OHIO STATEWIDE FILES OH-FOOTSTEPS Mailing List Issue 262 *********************************************************************** 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. http://www.usgwarchives.net/ *********************************************************************** OH-FOOTSTEPS-D Digest Volume 00 : Issue 262 Today's Topics: #1 Bio - 1885 - Portage Co, OH, Frank [Betty Ralph ] #2 Bio - 1885 - Portage Co, OH, Frank [Betty Ralph ] Administrivia: To unsubscribe from OH-FOOTSTEPS-D, send a message to OH-FOOTSTEPS-D-request@rootsweb.com that contains in the body of the message the command unsubscribe and no other text. No subject line is necessary, but if your software requires one, just use unsubscribe in the subject, too. ______________________________ ------------------------------ X-Message: #1 Date: Tue, 05 Sep 2000 12:54:06 -0500 From: Betty Ralph To: OH-FOOTSTEPS-L@rootsweb.com Message-Id: <2.2.32.20000905175406.0072fb00@HiWAAY.net> Subject: Bio - 1885 - Portage Co, OH, Franklin # 18 Content-Type: text/plain; charset="us-ascii" Bios: Stinaff, Stratton, Stutzman - Portage County, Ohio, from "History of Portage County, Ohio" published by Warner, Beers & Co., Chicago, 1885 ************************************************************************ 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 ************************************************************************ HENRY W. STINAFF, late foreman of bridges, Second Division and Franklin Branch, New York, Pennsylvania & Ohio Railroad, was born in Ravenna August 11, 1823; son of William and Sarah (Babcock) Stinaff. His father was a native of Sheffield, Mass., and a son of William Stinaff, of that place. When a young man he came to Ohio on horseback, and settled in Ravenna in 1819. He was a carpenter by trade, which he followed all his life in Ravenna and Kent. He is still living at the age of eighty-seven, and resides with our subject. His wife was a native of Granville, Conn., and a daughter of Perry and Cynthia M. Babcock, who settled in Ravenna in 1819. Her father was a blacksmith, but the latter part of his life, though he still worked at his trade, he carried on a farm and accumulated a good property. The children of William Stinaff were three in number: Cynthia M. (deceased), Henry W. and Sylvanus P. The subject of this sketch was reared in Ravenna, where he received a common school education. In 1840 he went in his father's shop to learn the carpenter's trade and when of age went into business with his father, the partnership existing up to 1862. He then entered the employ of the A. & G.W.R.R. Co., having been engaged on that line of road to the present time, with the exception of two years, when with his father he took the contract for building the Union School of Kent, one of the finest buildings in the county. The following is clipped from a local paper: Mr. W.H. Stinaff, who for many years held the position of foreman of bridges and building on the N.Y., P. & O. R.R., retired from the service of the company November 29. Mr. Stinaff commenced work at building bridges for the A. & G.W.R.R. April, 1862, on the First Division, making twenty-two years and eight months. He was absent about two years while building the Kent Union School Building. Then returning as foreman on the Third and Fourth Division, afterward was assigned to the Second Division and Franklin Branch as foreman of bridges and buildings, which position he held about fifteen years up to the time of his retirement. The following letter from Mr. Charles Latimer, Chief Engineer of the N.Y., P. & O., shows the esteem in which Mr. Stinaff was held by the company: Engineering Dep't N.Y.P. & O. R.R.Co. Cleveland, Ohio, December 4, 1884 Mr. Henry W. Stinaff; Dear Sir - I wish to express my regret to you that any change should have occurred in the road management necessitating the change made whereby you leave the service of the company, and to also express my great satisfaction that in all of the eleven years past during which you have been foreman of bridge building, there have been no accidents or loss of property in your jurisdiction which could in any way be ascribed to your failure. Your work speaks for itself, and I hope that you will feel that in retiring you take with you a record to which you