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1825

DUTY

Daniel and Andrew Duty were the sons of Ebenezer and Abigail Warren Duty of Ackworth, N. H., Who settled in New York State, and am removed, that time in 1808, to Ashtabula Harbor, 0., and 11 years later went to Painesville. Here soon afterward Mrs. Duty died, leaving family of young children. The hardships and deprivation of pioneer life had proven too severe, for this was as early as 1820. She was a sister of Moses Warren of Warrensville, O.

Daniel Duty learned the cabinet-making trade of Milo Harris of Painesville, and after serving his four years' apprenticeship came to Cleveland at the age of 21 and hired to Ashael Abel as a journeyman. Abel made and sold furniture on Water Street. Soon after he took young Duty into partnership, one that continued several years. Trade was exceedingly slow in those days, sales far apart.

One day a stranger entered the shop and bought a hundred dollars' worth of the best furniture in stock, and paid for it in cash. Messrs. Abel & Duty were amazed at this astonishing piece of good fortune. They feared that the money could not be genuine, and Mr. Abel rushed out to satisfy himself regarding it.

Mr. Abel finally sold out his share in the business and moved out of town. Elisha Gardner became a member of the firm.

Mr. Duty's residence and shop was at 59 and 63 Water Street. The 'dwelling was north of the shop and the wide space between them was used by Mrs. Duty as a flower-garden where flourished and flaunted all the old-fashioned flowers so dear to our grandmothers.

Mrs. Duty's maiden name was Emmeline Mason. She had been early left an orphan and came with relatives to Ohio from New York State. She was never strong and during the latter part of her life was a semi invalid. But she possessed indomitable spirit, and was very ambitious for her children's education. Her daughters attended an eastern school and one of them taught many years.

The children of Daniel and Emmeline Mason Duty:

William Duty, unmarried

John Duty, unmarried.

Andrew Duty, m. Julia Stock of England..

Charlotte Duty.

Frances Jennie Duty, a well-known temperance worker.

Mary E. Duty, the oldest daughter, m. Platt R. Spencer

The family burial lot was in Erie Street Cemetery.

1830

DUTY

Andrew Duty, Sr., came to this city five years later than his brother Daniel, and settled in the East End on a farm afterward known as the "Streator" farm. He ran a large brickyard for many years. His wife was Miss Elisabeth Havens of Oneida Co., N. Y.

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This Duty family consisted of three sons:

Edwin Duty, b. 1830. He married Naomi Meeker, daughter of Stephen Meeker. She died in 1860 leaving two young children. He married 2nd, Elisabeth Salter daughter of Richard Salter of Columbus. His widow and daughter reside on Knowles St.

Daniel Duty, m. Sarah Cozad, of the pioneer family of that name

Andrew Duty, Jr., m. Elisabeth Salter, niece of Mr. Edwin Duty.

Data of the Andrew Duty, Sr., family was only partially secured.

1825

ALLEN

John W. Allen came to the village from Litchfield, Conn., in 1825. His father, also John Allen, was a lawyer, poet, and a Connecticut congressman. On account of his height, and perhaps to differentiate him from other Allens of the same family, he was designated as "Long John Allen." He died at 42 years of age, and when his son John was but a lad of ten years. His wife was Ursula McCurdy, and related by blood and connection with many noted New England families. Her death followed closely that of her husband, so that John was an orphan at the age of seventeen.

The fame of Judge Samuel Cowles as a jurist must have reached Connecticut, for John W. Allen chose to come to Cleveland and study law under him than acquire the same knowledge nearer home. Upon finishing the study previous to the examination, he became a member of the Cleveland bar, and within five years was president of the village council, and the last one to hold that position. In turn he was Mayor and postmaster of the city, state senator, congressional representative, banker, railroad director, and filled other positions of civic and commercial trust. With it all, he was ever the city's most unselfish champion and promoter.

A fine portrait of him is in the possession of his only daughter, Mrs. Louise Allen Fuller. The face is a noble one, full of refinement and dignity. Like most men of good family, he was simple-mannered, and no one, even the humblest stranger, left his presence with a sense of unmerited humiliation.

Soon after entering the bar, he rode away, one day, to Warren, Ohio, and returned with a bride, Anna Maria, the young daughter of Gen. Simeon Perkins. His domestic happiness, however, was of short duration, for she died within three months' time.

He married secondly, Harriet E. Mather, the 18-year-old daughter of James Mather of Lyme, Conn. She was his cousin, once removed, a descendant of Rev. Cotton Mather, and a relative of the late Samuel L. Mather of this city.

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The Allen residence faced the north-east section of the Public Square and stood on the site of the present chamber of commerce. The lot took in the alley now opened for a passage-way, and extended through to St. Clair Street. There were but four houses on that part of the Square. Charles M. Giddings' stone residence, afterward occupied by N. E. Crittenden, now the site of the Citizens' Savings Bank, was on one corner, the Allen home on the other, and between them were the residences of James F. Clark and John Irwin.

Mr. and Mrs. Allen were of the earliest members of Trinity Church. Their children were:

James Allen, unmarried.

William Allen, m. Miss Clara Gale. Was in the Civil War, and died, soon after in Washington, D. C. His son Clarence Gale Allen lives in that city.

Louise Allen, m. Dr. George Wood, U. S. A.; 2nd, S. A. Fuller.

Mrs. Fuller is an accomplished musician, and for many years she has been the organist of Euclid Ave. Presbyterian Church.

John W. Allen lived much in Washington, D. C., in the latter years of his life. Mrs. Allen died in 1887, and four weeks after he followed her to the Better Land.

1826

The county commissioners voted to build a new courthouse of brick, two stories high, with a cupola and a bell, costing $8000. George G. Hills, a well-known carpenter and contractor of the village, was the builder. It stood on the south-west corner of the Square.

Upon the front steps of this public edifice stood many an orator of national or local fame, haranguing the crowds that gathered on the Public Square; for this spot became a favorite place for holding political meetings, and many a debate was held here.

Euclid Avenue was too wet and muddy beyond Willson for ordinary travel. It led through a swamp. A corduroy road had to be built in order that teams might drive through there.

PASTORS OF OLD STONE CHURCH

Rev. William McLane, 1822 to 1828.

"Married-March, 1821, Rev. Wm. McLane of Newburgh, O., and Abigail Clark."

Rev. Stephen Ingalls Bradstreet, 1828 to 1830.

Rev. Samuel Hutchings, 1830 to 1833.

Rev. John Keep, 1833 to 1835.

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Rev. Samuel C. Aiken, 1835.

The Rev. William McLane came from Meadville, Pa. He was a friend of the first Judge Samuel Williamson, who secured him as teacher in the old Academy on St. Clair street. Whenever a thunder-storm was raging, he is said to have secured perfect quiet in the school-room by raising his hands, and, in a voice of awful solemnity, exclaiming,

"Silence ! This is the voice of God."

The subsequent history of this first pastor of the Old Stone Church has not been secured. This is regrettable, as the lives of all succeeding ones will be found in this historical work.

1826

CRITTENDEN

The once well-known and prominent Crittenden families of Cleveland were of Dutch ancestry, the first one coming to this country being Abraham Crittenden, born in Holland. The Cleveland posterity, Newton E. and Joseph H., were the sons of Chester and Azuba Abbott Crittenden of Conway, Mass., who were married in that town in 1801. They had six sons and two daughters, namely : Newton E., Joseph H., Charles C., Allen K., Nash A., Adelia A., Feleria A., and Franklin C. Crittenden. The father of this family died in 1825. The mother, who was a daughter of Joshua Abbott of Conway, Mass., died in Pittsfield, Mich., aged ninety years, having outlived her husband about half a century.

There had been no lack of a certain style of jewelry among the early settlers of Cleveland. Indian brooches, for instance, could be bought for a song. They were large, flat ornaments with an outer rim of silver, or what passed for such, which the government furnished its primitive wards along with the blankets distributed annually, and both of these were exchanged with settlers and traders for some more coveted article, usually whiskey; and occasionally the pack of some peddler from Pittsburgh way would contain articles of cheap jewelry more or less in demand.

But in the fall of 1826, a young man appeared quietly upon the scene, secured a little building on the north side of Superior street near Water, and spread before the eyes of the small community such a display of watches, chains, breastpins and finger-rings as to dazzle the eyes of all beholders. In six months the stock, costing $500 and obtained on credit, was all sold out, and the enterprising young man started back east for more goods and a promised bride.

Newton E. Crittenden was born in Conway, Mass., and was twentytwo years old when he made his Cleveland venture. According to the custom of those days, he was bound out to a jeweler in Geneva, N. Y., and when released with a trade, he took a clerkship in Albany. There he met Miss Maria Ogden, a dark-eyed, dark-haired lady, daughter of

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Nathaniel Ogden, who had been an officer on General Washington's staff and was said to have sacrificed much of his private fortune for the patriotic cause. His wife was a member of a well-known Knickerbocker :family of Albany.

N. E. Crittenden's young bride turned her back on all the comforts and social pleasures of the old Dutch city, and bravely set out to travel by canal-boat and stage-coach to share her husband's fortunes in the little western town. Unfortunately, she reached here in one of the most depressing years of its history, the one following the opening of the canal, when nearly every member of the community was ill and there were scarcely enough well people to care for the sick and to bury the dead. Out of a population of five hundred there were seventeen deaths within two months, and it must have tested her courage to the uttermost to begin her newly married life in a strange town under such circumstances.

Mr. Crittenden did not have to depend for business upon the local patronage. There was scarcely a day that Superior street was not filled with big wagons, drawn by two, four, or six horses, that had come from the interior of the state, filled with grain to be shipped at this port, and that brought many strangers to the town who usually had money in their pockets, and with part of it bore away to wife or sweetheart some pretty trifle from the jewelry store.

Seven years after their arrival, Mr. Crittenden was able to build a combined store and dwelling at 29 Superior street. The store part had a big window filling nearly the front, which was much admired. More than that, Mrs. Crittenden had on her front door, not a knocker to call her attention to your presence there, but a knob which you pulled gently out, not too far nor too quickly, lest it break, and, should you listen closely, you might hear the far-away tinkle of a bell. Doubtless, Mrs. Crittenden had an unusual number of callers while CLEVELAND'S FIRST DOOR-BELL continued to be a wonder and a curiosity.

The disastrous panic of 1837 caught Mr. Crittenden with a big stock of goods impossible to dispose of. They had been bought mostly on credit, and for years he staggered under the load of this debt. But at last every dollar of it was paid. This established his commercial standing, enabled him to secure unlimited credit, and to give Cleveland the finest jewelry store west of New York. For nearly sixty years "CRITTENDEN'S" seemed as firmly located as Superior street itself. But in 1872 its founder died, and Mrs. Crittenden ably continued the business until her own death ten years later.

She was one of the best-known women in the city, having spent the most of her life here, and having an intimate friendship and acquaintance with the first settlers, and probably in the first years of her sojourn in Cleveland having known every adult in town and most of the children. The family removed from Superior street to the renowned Giddings house on the corner of Rockwell and Ontario streets. It was a substantial stone residence facing the Public Square, and when built was considered a fine mansion and a great adjunct to the dignity of the Square.

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1826

FITCH

Children of Newton E. and Maria Crittenden:

Helen Ogden Crittenden, married Allan Richmond.

Ogden Crittenden, married Virginia Morse, and 2nd, Fanny Morse, daughters of T. W. and Sarah Paff Morse of this city.

Alice Crittenden, married Edward Main.

Newton Crittenden, married Kate Webber of Nashville, Tenn. He died in 1878, aged thirty-eight.

Helen Crittenden was a lovely woman, and, possessed : a-- brilliant intellect. She was an invalid for many years and died only recently, the last member of her father's family. Alice Crittenden was left a widow. She had been living east for some years. Soon after her return, and while residing at a fashionable boarding-house on Superior street near Erie she was found, one morning, dead in bed. She left no children.

1826

FITCH

Gurdon Fitch of Lebanon, Conn., son of James Fitch, married Hannah B. Peck of Franklin, Conn., about 1815, and after their first child was born, they removed to Cherry Valley, N. Y.

Gurdon, the Christian name of Mr. Fitch, would indicate a New London, or a Norwich, Conn., ancestry, as Gurdon Saltonstall, a governor of Connecticut, was responsible for the naming of many boys born in that vicinity in the latter part of the 18th century.

The Rev. James Fitch was one of the founders of Norwich, and the first minister of the gospel in that town, and his son, Rev. James Fitch, Jr., was one of the founders of Yale College, and donated to it 637 acres of land.

