Son of Dan Pond and Mabel Munson.
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Husband of Olive Bateman, whom he married on February 22, 1802, and with whom he had the following children:
Elouise Pond b: 29 MAR 1803 in Shoreham, VT
Alvin Bateman Pond b: 27 NOV 1808 in Shoreham, VT
Seraph Pond b: 26 NOV 1810 in Shoreham, VT
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2) Wealthy Williams, whom he married on January 9, 1815, and with whom he had the following children:
Ira Pond , Jr. b: 28 NOV 1815 in Shoreham, Vermont
Olive B. Pond b: 1816, d: 22 SEP 1875
Frederick W. Pond b: 4 JUL 1817 in Shoreham VT
Rutilla M. Pond b: 13 JUL 1819 in Shoreham. VT
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From: "A Genealogical Record of Samuel Pond and his Descendants" by Daniel Streator Pond; Rochester, Lorain County, Ohio - 1875
p. 35 - "Ira Pond was a very muscular and powerful man. His brothers were mostly large and strong men, but Ira would take any two of them - one in each hand - and handle them with ease. He once caught two live deer and held them. I have heard my grandfather say: "Brother Ira could chop twelve cords of four foot wood a day." But it is but justice to say it was chestnut.
The book goes on to relate two anecdotes which continue to show Ira's strength...
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At a certain time, while he was a young man working for his brother Josiah, who was also a powerful man, a certain "pugilist" came to Josiah' s and bantered Josiah for a fight. Josiah kept putting him off, saying: "I don't want to fight." But the pugilist seemed to be spoiling for a fight, and kept bantering and daring him. Josiah kept quietly at his work about his barn, which had a large yard fenced in with a tight board fence six feet high.
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After a while, Ira spoke up: "Brother Josiah don't want to fight: he can fight, but it is against his principles, for he is a church member. You had better take someone to fight with who is not a church member." "Perhaps you would like to take it up," remarked the Pugilist. "I don't want to fight when I have nothing to fight about, but I can fight, and it is not against my principles. I don't belong to the church, but brother Josiah does, and it is against his principles to fight." By talking thus for some time, the pugilist being off his guard, Ira, watching his opportunity, caught the "pugilist" by the collar with one hand, and with the other the seat of his pants, and raising the pugilist up in the air, he pitched him over the fence. The pugilist picked himself up, walked around to the gate, and came into the yard again within; remark, bowing: "By G - d, sir, I have had enough of you." "We are no fighting men," Ira replied. "Brother Josiah can fight, but he belongs to the church, and it is against his principles. Another anecdote and we pass on with the record.
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On another occasion, when the snow was very deep, making it difficult to turn out with a sleigh, Ira and a brother were riding through the country where a certain "bruiser" by the name of Brown frequented, and who was the terror of the neighborhood, often making people give all the road; and it so happened that Brown and Ira and his brother met, when Brown motioned to Ira to give the road. Ira gave half only. Brown sung out, "give all the road." Ira jumped out, thinking his size would make Brown take a "sober second thought;" but Brown, having wound the lash of his loaded whip around his hand, met Ira with the butt of his whip over his head, knocking him down, and then pitched on to him intending to give him a sound thrashing. Ira caught Brown by his hair with both hands and drew Brown's head down so tight that he could not do anything; and so, Brown sung out to his companion in his sleigh to "come and cut off his hair." His companion rose to comply, when Ira's brother arose, and pointing his finger at Brown's companion, remarked: "Keep your seat, sir. Let them alone. He'll get enough before he is done with it." Brown's wife then spoke up: "If he does get licked, it'll be the fust time." When Ira had held Brown long enough to gather his thoughts fully, (for the blow of the whip had stunned him,) he let go with one hand, and with the other threw Brown off at arm's length, as he would a child, and held him there, and jumping up, gave Brown two or three blows with his other fist, when he let him go, remarking: "Now you can go, and mind you turn out and give half the road.''Brown got up, got into his sleigh, and, very much humbled - minus humility - for once in his life observed the golden rule, and did "as he would wish to be done by." He gave the whole of the road. He learned, too, that, however much of a "bully" a man might be, his match could be found.
[Biographical information courtesy of Stephen Payne]