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 805 Today's Topics: #1 Fw: Bio - 1885 - Portage co, OH, R ["Maggie Stewart" To: OH-FOOTSTEPS-L@rootsweb.com Message-ID: <04fc01bf386c$c3689e20$0300a8c0@local.net> Subject: Fw: Bio - 1885 - Portage co, OH, Ravenna # 18 Content-Type: text/plain; charset="iso-8859-1" Content-Transfer-Encoding: 8bit ----- Original Message ----- From: Betty Ralph To: Sent: Friday, November 26, 1999 11:09 AM Bios: Reynolds, Richardson, Robinson, Root, Russell, Sapp - 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 ************************************************************************ JAMES REYNOLDS, Road-master of the Cleveland, Lorain & Wheeling Railroad, P.O. Ravenna, was born May 12, 1822, in Country Antrim, Ireland, and is a son of William and Bridget Reynolds. He early adopted the life of a railroad man and was engaged on the Carlisle & Lancaster Road, England, the Edinburgh & Berwick, the Hawick & Edinburgh and the Kircaldie & Dundee Roads, in Scotland, and the Londonerry & Strabane Road, Ireland. Coming to America October 16, 1849, he was engaged on the Cleveland, Columbus, Cincinnati & Indianapolis Road ten months, and on the Cleveland & Pittsburgh Road from 1850 to 1861. He then served twelve years on the Atlantic & Great Western, and after being ten months on the Pittsburgh, Cincinnati & St. Louis road, he accepted the position which he now holds. He has been a very successful railroad manager, having held important positions. In 1883 he was presented with a handsome gold watch and chain by the officers and employees of the Cleveland, Lorain & Wheeling Road, as a mark of esteem. Mr. Reynolds married Miss Almira O'Brien, of Stowe, Summit Co., Ohio, in 1853. She died in 1854, leaving one daughter - Almira (now deceased). Our subject then married in 1870, Miss Susan Clark, a native of Canada, who bore him five sons: James, Jr. (an engineer on the Cleveland, Columbus, Cincinnati & Indianapolis Road), R. Emmett and William J. (twins), Francis D. and Henry. In 1870 Mr. Reynolds purchased and located on his present farm of 115 acres near Ravenna. He and his family are members of the Catholic Church. He assisted liberally in building the church in Ravenna. He is a F.&A.M., 32 degree. WILLIAM RICHARDSON, Supervisor of the Cleveland & Pittsburgh Railroad, P.O. Ravenna, was born in 1830 in Dalkeith on the River Esk, Scotland, where his parents, John and Jeanette Richardson, have since resided. Our subject received his education in his mother country and there married Miss Agnes Downie. They left Glasgow for America June 1, 1851, and after living one year in Pomeroy, Ohio, they located at Ravenna, this county, where they have ever since resided. Their children are John, Alexander, William, James, Jeanette and George. On July 1, 1852, Mr. Richardson began working for the Cleveland & Pittsburgh Railroad Company, with whom he has been employed ever since. He has held his present position since 1870. He discharges his duties faithfully and enjoys the entire confidence of the company with which he is employed. In 1876 Mr. Richardson purchased a farm of sixty-two and one-half acres of well-improved land two miles north of Ravenna, to which he and his family moved in 1877. The subject of this sketch is a man of large and powerful physique. He is a citizen of upright character, highly respected by the entire community. GEORGE ROBINSON (deceased), late civil engineer, banker and capitalist, was born November 21, 1801, in Washington County, Penn., of Scotch-Irish descent. When eighteen years of age he lost his father, so he commenced obtaining an education, at the same time supporting himself by his own work. He learned the carpenter's trade, but met with an accident which confined him to his bed two years with a broken leg. During this time he perfected himself in the study of mathematics. He then devoted several years to teaching school and preparing for his chosen profession, that of civil engineer. In 1830 he became Assistant engineer on the Ohio Canal, and at its completion, in 1835, he engaged on the Pennsylvania & Ohio Canal, locating permanently at Ravenna, being soon made Chief engineer. He retained that position until his retirement from the canal in 1845. He was Chief Engoneer of the Cleveland & Pittsburgh Railroad, and its first Superintendent. In 1856 