USA > Ohio > Portage County > History of Portage County, Ohio > Part 69
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BRIMFIELD TOWNSHIP.
which he resided up to 1881, when he removed to Brimfield Center, and here he has erected an elegant residence. He is independent in politics; a worthy citizen.
SAMUEL BUELL, farmer, P. O. Kent, was born in Berks County, Penn., June 11, 1809; son of Samuel and Barbara (Godfrey) Buell, who settled in Columbiana County, Ohio, in 1826, and lived and died there. They had eleven children, of whom but two are now living-Elijah and Samuel. Our subject was married, November 14, 1833, to Catherine, daughter of George and Cath- erine (Ecker) Freebye, of Coventry, Ohio, and the issue of this union has been six children: Henry A., killed in the late war of the Rebellion; Maria (deceased); George; Annetta (Mrs. Eli Leonard); Marvin (deceased); and Sam- uel, Jr. The latter settled in the southeastern part of Brimfield Township, this county, in 1834, where he cleared and improved a farm. In 1838 he removed to Shalersville, where he lived until 1847, and then returned and located on the farm where he now resides. Mr. Buell and his wife are members of the Methodist Episcopal Church of Kent. In politics he is a Republican.
JOSEPH L. CARRIER, farmer and Justice of the Peace, P. O. Brimfield, was born on the farm where he now resides, November 24, 1839; son of Lucius and Orilla (Emerson) Carrier. His paternal grandfather was Elisha Carrier, a native of Connecticut, who settled in Brimfield Township, this county, in 1835, on the farm now owned by our subject, a part of which he cleared and improved. He lost his mind in the latter part of his life, and died in August, 1845, at the age of seventy-seven years. The maternal grandfather of our sub- ject was Joseph Emerson, a native of Vermont, and a soldier of the Revo- lution. Lucius Carrier died in 1842, at the age of twenty-two and his widow in 1862, at the age of fifty-two. Our subject, who is their only child, was married, June 13, 1861, to Mary M., daughter of Benjamin O. and Catherine (Caris) Edson, of Rootstown, this county, by which union there are tive chil- dren: Arthur W., Elmer E., Joseph M., Frederick L. and Ethel I. Mr. Car- rier has given his children the best educational advantages. His three eldest sons are now teachers, Arthur W. being Principal of the select school in Brim- field and considered one of the best educators in the county. Mr. Carrier has held the office of Town Clerk and other minor offices, and is now serving his sixth consecutive term as Justice of the Peace. He is a prominent member of the Masonic fraternity; in politics he is a Democrat.
JACOB CARSON, farmer, P. O. Kent, was born in Dauphin County, Penn., November 26, 1817; son of John and Catherine (Vance) Carson, who settled in what is now Berlin, Mahoning Co., Ohio, in 1831, where they cleared and improved a farm. They were owners of several other large farms in that county, where they lived and died. The father of our subject, who served in the war of 1812, was of Scotch descent, a son of George Carson and a cousin of the celebrated scout, Kit Carson. Our subject went to Mahoning County when fourteen years of age, and when twenty-five years old moved to the farm in Berlin on which his father had first settled, where he remained for seven years. In 1849 he settled in Deerfield Township and improved the farm there on which he resided for sixteen years. In 1865 he removed to Brimfield Town- ship, to the farm he now owns and where he has since resided. He was mar- ried, November 27, 1843, to Elizabeth, daughter of Jonathan and Ellen Kin- sey, of Columbiana County, Ohio, by whom he had eight children: Annetta, wife of Samuel Risk; Mary, wife of Frederick Edson; Catherine, wife of W. D. Roth; Oliver P .; Helen A., wife of Albert Shuman; Cecelia, wife of Marcy Russ; Charles; and Josephine, wife of Warren Meloy. Mr. Carson is one of the representative farmers of Brimfield Township. He has served the town- ship as Trustee two terms. In politics he has always been a Democrat.
