Camden Township (part 2 of 5)

This worthy couple have now lived together harmoniously for fifty-three years, having celebrated their golden wedding three years ago, surrounded by many relatives and friends. They had eleven children, of whom six survive. The names of the children are as follows: Melinda, deceased ; Minerva and Maria, twins ; the former lives in Penfield, the latter in Michigan; Elizabeth, died in Kansas, Alonzo B. died of disease contracted in the army, at-Mount Vernon, Kentucky ; Hiram H. resides in Nebraska, Emma L. deceased ; Edna, resides in Oberlin ; Clapp R., Marian A., deceased. 'Those living are all married and settled in life and are good and respectable citizens.

Mr. Starr is a republican in politics, and was formerly an oldline whig. He was elected to the office of justice of the peace in his township, but resigned after serving about a year, feeling as thongh'his time was required in the management of his personal affairs. He has also been elected to other township offices. Mr. and Mrs. Starr are both members of the Methodist Episcopal church, the latter having joined it in the days of her youth. Mr. Starrnow owns a fine farm of two hundred and thirty-seven and a half acres, located at the center, an illustration of the buildings of which, with portraits of himself and wife, appears on another page of this work.

Mr. and Mrs. Starr are not only among the pioneers of their town, but are also among its most respectable and influential citizens; and no history of the town of Penfield would have been complete without a representation of themselves and their home. Their entire career has been characterized by 'an honest endeavor to promote the best interests of their children, and to leave a record behind them worthy the emulation of those who follow. Industry, economy and a determination to succeed have been the prime factors of their life work, and the results have been alike flattering and well deserved.

Street Goodyear And Family

Eli Goodyear, father of Street, the subject of this sketch, married Sally Hitchcock, both residents of Hampden, Connecticut. They had five children, viz: Chester, Wooster, Ezra, Lucinda and Street.

' Street Goodyear was born May 19, 1808, and unfortunately, during his youthful days, he had little opportunity of gaining even a good common school education; but being possessed of a quick and active brain, he, by observation, or rather by intuitive perception, acquired good business qualifications, enabling him to make progress where others might have failed. At the age of eight years he was left without a protector to shield him from the rough, thorny pathway won his way step by step up the rugged hill of fortune. He was married November 25, 1834, to Miss Susan A. Jones, of North Madison, Connecticut.

Mr. Joseph and Mrs. Lucy (Austin) Jones were residents of North Madison, Connecticut. They were parents of twelve children, viz: Sally M., Lewis, Austin, Lucy Ann, Nancy, Polly, Caroline, Joseph, Emeline, Henrietta, George and Susan A., all born in North Madison, Connecticut. All are now living excepting Polly and Lucy Ann.

After marriage, Mr. and Mrs. Street Goodyear settled in Northford, Connecticut, where four of their children were born, viz: Jane Ann, born March 27, 1836; Gilbert L., born June 25, 1837; Francis R., born October 12, 1841, died October 29, 1849; and Edward 8., born August 29, 1843.

In the fall of 1844, the family removed to Penfield, Lorain county, Ohio, establishing a new home amid the wilds of an unbroken forest, where wild beasts roamed at night in search of prey. After settling in this pioneer home, two more jewels were added to the mother's crown, viz: Douglas J., born. June 14, 1846; Lucy Ann, born January 4, 1851. Jane Ann married Hiram Witbeck and settled in Penfield; number of children seven. Gilbert L. married Nettie Stewart, of Hinkley, Medina county - only one heir. Edward S. married Miss Mary Crane, of Penfield; they have two children. Douglas J. married Miss Mary E. Ecker, of Rousburg, Ashland county, Ohio, three heirs; Lucy Ann remains single, ministering to the wants of the many. Like a sister of mercy, doing good as opportunities are presented.

' Mr. and Mrs. Goodyear, early experiencing a change of heart, they became members of the Congregational church in Northford, Connecticut, remaining in good and regular standing until their removal to Ohio,

After a short sojourn in their pioneer home they united with the Methodist Episcopal church, becoming active and efficient members, and workers in the vineyard of the Lord.

The toils and struggles consequent upon a pioneer life, and the many cares laid upon willing hands, have quite unfitted Mrs. Goodyear for enjoying the blessing of health. She being an invalid, is dependent upon others to guide the faltering footsteps along the shore of time. Of a quiet and pleasing address, and social temperament, she wins affection, and binds with cords of love the hearts of her household.

Although Mr. Goodyear's life has been one of almost constant toil, he has ever been personally a stranger to sickness, and yet remains an active, energetic man for one of his years. His persevering industry has yielded a competence sufficient for all necessary wants, and he is wont to compare the present with the past, when immediate wants compelled him to work for his more fortunate neighbors, receiying his pay in grain, which he was forced to take upon

How little the sons and daughters of the present time know of the toils and struggles endured to secure the independence now enjoyed by them. If they would seek for enlightenment, let them question such men as Mr. Goodyear, whose life lessons were learned in the tread-mill of experience.

La Grange

LA GRANGE is township number four, range seventeen. It presents to one who drives through its territory an appearance of thrift and plenty. Broad, well tilled fields, huge barns, almost bursting with their store, snug farm houses, and beautiful villas meet the eye upon all sides, and silently attest the wisdom, the energy, and the cultivated taste of their owners.

Physical Featukes

The township is almost perfectly level, except in the extreme eastern and western parts, where it is traversed by small streams. Here the surface is somewhat rolling, The east branch of the Black river flows from south to north, through the eastern portion of the township, and Wellington creek, a small rivulet, diversifies the western part, and adds a pleasing element to the landscape. The soil is, for the most part, clay, oraclay loam, though there are small areas in which sand and gravel appear. Deep down, under all, is the solid sandstone, which, had it lain nearer the surface, would have proved a vast element of wealth. It only appears at the surface in the northwest corner of the township, where it is quarried in a small way.

The Original Proprietors

of La Grange township were Henry Champion and Lemuel Storrs, the former having drawn two-thirds and the latter one third of the land. These men also had three thousand, seven hundred acres in tract eight, range nineteen, now in Brighton and Camden. In 1825, Champion conveyed his portion of the lands to his son-in-law, Elizur Goodrich, of Hartford, Connecticut. Goodrich was not long in possession of his western estate, for he began exchanging it, in the summer of the same year, for New York State property. Nathan Clark, Roger Phelps, Noah Holcomb, and James Pelton, of Jefferson county, were the first to obtain land of him, and soon others followed their example, the ' westward, ho!" fever extended, and so it came about that a colony of New Yorkers was located in the wilderness of southern Lorain county.

Phelps, Holcomb, and Pelton, in the autumn of 1825, came out to examine the land. After a short stay, they returned, and made so favorable a report that others, among whom were David and Asa Rockwood, Fairchild Hubbard, Joseph Robbins, Sylvester Merriam, and Levi Johnson were induced to purchase farms. They, too, exchanged lands with Goodrich.

The First Settlement

was made by Nathan Clark, on the 14th day of November, 1825. Ciark was a native of Harlem, Connecticut, and was married in 1816, to Ann Loomis, who came with him to Ohio. He settled near the east branch of Black river, and resided there for some time, but afterward bought lot number fifty-one, upon which he remained until 1855, when he removed to Michigan, in which State he died in 1860. His first

As soon as the season of 1826 opened so as to allow journeying over the rough roads, and through the almost unbroken woods, the families of Noah Holcomb, Sylvester Merriam, James Disbrow, Joseph A. Graves, James Pelton, Levi Johnson, Curtis Hastings, Charles Rounds and two sons, Joseph Robbins, David and Asa Rockwood and Henry Townsend came into the township, and each established a rude and primitive home. Fairchild Hubbard came in November, from Brighton, where he had been living-for several months.

There were, in the latter part of the year 1826, seventy persons within the present limits of LaGrange, some in the east, some in the west, some at the center of the township. All however were neighbors. Men living five miles apart in those days knew more of each other than do many now-a-days who occupy the same city house, and felt more truly friendly concern for each other than exists at present, in most cases, between neighbors whose gardens adjoin. Half a century ago there was a vast deal of sincerity in the daily greetings of the people, a sincerity which the Amerwi

Hulu

Although there was now quite a settlement, people who had been accustomed to the more advanced conditions of life upon the farms or in the villages of New York, felt an almost unbearable sense of loneliness. was new to them, and their hearts turned fondly back to the old love, to the place of their birth and early life, around which hung the halo of the dearest associations and memories. At this period, there was scarcely a@ man or woman in the little colony who would not have gladly returned to the old home, had it been feasible to leave the new without sacrificing everything. Several did leave. Those who remained overcame more obstacles, and in the end accomplished more than their fondest hope had ever painted. The country, they found, was not all that the first enthuastic writers had represented it to be. 'The soil was of a nature difficult to handle with the rude implements they had; teaming was difficult, on account of the wet condition of the undrained ground; and the timber was of extremely large growth, rendering the clearing of the forest a greater task than in many other portions of the country: There were many hardships to be endured. Food was at certain seasons hard to obtain. Leeks grew in abundance, and were for a time about the only edible vegetable that the settlers could procure. The cows fed upon them, and their milk was tainted: by the pungent bulbs. Cattle were too valuable to be slaughtered for food; and when game failed, some of the hardy pioneers were driven to expedients which their grand-children or great-grand-children of to-day would fancy they could not endure. Itis related of the children in one family, that in a time when the provision store was low, they obtained their principal sustenance from basswood buds, which they climbed the trees to get. Murrain attacked the cattle, and often the pioneer was obliged to lose the value of considerable time expended in preparing the soil for a crop, because his oxen were suddenly stricken with this disease, to which they generally succumbed. There were few vehicles of any kind in the settlement. One man owned a wagon, of which he frequently made two carts, which he rented to the neighbors. 'The price paid for the loan of one of them to make a journey to Elyria was a day's work in logging.

