The Bluffton news. [volume] (Bluffton, Ohio) 1875-current, 1959-01-15
antedated it a dozen wears.

New Richmond was founded by
Jacob Light and Susanna was
founded by Thomas Ashburn and
named for his wife, Lights sis
ter. The towns rocked along in
dependently until January IL, 18-
2S, when they were incorporated
as one = the Village of New
Richmond, still existent.
Susanna came into being the
hard way. Ashburn was an edu-
Gated Englishman who lost ev-
erything in the panic that hit
Britain at the end of the zoos
and came to America to start
in all over again - flat broke.
After looking around a Bit he
with another man, John Wilson,
began taking stone out of the
Ohio river by hand and bringing
them to Cincinnati to sell as
walling stone. They at first used
a small boat then finally were
able to buy cart to haul the
stone. Some of the stone they
laid themselves and with the rest
kept the masons supplied. Ash
burn related that he always kept
a shovel handy so that he could
go and cart gravel, sand and
earth at moments notice for
any who might ask and pay.
MY mother was not able to
cook and wash for the family and
! living being dear here, had to
take me a wife on the last eve
ming of 1906" Ashburn wrote to
a friend. That was when he got
Susanna.
"On the fourth day of the first
month, 1906" he with another
man bought eight acres of land
near the town for $400. They
bought the ground for the sake
of the stone on it and after work
ing two years had it paid for,
Ashburn said.
When the eight acres had been
paid for its owners divided it
and Ashburn went on getting
stone out of the river for ten
years before he had to quit -
the work was getting too hard.
MY common days work was to
load 180 bushels of gravel or
lime into the carts, filling each
measure and putting it into the
cart" the man related.
When he was offered $1,000 for
his part of the land that had
cost the men $400 together, Ash
burn took it. IT bought a farm
on the bank of the river 20
miles above Cincinnati on the
Ohio side for which I paid down
the day I bought, $4,000.
moved to it ten years ago and
intend to continue here" he said.
The farm had 875 acres was
mostly woods but in one corner
of it Ashburn laid off his town.
named Susanna, after his wife.
The foregoing has been taken
from a letter dated Susanna, 7th
of the End month, 1921" to Dear
and Much Respected Cousin
(Thomas Craig), Wyersdale, near
Lancaster, in old England The
letter was found in the library
at Cambridge England and cop
led by M. D. Conway, London
correspondent for the Cincinnati
Commercial, in 1882, and finally
found its way to the great-great
granddaughter of Thomas anC
Susanna Ashburn at New Rich
mond, Mrs. Fred Climer, t.
whom this writer credits it.
Anna Ashburn, daughter o
Thomas and Susanna, was mar
ried to Caleb Walker, storekeep
er and second mayor of tn
town, a strong abolitionist, wh
in Civil War time built six sma'
cottages on the river front a
New Richmond and decided ther
to freed slaves. "Grandm
Graves" who barbered for every
body in town for many year.
lived in one, and Aunt jose
phine," who was a collector {
most everything, especially oil
newspapers, lived in anothel
Other occupants are forgotten
The last of the tumble-down hut
withstanding all river floods, wa
pulled down in summer, 1858,
a New Richmond beautificatio
project.
1t is interesting that when
new public school was establishe
in the old district schoolhouse
1852 it had an enrolment of 81
nuuilS. When IL was diScovere