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(Source: A Centennial Biographical History of Crawford County, Ohio -
Chicago: 1902)
PLEASE NOTE: If you see anything you want transcribed ahead of time,
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~ Thanks, Sharon Wick
SOLOMON SEERY has
resided upon the farm in Lykens township which is now his home
for more than two-thirds of a century, taking up his abode there
when a boy of ten years. He was born in Ross county, Ohio,
September 22, 1823, a son of Solomon Seery, one of
the honored pioneers of Crawford county, who aided in its
substantial development in early days. In the fall of 1833 the
father brought his family to Crawford county, where our subject
has since made his home. He began his education in a log
school-house, seated with slab benches and supplied with other
primitive furniture, and the methods of instruction were almost
equally crude. Although a youth of only ten summers when he came
to this county, he aided his father in the work of clearing the
fields for cultivation and assisted in the plowing, planting and
harvesting.
In 1855 occurred the marriage of Solomon
Seery and Miss Elizabeth Park,
and unto them have been born three children, namely:
Independence, a hoop manufacturer of St. Croix Falls, Wisconsin;
John W., a resident farmer of Lykens township; and
Russell O. The wife and mother died April 20, 1890, at
the age of fifty-four years, respected by all who knew her, so
"that her loss was deeply mourned by her many friends, as well
as her immediate family.
Throughout his entire life Mr. Seery has
carried on general farming, .and to-day he owns three hundred
and twenty-five acres of rich land, all in Lykens township. The
well tilled fields yield to him golden harvest and everything
about the place is kept in good condition. In the early days he
was celebrated as a coon hunter. For a half century he has been
a member of the United Brethren church and throughout the
greater part of the time has served as trustee, while for a
long- period he was class leader and superintendent of the
Sunday school. His first presidential vote was cast for Henry
Clay, the Whig candidate, and at the present time he is a
Prohibitionist. He gives his support to all movements calculated
to promulgate temperance, morality and intellectuality and has
aided in many interests for the general good. His life has ever
been honorable and upright and all who know him esteem him for
his .genuine worth. |
HIRAM
SHALTER. The name of Shalter has
been well known in Crawford county, Ohio, since John
Shalter settled there in 1832, taking up one hundred
and sixty acres of government land in Lykens township.
Hiram Shalter, John Shalter's
eldest son, is a prominent farmer in Texas township, and was
born on his father's homestead in Lykens township, Mar. 23,
1834.
John Shalter,
of whom a brief biographical sketch appears elsewhere in this
work, married Elizabeth Albaugh, of Jefferson
county, Ohio, who bore him thirteen children. The first
born of these, Hiram, was reared on his
father's farm, in the work of which he assisted his father until
he was twenty-four years of age. He then removed to Huron
county, Ohio, where he bought eighty acres of wood land and
lived a year and a half. Disposing of his interests there
he moved to Texas township, Crawford county, where he bought of
his father-in-law his present home farm, of which he has cleared
thirty acres, which he devotes to general farming and
stock-raising. He now owns altogether one hundred and
sixty acres of land.
When he was
twenty-four years old Mr. Shalter married
Miss Mary Clark, who has borne him five
children. Their son Robert is dead.
Their son Frank lives at Sycamore, Ohio.
Their daughter Laura is the wife of
Charles Oder. Their son George
is dead, as is also their daughter Minnie.
In politics Mr. Shalter is a stanch Republican,
but he has nver sought nor consented to hold office. He
and his wife are consistent members of the Baptist church.
He is a man of much public spirit who takes a deep interest in
the cause of education and has done whatever he has ben able to
do to improve the common schools of his neighborhood. In
his youth he enjoyed a few educational advantages, and he is
largely self-educated. The first school of which he has
any recollection was taught at Bulgo, as the original settlement
of Lykens was called, in a little log building with no floor,
all the appointments of which were of the crudest description,
and on account of sickness only one day of schooling was
available to him that summer. He next attended school in
another log school house which was not much of an improvement on
the one just referred to, and the information imparted in which
was scant and somewhat vague in character. The following
items concerning his brothers and sisters will be found
interesting. His sister Della was
formerly a successful teacher. For several years she and
her sisters Nancy and Lizzie
have owned millinery stores at Blooomville and at other points
in Ohio. His brothers Levi and
David and his sisters Mary A., Catherine, Emma
and Susanna are dead. His sister
Saloma married Daniel Savage.
His brother John lives in Putnam county, Ohio,
his brother Abraham in Seneca county, and
D. Savage lives at Cripple Creek, Colorado.
~ Page 699 |
BENJAMIN A. SINN.
