USA > Ohio > Genealogical and family history of eastern Ohio > Part 43
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Rev. Jones has been highly successful as a preacher, having a record of over ten thousand conversions under his ministerial teaching. He is a gentleman who is universally esteemed, and is passing the latter period of his life still engaged in the active service for the Master. He deserves, as he receives, the kindly offices of a very large circle of friends and admirers.
WILLIAM H. WINSWORTH.
William H. Winsworth is one of those resourceful men who seem able to turn their hand to any line or kind of business, always achieving success in each new endeavor. He has been successively news dealer, clerk, laundry- man, cigar dealer, ticket broker and ice-cutter and vender, to say nothing of various other occupations of a more transitory character. Each new departure has given him a wider experience and rendered his mind more fertile in its new conceptions.
Born in Washington, Pennsylvania, on December 24, 1859, he early removed to Pittsburg, and at this place received his early education, which he completed at Youngstown in 1876. Immediately on graduating he obtained the sole agency for the Pittsburg "Despatch" and made large sales of this paper for the following year or two, during which time he also sold the Pitts- burg Leader. Afterward he worked as clerk in a grocery store for about four years, and then, solely by his own endeavor, organized the Calvin Wins- worth Laundry Company, and for about four years conducted this business with great success, making many friends among his patrons.
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Finally he sold his interest in the company to C. Thornton, its present proprietor. He then conceived the idea of coming to Chicago during the World's Fair, and seeing all of its wonders, and at the same time conducting a business which would pay all his expenses and render him an income be- side. To many men this would be a matter of great difficulty, but not so to Mr. Winsworth. He remained in Chicago about six months during the fair, during which time he rented and sublet rooms, taking back to Youngstown a nice sum of money upon his return. He then went into the business of ticket broker, with which he also combined the cigar business, but after a time he sold out and went to work for the Crystal Ice Company, in which he started as collector and bookkeeper, and on account of his able services and capacity in the business was made its manager, and upon the formation of the Union Ice Company of Youngstown, he was selected as the ablest man who could be found to fill the position of its manager. This was in 1896, and since that time he has rendered able services and largely increased the business.
He was married in 1886, in Youngstown, to Sarah Johnson, by whom he had two children, Mabel J. and Florence H. His father was John G. Winsworth, claiming England as the place of his nativity. He died in 1899, leaving three children surviving him, as follows: Hattie E .; George H., now a resident of Chicago; and William H .; a fourth child born to them is now dead. His father served for a brief period in a regiment of Pennsyl- vania infantry, and died in Youngstown, Ohio, his wife still surviving. William H. Winsworth has always been a supporter of the Republican party, and makes his influence felt in many ways. He is also a member of the Elks, in which organization he is highly esteemed and has made many friends in his ever-changing career.
HARRIET SWIFT KIRTLAND.
Mrs. Harriet (Swift) Kirtland unites in hers some of the most honored names in Mahoning county. Her grandfather, Judge Zephaniah Swift, was for many years a judge in the higher courts. His son Lucian was a native of Connecticut, born June 2, 1808, and died in Cleveland, Ohio, in 1890. He came west when he was about twenty years old and settled in Summit county, Ohio. He married Sarah West, the daughter of Captain West, who for many years sailed a good ship from Martha's Vineyard and lived to be eighty-three years of age; two of his sons were drowned when they were young. Lucian Swift was active in public life, was clerk of the probate court and held other offices in the gift of the people. His wife is still living and
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is active in mind and body, notwithstanding her eighty-two years. Harriet was the oldest of the four children of these parents that came to adult age; Lucian is the manager of the Minneapolis Journal, going to that city in 1875, and he has a wife and one daughter; Grace Huntington Swift lives with her aged mother in Cleveland; Thomas West died in Cleveland in 1881. Har- riet Swift was born in Akron, Ohio, and was a graduate from the schools of Cleveland, Ohio. On February 3, 1876, she was united in marriage to Cook Fitch Kirtland, and this brings us to the consideration of his family.
