Biographical history of northeastern Ohio : embracing the counties of Ashtabula, Geauga and Lake, Part 120

Author: Lewis Publishing Company. cn
Publication date: 1893
Publisher: Chicago : Lewis Pub. Co.
Number of Pages: 1094

USA > Ohio > Ashtabula County > Biographical history of northeastern Ohio : embracing the counties of Ashtabula, Geauga and Lake > Part 120
USA > Ohio > Geauga County > Biographical history of northeastern Ohio : embracing the counties of Ashtabula, Geauga and Lake > Part 120
USA > Ohio > Lake County > Biographical history of northeastern Ohio : embracing the counties of Ashtabula, Geauga and Lake > Part 120

Note: The text from this book was generated using artificial intelligence so there may be some errors. The full pages can be found on Archive.org (link on the Part 1 page).

When he was two years old, little Richard was taken by an older brother to Rochester, New York. From there they went to Hornellsville, Steuben county, same State, where he lived until he was eleven. In 1852 this older brother, William, went to Aus- tralia, and was never afterward heard from. Richard then came to Chester, Geauga county, Ohio. He lived with Aretas Scott one year, after which he went to work for a Mr. Ros- well Cook at Geneva, with whom he remained five years. In 1860 he returned to Chester, and until September of the following year was in the employ of Mr. Aretas Scott. Having been thrown upon his own resources at an early age, his educational advantages were of necessity limited. September 9, 1861, he enlisted in Battery C, First Ohio Light Artillery, Fourteenth Army Corps (the battery was afterward transferred to the Twentieth Army Corps) and participated in

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BIOGRAPHICAL HISTORY

all the battles in which this corps was en- gaged. January 4, 1864, he re-enlisted in the same company, being promoted at the time to the position as First Corporal. He served with the company until the close of the war. Among the notable campaigns in which he took part was that from Atlanta to the sea. June 9, 1865, he left Washington for Cleve- land, receiving his discharge at the latter place, June 15, 1865. In all his army ser- vice Mr. King was never sick, and was never absent from his command with the excep- tion of four days when he was excused.

Returning to Chester after the war, Mr. King was married, August 17, 1865, to Miss Emroy M. Scott, daughter of Aretas Scott, a pioneer farmer of Chester. After his marriage he located at that place on a farm, on which he lived for thirteen years, and during that time made money enough to pay for it. In 1878 he was chosen Master of the Chester Grange, and was made purchasing agent for the or- ganization. Subsequently he bought a stock of goods and engaged in business for himself at Chester Cross Roads, where he has con- tinued up to the present time. He was ap- pointed Postmaster under President Hayes' administration and was relieved by President Cleveland, was re-appointed by President Har- rison and held the office until the Democratic party again came into power, when he was again relieved by President Cleveland. In connection with his general merchandise business, he also handles agricultural imple- ments and does an undertaking business. He. owns a small farm here.

Mr. King takes an active interest in politi- cal matters, being identified with the Re- publican party. He has served as Township Trustee three terms, Justice of the Peace three terms, Township Treasurer for about nine years, and as Clerk of the special school dis-

trict several years. He is Secretary of the Geauga County Soldiers' Reunion Associa- tion, and of the Battery Reunion. On vari- ous occasions he has served as delegate to county, district and State conventions, and for three years has been Secretary of the Re- publican County Central Committee. At this writing he is the nominee of the Re- publican party for County Treasurer, this nomination being equivalent to an election. He is a prominent member of the G. A. R. In 1892 he was chosen by his comrades to visit the battle ground of Chickamauga and locate the position of their battery during that battle. Mr. King and his wife are mem- bers of the Free-will Baptist Church, in which he is one of the pillars, having given liberally of his means to its support. He is also a prominent Mason, being a member of Golden Gate Lodge, No. 245, F. & A. M., Chagrin Falls; Chardon Chapter, at Chardon, and Eagle Commandery, No. 29, at Painesville, Ohio.

