USA > Ohio > Erie County > History of Erie County Ohio, with illustrations and biographical sketches of some of its prominent men and pioneers > Part 60
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).
Part 1 | Part 2 | Part 3 | Part 4 | Part 5 | Part 6 | Part 7 | Part 8 | Part 9 | Part 10 | Part 11 | Part 12 | Part 13 | Part 14 | Part 15 | Part 16 | Part 17 | Part 18 | Part 19 | Part 20 | Part 21 | Part 22 | Part 23 | Part 24 | Part 25 | Part 26 | Part 27 | Part 28 | Part 29 | Part 30 | Part 31 | Part 32 | Part 33 | Part 34 | Part 35 | Part 36 | Part 37 | Part 38 | Part 39 | Part 40 | Part 41 | Part 42 | Part 43 | Part 44 | Part 45 | Part 46 | Part 47 | Part 48 | Part 49 | Part 50 | Part 51 | Part 52 | Part 53 | Part 54 | Part 55 | Part 56 | Part 57 | Part 58 | Part 59 | Part 60 | Part 61 | Part 62 | Part 63 | Part 64 | Part 65 | Part 66 | Part 67 | Part 68 | Part 69 | Part 70 | Part 71 | Part 72 | Part 73 | Part 74
The Ohio Conference, in the fall of 1817, attached five appointments to the Cuyahoga circuit. These appointments were such a distance from the circuit that the minister in charge would not accept of them. Rev. James B. Finley, the presiding elder, sent Rev. Bronson to form a circuit and become pastor of the same the balance of the year. Perkins was his fourth appoint- ment. When the time arrived for his first quarterly meeting, the presiding elder being absent, Rev. William Gurley officiated. This was the first quar- terly meeting held on the Fire-lands. This society has prosperously continued since its organization, and at present has a large membership. The frame building spoken of was occupied until the year 1854, when a commodious two- story brick building was erected, which has recently been remodeled, painted, frescoed, refurnished, and is now in excellent condition. On the north and east sides comfortable sheds have been built for the accommodation of horses, which, being nicely painted, adds to the appearance of the premises. A pleas- ant and cozy parsonage occupies an adjoining lot for the use of the pastor. Since the formation of the society over fifty ministers have occupied the pul- pit, among whom we mention the following : Reverends Poe, O'Sheldon, Board- man, Reynolds, Bigelow, Kellam, Jewett, Mudge, Broadwell, Persons, Wagar, Hoadley, Kepler, and Kauffnian. The present pastor is Rev. O. Pearce, who preaches regularly every Sabbath morning and holds prayer and praise service Sunday and Thursday evenings. Sabbath-school was first organized about 1830, and is now well attended under the superintendency of Frank A. Akins.
The educational interest is an important feature of the township. In the year 1816 a log school-house was built on the farm of Jesse Taylor, and the winter school was taught by Dr. Christopher. Ann Beatty, daughter of John Beatty, taught the following summer. Compensation for teaching in those early days was small compared to the present day. Ladies received from four to six dollars per month, and gentlemen ten and twelve dollars, board fur- nished, which they got by "boarding round." Tuition was paid by each family in proportion to the number of scholars sent. In the spring of 1818 Jerry Sheffield was employed as instructor, and there are still living in the township at the present writing five persons who were his scholars that year. Their names are as follows : Elery Taylor, Lindsley House, Mrs. Maria Greene, Stewart Bell, and W. D. Gurley. These all came with their parents from Connecticut. The township is divided into eleven school districts. In nearly
527
PERKINS TOWNSHIP.
all of these there have lately been built fine brick or frame school buildings, with all the modern appliances for health and comfort, at a cost of from $1,500 to $2,000. The schools are in a flourishing condition, are well attended, and are gradually improving under the management of an excellent corps of teachers.
