History of Portage County, Ohio, Part 77

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 77


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).


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JOHN G. EVANS, merchant tailor, Kent, was born in Cardiganshire, South Wales, December 25, 1845; son of John and Eleanor (Evans) Evans. He was reared and educated in his native land, where he served an apprenticeship of three years to the tailor's trade. In 1866 he came to America and located in Pittsburgh, Penn., where he worked as a journeyman tailor for seven years. From there he went to Butler, Penn., as cutter with D. L. Byerer, which position he held five years. He then embarked in the merchant tailoring busi-


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ness for himself, in company with Daniel Davis, doing business there for two years, when they removed to Akron, Ohio, and remained six months, divided their stock, and in September, 1880, our subject located in Kent. He was mar- ried September 13, 1868, to Annie Mortimer, of Pittsburgh, by whom he has three children living: Rebecca, John G., Jr., and Dennison M. Mr. and Mrs. Evans are members of the Methodist Episcopal Church. Our subject is a member of the K. of P. and the I. O. O. F .; be is a F. & A. M .; in politics, a Republican.


JOHN A. FELT. machinist and manufacturer of the Acme Paint Burner, Kent, was born in Peterboro, Hillsborough Co., N. H., May '8, 1837, son of Stephen and Mary K. (Ames) Felt. He was reared and learned his trade in Peterboro. In 1855 he came to Ohio. locating in Norwalk, and work- ing in the Lake Shore Railroad Shops for eleven years; then he moved to Fair- field, Huron County, where he remained one year, and in 1867 located in Kent, where he has been employed as a machinist in the railroad shops to the present time. On October 3, 1882, he received a patent on the Acme Paint Burner, designed to remove old paint from railroad cars, vehicles, furniture, etc., and has since been engaged in the manufacture of the same. Mr. Felt was mar- ried, August 1, 1860, to Emma A. Willey, of Norwalk, Ohio, by whom he has two children: Cora A. and Elmer J. He is an active member of the I. O. O. F. In politics a Republican.


BYRON FERREY, farmer, P. O. Kent, was born in Franklin Township, this county, September 7, 1846; son of Aaron and Mary (Dickinson) Ferrey, natives of Massachusetts. Aaron Ferrey was twice married, and by his first wife, Elizabeth (Goodrich) Ferrey, he had eleven children, and by his second marriage (with Mary Dickinson) he had two children-Eliza, wife of Henry A. Swan, and Byron. He settled in Franklin Township, this county, about 1832, locating on the farm now owned by Harley Judson, where he lived about twenty years, when he removed to Kent and resided there until his death. He died in 1860, at the age of seventy-eight. Our subject has always lived in his native township, where he was reared and educated. He was married, September 5. 1870, to Hannah, daughter of Harley and Chloe (Loomis) Jud- son, of Franklin Township, this county, by whom he has three children: Min- nie, Charlie J. and Georgia M. Mr. Ferrey is a representative farmer of Franklin Township; in politics he is a Democrat.


FREDERICK FOOTE, grocer, Kent, was born in Wood County, Ohio, November 14, 1835; son of Epaphroditus and Charlotte M. (Smith) Foote, former of whom settled in Wood County in 1827, and there lived until his death. Our subject was reared on his father's farm and educated in the com- mon schools. He farmed in his native county up to 1863, after which he served as a clerk in a general store till 1872, when he located in Kent and engaged in mercantile business with E. A. Parsons. November 1, 1873, he became manager of the Kent co-operative store, but in January. 1882, he embarked in the grocery business with C. F. Sawyer. October 1, 1883, Rob- ert Reed became associated with him under the firm name of Foote & Reed, one of the leading grocery firms of Kent. Mr. Foote married. September 2, 1872, Alice, daughter of Freeman and Mercy A. (Lincoln) Underwood, of Brimfield, by whom he has had three children: Ernest N. (deceased), Mary L. and Carl F. He is a member of the R. A. and is a F. & A. M .; has been Treasurer of the Township Corporation and a member of the School Board. In politics he is a Democrat.


