He was
trained from early boyhood to agricultural
pursuits, in which he has always been en
gaged, and he now owns a half interest in
the homestead and a farm in Ridgeville
township. He was united in marriage, in
1886, in Avon township, witb Miss Anna
Engels, a native of the township, daughter of
Peter Engels, and to this union have been
born four children, viz.: Frank, Clara,
Willie and Anna Bertha. In his political
preferences Mr. Bommer is an ardent
worker in the ranks of the Democratic
party; in the spring of 1893 he was
elected trustee of Avon township, where
he has also served as supervisor and school
director. In religious connection he and
his wife are members of the Catholic
Church at French Creek.

FREDERICK JD AGUE, a self-made,
representative agriculturist of Pen-
field township, is a son of Frederick
and Catherine (Harsh) Dague, and
was the second child born to them after
their removal to Ohio.
Our subject first saw the light January
23, 1822, and received a limited education
in the subscription schools, the only ones
then afforded at that time and place. From
early boyhood he was inured to the arduous
duties of pioneer farm life, and he remained
at home until several years after his mar
riage. On August 29, 1844, he was wedded
to Miss Maria Smith, born December
9, 1824, in Berks county, Penn., daughter
of Jeremiah and Rowena (Arnold) Smith,
who came to Ohio in 1826, settling in
Stark county, where Mr. Smith died, the
family subsequently removing to Richland
county, where Mrs. Dague resided until
her marriage. The young couple took up
their residence on the farm of his father

until 1851, when they removed to their
present farm in Penfield township, then
comprising 100 acres, all in the woods,
which he purchased at five dollars and a
half per acre. The cabin in which they
lived was built of logs, had a white
ash floor, and was a very comfortable,
though rudely-furnished, home. Soon
after coming here Mr. Dague built a
barn, which is still standing, he and his
brother John, who were neighbors, assist
ing each other in their work. To Frede
rick and Maria Dague were born children
as follows: John, of Litchfield, Ohio;
Levi, of Harrisville, Ohio; Maretus, of
Chatham, Ohio; Frederick, of Spencer,
Ohio; Sarah M., the widow of Robert
Everhart; Homer, who died at the age of
thirteen years; Jeremiah, of Spencer;
Jonathan, a farmer of Litchfield, Ohio;
Mary Jane, Mrs. Orrin Meade, of Michi
gan; Emerson, a farmer, at home; Charles,
a farmer of Spencer; Ella, Mrs. Grant
Hull, of Litchfield, Ohio; and Anna, who
married Grant Hull, and died at the age
of twenty-two years. Mr. Dague has been
a lifelong farmer, and for a short while
carried on a dairy in connection with
his agricultural work. He now owns a
fine farm of 190 acres, all accumulated by
bis own energy and unceasing industry,
for he began life with comparatively noth
ing. In his political predilections he has
always been a stanch Democrat, and in
religious faith he and his wife are mem
bers of the German Baptist Church at
Chatham, Ohio.

fr* EORGE T. DEEG, a highly success -
|( -. ful farmer and grape-grower of
VJ Avon township, is a native Wurtem-
Jjk berg, Germany, born iu 1826.
fie is a son of Christopher and
Elizabeth (Lautenschlager) Deeg, of the
same locality, who were married in Ger
many, and in 1842 set sail from the port;

1196

LORAIN COUNTY, OHIO.

of Le Havre-de-Grace, France, for the New
World, their family accompanying them.
After a voyage of thirty-three days they
landed in New York City, whence they
came direct to Cleveland, Ohio, arriving in
Avon township, Lorain county, in October,
same year. Here they settled on a farm
near the lake shore, and here the father
died in 1847, the mother in 1846. They
were the parents of six children, as follows:
Catherine, who married John Upwright,
and died in 1859*in Eaton county, Mich.;
Margaret, first married to Christian Seifred,
who was killed in Cleveland, and now the
widow of Christian Brandt (she resides in
Covington); Dorothea, who married Treat
Titus, and died in 1874; George T., our
subject; Mary, widow of Christian Schorn-
hurst, of Chicago, 111.; and Caroline, wife
of Daniel S. Green, of Avon township.
George T. Deeg was sixteen years old
when the family came to America from
Germany, and a portion of his education
was received in each country. After
leaving school he, in 1852, shipped before
the mast on a vessel sailing the lakes, and
for fourteen years followed that vocation
in various capacities, such as common
sailor, cook, mate, etc.; in 1858 he bought
a vessel which he sailed for his own account
till the fall of 1862, when he sold her and
in 1863 navigated her for others. Iu 1861
he had bought his present fine farm of
sixty-eight acres, and has since erected a
commodious and comfortable residence
thereon. In 1849 Mr. Deeg was united
in marriage, in Avon township, with Miss
Maria Diederich, daughter of Peter and
Gertrude Diederich, who came to Lorain
county in 1847, and are now both deceased.
To this union were born four children,
to wit: William G., a resident of Detroit,
Mich., who is married and has three chil
dren: Sailor, Bell and Anna; Joel T., mar
ried and residing in Elyria (has three chil
dren: Nellie, Nina and Josephine); Au
gusta, widow of William Moon, of Avon
township (has three children: Stella, Guy
and William); and Julia, in Detroit, Mich.

The mother of these died in 1879, and in
1882 Mr. Deeg married Miss Elnora Corn-
well, a native of Columbia township, Lo
rain county, a daughter of Elson Cornwell,
an early pioneer of the county. Politically
our subject is a Republican, and has been
a member of the school board. He and
his wife are associated with the M. E.
Church of Avon township.

ELISHA JACKSON, one of the
earliest and best-known pioneer
 l citizens of Penfield township, was
born October 8, 1818, in Champion,
Jefferson Co., New York.
Our subject received his education in
the eommon schools of the period, attend
ing whenever possible, as he took more
pleasure in study than in play, and was a
very apt scholar. When but a young man
he entered the employ of a man named
Poole, who made fanning mills, while
engaged in this displaying considerable
liking and natural ability for carpentry,
and later working at the business in Phila
delphia, Jefferson county, N. Y. He
remained in his native county until 1841,
when he started for the then Far West, pro
ceeding first to Sacket's Harbor, where he
took the boat for Lewiston,. thence travel
ing by stage-coach to Niagara Falls.
From the latter place he came to Buffalo
on the first railroad he had ever seen, and
there took the lake boat for Cleveland, his
destination being Penfield, Lorain Co.,
Ohio, where his eldest brother, Pliny, re
sided. Having missed the stage-coach to
Elyria, and having but a few dollars with
him, not sufficient to hire a private convey
ance, he walked from Cleveland to Pen-
field, arriving there June 3. Here he
worked at his old occupation, the manufac
ture of fanning mills, meantime making
his home with his brother until July 4,
1843, when he married Miss Eleanor A.
Rowland. She was born November 22,

LORAIN COUNTY, OHIO.

1197

1820, in Oneida county, N. Y., daughter
of Joel and Lucy (Wood) Rowland, farming
people, and was in Penfield township on a
visit to her sister, Mrs. Pliny Jackson,
when she met our subject. For a short
time after his marriage Mr. Jackson lived
in Penfield township, then removed to
Pittsfield township, where he bought land,
and later took up his residence in Monroe,
Mich., where he was employed as pattern
maker in a foundry, his knowledge of car
pentry being sufficient to enable him to
perform such work. After four years he
returned to Penfield township, Lorain Co.,
Ohio, locating on his present farm, for
which he had previously negotiated. At
that time a dense forest covered the land,
on which no improvements whatever had
been made, and all the clearing on the
tract, 137 acres in extent, has been done
either by him or under his direction.
To Mr. and Mrs. Jackson have been
born children as follows: Joel R., a farmer
of Penfield township, who was first married
to Mary Bradstock, by whom he had two
sons — Harley (now deceased) and Judson
C. (the mother of these died and he was
married, for his second wife, to her sister
Lydia); Charles E., farmer of Penfield;
Charille H-, deceased wife of John Brad-
stock; Lucy, wife of Horace Palmer, now
of Penfield; Milo T., a farmer of Penfield,
who has four children — Oga Eveline,
Altha Leona, Margaret Irene and Carl;
and Sally E., residing with her parents.
With the exception of the time spent in
working at his trade, Mr. Jackson has
given his attention to farming. He and
his wife have seen great changes in this
section of the country; panthers, bears, deer,
wolves, turkeys, and other wild animals
which once abounded have now disap
peared from the region ; the dense forest
has given place to smiling farms; and the
rude hut which first sheltered the family
is now supplanted by a substantial brick
residence. Mr. Jackson has performed
much arduous labor in his day, and by his
untiring energy and industry has amassed

a very comfortable competency. On July
4, 1893, he and his wife celebrated their
"golden wedding," an occasion which will
ever be remembered by those present. In
his political preferences our subject has
been a Republican since 1856. prior to
which time he was an ardent Whig, cast
ing his first Presidential vote for William
H. Harrison. He takes a lively interest in
the success of his party, and, while not an
office-seeker, has served several terms as
township trustee, with credit to himself
and satisfaction to his constituents.

fl( II. WITBECK, who during his
f/\\ lifetime was a well-known and nni-
I/TJ versally respected member of the
J) A farming community of Penfield
township, was born May 20, 1827,
in Schoharie county, N. Y., son of Henry
G. and Freelove (Welton) Witbeck.
The subject of this sketch was reared to
farm life, and received his literary educa
tion at the common schools of those early
days, which he attended a few weeks in the
winter season ; and the only year he spent
the entire winter at school was while work
ing for his board for William L. Hayes.
When he was four years old, in the fall of
1831, he had been brought by his parents
from New York State to Penfield town
ship, Lorain Co., Ohio, where he grew to
manhood, and being the eldest of six sons,
the bulk of the duties on the home farm
fell on his shoulders. As soon as he was
old enough he worked principally away
from home, doing various kinds of farm
labor in various districts, and receiving for
his services from six to eight dollars per
month, all his earnings going to assist his
father to pay for some land which the
latter had purchased. For one year he
was in the employ of Talcott Starr, of
Elyria township, and he also spent one
winter in Michigan, in the pineries, cutting

1198

LORAIN COUNTY, OHIO.

timber and working in one of the lumber
camps so numerous in those days. He
received thirty acres as his portion of the
tract of one hundred acres he had helped
his father to pay for, and this formed the
nucleus of the fine property he accumulated
before his decease.
On November 27, 1851, Mr. Witbeck
was united in marriage with Miss Mary
Damon, of Litchfield, Ohio, who died less
than one year afterward, and on March 20,
1855, he wedded, for his second wife, Miss
Jane A. Goodyear, who was born March
27, 1838, in New Haven county, Conn.,
daughter of Street and Susan (Jones) Good
year, who came to Penfield, Lorain county,
in 1846, locating on tbe place where Mrs.
Goodyear yet resides; Mr. Goodyear died
in 1884. After marriage Mr. Witbeck
took up his residence on the farm where
he passed his entire wedded life, and which
at that time, with the exception of one
small clearing, was all in the woods. The
young people first lived in a log house,
which was some time afterward supplanted
by a frame one, and in 1875 the latter
fave place to a commodious brick resi-
ence, one of the most expensive and un
doubtedly one of the most substantial in
the township. By purchases made from
time to time the extent of the original
farm of thirty acres was gradually in
creased, until there was a fine tract, com
prising 250 acres of excellent land. Mr.
and Mrs. Witbeck had children as follows:
Mary Jane; E. F., who married Anna
Walker, of Ellsworth, Kans., and now has
charge of the home farm; Ansil, a farmer
of Penfield township; Susan A., a school
teacher of Elyria; Sarah H., deceased at
the age of nine years; Leon G., a farmer
of Penfield township; and Lucinda May,
who resides at home, and attends school
in Wellington. Mr. Witbeck was a
thoroughly self-made man, for from a start
of almost nothing he accumulated his fine
property and earned for himself a com
fortable competence. During his active
life he was one of the foremost agricul

turists of Penfield township. He died
February 26, 1893, after a short illness
from heart disease, and was buried in Pen-
field cemetery. In politics he was a stanch
Democrat, and, while not an active poli
tician, took an interest in the welfare of
his party and was a regular attendant at
the polls. For a great many years he was
an ardent member of the Penfield M. E.
Church, and at the time of his death was
class-leader; he had served in various other
positions with credit to himself and satis
faction to all. Mrs. Witbeck is also a
member of the M. E. Church, having made
a confession when eighteen years old.,
Since her husband's death she has man
aged the affairs of the home farm, where
sbe resides with her son, Erving F.

FETER OSTRANDER, a typical self-
made man, a representative success
ful agriculturist, and a respected,
honored citizen of Rochester town
ship, is a native of New York State,
born August 17, 1826, in the Mohawk
Valley. Peter Ostrander, father of subject, was
married to a Miss Wolcott, who bore him
children as follows: John, Amos, Mary
J. and Peter. The father of these, when
the youngest was five years old, died of
yellow fever, which he had contracted
while attending a horse race at Long Island;
the widowed mother subsequently married
a Mr. Winchell, and died in New York at
an advanced age.
The subject of this sketch, after the
death of his father, was "bound out" to
one Anson Pierce, whose wife, Jane, had
partly reared Peter's father, and a strong
attachment had sprung up between her and
our subject. After a time Mr. and Mrs.
Pierce, bringing young Peter Ostrander,
came to Ohio, via canal to Buffalo, thence
by lake to the mouth of Black river, from
where to Rochester township, Lorain conn-

LORAIN COUNTY, OHIO.

