USA > Ohio > Mahoning County > History of Trumbull and Mahoning counties with Illustrations and Biographical Sketches, Vol. II > Part 86
USA > Ohio > Trumbull County > History of Trumbull and Mahoning counties with Illustrations and Biographical Sketches, Vol. II > Part 86
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17, 1837, now Mrs. Fisk of New York ; Helen F., February 13, 1839, now Mrs. W. D. Kelly, of Kansas ; Laura, November 25, 1843, now Mrs. William T. Wright, of Colorado ; and Na- thaniel, who was born December 10, 1847, and married Eliza Ellen Gilbert May 7, 1873, who was born September 22, 1851. To them was born one child, Gilbert S., born May 19, 1874; he now lives on the home farm in Bazetta.
Benjamin Rowlee was born in New Jersey, August 19, 1780, from whence he moved to Washington county, Pennsylvania, and afterwards to Ohio in 1805, and first settled on the farm now owned and occupied by his son Amos. He was married February 16, 1808, to Eunice Head- ley, who was born July 11, 1781. The family were John H., born January 18, 1813; Sam- uel, November 26, 1814; William, July 30, 1816; Hannah, September 25, 1817; Phebe, May 18, 1819; Mary, January 14, 1821; Abigail, September 25, 1823; Amos, October 9, 1824. He assisted in raising the first log-house in Mecca not long after he came to the State. His own house stood about forty rods north of the pres- ent residence of his son Amos, where in 1820 he built a brick house, where he lived until his death, which occurred December 15, 1841, fol- lowed by the death of his wife February 19, 1864. When he first came to his farm (1805), he deadened three trees. Two of them are now to be seen remaining on the farm. He paid for his farm by hard work, often cutting and splitting two hundred rails for a day's work, and then re- turning to his own work on the farm. Constant Rowlee built the first frame building in the town- ship, which he erected over a spring for a milk- house, on the farm now owned by Solomon Cline, adjoining Cortland. Amos Rowlee was married in 1849, to Elizabeth Weir, who was born December 3, 1833. Their children are Lafayette, James, and Watson. He has served as constable, member of town council and board of education.
Samuel Bacon was the first of this family, ex- cept his sister, Rachel Rankin, to come to Ohio, where he arrived June 7, 1807, and settled on the banks of the Mahoning river, two and one- half miles north of Warren, having left Bridge- town, New Jersey, May 18, 1807. He left the following diary of the settlement: "And this we call a new country, only six years old, of set-
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tlers from New England, Pennsylvania, and New Jersey." He was born April 21, 1773, and was married in 1798 to Elizabeth Harris, who was born October 10, 1780. Their children were Charles, Enos, Richard, Moses, Phoebe, Grant, and Mary. Enos Bacon was born April 6, 1802, and was married in 1822 to Kiren Happuck, who was born May 1, 1801, and died in 1856. Their children were : Phoebe, Harrison, Laura, Alme- dia, Miles, Henry, Olive. He was again mar- ried to Elizabeth Forrester, who was born in 1818. About 1829 he and his father started the first store in Cortland, then known as Bacons- burg. The building stood where Dutchon's house now stands, but was destroyed by fire in 1834 or 1835. When nineteen years of age he went to Lake Erie, and while there stepped on the deck of the first steamboat on the lake, called the Walk-in-the-Water. He and Aaron Davis erected the first houses in Baconsburg, he build- ing a house and Davis a shop near the corner of Main and High streets, north of Main. After- wards he went as contractor for bridges on the canal, and built the bridge at the mouth of Mos- quito creek, and several others. About 1835 he returned to Bazetta and engaged in milling, and then erected a turning shop. Afterwards he went to Pennsylvania, returning to Cortland in 1873, where he now resides.
