USA > Ohio > Trumbull County > A twentieth century history of Trumbull County, Ohio; a narrative account of its historical progress, its people, and its principal interests, Vol. II > Part 45
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The issue by this marriage union was: Alfred W., of Bristol township; Sarah A., Mrs. E. Il. Wood, of Bristol township; John P., died June 14, 1904, aged forty-one years; William W., of this sketch; Homer D., of Cleveland, Ohio; Mines H., of Bristol; Dora A., Mrs. W. E. Hall, of the old home farm.
William W. spent his boyhood days on the homestead farm and was educated at the district school, No. 8 of Bristol township. He was mar- ried November 29, 1885, to Jennie Ford, born in Middlefield, Geauga county, Ohio, a daughter of Harvey and Susan (Whitcomb) Ford. He was born in Troy, Ohio, and the wife in Newburg, Ohio. The grand- parents were Amos and Elizabeth (Jones) Ford, of New York. After his marriage Mr. Messick took up his residence in Farmington township, on his father-in-law's farm, where he continued to farm five years. He then moved to a hundred-acre farm in Bloomfield township, where he farmed successfully for ten years, when he purchased a farm in that locality, where he lived until January 15, 1908, then rented his farms and leased the James Hotel, at Bristolville. He has conducted this hotel since then. It is the only first-class house within the place and as good as a town of its size affords within Ohio.
Mr. Messick is a member of the Methodist Episcopal church, and politically affiliates with the Democratic party. In fraternal relations, he is connected with the K. O. T. M. of Bristolville and the Odd Fellows Lodge at West Mecca. Mr. Messick has never been married. In all of his dealings with his fellow-countrymen he has proven himself worthy of the confidence of all.
ELMER E. TRAVIS, one of the substantial farmers of Bristol township, Trumbull county, was born October 22, 1869, in Bristol, Ohio. He is a son of Chauncey E. and Elizabeth (Barb) Travis, both natives of Trum- bull county. Chauncey E. Travis was born on the 6th of April, 1839, and died on the 7th of July, 1898, and his wife, Elizabeth, born February 14, 1839, died October 22, 1900. She was a daughter of Solomon and Susan (Spitler) Barb, both from Trumbull county. Solomon Barb died on the 30th of January, 1848, and his wife Susan, born June 10, 1817, died November 1, 1840. On the paternal side the grandparents of Elmer E. Travis were Samuel and Elizabeth (Orr) Travis. Samuel Travis was born February 13, 1801, in Saratoga county, New York, and died December 8, 1894. and Elizabeth (Orr) Travis, his wife, was born September 10, 1800, and died September 17, 1885.
Sylvanus Travis, father of Samuel, was born October 6, 1752, in England, but came to America before the Revolutionary war and was a captain in the army under George Washington. He married Mrs. Sarah (Baker) Smith, born in Holland November 3, 1753. They settled in the state of New York, on the Hudson river, and of their eight children Samuel was the youngest. On the 17th of November, 1821, he married
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Elizabeth Orr, from Rensselaer county, New York, but her father was born in Ireland and her mother in England.
Samuel and Elizabeth (Orr) Travis emigrated to Farmington, Ohio, in 1835, and thence to Bristol about 1844, where they purchased a small farm and lived until the spring of 1885. They then went to the home of their son, Chauncey, and spent the remainder of their lives there. Samuel Travis was by trade a shoemaker, and the family suffered many hardships during the pioneer days. He was one of the best shots on the Western Reserve and killed many a wild deer, wolf and wild turkey. Samuel and Elizabeth Travis had ten children, as follows: Sarah, Nicholas, Fanny, Seth, Isaiah, Smith, Sylvanus, Charles, Chauncey and Mary, all of whom are deceased with the exception of Nicholas, who lives in Minnesota, and Smith and Mary, both of Bristol, Trumbull county.
Chauncey E. Travis and Elizabeth Barb were married in Bloomfield township September 29, 1858. After their marriage they located in a log house in Bristol, and later on purchased a farm in Bristol township, where they spent the remainder of their lives. He was a prominent farmer and stock raiser. He gave his political support to the Republican party, and while serving as a soldier in the Civil war he was wounded in the hand. There were four children in their family: Rosie, who married Emmet Kincaid and has one child, Blanch E .; Charles M., who married Martha Kniffin, and their only child died in infancy; Sarah J., whose husband, Fred Abrams, died August 1, 1895, leaving a child, Lana E., born Decem- ber 17, 1894; and Elmer E.