GEORGE A. FURRY, grocer, Kent, was born in Briinfield Township, this county, December 16, 1838, son of William and Martha L. (Russell)


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Furry. His paternal grandfather was John Furry, a native of Pough- keepsie, N. Y., who settled in Brimfield Township. this county, in 1816, where he lived and died, and whose wife was Julia A. Harris, a native of Philadelphia, by whom he had eight children: Joseph (deceased), William (deceased), Mooney (deceased), Ann (Mrs. Edward Russell), Henry T., Lucy J. (deceased), Mary J. (Mrs. George Ogle), and an infant son (deceased). The maternal grandfather of our subject was Edward Russell, an early settler of Brimfield Township, this county. The children of William Furry were George A., Helen E. (Mrs. David Tucker, of Kent), Lucy (Mrs. Theodore Campbell, of Kent), and Wallace W., of Cleveland. Our subject, after he became of age, farmed until April, 1861, when he enlisted in Com- pany G, Seventh Ohio Volunteer Infantry. He was in the battles of Cross Lane, Winchester, Antietam, Chancellorsville, Gettysburg, Cedar Mountain, Lookout Mountain, Ringgold, Resaca, Peach Tree Creek, and many other engagements, and was honorably discharged June 9, 1864. In that year he went to Poughkeepsie, N. Y., where he attended the Eastman Business College for six months, thence went to Cleveland, Ohio, where he served as Clerk in the distributing department in the postoffice in that city; then returned to this county and served as Clerk in Streetsboro. In 1873 he embarked in the grocery business in Kent, with George L. Stauffer, Esq., in which he has since been successully engaged. He was married, May 19, 1876, to Lucy, daughter of James and Maria (Hopkins) Woodard, of Kent, by whom he has one child -Mattie M. Mr. Furry is a member of the Masonic fraternity, the G. A. R., and R. A. In politics he is a stanch Republican.


WILLIAM R. GARDNER, baker, Kent, was born in Brimfield Township, this county, December 30, 1819; son of John V. and Sarah A. (Spear) Gard- ner, natives of Massachusetts, who settled in Brimfield Township in 1817, where they lived until February, 1838, when Mrs. Sarah A. Gardner died. John V. Gardner then, in 1839, removed to Franklin Mills (now Kent), where he embarked in mercantile business, in which he was engaged for several years. He died April 7, 1878, in his ninety-first year. He served as Justice of the Peace of Brimfield for fifteen years, also in Franklin about the same length of time. He was married first to Sarah A. Spear, by whom he had nine chil- dren, seven of whom grew to manhood and womanhood: John V. R., Eliza and Julia Ann E. (deceased), William R., Reuben F. (deceased), Reuben F., Abigail L. (Mrs. John Morris), Caroline A. (Mrs. O. C. Holden), Sarah F. (Mrs. Nourse). Then, in March, 1839, J. V. Gardner was married to Marga- ret Beatty, nee Haymaker, by whom he had three children: George D., Mary (Mrs. George Stauffer) and Estella (Mrs. Mark Chase). The subject of this sketch was reared in Brimfield Township, and in 1839 came to Kent with his parents and entered his father's store. He was with D. P. Rhodes, of Cleve- land, for several years, and embarked in his present business in 1876. He was married, in 1851, to Sarah E. De Moss, of Coshocton, Ohio, by whom he has two children: John V. and Lewis D. Mr. Gardner is one of the substan- tial business men of Kent. In politics he is a Republican.


CHARLES A. GARRISON, veterinary surgeon, Kent, was born in Stowe Township, Summit Co., Ohio, August 18, 1842; son of James and Hannah (Walker) Garrison, who settled in Stowe Township about 1828-30, where they cleared and improved a couple of farms. They had six children: William, who died in the service of the Union, during the late war of the Rebellion; Charles A .; Alice, wife of William Grubb; Fannie, wife of Henry Minnich; Maxwell; and Edward (deceased). The paternal grandfather of our subject was Joseph Garrison, a native of Pennsylvania, and an early settler of Deer-


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field Township, this county. His maternal grandfather, William Walker, a native of Virginia, was one of the first settlers of Stowe Township. Our sub- ject was reared in his native township, and educated in the Kent High School, and at Twinsburg Institute. In 1875 he went to Seville, Ohio, and studied veterinary surgery with Dr. Miller, of that place, with whom he remained three years, and in 1878 entered the Ontario Veterinary College, Toronto, Canada, where he took a two-years' course of instruction. In 1880 he com- menced the practice of his profession in Kent, where he has done a successful business to the present time. He was married August 18, 1864, to Mattie, daughter of William and Margaret Reese, of Franklin Township, this county, by whom he has three children living: Frank, Max and Minnie. Mr. Garrison and wife are members of the Disciples Church. In politics he is a Democrat.


