USA > Ohio > History of the Western Reserve, Vol. II > Part 22
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Jonathan Ward was born in Pittstown, Rensselaer county, New York, on the 15th of March, 1823, and is a son of Elliott Ward, Jr., and Sally (Sherman) Ward. His father was born in Pittsfield, Connecticut, and his mother in the state of Rhode Island. Their marriage was solemnized in the state of New York and in 1835 they removed thence to Ohio, making the trip by way of the Erie canal and Lake Erie to Fairport, Lake county. The father, who was a tailor by trade, engaged in the work of the same in the village of Willoughby. His sons Elijah and Jonathan and also his daugh- ter Mary assisted him in the shop, and soon after his arrival in the county he purchased land just south of the village, opposite the present home of Watson Brown, where he continued to reside until venerable in years. Both he and his wife passed the closing years of their lives in Shelby, Richland countv. He was' about eighty-five years of age at the time
Jours Gory Jovaly
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of his death, and his wife, who survived him by several years, was about ten years his junior. His brother Allen also became one of the early settlers of Lake county, and here also came their honored father, Rev. Elliott Ward, who gained wide recognition as one of the able and honored pioneer clergymen of the Methodist Episcopal church in this section of the state. Of the children of Elliott Ward, Jr., brief record is given in the following paragraph.
. Mary Ann, who became the wife of Dr. Sidney Green, a representative physician and surgeon of Norwalk, Ohio, was seventy years of age at the time of her death. Elijah, who died in 1903, is individually mentioned on other pages of this work. Jonathan, the im- mediate subject of this sketch, was the next in order of birth. Ziporah became the wife of A. Lyon Mattson, a representative member of the bar of Mansfield, Ohio, and she likewise lived to a venerable age. Emily first married Charles G. Bruce and after his death became the wife of Christopher Smith. She was seventy years of age at the time of her demise. Lydia married Captain Cyrus Askew; Lucy, who became the wife of Lewis White, of Wic- kliffe, Lake county, was about sixty-five years of age at the time of her death. Hiram went forth in defense of the Union in the Civil war, was wounded and then captured by the enemy, and he died in Libby prison, as the result of his wounds.
Jonathan Ward was about twelve years of age at the time of the family removal from New York state to Ohio, and his early educa- tional discipline was secured in the common schools of his native state and those of Lake county, Ohio. He continued his father's assis- tant in the work of the latter's tailor shop until he was about twenty years of age, when he entered upon an apprenticeship to the coop- er's trade, under the direction of his uncle, Al- len Ward, of Willoughby, with whom he re- mained three or four years. . After working at his trade for some time he and his brother Elijah bought land and became associated in farming, in which they continued after the death of their father, whose old homestead they divided after the marriage of Elijah. Jonathan secured as his share one hundred acres, besides which he is the owner of a farm of thirty-seven acres, one mile distant from the old homestead. The major portion of his larger farm is rented and is devoted to diver- sified agriculture and dairying. He maintains his home on this farm, and his present attrac-
tive and commodious residence was erected by him in 1887. He has made other substantial im- provements on his farms and has aided in the development of this section from a compara- tive wilderness into one of the most opulent portions of the Western Reserve. He has ordered his course according to the highest principles of integrity and honor and thus has retained at all times the confidence and esteem of the community which has repre- sented his home from his boyhood days. In politics he was formerly aligned as a stanch supporter of the cause of the Republican party, but he is well fortified in his opinions and now has marked socialistic tendencies in designat- ing his political faith. He is a member of the Willoughby Grange, Patrons of Husbandry, and still takes an active interest in its affairs.
At the age of twenty-five years Mr. Ward was united in marriage to Miss Ruth Maria Carpenter, who was born at Mentor, Lake county, a daughter of Benjamin Hodges Car- penter, who was then a popular school teacher of Lake county. Mrs. Ward, who was a de- voted member of the Universalist church, and was survived by three children : Belle, who be- came the wife of Edwin Barnes and died about two years after her marriage; Mary, who is the wife of John P. Curtis, of whom individaul mention is made in this work; and Hiram E., who is the youngest of the children, is a suc- cessful evangelist and is the owner of a fine ranch and fruit farm near Los Angeles, Cali- fornia.
