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Village of Delta 1860 Federal Census with some biographical and other facts
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From Vashti Seaman's column, "Pioneers Around Delta"
LOT ADDITIONS of DELTA:
WHITE'S Addition was and is located south of the Main St. and includes the location of the Delta Atlas office. It was surveyed from Bad Creek to Lincoln St.
HIGHLANDS Addition is west of Bad Creek and south of Main St.
BIDDLE'S addition is NE of Main St. and east of Madison St.
PATTERSON'S and SCHLAPPI'S Additions are south of the Main St.
GATES' and KENNEDY'S Addition is north of Main St. and west of Wood St.
They are the main early additions of the village.
Several weeks ago I (Vashti) wrote Mrs. Frances Geitgey of 5576 Mesmer St., Culver City, CA. 90230, that I intended making a trip to Fort Wayne, Indiana and check the 1860 Census to copy the names of families living in Delta. I thanked her for the BLAKE records she had sent which will appear later. And imagine my surprise the other day to receive a large envelope from Frances containing the 1850 Census for York Twp. and the 1860 U.S. Census of the Village of Delta. Frances has been so helpful these past years when we have been hunting ancestors together. She is an angel in disguise !! .
In looking over the names of the first families in Delta, I noticed many new names and that many of the first inhabitants of the village were rather young folks. Also, that many were new arrivals to the area. And since a new village is very important to the growth of a county, we will copy the names, ages, occupations and places of birth as listed by the Census taker that summer of 1860. As a few names are hard to read, I will add a (?) mark. Each home stop has a number....
DELTA VILLAGE, 1860 U.S. Census:
377, JAMES K. NEWCOMER, 26, printer, b PA. (see below)
MARY ELIZA NEWCOMER, 22, b OH (nee HARRISON,sister-of-DeEtta-Harrison DETWILER)
CORA JANE NEWCOMER, 6mo. b OH.
HENRIETTA STOW, 16, domestic, B. OH
WILLIAM S. ALTMAN, 17, printer, b PA
378, MARY ANN HILL, 49, b England (nee CULLEN, sister of Charles CULLEN)
MARY A. HILL, 20, student, b England
ELIZA HILL, 15, domestic, b England 374-75,
379, JOHN ODELL, 35, physician, b OH see below
HARRIETT E. ODELL, 26, b OH (nee Zimmerman, daughter of John ZIMMERMAN and Hannah MCQUILLING)
DENCY ODELL, 5, b OH (married first to Clizbe and 2nd to George PLANSON)
IDA MARY ODELL, 1, b OH
JOHN ZIMMERMAN, 25, stove dealer, b OH
380, DANIEL C. SMITH, 28, farmer, b N.Y
MARY ANN SMITH, 23, b N.Y.
381, BAZEL HARRISON, 38, master carpenter, b OH
CYNTHIA E. HARRISON, 32, b Canada (nee Waldren)
AGATHA HARRISON, 9, b OH
HETTA HARRISON, 5, b OH
GEORGE W. HARRISON, 3, b OH
382, WILLIAM CEUTZERS?, 50 farmer, b MD.-(should-be-CRITZER.....first-Mayor-of-Delta)
AMELIA CEUTZERS, 50, b VA.
JAMES CEUTZERS, 13, b OH
JANE CEUTZERS, 13, twin, b OH
WM. H- CEUTZERS, 4, b OH.
383, WM. ZIMMERMAN, 31 or 35, carpenter, b OH
SUSANNAH ZIMMERMAN, 26, b OH
SUZIE ZIMMERMAN, 4, b MD
HARRISON R. ZIMMERMAN, 1, b OH
384, THEODORE JOHNSON, 44, carpenter, b MASS (Moved to Michigan before 1868)
ADALINE JOHNSON, 28, b MD
GEORGE H. JOHNSON, 10, b OH
DENCY W. JOHNSON, fe, 8. b OH.
JENETTE JOHNSON, 4, b OH.
385, ALEX. CARPENTER, 41, cabinet maker, b OH (gr- grfather-f Robert [Joela] LUTTON &Ruth LUTTON Snyder)
HANNAH CARPENTER, 30, b N.Y. (nee CARR, gr- grandmother of Robert [Joela] LUTTON)
CYRUS CARPENTER, 15, apprentice, b OH
DARIUS CARPENTER, 11, b OH
ELLA CARPENTER, 8, b OH (grandmother of Robert [Joela] LUTTON, she married Bradley Edmund Grover)
ISABELL CARPENTER, 11 mo, b OH.
JANE, CADWALLADER, 32, domestic, b OH
MARGARET GREEN, 18, domestic, b Germany
386, THOMAS MARTIN, 40, master tinsmith, b England
ELIZABETH MARTIN, 30, b Ireland (nee BRUCE, dau. of William BRUCE & Elizabeth KING)
387, WM. PRATT, 36, wagon maker, b N.Y.
SUSANNAH PRATT, 31, b OH (nee TOM, related to McQuillin and Hancock)
EDW. PRATT, 8, b OH.
JANE PRATT, 6, b OH
JACOB PRATT, 5, b OH
ELIZABETH PRATT, 9 mos.
388, JAS. A TAYLOR, 29, wagon maker, b MASS (Moved to Michigan bef. 1870, parents buried in Winameg)
MARIA S. TAYLOR, 25, b N.Y.
LOWELL TAYLOR, 1. b OH
389, WILLIAM F. BAKER, 46, foundryman, b CT.
LOZENA BAKER, 41, b N.Y.
ALTHA BAKER, 16, b OH
JAS. BAKER, 13, b, MI
BETSY BAKER, 5, b, MI
SOPHRONIA BAKER, -- 7-,--b MI
MANERVA BAKER, 3, b MI
390, SILAS ABBOTT, 57, clock tinker, b CT
ARPHALIA (ARPATIA) ABBOTT, 52, b KY
RUTH ABBOTT, 13, b OH
CHAS. HARRINGTON, 23, day laborer, b N.Y.
JULIA A. HARRININGTON, 22, b OH (dau.-of-Silas)
ALICE J. HARRINGTON, 6 mo. b OH
391, CHESTER TROWBRIDGE, 33, carpenter, b N.Y.
AMANDA TROWBRIDGE, 22, b MI (nee Waldron)
392, CASPER BEISMAN, 43, tailor, b Saxony
NANCE BEISIMAN, 44, b MASS
389, CAMILLE MYERS, 54, land lady, hotel, b MASS
FRANKLIN MYERS, 20, law student, b OH
HARRIET MYERS, 18, domestic, b OH
SIDNEY MYERS, 16, farm labor, b OH
EDW. MYERS, 14, b OH
394, JOHN TROWBRIDGE, 43, merchant, b N.Y.
HANNAH A. TROWBRIDGE, 38, b OH (nee HAMPTON, dau. of Jonathan HAMPTION & Abigail HARRISON)
MARTIN H. TROWBRIDGE, 19, clerk, b OH
ANNA J. TROWBRIDGE, 17, b OH
WILLARD O. TROWBRIDGE, 12, b OH
HINTON J. TROWBRIDGE, 10, b OH
ADELINE TROWBRIDGE, 7, b OH
ELANOR TROWBRIDGE, 5, b OH
CHAS S. TROWBRIDGE, 2, b OH
395, CHAS. CULLEN, 37, miller & merchant, b England (first Village Recorder/Clerk)
MARY A. CULLEN, 22, b N.Y.
