Early Richfield History
All of the territory in this part of Summit County had once been occupied by Native American tribes including the Miami, the Pottawatomie, the Delaware, the Shawnese, the Ottawa, the Seneca and a Mingo settlement on the Cuyahoga River in Boston Township. The Indians who were found in Richfield were mostly Wyandotte and Ottawa however. Before any white settler had come here, an Indian named Nicksaw was killed as he was pursued by a party from Deerfield in Portage County, Ohio. He was buried in the northwestern part of Richfield Township. It is said that "Mad Anthony Wayne", who negotiated the Treaty of Greenville in 1795, built a road at the extreme northern edge of the township for a supply route to Pittsburgh. This road, now called Columbia Road in the eastern part and Boston Road in the western part, was found grown over and abandoned when the first white settlers came. Friendly Indians told of the soldiers who had travelled the road, and articles of military equipment found along the forgotten route confirmed the story.
In 1786 all lands were to be ceded to the government, but the state of Connecticut, who had held a charter to this land, "reserved" northern Ohio for its citizens whose property had been damaged by the British during the Revolutionary War and thus, the Western Reserve came into being. However, Connecticut did not wish to retain the land but sell it and use the money to also establish its public schools.
Therefore in 1795, a group of 36 real estate prospectors began a company they called,"The Connecticut Land Company" and bought the whole reserve for over a million dollars. Richfield Township was then sold to six individual men: Col. Benjamin Tallmadge, Capt. John Smith, John Wilcox, Uriel Holmes, Edwards and Green. Later Heman Oviatt of Hudson bought a quarter of the township from Col. Tallmadge for $1.25 an acre and his brother, Nathaniel Oviatt, was also a very early settler here. These daring pioneers from Connecticut, Massachusetts and New York began to penetrate this unknown wilderness, bringing their families and all their equipment for building a home and all the necessities for sustaining life until crops could be raised and harvested. It was a perilous and tedious journey, fraught with danger and hardships. Many families were three or four months on the way from Connecticut by ox team, a trip now made in a few hours. Pioneers had pushed in from the East to Hudson and established there an outpost several years before the first settler came to Richfield. This was some years before Akron was settled and Cleveland was a village of only a few homes.
The first white settler of Richfield arrived in 1809: a man called Lancelot Mays. He came with his family seeking to get away from civilization. Just why both Lancelot and his wife were so bitterly opposed to living near other people we do not know, but history says that he was a Daniel Boone type of person who sought a life of seclusion, while Mrs. Mays had no use for neighbors or social life. This feeling was not shared by their daughter, Betsey, for she is described as the wit and the belle of the settlement. It was she who walked to a party at Copley, carrying her shoes in her hand to preserve them from the rough wear of the wilderness trails. Still, there were Indian skirmishes and uprisings in those early years. Enoch Buck settled in the southwestern part of the township with his aged parents in 1811. Both of the old people were scalped by an invading Indian party and were buried on a knoll back of the Buck home. With the advent of the War of 1812, the Indians suddenly left this part of Ohio to join in the war with England; the settlers found this to be a great relief and so the Indians never returned to make their camp in Richfield again.
Our Families
ALLEN Family
Peter S. Allen owned a harness shop on the SE corner of Rtes. 303 & 176. He dealt in saddles, harnesses, trunks, buffalo robes, blankets, whips, etc. This building became the first telephone exchange. It was torn down to make space for Young's drug store.
AXTELL Family
Ex-Governor Axtell of New Mexico returned to his hometown to act as Master of Ceremonies at the Richfield Reunion on August 11, 1880.
BARNES Family
The second settler, after Mays, was Jared Barnes who arrived from Virginia.
BRUSH Family
Charles Francis Brush, Sr. was the inventor of the arc light and his son, Charles Jr., organized the Brush Laboratories. There is a 25-ton engraved stone in Furnace Run Metropark that reads, "Brushwood - given in memory of Charles Francis Brush, Jr. To all those who love as he loved the far sky and smiling land." The original grant of 2100 acres was given by Charles F. Brush, Sr. who purchased the land from pioneer owner, Everett Farnham. Charles, Jr. died in 1927 and the total gift amounted to 4500 acres.
BUCK Family
In 1811, Enoch Denton Buck arrived from the State of New York and settled in the southwestern part of Richfield Township. That same year, he established and operated the first grist mill in Summit County, which consisted of a large oak stump, hollowed out on the top, with a pestle, worked by a spring pole. The family story is that Enoch and his first wife Alice (nee Babcock) are buried at the top of a knoll, located on the SW corner of Enoch's property in the SW region of Richfield Township. Alice died in 1805 and Enoch died in 1826. References in previous histories in Richfield Historical Society records are incorrect. Enoch's parents were not killed and scalped by Indians en route to Richfield in 1811, nor are they buried in Richfield. His mother Ann (nee Denton) died in 1777 and is buried in New York, and his father Daniel died in 1814 and is buried in Pennsylvania. A possible reason for the confusion could be the record of a Buck relative who was Captain of a militia in the Tory and Indian Massacre of July 3, 1778. He was killed in this massacre at the age of 60.
BROWN Family
In 1840 John Brown came to Richfield from Hudson with his second wife, Mary, and a large family of children. He was very poor and was never successful in any business venture. He was somewhat of a rover, never staying in one place or one occupation for any length of time. He went into sheep raising and the wool business, with Heman Oviatt as a partner and later ran a tannery. He lived in three houses in Richfield: first home was in the vicinity of Fountain Rd. (or Boston Mills Rd as it is now called) where four of his children died of diphtheria; his second home was back of George Wilkinson's Green Valley Market, and the third was a white house east of the East Center which was later the Gilmer Davis house. Here he established an underground railway station for run-away slaves, concealing them and helping them escape under the cover of darkness. It was many years later in 1859 that John Brown gave his life on the gallows at Charles Town, WV for the principle he fought for. It has been said that the words of the condemned man from his prison cell had far more effect than his lifetime of fanatical deeds. The song, "John Brown's Body", was never meant to be a comic song; it was a deadly serious song of tribute to a martyr.
CARTER Family
Elias Carter arrived from Warren, Connecticut with his wife, Sarah (also known as Sally) Farnham, daughter of John Farnham and sister to Everett Farnham. He lived on Greenleese Road, now known as Black Road. His daughter, Fanny Carter, married Mason Oviatt, son of Salmon and Mary (Humphrey) Oviatt, in Connecticut in 1831. Fanny taught school in a log house with one room where the Bath school stands. It was Fanny who nursed two of John Brown's children who eventually died of black diphtheria. Elwin Carter owned one of the first telephones in Richfield in 1905.
DAMON Family
Elmo Damon operated a barber shop in Richfield in 1926. George Damon also had a barbershop on the premises of what was once T.E. Ellsworth's cabinet shop. Caleb Damon (1853-1915) was a well-known photographer born in Richfield. Many of his photos have been republished as postcards and are on sale at the Richfield Historical Museum.
DUSTIN Family
Seth Dustin operated the Hildebrand House. It was destroyed by fire later and replaced by the Sykes and Searles grocery.
EASTMAN Family
Reverend and Mrs. F.E. Eastman set up an emergency laundry at the parsonage to help many families where there was serious illness during the 1918 Flu Epidemic. 250 Richfield residents were stricken. In May 1918, the Methodist and Congregational Churches united and were then known as "The Richfield Federated Church", Rev. F.E. Eastman was the minister who brought about this important change.
EASTWOOD Family
In 1913, Walter Eastwood purchased the store at Rte. 303 and Front Street from Charles Williams who had owned it since 1908. Other owners had been Frank Brower and Russell Hunt. Walter Eastwood ran this store for 34 years, retiring in 1947.
ELLSWORTH Family
In 1820, Elijah Ellsworth was duly elected as the town preacher to "lead in meeting" by the town council. As he was somewhat addicted to swearing, he agreed to abandon the practice so long as he held the office. In 1821, Thomas E. Ellsworth came to Ohio from Litchfield, Connecticut. Unable to purchase land in the center of town, he went one mile west where he built his home. Being a carpenter and a splendid mechanic, he became the builder of many homes and public buildings and was the actual "Father of Richfield". He had a cabinet making shop and a furniture store where George Damon later had a barbershop. T. E. was also the town's mortician (as was his son, Ransom) and a deacon in the church for over 50 years, as well as the holder of many public offices. One of his sons, Elisha T., was the father of Luther Ellsworth, Consul to Mexico during President McKinley's administration. In 1862, R.C. Ellsworth was one of three men in Richfield who under their direction trained thirty men for the first draft in the Civil War. These young men were known as the "Richfield Grays". Ellsworth Chapter No. 247, Order of the Eastern Star was instituted August 31, 1906 with Mrs. Jennie Ellsworth as first Worthy Matron.
