| Repository: | Western Reserve Historical Society |
| Creator: | Warner, Jonathan Family |
| Title: | Jonathan Warner Family Papers |
| Dates: | 1804-1996 |
| Dates: | 1804-1866 |
| Extent: | 1.90 linear feet (6 containers) |
| Abstract: | Jonathan Warner (1782-1862) was an early pioneer settler of Jefferson, Ashtabula, County, Ohio, in the Connecticut Western Reserve. Born in Connecticut, he traveled to the Western Reserve in 1804, and permanently settled in the Jefferson area in June 1805, where he farmed. He married Nancy Frethy in 1807, and they had 11 children. Jonathan Warner served as an Ashtabula County justice of the peace, county recorder, and county treasurer. In 1822, he helped organize the Ashtabula County Agricultural Society. He was very active in the antimasonry movement and the Antimasonic Party, and helped establish and run the Ohio Luminary, an antimasonry newspaper in Jefferson. Warner also was an Ohio state legislator, served as the first mayor of Jefferson, and was elected a judge of the Ashtabula County Court of Common Pleas, serving until 1846. The collection consists of correspondence, a biographical sketch, typed transcriptions, deeds, agreements, contracts, surveys, a lease, a petition, a record transcript, lists, indentures, wills, genealogies, newspaper clippings, account sheets, county treasurers' reports, receipts, powers of attorney, a wolf scalps subscription list, and obituaries. The letters of Jonathan Warner to his family in Connecticut describe in great detail the land, weather, crops, wildlife, social events, and fellow settlers of the Western Reserve. Descriptions of Warner family journeys back and forth from Ohio to Connecticut are also included, as is commentary on events and battles of the War of 1812, political discussions, descriptions of land transactions and business opportunities, farming conditions, and financial concerns of Jonathan Warner. Correspondence of the women of the Warner family often includes commentary on family life, religious and social activities, work, and other facets of daily life in the Western Reserve. Jonathan Warner's political involvement, particularly with the antimasonic movement, is well documented. Correspondence of Warner with James Moorhead, Alfred Kelley, Cyrus Smith, and Henry Dana Ward is included. |
| MS Number | MS 4848 |
| Location: | closed stacks |
| Language: | The records are in English |
Jonathan Warner (1782-1862) was an early pioneer settler of Jefferson, Ashtabula County, Ohio, in the Connecticut Western Reserve. He was born in Chester Parish, Old Saybrook, Connecticut, on December 11, 1782, to Jonathan and Hephzibah Warner. Jonathan Warner Sr. was a farmer and merchant involved in the coastal trade, and his son Jonathan gained experience both as a farmer and as a sailor aboard his father's ships. Jonathan Jr., one of eight children, decided in the fall of 1804 to strike out for the West. After a long journey traveling overland on horseback, he arrived in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, by September 28, 1804. Writing to his parents that "I am at a loss which way to go from here either to go down to Marietta or to New Connecticut" (letter, September 28, 1804, Container 6, Folder 56), he chose the latter and arrived within the next week at Warren in the Western Reserve. Finding good soil and abundant game, Warner bought land in what would become Jefferson, Ashtabula County, Ohio. He then returned to Connecticut, and came back to the Western Reserve in June 1805, when he set about clearing land for a cabin and farm.
In 1807, Warner married Nancy Frethy (1789-1881), the daughter of Edward Frethy, who with his family had come to the Western Reserve from the Washington, D.C. area in 1806. Together Jonathan and Nancy Warner would become parents of eleven children. Jonathan Warner was named a justice of the peace in 1807. A strong supporter of the War of 1812, Jonathan debated about that conflict and many other political issues of the day in letters to his father and brothers, Ely Warner and George Washington Warner, back in Connecticut.