Elmer E. Travis, the youngest of the children, attended the public schools of Bristol, and he remained at home until the death of his parents. He then purchased the interest of the other heirs, and has since carried on the work of the old homestead, his sister. Mrs. Abrams, and her daughter residing with him, as he has never married. In politics he is a firm sup- porter of the principles of the Republican party, and fraternally he is a member of the Knights of the Maccabees, Lodge No. 181, of Bristol.
The Travis family have been residents of Bristol township during three generations, and some of them have war records. Sylvanus was a captain in the Revolutionary war, Samuel served as a drummer boy in the war of 1812, and Chauncey was a soldier in the Civil war.
LOUIS ALBERT PATTENGELL, an owner of considerable excellent farming land, both in Trumbull and Ashtabula counties, Ohio, is a native of the place where he now lives, in Bristolville, Bristol township, Trumbull county, Ohio. He was born December 24, 1851, the son of Jacob and Laura Ann (Case) Pattengell. The father was born in New York and the mother in Simsbury, Connecticut. The grandparents were Hiram Patten- gell and Nathaniel Case. Both were natives of Connecticut.
Jacob Pattengell left home when fourteen years of age and went to Rochester, Pennsylvania. At the time he was without shoes or money. He worked at five dollars a month for one year, and saved fifty dollars and
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went into the fanning mill manufactury, at Rochester. In 1834 he went to making chain-pumps, which he followed for a few years, after which he went into the mercantile business and later he farmed. During and a few years after the great Civil war he was internal revenue assessor. He retired and died March 13, 1883. His wife died December 5, 1877. They were the parents of three children : Annie Maria (Mrs. Thomas S. Shep- hard), now a widow at Wooster, Ohio; Francis N., of Bristolville, and Lonis Albert of this notice.
Lonis Albert was educated at the public schools and at the Western Reserve Seminary, at Farmington, Ohio. After securing his education he looked after the home farm and bought and sold horses and cattle. Both he and his brother reside together in town and he owns several farms. includ- ing one hundred and fifty-five acres in Trumbull and thirty acres in Ashta- bula county. Politically, he is a supporter of the Republican party and has served his township as constable, treasurer and clerk at different times. In his fraternal relations he is identified with the Independent Order of Odd Fellows, belonging to West Mecca Lodge No. 707, and has advanced to the Encampment degree.
Mr. Pattengell is among the honorable citizens of his township and has performed his part in the carrying on of the local government. He is umarried.
SAMUEL K. ILINE, manager of the Girard Iron Company, Trumbull county, is one of the acknowledged experts of the middle west in the scien- tifie manufacture of iron. He has reached this position both by virtue of his thorough technical education and his practical experience of sixteen years in connection with various metal manufactories of Ohio. Born August 4. 1867, at Poland, Ohio, he is a son of Samuel and Emma Caroline ( Kirtland) Hine. His father was an active merchant of Hubbard until 1864, when he retired from business and lived at Poland, Ohio, until his death in 1893.
Samuel K. Hine received his preparatory education at Poland Union Seminary, after which he pursued a full course at the famous Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute, of Troy, New York. While pursuing his studies at this institution he became a member of the Troy Citizens' Corps and was called upon to do guard duty at Buffalo during the railroad strike of 1892. He was graduated from this institution in 1892 and in the September following he was appointed assistant engineer of the Falcon Tin Mill, at Niles, Ohio, and after performing the duties of this position for about two months accepted the more responsible position of chemist for the Mahoning Valley Iron Company, of Youngstown, Ohio. In February, 1893, he was appointed chemist of the Salem Iron Works, of Leetonia, this state, and thus continued until January, 1895. In the following month he removed to Youngstown, Ohio, to assume his duties as assistant chemist of the Ohio Steel Company. In the following month he became connected with the Girard Iron Company as its expert chemist, and after remaining
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identified with this corporation for six years he established an office at Cleveland, Ohio, and for several months was engaged in that city as a general consulting chemist. In June, 1903, he was appointed superin- tendent of the Girard (Ohio) Iron Company and was promoted to its management in May of the following year, in which position he has become widely known for his ability and practical scientific attainments in connec- tion with the manufacture of iron.
In his fraternal relations Mr. Hine is a member of the Niles lodge, B. P. O. E., and the Mahoning Lodge, A. F. & A. M., at the same place.