In 1826, Gurdon Fitch, aged 40, with his wife and five children removed to Cleveland, and lived for many years on the corner of Water and St. Clair streets, where Mr. Fitch kept a village tavern. He was a valuable member of the community, a justice of the peace, and active in the organization of Cleveland as a city in 1836.

Mrs. Fitch was the daughter of Darius and Hannah Warner Peck of Franklin, Conn. She was a typical New England woman of that day, strong, self-reliant, and always a helpmate for her husband in his business, and a wise, conscientious mother to her family of unusually bright children. She probably was responsible for the exceptional advantages of education given to them, and she lived to see her two sons rank high in their chosen profession, and one of her daughters occupy a unique position in the philanthropic work of the city.

The family moved from the Water street tavern before 1836 to the east side of Ontario, corner of Hamilton Street, where Mr. Fitch died of consumption in 1830, aged 54 years. It continued to be the home of his

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widow until her death in 1874 at the advanced age of 87. Silas Belden was appointed administrator of the Gurdon Fitch estate in 1841.

Children of Gurdon and Hannah Peck Fitch:

Abby Mason Fitch, b. 1817; m Francis Babbit.

Sarah Fitch, b. 1819; died 1893.

James Fitch, b. 1821; m. Elisabeth Sanburn.

Jabez Warner Fitch, b. 1823; m. Mary J. Dolman.

Jane Fitch, b. 1827; died 1873.

Abby, a maiden sister of Gurdon Fitch, resided with the family and died here very aged.

Sarah Elisabeth Fitch was a prominent and beloved figure in the religious and philanthropic element of Cleveland for many long years. Perhaps no other woman of the city ever filled just the niche she occupied. Remaining unmarried she had freedom to give her time and services to every cause that demanded them, and her whole life was spent in maturing plans of benevolence, and in seeing them executed.

From 1840 to 1856 she taught in the private school held in the Huron Street Academy. Upon the pupils of which her sincere, loving character made life-long impressions. As womanhood developed she gave more and more of herself to personal ministrations among the poor. She was especially tender to those who had sinned, and it was mainly through her efforts that the "Retreat" for erring women was established. She assisted in the formation of the Woman's Christian Association, and was its first president, continuing in that office until her death. For some years of her later life she was the recognized pastor's assistant of the Old Stone Church.

"Cast in a grand mould her image is set up in many a heart a perpetual type of lofty womanhood."

James Fitch was educated in the Cleveland Public schools, Colchester, Conn., Academy, and in Yale University, from which he graduated in 1847. For two years he studied law in Philadelphia, and then returned to Cleveland and became associated with the prominent firm of Hitchcock, Wilson & Wade ; afterward he was in partnership with Leonard Case. He was a man of upright character, one who could be completely trusted by his clients, and led a quiet, blameless life. He had a family of seven children. His residence during his later years was on East Madison Ave., now East 79th street, where he died in 1903, aged 82 years.

Mrs. James Fitch was the niece of the second Mrs. P. M. Weddell. She was a woman who had made her home dear to her family through personal and loving ministrations. Gentle and lady-like in her deportment, no one could imagine Mrs. James Fitch saying an unkind word or doing an unkind act. She resided before her marriage with her aunt, Mrs. Weddell, and her personality was quite like that dear lady in many respects.

Gen. Jabez Fitch was also a lawyer, but acquired his legal lore as a student with Kelly & Bolton.

The brothers were quite unlike ; James led a quiet, office life, while

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Jabez was always active in military affairs and in politics. The latter was a chief of one of the old, volunteer fire companies, United States marshal in 1848, city solicitor, and a citizen to whom the public turned in any emergency for assistance or advice. He made a patriotic speech at the great mass-meeting held immediately after President Lincoln's first call for troops. He was an honored member of "The Ark," and one of those to whom Mr. Case left it and its contents. He was the first state president of the Humane Society, which indicates his kind heart, and in 1875 he was lieutenant-governor of the State of Ohio, with Governor Bishop.

He accumulated considerable property through transactions in real estate, to which he gave his attention in later life.

Mrs. Jabez Fitch died in 1874, leaving no children, and Mr. Fitch remained a widower until his own death ten years later.

The Fitch family was buried in Erie Street Cemetery.

In 1834 a Miss Emma Maria Fitch was married in Trinity Church to Geo. C. Woods.

1826

DOCKSTADER

About this time, either together or following each other at short intervals, came the Dockstader brothers, Nicholas, Richard, and Butler, and until after the close of that century, the name was familiar in business marts and social circles of the city. They, and their children, married into families of long-established repute, and no one with any knowledge at that time of the people involved, could dream that the day would come, and not a far distant one at that, when the names of Dockstader, Starkweather, May, Norton, Parsons, etc., would be only a remembrance.

The Dockstaders were of Dutch ancestry, and born in Albany, New York. They were the sons of Jacob and Angelica Hanson Dockstader, who had a family of four sons and an equal number of daughters. Two of the latter, Mary and Katharine, lived here or made frequent visits to the city. Angelica Dockstader, the mother, died in Cleveland in 1840, aged 69, and was buried in Erie St. Cemetery.

Nicholas Dockstader was born in 1802, and came to Cleveland when he was but 24 years of age. He started a small hat and cap store, and in 1837 his stand was at number 13 Superior Street. He also dealt in furs, a valuable business in that early day. The Indians were yet numerous in the vicinity, and one could scarcely look out of door or window on Superior street without seeing them passing laden with skins or animals they had trapped, and on their way to some Cleveland merchant to barter for merchandise. And as Nicholas Dockstader made a specialty of buying furs, he probably had a goodly share of the business.

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It is said that he was a man of sterling character, strict business principles, and clean, personal habits. He was mayor of the city in 1840, retired from business in 1858, and died in 1871, 69 years of age. He met Miss Harriet Judd, who was visiting her sister, Mrs. T. P. May of this city, and it resulted in the marriage of the young people. They probably lived at first in the building Mr. Dockstader used as a store. Business and household were usually under one roof in the '20s. But in later years their home was on the north side of St. Clair street, number 97.

Here they raised their family of children, and here for many -years they welcomed relatives and friends.

The children of Nicholas and Harriet Judd Dockstader:

William Dockstader, m. Helen Lee. He lived and died in Washington, D. C. His widow remarried.

Richard Dockstader, m. Eleanor Wooley. He was a soldier of the Civil War.

Charles Dockstader, in late life, m. Emma Paddock. Died in Los Angeles, California.

Julia Dockstader, m. James B. Carruch of Auburn, N. Y.

Elisabeth Dockstader, never married, and outlived all her family. She was much esteemed by a large circle of old family friends, and won the regard of later acquaintances by her sterling qualities. Her untiring energies used for the church of her faith, the Second Presbyterian, did not cease until her death which was somewhat sudden. Her brother Charles also was affiliated with this church many years. He was an early member of its choir. His long life was spent in one of the city banks as cashier or teller

RICHARD DOCKSTADER

Richard Dockstader, brother of Nicholas, was also a hatter and furdealer. He married Miss Mary Comer, an English girl of aristocratic lineage. She was related to Sir Joshua Reynolds the famous artist. With her sisters she had traveled extensively,- and had many unusual opportunities in the way of education and culture. Her life in Cleveland, after her marriage, must have been severe for one so delicately nurtured, and she died early, leaving her three children motherless.

Children of Richard and Mary Dockstader:

Charles Richard Dockstader, who was a wanderer, very musical and. the founder of the "Dockstader Negro Minstrels," which became very popular all over the country. He died, and his partner continued the business for himself under the same name for many years afterward, thereby reaping a rich harvest, which was not shared with the Dockstader or phans

Annie Dockstader lived with her aunt, Leah Comer Mitchell, after her mother's death.

Mary Katharine Dockstader, or "Kittie," as she was called, found a home with Mr. and Mrs. George Burwell, who cared for her as tenderly as if their own child.

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GIDDINGS

Richard Dockstader's place of business was at 21 Superior street, and he was in partnership with Andrew Tomlinson, an uncle of Mrs. George Burwell. Mr. Dockstader lived, at one time, on St. Clair street near Erie, and again at number 118 Ontario street, which must have been south of the Public Square.

All branches of the Dockstader family were musical.

W. BUTLER DOCKSTADER

W. Butler Dockstader's name may have been Walter Butler, and if so, it would appear that the family had been Tories during the Revolution. The celebrated Tory of that name had many admirers among those who sympathized with the mother country during our struggle for freedom, and numerous children were named for him. Considering his dreadful record for crueltiespractised upon helpless women and children in the Wyoming Valley, and in western New York, it seems passing strange that even an adherent of the other side of the conflict could saddle their child with such a name. Surely, it should bring anything but good luck to its possessor.

Butler Dockstader married Harriet Norton, daughter of Elisha and Margaret Clark Norton, and granddaughter of David and Margaret Clark. Her father had been dead many years, and her mother died in 1843. There were two children born to Butler and Harriet Dockstader that lived, George and Fanny Dockstader. Butler died, and Harriet Norton Dockstader married 2nd, Edward Wetmore.

Mary Dockstader, sister of Nicholas, Richard and Butler Dockstader, married Samuel Potts of Ontario, Canada, and her daughter became the wife of Miller M. Spangler of Cleveland. Another sister, Katherine Dockstader, became a widow three times through successive marriages.

1826

GIDDINGS

The index of any history of a city is usually crowded with references to men in no wise worthy of the prominence given their names ; men who always militated against the best interests of the community for their own selfish purposes. On the other hand, broad-minded, public-spirited citizens of their day, and deserving of the highest encomiums, receive mere mention or none at all. This tendency to dwell upon the services of the former class of men and ignore those of the latter is noticeable in all histories of early Cleveland. But that is natural and inevitable. Men who accumulated property usually became connected with banking, mercantile, and railroad interests which constantly brought their names before the eyes of the public.

An illustration of the above-mentioned injustice, doubtless quite un-

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intentional, is that of C. M. Giddings, a pioneer merchant and long a prominent and very popular citizen of Cleveland, who became identified with it when its population was less than 500. Giddings is derived from Gideon, and in Hebrew signifies "A brave soldier." Charles Mattoon Giddings was of the eighth generation in descent from George and Jane Tuttle Giddings of England, who in 1635 settled in the town of Ipswich, Mass., about 25 miles from Boston. His father was Sereno Giddings of Lenox, Mass., formerly of Lyme, Conn. His mother was Esther Mattoon Giddings. Charles was the first-born of his parents, and the only other child of the family was a daughter who became Mrs. Myra Gleason of Syracuse, N. Y.

Mr. Giddings was in Cleveland at the formal opening of the Ohio Canal, and in the festivities of that occasion was one of the floor managers at the ball given in the Mansion House, which stood at the foot of Superior street. That same year, 1827, he married Eliza Smyth, daughter of Richard and Prudence Smyth of Detroit, Mich. She was a sister of William Smyth of "Smyth and Clary," produce merchants, of Mrs. Noble Merwin, and of Mrs. Wilson, wife of Judge Hiram Wilson. The widowed mother of this brother and three sisters died in this town and was buried in Erie Street Cemetery.

Mr. Giddings was connected in business with Norman C. Baldwin under the firm name of "Giddings and Baldwin," merchants. He served the city in many ways, not as an office-holder on a salary and many perquisites, but as a private citizen, loyal to the home of his adoption. He assisted in laying out many new streets, and his advice or counsel on important municipal affairs was often sought and freely given.

Some time in the '30s, he built a large stone residence on the corner of Ontario street and the Public Square, the first stone house erected in this locality. The Society for Savings now occupies the site. James F. Clark built a home close by to the east of the Giddings residence, and beyond that lived John W. Allen. The charming and accomplished wife of Mr. Giddings presided in the new stone residence with liberal hospitality. She entertained not only the social element of the city, but guests from all over northern Ohio, and often from eastern cities. In front of this house Mr. Giddings presented to the Cleveland Grays its first color standard.

In one of the financial panics that swept the city Mr. Giddings lost heavily. He retired to a farm on Euclid Ave. outside the town limits. There was much sympathy expressed for him in his business troubles, and considerable indignation over the advantage taken of them. His beautiful home was sold at a ruinous sacrifice in order to propitiate an exacting creditor.

Giddings Ave. was the once familiar name of an East End street, but now numbered East 71st. The man for whom it was named died in 1853, at the age of 56, after a residence in the city of 27 years. Mrs. Giddings died in 1886.

Sereno and Esther Giddings, parents of C. M. Giddings, spent the last years of their lives with their son, and are both buried beside him in Erie Street Cemetery. The family name on the stone erected over the grave is spelled with only one "d"-"Gidings."

