Parkman Township (part 2 of 2)

In order to open a market for grain, Mr. Parkman and Mr. Converse, in 1820, built, and for some years carried on, the large distillery which formerly stood not far from the east end of the present bridge, and which was then considered a great addition to the business interests of the township, as it furnished a medium of exchange for commodities in Pittsburg, New York, and other markets. It continued in operation till 1835, when the building was converted to other uses.

In 1821 they built a saw-mill and a mill for the manufacture of linseed oil, on opposite banks of the river, below the village, near the site of the present bridge, both of which continued in successful operation till about 1837. The oil-mill was then the only one in the vicinity, and created a ready market for flax-seed, producing, therefrom, a valuable commodity, which was always in demand. *

In 1823 they took measures for the erection of a paper-mill, on the river, above the oil-mill. At this point the banks were so high that, although the building was one of three stories, the roof only came above the bank. After the foundation was laid, and the frame put up and enclosed, the original plan was changed, and it was finished as a flour-mill. It continued in operation till February, 1830, when it was destroyed by fire. At the time of its destruction it was nearly filled with wheat.

In felling the timber for this mill, in the spring of 1823, an accident occurred which resulted in the death of Asa Pettis, one of the workmen, the first event of the kind which had ever taken place in the township.

The next year he entered into partnership with his elder brother, Porter Converse, which continued till 1828, when it was dissolved, and the business closed. Shortly after this, Porter Converse removed to Unionville, Lake county, and continued there in business as a merchant some years. He continued to reside there till his death in 1870, at the age of ninety-two.

In 1825 he, with Eleazer Hickox, of Burton, and Isaac Mills, of Portage county, was appointed "to lay out, improve and keep in repair a road leading from Chardon in Geauga county, through Burton and Parkman village, in a direction towards Warren."

The working of this road through Parkman devolved upon him, and was performed soon after the date of his commission. He also, at this time, superintended the putting in good traveling order several other roads in the township. "Whatsoever his hand found to do," was done promptly. Shortly before this, he, with some others, contracted with the post-office department to carry the mail from Fairport to Warren, in a conveyance suitable for the accommodation of travelers, which was the first public conveyance in this part of the county, the mill having previously been carried on horseback once or twice a week. The new line of stages soon became a daily, and the route, one of the main lines of travel from the Ohio river to the lake. His connection with the post-office department under this and other contracts continued about twelve years.

After the burning of the flour mill in 1830, Mr. Parkman, in 1831, began the construction of the mill which now stands on the river, just below the upper bridge, nearly on the site of the first saw-mill, but dying in 1832 before the completion, it was purchased by Mr. Converse, and finished by him in 1834. In 1839 it was enlarged, and the capacities greatly increased. This mill remained In his possession during his life. It is now (1878) owned by Jesse Pritchard.

In 1824 Daniel G. Converse, an elder brother of J. P. Converse, from Orange county, Vermont, settled in Parkman with his family. In 1829 he bought the farm on the township line, on the south side of the road leading directly west from the village, which is now owned by John Chapman.

This farm was first purchased in 1823, by Silas Merriam, who cleared a part of it, and set out an orchard, but failing in health, he returned to Massa-

In 1839 he built the house now on the place, and lived in it till about 1850. In 1855 he removed to Ionia county, Michigan, where he died in 1858. While a resident of Parkman he held for some years the office of justice of the peace, and for a greater part of the time, th#t of deacon in the Congregational church. He was a soldier in a Vermont regiment in the war of 1812. None of his family are left in the township.

His four sons, all natives of Parkman, and a son-in-law, served in Michigan regiments, in the war of the Rebellion. Two of them - James H. and Daniel Gilbert, jr. - from the begining to the end of the war, and were the greater part of the time in active service. One son, Josiah, and his son-in-law, Sherburn Tidd, died in the service.

The farm lying on the township line, directly north of Mernon place, was first settled in 1819, by Daniel Corliss, who built a log house, and owned and lived in it till 1835. ^ is now owned by Andrew Bennet, who has built upon

Shortly after the building of the Hanchett fulling-mill in 1813, a road was open from the village as far as the mill, and was known as the Hanchett road. In 1821 a survey was made to the township line, by Alfred Phelps, and the road opened. Previous to this, a path through the woods was the only means of reaching the Corliss purchase.

In 1818 Elisha Harris, from Chenango* county, New York, bought the whole of lot one in great lot twenty-one, and so much of lots two and three, as would make four hundred acres. On the southern portion of this tract he built a log house, and in 1819 moved into it with his family. At that time there was no road leading from the village in that direction. In 1820 the present road was surveyed by Alfred Phelps, and opened sufficiently for travel. This road was, some years later, extended to the township of Mantua, passing through Harrison, and is known as the Rapids road.

Mr. Harris was so fortunate as to possess the means of paying at once for his land, and still more fortunate in being the father of several sons of sufficient age to render him assistance in bringing it under cultivation.

About the year 1825 he sold the northwestern portion, comprising the whole of lot one, to Simon Davis, son-in-law of Isaiah Davis, who emigrated to Ohio in that year, with his family, from Genessee county, New York, and settled on his purchase, first in a log house, which in due time was succeeded by a frame one. This farm continued in the family of Mr. Davis till 1853, and the western portion is still owned by his daughter, Miss Betsey Davis. Mr. Davis died in 1863.

Two of Mr. Davis' sons settled in Parkman. The elder, James Wilson, on attaining manhood, entered into business as a merchant, but died of consumption before he had completed his thirtieth year, leaving a widow and one son, James Wilson, who, with the daughter of the other son, Miss Ellen Davis, are the only descendents of Simon Davis, now residing in the township.

Lovzinski, the third son, was a farmer, and for the last ten years of his life was the owner of the Kirtland farm. He was appointed postmaster in 1864, which office he held at the time of his death, in 1875, and also held that of justice of the peace for fourteen years previous to that event. His widow, Mrs. Sophia Davis, still owns the farm and resides on it with her daughter.

Mr. Harris continued to own the remainder of his land, (upon the southern portion of which he built a substantial frame house), till 1832, when pecuniary embarrassments, occasioned by becoming surety for a neighbor, obliged him to sell it, at which time he removed to Hiram, Portage county, in which place he resided till his death, in 1845.

Mrs. Harris died at the residence of her youngest son, in Chester, Geauga county, in 1855. No member of the Harris family now remains in Parkman. Both Mr. and Mrs. Harris were members of the first Methodist church, organized in that part of the town.

