Centennial history of Summit County, Ohio and representative citizens, Part 81

Author: Doyle, William B., b. 1868
Publication date: 1908
Publisher: Chicago, Ill. : Biographical Pub. Co.
Number of Pages: 1150

USA > Ohio > Summit County > Centennial history of Summit County, Ohio and representative citizens > Part 81

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In 1880, Mr. Hunt was married to Mary McGowan, of AAkron, and they have seven surviving children, namely: Annie, who mar- ried Arthur Wales, residing at Akron; and Mary, James, William, Margaret, Edward and Ellen. all residing at home. Mr. Hunt's business address is No. 35 North Maple Street, Akron.

NELSON W. FENN, a prominent farmer and dairyman of Tallmadge Township, was born October 23, 1847, in Tallmadge Town- ship, Summit County, Ohio, and is a son of Treat and Harriet (Bierec) Fenn.

In 1818, Richard Fenn, the grandfather of Nelson W., brought his family from Connect- icut and purchased a farm of 200 1-2 aeres in Tallmadge Township, now in Summit but then in Portage County. The maternal grand- father, Philo Bierce, was an early settler in Nelson Township, Portage County, coming there also from Connectieut.

Treat Fenn was born in Connecticut and was about fourteen years of age when his par- ents came to Ohio, and he was reared on the home farm in Tallmadge Township. He was married three times, (first) to Harriet Bierce,

who died when Nelson W. was an infant, and (second) to Rachel Fuller Baldwin, who died in 1856. In 1861 he was married (third) to Florilla Wright, who is also deceased. Mr. Fenn died November 24, 1886, aged eighty- two years. Of his eight children, seven were born to his first marriage.

Nelson W. Fem has resided all his life on the present farm, which is a part of the old homestead purchased by his grandfather. He attended the local schools and has made farming and dairying his main occupations, and keeps from eighteen to twenty cows to carry on the latter industry. Ile is numbered with the township's substantial and represent- ative citizens.

In 1885, Mr. Fenn was married to Mary Gunsualis, of Pittsburg, Pennsylvania, and they have one daughter, Irene. They have an adopted son, Oliver Fenn.

In politics Mr. Fenn is identified with the Republican party. He and wife are members of the Congregational Church.

HARVEY THORNTON, a representative agriculturalist who is carrying on farming on a part of the old Thornton homestead, a 100-acre tract of fine land situated in the northeastern corner of Franklin Township, was born in the briek house located just aeross the channel from his present residence, Sun- mit County, Ohio, March 20, 1876, and is a son of Aaron Thornton.

Samuel Thornton, the grandfather of Har- vey, was one of the first settlers of this dis- triet, where at one time he owned 800 aeres of land, 200 of which is now South Akron. IIe donated a large amount of land to Ak- ron, including Thornton Street and Pleasant Park. In his latter years he removed from his farm in Franklin Township to Akron, where his death took place. His widow re- sides at Akron, aged eighty years.

Aaron Thornton, father of Harvey, was born in Franklin Township, Summit County, Ohio, on his father's farm, which he made his home until 1893, when he removed to Akron. His wife, who is a native of Snyder County, Penn- sylvania, came to Franklin Township, in girl-

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hood, on a visit to her sister. IIer father died when she was an infant. Hlere she met Mr. Thornton, whom she later married. Three children were born to this union: May, who died in childhood; Harvey; and Bessie, who married Russell Robison of Akron.

Harvey Thornton remained on the home. farm in Franklin Township until he was six- teen years of age, when he removed with the family to Akron, where he assisted his fath- er in a coal business, until his marriage. IIe then settled on his present farm, where he has followed farming and threshing ever since, with the exception of a short period, when he engaged in a grocery business at Ak- ron. He has been an active citizen and tak- en an interest in township affairs. In 1901 he served in the office of road supervisor and at present is a school director. Mr. Thornton and family belong to the Lutheran Church.