Mr. and Mrs. King have two daughters, Katie Belle and Mattie, the former being a graduate at Hillsdale College, at Hillsdale, Michigan, and a musician of rare skill. The younger, Miss Mattie, is a very fine pianist.

C HARLES A. AVERY .- Among the prominent and wealthy citizens of Painesville, is the gentleman of whom we write, who is the popular proprietor of the Little Mountain summer resort, well- known to the inhabitants of that part of Ohio. This beautiful spot is located four and one- half miles southeast of Mentor. 100 acres of forest pines covers the side of this hill, the altitude of which is over 700 feet above Lake Erie. The foundations are of sand rock

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which have been split and cracked in the mighty convulsions of nature. The scenery is conceded to be grand and wild, and the visitor delights in visiting the rocky cañons and viewing the natural beauties found in such abundance in the neighborhood. From the top one commands an extensive view of the surrounding country, dotted with fine farms, orchards, woods and meadows. To the north the blue waters of Lake Erie sparkle in the distance.

A new hotel, the Pinecrest, has been erected near the summit. This hotel is very commodious and conveniently arranged. A number of cottages near by furnish additional place of habitation and all together are capable of taking care of 350 guests. The resort is noted for its general healthfulness, and only the highest class of people, as a rule, avail themselves of this beautiful outing place. People often come a distance of 500 miles to visit this resort, and for the past four or five summers the numbers have been very large.

Charles Avery was born in Connecticut in 1816. His father and grandfather, who both had the same Christian name, Elisha, were natives of Massachusetts. The Avery family is of English descent, being founded in this country by three brothers who settled in the Bay State in colonial days. Grandfather Avery, who was a manufacturer, lived to the extreme old age of ninety-two years. Our subject's father located in Enfield, Connecti- cut, where he carried on a large hat manu- factory. Later in life he settled in Homer, Cortland county, New York, where he still worked as a hatter. He died while in the prime of life. His wife, formerly Percy Peas, was the daughter of a Connecticut farmer, who attained the age of four-score and ten. He was a near relative of Judge Loren T. Peas, who was a receiver of public lands

at Green Bay, Wisconsin, under Van Buren's . administration.

In a family of seven children, our subject is the fourth. He was left an orphan when twelve years old, and from that time on he was obliged to make his own way in the world. He worked for one year on a farm, after which he had charge of a toll gate near Truxton. Afterward he went to Hartford, Connecticut, where he had relatives, and when sixteen years of age began learning the hatter's trade. He went to New York city and for a while worked for a dry-goods firm, and when they offered to give him credit if he would come west and open a store he accepted their propo- sition. In 1837, he landed in Painesville, and began business in partnership with H. Coburn. At the end of a year, Mr. Avery sold out to his partner and returning to New York continued in the employ of the old firm for the next year. For six years subsequently he carried on a hat and fur store in Hartford, Connecticut.

In 1842, Mr. Avery wedded Miss Mary Moody, of Painesville. Her father, Robert Moody, was one of the early pioneers of this region, a merchant and a large real-estate owner. After his marriage our subject re- turned to the East, where he lived until 1848. For the next seven years he was in the whole- sale business in New York, and finally re- turned to Painesville and bought a fine resi- dence property on State street, which has since been his home. For sixteen years, after permanently locating here he continued his business in New York and was obliged to spend a part of his time there, but finally sold ont. In nearly every enterprise which has benefited his locality he has been one of the prime movers.

About thirty years ago Mr. Avery became the owner of Little Mountain and a few years

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BIOGRAPHICAL HISTORY

later made a stock company for its improve- ment. At the present time he is the princi- pal stockholder in the company. The hotel is managed very successfully by his son, Harry W. In 1837 Mr. Avery, Sr., assisted in setting out the trees in the city park, which have grown to be very large and beau- tiful.

