Co.'E' 7th Reg.
A STANDARD HISTORY OF ERIE CO.Ohio: An Authentic Narrative of ..., Volume 2
By Hewson Lindsley Peeke
GEORGE BLANDEN. For more than four score years has Mr. Blanden maintained his home in his native Township of Florence, and the only appreciable period of absence from the borders of Erie County was when he was rendering to the nation the loyal service of a Union soldier in the Civil war. He has been a man of thought and action, has accounted well for himself in all of the relations of life, achieved substantial success through his long and vigorous identification with the great basic industry of agriculture, and the true character of the individual has been shown in no one way more distinctively and worthily than in the constant care and loving devotion which he has given to his invalid wife during the long period of eight years of her affliction, which she has borne with gentle patience and Christian fortitude, their
‘mutual sympathy and unselfish solicitude breathing forth the spirit of the ideal harmony between man and wife, and their devotion finding its supreme test and greatest glory in the gloaming of their long and useful lives. After years of earnest endeavor in connection with the productive activities of human existence Mr. Blanden is living in gracious retirement in his attractive home in the Village of Birmingham, and he and his cherished companion and helpmeet are held in reverent affection by a circle of friends whose number is limited only by that of their acquaintances.
In Florence Township, Erie County, Ohio, George Blanden was born on the 5th of December, 1833, and he is the only surviving child of James and Caroline (Reed) Blanden, both natives of the State of New York and members of families early founded within the borders of the old Empire commonwealth, Mrs, Blanden having been a daughter of John and Charlotte (Morgan) Reed, the former of German lineage and the latter a member of the old and well known Morgan family of New York State. Mr. and Mrs. Reed attained to advanced age and passed the closing years of their lives in Birmingham, Erie County, Ohio, where they maintained their home in a house standing iust oppositeChe present home of the subject of this review.
James Blanden was reared and educated in his native state and there learned the trade of mason. Within a comparatively short time after his marriage he and his wife came to Ohio and established their permanent home ‘on a farm in Florence Township, Erie (‘ounty, where they passed the residue of their lives. Mr. Blanden not only reclaimed one of the excellent pioneer farms of the county but also did a large amount of work at his trade, his services as a mason and plasterer having been mnch in demand throughout all parts of the county. lle and his wife were early and honored members of the pioneer Methodist Episcopal Church at Birmingham, and their abiding Christian faith was shown forth in their daily lives.—in kindly thoughts and kindly deeds. Mr. Blanden gave his allegiance to the whig party and he preceded his wife to the life eternal, his death having occurred many years ago and his widow having passed away in 1884. the remains of both being interred in the Methodist Churchyard at Birmingham. Of the children George, of this sketch, is the only survivor, as has already been noted, and he was one of the three sons to represent Erie County as gallant soldiers of the Union in the Civil war. His older brother, John, and his younger brother, Allen, lived up to the full tension of the great conflict between the North and the South, John having sacrificed his life on the field of battle, as he was instantly killed when shot through the forehead, at the battle of Resaca, Georgia, where he was laid to rest in a soldier’s grave and with such military honors as were possible to bestow under existing conditions. Allen Blanden served as captain of his company in the Fifty-fifth Ohio Volunteer infantry, and took part in many important campaigns and battles. He accompanied General Sherman ’s forces in the Atlanta campaign and thereafter took part in the historic march from Atlanta to the sea. After receiving his honorable discharge, at the close of the war, he returned to Erie County, where he followed the trades of wagon maker and painter for some time. He finally removed to Michigan and his marriage was solemnized at Breckenridge, Gratiot County, that state, where he continued to reside until his death. He was survived by two sons and two daughters.