The early history of Mahoning county has among its most prominent names that of Kirtland. Grandfather Turhand Kirtland, who was born in Wallingford, Connecticut, November 16, 1755, came to Ohio when only trails led through the dense forests. It is known that Turhand, his brother Jared, and his sister and her husband, Jonathan Fowler, made the journey from Beaver, Pennsylvania (which place was then called Mackintosh), to Poland township, Mahoning county, in a canoe, arriving here May 29, 1799. Turhand and his brother located homes here, but did not bring their fam- ilies until 1802. The former was well known as a land agent and a public- spirited citizen. In 1804 he started a tavern in a frame building on the high ground east of the creek and ran this as a first-class house for a time. Mr. and Mrs. Fowler lived in a cloth tent for the first six weeks, on the west bank of Yellow creek near the flouring mill. They erected a substantial house, in which the first white child of the township was born, Rachel Fowler. In 1800 the first marriage in the township was celebrated on their farm, the contracting parties being John Black and Nancy Bryan; there were about seventy persons in the company, and some delay was experienced in finding a person who was qualified to marry them, but Judge Kirtland finally per- formed the ceremony to the satisfaction of all. Another incident connected with this early time was that Turhand Kirtland brought the first wagon to Warren, Pennsylvania, but was forced to leave it at that place as there was no road further. The large public square, or commons, in Poland and the cemetery were donated by grandfather Kirtland, and the church lot was given by his son, Henry T. The salt spring tract belonged to him and others whom he represented.
The son, Henry T. Kirtland, was born November 16, 1795, and he was the father of Cook Fitch Kirtland, who was born at Canfield, Mahoning county, September 21, 1826. He was reared here, spent his life engaged in banking and other business concerns. He was the owner of a fine farm on which his widow now lives, and of several others. He was twice married, his first wife being Mariah Perkins Swift, who was an own cousin of his second wife.
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They had two children, but they are both deceased, the son Henry Tur- hand dying at the age of nineteen, and the daughter Maria at the age of ten. By his second marriage two children were born: Isabel was educated in Waterbury, Connecticut, has considerable artistic talent, and resides at home; Lucian Swift Kirtland is a senior in Yale College, is a member of the boat crew and is a splendid young man in every respect. Mr. Kirtland died in his seventieth year, on April 14, 1896, and Mrs. Kirtland now resides in the fine old brick mansion erected by him about fifty years ago. The house has two stories and a half and a basement, is heated by natural gas and a fur- nace, resembles a modern dwelling notwithstanding its age, and is a most charming home for this delightful family.
SANFORD C. HILL.
Sanford C. Hill was born near Pughtown, Brooke county, Virginia (now Fairview, Hancock county, West Virginia) on June 20, 1796. He was the sixth of ten children of Roger and Elizabeth Hill, namely, Clarissa, Eli, Ira, Charlotta, Levi, Sanford, Abram, John, Elizabeth and William. Of the foregoing, Charlotta died in childhood; Levi, who was but two years older than Sanford, and between whom there was always the strongest mutual attachment, was a soldier in the Indian wars under General Harrison, and died in camp near Tippecanoe of fever at about the age of twenty; Clarissa married a Baker, and Elizabeth married John Fisher.
It is well known to his children that our subject had carefully prepared a "genealogical tree," but this, unfortunately, is lost to them. It was to him a matter of pride that he came of a race well born and of good estate and conspicuous for their chivalry and zealous support of the cause of colonial independence.
Roger Hill, the father of our subject, was born in Connecticut May 16, 1755, and after his marriage moved to Brattleboro, Vermont. The Hill and Allen families, the latter prominent in colonial history, were intimately associated prior to the Revolution, and there are strong traditional grounds for the belief that Roger Hill accompanied Colonel Ethan Allen in his expedi- tion for the capture of Ticonderoga. He was also one of a ship's crew to take letters of marque to carry on privateering against the enemy, but their vessel was run down by a British man-of-war and all were made prisoners, and kept in close confinement in a prison ship for several months. Roger Hill died November 11, 1833.
Elizabeth, wife of Roger Hill, was the youngest of ten children of Oliver and Rejoice Preston Farwell, of Massachusetts, whose residence was near
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where the city of Lowell now stands, where she was born September 3, 1762. Three of her brothers, William, Isaac and Benjamin, and an uncle, Henry Farwell, fought on the side of the Americans in the battle of Bunker Hill. Her brother William, who was an officer, and her uncle were among the wounded. Not a few of her grandchildren still living can well remember her telling of hearing the guns in that memorable engagement, and the excitement it created in the family. Elizabeth died October 8, 1855, in the ninety-fourth year of her age.
Mr. Hill, the subject of this sketch, obtained an early liberal education, pursuing an uninterrupted course of study until he was seventeen years of age, when he was employed as a clerk in a bookstore in Pittsburg. While still under age, with the aid of his father, he engaged in the mercantile busi- ness on the banks of the Ohio, within the present corporate limits of the town of Wellsville, Ohio. In 1817 he removed to Liverpool (now East Liverpool), four miles up the river, and opened up the first dry-goods store in that town. He soon sold out and devoted himself to a more congenial vocation, that of surveying and civil engineering. All of the early additions to the town of Liverpool were laid out by him.