Mrs. Mary Avery is now deceased. She was the mother of three children: Mary A .; Charles, deceased; and Emma, deceased. Subsequently Mr. Avery married Miss Matilda C. Moody, a sister of his first wife. To them has been born a son, Harry W. Mr. and Mrs. Avery are members of the Con- gregational Church and in politics the former is a Republican. He has served his fellow- citizens as Mayor, and there are few, indeed, who have done more to forward the pros- perity of this locality than he.

S ALEM KILE .- To write the history of a successful life is a pleasant task. In this age of business activity and cease- less competition, when a tender conscience and a close adherence to the teachings of the decalogue are considered inconsistent with financial success, it is pleasant to see here and there, like an oasis in the desert, financial success crowned by the development of the spiritual life and all those qualities which mark the true and worthy citizen.

The subject of this sketch was born under the British flag, having first seen the light at St. Arman, Canada, January 28, 1839. His parents, Leonard and Susan (Thompson) Kile, were natives of Essex county, New York, removing to Canada about three years before the birth of our subject.

Leonard Kile was an industrious man, a blacksmith and lumber manufacturer. He reared a large family, of eleven children, seven of whom survive. He removed to Andover in 1847.

He passed away in 1865, and ten years later was followed by his wife.

Our subject was the seventh of the eleven children. The eldest, Hannah Baldwin, died in Niles in 1892. Julia DeLano, the second, passed away in Kingsville; Robert, the third, is a highly esteemed citizen of Andover, Ohio; Leonard W., the fourth, is one of Or- well's most influential citizens, and a lumber- man; James, the fifth, who served his country faithfully during the civil war, is a successful agriculturist at Richmond Center, Ohio; Hiram, the sixth, gave up his life in his country's service at the battle of Gaines' Mill. To his honor the Hiram Kile Post, G. A. R., of Andover, was so named. Eliza- beth Blanchard and Mary Jane Cooley reside in Nebraska, while Edwin M., the youngest, is in the employ of our subject.

The subject of this sketch left the paternal roof at the age of twenty-four years. Sep- tember 9, 1862, he was united in marriage to Caroline L. Heath, daughter of Timothy and Polly Heath, of Williamsfield. The outbreak of the Civil war opened a profitable field in the manufacture of oars, an opportunity which was embraced by our subject and pur- sned for several years at Williamsfield and Richmond Center. The mill at the latter place was purchased of a brother of the his- toric John Brown, whose "soul still goes marching on."

After the close of the war Mr. Kile began the manufacture of sucker rods, in connection with the manufacture of shafts, poles and lumber. The opening of the oil belt at this time rendered the manufacture of sucker-

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OF NORTHEASTERN OHIO.

rods a very important industry. In October of 1891 the firm of Thorp, Kile & Co. was organized for the manufacture of shafts and poles at Farmington, Trumbull county. The sucker-rod business has been removed to Geauga Lake, where it is being successfully conducted by George Kile, a promising young business man, and the eldest son of our sub- ject. Under his management this mill em- ploys constantly about twelve men, consumes annually over a half million feet of hickory lumber, and makes an annual output of sucker rods and shafts of about $15,000. The factory at West Farmington is one of the largest mills for the manufacture of shafts and poles to be found in this country. It employs annually from twenty-five to thirty men, and is maintained at an annual con- sumption of $35,000 worth of material. The purchasing of the stock is the special depart- ment of our subject, for which work he is well fitted, and in which he has both experi- ence and sagacity. His younger son, Will, is identified with the management of this mill, and to his capable management the suc- cess of the business is largely due.

Our subject removed to Orwell in 1880, and purchased the property upon which he now resides. Here he has one of the finest residences in the village. During his resi- dence at Orwell he has figured conspicuously in the social and business interests of the town. In 1883 he erected the large three- story flouring-mill which he successfully operated for a time and then the same was sold to S. S. Stults & Son.