There was every thing to overcome, and but very little at hand to do it with. The men who persevered in the long, hard struggle, and hewed out homes for themselves from the primeval forest, made the begining of what is now one of the most thriving, wealthy and respectable communities in the county. Every pioneer who entered the Reserve, was a hero who should be reverently and thankfully remembered by those whom he prepared the way, and as fully as the limited knowledge of the facts and the limited force of words will permit.

bins alone remains to tell of the privation and toil of the early settlers. He is still living at the age of ninety years, the father of eight children, three of whom, Nicholas L., George H. and Mrs. Delos Dernier reside in the township. Nicholas L. lives upon a farm of one hundred and thirty-three acres, a mile or more west of the center, with his wife Harriet Lamoure, daughter of an early settler, and is probably as well preserved a man of three score years, as the county contains. George H. is a merchant, and it is under his roof that his aged father's later years have been spent. Josiah, or Deacon Robbins, as he is generally known, came from Champion, Jefferson county, New York, in 1826, and settled one mile west of the present village, upon the farm now owned by Allen Sanders. He lived here with his wife, Mehitable Hurlburt, for thirty-five years, and then came to the corners. He is a man whom all revere, and his long life has been spent for the good of all who have been within the reach of its influence. Mehitable,

Of the other settlers who came at the same time Deacon Robbins entered the county, and all of whom are now dead, but little can be learned. Noah Holcomb settled upon a farm on the southeast corner of the township; Sylvester Merriam in the eastern part on what is now the River road. He died in 1862, May sixth. James Disbrow settled on the same road in the southern part of the township. Joseph A. Graves located on the east and west road near the boundary of Grafton. Fairchild Hubbard settled near the center, led a long and useful life, and was widely known and respected for his many good qualities. He died in 1859, at the age of ecighty-cight years.

One Hundred Years Old

David Rockwood, born in Manchester, New Iampshire, October 4, 1777, married Roba, daughter of Charles Rounds, of Champion, New York, and came to LaGrange in 1826, arriving on the 5th of June. He was the oldest man in the township when he dicd, having reached the age of one hundred years one mouth and twenty-five days. Ie died November 28, 1877, having been a resident of LaGrange for over half a century. The helpmate who came with 'him had an experience of pioneer life in strange disproportion to his. She died the year after coming into her new home and was the first person who passed over to the silent majority from the little settlement. Mr. Rockwood married Polly or Patty Graves in 1828, and she died in 1844. Two years afterwards he married Mrs. Lindsley, of Elyria. David Rockwood was the father of thirteen children, three of whom live in LaGrange. F. W. Rockwood lives upon a farm in the northwest corner of the township, near the one upon which his father settled. There are also two daughters - Mrs. Emeline Gott and Mrs. Palina Bussell. There-are twenty-two grandchildren, descendants of David Rockwood, and thirty-eight great-grandchildren.

The funeral was held December 2d, four days after the decease of the centennarian pioneer, and was one of the most impressive ceremonies ever witnessed in the vicinity. The sermon was preached by the Rev. John Mitchell, before a very large audience composed of the people of LaGrange and the aged friends of the deceased from adjoining and distant townships. After its conclusion the masonic fraternity, of which Mr. Rockwood had been a member for over seventy years, took charge of the service and conducted their solemn burial rite. David Rockwood well illustrated the truth of the old saying, that the longest life is too short. He said upon the one hundredth anniversary of his birth that as he looked back upon his pilgrimage it seemed brief, very brief.

Asa Rockwood, who came into the eountry about the same time as his brother David, remained in LaGrange but a short time and then removed to Pittsfield. John Rockwood, a nephew, came to the township in 1828, and made the first settlement on the street north of the center, on the farm now owned by W. W. Noble.

In 1827 there were a number of additions to the population of the township, prominent among whom was Rey. Julius Beeman, of Otsego county, New York. He was promised by Goodrich fifty acres of land on condition that he would move into the township and officiate as a minister of the gospel for ten years. He accepted, and :fter the lapse of ten years, during which he had done good service in the settlement for his religion, received a deed of the property. He was the first preacher who settled in the neighborhood and the only one for miles around. His work was not confined to LaGrange, for he rode into all of the adjoining territory and held services in a number of localities at considerable distance from his home. He died in 1853, at the advanced age of eighty, retaining his faculties in a marked degree of excellence to the lust. He was a native of Warren, Litchfield county, Connecticut, and was born January 28, 1773. He commenced preaching when twentyeight years old, in Rensselaer county, New York, having been ordained in 1803.

Calvin Wilcox was another of the settlers of 1827. He was born November 7%, 1796, in Charlestown, Montgomery county, New York, and came to Wellington in 1825. Two years later he settled at La- Grange center, and married Harriet, a daughter of Fairchild Hubbard. He was a man who held deservedly the high esteem of his neighbors, and through their election held various offices of honor and trust. He died in 1871.

Hewey Noble came in 1828 from New York, and made the second settlement upon the road north of the center, on the farm owned in 1878 by Mr. Blackwell. He died upon this place in 1871.

Russell Loomis, now living aged ninety-two' years, came in 1829, and took up a farm lying next the one upon which he now lives, which is in lot fifty. He was born in 1786, in Coventry, Connecticut. He has one son living in the same house with him, R. N., aged sixty-two years.

Jeremiah Filley was a noteworthy and eccentric genius, who came into the township in 1830. It is said that he cleared and caused to be cleared over two thousand six hundred acres of land. He was a remarkably shrewd man in bargaining, an energetic, wide awake man in the now fast growing community, and a great hunter.

An Indian Incident

of curious character, in which Filley played a prominent part, is always suggested to old settlers by the mention of his name. Most of the Indians had disappeared from the county by the time Filley arrived, but a few remained, and usually made their place of rendezvous Indian Hollow, in Carlisle township. They were occasionally to be seen sweeping through the woods upon their pouies, in pursuit of deer, and sometimes camped within the territory of La Grange. Filley had met them more than once, and had doubtless resorted to various means to get them to leave the country. At anyrate, they were known to entertain anything but friendly feelings toward him. One day while hunting, he came upon a party of them, and after a short conversation, succeeded in rousing the kill him. He saw that there was no lack of intention on their part, and resorted to a bold plan to make good his escape. 'The Indians' rifles were leaning against a tree, at a little distance from them, and in this fortunate circumstance, Filley saw his deliverance from danger. He drew his own rifle to his face, suddenly, raised the hammer, and covering, with accurate aim, the little party of braves, told them that the first who moved would be the first to die. Keeping the gun to his shoulder, and his eye upon the Indians, he slowly retreated until he had gained a safe distance, when he changed his tactics, and ran for dear life. After that, he very naturally felt somewhat suspicious of Poor Lo, and avoided his society. Several weeks, or perhaps months, after his narrow escape from the tender mercies of the Senecas, the hunter had occasion to pass the scene of the unpleasant little occurrence, and found blazed upon a large tree, his own portrait, full length and life sized, while upon other trees surrounding this one, were the figures of Indians, all with their guns pointed toward the central figure. This hieroglyphic work, the hunter interpreted as a threat to take his life, should the Indians ever have the pleasure of meeting him again. The scene of the occurrence was in the woods, only a short disa tance northeast of what is now the village of La Grange. The representations of men cut or blazed upon the trees have been seen by many persons now living, and are said to have been remarkaly natural and suggestive. Filley gave up the life of a woodman and hunter, became a preacher, and went to Michigan.

The settlement grew fast from the year 1820. In 1831 there were fifty-seven families in the township, more than twice as many as in 1828; in 1835 there were one hundred and seven, and in 1840 there were one hundred and thirty-four. The amount of public expenditures for the year ending March 2, 1829, was ten dollars and thirty-four cents.

Horace Sanders came to the township in .1830 or 1831, and is now represented by a son, Allen Sanders, who lives upon the old Robbins farm, lots fifty-eight and sixty-three.

H. C., or as he is commonly called, Casey Hastings; like most of the other settlers, came from New York. He first took a farm on the road running east from the farm of Mr. Adams, but sold. out and bought in lots forty-four and forty-seven, a mile west of the center. Heisat the present writing seventy-two years of age. Heis the father of ten children, and they form a remarkable family. His five sons and himself aggregate a weight which makes their average over two hundred pounds apiece. Mr. Hastings has some lively recollections of the ferocity of the wild or "shack" hogs, which were quite numerous when he came to the country. He went out to hunt the next morning after his arrival, and was very skeptical when told about the savageness of the undomesticated porkers. He was soon convinced, however, that all he had been told was true, for a small herd charged upon him, and he only saved himself from their tusks by climbing high up among the roots of a fallen tree, by which he was fortunately standing when the hogs made the onslaught. One of them fastened its jaws upon his boot-heel and bent it eff. These wild hogs were perhaps a greater cause of annoyance than the wolves were, to the early settlers of La Grange and its vicinity. 'They were certainly more savage, and unlike wolves, would never hesitate to attack a man in the woods. They were occasionally used for food, but the meat was coarse, spongy and ill flavored.

The year 1832 was a good one for the settlement, as it witnessed a large increase in the population. During the year came the families of Adolphus Gott, Peter Gott, Joseph Lincoln, William Lamoure, Jonathan Olmsted, and others, and in the same or the following year Phineas and Harvey Powers arrived.

