Biographical history of northeastern Ohio : embracing the counties of Ashtabula, Geauga and Lake, Part 86

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 86
USA > Ohio > Geauga County > Biographical history of northeastern Ohio : embracing the counties of Ashtabula, Geauga and Lake > Part 86
USA > Ohio > Lake County > Biographical history of northeastern Ohio : embracing the counties of Ashtabula, Geauga and Lake > Part 86

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).

H ENRY C. RAND, ex-County Com- missioner and owner of the finest 160- acre farm in Lake county, Ohio, was born here in Madison, June 11, 1830. Martin Rand, his father, was born in New Hampshire, December 26, 1801, and was left an orphan when asmall boy. He was reared on a farm, and upon reaching his majority

was married. In the early '20s he came with his wife and few household effects in a one-horse wagon to Lake county, Ohio, and settled one mile north of the present site of Madison, on what is known as the Middle Ridge, which at that time was practically a wilderness, being covered with a dense growth of woods. The country abounded in deer and wild turkeys then, and bears were occasionally seen. Mr. Rand, however, cared little for hunting. He was of an industrious turn and soon set about the clearing and developing of his farm. After making considerable im- provement of this place he sold it and bought sixty acres, a short distance west of his first land, and in the same township, and also de- veloped that farm. He began life on the bottom round of the ladder, and by honest and earnest toil worked his way up, securing a comfortable home and support for himself and family and doing his part to advance the interest of this part of the country. He died May 20, 1884, at the age of eighty-three years. His life companion bore the maiden name of Lucy Cummings. Her native State was New Hampshire, and the date of her birth August 28, 1807. They reared eight children, all of whom are still living, namely: Lucy A., now Mrs. McMackin; Henry C., whose name heads this article; Solon A .; Emily B., now Mrs. Ensign; Silas M .; Cas- sius C .; Cornelia, now Mrs. Haskell; ard Elmer. The mother died December 18, 1886.

Henry C. Rand attended school in the old town house on the Middle Ridge, which was fitted up with rude slab benches, the school being conducted partially on the subscription system. He began life on his own account when quite young, and was married April 1, 1851, to Miss Nancy McMackin, a native of this township, and a daughter of John Mc- Mackin, who came here from New York at

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an early day. They had three children, viz .: Altha, who died at the age of six years; Kate M., now Mrs. Dayton; and Harry M. Some time after the death of his first wife Mr. Rand married Augusta Norton, also a native of this township and a lady of culture and refinement, their marriage occurring in 1880. The chil- dren of this union are Hazel H., Ethel B., and Henry Dane.

After his first marriage Mr. Rand settled on a farm near the lake, in the northern part of this township. Four or five years later he disposed of that place and bought thirty-one acres on the Middle Ridge and improved the same. Subsequently he bought another farm, of fifty-three acres. In this way he continued buying and improving farms, being very successful. He lived two years in Paines ville and also a short time in the village of Madison. In 1882 he bought his present farm of 160 acres, which lies on the west edge of Madison and is said to be the finest farm in Lake county. The land is gently rolling, is of a rich gravel loam, very pro- ductive and adapted to general farming. On the south end of the farm is a sugar orchard, containing more than a thousand trees, from which Mr. Rand makes large quantities of syrup, shipping the same to various parts of the country, some of it being sent as far West as California. His elegant and com- modious residence is one of the best in all the country round, his home surroundings being indicative not only of wealth but also of culture. He built his large bank barn in 1887. Among his stock are some fine specimens of Durham cattle.

Politically, Mr. Rand's opinions are in har- mony with the principles advocated by the Republican party. He has served as Township Trustee a number of terms. In November, 1885, he was elected County Commissioner,

was re-elected to the same office in the fall of 1888, and served most acceptably in that position six years, retiring in January, 1892.

Mr. Rand began life with nothing but in- dustry for his capital. He has been a hard worker and good manager and is now ranked with the most successful men of Madison township.

Mrs. Rand is a member of the Baptist Church.

