Pioneer History of Clarksfield, pages 91 - 100

Olive married Robert Fisher and lived in Clarksfield until after the death of her husband, in 1876 then went to Sidell, Ill., where she is still living. Emma died in Urbana, Ill., in 1869. Mr. Cunningham was an industrious and frugal man, yet it was nineteen years before he could pay off his indebtedness of $325 on more than two hundred acres of land, so hard was it to wring anything more than a scanty living out of the virgin forest, as his land was.

Layton Cunningham was born in 1809 and was married to Mary A. Young in 1830. They settled on the part of Hiram Cunningham’s farm next to the center of the township, where Hiram Harris afterward lived. In 1845 he bought out Daniel Heath, where John P. Lee now lives and lived there quite a numbers of years, then moved to Hudson, Michigan, where he died in 1887, the wife having died many years before. They raised a large family of children. Their names are William, of Los Angeles, Cal., who married Angeline Barnes; Mary J., Sarah A., Harriet, Philenda, Adelia, Facelia, Ella, Etta. Mr. Cunningham married a second wife and had another son, Harley. All of these children except William are living in Michigan.

Cyrus Dunning was born in Connecticut in 1779 and in 1819 was married to Sally Wheeler, a sister of Johnson and Jesse Wheeler. They came to Clarksfield in 1833 and settled on a farm north of Rowland’s corner, next to the Wakeman line. After a few years the youngest daughter, Sarah, died of consumption followed, in a few months by the mother who died in 1841 and sister, Mary, who died March 3, 1842. This left Mr. Dunning with two sons, Oliver, 18 and Cyrus, 9, years of age. After a few years Oliver married Lucretia Wheeler and they kept house for Mr. Dunning until about 1845, when he married a widow Smith, of Wayne county, Ohio, who had several children, among whom were Orville P. and Lemuel, the latter of whom married Mary Rogers and died in Clarksfield. After some years Mr. and Mrs. Dunning became too old to take care of themselves and she went to live with some of her children in Norwalk, while he lived with his children. In 1854 the old lady died and Mr. Dunning went to Nebraska, with his sons. Cyrus, Jr., had married Lucy Wheeler. The father and sons died in Nebraska.

James L. Green was a mason by trade but a counterfeiter and all round hard character, by practice. In 1833 he was married to Pamela Gray and they lived near the northwest corner of this township, on a farm which Mrs. Greens’s father, Solomon Gray, had given them. Mr. Green was sent to the Penitentiary for counterfeiting and died there in 1840. His widow died on the farm in 1885.

Achilles D. Gordon came here and began to work for Capt. Husted on February 2, 1833. He afterward lived on the Butler road, in the south part of the township. His wife was a daughter of Daniel Livermore. Some time after 1841 he moved west.

Elkana Peck, a shoemaker, came here as early as 1833 and lived in a log house which stood across the corner from Platt Sexton’s. His children were James, Phineas, Nicholas and Jane. The family went west. Mr. Peck’s mother lived with him.

Silas Biggs, who married Jane Peck, came here as early as 1833 and built a cooper shop on what is now known as the Dr. White farm.

Clark Winans was born in 1775 and in 1805 was married to Lurah Smith, a daughter of Elijah Smith, of Long Island, N.Y. They had a family of eight children. In 1825 they came to New London township. They sold out to Zelotus Barrett and in 1833 bought of Eli Wildman 151 acres of land near the southwest corner of Clarksfield township, west of Barrett’s chapel. In 1837 Mr. Winans sold this farm to his son, David K. In 1839 his wife died and he afterward married Mrs. Sally (Bearce) Eliott. He lived with his son and died in 1856. His children were Elijah S., Betsy M., Benjamin, Silas, David K., Eleanor and William Clark.

David Kirkpatrick Winans was born in 1815 and in 1838 was married to Harriet Elizabeth Wilson. He lived on the farm he bought of his father until his death in 1890. His wife died in 1893. Their children are William H., of this township, and Adeline, of Norwalk. The youngest son, Frank died on the old homestead in 1900.

