BIOGRAPHIES
Source:
History of Portage County, Ohio
Vol. 2
by Warner, Beers & Co.
1885
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Ebenezer W. Earl |
Windham Twp. -
EBENEZER W. EARL
Source: History of Portage County, Ohio - Vol. 2 - by Warner, Beers
& Co. - 1885 - Page 682 |
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Aurora Twp. -
GEN. NELSON EGGLESTON,
farmer, was born Oct. 3, 1811, in Aurora Township, Portage Co., Ohio; son of
Moses and Sally (Taylor) Eggleston. His father was born in
Middlefield, Mass., in 1784. He came to this township with his brother
Joseph in the spring of 1806; after arriving, and looking up the land for
which their father's farm in Massachusetts was exchanged, they commenced
clearing away the trees, and making preparations for the arrival of the rest of
the family the coming year. Among other labors, the ensuing spring, they
made maple sugar, fashioning the spouts and buckets for gathering sap, from
basswood, with only their axes, knives and a sap gouge for tools. During
the succeeding summer Joseph revisited Massachusetts, and returned with
the Eggleston, Taylor and Root families, in all, thirty-two in
number. They came through Pennsylvania and by way of Pittsburgh. In
1810 Moses had made quite an opening on his land and erected a cabin;
having provided it according to the fashion of those times he proposed to
Miss Sally Taylor to some and join with him in the labors and struggles of a
border life. This place was one mile and a quarter northwest of the center
of Aurora, on the old Cleveland and Newburg road. In the war of 1812
Moses enlisted in the service, and was sent to Huron with his company
immediately after the surrender of Hull. His wife stayed at the cabin,
not knowing what hour the British and Indians might defeat her defenders, and
repeat again the scenes of the River Raisin. In 1824 he moved to the
Center where he remained until his death, Aug. 6, 1866. He was formerly of
the Federal, then of the Whig and Republican party, by which he was honored with
repeated elections to the office of Justice of the Peace and County
Commissioner. He was the influential member of the Presbyterian Church,
and his career that of a man of industry, economy and integrity. The
mother of our subject was born in Massachusetts, in 1792, and died in April,
1838. She had three children, two of whom survive her- Nelson and
Wealtha. The latter is now living in Tuscola, Ill., the widow of
Simeon D. Kelley, by whom she had seven children, three boys and four girls;
the sons, Moses, Hiram, and Randolph, served through the late war
of the Rebellion. Moses, settled in El Presidio, Texas, where he in the
short time accumulated a handsome property, and, became a prominent citizen, but
was murdered about 1880. His two brothers still reside there. Our
subject passed his early life on his father's farm, received a common school
education, and spent some time at Hudson College, whence he graduated in 1831.
He taught school in Calloway County, Ky., nearly a year, returned, and commenced
to read law with Mathew & Hitchcock, of Painesville, Ohio;
subsequently he studied with Humphrey & Hale, of Hudson, and
September 9, 1834, was admitted to the bar upon motion before the Supreme Court
sitting at Ravenna. He was married, January 29, 1835, to Miss Caroline
Lacy, daughter of Isaac J. Lacy. By this union there are two
children, Emmett and Addis. Mr. Eggleston engaged earnestly
in the practice of his profession for a time, but submitting to the demands made
upon him by his father for help in the working of land, and receiving no
pecuniary aid from him in the purchase of books, or in the erection of an
office, for which things he was unwilling to run in debt, he flung up the law,
and has devoted himself since to farming. In 1834-35 he was Adjutant of
the cavalry regiment in the Twentieth Brigade, Ohio Militia, under Col. O. L.
Drake, of Freedom; afterward was promoted to the Colonelcy, which office he
held two or three years until his resignation. Still later he was elected
to the command of the brigade with the rank of General. Mr. Eggleston
has a wide acquaintance with the early settlers of northeaster Ohio and has been
connected in various ways with its progress. He called the first meeting
at his own house that was ever held to consider the subject of a railroad from
Pittsburgh to Cleveland. The report of this meeting made by him and
published, resulted immediately in a large convention at the center of Aurora,
from all the towns on the route. He has earned a handsome competence,
owning 500 acres of improved land in Ohio, and 1,200 in Missouri. He takes
a lively interest in literature and politics, but does not permit them in to
interfere with his daily labor and the management of his farms. He is the
disciple of Thomas Jefferson, and acknowledges no other master.