In 1832, Captain Augustus R. Baldwin, from Herkimef county, New York, bought all that part of the Harris farm lyirife north of the road, and which was already furnished with a substantial log house. In 1839, he built the frame house, now on the place, and continued to reside in it for some years. In 1852, he sold this farm to Nelson Richards, having previonsly made a purchase of a farm lying north of the village, on the Burton road, upon which he built the house in which he now resides. In 1840, he succeeded Deacon McElwaine, as deacon of the Congregational church, which office he still retains. Mr. Baldwin was a soldier in the war of 1812.

Mrs. Baldwin died in April, 1875. She was greatly beloved in her life, and regretted, in her death, by all who knew her, and especially by the members of her own family. She was a woman of rare sweetness of temper, and consistent piety. The law of kindness was ever on her lips, and in her heart

In 1836, the southern portion of the Harris farm was bought, by David Kester, from Onondaga county, New York, who owned it for some years. This was also purchased by Nelson Richards, and the whole is now owned by John Johnson.

The farm lying directly west of the Harris farm, was first settled by Warren Bentley, and was sold by him, to Jesse Pritchard, in 1836. In 1839, it was sold by Mr. Pritchard to Lucius T. Cadwell, who is the present . owner. In 1840, he built the house in which he has resided since that time.

His son, Theodore Cadwell, owns the farm adjoining this, on the west, which was first settled in 1828, by Luther Sanford, who put up a hewn log house, soon after the purchase. This farm was sold by him in 1833, to George Reed, who built a frame house in 1851, and sold it to Mr. Steel in 1857, of whom it was bought by its present owner in 1861. Mr. Cadwell, since his purchase, has enlarged the house built by Mr. Reed.

The first settlement on the road leading west from the village was made in 1820, by Hiram Harris, one of the elder sons of Elisha Harris, and was located directly north of the original Harris purchase. This land was sold by him in r822 to Ira Webster, son-in-law of Isaiah Davis.

Mr. Webster resided on this farm - first in a log house, then in a frame onetill 1846, when, having sold it to Deacon A. Waters, he removed to Chardon, where he still lives. He was a soldier in the war of 1812.

Not far from the time of Mr. Webster's settlement in Parkman, a small Methodist church was organized, of which himself and wife were members, and of which he is the sole survivor.* They met, in the early times, at the houses of the members, but, after the building of the Town hall, it was occupied by them at stated times for public worship.

Their numbers having sufficiently increased, they, in 1841, built a church in the western part of the village, on land donated for this purpose by General Perkins. In 1858, by an exchange of lots, the church was removed to the, opposite side of the street, and re-fitted; and again, in 1874, it was almost entirely re-built, in modern style. It is the largest and most costly church edifice in the township.

The land lying between the Merriam and Webster farms was purchased, in 1830, by Harvey Carter, who settled on it immediately, and has since owned it. In 1840 he built on it the frame house in which he lives.*

The farm lying north of Mr. Carter's, and east of the Corliss place, was purchased by Nelson Davis, the eldest son of Simon Davis, in 1831. After having cleared a portion of it, he sold it, in 1834, to Joseph Stockwell, of whom it was bought, in 1844, by Joseph Knight. Mr. Knight built a frame dwelling house and remained on the place till 1853, at which time he sold it to William Benton, who again sold it, in 1866, to its present owners, Mr. and Mrs. John Chapman. The house built by Mr. Knight has been removed, and a new one built in its place by Mr. Chapman.

The farm adjoining this on the east was purchased in 1839 by John Groves, from Cayuga county, New York, who some years previous had settled in the township. In 1840 he erected a frame dwelling, in which he lived till 1845, at which time he exchanged with Seymour J. Curtiss, for the lot, and the house built by him a short time previous, which is now owned by A. W. White.

Mr. Curtiss, who had been for some years a resident of the township, continued to own this farm till 1852, at which time it was purchased by Frederick D. Williams, who still owns it. About this time Mr. Curtiss removed to the southern part of the State, where he died, some years after.

Mr. Groves continued to be a resident of Parkman till 1854, at which time he removed to Indiana, where he died, in 1873. Both himself and wife were active members of the Methodist church.

About the year 1819, Zachariah Hosmer, the father of Alonzo Hosmer, from Middlesex county, Connecticut, settled on a farm on the center road, lying west of the Bateman lot, upon which he lived till his death, in 1856, at the age of ninety-four. Mr. Hosmer was a soldier in the war of the Revolution. This farm is now owned by his son, Andrew Hosmer, who has resided in. the town since his father's settlement in it. John B. Hosmer, son of Andrew Hosmer, served in the navy during the war of the Rebellion, and died of disease contracted in the service.

Another son, Sylvester Hosmer, made the first settlement on the road leading north to Middlefield from the center, and near the northern boundary of the town, by the purchase of about three hundred acres lying on both sides of the road, upon which he built, in 1853, the first steam saw-mill ever erected in the town. In 1852 he built a brick house, in which he resided till his death, in 1859. This farm is now owned by his two sons, Chester A. and Perry J. Hosmer.

In 1818, Gilbert Curtiss and Larrea McCall, brothers-in-law, from Middlesex county, Connecticut, purchased each a farm, lying contiguous to each other, near the center of the town, upon which they lived for more than forty years.

The McCall farm, when first purchased, was bounded on the east by the Mesopotamia road, but in 1825 it was increased by the purchase of the lot of fifty acres, lying on the east side of this road, which was part of the farm settled in 1820, by Benoni Buck, and sold by him to Mr. McCall shortly before his death. The remaining fifty acres of the Buck farm, now owned by Samuel Ohl, remained in the possession of his family till 1829, when it was bought by Harvey Dunn, brother of Alexander Dunn, who, some years after, removed to

Illinois. Mr. McCall retained possession of his farm till 1867, at which time it was sold to George Minturn, its present owner. Mr. McCall died in 1868.

Mr. Curtiss continued to reside on his first purchase, which lay directly west of that of Mr. McCall, till 1864, when he sold it and removed from the town. He now resides in Connecticut. The farm is now owned by Benjamin Blair. None of Mr. Curtiss' family have settled in Parkman. Both himself and Mr. McCall were soldiers in the war of 1812.

In October, 1819, Mr. Seth Smith came to Parkman, from Madison county, New York, and purchased land on the southern boundary of the township, on which he built ; first, a log house, and some years after a frame house, for the abode of himself and family. Mr. Smith had a family of seven sons, four of whom settled in the vicinity, and gave the name of Smithville to that part of the township; a name which it still retains.