Adolphus Gott bought, a farm one mile south and two miles west of the center and Peter Gott, a farm about a mile and a half northwest from the center upon which his son, William H. now lives. He has two other sons and a daughter living in the township. Jonathan Olmsted bought a farm. adjoining Gott's. Joseph Lincoln bought two miles southwest of the

A silk enterprise engaged the attention of Phineas Powers. Hecame from Worcester, New York, bought land southwest of the center, made a clearing, and, conceiving the idea of establishing himself in the silk producing business, he planted in 1836 upon six weres of ground, twenty thousand mulberry trees. He erected a factory, procured silk worm eggs from Ashland, and was soon rewarded for his enterprise by having a quantity of skeins ready for the market. He was assisted in the manufacture by his sister, Mrs. Sibley, and the two seem to have brought a large share of good judgment and industry to bear upon the business. The county paid a premium of fifteen cents per pound upon all silk manufactured, and this, with the legitimate profit of trade, led Mr. Powers to anticipate success. But unfortunately the worms all died the second year, and nearly all the money and labor expended in the enterprise was lost. Powers went to Ashland, remained there six years, returned to La Grange, and after a short time removed to Cleveland. Such, in brief, is the history of one among many failures in a business which, forty years ago, held out perhaps more inducements to the man of speculative turn of mind than any other.

The Freemans - Simeon and Olive - with their sons Boman, Glen J. and F. N., came in 1834, and the father settled upon lot forty-eight, at present owned by Boman, Sr. R. Freeman, Joshua EK. Freeman, F. R. Freeman, and Henry Freeman, came about the same time. The heads of these families have all passed away.

Prominent among the settlers of 1833 was Nathan P. Johnson, of Hartford, Washington county, New York. He married eleven years before coming into Ohio, Laura Waite, of Champion. Mr. Johnson was elected to the legislature, in 1844 and 1855, and elected senator in 1846. While serving in this capacity he took a strong stand against the repudiation of the State debt, a position which made him unpopular with his party at the time, but won respect for him in the end. His wife died in 1846, and he afterward married Mary Hart, of Elyria. In 1862 he moved to the center, and was appointed postmaster by President Lincoln. He held this office until his death in 1874, He spent his life in doing good, and he was nighly esteemed by aJl who knew him.

David C. Pelton came to the township in the same year. He has been married three times, and is the father of twenty-one children, two of whom, a son, Floyd, and daughter, Mrs. Lydia Crowner, live in the township.

Allen Sheldon and his wife, Anna Maria, settled also in 1833, on a farm one and a half miles west of the center, now owned by a son, Colonel L. A. Sheldon. There are two other sons, Wm. E. and F. V. L. A. Sheldon was colonel in the Forty-second regiment Ohio volunteer infantry, and was elected to congress three terms - 1868, '70 and *72, from the second Louisiana district. Allen Sheldon, the pioneer, was a man of unquestioned probity of character. Elder Beeman baptized him, married him, and preached his funeral sermon.

Horace Knowles came in 1833, from Wellington, Massachusetts. He was until recently in excellent health, and is said to have done as much hard work as any man who ever lived in the township, aceumulating thereby a snug fortune for himself and a competency for his children. His wife, Catharine, died in 1877. Mr. Knowles is at this writing eighty-three years of age.

Minor C. Noble and Peter Crowner arrived in 1834, and took up lands, the former in the northern part of the town and the latter about a mile north and a mile west of the center. Both are living. Mr. Noble is eighty-one years of age and Mr. Crowner eighty-three. Four generations of the Crowner family are living. Mr. Noble had three sons and three daughters. W. W. Noble and M. E. Noble own farms about two miles north of the center upon the old plank road.

Early Events

The first child, born in the township, was Eliza, daughter of Henry Townsend. The date of her birth is in dispute. It is said by some that she was born June 3, 1826, but there 1s a strong probability that she first opened her eyes upon this world in November of the same year. Miss Townsend went, when seven years of age, to Geauga county.

An event of considerable interest to the whole community, and particularly to Curtiss and Patty Hastings, their parents, was the birth of the twins, Goodrich and Hubbard Hastings, so named after the original proprietors of the township. They were born June 26, 1827. 'The twins were honored by visits from all the people for miles around, and were the objects of much curiosity and admiration. It is related that they were rocked to sleep in a sap trough. Both are now living near the place where born. KE. H. Hastings has a farm of two hundred and twentysix acres, and EH. G. Hastings one of one hundred and forty-two, upon which his father also has his home.

The first marriage and the first death occurred in the year 1827. A very happy occasion was that of the marriage of Calvin Wilcox, of Wellington, to Harriet, daughter of Fairchild and Phebe Hubbard. The bridegroom and a party of friends rode upon horseback from Wellington, and their horses stood tethered out of doors all night, awaiting their return. The ceremony was conducted by Rey. Alfred Betts, of Brownhelm, who earned his fee by riding twenty miles though the woods, to officiate at the wedding. The bridal trip was by bridle path to Wellington, and was performed upon the day following the wedding. This nuptial knot was tied March 8, 1827.

In the fall of the same year, November seventh, the hearts of the pioneer settlers were first saddened by the presence of the great destroyer in their midst. The family visited was that of David Rockwood, and the member taken was aloving wife and mother. She died after a short illness, of bilious fever, and the friends assembled at the bereaved home to attend the funeral, sad beyond the power of words to tell, and solemn in its simplicity. There was no sable hearse, no retinue of carriages, no luxurious or conventional expression of grief, wo funeral sermon, but tenderly ind lovingly the inanimate body was laid in earth after a homely, earnest prayer and the singing of a good old hymn, Hearts were left aching as they ever have since man came upon the earth, and ever will until the race is no more. That was all. Deacon Graves conducted what little there was of funeral service, and when the burial had been made, the sorrowing people dispersed to their homes. Mrs. Rockwood was a daughter of Charles and Lydia Rounds, of Champion, New York.

A terrible fate befel two young children of Joseph Lincoln and wife. These people, as has been before stated, settled in 1833 upon the farm now owned by Reuben Wright, two miles southwest of the center. A few years after, as Mr. Lincoln and his wife were returning, one winter evening, from a visit to a friend about three miles distant, they were startled by finding their house on fire; and when they arrived at the place, they made the horrifying discovery that two of their children had been burned alive. Two older children, girls, had escaped from the house before it was completely wrapped in flares, but were so frightened that they lost their presence of mind, and were unable to render the fire-imprisoned little ones any assistance. 'They saw the children at the windows, and heard their agonizing shrieks until they perished in the flames. Speaking of the casualty in after years, the sisters said that the memory of the horrible scene

The first frame building in the township was a barn erected by David Rockwood, on his farm near the east branch of Black river; and the first frame building at the center was a store upon the southeast corner of the square, put up and occupied by Dr. Hubbard. Calvin Wilcox built for his own occupancy the first frame dwelling house. The first brick building was

Curtiss Hastings drove the first horse team owned in the township, It is said that on one occasion he was three days in making a journey to Elyria and back, such was the state of the roud.

The. commissioners of Lorain county, at the June session, in 1824, attached La Grange township to Carlisle, for civil and judicial purposes, and it was not until 1827 that it was separately organized. It was detached in January, of the year mentioned, and the first election, at which twenty-nine ballots were cast, was held at the house of Fairchild Hubbard, in April following. These are the officers elected: Eber W. Hubbard, township clerk; Noah Holcomb,

Noah Kellogg, and Fairchild Hubbard, trustees; James Disbrow, treasurer; Joseph A. Graves and Nathan Clark, overseers of the poor; James Disbrow and Henry Townsend, fence viewers; Henry Hubbard, constable; Henry Townsend and Nathan Clark, supervisors; Eber W. Hubbard, justice of the peace. Fairchild Hubbard, Joseph A, Graves, and Noah Holcomb acted as judges of election, and Eber W. and Henry Hubbard as clerks.

The township was given its name by Dr. Eber W. Hubbard, a great admirer of General La Fayette, whose country home in France was called La Grange.

Cheese Factories, Saw Mills, Etc

The first saw mill in the township was built on the farm of Noah Holcomb, by Andrew Holcomh, and the first grist mill was a very weak one-horse power affair, in the north part of the town, of which one Cross was the proud proprietor. La Grange has now its full share of manufactories, of various kinds, - most of them are in the village. There is an old flouring and saw mill on the east branch of Black river, two miles east of the center, the property of Bradley Woodmansee, and there are three in the village.

Of cheese factories, there are three outside of the village, one owned by L. G. Parsons, half a mile east of the old plank road, and two miles and a half north from the center; one owned by George Kelner, two miles northwest from the center; and Crozier & Sheldon's factory, two miles east, and a mile and a half south of the center.

Burial Places

The remains of Mrs. David Rockwood, the first person who died in La Grange, were interred in a small "chopping," or clearing, upon the farm of Deacon Robbins, in the western portion of the township, and rested there for seventeen years, when they were removed and re-interred upon Mr. Rockwood's farm.

The first cemetery laid out was the one on the north side of the road, just west of the center. Here repose, after toilsome and noble lives, many of the brave pioneers of La Grange. There are two other cemeteries, one upon the River road, in the eastern part of the township, and one in the northwest corner. The first burial in the cemetery at the center was a child of Lewis Rounds, aged two years.

La Grange Village

Lying exactly in the center of the township, quartered by the north and south and the east and west roads, built up about an open square, is the well-to-do, progressive little village of La Grange. It has a handsome brick town hall, seventy-eight by thirty-eight feet, built in 1875, three churches, a hotel, nearly a dozen stores, several quite extensive manufactories, and as well educated, well behaved class of citizens as any community in the county.