H. G. Bacon, son of Enos, was born May 23, 1835, in Cortland, and was married in 1856 to Catharine Grimm, who was born February 9, 1838. Their children are Ward L. and Alice. He assisted his father in the mill until 1867, when he began in the grocery business In Cort- land, with A. D. Hathaway. He bought out his partner in 1872, and has continued business for himself since. He started with very small capi- tal, but by personal effort and industry has suc- ceeded in building up an excellent trade in his line. He was a member of the town council for two years. He has been a member and served as deacon in the Disciple church since 1856. Mr. Bacon has been efficient in building up his native town, having erected two stores and three residences within its limits. He dis- posed of his business interests here in 1876, and took a trip to Colorado; was absent two months, and then returned to his native town and former business at his old stand, where he is now located in a thriving grocery business.
Joshua Oatley, the pioneer representative of this family, came from Virginia to Ohio about 1810. He was accompanied by his two sons, William and Edward, and they first cleared land on the farm now owned by Mrs. Abell, southwest of Cortland, afterwards entering the section on which Lewis now lives, and the cabin home was erected about thirty-five rods west of the present residence. On this lot afterwards three log houses were built and joined together, one for the parlor, one for the dining room and the other for the kitchen. The chimney was constructed of mud and sticks, after the pioneer style of architecture. At this time the Indians were fre- quent visitors to this locality, and were on friend- ly terms with the elder Oatley, to whose cabin they often came on friendly visits, thus affording him ample occasion to make himself familiar with the characteristics, the intents, and pur- poses of his red-skinned neighbors, and by care- ful management he succeeded in maintaining a friendly feeling with them, though they often passed his house painted in their fantastic colors indicative of war, and though turning their faces from him they passed his cabin in peace. The elder Oatley was fond of travel, and after some time had elapsed he went away from home, going, as he said, on a trip "down the river," since which time nothing has been heard of him. Edward sold his part of the farm and went to Ashtabula, and afterward to Michigan. William Oatley was born in Virginia in 1787 and died (in the house which he built, now the residence of his son Lewis) September 23, 1841. He was married in 1813 to Sophia Rhodes, who was born in Pennsylvania in 1788. To them was born the following family: Joshua was born April 2, 1814; Hannah, born April 27, 1817; Mary, born June 29, 1819; Anna, born April 25, 1821; Lewis; Melissa, born December 26, 1827, and Edward, born May 15, 1830. Lewis Oatley was born May 28, 1823, and was married March 11, 1860, to Thankful Brown, who was born July 22, 1837. Their family consists of the following children: Blanche, deceased, born June 3, 1861; Eva L., born October 15, 1863; Burke, born June 27, 1866; Anna B., born March 2, 1869, and Grace A., born May 14, 1873. Mr. Oatley has been chiefly engaged in farming, and by the hard work and economy of management necessary to his occupation he has succeeded in
63+
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accumulating means sufficient to care for and properly educate his children, to which laudable purpose he is now earnestly devoted. In 1852 he made the trip to California via Nicaraugua, and engaged in prospecting and mining for four years, returning home in 1856. Three years after he went to Colorado, but returned in the fall of the same year, and in 1864 he visited Montana. During the late war he furnished a man for the regular army at an expense to him- self of over $750, for which he never received any credit from the military committee of his town, though the man was accredited to Bazetta. Mr. Oatley is well known as one of the represen- tative men of his town, and though not seeking any office he has served as town trustee and member of the Cortland school board.
William H. Clawson was born in Berkeley county, Virginia, March 20, 1815. He was named after his father, and his mother's maiden name was Betsey Whitmore. After living some time in Fayette county, Pennsylvania, he came to Ohio first at the age of twelve, where he re- mained about six years, in Fowler township, where his mother then lived. He then bound himself to Isaac Woods, of Uniontown, Penn- sylvania, to learn the trade of harness making. He returned to Fowler when about nineteen and worked at the center. He was soon after mar- ried to Malinda Humason, who died about 1861. They had a family of the following children- William H., now living in Pennsylvania ; Eliza- beth, now Mrs. John Gievner, of Pennsyl- vania ; Sylvia, now Mrs. T. R. Mackey, of Illinois ; Allison M., of Mercer county, Penn- sylvania ; Lucy A., now Mrs. Austin Silliman ; Charles, of Mercer county, Pennsylvania; Lewis, living in Fowler ; Calvin C., of Cortland ; Ma- linda, now Mrs. Lester Clark, of Fowler ; Almura, now Mrs. Charles Trowbridge ; Emerson E., of Fowler. The latter was born June 15, 1859, and attended school at Titusville. He is now extensively engaged in the dry goods and general mercantile business at Fowler center. Mr. Clawson was married the second time February 21, 1878, to Perlina Gates, with whom and their only child, Mina Josephine, he now lives on his farm near Fowler center.
