Notable Citizens

Hon. Henry K. Smith

Born in Mesopotamia, Ohio, to Molton and Elvira Baird
Completed school in Burton
Attended Lake Erie Seminary for Women
Graduated from Huron Road Training School for Nurses, 1886
Traveled to India to be a missionary
Adopted Eugene Franklin, the infant son of a dying English woman in India
Spent 45 years as a missionary in India nursing orphans back to health, caring for the sick, and establishing a hospital
Presented the Kaiser-i-Hind Gold Medal from King George of England, 1937

Born in Cheshire, Connecticut to John and Esther Ford.
Moved to Burton, 1807
Graduated from Yale, 1825
Studied law under Samuel W. Phelps and Peter Hitchcock
Admitted to the Bar, 1827
Married Harriet Cook, September 10, 1828
Secretary pro tem of the Temperance Society of Burton and Vicinity
Representative in the General Assembly of Ohio, 1835-1841 and 1844-1845
State Senate Representative for Geauga and Cuyahoga counties, 1841-1843 and 1845-1846
Governor of Ohio, January 22, 1849 – December 12, 1850

Born in Troy to R. R. and Amanda Latham.
Married Ellen Vanzandt, October 27, 1858
Joined the Ninth Independent Battery
Earned the No. 1 position in a detachment for cannoneers
Lost his sight in one eye and both forearms to amputation while firing a salute 1862
Manufactured cheese at his Spring Brook Cheese Factory in Troy after the war
County Infirmary Director, 1885 to 1891
Elected to the Board of Commissioners, 1892-1898
Board of Commissioners’ President, 3 1/2 years
Served on the Soldiers Relief Commission, 1887-1905
President and vice-president of the Geauga County Agricultural Society

Moved to Geauga County from Cayuga County, New York at age 11
Family were first settlers in Parkman
Wounded in the Battle of Queenstown in the War of 1812 and taken prisoner, but released on parole
Served for Chardon in Civil War
Married Anne Towsly, July 1820
County Prosecutor, 1819-1828
County Recorder, 1832
Geauga County Fair Treasurer, 1835-1840
Geauga County Fair President, 1845
Representative at Ohio General Assembly, 1843-1844 and 1845-1846
Probate Court Judge, 1852-1858
County School Examiner
Established the first newspaper press in Chardon

Born in Monson, Massachusetts
Moved to Newbury when he was one year old
Married Caroline Avery of Chardon, January 22, 1845
Geauga County Prosecuting Attorney, 1840-1846
Representative in Ohio State Legislature, 1848-1850
Secretary of the Geauga County Fair Board, 1849
Elected as a Republican to the 37th Congress, 1861
Served as consul in Matanzas, Cuba, 1863-1864
Published several novels, biographies, and recollections, including entries in the Williams Brothers History of Lake and Geauga Counties, 1878 and The Geauga County Pioneer and General History 1880