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Transcription contributed by Arne H Trelvik 29 May 2003 |
| Sources: |
The History of Warren County Ohio |
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Beers History of Warren County Page 293 Benjamin A. Stokes 1899 Obituary |
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BENJAMIN A. STOKES, farmer; P.O. Ridgeville. The family of which we now write, and whose history forms an extensive link in the history of Warren County, we are able to trace to Thomas Stokes, a native of London, England, a biscuit-maker by trade, who emigrated to America at a very early day and settled in Burlington, N.J. He was one of the grantees to whom New Jersey was ceded by the crown of England. He had four sons, of whom John, the youngest son, married a young woman by the name of Green, the reputed owner of a farm on the north bank or Rancocas Creek, about one mile below the forks, and there they settled; but soon afterward, her brother came with power of attorney from her father in England, and took possession. John and his wife then moved on to an adjoining farm, which has ever since remained in the family, having been handed down by will, never having been sold, the like of which was, perhaps, never known in American history. They had one son and several daughters. This son’s name was also John, who married Hannah, a daughter of Jarvis Stockdale, who, it is said, was a preacher among the Friends and came to this country with William Penn. Mr. Stokes had three sons – John, David and Jarvis; the latter married Elizabeth, daughter of William Rogers, of English descent. They had fifteen children; thirteen grew to maturity, of whom William, the second son and fourth child, was born in Burlington Co., N.J., Jan. 14, 1779, and was the father of our subject. He was married, April 8, 1798, to Hannah Hatcher, of the same county. They had seven sons and five daughters; six now survive – Granville W., born Sept. 23, 1810; Benjamin A., Sept. 3, 1812; Caroline, Oct. 1, 1814, now Mrs. J. Graham; Elizabeth A., Feb. 23, 1816, now Widow McCowan; Hannah, Jan. 6, 1823, now Mrs. Simonton, and William H. Mr. Stokes and family came to Ohio in 1817, and arrived at Lebanon July 4 and settled on a farm in the southwestern part of Clear Creek Township, where he passed the remainder of his life. He was a strong, robust man, weighing about 200 pounds; he was an energetic, active man, prompt in all his transactions and possessed a high social nature, full of mirthfulness and wit, and was the life of every circle in which he moved. He died Aug. 17, 1838; his wife died in April, 1858. Granville W. Stokes married Jane Robinson, who was born in New Jersey May |
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8, 1820. They had three sons and five daughters: five now survive – Adaline, Virginia P., Francis J., Jefferson F., Alice and William E. Mr. Stokes received his primary education in the log schoolhouse; then he attended the South Hanover College, Indiana: then he read law with Thomas Corwin and Phineas Ross, and graduated at the Cincinnati Law School and was admitted to the bar March 2, 1839; was Clerk of the Court of Common Pleas of Warren County five years. In 1852, was a member of the Electoral College of President Pierce; from 1853-1855, he represented the people of Warren and Butler Counties in the Ohio Senate. He then retired to his farm, but, on the breaking out of the rebellion, though a Democrat, vigorously supported the administration by stirring recruiting speeches. He had pervious to the rebellion been commissioned by the Governor of Ohio as Brigadier General in the militia for Southern Ohio, but, from a disabled limb, did not enter the service. Mr. Stokes was also a member of the Greeley Electoral College. He is a man of more than ordinary natural ability, has been a close observer and a hard student. Few men possess a more extensive fund of general information than this gentleman. He has in his possession a musket that belonged to Edmond Robison, Mrs. Stokes’ grandfather, which was carried by him through the Revolutionary war; also a brick out of the first brick house built by William Penn, in Philadelphia, which was made in London; also, a six-pound cannon ball presented to him by Gen. De la Marr, Aide-de-camp to Gen. Jackson at the battle of New Orleans. Dr. W. H. Stokes, the youngest son of William Stokes, received a thorough education at the Miami University, at Oxford, Ohio, and from private instruction at Lebanon from Prof. Bronsal. In November, 1844, he commenced the study of medicine with Dr. M. H. Keever, of Ridgeville; attended lectures at Dartsmouth, N.H., then at the Ohio Medical College at Cincinnati, at which institution he graduated in the spring of 1848; thence practiced with Dr. Keever till the spring of 1861; thence engaged in agriculture, which he has since followed and for which he has a special taste. The Doctor has been elected and served two terms in the Ohio Senate. He was married, Jan. 31, 1849, to Susanna Throckmorton, by whom he has had thirteen children; eight now survive – Rush, Mott, Meigs, Stella, Eva, Locke, Lee and Marietta. Benjamin A. Stokes, the subject of this sketch, obtained his education in the log schoolhouse of the pioneers; was married, March 31, 1841, to Miss Maria Mulford, who was born in Warren county, a daughter of Joseph and Rhoda Mulford, natives of New Jersey. By this union, they have had ten children, eight now living – Ann Eliza, born Jan. 30, 1842, married C. H. Eulass; Adella, Nov. 21, 1843, married Wallace Tibbals; Ada A., Oct. 23, 1845, married George E. Riley; Thomas H., March 28, 1848; William W., Dec. 8, 1849; Mary S., July 29, 1853; Lelia M., Nov. 8, 1858, and Horace B., born Oct. 24, 1860. Mr. Stokes is a man of more than ordinary financial ability; from his start in life in limited circumstances, he has arisen to wealth and affluence by his industry and financial ability, especially by the latter. Although never holding or desiring office to any great extent, he has served as a Justice of the Peace nine years, and was a director of the Orphan Asylum and Children’s Home. He has given great attention to the educational interests of his township, and has attended to a great amount of public business in settling up estates; is now a director in two national banks and is in full possession of the confidence of his community, and is recognized as one of Warren Country’s best financiers and a most worthy citizen. |
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This page created 29 May 2003 and last updated
7 July, 2010
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