George Blanden was reared to manhood on the old homestead farm in Florence Township and his early educational advantages were those afforded in the pioneer schools of Erie County. He continued his association with agricultural pursuits until the outbreak of the Civil war, when he subordinated all personal interests to go forth in defense of the Union, the integrity of which was placed in jeopardy. In response to President Lincoln’s first call for volunteers to aid in suppressing the rebellion, he enlisted in Company E, Seventh Ohio Volunteer Infantry, for a term of three months, under Captain Sprague and Colonel Tyler. The regiment was mustered in in June, 1861, and forthwith proceeded to the front. At the expiration of his term of enlistment Mr. Blanden re-enlisted as a veteran and for a term of three years, but the fortunes of war did not permit him to remain in the ranks until the close of the great struggle. While in the command of General Kimball at the battle of Cross Lanes, West Virginia, he had his first experience in fierce polemic conflict but he escaped injury. Later he took part in the memorable battle at Winchester, Virginia, and on the 21st of March, 1862, he was shot through the left arm, near the elbow, the minie ball so shattering the bones of the arm that the member was rendered useless, five sections of bone being taken from the arm. Thus incapacitated for further active service in the field, Mr. Blanden received his honorable discharge on the 28th of June, 1862, after having made a record for faithful and valiant service. In later years he has perpetuated his interest in his old comrades through his affiliation with the Grand Army of the Republic.
After his physical injury had compelled his retirement from the ranks of the Union Army Mr. Blanden returned to his home in Erie County and within a short time after the close of the war he became the owner of the old Blanchard farm, of eighty-six acres, in Florence Township. There he continued to be successfully engaged in farming and stock growing for a period of fully thirty-five years, his retirement from the active labors of the farm having occurred about the year 1900, when he removed to the Village of Birmingham, where he has since maintained his home and where for eight years past he has devoted himself almost constantly to ministering to his cherished wife, their loving companionship having continued for more than half a century. Mrs. Blanden suffers from paralysis of such severe form that for fully eight years she has had control of none of her muscles, thus being virtually helpless but being at all times representative of the incarnation of spiritual patience and gentle submission to her great atlliction, the hcavy burden of which has been lightened by the devoted care given to her by her venerable husband. Both have been for many years devout members of the Methodist Episcopal Church, and Mr. Blanden has always been aligned as a staunch supporter of the principles of the republican party. He served in past years as township trustee and was called upon also to serve in other positions of local trust. He was affiliated with the Lodge of Ancient Free & Accepted Masons at Birmingham until the organization lapsed, and since that time has maintained no direct Masonic association.
In Florence Township, in the year of 1864, was solemnized the marriage of Mr. Blanden to Miss Alice Bristol, who was born in Henrietta Township, Lorain County, Ohio, on the 14th of September, 1846, but who was reared and educated in Florence Township, Erie County, where her father established his home on a farm when she was a child. Mrs. Blanden is a daughter of Charles and Charlotte (Dennison) Bristol, the former of whom was born in the State of New York and the latter of whom had the distinction of being the first white child born in Henrietta township, Lorain County, Ohio, her parents, John and Marian Dennison, natives of the State of New York, having been the first permanent settlers in Henrietta Township, Lorain County, where the latter died when her daughter Charlotte was but seven years of age. Mr. Dennison lived to a venerable age and passed the closing years of his life near Birmingham, Erie County. Within a few years after their marriage Charles Bristol and his wife established their home on a farm in Florence Township, Erie County, and they continued as honored citizens of this county until their death, Mr. Bristol having passed away in 1901, at the venerable age of eighty-two years, and his devoted wife having died on her seventy-ninth birthday anniversary, May 17, 1898. It is interesting to record that she married Mr. Bristol on her twenty-fourth birthday anniversary and that her daughter Emma was born on the anniversary date of the mother’s birth.
Mr, and Mrs. Blanden have two children: George, who celebrated in 1915 his forty-sixth birthday anniversary, resides on the old homestead farm of his parents, and has been carrier on the rural mail route of that locality from the time this free service was established there, in 1903. Ile wedded Miss Lois Curtis and they have two sons, June and James. Ray, the younger of the two children of the honored citizen to whom this sketch is dedicated, is the wife of Wilber Struck, of Birmingham, and they have two sons, Rolland and Donald.