396, WM. RAMSEY, 33, physician, b Ireland
CATHERINE RAMSEY, 27, b N.Y. (nee TROWBRIDGE)
LEROY RAMSEY, 4, b OH
397, GEO. H. NORT, 23, clerk, b Germany
AMELIA NORT, 19, b OH---- (nee HARRISON, dau of John HARRISON & Elizabeth WARDLEY)
398, JOS. LOVELL, 25, farmer, b VT
MARY W. LOVELL, 36, b N.Y.---(nee-Nelson)
JOHN LOVELL, 15, farm labor, b N.Y.
FRANKLIN J. LOVELL, 3, b N.Y.
RALPH LOVELL, 2, b OH
FREDERICK, age 7/12 (7 mo), b OH
WM. H. JONES, 45, dentist, b N.Y.
SARAH JONES, 26, b N.Y.
CHAS. JONES, age 3/12, b OH
CHARLES W. LOVELL, 21, b N.Y.
399, HENRY H. McCLURE, 52?, b VT.
MARY McCLURE, 48, millinery, b N.Y
JAS. McCLURE, 16, student, b N.Y.
MOSES McCLURE, 13, b N.Y.
400, JAS. K. CROCKETT, 31, carpenter, b PA
ELIZABETH CROCKETT, 21, b Ireland (nee KANE, dau of Henry KANE and Elizabeth KING)
401, ABRAHAM POE, 27, M.E. Clergyman, b OH
OLIVE POE, 27, b OH.
CHAS. W. POE, 4, B OH
402, RUFUS MERRILL, 45, physician, b OH
SARAH MERRILL, age 33, b OH
EMELIA O. MERRILL, 11, b OH
CHESTER S. MERRILL, 3, b OH
403, JOHN R. KENIDY, (KENNEDY) 50 merchant, b N.Y.
DELOTIA KENIDY, 21, student, b N.Y. (sibling of ELISHA, JAMES, ALANSON, JOHN & WILLARD TROWBRIDGE)
JOHN S. KENIDY, 9, b OH
EDWIN WOOD, cooper, 18 b OH
ROBERT J. LEO, 31, blacksmith, b PA (separate family listed with Kennedy family)
ORILLA A. LEO, 30, b PA
FRANKLIN L. LEO, 3, b OH
FRIEND LEO 1, b OH
404 ORLANDO S. CLARK, 38, merchant, b N.Y.
ELLEN CLARK, 30, b N.Y.
BROWN CLARK, 2 b OH
CHAS. CLARK, 1, b OH
BENJ. L. SANGER?, 21, clerk, b N.Y.
SOPHRONIA McCOY, 13, b OH
GEO. HERRINGTON, 18, day lobor, b OH
405, THOMAS GLEASON, 71, hotel keeper, b VT
HARRIETT GLEASON,, 60, b MASS
LAURA FISHER, 37, milliner, b N.Y.
SAM'L. E. PARDEE, 24, jeweler, b N.Y.
406, JOS. T. GATES, 46, merchant, b MASS (owned land which 'GATES' ADDITION was surveyed.)
AGNESS GATES, 46, b Scotland
JENETT GATES, 28, domestic, b Scotland
WM. GATES, 23, farm labor, b Scotland
MARY GATES, 21, clerk, b OH
SARAH J. TODD, 5, b OH
HENRY DAGGETT, 28, clerk, b OH
407, GEORGE WOOD, 45, mast. carpenter, b Eng.
SARAH WOOD, 40, b N.Y.
MARY A. WOOD, 18, student, b OH
CHAS. F. WOOD, 8 b OH
ELIZABETH JOHNS, 16, domestic, b OH
SOLOMAN ALTMAN, 24, carpenter, b PA
408, DAN'L W. FASHBAUGH, 29, merchant, b PA
ELIZA E. FASHBAUGH, 27, b OH
ISABELLA E. FASHBAUGH, 7, b OH
NORAH A. FASHBAUGH, 1, b OH
MARTIN H. BUTLER, editor, b MASS
JULIA M. BUTLER, 51, b N.Y.
JULIA M. BUTLER, 18, S. teacher, b OH
BETSY ANN BUTLER, 15, b OH
409 , WM. BAKER, 53, grocer, b MD.
MARY A BAKER, 33, b PA
ROBERT BAKER, 22, day labor
NICHOLAS BAKER, 19, day labor, b PA
MARY E. BAKER, 16, b PA
SARAH BAKER, 4, b PA
WESLEY BAKER, 8, b PA
CHAS. BAKER, 6, b OH
EMMA BAKER, 7 mos. b OH
EDW. BAKER 3, b OH.
410, LAWRENCE FORREST, 37, master shoemaker, b Scotland
ELIZABETH FORREST, 22, b N.Y.
BURNS FORREST, 9 mos. b OH
DAN'L LILLEY, 36, b Ireland
412, DAN'L. ZIMMERMAN, 23, carpenter, b OH
AMINY ZIMMERMAN 18 b OH
ALFRED ZIMMERMAN, 7 mo.
PETER ZIMMERMAN, 63, carpenter, b PA.
413, ORRIS CROSBY 46, grocer, b N.Y.
SAMANTHA N. CROSBY, 29, b OH
ALLY MAY CROSBY, 6, b OH
E.C. CROSBY, 2, b OH
414, ROB'T BLOOMFIELD, 39, shoemaker; b MI
MARY BLOOMFIELD, 36, b N.Y.
CHA. BLOOMFIELD, 13, b OH
GEO. BLOOMFIELD, 11, b OH
FREDERICK BLOOMFIELD, 4, b OH
LAURA BLOOMFIELD, 5/12, b OH
EVA FASHBAUGH, 25, domestic, b OH
412, JANE RICHEY, 24, b OH (RICHEY family in with the BLOOMFIELDS but listed as a separate group.)
WM. RICHEY, 2, b OH
FRANCES R. RICHEY, 1, male, b OH.
415, MELYER CASLER, 40, master blacksmith, b Canada
HANNAH CASLER, 42, b N.Y.
AMANDA or ANNA W. CASLER, 12, b OH
DELOTIA V. CASLER, 10, b OH
MELYER CASLER, JR., 8, b OH
ELLEN J. CASLER, 7, b OH
WM. M. CASLER, 2, b OH
AGNES P. McKENZIE, 24, b N.Y.
414, WICKLIFF WAFFLE, 27, carpenter, b PA
HARRIETT WAFFLE ' 38, b N.Y.
VIOLA WAFFLE, 4, b OH
CHAS. CROSBY, 3, b OH
SARAH SCHLAPPI, 17, b OH
416, OCTAVIUS WATERS, 32, lawyer, b Eng.
MARY A WATERS, 32, b Eng..
MARY W. WATERS, 13, b OH
THOS. B. WATERS, 9, b OH
417, SIMON ZIMMERMAN, 34, master wagon maker, b OH
SARAH ZIMMERMAN,32 , b PA
DAVID ZIMMERMAN, 9, b OH
ALMEDA ZIMMERMAN, 7, b OH
CHAS. F. ZIMMERMAN, 4, b OH
418, MICHAEL CARR, 25, wagon maker, b PA
NANCY CARR, 22, b N.Y.
419, NANCY NEARING, 44, b N.Y.
NANCY J. GILBERT, 16, domestic, b OH
ANNA GILBERT, 14, b OH
HENRY GILBERT, 10, b OH.
