BIOGRAPHIES
Source:
Biographical History of Northeastern Ohio
embracing the Counties of Ashtabula, Geauga and Lake
Chicago: The Lewis Publishing Co. -
1893
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EUGENE N. WARNER,
who is
known throughout northeastern Ohio as one of the most successful
fruit-growers in the State, is a son of Elbridge, O. and of Nancy
(Nellis) Warner; his father was born in Massachusetts, a son of
Nathan and Polly Warner, and one of a family of four children.
Eugene N. was born Jan. 10, 1847, and is one of a family of five;
Cassius was born Aug. 4, 1844, and died at the age of seen years;
Josephine was born Aug. 7, 1849, and was married Nov. 3, 1868, to
Wilbur Cleveland; Arthur E. was born Dec. 22, 1851, and is
married; Isadore was born Jan. 22, 1856, and died Jan. 21, 1862.
Eugene N. is the second of the family. He was reared on the
farm, and early in life began to observe the working of nature and
to study those laws which govern the vegetable world, meanwhile
attending the common school, in which he received a fair education.
He was married Apr. 27, 1873, to Miss Kate Hutchins,
a daughter of Calvin and Emily E. Crosby Hutchins, and one of
a family of nine children, she being the seventh in order of birth.
Mr. Warner has devoted his life to agricultural
pursuits, and has been especially active in promoting the fruit-growing
interests of this section; he has 28 acres in grapes, 1,000 peach trees,
250 pear-trees, and 500 quince trees, all of which are bearing; he has
70 acres in Harpersfield township, where he has planted 1,000 quince
trees and 1,000 pear trees; altogether he has one of the finest fruit
farms in the State. He has been very successful in acquiring
property, owning 140 acres of the old homestead, seventy acres in
Harpersfield township, sixty-six acres in Morgan township, a half
interest in eighty acres in Madison township, Lake county, a half
interest in sixty-six acres in Harpersfield township, and a house and
lot in Unionville.
Mr. and Mrs. are the parents of six children:
Dorr Eugene, born Dec. 6, 1873, is a student at Princeton; Otto
Nellis was born Dec. 21, 1874, he is a graduate of the Geneva Normal
school, class of 1893; Josephine C. was born Sept. 26, 1877;
George E. was born Sept. 26, 1877; George E was born
Jan. 21, 1880; Nettie N. was born Aug. 26, 1881, and Mary E.
was born Nov. 17, 1884. The father and mother and four older
children are members of St. Michael's Church. Mr. Warner
has taken a deep interest in the educational facilities afforded the
present generation, and has aided very materially in advancing the
standard. In politics he voices the principles of Democracy.
Source:
Biographical History of Northeastern Ohio embracing the Counties of
Ashtabula, Geauga and Lake - Chicago: The Lewis Publishing Co. - 1893 -
Page 775 |
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WILLIAM W. WEST was
born at Winsted, Litchfield county, Connecticut, Feb. 27, 1820, a
son of Edgar West, also a native of Connecticut. The
father removed to Ohio in 1829, and first settled in Concord
township, Lake county, remaining there one year. At the end of
twelve months he came to Geauga county, and there passed the balance
of his days, departing his life in 1887, at the age of eighty-three
years, honored and respected by all who knew him. He married
Margaret Wilson, a daughter of Captain Wilson, of
Connecticut, an old Revolutionary soldier. They reared a
family of nine children, seven of whom are living. William
W. was a lad of nine years old when the family pushed their way
to the very border of the frontier, seeking a home. He
attended the school taught in the primitive log house, but the labor
of clearing a farm in the heart of the forest was heavy and required
the assistance of small hands as soon as they could be of use; so
the children could not be permitted many school days.
Mr. West remained under the parental roof until
a man of twenty-two years, when he engaged in farming in Chardon
township, on his own account. He devoted himself to
agriculture for a year, and then turned his attention to buying and
selling cattle, gathering herds from Illinois, Iowa, Nebraska,
Missouri, and Wisconsin, fattening them in the West, and then
shipping to Eastern markets. He carried on this industry for
twenty-five years, with marked success. In 1866 he located on
his present farm in Chardon township, and has given his attention to
agriculture. He is an excellent judge of cattle, and became so
expert in guessing weights that it was said he carried a pair of
scales in his head. He now has 200 acres well improved, with
good, substantial farm buildings, his residence being a home of
community. He takes quite an interest in breeding poultry, and
has a novel method of transferring the spurs from the legs of young
roosters to the tops of their heads, grafting them so well that they
grow there; he has several queer specimens of the horned fowls, and
at one time sold a fine specimen to the late P. T. Barnum for
$50, as a natural curiosity.