A STANDARD HISTORY OF ERIE CO.Ohio: An Authentic Narrative of ..., Volume 2
By Hewson Lindsley Peeke
GEORGE BLANDEN. For more than four score years has Mr. Blanden maintained his home in his native Township of Florence, and the only appreciable period of absence from the borders of Erie County was when he was rendering to the nation the loyal service of a Union soldier in the Civil war. He has been a man of thought and action, has accounted well for himself in all of the relations of life, achieved substantial success through his long and vigorous identification with the great basic industry of agriculture, and the true character of the individual has been shown in no one way more distinctively and worthily than in the constant care and loving devotion which he has given to his invalid wife during the long period of eight years of her affliction, which she has borne with gentle patience and Christian fortitude, their
‘mutual sympathy and unselfish solicitude breathing forth the spirit of the ideal harmony between man and wife, and their devotion finding its supreme test and greatest glory in the gloaming of their long and useful lives. After years of earnest endeavor in connection with the productive activities of human existence Mr. Blanden is living in gracious retirement in his attractive home in the Village of Birmingham, and he and his cherished companion and helpmeet are held in reverent affection by a circle of friends whose number is limited only by that of their acquaintances.
In Florence Township, Erie County, Ohio, George Blanden was born on the 5th of December, 1833, and he is the only surviving child of James and Caroline (Reed) Blanden, both natives of the State of New York and members of families early founded within the borders of the old Empire commonwealth, Mrs, Blanden having been a daughter of John and Charlotte (Morgan) Reed, the former of German lineage and the latter a member of the old and well known Morgan family of New York State. Mr. and Mrs. Reed attained to advanced age and passed the closing years of their lives in Birmingham, Erie County, Ohio, where they maintained their home in a house standing iust oppositeChe present home of the subject of this review.
James Blanden was reared and educated in his native state and there learned the trade of mason. Within a comparatively short time after his marriage he and his wife came to Ohio and established their permanent home ‘on a farm in Florence Township, Erie (‘ounty, where they passed the residue of their lives. Mr. Blanden not only reclaimed one of the excellent pioneer farms of the county but also did a large amount of work at his trade, his services as a mason and plasterer having been mnch in demand throughout all parts of the county. lle and his wife were early and honored members of the pioneer Methodist Episcopal Church at Birmingham, and their abiding Christian faith was shown forth in their daily lives.—in kindly thoughts and kindly deeds. Mr. Blanden gave his allegiance to the whig party and he preceded his wife to the life eternal, his death having occurred many years ago and his widow having passed away in 1884. the remains of both being interred in the Methodist Churchyard at Birmingham. Of the children George, of this sketch, is the only survivor, as has already been noted, and he was one of the three sons to represent Erie County as gallant soldiers of the Union in the Civil war. His older brother, John, and his younger brother, Allen, lived up to the full tension of the great conflict between the North and the South, John having sacrificed his life on the field of battle, as he was instantly killed when shot through the forehead, at the battle of Resaca, Georgia, where he was laid to rest in a soldier’s grave and with such military honors as were possible to bestow under existing conditions. Allen Blanden served as captain of his company in the Fifty-fifth Ohio Volunteer infantry, and took part in many important campaigns and battles. He accompanied General Sherman ’s forces in the Atlanta campaign and thereafter took part in the historic march from Atlanta to the sea. After receiving his honorable discharge, at the close of the war, he returned to Erie County, where he followed the trades of wagon maker and painter for some time. He finally removed to Michigan and his marriage was solemnized at Breckenridge, Gratiot County, that state, where he continued to reside until his death. He was survived by two sons and two daughters.
