USA > Ohio > Cuyahoga County > Cleveland > The pioneer families of Cleveland 1796-1840 Vol. I > Part 15
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Clifford Morgan. Carrie Morgan, m. William Baxter. Mary Morgan, m. Anson Jackson.
134
1811
1 MOWREY
All property bordering on the Public Square is of local historic inter- est, but none more so than the south-west corner of it, now occupied by the Forest City House, previous to it by the Dunham House, the Cleve- land House, and earliest of all by the Mowrey tavern. To this spot, before the War of 1812, came Pliny Mowrey, lured by the hopes and dreams of the future, and, with the courage that only youth possesses, he invested his little all in the purchase of this lot and in building upon it a small village tavern. It is sad to record, even a century later, that bitter dis- appointment, absolute defeat, and possible tragedy followed this venture.
Pliny Mowrey was the eldest son of Reuben Mowrey of Hartford, Conn., who in 1808 brought his family of ten children into the wilds of Gustavus, Trumbull Co. He also brought with them an old musket, upon the stock of which was carved his name, and which, tradition claims, had seen Revolutionary service. Mowrey's Tavern, a name that clung to it long after its first builder and owner had left the city, and perhaps this part of the country, stood upon the eastern part of the lot that is bounded by the Square, Superior Street, Seneca Street, now West 3rd, and extended south to Long Street.
It is on record that Mowrey borrowed $230.63 of Nathan Perry, Jr., doubtless to defray a part of the expenses of building. Nathan publicly demanded payment previous to or by a certain time. The obligation was met, the debt cancelled, and Pliny Mowrey seems to have reached a fair plane of success, when, three years later, his brother, Hosea Mowrey, appeared upon the scene, and in time muddled affairs to such an extent as to leave Pliny a hopeless bankrupt.
Hosea bought a half interest in the property and then persuaded Pliny to unite with him in placing a mortgage upon it of $4,500. The loan was procured of Joseph Boyd, an eastern man, through Leonard Case. Why so large a sum, for those days, should have been sought, has not been stated. It may have been used in enlarging the tavern and in building to the rear of it an annex, part of which was used for public gatherings and called "Mowrey's Hall." Another part of this was used for stabling teams of travelers and guests. The Cleveland Herald of May, 1820, contains the following announcement :
"At Mowrey's Hall, positively the last night of Mrs. Kittie Blanchard. Doors open at early candle-light, May 31. Admittance, 50c, children half price.
Play, 'The Mountaineers,' and a farce, 'The Village Lawyer.' "
Back of the tavern and the hall was a large and usually an unoccupied space. Mrs. Mary Long Severance told the writer that in her early child- hood all sorts of small traveling shows encamped upon it, and even after she was well in her teens, circus tents were spread upon it large enough to accommodate all the town's population who could afford the price of admission.
Mowrey's tavern did not lack a landlady; for in the marriage records of the county we find in the beautiful penmanship of Horace Perry that December 3, 1816, Pliny Mowrey and Rhoda Curtis were married by him in virtue of his office as justice of the peace.
135
1811
WIGHTMAN
It has been claimed that Rhoda Curtis was the daughter of a tanner living on Euclid Avenue, near Giddings, now East 71st Street. A little creek ran through his grounds, which in early days was called "Curtis Creek." The place was occupied for many years by the late ex-Sheriff Winslow, and a huge garage now covers the site of Winslow's picturesque cottage and his beautiful lawn.
In the following February, 1817, Horace Perry married James Bliss to Ruth Curtis, who may have been a sister of Rhoda Mowrey. In 1822, Leonard Case foreclosed the mortgage on the Mowrey Tavern, and it was sold to Dr. Donald McIntosh, who took possession of it at once. Previous to this event, Dr. McIntosh had kept a tavern on Water Street, now West 9th.
It is with reluctance that the writer relinquishes the long research made for the subsequent history of Pliny Mowrey and his family. His niece, whose father was a younger brother by many years, writes from Cincinnati, Ohio, that the family tradition is that, embittered by his financial loss, and furious at the parties who had caused it, he left Cleve- land immediately afterward and went "up the river." Misfortune fol- lowed him, though in what guise is not stated, and he then disappeared. His brothers and sisters never knew whether he died or removed to some distant part of the state, for he failed to communicate with them, and his children, if he had any, never made themselves known to their rela- tives.
