~ JOHN HARRINGTON, b. 2 Feb 1818 ~ Related Surnames - HARRINGTON, PRIOR, BATES, SWITZER, STAHL, THOMA, HARTLE The snow-white hair and beard of this old and highly-respected resident of Van Buren Township, are familiar to most of the people of this region. He is one of the time-honored men who have "worn well," and who have established for themselves a reputation for honesty and reliability, which is of more value than riches. Mr. Harrington owns and occupies a snug homestead of eighty acres on section 13, where he has lived quietly and unostentatious for, lo, these many years, and although making no pretentions to elegance, is surrounded by all the comforts of life. He has been particularly fortunate in his choice of a partner and helpmate, Mrs. Harrington being a lady of great intelligence and cultivated tastes, and who since a maiden of fourteen years, has been identified with the Methodist Episcopal Church. They occupy a leading position among the best people of their community, and their hospitality is proverbial. Our subject came to Van Buren Township in the spring of 1854, when a well-developed man thirty-six years of age, having been born on the 2d of February, 1818. His native place was Northampton Township, Summit Co., Ohio, and there he was reared to man's estate, receiving limited educational advantages. Being the eldest son of the family, he was at an early age required to assist in the labors of the farm, when he was so small that he was obliged to climb up on a stump in order to harness the horses. In short, his boyhood and youth were passed in the manner common to the other "rail splitters" of that time and place. He remained a member of his father's household until hs marriage, which occurred Sept. 17, 1840, his bride being Miss Calista, daugher of Gurden and Hannah (Bates) Prior. After their marriage, Mr. and Mrs. Harrington sojourned in the Buckeye State until 1854, when they disposed of their interest there, and started for Iowa. The journey involved a great many difficulties, but for these they were fully prepared, and had made up their minds to be ready for whatever emergency might arise. They started out with their household goods, made their way first by teams to Cleveland, thence by a lake vessel to Chicago, and from there overland by wagon, this part of the journey consuming eleven days. The parents of Mrs. Harrington had preceded them to this region, and they joined them here and remained with them until Mr. Harrington could put up a house. For this purpose he hauled lumber from Savanna, Ill., it being transported across the Mississippi on Wade Eldridge's ferry. Our subject took up land in Van Buren Township, and the years which followed, although full of labor and hardships, yet had many pleasures. Besides carrying on the cultivation ! and improvement of his own land, Mr. Harrington broke land for the people around him, and thus has turned a goodly portion of the soil on the farms in this vicinity. He was soon recognized as a valued member of the community, and after the outbreak of the Civil War, officiated as Township Supervisor three years, and personally looked after the needs of those whose husbands or brothers were away fighting the battles of their country. He has also been Township Trustee, Assessor, and Road Supervisor, besides serving as School Director a number of years. Fully realizing the disadvantages of a limited education, he has been active in encouraging the establishment of schools, and has done whatever lay in his power to secure to the young people of his community that which is of really more value than riches. Politically, he is an ardent supporter of Democratic principles. He cast his first Presidential vote for Martin Van Buren, and, although weighing well the various question! s which have arisen during the last thirty years concerning Governmental affairs, he has been steadfast in his first convictions. He remembers well the campaign of "Tippecanoe and Tyler too." In religious matters, he is not a member of any church, while his estimable wife is a member in good standing of the Methodist Episcopal Church, with which she has been connected a period of fifty-six years. To Mr. and Mrs. Harrington there were born six children, the fourth of whom died unnamed. Ezra was taken from the home circle when an interesting little boy of three and one-half years; Amanda became the wife of David Switzer, and the mother of one child a son, Sherman, the latter now making his home with his grandfather. Mrs. Switzer died in May 1, 1868, when her boy was two and one-half years old. The survivors are Ira L., Carlos J., and Lura E. Ira L. married Miss Jane Stahl, and is the father of one child, a son, Fred; they reside at Elgin, in Fayette County; Carlos J., also a resident of that place, married Miss Emma Thoma, and they have two daughters, Ethel C. and Clara M.; Lura E. makes her home with her parents, and follows the profession of a teacher. The parents of our subject were Job and Susan (Hartle) Harrington, the former born near Bennington, Vt., and the latter in Pennsylvania. They removed with their respective parents to Ohio in their youth, settling in Stowe Township, in what was then Portage, but is now Summit County. The father served as a soldier in the War of 1812, and fought at the battle of Ft. Meigs. The paternal grandfather, Richard Harrington, also a native of the Green Mountain State, was a farmer by occupation, and traced his ancestry to England. On the other side of the house our subject is of German descent. Richard Harrington left Vermont for Ohio during the pioneer days of the latter State, when the country abounded with wild animals and Indians, both of which he had to fight to maintain an existence. He transformed a portion of the forest into a good homestead, and there, with his estimable wife spent the remainder of his days. The latter, however, died in 1849, when about forty-five years old. The father was married a second time, but there were no children by that union. He died in 1869, at the age of seventy-seven years. Of his marriage with the mother of our subject, there were born eleven children, namely: John, of this sketch; George, Seth W., James, Clarissa, Warren A., Alvin, William, Fred L., Wallace and Newton S. Seven of these are living. Gurden Prior, the father of Mrs. Harrington, was born in Northampton, Mass., and his wife, Hannah, was a native of Connecticut. They removed to the Western Reserve, Ohio, in their youth, in 1802 the parents of each being among the earliest settlers of that region. Both the grandfathers of Mrs. Harrington were soldiers of the Revolutionary War, and fought later in the War of 1812. Her parents were of English stock, with perhaps a strain of Irish on the father's side. Gurden Prior was a man of more than ordinary abilities, well educated, and for some years followed the profession of a teacher. Later he turned his attention to farming. He was a prominent man in Summit County, Ohio, and held all the local offices. To him and his excellent wife there were born ten children, all natives of the Buckeye State. Five of these lived to mature years, and came to this county with their parents in 1848. They settled first in Van Buren Township, where they lived two years, then re! moved further westward into Guthrie County. Mr. Prior secured a farm on his land warrant received for his services in the War of 1812, was successful in his labors, and accumulated a good property. He died in 1885, at the advanced age of nearly ninety-two years. The mother had preceded her husband to the silent land, her death occurring in 1883, when she was eighty-six years old. The five children coming with them to this State, were Jerusha, Calista, Joshua, Erastus, and Sarintha. Mrs. Calista (Prior) Harrington, was born in the town of Norton, Portage Co., Ohio, Jan. 2, 1819, but her marriage took place at Northampton, in Summit County. As a child she was unusually bright and fond of her books, attending school in rain or sunshine, and maintained her place usually at the head of her class. She fitted herself for a teacher, and was one of the first ladies following this profession in the Buckeye State, her duties beginning at the early age of eighteen years, and continuing until the summer before her marriage. Her four eldest children were born in Ohio. ("Portrait and Biographical Album of Jackson County, Iowa", originally published in 1889, by the Chapman Brothers, of Chicago, Illinois.)