420, GEORGE MERRILL, 37, merchant, b ME
CAROLINE MERRILL, 32, b OH
GEO. W. MERRILL, 5, b OH
421, HARRIETT BINGHAM, 59, b N.Y.
SETH D. BINGHAM, 19, home maker?, b OH
422, ABRAM L. DAYTON, 40, tanner, b N.Y.
JEMINA DAYTON, 36, b N.Y.
MARY DAYTON, 17, b N.Y.
GRAVES DAYTON, male, 16, tanner apprentice, b N.Y.
EDW. DAYTON, 12, b OH
JANE DAYTON, 9, b OH
JACOB DAYTON, 7, b OH
ROSEY DAYTON, 2, b OH
423, DAN'L FREEMAN, 32, day labor, b MD.
ELIZABETH FREEMAN,, 21, b Eng.
424, JOHN J. DOUGHTY, 35, miller, b NY
MARY A. DOUGHTY, 36, b NY
EMMA A. DOUGHTY, 8, b MI
EDGAR S. DOUGHTY, 7, b OH
ALICE A. DOUGHTY,, 5, b OH
ANDREW J. DOUGHTY, 20, miller, b III
EUNICE DOUGHTY, 14, b OH‑
and
WM. HOWS?, 24, engineer, b OH
MARY HOWS, 18, b KY.
425, CHAS. P. HEATH,‑28, miller, b PA
SUSAN HEATH, 28, b PA
CHAS. HEATH, 7, b OH
LAUREN HEATH, 2, b, OH
GEO. HEATH, 11/12, b OH
426, DAVID H. HANCOCK, 24, b OH
ROZANNA HANCOCK, 21, b OH
WM. HANCOCK, 1, b OH
MARY J. HANCOCK, 3/12, b OH
427, J. BRIMSHAW MOSLEY, 41, railroading, b N.Y.
CHARLOTT C.MOSELY, 74, b CT
JULIA L. MOSELY, 19, b MI
(Must be the mother, a son and granddaughter, or the age of CHARLOTT might be 44, but 7 is clear.)
428, JOHN SWIGARD, 30, carpenter, b Ger.
MARY SWIGARD, 32, b PA
LUCY A. SWIGARD, 10, b OH
GEO. SWIGARD, 8, b OH
JOHN SWIGARD, 5, b OH
ELIZABETH SWIGARD, 4, b OH
CEYNES? SWIGARD, male, 2, b OH
JACOB W. SWIGARD, 2/12, b OH
DELILAH SHULTZ, 25, domestic b PA
also
WM. N. MATHENY, 29, blacksmithing, b OH
ELANOR MATHENY, 25, b OH
ORPHA MATHENY, 6, b OH
MARY MATHENY, 4, b IN
SORELLA or LORELLA, 2. b IN
429, DETRICH CONRAD, 30, day labor, b Ger.
BENA CONRAD, 24, b PA female
JOHN S. CONRAD ' 3, b OH
JOSIAH CONRAD, 1, b OH
MARGARET FRIBARGER, 21, b PA
430, WM. CLOSE, 50, farmer, b PA
CATHARINE CLOSE, 45, b PA
PETER CLOSE, male, 18, farm labor, b OH
MARTHA CLOSE, 15, b OH
MARY CLOSE,12, b OH
JOHN N. CLOSE, 8, b OH
NANCY LUCAS, 8, b OH
LAVINA LUCAS 5, b OH
431, PETER HANCOCK, 36, master cooper, b Eng.
ANN HANCOCK, 26, b N.Y.
MARY A. HANCOCK, 12, b OH
CHAS. HANCOCK, 3, b OH
ANN WOOD, 38, b Eng. (nee HANCOCK, sister of Peter)
CHAS. B. WOOD, 16, teacher, b OH
432, MORRIS HANCOCK, 29, cooper, b N.Y.
MARY HANCOCK, 23, b OH (nee-DONAHUE,-daughter of James DONAHUE & Catherine KING)
433, HEUNGT? DRENNEN, 47, female, seamstress, b N.Y.
LEUTITIA DRENNEN, 66, b N.Y.
CORDELIA COTRELL, 30, b N.Y.
EDGAR C. COTRELL, 9, b OH
FLORENCE COTRELL, 7, b OH
MARTIN COTRELL, 4, b MI
WILLEY W. COTRELL, 1, b OH
434, JOHN P. FASHBAUGH, 25, farmer, b Germany
EMILY FASHBAUGH, 18, b OH
JOS. GERRING, 26, labor, b Germany
FRED EHRSAN, 24, day labor, b Switzerland
435, ANSEL PEASE, 41, dovier?, b N.Y.
ENFIELD PEASE, 32, b Eng, (nee HANCOCK)
CHAS PEASE, 16, b N.Y.
AMELIA PEASE, 8, b OH
JAS. PEASE, 5, b OH
HARRIET PEASE, 1, b OH
436, ROB'T HATTON, 45, day labor, b OH
JULIA ANN HATTON, 41, b PA
FRANCIS A. HATTON, male, 18, b OH
JAS. W. HATTON, 14, b OH
JENNIE F. HATTON, 1, b OH
BETSY WANNER, 25, b OH
437, NICHOLAS H. SIMMONS, 22, day labor, b N.Y.
JULIA SIMMONS, 22 , b N.Y.
438, LUCIUS H. UPHAM, 48, lawyer, b VT
ELIZABETH UPHAM, 41, b PA
WARREN H..UPHAM 11, b OH
ALICE UPHAM, 10, b N.Y.
439, DAN'L H. PETTIS, 45, farmer, b N.Y.
ELIZABETH M. PETTIS, 35, b N.Y.
JOHN Y. PETTIS, 3, b OH
LAURA PETTIS, 9, b OH
VIOLA PETTIS, 7, b 0.
440, EDWIN HALL, 53, teamster, b MASS
ABIGAIL HALL, 53, b N.Y.
ALFRED HALL, 30, day labor, b OH
HENRIETTA HALL, 10, b OH
and
JOSIAH ZIMMERMAN, 32, carpenter, b OH
AURORA ZIMMERMAN, 32, b OH (nee GEER)
ELIZABETH ZIMMERMAN, 8, b OH
. CYNTHIA, ZIMMERMAN, 7, b OH
MARIETTA ZIMMERMAN, 5, b OH
ALVIRA ZIMMERMAN, 4, b OH
CATELLEN, female, 2, bo OH
GEO. ZIMMERMAN, 3, b OH
441, LYMAN RILEY,.43, marble cutting, b CT
ELLEN RILEY, 47, b N.Y.
ELLEN RILEY, 14, b OH
442, ELI M. BUNDY, 30, farmer, b OH
MARY BUNDY, 31, b OH
ARTEMETIA BUNDY, fe. 8, b OH
ANGELETTA BUNDY, 6, b OH
BRADFORD BUNDY, 3, b OH
ALFIELD BUNDY, 2, b OH
443, JOS. COLE, 24, day labor, b OH
MATILDA E. COLE, 24, b OH
EZRA D. COLE, 5, b OH
CHAS. B. COLE, 10/12, b OH
WM. GRIFFIN, 56, carpenter, b N.Y.
ANGELICA E. COTRELL, 1, b OH
House No. 444 unoccupied ... 71 houses...end of 1860 Village of Delta Census.