1199

ty, the rest of the journey was made on
foot through an unbroken forest. There
were but few roads in the county in those
early days, and land was worth, on the
average, one dollar and fifty cents per acre.
In Rochester township Mr. Pierce made a
settlement on a piece of wild land that is
now a part of Mr. Ostrander's farm. Their
first dwelling was the traditional log cabin,
and the nearest mill where they had their
gristing done was Wooster, a week's trip
with on ox-sled in sleighing time. Here
our subject when old enough assisted in
the clearing up of the dense timber and
undergrowth, and in whatever else on the
farm he was able to put his youthful hand
to. During the winter months for a sea
son or two he attended school at Meach's
Corners, one mile south of his home, his
path lying through the forest, and many a
wild animal did he see as he plodded his
way onward. His first teacher was Squire
Conaut, and he has lived to see some
wonderful changes in the county, not the
least being the educational system gener
ally, particularly the establishment of the
common schools. He was thoroughly in
ducted into the mysteries of farm life, and
has made agricultural pursuits an unquali
fied success. After his marriage he located
on fifty acres of land he had bought near
where his foster-parents resided, but later
sold this, purchasing elsewhere in Roches
ter township. Subsequently he moved to
Huntington township, whence after a resi
dence of some years he came, in 1860, to
where he now lives in Rochester township,
having bought the Pierce homestead.
In 1852, during the " gold fever, " Mr.
Ostrander set out for California along with
a party of five other fortune hunters from
his neighborhood. They proceeded by rail
to Cincinnati, thence by river to St. Joseph,
Mo., where they equipped themselves for
their long journey, and then set out via
tbe Plains, at the end of three months
reaching Placerville, Cal. Mr. Ostrander
remained at the " gold diggings " two
years, and then returned to his home via

Aspinwall and Isthmus of Panama, thence
by steamer to New York City, and from
there to Ohio by rail.
On May 4, 1848, Mr. Ostrander married
Miss Sarah A. Gilmore, who was born
August 17, 1833, in Becket, Mass., a
daughter of Darius Gilmore, an early set
tler of Rochester township, who at one
time owned a farm near Rochester Sta
tion. Two children were the result of
this union, to wit: William L., born
February 1, 1849, now a resident of Co
lusa county, Cat, aud Mary J., born
September 28, 1851, now the wife of
Darius Segar, of Rochester township.
This wife died and was buried in Roches
ter, and on April 26, 1856, our subject,
for his second wife, married Mrs. Cath
erine St. Peter, widow of Joseph St. Peter;
she is a native of near Harrisburg, Penn.;
bora November 10, 1832, a daughter of
Samuel and Catherine (Goodman) Long,
who, when Mrs. Ostrander was an infant
came to Ohio, locating in Wayne county
for a time, thence moving to Illinois; and
finally returning to Huntington township;
Lorain county. Mr. Ostrander is the
owner of seventy- five acres excellent land,
one of the best tracts in Rochester town
ship, and for over thirty-seven years his
faithful wife has assisted him in the eco
nomical management of the farm. She is
a member of the Methodist Church at
Rochester Station. He is a stanch Demo
crat, thongh not a strict partisan, and, be
yond recording his vote regularly at the'
polls, takes little active interest in politics.

N

H. FELTON, merchant, Rochester
Station, has the reputation of con
ducting one of the best-kept coun-
yj try stores in the county, which iU
enjoying an ever-increasiug pat
ronage. Mr. Felton was born April 18,. 1820, in
Prescott, Hampshire Co., Mass., a grand-

1200

LORAIN COUNTY, OHIO.

son of Samuel Felton, and a son of Nathan
Felton, who was by occupation a mer
chant and hotel-keeper. He, Nathan, mar
ried Mary Hines, a daughter of Dr. Ne
hemiah Hines (a very prominent physician
of more than local reputation), and the
children born to this union were: N. H.
(subject of sketch); Nathan, who died in
Worcester county, Mass.; and Harrison, a
farmer and merchant, who died in North
ampton, Mass. The parents both passed
to their rest in the last named place, and
were buried there.
N. H. Felton, whose name opens this
sketch, received his elementary education
at the common schools of his native place,
which was supplemented with two terms
at Amherst College. When fifteen years
old he entered the general store of Clark
Bros, at Northampton, Mass., at a salary
of forty dollars per annum and his board.
At the end of two years he left this posi
tion to accept another as salesman in the
hardware store of W. A. Arnold, of the
same county, and here remained eight
years. Some time after his marriage Mr.
Felton commenced a hardware business
for his own account in Northampton, suc
cessfully conducting same three years, at
the end of which time, in August, 1856,
he moved to Cleveland, Ohio, where he
secured a position as traveling salesman
for Webster, Spencer & Mellen, wholesale
boot and shoe dealers, his route being
:along the Lake Shore & Michigan
Southern -Railroad, between Chicago and
Cleveland. After five years experience
at this Mr. Felton embarked, in part
nership with George W. Cady, in the
shoe business on Water street, Cleve
land, Ohio, the style of the firm being Fel
ton & Cady, which continued three years,
our subject disposing of his interests at the
end of that time. Later he was in the
business in Cleveland as manufact-

same

urers' agent, afterward, until moving to
Lorain county, handling the bulk of the
product of the Auburn (N.Y.) State Prison
shoe factories. In 1892 he came to Roch

ester Station, Lorain county, and in
August, same year, purchased the general
store of Philip Kessler, which he has since
successfully conducted; and during his
brief residence here he has, by his courtesy,
fair and honorable dealing, surrounded
himself with hosts of friends.
In July, 1844, Mr. Felton married Miss
Eliza J. Hooker, a native of Massachusetts,
bora in March, 1820, at Watertown, a few
miles west of Boston, daughter of Denny
P. Hooker, at one time a hotel-keeper, in
later life a stone mason and contractor.
Two children were bora to this union be
fore the removal of the family to Cleveland,
viz.: Clarence H., of Rochester Station,
Ohio, and Mary E., wife of H. B. Cham
berlain, of Chicago, 111. On November
23,1891, Mrs. Felton was called from earth,
and her remains were interred at Cleve
land. In his political associations our sub
ject, as was his father before him, is a
stanch Democrat.

/^EORGE M. BILLINGS, a lifelong
I Tc agriculturist of LaGrange township,
\LJ of which he is a native, was born in
1^. 1845, a son of Orson Billings.
John Billings, grandfather of our
subject, was a Methodist preacher, but
lived on a farm and was principally en
gaged in agricultural pursuits. His son
Orson was born May 10, 1809, in Smyrna,
Chenango Co., N. Y., received a meager
education in the common schools, and
then attended select school a couple of
terms. He learned the trade of wagon
maker, but being a natural mechanical
genius, also manufactured musical instru
ments. On September 4, 1831, he mar
ried Miss Sophronia Buell, who was born
March 20, 1810, in Chenango county,
N. Y., daughter of Darias (a farmer) and
Sally (Craw) Buell. Having received five
hundred dollars from his father's estate,
Mr. Billings was able, with what he had

LORAIN COUNTY, OHIO.

1201

saved, to buy a farm in the Black River
country, and he resided thereon for two
years, and then traded it for a farm in
Ohio, whither he migrated in the fall of
1834. When he traded the farm he owed
about one hundred dollars, and this fact
delayed his migration to Ohio about a year
after leaving the Black River country, but
he paid it off by carpenter work, and left
New York free from debt. He came to
Ohio with a brother, John, who returned
to New York after assisting hi6 brother to
look up the land, and in September, 1834,
the family, then consisting of the wife and
two children — Mary Jane (now Mrs.
George Staples, of Pittsfield) and William
M. (a farmer of Pittsfield township) —
arrived here. They came by way of the
Erie Canal to Conestoga, and thence to
Buffalo, down Lake Erie, where they en
countered a storm which lasted five hours,
during which their household goods were
all thrown overboard. After the storm
abated they proceeded to Erie, Penn., and
not caring to continue their journey on
the boat hired a conveyance, in which they
were brought to Elyria, Lorain Co., Ohio,
from which place Orson Billings came on
foot to LaGrange township, and hired a man
named Kelner to bring the family to their
new home. They remained over night at
the Kelner home, and the following day
Orson Billings attended a town meeting,
and found work, moving his family for a
few weeks to the center of the township.
They next lived in .a schoolhouse a short
distance north of the farm, and later moved
to a private schoolhouse, owned by a Mr.
Kellog, where they passed the winter of
1834-35. Mr. Billings had traded for
300 acres, which, with the exception of a
small clearing, was a dense forest, through
which roamed numerous wild animals —
deer, wolves, turkeys, etc. The following
year a cabin was erected (which still stands
near the present home of the family), and
although the floor of this house was but
rudely constructed, Mrs. Billings took as
much pride in its neatness as she did later

in her more modern home. The table
cloth was hung be'fore the window to keep
out the wind, and the only ornaments were
a pair of brass candlesticks. This place
they occupied for ten years, when Mr.
Billings himself erected the present resi
dence. While living on the farm Mr. and Mrs.
Billings had children as follows: Thomas
J., now of Kansas; Sophronia, who married
George Baldwin, of Monroe county, N. Y.,
where she died; Orson B., who died when
nearly thirty years old, in Elyria, where he
is buried ; George M., subject of this sketch ;
and Chauncey T., who died in Elyria,
and was buried there. Mr. Billings was
engaged in various kinds of labor, making
musical instruments, among these an
organ ; he invented a corn planter, the first
one to work successfully, and a new mowing
machine was also the result of his genius.
He had acted as sales agent for a mower,
and seeing a chance for an improvement
he made it, and also many others for the
same class of machinery. Most of his
farm work was done by hired hands, as his
love for invention and mechanics would
not permit him to be contented with the
life of a farmer; his workshop still stands.
Like most geniuses of his class he did not
realize much from his inventions, which
are now being successfully and profitably
utilized on various kinds of labor-saving
machinery. His death occurred March
12, 1875, the result of a lingering illness;
he had never been robust, and the inces
sant activity of his brain undermined his
health; he was buried in Elyria, whither
he had removed some time before. In
politics he was a Democrat, and being a
constant reader was well posted on the
issues of the day. After his death his
widow made her home in Elyria till 1891,
and then came to the home farm, where
she resided until her death, which oc
curred February 10, 1894. She was a
member of the Church of Christ, Elyria.
George M. Billings, the subject proper
of this sketch, received his primary educa-

1202

LORAIN COUNTY, OHIO.

tion in the common schools, and later at
tended two terms at Oberlin. He has
always been engaged in agriculture, and
remained on the home farm till his mar
riage, April 24, 1869, to Miss Mary E.
Ingersoll, who was born September 28,
1851, in Grafton township, daughter of
Edwin and Amelia (Kingsley) Ingersoll.
He then came to his present farm, where,
with the exception of a year spent on an
other farm in LaGrange township, he has
ever since made his home. Mr. and Mrs.
Billings have two children: Pearl A. and
Frank C. In his political affiliations he is
a stanch member of the Democratic party,
and he has served as clerk and director of
the school board.

B. ADAMS, justice of the peace for
Columbia township, now serving
his sixth term, his first election to
the office taking place in 1872, is a
native of the township, born in 1846, a son
of B. B. and Uranis (Hoadley) Adams.
The father of our subject was also a na
tive of Columbia township, and his par
ents — Benoni and Sally (Twichell) Adams
— came to that township in about 1810
from Connecticut, Mrs. Adams being the
first white woman to cross the Cuyahoga
river. They died here, heon August 1, 1876,
she on July 5, 1865. B. B. Adams, Sr., was
a farmer all his life, and accumulated a snug
competence; politically he was a Whig, and
for years served as a justice of the peace.
He died in September, 1848, his wife sur
viving him till 1874. They were the par
ents of four children, as follows: Sarah,
widow of A. S. Slade, an attorney of Cleve
land; Mary, wife of W. B. Follansbee, of
Wellington; Nellie, wife of C. E. Parme
lee, of Lodi; and B. B.
B. B. Adams, whose name introduces
this sketch, received his education at the
common schools of his native place, and
also attended Oberlin College six years,

after which he commenced agricultural
pursuits, and he now owns a fine farm of
fifty- two acres (the old homestead), all
under a high state of cultivation. In 1884
he was married to Miss Alice Nichols, a
native of Columbia township, Lorain
county, and daughter of William and
Amanda (Watson) Nichols, of Yermont
and Connecticut birth, respectively, who
came many years ago to Columbia town
ship, where the father died in May, 1869,
and the mother is still living. To Mr. and
Mrs. Adams have been born two children:
Lou and Chauncey. Politically our sub
ject votes the Republican ticket, and has
been a delegate to County, Congressional,
Senatorial and State Conventions. In addi
tion to his office of justice of the peace, he
has served his township as clerk thirteen
years. He and his wife are members of
the Congregational Church. Lemuel and
Chloe (Tyler) Hoadley. maternal grand
parents of our subject, were natives of
Connecticut, whence about the year 1810
they came to Lorain county, settling in
Ridgeville township, where they passed
the rest of their pioneer lives.

yjILLIAM HAWKE, a well-known
' and prosperous citizen of Colum
bia township, of which he has
been a resident since 1864, was
born in 1839, in Cornwall, England.
He is a son of Richard and Grace
(Hugglow) Hawke, also natives of Eng
land, the former of whom died in his
native country, and in 1856 his widow
came to Lorain county, Ohio, subsequently
removing to Jefferson county, Wis., wher9
she passed away in 1884. They were the
parents of seven children (all of whom
came to Lorain county), as follows: John,
married, living in Eaton; Richard, mar
ried, a farmer in Jefferson county, Wis.;
Lavinia, wife of Abram Cornish, of Eaton
township; William, subject proper of this

LORAIN COUNTY, OHIO.

