Frederick Elijah Wadsworth (March 7, 1786 in

Litchfield, Connecticut Litchfield is a town in and former county seat of Litchfield County, Connecticut, United States. The population was 8,192 at the 2020 census. The town is part of the Northwest Hills Planning Region. The boroughs of Bantam and Litchfield are ...

– February 3, 1869 in

Edinburg Township, Ohio Edinburg Township is one of the eighteen townships of Portage County, Ohio, United States. The 2020 census found 2,351 people in the township. Geography Located in the southeastern part of the county, it borders the following townships: * Cha ...

) was an Ohio militia officer, businessman, banker, and politician.

Family

Frederick was born in 1786 at the family home in

. He was the son of Major General Elijah Wadsworth and his wife Rhoda Hopkins. Frederick was a member of the prominent

Wadsworth Wadsworth may refer to: People * Wadsworth (given name) * Wadsworth (surname) Places * Wadsworth, Illinois, United States, a village * Wadsworth, Kansas, United States * Wadsworth, Nevada, United States, a census-designated place * Wadswort ...

family of

Connecticut Connecticut ( ) is a U.S. state, state in the New England region of the Northeastern United States. It borders Rhode Island to the east, Massachusetts to the north, New York (state), New York to the west, and Long Island Sound to the south. ...

. He is a descendant of William Wadsworth, one of the

Founders of Hartford, Connecticut The History of Hartford, Connecticut has occupied a central place in Connecticut's history from the state's origins to the present, as well as the greater history of the United States of America. Founders Here is a partial list of the 163 men ...

. He moved to

Ohio Ohio ( ) is a U.S. state, state in the Midwestern United States, Midwestern region of the United States. It borders Lake Erie to the north, Pennsylvania to the east, West Virginia to the southeast, Kentucky to the southwest, Indiana to the ...

, at 13, with his family in 1799. In October 1802 he moved to the new family home in

Canfield, Ohio Canfield is a city in central Mahoning County, Ohio, United States. The population was 7,699 as of the 2020 census. It is a suburb surrounded by Canfield Township located at the intersection of U.S. Routes 62 and 224. It is part of the Youn ...

where he grew to adulthood. Frederick married Statira Smith of New York and had eight children. Frederick Wadsworth's House, built 1824, located in Edinburg Township, Ohio is on the

National Register of Historic Places The National Register of Historic Places (NRHP) is the Federal government of the United States, United States federal government's official United States National Register of Historic Places listings, list of sites, buildings, structures, Hist ...

(May 29, 1975 #75001520).

War of 1812

On 26 May 1812

Lieutenant A lieutenant ( , ; abbreviated Lt., Lt, LT, Lieut and similar) is a Junior officer, junior commissioned officer rank in the armed forces of many nations, as well as fire services, emergency medical services, Security agency, security services ...

Frederick Wadsworth was appointed, by his

father A father is the male parent of a child. Besides the paternal bonds of a father to his children, the father may have a parental, legal, and social relationship with the child that carries with it certain rights and obligations. A biological fat ...

, as the Regimental Clerk for the 2nd Regiment, 4th Brigade, 4th Division of the Ohio State Militia under Colonel John Wilson Campbell.

Business and politics

Frederick was a proprietor and partner of Stoddard & Wadsworth Co. a wool carding works in 1825. Later that year he was elected Secretary of the Portage County Agricultural Society on 9 May 1825. Frederick was an appointed representative of Portage County during the Canal Commission on 10 March 1826 that worked for the creation of the Portage Canal. Frederick was at the

Anti-Masonic Party The Anti-Masonic Party was the earliest Third party (United States), third party in the United States. Formally a Single-issue politics, single-issue party, it strongly opposed Freemasonry in the United States. It was active from the late 1820s, ...

Convention in

Philadelphia, Pennsylvania Philadelphia ( ), colloquially referred to as Philly, is the List of municipalities in Pennsylvania, most populous city in the U.S. state of Pennsylvania and the List of United States cities by population, sixth-most populous city in the Unit ...

on September 11, 1830. He was also elected Sheriff of

Portage County, Ohio Portage County is a county in the U.S. state of Ohio. As of the 2020 census, the population was 161,791. Located in Northeast Ohio, Portage County is part of the Akron Metropolitan Statistical Area, which is also included in the Cleveland–A ...

in 1834. He formed a partnership with several investors, including

Simon Perkins General Simon Perkins (September 17, 1771 – November 6, 1844) was an early settler, businessman and surveyor of the Western Reserve of Connecticut, which would later become northeast Ohio. He co-founded Akron, Ohio, with Paul Williams in 182 ...

and Eleazer Sackett, which led to the creation of the Portage Canal & Manufacturing Co. on February 27, 1837. Frederick was also one of 5 co-owners of the Etna Iron Company on March 29, 1837. That same year Frederick was appointed a Director of the Bank of Cleveland. Later, in 1846, he was the President of the Portage County Mutual Fire Insurance Company. Frederick Wadsworth was elected Mayor of Akron, Ohio in 1852-1853.

References

*"Early History of Cleveland Ohio..." by Col. Charles Whittlesey, Cleveland, 183
(PDF avail.)
*"History of Portage County, Ohio: Containing a history of the County..." Warner, beers and Co., Chicago, 1885 *"Cases of the Supreme Court of Ohio 1833-1834" by Charles Hammond, Esq., Cincinnati, 1872 *"Acts of the State of Ohio", By the Ohio General Assembly, Columbus 1837

External links

*http://www.raremaps.com/gallery/archivedetail/18138/Map_of_The_Town_of_North_Akron_Portage_County_and_Township_Ohio_June/Ashland.html *http://politicalgraveyard.com/bio/wadhams-waggy.html {{DEFAULTSORT:Wadsworth, Frederick 1786 births 1869 deaths Mayors of Akron, Ohio Businesspeople from Ohio American militiamen in the War of 1812 Anti-Masonic Party politicians from Ohio Wadsworth family Politicians from Litchfield, Connecticut People from Canfield, Ohio 19th-century American businesspeople