If I counted correctly, inhabitants of Delta, 1860 were 349 persons.
The oldest couple THOMAS GLEASON and wife, who had a hotel.
There were 2 printers, 1 editor, 3 physicians, 1 dentist, 1 engineer, 1 stove dealer, 1 foundry man,
1 M.E. Clergyman, 1 tin smith, 1 clock tinker, 2 grocer's, 1 railroader, 1 marble cutter, 1 teamster, 2 lawyers, 2 milliners, 1 seamstress, 1 jeweler, 2 shoemakers, 2 blacksmiths, 4 millers, 2 wagon makers, 1 tailor, 7 merchants, 1 cooper, and 2 teachers.
Of the persons mentioned in the 1860 Census of Delta,
I found:
OCTAVIUS WATERS, d Delta, Aug. 8, 1891, age 63, b Eng.;
ROBERT HATTON, age 68, d Delta, Apr. 9, 1891, b Starke Co., O.;
JOSIAH ZIMMERMAN, d Delta, Oct. 10, 1900, age 74, b PA.;
LUCIUS H. UPHAM, d Delta, July 31, 1897, age 89, b VT.;
WM. GRIFFIN, d York Twp., Mar. 30, 1898, age 94, b N.Y.;
CALEB BUNDY, age 69, d Delta, Mar. 28, 1886, b Wayne Co., OH.
Biographical and other information about some listed above
Number to left match household number above in 1860 census
James K. Newcomer Obituary dated May 28, 1904, Gives the Following Information:
"James a Former Resident of Fulton County and a Prominent Democrat & Newspaper Man .... He Leaves a Widow & Three Daughters; Miss Florence, Mrs. F. A. Morrison of Boston, Mass. And Mrs. William A. Scott; Also Two Sisters and Two Brothers; Mrs. Mary Woodworth of Somerset, Michigan, Solomon Newcomer of Mountain Home, Idaho, Mrs. W. A. Blake & George D. Newcomer, .
James Was Born in Fayette County, Pennsylvania. On August 10, 1833..... in 1844 [His Family] Moved to Fulton County .... in 1857 Was Elected Recorder of Fulton County, and in 1860 He Was Appointed Deputy Marshall. He Was Elected Mayor of the City Delaware for One Term, and Served as Clerk in the Ohio Senate in 1868 and 1869. He Was Associated With and Published a Number of Ohio Papers During His Life, among Which Was the Delta Independent at Delta, Ottawa Democrat at Port Clinton, the Constitution At Elyria, Democratic Mirror at Marion, Champaign Democrat At Urbana and in 1884 He Purchased the Delaware Democrat-Herald.
Was the Son of Mr. & Mrs. John Newcomer Who Moved from Holmes County, Ohio to Fulton County, Ohio in 1844.
Click this Link for more.
378,
MARY ANN HILL -maiden name CULLEN and widow of Thomas HILL who died 1851. Mary's other children are found with others in 1860. Daughter Martha Hill returned to Delta and married Robert Bartley on 7th of March 1867, Robert BARTLEY was the son of Francis Symon BARTLEY and Jane KING, Jane being the sister of Rev. William KING of Underground Rail Road fame
John Odell, M.D.-At the venerable age of four-score years, and after an average lifetime devoted to the arduous and self-abnegating duties of one of the most exacting of professions, Dr. Odell is now living practically retired in a pleasant home In the attractive village of Delta, and his extended circle of friends in the county gives evidence of the popular appreciation of his character and his labors. Dr. Odell is a native of the Buckeye State, having been born in Windham township, Portage county, Ohio, on the 10th of March, 1825, and being a son of Roswell land Mary (Pedicord) Odell, the former of whom was born in Vermont and the latter in South Carolina, and both families were founded in America and the Colonial era. The father died in Lorain county, Ohio, aged fifty-five, and his wife attained the very venerable age of ninety-three years, passing her latter days in Barry county, Mich. They became the parents of four sons and three daughters-Elizabeth, Nathan, John, William, Roswell, Mary Ann, and Caroline. Aside from Dr. Odell, subject of this sketch, only one is living. Nathan, who maintains his home near Hastings, Barry county, Mich. When Dr. Odell was about fourteen years of age his parents removed from Portage to Lorain county, and in the latter he was reared to manhood, being able to gain more than the average youth from the somewhat meager advantages afforded in the common schools of the locality and period. A receptive mind and a rare power of assimilation aided him even in his rudimentary study. From the age of twenty-one years to the age of twenty-three he farmed in Lorain county. In 1848, in pursuance of his ambition to enter the medical profession, he entered the Cleveland Botanical Medical College, where he secured his technical training, having previously studied in a private way, under the effective preceptorship of Dr. Marshall Chamberlain, his brother-in-law, and he had practiced for two years in Lorain county. In 1850 he located in Delta, Fulton county, the place being at the time a small hamlet in a section which was to a large extent yet unreclaimed from the forest wilds, and his was the lot of the average pioneer physician, in that he was compelled to make his way over almost impassable roads, in summer's rains and winter's snows, pursuing his humane mission with marked unselfishness and oftimes at great personal discomfort. He continued in active practice for more than half a century, and he now has the distinction of being the oldest physician in the county, even as he is one of its most honored pioneer practitioners. The Doctor recalls with appreciation his early and Herculean struggles with the all pervading ague, or "chills and fever," and in the early days his practice extended for a radius of from twenty-five to thirty miles from Delta, and he did his best to overcome the ravages of the ague and other human ills, and first mentioned being largely due to the swampy condition of much of the land in this section-land which is today as fertile and productive as can be found in the State. For many years he made his visitations almost exclusively on horseback, as the roads, if existing at all, were impassable for vehicles much of the time, in many cases being mere bridle-paths or blazed trails though the virgin forest. The Doctor was successful in his profession and also in the accumulation of property. In the early days Dr. Odell stood at the head of his profession in this section in the matter of treating certain prevalent types of disease, following the Eclectic system largely in his practice. Dr. Odell has always been known as a public-spirited citizen, and from the pioneer days to the present his aid and influence have been given in the promotion of those enterprises and undertakings which have conserved the general welfare of the community. Through industry, economy and good judgment in the making of investments, Dr. Odell has accumulated a competency.
Harriet Zimmerman Odell In Fulton county, in 1852, Dr. Odell was united in marriage to Miss Harriet Ellen Zimmerman, who was born in Holmes county, Ohio in 18833, being a daughter of John and Hannah (McQuilling) Zimmerman, both of whom were born in Pennsylvania. Her parents came from Homes county, Ohio to Fulton county in 1839 and here passed the remainder of their lives, having been honored pioneers of Pike township. They became the parents of twelve children, all of whom attained maturity and five of whom are still living. Dr. and Mrs. Odell became the parents of three children: Dencie is the wife of Wesley J. Clizbe, of Chicago, and they have three sons: Roscoe J., Floyd Odell, and Harry John; Ida May, the second child, died at the age of twenty-one years, unmarried; John L. Married Miss Bell Boughton and they reside in Chicago, having no children, but by a former marriage he as one daughter, Marguerite, who now resides in Wauseon, Ohio." (The County of Fulton, Thomas Mikesell, 1905, p. 490-492).