FARNHAM Family (later spelled Farnam)
In 1811, John Farnham arrived from Cornwall, Litchfield County, Connecticut and purchased 1200 acres in the north part of town. Leamon Farnham, his son, was elected the first Justice of the Peace in April 1816 and he taught school on Sundays - all branches of a common school education. Leamon's brother, Everett Farnham said, "It was not then known to be wicked to teach reading, writing, and arithmetic on Sunday." "Lord" Everett Farnham was known as colorful character and an eccentric old gentleman. Of English ancestry, he went to England as a young man and returned a self-styled "lord", built the fabulous home (known previously as the Danish Smorgasbord) in 1840 and established his estate in the most fantastic fashion. The town abounds with stories of his domination over his hired hands and over the entire countryside. For more information, contact Richfield Historical Society. They have published a book called The Farnums, by Bill Ellis.
HALLIWELL Family
The first class graduated from Richfield High School in 1879 with just two members, Milo Halliwell and Harriet Pope.
HOWE Family
H.W. Howe owned a steam sawmill and handle factory.
KIRBY Family
James B. Kirby is the inventor of the popular Kirby sweeper. His estate was sold to the GSNEO and is now owned by the Richfield Joint Recreation District and the property has been renamed to Richfield Heritage Preserve.
LEE Family (of German heritage)
George Lee and his family arrived from Pennsylvania and originally resided in Boston Twp. in 1840 but then soon departed to Williams County, Ohio and finally settled in Cass Co., Michigan; however, the family always kept ties with the town of Richfield. His son, John Lee, married here to Elizabeth Sanborn, daughter of John C. & Sibyl (Farwell) Sanborn. They had two children: John Sanborn Lee and Helen Antoinette Lee. Later, they removed to Steuben Co., Indiana where Elizabeth died in 1851. The children returned to Richfield to live with their maternal grandparents, the Sanborns. John S. Lee fought in the Civil War and returned to Richfield where he married Frances Pettit, daughter of John Pettit & Charlotte Hoight. They had two daughters, one of them, Cora (Lee) Gross, lived on Humphrey Rd. In Nov. 1863, John Lee remarried to Electa Adelia Oviatt, daughter of Mason & Fanny (Carter) Oviatt. They had one child, a son named Park Lee, who moved to Cleveland, Ohio and worked as a teamster (truck driver) for the Beeman Gum Company. It is Park Lee's great-great granddaughter designing this website for the Richfield Historical Society. George Lee's daughter, Lucinda, married in Williams County, Ohio to Rufus Sanborn, son of John C. & Sibyl (Farwell) Sanborn. They returned to Richfield to live and had two children: Helen and Rena; later they lived in Boston Twp. For further information, contact Lynn at manchester13@att.net.
LOCKERT Family
James Lockert came in 1834 and built the brick house at the corner of Black and Columbia roads in 1837. He had seven children. Mrs. Emma Lockert, widow of Rev. Alex Lockert, started the Community Sunday School in 1939 and was assisted through the years by a devoted staff of workers.
MALLET Family
Henry Mallet and his wife settled in the SE part of Richfield Twp. just south of "The Point", on the lot owned later by Richard Sweet and the McKisson family. In 1810, their daughter was the first white child born in Richfield. Mallet had two brothers, John and Daniel, and together they established a "mint" that became known as the Money Shop where they manufactured currency to order. The Shop was located on a point of land just across the line in Northampton and about a quarter mile from Jonathan Hale's home in Bath. The townspeople disposed of this shop of ill repute by burning it to the ground. The remains of the old forge were still seen for a number of years and despite losing his shop, Mallet continued to manufacture currency but eventually ended up in a Columbus prison where he died.
MAYS Family
The first settler in Richfield was a man by the name of Lancelot Mays, who arrived from Pennsylvania in 1809. He and his Family settled in the southwest part of town, later sold to John Bigelow in 1814. Lancelot was a Daniel Boone-type of man and did not relish living with Yankees! His wife, who later lived in Hinckley, Medina Co., often said that she would rather eat raw potatoes boiled in fresh water than live among the Yankees. They had a daughter, Betsey, who was the wit and belle of Richfield. She walked to a party at Copley, carrying her shoes in her hand to preserve them from the rough wear of the wilderness trails. The first marriage was that of Betsey Mays and William Carter. It is said that she had a son named John, who was noted as a pugilist and he committed the first assault and battery in the town by beating Nathaniel Oviatt. He was later prosecuted before Leman Farnum, Esq., who was the first judge in town.
MCKINSTRY Family
Rev. J.A. McKinstry was pastor for 23 years and was the director in the rebuilding of the church. Many quaint stories are recalled about this beloved Puritanical old minister. He was one of the speakers at the first Richfield Reunion on August 11, 1880.
NEWTON Family
Judge John Newton, purchased most of the land around around the town's east center and in the early 1820s, he also built the home later owned by Homer Carter. Minot Newton owned one of the first telephones in Richfield in 1905.
OVIATT Family
The Oviatts hailed from Litchfield County, Connecticut and were one of the first families in Richfield. In 1811, Heman Oviatt, an early settler that came to the area with David Hudson, purchased the N.W. quarter of Richfield Township from Col. Tallmadge for $5,000. However, he continued to live in Hudson until 1836 when he removed to Richfield. In 1820, O.M. Oviatt built a store which was located just north of the old church. The first post office was in this store and Mr. Oviatt was named Postmaster in 1825. The mail was brought from Hudson, which had mail service as early as 1805. Salmon Oviatt ran a bob sled factory which employed 15 to 18 men. For source information, contact Leah at kensington13@att.net.
Additional
The Oviatts, of French origin, traveled through untamed wilderness from Goshen, Connecticut to Hudson, Ohio in 1803. Heman Oviatt bartered at his small store with the few early settlers and the many Chippewa Indians in the area. His son Orson Minot Oviatt, grew up associating so closely with the natives that he became proficient in their language. Orson Minot (O.M.) studied at the Litchfield Academy in Connecticut where he met John Brown, Jr. A life-long friendship developed between the two young men. O.M. aided John Brown, Sr. in his later endeavors as an abolitionist. O.M. arrived in Richfield Township circa 1820. O.M. built a home as well as a store (depicted in a watercolor by Anna Oviatt, daughter of O.M. Oviatt, Jr. and Frances Cornelia {Hammond}, in 1864 and featured on the cover of the Society’s first deck of historical Richfield playing cards) which was located at the corner of Rt. 303 and Rt. 21 – or East Center as it was called back then. Richfield’s first post office was located in this store and Mr. Oviatt was named Postmaster in 1825. The Oviatt and Porter Co. was known as a central point of trade for over 50 years. A very community-minded person, O.M. donated land in1830 for the Congregational Church (now the Richfield United Church of Christ) which became the third church of the Western Reserve.
Mason Oviatt, son of Salmon Oviatt and nephew of Heman, and his wife Fannie Abia Carter (of the Richfield Carter Family) settled in a farmhouse that would eventually become the Girl Scouts’ Camp Crowell Hilaka caretaker’s residence. Fannie helped to care for the family of John Brown, Sr. in 1843 when four of his children became ill and died from black diphtheria. This West Richfield branch of Oviatts attended the Baptist Church (now Fellowship Hall) and sent two young men, to fight in the Civil War. Both died in service. Thirteen other members of the extended Oviatt Family served from Summit and Cuyahoga Counties.
PAYNE Family
In 1812, the first death recorded in Richfield was Polly Payne, aged 18 years old.
PIXLEY Family
Stephen Pixley died at the age of 49 on October 31, 1829; his tombstone is one of the oldest in the West Richfield Cemetery. Frank Pixley was born in Richfield and graduated from Richfield High School at the age of 15 years old; he graduated from Ohio State University in 1886 at the age of 19. About 1902 the people of Richfield were proudly boasting that Frank Pixley was a native of the town, for the musical comedy, "The Prince of Pilsen" was then having its successful run in New York, Boston, Paris and London where it was given 160 times. He was professor of History and English at Buchtel College from 1887 to 1890. He was the author of the following plays: The Carpet Bagger, The Return of Eve, Tamin a Tartar, Doctor Doolittle, and A Social Call. He was also author of the following musical comedies: The Burgomaster, The Enchanted Isle, King Dodo, Woodland, The Grand Mogul, Marcel, The Gypsy, Apollo and of course, The Prince of Pilsen. In the latter he collaborated with Gustave Luders. Upon his death in 1919, his widow established a memorial fund of $50,000 at Akron University.
PRICKETT Family
Franklin Prickett owned a gun shop and was the maker of the famous Prickett gun. He lived on Hawkins Road and was the grandfather of Floyd P. Swan. Samuel Prickett had a gun factory on Hawkins Rd. and it was known over a wide area and did a large amount of business for about 25 years. Allan Prickett owned one of the first telephones in Richfield in 1905.