Ransom, the eldest son of Seth Smith, came, with his younger brother, Marsh, the year before their father, and purchased the land lying between the two roads; Marsh Smith taking that lying on both sides of the western road, which is now owned by Sandford Eddy, upon which he resided more than forty years. About 1871, he removed to Chardon, where he still resides. While living in Parkman, he was several times elected to the office of justice of the peace, and also to that of auditor of the county. Ransom Smith died in 1833. Two of his sons, Alonzo B. and Norman Decatur, with their families, still live in the township. He was a soldier in the war of 1812, and was a member of the first militia company organized in the township.

This farm is now owned by his brother, Sanford Smith, who still lives on his original purchase, on the Nelson road, not far from the southern boundary line. His family have all settled near him.

In 1838, Mr. Seth Smith sold his farm to Julius B. Upham, and for the remainder of his life lived with his sons. He died, in 1855, at a8e of eightyfour.

. The farm lying directly east of that now owned by Orville Smith was settled in 1820, by Dorrance Williams, who lived on it for some years, when it passed into the possession of Alonzo Brown, who sold it, about 1849, to Dexter Merritt, who owned it until his death, in 1874. The farm is still in the possession of Mr. Merritt's family.

The farm lying directly south of that of Alexander Dunn was settled in 1821, by David, father of Dorrance Williams, who owned it for some years, when it was purchased by Orrin Merritt, who owned it until his death, in 1873, and whose sons are the present owners.

About 1819, Seth Phelps, esq., of Aurora, New York, the father of Mrs. Parkman, and of Alfred Phelps, purchased a part of the Evans place, upon which he settled with his family, and continued to reside till his death in 1826. He was a man advanced in years at the time of his settlement in Parkman, but still in the possession of vigorous health and strength.

He was a pioneer of Cayuga county, having settled shortly after the close of the Revolutionary war, through the whole of which he served immediately under General Washington. He held for some time the office of judge of the supreme court in Cayuga county.

His son, Alfred Phelps, who, it will be remembered, accompanied Mr. and Mrs. Parkman to Ohio in 1804, remained a member of their family till he grew up to manhood.

Just before the opening of the war of 1812, he returned to Cayuga county, and at its beginning entered the army as lieutenant, serving under General Van Rensellaer.

At the battle of Queenstown he was wounded, and taken prisoner, but was released on parole, and returned to Cayuga county. Soon after the close of the war, he returned to Parkman, and entered upon the practice of his profession. In 1820 he married Miss Ann Tousley, of Aurora, New York. A few years later, he built the house in the western part of the village, now owned by Alonzo Bundy, and continued a resident of the town till 1827, at which time he removed to Chardon, and thereafter his history is connected with that town.

Two younger sons of Judge Seth Phelps (Alexander Hamilton and Horatio Nelson), who accompanied their father to Parkman, and grew to manhood there, settled in Michigan.

Still other settlers in 1817 were Allen and Abner Richmond, brothers, from Vermont Soon after their arrival, Allen Richmond bought a lot in the village, north of the original purchase of J. P. Converse, upon which, in 1826, he erected the frame dwelling now owned by D. R. Travis, and owned it till 1834, at which, having removed his residence from the town, it was purchased and owned for some years, by Rev. Nathaniel Cobb.

Abner Richmond bought several acres of land lying directly east of Mr. Converse's purchase. In 1828 he built a frame house, in which he resided till 1835, when he removed from the town.

In 1867 the place was purchased by Orlando C. Smith, by whom the house has been enlarged and refitted, and who still owns and resides in it.

In 1820 Mr. Augustus Sayles, of Chautauqua county, New York, came into the town for the purpose of entering into business. He was by trade a millwright, and as he found a fair opening for the exercise of his vocation, he removed his family to the place in 1821. About the year 1822, in company with Judge Noah Hoyt from Oneida county, New York, and Ebehezer White, he built a large forge on the river, at the foot of what is known as Forge Hill, (to which it gave the name), which was an important addition to the business advantages of the town.

Not long after its completion, Mr. Sayles withdrew from the partneship, and the business was carried on by the other partners till 1824, when Judge Hoyt removed to Chardon, and Mr. White remained sole owner. He continued it in operation till 1833, when it was carried away hy a freshet, and was never rebuilt. Mr. White continued to reside in Parkman till his death in 1850.

In 1823 Mr. Sayles built the house now owned by Mrs. Maria Burt, which he occupied as a residence for several years. In 1827 he removed for a short time to Garrettsville, but returned to Parkman, and resided there till his death, in 1848. He was a man of very industrious habits, and proficient in his particular calling, of quiet and retiring manners, and a valued citizen.

His wife survived him several years. She died at the residence of her daughter, Mrs. Hillman, in Bristol, Trumbull county, in 1866. Mrs. Hillman, who was for many years a resident of Parkman, is the sole survivor of their large family.

William B. Young, brother of Joseph Young, came to Parkman at about the same time, and from the same place as Mr. Sayles. He was both a carpenter and cabinet-maker, and worked at both occupations as occasion served. In 1826 he built the house on the lot directly south of that of Dr. Scott's, which is now owned by Dr. Chase. Soon after he married Miss Charlotte Ford, sister of Elijah Ford, and began housekeeping in this house, which continued to be

Mr. Young was a prominent member of the Methodist church, and was very highly esteemed in the community. After his death his family returned to Parkman, where they resided till i860, at which time Mrs. Young removed to Cleveland, where she died, at the residence of her eldest son, in 1867. None of the family have settled in Parkman.

Two brothers of William Young settled in the township some years after. Elisha, who came in 1836, and is still living there; and Walter, who came in 1839, both from Chautauqua county, New York. Walter Young died in 1865. He served in the army during the war of 1812.

With Mr. Sayles also came Martin Mitchell, a millwright, who worked at his trade in and about Parkman for many years. He afterwards removed to Chardon (and was for some years the owner of " Mitchell's mills "), where he died, May, 1879.

Samuel, the eldest son of Robert B. Parkman, who, it will be remembered, was an infant of a few months old when his father first built his cabin in the depths of the forest, and was therefore the first white child who entered the township, had grown up with the passing years, and had received his education, as many others have done, by the diligent use of such books as his father's not very extensive library afforded, aided by the influences of a home of more than ordinary culture and refinement. At the age of sixteen, having learned surveying, by studying by the fireside, and with little teaching, he accompanied Mr. Otis Sprague to Medina county, and for several months was engaged in a survey of that county, camping in the woods, and taking his share of the discomforts and privations of the expedition.

In November, 1825, he left home for the purpose of establishing himself as a surveyor, and directed his course to Steubenville, and from thence, in the same month, he made a journey to Washington on foot, for the purpose of obtaining a government contract for surveying. Failing in this, he returned to Steubenville in the same way, making thus a foot journey of five hundred and forty miles.