After the formation of Ashtabula County in 1811, Jonathan Warner served as county recorder from 1815 to 1822. He served as county treasurer from 1824 to 1826. In 1822, he helped organize the Ashtabula County Agricultural Society. His interest in the antimasonry movement lead to his support in the establishment in 1828 of an antimasonry newspaper in Jefferson, the Ohio Luminary. He was active in the Ohio antimasonry movement and the Antimasonic Party in Ohio through 1833. Warner was elected to the Ohio Legislature in 1831, serving for one session. When the village of Jefferson was incorporated in 1836, he served as its first mayor. Warner capped his political career with his election in 1839 as a judge of the Ashtabula County Court of Common Pleas, serving until 1846. He spent the rest of his life in Jefferson, and died April 12, 1862.
The Jonathan Warner Family Papers, 1804-1996 (1804-1866) consist of correspondence, a biographical sketch, typed transcriptions, deeds, agreements, contracts, surveys, a lease, a petition, a record transcript, lists, indentures, wills, genealogies, newspaper clippings, account sheets, county treasurer's reports, receipts, powers of attorney, a wolf scalps subscriptions list, and obituaries.
This collection is of value to researchers and historians of the first half of the nineteenth century, particularly of the history of the Connecticut Western Reserve, of Ashtabula County, Ohio, and of the town of Jefferson, Ohio. Family correspondence between Jonathan Warner, his wife Nancy, his father and siblings in Connecticut (particularly his father, Jonathan Warner Sr. and his brother Ely Warner), his in-laws (the Frethy family), and later his children is a rich source of social, family, and political history for this time period. The letters of Jonathan Warner to his family in Connecticut describe in great detail the land, weather, crops, wildlife, social events, and fellow settlers of the Western Reserve. Of particular interest are his and other Warner family members' descriptions of their journeys back and forth from Ohio to Connecticut, utilizing lake travel, horses, wagons, and stagecoaches. Commentary on events and battles taking place in Ohio during the War of 1812 is also very detailed, as are descriptions of land transactions, business opportunities, farming conditions, and financial concerns of Jonathan Warner in the Western Reserve. The letters he received from his family in Connecticut paint an equally vivid picture of social, familial, and economic events there during this time period. The women of the Warner family, including Nancy Warner, Jonathan Warner's sisters in Connecticut, and his daughters, often corresponded with him and with each other. Their commentary on family life, religious and social activities, work, and other facets of their daily lives are important sources on the role of women in the early nineteenth century, both in frontier regions such as the Western Reserve, and in New England.
Major political events and movements are commented on extensively in correspondence between Jonathan Warner and other family members. Letters to Jonathan Warner from Alfred Kelley, Elisha Whittlesey, and others reflect their political views on various issues. In particular, Warner's extensive involvement in the antimasonry movement and the Antimasonic Party of Ohio is reflected in his correspondence with his family and with political associates James Moorhead, Cyrus Smith, and Henry Dana Ward. His involvement in the publication of the antimasonic newspaper The Ohio Luminary (subsequently called The Ohio Luminary and Ashtabula Pioneer and the Ashtabula Republican and Farmers and Mechanicks Advocate), is well documented in this correspondence. Other local, state, and national political issues of the time are commented upon in his correspondence with family, friends, and business associates. Issues include the War of 1812; presidential campaigns of the early nineteenth century, and in particular, the 1832 presidential campaigns of Henry Clay and Andrew Jackson; political parties; and slavery.
None.
Related MaterialThe researcher should also consult issues of The Ohio Luminary, The Ohio Luminary and Ashtabula Pioneer, and the Ashtabula Republican and Farmers and Mechanicks Advocate, all held at the Western Reserve Historical Society Library.
The following terms have been used to index the description of this collection in the library's online public access catalog.
