OHIO STATEWIDE FILES  OH-FOOTSTEPS Mailing List
***********************************************************************
USGENWEB NOTICE: These electronic pages may NOT be reproduced in any
format for profit or presentation by other organization or persons.
Persons or organizations desiring to use this material, must obtain
the written consent of the contributor, or the legal representative
of the submitter, and contact the listed USGenWeb archivist with proof
of this consent.  The submitter has given permission to the USGenWeb 
Archives to store the file permanently for free access.
***********************************************************************

OH-FOOTSTEPS-D Digest                    Volume 99 : Issue 571

Today's Topics:
  #1 THADDEUS W. FANCHER - HURON COUNTY   [AUPQ38A@prodigy.com (MRS GINA M RE]


------------------------------

X-Message: #1
Date: Sat, 31 Jul 1999 20:46:40, -0500
From: AUPQ38A@prodigy.com (MRS GINA M REASONER)
To: OH-FOOTSTEPS-L@rootsweb.com
Message-Id: <199908010046.UAA08232@mime3.prodigy.com>
Subject: THADDEUS W. FANCHER - HURON COUNTY
Content-Type: Text/Plain; charset=US-ASCII

HISTORY OF OHIO
The American Historical Society, iNc., 1925
Volume III, page 85, 86, 87 with photo

