USA > Ohio > History of the Western Reserve, Vol. II > Part 18
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Rev. John R. Findley, father of Walter T., was born in Antrim, Ohio, in 1827, and was one of the prominent ministers of the Presby- terian church. He was for twelve years min- ister at Conneaut, and identified himself with
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church and town in such a way that his career is part of the history of that community. He died in Conneaut in 1907. He married Mary Rutherford, a native of Pittsburg, and they had five children, all of them born in Mercer county, namely: Elizabeth, a resident of Erie, Pennsylvania; Samuel R., a resident of Con- neaut ; Gertrude M., Mrs. J. E. Close, of Con- neaut; Walter T., of Cleveland; and Anna Bell, who died at the age of eleven months.
The father was in the ministry at Mercer, Pennsylvania, from 1857 to 1874, and at Rock Island, Illinois, from 1874 for five years. He then moved to Bradford, Pennsylvania, and from there to Conneaut. The son Walter com- pleted his early schooling at Rock Island, and at Bradford became a reporter for a news- paper. On coming to Conneaut he became editor of the Herald, and was in that position until he became associated with the manufac- turing business of Mr. Record. After the sale. in 1901, of the tin-plate works to the American Can Company, he became state manager for the corporation, with office at Cleveland. His marriage to May Ellidia Record in 1890 is mentioned in the preceding pages.
HENRY WHITE TYLER is one of the vener- able and honored pioneer citizens of Garretts- ville. He is a native son of Portage county, a scion of one of the old and honored fami- lies of the Western Reserve, has lived from the time of his birth in Portage county, and has contributed his quota to its development and material upbuilding. For nearly a quarter of a century he was the leading contractor and builder of Garrettsville, and in this com- munity are many splendid monuments to his skill in his chosen vocation. After a business career of signal activity and usefulness, at- tended with its due complement of success, he is now living virtually retired, favored with an attractive home and its attendant comforts and surrounded by a host of friends, tried and true, so that he may well feel, as the shadows of his life begin to lengthen, that his "lines are cast in pleasant places."
Henry White Tyler was born in Hiram township, Portage county, Ohio, on the 22d of February, 1834, and is a son of Calvin and Emma (White) Tyler, both natives of the State of New York, where the respective fami- lies were founded in an early day. Calvin Ty- ler was reared and educated in the old Empire state of the Union, where he remained until after his marriage and whence he immigrated
to the Western Reserve in 1832. He located in Hiram township, Portage county, where he secured a tract of land from the state of Con- . necticut, whose holding of its possessions in Ohio gave title to the Western Reserve. The deed to the property was given to him by the duly constituted authorities of Connecticut. The land was still practically unreclaimed from the virgin forest, so that upon him de- volved the strenuous and protracted labors which fell to the lot of other sturdy pioneers in this now opulent and favored section of Ohio. He developed one of the valuable farms of Portage county and continued to re- side on the old homestead, one of the honored and influential citizens of his community, until 1872, when he went with his wife to Rouseville, Pennsylvania, where they passed the remainder of their lives in the home of their son, Dr. W. C. Tyler. Calvin Tyler was to transcend the span of three score years and ten, allotted by the psalmist, since he was about ninety-four years of age at the time of his demise-a verit- able patriarch in a goodly land. He was a son of Hiel Tyler, who passed his entire life in the state of New York and who was a representa- tive of a sterling family founded in New Eng- land in the colonial epoch. The family is of staunch English origin.
Mrs. Emma (White) Tyler was born in the eastern part of the state of New York, where she was reared and where her marriage to Calvin Tyler was solemnized. She was a daughter of Jeremiah White, who likewise was a native of the state of New York, where he passed his entire life. She was about eighty- two years of age at the time of her death and passed away in the secure Christian faith through which her life had ever been guided and governed. Both she and her husband were devout members of the Baptist church. They became the parents of three sons and two (laughters, all of whom are living except the oldest daughter, Matilda, who became the wife of L. A. Burroughs, and who died at the age of seventy-two years. Henry W., of this re- view, who was the third in order of birth, is the only one who still resides in Portage county.
