History of Summit County, with an outline sketch of Ohio, Part 159

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 159

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L. H. WILLCOX, retired farmer ; P. O. Cuya- hoga Falls : was born in Berlin, near Middle- town, Conn., Aug. 3, 1804 ; he is a son of Isaac and Lucy (North) Willcox, who were parents of a family of ten children. The father of Mr. Willcox was twice married, his second wife being Mary Randall, by whom he had six children. making a total of sixteen children in this one family. In 1809, Mr. Willcox and fam- ily, with a Mr. Kelsey and family, started with ox teams for the West, in which to seek homes for themselves and children ; after a journey of forty-two days through an unsettled country, and passing through almost innumerable hard- ships, they arrived, Oct. 26, 1809, in what is now known as Stow Township, Summit Co., Ohio ; on their arrival. they were met by Indians, who showed every demonstration of joy on their coming. Mr. Willcox cleared a place on which to erect a cabin, and, after he had cut and hewed the logs, by the help of the Indians, raised him a comfortable donble log cabin ; this place was situated on Lots 3 and 4 ; Mr. and

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Mrs. Willcox remained here all the rest of their lives, clearing and improving their place by the help of their children, and assisting in building up a country from a dense forest to what is now a beautiful farming country, dotted over by fine farms and elegant homes. Through all their early experiences, the Willcoxes were regarded by the Indians as firm friends ; they were al- ways faithful and honest in their dealings with the savages, and the Indians were not back- ward in showing their gratitude. Leverett H. Willcox was raised in the woods of Stow Town- ship. He was married, July 15, 1829, to Han- nah Porter, daughter of William and Mary Porter, and to this union were born the follow- ing family : Orpha, Louisa, Lydia, Elizabeth. Sophronia. Mary. Lemuel, Clarence, William, Henry and two that died in infancy ; there are now five daughters and two sons living. and all are married ; Mr. Willcox has had twenty-five grandchildren and two great-grandchildren. Mrs. Willcox died March 4, 1881 ; she was an exemplary Christian. a kind wife and an affec- tionate mother. Mr. and Mrs. Willcox had lived together as husband and wife fifty years seven months and seventeen days. Mr. Willcox, in early years, did not receive any of the benefits of school whatever, but has since acquired an ' excellent practical education. With perhaps but one exception. he is the only one of the old pioneers of Stow Township yet living.

JOHN WELLS (deceased). This gentleman was born in New Lisbon, Ohio. Ang. 23, 1803 ; he was of English descent, and one in a family of ten children born to John and Polly (Walker) Wells. all of whom are now dead : his youth and early manhood was passed on a farm, but when he arrived at manhood he learned the carpenter's trade, which occupation he steadily followed until he purchased his farm in Stow Township. From New Lisbon he moved to Jefferson Co., Ohio, when it was all woods, there being at that time but few white settlers in that locality ; he settled at what is now Wellsville, which was afterward named after him : from this point they came to Little Ireland. in Stow Township, Summit Co., Ohio, locating on a farm entirely devoid of clearing. He was married, July 15, 1830, to Miss Emily Gilbert. daughter of Orin Gilbert, a sketch of whom will be found in the biography of A. L. Gilbert ; to this union were born one son and three daughters-Henry, who died when about

9 years old ; Harriet (who died), the wife of William Perkins ; Frances and Alice. Mr. Wells died March 2, 1875 ; he was an honor- able man in every respect, and was one well calculated to hold the position he did in the hearts of his fellow-townsmen. He and wife had removed to Cuyahoga Falls soon after their marriage, and, after a residence there of about two years, purchased a farm of 94 acres on Lot 32 in Stow Township, where his family are yet living. Mrs. Wells was born Oct. 27, 1807, and her two danghters-Frances and Alice-and grand-daughter-Lillie-are living with her ; the only other grandchild-Hattie- is living with her father in Kent, Ohio. Mr. Hart was a resident of Summit Co. over forty years, and his life was one of usefulness and hard labor. John Wells, the father of the sub- ject of this biography, was a native of Virginia, of English descent, and was a brave and ef- ficient soldier in the war of 1812 ; he was a man loved and respected, and was an npright and honorable gentleman : his ancestors came over in the Mayflower.

