Biographical history of northeastern Ohio : embracing the counties of Ashtabula, Geauga and Lake, Part 35

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 35
USA > Ohio > Geauga County > Biographical history of northeastern Ohio : embracing the counties of Ashtabula, Geauga and Lake > Part 35
USA > Ohio > Lake County > Biographical history of northeastern Ohio : embracing the counties of Ashtabula, Geauga and Lake > Part 35

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).

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OF NORTHEASTERN OHIO.

In political matters Mr. McMullin takes a commendable interest, affiliating with the Republican party. Fraternally, he is as- sociated with the I. O. O. F., the Royal Ar- canum, the American Train Dispatchers' Association, and the League of American Wheelmen. He is Regent in the Royal Ar- canum, and Local Counsel in the League of American Wheelmen.

S® ALMON SEYMOUR, Vice President of the First National Bank, Geneva, Ohio, was born in Oneida county, New York, December 31, 1808, a son of Sala and Betsey (Barrett) Seymour, his par- ents being natives of Connecticut. The father followed agricultural pursuits, and in 1805 removed to the State of New York; thence he went to Pennsylvania, and in 1823 came to Ohio, settling at Geneva when it was a hamlet of not more than ten dwellings. He was engaged in farming for about thirty years, but in 1865 he retired.

He assisted in the organization of the First National Bank of which he was presi- dent for sixteen years; he now fills the office of vice president, and the success of the institution is largely due to his sagacity and sound judgment. He is one of the principal stock-holders, and at one time was also en- gaged in mercantile trade with his two sons: Junius L., who was graduated with the degree of M. D., was at one time engaged in the practice of his profession at Geneva, but was afterward connected with his father in the drug trade. He died March 27, 1867, and his brother, Albert, who was a partner in the business, died July 6, 1870.

Mr. Seymour was married November 13, 1834, to Matilda Smith, born March 13,

1817. She was a daughter of David and Philomellia (Bartholomew) Smith, natives of New York and pioneers of the West, having come to Ohio early in the present century. Mr. and Mrs. Seymour will celebrate the sixtieth anniversary of their marriage in 1894. Both are devout members of the Baptist Church, and stand high in the esti- mation in the community in which they have dwelt so long.

In early life Mr. Seymour was an ardent anti-slavery man, and labored with untiring zeal for the removal of the blemish that was upon this fair nation. He has been a stanch Republican since the organization of that party and has rendered valuable service to that body in this locality. He is a man of more than ordinary force of character, having the courage of his convictions and is always ready to express them.

H ENRY S. MUNGER, deceased, was born at North Center, Ohio, March 8, 1826, and here he passed his boyhood days, being employed with the duties that fall to the lot of a farmer's son. At the age of fifteen years he removed with the family to Geneva; he made the most of the meager educational advantages afforded by the common schools, and by great persever- ance acquired a fair business education. Possessed of broad comprehension and keen observation he took a prominent place in the community, and displayed unusual ability in public affairs. In early life he established a mercantile business, of which he disposed to become agent for the Lake Shore & Michigan Southern Railway at Geneva. Ile filled this position with great satisfaction for twelve years, and was the first telegraph operator at

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this point. He erected the first brick block at Geneva, and in 1862 was largely instru- mental in the organization of the First Na- tional Bank at Geneva; he was elected president and occupied that office for about ten years and until the time of his death.

In the time of his country's peril he was among the first to respond to the call for men, and participated in one of the earliest engagements of the conflict, that of Philippi. He was a man of many noble qualities, geni- al, warm-hearted and loyal to his friends; he was a consistent Christian and an active member of the Methodist Episcopal Church. In politics he was intensely Republican. He served well and faithfully as Mayor of the town, and filled various other offices within the gift of the community.

Mr. Munger was married June 25, 1851, to Huldah Gould, born January 4, 1830, a daughter of George and Betsey (Hubbell) Gould, natives of Tompkins county, New York, and pioneers of Ashtabula county. Mr. and Mrs. Munger had born to them nine children, five of whom survive: Frank H., W. H., Rufus H., Charles H. and Jennie N. Mr. Munger died May 20, 1883, at the age fifty-seven years.