Incorporation

The growth of ''the corners," or the center, had been a slow and steady one through many years, but the size of the little village increased so fast during a few years prior to 1875, that the people began to think of having a corporation government, and accordingly petitioned for a charter in the year mentioned. The first election was held April 8, 1875, and the choice of officers resulted as follows: Mayor, J. EK. Willard; clerk, D. D. Gott; marshal, P. Holeomb; councilmen for one year, A. Ryan, G. H. Robbins and Wm. Hopkins; for two years, D. Holcomb, E. L. Gott and O. Dale; and treasurer, D. L. Gott. In 1876, the councilmen elected were: A. Ryan, Wm. Hopkins and Chas. Kelner. The officers elected in 1877 were: Mayor, KE. W. Clark; clerk, A. A. Cragin; marshal, Horace Knowles, Jr.; councilmen, O. Dale, J. C. Willard and George Whitney; treasurer, C. C. Manville; and street commissioner (appointed), Rufus Knowles. The office of mayor was made vacant by Clarke's departure from town, and at a special clection, L. L. Crane was elected to fill the vacancy. In 1878, three councilmen were elected: Chas. Kelner, N. Marcey and J. B. Hastings.

The Religious History

of La Grange shows a stalwart growth from a small beginning. The people of this township, however, were of good material for the leaven of religious feeling to work in. The efforts of the early preachers were warmly seconded by the early settlers, who had come from a part of the country in which churches had long been established. There was from the first a feeling favorable to the organization of the institutions of religion. Something has already been said of the labors of the first preacher, Rev. Julius Beeman, and a few facts in regard to his son-in-law, Rev. F. R. Freeman, who was a strong and influential minister, will not be inappropriate in this connection. He was born October 6, 1805, in Worcester, Otsego county, New York, and was married, by her father, to Lucy Beeman, in October of 1826. In 1828, he came to La Grange, where he remained until 1850. He cleared two farms, set out two orchards, and shared nearly all of the hardships of pioneer life. It was while in the midst of these labors and trials that he entered the ministry. Up tothe time of his departure, Mr. Freeman preached almost uninterruptedly in La Grange,

Pittsfield and neighboring townships. He was one of the seven men in La Grange who voted for Birney, abolition candidate for the Presidency, and was a member of the Buffalo Convention of 1848, whereat was formed the free soil party. Mr. Freeman is the only person living, of all the number who were upon the deck of the first steam packet in the world - the Cleremont - before, during, or just after the great trial from New York to Albany. He was a child two years of age at the time, and was carried on board of Fulton's famous steamboat, upon her arrival at Albany, by his father. Mr. Truman's age is now seventy-four years, and that of his wife seventy. Ilis home, at the present writing, is and has been, since 1850, in Ihinois.

was organized as early as 1828, only three years after the first settler came to the township. It might, perhaps, be called the first fruit of Rev. Julius Beeman's labors. May 13th there assembled eightcen persons who were the constituent members of the church, - Julius and Charlotte Beeman, Charles and Lydia Rounds, Hannah Pearce, Noah Holcomb, Sr., Eunice Holcomb, Polly Hastings, Noah Holcomb, Jr., Alice Holcomb, Wm. Case, Alfred Stilwall, Phebe Stilwall, Laura Herrick, Joseph Robbins, Joseph A. Graves, Jerusha Graves and Asenath Morgan. Deacon Robbins is the only one of the original members now alive. The places of worship were two log school houses, one in the eastern and one in the western portion of the township. Services were held in them alternately for the accommodation of members living in their neighborhood. 'The present pastor of the church is the Rev. S. Jones, and the deacons are Thomas Perkins, Joseph Robbin sand D. L. Gott. Mrs. L. M. Noble is clerk and Mrs. Helen Gott, treasurer. The church building now in use is at the center; it was built in 1850. David L. Gott, W. W. Noble and Wells Chamberlain are the trustees.

Methodism

A Methodist class was organized in the east part of town in 1833, the members being Stephen Cottrell and wife, Mrs. Bunt, her son and his wife, Peter Gott and wife, and Mrs. James Pelton. Peter Gott was Class leader from the first and for many years, After a time, as the population 'n the settlement increased, it was thought advisable to hold meetings at the center. Mr. Munger's house was most commonly used, but a log school house across the street near where the Woolcott house now stands, was sometimes the place of meeting. Rev. Mr. Morey, a circuit preacher, occasionally was present and gave the little class encouragement. The first quarterly meeting was held in Munger's barn, there being no chyrch edifice at the time and that being the largest building availuble. This meeting, we are told, was largely attended and very satisfactory. It was conducted by a Rev. Mr. Petty. The Methodists began building in 1839, upon a lot donated by Mr. Munger, achurch, which was completed the following year. C. Noble made and presented the sash. Peter Gott, Carey Hastings, Otis Hastings and Nathaniel Smith were the principal financial pillars of the church at this time and contributed most of the means used in the erection of the small building. The old church is now in the rear of Robbins & Gott's store, and is used as a warehouse. It gave place in 1875 to a handsome wooden structure of Gothic architecture, thirty-eight by seventy-five feet in dimension, which cost about seven thousand dollars. The pastor in 1878 was the Rey. G. L. Hannawalt; stewards, F. V. Sheldon, Geo. A. Whitney, Walter Dale, H. A. Wilcox; recording steward, Henry Wilkins; trustees, R. Knowles, W. C. Butler, E, R. Hulburt, 8. G. Humphrey, R. C. Hastings, E. Blackwell, H. A. Wilcox, F. V. Sheldon, George Smith.

The first protracted meeting was held at Elder Beeman's, and continued two or three weeks. Services were held every morning, afternoon and evening, and a great many conversions were made. Of the founders of Methodism in La Grange, two only still remain at that place. Peter Gott and Polly, his wife, live in the village, full of years, and beloved and esteemed by all.

The Congregationalists

though they were third in the order of organizing a church, built the first church edifice in the township. There is now no church of this denomination in the town. The constituent members of the Congregational church organized in 1834, were Nathan P. Johnson and wife, Calvin Wilcox and wife, William Dixon and wife, Sylvester Merriam and wife, William B. Dixon and Mehitable Robbins. Services were held at the house of Calvin Wilcox, and Rev. Mr. Talcott, of Wellington, for a time, supplied the pulpit. Rev. Mr. Kells, of Oberlin, was the first pastor. The society built, in 1835, a house which they used alternately with the Baptists until the latter denomination erected achurch of their own which they invited the Congregationalists to share with them, neither church being strong enough to support weekly preaching. This relation continued until the Disciples built, when the Congregationalists purchased a half interest in their meeting house. The old Congregational church was bought by the town in 1853, and made into a school house, after which it became a feed store, and then a hardware store, finally disappearing in a neat building erected by Dr. Merriam. The Congregational society lost some of its members who were best able to sustain the church, through their removal from town, and those remaining being unable to keep up the church organization and work, it became extinct.

The Free-Will Baptists And The Disciples

THE FREE-WILL BAPTISTS AND THE DISCIPLES. The Free-Will B yptists and the Disciples have had churches in La Grange, but neither denomination is was Rey. 8. R. Willard. The society built, in 1854, a house in which the Universalists now worship, and in which the Congregationalists still have an interest. The trustees were D. M. Adams, O. Billings, D. Gott, Jr., R. Fulton and H. Freeman.

The Universalist Church

was organized May 19, 1861, its first officers being the following: Deacons, Elisha Saxton, David Gott; clerk, J. H. Brown; trustees, D. T. Parsons, Horace Sanders, J. H. Brown. The first pastor was the Rev. H. R. Nye. The officers for 1878 'are: Trustees, Allen Sanders, D. H. Gott, J. L. Rowell; clerk, J. H. Brown; treasurer, Maria Hastings. The church has, at this writing, no pastor.

Throughout the Western Reserve the church and the school have been, from the days of the first settlement, almost inseparable, yet distinct in-titutions. They have sprung into being from one mother and one motive - the desire to perpetuate in the west the good influences of the older eastern States. Almost invariably the pioneers have taken measures for the mental advancement of their children at the same time they have established the church in which they shall receive their moral education. It was so in La Grange: the same year that witnesSed the building of the first church, logs were hewn for two school houses, one in the eastern and one in the western part of the township. This was in 1828, only three years after the first settler came into the county. The first teachers were Henry Hubbard and Polly Greeves. After them came numerous others of all degrees of ability; most of them, however, but poorly qualified to teach.

A farmer from an adjoining township, anxious to get a school for his daughter, mentioned, as a strong recommendation, the fact that she had been part of a term to a high school. But, im those days, there was not as much required of a teacher as now, and the pay was considerably less than the young men and women of to-day receive for ''teaching the young idea to shoot." Male teachers received from twelve to sixteen dollars per month, and young women three dollars per month.

about 1868, in the establishment of the union school system, which has since been in vogue. A twostory brick building was erected in that year at a cost of about three thousand five hundred dollars, and a small frame building put up in 1877. F. V. Sheldon, Dr. Geo. C. Underhill and Geo. E. Freeman were the members of the school board at that time, and Dr. Geo. N. Snyder was the first superintendent. At present K. D. Merriam, D. L. Gott and H. C. Wilcox, constitute the board, and Dr. Snyder is again superintendent. His assistants are John Handyside and Emma Rawson. The school has three departments: the primary with fifty-five pupils, the intermediate with twenty-four, and the high school with forty-four, making a total of one hundred and twenty-three.