Alonzo Bishop and his father, Daniel, came here as early as 1834, and lived in a log house on a farm which Alonzo bought of Benjamin Carman in 1834 and is just north of, or perhaps includes a part of, the village of West Clarksfield. It was sold to Amasa Finch in 1845. Daniel Bishop (who had been a soldier of the war of the Revolution) died about 1845. Alonzo married Louisa Reynolds in 1833, and the Reynolds and Bishop families undoubtedly came here together. After Alonzo sold the Carman farm he bought a farm on the east side of the New London road, south of the section line, and lived there until after 1850. John Clawson afterward lived there for a long time. They moved to Wisconsin where the wife died in 1880, followed by the husband five days later. Their children were George, Amanda and Mary.

Isaac C. Scott came from New York state to Clarksfield in 1834 and bought of Oran Rowland a farm on the north side of the Medina road, next west of Ransom Day’s, now owned by John Romell. His wife, Anna, died of small pox in 1850 and Mr. Scott died in 1864. Their children were Maria, Giles, Jane, William, Samuel, Levi, David, Elias, Leonard and Susan. Maria married William Barnum. Giles married Speedy Hand and they lived in Clarksfield. He died in 1897. Samuel died while in the army. Levi married Elvira Hand and died in Michigan in 1896. Susan married Col. Reynolds. Elias and Leonard both married daughters of Steward Young, of Birmingham. The last two named are the only ones living.

Almanza Hamlin came from Sharon, Connecticut, to Clarksfield in 1833 or 1834, and bought out Taylor Starr who owned a farm a mile east of the Hollow, where Dorr Twaddle now lives. In 1847 he married Mary Webster, of Wellington, and they had three sons, only one of whom is living at this time. He lives in Wellington. In 1854 Mr. Hamlin died, on the farm and his widow went to Wellington, where she died in 1899. In 1835 Mr. Hamlin purchased of Holly and Coffing, of Connecticut, 1672 acres of land in the first section, for $3,000. He also obtained other tracts until he owned the most of the first section. He "articled" much of this, in small pieces, to poor settlers, who were often unable to make their payments and were obliged to leave their places, which were bargained to others, until, finally, the farms were so much improved that the settlers were able to meet their payments. Some of these settlers made a small payment, enough to get possession for a few years, then skinned the farm of the most valuable timber before the next payment became due. Mr. Hamlin got the name, whether justly or unjustly, of being very oppressive to the poor settlers.

In 1834 Amy Priest and her sister, Naomi Booth, bought 45 acres of land near the southwest corner of this township and lived there together for some time. Mrs. Priest had a son, Allen, and two daughters, Hannah and Caroline. Allen married Loretta Chandler and lived at Clarksfield until the death of his wife in 1849. He married again and lived in New London until his death. Hannah Priest was married to Lansing Archey in Yates county, N.Y., in 1832, by Rev. David Marks. They came here and lived with Mrs. Priest for a time, then lived south of Gridley’s corners, in the edge of New London township. Mr. Archey used to work for Gibson in his carding mill. He moved to Peru township and carried on a carding mill for some years, but went west with his family and finally lost his property and came back to Clarksfield, after an absence of many years, and lived on the charity of friends until he became ill, when he went to the infirmary at Norwalk and died soon after, on the 9^th of March, 1899, at the age of 88 years. Caroline Priest married William Day, of New London. Naomi Booth married Arnold, or Anthony, Frayer (Fryer) and they lived on Miss Booth’s farm for a time, then moved to Townsend, after 1851.