RAWSON Family
The first physician mentioned in Richfield's history was Dr. Secretary Rawson in 1824. Although he practiced here for 40 years, he is best remembered for his wide spread temperance work, for his years of teaching at the Richfield Academy, his ability as a lecturer, and for the establishment of the town's first library in 1825.
SANBORN Family
John C. Sanborn was born in 1802, Massachusetts. He and his wife, Sibyl Farwell, arrived in 1834 in Boston Township and resided there for 20 years before moving to Richfield. He moved into a home that Everett Farnham had built in 1850 which was built for his overseer of his estate. We do not know the overseer's name but it could possibly be J.C. Sanborn. Land records (or deeds) show the property on which the house now stands, was deeded in 1856 by E. Farnham to J.C. Sanborn. John and Sibyl had eight children who married into the Thompson, Lee (w/German heritage), Humphrey and Oviatt families. Their youngest child, Permilla Sanborn, married Miles Oviatt and had Jennie Farwell Oviatt, who was well-known in Richfield and told stories of her grandmother, Fanny (Carter) Oviatt. For source information contact Lynn, manchester13@att.net
SHEPARD Family
On the stream a little east of the West Center, O.C. Shepard owned a steam flour and saw mill. Mill Street and "Mill Hill" derived their names from this mill, which furnished fine lumber for many homes in Richfield and surrounding townships.
TOWNSEND Family
Z.W. Townsend had a carriage and wagon shop and a basket factory. This building was later used as a saw mill, a cider mill, and a feed mill; it's now an antique shop.
WELD Family
James W. Weld, Esq. grew excellent fruit in Richfield that was not only well noted in town but throughout the state of Ohio! In 1824, he built the corner store, known later as the old Sykes' store. William Weld built the Center Hotel in 1830 which became a regular stage coach stop on the road from Cleveland to Massillon. Fayette Viall was proprietor at that time and the hotel later became known to us all as the Inn at Richfield. The family left a trust fund for the East Richfield Cemetery (Fairview) to help maintain the field stone fence and to restore old tombstones.
WELTON Family
As one of the first officials of the township, Isaac Welton acted as a supervisor and he was the first Justice of the Peace in Richfield. He was also the first master of the Meridian Sun Lodge in 1823. It was the 69th Lodge in the State of Ohio and its charter bears that number to this day.
WHEATLEY Family
Joseph and Jane Wheatley with their 8 children emigrated from Yorkshire England to America in 1830. They had planned to settle in Illinois but got off the canal boat they were traveling on in Peninsula, Ohio. Joseph traveled to Richfield and bought a 100 acre farm there at the intersection of what became Wheatley Road and Route 21. The Family lived in the original house on the farm. John Brown, the famous abolitionist who was living in the area at the time, tanned cattle for him. On Joseph’s death in 1857 his oldest son William inherited and ran the farm successfully for the next 3 decades. He also served on the County Board of Supervisors. He married a servant girl, Elizabeth Lawrence, who had been imported from England by his parents to serve the Family. They had 5 children: William, Martha, George, Charles, and Emma. Martha inherited the original farm and homestead and her father William purchased a 100-acre farm for each of the other four children. Charles and William’s farms were on the north side of Wheatley Road. They eventually sold these farms to Abe and Mahalia Stouffer in the early twentieth century. George's farm was to the east of the original land. George ran his farm [and his sister Martha’s upon her death] until his own death in 1931. His widow, Emma Wheatley, and with hired help continued the farming until her grandson, Daniel Lloyd Thomas, took over. The animals and equipment were sold and all farming discontinued in 1944. The acreage was sold piecemeal through the mid 1900’s at the time Nellie Wheatley and Lucille Wheatley Thomas were living there. The final fifty acres were sold in the late 1980’s. The Wheatley Family Cemetery is located at the intersection of Wheatley Road and Route 21. The first burial there was in 1834 (George Wheatley) and the last in 1940 (Emma Wheatley). In 2017 the last remaining member of the Wheatley family transferred the cemetery deed to the Richfield Historical Society and the society pledged to maintain, conserve, and beautify this significant piece of local history. Source: Alan Wheatley Thomas
WOOD Family
Baxter Wood, after serving several years as the proprietor of the Center Tavern, started a store in 1848 known as the "Wood Block" on the south side of Rte.303, West Richfield. He was succeeded by his two sons, Charles and Baxter H., who later left the store. Charles carried on the store with his two sons, Harry and Arthur, until about 1910. The old "Wood Block" was torn down in later years, but for three generations it was a well-known trading place. Baxter H. Wood operated a cheese factory just north of Shepard's saw mill. It had a large business, using as much as 15,000 pounds of milk a day which was hauled in from Bath, Granger, Hinckley, Royalton, Brecksville and Boston. This factory burned in 1907.
We have recorded genealogies of many of the early families of Richfield and research assistance is available.
Our Schools & Churches (pictures needed)
Richfield Schools
We have notebooks filled with articles and old photographs of our schools along with stories of the teachers and students. Please contact us at rhs@richfieldohiohistoricalsociety.org or during regular business hours to see the books.
Leamon Farnham, a son of early settler John Farnham, was elected the first Justice of the Peace in Richfield Township in April 1816. So what better person to be the first teacher!
In that same year, a town building was erected in a grove behind what became Homer Carter's home; it was this same grove where open-air services were performed by circuit missionaries who visited the area every five or six weeks. The town building served as town hall, church, school house, court and social hall. Of log construction, with puncheon floors and seats, it was a source of great pride to the people who brought their carefully nurtured trees and shrubs to beautify the grounds.
In 1835 the Ohio Legislature chartered an Academy which was built in 1836 in the northeast corner of Rte 303 and Humphrey Road. It flourished for 36 years, while many of its graduates went out into the world to occupy high positions. The Principal for many years was Rev. Harvey Lyon, while Rev. Israel Shailor and Dr. Rawson were also teachers.
West Richfield The old brick school was abandoned when the schools were centralized. Now a part of the Masonic Temple.
District No. 2 School By 1916 West Richfield had twelve one-room schools scattered throughout the township. Ella Starr and her class are shown at the district No. 2 school on Hawkins Road, April 17, 1911. The photograph was taken by Richfield native, Caleb Damon (1853-1915). Postcard reproductions of his photos of Richfield are available for sale at the Richfield Historical Society, Old Town Hall.
Center Richfield The Richfield Center High School was torn down when the township schools were centralized. This building was erected in 1887 and it replaced the former high school built in 1872 that burned.
District School at Black & Boston Mills Roads This is one of the ten original district school buildings at the corner of Black and Boston Mills Roads. By 1835 there were school houses in all parts of the township. They were rudimentary structures, with puncheon seats and floors, and were poorly heated with one fireplace in the front of the room; however, they served the educational needs of the youngsters for 45 years.
In 1914, the Richfield schools were centralized and all district schools were abandoned. Horse drawn wagons were used to transport the pupils and some of the children had to leave home before daylight on winter mornings and walk, maybe a mile or so, to the corner where the school wagon picked them up. It would take two or more hours for the horses to plod through the mud or snow banks to reach school on time. About this time Richfield High School was granted a charter as a first grade high school. In 1916, the old school house between the centers was torn down to make way for the brick building which is still in use, though nearly double its originial size.
Richfield Churches
1822 Church
The New 1886 Church
The Baptist Church
The New Methodist Church
Richfield Church History
By 1811, enough pioneers had settled in Richfield that open-air church services were held every few weeks by itinerant missionaries in a clearing in the forest, located about a quarter mile SW of the crossroads at East Center. There were two sermons in the morning, then Sunday school after lunch, followed by another sermon later in the day. Our church history says the religious fervor, at times, was so great that, "the preaching could be heard a mile away", as far as West Richfield! Four traveling missionaries ministered to Richfield. First were Rev. William Hanford and John Seward; next, Rev. Treat and Rev. Israel Shailor. They were from the Connecticut Missionary Society with headquarters in Ravenna. Those missionaries conducted services every few weeks when Richfield's 'Meeting Day' came around which was a great occasion for the early settlers, as in those days there was no time for frivolous affairs and gatherings were few.
The first church built in Richfield was a Methodist Church built in 1822. Richfield Township's 1849 ledger of District Roads refers to this "Methodist Meeting House", as being in the south-east part of the township, not as West Richfield. It burned and was rebuilt in 1856.
The Congregational Society was organized May 18, 1818 by Rev. William Hanford and Rev. John Seward. They held services in barns and then in an 1816 log "meeting house" and also served as a school house at the same time. On February 18, 1824 this organization, now under Rev. Shailor and still meeting in a log building, united with the "Grand River and Portage Presbytery", and thus became Presbyterian affiliated.