HON. E. G. JOHNSON .- Among. the able, rugged and benevolent characters who have contributed their work and good influences to the progress of the Western Reserve, none have a more secure place in its annals and in the hearts of its people than Hon. E. G. John- son, the veteran lawyer of Elyria, leading Re- publican and public man, and, in 1892, nom- inee for congressional representative of the Fourteenth district of Ohio. In active prac- tice for more than half a century, he has not only maintained his professional and intellec- tual eminence among his fellow attorneys, but has clung so closely to the highest ethics of the law, to the highest standards of manhood and moralitv, that warm admiration and profound respect have never been divorced in the public estimate of his character. His official service for Lorain county has been equally efficient and honorable, while his personal relations with friends and kindred have evinced that
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straightforwardness, helpfulness and open- hearted generosity which have saved him from mere popularity and brought him the higher blessings of general affection. From the time of his service in the Civil war to the present, there is no phase of his life which has failed to demonstrate aught but bravery and inde- pendence, based upon intellectual and moral sincerity ; and both his friends and his enemies have always found him where he believed, in his deepest soul, that he was a champion of the right.
Mr. Johnson was born on the old home farm in LaGrange township, Lorain county, Ohio, on the 24th of November, 1836, his father, Hon. Nathan P. Johnson, migrating to that section of the Western Reserve from Jeffer- son county, New York, in 1833. Securing a tract of heavily timbered land, with the assist- ance of his sons he eventually reclaimed a valu- able homestead from the wilderness, and at the same time made his influence strongly felt in the pioneer legislation of the state. At his death in 1874 he had served two years in the Ohio house of representatives and two in the senate, as well as filled various local and county offices. The deceased was a man of fine men- tality and morality and his son obviously in- herited the strongest and best traits of his char- acter.
E. G. Johnson was therefore reared under parental and home influences of the most salu- tary nature, and most generously did the boy and youth respond to such a fostering environ- ment. His work on the farm insured him physical hardihood, which largely gives birth to mental and moral stanchness, and after he had drained the facilities of the country schools of his home neighborhood he attended Oberlin College for several terms. Before he attained his majority he had commenced to teach, and during the several years in which he thus im- parted knowledge to others the fundamentals of a thorough education were firmly laid in his own mind. His case was no exception to the general rule-that teaching has always been a fine preparation for the law; and the latter profession Mr. Johnson had already deter- mined to master. His first professional stud- ies were under the tutelage of L. A. Sheldon, of Elyria, who subsequently distinguished him- self as a Union general, a Louisiana congress- man and governor of New Mexico. On the 12th of March, 1859, Mr. Johnson obtained a certificate of his admission to the Ohio bar, al- though he had been elected justice of the peace
in 1857. LaGrange township and Elyria have since been the headquarters of a continuous, lucrative and laudable practice. Soon after the outbreak of the Civil war he closed his law and justice's office and enlisted in Company A, afterward Company I, of the Eighth Ohio Vol- unteer Infantry, for three months. He went out as first lieutenant and was promoted to the rank of captain. While at Camp Dennison he re-enlisted for three years, but was rejected by the surgeon, who declared him physically unfit for military duty, and he was therefore honor- ably discharged. It was several years after his return before he recovered his health. He re- sumed his duties as lawyer and justice of the peace, retaining the latter until 1867. In 1868 he was elected auditor of Lorain county, and, by successive elections, remained in office until his resignation in 1876, the former year mark- ing the commencement of his continuous resi- dence in Elyria. Since his retirement from the county auditorship he has given himself to the work of his profession, having. appeared in much important litigation in both the state and federal courts. Such practice has gained him high repute, both as an able and versatile advocate and as a counselor abundantly forti- fied with the minutiæ of jurisprudence.
In politics, Mr. Johnson has long been rec- ognized as a leader of his party in the Western Reserve. For twelve years he served as chair- man of the Lorain county Republican commit- tee ; was a delegate to the national convention of his party in 1884, and in 1892 was his party's nominee for congressional representa- tive from the Fourteenth district of Ohio, but met defeat in the Democratic landslide of that year. His long political career has brought him into close association with President Gar- field, President Mckinley, John Sherman, Sen- ators Hanna and Foraker, and other great Ohio leaders, and such contact has always re- sulted in warm and enduring friendship.
