History of Portage County, Ohio, Part 89

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 89

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MANTUA TOWNSHIP.

SAMUEL S. RUSSELL, retired coal dealer, Mantua, was born May 14, 1807, in Jefferson County, N. Y. ; son of Return and (Jerusha) Osborn Rus- sell, natives of West Windsor, Conn., who removed to New York at an early day, thence to near Cleveland, in Warnersville Township, Cuyahoga Co., Ohio, in 1822, where they lived and died. They were parents of eleven chil- dren, seven of whom are still living: Edward A .; Samuel S. ; Rachel A. (a maiden lady residing with the society of Shakers); Robert E., in Iowa; Mary A. (Mrs. Philips), in Glenville; William H., in California; Sanford H. (a widower). Our subject was married April 1, 1860, to Adeline H., daughter of Elijah Russell, who died December 26, 1883, without issue. Mr. Russell was formerly a Shaker, and filled all the prominent offices in that society. He resided for a time in Wisconsin, where he was Justice of the Peace, but removed to this county in 1866, and is now one of the leading citizens of Mantua. He has an adopted son, George S. Russell, a photographer, married to Lovetta Kyle, by whom he has two children. Our subject is a Republican in politics. and cast his first Presidential vote for Abraham Lincoln.

C. H. SAGE, proprietor of the Mantua House, Mantua Station, was born July 28, 1847, in Freedom Township, this county; son of Roswell and Minerva (Hawley) Sage, natives of Massachusetts, who came to Portage County, Ohio, in about 1830, and settled in Freedom Township, where the father has remained to the present time. Roswell Sage was twice married. on first occasion to Miss Hawley, who bore him seven children: C. R. ; H. H .; Dwight; C. H .; Roswell; Clita, wife of E. Tuttle, Jr., and Harriet, widow of S. S. Hurlburt. Mrs. Sage died in 1850. and Mr. Sage subsequently married Mrs. W. Parshall, by whom he bas three children living: Theodocia. Flora and George. Our subject, September 3, 1879. married Anna Hare, whose parents are natives of Maryland. For a time Mr. Sage engaged in the grocery busi- ness at Mantua. but subsequently disposed of same to Mr. Beecher and took possession of the Mantua Hotel, located near the railroad depot in Mantua, and which is known as one of the best appointed and conducted establish- ments of the kind in the township.

JASON SANFORD (deceased) was born December 30, 1800, in Massachu- setts, son of Samuel and Rhoda Sanford. He came to this county in 1816 and lived for a time with Squire Atwater, an early settler, when he learned the trade of a blacksmith. On November 1, 1827, he married Hannah, daughter of Daniel and Hannah (Burt) Ladd, the former of whom was a native of Massachusetts; settled in Mantua Township in 1811, and here passed the re- mainder of his days. He was a tanner, currier and shoe-maker. He reared a family of nine children, three of whom now live: Mary (Mrs. Denman); Dan- iel B., residing in Claridon Ohio; and Hannah, widow of our subject. To Mr. and Mrs. Sanford were born seven children: Persis J., Martin B., Henry J. and Laura L. living; Delia M. died June 15, 1855. Alice A., May 22, 1862, and Sylvia, August 21, 1877. Persis J. became the wife, in 1853, of W. H. Bowen, a native of Vermont, and has borne him two children: C. H. and Willie R., both educated at Hiram College and Akron College, the former of whom married Emma Wespeaker, and the latter Hattie Baldinger. Mr. Sanford died in 1848, and his widow now resides with her daughter, Mrs. Bowen, whose husband's family came from Vermont and settled in Hiram in 1833, where they spent the remainder of their days. Mr. Bowen is a member of Masonic Lodge, No. 533, of Mantua. He is a leading man in the com- munity.