David Tyler lived in Saybrook, Mass. In 1758 he married Cybele Ingraham. Their children were Rebecca and David. She died in 1760 and he then married Sarah Bartholamew and had children, Sally, Samuel, Timothy, Malachi, Lydia, Montgomery, Jehiel, Bethiah, Hannah and Josiah. In 1784 David Tyler, 2^nd, married Sarah Redington. Their children were Nathaniel, Cybele, Royal, David, Sally, Alvah, Tabitha and Royal, 2^nd. The family moved from Massachusetts to Vermont about 1794, where the father died in 1803. David Tyler, 3^rd, the subject of our sketch, was born in 1790 and was married to Sally Post in 1816. She was born in 1790 and was a daughter of Jared Post and Zillah Peirson, who was a daughter of Moses Peirson and Rachel Smith. Their children were Edwin David, born in 1816, Henry P. born in 1819, Louisa, born in 1821, Nelson A., born in 1823, Sarah Diana, born in 1825, Polly, born in 1827, and Royal, born in 1830. Mr. Tyler and his family came from the town of Hector, N.Y. to Sandusky in 1833 and they lived there for a year while he was engaged in the business of making clocks, in company with a man by the name of Dewey. In 1834 they came to Clarksfield. They were neighbors of John M. Smith in New York and were probably induced to come here by Mr. Smith. Mr. Tyler first lived in Capt. Husted’s store building, in the rear. He also lived in Henrietta township, Lorain county, for a year. Then he lived at the Hollow, on the north side of the river, where Frank Barnum now lives. He built a shop near where the grist mill stands and made and repaired almost everything which required the use of tools. He had a turning lathe, and made drums, violins, repaired clocks and watches, etc. This shop burnt and another was erected, which has been moved to the east side of the road, near the old sawmill. Mr. Tyler was a good musician and his children were fine singers. Mr. and Mrs. Tyler both died in 1862, only nine days apart. Edwin Tyler married Anna Solis, of Detroit and they lived in this town until some time after the war and then moved to Kansas. The wife died and he married again and moved to Kansas City, Kansas where he died in 1899. His children were David, Emma and Orno. Henry Tyler married Ann Hurlbut and they lived in Clarksfield and Norwalk for many years, then moved to Muncie, Ind., where he died in 1892. His children were Louisa, Ernest and Carrie. Louisa Tyler, daughter of David, married Peter L. Gregory in 1838 and died in 1840. Nelson Tyler went away from home about 1840 but returned in time to help build the new shop in 1842 and in 1843 married Jennie House, of Clarksfield. In 1862 he crossed the plains but returned after two years. He went to California in 1876 and is still living there, the last of the Tyler children. He has children Herbert, Edwin and Homer. Diana Tyler married William W. Stiles in 1843 and lived in this place until her death in 1899. Polly died in 1833. Royal, a promising young man, died in 1852.

Henry White, of New London, was married to Irena Manchester, daughter of Roswell Manchester, in 1832 and lived in Clarksfield for a few years. He went to Indiana and died there in 1841, at the age of 30. His children were, Roswell, Hattie, William, David and Riley, of whom Hattie only is living. She married Hiram Barnes and lives in Fitchville. Mrs. White died in Indiana in 1842, at the age of 32.

Thomas Taylor came here about 1843 and built a log house on Platt Sexton’s farm on the corner across the road from Sexton’s. He married Ruth Ann Webb. He was a shoemaker, and had the reputation of being a thief.

Ira Call and George Hans were warned out of town in 1834.

Obadiah Reynolds and his wife, Ruth Phelps, were both born in 1788. They were married in 1809. They came from Dutchess County, N.Y., to Clarksfield in 1834. The wife died two years later. On December 8, 1837, Mr. Reynolds was married to Mrs. Hannah Basford. She died in April, 1842, and in October, 1842, he was married to Mrs. Mary Miller. They moved to Wisconsin in 1846 and Mr. Reynolds died six weeks after their arrival. Mr. Reynolds had three children, all by the first wife; Samuel P., who married Rebecca Miller in 1844, and moved to Michigan, where she died in 1861 and he in 1885; Lousia, who married Alonzo Bishop; Marial, who married Riley R. Peck and died in Fulton County, O., in 1894, at the age of 75.

At one time Mr. Reynolds lived in the Percy log house at the center of the township. Hannah Basford had a son, John R., and they probably came here in 1837, as John was warned out of town that year, which was a common occurrence with new comers.

Warren Cooley was born in Manchester, Connecticut, August 19, 1810 and came to Clarksfield while a young man. He was a carpenter by trade. He was married, in Clarksfield, to Amarillus Jane Seger (who was born in Danbury, Conn., June 22,1816) on February 3, 1843. They first lived in a log house which stood on the bank back of Ezra Wildman’s. Then Mr. Cooley built a house at the Hollow, which was afterward occupied by J. N. Barnum for some years, but they lived, later, where John Spurrier afterward lived. In 1847 they went to Wisconsin, and 1856 came to 0berlin. In 1863 they moved to Michigan but came to New London in 1865, and in 1869 moved to Kansas, where Mrs. Cooley died in 1889 and Mr. Cooley in 1890. Their children are; Lydia Jane, Mary Ann, Susan A., Eli S., Charles H., and Clara V. The eldest daughter, Jennie, married Mr. Miner, a Home Missionary teacher; Mary Ann married W. I. Squire and lived in Toledo at the time of her death in 1900. Susan is unmarried and teaches in the south; the sons live in Kansas and Clara is married and lives in Florida.

