Sylvester H. Thompson

As printed in 1881

SYLVESTER H. THOMPSON, retired; Hudson, more familiarly known as Judge Thompson, was born in Hudson, Ohio. July 28, 1808. He was the fifth child born to Dr. Moses Thompson (who is mentioned in the township history, as being the first physician of Summit County). Dr. Thompson was married to Elizabeth Mills in Connecticut, in 1795; they moved into the State of New York immediately after their marriage, where they lived until 1800, when he came to Ohio and selected land in the vicinity of Hudson; then returned to New York for his family which consisted of wife and one child; they arrived here and settled permanently in 1801. They were blessed with eleven children, viz., Eliza L. (deceased) was wife of Horace Metcalf; Susan, (deceased) was wife of Horace Holbrook; Mills, now deceased was a prominent farmer: Erailv (deceased) was wife of Samuel Woods; Sylvester H.; Virgil M., of Stow Township; Ruth, wife of Leander Starr, of Hudson; Maiy, widow of John Flazeltine, who with her daughter resides west of Hudson; Sarah A. (deceased), who was the wife of Chas. Aikin; Martha, died in youth, and Elizabeth, who is unmarried. Over half a century of Mrs. Thompson's life and labors were well spent in this community. Besides the care incident to rearing of her own numerous family, it would require a volume to do justice to her memory, as respecting her humane and benevolent characteristics and acts toward the sick or needy, during the days of meager supplies.

f.k with the pioneer" settlers; her life work closed on Nov. 20, 1851. Dr. Thompson survived his wife until Nov. 17, 1858. There was nothing remarkable in the early life of Judge Thompson; he attended school in boyhood, and got a fair education in the old primitive schools of his early life. His brain was spared the confusion of college classics, but was possessed of an abundance of practical good, hard sense, which with strict integrity, eventually placed him in the front rank of honored citizens. When he was about 22 years of age, he began farming, on his own account, on 80 acres for which his father paid $420. He was married to Carolina D. Peck, May 14, 1833. She was born in Connecticut, Dec. 6, 1808, and came here from Waterbury, Conn., on a visit to her brothers, who were contractors and builders, and who built the Congregational Church in Hudson. Seven children were born to Mr. and Mrs. Thompson, viz., Charles S. (deceased); Sherman P., Martha E. (now Mrs. P. Gr. Clark, of East Cleveland); Theodore F. and Albert S., and two who died in childhood. Mr. Thompson was the first assessor in Hudson Township, and has held other offices which were the gift of the people of the township. He was elected Justice of the Peace, and after serving one year he resigned, to accept the appointment of Associate Judge, in 1845, which office he held until the new State Constitution was adopted, with provisions which abolished the office of Associate Judge, in 1851. In 1864, he was appointed. Commissioner for this county on the Cleveland & Pittsburgh Railroad. He was connected with the City Bank of Akron, Ohio, of which he was President for thirteen years. The first apples which were grown in this vicinity, were probably those on Dr. Thompson's premises, trees produced from seeds taken from a piece of pomace, which the Doctor picked up where he stopped to feed his ox team when coming here through Pennsylvania, in 1801, formed nucleus of an orchard. Judge Thompson remembers distinctly the first apple which was borne thereon, in 1813. That was the.s and only one produced on their trees that year, and as it increased in size and reddened with the sun, like the "apple" of old, it was the source of considerable temptation to the children to taste it and not " transgress." so they devised a means: two pulled the slender tree against the house, to which it stood close, a third one would climb, scrape a hole in the apple with his finger nail and carry the scrapings down to those doing service at the stem until all would have a taste. Although in advanced years, the Judge is in robust health and enjoys in a retired manner, the fruits of his early industry, as well as the high esteem of his fellow citizens. His wife, who was his great helper in his much varied life, died Nov. 23, 1876.

As printed in History of Summit County, with an outline sketch of Ohio (1881). See the original pages. Wording is the original; obvious scanning errors have been corrected, and a few may remain.