R UFUS B. MUNGER, deceased, was the father of Henry S. Munger. He married Maria Andrews in 1820, when they emigrated from Sara- - toga county, New York, the birth-place of both. He was born May 16, 1796, and lived to the advanced age of ninety-three years. His father served in the war of the Revolu- tion.

Mr. Munger endured all the privations and hardships with which the lot of the

pioneer is fraught. Settling in an unbroken wilderness he had a hard struggle for many years, but being a man of courage and energy he overcome all obstacles. In 1841, he traded his farm' at North Center, where he settled, for 160 acres lying in the north part of the present village of Geneva. From this time success attended his every effort, and he rapidly accumulated a handsome es- tate. At the time of his death his property was valued at a quarter of a million dollars, and he had previously made gifts for benevo- lent purposes to the amount of $150,000.

He was active in securing the right of way of the Lake Shore & Michigan Southern Railroad, was prominently connected with the First National Bank from its organiza- tion and was its president for many years. He lent a generous support to many other enterprises. For many years he was Justice of the Peace and held other local offices.

Mrs. Munger died in 1845; she was a devoted wife and mother, a true and stead- fast friend; she and her husband were con- sistent members of the Methodist Episcopal Church from an early age. His death occurred November 22, 1888. His daily life was always in keeping with his profession of religion, a fact which won him the esteem and regard of all classes of men with whom he mingled. In his death the community lost one of its pil- lars, a man of sterling worth.

W ILLIE H. MUNGER, President of the First National Bank, Geneva, is a native of Ashtabula county, Ohio, born at Geneva, October 26, 1852. He is a a son of Henry S. and Huldah (Gould) Mun- ger, whose history will be found on another page of this volume. He enjoyed the edu-

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cational advantages offered at the common school of his home and when he had finished his studies he was employed in the manufac- tory of the Geneva Tool Company, a position he held six years. He then embarked in the commission trade, which he carried on for two years. In September, 1878, he became cashier of the First National Bank, and at the end of six years he was made Vice Pres- ident. In 1886, he was chosen President, an office he tills with marked ability. Polit- ically Mr. Munger supports the Republican party; socially he is affiliated with the Masonic order, the I. O. O. F., the Knights of Pythias, the Royal Arcanum, the Home Guard and the Sons of Veterans.

He was united in marriage in June, 1873, to Emma A., daughter of Elihu B. and Laura A. (Frisbie) Gill of Geneva, and they have one son, Ralph R., born November 4, 1874. Mrs. Munger's father served as engineer on the Lake Shore & Michigan Southern Railroad for more than thirty years. Mr. and Mrs. Munger are identified with the Episcopal Church, and have been the prime movers in the erection of an edifice to be oc- cupied by the society. It was dedicated May 3, 1893. In 1889, Mr. Munger planned and superintended the erection of the handsomest block in Geneva, a memorial to his father.

H EMAN J. MANCHESTER, Vice- President of the Western Reserve Nursery, and one of the prominent and well-to-do men of Perry town- ship, Lake county, Ohio, forms the subject of this article. Of his life and ancestry we make the following record:

Heman J. Manchester was born in Otsego county, New York, in 1841, son of Orsemus Manchester, and grandson of Leonard Man-

chester, both natives of New York and both farmers by occupation. His grandfather was engaged in teaming to Albany, New York, and also dealt extensively in horses. He died at about the age of eighty-five. The father of Heman J. cleared and improved several farms in Otsego county, New York. He was a hard-working man all his life. In 1854 he came to Lake county, Ohio, first settling in Madison township, and subsequently re- moving to Perry township. He is now eighty-one years old and is still quite active. His wife, whose maiden name was Sarah A. Wickam, and who was a native of New York State, died in 1855. She was a member of the Methodist Church. Of their four chil- dren, Heman J. is the oldest.