1811 WIGHTMAN
When John J. Wightman and his wife, Deborah Calistia Morgan, left Groton, Conn., in 1811, and traveled by ox-team to Cleveland, they brought with them a name that for a century had been peculiarly honored and revered in Groton, and continued to be so for 80 years longer.
The ancestor of the family, Valentine Wightman, had founded Groton Baptist Church in 1710, and from that date until 1890, a Wightman had stood in its pulpit. Valentine was its pastor for 37 years; his son, Timo- thy, for 49 years; his grandson, John Gamo Wightman, for 45 years, and so on for a period of 180 years.
Mrs. John J. Wightman and Mrs. John Walworth were sisters of Youngs L. Morgan, and their mother was a Ledyard, sister of Col. Chrystopher Ledyard, the Revolutionary hero, who was murdered at Fort Griswald by the British officer to whom he had surrendered. Re- ligion and patriotism, therefore, came hand in hand with the Wightmans, Morgans, and Walworths as they journeyed to Cleveland so early in the last century.
Mr. Wightman bought 10 acres of land on Broadway near Woodland Hills Road, and soon afterward built a country tavern which became one of the most famous in this section of the Reserve. It stood on the south side of the street and opposite of what is now St. Alexis Hospital.
136
1811
WIGHTMAN
As might be expected, considering her forebears, many accounts of Mrs. Wightman's fine manners and dignified presence have been handed down to her grandchildren. In one way she was most fortunate. Sur- rounded by her kin who had settled all about her, she did not have to suffer the loneliness that many a well-bred and refined pioneer woman had to endure when isolated from relatives and congenial friends. Two of her family of children came with her from Connecticut, Deborah, three years of age, and John G., an infant. The others were born in the old homestead in Broadway.
Children of John J. and Deborah Morgan Wightman :
Deborah Ledyard Wightman, b. 1877; m. 1839, Adeline Johnson, b. 1822; d. 1899.
1808; m. 1828, William Herman Knapp, b. 1801. She died 1880. John Griswald Wightman, b. 1810; died 24 years old.
Isaac Avery Wightman, b. 1812; died 1873, unmarried.
Lucy Adelaide Wightman, b. 1814; m. 1842, Lewis Pangburn, b. 1816; d. 1894.
David Long Wightman, b. 1818; d.
Sherburn Henry Wightman. b. 1819; d. 1904, the last of his fam- ily. Horace F. Wightman, b. 1821; d. 1868; m. Mary Burgess.
Harriet Lucretia Wightman, b. 1825; d. 1878; m. William K. Nye.
David Long Wightman was a most useful member of the community all through his long life. He was connected with the Humane Society for many years, and worked for the amelioration of suffering with heart and soul.
Mrs. Deborah C. Wightman died in 1827, 32 years of age. John J. Wightman died in 1837, aged 49 years.
Deborah Wightman, the oldest of the children, was but 17 years old when her mother died. Her husband was a civil engineer, and in that capacity he worked on the construction of the Ohio Canal. But, for some years after his marriage he taught school, and often in the long, cold winters the young couple were separated for months, his school being sometimes twelve or more miles away. When Deborah Wightman Knapp died, the text chosen for her funeral was, "And they shall be given a new name." The clergy who officiated said that her celestial name might aptly be "Burden-Bearer," for, in over forty years of his acquaintance with her, he had not known a time when some otherwise homeless creature was not having a home with "Aunty Knapp."
Lucy Wightman Pangburn removed to Akron after her marriage, and later lived in Massillon. Her house was known as the "Preachers' Home," so freely and openly were clergymen welcomed, and several times she took in the whole family of one until a house was found for it, or until household furniture had arrived. She and her husband were "Uncle Lew and Aunt Lucy" to the whole community, and they worked together for the good of humanity. Like her sister, Mrs. Pangburn sheltered many a waif, old or young, until death furnished a heavenly one, or cir- cumstances relieved her from further ministrations.