F. And A. Masons

La. Grance Longe, No. 399, was organized on the 13th, of November 1867, with the following charter members: Harlow P. Sage, Elizur G. Johnson, Martin Stroup, Orrin P. Robberts, Edson Hastings, Elijah Hastings Joseph E. Hastings, Reuben Curtice, Harvey Bartholomew, Silas Stroup, David L. Gott, Louis L. Crane, George C. Underhill, Albert Foster, George Foster, John B. Hastings and Edward L. Gott. The first officers were: Elizur G. Johnson, W. M; John B. Hastings, 8. W; Martin Stroup, J. W; Albert Foster, Treasurer; Harvey Bartholomew, secretary ; Orrin P. Robberts, 8S. D; Elijah H. Hastings, J. D; George Foster, steward ; Louis L. Crane, tyler. In 1878 the following were the officers: G. B. Chamberlain, W. M; Edson Hastings, 8. W ; George Foster, J. W; H. B. Crozin, treasurer ; D. P. Crowner, secretary; H. J. Wilkins, S. D; J. E. Hastings, J. D; A. Foster, A. W. Nichols, stewards ; S. Stroup, tyler; D. L. Gott, George C. Underhill, F. V. Sheldon, finance committee. The Lodge has a handsome room, thirty by sixty feet, in the third story of the brick building 'erected in 1865. Robbins & Gott occupy the lower portion for a store.

The pioneer practitioner of medicine was Dr. Ebes W. Hubbard, oldest son of Fairchild Hubbard. He was born in Steuben, Oneida county, New York, in the year 1800, and graduated at the College of Physi- the same State. He came to La Grange in 1826. Dr. Hubbard had quite an extensive practice and enjoyed the thorough confidence of the people among whom he lived, as is attested by the fact that he was many times elected to important offices. He was the first clerk of the township ; was three times elected justice of the peace; became associate judge in 1831; was elected as representative three terms - 1835, 1836 and 1837. In the last mentioned year he was appointed bank commissioner of the State, and in 1843 was made commissioner of the Ohio Canal fund. Dr.-Hubbard married Honor Kingsbury of Brighton, and was the father of six children. He resided for many years in Elyria, and in 1853 removed to Staten Island, where he died in 1872.

Dr. Spencer was the next physician in town. -He was followed by Dr. Julius Beeman, and then came Dr. Jonathan Gibbs. Other physicians who came at an early day, were Doctors George C. Underhill, James R. Pelton and E. D. Merriam, Pelton remained until about 1870. Doctors Underhill and Merriam are still in practice, as are also Doctors George N. Snyder, - Park, M. W. Ingalls. Charles W. Higgins

Dr. Underhill is the senior physician of the town. He came in 1842, and has been in constant practice in the village ever since, with the exception of two years, when he was in the army as surgeon of the Eleventh Cavalry. He isa native of Vermont, and a graduate of Willoughby (Lake county) medical college. His age in 1878 was fifty-eight years. Dr. Underhill, it is said, was the first physician in this part of the county who used quinine in cases of typhoid fever and inflammation of the lungs. He began to use this medicine in the first mentioned disease about twentyfive years ago, and in the latter as many as thirty years ago.

Calvin Wilcox was the first postmaster. He had the office for about twenty years, and kept the few letters he received at his house where they were called for not, daily, as at present, but once a week or fortnight. George Wilcox succeeded his father. David Gott was postmaster for a number of years. Hon. Nathan P. Johnson was postmaster for fourteen years. His daughter, Mrs. E. M. J. Noble, was appointed to the office when he died, in 1873, and is the present postmistress.

Manufactories, Business Houses, Etc

The first tavern was built and kept by J. K. Pelton. It was situated a few rods west of the center, upon the north side of the road. Pelton also built the Woolcott House in 1846, and Daniel Pelton built another hotel on the north side of the square, still standing but unoccupied. The present proprietor of the Woolcott House is William F. Woolcott.

Among the most important of the industrial pursuits in the village is the cheese factory and creamery of Butler, Crozier & Sheldon, which daily manu. factures into cheese or butter, the milk of about five hundred cows.

There are three saw-mills, Sheldon & Coleman's, W. G. Butler's, and Behner & Butler's, the latter also a cheese box factory. Ewing & Benschoter have a planing mill. Carriage making is carried on by Behner Bros., and by A. Ryan; the first named firm also has a foundry.

Statistics

The pioneer practitioner of medicine had many obstacles to surmount and difficulties to overcome. In the early days of a new settlement much sickness, particularly of a malarial form, was. prevalent; and such also may be said to have been the case twentyfive or thirty years ago. Among those who have been prominent in battling with disease and in the professional care of the sick, none enjoy a better reputation than Dr. Merriam. For nearly thirty years he has steadily practiced the healing art, and durmng that protracted period has met with good general success.

E. D. Merriam was born in the town of Champion, Jefferson county, New York, July 18, 1824. He is the son of Sylvester Merriam, who moved to Ohio, accompanied by his family, including the subject of this sketch, in the year 1826. He settled in the eastern part of LaGrange township, on what is now kriown as the Dean farm. There were then but five families residing within the present limits of the township. 'The first few years of Dr. Merriam's life was spent in agricultural prusuits, and the acquisition of an elementary education at the common schools of La Grange. In 1842, he entered the Oberlin collegiate institute, where he received a liberal literary education, completing which, he commenced the study of medicine under Professor Dascomb, M.D. The next few years were spent in alternate teaching and professional study, and in 1849 and '50 he finished his medical education with Professor H. A. Ackley, M.D., at the old medical school of Cleveland. Returning to La Grange, in the spring of 1851, lie commenced the practice of medicine under very favorable auspices, receiving from the first a liberal share of patronage. At the age of fifty-four years, we still find Dr. Merriam in the active practice of his profession.

A man actuated in private and public life by motives founded on the right and good never fails to leave his impress on the community in which he resides. Few men had more to do in the healthy moulding of Lorain County than the Hon. N. P. Johnson, of Lagrange. He was of New England stock, his parents having been born at Old Haddam, Conn. They removed to Hartford, Washington Co., N. Y., in 1785. April, 1801, gave them a new home at Champion, Jefferson Co., N. Y. Of their early history the writer knows little.

At Hartford, as above, their son, Nathan P. Johnson, was born Jan. 80, 1801; in Champion his early years were spent. Of this early life meagre are the details. However, such opportunities as he had for education and for self-improvement must have been eagerly embraced and worthily used. Ere he had reached the age of thirty he served his fellow-citizens at Champion for three years as trustee, and for five years was elected as justice of the peace; commissioned a lieutenant in the 76th Regiment of the New York Militia in 1828, 1824 gave him commission as captain.

In the year 18338, exchanging real estate, he moved into Lagrange, Lorain Co., Ohio, where his remaining days were spent ; days full of work, - work for self and family ; work for cr town, his county ; work for the good and the true everywhere.

On the 20th of October, 1822, Mr. Johnson married Miss Laura Waite, daughter of Dorastus Waite, Esq., of Champion, N. Y., who was to her husband a companion in his every endeavor in the early Lagrange life. She died very suddenly, on the 19th of January, 1846, while her husband was at Columbus, Ohio.

Mrs. Laura .Johnson was a woman of singular merit. With ratefulness do her children - now men and women grown - ook back to her kindly care, self-denial, and example that had

On the 18th day of August, 1846, Mr. Johnson was again a husband, May R. Hart, daughter of J. Hart, formerly of Norwich, Conn., becoming the wife. She is yet living at the old home, hallowed by the memories of the past, and mourns the loss of the fond husband who has gone before her.

Mr. Johnson's early life in Lagrange was that of all pioneers - daily toil. His occupation, farmer. His integrity and large common sense soon attracted attention. Township offices were showered upon him; fidelity in the duties of such offices drew attention to his merits, local respect soon became general, and in the fall of 1844 he was elected to the Legislature of Ohio from Lorain County, and re-elected in 1845. So well were the duties of this position performed that the years 1847 and 1848 saw him a member of the Ohio Senate, from the district composed of Lorain and Medina Counties. Returning to Lagrange, there the remainder of his days were passed, each and every day made joyous to him by the numerous trusts confided to him by his fellow-citizens.

N. P. Johnson was noted for deep religious convictions and for true manhood. Strong and earnest in his feelings, prejudice was but a flitting cloud over his grand, kind heart. An ardent Whig of.the old school, he was never the mere partisan, looking ever for the good. Party was no factor in any moral or political problem to him presented for solution. In 1846, while running for the State Senate, many prominent politicians took open and decided grounds for the repudiation of the State debt. Mr. Johnson took just as decided ground in favor of sustaining the faith and credit of the State. On this issue the people heartily sustained him.

Duty and right being to him the all, he found no difficulty in laboring with voice or pen, as a man and a legislator, for the repeal of iy intiimona Black Laws of Ohio, although temporary odium followed his efforts. Retiring from public life, so far as office was concerned, his voice and trenchant pen were ever found ready to defend and aid that which he considered the right. This was wonderfully true during the dark years of the Rebellion.

Quick in his decisions, of remarkable mental equipoise, Mr. Johnson was noted as a presiding officer. No one during his life was more frequently called upon in Lorain County to preside over conventions, whether religious, moral, or political.

Honored by all, giving always with no grudging hand of his means, and of the rich experiences of a well-spent life, he died Dec. 29, 1874 'True of him is that said of another:

It is not only as a professional man that Dr. Merriam enjoys the respect and esteem of the community, in which he has passed nearly all his life, but also in the many other walks of life in which his general intelligence and rectitude carry him. As a man and citizen, the doctor is held in high regard, and deservedly occupies an exalted social position.

was born in Herkimer county, New York, January 21, 1817. When he was three years of age his father removed with his family to Jefferson county, New emigrated to Canada, residing there until about 1838, when they returned to York State, and continued to live there until 1844, when the subject of this sketch moved to Ohio, and settled in La Grange, Lorain county, whither he was followed by his father in 1846. He was born in Connecticut, and during his last sicknes she resided with and was carefully attended by his son. He died in 1870.