Calvin C. Clawson, son of William H. Claw- son, was born January 8, 1849, in Mercer county, Pennsylvania, and was married October 15, 1872,
to Mary 'R. Silliman, who was born May 6, 1853. To them were born three children, viz : William H., born July 16, 1874; Maud Belle, November 24, 1877; and Carrie May, December 5, 1880. He came to Cortland in 1874, and went in partnership with W. C. Silliman, in the general store and dry goods business, on the corner of Market and High streets. He pur- chased his partner's interest in 1875, and has continued the business since. He now carries a stock of from $8,000 to $10,000, and employs two clerks. He has held the office of treasurer of town and school board, the latter during the building of the new school-house, and is also a member of the Methodist Episcopal church, and the Independent Order of Odd Fellows. He also held the office of United States express agent at Titusville, Pennsylvania.
Martineus E. Freer came from New York and arrived in Bazetta July 7, 1832. He settled at the corners atterwards known as Freer's corners, taking the name from him. He was born Janu- ary 10, 1771, and was married to Mary Deyo, who was born May 18, 1769. He died Decem- ber 10, 1847, and her death occurred August 29, 1856. They were the parents of the following children : Hannah, Elizabeth, Gideon, Jane, Martha, Henry, William D., Josiah, Harry. Gideon Freer was born May 8, 1796, and came with his father from New York State to Ohio, and settled on the farm where he now lives. He was married December 1, 1818, to Jane Windnagle, who was born January 11, 1800, and died February 22, 1874. To them were born the following children: Eliza, Henry, Elvily, Hiram D., Jeremiah, and Harriet. Hiram D. Freer was born February 16, 1825, and was married March 5, 1848, to Caroline P. Brown, who was born July 6, 1826. Their family con- sists of the following children: Alice J., born April 14, 1849, now Mrs. Edwin Rathbun; Loice A. (deceased), born September 29, 1851; De Witt C., born January 25, 1853 ; Morgan M., born December 22, 1854 ; Nora, born November 23, 1859, now Mrs. Byron Tousley ; Bertha, born October 7, 1862, now Mrs. James F. Andrews ; Slade, born October 17, 1868. He came to Ohio with his father when about seven years of age, and at the age of twenty-three he married and moved to the log-house just west of his father's, where he lived about three years, after
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which he built his present residence, situated on his farm about three miles southwest of Cortland. He furnished a substitute during the late war, who served from 1862 to the close of the war. Mr. Freer has spent his life on the farm and belongs to a family of well-known citizens of this community.
James Atkinson, Sr., was a son of General Atkinson, of the Revolutionary war. He settled in Bazetta township, on the west side of Mosquito creek, where he lived for a number of years, afterwards moving to the western part of the State, where he died at the age of ninety-two. His son James came with his father when only three years of age. At about the age of four- teen he began work at the county infirmary, where he continued under employment until 1852, when he was made overseer of the institu- tion. In 1852 he was married to Elizabeth Weiss, who died in 1857 or 1858. They were the parents of two children-Milton E., and Mary E. He was again married, in 1870, to Lucy A. Fox, to whom were born the following children : Charles W., James M., Millie W., Kittie, and Terry S. He was a farmer by occupation, also a member of the Independent Order of Odd Fellows. He died in Champion township at the age of fifty-three.
