USA > Ohio > Cuyahoga County > Cleveland > The pioneer families of Cleveland 1796-1840 Vol. II > Part 1
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Gc 977.102 C59w v.2 1139045
GENEALOGY COLLECTION
GEN
ALLEN COUNTY PUBLIC LIBRARY 3 1833 02279 7549
Digitized by the Internet Archive in 2016
https://archive.org/details/pioneerfamilieso02wick
٢
The Pioneer Families
OF
CLEVELAND
OHIO 1796 - 1840
By
GERTRUDE VAN RENSSELAER WICKHAM
VOL. II
Under the Auspices of
The Executive Committee of the Woman's Department of the Cleveland Centennial Commission-1896.
EVANGELICAL PUBLISHING HOUSE
1914
-
1831
LATHROP
1831
Married. "In New Haven, Conn., Rev. Samuel Hutchings of this vil- lage to Elizabeth Coit Lathrop, daughter of the late Charles Lathrop of Norwich, Conn." (Herald.)
Died. Naomi Bostwick, wife of the late Gershom Bostwick of New- burgh. (Herald.)
Died. Lucy Ann, wife of Levi Beebe.
Died. Stephen B. Clement aged 28. (Erie st. cemetery.) .
Died. "Sophia Allen, wife of Perry Allen, aged 37." (Perry Allen was landlord in 1836 of the City Hotel on West 3rd street, where court- house now stands.)
The Treasurer of Cuyahoga County pays $25.50 for wolf scalps brought in this year.
Married. "In Rochester, N. Y., Alanson Penfield of this village and Lucy Ann Harrol, daughter of George Harrol." (Alanson Penfield was a commission merchant and in 1856 was living on Erie street.)
Married. "In Cambridge, this state, Mr. Henry Boller, one of the proprietors of the Cleveland Advertiser, to Miss Juliana Hersch, all of this village." (The bride was a sister of David Hersch, and Mrs. David H. Beardsley.)
Married. "John B. Norton and Hannah Dickson, all of Cleveland." (He died and was interred in Erie st. cemetery in 1841.)
"The annual meeting of the Union Club of Cuyahoga County, for the detection of horse-thieves will be held on the first Monday in January, next, at one o'clock, P. M., at the tavern of M. Spangler, in the village of Cleveland for the purpose of electing officers for said club, and to trans- act other business. C. M. GIDDINGS."
December, 1831.
(Herald.)
1139045
1831
LATHROP
Christopher Leffingwell Lathrop, or "Deacon Lathrop," as he was known in Cleveland for 60 years, came to the city from Norwich, Conn., in 1831, at the age of 27 years. His sister, Mrs. Hutchings, was living in Cleveland, her husband Rev. Samuel Hutchings being the immediate predecessor of Dr. Aiken in the Stone Church. The latter and his wife afterward became missionaries to Ceylon, India. An older brother, the Rev. Daniel Lathrop, had previously settled in Elyria, O., as the first pastor of the Presbyterian church there and this probably was one of the inducements that led young Christopher to seek his fortune in the near- by and more prosperous village of Cleveland.
The brothers and sister were the lineal descendants of the Rev. John
369
1831
KNAPP
Lathrop, who settled in New England in 1634. Their parents were Charles C. Lathrop of Norwich, Conn., a Yale graduate of the class of 1788, and Joanna Leffingwell, daughter of Col. Christopher and Elisabeth Coit Leffingwell.
The March following his arrival in Cleveland, Mr. Lathrop made a trip to Connecticut, and returned with a bride, Philura Leffingwell Hunt- ington, daughter of Lucretia Leffingwell and Elijah Huntington of Boz- rah, Conn. Mrs. Christopher Lathrop's brother, Dr. Winslow Tracey Huntington, came to Cleveland in 1834, and lived for a few years on Detroit street near Pearl, now West 25th.
The first home of the Lathrops was on Water street, but they moved, not long afterward to 110 St. Clair street, where they lived many years. John A. Foote lived nearby at Number 106.
