Commemorative biographical record of the counties of Sandusky and Ottawa, Ohio, containing biographical sketches of prominent and representative citizens, Part 45

Author: J.H. Beers & Co
Publication date: 1896
Publisher: Chicago, J.H. Beers & co.
Number of Pages: 1040

USA > Ohio > Sandusky County > Commemorative biographical record of the counties of Sandusky and Ottawa, Ohio, containing biographical sketches of prominent and representative citizens > Part 45
USA > Ohio > Ottawa County > Commemorative biographical record of the counties of Sandusky and Ottawa, Ohio, containing biographical sketches of prominent and representative citizens > Part 45

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W ARREN J. BRADFORD, a wide- awake business man of Clyde, Sandusky county, is of the ninth generation in descent from Gov- ernor William Bradford, who came over in the " Mayflower " in 1620, and was the first governor of the Plymouth Colony. The line of descent from Governor Brad- ford is as follows: Major William Brad- ford, Thomas Bradford (of Norwich, Conn. , Lieutenant James Bradford (of Canterbury, Conn. ), William Bradford (of Canterbury, Conn.), Josiah Bradford (of Connecticut), Joshua Bradford, Jr. (of Connecticut), Moses D. Bradford and Warren J. Bradford.

Joshua Bradford, Jr., became one of the earliest pioneers of Trumbull county,

Ohio, and there his son, Moses D., was born, April 3, 1810. Moses D. grew up in that county, and married Aurel Ovitt, who was born in 1812, of an old New England family. He operated a wagon manufactory and turning works at Brace- ville, Trumbull county, and in 1861 moved to Hancock county. Three years later he removed to Republic, Seneca county, and about 1869 he came to York town- ship, Sandusky county, whence a few years later he removed to Clyde; he died there February 1, 1894; his wife passed away in 1871. Moses D. Bradford and wife were members of the Methodist Epis- copal Church, and in politics he was an ardent Whig and Republican. Moses D. and Aurel Bradford had five sons, a brief record of whom is as follows: (1) Ovitt enlisted in 1861, in Company A, Twenty- first O. V. I., in Hancock county, for three years, and died in Tennessee in De- cember, 1862. (2) William H. enlisted in the same company and regiment, and was killed at the battle of Stone River. (3) R. S. lives near Green Spring. (4) Warren J. is the subject of this sketch. (5) Arthur M. is a resident of Paulding county, Ohio.

Warren J. Bradford was born July 7, 1847, and was fourteen years old when he left Trumbull county with his father's family. He attended Normal School at Republic, and in Lorain county learned the cheesemaker's trade. For some years he operated a cheese factory in that county, and when, in 1869, he came to Sandusky county, he became a gardener and raiser of small fruits on a twenty-acre tract. Since 1881 he has been in the seed and sweet-corn business. He began with one acre, and has since had as high as 300 acres on contract. He owns twenty acres of his own, and has been doing a profita- ble and satisfactory business from the start. He was first married in 1869 to Miss Sarah Pettys, who was born April 3, 1850, and died January 21, 1889; they had one child, Maud, born July 9, 1872,

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and died September 12, 1874. The sec- ond and present wife of Mr. Bradford is Clara L. Pettys, a cousin of his first wife. They were wedded in December, 1889, and by that marriage there have been three children: Arthur, born December 27, 1891; Burt, born in June, 1893, de- ceased June 6, 1894, and George, born July 4, 1895. In politics Mr. Bradford is a Republican. He is a prominent mem- ber of and at present regent of Clyde Council No. 1503, Royal Arcanum. He is one of the most energetic, enterprising and successful men of Green Creek town- ship.

J AMES INMAN was born August II, 1839, in Fremont, Ohio, son of Will- iam and Calista (Barringer) Inman, who when he was five years old moved to Scott township, Sandusky coun- ty, settling in Section 27, where they re- mained one year. They then removed to Section 26, there purchasing 200 acres of wild land, where they lived for seven years, at the end of that time removing to Section 24, where they purchased 100 acres; this they soon sold, however, and returned to Section 26.

