General Description

     This township is the southeastern township of the Western Reserve, and is therefore one of range one of the Reserve.  It is bounded on the north by Coitsville, on the east by Pennsylvania, on the south by Springfield, and on the west by Boardman.  It was settled almost as early as any part of the county, and by the year 181o contained quite a large population which came principally from Pennsylvania.
     The surface is quite uneven, especially in the northern half, which is cut by the deep and narrow valleys of the Mahoning and the Yellow creek. The Mahoning flows in a southeasterly direction through the northeastern part of the township, entering at Struthers, and passing out into Pennsylvania about one-half mile north of the center road.  Yellow creek winds its sinuous course through Poland village, and flowing northeast enters the Mahoning at Struthers.
     There are many coal deposits, some of them of superior quality.  Iron ore is found in considerable quantities on Yellow creek and else where, and the very best of limestone in the vicinity of Lowellville.  All of the land was heavily wooded originally. The youth of the present day would doubtless shrink in dismay from the task, if told that such forests must be extirpated before they could have homes and farms of their own.
     The soil is deep and fertile, and many excellent farms are included in the township.  The farming community appears to be industrious, well contented and prosperous.  The other industries furnish abundance of work for all the laborers, and the general prosperity of Poland township is fast increasing.  By the last census the population, including the villages, was 2,513.

SETTLEMENT.

     Unlike many of the townships Poland was colonized by quite a large number during the first two or three years of memory.  The first arrival was TURLAND KIRTLAND, of Wallingford, Connecticut, afterwards known as Judge Kirtland, one of the foremost citizens.  He came to the Reserve in 1798, and arrived within the present limits of Poland township, accompanied by Esquire Law and six other men, on the first day of August.  He acted in the capacity of agent for the Connecticut Land company.  During that year he surveyed the townships in the Reserve now known as Burton and Poland, and also assisted Judge Young in surveying Youngstown, returning to Connecticut to pass the winter.  In May, 1799, he was again in Youngs-

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town, stopping with Robert Stevens.  He also spent the summer of 1800 upon the Reserve.
     A few years later Mr. Kirtland and his brother Jared brought their families to Poland and took up their abode in the village.  Turland Kirtland was State Senator in 1814, and also served as associate judge.  He was long and favorably known as an active business man and a public-spirited citizen.  Through his dealings in his office of land agent he became acquainted with a large number of pioneers, all of whom bore witness to his popularity and influence.  His son, Dr. Jared F. Kirtland, was likewise an honored citizen during his residence in the county.  He served as Representative three years.
     Judge Kirtland kept a diary of events during the earliest years of his settlement, which has been furnished for our use by Hon. C. F. Kirtland, of Poland, ad from it many of the early incidents in this history are taken.

     JONATHAN FOWLER, of Guilford, Connecticut, was the first white settler in the township.  Mrs. Fowler was a sister of Judge Kirtland.  They came from Connecticut to Pittsburg by land conveyance, thence by water down the Ohio, and up the Big Beaver and Mahoning rivers in a canoe.  The family, consisting of Mr. Fowler, his wife, and an infant daughter, arrived in Youngstown in the latter part of May, 1799.  Judge Kirtland was then stopping there and took them to Poland in this wagon.  They all lodged for the night by the side of a fire, with no shelter save the open sky and a big oak tree, on a spot a few rods west of Yellow creek on the lot afterwards owned by Dr. Truesdale.  Let the mothers of the present day try to picture to themselves this scene:  A deep and lonely forest, the abode of wild beasts and lurking savages; the silence of midnight broken only by the crackling of the camp-fire, the rustle of the leaves in the breeze, and the faint sound of the flowing stream.  In this lonely spot is a woman with her babe in her arms,  and two men and their rifles are her only protectors!  Without a roof above their heads, with no human beings within miles of them, unless perchance some wandering Indians, we cannot imagine that this party passed the night without gloomy thoughts and forebodings, and speculations as to what might occur.  The fortitude of Mrs. Fowler demands our admiration, and deserves to be remembered by coming generations.  Shortly after their arrival a cabin was erected from logs previously made ready by Esquire Law, and into this the family moved and made it their home.  Their daughter, Rachel B. Fowler, who married Thomas Riley in 1820, was born Feb. 16, 1800, the first white child born in the township.  Jonathan Fowler was drowned in the Big Beaver Apr. 12,  1806, while engaged in boating merchandise upon the river.  He was the father of Dr. Chauncy Fowler, of Canfield, and the grandfather of Dr. C. N. Fowler, of Youngstown.

     JOHN STRUTHERS, from Washington county, Pennsylvania, bought four hundred acres of land and a mill site of Yellow creek, near its mouth, Aug. 30, 1799, negotiating with Judge Kirtland for the same.  On the 19th of October, in the same year, Mr. Struthers and his family arrived and settled upon this purchase, now the site of the flourishing little village called by his name.  Here, in August, 1800, Ebenezer Struthers was born, the first white male child born in the township.  Alexander Struthers, a lieutenant in the War of 1812, died in the service of his country at Detroit, in the latter part of the year 1813.  Hon. Thomas Struthers, of Warren, Pennsylvania, well known in this vicinity, was born at the home of his father, John Struthers, in 1803, and is now the only surviving member of the family.  His brother John, who lived upon a farm adjacent to the old homestead, died a short time ago.
     For a few years after the coming of these pioneers the land was taken up very rapidly.  The most of the settlers came from Washington and Franklin counties, Pennsylvania, and fro that vicinity.  Forests were cleared away, log cabins were erected in various parts of the township, and initiatory farming operations were begun upon the farms which are now as rich and productive as any in the county.
     From the most reliable information that is now attainable, the following facts regarding early families have been gathered.  The account is not so complete as the writer would have been glad to make it, but every precaution has been taken to have it as full and authentic as possible.  At this late date many of the early families have no living representatives here, and there is consequently much uncertainty regarding the exact dates of their coming:

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     In 1800 JOHN ARREL purchased land in the township and settled where his son Walter S. Arrel now resides.  A complete family record is given elsewhere in this work.

     JOHN McGILL came from Pennsylvania the same year and bought two hundred acres where the village of Lowellville now stands.  He lived and died upon the farm.  His sons were:  James, Joseph, Fenton, Robert, John, and William.  There were also several daughters .  John and Robert died some years ago at Lowellville, and probably none of the original family are now living.

     JOHN MILLER, from Franklin county, Pennsylvania, bought two hundred acres in lot fifty-seven near the east or Pennsylvania line.  He probably located here as early as 1800.  He married in the township and brought up one son and two daughters.  His son Isaac still lives in the township.

     About 1800 STEPHEN FRAZIER settled on the west line of the township near the Stambaugh farm.

     JAMES ADAIR, from Washington County, Pennsylvania, settled on lot twenty-four, and later took up a farm near the river.  Among his children were William, Alexander, and James, for many years residents of the township.

     JOHN DICKSON settled in the township in 1801.  His sons now occupy the old farm.

     REV. JAMES DUNCAN was an early settler on the north side of the Mahoning, adjoining the State line.  He was the first pastor of the church at the center and also preached on McBride's hill, in Pennsylvania.

     THOMAS and JOHN JORDAN with their families settled on the Youngstown road, in the western part of the township about 1800.  Later they sold out and moved away.

     SAMUEL LOWDEN was an early settler on the north side of the Mahoning.  He lived and died a single man.  There was some mystery surrounding his departure from earth and by some he was supposed to have been murdered.

     REV. NICHOLAS PETTINGER came into the township and settled in 1801.  He was the first pastor of the Presbyterian church.

     FRANCIS HENRY settled on the Yellow creek below Poland village in 1801 or 1802.  Among his children were William, James, John, and Francis.  William settled in the township and remained for a short time.  James removed to Austintown.  Francis lived upon the old place until he was an aged man.

     ROBERT SMITH, from Franklin county, Pennsylvania, settled on the south line of the township in 1802.  The family consisted of six sons and four daughters.  James, Robert, John, Stewart, Joseph, and Samuel were the sons.  The last named still live in the township.

     PATRICK McKEEVER was an early settler on the north side of the Mahoning, and passed his life in the township.  His farm adjoined that of Samuel Lowden.

     The WIDOW COWDEN and her sons, Joseph, William, Reynolds, and Dr. Isaac P. Cowden, were among the early settlers.  William located in the southern part of the township, and Reynolds settled near him.  Dr. Cowden settled on the place where his son Samuel now resides.  He was the first settled physician in the township, and had a large practice in this vicinity.  He died in 1855 in his eightieth year.  He rode day and night over mils and miles of bad roads. in early times.  He was honored and respected by old and young.