In 1831, the Church of Christ Society began work on constructing a new Presbyterian church at Center crossroads - 990 feet north from the old 1816 log building. This was the third church built in the Western Reserve, several years before Cleveland had places to worship. Rev. Horace Smith was chosen to begin his pastorate; Rev. Shailor's ending in November 1833. The society met in the Center School House (located across the road from the present brick school building on Streetsboro Rd.) while the new church was under construction.
Building the church demanded toil, self-denial and a united effort. "Some contributed the sawn lumber, others the whitewood for the siding and still others the work of their hands." This new church was built with nails and iron hardware; it had glass windows and was painted white. It was located between Capt. Heman Oviatt's frame house (at 3798 Brecksville Rd.) and his son, O. M. Oviatt's store. O.M. Oviatt, as a church trustee, bore a large share of the building costs.
It was then dedicated as The First Congregational Society Church of Richfield on April 1, 1833 and a revised Confession of Faith and Church Covenant were adopted; thereafter, the church was no longer affiliated Presbyterian. Persons chosen as officers included: Salmon Oviatt as Chairman, S. Rawson as Treasurer, Uri Oviatt as Collector, and James W. Weld as Secretary.
A fire broke out on April 3, 1886 and soon the stunned members stood around the blackened ashes of their beloved church which had served them for 54 years. The store of the Loomis Brothers (previously the Bronson & Oviatt store) and the adjoining shed also burned and were never rebuilt. But seven months after the fire, the church was rebuilt with all the elaborate architectural characteristics of the Victorian age. Trustees at this time were O.M. Oviatt, James Mackey, and William Wheatley and they were instrumental in the building of the new church.
In 1838, members of the Oviatt family formed the Richfield Baptist Society and met in members' homes until 1840 when Salmon & Mary (Humphrey) Oviatt deeded to the Baptist Society a plot of land at the West Center of Richfield. There, the Baptist Church was built in 1840.
One hundred years later, Judge Dean May ruled the sale of the church and property (for $850) by the Cleveland Baptist Association to the Richfield Township Trustees was legal and binding (1940). During WWII, the church provided space for the local Civil Defense Office. The north annex then became home to Richfield's public library. Virginia Carter, as its first librarian, remembered, "It was open one or two evenings a week because of wartime gasoline rationing."
In 1949, the church was renamed, Fellowship Hall, thanks to Mrs. Anna Kamps, who submitted the best name in a contest. She was mother to Ethel Szitar, who was manager of the Richfield United Church of Christ.
In 1856, the new Methodist Church was built at a new location in West Center, Richfield, about a block east of the corners.
Kitty-cornered across the road from this building was the parsonage, built around 1870. The original house at the parsonage site previously had been moved next door (North) about 1830. In March 1919, Floyd Swan purchased the old parsonage and his children, Ray, Ken and Gertrude were raised in that historic building.
Then in 1918, the Methodist Church was affiliated with the Congregational Church to form the Richfield Federated Church.
Later on, the church building was abandoned, sold and made into 2 separate homes in 1927.
Built in 1876, the Centennial Church of the United Brethern was established in Richfield; later it was abandoned in 1920. William E. Malm bought it in 1932, dismantled it, and used materials to construct the Swiss chalet home at 4053 Humphrey Road.
The New Congregational Church was built in 1886 and was later affiliated with the Methodist Church to form Richfield Federated Church in 1918. The Federated Church building was condemned as unsafe in 1950 and torn down in 1952. The New Federated Church could not receive financial aid from the Methodist organization for a new church but funds were later provided by the Congregational organization in 1953.
The New Congregational Church was built and dedicated in 1953 and still stands as the Richfield United Church of Christ.
Richfield Cemeteries
Behold, and see as you pass by, As you are now and once was I, As I am now so you must be, Prepare for death and follow me. -- By Dorothy K. Sykes (from an old stone in Fairview Cemetery)
Looking for someone in particular? Follow the FindAGrave® link to the cemetery.
East Richfield Cemetery
(also known as Fairview Cemetery)
This was established in April 1845 by a gift of 3/4 of an acre by Orson M. and Lucretia Oviatt to the trustees of the First Congregational Society. Most of the present acreage has been given to the Township Trustees by Everett & Emily Farnum (.54 acre, 1870; .235 acre, 1876), Charles & Mary Brush (.84 acre, 1898), Charles Brush (1.03 & .70 acre, 1912), Dorothy Brush Dick (3.70 acres, 1932), and the East Ohio Gas Co. (.078 acres, 1948).
It is here (pictured at left) that the four children of the famous abolitionist, John Brown, are laid to rest having died one week of each other. Charles, Austin, Peter and Sarah Brown died of black diphtheria, or the black plague, according to the account of "Aunt Fanny" Oviatt, grandmother of Jennie Oviatt, who nursed the family through this terrible illness.
Below at the left, is a photo of the granite memorial to John Farnham/Farnum, father of Everett Farnham and the only Revolutionary soldier to be buried in Richfield. John was born in 1761, Cornwall, Litchfield County, Connecticut. He was only 16 years old in 1777 when he enlisted as a private in Captain Robertson's Company, 2nd Regiment and later fought in the Battle of Monmouth. His honorable discharge papers are signed by General George Washington. In 1812, John and most of his family arrived in Richfield where he built his first home made of logs to protect himself from native Indians. A couple years later, he was elected "fence viewer", a township official whose function was to settle property line disputes between adjacent land owners. John Farnham died in 1834 and was buried on his property which later became Fairview cemetery 11 years later.
Much gratitude is owed to the Weld family who left a trust fund that has made the restoration of the native field stone wall and resetting of tombstones possible in East Richfield.
In the summer of 1934, Mrs. W.E. Ellis and Mrs. A.E. Ozmun generously spent their time reading tombstones in East Richfield Cemetery and their invaluable list exists today at the Richfield Historical Society. If you would like to verify that your ancestors are buried here, we can look-up names for you from this reading for anyone buried prior to mid-1934.
The cemetery is located on the west side of Brecksville Road, Richfield, Summit County, Ohio, just south of East Ohio Co.; look for the field stone wall and winding hillside drive. Visit FindAGrave® to search the cemetery.
Other small cemeteries that exist or have existed in Richfield are Reed (or Columbia) Cemetery, 1841; Osborn Cemetery, 1852; Revere Cemetery, 1858 and Hart Cemetery, 1862. In future, we will have more information regarding these burial places on the website. Please contact us now if you have any questions.
We also have recorded genealogies of many of the early families of Richfield and research assistance is available. Contact us at (330-659-0336) or information@richfieldohiohistoricalsociety.org.
"Through all the weary world of death, In peaceful slumber may you rest; And when eternal day shall dawn, And shades of death have passed and gone; Oh, may you then with glad surprise, In God's own image wake and rise. By Harry Dean Saddler (Epitaph of John Brown's children's gravestone in Fairview Cemetery.)
Stephen Pixley, one of the earliest burials at West Richfield Cemetery, died at the age of 49 on October 31st, 1829. (above)
West Richfield Cemetery
This cemetery was founded in 1824 and many Richfield family names are found here: Alger, Baldwin, Baumgardner, Bigelow, Carter, Comstock, Dustin, Ellsworth, Fauble, Gargett, Goldwood, Greenlese, Hall, Hart, Humphrey, Ingersol, Kirby, Lane, McKinstry, Oviatt, Palmer, Parker, Phelps, Prickett, Shall, Sheldon, Starr, Swan, Townsend, Williard, and Wood.
It was in this cemetery that an impressive sandstone vault stood for 80 years until it was torn down in July, 1959. It was decreed an eyesore and a hazard by township trustees. The 12 by 20 foot structure, built in 1879, was originally intended as a place to store caskets during the winter until spring weather made grave digging possible; however, the vault had long remained unused. Some of the huge sandstone blocks were used as a retaining wall on the town hall site (circa 1959).
Some of the very old tombstones are unfortunately disintegrating before our very eyes! To the left, is the headstone of little Nancy Stoffer who died at the age of two years and 6 months on March 9, 1831. She was the daughter of David R. Stoffer and Mina Bigelow, daughter of John & Lydia (Benedict) Bigelow. David Stoffer was born in Germany in 1801, went to California in 1863 and was never heard from again.
Mrs. W.E. Ellis and Mrs. A.E. Ozmun generously spent their time reading tombstones in the summer of 1934 at West Richfield Cemetery and their invaluable list exists today at the Richfield Historical Society. If you would like to verify that your ancestors are buried here, we can look-up names for you from this reading for anyone buried prior to mid-1934.
This cemetery can be easily found on the east side of Broadview Road, just north of Rte. 303, Richfield, Summit County, Ohio. Visit FindAGrave® to search this cemetery.