In the southeastern corner of section two, the hamlet of Bogart, already spoken of, is situated. Five roads centre here, which lead respectively to Sandusky, Huron, Milan, Bloomingville, and Castalia. In the course of the year considerable business is transacted. The only merchant is James D. Parker, who keeps a general store in which may be found a large assortment of goods, including dry goods, drugs, notions, groceries, and hardware. In fact, this is the only store in the township, and enjoys a large patronage. He also deals largely in eggs and handles annually many thousand dozen.
The firm of Siegel & Hemminger, blacksmiths, is doing a flourishing busi- ness in their line of work, and their trade extends far over the county. Be- sides repairing and horseshoeing, in which their reputation is well established, they make a specialty of ironing wagons and buggies. Their constantly in- creasing trade compel them to employ one or two extra men.
Martin Kaltenbach and William Zink are the members of an enterprising firm engaged in the manufacture of wagons and buggies, and repairing the same. Their work is considered first-class in every respect, and orders for new vehicles from this and adjoining townships are filled as rapidly as their facilities will permit. They also execute excellent painting in both plain and fancy scroll work.
W. D. Gurley for many years did an extensive business in both blacksmith and wagon work here.
In the northern part of the township Mr. A. Remington is doing an ex- tensive business in the manufacture of cider vinegar. His establishment is filled with the most improved machinery, and his facilities are large. Thou- sands of bushels of apples are purchased of farmers and converted into vinegar, which supplies both home and foreign markets.
The manufacture and sale of brick is one of the important features of the township. The excellent clay found in section three is used for this purpose, and two brick-kilns are in operation, owned respectively by William DeWitt and Lee Chambers. Many thousands of brick are annually burnt, most of which is used in the city and surrounding townships.
Sections two and three are rich in large quarries of blue limestone, the principal one of which is owned by Py & Gachsteter. Hundreds of cords are annually quarried and find a ready sale. Hundreds of loads of shale stone are used upon the roads through the township. Stone from the quarry referred to was used in the erection of the Erie County Infirmary, the Soldiers' Home, and the residence at Oakland Cemetery, besides the large bridges across Pipe Creek.
528
HISTORY OF ERIE COUNTY.
Oakland Cemetery is a beautiful park of several acres in extent, situated in the northeastern corner of section two, on the banks of Pipe Creek. It is systematically laid out into lots, with driveways bordered with maples, ever- greens, willows, and various other trees. The grounds are under the care of a superintendent, who, with a corps of assistants, keep the enclosure in per- fect condition. A stone wall surrounds the cemetery on the north and east sides. A large stone vault and chapel has recently been finished ; also a handsome and substantial dwelling-house, Gothic or Queen Anne style, for the use of the superintendent. The place is visited annually by hundreds of people.
The Erie County Infirmary farm adjoins the cemetery on the west. The main building presents an imposing appearance, is beautiful in style of archi- tecture, is built mostly of blue limestone. . It was built in 1886, at a cost of about forty thousand dollars, to replace one destroyed by fire the winter of 1885-86. This building is heated by steam, and is as near fireproof as pos- sible.
The grounds of the Ohio Soldiers' and Sailors' Home are located in sec- tion two, south of the cemetery. The work of erecting buildings and improv- ing the grounds was commenced in 1887. These buildings, now in the course of erection, are of stone, with brick partitions and slate roof, and of the most substantial character. The home will cost, when the present plans are carried out, about $350,000, and will accommodate six hundred inmates, besides the employees. If improvements are made to accommodate 1,400 inmates, the total cost will be about $600,000.
The agricultural interests of the township are flattering. The soil is of the richest quality (well underdrained), and is adapted to raising all kinds of crops. The limestone soil produces a good vield of wheat, while on the ridges a variety of crops is raised, the principal one being potatoes, of which, during a favorable season, thousands of bushels are produced. On the prairie soil, corn and oats are mostly raised. Large quantities of apples, grapes, peaches, straw- berries and other small fruits are raised and annually shipped.