R. B. Monro started in Ohio by working on a farm by the month, which he did four years, during which time he purchased fifty acres of land, paying for it with his earnings. In 1848 he was married to Margaret, daughter of John McGregor. They have one son, James, who resides at home, and also, an adopted daughter. Mr. Monro has held various township offices, among others those of road commissioner and In politics he is a democrat. He is a self made'man, and generally considered a worthy

BRIGHTON consists of tract seven, and portions of tracts six and eight, in range nineteen of the original Western Reserve. It is upon the extreme west of the county, and is bounded upon the north by Camden, east by Wellington, south by Rochester and west by the township of Clarksfield, Huron county. The soil in the northern part is clay, principally, but in the southern portion a gravelly soil is.found. The surface is more uneven than that presented to the eye in most of the southern townships of Lorain county, the west branch of the Black river having cut its way through the territory from a point near the southwest corner of the township to the eastern boundary, where it emerges about one mile south of the Camden line. Its course is very irregular, and its stream has left broad and very fertile bottom lands, which are as good for the general purposes of farming as any .in the county.

of the lands now included in Brighton were Lemuel Storrs, Ephraim Root, James Ross, Peter Brooks, John Call, William Shaw, George Black and Pennewel Cheney. Tract seven, extending through the center of the township from east to west, and containing four hundred acres, was the property of Root & 'Ross. It was by them sold to Harmon Kingsbury and others, and was the portion first put into the market for sale to the settlers. Storrs, the owner of tract eight and the several owners of tract six sold to, or exchanged lands with, Tuckerman Brothers, of Boston, Norton and Stocking of Hartford, Connecticut, Frederick Hamlin of Berkshire, Massachusetts, Deming and Alford. Levi Bliss,of Massachusetts, bought out Tuckerman Brothers. The surplus lands upon the west side of the township were originally owned by Goodrich of Brighton is what is Its name was bestowed by Abner Loveland at the time of organization.

were quite numerous when the first settlers came in and all accounts agree as to their friendliness to, and fair treatment, with few exceptions, of the whites. They were of the Seneca and Wyandot tribes. Before

'the time of settlement, these Indians were in the custom of camping upon what they called the ''big bottom," upon the farm which is now the property of Leonard H. Loveland, but after the first settlers arrived they seldom had an encampment within the territory now included in the township. They traded very frequently with their pale faced brothers, bringing fine venison hams, which they were always delighted to exchange for bread or pork. Leonard Loveland remembers seeing with them, upon one occasion, a very old, though remarkably well preserved man, who was said by the Indians to have seen the sun of one hundred and forty-five summers. It is probable that this was not far from being correct, for events that the Indian spoke of as occurring in the

The pioneer of Brighton was Abner Loveland, Jr. He entered the forest alone in the fall of 1820, with the intention of becoming a permanent resident, and built upon lot one, in tract seven, the first human habitation, save the huts and wigwams of the Indians, in the territory included a few years later in the limits of Brighton. He carried upon his back the poles of which he built his cabin. In the spring of 1821, he started for the east, but a great snow storm made it impossible for him to pursue his journey, and he stopped in Grafton, where he remained until fall, working for various settlers. In the fall he again prepared to go to his home, but, receiving a letter from his father, saying that he had bought land in Brighton and wanted him to begin clearing it, he went back to the place which he had originally selected and prepared for the coming of his father and the family by erecting a log house. In July of 1821, came the father, Abner Loveland, Sr., his wife Lois, four daughters, Sophia, Lovina, Ramelia, Minerva and a son Leonard H. with his wife Margaret Whitlock. They made this journey, with an ox team, in six weeks. The Lovelands were natives of Otis, Berkshire county, Massachusetts. Abner, Jr., the first arrival, made the journey from Brunswick, New Jersey, upon foot. His wife was Paima DeWolf, and he had by her five children, three of whom are now living, Celestia A. in Wellington, Corelia J. (Mrs. D, Reamer) in Oberlin, and Franklin in New York. Abner Loveland, Jr., removed from Brighton to Wellington in 1834, and, his wife dying, he married some time afterwards, Mrs. Anna Kimmel. He is still living, at the age of eighty-two years, being born in 1796. Leonard Il. Loveland still lives upor. lot one, tract seven, a few rods from the site of the first log house built in the township, and is eighty-four years of age. His children, beside Whitlock, who died when a babe, were Cordelia, born November 12, 1823, and died March 3, 1852, and Emeline Margaret, born March 4, 1853. Mr. Loveland, like his brother, is living with his second wife, and he is her second husband. Her maiden name was fanny Allen. She was from Vermont, and her husband facetiously claims that she was a connection of Ethan Allen, "the Green mountain boy." Abner Loveland, Sr., and his wife have been dead for many years. Both were born in 1764.

The Kingsburys' arrived after Abner Loveland, Jr., and before all the others of this family. Joseph Kingsbury was the second settler. He was the father of Harmon Kingsbury, before mentioned as one of the original owners of the land. He came early in 1821, from Otis, Berkshire county, Massachusetts, bringing his wife, four daughters, one of whom died young, and two sons, Solomon and Austin. One of the daughters married Loren Wadsworth, another Eber W. Hubbard, and Louisa A. married Calvin Roice. Joseph Kingsbury settled on lot thirteen, Solomon on lot ten, and Austin on lot nine - all in tract seven; which, as has been heretofore stated, was the only portion of the lands offered for sale. Harmon Kingbury was never a resident' of the township, but was a frequent visitor. Austin Kingsbury reared a family of six children, of whom Mrs. Orrin Hall (Louisa A.) is one. A sister resides in Wellington. William Harvey is in Oberlin.

The next settlers, after the Kingsburys, were the Halls. Avery Hall and wife, and their grown-up sons, Alfred and Orrin, with Selden, who was of age soon after coming into the country, emigrated from Great Barrington, Massachusetts, in 1822. Other children in this family were: Erastus, Sarah, Edwin (now in Elyria), Theophilus (in Litchfield), Julia (in Perrysburg), John and William. Avery Hall, upon arriving, settled upon lot two, and his son Alfred on lot six. Selden afterward settled on the same lot; be married a daughter of Luke Whitlock, and removed some years after to Wellington,-where he died in 1878. Orrin Hall settled on lot nine, where he still lives. Alfred Hall removed to Perth Amboy, New Jersey. Soon after the Halls arrived, a man named Bailey came into the settlement, but made no purchase of land, and remained but a short time. Another squatter came at the same time, but like Bailey left no mark upon the people among whom he had a brief residence, or upon the map of Brighton township.

Horace, John and Joseph Crosby, the latter not of age, and another brother who died quite young, came with their mother soon after the arrival of the Halls, from Tyringham, Berkshire county, Massachusetts, and settled upon lot three. John was married in 1825 to Locitte Sage.

'Luke Whitlock came in the spring of 1822, and his brother John, at a later date. They settled upon lot seven. The Whitlocks were from South Brunswick, New Jersey. 'he family of Luke Whitlock consisted of his wife Elizabeth, a son John, who died early, Ellen, now Mrs. Augustus Fox, residing near the center, and Jane, who married Roswell Smith, and afterwards Selden Hall, now living in Wellington. Luke Whitlock died suddenly and among strangers. He was in Pittsburgh upon his way home and was stricken dead upon the street and buried before his relatives, who left for that city as soon as the sad news reached them, had arrived.

Justice Battle, Sr., and wife, and Justice Battle, Jr., and wife were among the first settlers, but the date of their arrival cannot be definitely ascertained. They came from Tyringham, Berkshire county, Massachusetts and located upon lot sixteen.

first settled in Wellington. On coming into Brighton he located upon lot ten. He married a daughter of Joseph Kingsbury, by whom he had three children, - Boughton, now in Clarksville, Eunice, in Avon, and Sarah.

There were several who arrived in the township soon after the first settlement was made but who could not be called settlers. Among these was Elijah Fox, a worthy man from Berkshire county, Massachusetts, who came in 1822 and boarded for some time with Leonard H. Loveland. He took up land a number of years afterwards. His son'.:S. Fox now resides upon lot eight, in tract seven. David Fox, the aged father of Elijah, was a Methodist exhorter of considerable ability. Daniel Smith came to Brighton in the latter part of 1821 or early in the following year and worked for Joseph Kingsbury.

Of the later settlers we can only speak briefly. After the organization of the township and after the land in tracts six and eight were put into the market, the number of inhabitants rapidly inreased. There being no land but that in tract seven, - the center tract, - offered for sale until 1833, many were deterred from coming into Brighton from apprehension that it would not for many years become a well settled township. It was this fear that led Abner Loveland, the pioneer, to sell out hisland and remove into Wellington. - It was bought by Daniel Clark, of Lit¢hfield, Connecticut. Albert Niles came into the township between the time of organization and the year 1830. He owned altogether and at different times fifteen farms. - Fisk: settled about the same time as Niles. Loren Loveland a brother of Leonard H. and Abner, came in a little later. Dr. Eber W. Hubbard and his father who were among the first settlers in La Grange, were residents of this township for a few years, and resided on the Kingsbury farm. James Whipple, of Whitestown, New York, came and located on lot twelve in 1833. Erasmus Judd and wife settled as early as 1832 on lot six, and brought up a family of five children. They were from Litchfield, Connecticut. Isaac Everson settled in the summer of 1833, upon lot twenty-one. Henry Converse, his wife and five chil dren became residents in 1833, settling upon lot ten. His children were Nelson, Lucinda, Harrison, Maria and Emma (Mrs. Jacob Wheeler, of Rochester). Nelson was drowned in the Black river, having been swept over his saw mill dam in a dug out. He is said to have been a phenomenal swimmer, and his drowning could only be accounted for upon the supposition that he was hurt in some way by his fall. Octavus Gillitt settled upon lot sixteen in the gore, in 1836, and his brother, George, near him soon after. John Dunbar, his son, Simeon, and Harriet, the wife of the latter, came from Wayne county, New York in August, 1835, and located upon lot eight in tract seven, James Humphrey, his wife and three children settled about the same time upon the same lot. They were from Great Barrington, Massachusetts.