When twenty-one years of age James Inman began life for himself, farming, for a time working rented land in Scott township. On July 4, 1861, he was united in marriage with Miss Drusilla Gossard, of Scott township, and for the following three years the young couple lived at Mr. Gossard's, Mr. Inman work- ing a year in all on his father-in-law's farm. Mr. Inman then purchased thirty acres near Mr. Gossard's farm, the latter adding forty acres adjoining, on which he erected buildings and settled in 1867. Mr. and Mrs. Inman have added to the small farm which they at first owned, and now have 236 acres, for the most part under cultivation. In 1875 Mr. Inman went to California, but did not engage in any business there and soon

returned to Ohio. In 1887 he, in com- pany with others, put down the first gas well on Mr. H. Lendig's farm, and one year later, in company with others, he put down another. Since then he has sunk twenty-four oil wells, sixteen of which are in successful operation. These wells yielded at first from ten to seventy- five barrels each per day. It should be mentioned that only six of the above- mentioned wells are on Mr. Inman's farm; the rest were put down for others on land that the company leased. In addition to these six he has an interest in nine oth- ers, making fifteen wells in all in which he is directly interested.

To Mr. and Mrs. Inman were born three children: (1) William W., born March 1, 1863, was educated in Scott township, and was for a time a successful teacher in Sandusky county; in 1886 he was married to Olive M. Fisher, of Scott township, and to their union have been born two children-Florence, in 1887, and Clay, in 1890. (2) Zelora C., born November 23, 1865, was married Novem- ber 30, 1882, to D. F. Long, of Seneca county, and they have three children- Almon W., Milan L. and Orlo Wayne. (3) Alvin G. was born June 2, 1869, and was married August 2, 1889, to Ardilla Miller, and February 14, 1891, there was born to them a daughter-Goldie Theo- dorie.

Mrs. Drusilla (Gossard) Inman, the es- timable wife of our subject, was born No- vember 5, 1837, in Scott township, daughter of A. P. and Mary (Cooley) Gossard. She received her education in her native town- ship, and was at home the greater part of the time until her marriage, keeping house for her father for five years after her mo- ther's death; also teaching school part of the time. A. P. Gossard was born June 6, 1808, in Ross county, Ohio. When a young man he came to Sandusky coun- ty, purchasing a farm in Scott township, adding thereto until 190 acres were se- cured; he was a great stock-grower and

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dealt largely in cattle; in which line he was very successful. Peleg Cooley, father of Mary (Cooley) Gossard, was born in New York about 1765. Martha (Basset) Cooley, wife of Peleg Cooley, was born about 1770. They were married when quite young, and located in Canada, where they were residing during the war of 1812. At the close of that struggle they came to Sandusky county, and Mr. Cooley, who was a carpenter by trade, built the first frame house in Lower Sandusky (now Fremont). He split the siding with a froe, dressing it with a drawer knife, and this was undoubtedly the first frame house in the county. Philip Gossard, father of A. P. Gossard, was born about the year 1785, and Drusilla (Plummer), his wife, was born in Kentucky about 1788.

William Inman, father of our sub- ject, was born February 14, 1816, in New Jersey, removing with his parents in boy- hood to Sandusky county, Ohio, where they settled on a large farm of 400 acres, near Fremont. Here he went to school, receiving a fair education at the public schools of Fremont. At the age of twenty- two years he was married to Miss Calista Barringer, of Fremont, and shortly after- ward, in 1844, they purchased a farm of forty acres in Scott township, which was added to until at one time they had a tract of 200 acres. Mr. Inman made two trips to California in the interest of gold mining, in which he was quite successful, realizing a snug sum from this source. He died in 1892, and was buried in the Metzger Cemetery.