Mrs. Philura Lathrop's life in Cleveland was comparatively short, for she died in 1843. But it was long enough to make her personality and presence valued and cherished afterward in memory by her associates and friends. She found time from household cares to devote herself to church work, and was one of the founders of the Women's Missionary Society, which in those days was a union organization composed of mem- bers of all denominations. It is said of her that she was a woman of sterling good sense. Her unusual and uniform piety may have been an inheritance, as she was a direct descendant of Elder Brewster of the Mayflower.
Mr. and Mrs. Lathrop had three sons who died in infancy, and a daughter :
Elisabeth H. Lathrop, m. Wm. M. Meriam in 1860.
Fannie Meriam m. Henry Noble Yates, grandson of the Cleveland pio- neers Henry and Hopey Noble. They reside in Buffalo, N. Y., as does also Mrs. Elisabeth Meriam.
Two years after the death of Mrs. Philura Lathrop, Deacon Lathrop married secondly, Keziah Branch Cushman of Willoughby, Ohio. There were no children of this marriage.
Christopher Lathrop was a grocer and commission merchant.
1831
KNAPP
Nehemiah Knapp, descendant of early American ancestors, and grand- son of a Revolutionary soldier, was born in Amenia, N. Y., near the Connecticut state line, a town that furnished several of Cleveland's ear- liest pioneers. He came here in 1831 direct from Liberty Corners, N. Y., where he had learned the trade of blacksmith. At the age of 25, he married Mary Harbaugh, daughter of Isaac and Elisabeth Harbaugh, pioneers of the city. She was a fine-appearing young lady with beautiful
370
1831
ASHWELL
dark eyes and a clear complexion. Her character, it is said, fitted her looks, for she was very sweet-tempered and loveable; a comfort and an inspiration to her husband, children, and friends. She taught her daugh- ters the accomplishment of fine needle-work, and as they sat in their winter evenings around an old-fashioned work-stand lighted by a single tallow-candle, she enlivened the hours with stories well told, or with rem- iniscences of her girlhood days. .
Mr. Knapp bought a home on Miles Park where the family lived many years, and where the parents died. The house is still owned by their aged daughter, Mrs. Edward L. Dean. It stands west of the New- burgh Methodist church, and not far from the Miles Park branch of the Public Library.
Mr. Knapp gradually abandoned his blacksmith shop in order to as- sist his son-in-law E. L. Dean in the manufacture of carriages. He died some years before his wife who remained in the old homestead until her own death.
The children of Nehemiah and Mary Knapp:
Henrietta Knapp, m. Andrew J.
Spencer, proprietor of the "Spen- cer House," a famous country tav- ern in Newburgh.
Helen Knapp, m. Heman Hubbard, member of pioneer family.
Amantha Knapp, m. Edward L. Dean.
Mahala Knapp, m. William A. Creech.
1831
ASHWELL
The name of Rev. James Ashwell appears in the annals of Cleveland and Newburgh as early as 1831.
He was a Baptist minister from Birmingham, England, who must have been a middle-aged man, as previous to coming here he had a mar- ried daughter with a large family of children.
He had the reputation of being a man of sterling qualities, very de- vout, and a great comfort to his parishioners in their hours of trouble or bereavement. The maiden name of Mrs. Ashwell has not been ascer- tained, nor the names of her children save one:
Maria Ashwell, b. 1800; m. George Kimberly.
She came to America with her six children, to join her parents who had been living here about 4 years. She took passage on the "Henry Clay," which took fire on the way over but the flames were subdued. On its next trip between the two countries it burned in mid-ocean and all aboard of it perished.
371
1831
MEAD
Mrs. Kimberly was a wonderful woman. Her husband never joined her here and she brought up her children unaided. One of them, David Kimberly, became one of the best known men of the city.
1831
MEAD
William F. Mead and his wife, Rhoda Smith Mead, of Hartford, Conn., lived where the Sheriff street market now stands. That locality was covered with forest-trees and bushes, at the time, and many were the game-dinners of turkey and duck that were secured through the good marksmanship of the men in the family. Sometimes they did not have to go a dozen yards from their door-step to aim at a big gobbler sitting on a stump, or at wild geese flying past within gunshot overhead.