     FRANCIS BARCLAY, from Franklin County, Pennsylvania, settled one and one-half miles southeast of the center in 1802, and afterwards moved to the Pennsylvania line.  He married Elizabeth Wilson, and brought up a large family.  Ten sons and three daughters arrived at maturity.  Alexander is the only one of these children now living in the township.  James was for many years a resident of Poland village.  He died in March, 1875.

     WILLIAM McCOMBS, a native of Washington county, Pennsylvania, settled in 1802 on the farm where his son William M. now lives.  He died in 1854, leaving a wife and nine children.

     PETER SHOAF settled in the southeast part of the township, on the Pennsylvania line, at an early day.  Thomas Love came about 1802.  His son William, the only surviving soldier of the War of 1812 in this township, is still a resident here.

     ROBERT LOWRY, a native of Ireland, and his

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sons, Robert, William, and Johnston, settled in the township in 1802.  William died in 1827.  His son, J. J. Lowry, now occupies the old farm.

     JAMES RUSSEL and family, from Pennsylvania, were early settlers.  Mr. Russel located one mile south of Poland Center.  He had three sons - Robert, John and Joseph - and two daughters, all of whom lived and died in the township, excepting Robert and Joseph, who died in the West.  Major John Russel was a well known citizen.

     THOMAS McCULLOUGH settled in the township in 1803, and brought up a family, which is still well represented in the township.

     WILLIAM GUTHRIE, from Franklin county, Pennsylvania, purchased in 1800 the farm of two hundred acres on which he settled in 1804.  He brought up two sons and two daughters.  The sons, James S. and John, are still living, the former eighty-one years old and the latter seventy-three.  William Guthrie died in 1848, and his wife in 1849.

     LUDWIG RIPPLE located on the east side of Yellow creek at an early date.  He died on the place, and after his death the family, which was quite large, scattered.

     JAMES STEWART and family, from Franklin county, Pennsylvania, settled near Struthers.  His son John lived and died upon the place.

     GILBERT BUCHANAN came about 1803 with his sons, Walter, Isaac, and James lived with their father.  Isaac never married.  James married but had no family.  Walter settled just west of Lowellville and brought up a large family, which moved away after his death.

     JOHN HINEMAN and his sons, John and Samuel, were early settlers on the south side of the river, but did not long remain.

     The name TRUESDALE is well known in this county.  The progenitor of the Ohio branch of the family was JOHN TRUESDALE, of Scotch-Irish blood, born in Ireland in 1756.  He came to America with his father, John, in 1771; was a revolutionary soldier; married Hannah Robinson and settled in what is now Perry county, Pennsylvania; removed thence to Washington county, in the same State; and in 1804 to Poland township, settling on a farm between the village and the center.  Here the family resided nine years, and then moved to a farm about a mile southwest of the center of Austintown.  John Truesdale died in 1819 aged seventy-four; Mrs. Truesdale in 1849.  Their children were John, James, Jane, Mary, Hugh, William, Nancy, Alexander, Samuel, Margaret, Robinson, and Joseph.  Nancy and Samuel died young.  Ten grew to maturity.  Mary married but died without issue.  John and James were twins and were born in 1782.  Soon after coming to Poland, John married Mary Reed, and settled for life in Austintown.  With three other brothers he served in the War of 1812.  Both he and his wife died in 1825.  Their children were: James, William, Mary, John, and Jackson.  William, a successful business man of Peoria, Illinois, died in 1881.  James settled in Canfield.  He married Orpha Parker, of Kinsman, now Mrs. Elijah Bond. He died in 1845.  John died in Hartford, Trumbull county, in 1849.  Jackson is a well-known citizen of Canfield.  James, the second son of John Truesdale, married three times.  The name of his first wife is forgotten,  His second was Jane Buchanan, of Poland, and his third Susan Jordan, of Austintown, where he passed the greater portion of his life.  By his first marriage he had three sons, William, John and James.  By his third, a daughter, Mary.  William and James are dead.  John lives in Wisconsin and Mary (Clemens) in Liberty, Trumbull county.  James, the father, died in 1862, in his eighty-first year.  Jane, the third child of the original family remained single and died in Ellsworth in 1851, aged sixty-eight.  Hugh, the third son, born in 1790, died in Poland in 1862.  He held the office of justice of the peace many years, being first elected when twenty-one years old.  He married, first, Anna Riley, and second, Mrs. Rachael Walker.  Rachael (Cowden), Julianna (Bingham), and Margaret (Kennedy), daughters by the second marriage, are still living.  William, John's fourth son, born in 1795, died in Austintown in 1826, on the old homestead.  He married Mary Jordan and had four children, viz: Clark, Priscilla, John R., and Calvin.  William was an officer in the artillery service of the War of 1812.  He was justice of the peace from twenty-one years of age until the end of his life.  Of his children Clark and Priscilla died young.  John R., born in 1821, died in Canfield in 1879, a worthy citizen.  Calvin studied medicine with his uncle, Dr.

PORTRAIT of
W. S. ARREL

PORTRAIT of
MRS. W. S. ARREL

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Truesdale, of Poland, and is now a prominent physician in Rock Island, Illinois.  Alexander Truesdale, born in 1798, died in Youngstown in 1874. He married Hannah Leech, of Austintown, who bore the following children:  Olive (Weher) Canfield; John Addison, Thomas Jefferson, James Madison, and Hannah Maria (Woodruff),  all dead; William Wallace, Benjamin E., Lucy Jane (Jacobs), Charles R., and Joseph Alexander.  Benjamin F. and Joseph A. are dead.  Charles R. is the prosecuting attorney of Mahoning county.  Margaret, the youngest daughter of John, born in 1799, died in Ellsworth in 1868.  She married Jonathan Eastman and had eight children - William, James R., Sarah, Almon, Joseph, John, Mary Marilla, and Mary Melissa.  James, Sarah and Marilla are dead.  Robinson Truesdale was born in 1801 and died in Youngstown in 1866.  He was a colonel of militia.  For his first wife he married Catharine Borden, of Hartford, and for his second Belinda Avery.  By his first marriage the children were George, Charles, Amelia, Mary, Clinton, Dwight first and Dwight second.  George, Mary, Clinton,  and Dwight first are dead.  Dwight and Charles are leading business men of Cincinnati.  Colonel Truesdale was a good and useful citizen.  Joseph, the youngest son of John and Hannah Truesdale, was born in 1804 and died in 1871.  He studied medicine with Dr. Jones, of Hartford, Ohio, and graduated at the Ohio Medical College, in Cincinnati.  He succeeded Dr. Jared P. Kirtland, in the practice of his profession in Poland village, and was an honored and welcome guest in many a household and welcome guest in many a household whenever sickness visited its members.  His practice in Poland and adjacent townships was large and everywhere received with favor.  In 1847 and in 1856-57 he was a member of the State Legislature.  He married  Eliza, daughter of Judge Hays, of Hartford, Trumbull county, and reared a large family, six of whom are living: Sarah M. (Riley), Pulaski, Pennsylvania; Ellen E. (Smith), London, England; Lucy C. (Rockwood), Chicago; Dr. Seth H., Mount Jackson, Pennsylvania; Charlotte E. (King), and Fred, Chicago.*

     WILLIAM BROWN settled in Poland township at an early day.  His son now occupies the farm.

     STEPHEN SEXTON, from Washington county, Pennsylvania, settled near the northwest corner f the township in 1803.  He purchased two hundred acres of land at $2.50 a acre.  He bought up four sons and three daughters.  Joseph Sexton, born Apr. 7, 1796, is the only one living at this date.  His sister Nancy, wife of John Justice, died in the spring of 1881 in her eightieth year.  Mr. Sexton recalls the following facts which may be interesting to the younger readers of this volume.  He has known of his father giving eighteen bushels of wheat for a barrel of salt; of selling oats at ten cents per bushel, to get money to pay taxes, and has seen the taxes on two hundred acres paid with a five dollar bill.  He remembers well of hearing a store keeper refuse to take wheat at twenty-five cents per bushel in payment of debt.

     ISAAC WALKER and his father Nathaniel were early settlers in the northeast of the township.  Rachel, the wife of Isaac, came on horseback from Pennsylvania to Poland on a visit in April, 1811.  She was married to Mr. Walker in November of the same year.  He was elected captain of a military company in the fall of 1812, and in February, 1813, started with his company for the seat of war.  Soon after reaching Fort Stephenson he was stricken with camp fever, and died Apr. 5, 1813.  Mrs. Walker remained in possession of the farm until her death, Mar. 20, 1870.  Isaac Walker was the father of one daughter, now the wife of John Stewart, Esq.