Mr. Inman's grandfather, Brazil In- man, was born about 1785. The mother of our subject, whose maiden name was Calista Barringer, was born October 15, 1816, nine miles from Columbus, Ohio, where she lived until fifteen years of age, there receiving her education. She then came to Sandusky county, where she has spent the greater part of her life. Her father William Barringer, was born about 1791, was a farmer by occupation, and

was killed by the fall of a tree when Calista was a child. His wife, Sarah (Campbell), was born about 1793. To them were born four children-two sons and two daughters. Andrew Barringer, father of William Barringer, was born abont 1759. Jane Campbell, mother of Mrs. Sarah (Campbell) Barringer, was born about 1760.

OHN KOPP, a prosperous farmer and well known citizen of Woodville township, Sandusky county, he was born in Switzerland, December 16, 1824, and is a son of Andrew and Mary (Stoner) Kopp.

Andrew Kopp was born in Switzer- land in 1792, and died in 1844. His wife, whose maiden name was Mary Stoner, was born in 1790. They were the par- ents of six children, as follows: Jacob, married Elizabeth Omsler, and they have four children; they live in Woodville town- ship, Sandusky Co., Ohio. Ullrich, a farmer, married Rosie Stahlter, and they lived at Lindsey, Sandusky Co., Ohio; he died in September, 1886. John is the sub- ject of this sketch. Andrew (Jr.), a farmer of Woodville township, married Elizabeth Andrews, and they have one child. Frank is single and lives in Put- in Bay. Mary married Jacob Grutter; they have seven children, and live in Switzerland. In 1854, several years after her husband's death, Mrs. Andrew Kopp (Sr.) came to America with some of her children.

In 1851 John Kopp came to America with his brother, landing, after a voyage of twenty days, in New York, where they remained two days, and then went to Bnf- falo. They were out of money, and worked by the day about one year, after which, journeying west to Ohio, they lo- cated in Bellevue, Huron county, where where they remained about eight years, working by the day and month. They settled in the " Black Swamp." On April

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27, 1857, John Kopp was united in mar- riage with Anna M. Kiser, who was born in Switzerland October 24, 1837, and they have become the parents of eight children, as follows: John, born Decem- ber 18, 1858, who is unmarried; Mary A., born March 15, 1861, who married Jacob Younker, a farmer of Woodville town- ship, Sandusky county, by whom she has had two children-Albert, born Novem- ber 10, 1884, and Lena, born November 17, 1886; Jacob J., born July 16, 1863, who married Lizzie Young, and they live in Paulding county, Ohio, and have one child-May, born in 1894; Albert F., born April 24, 1867, living at home; Frank, born August 26, 1869, died June 9, 1885; Adam H., born December 24, 1871, liv- ing at home; Linda L., born July 22, 1874, living at home, and Anna S., born September 14, 1879. The father of Mrs. John Kopp died in 1849, her mother in 1883, and they are buried at Bellevue, Huron Co., Ohio. A brief record of her brothers and sisters is as follows: Jacob Kiser, a farmer, married Ellen Fanc- maker, and they have four children; live in Bellevue, Ohio. Elizabeth married George Schuster, a harness-maker of Bellevue, and they have two children. Anna is single, and lives in Toledo. Frances Kiser married Frank Hunsinger, a railroad man: they live in Bellevue, and have two children.

Mr. Kopp at first bought forty acres, all timber, put up a log cabin, and began to clear the land. Later he bought forty acres, which cost him $2,800. In 1894 he bought forty acres in Wood county, Ohio, for $2,600, and now has a total of I 20 acres of valuable land. In 1891 he leased his land to the Standard Oil Com- pany, and they have since put down four wells, as good as any in the vicinity. When he settled in the "Black Swamp" there were no roads, and he helped to lay out and build several of them, besides which he has cleared over thirty acres of timber himself. He has always had the

best of health, and is very active for a man of his years. Mr. Kopp is engaged in general farming, and still does some work himself. He has always voted the Democratic ticket, and is a charter mem- ber of the Reformed Church at Elmore, Ottawa Co., Ohio.