can point with pride. Wishing you health and happiness in the future, I am your friend, Charles Latimer. Mr. Stinaff has been married four times, his first wife being Lydia Button, of Kent, by whom he had one child - Charles H. (deceased). His second wife was Maryette Loomis, of Ravenna, by whom he had three children: William C., George and Perry (all deceased); his third wife was Mr. Emily Plum, of Ashtabula County, Ohio, and his present wife was Mrs. Ellen Whitney, of Greenville, Penn. In politics Mr. Stinaff was formerly a Whig, casting his first vote for Henry Clay. He joined the Republican party at its organization, and has acted with it ever since. J.B. STRATTON, P.O. Kent, a retired farmer and an honored citizen of this county for upward of forty years, was born at Bennington, Vt., March 14, 1800. His parents, Joel and Rhoda (Beaman) Stratton, were farmers, to which occupation the subject of this sketch was reared. In 1824 he deposited his first vote for Henry Clay as President. He was married, in his native town, May 12, 1824, to Ruth Olin, a daughter of Ezra Olin, of Shaftsbury, Vt. The children of Mr. and Mrs. Stratton are as follows: Almira, born February 15, 1825; Mary M., born August 12, 1826; Asa, born February 24, 1828; Lucas, born November 8, 1829; Samuel, born August 19, 1831; Freeman, born June 26, 1833; Joel, born March 28, 1835, and accidentally scalded to death, January 12, 1838; Jonathan N., born May 16, 1837; Melissa, born May 28, 1839; Susan, born December 30, 1840; Joseph B., born October 22, 1842; Clarissa C., born July 2, 1849. Soon after marriage Mr. Stratton moved to Genesse County, N.Y., and thence to Wyoming County, N.Y., and in 1837 took up his residence in this county, buying a farm of 130 acres about two miles north of the present village of Kent. Though Mr. Stratton received in his youth a very limited education, his success in life speaks well for his natural sterling qualities of mind. He added to his first possessions in this county, and at one time owned some 400 acres of valuable land and other property. At the time (1874) of the golden wedding of himself and wife, eleven of their children were living, all of whom were married, ten of them being present on the occasion and Mr. Stratton presented each of them, as a memorial of the event, with $1,000. The eleven children are all now living and in prosperous circumstances. In 1884 our subject's grandchildren numbered thirty-two, and his great-grandchildren, fifteen. Mrs. Stratton, who was a member of the Universalist Church, died April 4, 1877, and Mr. Stratton then, January 15, 1878, married Mrs. Martha A. (Williams) Munsee, widow of Edward A. Munsee, and daughter of Mark and Polly (Staunton) Williams, of Hampshire County, Mass. Mr. Stratton now resides in the north part of the village of Kent, where he owns eleven acres of land. He and his wife are members of the Universalist Church. In politics he is a Republican. FREEMAN STRATTON, farmer, P.O. Kent, was born in Genesee County, N.Y., June 26, 1833, son of Joseph B. and Ruth (Olin) Stratton, who settled in Franklin Township, this county, in 1837. Our subject was reared here and educated in the common schools, and has always followed farming as an occupation. He was married, May 5, 1857, to Emelia, daughter of Frederick and Margaret (Foster) Williard, of Franklin Township, this county. By this union there are three children living: Georgianna, Harry J. and Franklin S. Mr. Stratton resides on the old Williard homestead, where he has lived since 1869. In politics he is independent. AARON B. STUTZMAN, A.M., Superintendent of the public schools at Kent, was born in Wayne County, Ohio, March 23, 1842, son of Henry and Catharine (Miller) Stutzman, natives of Summerset County, Penn., of German descent. They came to Ohio in 1826, locating in Greene Township, Wayne County, where they lived and died. The subject of this sketch was reared on his father's farm, and educated at the Smithville High School and Mount Union College, whence he graduated in 1870. He engaged in teaching, as Principal of the Dalton High School, of Dalton, Wayne Co., Ohio, where he remained two years; from there he removed to Doylestown, where he was engaged in teaching two years, after which he was for five years Superintendent