George Blanden was reared to manhood on the old homestead farm in Florence Township and his early educational advantages were those afforded in the pioneer schools of Erie County. He continued his association with agricultural pursuits until the outbreak of the Civil war, when he subordinated all personal interests to go forth in defense of the Union, the integrity of which was placed in jeopardy. In response to President Lincoln’s first call for volunteers to aid in suppressing the rebellion, he enlisted in Company E, Seventh Ohio Volunteer Infantry, for a term of three months, under Captain Sprague and Colonel Tyler. The regiment was mustered in in June, 1861, and forthwith proceeded to the front. At the expiration of his term of enlistment Mr. Blanden re-enlisted as a veteran and for a term of three years, but the fortunes of war did not permit him to remain in the ranks until the close of the great struggle. While in the command of General Kimball at the battle of Cross Lanes, West Virginia, he had his first experience in fierce polemic conflict but he escaped injury. Later he took part in the memorable battle at Winchester, Virginia, and on the 21st of March, 1862, he was shot through the left arm, near the elbow, the minie ball so shattering the bones of the arm that the member was rendered useless, five sections of bone being taken from the arm. Thus incapacitated for further active service in the field, Mr. Blanden received his honorable discharge on the 28th of June, 1862, after having made a record for faithful and valiant service. In later years he has perpetuated his interest in his old comrades through his affiliation with the Grand Army of the Republic.
After his physical injury had compelled his retirement from the ranks of the Union Army Mr. Blanden returned to his home in Erie County and within a short time after the close of the war he became the owner of the old Blanchard farm, of eighty-six acres, in Florence Township. There he continued to be successfully engaged in farming and stock growing for a period of fully thirty-five years, his retirement from the active labors of the farm having occurred about the year 1900, when he removed to the Village of Birmingham, where he has since maintained his home and where for eight years past he has devoted himself almost constantly to ministering to his cherished wife, their loving companionship having continued for more than half a century. Mrs. Blanden suffers from paralysis of such severe form that for fully eight years she has had control of none of her muscles, thus being virtually helpless but being at all times representative of the incarnation of spiritual patience and gentle submission to her great atlliction, the hcavy burden of which has been lightened by the devoted care given to her by her venerable husband. Both have been for many years devout members of the Methodist Episcopal Church, and Mr. Blanden has always been aligned as a staunch supporter of the principles of the republican party. He served in past years as township trustee and was called upon also to serve in other positions of local trust. He was affiliated with the Lodge of Ancient Free & Accepted Masons at Birmingham until the organization lapsed, and since that time has maintained no direct Masonic association.
In Florence Township, in the year of 1864, was solemnized the marriage of Mr. Blanden to Miss Alice Bristol, who was born in Henrietta Township, Lorain County, Ohio, on the 14th of September, 1846, but who was reared and educated in Florence Township, Erie County, where her father established his home on a farm when she was a child. Mrs. Blanden is a daughter of Charles and Charlotte (Dennison) Bristol, the former of whom was born in the State of New York and the latter of whom had the distinction of being the first white child born in Henrietta township, Lorain County, Ohio, her parents, John and Marian Dennison, natives of the State of New York, having been the first permanent settlers in Henrietta Township, Lorain County, where the latter died when her daughter Charlotte was but seven years of age. Mr. Dennison lived to a venerable age and passed the closing years of his life near Birmingham, Erie County. Within a few years after their marriage Charles Bristol and his wife established their home on a farm in Florence Township, Erie County, and they continued as honored citizens of this county until their death, Mr. Bristol having passed away in 1901, at the venerable age of eighty-two years, and his devoted wife having died on her seventy-ninth birthday anniversary, May 17, 1898. It is interesting to record that she married Mr. Bristol on her twenty-fourth birthday anniversary and that her daughter Emma was born on the anniversary date of the mother’s birth.
Mr, and Mrs. Blanden have two children: George, who celebrated in 1915 his forty-sixth birthday anniversary, resides on the old homestead farm of his parents, and has been carrier on the rural mail route of that locality from the time this free service was established there, in 1903. Ile wedded Miss Lois Curtis and they have two sons, June and James. Ray, the younger of the two children of the honored citizen to whom this sketch is dedicated, is the wife of Wilber Struck, of Birmingham, and they have two sons, Rolland and Donald.