A special blessing has rested upon the family circle of Mr. Kile. That circle has never been broken by the " dread messenger." He has reared an interesting family of six children, that now render him cheer in his declining years. Orra H., the eldest child, is

the wife of E. E. Northway, formerly of Or- well, but now a member of the Standard Too! Company, of Cleveland, Ohio; George H., the second, of whom mention has already been made, married Inez Chamberlain, a suc- cessful teacher in the public schools of Cleve- land, Ohio; Will, the third, also previously mentioned in this connection, married Lizzie Forsythe, of Portage county, a graduate of the musical department of Mount Union col- lege and a successful instructor in that art; Florence, the fourth, is the wife of Dr. Jesse Hiltman, of Akron, Ohio; Mamie is the fifth child, and she became a teacher at the early age of sixteen; Sarah Grace is the youngest child, and is yet at home. This family are all active members of the Meth- odist Episcopal Church. Mr. Kile is a very zealous church member, and has done much to further the interests of Christianity. Mrs. Kile deserves no less credit. She is a devoted wife and mother, and an esteemed friend.

Fraternally, Mr. Kile is associated with the Orwell I. O. O. F. Politically and socially, his influence is distinctly felt, in behalf of purity and reform. Since 1887, he has been a firm adherent of the principles of the Prohibition party.

0 RLANDO L. HUSTON, a substantial farmer and venerable citizen of Ashta- bula county, Ohio, was born in Can- ada, March 8, 1815.

He is a son of William Huston, whose birth occurred in New York in 1790. His father having died when William was a mere lad, the latter moved with his mother to Eaton, District of Three Rivers, Canada, where he was subsequently employed on the river and where he lived until 1820. That

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BIOGRAPHICAL HISTORY

year he came to Ohio and located in Conneaut township, Ashtabula county, near where the subject of our sketch now lives. He after- ward lived in Ashtabula and then Pennsyl- vania and about 1850 came back to this connty and settled in Monroe township. Here he died some time in the sixties. His

political affiliations were formerly with the Whig party, and after the organization of the Republican party he gave it his support. The mother of Orlando L. was before her marriage Miss Sarah Learned. She was born in New Hampshire in 1797, and went from her na- tive State to Canada, where, about 1813, she married Mr. Hunston. Her father had a con- tract to make a turnpike from Quebec to Montreal. An expected invasion of the country by Bonaparte, however, caused that enterprise to be abandoned, and thus it was that in 1822 her parents, Abijah and Ann (Sullingham) Learned, came to Ohio. Her father and mother were natives of New Hampshire, the former's ancestors being English and the latter's German. William and Sarah Huston had four children, viz .: Orlando L., the oldest; David W., a resident of Monroe township, Ashtabula county, Ohio; Sophronia, widow of Robert Jennings, is also a resident of Monroe township; and Maria, widow of William Fitz.

Orlando L. Huston came to Ohio with his parents and remained with them until he was sixteen years old, when he bought his time of his father and began farming on the shares at the place where he now lives. In this way he continued his farming operations until 1852. That year he bought his present farm, and upon it he has since resided. He is indeed one of the old landmarks of this vi- cinity, having resided here since 1829, and few men here are better known or more highly respected than he.

Mr. Huston was married in 1836, to Flora H. King, who was born in Conneaut, Ohio, in 1812, and who died in 1884. She was the daughter of Elisha and Mercy (Bruce) King, the former a native of New Hampshire and the latter of Virginia. Mr. and Mrs. King were married in Ohio, being among the very earliest settlers of the Western Reserve. Elisha King was the son of Peter King, the Kings being of English descent. The Bruce family originated in Scotland. Mrs. Huston's grandfather was a Presbyterian minister. Our subject and his wife have had two children: Mary, who died in January, 1890, was a deaf mute; and Martha, widow of Oscar Allen, lives with her father. Mr. Allen died in 1871, leaving his widow and two children. Fred W., the older of these two, is a widower with one child, Juva, that lives with its grandmother. The younger, Carrie, is now the wife of Charles E. Hicks.