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BIOGRAPHICAL SKETCHES:
CONSTANT CHAPMAN (deceased) was born in Westbrook, Conn., Decem- ber 27, 1761; a son of Deacon Jedediah Chapman, Jr., and a descendant of Robert Chapman (of the seventh generation) who was a son of Robert Chap- man, Sr., born in 1616 and who came from Hull, England, to Boston, Mass., in 1635, settling in Saybrook, Conn., in November of the same year, and died October 10, 1687. Our subject, when sixteen years of age, chose the occupa- tion of a sailor, and followed the seas up to the time he settled in Brimfield, in 1821, and for many years was a ship Captain; during the war of the Revo- lution and while in the marine service, he was taken prisoner by the French Government and his ship and cargo confiscated. He was taken to the Island ยท of Guadaloupe and kept a prisoner over a year, when he was exchanged. The American Government afterward made the French pay for the loss of his ves- sel and cargo. He was married, January 27, 1785, to Jemima, daughter of Silas Kelsey, of Killingworth, Conn., by whom he had nine children: Lydia K. (deceased); Thurot F. (deceased); John K. (deceased); Anna F. (deceased) ; Chloe P., wife of Henry Smith; Mary C. (deceased); Joseph G. (deceased); Jemima T., wife of Gardner Wing, and Henry C. (deceased). Mr. Chapman was the first Postmaster of Brimfield, and died here in 1847, aged eighty-six years.
CONSTANT H. CHAPMAN, farmer, P. O. Brimfield, was born February 24, 1825, in Brimfield Township, this county; son of Joseph G. and Elizabeth (Boszor) Chapman, who had a family of five children: Constant H., Mary (wife of Stephen Webster), Leory M., Thurot K., Electa E. (wife of George W. Bow). Joseph G. Chapman was a native of Connecticut and settled in Brimfield Township, this county, in 1820, clearing and improving the farm now owned by his daughter, Mrs. Stephen Webster, where he lived and died. Our subject's paternal grandfather was Constant Chapman, a native of West- brook, Conn., who settled in Brimfield Township, this county, in 1821; his maternal grandfather, Henry Boszor, a native of Maryland, settled in Brim- field Township in 1816. Our subject has always lived in Brimfield, with the exception of two years that he resided in Illinois. He has been twice married. By his first wife, Permelia, daughter of Lybia and Julia (Minard) Under- wood, of this township, he had one child-Morris S. On June 28, 1863, he married his present wife, Elizabeth, daughter of John and Jane (McCloughan) Warner, of Suffield, this county, by whom he has two children-Nellie and Edd. Mr. Chapman has owned several farms in Brimfield Township, and has made many improvements on them. He served the township as Justice of the Peace for fifteen years; in politics he is a Democrat.
MORRIS S. CHAPMAN, farmer, P. O. Brimfield, was born April 14, 1850, in Brimfield, this county; son of Constant H. and Permelia (Underwood) Chapman. His paternal grandfather, Joseph G. Chapman, settled in Brim- field in 1820, and was a son of Constant Chapman, a native of Westbrook, Conn., who settled in Brimfield in 1821. His maternal grandfather, Lydia D Underwood, a son of Alpheus Underwood, settled in Brimfield in 1817. Our subject was reared in Brimfield Township and educated in its common and select schools, and took a course in the Commercial Department of Mt. Union College. He was married October 4, 1871, to Viola A., daughter of Russell R., a native of Providence, R. I., and Mary A. (Wolcott) Ross, of Kent, this county, by whom he has two children: J. P. Ionia., born December 1, 1875, and Aimee R., born November 16, 1883. Mr. Chapman has always been engaged in farming, and prior to 1875 also taught school seven consecutive winters. He is a member of the K. of P .; was elected to the office of Justice of the Peace in April, 1883; in politics he is a Democrat.
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BRIMFIELD TOWNSHIP.
JAMES F. DAVIDSON, farmer, P. O. Brimfield, was born in Buffalo Val- ley, Union Co., Penn., February 19, 1809; son of William and Mary (Fores- ter) Davidson, who settled in Springfield, Summit Co., Ohio, in 1816, where they remained four years, settling in the spring of 1820 in Brimfield Town- ship, this county, on Lot 52, now owned by J. W. Sherman, where they built a log-house and barn and cleared about thirty acres. They lived there eleven years, when they moved to the farm now owned by Joseph Fitch, and there lived and died. They had nine children: Jane H., Dorcas F., Betsey C., James F., Hetty M., John F., Mary M., William F. and Harriet T., all now deceased but James F. Our subject located on the farm where he now resides in 1859, and that portion of Lot 58 now included in his farm he cleared and improved himself. He is one of the representative farmers and citizens of Brimfield Township. In politics he is a Republican.
