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CHAPTER XXX.
HISTORY OF PERKINS TOWNSHIP.
PERKINS is bounded on the north by Sandusky, on the east by Huron township, on the south by Oxford township, and on the west by Margaretta township. The township is generally level, but in some parts undulating and marked by several elevated ridges, which consist mostly of yellow sand. The principal one of these extends across the township in a southwesterly direction, ending at Bloomingville. The soil is very fertile and of great variety. The sandy ridges are adapted to all kinds of crops. South of the ridges are the prairies, composed of black alluvial earth, on which is grown mostly grain. In sections two and three, limestone soil abounds, and in some particular localities good clay for brick and tile is found. The ridge mentioned divides the prairie from the timber land. Part of sections one and four is prairie,
522 - HISTORY OF ERIE COUNTY.
stretching to the west with intervening groves of hickory and black oak. In, the northern portion of the township was a dense growth of black and white walnut, maple, whitewood, black and white oak, linn, and several other kinds of trees. There are no marshes or waste land in the township, and it is considered one of the most productive in the Fire-lands. The township is watered by no very large streams. Mills Creek crosses section three and empties into the bay west of Sandusky. Pipe Creek, so called from a soft stone found in its bed from which the Indians made pipes, passes through sections four, three and two, and flows into the bay east of Sandusky. Another small stream, called Plum Brook, heads on the prairie, passes near Bogart, through section two, and finds its way into the cove. A large proportion of the land is thoroughly underdrained, and because of the high state of cultivation, being located near Sandusky, the value of the land is increased.
The original owners of the township were the Indians, whose title deed was their bow and arrow, and who had occupied it, lived, hunted, and trapped upon its grounds many generations before the white settler trod its soil. Among the different tribes who inhabited the Fire lands may be mentioned the Delawares and Ottawas, which belonged to the Algonquin family, and the Wyandots or Hurons, and the Senecas, which belonged to the Huron-Iroquois family. As late as 1818 the township was dotted over with Indian wigwams. Near Bogart's Corners was on unusually large encampment living on, the farm now owned by A. N. Baker. At this date there still remained near the east line of the township twelve or fifteen buildings, composed of poles and bark, and in the northeast corner of section two the ruins of an old fort were seen. The walls, which were built of earth, measured about three feet in height, through which was an opening or gateway leading to a spring, the path of which had been worn to the depth of one foot. These remains have Tong since been leveled by the early pioneer. In different parts of the township relics of these tribes are found, consisting of the flint arrow-head, the charm, the battle-axe and scalping-knife ; and in some instances skeletons have been exhumed. These were invariably bur ried in a sitting posture, their faces turned westward. In 1887 some workmen, employed on the farm of Mr. A. A. Storrs, in making an excavation came upon six skeletons of Indians, some of which are well preserved. Near the south line and north of Bloomingville, on the farm nOW owned and occupied by Solomon. Jarrett, there was recently unearthed an Indian grave, which had been covered by two large slabs of stone three feet long, the upper ends of which resting together and the lower ends apart. Between these there were ashes and charcoal, and on them lay a claw hammer, worn and battered. This, in all probability, had been either bought or stolen at the fort at Venice, which was occupied by the French or Indians two centuries ago. Of the descendants of the various tribes of Indians who inhabited this region, there is one living in the township, who
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is a daughter of one Muston, a chief of the Ottawa tribe. She is now the wife of Henry Bonnett, a blacksmith, of Bogart's Corners. Her birthplace was. Port Clinton, O., and her age is fifty-five years. Ogontz, the Ottawa chief, was well-known in the region of Sandusky, which was his favorite hunting and fishing resort, and the early settlers of Perkins were frequently honored by his visits when on his hunting expeditions through the township.
The township derives its name from Hon. Elias Perkins, a resident of New London, Conn. Almon Ruggles made the first survey in 1808. Huron county was created in 1809, and Perkins became one of its townships. Previous to the year 1810 no actual settlement had been made. It is true that one or two settlers were living within the limits, but they were transient and only remained a year or two. In the year mentioned above, Rev. John Beatty, then a resident of Connecticut, purchased of the Fire-lands company nearly all the land in Perkins township. After the purchase was completed, he in company with Thomas James, who wished to purchase land, started immediately for the " Great West." They traveled through the State of Pennsylvania,. where they were joined by James Forsyth, Mr. Beatty's brother-in-law. Their line of travel carried them through Pittsburgh and Cleveland, which were only small villages. Travel at this early 'day was necessarily slow, as ox teams. were the means of conveyance. After a long, tiresome trip, and many hairbreadth escapes, the company arrived at Perkins. Soon after their arrival Mr. James bought land of Mr. Beatty in the south part of section four, and immediately built a log-cabin, thus becoming the first actual settler. The next settlers were Christian Winters and John Freese, who arrived from Canada tin 1812, and settled in the northeast corner of the township, and lived there many years. At the close of the War of 1812, Mr. Beatty, who had looked well over the township, selected Perkins as his future home. He accordingly removed his family to the township, accompanied by the following persons: Julius House, Jesse Taylor, Holly Akins, Roswell Hubbard, Harvey Covell, Eleazer Bell, Joseph Taylor, Plinney Johnson, Richard Christopher, William R. Beebe, and Joseph Taylor, jr. These all purchased land of Mr. Beatty, and erected log-cabins on the ridge road leading to Bloomingville, and better known as " Yankee Settlement." Descendants of these settlers are still living on the same farms, many of whom are quite wealthy. After the colony became settled, a church society was organized, beginning with a class of fifteen members, which has continued to prosper for more than seventy years. Other settlers continued to arrive, and before a decade had passed, the township was, well settled. The following are some of those who located : Fox, Tucker, Irvine, Rogers, Wickham, Allen.