James D. Smith was a son of John and Frances Smith and a brother of John M. Smith. He was born in Hector, Tompkins County, N.Y., Dec. 13^th, 1801. His wife was Jane VanOrtwick, who was born in Hector, Jan. 19^th, 1814. They had two children born in Hector; Abraham V., born March 6^th, 1831, and Mary E., born Nov. 16^th, 1833. In the spring of 1834 the family came to Clarksfield and Mr. Smith bought a small farm on the east side of the center road near the south line of the township where Jay Bowles now lives. Mr. Smith died there Jan. 30, 1874. Mrs. Smith died at the home of her son in Michigan, Feb. 4^th, 1888. Abraham V. Smith was married to Roxena Hills in 1850, and in 1861 moved to Michigan. He died there March 4, 1901, leaving his widow and seven children. His wife was a half sister of Ephraim and Royal Gridley. Mary E. Smith was married to Willis E. Young in 1849. Mr. Young died in 1889 and Mrs. Young lives in Fairfield township. Mrs. James D. Smith’s father, Abraham VanOrtwick, and her brother, George, lived in Clarksfield for a time in 1837.

Jeremiah Smith, a brother of John and James Smith, lived in Clarksfield on the Michael Shays farm, but moved to Michigan about 1837.

Dewey Tower married Elizabeth Rogers, a sister of Joel Rogers, Sr. Their son, Hiram, married Fannie Post, a sister of Parley K. and Mrs. E. H. Chandler. In 1834 he bought, of Parley Post, forty acres of land near the southwest corner of this township. He lived there in a log house which stood between the town line road and the angling road. He was a blacksmith by trade. In 1838 he sold his farm to Joseph Washburn and moved to Castalia, Erie county, Ohio, where he died many years ago. His widow married Alva Peck. Mr. Tower’s children were; Sylva, Clarissa, Maria, Cevilla and Roxana. Sylva was the first wife of Daniel Hosmer, and Maria is his present wife and they live in this township. Roxana married George Curry.

In 1835 John Cronk bought out Seldon Freeman, who lived on the west side of the New London road next north of Cyrus Livermore’s, and lived there until he sold out to Ephraim Day in 1839.

Aden Edwards, whose wife was Betsy E. Crawford, a sister of James C. Rowland’s wife, came to Clarksfield about 1835 and lived in a log house across the corner from Platt Sexton’s. He and his sons were coppers, by trade, and they followed the trade while here. Mr. Edwards afterwards lived in Clarksfield village, on the south hill. Mr. Edwards had three sons: Thomas, Collins and Avery; and three daughters: Hannah, Polly, and Anna. Thomas married Eunice Webb and lived in Clarksfield for some years, until after 1851, and moved to New London where he died in 1884. His wife died in 1880. Their children were; Sarah, Hannah, Lydia, Truman, Mary and Daniel.

Avery Edwards married Mrs. Mary (Rogers) Smith, and died in Wakeman a few years ago. Collins Edwards went west and disappeared from the knowledge of his relatives. Hannah married Reuben Bristol, and died in Hartland; Polly married John Cann in 1846, and died in Norwalk; Anna died unmarried.

