This is the record of the Samuel Bevington family who lived in the
Logan and Hicksville (Ohio) vicinity many years ago. To be exact, their
farm was located on Arrowsmith Rd.; the second farm west of Rt. 49 on the
left side going west. Mr. Merle Battershell (sp?) owned the farm in later
years.
The house where Samuel Bevington built first burned down, and there is
another house there now. Do not know for sure if Samuel Bevington built the
second house. An older brother of Samuel, Judge John Bevington, who served
as Common Pleas Court Judge of Defiance County, Ohio, owned 70 or 80 acres
of land all covered with trees. Judge Bevington married Samuel Bevington
and Marchianne Johnston. After their marriage, Judge Bevington told them he
would deed a plot of ground to him and his wife if they would come to this
part of Ohio to make their home in the Logan locality from Wooster, Wayne
County, Ohio.
They raised eight children to maturity. Five boys and three girls.
There were eleven in all, but two baby boys and one girl died in infancy.
Samuel Bevington was born March 15, 1823 and died December 15, 1891.
He was 68 years old. He died of Bright's Disease. Marchianne, his wife, was
born October 20, 1825. Her maiden name was Johnston. She lived to be 79
years old. They were married June 27, 1844.
Samuel Bevington was English. His wife, Marchianne was Scotch-Irish.
They came here in very early days. The wolves were very much in style
there. People living in the woods had to keep the fires burning to keep
them from killing their domestic animals. Even coyotes were around. Mr.
Samuel Bevington raised farm products as is done today. There was no place
nearby to have products made ready for winter use, so he used an ox team to
haul products to a mill to get them ready. Flour ground from wheat, Bran
for the animals to eat through the winter. Oats were also used some now.
Corn for corn meal to make Mush. They raise most of their food. On Monday
mornings, they went to a ditch on the Thomas farm, just east of Hicksville
to do their washing. They would load up their iron kettles with soiled
clothing, using an ox team to pull the sled or wagon down to the ditch.
They built fires under the kettles to heat the water and rubbed their
clothing on stone. They had no washboard. They used soft soap, which was
made by putting up a "leach", filling it with wood ashes then keeping it
full of water if there wasn't enough rain to supply water. Then they set
crocks around to catch the Lye. When there was enough Lye, they would make
soft soap. They also used cracklings for a base in this soap, boiled it
over a fire until it was thick enough to use. No matter how bad the
weather, they always did the washing on Monday. They even carded the sheep
wool, making it into yarn, knitting stocking webbing for all the children's
winter hose. All of the children's clothing was made by hand; no sewing
machines. There were no windows in their cabins; they used candles to make
lights, and they had no screens in their doors. Grandmother Bevington had
to after the cows in the evening on account of Hoop Snakes, blue racers.
They wanted to go after you; hoop rolled like a wheel.
We have grandfather's hymnbook he used in the Logan church, where they
all held membership. No notes, just the words. There was the Bevington coat
of arms. The surname, according to the Elvin C. Smith New Dictionary of
American Family names, was vocational in origin. Describing the coat of
arms is a red scythe and sickle, crossing diagonally, surrounded by white
roses, side by side. The scythe, sickle and white roses are a symbol of the
home of England. In 1972, there were less than 400 heads of household in
the U.S. with the distinguished name of Bevington. In the 1700's, the
Bevington's were organ builders in the cathedrals where needed. Their place
of business was located in the Ohio district. There are at least eleven
families living around and in Toronto, Canada.
The oldest son of Samuel Bevington, whose name was Cornelius, was born
December 3, 1847 and lived to be 88 years old. His wife was Elizabeth
Thompson, a relative of Eli Thompson. To this union was born three
children. A son Levi, and two daughters, Marchianna and Edith. All married
and are now deceased.
The second child born to Samuel Bevington was Nancy Jane Bevington.
Born April 12, 1848, and lived to be 83 years old. She married George Dodge
about the year of 1868. They were blessed with three children. Arkey (sp?)
Arthur, LuSina, and Nellie Gertrude. All are deceased.
The third child born to Samuel Bevington was a daughter named Hannah
Anna Bevington. Born June 22, 1849. Passed away July 31, 1939 at the age of
89 years. She married Oscar Dodge in the year 1867-68. He died in the year
of 1908 of cancer. Born May 23, 1838. To this union were born four
children. There was Della Aldara, Alwilda Gertrude, Le Roy Allen, and
Frances belle. I, Frances, am writing this record about my father and
mother and my brothers and Sisters. My Father (Oscar Dodge) always lived
on a farm nearly all the days of his life. Also worked in a grocery store
where he and my Mother were married. He was well educated and owned many
books on many subjects, which would (?) well-educated people of his day.