In the fall of 1811 Rev. William Gurley and family arrived on the Fire lands, and settled in Huron county, on the edge of the prairie, in a log-cabin near the south line of Perkins township. There was a peculiar freshness and
524 - HISTORY OF ERIE COUNTY.
novelty in a frontier life, as all who have been pioneers acknowledge. At this time there was no minister of the Gospel within fifty miles. Great was the joy of the settlers of the surrounding townships when they heard that a preacher had arrived. The announcement was made that Mr. Gurley would preach in the school-house at Bloomingville on the following sunday. The people living within ten or twelve miles assembled at the appointed time, and among them were several Indians, who came from curiosity. Mr. Gurley organized a class of ten members at the close, and this was the first serm0n and society on the Fire-lands. The surrender of General Hull at Detroit caused a stampede among the settlers, many of whom did not return till the close of the. war. After the war a wide field of labor opened to Mr. Gurley, which extended nearly over the county. As there was much sickness and many deaths, he was called upon to attend nearly all the funerals. He often remarked, "What a multitude I have buried. and nearly all y0unger than myself. He continued his labors for twenty-five years, preaching his last serm0n at the age of eighty-nine.
The first marriage recorded in the township occurred in the year 1871. The contracting parties were William Beebe to Minerva Bell, now the wife of General W. D. Lindsley, of Sandusky, and Joseph Taylor to a daughter of David Cummings, who had previously settled in Huron township. The first birth was Sydney, son of Plinney Johnson, and the second was Anna, daughter of Harvey Covell, and late wife of Dwight Buck, of Toledo. After Mr. Beatty became settled, he had the land surveyed where Bogart n0w stands, and laid out in town lots, some of which were sold, but after a few-years reverted again to their original owner.
In the spring of 1819 he commenced building a stone residence at Bogart, which is still one of the landmarks of the township, and was known for many years as the " half-way house." It was occupied for many years as a tavern, and was well-known in all parts of the country. Teamsters, in hauling grain to Sandusky from Mansfield and vicinity, used to stop there, and as many as forty teams have been seen in the yards in one night. The stage, in making its regular trips from Milan to Sandusky for twenty-five years, also stopped there. In 1820 Beatty built the first lime and brick kiln, and the same year he erected the first saw-mill on Pipe Creek, on section two, on the farm now occupied by the Erie C0unty Infirmary. In 1817 he received his appointment as postmaster, this being the first in the t0wnship. He had one room in the stone house fitted as an office, and the boxes and desk still remain as they were when he distributed the mail to the pioneers. He also kept in the same building a small stock of dry goods. The first blacksmith-shop was erected by Mr. Johnson on the ground now occupied by F. Siegel. Bogart, even at this early day, aspired to become something higher than a mere cross-roads. Rev. William Gurley kept a shop in which he devoted
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himself to the silversmith business. Mr. Kellogg was the proprietor of a cooper-shop. John Brodhead was the only carpenter. A tavern was kept by Holly Akins, where J. D. Parker'S store now stands. James Gurley employed himself in the cabinet business.
The second post-office was established in 1861, by Addison Mixter, and called Prairieville ; but after one year it was discontinued. After this the people continued to receive their mails at Sandusky until 1882, when J. D. Parker was appointed postmaster and still holds the office. Mail is now received regularly Tuesday, Thursday and Saturday each week. A public telephone also connects the office with Sandusky. Mr. Bell, father of Stewart Bell, of Sandusky, died at an early day. He was a ship carpenter, and in the year 1817 he built a small vessel near the lake. It required forty yoke of oxen and a number of men to move it to the shore, which was accomplished after much labor, and launched a short distance west of the village of Huron. Dr. Christopher, a graduate of Yale College and possessed of a fine education, was without doubt the first practicing physician in the township, his, office being located at Bogart. Before the year 1818 log barns were numerous, but in this year Julius House erected a frame barn on the ridge mentioned, which is still in good repair. As the pioneers manufactured most of their wearing apparel, looms and spinning-wheels were in good demand. These were made to order by Mr. Hubbard, a wheelwright. One of these looms, which he manufactured for weaving carpets, is in the possession of Mrs. Simeon Galloway, who weaves upon it yearly many yards of carpets.