The agricultural interests of Crawford county, Ohio, are in the
hands of experienced and capable men, whose fertile fields and
attractive surroundings testify to their efficiency in their
chosen line of effort.
Among the thriving agriculturists of Bucyrus township
is the leading citizen, Benjamin A. Sinn, whose birth
took place in a log cabin, on the farm now owned by Jonathan
Carmean, in this township, on September 23, 1832. His
parents were George and Sarah (Hawk) Sinn, who reared a
family of ten children. George Sinn was a native
of Pennsylvania and came with his wife to Crawford county, Ohio,
in 1826, where they were among the pioneers-He successfully
operated a grist and sawmill in this county, and about 1856
purchased a farm on section 4 in Bucyrus township, upon which he
lived for 'many years. His death occurred in 1870, his wife
surviving- for six years. Mr. Sinn was a man of character
and prominence, well and favorably known throughout the county,
and thrice acceptably filled the position of county auditor, in
addition holding other offices of honor and trust. Benjamin
Sinn, of this biography, was reared on the farm, but the
major portion of his time was employed in the mill, where he
became thoroughly instructed as a miller, both in grinding and
sawing. In 1857 he decided to see something of the country,
starting westward, and after a period spent in Iowa reached
Denver, Colorado. At that time the present flourishing and
beautiful city was but a collection of log cabins,, and mining
was the principal industry, the greater part of the population
having been attracted thither for that purpose. Mr.
Sinn also became interested in mining, but after a year of
trial, with but indifferent success, he turned his face
homeward, passing through the state of Missouri.
Upon reaching Ohio Mr. Sinn took charge
of a gristmill at Sycamore,. Ohio, where he remained for one
year, and then went into the operation of a. sawmill at
Glenville, where he continued for eight years, passing the
succeeding five years upon a farm. The following ten years were
spent by Mr. Sinn in the successful operation of a
sawmill in Fulton county, Ohio. It was not until 1882 that he
decided to settle down to an agricultural life on his present.
farm, which he purchased from his father, but since that time he
has shown such marked ability in his chosen line that his
success as a farmer and also as a stock-raiser is well known
through the locality. Mr. Sinn still continues-to
look after his stock and farming interests, but not so actively
as formerly.. A lifelong Democrat, he has taken a deep interest
in township affairs, and was an efficient trustee of the same in
1867-8. He enjoys the esteem and respect of the community and is
considered one of the representative men of Bucyrus-township. |
ALEXANDER SMITH.
Many years have passed since Alexander Smith
came to Crawford county to cast in his lot with its pioneers.
People of the present day can scarcely realize the struggles and
dangers which attended the early settlers, the heroism and
self-sacrifice of lives passed upon the borders of civilization,
the hardships endured, the difficulties overcome. To the pioneer
of the early days, far removed from the privileges and
conveniences of city or town, the struggle for existence was a
stern and hard one, and of these men and women must have
possessed indomitable energies and sterling worth of character,
as well as marked physical courage, when they thus voluntarily
selected such a life and successfully fought its battles under
such circumstances as prevailed in this then new and undeveloped
country.
Mr. Smith was born in Washington county,
Pennsylvania, on the 2d of June, 1821, a son of Joseph S.
and Jane (Hogan) Smith. The father was also born in
Washington county of the Keystone state, his birth occurring in
1797. He was a son of Alexander and Jane (Snodgrass) Smith,
both natives of the Emerald Isle. After coming to the United
States the grandfather became a well-known and prominent farmer
of Washington county, Pennsylvania, where he spent his remaining
days. He was a veteran of the war of 1812, and was a man highly
respected and esteemed for his many estimable traits of
character. His son, Joseph S., was reared and educated in
the county of his nativity, and was early inured to the work of
field and meadow. After his marriage he located on a portion of
his father's farm, where he remained until 1825, and in the fall
of that year he came with his wife and two children by wagon to
Crawford county, Ohio. During a portion of the journey it was
necessary for him to go ahead and clear a road ere the wagon
could proceed, and on his arrival here he located on the farm on
which he still resides, he having entered the land from the
government in 1821 while on a prospecting tour through Ohio. The
place consisted of one hundred and sixty acres, and was then
covered with a dense growth of native timber, and while he
erected a cabin the family were obliged to live in the wagon.
Mr. Smith cleared and improved this place, and in
later years erected a more modern and commodious hewed-log
house, in which he spent his remaining days, passing away in
1843, in early life. He was an active church worker and a member
of the Presbyterian denomination, and he aided materially in the
erection of the first Presbyterian church in Crawford county.
Our subject, who was then a lad of thirteen years, drove an
ox-team in hauling the timber used in its construction. In his
political affiliations Mr. Smith was a Democrat.
