GENERAL DESCRIPTION
This township, named in honor of Andrew Jackson, is
township two of range four of the Western Reserve, and is
bounded on the north by Lordstown, Trumbull county; on the east
by Austintown, on the south by Berlin; and on the west by
Milton. The Meander creek drains the eastern part of the
township, pursuing its zigzag course northward partly in this
township but mostly in Austintown. A number of small
streams enter the creek from the westward, ren-
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dering the surface
broken and uneven. There are no long or very steep hills,
but quite a number of undulations such as may be found in
prairie countries. The western half of the township may be
briefly described as level. Many broad fields, acres in
extent, are apparently as flat and even as the surface of a calm
lake. Likewise in the southern part of the township, the
fields which have been formed from the ancient swamp-land are
almost uniformly smooth.
There is a large average of woodland interspersed with
acres of cultivated fields, this combination producing an effect
very pleasing to lovers of natural beauty. When the green
man tle of spring is spread over all, or when the magic painter,
Autumn, with divinely skilled hand has touched the forest trees,
transformed their foliage with countless tints of crimson, gold,
and scarlet, these groves assume a beauty which is
indescribable.
The soil is generally deep and rich, and is well
adapted to wheat and corn. But little of the land is stony
and all is easily cultivated. The farm-houses are good and
comfortable, though by no means large or imposing in appearance.
There is but one village in the township, North
Jackson, which is not north geographically but situated at the
very center. The post office has been called by this name
to distinguish it from the many other Jacksons in this country.
Farming is the principal business. There has
never been a railroad through the township, but one is now in
process of construction and other lines have been surveyed.
The Alliance, Niles & Ashtabula road will pass diagonally
through the western and northern portion of the township, and
with its completion there may be an inception of other
industries.
TIMBER.
The western and
much of the northern part of the township were originally
covered with a dense growth of hard wood, principally oak and
hickory. On the Meander there were many sugar-maples. In
the southern part of the township there were several kinds of
soft wood found in some tracts including considerable poplar.
Beech and ash grow in various parts of the township.
COAL.
A fair quantity of
surface coal has been mined in several places, but the deposits
are not extensive. As yet no banks containing paying
quantities have been opened.
SETTLEMENT.
The first
pioneers were nearly all of the Scotch Irish race, and moved to
the township from Pennsylvania.
SAMUEL
CALHOUN was the first actual settler. He located on
the south line of the township in 1803, and there passed the
remainder of his days. His sons were Andrew,
Samuel, and Matthew; his daughters Nancy,
Betsey, Isabel, Sally, Anna, Martha,
and Esther. Andrew Calhoun lived in
the township, on the eastern part, through his life.
Anna became the wife of David Leonard, and is
still living in Ellsworth township. The name is spelled
Calhoon by some of those who bear it.
WILLIAM ORR, from Washington county, Pennsylvania,
settled in 1803 or 1804 upon the farm which remained in
possession of the Orr family many years. He
built a frame house at an early date, which was probably the
first in the town ship. It was a story and a half in
height, perhaps twenty-four feet wide, and somewhat longer.
There was a stone chimney in the middle of the house; it was
both large and wide, and took up a considerable amount of room.
William Orr died in 1815, in his sixtieth year.
His wife Mary died in 1849, in her ninetieth year.
Their family consisted of eleven children, viz: James,
Margaret, John, Humphrey, William,
Thomas, Russel, Anna, Abraham, Isaac,
and Mary. John, Humphrey, William,
and Russel settled in Milton and died there.
Thomas lived in Jackson for a time, then returned to
Pennsylvania. James moved to some distant part. Abraham
and Isaac are the only survivors of the family. The
former lives in Trumbull county and the latter in Illinois.
Anna was the wife of John Johnston."
Margaret married John Ewing.
Andrew Gault came to the township in 1803, and made a
permanent settlement in 1804. His sons were Ebenezer,
Robert, and Andrew; his daughters Rachel,
Betsey, and Ann. Robert and Andrew
settled in the township, Andrew upon the old place.
Rachel married Andrew Duer and settled in
Ellsworth. Betsey married Robert Gibson.
Ann became the wife of Robinson Young, and lived
in Austintown.
ANDREW
GAULT came to the township in 1803, and made a permanent
settlement in 1804. His sons were Ebenezer, Robert,
and Andrew; his daughters Rachel, Betsey, and
Ann. Robert and Andrew settled in the township,
Andrew upon the old place. Rachel married
Andrew Duer and settled in Ellsworth. Betsey
married Robert Gibson. Ann became the wife of
Robinson Young, and lived in Austintown.
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About 1804
SAMUEL RIDDLE, from Pennsylvania
settled in the southeast part of the township. His
house stood near where Mr. Kimmel's now stands.
His children were David, James, Andrew,
John, Samuel, Catharine, and Ann.
David married Betsey Van Emmon, and settled
one mile and a half northeast of the center. He brought up
a family of two sons and four daughters. James
married Jane Bell of Pennsylvania, and lived upon
the old homestead. His family consisted of ten children.
Andrew married Matilda Taylor and settled
on the Meander, in Ellsworth. He was the father of three
sons and two daughters. John became a doctor and
practiced some time in Wooster. He married Rhoda
Winters and had four daughters. Samuel married
Mary Campbell, and settled one mile west of the
old place. He brought up two sons and two daughters.
The daughters are dead. His sons live in Jackson.
Catharine married John McCready, and lived
in Bedford, Pennsylvania. Ann married Nicholas
Van Emmon and resided in the western part of this township.
ROBERT KIRKPATRICK was among
the earliest settlers, and probably came to this township soon after
the families just mentioned. He was a native of Ireland, of
Scotch-Irish blood. Five of his children arrived at maturity,
viz: Martin, Isaac, Josiah, Martha, and
Eleanor. Martin and Isaac lived and died
in Ellsworth, where their father purchased farms for them.