When this game was scarce, there were the pigeons, thousands of them, roosting at night in the woods now occupied by the cemetery. They fairly darkened the air as they arrived there in late afternoon, and left early in the morning. At such times, delicious pigeon-pies were the most conspicuous part of the dinner-menu in the Mead household until they palled on the taste. Mrs. Mead was an early member and worker in the First Methodist Church.
Children of William and Rhoda S. Mead:
George Mead, m. Sarah Wilkenson. John Mead, m. Maria Downing. Elisabeth Mead, m. Joseph McFad- den.
Maria Mead, died of cholera, aged 52.
Sarah Mead, m. Philetus Francis.
Chauncey Mead, m. Patience
Mary Mead, m. Horace Jones.
Mr. and Mrs. Horace Jones lived on Doan street, now E. 105th, for several years, afterward removed to Illinois.
William and Rhoda Mead have grandchildren residing in the city.
1831
WACKERMAN
Wendall Wackerman, with his twin-brother Michael Wackerman, im- migrated in 1831 from Alsace-Lorraine to New York City.
Michael remained east, but Wendall came on to Cleveland. He was but 14 years of age at the time. He was in the employ of William K. Wells, a well-known baker and confectioner whose place of business was
372
1831
JOHNSTONE
on Superior street below the American House. This was burned in the big fire of 1835, and Mr. Wells began another bakery on Merwin street. Meanwhile, Wendall Wackerman had started in business on his own ac- count, for in 1845 he was established at 30 Water street. Some time in the '60s, he built a brick store and residence on Prospect street corner of Erie and carried on a very successful business in the bakery and confec- tionery line. There was an ice-cream parlor connected with it, and for years "Wackerman's" was a very attractive corner on hot, summer nights.
Mr. Wackerman was a faithful member of the First Baptist Church. He died in 1891. He married Betsey Dorset, dau. of Thomas Dorset, and had a small family, but the latter are dead, and no data can be found con- cerning the children.
1831
JOHNSTONE
Mrs. Amelia Fox Johnstone, widow of Robert Johnstone, Sr., came to Cleveland soon after the death of her husband in 1831. She was ac- companied by her only son Dr. Robert Johnstone, and her four unmar- ried daughters. The family was of Scotch descent, but had long been established in the north of Ireland. They were people of education and refinement and were at once recognized as valuable newcomers in the little community. They located on Superior street near the Square, Mrs. Johnstone and her daughters at No. 105, and the son Dr. Robert John- stone, Jr., with his office at No. 111 Superior street. The latter married daughter of William Taylor, and practised his profession until his death .*
His sister Anna Johnstone married Leander Ransom, and the unmar- ried sisters were Emily, Margaret, and Eliza Johnstone. They were gen- tle refined women, greatly respected in the community.
The children of Dr. Robert and Mary Taylor Johnstone, Jr .:
Amelia Johnstone, m. Henry Ab- Mathew Johnstone, m. Zantha
bey, son of Seth A. Abbey. She Anna Johnstone, d. 17 years of age. died recently. Arthur Johnstone, unmarried.
Mary Johnstone, unmarried.
Mary and Arthur Johnstone are still residents of this city. The latter has retired from business life, and is an invalid to whom his sister is devoted.
* In an address before the Early Settlers' Association, Judge James D. Cleveland paid eloquent tribute to the memory of Dr. Johnstone.
373
1831
HUTCHINGS
The Rev. Samuel Hutchings who became pastor of the Old Stone Church in April, 1831, was born in New York City at the corner of Chambers and Church streets, in 1806, and died in Orange, N. J., in his 89th year. His parents were Samuel and Lois Whitehead Hutchings.
His father was 15 years old when the Revolutionary War broke out. He enlisted, was taken prisoner, and confined in the Middle Dutch Church from which he attempted to escape by tunneling under Nassau street toward the Quaker meeting-house on Liberty street. He was recaptured.
