USA > Ohio > Erie County > A standard history of Erie County, Ohio: an authentic narrative of the past, with particular attention to the modern era in the commercial, industrial, civic, and social development. A chronicle of the people, with family lineage and memoirs > Part 60
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While he has spent most of his life in Erie County, Claude H. Collingwood was born in Townsend Township of Huron County, June 22, 1882. When four years of age he was brought to Florence Town- ship by his parents, Henry B. and Amy S. (Carley) Collingwood, who were both natives of Erie County and are now living in Florence Town- ship, his father at the age of fifty-four and his mother at fifty-five. He is a machinist by trade and comes of old English aneestry. The par- ents are members of the Methodist Episcopal Church.
The only child of his parents, Claude H. Collingwood grew up in the rural environment of Florence Township, and soon after reaching manhood was married to Miss Bertha A. Young. She was born in Brighton Township in Lorain County thirty-three years ago, and when still a child was brought into Florence Township, where her parents bought twenty acres at Masons Corners on Chappell Creek, which stream furnishes drainage for the farm. Her parents spent the rest of their lives there. Mrs. Collingwood's father was the late Willard Young, who died in 1905 at the age of sixty. He was born in Ohio, a son of John Young, who was twiee married and died when past ninety at Wellington. Ohio, having been the father of ten children by his first wife and one by the second marriage, all but one of them now deceased. Willard Young married Emily Jarrett, who was born in England, and was a sister of the late Richard Jarrett, mentioned on other pages. Mrs. Young came in childhood from England with her parents, and grew up and received her education in Ohio and was a most devoted wife and mother until the time of her death on May 22, 1889. She was reared in the faith of the Episcopal Church. Willard Young and wife had two daughters: Mrs. Collingwood and her sister, Amy S., who is still un- married and lives on the old homestead which she and her sister, Bertha, inherited from their father.
Mr. Collingwood is now oeenpying and direeting the operations of a good farm of twenty-five acres. He has four aeres in fruit, largely peaches. has a large red barn with white trimmings standing on a foundation 30x40 feet, and nearby is a thirty-ton silo. The farm house comprises nine rooms, and while his land and orchard return him good profits under his management, he also has the facilities and conveniences
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for comfortable living. Mr. and Mrs. Collingwood have two children : Bradley Y., born in 1905 and is now in the fifth grade of the public schools ; and Amy Norene, who was born in 1908 and is also in school. Mr. and Mrs. Collingwood are members of Florence Grange No. 1844, Patrons of Husbandry, and Mrs. Collingwood is past Pomona of that grange. In polities he is a republican, and both are well known and popular in local social circles.
EDWARD R. HILTON. As a practical lumberman and lumber sales- man there is no business man in Erie County more proficient than Edward R. Hilton of Huron. When he was a boy he acquired a prac- tical experience in the lumber woods of Michigan, and graduated from the work of a logger and sawmill operator into the ranks of a eom- mercial salesman. At the present time Mr. Hilton is the commercial representative with headquarters at Huron but covering the general trade of northern Ohio for three large southern lumber companies. These are the Crossett Lumber Company of Crossett, Arkansas: the Enoch Bros. Lumber Company of Fernwood, Mississippi; and the Rud dick Orleans Cypress Company of New Orleans. These companies are among the largest in their respective lines in the South. The Cypress Company handle cypress Inmber exclusively, while the Crossett people are manufacturers and dealers in short-leaf yellow pine, and the Enoch Bros. handle both long and short-leaf pine lumber. Mr. Hilton's trade territory as representative of these companies also extends to the City of Detroit as well as northern Ohio. He has been with the Roddick firm for fifteen years, with the Crossett nine years, and with Enoch Bros., two years.
Mr. Hilton has twenty-five years of active and consecutive experience in the selling end of the lumber industry, and all in Ohio with the excep- tion of two years in the New England states. In Ohio he first rep- resented some Michigan firms, first being engaged in selling the output of the Henry Stephens Company of St. IFelen, Roscommon County, Mich- igan, and two years later going into the employ of J. W. Howrey of Saginaw, whose mills are in Ontario. Subsequently he was for eight years Ohio representative of the Stearns Salt & Lumber Company of Ludington, Michigan. Since leaving this Michigan firm he has been commercial representative for one or more of the southern companies already mentioned. Mr. IFilton disposes of lumber to the aggregate of between fifteen and twenty million feet each year, and sells only in carload lots.