Josiah passed his life upon the old farm. Martha became
Mrs. McGeorge, and Eleanor Mrs.
Wilson. Martha is the only survivor.
Robert Kirkpatrick first settled in Austintown near
Smith's corners, but soon afterwards made a permanent settle
ment in Jackson, on the Meander. He died in 1847, in the
seventy-ninth year of his age. Catharine, his wife,
died in 1856, at the age of eighty-seven. Josiah, the
youngest son, died in 1878, aged sixty-four.
JOHN EWING, and his brother
Archibald Ewing, natives of Ireland, came with their
mother and sister in 1803 or 1804. They first settled in
Austintown, and Archibald took up and lived upon the old
Ewing farm in that township. The first night after
their arrival the family passed be neath the shelter of a walnut
tree. The sister mentioned became Mrs. Robert
Kirkpatrick. John Ewing located in Jackson
upon the farm now owned by Mr. Kimmel. He
married Margaret Orr, and reared a large family.
A sketch is given elsewhere.
JOHN AND ELEANOR MORRISON
settled in 1805 on the place where the widow Lynn now lives,
south west of the center. James, Jane, John,
Nancy, Thomas, Martha, and Mary Ann
were the names of their children. The sons moved away quite
early—James to Holmes county; John to the northern
part of Trumbull county; and Thomas to Pennsylvania.
Mary Ann was married to David Johnston, and
is living in Jackson. She is the only member of the family now
in this county.
In 1805 or 1806
NICHOLAS VanEMMON
settled one mile and a half west and a mile south of the center of
the township. His wife died here, after bringing up a large
family. He married again and moved away. None of the
children settled in the township.
From 1810 to 1820 there were scarcely any permanent
settlements made in the township. Quite a number came and
remained a short time, but a few years' experience with the swamps
and a bad roads disgusted them, and they either returned to
civilization or pressed on toward the newer settlements, declaring
that such a country wasn't "fit for a white man to live in."
The process of development was consequently a slow one.
A man named CROOKS was
living on the farm west of Lynn farm in 1811, but moved away soon
after. Two of the sons afterwards came back and settled in the
northern part of the township where they remained a few years.
THOMAS DINWIDDIE was also a resident of the
township at that date, upon the farm now owned by James Oswald. He moved away
later.
JAMES and MARTHA PATTERSON were early settlers
on the north side of the road, one-half mile west of the center.
They had no children. In 1823 they moved to Wayne county.
DAVID McCONNELL settled in the northwestern part of the township
about 1817, but sold out after making a few improvements.
JOHN GRAVES settled near Joseph Pierce about 1819. His
farm was east of Mr. Pierce's He made considerable
improvement. Joseph McCorkle bought the farm from him,
moving to it from the eastern part of the township. Mr.
McCorkle died on the farm and his widow is still living there.
[Page 149]
GEORGE ORMSBY settled in Jackson previous to 1820 and lived to be an
old man.
JOSHUA T. COTTON, who was a captain in the War
of 1812, moved to Jackson township about 1818. He married in
Youngstown Miss
Williamson, and brought up a large family. From Jackson he
moved to Indiana where he died. Captain Cotton was a
true specimen of the hardy pioneer as well as a good and brave
soldier.
About the same date
JOHN
PEARSALL settled one and three fourth miles
east of the center. He moved to another farm in this township,
then to Milton and finally to Pennsylvania.
JOSEPH PIERCE and wife, the father of Joseph Pierce, one of
the oldest residents of the township, moved from Youngstown to the
northwestern part of the township in the fall of 1818. Mrs.
Pierce died the following winter. Joseph Pierce, Jr.,
came from Warren to this township in 1819, with an axe as his only
property. It proved a very serviceable tool, for miles of road
had to be cut in order to reach his land. He used to work from
before daybreak until nine and ten o'clock at night in the
clearings. His energy and industry won him a home which he
still lives to enjoy.
THOMAS DUER settled on the west side of the township about 1820 and
died soon afterward. His son Joseph passed his life on
the old place.
JOHN McMAHAN, of Pennsylvania,
moved from his native State to the northern part of Boardman
township in 1799, and remained until 1806, when he settled on a farm
in Austintown. He served three months in the War of 1812, and
died while on his way home. He was the father of five sons and
one daughter—James D., Benjamin, John,
Thomas, Harriet, and Joseph. James
and Benjamin settled in Jackson in 1820. John
went West and has never been heard from. Thomas settled
in Lordstown, removed to Pennsylvania and died. Harriet, the
wife of John Cory, lives in Champion, Trumbull county.
Joseph died in Morgan county, Ohio.
In 1820 the widow of
JOHN McMAHAN, SR. removed from Austintown
to Jckson with her sons. She died in 1855, aged about
eighty-three years.
JAMES D. McMAHAN, who is perhaps
the oldest man living of those born upon the Reserve, was born in
Boardman township Oct. 31, 1799. He was one of the pioneers of
Jackson. He married Betsey Cory and had a family
of eight children, four of whom are living—John, on the old
homestead in the northern part of Jackson; Thomas, one mile
east of Warren; Silas, in Champion township, and Mary
in San Francisco, California. Mrs. McMahan died
in 1868. Mr. McMahan has since been living with
his sons. For a man of his years he is wonderfully bright,
active, and cheerful.
BENJAMIN McMAHAN settled in Jackson and died in 1878. He was
married three times. His first wife bore three children, his
second one, and his third four. All these are living excepting
one.
JOHN CARTWRIGHT settled about 1827 on the farm
northwest of
Abraham Moherman's, but moved away a few years later.
ABRAHAM MOHERMAN, son of Frederick Moherman, one of the first
settlers of Austintown, came to Jackson in 1827 and settled one mile
and a half west of the center where he now lives. He was
married in the township to Anna, daughter of Daniel Rush,
and has a family of four children living.
JOHN MOHERMAN settled some time after his brother. He married
Mary Cassiday, now deceased, and has four children living.
