History of Summit County, with an outline sketch of Ohio, Part 123

Author: Perrin, William Henry, d. 1892?; Graham, A. A. (Albert Adams), 1848-
Publication date: 1881
Publisher: Chicago, Baskin & Battey
Number of Pages: 1104

USA > Ohio > Summit County > History of Summit County, with an outline sketch of Ohio > Part 123

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TALMON BEARDSLEY, retired, Akron. On Dec. 15, 1799, to Daniel and Hannah (Bailey) Beardsley, was born a son, whom they named Tałmon, and who, over eighty years later, becomes the subject of our sketch, and we would pen a few incidents in a life well spent. The place of his birth was Delhi Town- ship, Delaware Co., N. Y., where he lived on a farm until 1810, when his parents moved to Licking Co., Ohio, settling on wild land, where Talmon aided at clearing and farming, making out of chaos a clean spot for a home; here also, he went to school about three months per year. The schoolhouse was one of those primitive kind, having slab-seats, paper windows, and a fire-place the full length of the building. with a " cat-and-clay " chimney. In the summer of 1818, he started for Middlebury with only his walking stick as a companion, intent upon find- ing something to do as a means of earning a livelihood, and further schooling. When he reached this place, he found the old Cuyahoga furnace in operation, and secured work there for a few months, going to school a part of the time. He was employed in 1819 by Henry Chittenden, and for fourteen years, he made his home with him, working by the year at farm- ing and teaming, doing a considerable amount of the latter, as his employer had contracted to furnish 16,000 bushels of lime for the locks

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of the Ohio Canal then in progress. In haul- ing the lime, he drove a six-horse team. On the memorable occasion of the first breaking of the ground on the Licking Summit for the Ohio Canal, he was present, and a witness to the formal and ceremonious reception of De Witt Clinton, two Van Rensselaers and other dis- tinguished personages who, on their arrival, accompanied by their colored waiters, and a fine display of baggage, were met near Newark and greeted with cannonading and martial music. On that day, Mr. Beardsley drove the team which bore the waiters and baggage. Clinton, who threw out the first shovelfuls, did so with great ceremony. Under the contract of Chittenden & Crosby, Mr. Beardsley superin- tended the construction of the deep out on the canal of a half-mile between Bolivar and Zoar, having charge of about fifty hands, and he built the locks near Zoar for a man named Rhodes. The first boat was sent on July 4, 1827, to Cleveland. In the years 1824 and 1825, he was employed in a hotel. On Oct. 27, 1831, he married Miss Temperance Spicer, who was the fourth daughter of Maj. Minor Spicer. The five children are, viz., Ann, wife of George Hart, a farmer of Stow Township ; Mills H., hotel keeper at Ogden, U. T .; Avery S .. farmer in Portage Township ; Harriet, wife of A. G. Babcock, of Akron, and Louisa D., wife of George Stover, Canal Fulton, Stark Co. A daughter, Emily, died at the age of 19. After marriage, he settled near Middlebury on a farm of 75 acres, which he purchased for $6 per acre. This land was where the shaft of Payne & Cross, of Cleveland, mines are now. At that time, the existent coal in that locality was un- suspected by any one, else he would not have sold the land as he did two or three years after for the small sum of $20 per acre. After sell- ing that, he moved to Coventry Township where he bought 100 acres of land and farmed it. The date of his going to Coventry was 1833 ; a year previous to this, he was made Captain of the canal boat " Western Reserve," carrying iron ore from Zoar to this place, and provis- ions to Cleveland, Ohio, from 1832 to 1835, from which date up to 1858 he followed farm- ing in Coventry, when he left that place and moved to Akron, where he has since retired from business, except attending to affairs con- nected with his estate. He was a Whig, cast his first vote for Henry Clay, and has been a

Republican ever since the organization of the party. He was Justice of the Peace at Cov- entry, and filled many other township offices. He has been Assessor of the ward in which he - lives a number of times. He is a Universalist, and a member of the church.

