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Biographies
Source:
20th
Century History of
Youngstown & Mahoning Co., Ohio
and Representative Citizens -
Publ. Biographical Publ. Co.
Chicago, Illinois -
1907
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GEORGE CAMPBELL
FENTON, trustee of Poland township and the
owner of a fine farm of 76 acres, which is situated about one-half
mile north of Lowellville, was born at Austintown Center, Mahoning
County, Ohio, Apr. 15, 1836, and is a son of Abner Cone and
Barbara (Campbell) Fenton.
Abner C. Fenton was born in Vermont, came to
Ohio in young manhood, and worked first at the old Eaton furnace at
Niles, where he learned the blacksmith trade. He then moved to
Austintown Center and then to Mineral Ridge, settling then on a farm
in the southeastern part of Youngstown township, which subsequently
became the property of Hamilton Harris. At the time of
this transaction, George C. Fenton was 18 years old, and as
his father then went into a coal business, with Henry Manning
and O. H. P. Green, of Youngstown, in the vicinity of
Homestead, Pennsylvania, George C. became employed in the
enterprise to which his father had devoted his attention and
capital. After five years at this point, Abner C. Fenton
removed with his family to Edinburg, Pennsylvania. At Niles,
Ohio, he married Barbara Campbell, who was born in Liberty
township, Trumbull County, Ohio, and was a daughter of George
Campbell, who was born in the north of Ireland.
One year prior to moving to Edinburg, George C.
Fenton had purchased a canal boat, which he operated until the
canal was abandoned. He worked his boat from Brier Hill and
Girard, loading with pig iron for Pittsburg, and sometimes made a
trip that extended down the Ohio River as far as Steubenville and
even to Wheeling, West Virginia. When boating could no longer
be carried on, Mr. Fenton turned his attention to
merchandising and bought an interest in a dry-goods store at
Edinburg, which he carried on for about six years, when he became
interested in farming. For several years he remained in the
vicinity of Edinburg and then took possession of what was known as
the Humm farm in Poland township, which he operated
two years, then moved to the Batteigcr farm for three years,
and in 1889, he purchased the farm on which he has resided ever
since. He here owns a very valuable piece of property, which
is kept in fine condition, and although Mr. Fenton has
reached the age of 71 years, he is hale and hearty and still enjoys
his farm work, which he carried on without any assistance.
On June 18, 1876, Mr. Fenton was married to
Rebecca Hill, who is a daughter of John and Maria Hill,
of Hillsville, a town that was named in honor of the Hill family.
Mr. and Mrs. Fenton have had eight children, five of whom
survive, namely: John, residing at Muncie, Indiana, where he
is assistant manager of a rolling mill; Thomas, residing in
Jefferson County, Pennsylvania, where he is a master mechanic in a
blast furnace; Richard, residing in Poland township, operates
a dairy; Maud, who married Rev. William Barnes, who is
pastor of the Disciples Church, near Newcastle, Pennsylvania; and
Chauncey L. The latter, after graduating from the
Lowellville schools took the severe competitive examination required
and was appointed by Congressman Taylor, a cadet to West
Point, where he was graduated June 15, 1904, with the rank of second
lieutenant of artillery. For a short time Lieutenant Fenton
was stationed at Portland, Oregon, then at Cheyenne, Wyoming, and
then accompanied his battery across the Pacific Ocean to Manila.
After six weeks there he was ordered to report to West Point, in
August, 1906, where he has since been instructor in mathematics.
He is a young man of brilliant gifts. the three children of
Mr. Fenton whose death he has been called upon to mourn were two
sons, Orus C. and Joseph, and one daughter, Nellie,
the latter of whom died aged 12 years. Orus C. Fenton
and his brother were both railroad men and both were killed within a
mile of Niles, on the same road, the Baltimore and Ohio line, but at
different times.
Politically, Mr. Fenton is identified with the
Republican party and in 1893 he was elected on that ticket, township
trustee, in which office he has faithfully served ever since.
Source: 20th Century History of
Youngstown & Mahoning Co., Ohio
and Representative Citizens - Publ. Biographical Publ. Co. - Chicago, Illinois -
1907 - Page
841 |
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RICHARD H. FENTON,*
a highly respected citizen and general farmer of Poland township,
residing on a valuable farm of 99 acres, situated in lot 77, was
born Nov. 27, 1870, in Edenburg, Lawrence County, Pennsylvania, and
is a son of George and Etza Jane (Stanley) Fenton.
When about nine or ten years old
Richard H. Fenton came to Poland township with his father, and
has since spent much of his time here, remaining at home until after
his marriage. He first worked in the oil fields of
Pennsylvania for some time, after which he went to West Virginia,
and then returned to Mahoning County. He later went to
Cleveland and-worked in a sheet and plate mill, of which his
brother, John, was superintendent, remaining there about two
years. After his marriage he took up railroad work, beginning
as a brakeman, from which position he went in to the Wilson Avenue
shops of the Erie Railroad in Cleveland, working in the wrecking
department. He subsequently came to Youngstown as a car
inspector, after which he became foreman on the wreck car on the
Pennsylvania Railroad and then engaged in farming. In
1903, he embarked in the dairy business with his father-in-law,
Isaac Justice, and has continued in that business for the
past 18 years; they run a milk wagon in Lowellville.
Mr. Fenton was married in 1892, to Delia B.
Justice, a daughter of Isaac and Mary (Emery) Justice,
and they have three children: Ray Marshall, Marie,
and Chester. Mr. Fenton is a member of
the Knights of Pythias at Lowellville.
