USA > Ohio > Portage County > Portage heritage; a history of Portage County, Ohio; its towns and townships and the men and women who have developed them; its life, institutions and biographies, facts and lore > Part 58
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).
Part 1 | Part 2 | Part 3 | Part 4 | Part 5 | Part 6 | Part 7 | Part 8 | Part 9 | Part 10 | Part 11 | Part 12 | Part 13 | Part 14 | Part 15 | Part 16 | Part 17 | Part 18 | Part 19 | Part 20 | Part 21 | Part 22 | Part 23 | Part 24 | Part 25 | Part 26 | Part 27 | Part 28 | Part 29 | Part 30 | Part 31 | Part 32 | Part 33 | Part 34 | Part 35 | Part 36 | Part 37 | Part 38 | Part 39 | Part 40 | Part 41 | Part 42 | Part 43 | Part 44 | Part 45 | Part 46 | Part 47 | Part 48 | Part 49 | Part 50 | Part 51 | Part 52 | Part 53 | Part 54 | Part 55 | Part 56 | Part 57 | Part 58 | Part 59 | Part 60 | Part 61 | Part 62 | Part 63 | Part 64 | Part 65 | Part 66 | Part 67 | Part 68 | Part 69 | Part 70 | Part 71 | Part 72 | Part 73 | Part 74 | Part 75 | Part 76 | Part 77 | Part 78 | Part 79 | Part 80 | Part 81 | Part 82 | Part 83 | Part 84 | Part 85 | Part 86 | Part 87 | Part 88 | Part 89 | Part 90 | Part 91
513
PORTAGE HERITAGE
1899; John C. Goodenough, 1901; W. J. McMichael, 1905; S. H. Eldridge, 1909; Arthur Carlile, 1913; James Jones, 1915; J. W. Stevens, 1919; Joseph Jones, 1923; J. R. Ferry, 1927; LeRoy Jones, 1931; E. L. Burr, 1935; Robert Fitzgerald, 1937; George Shields, 1945; Roy Garrett, 1949; Robert Stockdale, 1953 to present.
County Surveyors
In the first seven years of the county's existence, Amzi Atwater, Rial McArthur, Abel Sabin and Asa K. Burroughs served as surveyor. Others are: John Harmon, 1815; Orrin Harmon, 1828; S. D. Harris, 1839-44; Daniel Woodard, 1840; Ruggles Bostwick, 1858; Isaiah Linton, 1864; C. J. Gillis, 1867; Jedediah Cole, 1870; C. B. Wads- worth, 1885; Henry Lewis, 1906; J. B. She- well, 1908; Thomas F. Richards, 1911; J. L. Walter, 1914; Harold L. Hubbell, 1927; Paul C. Shafer, 1937 to present. The office is now known as county engineer.
County Commissioners
The county commissioners office dates from the beginning of the county. Follow- ing is a list of those who have held the office, with date of election or service: Abel Sabin, 1808; Joel Gaylord, 1808; Lewis Day, 1808; Joseph Harris, 1808; Oliver Snow, 1809-12; Samuel King, 1810; John T. Baldwin, 1811-1814; Owen Brown, 1813- 16-29; Amzi Atwater, 1815; Rufus Ferris, 1818; Alex K. Hubbard, 1818; Dillingham Clark, 1818; George Clark, 1819; Asa K. Burroughs, 1820-23; James Coe, 1821-24- 27; Elkanah Richardson, 1822; Asaph Whit- tlesey, 1825; Hiram Giddings, 1828; Jona- than Foster, 1829; Edwin Wetmore, 1830; Andrew Barnett, 1831; Elisha Garrett, 1832; Alanson Baldwin, 1833; Solomon Day, 1834; Henry Chittenden, 1837-40; Royal Taylor, 1836; Ephriam L. Williams, 1837; Moses Egglestown, 1839-42; Arthur Ander- son, 1840; Miner Herrick, 1840-41; Leverett Norton, 1840;
William R. Kelso, 1843-46; Benjamin Marshall, 1844; Caleb Carleton, 1845; Orsa-
mus Drake, 1847; Carnot Mason, 1848; Hiram Spencer, 1849; Joel Curtiss, 1850; Moses A. Birchard, 1851; Ebenezer S. Har- mon, 1852; David K. Wheeler, 1852; Syl- bester Huggins, 1854; Evan E. Davis, 1859; Horace Adams, 1859; S. A. Hinman, 1858; E. D. Carlton, 1858-62; A. H. Weatherbee, 1859; L. C. Merrill, 1860; Thomas Gorby, 1861; P. P. Dawley, 1863-66; Joseph R. Conrad, 1864-67; Ozias Allyn, 1865; H. J. Noble, 1868; N. B. Jennings, 1869; Smith Sanford, 1870-73; Isaac Brown, 1871; Luth- er H. Parmalee, 1872; Edward A. Parsons, 1874-75; Wanzer Holcomb, 1874; P. C. Nichols, 1877-80; Edgar Whittlesey, 1876- 79; A. B. Merrill, 1878-81; Orrin Smith, 1882-85;
