History of Portage County, Ohio, Part 76

Author: Warner, Beer & co., pub. [from old catalog]; Brown, R. C. (Robert C.); Norris, J. E. [from old catalog]
Publication date: 1885
Publisher: Chicago, Warner, Beers & co.
Number of Pages: 958

USA > Ohio > Portage County > History of Portage County, Ohio > Part 76

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).

F. F. CARLILE, tinner and plumber, Kent, was born at Newton Falls, Trumbull Co., Ohio, January 31, 1854, son of Freeman and Caroline (DeFor- est) Carlile. His paternal grandfather was Henry Carlile, a native of Penn- sylvania, who settled at Newton Falls in 1832. His maternal grandfather was Curtis DeForest, a native of Connecticut, who came to Franklin Mills (now Kent), this county, in 1851, where he carried on farming until 1877, when he retired, and now lives in Kent at the age of eighty-two. Our subject was reared and educated in Newton Falls, served an apprenticeship of four years at the tinner's trade in that place, and in 1875 embarked in business for him- self in Kent. In 1881 he engaged in business with Myron A. Thorp, which continued nine months. In April, 1882, he became associated with C. R. Reed, under firm name of Carlile & Reed, and in 1878 plumbing, steam and gas-fitting were added to the business. Mr. Carlile was married, March 12, 1873, to Abbie E. Selby of Newton Falls, by whom he has six children: Dar- win D., Willie R., Lewis K., Nathaniel W., Artie and Freddie. Mr. Carlile is a member of the I. O. O. F. and R. A. In politics he is a Democrat.

WILLIAM R. CARVER, P. O. Chicago, Ill., was born in Brandon, Vt., October 15, 1830; son of Jonathan P. and Betsey K. (Knowlton) Carver, who were the parents of nine children, six now living: Emma E., wife of Harry Cooley; William R .; Charles P .; Henry C .; Ann E., wife of Thomas E. Metlin; Mary P., wife of C. T. Williams. They settled in Franklin Mills (now Kent) in 1843, where Mr. Carver kept the Franklin (now Continental) Hotel for about eighteen months, when he retired from business and resided in Kent until his death, May 31, 1871, in his seventy-ninth year. His widow has reached the ripe age of seventy-nine and now resides in Kent. The paternal grandfather of our subject was Rufus Carver, a native of Deerfield, Vt., a shoe-maker by trade and a son of the famous traveler, Capt. Jonathan Carver, who in 1766- 68 explored the vast country along the Upper Mississippi and received in recognition of his influence and services a grant of territory from the Indians, of which the following is a copy :

"To JONATHAN CARVER,

" A chief under the most mighty and potent George the Third, King of the English and other nations, the fame of whose courageous warriors has reached our ears, and has been more fully told to us by our good brother Jonathan aforesaid, whom we rejoice to see come among us, and bring us good news from his country.

" We, chiefs of the Naudowissies, who have hereto set our seals, do by these presents, for ourselves and heirs forever, in return for the many presents and other good services done by the said Jonathan to ourselves and allies, give, grant, and convey to him the said Jonathan, and to his heirs and assigns for ever, the whole of a certain tract or territory of land, bounded as follows, viz. From the Fall of St. Anthony, running on the east bank of the Mississippi nearly southeast, as far as the south end of Lake Pepin, where the Chipeway River joins the Mississippi, and from thence eastward five days travel, account- ing twenty English miles per day, and from thence north six days travel, at twenty English miles per day, and from thence again to the Fall of St. Anthony, on a direct straight line. We do for ourselves, heirs, and assigns for ever, give unto the said Jonathan, his heirs and assigns for ever, all the said

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lands, with all the trees, rocks, and rivers therein; reserving for ourselves and heirs the sole liberty of hunting and fishing on land not planted and improved by the said Jonathan, his heirs and assigns. To which we have affixed our respective seals, at the Great Cave, May the first, one thousand seven hundred and sixty-seven.

HAWNOPAWJATIN,

his mark.

OTOHTONGOOMLISHEAW,

his mark.