RAYMOND GILSON SYKES, for many years one of the leading residents of Niles, Ohio, has been a progressive Chicagoan for more than a decade, identified with the vast building interests of that city. For more than thirty years his specialty has been iron and steel roofing, and as the age of wooden buildings is of the past, he may congratulate himself on having been one of the strong agents which has made possible the more secure and substantial structures of the present. Mr. Sykes, who has been known for eighteen years in Chicago as the energetic president of the Sykes Steel Roofing Company, was born at Canfield, Ohio, April 29, 1849, son of Saxton (first recorder of Mahoning county) and Rachel (Gilson) Sykes. He attended the Mahoning Academy of that place until he was fifteen years of age, when he left school to learn the tinner's trade. The ten years of his apprenticeship and work at that trade drew Mr. Sykes' attention to the imperfections of the prevailing roofing methods, and in 1875 he patented a durable and non-cumbersome roofing made of iron or steel.
In the meantime Mr. Sykes had established a tin, stove and hardware store at Niles, which profits enabled him to establish and develop his roofing business. The latter soon commenced to overshadow the former in importance, and in 1877 he sold his store and commenced to give his entire time and abilities to the work of manufacturing his invention and educating the public use of same. The manufacturing enterprise was incorporated as the Sykes Metal Lath & Roofing Company, of which he has remained president, and which is now both the oldest and one of the largest concerns of the kind in the United States. In 1890 Mr. Sykes established a branch in Chicago, calling it the Sykes Steel Roofing Company, and of this he is still president and the strongest promoter. He was also one of the organizers of the Bostwick Steel Lath Company, the First National Bank and the Niles Boiler Company, but relinquished all his interests in these enterprises upon his removal to Chicago in 1897, when Mr. Sykes purchased the business and plant of the Corning Steel Company of Chicago, but two years later disposed of them to the American Sheet Steel Company, and now gives his sole attention to the large affairs of the company which bears his name. In 1906 he promoted his Patent Lath in all foreign countries, which is a growing business today.
On May 30, 1871, Mr. Sykes married Miss Clara Inse, daughter of Warren and Hannah (Bowell) Luse, Hannah Bowell being born in the
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first frame house built in Howland Township, located on the old state road, their children being Jessie B. (now Mrs. O. D. Beardsley), Aubrey Luse and Roy Raymond Sykes. Mr. Sykes is a member of the Chicago Athletic Association, the Colonial and South Shore Country clubs, also member of the Art Institute of Chicago. Mr. Sykes is a 32nd degree Mason, belonging to Mahoning Lodge, Niles, Ohio; Mahoning Chapter, Warren Council and Warren Commandery, Warren, Ohio; Lake Erie Con- sistory, Al Koran Temple and Cleveland Travelers' Association, Cleveland, Ohio; charter member of the Royal Arcanum and Elks Lodge, Niles, Ohio, and member of the National Red Cross.
HENRY O. SHELDON, the widely known farmer of Fowler township, Trumbull county, is the representative of an old New England family which, for more than a century, has accomplished much in the development of this section of the Western Reserve. He himself was born at Fowler, on the 5th of December, 1837, and is a son of Jonathan and Pattie (Shipman) Sheldon, the father being a native of Tolland, Massachusetts, and the mother of the state of Connecticut. The grandparents were Jonathan and Priscilla (Manchester) Sheldon, the former being for several years of his early manhood a cooper on a whaling ship, but later became known as an earnest Methodist preacher. In 1805 the grandfather of Henry O. Sheldon traded eighty acres of Connecticut land for seven hundred acres of timber land in the wilderness of Fowler township. At that time there were but four acres in this section of Trumbull county which had been cleared of its forest growth, but Grandfather Sheldon had come to make a home for his family in a country which was wild, but which could be tamed and made into rich farms and a splendid inheritance for his sons and daughters. His wife and children nobly assisted and supported him in these endeavors, and in his later years he gave his son Jonathan two hundred and eighty-five acres of the homestead, in return for the care of himself and faithful mate during the remainder of their lives. The grandfather and founder of the family fortunes in Trumbull county died in 1835, at the age of eighty-three, thirty years of his life having been spent on the old homestead. Jonathan, the father, continued the good work of cultivation and improvement, resid- ing for some years in the original log house, but afterward erecting a resi- dence more in keeping with his comfortable circumstances. He was an active Democrat and, as the country settled around him, was often called to participate in the conduct of various local offices. His death occurred in 1871, at the age of seventy-three years, his wife passing hence on November 4, 1883. There were twelve children in their family.