he engaged on the Cleveland & Mahoning Railroad, remaining its Chief Engineer and Superintendent until 1865. In 1854 he became the head of the banking house of Robinson, King & Co., and in 1864 the first President of the Second National Bank of Ravenna, from which position he retired in 1878, remaining a Director until his death. He also established, in 1868, in company with D.C. Coolman, the Diamond Glass Works, in which he remained until his retirement from business in 1879. His death occurred July 12, 1882. He was a man of firmness, integrity and perseverance, and made a success of everything he undertook. Mr. Robinson married, July 26, 1831, Miss Maria Louisa Johnson, at Lancaster, Ohio. She was born in Mifflin, Penn., in 1810, and came to Ohio at ten years of age. To this union were born the following children: Capt. A.K. Robinson, Mrs. Elizabeth M. Wildes, Miss Frances H. Robinson, Lieut. W. Henry Robinson (deceased), Mrs. Emily H. Riddle, Capt. George Robinson and Mrs. M. Adelaide Herman. The sons were all in the Union Army during the war of the Rebellion, and Henry was the first soldier from Ravenna to lose his life in his country's cause. RECELLUS ROOT, farmer, P.O. Ravenna, was born May 25, 1816, in Denmark, Lewis Co., N.Y., where his parents, Alpheus and Electra (Bardwell) Root, resided until their death. Our subject came to Ohio in 1837, and after spending a few months in Cuyahoga County, finally located in this county in the autumn of that year. Here he married, January 1, 1845, Miss Adeline Howard, born in Sistersville, Tyler Co., Va. (now West Virginia), September 12, 1821, and brought to this place when a year and a half old by her parents, Salmon and Ruth (Taylor) Howard, and here Mr. Howard cleared and developed a farm, where the parents resided until their death. Mr. Root bought of Mr. Howard the homestead place, and has here resided since 1847. The children born to Mr. and Mrs. Root are Mrs. Eliza H. King, Edwin R., attorney at law, New York City; Mrs. Ollie J. Phelps; John H., agent of the Wheeling & Lake Erie Railroad, Medina, Ohio; Arthur W., in the office of the Cleveland, Columbus, Cincinnati & Indianapolis Railroad, Cleveland, Ohio; Fred and J. Wesley. Mr. Root is an ardent Republican. He and his family adhere to the Methodist Episcopal Church. ALBERT G. RUSSELL, carpenter and joiner, Ravenna, was born in 1822, in Nantucket, Mass., son of Capt. Reuben and Maria (Gardner) Russell, natives of Nantucket, and who came to Rootstown, this county, in 1847. They are descendants of the renowned Tristam Coffin, the heroic pioneer of Nantucket. They purchased a farm in Rootstown Township, this county, where they resided until 1873, when they located in Ravenna. Capt. Russell, who had been a Captain of whaling vessels since about 1817, died July 2, 1875, aged seventy-five years. His widow survives him at the advanced age of eighty-four, and is still in full possession of her faculties. Our subject learned his trade at Nantucket, and came to this county with his parents at twenty-five years of age. He married, October 2, 1853, Miss Caroline Russell, also a native of Nantucket, who came to Ravenna in September, 1839, with her parents, Capt. George G. and Louisa W. (Wyer) Russell, who resided in Ravenna until their death. She died in 1863, and he in 1865. To Mr. and Mrs. Russell have been born two children: Maria Louis (deceased at nine years of age) and Fred A., an architect, now residing in Boston, Mass. Since their marriage, Mr. and Mrs. Russell have resided in Ravenna. In 1853 he established a sash, door and blind factory, in partnership with his brother Reuben and Timothy Chase, retaining his connection with the establishment until 1853, since which time he has followed his trade. Mrs. Russell is a consistent member of the Congregational Church. Mr. Russell is a life-long Republican, and takes a deep interest in public affairs; one of the most active and earnest workers on the Board of Health in this city. HENRY SAPP (deceased) was born August 2, 1768, in the State of Maryland, and married Miss Matilda Boosinger, of Oldtown, Va., October 7, 1796. He came to Ravenna township, this county, in 1802, and, after making preparations for a home, returned and brought his family out in 1803. The property of 100 acres which he settled near Ravenna Village, he bought of Benjamin