On January 5, 1898, Mr. Thornton mar- ried Bertha Diehl, and they have three chil- dren, namely: Floyd, Fern and Robert. The parents of Mrs. Thornton are William and Eliza ( Diehl) Diehl, residents of Barberton. They have the following children: Hattie, who married Charles Swigart, residing in Franklin Township; Edward, who resides at East Liberty; Curtis, who resides at Barber- ton ; Bertha, who is the wife of Ilarvey Thorn- ton : and Wallace, who lives at Barberton. William Diehl was born in Pennsylvania and his wife in Stark County, Ohio. They were prominent residents of Franklin Township for many years, but in 1904 removed to Barber- ton.

J. V. CLEAVER, M. D., physician and sur- geon, of Akron, who probably stands at the head of the medieal profession in Summit County, and whose reputation as a surgeon ex- tends all over Ohio, was born June 13, 1858, at East Bethlehem, Washington County, Pennsylvania, and is a son of John I. and Pleasant HI. (Hill) Cleaver.

The Cleavers have been known in Pennsyl- vania sinee 1682, when the German founder of the family settled there. John Cleaver, grandfather of the doctor, was a pioneer of

Washington County, Pennsylvania. Ile reared a large family, some members of which became distinguished. One of his sons, Hiram, became a professor in the medical college at Keokuk, Iowa, and his son, John, a physician. James II., another grandson, also a physician, was elected to the office of mayor of Council Bluffs, lowa, and a third son, Eli B., served in the Ohio State Legisla- ture.

John I. Cleaver, father of Dr. Cleaver, spent his whole life as an agriculturist and sheep- raiser in Washington County. Ile married Pleasant Hill, whose ancestors-paternal and maternal-came from Ireland and Scotland respectively, and they had four children, namely: Etta, who died in childhood; J. V. Cleaver, M. D., whose name begins this sketch ; Solon II., who died in childhood; and Isaac N., who is in business at Indianapolis, In- diana, in the Archibald Cleaver Company.

After finishing the public school course in Washington County, the subject of this sketch took a course in the Southwest Normal School in the same county. He then spent four years in teaching. During this time he was quietly reading medicine under the direction of Dr. Q. C. Farquhar, and also found time to serve as clerk to the county treasurer. He subse- quently entered the medical department of the University of Pennsylvania, and had the advantage of receiving the special instruction of Dr. Agnew, who was probably one of the most skilled surgeons of the day. He was graduated from the University as M. D., May 2, 1887. Deciding to loeate in Akron, he same here and entered an office with Dr. Thomas MeEbright, with whom he remained one year. Since then Dr. Cleaver has prae- tired alone, and for some years has devoted himself mostly to surgery. le is a member of the American Medical Association, the State Medical Association, the Union Medieal Association of the Sixth Councilor District, this state; the Mississippi Valley Medieal As- sociation, and the Summit County Medieal Society, to all of which he has contributed carefully prepared papers on medieal and sur- gical subjects. Dr. Cleaver's modern-equipped

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HISTORY OF SUMMIT COUNTY

offices are located in the Quaker Oats Build- ing.

On October 24, 1894, Dr. Cleaver was mar- ried at Akron to Mabel Wagoner, who is a daughter of Captain Aaron Wagoner, and they have one child, Josephine. The family home is at No. 605 West Market Street. Politi- cally Dr. Cleaver is a Republican. He has served both as city physician and infirmary physician. Fraternally he is connected with the Odd Fellows. He is also a member of the Akron Medical Club.

JOHN T. BRITTAIN, a leading citizen of Springfield Township, where he owns 135 acres of valuable land, was born in Columbia County, Pennsylvania, August 6, 1823, and is a son of John and Margaret (Albertson) Brittain.

The mother of Mr. Brittain died when he was eight years of age. In 1832 his father came to Summit County, Ohio, and settled on the farm on which his son, John T. Brittain, resides, a property which has been owned by father and son for seventy-five years. At the time John Brittain located in Springfield, not a house had yet been built at Akron, and only a sparse population was scattered over the township. Neither schools nor churches had been established, but Mr. Brittain and his brother soon aroused enough interest to have a schoolhouse erected, this being the first one in Springfield Township. The first house built on the Brittain farm was destroyed by fire, and was replaced by the one which still stands. in which John Brittain died in 1857.