OBITUARY: "Harriet Ellen Odell, a dau of John and Hannah Zimmerman was b. in Wayne Co., Ohio Feb 8, 1833 and died in Delta, Jun 18, 1917. On Feb 28, 1852 she married Dr. John Odell of Rochester, Ohio. 3 children were born: Mrs. Geo. Planson of Delta, John L. Odell of Chicago, IL, and Ida, who passed away many years ago. Her sister Lydia Gilbert, is now the only surviving child of 12 children. Mrs. Odell was a member of the Delta Methodist Church, lacking 5 weeks of 50 years." (unidentified newspaper, Fulton Co., OH, transcribed from "Pioneers Around Delta, OH", by Vashti Seaman, Vol 4 p. 80.)
DEATH RECORD: "Delta, Fulton County; Harriet E. ODELL female white b. 8 Feb 1833; age 84y 4m 11d; widowed b. OH; retired housewife; father: John ZIMMERMMAN b. PA; mother: Hannah McQUILLIN b. PA; informant: Mrs. George PLANSON of Delta; died 19 Jun 1917; cause: apoplexy; buried: Greenlawn Cemetery, Delta, 21 Jun 1917; undertaker: Neville Planson Co., Delta, OH; filed 21 June 1917." (OH State Death Record)
Dencie Rowena Odell PLANSON female white widowed; husband: George F. PLANSON; born: 30 Jul 1854; age 73y 5m 26d; housewife; b. Delta, OH; father: Dr. John ODELL b. PA [OH]; mother: Harriet ZIMMERMAN b. PA [OH]; informant: F.O. CLIZBE of Chicago, IL; died: 26 Apr 1928; cause: carcinoma of liver; buried: Greenlawn Cemetery, Delta 28 Apr 1928; undertaker: Newell Planson Co., Delta, OH; filed: 28 Aopr 1928." (OH Death Record).
OBITUARY: “Dencie Clizbe Planson. Mrs. Dencie Rowena Planson, aged 73 years, died Wednesday, April 25, at the family home on Adrian street, after many weeks of illness. Mrs. Planson was a native resident of Delta and was the daughter of the late Dr. and Mrs. John Odell. She was married to Wesley L. Clizbe and to them three sons were born, R. S. Clizbe of Florida, F.S. Clizbe of Chicago and Harry Clizbe, all surviving the mother. The deceased was again united in marriage to Geo. F. Planson, now deceased several years. Mrs. Planson was identified with church and social activates and will be sorely missed by her many friends. Funeral was held Saturday from the home, conducted by Rev. W.H. Spypey and burial made in Greenlawn cemetery. Card of Thanks. We desire to thank our many friends in Delta and elsewhere for their many kindnesses extended to our mother in her illness, and also at her death. The family.” ("Delta Atlas", 3 May 1928)
John L. Odell, physician of the county, married 8th Sept. 1886 to Miss Lucy Biddle a daughter of Calvin Biddle of York Twp and Margaret TODD. Mr. Odell is a son of Dr. John Odell and has been associated in business with his father. The marriage ceremony was witnessed by about 150 invited guests. The happy couple left for Cincinnati and other Southern cities on their bridal tour. Following is a list of presents and names of the givers: Bedroom set - Bride's parents. Chamber set - W.J. Clizbe and wife [Dencie]. Silver berry dish - Benj. Biddle and wife, and J.A. Reed and wife. Celery boat - F.B. Lee and wife. Napkin ring - Frank Bartley. Silver card receiver - Dr. Hollister and wife. Silver mug - Mrs. R.G. Jewell. Silver butter dish - J.S. Kelly. Towels and napkins - H.S. Hull and wife. Bedspread 0.R. Allen and wife, and Jennie Allen. Glass berry dish - 0.C.W. Schwartz and wife. Glass cups and boat - Nellie Brailey. Pair of handsome vases by Jud Bannister and wife. Glass water service by Fred Snyder, Sadie and Allen Biddle of Brian. China fruit plates by L.E. Stevens and wife and May Ferguson. Silver nut pick by Mrs. Al Smith. ... W.D. Lyon, Addie Kelly, E.E. Williams, W.A. Seybold, Alice Meeks, O.C. Dudley, C.H. Dudley, Lou Lyon, Addie Eager, W.S. Hancock, Carrie Dudley, C.C. Miller and wife of Burlington, Iowa. J. Biddle and wife, Wm. Gee and wife, Wm. Fraker and wife, Ida Zimmerman and Maggie Pray, J.C. Bollmeyer and wife, Nelson Todd and wife, and J.J. Todd and wife of Bluffton, Indiana, W.H. Eager and wife, Edward Ruppert and wife, C.W. Gould and wife, G.E. Fraker and wife, Vernie Hull, C. Clugston and wife of Grand Rapids, Mich., J.H. Williams and wife, Reuben Bond and wife, Lou E. Schamp, F.H. Huntley of Cadillac, Mich. (Eaton Rapids--He married Hattie Schlappi, dau/o Samuel & Mary [Zimmerman] and was an optician). Carrie Munger, J.E. Ramsey, Cora Munger and Mont Trowbridge, Lucy Klink, Fred Bannister and wife, Rev. A.H. Tussing, Lou Cottingham and Jno Teeple, W.H. Gavvit and wife, Mrs. S.E. Williams, Lucy Gelzer, J.M. Longnecker and wife, Lou Huntingdon, Wm. Ramsey and wife, Frank Briggs and wife, Sam Gehering and Frank Ackerman, Charles Harrison and wife, Fred Bollmeyer, F.T. Blair and wife, A.Y. Montgomery and wife, N.A. Biddle, Dr. Wilkins and wife, Dr. Bishop and wife, Lena Montgomery, Nellie Taft and Coe Miller. After the wedding and the return of the newlyweds, John and Mrs. Odell went to housekeeping on Adrian St., Delta." (Pioneers Around Delta, Vashti Seaman, Vol 3 p. 75
WILLIAM W. PRATT.—We of this twentieth century, representing the most electrical progress in all lines of material activity, are too prone not to give due heed to those elemental valuations which touch upon the deeper essence of human life. and human achievement. We can not afford, to hold in light esteem those who have wrought nobly in any field of endeavor, no matter how humble and obscure, nor should we withhold respect and honor from those who have given or are giving an heritage of worthy thoughts and worthy deeds. Duty to posterity implies that records of the lives of honest and loyal citizens should be perpetuated in publications of this nature, and those who would withhold such records have neither appreciation of the labors of their ancestors, immediate or remote, nor can they deserve more of appreciation on the part of their own children and later generations. William W. Pratt, who has been for many years engaged in the blacksmithing and wagon making business in Delta, and who still continues actively identified with the enterprise which he established so many years ago, though he has attained the age of four-score years, is a citizen whose life has been marked by industry, earnestness of purpose, inflexible integrity and loyal citizenship, so that none is more clearly entitled to representation in this work than he. Mr. Pratt Was born in Erie county, N. Y., on the 1st of April, 1825, and is a son of Robert and Abigail (Wiles) Pratt. The father was likewise a native of the old Empire State and was a blacksmith by trade, as had also been his honored sire. William W. Pratt received limited educational advantages, being bound out at the age of fifteen years and serving an apprenticeship at the trades of blacksmithing and wagon-making. He was released by his employer at the expiration of eighteen months and then went to Perry, Wyoming county, N. Y., where he finished learning his trades, and in the autumn of 1847 he came to Ohio. For a short time he worked as a wagon-maker in Maumee, Lucas county, and in the spring of 1849, he located in Delta, where, he has ever since made his home. For many years he devoted his attention to wood-working, manufacturing and repairing wagons, and since about 1865 he has worked in both wood and iron, also done wagon and carriage painting, and he is still actively employed in this way, having a well equipped shop in which he may be found