Mr. Hilton moved to Huron sixteen years ago, and has always lived on Center Street in that village and in 1905 constructed a comfortable and attractive residence, eight rooms and equipped with all the modern conveniences and facilities. During the first two years of his resi- dence in Huron Mr. Hilton was a general representative for the Robin- son Lumber Company of Huron. Edward R. Hilton was born and reared in Detroit, Michigan, and is still in the prime of life, being about forty-seven years of age. At the age of fifteen he left sehool and had his first experience in some of the Detroit lumber yards. At eighteen he went to the mills, and practically grew up in the lumber region of Michigan. ITe learned all the details of the business from the logging of the timber to the manufacture and distribution of the finished prod- net, and this experience and practical knowledge of lumber, together with his aggressive energy as a salesman have counted as the most im- portant factors in his success.
Mr. Hilton comes of English and Holland aneestry. A number of generations baek the family name was Van Ililton, but the first part of that name was dropped during the English residenee. His grandfather,
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Thomas Hilton, was an Englishman by birth, and emigrated from that country to Hamilton, Ontario, living there a number of years. At Hamilton, Ontario, was born Henry Hilton in 1838. He grew up in Canada, and married Harriet Holden, who was born in Bradford, Canada. IIer father, Jeremiah Holden, was born at Brattleboro, Ver- mont, and in 1835, married a North Irish girl named Julia O'Conner. Henry Hilton and wife removed from Canada to Detroit, and in that city the father of Henry died at the age of ninety-three. Henry Hilton died at the age of fifty-eight. Ile was a carriage trimmer. His wife died in Detroit in 1913. The family in later generations were members of the Methodist Church.
Edward R. Hilton, who was one of six sons and one daughter, and the only member of the family living in Ohio, married at Huron Miss Mary Halladay, who was born near IIuron on her father's farm in 1875, and is a graduate of the Huron High School. Mention of the Halladay family will be found on other pages. Mr. and Mrs. Ililton have two children: Ruth E., who graduated from the Huron High School in 1915 and while in school took an active part in athletics, being a mem- ber of the basketball team, and Edward R., Ir., attending the grade schools. Mr. and Mrs. Hilton are members of the Episcopal Church and he is a vestryman. He is treasurer of Marks Lodge No. 359, F. & A. M., at Huron ; of Milan Chapter, R. A. M. ; Erie Commandery, K. L., of Sandusky, Ohio; and Toledo Consistory, thirty-second degree. Polit- ically he is a republican in national affairs.
GEORGE I. IIAISE. Including the son of George I. Haise, now active manager of the fine home farm, there have been four successive genera- tions of this family to contribute to the material advancement of Erie County and Florence Township, particularly to the agricultural inter- ests of this community. Those bearing the name have always been accounted men of industry, initiative and energy, doing whatever they have found to do in an intelligent and thoroughly capable manner, and the members of the younger generation are as noteworthy in these re- spects as those who found Erie County a wilderness when they first came here.
