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BIOGRAPHIES
HISTORY
OF
LORAIN COUNTY
OHIO
With
Illustrations & Biographical Sketches
of
Some of Its Prominent Men and Pioneers.
Publ. Philadelphia:
by Williams Brothers
1879
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Harriet Ingersoll Nesbett |
Grafton Twp. -
MRS. HARRIET NESBETT, daughter
of Major Wm. Ingersoll, was born in Lee,
Berkshire county, Massachusetts, in the year 1807.
Her father removed to Grafton, in this county, in
1816, bringing his family with him. Harriet,
the youngest of eleven children, was but nine years
of age, and was the first unmarried female who
became a resident of that township. Of the
trials and struggles of the pioneer settlers in the
wilderness, a graphic description is given in the
early recollections of the settlement of Grafton,
written by Mrs. Nesbett. At the age of
seventeen she returned to Massachusetts. and, for a
year and a half, enjoyed advantages denied to
pioneer children of that early date. She
returned to her home in Ohio, and, in 1826, was
marred to Daniel Nesbett, of Grafton.
In 1829, they removed to Elyria, and settled on a
farm on the ridge road, near the eastern line of the
township. Toil and privations were expected of
pioneer wives, while their husbands labored to
cultivate their forest farms. After remaining
upon this farm some more than twenty years, a
pleasant home was purchased in the village, where
Mrs. Nesbett still resides. She has been
the mother of seven children - one son and six
daughters. The son died in infancy, and a
daughter at two years of age; another daughter, "Libbie,"
at the age of twenty-six. Libbie was a
gentle and sweet spirited girl, and died greatly
lamented by her surviving relatives and friends, who
cherish her memory. Four daughters are living,
and all are married. The oldest is the wife of D.
L. Harkness, and resides at Berlin, Wisconsin;
the next oldest is wife of Jerome Manville, a
successful druggist in Elyria; a third daughter is
the wife of H. S. Howe, and resides in
Mankato, Minnesota; the remaining daughter is the
wife of A. D. Foote, residing in Chicago.
All the daughters are well settled in life.
Mr. Nesbett died about the year 1864, at the age
of sixty-six.
In 1830 Mrs. Nesbett, united with the Methodist
Episcopal church in Elyria, when their place of
worship was the "old yellow school house." One
only who was at that time a member of that branch of
the church, is living in Elyria at this date.
During all these years she has been a faithful and
active member, constant in attendance upon its work
and ordinances. She possesses considerable
ability as a writer. The history of the first
settlement of Grafton, published in this volume, is
from her pen. In 1876 she wrote a series of
articles, which were published in the Elyria
Republican, descriptive of pioneer life in
Grafton and other townships, which attracted general
attention. She has ever been among the
foremost in carrying on works of benevolence and
charity, in the church and community. Among
the regrets of her life time are the disadvantages
arising from lack of early privileges at school.
But aside from this great privilege, and a busy
active life, she found time for reading and the
cultivation of her literary taste. She has
been a faithful wife, a good mother, and has ever
enjoyed the respect of the community. She is
in the enjoyment of excellent health, her bodily and
mental powers continuing in full vigor, and bids
fair to enjoy life to a ripe old age.
 Source:
History of Lorain County, Ohio - Publ. Philadelphia:
William Brothers - 1879 - page 268 |
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Grafton Twp. -
ALLEN W. NICHOLS was the son of Nathaniel
Nichols who was born in Rodman, New York, May 7,
1806. He married, Sept. 16, 1827, Dorcas,
daughter of Benjamin Bailey, of Leicester,
New York. She was born Mar. 29, 1804, at
Elmira, New York, and died at La Grange, Ohio, Feb.
19, 1864. They had five children, namely:
Allen Woolsey, born in York, July 3, 1828;
Martha Emma, born July 2, 1831; Mary Ann,
born in Dayton, Dec. 27, 1834; Rolla Alonzo,
born in Nunda, New York, June 7, 1838; Ellen
Dorcas, born at Nunda, New York, Sept. 25, 1843.
Allen W. Nichols was raised by an uncle and
aunt, Allison and Esther Nichols,
bachelor brother and maiden sister of his father.
When the grandfather of A. W. Nichols became
infirm from old age and impaired health, he offered
to his brother and sister above named, a deed of the
farm provided they would come and live with him and
his wife, and pay off whatever of indebtedness there
was on the place. This they agreed to do, and
fulfilled the duty faithfully and well, and also
assisted any of the other brothers and sisters if
they, or any of them, needed a helping hand.
By the time Nathaniel went to house-keeping,
they had moved into a frame house, so he commenced
in the log one in which Allen W. was born.
His uncle and aunt became so much attached to him,
that when his parents got ready to move away, they
did not wish to let him accompany them, so that he
remained with his uncle and aunt henceforth, except
at intervals, when he would pay brief visits to his
father and mother. When he was thirteen years
of age, his grandparents had both died, so his uncle
and aunt concluded to sell out the old homestead in
York, Livingston county, New York, and move to
Grafton, Ohio, where their brothers and sisters had
previously settled. So they sold out and
purchased the farm where Allen W. now
resides, thirty-four years ago. They
redeemed it from a wild uncultivated spot, and made
of it a fertile and highly productive farm.
They were both members of the Methodist Church iin
their younger days, but as they grew older, they
preferred the retirement and sanctity of the home
circle and society to public worship. They
were very temperate in their habits, and generous
and benevolent to all. Of Allison Nichols
it can be truly said he was a christian in the
broadest sense of that term, an honest man, and a
good neighbor and citizen. When he sold out
his farm east, he gave his brothers and sisters an
amount equal to what their father had paid on the
place prior to his deeding it to him. He died
May 8, 1873; his faithful and loving sister had
preceded him to the grave a short time, she having
departed this life in the faith and fear of God,
Dec. 14, 1872. They both sleep the sleep of
the righteous, and their works do follow them.
During Allen W.'s minority his uncle used to
allow him to raise stock and sell it, from the
proceeds of which he saved enough to purchase forty
acres of land. His uncle deeded him the home
farm just before he died. Allen W. Nichols
married Mrs. Elizabeth Durkee, daughter of
John Gamble, a pioneer settler of Eaton
township, Lorain county, Ohio, on the twenty-second
of February, 1870. His uncle and aunt evinced
a desire that he should remain single, and he did so
up to within about two years of their death.
They were well pleased with his choice of a wife,
and never felt as though any of their rights were
usurped by her; and learned to love her and enjoy
her presence.
The grandfather of Allen W. Nichols was a
revolutionary hero, and was also in the war of 1812.
His uncle was also in the war of 1812, and an only
brother of Allen's, Rolla Alonzo Nichols,
was in the war of the rebellion, and died in the
regular service about two years since. The
Nichols family have always been conspicuous for
sturdy honesty and independence. Those of the
present are worthy representatives of a worthy race.
(See Illustrations and Portraits.)
Source:
History of Lorain County, Ohio - Publ. Philadelphia:
William Brothers - 1879 - page 269 |
NOTES: |