1203

sketch; Harriet, who died in Missouri;
Elizabeth, wife of . Richard Pivock, of
Wisconsin; and Amelia, who died in Wis
consin. William Hawke was reared in his native
country, and there received an education
in tbe common schools. In 1861 he mar
ried, in England, Miss Margaret Curry,
also a native of Cornwall, and in 1864 they
left England for the United States, coming
at once to Columbia township, Lorain Co.,
Ohio, where he engaged in farm work.
He at first purchased thirty acres of land,
which he improved, and in 1873 bought
another tract, adding to his possessions.
from time to time until he was owner of
161 acres in Columbia and Eaton town
ships. At one time our subject and his
brother were joint owners of a farm in Co
lumbia township, which they sold. To
Mr. and Mrs. William Hawke were born
six children, namely: John, residing in
Columbia township, who is married and
has one child, Floyd; Mary, who is mar
ried to A. Peck, of Ridgeville, and has
three daughters; William, married, living
in Eaton; Annie, who is married to K. Perry
Bainbridge, of Ridgeville, and has two
daughters; Frank and Fred. The mother
of these children passed from earth in
1882. In his political connections Mr.
Hawke is a Republican, and takes an
active interest in the welfare of his party;
he is a member of the school board.

||OHN LAHIFF, a well-knewn enter-
k. I prising and influential farmer and
%J) contractor of Carlisle township, is a
native of Ireland, born in Limerick
April 13, 1839.
Lawrence Lahiff, father of subject, born
in Limerick April 14, 1811, was there
married to Mary Cahill, and in 1845 they
came to the United States with their
family, having their residence in Con
necticut till 1849, in which year they

moved to Rockport, Cuyahoga Co., Ohio.
There the father continued to live till the
summer of 1893, when, being old and
feeble, our subject took him to his home
in Loraiu county, in order the better to
care for him in his declining years. He
still owns a farm near Rockport. He was
twice married, his first wife dying at or
near Rockport, Ohio, in 1877, aged sixty-
four years, after which he wedded Mrs.
Shea, a widow lady, now deceased.
Thomas Lahiff, grandfather of John
Lahiff, was also born in Limerick, Ireland,
near which city he followed farming. In
1844 he came to the United States, mak
ing his first home in the New World in
Connecticut. When eighty-five years old
he went to California to see his four sons
and four daughters living there. He was
thrice married, and was the father of
twenty-eight children — thirteen by each
of his first two wives, and two by his last
— and they nearly all lived to be forty or
fifty years old. Of these children Law
rence Lahiff is the fourth in order of
birth. Thomas Lahiff owned forty acres
of land in Ireland, aud hardly knew what
manual labor was till coming to America.
He was a remarkably robust, healthy
man, a prevailing characteristic in the
entire family, and at the age of one hun
dred and four years he built a stack of
hay, from bottom to top, the weight of
same being twelve tons, our subject pitch
ing the hay to him. He was a soldier in
the Irish brigade that served with the
French under Napoleon. He died July
16, 1882, in the one hundred and seventh
year of his age, wonderfully well preserved
for his years, being able almost to the day
of his death to ride horseback, and he
never wore glasses. There were three
children in his father's family, he being
the only son. One of his sisters, Hannah
by name, was married, in Schaghticoke,
N. Y., to a Mr. Witherick, and she is now
one hundred and sixteen years old, but this
great age did not prevent her walking
three miles in the fall of 1892. One of

1204

LORAIN COUNTY, OHIO.

our subject's uncles was a pioneer of Pitts
field township, Lorain county, but most of
the uncles settled in Nevada City, Cal.,
and a daughter of one of them was the
first woman to live in the place.
John Lahiff, the subject proper of this
sketch, came with his lather to America,
and remained in Connecticut while the
latter was visiting in California. On his
return the entire family moved to Rock
port, Ohio, as already related, and here
our subject remained till he was eighteen
years old, receiving a liberal education.
At this time he proceeded to California,
where he made the acquaintance of his
numerous uncles and aunts. Here he
mined three years, and then went to Rus
sian America, where he mined for about
six months, after which he returned south
to Nevada Territory, via San Francisco,
making a stay in Virginia City. For ten
months he worked in one shaft in the
Utah mine, from the top down 1,800 feet.
Leaving there, he set out for Utah Terri
tory, where he wintered about thirty miles
from Salt Lake City ; then went back to
the mountains, thence to British America,
to the Courtney mines, in the Courtney
Mountains. From there he moved south
ward to Idaho, tarrying there till the fol
lowing September, when he went to East
Bannack, where thirty-six men were hung
in one day, including Judge Hines and
Sheriff Plummer, for being concerned in
alleged robberies of gold from the miners,
who did the hanging. From there Mr.
Lahiff proceeded to north of the Salmon
river, where he remained about four
months, and then started for the United
States on horseback with three companions,
their route being right across the plains
to near Fort Benton. Here they camped,
but in the morning they were attacked by
some Indians, who had been camping
over night near them, and two out of the
party of four were slain, our subject's
horse being also killed. Mr. Lahiff and
the remaining member of the original
four, by name McQuade, now employed in

the Union Depot, Chicago, 111., succeeded
in effecting their escape, reaching the
woods, and were two days in reaching
Fort Benton, having nothing to eat in tbe
meantime. Here they procured fresh
horses, and at once resumed their journey,
going home via Chicago.
Our subject was married to Miss Mary
Welch, of North Amherst, Lorain county,
who was born January 8, 1847, in Albany,
N. Y., and they then made their home on
the Braman farm, in Carlisle township,
five years, at the end of which time he
sold that property, buying the Vincent
farm of 280 acres prime land, which he
still owns. Mr. Lahiff has been farming
since his marriage, also engaging in con
tracting, butchering (first five years), and
trading in horses (next twelve years) —
having one team that twice took the pre
mium at the county fair. For the past
few years he has done an extensive dairy
ing business, keeping from eighteen to
forty cows. He has done contracting on
the B. & O. R. R. and other corporations,
including the grading of the road from
North Amherst. He has served as trustee
for Elyria township twelve years, and was
a candidate for the position of infirmary
director, but was defeated by a majority of
only sixteen votes in a constituency over
whelmingly Republican. The names of
the six children bora to Mr. and Mrs.
Lahiff are as follows: Thomas Francis,
Mary Annie, John Edward, Lawrence,
Emmet, and Emma M. In religion the
entire family are Catholics, and in politics
our subject is a Democrat, as his father
was before" him.

JfACOB SWARTZ, an upright, highly.
| esteemed citizen of LaGrange town-
' ship, is a native of Wurtemberg, Ger
many, born March 15, 1827. His
father, Frederick Swartz, came to the
United States in 1830, and settled in

LORAIN COUNTY, OHIO.

1205

Liverpool township, Medina Co., Ohio, on
Rocky river. Three years, later, however,
he died of typhoid fever, as did also his
eldest daughter, and both are buried in
Liverpool township.
Jacob Swartz was but a young boy
when his father died, and he then found a
home with Justice Warner, who died after
Jacob had lived there five years, and the
latter then remained for years with Mrs.
Warner. He received but a common-
school education, attending school only a
few weeks in the winter season, as he
was "put into the harness" young, and
always had plenty of work to occupy his
time. He received a small start in life,
and took charge of a farm at the juvenile
age of ten years. On January 30, 1864,
our subject married Miss Hannah Purdy,
who was born October 8, 1837, in West
chester county, N. Y., daughter of WiU
iam W. and Olivia (Dean) Purdy, and
came to Medina county, Ohio, in 1845,
settling in Liverpool township.
After his marriage Mr. Swartz pur
chased fifty-five acres of land in Grafton
township, Lorain county, going into debt
therefor, and on November 15, 1864, came
to his present farm, which he bought of
James Brown, contracting a debt of six
hundred dollars. This place comprises
112£ acres of excellent land, upon which
he has erected a number of good out
buildings and made many other substan
tial improvements. Though his property
and buildings have been several times
damaoed by fire, he has never allowed this
to discourage him, invariably rebuilding
better than he had before. Mr. and Mrs.
Swartz have children as follows: Don A.,
a farmer of LaGrange; Jane A., wife of
Levi Johnson, of LaGrange; Cora I. and
Sarah L. Mr. Swartz has had much suc
cess in agriculture, and for seventeen years
carried on in connection therewith the
manufacture of cheese for parties in Wel
lington, Ohio, milking from eighteen to
twenty cows. Mr. and Mrs. Swartz have
accumulated a handsome competence, he

by hard work and systematic management
on the farm, she doing her share in the
supervision of the household affairs. He
has acquired among his fellow citizens an
enviable reputation for square, honest deal
ing; which he fully deserves. In politics
he is a Democrat, though not active.
While not a member of any church, be
believes in doing unto others as he would
have them do unto him.

lELLINGTON VARNEY, a well-
known prosperous farmer of Co
lumbia township, is a native of
Ohio, born in 1843, in Geauga
county. His father, William Varney, a native of
Massachusetts, and a wagon maker by
trade, came in an early day to Geauga
county, Ohio, and married Miss Elizabeth
Reed ; he was killed in a mill in 1850, and
his widow subsequently married Pardon
Wells, and removed to Wisconsin, where
she died in 1889. Mr. Varney had four
children, two of whom are living, viz.:
Wellington, subject of sketch, and Sarah,
wife of Reuben Wescott, residing in Black
River Falls, Wisconsin.
Wellington Varney was eight years old
when he came to Lorain county, making
his first home here in Henrietta township,
where he received his education. He was
reared to farm life, and has always followed
agricultural pursuits. In 1862 he enlisted
at Oberlin in Company F,( One Hundred
and Third O. V. L, for three years or
during the war, and was mustered into the
service at Frankfort, Ky. His regiment
was attached to the army of the West, and
be participated in the battles of Atlanta,
Buzzard's Roost, Armstrong Hill and
Nashville under Gen. Thomas; he was
also in tbe Carolina campaign, aod in
1865 he was honorably discharged at
Cleveland, Ohio, and returned to Lorain

1206

LORAIN COUNTY, OHIO.

county, after seeing three years' active
service. After about three years' stay in
Henrietta township, he moved to Colum
bia township, where he has since resided.
In 1869 Mr. Varney was united in mar
riage with Miss Caroline Healey, who was
bora in Columbia township, a daughter of
John and Sarah (Ruple) Healey, early set
tlers of same, where the former died in
1889; the mother, who is still living in
the township, was born there, a daughter
of Dr. Boltis and Clara (Osborne) Ruple,
the former of whom came from the East,
being among the first settlers of Columbia
township; he died at the age of ninety-
one years; his widow is yet living, now
aged ninety-two years. Four children
have been born to our subject and wife,
viz.: Sarah, wife of Clayton Cooley, of
Columbia township; Fannie, residing at
home; Frank, and Elbert, married, living
in Copopa. Mr. Varney is a Republican
in politics, and has served on the school
board; he is a member of Richard Allen
Post No. 65, G. A. R., at Elyria. He is
the owner of a neat and fertile farm of
thirty- three acres.

fr* EORGE GILLMORE, a representa-
I j, tive and prosperous farmer of Black
\^I River township, was born on his
~Z&- present farm February 28, 1837, a
son of Truman and Levina (Mes
senger) Gillmore.
The father of subject was born in Berk
shire county, Mass., whence when aged
about thirteen years he came to Lorain
county, Ohio, with his father, Edmund
Gillmore, of whom mention is made else
where. Truman was married in Lorain
county to Miss Levina Messenger, also a
native of Berkshire county, Mass., born in
1810, and she is still living in Lorain
county. Truman Gillmore before mar
riage was a sailor,and afterward a ship
caulker. Politically he was originally a

Whig, and then, on the formation of the
party, a stanch Republican. He died De
cember 25, 1888, the father of two chil
dren — Angeline (now Mrs. David Wallace,
of Black River township) and George.
The subject of these lines received his
education at the common schools of Black
River township, and was reared to agricul
tural pursuits on his father's farm, the
same one he now owns and lives on, and
which is situated on the outskirts of the
town of Lorain. Mr. Gillmore is a strong
adherent of the principles embodied in the
platform of the Republican party, and has
always identified himself with the pro
gressive interests of Lorain county. He
has never married, but with true filial
piety is caring for his mother in her de
clining years.