Mr. Sheldon was the fourth born of six sons and six daughters, and resided with his parents until he reached his majority. He then was em- ployed for a number of years as a farm hand and a laborer in saw mills and pump factories. After his marriage in 1868 to Orpha E. Smith, the daughter of Isaac Smith, of Fowler, he resided for two years at Fowler Center, and then located on a farm of fifty-four acres which he received
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from his father. At the time there were only two acres of the land under the plow, but he cleared off the timber and placed all but twenty-five acres under thorough cultivation. In 1883 he also added fifty acres to his home- stead, which is now a productive and attractive piece of property. Mr. Sheldon is a Democrat, but has never sought office, being content to be a private citizen and a good husband to an honorable and faithful wife. Although there are no children of his own in the household, he has reared and educated a niece (Mary, his brother's daughter) since she was seven years of age, and on November 20, 1907, saw her happily married to Perry Dilley. This foster daughter now resides in Bazetta township, this county. Mrs. Sheldon's father came to Fowler township in 1832; he was cabinetmaker and undertaker from then until about three years before he died, in 1903: he served for twelve years as postmaster of Fowler, for a like period as treasurer of the township, and was highly esteemed for his substantial and moral traits of character.
CYRUS L. NORTHI, for many years a well known joiner and saw mill operator of Braceville. Trumbull county, was a native of Braceville and always resided in this locality. He was a son of William and Cynthia (Merrill) North, natives respectively of Barkhamsted and New Hartford, Connecticut. The grandparents on both sides of the family were also natives of that state, the mother of Cyrus coming to this township several years before her marriage in company with Fowler Merwin. The father, who located in Braceville township in 1819, was a carpenter, a bridge builder and a general mechanic. From the profits of his skill he collected a small sum of money which he invested in land on Eagle Creek, but in after years worked at his trade exclusively. His marriage to Cynthia Mer- rill occurred January 31, 1821. The husband died, October 10, 1889, reaching his ninetieth year only ten days previously. His wife had pre- ceded him nearly ten years, passing away December 8, 1879. There were four children in their family, of whom Cyrus L. was the third.
Cyrus L. North resided with his parents until their death, learning the joiners' trade and following that avocation as well as running saw mills for many years. On September 15, 1861. he enlisted in Company G, Nine- teenth Ohio Volunteer Infantry, under Captain F. E. Stowe. He served as sergeant of his company and was discharged for disability at Columbus. Ohio, on the 8th of November, 1862. After recuperating he re-enlisted in Company G, Second Regiment, Ohio Heavy Artillery, and served in that branch of the service from August 24, 1863, to Angust 23, 1865. or two years. He then returned to his home, continuing his business as a saw mill operator.
On November 1, 1870, Mr. North married Miss Frances L. Forman, born in Greene township, November 19, 1847, a daughter of Samuel and Mary W. (Higley) Forman. Her father was born in Freehold, Monmouth county, New Jersey, March 18. 1294, and died in Braceville, Ohio, April 29, 1875, while the mother, who was a native of Augusta, Oneida county,
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New York, was born September 18, 1816, and died May 3, 1887. There were four children in the family born to the second wife of Mr. Forman, of whom Mrs. North was the eldest. The other members of her family were: Catherine E., Mrs. S. Gorton, who died March 10, 1900; Emma O., Mrs. Newton B. Allen, born April 4, 1854, and a resident of Braceville township; and Charles E., born June 27, 1857, and died April 5, 1882.
Mrs. Cyrus L. North was a school teacher in early life and became well known in that capacity in Trumbull county. On January 1, 1896, she was appointed postmaster of Braceville, but resigned April 14, 1903. She is an active member of the Christian church, having served as clerk for many years and been a teacher in the Sunday-school for over a quarter of a cen- tury. The children born into her household were: Jessie M. and Grace C. (twins), born May 19, 1875, the former dying February 11, 1892, and the latter March 19, 1903, being at the time the wife of Ward E. Lane, of Braceville township; Mrs. Lanc had one child, Jessie MI., born December 27, 1894, who now lives with Mrs. Cyrus L. North. Mr. North departed this life October 2, 1901. During his life he was an active member of the Masonic fraternity, belonging to the Erie lodge of Warren, Ohio.