He immediately proceeded, by way of the Ohio river, to Shawneetown, from there making another journey, of seventy miles, on foot, to Saint Louis, where he remained some months.

In August, 1826, he went, on a surveying tour, to Fort Osage, three hundred miles up the Mississippi river, where he was dangerously ill for some time without even the commonest comforts of civilized life. As soon as he recovered sufficient strength to travel, which was in the spring of 1827, he returned to La Fayette county, Missouri, where he remained about two years. He here engaged in farming, and, at the same time, held the office of postmaster, at Pettit Saw Bluffs, on the Missouri river, two hundred and forty miles above St. Louis.

In the summer of 18*9, having fully recovered his health, he joined the fur company of Smith, Subletz, Jackson & Company, in an expedition to the Rocky mountains. This company was a competitor with the Hudson Bay Company in the fur trade, and in this expedition they penetrated to the sources of the Lewis and Clarke rivers.

The expedition was pecuniarily a successful one, and was replete with experiences, at once novel and interesting, although not without its share of hardship and exposure.

In one of his expeditions he ascended to heights never before trodden by the foot of the white man. Of this journey he says: "I have traveled twelve hundred miles through the Indian country, forded many large rivers, and ascended many high mountains, whose tops are covered with perpetual snow. I have, during the summer, felt the extremes of heat and cold, of hunger and thirst, traveling at one time five days without food." This long fast was broken byfood prepared by a daughter-in-law of Daniel Boone, who then lived in the wilds of western Missouri. He speaks of himself as having killed sixty-five bufifalp, and relates that at one time, being in advance of his party, on surmounting a bluff, he unexpectedly found himself confronted with a herd of many thousands. How he extricated himself from the dilemma we are not informed. This long journey was performed on horseback, but the return was made on foot, the horses being used in conveying the furs which they had obtained.

Returning to St. Louis in the autumn of 1830, he was engaged during the winter of 1830-31 in arranging the notes, and making maps of the route through which they had traveled. At the same time he prosecuted the study of the Spanish language, in preparation for a visit to New Mexico, which he had then in contemplation, and which was carried out in the spring of 1831.

Having formed a partnership with Mr. Smith, the leader of the Rocky mountain expedition, for the purpose of carrying on a trade with New Mexico, the party, consisting of seventy-three men, with twenty-four wagons, began their journey. In crossing what was then known as the Great American desert, they traveled three days without a drop of water and without seeing a trace of vegetation, facing a wind from the sand plains of the south, which he speaks of as being "as parching as a siracco." Here, the senior partner, Mr. Smith, having left the caravan to search for water, which was then the most desirable object on earth, was attacked and killed by the Comanches. After the death of Mr. Smith, the entire charge of the business was in Mr. Parkman's hands.

They reached Santa Fe on the fourth of July, 1831, and remained there one year, during which time he made a journey across the country to Upper California.

Visiting the city of Chihuahua on business, in the fall of 1832, he found himself in the midst of the revolution headed by Santa Anna, which proved disastrous to his enterprises. In 1833, he visited the City ot Mexico. Here he made the acquaintance of a party of English gentlemen who were interested in silver mining, and accepted the post of superintendent of a silver mine in Guanajuato, and ultimately was appointed general superintendent of the mines of the State. He continued to reside in this city till the close of his life, in 1873, a space of forty years, during all of which time he was engaged in the mining and assaying of silver. He married a Mexican lady, of Spanish descent, and left a large family of sons and daughters.

In the fall of 1825, Timothy M. Burt, from Onondaga county. New York, built a tannery on a lot east of the village, now occupied by the cheese factory, and commenced business in that line, which he carried on extensively for several years. In 1828 he married the youngest daughter of R. B. Parkman, and having purchased the house built by Mr. Sayles, began housekeeping in it the same year. This was his residence till his death, from consumption, in 1834, and is still occupied by Mrs. Burt Mr. Burt was a man of active business habits, and irreproachable in all the relations of life. He was a prominent member of the Presbyterian church, a man universally respected, and whose early death, in his thirty-second year, made a void in the community not easily filled.

In 1825 the frame of the present town hall was erected by the Masonic fraternity, for their use as a hall. After standing some time unenclosed, it was taken in hands by the town, and so far finished that the lower part could be used for school purposes. Being built in two rooms, which were so arranged that they could be thrown into one for religious meetings, they were so used for several years. The first school taught in the building was in the summer of 1831.

In 1834, Dr. Scott, S. H. Williams, William B. Young, and John P. Converse, entered into an agreement with each other to sustain an academic school for a term of years, for the benefit of their own families and those of others who should choose to avail themselves of its advantages. The rate of tuition was low, and these gentlemen bound themselves to supply all deficiencies in making up the salary of the teacher.

Thist school was continued uninterruptedly for seven years. The majority of the teachers were advanced students from Western Reserve College, and one of them was a graduate of Yale.

Since the establishment of graded schools, the upper part has been fitted up for the higher schobl, while the lower part is used as a town hall.

In 1844 the members of the Universalist society built a church north of the town hall, on a lot of land donated for that purpose by General Perkins. The building has of late undergone extensive repairs.

West Middlefield Road

The first settlement on what is known as the west road to Middlefield, was made in 1818, by Joseph Terry, who purchased a farm lying on the east side of the road, and having the township line for its northern boundary, and continued to own it till 1841. It is now owned by Jeffrey SilvernaiL

The second settlement was made at nearly the same time, with that of Mr. Terry, by William Potter. This land did not lie on the Middlefield road, proper (indeed, at that time, did not lie on any road), but was situated a little to the west of it, and is now bounded on the south side by a road running southwest to the Troy line. Mr. Potter built a log house, by a spring, on the place, in which he lived till 1840.

It is now owned by Israel Pitkin, who also owns the lot lying north of it, which he purchased in 1841, of Lewis Pickett. This lot was first settled by James Carhart.

The house was built by Mr. Pitkin. Except the purchases made by Mr. Terry and Mr. Potter, no settlement was made on this road for some years.

It was, for a time, known as "the negro settlement;" from the fact, that two colored families began a clearing south of the Terry purchase. The next owner of this land, was James Jones, who sold it in 1845, to Franklin Smith, who again sold it in i860, to Otis B. Newcomb, its present owner.

In 1835, the farm, now owned by A. C. Touse, was settled by James Jones, while the lot directly south of it, and east of the Potter place, was bought by his son, Wheaton, and was on that account, known as "the Jones settlement" That part settled by the elder Jones, was afterwards owned by Clark Touse, who sold it to its present possessor. The lot settled by Wheaton Jones is owned by Warren Newcomb.

