R. E. Braman

E. BRAMAN, county coroner for Lorain county, and township assessor of Elyria township, is a native of the county, born at Carlisle October 20, 1838. Anson Braman, father of our subject, was born in ISll in Genesee county, N. Y. In 1822 his parents came from that county to Avon township, Lorain Co., Ohio. In 1882 Anson removed from Avon to Carlisle, where he followed the business of a farmer and nurseryman, and in 1855 came to Elyria, same county, where he established the nurseries now owned l)y J. C. Hill. From Elyria he went to Northport, Mich. He was married, in 1835, in Carlisle, to Miss Emeline Vincent, who was born at Mt. Washington, Berkshire Co., Mass., October 10, 1818.

R. E. Braman was reared on his father's farm and educated at the Elyria j)public schools. At the age when he should have been entering the arena of professional or business life, the Civil war broke out. and fired by the spirit of patriotism he enlisted, August 9, 1861, in Company I,

Eighth O. V. I., and was mustered into the service at Columbus, Ohio On the first day of his service iie was promoted to corporal, afterward to sergeant, and finally to lieutenant, his commission, however, not being issued till July 25, 18G4. Our subject participated in the following battles and skirmishes: Hanging Rock, Va.; Romney, Va. (both battles); Blues Gap; French Store; Blooming Gap; Cedar Creek; Strasburgh; Kernstown; Winchester; Cedar Creek (second battle); Woodstock; Edinburgh; Mt. Jackson; Rood's Hill; New Market; Front Royal; Harrison's Landing; Chickahominy Swamps; Germantown [M. these in Virginia); Mouocacy Bridge, Md.; South Mountain, Md.; Cliancellorsville, Va.; Gettysburg, Pa.; Kilwinter, Md. After which he was present at the following engagements in Virginia: Falling Water, Culpeper Courthouse, Robinson's River, Rappahannock Station, Beaieton, Auburn, Bristol Station, Centerville, Kelly's Ford, Robertson's Tavern, Mine Run, Morton's Ford, Wilderness, Todd's Furnace, Po River, Spottsylvania and North Anna. At the last named battle lie received a shot through the high, which crippled him for life, and he remained in hospital until Augut-t 25, 1864, when he returned home.

In 1805 Mr. Braman married Miss Helen M. Nickerson, a native of Wellington, Ohio, and four children — Edith M., Harry E., Hattie L. and Frank R. — were born to them. For a short time after the war Mr. Braman was engaged in the coal business, but since 1868 he has almost constantly been holding local offices of trust. In that year he was elected township assessor of Elyria township, an incumbency he has filled continuously since, with the exception of the period he was county sheriff — 1872 to 1876. He was elected county coroner in 1881, and has filled the office ever since without interruption. He has served as constable of Elyria township several years, and is, at present, deputy city marshal. His pension for services in the war was originally thirty dollars per month, which was raised to forty-five dollars by special Act of Congress. Politically he is a stanch Republican; 'pecially he is a member of the G. A. R. Post, No. 65, Elyria (in which he has been senior vice-commander), of the Royal Arcanum and Knights of Honor.

[This passage is too damaged in the scanned book to reproduce. See the original book.]

The parents of subject moved to Jefferson county, N. Y., and there followed farming until 1825, when they came to Ohio and settled in the woods of La- Grange township, Lorain county, where they cleared a farm and remained till the father was al)oUt seventy years old. They then retired into the village of La Granjfe, and there passed the remainder of their busy lives, the mother dying in 1878, at the age of seventy-nine years, the father in 1880, at the patriarchal age of ninety-one. He was in politics first a Democrat, then a Free-boiler, and lastly a Republican. He and his wife were members of the Baptist Church, in which he was a deacon f)-om 1840 up to the time of his death. His father (grandfather of subject) was a native of Ashfoid, Conn., a farmer by occupation, and died in La Grange, Lorain county, when his grandson, G. II., was a boy.

[This passage is too damaged in the scanned book to reproduce. See the original book.]