The shipping of moulding sand is an important feature. This sand is found only on the sandy ridges before mentioned, and is of the finest quality. It is found just below the soil, which is usually about one foot in depth. The soil is first removed and placed at one side, after which the sand is taken out and the soil replaced, which leaves the land in good condition. The principal shippers or dealers in sand are T. B. Taylor, J. D. Parker, J. F. Greene, and Charles House. Hundreds of tons are annually shipped to all parts of the United States, and the total value of which is about $10,000 yearly. The Baltimore and Ohio Railroad, which passes through the central part of the township, furnishes an excellent shipping point, known as Greene's Station, about four miles from Sandusky. From here a large share of the sand is shipped, also quantities of produce.
529
BIOGRAPHICAL.
One of the first literary societies in the township, and in fact in this part of the State, was composed of a number of young men from the townships of Perkins, Huron and Milan, about the year 1819. The late Rev. L. B. Gurley was a member of this society. They usually met on one of the ridges on Sat- urday during the summer and debated many important questions. Within the past few years societies, both for social and intellectual improvement, have been formed for the winter season, but discontinued as summer approached. At present there is one in existence, known as the Chautauqua Spare Minute Circle. This has a good membership, and Rev. O. Pearce is president.
Another society, the Ladies' Home Mission, deserves mention. It was organized several years ago by the ladies of the township, who meet regularly at the residences the first Thursday of each month for benevolent purposes. Much charitable work has been accomplished by the society since its for- mation.
In the year 1874 Perkins Grange, No. 637, Patrons of Husbandry, sprang into existence in this township. The charter was obtained in March, with thirty-three members, five of whom have since died. The growth was rapid, and by May the membership had increased to eighty- five members. From 1876 to 1881 little interest was taken in the grange, and members gradually dropped out, but since the latter date the grange has revived, new members have been added, till at the present date the grange numbers thirty-one, and new applications are received monthly. The regular session is held each month at the residence cf some member of the order. The late Colonel D. C. Richmond was an active member in effecting its organization, and of which he held the office of worthy master. Farmers are becoming convinced of the necessity of some organization for the protection and promotion of their in- terests, and without doubt the grange is the best society for the accomplish- ment of this purpose. The best members of the society are becoming en- roled, in the ranks, and the social feature is also an important item.
CHAPTER XXXI.
BIOGRAPHICAL.
M CKELVEY, JOHN, was born in Plymouth, Huron county, O., February 8, 1835, being the youngest of ten children. His parents, Matthew McKelvey and Nancy Adams, were married March 27, 1818, in Greenfield township, Huron county, O. His father, Matthew McKelvey, was born in Westmoreland county, Pa., January 30, 1794. His father was William Mc- Kelvey, who had lost a leg in the Revolutionary War. The family moved
530
HISTORY OF ERIE COUNTY.
from Pennsylvania to Portage county, O., in 1804, and from there to Trum. bull county, in 1806, and from there to Huron county, in 1815.
