History of the Fire lands, comprising Huron and Erie Counties, Ohio, with illustrations and biographical sketches of some of the prominent men and pioneers, Part 90

Author: Williams, W. W. (William W.)
Publication date: 1879
Publisher: Cleveland, Ohio : Press of Leader Printing Company
Number of Pages: 726

USA > Ohio > Erie County > History of the Fire lands, comprising Huron and Erie Counties, Ohio, with illustrations and biographical sketches of some of the prominent men and pioneers > Part 90
USA > Ohio > Huron County > History of the Fire lands, comprising Huron and Erie Counties, Ohio, with illustrations and biographical sketches of some of the prominent men and pioneers > Part 90

Note: The text from this book was generated using artificial intelligence so there may be some errors. The full pages can be found on Archive.org (link on the Part 1 page).

John Seymour, one of the oldest residents of the township at the present time, came to Huron county from Susquehanna county, Pennsylvania, with his family, accompanied by Deacon Moses Thacher and wife, the parents of Mrs. Seymour, in October, 1825. Mr. Seymour bought out Martin Vrooman at Cooke's Corners where he resided for nine years, when he sold to Lewis Stone and Noah Young. He spent the fol- lowing summer at Milan, and the next winter in Massachusetts, when, in April, 1835, he returned and settled in Lyme, opposite the meeting house, where

he still resides. Mr. Seymour was engaged here in farming, broom-making, and, in a small way, in mer- chandise, until 1870, when the infirmities of age re- quired cessation from active labor. Mr. Seymour was born in Kensington, Hartford county, Connecti- cut, July 27, 1791, and Jannary 5, 1820, married Sarah A. Thacher. To them have been born three sons and three daughters, all of whom are living. Eliza Ann married D. W. Ballard who is deceased, and she now resides in Chicago. William Henry resides in Hardin county, Ohio. George W. lives in Lyme with his father. John A. is a Presbyterian clergyman, located at Cleveland. Sarah M. is the wife of William Blair, a wealthy hardware merchant of Chi- cago, and Ellen, is the wife of James M. Stults, of Lyme.

Mr. Seymour held the office of township clerk for thirty-three years, and has been a prominent member of the Presbyterian Church in Lyme for over fifty years.

In 1826 Colonel James Smith moved in with his family, from Gibson, Pennsylvania, and after living with John Seymour, at Cooke's corners, for one year, removed to Lyme, and settled on the ridge, north of the meeting house. Subsequently he sold, and moved into Ridgefield, locating near the east line of Lyme.

A few years after, he returned to this township, and purchased the Francis Strong place, where he after- wards resided. He died October 6, 1866, and Mrs. Smith, July 9, 1868. There were seven children, six sons and one daughter, as follows : James D., Martin, Robert, Eugene, Chas. D., Edwin and Emma. James was engaged for several years in the forwarding business at Milan. He married a daughter of George Lockwood, and subsequently removed to Toledo, where he resided until his death. His wife and seven children survived him. Martin went to California, and still resides there. Robert, who married Frances C. Wright, occupies the old homestead, in Lyme. Eugene married Emily Morey, and was engaged in trade, in Bellevue, for many years. Chas. D. lives on the place formerly occupied by Dr. Smith. He married Mary Choat. Mary became the wife of James D. Follett, formerly of Bellevue, now of Allegan, Michigan.

In 1826 or '27, William Fitch came from near New London, Connecticut, and settled on the corner where the road running from Hunt's corners crosses the ridge. He resided there until his death, in 1850. Philo H. Schuyler, who married a daughter of Mr. Fitch, now lives on the place.

An Englishman, by the name of Mapes, came in about 1827, and made a beginning on the ridge, south of the Monroe road, and near the township line. He became discouraged, and removed to Fremont.

Caleb C. Williams subsequently settled on the place, and resided there until his death, about 1867.

A little further north, near the corner of the Mon- roeville and east line road, Jonathan Prentiss settled

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HISTORY OF HURON AND ERIE COUNTIES, OHIO.

and resided until his death. His sons still live on the place, or in the neighborhood.

Richard Meginson, a native of England, came in about the year 1828, and located on lot number four, second section. Some of the family yet live there.