Mr. West was united in marriage, Feb. 2, 1864,
to Mary A., the accomplished daughter of Charles and Mary
(Gooding) Smith, and a native of Cortland county, New York.
She is a lady of culture, and before her marriage taught in some of
the best schools of Wisconsin and Ohio. They have no children.
Mr. West is a member of the Masonic Order.
In politics he is a Democrat. He is a man of generous nature,
benevolent and charitable, and holds the esteem and confidence of
those who know him.
Source:
Biographical History of Northeastern Ohio - embracing the Counties
of Ashtabula, Geauga and Lake - Chicago: The Lewis Publishing Co. -
1893 - Page 573 |
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ALVIN C. WHITE,
Mayor of Jefferson, Ohio, a worthy citizen and leading lawyer, was
born Aug. 9, 1850, in Parkman township, Geauga county, Ohio, where
he was mainly reared, although during his childhood his parents
resided for fully nine years in Pennsylvania. His parents were
Eben Clark and Emily (Pinney) White; the paternal grandmother
having been a Miss Clark before marriage, the son was given
her maiden name. The paternal grandfather, also Eben White,
was a native of Connecticut and a lineal descendant of William
White, who came from England in the Mayflower. He first
settled in the Plymouth colony, whence the family afterward removed
with others to Connecticut, where they took up their abode.
There Grandfather Eben White was born and reared, and thence
he moved with his family to Ohio in 1817, settling in Farmington,
Trumbull county, where he lived four years, when he removed to
Parkman, Geauga county, where he started an iron foundry, which he
successfully operated for several years. He then removed the
foundry to Kirtland, where the establishment was destroyed by fire.
He thereupon returned to Parkman. He had two sons and five
daughters, of whom Warren, the oldest son, died, unmarried, in 1837;
and Eben Clark White, father of the subject of this sketch,
was born in Connecticut Nov. 2, 1816. Eben Clark grew
to manhood in Geauga county, Ohio, where he has passed the greater
portion of his life, and where he still resides, being engaged in
the wagon-making trade. He married Miss Emily Pinney,
also descended from an old and respected family. The subject
of this sketch and two daughters, Sophronia, now deceased,
and Cynthia, now the widow of Ethan A. Alderman, were
the issue of this marriage. Miss Pinney was a daughter
of Captain Levi Pinney, a brave soldier of the war of 1812.
The American ancestor of this family was Captain Aaron Pinney,
a native of bonny Scotland, who came to the United States prior to
1755, settling in Windsor, Connecticut. They established the
first Scotch Episcopal Church in that State. Aaron Pinney's
son, Abram, was a Lieutenant in the Revolutionary war.
His son, Levi, removed from Connecticut to Ohio about 1812
and settled in Trumbull county, where he continued to reside until
1827, when he removed to Lake county, the same State, where he died
in 1853. He had several sons and daughters.
Mr. White, of this sketch, attended the district
schools during his earlier years, after which he went to the Parkman
high school for two years. In August, 1859, he entered the
freshman class in Hiram College, at which institution he graduated
June 19, 1873. He was engaged in teaching for three years, and
then in October, 1876, he entered the law department of the Michigan
University, where he remained through the term. He then came
to Jefferson, Ohio, where he was for a time in the law office of
Hon. Stephen Northway, subsequently returning to the Michigan
University, from which he graduated in March, 1878. He was
admitted to the bar in Geauga county in the following month, and in
May opened a law office in Jefferson, where he has ever since
resided and successfully practiced his profession. Soon after
establishing himself in that city he entered into partnership with
E. J. Pinney, under the name of Pinney & White, which
association was pleasantly and profitably continued until Mr.
Pinney's removal to Cleveland in 1890, since which time Mr.
White has practiced alone.