Philip L. Goss, a native of Winchester, New Hampshire, settled on lot seventeen, in 1836, coming from Brecksville, Cuyahoga county, where he had resided for a short time. He was one of the substantial, influential men of the town, and always prominent

'in its institutions until his removal in 1878, to Wellington, where he and his wife, Serena, at present reside with their married daughter, Mrs. Dr. Rust. He has a son, Charles P., in Oberlin, and another daughter, Sarah, who married a son of Dr. Beach, of Pittsfield. David Goss, brother of Philip L., arrived in 1842. His sons, Maurice and Otis, reside in Brighton, and his daughters in Ilinois, and Huron county, Ohio.

Smith Stocking and Harry Haws came into the township in 1837, the former settling upon lot fifteen, in the gore, and the latter upon the same lot, a little to the north, where D. Johnson located two years later. Wm. Bunce and Samuel Lamb took up farms about the same time, upon lot one in tract seven, building houses upon the east and west road.

Cornelius Seeley came into Avon in 1821, and originally emigrated from Westmoreland, Oneida county, New York. His wife's maiden name was. Rachel Smith. They had fourteen children, twelve of whom lived to maturity. H. S., the eldest, settled in Brighton, on lots thirty-one and thirty-two, where he now resides. Morrell E., Anna, and Dwight, his children, now live in Brighton, the first named upon the Loveland farm.

The earliest settlers of Brighton endured many hardships. Food was for a time exceedingly scarce, and could only be had in small variety. When the wheat was harvested it was often found full of smut, and as there were no machines in those days for cleaning it, the smut went into the bread, making it so black that the Indians often refused to eat it. The nearest place where the pioneers could get a grist ground was at Clarksfield. Leonard Loveland was once pursued by wolves while returning from the mill in that place. These pests of every new country were very plentiful. They were not usually regarded as a source of danger, but of annoyance. They would often surround a settler's cabin and make night hideous with their horrible howling. Deer were found in the woods in large numbers, and yenison was so common upon the tables at which hard working, hungry men sat down, that it was looked upon with no more favor than pork. As many as fifty deer have been seen in a single herd in Brighton. Knormous flocks of wild turkeys were often met with, during the first few years after the woods were invaded by white men, and all kinds of small game was found in abundance, but most of the pioneers had too much work to do with the ax and plow to spend their time in hunting. There were few who carried the rifle except when the larder was low.

The first death was that of Whitlock Loveland, a nine months old child of Leonard H. and Margaret Loveland. He was born January 2, 1820, and died on the 13th of October. The burial was upon the clearing made by the Lovelands, a few rods south of their log house, and of Leonard Loveland's present home. Other members of the family now lie by the side of the little one for whom the first grave was made. 'The funeral was attended by only two or three persons beside the family, among them being the Rev. Mr. Parmele, a Baptist minister of Sullivan, who spoke the few words of comfort, and offered the prayer at the grave.

Sometime in 1823, Albert Niles, then of Wellington, and a native of Berkshire county, Massachusetts, was married to Sophia, danghter of Leonard H. and Margaret Loveland. The ceremony was performed at Mr. Loveland's log cabin, by Squire Ephriam A. Wilcox, of Wellington, and was witnessed by about twenty or twenty-five persons, or the entire population of the township. In the evening, a substantial supper was served, all present sitting down to the table, which was more sensibly set than those which groan under the weight of modern marriage feasts. 'Steaming meats, home-made bread, and wholesome vegetables were in abundance, but cakes, confections, and ices, with French names, did not have a place upon the board. The young married 'couple settled in Brighton, upon lot seventeen, tract seven, where they remained for a number of years. Both have been dead for some time.

The first school was taught by Paima De Wolf, wife of Abner Loveland, after their marriage, and was held in the log house which they occupied. She gave instruction, to the best of her ability, to about a dozen children, and received therefor the sum of six shillings per week. 'This was previous to 1827. In that year a log school house was built, about three-quarters of a mile east of the center. Polly Warren was the first teacher of the school held in this building. The first frame school school house was built in 1836, - the frame being erected by the free labor of John Dunbar and his two suns, Hosea and Simeon, who took the timber from the woods. It was completed through repeated subscriptions by the citizens, and for several years served as both church and school house, until the Congregational church was built. Brighton is now well abreast of her sister townships in the excellence of her schools, as well as in general improvements.

In the earliest days of the settlement, the pioneers were obliged to go as far as Liverpool to obtain their mail, or to dispatch letters. Afterwards they were able to get their mail in Wellington, and in 1824, or 1825, they had a regular mail, carried by one Bovee. A man by the name of Wyatt carried the first mail that ever went through the township. He came through on the east and west center road on his first trip, March 13, 1821,

Alfred Hall went into service as postmaster at Brighton about 1830. He was only nominally postmaster however, for Ransom Foote, the deputy, had the real work to do, and kept the few letters and papers that came to the settlers at his house near the center, because Hall lived a mile and a half away. Jefferson Whipple is the present postmaster. He was appointed in 1876.

The first store was opened at the center about the year 1839, by Samuel Jones who continued in business some time. A large general store is now kept by Whipple & Hall who are the successors of Richmond & Whipple.

William Battle opened the first hotel in 1850, and kept a well conducted temperance house. George Peasley now offers food and shelter to the wayfarer and the stranger.

The first road of travel thiough the township was the east and west center road. 'This was laid out in 1819. The north and south center road was opened ten or twelve years later, and the various roads parallel to these two were laid out at different times as the number of inhabitants increased, and there was demand for new means of communication.

The township has but one cemetery, besides the several private burial places where were laid the remains of the first few persons who died in the settlement. The town cemetery is upon the west side of the road, just a few rods south of the center. The land was donated by Austin Kingsbury in 1845.

The Lovelands, father and sons sowed the first wheat in the fall of 1821. They put in eight acres, and the next summer harvested a wonderful crop. They also planted the first orchard, the tres in which were started from seed brought by them from Massachusetts. Several apple trees were still living, and bore fruit in 1878.

*'The township was organized at the spring election of 1823. Joseph Kingsbury, Avory Hall and Calvin Roice, were elected trustees; Leonard H. Loveland, clerk; Abner Loveland, treasurer; and Abner Loveland, Jr., justice of the peace. There were twelve electors, just about the number of persons required to fill the offices in those days. The township belonged to Lorain, as then formed, but, with other townships, remained attached to Medina county, until the organization of Lorain was completed."* parents' conversion, and, were we able to trace the sequence, should doubtless discover, in this taking away of life, the initial impulsion in a long series of causes and effects resultant in great good. There is here an illustration of the mysterious means of Providence. Mr. Loveland. and his wife were the first persons to experience religion in Brighton. When their child died they began thinking that they were not good enough to follow him into the.future world, and the result was that they accepted whe teachings of the Bible as their guide, and tried to conform their lives to its precepts. The first religious service ever held in the township was at the grave of the little one taken from these parents. Not very long afterwards meetings were held in the vicinity, and, in 1823, or the following year, what was known as the Black River circuit was laid out and a Rev. Mr. Coston rode through a number of the townships, preaching wherever he could get together a dozen listeners. As the little clearings in the wilderness became larger and more numerous, the need of religious fellowship was felt by several, and hence, in the fall of 1827, it came about that the class was organized which was the beginning of of Brighton. The church was organized by Rev. A. Brainard, and the preaching which its members attended during the first year of its existence was by Rey. Henry O. Sheldon, who was then traveling the circuit which included this point. Meetings were held at Loveland's and at the center, though most frequently at the former place. The constituent members of this church were: Abner Loveland, Lois his wife, Leonard H. Loveland, Margs -2t his wife, Pamelia Loveland, Minerva Loveland, Elizabeth Whitlock, Erastus Hall, Sarah Halland David Fox. Leonard H. Loveland was class leader. As time wore on, the church received accessions, and it was found that the congregation had outgrown the capacity of a dwelling house, and must have a proper place of meeting. Accordingly, a neat but plain structure, the one now in use, was built at the center. The frame was erected in 1850, but on account of sickness of the workmen, and for want of means, it was not inclosed until the following spring; when, by the earnest efforts of T. Hall and E. S. Bidwell and others, the work was carried on to completion. It was dedicated, free from debt, November 6, 1852. The presci . membership is forty-five, and would be much townsnip, of the Methodist denomination, attend the chure': u. Rochester station. The present pastor is Rey. E. A. Warner, and the class leaders, 0. Peabody and William Ward. The stewards are D. M. Hall (recording steward), Freeman Green and H. 8. Seeley. The following are the trustees of the church property: D. M. Hall, Freeman Green, Simeon Dunbar, William Ward and H. S. Seeley.

The Congregational Church

was organized in 1836, and the first meetings were held in the school house east of the center. The original members were: Justice Battle, and his wife Esther, his son's wife Bathsheba, Selden Hall and wife, Joseph Kingsbury, Austin Kingsbury, W. R. Strong and wife, Philip L. Goss, Serena 8S. Goss and Peter Dickinson. The first regular minister who preached in this church was Rev. Mr. Kellogg, from New York state. Much of the time, the pulpit was supplied by students from Oberlin. The first deacons of the church were Philip L. Goss and W. R. Strong. The society built a church at the center in 1840. The church now has a membership of thirty-five, the only ones upon the roll who were among the first members being Philip L. Goss and his wife. Rev. D. T. Williams is pastor; Lewis Hart and James S. Jones, deacons. The trustees are) J. Bennett, Otis Goss and Mark Smith; clerk of the church, Lewis Hart; clerk of the society, Maurice Goss, who is also acting treasurer.