There were eight children born to John and Margaret Brittain, four sons and four daugh- ters, namely: Henry, Zebrith, Jane, Eliza- beth, Margaret, Jolm T., Matilda, and a son that died in infancy, in Pennsylvania. All the other members of the family reached ma- turity. John T. Brittain is the only survivor. John Brittain was married (second) in 1834, to a member of the Gaynor family. which was one of the first to settle in Springfield Town- ship.

John T. Brittain has had possession of his present farm since the death of his father.

His life has been mainly devoted to agricul- tural pursuits and his industry has brought him independence. For some years he oper- ated a blacksmith's shop and for three years was in the fire clay industry, carrying on these industries on his farm. He retains 135 acres of the original farm, having disposed of fifty- six aeres some time since.

Mr. Brittain has been married twice (first), to Hannah Rodgers, who was born in Geauga County, Ohio, whose parents were natives of Connecticut. To this union were born four children: Amanda, John G., Sarah and Han- nah. The eldest daughter married Wesley Corp, of Northampton, and all of their four children have married. John G., named for both father and grandfather, married Au- gusta Dennis and they reside in the Sixth Ward, East Akron. During the Civil War he served as a member of the Fourth Ohio Battery. Sarah married Herman Newbower and they have two children. Hannah mar- ried Thomas Gilcrist, and they reside at Hart- ville, where he is engaged in celery growing.

Mr. Brittain was married (second) to Cath- erine Potts, who died June 22, 1906, aged seventy-four years. She was a daughter of Israel Potts and was a woman of most estima- ble character, one who was much beloved by all who came within her kindly ministrations. There were six children born to this marriage, as follows: Olive, who married W. S. Rhodes, residing at Kent : Lemuel, who married Carrie Brumbaugh, residing with Mr. Brittain; Alice, who married Charles Kohler, residing in Indiana; Cora, who married Harry Har- rington, residing at Twin Lakes; and Edith, who married L. Ewart. Mrs. Ewart is the only one of Mr. Brittain's children who is deceased. His family record is a very re- markable one, as he has thirty grandchildren and forty great-grandehildren and death has invaded the family but once.

Mr. Brittain cast his first presidential vote for Henry Clay, in 1844, and has supported every candidate of the Republican party since the birth of this organization. He has al- ways taken a deep interest in national affairs and in local good government and has been

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ready to do his full duty on every occasion. For about thirty years he served as a member of the township School Board, and for a num- ber of years as township trustee.

THOMAS HALE, one of Springfield Town- ship's substantial men and leading citizens, residing on his well-improved farm of 110 acres, has lived on this place for the past forty- two years and has acquired property at other points, including thirty-five acres near Moga- dore and 111 acres in Suffield Township, l'or- tage County.

Thomas Hale was born in Springfield Township, Summit County, Ohio, March 22, 1839, and is a son of Austin M. and Samantha (Bellows) Hale. Austin M. Hale was born also in Springfield Township, in 1814, on what was known as the Christ place, and was a son of Thomas and Laura (Moore) Hale. The Hale family is of Welsh extraction, but the first Samuel Hale of whom there is record, settled at Glastonbury, Connecticut, in 1637, sailing from an English port as a resident of Glastonbury. He acquired much land and a part of it has always remained in the Hale family. The old homestead which has been kept for 250 years is the property of J. H. Hale, who also owns great peach orchards in Georgia, and is a man of large capital.