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1826

ADAMS

Joshua Adams, his wife, and three little sons, the youngest an infant, left their home in West Tilsbury, Martha's Vineyard, in time to reach Cleveland in September, 1826. Mr. Adams was the son of James and Dinah Allen Adams. The latter was descended from George Allen who settled in Sandwich, Mass., in 1635, and the former was in direct line from Gov. Mayhew of Massachusetts, as well as from Henry Adams of Braintree, Mass., 1.632.

Joshua Adams bought a farm on Aetna street, known as the "Baldwin property." It was about four miles from the Public Square, and on it was a good log-house and an abundance of fruit-trees, apple, peach, and quince. Tradition held that its former occupant was a bachelor from the east who built the house and set out the trees previous to the arrival of the Baldwins. Six years after their arrival in Newburgh, in 1832, Mr. Adams died of cholera, and his wife was left with a family of little children, four more having been born in Newburgh.

Mrs. Joshua Adams, Adeline Athearn, was the daughter of George and Hepsibah Hussey Athearn. She was born in 1799, and had she lived but six years more would have been 100 years old at the time of her death. She was an intelligent woman, a constant reader until blindness prevented. She was of a cheerful disposition, and like all pioneer wives and mothers, with few exceptions, she was self-sacrificing to a degree. In 1836, she married Moses Jewett of Cleveland and Newburgh, a prominent citizen whose wife Eunice Andrews Jewett had died leaving him with seven children. These, together with the Adams children of the same number, must have made a family that was no small task to care for. She had two Jewett children of her own, Avis Jewett, born in 1837, and Emily Jewett, in 1839, but both died young.

The children of Joshua and Adeline Adams:

George A. Adams, b. 1821; m. 1^st, Emily Higgins ; 2nd, Miss Dosting.

James Adams, b. 1823; m. Catherine Simmons..

Joshua Adams, b. 1826; unmarried.

Adeline Adams, b. 1827; m. Charles P. Jewett, her step-brother.

Cyrus Adams, b. 1829; m. 1st, Elis- abeth Burgess ; 2nd, Clara Burgess.

Frank Adams, b. 1830; m. Maria Spear

Allen Mayhew Adams, b. 1832; m. Elisabeth B. Jones.

1826

SAYLE

The Rev. John Sayle was a distinguished clergyman who was famous throughout the Isle of Man for his eloquence and scholarship. He translated much of the Bible into the Manx language. When nearing his seventieth year of life he came with his wife, Catherine Kinley Sayle, to Ohio. They were of a party of emigrants from, or near Douglas, Isle of

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Man, who settled in Newburgh on Union street, or in Warrensville, just over the Newburgh line.

The Rev. John Sayle lived but six years after his arrival here. He fell a victim to the cholera epidemic of 1832. His wife survived him 26 years, and died at the advanced age of 98.

Children of John and Catherine Sayle:

Ann Sayle, m. William Watterson.

John Sayle, d. unmarried.

Thomas Sayle, removed to Northfield, O.

1826

WATTERSON

William Watterson and Ann Sayle, daughter of Rev. John and Catherine Kinley Sayle, were married in Douglas, Isle of Man, and immediately after the ceremony accompanied a party of Manx men who, in 1826, emigrated to Newburgh and Warrensville. With them came Mrs. Watterson's aged parents. The journey was often delayed and very tedious, taking nearly three months to accomplish.

Mr. Watterson settled on a farm of 80 acres. His first son was the second child born in the Manx settlement. The Watterson family numbered ten sons and a daughter. Three of the former served throughout the Civil War, one losing his life in action, the other two badly wounded. Three of the family graduated at Western Reserve College, one of them at the head of his class.

The record of these sons not only indicates the high mentality of the parents, but also heroic self-sacrifice, without which the liberal education of their children could not have been accomplished.

Mrs. Watterson was an ideal mother. M. G. Watterson, the sole survivor of the family, says that without exception she was the tenderesthearted woman he ever knew ; tender, not only to her own children, but to all who needed affection and sympathy.

Both Mr.and Mrs. Watterson died within a few weeks of their eightieth birthdays, and only eight days apart. They rest in Woodland Cemetery.

Children of William and Ann Watterson:

John J. Watterson, m. Margaret Crennell.

William J. Watterson, m. Sarah Ruggles.

Sarah Watterson, m. Perry Payne.

Harrison Dunton Watterson, m. Elisabeth Akers of England.

Moses G. Watterson, m. Helen Farrand. The latter was a graduate of Western Reserve College; was county treasurer for six years, and president of the Board of Education, four years. In the latter part of his business life he was president of a bank.

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Henry Watterson, died of typhoid fever when about 30 years of age, a graduate of Western Reserve College.

Edward Watterson, m. Mary Prentice (dau. of Squire Prentice), a graduate of Western Reserve College.

Julius C. Watterson, killed at New Hope Place in an engagement of the Civil War. His body was never recovered.

Robert Watterson, m. Caroline Norton, sister of David Z. Norton, the Cleveland banker. He was wounded at the Battle of Stone River in the Civil War

Charles Watterson, died in his '20s, a fine fellow whose loss left his family inconsolable.

1826

FREEMAN

Much local interest centers in the Rev. Silas C. Freeman for several reasons. First, he was virtually the first rector of Old Trinity Church, 1826-1830. The Rev. Roger Searl had officiated at long intervals as a missionary clergyman, his charges were scattered over northern Ohio, and seldom could he get back to Cleveland and visit the little church society of less than 20 communicants.

Second.-For nearly five years all the services of the church, mostly conducted by lay-readers, had been held in the private residences of Phineas Shepard and Josiah Barber across the river in Ohio City, West Side. Simultaneously with the arrival of an established rector, the services were henceforth held in the small courthouse on the north-west corner of the Public Square.

Third.-It was through the efforts of the Rev. S. C. Freeman that Old Trinity's first edifice was erected.

Fourth.-During the four years' residence of this Protestant Episcopal clergyman in the village of Cleveland, he officiated at the weddings of many of its pioneer sons and daughters.

The annals of Old Trinity in its early years are very meager. They furnish nothing of the previous history of the Rev. S. C. Freeman nor of his subsequent career. Of the former there has been but one clue-he came to Cleveland from Virginia.

Right Rev. Bishop Gibson of Virginia has graciously supplied partial data, and but for the lingering illness of the Secretary of the Diocese of Pennsylvania at this time, complete records might be secured.

In July, 1823, the Rev. Silas C. Freeman was made rector of Lexington Parish, Amherst County, Virginia. Where and when he was ordained are not on the records of that society. His work in that field seemed to have been effective, especially in reviving the church there. He remained until in the summer of 1826, when he closed his connection with Lexington Parish, and in November of that year began his ministry in Old Trinity at a salary of $500 a year, or rather at that rate, as he was to give part of his time to St. Paul's, Norwalk, 60 miles west of here, and what

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ever he received from his ministrations there was to be deducted from the $500.

It is open to suspicion that his salary was not easily raised nor promptly paid, for we find him teaching a private school in the old Academy on St. Clair Street, and again he is conducting one at Chagrin Falls. In 1827, Mr. Freeman was sent east to solicit funds for the erection of a church edifice. He was successful, and Old Trinity's first church building was the result. It cost $3070. It stood on the corner of St. Clair and Seneca streets, and facing the latter. It had a square, two-story tower, which formed the entrance. It was lighted by four windows on each side and two in front, all screened with green blinds. The lot upon which the church stood was enclosed by low posts connected by a railing.

The wardens and vestry men were Josiah Barber, Phineas Shepard, Charles Taylor, Henry L. Noble, Reuben Champion, James S. Clarke, Sherlock J. Andrews, Levi Sargeant, and John W. Allen. The first three lived on the West Side.

The missionary spirit that probably caused Rev. S. C. Freeman to sever his connection with a flourishing parish in an old settled state and come to Cleveland to a struggling, homeless one, led him, in turn, to leave the latter when well housed and in a growing condition, and to strike out for a point farther west; therefore, in 1830, we find him rector of St. John's in Detroit, where he remained about the same length of time as in Cleveland. From there he returned east as far as Philadelphia, where records of him cease, or are not at present secured.

1826

CONGER

John Conger, who settled in Woodbridge, N. J., in 1667, was the ancestor of nearly all the native-born Congers in the country. He had two wives and a large family of children. From that day there has been a steady stream of Davids, Johns, and Josephs in succeeding generations of the family, most bewildering to one member of it, Mr. Charles L. Conger of McIntosh, Minn., who is patiently compiling a Conger Genealogy.

Very little has been preserved of the Cleveland life of James Lockwood Conger, a lawyer residing in the city between 1826 and 1840, save through a package of old letters written by Mrs. Conger to her only sister, Mrs. Erwina Miner of Centerville, Fairfield Co., Ohio. James L. Conger, b. in Trenton, N. J., was the son of David and Hannah Lockwood Conger, who later lived in Phelps, N. Y. He received his general education in that locality and studied la with Judge Ewing of Ohio.

In December, 1824, he married in Lancaster, O., Miss Paulina Belvedere Clark, daughter of Dr. Ezra and Sarah Clark, pioneers of that county and formerly of Middletown, Vt. James Conger was only nineteen years old and the bride but eighteen. The youth of the couple and the fact

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that they remained in Lancaster two years, suggests that he may have pursued his law studies after the marriage. A little boy named Seneca was born to them in Lancaster, who died young.

In April, 1826, they started for New York State to visit Mr. Conger's parents and perhaps with a view of settling near them. An acknowledgment of money received by the couple at that time is here given because of its phraseology

"Received, Lancaster, O., April 25, 1826, of our revered father, Dr. Ezra Clark, three hundred and fifty dollars towards our portion.

J. L. CONGER.

PAULINA B. CONGER."

They drove a span of horses all the way to eastern New York and return, as far as Cleveland, which they reached September 6th of the same year. And in this month begins the series of letters previously mentioned, a half-dozen only, but covering several years of the Congers' residence in Cleveland. These letters are unusual for that day and generation. The penmanship is beautiful, the composition correct in every particular. The writer must have been a woman of charming personality ; a brave woman possessing great fortitude, but shy and sensitive, sweetly grateful for every kindness shown to her.

The depth of her affection is revealed in the messages to her aged father whom she seems to have idolized and whom, so far as the letters reveal, she never met again in this life. On her trip to New York she met Mr. Conger's family for the first time. Of these new relatives she writes

"I frequently think of the remark you made when we were last together, `Do not be too sanguine in your expectations of James' parents,' and I was cautious not to be so. But my own could not do more for me. James' sisters were all equally kind, each striving to be most so. I was almost afraid to mention anything I wanted for fear one of them would get it for me, and they seemed to think they could not give me enough. I really think the whole family would have liked to come on to Cleveland with me, they were so truly attached.

"Father Conger and James went to New York City, returning before July 5th. They purchased about three hundred and fifty dollars' worth of books and other things. Father brought me a beautiful figured silk dress and other smaller presents."

The young couple drove back to Cleveland, but various and sundry household furnishings donated by the elder Congers were shipped by canal and Lake Erie. One barrel when opened was found to contain everything necessary for the laundry, while mop and dish-cloths had been tucked into another one. Nothing necessary or convenient in that line had been omitted or forgotten. And, just as the team was about to start on the long western journey, father Conger had placed a bill in his young daughter-in-law's hand, to be used by her for any personal need on the way.

When they reached Cleveland they found Mrs. Reuben Wood, wife of the future governor of the state, preparing for a visit to her former east

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ern home. Her sister was to accompany her, and they intended to remain until spring. Evidently the Conger and Wood families were previously acquainted. The latter at once turned over the house they occupied, with all the heavier furniture to Mr. Conger, at a rental of $80 for the eight months' use of it. This sum also included the kitchen garden well stocked with a variety of vegetables and five bushels of peaches yet ungathered.

The departure of Mrs. Wood and her sister is told in one of the letters. "They started on Sunday, September 10th. We went out on a lighter about a mile from shore to the steamboat with them. The waves were very high and became seasick on the way. Notwithstanding, on the whole I had a pleasant ride."

The young wife seems to have been very lonely in the new strange town, her only acquaintance in it having been Mrs. Wood whose return she pathetically anticipates. Meanwhile, Mr. Conger had purchased a lot on the south-east side of the Public Square. The east corner of the May Co.'s big department store now covers the site, and upon this he began the erection of a small frame-house, which, four years later, was considerably enlarged.

