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 804 Today's Topics: #1 Fw: Bio - 1885 - Portage co, OH, R ["Maggie Stewart" To: OH-FOOTSTEPS-L@rootsweb.com Message-ID: <04ee01bf386c$a96a4280$0300a8c0@local.net> Subject: Fw: Bio - 1885 - Portage co, OH, Ravenna # 16 Content-Type: text/plain; charset="iso-8859-1" Content-Transfer-Encoding: 8bit ----- Original Message ----- From: Betty Ralph To: Sent: Thursday, November 25, 1999 7:11 PM Bios: Olin, Otis, Parmelee, Peacock, Phelps - Portage County, Ohio, from "History of Portage County, Ohio" published by Warner, Beers & Co., Chicago, 1885 Copyright C 1999 by Betty Ralph. This copy contributed for use in the USGenWeb Archives. bralph@hiwaay.net ************************************************************************ USGENWEB ARCHIVES NOTICE: These electronic pages may NOT be reproduced in any format for profit or presentation by any 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. http://www.usgwarchives.net ************************************************************************ LE GRAND OLIN, County Auditor, Ravenna, was born in Streetsboro Township, this county, August 17, 1844, grandson of Arvin Olin, and son of Ransom and Clarissa M. (Clark) Olin. The family settled in Franklin Township, where Arvin served as Justice of the Peace for some years and lived to the close of his life. Ransom Olin filled township office of trust. He reared a family of eleven children, nine of whom are now living: Le Grand A., Lemuel V. (of Fairview, Kan.), Letta L. (wife of H.L. Kallenbaugh, of Pittsburgh, Penn.), Leverett W. (of Elmdale, Ind.), Leora B. (wife of C.D. Banks, of Pittsburgh, Penn.), Lester R. (of Kent), Lena R. (Pittsburgh, Penn.), Lelia C. (wife of W.D. Logan, of Pittsburgh, Penn.) and Levanche A. (wife of Charles Gressard, of Kent). Leroy C. and Leantine N. died in childhood. Our subject lived on the farm until twenty-one years of age, when he learned the carpenter and joiner's trade, at which he worked until crippled by a fall at Moscow, Livingston Co, N.Y., in the autumn of 1868. This accident caused paralysis of the limbs, of which he has but little use. Subsequently he learned telegraphing, which he followed until elected to the position of Auditor of this county in the fall of 1880, and is now serving his second term. Our subject was married in 1865 to Miss Laura A., daughter of William R. Allen, of Livingston County, N.Y. WILLIAM SHAW CHANDLER OTIS (deceased), son of William Otis, was born in Cummington, Mass., August 24, 1807. In 1825 his father immigrated to Ohio, leaving his son to make his way through college. After graduating he accepted the position of Principal of Gates Academy, Marlboro, Mass., where he remained one year. In the fall of 1831 he removed to Ohio, where he read law in the office of Messrs. Whittlesey & Newton, in Canfield. He was admitted to the bar in September, 1833, and commenced the practice of law in Ravenna. He subsequently removed to Akron, in the adjoining county of Summit; was Prosecuting Attorney of that county for two years, and in 1850 and 1851 was a member of the convention which formed the present Constitution of Ohio. He was President of the Akron branch of the State Bank of Ohio from its organization in 1847 until January, 1854, and, during most of that period, was a member of the Board of Control of the State Bank of Ohio. In January, 1854, Mr. Otis was elected Vice-President of the Cleveland & Pittsburgh Railroad Company, and removed to Cleveland to enter upon the duties of that office. At the expiration of the year he resumed the practice of his profession at Cleveland, where he resided till the date of his death. He was soon appointed Attorney and Counsellor of the Cleveland & Pittsburgh Railroad Company, which position he filled for more than fourteen years with distinguished ability. Mr. Otis was first married January 1, 1836, to Miss Hannah Mygatt, daughter of the late Comfort Mygatt, Esq., of Canfield, Ohio. Mrs. Otis died April 11, 1840, without children. Mr. Otis was again married