     JAMES BLACKBURN settled on the Center road early.  His sons James and John, also early settlers, lived and died in the township.

     JAMES McNABB was an early settler.  His son James lived upon the old place until his death in the year 1865.  His widow still resides there.

     The MOORES were early settlers and are elsewhere mentioned.

     WILLIAM CAMPBELL and family moved from Pennsylvania and settled on lot number twenty-four.  The sons, John, Allen, William, and James, none of whom are living, were all residents of this township.

     WILLIAM REED and family from Washington county, Pennsylvania, settled just southwest of the center of the township.  James, William, and Samuel were among the children.  Several

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of the grandchildren of William Reed, sr., are residents of the township.

     ANDREW DUNLAP came from Pennsylvania and settled three-fourths of a mile southeast of Poland village.  He married the widow of Jonathan Fowler and brought up several sons and daughters, among whom were Chauncy and David.

     JOHN McCONNELL, a native of Ireland, settled at Poland Center.  He brought up a fairly of six sons and two daughters, none of whom are living.  He was killed by being thrown from a wagon.  His son John built a tannery on the farm, afterwards one at Poland village, where he worked at tanning and shoemaking for some years, then married and moved away.  Thomas McConnel, so of John, Sr., settled near Poland Center.  He was the father of six children, three of whom arrived at maturity, and one of them - John McConnel - is still living near Poland village, and is now in his eightieth year.  Nicholas lived and died in the township brought up two children, who are yet living.  Jane, a daughter of John, Sr., became the wife of Robert Walker.  Both are dead.

     WILLIAM McCONNELL, not a relative of John McConnell, settled near the Center, and brought up a large family, all of whom moved away.

     BRIAN SLAVIN settled west of the Center about 1806 and reared a large family.

     JOHN McCULLEY, who came from west of Pittsburg, settled quite early at Poland village and was the first blacksmith in the place.  He sold out and went to Portage county in 1833.  He was married, after coming here, to Sarah Jewell, a native of New Jersey.  This marriage took place Feb. 16, 1808, in a log house on Water street.  A marriage was a rare event in those days, and people came from far and near to witness the ceremony.  The house was too small to contain more than a small portion of the visitors, so they built up a huge fire out of doors and stood patiently by it until the interesting exercises were over.

RECORDS.

     No doubt the early records of this township if they could be found, would give some very interesting history.  But they are lost, and the names of the early township officers are consequently not to be ascertained.

AN ANCIENT TAX LIST.

     In the year 1803 Poland had a larger number of inhabitants than any other of the ten Western Reserve townships now included in Mahoning county.  Poland that year paid a tax of $48.24, which was about $8 more than the tax of Youngstown, then the next largest of the townships above mentioned.  We give the list of tax-payers for 1803:

POLAND, RANGE ONE, TOWN ONE.

INCEPTION OF THE IRON INDUSTRY.

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AN EARLY DEBATING SOCIETY.

     The best evidence we have that the pioneers of this township were zealous friends of education, is the knowledge that schools were established almost as soon as there were settlers enough to support them.  Here we wish to introduce another fact which clearly indicates the characteristic desire for self-improvement possessed by the youth and men of those times.
     A debating society which met evenings at the house of John Struthers, and probably at the houses of other members, was in existence in 1803.  The names of those who organized it were John Struthers, Thomas Struthers, Alexander Struthers, Robert McCombs, William Mc-

-------------------------
     *About a mile and a half, it should be.

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Combs, Samuel Wilkinson, William Campbell, James Adair, William Adair, and John Blackburn.  Similar societies were kept up for some years, and during the long winter evenings the sturdy boys and gray-haired men discussed questions of greater or less importance.  These meetings were a source of pleasure to all the members, and doubtless many a young man gained skill and practice in the art of debate as well as some knowledge of parliamentary rules which enabled him in future years to preside at public meetings with ease and dignity—an acquirement which is of no little value to any citizen.  The old-fashioned debating society was an educator which imparted valuable instruction to many young men.

THE FIRST MARRIAGE.

     The following is from the writings of James Brownlee, Esq., published in the Collections of the Mahoning Valley Historical society:
     'The first marriage ceremony was near 180, and took place on the farm then owned by John Blackburn, John Blackburn and Nancy Bryan had agreed to get married.  The trouble was to get some one to marry them, as they were determined to have the wedding before the surveyors left after finishing the survey.  No minister, no justice of the peace, in fact no one authorized to marry.  They finally agreed that Judge Kirtland, having some kid of authority in Connecticut, where he emigrated from, should officiate.  When that was settled upon it was discovered that no previous announcement had been made, as required by law, by posting notices ten days.  Dr. Charles Dutton said he could remedy this.  So he wrote four notices and posted one on each side of the log cabin.  Then Judge Kirtland looked up his Episcopal prayer-book, which contained the marriage ceremony.  The company in waiting, a stool was placed in front of the judge, and on it a white cover.  Upon this the judge had placed his book.  A slight delay occurring at the moment when all appeared to be ready, some one proposed that they should take a drink of whiskey all around before they were married.  There were about seventy persons in attendance, and this was agreed to unanimously.  while the judge was taking his drink some one stole the prayer-book, leaving him without a guide.  But he said if they were agreed to it they should say so.  They were both agreed; and thus ended the ceremony.
     In 1802 Esquire Struthers at his house united in marriage a Mr. Kearney and a Miss Brierly.  Kearney lived a half mile southeast of Poland village, on land now owned by MR. C. F. Kirtland, and his bride in the same neighborhood.  In the evening after the happy pair had returned from the 'squire's, the neighbors far and near assembled at Kearney's to pay their respects to them.  During the festivities of the evening an accident occurred which dampened them to some extent.  After the bride had retired to the second story of the log house, which was reached by a ladder, the men, in endeavoring to assist the groom up the ladder, let him fall to the floor, breaking his leg.

FIRST DEATHS.

     A man named Hineman died in Poland village in 1801.  He was buried on land now owned by James McNalley.  This was probably the first death in the township.  A Mrs. Stone died in February 1802, and was buried near the road leading to Boardman center, near where Mr. Scoville now lives.  This is thought to have been the first female person that died in Poland.

A PANTHER STORY.

EARLY SCHOOLS.

PORTRAIT of
ELIAS. KING.

MRS. ELIAS KING

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my mother said she was going on horseback to the village, and that she would carry me on the horse behind her, which she did.  On her return she brought me a copy of Webster's Spelling Book, and made arrangements for the teacher to board with us for some time on my account.  He was an estimable young man, James Campbell by name, gone to his reward. The school-house was built on the southeast corner of the cross-roads; built of round logs, with a clapboard roof, held on by weight poles.  I do not remember to have seen a nail about the premises.  On the north side was a window of four lights of eight-by-ten glass.  It was set high above the reach of the smaller juveniles, a wise arrangement for the protection of the glass.  It afforded sufficient light for the teacher's desk under it.  On the other three sides of the house were spaces made by cutting out a log, all except sufficient to hold up the corners.  In this was a sash for eight by ten, one light high, but no glass.  In the winter the sash was covered with writing paper, saturated with grease applied to it by a hot flat-iron.  These windows let in what was considered sufficient light for school purposes, and by the time the winter school was over there was but little paper left.  The writing desks were large slabs, flat side up, supported by pins set into the wall in holes made by a large auger.  The seats were of narrower slabs, with supports made of dogwood saplings put into holes made near the ends by those same augers.  There was a ten-plate stove in the center of the room, inscribed on each of the side plates, “Dan Eaton, Hopewell Furnace.”  The stove was set on blocks of wood, protected by one brick at each corner, between the wood and iron.  The cast-iron supporters made for it were hanging on a wooden pin driven into the wall for want of sufficient iron to make two rods to hold them together.  The stove-pipe was formed of what was called “cot and clay.”  Its circumference was nearly that of a flour barrel, as it had several barrel staves around it which were held on by hoops that I suppose had once been on the
ends of flour barrels.  The pipe ran through the upper floor, and the smoke had to find its way through the roof.

MILITARY.