Mrs. Conger dwells upon the delights of its possession ; speaks with pride of the sodding of her "door yard," and of her planting in it a rose, a lilac, and a snowball bush ; of the high board fence surrounding three sides of the lot, and a little later of the arbor covered with five kinds of grapes, and of the square of English strawberries each side of the arbor, from which she picked sixteen quarts of fruit.

Stand, if you will, in front of the towering Cushing Building and imagine the little home, the lilac, and the snowball bush !

The furnishing of their house progressed slowly.

"I believe all the furniture we have, so far, are fees. James has sent to Pittsburgh, by a man who owes him, for a carpet for the front chamber and hall, and I have just finished a pretty rag-carpet for the back room."

The second summer after the house on the Square was occupied Mr. Conger's sisters, Hannah and Phebe, both mentioned as "beautiful young girls," make the family a long visit. We can imagine how pleasant those months must have been when we are told that "there are numerous young men in town, but very few young women." And in connection with this who can not read romance in the opportunities afforded in the statement, "There are many beautiful walks and rambles on this delightful lake. Every Sunday, after meeting, James and I take a walk by the lake, and often through the week we stroll through the Square and Ontario street to it and spend the twilight hours there." This was written August, 1827.

James Conger must have given evidence of unusual ability in his profession for one so young, or he never would have found himself associated with Thomas Bolton, one of Cleveland's most able jurists. "Bolton & Conger, Attornies and Counsellors, Hancock Block, No. 93 and 95 Superior Street," they announce professionally.

Some time after the panic of 1837, that was the cause of scattering many of the numerous Cleveland lawyers and doctors to all points of the compass, James L. Conger removed to Belvedere, Mich., where in 1847,

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after four years of battling with tuberculosis, Mrs. Conger died, aged forty-one. Mr. Conger married again, but there is no record furnished of this union. He became a prominent man of that community and at one time represented it in the lower house of Congress in Washington. He died in St. Clair, Mich., in 1876, aged seventy-one, and was buried in Columbus, O.

Children of James L. and Paulina Clark Conger:

Seneca Conger, b. 1825; died in infancy.

Helen Edwina Conger, b. Jan., 1827; m. Thomas Lough.

William James Conger, b. 1829; m. Abby Louise Meckler. He died in Columbus, O., 1882.

Three younger children died in infancy.

Helen Edwina Conger was born four months after her parents arrived in Cleveland, and often returned in after years to her native town, even since it became "Greater Cleveland." She was welcomed each time in the homes of our oldest families as a loved and honored guest, for she was an unusually bright, attractive woman. She died but recently, leaving two daughters.

Mrs. W. B. Waggoner, one of them, resides in the city.

When James L. Conger removed to Michigan, he sold his Cleveland residence property to Dr. Erastus Cushing. He may have received less than $1000 for it. Today the lot is worth $8000 a foot front; a traffic tally recently taken showed that in the business hours of the day an average of 5134 persons pass this spot hourly.

1826

PRIME

Jewett Prime succeeded Ziba Willes as editor and publisher of the Cleveland Herald in 1826. He was a young married man who died within two years, leaving a widow who soon followed him to the grave.

They are buried in Erie Street Cemetery and Mrs. Prime's headstone is inscribed : "Fanny, relict of Jewett Prime, died 1832, aged 31 years."

The Jewett and Prime families of New England frequently intermarried, and probably Mr. Prime received his Christian name through such a family connection, but the writer has been unable to trace it. He may have been related to Moses Jewett, an early pioneer.

An Aaron Prime, carpenter and joiner, resided on Lake Street in 1836. He is interred in Erie Street Cemetery, but so far from the lot in which lie Mr. and Mrs. Jewett Prime that it would suggest no near relationship.

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1826

KELLY-KNEAN- TEARE

Early in the year 1826, two sisters and a brother with their families bid a final farewell to the Isle of Man and set sail for America. In May of this year, these people, thirteen in number, weary from weeks of travel and anxious for some place they could once more call home, settled in Newburgh in a locality now known as Broadway and Stafford Place. Had a roll been called of the little colony, the following would have responded:

William Kelly and wife Ellen Kneen Kelly, and their son John Kelly.

Patrick Teare and wife Ann Kneen Teare, and their daughter Mary Ann Teare.

William Kneen, brother of Mrs. Kelly and Mrs. Teare, his wife Mary Kenyon Kneen, and their children William, Mary, John and Jane Kneen.

Patrick Teare died soon after his arrival here, and in time his widow married again, a Mr. Kelly, and removed to Warrensville, Ohio. Nothing has been furnished the writer concerning the above pioneers save a brief sketch of Mrs. Teare-Kelly. She is depicted as a remarkably active and ambitious woman, the life of any gathering with her quick wit and jokes. When past 60 years of age, she visited friends in a neighboring town and upon going to the depot to return to her home, found her train already pulling out. She ran, and with a squirrel's leap, landed upon the platform of the last car, and was borne away amid the loud applause of bystanders.

It is said that she would carry her butter and eggs from Warrensville to Cleveland, a distance of nine miles, walking both ways, and returning the same day. She endured many hardships, but through them all was noted for her gentleness and patience.

Her daughter Mary Ann Teare married John Radcliffe. He died leaving her with three small children. She was a woman of rare excellence, industrious, economical, generous, and kind-hearted. She lived in Cleveland on Cedar Ave., and was a member of the Euclid Ave. Baptist Church. She died in 1890. Her surviving children are William and Eliza Radcliffe.

William Kneen and his wife grew tired of their "huckleberry patch," as they called it, in Newburgh, and removed to Carroll County, O., where Mrs. Kneen died at the age of 91. Their daughter Mary Kneen married Rev. Hugh Gibson, and died in Los Angeles, Cal.

Jane Kneen, youngest daughter of William and Mary Kenyon Kneen, became the only survivor of the party of thirteen from the Isle of Man in 1826. She was proud to relate that her mother frequently entertained John Wesley at her home. She, Mary Kenyon, was one of the first, if not the first woman convert to Methodism on the Isle of Man. She had a remarkable voice and led the singing at all the Wesley religious meetings.

Jane Kneen married Elijah Shepherd, and after his death she left Carroll County, and returned to Cleveland, where she resided on Eglendale Avenue with her daughter Mary Shepherd, and her son Frank Shepherd of the HOLMES, SHEPHERD LUMBER CO.

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CANNELL

In 1826, several families from the Isle of Man came to the north-east part of Newburgh and settled on land on what is now Union street and south of Kinsman Road. It was a small colony of not more than half a dozen families. Some of them settled in Warrensville. Those who formed what was long known as the Manx village were, Mr. and Mrs. William Kelley, Mr. and Mrs. Robert Quiggin, Mr. and Mrs. John N. Cannell, and three families of Corletts. They were industrious, frugal, moral, and religious people. In 1831, they built a log-cabin school-house on the corner of what is now known as Union and Rice avenues. The Stewarts and Saxtons from Connecticut joined in this educational enterprise.

John N. Cannell was born in 1800. His wife Jane Quiggin was born the same year. Mr. Cannell's father Patrick Cannell accompanied his son to Newburgh. He was then 72 years of age. Patrick Cannell established the first Sunday School opened in Newburgh. His daughters and his sons' wives were teachers in it. His wife, Margaret Quayle Cannell had died ten years previously.

Children of John N. and Jane Quiggin Cannell:

John W. Cannell, b. 1823; drowned in Shaker Lake, 1842..

Thomas Cannell, b. 1825; m.Mariett Farr..

Jane J. Cannell, b. 1828; m. Sayles A. June.

Elisabeth J. Cannell, b. 1831; m. William Kelley.

Emily A. Cannell, b. 1833; m. John Watson.

Charles Cannell, b. 1836; m. Elisabeth Eldridge

Louise Cannell, b. 1838; m. 1st, Andrew Stone, 2nd, James Jenkins

Henry A. Cannell, b. 1841; unmarried.

Eli W. Cannell, b. 1844; m. Margaret E. Corlett

The youngest child of the family, E. W. Cannell, 4129 E. 93rd St., and Mrs. Thomas Cannell, living in Iowa, are the only surviving members of it.

1827

This year marked the town's highest degree of exaltation and its lowest depth of depression.

The opening of the Ohio Canal was celebrated with all the ceremony the limited resources of the village made possible. Distinguished guests, including the governor of the state, were entertained with simple but dignified hospitality. The festivities closed with a dance at Merwin's Tavern, then managed by James Belden, and renamed the "Mansion House." It is said that in order to fill out the quadrilles, then the only dance in vogue, every adult in the community had to be present and assist. Even children were pressed into the service.

But, alas! scarcely had the happy event ceased to be the theme of

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every tongue, ere the village was prostrated by a fatal epidemic of typhoid fever, causing much suffering and seventeen deaths. It lasted over two months and those who escaped the disease were worn out, from constant ministrations to the sick and the dying.

Newburgh and East Cleveland were also grievously afflicted. Whole households were ill at one and the same time, and often, three or four deaths occurred in a family. The home of Amihaaz Sherwin, living on the present site of the Euclid Ave. Congregational Church, was a sad scene of suffering and death. Martha Dickerson, wife of Peter Dickerson of East Cleveland, and her two children were buried within a few days of each other.

1827

The Connecticut Land Company gave the hamlet of Cleveland in 1808, 101/4 acres of land for a cemetery on what is now E. 9th St. In 1827. it was platted and called Erie Street Cemetery. While this was being done, Judge Spaulding rode by in a stage-coach bound for Warren, and he wondered why a site for a burying-ground should be selected so far out of town. In September of this year, an infant daughter of Deacon Moses White was interred-the first grave dug in the cemetery. The children of the bereaved family cried bitterly because they had put little Minerva "way out in the woods." The records of the cemetery for the first 13 years were destroyed by fire, and its books reopen in 1840.

The Cuyahoga River, as it neared Lake Erie, suddenly swerved to the left and entered the lake from what is now the West Side. In this year the Government straightened this bend in the river by cutting an artificial channel out into the lake several rods east of the old original one. Steamers and vessels were now enabled to enter the harbor.

Wolves still troublesome on farms near town. Sheep and hogs attacked by them.

1827

THE FIRST METHODIST CHURCH ORGANIZED

Previous to this year came the Rev. Joel Sizer of New York, accompanied by his sister Abigail, and set up housekeeping on St. Clair street, corner of what is now "Court Place." The brother and sister were fervent Methodists. Joel had been made a local preacher in his eastern home, and within a year's time of his arrival here, he had gathered together the few Methodists in town, and formed a class, the Rev. John Crawford, a pioneer preacher, assisting.

The members of this class were:

Rev. Joel Sizer; Abigail Sizer; Grace O'Kane Johnson, widow of

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William; Mrs. Lucy Knowlton; Elisabeth Belden, afterward the wife of Eubulus Southworth; Eliza Tomlinson, wife of Andrew Worley; Andrew Tomlinson, Mrs. Worley's brother. Seven in all. Not long after, Elijah Peet of Newburgh and his wife, Martha Williams Peet, joined the class, and four years later took up their residence at 36 Bank Street, where they lived the remainder of their days.

Nothing can be learned of the subsequent lives of Joel* Sizer or his sister, nor that of Lucy Knowlton. She is said to have been a widow with sons.

The society worshiped in the little log school-house standing on the south-east corner of St. Clair and Bank streets ; sometimes, when the weather permitted, in one of the many groves near the heart of town; and one winter the Old Stone Church faternally opened wide its basement doors to the homeless brethren of another denomination.

1827

McLANE

John McLane or McLean-it has been spelled both ways-became a Methodist minister, consequently, had no permanent abiding-place, as, by the rules of that denomination, clergy were shifted about every two years. In 1833, he was a preacher on the Cleveland Circuit, and held a very animated series of revival meetings in this town. He was residing in Canfield, 0., in 1884, and nearly 80 years of age.

1827

BAIRD-McLANE

"Married-In September, by the Rev. Bradstreet, John McLane and Eliza Baird."

The bride was a daughter of Henry and Ann Baird. It is said to have been a run-away wedding. Mr. Baird was a Scotch-Irish Presbyterian of the strictest kind. He was the man who once arose from his pew and marched out of church because a bass viol was brought into the choir to accompany the singing. Mr. and Mrs. Baird were both charter members of the Stone Church. Mrs. Baird was full of old-world ideas of what was her "Christian duty."

Eliza Baird taught in the little red school-house which stood on or near the south-east corner of St. Clair and Bank streets, the site of the Kennard House. Loretta Wood, daughter of Gov. Wood, was one of her

* He is said to have peen a high degree Mason of that fraternity.