The dwellings of the early settlers were necessarily rude, only one story high, built of logs, very often without being hewn. A few of these structures still remain as the handiwork of the pioneer, but the builder has long since passed to his reward. What a change in three-fourths of a century! From the simple cabin built of logs, often containing but one room, with the open fireplace extending the entire width of the house, with its slab door and floor, windows of greased paper, and not a nail about the whole structure, to the spacious and handsome farm house of modern times, luxuriously furnished, and with all its conveniences for heating and lighting, is a transformation which has been witnessed by few who still remain, but whose numbers are becoming fewer as the years glide away.
In a small log school-house, which had been built on the farm now owned by Dennis Taylor, the first township election was held in the spring of 1818, which resulted in the election of the following officers : John Beatty, township clerk ; Eleizur Lockwood, John Freese, Julius House, trustees; William Beebe and Roswell Hubbard, constables ; John Dillingham. and Harvey Covell, fence viewers.
Soon after the arrival of John Beatty and his colony of settlers from Connecticut in the fall of 1815, he, with others, proceeded to 0rganize a Metho-
526 - HISTORY OF ERIE COUNTY.
dist society, which has before been alluded to, and which was the first in the township. Julius House was chosen class-leader, a position he occupied for fifty years. Services were held at the log school-house or dwellings until about the year 1830, when a large frame building was erected opposite where the brick church now stands. After the society was formed, no regular preaching was held till February, 1818, although occasional sermons were preached by John Beatty.
The Ohio Conference, in the fall of 1817, attached five app0intments to the Cuyahoga circuit. These appointments were such a distance from the circuit that the minister in charge would not accept of them. Rev. James B. Finley, the presiding elder, sent Rev. Bronson to form a circuit and become pastor of the same the balance of the year. Perkins was his fourth app0intment. When the time arrived for his first quarterly meeting, the presiding elder being absent, Rev. William Gurley officiated. This was the first quarterly meeting held on the Fire-lands. This society has prosperously continued since its organizati0n, and at present has a large membership. The frame building spoken of was occupied until the year 1854, when a commodious two- story brick building was erected, which has recently been remodeled, painted, frescoed, refurnished, and is n0w in excellent condition. On the north and east sides comfortable sheds have been built for the accommodation of h0rses, which, being nicely painted, adds to the appearance 0f the premises. A pleas:- ant and cozy parsonage occupies an adjoining l0t for the use of the paStor. Since the formation of the Society over fifty ministers have occupied the pulpit, among whom we mention the following : Reverends Poe, O'Sheldon, Boardman, Reynolds, Bigelow, Kellam, Jewett, Mudge, Broadwell, Persons, Wagar, Hoadley, Kepler, and Kauffman. The present pastor is Rev. O. Pearce, who preaches regularly every Sabbath morning and holds prayer and praise service Sunday and Thursday evenings. Sabbath-school was first organized about 1830, and is now well attended under the superintendency of Frank A. Akins.
The educational interest is aft important feature of the township. In the .year 1816 a log school-house was built on the farm of Jesse Taylor, and the winter school was taught by Dr. Christopher. Ann Beatty, daughter of John Beatty, taught the following summer. Compensation for teaching in those early days was small compared to the present day. Ladies received from four to six dollars per month, and gentlemen ten and twelve dollars, board furnished, which they got by " boarding round." Tuition was paid by each family in proportion to the number of scholars sent. In the spring 0f 1818 Jerry Sheffield was employed as instructor, and there are still living in the township at the present writing five persons who were his Scholars that year. Their names are as follows : Elery Taylor, Lindsley House, Mrs. Maria Greene, Stewart Bell, and W. D. Gurley. These all came with their parents from Connecticut. The township is divided into eleven scho0l districts. In nearly
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all of these there have lately been built fine brick or frame school buildings, with all the modern appliances for health and comfort, at a cost 0f from $1,500 to $2,000. The schools are in a flourishing condition, are well attended, and are gradually improving under the management of an excellent corps of teachers.
In the southeastern corner of section two, the hamlet of Bogart, already spoken of, is situated. Five roads centre here, which lead respectively to Sandusky, Huron, Milan, Bloomingville, and Castalia. In the course of the year considerable business is transacted, The only merchant is James D. Parker, who keeps a general store in which may be found a large assortment of goods, including dry goods, drugs, notions, groceries, and hardware. In fact, this is the only store in the township, and enjoys a large patronage. He also deals largely in eggs and handles annually many thousand dozen.