Henry W. Tyler reverts with pleasing mem- ories to his boyhood days on the old homestead farm which was the place of his birth and there he was reared to years of maturity, in the meanwhile availing himself of the advan- tages of the common schools of what may be termed the middle-pioneer epoch in this section of the state. He thus attended the primitive
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district school during the winter terms and through the summer seasons gave his aid in the work of the home farm, where he waxed strong. in mind and body under the sturdy dis- cipline involved. He continued to be associated in the work and management of the farm until he had attained to his legal majority, when he entered upon an apprenticement to the trade of carpenter, serving the full term and becom- ing a skilled artisan and master builder. Thus admirably qualified for his chosen vocation it is not difficult to realize that his ability, coupled with energy, ambition and sterling integrity of purpose, soon gained to him definite prestige and success. He took up his residence in Gar- rettsville in 1864, and no other man has con- tributed in so large measure to the upbuilding of this village as he, for it is a matter of record that he has here erected more buildings than has any other carpenter or contractor who has ever been engaged in business in the village. He continued to be actively engaged in con- tracting and building until 1891, since which time he has lived retired in his fine homestead, which was erected by him and which is pleas- antly located on Windham street, being one of the most attractive homes in the village. Not only has Mr. Tyler thus aided in the advance- ment of his home town through his specific labors as a contractor and builder, but he has also shown the public spirit and progressive ideas which ever prove potent in furthering civic advancement. All worthy measures for the general good of the community have re- ceived his support and co-operation and he has viewed with much gratification the various stages of the development of Garrettsville from an obscure hamlet to the status of an attractive and thriving little city.
In politics Mr. Tyler has been identified with the Republican party from the time of its organization, as he cast his first presidential vote for its first presidential candidate, General John C. Fremont, and since that time each successive election has witnessed his deposition of a ballot in support of the Republican candi- date for the presidency, while in state and local affairs he is always found arrayed in support of the party principles. He and his wife are most zealous and devoted members of the Con- gregational church and have been active in all departments of its work in their home village. He served many years as a memberof the board. of trustees of his church and in the same has held other official preferments. In the connec- tion it may be stated that he erected the Con-
gregational church edifice, besides two of the other three church buildings in Garrettsville, where many of the best residences also stand in evidence of his ability and effective labors in past years.
On the 8th of September, 1860, was solem- nized the marriage of Mr. Tyler to Miss Jane Clark, who was born in Nelson township, Portage county, Ohio, July 7, 1836, and who is a daughter of Silas and Sarah Ann (Paine) Clark, the former of whom was born in Con- necticut and the latter in the state of New York. Silas Clark was about six years of age at the time that his father, Wells Clark, re- moved with his family from Connecticut, to the Western Reserve, where he numbered himself among the early settlers of Nelson township, Portage county, and where he reclaimed a farm and passed the remainder of his life. Silas Clark became one of the representative farmers and influential citizens of the same township, where he was reared to maturity and where he continued to make his home until his death, in the fulness of years and well earned honors. His wife was reared and educated in the state of New York, whence she came to Portage county when a young woman, for the purpose of engaging as a teacher in the local schools. She was thus employed, in Nelson township, until Silas Clark prevailed upon her to abandon the pedagogic profession and become his wife. Their married life was one of mutual affection and helpfulness and was idyllic in character during the long years of their companionship. Mr. Clark died at the age of sixty-three years, and his wife long survived him, passing away at the exceptionally venerable age of ninety- three years. They became the parents of two sons and four daughters, and of this number, three are now living. The parents were de- vout members of the Congregational church and their lives counted for good in all relations.
Mrs. Tyler was reared and educated in Nel- son township, and that she made good use of her opportunities is evident when we revert to the fact that when but fifteen years of age she became a teacher in the district schools. She continued in this vocation for eight years and was one of the successful and popular teachers in her native county at the time of her marriage. Mr. and Mrs. Tyler have one daughter, Myrta, who is an expert stenogra- pher and who is employed as such in the office of A. S. Cole, engaged in the law business in the city of Ravenna, the capital of Portage county.
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RANSOM KENNEDY .- There is all of consis- tency in according in this publication a tribute to the sterling citizen and honored pioneer whose name introduces this article. He was long identified with lake marine affairs, in which connection he was the owner of vessels and active master of one or more, and later he became one of the leading business men of the village of Willoughby, Lake county, where the enterprise of which he was the founder is still continued, his son Hiram F., being one of the two interested principals in the same.
