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Biographies
Source:
† Centennial History of Summit County, Ohio
and Representative Citizens
Publ. by Biographical Publishing Co.
Chicago, Ill -
1908
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1908 BIOGRAPHICAL INDEX
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J.
FRANK TEEPLE, one of Akron's well known business men,
who does a large real estate and collection business, with
offices in the Walsh Block, was born in Franklin
Township, Summit County, Ohio, in 1866, and is a son of
Aaron Teeple, who was a substantial citizen of that
section.
J. Frank Teeple was mainly educated in a select
school at Copley, and this was supplemented by a business
course under O. S. Warner, after which he became
interested in the grocery line, in which he continued for
sixteen years, during nine of these for other parties and
seven years for himself. After selling out his grocery
interests, Mr. Teeple started a collection agency and
also went into the real estate business, having a valuable
allotment on West Market Street. He handles a
considerable amount of his own property, and among his
fellow citizens is considered a man of his word and of most
excellent business judgment.
In February, 1892, Mr. Teeple was married to
Minnie M. Howes. He is a first-class citizen and
takes an active part in all local affairs, lending his
influence in support of public-spirited measures on all
occasions. He is a Knight of Pythias and a member of
the Modern Woodmen.
†
Source:
Centennial History of Summit County, Ohio and
Representative Citizens - Publ. by Biographical Publishing
Co. - Chicago, Ill. - 1908 - Page 822 |
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BENJAMIN F. THOMPSON
†
Source:
Centennial History of Summit County, Ohio and
Representative Citizens - Publ. by Biographical Publishing
Co. - Chicago, Ill. - 1908 - Page 362 |
| |
DR. MOSES THOMPSON - See
Sherman P. Thompson
†
Source:
Centennial History of Summit County, Ohio and
Representative Citizens - Publ. by Biographical Publishing
Co. - Chicago, Ill. - 1908 - Page 1099 |
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OTIS REED THOMPSON,
proprietor of the Crystal Creek Celery Farm, a tract
of 171 acres, situated in Stow Township, has been a
prominent citizen of this section for a number of years.
Mr. Thompson was born Sept. 12, 1849, at Hartville,
Lake Township, Stark County, Ohio, and is a son of
Benjamin F. and Susanne (Werner)
Thompson.
BENJAMIN F. THOMPSON was born
Jan. 13, 1820, in the same house and on the same father
John Thompson, having been a very early settler in Stark
County. All through his active life he has been
engaged extensively in farming, has bought and sold cattle
on a large scale and raised many sheep. In politics he
is a Republican, but he has paid less attention to
office-holding than many others whose business interests
were not so large. He has been twice married and he
and his first and second wife have been consistent and
active members of the Methodist Episcopal Church.
Benjamin F. Thompson was married (first) to
Susanne Werner who died in 1863. She was a
daughter of John Werner, of Stark County, Ohio, and
she became the mother of eight children, six of whom reached
maturity, as follows: John L. residing at
Cuyahoga Falls; Henry, residing in Cuyahoga Falls
Township; Emily, who married Travella Wilcox,
and resides in Cleveland; Mary, wife of Cyrus
Yerrick, and residing in Akron; Otis Reed; and
Loretta, who married William Lane. Emily
and Loretta are deceased. Mr.
Thompson was married (second) to Martha Linn, of
New Berlin, Ohio, and they have had one son, Harvey,
who resides at Cuyahoga Falls.
Otis Reed Thompson was reared in a home where
all material comforts were abundant, but his educational
advantages were very limited. He was only fifteen
years of age when he enlisted as a drummer boy in Company A,
19th Regiment, Ohio Volunteer Infantry, under Col.
Charles F. Manderson, who he remained in the service a
little over two years. The first battle in which his
mettle was tried, was at Ringold Station, below Chattanooga.
He later took part in the Atlanta campaign, was engaged in
battle of Franklin, Tennessee, later on participated in the
second battle of Nashville, after which he went with his
regiment to Texas. After his honorable discharge from
the army in which he had displayed the enthusiasm of youth
and the bravery of manhood, Mr. Thompson returned to
Lake Township and remained at home with his father whom he
greatly assisted. Some two years later he accompanied
his father and step-mother, the latter of whom was a kind,
motherly woman, to Stow Township, where they settled on a
farm on which the Test Station now stands. His parents
subsequently moved to Cuyahoga Falls, but Otis Reed
remained on that farm for fourteen years.