Faithfully wedded to his profession, Mr. Johnson has seldom long deserted it, although he made quite an extended European trip in 1886 and a western tour in 1887. On one of his tours to the Rocky mountains, his compan- ion was Rev. T. C. Warner, the pastor of the Elyria Methodist church, to whom he had be- come greatly attached, and who enjoyed a much-needed vacation at Mr. Johnson's ex- pense. This is but one illustration of many which might be adduced showing his practical and thoughtful helpfulness. The instance il- lustrates but one of the many traits which have
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given Mr. Johnson such a strong and endur- ing hold on the people of Lorain county and the Western Reserve.
On January 1, 1859, Mr. Johnson was united in marriage with Lydia D. Gott, born April 4, 1841, and she died very suddenly on Novem- ber 4, 1909. Mrs. Johnson came from splen- did pioneer stock. Her father, Peter Gott, was one of the strongest of those strong men who settled in LaGrange township in the early day and cleared the forests and cultivated pros- perous farms. Some one speaking of him said he seemed like a sturdy oak in a forest of great trees. To her parents Mrs. Johnson no doubt owed that rich religious nature which she en- joyed, for Mr. and Mrs. Gott were devout Christians and enjoyed the confidence of all who knew them.
Mrs. Johnson was stricken while seemingly in perfect health, and her death was a severe shock to family and friends. Seldom does a community possess such a beautiful character. She became a Christian when a girl and was a central figure in the work of the Methodist Episcopal church. She was a woman of an intense religious nature; her religion was no cold form of profession, but her heart was in it to such a degree that it took first place. Ex- ceedingly generous to all worthy causes, espe- cially to the poor, such times as Christmas and Thanksgiving she gave substantial expression of her sympathy for them. Exceedingly kind to the sick, she remembered them either by her presence or in a substantial way. Her enthu- siasm for her church was so marked that no lady member in its history did more as an indi- vidual than Mrs. Johnson. She was also an active and effective worker in the cause of tem- perance, being a member of the W. C. T. U. She loved her home, which has now suffered the loss of a faithful wife and devoted mother. Her home was her castle. For it no sacrifice was too great, no labor too exhausting. Eleven children were born to Mr. and Mrs. Johnson, seven of whom are living, as follows: Nathan P., of Beaverton, Oregon; Webster H., of Elyria ; Laura, wife of O. C. Trembley, of Tif- fin, Ohio; Agnes, at home; Hale C., a success- ful attorney of Elyria, member of the firm of E. G., H. C. & T. C. Johnson; Bessie is Mrs. Charles E. Mudge, of Elyria ; and Thomas C., an attorney of Elyria, member of the above mentioned firm.
JOHN P. CURTIS .- As a scion of one of the sterling pioneer families of the Western Re-
serve and as an able and popular exponent of the great basic art of agriculture in Lake county, Mr. Curtis, who is operating one of the valuable farms of Willoughby township, is well entitled to representation in this work. He is a grandson of Eleazer Curtis, who was numbered among the early settlers of Florence township, Erie county, Ohio, where he took up his residence in 1831. Eleazer Curtis came to the Western Reserve from Salisbury, Con- necticut, and as he was the possessor of three thousand dollars, considered a comfortable fortune in those pioneers days, he became the wealthiest citizen of Florence township, where he purchased a tract of land and reclaimed a farm from the forest. There he continued to reside until his death, at the age of sixty years, and the old homestead still remains in the possession of his descendants. He was the father of John W., Lucius, Henry and Birdsey, and the two first mentioned became the owners of the old homestead farm after his death. In 1848 John W. Curtis removed to Milan town- ship, Erie county, where he became the owner of a good farm and where he maintained his home until his death, which occurred when he was seventy-one years of age. His wife, whose maiden name was Patience Tucker, was a native of Homer, New York, and was a child at the time of her parents' removal from the old Empire state to Erie county, Ohio. She was eighty-six years of age at the time of her death. John W. and Patience (Tucker) Cur- tis became the parents of five children, all of whom are still living. John P., subject of this review, is the eldest of the number; Lee is identified with the Winchester Arms Company, of New Haven, Connecticut ; Laura is the wife of Adam Stewart, and they reside on her father's old homestead farm in Florence town- ship, Erie county ; Clara is the wife of Donald Donaldson, of Houston, Texas; and Walter J. is a prosperous farmer of Cobb county, Georgia.