JOHNSON OGILVIE, a resident of
Lorain, comes of ancient Scottish
' stock, the clan Ogilvie, from which
he descends, being one of the oldest
in history.
Thomas Ogilvie, grandfather of subject,
was bora in London, England, of Scotch
parents, and in boyhood was apprenticed
to a London tradesman, but in company
with another boy he ran away and got on
board a vessel sailing in a few days for
America. About the third day after they
had effected their escape they saw an adver
tisement calling for their arrest. On their
arrival iu the New World young Ogilvie
settled in Hampshire county, Va. (now W.
Va.), where he worked at his trade as long
as health and strength permitted him, and
then came to Coshocton county, Ohio,
where he passed the rest of his life with
his children, dying in 1841 at the patri
archal age of one hundred and two years.
He married a Miss Jane Taylor, and nine
children were born to them — eight sons
and one daughter — all of whom lived to be
over fifty years of age. The mother died
at the birth of her youngest.

LORAIN COUNTY, OHIO.

1207

James Ogilvie, father of subject, was
born in 1788 in Virginia, on the south
branch of the Potomac river, and in 1810
came to Ohio, settling on a farm in Co
shocton county, becoming one of the
wealthiest agriculturist of those parts. He
died in 1883, his death being the result of
an accident. Politically he was first a
Whig, afterward a Republican and one of
the old Abolitionist school. He had mar
ried a Miss Justina Johnson, born at Pat
terson's Creek, Hampshire Co., Va., and
they had a family of seven children, three
of whom grew to maturity, viz.: Johnson;
Thomas, who was a farmer in Coshocton
county, Ohio, and died in the spring of
1883, and Eliza, wife of William Court-
wright, of Lorain. The mother of these
passed from earth at about the age of sixty
years. Johnson Ogilvie, the subject proper of
this memoir, was born in Coshocton
county, Ohio, February 7, 1813, and re
ceived such education as was then obtain
able at the subscription schools. He has
been twice married: first time, in Coshoc
ton county, to Margaret Norman, also a
native of that county, to which union chil
dren as follows were born: William is a
farmer in Franklin county, Ohio, west of
Columbus (he has three children: Charles,
Frank and Daisy); John died at the age
of fqurteen months; Melond is the wife of
Thomas H. Clover, a grain merchant at
Jeffersonville, Fayette Co., Ohio; James is
in Los Angeles, Cal. (he has one son, Paul,
in the real-estate business); Benjamin
Harrison went to California, where he died
at the age of thirty years; Anna, un
married, lives in Los Angeles, Cal. ; Albert
is a resident of Alhambra, Cal. The
mother of this family died in August,
1857, and April 12, 1860, Mr. Ogilvie was
again married, and by this union has one
child, Oscar. Up to 1883 our subject
carried on a grain and stock farm in Co
shocton county, and then retired from active
life. In 1884 he came to Lorain county,
and has since made his home in Lorain.

In politics he has always been a Republi
can, his first Presidential vote being cast
in 1836 for W. H. Harrison, and his last
one in 1892 for Benjamin Harrison. He
is a member of the M. E. Church.

EZRA STRAW, Je., one of the most
successful and progressive agri-
 I culturists of Black River township,
is a native of the State of New
York, born in 1831, at the four corners of
Chadagee, twenty-five miles from Lake
Chainplain. Our subject is a son of Ezra and Han
nah (Colbath) Straw, both of whom were
natives of New Hampshire, and moved to
New York State early in life. Ezra
Straw's first wife was a Miss Clough, by
whom he had two children, and after her
death he married Hannah Colbath. In
1833 the family came west to Ohio, and
after a residence in Dover moved to Hunt
ington towuship, Lorain county, whence
•after a time they proceeded to Yermillion
township, Erie county, finally settling in
Amherst township, Lorain county, where
they died. The father was born October
11, 1788, and died on Thanksgiving Day,
1855': the mother was bora April 21,
1798, and died in 1887. They were the
parents of seven children, five of whom
are yet living, and the following js a brief
record of them: Charles A. died when
about seven years old; Isaac S. is in
Carlisle township, Lorain county; Emily
died February. 20, 1848; Ezra, Jr., is the
subject proper of this sketch; Selina was
born March 17, 1833, and is the wife of
Sylvester Potter, of North Amherst, Ohio;
Maria was born July 2, 1834, and is mar
ried to W. P. Potter; Hannah S. was bora
April 13, 1836. The father was a very ,
active man, progressive and successful in
his life vocation — farming. He was a
member of the M. E. Church, and in
politics was a Republican.

1208

LORAIN COUNTY, OHIO.

Ezra Straw, Jr., whose name opens this
sketch, was reared from boyhood to man
hood in Vermillion township, Erie Co.,
Ohio, and in Amherst township, Lorain
county. After leaving school he learned
the trade of blacksmith, and worked in a
stone quarry, but' for the past seventeen
years he has been operating his farm of
135 acres of choice land. In 1855 Mr.
Straw was united in marriage with Miss
Mary M. Foster, who was born in 1836, a
daughter of Elisha and Maria (Mason)
Foster, the latter of whom is now one of
the oldest residents in Amherst township.
Mr. and Mrs. Straw have two sons: Ed
win (married to Lizzie Newsbury, and has
one child, May) and Parks (farming with
his father).

h H. BABCOCK, a prominent rep
resentative citizen of Lorain, who
has been a resident of that city for
the past twenty years, is a son of
Daniel A. and Harriet (Dubois)
Babcock, natives of New York, who in an
early day removed to Dundee, Mich. The
mother died in 1886. in Nebraska; the
father, who was a Baptist minister, is now
living in the West;
A. H. Babcock was born September 15,
1843, in Dundee, Monroe Co., Mich.,
where he was reared and educated. In
1861 he enlisted, in Monroe county, Mich.,
in Company F, First Regiment Engineers
and Mechanics Corps, for three years or
during the war, being assigned to the
army of the West, and was first engaged
in building blockhouses, repairing bridges,
etc. He was on the march to Atlanta,
Ga., and participated in the engagements
at Mill Springs (Ky.), Champion Hills,
and Murfreesboro. In 1864 he was hon
orably discharged at Atlanta, Ga., return
ing to his home in Monroe county, Mich.
He then took a business course in Oberlin
College, and subsequently embarked in
the general merchandise business in Lena

wee county, Mich., continuing in same
until 1873, when he removed to Lorain,
Lorain Co., Ohio. Here he engaged in a
grocery business, which he carried on
until elected mayor of Lorain, in which
position he served during the years 1889
and 1890.
In 1868 Mr. Babcock was married, in
Oberlin, Lorain county, to Mary S. Hill,
a native of the county, daughter of Uriah
and Sarah Hill (both now deceased), who
were bora in the East, and came westward
in an early day, settling near Oberlin,
Lorain county. To Mr. and Mrs. Babcock
bave been born two children: Sadie, wife
of Alexander Hodgins, of Conneaut, Ohio,
and A. H., who carries on a tobacco and
confectionery business in Lorain, in con
nection with which he also owns a news
depot. Socially Mr. Babcock is a member
of the K. O. T. M., in which he is treas
urer, and he is past chancellor of Wood
land Lodge, No. 226. He is a progress
ive, enterprising citizen, and has ever
taken an active interest in everything per
taining to the prosperity and welfare of
his community. Mrs. Babcock is a mem
ber of the Congregational Church.

DR. C. H. FREDERICK, a rising
young physician and surgeon of
Lorain, was born in 1868 in Am
herst, Lorain county. His father,
Peter Frederick, was a native of Germany,
and when a young man emigrated to
America, settling in North Amherst, Lo
rain Co., Ohio, where he married Cassie
M. Jacobs, a native of Lorain county. Mr.
Frederick, who was a foreman in the
stone quarries, at this writing is residing
in Michigan; his wife makes her home in
Amherst. C. H. Frederick was reared in North
Amherst, and received his primary educa
tion at the union schools of that place. In

LORAIN COUNTY, OHIO.

1209

1888 he entered the Medical Department
of the Western Reserve University, Cleve
land, graduating therefrom with the class
of 1891, and after graduation received the
appointment of house physician and sur
geon in the Lakeside Hospital, Cleveland,
in which capacity he served for nearly two
years. In November, 1892, he came to
Lorain, and since his location here has
built up quite an extensive practice. Before
practicing medicine the Doctor was en
gaged for eight years as a pharmaceutist,
in North Amherst, Cleveland and Lorain,
Ohio, and has always been identified with
the interests of Lorain county. Politically
he is a Republican, and in religious faith
has for the past ten years been a member
of the M. E. Church at North Amherst.

J|OHN COGHLAN, one of the pro
gressive, representative agriculturists
) of Carlisle township, is a native of
King's County, Ireland.
James Coghlan, father of subject, and a
native of the same county, was married iu
Ireland to Miss Mary Hector, also born in
King's County, and about the year 1835
they came to America with their family,
making their first settlement in Sheffield
township, Lorain Co., Ohio. From there
they moved to Elyria township, and after
a residence of some years came in 1867 to
Carlisle township, Avhere they opened up
a farm and made their final home. Eight
children came to them, of whom the fol-
lowincr is a brief record: Dora is tbe wife
of John Kenedy; Nora is the wife of
William Freeman, of Cleveland; John is
the subject of this sketch; Dan, who was
married in 1874 to Miss Anna Bowen, re
sides in Carlisle township (they have four
children: May S., Etta Rose, Mary and
Anna. He enlisted in August, 1862, in
Company H, One Hundred and Third
O. Y. I., for three years or during the war,

and receivedan honorable discharge in 1865.
He has been township assessor for twelve
or thirteen years); Ann is the wife of
Eugene Swift, of Marquette, Mich.; Eliza
beth is unmarried; Sarah is deceased;
James, wh*o married Margaret Dowd, re
sides in Carlisle township. The parents
are yet living on the homestead in Carlisle
township with their son John. They are
members of the Catholic Church, and in
politics Mr. Coghlan is a Democrat.
The subject proper of this sketch re
ceived his education partly in his native
land, and partly in the schools of Elyria,
Lorain county, where he arrived when he
was yet a youth. After leaving school he
went on the lakes as a sailor, a vocation he
followed several years, and then returned
to Carlisle township and engaged in farm
ing, in which he has met with well-merited
success. He now owns the old homestead
of 121 acres. Mr. Coghlan follows in the
footsteps of his father in both politics and
Church association. He has never married.

FETER JACOBS. No one of the
honest, industrious agriculturists of
Black River township deserves bet
ter place in the pages of this book
than the honored old pioneer whose
name here appears.
He is a native of Saxony, Germany;
born February 22, 1822. Having heard
and read much of the vast Western Hem
isphere, with its unlimited advantages to
the man willing to work, he concluded to
bid adieu to the Fatherland and seek a
new home on the boundless prairies of
America. Accordingly in 1845 he set out
with a licrht heart but an empty pocket for
the land of promise. After landing he
came direct to Ohio, and to Black River
township, Lorain county, being among the
very first German settlers of that section.
With naught in the world save a clear
head and a willing pair of hands, he now

1210

LORAIN COUNTY. OHIO.

looked about him for work, and it was not
long before he secured the friendship of
Heman Ely, Sr., who gave him twenty
acres of wild land to clear. Here he put
up a log house, and by hard labor suc
ceeded in converting the forest wild into a
pretty good farm. This he soon succeeded
in paying for. Not long afterward he
bought one hundred acres more at ten dol
lars per acre, which he paid for in four in
stallments. The many and varied difficul
ties Mr. Jacobs had to encounter cannot
be appreciated by the present generation,
but in spite of all obstacles, and they were
not a few, he succeeded by industry and
perseverance in becoming a comparatively
wealthy and prosperous farmer, having
now 150 acres of prime land.
Mr. Jacobs was married in July, 1842,
to Miss Dora Smith, also a native of
Saxony, and six children were bom to
them, of five of whom the following is a
brief record: (1) William lives in Lorain,
Ohio, and has one child, Ermie; (2) Mag
gie is the wife of Elias Baumhart, and
they had six children: Della, Benwill,
Nelson, Arm ina, Robert, and Edward, who
died when seven months old; (3) Rosa is
the wife of George Roth, and has four
daughters; (4) Emma is yet living at
home; (5) Hattie was killed by lightning
July 27, 1887.
Mr. Jacobs is a Republican in politics,
and he and his wife are members of the
' Evangelical Church. They celebrated their
golden wedding in July, 1892. [Since the
above was written we have received notice
of the death of Mr. Jacobs, which occurred
October 28, 1893, when he was aged
seventy-one years, eight months and six
days. — Ed.

E1 H. ALTEN, junior member of the
wide-awake business firm of M. J.
i & E. H. Alten, merchant tailors
and dealers in full lines of gents'
furnishings, was born in Avon township,
Lorain Co., Ohio, July 10, 1870.