Noah Young first settled on lot nine, remained a few years, and then sold to Thomas Ashton. Benja- min Fish settled on the same lot a little further north.

Jarvis Stebbins, formerly from Massachussetts, came to Lyme in 1827, and bought the farm now owned by James Jones. He went east after his fam- ily in the fall, and on October 8th, returned to Lyme with them. In 1875, he went to Kansas, and died at the residence of his son, in Coyville, Wilson county, that State, in the seventy-third year of his age. He was always accounted a great hunter. Mrs. Stebbins died December 9, 1859. They had three children: Abigail, wife of D. Cowle; Amos, married Ellen Hutchinson, lives in Kansas; S. Warren, mar- ried Kate Allen, and now lives in Kansas.

Stephen Sawyer and family, with his brother, James, came to America, from Kent county, England, in the year 1819; they sailed in a vessel belonging to one of the Griswold's, of Lyme, Connecticut. Mrs. Sawyer was attended by a Mrs. Orsetti, a French lady, as nurse. They came westward, overland, by way of Pittsburgh, crossing the Alleghany moutains, their point of destination being Cincinnati, Ohio. Reach- ing the Ohio river, they purchased a rude vessel and sailed down that stream, landing in due course of time at Cincinnati, then a rude village. They re- mained there but a short time, pushing on down the Ohio, a distance of twenty-two miles, to North Bend, where Stephen and his brother took a job of clearing forty acres of land for General William Harrison. The Sawyers were butchers and farmers in Eng- land, but knew nothing of chopping and clearing. However, they resolutely clung to their task and completed it. After remaining there for about two years, they concluded that they had seen enough of America, and resolved to return to old England. They started east, and at Cincinnati invested the bulk of their earnings in a four-horse wagon in which they journeyed across the mountains back to New York City. Arriving at that metropolis, Mrs. Sawyer expressed a wish to visit her sister, the wife of Henry Griswold, then living at Lyme, Connecticut. The way she came to have a sister married and living in Connecticut, happened in this way: Henry Gris- wold, son of Governor Roger Griswold, of Connec- ticut. was captain of the ship which brought the Saw- yers to America. He took a great liking to the Sawyers, and especially to Mrs. Sawyer, who was an aristocratic lady and of much refinement. He ventured to ask her, one day, if she had a sister, and she replied she had, and gave him a letter of intro- duction to her. Young Griswold returned to Eng- land, made the acquaintance of the lady-Miss Lans- dale-which led to courtship, engagement, and mar-

riage, and she came to Connecticut the wife of Henry Griswold.

Mrs.' Sawyer's wish was no sooner made known than t was executed, and the Sawyer family made their way to Lyme, Connecticut. The visitors were urged to re- main at Lyme, and the Sawyers having a knowledge of the butcher's trade, were influenced to establish in that business at Lyme. Here they remained for a number of years, and becoming acquainted with the McCurdys, who owned large tracts of land in Lyme township, were induced to come hither, which they did in November of 1826. They first settled and lived for three years on the northwest part of the Mc- Curdy tract near the present residence of Mrs. Julia A. McCurdy. They then removed to lot number fif- teen in the first section, where they resided until Mr. Sawyer's death, January 7, 1870. The Sawyers were for many years engaged in driving cattle to the sea- board, mainly to Philadelphia. IIis sons, Stephen and James, purchased nearly six hundred acres of the Hart tract. Mrs. Sawyer's death occurred January 5, 1867.

The children were: William, who married Caroline Chapman and is now dead; John, who married Sarah Ann Richie, and is also dead; Stephen married Mrs. Jane Tice, and he is now deceased, and his widow now lives in Lyme; Charles married Rachel A. Gates, and occupies a part of the old homestead; Dorothy became the wife of Charles E. Mallett, and lives in Lyme: Emma married Joseph Young and resides in Ridgefield township; Betsey A. died unmarried; Dr. Isaac Sawyer married Sarah Toll, and resides in Mon- roe, Michigan, where he is engaged in the practice of medicine; James is a resident of Lyme; Augustus H. married Abby Ames, and is deceased; George married Julia Ann Wood, and now resides at Grass Lake, Michigan.