John P. Curtis was born in Florence town- ship, Erie county, Ohio, on January 12, 1846, and in his native county he received the ad- vantages of the common schools of the period. He continued to be associated in the work of the home farm until the time of the Civil war, when he enlisted as a member of Company B, One Hundred and Ninety-seventh Ohio Volunteer Infantry, with which he served about one year, at the expiration of which he received his honorable discharge. As a youth he put his scholastic attainments to
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practical use by teaching in the district schools, in which he was engaged for about twelve winter terms, principally in Erie county, Ohio, but for a time also in the state of Illinois. He was also employed as a clay worker for some time.
In 1875 Mr. Curtis was united in marriage to Miss Phoebe A. Peasly, who died two years later, leaving one child, Bertha A., who is now the wife of Ernest Milliman, of Milan township, Erie county. In December, 1888, Mr. Curtis wedded Miss Mary Ward, daugh- ter of Jonathan Ward, an honored pioneer of Lake county, to whom a specific tribute is given on other pages of this work. The only child of this marriage is John Carlyle Curtis, who was born in October, 1900. Since his second marriage Mr. Curtis has had charge of the farm properties of his venerable father-in-law, in Willoughby township, Lake county, and he is known as one of the pro- gressive and loyal citizens of this county, where he enjoys marked popular esteem.
In politics Mr. Curtis has never lacked the courage of his convictions nor failed to sup- port the principles and measures which ap- pealed to his judgment. In early manhood he was aligned with the Republican party and later he became an active worker in the cause of the Democratic party, on whose ticket he was at one time nominee for the office of county commissioner of Lake county. In 1904 he did not approve the choice of the party in selecting its presidential nominee, and he has since been a zealous supporter of the cause of the Socialist party.
JOHN E. RICHARDSON, a public-spirited busi- ness man and citizen of Ravenna, is one of the dyeing experts of the country, president of the Atlantic Milling Company of that place and interested in other large industries of Portage county. He is also president of the city coun- cil-a man whose influence is broad and strong and whose enthusiasm for wholesome progress is contagious and inspiring. He is an English- man, born in Liverpool, in August, 1862, son of Benjamin and Mary (Peace) Richardson, both natives of Yorkshire. They were the parents of five sons and seven daughters, John E. being the third child. The boy ob- tained an elementary education in the York- shire schools and some experience in the trade, science and art of dyeing woolens; for the processes involved call for the application of mechanics, technical knowledge and a fine sense of harmony and contrast in colors. At
the age of eighteen, John E. Richardson went to Germany and Austria to complete his train- ing in dyeing and finishing, and after spending several months in the leading woolen mills of those countries returned to Yorkshire to suc- ceed his brother as a boss dyer. Three years later he moved to Tourcoing, north France, where he assumed a similar position. A year later he returned to England, but after four months spent at home emigrated to the United States and spent two years in charge of the dyeing at the Lymansville (Rhode Island) woolen mills. Mr. Richardson spent the suc- ceeding two years in England, as a master dyer, and upon his return to this country be- came superintendent of dyeing in the worsted mills of James Roy and Company at West Troy, New York. Four years and a half later he located at Ravenna to accept a responsible position in his line with the Cleveland Worsted Mill, the leading manufactory of the kind in the United States. Besides being the president and largest stockholder in the Atlantic Milling Company of Ravenna, he is a director of the Byers Machine Company of Ravenna and of the Seneca Chain Works of Kent, as well as the largest stockholder in the latter.
A sturdy Republican in politics, Mr. Rich- ardson has taken an active interest and a leading part in local public affairs for some years past. He has been a councilman of Ravenna since 1904 and president of the city board since 1906. He is a thirty-second degree Mason, being a member of the Troy (New York) Commandery, Oriental Temple of Cleveland (Ohio) and the Mystic Shrine of Troy ; and is also affiliated with the Knights of Pythias and the Benevolent and Protective Order of Elks, Ravenna. In September, 1894, Mr. Richardson was united in marriage with Miss Sarah Redfern, a native of England and daughter of William and Martha (Wormsley) Redfern.