He was also active in military affairs, and for a number of
years served as captain of a company. The mother of our subject,
who was born in Maryland, in 1797, was a daughter of William
Hogan, who removed to Washington county, Pennsylvania,
from Maryland, his native state, and was of Irish extraction.
Mrs. Smith survived her husband about ten years,
dying in 1855, and was accidentally killed by being thrown from
a buggy. They were the parents of seven children, three of whom
still survive,—Alexander, the subject of this review;
William W., a resident, of Woodson county, Kansas; and
Tabitha J., the widow of James Majors.
Alexander Smith, whose name introduces
this review, was reared to the quiet pursuits of the farm and
received his educational advantages in the old pioneer log
school house, with its puncheon floor, slab benches and greased
paper windows. In 1843, after his marriage, he erected a log
cabin on a portion of his father's farm, which he operated on
the shares, thus continuing for about five years. In the
meantime, however, the farm had been divided, and on the
expiration of the five years our subject purchased the interests
of the other heirs and thus became the possessor of the entire
homestead. In 1857 he erected his present substantial frame
residence, and his farm, which consists of one hundred and
fifty-two acres, is one of the valuable places of Crawford
county. For the past twenty years, however, he has lived
retired, in the enjoyment of a well-earned rest, the result of
unfaltering energy, wise judgment and business ability. The
management of the farm is now left to his sons. In the days of
the horse-power thresher Mr. Smith also devoted a
part of his time to threshing, but his principal occupation has
been farming and in that vocation his efforts were attended with
a high and well-merited degree of success.
The year. 1843 witnessed the marriage of Mr. Smith
and Miss Nancy J. Dix, a native of Columbiana county,
Ohio, and a daughter of Joseph Dix. This union was
blessed with seven children, four of whom still survive, namely:
Joseph M., a resident of Crawford county; Porter W.,
of Oklahoma; Alexander, .who operates the home farm; and
Martha J., the wife of Oliver McKeehen,
also of Sandusky township, Crawford county. The wife and mother
passed away in death on the 14th of August, 1887, at the age of
sixty-five years. For the past fifty-seven years Mr.
Smith has been an active and zealous member of the
Presbyterian church, and during all of that time has served as
an elder therein, much of the time also acting as a trustee. In
political matters he is a stanch supporter of the Democracy. He
has been the choice of his party for a number of local offices,
having served for two terms as town-' ship trustee, two terms as
clerk of his township, two terms as township assessor, and for
more than twenty years has held the office of township
treasurer. In all of these positions he discharged his duties
with the utmost fidelity and honesty, and in all relations of
life he has ever been true to principle and the right. |
MATHIAS M. SPRINGER is an honored veteran of the Civil war who
has made a great sacrifice for his country. He stands
today among those to whom the nation owes a debt of gratitude
which can never be repaid. His loyalty and valor was
displayed on many southern battlefields and throughout his
entire life he has been a supporter of every interest which he
believed would prove of general good to his county, state and
nation. No history of Crawford county would be complete
without the record of his life, which we, therefore, gladly
present to our readers, according to him the honor which is his
just due.
Mr. Springer was born in Weller township,
Richland county, on the 15th of January, 1837, and is a son of
George W. and Elizabeth (Mahon) Springer. The family
is of Swedish origin and was founded in America by four
brothers, Michael, Peter, William and Daniel, who
crossed the Atlantic from Sweden in an early day and settled in
New Jersey. The first named was the great-grandfather of
our subject, and from New Jersey he removed to Pennsylvania.
His son, Matthias Springer, the grandfather of our
subject, was born, according to tradition, in the red stone
country of New Jersey, May 15, 1758, and died in June, 1822.
He was a personal acquaintance of George Washington, but
it is not known with certainty whether or not he served in the
Revolutionary war. George W. Springer, the father
of our subject, was born in Allegheny county, Pennsylvania, Oct.