The first settlement south of the Potter place, which also extends east to the road, was made in 1836, by Orman and Otis B. Newcomb. The next year, Orman Newcomb sold his claim to his brother, who is the present owner, and by whom the dwelling house, on the place, was built.

In addition to that purchased of Franklin Smith, Mr. Newcomb also owns the lot directly south of it. These two lots were the original negro settlement.

Selah Newcomb, his son, was a soldier in the 105th regiment in the war of the Rebellion, and died of wounds received at the battle of Perryville.

pied, with his family, till i860, at which time he removed to Cuyahoga bounty, where he died, a few years after. This farm is now owned by the heirs of Harvey Rice.

The first settlement on the farm directly south of this was made in 1838, by Thomas Cudjew. It was bought of him, the next year, by Orman Newcomb, who still owns it. Mr. Newcomb built the house in which he lives, which occupies the site of a house also built by him, which was burned in 1862. His son, Frank Newcomb, was a soldier, in the One Hundred and Fifth regiment, in the war of the Rebellion.

South of this is the farm owned by James Brown. The northern part 0/ this farm was first settled, in 1838, by William Hammill, who sold it, in 1843, to Levi Patchin. The southern part was settled, in 1841, by Hercules Young, who built a frame house on his purchase. These two lots were bought by James Brown, in 1850.

At the same time, his father, Thomas Brown, bought the farm adjoining it on the south, known as the Percival farm, which was first settled by James Percival, in 1835, and who sold it, a few years later, to Henry D. Scott. Mr. Scott made an addition to his purchase, and sold the whole to Mr. Brown, who owned it until his death, in 1866. It is now owned by his son, Thomas Brown. Thomas Brown, sr., was a soldier in the war of 1812. His son, Reuben Brown, was a member of the Second Ohio cavalry, in the war of the Rebellion, and died in the service.

The road to Middlefield, which runs directly north from the village, and lies between the centre and the west road, was the last one opened in the township. The first settlement on it was made by Philo Hinckston, in 1838, and lies on the northern boundary line, on the east side of the road, upon which he built a log house. In 1850, Mr. Hinckston sold his interest in the property to Ransellaer Owen, youngest son of Daniel Owen, who built upon it a frame house, and still owns it.

The lot directly south was settled in 1842, by Chester Foote, who built the house, and owned it until 1866, when it came into the possession of its present owner - Miss Polly M. Town.

In 1839, Ethan Payne first settled on the land lying on the west side of the road, now owned by William H. Wells. He built on it a log house, and owned it until 1849. It was purchased by Mr. Wells, in 1862, who built a frame house on the place soon after his purchase.

The farm south of this was first settled, in 1847, by James McLeod, and owned by him until his death, after which it remained in possession of his widow, who sold it, in 1870, to John L. Moore, who now owns it. Both Mr. and Mrs. McLeod died in California.

The farm next south of this was first purchased by Jackson Robb, in 1852, and sold by him, in 1857, to Stephen K. Parkhurst, who has since owned it. The lot next south was also a part of the land originally purchased by Jackson Robb, and descended to its present owner, Mrs. Martha Whitcomb, as one of the heirs of Harvey Rice.

The land now owned by Burt and Burnham Tinker was first settled - that on the east side of the road by Andrew Foote, in 1839, and that on the west side by Joshua Newell, in 1837. Newell sold, in 1842, to Samuel W. Durand, who again sold it 1847 t0 Benjamin Tinker, who deeded it to his two sons, Burt and Burnham. In 1848 the Foote place was bought by DeWitt Wright, who sold it, in 1858, to the brothers, Tinker, who have, since their purchase, built the houses in which their families reside.

The land next south of the Tinker purchase, on the west side of the road, was bought, in 1838, by Stephen K. Parkhurst, and was the second settlement

Mr. Parkhurst also owns the land opposite his first purchase, lying on the east side of the road, which was first settled in 1841, by William Scott, who built upon it a substantial block house, and sold it, in 1843, to Calvin Baird. In 1848 it was bought by G. W, Hatch, who sold it, in 1851, to Lewis C. Todd, by whom it was owned till his death, in 1863, and who left it, by will, to his daughter, Mrs. Catharine Chapman, of whom it was purchased by Mr. Parkhurst, in 1866. In addition, Mr. Parkhurst bought at the same time, of Mr. Chapman, the lot lying south and adjoining the other, which was first settled in 1842, by Charles Baird, and which was owned for some years by Leonard Waterman, son of Ira Waterman, who was one of the early settlers of Parkman, and who was an inhabitant of the township from 1819 till his death, in 1841. Leonard Waterman, after the sale of his land, removed to the village, where he resided till his death, in July, 1877. Another son, B. D. Waterman, has settled and built on the northern portion of the first cleared one hundred acres. A daughter, Mrs. Baird, has also settled in the township. Her son, Edwin P. Baird, was a soldier in the Fifth regiment. New York heavy artillery, in the war of the Rebellion. Ira Waterman was a native of the State of Vermont, and was a soldier in the war of 1812.

In addition, Mr. Todd purchased the farm lying south of Mr. Parkhurst's, w hich was first settled by John Kingsbury about 1848, who built upon the place soon after. Mr. Todd, during his occupancy, represented the county during one term in the State legislature. About i860 the farm was purchased of him by Daniel B. Hosmer, eldest son of Alonzo Hosmer, who sold it in 1869 to Arthur A. Jones, its present owner, and removed to Kansas. Mr. Jones was a soldier in the war of the Rebellion. He was for a time confined in the prison at Andersonville, and narrowly escaped death in the blowing up of the " Sultana," on the Mississippi river.

The farm south of this, lying near the north part of the village, was first settled by William Lamb, a native of the north of Ireland, about the year 1836. Mr. Lamb had been a resident of the township some years before his purchase. He built upon it first a small frame house, which he afterwards enlarged, and in which he resided till about the year 1867, when, having sold his farm, he removed to California, whither several members of his family had preceded him, and where he died, about 1870.

This farm was purchased, in 1868, by Norman D. Smith, and is now owned by him. He also owns the land already referred to as having been cleared by Mr. Dustan in 1809, by chopping on moonlight nights, while engaged in teaching during the day. The "second growth" of timber on this land includes a very fine sugar camp. Mr. Smith is a son of Ransom Smith, one of the early settlers in the southern part of the township. He held the rank of lieutenant in the One Hundred and Fifth regiment, in the war of the Rebellion.

