The Stark County histories describe three Oberlin households from Lancaster County, Pennsylvania, and never say how they were related to one another. Adam and Eve Oberlin moved from Lancaster County to Cumberland County and then to Stark County with their son Peter, who settled in the western part of Tuscarawas Township in 1813, before Massillon existed. Peter's sons included Samuel, a Massillon dry goods merchant, and Joseph, who went to the California gold mines in 1853 and later farmed and ran twice for the Legislature; Samuel's son Charles E. Oberlin kept a hardware store on North Erie Street. John and Catharine (Newstetter) Oberlin, also by way of Cumberland County, entered land in Tuscarawas Township in 1812; their son C. N. Oberlin was a Massillon grocer, and their daughter Sarah married the farmer David Miller. A third family, Jacob and Elizabeth (Runk) Oberlin, settled in Jackson Township in 1826. Every fact below is cited to a public-domain Stark County history.
Earliest in the record
Samuel Oberlinborn 1818Most recent in our records
Charles E. Oberlinborn 1855Each number matches a section below. Tap a name to jump to that person.
Pennsylvania German pioneers
Settled in Tuscarawas Township, 1813
Dry goods merchant, Massillon
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As printed in the source1. Wording is the original; obvious scanning errors have been corrected, and a few may remain.
Farmer, teacher and gold miner, Tuscarawas Township
Hardware merchant, Massillon; son of Samuel
[This passage is too damaged in the scanned book to reproduce. See the original book.]
Our subject subsequently entered the hardware store of S. A. C'conrad as clerk, and continued as such for about ten years, after which he became junior partner, about 1883. Even at that age he displayed unusual sagacity and shrewdness as a business man, and remained a member of this firm until 1888, attending strictly to the buying and selling. The firm then dissolved partnership, and in the spring of that year our subject branches out in business for himself. He has a large double store at Nos. 12 and 14 North Erie Street, J. F. Hess' old stand, and the building is three stories in height and is 50x65 feet in dimensions. An elevator is in this building. Mr. Oberlin put in a fine new stock of shelf hardware and miner's supplies, paints, oils, etc., and has a large and flourishing trade. lie is an energetic and thorough man of business, and is highly esteemed, beinghonorable in all his dealings.
As printed in the source2. Wording is the original; obvious scanning errors have been corrected, and a few may remain.
Entered land in Tuscarawas Township, 1812
Daughter of John; wife of David Miller
Grocer, Massillon; son of John
C. N. OBERLIN, grocer, Massillon; was born in Tuscarawas Township Jan. 28, 1820; son of John and Catharine (Newstetter) Oborlin, he being born in Lancaster Co., Penn., in 1788, she near Yorktown, Va., in 1790; they (John and wife) came from Cumberland Co., Penn., where they were married, and located in Tuscarawas Township, where he entered land in 1812; he raised a family of twelve y children — seven sons and live daughters — sis I of whom are now living; he died in 1849, his [ wife in 1858. Oiu* subject was raised to I farming until 12 years of age, when he came to town and clerked for fomyears, then ten years for Atwater & Dickey. In 1853, he began business with a partner, immer the firm name of Oberlin & Beatty, which lasted until 1857, when Mi. Oberlin sold out to his partner, and then started on his own account, and has this continued since. In 1847, he married Nancy McDowell, a relative of Gen. Mc- Dowell, of the late civil war; she was born in Tuscarawas Township in 1827, daughter of John and Nancy (Hoaglaud) McDowell, who were from Washington Co., Penn.; had three children, two living — Ellen F., Mrs. Adam Knoblock, in Canton; and Edith, at home. Mi's. Oberlin is a member of the Presbyterian Church. Ml-. Oberlin is one of the oldest grocers in the city, and is among the self-made men of the community. He is a Democrat.
As printed in the source1. Wording is the original; obvious scanning errors have been corrected, and a few may remain.
Farmer near McDonaldsville
JACOB OBERLIN, farmer; P. O. Mc- Donaldsville; was born in Lancaster Co., Pa., Nov. 4, 1817; is the son of Jacob and Elizabeth (Runk) Oberlin, who were natives of Iancaster Co., Pa., and removed to Stark Co., Ohio, in 1826, and settled in Jackson Tp. Father died in about 1850 and mother in 1872. Jacob Oberlin, the subject, has been a resident of the county and township since 1826. In 1845 he married Elizabeth Lutz, daughter of Samuel and Elizabeth (Arnold) Lutz. Mrs. Oberlin was born in Stark Co., Ohio, in 1823. Mr. Oberlin has five children — Isaac, Sarah J., wife of John Real; Mary A., wife of M. Slate; Elizabeth A., and Catharine A. Mr. Oberlin and wife are members of the Reformed Church, and he is a staunch Republican.
As printed in the source1. Wording is the original; obvious scanning errors have been corrected, and a few may remain.
The printed record stops in the early 1900s. We pick up from there and trace your line down to you and back as far as the records go, into a written book with every source cited.
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