of the public schools at Wadsworth, Medina Co., Ohio, and a member of the County Board of Examiners. In December, 1878, he passed a rigid examination at Columbus, Ohio, before the State Board of Examiners, who granted him a certificate of high qualifications, which is good for life and in any public school in the State. In same year he located in Kent, where he has held the position of Superintendent of public schools to the present time. He was married, August 15, 1872, to Jennie, daughter of Israel Clippinger, of Dalton, Ohio, by whom he has had three children: Edwin E. (deceased), Grace E. and Willie G. During the civil was Mr. Stutzman served in the Union Army, as private in Company A, One Hundred and Sixty-ninth Ohio Volunteer Infantry. Mr. Stutzman is a gentleman of culture and wedded to the profession he has chosen. He and his wife are members of the Methodist Episcopal Church. In politics he is a Republican. He is a F. & A.M., and an active member of the I.O.O.F. ______________________________ ------------------------------ X-Message: #2 Date: Tue, 05 Sep 2000 21:22:39 -0500 From: Betty Ralph To: OH-FOOTSTEPS-L@rootsweb.com Message-Id: <2.2.32.20000906022239.007378a0@HiWAAY.net> Subject: Bio - 1885 - Portage Co, OH, Franklin # 19 Content-Type: text/plain; charset="us-ascii" Bios: Sweeney, Tibbals, Turner - Portage County, Ohio, from "History of Portage County, Ohio" published by Warner, Beers & Co., Chicago, 1885 ************************************************************************ 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 HENRY A. SWAN, farmer and milkman, P.O. Kent, was born in Boston, Summit Co., Ohio, September 28, 1840, son of Levi L. and Louisa (Metlin) Swan, early settlers of that locality. The subject of this sketch was reared in his native town, where he followed farming for three years after he became of age, then went to Bath, where he lived one year, thence came to Streetsboro, where he engaged in farming and dairying for six years. In 1873 he located in Kent, and in 1876 on the farm where he now resides. He keeps a dairy of from fifteen to twenty cows, and in 1882 built his present residence, one of the finest in the county. His barns and other out-buildings are first-class, well adapted to the uses for which they were built, and everything about his premises shows evidence of care and thrift. Mr. Swan was married, March 9, 1865, to Eliza, daughter of Aaron and Mary (Dickison) Ferry, who located in Franklin Township, this county, about 1833. The issue of this union is two children: Herbert and Karl. In politics Mr. Swan is a Democrat. J.S. SWEENEY, physician and surgeon, Kent, was born in Middlefield, Geauga Co., Ohio, August 14, 1831, son of John and Dolly (Brown) Sweeney, natives of Belfast, Ireland, and New Hampshire, respectively. John Sweeney was a farmer by occupation, and one of the first settlers of Geauga County, Ohio, locating in Painesville in 1818, where he resided for several years; then removed to Middlefield, where he lived until his death, which occurred July 9, 1874, in his eighty-third year. He was pressed into the British service during the war of 1812. In character he was upright, honest and honorable, a firm friend and true to his convictions. Our subject was reared on his father's farm and educated in select schools. From 1850 to 1854 he studied medicine with his brother, E.J. Sweeney, of Nelson, this county. He then went to Parkman, Geauga Co., Ohio, where he engaged in the practice of medicine two years; thence moved to Chardon, practicing there one year. At the breaking out of the Rebellion he enlisted in Company A. Hoffman's Battalion, and served on Johnson's Island, Lake Erie, guarding prisoners, until he received an honorable discharge on account of disability in the fall of 1862. He then located in Stowe, Summit Co., Ohio, and resumed the practice of medicine, remaining there until 1871, when he moved to Kent, where he has since been in active practice. He was married June, 1854, to Delia, daughter of Joseph W. Rockwell, of Rome, Ashtabula Co., Ohio, and by her he has three children: Dolly A. (Mrs. Byron Longcoy), Edward J. and Alice. Dr. Sweeney is an active member of the K. of P. and G.A.R., of which latter he is Post Commander. In politics he is a Democrat. JOHN