The Rev. Samuel Hutchings graduated from Williams College in 1828, and then spent two years in the Princeton Theological Seminary. He was sent to Cleveland by the American Home Missionary Society, and took charge of a small congregation meeting in an upper unfinished hall of the Kellogg Block. The American House now occupies the site. In the fall of 1831, Mr. Hutchings returned to New Haven, Conn., to marry Miss Elizabeth Coit Lathrop, daughter of Charles and Joanna Leffing- well Lathrop, and sister of Christopher Lathrop, pioneer deacon of the Old Stone Church.
The young couple journeyed to Albany on a sloop, thence to Schenec- tady in one of the two coaches drawn by the engine DeWitt Clinton, the first locomotive in this country, and which had made its initial trip during the previous month. From Schenectady to Buffalo the route was continued in a canal-boat, and Cleveland was reached in a small sailing vessel.
Although Samuel Hutchings spent less than two years in this town, he married many of the parents of old citizens of today, and officiated at the funerals of several pioneers. In 1833, accompanied by his wife, he sailed for India to become a missionary in Ceylon, where he remained over eight years. Then with broken health he returned to America. After resting and recruiting his strength he took charge of a church in Newark, N. J., and also engaged in literary work. He wrote over a thousand articles for the "Library of Universal Knowledge," a well- known encyclopedia. In 1888 he received the degree of D. D. from his Alma Mater.
The life of Mrs. Elizabeth Hutchings was an eventful one. She followed the fortunes of her missionary husband, and bravely stood by his side through peril and privation. Meanwhile, she became the mother of ten children, some of whom were born in India. She died in 1901, in her 89th year.
Children of Rev. Samuel and Elisabeth Hutchings:
Mary J. Hutchings, m. Theodore H. Frances H. Hutchings, m. Frederic Smith of Newark, N. J. A. R. Baldwin.
Charlotte L. Hutchings, m. Augus- tus L. Wilcox.
George Long Hutchings, m. Helen L. Vernidge.
Elisabeth N. Hutchings.
Charles W. Hutchings, m. Anna Green. Walter W. Hutchings. Cornelius Hutchings.
374
1831
HILLS
No years of tedious research and of baffled inquiry awaited the writer in order to secure records of the Nathan C. Hills family, for Mrs. Sabrina Loomis Hills the pioneer mother, in her 70th year, gave to her children and grandchildren a published volume filled with personal reminiscences. It included interesting events of her childhood, her marriage, and her removal to Cleveland and of the years that followed. The narrative is written simply, but very effectively. One cannot but be impressed with the sweet womanliness of the writer, with her goodness, her kindliness, her deep spirituality.
She married in December, 1830, Nathan Cushman Hills. At that time she was 19 years old, and living with her parents Isaac and Martha Niles Loomis in Whitehall, N. Y. N. C. Hills was the son of Eliot and Nabby Cushman Hills of Bennington, Vt. His maternal grandfather, Charles Cushman, was a soldier of the American revolution, and Na- than was of the eighth generation from Robert Cushman the pilgrim of Plymouth colony. The year following his marriage, Mr. Hills caught the Ohio fever, and in spite of the warnings and misgivings of relatives and friends, the young couple started for Cleveland by the Erie Canal route, reaching here September 1st. The high rough banks, and un- sightly gullies, and the difficulties of landing gave them a poor impres- sion of the town, but after climbing the steep hill the scene changed into broad streets lined with beautiful forest-trees.
"We put up at the tavern of Mr. Spangler. It was a two-story white frame-building, occupying the ground where the Miller block now stands. Here we were thoughtfully entertained. The next morning we went over the old float-bridge to the west side, where we found the families Sargeant, Chapman, and Tisdale, all old acquaintances. They insisted upon our remaining with them a week to rest and enjoy the peach season then at . its height.
"My husband found a house owned by Miss Miranda Perry, on St. Clair street opposite Richard Hilliard's. We were soon engaged in set- tling our new home, and selecting needed furniture of John A. Vincent and of Daniel Duty on Water street, the only cabinet-makers of the vil- lage at that time, and when all was arranged, I think truer satisfaction filled my breast than does that of the bride of Euclid ave. today.