CHARLES W. BROWN, Akron, whose por- trait appears in this work, son of Jonas and Mary (Williams) Brown, was born Oct. 2, 1796, in North Stonington, Conn. His father died when he was 5 years old, at New London, Conn., of yellow fever. After the death of his father, he went to district school until he was 18 years of age, attending about two months per year. When he was 16 years old, he commenced learning the car- penter and joiner trade, serving as an appren- tice two years, at the end of which time he commenced working at Lyme, Conn., where he remained a year. On Feb. 3, 1817, with one year's wages as his only capital, he, in company with two other young men, shoul- .dered their knapsacks and started, on foot, for Ohio-for the purpose of making places for themselves in the great, bustling world-reach- ing Middlebury, on the evening of the 28th of February, after a journey of about 700 miles. On his arrival he found about sixteen buildings, the majority of which were log, there being but a very few frame houses then at this place. (Previous to his coming here, he was married in Connecticut, to Miss Henrietta Halsey. which marriage occurred on June 9, 1816 ; his wife came here in August, 1817, with Capt. Gear. who drove through with an ox team.) At Middlebury he kept house some fifteen years, engaged at his trade, and putting up many of the first frame houses there, and in that vicinity. In 1825, he purchased 45 acres of woodland, where his present place is situ- ated, moving there in 1832, and adding to it various lots, until he owned 115 acres. Several of the early bridges were built by him, and quite a number of buildings in Akron are of his handiwork, among which is the Baptist Church. He helped to cut the way for Market street. and, in after years. graded the same road for five miles, reaching from Akron to Copley. After 1840, he devoted himself to other pursuits. For five years he held a Lieu- tenant's commission. Ile raised five daughters and one son, viz., Mary, wife of Edward F. Pulsifer, of Chicago, and Prudence, wife of

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J. W. Sabin, of Akron, both of whom are dead. Antoinette, wife of Benjamin McNaughton, of Akron ; Lucy, who died in 1850, and was the wife of Robert Henry ; Alice, wife of William H. Mills, of Akron, and Henry H. Brown, of Akron. His wife, Henrietta, died on Sept. 23, 1859. On May 14, 1864, he married Mrs. Lydia Williams, of Connecticut, who died on Sept. 6, 1865. For some years he has en- joyed the rest which his toiling has so richly cleserved. At the present time, in the same house, are four generations of the Brown fam- ily, each of which is represented by a male member.

PHILO BENNETT, retired, Akron. This gentleman was born in Herkimer Co., N. Y., Feb. 16, 1810, and is the oldest of three children born to Ephraim and Lucinda (Hutchins) Bennett. Shortly after his birth, the family moved to Brownville, where he lived until he was 22 years of age. At the age of 16, he was apprenticed to the harness and saddle trade, and served un- til he became of age. A year later, he moved to Cleveland, Ohio, and worked at his trade and at carriage trimming until 1837, when he moved to Tallmadge, and worked at his trade. The following year he visited St. Louis, returning in 1839. In 1842, he came to Akron, engaged in the harness business, and was identified with the same until 1862, since which time he has retired. In September, 1852, he married Miss Emma Francis, a native of England, who came to Akron about the year 1843, where she lived with her sister until her marriage. By their marriage there was one child, now deceased.

ANTON BERG, lock and gunsmith, Akron ; is a native of Hesse-Darmstadt, Germany. He was born Feb. 14, 1820. His father, Christian, was a farmer, and Anton assisted in work on the farm until he reached his 16th year, when he was apprenticed in the city of Worms, on the Rhine, to the locksmith business. After serving three years, he worked as a journeyman for a year, when he was drafted into the army. He served twenty-one months in active military service, but during the remainder of his six years' term of service, he worked at his trade. A part of the time he was employed at the ar- senal, manufacturing friction cannon caps, the inventor of which was his commanding officer, Capt. Hartman. After serving his full term of service, and being discharged, he began prepar- ations for emigrating to America. He manu-

