John Haymaker
Encyclopedia
John Haymaker was an early settler
of Ohio
and the founder of Franklin Township
and what would become the city of Kent, Ohio
. Haymaker and his family, who were of German
descent, moved west from Pittsburgh
to Franklin Township in the Connecticut Western Reserve
on the banks of the Cuyahoga River
in early November 1805, shortly after Ohio had become a state. Haymaker built a gristmill
in 1807 to take advantage of a nearby waterfall. He sold the mill and some of the surrounding land to Jacob Reed in 1811. In 1817 Reed would sell the property to George B. Depeyster and William H. Price, who helped develop the villages of Carthage in the north and Franklin Mills in the south. These two villages would eventually grow to become today's Kent, Ohio.
Settler
A settler is a person who has migrated to an area and established permanent residence there, often to colonize the area. Settlers are generally people who take up residence on land and cultivate it, as opposed to nomads...
of 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...
and the founder of Franklin Township
Franklin Township, Portage County, Ohio
Franklin Township is a civil township located in Portage County, Ohio, United States. It is located along the Cuyahoga River in Northeast Ohio on the western edge of the county. The 2000 census found 5,276 people in the township...
and what would become the city of Kent, Ohio
Kent, Ohio
Kent is a city in the U.S. state of Ohio and the largest city in Portage County. It is located along the Cuyahoga River in Northeastern Ohio on the western edge of the county. The population was 27,906 at the 2000 United States Census and 28,904 in the 2010 Census...
. Haymaker and his family, who were of German
Germans
The Germans are a Germanic ethnic group native to Central Europe. The English term Germans has referred to the German-speaking population of the Holy Roman Empire since the Late Middle Ages....
descent, moved west from Pittsburgh
Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania
Pittsburgh is the second-largest city in the US Commonwealth of Pennsylvania and the county seat of Allegheny County. Regionally, it anchors the largest urban area of Appalachia and the Ohio River Valley, and nationally, it is the 22nd-largest urban area in the United States...
to Franklin Township in the Connecticut Western Reserve
Connecticut Western Reserve
The Connecticut Western Reserve was land claimed by Connecticut from 1662 to 1800 in the Northwest Territory in what is now northeastern Ohio.-History:...
on the banks of the Cuyahoga River
Cuyahoga River
The Cuyahoga River is located in Northeast Ohio in the United States. Outside of Ohio, the river is most famous for being "the river that caught fire", helping to spur the environmental movement in the late 1960s...
in early November 1805, shortly after Ohio had become a state. Haymaker built a gristmill
Gristmill
The terms gristmill or grist mill can refer either to a building in which grain is ground into flour, or to the grinding mechanism itself.- Early history :...
in 1807 to take advantage of a nearby waterfall. He sold the mill and some of the surrounding land to Jacob Reed in 1811. In 1817 Reed would sell the property to George B. Depeyster and William H. Price, who helped develop the villages of Carthage in the north and Franklin Mills in the south. These two villages would eventually grow to become today's Kent, Ohio.