The Samuel Hale who eame to the Western Reserve from Groton, Connecticut, was the great-grandfather of Thomas Hale of Spring- field Township. He was a member of the Connecticut Land Company and owned as his share, 5,000 acres of land and there are mem- bers of the family in the fifth generation, who still possess a portion of this. Great-grand- father Samuel Hale married Abigail Austin, who belonged to the old Austin family of Connectieut, which subsequently established great powder mills at Akron and Cleveland. Samuel and Abigail Hale had four sons and one daughter, the latter of whom became the wife of Martin Kent, who was one of the earliest settlers of Suffield Township, Portage County. The four sons were: Samuel, who married a member of the old Gaylord fam- ily; Thomas, who married Laura Moore;

Orestes and Josiah, both of whom were acci- dentally killed.

Thomas Hale, grandfather of Thomas Hale of Springfield Township, lived on what was known as the Kent farm. He died in 1839, aged fifty-six years. He married Laura Moore, who died in 1864, aged seventy-three years. They had one son, Austin M., who died in 1889, aged seventy-four years. He married Samantha Bellows, who was born in Albany County, New York, and came to Ohio with her father, Ephraim Bellows, who was born at Groton, Connecticut. The mother of Mrs. Hale died when she was only eleven days old. The surviving children of Austin M. and Samantha Hale are: Thomas; Laura, who married Henry Stall, residing at Hud- son, have two surviving children, Howard, who is engaged in the banking business at Cleveland: and Mary, who married Frank Huff, residing at Mogadore, has two children. Albert, of the above family, died in October, 1903, aged fifty-eight years. He maried Ella Smith, of Suffield Township, and they had a family of five children. Austin M. Hale was married (second) to Laura Brown, a daughter of one of the early settlers, and they had one daughter, Nellie, who married Rev. D. D. Fennel, a minister of the Disciples Church, and they live on the old homestead in Springfield Township. Summit County, where Samuel Hale. the great-grandfather set- tled when an old man and where he died in 1809.

In 1827, his son Thomas Hale removed to Springfield Township, Summit County. this being two years after the great wind storm which had swept through Springfield and in- to Brimfield Township, Portage County. It eut a swath one-quarter of a mile in width, practically destroying miles of valuable tim- ber. Great barrieades of logs lay in this path for the following fifty years and Mr. Hale has seen these logs and has also conversed with the venerable Mrs. Sax, who witnessed the havoc made by this unusual demonstration of nature's forces. No one was seriously in- jured. this being easily explained by the fact that the country was then so sparsely settled,

HISTORY OF SUMMIT COUNTY

but many historic events are dated "from the year of the great storm." Mr. Hale has seen one of the great forest trees which escaped destruction, on which his grandfather, Thomas Hale, had carved his name and the date of 1828.

Thomas Hale, of Springfield Township, was reared among pioneer conditions. He at- tended school sixty-three years ago in a lit- tle house in Mogadore, which was subsequent- ly moved to a farm to do duty as a barn, and the old door, which so often opened to admit the bare-footed little boys and girls of his child- hood to their more or less unwelcome tasks over book and slate, still swings true on its hinges. In 1847-8 a new schoolhouse was built at Mo- gadore, and it probably was considered the acme of modern construction and convenience, and Mr. Hale remembers being on hand bright and early on the morning of the first session, in 1848, in order to have a first choice of seat. This schoolhonse still stands.

Mr. Hale assisted his father on the farmi and in setting out a large amount of nursery stock. Austin M. Ilale took a great deal of interest in growing fruit and for a number of years condueted a business which was con- sidered a satisfactory one at that time, in the line of raising fruit and other trees, under the firm name of A. M. Hale & Sons. When he married he was residing on the farm on which he was born, on the Akron and Moga- dore road, but afterward moved to the farm on which, as mentioned above, he has lived for forty-two years. This land was the old Sax farm, Martin Sax, the first settler, having lived here all his life. The residence, which Mr. Hale has remodeled and added to, was built by the son of Mr. Sax. Mr. Ilale has continued to make improvements and in 1892 he completed the ereetion of his substantial barn, which has dimensions of 40 by 60 feet. ITe retains 110 acres in his home farm, which he devotes mainly to wheat growing, and has sold thirty-two acres to the Granite Clay Com- pany and some land to the Colonial Briek Company. ITis other land, in Mogadore and in Portage County. is all very valuable.