Politically Mr. White has been a life long
Republican, but during the last few years has not fully accepted the
tariff policy of his party. Of open, candid disposition,
honest in purpose and faithful to trusts, he enjoys the confidence
of his community, which is exemplified in his recent election to the
Mayoralty of his city. He had frequently declined office
before this, but on this occasion a principle was involved with
which he was in thorough touch, which accounted for his acceptance
of the proffered honor. Jefferson has been a local-option town
and free from saloons since 1886, but in the spring of 1892 a strong
fight was made between the whisky ring and temperance men for
supremacy. Mr. White was solicited to became the temperance
nominee for Mayor, and as such was elected after a heated contest.
Mr. White was married Oct. 8, 1876, to Amelia C.,
daughter of Seth and Mary (Russell) Burton, a lady of domestic
tastes and social accomplishments.
Fraternally he is a member of the Knights of Pythias
and Past Chancellor of that order.
Mr. White is a man of intellectual ability and
moral worth, being a worthy descendant of an honorable family, and
taking a commendable interest in the welfare of his city, State and
country.
Source: Biographical History of Northeastern Ohio -
embracing the Counties of Ashtabula, Geauga and Lake - Chicago: The
Lewis Publishing Co. - 1893 - Page 165 |
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J. SELDON WILCOX,
one of the substantial farmers of Madison township, Lake county,
Ohio, and a native of this place, was born Dec. 24, 1833, son of
Richard Selden Wilcox and grandson of Elijah
Wilcox, natives of Connecticut and of English descent.
His grandfather, Wilcox, a farmer by occupation,
died in middle life, and his grandmother, Wilcox, lived to be
over eighty years old. The latter was related to the famous
Field family, of which Cyrus Field was a
member. They reared a family of eleven children.
Richard Wilcox, like his father, was
engaged in agricultural pursuits. He taught school for a
number of years in early life, and after his fathers death helped
his mother support the family. In 1828, before his marriage,
he came from Connecticut to Ohio, making the journey by stage to
Cleveland, and from there coming on foot to Lake county. He
bought a farm on the Middle Ridge in Madison township, which, as the
years rolled by, he developed into a fine property. He also
taught school some after coming here. At the time of his death
he lacked six weeks of being ninety years old. Of his life
companion we record that her maiden name was Elizabeth
Boynton, that she was a native of Vermont, and that she came to
Lake county to live with her sister in 1827. They had five
children, as follows: J. S., the subject of this article;
Mary E.; Alfred G.; Amanda, who died when a year
and a half old; and William F. The mother died at the
age of seventy-six. Both parents were members of the Central
Congregational Church and took an active interest in the same, the
father being a Deacon for many years. He was a Republican and
a strong Abolitionist.
In the district schools and the Madison Seminary J.
S. Wilcox received his education. He remained on the farm
with his father two years after he reached his majority, teaching
school during the winter. For seven years he taught school,
first here and then at Geneva, Saybrook and Painesville.
Mr. Wilcox was married, in Madison township, in
1858, to Sarah E. Hubbard, a native of New York State, who
came to Ohio at the age of seventeen. Their only child is Sarah
Elizabeth.
After his marriage Mr. Wilcox settled on
a farm near his present location. He lived on several farms in
this vicinity previous to 1869, when he purchased his present
property, seventy-six acres of nicely improved land, eight acres
being devoted to an apple orchard. His residence and general
surroundings indicate thrift and prosperity.
He and his wife are members of the Central
Congregational Church, of which he is Clerk. He is also a
member of the Grange, which still maintains a vigorous organization
at Madison. Politically, he votes with the Republican party.
 Source:
Biographical History of Northeastern Ohio - Publ. Chicago - The Lewis
Publishing Co., 1893 - Page 832 |
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REV.
AUSTIN
WILSON, is a Pastor of the Methodist Episcopal Church
of Orwell, Lake county, Ohio. He comes of a family noted for
their natural literary attainments, several having been brilliant
orators of fine address and not the lest among them stands the
gentleman of whom we write. He was born on a farm near Warren,
Ohio, June 6, 1849; his paternal grandfather was a Scotch-Irish
descent. His father, Mr. Wilson, was a pious and
God fearing man.