RSAMUS SMITH. The first settle- ment by New Englanders, and the first permanent settlement by any white men in Ohio was made at Marietta, on the bank of the Ohio river, in 1788. In 1796 a similar lodgment was effected at Cleveland and east of that place, by settlers from nearly the same section of Massachusetts as those who went to Marietta, and by others from Connecticut. In both instances the settlers were mainly soldiers who had been connected . with the Revolutionary war. Few families were more intimately associated with these movements than those of which the above named gentleman is a representative.

The lifting bodily of so large a portion of Puritan Massachusetts and Connecticut over the whole length of the great States of New York and Pennsylvania, across hundreds of miles of forest and mountains, and planting the same so quickly and so securely in the dense woods through which savage tribes were still roaming unchallenged, was an achievement without a parallel in history, and possible of accomplishment only at the hands of those brave determined men, to whose courage, strength and devotion was mainly due the triumphant success of a few colonies, sparsely settled and poor, in a seven years" war with the mightiest nation the world has

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BIOGRAPHICAL HISTORY

ever known, whose proud boast it was that she had " dotted the surface of the globe with her possessions and military posts, whose morning drum-beat, following the sun and keeping time with the hours, circled the earth daily with the continuous and unbroken strain of the martial music of England." It is not a pleasant reflection, but truth demands its record, that when the brave men whose strong arms had given a continent to free- dom, asked that of the illimitable expanse spreading from ocean to ocean, which they wrested from the British domain, a few acres each might be apportioned them for homes in lieu of the almost worthless script with which their priceless service had been paid, they asked in vain. But the Government was willing to sell them land. Some sort of organization had been effected in the asking, and this organization of officers and soldiers was made the basis of a company which bought for $1 an'acre a million and a half acres of land in southern Ohio. General Rufus Putnam, of Rutland, Worcester county, Massachusetts, who was one of the first or- ganizers of this soldier movement, became a leader of a party of forty-eight men, his old comrades in arms, mainly from Worcester and Middlesex counties, and left Massachu- setts, December 1, 1787, landing at Marietta, April 7, 1788. This was the earliest settle- ment in Ohio.

George Smith, also of Rutland, the father of Orsamus Smith, and a comrade in the army with General Putnam, while a share- holder and promoter of the enterprise, did not accompany the expedition, having just married, in 1787, Mary Bent, the daughter of Captain Silas Bent and sister of Captain Silas Bent, Jr. The younger Bent accom- panied the first party to Marietta, his father and mother following the next year. Silas

Bent, Sr., was born at Sudbury, Massachu- setts, in 1744; was educated at Cambridge, Massachusetts; and married Miss Mary Car- ter. He died at Belpre, Ohio, April 4, 1818; she, at the same place, June 10, 1831, aged eighty-five years. Captain Silas Bent, Jr., went from Marietta to Missouri in 1806, as Assistant Surveyor General; was afterward appointed Presiding Supreme Judge of Mis- souri Territory: died at St. Louis in 1827. His son, Charles Bent, was the first Civil Governor of New Mexico, and was with his cabinet assassinated in the insurrection of Taos in 1847. Several other members of the same family distinguished themselves in the Mexican and Indian border warfare as well as the political history of the West.

During the earlier years of the Marietta settlement the settlers lived in a fort, built on the site of an ancient city and fort of the mound-builders, and suffered much from In- dians, not less than thirty of their number being killed by the savages.

Eight years after the settlement of Mari- etta, there landed, July 4, 1796, at the mouth of Conneant creek, in the northeast corner of Ohio, a band of pilgrims under the leader- ship of Major Moses Cleveland. There were fifty souls, among them two women and one young boy. This boy was the son of Elijah Gunn, and one of the women Mr. Gunn's wife. Elijah Gunn was the son of Lieuten- ant Nathaniel Gunn, who had served in the Revolutionary war, as also had his six sons: Nathaniel, Stephen, Elijah, Elisha, Elihu, and Moses, The Gunn family had for generations lived in the towns of Montagne, Massachu- setts, and Granby, Connecticut. The daugh- ters of Nathaniel Gunn were: Dorothy, Sub- mit, Jemima and Mercy. Mercy was the wife of Luke Kendall and the mother of Mrs. Or- samus Smith. This Mrs. Elijah Gunn, who