Tappan for $150. Their children who are now living are Henry; Mrs. Hannah Hall; Conrad; Jacob, in Vandalia, Ill.; Asa and Daniel F. They were among the early members of the Methodist Episcopal Church of this place. Mr. Sapp died September 18, 1856. Mrs. Sapp died in April, 1876 at the advanced age of one hundred and one years. On the occasion of her one hundredth birthday there was a gathering of her descendants at the homestead. At that time the entire number of descendants was ninety-eight, of whom seventy-five were living. ______________________________ ------------------------------ X-Message: #2 Date: Fri, 26 Nov 1999 19:17:35 -0500 From: "Maggie Stewart" To: OH-FOOTSTEPS-L@rootsweb.com Message-ID: <050201bf386c$ce3eaa60$0300a8c0@local.net> Subject: Fw: Bio - 1885 - Portage co, OH, Ravenna # 19 Content-Type: text/plain; charset="iso-8859-1" Content-Transfer-Encoding: 8bit ----- Original Message ----- From: Betty Ralph To: Sent: Friday, November 26, 1999 1:59 PM Bios: Sapp, Seymour, Sharp, Siddall - 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 ************************************************************************ CONRAD SAPP, retired, Revenna, was born December 1, 1812, in Ravenna Twonship, this county, son of Henry and Matilda (Boosinger) Sapp, former a native of Maryland, latter of an adjoining county in Virginia. Henry Sapp came in the fall of 1802, to this county, made preparations to locate his family, and brought them out in 1803, settling near the center of Ravenna Township, adjoining the city. Of their eleven children, six are now living: Henry, Mrs. Hannah Hall, Conrad, Jacob (in Mt. Vernon, Ill), Asa and Daniel. The father died in 1856, far advanced in years. He was a fine specimen of the pioneer, being large, muscular and active, a man of temperate habits and sterling integrity. The mother was a woman of wonderful energy and endurance. At the age of ninety, she spun flax enough to make forty yards of cloth. Her death occurred April 4, 1876, at the advanced age of one hundred and one years, and one month. Their memory will long be revered by a large circle of descendants, and honored by all who knew them. Our subject, when a boy, helped to set the type for the first copy of the first paper printed in Ravenna. At the age of twenty one he commenced learning tool-making, followed it for ten years, and then entered upon the trade of carpenter and joiner, which he made his principal life-work. He was known as a skillful mechanic, and had erected a large number of the farm buildings and private residences in Ravenna and vicinity. He married, December 8, 1841, Miss Clarissa E. Chapman. She died September 12, 1881, and Mr. Sapp then married, December 5, 1883, Mrs. Maline L. Phelps, daughter of Charles Jones, of Columbiana County, Ohio. This family came from England in 1834, where Mrs. Sapp was born, in 1845. She married on first occasion James Phelps, of this county, and then resided in Ravenna eight years, and in Rootstown until his death in 1879. Their children were Walter N., who died in 1871, aged sixteen; Mrs. Alexine J. Moulton, of this county, who died in 1877, and Wykes Phelps, now in Rootstown. Mr. and Mrs. Sapp are now living at their residence on the corner of Prospect and Van Buren Streets. They are members of the Methodist Episcopal Church. Mr. Sapp and his sister are the oldest members of the church in Ravenna. DANIEL F. SAPP, farmer, P.O. Ravenna, was born September 28, 1821, in Ravenna, this county. He was brought up here on his father's farm, and attended the schools of the home district, and of Ravenna, and worked at the blacksmith's trade from 1839 to 1842. He married, June 13, 1849, Miss Lydia Hudson, daughter of Isaac Hudson, and they located on the family homestead, where they have since resided. Their children are Hiram, in Nebraska; Charles H.; Isaac Hudson, and Mrs. Anna M. Rawlings. Mr. Sapp now owns the entire home farm of 103 acres, besides twelve acres which he has added to it. The New York, Pennsylvania & Ohio Railroad passes along the northern border of the farm. GIDEON SEYMOUR, attorney, Ravenna, was born in East Granville, Hampden Co. Mass., February 23, 1836, son of Gideon D. and Corintha (Gibbons) Seymour, natives of Massachusetts, who came to Ohio in 1841 and settled in Rootstown Township, this county, where Gideon D. was a man of influence. Our