H. J. SANFORD, farmer, P. O. Mantua Station, was born in November, 1838, in Mantua, this county; son of Jason and Hannah (Ladd) Sanford,

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natives of Massachusetts, who came to this county and settled in Mantua Township in 1811. They had seven children, four of whom are now living: Persis (Mrs. Bowen), Martin, H. J. and Laura (Mrs. Crane). Our subject was married April 10, 1867, to Carrie Harmon, the fourth of nine children, whose father, an old settler, now resides in the north part of Mantua. Mr. and Mrs. Sanford are the parents of three children: Alice J., Mary C. and Rhoda M. Our subject is now located on a farm in the central portion of Mantua Town- ship; he has been Trustee of this Township three terms, School Director, Asses- sor, etc., besides filling offices of minor importance. He is one of the leading citizens of this county: a prominent member of the Disciples Church.

SAMUEL SANFORD, farmer, P. O. Mantua, was born March 7, 1844, in Mantua Township, this county; son of Edwin and Harriet (Wilmot) Sanford, natives of this county. The grandfather of our subject, Samuel Sanford, with the Atwaters, came to this county at an early day and settled in Mantua Town- ship. Edwin Sanford was a farmer by occupation. He reared a family of two children: Lucia, now Mrs. Johnson, who has one child, Anna M .; and Samuel. Our subject married October 4, 1870, Edna M., daughter of A. N. Farr, by whom he has two children: Hattie A. and Annie B. Mr. Sanford is now building himself a handsome brick residence of modern style.

C. M. SEIBEL, cultivator of small fruits and music teacher, P. O. Mantua Station, was born in Germany, October 5, 1823, son of Andrew Seibel. He immigrated to America in 1844, accompanied by one brother, and after a brief sojourn in New York, removed to Cleveland, Ohio. Here they founded a school of instrumental music, which has included upon its roster of pupils the names of the most celebrated leaders of bands in Cleveland. The brothers are now attending to their music classes in Cleveland, Ravenna, and other cities of this State. Wearying of the rounds of city life, some years ago, our subject became a resident of Mantua, and purchased a small estate, on which he has made many improvements, among which might be mentioned a fishery, stocked with the choicest varieties of the finny tribe, principally black bass. The larger specimens are retained in an aqueduct, so to speak, supplied with spring water, while the smaller ones are developed in an addition. The runway leading to the fishery is shaded with grape vines, highly cultivated and productive, and here the Professor enjoys the fullest complement of pleasures peculiar to a Ger- man gentleman of taste and leisure. Mr. Seibel has been twice married, on first occasion, in 1851, to Maryann Johnson, by whom he had two children: Lottie and Maria. This wife dying, he subsequently married, in 1861, Lepoldina Heitzman, who bore him two children: Lillian and Andrew.

SYLVAN SKINNER, farmer, P. O. Mantua, was born February 16, 1845, in Mantua Township, this county, son of William and Delight (Pinney) Skin- ner, natives of Massachusetts (Mrs. Skinner had been previously the widow of Mr. Wait, by whom she had two children, one now living-Otis Wait, in Hiram). William Skinner, Sr., and wife came to this county in 1806, settling on the farm where their grandchildren now reside. William Skinner, Jr., was

born September 9, 1804, a son of William Skinner, Sr., and by trade was a maker of scythes, snaths, rakes and wagons, but in later life turned his atten- tion entirely to farming. He had a family of three children, two of whom are now living: Adelbert L. ,and Sylvan. Our subject was married, February 25, 1865, to Pastoria, daughter of John C. White Kirtland, by whom he has one son-William. The Skinner family was the twelfth to settle in Mantua Town- ship, this county, and the land on which our subject resides was entered by his grandfather eighty years ago, who also built the house, and this property at his death descended to his son (our subject's father) encumbered with a mort-

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MANTUA TOWNSHIP.

gage of $1,800, which the latter cleared, and in the course of time, by indus- try and perseverance, he became a well-to-do man worth upward of $10,000. Our subject is a progressive man, highly esteemed by the community. He has filled the office of Constable for three years.