Mr. Alten received his education at the
parochial and high school, working at
times on his father's farm, after which he
taught for eighteen months. He then at
tended the Jesuit College at Buffalo, N. Y.,
taking a scientific and business course, and
graduating June 21, 1890. He next pro
ceeded to Tiffin, Ohio, where he was book
keeper for the Belgian Glass Works, six
months, or till the assignment of the firm,
at which time he went to Cleveland and
took lessons in merchant tailoring at the
Cleveland Cutting School, and graduated
therefrom. Then returning to Lorain he
entered into partnership with his brother
M. J. in their present business. Mr. Alten
is a man of superior education, and pos
sessed of good business qualifications. He
has an advantage in being able to speak
German equally as well as he does English.
He is a member of the Catholic Church.

|\ILLIAM HONECKER, proprie
tor of one of the leading drug
M[ stores in Lorain, is a son of Rev.
John Honecker, a retired minis
ter of the German Evangelical Church,
and a native of Germany. He married
Miss Christina Jordan, and twelve
children were the result of their union, of
whom our subject is one of twins, the
other (Abraham) being a druggist in
Cleveland. It is said the twin brothers
resemble each other very strongly.
William Honecker, whose name intro
duces this sketch, was bora in Columbus,
Ohio, in 1862, and received his literary
education in the publio schools. In 1887
he graduated from the Cincinnati (Ohio)
College of Pharmacy, after which he at
once located in Cleveland, in company
with his twin brother, they having estab
lished a drag store there, which they car
ried on till 1888, when William' sold out
his interest therein to his brother, and re
moved to Lorain, where he opened his pres
ent drug establishment, in the conducting of

LORAIN COUNTY, OHIO.

1211

which he has met with more than average
success. To some extent he is interested
in real estate.
Mr. Honecker was united in marriage
with Miss Mary Stone, and he and his
wife are members of the German Evan
gelical Church. In his political predilec
tions our subject is a Republican.

4J

MRS. SARA E. GIBSON, a highly
respected lady of Ridgeville town-
_[ ship, was born in Louisville,
N. Y., daughter of Wright and
Betty (Holmes) Lewis, who were
married in New York State, where they
passed the rest of their lives. The Lewis
family are of Scottish ancestry.
The subject of this sketch was reared in
her native State, and attended school at
Binghamton, N. Y., where she was mar
ried, in 1865, to Henry B. Gibson, a na
tive of Meadville, Penn., where he was
educated. After marriage Mr. and Mrs.
Gibson moved to Pittsburgh, Penn., thence
to Cincinnati, Ohio, where they resided a
number of years, during which period he
was engaged in the sewing machine busi
ness. Later he became, manager of the
Hall Safe and Lock Co., and he was also
connected with the Chicago Safe and Lock
Co. for some time. He was manager of
several different companies, being a shrewd
business man, and commanded a salary of
ten thousand dollars a year. He died
March 16, 1891. In politics he was a Re
publican. A few years ago Mrs. Gibson,
while on a visit to Lorain county, Ohio,
purchased an improved farm of thirty-six
acres, where she now makes her home.

II i\ILLI AM KRESS. The beautiful
V\/' Fatherland, the country of mag-
V( nificent mountains, rivers, for
ests and plains, has given to the
United States a vast population of honest,

toiling, frugal citizens, now the loyal sons
and daughters of the greatest Republic on
earth. In the state of Ohio there are
many thousands, in Lorain county not a
few, and prominent among them is num
bered the subject of this sketch.
William Kress was bora July 17, 1826,
in Hessia, Germany, where he received a
liberal education. In 1855 he set sail for
the shores of America, and after arrival at
the port of destination proceeded west
ward at once to Ohio, and to Lorain
county, where he commenced farm life in
Black River township. In 1875 he
bought his present farm of ninety-eight
acres, one of the finest to be found in
Amherst township, and he enjoys the dis
tinguished reputation of being one of the
wealthiest and most successful German
agriculturists in his section of the county.
Mr. Kress has been twice married:
First time, in 1855, to Miss Catherine
Voegler, who was also a native of Ger
many. She died in 1889, and Mr. Kress
subsequently married his present wife. Lie
has no children, but he has a step
daughter. His political 'sympathies are
with the Democratic party.

D'

AVID CURTICE, who for almost
the past sixty years has been a resi
dent of Lorain county, is a native
of the "Empire State," born May 4,
1812, in Cayuga county.
His father, Llosea Curtice, was born
February 13, 1774, in Massachusetts, and
was married, in 1794, in his native State
to Catherine Moore, who was bora May 7,
1776. Shortly afterward they moved to
New York, locating near Syracuse, where
four children — all sons — were born to
them, and from there moved to Cayuga
county, where they remained forty-two
years on one farm. Here they had eight
more children — five sons and three daugh
ters — making twelve in all, eleven of whom
lived to rear families, and of whom our

1212

LORAIN COUNTY, OHIO.

subject is the oldest one now living. The
father migrated to Ohio in 1843, the
mother shortly afterward, and here they
passed the remainder of their days at the
home of their son David, where she died
in 1850, he in 1863; they lie buried in
Center cemetery. The first of the family
to locate in Ohio was a son Joel, who came
in May, 1833, and- settled in LaGrange
township, Lorain county. On July 14,
1839, Joel Curtice was married, in Cayuga
county, N. Y., to Malissa Allen, who died
in LaGrange township in 1871, leaving
four children, viz.: Catherine, now Mrs.
Charles Hastings, of LaGrange; David A.,
a farmer of LaGrange; Morton B., of
Florida; and Barton E., a farmer of La
Grange. David Curtice came to Lorain county,
Ohio, in October, 1834, and hired out as
a farm hand, after working at coal burning
near Elyria. Some time later he returned
to New York State, where he was married,
and in 1839 he and his wife came in a
buggy to the home he had prepared in

Ohio, where his parents also passed their
declining years. On their arrival in Ohio
Mr. and Mrs. Curtice had just seventy-five
cents with which to begin housekeeping.
He had purchased one hundred acres, for
which he was obliged to go in debt, but
he bravely set to work, and from a start of
nothing prospered ; he cultivated and im
proved his land, and his bard labor and
unceasing industry brought their reward,
for he has added to his property until he
now has 365 acres of excellent land, be
sides a pleasant home in the village of
LaGrange. On March 16, 1873, Mr. Curtice was
married in Kendall county, 111., for his
second wife, to Mrs. Annie Pooler, widow
of Otis Pooler, who had moved to Ken
dall county, 111. Mr. Curtice is one of the
best-known citizens of LaGrange, well-pre
served and active for a man of his years.
Since 1883 he has lived retired. In poli
tics he is a Democrat, and has served as
township trustee, but is not particularly
active in party affairs.

IplDEX.

HtJf*0]M COUNTY,

PAGE.
Adams, Henry  261
Allen, Nelson 0  147
Anderson, Alvin  108
Andrews, W. S  510
Arnert, Henry S  230
Arnert, Uriah T  230
Arnold, Charles W., M. D . . 91
Arnold, D. J. C  358
Arnold, James  91
Arthur Family  148
Arthur, Robert  148
Arthur, William H  149
Ashley, Allen T  305
Ashley, Dennis  426
Ashley, Leonard  .'. 305
Ashley, Lyman  426
Atherton, George W  414
Atherton, Samuel  414
Austin, Lyman  486
Baker, Hon. Timothy  482
Bargus, Lieut. George  338
Barker, L. E  110
Barnhart, Edgar  377
Barnhart, Steven  377
Barre, Dwight M  484
Beamer, Mathias  399
Beattie, A. M  135
Beattie, J. H  467
Beebe, Martin, M. D  191
Beechy, Prof. A. D  132
Beelman, J. F  53
Beers, Nathan  361
Bell, David S  402
Bell, John  402
Bell, Walter E  307
Bellamy, James  174
Benedict Family  129
Benedict, Piatt  129
Berry, Stephen  473
Bishop, Mrs. Mary A  389
Bishop, William A  389
Blackman, Joel  70
Blaser, Rev. Joseph  137
Bogardus, Hon. Evert  283
Bogardus, Mrs. Louisa  283
Boise, S.W  383
Boise Family  383
Bores, David  470
Boughton, Elon G  321
Bramley. William E  225
Brooke, William  61
Brooks, Irving J  60
Brown, Henry F  147

PAGE.
Brown, Jacob  500
Brown, William  425
Burdue, George  241
Burdue, Moses W  243
Burdue, William  241
Burton, Leroy  398
Cahoon, James M  203
Callaghan, C. R  220
Campbell, Frank  459
Campbell, Lorenzo Q  459
Carothers, John  314
Carothers, Mathias  420
Carpenter, D. N  Ill
Chandler, Isaac H  93
Chapman, Judge  67
Chase, Frank  489
Chevraux, Rev. Charles V. 298
Childs, Mrs. Ann M  271
Childs, George L  271
Clark, Charles S  507
Clark, D. Stiles  507
Clarke, Stephen F  107
Clary, Daniel  380
Clary, Homer C  380
Cleveland, D. Pitt  34
Cleveland, G. M  -. . 33
Coe, Almon B  41
Coe, Bela  42
Cole Family  440
Cole, Asher M  444
Cole, Levi L  444
Coleman, M. R  206
Conger, Elijah  386
Conger, Lewis  386
Corwin, Rev. Ira  482
Corwin, Mrs. M. A  481
Coultrip, James  176
Crawford, David  379
Crawford, John H  379
Crawford, Hon. S. E  232
Creech, William S  304
Crosby, Mrs. Adeline  261
Crosby, Francis B  260
Culp, Sherman  429
Curtiss, Joseph C  454
Curtiss, Samuel W  454
Curtiss, W. P  183
Cushman, Austin  483
Cuykendall, W. B  479
Dangeleisen, Joseph  362
Dangeleisen, William A.... 362
Davis Family  465
Davis, Bartlett  465

PAGE.
Davis, JohnS  513
Day.EdwardM  156
Day, Ephraim  156
Dean, Jacob  306
Denman, Edward  202
Denman, John  158
Denman, William  158
DeWitt, Isaac  206
DeWolf, Samuel P  79
DeWolf, Mrs. Sarah  79
DeWolf, Whitman  79
Dillon, George M  208
Dole, Edwin L  327
Doud, Leander L  30
Doud, Samuel  31
Drake, Hiram D  240
Drennan, James  236
Drennan, William W  236
Drury, John  227
Drury, Jonathan M  227
Dunmore, Thomas  256
Easter, Archibald  154
Easter, Elias  154
Eastman, E. G. E  437
Easton, J. D  499
Eggert, J. George  401
Ehrman, G. A  322
Ellis, Eli 0  435
Ellis, John  „ . 428
Ellis, John R  428
Ellis, Lyman  435
Emerson, R. H  168
Erdricb, William H  463
Erf, Gustavus  52
Erf, J. Eduard  51
Erf, Philip  324
Fancher, Thaddeus  285
Fancher, Thaddeus S  285
Fanning, Benjamin G  212
Fanning, H. S  211
Fast, Christian  400
Fast, Ephraim W  400
Felton, Asa G  391
Felton, Ephraim  391
Ferver, Wilber G., M. D.. . 218
Fewson, Michael E  326
Fiesinger, Louis  357
Filkins, John S  281'
Fish, Charles Homer  263
Fish, Sydney D  264
Foster, J. Whitbeck  257
Fox, David  152
Francis, W. T  328

1214

HURON COUNTY, OHIO.