THOMAS WOODWARD settled on the farm where he
now lives in 1828.
ROBERT TURNBULL moved from
Austintown to Goshen township, and in 1828 located at Jackson
center, where he made the first clearing in what is now the village.
His house stood on the corner where the drug store now is.
Squire Turnbull is well remembered by the old residents, and is
generally described as having been a “smart man.” He was
married twice; first to Celia, daughter of John
Wolfcale, of Austin town. One son by this marriage is now
living in Portage county. His name is Cyrus. For
his second wife Mr. Turnbull married Anna Ormsby,
of this township. One of the sons, Lewis, was killed in a
saw-mill in Indiana. The family was a large one.
JONATHAN OSBORN bought land in the township in
1828, and settled here permanently in 1836.
WILLIAM YOUNG, a native of Pennsylvania,
bought his farm in 1830, paying $5 per acre for it, when land in the
northern and western part of the township was worth $3 to $4 per
acre.
From 1825 until 1835 the Pennsylvania Dutch
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flocked to the township in large numbers. The Schlabach,
Wetherstay, Lodwick, Wannemaker, Ebert, Shoeneberger, Iry,
Shively, and other families were the earliest and most
prominent. The limits of this article forbid us to go into
particulars regarding the settlers of this date; for though they
may be regarded as pioneers inasmuch as they began in the woods,
we cannot in strict propriety call them early settlers.
By 1840 the settlement had grown almost to its present
dimensions. The census of that year showed a population of
1,124. The Germans with their characteristic thrift and
sturdy industry have been largely instrumental in adding to the
wealth of the township.
One reason why the township was not settled faster may
be found in the fact that a considerable portion of the land it
contains was not put in the market by the proprietors until long
after many other townships had become thriving and populous.
TAXES IN 1803
Here is a list of tax-payers of Jackson for the year 1803:
RANGE FOUR, TOWN TWO.
|
Amount
of tax |
|
Amount
of tax |
Calhoun, Samuel |
$ 20 |
Starnford, James |
$ 24 |
Gault, Andrew |
34 |
Riddle, Samuel |
1.59 |
Orr, William |
32 |
McInrue, Joseph |
40 |
|
|
|
_____ |
|
|
Total |
$3.07 |
FIRST EVENTS
EARLY SCHOOLS.
[Page 151]
EARLY MILLS
CHURCH HISTORY
THE OLD LOG CHURCH
THE COVENANTERS.
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THE METHODIST CHURCH.
LUTHERAN AND GERMAN REFORMED CHURCH.
THE DISCIPLES.
[Page 153]
FIRST PRESBYTERIAN CHURCH
GRAVEYARDS.
The oldest burial place
in the township is in the southeastern part near the Covenanter
church. Here, in an uneven piece of ground, neglected, and
overgrown with weeds and briers, the bones of the first settlers
an many of their descendants repose.
There is a small graveyard in the northwestern part of
the township, less than a half acre in area, which contains
about twenty grave-stones. The earliest death there
recorded is that of Lydia, wife of Anthony Stogdill,
who died June, 12, 1832, aged thirty-seven.
North of the center are two graveyards adjoining the
Methodist and the German churches.
IN EARLY YEARS.
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JUSTICES OF THE PEACE.
From the fact that no township records are in existence, excepting
those of a comparatively recent date, we can give no names of early
township officers. It is generally agreed that Andrew Gault
was the first justice, and John Pearsall the second.
Robert Turnbull, William L. Roberts, Thomas Woodward, Jonathan
Osborn, Jonas Ebert, David Camp, Jackson Truesdale, Samuel Johnston,
Samuel Jones, William Anderson, Moses Felnagle, G. W. Osborn,
and perhaps others, have held the office.
THE VILLAGE.
Jackson
center, or North Jackson - it is the same place whichever name
you use - is a thrifty little country village containing a
goodly number of white houses, as well as four churches, four
stores, a hotel, a saloon, three blacksmith shops, a tannery,
two saw-mills, a flax-mill, a wagon-shop, a harness-shop, and a
tailor's shop. A daily mail is received from West
Austintown.
MERCHANTS.
PHYSICIANS.
[Page 155]
INDUSTRIES.
THE FIRST TAVERN.
OTHER MATTERS.
THE POST-OFFICE.
NORTH JACKSON HIGH SCHOOL.
[Page 156]
BIOGRAPHICAL SKETCHES.
THE OSBORN FAMILY *
NOTES OF SETTLEMENT:
ANDREW CALHOON was born in
Pennsylvania Oct. 5, 1777. In the first settlement of the
country he and his father, Samuel Calhoon, came to
Jackson township, now Mahoning county, bought them land and made
preparations for the arrival of the mother, Nancy
Calhoon, and Samuel and Matthew, and their ten
sisters. Their only neighbors were the wild animals.
Their greatest drawback was the heavy timber which occupied the
soil, but the soil when exposed to the sun produced abundantly
and there was no danger of starvation. But the wheat and
corn had to be taken many miles during the first years of the
settlement of the county in order to be ground for food.
In a few years, however, neighbors began to come in, fields
expanded, and the log cabins gave place to more commodious
dwellings. Andrew Calhoon married
Elizabeth, daughter of James Marshall, of
Weathersfield, Trumbull county. She was then eighteen
years of age. The result of this marriage was twelve
children, namely: Isaac, Nancy, Lydia,
David, Elizabeth, Matilda, Andrew,
Samuel, James, Malissa, Belinda, and
one that died in infancy. All of those named lived to
maturity, although Nancy and Lydia are now
deceased. Andrew Calhoon died Oct. 5, 1833.
His wife lived a widow something over forty years and died Dec.
28, 1873.
DAVID CALHOON, son of the
subject of the preceding sketch, was born in Jackson township,
Mahoning county, Dec. 18, 1814. He attended only the
pioneer schools where the “three R’s” (reading, 'riting, and 'rithmetic)
were taught. He remained on the home farm until he was of
age and then bought a part of the farm where he now resides in
Jackson, which was then heavily timbered. He has since
added to his first purchase and now has about two hundred acres.