Co.'E' 7th Reg.
A STANDARD HISTORY OF ERIE CO.Ohio: An Authentic Narrative of ..., Volume 2
By Hewson Lindsley Peeke
GEORGE BLANDEN. For more than four score years has Mr. Blanden maintained his home in his native Township of Florence, and the only appreciable period of absence from the borders of Erie County was when he was rendering to the nation the loyal service of a Union soldier in the Civil war. He has been a man of thought and action, has accounted well for himself in all of the relations of life, achieved substantial success through his long and vigorous identification with the great basic industry of agriculture, and the true character of the individual has been shown in no one way more distinctively and worthily than in the constant care and loving devotion which he has given to his invalid wife during the long period of eight years of her affliction, which she has borne with gentle patience and Christian fortitude, their
‘mutual sympathy and unselfish solicitude breathing forth the spirit of the ideal harmony between man and wife, and their devotion finding its supreme test and greatest glory in the gloaming of their long and useful lives. After years of earnest endeavor in connection with the productive activities of human existence Mr. Blanden is living in gracious retirement in his attractive home in the Village of Birmingham, and he and his cherished companion and helpmeet are held in reverent affection by a circle of friends whose number is limited only by that of their acquaintances.
In Florence Township, Erie County, Ohio, George Blanden was born on the 5th of December, 1833, and he is the only surviving child of James and Caroline (Reed) Blanden, both natives of the State of New York and members of families early founded within the borders of the old Empire commonwealth, Mrs, Blanden having been a daughter of John and Charlotte (Morgan) Reed, the former of German lineage and the latter a member of the old and well known Morgan family of New York State. Mr. and Mrs. Reed attained to advanced age and passed the closing years of their lives in Birmingham, Erie County, Ohio, where they maintained their home in a house standing iust oppositeChe present home of the subject of this review.
James Blanden was reared and educated in his native state and there learned the trade of mason. Within a comparatively short time after his marriage he and his wife came to Ohio and established their permanent home ‘on a farm in Florence Township, Erie (‘ounty, where they passed the residue of their lives. Mr. Blanden not only reclaimed one of the excellent pioneer farms of the county but also did a large amount of work at his trade, his services as a mason and plasterer having been mnch in demand throughout all parts of the county. lle and his wife were early and honored members of the pioneer Methodist Episcopal Church at Birmingham, and their abiding Christian faith was shown forth in their daily lives.—in kindly thoughts and kindly deeds. Mr. Blanden gave his allegiance to the whig party and he preceded his wife to the life eternal, his death having occurred many years ago and his widow having passed away in 1884. the remains of both being interred in the Methodist Churchyard at Birmingham. Of the children George, of this sketch, is the only survivor, as has already been noted, and he was one of the three sons to represent Erie County as gallant soldiers of the Union in the Civil war. His older brother, John, and his younger brother, Allen, lived up to the full tension of the great conflict between the North and the South, John having sacrificed his life on the field of battle, as he was instantly killed when shot through the forehead, at the battle of Resaca, Georgia, where he was laid to rest in a soldier’s grave and with such military honors as were possible to bestow under existing conditions. Allen Blanden served as captain of his company in the Fifty-fifth Ohio Volunteer infantry, and took part in many important campaigns and battles. He accompanied General Sherman ’s forces in the Atlanta campaign and thereafter took part in the historic march from Atlanta to the sea. After receiving his honorable discharge, at the close of the war, he returned to Erie County, where he followed the trades of wagon maker and painter for some time. He finally removed to Michigan and his marriage was solemnized at Breckenridge, Gratiot County, that state, where he continued to reside until his death. He was survived by two sons and two daughters.