Royal and Ephraim Gridley were sons of Jared Gridley and Cynthia Tremain, and were born at Rodman, Jefferson county, New York, the former in 1809 and the latter in 1811. In 1818 the family, including the parents and brothers of Jared, emigrated to Rising Sun, Indiana, going down the Alleghany and Ohio rivers by boat and raft. They had several mishaps and Jared was nearly killed at Cincinnati. Jared died of the fever after a short time and his widow and children went back to New York state again. Ephraim came to Clarksfield in 1835 and bought a piece of land in the first section, where his son, Andrew, now lives. After a year or so he went back to New York and drove stage, a business he had followed before, for a short time, then came back to Ohio. In 1838 his brother Royal, came out here. He had sold a piece of land in the east, and Ephraim took some of the money and went back to New York and married Miss Julia Kinney and came back at once with his bride. Their children were: Andrew J., Rosa, Inez and Cynthia (who was drowned in the creek at two years of age.) Mrs. Gridley died in 1873. In 1883 he married a sister of his fist wife and lived in New London until a few years ago. He died in Clarksfield in 1899. Royal Gridley married Susan Twaddle, June 6^th, 1841, and they settled on a farm adjoining Ephraim’s. Their children were: Clarinda, Jared, Jane, Addie and May. Mr. Gridley died in 1882.

Paul Pixley, an old Revolutionary soldier, and his son, Ariel, came from Brighton, Monroe county, New York, to New London township in 1817 and settled just south of Barrett’s corners. Paul died in Rochester, Ohio. Ariel and his wife, Wealthy, had three sons: Eli, Sardis and Jasper. Eli was born in 1809, and married Czarina Blackman about 1835. They settled on a farm in Clarksfield, back of Zara Norton’s house, but afterwards lived on the road south of the center of the township, between the farms of John Anderson and Major Smith. The house which he built has been moved and is the one now owned by S. C. Heifner. To them were born four children: Ariel, Sabra and a twin sister who died in infancy, and George W. In 1854 they sold out and moved to Indiana, and in 1860 to Minnesota, where the wife died in 1872, and Mr. Pixley in 1875. Ariel went to California and is still living there. Sabra married William Twaddle and lives in Clarksfield. George is not married and lives in Minnesota. Sardis Pixley married Betsy White and lived at Barrett’s corners, and worked in a blacksmith shop. He afterward bought a farm on the west side of the New London road, in Clarksfield, where he built a log house, which is still standing and was, until recently, occupied by Marion Shays. It is the last log house in the township to be used as a dwelling. In this house Mr. Pixley’s only daughter, Wealthy, died in 1854, at the age of 18. He sold out in 1855 and went to Wisconsin and lived a number of years, and where his wife died. He and his two older sons served in the army during the civil war. After the war he married again and moved to Kansas, and died in 1883, at the age of 59. Jasper Pixley married Lousia Norton and they lived across the road from Eli’s, but went to Minnesota in 1856.

Boughton Roscoe was a son of Dr. John B. Roscoe, of Schoharie, N.Y., and was born in 1805. In 1827 he married Mary Washburn. About 1833 they came to Bronson township and in 1835 to Clarksfield and settled on the Butler road, where E. K. Litchfield now lives. In 1840 they moved to Norwalk township, then to Milan township, then to Indiana, then to Iowa in 1846, and in 1852to California, where he died in 1892. His children, who are living, are, James W. and Wesley H., of California, Mrs. E. M. Dailey, of Nebraska, John B., of Colorado, and Charles E., of Iowa. Mr. Rusco spelled his name as here printed, but the children spell it Roscoe. He was a strong democrat and used to love to visit with Milton Bissell and discuss politics.