" The foregoing, with the signets from two Indian chiefs of the Naudowissie tribes near the Fall of St. Anthony, on the River Mississippi, to Capt. Jonathan Carver, dated at the Great Cave on May first, one thousand seven hundred and sixty-seven, is a true copy of an original deed, compared according to the testimonies of the Rev. Dr. Samuel Peters and Dr. John Coakley Lettsom, M. D., as stated in a petition to Congress by Samuel Harrison, on behalf of the heirs of Capt. Jonathan Carver, praying for a recognition of the same as on file in the Senate Office of the Secretary of the Senate of the United States. Examined this 23d day of April, one thousand eight hundred and six, at the capitol in the city of Washington.

" Attest, SAMUEL A. OTIS, Secretary of the Senate of the United States.

"Signed in presence of Samuel Eliot, Junr.

" The above is certified under the seal of the Secretary of State for James Madison."

This original deed on parchment has been carefully treasured in the fam. ily as an " heirloom," but was unfortunately destroyed in the "great fire," Chicago, October, 1871.

The "Great Cave," in which the treaty with Capt. Carver was held and the deed executed, is located on the bank of the Mississippi at St. Paul, and is well known as " Carver's Cave," and is visited by thousands of tourists annually. One of the most thrifty counties and towns of Minnesota also bears the name of the great traveler. His maternal grandfather, William Knowlton, a native of Beverly, Mass., settled in Franklin about 1835. Our subject was thirteen years of age when his parents came to this township. He was educated in the high schools of Kent and started in life as a clerk at Ravenna, in the store of Cyrus Prentiss, in 1847, with whom he remained six years. He afterward located at Cleveland, St. Louis and St. Paul, and has been engaged in various branches of business in different sections of the country. In 1872 he purchased the Continental Hotel in Kent, a building five stories high with five stores attached, on which he has expended several thousand dollars in repairing and improve- ments. He is also owner of other valuable property in Kent. Mr. Carver is a

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gentleman of public spirit and enterprise, always interested in anything that tends toward the improvement and public welfare of Kent.

SELAH CLAPP, a pioneer of Portage County, Ohio, was born June 7, 1775, in the town of South Hampton, Hampshire Co., Mass .. and was a son of Selah Clapp, a lineal descendant of Sir Roger Clapp, who came from England, his native country, to America in 1630, and settled in the colony of Massachu- setts. June 28, 1820, the subject of this sketch, being then married, started from his native town with his wife and family of six children for Ohio. Their means of conveyance was by horse team, which he drove the entire dis- tance, arriving at Franklin Township, Portage Co., Ohio, August 8, 1820. In this township on Lot 23 he bought a farm of 163 acres, and moved with his family into a log house then standing on the land, 16x18 feet in size, which stood about 100 rods southwest of his son's, S. S. Clapp's, present residence. About the same time he purchased 250 acres of land in Avon Township. Lorain Co., Ohio. Mr. Clapp was a man of sterling worth, and soon began taking an active and prominent part in the affairs of the community where he had estab- lished his new home. He was a Whig in politics, and served his township in various public capacities, being Trustee for several terms. He was a member of the Presbyterian Church, and a liberal supporter of the religious and edu- cational interests of the township. He was married in Montgomery Town- ship, Hampden Co., Mass., March 1, 1804, to Diana Sheldon, who bore him eight children, all in Massachusetts except the youngest, as follows: Silas W., born December 24, 1804; Susan, born October 13, 1807, now deceased; Spencer, born December 21, 1809; Selah S., born January 9, 1812; Samuel, born November 1, 1814, now deceased; Achsah, born March 16, 1817, now deceased; Diana, born January 5, 1820; Delana, born November 13, 1822, now deceased. The father of this family died June 4, 1840, and the mother August 29, 1850. Their remains rest in the cemetery at Kent.