22, 1811, and in his parents' home spent the days of his
childhood and youth. He acquired a good common-school
education, and soon after attaining his majority emigrated to
Ohio locating in Weller township, Richland county, becoming one
of its pioneer settlers. The Indians were very numerous in
that portion of the state but were always friendly. In
Pennsylvania Mr. Springer had learned the trade of a
tanner and shoemaker, and after coming to Ohio he purchased a
tan-yard, which he conducted for a number of years. He
devoted some time to farming soon after his arrival in the
Buckeye state, but rheumatism forced him to abandon this and he
then actively engaged in the tanning business, which he followed
the greater part of his active life. About a year after
taking up his abode in Richland county, he was married on the
19th of September, 1833, to Miss Elizabeth Mahon, who was
born in Jefferson county, Ohio, Oct. 25, 1814, and was a
daughter of James and Millie (Hitchcock) Mahon, both of
whom were of Irish extraction. They emigrated to Richland
county in 1818, settling in Weller township, where their
remaining days were spent in 1818, settling in Weller township,
where their remaining days were spent in the midst of pioneer
scenes, the red men being almost their only neighbors. At
the time of the marriage of Mr. and Mrs. Springer his
wife received as her patrimony forty acres of forest land, which
the father of our subject cleared and improved. Later, he
purchased an adjoining tract of forty acres and the development
of this largely devolved upon his sons, owning to the father's
ill health. After selling his Richland county farm,
George W. Springer removed to Crawford county on the 1st of
April, 1865, and purchased one hundred and sixty-acres of land
in Cranberry township, one mile southeast of New Washington, and
here he and his wife resided up to the time of her death.
He passed away on the 22d of November, 1889, and she was called
to her final rest on the 5th of May, 1888. They were
life-long members of the Methodist Episcopal church, earnest and
consistent Christian people, who reared their children in that
faith and taught them habits of industry and integrity, thus
well fitting them for the duties and obligations of life.
They had ten children, seven of whom are yet living, namely:
Matthias M.; Elizabeth, the wife of John Tooker,
of Michigan; Amelia, Athaliah and George W.,
triplets, the first named the wife of a Mr. Hilton, of
Tiffin, Ohio, the second of the widow of Henry Bender, of
Marion, Ohio, while George resides with his brother
Matthias; Nancy M., who married William Corrathers,
of Ohio City, Ohio; and Mary M., the wife of Sheridan
Spencer, of Seneca county, Ohio.
Matthias M. Springer began his mastery of the
branches of English learning in the common schools near his home
and during the period of his childhood and youth remained with
his parents, assisting in the farm work as he grew old and
strong enough to manage the plow and the other agricultural
implements. On attaining his majority he started out to
fight the battle of life, and whatever success he has achieved
since that time is due entirely to his own efforts. For
two years he was employed in a stone quarry, and as opportunity
offered he secured work as a journeyman at the brick and stone
mason's trade, his time being thus passed for a year. On
the expiration of that period he began doing contract work in
putting up post and rail fences and executing various jobs in
carpentering, in which he was very successful, receiving good
salaries. On the 11th of August, 1861, however, he
sacrificed all business opportunities in order to aid his
country in her struggle to preserve the Union intact.
He joined Company M, of the Second Ohio Cavalry, and after
recruiting for five months at Cleveland the regiment was sent to
Camp Dennison and soon afterward to Fort Leavenworth.
After a short stay at that place the troops were sent to Kansas
City, and in that vicinity had a sharp skirmish with
Quantrell, the guerrilla chief. Next the regiment was
sent to Fort Scott, but Mr. Springer remained behind as
an inmate of the general hospital with a severe case of inflamed
eyes, caused by vaccination, which had been administered while
he was at Camp Dennison. It was slow to take, however, and
on encountering the severe winters of the western country he
contracted a cold which inflamed his eyes. Through a scare
at Fort Scott on the expected advance of the Confederate troops,
he was taken to that place with others ere he had fully
recovered, being at the time under the medical supervision of
the regimental surgeon. While at that place the regiment
of twelve companies, finding it impossible to recruit, formed
into a battalion of eight companies and Mr. Springer was
transferred to Company G. The troops then returned to
headquarters at Fort Scott for some time, and in the interval
went on an Indian expedition to Fort Gibbs and Fort Smith for
two months, during which time there occurred to two-days' fight
at Cain Hill. Mr. Springer was also one of a
company of one hundred and fifty men chosen as a detachment to
go on an expedition to Humboldt to suppress the Indian
insurrections at that place. There they met in council
with seventeen different tribes of Indians and matters were
peaceably settled.
In December, 1862, as the regiment were almost entirely
dismounted, it was called back to Camp Chase to recruit and
there was remounted. In the following spring it was
transferred to the Army of the Cumberland, and going to
Somerset, Kentucky, were encamped at that place for several
weeks, during which time the Union men had several skirmishes
with the troops of General Pegrim. After some weeks
passed at Danville and at Camp Nelson, they moved to Lexington,
but there remained only a brief period, after which they spent a
few weeks at Stanford and thence took up the line of march into
eastern Tennessee, where they were constantly on the move,
either advancing, driving the enemy before them, or retreating
for some weeks up to the siege of Knoxville, in which Mr.