Apr. 16, 1840, he married Rebecca Riddle, who was
born in western Pennsylvania Jan. 17, 1818, and when about two
years old came with her parents to Jackson township. By
this marriage there were seven children, to-wit: Andrew C.,
Samuel S., David B., John M., Elizabeth J., Sylvester J., James
W., all living at this writing. Mr. and Mrs.
Calhoon are members of the Presbyterian church.
[Page 157]
ANDREW GAULT, JR., youngest
of seven children of Andrew Gault, Sr., was born in
Jackson township, Mahoning county, Dec. 7, 1804. Andrew
Gault, Sr., was a native of Ireland and when about
seventeen years of age he emigrated to America and after a time
settled in Washington county, Pennsylvania. Apr. 22, 1788, he
married Eleanor Chesney, by whom he had seven
children. In 1803 he emigrated with his family to Trumbull
county, Ohio, and settled in Jackson township, where his
grandson, James G., and his mother now live. He
died Jan. 8, 1832, surviving his wife, who died Apr. 27,
1829. Andrew Gault received a good education
for the times, attending, besides the common schools, select
schools and the Canfield school. He helped to clear the
farm on which he lived and devoted his life to his chosen
occupation, that of farming. Mar. 31, 1831, he married
Mary Ewing, daughter of John Ewing, of Jackson
township. She was born May 22, 1807. The result of
this marriage was ten children, viz: Eleanor, Margaret,
John E., Andrew R., Robert A., Margery Ann, James G., Sarah J.,
Mary C., and Rachel E., all of whom are living except
Eleanor and Margery. It is said that Andrew
Gault, our subject, was the first white male child born in
Jackson township, and that his wife was the first female child.
Mr. Gault was an intelligent but unassuming
man and a Christian. He was a member of the Covenanter
church. He died at the age of about sixty-six.
ROBERT A. GAULT, son of the
above, was born on the old homestead in Jackson, Aug. 26, 1839.
In 1861 he enlisted in company F, Forty-first Ohio volunteer
infantry, serving four years and two months in the Army of the
Tennessee and was in the battles of Pittsburg Landing,
Murfreesboro, Dallas, etc. He entered the service as a
private but rose to the position of captain. In 1867 he
was married to Miss Martha Johnson and has three children, viz:
Cassius, Homer J., and Edith E.
JAMES G. GAULT, youngest son of Andre Gault, Jr., was born in
Jackson township Aug. 21, 1842. In 1864 he went out in the one
hundred day service, enlisting in Company G, One Hundred and
Fifty-fifth Ohio National guard. In 1869, June 15th he married
Mary Ellen Ewing, who was born Nov. 24, 1844. They have
three children, viz: Charles C., Lois M. B., and Grace
Irene.
ROBERT GAULT, JR. was born in
Green township, Mahoning county, on Dec. 8, 1814. He is
the only child of Robert Gault, Sr., who was born in
Washington county, Pennsylvania, on Mar. 31, 1789.
Robert Gault, Sr., was the oldest child of
Andrew Gault. Robert Gault was
educated in the schools of Pennsylvania, and thus had probably
better advantages than his younger brothers, whose chances for
“schooling” were in the pioneer schools. He aided in
clearing up and making a home and a sustenance on the tract of
land which now constitutes the homestead. He and his
father, when he was grown, purchased a farm of one hundred and
sixty acres, on which the subject of this sketch now resides.
In the fall of 1813 he married Charlotte Bowman,
daughter of Phillip Bowman, a pioneer of Green township.
He was a German by birth and immigrated from Mary land to
Iowa. Prior to his immigrating he was one of the soldiers
of the Revolutionary war. A few months after their
marriage Robert Gault, Sr., was drafted in
the War of 1812, and started for Detroit. At Cleveland he
was taken ill, but for fear of being called a coward he
proceeded with his company toward Detroit, but on the way was
taken worse and died at Rocky River, Ohio, at the house of
Widow Miner, Oct. 29, 1814. Mrs.
Gault, meanwhile, had gone to her father's in Green
township, Mahoning county, where soon after her husband's death
she gave birth to her only child by this husband. She
afterwards married Joseph Hudson and moved to Iowa. When
Robert Gault, Jr., was two years old he
went to live with his grandfather, Andrew Gault.
With him he grew up. On Dec. 9, 1835, he married
Margery Ewing, daughter of John
[Page 158]
Ewing, of Jackson township. She was born in Jackson
township on June 3, 1816. This marriage was blessed with
twelve children—John, born Dec. 27, 1836; Alexander
and Margaret Sarah (twins), May 26, 1838; Mary,
Dec. 14, 1839; Andrew, Nov. 14, 1841; Caroline, July 8, 1843; Martha J., Mar. 8, 1845;
Gideon, Nov. 6, 1846; Samuel S., Mar. 11, 1848;
William, Mar. 28, 1850; Gibson J., Dec. 6, 1852, and
Robert E., Mar. 7, 1855. Caroline died Aug.
31, 1844. Andrew enlisted in 1861 in the
Forty-first regiment, Ohio volunteers, and was in the Army of
the Cumberland. He was wounded in the arm at a skirmish at
Dallas, Georgia, while retreating. This necessitated
amputation, from the effects of which he died July 8, 1864.
Both Mr. and Mrs. Gault are members of the United
Presbyterian church.
SAMUEL RIDDLE, the subject
of this sketch, was born in Washington county, Pennsylvania,
July
8, 1794. His father, whose name was also Samuel, came to
Jackson township, now Mahoning county, about the year 1803 or
1804. He settled on the Meander where he erected one of
the first mills in that locality, which was long known as
Riddle's mill. Samuel Riddle, our subject,
was married June 18, 1818, to Polly Campbell, daughter of
William Campbell, who was born in Pennsylvania
Mar. 28, 1792. By this marriage there were six children,
viz: William C., Martha J., Margaret, Samuel, and a pair
of twins that died in infancy. Both the daughters
are now deceased. Margaret was the wife of
Gibson Ewing. Samuel Riddle died Mar. 30, 1869, and
his wife Polly Nov. 2, 1854.