137
1811
STRONG
A notable arrival of this year was John Harris Strong. He came to act as a land agent for Connecticut owners of big tracts of real estate in this vicinity. He settled in Euclid, but was so identified with the business interests of Cleveland, that he was considered a resident of the town. Some of his children settled on Euclid Avenue below E. 107th Street, within a few years of their arrival here.
John H. Strong was the son of Deacon Josiah and Mary Harris Strong, and was born in Middleton, Conn., in 1762. At 20 years of age he married Elisabeth Cary of Chatham, Conn., two years his junior. She was a sister of Mrs. Timothy Doan, a pioneer of 1802.
Mr. and Mrs. Strong brought a family of 8 children with them, the oldest of whom was a son 27 years old, and the youngest, also a son, four years of age.
Mr. Strong became a judge of the common pleas of this county in 1817, and served until 1823, the year he died, at 61 years of age. He was one of the incorporators of Cleveland's first bank in 1816.
Judge Strong owned much real estate in Euclid and East Cleveland. All the south side of Euclid Avenue, between E. 107th and E. 79th Street, at one time belonged to him. A part of this property is still in the pos- session of his grandchildren.
The children of John H. and Elisabeth Carey Strong:
(1) James Strong, b. 1784; m. Ann Eliza Baldwin, dau. of Seth C. Baldwin; 2nd, Laura Miles.
(2) Walter Strong, b. 1786; m. Bet- sey Smith.
(3) Esther Strong, b. 1788; m. The- ron Freeman.
(4) Rodney Strong, b. 1790; m. Mary Taylor.
(5) John Harris Strong, b. 1795; died 1809.
(6) Josiah Conklin Strong, b. 1800; died 1839; m. Rebecca Brown.
(7) Thomas Jefferson Strong, b. 1802; m. Laura Bishop.
(8) Mary Ann Strong, b. 1805; m. John Cone of Haddam, Conn.
(9) James Madison Strong, b. 1807; m. Margaret Brush.
James Strong, oldest child of John H. Strong, was 35 years old when in 1819 he married Ann Eliza Baldwin, 16 years his junior. She died eight years later, leaving a young son and a daughter, James H. and Ann Olivia Strong.
Mr. Strong's second wife was the daughter of the famous pioneer, Lorenzo Carter, and the widow of Erastus Miles of Newburgh. By this marriage he had three daughters.
James Strong's life in Cleveland was mostly spent on Euclid Avenue, near East 107th Street. He was one of the early sheriffs of this county.
(2) Mrs. Walter Strong was the daughter of Samuel and Ruth Smith of East Cleveland. Her sister was the wife of Jarvis Clark, son of David the pioneer. The Walter Strongs, the Smiths and the Clarks removed in the 40s to Elkhart, Ind., where they became very important and valu- able pioneers of that town.
(3) Esther Strong m. Theron Freeman, son of Nathan and Cynthia
138
1811
RUMMAGE
Freeman. Esther died in 1826, and Theron in 1830, leaving six young children. Two others had died in infancy.
The children were: Samuel, John, James, Josiah, Sarah, and Esther Freeman.
(4) A Rodney Strong was living in 1856 on Pittsburg Street (Broad- way). His occupation that of farmer.
(5) John Harris Strong and his wife, Mary Taylor Strong, had five children. Mary died, and Rodney Strong married a second time and had two more children.
(6) Mr. Josiah Strong's wife was the daughter of Deliverance and Mary Brown. He died in 1829, leaving two little sons. She died in 1835, six years later. The children were: George Clark Strong, and Edwin Miles Strong.
(7) Thomas Jefferson Strong married a daughter of Abram and Anna Freeman Bishop. They had two sons and five daughters. Thomas J. Strong, Jr., the second son, was killed at Stone River, Tenn., in the Civil War.
(8) John Cone, the first husband of Mary Ann Strong, died in 1835, leaving four children. She married 2nd, in 1836, Hiram Brooks. She had four children by this marriage. She died in 1863.