In 1865, Mr. Hale married Emily Huff.

who is a daughter of James and Wilhelmina (Erdley) Iluff, who came from Pennsylvania and settled in the southern part of Springfield Township, moving later to the Sax farm, which they purchased. Mr. and Mrs. Ilale have two children, Alice and Frederick. The former married Rev. G. T. Norris and they reside at Marlboro and have two sons, Wen- dell and Paul. Frederick Hale is a meehan- ical engineer in the employ of the Westing- house Company and is stationed at Wilkins- burg, Pennsylvania. He received his primary education at Mogadore and then entered the Ohio University and took a course in mechan- ical engineering, making a specialty of gas engines. He is still a young man but has attained to a fine position with the Westing- house people. He married Jennie Hartman, of Ashtabula County, and they have had four children : Genevieve, Marguerite, Harriet, and a son, who is deeeased. In politics, Thomas Hale was reared a Republican, but in local matters, votes independently. With his wife he belongs to the Methodist Episco- pal Church at Mogadore.

HIRAM C. HENRY, senior member of the firm of Henry & Patterson, dealers in lumber and general contractors, at Akron, with busi- ness location at No. 282 Torrey Street, has been engaged in contracting for the past twenty-six years and is generally recognized as one of the ablest and most reliable men in his line, in this eity. Mr. Henry was born in Trumbull County, Ohio, in 1848, was reared and educated in his native place and learned the earpenter and mill-wright trade with his father, the late Samnel Henry.

In 1871 he 'came to Akron and for some eight years worked as a mill-wright. building mills for the Schumackers, and paper mills for other parties, continuing work also as a carpenter, and gradually drifting into eon- traeting, which later beeame his main inter- est. It is estimated that Mr. Henry has pro- ably done a larger amount of building here than any other individual contractor. For the past fourteen years he has also been han- dling lumber, and the firm of Henry & Patter-

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son operates a planing mill in connection with their other work. The firm was established in February, 1907. Mr. Henry employs from twelve to twenty men and divides them into three gangs. He gives his personal attention to all his contraets and has been careful to keep up the standard which he established when he first started into business.

In 1873, Mr. Henry was married to Eliza- beth Weeks, of Trumbull County. He and his wife have two children: Carrie, who mar- ried P. H. Baldwin, of Newark, New Jersey ; and Bertha M., who married Arthur Richards. of Akron, Ohio. Mr. Henry is a member of the First Methodist Episcopal Church of Ak- ron, and for twenty years has served on its official board.

BENJAMIN HART, a representative citi- zen of Springfield Township, where he owns a fine, well-improved farm of eighty aeres, has been a resident of the village of Moga- dore since 1902. Mr. Hart was born June 5, 1832. and is a son of Jesse and Freelove (Ives) Hart.

Mr. Hart belongs to an old and honorable pioneer family of New England stock, his ancestors having been among the first settlers of Springfield Township and among the very early residents of Summit County, coming here a few years after the admission of Ohio as a state.

Jesse Hart, father of Benjamin, was born in Connecticut, in 1773, and died in Summit County, Ohio, July 18. 1868, aged ninety- four years. When twenty-eight years of age he married Esther Warner. in Connecticut, and they had the following children : Worthy, who was born March 12, 1803; Amy, who was born January 29, 1805; Esther, who was born January 15, 1808: Patienee, who was born April 10, 1809: and Welcome, who was born February 19, 1811. The mother of these children died March 28, 1811. Jesse Hart was married (second) also in Connecticut to Freelove Ives, September 15. 1811. She was born in Vermont and died in Summit County. Ohio, November 7. 1863. The children of Jesse and Freelove Hart were: Louisa. who

was born August 2, 1812, married Homer Root; Jesse, who was born April 27, 1813, married Rachel Richards; Phoebe, who was born September 17, 1816, married Otis Merri- inan ; George, who was born October 22, 1818, married (first) Eliza Nelson, and (second) Mrs. Lizzie (Hile) Bean; Elizabeth, who was born October 18, 1821, married John Hixon ; Amos, who was born April 28, 1824, died from an accident, when two years of age; Harriet, who was born August 27, 1826, mar- ried (first) William Chapman, and (second ) John Smith; Sarah, who was born August 1, 1828, married (first) Joseph Conrad, and (second) Robert Fisher; and Benjamin, who was born June 5, 1832, the youngest of a fani- ily of fourteen children.