J. L. Thompson, 1883-86; Wanzer Hol- comb, 1884-87; L. C. Payne, 1890-92; Wil- liam Hubbard, 1890; O. F. Haymaker, 1892; R. M. Risk, 1894; N. H. Merwin, 1896; S. W. Shepard, 1898; W. A. Ham- mond, 1902; Walson Hollister, 1902; Si- mon Perkins, 1904; B. H. French, 1908; R. L. Granger, 1908; H. P. Schultz, 1912; C. E. Fisher, 1912; C. S. Jenkins, 1908; F. S. Hart, 1914; C. J. Hubbell, 1916; Edward Hollister, 1919; L. V. Miller, 1916; Elmer Gordon, 1925; E. L. Whittlesey, 1916; B. B. Allen, 1925; D. O. Norton, 1931; A. G. Ewing, 1925; E. M. Jones, 1931; I. T. Rhodes, 1933; Plim Norton, 1935; C. A. Nichols, 1937; J. F. Merkel, 1935; Merwin Smith, 1939-43; C. A. Horning, 1941-45; Claude Watters, 1941-45-49-53; Harold Short, 1954.
County Coroners
Men who have held the office of coroner have been: Lewis Day, 1808; Lewis Ely, 1808; William Frazer, 1820; J. V. Gardner, 1832; E. M. Crain, 1842; R. J. Thompson, 1844; A. W. Stocking, 1846; E. Needham, 1848; J. M. Tilden, 1850; E. B. Babcock, 1852; Ephriam Hubbard, 1854; D. R. Bis- sell, 1856; George Sanford, 1857; James O. Gurley, 1860; D. C. Stockwell, 1862; Chauncey Curtis, 1864; Luther H. Parma- lee, 1866; E. W. Crain, 1866; Recellus Root, 1869; Lyman Bryant, 1871; T. R. William- son, 1874; A. M. Sherman, 1877; A. H.
514
PORTAGE HERITAGE
Barlow, 1879; O. D. Olds,. 1885; A. M. Erwin, 1889; O. A. Lyon, 1891; H. H. Spiers, 1892; W. H. Wier, 1893; F. C. Applegate, 1895; George J. Waggoner, 1897; L. A. Woolf, 1910; W. J. Thomas, 1919; R. D. Worden, 1927; John R. Turner, 1931 to present.
Road Work Important
Reflecting the change in public services in the past fifty years, is the work of the county engineer. Under control of this of- fice, is the job of constructing and main- taining 352.16 miles of county roads. To do this work, a force of 130 to 150 men and women are employed throughout the year. The roads mentioned include 166.97 miles of gravel road and 185.19 miles of hard surfaced highways. This mileage is separate from the 401.89 miles of township roads and 230.10 miles maintained by the state. Of the total roads system in the county, 475.09 miles are graveled and 478 .- 04 miles hard surfaced, with 31.02 unim- proved.
Of interest is the fact that 23.25 miles of road were lost to the county when the Ravenna Ordnance plant was established, and several townships lost 20.62 miles of road at the same time. More roads were lost to county and townships when the various reservoirs were constructed. The county engineer also has the task of con- structing and maintaining bridges, ditches, and other public installations.
At the beginning of the century all road work was a local affair, handled by town- ships and towns. The annual budget for roads, bridges, etc., in Portage County for 1954, was $560,000.00. Present County Engineer is Paul C. Shafer.
Of the township roads, 85.93 miles are hard surfaced; 285.24 miles are graveled, and 30.72 are not improved.
Considering the amount of work done, the number of people employed and the amount of money spent, the office of coun-
ty engineer is now one of the most im- portant in the county. Old "surveyors" had a part time job. Now the engineer usually has as much as a small army can do.
In older histories, the old German Reformed church in Atwater was some- times referred to as the "Holy Teinne" church. But Col. L. C. Kettridge of To- ledo, an authority on this church, says it never was actually known by that name, and thinks the name really was a printer's error, made in trying to de- cipher hand writing in a strange lan- guage.
