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Subject: Letter: ROSENBERRY, HITCHCOCK Medina County, 1862-1912
Date: Mon, 18 Jan 1999 13:32:44 EST

This letter was written in 1912 by Marvin Bristol Rosenberry, son of Samuel C.
Rosenberry and Mary Amelia Hitchcock. He later became Chief Justice of the
Supreme Court of Wisconsin. The purpose of the letter was to describe people
and places he encountered on a trip with his family to Medina County, Lorain
County, Cleveland and Niagara Falls.

He describes in detail the 50th REUNION OF THE 103RD OHIO VOLUNTEER INFANTRY.

The names, mostly from Medina County, he mentions are:

CANNON
GILBERT: Frank
HARRISON: Uncle, Aunt Sarah
HITCHCOCK: Henry Hobart, Howard, Willis, Willis Jr., Eleanor, Nelson, Mary,
Ella, Clarence, Daniel Bristol (Grandfather), Emeline Sarah Welton
(Grandmother), Mary Amelia (Rosenberry)
KELLOG: Windsor
KINDIG: Jonathan
LANDFAIR: Kate (Rosenberry)
LICEY: Al
MORSE: Bert, Betty
PHILLIPS: Elsa
ROSENBERRY: Kate (Landfair), Sam, Katherine, Samuel C. (Father), Mary Amelia
(Hitchcock) (Mother)
ROSHON: Mary Ann
SMITH: Line(Linas)
WHEELER: Betty (Morse)
WHIPPLE: Windsor

Wausau,Wisconsin
August 26th, 1912

My dear brothers and sisters:

As you know, we had intended making a trip to Ohio with father and mother,
the occasion being the fiftieth anniversary of father's enlistment in the
103rd Ohio.

Kate, Sam, Katherine and I left here Friday evening, August 16th, bound for
Elyria over the C.M.& St.P. to Chicago and from there to Elyria over the Lake
Shore. We had intended to go a day earlier and meet father and mother at
Sturgis. It was impossible for me to get away, however, so we delayed our
departure until Friday evening.

We passed through South Bend, Sturgis, Toledo Saturday. When the train
stopped at Oberlin Kate looked out of the window and saw father standing on
the platform. Of course we were considerably surprised to meet him there. I
had expected that he would meet us at Elyria. It seems he and mother had gone
to Elyria on Friday evening, and had taken the electric car from there out to
Grafton, and stayed over nite at Uncle Hobart's, and he had then come up to
Oberlin to notify us as to the arrangements for getting to Medina. The cars
on the Lake Shore were crowded. One would scarcely dare to leave his seat to
turn around, and for that reason we had even no lunch, excepting a few
sandwiches that we had brought along.

The first thing after getting to Elyria was to get dinner. We then took the
Southwestern Road (Electric) to Kamms Corners, which is toward Cleveland from
Elyria. At Kamms Corners we changed cars and went to Medina, arriving there
about 9 oclock in the evening. We went to spend the nite with cousin Windsor
Whipple. His mother was our grandfather Hitchcock's sister, so that he is our
mother's first cousin. We were very pleasantly received. They have a nice
home and entertained us beautifully. We spent Sunday morning visiting, the
children going to Sunday School with their grandson, Windsor Kellog, and
Sunday afternoon he drove us around Medina in carriages. Father met another
of his old acquaintances. He pointed out to me the place where he went up the
stairs fifty years ago last Wednesday, August 21st, to enlist in the army, and
went from there directly to Cleveland. We also saw the church where father
and mother were baptized and married, and where I was baptized. It has been
moved off from its former site and made into a blacksmith shop. We had
expected to attend the Episcopal church, but found that the rector was taking
his vacation, and no services were held. We had lunch Sunday evening, and then
left for Brunswick over the Electric Road, and spent Sunday evening and nite
with Howard Hitchcock. He has a beautiful farm, finely situated on a rise of
ground, and about one-half mile from the electric car line, and one-half mile
from the Brunswick post office and corners.