He was the first white child born in Youngstown, Ohio, the date of
the event being November, 1811. His wife, who was in her
girlhood Miss Nancy Welty, was born arch 11, 1811, in
Maryland. Her father was also a native of Maryland, while her
grandfather, who was a minister, was born in Holland. On her
mother's side the lineage goes back for generations to the founders
of the family of America who located in Maryland.
The subject of this brief notice is one of fourteen
children, three of whom died in infancy: Elizabeth,
deceased, was the wife of Mr. Loomis; Catherine
is now Mrs.
Beach; Harriet became the wife of Mr. Loomis;
William H., who was a minister for thirty years, died while a
Presiding Elder of the Canton (Ohio) district; Julia L.,
deceased, was the wife of Mr. Grant; W. J. is Pastor of a
church in Canton, Ohio:
C. V. is in charge of the Methodist Episcopal Church at Olean, New
York;
J. F. is one of the leading lawyers of Warren, Ohio; next in order
of birth is our subject; while the youngest brother, E. B.,
is a minister of the Methodist Episcopal Church at Welshfield, Ohio.
This family is truly worthy of note, as five of the six sons have
chosen to renounce worldly affairs and are devoted workers in the
cause of Christ. J. F. is a brilliant lawyer and has made
his mark at the bar. The sisters as well have the family trait
of eloquence and superior intellect, and like their brothers are
possessors of five conversational powers and social attainments.
The education of Mr. Wilson was acquired at
Warren, Ohio, and in Alleghany College, of Meadville, Pennsylvania.
He began the study of law with Messrs. Hutchins, Tuttle & Steele,
of Warren, and was admitted to the bar. After practicing for
six years he decided to devote himself more entirely to his Master's
work and commenced his ministry at Imlay City, Michigan, where in
course of time a fine church edifice and parsonage were erected by
the congregation who flourished under his guidance. A small
church was also built in the county, and there he preached
occasionally. The next pastoral work of Mr. Wilson
was at Lexington, Michigan, where he labored for two years and was
active in the erection of a house of worship there. For the
next four years he was located at Thompson, Geauga county, Ohio, and
while he was there the congregation put up a pleasant parsonage.
For two years in Chagrin Falls, Ohio, and after closing his labors
there, he came to dwell and work with the good people of Orwell,
settling here in the fall of 1892.
On the 20th day of September, 1877, Mr. Wilson and
Miss Jennie E. Johnson were united in marriage. She is the
daughter of
Edward M. and Mary C. Johnson, of Leavittsburg, Ohio, and is one of
four children. Ida became the wife of Reed Stowe
and was called from this life in 1875. Dora E. wedded
Charles Reedes, and
Mary is living with her parents. Mrs. Wilson is an
educated lady of quiet and sociable disposition and has that rare
personality which attracts and makes people become her friends.
She is well adapted to fill the sometimes trying position of a
minister's wife, and with her kindly counsel and motherly way
assists her husband to a great extent of his work. She is the
mother of four children: Nansie, born July 24, 1878;
Ben J., August 15, 1880; Harry J., August, 1884; and
Ruth B., March 8, 1891. The two older children manifest a
decided talent for music, while Benjamin, for a boy of his years,
has a wonderful memory and is local authority on all historical
topics of national and general importance. He is a great
book-worm and takes great delight in his fathers' large and well
assorted library.
In politics, Mr. Wilson is a Republican of the
conservative order, and fraternally is a member of the Masonic
order. He belongs to the Royal Arcanum, to the Knights of
Pythias, and is a member of the "Junior Order of United American
Mechanics."
Source:
Biographical History of Northeastern Ohio embracing the Counties of
Ashtabula, Geauga and Lake - Chicago: The Lewis Publishing Co. -
1893 - Page 1008 |
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GEORGE WILSON, a
prominent and successful farmer on the lake shore in Willoughby
township, Lake county, Ohio, was thrown upon his own resources at the
early age of eleven years, and by patient and honest toil has worked his
way up to his present prosperity.
Mr. Wilson was born in Yorkshire, England, Apr.
2, 1828, son of William and Mary Wilson, both natives of
Yorkshire. His father, a farmer by occupation, died in 1875.