The Haise family has been identified with Erie County since 1828, and while a number of families have lived here for a longer time, there have been none who have exemplified more thrift and more of the hon- est virtues of good citizenship. The first of the name to come into this section of northern Ohio was John Haise, the grandfather of George I. Haise. John Haise was brought up an orphan boy by a Connecticut farmer, and acquired the habit and practice of spelling his name Haise instead of Hayes as is the usual custom. He had some difficulty with his foster father in Connecticut, and ran away, going to New York State, and among his early experiences there was engaged in rafting lumber down the Hudson River, and also for some time conducted a hotel in New York State. In 1828 he ventured into the western wilds of Ohio, making the trip up the Hudson River, through the Erie Canal to Buffalo and thence by lake to Sandusky, and finally arrived in Florence Township. While in Cuyahoga County he met and married Miss Hannah Gates, who was his capable helpmate and loyal wife dur- ing the rest of her years. After coming to Florence Township John IFaise purchased 168 acres through Mr. Wakeman, the agent for the old Conneetient fire lands. This tract was nearly all wild, though it had a rude log house and a clearing of a few acres, representing the im- provements of the first owner, Lemuel Blackman, who had lived there since prior to the War of 1812. Thus has been sketched briefly the facts which would be contained in an abstract of title to land now
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owned by George I. Haise who lives on the homestead which his father acquired as his portion from the estate of his father, John Haise, who in turn secured it in its raw condition from Blackman, the original settler. whose title came direct from the government. After purchas- ing this land John Haise lived to see many remarkable improvements not only in his own farm but in the country around him. He replaced the old log house with a more substantial structure of the same material, and subsequently erected a frame house. Before his death he divided most of the farm into tracts which he gave his children, retaining only a small homestead of fourteen acres, where he and his wife lived in comfort the rest of their days. He died in 1861 at the age of eighty, while she passed away in June, 1874, aged eighty-four. She was one of the early members of the Presbyterian Church at Florenee. John Ilaise by his character and activities won the confidence and esteem of a large community, and deserves a lasting memory by the descendants of the early pioneers of Erie County. One of the prominent traits of his character was his trustfulness, and many times he loaned money to poor and needy men taking only their word of honor for repay- ment, and it is said that he never lost a cent by these transactions, a fact which proves that he possessed an excellent judgment of men. Of the children of John Haise and wife a brief record is given of the fol- lowing: Sallie, who married Jacob Shoff, both deceased; Edwin, who spent his life on a portion of his father's old homestead, married Ann Klady, and left two sons and two daughters; Polly married Henry Trauger, and they moved from Ohio to Indiana, and one died in Mich- igan and the other in Erie County, leaving two sons and one daugh- ter; Abigail married Harwin Andress, and they and their two sons and two daughters are all deceased; Daniel E. is next in age and is men- tioned below; Angeline married John Mason, and at their death they left children. Daniel E. Haise, father of George I., was, like the other children, born in New York State, his birth occurring near Mount Morris, March 9, 1825. He was less than four years of age when his parents came out to Erie County, and he succeeded to the ownership of a portion of the old homestead in Florence Township already de- seribed. He was thrifty, a good business man, and a capable farmer, and added to his possessions until at the time of his death in 1903 he owned 111 acres. He was a republican in politics and stood high in the community. He was married in Florence Township to Louise Roland. She was born in the State of Conneetient in May, 1825, and was quite young when she was brought to Florence Township in Erie County. Her parents, Sylvester and Fannie (Chapman) Roland. on coming to Erie County bought land adjoining the Haise farm. They were both natives of Connecticut and spent the rest of their lives on the old home in Florence Township, where they died when about eighty years of age. Sylvester Roland was a carpenter by trade, and one of the interesting possessions of George I. Haise is an old hand made square which his grandfather Roland employed in his trade for a number of years. The Rolands were active members of the Presbyterian Church, and grandfather Roland was a republican and a strong abolitionist and was active in condneting the underground railroad in the ante-bellum days, assisting many a fugitive slave to safety across the Canadian border. Mrs. Louise Haise died at her home in Florence Township in 1877. She was a woman of whom it could be said that she looked well after the ways of her household, was devout in her religious per- formance, and attended the Presbyterian Church. She was one of a family of one son and three daughters, all of them now deceased. Her own children were two: George I. and John. The latter, who was born July 14, 1851, and died November 7, 1897, married Mary Baker, who is
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now married again and living in Russell County, Kansas, but has no children by either marriage.
George I. Haise, who introduces the third generation of the fam- ily in Erie County, was born April 27, 1850, near the old farm in Flor- ence Township which he now owns. He grew up and received his educa- tion largely in Erie County and one of his instructors was the noted Job Fish, who figured so prominently in local educational affairs. He also attended a special course in Oberlin College, where he took mnathe- matics and engineering, and since early manhood has proved himself a capable and successful farmer. In addition to the land which he acquired from the old family estate, he has bought more, and now owns 298 aeres. It is fine land, well improved, well stocked, and has excellent house and farm buildings. In later years he has turned over its active management to his capable son, and is now in a position to enjoy life somewhat at leisure.