J. O. WILLIAMSON, farmer ; P. O. Hudson ; was born in Stow Township March 14, 1845. He is a son of Palmer and Amy (Horton) Williamson, and a grandson of William and Mary (Palmer) Williamson. The father. Palmer Williamson, was born in Westchester Co., N. Y., Oct. 9, 1802. When he was 16 years of age, he was sent to live with a merchant in Salisbury. After residing here two years, he went to Hyde Park to work on the dock and sell lumber, remaining at this place three years. In 1823, he obtained a position in Poughkeep- sie as shipping clerk and dock hand ; and, three years later, on Feb. 22. 1827, he married Amy Horton, when he began farming, which has since been his vocation, save one year. during which he kept tavern in Goshen, N. Y. During the spring of 1831, he and his family came to Ohio, first locating in Tallmadge Township, Summit Co., where they remained three years, when they moved to his present place in Stow Township, where he has since resided. His wife bore him children, viz., Mary, Horton, Bradner (deceased). Susan. Jane (deceased), Aldrette (deceased) and Julius (. When he came to Ohio, Mr. Williamson was probably worth about $300. but. nothing daunted by his poverty, with the help of a loving and brave wife, he walked from the poverty of early pio-

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neer life to the comforts of a later day. Mrs. Williamson died Sept. 27, 1880. Mr. William- son survives her death, and he and his son, Julius O., live together on the old homestead in Stow. Feb. 24, 1875, Julius married Rosetta Z. White, daughter of Henry and Almira White,

and by her has three children-Henry J., Ho- mer E., and John P. Julius and his father own a large farm of over 250 acres, which is nicely situated, being four miles from Kent, four from Hudson, five from Cuyahoga Falls, and nine from Akron.

COVENTRY TOWNSHIP.

WILLIAM ALLEN, farmer; P. O. Akron; son of Jonah Allen, was born Oct. 14, 1798; died May 15, 1874; he of Jesse Allen. His mother was Cynthia Spicer (for further history of Spicer family, see Avery Spicer); she was born May 21, 1803, and died Sept. 11, 1860. The family of Jonah and Cynthia were Catharine, born Nov. 5, 1822: Mrs. Beckwith, who died Jan. 23, 1855; Edward, born Ang. 18, 1824, died July 9, 1841; William, the sub- ject of this sketch, born Feb. 18, 1827; John, whose history appears in another place in this work; and Cynthia, who died in infancy. William received but a meager district-school education, being employed upon the farm until about 17 years of age, when he began work at the Akron City Woolen Mill, his father being a heavy stockholder, where he learned the various branches of the business, such as card- ing, coloring, finishing, etc .: subsequently returning to the old farm south of the city, where he and his brother John farmed together for a time; then returned to the city, where he kept for one year the boarding department for the Perkins Company, to whom the former company had sold. At the expiration of that year, the factory being converted into a flour- ing-mill, he again returned to the farm, where he has since resided. He was married Nov. 11, 1847, to Amy Amanda Beckwith, daughter of Chauncy and Susannah (Barnes) Beckwith, who came to Norton Township. about 1820, from Hartford, Conn. Mrs. Allen was the second daughter of a family of six children, three sons and three daughters: she was born Sept. 16, 1830, and by her marriage has two children-Newton W,. born April 2, 1857; and Cynthia Anna, Sept. 11, 1860. Newton was married, April 28, 1880, to Mary E. Grove, daughter of David Grove, a prominent farmer

of Franklin Township. Mr. Allen has held the most prominent positions in the township, such as Trustee, Township Clerk and Presi- dent of the School Board; a man of good business tact, which has been conducive to his success, and of a Christian spirit, he and fam- ily being members of the Disciples' Church, to which he is a liberal giver as well as to all other societies promoting the cause of Chris- tianity.

