Sherman P. Thompson

As printed in 1908

SHERMAN P. THOMPSON, one of Hudson Township's representative men, where he owns a large estate, consisting of 335 acres of valuable, highly-improved land, was born in Summit County, Ohio. February 2, 1840. He is a son of Hon. Sylvester H. and Caroline D. fPeck) Thompson, and a grandson of Dr. Moses Thompson.

Dr. Moses Thompson was born January 22, 1776. at Goshen, Connecticut, where he was liberally educated and became a medical practitioner. On December 22, 1797, he married Elizabeth Mills and immediately afterward moved to Kinderhook, New York. There ho practiced his prof.s.-ion until 1800. when he joined the first party of settlers coming to Summit County. He accompanied David

Hudson and purchased 750 acres of land in the southwestern part of Hudson Township, for himself and two brothers, Abraham and Stephen, and for his father. Deacon Stephen Thompson. Dr. Thoinison then walked back to Connecticut, making the trip in twelve days, and in the spring of 1801, accompanied by his wife and one child, he returned to Summit County and settled on a farm two miles southwest of Hudson, where he spent the rest of his life. On this land he built a log house, which he later replaced by what was considered a very grand house in those days. He lived to the venerable age of over eighty-two years, and even then an accident terminated a life which has been in high degree useful to his fellow-citizens. He was the first medical practitioner in what is now Portage County, and the territory over which he practiced covered a radius of fifty miles. During the War of 1812, Dr. Thompson served as a surgeon. His land in the meantime had proved very productive, and he engaged in the business of shipping produce from it to the southern markets. He was an earnest supporter of all religious and educational enterprises, gave liberally to charity and was a leading man of his day and locality.

Dr. Thompson has the following children: Eliza Lemira, who married Horace Metcalf; Susan, who married Horace Holbrook; Mills: Emily, who became the widow of Sanuiel Woods; Sylvested H. and Virgil M.; Ruth B., who married Leander Starr; Mary, who married John Hazelton; Martha, who died aged twenty-two years; and Elizabeth, who never married, and survived all the other members of the family.

Hon. Svlvester H. Thompson, father of Sherman P., was born July 28, 1808, on the old homestead, and attended the preparatory school in the Western Reserve. He was reared as a farmer and when twenty-two years old began farming on his own account. On May 14, 1832, he was married to Caroline D. Peck, who was born December 6, 1808, at Waterbury, Connecticut. She met Sylvester H. Thompson, whom she subsequently married, while on a visit to her brother at Hudson.

She died November 23, 1876, having been the mother of seven child'en, as follows: Charles S., now deceased; Sherman P., whose name begins this sketch; Mai'tha E., who married P. G. Clark and resides at Cleveland; Theodore F' residing in Akron; Albert S., residing at Cleveland; and two died in childhood. Judge Thompson died January 15, 1883, aged seventy-four years, five months and seventeen days.

After his marriage, Sylvester H. Thompson went to farming on a tract of land for which his father paid $420. He soon gained the esteem of his fellow-citizens, and was called upon to hold office more or less all through his life. He sen'ed first as assessor, and in other positions, and then was elected justice of the peace, an office he resigned within one year in order to accept an appointment as associate.judge. He served in this latter capacity from 1845 until the office was abolished by the new state constitution in 1851. In 1864 he was appointed commissioner of the Cleveland & Pittsburg Railroad. For thirteen years he was connected with the City Bank of Akron. In all things he worked faithfully for the good of the community, and the annals of this section of. Summit County show his usefulness and prominence in public affairs.

Sherman Peck Thompson was born on the farm now occupied by Judge Phillips, and was there reared until six years of age, when his father settled on what is now the Townsend farm, west of the depot, in Fludson. He resided until September 12, 1861, on this place, which he purchased from his brother in 1862, He has erected all the buildings except a part of his residence, and, distributed over his property, he has fifteen houses and barns, be,ides a number of silos. He rents three properties in Cleveland. AVhen he came here first lie had 130 acres, which he has increased to 335, the larger part of the property being under the capable management of his son. Dairying has been made a specialty, and at one time as many as seventy milch cows were kept. His land is well adapted to the growing of both wheat and potatoes, and

Mr. Thompson recalls that one year he harvested 7,000 bushels of the tubers. His orchards have also been great producers. The history of apple-growing in this section is interesting. The first apples were probably grown on the old Dr. Thompson place, trees having been produced from seeds taken from a piece of pomace, which Dr. Thompson inadvertently picked up when he stopped to feed his ox-team, when coming through Pennsylvania in 1801. The wonderful vitality of the seeds were shown by their producing trees, some of which are still living. The late Judge Thompson remembered the appearance of one apple that wa.' grown in 1813, and what a temptation it wa to the eager children who scarcely permitted it to reach perfection.

In early manhood Mr. Thompson was married to Cordelia M. Chamberlain, who was born in Hudson Township, north of Hudson, and is a daughter of Amos and Jerusha (Crane) Chamberlain. Her father came to Ohio from Winchester, Connecticut, before he had attained maturity. William Chamberlain, Mrs. Thompson's grandfather, emigrated from England to Connecticut, in 1780, and with his' wife came to Ohio in 1809. settling on a farm in Hudson Township, where he lived until the death of his wife, when he made his home with his son Amos. The hotter married Jerusha Crane, who was born at Saulsbury, Connecticut, and they had ten children as follows: Horace, residing in Northfield Township; Harris, residing on the old John Brown farm in Hudson; Schyler, also residing on the Brown farm; Mark, who died in infancy; Laura, who married Mr. Egbert, and resides in Bedford; Mrs. Jerusha Baldwin, a r&sident of Akron; Or\dlle, residing at Freedom; Catherine, who is unmarried, residing at Hudson; Cordelia M.. who married Sherman P. Thompson; and Henry, who married Mary Thompson. Amos Chamberlain had a farm of 288 acres, the larger part of which he cleared himself. The family settled in a log house there at a time when wolves and bears were very plentiful.

Mr. and Mrs. Thompson have had five children, namely: Charles Sylvester, born at Hudson, Ohio, February 18, 1S{y4, died February 6, 1879; Eddie S., born April 17, 1866, died young; Frederick Sherman, born January 4, 1868, was married to Lillian M. Terry, October 18, 1893, who died April 26, 1898, leaving two children: Carroll, born October 24, 1894, and Lynn M., born April 19, 1898; Caroline Estella, born August 28, 1870, died May 28, 1879; and Corda May, born May 8, 1876, who married Carl Case Scott, October 9, 1901, and has two children: Sherman and Dorothy. Their home is within one and one-half miles of Hudson.

Mr. Thompson is independent in politics. Formerly he was identified with the Republican party, but voted with the Democratic party during Mr. Bryan's first campaign, since which time he has been disconnected from both of the leading political organizations. He has never sought political preferment for himself.

As printed in Centennial history of Summit County, Ohio and representative citizens (1908). See the original pages. Wording is the original; obvious scanning errors have been corrected, and a few may remain.