The firm of Siegel & Hemminger, blacksmiths, is doing a flourishing business in their line of work, and their trade extends far over the county. Besides repairing and horseshoeing, in which their reputation is well established, they make a specialty of ironing wagons and buggies. Their constantly increasing trade compel them to employ one or two extra men.
Martin Kaltenbach and William Zink are the members of an enterprising firm engaged in the manufacture of wagons and buggies, and repairing the same. Their work is considered first-class in every respect, and orders for new vehicles from this and adjoining townships are filled as rapidly as their facilities will permit. They also execute excellent painting in both plain and fancy scroll work.
W. D. Gurley for many years did an extensive business in both blacksmith and wagon work here.
In the northern part of the township Mr. A. Remington is doing an extensive businesS in the manufacture of cider vinegar. His establishment is filled with the most improved machinery, and his facilities are large. Thousands of bushels of apples are purchased of farmers and converted into vinegar, which supplies both home and foreign markets.
The manufacture and sale of brick is one of the important features of the township. The excellent clay found in section three is used for this purpose, and two brick-kilns are in operation, owned respectively by William DeWitt and Lee Chambers. Many thousands of brick are annually burnt, most of which is used in the city and surrounding townships.
Sections two and three are rich in large quarries of blue limestone, the principal one of which is owned by Py & Gachsteter. Hundreds of cords are annually quarried and find a ready sale. Hundreds of loads of shale stone are used upon the roads through the township. Stone from the quarry referred to was used in the erection of the Erie County Infirmary, the Soldiers' 'Rome, and the residence at Oakland Cemetery, besides the large bridges across Pipe Creek.
528 - HISTORY OF ERIE COUNTY.
Oakland Cemetery is a beautiful park of several acres in extent, situated in the northeastern corner of section two, on the banks of Pipe Creek. It is systematically laid out into lots, with driveways bordered with maples, evergreens, willows, and various other trees. The grounds are under the care of a superintendent, who, with a corps of assistants, keep the enclosure in perfect condition. A stone wall surrounds the cemetery on the north and east sides. A large stone vault and chapel has recently been finished; also a handsome and substantial dwelling-house, Gothic or Queen Anne style, for the use of the superintendent. The place is visited annually by hundreds of people
The Erie County Infirmary farm adjoins the cemetery on the west. The main building presents an imposing appearance, is beautiful in style 0f architecture, is built mostly of blue limestone. It was built in 1886, at a cost of about forty thousand dollars, to replace one destroyed by fire the winter of 1885-86. This building is heated by steam, and is as near fireproof as possible.
The grounds of the Ohio Soldiers' and Sailors' Home are located in section two, south of the cemetery. The work of erecting buildings and improving the grounds was commenced in 1887. These buildings, now in the course 0f erection, are of stone, with brick partitions and slate roof, and of the most substantial character. The home will cost, when the present plans are carried out, about $350,000, and will accommodate six hundred inmates, besides the empl0yees. If improvements are made to accommodate 1,400 inmates, the total cost will be about $600,000.
The agricultural interests of the township are flattering. The soil is of the richest quality (well underdrained), and is adapted to raising all kinds of crops. The limestone soil produces a good yield of wheat, while on the ridges a variety of crops is raised, the principal one being potatoes, of which, during a favorable season, thousands of bushels are produced. On the prairie soil, corn and oats are mostly raised.' Large quantities of apples, grapes, peaches, strawberries and other small fruits are raised and annually shipped.
The shipping of moulding sand is an important feature. This sand is found only on the sandy ridges before mentioned, and is of the finest quality. It is found just below the soil, which is usually about one foot in depth. The soil is first removed and placed at one side, after which the sand is taken out and the soil replaced, which leaves the land in good condition. The principal shippers or dealers in sand are T. B. Taylor, J. D. Parker, J. F. Greene, and Charles House. Hundreds of tons are annually shipped to all parts of the United States, and the total value of which is about $10,000 yearly. The Baltimore and Ohio Railroad, which passeS through the central part of the township, furnishes an excellent shipping point, known as Greene's Station, about four miles from Sandusky. From here a large share of the sand is shipped, also quantities of produce.
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One of the first literary societies in the township, and in fact in this part of the State, was composed of a number of young men from the townships of Perkins, Huron and Milan, about the year 1819. The late Rev. L. B. Gurley was a member of this society. They usually met on one of the ridges on Saturday during the summer and debated many important questions. Within the past few years societies, both for social and intellectual improvement, have been formed for the winter season, but discontinued as summer approached. At present there is one in existence, known as the Chautauqua Spare Minute Circle. This has a good membership, and Rev. 0. Pearce is president.