Ransom Kennedy was born at Parkman, Geauga county, Ohio, on the 2d of December, 1820, and died at his home in Willoughby on the 3d of July, 1887. His father was a native of Connecticut and was one of the pioneer settlers in Geauga county, where he continued to reside until his death ; his wife was eighty- seven years of age at the time of her demise. Ransom Kennedy passed virtually his entire life in the Western Reserve and to its pioneer schools he was indebted for his early educa- tional training. In his youth he learned the dual trade of carpenter and millwright, and he eventually became a successful ship builder, having constructed the "J. C. Hills" and also the "H. G. Williams" at Fairport Harbor, Lake county. He sailed as master of the latter vessel and was familiarly known as Captain Kennedy. He also purchased the "Saginaw," of which he was master. In 1848 he settled on the shore of Lake Erie, in Willoughby township, and there he developed a valuable farm while still ac- tively identified with lake-navigation interests. On the 17th of June, 1850, the steamer "Grif- fith" was wrecked off the coast near his home and he saved several lives at the time of this disaster, as he did later on the occasion of those of minor order. He continued as a vessel owner and master about twenty years and he then, in 1865, removed from his farm to the village of Willoughby, where he opened a tin and grocery store. In 1870 he established a general hardware store, in the conducting of which he associated himself with his son Hiram F., under the firm name of R. Kennedy & Son. He continued to be actively identified with this flourishing business until his death, since which time it has been continued under the firm name of Kennedy & Rockafellow. Of this firm Hiram F. Kennedy is now the senior member. The original store was destroyed by fire in 1882. and within a short time the present substantial brick structure was erected. The same is two stories in height, and the main building is
twenty-five by eighty feet in dimensions. Back of this is a warehouse, twenty by seventy feet in dimensions and two stories in height. The entire building is demanded for the accom- modation of the extensive business controlled by the firm. All kinds of heavy and shelf hardware are handled and a first-class plumb- ing department has been added to the establish- ment. The stock carried represents an invest- ment of about fifteen thousand dollars and the annual trade has reached the noteworthy ag- gregate of fully thirty thousand dollars a year.
Mr. Kennedy was a man of sterling charac- ter and marked business acumen. As a citizen he was essentially public spirited and he took an active interest in local affairs. He was a Republican in his political proclivities and he served in various local offices of trust, includ- ing that of township trustee, as well as that of member of the village council of Willough- by. His wife was a devout member of the Christian or Disciples' church and he accorded to the same a liberal support.
When about twenty years of age Ransom Kennedy was united in marriage to Miss Laura White, daughter of Joseph White, an early settler of the village of Willoughby. Mrs. Ken- nedy was summoned to the life eternal in the year 1882, and of their children brief record is here given : Hiram F., the eldest is made the subject of more specific mention in following paragraphs ; Helen M., is a teacher in St. Paul, Minnesota ; Joseph W., resides in New York City, where he is treasurer and purchasing agent for the New York Steam Heating Com- pany; James L., is a successful merchant at Weeping Water, Nebraska; Clara M., is the ยท wife of U. M. Thomas, of Los Angeles, Cali- fornia ; Bertha E., is the wife of James T. Ingersoll, of St. Paul, Minnesota ; and Ransom S. died at the age of forty years.
Hiram F. Kennedy was born in Mayfield, township, Cuyahoga county, Ohio, on the 14th of January, 1847, and was reared on the old homestead farm to which reference has been made in the preceding context. He continued to be associated with his father in his farming and navigation interests for fourteen years and for some time he held the position of first mate of the "Saginaw," a vessel owned by his father, as already noted. Of his connection with the fine business enterprise in the village of Willoughby mention has been made, and it is largely due to his energy and administra- tive ability that the firm now controls so large and substantial a trade. He is one of the
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popular citizens and representative business men of Lake county, and he has ever stood ready to contribute to all enterprises and mea- sures tending to conserve the general welfare and progress of his home town and county. He was treasurer of Willoughby township for a period of ten years, served nine years as a member of the village council and was a mem- ber of the village board of public affairs about six years. At the present time he is a member of the board of health of Willoughby and is a trustee of the Andrews Institute for Girls, at Willoughby, being secretary and treasurer of the board of trustees. His political allegiance is given to the Republican party and he is a member of the board of trustees of the local Presbyterian church, in which his wife holds membership.