SELAH S. CLAPP, son of Selah and Diana (Sheldon) Clapp, was born in Montgomery Township, Hampden Co., Mass., January 9, 1812, and was brought by his parents to Franklin Township in 1820. He was reared to the life of a farmer, in the meantime receiving a limited education in the schools of his day. At his father's death he purchased the old homestead, eighty acres of which he still owns and occupies, thus making him a continuous resi- dent on this farm for sixty-five years. He was married at Ravenna, Ohio, March 10, 1835, to Mary Brown, who was born in his native town, and a daughter of Nicholas and Fanny (Phillips) Brown. Her parents having died in Massachusetts, she came to Portage County, Ohio, with her uncle, Benja- min Phillips, who settled in Franklin Township in 1832. To the union of our subject and his wife were born four children: Fanny Eliza, born July 7, 1836, and died January 1, 1855; Mary Adelia, born November 17, 1837: Will- iam Henry, born February 16, 1842, married Mary Richardson, and now resides in Franklin Township; Lucy Florilla, born September 2, 1845. Mary A. and Lucy F. both reside at the homestead with their father. The wife of Mr. Clapp died January 27, 1875, aged fifty-eight years, and lies buried in Standing Rock Cemetery at Kent. Mr. Clapp is one of Franklin Township's oldest as well as one of its most substantial citizens. He is at present the owner of 238 acres of valuable land, besides other property. He is a Repub- lican in politics, and although not an office seeker has been elected to and has served his township in various local offices, and once as Trustee. For the past forty- four years he has been a member of the Church of the Disciples, the first four years serving as Deacon and for the past forty years as Overseer, and Church Trustee thirty years. Mrs. Clapp was also a member of this church

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for many years. At the erection of the stone church building in Kent for this denomination, Mr. Clapp contributed $1,000. He also assisted in the erec- tion of the Presbyterian Church of Kent.

CHARLES K. CLAPP, Cashier Kent National Bank, Kent, was born in Ravenna, Ohio, January 15, 1838, son of Charles and Harriet (Kent) Clapp. His father was a native of Turin, N. Y., a son of Ezra Clapp, born January 2, 1807, and settled in Ravenna, this county, in an early day. There he embarked in mercantile trade, which, he followed for several years, after which he located in Franklin Mills (now Kent), this county, and engaged in the same business, and later still in Akron, Ohio. He is now a resident of Warren County, Ohio. He was married in Ravenna, Ohio, September 1, 1831, to Harriet, daughter of Zenas and Pamelia (Lewis) Kent, by whom he had six children: Harriet L. (deceased), Charles H. (deceased), Charles K., Ella M. (Mrs. John C. Southwick), in New York City; George A., in New York City, and Edward L., in San Francisco. The subject of this sketch was reared in his native county, where he attended the common schools, thence went to the Leicester Academy, Mass., where he remained two years, which comprised his educational advantages. Leaving there at the age of sixteen, he went to New York City, and for twelve years was employed in the wholesale grocery house of Kent & Co. (the last four years a partner in the house), after which he removed to Minneapolis, Minn., where he resided twelve years, being engaged six years in the manufacture of woolen goods, and the balance of the time in the agricultural implement business. In the fall of 1877 he returned to Kent, and in January, 1878, accepted the position of Cashier of the Kent National Bank, which he has satisfactorily filled to the present. He was married, November 26, 1872, to Mary E. Wood, of Mankato, Minn., by whom he has four children: Charles W., Frank S., Leon K. and Harold M.