His mother, Nancy Adams, was born in Windham county, Vt., July ; , 1798, and with her parents moved to Greenfield township, Huron county, .. in the spring of 1815. Her father, Bildad Adams, was one of the first the- county commissioners of Huron county, and she taught the first school in P' -: : township. Soon after their marriage his parents moved to Sandusky, wir .. his father engaged in the mercantile business. In 1825 they changed the .: residence to Plymouth, Huron county, where his father completed the thi: j frame building erected in that locality. He opened the first general store, ..: : continued to advance the growth of the village by erecting more houses. in 1830 he erected a building for that purpose, and established a seminary [ . young ladies. The family continued to reside in Plymouth until the fat of 1840, when they moved to Hardin county, where a large quantity of land hat been purchased, and commodious buildings for those times had been erecte .:. But the misfortune of sickness, resulting in the deaths of the mother and three sisters, caused the return of the father and the remaining four children to 1 !; - mouth, in the spring of 1842, where another sister soon died, leaving only !! younger three living of the family of ten children. Those three are still liv ... .. at this date (1888) and reside : Martha, Mrs. E. C. Lovell, in Greenfield town- ship, Huron county, O .; Matthew, in Tiffin, O., and John, the subject of :... sketch, in Sandusky. Soon after the death of his father, which occurred Mar.a 18, 1853, in Greenfield township, Huron county, John first secured a situation in the general store of W. T. & A. K. West, in Sandusky, where he remained during the summer, but desiring to obtain a better education, he decided in the fall to teach school during the winter months, and attend school at Ober- lin College during the remaining nine months of each year, and he pursues that course for three years, until ill health compelled him to discontinue :: He thereafter settled in Sandusky, and engaged in the commission busin --- In 1861 he set out one of the first vineyards in the vicinity of Sandusky. as : thereafter set out several more. In 1867 he became engaged in the real estate and insurance business. He discontinued the insurance branch in 1874, b : has continued the real estate business to the present time, and has, during the past twenty years, made ten additions to the city of Sandusky. He became interested in the wholesale ice business in 1876, and has continued his intere .: therein to the present time. In 1865 he aided materially in effecting a reur- ganization of the Erie County Agricultural Society, and in securing the por- manent location of the fair grounds at Sandusky. It was principally through his efforts that the Sandusky Tool Company came into existence. He was married June 26, 1861, to Jennie R. Huntington. They have had six ci .. .. ren, four of whom are living : Janet H., born April 2, 1862 ; John Jay, born May 24, 1863; Alice R., born April 25, 1867 ; Ralph H., born December ;.
7
1
531
BIOGRAPHICAL.
1877. Janet, John Jay and Alice are graduates of the Sandusky High School, and Janet and John Jay are graduates of Oberlin College ; the former of the class of 1883, and the latter of the class of 1884. John Jay also graduated from Harvard College Law School, receiving the degrees of A.M. and L.L.B., in 1887. He was married to Miss Mary C. Mattocks, an Oberlin graduate of the class of 1885, of Cleveland, July 12, 1887, and is now engaged in the prac- tice of the law in New York city. Janet was married to the Rev. C. F. Swift, an Oberlin College classmate, July 27, 1886, and he is at present the pastor of the Congregational Church, Saratoga Springs, N. Y.
Mrs. John McKelvey was the daughter of Apollos and Deborah Hunting- ton, and was born in Brownville, Jefferson county, N. Y., August 8, 1837. She came with her parents to Sandusky, in the spring of 1852. She is a grad- uate of the Sandusky High School of the class of 1856.
CTOLL, ADAM J., was born in Bucyrus, Crawford county, O., September 25, 1844, the eldest child of John and Mary (Shealy) Stoll. John Stoll, his father, was born in the kingdom of Wurtemberg, Germany, June 9, IS21, and came with his parents to America in 1832. In 1838 he settled in Bucyrus, O., and lived there till his death, which occurred December 26, 1884. He was a carpenter by trade, but became an extensive dealer and manufacturer of lumber, and in the latter years of his life a large operator in real estate. He enjoyed, in the largest measure, the confidence and respect of the entire com- munity in which he lived, was successful in his business undertakings and left a handsome fortune. His father died in New York city soon after the arrival of the family in that city from Germany. His mother died in Bucyrus, in 1867. His wife survives him and is living at the old homestead in Bucyrus. Adam J. Stoll lived in Bucyrus until he was twenty-four years of age. His education was received in the public schools of his native place, and upon leaving the schools he became interested with his father in the conduct of his lumber interest. On September 22, 1868, he married Sophia Burgdorf, adopted daughter of Ferdinand Geiersdorf, of Sandusky, O. Mrs. Stoll was born in Hanover, Germany, August 11, 1846. Mr. Stoll moved from Bucy- rus and became a resident of Sandusky, in 1868, where he became book-keeper in the wholesale fish establishment of Ferdinand Geiersdorf, and upon the death of the latter became general manager of the house, in which capacity he served two years, when he became a partner under the firm name of Adolph & Stoll; a limited partnership for five years. At the termination of this partnership, in 1877, Mr. Stoll withdrew from the firm and purchased the wharf and fish in- terest of L. Anthony, also the fish interest of H. E. O'Hagan & Co. From that time to the present (1888) he has done, every year, a largely increasing business, and is one of the heaviest dealers in fresh fish on the entire line of lakes. He is president of the Sandusky Steamboat and Fishing Company,
532
HISTORY OF ERIE COUNTY.
which operate a line of steamers in connection with the Canadian fishing in- dustry.