WILLIAM L. POE is a native son of Ravenna, and during many years he has been promi- nently identified with its business interests, at the present time being connected with its wholesale trade. He traces his lineage back to the fatherland of Germany, from whence came his paternal great-grandparents, and his grand- father was born on the ocean en route. He was given the name of Andrew, and his wife bore the maiden name of Sarah Rutan. Among their children was a son Adam, who was born in Beaver county, Pennsylvania, and he be-
HP. Cadrul
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came the father of William L. Adam Poe served his country during the war of 1812, and during his military period he suffered a broken foot from the accidental falling of his horse, this accident occurred while in service. After the close of the war, and while passing through Ravenna and its subsequent territory, he be- came so pleased with its outlook that he in- vested in two hundred and forty acres in what is now the western part of the city. But con- tinuing his journey to Beaver county, Pennsyl- vania, he remained there until 1822, and then returned to Ravenna and began the work of clearing his land, for at the time of the pur- chase it was heavily wooded. He had the brick made with which to build his house, at that time the finest in the township, and in time he cleared and improved his land and farmed it until his death in the year of 1859. His widow afterward resided with her children in Ravenna until her death in 1876. She bore the name of Eliza Laughlin, and was also from Beaver county, Pennsylvania, as were also her parents, Thomas and Sally (Simpson) Laughlin.
William L. Poe, the fifth born of their seven sons and one daughter, received his educa- tional training in the district schools and in the Ravenna high school, and he entered upon his business career as a clerk in the F. W. Sey- mour Dry Goods store in Ravenna. At the close of three years as an employe he pur- chased Mr. Seymour's interest, and during fourteen years he was also identified with the dry goods and clothing business. Since 1888, however, he has been engaged in the making of cheese and in the wholesale produce busi- ness, shipping his products over all the western states.
Mr. Poe married in 1865 Lois Hotchkiss, also born in Ravenna, a daughter of Julius and Corinthia (Babcock) Hotchkiss, from Con- necticut. The children of this union are: Arthur H., of Massillon, Ohio; Sarah, whose home is in Cleveland ; and Adah, at home with her father. Mrs. Poe died on the 15th of January, 1879, and in January of 1883 Mr. Poe was united in marriage to Le Mira E. Clark, born in Hudson, Summit county, Ohio, a daughter of Theodore and Annie (Metcalf) Clark. There are no children of this union. The family are Congregationalists in their re- ligious belief, and Mr. Poe is serving as a deacon and as one of the trustees of his church. He is a Republican politically and fraternally is connected with the Royal Arcanum.
EDWARD L. DAVIS .- Prominent among the capable, intelligent and trustworthy citizens of Portage county who have been appointed by the President of the United States to govern- ment positions is Edward L. Davis, postmaster at Garrettsville. He was born in England, March 8, 1840, and there lived until eleven years of age.
His father, Ellis Davis, was twice married, his first wife dying in the early part of the year 1840. He subsequently married again, and with his wife and children came, in 1851, to America, locating first at Hiram Rapids, Portage county, Ohio, as a miller. Five years later he established himself in the milling busi- ness at Garrettsville, and was here prosper- ously employed until his death, at the age of fifty-six years, in 1866.
Coming with his father and step-mother to Ohio in boyhood, Edward L. Davis attended the common schools, and after removing with the family to Garrettsville, more than half a century ago, he began working with his father in the mill, familiarizing himself with its man- agement. After the death of his father, Mr. Davis, who succeeded to the ownership of one- half of the mill, his step-father owning. the remaining half, assumed its entire charge, and for twenty-four years carried on a substantial business. Giving it up in 1880, he was engaged in the grocery business uutil 1906, when he was appointed, by President Roosevelt, post- master at Garrettsville. Mr. Davis has resided in the village for more than half a century. He was for twenty-five years clerk of the town, and for three years was a member of the Board of Education.
Mr. Davis has been twice married. He mar- ried first, in 1861, Ann Ferry, who died in 1875, leaving two children, Mary and Ellis. He married second, in 1876, Emma Morgan. She died in 1880, leaving two children also, Grace and Daisy. Politically Mr. Davis is a steadfast Republican, and fraternally he is a member of Garrettsville Lodge, I. O. O. F.
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