During these early years Mr. Hill had a penchant for using the quill. and contributed many verses and sketches to local newspapers, which are still preserved by his children in the form of a scrap-book.
Although Mr. Hill's professional services were much sought after, he was in the largest sense of the word a student and devoted himself chiefly to the pursuit of his favorite subjects of mathematics and astronomy. For forty-two years he made a series of almanac calculations for publishers in different parts of the country. And his name thus became a household word, especially in the west and south, where his almanacs were to be found in almost every family. He was a frequent contributor of mathematical and astronomical articles to the leading periodicals, and was regarded as high authority on all subjects of that nature, his talents and attainments being recognized by the leading scientists of the day.
He was married to Vashti B. Moore September 26, 1820. Their chil- dren were as follows: Thomas M., born August 14, 1821, graduated from Jefferson College in 1848; was principal of an academy in Wooster, Ohio, for many years; married to Elizabeth Jones in 1851; died October 1, 1855. Eliza F., born December 20, 1822. married Samuel Boggs, July 19, 1848. and Thomas Blythe, July 24, 1865; she died 1902. Harriet N., born April II, 1826; married to Andrew Blythe, October 30, 1849. Narcissa, born November 5, 1830; married to Stockdale Jackman, November 5, 1850. Vashti B. Hill, wife of Sanford C. Hill, died September 6, 1832.
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Mr. Hill was married to Mrs. Sarah Sansbury, November 19, 1833. Mrs. Sansbury, whose deceased husband was Thomas Sansbury, was the daughter of William Leech, a strict orthodox Quaker. William's father's name is lost to this generation. He, too, was a Quaker. He was the brother of John Leech (uncle of William), who for many years was a member of the Pennsylvania legislature from Mercer county, both in the house and senate, who died in 1864 at the age of ninety-seven. John Leech was the son of Thomas and Phoebe Leech, of Warrington, Bucks county, Pennsylvania (the grandparents of William). They, too, were Quakers. David Leech, the oldest son of John Leech, was one of the projectors and builders of the old Pennsylvania Canal, and subsequently one of the chief owners and managers of the Allegheny Valley Railroad. He was also founder of the town of Leechburg in Pennsylvania.
Mrs. Sansbury's infant daughter Almira was adopted by her uncle and aunt, Peter and Phebe Young, and in time she married a Rankin. Mr. Hill, as stated, by his first wife had three daughters and one son; by his second wife he had three sons and one daughter, named hereafter. Mrs. Sarah Hill, wife of Sanford C. Hill, died June 25, 1866. Mr. Hill died April 17, 1871. Our subject was a devout Christian, and for many years was a ruling elder in the Presbyterian church. He came of a good race, his father and mother being life-long members of the church of the same denomination.
Harrington R. Hill is the son of Sanford C. and Sarah Hill, the oldest of four children. He was born in East Liverpool, Ohio, November 12, 1834. He obtained his early education in the common schools of his native town, and in Beaver and West Alexander academies. He entered Jefferson Col- lege in 1856, being admitted to the junior class, and graduated from this institution with honor in 1858.
He at once entered upon the study of law at the office of Jonathan H. Wallace, of New Lisbon, Ohio, a prominent attorney and subsequently mem- ber of Congress. He was admitted to the bar March 21, 1861. He then located in a western town and entered upon the practice of his profession. He met with flattering success. But his country was in peril. A call went forth for "three hundred thousand more." His duty was imperative. He returned to the home of his youth and lent his aid and influence to the raising of a company from among his life-long friends and the associates of his boyhood, and soon there were enrolled over a hundred men who by a practically unanimous vote elected him their captain. This company be- came Company A of the One Hundred and Fifteenth Ohio Volunteer In- fantry, which was mustered into service July 31, 1862. Captain Hill was
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promoted to the office of major of this regiment August 19, 1864, and was made lieutenant-colonel February 8, 1865, which position he occupied until he was honorably discharged at the mustering out of his regiment at Cleve- land, Ohio, June 22, 1865. Colonel Hill was provost marshal of Murfrees- boro, Tennessee, for more than a year, and by reason of his previous knowl- edge of law and experience in the civil courts was called to preside as judge advocate in many important court-martials.
After the war he returned to East Liverpool and resumed the practice of law, and soon attained a leading position, which he always maintained, at the Columbiana county bar. Colonel Hill was never ambitious to hold office, but has repeatedly resisted the most earnest solicitations of his friends and declined the most flattering offers of his party, the dominant one of his county and district, to become their candidate for the most important public places.