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All of the territory in this part of Summit County had once been occupied by Native American tribes including the Miami, the Pottawatomie, the Delaware, the Shawnese, the Ottawa, the Seneca and a Mingo settlement on the Cuyahoga River in Boston Township. The Indians who were found in Richfield were mostly Wyandotte and Ottawa however. Before any white settler had come here, an Indian named Nicksaw was killed as he was pursued by a party from Deerfield in Portage County, Ohio. He was buried in the northwestern part of Richfield Township. It is said that "Mad Anthony Wayne", who negotiated the Treaty of Greenville in 1795, built a road at the extreme northern edge of the township for a supply route to Pittsburgh. This road, now called Columbia Road in the eastern part and Boston Road in the western part, was found grown over and abandoned when the first white settlers came. Friendly Indians told of the soldiers who had travelled the road, and articles of military equipment found along the forgotten route confirmed the story.
In 1786 all lands were to be ceded to the government, but the state of Connecticut, who had held a charter to this land, "reserved" northern Ohio for its citizens whose property had been damaged by the British during the Revolutionary War and thus, the Western Reserve came into being. However, Connecticut did not wish to retain the land but sell it and use the money to also establish its public schools.
Therefore in 1795, a group of 36 real estate prospectors began a company they called,"The Connecticut Land Company" and bought the whole reserve for over a million dollars. Richfield Township was then sold to six individual men: Col. Benjamin Tallmadge, Capt. John Smith, John Wilcox, Uriel Holmes, Edwards and Green. Later Heman Oviatt of Hudson bought a quarter of the township from Col. Tallmadge for $1.25 an acre and his brother, Nathaniel Oviatt, was also a very early settler here. These daring pioneers from Connecticut, Massachusetts and New York began to penetrate this unknown wilderness, bringing their families and all their equipment for building a home and all the necessities for sustaining life until crops could be raised and harvested. It was a perilous and tedious journey, fraught with danger and hardships. Many families were three or four months on the way from Connecticut by ox team, a trip now made in a few hours. Pioneers had pushed in from the East to Hudson and established there an outpost several years before the first settler came to Richfield. This was some years before Akron was settled and Cleveland was a village of only a few homes.
The first white settler of Richfield arrived in 1809: a man called Lancelot Mays. He came with his family seeking to get away from civilization. Just why both Lancelot and his wife were so bitterly opposed to living near other people we do not know, but history says that he was a Daniel Boone type of person who sought a life of seclusion, while Mrs. Mays had no use for neighbors or social life. This feeling was not shared by their daughter, Betsey, for she is described as the wit and the belle of the settlement. It was she who walked to a party at Copley, carrying her shoes in her hand to preserve them from the rough wear of the wilderness trails. Still, there were Indian skirmishes and uprisings in those early years. Enoch Buck settled in the southwestern part of the township with his aged parents in 1811. Both of the old people were scalped by an invading Indian party and were buried on a knoll back of the Buck home. With the advent of the War of 1812, the Indians suddenly left this part of Ohio to join in the war with England; the settlers found this to be a great relief and so the Indians never returned to make their camp in Richfield again.
Our Families
ALLEN Family
Peter S. Allen owned a harness shop on the SE corner of Rtes. 303 & 176. He dealt in saddles, harnesses, trunks, buffalo robes, blankets, whips, etc. This building became the first telephone exchange. It was torn down to make space for Young's drug store.
AXTELL Family
Ex-Governor Axtell of New Mexico returned to his hometown to act as Master of Ceremonies at the Richfield Reunion on August 11, 1880.
BARNES Family
The second settler, after Mays, was Jared Barnes who arrived from Virginia.
BRUSH Family
Charles Francis Brush, Sr. was the inventor of the arc light and his son, Charles Jr., organized the Brush Laboratories. There is a 25-ton engraved stone in Furnace Run Metropark that reads, "Brushwood - given in memory of Charles Francis Brush, Jr. To all those who love as he loved the far sky and smiling land." The original grant of 2100 acres was given by Charles F. Brush, Sr. who purchased the land from pioneer owner, Everett Farnham. Charles, Jr. died in 1927 and the total gift amounted to 4500 acres.
BUCK Family
In 1811, Enoch Denton Buck arrived from the State of New York and settled in the southwestern part of Richfield Township. That same year, he established and operated the first grist mill in Summit County, which consisted of a large oak stump, hollowed out on the top, with a pestle, worked by a spring pole. The family story is that Enoch and his first wife Alice (nee Babcock) are buried at the top of a knoll, located on the SW corner of Enoch's property in the SW region of Richfield Township. Alice died in 1805 and Enoch died in 1826. References in previous histories in Richfield Historical Society records are incorrect. Enoch's parents were not killed and scalped by Indians en route to Richfield in 1811, nor are they buried in Richfield. His mother Ann (nee Denton) died in 1777 and is buried in New York, and his father Daniel died in 1814 and is buried in Pennsylvania. A possible reason for the confusion could be the record of a Buck relative who was Captain of a militia in the Tory and Indian Massacre of July 3, 1778. He was killed in this massacre at the age of 60.
BROWN Family
In 1840 John Brown came to Richfield from Hudson with his second wife, Mary, and a large family of children. He was very poor and was never successful in any business venture. He was somewhat of a rover, never staying in one place or one occupation for any length of time. He went into sheep raising and the wool business, with Heman Oviatt as a partner and later ran a tannery. He lived in three houses in Richfield: first home was in the vicinity of Fountain Rd. (or Boston Mills Rd as it is now called) where four of his children died of diphtheria; his second home was back of George Wilkinson's Green Valley Market, and the third was a white house east of the East Center which was later the Gilmer Davis house. Here he established an underground railway station for run-away slaves, concealing them and helping them escape under the cover of darkness. It was many years later in 1859 that John Brown gave his life on the gallows at Charles Town, WV for the principle he fought for. It has been said that the words of the condemned man from his prison cell had far more effect than his lifetime of fanatical deeds. The song, "John Brown's Body", was never meant to be a comic song; it was a deadly serious song of tribute to a martyr.
CARTER Family
Elias Carter arrived from Warren, Connecticut with his wife, Sarah (also known as Sally) Farnham, daughter of John Farnham and sister to Everett Farnham. He lived on Greenleese Road, now known as Black Road. His daughter, Fanny Carter, married Mason Oviatt, son of Salmon and Mary (Humphrey) Oviatt, in Connecticut in 1831. Fanny taught school in a log house with one room where the Bath school stands. It was Fanny who nursed two of John Brown's children who eventually died of black diphtheria. Elwin Carter owned one of the first telephones in Richfield in 1905.
DAMON Family
Elmo Damon operated a barber shop in Richfield in 1926. George Damon also had a barbershop on the premises of what was once T.E. Ellsworth's cabinet shop. Caleb Damon (1853-1915) was a well-known photographer born in Richfield. Many of his photos have been republished as postcards and are on sale at the Richfield Historical Museum.
DUSTIN Family
Seth Dustin operated the Hildebrand House. It was destroyed by fire later and replaced by the Sykes and Searles grocery.
EASTMAN Family
Reverend and Mrs. F.E. Eastman set up an emergency laundry at the parsonage to help many families where there was serious illness during the 1918 Flu Epidemic. 250 Richfield residents were stricken. In May 1918, the Methodist and Congregational Churches united and were then known as "The Richfield Federated Church", Rev. F.E. Eastman was the minister who brought about this important change.
EASTWOOD Family
In 1913, Walter Eastwood purchased the store at Rte. 303 and Front Street from Charles Williams who had owned it since 1908. Other owners had been Frank Brower and Russell Hunt. Walter Eastwood ran this store for 34 years, retiring in 1947.
ELLSWORTH Family
In 1820, Elijah Ellsworth was duly elected as the town preacher to "lead in meeting" by the town council. As he was somewhat addicted to swearing, he agreed to abandon the practice so long as he held the office. In 1821, Thomas E. Ellsworth came to Ohio from Litchfield, Connecticut. Unable to purchase land in the center of town, he went one mile west where he built his home. Being a carpenter and a splendid mechanic, he became the builder of many homes and public buildings and was the actual "Father of Richfield". He had a cabinet making shop and a furniture store where George Damon later had a barbershop. T. E. was also the town's mortician (as was his son, Ransom) and a deacon in the church for over 50 years, as well as the holder of many public offices. One of his sons, Elisha T., was the father of Luther Ellsworth, Consul to Mexico during President McKinley's administration. In 1862, R.C. Ellsworth was one of three men in Richfield who under their direction trained thirty men for the first draft in the Civil War. These young men were known as the "Richfield Grays". Ellsworth Chapter No. 247, Order of the Eastern Star was instituted August 31, 1906 with Mrs. Jennie Ellsworth as first Worthy Matron.
