Jeriah Swetland was an American

United States

The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...

 businessman and local politician in nineteenth-century central Ohio

Ohio

Ohio is a Midwestern state in the United States. The 34th largest state by area in the U.S.,it is the 7th‑most populous with over 11.5 million residents, containing several major American cities and seven metropolitan areas with populations of 500,000 or more.The state's capital is Columbus...

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A native of Springfield, New Hampshire

Springfield, New Hampshire

Springfield is a town in Sullivan County, New Hampshire, United States. The population was 1,311 at the 2010 census. Gile State Forest is located within the town.-History:...

, Swetland was the ninth of ten children born to Roswell and Naomi (Rockwell) Swetland. At the age of nineteen, he left home for an apprenticeship

Apprenticeship

Apprenticeship is a system of training a new generation of practitioners of a skill. Apprentices or protégés build their careers from apprenticeships...

 in the harnessmaking and saddlemaking

Horse tack

Tack is a term used to describe any of the various equipment and accessories worn by horses in the course of their use as domesticated animals. Saddles, stirrups, bridles, halters, reins, bits, harnesses, martingales, and breastplates are all forms of horse tack...

 trades. In 1841, he married the former Arabella Fellows, who bore him three children. Two years later, he left New Hampshire to settle in London, Ohio

London, Ohio

London is a city in and the county seat of Madison County, Ohio, United States. Located about southwest of the Ohio capital of Columbus, London was established in 1811 to serve as the county seat. As of the 2000 census, the city population was 8,771, an increase from 7,807 in 1990. It is the...

, where he began to conduct business; between 1847 and 1856, he moved at various times to Pickaway County

Pickaway County, Ohio

As of the census of 2000, there were 52,727 people, 17,599 households, and 13,287 families residing in the county. The population density was 105 people per square mile . There were 18,596 housing units at an average density of 37 per square mile...

, Mount Sterling

Mount Sterling, Ohio

Mount Sterling is a village in Madison County, Ohio, United States. The population was 1,865 at the 2000 census. It is a part of the Columbus, Ohio Metropolitan Statistical Area....

, and again to London, where he joined in partnership

Partnership

A partnership is an arrangement where parties agree to cooperate to advance their mutual interests.Since humans are social beings, partnerships between individuals, businesses, interest-based organizations, schools, governments, and varied combinations thereof, have always been and remain commonplace...

 with William Chandler for a ten-year period.

Swetland was a prominent part of the society of London; he joined its Masonic lodge

Freemasonry

Freemasonry is a fraternal organisation that arose from obscure origins in the late 16th to early 17th century. Freemasonry now exists in various forms all over the world, with a membership estimated at around six million, including approximately 150,000 under the jurisdictions of the Grand Lodge...

 in 1850, and he was a member of the Knights of Pythias

Knights of Pythias

The Knights of Pythias is a fraternal organization and secret society founded at Washington, DC, on 19 February 1864.The Knights of Pythias was the first fraternal organization to receive a charter under an act of the United States Congress. It was founded by Justus H. Rathbone, who had been...

 and a leader in the Knights Templar. After a time of service on London's village council

Town council

A town council is a democratically elected form of government for small municipalities or civil parishes. A council may serve as both the representative and executive branch....

, he was elected as a Democrat

Democratic Party (United States)

The Democratic Party is one of two major contemporary political parties in the United States, along with the Republican Party. The party's socially liberal and progressive platform is largely considered center-left in the U.S. political spectrum. The party has the lengthiest record of continuous...

 to the Ohio House of Representatives

Ohio House of Representatives

The Ohio House of Representatives is the lower house of the Ohio General Assembly, the state legislature of the U.S. state of Ohio; the other house of the bicameral legislature being the Ohio Senate....

, serving from 1867 to 1869. He and his wife were active members of the local congregation

First United Methodist Church (London, Ohio)

First United Methodist Church is a historic congregation of the United Methodist Church in downtown London, Ohio, United States. Founded in London's earliest years, the congregation worships in a historic church building that was built in the 1890s....

 of the Methodist Episcopal Church

Methodist Episcopal Church

The Methodist Episcopal Church, sometimes referred to as the M.E. Church, was a development of the first expression of Methodism in the United States. It officially began at the Baltimore Christmas Conference in 1784, with Francis Asbury and Thomas Coke as the first bishops. Through a series of...

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In 1871, Swetland and his wife built a house on London's east side; known as the Swetland House

Swetland House

The Swetland House is a historic residence in London, Ohio, United States. Built in 1871, it is one of the city's leading Italianate houses, and it was once home to one of London's leading citizens....

 in the present day, it is listed on the National Register of Historic Places

National Register of Historic Places

The National Register of Historic Places is the United States government's official list of districts, sites, buildings, structures, and objects deemed worthy of preservation...

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