[Container ___, Folder ___ ] MS 4848 Jonathan Warner Family Papers, Western Reserve Historical Society, Cleveland, Ohio
Jeanette M. Parry, 2001
Processed by Deborah R. Shell in 2001
Series I: Correspondence 1804-1866 1996 undated |
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| Box | Folder | ||||||||||
| 1 | 1 | Typed transcriptions 1804-1807 | |||||||||
| 1 | 1 | Photocopy of letter September 28, 1804 | |||||||||
| 1 | 1 | Letter concerning the family letters February 21, 1996 | |||||||||
| 1 | 2 | Warner family, includes letters from Jonathan Warner Jr. to his family in Saybrook, Connecticut describing his journey to New Connecticut, early settlements, descriptions of the countryside, people, and places, purchase price of land, and his prospects (Originals housed in Container 6, Folder 56, Oversize Materials) 1804-1807 | |||||||||
| 1 | 3-5 | Warner family 1807-1809 | |||||||||
| 1 | 6 | Warner family, including letters from Edward Frethy, father of Nancy Warner January-June 1810 | |||||||||
| 1 | 7 | Warner family July-December 1810 | |||||||||
| 1 | 8 | Warner family, including letters from Edward and Deborah Frethy April-December 1811 | |||||||||
| 1 | 9 | Warner family, including political commentary and debate between Jonathan Warner Sr. and Jonathan Warner Jr. concerning the War of 1812, General William Henry Harrison, and battles; and descriptions of Jonathan Warner's military participation February-October 1812 | |||||||||
| 1 | 10 | Warner family, including comments on battles of the War of 1812, including a claim to having heard "cannonading" from the battle of Lake Erie (letter dated October 17, 1813) and a description of Jonathan Warner trip back to Saybrook, Connecticut 1813 | |||||||||
| 1 | 11 | Warner family, including a description of Jonathan Warner's conscription for military duty, May 2, 1814; political commentary, and letters from Frethy family members 1814 | |||||||||
| Box | Folder | ||||||||||
| 2 | 12 | Warner family, including a letter from Edward Frethy 1815 | |||||||||
| 2 | 13 | Warner family, including comments on weather during summer of 1816 in New England 1816-1818 | |||||||||
| 2 | 14-19 | Warner family 1819-1927 | |||||||||
| 2 | 20 | Warner family, including a letter concerning the death of Jonathan Warner Sr., letters from James Moorhead to Jonathan Warner Jr. concerning antimasonry activities 1828 | |||||||||
| 2 | 21 | Warner family, including letters from non-family members concerning antimasonry activities 1829-1830 | |||||||||
| 2 | 22 | Warner family, including letters from Jonathan Warner concerning his activities as an Ohio state representative, the Ohio Legislature, political concerns, and antimasonry 1831 | |||||||||
| Box | Folder | ||||||||||
| 3 | 23 | Warner family, including letters from Jonathan Warner to his family concerning his service in the Ohio legislature; commentary on politics, the Clay-Jackson presidential election, and the Antimasonic Party; a letter to Jonathan Warner from Elisha Whittlesey concerning claims for French spoliation; copy of a letter from Governor McArthur to Lemuel Moffitt January-June 1832 | |||||||||
| 3 | 24 | Warner family, including many concerning the Clay-Jackson presidential election and the Antimasonic Party, and letters concerning politics from Alfred Kelley, Cyrus Smith, and Henry Dana Ward to Jonathan Warner July-December 1832 | |||||||||
| 3 | 25 | Warner family 1833 | |||||||||