each working-day, and bearing the weight of his many years most lightly. Few men of his age can be found thus actively engaged in such mechanical work and many of half his age can not turn out better or more work in a given length of time than can this sturdy and honored octogenarian. He has worked indefatigably from childhood to the present day, and the most serious illness which he has ever experienced was that of the prevalent “fever and ague” of the early days. He erected his present shop m 186o, and in all the intervening years he has here been found actively and cheerfully engaged in the work of his trades. The first wagon which he manufactured in Delta was utilized as the conveyance which bore to their destination the commissioners who selected the site for the county seat of Fulton county. This vehicle was made and finished after the New York Style and was unique in this section at the time. Its utilization as noted noticeably served as an advertisement of Mr. Pratt’s business but also brought his mechanical ability to the attention of the public. In 1850 Mr. Pratt was united in marriage to Miss Susan Tom, who was born in Holmes county, Ohio, in 1830. They became the parents of six children: Edward E. is engaged in the drug business in Delta; Jennie is the widow of William H. Dillman, of Bryan, Williams county, and now resides with her father; Jacob is superintendent and manager of the telephone system in Delta; William is a black-smith by trade; Della is the wife of George W. Shaffer, a merchant of Delta; and Eugene is a painter and decorator by vocation, residing in Delta. Mrs. Pratt was summoned to the life eternal on the 7th of March, 1905, after having been her husband’s loved and devoted companion and helpmeet for fifty-five years. Her death was the great loss and bereavement of his life, and he reveres her memory and in his evening of life is sustained by the thoughts of the gracious associations of the years that have gone. He attributes his success in the earlier years to a large extent to his wife, who aided and encouraged him and bore her full share of the burdens and responsibilities of the home. She was a zealous member of the Presbyterian church, of which Mr. Pratt also has been a member for many years, and in politics he has always been aligned with the Democratic party, Though never an aggressive partisan. He served for some time as fat member of the school board, but has never sought office of any description. He reared and educated a large family of children and assisted his sons in establishing themselves in business. He is one of Delta’s best-known and most honored pioneers, and during a residence here of nearly sixty years he has witnessed manifold changes in the town and county. The little hamlet of Delta when he came here was a mere backwoods settlements of a few aggressive pioneers, and no railroads had yet penetrated this wild forest country, in which even the ordinary roads were few and primitive. Times were hard, Money scarce and of uncertain value, and about the only thing the pioneers had in unstinted quality was the ague, engendered by the miasmatic swamps, which everywhere abounded. Mr. Pratt and his estimable wife endured their full quota of deprivations and discomforts, but they worked hard and lived frugally in the early days, thus paving the way for a competency for their declining years. Their Children, carefully reared and afforded the best possible educational advantages, left the parental roof, one-by-one, until the parents were left entirely alone. Then, after years of constant and loving companionship, came the separation which brought irreparable loss to the honored pioneer to whom this sketch is dedicated. It is said that misfortunes never, come singly, yet it seems almost that the misfortune which came to Mr. Pratt’s daughter, Mrs. Dillman, in the death of her husband, about the same time as the demise of her mother, proved a benefice to Mr. Pratt, in that it gave him the society and companionship of his daughter, thus rendering the home less desolate, and the daughter’s grief was rendered less poignant by her return to the roof which had sheltered her in her childhood. Mr. Pratt believes it better to “wear out than to rust out,” and he finds satisfaction in keeping at work in his shop, where he has manufactured two complete wagons, including painting, entirely by himself, within the past few months.
JOHN S. TROWBRIDGE- Arrived 1834 York Township, Fulton County, OH at age 18 from Saratoga Cty, NY with his father
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JOHN S. TROWBRIDGE was m after the death of HANNAH HAMPTON to JENNETTE who is mentioned in his will, dated Dec. 9, 1898, pro. 1905. He was b in N.Y. State and d Feb. 10, 1905. Vol. 9, p 485, Wills, JOHN TROWBRIDGE willed the us of the home to his wife during her lifetime, and use of all personal estate. And the children's names were : Grand dau, ELLEN TROWBRIDGE, $100; grandchildren, ETHEL RABER, HOWARD RABER, GLADYS RABER, LILLIE RABER and RALPH RABER of Delta, children of my dau JULIA MYRTIE RABER. . . $100 each.; dau, ELLENOR E. CROSBY of Toledo (1898-1900). dau CLARA E. RICHARDS of Mt. Victory, Ohio, son, OSCAR W. TROWBRIDGE, of Toledo, "The Family Bible"; son, MARTIN H. TROWBRIDGE, son, IRVING TROWBRIDGE, of Delta, son, CHARLES S. TROWBRIDGE, my gold watch and chain, dau EMMA JANE HOWE of Cloud Co.,Kans., granddau, CLARA E. COLEMAN, Exec., wife, JENNETTE and W.F. FOWLER of Delta. Wit. by GEO. W. SHAFFER & A.S. TROWBRIDGE. A codicil was added Mar. 27, 1900.
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Bio from 1875 Atlas:
JOHN S. TROWBRIDGE was born November 18, 1816, in Saratoga County, New York. He was married in Fulton County, February 2, 1840 to Hannah Hampton who was born in Fairfield County, Ohio, November 18, 1821. Their children are: Martin Henry, born July 12, 1841, resides in Bates County, Missouri; Amy Jane, born December 24, 1842, resides in Cloud County, Kansas; Mary O., born January 11, 1845, died October 3, 1845; Willard O., born October 15, 1846, resides in Nevada; Hinton I., born March 16, 1849, resides in Delta; Adaline A., born May 30, 1851, resides in Fulton County; Eleanor E., born November 15, 1853, resides in Fulton County; Charles Sumner, born November 15, 1857, resides in Fulton County; Julia Mertle, born April 6, 1862, resides in Fulton County. Willard and Amy (Sprague) Trowbridge, parents of the subject of this sketch were born, the former in Connecticut, February 1, 1796, the latter in Rhode Island, June 4, 1795; she died in New York in 1831. Mr. Trowbridge, Sr. settled with his family in Fulton County in 1834. Jonathan and Abigail (Harrison) Hampton were born, the former in Berks County, Pennsylvania March 4, 1793, the latter in Rockingham County, Virginia, August 12, 1800. The former settled in Ohio in 1816 and died at his residence in Fulton County, July 15, 1857; the latter with her parents removed to Fairfield County, Ohio in 1803 and thence to Fulton in 1835 where she died March 17, 1869. Willard O. and Martin H. Trowbridge enlisted in the Union army upon the first call for volunteers, and served until peace was declared without accident. Mr. Trowbridge has filled a number of township and district offices with honor to himself.