HOBERT L. TAFT, a well known farmer of Braceville township, Trum- bull county, and a veteran of the Civil war, represents one of the oldest families of Trumbull county. The homestead which he now occupies was purchased by Cumfort Stowe, of the famous Connecticut Land Company, which led so many colonists in the early part of the nineteenth century to the territory northwest of the Ohio river. Mr. Taft is a native, himself, of Braceville township, born May 5, 1841, son of Frederick L. and Elvira L. (Rood) Taft, the father being a native of this township, born August 28, 1811, and dying April 28, 1869. The mother was a native of Connecticut, born October 5, 1815, and died December 29, 1892. The grandparents, Aurin and Lucy Ann (Stowe) Taft, were also New Englanders, the grand- father being a native of Berkshire county, Massachusetts, and the grand- mother was a daughter of Cumfort Stowe, who purchased a tract of land from the Connecticut Land Company, the original farm embracing the homestead of Hobert L. Taft. Aurin Taft, the grandfather, appears to have been of rather a roving disposition, not inclined to collect land. But, though most of his time a farmer, he peddled clocks around the country. The father, however, purchased eighty acres of land from Heman Rood, which has partly been placed under cultivation, but which he afterward improved and transformed into a comfortable homestead. After his deatlı his widow resided with her son, Newton A., at Braceville Center and made his home her own until death called her away.
There were one hundred and sixty acres of land in the home place which was purchased in March, 1864, by Frederick L. Taft and his two sons, Hobert and Newton. Frederick L. Taft died April 28, 1869. In 1884 the latter purchased his brother's interest and with land which he already owned his estate then amounted to two hundred and twenty-four
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acres. Since that time he has led the life of an intelligent, progressive and successful farmer and a public-spirited citizen. He is a firm Republican and has served eight years as township trustee and one year as justice of the peace. It should also be stated that Mr. Taft served faithfully in the Civil war for nearly two years, enlisting in September, 1861, in Company G, Nineteenth Ohio Infantry, and serving until March 18, 1863, in the active campaigns of the army of the Cumberland. On the latter date he was discharged on account of disability at Louisville, Kentucky.
Mr. Taft married, September 20, 1864, Miss Mary E. Spaulding, a native of Palmyra, Portage county, Ohio, daughter of Amos Phelps and Annis ( Huxley) Spaulding of Massachusetts. Mrs. Taft was born June 9, 1837, and died February 26, 1906. The children of Mr. and Mrs. Hobert L. Taft are as follows : Robert E., a practicing physician of Cleveland, Ohio; Adella, who died at the age of nine months; Florence, who is her father's housekeeper ; and Jessie E., now Mrs. J. M. Smith, of Philadelphia, Penn- sylvania.
EDWARD L. KIBBEE has been recognized for many years as one of the most successful farmers and business men of Bristolville, this county, as well as among its most active and useful citizens. He is a native of Bristol, Ohio, born April 4, 1843, son of Edward H. and Harriett N. (Ballard) Kibbee. The father was a Connecticut man born at Tolland, while the mother was a native of Bloomfield, Ohio. The paternal grandparents, Lyman S. and Lydia (Howlet) Kibbee, were both natives of New Haven, Connecticut, and Orin and Margaret (Hillman) Ballard, the maternal grandparents, were natives of Gill, Massachusetts. Lyman S. Kibbee, the paternal grandfather, was one of the first settlers of Bristol township, coming hither with his parents in 1833. The grandfather bought a farm in the timber country, and making a small clearing, erected a hotel thereon which he conducted for five years. He then sold his property and removed to Warren, where he engaged in the mercantile business with Henry and Charles Smith, dying at this place about 1853. His wife fol- lowed him about 1870. The parents of Edward L. were married in Bristol- ville, at which point Mrs. Kibbee's parents settled in 1825, afterward removing to Lima, Ohio, where they both died in 1868.
Edward L. Kibbee was the eldest of six children and resided with his parents until he was twenty-one years of age, assisting in the farm work, when he left home and became a traveling salesman, in which capacity he continued for twelve years. Returning to Bristol township, he engaged both in farming and the lumber business, forming a partnership in the latter with J. E. McBride. In 1903 Mr. McBride died and Mr. Kibbee has since conducted the business alone. On January 1, 1904, with C. A. Hyde, he also purchased the interest of C. S. Osborn and together they continue the general merchandise business, merchandising having been Mr. Kibbee's principal business through life.
Mr. Kibbee's broad business interests are worthily supplemented by his
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useful and broad public service, he having filled nearly all the township offices at various periods of his career. He is also very prominent in the work of the Methodist church, having been trustee of the local church for twenty years, treasurer for twelve years, and at the present time is steward of the church. In the fraternities he is a member of the I. O. O. F. of Mecca, Ohio, and the Encampment of Warren, Ohio. Ile is also a member of the Masonic lodge of Warren, Ohio, being identified with the Warren Commandery, Knights Templar. Mr. Kibbee was married October 3, 1873, to Miss Mary Collar, daughter of Russell and Harriett ( Mell) Collar, both natives of Canfield, Ohio. Their son, Edward Karl, was born September 16, 1845, and assists his father in his business.
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