History of the Western Reserve, Vol. II, Part 49

Author: Upton, Harriet Taylor; Cutler, Harry Gardner, 1856-
Publication date: 1910
Publisher: Chicago ; New York : The Lewis Publishing Company
Number of Pages: 886

USA > Ohio > History of the Western Reserve, Vol. II > Part 49

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).

CHARLES H. . THOMPSON .- In the county of his birth it was given Charles H. Thompson to attain to a position as a representative busi- ness man and to maintain a secure hold upon the confidence and esteem of its people. He was

long numbered among the leading merchants of the village of Mantua, to whose upbuilding and civic progress he contributed in liberal measure, and he was a member of one of the well known and honored pioneer families of Portage county. His career was marked by impregnable integrity and he left the heritage of worthy thoughts and worthy deeds when he was called to his reward. His death oc- curred on May 16, 1902.

Charles H. Thompson was born in Freedom township, Portage county, Ohio, on June 2, 1846, and was a son of William and Fannie (Pierce) Thompson. William Thompson was a native of New Hampshire and a scion of a family founded in New England in the colonial days. He was a child at the time of his par- ents' immigration to the Western Reserve, in 1815, and his father, William Thompson, be- came one of the pioneer settlers of Shalers- ville, Portage county, where he passed the re- mainer of his life and where he became a suc- cessful farmer and influential citizen.

When Charles H. Thompson was a boy his parents removed from the homestead farm in Freedom township to the village of Shalers- ville, where he gained his early education in the common schools, after which he continued his higher studies in Hiram College. He gained his early business experience in Shalersville. where he finally became a successful and pop- ular hotelkeeper and where he continued to reside until 1873, when he removed to Mantina, where he established himself in the general merchandise business and where he built up a large and prosperous enterprise. His correct methods and fair and honorable dealing se- cured to him a substantial patronage of rep- resentative order, and no merchant in this sec- tion of the county enjoyed a higher degree of popular confidence and regard. He continued to be actively identified with the business in- terests of Mantua until 1901, covering a period of more than a quarter of a century, and at the time of his retirement he held prestige as one of the oldest, as well as one of the most hon- ored, business men of Mantua. After his re- tirement, owing to impaired health, he removed to the city of Ashtabula, where he died in the following year, on May 16, 1902, as already noted in this context. He had varied capitalistic interests in Mantua, where he was the first president of the First National Bank, and he ever maintained a lively interest in all that con- cerned the welfare and progress of his home village and county. His political allegiance

962

HISTORY OF THE WESTERN RESERVE

was given to the Republican party, and he was called upon to serve in various local offices. in- cluding that of land appraiser. He was affili- ated with the Masonic fraternity, in which he was identified with the Oriental Commandery of Knights Templar.

On July 19, 1871, was solemnized the mar- riage of Mr. Thompson to Miss Delia Blair, who survives him and who still maintains her home in Mantua, where her circle of friends is limited only by that of her acquaintances and where she is prominent in social activities. Mrs. Thompson was one of the organizers of Mystic Chapter No. 42, Eastern Star, Mantua, and she was its first worthy matron. She was born in Mantua, on November 17, 1846, and is a daughter of Chauncey and Martha (Story) Blair, and granddaughter of John and Hattie (Smith) Blair. Mr. Blair was born in this village, February 7, 1819, and was here reared and educated. He was a son of John Blair, who was numbered among the sterling pio- neers of Mantua township, where he took up his residence in 1806, and where he reclaimed a farm from the virgin forest. Chauncey Blair became one of the representative farmers of Portage county and was a citizen who wielded marked influence in his community, where he ever commanded unqualified esteem as a man of sterling character and as one who made his life count for good in all its relations. He was a Democrat in politics. His death oc- curred in 1895, and his wife was summoned to eternal rest in 1901. They became the parents of one son and seven daughters, and the son died when about seven years of age. All of the daughters are still living and concerning them the following brief data are consistently entered : Harriet is the widow of Seth Andrews and resides in Rootstown. Portage county ; Delia, widow of the subject of this memoir, was the next in order of birth ; Jennie is unmarried and resides in Mantua township; Addie is the wife of James B. Coit, of Mantua ; Nettie is the wife of Leroy Paine, of Mantua: Frank is the wife of Dr. J. E. Beery, of Columbus, Ohio; and Miss Cora maintains her home on the old farm.