Another society, the Ladies' Home Mission, deserves mention. It was organized several years ago by the ladies of the township, who meet regularly at the residences the first Thursday of each month for benevolent purposes. Much charitable w0rk has been accomplished by the society since its formation.
In the year 1874 Perkins Grange, No. 637, Patrons of Husbandry, sprang into existence in this township. The charter was obtained in March, with thirty-three members, five of whom have since died. The growth was rapid, and by May the membership had increased to eighty five members. From 1876 to 1881 little interest was taken in the grange, and members gradually dropped out, but since the latter date the grange has revived, new members have been added, till at the present date the grange numbers thirty-one, and new applications are received monthly. The regular session is held each month at the residence cf some member of the order. The late Colonel D. C. Richmond was an active member in effecting its organization, and of which he held the office of worthy master. Farmers are becoming convinced of the necessity of some organization for the protection and promotion of their interests, and without doubt the grange is the best society for the accomplishment of this purpose. The best members of the society are becoming enroled, in the ranks, and the social feature is also an important item.
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CHAPTER XXXI.
BIOGRAPHICAL.
McKELVEY, JOHN, was born in Plymouth, Huron county, 0., February Al 8, 1835, being the youngest of ten children. His parents, Matthew McKelvey and Nancy Adams, were married March 27, 1818, in Greenfield township. Huron county, 0. His father, Matthew McKelvey, was born in Westmoreland county, Pa., January 30, 1794. His father was William McKelvey, who had lost a leg in the Revolutionary War. The family moved
530 - HISTORY OF ERIE COUNTY.
from Pennsylvania to Portage county, O., in 1804, and from there to Trumbull county, in 1806, and from there to Huron c0unty, in 1815.
His mother, Nancy Adams, was born. in Windham county, Vt., July 30, 1798, and with her parents moved to Greenfield township, Huron county, O., in the spring of 1815. Her father, Bildad Adams, was one of the first three county commissioners of Huron county, and she taught the first school in Peru township. Soon after their marriage his parents moved to Sandusky, where his father engaged in the mercantile business. In 1825 they changed their residence to Plymouth, Huron c0unty, where his father c0mpleted the third frame building erected in that locality. He opened the first general store, and continued to advance the growth of the village by erecting more houses. In 1830 he erected a building for that purpose, and established a seminary for young ladies. The family continued to reside in Plymouth until the fall of 1840, when they moved to Hardin county, where a large quantity of land had been purchased, and commodious buildings for those times had been erected. But the misfortune of sickness, resulting in the deaths of, the mother and three sisters, caused the return of the father and the remaining four children to Plymouth, in the spring of 1842, where another sister soon died, leaving only the younger three living of the family 0f ten children. Those three are still living at this date (1888) and reside: Martha, Mrs. E. C. Lovell, in Greenfield township, Huron county, O. ; Matthew, in Tiffin, O., and John, the subject of this sketch, in Sandusky. Soon after the death 0f his father, which occurred March 18, 1853, in Greenfield township, Huron county, John first secured a situation in the general store of W. T. & A. K. West, in Sandusky, where he remained during the summer, but desiring to obtain a better education, he decided in the fall to teach school during the winter months, and attend school at Oberlin College during the remaining, nine months 0f each year, and he pursued that course for three years, until ill health compelled him to discontinue it. He thereafter settled in Sandusky, and engaged in the commission business. In 1861 he set out one of the first vineyards in the vicinity of Sandusky, and thereafter set out several more. In 1867 he became engaged in the real estate and insurance business. He discontinued the insurance branch in 1874, but has continued the real estate business to the present time, and has, during the past twenty years, made ten additions to the city of Sandusky. He became interested in the wholesale ice business in 1876, and has continued his interest therein to the present time. In 1865 he aided materially in effecting a reorganization of the Erie County Agricultural Society, and in securing the permanent location of the fair grounds at Sandusky. It was principally through his efforts that the Sandusky Tool Company came into existence. He was married June 26, 1861, to Jennie R. Huntington. They have had six children, four of whom are living : Janet H., born April 2, 1862 ; John Jay, born May 24, 1863;. Alice R., born April 25, 1867 ; Ralph H., born December 7,
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1877. Janet, J0hn Jay and Alice are graduates of the Sandusky High School, and Janet and John Jay are graduates of Oberlin College ; the former of the class of 1883, and the latter of the class of 1884. John Jay also graduated from Harvard College Law School, receiving the degrees of A.M. and L.L.B., in 1887. He was married to Miss Mary C. Mattocks, an Oberlin graduate of the class of 1885, of Cleveland, July 12, 1887, and is now engaged in the practice of the law in New York city. Janet was married to the Rev. C. F. Swift, an Oberlin College classmate, July 27, 1886, and he is at present the pastor of the Congregational Church, Saratoga Springs, N. Y.
