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BIOGRAPHIES *
Source
1798
History of Ashtabula County, Ohio
with Illustrations and Biographical Sketches
of its
Pioneers and Most Prominent Men.
by Publ. Philadelphia - Williams Brothers -
1878
(Transcribed by Sharon Wick)
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S. A. Northway |
HON.
STEPHEN A. NORTHWAY. To rank well among honorable men
is an honor. Prominent among the lawyers of the county stands
the name of Stephen A. Northway. In many respects he
may be regarded as a product of the Western Reserve; for, although
he was born in Lafayette, Onondaga county, New York, June 19, 1833,
his parents, Orange and Maria Northway, came to Ohio
in July, 1840, and his subsequent life has been spent here.
In his boyhood he had the usual trials and experiences
of those young men whose parents settled on the heavy-timbered
clay-land of Orwell. His home was two and a half miles from a
school-house, but he secured a good common-school education, and
after attending one term in Kingsville academy, he commenced
teaching. Orwell academy was built in 1850, and he continued
his studies there. For years he was one of the most successful
common-school teachers, and by teaching during the winter he earned
the means for prosecuting his studies.
As a student and a teacher he exhibited the same
enthusiasm and tact which made him eminent as a lawyer. At the
academy he labored well and wisely. He was regarded as a
dangerous adversary in debate. His close and accurate methods
of thought were accompanied by clear and incisive language, and
these were joined to the deportment so genial and a manner so
gentlemanly that he was sure to be victorious, even when he was
defeated.
In the spring of 1858 he began the study of law with
Messrs. Chaffee & Woodbury, and in September, 1859, he
was admitted to the bar.
In the fall of 1861 he was elected prosecuting attorney
for the county, and in 1863 he was re-elected to the same office.
He resigned this office in the fall of 1865, to be elected a member
of the State house of representatives. After serving the
county for one term he gave the whole of his attention to the
practice of his chosen profession. The fact that he is
retained on nearly or quite one-half of the cases on the county
docket indicates the degree of confidence reposed in his ability and
integrity.
Possessing a wonderful adaptability of mind, a power to
confine his attention to one of the "fitness of things," a happy
faculty of illustration, an unbounded faith in his convictions of
what is right and wrong, and an eloquence nourished by a generous
heart, he is at once a technical lawyer and a powerful advocate.
In January, 1862, he was married to Miss Lydia A.
Dodge, of Lenox, a worthy and intellectual academic school-mate
and companion. Of their two children, one, Clara L., is
still living, and is eleven years of age.
From early manhood Mr. Northway was a
thoroughgoing anti-slavery man. He joined the Republican party
at its first formation, and has acted with it ever since, rendering
valuable aid in every State and national canvass.
His mother is living with his elder brother, Frank
A. Northway, at Lawrence, Kansas. His youngest sister,
Mrs. Rhoda M. Sibley, is living at Bernardino, Colorado.
Source: 1798 History of Ashtabula County, Ohio
with Illustrations and Biographical Sketches
of its Pioneers and Most Prominent Men
by Publ. Philadelphia - Williams Brothers - 1878 - Page 92 |
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