Springer took part. Following this he went with his
regiment to Strawberry Plains, where they went into winter
quarters, and during the winter season the engineer corps
repaired the bridge at that place. On the 1st of January,
1864, while at Strawberry Plains, Mr. Springer enlisted
as a veteran and shortly afterward began the journey home,
arriving at Camp Chase, where the regiment was again mustered
into the service and then granted a thirty-day furlough.
On the expiration of his leave of absence he rejoined his
regiment at Cleveland and was transferred with Burnside
to the Ninth Corps of the Army of the Potomac. After
rendezvousing for two weeks at Annapolis, they took part in the
battle of the Wilderness, and subsequently the Second Ohio
Cavalry was transferred to Sheridan's Cavalry Corps and took
part in Wilson's second raid, in which they tore up
seventy-two miles of the Petersburg and Lynchburg Railroad.
This movement was followed by a mine explosion at Petersburg.
Soon afterward Mr. Springer was sent to the hospital at
City Point, trouble with his eyes incapacitating him for
service. The same afternoon the regiment received orders
to move to Washington city, and he was placed on a boat and sent
through with his command. Immediately on his arrival he
was committed to Camp Stoneman hospital, and after two days was
sent to the Emory general hospital, at Washington, D. C., where
he remained for over eleven months. After about six months
there passed he was appointed general superintendent of the
cooking department, and by the war department was made a member
of the Veteran Reserve Corps so that he might be retained in
this position. After the hospital was broken up he
rejoined his regiment at Camp Cadwalader, in Philadelphia, and
was made superintendent of the cooking department there, acting
in that capacity until Sept. 18, 1865, when he was honorably
discharged from the service.
At the close of four long years spent at the front
Mr. Springer gladly returned to his home and on the 1st of
March, 1866, he was united in marriage to Miss Ferena Easly,
a native of Cranberry township, and a daughter of Jacob Easly.
Her father was a native of Switzerland and originally spelled
the name Iseli. In 1834 he came to America,
accompanied by his second wife, mother of Mrs. Springer,
who bore the maiden name of Barbara Strauchen. They
were also accompanied by his five children, born of his first
marriage.
The marriage of Mr. and Mrs. Springer has been
blessed with fourteen children, of whom twelve are yet living,
namely: George W., who follows carpentering in Cleveland;
Elizabeth, the wife of W. H. Smith, of Fostoria,
Ohio; Samuel M., a painter and plasterer in Cranberry
township; Charles A., a carpenter in Cleveland, Ohio;
Anna A., wife of A. S. Nye, of Cranberry township;
Lela F., wife of Joseph Wolfert, of Cleveland;
Arthur J., and Elmira M., at home; Walter R.,
who follows carpentering in Cleveland; Martha I., Lucy V.
and Effie L., all of whom are still with their parents.
After his marriage Mr. Springer took up his
abode in a log cabin, about one and a half miles west of the
present home, where he resided for eighteen months, during which
period he followed any respectable employment that he could
secure. He then went to Ottawa county, Ohio, where he
purchased eighty acres of timber land and erected a log house
and a log barn, making his home upon that place for six years.
Again he had trouble with his eyes, which prevented him from
working, and in consequence he sold him farm and returned to
Crawford county. Here he purchased the south half of the
old homestead and lived there for six years. In 1881,
however, he sold that property and purchased his present home
farm of eighty acres, upon which he has resided through two
decades. About 1880 his eyesight began failing so that at
times of a period of several weeks he would be totally blind,
and soon after his removal to his present home he lost the
entire use of his eyes. It was certainly a great sacrifice
he made to his country, for it was during his service as a
defender of the union that the trouble was incurred which
ultimately resulted in blindness.
In his political views Mr. Springer is a stanch
Republican and for some years after his return from the war he
served as supervisor and as school director, but his blindness
compelled him to give up active participation in such work.
He and his wife were consistent and prominent members of the
Methodist Episcopal church, and the family is one of prominence
in the community. Mr. Springer is one of the most
highly esteemed citizens of this part of the state.
(Source: A Centennial Biographical History of Crawford County, Ohio -
Chicago: 1902 - Page 451) |
GEORGE W.
STARNER. The late George W. Starner
was a good citizen and a prosperous farmer of Crawford
county, and was born November 12, 1812, and was a native of
Monroe county, Pennsylvania. His lamented death occurred
Apr. 6, 1887. He was a son of George M. and Katie
M. (Van Vleet) Starner. His youth was spent upon
the farm and received limited schooling, as the facilities were
wanting in those early days. The school-house was a log
structure and the instruction correspondingly crude.