LEVI ALLEN, Jr., farmer; P. O. Akron; was born July 28, 1824, on the farm where he now lives; his education was sufficient to ena- ble him to teach. He remained with his father until the spring of 1850, when he started from Akron to Sacramento City, Cal., going most of the way on foot in company with Edwin Allen, Isaac Spicer, Sterns Sparrowhawk and Ephraim Bellows; they endured a great deal of hardship and suffering on account of lack of provision and water; he lived in the princi- pal cities, and engaged in mining in the mountains. The latter years of his stay there were spent on a ranch in the stock business and the raising of grain. At one time while returning on horseback to Sacramento City from his mining interests in the mountains, he was chased by two desperadoes (there being a great number in that country), for eighteen miles, and only escaped by the superiority of his steed and the approach upon civilization; many more incidents of the experience of about sixteen years of frontier life might be related, but space will not permit. On the 24th day of December, 1856, he was married to Mary E. Ware, a native of Amherst Co., Va., by whom he has had three children -a pair of twin boys who were buried there with their mother, and Mary E. P., born Aug. 16, 1858. His second marriage occurred in

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1868, to Cornelia Adelaide Knapp, daughter of William H. and Deborah (Wightman) Knapp, who are prominent in the history of Cuyahoga Co., where they resided, and where Mr. Knapp served the county for nine years as County Surveyor, he being a man of influence, and one of the oldest settlers in that county, their settlement being made in about 1810. Mr. Allen has two children by his second marriage, viz., Cornelia Cynthia Adelia, born June 13, 1871; Albertina May Deborah, May 14, 1872. He returned to Akron in December, 1866, from the Pacific coast, and subsequently engaging in a general farm life and the im- provement of stock. Is a member of the Dis- ciples' Church, and a man of prominence in his township.

JOHN ALLEN. farmer; P. O. Akron; was born Oct. 20, 1829, to Jonah Allen, whose his- tory appears in another place in this work, under the head of William Allen. The sub- ject of this sketch spent his early life in assist- ing in the farm work, and in securing as good an education as the common schools of his time would admit of. On the 9th of Decem- ber, 1857, he was married to Ann Morgan, daughter of Isham and Juliette (Meech) Mor- gan, who came to Newburg, Cuyahoga Co., Ohio, in 1811, from Groton, Conn. The Mor- gan family was among the oldest and most prominent families of Cuyahoga Co. Mr. Allen by his marriage has four children -En- ma C., born Nov. 2. 1858, and married June 2, 1880, to Henry B. Sisler, one of the coal mer- chants of Akron; Jesse M .. born April 6, 1864; Isham F., Jan. 2, 1868; John R., March 23. 1871. The Allens are a quiet and unassum- ing people, not aspiring to office, but paying strict attention to the most improved methods of agriculture. in which they are engaged, and very successful. They are members of the Disciples' Church, and have at heart the im- provement of the morals of the people, and the advancement of education and religion.

ISRAEL ALLYN, deceased; was born Dec. 24, 1790, in Groton, New London Co., Conn., and died May 7, 1873. He moved to the farm upon which his two daughters, Lucy and Han- nah now live, and to whom we are indebted for this sketch, in March, 1819, with a family consisting of wife and two children. The