Milton Emon Atkinson, M. D., was born April 22, 1855, at the county infirmary, of which his father was overseer. He was married May 7, 1878, to Jennie E. Harsh, who was born in 1858. They are parents of two children, the first hav- ing died in infancy, and Lena May. He first at- tended school at the Western Reserve seminary, after which he began the study of medicine under Dr. D. B. Woods, of Warren. He then began the regular course at Ann Arbor university, Michigan, which was not quite completed when, at the death of his father, he returned home and afterwards finished his studies at Wooster. He located in his profession at Cortland in August, 1878, where he is now actively engaged in a suc- cessful and extensive practice.
John Bradford was born in Trumbull county, Ohio, and settled on a farm between Cortland and Warren, where he lived until his death, which occurred in 1853. He was married to Jane Meek, and to them were born the following children : William (deceased), James, Mary Ann, now Mrs. Ross Wakeman, of Iowa ; Olive, now
Mrs. H. K. Hulse, of Iowa; Elizabeth, now Mrs. Napoleon Gretsinger, of Iowa. He was a stone-mason by occupation, and a member of the Baptist church. James Bradford was born April 20, 1842, and was married May 5, 1863, to Jennette Hulse. To them were born the following children : William, Lucy, Rhoda, James, and Rena. He was again married, to Mary Hulse, and they now have one child, Clara. Mr. Bradford was raised on the farm until about the age of sixteen years, when he went to work at the carpenter trade with Thomas Kennedy, working with him until he learned the trade. In 1866 he engaged for himself, and continued until 1878, when he commenced the furniture business in Cortland. He began with a capital of about $5,000. His trade has con- tinued to increase, and he is now operating a business of $2,500 per annum. He is engaged in the general furniture trade on Market street, next door east of the post-office, and is a mem- ber of the Independent Order of Odd Fellows.
Charles Oliver, a native of Germany, left home when about eleven years of age, and went on the ocean as sailor. He afterwards rose to the position of mate, and followed seafaring life for thirteen years. He married when about twenty-five in New York, Mary Park, a native of Ireland, and with whom he became acquainted during a trip across the ocean. He came subse- quently to Trumbull county, and settled in Ba- zetta, where he and his wife are still living. He continued his former occupation, being captain and mate on Lake Erie for number of years. He has nine children living, as follows: William, at Braceville center, born June, 1843, married Zelia Dice and has two children, Jennie (Clark) at Howland Springs, Maggie (Dice) in Brace- ville; Mary (Kean) and Minnie (Lawrence) in Carroll, Ohio; Frank in Bazetta, Emma, Ella, and Nettie at home.
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CHAPTER XVIII. MESOPOTAMIA.
INTRODUCTORY.
This is the northwestern township of Trum- bull county, bounded on the north by Windsor, Ashtabula county, east by Bloomfield, south by Farmington, and west by Middlefield, Geauga county. The surface is more variable than that of most townships in the northern part of the county, east of the center being low, moist land, while the western and northwestern portions are high, arable land, composed mostly of a succes- sion of hills and ridges of moderate elevation. The soil of Mesopotamia is fertile and well adapted to grazing. It is also the best wheat land in this part of the country. The soil, like the surface, varies much. The Grand River valley is sandy and clayey. The western portion of the township has but little clay on the surface, and sandy and gravelly loam predominates.
The principal water-course is the Grand river, which crosses a small corner of the southeastern part of the township, and after continuing its windings through Bloomfield, again enters Mes- opotamia north of the center road, and pursuing a northerly course, passes out a short distance from the northeast corner of the township. Grand river is only a small stream in dry weather, but when it and its branches are swollen by rains it inundates a wide territory. Swine creek, Plum creek, and Mill creek are the principal streams flowing into the river. The two former drain the western and southern portions of the township, uniting in one stream about a mile and a half south of the east and west center road, and thence flowing northward about three miles, where they join the river. A short dis- tance below the mouth of Swine creek, Mill creek enters the river from the northwest. Nu- merous springs and small creeks supply an abun- dance of water for stock, and the fertile mead- ows are excellent pasture lands for the same.
The only village in the township is at the cen- ter, and is about the size of the average "center" throughout the county.
ORGANIZATION.
In 1806 townships number seven in the fifth range, and number six in the fourth range were taken from the Middlefield election district and formed a portion of the district of Troy.