From the age of fourteen Mr. Thompson was trusted by
his father with business affairs, having shown rare good
judgment, even in childhood, concerning the handling of
stock. During most of his subsequent life, Mr.
Thompson has given special attention to this line of
industry, for many years being a noted breeder of stock and
fine horses; and even now, when his main attention is
directed to another industry, he still breeds Shetland
ponies and at the present writing (1907) has twenty-four
head of these beautiful little animals. On the above
farm, Mr. Thompson also ran a dairy, raising many
cows at that time and there started his horse-breeding
industry which later assumed such large proportions.
In 1888 he bought his present farm of 171 acres, naming it
appropriately the Crystal Creek Stock Farm, for the
breeding of trotting and draft horses from registered stock.
Mr. Thompson improved his farm with the idea of
developing speed, along with other good qualities in the
horses he bred, to this end building a half mile track,
where matinee races were held as long as he devoted his
attention to that industry. He raised many notable
horses, among them being Fanny Wilkes, who easily
made a record of 2.26 104, and that was not the limit of her
speed. She was used mainly as a brood mare.
Mr. Thompson also bred the noted horse Jessie Wilkes,
who made a record of 28 1-4 and a trial mile of 2.11.
Mr. Thompson was offered $7,000 for her, but she died
on his hands. Mr. Thompson has since bred
Cardinal Wilkes, and Noble Wilkes, who made a mark of 29
1-4.
Mr. Thompson continued in the horse business on
his place until within the past twelve years, and he is
still interested in the breeding of draft horses, being
president of the Springdale Horse Company, which imported
the Belgian stallion, Toto to improve the breed of
local draft horses. this noble animal was import July
2, 1903, at a cost of $3,000. He was approved by the
Belgian government to stand for public service in Belgium,
and was also approved by the French government to stand for
public service in France. It is generally conceded
that the Belgian is the coming breed of draft horses.
During all the time that Mr. Thompson was
engaged in the horse business, he also ran a large dairy,
having a milk route at Cuyahoga Falls and supplying milk to
Fair Oaks Villa for many years.
About the time that Mr. Thompson retired from
the breeding of horses, he turned his attention to another
profitable industry, the growing of celery, his celery tract
covering about twenty-five acres, on which he raises
something like $5,000 worth of the succulent vegetable a
year, with the work of eight employes. He raises also
corn, wheat and oats, and, as mentioned above, gives
attention to his Shetland ponies. It will be seen that
Mr. Thompson is a man of great business capacity and
occupies a very prominent place in the attention of his
fellow citizens. He has had the foresight to enable
him to see favorable business opportunities, and has had the
courage to push forward and make every enterprise to which
he has given direct attention, a success.
When nineteen years of age Mr. Thompson was
married to Isabella Machmer, who is a daughter
of John Machmer, of Lake Township, Stark
County. They have three children, namely: Pinetta,
who married Frederick Hibbard, residing in
Stow Township; Lillian, who married W. C. Keenan,
residing at Akron; and Roy Otis. In
1906, Mr. Thompson erected what is probably
the finest rural residence in this county. It is
modern in every particular, equipped with hot and cold
water, with a sewerage system that carries the waste to a
distant creek running through the farm. The house is
placed on an eminence which gives a beautiful view of the
surrounding country, with a handsomely shaded lawn sloping
from the front to the highway. He has three other
dwellings on the farm which are occupied by his employes.
Other substantial improvements made by Mr.
Thompson, include the fine bank barn which was built in
1895, its dimensions being 40 by 60 feet, with 18-foot
posts. Prior to this, in 1887, he built the horse barn
which is 70 by 26 feet in dimensions, with 16-foot posts.
For fourteen years he has been a director of the Summit
County Agricultural Society and he has served as expert
judge of horses and cattle at county fairs all over the
State. In politics he is a Republican, but he has
never sought political office. Since its organization,
he has been a member of Eddy Post, Grand Army of the
Republic at Cuyahoga Falls. He is termed the "celery
king" on account of his success in growing celery and to the
fact that he is the largest grower in this part of Ohio.
Personally, Mr. Thompson is a man who
impresses one with his vigor and enterprise.
†
Source:
Centennial History of Summit County, Ohio and
Representative Citizens - Publ. by Biographical Publishing
Co. - Chicago, Ill. - 1908 - Page 362 |
Sherman P. Thompson |
SHERMAN P. THOMPSON,
one of Hudson Township's representative men, where he owns a
large estate, consisting of 335 acres of valuable
highly-improved land, was born in Summit County, Ohio, Feb.