In their native township George I. Haise and Miss Belle Spore were married, and she was born May 4, 1853, three years after her husband. She received a good education in the local public schools and in the Nor- walk High School and for several years before her marriage was a teacher in Fort Wayne, Indiana. Mr. and Mrs. Haise properly take pride in their family of children. Louise, the oldest, was educated in the local public schools, was trained as a nurse at Tewksbury, Massa- chusetts, and for her first husband married Dr. Thomas MeKee, who died leaving her one daughter, Mary B. She is now the wife of Rev. E. B. Sikes, who is a graduate in theology from Oberlin and is now pastor of the Congregational Church at Demarest, Georgia, and they have a daughter named Ruth. Winifred B., the second daughter, was for some years an active member of that noted organization known as the Cleveland Ladies Orchestra, with which she traveled over the United States, and later for one year was with the Chicago Ladies Orehestra. She is a talented musician, and a performer on the bass viol and also a cornetist. She is now the wife of Charles English, who has charge of a park at Pullman, a suburb of Chicago. Warren D., the only son, was graduated from the Florence High School, spent three years in Oberlin College, and one year in the Ohio State University at Columbus, and having completed his education has proved a skillful and enterprising farmer and is now looking after the management of the land which his great-grandfather acquired nearly ninety years ago.
Mr. and Mrs. George Haise are members of the Congregational Church at Florenee. Ile has long been an active figure in public af- fairs both in his home township and in the county. For twelve years he was president of the board of education, and has done a great deal to maintain high standards in the local schools and has shown almost equal interest in the improvement of the roads and in every commu- nity betterment. He also served the county as one of the commissioners from 1902 to 1905, a term of three years.
JOHN BARR BUTLER. This is a name bespeaking a large family relationship with pioneer settlers in Erie County. The Butlers had their share in pioneer things, with agriculture as their chief vocation, and an examination of the records show them to have been stanch de- fenders of their country, upholders of morality and religion, and peo- ple of the finest qualities of neighborliness and usefulness.
The fine Berlin Township farm of John B. Butler is located just west of the old George Butler place where he was born July 22, 1845. His grandparents were David and Abigail (Barr) Butler, who came from Delaware. David was a soldier in the War of 1812 and a few years after its close brought his family out to Ohio and located on a
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tract of the fire lands in Erie County. His location was on the line be- tween Berlin and Milan townships. He and his wife endured the privations associated with a log cabin home, surrounded by a wilderness of forest and marsh, and in the course of time he was able to substitute a frame house for the old log cabin and he spent many years in useful labor and citizenship in this section. llis wife died in Milan, Ohio, while David passed away at the home of his son George on the old state road in Milan Township when more than eighty years of age. lle was a member of the Episcopal Church, and in politics affiliated with the democratie party. Of the nine children of David and Abigail all grew to adult age except two, and most of them married and all are now deceased.
George Butler, the oldest son of David, was still a boy when the family came to Erie County and had the practical training of those who grew up in pioneer surroundings. Ile was a farmer of more than ordinary enterprise, and one monument to his endeavors is the farm of 100 acres still known as the George Butler place, which he had bought and partly developed before his marriage. George Butler married Lydia Monroe, who came from Massachusetts, and was a daughter of Joel Monroe, who was born in Connecticut and died in Milan Township of Erie County. Another daughter of Joel Monroe was the mother of Hudson Tuttle, who became one of the best known of Ohio authors and scholars and left a large number of works covering the field of philosophy and religion. After his marriage George Butler continued the improvement and development of his new farm, which he had found largely an area of stumps, and in time bought another place situated on the old state road, and while living there he passed away October 20, 1889, at the age of eighty-one years, five months, seventeen days. He had survived his wife a number of years, but she was nearly seventy years old when death came to her. Both were active members of the Methodist Episcopal Church, and he was one of the original republicans of the county and had served in township offices. A few faets concern- ing the children of George Butler and wife are given here. Mary J. married William Squires and both died on their farm in Erie County. Oliver Henry died in Kentucky after his marriage and left a daughter, now married. Squire A. was a farmer and died at Fitchville, Ohio, leaving one daughter. Marinda J. died young. Elisha was a Berlin Township farmer and at his death left two children. Susanna married George Jenkins, and lived on the farm on the State Road until her death, being survived by nine children. The next in age is John Barr Butler. George W. died at Ann Arbor, Michigan, as a result of mushroom poisoning, and left one son. William died in infancy.