wife was Lucy Gallup, born March 22, 1789, and married Aug. 1, 1813; daughter of Jacob and Rebecca (Morgan) Gallup. who were mar- ried in 1766, and were natives of the State of Connecticut. Israel's parents were Ephraim, born in 1748, died Dec. 28, 1816, and Tem- perance (Morgan) Allen, who died Oct. 3, 1799, having been born May 4, 1752, and mar- ried Nov. 15, 1770. The wife of Israel died July 2. 1850. Ephraim was the father of sev- enteen children, twelve by his first wife, the sub- ject of this sketch being one of a pair of twins, the eleventh child and seventh son, the four oldest being daughters. His second marriage was to Mrs. Rebecca (Morgan) Gallup, a sister to first wife; she was born April 9, 1766, died July 3, 1834. By this union tive chil- dren were born, two of whom are now living -- Erastus and Edward, prominent men in the State of Connecticut, and Austin, who died at Canaan, Conn., in 1878. Israel's family con- sisted of seven children-George H., born Oct. 31, 1814; Israel M .. June 20, 1818; Abel G., Oct. 4, 1820; Lucy R., Sept. 15, 1822; Austin, Aug. 20, 1828; Lydia, June 16. 1831; Han- nah S .. Aug. 15, 1833. Three are deceased- Lydia, Mrs. Gen. Voris, died March 16, 1876. leaving three children-George H .. married a Miss Altay A. Hall, also leaving three children, two sons in Akron and one daughter in Sun City, Kan., with whom the mother is living. Austin was married in August, 1854, to Huldah Voris, a sister to Gen. Voris, by whom he had six daughters. all living in Ottawa Co., Mo .. except the oldest, who is teaching in the high school at Akron. He died April 15, 1871. Israel M. resides near Eaton Rapids, Mich .: was three times married, first. to Hannah Mather: second to Mrs. Caroline Ludlow. by whom he had two sons and one daughter; third marriage to Elmira Nichols. The sub- ject of this sketch was in the war of 1812: a carpenter by trade, but engaged in farming after coming to this State. He is a man of rare abilities, of remarkable force of character, honest and industrious, a very prominent man among the people, and nearly worshiped for his kindness and assistance rendered the poor. He held the most prominent offices in the township of Coventry, and received the honor and praises of all the people.

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ABEL G. ALLYN, farmer; P. O. Akron; is the third son of Israel Allyn, whose history appears in another part of the biographical department of Coventry Township: was born Oct. 4. 1820. in the vicinity of Akron. and received a common district-school education such as could be secured at that early day. He assisted in the management of the old homestead until 1847. when he purchased the farm on which he now resides, where his life has since been spent in a general farm and dairy business. His marriage occurred Oct. 10, 1847, to Adeline Capron, daughter of Ara and Eliza (Sweet) Capron, who came from Susquehanna Co., Penn .. about 1825, making their settlement on the line between Copley and Bath Townships. this county, where they engaged in farming. They have six children. viz., Addie. born July 23. 1848: Charles, May 25, 1851: Ida, Feb. 15. 1854: Leora, May 14, 1860; Ettie. Jan. 28. 1863, and Gertie, Nov. 24, 1869. The three oldest are married-Addie, to Preston Barber, who is engaged at the Buck- eye Works: Charles, to Ada Viall, and now residing in Summit, Greeley Co., Neb .. where he is farming, and is also Postmaster at Sum- mit, which he named after his native county: Ida, the wife of States A. McCoy, a former resi- dent of this county, now of St. Joseph, Mich. Mr. Allyn has held the most responsible offices of his township. and is now serving his fifth term as Director of the agricultural society of this county.

JOHN BEESE, Superintendent Summit Mine; P. O. Akron; son of Samuel, who was a son of Sampson, a native of Somersetshire, England, but moved to Momouthshire, South Wales, when his son Samuel was 4 years of age, which was about the year 1800, there living and dying and raising a family, by his first marriage, of eleven children, of which our subject is one, having been born March 1, 1829. By his second marriage he had twelve children, four of whom are still living in their native country. Five of the children by the first marriage living in this country. His mother was Esther Jones, who, at a very tender age, on account of the loss of her mother, was taken by a family named Roberts, with whom she lived until her marriage. Mr. Beese spent his life with his father, who was engaged in