After the sale of his land on the Middlefield road, Mr. G. W. Hatch, in 1855, removed to the village, where he has since resided. He held the office of postmaster in the early part of the Lincoln administration, and his name is on the records of the patent office, between the years 1843 and 1875, as the patentee of several useful and profitable inventions. In 1873 built a tasteful residence very near, if not on, the spot where the first trees were felled, and where Mr. Parkman built his log cabin in 1804. His eldest son, Horace Hatch, was a soldier in the Fifth New York heavy artillery, in the war of the Rebellion, and was wounded at Harper's Ferry. Two other sons, Americus and Augustus,

Parkman sent about one hundred men into the army to assist in putting down the Rebellion, and the patriotic women, during the four years of its continuance, maintained an efficient organization as a branch of the Soldiers' Aid Society of Northern Ohio.

We have now brought to a completion the record of the settlement of the township. It is a noticeable fact that the farms, with very few exceptions, are cultivated by their owners. Although there are some clay soils in the level and eastern portion of the township, the average soil is a sandy loam, well adapted to fruit culture and grain raising.

As the town became settled, the attention of agriculturists was turned to dairying. At first, as was customary, the cheese was made on the farm and sold by the makers, as with other farm products. As time passed on, Parkman, like many others on the Reserve, developed into a dairy township, and now ranks among the first in the county in the amount and value of its cheese and butter products.

In 1863 Messrs. Budlong and Stokes, from New York City, erected a large cheese factory in the eastern part of the village, and began the manufacture of cheese in large quantities. The enterprise was from the first successful, and nearly every farm contributed to the supply of milk. In 1867 the factory was purchased by Orlando C. Smith, who, since that time, has conducted the business. A smaller factory, owned by a joint stock company, in the eastern part of the township, is also in successful operation.

In the manufacture of maple sugar, both as to quality and quantity, Parkman surpasses every other town in Geauga county, as the county does every other in the State, and will compare favorably, in this respect, with any town in the United States.

In addition to the maple, chestnut, hickory, and other kinds of timber, grow in fair proportion. In the southeastern portion of the township once grew large quantities of black walnut, but its value was not appreciated in time to save it.

On the south side of Grand river, in section twenty-three, near the Dunn farm, was once an Indian burial place, from which human bones, arrow' heads, pottery, etc., have been extracted.

The height of the township above the sea level is one thousand three hundred and fifty feet. There are points near its wrest line two hundred feet higher. The surface rock along this line is the carboniferous conglomerate, and from its -quarries are taken fair building stone. This line is also the watershed between the Cuyahoga and Grand rivers, and upon it the characteristic chestnut timber preponderates.

Besides the carboniferous conglomerate, m sections eleven, eighteen, twenty, and seventeen, a sand rock, without pebbles, overlies the black slate or shale of the coal measures, and in section five (Bundysburgh) and in sixteen (on the Thrope farm), are quarries of Berea grit. J. S. Newberry, State geologist, estimates the thickness of the carboniferous conglomerate at one hundred and seventy-five feet, yet it is entirely worn through by the action of Grand river, in its course below the village, down stream, a distance of three miles.

A natural lake, of considerable size, once occupied the site of the mill-pond, near the village, which is shewn by the stratification of the rocks of the gulf.

In sections eighteen, nineteen, and twenty-three, in the valley of the river, the rocks are planed and striated in a southwesterly direction, an exhibition of the magnitude and power of those immense fields of ice which, in a former period of the earths history, but after the close of the carboniferous era, brought down from the northern heights all the clay, sand and gravel which overlies our rocks.

Robert Breck Parkman

was born in Leicester, Massachusetts, May 21, 1771. He was the eldest son of Alexander Parkman, who was a native of Westboro, Massachusetts and a soldier in the war of the Revolution.

Soon after the close of the war he removed, with his family, from Leicester to Westmoreland, Oneida county, New York, being one of the pioneer settlers of that town. His son, Robert, was his father's chief assistant in the labors of the new settlement.

In 1792, soon after attaining his majority, Robert B. went to Cayuga county, and began the study of law, teaching school at the same time, in order to defray his expenses. He also, while studying, dealt in real estate, and was so far successful that he became the owner of considerable land in and about Cayuga. He was also justice of the peace during some part of his residence there. By too close application to study and business, his health failed, and he returned to his fathers home, in Oneida county, where he remained two years. During this time, in 1797, he made his first visit to the Western Reserve, for the purpose of exploring the tract of land which his uncle, Samuel Parkman, of Boston, had purchased of the Connecticut Land Company, and which now constitutes the township of Parkman. This journey, for the benefit of his health, was performed on horseback. He then returned to Cayuga and resumed his law studies, and, at the same time, was actively engaged in forwarding the building of the first bridge across Cayuga lake, giving to the enterprise both time and money. This bridge was completed in 1799.

Early in 1800, Mr. Parkman was admitted to the bar, and began at once the successful practice of his profession. In 1803 he again visited Parkman, for the purpose of making a survey of the township, as well as to make himself familiar with its capabilities, with a view to future settlement. At this time he passed an examination before the supreme court, and was admitted to practice law in the State of Ohio. Wrhen about to return to Cayuga, he was married, May 29, 1803, at the house of Judge John Walworth, at Grand River, now Painesville, to Miss Lucy Phelps, second daughter of Judge Seth Phelps, of Aurora, New York. Their bridal journey to Cayuga was made on horseback. He, with his wife and infant son, returned to Ohio, for permanent settlement, in June, 1804, and, within five weeks after reaching Judge Walworth's house at Grand River, they were settled in their floorless and doorless cabin in Parkman, with the stump of a large tree in the center for a table. This cabin gave place, before the close of the year, to a larger and more comfortable house, and, at the same time, Mr. Parkman entered with ardor upon his duties as the agent of his uncle, in forwarding the settlement of the township, laying out roads, building mills ; having, in short, the whole management of the business. At this time, and till 1824, at which time occurred the death of Samuel Parkman, he had the whole care of his land on the Reserve, comprising some forty thousand acres, located in Geauga, Cuyahoga, Portage, Lorain, and Medina counties, and so faithfully did he execute his trust, that during the whole time no word of dissatisfaction of his management was manifested, but, on the contrary, the letters of the elder Parkman always expressed great deference to his opinion, and confidence in his judgment aud integrity.

The first winter of his stay in the new settlement was cheered by the arrival of his brother-in-law, Samuel Ledyard and wife, from Aurora, New York, and the two families lived together with no neighbors nearer than Burton and Nelson. Warren, sixteen miles distant, was their nearest post-office, but for want of roads, could only be reached on horseback, and communication with the outer world was held only at long intervals. Captain Edward Paine, also a brother-in-law of Mr. Parkman, writes to him about this time, "You say you have no news to* communicate. I think it must be on account of your retired situation."