WILLIAM RIDDLE, the oldest of
the children of the subject of the preceding sketch, was born in
Jackson township, Mahoning county, then Trumbull, May 13, 1819.
He remained at home upon the farm until he was twenty-seven,
when he married and settled upon a farm two miles southeast of
North Jackson, where he lived until five years ago, when he
moved to that village. June 27, 1848, he married Martha
J., daughter of John and Margaret
Ewing, of Jackson township. She was born Aug. 12,
1823. Though living in town Mr. Riddle
superintends his farm, which is situated a short distance from
his present residence. Himself and wife are members of the
Presbyterian church.
SAMUEL RIDDLE, a younger
brother of William C., was born in Jackson township, May
16, 1827. He derived his education at the district
schools, which he attended for the most part during the winter
season. When he was seventeen he taught his first school, and
subsequently continued school teaching for six winters, and
taught the school he formerly attended the winter after his
marriage. Some six years after his marriage he bought the farm
on which he now lives, east of North Jackson. He was united in
marriage Apr. 17, 1851, to Mary Spear, daughter of Alexander
Spear, of Hartford, Trumbull county, who was born at Mount
Jackson, Pennsylvania, Aug. 12, 1824. For over twenty years he
and his wife have been members of the Presbyterian church of
Ohltown and of North Jackson.
JOHN EWING was a native of
county Donegal, Ireland, and when about seventeen years of age
his mother (his father having previously died) with two sons and
two daughters emigrated to America. They first settled is
Penn's valley, Pennsylvania, where for seven years he worked a
farm on shares. In 1803 John Ewing came to
Jackson township, now Mahoning county, where he bought a piece
of land and erected the second house in the township. His
older brother, Archibald, came out at the same time and
settled in Austintown. The county was then almost a
complete wilderness, with few neighbors (if settlers living
miles apart and separated by dense woods can be called
neighbors), the nearest mill being near Darlington,
Pennsylvania; it was with these surroundings and under these
circumstances that the subject of this biography began to build
up a home. But his industry and energy brought prosperity,
and he added to his original tract from time to time until he
had a large property. When he commenced farming labor was
worth only $4 per month. He married Margaret Orr,
daughter of William Orr, then of Jackson but a
native of Pennsylvania. They had a family of twelve
children, as follow: Mary, Eleanor, Ann,
Margaret, Alexander, Margery, Sarah,
Gibson, Catharine, Martha J., John, and
Rebecca, all of whom lived to adult age.
Margaret, Sarah, Catharine, and Rebecca
are now deceased. The father died July 13, 1842, aged
seventy-one years. His wife survived him. He
was drafted in the War of 1812 and started for the field, but
the news
[Page 159]
from Hull's army caused him with others to return to their
homes. He was an honest, up right man, and a good citizen,
warmly attached
to his adopted country, but owing to some peculiarity of his
disposition never became naturalized. He and his wife were
members of the
Reformed church.
ALEXANDER E. EWING, oldest
son and fifth child of John Ewing, of the
preceding sketch, was born in Jackson township, Mahoning county,
Oct. 2, 1814. He remained with his father on the farm
until he was twenty-seven, when, in 1842, he moved on the farm
where he now lives which was then covered with forest. On
May 19, 1842, he married Mary Ann Cook, daughter of
James Cook, of Lawrence county, Pennsylvania.
She was born Mar. 14, 1821. They had five children:
Margaret J., born Mar. 24, 1843, died June 7, 1860;
William J., born May 11, 1845; James C., born May 7,
1847; Gibson C., born Feb. 24, 1851; and Mary
Ellen Tirzah, born Aug. 17, 1859. Mr. and
Mrs. Ewing are members of the Reformed
Presbyterian church. Mr. Ewing is the oldest
resident of this township who was born in it.
GIBSON EWING, second son and
eighth child of John Ewing, was born in Jackson
township, Mahoning county, July 23, 1818. He attended the
common schools of his boyhood days a short time during the
winter months, but he acquired learning easily and made such
progress that for five successive winters after his nineteenth
year he taught school. He remained at home until he was
nearly twenty-five engaged at farming, when not teaching, and on
May 19, 1842, married Margaret Riddle, who was
born in Jackson township Sept. 18, 1823. This union
resulted in eleven children, five dying in infancy. The
following lived to maturity, viz: Samuel J., born July
17, 1844; Martha, born Aug. 7, 1846; James R.,
born Oct. 4, 1852; Rutherford B., born Oct. 9,
1858 (died Jan. 23, 1881); Mary A., born May 18, 1861;
Sarah M., born Nov. 3, 1863. Samuel was in the
army in the war of the Rebellion in company F, Forty-first
regiment, and was shot at the battle of Murfreesboro, on Stone
river. Mrs. Ewing died Jan. Io, 1872. She
was a member of the Reformed Presbyterian church. Mr.
Ewing is now connected with the United Presbyterian
church of Youngstown.
WILLIAM SHAFER, was a native
of Virginia, born in 1813. When he was yet a boy his
father, Samuel Shafer, emigrated from northern
Virginia and settled a little over a mile southwest of
Austintown center. He was the father of eight children,
viz: Henry, John, William, Samuel, Daniel, Edward, Maria,
and Eliza Jane. School houses in that early day
being very scarce, William and his brother attended
school for a time in Jackson township. William
received but a meager education in these schools, working
meanwhile upon the farm. A few years after his marriage he
bought one hundred acres of land in Champion township, on which
there had not been a stick of timber cut. The first winter
they lived in a log house which was built without a fire-place
and which was destitute of a stove. He lived upon that
place, clearing and improving it, and working also at his trade,
that of stone-mason. He married Elizabeth, daughter
of George Gilbert, of Austintown. He was a
soldier in the War of 1812. This marriage resulted in a
family of five children, viz: Elizabeth, Henry, Jonathan R.,
Cornelius, and Phebe J., of whom all are living
except Cornelius, who died in the winter of 1880–81.