Col. Daniel Tilden, who gave the name of "Hiram" to a Portage County township, was an uncle of Daniel J. Tilden, who ran for president against Hayes in 1876, and who many believed was entitled to the presidency on the basis of election returns.
Marvin Kent, Kent's leading business man in the '90s, drove around town visit- ing his various enterprises, in a top buggy drawn by a white horse.
In 1924 the Ku Klux Klan conducted the funeral of a member, W. W. Hutch- inson, at the Ravenna Christian Church, Rev. F. E. Mantle, pastor. Members marched in a body to the cemetery.
In the 1914 county election, Joseph Jones and James Stevens each received 814 votes for sheriff. Jones won the toss of a coin, but Stevens was later on elect- ed in the regular way.
In 1902 the Kent baseball team play- ed a night game under portable lights set up by a traveling outfit. E. E. France was manager of the team.
BIOGRAPHIES
Sketches of the lives and careers of men and women who have lived in Portage County and contributed to its development through the years.
ATWATER
Mr. and Mrs. Earl C. Hillyer
Earl C. Hillyer was born in Atwater Sept. 15, 1890, the only son of Homer Wilson (Bill) and Viola Ann (Calhoun) Hillyer. Like his father, he was born in the same house where he has lived his entire life, the home dating back to stage coach days when it was a hotel.
He was educated in the At- water schools, graduating from high school in 1909. He then at- tended Actual Business College in Akron, after which he was em- ployed in several offices in Akron and Pittsburgh.
He is a veteran of World War I, having served as Btl. Sgt. Major at the Officers Training School in Atlanta, Georgia. Following his release from the army he traveled as a salesman for the American Toilet Goods Co. and Lambert Pharmacal Co.
Mr. and Mrs. Earl C. Hillyer
While traveling, he met and married his wife, the former Vivian D. Brashears, daughter of Fred and Cora Brashears, of Evansville, Ind., on Aug. 21, 1926.
They returned to Atwater and took over the general store which had been operated by his father. On June 1, 1936, he was appointed postmaster at Atwater and held this position for 20 years. His wife joined him as his assistant in 1939 and is still employed in the office.
He retired from the postoffice October 31, 1956, and accepted a position with Lions International of Chicago as a special representative, traveling and organizing Lions Clubs throughout the state.
He is a member of the Atwater Methodist Church, Atwater Grange and a Charter Member of the Atwater Lions Club.
Mr. and Mrs. Hillyer have three children, Orville L. Hillyer of Alliance, Ohio; Jacquelyn Joy Hillyer Loudin, of Atwater; and Sandra Mae Hillyer Makar, of Youngstown.
515
516
PORTAGE HERITAGE
Mr. and Mrs. Charles Kibler
Charles Kibler was born in Palmyra, August 15, 1894, the son of William C. and Barbara Rose (Stockberger) Kibler. Mr. Kibler is a descendent of Alex Kibler, who emi- grated from the Shenandoah Val- ley of Virginia to Portage County.
He attended school in the Nole district of Palmyra and Yale dis- trict of Atwater until 1907 when the family moved to Ravenna. In 1911 they moved to Rootstown where he finished his elementary schooling. He helped his father on the farm for a time, and in 1917 enlisted in the army. He served in the 54th Infantry of the Sixth Division, participating in the actions in the Argonne and Alsace-Lorraine sectors. He was discharged June 17, 1919. After the war he attended Kent State Mr. and Mrs. Charles Kibler College for a while, and was later employed at various posi- tions-with the Firestone Rubber Co., the Holland Baking Co., and Raleigh Products. In 1925 he was employed as salesman for N. W. Brockett; he purchased the business in 1944, and it was then named Kibler Farm Equipment. In 1947 his brother, Homer, entered as partner.
In 1935 Mr. Kibler was married to Helen Louise Vaughn of Rootstown, daughter of Junius A. and Lila Eunice (Hough) Vaughn. Their ancestors came to Portage County from Connecticut early in the 1800's. Mrs. Kibler attended Actual Business College and has a Bachelor of Science in Education degree from Kent State University. She taught for a time in the high school at Dennison, Ohio. and since 1944 has been employed at Kibler Farm Equipment.
Two children were born to the Kiblers-Louise Vaughn and Marcella Mae, both attending Kent State University.
Mr. Kibler is a member of the Masonic order at Palmyra; Knights of Pythias at Atwater, and Atwater Lion's Club. Mrs. Kibler belongs to the Pythian Sisters and Eastern Star. Both Mr. and Mrs. Kibler are members of the Atwater Methodist Church.