Colonel Hill was married July 26, 1865, at New Lisbon, Ohio, to Miss Louisa D., daughter of Mahlon Briggs. To their marriage there were born four children, as follows: Walter B. Hill, born September 10, 1866, gradu- ated from Princeton College in 1890, and the Cincinnati law school in 1892; he was admitted to the bar in the same year. He married, in 1893, Miss Mabel E. Ball, daughter of Dan H. Ball, Esq., of Marquette, Michigan. William M., born October 24, 1868, graduated from Columbus, Ohio, law school in 1895; was captain of Company E, Eighth Ohio Volunteer Infantry, known as "Mckinley's Own" in the Spanish-American war, serving until mustered out in 1899. Louisa, born July 1, 1870, married, November 9, 1898, Rollin W. Patterson, cashier of the Potter's National Bank of East Liverpool, Ohio. Marion, born November 19, 1892, married, May 23, 1900, George E. Davidson, an attorney of East Liverpool, Ohio.
Colonel Hill during recent years has gradually relaxed the toil of his long and busy professional career, and while still looking after his private affairs and certain business interests, is found much with his family, or in the society of his friends, whose name is legion, or "in the love of nature is holding communion with her visible forms," to whom indeed "she speaks a various language," or he is giving himself to quiet works of kindness and good will, for the Colonel is never so happy as when he is contributing to the good cheer and happiness of others.
Mrs. Adaline Brunt is the only daughter of Sanford C. and Sarah Hill. She was born October 23, 1837; married, March 2, 1857, William Brunt. Mr. Brunt is the proprietor of one of East Liverpool's largest potteries, and president of the Potters' National Bank. Their children are Florence, Belle, Hattie, William S., Sallie and Allie.
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Rev. Winfield E. Hill is the third of the children of Sanford C. and Sarah Hill. He was born June 2, 1842 ; graduated from Jefferson College in 1864, and from the Western Theological Seminary in 1868. His pastoral charges have been Gettysburg and Fletcher, Ohio, Fairview, West Virginia, Waynesburg and Malvern, Ohio. He was married September 27, 1870, to Miss Nancy J. Horner, of Gettysburg, Ohio. Their children are Nannie Grace, who married Frank H. Shane; Florence, Arthur S., Janet M., Louise and Roger W.
Meriden S. Hill is the youngest of the four children of Sanford C. and Sarah Hill. He was born November 26, 1843, and graduated from Jeffer- son College in 1865. He was a druggist in East Liverpool, Ohio, and for many years was chairman of the Republican central committee of Colum- biana county, Ohio. He was a real estate agent in Tacoma, Washington, and for a number of years president of the Tacoma city council. At present he is collector of customs at the port of Blaine, Washington. He was married to Mrs. Margaret Orr Lowrie June 28, 1887. Their children are: Meridan C., born April 3, 1888; Lawrence H., born November 16, 1889; Rowland W., born September 3, 1891, and Charles F., born June 19, 1896, died August 1, 1896.
CHARLES R. WETMORE.
Charles R. Wetmore, one of the prosperous young farmers of Canfield township, Mahoning county, Ohio, resides upon his fine farm of one hundred and twenty-five acres of valuable land. He is the grandson of Azariah and Belinda (Spreague) Wetmore, the former of whom was born in Middlefield, Connecticut, February 4, 1772, and the latter was born in Litchfield, Con- necticut, February 9, 1785. In 1798 Azariah emigrated to Ohio, where he purchased considerable land, and then returned to Connecticut and married, and in 1802 returned to Ohio, settling at Canfield. He was one of the first New England people to locate in this neighborhood and became prominent in local affairs. He was one of the men to dig the well which now is the prop- erty of Canfield. Upon locating he erected a log cabin and began his life as a pioneer, with a brave heart and willing hands.
Some of the experiences of these good people are very entertaining, for, in spite of hard work, they managed to extract pleasure from their surround- ings, and fine hunting was always at hand. If a wild turkey was desired by the housewife, one could be shot through the window, while deer often took refuge among the cattle. Azariah Wetmore received the commission of lieutenant of Second Regiment, First Brigade from Governor Huntington in 1808, and was prominent in various other directions, while he was much
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beloved by his friends on account of his many excellent qualities. His death occurred September 15, 1856, while his wife died March 18, 1857. Their family consisted of the following children: Caroline, born in 1804; Harriet, born in 1806; Cornelia, born in 1809; Sarah, born in 1810; William, born in 1814; Elizabeth, born in 1817; Henry, born in 1820; George, born June 22, 1823.