Mrs. John McKelvey was the daughter of Apollos and Deborah Huntington, and was born in Brownville, Jefferson county, N. Y., August 8, 1837. She came with her parents to Sandusky, in the spring of 1852. She is a graduate of the Sandusky High School 0f the class of 1856.
STOLL, ADAM J., was born in Bucyrus, Crawford county, 0., September 25, 1844, the eldest child of John and Mary (Shealy) Stoll. John Stoll, his father, was born in the kingdom of Wurtemberg, Germany, June 9, 1821, and came with his parents to America in 1832. In 1838 he settled in Bucyrus, 0., and lived there till his death, which occurred December 26, 1884. He was a carpenter by trade, but became an extensive dealer and manufacturer of lumber, and in the latter years of his life a large 0perator in real estate. He enjoyed, in the largest measure, the confidence and respect of the entire community in which he lived, was successful in his business undertakings and left a handsome fortune. His father died in New York city soon after the arrival of the family in that city from Germany. His mother died in Bucyrus, in 1867. His wife survives him and is living at the old homestead in Bucyrus. Adam J. Stoll lived in Bucyrus until he was twenty-four years of age. His education was received in the public schools of his native place, and upon leaving the schools he became interested with his. father in the conduct of his lumber interest. On September 22, 1868, he married Sophia Burgdorf, adopted daughter of Ferdinand Geiersdorf, of Sandusky, 0. Mrs. Stoll was born in Hanover, Germany, August 11, 1846. Mr. Stoll moved from Bucyrus and became a resident of Sandusky, in 1868, where he became b0ok-keeper in the wholesale fish establishment of Ferdinand Geiersdorf, and upon the death of the latter became general manager of the house, in which capacity he served two years, when he became a partner under the firm name of Adolph & Stoll; a limited partnership for five years. At the termination of this partnership, in 1877, Mr. Stoll withdrew from the firm and purchased the wharf and fish interest of L. Anthony, also the fish interest of H. E. O'Hagan & Co. From that time to the present (1888) he has done, every year, a largely increasing business, and is one 0f the heaviest dealers in fresh fish on the entire line of lakes. He is president of the Sandusky Steamboat and Fishing Company,
532 - HISTORY OF ERIE COUNTY.
which 0perate a line 0f steamers in connection with the Canadian fishing industry.
In all efforts of the government to improve and enhance the value of the fish industries of the United States, Mr. Stoll has taken a deep interest and has lent powerful aid.
In 1883 he became a st0ckholder in the Sandusky Gas Light Company, and has been its president since 1886. He is a stockholder and director in the Second National Bank, also a stockholder in the Third National Bank.
Since 1873 he has been the owner of the undivided half of the Cedar Point property, and was one 0f the projectors of the Cedar Point Pleasure Resort Company, and has taken a leading part in building up and bringing to its present perfection that celebrated resort.
Mr. Stoll has always been a liberal contributor towards all charitable institutions, not only in Sandusky, but in his native town of Bucyrus, where, having large landed interests, he is still regarded by its citizens alm0st as much a Bucyrus man as though he were still a resident of his native place. He is 0ne 0f the trustees of the Good Samaritan Hospital of Sandusky.
Mr. Stoll is a Republican in politics, and though too busy a man with his own affairs either to desire or seek public office, he has, in a number of instances, been chosen to fill such offices.
His private residence, built in 1884-5, 0n the corner of Wayne and Madison streets, is a gem of architectural beauty, and would justly be regarded an 0rnament of any city.
Mr. and Mrs. Stoll have had three children: Emma, born July 9, 1870; Lena, born April 7, 1873 ; and Willie, born April 20, 1874, died June 25, 1888.
SIMPSON, WILLIAM AYERS, was born in the town of Nottingham, Nottingham county, N. H., February 27, 1812 ; the, next y0ungest child in .a family of ten children, five sons and five daughters, of John and Abigail (Guile) Simpson. The family were of Scotch-Irish descent, their ancestor emigrating to this country in a colony, following shortly after the arrival of the Mayflower,. and settled in Londonderry, N. H.
John Simpson, grandfather of William A., was the first one 0f the family who settled in Nottingham, on a farm which has been owned and 0ccupied by some descendant nearly three hundred years. John Simpson, father of William A., was owner of this homestead farm. He was a man of sterling qualities, and c0mmanded the respect of the entire community in which he lived.. He died at an advanced age, October, 1832, and was buried in the family burial ground, in Nottingham His wife survived him about twenty years, reaching the extreme age of ninety years. She was a woman of decided Christian character, and left the impress and influence of her long and useful life, as the dearest legacy to her large family. All the children, five sons and five daughters, save one, lived to adult age, were married and raised families.