The Sawyer family have, ever since their settlement in Lyme, been prominently identified with the affairs of the township. They were a numerous family, and all wide-awake, stirring, intelligent people. Nearly all of them acquired a handsome property, and one of the family, Isaac, has gained a wide and well-deserved reputation as a skillful surgeon. IIe lives at Monroe, Michigan, where he takes rank as one of the leading citizens of that place, and his medical practice, es- pecially in the line of surgery, extends to many quar- ters of the State. George Sawyer is a kind, generous hearted man, highly estcemed by all who know him well. At his residence his uncle, James Sawyer, died in 1875. He had lived a bachelor all his days, finding a comfortable home with his brother until the latter's death, when he was invited to his nephew's home. Mr. and Mrs. Stephen Sawyer were both worthy members of the Protestant Episcopal Church.

Asa Nims and wife and several sons and their fami- lies arrived in 1827, and purchased the Major Strong place. The widow and children of Elihu Nims, who died soon after his arrival, took the west part of the land, which was subsequently sold and is uow owned

DAVID WILLIAMS.

Daniel Williams, the father of David, was born near Philadelphia, Pa., in 1783, where he resided with his father and mother until his majority. His father's name was David, who was of Welsh extraction, and his mother's name was Margaret Lyons. He married Miss Catharine Henney, of German parentage, then living in Centre Co., Pa. In 1813 lie removed to Ohio, and settled at Rouseburg, Wayne Co. There were at the time only five families in the township, and one old Quaker was the only resident of Wooster, Ohio.

In process of time, by industry and perseverance, he was able to purchase land and to build a grist-mill, and had fair prosperity. In 1833 he removed to the Fire-Lands, and settled about two miles southeast of Bellevue, purchasing two hundred and forty acres of land, about a mile west of his location, just across the Huron County line, called the oak openings. He raised a family of stalwart sons, whose industry and ability to accomplish herculean feats of labor were a source of great profit to him. At the time of his death, June 27, 1858, he was the possessor of seven hundred acres of good farming land, much of it under cultivation.

His children were Anna Catharine, John Adam, Da- vid, Betsey, Ellen, John, Jo- seph, Wm. Henry, Daniel, Adam, Levi, and Lydia.

Of the sons, John is at present residing near Milan, Ohio, a well-to-do farmer. Joseph died some years ago, leaving his family a goodly inheritance; he was an ex- eellent man, strictly upright, and he will ever be gratefully remembered by those who knew him well. Adam re- sides near Bellevue, and has a family of three industrious, hard-working boys; one of them, William, the oldest, is married. Levi died, many years since, of typhoid fever. David, the subject of this notice, was born in Centre Co., Pa., Feb. 10, 1810.

In 1833 he married Re- becca, daughter of Zadok and Ruth Elliott, then residing in Wayne Co., Ohio. Her parents were of English ori- gin, and settled in Maryland at an early day.

Soon after his father's re- moval to Huron County, Da- vid came likewise, and settled near Hunt's Corners. A few years later he removed to the oak openings tract, in Seneca County, and engaged in the burning of lime. He found it to be a profitable business, but in 1845 he had the misfortune to have his house burned by accident, destroying nearly the whole of his household goods, and consuming $500 in money.

This event is fresh in the mind of the writer, who was then less than three years old. It was on a Sunday. IIe had been with his parents to church. When, on returning, they came in sight of the house, and saw it enveloped in flames, he will never forget the look of anguish in his mother's face, for her infant child, hardly six months old, had been left at home with the nurse, as also her two oldest children,-the one ten and the other eight years of age. That anxious look was indelibly stamped upon the memory of childhood, as also the sight of the burning dwelling, from which smoke and flames were angrily leaping, and the fury of speed with which the horses were urged onward. The mother arrived to find that the babe had been rescued from the flames by the heroic act of the hired man, just in

time to save its life. The subsequent life of Mr. Williams was, for the most part, that of a well-to-do farmer. His neighbors accorded him the praise of being the most intelligent tiller of the soil in his township,-an intelligence, combined with an indefatigable industry, that resulted in keeping his fields in most excellent condition, and in yielding him generous returns for his labor.