In all efforts of the government to improve and enhance the value of the fish industries of the United States, Mr. Stoll has taken a deep interest and has lent powerful aid.
In 1883 he became a stockholder in the Sandusky Gas Light Company, and has been its president since 1886. He is a stockholder and director in the Second National Bank, also a stockholder in the Third National Bank.
Since 1873 he has been the owner of the undivided half of the Cedar Point property, and was one of the projectors of the Cedar Point Pleasure Resort Company, and has taken a leading part in building up and bringing to its present perfection that celebrated resort.
Mr. Stoll has always been a liberal contributor towards all charitable insti- tutions, not only in Sandusky, but in his native town of Bucyrus, where, hav- ing large landed interests, he is still regarded by its citizens almost as much a Bucyrus man as though he were still a resident of his native place. He is one of the trustees of the Good Samaritan Hospital of Sandusky.
Mr. Stoll is a Republican in politics, and though too busy a man with his own affairs either to desire or seek public office, he has, in a number of in- stances, been chosen to fill such offices.
His private residence, built in 1884-5, on the corner of Wayne and Madi- son streets, is a gem of architectural beauty, and would justly be regarded an ornament of any city.
Mr. and Mrs. Stoll have had three children : Emma, born July 9, 1870; Lena, born April 7, 1873 ; and Willie, born April 20, 1874, died June 25, 1888.
S
IMPSON, WILLIAM AYERS, was born in the town of Nottingham, Not- tingham county, N. H., February 27, 1812; the next youngest child in a family of ten children, five sons and five daughters, of John and Abigail (Guile) Simpson. The family were of Scotch-Irish descent, their ancestor emigrating to this country in a colony, following shortly after the arrival of the Mayflower, and settled in Londonderry, N. H.
John Simpson, grandfather of William A., was the first one of the family who settled in Nottingham, on a farm which has been owned and occupied by some descendant nearly three hundred years. John Simpson, father of Will- iam A., was owner of this homestead farm. He was a man of sterling quali- ties, and commanded the respect of the entire community in which he lived. He died at an advanced age, October, 1832, and was buried in the family burial ground in Nottingham. His wife survived him about twenty years, reaching the extreme age of ninety years. She was a woman of decided Christian char- acter, and left the impress and influence of her long and useful life, as the dear- est legacy to her large family. All the children, five sons and five daughters, , save one, lived to adult age, were married and raised families.
แป
u nosil
12
1
533
BIOGRAPHICAL.
William Simpson, uncle of William A., was the first of the family who em- igrated to Ohio, and was a soldier in the Indian War, under General Wayne. He first settled in Meigs county, raised a family there, and his descendants are still living in that portion of Ohio. William A. Simpson spent his youth at home in Nottingham, where he received his primary education, which was supple- mented by one year's attendance at Durham Academy. At the age of seven- teen he went to Boston, where for one year he was employed as clerk in the shipping house of John K. Simpson, a cousin of his father. In 1831, in com- pany with his youngest brother, Samuel A., he went to Detroit by canal and lake, where he was employed as clerk in a store until 1834. In the fall of the latter year he moved to Sandusky. Here he engaged, in company with Horace Aplin, in the grocery trade. This partnership was terminated at the end of the year. He then engaged in the wholesale grocery and liquor busi- ness, with Leonard Johnson, under the firm name of Simpson & Johnson. This partnership lasted but a short time, when Mr. Johnson sold his interest, Mr. Simpson dropping the liquor branch of the business, and adding the dry goods, continued the business in his own name for many years, taking as a partner in the later years of his life, David Everett, under the firm name of Simpson & Everett. In the year 1859 he sold his interest in the firm, and for two years thereafter he engaged in the ship chandlery and grocery business, which business he carried on until the fall of 1861, at which time he retired from active business. Mr. Simpson was a stockholder and director in the San- dusky Gas Company from its organization; its president for many years, and its vice-president at the time of his death. He was a stockholder and director in the Second National Bank from its organization.