T HOMAS THRAVES. The breadth of thought and enlarged views of life obtained by several ocean voy- ages, and a residence for several years amid the stirring scenes of mining camps, lumber mills and fruit gardens in the Golden State, must be an excellent preparative. To a young man previous to his settling down to the usually dull routine of life on a farm, the recollection of these events and scenes will often be- guile a weary hour, and their narration to others less favored will be a source of mutual pleasure and satisfaction. As a noteworthy example of one whose youth was spent in adventure, but who is now content to remain within the limits of his farm home, we present the subject of this sketch.

Thomas Thraves, a farmer of Ballville township, Sandusky county, was born in Nottinghamshire, England, September 6, 1839, a son of William and Marilla (Graves) Thraves. He came with his father's family to America in the summer . of 1844, and was just five years old the day he landed in Sandusky county. He was reared with his parents, on a farm in Washington township, Sandusky county, and grew up to the usual pursuits and hardships of farm life in a new country. At the age of nineteen our subject left school and the endearments of home, and started for the gold regions of California to seek his fortune in the then adventur- ous West. He went by the Panama route from New York City, reached San Fran- cisco in safety, and the following day started for Sacramento City on his way to

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join his brother Mark. On meeting him they located claims in Yuba county, re- maining there one season, from June until October, 1860, when his brother Mark re- turned to Ohio. Our subject was not yet satisfied with his success in mining, and proceeded on to Virginia City, Nevada, to buy stock in the famous Comstock mine; but they had gone up to a speculative point of from $1,000 to $1, 500 per foot, and he concluded not to make any pur- chases, but went to work for others in the mines and continued about twenty-two months. He then returned to California, and worked in a mine at Downville, Dur- gan Flat, in Sierra county, three months. Leaving the Flat he went to Oregon Hill, Yuba county, where he bought a one- fourth interest in a surface mine, which he worked for three years with good success, making and saving a goodly sum of money. He then went to work in a fruit orchard two seasons, raising apples, peaches, pears, etc., and becoming familiar with the methods of fruit raising in that rich garden spot of the world. He next worked one year for a lumber company in Yuba and Plumas counties. In 1867 he re- turned to Ohio, and lived with his parents in Ballville township, Sandusky county, where he assisted in farming and dealing in live stock.

On October 17, 1871, Thomas Thraves married Miss Armida Annette Dawley, who was born September 17, 1847, daughter of Elisha and Sarah (Brush) Dawley, of Green Creek township. Two children were the fruits of this marriage: Larkin Alonzo, born December 28, 1872, living with his parents, and a son, born September 16, 1874, who died in infancy. Mr. Thraves is a Democrat, and one of the leading men of enterprise in his town- ship, where he does a general farming business. His land has been finely im- proved, and in 1880 he put up a substan- tial frame residence. It is a compliment to his chivalry and to the excellent house- keeping of his estimable wife that he did

not sleep outside of his own house a single night for the first fifteen years of his mar- ried life.

C LARK RATHBUN CLEVE- LAND, a prosperous and popular farmer of Green Creek township, Sandusky county, and member of one of the earliest pioneer families of that county, was born in that township, April 1, 1836.

Clark Cleveland, Sr., his grandfather, migrated with his wife, Jemima (Butler), and family early in the century from Mount Morris, Livingston Co., N. Y., to northern Ohio. He first settled in the forests of Huron county, and had made improvements when he learned that his title to the land was not good. He then packed up his few household effects and penetrated deeper into the western wil- derness, entering eighty acres of govern- ment land in Green Creek township, and there building his second pioneer cabin some time prior to 1822. Here he re- mained until his death, which occurred in 1831, in his seventy-first year. The chil- dren of Clark and Jemima Cleveland were as follows: Abigail, who married Oliver Hayden; Cozia, who married William Hamer; Moses; Sally, whose first hus- band was Benjamin Curtis, her second husband being Alpheus McIntyre; Clark, Jr., who married Eliza Grover, and left six children; Polly, who married Timothy Babcock; Betsy, who married Samuel Baker; and James.