Township number seven, in the fifth range, was organized as a separate election precinct in 1819, and named Mesopotamia-the name requested in the petition to the Legislature.
FIRST OFFICERS.
At a meeting held in the district of Troy the 7th day of April, 1806, the following officers were chosen : Otis Guild, chairman; Hezekiah Sperry and Jonathan Higley, judges of election; Ephraim Clark, township clerk ; William Cox, Gager Smith, and Jonathan Higley, trustees ; S. D. Sackett and Abraham Daily, overseers of the poor ; Griswold Gillette and Alpheus Sperry, fence viewers ; Isaac Clark, appraiser and lister ; Timothy Alderman, appraiser; Joseph Alder- man, Jr., Amadeus Brooks, and William Reed, supervisors of highways ; Griswold Gillette and Samuel Forward, constables; Ephraim Clark, treasurer.
After Mesopotamia became independent an election was held at the center school-house on the 5th day of April, in the year 1819, and the following officers elected, namely: Otis Guild, chairman ; Zimri Baker and Moses Bun- dy, judges of election ; Addison Tracy, clerk ; Luther Frisby, Moses Bundy, and Elisha Sander- son, trustees ; Reuben Joslin and Job Reynolds, overseers of the poor ; John Sanderson and Amadeus Brooks, fence viewers ; Lucius Frisby, appraiser and lister ; Linus Tracy, appraiser ; Matthew Laird, Job Reynolds, Zimri Baker, Noble Strong, Levi Pinney, Anson Hatch, and Guien Crawford, supervisors ; Lucius Frisby, constable ; Luther Frisby, treasurer.
OWNERSHIP.
This township was owned principally by Pier- pont Edwards of New Haven, Connecticut, and his son, Colonel John Stark Edwards, acted as agent lor its sale. After the death of the latter in 1813, Seth Tracy acted in that capacity.
SETTLEMENT.
The first settlers of this township came mainly from Connecticut. Some five or ten years after their arrival a few Pennsylvania families came in. At the time of the War of 1812 there were about a dozen families in Mesopotamia. The growth of the township was slow, and not until after 1820 was there any considerable addition to the number of settlers. The village was also built up very gradually.
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Pierpont Edwards, owner of the township, through his son, John Stark Edwards, offered to give one hundred acres of land to each of the first five men who should purchase land, bring their families to this township and reside here a certain number of years (probably five); and to each of the first five single men who came and resided a like period he would give fifty acres. John S. Edwards visited the township in 1799, and put forth this offer on his return to Connec- ticut. He thenceforth resided upon the Reserve a portion of each year up to the time of his death (1813). From 1800 to 1804 his home was in Mesopotamia. Mr. Edwards was a grad- uate of Princeton college. From 1800 to 1813 he was recorder of Trumbull county. Among those who, as the heads of families, first settled in Mesopotamia were: Hezekiah Sperry, Otis Guild, Joseph Noyes, Joseph Clark, and Seth Tracy. Sperry, Guild, and Tracy remained per- manently, and in due time came into possession of the hundred-acre gifts. What other settlers received premiums is no longer certain.
In the fall of 1800, Hezekiah Sperry, his son Alpheus, and his daughters, Martha and Cynthia, moved in, being the first family. He built the first cabin, on lot twenty-nine. The following year he returned to Woodbridge, Connecticut, his former home, and brought out his wife and the rest of his children. His cabin was situated upon the present Woodruff farm. His family consisted of four sons and nine daughters. Seven of the daughters lived to marry. The sons were: Alpheus, Hezekiah, Elias, and Lu- cius, all of whom lived and died in Mesopo- tamia. Lucius never married. The three others reared families, and some of their descendants are still in the township. Captain Sperry died in 1833, aged eighty-eight. His wife died in 1827.