SENECA GREEN, farmer, P. O. Kent, was born in Hampshire County, Mass., October 3, 1808; son of Clark and Submit (Hastings) Green, natives of Massachusetts. He was reared on a farm until fourteen years of age, and then served an apprenticeship of six years at the shoe-makers' trade, afterward working in North Lee, Mass., as a journeyman one year; then embarked in business for himself in South Lee, where he was engaged up to 1836. In the fall of the same year he came to Ohio, and in February, 1837, bought the farm where he now resides. There was a plank cabin and a small barn on the place when he purchased it. In 1842 he erected a good barn, and in 1844 built his present residence. Mr. Green has been twice married, his first wife being Sarah Spellman, of Monterey, Mass., to whom he was married October 3, 1832. She died May 6, 1834. February 29, 1836, Mr. Green next mar- ried Mary A. Holt, of Austerlitz, N. Y., and the issue of this union was six children: Sarah (Mrs. H. L. Russell); Stephen; Spellman; Ann (Mrs. G. H. Taylor), in Lansing, Mich .; Mary (Mrs. A. A. Ross) in Mount Vernon, Ohio., and George B., residing at home, who was married October 21, 1874, to Clara, daughter of James D. and Mary R. (Olin) Haymaker, of Franklin, and by her he has two children-Mabel A. and James S. Our subject lost his second wife June 6, 1876, in her sixty-fifth year. Mr. Green is one of the represent- ative farmers of Franklin Township. In politics he was formerly a Whig, but has been a stanch Republican since the organization of the party.


WILLIAM GRIDLEY, carpenter and machinist, Kent, was born in Hamp- den County, Mass., August 12, 1807; son of Oliver and Mary (Bradley) Grid- ley. His educational advantages were limited, as he was bound out on a farm in New Haven County, Conn., until he was twenty-one years old. When nineteen years of age he ran away, and arriving in Hampden County, Mass., he served an apprenticeship of two years at the millwright trade; worked in the cotton-mills at Chicopee Falls, Mass., fourteen months as a journeyman mechanic, after which he engaged as a master mechanic in the mill of A. Dens- low, at Windsor, Conn., where he remained about three years. He made, but did not invent, the first machine that made cotton batting out of waste; then went to work on the Boston & Albany Railroad as a mechanic and inspector of lumber, and in August, 1844, he came to Ohio. locating in 1845 in Kent, where he has worked at his trade of millwright, carpenter, etc., up to the present time. Mr. Gridley was married in December, 1832, to Clara, daugh- ter of Calvin and Lydia (Grinnell) Bedortha, of Hampden County, Mass .. by whom he has had five children: Talbot, William (killed at the battle of Get tysburg, in July, 1863), Benjamin (killed at the battle of Cedar Mountain), Laura (Mrs. O. S. Nichols) and Clara (deceased). Our subject's first wife dying March, 1853, he next married Mary Chatman, daughter of John and Martha Twitchell, by whom he had one child, Lilian (Mrs. Dr. R. F. Hamb-


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lin). His son Talbot served in the late war in the Seventh Regt. O. V. I., and was wounded in the shoulder at the battle of Winchester; his son Will- iam was a member of the Eighth Regt. O. V. I., and Benjamin was a member of the Seventh O. V. I. Mr. Gridley is a member of the Episcopal Church; the I. O. O. F. In politics he is a Republican. .