Mr. Manchester was a youth of fourteen years when his parents took up their abode in Lake county, and after coming here he attended the district schools for some time, and for two terms was a student at the Madi- son Seminary. He was just budding into manhood when the war broke out, and Au- gust 9, 1862, he tendered his services to his country and became a member of Company C, First Ohio Light Artillery. He joined the command at Louisville, Kentucky, then under General Buell, and after the battle of Perryville was under Rosecrans. Among the engagements in which he participated were those of Roan Forks, Tullahoma, Chicka- manga, Mission Ridge, Resaca, Peach-Tree Creek, etc. He was under Sherman in the Atlanta campaign, and with him on that memorable march to the sea, after which he was one of the victorious soldiers who took part in the grand review at Washington. He was mustered out at Cleveland, Ohio, June 20, 1865.

Mr. Manchester was married May 16, 1867, to Lucy E. Haskell, who was born on the

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BIOGRAPHICAL HISTORY

farm on which they now reside. Her parents, Eli B. and Elvira (Smith) Haskell, were natives of Massachusetts, the former of Wor- cester county and the latter of Berkshire county. Her father was one of the early pioneers of Perry township, this county, having come here when he was fourteen years old. His whole life was characterized by honest industry. In the dense forest he built his cabin home and developed a fine farm, and at one time he was worth $25,000. When he started out in life the only capital he had was $1 which his father gave him. He was an honest, upright man in every sense of the word; politically, a Republican; religiously, a Baptist, being a Deacon in the church for many years. He died at his home in this township, March 8, 1891, aged eighty- three years. His wife passed away in 1889, at the age of eighty. They reared eight chil- dren, namely: Gardner, deceased; Olinthus H., who was killed at Chickamauga, October 10, 1863; Sarah A .; Elizabeth E., deceased; Lucy E., Eli B , Jr., Herbert P. and Samuel A. Mr. and Mrs. Manchester have had three children, viz .: Gertrude, deceased; Sadie, and Clyde, deceased.

Mr. Manchester has been engaged in farm- ing all his life. His present farm is com- posed of 100 acres, all improved and devoted to general farming and stock-raising. He has a commodious frame residence, nice barns, etc., and everything conveniently ar- ranged for successfully carrying on agricult- ural pursuits.

As was stated at the beginning of this sketch, Mr. Manchester is vice-president of the Western Reserve Nursery. He became connected with this establishment in 1892, and now devotes his chief attention to it. This is one of the largest nurseries in the United States, covering a tract of 401 acres,

and controlling business extending into all the States and Territories in the Union, be- sides many foreign countries. He is also one of the stockholders of the Perry Cheese Factory.

Mr. Manchester and his wife are members of the Baptist Church. Politically he affili- ates with the Republican party, and has served as Township Trustee. He is a member of the O. H. Haskell Post, No. 462, G. A. R., of Perry, which post was named in honor of his brother-in-law, who was killed in battle.

W. BARRETT, one of the representative citizens of Dorset, was born in Portage county, Ohio, October 30, 1835, a son of George W. and Triphena M. (Wilson) Barrett, natives of New York. The father died in October, 1856, and the mother .de- parted this life in Portage county in 1863. The former was a farmer by occupation, an old-time Whig in his political views, later a Republican, and both he and his wife were members of the close communion Baptist Church. They had eleven children, nine now living, namely: Jeduthan W., of Henry county, Ohio; Lewis Wellington, our sub- ject; William H. H., of Wisconsin; George Washington served in the Seventh Ohio Vol- unteer Infantry, during the late war, lost his right leg in the battle of Culpeper, Virgina, and now resides in Dorset; Deston A., of Medina county, Ohio; Henrietta, wife of Le- roy Plum, of Portage county, this State; An- nett, wife of George Strong, of Wisconsin; Laura F., of Portage county; and Augusta, wife of Lucius Eldridge, of Portage county.