JOHN EVITTS, farmer, P. O. Kent, was born in Lancaster County, Penn., January 24, 1827; son of Daniel and ,Sarah (Stone) Evitts, who were the par- ents of six children: Margaret, wife of Perry Merton; Mary, wife of Samuel Cotton (deceased); Magdalena, wife of Martin Brazor (deceased); John, Joseph (deceased) and David. Mr. and Mrs. Daniel Evitts located in Spring- field Township (now in Summit County), in 1832, clearing and improving a farm on which they lived until 1842, when they settled in Brimfield Town- ship, this county, on the farm now owned by William Gettes, which they cleared and improved, and where they lived and died. Our subject remained with his parents until nineteen years of age, and for the succeeding four years worked by the month as a farm hand. He was married February 21, 1850, to Catherine, daughter of Joseph Williard, who settled on the farm now occupied by our subject in 1826. To this union were born three children: Electa C., wife of Thomas Lighton; Ida C., wife of Frank W. Koon (deceased); and Flora A. (deceased). There are three grandchildren: Clyde E. Lighton, Evitts G. P. Koon and Frank W. Koon, Jr. Mr. Evitts has served his township one term as Trustee. In politics he is a Democrat.
AARON FERREY, farmer, P. O. Kent, was born in Belchertown, Mass., July 6, 1808, a son of Aaron and Elizabeth (Gilbert) Ferrey, who settled in Franklin Township, this county, in 1831. His father located on the farm now owned by Harley Judson, most of which he improved, and here he resided up to 1850, when he removed to what is now Kent and there lived until his death. By his first wife, Elizabeth Gilbert, of Belchertown, Mass., Aaron Ferrey, Sr., had eleven children: Eliza (deceased), Aaron, Moses (deceased), Mary (deceased), George (deceased), John (deceased), Ann (wife of George Williams, in Wisconsin), William, Charles (in Indiana), Emeline (deceased) and Frank. His second wife was Mrs. Mary McPherson, nee Dickinson, by whom he had two children: Eliza, wife of Henry Swan, and Byron. Aaron Ferrey, Sr., died in 1860, at the age of seventy-eight years. Our subject was reared in Amherst, Mass., until ten years of age, when his parents removed to Virginia, there they remained five years and then returned to Amherst, and here his father engaged in the manufacture of brick, our subject assisting him until twenty- one years of age, when he embarked in the same business for himself, which he continued for several years in different sections of New England. On May 9, 1837, he was married to Judith, daughter of George and Judith (Hastings) Nutting, of Amherst, Mass., by whom he has had eight children: George W., Charles E. (deceased), Mary E. (deceased), Frank H., Julia A., Fred A., Will D. and John H. In 1842 Mr. Ferrey came to Portage County and engaged in the manufacture of brick in Franklin, furnishing the material for the large building now known as Kent Worsted Mills. In 1846 he removed to Franklin
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BIOGRAPHICAL SKETCHES:
Mills (now Kent), where he resided for twenty years, doing an extensive busi- ness, and in 1866 he located in Brimfield, on the farm where he now resides, and in connection with farming, carried on a brick-yard up to 1880, when his sons took charge of that department. Mr. and Mrs. Ferrey and daughters are members of the Congregational Church. In politics he is a Republican.
REUBEN HART, farmer, P. O. Brimfield, was born in Goshen, Litchfield Co., Conn., May 2, 1803, son of Reuben and Ruth (Ives) Hart and grandson of Nathaniel Hart, of Wallingford, Conn., a carpenter and cabinet-maker by trade. Our subject was reared on his father's farm in Goshen, Conn., and learned the carpenter's trade of his father, which occupation he followed many years after he came to Brimfield Township. He settled here in 1826 on the farm now occupied by his son Charles, where he resided up to 1864, when he purchased the farm adjoining, and here he has lived ever since. Mr. Hart was married July 2, 1829, to Nancy A., daughter of Jonathan and Mary (Hotchkiss) Law, formerly of Woodbridge, Conn., who settled in Brimfield Township, this county, in 1818, and to this union have been born four chil- dren, two of whom are now living: Charles and Lois (Mrs. Edwin J. Glass). Charles married Eleanor Stillwell, of Brimfield Township, this county, Octo- ber 27, 1863, and had four children, three of whom are now living: M. Gertrude, Harry S. and Jennie L. Mr. and Mrs. Hart are members of the Methodist Episcopal Church. He has filled several offices in the gift of his township, and served as Justice of the Peace one term. In politics he is a Republican.