November 1, 1842, to Miss Laura Lyman, daughter of Hon. Darius Lyman, of Ravenna. He had six children, four of whom are now living. Mr. Otis died at Cleveland, Ohio, July 31, 1879. As a brilliant advocate, able counsellor and sagacious manager, Mr. Otis occupied the front rank in his profession. SYLVESTER J. PARMELEE, son of Leonard and Harriet (Day) Parmelee, was born in West Springfield, Mass., January 31, 1826, and came to Ravenna in November, 1840. He was in early life a teacher, and was for six years a member of the firm of L. Parmelee & Sons, steam flouring-mill. He married, July 17, 1855, Miss. C. Lorane Hall, born in Charlestown, this county, October 6, 1827, and daughter of Giles and Louisa Hall. She came to Ravenna in 1836. In 1845 she went South and was engaged for eight years teaching in Tennessee and Mississippi. She did very noble and useful work in her profession, and endeared herself to the hearts of the young ladies under her charge, and the people among whom she labored. Mr. and Mrs. Parmelee now reside at Oakwood, their farm of twenty acres adjoining the city limits. They are earnest members of the Congregational Church. ROBERT S. PEACOCK, produce. Grain and coal merchant, Ravenna, was born February 13, 1827, in Camden County, N.J., where he was brought up on his father's farm, and received his education in the schools of the home district. His parents, William and Margaret Peacock, of Scotch and English descent, but natives of New Jersey through several generations, resided on their farm in that State until their death. Our subject learned the trade of glass cutter, and came to Kent (Franklin Mills), this county, when twenty-one years of age. He married, June 23, 1853, Miss Mary Jane, daughter of Benjamin and Rachel Phillips, and to this union have been born four children: Addie (deceased), Robert G., May and James W. After working several years at his trade he went on a farm, and in six years returned to Kent, finally locating in Ravenna in 1868. Here Benjamin Phillips died in 1876, aged about seventy-two. After working some years at his trade in the Diamond Glass Factory, Mr. Peacock engaged in the wholesale produce business in 1875. He handles a general line of farmers products, but now devotes himself principally to cheese. In 1882 he added a coal yard and grain office to his business, making his eldest son a partner in that branch of the industry. Mr. and Mrs. Peacock and two youngest children are members of the congregational Church. In politics he is a Republican. ISAAC PHELPS, retired, Ravenna, was born in Berkshire County, Mass., September 12, 1809; son of Zacheus and Rebecca Phelps, both of Puritan stock. Lewis Phelps, brother of our subject, located in Freedom Township, this county, in 1836, the latter in same township, in 1837. Our subject began dealing in stock and has made thirty-seven trips overland, generally by way of Buffalo, with stock which he sold in the land of his nativity. He subsequently engaged in the dairy business and since his retirement has erected sixteen houses on the west side of Ravenna, thereby adding to its growth and improvement. His marriage with Lucinda Sage, of Berkshire, Mass., occurred in 1832. She died in 1875, in the sixty-sixth year of her age, the mother of ten children, four of whom survive: Simeon S., Isaac H., Rodney L. and Mark W. An infant son, George Y., died July 24, 1842, aged six weeks; Charles T. died February 12, 1867, aged twelve years; H. Dwight died July 2, 1869, aged thirty-three years; Hattie S. died February 9, 1872, aged twenty-three years; Darwin E. died December 1, 1874, aged forty-one years, and Mary H. died March 24, 1878, aged thirty-nine years. Mr. Phelps married on second occasion, February 11, 1877, Mrs. Mary J., widow of Jerome Hinckley. The family is among the oldest and most respected in this locality. ______________________________ ------------------------------ X-Message: #2 Date: Fri, 26 Nov 1999 19:16:51 -0500 From: "Maggie Stewart" To: OH-FOOTSTEPS-L@rootsweb.com Message-ID: <04f401bf386c$b45117a0$0300a8c0@local.net> Subject: Fw: Bio - 1885 - Portage co, OH, Ravenna # 17 Content-Type: text/plain; charset="iso-8859-1" Content-Transfer-Encoding: 8bit ----- Original Message ----- From: Betty Ralph To: Sent: Thursday, November 25, 1999 8:47 PM Bios: Phillips, Poe, Porter, Ranney, Reed - Portage County, Ohio, from "History of Portage County, Ohio" published by Warner, Beers & Co., Chicago, 1885 Copyright C 1999 by Betty Ralph. This copy contributed for use in the USGenWeb Archives. bralph@hiwaay.net ************************************************************************ USGENWEB ARCHIVES NOTICE: These electronic pages may NOT be reproduced in any format for profit or presentation by any 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. http://www.usgwarchives.net ************************************************************************ THOMAS G. PHILLIPS, life insurance agent, Ravenna, was born September 3, 1822, in Plaseyhendy, Clydeu Parish, Pembrokeshire, South Wales. His parents - Caleb and Sarah Phillips - brought their family to America and settled in Palmyra, this county, in 1837. They spent the latter years of their lives in Paris Township, this county, where they died, the mother January 7, 1866, aged seventy, the father March 23, 1869, aged seventy-seven. Of their nine children, two died in Wales; two died in this country: John, who was a soldier in the war of the Rebellion, and Mrs. Sarah Morgan; five are now living: William, in Newport Station, Ohio; Evan, in Detroit, Mich.; Anna, in Newport Station, Ohio; Mrs. Mary Jenkins in Summit County, Ohio, and Thomas G. Our subject came to Ravenna in 1838 at sixteen years of age, where he learned the cabinet-maker's trade. He carried on an establishment at Freedom from 1843 to 1846. There he married, May 1, 1844, Miss Delia M., daughter of Rev. John Hill, born in Monroe, Ashtabula Co., Ohio, and located in Freedom in 1843. To this union have been born five children: George Myron, Cashier of the First National Bank of Northfield, Minn. (he was a Lieutenant in the One Hundred and Twenty-eighth Ohio Volunteer Infantry during the latter part of the Rebellion); Mrs. Laura Beers, in Cleveland, Ohio; Mrs. Lucy L. Smith, in Ravenna, Ohio, and one that died in infancy. Mr. Phillips carried on the furniture business from 1846 to 1872, with the exception of three years - 1859 to 1862. He also dealt extensively in real estate, purchasing lots, putting suitable buildings and making improvements on them and then selling. In 1872 he was appointed agent of the Equitable Life Assurance Society of New York for Portage and Trumbull Counties. He rapidly built up the company's business in this locality, and received the appointment of general agent for the State of Ohio July 1, 1874, which position he still holds. Mr. and Mrs. Phillips are members of the Methodist Episcopal Church. DEACON ADAM POE (deceased) was son of the famous Indian fighter, Andrew Poe, and a cousin of the poet Edgar Allen Poe. He was born in Beaver County, Penn., April 4, 1791; came to this county in 1819, and purchased 200 acres of land two miles west of Ravenna. He returned to Pennsylvania, where he married Miss Eliza Laughlin, in 1825, and again came to this county in 1828. Here he resided until his death, which occurred January 5, 1859. He was a professor of religion when thirteen years of age; joined the Congregation Church in 1829, and was a Deacon from 1831 till the day of his death. JOHN PORTER, Clerk of Courts, Ravenna, was born in Dublin, Ireland, March 1, 1849, and was brought to this country by his parents when an infant. At the age of eleven years he was adopted by the Children's Aid Society of New York City, and with others sent to this county, where he found a home in the family of James H. Porter, of Freedom Township, with whom he remained about three years, when he began the struggle of life for himself, securing employment mostly on farms. In 1865 he visited the oil regions of Pennsylvania and of Trumbull County, Ohio, returning to Portage County