     The militia were enrolled in 1802.  John Struthers was elected captain and Robert McCombs first lieutenant.  There were eighty-seven names upon the roll, and at the first roll call every man was present.  In 1805 the eastern part of the township formed one company and the western part another.  The two companies met at the village on the same day for drill.  There being some rivalry between the two companies it was proposed that there be a test to ascertain which had the best marksman, each company to select its best man, and he to have but one shot.  The eastern company chose Tom Clees, and the western a man by the name of Garner.  The distance was sixty yards, off-hand, with a rifle.  McClees fired first, then Garner; each hit the exact center, consequently there was no victory.
     A partial list of those who were soldiers from this township in the War of 1812 includes the following names:
     John and James Strain - John died during the war; Alexander Buchanan, who volunteered and died when not quite eighteen years old; Elijah Stevenson; Alexander McKeever was killed in a skirmish; Captain Isaac Walker and Alexander Struthers also died in the service; Major John Russel, William Brown, John Arrel, Isaac and Walter Buchanan, Eli McConnell, Francis Henry, William Reed, James Jack, John Sexton, William and Johnston Lowry, Hugh Truesdale, Alexander Truesdale, John and Alexander Cowden, William Love.  Mr. Love is still living, the only survivor.

POLAND VILLAGE.

     This is a quiet little country village, prettily situated on the Yellow creek, about the middle of the west line of the township.  It was first known as "Fowler's" taking its name from the tavern of Jonathan Fowler, built in 1804.  Well supplied with shade trees, without the noise, dirt, and bustle of large places, Poland wears an air of repose especially alluring to those who wish to find rest and health.
     In former years the village was a busy one, and its stores, mills, and hotels did a thriving business.  It was at one time far ahead of Youngstown as a trading place.  It was quite an important place in the days of staging, as the stages to Pittsburg both from the north and west passed through it.  The building of the canal, passing at a distance of two and a half miles from the village, and later of the railroad, some what changed the current of business life, and Poland suffered because of its location.  The changes wrought by time and the important accessories of labor and steam seem to have determined that the village, one of the oldest in the county, should not become a place of any great commercial importance; and so Poland remains to-day an attractive country village with a quiet and orderly population.  It has an institution of learning favorably known and liberally patronized, two churches, several good doctors, but no lawyers, two hotels, three dry goods stores, four groceries, one bank, one hardware store, two tin-shops, two drug stores, two wagon shops, a turning shop, one photographer, three shoemakers, three blacksmiths, a harness shop, a flouring-mill, and a saw-mill.  By the census

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the population of the corporation was three hundred and ninety-nine.

INCORPORATION.

     Poland village was incorporated Aug. 7, 1866. A petition signed by sixty-three voters had been presented to the county commissioners and was acted upon favorably.  The first mayor was Andrew Campbell; recorder, Seth H. Truesdale, elected to serve until April, 1867, when the following officers were chosen:  John A. Leslie, mayor; B. B. Stilson, recorder; C. B. Stoddard, W. J. Ogden, Adam Case, John Barclay, Henry Burnett, councilmen; Michael Graham, marshal.
     The officers at present are mayor, marshal, recorder, treasurer, street commissioner, and six councilmen.

POST-OFFICE.

     The post-office at Poland was established at an early date.  Jared Kirtland was probably the first postmaster.  He was succeeded by Andrew Burgess.  Other postmasters have been Hugh Duncan, H. K. Morse, E. F. Drake, Jackson Moody, Adam Case.  George Allen, the present incumbent, has been postmaster for twenty years.

PHYSICIANS.

A LAW COLLEGE.

POLAND UNION SEMINARY.

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POLAND FARMERS' DEPOSIT AND SAVINGS BANK.

FOUNDRY.

     An iron foundry was built on the east side of Yellow creek in 1843 by Colonel Robinson Truesdale and George Kirtland.  A part of it was carried away by a freshet of 1844.  In 1860 the building was removed to the hill where it now stands.  It was run by Allen, Woodruff & Co. until 1846, then by Allen & Woodruff until about two years ago.  They manufactured stoves and various kinds of castings.

DISTILLERIES.

     A large number of small stills were run by farmers in various parts of the township.  John Hunter has quite a large distillery in the village, situated just below the bridge.  This did quite a large business for a number of years.  A great deal of the "ardent" was made and used in early times yet the people were never noted for intemperance.

VARIOUS ENTERPRISES.

HOTELS.

     JARED KIRTLAND erected and kept the first tavern.  It was built in 1804.  Many are living now who recollect the quaint old sign with the picture of a gull's head upon it, and the date 1804 painted beneath.  It was a large house for those times and did a big business before the days of canals or railroads.
     JONATHAN FOWLER built the stone hotel, now known as the Sparrow house, the same year.  After his death it was run by Mr. Reed.  It is now kept by Mrs. Jane Sparrow, who with her late husband took possession twenty-one years ago.
     On the ground where the Union house now stands John McGill kept a small tavern for some years; after him Chester Bidwell.

STORES.

     Probably the first store-keeper in the village was James Hazlep.  He kept in a corner room of the tavern when it was owned by Reed.  He continued to do a good business here for some years, and became sheriff of Trumbull county.  

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After leaving Poland he was in trade at Youngstown for a while.
     Mores & Hall had a store n a room of Turhand Kirtland's house at an early date.
     Henry T. Kirtland became a proprietor and afterwards built a frame store, and later a brick store on the ground where Stough's store is now situated.  The old brick stood there some fifty years.
     Mr. Stough does a successful business in the same place, and is now one of the leading business men of the village.
     Joseph McCombs opened a store on the creek near the bridge as early as 1812.  He was in business here several years.
     Richard Hall set up as a store-keeper about the same date.
     The Duncans were also among Poland's early merchants and did quite an extensive business for some years.
     Morse's store was situated on the corner opposite the store now occupied by Mr. Haynes.  Later he built the Haynes store.
     The first store-keepers got little money.  Whiskey was perhaps the nearest thing to legal tender.  They were obliged to take produce, grain, cattle, horses, and almost anything else that they in turn could use for buying goods.
     Hezlep built a store now occupied by Z. P. Curry.

THE FIRST STORE.

in the township ws built by and run by the proprietors of the old Montgomery furnace, near the mouth of the Yellow creek.  It was there that the first settlers went for their supplies long before a store was started at the village.

MILLS.

COOPERS.

POLAND PRESBYTERIAN CHURCH.

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POLAND METHODIST CHURCH.

CEMETERIES.

     The oldest graveyard in the township is that adjoining the Presbyterian church at Poland.  It was established in 1804, and in it repose the bodies of many of the first settlers and a large number of their descendants.
     The graveyard at Poland Center is also quite ancient.

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     The new cemetery at Poland is prettily situated and tastefully laid out. It was established through the efforts of an association of the citizens formed Jan. 14, 1865.
     These three, with the new one commenced at Lowellville, are the only public burying places in the township.

LOWELLVILLE.

     This thriving village is situated on both sides of the Mahoning, which is here spanned by a large and strong iron bridge.  Its site is pleasant and even picturesque.  High hills are on either hand, and from their tops can be obtained a view of some of the richest and most attractive scenery of the Mahoning valley.
     The history of this place does not run back very far.  Its growth may be said to have begun with the completion of the Pennsylvania and Ohio canal.  The Lawrence branch of the Pittsburg, Ft. Wayne & Chicago railroad runs along the south side of the river, and on the north side is the Pittsburgh & Lake Erie road.
     Lowellville has two churches, a good school building, three dry goods stores, five groceries, a hardware store, a drug store, two wagon shops, three blacksmith shops, one hotel, a harness shop, two shoemaker shops, besides the mills and the furnace.  In 1880 it had a population of eight hundred and seventeen.  Business is brisk, and there is plenty of work for everybody.  Property is constantly increasing in value, and with the large amount of limestone and coal in this vicinity, no reason can be assigned why the place may not continue developing year by year.  With two railroads now and the speedy prospect of another it looks as though the future of the town were assured.

INITIAL ITEMS.

     The village was laid out about 1836 by Mr. Wick and others.  The first store was opened about the same time by Calvin Bissel.  Other store-keepers, coming in soon after, were S. H. McBride, Hugh Wick, Davidson & McCombs, Hunter & Watson, Brown & Shehy.
     The post-office was established as early as 1840 with S. H. McBride postmaster.  His successors in the office have been Dr. John Butler, John D. Davidson, Henry Smith, and J. B. Nessle, the present incumbent.
     John McGill built the first grist-mill at Lowellville.  It was run by his sons until the canal was built.  Robert McGill had the first saw-mill in the place.
     Wilson & Crawford started a tannery about 1844,which was sold to William Moore in 1850.  He rebuilt and refitted it and carried on the business until 1874.  It is not now in operation.
     In 1838 William Watson and John S. Hunter erected a large grist-mill which they operated until 1866 and then sold to Anderson & Co.  They operated it for a short time and sold to C. McCombs & Co.  The mill is at present owned by Mr. McCombs.

THE LOWELLVILLE FURNACE.

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HOPE MILLS.