factured the tools he needed for his trade, and on June 9, 1847, he started for the new coun- try, landing in New York in the following Au- gust. He left immediately for Buffalo, where he met friends and got work at his trade, being employed by Mr. Ketchum, an inventor of a reaping aud mowing machine. Mr. Berg made the first knife bar for machines, a business that has since grown to large proportions. In the spring of 1848. he came to Cleveland, Ohio, where he had relatives, and worked at his trade until 1849. On June 16 of that year, he walked to Akron, and found work on stove mounting, which he followed five years. Sept. 6, 1854, he returned to his old business, manu- facturing and repairing guns, etc., which he still continues. Mr. Berg is a Republican in politics, beginning as a strong anti-slavery man. He was a personal friend of John Brown, and when the latter went to Kansas, Mr. Berg repaired his arms free, working nights in order to escape the detection of hostile parties. Dec. 17, 1849, he married Miss Augusta Cappella, a native of Germany, who had that year come from her na- tive land, and came to Akron the same day he did, though not formerly acquainted. Four children have resulted from this marriage, three of whom are living : Sarah, now Mrs. William Durand ; Edward, grain dealer in McPherson, Kan .; and Libbie, a teacher in the South School, in Akron, Ohio ; Ifermann died in infancy.

CAPT. EDWARD BUCKINGHAM, ex- County Auditor, Akron ; was born in Water- town, Conn., July 15, 1835, and is the eldest of three children of George and Betsy (Merriman) Buckingham, who were natives of Connecticut. In 1844, they came to Middlebury, Ohio, where lie engaged in the manufacture of woolen ma- chinery, and followed the same until his death in 1861. Mrs. Buckingham is still living on the old homestead. At about the age of 18, Edward engaged as clerk in a wholesale house in Cleveland. A few years later, he became a clerk in the post office at Indianapolis, a posi- tion he obtained through his acquaintance with Judge Weeks, the Postmaster, and served there some three years. In August, 1862, he enlisted in the 115th O. V. I., and served until the close of the war; he entered the service as First Lieutenant, and in three months was promoted to Captain of his company. During this term, he served as Provost Marshal of Cincinnati for awhile, also of Murfreesboro ; of Cincinnati

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during the Morgan raid. After the close of the war, he returned to Akron, and became Collector of Internal Revenue, which office he held until 1871, when he entered the office of County Auditor-serving continuously for nine years, being elected to the office on the Republican

ticket. He was married March 10, 1863, to Miss Frances Johnston, a daughter of John and Elizabeth (Newton) Johnston, old residents of the county. By this marriage there have been born six children, of whom four are living, viz. : George E., John S., William J. and Hulda ; all of them are living at home.

G. S. BEATTY, dentist, Akron ; is an old member of the dental profession, though lo- cated in Akron but for a few months. He be- gan the study of dentistry in Meadville, Penn., and after finishing his studies, he went to Mer- cer, Mercer Co., Penn., and practiced there for one and a half years. In 1844, he removed to Canton, Ohio, where he practiced until the fall of 1860, and then he went to Silver Creek, Chautauqua Co., N. Y. From there he removed to the city of Toledo, Ohio, and for thirteen years he was engaged in the practice of his profession in that city. He was married in Silver Creek, and while a resident of Toledo, his wife died. From Toledo he went to Penn- sylvania, and in the fall of 1880. he returned to Ohio and located at Akron. During all these travels, he has been an earnest student of the profession, and now, after so many years of practice, he is able to do the very finest of op- erating ; the fitting of celluloid plates, or of the artificial palate, known as the Kingsley patent. In his short term of practice in Akron, he has already become well and favorably known, and bids fair, in a short time, to stand as an equal in reputation to any of the dentists of the city. He is a member of the Order of A., F. & A. M., and has made frequent contributions to scientific journals.