In his political affiliations Mr. Huston is a Democrat. He has served as Township Trustee twenty-eight years; has also rendered efficient service on the School Board. He is a member of the G. A. R. and of the Home Guard. In 1861 he enlisted in the Second Ohio Independent Battery, under Esquire Cartin, and was sent to the West. While foraging at Osage Springs, Arkansas, he was captured and was taken prisoner to Fort Smith, where he was held one month, after which he was exchanged.

N ORMAN S McCRAY, of Rome, Ash- tabula county, Ohio, was born in Fond du Lac county, Wisconsin, October 5, 1862. He is a son of Rev. Samuel McCray, a prominent Methodist minister, who died April 12, 1889, aged

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OF NORTHEASTERN OHIO.

sixty-five years; and Betsy Ann (Stowe) McCray, who died in the fall of 1891, aged sixty-four. The latter was related to the talented Stowe family so well known in this country. This worthy couple had a family of six children, a record of whom is as fol- lows: Ella, wife of A. B. Madison, died in March, 1891, leaving two little daughters; Mina, wife of Willis McCray, resides at French Creek, New York; Norman S .; Matthew, a resident of West Farmington, Ohio; Catherine, who died at the age of twenty-two months; and William, a resident of Rome township, Ashtabula county.

Norman S. McCray received his primary education in the district schools and finished his studies in the commercial department of the Western Reserve Seminary at West Farmington, Ohio. He began working at the blacksmith trade in Eagleville, and, sub- sequently, was in the employ of Adams, the noted race-horse shoer now of Cleveland. Later he engaged in business for himself at Rome, where he has since made a specialty of the shoeing of race-horses. Mr. McCray has long been a lover of fine horses and has in- vested in some in which he takes just pride. His "Gussie K." is a standard-bred mare of great promise.

Mr. McCray married Miss Lena Fowler, daughter of Henry Fowler, a native of Eng- land and for some years a resident of Rome township, this county. Her father was, by occupation, a heater in a rolling mill. He died in 1890. Her mother's maiden name was Barnett. Mrs. Fowler was born in Pennsylvania, of German descent, and is still living. She and her husband had a family of ten children, whose names are as follows: Mary, now the wife of Fred Evans; John; Sarah, wife of Myron Evans; William; Hannah; Edward; Lizzie; Emma, wife of R.

Bell; Robert; and one that died in infancy. Mr. and Mrs. McCray have two children - Elton, born January 11, 1889, and Flossie May, October 29, 1890.

Fraternally, Mr. McCray is associated with Lodge No. 255, I. O. O. F., of Newton Falls, Ohio. Pollitically, he is a pronounced advocate of the principles of the Republican party. He and his wife are members of the First Presbyterian Church of Rome.

P ERRY O. WARREN, a farmer of Ashtabula county, was born in An- dover township, this county, Decem- ber 16, 1835, a son of S. M. Warren, a native of Proud Corners, near Fredonia, Chautauqua county, New York, born March 6, 1812. The latter's father, Elijah Warren, was a soldier in the war, and his sons, Judah and Joshua Warren, also took part in the war of 1812. The mother of our subject, nee Anna McCoy, was a native of Pennsylvania, and a daughter of Moses McCoy. S. M. Warren came to Ashtabula county, Ohio, December 25, 1838, locating in the woods in Andover township, where he erected a log cabin. He was a farmer by occupation, a Republican in his political views, and both he and his wife were charter members of the Methodist Episcopal Church. The former died at the age of seventy-seven years, and the latter at sixty-three years. They had eight children: Mary Ann, Perry O., Cor- delia, Adaline, Guel E., Harriett, Olive and Alice.