William Shafer died in 1855 in the forty-second year
of his age.
HENRY SHAFER, oldest son of the
subject of the foregoing sketch was born in Austintown township,
Mahoning county, Oct. 28, 1835. His parents having settled
in the woods when he was a child, where the nearest school-house
was over two miles distant, and there being so much hard work
required upon the farm he enjoyed slender advantages for the
acquirement of an education. He remained upon the farm
until he was about twenty years of age, when he learned the
carpenter's trade, and has made this a part of his business
since, though farming is his chief occupation. In October,
1860, he was married to Louisa, daughter of Abraham
Strock, of Austintown township, by whom he has had six
children, as follow: William, Frank B., Leander D., Lewis A.,
George W., and Charles Caster, of whom
William and Lewis are dead. Mrs.
Shafer died Nov. 2, 1879. She was a member of the
Christian church.
JONAS WANNEMAKER, was born
in Lehigh county, Pennsylvania, Dec. 12, 1821. His father,
Daniel Wannemaker, was also a Pennsylvanian and a
miller by trade. He married Cath-
[Page 160]
arine Kistler, whose father was a Revolutionary
soldier and died of camp fever near Philadelphia. By this
marriage there were seven children—Nathan, Sophia,
Abbie, Daniel, John, Benjamin, and
Jonas. Abbie and John are dead.
When the subject of this sketch was about twelve years of age
his father died and some three years afterward his mother and
her family, except the oldest child, emigrated to Trumbull
county, and located in Southington township. Mrs.
Wannemaker there married Daniel Murrboyer,
of Warren township. When the subject of this sketch was
seventeen he began clearing a farm of one hundred and eight
acres, which fell to him and his brother Benjaman from
the estate. For some four years after he was twenty-one he
worked most of the time at carpentering with his brothers,
Daniel and John. Since that time he has been
engaged at farming. About thirty years ago he purchased
and moved upon the farm where he now lives. January, 1847,
he married Hannah Ebert, of Jackson, by whom he
has had ten children— Mary, Charles A., Thomas, Wesley,
William Henry, Sarah A., Lottie C., Elmer D., Jonas F., and
L. Dell. Mary died in infancy and Charles at
the age of twenty-two. Mrs. Wannemaker died
May 23, 1879. She was and he is a member of the Methodist
Episcopal church.
TOBIAS KIMMEL was born in
Somerset county, Pennsylvania, in 1802. When quite a small
boy his father, Isaac Kimmel, came to Youngstown
township, Trumbull county, now Mahoning, where he remained for a
number of years and then removed to Coitsville township.
He was a farmer by occupation. Tobias Kimmel
when a young man learned the blacksmith trade and for a number
of years carried on a shop in Youngstown. About 1824 he
moved to his farm which he occupied some eight years, when he
moved to Poland township where he resided until his death.
His wife was Rebecca, daughter of William Smith,
of Mercer county, Pennsylvania, who became the mother of the
following named children, all living to mature age, viz:
Abraham, William, Philip, Smith,
Dwight, Mary, John, Sarah, Ruth
Ann, and Tobias M. Philip died at the age of
twenty-two. After his wife's death Mr. Kimmel
married Lida Shearer, nee McBride,
who is still living. Mr. Kimmel died Jan.
20, 1880.
SMITH KIMMEL was born in
Coitsville township Sept. 9, 1830. He derived his
education in the common schools, and farming has been his chief
occupation although for a number of years he has carried on a
blacksmith shop with his brother Abraham in Coitsville
township. Dec. 21, 1852, he married Julia Ann,
daughter of David Struble, of East Hubbard.
This marriage has been blest with eight children, to wit:
Martin A., David A., Alice N., Mary E., Frank E., Charles E.,
Gilbert B., and Arthur D. Alice is deceased.
In 1864 Mr. Kimmel was called out with his company
and regiment— company C, One Hundred and Seventy-first Ohio
National guard—and served one hundred days under Heintzleman.
While in the service he contracted a fever from which he has
never wholly recovered. He resided in Coitsville township
until six years of ago when he purchased the John
Ewing place, in Jackson township, where he now resides.
JAMES HERVEY WEBSTER was
born in the State of New York. He was a mason by trade and
also carried on a farm in Chautauqua county. When a few
years old he moved to Sandusky county, Ohio, where he married
MaryAnn Tucker, daughter of Nathaniel and Mary Tucker,
now living at an advanced age in Sandusky county. Soon
after their marriage they moved upon a farm in Chautauqua
county, New York, where he remained until his death, which
occurred Apr. 1, 1870. He was an old-time Whig and
afterward a Republican. He was the father of ten children,
of whom three died in infancy, Jason, Herbert T., Henry H.,
Ella A., Ralph D., Israel J., and Nelson R. The
mother of these children afterward married Philip R. Snider,
and is now living near Port Clinton, Ottawa county, Ohio.
H. H. WEBSTER, M. D., was born in
Portland township, Chautauqua county, New York, July 30, 1849.
He is the third child of James H. Webster, a sketch of
whose life has been given. Dr. H. H. Webster was
educated in the common schools, and through the influence of his
brother, Dr. H. T. Webster, for five years a practicing
physician of Jackson, he began studying medicine, and graduated
after attending three courses of lectures at the Eclectic
Medical institute of Cincinnati, in the spring of 1873. He
located first at Niles with his brother, where he remained
[Page 161]
until August, 1874, when he went to Montville, Geauga county,
where he remained until Jan. 11, 1879, when he came to Jackson
and bought out his brother, and has since practiced in that town
and vicinity. Feb. 18, 1875, he married Martha Jones,
daughter of Samuel Jones, of Lordstown township.