George Blanden was reared to manhood on the old homestead farm in Florence Township and his early educational advantages were those afforded in the pioneer schools of Erie County. He continued his association with agricultural pursuits until the outbreak of the Civil war, when he subordinated all personal interests to go forth in defense of the Union, the integrity of which was placed in jeopardy. In response to President Lincoln’s first call for volunteers to aid in suppressing the rebellion, he enlisted in Company E, Seventh Ohio Volunteer Infantry, for a term of three months, under Captain Sprague and Colonel Tyler. The regiment was mustered in in June, 1861, and forthwith proceeded to the front. At the expiration of his term of enlistment Mr. Blanden re-enlisted as a veteran and for a term of three years, but the fortunes of war did not permit him to remain in the ranks until the close of the great struggle. While in the command of General Kimball at the battle of Cross Lanes, West Virginia, he had his first experience in fierce polemic conflict but he escaped injury. Later he took part in the memorable battle at Winchester, Virginia, and on the 21st of March, 1862, he was shot through the left arm, near the elbow, the minie ball so shattering the bones of the arm that the member was rendered useless, five sections of bone being taken from the arm. Thus incapacitated for further active service in the field, Mr. Blanden received his honorable discharge on the 28th of June, 1862, after having made a record for faithful and valiant service. In later years he has perpetuated his interest in his old comrades through his affiliation with the Grand Army of the Republic.
After his physical injury had compelled his retirement from the ranks of the Union Army Mr. Blanden returned to his home in Erie County and within a short time after the close of the war he became the owner of the old Blanchard farm, of eighty-six acres, in Florence Township. There he continued to be successfully engaged in farming and stock growing for a period of fully thirty-five years, his retirement from the active labors of the farm having occurred about the year 1900, when he removed to the Village of Birmingham, where he has since maintained his home and where for eight years past he has devoted himself almost constantly to ministering to his cherished wife, their loving companionship having continued for more than half a century. Mrs. Blanden suffers from paralysis of such severe form that for fully eight years she has had control of none of her muscles, thus being virtually helpless but being at all times representative of the incarnation of spiritual patience and gentle submission to her great atlliction, the hcavy burden of which has been lightened by the devoted care given to her by her venerable husband. Both have been for many years devout members of the Methodist Episcopal Church, and Mr. Blanden has always been aligned as a staunch supporter of the principles of the republican party. He served in past years as township trustee and was called upon also to serve in other positions of local trust. He was affiliated with the Lodge of Ancient Free & Accepted Masons at Birmingham until the organization lapsed, and since that time has maintained no direct Masonic association.
In Florence Township, in the year of 1864, was solemnized the marriage of Mr. Blanden to Miss Alice Bristol, who was born in Henrietta Township, Lorain County, Ohio, on the 14th of September, 1846, but who was reared and educated in Florence Township, Erie County, where her father established his home on a farm when she was a child. Mrs. Blanden is a daughter of Charles and Charlotte (Dennison) Bristol, the former of whom was born in the State of New York and the latter of whom had the distinction of being the first white child born in Henrietta township, Lorain County, Ohio, her parents, John and Marian Dennison, natives of the State of New York, having been the first permanent settlers in Henrietta Township, Lorain County, where the latter died when her daughter Charlotte was but seven years of age. Mr. Dennison lived to a venerable age and passed the closing years of his life near Birmingham, Erie County. Within a few years after their marriage Charles Bristol and his wife established their home on a farm in Florence Township, Erie County, and they continued as honored citizens of this county until their death, Mr. Bristol having passed away in 1901, at the venerable age of eighty-two years, and his devoted wife having died on her seventy-ninth birthday anniversary, May 17, 1898. It is interesting to record that she married Mr. Bristol on her twenty-fourth birthday anniversary and that her daughter Emma was born on the anniversary date of the mother’s birth.
Mr, and Mrs. Blanden have two children: George, who celebrated in 1915 his forty-sixth birthday anniversary, resides on the old homestead farm of his parents, and has been carrier on the rural mail route of that locality from the time this free service was established there, in 1903. Ile wedded Miss Lois Curtis and they have two sons, June and James. Ray, the younger of the two children of the honored citizen to whom this sketch is dedicated, is the wife of Wilber Struck, of Birmingham, and they have two sons, Rolland and Donald.