His wife, and the mother of his children (and no mother was fonder of her own than was she), died Oet. 6, 1854. Six sons and two daughters were born to them, as follows : Daniel P., April 26, 1835; Esther A., March 16, 1837 ; John, Sept. 6, 1839 ; William W., April 28, 1842; Hamilton Z, July 2, 1844; Theodore F., Dee. 7, 1846 ; Louis A., Jan. 22, 1849; and Rosa B., March 14, 1851.

Daniel married Mary J. Burns, by whom he had two chil- dren,-James and Burton. He died Nov. 9, 1862. He was an exceptionally promising young man, a good writer, and a for- cible speaker. He was a great admirer of Stephen A. Douglas, for whom he voted for President in 1860, and was a delegate to the Democratic State Convention, held that year at Des Moines, Iowa, in which State he was then a resident.

Esther A. is the wife of Henry Forney, and resides at Marshalltown, Iowa, where she has a pleasant and com- fortable home. She has a family of five children,- four sons and one daughter.

John died Dee. 14, 1844.

William W. is the pub- lisher of this volume. He married Susan C., daughter of Bourdett Wood, of Belle- vue, Ohio, April 9, 1868, who died Nov. 5, 1872. He has two children,-Bourdett W. and Susan E.

Hamilton Z. married Flor- enee, daughter of Horatio Adams, Sept. 12, 1870. They have two children.

Theodore married Sarah, daughter of M. Eck- hart. They have three children.

Louis A. married Jessie, daughter of H. M. Sinclair. She died in July, 1873. He has one child,-Grace.

The last three named are associated with William W., in the publication of county histories. Rosa B. married Mel- ville Warner, of Wooster, Ohio. They have one child.

Mr. Williams, the subject of this memoir, married Eliza, widow of Nathan Cook, July 29, 1855. She bore him one son, -Charles, born July 30, 1860, now in the junior year of Kenyon College, Gambier, Ohio. With Mrs. Cook's introduction into the family of Mr. Williams came her three children,-Collins C., now deputy postmaster and insurance agent, Bellevue ; James D., residing in Norwalk, Ohio, where he is associated with his wife's father, Mr. W. R. Little, in the hardware business ; and Ella, who became the wife of E. J. Sheffield, and died April 3, 1876. She was a lady of many admirable traits of character. Mr. Williams died Feb. 18, 1871, and his widow, Jan. 3, 1879.

He gave to all his children a fair education. None of his boys seemed inclined to follow his chosen avocation of farmer, and he therefore sold his farm, after the marriage of the youngest son, and took up his residence in Bellevue. He was a devoted member of the Methodist Episcopal Church, to whose support he was a liberal contributor. He was a man of sound judg- ment, strong convictions, and faultless life.

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HISTORY OF HURON AND ERIE COUNTIES, OHIO.

by Calvin Barnard: Worthington took the middle part, on which he now resides, and Samuel the east part, which the family now occupy. Asa Nims died in the year 1840, and Mrs. Nims in 1847.

Horatio Long, in 1827 or about that time, pur- chased a few acres of land on the line between the farms of Zadoe Strong and Abner Nims, where he settled and set up a tannery, which he carried on in connection with shoemaking for ten or twelve years, when he purchased additional land and afterwards established a nursery and engaged extensively in the enltivation of fruit.

Winthrop Ballard settled on lot number one, sec- tion two, in the year 1828. A family of the name of Markham had previously occupied the lot for a num- ber of years. Horace Ballard came about the same time and located on lot number fourteen, in the third section, having for some time previous lived on But- ternut ridge.

John C. Kinney came in about the year 1828, and built his dwelling near the corner of lot number eleven, and put up a blacksmith shop near the corner of lot number twelve or thirteen. He subsequently sold to Martin Blodgett and removed to the corners west of Stephen Russell's, where he resided until 1835 or '36, when he sold to Ebenezer Welch.

In 1830, M. N. Marvin, from New London, Con- necticut, settled on lot number eleven, where he lived until his death, when the family removed from the township.