SAMUEL B. HALL, merchant, Kent, was born in Brimfield Township, this county, July 29, 1831; son of Henry and Elizabeth (Breck) Hall, natives of Vermont. His father was a son of Benjamin Hall, who settled in Brim- field Township, this county, in 1818, and taught the first district school in the township; his mother was a daughter of Daniel Breck, of Hartland, Vt. They had four children: Porter B., Caroline (deceased), Samuel B. (first, deceased), and Samuel B. (second). Henry Hall was a carpenter by trade, but after his settlement in Brimfield Township was principally engaged in farming. In 1850 the family removed to Franklin Mills (now Kent), where Mrs. Hall died in 1852. Mr. Hall then married for his second wife Mrs. Sophia Kilborn, of Hudson, whither he afterward removed, and there resided until his death in 1876; he died at the age of seventy-eight. He was a member of the Congregational Church, in which he was a Deacon for many years. Samuel B., the subject of this sketch, was educated in the common schools and Kent Academy. Owing to ill health, in 1853, he went to California, remaining there three years, when he returned to Kent and engaged in farming for several years. After that he embarked in mercantile trade; then was in the drug business for a time, and in 1876 engaged in the boot and shoe trade, in which he has continued to the present time. Mr. Hall has been twice married, first in September, 1858, to Sarah, daugh- ter of Guy and Sarah Doolittle, of Brimfield. this county. The issue of this union was one child-Cora (Mrs. Charles Reed). Mr. Hall was married to his present wife, Jane Barton, of Kent, Ohio, in September, 1866, and by her has three children: Henry, Porter and Herbert. Mr. and Mrs. Hall are mem- bers of the Congregational Church. In politics he is a Republican; an active F. & A. M.


JAMES P. HALL, shop clerk, New York, Pennsylvania & Ohio Railroad Shops, Kent, was born in Brimfield Township, this county, September 12, 1832, son of William and Maria (Law) Hall. His paternal grandparents were Benjamin and Sarah (Brown) Hall, of Windsor, Vt., who settled in Brimfield Township in 1819, where they lived and died. They had six children: Henry (deceased), Betsey (deceased), Charles (deceased), Mary A. (deceased), William, Susan S. (Mrs. Henry Sawyer). By his second wife Mr. Hall had one child- Sarah (Mrs. Sylvester Wolcott). The father of our subject lived on the old homestead till 1867, when he removed to Kent, where he still resides. He was twice married, first to Maria, daughter of Jonathan and Mary Law, of Brim- field, by whom he had four children: James P., Durand C., Mary E., Lucy M. (Mrs. I. P. Griswold); and second to Berthia Palmer, of Brimfield, by whom he had three children: Newton H., Helen M. (Mrs. Henry Wilcox) and Anna (Mrs. B. F. Shewart). Our subject was reared in Brimfield Township, engaged in farming until twenty-eight years of age, then removed to Kent and embarked in the grocery trade, in which he was occupied two years. Since then, with the exception of four years, he has been in the employ of the Atlantic & Great Western and New York, Pennsylvania & Ohio Railroad Companies to the present time. He was married September 27, 1854, to Myra T., daughter of Harmon and Harriet (Bishop) Bradley, of Brimfield, by whom he had four children: Will H., Charles E., Fred P. and Georgie D. (deceased). Mr. Hall and wife are members of the Congregational Church. He is a member of the Masonic fraternity and K. of H .; has held the office of Township and Corpor- ation Clerk one term. In politics he is a stanch Republican.


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NEWTON H. HALL, lumberman, P. O. Kent, was born in Brimfield Township, this county, August 4, 1842, son of William and Bethiah (Palmer) Hall. His paternal grandfather, Benjamin Hall, a native of Vermont, settled in Brimfield Township, this county, in 1819, and his maternal grandfather, John Palmer, was a native of Connecticut. a soldier of the Revolution. Our subject was reared in his native township and was educated in the common schools. He was in the late war of the Rebellion, enlisting August 4, 1862, in Company I, One Hundred and Fourth Ohio Volunteer Infantry. He participated in the Tennessee campaign, under Burnside; the Atlanta campaign, under Sherman, and the Nashville campaign, under Thomas; was in all the engage- ments of his regiment, and at Franklin, Tenn., November 30, 1864, he cap- tured a flag from Gen. P. Clayburn's division of the Rebel Army, for which act he received a medal from Congress in January, 1865. He was honorably dis- charged in June, 1865, when he returned to Brimfield Township and engaged in farming there up to 1881, and then removed to Kent, Ohio. The same year he embarked in business at Boardman, Ohio, where he is still interested in a planing-mill and lumber trade. He was married April 15, 1874, to Stella, daughter of James and Maria (Hopkins) Woodard, of Kent, this county, by whom he has two children: Anna and Helen. Mr. Hall is a F. & A. M. In politics he is a Republican.


