William Wetmore (September 16, 1771 – October 27, 1827) founded

Cuyahoga Falls, Ohio Cuyahoga Falls ( or ) is a city in Summit County, Ohio, United States. As of the 2020 census, the city population was 51,114. The second-largest city in Summit County, it is located directly north of Akron and is a suburb of the Akron metropol ...

in 1812. Wetmore was born in Middletown, Connecticut and was hired by Joshua Stow as a land agent of property in the Western Reserve which was purchased by the

Connecticut Land Company The Connecticut Company or Connecticut Land Company (e.-1795) was a post-colonial land speculation company formed in the late eighteenth century to survey and encourage settlement in the eastern parts of the newly chartered Connecticut Western Re ...

. Wetmore moved to Ohio in 1804 and became one of the original proprietors of Cuyahoga Falls. He built the second house in what became Stow Township. Wetmore was elected Justice of the Peace of Stow, as well as Clerk of the Court of

Ravenna, Ohio Ravenna is a city in Portage County, Ohio, United States. It is located east of Akron. It was formed from portions of Ravenna Township in the Connecticut Western Reserve. The population was 11,323 in the 2020 Census. It is the county seat of Por ...

. During the

War of 1812 The War of 1812 (18 June 1812 – 17 February 1815) was fought by the United States, United States of America and its Indigenous peoples of the Americas, indigenous allies against the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland, United Kingdom ...

, William Wetmore was appointed commander for troops stationed at Old Portage. (This was the northern Portage Path, at the Cuyahoga River.) Acting as an agent for Joshua Stow, owner of the township, William also gave permission to

Francis Kelsey Francis Willey Kelsey (May 23, 1858 – May 14, 1927) was a classics scholar, professor, and archaeologist that would go on to lead the first expedition to the Near-East done by the University of Michigan (U of M). His papyrus findings and the col ...

and

Isaac Wilcox Isaac; grc, Ἰσαάκ, Isaák; ar, إسحٰق/إسحاق, Isḥāq; am, ይስሐቅ is one of the three patriarchs of the Israelites and an important figure in the Abrahamic religions, including Judaism, Christianity, and Islam. He was the ...

to build a dam across the Cuyahoga River and to erect a sawmill. It is said lumber from this mill was used by the army to build ships at Portage for use against the British. (The dam washed away long after this.) Wetmore and Joshua Stow owned , the southern border being Portage Trail, and began developing Cuyahoga Falls in 1825. Wetmore's sons, William Jr. and Henry, supervised 30 men who constructed a dam, gristmill, sawmill, paper and linseed oil mills. On the occasion of

Edwin Wetmore The name Edwin means "rich friend". It comes from the Old English elements "ead" (rich, blessed) and "ƿine" (friend). The original Anglo-Saxon form is Eadƿine, which is also found for Anglo-Saxon figures. People * Edwin of Northumbria (died ...

's 21st birthday (1823), parents William and Anne gave him a plot of land in the Village of Silver Lake, along an upscale suburban street, Kent Road, then it was the farm that helped sustain his family and in 1820, Edwin had already built a 2-story Connecticut style farmhouse on this property. The house, with modifications, stands on and is occupied today. William Wetmore built his home at the corner of Front Street and Portage Trail. A short time later it became a hotel known as the "Perry House" and "Clifford Inn."(Adapted from Akron and Summit County, by Karl Grismer) http://www.stow.oh.us/community/history/historyWetmore.shtml In 1830, St. John's Episcopal Church was organized by William Wetmore. They met in a schoolhouse at Front and Wadsworth Streets. Shortly thereafter, construction was started at its present site on Portage Trail and Second Street. In the twentieth century, the Wetmore farm was subdivided into a neighborhood known as Paradise Park. This tree-lined neighborhood stretches from the Wetmore house present site of the Stow-Munroe Falls Public Library, and runs several blocks. Today, Wetmore Park and Wetmore Street (located by Holy Family Church) serve as reminders of Stow's first settle family. Wetmore died on October 27, 1827, aged 56, in Ohio and is interred in Stow Cemetery. The William Wetmore house was located on Darrow and Kent Road, lots 25,35, 36. Edwin Wetmore's home is located on Kent Rd and still occupied today.

References

External links

* http://www.stow.oh.us/community/history/historyWetmore.shtml {{DEFAULTSORT:Wetmore, William 1771 births 1827 deaths People from Middletown, Connecticut People from Cuyahoga Falls, Ohio People of colonial Connecticut American military personnel of the War of 1812