Mrs. Thompson was reared in Portage coun- ty, which has ever represented her home, and after availing herself of the advantages of the common schools of Mantua she entered Hiram College, in which institution she completed a higher academic course. She put her scholastic attainments to the test, and for ten terms she was a successful and popular teacher in the

public schools of her native county. She finds much of satisfaction in that her home is estab- lished in the village so endeared to her by the memories and associations of the past and one in which she is surrounded by valued and loyal friends. She is a stockholder in the First National Bank of Mantua and is owner of the old William Thompson farm, of 210 acres, in Shalersville township, besides an interest in the old Blair homestead farm, in Mantua township, upon which her paternal grandfather settled in the year 1806, when he numbered himself among the pioneers of the Western Reserve, to whose development and progress he con- tributed his quota. One child was born to Mr. Thompson and wife, Clyde, who died when four months old.

CHARLES A. B. PRATT, deceased, late of Orwell, Ohio, was born in Connecticut, Janu- ary 23, 1818, and was brought to Ohio by his parents when fourteen years of age. His father, Ezra Pratt, was one of the earliest pio- neers of Orwell ; he was born near Old Lyme. Connecticut, and married Fanny Marvin. of the same vicinity. They came to Ohio in 1832. via the canal. He was a farmer and merchant. and besides a store at Orwell also had one in New York City. His wife was afraid of the sea and of the great lakes, so he bought land in Orwell, although he could have purchased on the present site of Cleveland. He pur- chased about one-half of the township, which was owned by the original proprietors. The main part of the present house was built in 1828, by a Mr. Spaulding. This was the half- way house between Ashtabula and Warren, and Mr. Pratt kept a tavern until a hotel could be opened in the village, and also immediately started a store, the first in Orwell; it stood on the opposite side of the house, and is still standing. The original house was a two-story brick. Besides taking care of the store, Mr. Pratt cleared up his farm ; he owned the four corners where his house was located. He erected a second store, which he later removed to Orwell village. He was one of the first members of the First Presbyterian church, and all his life took a prominent part in church work. He was active in all public matters. and used his influence for the establishment of schools. He was seventy years of age at his death. He had three sons and four daugh- ters, namely : Frances P., married and died in middle life: Julia L., married R. C. Newell. lived on an adjoining farm, and died at San Diego, California. at the age of ninety years ;

963

HISTORY OF THE WESTERN RESERVE

Phebe Stirling, married John S. Dixon, of Charlevoix, Michigan, where she died; Jane W., died when a young woman ; Charles A. B., referred to later ; E. Huntington, died unmar- ried, when a young man ; and Joseph, also died young, unmarried. Phebe (Pratt) Dixon's son Joseph returned to Orwell, although his mother and the remainder of the family did not.

Charles A. B. Pratt received his early edu- cation in his native state, and after coming to Ohio helped his father in the store and studied at Steubenville, Ohio. He also made potash, buying ashes all over the surrounding country ; in this he kept fourteen men busy, and be- came very successful. His father made butter and cheese, and about 1872 he assisted in es- tablishing a cheese factory, the first in Orwell, which became a great industry, and is still in operation. Mr. Pratt was active in starting and conducting the local agricultural fair, and until eleven years since the Orwell fair was an important event.

Mr. Pratt carried on general farming, and became owner of three farms at the old home corner. He carried on the store in Orwell village, and managed his business affairs as long as he lived. He was a stockholder in the Pennsylvania railway line running through the town. Both he and his father served as post- master for many years, also as justice of the peace. He was a Republican, an elder in the Presbyterian church, and served as clerk of the session for many years. He wrote a his- tory of that particular church, from its or- ganization until 1875, which was widely appre- ciated. Mr. Pratt died May 12, 1895. in Chi- cago, where two of his sons then resided. His loss was widely mourned in the community where most of his life had been spent.

