Hi, Yes, I know that looking for Barbers in Summit County is like looking for a match in a matchbox, so to speak. :-) However, I've got one, and I don't think he's in Akron or Barberton. I have a John R. Barber who was born in about 1810 in Ohio and died in 1881 in Sheboygan County, Wisconsin. I have a land patent for John R. on 1 Aug.1849 in Sheboygan Co., WI, which says he came from Summit Co. I see him in the 1840 census in Bath Twp., Summit Co. with the right family ages. He was age 20-30. There's a John Barber as the next entry age 50-60, and a James Barber down the road age 70-80 who might be related. I know that Summit Co. was formed from Medina, Portage and Stark Cos. in March 1840. My John R. married Rebecca Hardgrove (Hartgrove, Hargrove), b. about 1812 in Maryland, in Ohio probably in about 1832. Their first child, James Wesley Barber, was born in Ohio in about Jan. 1833, and the next 6 children were also born in Ohio. I guess the marriage and births would have been in either Medina Co. or Portage Co. Rebecca's parents may have been nearby, because her father (name unknown) is buried next to her in Wisconsin. Because of the land patent, I think John R. may have owned land in Bath Twp. and there may be a sale record there in Summit before 1 Aug. 1849. (Purchase, too, but what county?) I suppose I would need first, the deed records: Index A-B, FHL # 0854321, and then one of the films FHL #0854337-39. Does anyone have these available for a lookup? (I'm trying to stave off ordering film as long as I can because of the recent price increase.) Could anyone could do a lookup, probably in Medina Co., on the marriage and first child? I wonder if anyone might have any guidance as to how to get further and find my John R.'s parents and/or genealogy. Are the birth or marriage records in this part of Ohio any good in the 1830s? Can anyone recommend any sources I could consult for general or specific history? Can anyone suggest a detailed source about the geography and what townships of which counties became Summit (I live in Washington State and have never been to Ohio)? I hope someone on the list might help with finding background information on the genealogy of the Barbers in Summit County and the preceding counties. I've got the book, "The Connecticut Barbers", which has a John R(enssalaer) Barber as an uncle of Ohio Columbus Barber. He's not my guy because of his dates and details but the name is promising. I also have access to Heritage Quest books online but have trouble narrowing down where to look. There is a family rumor that my Barbers are associated with the Diamond Match Company. I guess based on the timeline that they would at best be cousins of Ohio B., since the match company wasn't consolidated until 1865, long after my family had migrated. At this point, I'm not even sure what neighboring counties' mailing lists would be most productive to join. Thanks in advance for your help and thanks for listening to my long, sad brick wall story. In fact, getting from Sheboygan to Summit knocked a brick out of the wall recently, so I have hope! Barbara Barbara Zanzig Kirkland, WA, USA [email protected] http://www.isomedia.com/homes/hertz/ "Do what you can, with what you have, where you are. " --Theodore Roosevelt ¤º°`°º¤ø,¸¸,ø¤º°`°º¤ø,¸¸,
this website contributed the following article on the Diamond Match Comany. http://www.ohiohistory.org/resource/archlib/ John K. Robinson Patent for Match-Sticks These letters patent were issued to John K. Robinson of Middlebury, Ohio (near Akron), for his improvement of the match-stick. The patent includes a drawing and description of his improvement. By changing the shape of the matchstick, Robinson claimed to have made it easier to ignite. Robinson was awarded patent No. 105,727. The patent and drawing are two pages and measure 7.5" x 11.25" (19.05 x 28.58 cm). Akron was known for the production of matches throughout the nineteenth and early twentieth centuries. John Barber organized Barber Match Works in Akron in 1847. In 1881, twelve match companies (including Barber Match Works) merged to form the Diamond Match Company. The name was a reference to the unique shape of matches made by the Barber Match Company. In 1881, Diamond Match Company bought out Barber's Match Works and became and integral part of Akron's economy. By the twentieth century, Diamond Match Company manufactured twenty percent of all the matches used in the United States. In 1911, on the request of President William H. Taft, Diamond released its patent on the first non-poisonous match to the public. John K. Robinson Patent for Match-Sticks Contributor: Ohio Historical Society John K. Robinson Patent for Match-Sticks Contributor: Ohio Historical Society Barbara Zanzig <[email protected]> wrote: Hi, Yes, I know that looking for Barbers in Summit County is like looking for a match in a matchbox, so to speak. :-) However, I've got one, and I don't think he's in Akron or Barberton. I have a John R. Barber who was born in about 1810 in Ohio and died in 1881 in Sheboygan County, Wisconsin. I have a land patent for John R. on 1 Aug.1849 in Sheboygan Co., WI, which says he came from Summit Co. I see him in the 1840 census in Bath Twp., Summit Co. with the right family ages. He was age 20-30. There's a John Barber as the next entry age 50-60, and a James Barber down the road age 70-80 who might be related. I know that Summit Co. was formed from Medina, Portage and Stark Cos. in March 1840. My John R. married Rebecca Hardgrove (Hartgrove, Hargrove), b. about 1812 in Maryland, in Ohio probably in about 1832. Their first child, James Wesley Barber, was born in Ohio in about Jan. 1833, and the next 6 children were also born in Ohio. I guess the marriage and births would have been in either Medina Co. or Portage Co. Rebecca's parents may have been nearby, because her father (name unknown) is buried next to her in Wisconsin. Because of the land patent, I think John R. may have owned land in Bath Twp. and there may be a sale record there in Summit before 1 Aug. 1849. (Purchase, too, but what county?) I suppose I would need first, the deed records: Index A-B, FHL # 0854321, and then one of the films FHL #0854337-39. Does anyone have these available for a lookup? (I'm trying to stave off ordering film as long as I can because of the recent price increase.) Could anyone could do a lookup, probably in Medina Co., on the marriage and first child? I wonder if anyone might have any guidance as to how to get further and find my John R.'s parents and/or genealogy. Are the birth or marriage records in this part of Ohio any good in the 1830s? Can anyone recommend any sources I could consult for general or specific history? Can anyone suggest a detailed source about the geography and what townships of which counties became Summit (I live in Washington State and have never been to Ohio)? I hope someone on the list might help with finding background information on the genealogy of the Barbers in Summit County and the preceding counties. I've got the book, "The Connecticut Barbers", which has a John R(enssalaer) Barber as an uncle of Ohio Columbus Barber. He's not my guy because of his dates and details but the name is promising. I also have access to Heritage Quest books online but have trouble narrowing down where to look. There is a family rumor that my Barbers are associated with the Diamond Match Company. I guess based on the timeline that they would at best be cousins of Ohio B., since the match company wasn't consolidated until 1865, long after my family had migrated. At this point, I'm not even sure what neighboring counties' mailing lists would be most productive to join. Thanks in advance for your help and thanks for listening to my long, sad brick wall story. In fact, getting from Sheboygan to Summit knocked a brick out of the wall recently, so I have hope! Barbara Barbara Zanzig Kirkland, WA, USA [email protected] http://www.isomedia.com/homes/hertz/ "Do what you can, with what you have, where you are. " --Theodore Roosevelt ¤º°`°º¤ø,¸¸,ø¤º°`°º¤ø,¸¸, ==== OHSUMMIT Mailing List ==== Visti the USGenWeb project to get more information from other States. http://www.usgenweb.org --------------------------------- Talk is cheap. Use Yahoo! Messenger to make PC-to-Phone calls. Great rates starting at 1¢/min.