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William Simpson, uncle of William A., was the first of the family who emigrated to Ohio, and was a soldier in the Indian War, under General Wayne. He first settled in Meigs county, raised a family there, and his descendants are still living in that portion of Ohio. William A. Simpson spent his youth at home in Nottingham, where he received his primary education, which was supplemented by one year's attendance at Durham Academy. At the age of seventeen he went to Boston, where for one year he was employed as clerk in the shipping house of John K. Simps0n, a cousin of his father. In 1831, in company with his youngest brother, Samuel A., he went to Detroit by canal and lake, where he was employed as clerk in a store until 1834. In the fall of the latter year he moved to Sandusky. Here he engaged, in company with Horace Aplin, in the grocery trade. This partnership was terminated at the end of the year. He then engaged in the wholesale grocery and liquor business, with Leonard Johnson, under the firm name of Simpson & Johnson. This partnership lasted but a short time, when Mr. Johnson sold his interest, Mr. Simpson dropping the liquor branch of the business, and adding the dry goods, continued the business in his own name for many years, taking as a partner in the later years of his life, David Everett, under the firm name of Simpson & Everett. In the year 1859 he sold his interest in the firm, and for two years thereafter he engaged in the ship chandlery and grocery business, which business he carried on until the fall of 1861, at which time he retired from active business. Mr. Simpson was a stockholder and director in the Sandusky Gas Company from its 0rganization; its president for many years, and its vice-president at the time of his death. He was a Stockholder and director in the Second National Bank from its organization.
Mr. Simpson was a staunch Republican, but never desired or sought 0ffice. He was a member of Grace Church over forty years, and a vestryman thirty- six years. Mr. Simpson died at his residence in Sandusky December 20, 1887. We cannot more fittingly close this sketch of Mr. Simpson than to quote the following extracts from writers who knew him thoroughly and intimately.
The Rev. Dr. S. A. Bronson, his former rector, in a letter to Mrs. Simpson, wrote as follows : " Mr. Simpson was a man with as many virtues, and as few faults, as almost any one who can be found in this crooked world. As a vestry. man in my church during the sixteen years I was rector of Grace Church, Sandusky, I can safely say I found no fault in him. As a business man, he was honest and honorable ; as a Christian, and as an 0fficer 0f the church, he was faithful is the discharge of all his duties; benevolent, judicious and wise. If help was needed, he was always ready to d0 his part. He was always a pillar in Grace Church," and he adds, " a thousand more w0rds in all departments of life may be said of him."
The Rev. R. L. Howell, rector of Grace Church during the last years of Mr. Simpson's life, in an article he published in the Standard of the Cross and
534 - HISTORY OF ERIE COUNTY.
the church, writes of him as follows : William A. Simpson was one of those rare instances of the happy commingling of solid worth and simplicity of character which it is positively refreshing to behold. As we watched over him during his last night, until the morning sun stole across the roam, and he entered into the rest he longed for, it did not seem more difficult to fall asleep with lam, after the long hours of watching than it did to brace ourselves for the stern duties of another day. Even the devoted wife, so dearly beloved, who bad stood by his side f0r well nigh half a century, joined with us as we thanked the Father for answering our prayers, and taking him so gently to himself Grandly did we realize the deep meaning of that frequent saying, " 0 I death, where is thy sting?" Mr. Simpson was, during a long life in Sandusky, reverenced and loved by all who came in contact,with him. His great modesty and simplicity of character endeared him to all who knew him. We have lost a most valuable citizen whose wise counsel was never darkened by many words."
Mr. Simpson married January. 5, 1841, Mary, daughter of David and Mary (Wright) Denman. Mrs. Simpson was born in Frederick, Md., January 16, 1816. Her father was an officer in the War of 1812, under General Scott, and was in the battles of Lundy's Lane, Queenstown Heights, and Fort Erie. Her father died when she was but seven years, and her mother when only five years of age. After the death of her parents she was adopted into the family of Major J. G. Camp, who moved to Ohio from Buffalo in 1835. Mrs. Simpson has been a member of Grace Church since 1841. Mr. and Mrs. Simpson had no children. Eliza D. Bartlett, a child of an elder and only sister 0f Mrs. Simpson's was taken into the family, and lived with them until her marriage. She is now the widow of James Cook, and lives in Saginaw, Mich. Jennie E. Simpson, who lost her parents at the time of the cholera epidemic in Sandusky, in 1849, and was adopted by Mr. and Mrs. Simpson, lives at the homestead in Sandusky, with Mrs. Simpson. Since the death of her huSband, Mrs. Simi). s0n purchased and deeded to Grace Church, the "Grace Church parish building," corner 0f Adams and Hancock streets, as a memorial gift to the church. The memory of the man who was so worthy of such a memorial, as well as that of the generous giver, must ever be kept green in the minds 0f those who, in all the years to come, shall have the good fortune to enjoy the healthy social privileges of this beautiful parish home.