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pupils, and she called Miss Baird her first cultured teacher. Caroline Scovil, daughter of Philo, was another of her scholars. The little girls used to play keeping house among the stumps surrounding the little building. Girl pupils were taught to knit and to sew.

Miss Baird graduated into the dignity of an "Academy" teacher when that building was erected, and remained there until her marriage in 1827.

1827

SHORT

Mr. and Mrs. Peter Short stood on the sand beach at the mouth of the Cuyahoga River one early summer day in 1827. They had just been landed by small boats from a vessel, for the river was too shallow for large craft to enter. Their young children stood with them, and piled about were the household goods brought all the way from Derby, Conn. The family came the whole journey by water. First, a little schooner took them down the Housatonic River and Long Island Sound to New York City. Another boat conveyed them up the Hudson River to Albany. A canal-boat carried them to Buffalo and finally they were brought on Lake Erie to Cleveland.

With so many changes it would not have been surprising if some of their belongings had spilled out or been lost overboard on the way. So Mrs. Short had good reason to exclaim:

"Thank goodness ! Here we are at last, and everything belonging to us, save the warming-pan!"

But wintry nights and cold sheets were months ahead, and the articles yet at hand were more necessary or comforting just then than the bed-warmer. The family found temporary shelter in a log-house on Lake Street, probably the one built and occupied years previously by the Thorpes. 1827 was a year of great sickness and many deaths in the village, and the Shorts took refuge on Woodland Hills. Four years later, Mr. Short bought a farm on Woodland Ave., corner of Case, and extending back to the ravine.

The log-house on it was occupied for a time, but soon a new frame one took its place and, for 70 years was the family homestead.

Peter Short, born in 1773, was the son of Joseph and Abigail Short, who had ten children. Mrs. Peter Short was Minerva Mallory of Milford, Conn. She was a daughter of Moses Mallory, a Revolutionary soldier, of whom mention will be made later. Mr. and Mrs. Short had 13 children, only seven of whom accompanied or followed their parents to Cleveland. Charles Short, one of the older children, remained in Connecticut, married there and died in 1878. His grandchildren still reside in Bethel, Conn., and in Brooklyn, N. Y.

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Children of Peter and Minerva Mallory Short:

Almira Short, m. Starr B. Riggs..

Minerva Short, m. Thomas Davis.

Lewis Short, b. 1811; m. Helen Woodman..

Lucy Short, b. 1813; m. Zachariah Eddy.

Maryette Short, b. 1815; unmarried

David Short, b. 1818; unmarried.

Maria Short, m. 1st, ---- Ed- wards; 2^nd, ----- Harvey

Almira Short and Mr. Riggs were married in 1824 in Derby, Conn. They came to Cleveland in 1828, and remained in or near this place for about 10 years, then removed to Indiana. Mr. Riggs was a founder of the Congregationalist church in Boonville, Ind. His children, nine in number, settled in Indiana and in Iowa. Mr. Riggs survived his wife 18 years.

Minerva Short married Mr. Davis, the pioneer, in December of the same year she came to Cleveland, and remained here the rest of her life. See Thomas Davis family sketch.

Lewis Short lived on Woodland Ave. near the old homestead. He worked on his farm and later had a shoe-shop. In 1882, he moved to Detroit street in what is now Lakewood and, ten years later, died aged 81 years. He was of a very religious nature and held original interpretations of the Bible, which he much reverenced, and loved to expound. Unlike the type of religious enthusiast, he was liberal-minded, gentle, genial, and loth to take offense. His wife, Helen Woodman Short, was born in Exeter, N. H., and was of the same age as her husband, 23 years, when married.

Children of Lewis and Helen Short:

Caroline Short, m. Mr. Kidney.

Henry L. Short, m. Mrs. Cowles. Lives in Colorado.,

George W. Short, m. Adalaide Munhall.

Frank Short, married and lived in Lakewood

Frederick Short, lived in Syracuse N. Y., and married there

George W. Short was a well-known business and club man of the city. He was a senior partner of the firm of Short & Forman, publishers. His wife and two pretty daughters were prominent in Cleveland society until after the death of Mr. Short. They live or spend most of the year in New York City.

Lucy Short was but 16 years of age when she married Mr. Eddy and, in 1879, they celebrated their golden wedding as a house-warming in the third and last home of the Short family on Woodland Ave. This house was built in front of the old homestead which also had taken the place of the early log-cabin. Mr. Eddy was a builder of row-boats and back of his house had a large shop in which he worked on them.

Mr. Edwards, the first husband of Maria Short, was drowned on the Great Lakes shortly after the birth of their first child, Sarah L. Edwards. Sarah was adopted and reared by Maryette and David Short. She re-

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ceived her education in Cleveland, and was married in the old homestead to Dr. Henry Slosson, son of Dr. Franklin Slosson, for many years a leading dentist. Maria Short Edwards was married a second time to Mr. Harvey, and lived in Toledo, Ohio, where she died.

Maryette Short possessed peculiar strength of mind and character. Through the years of her youth, the pioneer years, when the mother was always an invalid, it was Maryette who bore the burden of the homemaking. She helped in the evenings after the day's work in the house was over (and it was a long day's work of baking and cooking and churning and caring for the needs of farm and family) ; she would go out into the fields and help father and brother build the fires under many stumps to clear the fields for the new crops. In middle life still she was the strong rock of support upon which her immediate household and a very large circle of relatives, in their many vicissitudes and emergencies, leaned heavily.

Although without children of her own, she saw playing about her feet three generations of little children whom she loved most tenderly and cared for with great and unselfish service, she was a woman sometimes to be feared, always to be loved, trusted, and leaned upon. The years of her life were many, and when at last she was alone, the only one of the once large household left in the empty house, she met this also with the same unflinching courage, the same keen intelligence that had ever dominated her.

On her 80th birthday, she sent to all of her family a dainty missive which read

"On Thursday afternoon at four,

Miss Short will meet you at her door.

For on that day and at that hour,

She doth you all invite

To come and stay to tea,

At early candle light."

"756 Woodland Ave."

David Short also remained single, and the brother and sister lived together and carried on the farm. Near the close of his life, he engaged in the oil business under the firm name of Short, Judd & Co. He was a member of the Cleveland Grays. His death occurred in 1894, when 76 years of age.

All descendants of the Cleveland pioneer Peter Short and of his children have reason to be proud of their forebears. Honesty, piety, simplicity, and industry were some of the many virtues of the Peter Short families. No one was ever made poorer in order to increase their gains. Every dollar brought into their households was honestly earned at the shoemaker's bench or in the field. They were just and considerate in their dealings, held out helping hands to their neighbors, and were sympathetic with all who were in sorrow or in financial distress.

When, in research, we chance upon some record of an early Cleveland man that reveals how wealth was sometimes acquired within the limits of a law, but far short of its spirit, the lives of Peter Short and his chil-

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STARKWEATHER

dren shine brightly in contrast, and prove how nearly one may follow in the footsteps of the Master.

Moses Mallory, the Revolutionary soldier and the father of Mrs. Peter Short, was distinctly remembered by the older children of her family. He sat in a corner by the huge fire-place in the old Milford, Conn., home and delighted his grandchildren with stories of the Revolution, and often of events of which he was an eye-witness.

At one period of his service in the army he was ill and was given a furlough. He had to make a way to his home far north and leading through a tract of country occupied by the British. He found it extremely difficult to obtain food and often suffered the pangs of hunger. One day, when almost famished, he approached a modest home near the edge of the woods in which he was hiding, and entered into conversation with the woman of the house. He did not ask for food, but presently inquired if she ever made stone soup. At her amazed negative, he assured her that she missed much in not knowing how to make a very delicious dish. But the stones must be of a particlar kind having peculiar qualities. If he could find some of these rare stones would she like to have him show her how the soup was prepared?

She surely would. He went to the brook, gathered three or four large pebbles, and bringing them back to the house deposited them in a kettle of water, and set it over the fire. After it had boiled a few minutes, he called for salt, and presently for some cornmeal to thicken the soup. The result was a nourishing porridge of which he partook ravenously, and which the woman shared with him without once suspecting the trick.

1827

STARK WEATHER

Samuel Starkweather was the son of Hon. Oliver Starkweather. His grandfather, Hon. Ephraim Starkweather, was a soldier of the American Revolution, and it naturally followed that a boy of such forebears would not be content to settle down on the small farm where he was born and raised, but filled with ambition, worked hard for all the education he could obtain in his native town of Pawtucket, Mass., and then sought a higher one at Brown University.

He came to Cleveland in 1827, and soon made his presence felt in the small village. He was a born orator, and was called upon to make speeches upon many occasions-patriotic speeches, or speeches of welcome, and his opinions were called for in any public gathering where oratory was in demand. He was collector of customs for the port of Cleveland. He studied law, and became a judge, and for five years was mayor of the city.

His office was 39 Superior street, and his family-residence for many years at the south-east corner of Water and Lake streets. Later years

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the family removed to Euclid Ave. near Erie and just east of the Cleveland Trust Company.

Mrs. Julia Judd Starkweather, sister of Mrs. T. P. May and Mrs. Nicholas Dockstader, was born 1810 in New Britton, Conn. For nearly seventy years she was identified with the religious and social interests of the city. From the time there were but 500 men and women and children all told in the little village of -1825, until it became the great city of 1894, she lived always within half a mile. of the same spot. For some years previous to her death she bore the honor of being the oldest surviving member of the Stone Church, and she was much beloved by all affiliated with that religious society.

As wife of the mayor of the city, she carried herself with tact and dignity through all the public and social functions entailed upon her husband during his terms of office, and won the admiration and respect of visiting celebrities and officials of neighboring cities.

The children of Samuel and Julia Judd Starkweather:

William Starkweather, m. Olivia

Sims, daughter of Capt. Sims.

Samuel Starkweather,Jr

Sarah Starkweather, married at her parents' residence on Water street, Richard Parsons, Huron Co., O., a young lawyer of fine presence and eloquent speech. For a few years he was editor of the Cleveland Herald, keeping that newspaper up to a high standard. With him was associated Col. W P. Fogg. (Both men died some years since.)

One of the editors of the Herald at that time was J. H. A. Bone, a literary and dramatic critic of fine ability.

The book-keeper of the establishment was Elbert H. Baker, then slender and youthful, whose sympathetic manner and kindly dealings made him most popular with the reportorial staff. For many years past he has been business-manager of the Cleveland Plain Dealer, and through rare foresight and untiring energy has made a phenomenal success of that newspaper, sending great packages of its daily and Sunday editions into every town and village of northern Ohio.

1827

STODDARD

John Stoddard of Massachusetts was an early resident of Cleveland, but the year in which he came west with his family cannot be determined. They were very cultured, refined people. Mrs. Stoddard, before her marriage, was Miss Mary W. Billings of Conway, Mass., and a relative of Mrs. Edmund Clark, who was Anna Maria Billings of the same town.

John Stoddard was the son of John, and a graduate of Yale College in 1787. He married Miss Billings in 1800, and removed to Albany,

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1827

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N. Y., where they lived for some years before coming to Cleveland. As he was born in 1767, he must have been at an advanced age when he made the last change of residence. Probably about 60 years old.

The family lived first on Euclid Ave. near the Public Square; afterward they removed to No. 9 Ontario street back of the Old Stone Church. At that time, there were but three houses standing on that side of Ontario street between the Square and Lake street.

The children of John and Mary Stoddard:

Esther Williams Stoddard, b. 1803..

Mary Ann Stoddard, m. Thurston.

John D. Stoddard, b. 1810.

William Stoddard, b. 1818

Solomon Stoddard, b. 1823.

Esther Williams Stoddard was an early member of the Old Stone Church.

An Amos Stoddard was living on Prospect street in 1856.

1827

MILLS

As the second mayor of Cleveland, the antecedents of Joshua Mills are of special interest. But spite of long and patient research, nothing can be found concerning his parentage, birth-place, or of his movements prior to 1827, the year he came to Cleveland village. The family records, which might throw light upon the subject, are at present stored in the effects of an army officer stationed on the Pacific coast and are unattainable.

Dr. Mills was accompanied to Cleveland by his wife and three children, two of whom were Mrs. Mills' children through a former marriage. He opened a drug-store and took up his residence in one of the Champion houses north side of Superior street just east of Seneca.

He began to make himself useful at once, aside from his practice of medicine. In the cholera season of 1832, he was made a member of the Board of Health, and gave faithful and fearless service during the prevalence of that frightful epidemic, both in that year and two years later when the scourge returned with virulence.

Dr. Mills lived in Cleveland but 15 years, yet each one of them found him holding some public position bestowed upon him by a community that that respected and trusted him. He was an alderman, president of the council, and lastly mayor of the city for three years.