WILLIAM RAMSEY, M.D., a pioneer and retired physician of Delta, was born in Armagh, North Ireland, September 1, 1827. His ancestors were of Scotch antecedents and removed to Ireland two generations before his birth. With his mother, three brothers and one sister he came to America, his father having died when William was a child. As his father was a farmer William spent his first fourteen years on a farm in Ireland. The journey across the ocean was made from Londonderry to New York City in a sailing vessel and required seven weeks. After landing at New York they went to Philadelphia, where they spent their first Fourth of July. From Philadelphia they proceeded to Pittsburg by rail and canal and from Pittsburg to Bolivar, Tuscarawas county, O., where the family located in 1842. Mrs. Ramsey, the mother of the subject of this sketch, was a woman universally esteemed for her excellent traits of character and maternal instincts. A heavy task fell upon her in the rearing and education of the family. The sequel shows that she performed her duty well. She was never known to be out of humor and she never punished a child with a rod. She was the mother of the following children: James who died a bachelor at the age of seventy-nine years; Christopher who is still living at the age of eighty- five years; John who died in 1903; Margaret who died unmarried, and William. All except the last named remained in the vicinity of Bolivar, where they spent their lives in agricultural pursuits, and became wealthy. Prior to coming to America Dr. Ramsey had received a fair education, which he supplemented in this country by additional studies in the district school and in an academy at Hagerstown, O. At the age of seventeen he began teaching and the following year read medicine. Teaching during the winter months, he spent his summers reading medicine in the office of Doctors Bennett & Hodge, of Bolivar. While engaged in this and other work of various kinds he assisted his mother to pay for the home farm. In 1849 he was graduated from the Reserve Medical college of Cleveland. After graduating he spent over one year in the drug business and in practice at Loudonville, O., coming to Delta in the spring of 1852, where after a long struggle he established a large and lucrative business. The struggle of his boyhood days to acquire unaided an education affords a valuable lesson to the struggling youth of today who were born without the proverbial “silver spoon.” When he entered Hagerstown college he had just thirteen dollars in his possession. A kind gentleman of that town, who had himself been befriended in his youth by a stranger, generously offered to pay his way through college, but this the self-reliant young Ramsey felt obliged to decline. Leaving school in debt, he declined any aid in the way of a loan, and going into the harvest field he earned the money with which to discharge his obligation. The struggle for a professional education was equally arduous. When he reached Delta he found himself possessed of a horse hitched to a two-wheeled "gig" and seven dollars in money, his saddle-bags and medicine having been lost on the way while crossing a stream at Napoleon, Ohio. With this meager capital he began his practice in competition with three experienced physicians who had preceded him. The story of his labors here is one of unrelenting toil, hardship and privations. Traveling long distances in rain and snow, cold and heat, through forest-roads well nigh impassable at all seasons and particularly so during the period when the ground was not frozen, for the mud seemed never to dry up. Continuing this work for a period equal to an average life-time, he was at last enabled to retire from active practice. He now recalls the fact that he was so busy at times in his practice that he did not remove his clothing for weeks. At that time Fulton county was almost wholly undeveloped, and when Dr. Ramsey first began to practice he traveled largely on horseback over roads blazed through almost impenetrable forests. He used a two- wheeled “gig” and a saddle horse in traveling over the country. As a result of all this effort he has acquired a competency, which he has distributed with a liberal hand, educating his children and starting them on life’s journey in profitable business enterprises. Dr. Ramsey has witnessed and has been an active participant in the growth and prosperity of Fulton County. He has been successful even beyond his most sanguine hopes. But his success was only the key-note to the success of others. Possessed of a liberal disposition and a generous nature, he has on several occasions voluntarily furnished the means to ambitious boys to acquire better educational advantages. Once he assisted a poor girl, and the proceeds of his generosity enabled the young lady to be introduced into business society which eventually resulted in her becoming the hat trimmer in a wholesale millinery establishment. Others of his wards held high positions in the councils of the nation, and the scriptural text, “Cast thy bread upon the waters,” etc., was verified in that each one whom he aided returned to him every cent he had expended in their behalf. For more than fifty years Dr. Ramsey has been a prominent character in Fulton county, during which time he has ministered to suffering humanity with remarkable skill and fortitude. During the Civil war he was called into the service as an examining surgeon, and after the maimed and disabled soldiers began to seek pensions for their disabilities, he served for twenty-three years on the pension board of examiners, retiring voluntarily. During the progress of the war he attended the wives and children of the absent soldiers without making any charge for his services, where they were in moderate circumstances. He has always been a zealous worker in everything calculated to enhance the interests of the people. In religious matters he has been a valued member of the Methodist Episcopal Church, and with his wife has been active in all lines of church work. Since the organization of the Republican Party the Doctor has been a zealous advocate of its principles, being well acquainted with all of the party leaders, but has never held a public office. After retiring from active practice he engaged for a time in the banking business, which he afterwards turned over to his son, William. Since 855 he has been actively identified with the Masonic fraternity. On June 1, 1854, he was wedded to Miss Catherine Trowbridge, born June 27, 1832, a representative of one of the first settlers of the county. Her father, Elisha Trowbridge, came here from Connecticut in 1834 and was a local preacher of the Methodist Episcopal Church in pioneer days. The Trowbridge family is traceable to English origin, long established in New England, whence they scattered throughout the rest of the country, assisting materially in its development. Dr. Ramsey and wife are’ the parents of four children, two of whom are living. Those living are: William F., born June 29, 1860, who has succeeded his father in the private banking business in Delta and who is also engaged in the real-estate and insurance business. He is married and has two children. Dr. Frank P., a talented and successful physician of Central Lake, Mich., was born December 6, 1872, is married but has no children. Those deceased are: Lovey L., who was born April 7, 1856, and died August 5, 186o, and John H., born September 22, 1862, and died August 5, 1864. Dr. Ramsey and his estimable wife are now living in retirement in Delta, where they are enjoying the fruits of earlier labor and sacrifices, as well as the highest esteem of all who know them.