As settlers came into the town, his doors were always open to them till such time as they could provide a home for themselves. He was their counselor in trouble, their physician in sickness, their guide and faithful friend always ; and many a discouraged and homesick settler had reason, in after life, to bless the memory of the man, whose influence saved them from loss, and in the end, secured for them comfort and independence.

In 1805, on the establishment of a post-office, Mr. Parkman was appointed postmaster, and held the office till 1829. His commission was signed by Gideon Granger. In the letter announcing this appointment, Mr. Granger adds this clause: security according to law, by such a man as may contract to carry the mail from Warren to Parkman, from the emoluments to be derived from the post-office at Parkman." As there were then but two or three families in Parkman, these " emoluments " could not have been any great source of wealth. The name of the person who enjoyed them, cannot be ascertained. Ten years later, in 1815, the annual income of the office was ten dollars and seventy-five cents!

Immediately after the creation of Geauga county, at the session of the court in June, 1806, Mr. Parkman was appointed prosecuting attorney, and continued in the office till 1817.

In 1807 he conceived the project of building a road between the Cuyahoga river and the Tuscarawas branch of the Muskingum, as well as the clearing of those rivers of all obstructions, in order to establish direct communication between Lake Erie and the Ohio river, with Cleveland and Marietta as termini. For the purpose of raising funds for this enterprise, and also, to enlist capitalists in the undertaking, he visited Albany and New York in 1808, but did not succeed in his mission.

Meanwhile, his family was increasing. In 1805, the year after his settlement, his eldest daughter, Adaline, afterwards the wife of Julien C. Huntington, of Painesville, was born. She was the first white child bom in the town, and died at Painesville, of consumption, in 1874.

His second son, Henry Seymour, a sketch of whose life is given in the body of the history of Parkman, was born in January, 1807, and died in December, 1867. He was the first white male child born in the town.

Edwin, his third son, born in 1808, died of consumption in 1828. Lucy Maria, the second daughter, who was bom in 1810, was married in 1828, to Timothy M. Burt, and is still living (1878), in Parkman, the sole representative of her father's family, in the town. John Walworth, bom in 1812, died in 1813. His was the first death which had occurred in the nine years, since the first settlement of Parkman. Robert Breck, his youngest son, was born in 1815.

In 1819, Mr. Parkman was appointed probate judge, but held the office but a short time, as the performance of his duties was quite impossible in the midst of his other engagements. His law practice was constantly increasing, and extended to all parts of the Reserve, where courts were established.

His early associates in his profession, were J. S. Edwards, Peter Hitchcock, and Samuel W. Phelps ; the two latter, with himself, were the first who practiced in the courts of Geauga county.

During all these years, he was "in labors abundant." Occupied, as he was, with his business, and with the cares of his family, which included every settler, all of whom looked up to him, as to a father, he was the constant recipient of* letters from those who had relatives somewhere in Ohio, or absent debtors, of whom they wished information, and other cares. These were all attended to, as far as possible, and the correspondence thus entailed would fill volumes.

In 1820 Mrs. Parkman died, after a long and distressing illness, of consumption. She was, as before stated, the daughter of Judge Seth Phelps, of Aurora, New Y'ork, and was born in that place October 7, 1783, where the greater part of her early life was passed amid the comparative refinements of that State. Her first visit to Ohio was made in 1799, at which time she was the guest of her relative, Judge John Walworth, of Grand River, at whose house she remained till her marriage in 1803. She accompanied her husband at the time of fiis first settlement in Parkman, and was the first white woman ever in the township. A true wife for a pioneer, she cheerfully bore her part of the burdens and endured the discomforts of those primitives times, and united with her husband in making her house a home for all comers, to whom she dispensed a -cheerful and graceful hospitality, and thus, for sixteen years, and for the greater part of the time in failing health, she fulfilled the duties of a wife and mother, and also met the additional demands upon her time and strength to which her husband's position subjected her. Shortly after her death he thus wrote of her: "To her husband she was an excellent companion; to her children an affectionate mother. She was warm in her attachment to her friends. Hers was a life of sickness, particularly during the last seven years, but yet a life, of unceasing industry. The preparations for the hour of her departure, which she saw steadily approaching, stimulated her in the exercise of her remaining powers to be useful to her family, and her last moments presented to her friends a most perfect blending of the concerns of both worlds. To the acute distress which in her last moments she experienced she submitted without a murmur, considering it as the chastening of a Father, whose grievous afflictions are for the best good of His children, in the full belief that He would watch over and take care of her family, and that in His own good time all would meet in a better world." She died. August 9th, in the thirty-seventh year of her age.

In 1823 Mr. Parkman married Mrs. Mary Burt, of Onondaga, New York, who survived him, but died, in 1848, from lockjaw, in consequence of a fall.

Mr. Parkman's characteristics can be described in a few w ords. He was possessed of a cheerful temperament, which no disappointments or reverses of his own were ever able to disturb ; he was firm, without being obstinate ; hopeful, without being over-confident, and thus was admirably fitted for the position which he occupied, as the leader of a new settlement.

He was attacked by sickness when absent from home on business, and died, at the age of sixty-one, after a long illness, at Orwell, Ashtabula county, March 21, 1832. He lived long enough to witness much good result to others from his exertions and sacrifices, to see many places in the wilderness become fruitful fields, and prosperity follow in the train of honest industry. The memory of "a good name, wrhich is rather to be chosen than great riches," is the legacy which he left to his children, and, to the township, to which he gave the strength of his early manhood and mature age.

In 1824 Mr. Samuel Parkman died, and his ownership in the unsold land of the township passed to his son, Dr. George Parkman, whose violent death, in 1849, at tbe bands of Professor Webster, is still well remembered.

In 1835 General Simon Perkins, of Warren, became the owner, by purchase, of the Parkman interest, and thus was closed all relation with the family who gave their name to the township.

John Phelps Converse

John Phelps Converse, one of the early settlers of Parkman, was the seventh son, and eleventh child, of Israel Converse, and was born%t Randolph, Orange county, Vermont, January 27, 1792. The Converse family had its origin in the province of Navarre, France, under the name of Ue Coignieres.

During the later part of the reign of William the Conqueror, Roger and Robert De Coignieres emigrated to England, and settled in Durham. Upon the rise of the Reformation in France, the De Coignieres became Huguenots, and were both, by allegiance and religion, adherents of Henry IV. Immediately after the massacre of St. Bartholomew, in which many of the family fell, Pierre De Coignieres, with his wife and two children, escaped to England, and settled in Essex, where, in the course of time, the name, following the English pronounciation, became Conyers, and has been so called in England ever since.

