Recordpub.com - PORTAGE PATHWAYS: Rags to riches for Shalersville pioneer

By Roger J. Di Paolo

Record-Courier Editor

Sylvester Beecher didn’t have a penny to his name when he arrived in Ohio in 1807, but he died a millionaire.

Like many young New Englanders, Sylvester decided to seek a new life in Northeastern Ohio — which was then the Western frontier — and set out on foot for his new home.

He was bound for Trumbull County, where he had a job waiting for him: overseeing the construction of a mill at Newton Falls.

En route to his destination, he was robbed of all the money he had — four dollars — so he arrived there without a cent and knowing no one but the man who had hired him.

After completing his work in Newton Falls, he found a job as a laborer in a brickyard. After working there, he came to Middletown, the Portage County settlement that became Shalersville, where an uncle lived.

He apparently had earned enough money in Trumbull County to become a property owner, purchasing a homestead from General Nathaniel Shaler, the Connecticut man for whom the township eventually was named.

He acquired 100 acres in the northern part of the township, near the Mantua border. According to one account, he made his first payment to General Shaler by clearing timber in the area.

When the War of 1812 broke out, he enlisted in the Army. He served for about four months, seeing action against Indians and sustaining a head wound. He returned to Portage County, where he continued to develop his land holdings, then traveled back to Connecticut, where he worked in a woolen factory and earned more than enough to retire the debt on his land.

He made several trips between Connecticut and Ohio, traveling at first on foot with a limited stock of items he peddled, then investing in a wagon that he filled with trading goods.

He operated stores at several locations in Ohio, including one he opened in Shalersville in 1816, which was the first such establishment in the township. He also opened a store in Palmyra.

He married Betsey Bushnell, whom he had met in Trumbull County. The couple eventually had 12 children, including several who became prominent businessmen.

Sylvester Beecher’s labors made him one of the wealthiest men in Portage County, a remarkably successful businessman who apparently had a talent for making money. His financial acumen earned him a seat on the board of directors of the Portage County branch of the State Bank of Ohio.

He was 67 years old when he died on Dec. 5, 1855. He left an estate valued a $95,000 — roughly $2 million in today’s dollars.

Several of his surviving sons enjoyed successful business careers, following in his footsteps as merchants and investors.

Henry Beecher, the eldest, remained on the family farm until 1842, when he went into business on his own. He operated a store in Garrettsville for 19 years; his brother, Samuel, was his partner for much of that time. Henry took his father’s place on the Ravenna bank board and later became associated with First National Bank of Ravenna. He also was involved in the building of the Etna House, the landmark business block that remains a downtown anchor.

Austin Beecher operated a hardware store in Mantua, where he became one of the community’s leading citizens. He served as a justice of the peace for several years and also was active in Masonic affairs.

The youngest Beecher son, John, who was 14 years old when his father died, became general agent for the Ohio Farmers Insurance Co. and was involved in the Odd Fellows lodge and Mantua Masonic lodge.

Like their father, the Beecher “boys” became pillars of their respective communities as they continued the legacy of a poor boy from New England who found success — and enormous wealth — in his adopted home in Portage County.