He has a house with all modern conveniences, water throughout, fine barns,
and one of the finest orchards that I saw on my trip. It rained very heavily
Monday morning, and we were not able to travel through it, but it certainly
presented a fine view.

We left Monday morning for Medina, and expected a man with an automobile to
drive us over Montville Township, but on account of the rain he disappointed
us, and we hired a three-seated carriage and went by team. We went southeast
out of Medina, on what is known as the Diagonal road. Montville Township, the
township in which father and mother were born and reared, corners into the
city of Medina, so that before you are out of Medina City you are into the
original boundaries of Montville Township. We went out by the Line Smith
place, of which you have heard our folks speak so often, through Poe City,
which by the way is composed of one church, on down the Diagonal road, turned
off to the east, and went by mother's old home. A part of the house still
remains, but it has been rebuilt and added to. The barns have been moved and
rebuilt, and she says there is nothing familiar about the place. We did not
stop to go in to see the inside. We followed this road down the ravine and
struck the so-called River road, turning to the south by the Sickman place,
where we stopped to get a drink out of the spring. and went on about a mile to
River Styx, which is a little corners, not as large as Factorville. Here we
took dinner with Jonathan Kindig, found him somewhat feeble, but we had a
splendid dinner and a nice visit. Two or three of father's and mother's old
acquaintances called, one of whom I am sure you will remember, Al Licey. He
is now a man past eighty years of age, but lively and quite an interesting
character.

After dinner we drove back along the Rocky River on the River road, stopped
to see Mary Ann Roshon, stopped at the house where I was born and got a drink
of water out of the spring back of the house. About the only satisfying
drinking water we had on the whole trip was out of these two springs.

About two miles south of River Styx the road turns to the East and runs by
the old Rosenberry homestead. We drove on this east and west road, going
easterly to what is known as the Southwest Sharon Church. This is a small
country church now owned, or at least used by the Methodists, and in the
churchyard grandfather and grandmother Rosenberry are buried. The graves are
all well cared for, the small marble slabs are standing, and the spot was of
great interest to us. We then drove back, going west. and stopped at the
point where the lane of the original Rosenberry farm struck the road.

The Rosenberry farm consisted of forty acres, and laid back from the road
about forty rods to the south. The man who now owns the Rosenberry place also
owns the land between it and the road, and uses the old road for a lane for
the stock. We drove in and found a part of the old house still standing. It
had been moved off its foundations and the stone used for a foundation for a
new barn. The original house was a log house and stood about 100 or 150 feet
south of the cellar upon which the present house stood. We went down to the
hill lot crossing the ravine, and visited the old well which grandfather
Rosenberry had dug there. The timber has been practically all cut off from
the wood lot, and the entire forty acres excepting the meadow on the east
side, is tilled. Here, as almost everywhere, father expressed great
astonishment at the steepness of the hills. Places he remembered as perfectly
level were very hilly, moderate hills he found very steep, and those hills
which he remembered as steep were almost on edge. I suppose this was due to
the fact that he has lived so long in a country comparatively flat, as I
expect the hills are about the same now as they were fifty years ago. In
fact, the impression one ought to get now, as compared with fifty years ago,
would be that they are less steep, for the roads have been greatly improved by
cutting and filling, and in many places laid with rock.

Driving east along the road we came back to the River road. Turning to the
north, following along about a mile, we again turned and struck the road which
runs through Poe post office or Poe City, and known as Bean St. As we
traveled along this road, and before reaching Poe, we came to the Poe
cemetery, where grandfather and grandmother Hitchcock were buried. We found
this cemetery well cared for and the headstones and markers in good condition
and easily distinguishable. They are in about the center of the burying
ground on the left hand side of the street leading from the entrance.

We then drove on easterly through Poe City, up Bean Street, past the house
where Uncle Harrison and Aunt Sarah lived after they were married, and stopped
at Aunt Betty Morse's, her place being west of Poe City and between the
diagonal road and what is known as the Pike, which runs directly south of
Medina. Her mother is also a sister of grandfather Hitchcock, so that she and
our mother are cousins. She is the last of her family, Windsor Whipple is the
last of his family, and mother and Uncle Hobart are the last of their family.

