The Democratic press. [volume] (Ravenna, O. [Ohio]) 1868-1901, 1871-09-28
HISTORY OF RAvENNA.
From the UnpubIfshed History Of the
western Reserve by GEN. l.. ".
Bferce, OF Akron.
IcoxrsUEp1

4po, IN company Win nathan ferry, OF Cleve-
land, .opened'a store under the firm name Of
.Perry & Prenfiss." He was born in Fran
cistown, Hillsborough county, New Hamp-
. shire, IN 1877, and came with mis- fathers FAM
I. lily, to Ohio, when he was seven years old
When quite boy he was employed by Nathan
Perry as bog Of all business take care of
horses, sweep the store, and make himself
generally useful. His honesty, integrity, and
aptness for business, soon recommended him
for higher position, and he was advanced to
q clerkship In the store. The confidence Of
his employer was not misplaced, as he soon
eyinced talent and saptuess that raised him to
chief clerkship. Soon amer, Mr.. Perry pro-
posed eopartnership, and that Cyrus should
take store of goods to Ravenna. This offer
was readily accepted, and in 1922 he arrived,
with large stock Of goods. He was pecu-
liarly constituted Tor merchant-pleasanf
social and honest. He and Zenas Kent be-
came rivals in business, and their rivalry final
sly cuiminated in feeling of personal hostili-
,aty.. s.,s ,'s ssagsa .I,l1 e.ei
so long as Mr. Prentiss applied himself to
his merchandising he prospered, until It was
question which was the richer; he or Mr..
Kent On the receipt of the avails of large
slotof cheese that he had sent down the Ohio
river, he said, "my ambition is now satisfied.
1t has been my ambition to be worth a hun
sdred thousand dollars. have now attained
my object" se
= Fortunate for him would it have been if his
ambition had been satisfied; but it was only
tnrned into q new channel. He entered with
all his energy, into the construction of rail-
road from Cleveland to Pittsburgh.was elect
and business Of his store in the hands ofclerks |
and devoted all of his time to the business of |
the, road In consequence of the feeling that |
existed between him and Mr. Kent, Prentiss |
managed TO run the road just near enough TO |
Franklin, where Kent had made large invest |
ments, TO injure it, but avoid it. Kent, in re-
tsliation, started the project of the Atlantic & |
land 81 Pittsburgh Railroad. To the feelings |
engendered by the rivalry of these Two men |
are the public indebted for the Atlantic and |
Great Western Railway. aiaa aai s5.i. ~
several years, he was superseded, and elected |
President of road in Iowa, to which he devo-
ted ali his attention, to the neglect of his store
and private business. This, with the unsiortu-
nate purchase of a coal bank in Western Vir-
gin1a, the construction of a railroad from his
coal bank to the Ohio river, and boats on the
river to transport his coal to market, at a cost
OF sixty or seventy thousand dollars, involved
him, pecuniafily,l beyond his ability, and his
reverses of fortune undoubtedly hastened his
death, which occurred July 31st, 1860, aged
6S. In his reverse .offortune, and death, Ra-
VIENNA lost one of its most enterprising and
energetic men-a loss that can hardly be COM
puted. -,,.ss
came to Ravenaa in 1924 At that time
George Tod was President Judge of the Court
or Common Pleas. He was born in SutfieId,
Conn, in 1773; died at Brier Hill, in lS41&
The Associate Judges were Alyah Day, who
was born at CRANKY, Conn, in 17s1; came TO
first child born in Deerfield, and of the second
in the county. He died in October, 1866.
Elias Harmon, born in Suffield, Conn.,, in
1T73; came 10 Ohio in 1900, and was the father
of the first white child born in the county. |
This child was Eunice Harmon, born in July,
1900. Polly Day, daughter of Judge Alvah
Day, and the second white child born in the
county, was born August %, $500, and died in
AlvaE Day and Elias Harmon were appoint
ed Judges by the Legislature of 1915. Judge
Day served Il years. Judge Harmon 81 years.
Judge Harmon died in September, 1851.
George B, DePuyster was the. other Associ- ,
ate Judge. He was born in Hackensack, New
Jersey, in 1856; came to Ohio in 1917; was
the first postmaster at Franklin Mills; was
Justice of the Peace there for many years, and
then Associate Judge of the Court of Common
Pleas. He died in February, 1S44-being Au-
ditor Of the county at the time esof his death.
At that time Seth Day was Clerk OF the court.
He was from CRANKY, Connecticut and came
TO Ohio in 1900, with his father, Lewis Day.
In 1904 he was appointed Clerk of the County
Commissioners, an 0ftices corresponding to
county AuQltOr NJ present. lnt same year
he was also appointed Clerk of the Court of
Common Pleas and of the Supreme Court;
and in 1917 was appointed Recorder; and in
1878 was appointed Postmaster. The last
three offices he held till 1882. He died No
vembef 24th, 1862.
Samuel D. Harris was Auditor. He died
August q, 1865. .ssss gfifiAlA5 fz.2 z.'A's
Darius Lyman was Prosecuting Attorney.
He died Dec. Is, 1866. - st5 Z. sso1 e 9lS.
Jonathan Sloane, William 8. Tracy, Edward
Hooker and Charles Olcott were the lawyers. ,
They are all dead 80
William King, Salmon Carter and Almon
Babcock were, the landlords. They are all ,
dead. fsr go 4
Zenas Kent and Cyrus Prentiss we're the
merchants. Both dead. 90
And Of the residents of the village, at that
time, know of none now living, except DIR.
Swift and Col. Frazer.
To look back on the history of the judges,
the clerk, the auditor, Prosecuting Attorney,
lawyers, landlords, merchants and residents,
and find them all gone, reminds me of the. 1
lines of Homer s-ssI. = sfls iis>l n
Like leaves on trees the race of man is found,
Now greer IN ynuth, now whitening on the ground.
Another race the following year supplies,
They iall successive, and successive rise"