"By this time I was all impatience to see the town, and could wait no longer, so we started out to walk first to the Public Square. It did not take long to scan the beauties of the ten acres enclosed by a rail-fence, with footpaths in all directions, and the old log-jail occupying the north- west corner. From here we went to the bank of the lake, which was a quarter of a mile further out than it is now, landslides having since been of frequent occurrence.
"The next day we took another walk over the village, and found but one church, 'Old Trinity,' built in 1828 on the corner of St. Clair and Seneca streets." Mr. Hills obtained employment at the grocery and ship-chandlery of Samuel Lemen, where he remained a year, then was appointed canal-inspector. In 1836, he entered the grocery business for himself, on the corner of Superior street and the Public Square. Mar- shall's drug-store now occupies the site. In an old picture of the Square,
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1831
HILLS
Mr. Hills' store-sign is partially in view. By that time, the family were living close by his business, and at 17 Champlain street.
In the summer of 1823, Mr. and Mrs. Isaac Loomis came on from New York to visit their daughter.
"Their first impression was, 'What a delightful spot Cleveland is!' We took a walk over the village, and up to Ontario street and the Square, which was then thought to be a long walk from our home on St. Clair near Water street. My father on looking around saw that there was a tavern on the corner of Michigan street, kept by the late Judge Seth A. Abbey. He proposed our going in and having some refreshments, to which we consented. We had a pleasant interview with Mr. Abbey and his family. My father, who was a great lover of nature, took long ram- bles as far as Euclid creek, Newburgh, and the west side. One day after such a walk, as we sat at the supper-table, he looked up at me and said,
'Daughter, I want to congratulate you upon your choice of a home. Cleveland is destined to be a great city, and I hope you may live to see it.' "
This was in 1833, when the population was only 1500. Mrs. Hills was living when it had reached 170,000. After the death of his wife in 1886, Mr. Loomis spent part of his time with his daughter. He died at her home and was buried in Erie street cemetery.
Early in 1833, Mrs. Hills united with the First Baptist church then numbering but 16 members who met in the old Academy on St. Clair street, now Engine House No. 1, and thenceforth her life was interwoven with the history of that religious body. A few years later Mr. Hills fol- lowed her example, and also became identified with the church. At his death in 1890, he had been a member of it for half a century, and Mrs. Hills' saintly presence at church-services until 1898 rounded out 63 years of continuous attendance.
The golden wedding of the aged couple is the climax of romance. "Fifty years of life spent by two souls in fellowship of mutual love and mutual toil! how can these be measured or represented by any words ? Who can tell the story of the thoughts and emotions, the plans and aspi- rations, the hopes and the fears that illumined and shadowed those fifty years of wedded life and wedded love! of growth in knowledge and char- acter, in patience and charity, of service to each other, to children, and for the most part to God?"
And when that notable event in the lives of N. C. and Sabrina Hills was celebrated in 1880, not only were relatives happily interested, but the whole Baptist denomination of the city and scores of old friends out- side of that faith. The wedding festivities were held at the residence of their daughter Mrs. Joseph M. Brainard. The home was beautifully decorated with flowers and trailing vines. Suspended from the doors, windows, and chandeliers were festoons of smilax interwoven with roses and honeysuckle. The mantels were banked with moss and many-hued flowers.
A crescent of evergreens contained the names, "Hills-Loomis" and "1830-1880" with letters and figures in gold.
The Rev. Philip Maxon, at that time perhaps the most eloquent divine
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1831
CARLTON
in the city, made an address upon the occasion unexcelled in tender thought and beauty of expression.
It will be interesting to note how many pioneers were yet living in 1880 who were guests at the Hills' golden wedding:
John A. Foote.
Mrs. Silas Brainard.
John W. Allen.
Mr. and Mrs. Benjamin F. Rouse.
Mr. and Mrs. J. P. Bishop.
Mrs. Henry L. Sexton.
Mr. and Mrs. William T. Smith.
Mrs. Benjamin Strickland.
Mrs. Herrick Childs.
Mrs. William Day.
Mr. and Mrs. William Bingham.
Mr. and Mrs. O. A. Brooks.
Mrs. Dr. Joshua Mills.
Mr. and Mrs. George Welch.
Mr. and Mrs. Samuel H. Mather.