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landed at Conneaut with her little son, was the daughter of a Captain Carver, an explorer who, just before the war of the Revolution, had secured a grant of land from the English Government, covering a large tract of land in northern Ohio, west of Cleveland. Captain Carver was in England when the war broke out. He was prevented from returning to America, and subsequently died in England, leaving two daughters, one of whom, as above stated, became the wife of Elijah Gunn, and the other married his brother, Moses Gunn. These brothers spent many years and a large amount of money in unsuccessful effort to obtain from Congress a ratification of the English grant. Elisha Gunn settled in Cleve- land in 1796, and was living in good health and in possession of all his faculties in 1847, being then past ninety.

Orsamus Smith was born in Peru, Berk- shire county, Massachusetts, November 9, 1807, son of George and Mary (Bent) Smith, the former a native of Rutland, Massachu- setts, and the latter of Sudbury, Massachu- setts. He came to Ohio about 1823. His father, as already stated, being a shareholder in the Connecticut Land Company, had given to each of his several sons a farm in Ashta- bula and Trumbull counties. After spending a few years in the woods of Ohio with his married brothers, older than himself, who had preceded him (John in Dorset, and Renselaer in Bloomfield), he returned to his home in Berkshire county, Massachusetts, where he married Melinda Clapp, the daugh- ter of Erastus Clapp, of Deerfield, Massachu- setts. Returning to Ohio, he settled on a tract of land at the center of Orwell, and, with his brothers, Pomeroy and Franklin, who with their father, George Smith, came to Ohio about the same time, at once began to lay the foundation for the present thrifty

village. They erected several good frame houses, a large hotel -still standing in 1893- and other business places, inducing the loca- tion there of those two excellent business men, George A. Howard and R. C. Newell, so long identified with the prosperity of the town. In a single year the place was trans- formed from a dense forest to a busy village. The township was rapidly settled, and the town itself, being favorably located on the main thoroughfare of eastern Ohio, half way between Ashtabula and Warren, readily took a position abreast with older towns in the section, which position it has fully main- tained.

Here Mr. Smith lost his wife, who, dying at the age of thirty, left two little boys, George E. and Horatio M., and a little girl, Frances M. In 1840 Orasmus Smith was again married, this time to Elmira Kendall, of Warren, Ohio, the daughter of Luke and Mercy (Gunn) Kendall, of Deerfield, Massa- chusetts, before referred to. Of Luke Ken- dall, it is recorded that he enlisted in the service during the Revolutionary war, but, being very young, his brother David secured his discharge by going in his place. The latter was taken prisoner and was held several years by the British. Elmira Kendall was born in 1806, at Deerfield. She was a pupil of the celebrated Mary Lyon, of Mt. Holyoke, Massachusetts, and at the time of her mar- riage was a teacher in Warren, Ohio. The children of this second union were: William O. and Emma L. Smith.

Orsamus Smith was represented in the Civil war by his two sons, Major Horatio M. and William O., both of whom served in the Army of the Cumberland from August 13, 1862, until the close of the war, a period of three years. Both enlisted as privates in the One Hundred and Fifth Ohio Volunteer In-

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BIOGRAPHICAL HISTORY

fantry. Major Horatio M. Smith served as Quartermaster in the field the first year and on the staff of Major General George H. Thomas the last two years. He died in 1890, leaving three sons: Ford R., Louis Ord and Horatio Hoyt, and one daughter, Maud W. Smith. The other grandchildren of Orsamus Smith are: Ida M. and Augusta E. Smith, daughters of George E. Smith who lives in New York city. Mrs. Frances M. Gilkeson, William O. Smith and Emma L. Smith, the remaining children of Orsamus Smith, live in Orwell.