L. TIBBALS, farmer, P.O. Kent, was born in Deerfield Township, this county, January 15, 1821; son of Alfred M. and Martha H. (Swem) Tibbals. His paternal grandfather, Moses, Tibbals, a native of Massachusetts, settled in Deerfield Township in 1805, where he cleared and improved the farm on which he lived and died. He had five children: Clarissa (deceased), Alfred M. (deceased), Arbet L. (deceased), Francis (deceased) and Seymour. His maternal grandfather was William Swem, a native of New Jersey, and a pioneer of Salem, Columbiana Co., Ohio. The father of our subject was reared from eight years of age in Deerfield Township, this county. There he cleared and improved two farms (one now occupied by his son Frederick) and resided until he was killed at the age of sixty years by a falling limb of a tree. His children were five in number: John L., Norman (deceased), Frederick and Curtis (farmers in Deerfield) and Newell, a prominent lawyer of Akron, Ohio, and who has filled the office of Judge of Common Pleas. Our subject was reared and educated and served as Trustee for several years in Deerfield Township, where he resided till 1875, when he removed to Franklin Township to the farm where he now resides. He was married, February 19, 1851, to Mary C., daughter of Frederick and Fanny (Williams) Dewey, of Franklin Township, this county, former of whom was a native of Chester, Mass., and a son of John Dewey, parent of three children: Mary C., Sylvester F. (deceased), and Harriet F., wife of J.N. Stratton. Frederick Dewey came to Franklin Township, this county, in 1818 and located on the farm now owned by Marius Heighton, and in 1834, settled on the farm now occupied by our subject, most of which he cleared and improved, and here he died in February, 1872, in his seventy-fifth year. Mrs. Tibbals maternal grandfather, Dudley Williams, also a native of Massachusetts, settled in Franklin Township, this county, in 1820. Our subject and wife are the parents of five children: Floris (deceased), Charles, Frank, John and Frederick. Mr. Tibbals is a Republican in politics. TURNER BROS. (Joshua and John G.), manufacturers, Kent, are natives of Bradford, England, where they served an apprenticeship of seven years in the worsted mills of that city. In 1873 they came to America, and located in Jamestown, N.Y., where Joseph Turner, their father, started the first worsted mills, which he conducted for five years. They are now owned by William Hall & Co., and still in operation. In 1879 the family located in Kent, and embarked in the manufacture of a superior quality of worsted dress goods. They occupy a building five and a half stories high, in dimensions 160x45, and thoroughly equipped with the latest improved dye-house, combing, drawing and spinning machinery, with 114 looms and 2,000 spindles, employing 150 hands. The mills are run by two large turbine water-wheels, developing 120 horse-power. The Turner Bros., who are the managers, are gentlemen of experience in all the details of their business, one of the leading industries of the place, contributing largely to the substantial welfare of the community. JOHN G. TURNER, manufacturer, Kent, was born in England, April 10, 1857; son of Joseph and Martha (Gill) Turner, who came to America in 1873, and located in Jamestown, N.Y., where his father, with others, under the firm name of Hall, Broadhead & Turner, started the first alpaca-mills in that city, and where he was engaged in business up to 1878. In 1879 Joseph Turner located in Kent, this county, and embarked in the manufacture of worsted goods in company with his sons, Joshua and John G., in which he continued until his death. He died in 1881 at the age of fifty-three years. The business is still carried on by his sons (see sketch of Turner Bros.). Our subject was reared in Yorkshire, England, until sixteen years of age, and was educated in all the details of his present business in that country, and in his father's mill at Jamestown, N.Y. Mr. Turner is a gentleman of push and enterprise, and his identity with the manufacturing interest of Kent has been alike valuable to himself and the public. He is a F. & A.M. In politics a republican. -------------------------------- End of OH-FOOTSTEPS-D Digest V00 Issue #262 *******************************************