L. W. Barrett, the subject of this sketch, was reared to farm life. At the age of twenty years he came to Ashtabula county,

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Ohio, where he worked by the month for several years. For about seven years he was employed as manager of the Jenkins & Peck dairy farm, familiarly known as the old Gar- lic farm, in Dorset township, where he was engaged in farming and in the manufacture of cheese. Closing his labors with that firm, Mr. Barrett purchased considerable land in this county, made many changes in real estate, and subsequently spent a short time in Lenox township. In 1882 he purchased the Dorset Cheese Factory, but in 1893 traded the same for land and other interests. He now owns a large hotel at Leon, Ohio. Mr. Barrett also owns fifty-four acres of land in Dorset township, where he is engaged in general farming and dairying. He has assisted in improving several hundred acres of land in this county, has also worked at the cooper's trade about three years, and is one of the progressive and enterprising men of his community.

In January, 1856, our subject was united in marriage to Miss Aditha C. Peters, a na- tive of Dorset and a daughter of Jesse and Elizabeth Peters. Mr. and Mrs. Barrett have one daughter, Genevra, wife of Holse F. Baker, of this city. Mr. Barrett votes with the Republican party, and both he and his wife are members of the Baptist Church.

D R. SAMUEL MILLS SMEAD, de- ceased, was a brother of the Hon. James P. Smead, of Madison, and was for many years a prominent and highly re- spected citizen of this place.

He was born in Greenfield, Massachusetts, September 18, 1830, and was eighteen years old when he came with his parents, in 1848, to Lake county, Ohio. At Greenfield he dis- 1

tinguished himself as being the best student in the school, and after coming to Ohio he entered the Madison Seminary, where he also stood well to the front in his classes. He began studying medicine under the instruc- tion of Dr. Plympton, of Madison, and subse- quently took a course in the Ohio Medical College at Cleveland, of which institution he was a graduate. Returning from college, he formed a partnership with Dr. Plympton, with whom he was engaged in the practice of his profession for a number of years. In 1869, on account of ill health, he was com- pelled to give up country practice, and, finally, continued poor health necessitated his retir- ing from practice altogether. Before he en- tirely gave up his professional duties he spent thirteen years in Cleveland, during which time he was Deputy United States Marshal. For some years he ran a drug store in Madi- son, and was Postmaster here during Presi- dent Lincoln's administration. His death oc- curred in Madison, June 30, 1888. Few men in this vicinity had a warmer place in the hearts of the people than did Dr. Smead. He was for many years a Congregationalist, but during his residence in Cleveland was a member of the Third Presbyterian Church. In politics he was a strong Republican. During the war he was determined to enter the service of the Union cause. Upon ex- amination, however, he was rejected on ac- count of his health. With the Masonic fra- ternity he was actively identified. In busi- ness, political, professional, social and religi- ous circles he was well known as a man whose character was above reproach. He was the personification of generosity. The cry of the widow and orphan, the call of want, and the wail of sorrow, from whatever cause it might be, ever found in him a responsive hearer.

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Dr. Smead left a widow but no children. Mrs. Smead is a lady of culture and refine- ment, and is still residing in her comfortable and attractive home in Madison, surrounded by her many friends. She was born in Dal- ton, Berkshire county, Massachusetts, her maiden name being Miss Harriet Weston. Her marriage to Dr. Smead occurred October 15, 1857, since which time she has been a resident of Madison, with the exception of the years they lived in Cleveland. Her par- ents, Colonel G. D. and Sarah (March) Wes- ton, were natives respectively of New Bed- ford and Dalton, Massachusetts. Her father was a Colonel in the State militia, and was a Justice of the Peace for many years; was a merchant and also had farming interests; personally, he was a man of fine physique, weighing 250 pounds. He died, December 3, 1866, aged sixty-nine years. His wife passed away at the age of forty-one. Both were members of the Congregational Church. They reared three children, viz .: Mrs. Sarah Dayton, of Hudson, Michigan; Grenville, who died at St. Paul, Minnesota, in 1890; and Mrs. Smead.