AURORA
Orris C. Brown
Orris Caldwald Brown was born in Newton Falls, Trumbull county, August 13, 1910. He was the son of Newton G. and Pearl Hawkins Brown.
He attended Newton Falls elementary and high schools and at an early age started work for Owen Bedell in the meat and grocery business.
On Feb. 6, 1932, he married Clodagh Griffith. To them two children were born- Cloris Ann, now Mrs. R. E. Poots, Jr., Sept. 22, 1933; and Charles Newton Brown, April 27, 1935.
517
PORTAGE HERITAGE
In 1932 the Browns moved to Columbiana where Mr. Brown was employed as manager of Kroger stores there two years. He then went to Warren as store manager two years and from there to Salem to work for the William Edwards Co. In 1937 he moved to Aurora, again working for Mr. Bedell in his store there. In 1942, he purchased his present store, which he still owns. Mrs. Brown died in April, 1947.
On October 23, 1948, Mr. Brown married Grace Edna McGranahan of Aurora. To them was born one son, Byron Orris, July 28, 1949.
He is a member of the Jas. A. Garfield Chapter and Lodge, F. & A. M., of Aurora, belongs to the Aurora Fire Department and is a member of the Federated Church of Aurora.
John Ingalls Eldridge
John Ingalls Eldridge, a member of the third generation of Eldridges to live in the village of Aurora and in Aurora township, was born June 28, 1896. About the time of his birth, his father had built an imposing residence on Chillicothe Road in the village. It was here that John I. was brought up. After attending Aurora public schools, he completed his college preparatory course at Staunton Military Academy, Staunton, Va. He then en- rolled at Ohio State University in the class of 1918.
At the age of 22, John I. was married to Mildred Hart Cannon, daughter of Corman and Grace Cannon. This union was blessed by two children: Willis John Eldridge, who was named after his paternal grandfather; and Martha, now Mrs. Howard Butterworth of Midland, Texas.
The son, Willis John, who was a second lieutenant in the Field Artillery during World War II, was killed in action at St. Lo, France, on July 25, 1944, soon after the Normandy invasion. This was a tragedy that deeply touched the lives of his parents, as well as the lives of those in Aurora village who knew him as a youth and as a young man. "Pee-Wee", as he was affectionately called, also rests in Aurora Cemetery.
For many years, John I. has been active in affairs of Aurora Village and Township. He served a term on the first village council when Aurora was incorporated in 1928; and was a township trustee, 1938-1955. In the latter year he was elected mayor of the village. In 1953, he was appointed a trustee of Robinson Memorial Hospital, Ravenna. In business he represents the Protectu Bank Note Company of Chicago, in the Northern Ohio territory. John I. is a member of Phi Gamma Delta social fraternity, the Aurora Kiwanis Club, and the Aurora Men's Club.
Willis John Eldridge
The Eldridge name has been known in Portage County since 1810 when John Ingalls Eldridge, then a lad of 13, with his mother and younger brother, arrived by ox cart from their native town of Pomfert, Conn. The father had died en route at Buffalo. John Ingalls
518
PORTAGE HERITAGE
grew to young manhood in the environs of Aurora, married Marietta Cook (1802-1870) and reared a family of six children, two sons and four daughters. Two other children had died in infancy.
Of the two sons, Willis John, the subject of this sketch, was born on March 5, 1843, on what was then known as the Home Farm located on old Hudson Road. He followed in the footsteps of his father, engaging in dairy farming, and later engaged in the manufacture and distribution of cheese during the period when Aurora was known as the Cheese Center of the country. He was a member of the Congrega- tional Church, served as a township trustee, and in 1902 was one of the founders of the First National Bank of Burton.
Willis John was married to Jennie E. Burroughs, the daughter of Arabella Taylor and Charles Burroughs who re- sided on Pioneer Trail east of Aurora. As a young lady, Arabella was admired by a youth who worked on her father's farm. He asked Worthy Taylor, the father, if he might pay court to Arabella. The father declined, saying that the young man had no future. As it turned out, the youth later became President of the United States. He was James A. Garfield. Willis John died February 28, 1921, and his wife passed away March 4, 1939. They are laid to rest in the Aurora cemetery. Surviving was their only child, John Ingalls Eldridge, who was named for his paternal grandfather.