     JAMES BROWN built the mill which now bears this name.  It was situated a few rods above the bridge and was run by steam for about two years.  In 1859 it was moved to its present site and run by water power.   The mill is now owned and run by Mr. Brown's heirs.  They do a large amount of custom milling, grinding wheat and corn.  They also put up and ship flour.  Frequently thirty barrels per day are produced.

PLANING MILL.

     This mill was started by Lewis & Drake in 1871.  In February, 1872, it was leased by J. D. Dickson & Co., who run it until November, 1880.  Since that time Mr. Dickson has managed it.  He is engaged in manufacturing all kinds of house finishing lumber.

COAL.

QUARRIES.

PRESBYTERIAN CHURCH.

THE METHODIST CHURCH.

PHYSICIANS.

JAMES S. BROWN

     WILLIAM BROWN, the father of the subject of this sketch, was born in Pennsylvania, Sept. 28, 1788; came to Trumbull county (now Mahoning) in an early day and located on the farm now occupied by his son, James S.  He married Miss Ann Porter, Apr. 15, 1813.  Their children were James S., born Jan. 4, 1814; David, born June 30, 1816, and died Mar. 7, 1824; Martha, born June 24, 1822, married Wyoming N. Fry, and resides in Suffield township, Portage county.  William Brown served in the War of 1812.  He died April 20, 1833.  James S. Brown was married to Mary Ann Printz, who was born in Canton, Ohio.  Her parents were Joseph and Susan (Blosser) Printz, who were united in marriage Sept. 23, 1830.  They had the following children: Henry, born June 21, 1831; Mary Ann (now Mrs. Brown), Aug. 20, 1832;

MARY A. BROWN

Barbara, Jan. 29, 1834; Isabel, Sept. 22, 1835; Jacob, Mar. 17, 1837; Samuel, Nov. 27, 1838, Ambrose, Feb. 3, 1843.  Mr. Brown is a Democrat in politics, yet he recognizes a higher duty in the use of the ballot than mere attachment to party, and endeavors to vote for the best candidates.  He has resided all his life on the old homestead, having been born there.  From actual experience he knows what pioneer life is, and his memory carries him back to the days when the present beautiful and thrifty neighborhood where he lives was covered with the original forest, interspersed here and there by small clearings and rude log cabins.  He has always been a hard-working and industrious man, and is now, in his old age, blessed with a comfortable home.  Mr. and Mrs. Brown are Presbyterians in their religious faith.

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of the place are Dr. R. H. Stewart, Dr. R. W. Weller, Dr. J. N. Cowden, and Dr. Reynolds Cowden.

GRAND ARMY OF THE REPUBLIC.

     Reno Post No. 87, Grand Army of the Republic, was organized June 28, 1881, with the following officers: William Leggett, commander; Porter Watson, senior vice commander; T. E. Grist, junior vice commander; J. W. VanAuker, adjutant; W. C. Rowland, quartermaster; Dr. R. W. Weller, surgeon; Rev. Snyder, chaplain; I. J. Nessle, officer of the day; J. C. Mapes, officer of the guard. 
     An organization of the Grand Army of the Republic was in existence some years ago, but it went down.

CEMETERY.

     In the spring of 1881 ground for a cemetery was purchased on the hill on the north side of the river, which is being laid out into lots, and otherwise fitted for a burial place.

POLAND CENTER UNITED PRESBYTERIAN CHURCH.

NEWPORT.

was laid out for a village about the same time as Lowellville.  Lots were sold at one time as high as in the latter place.  But Newport did not grow and no village marks its site.

STRUTHERS.

     This little village was laid out about sixteen years ago.  Its growth commenced with the advent of the Lawrence railroad in 1867.  It now has a railroad station on each side of the river, and perhaps a third railroad will soon be added. 
     The village contains the large furnace of the Struthers' Iron company, a hotel, two stores, and a saw-mill.  A post-office was established about the year 1866, Richard Olney postmaster.  His successors have been Rufus Parker and A. G. S. Parker, the present incumbent.
     Mr. Olney kept the first store.  The saw-mill, built about the time the railroad was completed, was erected and is now owned by Thomas Struthers.  Mr. Struthers also built the hotel in 1873.
     The Catholic church was erected about the time the furnace was built.

THE FURNACE.

of the Struthers Iron company was built in 1869.  The casting-house and smoke-stack were blown down in July, 1881, but have since been rebuilt.  The furnace when an active operation produces about sixty-five towns of iron per day, and affords about fifty men employment.  It is owned by Thomas Struthers, T. W. Kennedy, John and H. T. Stewart, and John and Daniel Stambaugh.  Mr. Kennedy is manager, and H. T. Stewart secretary and treasurer.

BIOGRAPHICAL SKETCHES.
(These can be found in the Biographical Index)

WILLIAM S. BROWN
THE KIRTLAND FAMILY.
WALTER S. ARREL.
ELIAS KING.

NOTES OF SETTLEMENT.

     WILLIAM FRAME, a native of Chester county, Pennsylvania, was born June 29, 1776.  He moved from Baltimore, Maryland, to Poland, Ohio, in 1827, and settled where Struthers station now stands.  In early life he was a miller, and followed that vocation to some extent in Ohio, though his chief occupation was farming.  He was for some time a justice of the peace in Poland.  He died in 1842, aged sixty-six years.  His wife, whose maiden name was Rebecca Marsh, a native of New Jersey, survived him about six months.  They were the parents of three sons and six daughters: Eliza Allen, residing in Kansas City, Missouri; George (deceased) Ruthanna wife of Billius Kirtland, of Poland; Thomas (deceased); Janet M. Allen (deceased); William S. M. (deceased); Mary M. Meacham, residing in Iowa; Rebecca Meacham (deceased), and Catherine Allen, of Oberlin, Ohio.

     JAMES DICKSON, farmer, Poland township, Mahoning county.  The subject of this sketch is one of the oldest residents of Mahoning county, being now eighty-three years of age.  He was born near Chambersburg, Franklin county, Pennsylvania, Oct. 28, 1798.  His father, John Dickson, was a native of Ireland; came to America when thirteen years of age, and settled in Pennsylvania with his parents.  He came to Ohio in 1801, and settled in Poland township on the farm where his sons, James and George, now live.  He was emphatically one of the pioneers of the Western Reserve, and did much toward the improvement of that part of the country in which he lived.  He followed farming until his death, which occurred in 1826, his wife and eleven children surviving him.  Mrs. Dickson died in 1841.  James Dickson was married in 1831 to Miss Martha Gailbraith, daughter of Samuel Gilbraith, of Poland township.  They have had six children - John A., Sarah, Ann M., Martha H., Samuel E., and James M.  John and Martha are deceased.  Mr. and Mrs. Dickson are the oldest couple in Poland township.  They are both members of the United Presbyterian church.

     GEORGE DICKSON, farmer, Poland township, Mahoning county, was born in Poland Apr. 20, 1808.  He has always lived upon the home farm with the exception of two years, which he spent in Pennsylvania.  Farming has been his chief occupation, though in connection with this he has been engaged in the manufacture of grain cradles quite extensively.  He was married, in 1833, to Miss Isabel McBride, daughter of John McBride, of Pennsylvania.  They had nine children, six of whom are living.  Mrs. Dickson died July 14, 1861, and he married Mar. 24, 1864, for his second wife, Mrs. Esther G. Walker, daughter of John Gibson, of Youngstown, Ohio.  Mr. and Mrs. Dickson are members of the United Presbyterian church.

     SAMUEL SMITH, farmer, Poland township, Mahoning county, was born in that township Sept. 17, 1820.  His father, Robert, was a native of Franklin county, Pennsylvania, and came to Ohio in 1802.  He settled in Poland township, the country then being but little better than a vast wilderness.  Mr. Smith, by dint of industry and economy succeeded in making a fine farm, and after a life of labor and usefulness, during which he saw much of the hard conditions of pioneer life, died in 1835, in his seventieth year.  He left a family of six sons and four daughters, besides his widow, who died in 1846.  Samuel Smith has always resided upon the old home place, and in 1847, and next year after his mother's death, he married Miss Margaret Blackburn daughter of Robert Blackburn, of Poland township.  This union was blessed with two children, J. S. and Robert F.  Robert is a stanch Democrat and one of the substantial men of township.

     J. A. SMITH, farmer, Poland township, Mahoning county, was born in said township Sept. 23, 1838.  Robert Smith, his father, was a native of Pennsylvania and came to Ohio in 1802 with his parents and settled where his son, the subject of this sketch, now lives.  He died in 1860, his wife and one child surviving him.  Mrs. Smith is still living with her son.  Mr. Smith, our subject, was married, in 1862, to Miss Mary Ann Gault, daughter of Robert Gault, of North Jackson.