On July 12, 1835, Mr. Starner was united in
marriage to Susan Stiff, of Monroe county at
that time, but her birth took place in Sussex county, New
Jersey, July 20, 1810, she having removed to Monroe county when
fourteen years of age. To this marriage these children
were born: Elizabeth, who married Jacob
Yeagley; Ellen, who married James O. Holland;
Harriet, who married John Dobbins; and
William.
Mr. Starner removed to Ohio in the month of September,
1832, coming in a two horse wagon, making the trip in four
weeks, and settling in Perry county. For six years the
family resided there on a farm. In 1843 the family removed
to Crawford county and located in Bucyrus township.
Mr. Starner soon became well known through the
township as a very reliable man and good citizen. He voted
with the Republican party and passed away regretted by a large
circle of friends. His widow died July 3, 1901, being
almost ninety-one years of age. The last thirteen years of
her life were spent in the home of her daughter, Mrs.
James O. Holland.
~ Page 281 |
BENJAMIN
STEVENS. The Stevens family has been one of
the most prominent in the development of Crawford county, Ohio,
and no member of it stood higher in the esteem of the community
in which his useful life was passed than did Benjamin Stevens,
whose death occurred on December 4, 1893.
Benjamin Stevens was born in Columbiana County,
Ohio, on April 4, 1820, and he was a son of Amos and Hannah
(Cummings) Stevens, of whom a more extended mention is made
in the sketch of Jacob Stevens, which may be found in
another part of this volume. Mr. Stevens, of this
sketch, was fourteen years of age when his parents came to
Crawford county, and here he grew to manhood and took advantage
of every educational opportunity. Through life he was a
reflective reader and gained thus much knowledge, while his
association in later years with men of affairs widened his stock
of information, rendering his education both practical and
useful. During years of invalidism his books were
companions.
He assumed control of the home farm when he was about
twenty-five years old, his parents making their home with him,
and he looked after their comfort as long as they survived.
In 1850 he was united in marriage to Miss Eliza A. S. Barker,
who was a native of Geauga county, Ohio, and a daughter of
Asa and Roby (Adams) Barker, both of whom were natives of
Connecticut, where they grew to maturity and were married, and
five of their six children were born in that state prior to the
birth of the late Mrs. Stevens. The Barker
family came to Geauga county, Ohio, but later removed into
Richland county, where they resided for a number of years,
finally removing to Illinois to which state two sons had
preceded them. They continued to reside there until their
lives ended, and the only member of the family still surviving
is Sidney Barker, of Illinois.
Following his marriage the late Mr. Stevens
farmed on the home place and took a prominent position in
the county for the succeeding fifteen years. His father
had passed away in 1852 and the old home place reverted to him,
consisting of one hundred and sixty acres of land, with
buildings and so forth. Here Mr. Stevens remained
until April 4, 1865, when he celebrated his birthday by removing
to the farm he last occupied consisting of one hundred and
twenty acres, he having sold the former one. This place
possessed many attractions for our subject, as he had helped to
clear the land and assisted in the building of the first cabin
on it. The land had been entered by a Mr. Wells and
was intended for his daughter at that time. This was the
comfortable and attractive home in which the remainder of the
life of Mr. Stevens was spent. His attention was
given to this property and it is one of the best improved and
most desirable estates in Crawford county.
Two children were born to Mr. and Mrs. Stevens,
one of whom died in infancy, the other being Minelva G.,
who resides on the farm, a worthy representative of one of the
most esteemed citizens of the community. The mother of
Miss Stevens died in 1854 and some years later the father
married Miss Ann McCracken, who was a native of Bucyrus,
where she resided until her eighth year, at which time her
parents removed to a farm that was located one mile east of
Bucyrus, where her parents resided during the rest of their
lives. Mrs. Stevens survived her husband for six
years, dying on Sept. 24, 1899.
In politics Mr. Stevens was an ardent
Republican, but his tastes never caused him to desire office,
although he always performed his duty as a citizen,.
Neither was he formally connected with any church organization,
having early taken the Golden Rule as his guide through life and
conscientiously following its leadings. Although leading a
quiet life and rarely assuming a conspicuous position even in
county affairs, he was always to be found when charitable and
benevolent objects were to be furthered or action taken in
educational or moral movements. The sterling qualities
which made him a man above his fellows have in great degree been
displayed in the character of his only surviving child, and she
is both highly esteemed and much respected through Sandusky
township. |
JACOB H. STEVENS.
A deep interest in the pioneer days through which many of the
older residents of our enlightened country have passed, with
honor to themselves and benefit to the younger generation, is
but a natural feeling; and those who still remain to show the
honest, sturdy and manly stock of which pioneers were made,
receive but their just tribute of gratitude. Among the old
settlers of Auburn township, Crawford county, Ohio, no one is
more highly esteemed than Jacob H. Stevens, who is the
subject of this biography.