Carl Boughton Ford
Carl Boughton Ford was born in Burton, Ohio on May 30, 1878, the son of George and Corinne Williams Ford. He attended public school and in 1900 received his law degree from the University of Michigan. He was associated with the Cleveland law firm of Kline, Carr, Toles and Goff which at that time had as its most famous client, John D. Rockefeller, Sr.
After several years, Mr. Ford joined with Frank Rock- well Marvin, from a noted Portage County family, and John S. Smart of Willoughby to form the law firm of Smart, Marvin & Ford with offices in the Williamson Building in Cleveland. Mr. Ford then became interested in corporation law practice and was elected president of the Ohio Trust Company which was later absorbed by the Central National Bank of Cleveland. He was active in a number of corporate enterprises, and was a member of the Hermit and Cleveland Athletic Clubs. His death occurred January 30, 1941.
Mr. Ford married Elizabeth Hurd, daughter of Frank Hurd of Aurora on January 10, 1901. Not long after their marriage they moved to Aurora where they lived until his death. He was active in local affairs in Aurora besides carry- ing on his office in Cleveland. He was Trustee of the Congre- gational Church and was instrumental in merging it with the Disciples of Christ to form the Community Church which is flourishing today. Mr. Ford helped to raise funds for a pipe organ, and was Village Councilman. His advice was sound and practical and sought after by people in all walks of life.
Mr. and Mrs. Ford had two children, Seabury Hurd and Frances Elizabeth.
519
PORTAGE HERITAGE
Seabury Hurd Ford
Seabury Hurd Ford was born at Burton, Ohio, September 26, 1902, the son of Carl Boughton Ford and Elizabeth Hurd Ford, the great-grandson of Seabury Ford, the last Whig governor of Ohio. Shortly thereafter they moved to Aurora where he still resides.
Mr. Ford attended Aurora schools and Oberlin High School. In the fall of 1919, he entered Adelbert College of Western Reserve University, graduating in 1923 and from that Law School in 1925 with the degrees of A.B. and LL.B. Upon admission to the Bar of Ohio in 1925, he started to practice law in Cleveland and in 1934 opened a law office in Ravenna.
Mr. Ford became active in Republican politics, serving as Aurora Village Precinct Committeeman and on the Portage County Republican Executive Committee for over twenty years. From 1942 to 1944 he was State Central Committee- man from the 14th Congressional District. He was elected successively as Justice of the Peace of Aurora Township, Councilman of the Village of Aurora and Prosecuting At- torney of Portage County. He served in this office two terms until January, 1953, when he returned to private practice in Ravenna. He is a member of the Portage County, Cleveland, Ohio State and American Bar Associations and of the American Judicature Society.
Mr. Ford belongs to the Ravenna Kiwanis Club, the Ravenna Chapter of the Elks Club, and the Aurora Masonic Lodge of which he is a past Master. He was formerly a member of Troop A of the 107th Cavalry, known as the Black Horse Troop of Cleveland, and was active in the famous Hermit Club of Cleveland for twenty years.
Mr. Ford makes his home with his wife, the former Helen Paar of Canton, in the original house built by John Singletary in 1805, a stage coach stop between Chillicothe and Painesville. Later this was the residence of his great-grandfather, Hopson Hurd.
Mr. and Mrs. Calvin I. Harmon
Calvin Iseral Harmon was born on the old Harmon Road in Au- rora, August 18, 1875. He was the son of Sherman and Elizabeth (Hope) Harmon. Elizabeth Hope was born in England. Mr. Har- mon was grandson of Iseral Har- mon, one of Aurora's earliest settlers, who came from Con- necticut, who in the 1830s played an important part in first cheese making and marketing. For sev- eral years Iseral Harmon hauled cheese from Aurora to the Pitts- burgh market.
Mr. Harmon received his edu- cation in the local district schools and at Aurora High School. On Feb. 8, 1910, Mr. Harmon mar-
Mr. and Mrs. Calvin I. Harmon
520
PORTAGE HERITAGE
ried Louise M. Kingsley, who was born in Sherbrooke, Quebec, Canada, July 22, 1891. To them were born two children. These are Raymond Sherman and Leon Kingsley Harmon, who are now operating the original Harmon farm of 256 acres, as well as 90 additional acres. They specialize in dairying but do general farming as well. They also produce con- siderable maple syrup.
Mr. Harmon has always been interested in public affairs and was a member of the township board of trustees for three years. He is an enthusiastic member of the Masonic order, belonging to the Aurora lodge for 47 years, and of the Eastern Stars there. He belongs to the Chapter at Chagrin Falls. He has been a member of the Aurora Board of Education for 24 years.