(9) Mrs. James M. Strong was the daughter of Edward and Patty Brush of Willoughby, O. Mr. and Mrs. Strong had nine children, two of whom died in infancy. The oldest, John Harris Strong, lived in Berea, O.
1811
RUMMAGE
Thomas Rummage, who came to Cleveland from Pennsylvania in 1811 and married "Polly" Johnson, a sister of Captains Levi and Jonathan Johnson, left a lasting impression on the town through his own strong personality and that of his sons, also long and prominent citizens and lake captains.
He owned two or more acres of land on the south side of Euclid Avenue, including the Opera House site, and extending nearly to the Taylor Arcade. He also possessed a large farm on the West Side along West 25th Street, and spent his time alternately between the two places.
He was one of the early builders of boats, and was associated with his brother-in-law, Capt. Levi Johnson, in the latter's first ventures in that line.
Capt. Rummage was one of the first victims of the cholera epidemic of 1832, dying in a few hours after being stricken with the disease, and was buried on his farm. His oldest son was but 13 years of age at the time. Capt. Rummage's widow lived some years after his death, at 27 Euclid Avenue .* Her grave is in Erie Street Cemetery.
* Corner of Sheriff. The lot was 40 feet front and 198 feet on Sheriff.
139
1
1811
CROCKER
The children of Capt. Thomas and Polly Johnson Rummage:
Sarah Rummage, m. William Van Norman.
Capt. Solon Rummage, m. Margaret Davis.
Capt. Harvey Rummage, m. Harriet Harbaugh.
Martha Rummage, m. Thomas War- burton.
Mary Rummage, m. Louis Moreau of Plattsburg, N. Y.
Louise Moreau, daughter of Louis and Mary Moreau, married Mer- rick Johnson, son of Luke Johnson, another Cleveland pioneer, and re- sides on Kinsman Road, this city.
An amusing and unusual story is related of one of these Rummage captains. Which one is not told. The Canal Bank, an old Cleveland concern, failed in the early part of November, 1854. Only the day before, Rummage had deposited a thousand dollars, his profits from a lake season of hardship and danger. Upon hearing of the bank failure, he entered it and demanded his money, which, of course, was refused.
"It is all the money I have in the world. Hand it over quickly or I'll kill you!" he shouted.
The officers of the defunct institution took no chances on that, and he got what he came for. The assignees, afterward appointed, could have demanded its return, but probably, knowing the man, were not disposed to be too exacting.
1811
CROCKER
Jedediah Davis Crocker was one of the early large land-owners of East Cleveland. He was born in Lee, Mass., 1785, and died in Cleveland in 1843. He married Deborah Doan in 1813, two years after his arrival in Ohio.
Mr. Crocker was a farmer. He was the original owner of what is now Wade Park, and sold it to Samuel Cozad soon after the latter came to Cleveland.
The children of Jedediah and Deborah Crocker:
Sarah Crocker, b. 1816; m. Eli Ad- Eliza Proctor Otis. He died 1898.
ams. She died 1862. Davis J. Crocker, b. 1822.
Timothy Davis Crocker, b. 1819; m.
Timothy D. Crocker was long a prominent citizen of Cleveland. In the latter years of his life he lived in a fine residence on Euclid Avenue, near Sterling, now East 30th Street. It adjoined the residence of his brother-in-law, Charles A. Otis.
140
1812
BATES
Mr. and Mrs. T. D. Crocker had several children who reached matur- ity, but only one survives, Laura Crocker. With her widowed mother she spends most of her life in eastern states or in traveling.
Samuel Crocker, who may have been a brother of Jedediah, was an early resident of Euclid. He married Sophrona Smith in 1814.
RESIDENTS OF THE HAMLET DURING THE WAR OF 1812
George Wallace
Horace Perry
James Root
Samuel Williamson
Horatio Perry
Mathew Williamson
Elias Murray
Widow Calahan John Walworth
Harvey Murray Levi Johnson Dr. David Long
Richard Bailey
Major Samuel Jones
Alfred Kelley
Amasa Bailey
Hezekiah King
Pliny Mowrey
Abraham Hickox
Hiram Hanchett
Noble H. Merwin
Nathan Perry
David Henderson
Of the above all have been traced save Hezekiah King and Hiram Hanchett. James Root returned east soon after the war.