Jacob H. Stevens was born in Columbiana county,
Ohio, on Oct. 31, 1817, and he was a son of Amos and Hannah
(Cunning Stevens, who reared a family of eleven children, five
daughters and six sons, but of those only two survive, these
being Jacob H., of this sketch, and his brother Amos,
of Arkansas.
Amos H. Stevens, was born near Allicott's
Mills, Maryland, on Oct. 16, 1778, and he was a son of
Augustus and Sophia (Young) Stevens, these parents being of
English and Welsh extraction. Later Grandfather
Augustus Stevens moved to Washington county, Pennsylvania,
and there made his home on a farm, but finally came to
Columbiana county, Ohio, and spent is last days with his son
Amos. Amos Stevens was given a good school
opportunities as were then possible, but books were scarce and
even the rich could secure for their children what we would now
regard as only the outlines of an education. Some brothers
of the father of our subject resided in Beaver county,
Pennsylvania, and it is probable that Amos Stevens also
resided there a time, but after his marriage he and his young
wife came to Geauga county, Ohio, prior to 1802, when it was
admitted as a state. At that time the country was a vast
wilderness, with no highways and no means of communication with
civilization except by long and toilsome journeys through the
forest, and with the wild beasts of the woods still in their
accustomed haunts and the equally savage Indian a frequent
visitor. Within three miles of another intrepid pioneer,
Amos Stevens erected his log cabin and became a resident
of the "Buckeye state," although at that time the name had not
yet been bestowed upon it.
The causes which induced Mr. Stevens to leave
this section are not known to the family, but he later removed
to Columbiana count and there entered a one-quarter section of
land, and again built a pioneer cabin of logs, and once more
began the clearing and then cultivating a farm. Here he
soon made many improvements, erected a more modern residence,
added sixty more acres of land and made this a pleasant home,
where the family lived until 1834, when he sold this property
and came to Crawford county. Here Mr. Stevens
located in Cranberry township, where he purchased two hundred
and forty acres of land from Isaac Mathews, this property
having been entered some ten years previously. But a small
tract of this land had been cleared and upon it stood a small
log cabin, which served trough one winter as a shelter to the
family of Mr. Stevens, in the following spring a more
commodious one being erected. Here Amos Stevens
lived and labored and here he died. In his later years he
accumulated much more property buying and entering different
tracts, until he owned at one time fully six hundred acres of
Ohio soil. Physically he was a typical pioneer, strong,
energetic and courageous, a man who dared every danger and
feared no hardship. In his religious life he was a strict
Methodist and was, in fact, a local preacher of that faith,
going many miles to perform the sacred duties of that calling.
In his political belief he was a Whig and from principle became
a great abolitionist.
The mother of our subject was born in Washington
county, Pennsylvania, on July 2, 1784, and she was a daughter of
Robert and Nancy (Young) Cunning, the former of whom was
born in Ireland. The latter was a native of England, and
the maiden name of her mother was the same as that of G. M.
Stevens, also born in England, but of no kindred.
G. F. Cunning came to America prior to or about the time of
the Revolutionary war, and was a member of the patriot army.
Mrs. Stevens lived until in her ninety-second year, dying
on June 8, 1876.
Jacob H. Stevens, who is the subject of this
sketch, remained at home until his twenty-sixth year, attending
school in his early youth in the old school house, in the
clearing, where he well recalls the puncheon floor, the slab
benches and the greased paper for windows. He was the
strongest of his father's sons, and probably was the most
willing, and he assumed much of the most laborious part of the
clearing and cultivation; as must be remembered, this was done
with no machinery and very little apparatus. About his
twenty-sixth year he and his father came to an agreement as to
his future. Three of his brothers and several of his
sisters had been given assistance by the father, when they left
home, and our subject felt that some like provision should be
made for a faithful a son as he had been. The father
intended, doubtless to be just, but he imposed hard conditions.
A tract of heavily timbered forest land, covered with
underbrush, one hundred and fifty acres of the home farm, should
be his for the sum of eight hundred dollars, which was to be
paid to his father, in installments. He had no money to
start a career in any other place, and he accepted his father's
proposition and began with energy to clear his land.
In 1849 our subject was married to Miss Sarah J.