Mr. Pratt married, in 1850, Mary Elizabeth Ely, of Ripley, New York; the family were from Connecticut, and distantly related to the Pratts. He met her in Connecticut when she was visiting. She was nine years his junior. and died in January, 1866, at the age of thirty- nine years. She was the mother of seven chil- dren. Mr. Pratt married (second) Helen A. Coggin, of Tewkesbury, Massachusetts, who survived him and died in Massachusetts, Au- gust 16, 1898. The only son by the second marriage was Jacob Coggin, of Chicago, man- ager of the John J. Crooke Company. The children of Mr. Pratt's first marriage were : Elizabeth Selden, died when a young woman : E. Huntington, of Chicago, with Knox Auto- mobile Company : Mary Ely, unmarried, living

in Pittsburg; Joseph Marvin, died in infancy ; Charles Marvin, died in childhood; Frances Marvin ; and Charles A. B., Jr., of New York City. Charles A. B. Pratt is an attorney in New York City, where he is a prominent club- man, and a deacon in Dr. Parkhurst's church. He is a graduate of Columbia Law School, and is meeting with pleasing success as a mem- ber of the firm of Pratt & McAlpin, corpora- tion attorneys. Frances Marvin Pratt lives in New York City, although she and her brother. Charles A. B., supervise the management of the old homestead in Orwell, which is kept in the family. It is now devoted to general and stock farming, with splendid results. She is also a member of Dr. Parkhurst's church. Her summers are spent on the farm in Orwell.

FRANK P. ROOD was born in Charlestown, Portage county, December 25. 1854, and is a son of Norman and Louisa (Tibbets) Rood, natives of Connecticut and New York respec- tively. They came to Charlestown between 1825 and 1830, and took up about 200 acres of land, then thickly wooded and surrounded by the forest. They had to clear a place in which to build the house, and later cleared up the farm as time went on. A frame house was erected later, and other buildings, which are now standing.

Frank P. Rood received his education in the district school and Ravenna high school, after which he lived with his parents and assisted with the labors on the farm, residing there until the time of his marriage. In political views he is Democratic, and he has held the offices of trustee and supervisor. Mr. Rood married Leora Chapman, July 30, 1884, and she died in July, 1886. He married (second). August 17, 1901, Mrs. Ada L. Taylor, who was born August 17, 1854, a daughter of Justin and Amelia (Knapp) Watrous. By Mrs. Rood's first marriage she had one son, Fred W. Taylor, born in Elmira, New York, Febru- ary 14, 1883. and now a resident of Ravenna. Mr. Rood is a public-spirited citizen, and takes an active interest in public affairs and improve- ments.

ALEXANDER VAIR, a prominent farmer of Charlestown, was born October 11, 1835, and is a son of George and Mary (Lowrie) Vair, both natives of Scotland, who emigrated in 1837, and July 28 of that year settled in Cleve- land. Ohio. George Vair worked at the car- penter trade for a time and then removed to Ravenna, where he continued at this avocation.

964

HISTORY OF THE WESTERN RESERVE

Ile spent four years on the Eric canal and later worked in Ravenna for the C. & P. Rail- road, being thirty years in the employ of the latter company. Subsequently he retired and bought a farm of 300 acres. At the time of his death he was ninety years of age. Of his three children, James, Christina and Alexan- der. only the last-named survives, and he has inherited his father's estate.

Alexander Vair assisted his father in clear- ing the farm, and later in cultivating same. They were pioneers, knowing the hardships of such a life, and were unused to the luxuries now so common. In political views Mr. Vair is a Republican, and has held the office of town supervisor, as well as many other offices. He has a pleasant home, with modern im- provements, and takes pleasure in his posses- sions. He has several photographs which are of interest, showing Scottish scenes, among them the Sir Walter Scott home, the birth- place of Burns, which was built of clay and thatched with straw, and the Burns monument at Alloway, as well as a picture of the burying ground near the Abbey of Melrose, where many of the Vair name are buried. The fam- ily are of considerable prominence in their na- tive country, where Joan Vair, the sister of Alexander's father. still resides. The photos mentioned were taken in 1908 by Leonard Vair, a relative.