John Barr Butler grew up on the old homestead and secured his education from the public schools of two townships. After his mar- riage he located just aeross from his father's old home, later lived on the old David Butler estate that belonged to his grandfather on the state road near the township line and not far from the Quaker Church. That was his home until 1901, in which year he bought the old Sprague farm of 104 aeres close to his birthplace. Subsequently he acquired sixty- seven acres, a part of the Theodore farm, and now lives in the attractive old stone house built adjoining his father's home when he was a small boy. Mr. Butler has shown much proficiency as a farmer and stock man and in general business affairs. He and his wife have succeeded unusually well in the important task of home making. For more than forty years, sinee early manhood in faet, Mr. Butler has been a grain thresherman and his experience covers almost the entire evolution of threshing machinery, beginning with the simple cylinder, propelled by horse power, while his latest outfit comprises steam power and an
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apparatus which performs almost every function of grain threshing with a minimum of human aid. As a farmer he grows all kinds of grain, fruits and vegetables. He keeps fifteen head of high grade horses, and has a stable of four stallions at service. One of these is an imported Percheron, two of them are registered, and two are of mixed breed. One of them is a Belgian draft horse. These operations indicate that he has shown a great deal of progressiveness in all his career, and is a man who has well deserved the respect of the community. In politics he is a republican, and he and his wife were formerly members of the Friends Church.
Mr. Butler was married in Iluron County, Ohio, to Miss Cornelia Cunningham, who was born in Norwalk Township, July 21, 1853, and was reared and received her education at East Norwalk. Her parents were Ward and Ann ( Wagoner) Cunningham. They were industrious people who started life after their marriage with very limited resources and in time enjoyed a substantial property in Huron County, where her father died at the age of eighty and her mother at seventy. IIer father was a republican and his memory is honored as one of the old soldiers of the Civil war. IIe enlisted in a company raised in Huron County and fought from the beginning to the end of the struggle. At the battle of Gettysburg he was wounded, a rebel bullet passing in at his wrist and coming out at his elbow. Mr. Butler, it should be noted in passing, had four brothers, Oliver, Squire, Elisha and George W., who were likewise soldiers in the Civil war. Squire was sergeant of his company, was slightly wounded in one battle and spent a short time of confinement in the notorious Libby Prison. All the others returned home unhurt.
Three children have been born to Mr. and Mrs. Butler. Elmer J., born June 4, 1882, is now a carpenter at Berlin Heights, and by his marriage to Eliza Kauffman has living children named George, Donald and Karl. Berta May, born June 20, 1884, is the wife of a Norwalk farmer, Elmer Reding, and their children are Leona, Mildred, Lucile and Alberta. Clara Belle, born Mareh 3, 1885, is the wife of Watt Newkirk, who is employed as a cutter in the Regalia factory at New London, Ohio.
CHARLES COULTRIP. It is usually the case that the greatest obstacles in the path to sueeess are eneonntered at the beginning, and such was the experience of Charles Coultrip, now one of the prosperous citizens and home owners in Florence Township. Mr. Coultrip became self sup- porting at the beginning of his teens, and so far as he can reeall has never had a dollar given to him, but has earned every portion of his generous sueeess.
Born in Huron Township of Erie County, March 27, 1854, he is a son of English parents, James and Sophia (Fuliger) Coultrip. They were born in the neighborhood of the old cathedral city of Canterbury, England, where their respective parents lived and died, and all were faithful members of the Episcopal Church. James Coultrip grew up as a shepherd and sheep shearer. In this vocation he was exceptionally skillful and won a great many prizes as a sheep shearer in contest at English fairs and also in America. He was known as one of the best authorities in the care and handling of sheep and in their shearing in Erie County, and his last work in life when quite an old man was to shear sheep. He knew all the methods of treating sheep for their diseases, and this knowledge also extended to other live stoek, and though not a veterinary he was frequently called upon to help out his neighbors who had siek stoek. His early life was spent as a shepherd in England and later in Erie County he gave most of his attention to
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