James Cleveland was born at Mount Morris, N. Y., March 14, 1806, and mi- grated with his father to the pioneer home in northern Ohio. He remained with his father until his marriage, March 3, 1831, to Jeannette Rathbun, who was born in Genesee county, N. Y., May 9, 1815, daughter of Chaplin and Lucinda (Sutliff) Rathbun, pioneers of Green Creek township. At the time of his mar- riage James Cleveland had saved enough

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money to buy forty acres of land in Green Creek township, a part of the old Sawyer farm. For five years he was engaged in clearing and cultivating the land. Then during one winter with his father-in-law he rented a saw and grist mill on Green creek several miles from the farm. He supported the family, and accumulated enough lumber to build a barn on his farm, and in the spring he returned to his farming operations and purchased some additional land. In 1841 he took a con- tract to grade a half mile of the Maumee and Western Reserve turnpike. He moved his family near the scene of the operations, and upon its completion, five months later, returned to the farm, richer by $600, paid in "State scrip." A part of this he traded for building hardware, and then erected a large frame dwelling in 1845. Meanwhile he kept adding more acres to his now quite extensive farm. He was a sagacious, tireless, thrifty pio- neer, and at the time of his death, which occurred September 1, 1878, he owned nearly 400 acres of land, containing some of the best and most extensive improve- ments in the county. His wife, who sur- vived until August 8, 1891, was a woman of unusual energy, and was in every sense worthy of his ambitions and plans for ad- vancement. She ably seconded his ef- forts to secure a competence that might support them in their declining years. In physique somewhat below the medium size, scarcely weighing 120 pounds in her best days, she left nothing undone to ad- vance the interests of her family. When her husband was clearing up the farm, she hauled the rails which he split and made the fences. Once when help was scarce she fastened her child to her back by a shawl, and thus burdened, she planted and hoed corn in the field. Her first cal- ico dress she earned by picking ten quarts of wild strawberries and walking to Lower Sandusky, where she traded them, at a shilling a quart, for five yards of calico, worth two shillings a yard. Few pioneer

families in Sandusky county have left a worthier record than that of the Cleve- lands.

Ten children were born to James and Jeannette Cleveland, as follows: James, born December 3, 1831, who reared a family, and died in 1890, a farmer of Green Creek township; Eliza, born No- vember 29, 1833, married A. J. Harris, of Clyde, and died in 1861, leaving two- children; Clark R., of Green Creek town- ship, born April 1, 1836; George Down- ing, of Green Creek township, born Sep- tember 9, 1838; Lucinda, born May 29, 1841, married Horace Taylor; Chaplin S., born July 28, 1844. is a resident of Green Creek township; John H., born November 21, 1847, died October 28, 1879, leaving one daughter; Sarah, born September 22, 1851, married Charles. Sackrider, and now living on the old homestead; Mary, born February 25, 1854, married George Crosby, of Clyde; and Charles, born December 30, 1857, died December 14, 1879.

Clark R. Cleveland grew up on his. father's farm, attending the schools of the Baker district, and in his youth worked on the farm. Gifted with musical talent of a high order, he became a violinist of great repute in his neighborhood, and no musical programme, no local dance, was. complete without the presence of Mr. Cleveland and his violin. In 1860 he was married to Sarah Herold, who was. born in Green Creek township October 10, 1842, and died April 18, 1890. The eight children born to Clark R. and: Sarah Cleveland are as follows: Clara J., born March 11, 1861, married Oliver E. Hawk, and lives in Green Creek town- ship; Mary E., born September 28, 1862, is the wife of John Shipman, and mother of two children-Dawn and Carl; James R., born September 8, 1864, married, and has two children-Lee and Sidney; Willie, born December 25, 1866, died aged five days; Addie A., born August 10, 1868, is the wife of George Neikirk,