In 1853 Mr. Robbins was united in marriage with Miss Mary F. Perkins, who has borne him two children, Louise L. and Hettie J. Mary F. Perkins was born February 12, 1828, at Burlington, Otsego Co., N. Y., and is the eldest daughter and second child in the family of eight children— four sons and four daughters — born to Thomas and Lucy (Fitch) Perkins, who were also natives of the same place. Her early years were spent in Virgil, Cortland Co., N. Y., and in 1849 she removed with her parents to Grafton, Ohio. For several years previous to her marriage she was engaged in teaching, in which profession she was very successful. Tlionias Perkins was a descendant of John Perkins, one of two brothers who migrated from England to Boston about the year 1700.

1 born

[This passage is too damaged in the scanned book to reproduce. See the original book.]

1820, and here he remained, devoting himself chiefly to the practice of his profession, teaching school in the county, and in other occupations, including that of justice of the peace, until the fall of 1837, when he removed with all his family (excepting his son, Henry E. to Rockford, In., where he continued in the practice of the law until his death, which occurred October 14, 1843.

Henry E. Mussey completed his education in Elyria under the preceptorship of Rev. John Monteith, and at the age of fourteen commenced the battle of life with no capital save energy, willing heart and hands, and sound judgment. He takes pride in relating how he chopped cord wood in Elyria at eighteen and three-quarter cents and twenty cents. Choosinu; the arena of mercantile trade, he became clerk for Kendall & Parsons, where close application to business, steadiness and integrity soon brought him advancement till we lind him in course of time senior partner of Mussey & Fuller, which subsequently became H. E. Mussey & Co., and he claims that the secret of the unbounded success the firm met with was the strictly cash basis upon which they operated — buying for cash and selling for cash. In 1842 Mr. Mussey went west and took up a large amount of land in Minnesota. He was in Chicago when land there that is now worth millions could have been bought for a mere song; but from his experience he avers that money loaned at six per cent per annum is a better and safer investment than average real-estate investments. During the " forties" he made more than one trip to Michigan and elsewhere, carrying with him different bank currencies, and making exchanges at various places, selling at a discount for gold and trading currency for currency, in order to get Ohio money or gold. In 1857 he suld out his mercantile business to Baldwin, Laundou & Nelson, and engaged in lake shipping, becoming, from that time, interested also in banking and real estate.

[This passage is too damaged in the scanned book to reproduce. See the original book.]

Mr. Mussey is possessed of a most retentive memory, recalling with wonderful accuracy the details of incidents which occurred within his own view during his long life; and he believes that memory is the divinest attribute of man, permitting him to live over again the happy days of his past life. He has in his possession a budget of souvenirs illustrative in a measure of the rapid strides this country has made during the past few decades — such as letters written in the "thirties" before envelopes came into use, and the postage was thirty-seven and one-half cents per half ounce between Elyria and Indiana. He saw the day when the mail for Elyria was brought on horseback in a single bag thi'ee times a week, and has witnessed all the improvements since, from the daily stage to the present age of steam, telegraph and telephone, with postage gradually reduced to two cents per ounce to any part of the United States, and the single mail bag of thi-ee times a week developed into many such — pouring their contents, correspondence from all jjarts of the civilized world — several times a day in every day of the year. He has also been a witness to great political changes in the nation, and one of the greatest improvements that he marks was the transformation of a State currency to a National one. Mr. Mussey has seen dark periods of panics and financial depression, but by keen foresight and careful management he always succeeded in steering his affairs clear of shoals and the impetiding vortex. During the war of the Rebellion, he was true to his colors, grave much of his time and means toward the defense of the Union, and was a member of the local military committee. In religious connection his family are members of the Baptist Church, of which he has ever been a liberal supporter. Socially he has always been liberal, frank and genial, in business never else than scrupulously honorable and honest.

As printed in Commemorative biographical record of the counties of Huron and Lorain, Ohio (1894). See the original pages. Wording is the original; obvious scanning errors have been corrected, and a few may remain.