Perry O. Warren, our subject, enlisted for service in the late war in 1861, joining the Twenty-ninth Ohio Infantry, Company B, and participated in the battle of Winchester. He now owns sixty acres of well improved

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BIOGRAPHICAL HISTORY

land, where he has a good residence, 20 x 30 feet, with an L, 16 x 24 feet, and a barn, 30 x 40 feet. He also owns fifty acres one-half a mile from this place. Mr. Warren was married August 21, 1879, in Linesville, Pennsylvania, to Miss Mary F. Usborne, who was born in England, but came with her parents to Chautauqua county, New York, when a babe. She is a daughter of W. H. and Fanny F. (Brooks) Usborne.

The father, a mechanic by profession, was killed in 1872, and the mother now resides at Westfield, New York. They had three children: Mary, W. A. and Ella E. The father was a member of the Methodist Church, and the mother of the Presbyterian Church. Mr. and Mrs. Warren have an adopted son, John J., now aged sixteen years, and an adopted daughter, Bessie I., ten years of age. Mr. Warren affiliates with the Re- publican party, is identified with Hiram Kile Post, No. 80, of Andover, and both he and his wife are members of the Methodist Epis- copal Church.

C ORNELIUS HOOSE, a wealthy and in- fluential farmer of Waite Hill, Wil- loughby township, Lake county, Ohio, is a man who started out in life with limited means and has by dint of his own industry and judicious management won his way to prominence and success.

Mr. Hoose was born in Mentor township, Lake county, Ohio, August 1, 1825, son of Jacob Hoose, a native of Schoharie county, New York.

Jacob Hoose was left an orphan at an early age and little is now known of his parents. About 1820 he emigrated to Lake county, Ohio, being then a single man, and for two

years was employed by Judge Clapp for $7 per month. Then he married and settled in the southern part of Mentor township, buy- ing a small piece of land at $10 per acre, and building a log house on it. He cleared and improved this land and from time to time kept adding to it until he had 210 acres. He died there at the age of fifty-seven years. The mother of our subject was, before her marriage, Miss Sabrina Burright. She came with her parents from New York, her native State, to Ohio, settling in Mentor township, Lake county, near where young Hoose lo- cated. Her parents finally went further West and located in Illinois. She lived a widow for thirty years, dying at a ripe old age.

Cornelius Hoose was born in the log house on his father's pioneer farm, and during his boyhood days walked a mile and a half through the woods to the log schoolhouse, where he conned his lessons before the open fireplace. At the age of twenty-one he engaged in farm- ing in Mayfield township, Geauga county, Ohio, where he purchased a farm of 140 acres, on which he lived twenty-two years. He sold that property in 1868 and bought the farm on Waite Hill, in Willoughby township, on which he has since resided. This place comprises seventy acres. He also owns sixty- six acres in Chester township, Geanga county, Ohio. Besides, he has bought various tracts of land and given to his children.

Mr. House has given special attention to to the cultivation of fruit on his farm and in this has been very successful. He has a vine- yard of seven acres, a peach orchard consist- ing of 1,000 trees, and a variety of other fruits, having planted all the fruit trees on the place with the exception of the apple orchard. In a single year he gathered $2,000 worth of peaches, and one year he sold apples to the amount of $800. He also raises large

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OF NORTHIEASTERN OHIO.

quantities of potatoes and grain, his largest potato crop being 1,200 bushels.

Mr. Hoose was married in 1847 to Jane Usher, a native of New York, who came to Ohio with her parents in early life. They have five children: Warren, Laura, George, Jennie and Nellie. All have had high-school education, and all are married and doing well, living within a few hours' drive of their parents. He and his wife are members of the Disciple Church. Politically, he is a Re- publican. He has served as Trustee of his township.

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Biographical history of northeastern Ohio : embracing the counties of Ashtabula, Geauga and Lake, Part 120

Author: Lewis Publishing Company. cn Publication date: 1893 Publisher: Chicago : Lewis Pub. Co. Number of Pages: 1094

Author: Lewis Publishing Company. cn
Publication date: 1893
Publisher: Chicago : Lewis Pub. Co.
Number of Pages: 1094