ALBERT D. CLARK, real estate, insurance and Notary Public, Kent, was born in Kent, April 21, 1842, son of John F. and Eliza (Dunning) Clark. His paternal grandparents were George W. and Martha (Laird) Clark, natives of Pennsylvania, who located in Stark County at an early day, where the father of our subject was born January 13, 1814. George W. was Associate Judge of Stark and Portage Counties at an early day, also one of the first surveyors in this part of Ohio, and laid out the stage road between Cleveland and Pitts- burgh. His children were William L., the first Sheriff of Summit County; Robert; James H .; George W., a minister of the Methodist Episcopal Church, and a professor at Allegheny College, Meadville, for twenty years; John F .; Jane; Juliette; Martha. John F., the father of our subject, was educated in the academies of Tallmadge and Randolph, and at the age of six- teen went to Hudson and served an apprenticeship of four years at the carpen- ter's trade, which occupation he has followed all his life. He married in 1839 Eliza Dunning, formerly of New Milford, Conn., by whom he had five chil- dren: George F., Albert D., Amelia (Mrs. Lorenzo Fessenden), Almira (Mrs. Anson Pritchard, deceased), and Hattie (Mrs. Charles Coyle). He located in Kent in 1838, where he has resided ever since. The maternal grandfather of our subject was Ambrosia Dunning, one of the first settlers of Ravenna Town- ship. Our subject was reared and educated in Kent. He enlisted April 24, 1861, in Company F, Seventh Ohio Volunteer Infantry, and after serving three months as Corporal was honorably discharged. He re-enlisted August 13, 1861, and served as Sergeant in Company A, First Regiment Ohio Light Artillery, and was Acting Orderly over two years, and commanded the Second Section of artilleries over a year. He was in the battles of Shiloh, Stone River, Chickamauga (he was recommended for promotion for bravery on the battle-

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field of Chickamauga by Maj. Wilbur F. Goodspeed), and was in many other engagements, and honorably discharged at Chattanooga, Tenn., September 12, 1864, paying a flying visit to friends in Ohio. He then went into the Quartermaster's Department, at Johnsonville, Tenn., serving eighteen months as Assistant Superintendent of laborers of that place, also in the vicinity of . Nashville. When Johnsonville, Tenn., was evacuated by the Union forces he went to Nashville, thence to Franklin and Duck River; returning to Nashville took passage on the transport "New York" for Eastport, Miss. On the steamer's arrival at her destination he accepted and filled the position of Chief Receiving Clerk under Lieut. Samuel W. Treat, commanding river and railroad trans- portation. On resigning this position he returned to Ohio. He then went West and engaged in railroading, visiting all the principal cities of the West. In 1869 he returned to Kent, and accepted a position as foreman in the brass foundry of the A. & G. W. R. R., which he held until 1883, when he embarked in his present business. He was married August 18, 1870, to Sarah J., daugh- ter of Harvey C. and Flora B. Newberry, of Kent. The issue of this union was four children: Lenah, Scottie O., Lewis C. and Ezzie L., of whom two are now living: Lewis C. and Ezzie L. Mr. Clark is a member of the K. of H., and has filled all the chairs of that order. He now holds the office, to which he was appointed by S. S. Bloom, Grand Dictator, K. of H., of Ohio, of District Deputy Grand Dictator in and for the Twenty- fifth District of Ohio, compris- ing the following counties, to-wit: Ashtabula, Geauga, Portage, Lake and Trumbull. He is C. C. Commander of the K. of P., and a member of the G. A. R. He has served the village of Kent as Councilman two terms. In 1877 he was the Greenback candidate for Representative of Portage County, and ran ahead of his ticket. He was also candidate for Mayor of Kent in the Republican caucus in the spring of 1884. In politics he is independent.

JAMES CRANE, hotel proprietor, Kent, was born in Warren, Trumbull Co., Ohio, August 6, 1830; son of Ira R. and Lucy B. (Rawdon) Crane, natives of Connecticut. His father settled in Warren in 1824, where he embarked in the boot and shoe trade, which he carried on there for twenty years. He then located in West Farmington, and continued in the same busi- ness until his death. He died September 17, 1884, at the age of eighty-two. Our subject was reared in his native town and in West Farmington, and was educated in the schools of the latter place, and clerked for his father for many years. In 1852 he embarked in the dry goods trade in West Farmington, in which he engaged up to 1857, when he removed to Illinois, where he resided three years. In April, 1861, he enlisted in the three months' service, in the late war of the Rebellion, being the first man to enlist in Geauga County, Ohio, He was Orderly Sergeant of Company E, Nineteenth Ohio Volunteer Infantry. and served his time. He re-enlisted March 12, 1862, and was appointed Cap- tain of Battery E, Fifth New York Artillery. He participated in both battles of Winchester, Va., Fishers Hill, Va., at the evacuation of Harper's Ferry, and in the battle of Cedar Creek, where he was captured October 19, 1864, and taken to Libby, and from there to Danville Prison. He was paroled March 12, 1865, and was honorably discharged from the service the same date at Anna- polis, Md. He then returned to West Farmington and re-entered the dry goods business, in which he was engaged up to 1879, when he located in Kent, and with his brother-in-law, F. K. Lewis, Esq., rented the "Continental Hotel," the principal hotel of the place, which, under the excellent management of Crane & Lewis, has become widely known throughout the State. Mr. Crane married Amelia E., daughter of Leonard and Mary (Smith) Lewis, of West Farmington, by whom he has two children: Minnie and Jay. Capt. Crane is