WILLIAM A. SMITH, proprietor of saw-mill, tub and bucket manufact- urer and lumber dealer, Mantua, was born April 13, 1832, in Litchfield, Litch- field Co., Conn., son of Minus and Emma (Blakeman) Smith, who came to Ravenna Township, this county, in 1833, thence removed to the northeast part of Shalersville, where Mr. Smith operated a saw-mill for about twelve years. Our subject, the second in a family of five children, was married, September 4, 1861, to Martha, daughter of Seth and Nancy (Perkins) Sanford, who were the parents of four children: Mary J., married to H. S. Granger (they reside in Phillips County, Kan.); Sarah, wife of S. L. Peck, in Elkader, Iowa; Mrs. Smith; and Delos C., a soldier under Garfield, serving in Company A, Forty-sec- ond Ohio Volunteer Infantry, and who was wounded, from the effects of which he died at forty years of age. The Sanfords are of English origin, and trace their genealogy back through ten generations. The grandfather of Mrs. Smith enlisted when sixteen years of age in the war of 1812, and at his death, when ninety-three years of age, he was buried with military honors betitting the last soldier of that struggle. Mrs. Smith is carrying on a millinery and fancy notion trade in one of the finest business houses in the village, in the Smith & Bowen Block, which she built in 1883. Our subject and wife have no children of their own, but have adopted a daughter named Clara.

CHARLES M. TAYLOR, farmer, proprietor of saw-mill, and cheese-box manufacturer, Mantua, was born September 11, 1818, at Suffolk, Hartford Co., Conn. ; son of Hezron and Mary Ann (Mix) Taylor, who, in 1831, came to this county and settled in Mantua Township, on the farm where our subject now resides. They here raised a family of five children: Charles M. ; Mary H., deceased in infancy; Joseph M., married to Harriet Cobb (he died in 1879); Antoinette, wife of H. Cobb; Andrew H., married first to Mary McFarland, subsequently to Almeda A. Curtis. Hezron Taylor served as a soldier in the war of 1812, and was a farmer by occupation. He brought his family here by way of Albany in wagons, and came across the lake during the prevalence of the equinoxial gales. He purchased the "Blackburn tract" of Mr. Trimble, and here died in 1866, his wife having preceded him in April, 1863. Our subject was married in September, 1840, to Sabrina A., daughter of Alfred Day, by whom he had six children, five now living: Henry C., Laura M., Lusira V., Lillian E., Herman H. and Herbert T. (deceased 1878), all of whom save the last mentioned have been heads of families. His wife dying in 1852, Mr. Taylor was married. October, 1855, to Clara Parker, by whom he has eight children: William, Edward, Charles, Ezra, Frank, Minnie, Mattie and John. He carried on a farm at the old homestead, and for the past twelve years has been proprietor of a cheese-box factory and saw-mill located in the northern part of the township. He is an enterprising citizen, a member of the Meth- odist Church; a Republican in politics.

ANDREW H. TAYLOR, hotel proprietor, Mantua Station, was born May 1, 1834, in Mantua Township, this county; son of Hezron and Mary A. (Mix) Taylor, natives of Hartford County, Conn., who came to Ohio in 1828, and set- tled in the west part of Mantua Township, near what was known as "Cobb's Corners," where they began life in the woods. Of New England stock, they were earnest workers in the cause of civilization in the wilderness, and devoted their lives to the education and happiness of their children. Of the five children born to them, three now live: Charles M., Antoinette, wife of

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Henry Cobb, and Andrew H. Our subject has been twice married, the first time, January, 1863, to Mary P. McFarland, who died July S. 1865. His sec- ond marriage, April, 1868, was with Almeda A. Curtis, by whom he had one child-Bertha M., at home. Mrs. Taylor died in March, 1875. Mr. Taylor was raised on his father's farm, but early in life began business on his own account, for the past thirteen years in Mantua, where four years ago he erected the hotel which he has since successfully conducted.