1812
BATES
Noble Bates, and his wife, Aurilla Booth, and two young daughters came to Newburgh in 1812 from Essex, Vt. Two more daughters were born in Newburgh.
Mr. Bates was a miller, and the family depended for bread upon the flour brought to his mill to be ground. For some reason, there was a time when the settlers had no wheat to grind, or were too busy to take it to the mill. Consequently, the Bates family were obliged to subsist en- tirely on corn-meal. One night, after all the children were in bed and asleep, Mr. Bates came home from the mill bearing a sack of flour. Mrs. Bates made a big pan of biscuits and baked them as soon as possible, then called up the children to partake, as they had gone to bed complaining of hunger. They had a very interesting family of four daughters.
Sophia Bates, m. Barnabas Laugh- ton in 1830, and went to Chi- cago. Five years later, she re- turned a widow with two sons. Afterward she married Albert Kingsbury, and had one daughter. After Kingsbury's death, she mar- ried Thomas Garfield, uncle of the President, and another son was added to her children. Sophia
Bates Garfield was energetic and jolly.
Elvira Bates, m. Stephen V. R. Forbes of Chicago.
Lucy Bates, m. Benj. Wiggins of Newburgh, and had one daughter, and two sons.
Eunice Bates, m. Eben Miles, eldest son of Theodore and Lydia Clark Miles. She had two sons and two daughters.
141
-
1812
INGERSOLL
The four Bates sisters were very active workers in the Sanitary Com- mission during the Civil War, gathering hospital supplies, etc. They were beloved by all that knew them.
Mrs. Stephen Forbes had three daughters, Aurilla, Plina, and Paulina Forbes. All now living in the far west or south.
Sophia Bates' sons were David and Peter Laughton, and Thomas Garfield. Her daughter, Harriet Kingsbury, married John Hofste. David Laughton married Calista Garfield, his step-sister.
1812 INGERSOLL
In 1812 the Connecticut Land Company sold 900 acres in Newburgh to a Lee, Mass., man, who intended to occupy it with his family. He had eight children, and perhaps planned to give each of them a hundred-acre lot and retain one for himself. The purchase of so large a tract meant in that day about $1,400 cash or a very good credit. The land extended from Buckeye Road southward. Its western boundary adjoined the Ed- wards farm on Woodhill Road, and its eastern line stretched beyond Rice Avenue.
The man who invested so largely in Newburgh pioneer forest was Elijah Ingersoll, member of a family who had lived in Massachusetts for many generations, the first one of which was John Ingersoll, who with his brother Richard came from England in 1629, and settled in Salem. The mother of John Ingersoll's sons was Mary Hunt, a granddaughter of Gov. Webster of Connecticut. The parents of Elijah Ingersoll, the Newburgh pioneer, were David and Lydia Ingersoll Ingersoll. They were cousins.
Elijah's maternal grandfather, Moses Ingersoll, was a large land- holder of Great Barrington, Mass., and the former may have inherited some of this property, thereby paving the way for his Newburgh invest- ment. He was born in 1766, which made him 46 years old, when he came here in 1812.
At the age of 20, he had married Polly Barlow. They had nine chil- dren. She died in 1807, when 44 years old, and was buried in the Lee, Mass., Cemetery.
Elijah Ingersoll married 2nd, Betsey Thomas, who accompanied him and his eight children to Newburgh. She lived here but four years. Six months after her death, Mr. Ingersoll married 3rd, Mrs. Rosanna Church- ill Parker, a widow with children.
The Ingersoll farm-house was five miles east of the Public Square. It stood on the north side of Ingersoll Road, near its junction with Rice Avenue. It was a large frame-building, with a wing, and was occupied continuously by five generations of Ingersolls, the last three of whom were born in it.
142
1812
INGERSOLL
The children of Elijah and Polly Barlow Ingersoll :
Clarissa Ingersoll, b. 1787; m. Amos Kingsbury.