Of Thompson

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FRANKLIN TOWNSHIP.

one of the live, enterprising citizens of Kent. He is a F. & A. M., a member of the K. of P. and G. A. R. In politics he is a stanch Republican.

JOHN CROSS, foreman New York, Pennsylvania & Ohio Railroad wood- machine shops, Kent, was born in the city of Ely, Cambridgeshire, England May 1, 1835, son of John and Elizabeth (Norman) Cross. He was reared and educated in his native place, where he learned the trade of brick mason, serv- ing an apprenticeship of seven years. He landed in New York City April 1, 1860, where he remained until the breaking out of the war of the Rebellion, when he enlisted, May 1, 1861, in Company E, Sixty-seventh New York Infantry, serving until January 1, 1863, at which date he was discharged at Lincoln Hospital, Washington, D. C., by reason of being appointed Hospital Steward in the United States Army. He re-enlisted January 23, 1863, for five years, and served as Hospital Steward up to August 22, 1865, when he was honor- ably discharged. He was married, December 17, 1856, to Sarah B., daughter of Joseph and Mary A. (Watkinson) Pearson, of Ely, England, by whom he had two children: Alexander and Sarah. Mr. Cross located in Kent, this county, in October, 1865, and entered the employ of the Atlantic & Great Western, now New York, Pennsylvania & Ohio Railroad Company, with whom he has been engaged to the present time, and since 1871 he has held his pres- ent position as foreman of the wood-machinery shops of the company. He and his wife are members of the Universalist Church. Mr. Cross was elected to the Council of Kent in the spring of 1883. He is a F. & A. M., and a mem- ber of the G. A. R. In politics he is a Democrat.

GEORGE W. DEAN, nurseryman, Kent, was born in Wayne Township, Ashtabula Co., Ohio, August 20, 1820, son of Horatio G. and Rebecca (Forbes) Dean, natives of Massachusetts, the former coming to Ashtabula County, Ohio, about 1816, the latterin 1806. The paternal grandfather of our subject was Abia- ther Dean, of Massachusetts, and his maternal grandfather was Nathan Forbes, who settled in Wayne Township, Ashtabula Co., Ohio, in 1806. Our subject was reared in his native township, and educated in the common schools and the academy at Farmington, Ohio. His father being a shoe-maker, our sub- ject engaged in that trade in his native town and in Auburn, Ohio, until thirty-five years of age. In the winter of 1855 he embarked, in Troy, Geauga Co., Ohio, in the nursery business, which he carried on there for eight years. In 1864 he removed to Franklin Township, this county, where he has been engaged to the present time keeping a general nursery stock, and up to 1874 he carried a florists' stock. Besides horticulture Mr. Dean has of late inter- ested himself in several branches of natural science, and has collections in Archæology, Paleontology, Mineralogy and Conchology, and his collection in connection with the last-named science numbers 1,350 distinct species of marine, fresh water and land shells, carefully selected and systematically classi- fied and arranged. Mr. Dean was married September 1, 1852, to Maria, daughter of Col. Drayton Jones, of Wayne Township, formerly of Connecti- cut, and has one daughter-Lillian. Mr. Dean is an active member of the County Horticultural Society, of which he was Vice-President for several years. In politics he is a Republican.