LEWIS TURNER, farmer, P. O. Mantua Station, was born, March 30, 1816, in Wayne County, N. Y .; son of Amasa and Polly (Thayer) Turner, natives of Connecticut and New York respectively, and who came to Geauga County, Ohio, in 1817, remaining until 1827, when they removed to this county, where they lived until their death. The father of our subject kept hotel for many years (during this time McCarson was hanged) but finally became a farmer. His family consisted of six sons and two daughters, four of the former still living: Norman in Geauga County; Preston in Mantua Township, this county; Henry in Freedom, this county, and Lewis. Our subject married Sarah Merriman, in 1836, by whom he had the following children: Harry (deceased); Lewtou, married to Adell Farr; Lomira M .; Sanford; Charles, mar- ried to Ella Nelson; Stanton, married to Martha Benninger; Egbert, married to Ida Clark; Emma (Mrs. Chalker), and Bell (Mrs. VanAllen). Mr. Turner occupies the old homestead, a large tract of land one and a half miles north of Mantua Station. He is a genial, hospitable gentleman.

G. C. WAY, physician and surgeon, P. O. Mantua Station, was born June 26, 1848, in Shalersville Township, Portage County, Ohio; son of Robert and Lucinda G. (Work) Way, who were the parents of eight children, of whom the following survive: J. H., residing on the old homestead in Shalersville; W. O .; A. B .; Celestia M., wife of Dr. S. L. McCarthy, of Altoona, Penn., and Dora E., wife of H. W. Fields, also residing in Altoona, and G. C. Mr. and Mrs. Robert Way, formerly of Pennsylvania, came to Ohio in 1835, and settled in Shalersville, where they remained until the death of the former, May 10, 1867; his widow now resides with G. C. Our subject was educated at Jefferson Col- Jege, Penn., and at the college at Alliance, Ohio. He began the study of medi- cine under Dr. George M. Proctor, of Shalersville, in 1866, and afterward with Dr. Johnson, of Alliance, and his brother-in-law, Dr. McCarthy, of Altoona, and matriculated at Michigan University, Ann Arbor, whence he graduated at the Jefferson Medical College of Philadelphia in the spring of 1874. He began the practice of medicine with Dr. S. L. McCarthy in 1873. After graduating he practiced alone at Allenville and Altoona, and in 1881 he came to Mantua. The 'Doctor has a large and successful practice and is considered the leading physician of Mantua Township. He was married, May 9, 1883, to Caroline, daughter of Chauncey and Percis (Parker) Winchel. Mr. Winchell was an early settler of Mantua Township, and a very successful man, owning at one time nearly 1,000 acres of land, which is now inherited by his children.

SYLVESTER K. WILCOX, physician and surgeon, Mantua Corners, was born August 4, 1824, in Chester, Hampden Co., Mass .; son of Ralph and Bet- sey (Noney) Wilcox, latter of whom was a sister of Capt. Noney, of the war of 1812. The father of our subject, Ralph Wilcox, a farmer, came to Ohio in an early day and settled at Mantua Corners, where he passed the remainder of his life. His children were Norman (deceased); Reuben G., a blacksmith at Hiram Rapids; Eliza (deceased), and Sylvester K. Our subject was educated to the profession of medicine, at the Medical Department of Western Reserve College, Cleveland, Ohio, whence he graduated in 1846. and then settled in Mantua Township, Ohio; thence he removed to Hiram Township, but after ten

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years' residence there, returned to Mantua Township, where he has since remained. Dr. Wilcox has been twice married; the first time, September 10, 1845, to Harriet M. Stodard, by whom he had two children: L. D., and Har- riet, wife of Delos Peck, in California. His second marriage occurred in Mecca, Trumble Co., Ohio, in 1862, with Olive S. Whitney, by whom there is no issue. The Doctor is a grandson of a Revolutionary soldier, and is an accomplished physician, a valuable citizen. In politics he is a Democrat.

NELSON TOWNSHIP.