George B. Hettinger
George B. Hettinger was born in Cleveland, July 18, 1925, son of George A. and Sylvia (Benes) Hettinger. He was one of two children. The father was a descendent of a pioneer family who settled in Madison, Ohio, in 1824.
George received his education at Cleveland Heights High School where he graduated in 1943. He served for three years with the U. S. Marine Corps during World War II, partici- pating in the battles for Guam, Marianna Islands, and Ok- inawa, Ryukyu Islands, as a member of the 4th Marines and later the 29th Marines. He was a member of the occupation forces as Tsingtao, China, to round out two years of overseas duty in the South Pacific. He also served for one year in the Marine Corps during the Korean War.
Mr. Hettinger received his B.S. in 1950 from Kent State University and his M.A. in 1955 from the same university.
He married Miss Arlyn Robinson, daughter of Mr. and Mrs. G. D. Robinson of Sidney, Ohio, on September 19, 1948. They have two children, David and Christine.
In 1950 he was employed by the Aurora Board of Edu- cation as a mathematics, chemistry and physics teacher and still has that position.
Mr. Hettinger is a member of The Church in Aurora; Rockton Masonic Lodge, Kent; Chagrin Falls Chapter, Royal Arch Masons; American Forestry Association; The Ohio State Fireman's Association; Ohio Municipal Clerk's Association; Ohio High School Athletic As- sociation (as a football and basketball official); Boy Scouts; Ohio Education Association, National Education Association; and the Kent Area Guidance Council. He is clerk-treasurer of Aurora Village; a member of the Church Board, The Church in Aurora; member of the Aurora Volunteer Fire Department; and clerk-treasurer of the Board of Trustees of Public Affairs, Village of Aurora.
Frank Hurd
The late Francis, more commonly known as Frank Hurd, was a notable figure in the commercial life of Portage County, more particularly Aurora. He was a leader in early cheese making and earned the title of the "Cheese King of the Western Reserve". At one time, more cheese was shipped from Aurora than from any other place in the world.
Frank Hurd was born December 14, 1830, the son of Hopson and Betsy Lacey Hurd, who migrated to Aurora from Goshen, Connecticut in 1815. Hopson established a general store in the building still standing at the corner of Garfield and Chillicothe Roads. Hopson
521
PORTAGE HERITAGE
Hurd's home was across the corner in what was originally the Singletary Tavern, built in 1805, where his great-grandson, Seabury Ford, now lives.
At the age of 22, Mr. Hurd formed a partnership with his brother, Elisha, and the Portage County records show many land transactions in the name of E. and F. Hurd although they mainly engaged in the cattle business until Elisha's death in 1868 after which Frank carried on alone for many years. Later, he opened a commission house in Cleveland and became the largest dealer in cheese in the state of Ohio.
In 1864 the Hurds built their own factory at Aurora Station on a branch of the Chagrin River called Silver Creek and started to manufacture cheese. It was Frank Hurd's plan for setting milk prices that achieved great success and was used by other dealers. He evolved the factory system of buying from the farmers and his business expanded so that at one time he had twenty-five factories located over the Western Reserve. He became so well known and reliably established that for forty years "Hurd's Prices" for milk were accepted as fair and just.
In 1870 Frank Hurd married Carrie White and they established their home at the corner of Chillicothe Road and Maple Lane in Aurora. Three children were born to them, Josephine, Carrie Louise and Elizabeth McKee.
Mr. Hurd suffered a loss of hearing caused by an illness in boyhood which greatly handicapped his participation in public life but he supported his church and other worthy causes generously. Managing his widespread ownership on horseback, he kept a good stable and drove fine horses during his active years. His cheerful disposition and business energy made him a figure long remembered.
He died December 5, 1905 after a long illness which he bore with patience and fortitude.
Harold E. Miller
Harold Edmund Miller was born August 29, 1900, in Aurora in the house that Willard, the famous painter of "The Spirit of '76" lived in. He was the son of Samuel M. and Flora (Schieber) Miller and was one of eight children.
He received his education in the Aurora schools after which he started work for the Erie Railroad in Aurora in 1917, first as a telegraph operator, and became agent in 1921. At present he is agent at Mantua.
Mr. Miller was married in 1926 to Alice Dreyer of Geauga Lake. To them were born five children-Wallace, of Vienna; Mrs. Donna Mattmuller of Aurora; Mrs. James Burns of Geauga Lake; Harold Russell of Nicosia, Cyprus; and John, at home.
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.