Robert W. Hurlbut was of Irish ancestry, and was born at Roxbury, Connecticut, March 22, 1783. He was left an orphan at an early age, with two sisters, at Danbury, Connecticut. Here he learned the trade of blacksmith, working in the same shop with James C. Judson, afterward of Florence. He went to Pittsburg, "Old Pitt" as he called it, where he raised a family. In 1818 he came to Clarksfield and boarded with Captain Husted for five weeks. He bought a farm north of Clarksfield village, and intended to bring his family and make his home here, but sickness in the family, followed by the death of his wife and a child, prevented it. He sold his land to Clarrissa Hayes in 1831. In 1835 he came here again, arriving April 9^th, bringing his remaining children, Charles, Robert H. and Ann, twins, Mary W. and James. He settled on the Benson farm, a half mile south of the village, where O. J. Husted lived in late years. Here he built a shop and followed the business of blacksmithing and ironing hames for John Hough, until a short time before his death. Some time after he moved here he went back to Pittsburg and married a widow Croxford, who had four children, Catherine, Edward, Mary Ann and William. The two younger ones came here to live. Mr. Hurlbut had served in the war of 1812. He was one of the best natured and jolly men that lived here, and it was a pleasure to look at "Uncle Rob’s" round face at the door of his shop. He died in 1876 at the age of 93, his second wife having preceded him three months. Chas. Hurlbut married Abigald Brown, of Delaware, O., and died many years ago. Robert married Arvilla Mead, of Clarksfield, and lived in a log house across from William Sinclair’s present residence. They went to Tabor, Iowa, many years ago and are still living there. Ann married Henry Tyler and died at Muncie, Indiana, a few years ago. Mary married Obadiah Husted December 1^st, 1841, and they lived on the Hurlbut farm until 1887, when they moved to Kansas City, Kansas where he died in 1900 and she in 1901. James went to California and has not been heard from in many years. Catherine Croxford came here at a later date and married John Barnum May 13, 1841, and died in 1886. Edward Croxford served in the war with Mexico and afterward married Octa Chamberlain, of Birmingham. They came to Clarksfield in 1847 and lived at the Hollow, in the house where Rory Starr afterward lived. They move to Birmingham and he went into the army at the breaking out of the civil war, and was killed at the battle of Shiloh, 1862. Mary Ann Croxford married Manley Call. Wm. C. Croxford married Orilla Chamberlain and lived north of the Hollow, where George Godfrey now lives. He died here of the cholera in 1854 at the age of 27.

Alexander Twaddle was born in Alleghany county, Pennsylvania, in 1782. His father came from Ireland at the time of the American Revolution. One of the family reared a large family of children, nearly all of whom were blind at birth. Alexander married Elizabeth Ramage who was born in Pennsylvania in 1788, and they came to Jefferson county, Ohio, then on the frontier. He worked at Moore’s saltworks and stepped into a vat of boiling brine and scalded his leg so severely as to cripple him for life. Eight children were born to them in Jefferson county: Jemima in 1807; Abner in 1809; Lydia in 1811; Mary in 1814; Alexander in 1816; Elizabeth in 1818; John J. in 1820; Sarah in 1822. In 1823 the family moved to Holmes county, Ohio. Four more children were born here: Susan in 1824; Margaret in 1827; Nancy in 1830; William W. in 1833. The father sold his farm and gave Alexander and John each one hundred dollars and they came to Clarksfield in 1835 and bought 170 acres of land in the first section, a part of which is now owned by William Twaddle. Sally and Susan came with them. They put up a log house and like the country so well that they induced the parents and most of the children to come the next year. The sons sold to their father a portion of the land they had bought and the old people lived there the rest of their days. Mr. Twaddle died in 1859 and his wife the next year. The house stood across the road from where E. J. Fox lives. Jemima married Dan Haley, in Holmes county. He went into the Mexican war and died. She then came to this township and married Benoni Steambarge and went to Kansas and died in 1893. Her children were, Joe, Betsy, Mary, Daniel, Hetty, John, James and Irene (Steambarge.) Abner Twaddle married Aerie Bevington, but they separated and he married twice afterward. He lived in Rochester, Ohio and died there. His children are Susan and Alex. Lydia married Peter Justice in Holmes county in 1827 and died in Clarksfield in 1872. Mary ("Polly") married Robert Barnes and died in 1886. Alexander, Jr., married Sarah Lee, of Clarksfield, in 1839, and they lived on the home farm until 1848, then moved to the Lee homestead, where S. C. Heifner lives, and here he died in 1894, and the wife in 1900. Their children were, Abner D., John J., and Dorinda A. Elizabeth married Peter Bevington in Holmes county in 1835 and died in 1894. John married Julia Palmer, of Westchester county, New York, and they lived near the old people, where Eugene Fox now lives. He died in 1885 and his wife in 1889. Their children were, Dorr, Leroy and Lily, twins, and Charlotte. Sarah ("Sally"), married Adam Shank in Holmes county and is still living. Susan married Royal Gridley and still lives in Clarksfield. Margaret married Mr. Gains and died in 1849, the first of the family to die. Nancy married Phillip McGloon, and after his death Elijah Minkler and lives in Missouri. William married Sabra Pixley and they live on the homestead.