ZINA R. BANCROFT, farmer, P. O. Garrettsville, was born in Nelson Township, this county, March 11, 1838, son of Thompson Bancroft, a native of Connecticut, who was brought to this county in infancy, and here he attained his maturity, helping to cut down the forests, and following the occu- pation of a farmer. Thompson Bancroft was united in marriage with Lucy C. Atwater, also a native of Connecticut, who bore him five children: Sylves- ter, deceased; Edwin L., deceased; Zina R .; Augusta P., and an infant, deceased. He died in 1877, and his widow in 1879. Our subject, who has always been a farmer, was married October 6, 1859, to Clara Reed, born Sep- tember 1, 1837, in Crawford County, Penn., daughter of Henry and Sarah (Moore) Reed, natives of Connecticut and early settlers of Mead Township, Crawford Co., Penn. Mr. and Mrs. Bancroft are the parents of three children: Lucy C., Henry T. and Eddie H.

MILTON COLE, farmer, P. O. Garrettsville, was born in Nelson Town- ship, this county, February 23, 1836; son of Jedediah Cole (see sketch of J. Cole), a native of Vermont, who was twice married. In March, 1835, he was married (second occasion) to Parthena (Sanford) Hamlin, born in Harrington, Conn., April 10, 1810, who bore him five children: Milton; Francis, in Lorain County, Ohio; Mrs. Aurilla Thompson, in Garrettsville, Ohio; Mrs. Cordelia Bancroft, in Michigan, and Edwin S., born in 1848, and died in his seven- teenth year. Jedediah Cole is deceased; his widow still survives. Our sub- ject received a common school education, and has followed farming all his life, still living upon the old farm originally settled by John Noah, the eighth settler in Nelson Township. On April 22, 1863, our subject was mar- ried to Miss Jennie M. Doty, born in New York State April 22, 1840, daughter of Ebenezer and Rebecca (Pierce) Doty, natives of Massachusetts, both now deceased. Mr. and Mrs. Cole are the parents of one daughter-Lottie M., born March 5, 1864. Our subject is an active member of Portage Lodge, No. 436, I. O. O. F.

JOHN B. COLTON, farmer, P.O. Garrettsville, a native of Connecticut, was born November 27, 1811, son of Theron and Elizabeth (Clark) Colton, natives of Connecticut, who moved to this county in 1815, and who were the parents of eleven children, one deceased in infancy, the remainder attaining maturity, four of whom are now living, whose combined ages aggregate three hundred years. Theron Colton, born in Granby, Conn., established the first blacksmith shop in Nelson Township, this county, and conducted an extensive business for three townships. He died in 1851 at the age of seventy eight years, his widow surviving him about fourteen years. Our subject was raised on a farm, his education being limited to that obtainable in the log-school-

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house of that early day. He has always followed the occupation of a farmer. He was married in 1847 to Mary L. Tilden, a native of Hiram Township, this county, where she was born in 1829. They are the parents of three children: George H., a Professor in Hiram College; Emily N., wife of G. W. Newcomb, and Sheridan B. Mr. Colton has added several acres to the old homestead where his parents lived and died, and which he now owns. Mr. Colton has served the people of his township in several offices of trust. He has never been a politician or office seeker, but has ever lived contented with the plain home life of a farmer.

BURT F. COUCH, farmer, P. O. Garrettsville, was born in Nelson Town- ship, this county. August 22, 1850, son of Ferris and Antoinette (Johnson) Couch, natives of Lee, Berkshire Co., Mass., and Cornwall, Conn. They were the parents of five children, three of whom attained maturity: Sarah A. (wife of Edward Burk), Emily J. and Burt F. Ferris Couch settled here in 1817, and became very prominent, serving as Sheriff of the county, having been elected in 1854, and in an early day as Captain of the militia. He died August 27, 1881, upon the same farm on which he ate his first meal upon his arrival in town July 25, 1817. His widow died at the same place July 6, 1884. Our subject was married July 25, 1872, to Miss Ella C. McElwain, born in Garrettsville, this county, December 7, 1855. By this union there are two children: Myrtle A., born June 24, 1874, and Lela B., born July 10, 1876. Mr. Couch is an enterprising young man, who has always followed the occupa- tion of a farmer. He is now living on his father's old homestead; is a mem- ber of Portage Lodge, No. 456, I. O. O. F. In politics he is a Republican.