subject was raised on a farm, receiving his education at the common schools of Rootstown Township, and employing the earlier years of his life teaching. He studied law in the office of Hart & Reed, served as Justice of the Peace nine years, and for the same period as Probate Judge, to which he was first elected in 1872. He was Clerk, Treasurer and Assessor (1858) of Rootstown Township, and made the assessment of real estate for 1870, in that township. On September 15, 1859, he was married in Trumbull county, Ohio, to Lucy J., born in Ellsworth, Ohio, daughter of Frederick A. Parker, now of Newton Falls, Ohio. Mr. and Mrs. Seymour are the parents of the following children now living: Corintha M. and Fred P. Our subject and wife have been connected with the congregational Church for years. The family are highly esteemed. JOHN E. SHARP, agent of the New York, Pennsylvania & Ohio Railroad, Ravenna, was born January 25, 1830, in Sharon, Schoharie Co., N.Y., where his parents, John and Elizabeth (Bodine) Sharp, resided until their death. Our subject came to Shalersville, this county, in about 1850, where he completed learning the trade of mason. After remaining there about six years, he located in Ravenna. Here he married Miss Laninna S. Kellogg, November 11, 1856. Her parents, Alanson and Caroline (Bishop) Kellogg, were native of this county, and very useful in building up the young village of Ravenna. Mrs. Sharp died August 2, 1877, aged thirty-seven years, leaving three sons: Alfred L., in Jewett, Leon Co., Tex., holding the positions of Postmaster, express agent, and agent of the International & Great Northern Railroad; Dwight E., married to Miss Eva G. Jones (he is in the employ of the New York, Pennsylvania & Ohio Railroad at Ravenna); and Harry S. September 26, 1878, Mr. Sharp married Mrs. Mary E. Cope, widow of Homer Cope, and daughter of C.D. Thompson, of this place. They have one son - Charles R. C.D. Thompson, of Vermont, came to Ravenna while a young lad with his father - Jonathan Thompson. He married Mrs. Abi Sweet, a native of Connecticut, widow of Franklin Sweet. Their sons, Denison C. and W. Wallace died of typhoid fever, former December 25, 1864, latter February 10, 1865. Mrs. Thompson died in 1863. D.C. Thompson, brother of Mrs. John E. Sharp, had one son named Dennison C., now twenty-one years of age, and he is now a partner in the Pierce Manufacturing company, in Warren, Ohio. John E. Sharp has been connected with the service of the New York, Pennsylvania & Ohio Railroad at this place since about 1865, and was appointed agent of the company in 1874. In religious belief he is a Universalist. He is a F.&A.M. In politics a Democrat. I.T. SIDDALL, Prosecuting Attorney, Ravenna, is a son of Mahlon and Elizabeth (Gould) Siddall, of Puritan and Virginia stock, the former a pioneer of Mahoning and Columbiana Counties, Ohio, and who died while a resident of Atwater Township. Our subject, the youngest of nine children, was born in Atwater, and, left fatherless when an infant, early began the struggle of life. When but twelve years of age he purchased lands, employed a large force of men, and cut and delivered timber the railroads. He also owned one-half interest in the home farm, in which he succeeded in buying the interest of the other heirs. Receiving a primary education in Atwater Township, he in 1870 entered Mt. Union College, where he graduated in August, 1874, and began the study of law under the direction of W.B. Thomas, of Ravenna. He was admitted to the bar by the District Court of this county in 1876, and opened an office at Springfield, Ohio, but his mother's illness necessitated his return, and he began the practice of his profession in this town in November, 1877. He mother died January 14, 1878, aged seventy-four years, an estimable lady, beloved by all who knew her. Mr. Siddall was chosen Prosecuting Attorney in 1883, the only Democrat elected to county office in the county since the Republican party came into power. He is Chairman of the Executive committee, a member of the Masonic fraternity, Blue Lodge and Chapter; also of the Commandery of Akron, Ohio, and of the Consistory of Pittsburgh, Penn. He is now Master of Unity Lodge, No. 12, F.&A.M. -------------------------------- End of OH-FOOTSTEPS-D Digest V99 Issue #805 *******************************************