EREMIAH ALLYN, of Conneaut, Ohio, came to this place from Connecticut, May 1, 1854, and was for several years engaged in the produce business. In 1868 he started the Allyn Garden on West Main street, with 100 feet front, which has since been enlarged to 1,200 feet on the same street.

Mr. Allyn is a direct descendant of Hon. Matthew and Margaret Allyn, who came to America in 1632. He has an ancestry of which he may well be proud, and which, without a broken link in the chain, is traced as follows:

Hon. Matthew Allyn of Brampton, Devon county, England, son of Samuel Allyn of Chelmsford, Essex county, England, came with his older brothers, Samuel and Deacon Thomas, with the Braintree company to Charlestown, Massachusetts, in 1632. He was the largest land-holder in Charlestown; in 1636 went to Hartford, Connecticut, and in 1638 removed to Windsor. He was Judge of General Court and was one of the grantees named in the charter granted to the Colony of Connecticut by King Charles II. in 1662. He died February 1, 1670 or '71.

Captain Thomas Allyn, second son of Mat- thew and Margaret Allyn, was born in En- gland; married Abigail, daughter of Rev. John Warham, October 21, 1658; died Feb- ruary 14, 1695.

Hon. and Colonel Matthew Allyn, second son of Captain Thomas and Abigail Allyn, was born June 5, 1660; married Elizabeth, daughter of Henry Wolcott, Jr., January 5, 1686; her death occurred June 4, 1734, and his February 17, 1758.

Captain Thomas Allyn, first son of Mat- thew and Elizabeth Allyn, was born about 1686, and died December 11, 1738.

Thomas Allyn, first son of Captain Thomas and Elizabeth Allyn, was born November 7, 1725; married Sarah Phelps, December 13, 1750; died November 17, 1781.

Alexander Allyn, third son of Thomas and Sarah Allyn, was born October 14, 1757; married Mercy, daughter of Captain Sodace and Mercy (Humphrey) Wilcox of Simsbury, Connecticut. Her death occurred October 14, 1816, and his May 9, 1822.

Truman Allyn, second son of Alexander and Mercy Allyn, was born at Windsor, Con- necticut, June 11, 1787; married Harriet, daughter of Eli and Athildred (Curtis) Case, December 17, 1807. She was born at Can-

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ton, Connecticut, December 23, 1788, and died April 6, 1845. He died June 3, 1849.

Jeremiah Allyn, fourth son of Truman and Harriet Allyn, was born at Simsbury, Connecticut, July 15, 1831; married Abbie A., daughter of Allen W. and Betsey (Wil- der) Niles, November 20, 1855, at Con- neant, Ohio. She was born at Auburn, New York, August 28, 1836.

Jeremiah and Abbie A. Allyn have one child, Millie Elizabeth Allyn, born at Con- neaut, Ohio, October 15, 1860.

OHN W. ALEXANDER, the capable and popular President of the Paines- ville Gas Company, Painesville, Ohio, an enterprising business man and worthy citizen, was born in Rochester, New York, in 1844. His grandfather, John Alexander, was a native of Scotland, who came to America in 1756 and settled in Saratoga county, New York, where he followed farming and died at an advanced age. Here William B. Alex- ander, father of the subject of this sketch, was born and reared. He became a lawyer, and in 1816 settled in Rochester, New York, where he spent the rest of his life in the ac- tive practice of his profession. He married Harriet Halsted, born in the same State as himself, in 1800. The father was an ardent Whig and Republican in politics and was a member of the Presbyterian Church, while the mother adhered to the tenets of the Epis- copal faith. The mother died in 1866, aged sixty-six years, and the father expired at the age of sixty-nine. Both inherited stanch mental and moral characteristics, and passed busy, useful lives.