A STANDARD HISTORY OF ERIE CO.Ohio: An Authentic Narrative of ..., Volume 2
By Hewson Lindsley Peeke
GEORGE BLANDEN. For more than four score years has Mr. Blanden maintained his home in his native Township of Florence, and the only appreciable period of absence from the borders of Erie County was when he was rendering to the nation the loyal service of a Union soldier in the Civil war. He has been a man of thought and action, has accounted well for himself in all of the relations of life, achieved substantial success through his long and vigorous identification with the great basic industry of agriculture, and the true character of the individual has been shown in no one way more distinctively and worthily than in the constant care and loving devotion which he has given to his invalid wife during the long period of eight years of her affliction, which she has borne with gentle patience and Christian fortitude, their
‘mutual sympathy and unselfish solicitude breathing forth the spirit of the ideal harmony between man and wife, and their devotion finding its supreme test and greatest glory in the gloaming of their long and useful lives. After years of earnest endeavor in connection with the productive activities of human existence Mr. Blanden is living in gracious retirement in his attractive home in the Village of Birmingham, and he and his cherished companion and helpmeet are held in reverent affection by a circle of friends whose number is limited only by that of their acquaintances.
In Florence Township, Erie County, Ohio, George Blanden was born on the 5th of December, 1833, and he is the only surviving child of James and Caroline (Reed) Blanden, both natives of the State of New York and members of families early founded within the borders of the old Empire commonwealth, Mrs, Blanden having been a daughter of John and Charlotte (Morgan) Reed, the former of German lineage and the latter a member of the old and well known Morgan family of New York State. Mr. and Mrs. Reed attained to advanced age and passed the closing years of their lives in Birmingham, Erie County, Ohio, where they maintained their home in a house standing iust oppositeChe present home of the subject of this review.
James Blanden was reared and educated in his native state and there learned the trade of mason. Within a comparatively short time after his marriage he and his wife came to Ohio and established their permanent home ‘on a farm in Florence Township, Erie (‘ounty, where they passed the residue of their lives. Mr. Blanden not only reclaimed one of the excellent pioneer farms of the county but also did a large amount of work at his trade, his services as a mason and plasterer having been mnch in demand throughout all parts of the county. lle and his wife were early and honored members of the pioneer Methodist Episcopal Church at Birmingham, and their abiding Christian faith was shown forth in their daily lives.—in kindly thoughts and kindly deeds. Mr. Blanden gave his allegiance to the whig party and he preceded his wife to the life eternal, his death having occurred many years ago and his widow having passed away in 1884. the remains of both being interred in the Methodist Churchyard at Birmingham. Of the children George, of this sketch, is the only survivor, as has already been noted, and he was one of the three sons to represent Erie County as gallant soldiers of the Union in the Civil war. His older brother, John, and his younger brother, Allen, lived up to the full tension of the great conflict between the North and the South, John having sacrificed his life on the field of battle, as he was instantly killed when shot through the forehead, at the battle of Resaca, Georgia, where he was laid to rest in a soldier’s grave and with such military honors as were possible to bestow under existing conditions. Allen Blanden served as captain of his company in the Fifty-fifth Ohio Volunteer infantry, and took part in many important campaigns and battles. He accompanied General Sherman ’s forces in the Atlanta campaign and thereafter took part in the historic march from Atlanta to the sea. After receiving his honorable discharge, at the close of the war, he returned to Erie County, where he followed the trades of wagon maker and painter for some time. He finally removed to Michigan and his marriage was solemnized at Breckenridge, Gratiot County, that state, where he continued to reside until his death. He was survived by two sons and two daughters.