     DAVID ARREL, farmer, Poland township, Mahoning county, eldest son of John and Margaret (Stewart) Arrel, was born in said township, May 6, 1803.  He has always lived in the township and has witnessed many charges.  He was married in 1830, to Miss Martha Moore, daughter of William Moore, of Poland township.  They have had four children, viz: William M., Margaret, John, and George F.  Mrs. Arrel died in 1872.  She was a member of the Presbyterian church.  Mr. Arrel is also a member of the same church.  He has always been an active, industrious man and a now spending the evening of his days with his son.

     JOHN STEWART, Poland township, Mahoning county, was born in Coitsville township that county, May 28, 1807.  His father, John Stewart, was a native of Adams county, Pennsylvania, and came to Ohio the year it was admitted as a State, in 1802.  He settled in Coitsville township and was engaged in farming until his death in 1833.  John Stewart, his son, has resided in Mahoning county the most of his life, and has been engaged in business in various places.  He was at Lowellville five years and at New Castle, Pennsylvania, one and a half years.  At the latter place he was interested in milling.  He was united in marriage to Miss M. G. Walker, daughter of Captain Walker, of Poland township, on the 5th of January, 1836, and has had seven children, six of whom are still living.  Mr. Stewart has filled many places of public trust within the gift of his county and township.  He has been justice of the peace many years, and has also been a county commissioner.  He was a colonel of militia in the old militia days.  Mr. Stewart and his wife are members of the Presbyterian church.

     JAMES DAVIDSON, farmer, Poland township, Mahoning county, was born in Beaver (now Lawrence) county, Pennsylvania, June 7, 1820.  James Davidson, Sr., his father, was a native of Carlisle, Pennsylvania, and followed farming as an occupation.  Mr. Davidson, our subject, came to Lowellville, Mahoning county, in September, 1851, and was for a long time engaged in the shoe business, though he is now engaged in farming.  July 3, 1859, he married Miss Rovinah Nessle, daughter of Isaiah Nessle, and has four children - Maggie, Mary, Thomas, and Daniel A.  Mr. Davidson's political affiliations are with the Republican party.  He and his wife are both members of the Presbyterian church.

     DR. ELI MYGATT, physician, Poland, Mahoning county, was born in Canfield, Mahoning county, Ohio, July 16, 1807.  His father was Comfort S. Mygatt, an early and prominent resident of Canfield, who is spoken of elsewhere.  Dr. Mygatt, the subject of this brief sketch, has resided all his life in what is now Mahoning county.  He studied medicine at canfield with Dr. Fowler, who is still living, and attended the Western Medical college at New York, and has a diploma from the Cleveland Medical school.  He has had an extensive practice over the county in which he has resided for many years, beginning with Dr. Kirtland, at Poland.  Dr. Mygatt was married in 1831 to Miss Lois Y. Kirtland, daughter of Jared Kirtland, of Poland, brother of Judge Kirtland, one of the earliest and most prominent of the pioneers of the Reserve.  To Dr. Mygatt and wife were born six children - Jared P., Mary S., Sarah M., William L., Hannah O., and Lucy E.  Lucy and Mary only are living.  Mrs. Mygatt died Feb., 1881.  She was a member of the Presbyterian church, and a devoted Christian.  In politics Dr. Mygatt is a Republican.

     SAMUEL McCULLOUGH, JR., was born in Poland township in 1844.  His father, Samuel McCullough, Sr., was born in the same township, where the family were early settlers, and has always resided on the old homestead.  Samuel McCullough, Jr., is a farmer by occupation.  He was united in marriage in 1874 to Miss Mary J. Stewart, daughter of Samuel Stewart, of Knoxville, Iowa.  They have three children, John E., George S., and Arthur R.  Mrs. McCullough is a member of the Presbyterian church.  In politics Mr. McCullough is a conservative.

     WILLIAM R. COWDEN, farmer, Poland township, Mahoning county, a representative of one of the oldest families in the township, was born in Poland township Apr. 5, 1841.   His father, Isaac P., was also a native of the same township, having been born and raised on the place where his son now lives.  The grandfather, William Cowden, was among the pioneers of that section, coming at a very early day from Pennsylvania.  Isaac P. was a farmer, and died in 1869.  William R. Cowden has always lived on the old homestead, and has about one hundred acres of excellent land.  He was married in 1867 to Miss Almira J. Glenn, daughter of William Glenn, of Beaver county, Pennsylvania.  They have one child, Martha E., born May 1, 1868.  They are both members of the Presbyterian church.

     JOHN G. COWDEN, farmer, Portland township, Mahoning county, an older brother of the subject of the preceding sketch, was born in Poland township, August 4, 1838, and still resides within a short distance of his old home.  Mention ahs been made of his immediate ancestors in the former sketch, and it will not be necessary to repeat it here.  He was married Oct. 10, 1861, to Miss Mary Ann, daughter of John Smith, of Springfield township.  They have two children, Nannie E., and Joseph.  Mr. and Mrs. Cowden are members of the Presbyterian church.

     JOHN L. DOBBINS, insurance, etc., Poland township, Mahoning county, was born in said township July 15, 1831.  His father, Hugh Dobbins, was a native of Washington county, Pennsylvania, and came to Ohio in 1804 with his parents and located upon the farm where the subject of this sketch now resides.  The Dobbins family were among the early pioneers of the county, and have taken a prominent part in the development and improvement of that part of the county.  Hugh Dobbins died in 1866, leaving a family of five children surviving him.  J. L. Dobbins is one of the active business men of Poland, being engaged in insurance, in farming, and is also a dealer in agricultural implements.  He is unmarried.

     JAMES S. GUTHRIE, farmer, Poland township, Mahoning county, one of the oldest citizens of the county, was born in Pennsylvania Feb. 28, 1800.  His father, William Guthrie, was a native of Ireland, and emigrated with his parents to America in an early day.  They settled in Pennsylvania, where they lived until 1804 when they moved to Ohio and located in Poland township.  They were indeed pioneers in the wilderness, there being when they arrived but two or three cabins within a circuit of several miles.  William Guthrie was a weaver by trade, though he taught school considerably.  He died in 1849.  Farming has been the chief occupation of James S. Guthrie, though he has also been engaged a good deal in the wool business.  He was married to Miss Elizabeth Pauley, of Coitsville township.  They have had seven children, three of whom are living.  Mrs. Guthrie, for one of his years, retains his vigor remarkably well.

     JAMES S. MOORE, farmer, Poland township, Mahoning county, one of the oldest residents of the township, was born in Franklin county, Pennsylvania, Oct. 28, 1804.  His father, William Moore, was a native of Pennsylvania, and emigrated to Ohio in 1805 and located in Poland township on the farm where his son, the subject of this sketch, now resides.  The country was then, of course, very new and all kinds of game plenty.  William Moore died Dec. 13, 1854.  James Moore has always followed farming with the exception of a few years during which he was engaged in the mercantile business.  In 1838 he was married to Miss Hannah R. Truesdale, daughter of Hugh Truesdale, of Poland, and has had seven children, viz: Rachel A., William B., Hugh R., F. M., Mary E., Rebecca J., and Julia A.  Mr. and Mrs. Moore are both members of the Presbyterian church, he having been an elder for many years.  His sister, Rebecca Moore, still resides on the old home place, and has assisted in taking care of her parents and her brother's children.

     GEORGE LIDDLE, farmer, Poland township, Mahoning county, was born in Poland, Mar. 5, 1812, on the farm where he now lives.  His father, George, was a native of England and emigrated to this country in September, 1806.  He landed at Baltimore after a tedious passage, and at once came to Ohio and settled in Poland while his brothers settled in Boardman.  He died in 1852.  George Liddle, the subject of this notice, married in 1841 Miss Mary E., daughter of James Kennedy, of Coitsville township.  They have had twelve children seven of whom are now deceased.  Mr. and Mrs. Liddle are members of the United Presbyterian church.

     A. D. McCLURG, farmer, Poland township, Mahoning county, was born in Boardman township, said county, in 1834.  His father, Samuel McClurg, was a native of Pennsylvania, but came to Ohio when he was nine years old with his father, James, who came originally from Ireland.  The family settled in Poland township, then Trumbull county.  Samuel McClurg followed farming all his life and died on the 4th of July 1877, leaving two children, A. D., and Richard J.  Mrs. McClurg died in 1834.  Mr. A. D. McClurg has always been a resident of the county, engaged in farming.  He was married, in 1860, to Miss Maggie A. Kerr, daughter of Matthew Kerr, of Boardman.  They have had three children, viz: Ella J., Lella J., and Minnie B.  Ella is deceased.  Mr. and Mrs. McClurg are members of the Presbyterian church.  Politically he is a Republican, and at present is county commissioner.