Ralph and John Stults came in the year 1831, from New York State, and settled on the Blodgett place, lot number ten, second section. A few years after John died and Ralph changed his location to the south part of the farm, where he afterwards lived. He died in September, 1856. His widow and three of the seven children are still living.

Dr. Charles Smith came into the township from Granville, Ohio, in the year 1826. He was formerly from Westfield, Massachusetts, where he was born. He married Mehitabel, sister of John Seymour, the fruit of which union was three sons, viz: Charles, who died in infancy; George E., who adopted the profes- sion of his father, and James B .. a farmer. Dr. Smith settled in the northwest corner of the Ballard lot, but owned additional land on the north prairie. He was a good physician, and a man of intelligence and public spirit. He died in Lyme, in March, 1861. His first wife died on 1854, and he subsequently mar- ried the widow of Lemuel Morse.

In 1836 or 1832, Dr. Otis Boise came from Cort- land county, New York, and lived for a number of years on the Ballard place, and practiced medicine awhile in partnership with Dr. Charles Smith. He subsequently removed to Oberlin, where he practiced his profession several years, when he returned to Lyme and took up his residence on the south part of lot number thirteen, formerly owned by George Han- ford. In about the year 1858, he removed to Cleve- land, where he afterwards died. His widow now lives

with her son Spencer W., who sold the old homestead to the present owner, Delos Eaton, in 1867 or '68.

Ebenezer Welch came in about 1830, and pur- chased the blacksmith shop of John C. Kenney. He married Mary Hubbell, daughter of Esquire Hubbell, of Monroeville, and bought a house and lot south of Russell's tavern, which he enlarged and occupied until his death, December 8, 1865. He followed his trade of blacksmith. His wife sold the place to Wm. Walter in 1870. A part of this house was built by Martin Blanding, of Hartford, Pennsylvania, in about 1828. He remained but a short time, when he sold ont and returned east.

Rev. E. Conger came from Ridgefield in about 1831, and purchased a few acres on lot number twelve, on which he built a house. He resided there until 1836, when he sold and removed to Fremont.

George Morehead moved, from Harrison county, West Virginia, into the southern part of Ohio, where he lived several years. He came to Huron county in 1832. locating in Lyme township about 1842. His family consisted of wife and one child, Mary, who married Philip Heymann, and lives in Wood county. Mr. Morehead located at Hunt's Corners in 1842. He was a soldier of the war of 1812, and contracted, in the swamps, a fever which rendered him a cripple through life. He died May 2, 1873. Mrs. Morehead died in about 1838. Twochildren were born subsequent to their locating in Huron county: Emily, who mar- ried Joseph Morris, and lives in Illinois, and Andrew J., who is the only son of the family living in the township.

Daniel Williams came to Ohio, from Center county, Pennsylvania, with his family, in the year 1813. He settled at Rouseburg. Wayne county, and re- sided there until August, 1833, when he removed to Lyme, and settled on lot number two, where Martin Hayward now lives. He sold the farm to Hayward in 1855, after which he and his aged wife made their home with their son, John Williams, near Milan, and where they died, he in June, 1858, and she, February, 1862. They had a family of eight children : David, the eldest son, resided, for a number of years. in the southwest part of section four, on lot twenty- four, on which he erected a substantial brick dwelling. He was residing in Bellevue at the time of his death, in February, 1871. Adam Williams, in 1850, settled on lot number three, in the third section, and still resides there.

In 1837, or about that time, Henry Hayward located on lot number six, in the fourth section; S. W. Standart, on number seven; Prosper Twist, on eleven, and. at an earlier date, Needham Standart on lot twelve; Joseph Wood occupied lot thirteen.

Several families came to Lyme from England in 1833, prominent among which was that of Daniel Cowle who emigrated from Devonshire in the fall of the above year. He located on seventy-eight and one- half aeres in lot three, section two. His family con- sisted of wife and four children, viz: Hannah, who

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HISTORY OF HURON AND ERIE COUNTIES, OHIO.

married John Meginson, and lives in Lyme, on the east part of the McCurdy tract; Samuel, who died single; Mary Ann, who also died single, and Daniel, who married Abigail Stebbins, and lives on the old homestead. He has in his possession some very interesting family relics, among which is a sabre of fine workmanship, which his father carried in the French wars. Mr. Cowle died December 29, 1858, aged seventy-three. Mrs. Cowle died in about 1849.

