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- - - Shelby Pioneer Families - - -

 

 

The Isaac Marvin Family

 

 

Matthew & Elizabeth Gregory / Marvin were both born in Essex, England in the first

few years of the 1600s. They were married there in 1622 and a son Matthew Jr., was

born soon after their marriage. In 1635, Matthew & Elizabeth and their family of 6

children came to New England on the ship "The Increase". Their family continued

to grow with another 6 children being born in Hartford, Conn. One of those children,

Samuel Marvin, born in 1647 and his older brother Mathew, were among the very

early settlers of Norwalk, Conn. In about 1702, Samuel was married to Hannah Platt

in Norwalk, Conn. and became the first of many generations of Marvins residing

in this area. One of Samuel's great-grandsons would be the first of the Marvins

to settle in the area Shelby, Ohio.

 

Isaac Marvin III was born on Feb. 27, 1774 in Norwalk, Conn. His grandfather

Isaac, a son of Samuel, had been born there more than 60 years before.

Isaac's, father (born 1743/44) was killed on Long Island, N. Y. in 1777 in

the service of his country during the Revolutionary War.

 

In about 1816 or 1817, Isaac Marvin III with wife Hannah, and probably all but

their oldest 2 sons, left Norwalk, Conn. to strike out to the west. Left behind were

Stephen, born 1797 and his brother Charles who was about a year older.

 

In 1811, when Stephen was about 14 years of age, he had been apprenticed to

Ebenezer Scribner, to learn the trade of tanner and currier. He was probably

left behind in Norwalk, to fulfill the terms of his apprenticeship.

 

In 1816, Isaac and Hannah Marvin's family consisted of 14 children:

 

1. Charles Marvin 2. Stephen Marvin 3. Miranda Marvin 4. Sarah Sally Marvin 5. Isaac Marsh Marvin IV 6. Henry Huls Marvin 7. Eliza Marvin 8. Hiram Marvin 9. Silas Marvin 10. Abraham Marvin 11. William W. Marvin 12. Elsey Marvin 13. Ezra Marvin 14. Hannah Marvin

b: October 30, 1795 b: January 08, 1797 b: January 13, 1798 b: March 08, 1799 b: April 01, 1800 b: May 29, 1801 b: July 20, 1802 b: May 22, 1804 b: November 16, 1805 b: March 27, 1807 b: December 21, 1808 b: September 13, 1810 b: April 18, 1812 b: November 13, 1813

 

Isaac and family settled on property in what is now section 10 of Jackson Twp.,

Richland County, just to the east of Shelby. Isaac and Hannah would spend the

rest of their days in Jackson Twp. Isaac died in 1850 and Hannah in 1858. Their

son Silas, and his wife Judith Kemp / Marvin would continue to live

and raised their 12 children in Jackson Twp.

 

1. Edward Kemp Marvin 2. Rachel Marvin 3. Narcissa Marvin 4. Eliza Marvin 5. Silas Marvin 6. John Marvin 7. Stephen Tipton Marvin 8. Catherine Marvin 9. Agnes F. Marvin 10. Benjamin Franklin Marvin 11. Alonza P. Marvin 12. Frances Melvina Marvin

b: February 05, 1828 b: September 05, 1829 b: May 29, 1831 b: March 28, 1833 b: April 15, 1835 b: March 30, 1837 b: July 28, 1839 b: October 14, 1841 b: March 10, 1845 b: March 10, 1845 b: August 31, 1848 b: September 15, 1851

 

January 8, 1818, Stephen had fulfilled the terms of his apprenticeship and on

April 5, 1818, Stephen and Sarah Sherwood were married in Norwalk,

Conn. The new couple had made plans to follow Stephen's parents to Ohio.

They and a party of about 20 including the family of Eli Wilson, and Sarah's

mother, the recently widowed Deborah Moyer, started on their trip

shortly after the wedding.

 

All they owned was a wagon drawn by a single horse which carried simple tools:

chains, wedges, a broad-ax, rifle, bullet pouch and powder horn. Mrs. Moyer,

affectionately called "Aunt Debbie", and was later hired as the first school-teacher

in Shelby, in 1821 at a salary of 9 shillings per month. The first Shelby

school house stood on the NW corner of Main and Gamble Streets.

 

Stephen Marvin built their log cabin near the site of the "Marvin House"

which was constructed in 1832 and stands today at 57 North Gamble Street,

Shelby. All the interior woodwork and the outer siding was native black walnut.

The kitchen fireplace was so arranged that a 12 foot log could be drawn

into it from the outside.

 

Stephen and Sarah started their family soon after arriving in the Shelby area

and over the years they were the parents of 13 children.

 

1. Angeline Sherwood Marvin 2. Burr Marvin 3. Charles Wakeman Marvin 4. Daniel Sherwood Marvin 5. Edward Marvin 6. Hiram Marvin 7. Eleanor Marvin 8. John Jay Marvin 9. Isabelle Jane Marvin 10. Ellen Jeanette Marvin 11. Laura Letitia. Marvin 12. George Franklin Marvin 13. Emily Augusta Marvin

b: March 10, 1819 b: December 07, 1820 b: April 15, 1824 b: November 05, 1825 b: January 24, 1828 b: April 23, 1829 b: February 14, 1831 b: September 05, 1833 b: December 22, 1835 b: November 16, 1837 b: February 13, 1840 b: July 27, 1842 b: June 25, 1845

 

Stephen was able to greatly contribute to the infant community of Gamble's Mill.

He constructed the first tannery in the community, and located it on the

east side of Gamble Street between what is now Whitney and Main Streets.

He also started a shoe making business. When the Civil War began, Stephen was

too old to enlist, but four of his sons played a part in the conflict. *

 

Daniel and George enlisted in the Sherman Brigade. Charles was a resident of Ithaca, Michigan and enlisted as a surgeon in a Michigan Regiment. John J. enlisted in the

138th regiment, Ohio Volunteers under Col. S.S. Fisher.

 

Stephen Marvin died just a few years after the close of the war, in 1868. Sons George

and Daniel were both wounded during the war and suffered from these wounds for

the remainder of their lives.

 

At the end of his Civil War service, Daniel moved to Watertown, N. Y. and married

Caroline Sherman. He practiced law in Watertown for about 30 years before

moving back to Shelby in 1897. In 1901, Daniel purchased the home that stands

on the corner of Whitney and North Gamble and presented it to the city of

Shelby to be used forever as a library.

 

 

photo ca. 1907

 

Marvin Memorial Library - North Gamble & Whitney Streets

(Sign above door reads: Marvin Library Reading Room)

 

 

Under Construction - - -

 

Thanks to Nick Sheedy nsheedy@yahoo.com who contributed much of the material

on this page.

 

* abstracted from the History of Richland County - A. A. Graham - 1880

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