Mrs. Mills was born Phebe Stafford Higby, daughter of Dexter and Rosanna Ellsworth Higby of Castleton, Vt. Her parents removed to Chillicothe, 0., when she was 14 years old. In 1820, she married Sylvester Norton, and went to live in Granville, N. Y. Within a few years Mr. Norton died, and she returned with her two children, Sylvester and

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1827

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Minerva Norton, to her parents' home in Chillicothe. Here, about 1826, she married Joshua Mills. Whether he was practising medicine in that locality, or, had previously met her in Granville, is not ascertained.

In 1829, Laura Higby, Mrs. Mills' only sister, five years younger than herself, married John W. Willey, first mayor of the city of Cleveland, whom she had met in her frequent visits to town. The wedding was celebrated in the Mills residence on Superior street. Soon after, the young couple began housekeeping in an adjacent dwelling also owned by Reuben Champion.

There is a discrepancy in the testimony of old settlers regarding the time the two families resided here. Mrs. Juliana Walworth Keyes is said to have owned two small frame-houses on the opposite side of the street just below Seneca, that were occupied by Dr. Mills and John Willey previous to their removal to beyond the Public Square. There is little doubt that they lived at different times on both sides of Superior street, but which was Dr. Mills' first residence is in doubt.

After the death of O. B. Skinner in the summer of 1835, Dr. Mills rented the Skinner cottage on Commercial street, corner of Ontario, where his family lived many years afterward. That same year brought great grief to Dr. and Mrs. Mills, and doubtless to the childless home of the Willeys as well. Their little Harriet, eight years of age, and John Willey Mills, the idolized son, two years old, both died of scarlet fever within a few days' time.

Meanwhile Sylvester Norton and his sister Minerva were growing to manhood and womanhood. The former became a lieutenant in the U. S. Navy. He was a fine, handsome lad, beloved by his parents and relatives, and gave promise of a brilliant future. He was lost off the Steamer Atlantic in Long Island Sound in 1846. He was 25 years old at the time of his death.

Minerva Norton was a beautiful girl and famous belle. She had many admirers, but her choice fell upon Lieut. afterwards Colonel Larabee, U. S. A. The match was not favored by Mr. Mills-no reason is givenand when her daughter died in California in 1873 at the age of 50 years, Mrs. Mills erected a stone in Erie street cemetery upon which is inscribed, "Sacred to the memory of Minerva Norton, adopted daughter of the late Dr. Joshua Mills."

Mrs. Larabee left one child, Minnie Larabee, who married Lieut. Thomas A. Pearce, U. S. A.

Before Dr. Mills' last term of mayoralty had expired, he was seized with symptoms of tuberculosis, of which disease John W. Willey had recently died, and he succumbed to its ravages in 1843, aged 46 years. The Cleveland Herald in an eulogy on his life, said:

"His eminence as a physician, his usefulness as a citizen, his character as a man, have secured to him an enviable reputation, while the frankness, the generosity, the nobleness of his heart, have won the lasting love of all who knew him."

After the death of her husband, the tragic loss of her son, and the marriage of her daughter, Mrs. Mills was left alone in the city. She

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spent much of her time thenceforth at the beautiful home of a brother in a suburb of Chillicothe called "Higby Station," but frequently visited her many society friends in Cleveland. She was a charming, high-bred woman whom every one loved to meet. She died at an advanced age, and was buried in Woodland cemetery.

In her will, dated 1882, at Cleveland, she mentions her brother Sylvester Higby, and her great-granddaughter Minerva Norton Burton, daughter of George H. and Minnie Burton of the U. S. Army.

Mrs. Mills joined the Old Stone Church in 1827, her sister Mrs. John Willey in 1829.

1827

BEARDSLEY

David Hamlin Beardsley was one of the unique characters of Cleveland, and for 23 years perhaps the best known man in the city, for his public position as Collector of the Ohio Canal brought him into daily contact not only with the merchants of the town but with business men the whole length of the state. He was the son of Squire and Hannah Hamlin Beardsley of New Preston, Conn., and was 37 years old when he came here in 1826.

School-teaching, his first occupation, took him to Baltimore, Md., where he assumed charge of a select school and incidentally met Miss Cassandra Hersh, sister of David Hersh, who became a Cleveland pioneer. The following year, 1817, they were married.

His next venture was at Sandusky, Ohio, where he bought 315 acres of land, became an associate judge, and was elected a state senator. To become auditor and recorder of Cuyahoga County would seem like a retrograde of honors, but probably Mr. Beardsley had other things to take into consideration when he accepted the office. He worked in the old log-courthouse on the Public Square, and his beautiful penmanship is preserved in the early records of the city. When the Ohio canal was opened as far as Akron, his integrity and accuracy were recognized, and he was made collector of it, and for 23 years, through all administrations, he held his position, beginning at a salary of $300, and ending with one of $1200. He was a man of simple tastes and sterling qualities, and best known for scrupulous honesty even to the value of a cent. It is claimed that in all the years he served as collector of the canal, during which time he had handled over a million dollars, he could account to a cent of all money passing through his hands. Many amusing stories have been told of his exactness regarding small change. Judge James Cleveland quaintly refers to this trait in an address before the Old Settlers' Association in 1896:

"The canal collector, D. H. Beardsley, regarded the statutes and canal regulations as the laws of the Medes and Persians, and sometimes reminded a canal-boat master that he owed the state of Ohio a half cent on tolls, and should remember it at the next settlement.. Whereupon the

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1827

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canal-captain would, with great anger and profanity, chop a copper cent in two with the cook's axe, on the canal-lock scale, and tender it to the old collector. Then the captain would be fined $5 for his violation of the law which forbade the axe on the state's property, and he didn't think the joke was much on the collector when he saw his face darken like the face of Jove, and knew that fine must be paid before he or his canal-boat could leave the port.

"Collector Beardsley was the very type of integrity, honesty, and honor, and under his official mask there dwelt a gentle and scholarly nature that loved his fellow-men and was loved by all who esteem purity, justice, and the gentle ways of wisdom and peace."

Mr. Beardsley died at the age of 82, and was buried in Erie street cemetery.

Mrs. David Beardsley was an invalid for many years. She had three sisters, all charming women who resided near her, on the south side of St. Clair street between Seneca and Ontario, and their mother, a dear old lady, always quaintly and beautifully dressed, lived with them. They were all born house and home-keepers, and though they lived simply and in small houses, as all Cleveland people did in that day, they were very popular, and their society much sought for by the cultured element of the town. Their brother, John Hersh, was then a bachelor. In after years he removed to Chillicothe. Sarah Hersh was the second wife of Thomas Brown. He was the editor of the Ohio Farmer. Julia Hersh married Mr. Bolles. All three sisters were fine-looking, had dark eyes and dark brown hair.

Mrs. Beardsley died when her children were young. They were:

Elisabeth Beardsley, m. William Bingham..

Mary Hamlin Beardsley, m. Aaron Clark. She died aged 24 .

Sarah Beardsley, m. Thomas Brown, widower of her aunt Sarah Hersh

John Beardsley. Remained a bachelor.

Mary Beardsley Clark died, and her husband, Aaron Clark, married Caroline Bingham, sister of Edward and William Bingham, who came to Cleveland from Andover, Conn.

Thomas Brown removed to New York, and died there, leaving three young sons, and his widow Sarah Beardsley returned to Ohio and settled in Gambier, O., in order to educate them.

The Beardsleys, Clarks, and part of the Bingham family lie in Erie street cemetery. -

1827

GRAVES

Dickson Graves, born 1805, was the son of Erastus Graves. He married Lydia E. Ripley and removed to Newburgh, the year not ascertained. Here he died in 1831 in his 27th year. In 1835 his administrator, Seth Henderson, advertised his land in Newburgh for sale, because

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1828

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the personal property was insufficient to pay the debts. He describes the land as "next to Allen Gaylord's and east of Moses Jewett's."

The children of Dickson and Lydia Graves:

Horatio, Rufus, Matilda, Martha, and Edwin Graves.

The family returned east and Mrs. Graves died there in 1848.

1828

CATHER

Robert Cather's native town was near Philadelphia, Pa. In 1828 he was living in Cleveland, and was married by the Rev. Mr. Bradstreet, the Presbyterian clergyman of the town, to Lucy Norton, daughter of Elisha and Margaret Clark Norton. The wedding was solemnized at the residence of the widow Norton, 42 Bank street, now W. 6th. This site was afterward the one upon which stood the old Academy of Music, the first local theater. The young couple settled in a dwelling north of and adjacent to Mrs. Norton's town-lot.

Robert Cather's business-advertisement reads

"TIN, SHEET IRON, AND COPPER SMITH, 91 SUPERIOR ST."

according to the tax-duplicate of 1841. Mr. Cather also owned 60 feet front on Water street, lot 203. After the sale of his Bank street property, the family lived on the corner of St. Clair and Seneca streets. In later years Mr. Cather bought or built a house on the south side of Euclid Ave. near Dodge street, and Benj. Harrington moved into their St. Clair street house.

Although so early a pioneer, and so long a prominent citizen of Cleveland, nothing can be secured regarding the personality of Robert Cather.

Mrs. Lucy Norton Cather was a bright, capable woman. She died in 1855 of consumption while on a visit to her sister Mrs. Wetmore, who was living in Cincinnati. The family burial lot is in Erie street cemetery.

The children of Robert and Lucy Cather:

Robert H and Margaret E., died young.

Solon Cather, unmarried. Lived in Galveston, Texas..

Martha Clark Cather, m. Bollivar Butts.

Lucy Cather, m. --------Gregory of Galveston, Texas.

Josephine Cather. At the death of her parents, was legally adopted by Mr. and Mrs. Bollivar Butts She is still a resident of the city, and the only surviving member of the family.

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1828

CAMP

Charles L. Camp was the son of Isaac and Elisabeth Nash Camp of Norwalk, Conn. He was one of the earliest dry-goods merchants in the city. His store was number 115 Superior street, and associated with him in business was a relative, Albert Clark. "Camp & Clark" was a firm long familiar to old residents.

In 1830 Mr. Camp married Clarissa Blakeslee, daughter of Gad and Anna Latin Blakeslee of Hartford, Conn., who were pioneers of Medina, O. In 1818 Gad Blakeslee, who had several young sons, became anxious to get them out of a city and on to a farm. At the same time he caught the western emigration fever and took a trip to Ohio to look about for a suitable place in which to settle.

Upon reaching Cleveland he was so pleased with its beautiful location that he began to negotiate for a small farm on what is now Lake street, below East 9th. But before closing the bargain he visited relatives for a week or two in Ashtabula Co. Upon his return the agent for the property met him with congratulations upon his choice of location.

"You were wise in settling upon this town and this particular spot for a future home," he exclaimed. "A party of eastern men have been here for several days, and they predict that Cleveland will be a city within twenty years, and perhaps a sea-port."

"Then this bargain is all off," replied Mr. Blakeslee. "I have no desire to move from one city into another one. I want to bring up my boys on a farm in the country."

And thus Medina, O., gained a valuable pioneer. Mrs. Blakeslee thought a Connecticut farm good enough for the purpose, but her husband had had some experience on one in that state and declared that he was tired of knocking his shins against stones. After Mrs. Blakeslee was well settled in Medina, she retorted with the remark that evidently he was bound to have his shins knocked, this time on stumps, which covered the ground in every direction.

Susannah Camp, wife of James Kellogg, Jr., was the sister of C. L. Camp, and he had several other relatives and' family connections living in the city.

The home of the latter was on Lake street, and almost in a direct line back of the old Academy, now Engine House No. 1, and here he died, and was buried in Erie street cemetery. Later the family removed to Prospect Ave., now number 2515.

The children of C. L. and Clarissa Camp:

Elisabeth Ann Camp, b. 1834; died unmarried in 1892..

Mary Ella Camp, b. 1836; unmarried..

Emily Catherine Camp, m. John F. Hutchinson of Oswego, N. Y. Resided in this city

Eliza Jane Camp, m. E. N. Thompson

Harriet Loretta Camp, m. David P. Foster.

Two aged daughters of this family, Mary and Harriet, are living on Guthrie Ave., West Side.

Mr. and Mrs. Camp adopted a niece, Mary Palmer Camp of Wayne,

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1828

CAMP

O. She married Col. William Avery and removed to Woodstock, Ill. This niece was associated indirectly with a terrible lake disaster that occurred in 1841. At the death of her mother in Wayne, O., little Mary Camp was brought to the home of her uncle, C. L. Camp. Meanwhile, another uncle, David Camp of New York state, sent word to the Ohio relatives that he wished to adopt the child and would come for her at once.