| 3 | 26 | Warner family, including a letter from Charles Frethy 1834 | |||||||||
| 3 | 27-29 | Warner family 1835-1840 | |||||||||
| 3 | 30 | Warner family, including political commentary on abolitionism 1841-1843 | |||||||||
| 3 | 31 | Warner family 1844-1846 | |||||||||
| Box | Folder | ||||||||||
| 4 | 32 | Warner family, including donation by Jonathan Warner of a schoolhouse on his property to Trinity Church 1847-1849 | |||||||||
| 4 | 33-37 | Warner family 1850 1852-1860 1862 1864 1866 undated | |||||||||
Series II: Other Materials 1805-1905 undated |
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| Box | Folder | ||||||||||
| 4 | 38 | Account sheets, Jonathan Warner 1807-1824 | |||||||||
| 4 | 38 | County Treasurer's reports 1826-1827 | |||||||||
| 4 | 38 | Receipts 1827 undated | |||||||||
| 4 | 38 | Delegation of treasurer's powers 1826 | |||||||||
| 4 | 38 | Appeal concerning the county treasurer post 1826 | |||||||||
| 4 | 39 | Agreements 1805 1837 1846 1851 1852 1855 1857 | |||||||||
| 4 | 39 | Power of attorney and list of household goods, Cyrus L. Smith to Jonathan Warner 1831 | |||||||||
| 4 | 39 | Application to justice of the peace for a writ, Jonathan Warner ca. 1850 | |||||||||
| 4 | 40 | Biography, "Sketch of the Life Jonathan Warner, A Pioneer of Jefferson Ashta. Co. Ohio," Jefferson 1893 | |||||||||
| 4 | 40 | Photocopy of the sketch with a letter describing the collection undated | |||||||||
| 4 | 41 | Correspondence, Archibald Cooper (Winchester, Pennsylvania) and Jeremiah Cooper Zanesville, Ohio) 1834 | |||||||||
| 4 | 41 | Correspondence, Jeremiah Cooper (Cass County, Illinois) to Archibald Cooper (Adams Mills, Muskingum County, Ohio) 1845 | |||||||||
| 4 | 42 | Deed, Gideon Granger to Jonathan Warner, land parcels in Jefferson, Ohio 1806 | |||||||||
| 4 | 43 | Deeds, Jonathan Warner, Jefferson, Ohio 1820 1824 1828 | |||||||||
| 4 | 44 | Deeds, Jonathan Warner 1830 1834 1836 | |||||||||
| 4 | 44 | Purchase agreement for a printing press 1834 | |||||||||
| 4 | 44 | Contract 1834 | |||||||||
| 4 | 44 | Lease, Cyrus Smith to Alvin Bagby 1835 | |||||||||
| 4 | 44 | Surveys, Jefferson Township, Ashtabula County, Ohio 1837 | |||||||||
| 4 | 45 | Deeds, Jonathan Warner 1841 1843 1845 1846 1847 1849 | |||||||||
| 4 | 45 | Agreement, Jonathan Warner and David Rand 1843 | |||||||||
| 4 | 45 | Petition to Ohio Legislature 1845 | |||||||||
| 4 | 45 | Record transcript 1847 | |||||||||
| 4 | 46 | Deed, John and Harriet Granger to Jonathan Warner 1850 | |||||||||
| 4 | 47 | Deeds 1850 1858 1862 | |||||||||
| 4 | 47 | Indentures, Jonathan Warner and Hezekiah Seager and Jonathan Warner and Aron Block 1850 | |||||||||
| Box | Folder | ||||||||||
| 5 | 48 | Deeds 1864 1865 1867 1872 1880 1887 | |||||||||
| 5 | 49 | Description of the first wedding in Jefferson, Ohio, describing wedding of Jonathan Warner and Nancy Frethy, by Mrs. C. E. Warner undated | |||||||||
| 5 | 50 | Genealogy, Warner family, undated; obituaries, Charles E. Warner undated | |||||||||
| 5 | 51 | Letter, typed transcription, written to a "Charles" concerning an eyewitness account of a Sioux-Chippewa battle, location of battle not recorded, no signature, "Shakapee, June 1, 1858." 1858 | |||||||||
| 5 | 52 | Newspaper, Connecticut Herald 1812 | |||||||||
| 5 | 53 | Will, Jonathan Warner Sr. 1824 | |||||||||
| 5 | 53 | Will, Jonathan Warner Jr. 1848 | |||||||||
| 5 | 54 | Will, Charles E. Warner 1905 | |||||||||
| 5 | 55 | Wolf scalps subscriptions list 1834-1835 | |||||||||