Wallace, was was a native of Pennsylvania and was the
daughter of Jefferson Wallace, who came to Richland
county, Ohio, at an early day, later removing to Cranberry
township, in Crawford county. Ten children were born to
our subject and wife, the five survivors being among the best
and most reliable citizens of this county, and they are as
follows: Amos W., of Auburn township; "Almira,
the wife of Frank Albright, of Whetstone township;
Sherman H., of Cranberry township; Julia M., the wife
of Freeman Brown, of Shelby, Ohio; and Nora, the
wife of Willis A. Brown, of Tiro, Ohio.
After subject had succeeded in paying for his farm and
in placing it in a prosperous condition, he began the purchase
of other land, the first tract being one of eighty acres
adjoining his own land, the first tract being one of eighty
acres adjoining his own land, which belonged to his brother.
Late in the '50s he bought one hundred and twenty acres in
Sandusky township, another of one hundred and twenty acres in
Liberty township, and his last purchase being in 1882, when when
he became the owner of one hundred and forty-seven acres in
Auburn township. This land Mr. Stevens acquired for
his children, and after he had become satisfied that he could do
well for all of them he bought a small tract of sixty-four
acres, a part of which is within the corporate limits of Tiro,
and removed to it. There he and his most estimable wife
resided until her death, on Dec. 26, 1893, when he deeded this
land to his daughter, Mrs. Brown, and went to live with
her.
In his political life Mr. Stevens has been a
Republican for many years, although his strong temperance
principles induced him to vote with the Prohibition party for a
time. He is distinguished as being the oldest living
resident of Auburn township. His years have reached
eighty-four, but his mind is clear and his memory of past events
is vivid. Many of his years have been spent in the most
laborious toil, but he has always possessed both energy and
ambition, and stands to-day as a worthy representative of the
perseverance, courage and zeal, which has made the extraordinary
progress possible, which has given Crawford county its
prominence in this state, which latter has become known as the
"New Mother of Presidents," well deserving the title. |
SHERMAN H. STEVENS,
who is one of the substantial, reliable and highly esteemed
citizens of Cranberry township, Crawford county, Ohio, was born
in the house which he now occupies, on May 24, 1858. He is
a worthy son of one of the well known and respected pioneers of
this county, Jacob H. Stevens, who has the distinction of
being the oldest living resident of Auburn township. The
mother of the subject of this sketch was formerly Miss Sarah
J. Wallace, who was a native of Pennsylvania and was a
daughter of Jefferson Wallace, who located in Richland
county at an early day, later removing to Cranberry township, in
Crawford county.
Until his twenty-first year Sherman H. Stevens
remained at home, assisting on the farm and acquiring an
education in the common schools. AT that period he took
charge of the home farm, consisting of two hundred and thirty
acres, and worked on the share plan, remaining thus engaged for
two years, and then went to Sandusky township and took charge of
what was known as the Kuntz farm, which had passed into
the possession of the father of our subject. One year was
spent by Mr. Stevens on this farm, as a bachelor, but on
April 27, 1882, he was united in marriage to Miss Clara R.
Siefert, and he was thus provided with a most admirable
companion, an estimable lady and an excellent housekeeper,
trained in all domestic ways. She was a native of this
county, and she was a daughter of Jacob Siefert (a sketch
of the Siefert family can be found in the biography of
John E. Siefert, who is a brother to Mrs. Stevens).
Upon this farm our subject and wife resided until the fall
of 1894. During the ensuing years our subject was
extensively engaged in the manufacture and shipping of maple
syrup, his trade extending to all parts of the United States,
his shipments aggregating thousands of gallons of this delicacy.
His opinion was that he could realize more financial returns
from two months' work in the sugar camp in the spring than from
an entire summer's work in general farming.
In the fall of 1894 Mr. Stevens removed to the
home farm and in the following winter he acquired the homestead,
with one hundred and fifty acres of land, which he yet owns.
HE also efficiently manages his father's farm of eighty acres.
Although he has the management of a large extent of land., he
has practically given up active work on the farm and has his
farm under rental at present, his time and attention being
required to enable him to look after his large interests in the
buying and selling of stock. Mr. Stevens owns a
large herd of valuable cattle, known as Aberdeen, and is the
only citizen of the county, with one exception, who owns any of
these high-priced animals.
Two children were born to Mr. and Mrs. Stevens,
the survivor being Freeman W. S., who was born on June
12, 1892, a bright, intelligent lad, who bears promise of
worthily upholding a name which his father was grandfather have
made respected through Crawford county. Politically Mr.
Stevens is a stanch Republican and takes an active interest
in public affairs and is fraternally connected with Hyperion
Lodge, No. 651, K. of P., of New Washington, and was a charter
member of this lodge. The social and business standing of
Mr. Stevens is very high in this locality and his name is
a leading one among the representative men. |
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