Source: 20th Century History of
Youngstown & Mahoning Co., Ohio
and Representative Citizens - Publ. Biographical Publ. Co. - Chicago, Illinois -
1907 - Page
1023 |
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JOHN F. FINK,
a retired farmer and stock-raiser of Canfield township and one of
the most prominent citizens of the little village of Cornersburg,
was born Apr. 10, 1856, on his father's farm in Canfield township,
Mahoning County, Ohio, and is a son of Samuel and Catherine
(Lynn) Fink.
Samuel Fink was born in Lehigh County,
Pennsylvania, and came to this county with his parents, John and
Catherine (Deis) Fink, when a small child. He was one of a
family of four children: John, Samuel, Elizabeth, and
Catherine, all now deceased. John Fink who was a
farmer of Lehigh County, Pennsylvania, brought his family to Ohio in
old fashioned covered wagons and bought a tract of virgin timber
land in Poland township, Mahoning county. On this he resided
the remainder of his life, engaged in clearing and cultivating his
farm. For many years he made frequent trips between
Pennsylvania and Ohio, with salt, sugar, etc., with a six-horse
team, often riding one of the horses.
Samuel Fink, father of John F., as reared
on his father's farm in Poland township, and worked in the old
water-wheel saw-mill, which was one of the first mills operated in
this section. After the breaking of the dam, it was run by
steam. Samuel received but little schooling and lived
at home until he was married to Catherine Lynn, a daughter of
Adam and Rachel (Fullwiler) Lynn. The Lynns came
from Pennsylvania, and were among the earliest settlers of Canfield
township. Adam Lynn followed farming and was one of the
first postmasters of the county, there having been a post office at
that time in Cornersburg. He served as justice of the peace
for 42 years, and was a stanch Democrat. Our subject still has
the old ink-stand used by Squire Lynn, who was an expert
penman and use a quill pen, as is shown by the records kept at
Warren, Ohio, where the Court House was then located. He and
his wife were the parents of three children: Peter,
Catherine and Ferdinand, the latter of whom is the only
one living. Samuel and Catherine Fink were the parents
of seven children: Urias, deceased; Emma who died
young; John Ferdinand; Rosetta, who died young;
William, residing in Canfield township; Rachel (Mrs.
Peter Yager), of Canfield township; and George, of
Youngstown township.
The parents of our subject started housekeeping on the
old Lyun farm near the saw-mill race, and Samuel
continued to operate the mill during the winter months and farmed in
the summer. He was one of the most prosperous and successful
farmers of the township and at the time of his death was the owner
of 100 acres of valuable farm land. He died Apr. 15, 1903,
aged 75 years, his wife having died in 1893 aged 70 years.
John F. Fink was reared on his father's farm in
Canfield township and attended the district schools. He has
always devoted his time to farming and when just a mere boy assisted
with the work in the field, using the farm tools of his day, the
cradle, sickle and scythe, and he well remembers when the first
mower and binder were operated in that section. He
subsequently engaged in threshing, for a number of years, having an
interest in an old-fashioned horse-power machine, which required
eight horses to operate it. His partners were Allen Peters
and Homer Strock. They owned six horses and the farmer
for whom they worked furnished one team of horses. Mr. Fink
has a team of mules which he raised and broke when colts, one 27 and
the other 28 years old, and they are now doing service on the
telephone line and are pensioned by him. They had the
distinction of participating in the parade at Youngstown, Ohio, at
the time of President Cleveland's first nomination, when all
the men turned out with hickory brooms. On one occasion,
before the advent of the automobile, a carriage was rigged up for a
parade and the mules were hitched to the back of it to, push it, and
this was the first horseless carriage which appeared in Youngstown.
Mr. Fink has 134 acres of land in Canfield
township besides other property in Youngstown. His farms are
well improved in every way and he has laid 1,000 rods of tile,
besides erecting all his substantial buildings. In 1899 he
retired from the farm, since when he has been engaged in business at
Cornersburg, a little village about five miles from Youngstown, for
the past six years dealing in wool, and shipping about one car-load
a year. Mr. Fink is one of the leading citizens of this
little village, and because of his prominence, is jokingly called,
"the Mayor of Cornersburg." Politically he is a Democrat and
has served for many years as school director and was a member of the
committee at the time the school was built near his home. He
also served as road surveyor and ran for infirmary director, and was
defeated for the latter office by only a small majority, although
the county is Republican. Fraternally he is connected with
Eagles, at Youngstown, and of the Foresters of America of which he
has been treasurer for 13 years. He is a member of the Zion
Reform Church, at North Canfield, and has served in all the offices
of that church, and was chairman of the building committee at the
time of the erection of the church edifice.
Mr. Fink was married Nov. 11, 1877,
to Rosetta Lynn, a daughter of Jesse and Elizabeth (Vohler)
Lynn She was born Mar. 10, 1854, in Beaver township,
Mahoning County. Her mother died when she was but nine days
old and her father subsequently married Mary Beaver. he
followed farming in Beaver township all his life. "Four
children were born to Mr. and Mrs. Fink: Ward,
who married Bertha Lentz, has one child, Lucetta Catherine,
engaged in farming and stock-raising on the home farm of 100 acres,
in Canfield township; Netta Viola, who married Joseph
Deckon of Youngstown; Jesse Floyd, who married Edna
Campbell, has one child, John Edward, and resides on a
small farm in Canfield township, which is owned by his father; and
Oliver Francis, who lives at home.
Source: 20th Century History of
Youngstown & Mahoning Co., Ohio
and Representative Citizens - Publ. Biographical Publ. Co. - Chicago, Illinois -
1907 - Page 832 |
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John Frech
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JOHN FRECH
Source: 20th Century History of
Youngstown & Mahoning Co., Ohio
and Representative Citizens - Publ. Biographical Publ. Co. - Chicago, Illinois -
1907 - Page 799 |
NOTES:
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