George Blanden was reared to manhood on the old homestead farm in Florence Township and his early educational advantages were those afforded in the pioneer schools of Erie County. He continued his association with agricultural pursuits until the outbreak of the Civil war, when he subordinated all personal interests to go forth in defense of the Union, the integrity of which was placed in jeopardy. In response to President Lincoln’s first call for volunteers to aid in suppressing the rebellion, he enlisted in Company E, Seventh Ohio Volunteer Infantry, for a term of three months, under Captain Sprague and Colonel Tyler. The regiment was mustered in in June, 1861, and forthwith proceeded to the front. At the expiration of his term of enlistment Mr. Blanden re-enlisted as a veteran and for a term of three years, but the fortunes of war did not permit him to remain in the ranks until the close of the great struggle. While in the command of General Kimball at the battle of Cross Lanes, West Virginia, he had his first experience in fierce polemic conflict but he escaped injury. Later he took part in the memorable battle at Winchester, Virginia, and on the 21st of March, 1862, he was shot through the left arm, near the elbow, the minie ball so shattering the bones of the arm that the member was rendered useless, five sections of bone being taken from the arm. Thus incapacitated for further active service in the field, Mr. Blanden received his honorable discharge on the 28th of June, 1862, after having made a record for faithful and valiant service. In later years he has perpetuated his interest in his old comrades through his affiliation with the Grand Army of the Republic.
After his physical injury had compelled his retirement from the ranks of the Union Army Mr. Blanden returned to his home in Erie County and within a short time after the close of the war he became the owner of the old Blanchard farm, of eighty-six acres, in Florence Township. There he continued to be successfully engaged in farming and stock growing for a period of fully thirty-five years, his retirement from the active labors of the farm having occurred about the year 1900, when he removed to the Village of Birmingham, where he has since maintained his home and where for eight years past he has devoted himself almost constantly to ministering to his cherished wife, their loving companionship having continued for more than half a century. Mrs. Blanden suffers from paralysis of such severe form that for fully eight years she has had control of none of her muscles, thus being virtually helpless but being at all times representative of the incarnation of spiritual patience and gentle submission to her great atlliction, the hcavy burden of which has been lightened by the devoted care given to her by her venerable husband. Both have been for many years devout members of the Methodist Episcopal Church, and Mr. Blanden has always been aligned as a staunch supporter of the principles of the republican party. He served in past years as township trustee and was called upon also to serve in other positions of local trust. He was affiliated with the Lodge of Ancient Free & Accepted Masons at Birmingham until the organization lapsed, and since that time has maintained no direct Masonic association.
In Florence Township, in the year of 1864, was solemnized the marriage of Mr. Blanden to Miss Alice Bristol, who was born in Henrietta Township, Lorain County, Ohio, on the 14th of September, 1846, but who was reared and educated in Florence Township, Erie County, where her father established his home on a farm when she was a child. Mrs. Blanden is a daughter of Charles and Charlotte (Dennison) Bristol, the former of whom was born in the State of New York and the latter of whom had the distinction of being the first white child born in Henrietta township, Lorain County, Ohio, her parents, John and Marian Dennison, natives of the State of New York, having been the first permanent settlers in Henrietta Township, Lorain County, where the latter died when her daughter Charlotte was but seven years of age. Mr. Dennison lived to a venerable age and passed the closing years of his life near Birmingham, Erie County. Within a few years after their marriage Charles Bristol and his wife established their home on a farm in Florence Township, Erie County, and they continued as honored citizens of this county until their death, Mr. Bristol having passed away in 1901, at the venerable age of eighty-two years, and his devoted wife having died on her seventy-ninth birthday anniversary, May 17, 1898. It is interesting to record that she married Mr. Bristol on her twenty-fourth birthday anniversary and that her daughter Emma was born on the anniversary date of the mother’s birth.
Mr, and Mrs. Blanden have two children: George, who celebrated in 1915 his forty-sixth birthday anniversary, resides on the old homestead farm of his parents, and has been carrier on the rural mail route of that locality from the time this free service was established there, in 1903. Ile wedded Miss Lois Curtis and they have two sons, June and James. Ray, the younger of the two children of the honored citizen to whom this sketch is dedicated, is the wife of Wilber Struck, of Birmingham, and they have two sons, Rolland and Donald.
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