FARNHAM Family (later spelled Farnam)
In 1811, John Farnham arrived from Cornwall, Litchfield County, Connecticut and purchased 1200 acres in the north part of town. Leamon Farnham, his son, was elected the first Justice of the Peace in April 1816 and he taught school on Sundays - all branches of a common school education. Leamon's brother, Everett Farnham said, "It was not then known to be wicked to teach reading, writing, and arithmetic on Sunday." "Lord" Everett Farnham was known as colorful character and an eccentric old gentleman. Of English ancestry, he went to England as a young man and returned a self-styled "lord", built the fabulous home (known previously as the Danish Smorgasbord) in 1840 and established his estate in the most fantastic fashion. The town abounds with stories of his domination over his hired hands and over the entire countryside. For more information, contact Richfield Historical Society. They have published a book called The Farnums, by Bill Ellis.
HALLIWELL Family
The first class graduated from Richfield High School in 1879 with just two members, Milo Halliwell and Harriet Pope.
HOWE Family
H.W. Howe owned a steam sawmill and handle factory.
KIRBY Family
James B. Kirby is the inventor of the popular Kirby sweeper. His estate was sold to the GSNEO and is now owned by the Richfield Joint Recreation District and the property has been renamed to Richfield Heritage Preserve.
LEE Family (of German heritage)
George Lee and his family arrived from Pennsylvania and originally resided in Boston Twp. in 1840 but then soon departed to Williams County, Ohio and finally settled in Cass Co., Michigan; however, the family always kept ties with the town of Richfield. His son, John Lee, married here to Elizabeth Sanborn, daughter of John C. & Sibyl (Farwell) Sanborn. They had two children: John Sanborn Lee and Helen Antoinette Lee. Later, they removed to Steuben Co., Indiana where Elizabeth died in 1851. The children returned to Richfield to live with their maternal grandparents, the Sanborns. John S. Lee fought in the Civil War and returned to Richfield where he married Frances Pettit, daughter of John Pettit & Charlotte Hoight. They had two daughters, one of them, Cora (Lee) Gross, lived on Humphrey Rd. In Nov. 1863, John Lee remarried to Electa Adelia Oviatt, daughter of Mason & Fanny (Carter) Oviatt. They had one child, a son named Park Lee, who moved to Cleveland, Ohio and worked as a teamster (truck driver) for the Beeman Gum Company. It is Park Lee's great-great granddaughter designing this website for the Richfield Historical Society. George Lee's daughter, Lucinda, married in Williams County, Ohio to Rufus Sanborn, son of John C. & Sibyl (Farwell) Sanborn. They returned to Richfield to live and had two children: Helen and Rena; later they lived in Boston Twp. For further information, contact Lynn at manchester13@att.net.
LOCKERT Family
James Lockert came in 1834 and built the brick house at the corner of Black and Columbia roads in 1837. He had seven children. Mrs. Emma Lockert, widow of Rev. Alex Lockert, started the Community Sunday School in 1939 and was assisted through the years by a devoted staff of workers.
MALLET Family
Henry Mallet and his wife settled in the SE part of Richfield Twp. just south of "The Point", on the lot owned later by Richard Sweet and the McKisson family. In 1810, their daughter was the first white child born in Richfield. Mallet had two brothers, John and Daniel, and together they established a "mint" that became known as the Money Shop where they manufactured currency to order. The Shop was located on a point of land just across the line in Northampton and about a quarter mile from Jonathan Hale's home in Bath. The townspeople disposed of this shop of ill repute by burning it to the ground. The remains of the old forge were still seen for a number of years and despite losing his shop, Mallet continued to manufacture currency but eventually ended up in a Columbus prison where he died.
MAYS Family
The first settler in Richfield was a man by the name of Lancelot Mays, who arrived from Pennsylvania in 1809. He and his Family settled in the southwest part of town, later sold to John Bigelow in 1814. Lancelot was a Daniel Boone-type of man and did not relish living with Yankees! His wife, who later lived in Hinckley, Medina Co., often said that she would rather eat raw potatoes boiled in fresh water than live among the Yankees. They had a daughter, Betsey, who was the wit and belle of Richfield. She walked to a party at Copley, carrying her shoes in her hand to preserve them from the rough wear of the wilderness trails. The first marriage was that of Betsey Mays and William Carter. It is said that she had a son named John, who was noted as a pugilist and he committed the first assault and battery in the town by beating Nathaniel Oviatt. He was later prosecuted before Leman Farnum, Esq., who was the first judge in town.
MCKINSTRY Family
Rev. J.A. McKinstry was pastor for 23 years and was the director in the rebuilding of the church. Many quaint stories are recalled about this beloved Puritanical old minister. He was one of the speakers at the first Richfield Reunion on August 11, 1880.
NEWTON Family
Judge John Newton, purchased most of the land around around the town's east center and in the early 1820s, he also built the home later owned by Homer Carter. Minot Newton owned one of the first telephones in Richfield in 1905.
OVIATT Family
The Oviatts hailed from Litchfield County, Connecticut and were one of the first families in Richfield. In 1811, Heman Oviatt, an early settler that came to the area with David Hudson, purchased the N.W. quarter of Richfield Township from Col. Tallmadge for $5,000. However, he continued to live in Hudson until 1836 when he removed to Richfield. In 1820, O.M. Oviatt built a store which was located just north of the old church. The first post office was in this store and Mr. Oviatt was named Postmaster in 1825. The mail was brought from Hudson, which had mail service as early as 1805. Salmon Oviatt ran a bob sled factory which employed 15 to 18 men. For source information, contact Leah at kensington13@att.net.
Additional
The Oviatts, of French origin, traveled through untamed wilderness from Goshen, Connecticut to Hudson, Ohio in 1803. Heman Oviatt bartered at his small store with the few early settlers and the many Chippewa Indians in the area. His son Orson Minot Oviatt, grew up associating so closely with the natives that he became proficient in their language. Orson Minot (O.M.) studied at the Litchfield Academy in Connecticut where he met John Brown, Jr. A life-long friendship developed between the two young men. O.M. aided John Brown, Sr. in his later endeavors as an abolitionist. O.M. arrived in Richfield Township circa 1820. O.M. built a home as well as a store (depicted in a watercolor by Anna Oviatt, daughter of O.M. Oviatt, Jr. and Frances Cornelia {Hammond}, in 1864 and featured on the cover of the Society’s first deck of historical Richfield playing cards) which was located at the corner of Rt. 303 and Rt. 21 – or East Center as it was called back then. Richfield’s first post office was located in this store and Mr. Oviatt was named Postmaster in 1825. The Oviatt and Porter Co. was known as a central point of trade for over 50 years. A very community-minded person, O.M. donated land in1830 for the Congregational Church (now the Richfield United Church of Christ) which became the third church of the Western Reserve.
Mason Oviatt, son of Salmon Oviatt and nephew of Heman, and his wife Fannie Abia Carter (of the Richfield Carter Family) settled in a farmhouse that would eventually become the Girl Scouts’ Camp Crowell Hilaka caretaker’s residence. Fannie helped to care for the family of John Brown, Sr. in 1843 when four of his children became ill and died from black diphtheria. This West Richfield branch of Oviatts attended the Baptist Church (now Fellowship Hall) and sent two young men, to fight in the Civil War. Both died in service. Thirteen other members of the extended Oviatt Family served from Summit and Cuyahoga Counties.
PAYNE Family
In 1812, the first death recorded in Richfield was Polly Payne, aged 18 years old.
PIXLEY Family
Stephen Pixley died at the age of 49 on October 31, 1829; his tombstone is one of the oldest in the West Richfield Cemetery. Frank Pixley was born in Richfield and graduated from Richfield High School at the age of 15 years old; he graduated from Ohio State University in 1886 at the age of 19. About 1902 the people of Richfield were proudly boasting that Frank Pixley was a native of the town, for the musical comedy, "The Prince of Pilsen" was then having its successful run in New York, Boston, Paris and London where it was given 160 times. He was professor of History and English at Buchtel College from 1887 to 1890. He was the author of the following plays: The Carpet Bagger, The Return of Eve, Tamin a Tartar, Doctor Doolittle, and A Social Call. He was also author of the following musical comedies: The Burgomaster, The Enchanted Isle, King Dodo, Woodland, The Grand Mogul, Marcel, The Gypsy, Apollo and of course, The Prince of Pilsen. In the latter he collaborated with Gustave Luders. Upon his death in 1919, his widow established a memorial fund of $50,000 at Akron University.
PRICKETT Family
Franklin Prickett owned a gun shop and was the maker of the famous Prickett gun. He lived on Hawkins Road and was the grandfather of Floyd P. Swan. Samuel Prickett had a gun factory on Hawkins Rd. and it was known over a wide area and did a large amount of business for about 25 years. Allan Prickett owned one of the first telephones in Richfield in 1905.
RAWSON Family
The first physician mentioned in Richfield's history was Dr. Secretary Rawson in 1824. Although he practiced here for 40 years, he is best remembered for his wide spread temperance work, for his years of teaching at the Richfield Academy, his ability as a lecturer, and for the establishment of the town's first library in 1825.
