Sandi's project would like to thank all those involved in saving the Thompson house Specially the North Olmsted School Board, MetroParks, Anonymous donors, and members of Olmsted Historical Society. It will benefit Frostville and the history of North Olmsted very much. Now the real work begins.
Here is part of the family story:
The obituary of Daniel Thompson the youngest son of Jonathan and Priscilla Sears Thompson tells a lot of both. Daniel was born on the 13 of December in Dover, Windham, VT.
DANIEL
THOMPSON. The last but two of the Old Pioneers of Butternut
Ridge, and the last of his father’s family, who died on the 16 of March 1881
was born in Dover, VT, Nov 13, 1808. Was
married in VT, and came to Olmsted 1n 1828, in company with John CARPENTER and family, his father’s
family having been on the ridge two or three years before. About 1829 he
settled on the farm where he died and where he had resided 51 years, being 72
years, 4 months and 3 days old when he died.
He was the youngest of nine children, having five sisters and 3
brothers. In early times, when in the
vigor of manhood, he was active and influential in the aid of schools, religion
and whaever he believed to be good, either for the physical, intellectual or
moral well-being of his fellowmen.
Mr. THOMPSON was one of the original incorporators of the Olmsted
Library an institution of considerable in its time, but which lately fallen into
neglect and decay. He was quiet, peaceable and unobtrusive in his manners;
sociable, friendly, and obliging in his intercourse with fellows; and, though
decided and outspoken in his opinions and occasion for offense. And though very careful and even close in
deal, yet no man was readier, to do a neighbor a good turn, and in cases of
sickness or want, no man’s sympathies were more ready, and no man’s hand opened
wider.
He had eight children, five of
them now living. One son died in the
army, and two children died when quite young.
His first wife, the mother of his children, was subject to fits for many
years, causing him a great deal of trouble and expense. Mr. THOMPSON was not rich, but he helped his
children some, and leaves his widow in comfortable circumstances.
Of his sisters, the eldest
married John CARPENTER, and was the
mother of Wm. CARPENTER Esq. of
Olmsted Falls, who was Justice of the Pease for several successive terms, and a
leading businessman of the Tp,, of Jonathan, Richard, Charles, and George, of Butternut
Ridge, (the two latter having been Justice of the Peace) and others. The second
sister, Hannah, married a Mr. HOWE,
and was the first wife of Wm W MEAD,
Esq., of Olmsted, Edward F, HOWE, Esq., of mount Sterling Wis., familiarly
called “Frank HOWE” and others.
The third, Priscilla,
married Vespasian STEARNS, and was
the mother of wives of Newell NELSON
and Jas. W. FITCH of Olmsted, and
the wife of D. W. Briggs, of Wis., and six others sons and daughters, all
living, and all very nice people. Betsey
died in the east
The fifth Aurilla married
Elliott STEARNS, brother of
Vespasian, and was the mother of the wife of Rev. J. F. RICE, of Butternut Ridge, or Gardner STEARNS., water inspector of
Cleveland, Edmund STEARNS Esq., of
Olmsted, Mrs. Rev Nelson SAXTON, and others.
His brother Jonathan died
when a young man; another died when young. His brother, Alden, settled on the
Ridge as early as 1826, and owned the farm where Mrs. WAGNER, now lives, where he resided for nearly forty years.
The remarkable good fortune
of this truly happy family, was that all the living members on it, but one,
were settled around and in plain sight of the old couple. Jonathan THOMPSON
and Priscilla his wife, father and mother of Daniel were in comfortable
circumstance; all respectable, honorable, nice people; and all are very
agreeable and friendly with each other, and indeed with everybody else. The old
man Jonathan THOMPSON, had a farm of 150 acres on the south side of the Ridge
road, his house standing a little back, and southeast of where Mrs. P. M.
HENRY’S house now stands.
His son–in-law, Elliott STEARNS, owned a farm of 100 acres on
the north side of the road, in front of the Thompson’s. His house stood
near the road and nearly in front of J. F. RICE’S
house. This farm has been badly cut
up. Reuben RICE, Lawrence BRAMLEY, and H. RICHARDSON each own a portion of it. Harrison’s mill is on it, and
a parcel of 11 Acres was sold to Newell NELSON.
Vespasian STEARNS lived where Edmond STEARNS now lives, built the house and
barn there, with several other out buildings which have been moved away. He owned a farm of 150 acres and over,
joining Elliott’s on the west, north of the road, and THOMPSON’S south of the road; the same now owned by Charles CARPENTER, Edmond STEARNS,
and W. T. WILLIAMS. “Uncle Paish” as he was familiarly known, was
a leading man of the times and place, was Justice of the Peace, County
Commissioner ,&c, was named as a candidate for the Legislature, but for
some reason refused to go into the convention, he might have had the place by
putting himself forward, but that he never did.
He was jolly, sociable, friendly, his latch-string always out, and a
good dinner and hearty welcome always waiting the hungry at his house. Indeed
hospitality was general in this community.
John CARPENTER had a farm of 151 acres, next
west of Vespasian, where his house, a substantial two story building, now
stands on the old place, at present owned and occupied by his sons, Richard and
George, who have each a handsome new residence.
But the old house, which is yet quite good, stands there as a reminder
of old times, and occupied by a tenant. John
CARPENTER was a prominent man,
though different from M. STEARNS,
and known far and wide in northern Ohio.
This house wasone of the homes, which many
a weary traveler looked forward to with feelings akin to those of the
struggling Christian striving to gain Heaven; especially preachers and brethren
of the Baptist persuasion, but none were turned empty away. Hospitality was the law, and there was no
prescription in this happy little community though there was wide difference in
opinions. Daniel THOMPSON’S farm
joined his fathers on the east, and Alden’s already mentioned, next east of
Daniel’s. Alden owned 100 acres and
Daniel not quite so much.
The THOMPSON’S were all Baptists, I believe, and the two STEARNS’S Universalists, their wives
Baptists. Old Father Dimnick, an old
Baptist preacher, a fine old man, was a frequent visitor in the place. I have heard him preach frequently, and heard
him on his birthday when 90 years of age.
He preached frequently after that, and lived to be a little over 93, I
believe. Here, thus surrounded by their
children and children’s children, all prosperous, respected, and happy, lived
this good old pair, to a ripe old age, blessing and being blessed, and passing
away loved and esteemed by all, with a bright anticipation of a bright
hereafter. And “Grandma THOMPSON,”
the queen of this happy little realm was known and loved and esteemed for her
many deeds of goodness by all the country round. E. MERRIAM
Edward Merriam wrote and
published a book of some essays on life in the 1890’s
This article came from a
compilation Birth Marriages Deaths by
the Southwest chapter of the Ohio Genealogical Society it is available to use for research at the research section of Fairview Library
Father Dimnick should have been Dimock
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