in 1867. He made his home with William Hine, of Shalersville, and attended college at Hiram and Mt. Union. In 1870 he engaged in teaching, subsequently accepting a position as Principal of the school at Uniontown, Stark County. In 1872 he began the study of law in the office of Hart & Reed, in Ravenna, and in 1874 was admitted to the bar, but accepted a position as traveling salesman until 1878, when he opened a law office at Mantua Station. In the fall of 1881 he was elected Clerk of the courts, and this position he has very acceptably filled. Mr. Porter was married January 1, 1877, to Miss Anna E. Hine, of Shalersville, this county, by whom he has one daughter - Hester E. JOHN L. RANNEY, deceased, was born in Blandford, Mass., November 14, 1815. His parents, Rufus and Dolly Ranney, moved to Freedom Township, this county, in 1824, where they resided until their death. Of their family but two are now living: Judge R.P., of Cleveland, Ohio, and Mrs. Mary March, of Geauga County, Ohio. Our subject was a close student and in boyhood was often engaged until late at nights studying by the light of a hickory-wood fire. He attended school one year in Ravenna and studied the profession of law in the officers of Judge Ranney and Ben Wade, of Ashtabula, Ohio. He married, February 26, 1836, Miss Eliza E. Remington. She was a native of Tolland, Mass., and in 1835 came to Freedom Township, this county, at sixteen years of age, with her parents, Josiah and Sallie Remington. To this union were born six children: Mrs. Mary Ann Hotchkiss (deceased), Joseph N. (deceased), Lewis R. (deceased - he was a soldier of the One Hundred and Seventh Ohio Volunteer Infantry at the close of the war), Mrs. Sarah C. McDonald (in Cleveland, Ohio), Flora Adelaide and Rufus H. (deceased). Mr. Ranney was admitted to the bar in 1839, and in 1840 located in Ravenna in the practice of his chosen profession. Mr. Ranney died February 22, 1866. He was a lawyer of rare ability, and a citizen of wide influence. He was for many years President of the First National Bank of Ravenna. His memory will long be revered by his surviving associates and the citizens of Portage county. Mrs. Ranney afterward married, November 25, 1874, D.C. Day, and they now reside at the family homestead. C.A. REED, Probate Judge, Ravenna, comes of Connecticut stock, a grandson of Abraham Reed, who settled in this county in 1804 and died in 1859. Horace, eldest son of Abraham Reed and father of our subject, was born in Rootstown in 1804, and at this writing is residing on the homestead where he was born. He married Lois E. Baldwin, daughter of John Baldwin, who came from Massachusetts and settled in Charlestown, this county, in 1811, and by her were born seven children, all now living: Melissa E., wife of E.E. Chapman, of Rootstown; Aryanett E., wife of A. Baldwin, of Akron, Ohio; John H., of Columbus, Neb.; Edward A., Poplar Creek, Tenn.; Cornelius A.; Horace L., of Mansfield, Ohio, and Julia A. Our subject was born in Rootstown, this county, July 3, 1838. He worked on the farm and attended school until his twentieth year, when he entered the Normal School at Lebanon. In 1861 he began the study of law under Col. B. Burns and Judge Dickey at Mansfield, Ohio, and was admitted to the bar in July, 1863. In September, 1863, he formed a partnership with A. Hart in the practice of the profession at Ravenna. This lasted about twelve years, after which Mr. Reed continued the practice alone until he was elected to his present position in 1881. He was elected Prosecuting Attorney in 1869, occupying the office four years. Our subject was married February 1, 1865, to Miss Phebe F., daughter of Capt. Albert Ray, of Nantucket, Mass. Two children were born to this union, both now living: Lorena B. and Julia May. The family is connected with the Congregational Church, and Judge Reed is at present Superintendent of the Sabbath-school. He is a Knight Templar. -------------------------------- End of OH-FOOTSTEPS-D Digest V99 Issue #804 *******************************************