His mother died in 1885. George is the oldest of their five
children and is the only one who came to America. He attended
school from the time he was six until he was eleven years old. At
the age of eleven he began working out, doing farm work, and at first
receiving five pounds per year. He continued thus employed for
nearly eleven years, his wages being increased from time to time, and
the last two years receiving twenty pounds per year. From his
meagre earnings he saved a little each year, and in 1850 started for
America, sailing form Liverpool April 11, and landing in New York, May
16. He came direct from New York to Cleveland, and thence to
Willoughby, Lake county. Here he hired out to a farmer and worked
by the month nearly two years. In the spring of 1852 he began
farming for himself, having purchased forty-four acres of land in the
northwest part of Willoughby township. This land was partly
cleared at the time of purchase. For forty-one years he has made
his home here, and during this period he has cleared and developed
considerable land, adding to his original purchase from time to time as
his means allowed. He is now the owner of 272 acres of land,
twenty acres of which are in vineyard. He has about 500 peach
trees and a variety of plums, pears and other fruits. The
buildings on his place are all substantial and in excellent condition.
September 23, 1885, he had a fine barn and contents burned, entailing a
loss of fully $5,000.
Mr. Wilson was married in 1854 to Lydia Jones,
a native of Willoughby township, this county, and a daughter of
Ronsome and Ann Jones who came from New York to this State.
She died in 1862, leaving five children, namely: William,
deceased; Vine; Esbon; Frank, deceased; and one the died in
infancy. In 1868 Mr. Wilson was again married, this time to
Emily J. Barnes, a native of this township. Her parents,
Parish and Ann Barnes, were natives respectively of New York
and Wales. They were married in this county and passed their lives
and died here, the father dying in 1878, at the age of sixty-one years,
and the mother in 1878, at the age of fifty-eight. Five of their
eight children are still living. Mr. Wilson and his present
wife have five children, - Seth, Mary, Frank, Bertha and
Raymond.
He and his wife are members of the Disciple
Church.
Since the time of securing the data for this sketch
Mr. Wilson has disposed of his fine farmstead, selling the same, on
July 10, 1893, to the Shaker society, for the consideration of $34,255.
Source:
Biographical History of Northeastern Ohio -
embracing the Counties of Ashtabula, Geauga and Lake
Chicago: The Lewis Publishing Co. - 1893 - Page 263 |
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BENJAMIN H. WOODMAN, senior member of the Woodman & Son,
Painesville, Ohio, a progressive business man and estimable citizen,
was born in New London, New Hampshire, Nov. 16, 1827. His
parents, Captain Benjamin, E. and Mary (Train) Woodman, where
we both natives of New Hampshire and
descended from old and respected families of New England. The
father followed various pursuits throughout his life, gaining by his
uniform industry and uprightness the highest regard of his fellow
men. He received his military title from having been commander
of a company of militia in his native State. The mother was a
typical New England woman, possessing all the thrift for which
people of that vicinity are noted. This worthy couple, in
company with their children, removed from New Hampshire to
Painesville, Ohio, in 1830. They settled on new and unimproved
land in the woods near the city, cultivated the land and improved it
with good buildings, making of it a comfortable home and valuable
piece of property. Here the parents resided in peace and
plenty until their death, the father dying in 1854, at the age of
sixty-three years, and the devoted mother in 1873. Three of
their four children are now living, all of whom fill honorable
positions in business and society.
The subject of this sketch was the youngest child and
was but three years of age when his parents cast their fortunes in
Ohio. He was reared on the home farm near Painesville and
attended the district schools in those days held in log houses.
He remained at home assisting in farm work until 1845, when he
secured a position before the mast on a schooner plying the lakes,
and for about five years followed this calling, experiencing all the
perils and hardships of lake navigation. He visited in this
manner all the principal ports between Buffalo and Chicago, and has
many reminiscences of these early days when Chicago had not yet
dreamed of her present greatness. At the end of this time,
Mr. Woodman returned to Painesville, where he accepted a
position in a machine shop, and acquired, in the six years he stayed
there, an excellent knowledge of practical engineering and
mechanics. He then, in 1858, again returned to his first love,
the lake, this time as assistant engineer on a steamer, and before
the year had elapsed was promoted to the position of head engineer,
in which capacity he served about seven years. At the end of
this time, in 1866, he and a brother-in-law purchased a stock of
lumber and established a yard in Painesville. They
successfully continued the enterprise until 1884, when Mr.
