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History of
Conneaut,
Ashtabula Co., Ohio
SOURCE: History of Ashtabula County, Ohio
Large, Moina W.
Topeka :: Historical Pub. Co.,, 1924, 1132 pgs.
NOTE: Other Biographies will have a note stating their sources.
ALSO NOTE: I will transcribe biographies upon request. Please
state the County and State in the Subject line of the email. ~ SW
BIOGRAPHIES
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EDWIN E. JONES, a prominent
miller and one of the most enterprising, progressive business men of
Jefferson, Ohio, was born in Warren, Pennsylvania, June 14,1841. His
parents, Annias and Ruth (Palmer) Jones, were both
natives of Charlotte, Vermont, in which place the mother was born in 1801,
and where they were reared and married. Their ancestors were early
settlers of New England States, with the affairs of which they were
actively identified. The mother of the subject of this sketch witnessed
the memorable battle of Lake Champlain, on which so much depended in the
struggling history of the American colonies. About 1834, the parents
removed from the Green Mountain State to Pennsylvania, when, in 1845, they
removed to Ohio, settling near Conneaut, in Ashtabula county, where the
father was engaged in farming for many years. He afterward went West to
prosecute business, and was there taken sick and died. The mother died in
Ashtabula county, lamented by a large circle of friends. They were the
parents of five children, of whom three, all sons, now survive.
The subject of this sketch was reared in Conneaut,
Ohio, where he received a common school education. At about the age of
twelve years he entered the employ of his brother, a successful liveryman
and stage proprietor, with whom he remained until he was about twenty
years of age. Mr. Jones, of this notice, then took charge of a
hotel at Union Mills, Pennsylvania, which his brother had bought, and in
which city his brother conducted a stage line. In 1865, the brothers went
to Erie, Pennsylvania, where they purchased a flouring mill, which they
successfully operated six years. The subject of this sketch then went to
Kansas, and there entered the stock business, which he profitably
continued five years. He then returned to Ashtabula county and entered the
employ of Bailey, Paine & Weatherston, successful millers of
Jefferson. Subsequently, Mr. Jones bought out the
interest of Mr. Weatherston in the business, and afterward other
changes took place in the firm, until, in 1878, Mr. Jones became
sole proprietor of the pant, which he has since successfully operated.
This mill has a capacity of seventy-five barrels a day, is supplied with
ail the latest improvements and turns out an excellent grade of flour,
which finds a ready market at profitable rates. This prosperity is due to
the careful and efficient management of Mr,. Jones, who adds to his
thorough knowledge of the business, indomitable perseverance and industry,
a combination capable of accomplishing wonders.
October 30, 1868, Mr. Jones was married to
Emily Blinn, daughter of Rev. T. D. Blinn, who died
leaving one son, Elmo B. In 1885, Mr. Jones married Helen
Deveraux, and they have one child,. Ruth.
Of thorough integrity, public spirited, liberal-minded
and progressive, Mr. Jones has taken an active interest in the
welfare of his city, and holds a high position in the regard of the
community. Mr. Jones is a member of the Masonic order, Tuscan
Lodge, No. 342, and the I. 0. O. F., Ensign Lodge, No. 400. In politics,
he is a Prohibitionist.
(For Source, see Note 1 below) |
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GEORGE S. JONES, owner and
proprietor of Maple Shade Farm, ranks among the progressive and
enterprising farmers of Ashtabula County. His farm is in Jefferson
Township. He was born in Plymouth Township, Jan. 22, 1870, and is
the son of George S. and Lydia (Andrews) Jones.
George S. Jones, deceased, was a prominent pioneer
of Plymouth Township. He was a native of Connecticut and came to
this county with his parents during the very early days. He
improved a large tract of land and engaged in general farming for 52
years. He died in Ashtabula, and his wife, a native of
Harpersfield, Ohio, is also deceased. Mr. and Mrs. Jones
were the parents of the following children: Paul, lives in
Seattle, Wash.; George S., the subject of this sketch;
Charles, lives in Seattle, Wash; Ida, married W. E.
Jerome; Inez, twin sister of Ida, married Lynn Rockwell,
lives in Ashtabula; Albert, who died in 1918. By a former
marriage, Mr. Jones had three children: Frank, lives in
Jefferson; Ada, married W. E. Mann, lives in Ashtabula;
and Fred, lives retired in Jefferson.