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and has four children-Edna, Floyd, Irene and Ferol, the last named born September 16, 1895; Clarence L., born January 11, 1871, married Ernestine Huss; Irvin L., born March 2, 1874. married Merna Liv- engood, and has one child-Vera Mae; and Herbert R., born July 3, 1876. The second and present wife of Clark R. Cleveland is Alma Andrews, born in San- dusky county, December 27, 1858, widow of H. P. Livengood, and daughter of Jer- emiah and Mary J. (Craig) Andrews. Jeremiah Andrews was born at Akron, Ohio, November 23, 1834, and died March 2, 1892; his wife was born April 6, 1839, and is still living. The four children of Jeremiah and Mary J. An- drews were as follows: Alma; Elva, wife of J. E. Rathbun; Ulysses G., of Millersville; and Myrtie M., wife of John Weaver, of Fremont. By her marriage to Mr. Livengood (who was born in Erie county, Ohio, February 25, 1854, and died January 8, 1885) Mrs. Cleveland had two children-Merna E., born March 25, 1878, and Ata H., born September 3, 1884.

Mr. Cleveland has been a practical and successful farmer through life; for thirty-five years he was also a professional musician, and for four years he was pro- prietor of a hall where the Terpsichorean art was frequently practiced to the notes of his soul-stirring violin. He owns a fine farm of 115 acres of land, and de- votes his attention chiefly to fruit grow- ing, especially blackberries, raspberries and strawberries; but he also raises grain and hogs. In politics he is a lifelong Democrat. Mrs. Cleveland is a member of the M. E. Church.

H ON. ALMON DUNHAM, of Woodville, Sandusky county, was born May 6, 1824, in Erie (then Huron) county, Ohio, son of Davis and Anna (Weidner) Dunham.

Davis Dunham was born in Erie coun-

ty, Penn., January II, 1798, and in 1811 came to Ohio with his parents, Phineas and Sarah Dunham, both of whom were born in Pennsylvania. Our subject's great-grandfather, who was of English- Irish stock, removed to Pennsylvania from Virginia. The paternal grandparents located in 1811 in Erie (then Huron) county, Ohio, where they died. Their children were: John, Eli, and Davis, all of whom died in Sandusky county; Levi, who went west; Nathan, who went to California; Jonathan, who went to the "Far West;" Nathaniel, who died in Sandusky county; Mary (or Polly), who married John Cowel, and lived on San- dusky Bay, in Erie county; Sarah, who married B. V. Havens, and lived near El- more, Ottawa county; and Lucy, who moved to the South.

Davis Dunham, father of our subject, died in 1883, and his wife, who was born in Pennsylvania, died here at the age of seventy years. All their children but one were born in Erie county, whence in 1834 they removed to what is now Woodville township, Sandusky county, and here their last child was born. They lived in Woodville township during the latter part of their busy, useful and successful lives. They were members of the M. E. Church. Their children were: Anna, who died young; Rebecca, who married A. C. Ames, and now resides in Marshall coun- ty, Ind .; Sarah, who married Martin Mc- Gowan, and died in Ottawa county, Ohio; Almon, our subject; Margaret, who mar- ried William McGowan, now living. in Indiana; Lucy, also in Indiana; Phineas, who died in childhood; and Samantha, who died in Michigan.

Almon Dunham came to Sandusky county when a boy, attended the subscrip- tion schools, and was reared on a farm. He remained here until his marriage, in 1849, to Mrs. Mary Allen, who was born in the State of New York, in 1818, and died in 1880. She was a noble woman, and highly respected. They had four

Ahmon Dankan

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children: (1) Orren and (2) Orsen (twins), born August 13, 1850, of whom Orsen died when one year and nine months old, and Orren is now a business men in Toledo, Ohio; he married Susan Alex- ander, and they have one child-Robert Alexander. (3) Mary E. and (4) Frank- lin P. (twins), born October 2, 1852, the former of whom is now the widow of William Yohn; Franklin P. died in child- hood.

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Commemorative biographical record of the counties of Sandusky and Ottawa, Ohio, containing biographical sketches of prominent and representative citizens, Part 45

Author: J.H. Beers & Co Publication date: 1896 Publisher: Chicago, J.H. Beers & co. Number of Pages: 1040

Author: J.H. Beers & Co
Publication date: 1896
Publisher: Chicago, J.H. Beers & co.
Number of Pages: 1040