George Wetmore was born in Canfield, Ohio, where he was reared and educated, and operated the farm owned by his father, being closely associ- ated with his brother William in the mining of coal and other minerals. They were in partnership in a coal and oil producing business. These two brothers were well adapted to work together, George being a mechanical genius, able to construct any kind of machinery, and he was also a practical farmer. William, on the other hand, was a geologist and turned his atten- tion toward the discovery of coal strata. He was a man of large and varied experience and knowledge of a scientific nature. During the Civil war he did much to support the cause of the Union, and was a staunch Republican. William married Susan Edwards, August 29, 1838, and three children were born to them, one of whom, L. E. Wetmore, is now living. William the scientist and philanthropist died May 30, 1892.
George Wetmore was married to Mrs. Caroline M. Failes, the widow of O. B. Failes, October 31, 1850. To this union there were born two children, namely : Charles R., November 5, 1851 ; Mattie B., March 27, 1857. Mrs. Wetmore was born in Boardman township in 1821, the daughter of Hiram and Harriet (Stilson) Crane. The Cranes came originally from Connecticut to Boardman in 1816; while the Stilsons came from the same state in 1800. Mrs. Wetmore was married to O. B. Failes, October 4, 1846, and one son was born of this union, O. B., January 15, 1849.
Charles R. Wetmore was reared in his native township, and is now one of the prosperous farmers of that locality. In addition to his farming in- terests, he owns and operates a threshing machine. His farm, which was owned by his grandfather and father before him, is kept in a high state of cultivation, and he thoroughly believes in modern methods of tilling the soil. Mr. Wetmore has served his township in various capacities and for twenty years has been connected with the Mahoning County Agricultural Associ- ation, and is president of the local Threshers' National Protective Association.
On October 2, 1875, Mr. Wetmore was united in marriage with Julia Edsell, the daughter of Orvill and Lydia Edsell, and born March 16, 1855. One son has been born to Mr. and Mrs. Wetmore, Frank E., September 30, 1877. Mr. Wetmore is a man highly respected and widely known, and his influence in his neighborhood is recognized by his neighbors and friends.
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ABRAHAM ZIMMERMAN.
No history of Mahoning county would be complete without mention of the Zimmerman family, for through more than a century representatives of the name have resided in this portion of the state, and through successive generations they have been loyal and prominent citizens, taking an active and helpful part in everything pertaining to the welfare and progress of this locality ; and now at the age of seventy-eight years Abraham Zimmerman is held in veneration and respect by all who know him. Although he has arrived at an age where many a man lays down the burdens of business life to rest from further care, he is still actively superintending his farming affairs and still takes an active interest in the county and its advancement.
John Zimmerman was the founder of the family in America. He was born in Holland and crossed the Atlantic in 1725, locating in Lancaster coun- ty, Pennsylvania. He married a Miss Metzger, who was also a native of Holland, and their children were as follows: John, Henry, Joseph Peter, Christian, and two daughters whose names are not remembered. All but John died in Lancaster, Pennsylvania. He removed to Ohio in 1805, locat- ing in what was then Green township, Columbiana county, but is now Mahon- ing county, his home being on section 34. He and his son John had pre- viously visited this district in 1802 and then returned to the Keystone state, but Ohio had left a favorable impression on his mind, and in 1805 he returned with his family to take up his abode on section 34, Green township. His birth had occurred in Lancaster county, Pennsylvania, November II, 1747, and in 1770 he married Miss Christiana Clacum, who was born in 1753, on the Atlantic ocean, while her parents were making the voyage to the new world. Mr. Zimmerman was a plain, upright man, who lived the life of an energetic farmer. For five years prior to his death he was blind. His political support was given the Whig party, and he was a member of the Mennonite church, while his wife belonged to the Lutheran church. She passed away in 1821 and his death occurred in 1829. They were the parents of twelve children: Peter, who married Sarah Candle; John, who wedded Catherine Fox; Joseph; Henry, who married Catherine Ritter; Conrad, who wedded Elizabeth Fox, the sister of his brother John's wife; Anna, the wife of Thomas Callahan; Elizabeth, the wife of Lewis Baker; Barbara; Mary, the wife of Henry Coy; Susanna, the wife of John Rough; Christiana; and Catherine. Of this number nine reached years of maturity. Many of those that married had large families. Peter became the father of twelve, seven sons and five daughters, of whom two are now living; John, the third of that name, had eleven children, of whom one is living; Henry had
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