2, 1840. He is a son of Hon. Sylvester
H. and Caroline D. (Peck) Thompson and a
grandson of Dr. Moses Thompson.
Dr. Moses Thompson was born Jan. 22, 1776, at
Goshen, Connecticut, where he was liberally educated and
became a medical practitioner. On Dec. 22, 1797, he
married Elizabeth Mills and immediately afterward
moved to Kinderhook, New York. There he practiced his
profession until 1800, when he joined the first party of
settlers coming to Summit County. He accompanied
David Hudson and purchased 750 acres of land in the
southwestern part of Hudson Township, for himself and two
brothers, Abraham and Stephen, and for his father,
Deacon Stephen Thompson. Dr. Thompson then walked
back to Connecticut, making the trip in twelve days, and in
the spring of 1801, accompanied by his wife and one child,
he returned to Summit County and settled on a farm two miles
southwest of Hudson, where he spent the rest of his life.
On this land he built a log house, which he later replaced
by what was considered a very grand house in those days.
He lived to the venerable age of over eighty-two years, and
even then an accident terminated a life which has been in
high degree useful to his fellow-citizens. He was the
first medical practitioner in what is now Portage County,
and the territory over which he practiced covered a radius
of fifty miles. During the War of 1812, Dr.
Thompson served as a surgeon. His land in the
meantime had proved very productive, and he engaged in the
business of shipping produce from it to the southern
markets. He was an earnest supporter of all religious
and educational enterprises, gave liberally to charity and
was a leading man of his day and locality.
Dr. Thompson has the following children:
Eliza Lemira, who married Horace Metcalf; Susan,
who married Horace Holbrook; Mills; Emily, who became
the widow of Samuel Woods; Sylvested H. and Virgil
M.; Ruth B., who married Leander Starr; Mary, who
married John Hazelton; Martha who died aged
twenty-two years; and Elizabeth, who never married,
and survived all the other members of the family.
HON. SYLVESTER H. THOMPSON,
father of Sherman P., was born July 28, 1808, on the
old homestead, and attended the preparatory school in the
Western Reserve. He was reared as a farmer and when
twenty-two years old began farming on his own account.
On May 14, 1832, he was married to Caroline D. Peck,
who was born Dec. 6, 1808, at Waterbury, Connecticut.
She met Sylvester H. Thompson, whom she subsequently
married, while on a visit to her brother at Hudson.
She died Nov. 23, 1876, having been the mother of seven
children, as follows: Charles S., now deceased;
Sherman P., whose name begins this sketch; Martha
E., who married P. G. Clark and resides at
Cleveland; Theodore F., residing in Akron; Albert
S., residing at Cleveland; and two died in childhood.
Judge Thompson died Jan. 15, 1883, aged seventy-four
years, five months and seventeen days.
After his marriage, Sylvester H. Thompson went
to farming on a tract of land for which his father paid
$420. He soon gained the esteem of his
fellow-citizens, and was called upon to hold office more or
less all through his life. He served first as
assessor, and in other positions, and then was elected
justice of the peace, an office he resigned within one
year in order to accept an appointment as associate judge.
He served in this latter capacity from 1845 until the office
was abolished by the new state constitution in 1851.
In 1864 he was appointed commissioner of the Cleveland &
Pittsburg Railroad. For thirteen years he was
connected with the City Bank of Akron. In all things
he worked faithfully for the good of the community, and the
annals of this section of Summit County show his usefulness
and prominence in public affair.
Sherman Peck Thompson was born on the farm now
occupied by Judge Phillips,, and was there reared
until six years of age, when his father settled on what is
now the Township farm, west of the depot, in Hudson.
He resided until Sept. 12, 1861, on this place, which he
purchased from his brother in 1862. He has erected all
the buildings except a part of his residence, and,
distributed over his property, he has fifteen houses and
barns, besides a number of silos. He rents three
properties in Cleveland. When he came here first he
had 130 acres, which he has increased to 335, the larger
part of the property being under the capable management of
his son. Dairying has been made a specialty, and at
one time as many as seventy milch cows were kept. His
land is well adapted to the growing of both wheat and
potatoes, and Mr. Thompson recalls that one year he
harvested 7,000 bushels of the tubers. His orchards
have also been great producers. The history of
apple-growing in this section is interesting. The
first apples were probably grown on the old Dr. Thompson
place, trees having been produced from seeds taken from a
piece of pomace, which Dr. Thompson inadvertently
picked up when he stopped to feed his ox-team, when coming
through Pennsylvania in 1801. The wonderful vitality
of the seeds were shown by their producing trees, some of
which are still living. The late Judge Thompson
remembered the appearance of one apple that was grown in
1813, and what a temptation it was to the eager children who
scarcely permitted it to reach perfection.