Orsamus Smith closed a long and busy life in Orwell, December 31, 1886, in his eighti- eth year; and his wife, Elmira, passed away at the same place, March 10, 1888, in her eighty-second year.

Of these pioneer families, it should be further stated that Orsamus Sinith had thir- teen brothers and sisters; and that there were also fourteen brothers and sisters in Elmira Kendall's family, nearly all of whom lived to maturity and brought up families in Ohio.

AMES L. OSBORN, proprietor of the West Andover, Ohio, Saw & Planing Mill, was born in Andover township, Ashtabula county, Ohio, September 14, 1834, a son of Leverett H. and Harriet (Nims) Osborn, the father a native of Blanford, Hampden county, Massachusetts, and the mother of Fort Ann, Washington county, New York, who married March 26, 1826.

They came to Ashtabula county, Ohio, about 1830, locating first at Jefferson, and then in Andover township. The father fol- lowed carpentering most of his life, and also owned a farm of 112 acres. He was a Whig and later a Republican, was a member of the

Methodist Episcopal Church, and was a sin- cere and devoted Christian. He died in An- dover, Ohio, May 28, 1858. Mrs. Osborn died in Jefferson, Ohio, September 16, 1880.

Mr. and Mrs. Osborn had four children: Eliza M., deceased, was the wife of Edwin D. Knapp; James L., our subject; Helen L., widow of Allen R. Houghton, and now a resident of Jefferson, Ohio. Florine E., de- ceased, was the wife of G. W. Beckwith, then of Jefferson, Ohio, now of 647 Hough avenue, Cleveland, Ohio.

James L. Osborn, the subject of this sketch, was reared to farm life, received his educa- tion at district schools, and acquired the car- penter and millwright trades. He remained at home till he was twenty-four years of age, and subsequently, including the season of 1865, was engaged at his trades. August 28, 1862, he enlisted in the Eighth United States regular band, for the late war, and served until discharged November 13 of that year. Since 1865, Mr. Osborn has been engaged in the milling business. The mill was first es- tablished in 1848, by George C. Dolph, now deceased, as a sawmill, and later planing machinery was put in per Britton and Booths- by, to manufacture cheese vats for H. A. Roe, but was not used long. The mill was oper- ated by Dolph until June 30, 1851, then sold to Calvin Woodworth, who sold the same to J. E. Snow, July 5, 1852, who in turn sold to G. B. Mason, October 18, 1864. January 23, 1866, Mr. Osborn purchased the mill of G. B. Mason, adding at the time planing machinery, since then, oar and handle lathes, all of which equipment was destroyed by fire February 24, 1888, except the oar lathe. During the season of 1888, Mr. Osborn erected his present building, purchasing and removing the Hayward & Benson mill machinery from Sheffield, Ohio. September

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10, 1890, he put in a planer and matcher, and also a moulder, and this season (1893) has added a band saw and turning lathe, for wood. In addition to his milling interests, Mr. Osborn is also agent for the Canton Steel Roofing Company, of Canton, Ohio.

November 1, 1864, he was united in mar- riage to Miss Maggie A. Wilder, who was born in Andover, Ashtabula county, Ohio, May 30, 1842, a daughter of Joseph and Cornelia (Rathbone) Wilder.

To this union have been born two children, Leverett H., at Andover, Ohio, August 18, 1865, is now hand-car inspector for Lake Shore & Michigan Southern Railroad, from Toledo to Buffalo, Oil City and Youngstown, with residence at Andover, Ohio. He is a natural sketch artist and has done work in that line for the railroad company.

Mary A., the second child, was born at Andover, Ashtabula county, Ohio, March 17, 1879, and is now at home. In political matters, Mr. Osborn affiliates with the Re- publican party, and has held the position of Township Trustee. He is now a member of the Home Guards of Ohio, and was formerly a member of the John Brown Black String Company.

Leverett H. Osborn was united in marriage to Miss Isadore B. Kendall, September 25, 1890. To this union has been born one child, Pearl, January 12, 1892.