CYRENUS CRAWFORD, farmer, P. O. Nelson, was born in Genesee County, N. Y., August 5, 1818; son of Stephen and Rebecca (Carpenter) Crawford, natives of New York, and parents of eight children, all of whom attained maturity, and of whom our subject is the eldest. Mr. and Mrs. Stephen Crawford came to Ohio in 1819, residing at Southington for eight years, thence moved to Farmington for one year, and finally settled in Nelson Township. The father died in 1868; the mother was killed in 1844 by being thrown from a buggy. Our subject has resided in Nelson Township since his parents came here, and engaged in farming, in connection with which he has recently gone into the raising of a superior breed of stock. He was united in marriage, August, 1858, with Miss Mary Brown, a native of New York, and a daughter of Thomas Brown.

BENJAMIN FOWLER, retired farmer, Garrettsville, was born July 25, 1807, in Northumberland County, Penn., and removed when nine years old to Lyco- ming County, same State, with his parents, James Fowler, born in Northum- berland County, Penn., and Ann (Craft) Fowler, born in England, and who came to America at the age of sixteen years. The father was a distiller dur- ing early manhood, and later a farmer. He died at the age of seventy-five years, of palsy. He and his wife, who died in 1824, were members of the Presbyterian Church. Their children were eight in number, five of whom are now Jiving: Benjamin, Daniel, Deborah, Nancy and Kate. Our subject was educated in the log cabin schoolhouse, and during his short terms in the win- ters he progressed rapidly. It is a remarkable fact that he mastered every problem in what is now known as "Pike's Arithmetic" in twenty-one days and nights. At seventeen years of age he began labor on a vessel which plied on Baltimore Bay, and there remained five years. In 1829 he rented a large farm along the Susquehanna River, and five years later left there for Trumbull County, Ohio, where he settled among the wolves and other ferocious animals. Here he improved about 114 acres, besides clearing other farms. In 1853 he

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moved to this county, and settled where he now resides. He owns 175 acres, known as the old " Spencer farm," for which he paid $8,000. Since locating here he has made a specialty of stock-raising and dairying; he also continued the cheese-making business, which he had commenced in Trumbull County, Ohio, in 1848, but this industry he withdrew from in 1881. While in Trumbull County there were added to his various other duties the operating of a saw- mill, and the first threshing machine ever used in that county. At one time he was interested in a banking business at Garrettsville, this county, which proved a loss to him. Our subject married, in 1829, Elizabeth, daughter of John and Abbie (McClow) Shaffer, natives, former of Pennsylvania, latter of New Jersey. To this union were born eleven children, eight of whom are now living: J. Wilson, married to Flora De Lon; Henry M. C., married to Caroline Bristol. born October 5, 1833, daughter of Lot and Lucy (Towsley) Bristol, natives of Connecticut and early settlers of Portage County (her father died in 1866, leaving two children: Fred and Caroline); they have two chil - dren: Ransom and Virginia; Harriet, married, for her second husband, to Oscar Hoskins; Sarah J., married to Fred Bristol; Lorenda, married to Sam- uel Craig; Cornelius, married to Hannah Missner; John, married to Rosa Doty; Watson, married to George Collins. Mrs. Fowler died in 1874. She was a member of the Methodist Episcopal Church, to which our subject has been closely attached for over forty years. Mr. Fowler cast his first Presidential vote for Andrew Jackson, and has since adhered faithfully to the principles of the Democratic party. The Fowler family are descended from three brothers who emigrated from England at an early period, and soon after separated. One, Nathan, was married and lived in New York, and his son Benjamin was on board a vessel which remained out of sight of land for three years and six months. He was with George Washington during the Revolutionary strug- gle. His father was killed in the French and Indian war. Another of the three brothers, Elithan, married and resided in Connecticut; and the third brother, David, married a French woman and settled in Pennsylvania, and from him the race, of which our subject is a member, sprang. The Fowler fam- ily as a rule are long lived. Benjamin, the grandfather of our subject, died at the age of one hundred and six years.

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History of Portage County, Ohio, Part 89

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