DR. WILLIAM BOWEN (deceased); was born in Genesee Co., N. Y., July 30, 1805 ; his father was a soldier of the war of 1812, and, having served out his term of enlistment, was returning to his home across Lake Erie on the ice, and, losing his way, perished from cold. His widow was left with six small children, and in very limited circumstances. Our subject was apprenticed to the carpenter's trade wheu very young, and, completing his term of service, he came West, stopping in Stark Co., Ohio,

where he obtained employment with John Brown, at that time building a grist-mill near Canton, for William Reynolds. The subject was what was termed a " book-worm," and had but little taste for the pleasures and sports in which young men usually indulge, but pre- ferred spending his leisure hours with some fa- vorite book. These facts coming to the knowl- edge of Mr. Reynolds, who being pleased with the young man, he kindly proffered to lend him assistance. Mr. Reynolds also assisted him to attend the select school of Barak Michener, at that time a popular teacher in the higher branches of education. Upon the completion of a term at school, he commenced teaching in the village of Paris, Stark Co .; while thus en- gaged, he made the acquaintance of Dr. Robert Estep, then living in Paris, and a warm friend- ship at once sprang up between them. Through the influence of Dr. Estep, our subject was in- duced to undertake the study of medicine ; but as this part of Dr. Bowen's life is given in the chapter devoted to the medical profession, it will be omitted here. In 1853, he purchased a tract of land near New Portage, in Summit Co., and, without giving up his practice, he devoted considerable attention to farming. He moved to Akron in 1857, where he remained until his death, which took place Jan. 14, 1880, in the 75th year of his age. He married Miss Huldah Chittenden while engaged in the study of his profession ; there were born of this marriage nine children, seven girls aud two boy, only three of whom, with their mother, still survive him. Dr. Bowen was emphatically a self-made man ; his success was the result of his own in- dividual efforts, improving the circumstances and advantages as they presented themselves.

S. M. BURNHAM, Secretary Webster, Camp & Lane Machine Company, Akron ; was born in Genesee Co., N. Y., Jan. 23, 1824, and is the second of ten children of Simeon and Anna (St. John) Burnham, natives of Massachusetts and New York. He moved to New York with his parents about the year 1809, and lived at home with them until his marriage, about the year 1821 ; his wife moved to New York with her parents a few years after he did, and after their marriage, Mr. B. followed farming, and also was in the insurance business as an agent-a business followed during the latter years of his life ; he died May 10, 1862 ; his death resulted from an accident with a run-

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away team ; she continued on the old home- stead, and died a few days later. S. M. (the subject) lived at home until 1844, and received an academic education in a neighboring village, finishing off at the Wyoming Academy. In 1844, he came to Ohio and taught school in Madison, Lake Co., and the following summer he returned to New York and attended school at Wyoming Academy ; after this he took a commercial course in Buffalo, where he after- ward taught penmanship. In April, 1848, he settled in Akron, and engaged as a clerk in the Rattle & Tappan warehouse on the Ohio Canal ; two years after, Mr. Tappan retired and opened an iron store, where Mr. B. went with him as clerk and with his successor until 1855 ; he then engaged with the Austin Powder Co., and was with them two years, and, after being book-keeper in Franklin Mills for a time, he, in January, 1858, engaged as Deputy Auditor for G. W. Crouse, and also as Deputy for S. S. Wilson, County Treasurer, serving in both nearly four years, and serving as Auditor for an unexpired term by appointment. In March, 1862, he became County Auditor by election, and was re-elected for the three succeeding terms. In the fall of 1872. he was elected to the Legislature from the Summit County Dis- triet in the Sixtieth Assembly, in which he took an active part. Upon his return in vaca- tion, he was made Secretary and one of the Board of Trustees building Buchtel College. In 1873, he engaged in his present business, and was made Secretary. He was married, Nov. 5, 1848, to Miss Anne M. Row, a native of Connecticut ; she came to Medina Co., Ohio, with her parents when quite young ; they had six children, three of whom are living, viz., Lillie M., Charles S. and Clifford D.