HENRY KING, farmer and iron manufacturer, P. O. Kent, was born in Franklin Township, this county, in June, 1833, son of Robert and Rhoda (Bishop) King, who had a family of three children: Henry, Charles and Helen A., wife of Henry Heyd. His paternal grandfather, William King, a native of Hampden County, Mass., settled in Ravenna, Portage Co., Ohio, in 1811. He was the owner of a large tract of land in Charlestown Township, which he had purchased of the Western Reserve Land Company, and lived there a year or more, disposing of the same in parcels. He returned to Ravenna in 1814, and engaged in hotel business up to 1839, and was one of the best known landlords in this part of the State at that time. He died in 1843, aged about sixty-five years. He had four children: Robert, deceased; John B., deceased; Eli P., deceased, and Mary, wife of Dr. A. Woodworth, now of St. Louis. Robert, his eldest son, resided in Ravenna nearly all his life. He was a prominent farmer and business man, and was at one time engaged in bank- ing, dealing also in live stock on an extensive scale. His wife was a daughter of Deacon Bishop, of Blandford, Mass. Our subject was reared in Ravenna from five years of age, and there received a liberal education for his day, being principally educated by Mr. Calhoun, a Yale graduate and relative of John C. Calhoun, of South Carolina. In 1850 he was engaged in the Civil Engineer Corps of the C. & P. R. R., with whom he remained one year, and then was employed in the locomotive works at Cleveland for four years. He was married February 11, 1856, to Rebecca, daughter of Thomas and Sarah (Antrim) Sharp, of Salem, Ohio. In 1855 Mr. King went to Salem, Ohio, and embarked in the foundry and machine business there for fifteen years, and during that time, in connection with Pittsburgh parties, was also engaged in the manufacture of pig iron in Columbiana County, Ohio, and in Arm- strong County, Penn., in which he is still interested. He was a resident of Pittsburgh for ten years, and in the fall of 1883 located in Brimfield Town- ship, this county, on the farm where he now resides. In politics Mr. King is a Republican.
Mason
Gills
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BRIMFIELD TOWNSHIP.
ALMON LANPHARE, farmer, P. O. Brimfield, was born September 25, 1821, in Brimfield Township, this county, son of Abner H. and Sophia (Moul- ton) Lanphare, who had eight children: an infant son (deceased), Almon, Eunice (deceased), Eliza A., Nathan (deceased), infant twins (deceased) and Martha C. Abner H. Lanphare was a native of Woodstock, Vt., came to Brimfield Township, this county, in October, 1816, and the following winter taught the first public school in Franklin Township, this county. He after- ward bought 200 acres of land in Brimfield Township (a part of which is now owned and occupied by our subject), clearing and improving a farm on which he lived, and died October 4, 1879, in his eighty-fourth year. The maternal grandfather of our subject, Jeremiah Moulton, settled in Brimfield Township, this county, in 1817. Almon Lanphare was reared in Brimfield Township, where he has always resided. He has been twice married, his first wife being Caroline, a daughter of Peletiah and Hannah Bard, of Brimfield, and by her he had two children: Charles, who served through the late war of the Rebellion and died of consumption six months after his discharge, and Henry A., deceased. His present wife is Flora A., daughter of Col. Bissell and Arteme- sia Austin, of Randolph Township, this county. By this union there are two children. Jennie and Stella. Mr. Lanphare and wife are members of the Methodist Episcopal Church. He has held various offices in the gift of the township; in politics he is a Democrat.
