Royal R. Ross

ROYAL R. ROSS.

The Ross family, to which our subject. Royal Resolved Ross, who is a leading citizen of Crawford county, Ohio, traces his ancestry, originated in Scotland, from which country his great-grandfather came generations ago, settling in Pomfret, Connecticut, among the early settlers. The grandfather was a well known physician there who later removed with his family to Otsego county Xew York, where the father of our subject grew to manhood and married; in 1825 he came to Crawford county. The parents of our subject, Abel C. and Celia ( Emmons) Ross, had a family of four children, but our subject is the only survivor. Two died in infancy and one daughter, Phoebe Alzina married Wiliam Cuykendall, who at death left four children, viz.: Ross, Dorr, Edessa and William R.

Abel Ross was born in Pomfret. Connecticut, in 1800, and was a son of Royal Ross. After his marriage in the state of New York he came to Craw ton 1 county, Ohio, and settled on the farm in Auburn township, which is now the property of Alfred C. Ross, and here he entered eighty acres of land, and in later years added thirty-two and one-half acres to the original purchase. At that time it was virgin forest, but he worked hard and succeeded in clearing it up, and lived in the log cabin, which he built upon it, until our subject was eighteen years of age. Then Mr. Ross built a commodious and comfortable frame residence, and lived here until his death.

The mother of Mr. Ross, of this sketch, died when he was only four years old. By a later marriage, to Miss Laura A. Carlisle, three more children were added to the family: Byron H., Celia A. and Alfred C, the last named residing on the home farm. In his early years Mr. Ross was a Whig", and later naturally connected himself with the Republican party. Although not a member, he was a supporter of the Baptist church, and was known as a man of probity and Christian life and character.

Royal R. Ross was born in Auburn township, Crawford county, Ohio, on November 2, 1832, and he was a son of Abel C. and Celia (Emmons) Ross, as mentioned above. He grew up on the home farm and acquired his education in the common schools, all of his attendance, with two years' exception, being in the pioneer log hut, with slabs for benches and with a luncheon floor, over which the little barefooted children had to walk with circumspection, always being in danger of splinters. When he had reached the age of nineteen years our subject began to work for neighboring farmers, assisting in the having and harvesting, and was a welcome hand for the following four years, being strong and willing.

About 1855, desiring to see something of the world, Mr. Ross went to Charlotte, Michigan, and worked through one year in a sawmill there, going then to Marion, in Linn county, Iowa, where he was employed during the next year on a farm. A party of friends desired Mr. Ross to accompany them to Kansas, and he bought a horse and made his way to Independence, Missouri, where he joined them, but the party was detained some weeks and our subject in the meantime found temporary employment. They all reached Neosho Falls, Kansas, but finally decided to turn back. Mr. Ross returned with them to Ohio, and found business conditions better in his native place than in other sections of the country. In 1858 he entered into a partnership with Samuel Hilborn and Samuel Wynn and they built a steam sawmill in this township, and this enterprise was successfully conducted for seven years. During this time Mr. Ross bought a farm of one hundred acres, known as the Williams farm, later trading this for one of eighty acres, located near the mill. Two years later he sold this property to advantage and bought eighty acres, where he now resides, selling the mill at this tune and removing to his present property, where he now owns one hundred and twenty acres of well-improved and highly cultivated land. Forty acres of desirable land our subject gave to his sons.

The marriage of Mr. Ross was in 1860, to Miss Mary- A. Aumena, and to this union five children were born, their names being as follows:

Emmons W., who is a farmer in this township; William B., who is a farmer of Richland county, Ohio; Fred R., who is a resident of Bloomville, Ohio; and Amelia A. and Howard, who have passed away.

In politics Mr. Ross is a Republican and has filled a number of the local offices with credit to himself, notably those of justice of the peace for two terms and some five terms as township trustee. He is a member of the Methodist church, in which he is both trustee and class-leader and to which he 'contributes most liberally. Mr. Ross is highly respected as a self-made man and as one of sterling character, upright and honorable in his citizenship and esteemed in every relation of life.

As printed in A centennial biographical history of Crawford County, Ohio .. (1902). See the original pages. Wording is the original; obvious scanning errors have been corrected, and a few may remain.