In 1812, Jesse Hart left Conectieut with his family and made the journey to Summit County, Ohio, in covered wagons, bringing along many household treasures, and probably, as did many other early settlers, his cows and horses. He settled on what became known as the Hart homestead, in Springfield Town- ship, west of Logtown, where the remainder of his life was passed. Ile found only a small portion of the land cleared, heavy timber cov- ering the balance, and it required years for himself and sons to eut down this timber, blacken and then grub out the stumps and place it all under cultivation. His experience was that of other pioneer settlers, a little easier in his case because he possessed more ample means than many others. His older chil- dren, however, were all daughters and years passed before his sons could materially assist in the heavy labor. He first erected a log house of fair dimensions, and in this the fam- ily lived and increased for ten years. About 1822. he erected a substantial brick house, in which he lived until he died and which still remains on the farm in habitable condition. In all that went to promote the civilization of this section and to advance the welfare of the community in which he had been an early pioneer. Jesse Hart was a man to be de- pended upon. He lived to witness wonderful changes in the country to which he had come so early, and on which he left an impress on

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account of his sterling character. The Hart connections are found all over this section, almost all of his children having married and left descendants.

Benjamin Hart was born in the brick house above mentioned and resided in it until 1892. His education was obtained in the early dis- triet schools near his home and he enjoyed one term's instruction at a private school in Mogadore. Ile continued to cultivate the patrimonial farm until 1892, when he passed it on to his children and grandchildren and at last the old place was sold, but it is still called the old Hart homestead. In 1892, Mr. Hart moved from the old farm, which con- tained 150 aeres, to a farm of eighty aeres, which he purchased of R. L. Ewart, and that farm he occupied and operated until he moved to Mogadore, in 1902.

On November 15. 1855, Benjamin Hart was married to Mary L. Meacham, who is a daughter of Benjamin and Prudence (Force) Meacham. Benjamin Meacham was born in Connecticut, came as an early settler to Sum- mit County, and lived in both Tallmadge and Springfield Townships. The mother of Mrs. Hart died when she was two years old, but her father survived some forty years. The children born to Benjamin and Mary L. Hart were the following: Alice, Clara, Mary L., Sarah L .. Wilbur Judd, and Raymond. Alice, who married Clark Woolf. resides in Spring- field Township, and they have three children, May, Mahlon and Bessie. Clara, deceased. married Edward Daugherty, and at death, December 12, 1886, left two sons, James Ben- jamin, who has become a prominent citizen of New Berlin, and Irvin Garfield, who is a successful dentist residing at New Berlin. May L., who married Homer L. Hudson, October 7. 1882, died September 7, 1888, leaving one daughter, Clara Louise ; Sarah L., was married August 27, 1885, to Amos K. Douglas and they have four children, Rosa- mond. Ray Hayes. Ethel and Helen. Wilbur Judd Hart was married June 3. 1890, to Viola Funt, and they have eight children, Jennie, James. Edith, Clara, Gertrude, Irvin (de- ceased), Elwood, and Florence V. Wilbur

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Centennial history of Summit County, Ohio and representative citizens, Part 81

Author: Doyle, William B., b. 1868 Publication date: 1908 Publisher: Chicago, Ill. : Biographical Pub. Co. Number of Pages: 1150

Author: Doyle, William B., b. 1868
Publication date: 1908
Publisher: Chicago, Ill. : Biographical Pub. Co.
Number of Pages: 1150