The subject of this sketch was reared and educated in his native city, attending the

public schools, his greatest advantages being those of a cultured home and the solicitous care of enlightened and refined parents. Thus happily passed his youth until the war cloud enveloped the country, and then, in August, 1861, at the age of seventeen, young Alexander enlisted in Company C of the Thirty-third New York Infantry, and par- ticipated in all the engagements of the Poto- mac army, including Williamsburg, first and second Fredericksburg, Antietam, and many others of minor note. On the expiration of his two years' enlistment with the Thirty- third New York Regiment, he returned to the Empire State and assisted in organizing the First New York Veteran Cavalry, in which he was commissioned Quartermaster. He served through the Shenandoah Valley campaign and was mustered out in July, 1865.

He then returned to his home in Roches- ter, New York, and shortly afterward settled in Titusville, Pennsylvania, where he entered the clothing and gentlemen's furnishing goods business. This he subsequently aban- doned to engage in the oil and oil-well sup- ply industry, which he followed until 1881. He then came to Painesville, Ohio, and bought an interest in the gas plant, of which com- pany he was elected President the same year and in which capacity he has ever since acted. The continued prosperity of this company speaks well for the management of its director and head, whose energy is inde- fatigable and whose ability, both financial and executive, is unsurpassed.

February 15, 1871, Mr. Alexander was married to S. Alice Steele, a lady of education and refinement, a native of Painesville and a member of an old and respected family. They have two children: Laura and George S.

Politically, Mr. Alexander is a Republi-

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can and has served his constituents as a mem- ber of the city council, in which capacity his influence was always thrown in the scale of municipal progress. Fraternally, he be- longs to the Masonic Order and is Com- mander of Dyer Post, No. 17, G. A. R. Both he and his worthy wife are useful mem- bers of the Baptist Church, and socially are much esteemed by all who know them.

M ARK R. DOOLITTLE, the efficient and popular Postmaster of Paines- ville, Ohio, and a newspaper man of fifty-one years' experience and of in- ternational fame, was born in Middlebury, Vermont, August 30, 1824. He is of Scotch descent, the original American ancestors of the family having settled in this country in early Colonial times. His grandfather, Titus Doolittle, was born in Massachusetts, where he followed farming. He died at an advanced age, in Belchertown, that State. The father of the subject of this sketch, Joel Doolittle, was also born in Massachusests, and was a lawyer by profession, being a graduate of Yale College. He was the first tutor in Middlebury College, in which he was at one time president of the council of cen- sors. He was Judge of the Supreme Court of Vermont for a number of years and died in Middlebury, that State, in 1841, at the age of sixty-nine. In politics he was a Whig and a devout member of the Episcopal Church. His wife, nee Sallie Fitch, was a native of Pawlet, Vermont, and a lady of superior ability and culture. She reared seven children to noble manhood and woman- hood and died at the age of eighty-six. She also was an earnest member of the Episcopal Church.

The youngest child in order of birth was Mark R. Doolittle, whose name heads this sketch. He was reared in his native city until sixteen years of age and attended the academy of that place. Possessing an ad- venturous and ambitious disposition and much interest existing at that time in the Eastern States in regard to the new country west of them, Mark Doolittle started for Ohio in 1830, coming to Painesville, his present home, where he learned the printer's trade. He first worked at his art in Huron, Ohio, and later was employed at Sandusky on the City Advertiser. He subsequently went to Fremont and from there, in 1843, came to Painesville, whence he removed the next year to Chagrin Falls, after which he went to Milan and from there back to Paines- ville in the fall of 1845. He worked on the Telegraph from that time until 1855 and then established the Advertiser, which he success- fully operated until 1860, when he sold it. He next conducted a job office for several years and then resumed relationship with the Telegraph, purchasing an interest in that paper, with which he continued to be con- nected until 1867. In 1869, he once more revived the Advertiser and after two years' successful management sold it and became business manager and associate editor of the Telegraph, in which latter capacity he acted until his appointment, in February, 1890, to the office of Postmaster. He brings to his latter duties a varied business experience of years' duration and his customary energy and dispatch, coupled with that high integrity so characteristic of his life and to which may be attributed his unvarying success.

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Biographical history of northeastern Ohio : embracing the counties of Ashtabula, Geauga and Lake, Part 35

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