We spent the evening with her, and the children were greatly interested at
the many curious pieces of furniture which she had. She has a number of
chairs which were made by grandfather Hitchcock, in fact, you can find at
least one of these chairs in almost every old home around there. She has a
carpet that has been down sixty years and is still in a good state of
preservation. The children slept upstairs in an old fashioned rope bedstead,
the only one that they had ever seen. It is a beautiful piece of furniture,
made of cherry, and in the old colonial style, and I suppose the curio hunters
would pay a large price for a piece of furniture of that kind. Their son,
Bert Morse, lives with her, in a separate house, the two houses being in the
same yard. He has two boys, about 9 and 11 years of age, and the children had
a fine time playing with them. We got up early Tuesday morning and returned
to Medina, called again on Cousin Windsor Whipple, and took the 7:30 train for
Grafton.

Uncle Hobart, and Nelson, son of our cousin Willis Hitchcock, met us at the
train with two carriages. They drove us out to the Grafton stone quarry, where
we saw the process of quarrying and shaping grindstones carried out from
beginning to end. It was all very interesting. We went to Willis' for
dinner. Aunt Ella had a very serious operation and is not able to do very
much at the present time, or to have any extra excitement. We met Willis'
wife Mary, and his daughter Eleanore. She is a beautiful girl of 16 or 17, and
here we had the finest meal that I have sat down to in a good many years. She
is as good a cook as I have ever come in contact with. I even dared to say
that with Kate present.

After dinner we went up and called on Aunt Ella. They live about eighty rods
apart, and on the same farm, and after spending an hour or so with her, they
hitched up the buggy and took father and mother and Uncle Hobart, and hitched
the team onto the lumber wagon, with the rack on it, and we drove back to the
wood lot. Katherine drove the big team, and she had the time of her life.
After spending an hour or two going through the wood lot, we came back and
went to Willis' for supper and I had another piece of Mary's famous cherry
pie. I will not attempt to describe the dinner to you, as it would hardly be
fair. We stayed at Aunt Ella's over night, the children staying with Eleanore
and Nelson, and Wednesday morning we took the trolley car for Elyria and
Lorain, and called upon Clarence Hitchcock and his wife.

We found them very pleasantly located. We left there at 11:15 and went out to
the camp ground, where the reunion of the 103rd O.V.I. was to be held.

Here we met one of the greatest surprises of our trip. We found the camp
ground to consist of about three acres of land, lying six miles east of
Lorain, fronting on Lake Erie. It seems that the members of the l03rd, with
their sons and daughters, own this land in their own right, having organized a
corporation for that purpose. To this corporation only members and their
direct descendents are eligible. Any member who chooses to do so may erect a
cottage for his own use upon the grounds, in which event he pays $10.00 per
year for the use of the land. This goes into the general treasury. They have
erected a large assembly hall, 40 X 60, cook shanties, a large mess hall, in
which they can seat over 200 at one sitting, barracks which hold 30 or 40
people. Members have built individually about 20 or 25 cottages, and the
corporation owns 40 or 50 tents, with the necessary cots, lumber for flooring,
and for over thirty years, members of the regiment living in this vicinity
have been in the habit of camping in this manner. They formerly camped at
Camp Randall, but about eight or nine years ago bought this land, which is
used solely for the purposes of the organization.

We were very pleasantly received, and both Kate and the children wanted to
stay over night. We were furnished a tent, cots, and also blankets, although
you are supposed to bring your own blankets. We did not have bed ticks, so we
put hay over the cots and the blankets on the hay. Father and mother had a
tent for their own use, and we slept by ourselves in another tent. The
children went swimming In Lake Erie in the afternoon, and had a great time
playing with the little boys and girls of their age. It is the custom each
year for the members of this association to come, bringing with them their
entire families. They camp out in the tents or live in the cottages, and have
a splendid time. The expense is nominal. The entire assemblage is fed in the
mess hall, tickets for breakfast and supper cost 10c. and for dinner 15c., and
you would be surprised to know what a good meal they serve for that price.