Judge and Mrs. J. D. Cleveland.
Mrs. Mary Long Severance.
Mrs. Henry Gaylord.
-
Mrs. Miller Spangler.
Mrs. William Lemen.
Mrs. George L. Chapman.
Mrs. Joseph K. Miller.
Mrs. Herman A. Hurlbut.
Mrs. Matilda Burnham.
Children of Nathan Cushman and Sabrina Loomis Hills :
Maria Laura Hills, b. 1831; m. George Brainard, son of Nathan Brainard.
William Darwin Hills, b. 1839; m. Laura Kelley, daughter of Irad Kelley.
Frances A. Hills, b. 1844; m. Henry Brainard, grandson of Nathan Brainard.
George Hills, b. 1846; died 23 years of age.
Mr. and Mrs. N. C. Hills lost three young children. The family burial-lot is in Lake View.
1831
CARLTON
For sixty consecutive years C. C. Carlton conducted a business on Superior street. Ie began in 1831, when, as a lad of nineteen years, he came to town to clerk for Thomas and Irad Kelley, merchants, and it ended in 1893, when, past fourscore years, he retired from active life.
Christopher C. Carleton was as much of an American by birth as any one could claim to be, both his father's and mother's ancestors having come from England on vessels that closely followed the Mayflower.
His grandfather, Caleb Carlton, Sr., served in the Connecticut troops in the revolutionary war and was at the battle of White Plains.
His great-grandfather, Richard Carleton, fought at Bunker Hill and was in the Connecticut line at Valley Forge, at Monmouth, and at Stony Point.
377
Henry Loomis Hills, b. 1834; m. Delephine Paulhamis.
Helen Cushman Hills, b. 1834; m. Joseph Brainard, son of Nathan Brainard.
Mrs. E. C. Rouse.
Mr. and Mrs. Caleb S. Butts.
Mr. and Mrs. William B. Castle.
Mrs. Philo Scovill.
1831
CARLTON
Caleb Carlton, Jr., his father, who was born in Toland county, Conn., removed with his family to Ohio in 1814, passing through Cleveland to settle in Mantua, Portage county. He was highly respected in that com- munity and at times filled several county offices, one of them that of county commissioner. He died in Mantua and his widow, Rhoda Carl- ton, finally came to Cleveland to live with her son. She was born in Wareham, Mass., in 1715, and was a direct descendant of Edward Bom- passe, who with Miles Standish and others founded the town of Dux- bury, Mass. The original pronunciation of the name was "Bump," which was revived in later years.
Mrs. Rhoda Bump Carlton, a grand type of New England womanhood enlarged and improved by pioneer life, was universally respected and beloved. The year of her arrival in Ohio, 1814, is sufficient to indicate the hardships, the toil, the self-sacrifices that, we are assured, she en- dured uncomplainingly.
As the Carltons were among the very first settlers of Portage county, the hospitality of their little log-cabin was often stretched to its limit in order to shelter and feed the later arrivals, who, exhausted, cold and sometimes nearly famished, were welcomed, comforted and heartened, until their own pioneer homes were erected. Many of the comforts of the early settlers and, in some cases, of their prosperity, were due to the sympathy and wise, cheerful counsel of Mrs. Carlton.
She was especially tender with orphan children, and many a forlorn little one found a home with "Aunt Rhoda," as she was affectionately termed by the whole community. Some years previous to her death she became blind. She was laid away in Erie street cemetery, when nearly 94 years of age. Her grave is near the eastern entrance.
Her son and only child, C. C. Carlton, was a refined gentleman in his social life and very successful in all his business undertakings. Within two years following his arrival in town as a clerk for Thomas and Irad Kelley, No. 1 Superior street, that firm became "C. C. Carlton & Co.," with Judge Thomas Kelley as the silent partner, Irad Kelley having retired, and a few years later Judge Kelley also withdrew. In the divi- sion of the firm's property, the latter's lot on the north side of Euclid Ave. was balanced by some farming land near Elyria, O., and cuts were drawn. The Judge drew the lot, upon which he built a fine Colonial residence. His brother Irad lived farther east on the same avenue.
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