Woodman's only son became a member of the firm, the other
gentleman retiring, from which time the firm has been known as B.
H. Woodman & Son. They have a well-stocked yard near the
Lake Shore Railroad tracks and enjoy a large and lucrative trade,
their prosperity being entirely due to the energetic and upright
manner in which their business is conducted.
Mr. Woodman, of this notice, has been twice
married. His first wife was Miss Mary Taft, an
estimable lady, a native of Painesville and daughter of Amasa and
Hannah Taft, early pioneers of this city. By this marriage
there was one son, who is now associated with the father in business
in Painesville. After the death of the worthy wife and devoted
mother, Mr. Woodman was married, in 1880, to Mrs. Jennie
M. Jewell, a highly respected lady and a native of New York.
In politics, Mr. Woodman is a Republican and has
served his fellow citizens as a member of the City Council, bringing
to that position all the business energy and integrity for which he
is famous. He has been an active member of the Independent
Order of Odd Fellows for forty years.
Few men are more thoroughly conversant with the early
development of the country generally than the subject of this
sketch, who has caught wild turkeys within the corporate limits of
Painesville, and who has taken a prominent part in insuring the
substantial growth of the city.
Source:
Biographical History of Northeastern Ohio - embracing the Counties
of Ashtabula, Geauga and Lake Chicago: The Lewis Publishing Co. -
1893 - Page 197 |
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JOSEPH WORDEN
is one of
the honored early settlers of Lake county, Ohio, his birth having
occurred in Willoughby township, Nov. 30, 1822, in a log house erected
by his father, who was one of the very first pioneers of the township.
He was Noah Worden, a native of Froton, Connecticut, and a
descendant of an old New England family. His father, Joseph
Worden, of the Nutmeg State, emigrated at an early day to
Stephentown, Rensalear county New York, where he engaged in farming.
His wife in her girlhood was Rachel Grant, who was born in Rhode
Island, and was a member of the same family from which General Grant
descended.
Noah Worden, with his brother, James,
came to Ohio in 1809, and purchased land for a permanent home in
Willoughby township. After building a log house he married Miss
Hannah Grover, and brought his bride to the humble home.
Mrs. Worden had emigrated with her parents from New York State
several years previously. She died in 1828, leaving three
children, of whom our subject is the eldest, James died in 1890,
and the only daughter, Rachel, became the wife of Dr. John W.
Hamilton, a noted surgeon of Columbus, Ohio. After his first
wife's death, Noah Worden married the widow of Zophar Warner.
Their two children died in infancy. Mr. Worden improved and
cleared his farm, bringing it under high cultivation. At various
times he held local and township offices of responsibility and trust,
and was a highly esteemed citizen of the community. He died at the
age of eighty-six years, in the faith of the Methodist Episcopal Church,
to which he had long belonged.
Our subject assisted his father in the work of the farm
during his youth, and such education as he gained was that afforded by
the district schools of the period, which were conducted on the
subscription plan. He and his brother James were apt
scholars and the latter taught school for several terms. The
education of Joseph Worden was completed in the academy at
Chagrin Falls. He has always devoted himself to agricultural
pursuits and is a successful farmer. He is the owner of 291 acres
of land on the banks of the Chagrin river, which property is very
valuable.
Until 1852, Mr. Worden was a Democrat, after
which for four years he supported the Free Soil party, and in 1856
joined the Republican ranks. He now deposits his ballot in favor
of the candidates of the People's party. He has been quite a
reader and is well informed on the leading topics of the day and items
of interest, both of national and general import. In his early
manhood he and his brother James were surveyors. He has
many interesting reminiscences of pioneer life, and is a good
conversationalist. At one time, when the river was blocked with
ice, his father gave a great quantity of corn, which was ground cob and
all, to people who could not get their corn ground at the mill.
Mr. Worden is a man of integrity and correct business methods, who
by his upright life has won the esteem of his neighbors to a marked
degree.
Source:
Biographical History of Northeastern Ohio embracing the Counties of
Ashtabula, Geauga and Lake - Chicago: The Lewis Publishing Co. - 1893 -
Page 775 |
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