SADLER, EBENEZER B. The accompanying print will be recognized, in feature and expression, as a faithful likeness of one, who for nearly fifty-three years was a resident, and actively and earnestly identified with the prosperity and history of this, locality ; and whose decease 0n March 25, 1888, was the cause of well nigh universal regret throughout the c0unty and beyond its borders.
Having held many important positions 0f public trust, and always with the
PICTURE OF EBENZER B. SADLER
BIOGRAPHICAL - 535
highest sense of duty, and with unswerving rectitude and fidelity, and having ever discharged his professional duties with an integrity unquestioned by client or opponent, and being socially, sweet-tempered, broad, and sympathetic, and just in all his relations with his fellow-men, and having retained, even up to the last few days of his life, the full possession of his faculties, when his death was announced it was followed by such a universal expression of personal loss as is accorded to but few characters in any community.
Judge Ebenezer B. Sadler was born at Grafton, Mass., on November 16, 1808, and was therefore in his eightieth year when he died. His ancestry was of an excellent old England stock, settling in Massachusetts in the earlier years of the eighteenth century. He was the last of four brothers, all of whom had borne respectable parts in the drama of life. His mother, of whom he always spoke with the highest filial love and with keen remembrance, died when he was under ten, at Geneva. N. Y. Under the untoward circumstances of his fate, at an early age he was obliged to shift for himself and buffet the world as he found it. But through his energy and self-reliance, prompted by a steadfast ambition, he attained what was considered in those days, a good common school education, and after reaching his majority, he for several years taught school in Western New York. During this period he also devoted such hours as he could command in the law office of the Hon. John Dickson, of West Bloomfield, at that time a member of Congress, where he acquired the rudimentary knowledge of his chosen profession.
In the early summer of 1835, with hopeful visions of the then far west as the field for young men, he " staged" it to Buffalo, and there embarked for Sandusky. Soon after reaching Sandusky he was admitted to the bar, and in 1836 formed a law partnership with the late F. D. Parish, which continued, agreeably and successfully, for eleven years, till his elevation to the bench.
In 1844-5 he was mayor of Sandusky, and in 1847 he was appointed president judge of the Court of Common Pleas of the Thirteenth Judicial Circuit, then embracing the counties of Erie, Huron, Sandusky, Ottawa, Lucas, Wood and Henry. He served in this capacity five years and until the adoption of the constitution of 1852 changed the judicial system of the State. The satisfaction he gave as judge is evidenced by the resolutions adopted by the bar of the several counties, testifying to the ability, impartiality, uprightness, and the urbanity which characterized him as a judicial officer.
In 1852 he was the candidate of his party (Whig) for Congress. In the years 1866-67 he was State senator from this district. During the first term of President Grant's administration he served as postmaster of Sandusky. Looking to the interest and welfare of the city he also served as a member of the council several times. This is the mere plain record of his official life. He never sought any office, but when called upon to serve the people, he discharged what he considered the highest duty of a citizen with rare fidelity.
540 - HISTORY OF ERIE COUNTY.
Immediately after the close of the war he was actively and prominently identified in the great railroad project of building a line of railway from Portland, Ore., to Sacramento, Cal., and had much to do in securing the grant from the government to assist that enterprise. He was also up to the time of his death a director in several of the railroads terminating in Sandusky. But in all of his official positions, whether public or private trust, and in the conduct of his professional business he exhibited the highest integrity, and it may be well said that he traveled through life without leaving a suspicion in any man's mind that he has not been faithful and honest to the utmost. As an attorney and counsellor at the bar, his judgment was considered pre-eminently valuable. He was an unusually clear thinker, and an able practitioner. He was possessed of a cool, judicial temperament, and to an unusual degree, was endowed with the " genius of common sense." Broad, conservative and charitable in his views, benevolent and unselfish, he was the friend of every good work, ready to sacrifice his own comfort, if need be, to the pleasure and good of others. In social life he was ever the genial, kind hearted gentleman ; the general favorite with both old and young ; and in Sandusky no company seemed complete without his presence.
In 1843 he married Emily Webb, of West Bloomfield, N. Y. Their married life was short, she dying at Sandusky in 1849. She will be remembered by many as a singularly beautiful woman, of most excellent virtues ; and ever true to her memory, he remained a widower. His only child is C. W. Sadler, who resides at Sandusky. For nearly forty years Judge Sadler lived in a cottage on Jackson street, to which was attached his law office.
He was passionately devoted to the beautiful in art and nature. During his leisure hours he cultivated with rare devotion choice fruits and flowers, and his flower garden, in season, was a recurring picture long to be held in remembrance by his friends and the public.
Finally it may be said, that though his well rounded, ever active life was a perpetual rebuke to all evil-doers, yet he lived without an enemy.
" His life was gentle, and the elements
So mixed in him, that Nature might stand up
And say to all the world, ' This was a man.",'