In 1630, Edward Conyers, with Sarah, his wife, and two sons, sailed from England in the fleet with YVinthrop, and settled in Charlestown, Massachusetts. During the passage, by dropping a part of the y, the name was changed to Conuers, which soon became Convers. Just when the final e was added to the name does not appear. Some branches of the Converse family have not yet adopted it.

Some time between 1735 and 1737, Josiah, the fifth in descent from Edward Convers settled in Stafford, Connecticut, in which town was born, August 7, 1743, Israel Converse, the father of John Phelps.

At the beginning of the Revolutionary war, he entered the army as second lieutenant in one of the regiments of Connecticut troops, and the same year was raised to the rank of captain. He continued in active service till the close of the war, and was discharged with the rank of colonel. In 1787 he removed with his family to Randolph, Vermont, and was one of the pioneer settlers of that township, and where his son, John Phelps, was born as above stated.

By the death of his father, which occurred in his fifteenth year, the subject of our sketch was left to fight the battle of life as best he might, but to one of New England birth and training this condition was not formidable. He was born with the instincts of a pioneer, and had in early childhood, to use his own words, "determined to settle in some country where wheat would grow."

While still quite young, he served for a time with a brother-in-law, who was a merchant in Montreal, but afterwards returned to Vermont, and was engaged in a store with his elder brother, and in attending school. In 1812 his health not being good, he left Vermont in search of that milder clime, and first pitched his tent near Utica, New York, and was engaged for the two years following in teaching. Among the names appended to a recommendation given him as a teacher during this time, is that of Noah Hoyt, afterwards for many years an honored resident of Chardon. The friendship, begun at that time, was afterwards renewed when both became settlers, and for a time neighbors in their new home in Geauga county?

In 1816 Mr. Converse married Miss Betsey Collins, of Whitestown, New York, daughter of Gen. Oliver Collins, who survived their marriage but one year. She died in February, 1817, leaving an infant son. Shortly after this event, Mr. Converse made his first visit to Ohio, taking the journey partly on account of his health, which was not good, and in part to ascertain its business prospects with a view to future settlement, and as the Western Reserve was then the center of attraction to those whose faces were turned towards Ohio, he naturally made it a point in his journey. At this time he visited Parkman for the first time, where he remained some weeks, and while there, became acquainted with Miss Hannah B. Parkman, the youngest sister of Mr. Parkman, to whom he was married in July, 1818, at Westmoreland, Oneida county, New York. While on this visit to Ohio, he went up Lake Erie as far as Detroit. Immediately after his marriage he removed to Parkman, and permanently settled there, and became, at once, one of its most active and untiring business men. In connection with Mr. Parkman, he built mills of different kinds, which are mentioned in detail in the history of Parkman. The construction of these mills gave employment to mechanics of various kinds, and when completed, and in use, it can easily be seen how much they contributed to the business facilities and growth of the town.

Shortly after his arrival in Parkman, Mr. Converse purchased an unfinished house which he put in order, and moved into with his family. This house stood on the northeast corner, at the crossing of the roads, in the village, and was his residence for fourteen years. Attached to his house were several acres of land, on the eastern part of which, in 1843, he built a commodious

In 1824, Mr. Converse, with others, contracted with the post-office department to carry the mail from Fairport to Poland, Trumbull county, in a conveyance suitable for the accommodation of the traveling public, which was, ere long, enlarged into a daily four horse post coach. Previous to this, the mail had heen carried, once a week on horseback.

The route lay through Painesville, Chardon, Burton, Parkman, and Warren, and prior to the construction of railroads, it continued to be the main line of travel for the section of country through which it passed. These contracts were renewed and extended, till the route reached Sandusky, Monroe, and Detroit. The prosecution of this business involved many journeys to Washington, and a residence there of weeks, and sometimes months, during which time, he became acquainted with Henry Clay, and other leaders of the opposition, in the time of the Jackson administration.

In 1832, the year of the first appearance of the cholera in the United States, he was dangerously ill with it, at Monroe, Michigan, but being unacquainted with the forms of the disease, he was unaware of his danger, and thus recovered.

In 1833, the first mail ever carried across the territory of Michigan, was taken by him to Chicago, then only a trading post, with three or four houses, in the vicinity of Fort Dearborn, and thus he became a second time a piorteer. He was present, when the land, upon which Chicago is built, was purchased of the Indians, and their title extinguished, and foreseeing the results which the advantages of the situation would ultimately produce, he determined to transfer to it, his interests and his residence, but a serious illness caused a change in his plans, and their final relinquishment.

He closed his connection with the post-office department, in 1836, after twelve years of service, in which time he had overcome all the difficulties of the route, and literally "made straight paths for the feet" of those who should succeed him. At this time, his health was much impaired by long exposure to the malarial atmosphere of a new country.

He represented the county in the State legislature in the sessions of 1842 and 1843, and in 1846 was appointed one of the associate judges of Geauga county*, and remained on the bench until the office was abolished, under the new State constitution of 1851. In 1863, he was appointed assessor, under the internal revenue law, but resigned the place, on account of failing health, in 1864.

He endured a severe domestic affliction in the death of his wife, which occurred in August, 1859. She was the youngest daughter of Alexander Parkman, and was born in Westmoreland, Oneida county, New York, September 25, 1793, being twenty-two years younger than her brother, Robert Breck. She had been a longer resident of Parkman than her husband. Her first visit was made in 1814, at which time, in company with her brother, she made the entire journey from Odeida county to Ohio on horseback. They passed through Buffalo while it was still smoking from its burning by the British toops and Indians. She was a woman of intelligence and energy of character, and in her own sphere faithfully and promptly discharged the arduous duties which devolved upon her in the various relations of life in which she was placed.

Mr. Converse always took a deep interest in all matters pertaining to the public welfare, both as regarded his own neighborhood and that of the country at large, and was ever ready to give to such his hearty support. He gave an ardent adherence to the government in the war of the Rebellion, and rejoiced with all good patriots in the overthrow of slavery. In politics, he was a Whig of the Giddings and Wade school. He was a delegate to the Buffalo convention of 1848, at the time of the organization of the Free-soil movement, which culminated in the Republican party, to the principles of which he gave his unwavering support.

He was kind and affectionate in his domestic relations, and for the last twenty-five years of his life he was a member of the Congregational church. His death occurred, after a long and painful illness, February 21, 1865.

His family consisted of four children. The eldest, Oliver Collins, the son of his first wife, was born at Cayuga, New York, January 18, 1817, and died at Parkman in 1839. His three daughters, children of his second wife, are still living. The two eldest, Mrs. B. C. Lyman and Miss Amelia Converse, reside at the homestead in Parkman ; the youngest, Mrs. Harriet C. Tilden, in Chicago,