PAGE.
Franklin, Edmund  419
Friend, A. C, M.D  503
Fuller, George D  196
Gage, Albert  174
Gallup, Caleb H  124
Gallup Family  124
Gamble, William  366
Gardiner Family  7
Gardiner, John  7
Geiger, Rudolph  452
Geyer, Edward  381
Gibbs, James G  214
Gieseck, David L  499
Gieseck, Mrs. David L  49*9
Gill, William E., M. D  266
Gilson, Arza B., Sr  284
Gilson, Naum  284
Godden, William H  189
Gove, C. H  53
Grabill, J. F., M. D  464
Graham, William  417
Graham, W. W  136
Greenleaf, Israel  193
Gregory, George  224
Gregory, Matthew  224
Grieve, David  457
Griffin, Hialmer  337
Griffin, Riley  431
Gross, Martin  364
Gurney, John F  471
Hachenberg, Frank  371
Haensler, R  203
Hagaman, John  422
Hagaman, Thomas  422
Hales, Levi  157
Haller, J. H  491
Harkness, J. M  171
Haskell, George  397
Haskell, George E  397
Hauxhurst, Philip  293
Hauxhurst, Samson  293
Hawkins, John W  376
Hawkins, Sheldon J  376
Hawley, Charles L  311
Hayes, Bradley  151
Hayes, Sturgis  151
Head, Mrs. Annie M  456
Head, Orren W  456
Heal, Enoch  469
Hedrick, C. W., M. D  389
Helfrich, Rev. N. C  136
Heller.J.L  282
Heller, Leroy S  312
Herman, F. J  71
Herman, Peter  71
Hershiser, A. E., M. D  503
Hester, John S  335
Hester, Martin  336
Hettel, John A  472
Heyman, William A  363
Heymann, W. C  453
Heymann, William F  347
Hibbard, J. L  267
Hibbard, Marvin  266
Hildreth Rev. T. F., D. D. 104
Hill, H. E  89
Hillman, Mrs. Jane  376
Himberger, William  258

PAGE.
Hoffman, H. W  235
Hofman, G. W  485
Hohler. Peter  228
Hood, Hosea M  355
Horn, Philip  476
Hoerner, Vitas  487
Houfstater, George  302
Houfstater, Jacob P  302
Houle, William H  483
House, Hon. H. K  495
Howe, Chester S  430
Hoyt, Elmon  48
Hoyt, LeRoy  48
Hoyt, William B  255
Humphrey, William  341
Hurst, John  185
Hurst, Thomas  245
Husted, Edward E  93
Husted, William M  93
Ingler, H. M  259
Jacobs, G. P  478
Jacobs, W. H  260
Jenney, Abraham D  496
Jenney, Charles A  497
Jennings, Ezra S  188
Jennings, Walter  188
Jetter, Jacob  384
Johnson, Gilbert L  170
Johnson, Ralph C  416
Johnson, William  416
Johnston, Hon. Watson D... 120
Johnston.William H., M. D. 120
Joiner, George  226
Joiner, Ralph  226
Jones, F. H  239
Jones, Lucian  ... 466
Joslin, Augustus  492
Justice, D. L  212
Justice, Peter  212
Keefer, W. B  102
Keesy, John  447
Keesy, Rev. W. A  447
Kendeigh, Hugh  475
Kimmel, Henry  456
King, Cyrus T., D. D. S. . . . 276
Knapp, W. A  368
Knoll, John P  306
Knoll, Philip J  306
Kohlmyer, H. P  265
Krieder, C. L., M. D  497
liais, Anthony  308
Lais, Henry  308
Lamoreux, Hendrick W... 208
Laning, Jay F  268
Lanterman, G. S., M. D.. . . 453
Latham, Alexander W  462
Latham, Hiram  462
Latham, Thomas W  229
Lawrence, George  514
Lawrence, Josiah  514
Lawrence, Timothy  515
Laylin, John  77
Laylin, Hon. Lewis C. . . . 74
Laylin, Theodore C  372
Lazell, Joseph T  506
Lee, John P  166
Lewis, Alexander  332
Lewis, Philip  332

PAGE.
Leydorf, Capt. F. J  322
Linder, George  367
Loney, Daniel W., M. D  484
Loomis, Hon. F. R  59
Love, Andrew, Sr  334
Love, Andrew, Jr  334
Lovell, Ethan C  292
Lutts, Conrad   274
Lutts, Frank M  274
McCague, Eugene L  182
McCammon, Mrs. Philena. 313
McCammon, Samuel, M. D.. 313
McCullow, CA  169
McDonald, Angus  353
McDonald, John  165
McDonald, Roger  353
McElHinney, J. H., M. D... 177
McGlone, John James  192
McKesson, Elmer E  470
McKesson, Isaac  504
McKnight, Joseph R  138
McLane, James  445
McLane, John  382
McLane, Robert   382
McLane, Thomas A  307
McMahon, James  297
Manahan, Charles W  196
Manahan, Thomas  196
Martin, Edgar, M. D  83
Mead, Calvert A  433
Mead, J.L  301
Mead, Luther  325
Mead, Thomas L  325
Meade, William Gail  408
Menges, John E  220
Menges, Mrs. Lydia F  220
Mesnard, Eri  112
Mesnard, Maj. L. B  112
Meyer, John George  365
Meyer, John P  365
Miles, Daniel  449
Miles, Rufus S  449
Miller, Samuel (Richmond) 479
Miller, Samuel (Bellevue). 378
Miller, Thomas  494
Minard, Hon. O. T  72
Mitchell, William Henry. . 80
Monteith, William  323
Moore, Benjamin  444
Moore, Mrs. Benjamin. . . . 444
M oore, Hartwell R  72
Moore, H. L  v . 413
Morehead, Andrew J . . . .\ . 217
Morehead, George  218
Morrill, E. C, M. D  265
Morse, Daniel  254
Morse, Samuel D  254
Myers, Mark  167
Uncoils, J. A  143
Niver, Charles M  144
Niver, John B  494
Noble, Harvey  427
Noble, William P  427
Norton, De Witt C  287
O'Dell, Daniel  512
O'Dell, N. W  511
Ordway, Martin  458
Osborn, W. W  324

INDEX.

1215

PAGE.
Ott, Lawrence  394
Palmer, John C  476
Palmer, Preston  433
Palmer, Samuel  433
Park, James  508
Park, Joseph  508
Parker, George C  486
Parker, Nelson  487
Parrott, Frederick  462
Parrott, Mrs. Rosa M  . . 463
Patrick, James J  303
Patrick, Jarman  303
Paul, Charles A  333
Pease, W. H  184
Peat,E. J  264
Peck, Adelbert E  466
Peck, Warren M  185
Penfield, Samuel  249
Penfield, William C  249
Perrin, William  296
Perry, C. O. H  110
Perry, Edwin L  192
Perry, Joseph  192
Peters, Eli  82
Peters, Willis H  82
Pfrankliu, Paul W  184
Pierce, Lemuel B  446
Pierce, Harvey  393
Pierce, William H  446
Pinney, Henry C  244
Pinney, Hollibert  244
Pittsford, John A  134
Post, C. C  257
Pray, Ethan A., Esq  32
Price, Elijah  497
Price, William H  84
Prosser, Edwin 8  159
Ransom, Miss Eunice A. .. 23
Ransom, Oliver  22
Read, Albert N., M. D  44
Read, Ira  44
Reed, David H., M. D. ... 418
Reed, Shadrach H  418
Remele, Joseph  404
Reynolds, Theodore M  409
Reynolds, Warren  409
Richard, Frederick  256
Riggs, E.C  356
Riggs, Simeon O  356
Robinson, Aaron  316
Robinson, Wesley  348
Robinson, William  316
Roe, A. G  352
Roe, Barnett  210
Roe, Joseph B  352
Roorback, John W  146
Roscoe, Gilbert L  343
Roscoe, Jeremiah  344
Ross, Joel  169
Rounds, George F  273
Rounds, George N  272
Rowland, Daniel  190
Rowland, Elmer E  190
Rowley, Charles  250
Rowley, E. F  254
Ruffing, Anthony  411
Ruffing, FrankJ  176
Ruffing, Joseph  421

PAGE.
Ruggles Family  492
Ruggles, Alonzo J  493
Ruggles, Daniel W  493
Ruggles, Henry  417
Rupert, Rev. Frederick  373
Ruse, A  273
Ryerson, George M  287
Rynn, John A  63
Sage, John W  395
Sage, Roswell  395
Salisbury, B. W  122
Salisbury, Percival B  122
Sanborn) G. M. S  304
Sandmeister, Dr. Charles. . 88
Sandmeister.William, M.D. 88
Sanger, Washington  151
Sawyer, Charles  488
Sawyer, Charles A  390
Sawyer, Gen. Franklin .... 62
Schneerer, F. W., M. D. . . 235
Schulz, Rev. Frederick. ... 163
Schuster, George  490
Schuyler, P. H  488
Seel, Philip  239
Severance, Elisha  318
Severance, R. A., M. D  351
Severance, Warren  318
Seymour, Rev. J. M  113
Shedd, William H  480
Sheffield, George  248
Sheffield, G. W  248
Shelton Family  460
Shelton, Charles R  461
Shelton, Henry S  461
Shepherd, F. M  119
Shepherd, John  119
Shepherd, M. W  120
Sherck, Joseph  473
Sherman, John G  103
Silliman, Horace B  227
Silliman, Solomon  277
Simmons, Alonzo L  18
Simmons, Charles B  101
Simmons, Eliphalet B  101
Simmons, George N  69
Simmons, Harlon E  18
Simmons, John N  102
Simmons, L. O  109
Simmons, S. E., M. D  207
Sisson, L. P  436
Sisson, Sanford  436
Skilton, Alvah S  221
Skilton, Mrs. Amanda J. . . 221
Skinner, Edward R  375
Slagle, J. L  295
Sly, Robert  186
Smith, A. B  364
Smith, Charles S  403
Smith, Frank J  238
Smith, Hiram  178
Smith, H. A  154
Smith, John  38
Smith, Joseph  38
Smith, Joseph F  438
Smith, Major  153
Smith, William T  262
Smith, Willis R  262
Smithla, Joseph  296

PAGE.
Snook, Norman  407
Snyder, Jesse  317
Spear, Sol  491-
Sprague, Col. James H  68
Sprague, Thaddeus  489
Stapf, M.J  474
Starbird, B. F  178
Steiber.Michael, Jr  501
Stentz, Henry P  94
Stewart, C. F  123
Stewart, Charles Hill  98
Stewart, George Swayne.. . 29
Stewart, Hon. Gideon T. . . 24
Stewart, Hon. Harlon L... . 100
Stickney, Charles B  21
Stimson, Garner  407
Stoner, Charles D  224
Stotts, A. D  195
Strimple, Aaron  392
Strimple, John  392
Strong, Timothy R  13
Stultz, J. M  187
Sturges, Maj. William B.. . 50
Sutliff, George  209
Sutter, Rev. Henry G  438
Sutton, Aranson  222
Sutton, Charles A  222
Sykes, Daniel  468
Sykes, Otis  468
Taylor, Cephas  73
Terry, A., D. D. S  229
Terwilliger, W. E  275
Thomas, Uri B  ,  288
Thompson, Thomas  500
Tillson, Perry  141
Tillson, Rufus  141
Todd, Edwin D  508
Todd, George  508
Tough, Samuel C  181
Townsend, Hosea  345
Townsend, Ira S  415
Townsend, Justice  467
Townsend, John T  345
Tudor, C. B  354
Tuttle, E. S  495
Twaddle, Alexander, Sr... 204
Twaddle, Alexander  205
Twaddle, Dorr  150
Twaddle, John J  150
Twaddle, William W  149
Vail, D. W., M. D  114
Van Dusen, Frank W  163
Van Dusen, James L  160
Van Gorder, William Wells 474
Van Horn, George  435
Van Liew, William C  412
Vickery Bros  372
Vickery, Jesse  372
Vickery, Willis  372
Waddell, Robert F  502
Walter. Joseph  344
Ward, J. Cal  477
Ward, Samuel  281
Ward, Samuel A  281
Washburn, D. S  164
Washburn, Elijah  315
Washburn, Joseph  315
Weber, J. H  342

1216

LORAIN COUNTY, OHIO.

PAGE.
Wheaton, Daniel  375
Wheeler, Calvin  451
•Wheeler, Jason A  450
Wheeler, Jesse E  219
Wheeler, Rev. JohD  219
White, David A  481
White, J. S  278
White, Hon. O. A  122
Whitney, Calvin  144
Whiton, John M  194
Wickham, Hon. C. P  54
Wickham, Judge Frederick 14

PAGE.
Wilcox, F. E  261
Wildman, F. E  172
Wildman, William H  173
Wilhelm, Andrew  385
Wilhelm, Christopher  385
Willey, R. M  294
Williams, Captain John. .. . 485
Williams, J. S  486
Williams, Louis  478
Williams, Oliver W  117
Williams, Theodore  34
Williamson, Hon. John A... 40

PAGE.
Willoughby, Arthur  439
Willoughby, Charles L. . . - 440
Wilson, John  43
Wood, D. A., M. D  498
Wood, George E  91
Woodward, Dr. Amos  64
Woodworth, Chauncy  231
Woodworth, Jonathan P.. . . 231
Young, Gardner  142
Young, Josiah  142
Young, Downing H  247
Young, Stephen M  247

Portraits.