He had two uncles who were teachers in college. Their names were Ladd and
Dexter Thomas. They were born and raised in New York City using their
education. They taught in college, gaining much favor from many people.
Then cam another son to Samuel Bevington whose name was Harvey H.
Bevington, born November 16, 1851. He married Alice W. (?) Irish, a sister
of Frank W. Irish who was a great educator in his day. We always called her
"Aunt Allie". She was born November 15, 1859, in Milford Township. Two boys
were born to this union. One died in infancy. The other son, Charles, died
a few years ago in Illinois.
Next came Ethan Allen, another son born to Samuel Bevington. Born
April 12, 1853. He passed away February 16, 1920, aged 64 years. He married
Emma Applegate January 8, 1885. Two children were born to this union. A
son, Clelvin, and a daughter Mabel. Mabel died many years ago. Clelvin, who
was about 82 years old, lived on the house farm of many acres, near Paxton
and Rankin, Illinois. His wife and Mother died several years before Clel
died.
Another son born to Samuel Bevington was Sanford Parker Bevington.
Born November4, 1860, and passed away November 12, 1927, at his house
located in Anthony, Kansas at the age of 67 years. He married Anna Lettie
Summers on January 6, 1887. Three children blessed their home. They had a
daughter, Mildred, also a daughter Elsi, both now deceased. One son, Glenn
Day Bevington, still living in Wichita, Kansas is in poor health. He has a
heart condition, and is about 76 years old.
Another son to Samuel Bevington by name was Samuel Ellsworth Bevington.
Born September 29, 1863. He married Belle Flower Woodworth in the year
1888. Two sons came to live with them. Homer Columbia and Forrest
Bevington. Both lived on farms near Lebanon, Indiana. Homer passed on in
the year 1975. Forrest is till living. Homer married a girl by the name of
Gertrude Minerva Sloan, a very nice woman. They had three daughters,
Loleta, Mary Edith, and Mildred. Mary Edith married Emmericus Hamstra, from
Holland.
Forrest Bevington, homer's brother, is living in Lebanon with his wife
Irene. They have three children. Mervin, Devan, and Ninabelle. They are all
married and have families. Forrest has heart trouble and Irene has a liver
condition and arthritis, like the rest of things as we go along.
Della Bevington, the youngest daughter of Samuel Bevington, born July
24, 1867. She was the youngest of eight children. She married Reed Place,
had seven children, and the first one died. Their names were Bertha Ethel
Alvey, who passed away in 1977. Then Mervin died six years ago of cancer.
Mervin was a farmer and lived in the old house on Rt. 101 near St. Joe,
Indiana. Then came Glen and Gladys, who were twins, and Rosco, who met with
an accident on the farm with some machinery. Tore his arm almost off.
Before he recovered, he took pneumonia and died when he was 18 years old.
All of the Place family has passed on. Not all lived to be very old. Nearly
all died of cancer. All attended church at Coburn Corners Church. There
used to be a school there, but it's torn down.
There was also a James Heller who married Matilda Bevington, Samuel
Bevington's sister. The Heller's had a son Sonny, who could play the organ,
a bell, and a mouth harp. All at the same time! He was quite entertaining!
There was the Cover family, also the Ocmus and the Kline's, Ella, Matie,
and Herbert, and several other families. When two of my Uncles grew up,
they decided to use an ox team and covered wagon and work their way to
Kansas. I think Harvey and Cornelius were the son's who decided to make the
trip. They were gone a couple of years. And of course they had the same
trouble with the coyotes, and each would take turns keeping the fires
burning all night. When they returned home, they had painted a sign on the
side of the wagon "In god we trusted, In Kansas we busted!"
Now to finish the record. My daughter, Leone Quinn, and I live
together in Hicksville, Ohio. There was another relative of my mother,
Hannah Anna. His name was john Lloyd Bevington. He was a banker, and owned
a department store here in Hicksville. A wealthy man in his life. Had one
daughter, Edith, who married Charles Goller. They had one son, Earl, who
died recently of cancer of the liver. Also, John Lloyd Bevington had a
brother, Lorenzo Bevington, whose wife died of the Flu and left five boys.
Their father raised them. They are all very respectful. Their mother was a
nurse, and died in the 1918 flu epidemic during WW1. She took care of the
sick and ill and became ill herself and died.
Dictated to Leone Quinn, by her mother, Frances B. Dodge Hesley.
∼Samuel Bevington was born in Wayne County, Ohio and died in Logan, Hocking, Ohio.

He was married to Marchianne Johnston on 27 Jun 1844.

He and Marchianne were the parents of several children, including my maternal great-grandfather, Sanford Parker Bevington.