Nelson Almon Cowdery (1826 - 1920)

Born 6 May 1826 in Hartland, Hartford, Connecticut, United States

Husband of Flora Pluma (Beach) Cowdery — married 1845 in Ohio, United States

Descendants

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Biography

Nelson was born in 1826 to Almon Cowdery and Mary Norton. He passed away in 1920.

Books

History of Youngstown and the Mahoning Valley, Ohio, Volume II

Nelson A. Cowdery, one of the patriarchs of the Mahoning Valley, whose long life was a continuous exertion for good and community welfare, was born at Hartland, Connecticut, May 6, 1926, and in the same fall was brought in a one-horse wagon to Ohio by his parents, Allen and Mary (Norton) Cowdery. The family settled in Mecca Township on a farm that is now owned by J. A. Hayden. Allen Cowdery cleared up the land, which he obtained from the Connecticut Land Company at $2.50 an acre. About this time Nelson A. Cowdery reached his majority his father traded for a farm in West Mecca near his brother Ambrose, who had come from Connecticut in 1825.

At the age of nineteen Nelson A. Cowdery was given permission by his father in order to get married to Flora Beach of Vernon Township, four years his senior. Soon afterwards with his father he bought eighty acres of woods at $7 an acre in West Mecca and obtained fifty acres of this as his share and later the rest. During the oil excitement, with rising prices for land, Allen sold his farm and bought a place a mile south of Cortland, and the son Nelson followed him there six years later and also bought a farm. Allen Cowdery died at the age of seventy-six. His first wife passed away in 1835, the mother of four children, Nelson being the last survivor. His second wife was Lavina Beach, and his third wife, a Mrs. Croft. There were two children of the second marriage, one son dying as a Union soldier, while Drayton now lives in Farmington.

In 1895 Nelson Cowdery built his present home in the Village of Cortland. His farm comprised 125 acres and while living in Mecca Township he also operated a saw mill three years. He was one of the organizers and one of the first directors of the First National Bank of Cortland which was established in 1892 with a capital of $50,000. He served as president until the charter expired twenty years later, and it was then succeeded by the Cortland Savings & Banking Company, with a capital of $35,000 and Mr. Cowdery continued as president.

From 1872 to 1878 he was a member of the Board of County Commissioners. One work of this board was the construction at the cost of $20,000 of the Market Street bridge in Warren, a structure that has stood the test of time and wear ever since. In 1870 at Cortland Mr. Cowdery built a cheese factory. He hired a cheese maker for one year and during that time his daughter learned the details of cheese manufacture and afterwards she and Mr. Cowdery conducted the factory alone. This factory was the primary influence in stimulating milk production and making this region a dairy center, a character that still prevails. The old factory converted the milk from 900 cows and the Cowdery farm operated a dairy of fifty cows. The business has been in continuous operation for half a century and the plant is now part of the Creamery and Condensery Company.

Mr. and Mrs. Cowdery were probably the oldest married couple in the Mahoning Valley. At her death she had lived together sixty-four years, nine months, seven days. Four children were born to their marriage. Mr. Cowdery early became identified with the Congregational Church, his father’s church, but while operating the cheese factory he asked for a letter from the old church at Mecca. At first this was refused on account of his working on Sunday, but it was later granted, and since then he has been connected with the Christian Church. In the early days he heard President Garfield preach. ^[1]

Sources

1. ↑ History of Youngstown and the Mahoning Valley, Ohio, Volume II, by Joseph Greene Butler, American Historical Society, 1921, page 49, https://books.google.com/books?id=iRgVAAAAYAAJ&pg=PA49

Census

"United States Census, 1910," database with images, FamilySearch (https://familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:ML6K-S31 : accessed 17 September 2017), Nelson A Coweling in household of Harvey Mahannah, Bazetta, Trumbull, Ohio, United States; citing enumeration district (ED) ED 203, sheet 1A, family 6, NARA microfilm publication T624 (Washington D.C.: National Archives and Records Administration, 1982), roll 1235; FHL microfilm 1,375,248.

Death

Burial: Cortland Christian Church Cemetery, Cortland, Trumbull Co., Ohio, USA, Find A Grave: Memorial #38409289