She was born May 18, 1850. They have two children,
Samuel J., born Oct. 25, 1876; Hervey, born November,
1877. Mrs. Webster is a member of the
Disciple church. Dr. Webster is a member of
the society of Free and Accepted Masons.
THOMAS WOODWARD, a
native of Milford township, Mifflin county, Pennsylvania, was
born Dec. 17, 1799. He is the fifth child of Jehu
Woodward, who married Rachel Rummins, of
Mifflin county, Pennsylvania. They had the following
children: James, Ruth, Joseph, Lydia, Thomas, William
Leonard, Jehu, Elizabeth, Rachael, Joel, and Ezekiel.
When Thomas was seventeen years old he was
apprenticed to learn the carpenter's and cabinet-maker's trade,
serving two years, after which he worked at his trade about two
years. In April, 1823, he came to Austintown where he
remained a year, then went to Youngstown where he built houses
which are yet standing. He then bought land which
constitutes his present farm. This was a dense forest at
that time, out of which he made a fruitful farm and comfortable
home. He married Jan. 10, 1823, Margaret Shively,
daughter of Frederick Shively, of Austintown. She
was born in Tyron township, Cumberland county, Pennsylvania,
Aug. 17, 1805. They had thirteen children: Jehu,
Leonard, John, Abraham, Elizabeth, Margaret, Rachel, Joel,
Angeline, Mary, Ezekiel, Melissa Olive, and Almina,
of whom Leonard, Rachel, Margaret, and Ezekiel are
dead, the two former living to be grown. He has been a
Democrat from Jackson's time; has held several township offices,
and was for eleven years justice of the peace of Jackson.
He is one of the oldest residents of the township. Mrs.
Woodward has been for years a member of the Methodist
church. He is an upright man enjoying the esteem of all
who know him.
WILLIAM YOUNG, was born in
Little Beaver township, Beaver county, Pennsylvania, Jan. 14,
1804. He was the fourth in a family of nine children of
James and Esther Young. He remained with his father
until he was about sixteen, and on starting out in life he went
to Buffalo where he worked out six months teaming. He
spent the winter at home threshing with a flail for the tenth
part, and in the spring he went up the Allegheny river, and for
three years was at work on the canals in Pennsylvania and Ohio.
Sept. 8, 1830, he married Sarah McGeorge, a former
school-mate, and on the third day after their marriage he and
his young bride started on horseback for Trumbull county, Ohio.
He purchased the farm on which he now lives and moved upon it in
1837. There was but little clearing done and a log house
and barn constituted the improvements. He has since added
to his original purchase until he owns over three hundred and
twenty acres in the southeast part of Jackson township.
His farms are now managed by his three sons. By his first
marriage he had eight children: William, Hatton, Adaline,
Julia A., James, John, Mary, and Clark, of whom the oldest
and youngest are dead. His first wife died Oct. 27, 1854,
aged fifty-two, and July 5, 1855, he married Margaret
Anderson, of Poland township, by whom he had two children:
Emily and Margaret. His second wife died Apr. 9,
1858, aged nearly forty-two, and he married a third time, May 5,
1859, Ellen Wallace, from near Petersburg, Mahoning
county. His third wife died Apr. 4, 1880, aged sixty-two.
He had by this marriage one child, W. M. Wallace.
Mr. Young is a member of the Reform Presbyterian church.
His daughter Adaline married John Truesdale and is
now living in Richland county, Wisconsin; Julia married
Daniel Gibson, and now resides in Beaver county,
Pennsylvania; Mary became the wife of Charles Anthony,
and lives in Nodaway county, Missouri; Margaret married
Sylvester Calhoon, and resides in Sumner county, Kansas;
and Emily resides at home with her father.
JAMES RUSSELL was born in
Austintown township, Mahoning county, July 1, 1815. His
father
was Robert Russell, who settled in that township in 1806.
The subject of this sketch derived his education in the schools
of that early period, the teachers of which, in many instances,
taught both English and German. He worked upon the home
farm until he was twenty-six years of age, when he moved to the
farm in Jackson where he now lives, which now consists of two
hundred acres. May 4, 1841, he married
Catharine, daughter of Henry Foos, one of the
pioneers of Austintown and a soldier of the War of 1812.
He moved into Austintown just at the close of the war.
Mrs. Russell was born Oct. 21, 1820. They have a family of
seven children, as follows: Clark, Austin, Henry, Robert,
Newton, Almeda A., and James Monroe. Mr. Russell
has always attended strictly to his own affairs; has never
been a witness at court and has never been a litigant, either as
plaintiff or defendant, which few can say. He and his wife
are members of the Disciple church, and are worthy citizens.
[Page 162]
GIDEON FUSSELMAN, a native of Lehigh county,
Pennsylvania, removed from that State to Ohio in the year 1814,
and settled in Warren township, Trumbull county, on the
Storer farm which was then owned by John Fusselman, Sr.
In about a year he removed to Canfield and established a tannery
(he being a tanner by trade) one mile north of the center.
This was conducted by him until his death. In about 1812
he married Eve Schriber, also a native of Lehigh county.
They had five children, John C., Mary, Sarah, Catharine,
and Elizabeth, all of whom are living. Gideon
Fusselman died Aug. 30, 1844, in Lehigh county,
Pennsylvania, while on a visit to that place. His wife
died Jan. 22, 1878, at
the age of eighty-three years.
JOHN C. FUSSELMAN was born
in Lehigh county, Pennsylvania, Feb. 25, 1813. He was the
oldest child of Gideon Fusselman who removed to Ohio when
John was about a year old. He received a common school
education and staid upon the farm with his father until June,
1830, when he began clerking for J. R. Church at Canfield in a
general merchandise store, remaining here five years. He
then went
into partnership with Mr. Church in Ellsworth in
merchandising, where he remained until 1840. He then
clerked for William Ripley one year, when he went into
business for himself until 1856. He then came to Jackson
and began the same business with D. Anderson, which
continued six years. Then the firm of Anderson, Shaffer
& Co. was formed. April, 1881, Mr. Anderson
retired, and the firm Shaffer & Co.
continue the business, with a full assortment of goods usually
kept in a country store. On Aug. 11, 1837, J. C.