He took passage at 'Buffalo on the steamer Erie, which burned a few hours later, and David Camp was one of the one hundred passengers who lost their lives. The city of Cleveland was vitally affected by this disaster, as many of its citizens had relatives or friends on the ill-fated steamer. Occurring as it did, so early in the history of Lake Erie navigation, it seems fitting to give the sad event more than mere mention. Through the courtesy of Captain Alfred Mitchell, well known in the marine circles of the city, it has been possible to do so.

"The most appalling calamity occurring during the season of 1841 was the burning of the steamboat `Erie' on the night of August 9, off Silver Creek, Lake Erie, and in the same waters where the steamer `Washington 2nd' had burned in 1838. The `Erie' had come out in that year, was of 497 tons burden, and was commanded by Captain T. J. Titus up to the time of her loss. She had been in ordinary at Buffalo for a few days to receive fresh painting, and started out about four o'clock in the evening for Chicago; although the wind was blowing fresh, everything promised a pleasant and prosperous voyage. When about 33 miles from Buffalo, off Silver Creek, a slight explosion was heard, and almost immediately the whole vessel was enveloped in flames. Some cans of turpentine, it was conjectured, had ignited.

Captain Titus, who was in command, rushed from the upper deck to the cabin where the life-preservers were kept, but flames hindered his progress, and he quickly gave orders to the engineer to stop the boat. The passengers, driven by the flames, madly plunged into the water, catching at anything which might lend assistance in floating. Many went down immediately and were seen no more.

The steamer `Dewitt Clinton,' 20 miles astern, discovered the fire and came up, reaching the `Erie' at about 10 p. m. She was instrumental in saving many lives, but in spite of all efforts over one hundred persons were drowned.

The steamer `Lady' from Dunkirk, and the steamer `Chautauqua' also came up soon after, and together they towed the burned hull of the `Erie' to within four miles of the shore where she sank in eleven fathoms of water.

The loss of property was heavy. She had on board the first large invoice of merchandise of the season, amounting to 30 tons, worth at least $20,000. Immigrants on board had about $180,000 of specie, and the boat cost over $75,000; making in all a loss of nearly $300,000. The `Erie' was owned by C. M. Reed of Erie, and was one of the finest steamers afloat on the northern lakes."

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1828

SKINNER

Orville Bird Skinner was an early merchant of the village, and auditor of the county for several years. He married Martha St. John of Buffalo, a daughter of Madam St. John and sister of Dr. Orson, and John R. St. John, who became well known residents of this city.

Orville B. Skinner was a man of fine mind. He possessed a large library for those days, and was a close student. But he was frail physically, and suffered from a nervous affliction, and one July day of insufferable heat in 1834, the town was shocked to hear that in a moment of mental stress he had ended his life.

He was universally admired and respected, and his sudden death was widely mourned. He was but 36 years of age, and left a young widow and three children. His estate, at first, was deemed insolvent, probably one cause of his melancholy, but John R. St. John, with characteristic energy, gave it his time and close attention. Everything was settled satisfactorily, so that a fine property was secured for the family.

Previous to his death, the family occupied a roomy brick cottage on the south-west corner of Ontario and Champlain streets. It faced the north. But in her widowhood, Mrs. Skinner removed to another house on Champlain street, and rented the larger one to Dr. Joshua Mills who occupied it until his death. Mrs. Skinner was laid beside her husband in Erie street cemetery in 1850, aged 47 years.

Children of Orville and Martha St. John Skinner:

Frances Skinner, m. Rev. Alexander Rogers. She died after the birth of her first child.

Orville Bird Skinner, m. Helen Campbell of Ravenna, Ohio.

Orson St. John Skinner, born after his father's death ; m. Ellen Allee.

The sons, O. B. and O. S. Skinner, were life-long citizens of Cleveland. They inherited the St. John business ability, their father's love for books, and the brains of both families. They were both connected with railroad interests, and members of Trinity church. Orville B. was a 32nd degree Mason. Orson S. traveled extensively after his retirement from business, and died in Nice, France, in 1905. His widow, a most interesting woman, survived him but four years. Each of the brothers left two sons and a daughter. Those of the elder were 0. C., Helen C., and John D. Skinner. The children of the younger brother were Orville B., Orson S., and Cornelia Skinner.

1828

COLT

Col. Henry H. Coit was the son of Daniel Lathrop Coit of Norwich, Conn., who invested in several thousands of acres of land in the Western Reserve, part of which was located in East Cleveland.

In 1828, when about thirty-six years of age, Col. Henry Coit settled on this land, where he lived many years. He cleared off a large farm

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1828

LUCAS

and by his love of trees and flowers and his taste in growing them made it the admiration of the surrounding country. He also made himself a benefactor of the community by introducing and raising the best fruits and vegetables of all kinds.

His wife was a Miss Mary Breed, and it is said of her that she was a woman of rare intelligence, warm-hearted and devoted to her family and her friends. She was a Christian, and the members of the church to which she belonged cherished her memory, after her death, with grateful affection.

She lived in her charming home on the Coit Road until 1856, when, at the age of sixty, she left her husband and children for "the better land."

Col. Coit died in 1870, aged eighty.

The children of Col. and Mary Coit:

Charles Breed Coit.

William H. Coit, married Harriet Fairfield.

Elisabeth Coit, married Samuel H. Kirby.

Maria Coit, married Samuel H. Kirby.

Mary Coit, married Rufus C. Holmes of Connecticut

Charles and William were educated in Norwich, Conn.

1828

LUCAS

William B. and Abigail Reed Lucas came in 1828 from New York state. The name was one well known in New England, and this branch of the family probably originated there.

Mr. and Mrs. Lucas settled in East Cleveland. They brought with them four little daughters, and three more girls and a son were added to the family in the course of time.

The children of William and Abigail Lucas:

Sarah Lucas, m. Peter Thorp

Elisabeth Lucas, m. Asa Scoville.

Abigail Lucas, m. Henry Hayes.

Mary Lucas, m. Wells Judson.

Adeline Lucas, b. 1830; m. Gilbert Stone

Beulah Lucas, b. 1832.

Harriet Lucas, b. 1834; m. May------ ,removed to Detroit, Mich

Harrison Lucas, b. 1834; m. Dolly A. Plum.

Jabez Kelley died this year aged 52 and was buried at the west end of the Daniel Kelley lot in Erie street cemetery, and probably was a relative of that family.

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1828

TINKER

Jabez Kelley has been described as a small man of active temperament, and quite eccentric in manner.

1828

TINKER

Not every Cleveland pioneer resided continuously in town following his arrival here. Several of its best known citizens, Elisha Taylor, for instance, only remained a few years, sold out their local business and returned east only to remove again to Cleveland to spend the remainder of their days.

John Tinker was identified with the village in its infancy, but lived here intermittently, leaving when business dictated, yet always returning later on.

He had several occupations, each one of which seems to have been lucrative. He was a farmer, first of all, then a hotel-keeper, and sometimes a merchant. The first glimpse of him, and only a glimpse, is in 1828, at which time he was in the salt business. Years later he was landlord of the Burnett House, and afterward of the Prospect House on Ontario street.

Naturally, his town residence was frequently changed through these various flittings. We find the family living on Cheshire, Granger, and lastly on Eagle street.

Mr. Tinker owned a large town-lot in Bedford, O., upon which he resided at intervals, also a farm outside of that village. While located there, he was a justice of the peace. All these various activities made him well known in Cuyahoga County as well as in Cleveland.

Mr. Tinker bore the Christian name of his American ancestor, John Tinker of Boston, Mass., 1635. His parents were Almerin and Leafa Stowell Tinker of Guilford, Vt. His grandfather, Nehemiah Tinker of Windham, Conn., was a Revolutionary soldier who had married into the famous Huntington family of Connecticut.

This branch of the Tinker family acquired the pioneer habit. At the close of the Revolutionary War it removed from Connecticut to Vermont, and the next generation was prompt in joining the exodus from the latter state to the wilds of western New York.

Almerin Tinker and his family settled in Columbus, Chenango County. To this place John Tinker returned in 1828, a Cleveland, O., pioneer, to claim his bride, Marilla Holt, daughter of Elijah, and granddaughter of Jeremiah Holt, both soldiers of the Revolution. Her maternal grandfather, James Dickey, was also a veteran of that war.

The wives of tavern-keepers were closely identified in those early days with their husbands' business, and, doubtless, Marilla Holt Tinker, like Mrs. Spangler, Mrs. Scovil, Mrs. Harrington, and other well-known Cleveland women, was more responsible for the efficiency and popularity of the Tnker hotels and taverns than was John Tinker himself.

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1828

RUGGLES

Little else can be secured concerning her save that her "crown of glory" was an abundance of beautiful brown hair, and that she was a skillful and generous cook. She died while the family were living in Bedford.

John Tinker was tall and dark. In the late years of his life he wore always a high silk hat, and, as the two usually went together, he probably carried a cane. He was a money-maker, and a money-spender. While engaged in active business he gave his family of children unusual opportunities for education. The sons attended private schools and academies ; the daughters were sent away to boarding-schools. In his old age, Mr. Tinker lavished affection upon his grandchildren. On one occasion, while on a trip to New York, he shipped an Indian pony and a basket-phaeton to a little granddaughter, now Mrs. May C. Whitaker of this city.

He died on Prospect street at the residence of his daughter, Mrs. John D. Sholes, aged 69 years.

Children of John and Marilla Holt Tinker:

Mary H. Tinker, b. 1829; m. Leverett Tarbell of Bedford, O..

Herbert Tinker, m. Mrs. Eliza Topping.

Edson A. Tinker, m. Mercy Hepburn

Adelia J. Tinker, m. John D. Sholes of Cleveland

Wilford H. Tinker, m. Fanny ______

Edgar Coe Tinker, unmarried..

Volney D. Tinker, unmarried.

Fred D. Tinker, m. Morath.

Leverett Tarbell was long a prominent citizen of Cuyahoga County. One of his sons was for many years an East End merchant and yet resides in that locality. His only daughter, formerly a member of the Cleveland Board of Education, is a prominent club woman of this city and a writer.

Children of Leverett and Mary Tinker Tarbell::

Linn Parke Tarbell, m. S. Jenny Roy

May Tarbell, m. 1st, Grove G. Cannon; 2nd, Alfred Whitaker

John Dwight Tarbell.

1828

RUGGLES

Cyrenus Ruggles and his wife came to Newburgh in 1828. They were well along in years, and brought with them eleven children. There was yet another one married and living in Milford, their former Connecticut home. Mrs. Ruggles, before her marriage, was Anna Stilson, daughter of Philo and Anna Bennet Stilson. When her youngest child was but eight years old, Mr. Ruggles died, and she was left to struggle along on

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1828

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a partly cleared farm, and to raise her seven sons and four daughters. That indicates the story of her life in succeeding years. She was a wonderful woman. Only the period in which she lived could produce her type.

One of her children, Dr. Philo Ruggles, became a physician. He was about the only one in Newburgh for many years, and therefore made himself a blessing to the community. His fee for services was a secondary consideration with him. He was far from strong himself, but went about year after year, carrying help and hope to poor patients who had nothing to return save love and blessings.

Children of Cyrenus and Anna Stilson Ruggles:

Danforth Ruggles, m. Elmira Jewett..

Mary Ruggles, m. Hiram Ruggles, her cousin.

Caroline Ruggles, m. Nathan Robinson

Laura Ruggles, m. Amasa Scoville; removed to Michigan

Dr. Philo Ruggles, m. Abigail Andrews.

Cyrenus Ruggles, m. Eunice Ross.

Octavia Ruggles, m. Samuel Pease

Cyrus and Seymour Ruggles, died unmarried

Jarius Ruggles, m. Lydia Alvord Kellogg.

Rufus Ruggles, m. Eliza Ingersoll

Henry Ruggles, m. Minerva Rathbun

1828

CORLETT

William B. Corlett and his wife, Jane Cannell Corlett, arrived in Newburgh, in 1828, from the Isle of Man.. Accompanying them were their daughters, Margaret and Jane Corlett.

The party traveled by canal-boat from Albany to Buffalo and from thence to Cleveland on a vessel. The captain of the latter would stop at every port, get drunk, and remain long enough to sober up, then start his craft on its way again. Consequently, it was six weeks on the trip.

The Corletts purchased a farm in Newburgh of Mr. Ellsworth, the original land-owner. They built a log-house and lived seven years in it without a door or window. When the ground was covered with snow, the deer would congregate about the cabin at night, huddling against it to keep warm.