In the Masonic fraternity Mr. Kennedy has attained to the 32d degree in the Ancient Accepted Scottish Rite, in which branch he is identified with the consistory of the valley of Cleveland. He is pastmaster of Willoughby Lodge, No. 302, Free and Accepted Masons ; past high priest of Painesville Chapter, No. 46, Royal Arch Masons, at Painesville ; and past eminent commander of Eagle Commandery, No. 29, Knights Templars, in the same city. He also holds membership in Al Koran Tem- ple, Ancient Arabic Order of the Mystic Shrine, in the city of Cleveland, has served as representative in the grand lodge, chapter and commanderv, and is past worthy patron of Willoughby Chapter, No. 202, Order of the Eastern Star, with which Mrs. Kennedy also is identified.
In the year 1878 was solemnized the mar- riage of Hiram F. Kennedy to Miss Annah Rockafellow, who was born at Kirtland, Lake county, Ohio, and who is a daughter of Howell and Chloe (Parks) Rockafellow, both now deceased. Mr. and Mrs. Kennedy have no children but they have reared in their home the latter's niece, Miss Della Wightman. The attractive family home is a center of gracious hospitality and is a favored rendezvous for a wide circle of friends.
LEWIS B. FISH .- That part of the Western Reserve included within the boundaries of Ashtabula county is fortunate in having been settled by a remarkably enterprising, indus- trious and intelligent class of people ; and among the number were the parents of Mr. Fish, and three of his brothers. His father, Benjamin Fish, settled not far from Geneva,
and subsequently lived and died on the home- stead he redeemed from the wilderness. He reared four sons, all of whom became residents of Ashtabula county, namely : Lathrop, Lewis B., Elijah B., and Hosea.
Lathrop Fish bought land lying west of Geneva, and was there successfully engaged in tilling the soil a few years and then moved to DeKalb, Illinois. Elijah B. Fish owned land near the old village of Geneva. He was a car- penter by trade, being first located at Kings- ville, and later in Geneva. When Geneva was incorporated, he owned considerable property in the village, but during his later years he resided on West Main street, in the west side of the city, his home being now owned by his nephew, David Fish. He died at the age of four score years. Elijah B. Fish was twice married, his first wife having been Calista Peck, and his second wife Patty Maria Keeley. He had no children by either marriage. Hosea Fish, the youngest son of Benjamin Fish, at one time was the owner of the old homestead in this county, but he sold out, and moved to Michigan and later to Kansas.
A son of Benjamin and Achsa (Osborn) Fish, Lewis B. Fish was born, 1819, at Ware- house Point, Hartford, Connecticut, where he was brought up and educated, being trained to habits of industry and thrift in his New Eng- land home. At the age of twenty-one years, he came to the Western Reserve, following in the footsteps of his elder brother, Lathrop Fish, who was already living here. Marrying soon after coming to this county, he bought a tract of land lying one and one-half miles west of old Geneva, beginning life in the typical pioneer manner, and for many years after was one of the foremost in advancing the agri- cultural interests of that section of the country. Selling out in 1844, he moved to the North Ridge, buying a part of the farm formerly owned by his brother Lathrop, who had mi- grated to Illinois, where he spent his last days. On this farm, which was one and one-half miles west of Geneva, he made improvements of a substantial character, and was there profit- ably engaged in general farming until his death, April 5, 1885.
Lewis B. Fish married Emily Smith, a daughter of David Smith, for whom he worked when first coming to Ashtabula county, and a sister of Anson Smith, a prominent resident of Geneva. She survived him for more than a score of years, passing away March 3, 1906. Three children were born of their union,
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namely : Marilla, now living, unmarried, in Oregon ; David A .; and Frank L., residing in Oregon.
David A. Fish, born August 21, 1843, on the farm which his parents first owned, remained at home until becoming of age. Since 1884 he has worked at the carpenter's trade, and has been associated with the erection of many of the more important residences and public build- ings of this locality. Prior to 1884, however, he was variously employed, for four years being foreman of a toothpick and basket fac- tory in New York.