In the evening they have a program in the assembly hall. The evening we were
there one of the daughters, as they are called, who had been a missionary in
India, was dressed in the India costume, and gave a very interesting talk on
the conditions there. They had a fine musical program, and two very good
recitations. There are all classes of people here, rich and poor, learned and
less learned, but all during this week they all meet upon an absolute
equality.

We left early Thursday morning for Cleveland. Kate had gone in the day
before to see her mother and she was very anxious that we should come in and
go out to the old Landfair homestead, which is situated out of Cleveland, on
Lorain Street, about six miles, being about a mile west of Kamms Corners on
the Southwestern Electric road. Kate's cousin, Mrs. Frank Gilbert, and
another cousin, Miss Ella Phillips, with Mrs. Landfair, went with us to visit
this old farm. This farm was cleared by Captain Landfair's father and he
lived there from the time he was six months old until he went on the lakes,
and after that the farm was occupied by Mr. and Mrs. Cannon. Mrs. Cannon was
Mr. Landfair's sister, and Kate and her mother spent five or six weeks here
nearly every summer from her early childhood to the death of her Auntie
Cannon, which was sometime in the early 90's, so the place had a great many
associations for them.

We returned to Cleveland about 4 o'clock and went to the home of Mrs.
Gilbert, where we had supper, leaving Cleveland at 8 o'clock on the boat for
Niagara Falls. It was slightly rough as we went out of the harbor. Sam got a
little worried about the icebergs. I suppose he had the fate of the Titanic
in his mind. Katherine, however, enjoyed it and thought it was a good deal
like riding on the Whizzer all the while.

We got to Buffalo in the morning. We got up early to see the great grain
elevators and the docks, breakwaters of the Buffalo Harbor, which are truly
wonderful. After breakfast we left for Niagara Falls, and put in the day
there, first visiting the American side. Sam, Katherine and I went down and
took a ride on the Maid of the Mist, that's a steamer that runs on the river
up under the Falls. After that we went on the Canadian side, and then
completed what is called the Gorge ride. We stopped at Brook's monument,
which was the last stop to the east on the Canadian side, where we had our
lunch. Sam, Katherine and I climbed to the top of it, 235 steps high. We then
took the car again and stopped at the Whirlpool Rapids on the American side,
from there to the depot, Michigan Central road, and back to Buffalo.

Friday evening we took the Lake Shore road from Buffalo to Chicago. Mother
Landfair and I returned to Wausau and Kate and the children went to visit some
friends at Two Rivers, Wisconsin.

We had a delightful trip and enjoyed it in every way. I was anxious to take
this trip with father and mother and to have Sam and Katherine go along, and I
think they will probably never forget it. Father has no relatives whatever in
Medina County, and there are no immediate relatives of mother's, excepting
Windsor Whipple and Aunt Betty Morse, and Uncle Hobart, who lives in Lorain
County.

Father and mother were looking well, although father has aged considerably.
Mother thinks that he is not as well as usual, and thinks that he is aging,
although I cannot see it. He is a little grayer than he was, but his
complexion seems good, and he seems to feel well. He was a little tired on
this trip, but that is not to be wondered at, as we were all tired. Uncle A.B.
saw father at A.J.'s funeral in May. He said he thought father looked very
well.

There were only about 75 of the veterans present. There are many more than
that living, but a great many are unable to attend these reunions. Mr Gates
and Mr. Silbern were here from home. They were the only ones I knew before I
went to the camp ground.

I cannot exactly describe to you what a pleasant time we had there and what a
spirit of fraternalism and friendliness pervades the whole atmosphere. I would
enjoy very much going there to stay during the entire week. I had expected to
put in about 4 or 5 more days in Ohio than I did, and then attend the meeting
of the State Bar Association, which is to be held in Milwaukee this week,
27th, 28th and 29th, but it was impossible for me to do so.

I am writing this letter and sending you each a copy, as I thought the
matters contained might be of some considerable interest. We had planned on
stopping to see Erva, but our time was too limited for that.

With love to you all, I am,
Your affectionate brother,

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