mining, until the fall of 1850, when he came to Youngstown, working in the Mahoning Valley until the fall of 1868, when he came to Coventry, accepting at that time the super- intendency of the Middlebury Shaft, which position he held for about eight years; then that of the Summit mine, formerly the old Steese bank, which position he now holds. He was for some time Superintendent of both mines, which required a great amount of business tact and ability. He has been en- gaged in his present business for about twen- ty-four years. He was married, No. 4, 1853, to Agnes Thornton, who was born Jan. 31, 1836, daughter of Alexander and Mary (Meak) Thornton, all natives of Scotland, who came to America and settled in Sharon. Penn., in August, 1849, where her parents still reside. The father being one of the most prominent farmers and stock-raisers in Mercer County, and both hale and hearty at an advanced age. Their family, which consisted of ten children, nine of whom are living in different parts of the county, are all of considerable prominence. Mr. Beese has eight children-Alfred, born Aug. 18, 1854; Charles, June 10, 1856; Eliza, June 2, 1859: Mary, Nov. 4, 1861: Belle, May 26, 1864: Samuel, Nov. 18, 1866; John, Oct. 16, 1869; Agnes Caroline, June 19, 1873. Charles was married, Jan. 8, 1878, to Mary Hausman, residing in Sharon Township, Me- dina Co., Ohio, and is mining the Ebbert coal, which belongs to his father. The mine being situated on township county lines, they are mining for two counties and four different townships. Eliza is the wife of Henry Stro- man, who is engineer at the Brewster Coal Company's mine in Springfield Township.

GEORGE BURGNER, farmer; P. O. New Portage. Jacob Harter, the father-in-law of the subject of this sketch, was born Jan. 10, 1793, in Dauphin Co., Penn .; he a son of George, who was born about 1757, and died about 1833: he a son of Mathias, who came from Germany very early in 1700. His mother was Elizabeth Bauman, who died in her 95th year; she a daughter of Abraham Bauman, natives of Dauphin Co. also. Jacob came with his father to Stark Co. in 1805, settling near Canton. In the spring after arriving at the age of 18 years, was " taken in the first

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draft, first class," for the war of 1812. They were first sent to Wooster under Gen. Bell, where they built a block-house; no danger being anticipated, they were sent still further west to Mansfield, where they camped for a short time, and being put under the command of Gen. Simon Perkins, they were sent to his camp about forty miles north, afterward going to Lower Sandusky. The war ending in a short time, he returned home. In 1815. he was married to Catharine Souers, daughter of Henry and Catharine (Harter) Souers, from Lancaster Co., Penn., and early settlers in Stark County. In the spring of 1831, Mr. Harter with his wife and seven children came to Coventry Township from Franklin. His family were ten in number, seven of whom still survive-one son in Iowa, two in Indiana, and one in Norton Township, this county; two daughters reside in Stark County, the other, a Mrs. George Burgner, with whom the old gentleman resides. Mr. Burgner is the son of Jacob, a son of Peter Burgner, who came from Berne, Switzerland, when but 15 years old. The record of the Burgner family is contained in a German Bible, printed in 1573, and a testa- ment printed in 1545, the two books now being the property of Jacob Burgner, who resides at Fremont, Ohio. The father of Jacob Burg- ner arrived in Canton July 4, 1812. He en- gaged in farming in Jackson Township, and, in 1815, came to Franklin Township, being among the first in that township. His wife was Mary Conrad. George received a very limited education, in an old log schoolhouse, which was built upon his father's farm, and afterward taught in same place in the winters of 1835 and 1836; from that time until 1852, he worked at the carpenter's trade, and the warehouses at New Portage. May 2, 1852, he was married to Anna Harter, and settled upon the farm where they now live. They have had four daughters, of whom three are now living-Amanda, born Jan. 9, 1855; Mary, Jan. 23, 1859, and Clara, March 10, 1870. Amanda is the wife of George A. Proehl, by whom she has two children-Clara Bertha, born Feb. 26, 1877; and Vincent, Sept. 15, 1880. Mr. Proehl is a farmer and stone ma- son in Coventry Township. Mr. Burgner held the office of Township Trustee four terms, and

was elected Township Treasurer, but declined the office.