George S. Jones received his education in the
district schools of Plymouth Township and began life as a building
contractor in Ashtabula. He then was employed by the New York
Central Railroad for several years, after which he engaged in farming in
Jefferson Township. He owns 102 acres of good farm land and has
one of the attractive stock farms of the township.
Mr. Jones is a Republican and a highly esteemed
resident of the community.
(See Note 2 below for Source) |
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JOHN JUDD, a
highly respected citizen now living retired at Conneaut, Ohio, was born in
Litchfield county, Connecticut, in 1807, son of Eli and Sallie
(Hendrix) Judd, both natives of that State. Eli Judd
was a manufacturer of bar iron. He died at the age of forty-eight years,
and his wife at seventy-four. Both were consistent members of the
Methodist Episcopal Church, and the long life of the latter was one that
shone with a luster undimmed by age or surrounding circumstances. There
were three children in their family, namely: Elijah, who died in
Delaware county, New York; John, the subject of this sketch; and
Azubah, wife of Garey Stone, a resident of Seneca
county, New York, died in 1891, at the age of eighty years.
John Judd received a common school
education only, and at the age of eighteen years began teaching in
Connecticut. For several years he taught there and in Dutchess county, New
York, teaching and farming occupying his time until 1837, when he came to
Conneaut, and after coming here he taught for a time. Then he turned his
attention to the lumber business, owning and operating a steam mill for
ten or fifteen years. He afterward ran a flour and feed mill, next had a
grocery, then was engaged in the real-estate business, and since about
1872 has been retired. He was a Town Trustee for several years.
Mr. Judd was married August 25, 1829, to
Aurilla Stone, daughter of David and Abbie
(Fenton) Stone, of Litchfield county, Connecticut. Mrs.
Stone was related to Governor Fenton, of New York, and
was a widow at the time her daughter Aurilla was married. For
sixty-four years Mr. and Mrs. Judd have lived happily together, and
for the past twenty years Mrs. Judd has been an invalid.
This worthy couple literally planted the vine and fig tree, beneath the
friendly shade of which they now rest, enjoying the sweets that come to
those who have lived useful lives. Mrs. Judd has been a
member of the Methodist Episcopal Church for many years. By their many
estimable qualities both have endeared themselves to a large circle of
friends and acquaintances. Following are the name of their
children: Charlotte, wife of R. J. Wells, died in 1863, at
the age of thirty-two years, leaving one child, Bertha; Byron,
a grocer of Conneaut, has been twice married and has one child, George
B., by his first wife; Emeline, widow of Austin
Harmon, has two children, William and Fred R; next came
three children who died young, Ivah Jane, John and
one unnamed; Ivah J., wife of Elvington Phillips,
has three children,—Harry, Laura and Bessie; Mary,
wife of Charles Reets, East Conneaut, has two children,—Florence
and John; Lelia, wife of Charles Goldsmith,
died in 1878, at the age of thirty-three years, leaving three children,—Minnie,
Lila and Leverett B.; Willie died at the age of two years.
Such, in brief, is a sketch of the life and lineage of
one of Conneaut's venerable citizens.
(For Source, see Note 1 below) |
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JAMES H. JUDSON,
a prominent busier. I ness man and enterprising citizen of Conneaut,
Ohio, was born at this place, September 28, 1848, son of Hiram
and Azuba (Horton) Judson.
Hiram Judson was born in New York in
1812, the oldest of three children of Elisha Judson, his two
brothers being Ephraim and Isaac. Ephraim went to
Michigan, where he died when about twenty-one years of age. Isaac
died in Elkhart, Indiana, about 1886. The mother of J. H. Judson
was born December 10, 1809, oldest of the two children of James and
Asenath (Mann) Horton, natives of Connecticut and Massachusetts
respectively. The other child, Sarah, was born in May, 1811; became
the wife of S. A. Pelton, of Connecticut; died March 1,
1883. After the death of her mother, which occurred when Azuba was
three years old, she went to live with her grandparents, Nathan
and Elizabeth Mann, by whom she was reared. Mr.
and Mrs. Hiram Judson were married March 6,
1835, and in 1840 settled in Conneaut. Of the three children born to them
only James H. is living. Elisha, the oldest, is a member of
the Congregational Church.
Mr. Judson votes with the Republican
party, taking, however, little interest in political matters. He is a
member of the Masonic fraternity, having taken the Scottish rite degrees.
In connection with the life of James H. Judson,
it is fitting that further mention be made of his honored father, and the
following sketch will be of interest to many.
