Western Reserve chronicle. [volume] (Warren, Ohio) 1855-1921, 1864-04-20
OBITUARY.

illness OF several weeks duration, LEV
SuTLIrF, Esq, aged So years 3 months
and l3 days.
Azrsel has again passed over this com
munity and his fatal darts have this time
found a victim in one of the veteran
pioneers of the county. Levi Sutliff has
fallen as that victim, The death of a
lcitizen of mature age, born, reared and
always a resident OF the county and for
fourteen years resident of Warren,
would seem to require more than pass
ing notice Justice TO his memory and
proper respect for his family and friends
demand some mention of his life and
character
Mr.. Sutliff was born i'm Vernon, Trum-
bull county, on the 18th day of July,
1905, and at his death was nearly fifty
nine years of age.
His father, Deacon Samuel Sutliff, I'M
migrated from Massachusetts but q short
/ time before the birth of the subject OF
this notice, and settled in Vernon, where
he lived during his residence in Ohio
His mother was Granger, niece of the
late Gideon Granger, once Postmaster
General. Deacon SuIliff was q pioneer
one of that class whom the Connecticut
Land Company induced to settle on some
of their lands with Il view of bringing out
their value: and he was of course sub
Ijected to many OF the hardships of the
early settlers of the Reserve settle
ment so remote from the settlements in
the east as to be almost inaccessible, be-
cause immured in so vast wilderness.
The subject of this notice was third
son in a family of six, all of whom, save
two. have passed on. The survivors are,
| Hon. Milton Sutliff, late Chief Judge Of
the Supreme Court of Ohio, resident of
Warren; and Allen c. Sutliff. resident
of Iowa.
Among the brothers were Flavel SUIT
lift, Esq, very promising and rising
lawyer, who died young; and Calvin G.
Sutliff, Esq, also a lawyer, who died in
Warren about 10 years ago.
The Sutliff family has been one Of
marked character. Deacon Saml. Sutliff
was descendant of the puritan stock of
New England, and had much ofthe auster-
ity of that character. Mrs. Sutlifi was
descendant of family alike distinguish
ed for the talents and patriotism of its
members, having long occupied public
station and assisted to form the institu-
tions of the country, and to carry forward
the government through several admins
trations. She was woman Of remarka-
BILE intellect and varied requirements:
and what was remarkable in her case, she
was self taught. She particularly exeelled
in history. Ii was remarked of her by
Judge King, who knew her, that she was
the strongest minded woman he ever
knew. She died in 1874. She was also
very pious. Deacon Sutliff had been
Deacon of Church in Vernon for
81 years. He assisted the Rev. Mr.. Bad
ger, the pioneer minister of the Reserve,
to form and organize many of the early
Congregational Churches of the Reserve
He was man of great decision of charac-
ter, stern integrity and never yielding
perseverance, and endowed with wonder
full endurance. These faculties enabled
him to go through the trials of pioneer
life without a murmur. Their children
have inherited their superior intellect
from their mother. The character and
talents of such parents seem 90 have
been very fully impressed upon the chill
dren. All of them have been more or
less marked in their characteristics; have
been fully endowed by nature to impress
themselves forcibly upon the communities
in which they have severally resided
Levi Sutliff was born al time when
life was severe struggle among the early
settlers; and being one of the older chill
dren, was required to assist in the labor
Of ofclearing off the heavy timber from the
land, and thus reduce the wild inhospit-
able region TO a condition suited to become
the habitations of men He experienced
many of the trials and hardships of the
Western Reserve Pioneer life. 1t was a
rough, hard life, and could not fail to have
an important influence upon his charac-
ter How much of self reliance such Il
school teaches
An incident in the early life of Mr..
Sutliff, while not without interest, will
yet serve to illustrate the trials of this
pioneer boy, as well as test his powers OF
endurance and faithfulness. When =
small boy, under ten years of age, his
father sent him to mill with bag full of
grain. This was trust of no small mo-
ment for a boy of such tender years The
mill to which he was to go, was upon the
Shenango River, in Mercer County, Pa,
was distant from Vernon about twelve
miles, and was reached only by bride
or blazed path through dense forest for
most of the distance. The bag was bal
anced on the saddle, upon the family
horse, and the boy mounted on the top.
In the woods several miles east of Kins-
man, the horse, in attempting to escape
the deep mud in the path, brought the
bag against a tree with so much force as
to throw boy and bag to the ground. He
was unable to replace the heavy bag on
the horse, and it would not do to leave
it. The wheat was two dollars per bush
ell, and it had cost his father several hard
days labor to obtain it. He then watch
ed beside it waiting and hoping that some
traveller would pass who would be able to
assist him. He watched on through the
night, and into the next day to near the
meridian-a faithful sentry-but no one
came 1t was dreary watch-one full
of peril 10 so young boy, and well cal
culated to test the nerve and bravery of
any boy and indeed, many men. At
length the sharp crack of hunters rife
was heard in the distance, when, after
hallooing at the top of his voice for some
time, the hunters attention was arrested,
and came to the assistance of the boy
The bag was lifted to its place and he
continued on to the mill. On arriving at
the mill, he related his misfortune, when
the miller, who was good kind-hesrted
man, took a grist from the hopper, turn
ed in the boys grist, and sent him to his
house and had him cared for. When the
grist was ground and ready, it was again
placed upon the horse, the boy again
mounted on top and started for home
1t was dark before he came to the open
ing where the village of Kinsman now is,
but soon he saw before him at distance,
dancing light dodging among the trees,
and on meeting it he found it was a Ian
tern carried by his father who had start
ed to look for him. He was SO oyeTjoyed
at this sight that it was difacnlt for him