Mr. Vair lived with his parents until the time of his marriage to Lucinda Petitt, by whom he had nine children, namely : Mary. Jennie and George, all deceased, James, Syd- ney, Robert, Orphy (deceased ). Lina and Frank (deceased). Mr. Vair's wife died April 5. 1884. and he married, March 8, 1885. Laurie James, by whom he has one son, Charles, who resides at home with his parents. He married. November 25. 1908, Hattie MI., daughter of Corbin and Eva ( Hessom) Bradfield, born February 17, 1889.

LOUIS P. GANGE, an investment broker of Painesville, is the son of Rensellaer Watson and Mary ( McElwain ) Gage. Rensellaer Gage was born in New Hampshire, and about 1820 his father settled in Madison county. New York: he removed from Livingston county, New York, to Painesville in 1852, and there built the first residence of Doctor House. near the National Bank, where he lived until his death. He had operated a hardwood lum- ber yard at Boston, and sawmills in different parts of New York, Ohio, Indiana and Michi- gan. After removing to Painesville, he bought

hardwood lumber in Indiana, Ohio and Ken- tucky, and shipped to his Boston yards, doing for years an extensive business. He died in 1856, having been located but a few years at Painesville, at the age of fifty-three. His first wife, Mary McElwain, died in New York, and he married second, Eleanor Riker, who sur- vived him several years, and died in Paines- ville. He had three daughters and two sons : one son. Rollin, died in Leroy, New York, at the age of twenty-four. The two sons carried on their father's business until the death of Rollin, after which it was carried on by L. P. Gage.

L. P. Gage also became a manufacturer of pine lumber, at Saginaw, Michigan, and also had a mill on the Alleghany river at Red House, New York, for both pine and hemlock : for several years he sent the lumber down the Alleghany and Ohio rivers to Cincinnati and sold out the business to advantage. He also operated hardwood mills in Ohio and Indiana. and at the same time bought and sold lumber ; he purchased the timber, put in a portable mill. cut it ont and prepared it for market, and in this employed thirty to 100 men. He shipped large quantities of walnut to San Francisco and some to Europe. He operated the first hardwood lumber yard in Cleveland, which was wholesale and retail, and this business he sold out ten years since: he did a large busi- ness, $150.000 to $300,000 annually.

In 1875 Mr. Gage embarked in the cattle business, purchasing a ranch in Indian Ter- ritory, keeping one to two thousand head of cattle. He continued in this business seven- teen years, at which time the range was taken up, and this enterprise proved to be very profit- able to him, although as time went on the mar- gin of profit grew constantly smaller. Ex- cepting for a few years spent at Baxter Springs, Kansas, where he still has a fine prop- erty, his home has been for many years in Painesville.

For the past ten years Mr. Gage has devoted his energies to brokerage and investment se- curities, spending part of his time in New York. His investments are mainly in the in- terests of his private business. He built the Gage Block in 1888. at Painesville, this ac- commodating seven stores, with 112 feet on the front, the second floors being offices and the third, lodge halls. The Knighted Order Tented Maccabees occupy one hall. The cost of the block was about $40,000. He is also the owner of the Cowles House. a hotel built by Mr. Cowles. He has bought and sold west-

Mr O.a. Fullar. O.C. Fuller

965

HISTORY OF THE WESTERN RESERVE

ern lands rather extensively. His pleasant residence is on North State street. Mr. Gage has taken a keen interest in the development of the city and also the state, but has not taken any active part in political affairs. He is a sharp-sighted business man, and his judgment in matters of this kind is to be relied upon.

Mr. Gage married Anna Van Dusen, who died leaving one daughter, Anna, the wife of Charles E. Booth, of Painesville. Mr. Gage married second, Mary Henderson, and they have four daughters, namely: Katherine Louise, Florence Elizabeth, Mary Evelyn and Helen Marie, all living at home.