Source:
History of Portage County, Ohio - Vol. 2 - by Warner, Beers & Co. - 1885
- Page 594 |
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Streetsboro Twp. -
LUCIUS O. ELDRIDGE, farmer, P. O. Streetsborough, was born
on the farm where he now resides, Aug. 10, 1843, and is a son of Daniel and
Mary A. (Mason) Eldridge, who had three children: Merrick E., Mary
A., wife of Joseph Lindsey, and Lucius O. His father
came to Aurora Township, this county, from Buffalo, N. Y., about 1820, and
afterward settled in Streetsboro on the farm now owned by L. O. Eldridge,
which he cleared and improved, and where he resided until his death. He
died in 1879, at the age of seventy-nine years. The subject of this sketch
was reared on the old homestead, where he has always resided. He
participated in the war of the Rebellion, enlisting, Aug. 10, 1862, in the Ninth
Ohio Independent Battery, serving until June 20, 1865, when he was honorably
discharged. He was married Sept. 29, 1869, to Augusta, daughter of
George W. and Tryphena (Wilson). In politics Mr. Eldridge
is a Republican. He is one of the enterprising farmers of this
township.
Source:
History of Portage County, Ohio - Vol. 2 - by Warner, Beers & Co. - 1885 - Page
888 |
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Ravenna Twp. -
R. S. ELKINS, P. O. Ravenna, a native of Vermont, was born
in Vermont, Jan. 30, 1818. He learned the printer's trade and came to
Cleveland, Ohio, in 1837, when twenty years of age. Here he worked two
years in the Herald office. In 1839 he came to Ravenna and engaged
in the publication of the Ohio Star, until 1844, when he went to Akron,
same State, where he engaged in the publication of the Summit County Beacon.
In 1880 he returned to this county and located where he now resides on the old
Dr. De Wolf homestead. Mr. Elkins married Miss Adeline L.
De Wolf, Feb. 9, 1842. She was born in Ravenna, Aug. 8, 1823.
They have one daughter - Mrs. Adelaide E., wife of Rev. W. K.
Ingersoll, a Presbyterian minister in Milford, Mich.
Source:
History of Portage County, Ohio - Vol. 2 - by Warner, Beers & Co. - 1885 -
Page 822 |
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Atwater Twp. -
JAMES B. ELTON, farmer, P. O.
Atwater, was born in Atwater January 14, 1848, son of Erbin and Caroline
(Woodruff) Elton, and grandson of Ebenezer and Emily Elton, of
Puritan stock, who came from Connecticut in 1833 via canal to Buffalo, thence by
lake to Ohio, and settled on the land now occupied by their son Erbin.
Mrs. Caroline Elton came with her parents, Chancy and Perlina
Woodruff, from Farmington, Conn., to Atwater Township, this county.
They had with them their seven children: Havey, Ezekiel,,, Henry, Caroline,
Cornelius, Cornelia and Alfred, and after coming here had two more -
Sarah and William. Ebenezer and Emily Elton had six
children: Lucella, married Watrous Fairchild Taylor;
Erbin, married Caroline Elton; Elizabeth, married
John Norton; Harriett, married Lucius Walker;
Edwin, married Harriet Knapp, and Ebenezer, died at the age
of two years. Ebenezer Elton lived to enjoy pioneer life but
a short time, dying December 22, 1835, aged forty-three. At his death,
Erbin, who was but a boy at the time, took charge of the homestead and
diligently cleared it of timber, etc., and still makes it his residence.
He had four children: Edwin, died April 18, 1870, aged twenty-six; those
now living are James B., born in this township in 1838, (married in 1871,
Miss Sarah Hacock, by whom he has two children: Iona A. and
Edwin); Henry, a farmer, Windham Township, this county (married
Miss Eliza Hacock, June 26, 1883, have two daughters: Carrie and
Nina); Emily, married October 8, 1879, to Earnest Youngman,
farmer, Windham Township, this county. The family are highly esteemed and
respected members of the Methodist Episcopal Church.
Source:
History of Portage County, Ohio - Vol. 2 - by Warner, Beers & Co. - 1885
- Page 581 |
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Palmyra Twp. -
E. M. EVANS, Postmaster, Palmyra, is a native of Wales,
where he was born in 1837. He emigrated to the United States in July,
1866, and came to Chicago, and on his recovering from a three months' sickness
he left for Milwaukee, where he worked at his trade as cabinet-maker until the
spring of 1868. He then removed to Arena, Iowa Co., Wis., where he
conducted a furniture store. In 1869 he was licensed to preach by the
Welsh Baptist Church of Ridgeway, Iowa Co., Wisc., where he held membership.