GEORGE DEWEY, farmer, P. O. Kent, was born in Chester, Mass., Sep- tember 10, 1801, son of Stepben and Persus (Morgan) Dewey, who settled in this county in 1824, locating in Franklin Township on land now owned by our subject and Samuel Beckwith, and where Stephen Dewey died in 1831. He had nine children: Morgan, Edwin, Electa, Almena, Julia, Editha, George, Roland and Alonzo, all now deceased except George and Roland. The subject of this sketch has lived on the farm where he now resides sixty years, and

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made all the improvements himself. He was married. April 7, 1830, to Mary, daughter of Chauncey Mosley, of Westfield, Mass. By this union there were nine children, four now living: Margaret (Mrs. Dr. I. S. King, of Montcalm County, Mich.). George, Jr., Mary and Hattie (Mrs. Orlando Stewart, of Montcalm County. Mich.). The deceased are Jane, Clinton. Elizabeth, Lucy and Sarah. Of these Clinton died in hospital at Nashville, Tenn., during the late war of the Rebellion, leaving one child-Estelle (Mrs. Ralph Dibble, who has one child-Mary). Our subject is a member of the Portage County Pion- eer Society, and has held various offices in the gift of the township. In poli- tics he is a Republican.

FRED L. DUNNING, painter, Kent, was born in Brimfield Township, this county, May 23, 1833, son of Samuel L. and Susan H. (Bostwick) Dun- ning. His paternal grandfather was Squire Dunning, formerly of New England, who settled in Ravenna Township, this county, about 1824, where he lived and died. He had four children: Almon S., Samuel L. (deceased), Almira (Mrs. E. Moulton) and Eliza (deceased). The maternal grandfather of our subject was Ashbel Bostwick, also from New England, who came to Ravenna Township about 1827, where he is said to have built the first frame house. Samuel L. Dunning, the father of our subject, was married December 25, 1830, and the same year settled in Brimfield Township, this county. He was a carpenter by trade, though interested in farming, and always owned a farm until a short time before his death. In 1842 he located in Franklin Mills (now Kent), this county, and manufactured plows, being chiefly engaged He died January 31, 1858, in his fiftieth in that business for many years.

year, and his widow September 30, 1880, at the age of sixty-five. They had six children, of whom the subject of this sketch is the only one now living. He received a limited education in the common schools, and when fourteen years of age entered his father's foundry, where he worked until 1862. He served three years in the late war of the Rebellion, enlisting August 2, 1862, in Company F, Forty-fifth Ohio Volunteer Infantry. He was mustered into the service as Corporal, but was promoted to Second Lieutenant, then First Lieutenant, and finally Captain. He was at the siege of Knoxville, Tenn., twenty-two days, under the command of Gen. Burnside, and surrounded by Longstreet's army, in the battles of Franklin and Nashville, Tenn., and in all the engagements in which his regiment participated. For a time his reg- iment was mounted and detailed as the advance scouts of Burnside's army, with orders to never lose sight of the Rebels, and were sometimes twenty miles ahead of the army. He was with Sherman at Atlanta, Ga., then under Gen. Thomas till the close of the war, and was honorably discharged at Camp Harker, Tenn., August 12, 1865, when he returned to Kent, since which time he has followed painting as an occupation in the car shops of that city. His first wife was Ann M. Fessenden, of Kent, by whom he had two children: Ella M. (Mrs. Arthur Olin), and Cora (deceased). His second wife was Clara Fow- ler, and his present wife is Ellen, daughter of Hiram and Clarissa (Meacham) Spencer, of Suffield. this county. In politics Capt. Dunning is a stanch Repub- lican. He is an active member of the K. of H. and the G. A. R.

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History of Portage County, Ohio, Part 76

Author: Warner, Beer & co., pub. [from old catalog]; Brown, R. C. (Robert C.); Norris, J. E. [from old catalog] Publication date: 1885 Publisher: Chicago, Warner, Beers & co. Number of Pages: 958

Author: Warner, Beer & co., pub. [from old catalog]; Brown, R. C. (Robert C.); Norris, J. E. [from old catalog]
Publication date: 1885
Publisher: Chicago, Warner, Beers & co.
Number of Pages: 958