OSEPH C. RODGERS is the proprietor of the largest mill for the manufacture of staves and lumber in Ashtabula county. A sketch of his life and some men- tion of his business enterprise will be of in- terest here, and is accordingly here incor- porated.

Joseph C. Rodgers was born in Armstrong county, Pennsylvania, February 23, 1859. His father, William Rodgers, emigrated from Ireland to this country in 1827 and located in that county. He subsequently removed to Butler county, Pennsylvania, and still later came to Colebrook, Ohio, where he purchased 428 acres of land, upon a portion of which he still resides. The mother of our subject, nee Mary Pettit, was born in Allegheny county, Pennsylvania. By a previous mar- riage with Catherine Crow, also a native of Pennsylvania, William Rodgers had three children: Andrew, a resident of Colebrook; Robert, who died in infancy; and Martha, now Mrs. David Humphrey, of Allegheny county, Pennsylvania. By his second mar- riage he had twelve children, of whom the subject of our sketch was the fourth. Cassie and Mahala, the first and second, died in in- fancy; William H., the third, resides in Craw- ford county, Pennsylvania; the fifth, Samuel E., lives in Colebrook, Ohio; the next two were twins and died in infancy; David E. is a resident of Kingsville, Ohio; Daniel C., of Colebrook, is connected with the Salvation Army; Mollie I., is the wife of H. D. Allen, and they own a farm near Gustavus, but are at present living in Colebrook; Maud N., the eleventh, is the wife of Bert Allen, a prominent farmer and thresher of Austin, Minnesota; and Gaylord F., the youngest, is still under the parental roof. Of the original 428 acres, comprising the Rodgers farm, William Rodgers has given fifty acres to each of his surviving sons and divided eighty-two acres among his daughters.

Joseph C. Rodgers lives on the land given him by his father. It is upon this place his mill is located, the same having been erected by him in December, 1885. Some idea of the proportions to which this plant has grown

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BIOGRAPHICAL HISTORY

may be gleaned from the following facts: During the past year M. Rodgers has cut and shipped 2,314,000 nail-keg staves. The present year he will manufacture not less than 3,500,000. From ten to fourteen men are employed during the entire year, while the pressure of business requires the con- stant operation of the mill by day and night during two or three months in the year. During the past year he purchased about 300,000 feet of timber, and this year the amount will reach 500,000 feet. This in- dustry is of great benefit to Colebrook, and its people will use all proper endeavors to retain it. Other towns with superior railroad facilities are constantly negotiating for the plant, however, and it may eventually to be Mr. Rodgers' interest to accept their proposi- tions.

Mr. Rodgers also has a sawmill department, where he annually does custom sawing to the amount of about 200,000 feet per year. It is the only sawmill in Colebrook.

The subject of our sketch has been twice married. In November, 1881, he married Maggie Kelley, a native of Pennsylvania, who died February 27, 1887, leaving an only child. This child, Martha Beryl, was born December 25, 1883. In 1889 Mr. Rodgers married Emma O. Andrews, whose maiden name was Thurber. They have had two children: Carlie, born June 20, 1890, died in infancy; and Joseph C., born May 4, 1892. By her former marriage Mrs. Rodgers had children as follows: Guy Le Roy, born March, 25, 1876 ; Myra Mahala, November 28, 1877; Lulu May, January 2, 1880; William F., December 19, 1883-all living except Lulu May, she having died in infancy.

Mr. Rodgers is an active politican, being identified with the best elements of the Re- publican party. Fraternally, he is associated

with the Masonic order and the J. O. U. A. M. In the latter organization he is Deputy State Counselor of his district. Mr. Rodgers is a liberal supporter of local institutions, a pro- gressive business man, and is highly es- teemed by his fellow-citizens.