PAGE.
Arnold, D.J. C  359
Bargus., Lieut. George  339
Chevraux, Rev. Charles V. . 299
Cole, Asher M  441
Conger, Lewis  387
Davis, JohnS  513
Crawford, Hon. S. E  233
Francis, W. T  329
Gallup, Caleb H  125
Gardiner, John  6
Gibbs, James G  215
Hagaman, John  423

PAGE.
Hildreth, Rev. T. F., D. D. 105
Knapp, P  369
Lais, Henry  309
Laning, J. F  269
Lavlin, Hon. Lewis C  75
McKnight, Joseph R  139
Manahan, Charles W  197
Price, William H  85
Read, Albert N., M. D  45
Remele, Joseph  405
Robinson, Wesley  349
Rowley, Charles  251

P4.GE.
Severance, Warren  319
Smith, Hiram  179
Stentz, Henry P  95
Stewart, Hon. Gideon T.... 25
Thomas, Uri B  289
Van Dusen, James L  161
Vail, D. W., M. D  115
White, J. S  279
Wickham, Judge Frederick 15
Williams, Theodore  35
Woodward, Dr. Amos  65

IiO^AHNL COUNTY,

PAGE.
Abbe, Eleazer  878
Abbe, Norman  881
Adams, B. B  1202
Adams, D. M  821
Adams, Rowell C  899
Aiken, Charles S  1159
Alexander, Job   1119
Alexander, John  833
Alexander. Samuel  1171
Alten, E. H  1210
Andress, Carlo  709
Andress, George H  709
Andress, H. M  877
Arnet, G. H  931
Arnet, James S  931
Arnold, Franklin  1182
Auble, Daniel  935
Avery, F. A  728
Babcock, A. H  1208
Bacon, Edwin H  1050
Bacon, F. H  1069
Bacon, William  885
Bainbridge, W. A  1194
Baker, A  958
Baker, Edgar D  1030
Baker, Gordon W  746
Baker, Orrin T  1029
Baker, Richard  564

PAGE.
Baldauf, Joseph  881
Baldwin, Charles C  560
Baldwin, David C  562
Baldwin, James S  1039
Baldwin, Joseph H  749
Baldwin, Seymour W  554
Ballantine, W. G., D. D.. . . 587
Bardwell, Mrs. C. C  855
Bardwell, Rev. J. P  855
Barnes, Henry A  1024
Barnes, L. A., M. D  1041
Barnes, Moses  1024
Barnes, Sardis N  1169
Barrett, Homer E  1160
Barrows, Adnah  826
Barrows, Heman  826
Barrows, Henry J  739
Barrows, J. R  876
Barth, Jacob  693
Bassett, Henry  602
Bates, Francis  1104
Battle, George  1077
Baumhart, Elias   1103
Beal, Samuel  1138
Beaver, Charles  1075
Beckley,H. O  611
Beckley, Lyman  610
Bedortha, W. B  909

PAGE.
Beebe, Artemas  993
Beese, Henry F  1070
Belden, R. B  963
Bell, Clayton J  797
Bell, John  797
Bemis, Uriel M  1012
Bennett, CD  544
Bennett, David  543
Bennett, Frank W  670
Bennett, Isaac  670
Bennett, Lewis  671
Bennett, M. R  544
Berg, John  869
Berres, Adam, Jr  977
Berres, John  1192
Bickel, Henry  990
Biggs, J. C  1069
Biglow, Daniel  1109
Biglow, E  1109
Billings, Geo. M  1200
Billings, Orson  1200
Billings, Sophronia  1200
Bivins, E. A  1188
Blaine, Warren W  1 144
Blantern, Joseph  819
Bodmann Brothers  1179
Bommer. C. W  1194
Bonsor, Frank E  1134

INDEX.

1217

PAGE
Booth, Capt. John  854
Bowen, Obediah  571
Bowen, Mrs. Obediah  572
Bowers, Charles  1011
Bowers, Sylvester  613
Bradford, Henry  1002
Bradford, Hiram N  1002
Bradley, Erastus  825
Bradley, Mrs. Orpha 1  825
Bradner, George H  1148
Braman, Anson  594
Braman, G. J  925
Braman, R. E  661
Braman, William A  594
Brand, Rev. James, D. D. . 551
Breckenridge, A. L  1044
Breckenridge, B. F  1045
Breckenridge, Jacob P  884
Breckenridge, Justin  884
Breckenridge, Norman . . . .1044
Bricknell, David  951
Brooks, W. E  687
Brown, Liva  886
Bryant, George  787
Bryant, H. B  787
Bryant, John  787
Bryant, W. H  1181
Bunt, D. C  959
Bunt, George  959
Burge, E. C  1055
Burge, E. L  898
Burge, John Y  1056
Burke, David.  932
Burlingame, Thomas C  1012
Busby, Samuel  861
Bush, Benjamin T  688
Bush, DanielT  688
Byrd, J. P  848
Cahoon, H. J  622
Cahoon, O. B  622
Cahoon, W. E  1137
Carter, O. F  926
Carvey, Orson M  1153
Carvey, William  1153
Case, Deacon John S  894
Chamberlain, Rev. W. B. . . 573
Chapin, Herbert  885
Chapin, John  903
Chapman, Abner  678
Chapman, C. B  1059
Chapman, Clayton  1136
Chapman, Harlan P  795
Chapman, Mrs. Isabel L. . . 730
Chapman, James W  592
Chapman, John Austin  729
Chapman, J. B  1046
Chapman, Thomas G  621
Chapman Family  790
Chester, R  745
Chope, Thomas  783
Churchill, Rev. Charles H.. 599
Clark, H. E  925
Clark, Horace J  859
Clark, Thompson  1133
Claus, Jacob H  1125
Clifford, Daniel C  1060
Clifford, John  1060
Clifford, L. F  1060

PAGE.
Clifton, George  888
Clifton, S. G  888
Close, Benjamin  569
Clough, Baxter  865
Clough, Henry H  865
Coates, Frank A  840
Coates, Stephen  840
Coghlan, John  1209
Cole, C. J  1011
Cole, S. G  943
Cole, W.A   943
Comings, A. G  661
Cone, Milan  1071
Cone, Mrs. M  1071
Connolly, James  1168
Cook, Chapman M  1116
Cooley, Charles  679
Cornwell, Dr. N. H  652
Cotton, Charles W  815
Cotton, George W  815
Cotton, N. L  1031
Couch, George L  803
Cowles, Rev. Henry  690
Cowles, Robert  1137
Cowley, Robert J  1048
Cox, Thomas  1019
Cragin, Benjamin  804
Cragin, C.C  804
Cragin, Harrison A  1047
Crawford, J. S  1090
Crowell, D  1087
Cummings, D. S  568
Cummings, Mrs. E. C  569
Currey, John  731
Curtice, David  1211
Cuyler, E. A  717
Dague, Frederick  1195
Dague, John  927
Daniels, Theodore F  549
Dawley, A. G  1120
Day, James  641
Day Family  641
Deeg, George T  1195
De Lloyd, Henry   1098
Deming, H. A  915
Diederich, Nicholas  1039
Disbro, Ernest L  618
Doane, J. W  766
Douglass, Robert  771
Douglass, William  771
Drake, David  1091
Draper, Peter R  ...1174
Dunning, John  1080
Durkee, Oel  1065
Eady, Henry J  800
Earl, Warren  1191
Eckler, John H  1127
Edgerton, William  1116
Edison, F. W  826
Eldred, Francis N  899
Ellis, Rev. John M  588
Ely Family  524
Ely, George H  679
Ely, Hon. Heman  524
Ely, Heman, Jr  524
Emmons, Lorrin  971
Ensign, Charles C  621
Eppley, Michael  997

PAGE.
Eskert, William F  972
Everitt, A. B., M. D  590
Everitt Family  590
Fairchild, Grandison  634
Fairchild, Prof. James H. . 634
Fancher, Thaddeus W  732
Farr, Mrs. Phebe L  988
Fauver, Alfred  929
Faxon Family  614
Faxon, Isaac D  618
Faxon, John Hall  617
Faxon, Theodore S  618
Fay, W. L  872
Fay Family  872
Fehon,N. H  1199
Ferguson, Charles S  941
Finley, Charles A  1062
Finney, Rev. Charles G  691
Fisher, David C  1158
Fisher, O. L  1048
Fitch, Edward S  978
Flickinger, Joseph B  1165
Folger, Thomas  723
Follansbee, Herbert S  866
Follansbee, W. B  620
Foot, Amos  753
Foot, G. D  753
Forthofer, Peter  1110
Foster, Albert  1184
Foster, E. C  1041
Foster, F. H  778
Foster, LB  778
Foster, Parks  544
Fowl, Henry  973
Fowler, C. A  928
Fowler, Mrs. C. A  928
Fox, Thomas  987
Frederick, Dr. C. H  1208
French, William M  811
Fuller, W.J  1128
Gannett, Joseph  1043
Garfield, Halsey  871
Garfield, Milton  871
Garford, Arthur L  756
Garford, George  756
Garrett, S. J  1189
Garver, A. N., M. D  798
Gates, Col. Nahum B  519
Gawn, Henry J  951
Gawn, James  951
Gawn, Mrs. Louisa E  951
Gawn, Thomas  640
Gibbs, David L  1150
Gibbs, Ransom  1150
Gibson, George W  1163
Gibson, Mrs. Sara E  1211
Gillmore, Alanson  532
Gillmore, Edmund  710
Gillmore, George  1206
Gillmore, Quartus  702
Gillmore, Quincv A  711
Glenn, Charles H  993
Glynn, L. D  1178
Goodman, Charles  750
Goodman, Jacob  750
Goodwin, Robert N  1000
Goss, David  1007
Goss, Maurice  1007

1218

LORAIN COUNTY, OHIO.

PAGE.
Grabenstetter, Nicholas. . ..1022
Green, William  838
Greene, F. A  949
Griffin, Frederick A  1014
Griffin, Frederick E  1014
Griswold, E. C  834
Griswold Family  834
Grote, J. W  1186
Hagemann, Conrad  583
Hale, AlfredE  998
Hall, Avery  538
Hall, Edwin  1038
Hall, Dr. H. L  745
Hall, Orrin  537
Hamilton, Leonard G  828
Hamilton Family  828
Hance, Ed  938
Hance, Grove  1118
Hance, Hiram  938
Harmon, J. Francis  750
Harrington, C. W  919
Harris, Alfred  1171
Harris, George M., M. D. . 731
Harris, Josiah  738
Harris, Milo  738
Harris, Royal  1031
Hart, Flavius A  839
Hart, Hawley  1001
Hart, Jay  1124
Hart, L. J  819
Hart, Willard  1001
Harvit, John  713
Haserodt, J. F  1040
Haserodt, L. E  1157
Hastings, Curtis H  1034
Hastings, Elizer G  833
Hastings, E. H  1034
Hastings, Wesley  1105
Hathaway, John M  1117
Haven, Raymond  953
Hawke, John  1045
Hawke, William  1202
Hawkins, Charles E  554
Hawkins, William  553
Hecock, H. L  877
Heldmyer, William  667
Henderson, J. T  964
Herrick, Hon. Lucius  714
Herrick, Oscar  612
Hildebrand, Edward  870
Hill, Charles W  1117
Hill, George E  957
Hill, J. C  584
Hinman, Judge Edgar H. . 762
Hitchcock, Henry  999
Hitchcock, Henry H  853
Hitchcock, Samuel  999
Holcomb, R. E  1066
Holiday, E. R., M. D  528
Holiday Family  528
Holladay, D. C  961
Hollstein, George  1180
Honecker, William  1210
Hopkins, CF  1003
Horn, Lorenz  937
Horr, C. W  650
Horr Family  647
Horton, Charles H  916

PAGE.
Howard, S. V. R  954
Howk, David  630
Howk, Hiram H  630
Howk, John  922
Hulbert, John W  527
Humphrey, J. 0  1191
Husted, D. S  932
Husted, H. G  931
Ives, Cyrus  703
Jackson, OH  1193
Jackson, Daniel  796
Jackson, Elisha  1196
Jackson, Ernest S  1080
Jackson, Ezra S  767
Jackson, George  1082
Jackson, James  796
Jackson, Pliny  1082
Jacobs, Peter  1209
Jameson, Joseph B  1123
Jameson, M. B  1123
Jameson, William  1136
Jaycox, George  983
Jaycox, James M  983
Jefferies, George C  712
Jenne, Ansel  905
Jewell, James  809
Johnson, Adelbert C  581
Johnson, David D  579
Johnson, Hon. E. G  574
Johnson, Frank D  1009
Johnson, John H  579
Johnson, Mrs. Mary E  579
Johnson, Hon. Nathan P.. 962
Johnson, William H  962
Johnston, Charles W  638
Johnston Family  638
Jones, Mark  1068
Jones, Thomas H  1068
Joy, A. D  981
Jump, Mrs. Julia C, M. D. 900
Jump, R. E  900
Juugbluth, Anton  875
Keep, Rev. John  689
Kelling.N  783
Kelner, S.W  1017
Kelner, William  1017
King, Thomas  1076
King Family  1076
Kirkbride, David  1158
Kirkbride, Isaac  1161
Knellmer, Jacob  788
Kolbe, Adam  897
Krebs, W. J  817
Kress, William  1211
Krohn, H.H.J  1085
L,ahiff, John  1203
Lampman, M. H  978
Lampman, M. Z  978
Lang, J. H  631
Lang Family  631
Langdon, William F  1164
Lantsbery, John  1090
Lapp, William  1180
Law, Jacob  842
Law, Mathias  842
Leasher, J. W  1155
Lee, OF  ,. 688
Lee, George  688

PAGE.
Lehman, J. C  863
Lersch, John  740
Levagood, Moses H  768
Lincoln, Mrs. Hannah N. . 702
Lincoln, Joseph H  701
Line, Thomas  1009
Loomis, E. F  862
Loomis, Richard N  862
Lord, Addison E  1145
Lord, Dr. Asa D  599
Lord, Mrs. E. W. R  598
Loveland, Leonard H  . 755
Lyon, George  1046
McCollum, Alexander  601
McConnell, James  960
McConnell, W. R  960
McLaughlin, Joh n  1188
McPhail, Capt. Alexander. 941
McRoberts, Henry  720
McRoberts, Peter  719
McRoberts, Pitt  788
McRoberts, Volney  721
Mahan, Rev. Asa  691
Manley, Fredrick B  694
Manley, Josiah B  694
Manville, Jerome  883
Marsh, Lucius R  1115
Marsh, Richard  1192
Martin, F. W  1055
Martin, Jeremiah, Jr  1088
Martin, Nathaniel  774
Martindale, H. B  992
Masten, Mrs. John 1  571
Masten, John 1  570
Mathews, George  1087
Maynard, O. T, M. D  671
Meredith, J. A  1020
Meredith, William  1021
Merriam, Robert  699
Merriam, William A  699
Metcalf, I. S  805
Meyer, Peter  1096
Miller, David  1186
Miller, Glover  1114
Miller, John A  1126
Miller, J. R..  973
Miller, Peter  1126
Mills, CS  1154
Mills, Samuel  1154
Mole, Henry  798
Monroe, James  644
Monteith, Rev. John  521
Mooers, Alton H  856
Mooers, Phineas  856
Moore, A. C, M. D  638
Moore, Oren.  1096
Moore, Theron  1114
Moore, Truman  1114
Morehouse, Max  799
Morgan, Rev. John  698
Morse, Levi  533
Mountain, John  633
Moysey, D. R  1146
Mull, Joseph H  774
Mumford, T. H  842
Mussey, Henry E  663
Myers, Jacob  977
Myers, Mathias  982

INDEX.