AARON P. MALLORY, farmer and carpenter, P. O. Kent, was born in Brimfield Township, this county, March 14, 1821, son of Benjamin and Johanna (Harris) Mallory, natives of Litchfield County, Conn., who settled here in 1817 on the farm now owned by our subject, and which they cleared and improved. They were the parents of four children: Margarett Ann, deceased; Aaron P .; Benjamin, deceased, and B. O. Plymton, deceased. Benjamin Mallory died October 18, 1859, aged seventy-one years, and his wife October 18, 1848. Our subject was reared on the old homestead, where he has always resided, and was married December 24, 1848, to Fidelia E., daughter of James and Betsey (Avery) Blake, formerly of Cornwall, Litchfield Co., Conn., and who settled in Brimfield Township, this county, in 1826, locating half a mile east of Brimfield Center, where they cleared and improved a farm, on which they resided until Mr. Blake's death; he died March 7, 1872, at the age of seventy-three years. His widow died in 1881, aged eighty years. They reared a family of six children: Orville, a clergyman of the Free-Will Baptist Church, who was a Representative in the Ohio Legislature for four years (now deceased), Fidelia E., Buel A., Sherman M. (deceased), Judson A. and Charlotte (wife of John I. Hastings). Mr. and Mrs. Mallory are the parents of four children: Frank N., deceased; Emma J., wife of A. T. Nighman; Nettie, wife of Cyrus Osborn, and Benjamin. Our subject has been a member of the Methodist Episcopal Church since he was fourteen years of age. In politics he is a Republican.
JAMES MOULTON, farmer, P. O. Brimfield, was born May 30, 1825, in Brimfield Township, this county, son of Augustus and Sarah (Osborn) Moulton, who were the parents of three children: Louisa A. wife of Silas Shannon (have four children living: Maria, Warren, Charlie and Josie, latter wife of Richard Bunker), Warren (now deceased) and James. Augustus Moulton settled on a quarter section of land (a part of which is now owned by our subject and his sister, Mrs. Silas Shannon,) in 1822, where he cleared a farm from what was an unbroken wilderness and lived there until his death. He died in 1863, at the age of sixty-five years. Our subject's paternal grandfather was Jeremiah Moulton, a native of Munson, Mass., who settled in Brimfield in 1817, clearing
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BIOGRAPHICAL SKETCHES:
and improving a farm where he lived the balance of his life. He was a promi- nent man in his day, and served the county as Associate Judge for seven years. He reared a family of ten children: George (deceased), Augustus (deceased), Anson (deceased), William J., Sullivan, Lucy (wife of John Abels), Nancy (deceased), Sophia (deceased), Betsey (wife of Chauncey Tupper) and Emily (deceased). The maternal grandfather of our subject was Peter Osborn, of Connecticut, and whose sons, Peter and Joseph, settled in Brimfield in 1821, where they lived for many years. James Moulton, the subject of this sketch was reared on the home farm where he has always resided, with the exception of seven years, during which he lived in Suffield, this county. He married, March 11, 1843, Betsey, daughter of Russell and Betsey (Jones) Meacham, of Suffield Township, this county, by whom he has had the following children: Martha E., wife of John Sylvester; Sarah A., wife of George Maloy (have one child-Clarence A.); Minnie A., wife of E. Ladenslayer (have one daughter- Nellie); Cora, wife of Calvin Miller (have two children: James I. and Clara A.); William M .; Emma W .; Bertha A., and Hannah R. (deceased). Mr. Moulton has served his township as Justice of the Peace one term. In politics he has always been a stanch Democrat.
JOHN Q. MOULTON, farmer, P. O. Brimfield, was born on the farm where he now resides, November 14, 1846; son of Elbridge G. and Almira J. (Dunning) Moulton. His paternal grandfather, Harrison Moulton, settled in 1817 on the farm now owned by our subject, which he cleared and im- proved. He had six children: Wyles, William (deceased), Elbridge G. (deceased), Susan (deceased), Maria (Mrs. Albert Underwood), Sophia (Mrs. Albert Dawley). Elbridge G. had three children-A. Jeannette (Mrs. J. W. Sherman), Lucy M. (deceased), and John Q. Our subject has always resided on the old homestead. He was married, January 4, 1871, to Eliza A., daugh- ter of Elias and Mary A. Heckman, of Brimfield Township, this county, by whom he has one child, Nina E. Mr. Moulton is a representative farmer and citizen of Brimfield Township. In politics he is a Republican.