SANBORN Family
John C. Sanborn was born in 1802, Massachusetts. He and his wife, Sibyl Farwell, arrived in 1834 in Boston Township and resided there for 20 years before moving to Richfield. He moved into a home that Everett Farnham had built in 1850 which was built for his overseer of his estate. We do not know the overseer's name but it could possibly be J.C. Sanborn. Land records (or deeds) show the property on which the house now stands, was deeded in 1856 by E. Farnham to J.C. Sanborn. John and Sibyl had eight children who married into the Thompson, Lee (w/German heritage), Humphrey and Oviatt families. Their youngest child, Permilla Sanborn, married Miles Oviatt and had Jennie Farwell Oviatt, who was well-known in Richfield and told stories of her grandmother, Fanny (Carter) Oviatt. For source information contact Lynn, manchester13@att.net
SHEPARD Family
On the stream a little east of the West Center, O.C. Shepard owned a steam flour and saw mill. Mill Street and "Mill Hill" derived their names from this mill, which furnished fine lumber for many homes in Richfield and surrounding townships.
TOWNSEND Family
Z.W. Townsend had a carriage and wagon shop and a basket factory. This building was later used as a saw mill, a cider mill, and a feed mill; it's now an antique shop.
WELD Family
James W. Weld, Esq. grew excellent fruit in Richfield that was not only well noted in town but throughout the state of Ohio! In 1824, he built the corner store, known later as the old Sykes' store. William Weld built the Center Hotel in 1830 which became a regular stage coach stop on the road from Cleveland to Massillon. Fayette Viall was proprietor at that time and the hotel later became known to us all as the Inn at Richfield. The family left a trust fund for the East Richfield Cemetery (Fairview) to help maintain the field stone fence and to restore old tombstones.
WELTON Family
As one of the first officials of the township, Isaac Welton acted as a supervisor and he was the first Justice of the Peace in Richfield. He was also the first master of the Meridian Sun Lodge in 1823. It was the 69th Lodge in the State of Ohio and its charter bears that number to this day.
WHEATLEY Family
Joseph and Jane Wheatley with their 8 children emigrated from Yorkshire England to America in 1830. They had planned to settle in Illinois but got off the canal boat they were traveling on in Peninsula, Ohio. Joseph traveled to Richfield and bought a 100 acre farm there at the intersection of what became Wheatley Road and Route 21. The Family lived in the original house on the farm. John Brown, the famous abolitionist who was living in the area at the time, tanned cattle for him. On Joseph’s death in 1857 his oldest son William inherited and ran the farm successfully for the next 3 decades. He also served on the County Board of Supervisors. He married a servant girl, Elizabeth Lawrence, who had been imported from England by his parents to serve the Family. They had 5 children: William, Martha, George, Charles, and Emma. Martha inherited the original farm and homestead and her father William purchased a 100-acre farm for each of the other four children. Charles and William’s farms were on the north side of Wheatley Road. They eventually sold these farms to Abe and Mahalia Stouffer in the early twentieth century. George's farm was to the east of the original land. George ran his farm [and his sister Martha’s upon her death] until his own death in 1931. His widow, Emma Wheatley, and with hired help continued the farming until her grandson, Daniel Lloyd Thomas, took over. The animals and equipment were sold and all farming discontinued in 1944. The acreage was sold piecemeal through the mid 1900’s at the time Nellie Wheatley and Lucille Wheatley Thomas were living there. The final fifty acres were sold in the late 1980’s. The Wheatley Family Cemetery is located at the intersection of Wheatley Road and Route 21. The first burial there was in 1834 (George Wheatley) and the last in 1940 (Emma Wheatley). In 2017 the last remaining member of the Wheatley family transferred the cemetery deed to the Richfield Historical Society and the society pledged to maintain, conserve, and beautify this significant piece of local history. Source: Alan Wheatley Thomas
WOOD Family
Baxter Wood, after serving several years as the proprietor of the Center Tavern, started a store in 1848 known as the "Wood Block" on the south side of Rte.303, West Richfield. He was succeeded by his two sons, Charles and Baxter H., who later left the store. Charles carried on the store with his two sons, Harry and Arthur, until about 1910. The old "Wood Block" was torn down in later years, but for three generations it was a well-known trading place. Baxter H. Wood operated a cheese factory just north of Shepard's saw mill. It had a large business, using as much as 15,000 pounds of milk a day which was hauled in from Bath, Granger, Hinckley, Royalton, Brecksville and Boston. This factory burned in 1907.
We have recorded genealogies of many of the early families of Richfield and research assistance is available.
Our Schools & Churches (pictures needed)
Richfield Schools
We have notebooks filled with articles and old photographs of our schools along with stories of the teachers and students. Please contact us at rhs@richfieldohiohistoricalsociety.org or during regular business hours to see the books.
Leamon Farnham, a son of early settler John Farnham, was elected the first Justice of the Peace in Richfield Township in April 1816. So what better person to be the first teacher!
In that same year, a town building was erected in a grove behind what became Homer Carter's home; it was this same grove where open-air services were performed by circuit missionaries who visited the area every five or six weeks. The town building served as town hall, church, school house, court and social hall. Of log construction, with puncheon floors and seats, it was a source of great pride to the people who brought their carefully nurtured trees and shrubs to beautify the grounds.
In 1835 the Ohio Legislature chartered an Academy which was built in 1836 in the northeast corner of Rte 303 and Humphrey Road. It flourished for 36 years, while many of its graduates went out into the world to occupy high positions. The Principal for many years was Rev. Harvey Lyon, while Rev. Israel Shailor and Dr. Rawson were also teachers.
West Richfield The old brick school was abandoned when the schools were centralized. Now a part of the Masonic Temple.
District No. 2 School By 1916 West Richfield had twelve one-room schools scattered throughout the township. Ella Starr and her class are shown at the district No. 2 school on Hawkins Road, April 17, 1911. The photograph was taken by Richfield native, Caleb Damon (1853-1915). Postcard reproductions of his photos of Richfield are available for sale at the Richfield Historical Society, Old Town Hall.
Center Richfield The Richfield Center High School was torn down when the township schools were centralized. This building was erected in 1887 and it replaced the former high school built in 1872 that burned.
District School at Black & Boston Mills Roads This is one of the ten original district school buildings at the corner of Black and Boston Mills Roads. By 1835 there were school houses in all parts of the township. They were rudimentary structures, with puncheon seats and floors, and were poorly heated with one fireplace in the front of the room; however, they served the educational needs of the youngsters for 45 years.
In 1914, the Richfield schools were centralized and all district schools were abandoned. Horse drawn wagons were used to transport the pupils and some of the children had to leave home before daylight on winter mornings and walk, maybe a mile or so, to the corner where the school wagon picked them up. It would take two or more hours for the horses to plod through the mud or snow banks to reach school on time. About this time Richfield High School was granted a charter as a first grade high school. In 1916, the old school house between the centers was torn down to make way for the brick building which is still in use, though nearly double its originial size.
Richfield Churches
1822 Church
The New 1886 Church
The Baptist Church
The New Methodist Church
Richfield Church History
By 1811, enough pioneers had settled in Richfield that open-air church services were held every few weeks by itinerant missionaries in a clearing in the forest, located about a quarter mile SW of the crossroads at East Center. There were two sermons in the morning, then Sunday school after lunch, followed by another sermon later in the day. Our church history says the religious fervor, at times, was so great that, "the preaching could be heard a mile away", as far as West Richfield! Four traveling missionaries ministered to Richfield. First were Rev. William Hanford and John Seward; next, Rev. Treat and Rev. Israel Shailor. They were from the Connecticut Missionary Society with headquarters in Ravenna. Those missionaries conducted services every few weeks when Richfield's 'Meeting Day' came around which was a great occasion for the early settlers, as in those days there was no time for frivolous affairs and gatherings were few.
The first church built in Richfield was a Methodist Church built in 1822. Richfield Township's 1849 ledger of District Roads refers to this "Methodist Meeting House", as being in the south-east part of the township, not as West Richfield. It burned and was rebuilt in 1856.
The Congregational Society was organized May 18, 1818 by Rev. William Hanford and Rev. John Seward. They held services in barns and then in an 1816 log "meeting house" and also served as a school house at the same time. On February 18, 1824 this organization, now under Rev. Shailor and still meeting in a log building, united with the "Grand River and Portage Presbytery", and thus became Presbyterian affiliated.
In 1831, the Church of Christ Society began work on constructing a new Presbyterian church at Center crossroads - 990 feet north from the old 1816 log building. This was the third church built in the Western Reserve, several years before Cleveland had places to worship. Rev. Horace Smith was chosen to begin his pastorate; Rev. Shailor's ending in November 1833. The society met in the Center School House (located across the road from the present brick school building on Streetsboro Rd.) while the new church was under construction.
