I wonder how many residents of the township of Sheffield know that their first permanent settler was a English Army deserter who was looking for the promise of true freedom. John Shaw was serving in the British Army in 1812 when he lived in Canada. He had become disillusioned with the treatment of British soldiers, and, with a few other companions, hatched a plan to reach America.
Knowing they would be hanged if caught, the men left from Long Point, Canada, in a small boat. The journey over Lake Erie would take them cover forty miles. Most likely, they left with some degree of darkness to protect their escape. We do not know what month they traveled in, but Lake Erie’s water conditions can change drastically in a moment’s time causing perilous conditions for anyone on her waters.
The men made it safely to the shoreline of Ashtabula, and moved quickly inland as far as they could go to feel safe from any pursuers. The land they reached would become the west portion of Sheffield Township. In 1812, Sheffield was known as East Matherstown, so named after Samuel Mather, Jr., an original stockholder of the Connecticut Land Company and owner of the Sheffield tract. Mather never lived on the land but divided it into three lots and gave it to his three children. In turn, they never took possession of their inheritance but sold it instead. Matthew Hubbard and Henry Parsons, of Ashtabula, sold the land to new settlers.
John Shaw would marry Almira Beckwith, daughter of Mr. and Mrs. George Beckwith, who lived at the harbor in Ashtabula. Descendants of the couple were known to still be living in Sheffield more than 200 years later. We have John Shaw’s son, Truman Beckwith Shaw, to thank for recording the story of how his father came to our country and the risks he took.
Major Moore, a veteran of the Revolutionary War was actually the first man to break the forest in Sheffield. He erected a cabin in 1811, cleared two-three acres and left. He returned a few years later.
By 1815, Rueben and Amos Mendall and brother-in-law, Abram Springstead and their families, came to Sheffield. They settled in the middle part of the township north of the river.
The first recorded wedding was that of Rueben Mendall’s sixteen-year-old daughter to Major Moore who had returned in 1817. The story of how they almost did not get married has endured the test of time. Smith Webster came from Kingsville to serve as justice of the peace at the joyous occasion. Charged with going to Jefferson to get the marriage license was Chauncey Atwater, Sr. His means of transportation were his feet. He made it to Jefferson and placed the precious document in his pocket and began his return journey.
Unfortunately, Atwater lost his way and as darkness closed in, he had to spend the night in the forest. Setting out early in the morning with good light, he found his way to the banks of the Ashtabula River. The river divided the northern part of our county, going east to west, and was the only marker in the dense forest for men to guide them.
Poor Atwater’s hopes were dashed when he saw the swollen river that had greatly risen after the evening’s rains. It would be impossible for him to ford the stream.
The marriage license must have been a weight in his pocket and knowing the wedding could not take place without it, Atwater had to take a longer roundabout route to cross the bridge at Kelloggsville, adding another ten miles to his trip. I wonder if more marriages would be saved if folks today had to wait longer to think through such an important decision. I would have liked to have seen the faces of the wedding couple when Atwater finally arrived and the marriage took place.
The families that came near the same time as Chauncey Atwater were Phinneas Webster, Samuel P. Castle, Thomas Fargo, Zebediah Whipple, John R. Gage, Elam Osborn and John Usher. These families settled near the northern part of the township and near the Ashtabula River for easy access to water. John Gage married Ruth Woodbury in 1817, the same year of the wedding that almost did not take place. John and Ruth Gage cleared the land on the south side of the Ashtabula River for their log cabin. They had the first white child born in the township the following July, 1818, and named her Lodema.
Joshua and Stephen Gage came about the same time and raised very large families and had the area around the intersections of Gageville Road and Route 193 named after them. John and Esther (Chapin) Hardy came to Sheffield Township in the very early days of settlement and had 11 children. One of them, also called John was born in Kingsville in 1824. He married Jerusha (Hayward) and they had 3 children, Henry C., Carrie and Eliza. Eliza was born at home in 1853 in the farmstead settled by her parents and lived there all her life. She married a Carter and died in 1929. Henry had a large farm and was a township trustee for 50 years. A large family monument to the many Hardy family members is in the Gageville Cemetery. There is also a large obelisk to Hardy family members in the Kelloggsville Cemetery in Monroe Township.
Sidney S. Lillie was born on the Lillie homestead in 1857. He married Phoebe Smith in 1883 and built an addition to the homestead for his family which included two sons, Harry A. and Ray A. The Lillie Schoolhouse and Lillie Road were named after the family.
Frank Clute was born in Sheffield in 1856 and became a carpenter. Many generations of Clutes called the area home. The Clute Schoolhouse was named after the family.
In 1819, Clarissa Cassell taught the first school in a log cabin built just for educating the children. The settlers would use the building for ten years before building what became known as the “Red School House” in 1819. It was used for a school and town hall for many years.
Sheffield Township was organized and given its new name in 1820 by the justice of the peace, John Griggs. The first saw and grist mills were erected by Elijah Peck in 1827 on the Ashtabula River just east of Sheffield Corners. Peck could saw three to four hundred feet of lumber a day.
Gathering for worship was very important to the settlers. Many of them had left behind beautiful houses of worship and were used to gathering each week to hear the Word of God preached. The Methodists were the first to organize and hold log cabin meetings in 1824. Elder Lane led the services. In 1844, David Peck donated a portion of his land for the site of the Methodist Church.
The Baptist Church, led by Rev. Edmund Richmond, was organized in 1835. Richmond gave the land for the church building and helped in its construction. It was located at West Gageville Road across from the cemetery. Richmond remained the church pastor until 1861.
The Free Will Baptists organized in 1839 and built their church in 1853 with Reverend M. L. Rollin as their first pastor. The Reverend George Sleeper and Ambrose Shelley were the moving forces in the organization of the United Brethren Church in 1857. Eventually it became they the All Saints Polish Catholic Parish. It was burned in 1965.
After organizing a school and churches, the settlers needed a place to get supplies. The first general store was built by Norman Thomsso and John Cl Richmond. It was run by Salmon Chandler and located across from the Methodist church. David Richmond was appointed the town’s first postmaster in 1845. At Sheffield Center, H.G. Hinds built a hotel in 1861. A Dr. Eaton was the first physician to help and heal the settlers of Sheffield and remained until his death in 1873.
Sheffield, like so many other townships, had its share of cheese factories and even had a butter pump and butter tub manufactory built in 1869. It was run by the Cleveland Brothers in North Sheffield. The company could produce 25 pumps and 50 butter tubs a day.
Families increased as well as the businesses, churches and schools. Soon, the cemeteries marked the places where the first settlers rested from their labors.
Next week, you will read of the first settlers to Trumbull County.