In the fall if 1871 he was called to supply the Welsh Baptist Church in the
settlement near Oshkosh, Wis. In the spring of 1882 he came to Chicago and
held a position in the retail department of A. H. Andrews & Co. In
the fall of 1882 the Welsh Baptist church of Frostburg, Md., extended him a
call, and he was ordained to the ministry by said church in December, 1883.
While in Frostburg he published a volume of his compositions in the Welsh
language, including prose and poetry, which volume had an extensive sale, and
has been used by the Welsh Sabbath-schools of the United States for recitations
in their anniversaries. For the sake of arranging his business affairs in
the West, Mr. Evans resigned his charge of the church in Frostburg, and
when he was about to depart from his people they presented him with a beautiful
gold watch valued at $140. After his visit to Wisconsin he returned to
Johnstown, Penn., where he had accepted a call from the Welsh Baptist Church.
The church being crippled by a strike of seven months, and the panic of 1873 and
1874, Mr. Evans concluded to accept the call of the Baptist Church of
Paris, Portage Co., Ohio. He came to Paris in the fall of 1875, and while
there he was invited to Palmyra by the Baptist friends there to reorganize the
church and to repair an old church building that had been abandoned for many
years. He soon found the two charges and preaching once in Palmyra and
twice in Paris every Sabbath too much of a task, so he concluded to relinquish
his charge of the church of Paris, and in 1877 he opened a drug store in Palmyra
and in the same year he was appointed Postmaster at Palmyra, which position he
has acceptably filled since that time. He was without means when he came
to this country, but by close economy, integrity and perseverance has
accumulated a good home and substantial business. Mr. Evans was
married in 1879 to Miss Elizabeth V. Evans, a native of Palmyra, Ohio.
Their living children are John V. and Alfred D. Mr. Evans
devotes all his spare time to his ministerial duties.
Source:
History of Portage County, Ohio - Vol. 2 - by Warner, Beers & Co. - 1885
- Page 779 |
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Palmyra Twp. -
THOMAS EVANS, proprietor of saloon and restaurant, came to Palmyra, this county,
in June, 1879, and was engaged in the mines about one year, when he struck a
coal shaft and opened a bank which he sold to a profit. Subsequently he
opened a saloon, in which business he has since been actively engaged. He
erected his present structure in 1882, where he carries a large stock of
liquors, wines, cigars, etc., and has a pool table in connection with his place.
He has been successful in this business. Mr. Evans is a native of
Wales, where he was born in 1852, and is a son of George and Ellen Evans.
He was married in his native land in 1878, to Miss Eliza Griffith, by
whom he has three children: Arthur, David G. and Mary Ellen.
He is a member of K. of P. He numbers among the active business men of
this place.
Source:
History of Portage County, Ohio - Vol. 2 - by Warner, Beers & Co. - 1885
- Page 780 |
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Brimfield Twp. -
JOHN EVITTS, farmer, P. O. Kent, was born in Lancaster
County, Penn., Jan. 24, 1827; son of Daniel and Sarah (Stone) Evitts, who
were the parents of six children: Margaret, wife of Perry Merton; Mary,
wife of Samuel Cotton (deceased); Magdalena, wife of Martin
Brazor (deceased); John, Joseph (deceased) and David. Mr.
and Mrs. Daniel Evitts (located in Springfield Township (now in Summit
County), in 1832, clearing and improving a farm on which they lived until 1842,
when they settled in Brimfield Township, this county, on the farm now owned by
William Gettes, which they cleared and improved, and where they lived and
died. Our subject remained with his parents until nineteen years of age,
and for the succeeding four years worked by the month as a farm hand. He
was married Feb. 21, 1850, to Catherine, daughter of Joseph Williard,
who settled on the farm now occupied by our subject in 1826. To this union
were born three children; Electa C., wife of Thomas Lighton; Ida C.,
wife of Frank W. Koon (deceased); and Flora A. (deceased).
There are three grandchildren: Clyde E. Lighton, Evitts G. P. Koon and
Frank W. Koon, Jr. Mr. Evitts has served his township one term as
Trustee. In politics he is a Democrat.
Source:
History of Portage County, Ohio - Vol. 2 - by Warner, Beers & Co. - 1885 -
Page 607 |
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