BREWSTER BROS. Coal Company, Mid- dlebury, is composed of Stephen, born Oct. 2, 1832; Jonathan H., Jan. 11, 1834; James G., Jr., and Hiram, June 8, 1835; and George W., March 21, 1837; sons of James G., born in Groton, Conn., Jan. 9, 1797: and Martha (Hassen) Brewster, who is a daughter of Jon- athan and Mary Brown, who were residents of the State of Pennsylvania. James G., Sr., was a son of Stephen, born March 4, 1770, and Lydia (Bellows) Brewster, born May 14, 1771. They were married May 1, 1796. The Brewster Coal Company is well known through- out Summit County, and the north part of Ohio: the biography of James G. apears in the biographical department of Springfield Township. Jonathan H. and Hiram are bach- elors, and the family histories of Stephen and George W. appear below. Stephen, the sub- ject of this sketch, is living in the fourth house built upon the same location where his grandfather settled in 1811, being one of the first settlers in Coventry Township. He was married, April 2, 1874, to Charlotte H. Meach, daughter of John A. and Lydia Ann ( Housel) Meach, early residents of this township. They have four children-Ephraim H., born Dec. 25, 1874; Hayes Wheeler, June 25, 1876; Ste- phen M., March 5, 1878; and Sir Walter, April 1, 1880. George W. was married, Oct. 19, 1876, to Marie L. Kent, who was born June 1, 1843, to Josiah and Lucia (Miller) Kent, who were among the first settlers in Suf- field Township, Portage Co., Ohio, where the father has resided for about sixty-five years on one farm. They have three children-Georgia Marie, born Sept. 20, 1877: Hiram Wallace, Sept. 24, 1879: Arthur Kent. Dec. 20, 1880.

HENRY J. BELLOWS. farmer; P. O. Akron: is the youngest son of Ithamar, whose history appears with that of John H. Bellows. He received a common district-school educa- tion, attending until about 20 years of age, the intervening time being spent upon the farm. He was married. July 4. 1856. to Lou- isa Weston, born Dec. 24. 1837, and daughter of Francis and Amanda (Hinman) Weston, who were among the earliest settlers in Spring- field Township. They have one child -Mary-

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born July 16, 1857, and married Sept. 6, 1875, to Frank Rabenstine, son of Ephraim Raben- stine, who was one of the early settlers of Stark Co. They reside with Mr. Bellows, and have one son-Dwight. The subject of this sketch was for seven years engaged in the dai- rying business, four years on his present farm, and three years on the Sumner estate, south of Middlebury, where he lived from the fall of 1878 to 1876. He is a stanch Republican, and he and his family are members of the Methodist Episcopal Church. He is a liberal giver to the cause of religion, and the advance- ment of missions and schools; is prominently engaged in all the enterprises of the township, but not an office seeker.

BENJAMIN S. COOKE, machinist, with Webster, Camp & Lane, and farmer; P. O. Ak- ron. The father of the subject of this sketch, Charles Cooke, son of Benjamin S., a native of Brooklyn, N. Y., was a harness-maker by trade, and engaged in business in Baltimore, Md., and in Camden, N. J., where his son, Benjamin S., was born March 22, 1833. Charles was born in Brooklyn Feb. 18, 1810, and died June 25. 1849. He was married, July 12, 1831, to Sarah Stout, daughter of James and Rebecca (Stiles) Stout, natives of Salem Co., N. J .; he was the possessor of the famous " apple orchard farm " opposite Fort Delaware. The Stouts and Stileses were of the original Quakers, who settled before the Revo- lution in Burlington and Camden Cos., N. J. The family names possess considerable wealth and influence in England. The parents of our subject are both deceased, leaving a fam- ily of four children-Benjamin S., Rebecca, Abigail, now deceased, and Sallie, wife of Charles Peck, a business man of Pittsburgh. Rebecca, wife of Henry Carles, residing in Camden. Benjamin S. received the advan- tages of education until the age of 16 years. At 18, he began learning the trade of a ma- chinist, at which he is now engaged with Webster, Camp & Lane. He has worked at his trade in a great many different cities and States, and was, at 22 years of age, steamboat engineer upon the Delaware River, and dur- ing the war, engineer in Admiral Farragut's squadron of the navy, and at the taking of Fort Morgan, at the mouth of the Mobile.

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History of Summit County, with an outline sketch of Ohio, Part 159

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