The second arrival was that of Otis and Lois Guild and their family. They came from Sharon, Connecticut, to the Reserve in 1800, and after about one year's residence, came to Mesopo- tamia, and located on lot forty-one, near the center of the township. They had eight chil- dren, seven of whom grew to manhood and womanhood. Two sons and one daughter are still living. The names of the children were Jerusha, Oliver, Jairus, Albert, Charlotte, Oswin, Aurelia, first, and Aurelia, second. The young-
est daughters died, one at the age of two, and the other at the age of eighteen. The three now living are Oswin, and Mrs. Charlotte Shel- don, Mesopotamia, and Dr. Albert Guild, Boston.
Seth Tracy, from Pittsfield, Massachusetts, who had previously been here to locate a farm on which to settle, arrived in this township the Sth of May, 1801. With his family, and several teams, one of which was driven by Griswold Gillette, he started from Massachusetts, and journeyed as far as Whitestown, New York, by land. There he procured a boat, transferred his goods to it, and proceeded as far as Niagara Falls. At this point the boat was hauled around the falls on trucks, and again committed to the water. The voyagers then coasted along the south shore of Lake Erie until they came to the mouth of Grand river, which they entered, and followed to within one mile of the house of Judge Griswold in Windsor, whence they pro- ceeded to Mesopotamia by land. The day after his arrival, Mr. Tracy erected a rude shelter of poles and bark which his family occupied until a log cabin was finished the following fall. Dur- ing the season he cleared four acres sufficiently to admit of planting corn, and from this field secured an excellent crop. The large trees were girdled and left standing. The smaller ones were cut and burned. The method of corn planting deserves mention. After the ground had been cleared, holes were made in it by means of a pick-axe, and into each of these holes a few kernels were dropped. No cultivating or hoeing was allowed the crop, except hacking down a few weeds during the summer. Colonel Linus Tracy, then seven years of age, is still living, and has a vivid recollection of his pioneer labor, which he began under the direction of his father and the hired man, May 9, 1801.
Seth Tracy took up seven hundred acres of land in lots lying near the center. On the four acres first cleared the first orchard in the town- ship was set out about the year 1806, in rows exactly two rods apart each way. Most of the trees are still living. They were procured from De- troit by David Barrett, who made a nursery on Mr. Tracy's land, and cultivated it until the trees were large enough to be planted in an orchard. Seth Tracy was the first justice of the peace in this section, and a very active man in his day. He died in 1827 at the age of seventy, and his
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wife when eighty-five. The family consisted of seven children, the youngest of whom was born in Mesopotamia: Clarissa, Pamelia, Sabrina, Sophia, Adeline, Linus and Addison. Clarissa married Griswold Gillette, and died in Cleve- land. Pamelia married Deacon Horace Loomis, and resided in Mesopotamia. Sabrina married Horace Wolcott, of Farmington. Sophia mar- ried Dr. John S. Matson, of Mesopotamia. Ade- line, youngest of the family, married Mr. Pelton and had one child. She died in Cleveland when a young woman. Excepting her all lived to rear families. Colonel Linus Tracy, the only sur- vivor, was born in Massachusetts, March 2, 1794. He married Betsey Talcott, a native of Massachusetts, who lived to be seventy-five. She bore five daughters and two sons, all of whom are still living, two of the daughters in Mesopo- tamia and the two sons. One daughter resides in Madison and two in Cleveland. Mrs. Tracy died in 1873. Mr. Tracy, when a young man, entered the store of William Bell, at Warren, and after a service of six months went into the store of Judge King, where he remained five years. In 1818 he bought out Mr. King and removed the goods to Mesopotamia, where he continued the business several years. He served as a volunteer in the War of 1812, six months, and was chosen corporal. Subsequently (in 1825) he became a colonel of militia. The manner in which he studied military tactics was peculiar. While clerking for Judge King in Warren he procured a manual of military tactics, and had a hundred wooden figures turned, which he maneuvred upon a board until he became familiar with all the movements of troops. He served as lieutenant, major, and colonel of militia. In the time of the late war he also helped to train military companies. Both his sons were in the army. Colonel Tracy is as smart and active as many men who have not half his age, and is in full possession of all his faculties, with a vivid recollection of early events. He is one of the oldest residents of the county.
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