A. A. BARTLETT, Recorder, Akron ; is a native of Chautauqua Co., N. Y., and was born June 22, 1840. Until the age of 17, he lived upon the farm ; he then went to work in a saw- mill for a year or two, subsequently conducting the mill on the shares. He was thus engaged at the breaking-out of the war. In July, 1861, he enlisted in Co. A, 49th N. Y. V. I., for three years or during the war. He served with the regiment in the Potomac army, and was in all the engagements of the command up to the battle of Antietam, where he was wounded, which occasioned the loss of his left arm. April 6, 1863, he was discharged, and returned

to his home in New York, and gave his atten- tion to a small place he owned. Some two years later, lie went to Corry, Penn., where he engaged in a steam saw-mill as engineer, and, one year later, took charge of the business. In the spring of 1867, he came to Akron, and soon engaged in the planing-mill of George Thomas & Son, and was connected with the business until 1879. During the latter eight years of that time, he served as foreman of the estab- lishment, though conducted under several different firm names. In the fall of 1878, he was elected on the Republican ticket as County Re- corder, and entered upon the duties of his office in January following. In 1860, he married Miss Imogene Travers, a native of Chautauqua County, N. Y .; by the marriage, there has been three children, two of whom are living-Mary and Jennie.

ALEXANDER BREWSTER, President Brewster Coal Co., Akron ; was born in Augusta Township, Oneida Co., N. Y., Sept. 10, 1808, on his father's farm, and is the youngest of six children, born to Stephen and Lydia (Bellows) Brewster, who were natives of Connecticut. Mr. Brewster traces his ancestors back to Rev. William Brewster, one of the Pilgrims who came over in the Mayflower. Stephen Brew- ster, the father of our subject, was born May 4, 1770 ; in 1797 he moved to New York, with his wife and one child, and, in 1811, he came to Ohio. He bought 160 acres of land in what is now Coventry Township, and then returned to New York, and the next year brought out his fam- ily. They started in June, and came by ox team, and were thirty-three days on the way, landing in Coventry July 4, 1812. His cabin was the fourth built in the township, and was the proverbial log cabin. They lived here until 1815, when they were enabled to build a better one. He was a carpenter, and worked at his trade, building many of the houses of the early settlers. He died July 4, 1858, at the advanced age of 88 years ; his wife died in the fall of 1842, aged 71. Our subject lived at home un- til of age, receiving a limited education at the district schools. He learned the carpenter's trade with his father. He was married Jan. 9, 1830, to Miss Margaret Ann Kinney, a native of Ontario Co., N. Y., and who came to Spring- field, Ohio, about the year 1813. She was the youngest of three children, born to Ephraim and Mary (Danes) Kinney, natives of New

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York. They settled in Springfield Township in 1813, where they lived until their death ; he died about 1820, and she in 1861. Mr. Brew- ster now owns the place on which they settled. Mrs. Brewster, the wife of subject, died in Novem- ber, 1854, leaving five children, four of whom are living, viz., Alfred A., General Agent of the Brewster Coal Co .; Austin K., Secretary and Treasurer of the Brewster Coal Co .; Louisa, now Mrs. J. F. Mecham, of Akron ; Mary M., now Mrs. Russell Kent, of Akron. Mr. Brew- ster married a second time in December, 1857, to Mrs. Brown, formerly Minerva Dyer, a native of Cuyahoga Co., Ohio; she died June 27, 1873. In September, 1877, he married Mrs. Chamberlain, formerly Lucy Jane Gale, a na- tive of Massachusetts, who came to Ohio with her parents in the year 1825. Mr. B., after marriage, followed farming in Coventry until 1848. Coal having, in the meantime, been dis- covered on his farm, he turned his attention to mining, and, in 1849, shipped over 1,000 tons to Cleveland via canal. In 1850, he left his mines in competent hands, and went to Cali- fornia overland, his object being mining. IIe remained in the land of gold but a short time, and returned home via Panama and New Or- leans, arriving home in 1851. He prosecuted his coal mining, and, about the year 1865, formed a stock company, of which he is the President, the capital being $100,000. He and his sons subscribed the stock. They built a railroad from the mines to the basin of the Ohio Canal, a distance of five miles, which cost about $120,000, the rolling stock making it about $150,000. They mine from 30,000 to 60,000 tons of coal per year, and own docks in Cleveland for the purpose of handling coal, and sell as high as 200.000 tons per annum. In July, 1872, Mr. B. moved to Akron, where he has since resided. In 1871, he visited Califor- nia, in company with his eldest daughter.