Peter Justice was a son of Nathan and was born in Somerset county, Pennsylvania, in 1796. He was a carpenter and joiner by trade and followed that and farming all his life. He enlisted in the war of 1812, but was not called into service. In early manhood he came on foot as far as Fulton county, Ohio, in search of land, but returned to Pennsylvania. Later he came to Holmes county, where he married Lydia Twaddle in 1827. In 1837 they came to Clarksfield and settled on a farm next south of the Twaddle place, where they lived until their deaths, the wife dying in 1872, and he in 1881. They raised a large family of children, whose names are: Thomas Wright born in 1829; died in 1862; Nathan, born in 1831; George W., born in 1833; died 1886; Henry H., born in 1835; John Alexander, born in 1839; Susan, born in 1841; Royal F., born in 1844, died in 1891; Andrew A., born in 1846; and Daniel L., born in 1852. Thomas, Andrew and Susan were born blind. Peter Bevington lived in several different houses near the Twaddle home, but finally settled on the west side of the Butler road, where his son now lives. He was killed by a vicious horse in 1853. His children were Mary and Dennis.

Adam Shank was born in Fayette county, Pennsylvania, in 1814 and was married to Sarah Twaddle, in Holmes county, in 1839 and they came to Clarksfield the same year and lived first in a log house on the Twaddle farm, but now live on the Butler road nearly two miles south of the section line. Their children are, Margaret Elinor and Frances Elizabeth.

Manoah Hunter was born in Ticonderoga, New York, April 27, 1795. His wife, Susanna Griswold, was born February 8, 1796. They were married in 1815. Their children were, Polly, born in 1816; John, born in 1818; Betsy, born in 1820; Phidilla, born in 1822; Milo, born in 1825; Chester, born in 1827; Lydia, born in 1830; Fanny Jane, born in 1833; William Anson, born in 1837; and an infant, born in 1843. The family lived in Vermont until about 1830 and came to Clarksfield in 1836, living in a log house between the later homes of John Twaddle and Robert Barnes. Polly Hunter married Luther Cooley Jr., who died in 1849, and in 1851 she married Charles Leach and they lived on the Cooley farm until her death in 1860. She left four small children, one of whom was a baby boy, who was brought up by grandmother Hunter, and now lives at Lorain, Ohio. Mr. Leach, with the other three children, moved to Wisconsin and died in 1889. Betsy Hunter married Truman S. Cartwright in 1836, and she died in Clyde, while visiting there, in 1885. John Hunter married and lived in Norwalk township until his death in 1880. Phidilla Hunter married John Vanator in 1843. After the death of her husband she was married twice more and died in Clyde in 1896. Milo Hunter married in Norwalk township in 1849, and moved to Clyde about 1869, and died there in 1877. Chester Hunter was married in Norwalk in 1860 and died at his home in Clyde in 1893. Fanny Jane Hunter was married in Norwalk in 1850, and has been married three times since then, and lives at Berlin. William Hunter had been twice married and lived at Clyde until his death in 1900. He and his brothers, Milo and Chester, became expert ax makers and followed the business at East Norwalk and later at Clyde, with success, and a "Hunter" ax was sought after by the choppers in this part of the country. The Hunter family moved to East Norwalk ("Puckerbrush"), where the mother died in 1854, and the father in 1864. This family was noted for the large stature of its members and it is related that on one occasion, when the ten members of the family were present at a family gathering, their combined weight was 2400 pounds. Two of them were children, so the average was rather large. The father weighed 308, Polly about 300 and Betsy about 250. The parents found it a hard matter to wring a subsistence out of the woods of the first section of the township, and it is said that they were once reduced to the necessity of living on wild leeks, alone. The son, William, who relates this, says he was a nursing baby and did not realize the deprivations as did the rest. It is also related that at one time there was such a scarcity of corn in the township that a poor man found it impossible, nearly, to obtain any. Ira Starr sent a team to Ashland county and obtained a load for himself and some of his neighbors. As soon as the corn came he put his son James on a horse, with a bag of corn and sent him To Husted’s mill, with instructions to the miller to grind it at once, and when it was done the boy went through the woods to Noah Hunter’s and left the meal. The old lady told, with tears running down her face, how they had subsisted for two weeks on one ‘possum and wild leeks.

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Transcribed by Lowell Dunlap