Fusselman married Cathaarine Houts, daughter of
William Houts, then of Green township, Mahoning county.
She was born Sept. 24, 1815. This union was blessed with
seven children—Louisa Ann, Lottie B., Frank A., Mary, Ella
H., John R., and Ralph, who died at three years of
age. He and his wife are both members of the Methodist church.
For twenty years prior to 1856 he was justice of the peace of
Ellsworth township.
D. B. BLOTT was born in Jackson
township, Mahoning county, Oct. 6, 1837. He is the second
child of Benjamin Blott, a native of Pennsylvania, who
was born Jan. 16, 1812. He is a farmer, residing a short
distance south of North Jackson. D. B. was educated
in the common schools, and attended also for a short time Hiram
college. At the age of fifteen he was apprenticed to learn
the bricklayer and stone mason trade, serving two
years—afterward work ing at his trade for ten years, when, on
account of poor health, he was obliged to stop work for about
three years. Then for six years he kept a store in Lordstown.
After this he kept a store for several years at West Austintown.
He now keeps a store at Jackson, where he carries a line of
assorted goods. He married Lucinda Bailey,
daughter of Jesse Bailey. They have five
children, Charley C., born 1863; Seamon Edward,
1865, William A., 1869, Marietta, 1874, and
Emory B., 1876.
ROBERT McCLURE, a native of
county Donegal, Ireland, was born November, 1816. His
father,
Robert McClure, died when he was three years old,
when he was taken by his paternal grandfather, who was a farmer.
He remained with him until 1839, when he sailed to America,
coming in the same ship with William Porter, of
Austintown. He came at once to Austintown and began as day
laborer here and there, and for five months worked on the
extension of the Erie canal. A few years afterward he
bought the land
where he now resides. He at one time owned over two
hundred acres of land, but by unfortunate indorsements he lost a
part of this. He owns one hundred acres under good
cultivation. May 14, 1846, he married Eliza
Anderson, daughter of Arthur Anderson, of
Poland town ship. She was born in that township Nov. 20,
1819. This marriage was blessed with eight children,
William, a physician of Cleveland;
[Page 163]
Mary, who married William Turner, of
Austintown; Arthur, who died in early childhood; John
S., an attorney of Chicago; Emily; Nettie ;
Nancy, a teacher of Youngstown; Robert, a teacher,
who, with Emily, are still at home. He is a member
of the Presbyterian church, and his wife is a Covenanter.
PETER IVY was born in Perry
county, Pennsylvania, Mar. 8, 1805. He was a son of
Samuel Ivy, and twin brother of William Ivy,
who at last accounts was living in Clark county, Ohio. His
father, Samuel Ivy, died when he was an infant,
and his mother married Michael Waggoner, and soon
after the family removed to Cumberland county, Pennsylvania,
whence in the fall of 1822 they immigrated to Stark county,
Ohio, where they remained about four years, during which time
Mr. Waggoner died, when Peter brought the
family to Austintown, where he had gone in the spring of 1823.
After farming there a few years, Peter moved in 1831 upon
the farm where he now lives, which he purchased the previous
year, and upon which he made a small clearing and erected a
cabin. He has now over a hundred acres under cultivation.
August
13, 1826, he married Sarah Miller, daughter of
Jacob Miller, a Virginian, who, in advanced life,
became a resident of Austintown township. She was born in
Augusta county, Virginia, Sept. 12, 1798. She became the
mother of seven children, Mary, Christian, John, Alfred,
William, Elizabeth, who died when small, and Sarah.
The oldest child died before it was named. She was a
Presbyterian in belief, and an estimable lady, who, after a long
and useful life, died Sept. 8, 1879. He cast his first
vote for Jackdsn.
JOHN LYNN, son of Nicholas
Lynn, was born in Berks county, Pennsylvania, and
emigrated to Ohio with his brothers, Peter and George,
and settled in Canfield township, Trumbull county (now
Mahoning), about the year 1806. They settled in the same
neighborhood. John, in company with his sister
Barbara, purchased the farm originally owned by Ira
Wilcox, and they lived together a number of years.
Late in life he married Sophrona F. Burgart of Ellsworth
township, by whom he had six children, viz: Sarah Ann,
who married Joseph Hartman; John N. O., David,
Elizabeth, who married George E. Harding, George,
who died in infancy, and Mary, who died when two years of
age. Mr. Lynn died in 1835, at the age of
fifty-six years. He was a member of the German Reformed
church. His widow afterwards married Solomon Gordon,
of Canfield.
JOHN N. O. LYNN was born in
Canfield township, Aug. 8, 1826. When he was about twenty
years of age he and his brother and two sisters began the
management of the farm, which he continued for seven years.
He after ward moved to Atwater township, Portage county, where
he lived eighteen years engaged
in farming, which has been his lifelong occupation. In
April, 1875, he returned to Mahoning county, and has since
resided at North Jackson. Apr. 29, 1855, he was married to
Elizabeth, daughter of Abraham Moherman,
who was born Mar. 15, 1835. They have no children, but are
raising two–Chester and Mary. He and
his wife are members of the Disciples church.
DAVID LYNN, second son of John Lynn, was born Dec. 31, 1829.
He adopted the occupation of his father, cultivating the soil
and dealing to some extent in stock and fruit growing. At the
age of twenty-five he married Miss Mary Ann Peters, by whom
he had four sons - Willis, Emory, Homer and Alfred.
While engaged attentively at his business he has not neglected
the education of his children, his oldest son graduating at
Heidelberg college, Tiffin, Ohio, in the class of 1878. Mr.
and Mrs. Lynn are members of the Reformed church.
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