Building the church demanded toil, self-denial and a united effort. "Some contributed the sawn lumber, others the whitewood for the siding and still others the work of their hands." This new church was built with nails and iron hardware; it had glass windows and was painted white. It was located between Capt. Heman Oviatt's frame house (at 3798 Brecksville Rd.) and his son, O. M. Oviatt's store. O.M. Oviatt, as a church trustee, bore a large share of the building costs.
It was then dedicated as The First Congregational Society Church of Richfield on April 1, 1833 and a revised Confession of Faith and Church Covenant were adopted; thereafter, the church was no longer affiliated Presbyterian. Persons chosen as officers included: Salmon Oviatt as Chairman, S. Rawson as Treasurer, Uri Oviatt as Collector, and James W. Weld as Secretary.
A fire broke out on April 3, 1886 and soon the stunned members stood around the blackened ashes of their beloved church which had served them for 54 years. The store of the Loomis Brothers (previously the Bronson & Oviatt store) and the adjoining shed also burned and were never rebuilt. But seven months after the fire, the church was rebuilt with all the elaborate architectural characteristics of the Victorian age. Trustees at this time were O.M. Oviatt, James Mackey, and William Wheatley and they were instrumental in the building of the new church.
In 1838, members of the Oviatt family formed the Richfield Baptist Society and met in members' homes until 1840 when Salmon & Mary (Humphrey) Oviatt deeded to the Baptist Society a plot of land at the West Center of Richfield. There, the Baptist Church was built in 1840.
One hundred years later, Judge Dean May ruled the sale of the church and property (for $850) by the Cleveland Baptist Association to the Richfield Township Trustees was legal and binding (1940). During WWII, the church provided space for the local Civil Defense Office. The north annex then became home to Richfield's public library. Virginia Carter, as its first librarian, remembered, "It was open one or two evenings a week because of wartime gasoline rationing."
In 1949, the church was renamed, Fellowship Hall, thanks to Mrs. Anna Kamps, who submitted the best name in a contest. She was mother to Ethel Szitar, who was manager of the Richfield United Church of Christ.
In 1856, the new Methodist Church was built at a new location in West Center, Richfield, about a block east of the corners.
Kitty-cornered across the road from this building was the parsonage, built around 1870. The original house at the parsonage site previously had been moved next door (North) about 1830. In March 1919, Floyd Swan purchased the old parsonage and his children, Ray, Ken and Gertrude were raised in that historic building.
Then in 1918, the Methodist Church was affiliated with the Congregational Church to form the Richfield Federated Church.
Later on, the church building was abandoned, sold and made into 2 separate homes in 1927.
Built in 1876, the Centennial Church of the United Brethern was established in Richfield; later it was abandoned in 1920. William E. Malm bought it in 1932, dismantled it, and used materials to construct the Swiss chalet home at 4053 Humphrey Road.
The New Congregational Church was built in 1886 and was later affiliated with the Methodist Church to form Richfield Federated Church in 1918. The Federated Church building was condemned as unsafe in 1950 and torn down in 1952. The New Federated Church could not receive financial aid from the Methodist organization for a new church but funds were later provided by the Congregational organization in 1953.
The New Congregational Church was built and dedicated in 1953 and still stands as the Richfield United Church of Christ.
Richfield Cemeteries
Behold, and see as you pass by, As you are now and once was I, As I am now so you must be, Prepare for death and follow me. -- By Dorothy K. Sykes (from an old stone in Fairview Cemetery)
Looking for someone in particular? Follow the FindAGrave® link to the cemetery.
East Richfield Cemetery
(also known as Fairview Cemetery)
This was established in April 1845 by a gift of 3/4 of an acre by Orson M. and Lucretia Oviatt to the trustees of the First Congregational Society. Most of the present acreage has been given to the Township Trustees by Everett & Emily Farnum (.54 acre, 1870; .235 acre, 1876), Charles & Mary Brush (.84 acre, 1898), Charles Brush (1.03 & .70 acre, 1912), Dorothy Brush Dick (3.70 acres, 1932), and the East Ohio Gas Co. (.078 acres, 1948).
It is here (pictured at left) that the four children of the famous abolitionist, John Brown, are laid to rest having died one week of each other. Charles, Austin, Peter and Sarah Brown died of black diphtheria, or the black plague, according to the account of "Aunt Fanny" Oviatt, grandmother of Jennie Oviatt, who nursed the family through this terrible illness.
Below at the left, is a photo of the granite memorial to John Farnham/Farnum, father of Everett Farnham and the only Revolutionary soldier to be buried in Richfield. John was born in 1761, Cornwall, Litchfield County, Connecticut. He was only 16 years old in 1777 when he enlisted as a private in Captain Robertson's Company, 2nd Regiment and later fought in the Battle of Monmouth. His honorable discharge papers are signed by General George Washington. In 1812, John and most of his family arrived in Richfield where he built his first home made of logs to protect himself from native Indians. A couple years later, he was elected "fence viewer", a township official whose function was to settle property line disputes between adjacent land owners. John Farnham died in 1834 and was buried on his property which later became Fairview cemetery 11 years later.
Much gratitude is owed to the Weld family who left a trust fund that has made the restoration of the native field stone wall and resetting of tombstones possible in East Richfield.
In the summer of 1934, Mrs. W.E. Ellis and Mrs. A.E. Ozmun generously spent their time reading tombstones in East Richfield Cemetery and their invaluable list exists today at the Richfield Historical Society. If you would like to verify that your ancestors are buried here, we can look-up names for you from this reading for anyone buried prior to mid-1934.
The cemetery is located on the west side of Brecksville Road, Richfield, Summit County, Ohio, just south of East Ohio Co.; look for the field stone wall and winding hillside drive. Visit FindAGrave® to search the cemetery.
Other small cemeteries that exist or have existed in Richfield are Reed (or Columbia) Cemetery, 1841; Osborn Cemetery, 1852; Revere Cemetery, 1858 and Hart Cemetery, 1862. In future, we will have more information regarding these burial places on the website. Please contact us now if you have any questions.
We also have recorded genealogies of many of the early families of Richfield and research assistance is available. Contact us at (330-659-0336) or information@richfieldohiohistoricalsociety.org.
"Through all the weary world of death, In peaceful slumber may you rest; And when eternal day shall dawn, And shades of death have passed and gone; Oh, may you then with glad surprise, In God's own image wake and rise. By Harry Dean Saddler (Epitaph of John Brown's children's gravestone in Fairview Cemetery.)
Stephen Pixley, one of the earliest burials at West Richfield Cemetery, died at the age of 49 on October 31st, 1829. (above)
West Richfield Cemetery
This cemetery was founded in 1824 and many Richfield family names are found here: Alger, Baldwin, Baumgardner, Bigelow, Carter, Comstock, Dustin, Ellsworth, Fauble, Gargett, Goldwood, Greenlese, Hall, Hart, Humphrey, Ingersol, Kirby, Lane, McKinstry, Oviatt, Palmer, Parker, Phelps, Prickett, Shall, Sheldon, Starr, Swan, Townsend, Williard, and Wood.
It was in this cemetery that an impressive sandstone vault stood for 80 years until it was torn down in July, 1959. It was decreed an eyesore and a hazard by township trustees. The 12 by 20 foot structure, built in 1879, was originally intended as a place to store caskets during the winter until spring weather made grave digging possible; however, the vault had long remained unused. Some of the huge sandstone blocks were used as a retaining wall on the town hall site (circa 1959).
Some of the very old tombstones are unfortunately disintegrating before our very eyes! To the left, is the headstone of little Nancy Stoffer who died at the age of two years and 6 months on March 9, 1831. She was the daughter of David R. Stoffer and Mina Bigelow, daughter of John & Lydia (Benedict) Bigelow. David Stoffer was born in Germany in 1801, went to California in 1863 and was never heard from again.
Mrs. W.E. Ellis and Mrs. A.E. Ozmun generously spent their time reading tombstones in the summer of 1934 at West Richfield Cemetery and their invaluable list exists today at the Richfield Historical Society. If you would like to verify that your ancestors are buried here, we can look-up names for you from this reading for anyone buried prior to mid-1934.
This cemetery can be easily found on the east side of Broadview Road, just north of Rte. 303, Richfield, Summit County, Ohio. Visit FindAGrave® to search this cemetery.
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Historical Museum of Richfield, The Richfield Historical Society P.O.Box 215, 3907 Broadview Road, Richfield, Ohio 44286, (330) 659.0336 www.richfieldohiohistoricalsociety.org richfieldhistsoc@me.com Richfield Historical Society is a 501 (c) (3) Non-Profit Organization Public Charity Status: 170 (b) (1) (A) (vi) |