Mr. Simpson was a staunch Republican, but never desired or sought office. He was a member of Grace Church over forty years, and a vestryman thirty- six years. Mr. Simpson died at his residence in Sandusky December 20, 1887. We cannot more fittingly close this sketch of Mr. Simpson than to quote the following extracts from writers who knew him thoroughly and intimately.
The Rev. Dr. S. A. Bronson, his former rector, in a letter to Mrs. Simpson, wrote as follows : " Mr. Simpson was a man with as many virtues, and as few faults, as almost any one who can be found in this crooked world. As a vestry- man in my church during the sixteen years I was rector of Grace Church, San- dusky, I can safely say I found no fault in him. As a business man, he was honest and honorable ; as a Christian, and as an officer of the church, he was faithful in the discharge of all his duties; benevolent, judicious and wise. If help was needed, he was always ready to do his part. He was always a pillar in Grace Church," and he adds, "a thousand more words in all departments of life may be said of him."
The Rev. R. L. Howell, rector of Grace Church during the last years of Mr. Simpson's life, in an article he published in the Standard of the Cross and
68
534
HISTORY OF ERIE COUNTY.
the Church, writes of him as follows: " William A. Simpson was one of those rare instances of the happy commingling of solid worth and simplicity of char- acter which it is positively refreshing to behold. As we watched over him dur- ing his last night, until the morning sun stole across the room, and he entered into the rest he longed for, it did not seem more difficult to fall asleep with him, after the long hours of watching than it did to brace ourselves for the stern duties of another day. Even the devoted wife, so dearly beloved, who had stood by his side for well nigh half a century, joined with us as we thanked the Father for answering our prayers, and taking him so gently to himself. Grandly did we realize the deep meaning of that frequent saying, " O ! death, where is thy sting?" Mr. Simpson was, during a long life in Sandusky, rever- enced and loved by all who came in contact with him. His great modesty and simplicity of character endeared him to all who knew him. We have lost a most valuable citizen whose wise counsel was never darkened by many words."
Mr. Simpson married January 5, 1841, Mary, daughter of David and Mary (Wright) Denman. Mrs. Simpson was born in Frederick, Md., January 16, 1816. Her father was an officer in the War of 1812, under General Scott, and was in the battles of Lundy's Lane, Queenstown Hights, and Fort Erie. Her father died when she was but seven years, and her mother when only five years of age. After the death of her parents she was adopted into the family of Ma- jor J. G. Camp, who moved to Ohio from Buffalo in 1835. Mrs. Simpson has been a member of Grace Church since 1841. Mr. and Mrs. Simpson had no children. Eliza D. Bartlett, a child of an elder and only sister of Mrs. Simp- son's was taken into the family, and lived with them until her marriage. She is now the widow of James Cook, and lives in Saginaw, Mich. Jennie E. Simp- son, who lost her parents at the time of the cholera epidemic in Sandusky, in 1849, and was adopted by Mr. and Mrs. Simpson, lives at the homestead in Sandusky, with Mrs. Simpson. Since the death of her husband, Mrs. Simp- son purchased and deeded to Grace Church, the "Grace Church parish build- ing," corner of Adams and Hancock streets, as a memorial gift to the church. The memory of the man who was so worthy of such a memorial, as well as that of the generous giver, must ever be kept green in the minds of those who, in all the years to come, shall have the good fortune to enjoy the healthy social privileges of this beautiful parish home.
Need help finding more records? Try our genealogical records directory which has more than 1 million sources to help you more easily locate the available records.