        THADDEUS W. FANCHER, one of the venerable and honored citizens of
Lorain, where he is now living retired, has played a large part in the
civic and material development and progress of this metropolis of Lorain
County, where he served as one of the early mayors of the city, besides
having held the office of city treasurer and other official positions
through which he effectively expressed his fine civic loyalty and stewardship.
        Mr. Fancher was born in Greenwich, Huron County, Ohio, February 25,
1839, a son of William and Mary (Van Scoy) Fancher, the former of whom was
born at Poughkeepsie, New York, August 1, 1811, and died October 4, 1886.
The latter was born February 16, 1816, in Geauga County, Ohio, where her
parents had pioneer honors. She was married October 24, 1833, and died July
22, 1866. The paternal grandparents of the subject of this review were
Thaddeus and Sally (Mead) Fancher, the latter's father, Col. Matthew Mead,
having been a patriot soldier and officer in the War of the Revolution.
Thaddeus Fancher was born at Stamford, Connecticut. The maternal
grandparents, Abram and Sally (Knapp) Van Scoy, were natives  of the State
of New York, he having been a scion of one of the fine old Holland Dutch
families early founded in the Empire State and his wife having been of
English lineage. Lysander Fancher, great-grandfather of him whose name
initiates this review, was a member of the same regiment as was Col.
Matthew Mead in the War of the Revolution, and he was assigned special duty
in supervising the extinguishment of fires after the army forces had left
different localities that required this protective service.
        Thaddeus Fancher gained status as one of the sterling pioneer
settlers in Huron County, Ohio, to which he made his first visit, on
horseback, in the year 1818, his trip having been made for the purpose of
selecting a location for a future home in the wilds of Ohio. After this
prospecting trip he returned to New York State, and in the autumn of 1819,
with wagon and ox team, and with a horse for leader of the team, he and his
family made the long and arduous overland journey from New York State to
Huron County, Ohio, five weeks and four days having been required to
complete the trip. He took up fire lands in the Western Reserve, the same
having been purchased at the rate of 50 cents an acre. On his homestead
tract in Huron County, Thaddeus Fancher erected a large frame house, and
that the same was constructed with characteristic solidity and care common
to that day is evidenced by the fact that the ancient building is still in
excellent preservation and utilized for residence purposes. The Van Scoys
likewise became early settlers in the same locality and made purchase of
fire lands.
        After their marriage William and Mary (Van Scoy) Fancher settled on
a part of the land which his father had purchased, and he continued his
farm operations in Huron County until 1865, when he removed to Camden
Township, Hillsdale County, Michigan, where he acquired property and where
he and his wife passed the remainder of their lives.
        Thaddeus W. Fancher was reared under the conditions and influences
that marked what may be termed the middle-pioneer era in the history of the
historic old Western Reserve. He attended select school, a type of school
common to the locality and period, and thereafter was a student in Oberlin
College until he attained to the age of twenty-two years. At the age of
seventeen he initiated his service as a teacher during winter terms of
school in his native county, he having taught nine such terms in Huron
County, Ohio, and two in Montcalm County, Michigan. There he reclaimed and
made available for cultivation the greater part of his tract of 110 acres,
and after remaining there nine years he returned to Ohio and established
his residence at Lorain, April 7, 1873. Here it was his purpose to serve as
railroad station agent, but one of the varied duties incidental to such a
position at that time was the frequent work of coupling cars. In this
special work he was severely pinched between cars, with the result that he
quit his job and turned his attention to work at the carpenter's trade. As
a contractor and builder he developed a substantial and prosperous
business, and incidentally he brought some of the best timber from his
Michigan farm, manufactured the same into lumber and utilized the product
in the erecting of a fine house at 624 Oberlin Avenue, where the family
home was maintained until 1906, when removal was made to the present
attractive and modern mansion owned by him at 606 Oberlin Avenue. Mr.
Fancher continued his contracting business six years, and then became
associated with F.W. Edison in the retail hardware and implement business.
Seven years later he sold his interest in this enterprise to his partner,
and in 1880 he received appointment to the office of postmaster of Lorain,
a position which he retained seven years. About four years later, in 1891,
he was again appointed postmaster, and was the fourth mayor of Lorain after
its incorporation as a city, held this office one term and served two terms
as city treasurer. He was a valued member of the Lorain Board of Education
from 1874 to 1884, soon after the village was incorporated, and was
president of the board five years. He gave effective service also as a
member of the City Council as Township treasurer, and as a member of the
Board of Review, on which he served ten years. Upon the failure of the
Citizens Savings Bank of Lorain, Mr. Fancher was appointed its receiver,
and this position he retained from 1905 to 1911, in which latter year the
tangled affairs of the institution were finally adjusted to the best
possible advantage. Since 1913 Mr. Fancher has been retired from all active
business or official service. His political allegiance is given to the
Republican party, he has received the thirty-second degree of Scottish Rite
Masonry, and has been affiliated with the time honored fraternity since
February 26, 1860, becoming a Master Mason at Fitchville, Huron County,
Ohio, the day after his twenty-first birthday. Both he and his wife are
members of the adjunct organization, the Order of the Eastern Star, and
their religious affiliation is with the Congregational Church.
        Mr. Fancher's service during the Civil war consisted of sending a
substitute, but later he joined the Minute Men, who were called "The
Squirrel Hunters," and on the call for troops in 1862 he went with his
command to Cincinnati, where he remained thirty days. The strange part of
his service was that forty years after his service in the War of the
Rebellion he received his discharge, and a check from the Government for
thirteen dollars for his services as a soldier.
        February 21, 1863, recorded the marriage of Mr. Fancher and Miss
Ermina Griffin, who was born at Greenwich, Huron County, Ohio, on the 19th
of July, 1843, a daughter of Riley and Philena (Washburn) Griffin, the
former of whom was born in Hunter Township, Greene County, New York, in
1812, and the latter was born in Ulster County, that state, in 1817, their
marriage having been solemnized at Norwalk, Ohio, Abijah and Abigail
(Bloomer) Griffin, parents of Riley Griffin, were born and reared in New
York State, he having been a son of Gersham Griffin and his wife having
been a daughter of Daniel Bloomer, who was born in Greene County, New York.
The marriage of Riley and Philena (Washburn) Griffin occurred January 28,
1839. Mrs. Griffin was a child of three years at the time when her parents
established their home in Huron County, Ohio. She was a daughter of Henry
and Mary (Craft) Washburn, and her grandfather, Joseph Washburn, obtained
1,000 acres of land in Huron County.
        In conclusion is entered brief record concerning the children of
Mr. and Mrs. Fancher: Elvadore R., born October 17, 1864, was a member of
the first class to be graduated in the Lorain High School, and has been
identified with the banking business since he was seventeen years of age,
he being now governor of the Federal Reserve Bank in the City of Cleveland.
February 15, 1893, recorded his marriage to Miss Harriet L. Schroeder, who
was born in the City of Chicago. Millicent Alfre, born November 2, 1866,
became the wife of Albert E. Richards May 17, 1894, and her husband died at
Clyde, Ohio, October 28, 1898. Thereafter she remained at the parental home
until her second marriage, June 25, 1901, when she became the wife of
Charles J. Tiffany, who is now engaged in the drug business at 404 Broadway
in the City of Lorain.

--------------------------------

End of OH-FOOTSTEPS-D Digest V99 Issue #571
*******************************************