The Stark County Democrat. [volume] (Canton, Ohio) 1833-1912, 1902-12-23
ONE OF THE EARLIEST PIONEER
FAMILIES OF STARK COUNTY

that John Slusser could make these
things and at once more demand for
such articles than. any one man could
make He made all he could, made
,.iem good and strong and we have
few articles in our family that were
made by John Slusser, before any
low living knew anything about such
things and they are good and solid
today and could not he purchased from
us. We value them too highly.
In the year 1912 John Slusscr en-
listed as soldier, near where the
city Of Sandusky is now located, he
was taken sick SO that he could not
enter upon active service and was af-
Hterwards honorably dismissed from the
service and not long after his return
to Canton he married Nancy Dewalt.
sister Of Daniel, George and Philip
Dewalt. He had obtained from his
father some land about mile from
town on what is now known rs the
Fulton road. There he settled and re-
mained fer number>of years giving
most Of his time to cabinet work
making bureaus, clock cases, tables,
and such other useful household fur
niture as the country at that time much
needed. In 1925 he exchanged his
property with John Webb for the prop
erty on the northeast corner of Tus-
ca1awas street and Piedmont street
and that at that time was the
two story brick building that
stood many years five or six
feet lower than the house,
now standing there. After coming to
town he continued to make some fur
niture. but concluded as he had good
central location he would open
store aud In company with others who
wanted to buy goods in Philadelphia
and New York, rode on horseback to
those cities. In these days a Few
staple dry goods, little hardware,
boots and shoes and general variety
made up the stock. He continued in
this business until 1850 and was quite
successful. but finally retired from all
kinds Of business and bought another
property two squares further east on
Tuscarawas street, on the south size
and there lived until he died in 1859.
In 1912 John Slusser's first wife died.
They had in all seven children, Mrs.
Madison (Sarah) Reynolds. Samuel d.
Slusser and DR.. Lew Slusser. Mary and
Alfred died Of scarlet fever in 1888.
John Slusser. jr., lived in the southern
states until 1860 when he died and his
remains were brought to Canton and
were buried in the family lot at West
Lawn cemetery. Rebecca, now Mrs.
David collars, is the only one of the
family yet living. Some time after
the death OF John Slusser's first wife
he married Mrs. Catherine Whitman,
but no children were born during the
second marriage.
During the time that John Slusser
was in the mercantile business he
bought the lot on the north side of
East Tuscarawas street, just east of
Saxton street, and there erected a tan
yard which he conducted quite sue
cessfully, with William Dobbs as his
tanner. In later years Sam. ID. Slusser
had become an excellent tanner and
conducted the tanning business on that
yard until 1t was given up. Just
across the street (Saxton) where the
Wheeling & Lake Erie station now
stands was the lot on which Jacob
Hane had lived and conducted a tan
yard. Mr.. Hane and Mr.. Slusser
were competitors in the tanning busi-
ness for many years and were always
warm friends. The old buildings on
the Slusser lot are mostly all stand
Ing, but have been converted to other
purposes while the building on the
Hane lanyard site had to be all re-
moved to make place for the best pas
senger station in the city as now
owned and occupied by the Wheeling
d Lake Erie railroad All these
changes may appear very singular to
our young people, but the old citizens
are quite familiar with them and there
fore enjoy looking back to see some
of our early surroundings.