JAMES D. HAYMAKER, farmer, P. O. Earlville, was born September 2, 1809, a short distance from the spot where Brady made his famous leap across the Cuyahoga River, in Franklin Township, this county, son of Frederick and Rachel (Davis) Haymaker. His father, who was a native of Allegheny County, Penn., came from that State to Ohio in 1806, and located at Franklin Mills February 18, that year, in that part of Kent now known as the Upper Village. He was thrice married. His first wife was Eleanor Robinson, by whom he had seven children, all now deceased. His second wife was Rachel Davis, who died in this county, by whom he had one child-James D., the subject of this sketch. By his third wife, Polly Swan, he had twelve children, of whom six are now living, none residing in this county. Mr. Haymaker was a resident of Franklin off and on up to 1836, when he removed to Trumbull County, Ohio, where he died in 1852. His remains and those of his third wife are interred in Warren, Ohio. He was Private Secretary to Aaron Burr. while on the expedition for which he was tried for treason in 1807. Jacob Haymaker, the father of Frederick and grandfather of our subject, settled at Franklin Mills (now Kent) in 1805, and built the first grist-mill ever operated in the township; it was on the site now occupied by " Kent's Mill." He was a car- penter and millwright by trade; he died at Kent, as did also his wife. Our subject received only a limited education, and never saw a schoolhouse until ten years of age. In his youth he became thoroughly acquainted in his father's factory with the woolen manufacturing business. This factory was located at Franklin Mills (now Kent). At the age of twenty-one he engaged for two years in the manufacture of wooden pails in the same town; the next two years he had charge of a hotel at Fairport, on Lake Erie; then returning to Franklin he engaged in farming, to which occupation he has ever since devoted his time. November 29, 1835, he was married to Mary R. Olin, who was born February 22, 1820, in Genesee County, N. Y., and a daughter of Arvin Olin, who came to Ohio in 1834 and settled in Franklin, where he passed the remainder of his life. By this union were born the following children: Frank- lin, born December 16, 1836, and died April 30, 1851; Oscar F., born May 21, 1838; Rachel D., born May 18, 1840; Ann Maria, born May 17, 1842; Arvin O., born April 5, 1844; Mary R., born April 15, 1846, died July 27,


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1866; James A., born June 21, 1848; Clara L., born Angust 30, 1850; Almira E., born January 27, 1854; Martha A., born May 20, 1856; Cora E., born May 5, 1858, died February 2, 1859; William J., born February 2, 1860, and Abbie M., born November 27, 1863. J. D. Haymaker has always been an ardent Republican and during the darkest days of the civil war was firm in his support of the administration in aid of the Union canse, contributing lib- erally of his means, and invariably exerting his influence to the end that the Union should be preserved. One of his sons, James A., enlisted in the One Hundred and Ninety-third Regiment, Company I, and served in the Union Army during the civil war. Mr. and Mrs. Haymaker are admirable types of the pioneers who first settled in Portage County, and possess in a large degree those traits which have become traditionary among us as ascribed to the pio- neers, the sterling qualities, good, strong, well-balanced minds, athletic and healthy physique, unimpeachable integrity and a desire to do unto others as they would be done by-qualities, too, which they have transmitted to their large family of children, in an eminent degree. During their long lives they have cheerfully given to the needy and in support of the religious and educa- tional interests of the community. They are now living in the midst of their friends, possessed of an ample competence to make their coming years com- fortable, and in the enjoyment of that content which comes from reflecting on a life well and worthily spent. Mr. Haymaker has served his township in various official capacities. He was Trustee for several years, Justice of the Peace for several terms and a School Director many times.