JOSEPH P. PARKER, butter and cheese manufacturer, Brimfield, was born in Windsor, Ashtabula Co., Ohio, June 30, 1818; son of Daniel and Sarah (Bartlett) Parker, natives of East Windsor, Conn., who settled in Ash- tabula County, in 1813, where Mr. Parker cleared and improved a farm on which he resided up to 1832. He afterward lived in different parts of the State, and died in Ashtabula County, in 1852, at the age of seventy-eight years. Our subject came to Shalersville, this county, in 1837, and here for three years worked by the month; the three years following this he rented a farm in the same township, and then purchased a small farm in Shalersville Township, where he lived until 1849, and then removed to Michigan. In 1851 he engaged in farming in Streetsboro Township, this county, where he remained up to 1876, then located in Brimfield Township, and embarked in his present business of manufacturing butter and cheese. He has been twice married; on first occasion, September 9, 1842, to Harriet, daughter of Newton and Molly (Hotchkiss) Morris, early settlers of Shalersville Township, this county. By this union there were two children: Alice, wife of William Beasley, and Ellen, wife of Joseph Quinn. On January 1, 1859, Mr. Parker married Annis, daughter of James and Lucy (Barber) Rose, of Kent, who bore him six children: Frank, Hattie, Addie (deceased), Willie, Lettie and Eleanor (deceased). Mr. Parker is a F. & A. M. In politics he is a Democrat.
EDWARD PARSONS (deceased), who was a pioneer of Brimfield Town- ship, this county, was born in Northampton, Mass., March 14, 1797, son of Moses and Esther (Kingsley) Parsons, also natives of Massachusetts. The
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BRIMFIELD TOWNSHIP.
Parsons family is a very old one and the name appears often in the early his- tory of the old Bay State. They were originally of English extraction. The subject of this sketch lived in his native village until a man grown, in the meantime learning the trade of his father, that of a carpenter and joiner. At this place, when about twenty nine years of age, he made the acquaintance of Miss Clementina Janes, then teaching school at Northampton, a daughter of Peleg Cheney and Martha (Coy) Janes, of Brimfield, Hampden Co .. Mass., where Mr. Janes was a large mill owner. The Janeses were of English extraction, and the Coys of Irish origin, though both families for generations previous were natives of Massachusetts or Connecticut. This acquaintance resulted in the marriage of Mr. Parsons with Miss Janes on January 1, 1828, and two years and a half afterward Mr. Parsons with his wife and son, Edward A., born in Northampton, Hampshire County, Mass., January 25, 1829, moved to Ohio, and first settled at Brecksville, Cuyahoga County, for one year; thence went to Cleveland, remaining six months, and finally, in the fall of 1831, took up their residence in the township of Brimfield, Portage County. Here Mr. Parsons worked at his trade at odd intervals, but never to any extent, making farming his main occupation, at which he was very successful, for although buying only fifty acres at the start, he afterward became the owner of 200 or more acres near the village of Brimfield. He was one of the most substantial and highly respected citizens of the township. In 1868 he retired from active farming, and moved to Kent, where he resided until his death, April 6, 1874. He was from early manhood a devoted member of the Epis- copal Church (as was his wife), himself and a Mr. Cogswell being the founders of the first church organization of this denomination in his native village of Northampton, Hampshire Co., Mass., where he was Junior Warden. At Kent he took the same interest, and was one of the organizers of the Episcopal Church in the village. and for the erection of this house of worship he con- tributed liberally of his means and served as Church Warden for many years. In politics he was originally a Whig, and in sentiment a believer in liberty and the equal rights of man, and on the formation of the Republican party, he always acted and voted with that party. On the breaking out of the war of the Rebellion, two of his sons volunteered and served in the Union Army: Timothy G., for four years, most of the time in the Quartermaster's Depart- ment; and William C., for ten months as an artilleryman. Mr. and Mrs. Parsons reared a family of six children: Edward A., born January 25, 1829; Timothy G., born September 17, 1832; Harriet J., born June 24, 1835, died October 2, 1876; Martha Kingsly, born April 1, 1838: William Cheney, born February 19, 1841; Clementina, born September 30, 1843. All the children were born in Brimfield, Ohio, except Edward A., who was born at Northampton, Mass. Mrs. Parsons is now eighty-two years of age, and is an exceedingly amiable and worthy lady, well preserved for her years, retaining all her fac- ulties. She resides with her daughter, now Mrs. Clementina Barber, wife of Charles H. Barber, the present Postmaster of Kent.
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