Mrs. Corlett was a charitable, industrious woman. She spun and wove every yard of flannel used in her family from the time of her marriage until her death.

William B. Corlett was a blacksmith as well as a farmer.

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1828

KELLEY

Children of William B. and Jane Corlett (not in order of age):

Margaret Corlett, m. John Collister, D. S. P..

Christian Corlett, m. 1st, DeWitt Saxton; 2nd, William Thare.

William Corlett, unmarried.

Mary Corlett, m. John Quayle.

Charlotte Corlett, unmarried

James E. Corlett, m. Mary Day.

Charles C. Corlett, m. Isabelle Corlett.

Of the above only Mrs. Mary Corlett and Mrs. Isabelle Corlett are living in 1913.

1828

KELLEY

Capt. John Kelley of Virginia, born 1760, served in the Revolutionary War. He married in 1780 Mary Manning, who died 1840. One of their family of 13 children was Dr. James Manning Kelley, born 1787. He served as a surgeon in the War of 1812.

He married in 1807, Laura Howe, 19 years of age, daughter of Dr. Samuel and Mabel Dudley Howe. After the death of her husband in 1834, Mrs. Kelley resided with her daughter Mrs. Joseph Crittenden of this city until her death in 1844.

There are several Cleveland women yet living who were personally acquainted with Mrs. Kelly, and she is remembered by them as a lovely, refined woman. She was interred in Erie street cemetery.

The children of James M. and Laura Howe Kelly were prominent in the business and social life of early Cleveland. They were:

Dulcina Kelly, b. 1811; m. Henry L. moved to Racine, Wis. He died Sexton. 1905.

Eliza Ariadne Kelly, b. 1814; m. Joseph H. Crittenden.

James Howe Kelley, b. 1815; m. 1^st, Emily Hussey, daughter of Richard, by whom he had 12 children. He m. 2nd, Mrs. Emily E. Carr, and 4 more children were added to the family. He lived in Cleveland from 1828 to 1856, then re

Madison Kelly, m. 1st, Elisabeth Phelps of Painesville, O. He came to Cleveland from Canandaigua, N. Y., about 1828, and was a prominent citizen, taking part in all municipal proceedings of weight. He died in Cleveland, in 1879.

Daniel Phelps Kelley, d. 1854.

John M. Kelley.

Elisabeth Phelps Kelley, m. John M. Brayton.

Charlotte A. Kelley, m. Jerome T. Perkins . (one child, John Ford Perkins).

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1829

OMMICK

The second wife of Madison Kelley was Julia A. Barlow.

Children of Madison and Julia A. Barlow Kelley:

Grace E. Kelley, m. George E. Jewett.

James M. Kelley, m. Parmeley Gray Barten (?).

Robert John Kelley, m. Mary C. Calvin.

The family was living in 1856 at 186 Kinsman street. The burial lot was in Erie street cemetery, but changed recently for one in Warrensville.

1828

OMMICK

John Ommick was a well-known blacksmith of the East End. He came to Cleveland from New Jersey. His wife, Eliza Rockefeller, was a very superior woman. She was raised in a New Jersey home in easy circumstances, and much refinement. Her marriage to Mr. Ommick gave her family great offense, and from thenceforth she was completely estranged from it. Mr. Ommick was a good, industrious man, whose life and character were above reproach.

Children of John and Eliza Rockefeller Ommick:

Eliza Ommick, m. J. F. Hill..

Marian Ommick, died unmarried..

John Ommick, m. Mrs. Warner.

Mary Ommick, m. Louis Dibble

Charles Ommick, removed west

In one of the city directories the name is spelled Ammock.

1829

SANDFORD

Although a pioneer printer and publisher doing business on Superior street near Water street, and senior member of the firm of Sandford and Lott, old residents associate Alfred S. Sandford with local military affairs rather than with business interests. He was a first-class man in both respects, though had circumstances permitted in his youth, he would have found West Point and a subsequent army life more to his taste than the job-printing and book-binding to which fate had assigned him.

He was born in Milford, Conn., in 1805, the son of a sea-captain who had a large family to support, and Alfred was obliged early to strike out

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1829

SANDFORD

for himself. He went to Albany in search of work and from there to Rochester, N. Y., where he learned the shoe-trade. Incidentally, he became a member of the crack military company of the town-the Rochester Grays.

He was 24 years old when he came to Cleveland and five years later, 1834, he founded the firm of Sanford & Lott, succeeded in recent years by Short & Forman.

The first city directory of 1837 was printed by Mr. Sanford. That little book has been invaluable to the writer of this history, enabling her to secure the names of families living in Cleveland -previous to 1840, and where residing at that time. This work could not have been accomplished had Sandford & Lott failed to publish that directory, for the next one was not issued until 1845.

Alfred S. Sandford married Mrs. Maria Hayward in 1833. She was a widow and had one child, W. H. Hayward. In after years at the retirement of Mr. Lott, Mr. Sandford's step-son was taken into the business, and the firm became "Sandford & Hayward."

But the Civil War broke out, and Col. Hayward enlisted in the service, leaving Mr. Sandford to conduct the business as sole proprietor.

He was one of the veterans of the volunteer fire department, and was the second captain of the Cleveland Grays. As the head of the state militia, he acquired the title of "General," by which he was designated for many years of his life.

Mrs. Maria Hayward Sandford was a handsome, vivacious woman, greatly admired in her day. Her son, Col. William H. Hayward, inherited her good looks. He also was connected with local military affairs. Nelson Hayward, one time mayor of the city, was his uncle.

Mr. and Mrs. Alfred S. Sandford had one child, Julius R. Sandford, who lived all his life in the city and died past middle age.

Col. Sandford lived to be 83 years old. He died in 1888, Mrs. Sandford in 1890.

Elijah Sandford, brother of Gen. Alfred S. Sandford, was born in New Haven, Conn., in 1812. He came to Cleveland at an early age and clerked for Sandford & Lott at 87 Superior street. He made his home in those years with his brother's family.

Some time subsequent to 1840, Elijah Sandford left Cleveland, remaining away some years. He went into business for himself in Newark, 0., and in New Orleans, returning in 1863 to become the partner of Col. W. H. Hayward by the purchase of his brother Alfred's interest in the business.

Elijah Sandford's patriotism was of rare degree. When the Civil War broke out he was proven exempt from service, but he paid bounty to a substitute and sent him to the front.

Mr. Sandford was a member of the Cleveland Grays, but never took a leading part in military matters as his older brother. He was considered a fine business man of unswerving integrity.

He remained a bachelor until nearly 50 years of age, and then married Miss Elisabeth Hughes, daughter of William Hughes of Cincinnati, an estimable woman who at once won the friendship of all Mr. Sandford's relatives and associates. She is an active worker in Trinity Church.

342

1829

TIEBOUT

George Tiebout was originally from Greenpoint, Long Island, but had been living in Rochester, N. Y., previous to 1829, the year he came to Cleveland. He was then 30 years of age. He engaged in business as a vessel agent and in coal-mining and shipping; afterward he was corresponding secretary for the Cuyahoga Steam Furnace Co.

He married 1st, Elisabeth Fitzpatrick who died in Cleveland about 1829, the year they arrived here. He married 2nd, Martha Wilson, daughter of John and Anna Aram Wilson. She was ten years of age when left an orphan by the death of her parents. The Tiebouts lived at. No. 59 Ontario street at the time the first directory of the city was issued in 1837. Later they resided on the West Side. They were a very refined family, and the members of it were much respected and admired.

Children of George and Martha Wilson Tiebout:

Margaret Tiebout, m. Willet Ranney.

Martha Tiebout, m. 1st, George Willis; 2nd, Charles B. Randolph.

Frances Tiebout, m. Charles F. Linscott

1829

JONES

Herefordshire, England, on the banks of the little river Wye, furnished two families to the village of Cleveland, the members of which became useful citizens, several, indeed, honoring the city of their adoption by national reputations. John P. was U. S. senator of Nevada.

Thomas and John Jones had no money to spare when they left their English homes, but they possessed what was of more lasting value, talent, industry, self-respect, and ambition. The older of the brothers had also a wife and several children.

Thomas Jones, Sr., was a mason and marble-cutter, and he found plenty of work when he reached here in 1831. He established marble works on the corner of Prospect and Sheriff streets, which were carried on by his sons long after he had gone to the Better Land.

The family residence was on Erie, now East 9th street, directly back of the Hickox building, north-west corner of Euclid Ave. and East 9th street. That corner was a big vacant lot, where played the large family of Jones children and nearly every other boy in town to keep them company. Between the Jones homestead and Superior street was a grove of trees, and the south side of Euclid Ave. several rods below Erie was covered with oaks, as was also the site of the Cleveland Trust Co.

Children of Thomas and Mary Powell Jones:

Thomas Jones, Jr., m. Mary Ann Freeman.

U. S. Senator John P. Jones, m. a California lady.

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1829

JONES

Judge James M. Jones, m. Erminie Burrows, daughter of Harman.and Leonora Burrows of Chagrin Falls, Ohio.

William Jones, m. Helen Root

Henry Jones, unmarried.

Mary Jones, died young.

Cornelia Jones, m. Edward Gorham

Frederick Jones, m. Mary Murray

Caroline Jones, m. George Lester.

Frances Jones, m. Alonzo Hamilton.

Samuel and Edward Jones, unmar ried.

John Jones, brother of Thomas Jones, Sr., came to Cleveland in 1829. He was but a lad of 17 years when he arrived nearly penniless, and a total stranger. But pluck and energy won out, and before life ended he had become financially independent. He conducted a livery and transfer business. His home was on Huron street at its junction with Erie, now East 9th. The site is now occupied by the Cafe Bismarck.

Mrs. John Jones-Mary Mason-was a woman of fine physique, and attractive manners. Her children inherited her good looks to even a greater degree. Her only daughter after her marriage to Judge Hamilton, lived beside her parents on Huron street until her own children were well grown, when the family removed to an elegant stone residence on East 89th street.

Children of John and Mary Mason Jones:

William S. Jones, m. Mattie Clark.

Mary Jones, m. Judge Edwin Hamilton

Orville Jones, m. Maria Swain.

.

William S. Jones was a civil engineer by profession, but engaged in other lines of work. He was city auditor for seven years, and president of the Citizens and Savings association. Both of John Jones' sons were men of honest, moral lives, and much honored and appreciated.

1830

Population-1075.

Town Trustees- N. C. Crittenden, Thomas May, Edmund Clark.

Postmaster-Daniel Worley.

President of Trustees-Richard Hilliard

Recorder-James L. Conger.

Treasurer-Daniel Worley.

Marshal-Silas Belden.

1830

Euclid Ave., corner of Muirson street, sold for $100 an acre.

Henry Still and wife died and were interred in Erie street cemetery.

Married. "John C. Granger of Painesville, Ohio, to Sarah Maria

Phelps of Cleveland." (Herald.)

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1830

ST. JOHN

Died. Lucintha, wife of James S. Clarke. (Erie street cemetery.)

Married. Russell Bratt and Olive Chapman. (Herald.)

Died. Zibbe Willes, aged 33 years. (Erie street cemetery.)

Euclid Ave. is yet but a narrow road scarcely more than a wagontrack with trees and bushes crowding its sides beyond Erie street, and the houses on it mostly poor and dilapidated.

1830

TO WHOM DID IT BELONG?

(From The Cleveland Advertiser)

"Found, On the morning of August 12, 1831, a portable trunk, which on examination in the presence of witnesses, was found to contain female wearing apparel, very rich, and of much value.

Said trunk was found between the wagon-tracks, upon the Brooklyn end of the bridge crossing from Cleveland to Brooklyn. The owner may recover same by proving property and paying charges.

JOHN D. HEACOCKS, Brooklyn."

1830

ST. JOHN

When, in the War of 1812, the British and Indians burned the hamlet of Buffalo, N. Y., one house, on Main street, was left standing unharmed among the ruins. It belonged to Mrs. Margaret Kinsman Marsh, widow of Gamaliel St. John, formerly of Norwalk, Conn., who had been drowned in Niagara river a few years previous. Moreover, a large store-house belonging to her was also left unmolested through her tact and powers of persuasion. She was a woman of remarkably strong character, and that this trait was transmitted in a marked degree was evidenced by the lives of her children and grandchildren who were pioneers of our sister city and also of our own.

The Cleveland Herald in 1820 records the marriage of her daughter Sarah St. John to Samuel Wilkinson "all of Buffalo, N. Y." This daughter and her sisters Aurelia St. John-Mrs. Asaph B