On October 10, 1866, Mr. Fish married Fanny C. Fobes, a daughter of Henry C. and Electra (Ward) Fobes. She was born in Wayne township, Ashtabula county, and died at her home, in Geneva, March 31, 1905, after a happy wedded life of nearly forty years. Mr. and Mrs. Fish were the parents of two children, namely: Mertie K., wife of Walter Locke, of Geneva; and Mabel E., wife of Charles H. Merritt, a farmer in Geneva town- ship. Politically Mr. Fish is a staunch advocate of the principles of the Republican party.
CHARLES W. SEIBERLING .- In view of the progressiveness of Akron's captains of indus- try and the many channels in which their energies are directed, it is not surprising that the city has forged to the front along indus- trial and commercial lines. An idea of the diversity of interests here represented may be gained from a perusal of the various per- sonal sketches appearing in this publication, and among those who have contributed to the substantial upbuilding of Akron as a manu- facturing and distributing center is Charles W. Seiberling, who is one of the representative business men of this city, and thus of his native county, and who is vice president and treasurer of the Goodyear Tire & Rubber Company, besides which he is interested in various other manufacturing concerns of im- portant order. His honored father held a position of prominence and influence in con- nection with industrial affairs in Summit county and through his genius as an inventor and his success as a manufacturer he did much to further the industrial pre-eminence of the city of Akron, with whose business and civic interests he continued to be actively identified until his death.
Charles W. Seiberling was born on the homestead farm in Norton township, Summit county, Ohio, on January 26, 1861, and is the
second in order of birth of the sons of John F. and Catherine L. (Miller) Seiberling, the former of whom died, in Akron, on Septem- ber 3, 1903, and the latter is still living in Akron. They became the parents of eleven children, of whom nine are living.
John F. Seiberling was a scion of one of the honored pioneer families of Summit coun- ty. He was born in Norton township, this county, on March 10, 1834, and there was reared to maturity on the pioneer farm, the while his educational advantages were those afforded in the common schools of the locality and period. He was possessed of marked me- chanical genius, and through his studies and experimentation evolved many useful inven- tions, especially in the line of agricultural implements and machinery, through which he gained eventually distinctive success and pre- cedence. For a number of years he operated a saw mill in Norton township, and in the meanwhile he gave much time and study to the perfecting of his inventions of the agri- cultural machinery with which his name is still identified and which gave him place among the leading inventors who have added to the economic utilities of the world. In the spring of 1861 he removed with his family to Doylestown, where he engaged in the manu- facturing of his inventions, and in 1865, prompted by the same desire for wider facili- ties and better commercial privileges, he re- moved to Akron, where his success in his chosen field of endeavor was thereafter of the most pronounced type. Here he became the promoter of manufacturing industries which have had great influence in furthering the in- dustrial precedence and substantial upbuilding of the city, and, unlike many other inventors, he was a man of fine business acumen, so that he brought his administrative powers into effective play in connection with the develop- ment of the various industrial enterprises with which he identified himself. Some time after locating in Akron he called to his aid in de- veloping his plans his eldest son, Frank A., who was then attending college and who is now president and general manager of the Goodyear Tire & Rubber Company, and in- dividual mention of him is made on other pages of this work.
In 1871 John F. Seiberling effected the or- ganization and incorporation of the Akron Strawboard Company ; in 1883 he founded the Seiberling Milling Company; and in 1889 he secured a controlling interest in the Akron
Statement L
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Electric Street Railway. His original enter- prise in Akron was that of manufacturing the Empire mowers and reapers, of which he was the inventor, and the business was conducted under the title of J. F. Seiberling & Co. until 1884, when the business was incorporated under the name of the J. F. Seiberling Com- pany, which was retained until 1896. John F. Seiberling left a deep and indelible impress upon the industrial history of Akron and his native state, and his career was one of noble productiveness and generous objective benef- icence. He was a man of impregnable in- tegrity, unostentatious in bearing, democratic in his views, and secure and certain in placing proper values upon men and affairs. His po- litical allegiance was given to the Republican party, and his religious faith was that of the Lutheran church, of which his wife also is a devoted member. He wielded much influence in the community and through his industrial enterprises aided in the maintenance of many families. He was progressive and public- spirited, but was essentially a business man and had no ambition to enter public office of any description, though ever ready to aid in the support of all worthy objects advanced for the good of his home city.
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