GEORGE G. BAKER, physician, Akron ; is a native of Ohio ; he was born at Norwalk, Hu- ron Co., Dec. 3, 1849, and is the third of four children born to Daniel A. and Harriet (Van- dercook) Baker. They were natives of Con- necticut and New York. Daniel A. Baker came to Ohio when about 17 years of age. or about the year 1831, and located in Huron Co., where he began as a clerk in a mercantile business, and, after a number of years, he became a part- ner, and was identified with the mercantile in-

terests of Norwalk most of the time until the year 1858 or 1859, when he became interested in the banking business of that place, and has continued in the same to the present time. Our subject entered the Western Reserve College at Hudson, Ohio, at the age of 17, and graduated in 1869 ; he began reading medicine in 1868, with Drs. Read & Ford, of Norwalk, Ohio, and, having in the mean time taken two courses of lectures at Ann Arbor and Brooklyn, N. Y .. he began practice in 1872 with Dr. George P. Ashmun, of Akron ; in 1875, he graduated at Ann Arbor, Mich. The Doctor is a member of the Summit County Medical Society. and also a member of the Union Medical Association of Northeastern Ohio, of which he has been Record- ing Secretary a number of years. In June, 1873, he married Miss Celia, a daughter of Dr. George P. Ashmun, of Akron ; by this marriage there has been four children, of whom three are liv- ing, viz., Fred A., Harry and an infant.

B. F. BATTELS, photographic art gallery, Akron, was born in Wadsworth, Medina Co .. Ohio, April 21, 1832, and is the second child in a family of seven children born to Caleb and Juliana (Hard) Battels ; they were natives of Massa- chusetts and Vermont ; he came to Middlebury, Ohio, when he was young ; arriving before the canal was built, he overseeing the building of locks on same. Mrs. Battels came to Ohio with her parents, who settled in River Styx, Medina Co., Ohio, at an early day, they being pioneers in that locality. After the marriage, Caleb, who is a natural mechanic, worked as a carpen- ter and builder ; about the year 1852, he came to Summit Co., Ohio, and bought and occupied his present place where he now lives. Our

subject lived with his parents until he was 20 years of age ; he was brought up on the farm, and received a common school course of study ; also taught a number of terms during the win- ters. In 1852, the family moved to Mount Ver- non ; B. F., tiring of farm life, began looking around for a suitable change, and was favorably impressed with daguerreotyping, then quite a new business ; he soon obtained an opportunity, and learned the new business, and such was the ability he displayed that within a few weeks he had a set of tools and was on his way to Wads- worth, where he opened an office ; the business those days was of a transient character. and he moved from place to place. In 1852, he located at Bucyrus, Ohio, and in the winter of 1855 he

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History of Summit County, with an outline sketch of Ohio, Part 123

Author: Perrin, William Henry, d. 1892?; Graham, A. A. (Albert Adams), 1848- Publication date: 1881 Publisher: Chicago, Baskin & Battey Number of Pages: 1104

Author: Perrin, William Henry, d. 1892?; Graham, A. A. (Albert Adams), 1848-
Publication date: 1881
Publisher: Chicago, Baskin & Battey
Number of Pages: 1104