There is reason to believe that Brighton is at present an unusually healthful place. It has no resident physician. In the past the men of medicine were not numerous. The few who came into the township remained but a short time each, and none of them became so wealthy from their practice as to be able to retire. Dr. Holcomb was the pioneer practitioner, but did not come in until 1848. He was an excellent physician. After a moderately successful practice, extending through five or six years, he moved away, and his place was taken by a Dr. Gilson, who, after a very short time, was followed by Dr. William Elder, whose practice in the township was concluded in about three years. Dr. Cannan, now of Camden, practiced in Brighton for a few months.

Brighton is essentially a farming township. It has no manufacturing interests save those which are commonly found in the townships of Lorain county, viz:

Cheese Factories And Saw Mills

The Brighton cheese factory, owned by Goss & Jones, is located upon the center road, a short distance, perhaps a quarter of a mile south from the center. It receives the milk of about five hundred cows, which is mostly manufactured into cheese. Only a small quantity of butter is made. The factory was first projected by Goss & Company, in 1867, and after running a number of years was burned down. The present factory building was erected in the season of 1874-5.

Horr & Warner, of Wellington, have a cheese factory on the town line road, adjoining Wellington, and nearly a mile from the southern boundary of the township, on lot thirty-one. They receive the milk

The Centennial cheese factory, so named from the fact that it was started in 1876, is the property of Henry Wood, who also owns the farm upon which it is located. This is what is known as a "full cream factory," and the proprietor does not manufacture any butter. Not far from three hundred and fifty cows are milked for this factory. Mr. Wood is a native of Cheshire, England.

The first saw mill was built by a man named Foote, some time previous to 1525, upon the western branch of Black river, and was washed away by afreshet. The next was upon the same stream and was the property of Solomon Kingsbury and Nelson Converse. There is now one steam saw mill in the township, owned and run by Otis Goss. It is located south of the center, upon lot sixteen.

Temperance

As early as 1836, Brighton organized a temperance society, with the usual pledge of total abstinence from all intoxicating liquors (except wine and cider). Philip L. Goss was president of said society. A new impulse was given in the year 1841, under the name of the Washingtonian movement. Reformed drunkards related their experience in the degrading habit of drink, and of their new life in reformation, inspiring with hope the fallen, declaring total abstinence from all intoxicating drinks the only safeguard of sobriety. First among this class of reformers was one Captain F. Turner. Deacon Philip Goss was president. At the next annual meeting John V. Whitlock was elected. president. In the summer of 1843, the county quarterly meeting was held at Brighton, Mr. Cheney, of Elyria, president. 'I'he Rev. Ansel Clark, of Huntington, and Mr. VanWagoner, were the principal speakers. At the close of the lecture, Mr. VanWagoner gave a description of how a person would act in a fit of delirium tremens. At the next election, in the year 1845, H. B. Dunbar was elected president of said society. He served five years, and obtained four hundred and thirty-seven signatures to the pledge. Deacon Eber Jones was next president of the society; and ever since, there has been, and is now, a temperance organization in Brighton, Although it has not been able to entirely suppress intemperance, yet its influeuce has kept the township free from the unmitigated curse of a saloon or place where intoxicating liquors, with the exception of cider, could be bought. The selling of cider was born in the town of Pomfret, Windham county, Connecticut, March 16, 1811. His father, Charles Whipple, was born at North Providence, Rhode Island, April 28, 1779. His mother, Harriet Whipple, was born at North Providence, Rhode Island, November 14, 1786. In the year 1807, they moved to Pomfret, Connecticut; and in 1815, to Westmoreland, Oneida county, New York., where they resided until death. Charles Whipple died January 16, 1866, aged eightysix years. Hannah Whipple died December 6, 1863, aged seventy-eight years.

In the 22d year of his age, May 24, 1833, James Whipple came to Brighton, Lorain county, Ohio, having first bought in Brighton one hundred acres of land, known as the Loomis farm. He has at present over two hundred acres. He was married to Melinda Dunbar, November 13, 1839; she was born at Sandy Lake, Rensselaer county, New York, September 6, 1819. Her father's name was John Dunbar, who was born at Bridgewater, Norfolk county, Massachusetts, June, 1777; he was of Scotch and English descent. He lived with his parents at Bridgewater until he was sixteen years of age; then he moved with them to Grantham, Sullivan county, New Hampshire; and in 1800, he married Sally Annadown, daughter of Joseph and Dorcas Annadown, of Southbridge, Massachusetts; she was born September 29, 1776. He resided at Grantham until February, 1818, and then removed to Sandy Lake. From there, he removed to Ludlow, Windsor county, Vermont, in 1820; and in 1831, he removed to Minerva, Essex county, New York. He came from Mernava to Ohio, the latter part of. May, 1835, and located in Brighton, September, 18385, where he resided until his death, January 18, 1838, aged sixty-one years. He was a farmer, and his farm lay about three-fourths of a mile north of the center. Sally Dunbar, wife of John Dunbar, died September 22, 1854, aged seventy-eight years. Melinda was sixteen years of age when her parents removed into Brighton. She had acommon school education: Since her marriage she has always resided on the same farm where they now live They have had four children, as follows: Jefferson C. Whipple, born August 18, 1841; Anzonette Whipple, born February 8, 1851; Emma Whipple, born April 2, 1857; Manette C. Whipple, born October 31, 1861. Emma died June 12. 1859, aged two years, two months and ten days, Anzonette died June 17, 1859, aged eight years, four months and nine days. The homestead is situated one and one-half miles from Brighton. The owner early identified himself with the religious and political interests of the town, bearing his share of the common burdens, and sharing in its general prosperity.

Leonard H. Loveland

was born in Southfield, Berkshire county, Massachusetts, October 3, 1794, and lived with his father, Abner Loveland, until he attained his majority. His education was confined to that of the common schools, but by studing at night, while others slept, he qualified himself for the honorable calling of teaching, and for two years taught school, with marked success. He then married Margaret V., daughter of Luke and Elizabeth Whitlock. She was born in Connecticut, June 25, 1794; and died August 18, 1855. This union resulted in three children, one son and two daughters, namely: Abner, born January 2, 1821, in South Brunswick, New Jersey; died October 138, 1821. Cordelia, born November 12, 1823, in Lorain county, Ohio ; died March 23, 1852. Emiline M., born March 4, 1833 ; died October 30, 1874.

Abner Loveland, father of him of who we write, was born in Connecticut, April 18, 1764. He was married to Lois, daughter of Benjamin Hodge. In 1821 he removed with his family to Ohio. There were six children, namely : Dolly, Lovina, Parmelia, Minerva, Luman E., Loring, Luther, Leonard H. and Abner. At Buffalo they took a sister of Mr. Loveland's in their wagon. The brothersand sisters are all deceased, the last brother dying at Wellington, Ohio, March 2, 1879. Abner Loveland died September 6,1847. He was aman of many excellent qualities, and his death was a sad event in the then rather thinly settled country, where he settled, labored and died.

On the 18th, of August, 1855, L. H. Loveland sustained the loss of his wife. which was a sore bereave- _ ment to him and the children. For his second wife he married Mrs. Anna Rulison, widow of James Rulison, and daughter of Moses Allen ; a lady very generally esteemed by her acquaintances and friends. Mr. Loveland has followed farming nearly all his life, and has attained the dignity of being considered one of the best practical farmers of Brighton township ; as he is also one of its most substantial citizens. His unswerving personal integrity, and the general rectitude of his life, have gained for him an enviable reputation in the community where he is best known, and where his many qualities of head and heart are duly appreciated.

Avery Hall, father of Selden, came to Brighton, Lorain county, Ohio, in the year 1823, being among the pioneer settlers of that town. He was married in Meriden, Connecticut, December 24, 1800, to Miss Sarah Foster. She died in 1803. He was married a second time in Woodbury, Connecticut, September 1, 1805, to Miss Lucy Bacon. She died October 28, 1852. A few years after, he married, for his third wife, Mrs. Leach, - she only living three.years after this marriage. He died at the age of seventy-four, and was buried in Brighton. He had two children by his first wife, viz: Selden, born September 19, 1801; Alfred born May 21, 1803. His second union was blessed with eleven children, viz: Erastus, born July 28, 1806; Sarah, born November 11, 1807; Edwin, born April 9, 1809; Avery, born February 28, 1812; Lucy, born April 12, 1814; Orrin, born April 5, 1816; Julia, born April 19, 1818; Theophilus, born May 15, 1821; John W., born August 26, 1823; William, horn April 11, 1825; Clarissa, born August 22, 1829.

Mr. Selden Hall was born in Meriden, Connecticut, September 19, 1801, and died November 28, 1878. In 1822 he, in company with his brother Alfred, traveled on foot from Meriden, Connecticut, to Brighton, Lorain county, Ohio, preceding his father and family by a year. When they reached their destination, they found but four white families in the township to bid them welcome to an unbroken wilderness, where marked trees were the only guides to distant thoroughfares. He had come for the purpose of farming, and soon settled on a piece of ground onehalf a mile west of the center of the town, built a substantial log cabin, and in 1828, he was married to Miss Emily A. Smith, who lived with her widowed mother and brothers on the old Smith farm, on the town line between Wellington and Brighton.