OTIS FULLER .- Prominent among the agri- cultural residents of Conneaut township is numbered Otis Fuller, a member of a family which was founded in this community many years ago by Wesley Fuller, who came from New York. He was the father of Asa, Maria and Wellington. Asa Fuller was probably born in the east, about the year of 1815, and he came with his parents to Ohio and located in North Ridge. He always lived on a farm, of which he owned several, and his death occurred in 1885, when he had reached the age of seventy years, while his wife, nee Mary Ann Havi- land. from Ohio, died about three years later. Their family numbered the following chil- dren : Cornell G., mentioned below : Omar, who died of typhoid fever just before his marriage was to take place ; John W., who married first Emma Abbott and afterward Julia Tinker Ben- ton, and he lives in Ashtabula, Ohio ; Willis A. married Effie Hardie and is a lumberman in Pierpont township; Vernon A., whose first wife was Mary Hayward, by whom he had one child, and his second wife, Celia Hanson, by whom he has six children, lives in Port Hope. Michigan : Herbert E. married Ella Crosby, and died in Houston, Texas.

Cornell G. Fuller was born in Monroe town- ship, Ashtabula county, Ohio, July 12, 1842, and he lived with his grandparents until his marriage, January 9, 1864, to Lydia E. Farn- ham, who was born March 30, 1844, and the two children of this union are Otis A. and Jessie O., but the daughter died when very young. After their marriage Mr. and Mrs. Fuller moved to Sheffield township in Ash- tabula county, where the husband embarked in the lumber business. Their home was after- ward in Michigan for about three years, and there Mr. Fuller was drowned in Lake Huron while transporting lumber. this sad event oc-

curring on September 20, 1875. He was a Republican in his political affiliations, and Mrs. Fuller is a member of the Seventh Day Ad- ventist church.

Otis A. Fuller, of the above family, was born in Sheffield, Ohio, December 5. 1864, and his district school training was supplemented by study in the high schools of Titusville, Penn- sylvania, and Jefferson, Ohio. He lived with his grandparents in Kelloggsville before his marriage, and moved with them to Conneaut. He is now engaged in operating the mill which was built by his grandfather, Elisha Farnham, in 1841, and this is the only mill now on the Conneaut stream operated by water power. though years ago there were several water power mills on this stream. The mill con- tains four turbines, and was formerly operated by a tub or scroll wheel.

Mr. Fuller married March 21, 1884. Lila E. Goldsmith, who was born in Conneaut Sep- tember 19, 1866, and their children are: Lelia E., who married Clarence Leffenwell, engaged in the wholesale fruit business in Cleveland : Bessie W., a bookkeeper at the creamery in Conneaut ; Willis A., on the farm with his father : Cornell G., attending the Conneaut high school; Robert Lee, a student in the dis- trict schools: and Otis Abbott. Mr. Fuller, a Republican, has served his community as a su- pervisor, and he is a member of the American Insurance Union, of the Odd Fellows fra- ternity and of the Lone Star order of the Grange. Mrs. Fuller is a member of the Bap- tist church.

ORVILLE DUANE HOWE, who was born in Painesville, September 1, 1831, is of English descent, the family, which was established in Canada at the outbreak of the war of 1812, being forced to leave the Dominion after Dr. Samuel W. Howe, the paternal grandfather, had declared his allegiance to the United States. He and his two sons, Eber D. and Asahel, as residents of New York, participated in various military movements against the British ; in 1817 the family settled in Cleve- land, and about three years later in Paines- ville. In the years which followed, the father, Eber D. Howe, became prominent as a news- paper man, an Abolitionist, an anti-Mormonist, and a citizen of brave, independent and able character, while Orville D. has largely con- tributed to the splendid record of his family by his active career as a progressive agricul- turist and a public man. As a Republican he

966

HISTORY OF THE WESTERN RESERVE

has extended his father's work and influence to the present day, while as superintendent of public instruction, county surveyor and justice of the peace, he has been of invaluable assist- ance in furthering the causes of education, the security of property and the establishment of law and order-three forces which, more than all others, maintain the integrity of the typical American community.