     B. F. LEE, farmer, Poland township, Mahoning county, was born in Poland township May 7, 1815.  His father, Christopher Lee, was one of the earliest settlers in Poland township, coming there from Shippensburg, Pennsylvania, as early as 1805.  He resided there until his death in 1835.  He was a farmer by occupation and had a family of thirteen children.  Mr. B. F. Lee was educated at Meadville, Pennsylvania.  After being there three years he returned to Poland and started the institution of learning known as the Poland institute.  He was married Sept. 17, 1845, to Miss Pauline King, daughter of Amos King, of Erie county, Pennsylvania.  They have had nine children, seven of whom are living.  Mr. Lee has been engaged in various occupations; has been a merchant, also a wool buyer, and is now interested in railroads.  He is an active, enterprising man, and is always ready to help along a good work.  He and his wife are members of the Presbyterian church.

     CARSON R. JUSTICE, M. D., druggist, Poland, Mahoning county, was born in Springfield township, Dec. 15, 1851.  His father, James Justice, came from Pennsylvania to Ohio in 1801, and settled in what was then Columbiana county, now Mahoning.  He was thus one of the earliest of the pioneers.  Dr. Justice studied his profession at Poland, and graduated at the Cleveland Medical college in 1878.  Since then he has practiced at Poland in connection with his drug business.  Dr. Justice is a member of the Presbyterian church, and politically is a stanch Republican.  He is an active and enterprising business man.

     CHARLES S. HAYNES, merchant, Poland, Mahoning county, was born June 9, 1830, in Vernon township, Trumbull county.  David Haynes, his father, was a native of Connecticut, whence he came to Ohio with his parents about 1810.  He died in 1870.  His wife is still living with a daughter at Rock Island, Ill.  Charles S. Haynes has always lived in the section where he now resides.  He was engaged in farming until 1872, when he engaged in the mercantile business at Poland.  He was married in 1858 to Miss Lucy M. Meeker, daughter of William Meeker, of Boardman township, and has two children - Calvin T. and Lillie Belle, twins, born Dec. 10, 1863.  In politics Mr. Haynes is a sound Republican.

     J. N. COWDEN, M. D., physician, Poland township, Mahoning county, was born in Beaver county, now called Lawrence county, Pennsylvania, Oct. 29, 1840, but was raised in Portage county, Ohio.  His father, James S. Cowden, came from Washington county, Pennsylvania, in 1818, and located in Poland township, and was one of the pioneers of that section.  He was a blacksmith by trade, though he was engaged in milling chiefly.  Dr. Cowden studied medicine with E. A. Wilcox at Mt. Jackson, Pennsylvania, and attended lectures at the Ohio Medical college in 1862.  He now has an extensive practice.  He was married Dec. 31, 1863, to Miss Julia M., daughter of Lyman B. and Eliza D. Dickerson, of Yates county, New York.  They have had two children - James L. and Charles C.  Dr. Cowden is a Free Mason, an Odd Fellow, and a member of the Sons of Temperance.  Mrs. Cowden is a member of the Disciple church.

     J. D. BARD, M. D., physician, Lowellville, Mahoning county, was born in Franklin county, Pennsylvania, Aug. 4, 1814.  William Bard, his father, was a native of the same county, and was engaged in the law and in mercantile business for a number of years.  He came to Ohio in 1819, and settled in Liberty township, Trumbull county, and followed farming as long as he was able.  HE died in 1875.  Dr. Bard, the subject of this sketch, studied medicine with Dr. John Loy three years, and attended lectures at the Cleveland Medical college.  He began practice in 1838 at Middletown, Ohio, but two years subsequently went to Winchester, Indiana, where he remained one year and then removed to Pulaski, Indiana.  There he resided between ten and eleven years.  He then came back to Trumbull county, Ohio, and continued in practice in Liberty township for twenty-three years.  He then removed to Poland, where he still lives.  He has been eminently successful in his practice.  Nov. 2, 1841, he married Elizabeth, daughter of James and Elizabeth Miller, of Chester county, Pennsylvania.  Mrs. Bard was born Feb. 4, 1816, in Washington city.  They have had eight children, five of whom are living.  Dr. and Mrs. Bard are members of the Methodist Episcopal church.

     A. G. BOTSFORD, deceased, was born in Newtown, Connecticut, in 1805.  He came to Ohio about the year 1825, and located in Poland township.  He was married Sept. 16, 1828, to Miss Eliza Lynn, daughter of James Lynn, of Wheeling, West Virginia, and had a family of five children - J. E., of Louisville, Kentucky; J. S. of Youngstown, Ohio; T. G. of Poland; Mary, wife of H. O. Bonnell, of Youngstown; J. K., deceased.  The father died in 1870, and the mother May 25, 1881.  They were both members of the Presbyterian church.  T. G. Botsford lives on the old homestead at Poland, but is engaged in business in Louisville, Kentucky.

     HENRY HUBBARD, manufacturer of tinware, Poland township, Mahoning county, was born in Hartford county, Connecticut, May 26, 1805.  His father, John Hubbard, was a native of the same State, and lived and died there.  Henry Hubbard came to Ohio in 1826, and located in the township where he has since lived.  He has been for many years in the manufacture of tinware.  He was married Feb. 19, 1828, to Miss Eliza Ann Robinson, daughter of David Robinson, of Glastonberry, Connecticut.  They have had eight children, four of whom are still living.  Mrs. Hubbard died several years ago.  Mr. Hubbard is a Congregationalist in belief and a Republican in politics.

     JAMES SMITH, farmer, Poland township, Mahoning county, was born in Franklin county, Pennsylvania, Aug. 15, 1810.  His father, Joseph, was a native of the same State, and in 1827 moved to Ohio, and settled in Poland township, where he resided until his death.  He died January, 1841, leaving a family consisting of a wife and four children, to mourn his loss.  James Smith has been engaged in various occupations, but is now living upon the old home place, and is evidently enjoying the evening of his days.  In politics he is a Republican, and was formerly an anti-slavery man.  He has always been what might be termed a reformer.  He has never married.

     HENRY HEASLEY, farmer, Poland township, Mahoning county, was born in Youngstown, Ohio, Nov. 1, 1845.  His father was Henry Heasley, who was born in Westmoreland county, Pennsylvania, and came to Ohio about 1828, locating at Youngstown.  He was a cabinetmaker by trade and resided at Youngstown twenty-or twenty-five years, then moved upon the farm where his son now lives in Poland.  He died in 1868, his widow and eight children surviving him.  Henry Heasley, our subject, was married in 1874 to Miss Mary Clark, daughter of John Clark, of Poland.  They have two children, Henry and Susan.  Mr. and Mrs. Heasley are members of the Presbyterian church.

    WILLIAM COLE, farmer, Poland township, Mahoning county, was born in Morristown, Lamoille county, Vermont, Feb. 11, 1826.  His father, Ebenezer Cole, was also a native of Vermont, and came to Ohio in 1832.  He settled in Poland township, upon the farm where William Cole, is son, now lives.  He followed farming for about forty years, then went to Salem, where he died Feb. 22, 1876, in his eighty-fifth year.  He left a family of six children, three children having died previously.  His wife died in 1847.  Mr. Cole was in former years a Free-will Baptist preacher, though he followed farming chiefly in Ohio.  William Cole has resided in Poland, upon the old homestead, since his boyhood.  He has a farm of two hundred and thirty-two acres and is engaged in general farming and in the nursery business.  He married, Feb. 25, 1846, Miss Elma, daughter of Mahlon Parritt, of Hillsville, Pennsylvania, and has had three children, viz.:  Olive, born Dec. 10, 1846; Alice, June 22, 1848; Emma, Mar. 17, 1850.  Mrs. Cole died Oct. 9, 1853.

     JOHN W. VAN  AUKER, farmer, Poland township, Mahoning county, was born in Youngstown, Ohio, Aug. 10, 1834.  Absalom VanAuker, his father, was a native of Delaware, and came to Ohio about 1829.  He located at Wooster, where he resided but a short time, then moved to Youngstown.  He was a farmer, and died in 1836.  John W. Van Auker, our subject, has always resided in the county, with the exception of two years, during which he lived in Wisconsin.  His principal occupation through life has been that of farming and mercantile business.  He was married Aug. 16, 1854, to Miss Silvia A. Jackson, of Mahoning county, daughter of Joseph Jackson.  They have had seven children, six of whom are living.  Mr. Van Auker was in the Nineteenth Ohio volunteer infantry, and saw nearly four years of service.  He is a Republican, and is an active, enterprising man.  Mrs. Van Auker is a member of the Presbyterian church.