1219

PAGE.
JTaylor, Samuel  1072
Nelson, Mrs. Frances H . . . 537
Nelson, Thomas L  534
Nicholl, E. H  1065
Nichols, A. W  743
Nichols, Arthur W  805
Nichols, D.C  761
Nichols, George E  581
Nichols, James  761
Nichols, Nathaniel  743
Nichols, Mrs. Nettie  805
Nichols, O. S  820
Nichols. Reuben  581
Noble, George W  1037
Norton, E  982
Norton, George H  613
Norton, Hiram  613
Nuhn, Mathias  907
Nuhn, Peter  907
Nye, Judge David J  604
Ogilvie, Johnson  1206
Ormsby, Rev. Caleb  673
Osborn, Andrew  1099
Osborn,- Joseph..  1099
Osborne, Henry A  1010
Osborne, Mrs. L. A  1010
Ostrander; Peter  1198
Parker, H. E., M. D  1033
Parker, H. M., A. M  664
Parker, J. B  1101
Peabody, Andrew  810
Peabody, Elnathan  810
Peabody, Harvey M  1149
Peck, D.J  1156
Peck, Harmon  980
Peck, Noah H  980
Pelton, Alvin  597
Pelton, David C  775
Pelton, Floyd M  775
Perry, Richard DeWitt. ... 822
Pfeil, Rev. Nicholas  968
Phelon, Tasso D  1028
Phelps, Joseph  .1130
Phelps, M. W  1130
Phillips, William H  752
Pierce, F. W  893
Pifer, Henry  1147
Pitts, E. W  717
Pitts, William  717
Plato, Henry A  974
Plato, John E  984
Pomroy, Richard W  891
Pond, Martin W..  629
Pond Family  624
Porter, Alexander  1127
Porter, John  944
Porter, William  944
Pounds, M. A  683
Powell, Calvin  847
Powell, William S  847
Pralt, L. B  818
Prentice, Hiram  1050
Prentice, William  1051
Preston, Chester A  988
Preston, William  1183
Kawson, David A  942
Rawson, Grindall  942
Reamer, C. A  989

PAGE.
Redfern, Benjamin  1004
Redfern, James H  788
Redfern, Robert  1168
Redington, H.G  994
Reed, J. H-  1170
Reed, J. L  1095
Reefy, Frederick S  806
Reefy, P. D„ M. D  784
Remington, J. H  1067
Rice, Abram  711
Rice, Fenelon B  680
Rice, George W  711
Rice, J. J  1172
Rice, V. E  1173
Richmond, A. J  1020
Richmond, Lester J  950
Riley, John, Jr  999
Rimbach, Henry  701
Rininger, William  910
Rilzenthaler, Philip  1146
Roach, John  936
Roach, Thomas  936
Robbins, G. H  662
Robson, Edwin  906
Rockwood, David  841
Rockwood, F. W  841
Rockwood, Henry S  728
Rockwood, Samuel S  727
Root, Azariah S., A. M  1187
Root, H. D  816
Root, Legrand  952
Root, Oresten  816
Ross, Isaac B  1089
Rowland, Aaron  572
Rowland, S.W  572
Rowley, F. A  699
Sage, Calvin  1078
Salisbury, Joseph  921
Salisbury, Robert  921
Sampsell, Mrs. E. C  657
Sampsell, J. V, M. D  642
Sampsell, Paul W., M. D. . 654
Sanders, Allen  1049
Sawyer, D. L  992
Saxton, Elisha  929
Saxton, William H  929
Saye, John  970
Sayles, William A  1086
Schaible, Jacob  1102
Schaible, Jacob E  1103
Schmidt. Rev. J. A  781
Schott, George  1177
Schramm, John  1156
Schramm, Peter  1155
Schuler, E. C  1081
Schuller, Peter  843
Schwartz, David  1187
Schwartz, Jacob  1125
Schwarz, Christian  948
Scott, John  593
Scott, Walter  593
Sears, George L  904
Sears, L. L  1042
Seely, Cornelius  754
Seely, Humphrey S  754
Seely, Morell E  753
Seelye, Cornelius  1024
Seelye, J. M  1023

PAGE.
Semple, H. W  1033
Shadford, J  1088
Sharp, William G  669
Shaw,S. H  971
Sheahan, J. B  980
Sherbondy, A. W  860
Shipherd, Rev. John J  539
Shoop, William N  782
Sigourney, Peter  1176
Sippel, Philip  1108
Slater, Clarence H  864
Smith, Albert H  1008
Smith, Dr. Cliarles  619
Smith, ChilUb  530
Smith, E. A  979
Smith, F. C  81 1
Smith, Fred Norton  812
Smith, Georsre E., M. D  619
Smith, Ira AV  1010
Smith, Joel B  1058
Smith, John  1177
Smith, J. B  608
Smith, J. C  1058
Siniih, Judge Laertes B.. .. 530
Smith, Levi  1057
Smith, Mm. M. B  1178
Smith, Peter M  1185
Smith, Waltnr  1057
Smith, William  548
Snow, CH  919
Snyder, A. J  1100
Spicer, Henry  920
Spicer, Richard  920
Sprague, E. G  1013
Sprague, William G  1013
Squires, A. E  1144
Squires, T.J  987
Stang, John  936
Starr, Gideon L  653
Starr, Heman E  668
Starr, Rev. Matthew L  531
Starr, Orrin  668
Starr, O. K  "  728
Starr, Talcott  653
Starr, William  728
Steele, H. N  673
Steele, Col. J. W  854
Steele, John  672
Steele, Smith  672
Stetson, H. D  1124
Stetson, Randall  1124
Stewart, Philo P  542
Stiwald, A. E  1135
Stocking, C. D  1092
Stocking, Jonathan S  1092
Stone, Charles  789
Stone, Reuben  789
Storrow, Joseph  1149
Straw, Ezra  1207
Straw, I. S  1140
Sturtevant, O. A  886
Sturtevant Family. ¦  886
Sumner. Charles W  892
Sutliff, Charles E  603
Sutliff, Salmon  657
Sutliff, W. C  1165
Sutliff, William H. H  657
Swartz, Jacob  1204

1220

LORAIN COUNTY, OHIO.

PAGE.
Tennant, D. R  1167
Tennant, Mrs. Mary J  624
Tennant, Moses S  623
Tennant, Selden  623
Terry, Eleazer  827
Terry, Walker S  827
Thew, E  892
Thomas, De Grasse  849
Thomas, Fred F  850
Thomas, Harriet  849
Thompson, J. B  870
Thompson, Hon. H. B.. . 551
Tiffany, Hon. Joel  522
Tillotson, Hiram  643
Tillotson, Thomas  643
Tilus, Henry  ..1115
Tolhurst, Mrs. Amelia  1062
Tolhurst, Daniel  1061
Tompkins, Nathaniel  891
Tompkins, S  914
Townsend, Henry  1143
Townshend, J. H  1185
Townshend, John S  1129
Tucker, Charles E  697
Tucker, William H  697
Turley, Joseph  1018
Turney, E. A  1107
Twining, Charles A  773
Van Wagnen, G. H  1110
Van Wagnen, Henry  1113
Vantilburg, J. M., M. D. . . . 969
Varney, Wellington.  1205
¦Wack, Hiram  1190
Wadsworth Family  704
Wadsworth, Benjamin  887
Wadsworth, David L  704
Wadsworth, Francis S  651

PAGE.
Wadsworth, Horace  682
Wadsworth, Lawton  651
Wadsworth, L. H  1079
Waite, Dorastus  ,....1119
Walkden, Arthur  953
Walkden, Richard  1175
Wallace, Henrv  739
Wangerien, C. R  1 162
Wangerien, H. C  1163
Wangerien, Karl  1162
Warburton, Charles H.... 998
Warner, Henry  973
Warner, Sidney S  724
Warren Family  733
Warren, H. E.', M. D  734
Washburn, Clarence G ...1079
Washburn, Hon. George G. 523
Waugh, C. M  , ... 609
Waugh, Gideon  609
Webber, A. R  844
Webster, Russel B  582
Weeks, G. C  733
Weeks, Henry H  722
Weeks, Thomas T  722
Weller, George L  : 602
Weller, John (deceased). . 601
Weller, Wesley  601
Wesbecher, Joseph  913
West, Amasa  1139
West, Edward.  677
West, Roger  677
Whipple, James  703
Whitney, Joseph  777
Whitney, Joseph S  777
Whitney, Milton  552
Whitney, Silas D  552
Whiton, Joseph L  674

PAGE.
Whiton, Joseph L., Jr  674
Whittlesey, Cyrus L  991
Whittlesey, Solomon  991
Wickens, George..'  989
Wiegand, Conrad  1129
Wight, H  ,  906
Wight, Reuben  906
Wilber, Nicholas  1174
Wilber, J. W...  765
Wilber, John Walson  765
Wilder, D. G., M. D....... 603
Wilford, John.  795
Wilford, Thomas  795
Wilford, Capt. Thomas ... 914
Willard, J. E  622
Williams, Everett E  737
Williams, Henry H  734
Williams, John  734
Wilson, Charles E  672
Wire, W. A  1021
Wise, Fred  983
Wise, Henry  776
Wise, Lewis  882
Wise, Peter  882
Witbeck, A. H  1197
Witbeck, Mrs. Jane A  1198
Wolf, John  :  1052
Woodworth, Mrs. C.L  684
Woodworth, Hiram  684
Worthington, Elden  1097
Worthington, Jonathan B..1097
Wright, Alonzo  908
Wright, D. S  1173
Wright, George F., D. D. .. 589
Wright, Lewis F  1160
Wurst,- Henry  680
Wyatt, James  1030

Portraits.

PAGE.
Baker, Gordon W  747
Baker, Richard  565
Baldwin, Seymour W  555
Barnes, Henry A  1035
Braman, William A  595
Burke, David  933
Case, Deacon John S  8!-J5
Chapman, H. P  791
Clifton, George  889
Dawley, A. G  1121
Eady, Henry J  801
Ely, Heman  525
Fairchild, Prof. James H. 635
Faxon, J. H  615
Fay, W. L  873
Finley, Charles A  1063
Follansbee, Herbert S  867
Foster, Frank H  779
Foster, Parks  545
Garford, Arthur L  757
Gates, Col. Nahum B  518
Gibbs, David L  1151
Griffin, F.E....,  ,,..1015

PAGE.
Griswold, E. C  835
Hamilton, Leonard G  829
Hance, Ed  939
Hastings, E. H  1035
Henderson, J. T  965
Herrick, Hon. Lucius  715
Hill, J. C  585
Hinman, Judge Edgar H. . 763
Horton, Charles H  917
Howard, S. V. R  955
Howk, John  923
Jackson, George  1083
Johnson, Hon. E. G  575
Jump, Mrs. Julia C, M. D. 901
Lersch, John  741
Levagood, Moses H  769
Manley, Fredrick B  695
Monroe, James  645
Mooers, Alton H  857
Naylor, Samuel  1073
Nelson, Thomas L  535
Nye, Judge David J  605
Parker, H. M., A.M  665

Woodworth, Hiram.

PAGE.
Perry, Richard De Witt .... 823
Phelps, M. W  1131
Plato, Henry A  975
Plato, John E  . 985
Pond, M. W  625
Porter, John  945
Redfern, Benjamin  1005
Redington, H. G  995
Reefv, Frederick S  807
Reefy, P. D., M. D  785
Rininger, William  911
Sampsell, Paul W., M. D. . 655
Smith, Fred N .... '.  813
Stocking, CD  1093
Straw, Isaac S  1141
Thomas, Fred F  851
Van Wagnen, G. H  1111
Wadsworth, David L  705
Warner, Sidney S  725
Webber, A. R  845
Whiton, Joseph L  675
Williams, Henry H  735
Wolf, John  1053
.. 685

YALE UNIVERSITY

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