OSCAR F. HAYMAKER, farmer, P. O. Earlville, was born in Franklin Township, this county, May 21, 1838; son of James D. and Mary R. (Olin) Haymaker. He was reared in his native township and educated in its common and select schools. He remained on the old homestead with his father until twenty-four years of age when, in partnership with his brother-in-law, S. H. Green, he bought a farm in Franklin Township, this county, which was car- ried on for four years and then sold. Our subject then worked his father's farm for three years and in 1879 purchased of D. P. Hopkins his present farm, where he has resided ever since. He was married, May 21, 1862, to Mary S., daughter of Dr. J. M. and Mary (Ferris) Burlingame, of Newbury, Geauga Co., Ohio. By this union he has three children: Ida A., wife of F. A. Mer- rill, Cora M. and Lillie E. Mr. and Mrs. Haymaker are members of the Uni- versalist Church of Kent. Our subject is serving his fourth term as School Examiner of Portage County. He is a F. & A. M .; in politics a Repub- lican.


ARVIN O. HAYMAKER, farmer, P. O. Earlville, was born in Franklin Township, this county, April 5, 1844; son of James D. and Mary R. (Olin) Haymaker. His paternal grandfather, Frederick Haymaker, settled in Frank- lin in 1806. His maternal grandfather, Arvin Olin, settled in Franklin Town- ship, this county, in 1834. Our subject was reared in Franklin Township and educated in the common schools, and in connection with his farming interests, has taught school for twenty consecutive winters. He has been twice married, on first occasion, April 5, 1866, to Hattie E., daughter of Joseph and Jean- nette (Graham) Norton, of Brimfield Township, this county. By this union there were two children: Charles A. and Hattie E. May 26, 1870, Mr. Hay- maker married his present wife, Hattie, daughter of William and Catherine (Burger) Powell, of Homeworth, Columbiana Co., Ohio. The issue of this union has been three children: Homer A., Debbie J. and Frank P. Mr. and Mrs. Haymaker are members of the Methodist Episcopal Church; in politics he is a Republican.


Ebenezer. M. Carl


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JOSEPH HEIGHTON, farmer, P. O. Kent, was born in Hargrave, North- amptonshire, England, February 4, 1827; son of Thomas and Sarah (Goodes) Heighton, who, in 1832, settled in Edinburg, Portage Co., Ohio, where they cleared and improved the farm on which they lived and died. Their children were William (deceased), Thomas, Sarah (deceased), Elizabeth (deceased), Ann (deceased), John, Joseph, Hannah (deceased) and an infant (deceased). Thomas Heighton, Sr., was a blacksmith by trade, and the first one to follow this bussiness as an occupation in that part of the county where he settled. He was a man of peculiar ideas, a thorough American in feeling, a lover of the Republican form of government (which was his main reason for coming to America) and was one of the first men in Portage County to advocate the anti- slavery doctrine. He was a prominent member of the Baptist Church. He died at the age of fifty-two years, honored by all who knew him. Our subject was reared in Edinburg, this county, and received his education in the com- mon schools. He was married July 19, 1848, to Olive Cornelia, daughter of Ariel Lewis and Minerva (Colton) Case, of Rootstown, and born April 8, 1829, in Rootstown. She had the advantages of a common school education and taught school at one time. Her father was born July 31, 1804, in Coventry, Tolland Co., Conn. Her mother was born May 20, 1805, in Tolland, Tolland Co., Conn. Her paternal grandfather, Ariel Case, a native of Tolland County, Conn., and a soldier of the war of 1812, settled in Rootstown Township, this county, in 1809. Her maternal grandfather, Stephen Colton, a native of Ver- mont, settled in Rootstown, Ohio, in 1805. Mr. Heighton and wife have four children: Marius H .; Ann, wife of N. E. Olin; Parker H. and Lloyd B. After coming of age, Mr. Heighton, with his brother, John, purchased the old home- stead, where he resided until the fall of 1862 and in the spring of 1863 he located in Franklin Township, this county, on the farm now owned and occu- pied by his son Marius, where he remained till 1879, when he moved to his present property east of Kent. He has always been a temperate man, never having used tobacco, spirits, tea or coffee. He is a member of the Pio- neer Association; one of the representative citizens of Franklin Township; in politics he is a Republican.




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