     SAMUEL H. McBRIDE, deceased, was born in Mercer county, Pennsylvania, Apr. 29, 1809.  His father, John, was a native of Washington county, and followed farming.  He died about the year 1853.  Samuel McBride came to Ohio in the spring of 1836, and located at Lowellville, Poland township.  He was married in the fall of the same year - Oct. 3, 1836 - Miss Phebe Harris, daughter of Barnabus Harris, of Coitsville township.  Mr. McBride engaged in the mercantile business at Lowellville, and continued in it until 1875, when his health failed him, and, in conse3quence, retired from business.  He died Mar. 5, 1881, highly esteemed by all who enjoyed his acquaintance.  He was a member of the United Presbyterian church.  Mrs. McBride still resides in Lowellville, where she lived so many years with her late husband.  She is the mother of three children - Leander, John, and Rose.

     JOHN B. NESSLE, merchant and postmaster, Lowellville, Mahoning county, was born in 1818, in Montgomery county, New York.  He learned the shoemakers trade when about sixteen years of age, and in 1837 found his way to Lowellville, Mahoning county, (then Trumbull) Ohio.  He followed his trade upwards of twenty years, subsequently went into merchandising in which he still continues, and was appointed postmaster of Lowellville in 1861, which position he still holds.  He was married in 1839 to Miss Jane, daughter of John Pettigrew, of Lowellville, the fruit of which union was eight children. His first wife dying in 1870, Mr. Nessle was again married, in 1873, to Mrs. Stevens, a daughter of Levi Beardsley, of Pennsylvania.  Mrs. Nessle is a member of the Methodist church.  Mr. Nessle is a Free Mason and a sound Republican.  His father was Isaiah Nessle, a native of New York, who died in 1868 or 1869.

     JAMES B. BROWN, farmer, Poland township, Mahoning county, was born in Ireland, Feb. 20, 1820, and came to America with his parents in 1835 or 1836, landing at New York after a pleasant voyage of four weeks.  The family went to Philadelphia, where they stopped about six weeks, and then went to Pittsburg where his father was engaged in merchandizing for four years.  The family then removed to Ohio and settled in Poland township where the subject of this sketch still lives.  His father died in 1849.  Mr. Brown was married in 1855, to Miss Mary, daughter of James Buck, of Poland township, and has four children: Eliza, Jennie, Willie, and Emma.

     SIMON D. BROWN, miller, was born in Trumbull county, Ohio, Mar. 9, 1842, though he has always lived in Mahoning county, with the exception of two years.  In his boyhood he was quite delicate, but as he grew older he gained in physical strength and is now a healthy an.  He is now engaged in milling at Lowellville, Mahoning county, and does an extensive business.  He married a daughter (Clara) of John Reed, of Poland township, Oct. 2, 1880.  Mr. Brown's politics are Republican.

     ROBERT B. MARTIN, farmer, Poland township, Mahoning county, was born in Lancaster county, Pennsylvania, Feb. 19, 1835.  His father H. R. Martin, came from Pennsylvania in 1841 and settled in Springfield township, where he lived until his death.  Sept. 8, 1879.  He was a tailor by trade in Pennsylvania, but after his removal to Ohio he followed farming.  R. B. Martin was married, in 1862, to  Miss Rachel, daughter of James McCord, of Lawrence county, Pennsylvania.  They had three children, viz: Mary D., Alice J., and James C.  Mr. Martin is a Democrat in politics.

     H. R. MOORE, M. D., physician, of Poland, Mahoning county, was born in said township Jan. 24, 1842.  His father, James Moore, is still living in the township, and is among its oldest residents.  Dr. Moore studied medicine with Dr. Truesdale in Poland, and graduated at the Ohio Medical college, Cincinnati, after two years' study, in 1866.  He has succeeded in building up a good practice in the Mahoning valley and is well liked.  He was married in 1866, to Miss Maggie Woodruff, daughter of George Woodruff, of Poland.  They have had three children - Lizzie, Kittie, and George C.  Kittie is deceased.  Dr. Moore and wife are Presbyterians in their religious faith.  He is a Greenbacker in politics.

     JAMES G. CAVETT, farmer, Poland township, Mahoning county, was born in Westmoreland county, Pennsylvania, May 25, 1804.  He came to Ohio in 1854, and located in Poland upon the farm where he still lives.  He was engaged in the tanning business in Pennsylvania, but since coming to Ohio has followed farming.  He was married in 1830, to Miss Amanda Smith, of Franklin county, Pennsylvania.  They have had three children, Jane M., John N., and Elizabeth, the last named being deceased.  Mrs. Cavett died in 1867.  She was a member of the Presbyterian church, as is also her husband.

     JOHN H. CAVETT was born in Westmoreland county, Pennsylvania, Dec. 2, 1835, and came to Ohio in 1854, with his parents.  He married Apr. 7, 1857, Miss Elizabeth Rigler, of Pennsylvania.  They have two children, Lizzie E. and James B.  Mr. and Mrs. Cavett are members of the Presbyterian church.  He is a firm Republican in politics, has been township clerk five terms, and is held in high esteem by his fellow-citizens.

     J. H. DAVIDSON, merchant, Poland, Mahoning county, was born at Shippensburg, Pennsylvania, June 22, 1826.  Samuel Davidson, his father, came from Pennsylvania in 1831, and located in Coitsville township, where he engaged at farming.  He died Nov. 21, 1871, at the age of seventy-nine years, six months and fifteen days.  His wife died June 5, 1871, aged seventy years, eight months and twenty-eight days.  They were both members of the Presbyterian church, and he was one of the first to move in the organization of the Free Presbyterian church at New Bedford, Pennsylvania.  J. H. Davidson has been engaged in various occupations; worked at blacksmithing several years, and was engaged in prospecting for oil and coal from 1859 to 1874.  He went to Poland in 1866 and started in merchandizing in 1875.  He was married in 1853 to Miss Emily Clark, daughter of Henry Clark, of Hubbard, and has two children, Mary E. and Charles H.  Mr. and Mrs. Davidson are members of the Methodist church.  Mr. Davidson are members of the Methodist church.  Mr. Davidson enlisted, April 27, 1853, in the One Hundred and Seventy-first Ohio National guard, serving one hundred days, when he was mustered out.

     DR. ALEXANDER C. ELLIOTT, dentist, Poland, Mahoning county, was born in Beaver county, Pennsylvania, Dec. 20, 1831, and came to Ohio in 1865 and located in Poland township.  He studied dentistry at Rochester, Pennsylvania.  Dr. Elliott was in the war of the Rebellion four years - three years in the First Pennsylvania cavalry, and one year in the First Pennsylvania veteran cavalry, and was wounded in the right leg at St. Mary's church, near Malvern Hill, Virginia.  He was married in 1866 to Miss Isabella, daughter of John Young, of Columbiana county, and has one child, Clarence, born Aug. 3, 1868.  Dr Elliott and his wife are members of the First Baptist church of Youngstown.

     LEANDER D. ROBINSON, farmer, Poland township, Mahoning county, was born in Lawrence county, Pennsylvania, in 1843.  His father, Samuel, was a Pennsylvanian, a farmer by occupation, and died in 1858.  L. D. Robinson came to Ohio in 1874, and is engaged in general farming.  He married, in 1866, Miss Annie, daughter of Robert Graham, of Poland township, and has one child - Lillie May.  He was in the One Hundred and Fifty-fifth regiment, Ohio infantry, in the rebellion, and also in the One Hundred and Thirty-fourth Pennsylvania.  He and his wife are both members of the Presbyterian church.

     R. W. WELLER, M. D., physician, Lowellville, Mahoning county, was born in Beaver, now Lawrence, county, Pennsylvania, May 17, 1838.  His father, John Weller, is a native of New Jersey, and is still living at the advanced age of eighty one years.  Dr. Weller studied medicine at the University of Wooster graduated in 1876, and has since been in practice at Lowellville.  He built up a good practice, and is well liked.  He was first lieutenant in the Pennsylvania "round head" regiment (One Hundredth); enlisted August 27, 1861, and was mustered out Oct. Army of the Republic, and is also a Free Mason.  He married, in 1865, Miss Lavenia Monroe, daughter of Joel Monroe, of Lawrence county, Pennsylvania, and has two children - John and James.  Dr. and Mrs. Weller are members of the Presbyterian church.

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