Geauga record. [volume] (Chardon, Geauga County, Ohio) 1952-1962, 1958-07-26
PIONEER
Continued from Page 14)

/ MGIlIlud went 1OI DldCh U6lII6S
down on the flat west of the
house, toward what was later
known as CulbertSOn'S Corners
She surprised a huge bear after
the same berries which bear did
not scare worth a cent, but am
bled steadily towards her. Her
! screams attracted her brother
Elijah who was chOpping wood
behind the house; he grabbed
his faithful rifle, which was al
ways kept handy, ran to the
edge of the hill and fired over
his sisters head and with a sin
gle shot, felled bruin. And boy!
What a kick that rifle had; l
know, for l fired it once and
only once and thought my ShOul-
der was gone.
Oh, yes; let's have more a
bout the Stephen POmeroy fami-
ly as a whole, before We talk
about Elijah'S sister Melinda,
my great-grandmother.
Stephen Pomeroy was born
June 80, 1869 in Southampton,
Mass. He married Lydia Bridge
man, October "a, 1898. They
came from Northampton, Mass.
with their six children, to Ohio
in 1908; those six children were:
Lucretia, born in 1896, Elijah,
born in 1893; Horace, born in
1900; Melinda, born in 1902;
Stephen Bridgeman, born in
1904 and Lydia, born in 1906. In
other articles you will doubtless
read more about that trek west
ward, but here We are looking
for some Of the little personal
stories about great-great-grand-
father Stephen and his brood.
Stephen PomerOy was evident
ly a man Of real stamina to
have ShouIdered his knapsack,
axe and gun in 1907 and walked
those hundreds Of miles from
Massachusetts to Ohio, selected
the site for his future home,
cleared the land, fashioned the
timberS for his 24Xl8 cabin and
then, calling is several men
from the surrounding area, put
the home together, before leav-
ing, on foot again, one frosty
morning in the late fall of 1907
for Northampton. I've often
wondered how he found the ca
bin next spring; did the roof
leak? Had the Indians visited
the place and left the door Op-
en-?
Great-great-grandfather was a
hard working man, clearing the
land, with the help of the boys,
/ so necessary for growing the
crops which, in turn, would feed
his family, chief among which
crops was corn, that excellent
body builder, and gradually, as
more ground was made ready,
wheat. Corn cakes, with an alb
undancc of wild honey was the
principal fare The honey, har-
vested during the summer, was
| kept in a wooden trough, hcWn
from Il large log, covered in a
corner of the cabin.
1t was not all work, however
for daily prayers followed q
reading from the Bible and, on
Sunday, a regular service was
hlCd at which Hermit John Find
ley would sometimes speak, uSu-
ally, however, grandfather Ste
phen was the elder of the sing,
ing, as we'll as the preacher
When the Paul Clapp family
came in 1903, about six week!
after the POmeroys had arrived
in the CIapp and POmeroy hom
CS.
Undoubtedly those pioneers d.
rived their moral stamina ant
consequent physical strength
from their complete belief il
reliance on God.
Both Uncle Elijah and great
grandmother Melinda Clapl
said their father was a kind
though very stern parent
Their mother, Lydia Bridgemal
Pomeroy, while an excellent dis
ciplinarian, yet was quieter am
more easy with the children
She was a favorite with tn
. friendly Indians who Of e !