In early manhood Mr. Thompson was married to
Cordelia M. Chamberlain, who was born in Hudson
Township, north of Hudson, and is a daughter of Amos and
Jerusha (Crane) Chamberlain. Her father came to
Ohio from Winchester, Connecticut, before he had attained
maturity. William Chamberlain, Mrs. Thompson's
grandfather, emigrated from England to Connecticut, in 1780,
and with his wife came to Ohio in 1809, settling on a farm
in Hudson Township, where he lived until the death of his
wife, when he made his home with his son Amos.
The latter married Jerusha Crane, who was born at
Saulsbury, Connecticut, and they had ten children as
follows: Horace, residing in Northfield
Township; Harris, residing on the old John Brown
farm in Hudson; Schyler, also residing on the
Brown farm; Mark who died in infancy; Laura,
who married Mr. Egbert, a resident of Akron;
Orville, residing at Freedom; Catherine, who is
unmarried, residing at Hudson; Cordelia M.,
who married Sherman P. Thompson; and Henry,
who married Mary Thompson. Amos Chamberlain
had a farm of 288 acres, the larger part of which he cleared
himself. The family settled in a log house there at a
time when wolves and bears were very plentiful.
Mr. and Mrs. Thompson have had five children,
namely: Charles Sylvester, born at Hudson, Ohio, Feb.
18, 1864, died Feb. 6, 1879; Eddie S., born Apr. 17,
1866, died young; Ferderick Sherman, born Jan. 4,
1868, was married to Lillian M. Terry, Oct. 18, 1893,
who died Apr. 26, 1898, leaving two children - Carroll
born Oct. 24,1894, and Lynn M., born Apr. 19, 1898;
Caroline Estella, born Aug. 28, 1870, died May 28,
1879; and Corda May born May 8, 1876, who married
Carl Case Scott, Oct. 9, 1901, and has two children -
Sherman and Dorothy. Their home is within
one and one-half miles of Hudson.
Mr. Thompson is independent in politics.
Formerly he was identified with the Republican party, but
voted with the Democratic party during Mr. Bryan's
first campaign, since which time he has been disconnected
from both of the leading political organizations. He
has never sought political preferment for himself.
†
Source:
Centennial History of Summit County, Ohio and
Representative Citizens - Publ. by Biographical Publishing
Co. - Chicago, Ill. - 1908 - Page 1099 |
| |
SYLVESTER THOMPSON -
See
Sherman P. Thompson
†
Source:
Centennial History of Summit County, Ohio and
Representative Citizens - Publ. by Biographical Publishing
Co. - Chicago, Ill. - 1908 - Page 1100 |
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VIRGIL THOMPSON - See
Fred T. Ellsworth
†
Source:
Centennial History of Summit County, Ohio and
Representative Citizens - Publ. by Biographical Publishing
Co. - Chicago, Ill. - 1908 - Page 409 |
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AARON THORNTON -
See Harvey Thornton
†
Source:
Centennial History of Summit County, Ohio and
Representative Citizens - Publ. by Biographical Publishing
Co. - Chicago, Ill. - 1908 - Page 652 |
| |
HARVEY THORNTON,
a representative agriculturalist who is carrying on farming
on a part of the old Thornton homestead, a 100-acre tract of
fine land situated in the northeastern corner of Franklin
Township, was born in the brick house located just across
the channel from his present residence, Summit County, Ohio,
Mar. 20, 1876, and is a son of Aaron Thornton.
Samuel Thornton, the grandfather of Harvey,
was one of the first settlers of this district, where at one
time he owned 800 acres of land, 200 of which is now South
Akron. He donated a large amount of land to Akron,
including Thornton Street and Pleasant Park. In his
latter years he removed from his farm in Franklin Township
to Akron, where his death took place. His widow
resides at Akron, aged eighty years.