Hiram Judson, deceased, was born in Penfield, New York,
September 29, 1812. He and his wife came to Conneaut in 1840. For a number
of years he, in company with Mr. Asa Shepard,
conducted a woolen mill and store on South Ridge, and in 1859 he moved
into Conneaut and engaged in merchandising, E. A. Higgins being his
partner. He also, with Hiram Lake as a partner,
carried on a lumber business. With the discovery of oil in Pennsylvania,
he went to the oil fields and for a number of years was one of the busy
men in that busy section. He returned to Conneaut, however, in 1864, far
from being a wealthy man. At the death of Mr. Lake, James H.
Judson came into the firm, and he and his father continued a
successful business in lumber.
On Tuesday, October 14, 1890, Mr. Judson,
accompanied by Mr. and Mrs. Brayman, left Conneaut in the
best of spirits for California, to engage in a new enterprise, the
planting of an orange grove, an undertaking, as he expressed to the
writer, from which he knew he could not live the requisite length of time
to receive any benefits, but which he believed would eventually prove one
of the most profitable investments. Little did he think he would not live
to reach the Golden State, much less that his death would be the result of
his falling from the train that was speeding him to his new field of
labor. We have no details of the sad accident. The following Saturday, the
sorrow stricken family received the following dispatch: "Mr.
Judson fell from the train and was instantly killed." This was a
sad ending of a life so grand and useful, making a mournful impression
upon the mind.
Hiram Judson is dead. These are the most
painful words we have written in many a day. They have cast a pall of
sorrow not only over the family and its immediate connections, but also
over the entire city of Conneaut. No man was better known or more highly
respected than the deceased, and therefore this universal mourning. The
feelings of sorrow and sadness that hold sway in every breast is but a
just tribute to the man whose departure has been so sudden and unexpected.
A resident of this place for nearly a half a century,
and identified with all its interests as a leader among the many of our
active citizens, his worth became known to us all. No enterprise of a
public nature was ever inaugurated without, if according to his judgment
it was proper and for the best interests of the community at large,
receiving the hearty support of his active brain and liberal purse; and if
it met with his disapproval he was equally bold and fearless in opposing
it with voice and action. He was a man of strong convictions, fearless and
bold in his dealings with municipal officers, and no measure of a public
nature was ever undertaken without the result that his voice was raised
either for or against it and in no uncertain tone.
During the time we were laboring for the establishment
of the Nickel Plate shops, he was one of the active men; again, when
working with might and main for our Southern railroad scheme, his voice
was loud and strong, and his purse wide open. He served the city as
Councilman for a number of years, and as a member of the Council, as in
every other place, he was a power for good. In his private business
enterprises he was possessed of rare tact and foresight, great activity
and indomitable perseverance, and whatever he undertook to do he carried
to a successful issue. In his vocabulary there was no such word as
"failure."
With all the push and energy he applied to his various
business enterprises, and the process of acquiring a handsome fortune,
there is not a man living who could give expression to a suspicion that in
all his business relations he was not the soul of honor, honesty and
uprightness. In social life he was an example worthy the imitation and
emulation of all—calm, dignified and active. In all measures that had a
tendency to elevate mankind and to make better, lie was a leader. Every
appeal to relieve the sufferings of his fellow men found him not only a
ready listener but also ready with an open hand to assist and succor.
There are many in our community who will sadly miss his fatherly advice
and his many acts of charity.
Although not a professor of religion, he was a regular
attendant upon divine service and a most liberal contributor toward the
support of the Gospel. He lived the life of the follower of the Lamb. He
was merciful and he shall receive mercy.
In Evergreen Lodge, A. F. & A. M., he was a pillar, and
in his younger days was. a most active worker. Here, as well as in
business circles, in the church and in the family, is a vacant place.
In his death the aged and invalid wife, the only son
and his family have met with an irreparable loss.
(For Source, see Note 1 below) |
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NOTES:
Note 1:
Source 1 - Biographical History of
Northeastern, Ohio Embracing the Counties of Ashtabula, Geauga and Lake.
Containing Portraits of all the Presidents of the United States with a Biography
of each, together with Portraits and Biographies of Joshua R. Giddings, Benjamin
F. Wade and a large number of Early Settlers and Representative Families of
today.
Chicago: The Lewis Publishing Company - 1893.
Note 2:
Source 2 - History of Ashtabula County, Ohio by Mrs. Moina W. Large - 1924
NOTE: There will be an asterisk (*) next to the biographies that have a
portrait.
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