396 was not yet born in census above
WILLIAM F. RAMSEY (son of above) is one of the representative business men of the younger generation in Fulton County, being the cashier, of the Bank of Delta, and he is a member of one of the honored pioneer families of the county, which has been his home from the time of his birth. Mr. Ramsey was born in the village of Delta, on the 29th of June, 1860, and is a son of Dr. William Ramsey, one of the honored pioneer physicians and surgeons of Delta, concerning whom individual mention is made in the review that immediately precedes this one, so that further data are not demanded in the present connection. William E. Ramsey was reared in his native town, in whose public schools he secured his preliminary education, supplementing this discipline by a course of study in the Ohio State University, in Columbus. As a young man he served in the office of the assistant auditor of the Toledo, Delphos and St. Louis Railroad, now known as the Clover Leaf railroad. The Bank of Delta was founded in 1868, by Dr. William Ramsey and David C. Teeple, the former eventually becoming the sole owner of the institution, and in 1888 his son, William E., became cashier, a position in which he has ever since been retained, having the executive management of all the affairs of the bank, which is one of the solid financial institutions of the county and which controls a large and representative patronage. A general banking business is conducted, as well as an insurance business in the line of indemnity assurance from loss by tornado, accident, etc. Mr. Ramsey has ever retained a distinct interest in the welfare of his native town, and is one of its most aggressive and public-spirited citizens. It was through his efforts and two others, Mr. Jacob M. Longnecker and George R. Whitehorn, that the Helvetia milk-condensing plant was established in Delta, and he has also one of those citizens who took a foremost part in securing the Delta depot of the Lake Shore and Michigan Southern railroad. He has likewise been a potent factor in the promoting of local improvements of a public nature, including street paving, electric lighting, etc., and he is a strong advocate of the policy of expanding the public utilities of the village by the installation of modern system of water-works—an improvement whose value is incontestable and one which is certain to be made in the near future. In politics Mr. Ramsey is uncompromising in his allegiance to the Republican party, being well fortified in his opinions and convictions as to matters of public polity, but he has never manifested might of ambition for the honors or emoluments of public office of any description. He is treasurer of the Delta Building, Loan and Savings Company and of the Home Telephone Company, both local enterprises of importance, and he is a member of the directorate of the Delta Building and Real-Estate Company, each of these three corporations being liberally capitalized and conducting business along safe and conservative lines. The last mentioned company was organized in order to meet an imperative demand in the supplying of residences to strangers seeking homes in the village, and its functions have been most practical and beneficent in application. The association purchases lots, erects dwellings on the same and sells the properties at an advance of but six percent above the actual expenditures incidentally made. Mr. Ramsey is an appreciative member of the time honored Masonic fraternity, being affiliated with Fulton Lodge, No. 248, Free and Accepted Masons; Octavius Waters Chapter, No. 167, Royal Arch Masons, of which he is treasurer; and Toledo Commandery, No. 7, Knights Templar, as well as with the adjunct organizations, Zenobia Temple, Ancient Arabic Order of the Nobles of the Mystic Shrine, likewise in the city of Toledo; and Aurora Chapter, No. 75, Order of the Eastern Star, of which Mrs. Ramsey likewise is a member. In the city of Columbus, Ohio, on the 5th of June, 1883, Mr. Ramsey was united in marriage to Miss Z. Maude Sharp, who was born in Gallipolis, this State, on the 27th of May, 1864, being a daughter of William and Laura J. (Wood) Sharp, who are now residents of the capital city of the State, where Mr. Sharp is a prominent commission merchant. Mr. and Mrs. Ramsey have two children,—June A., was born April 29, 1884; and Paul, who was born October 17, 1886. The daughter has been a student in Lake Erie College, Painesville, Ohio, but will complete her education in Johns Hopkins University, Baltimore, Md. The son is a student in the college of pharmacy of the Ohio Northern University, at Ada. Mr. and Mrs. Ramsey and their son and daughter are prominent in the social life of Delta, and Mrs. Ramsey is a zealous member of the Methodist Episcopal Church.
SIMON ZIMMERMAN, a well-known and highly esteemed pioneer of Fulton County, maintains his residence in the attractive village of Delta, and his is the distinction of having here maintained his home consecutively for a longer period than any other citizen now living in the town, with one exception. For two generations his has been a familiar figure on the streets of Delta. He was a resident of the village for nearly twenty years before its incorporation, which occurred on the 3d of August, 1863, and he was a valued member of the first village council. For fifty-seven years Mr. Zimmerman was an active workman at the trade of carriage and wagon making and in the early days his mechanical skill, energy and industry made him a valuable and important factor in the industrial affairs of the community, and be reaped a due reward from his well-directed efforts. Though a skilled mechanic and an aggressive and successful business man, he never failed in appreciation of the interests of his adopted town and county, being ever known as a progressive and public-spirited citizen. He was one of the organizers of Fulton County and cheerfully contributed of his means to its development, to the erection of public buildings at .the seat of its government and to the establishing of judicial and municipal affairs. When, in the judgment of the people, it became necessary to change the location of the county-seat he again cheerfully bore his part in establishing the new judicial center. In 1845, when Mr. Zimmerman took up his residence in Delta, Fulton County, as now organized, was unknown, and the idea of a separation from the then existing political organizations was a remote consideration. The Delta portion of this territory was then under the jurisdiction of Lucas county, and but shortly before had been decided the question as to whether this section belonged to Ohio or Michigan. After a prolonged controversy, during which much ill-feeling had been engendered and armed resistance inaugurated on both sides, the disputed boundary line was finally established. Then came the initial efforts looking toward the erection of a new county. At this time little had been accomplished in the, way of internal improvement. Much of the land was still covered with the native timber, and a very considerable portion of the territory now comprised in Fulton County was covered with water, the condition being practically that of impenetrable swamp. Roads were practically unknown except for the most frequented thoroughfares and churches and schools were few and of primitive order. The youth of to-day, or even persons in middle-life, can have but little absolute appreciation of the hardships, toils and privations endured by the early pioneers. A log cabin with a single room, provided with the crudest of home-made furniture; an earthen floor or, at best, one of rough puncheons; windows of greased paper in lieu of glass; a wide fire-place used for heating and also for cooking---this was the average domicile which stood on the primitive farms where now are to be found finely-equipped modern residences, with all the advantages of an opulent civilization. All honor is due these sturdy pioneers who laid the foundations broad and deep for the later superstructure of advanced civilization, and one of the worthy representatives of this loyal class is Mr. Zimmerman. Local organization had much to do with the development of the surrounding country, but personal energy had more. The forests were felled by individual efforts, and largely through private labor were constructed the first drainage ditches. Then the township organizations came to the rescue in ditching and road making, through a wise system of public taxation. The township trustees were endowed with almost unlimited power as to the details of transacting township business. It was necessary, therefore, that these public officials should be possessed of mature judgment, honesty of purpose and large experience along the lines of their assigned labors. To say that Simon Zimmerman served eleven consecutive years as trustee of York Township is sufficient evidence that he possessed all the requisites demanded for the successful and satisfactory discharge of the duties of the office in which he was so long retained. He has served the people in various official capacities, always with honor to himself and with acceptability to his constituents. After a life of signal activity and well directed industry, he begins to feel the weight of years, and has thus modified his labors to correspond with failing strength. He suffered the loss of a grocery stock in the Delta fire of 1892, and thereafter he did not again engage in business. He erected a small shop in the rear of his residence, and here he does light mechanical work for his friends and neighbors, but he devotes his attention principally to looking after his property interests in the village and, in season, to the cultivation of his large garden, in which he takes much pride. As a business man he was exceptionally successful, though he never invested a dollar in speculative enterprises. Simon Zimmerman was born in Wayne County, Ohio, September 1, 1824, and is a son of Peter and Elizabeth (Monasmith) Zimmerman. both of whom were born in Cumberland county, Pa. They came to Fulton County in November, 1845, and located in Delta, where both died, well advanced in years. Of their nine children only Simon and Joseph are living, there having been seven sons and two daughters. September 14, 1847, Simon Zimmerman married Miss Sarah Kerr, who was born in Pennsylvania, and whose death occurred in the year 1898. Of their eight children only three are living, David, Almeda, and Ida. David is a resident of Pemberville, Ohio, and is a skilled painter and decorator. Almeda is the wife of Jacob M. Longnecker, of Delta, and. Ida is the wife of George R. Whitehorn, of this place, both being personally represented in this publication. Mr. Zimmerman has been for many years a devoted member of the Presbyterian Church, as was also his cherished wife. In politics he was originally a Whig, thereafter supported the Republican Party until 1868, when he transferred his allegiance to the Prohibition Party, in whose support he exercised his franchise until 1896, since which time he has again been found in the ranks of the Republican Party. He cast his first vote in York Township and has never voted elsewhere, and he has never failed to vote at any election. He has ever shown a deep interest in educational matters, has filled various school offices, and he gave to his children the best possible educational advantages, which .he was denied in his youth.
Links to Other Pages
1860 Federal Census list for Village of Delta
with other facts and biographical information of the early settlers
First child born in village of Delta
Delta Antique Building Collapses
June 2008
Maintained by Mark Lozer, webmaster.
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