AARON THORNTON, father of
Harvey, was born in Franklin Township, Summit County,
Ohio, on his father's farm, which he made his home until
1893, when he removed to Akron. His wife, who is a
native of Snyder County, Pennsylvania, came to Franklin
Township, in girlhood, on a visit to her sister. Her
father died when she was an infant. Here she met
Mr. Thornton, whom she later married. Three
children were born to this union: May who died
in childhood; Harvey; and Bessie, who married
Russell Robison of Akron.
Harvey Thornton remained on the home farm in
Franklin Township until he was sixteen years of age, when he
removed with the family to Akron, where he assisted his
father in a coal business, until his marriage. He then
settled on his present farm, where he has followed farming
and threshing ever since, with the exception of a short
period, when he engaged in a grocery business at Akron.
He has been an active citizen and taken an interest in
township affairs. In 1901 he served in the office of
road supervisor and at present is a school director.
Mr. Thornton and family belong to the Lutheran
Church.
On Jan. 5, 1898, Mr. Thornton married Bertha
Diehl and they have three children, namely:
Floyd, Fern and Robert. The parents of
Mrs. Thornton are William and Eliza (Diehl) Diehl,
residents of Barberton. They have the following
children: Hattie who married Charles Swigart,
residing in Franklin Township; Edward, who resides at
East Liberty; Curtis who resides at Barberton;
Bertha, who is the wife of Harvey Thornton; and
Wallace, who lives at Barberton. William
Diehl was born in Pennsylvania and his wife in Stark
County, Ohio. They were prominent residents of
Franklin Township for many years, but in 1904 removed to
Barberton.
†
Source:
Centennial History of Summit County, Ohio and
Representative Citizens - Publ. by Biographical Publishing
Co. - Chicago, Ill. - 1908 - Page 652 |
| |
ROBERT TURNER,
residing on his valuable farm in Portage Township, lying
just outside of the limits of the city of Akron, came to
this locality from the city where he was engaged for many
years in a manufacturing business.
Mr. Turner was born in Norfolk, England,
Jan. 5, 1833, and is a son of James and Mary (Walker)
Turner. He was reared in England and remained in
his native land until 1852. After he left school he
began work in a flour mill and served an apprenticeship of
five years to the millers' trade. When he left
England, his objective point was Akron, which city he
reached on July 8, 1852, and on the following day he went to
work at the old Center mill, operated by the
Allen-Perkins Company. Here he remained for ten
years and three months, for eight years of which time he was
head miller. On July 1, 1862, Mr. Turner bought
a steam flour-mill of George Ayliff, which he
operated until 1872, when he sold it and bought the woolen
factory on Cherry Street. This he converted into an
oatmeal mill, having for 1864 made oatmeal in the steam
mill. He continued the manufacture of oatmeal until
1881, when he sold out to J. H. Hower & Sons.
Mr. Turner had been living up to this time in a
comfortable home on North Summit Street, which he now traded
for a farm of ninety acres, known as the old Judge Pitkin
farm. This land, on account of its location, is
each year becoming more valuable, and Mr. Turner is
selling town lots from it, and the time is selling town lots
from it, and the time is not far distant when this will be
one of the finest residential parts of Akron.
In 1858 Mr. Turner was married to Jane Cooper,
who died in February, 1892. The children of this
marriage were: Robert, who died young; Addie,
residing in Akron; Nellie M., who married George
W. Carpenter, residing in Akron; and Robert,
residing also in Akron. Mr. Turner was married
(second) to Emma E. Gibbons, who is a daughter of
Edward Gibbons. Mr. Turner was born and
reared in England and accompanied her brother to America
when she was twenty-five years of age. She learned
stenography and secured a position, first with William
Taylor Son & Company, and later was with the William
Bingham Company, where she continued until her marriage
in 1893 to Mr. Turner.
Since becoming an American citizen, Mr. Turner
has been a loyal supporter of the Government, serving during
the Civil War as a member of the Sixty-fourth Ohio Volunteer
Infantry, which was stationed for the 100-day term of Akron.
He has since served acceptably in various offices of
responsibility, to which his fellow citizens elected him.
For ten years he was a director of the old Portage Township
school and for years was a member of the Summit County
Agricultural Society, being its treasurer for a part of the
time. Fraternally he is a Mason, belonging to Akron
Lodge, No. 83, A. P. & A. M., and the Royal Arch Chapter,
also of Akron.
†
Source:
Centennial History of Summit County, Ohio and
Representative Citizens - Publ. by Biographical Publishing
Co. - Chicago, Ill. - 1908 - Page 380 |
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