John Bragg arrived about the same time, and set- tled on number four in the same section. John Lewis, a carpenter and joiner, occupied for several years a house of Winthrop Ballard on the ridge, south of the road, where he died, and his family re- moved to the Gurdon Woodward place-lot number nine in the fourth section. The children were: William, John, Irwin, Richard and Libby, the most of whom were remarkable for their talents as mus- cians. William having been, for years, one of the most noted violinists in the United States.

George Richey came about the same time from Pennsylvania, and settled on lot four in section two.

John Wright came from England in 1833, and worked for some time for William Holton, Richard Woolway and Stephen Russell. He purchased land in Groton, on the old Sandusky road, three-fourths of a mile north of the ridge, and entered largely into farming. He purchased much land, and accumulated property very fast. He married Betsey Ford, daugh- ter of James and Mary Ford, by whom he had ten children. Three died in childhood, and seven-three daughters and four sons are still living: Alfred, Josephine, Eliza, Emma. Aubery, Hubert and George A. Alfred married Mary Ann Meginson, and lives on the old homestead; Josephine married William Nims; Eliza married Frederick B. Russell, and lives in Plymouth; Emma is married, and resides in Toledo. Mr. Wright, some years since, bought the Winthrop Ballard farm on which he moved with his family. No man in the township has had a more suc- cessful career. His indomitable perseverance, united with rare judgment, has assisted him in amassing a handsome property. His lands of which he owns nearly twenty-five hundred acres, lie mostly in Erie county, and are for the most part of unsurpassed fertility, especially adapted to the growing of corn.

James Ford, a Protestant Methodist preacher, came from England in 1833 and purchased the Ferguson farm, lot number four, fourth section of Groton. He died soon after, leaving the money for the payment- of the farm on deposit in a bank in New York city. His wife, who was a woman of much energy of char- acter, subsequently obtained the moncy and paid for the farm, settled the estate of her deceased husband, and so managed as to raise a family of eight children, all of whom became useful members of society. Mrs. Ford died February 19, 1870.

In 1833, H. R. Jerome settled on lot number two, in the second section. He finally removed to Michi- gan. Ranar Knox came soon after, and purchased

the Hanford place, where he resided until his removal to Missouri.

Barney Campbell, brother of John K., settled on lot number eleven, which had previously been pur- chased by Silva and Frith. Subsequently, Dr. B. G. Rushton settled on the lot, and occupied it until his death.

Alfred Stebbins was a native of Massachusetts, but lived for some time in Gorham township, Ontario county, New York. There he was married, February 13, 1831, to Eliza Fanning. Early in May, 1835, he came to Clarksfield, Huron county, Ohio, where he remained until fall, living on the farm now owned by widow Harland and her sons. In the fall he came to Lyme, and lived at a number of places on Strong's ridge, first buying a small piece of ground, upon which he built a house. This he exchanged for fifty acres of land now owned by Mrs. William Holton. In 1838. after various changes, he purchased one hun- dred acres of land in lot twenty-three, upon which he permanently settled. He afterwards purchased four acres adjoining, upon which he erected the fine brick residence where he now resides. One child, Calista, was born previous to his coming to Ohio. She married Delos Eaton, and now lives in Lyme. After he came to Ohio, three children, that are still living, were born: Julia L., married S. E. Nims; Cornelia married Samuel Stevens, and Sabra married David B. Nims. All are now residents of Lyme. While living in Clarksfield, Mr. and Mrs. Stebbins were attacked by wolves, when on their way to church, but succeeded in keeping them at bay, and arrived at their destina- tion in safety.

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History of the Fire lands, comprising Huron and Erie Counties, Ohio, with illustrations and biographical sketches of some of the prominent men and pioneers, Part 90

Author: Williams, W. W. (William W.) Publication date: 1879 Publisher: Cleveland, Ohio : Press of Leader Printing Company Number of Pages: 726

Author: Williams, W. W. (William W.)
Publication date: 1879
Publisher: Cleveland, Ohio : Press of Leader Printing Company
Number of Pages: 726