THE PIONEERS.
LYME.
DAVID WILLIAMS.
Daniel Williams, the father of David, was born near Philadelphia, Pa., in 1783, where he resided with his father and mother until his majority. His father's name was David, who was of Welsh extraction, and his mother's name was Margaret Lyons. He married Miss Catharine Henney, of German parentage, then living in Centre Co., Pa. In 1813 he removed to Ohio, and settled at Rouseburg, Wayne Co. There were at the time only five families in the township, and one old Quaker was the only resident of Wooster, Ohio.
In process of time, by industry and perseverance, he was able to purchase land and to build a gristmill, and had fair prosperity. In 1833 he removed to the Fire-Lands, and settled about two miles southeast of Bellevue, purchasing two hundred and forty acres of land, about a mile west of his location, just across the Huron County line, called the oak openings. He raised a family of stalwart sons, whose industry and ability to accomplish herculean feats of labor were a source of great profit to him. At the time of his death, June 27, 1858, he was the possessor of seven hundred acres of good farming land, much of it under cultivation.
His children were Anna Catharine, John Adam, David, Betsey, Ellen, John, Joseph, Wm. Henry, Daniel, Adam, Levi, and Lydia.
Of the sons, John is at present residing near Milan, Ohio, a well-to-do farmer. Joseph died some years ago, leaving his family a goodly inheritance; he was an excellent man, strictly upright, and he will ever be gratefully remembered by those who knew him well. Adam resides near Bellevue, and has a family of three industrious, hard-working boys; one of them, William, the oldest, is married. Levi died, many years since, of typhoid fever. David, the subject of this notice, was born in Centre Co., Pa., Feb. 10, 1810.
In 1833 he married Rebecca, daughter of Zadok and Ruth Elliott, then residing in Wayne Co., Ohio. Her parents were of English origin, and settled in Maryland at an early day.
Soon after his father's removal to Huron County, David came likewise, and settled near Hunt's Corners. A few years later he removed to the oak openings tract, in Seneca County, and engaged in the burning of lime. He found it to be a profitable business, but in 1845 he had the misfortune to have his house burned by accident, destroying nearly the whole of his household goods, and consuming $500 in money.
This event is fresh in the mind of the writer, who was then less than three years old. It was on a Sunday. He had been with his parents to church. When, on returning, they came in sight of the house, and saw it enveloped in flames, he will never forget the look of anguish in his mother's face, for her infant child, hardly six months old, had been left at home with the nurse, as also her two oldest children,—the one ten and the other eight years of age. That anxious look was indelibly stamped upon the memory of childhood, as also the sight of the burning dwelling, from which smoke and flames were angrily leaping, and the fury of speed with which the horses were urged onward. The mother arrived to find that the babe had been rescued from the flames by the heroic act of the hired man, just in time to save its life. The subsequent life of Mr. Williams was, for the most part, that of a well-to-do farmer. His neighbors accorded him the praise of being the most intelligent tiller of the soil in his township — an intelligence, combined with an indefatigable industry, that resulted in keeping his fields in most excellent condition, and in yielding him generous returns for his labor.
His wife, and the mother of his children (and no mother was fonder of her own than was she), died Oct. 6, 1854. Six sons and two daughters were born to them, as follows: Daniel P., April 26, 1835; Esther A., March 16, 1837; John, Sept. G, 1839; William W., April 28, 1842; Hamilton Z, July 2, 1844; Theodore F., Dec. 7, 1846; Louis A., Jan. 22, 1849; and Rosa B., March 14, 1851.
Daniel married Mary J. Burns, by whom he had two children — James and Burton. He died Nov. 9, 1862. He was an exceptionally promising young man, a good writer, and a forcible speaker. He was a great admirer of Stephen A. Douglas, for whom he voted for President in 1860, and was a delegate to the Democratic State Convention, held that year at Des Moines, Iowa, in which State he was then a resident. Esther A. is the wife of Henry Forney, and resides at Marshalltown, Iowa, where she has a pleasant and comfortable home. She has a family of five children, — four sons and one daughter.
John died Dec. 14, 1844.
William W. is the publisher of this volume. He married Susan C, daughter of Bourdett Wood, of Bellevue, Ohio, April 9, 1868, who died Nov. 5, 1872. He has two children — Bourdett W. and Susan E.
Hamilton Z. married Florence, daughter of Horatio Adams, Sept. 12, 1870. They have two children.
Theodore F. married Sarah, daughter of M. Eckhart. They have three children.
Louis A. married Jessie, daughter of H. M. Sinclair. She died in July 1873. He has one child — Grace. The last three named are associated with William W., in the publication of county histories. Rosa B. married Melville Warner, of Wooster, Ohio. They have one child.
Mr. Williams, the subject of this memoir, married Eliza, widow of Nathan Cook, July 29, 1855. She bore him one son, —Charles, born July 30, 1860, now in the junior year of Kenyon College, Gambler, Ohio. With Mrs. Cook's introduction into the family of Mr. Williams came her three children, Collins C, now deputy postmaster and insurance agent, Bellevue ; James D., residing in Norwalk, Ohio, where he is associated with his wife's father, Mr. W. R. Little, in the hardware business ; and Ella, who became the wife of E. J. Sheffield, and died April 3, 1876. She was a lady of many admirable traits of character. Mr. Williams died Feb. 18, 1871, and his widow, Jan. 3, 1879.
He gave to all his children a fair education. None of his boys seemed inclined to follow his chosen avocation of farmer, and he therefore sold his farm, after the marriage of the youngest son, and took up his residence in Bellevue. He was a devoted member of the Methodist Episcopal Church, to whose support he was a liberal contributor. He was a man of sound judgement, strong convictions, and faultless life.
Excerpts from: The Fire Lands, Comprising Huron and Erie Counties, Ohio; W.W. Williams - 1879 -
Press of Leader Printing Company, Cleveland, Ohio