The first authentic and definite records of the Howe family relate to the stirring career of Samuel William Howe, already mentioned as the grandfather of Orville D. He was born in Longmeadow, Connecticut, in the year 1760; lost his father at an early age and was tenderly and thoughtfully reared by his step- father. After receiving a common school edu- cation, at the age of nineteen he entered Dart- mouth College, Hanover, New Hampshire, and during the ensuing year made some proficiency in the study of medicine. Upon one of his visits to Boston, in 1780, he shipped as sur- geon on an American privateer, then fitting for a cruise along the eastern coasts ; but, con- trary to the understanding of the crew, when the ship was fairly out of the harbor it headed across the Atlantic direct for the English Channel. The privateer proved to be entirely unseaworthy, with an incompetent and intoxi- cated captain, and the voyage of forty days to the Irish coast was mostly occupied by the hands in bailing out the rotten hull. In that locality they fortunately found themselves alongside a British man-of-war, and surren- dered after the firing of one. shot. This is one of the dark spots in the usually bright record of American privateering. After being removed in safety to the British boat the American crew joyfully saw the dishonored craft disappear beneath the ocean waves, the ship not being worth the trouble of towing into port. The Americans were taken to Dublin as prisoners of war and there Mr. Howe was detailed to the medical department of the city prison, then filled with sick and maimed vic- tims of the war. By bribing a prison keeper named Craft, he finally escaped from Dublin prison with two other physicians, and reached the coast of France, thence walking 300 miles to Havre, where he shipped for Boston as a hand before the mast. It may be added to this life chapter that Craft came to Painesville many years later, and that the recognition was mutual and cordial.

After his return to the United States Dr. Howe completed his medical studies, and ahout 1785 married Miss Mabel Dudley, a native of

Middletown, Connecticut, who was descended from an English family of Surrey county. The first of the Dudley family to come to America was William, who died in Guilford, that state, in 1683, after whom the line descends, through Joseph, (Captain) William and Asahel, to Mabel Dudley, who became the grandmother of Orville D. Dr. S. W. Howe and wife re- sided successively in Clifton Park and Ovid, New York, and in 1811, with their family, located near Queenstown, eight miles from Niagara Falls, Canada. Through his practice and businesslike investments, the doctor had accumulated considerable property, and at the outbreak of the war of 1812 was the prosper- ous owner of 200 head of cattle and horses, 500 acres of fine land, a beautiful English mansion, and an iron box holding gold coin and good securities to the value of $60,000 --- the latter a large fortune of itself in those days. In the midst of these handsome evi- dences of his industry and ability, he was sum- moned to appear before the royal authorities of the dominion and declare himself for the king of England, on pain of banishment and confiscation of all his goods and property. With breakfast on the table, the head of the household was given one hour to decide, but within a minute pronounced for the Stars and Stripes and commenced to prepare for imme- diate departure. No sooner were his inten- tions known to the Indian allies of the British who were hovering outside the house than they secretly bored holes in the bottom of the scow which was to be used to convey the doc- tor, his family and valuables across the Ni- agara river to New York. His wife and daughter Harriet had packed the best bedding. silver and box of gold, and after loading his goods and family on the scow started on his perilous trip. Not far from shore the scow sank, the passengers barely escaping through the assistance of a British officer who was afhanced to the doctor's daughter. Dr. Howe himself returned to his residence, intending to throw his strong box into the river, but found his house in flames. Seizing, a feather bed from the pile of household goods not yet con- sumed, he tied it to his horse Kate to protect her from the expected shower of bullets which he knew would greet him when the British discovered his attempted escape. Nor was his expectation amiss, as in his dash for the upper ferry he was obliged to pass through a storm of bullets which riddled the bed and put out one of his good horse's eyes; and in crossing the ferry, where he was met by his sons, one

Need help finding more records? Try our genealogical records directory which has more than 1 million sources to help you more easily locate the available records.

History of the Western Reserve, Vol. II, Part 49

Author: Upton, Harriet Taylor; Cutler, Harry Gardner, 1856- Publication date: 1910 Publisher: Chicago ; New York : The Lewis Publishing Company Number of Pages: 886

Author: Upton, Harriet Taylor; Cutler, Harry Gardner, 1856-
Publication date: 1910
Publisher: Chicago ; New York : The Lewis Publishing Company
Number of Pages: 886