F RED J. BISHOP, an attorney of An- dover, was born in West Williamsfield, Ohio, in December, 1866, a son of John B. Bishop, who located in Ashtabula county in his infancy, about 1830. The latter's father, Thomas Bishop, was a native of Connecticut, of English descent, and his wife, Phœbe Palmer, was a descendant of Lord Palmerston. He came from his native State to this county, where he subsequently died. John B. Bishop, the father of our subject, was a farmer and surveyor by occupation, and a Republican in his political views. He mar- ried Amanda Ford, a native of West Will- iamsfield and a daughter of Shodrick Ford. They had five children : Fred, deceased in early childhood; Eliza, who also died when young; Mary, deceased; Elizabeth, wife of P. L. Woodworth, of West Williamsfield, and Fred J., the subject of this sketch.

The latter was reared to farm life, attended the district schools of this county, and later the schools of Andover. He next took a thorough course at New Lyme, and also at- tended the Edinburgh College two terms. After teaching school one year, Mr. Bishop began the study of law, under the preceptor- ship of S. A. Northway, with whom he re- mained one year. He was then admitted to the bar, and since that time has followed the practice of law at Andover. He is a strong advocate of Democratic principles, and is one of the rising young politicians of Ashtabula county.

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OF NORTHEASTERN OHIO.

Mr. Bishop was married September 21, 1892, to Miss Nellie W. Gibbs, who was horn and reared in Andover, a daughter of Edward and Lovenia (Thayer) Gibbs.

ESSE M. TOWNSEND, a notable con- tractor and builder, now supervising the construction of the dock work on the lake front, Ashtabula Harbor, was born in Baltimore county, Maryland, September 4, 1844. His father, Samuel Townsend, was a native of the same State, but born in Mont- gomery county, in 1816. He learned the carpenter's trade when young, to which he devoted his entire life. This branch of the Townsend family came originally from York county, Pennsylvania, whence the grand- father of the subject of this sketch, J. M. Townsend, emigrated to Montgomery county, Maryland, where he passed the rest of his days. He also was a carpenter and builder, which business he followed all his life. On the call of the country in 1812, he patriotic- ally offered his services, serving with ef- ficiency and honor during that war. He was the father of eight children, only three of whom now survive. Samuel Townsend, father of the subject of this sketch, married Catherine Ware, and they were the parents of five children: J. M., whose name heads this notice; Mahala, wife of J. M. Rhein- hardt; Mary, who married J. Primrose; Al- myra died at the age of five years; and L. J., the wife of J. Moore, a Maryland farmer.

J. M. Townsend, of this biography, re- ceived a fair education, and after quitting school, worked a few months with his father. He was then variously engaged in farming and other legitimate work, that would pro- vide him with the necessaries of life. When

seventeen years of age, he went to Washing- ton city, where he was employed in the quartermaster's department of the Govern- ment service for four months. In the mean- time, his father had been drafted into the army, but was released when his son, J. M., presented himself as a substitute and was regularly enrolled. He was first in Company 1, Eighth Maryland Infantry, Third Brigade and Third Corps, but was soon transferred to the Third Division, Third Brigade of the Fifth Corps, Army of the Potomac. Hard service was the fate of this command, Gettys- burg, Wilderness, Cold Harbor and other notable battles being among the historic engagements participated in by Mr. Town- send, through which he passed withont seri- ous harm. He was discharged in 1863, and returned to Baltimore, where he completed his trade. He then entered on the work of contracting and building, which he prose- cuted vigorously in that State until 1871, at which time he went to Connellsville, Penn- sylvania, where he engaged to work as a re- pairer of bridges, etc., for the Baltimore & Ohio Railway Company, with whom he severed his connection, at the end of fourteen years, as master builder. He afterward went to West Virginia, where he built twenty-five miles of what is now a part of the Baltimore & Ohio system, fulfilling his contract, which called for everything complete except the grading. His next work was to construct the wood-work in the widening of the gauge of the Painesville & Youngstown Narrow Gauge (now the Pittsburg, Painesville & Fairport), under the supervision of J. R. Ir- vin. at present superintendent of docks at Fairport. Following this, Mr. Townsend was ordered to Pittsburgh to do important work as superintendent of way and yard- master for the P- -J ---- Railroad

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Biographical history of northeastern Ohio : embracing the counties of Ashtabula, Geauga and Lake, Part 86

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