Bathsheba Ingersoll, b. 1789; m. Justin Battles. Nathan Ingersoll, b. 1791; m. Polly Perry.
Laban Ingersoll, b. 1793; m. Polly Burke; 2nd, Olive Ormsby, 1821.
Levi Ingersoll, b. 1795; m. Deide- man Parker.
Isaac Ingersoll, b. 1797; m. Betsey Parker.
Elisha Ingersoll, b. 1799; unmar- ried ; d. 17 years old.
Lucinda Ingersoll, b. 1802; unmar- ried; d. 25 years old.
Three of their children, Clarissa, Bathsheba and Nathan, were married before coming west.
Polly Perry married Nathan Ingersoll when she was 22 years old, and came with him on her wedding journey to Ohio in a wagon containing their household goods. During the first years of her residence in the wilderness, she was very much afraid of the Indians, who were quite numerous in the locality at certain seasons of the year.
One night, when sitting alone in their cabin, holding in her lap her first babe, then six months old, there came a loud noise at the door, as if some one had thrown himself against it. She was greatly frightened. Her only thought was "Indians." She rushed to the bedstead and hid her infant under the feather-bed, then went slowly and apprehensively to the door which was still being thumped. Upon opening it, in bounded a large black dog who evidently had lost his master and had the intelligence to seek shelter in a house.
Mrs. Nathan Ingersoll proved in later years to be a woman of great force of character. All her endowments fitted her for the hardships of pioneer life. She would walk miles to succor some needy family, or to nurse the sick. She never once turned away any one asking for shelter, or empty-handed when hungry.
Upon her 90th birthday she gave a party to her kin and with her own hands made cake for the occasion. The next day she walked a mile to the home of a relative and insisted upon milking the cow when the time came for it that evening. She was the daughter of Abraham and Temperance Hatch Perry of Lee, Mass. In the 68 years that she lived in this locality she saw Cleveland grow from the little hamlet of five houses, to be a great city of thousands of homes.
The children of Nathan and Polly Perry Ingersoll :
Adaline Ingersoll, b. 1813; m. Edwin P. Ingersoll, m. Elizabeth Thomas Crosby. Walters.
Samantha Ingersoll, m. Charles Hall.
John Ingersoll, m. Hannah Abbey. Barlow Ingersoll, m. Katherine Ford Higgins.
Jane Ingersoll, unmarried.
Lucy Ingersoll, m. John Kelly.
Levi Ingersoll lived all his Cleveland life in the old homestead, of which he held a life-lease from his father. His wife was a daughter of his step-mother. The latter was very kind to her husband's children.
143
1812
DIBBLE
The original deed of the Ingersoll property is still in the possession of the family, and in the division of land the latter was simply transferred to children, grandchildren, and great-grandchildren. Many of the family are yet living on the property, and not far from the site of the old home- stead.
The children of Levi and Diedema Parker Ingersoll :
Clarissa Ingersoll, m. W. P. Hudson. Catherine Ingersoll, m. Martin He was a grandson of Ammihaz Winegart.
Sherwin.
Rose Ann Ingersoll, m. E. B. Wood.
The early death of Polly Burke, first wife of Laban Ingersoll, leaving young children, was a tragedy for the latter.
Florilla, the eldest daughter, was but six years of age at the time, and was taken to the home of an aunt who cared for her until she was eleven years old. Then, giving her as many pennies as her years counted, the aunt told her that henceforth she must take care of herself. Which she proceeded to do, but just how the story does not relate. The Ingersolls, like most every other family of the time, were land-poor, the taxes on it were hard to meet, with money so scarce that every cent counted for as much as dollars do at the present day. Florilla married Henry Marble in 1838 and had three sons and two daughters.
Eliza Ann Ingersoll, born in 1819, was but an infant at her mother's death. She married Rufus Ruggles, son of Cyrus and Anna Stilson Ruggles. She was a very industrious woman and devoted to her four sons and two daughters. In her recollections of pioneer days the poverty of the community was often her theme. Baked potatoes moistened with milk was sometimes the only fare for weeks at a time.
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